Variety Pack of Golf Bits and Questions

[Cantankerish]

This game continues to stymie, befuddle, and confound.  Any information would be appreciated.

1. Messed up Distances

I am in the process of a major overhaul of my swing.  As such, my distances are all wonky atm.  As an example, the 6I goes about 190 and the 5h goes about 185 (which is about the same as before the recent swing changes).  This is a complete mystery to me.  On Sunday I practiced the heck out of these two clubs at the range and it is a certainty.  They are both Adams Tight Lies clubs from the same set. I have not hit a 3, 4, or 5-iron since before I bought these clubs. Those are all hybrids . Have any of you guys had this experience where your hybrids do not go as far as irons?  Is that typical?  If not, what would cause that?

2. 14th slot

I'm about done with my lob wedge for now.  The math does not encourage me to select it ever. I blade it or chunk it disastrously 1 in 4 swings. I am much more confident with the sand wedge. That opens up a spot and I am not sure what to swap in. Bag is: 1w, 3w, 3h, 4h, 5h, 6i, 7i, 8i, 9i, pw,(46) gw(50), sw (56), lw (60)

3.Locked Elbow

Do you lock your left elbow (right handed) until contact?  Do you keep your arm mostly straight?  Let it bend?  What is the particular benefit of the straightness?  Power, consistency?  I see some of the old timers let this arm cock to 90 degrees, and some of them can still score better than me.

4. Weight Shift

My swing tends to keep my weight forward even in the backswing in pretty atypical fashion.  It means that I am not tilting much.  I thought I heard that this is an issue with diminished power, but I am only 5'8" tall and I hit pretty hard.  What am I losing out by not shifting weight back and then forward?

5. Choice of Ball

Do you trust refurbished golfballs?  I have been buying the used Titleist Prov1x because I have been led to believe that it is the best ball, generally speaking.  I have no particular knowledge, and I have never once "felt" that any golf ball is better than any other.  I do not know what to look for.  Even the super cheapie ones seem the same to me as these Prov1x in terms of distance and spin.

6. Friggin' Rain

After my first lesson I have been so anxious to get out there.  It has been raining big time for more than a week.  Waaaa!

 

Thanks for your thoughtful responses.

 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by Cantankerish

[iacas]

The last post here seems to be back in May:

 

3, 4, and a bit of 1 would be well served to be discussed over there, I think.

[ShawnSum]

20 minutes ago, Cantankerish said:

5. Choice of Ball

Do you trust refurbished golfballs?  I have been buying the used Titleist Prov1x because I have been led to believe that it is the best ball, generally speaking.  I have no particular knowledge, and I have never once "felt" that any golf ball is better than any other.  I do not know what to look for.  Even the super cheapie ones seem the same to me as these Prov1x in terms of distance and spin.

I do not trust refurbished balls, but I'm also the type of guy who has never bought anything off ebay or bought golf clubs online. I prefer to know exactly what I'm buying and do business in person! In my opinion a lot of golf balls are the same with a different brand stamped on them, I'm a bit of a fan boy and since I recently got fitted and purchased new TaylorMade irons I'm now playing the TP5 balls instead of Pro V1's. They feel soft, check up and do all the things the Pro V1's do so I'm content!

[cooke119]

1. I have not experienced a hybrid going less distance then the same lofted iron. I love hybrids so I bought a set of Cleveland HB Launchers, they are all of a hybrid design.

2. I would add a 5W instead of a LW. I use a driver, 3W, 5W then a 21* hybrid down to my SW, (again my clubs are all based on a hybrid design), I don't use a LW, if needed I open the face of my SW, aim to the left and let her rip.

3.I let it bend on the back swing. Watch "How to Hit a Driver" on this site under Swing Thoughts, I apply what they teach to all my clubs.

4. Again, watch "How to Hit a Driver" on this site under Swing Thoughts, For me I cannot consciously shift my weight, it screws me up. I let it happen naturally.

