What would you DO?

[TheNatural]

  alcorn said:

Sorry but I don't understand how you can supposedly hit the ball 350 yards and have a 25 handicap. If it were me I'd first play next few rounds keeping track of the following

A player like me will hit a ball that long once a round at best. It is becoming more consistent as of last sunday I was around 250 on nearly all drives cept 1 but the long Sunday was 280-290 from google map..but it landed in a bunker so no roll......but no monster drives last sunday of 330+ Frway drives be 4 unless you count adjacent frways LOL...(just 4) putts 35 GIR -2 but 2 more were on collar..I didnt hit a single par 3. All the GIR and collars and 3 of 4 frway drives were on front 9....had a 46. hit some hazards.......back nine had a 55 many hazards..posted a 7 on a par3...3 drops. UGH

[Lefty22]

Sounds like you are guessing at your yardages, play with someone with a GPS/Laser and watch that "diminished distance" change to realistic expectations. If you are guessing you're within 5% of 350 (which means from 332-368) there's a pretty large margin for error (30+ yards) and that's if we even assume the 350 starting estimation wasn't off 30+ yards. If you were +30 on the first guess and then on the low side of your 5% you're now sitting at 304, a FAR cry from the 368 high side if we trust the guess at 350.

The whole point of this post is that it has been pointed out time and again on these boards that people who are using course markers, the scorecard, and their second shot as distance gauges grossly over-estimate their distance...

BTW from your posts you may consider changing your mindset on your mistakes: first tee jitters didn't cause the topped ball - lack of focus and a bad swing did. The slow play did not cause "many duffs" - you allowed it to affect your focus and it again resulted in you making a bad swing. Sorry if that's harsh but it's real; part of golf is internalizing these things that frustrate and rattle you and then turning that back into focus you can apply to the next shot. I had a great 4 iron on Sunday that was for sure rolling at least to the middle of the green (hit a little short and was running up, back right pin) and it WANGED one of the "No Carts" signs in front of the green defecting into the rough on the short side of the green. This was not the signs fault for being there, nor the fault of the person who put it there, and not the fault of golf carts for existing thus necessitating the need for signs; it was my fault for hitting the sign...

[TheNatural]

  Lefty22 said:

Sounds like you are guessing at your yardages, play with someone with a GPS/Laser and watch that "diminished distance" change to realistic expectations. If you are guessing you're within 5% of 350 (which means from 332-368) there's a pretty large margin for error (30+ yards) and that's if we even assume the 350 starting estimation wasn't off 30+ yards. If you were +30 on the first guess and then on the low side of your 5% you're now sitting at 304, a FAR cry from the 368 high side if we trust the guess at 350.

no doubt you are correct about the slow play...its still my hands swinging the club,i let it get to me....but if not for the wife at home waiting for a 7 hr golf trip i could deal.....,,the jitters i mentioned were the other 3...if i top its just bad swinging....but jitters for me occur when i line a eagle or birdie putt from 5 feet... my bud has a laser range finder..and the google earth maps are accurate...my balls resting points are compared to cart paths, solitary trees or frway bunkers..yes driving to a green can be misleading on a score card i agree...the guy i play with has played for almost my entire life of 30some years..he says 350 i dont question him, hes also a caddy...our last check on a drive with the lasr was 3 weeks ago...had a nice drive but too low launch angle .. but 290...he went to the ball and lasrd the tee...290 uphlll wet fairways ..no cut yet this year.....he just wont let me use it...and im not gonna ask him after every good drive ...can i check the distance from tee.?...maybe a real bomber i will. that 290 i outdrove into rough a year ago with my dad by 15 yds.......5 yds into the rough.... but still $%^$$% both holes for a bogey or DB. when you feel good about a drive...you forget to"keep head down" then its duff duff chunk putt putt ...the LDA guys outdrive me by 50 yds so its not unheard of ... Im 6-3+ with 6 foot+ wing span...and I still use a 48" driver and 4" tees...yes ....it sounds insane...my grip is ..left hand normal...right hand under ..(strong)...grip strenght is normal....the ball lies 2+ inchs above the driver head at address......and i still launch low. I dunno. whatever

[alcorn]

  TheNatural said:

A player like me will hit a ball that long once a round at best. It is becoming more consistent as of last sunday I was around 250 on nearly all drives cept 1 but the long Sunday was 280-290 from google map..but it landed in a bunker so no roll......but no monster drives last sunday of 330+

250 consistently is believable. but 4 fairways? 4 GIRs? Ok, please understand that what I am about to say is meant in no way to offend you and its not personal, but as someone who has played college and coached high school in the past ten years I'm going to tell you what I would do.

