My Swing (Lihu)

[Lihu]

Sure, whenever I go up to Seattle or visa versa. :-)

[Lihu]

As soon as my monthly pass expires, I'm hitting the range again to work on my priorities again for another couple months.

422 yard  (blue/gold tees) 10th hole, hit just short of the right bunker. 3H to the 18th tee box area (it was cold and I didn't feel like hitting an iron on the first hole so I backed off a hybrid). 60 over the trees to the back fringe. 2 putts for bogey.

I should have stopped after the drive on the 525 yard (blue moved back) 11th just before I thinned my 3W making the green in 3 as usual. 2 putts par.

The highlight of the day was making the 468 yard (maybe a bit longer) 12th green in regulation in 42F temperatures with driver/3H. Regulation Par on this bear of a hole .

13th, hit a 6i from the 175ish front tee into the pine tree over the oak tree. Really tricky behind the bunker position and a blocking tree. Bump and run under the tree and over the bunker to the back fringe. 2 putt bogey.

14th, hit a drive right down the middle, but seriously short (there was a "tree mark" on the ball). So, as I didn't actually see the ball flight I think it ricocheted off the trees on the right and ended up on the fairway. PW to the green. 3 putts bogey. Practiced some putting for 15 minutes after I competed the hole.

Sliced my drive into the pond near the 8th from the 15th tee. Some golfer told me he saw it splash after hitting the tree. Dropped from the approximate crossing point. 3H to left of the fairway bunker. PW to the back fringe. Chip on and a pretty decent putt for a double.

My drive on the 421 yard 16th (blue/gold tees) was just short and left of the bunker (cut the dogleg) leaving me with a 120 yard punch shot through the trees, hit the trees because I couldn't keep it down. 60 from the tee box of the 17th to the front fringe left me with a 15 foot chip and a putt. Bogey.

The slightly uphill 175 yard 17th was a disappointing short fringe shot with a 6i. Chipped to the back pin, and 2 putt for bogey.

I hit a drive on the 18th that I thought I nailed even though it faded, and it plugged about 240 yards away. Worm burner 3i from the plugged position. 2 pitch shot to finally hit the green. Just missed my bogey putt. Double

.

+9 for 9 holes. This is going to bump my handicap in a month or so.

Yesterday and today I played to approximately a 14.3 HC. I guess this is known as a slump?

[Lihu]

Well, I'm at a crossroads right now.

6 months ago, I though I "got it", and I was happily scoring pretty well (79 from 6000 yard course and 86 from 7200 yards) and hitting okay distances. I think my actual distance with a driver in the summer/fall was 230-240 (85-90F temperatures) with a couple long drives here and there. My irons were short with a 145 yard 7i (on a good hit). Figured I was an older golfer and these are the distances I can hit. Whenever I tried to hit longer I would invariably injure myself as recorded in this thread.

The past 2 months after my lesson, I started to use a different muscle group. The wrist loading thing got me thinking about what else I'm not doing correctly. I went through hundreds of posts on this site to look at what muscle groups the longer hitters seemed to hit. I came up with "high hands" which led to using larger muscle groups in the back to make the downswing. I reviewed the keys once again and decided that it was too difficult for me to start using different muscles and apply the keys at the same time. One change at a time was required. I have been keeping key 1 and that's about it. Maybe Key 2 happens naturally? IDK, it's not on my radar.

In fact my swing is just about as far from anything good, it's not funny. However, I can't go back to the old method as it is prone to injury, and was far shorter. On the other hand I am scoring like crap right now and have developed "fists of stone" as one other golfer put it.

At this point, if I make decent contact with the ball, I pretty much hit as long as most people I play. I suddenly found that I am using 8i down to a lob wedge on a standard length 380-420 yard par 4.I scored so terribly in yesterday's practice round I was embarrassed to say how I shot. Individual shots were not that bad, except I crowned almost every single drive. I did make a par on a par 5 (509 yards), but this is how: Crowned drive 200 yards; thinned 3W another 250 yards or so catching a downhill roll; topped my PW; nice 52 to 8 feet and the luckiest putt I've made on the course to date for a par. I also bogeyed from inside 40 yards off my drive. The rest was even uglier.

Today was better in terms of making near greens, but I'm not all that happy just making near greens. These shots I make have solid trajectories that just go in the wrong direction.

Felt good about getting within 20 yards of the pin with a 3W on a "271" yard hole (I think it was shorter), and hitting a few decent drives. When I don't duff/crown/thin/slice the ball goes a long way. I didn't crown any drives today, but I am sure there are many bad things going on in my swing.

