RFKFREAK's Journal About Golf Past, Present, and Future

[RandallT]

I think you can take away some pride in your short game from this round, Christian.

From the descriptions of each shot you gave me via PM, here are you short game shots (starting off the green inside 60yds from pin).  The end result of each is shown, and the "strokes gained" from each, based on PGA data. My overall sense is that most of us tend to have pretty good short game numbers (so I continue to be leery of the accuracy of this analysis), but this was a standout day relatively- even taking that into consideration. Each cell in green means you technically gained strokes on professionals.

The 1st and 4th holes had a couple flubs, but after that you settled down. On the 11th, you hit from over 40yds out to 4ft. And sank the putt. On the 6th, you had a shot from 35yds or so in the fairway, and you stuck that to 4ft as well. Not bad.

Plus, the shot you describe above from 85yds out on the 17th is not even included. That was kind of a short game shot too.

Pat yourself on the back for a solid round in that department, at least. From rounds I've entered into my spreadsheets, this was a solid short game by the numbers.

[RFKFREAK]

I think you can take away some pride in your short game from this round, Christian.

From the descriptions of each shot you gave me via PM, here are you short game shots (starting off the green inside 60yds from pin).  The end result of each is shown, and the "strokes gained" from each, based on PGA data. My overall sense is that most of us tend to have pretty good short game numbers (so I continue to be leery of the accuracy of this analysis), but this was a standout day relatively- even taking that into consideration. Each cell in green means you technically gained strokes on professionals.

The 1st and 4th holes had a couple flubs, but after that you settled down. On the 11th, you hit from over 40yds out to 4ft. And sank the putt. On the 6th, you had a shot from 35yds or so in the fairway, and you stuck that to 4ft as well. Not bad.

Plus, the shot you describe above from 85yds out on the 17th is not even included. That was kind of a short game shot too.

Pat yourself on the back for a solid round in that department, at least. From rounds I've entered into my spreadsheets, this was a solid short game by the numbers.

Thanks for the kind words and thanks again for the analysis.

From what you've shared with, I wasn't surprised that I'm losing a ton of strokes from the full swing considering I'm not as comfortable as I was with the driver and am only feeling a bit more comfortable now with my irons.  It's somewhat eye opening that my short game isn't bad.  I guess I have a friend who, when I first started, seemed to me to have a really good short game whereas mine was terrible as I skulled balls around and what have you.  So, that's what sticks in my mind and, since he doesn't really play much anymore, I really only have that thought.  The putting, from the 40+ putt rounds I put up pointed out to me how bad it is but I'm surprised about it more so because of my mentality.  I guess I don't really expect to make long putts.  I almost fist pumped when I made the 4 foot putt on 11 because I couldn't remember the last time I had made a putt that long since I started to pay attention to what putts I made.  So, along with the zillion other things in life, I have to find some time to go to the course and practice putting because I really can't practice it at home like I can practice full swing/pitching.

[RandallT]

No sweat. Send me data anytime you need a spot check. I think that for the few folks here that have run the numbers with me, it's best to analyze several rounds as an overall feel for where to focus your time in practice. Then check back later after some time has passed. Now you know about twice as many shots are lost to full swings as putting. But with some minor effort you can likely shave a few strokes by putting as well as others who shoot 90s/100s. Would you be happy with, say, a 99 rather than 102 though? The big gains will be in you long game. Your short game is probably not going to change your scores too much, unless you get worse at it! Anyway, i'd say check back after you've made some changes to your game and compare how things have changed. It'll be interesting if you've gained in the areas where you've put in work. I think it takes 3 or 4 rounds of shots to get a decent picture of the state of your game. I'm a geek for this stuff so I'm up for running whatever rounds you're interested in.

[RFKFREAK]

An abysmal round this morning.  I've forgotten how to hit a driver.  My approach shots were long because I'm not hitting my driver well, which is lead to 0 GIR's and a bad bad morning.  That said, my irons overall sucked, too.  I'm not really doing anything well.  I'm playing again in an hour (different course) but man, if it goes like this again, I'm not going to play tomorrow.

