Greetings from BoomerGolfAnon

[BoomerGolfAnon]

Hello there. This is my first post on the site. I promise that subsequent posts will NOT be this long.

How long have you been playing golf?

I've been playing golf since I was a young kid. Both my dad and my step dad were avoid golfers and both belonged to several country clubs or owned small summer homes on golf courses. When I was in junior high school and high school, I played A LOT of par 3 courses that were within easy biking or driving distance, so my short game and my putting is pretty good. However, until recently I never learned how to hit a driver (or longer fairway woods) with much confidence. To this day, I play with nothing but hybrids, woods and hybridized irons, which I frequently use off the tee. Several months ago, I purchased an entirely new set of clubs for the first time in nearly 20 years. I am now the proud owner of a full set of Cleveland Launcher HB (High Bore) irons (5-9, PW, SW). I also own the Cleveland Launcher HB 4 iron and their Dual (or Gap) wedge, but I recently removed these clubs from my bag to make room for a driver and a 9 wood.

Every chance I get, I visit the local Value Village about 10 minutes from my home looking for throw-away bargains. Over just the last month, I've found some gems and diamonds in the rough. I picked up an unused Sun Mountain V1 Speed Cart ($200 new) for $12.99; I bought two unused Cleveland Launcher 2009 fairway woods (a 5 wood and a killer 7 wood) with Fujikura regular shafts for $4.99 each (I loved these clubs so much and hit them so well that this week I bought a matching 3 wood and driver from eBay to round out the set); and two days ago, I found an old See More FGP putter with a pristine milled face and matching leather head cover for $9.99 as well as a vintage Cobra Baffler 7 wood for $1.99 which I'm in the process of refinishing (photos to come later when the project is done).

What’s your handicap or normal score?

I honestly don't know what my official handicap is as I practice WAY more than I play. One of my goals for 2019 is to figure out what my true handicap is. Because of a long-term (scar-tissue related) inury I have from open-heart surgery when I was a young kid, I'm unable to play more than 9 holes at a time without discomfort, so I'll need to play 10 rounds of 9 holes to establish my first "official" handicap. I've done a few fake projections that put my handicap somewhere near an 18, but I expect than number to go down.

What do you love about golf?

• I love the fact that golf is so multi-faceted, and that to achieve a goal, I often need to the do the opposite of what I'm trying to accomplish
• I can play the game alone, with friends, or with my wife and boys
• I can practice by myself in remote parks or at driving ranges and putting greens
• I can measure my progress with numbers and data
• I love researching new golf technologies and reading reviews
• Theoretically, I can play on the same courses as Tour Pros and use some of the same equipment as Tour Pros
• There are lots of great online forums with a real sense of community
• While not exactly a year-round sport, golf still provides plenty of opportunities to visit driving ranges or hit balls in public parks in the off season. And if all else fails, I can break out the putter at home and practice sinking 8-footers on a putting carpet in my family room
• Playing a round of golf is a great form of outdoor exercise, especially if I don't use a golf cart
• Many of the courses where I live are off-the-charts beautiful

I actually enjoy practicing for free at nearby parks and open spaces more than spending $50 (or more) on a round of golf. There's also a certain Zen-like moment that comes from hitting a pure, nearly flawlessly-executed shot with a 7-wood, hearing the swoosh of the swing, and knowing without even looking up that the ball is rocketing skyward and at precisely the location where I aimed it. I'm also continuously intrigued by the Yin and Yang of golf - for example, to hit the ball far, I must hit it slowly and with a smooth tempo. Or, to grip the solidly, I must hold it softly in my hands. There is also room in golf for amateurs, like me, who enjoy swimming against the current and who like to throw aside conventional wisdom and try out new techniques, and then adopt and refine these oddball techniques if they pay dividends.

