What Are You Working On? - Page 52

Quote:

Originally Posted by lukebisatt 

Hello , I was wondering if any one could tell me how long it would take someone my level to get down to scratch, currently I play off 10, I'm 15 and started playing golf since I was 13 and only being playing serious for 1 year I started off 24 beginning of last year and now down to 10. Also at the end of last year I was playing to around 6. I spend around 16-19 hours a week playing and practicing. And aim to spend around 16 hours per day in the school holidays. Roughly how long do you think it would take me to get to around 1 or scratch handicap , Thankyou.

2 years, 3 months, 13 days, 18 hours and 37 minutes.

This is of course assuming that you practice everyday between 7:43 am and 3:27 pm, except Wednesdays. On Wednesdays you should eat a lot of bananas and rest up. 

Also, you will need to use a V2 Gamer.

And iron covers will also help.

Just kidding, I have no idea how long it will take you or if you can do it at all.

My current Hcap is 16.5

I am 5' 8" 190 lbs with an inch of my left hip inserted in my left arm just above my wrist after I shattered it so that both arms are the same length.

That said, I have been struggling with pushing my irons slightly to the right.  My guess is that I have an open club face at impact, probably from an outside-in swing path.

I have been trying at setup to stand more vertical so that I can strike the ball with a square face.....results are that I am taking a deeper divot and striking the big ball first....any suggestions?

Last year my swing was all over the place . My son commented that I was swaying my hips alot , at least six inches , to the right ,  on the backswing and downswing.. I think it stemmed from my messing with the Stack and Tilt . Now I am trying to greatly limit the sway on the backswing  and then concentrate on thinking of my left elbow moving forward on the downswing . It's looked good on the range .  We'll see...

-getting less arms in it and more of the whole body in play

----letting the body move back on backswing (pressure under right foot) Moving forward through the swing (almost completely loading the left at finish)

----more rotation overall, especially the finish (good payoff there so far for just cleaner and more consistent)

-much snappier release (delaying the release) ((HUGE payoff in terms of distance))
 

- smoother......not stronger  (it just FEELS slower, but it's not)

(finding just the one thing to think one that ties it all together rather than just try to track all the details - starting with more pressure on the right seems to key most of it except the release timing - so that's a good start, especially since it's simple and in the setup)

It's been a long winter here in Western Pennsylvania. Last year I golfed at least a dozen times in January, February and early March. This year, only once. So, I asked myself: what can I work on in 30°, snowy conditions? The obvious answer was putting.

I am fortunate that I have room in the basement for 10-15 foot putts. So, I have been working on:

   1) Finding the proper style of putter

   2) Finding the proper grip

   3) Developing a good pre-shot routine

Putter Style - Note: I have 25 different putters in my basement that I have collected over the last 50+ years. I have classic putters and newer putters, but the ones that consistently outperform the rest are my Ping B60 and Anser 2, as well as my Odyssey XG #9 and White Steel 2-Ball. I will probably rotate these putters throughout the season, unless one outperforms the rest. I have tried different lengths of putters, but will remain with my 33" ones because they seem to work best and feel most comfortable.

Putting/Putter Grip - a) The putting grip, as referring to the placement of my hands, will undergo a major change this season. When my daughter started golfing in 1996, at age 11, I decided that she should use the "left hand low" grip after watching Jim Furyk putt. In order to set a good example, I, too, began "left hand low" after more than 25 years of conventional putting. It has served me well, but can break down at times. I had a subpar putting season last year on the greens after a good year with my irons and woods, and this year I am returning to the more traditional style. I have been trying a number of hand positions, including the "Claw" or "Gator Grip", and will undoubtedly work on that until I find one that is successful. b) I have been using standard putter grips since I began golfing, but after watching KJ Choi, have decided to install a jumbo putter grip on my Anser 2. Will it be the answer to my decades long question, "How can I make more putts and find a putting Utopia?" Who knows, but this could be interesting.

Pre-shot Routine - I have a very definite and precise pre-shot routine on the tee and in the fairway. However, on the green my putting pre-shot routine has been okay, but not as repetitive as the one with the irons and woods. The reason is simple: when I miss a few putts, I start tinkering until I find something else that works. This has led to an erratic positioning of the ball in my stance from round to round and inconsistencies in the putter swing path. I am currently working on a definitive routine that I am determined use, regardless of the day-to-day results, in hopes that I can be more consistent, especially on the shorter putts.

Im doing the opposite to your first 3 point!
 

I have been working with a swing coach lately and he has me doing a few things:

1) Pace. Swinging the same on every swing, not trying to kill the ball - especially with long irons.

2) Stance. I always stand too close to the ball and i constantly catch the ball on the hosel/shaft.

3) Grip. I have pretty small hands so he is working with me on my baseball grip.

I have to say im glad i took the lesson because this has improved my game tremendously, especially my pace. On a nice soft thorough swing, the ball goes exactly where i want it to go and the distance is the same ( imagine my surprise, lol )

Peace.

Getting my chipping/pitching touch back, and working on putting speed so I can break 80 next weekend. I have two chances. Ball striking is more consistent than ever, and I've got my length back. Hitting my 9-iron about 150, 6-iron about 185, 4-iron 210, 3-hybrid 235, and driver 285.    Amateur tip for the day- the grip on the RIGHT hand is extremely important; at impact the left wrist should be absolutely flat, parallel to the club face, and the right wrist bowed until you straighten it several feet beyond the impact zone.

After my lessons, I had a nice draw and I was hitting my driver straight and long. Then I went downhill. Eventually I lost the draw and gained the yips in putting. This season, I reinvented my putting stroke and is now working on hitting my irons well again. On my last round, I was hitting my irons pretty well but no draw. I'm yet to hit my new driver but so far, I'm beginning to like my swing.

My right elbow gets behind me in the backswing & I hit it everywhere from there.  My instructor today worked with me first on taking the club back with the right arm only, keeping the elbow in front of my body.  I then progressed to stopping at the top of the backswing, making sure the elbow was in front, then going through with the shot.  Lastly, I made the same motion without a pause or stop, but in very slow motion.   I came home tonite  

& practiced these 3 drills 70 Times & plan on doing these drills every day, 70X/Day.

Steeper hip slant. 

Working on mid to long irons. Several times now I've found a good swing, had it work for days and then suddenly and completely lost it. I took a few lessons from a pro over the winter and I feel he really helped. But at some point I have to develop a reliable swing on my own. At present, I'm working on getting a really full turn on the backswing and full club extension for a wider arc. When it's on, I can get my desired loft and distance with minimal effort. When it's off, there are a lot of thin and even topped shots. My guess is that it's a timing issue.

I'm not a long hitter but for now that doesn't seem to be the cause of my high scores. I'm starting my 2nd full season and I'm pretty much obsessed with practicing .

Working on:

1) The feel keeping the clubhead outside the hands. Feels like the club head is resting on my left flat wrist.

2) Swinging the club rather than hitting the ball.

3) Maximising lag however without forcing (use of conscious hand assistance) the release of the club. Must continue having a centripetal/centrifugal force release.

4) Strengthening my grip (had a very weak grip) and ensuring club squaring at impact happens via 2 above, naturally via centripetal force.

5) During transition, rolling out left knee and rotating into left hip to assist with maintaining max lag

Been working on this the last 4 months and starting to see the results. Golf is a great sport. Njoying every minute of it..