98 on Par 71

67.7/110
6/14 FIR (42.9%)
0/18 GIR (0%)

11 Penalty Strokes
32 Putts (1.8/hole)

• 6 - One putt
• 10 - Two putts
• 2 - Three putts

0 Birdies
1 Pars
6 Bogeys
4 Double Bogeys
7 More than Double Bogey.

Game Golf

[DrvFrShow]

If you're playing in 30 minutes. Put the driver away. Tee off with your 5 iron. Put the ball in the fairway. Make sure you're getting your weight forward, and make the same swing on every shot. Just play with irons. You're probably falling back and hitting fat or coming up and topping the ball. Get one swing thought. Weight forward. Do it.

[RFKFREAK]

If you're playing in 30 minutes. Put the driver away. Tee off with your 5 iron. Put the ball in the fairway. Make sure you're getting your weight forward, and make the same swing on every shot. Just play with irons. You're probably falling back and hitting fat or coming up and topping the ball. Get one swing thought. Weight forward. Do it.

Sadly, IIRC, most of the penalty strokes were not from the driver. My issue is I'm hooking my driver again. I'm planning on playing the first few with the driver and then if I have to adjust, I will.

[DrvFrShow]

Also I noticed you hit your 5 iron further than both your 3 wood and your 4H off the deck. That would be my go to for my second shot today on par 5s. Make sure to get that weight forward on those wedge shots.

[mailman]

Honestly mate, as a fellow hi handicapper only use the 3w and hybrid off the tee or in the case of the hybrid you can use that in thick rough. Otherwise it's irons off the deck every time as it's just not worth the risk if your shot with the 3w is sliced or hooked 95% of the time. Regards Mailman

[Dave2512]

Honestly mate, as a fellow hi handicapper only use the 3w and hybrid off the tee or in the case of the hybrid you can use that in thick rough. Otherwise it's irons off the deck every time as it's just not worth the risk if your shot with the 3w is sliced or hooked 95% of the time.

Regards

Mailman

Doesn't get much better as you improve either. I fight with my fairways and hybrids to the point if it's not a day where I feel invincible because I am making easy pars I will hit irons even for second shots on par 5's. I get about 220 out of a perfect 3 hybrid and the perfect shot is rare. A bad hybrid shot significantly worse than the most terrible shot with my longest iron. And typically if I need a shot like that it means I already hit a bad shot before it. A decent drive and a 5 iron gets me within a 100 yards on most par 5's. A blown fairway or hybrid might leave me with a longer 3rd shot than I'd like. If it's a par 4 longer than 440 I just assume I'll be trying to get up and down to save par and I'm cool with bogey.

[RFKFREAK]

Also I noticed you hit your 5 iron further than both your 3 wood and your 4H off the deck. That would be my go to for my second shot today on par 5s. Make sure to get that weight forward on those wedge shots.

Honestly mate, as a fellow hi handicapper only use the 3w and hybrid off the tee or in the case of the hybrid you can use that in thick rough. Otherwise it's irons off the deck every time as it's just not worth the risk if your shot with the 3w is sliced or hooked 95% of the time.

Regards

Mailman

Yeah, the challenge is that I'm not hitting my irons well, either, so it's kind of hard when I don't have confidence in anything.  Today, on the Par 5 10th on my third shot, I hit my 5I and it went OB and then after taking a stroke, I hit my 5I to the right (OB, too).  I have very little confidence in my game right now so I think I'm going to take a few weeks off and send videos to Evolvr and just work on my full swing.

