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Went to the short game area today at the local Muni.

The first 30 minutes was just horrible. Mix of skulled and chunked wedges. I paced off 45 yards trying to get my backswing the distance marked on my club to hit that yardage and no go. I almost wiffed on a ball because I didn't want to thin the ball so I actually hit the top off the ball with the bounce of the wedge.

After a few tries I decided I was tried of hitting fat shots. So I placed the ball offset my left foot and then dropped my right foot back so that I had to keep nearly all my weight on my front leg. Suddenly I am able to hit a lot of great wedge shot. I tried to move my right foot back and get into a normal stance and no go. I can't even hit 3/4 wedge shots from a normal stance.

A few commonalities from all those mishits. The wedge was traveling very steeply into the ball. I was hitting a ton of shots off the wedge. My clubface was clean except for this one spot about 1/4 to half an inch towards the toe were the ball was compressing grass into the grooves.

BTW, check your ball position. Much better to have it too forward than too far back.

Saturday will be good for you… :) Let's just hope the thunderstorms stay away.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

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BTW, check your ball position. Much better to have it too forward than too far back.

Saturday will be good for you… :) Let's just hope the thunderstorms stay away.

They better stay away

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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Went to the short game area today at the local Muni.

The first 30 minutes was just horrible. Mix of skulled and chunked wedges. I paced off 45 yards trying to get my backswing the distance marked on my club to hit that yardage and no go. I almost wiffed on a ball because I didn't want to thin the ball so I actually hit the top off the ball with the bounce of the wedge.

After a few tries I decided I was tried of hitting fat shots. So I placed the ball offset my left foot and then dropped my right foot back so that I had to keep nearly all my weight on my front leg. Suddenly I am able to hit a lot of great wedge shot. I tried to move my right foot back and get into a normal stance and no go. I can't even hit 3/4 wedge shots from a normal stance.

A few commonalities from all those mishits. The wedge was traveling very steeply into the ball. I was hitting a ton of shots off the wedge. My clubface was clean except for this one spot about 1/4 to half an inch towards the toe were the ball was compressing grass into the grooves.

Do you check the bottom of your swing (brushing grass, etc.) before hitting your chips?

Vishal S.

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My game is in the shitter. Absolutely not consistent at anything. Today everything was fast. Not capable of hitting at a good tempo today. I had one half way decent iron. Hit some 70-100 yard right push cuts with my driver. Irons had very horrible contact. I need this lesson Saturday badly. Still thinning quarter iron shots. My head is so full of bad stuff. There is no good swing thought or flight.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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My game is in the shitter. Absolutely not consistent at anything. Today everything was fast. Not capable of hitting at a good tempo today. I had one half way decent iron. Hit some 70-100 yard right push cuts with my driver. Irons had very horrible contact. I need this lesson Saturday badly. Still thinning quarter iron shots. My head is so full of bad stuff. There is no good swing thought or flight.

Im right there with you. Edit: I'm blaming the pollen.

- Shane

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Im right there with you.

Edit: I'm blaming the pollen.

I blame the inability to hit the mother Bleeping ball like I want to.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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Tonight's round shot by shot.

Driver: Pull Draw, Push Draw, Block Fade, Pull Draw, Block Slice, Block

Irons: Push Draw, Pull Draw, Fat, Block, Chunk, Pull Draw, Push Draw, Push, Heavy

Wedges: Thinned, Thinned, then some distance control on shorter pitches. Mostly landing them near the pin rather than short of the pin.

Putting: few good putts, few bad distance control on putts. Just need to spend time practicing on the putting green.

The driver felt like my head was falling backwards and I was off balance. Same with a lot of my irons shots. Just felt like my swing regressed big time tonight.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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Matt, you need to take week or two off and reset. You're getting into your own head and you can't swing from there. Drink some beer and play video games.

Yours in earnest, Jason.
Call me Ernest, or EJ or Ernie.

PSA - "If you find yourself in a hole, STOP DIGGING!"

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Nah, just time to double down. More actual driving range work over mirror work. :-D

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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Tonight's round shot by shot.

