Diary of a bogey golfer with his 1st custom fit clubs

[rkim291968]

6/28/15 Edel fitter putter + Aimpoint results, Month 1 & 2

It's been two months since I bought Edel putter & took Aimpoint lesson.  May (14 rounds played) was a month for getting used to the new putter & my application of Aimpoint lesson.   June (16 rounds) was the 1st full month of my use of Edel & Aimpoint.

33.16 total putts/round for Feb/2012 - April/2015, lowest 30.95 & highest 34.27

32.62 total putts/round for May/2015 - adjustment period

31.63 total putts/round for June/2015

Just looking at June's stat, it's roughly 1.5 strokes/round improvement over the multi-year average.  If I can continue to average 31.5 total putts/round (and go even lower), I'd say $600 investment on the putter & lesson were well spent although I was hoping for two full stroke impact from them.

[dfreuter415]

6/28/15 Edel fitter putter + Aimpoint results, Month 1 & 2

33.16 total putts/round for Feb/2012 - April/2015, lowest 30.95 & highest 34.27

32.62 total putts/round for May/2015 - adjustment period

31.63 total putts/round for June/2015

Just looking at June's stat, it's roughly 1.5 strokes/round improvement over the multi-year average.

We know that putting has several factors. Green reading and confidence in your putter to roll the ball consistently are probably the most important. With your employment of Aimpoint and the Edel putter, you are on the right track to lower scores.

I saw you posted this in another thread...

Friday - 94, CR 69.4/117, 2 GIRs, 31 putts

Saturday - 96, CR 71.2/128, 1 GIR, 30 putts,

Sunday - 91, CR 71.2/128,  1 GIR, 33 putts

13 straight rounds of scores between 91 - 97  @ 3 different courses.

I thought you might like to see this quote about consistency by Tom Seaver...

In baseball, my theory is to strive for consistency, not to worry about the numbers. If you dwell on statistics you get shortsighted, if you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end.

[rkim291968]

I saw you posted this in another thread...

Friday - 94, CR 69.4/117, 2 GIRs, 31 putts

Saturday - 96, CR 71.2/128, 1 GIR, 30 putts,

Sunday - 91, CR 71.2/128,  1 GIR, 33 putts

13 straight rounds of scores between 91 - 97  @ 3 different courses.

I thought you might like to see this quote about consistency by Tom Seaver...

In baseball, my theory is to strive for consistency, not to worry about the numbers. If you dwell on statistics you get shortsighted, if you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end.

Consistency is good.  Consistently improving is better.

Last week, I did re-analysis of my swing to break out of this "consistency."    In one of my earlier swing videos, I saw my left arm breaking down slightly a la chicken wing.   This made me revisit my swings and confirm that my left arm breaks down at times, especially, for longer clubs.   This may explain why I hit 60% of fairways but still manage to shank badly/OB on a few drives per round.   I now have incorporated anti chicken wing drills to my daily practice routine.   Luckily, there are many such drills that I can do anywhere (at Gym, in office).    I am not looking for instant result from the drills but I am really looking forward to this weekend's rounds.

In another news, my wife in our 1st year of playing tournaments last year was a reluctant teammate (team scramble, team best ball).  She didn't like competing and all the stress which comes with it.  Now she enjoys quite a bit.  If only she'd stop her vanity handicapping ways, we will win one of these tournaments.

[dfreuter415]

Consistency is good.  Consistently improving is better.

I am not looking for instant result from the drills but I am really looking forward to this weekend's rounds.

In another news, my wife in our 1st year of playing tournaments last year was a reluctant teammate (team scramble, team best ball).  She didn't like competing and all the stress which comes with it.  Now she enjoys quite a bit.  If only she'd stop her vanity handicapping ways, we will win one of these tournaments.

When I was younger I loved doing drills at the range, and then taking the technique to the course to see if it worked. One thing that I always did when I took a new concept to the course. I kept saying, "Trust your swing, trust your swing, no matter where the ball goes."  Any hesitation or reversion to the old swing, made all of the work at the range irrelevant.

I've never played tournaments with the wife. As I've told you before, my wife likes 9 holes and dinner. My daughter, however, was a different matter. When she was 13 I was able to have her enter husband/wife tournaments, because, at that time, my wife did not play. It was great fun, and we were able to win a couple of events.

Have a Happy 4th!

[rkim291968]

7/6/15 A slump?

Played 4 rounds during the holiday break and suffered a 1st over 100 score after 14 straight rounds between 91 - 97.   It was a whopper of a round, a horrid 107.  I don't normally play 8:30 am round b/c I can't get up early on weekend.   But my golf partners insisted on the tee time and I obliged.   To squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep, I skipped warm up and arrived just before our tee time.   1st shot?  Yup, an OB - sliced my drive which hits rough, then cart, and bounces into unknown.  Things went downhill from there where I scored 9 straight holes with double bogey or worse for 57 front 9.   It was toward hole #14 before I finally woke up.