5.I would not use refurbished golf balls, that is just me. But I also do not play a ProV1s, they are too expensive for me. At my level of play I cannot tell the difference between balls. I buy balls based on price, usually under $25 a dozen. I like TaylorMade Noodles, you'll find mine in the woods.

6. Rain sucks! I played in it today.

Keep working at it and have fun.

[Zippo]

I agree with iacas - you should update your swing thread with some new video to get some better responses from those who might be of help. I of course, am about as far from being an expert as one can get and still be allowed out on the golf course but, just for fun:

1. Could it be that the 5h has a wider sole which allows you to hit a bit fat robbing some distance?

2. I love my lob wedge. Is it always good to me? No. But, when it is, it is great. With your bag, if I were choosing, either the 3w or the 3h would go before the lob wedge - but that's just me.

3. I see left elbows doing different things from tour players. DeChambeau almost looks like Iron Byron he seems so stiff. I think, within reason, your left elbow should do whatever works best for your swing.

4. I still struggle with weight/pressure shift. It takes work. But, when it works, it's a thing of beauty and feels so good to finish up on the left side instead of that reverse "K" thing.

5. I haven't tried any refurbished balls so can't say. I do feel that the right golf ball can make a difference in both distance and dispersion. Which ball is right for you I think only you can decide.

6. Here in the great PNW if you don't play in the rain you don't play for 8 months of the year...

I see you're an 18 hcp - I'll get there one of these days...

[Cantankerish]

On 8/6/2019 at 11:04 AM, iacas said:

16 hours ago, Zippo said:

I agree with iacas - you should update your swing thread with some new video to get some better responses from those who might be of help. I of course, am about as far from being an expert as one can get and still be allowed out on the golf course but, just for fun:

 

First things first.  Your avatar...It is so provocative, and yet silly and nothingburger. -- uuugghhh!

It is complicated, but I have good reasons to not have uploaded any swing vids lately.  I will get some more soon.  These are just tiny questions that have come up.

Thanks for the responses.

 

Actually, number 4 has nothing to do with my swing.

Edited August 7, 2019 by Cantankerish

[Zippo]

3 hours ago, Cantankerish said:

First things first.  Your avatar...It is so provocative, and yet silly and nothingburger. -- uuugghhh!

It is complicated, but I have good reasons to not have uploaded any swing vids lately.  I will get some more soon.  These are just tiny questions that have come up.

Thanks for the responses.

 

Actually, number 4 has nothing to do with my swing.

Hey! What can I say - I used to be a handsome biker - then I took up golf...

Number 4 is your question about weight shift. Nothing to do with your swing? Huh?

[iacas]

4 hours ago, Cantankerish said:

Actually, number 4 has nothing to do with my swing.

Let me quote…

On 8/6/2019 at 10:57 AM, Cantankerish said:

4. Weight Shift

My swing

So…?

[Sandhills Golfer]

Regarding the ball. There are so many new ball choices these days or 5A used choices at decent prices, not sure refurb anything is worth it. If money is an issue, stock up every Black Friday or Srixon has sales 2-3 times a year and some have been big Snell fans - tour ball bought on line at lower prices. In my opinion, the biggest difference in balls are green side spin. Urethane balls check up on the green, the opposite is Surlyn which will roll out. Some say buy the cheaper Surlyn and play shots that allow for roll out. I think the urethane balls (like a Srixon Q Star Tour ) are fun to watch them spin (check up) on a chip shot. In the end, there's always an ongoing debate on if either ball will affect ones score one bit. 

Edited August 8, 2019 by Sandhills Golfe

[Cantankerish]

14 hours ago, iacas said:

Let me quote…

So…?

My bad.  Number 3 has nothing to do with me.

[billchao]

On 8/6/2019 at 10:57 AM, Cantankerish said:

3.Locked Elbow

Do you lock your left elbow (right handed) until contact?  Do you keep your arm mostly straight?  Let it bend?  What is the particular benefit of the straightness?  Power, consistency?  I see some of the old timers let this arm cock to 90 degrees, and some of them can still score better than me.

