My Swing (14ledo81)

[14ledo81]

  CarlSpackler said:

Nice. Did starting with 2 birdies get in your head at all?

I don't think so.  With an executive course like this one, that I play only once a year, I don't really care as much about my score.  I know I won't be back for a year, so I am not looking to set a score to improve on.

I think I just played a bit over my head on those holes.

First hole, I just got lucky.  I was aiming for the center of the green, and it hooked a bit left.  Obviously got lucky with the distance as well.

Second hole, I hit the drive of the day if not year.  If you look at the flag on number 2, you can see the direction the wind was blowing.  It also played a bit down hill, and the ground was firm.  I normally can't hit a driver 270.  With the wind and firm ground, it probably added a good 30 yards on top of what would have been an excellent drive for me - 240.

Edit:  At least I can say I drove it pin high, on a par 4, while playing from the "tips".

[billchao]

Nice round! :dance: I don't care that it was an executive course, two over is a great score! Your short game is solid, too. Great job!

[14ledo81]

Thanks @billchao . Like I have said before, my glaring weakness is full swing with longer clubs. While I don't think my short game is anything amazing, I have never felt it was holding me back. It is nice to hear some confirmation on that end. On the down side, if my glaring weakness is length, that is probably one of the harder things to learn. :(

[billchao]

  14ledo81 said:

Thanks @billchao . Like I have said before, my glaring weakness is full swing with longer clubs. While I don't think my short game is anything amazing, I have never felt it was holding me back. It is nice to hear some confirmation on that end. On the down side, if my glaring weakness is length, that is probably one of the harder things to learn. :(

I think your short game is better than you give yourself credit for. I agree it's definitely not holding you back. You don't hit it that short. 8I from 142, 4H from 185? Isn't that about average? I played with a guy once that drove the ball 210 at most, and he shot a very boring (that's a compliment) 73. So, don't sell yourself short ;-)

[Jeremie Boop]

  billchao said:

I think your short game is better than you give yourself credit for. I agree it's definitely not holding you back.

You don't hit it that short. 8I from 142, 4H from 185? Isn't that about average? I played with a guy once that drove the ball 210 at most, and he shot a very boring (that's a compliment) 73. So, don't sell yourself short

I was going to say something similar. I don't think his yardages are that bad. I hit overly far with my clubs but part of that is the strong lofts. Being in good position and hitting the ball straight is a good way to go. You can work on gaining yardage but I wouldn't do it to the detriment of your scores.

[14ledo81]

  billchao said:

Quote:

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

Thanks @billchao. Like I have said before, my glaring weakness is full swing with longer clubs. While I don't think my short game is anything amazing, I have never felt it was holding me back. It is nice to hear some confirmation on that end.

On the down side, if my glaring weakness is length, that is probably one of the harder things to learn. :(

I think your short game is better than you give yourself credit for. I agree it's definitely not holding you back.

You don't hit it that short. 8I from 142, 4H from 185? Isn't that about average? I played with a guy once that drove the ball 210 at most, and he shot a very boring (that's a compliment) 73. So, don't sell yourself short

  Jeremie Boop said:

Quote:

Originally Posted by billchao

I think your short game is better than you give yourself credit for. I agree it's definitely not holding you back.

You don't hit it that short. 8I from 142, 4H from 185? Isn't that about average? I played with a guy once that drove the ball 210 at most, and he shot a very boring (that's a compliment) 73. So, don't sell yourself short

I was going to say something similar. I don't think his yardages are that bad. I hit overly far with my clubs but part of that is the strong lofts. Being in good position and hitting the ball straight is a good way to go. You can work on gaining yardage but I wouldn't do it to the detriment of your scores.

8 iron from 142 is pretty regular for me.  4H from 185, if I can hit it solid.  My problem is, the longer the club, the solid strikes seem to drop off exponentially.

Also, if I feel comfortable hitting an 8 iron 142, it seems like I should be able to get a bit more out of my driver.

This day, I hit the one downhill, downwind, 270 with firm ground.  Not a very accurate assessment of my driving though.  I hit a few, that felt and looked good, back into the wind around 210.  So, 225 is a decent, good drive for me.

I don't mean to sound like a complainer, but the reason I would like to hit the ball farther is because I think the game would be a lot more fun.  I could then play from a bit further back tees at my home course, possibly have a go at some par 5's in two.  From the blacks at my home course (6,550) the course appears quite a bit different.  Doglegs are more "dogleg", etc...

Also, if I knew I could hit the 4H 185, 7 out of 10 times, I would be satisfied with that as well.  Again, as the clubs get longer, my solid hits drop off considerably.  When I say drop off, I mean they will just go short.  On any given shot, I could hit my 4H 185 or my 3wood might go that far as well.

[Jeremie Boop]

  14ledo81 said:

8 iron from 142 is pretty regular for me.  4H from 185, if I can hit it solid.  My problem is, the longer the club, the solid strikes seem to drop off exponentially.

Also, if I feel comfortable hitting an 8 iron 142, it seems like I should be able to get a bit more out of my driver.

This day, I hit the one downhill, downwind, 270 with firm ground.  Not a very accurate assessment of my driving though.  I hit a few, that felt and looked good, back into the wind around 210.  So, 225 is a decent, good drive for me.