The rest of the weekend round scores were 97, 96, and 97 - in even more narrow score range than my norm.   They keep pushing out my better scores in GHIN system.

I don't know what is going on.  I know I have introduced a couple of new swing drills and workouts (anti-chicken wing).   I have done same amount of practice, felt great, and even the weather were conducive to better scores (warm, less windy, tall grass drying out to find balls easier, ...).   I hope it is one step back, two steps forward ....

[Lihu]

7/6/15 A slump?

Played 4 rounds during the holiday break and suffered a 1st over 100 score after 14 straight rounds between 91 - 97.   It was a whopper of a round, a horrid 107.  I don't normally play 8:30 am round b/c I can't get up early on weekend.   But my golf partners insisted on the tee time and I obliged.   To squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep, I skipped warm up and arrived just before our tee time.   1st shot?  Yup, an OB - sliced my drive which hits rough, then cart, and bounces into unknown.  Things went downhill from there where I scored 9 straight holes with double bogey or worse for 57 front 9.   It was toward hole #14 before I finally woke up.

The rest of the weekend round scores were 97, 96, and 97 - in even more narrow score range than my norm.   They keep pushing out my better scores in GHIN system.

I don't know what is going on.  I know I have introduced a couple of new swing drills and workouts (anti-chicken wing).   I have done same amount of practice, felt great, and even the weather were conducive to better scores (warm, less windy, tall grass drying out to find balls easier, ...).   I hope it is one step back, two steps forward ....

Can you narrow down on the actual issue? What do you think is the biggest contributor***?

Try to break down your game (Actually, this is where Game Golf could also come in handy). I'm looking into the "Sony Action Cam Wifi GPS". instead of the Game Golf, so I can film and you can simply record the club number by waving it in front of the camera before each shot.

***It wasn't it me standing you up on Sunday? We should plan better in early August? I didn't even know I was coming up until the Thursday night. . .

[dfreuter415]

7/6/15 A slump? I don't know what is going on.  I know I have introduced a couple of new swing drills and workouts (anti-chicken wing).   I have done same amount of practice, felt great, and even the weather were conducive to better scores (warm, less windy, tall grass drying out to find balls easier, ...).   I hope it is one step back, two steps forward ....

The reason most people never achieve their dreams is because they simply give up. Golf was never meant to be easy, if it was there would be no challenge to be successful. – Golf is a constant struggle, with extreme lows and extreme highs. Remember that the times when its most important to persevere are the times that you will be most tested.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkim291968

7/6/15 A slump? I don't know what is going on.  I know I have introduced a couple of new swing drills and workouts (anti-chicken wing).   I have done same amount of practice, felt great, and even the weather were conducive to better scores (warm, less windy, tall grass drying out to find balls easier, ...).   I hope it is one step back, two steps forward ....

The reason most people never achieve their dreams is because they simply give up. Golf was never meant to be easy, if it was there would be no challenge to be successful. – Golf is a constant struggle, with extreme lows and extreme highs. Remember that the times when its most important to persevere are the times that you will be most tested.

Sounds kind of familiar. . .

[rkim291968]

Can you narrow down on the actual issue? What do you think is the biggest contributor***?

107 rounds was a fluke - something I can't explain.  It happens in golf and I accept that.   My wife really hates the bad morning round b/c it means we are playing a late afternoon round.  But she is a trooper and will often join me for the 2nd round .

The biggest contributor?   The constant stream of scores in 90s are due to 1 - 5 errant shots that end up being OB, ball not found, or ball in hazard.  In fact, I can tell what my score is by checking how many balls I lost at the end of a round.   0 - 1 ball lost - score around 90, 2 - 3 balls lost - a score around 94, 4 - 5 - around 97.   I can hit 4 straight drives and followed by the 5th that can be a snap hook, ground into forward tee area, or slice into unknown place to right.   Ditto for other clubs so I can't really switch to 3w to avoid drives that I OB.  The suspicion is that my left wrist and arm breaks down during swing, hence, the focus on anti-chicken wing drills.

The rest of game is pretty consistent from round to round.

I was looking forward to playing a round with you but it was really too short of notice. Will send you a PM for some ideas.

No quitting in me, defreuter415.   In all my golfing years (6 now), I don't think I ever uttered the word I quit.   Life is good.

[dfreuter415]

Hey Rick - Anything new to post in your diary?

[rkim291968]

I've been posting my progress on "Drive for 5" and LSW threads and neglected this thread.   To summarize what has been happening ....