I don't lock or hyperextend my lead elbow but it stays fairly straight due to my mechanics.

Bending and straightening the lead elbow can increase swing speed as it adds another lever (that's why LD guys do it) but it also adds another moving piece to the swing and consistency can suffer.

[Cantankerish]

More questions:

1. Do you practice to take a full swing out of greenside bunkers?  If not, can you elaborate why not.

2. I have read that hybrids have a tendency to hook.  I have experienced this, and I would like to know why.

[Bonvivant]

2.) I personally play a 58 and love it. Not nearly as unwieldy as a 60 for me. Maybe experiment with this and go to a 50-54-58 gapping, but this requires the purchase of 2 clubs and may be a leap as clubs aren't cheap. Additional pointing back to your first question, it sounds like you may have room for 2 clubs in the future if your distances on 6i and 5h are so close. You said that this was a full set, so I am assuming no 5i to check and see if the gapping is consistent if you were to go to a stronger iron. If I had that room, I would put in a lefty 7 or 8 iron for shots that are unplayable from my dominant side.

5.) I have had really good luck with the online bulk companies with reduced rate premium balls. I enjoy the softness of urethane around the greens, but there is no other noticeable difference. I will say that the color Vice balls seemed to lose paint remarkable quick, which I wasn't a fan of. Made the switch to Snell this year and at 28 dollars a dozen, I am convinced that they are the best value, but as you said, the ball doesn't matter that much. More of a luxury for me.

[billchao]

1 hour ago, Cantankerish said:

1. Do you practice to take a full swing out of greenside bunkers?  If not, can you elaborate why not.

No. There are no practice bunkers on any of my local driving ranges. The swing is pretty much the same anyway, just with minor setup changes.

[snapfade]

3 hours ago, Bonvivant said:

as clubs aren't cheap.

Thats a very arrogant statement. 

3 hours ago, Cantankerish said:

More questions:

1. Do you practice to take a full swing out of greenside bunkers?  If not, can you elaborate why not.

2. I have read that hybrids have a tendency to hook.  I have experienced this, and I would like to know why.

I take a full swing out of bunkers, sometimes just a bit faster or "harder" depending on how buried it is or whatever. 

I was told play the ball a little left of center ( right handed golfer) like an iron. If you play it like a fairway wood you come inside and hook it. I'm sure someone can explain it better than me. 

 

[Bonvivant]

15 minutes ago, snapfade said:

Thats a very arrogant statement. 

I hope you knew that this had nothing to do with him. I wouldn't want to buy 2 clubs to fill a 1 club slot and I would expect many others would feel the same. If it was a dig at the other post, Cheers! I don't mind input or insults from the interwebz though.

[snapfade]

51 minutes ago, Bonvivant said:

I hope you knew that this had nothing to do with him. I wouldn't want to buy 2 clubs to fill a 1 club slot and I would expect many others would feel the same. If it was a dig at the other post, Cheers! I don't mind input or insults from the interwebz though.

I thought I'd draw a chuckle out of you.

[boogielicious]

12 hours ago, Cantankerish said:

More questions:

1. Do you practice to take a full swing out of greenside bunkers?  If not, can you elaborate why not.

2. I have read that hybrids have a tendency to hook.  I have experienced this, and I would like to know why.

1. I do when I find a practice area to work on it. Bunkers are a weakness for me and I use the time to build confidence. As @billchao stated, it is almost the same shot as a pitch with a slightly different setup. But to go the same distance as a pitch, the swing must be longer because we are using the sand to move the ball.
2. My miss is a hook anyway, so I can confirm they do. I think it is because the hybrid is the first club in your bag that may have graphite shafts. The OEM tend to go with much lighter shafts than the equivalent club as an iron. Example, my current set 3 iron would use a 115g shaft. The stock Titleist 818 hybrid came with a 70g graphite shaft. I could hook the be-jeesus out of that. I replaced with a 90g shaft and I have better control now. I also think we tend to want to crush ball with the hybrid thinking it will help. I am learning to just swing smooth and let the club do the work.