What Are You Working On?

[bste]

Shorter backswing and a lot of short game practice... my speed on long putts is horrible... any suggestions

Hi onthehunt526:

Yea don't do dat. lol sorry couldn't resist

A lot of good instruction about chip and pitch shots, just run a search. You will get better, ya gotta believe.

[boogielicious]

Quote:

Originally Posted by onthehunt526

Shorter backswing and a lot of short game practice... my speed on long putts is horrible... any suggestions

Hi onthehunt526:

Yea don't do dat. lol sorry couldn't resist

A lot of good instruction about chip and pitch shots, just run a search. You will get better, ya gotta believe.

Here are three good ones

Quickie Pitching Video - Golf Pitch Shot Technique

Chipping With a Putting Method

Putting - DO NOT Accelerate Through the Ball

[sinned123]

What am I working on...?...For the past 3-4 rounds I have been topping my driver,I just recently got fit for a new set of PINGS(G25,5-UW). The pro who fitted me told me I'm hooding the club and have this front lean when I go after the ball.I never realized this, so I'm trying to change the way I grip the club in my right hand and stay centered swinging the club.Also, I can't seem to hit my 5W or hybrid anymore and have been reduced to laying up a lot w/ a 5/6 iron which had produced some wicked hooks(I recently played w/ MIZUNO S53's...I'm hoping the PINGS are more forgiving. The only reason I'm a 15 handicap(I play in a competitive NJ Golf League where we play by the rules of golf !) is because of my wedge play and putting.If I can get my driver and fairway woods back in play...who knows what my handicap can be. ! Sinn

[bste]

I'm working on reducing my power fade with driver (push slice). It is getting better after 5 years, that's what brought me to this site.

[sgt1372]

Just started playing golf 4 weeks ago.

Signed up for a GolfNow beginners course 3 weeks ago and have been hitting the practice range 2-3 days every week since I started.

Although, I've been given some instruction on how to hit irons and on chipping/pitching, I've been mainly focused on trying to master the driver and I've mostly been hitting classic fade/slices.  I have been occasionally able to hit some really nice straight drives but, until recently, I was pretty clueless why some balls went straight but most sliced.  Viewed a variety of YouTube videos and DVDs to figure it out but none of the advice helped develop any consistency in hitting the ball.

However, I've just figured out that in order to hit the ball straight, I have to keep my right arm (I'm right handed) entirely straight and open (not turned) at impact.  Whenever, I turned my right forearm over, the club head would turn inward resulting in an out/in swing that caused the ball to spin right and slice.  When I keep my right arm straight and do not turn over my forearm, the ball now flies dead straight or with just a mild fade.   Tee height also seems important in how high/far the ball flies.  What works for me is teeing the ball so that the middle of the ball sits at the top of the club head resting on the ground -- lower than that and I top the ball and hit grounders, higher than that and I hit pop ups or short fly balls.

Once I'm confident that I can hit the ball straight w/the driver with some consistency, I'm going to work on distance. I'm only using a 3/4 swing currently because whenever I try to hit a full swing that requires me to break my wrists at the top, my swing goes to sh*t.  With a 3/4 swing, when I hit it straight and in the sweet spot of the drive, the ball flies a little over 200 yards and, when I flub & slice it, the ball only goes about 100-150 yards.

As I understand it, assuming the ball is hit properly, distance is directly proportional to club speed, which in turn is connected w the/relaxation and full extension of the arms and hip/shoulder rotation which generates power/club head speed.  Very complicated stuff when you have to think about it.   But, assuming that I can learn how to maintain accuracy with a full swing, I think that I should be able to hit the ball at least 250 yards w/the driver, which should be good enough to get me around a course.

Wish me luck!

[Patch]

I had a chance today to work on my putting, on a real green. I started out by hitting balls across the green from one side to the other. Doing this allows me to get a decent idea of the green speed.  Plus, most of the time, I am usually 20-30 feet away from the pin on the first few holes anyways, when I actually play.

After getting some what use to the speed of the green, I just started dropping balls all over the green at various distances. The practice green I was on today had some uphill/downhill contours which allowed for other than just straight, level putts. After 30 minutes or so of just putting, I started chipping from just off the green, with the intentions of having no more than a one put left over. Since there was a practice bunker near by, I incorporated it into my putting practice too.

Besides just practicing with clubs and balls, I spent some time trying to identify the various breaks this particular green made available to me. In all instances where a break was available, I tried to use as much  (270 degrees) of the hole as possible. The old "never up, never in" idiom.

After a couple hours, I went to the 19th hole to practice the other part of my golf game, while waiting for my wife to pick me up.

[brice]

Im working on keeping not getting stuck, using this practice drill

[dchoye]

"hips clear" - finally able to feel this concept this past week.

working on my PW swings inside 50 yards and mostly all arm swing.

As I got progressively more outside 50 yards, I could envision my pelvis as weight like a catapult and  having my hips cleared to power the swing a bit more.

Then as I got further away to max 90 yards I felt very easy for the first time in my life to pitch it as specific distances 50,60,70 80, 90 yards with accuracy and minimal effort

The swing was still armsy but at longer pitch distance i felt like I could control the distance with my butt.

[natureboy]

Trying to break 90 - hopefully / maybe by the end of the year so working on everything.