Just some rambling, but I want to record all my slumps. So, it's really cool that I am getting a lot more power, but my new swing has terrible mechanics. I'm not even sure that I am doing the same thing every time. Probably ready to start my keys and figure out what are the potentially new priorities with Mike and Dana at our next lesson.

[iacas]

@Lihu , I haven't seen your swing lately.

But, based on what I know…

• I doubt it's nearly as different as you seem to think.
• I doubt there's anything terribly new.

Go back, look at the videos @mvmac has made for you, and record your swing and post it here for Mike and I and others to see.

[cedrictheo]

I'd recommend you only focus on what you can control. Find instructors you trust (which you have) and then work on what they tell you to work on. There is no "getting it" in my opinion. As Tiger said "No matter how good you get, you can always get better. And that's the exciting part." I see golf as a vehicle for growth.

[Lihu]

@Lihu, I haven't seen your swing lately.

But, based on what I know…

I doubt it's nearly as different as you seem to think.

I doubt there's anything terribly new.

Go back, look at the videos @mvmac has made for you, and record your swing and post it here for Mike and I and others to see.

I finally feel comfortable enough to take videos, probably this weekend. It might not look that much different, but it sure feels totally different. . .

I'd recommend you only focus on what you can control. Find instructors you trust (which you have) and then work on what they tell you to work on. There is no "getting it" in my opinion. As Tiger said "No matter how good you get, you can always get better. And that's the exciting part." I see golf as a vehicle for growth.

For sure I don't "got it". . .I just now know that I didn't have it before too.

[Lihu]

Back 12 holes on the 6025 yard course (played at the actual blue ground markers): 5 GIR, 6 <10 yard near greens, 1 from 20 yards behind, 1 birdie after a long week of suffering. 52 degree pin high on the "127" yard par 3 15th. I set the ball back in my stance and de-lofted the heck out of the club. It still had the spin you expect from a 52 with a flight like an 8i, only shorter of course.

I only had one decent drive all day and it jumped in and out of a bunker on the 18th, which with my 8i setup in the front of my stance to get a high trajectory against a light breeze, left me with a 1.5 foot tap in birdie, the pitch mark was 3 yards away from the ball. I don't really want to discuss total scores, as my "fists of stone" performed as expected. . .

My drives were really crappy today, except on the 18th which I nailed, but the flight was so low so it bounced in and out of the bunker 235 yards away landing only 10 yards past. Irons saved the day, when I didn't pull them. . .

[Lihu]

@Lihu, I haven't seen your swing lately.

But, based on what I know…

I doubt it's nearly as different as you seem to think.

I doubt there's anything terribly new.

Go back, look at the videos @mvmac has made for you, and record your swing and post it here for Mike and I and others to see.

Took some videos, and just reviewed one of them. . .

Yup, same old crap , but aside from different arm positions at the top, a slower swing and longer distances it looks exactly the same (or worse) as before my last lesson with Mike. The club is getting ahead of my hands at A3. I'm truly surprised that this does not seem to diminish my distances (well maybe they do and I still have a few yards to gain?).

I'll work on my priorities some more before posting the videos. I just need to review the stuff Mike and I went over at our last lesson. It's like playing music with all sour notes, I'll try to mellow out some of the sourness a little bit before posting these ugly swings.

[Lihu]

60 degree: 90 FS (only a couple times)

52 degree:110 FS

PW (49 degree MP-32): 127

9i: 138

8i: 152

7i: 160-ish

6i: 170 on good shots and thinned shanks roll out to about 170 (do not use much)

5i: 150 (180 with good contact) Haven't used much, but off the tee it's 180-ish

4i: can get one or two to 190-ish

3i: hit one shot to 200 and don't use too much.

21 degree (have not used)

Hybrid : more than 193 forced carry over water anyway.

Driver 12 degree setting: 235 carry, I hook a lot of shots. (one partial round yesterday was over 250 carry which I would say represent my good shots)

Here is an update on my distances. Mostly just estimates based upon pacing off from the yardage markers. For instance, I just kind of guess the 20 yards short of the "200", by pacing it off as 180 yards.

Latest approximate carry distances based upon what I pick for approach shots for irons. It's only a guesstimate "average". Sometimes I hit longer than these distances, but it's usually because of terrain like carrying a bump and it bounces off the back for more roll and I have no idea where it initially landed.

