What shot do you dread?

[saltman]

So I repeat. Stop already.

Okay buddy, there is awful lot of disrespect there since you have never seen me play and do not know my history with the game. Prior to this season, I had played about 15 rounds in 5 years. You play 3 rounds per year and tell me what your handicap might be. I absolutely never practice. I have forgotten more about the game of golf than you will ever know. A 230 yard 3-iron, 200-210 yar 5-iron aint a rarity friend. That is pure and simple my yardage and I happy to prove that to anyone anytime. I don't particularly think its all that impressive, its just is what it is. If you can compress the ball, its not that hard. Virtually all pros are within 1 club of each other with irons. My 10.5 index is not at all indicative of my game. It's a product of having a sloppy short game and a bit of a driver fight right now. I could bag the driver and cut 4 strokes off the index, but I don't want to run from the club just to get to a 6. I want to be able to hit the club and get back to a 1 or better. Back to a 1, because I have been there before.

[phan52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phan52

No disrespect, but be serious. You have a 10.5 index. For you to suggest that you are "probably close to Tiger's yardage with irons" is ludicrous. Tiger Woods generates a rididculous amount of clubhead speed and hits thousands of balls a week. Whatever his average is with his irons is a controlled shot as well, while you probably have to swing out of your shoes to hit it his distance, and you probably have very little idea where it is going. If you occasionally hit an iron those distances in the middle of the fairway, I'm fairly certain it is a rarity without watching your swing.

This afternoon I was out playing nine holes with my pro and I won't even go into the distances he hits his irons. But on one hole, I hit a five iron pin high from 191 yards. Now, I hit a five iron 175 yards when I make my best swing. But it was downwind and I had a flyer lie in the first cut. Just because I did that today , I don't go around telling people that I hit a 5 iron 190 yards, because I don't. I still usually hit a good 5 iron 175 yards.

So I repeat. Stop already.

Originally Posted by saltman

Okay buddy, there is awful lot of disrespect there since you have never seen me play and do not know my history with the game. Prior to this season, I had played about 15 rounds in 5 years. You play 3 rounds per year and tell me what your handicap might be. I absolutely never practice. I have forgotten more about the game of golf than you will ever know.A 230 yard 3-iron, 200-210 yar 5-iron aint a rarity friend. That is pure and simple my yardage and I happy to prove that to anyone anytime. I don't particularly think its all that impressive, its just is what it is. If you can compress the ball, its not that hard. Virtually all pros are within 1 club of each other with irons. My 10.5 index is not at all indicative of my game. It's a product of having a sloppy short game and a bit of a driver fight right now. I could bag the driver and cut 4 strokes off the index, but I don't want to run from the club just to get to a 6. I want to be able to hit the club and get back to a 1 or better. Back to a 1, because I have been there before.

As I said in a following post...

Quote:

Just because somebody can pound a ball a long way is not indicative of how far he hits a particular club if he has no clue where it is going. The shot has to be hit under control and pretty much consistently in play. When you can do that, THAT is how far you can hit that club.

And I saw the video of your swing. You ain't compressing the ball anywhere close to Tiger.

So again. Stop already. Buddy.

[saltman]

Good rules to live by, Phan is proving to be a nemesis quickly and just gets under my skin. I'm done trying to justify it until and unless he wants to show up somewhere with his wallet. :)

[saltman]

Dude, compressing the ball is critical to getting to a certain distance, however at the pointy end the more compression doesn't result in a perfectly linear relationship to distance. More compression also results in more spin and spin dumps off distance. This is why guys like Luke Donald and Zach Johnson are probably only 1 club off Tiger. I consider that close, as I said I consider most pros to be reasonably close in iron yardage. That is what you seem to be missing. You don't see Luke Donald hitting a 4-iron where Tiger is hitting an 8-iron. I don't know why this offends you so much.

[phan52]

Originally Posted by saltman

Dude, compressing the ball is critical to getting to a certain distance, however at the pointy end the more compression doesn't result in a perfectly linear relationship to distance. More compression also results in more spin and spin dumps off distance. This is why guys like Luke Donald and Zach Johnson are probably only 1 club off Tiger. I consider that close, as I said I consider most pros to be reasonably close in iron yardage. That is what you seem to be missing. You don't see Luke Donald hitting a 4-iron where Tiger is hitting an 8-iron. I don't know why this offends you so much.

Hardly offended. I am laughing as we speak.

Linear, indeed...

[GaijinGolfer]

A tee shot that requires a fade.  My natural ballflight is a draw, so I find it somewhat difficult to fade the ball.  Typically, the best I can do is to open up my stance, aim to the left and hit an intentional slice.

[dsc123]

A tee shot that requires a draw.

[kw purp]

Originally Posted by saltman

I'm the same as him, my driver and I have a fickle relationship. Usually I can still pull out a 3-wood, but sometimes I have to club down to 3-iron. I also hit 3-iron 240ish, 250 would be absolutely smoked, 220-230 slight mishit including runout, not all carry. Tiger hits it further than 230 off the tee. He's probably 250-260 depending on how soft the fairways are, 230 is probably all carry.

240ish 3 iron gtfoh

[Barefoot Golfer]

I would have to say any shot with my 3 hybrid, I really hate that club and should have went with straight 3 iron instead. Also any really long putt.