1. 'feel' of powering swing with my left hip after a full turn for consistent zip

2. ensuring I stay inside R foot and bump to L in transition so I don't reverse pivot / hang back

3. lag putting

4. distance control on mid-short pitches

5. Runyan chipping method club selection & feel

[sgt1372]

Just starting learning how to play golf about 6 weeks ago.  Haven't set foot on a fairway yet but I'm ready now.

In the past 6 weeks, I've been visiting a driving range and taking lessons 2-3x's per week for 2-4 hours a day.  I've learned how to hit the ball (mostly) straight or w/a draw w/my driver and all of the other clubs in my bag and have spent the last 3 weeks "mapping" out how far I can hit each club by visiting a golf simulation site.

Still not hitting each club perfectly but, with the golf sim data, I was able to create a chart of the total distance range, total distance average and carry distance average for each of my clubs, based on the 10 best swings for each club.  Doing this also allowed me me to remove clubs that I hit poorly and choose the best 13 clubs (other than the putter) that have the range and total/carry distances that cover most contingencies w/o any significant gaps.  Printed up a "cheat sheet" with this data that I can carry w/me on the course so that can "select" the club that makes the most sense to use when I hit the fairways, rather than try to guess what I "might" be able to do w/each club.  The clubs I've chosen to put in my bag are listed in my signature.  Fortunately, I didn't make too many buying "mistakes" along the way and only have a few extra clubs that I bought that paid "extra" for that I've removed from the bag.

Going to try out an Executive 9 hole in a couple of days and, if that goes well, I'll try the back or front 9 on a regular course before trying to tackle a full 18 holes.

[onkey]

I'm working on enjoying the game for what it is.  A few weeks ago I broke 80 for the first time and the relief of finally conquering that beast has given me the chance to sit back and re-evaluate what I want out of the game.  I could set a new goal of getting my handicap down into single digits, but I really don't want to continue pressing so hard.  I remember when my handicap was 18-20 and I really enjoyed just playing golf.  I didn't have any expectations and just enjoyed playing.  I want that back, at least for a while.

[Lihu]

I'm working on enjoying the game for what it is.  A few weeks ago I broke 80 for the first time and the relief of finally conquering that beast has given me the chance to sit back and re-evaluate what I want out of the game.  I could set a new goal of getting my handicap down into single digits, but I really don't want to continue pressing so hard.  I remember when my handicap was 18-20 and I really enjoyed just playing golf.  I didn't have any expectations and just enjoyed playing.  I want that back, at least for a while.

There's no turning back. Even at my current handicap, if I thin a shot and it rolls on the green, it feels bad. It just feels really bad. There is something about hitting a nice solid shot that is extremely gratifying.

[chris3putt]

There's no turning back. Even at my current handicap, if I thin a shot and it rolls on the green, it feels bad. It just feels really bad. There is something about hitting a nice solid shot that is extremely gratifying.

You nailed it! Had a shot today into the green that I pulled badly. It hit the bank, bounced sideways and ended up in the centre of the green. Great result, not a great feeling..........

[Hardballs]

You nailed it! Had a shot today into the green that I pulled badly. It hit the bank, bounced sideways and ended up in the centre of the green. Great result, not a great feeling..........:doh:

Yeah but your scorecard never saw that great bad shot, What happens on the course stays on the course!

[Buicktee]

Well noticed my 7-thru pitch swings are spot on so I took the the plunge and cut my 6 and 5 iron to the same lenght from the handle end...wow what a difference.  Same set up and same swing and now with 7 at 150, 6 at 170, and 5 at 180 with accuracy, meaning I now regularly find the green from those distances my confidence is up and my score has come down.  Shot a 40, 9 holes on my home course first time and only because my driver had some hic-ups, but with the longer irons shot shaping became a reality and I went around trees ...wow.

As a baseball player I never really understood why longer clubs other than woods, for the average player, was needed.  I never picked up a different bat because of the ball park we played in.  But being a simple man with simple ideas I probably don't see the big picture.

[Kieran123]

Not falling towards the ball in my swing.

Doing swings with my butt against a chair. In my videos, I was moving towards the ball about 2 inches, and after looking at some pros swings, they're butts all move away from the ball

[dbevil]

I had to quit playing for almost three months due to a back injury. I have resumed play but cannot stop raising up now. It is as if I have the yips when swinging. I did not expect nor do I in the future, due to this injury, expect to hit the ball as far or as well as I was but this is ridiculous. ANY HELP HERE?!

[natureboy]

I had to quit playing for almost three months due to a back injury. I have resumed play but cannot stop raising up now. It is as if I have the yips when swinging. I did not expect nor do I in the future, due to this injury, expect to hit the ball as far or as well as I was but this is ridiculous. ANY HELP HERE?!

I have that fault sometimes too with stiff / tired back. What's helped for me is warming up a bit before even hitting balls on the range with some deep knee bends, back rolls (arms hang toward toes then lift the arms straight up rolling through each vertebra of an arched back), and some twists where I stand & turn upper body in one direction while lifting the knee on that side up to my waist. Then with the lower back / torso / legs a bit warmed up I try to stretch out my hamstrings. It's helped me regain some flex and maintain it better during the round.

If you work at a desk or drive a lot, the tight hamstrings are often a contributor / culprit in the back issues.

Then hitting balls & during the round I try to make a 'relaxed' turn all the way back, trying to feel loose and without strain in my torso. Then patience for the lower body to bump / start to clear before firing the shoulders. It doesn't always work. When I get OTT & throw my R arm too early from the top I seem to automatically stand up on the R leg instead of work down the inside.

There may be another swing issue at work so check with the mods.

Good luck.