MP-32 Clubs:

60 degree: 100 (or more if I really put it back in my stance)

52 degree:120 (Set back in my stance on a tee, I've used this club comfortably for 127 yard par 3s)

PW (49 degree MP-32): 130

9i: 140 (+ couple yards roll) I use this club or the 8i when I am sitting on the "150 marker"

8i: 150 (+ couple to a few yards roll)

7i: 160 (+ few yards roll)

6i: 170 (+ up to 10 yards or more and sometimes more carry and more roll), usually use to tee off of "185-190 yard" par 3s

5i: 180??? Can get to 200 yards sometimes

4i: 190??? Can get to 200 yards some times

3i: 200??? Lands anywhere from 180 to 206 yards???

Hybrid: 200 to 210??? Got one shot really far when it hit perfectly.

3W: Can get to 230+ yards. Longest total distance with hard pan and slight down slope assist was 280 yards.

Driver 10.5 degree 45.75" DG X100 steel shaft: 245 carry when my swing is in gear in average 55F temperatures. 230 on either non-optimal drives or just because it's really cold (30F to 40F temperatures). These are based upon GPS readings from various playing partners.

Distances are still in flux***, but these are what I've been using based upon approach shots and such. I am working on a more controlled swing, which most likely will reduce these distances. I am also planning on taking a Combine once I get my priorities up to date and stop potential over swinging+++. Usually, if I need an in between yardage like 110 yards, I will setup the 52 degree just behind my lead heel in hopes that I take off 10 yards from the higher flight. Changing the flight from high to low by moving the ball to the front or rear of my stance seems to work for the most part.

I've also started to use the "claw"-like putting method. At least, I think it is? It seems to allow me to make that pendulum motion that decelerates upon impact with the ball.

??? means that I really have no idea and these distances vary a lot depending upon the mishit.

***Might be over swinging at this point, but these are still much more comfortable swings than I have ever felt, and have had no injuries for the past 2 months using this new swing and the increased distances are pretty nice.

+++My 9i is actually a 45-46 degree club getting 140 yards of carry, there is a high likelihood over swinging is going on. In any case, one of my priority pieces is slowing down the non-impact regions of my swing to gain more control. . .

[Abu3baid]

What do you mean by planning on taking a Combine? I'm sorry, excuse me for my ignorance just interested to know.

[Lihu]

What do you mean by planning on taking a Combine? I'm sorry, excuse me for my ignorance just interested to know.

Trakman Combine is a method to score your accuracy and distance. It gives an indication of your game potential.

[Abu3baid]

Trakman Combine is a method to score your accuracy and distance. It gives an indication of your game potential.

Sweet.. Never heard of it. Will look it up thanks!

[mvmac]

Sweet.. Never heard of it. Will look it up thanks!

[CarlSpackler]

Incredible!

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

60 degree: 90 FS (only a couple times)

52 degree:110 FS

PW (49 degree MP-32): 127

9i: 138

8i: 152

7i: 160-ish

6i: 170 on good shots and thinned shanks roll out to about 170 (do not use much)

5i: 150 (180 with good contact) Haven't used much, but off the tee it's 180-ish

4i: can get one or two to 190-ish

3i: hit one shot to 200 and don't use too much.

21 degree (have not used)

Hybrid : more than 193 forced carry over water anyway.

Driver 12 degree setting: 235 carry, I hook a lot of shots. (one partial round yesterday was over 250 carry which I would say represent my good shots)

Here is an update on my distances. Mostly just estimates based upon pacing off from the yardage markers. For instance, I just kind of guess the 20 yards short of the "200", by pacing it off as 180 yards.

Latest approximate carry distances based upon what I pick for approach shots for irons. It's only a guesstimate "average". Sometimes I hit longer than these distances, but it's usually because of terrain like carrying a bump and it bounces off the back for more roll and I have no idea where it initially landed.

MP-32 Clubs:

60 degree: 100 (or more if I really put it back in my stance)

52 degree:120 (Set back in my stance on a tee, I've used this club comfortably for 127 yard par 3s)

PW (49 degree MP-32): 130

9i: 140 (+ couple yards roll) I use this club or the 8i when I am sitting on the "150 marker"

8i: 150 (+ couple to a few yards roll)

7i: 160 (+ few yards roll)

6i: 170 (+ up to 10 yards or more and sometimes more carry and more roll), usually use to tee off of "185-190 yard" par 3s

5i: 180??? Can get to 200 yards sometimes

4i: 190??? Can get to 200 yards some times

3i: 200??? Lands anywhere from 180 to 206 yards???

Hybrid: 200 to 210??? Got one shot really far when it hit perfectly.

