I Want My Game to Improve

[kbbgood]

After all these years I have to admit I still don't know how far I hit my clubs. My driver I don't worry about, it go's as far as I can. The rest of them I wish I knew. And I don't know how to work it out. In my area we don't have and good driving ranges to work it. Just wide open fields with no targets with yardages on them. What do I do?

[saevel25]

8 minutes ago, kbbgood said:

After all these years I have to admit I still don't know how far I hit my clubs. My driver I don't worry about, it go's as far as I can. The rest of them I wish I knew. And I don't know how to work it out. In my area we don't have and good driving ranges to work it. Just wide open fields with no targets with yardages on them. What do I do?

If you play a course regularly, what club do you hit all the time on the par 3 that gets you on or around the green through the air (carry distance)? 

If your have a 150 yard hole, and you hit 7 iron that lands on or around the green. Then your 7 iron goes about 150. Then add or subtract 10 yards for each club and see how that works for you. 

[darthweasel]

get an app such as Golfpad. Measure every shot. It is easy to learn and fast to use. You will not know carry distance but will know total average yardage. You can use that as a base to work out carry distances.  

[kbbgood]

I figure I am lucky to just have an old flip phone. No apps on it. I'm 68 years old and remember when there was no cell phones. So it isn't that big of a deal to me,  not like the kids of today.

[mohearn]

for the par 3 holes on the courses you play, what clubs do you hit, and what is the length of the hole? For say, a 150 yard par 3, what do you hit.

[Shindig]

Are there any par-3 courses near you, perhaps ones that tend to be empty at some times of the day?  Go play one of those.  On each hole, hit 2-3 different tee shots.  If the shot is really bad, discard it.  If it's a decent (doesn't have to be perfect, but feels typical for that club) shot, note where the ball ends up.  Write that sort of thing on your scorecard.  For example, if hole 1 is 100 yards and you hit a 9-iron and it's about the middle of the green (or about that distance from you), write that down.  If you also hit 8-iron and it ends up long, write that.  Same with PW.   If you play nine varying length par-3s like this, you'll have a decent estimate.

Oh, and finish at least one ball to the cup, because there's no sense not playing some golf while you're out  

When I started off playing golf, about fifteen years ago, I played a par-3 course regularly.  It had holes from about 90 to about 130 yards.  I got to know my PW through 6-iron pretty well (my distances have since improved).  When I got to regulation courses and even executive, I had to start making some guesses on longer clubs, and with my low swing speed, I discovered that my 5- and 4- irons weren't going at the generally ten yard increments I was getting from 6-P.  But I had a start!

[mcanadiens]

48 minutes ago, Shindig said:

Are there any par-3 courses near you, perhaps ones that tend to be empty at some times of the day?

Man do I miss that. 

And, you are right, that's a great way to get locked in with your irons. 

The latest round of course closures wiped the last two of our par-3/executive courses. I used to re-learn my swing on it for the first month every season in relative solitude.  It's been a struggle ever since. But I guess that's why they closed.