Hittin' the links: Golf talk

[BigRedBuster]

Finally had a chance to get out and play. Shot 84 at Eagle Hills. Could've been much better but also could've been much worse. Anyone else play this weekend?

I got to squeeze in nine this afternoon. It was a little chilly and windy but still fun. I managed +2 on the front despite a terrible triple-bogey. I'm gearing up for the Kansas City Amateur Match Play Championship in two weekends.

Took me a while to get things figured out again as it was my first round since surgery. Pieced together a 45 on the front with a triple. Things felt pretty good on the back. Finally got things squared away with the driver and getting aimed right. And boy do I hate putting on greens that have recently been aerated. Felt like every putt I hit was on the edge.

Also bought a new putter the other day. Absolutely love it. Cleveland Classic 6 is what I got. Only problem is that it didn't come with a head cover. Looking at getting a head cover and my putter is basically a mid mallet. Do covers that are made for blade putters fit that or not?

Agree. It's one of those things we have to put up with though to have nice greens. Maintenance has to happen at some point. I'm never too critical of my putting in those conditions.

 

[NUance]

Finally had a chance to get out and play. Shot 84 at Eagle Hills. Could've been much better but also could've been much worse. Anyone else play this weekend?

I got to squeeze in nine this afternoon. It was a little chilly and windy but still fun. I managed +2 on the front despite a terrible triple-bogey. I'm gearing up for the Kansas City Amateur Match Play Championship in two weekends.

Took me a while to get things figured out again as it was my first round since surgery. Pieced together a 45 on the front with a triple. Things felt pretty good on the back. Finally got things squared away with the driver and getting aimed right. And boy do I hate putting on greens that have recently been aerated. Felt like every putt I hit was on the edge.

Also bought a new putter the other day. Absolutely love it. Cleveland Classic 6 is what I got. Only problem is that it didn't come with a head cover. Looking at getting a head cover and my putter is basically a mid mallet. Do covers that are made for blade putters fit that or not?

Agree. It's one of those things we have to put up with though to have nice greens. Maintenance has to happen at some point. I'm never too critical of my putting in those conditions.

Ha ha! It's like Pachinko putting. Hit a nice putt and the ball is headed right for the hole, then—plink![SIZE=11pt]—the ball hits an aeration hole and changes direction slightly. Doh! [/SIZE]

 

[BigRedBuster]

Like making the shot at 4.32.

LINK

 

[NUance]

I walked nine holes over lunch yesterday. But I didn't play, per se. I only took my gap wedge and my putter, and I played two balls in from 50 yards on each hole. I played one ball out of the rough and the other out of the fairway. I'm quickly realizing that I pile up a LOT of short strokes when I play. And this format[SIZE=11pt]—50 yards and in[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]—seems to be a good way to practice short game in a more realistic manner than hitting from around the practice greens. That, and it seems like a good way to learn the greens at the course where I play. [/SIZE]

 

[ColoradoHusk]

I walked nine holes over lunch yesterday. But I didn't play, per se. I only took my gap wedge and my putter, and I played two balls in from 50 yards on each hole. I played one ball out of the rough and the other out of the fairway. I'm quickly realizing that I pile up a LOT of short strokes when I play. And this format[SIZE=11pt]—50 yards and in[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]—seems to be a good way to practice short game in a more realistic manner than hitting from around the practice greens. That, and it seems like a good way to learn the greens at the course where I play. [/SIZE]

Maintaining a solid short game is a great way to save strokes (assuming you are a decent golfer). You can regularly shoot in the 80s, even if you miss lots of greens in regulation. Say you miss the green 2/3 of the time, that's 12 (out of 18) where you face a chip/pitch. If you get up and down 50% of the time, that's 6 shots saved if you didn't get up and down at all.

Also, if you face a really hard pitch shot, it may be best to somehow find the green with your pitch shot and 2-putt for your bogey. The last thing you want to do is face getting up and down to save bogey.