3W: Can get to 230+ yards. Longest total distance with hard pan and slight down slope assist was 280 yards.

Driver 10.5 degree 45.75" DG X100 steel shaft: 245 carry when my swing is in gear in average 55F temperatures. 230 on either non-optimal drives or just because it's really cold (30F to 40F temperatures). These are based upon GPS readings from various playing partners.

Distances are still in flux***, but these are what I've been using based upon approach shots and such. I am working on a more controlled swing, which most likely will reduce these distances. I am also planning on taking a Combine once I get my priorities up to date and stop potential over swinging+++. Usually, if I need an in between yardage like 110 yards, I will setup the 52 degree just behind my lead heel in hopes that I take off 10 yards from the higher flight. Changing the flight from high to low by moving the ball to the front or rear of my stance seems to work for the most part.

I've also started to use the "claw"-like putting method. At least, I think it is? It seems to allow me to make that pendulum motion that decelerates upon impact with the ball.

??? means that I really have no idea and these distances vary a lot depending upon the mishit.

***Might be over swinging at this point, but these are still much more comfortable swings than I have ever felt, and have had no injuries for the past 2 months using this new swing and the increased distances are pretty nice.

+++My 9i is actually a 45-46 degree club getting 140 yards of carry, there is a high likelihood over swinging is going on. In any case, one of my priority pieces is slowing down the non-impact regions of my swing to gain more control. . .

Trying "hard" not to over swing. Practiced on the course today because the driving range was closed. The greens had ample amounts of sand on them, so the proximity of the shots is a little bit misleading. . .

I hit multiple approach shots on various holes from 100, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170 and 180 yards on the fairway and from rough (approximately 3" deep).

On all these shots, I actually took some time to setup my club face and my stance, rather than my usual setup process consisting of a practice swing and then swing where the divot leads me.

100 yard was tough because it was either a full swing 60 or a 52 with half to 3/4 swing.

I started off swinging too hard, and even on the range had a lot of trouble getting the ball in the air for the first 10 or 15 balls. Then I finally decided to relax all my muscles and try again. Slowing everything down in the process.

So, the 100 yard approaches were first. I tried 3 with the 60 and 3 with the 52. Using the 60, if I hit the green it was great. It stuck and you could see the sand pop in the air. The shots were within 30 feet of the pin, not all on the green. The 52 was worse from a distance perspective, but straighter. I over hit 2 shots over the back. The left/right was pretty decent, but the front back was over 40 feet.

120 yards is a full 52. I landed short of the front pin. So, my 52 with a normal swing appears to be only 110-115 carry yards. If I swing aggressively (but not really going for it) I can tee off from 127 with this same club. Going for it, I can hit a little farther, but the direction is unpredictable. The landing positions were within 15 feet of each other just short of the pin.

130 yards is a full PW (49 degree MP-32). I landed 2 yards short, and dispersion was 20 feet or 10 feet from the pin.

140 yards is a full 9i (45 degree MP-32). I landed similarly to the PW with a little more dispersion 25 feet or so.

150 yards is a slightly more aggressive 9i, which I landed 3 yards short on average. One was 10 yards short, while one was 6 yards farther and another about pin high. They were all within 5 yards on line. Dispersion was a lot higher than the less aggressive 9i.

160 yards should have been a little more than a full 8i, (41 degree MP-32), landed within 10 yards of the pin short about 5 yards.

170 yards is a full 7i. Shank one 25-30 yards short, hit one pin high but it rolled over the edge. The other one hit short 5 yards or so, I think. It also rolled into its final position away from its landing point.

180 yards was hard for me as I still can't hit my longer irons well. I tried 6i and 5i. The 5i out of 3" rough landed about 175-ish, and the 6i from the FW landed a little short as well. None of the shots felt "solid". I made one approach from 190 yards with my 5i from another FW and it looked like a good trajectory, but hit a small tree branch landing 30 yards short. Dispersion was all over the place. Guessing 20 yards left/right and 20-30 yards front to back?

Not going to be doing a Combine anytime soon, but I plan to do a few more rounds like this one in preparation for it. This and more work on my priority pieces.

So, my irons are getting back to "normal" again, most likely better than ever after I let my body heal a little bit over the weekend. The shots feel more relaxed, but I still can't hit my mid/long irons very well.

Oh, and the reason for my bad "bogey golf" play last week was that I was leaning too far over the ball at setup and lost my balance. My son pointed this out to me on Sunday morning at the driving range. Fixed that particular issue instantly, only "300" more issues to go. . .