Anyway. here's abysmal round #2:

112 on Par 72

67.7/110
3/14 FIR (21%)
4/18 GIR (0%)

6 Penalty Strokes
37 Putts (2.1/hole)

• 3 - One putt
• 12 - Two putts
• 2 - Three putts
• 1 - Four Putt

0 Birdies
4 Pars
5 Bogeys
2 Double Bogeys
7 More than Double Bogey.

Game Golf

[DrvFrShow]

Christian,

It's pretty obvious you're not having fun with this right now. It's nearing the end of golf season. You only have like 7 weeks left before the season is over up where you are. Same here. So here's my advice and take it for what it's worth. I used to do stuff like this when I got all burned out about practice on the piano and things started going to sh*t.

Yes, by all means take another evolvr lesson. Work on your ball striking.

But also, put the gadgets away. Forget about game golf for now, and forget about the statistics. Forget about the score. Forget about the rules of golf. Go to the course and play "fun golf." If you don't like the lie, move the ball to where you like the lie. Just enjoy the outdoors and the nice environment of the golf course. Hit a good shot and forget about it. If you make a bad decision, drop  another ball and  make the right decision. Forget the penalties. You're not keeping score anyway so  you don't care. You're not reporting the round. It's for practice and  fun. Look at the  golf course as a driving range with grass and  a nice walk between shots.

There you go. Have some fun. Don't forget to bring your foot wedge. And a gimme is < 1'.

Then, when you're feeling better about your ball striking, play a real round. It may take a few weeks. It may not be until next spring. But that's okay, too. We're not professionals earning a living doing this. This is supposed to be a hobby, and we're supposed to get enjoyment out of it. And you're not playing in a tournament any time soon either. So....

[RandallT]

I'm with Julia, and I'm hoping you can shrug this off- maybe even laugh this off as a wakeup to rededicate yourself to the barebones basics.

Golf is no fun when you can't make contact. I got an Evolvr lesson back recently, and I can vouch for how energizing it can be. It's fun to gut it out and remind yourself of all the things that have gotten "off key" (to use Julia's musical frame of reference!). Go back and copy the posture and grip thread info here on TST. Get an evolvr lesson, and do everything in slow motion for a bit if you need to (after some time off that you might need).

If you hit the course, do something bizarre like no score and irons only. Shake it up.

You'll get the bug back- guaranteed. Just take it slow and rebuild from the basics. Enjoy the puzzle along the way.

[DrvFrShow]

I'm playing my first real round tomorrow in over a month. This will be interesting. I'll go 18 holes. Some of the younger people in the group want to play 36, but that's hard for me riding. That's two jumbo buckets for me. No way.

The positive thing is that since it's links I don't have to worry about hitting a tree on the first tee. The downside is that I have to worry about duck hooking it into the tall fescue. The other question is, do you think a dozen balls will be enough?

[RFKFREAK]

Christian,

It's pretty obvious you're not having fun with this right now. It's nearing the end of golf season. You only have like 7 weeks left before the season is over up where you are. Same here. So here's my advice and take it for what it's worth. I used to do stuff like this when I got all burned out about practice on the piano and things started going to sh*t.

Yes, by all means take another evolvr lesson. Work on your ball striking.

But also, put the gadgets away. Forget about game golf for now, and forget about the statistics. Forget about the score. Forget about the rules of golf. Go to the course and play "fun golf." If you don't like the lie, move the ball to where you like the lie. Just enjoy the outdoors and the nice environment of the golf course. Hit a good shot and forget about it. If you make a bad decision, drop  another ball and  make the right decision. Forget the penalties. You're not keeping score anyway so  you don't care. You're not reporting the round. It's for practice and  fun. Look at the  golf course as a driving range with grass and  a nice walk between shots.

There you go. Have some fun. Don't forget to bring your foot wedge. And a gimme is

Then, when you're feeling better about your ball striking, play a real round. It may take a few weeks. It may not be until next spring. But that's okay, too. We're not professionals earning a living doing this. This is supposed to be a hobby, and we're supposed to get enjoyment out of it. And you're not playing in a tournament any time soon either. So....