First, get to your local driving range. A number of reasons why this important but here are some things to focus on 1. Find out exactly what ranges you can be effective at with each club. You need to know exactly how far you'll hit the ball if you only make 70percent contact, 80percent, 90 percent, and so one. You can't possibly know what type of round you're going to play if you don't know this 2. Find a club, whether it be your driver, 3 wood, 5 wood, 7 iron, whatever, that you can hit that fairway 9 - 12 times during your 18 holes or 5-6 times during your 9 holes. 3. Maybe most important, when you're at the range do stop with a club until you 5-7 consecutive well struct shots. (and then have to go straight too). What this does is build muscle memory so those 1rst tee jitters are nonexistent because you don't even have to think to hit that good shot. Second, Remember that just playing isn't practice. Playing is playing. If I practice on a course then I hit two to three balls and I play every one. This way I put my self in different situations. The key is do this on a day or time when the course isn't busy and do it by yourself. Third, own up. Every player, myself included, has blamed bad shots on nerves, a wife, or heck I played a tournament scramble with some friends afew years ago and I blamed it on my kidneys failing (I had just put on the transplant list) but we have a responsibility look at our mistakes and fix them and not loose focus. Remember that golf is 60 percent mental and 40 percent physical, stay in there and don't loose your cool.

[DJYoshi]

I'd say pay an instructor to roll with you during one of your rounds.... he/she will teach you COURSE MANAGEMENT. that's the only way you'll get better.... seeing and understanding dangers that you may not have thought off.... IMO anyway. I used to try to hit bombs all the time when I 1st started and it let to 7's...8's..9's on holes...tons of lost balls....and nothing but frustration...
I went down to Celebration, FL and played a round there. got LUCKY and one of the instructors was in the group...he talked me thru the entire round...helped me build confidence in knowing what to look for..what I can and can't do....

if you're not getting optimal launch angle of what? 12 - 14 and hitting it solid off the tee, you already know how hard you can hit...but swing smoother and tone it down to 85%...even at 85% you're still swinging at 102 mph. perfect launch conditions will give you a 255 yard CARRY and then your roll. and then on a par 4, you're looking at a pw - 7 iron at most in.

there's a SHORT par 4 at one of the courses I play at. 305 slight up hill. I've driven it before...but the green is small. there's water along the right trees to the left... a bunker on the right, left and left front of the green. why do that to myself and risk a blowup hole when I can take a smooth 3 wood... hit it 250.. and have a 50 yard flop or pitch onto the green... maybe even a hybrid to 220..and then an 85 lob wedge to the green?

that's AWESOME that you can swing that fast... I'd love to get my ss up to controllably consistent 110-115 someday......

and please try this for me. MOVE THE BALL FURTHER UP IN YOUR STANCE! i'll help your launch angle a little bit and then you'll be hitting it nice and pure... good luck.

[TheNatural]

the new shaft has only been played 5x and sunday at the drv range..i hit every one of 12 straight down middle, 250 carry at range..rest of basket was irons off a tee..didnt help but on course.,...,,,i pushed 1 but it'd still b in play anywhere on course...i wouldnt drive into danger like your hole either. on course these balls went 240-60 but rough so no roll...except a few that carried longer or rolled into frway....1 went into a fairway sloped hard right and put me on 45degree slope down facing the hole...took 4 to get home....I have actually scrambled well in some rounds,,i feel if i played a bit more conservative sunday yea..i would have been at 94 not 101. sitting for 15 on evry tee back nine hurts...

[Zeph]

  TheNatural said:

that day off first tee..i topped a ball that bounced off the ladies tee...then landed in fairway and rolled to 220ish..off a 15 yard carry! the starter just shook his head ....i outdrove the 4some with that crap..1st hole jitters i guess.

220 with 15 yard carry? I'm sorry, but I hope you see why people have a hard time believing you? How can a ball possibly bounce off a tee area and go on to roll 200 yards?

Like I said before, forget the driver for a while. If you want to get better, practice the rest of your game. If you want to stay at your hcp and hoping luck will sometimes give you a round under 90, keep pounding away with the driver.

[Slim 11]

I can see I am not going to be in the consensus.

If you are averaging 250+, in the fairway there is no reason to screw with your drives. Most pros average under 300.
Definitely work on your irons and short game. That should be your concentration on the range. DO NOT put your driver away or leave it at home. I understand the concept of forcing yourself to work on the worst parts of your game but I think it is stupid to abandon the best part of it.
If you think you have a chance of driving the green, go for it.
This game is supposed to be fun...enjoy what you do well and work to improve the other areas. Good Luck.

[TheNatural]

[QUOTE=Zeph;273791]220 with 15 yard carry? I'm sorry, but I hope you see why people have a hard time believing you? How can a ball possibly bounce off a tee area and go on to roll 200 yards?