[Lihu]

What I learned these last two days is that I am spending way too much time on the course. I'm going to only play about 4 9 hole rounds and 4-6 days of hitting lots of balls from now on.

I think the problem is that I start turning my rounds into practice sessions and it bleeds off into my mentality. I think that scoring is secondary to hitting the ball well, and noticed that when I take a long break from playing, my scores are better.

So, yesterday, I focused on striking the ball, and today I reaped the benefits of time spent yesterday partially on the range (until they closed it again), and partly on the course. My confidence with the longer clubs was much higher. I even hit my 3i about 200 yards or so with a nice high trajectory taking a few small twigs from a tree with it. This confidence came from hitting balls this morning into my net with my 8i and 4i until I could really feel the "swoosh swing" again that I got yesterday. At first, I toed every shot with my 8i, then I shanked them. After 20-30 balls, I was getting in the groove again. I even hit the 4i exactly in the sweet spot at the end.

Even without the 2 lucky birdies I made today, I would have shot to a 9HC which is my goal for about 1/4 of my rounds.

Crossing my fingers, and starting work on my priorities. . .

[Lihu]

Here are my stats for the last 5-6 months or so.

11 3+ bogeys

67 doubles

269 bogeys

113 pars

14 birdies

Par 3 +74

Par 4 +296

Par 5 +54

GIR 87/473 or about 18.3% GIR

Scrambling 15% for par or better, 85% bogey or worse.

243 yards average drive, includes trees and other such obstacles.

285 "max" drive on a flat fairway no wind.

1.8 putts per hole average.

My FW hit ratio is too high, 277/382 or about 72.5% (not true, just the way the stats are input)

Just noticed that my GIR is really low for my handicap, but I don't count balls on the fringe as GIR even if it is an inch off the green. I make more than double where they are less than 5 yards off the green. More work of course. . .

The HI for these stats correlate to a 10.5 as recorded in Golflogix.

I decided to check my stats for the past 6 months and was surprised by what I found!

However, the main thing is my GIR is way too low , and my irons need a lot of practice.

I missed a 125 yard slight uphill GIR yesterday by 2 feet, and similar ones anywhere from 80 yards to 180 yards. I do make a lot of near greens. Generally blow up one or two holes, which either end in a bogey or a double.

One thing I noticed is that I am getting more tap in bogeys and tap in pars. So, I think it's an improvement over where I was 6 months ago.

Two things I noticed that deteriorate when I only play the course. My driving and my iron accuracy. Driving is so sporadic, and finally just starting to improve from the horrible things my new swing changes did to them in the last 2 months. I feel like once I get the club head behind the hands at A3, I will dramatically improve my chances of GIR. It turns out that I really need to practice irons daily, the long irons deteriorate in a day if I don't practice with them. The shorter irons get some practice on the course, but they also deteriorate quickly.

More practice for me, and I will update my handicap once the 86 (5HC, with the 0.96 factored in) falls off in a round or two. My recorded HC is currently 10.5 and I think it will go back up to 11.5-ish once it's gone.

[Lihu]

First day without my monthly, going through withdrawals already.

I hit the range and hit about 180 balls this morning over 2 and a half hours. Kind of nice hitting balls in the shade for a change. Was not allowed to use my driver since I was on the shorter range, and I hit a few over the fence into the Barranca before being banned from doing so. Other than that, I had a decent range session.

I started each new club with half swings trying to get that "swoosh swing" feeling. So I only hit about 70-80 balls with a full swing. I also did a lot of slow motion work, unfortunately, no mirror.

My 60 to 7i seem a little more solidified after this session. I was getting pretty much my course distances by the end of the session and in a tighter left/right dispersion with my 7i about +/-15 yards at 175 yards or so. There's a ramp feature on the range about 180 yards away and the balls rolled up the ramp a bit.

6i dispersion is about +/-25 yards or more and the distance varied anywhere from 150 to 200 yards.

3i got out to maybe 220 (I think it rolled to the fence 225 yards away?). Did this a few times, but for the most part sliced/hooked/duffed more than 2/3 the shots.

IDK why I have a mental block with this club and higher ones too? That "swoosh swing" is less controlled than my old swing. My old swing I could pretty much stop the motion at any point in the swing, but this new one is pretty much a committed action. I suppose that's why I hit way farther now.

I might just do this for only a month or so, because I feel like 20 more range sessions like this one should be enough. I feel great that I can get 175 yards with reasonable consistency. If I could carry my 7i that far I'd be ready for the combine, but not the case. . .