Driver: Pull Draw, Push Draw, Block Fade, Pull Draw, Block Slice, Block

Irons: Push Draw, Pull Draw, Fat, Block, Chunk, Pull Draw, Push Draw, Push, Heavy

Wedges: Thinned, Thinned, then some distance control on shorter pitches. Mostly landing them near the pin rather than short of the pin.

Putting: few good putts, few bad distance control on putts. Just need to spend time practicing on the putting green.

The driver felt like my head was falling backwards and I was off balance. Same with a lot of my irons shots. Just felt like my swing regressed big time tonight.

So what was your score?

Bob

WITB

Driver:                         Ping I25 10.5 PWR65 stiff Flex

Fairway Woods:          Ping TiSi Tec 3, 5 and 7 graphite Cushin stiff flex

Irons:                         Pinhawk SL 5-PW 37.25 inches 

Wedges:                     Reid Lockhart 52 and 60 quad bounce, 56 dual bounce 

Putter:                        Boccieri Heavy Putter B3-M (250 gram back weight)

Ball:                            MG C4 / Wilson Duo

Grips:                         Winn DriTac midsize Blue

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[quote name="rdsandy" url="/t/34167/my-swing-saevel25/684#post_1139248"] So what was your score? [/quote] Doesn't matter

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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Quote:

Originally Posted by rdsandy

So what was your score?

Doesn't matter

Why not, I thought golf was about shooting scores not pretty swings.

Bob

WITB

Driver:                         Ping I25 10.5 PWR65 stiff Flex

Fairway Woods:          Ping TiSi Tec 3, 5 and 7 graphite Cushin stiff flex

Irons:                         Pinhawk SL 5-PW 37.25 inches 

Wedges:                     Reid Lockhart 52 and 60 quad bounce, 56 dual bounce 

Putter:                        Boccieri Heavy Putter B3-M (250 gram back weight)

Ball:                            MG C4 / Wilson Duo

Grips:                         Winn DriTac midsize Blue

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

I shot bad with an ugly looking swing, not worth mentioning

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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Just some cliff notes from today's lesson. Full swing 1) trust the backswing, keep it shorter 2) downswing has two pieces, left am out towards the ball more. Also early in the downswing get the left hip to fire around and back. Swing thought might be to maintain the spine tilt at the finish as a check. swing at 50% to practice and 75% on the cours Distance wedges 1) less around the body more teeter totter feel with the shoulders. Keep the weight on the front foot. Getting too shallow on those shots. Pitching 1) technique is good, just need to practice distance control and situational shots. Driver 1) expect a straight to slight push fade. Go 75% unless a wide open hole.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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  • Administrator

I'll add more tomorrow, but… yeah. That.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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  • Moderator

Just some cliff notes from today's lesson.

Full swing

1) trust the backswing, keep it shorter

2) downswing has two pieces, left am out towards the ball more. Also early in the downswing get the left hip to fire around and back. Swing thought might be to maintain the spine tilt at the finish as a check. swing at 50% to practice and 75% on the cours

Distance wedges

1) less around the body more teeter totter feel with the shoulders. Keep the weight on the front foot. Getting too shallow on those shots.

Pitching

1) technique is good, just need to practice distance control and situational shots.

Driver

1) expect a straight to slight push fade. Go 75% unless a wide open hole.

Good stuff Matt. Was it easier to hit the ground/take a divot with the new followthrough feel? I know you were thinning it before.

Mike McLoughlin

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Good stuff Matt. Was it easier to hit the ground/take a divot with the new followthrough feel? I know you were thinning it before.

Very much so. It's almost like the club has no other choice but to trike the ground. Even though the swing isn't steep.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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  • Administrator

Sorry for putting the before on the right in one series. I just noticed it after I was done. The indoor ones are the "before" photos.

The one thing this shows is how much more you can do this.

Rig up something you can set behind you (a pool noodle on two sticks could work) so that you can push against it. Do this SLOWLY at first, and gradually build the speed.

Remember, this is technically what you need to work on, but you don't need this to be anywhere near perfect to hit MUCH better golf shots. That's why I included one of the "so-so" versions of your swing in the "after" photos above. You're doing it a little bit more, but it's all you needed to hit MUCH better golf shots. So as you keep improving, the dispersion will tighten up, too.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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