How I play the game

[longbow]

Ok so I have written here on occassion on my woe's with distance.  All that not with standing, last week and this week I started to play way way better.  What I did in a nutshell is to start using my 7 wood way more.  If I am inside 150 I'll use an iron, if I am outside of that I'll use my 7 wood.  Depending on the distance depends on how much I choke down.  Today through 6 holes I was even par on the East course at the Parks in Churchville NY.  Finished 6 over.  That is two putting the last 3 holes.

I have found myself swinging easier off the tee which cost me a little distance but not much, but I am in the fairway way more.  I am also way closer to the green if not on it much more too doing what I am doing.  Like regulation on.  So I am cutting my set down to 7-sw, carrying a driver, putter, and 3 and 7 wood or a 5 and 7 wood depending on which I choose.  I hit my Titelist 3 wood better than I hit my Cleveland 5 wood so go figure right.   I wanted to make sure that what I was doing was really working and through 5 rounds over the last two weeks my score has plummeted from the high 80's to high 70's low 80's.  Tues I shot a 79 on the south and east at the Parks in Churchville.  No mulligans, do over's etc.etc.  Matter of fact Tues I wasn't even keeping score another fella was and he was like 2 over after 18.  So there ya go.  thanks

PS  if I choke down on my 7 wood from the rough I can hit about 180 carry but nice and high, from the fairway choked down I get a bit more boring flight cause I don't open the club as much as from the rough  and hit it max 195 but with a little fade.  Or I can come at it a bit steeper like from the rough and hit very high but about 20 yds shorter with not as much roll out.  All I know is that it is working and I am not afraid of duffing it which with longer irons I do more than frequently.  Anybody else do this?

[bjwestner]

I'm kind of starting to do this although not to the level that you do.  For example:  if I hit a drive and it goes in the rough and I have a bad lie and more than 150 to go to get to the green, I am not hitting a 6 iron or a 5 iron.  I've learned that when I try to do that the rough grabs and turns the club too much and I end up hitting a shot that hooks left and does not go as far.  Instead I will hit a hybrid or 3wood and take something off of it.  I'm finding that the grass does not grab and turn my hybrids or 3W as much and I end up hitting it further and straighter that way.

Although I'm still hitting 6 and 5 irons from the fairway, even then I'm really cautious about it since I do not hit those clubs as well as the 8 and 9 irons.  If it's an iffy lie even on the fairway then I am starting to use other clubs that I know I can hit better.  It makes no sense to me to try to hit with a club that I am not as successful using as of yet.....

BTW - great strategy by doing this.  All that matters is getting that ball in the cup in as few strokes as possible!