Some examples:

• In terms of my swing style, I am and have always been a true sweeper. This means that I NEVER take a divot, ever. If I do accidentally take a divot, it means I made a mistake in my swing, and the resulting shot is invariably a poor one.
• Other than my putter, I have nothing but hybridized irons, rescue clubs (including a NOS Ginty and a Cobra Baffler), and woods in my bag. Even my wedges are hollow hybrids.
• I use a split hand putting technique in which my hands are widely separated and NEVER touch each other, and I bend over very far when putting, trying to get my head as close to the ball as possible.
• I generally place the ball in the center of my stance and only adjust my position based on the length of the shaft or to shape the shot.
• Recently, after injuring the ligaments in my right pinky using the interlocking grip for decades, I switched to the 10-finger baseball grip and have never looked back. I can't imagine using any other grip now.
• After noticing that I was consistently hitting longer-shafted woods and drivers off the heel or hosel, I started positioning the club up to a full head length BELOW the ball at address. Problem solved!

I have a number of different hobbies, but interestingly all of them are relevant to golf in some strange way.

In addition to golf (which is my current and daily obsession), I also enjoy flying radio controlled 1-meter bungee-launched gliders as well as flying kites in high winds (this gives me a good sense of what happens to a golf ball in windy and blustery conditions as well as some insight into the overall flight characteristics of golf balls); I enjoy target shooting and trap shooting (these sports have taught me concentration, focus, aiming and alignment techniques, and how to control my breathing and heart rate); I also enjoy playing both acoustic and electric guitars on old tube amplifiers (this has taught me how to tap into my own inner creativity and to do things 'my own way'). Finally, I like to make memes in my spare time.

What brings you to The Sand Trap?

I have been lurking on the site as an unregistered user for some time, and I finally decided to register so I could join in the fun, get some feedback from other users, and share an occasional golf-related anecdote or two.

Where are you from? What is your home course?

I like to hit balls and do practice putting at Willows Run golf course in Redmond and at the Twin Rivers golf course in Fall City, Washington.

What are the best and worst things about golf in your region?

Where I live, it rains a lot (and I mean A LOT). This translates to lush, green fairways most of the year and only a few months of downtime when things really get cold or it snows. I live within 30 minutes driving time of at least a dozen different public golf courses, so I consider myself very fortunate in this regard.

What do you do for a living?

I am a front-end software engineer with more than quarter century of experience in the field.

How’d you pick your user name?

I'm BoomerGolfAnon. I am a Boomer (born right at the transition line between Baby Boomers and Gen X'ers); I am also passionate about practicing or researching golf in some way on a daily basis; and I like to keep my actual identity anonymous. I always remember that line from ElastiGirl in 'The Incredibles': "Your identity is your most important possession. Protect it!" Hence: BoomerGolfAnon

[dennyjones]

Great introduction.    Welcome to TST.

[Vinsk]

Welcome to TST! Nice into. I think a swing video from you would be interesting. It’s always nice to see how others are playing this crazy game. What made you decide to use Hybrids only? Do you like/want to be a sweeper or you find you simply can’t compress the ball?

I was a sweeper for years until I finally hit my first proper compressed iron. It was a feeling I’d never had nor ever forget. One more thing; by ‘below’ the ball do you mean inside? Like closer to you? Cheers.

[BoomerGolfAnon]

On 7/9/2019 at 5:56 AM, Vinsk said:

Welcome to TST! Nice into. I think a swing video from you would be interesting. It’s always nice to see how others are playing this crazy game. What made you decide to use Hybrids only? Do you like/want to be a sweeper or you find you simply can’t compress the ball?

I was a sweeper for years until I finally hit my first proper compressed iron. It was a feeling I’d never had nor ever forget. One more thing; by ‘below’ the ball do you mean inside? Like closer to you? Cheers.

What made you decide to use Hybrids only? Do you like/want to be a sweeper or you find you simply can't compress the ball?

When I was 6 years old, I had open heart surgery. Back in those days (in 1969) the doctors literally cut you in half and then stitched you back together and sent you on your way. I have a 20" scar that starts under my left pectoral muscle, winds around my left rib cage, and then follows the curve of my shoulder blade up to the base of my neck. I have massive scar tissue from this surgery that was never addressed until recently when I started aggressive physical therapy for the first time.