That being said though, I am really working on the mental side of the game, and I have to learn not to dread or fear shots.  Obviously, this would only relate to reasonable risk shots, but in the end, having confidence in your ability to hit a good shot will go a long way in producing said good shot, even if your skill level is not professional.  Practice on the range, believe in yourself on the course!

[kw purp]

tight lie, choking down on a 80/90 yard wedge. Skull it way too frequently.

[Slice of Life]

Originally Posted by kw purp

tight lie, choking down on a 80/90 yard wedge. Skull it way too frequently.

I did this yesterday from 100 out. Skulled it, it ran through the rough then settled up on the green 15 feet from the pin.

Better lucky than good? lol

[460CompMark]

short sided flop shot over a bunker

[Jeremie Boop]

Anything besides a putt or full AW swing. Those 2 I'm completely comfortable with.

[David in FL]

4 foot putt for par bogey......

[muttbag]

Originally Posted by saltman

Okay buddy, there is awful lot of disrespect there since you have never seen me play and do not know my history with the game. Prior to this season, I had played about 15 rounds in 5 years. You play 3 rounds per year and tell me what your handicap might be. I absolutely never practice. I have forgotten more about the game of golf than you will ever know.A 230 yard 3-iron, 200-210 yar 5-iron aint a rarity friend. That is pure and simple my yardage and I happy to prove that to anyone anytime. I don't particularly think its all that impressive, its just is what it is. If you can compress the ball, its not that hard. Virtually all pros are within 1 club of each other with irons. My 10.5 index is not at all indicative of my game. It's a product of having a sloppy short game and a bit of a driver fight right now. I could bag the driver and cut 4 strokes off the index, but I don't want to run from the club just to get to a 6. I want to be able to hit the club and get back to a 1 or better. Back to a 1, because I have been there before.

I have to agree.  With my new iron set, I consistently hit my 5i between 180 - 190 yards.  I am by NO means a long ball hitter, but I am a solid hitter when I execute on my swing mechanics.  I played in a scramble with a guy Tuesday night who hit a 345 yard drive (we didn't eyeball it.. we confirmed w/ 2 GPS trackers)... flat fairway, no wind assistance.  Now THAT'S unbelievable.  But a 190 yard 5i?  That's just a solid swing.

[saltman]

lol....I left an uphill 4 footer 3 inches short last week......for birdie.

[MizunoPez]

Quote:Originally Posted by phan52 No disrespect, but be serious. You have a 10.5 index. For you to suggest that you are "probably close to Tiger's yardage with irons" is ludicrous. Tiger Woods generates a rididculous amount of clubhead speed and hits thousands of balls a week. Whatever his average is with his irons is a controlled shot as well, while you probably have to swing out of your shoes to hit it his distance, and you probably have very little idea where it is going. If you occasionally hit an iron those distances in the middle of the fairway, I'm fairly certain it is a rarity without watching your swing.This afternoon I was out playing nine holes with my pro and I won't even go into the distances he hits his irons. But on one hole, I hit a five iron pin high from 191 yards. Now, I hit a five iron 175 yards when I make my best swing. But it was downwind and I had a flyer lie in the first cut. Just because I did that today , I don't go around telling people that I hit a 5 iron 190 yards, because I don't. I still usually hit a good 5 iron 175 yards.So I repeat. Stop already. Okay buddy, there is awful lot of disrespect there since you have never seen me play and do not know my history with the game. Prior to this season, I had played about 15 rounds in 5 years. You play 3 rounds per year and tell me what your handicap might be. I absolutely never practice. I have forgotten more about the game of golf than you will ever know.A 230 yard 3-iron, 200-210 yar 5-iron aint a rarity friend. That is pure and simple my yardage and I happy to prove that to anyone anytime. I don't particularly think its all that impressive, its just is what it is. If you can compress the ball, its not that hard. Virtually all pros are within 1 club of each other with irons. My 10.5 index is not at all indicative of my game. It's a product of having a sloppy short game and a bit of a driver fight right now. I could bag the driver and cut 4 strokes off the index, but I don't want to run from the club just to get to a 6. I want to be able to hit the club and get back to a 1 or better. Back to a 1, because I have been there before.

Have you had a major injury or something? Trying to piece together how someone can be near scratch and then suddenly be off 10 after a few years. Surely you don't lose the ability that quickly if you are off 1 and take a few years out. Then again, everyone is different. No disrespect at all, just interested :)

[saltman]

Trying to piece together how someone can be near scratch and then suddenly be off 10 after a few years. Surely you don't lose the ability that quickly if you are off 1 and take a few years out. Then again, everyone is different.

No disrespect at all, just interested :)

I don't think its all that strange, it wasn't a few years, it was more than 10 years of virtually no play. Even now, I only play 10-15 rounds per year, when I was a 1, I played over 100 rounds a year. I stopped keeping a handicap altogether during that time. So it wasn't as though I had old scores that were going to be used. I started playing again, spraying balls all over the place and having a tough time breaking 90. So the handicap didn't really go from 1 to 13, it really just started at 13 and now has moved down to 10 after 3 revisions. Still I don't play enough to get it to move all that quickly. My last 20 rounds still date back to 2011. It will keep creeping down, stay tuned. I actually think my ball striking (save for driver) is as good as its ever been. It's a lot closer than the 10 would suggest. A couple other limiters, I live in downtown chicago, no easy access to a real practice facility. I also do not have a home track, so I frequently play different courses and in many cases courses I have never played. Oh and I also now have an 8 month old.