Bogey Golfers and "Working the Ball"

[DavidFehertysBike]

Im in the same boat with what many other posters have said. I dont work the ball at all unless i have to, like when im behind something or i need to negioitate a extreme dogleg. The only direction i will work a ball is left to right. And even then is usually only off the tee when i see big trouble left. Ill aim right at the trouble and cut the ball away from it. I cant control a draw to the point i feel i can place it at a exact spot, so i dont try to. I play my natual shot 90% (or more) of the time.

[Randy4h]

I will try to favor one side of a fairway off the tee, and I guess I "could" work every shot into the greens, but I would rather just hit a relatively straight ball to the middle of the greens than to short side myself trying to be too cute and overcooking a fade or draw.

When a 15-20 handicapper claims to be "working" the ball, doesn't he really mean that he is just allowing for his natural slice? I see a lot of vacationing golfers at my home course driving range (resort area of Florida). Of those that look to be bogey golfers, I have yet to see one that could hit a fade or draw at will. However, I do see many that slice everything. They set up left, swing left, then slice toward the center.

[Jay-Bird]

I consider myself a bogey golfer. My goal is pretty much to hit the ball straight & keep it in play on every shot. Rarely if ever do I try to hit a fade or draw.

I'm not trying to be an ass, but you

are a bogey golfer because you " consider yourself a bogey golfer". The mind is powerful. Try considering yourself a "slightly better than bogey" golfer and see where it takes you.

[sean_miller]

I will try to favor one side of a fairway off the tee, and I guess I "could" work every shot into the greens, but I would rather just hit a relatively straight ball to the middle of the greens than to short side myself trying to be too cute and overcooking a fade or draw.

I think you're on the money. I only really "work the ball" on very rare occasions - maybe once ever few rounds. Most times I'm playing the odds based on typical shot shape.

[ohiolefty]

I think average golfers are working high and low more often. In that regard, I'm thinking about how much I want the ball to release on EVERY hole. That's why every time I've practiced this winter, I'm working for the last 20 minutes or so on hitting 100 yard approach shots with different clubs, ballflights etc. Trying to be really sharp.

The only major 'working' of the ball I do on a regular basis is if I'm playing a 4-7 iron into a green, I usually try and cut it a bit because you're getting a softer landing. But that depends on wind, too.

Also, if wind is really bad, I may cut or draw a ball INTO the wind on occasion. But, that's pretty rare for me.

[Bullitt5339]

I will try to favor one side of a fairway off the tee, and I guess I "could" work every shot into the greens, but I would rather just hit a relatively straight ball to the middle of the greens than to short side myself trying to be too cute and overcooking a fade or draw.

I have to disagree on my part, at least. My natural swing has a slight fade, but I can hit a draw if I need to, and I shoot right around bogey all the time. However, my woods and iron play is typically better than most "bogey golfers", my short game is just horrible right now.

[kleraudio]

I'm not trying to be an ass, but you

Jay, THANK YOU! Seriously, thats great! I shoot so well early in a round, like even or 1 over after 10 or 11 holes, then I remember Im a bogey golfer, and whatya know, after 18 I post an 88, or a 91, or whatever.... I get into my own head and make mistakes because I only think about "wow, Im gonna shoot in the 70's today!!" then I lose it

Thats great, Im really gonna focus on that next time out! "Im a single digit handicap, Im a single digit handicap..."

[Par Fore]

I consider myself a bogey golfer. My goal is pretty much to hit the ball straight & keep it in play on every shot. Rarely if ever do I try to hit a fade or draw.

I play a draw.....depending on the course, there are holes that require working the ball based on tree cover.....also, depending on how much trouble I find myself in, it's often required to be creative

It's not the 12 or so pars a round that causes the problem.....it's the rare duff, duck hook, slice, chunk, and other shots that cause the few blow up holes that keep me in bogey territory and out of the 70's....working the ball is fun, and it hides the fact that I can't hit it straight, LOL....oh, and my short game kinda sucks....

[WUTiger]

Working the ball comes in degrees. And, in what part of the game are we talking about?

For chip shots, I try to hit the ball square with a slightly closed 8-iron clubface to promote some run. If I have a downhill chip, I may put a little cut spin on the ball to slow it down. I can do it either way, because I practice it. I can also put cutspin or overspin on short wedge shots, again because I practice it.

For full shots, there's offensive working and defensive working. Offensive working is what the pros and single-digit amateurs do, to try to gain a stroke with aggressive play: hooking a driver around a tight dogleg-left corner to get home in two on a long Par 5.

Then there's defensive working the ball, to get out of trouble or stay out of trouble. At my "home course" I often push a drive into the treeline on No. 10, a midlength par 4. To get out of trouble, I fade the ball around the edge of the trees. It's either that, or chip to the center of the fairway and try for a full wedge. But, I'm only 170 yds. out in light rough, so why not go for it with a fade? I've gotten anything from a birdie to a bogey doing this.

[juanrjackson]

I'm not trying to be an ass, but you

You might have a point...but I am just considering my scores

[Chas]

LOL.