Because of this scar tissue, whenever I started playing golf regularly and hitting balls at the range, I would eventually reach a breaking point when I could no longer play and would have to give up golf. The pain felt like I had been hit in my rib cage with a baseball bat. This happened in elementary school, junior high, high school, college, and several more times after I moved out to Seattle.

Over the years, I learned that by sweeping the ball, I could better manage the pain and discomfort, so I researched everything I could about becoming a sweeper as I embraced this unique swing style. As a range rat, I also learned that hitting off AstroTurf on a concrete block is my worst enemy, so I simply removed those two elements from the equation by ALWAYS sweeping the ball. And since hybrid clubs and fairway woods are designed to be swept, I decided to having nothing but hollow clubs with wide soles in my bag and focus instead on having a single swing type for literally every club in my bag.

I know I'm giving up a lot of distance by not compressing the ball, so I try to make up for that in other ways (for example, by getting the ball up high and hitting it straight and true).

One more thing; by ‘below’ the ball do you mean inside? Like closer to you?

When I set up with a driver or longer fairway woods, I take a comfortable stance and align the sweet spot with the center of the ball. Then, I step back several inches, taking the club with me (thereby maintaining the original angle of the club to the horizon). The club face is now no longer in line with the ball - it's below it. Pic related shows how I align my 3 wood - if this were a driver, it would be another inch or so lower. Then, I just need to remind myself that by the time I square up on my downswing, the centrifugal force will have pulled the club face out to the right location and I should have a good shot. I've confirmed this theory using Dr. School's foot spray on all my clubs, and no other alignment technique I've tried has worked as well as this method.

[Vinsk]

Well I’m certainly glad you’re finding a way to play. FWIW though I don’t think it’s ‘centrifugal force’ that’s causing you to have to line up like this. If that were the case everyone would be subjected to it. It’s more likely the actual movement you’re doing with your arms from the top. I’m guessing you are casting a bit, perhaps early extending your trail arm which is what is throwing your club out further than at address. 

It would be interesting to see your swing. You can post a video here if you’d like and get some great input. But again congrats on getting out there and swinging away! Cheers!

[BoomerGolfAnon]

6 hours ago, Vinsk said:

Well I’m certainly glad you’re finding a way to play. FWIW though I don’t think it’s ‘centrifugal force’ that’s causing you to have to line up like this. If that were the case everyone would be subjected to it. It’s more likely the actual movement you’re doing with your arms from the top. I’m guessing you are casting a bit, perhaps early extending your trail arm which is what is throwing your club out further than at address. 

It would be interesting to see your swing. You can post a video here if you’d like and get some great input. But again congrats on getting out there and swinging away! Cheers!

You're probably right. I may be casting. On the other hand, I work hard not to cast. I even have a Tour Striker 7 iron, but I sweep it like everything else. My theory is that I've developed a 'natural' swing of my own to minimize discomfort. By stretching and swimming, I can stay limber, and if I sweep the ball to make it fly straight and true, I'm good to go.

[BoomerGolfAnon]

On 7/10/2019 at 3:56 PM, Vinsk said:

Well I’m certainly glad you’re finding a way to play. FWIW though I don’t think it’s ‘centrifugal force’ that’s causing you to have to line up like this. If that were the case everyone would be subjected to it. It’s more likely the actual movement you’re doing with your arms from the top. I’m guessing you are casting a bit, perhaps early extending your trail arm which is what is throwing your club out further than at address. 

It would be interesting to see your swing. You can post a video here if you’d like and get some great input. But again congrats on getting out there and swinging away! Cheers!

Hi Vinsk,

I finally got around to making and posting my first swing video. Feel free to take a peek and offer any words of wisdom you may have.

https://thesandtrap.com/forums/topic/102445-my-swing-boomergolfanon/