 

[BigRedBuster]

I walked nine holes over lunch yesterday. But I didn't play, per se. I only took my gap wedge and my putter, and I played two balls in from 50 yards on each hole. I played one ball out of the rough and the other out of the fairway. I'm quickly realizing that I pile up a LOT of short strokes when I play. And this format[SIZE=11pt]—50 yards and in[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]—seems to be a good way to practice short game in a more realistic manner than hitting from around the practice greens. That, and it seems like a good way to learn the greens at the course where I play. [/SIZE]

Maintaining a solid short game is a great way to save strokes (assuming you are a decent golfer). You can regularly shoot in the 80s, even if you miss lots of greens in regulation. Say you miss the green 2/3 of the time, that's 12 (out of 18) where you face a chip/pitch. If you get up and down 50% of the time, that's 6 shots saved if you didn't get up and down at all.

Also, if you face a really hard pitch shot, it may be best to somehow find the green with your pitch shot and 2-putt for your bogey. The last thing you want to do is face getting up and down to save bogey.

I love looking at golf that way. Even as a sports fan, I love statistics. It really can help you look at your golf game very differently and find where you truly are racking up strokes.

I just wish I had a good and easy way of keeping track of these strokes statistically as I play throughout the summer.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

I walked nine holes over lunch yesterday. But I didn't play, per se. I only took my gap wedge and my putter, and I played two balls in from 50 yards on each hole. I played one ball out of the rough and the other out of the fairway. I'm quickly realizing that I pile up a LOT of short strokes when I play. And this format[SIZE=11pt]—50 yards and in[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]—seems to be a good way to practice short game in a more realistic manner than hitting from around the practice greens. That, and it seems like a good way to learn the greens at the course where I play. [/SIZE]

Maintaining a solid short game is a great way to save strokes (assuming you are a decent golfer). You can regularly shoot in the 80s, even if you miss lots of greens in regulation. Say you miss the green 2/3 of the time, that's 12 (out of 18) where you face a chip/pitch. If you get up and down 50% of the time, that's 6 shots saved if you didn't get up and down at all.

Also, if you face a really hard pitch shot, it may be best to somehow find the green with your pitch shot and 2-putt for your bogey. The last thing you want to do is face getting up and down to save bogey.

I love looking at golf that way. Even as a sports fan, I love statistics. It really can help you look at your golf game very differently and find where you truly are racking up strokes.

I just wish I had a good and easy way of keeping track of these strokes statistically as I play throughout the summer.

I think there are apps that can track your shots and your "trouble areas". I don't play enough anymore to where it's worth me looking into that stuff. I am so inconsistent with things that one day it's my driving, then a couple weeks later it's my iron play/approach shots.

 

[NUance]

I mentioned to the club pro that I was thinking about getting a putting mirror. He said that he used to have one, and they work fine, but he had another suggestion to try first. He suggested putting down a narrow steel (aluminum) carpenter's rule. He keeps one behind the desk at the course that he lets people use on the practice green. It's about four feet long and two inches wide (or maybe a bit narrower). Anyone here try this?

 

[QMany]

I mentioned to the club pro that I was thinking about getting a putting mirror. He said that he used to have one, and they work fine, but he had another suggestion to try first. He suggested putting down a narrow steel (aluminum) carpenter's rule. He keeps one behind the desk at the course that he lets people use on the practice green. It's about four feet long and two inches wide (or maybe a bit narrower). Anyone here try this?

Yeah, it is a good aid. I don't think it is better than a good mirror, but that is just my opinion. The ruler gets your start lines correct. You can do the same with the mirror (and tees) plus getting proper alignment and setup.

 

[jsneb83]

Pitching is easily the worst part of my game. I don't know how many times I've 3-pitched it just to get onto the green. It easily adds 10-15 strokes to my score. It's just this mental block that I have, I have no confidence in it. Sometimes I hit it too flush and it just lines over the green, other times I get too scared that I barely hit it and get under it and it only goes a few feet. It seriously pisses me off.