I don't mean to sound like a complainer, but the reason I would like to hit the ball farther is because I think the game would be a lot more fun.  I could then play from a bit further back tees at my home course, possibly have a go at some par 5's in two.  From the blacks at my home course (6,550) the course appears quite a bit different.  Doglegs are more "dogleg", etc...

Also, if I knew I could hit the 4H 185, 7 out of 10 times, I would be satisfied with that as well.  Again, as the clubs get longer, my solid hits drop off considerably.  When I say drop off, I mean they will just go short.  On any given shot, I could hit my 4H 185 or my 3wood might go that far as well.

That's pretty normal, the longer the club the harder it is to hit consistently. If I hit my clubs consistently good I'd be able to hit most par 5s in 2, but that's why we are amatures

[14ledo81]

Here are some videos from last night.  I have still been trying to get my elbow in the right spot on the backswing.  I have seen some progress, but I decided to hit some (what felt to me) 1/2 swings with the 6 iron.  Looks like definite improvement with key #3.  It also looks like a bit more than a 1/2 swing.

After making swings like this for a bit, I made some full swings.

I see some more slight improvement, but it still looks like I am throwing the angles out a bit early.  If you look at the follow through, it does not appear to be a flip.  I think I am throwing it out a bit early in the downswing, but still holding on a bit through impact.  Maybe slowing the swing down?

Anyway, should I continue practicing this way?  With the (feels like) 1/2 swings?  Will results come after time?

Any other ideas/comments are always welcome.

[14ledo81]

Played last 36 holes last night. Shot a 95 the first round, and hit 6 fairways and 5 greens. Shot 89 the second, and hit 12 fairways and 7 greens. Hit the ball a bit better the second round, but actually felt like I was hitting it decent the first as well. I had a 9 :( on a par 5 the second round. I was also hitting straight and pull draws. Found myself in the sand on the left quite a few times. Sand was wet, and my sand play is weak, so that didn't help the scoring. On a bright note, based off distances, I think I must be getting the hands more forward at impact. At least with the shorter clubs. I was hitting LW in my back yard and carrying them roughly 10 yards farther than I have been. Hit the 6 iron into the net for a bit this morning. On my phone so I can't post video, but here is a screen shot of the video I took. I am pretty excited about this picture.

[mvmac]

  14ledo81 said:

I am pretty excited about this picture.

Yep that's better for sure

[14ledo81]

  mvmac said:

[QUOTE name="14ledo81" url="/t/73921/my-swing-14ledo81/126#post_1008985"] I am pretty excited about this picture.[/QUOTE] Yep that's better for sure

Now to make sure I can keep repeating it.

[14ledo81]

Just got back from playing 9. Shot a 42. Hit 2 fairways and 2 greens. Got up and down twice. Still struggling with straight and pull draws. I try to open the face a bit at address, but this feels awkward. Should I keep trying to open the face, or something else?

[mvmac]

  14ledo81 said:

Now to make sure I can keep repeating it.

Of course you can!

  14ledo81 said:

Just got back from playing 9. Shot a 42. Hit 2 fairways and 2 greens. Got up and down twice. Still struggling with straight and pull draws. I try to open the face a bit at address, but this feels awkward.

Should I keep trying to open the face, or something else?

Yes if you're trying to play draws, face should be aimed slightly right.

[BVAI777]

That is a great move right there, at least from that angle I am looking at... I don't think I would be able to see your left arm if the camera was shooting video from the side you address the ball from...

Bryan

[iacas]

  BVAI777 said:

That is a great move right there, at least from that angle I am looking at... I don't think I would be able to see your left arm if the camera was shooting video from the side you address the ball from...

Bryan, try to make sure you click to the end of the "My Swing" threads. Though his video isn't too old (April of this year), you've posted about swings that have changed in the four years since they've been made. Some of these My Swing threads are quite old.

Your feedback (anyone's really) is welcome, just do yourself the favor of making sure it's on a recent swing, and not an older, outdated one.

[14ledo81]

  mvmac said:

[QUOTE name="14ledo81" url="/t/73921/my-swing-14ledo81/126#post_1009065"] Now to make sure I can keep repeating it.[/QUOTE] Of course you can! [QUOTE name="14ledo81" url="/t/73921/my-swing-14ledo81/126#post_1009099"] Just got back from playing 9. Shot a 42. Hit 2 fairways and 2 greens. Got up and down twice. Still struggling with straight and pull draws. I try to open the face a bit at address, but this feels awkward. Should I keep trying to open the face, or something else?[/QUOTE] Yes if you're trying to play draws, face should be aimed slightly right.

I have been using my Wilson fat shaft irons lately. They have a decent amount of offset. I have always set up with the face square or maybe even a bit closed because I have struggled before with the ball starting to far right. I assume the swing changes are causing something different. Either I have the face to closed at impact or I am swinging much further right than I have before ( or a combination I suppose). Is this what people mean when they say they have a hard time setting up with irons that have a lot of offset? They just look like you want to have them pointing left?

[FooFader]

Just thought I'd say i really enjoyed watching your vlog from last week! You played very well and i was extra fun to watch because you've got a very similar game to mine, in that our distances match up almost exactly.

[mvmac]

  14ledo81 said:

Is this what people mean when they say they have a hard time setting up with irons that have a lot of offset? They just look like you want to have them pointing left?

Correct, reason they put offset on irons, to help players aim more left, give the player a chance to match the face up with the path.