I have been in 16 - 18  HI range for months but of late, it is trending even higher.

I've made a measurable progress in putting (1+ less strokes per round) thanks to a fitted putter & Aimpoint but I was hoping for 2+ stroke reduction.  That's the good news.

The bad news is that my ball striking has been inconsistent - distance & dispersion.  Ditto for my short game.   To combat the inconsistencies, I introduced a few new drills in my practice and incorporated some lessons from Least Score Wins book by @iacas .   I also tweaked my practice routine to be more comprehensive instead of focusing on 1 - 2 weak areas.  Every time I improve in one area, neglected part of my game goes south.     I am hoping these changes will help stabilize my game and dip my HI below 16.     This weekends' rounds will tell somewhat if I am in the right direction or not.

[dfreuter415]

I've been posting my progress on "Drive for 5" and LSW threads and neglected this thread.

Every time I improve in one area, neglected part of my game goes south.  I am hoping these changes will help stabilize my game and dip my HI below 16. This weekends' rounds will tell somewhat if I am in the right direction or not.

Thanks, I'll be sure to check there.

Best of luck this weekend. As for improving in one area and another going south, it is just the Golf Gods playing tricks on your game.

[rkim291968]

8/22/15 Refitted driver shaft

I had two driver lessons in the last month.  One of the lessons were spent analyzing my swing and ball trajectory.   The trajectory is a bit on high side.  On a bad day, it goes a bit too high, high enough to lose carry & roll distance.   After a few experiments, my instructor suggested to change shaft to higher kick.  He suggested Grafalloy ProLaunch Red  shaft or similar one.  I installed it and used it today for the 1st time.   On a solid hit, the ball trajectory indeed is lower.   I can't really say how much lower but the change seems to increase my driving distance average by a few yards.  I need to do more comparisons between the two shafts (thanks to modern drivers which makes it easy to swap out shafts) to draw definitive comparison.

[RFKFREAK]

8/22/15 Refitted driver shaft

I had two driver lessons in the last month.  One of the lessons were spent analyzing my swing and ball trajectory.   The trajectory is a bit on high side.  On a bad day, it goes a bit too high, high enough to lose carry & roll distance.   After a few experiments, my instructor suggested to change shaft to higher kick.  He suggested Grafalloy ProLaunch Red  shaft or similar one.  I installed it and used it today for the 1st time.   On a solid hit, the ball trajectory indeed is lower.   I can't really say how much lower but the change seems to increase my driving distance average by a few yards.  I need to do more comparisons between the two shafts (thanks to modern drivers which makes it easy to swap out shafts) to draw definitive comparison.

Remind me, what kind of driver do you have again?

[rkim291968]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkim291968

8/22/15 Refitted driver shaft

I had two driver lessons in the last month.  One of the lessons were spent analyzing my swing and ball trajectory.   The trajectory is a bit on high side.  On a bad day, it goes a bit too high, high enough to lose carry & roll distance.   After a few experiments, my instructor suggested to change shaft to higher kick.  He suggested Grafalloy ProLaunch Red  shaft or similar one.  I installed it and used it today for the 1st time.   On a solid hit, the ball trajectory indeed is lower.   I can't really say how much lower but the change seems to increase my driving distance average by a few yards.  I need to do more comparisons between the two shafts (thanks to modern drivers which makes it easy to swap out shafts) to draw definitive comparison.

Remind me, what kind of driver do you have again?

Taylormade Jetspeed with stock stiff shaft.

Played 2nd round with the new shaft today and can't tell if the ball is going longer with it.  Booked driving lesson for tomorrow to see how far it goes on launch monitor.

[RFKFREAK]

Taylormade Jetspeed with stock stiff shaft.

Played 2nd round with the new shaft today and can't tell if the ball is going longer with it.  Booked driving lesson for tomorrow to see how far it goes on launch monitor.

Ahh.

You don't have a Game Golf, right?

[rkim291968]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkim291968

Taylormade Jetspeed with stock stiff shaft.

Played 2nd round with the new shaft today and can't tell if the ball is going longer with it.  Booked driving lesson for tomorrow to see how far it goes on launch monitor.

Ahh.

You don't have a Game Golf, right?

No, I have been reading up on it.  But given the recent stock market correction ....

However, I had another driver lesson yesterday where I checked driver distance.  Ball trajectory was lower, launch angle & RPM better, and distance has increased.  It may be due to other factors than the shaft change but I will take it.

[RFKFREAK]

No, I have been reading up on it.  But given the recent stock market correction .... However, I had another driver lesson yesterday where I checked driver distance.  Ball trajectory was lower, launch angle & RPM better, and distance has increased.  It may be due to other factors than the shaft change but I will take it.

Nice. How much of an increase on distance did you find?