Usually when I'm trying to work the ball (left or right) it's because I've messed up the drive and have to do something dramatic to get anywhere near the throat of the green. Sometimes I pull it off - sorda - and sometimes I hit the ball straight as an arrow (subconscious compensation?) and end up in the rough on the other side.

*sigh*

I'm slowly getting better at this, it's a trust issue I think, and will persevere.

I work the ball low as well (avoiding branches, into a strong wind etc) and find that fairly easy and very satisfying to do. I haven't really tried working it high much yet but probably should - too often I hit through greens from 150 - 190 yards. Some of the posters in this thread give me encouragement to try it.

[Dave H]

I almost never try to work the ball in a round. Too much work for me just to try and hit where I'm aiming. I can recall one time where I attempted to hit a draw and it worked. That felt nice. I failed miserably the next few attempts and went back to going for straight. I've practiced hitting draws and fades at the range with some success but it definitely hasn't translated to an on-course skill. At the same time, it's pretty low on my list of golf priorities.

[iacas]

Learning to work the ball was one of the things that helped me get better, because it teaches you how the ball reacts when you do certain things in the golf swing. The game of golf is about learning to control the golf ball.

So if not when you're a bogey golfer, when? Why make some arbitrary number at which you're "allowed" or "supposed" to start working the ball?

Let me tell you a story. It's about a guy who was a 12-ish handicap who was playing to about a 22 handicap. He had complete faith in my ability to help him, so we went out and played 18 holes from the red tees. The catch was that he had to pull off whatever shot I told him to hit. Once, from 125 yards to a pin tucked front right behind a bunker, I told him to hit a high, soft cut with a 5I. Another time, from 200 yards, a 7-iron as low and with as big a hook as he could get. Or a flop with his 3-iron. He shaped the ball every which way, on purpose and at my command, and he shot 75 without hitting a club longer than his hybrid all day - so it's not like he was overpowering the course from the red tees.

Point of that story was that being forced to shape the bejeezus out of the ball freed him of swing thoughts and let him reconnect with his feel, which if you've played golf for a little while you have whether you know it or not.

So to any high handicappers out there, I say shape the shit outta the ball. How else are you gonna learn?

[chilly]

I'm a 17.3, so pretty much the definition of a bogey golfer. I play with a lot of guys 13+ hcp. Personally, from what I've seen, it's almost laughable that guys in this range talk about working the ball. Any given round, guys shooting mid 80s are still chunking gap wedges, blading hybrids, pushing a few drives OOB..you get the picture...and these same guys are worrying about hitting a high cut into a tucked pin? I don't know when the right time is to start worrying about working the ball, but if you can't consistently hit a "stock" shot, why worry about getting fancy?

[Phil McGleno]

I don't know when the right time is to start worrying about working the ball, but if you can't consistently hit a "stock" shot, why worry about getting fancy?

Holy Batman in a friggin' leotard. WTF is up with all the negativity? Oh, sure, y'all can spin it as "I'm just trying to be realistic" (say that in some gay, castrated-man voice for the full effect) but you're just being friggin' girls.

Guess what, it's not about "being fancy." The dumbass that thinks his 50-yard slice - which isn't consistent at all, btw - is gonna carry the day is gonna play worse than the guy who tries to do something on every swing. I teach people to play golf for a living, and you know what's odd? You take your average golfer - I don't care what his swing is or what he tends to do or any of that crap - and you tell him to hit 37 different kinds of shots with his 5-iron on the range. Greatest thing I ever thought to do in teaching people golf. Why? Because one of those swings - I don't care if it's the swing where I tell someone to try to shank the ball (I do, it works) - one or more of those swings where they try to do something funny are gonna look better than whatever their normal swing is. And that's where we start. We don't start with their normal swing - we start with the swing that looks the best and gives them the best chance of improving. And of course they can do it - they make that swing the first time you tell them to top the ball or shove it way right and hook it all the way back or whatever thing makes them make the better swing. Besides, the average golfer often gets in trouble because he plays for a fade and hooks it or vice versa, or even hits one straight. If he can intentionally shape the ball one way or the other, it's gonna greatly reduce his error.

[chriskzoo]

I almost never try to "work" the ball unless I am in trouble. Otherwise I just play my natural 4-5 yard fade and take dead aim with the wedges.

[dblbgy17]

I almost never try to "work" the ball unless I am in trouble.

i agree with this post but would add a few other scenarios:

*off the tee if necessary to follow dogleg fairway *attacking a tucked away pin if my playing partner is beating me, haha it's important to know how to work the ball but it's more important to know when to do it. don't worry about shaping shots just for the hell of it. until you're at a level where you need to attack pins, shape shots when going around trees and when necessary to keep it in the short grass.

[Lefty-Golfer]

Aside from being in trouble and you don't have a choice but to work it, i tend to try and hit the ball pretty straight. on occasion if i need to i will play a draw or a fade into a green to adjust yardages.

Example- Stock 8 iron for me is 145 - 148. depanding on the day and lie if i am sitting 152 - 156 or there about to the flag I may try to draw an 8 or cut a 7...i find scrubing or adding distance with shot shape to be the best way to approach in between shots.

if i am not hitting the ball well i typically just try to play a solid swing to the green and hope i am putting ok. The key to scoring for me is to miss well...and don't short side yourself.