Listen man you cant make this #### up....I grazed/topped it or heeled it...it went down on a line into the ladies tee...bounced about 10 feet height but still going fast like maybe 100 i dunno...then second bounce was in fairway,,,then bounce bounce etc...then roll...roll roll... topspin did it..maybe it hit a sprinkler head on the ladies tee? we didnt hear a clack tho..just saw the bounce from the tee...it was a good laff. SO yes a 15 yd carry! I had 4 witnesses to that crime of golf.

One way to help you understand is how i was striking the ball last year....you and 99% of folks would put backspin off the driver face...imagine top spin....but insane rpm's. With a SS of 115 and the ball being swiped at ...grazed by the club face in an upward motion..the ball gets insane top spin at this SS. My habit was lifting back, shoulders, arms at impact...i was a dead pull baseball hitter so same sort of swing,,, pull left and up and boom down left field...its a bad habit in both sports..

The fix came this year...i was playing a 44 inch shaft with 2 inch extension and the shaft was an S-FLex...SO i was basically playing the equal of a senior shaft with 115 SS. when the head caught up to the ball it was smothering it with top spin,,now i hav an 48" with X ..no extension.. and backspin..then .I would hit the ball to a 12 degree launch and the ball would DIVE..imagin your worst pull shot it dives,,,this was worse..UGLY. once in a while it would make clean contact and go far. I havent even played 10 rounds with the new driver, but every round has been 101-103 on blues...NOT my choice,,the group i play with..I play ready golf so Im not slow..the new driver shaft will lower my HC a little, 5 strokes...did get a 46 front nine so thats promising...

[TheNatural]

  Slim 11 said:

I can see I am not going to be in the consensus.

the drives are just spraying on the course(pushes and pulls not sidespin), but straight on the range..screwy...but only my 5th round with this driver shaft...I am getting better..so I agree I have to keep using it..no time..2 kids a baby and its little league baseball season..i coach. No time. this forum is a release...I just want to defend my kids schools LD contest for their charity golf event. it got me a 50$ gift card i gave it to my pop..i got lucky. Also want to play 90. thats 10 strokes mind you...wish me luck.

[neudi]

To answer your question: why not try and go for short par 4's. The worst that will happen is you are chipping or in a bunker. My question for you is: Are you 7 feet tall? and if not, why did your pro put you in a 48 inch shaft? There are only like 2 shafts that even come in that length. Your pro may have been drunk when he fit you.

[Garthmo]

yes try and drive the par 4's. If you can keep it straight then go for it why wouldnt you? But like all the other posts it seems like that isnt your problem your irons and short game is, so head to the range and putting green and start putting in the hours.

[David in FL]

  TheNatural said:

......posted a 7 on a par3...3 drops. UGH

Not unless you knocked it right into the jar after your last drop.......

[DJYoshi]

  TheNatural;273777tee said:

i hit every one of 12 straight down middle, 250 carry at range..rest

250 carry is what I get on avg... my ss is only 98 - 107. you get... and this is the formula MAX at optimal launch conditions

2.5 YARD OF CARRY for every 1 MPH of club head speed so that formula and you were hitting it well would give you about 100 - 105 on the ss..... and for what you said about the par 3...scoring 7 with 3 drops...yeah that could only happen if you holed out. we're not saying that we don't believe you..but your pro should really be paying attention to your game's growth...not how hard you pound it.. and to the guy saying keep the driver... we never said put it away...we just say learn how to swing it controlled.... i could gorilla beast 110 - 115 if i tried... i've done it...but it's not controlled. why do it to yourself? ok so your HC that isn't updated is a 22. I was a 25 2 years ago. learned how to hit the ball..learned how to control my swing...learned course management... ended as a 9 last season. and this is the piece of advice i always take into consideration CONTROLLED 260 down the fairway with a 2nd shot to the pin from a target you pick is better than 300 behind a tree in the rough b/c you only care about distance. and like we've all said: RISK/REWARD on short par 4's.... that's why they're put there.

[TheNatural]

  David in FL said:

Not unless you knocked it right into the jar after your last drop.......

Ok wait ...swing/hit deep grass... drop....swing/hit pond...drop zone...swing...putt putt....seven right? Oh 2 drops sorry...

[TheNatural]

DJ ....

my launch angle is low but bounce roll etc...is longer...

[TheNatural]

i asked for the 48 inch ...LOL. I figured it could always be cut down, or i would grip down....but im using every bit of it and 4 inch tee's...i lift when i swing ...ONly with a driver ...bud of mine tried using it...he said its like swinging a 2x4.
im 6-3 its screwy mechanics....

[imtomtomim]

Go ahead, go for that par 4. You probably won't hit it anyways but you'll be closer to that hole right? Once you get a consistent swing, learn where your misses are and you'll probably have an easier time with that.

With a 48" shaft, you probably could reach a lot more than just the shorter par 4's. Just learn your misses and you'll be fine.