 

[ZRod]

Pitching is easily the worst part of my game. I don't know how many times I've 3-pitched it just to get onto the green. It easily adds 10-15 strokes to my score. It's just this mental block that I have, I have no confidence in it. Sometimes I hit it too flush and it just lines over the green, other times I get too scared that I barely hit it and get under it and it only goes a few feet. It seriously pisses me off.

I have the same problem now, and it used to actually be a strong point in my game. I think it's something you just have to practice, and get the muscle memory down.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

Pitching is easily the worst part of my game. I don't know how many times I've 3-pitched it just to get onto the green. It easily adds 10-15 strokes to my score. It's just this mental block that I have, I have no confidence in it. Sometimes I hit it too flush and it just lines over the green, other times I get too scared that I barely hit it and get under it and it only goes a few feet. It seriously pisses me off.

If you are taking a number of strokes to just pitch/chip it on to the green, then try just getting the ball somewhere in the middle of the green. Don't focus on where the flag is because it may be tucked in a tough position or it's not easy to get to from your lie. So many shots are wasted by average golfers by not playing smart and trying to get "too aggressive". You can do pretty decent by playing to the center of the green and then trying to 2-putt. When you are able to consistently get your pitches to the center of the green, then you can try to get closer to the pin if it's accessible.

One thing to try to gain consistency is try one "type" of shot. If you can consistently have one-shot (low pitch, bump-and-run, high flop, etc) that you can pull off then you will become more consistent. So many average golfers try to pull off shots they see pro-golfers do and it's just not possible.

 

[jsneb83]

Pitching is easily the worst part of my game. I don't know how many times I've 3-pitched it just to get onto the green. It easily adds 10-15 strokes to my score. It's just this mental block that I have, I have no confidence in it. Sometimes I hit it too flush and it just lines over the green, other times I get too scared that I barely hit it and get under it and it only goes a few feet. It seriously pisses me off.

If you are taking a number of strokes to just pitch/chip it on to the green, then try just getting the ball somewhere in the middle of the green. Don't focus on where the flag is because it may be tucked in a tough position or it's not easy to get to from your lie. So many shots are wasted by average golfers by not playing smart and trying to get "too aggressive". You can do pretty decent by playing to the center of the green and then trying to 2-putt. When you are able to consistently get your pitches to the center of the green, then you can try to get closer to the pin if it's accessible.
One thing to try to gain consistency is try one "type" of shot. If you can consistently have one-shot (low pitch, bump-and-run, high flop, etc) that you can pull off then you will become more consistent. So many average golfers try to pull off shots they see pro-golfers do and it's just not possible.

I never really look at where the hole is until I'm on the green or just off of it. I just try to get on the green when pitching. If I aim for the center of the green, I either line drive it over the green or pop it up and it goes only a few feet. I have even aimed for the front of the green and I still do it.

 

[BigRedBuster]

I am so frustrated today. I have played every day this week. I have been shooting fairly well (for me) all week. Yesterday at noon, I go out and hit a bucket of balls. I hit the ball very well. I went and practiced chipping and putting. Was very satisfied with how I played.

Then, last night, I go to league night and shoot quite possibly the worst round I have shot in years. I was so frustrated by the end of the night that all I could do is laugh. I was either hitting the ball 4 inches behind it or blading the crap out of it.

I'm trying to decide if I want to go out at noon and hit balls or just say screw it for this week.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Pitching is easily the worst part of my game. I don't know how many times I've 3-pitched it just to get onto the green. It easily adds 10-15 strokes to my score. It's just this mental block that I have, I have no confidence in it. Sometimes I hit it too flush and it just lines over the green, other times I get too scared that I barely hit it and get under it and it only goes a few feet. It seriously pisses me off.

I had the same problems until I decided to make it my strong point to my game. Take the worst part and make it the best part. I had to work hours at it though and watch a ton of videos on how to do it.

Now, I have a lot of confidence in it and it's actually helped my putting too. I get up and down quite a bit in a round (If I don't play like I did last night).

Go to Youtube and watch some instructors on the mental thought process behind it. That helped me out a ton. I found I was actually thinking about the shot wrong.

Now, if I can just figure out how to get TO the green in few enough strokes to make it all worth the effort.