Question for Freddie

tequila4kapp

Tom Watson called to say “Hi”
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How can we be more consistent in our golf game?
 
This is a loaded question because everyone is different. And the answer isn't glamorous. Practice is key but proper practice is where it's at. Hitting 100 balls a few times a week with out a purpose does more harm than good.

Lessons are a must if you want to improve. These can be online or in person. I prefer in person but not everyone has the means or the pro population needed to accomplish this. Through lessons you will have a solid foundation to build upon in what ever area you needed help.

Properly fit clubs are very important. Again it's not possible for everyone but if it is, it should be done. It can make a big difference in your game with out some of the other elements.

But if you gotta dance with who you brought. Course management will make you more consistent and teach you shots. We all miss shots and how you manage those misses goes into consistent golf as much as having a grooved swing. Course management lowers scores, lower scores make you feel better and build confidence. And confidence has a knack of spilling over into the rest of your game.
 
But if you gotta dance with who you brought. Course management will make you more consistent and teach you shots. We all miss shots and how you manage those misses goes into consistent golf as much as having a grooved swing. Course management lowers scores, lower scores make you feel better and build confidence. And confidence has a knack of spilling over into the rest of your game.

I think this is one of the most underrated approaches to improving your game. I was always a driver off the tee guy, every par 4 and par 5. This year I changed that. My two best rounds this year and of my life, 76 and 78, I probably used a bigger variety of clubs off the tee than I ever have before.

Obviously there's more to course management than off the tee. That was just my biggest course management change this year.
 
Thanks Freddie. Can we explore this sentence a bit more?

Hitting 100 balls a few times a week with out a purpose does more harm than good.

What type of purposes do you have when you hit balls?

How does it do more harm than good?

I often times with play games at the range - hit X number in a row with a particular club to a target, work my way through the bag in a particular way, play a course in my mind on the range, etc. Sometimes I simply work on whatever I am worst at. Are those the types of purposes you mean?
 
Thanks Freddie. Can we explore this sentence a bit more?



What type of purposes do you have when you hit balls?

How does it do more harm than good?

I often times with play games at the range - hit X number in a row with a particular club to a target, work my way through the bag in a particular way, play a course in my mind on the range, etc. Sometimes I simply work on whatever I am worst at. Are those the types of purposes you mean?

What type of purposes do you have when you hit balls? When I go to the range I am always working on a specific shot with a particular club. Right now I am working on a high baby draw with my 4i. Before each swing I check my grip, stance and posture. I swing to the toip of my swing being aware of my shoulder turn and my take away. I know immediatley how the shot will turn out prior to the top of my swing. If I have made a mistake I fix this on the next shot. If I flushed it, I try to repeat. This process may allow me to hit a hand full of shots with this club. I'll switch and move to another shot with another club. ALL the shots I practice are shots I have seen or sill see in a given round.

How does it do more harm than good? Lets say I just pulled the 4i and started beating balls on the range, one after another. I get into a groove and I am flushing each one. But I am unaware that my alighment is off or that I am coming over the top. Well I just pretty luch grooved a mistake that evening. Beating balls without a purpose just gets you good and stretched out. More golfers groove mistakes through the act of hitting 100 balls.

And to answer your last question, that is the purpose I am speaking of. Standing on the range and just beating balls at a target in empty space can be counter productive. Go to the range an learn what each club can do. Hit a 120 yd 7i or a 180 driver. DL# was taught to hit 100, 150 aqnd 200 yard driver before he ever learn to hit the 300 yard bombs he was hitting in the 90s. Learn to hit a 100yd driver is so hard to do with a normal swing. But if you learn to do this, adding some swing speed is all you need to hit 150,200,300 yards because you have learn the postions needed to hit 100.
 
Great stuff Freddie. I've noticed recently that managing my misses has been crucial to my overall consistency and scoring. I used to get really upset with myself when I had a bad miss, but as I've improved my recovery shots and short game, I hardly worry when I pull an approach shot or slice a drive a bit offline. Also, practicing a lot of meaningful and focused little chips and pitches has worked wonders for my entire game, driver through putter.
 
One thing that helped me a lot this last year was learning how to hit (and practicing it a lot between rounds!) low recovery shots from underbeath trees using hybrids & low irons. I faced up to the fact that I was going to end up in trouble a lot (until I fix some other swing flaws), and getting back on track in one shot vs 2-3 prevented a lot of blow-up holes.

So one thing I definitely want to do this year is practice different trouble shots with purpose.
 
One thing that helped me a lot this last year was learning how to hit (and practicing it a lot between rounds!) low recovery shots from underbeath trees using hybrids & low irons. I faced up to the fact that I was going to end up in trouble a lot (until I fix some other swing flaws), and getting back on track in one shot vs 2-3 prevented a lot of blow-up holes.

So one thing I definitely want to do this year is practice different trouble shots with purpose.
Seve became the player he was through learning trouble shots. that and a solid short game.
 
One thing that helped me a lot this last year was learning how to hit (and practicing it a lot between rounds!) low recovery shots from underbeath trees using hybrids & low irons. I faced up to the fact that I was going to end up in trouble a lot (until I fix some other swing flaws), and getting back on track in one shot vs 2-3 prevented a lot of blow-up holes.

So one thing I definitely want to do this year is practice different trouble shots with purpose.

Spot-on, Grins. A couple of seasons ago, I started having many more misses left, off the tee. I wasn't practicing much, so chipped back out and went from there. I did take some time at the beginning of the next season, though, to learn how to hit a low-roping hook with my 7 iron. June of that season, was playing in a scramble, and we were all in trouble off the tee, until i reached my ball. The needed shot was exactly what I had been practicing. Had to convince my team to choose my ball (not too hard, since a couple were already OB), but I hit the shot just as I envisioned it, out and around the trees, slinging back into green. Ended-up putting for birdie, just on the back fringe. Not good to be in that position, but I still think that's the best single shot I have ever hit. Without spending time on that specific shot, no way I would have even considered the possibility of recovering from there.

Oh, and it's good to work on those kinds of shots, regardless of fixing other flaws. Even the best-of-the-best get in trouble, so we should expect that, too, and being able to recover is a huge asset to your game.
 
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