I'm with Julia, and I'm hoping you can shrug this off- maybe even laugh this off as a wakeup to rededicate yourself to the barebones basics.

Golf is no fun when you can't make contact. I got an Evolvr lesson back recently, and I can vouch for how energizing it can be. It's fun to gut it out and remind yourself of all the things that have gotten "off key" (to use Julia's musical frame of reference!). Go back and copy the posture and grip thread info here on TST. Get an evolvr lesson, and do everything in slow motion for a bit if you need to (after some time off that you might need).

If you hit the course, do something bizarre like no score and irons only. Shake it up.

You'll get the bug back- guaranteed. Just take it slow and rebuild from the basics. Enjoy the puzzle along the way.

Thanks for the suggestions and whereas I'm still going to bring the GameGolf and the other stuff, I think I'll play more of a practice round and rehit balls that otherwise might frustrate me.  I obviously won't keep score for HC purposes but I think I need a round where I don't put so much pressure on myself and get into a negative mindset on the course.

I'm playing my first real round tomorrow in over a month. This will be interesting. I'll go 18 holes. Some of the younger people in the group want to play 36, but that's hard for me riding. That's two jumbo buckets for me. No way.

The positive thing is that since it's links I don't have to worry about hitting a tree on the first tee. The downside is that I have to worry about duck hooking it into the tall fescue. The other question is, do you think a dozen balls will be enough?

Bring at least two dozen just for the front 9.

[DrvFrShow]

The way I see it is that hitting a ball off grass is different than hitting off a mat. It's not just the way the ball sits on the grass and the way the club interacts with the turf, it's footing as well. This is another reason we have trouble taking our range game to the course. Getting used to the uneven footing takes some time, and some practice rounds can really help here. Don't play out of really difficult lies for a while. You don't play really difficult pieces of music until you've learned the easier ones. Once you're more comfortable in the more level lies, then move onto the more difficult lies, and don't expect perfection.

Talk to your evolv instructor about how to hit them too.

[RFKFREAK]

The way I see it is that hitting a ball off grass is different than hitting off a mat. It's not just the way the ball sits on the grass and the way the club interacts with the turf, it's footing as well. This is another reason we have trouble taking our range game to the course. Getting used to the uneven footing takes some time, and some practice rounds can really help here. Don't play out of really difficult lies for a while. You don't play really difficult pieces of music until you've learned the easier ones. Once you're more comfortable in the more level lies, then move onto the more difficult lies, and don't expect perfection.

Talk to your evolv instructor about how to hit them too.

I don't think I've hit off a mat at a range this season.  I have a net at home that I use a mat with, but it's not the kind of mat I've found that I typically find at driving ranges with mats; it's more like synthetic grass.

[RFKFREAK]

So, earlier this week I sent a video into my Evolvr instructor and got some stuff to work on.  The two things he wants me to focus on are my grip and not having it be so strong with my trail hand, and the turning rate of my legs.  With respect to my grip, specifically, I'm to go back glacially slow until about halfway between A1 and A2 so as to avoid regripping.

I haven't really had much of an opportunity to practice this and got to the course later than I would have liked today so I didn't get to hit a bucket beforehand to try this new drill out so I was kind of trying it on the fly today.  The new grip is having my slice the ball now but, at least it was consistent so I'm not overly upset with the 102 I shot today considering I was also playing a course I had never played before.  I also did a hybrid of what @DrvFrShow suggested and just let what happened, happen and not feel frustrated and not allow it to negatively impact my mindset.

102 on Par 72

68.5/115

1/14 FIR (8%)

2/18 GIR (11%)

2 Penalty Strokes
32 Putts (1.8/hole)

• 5 - One putt
• 12 - Two putts
• 1 - Three putts

1 Birdies
4 Pars
3 Bogeys
6 Double Bogeys
4 More than Double Bogey

Scorecard and Game Golf found below.

Game Golf

[rkim291968]

Since the last time I checked on this thread, your HI went down a bit.  Congrats!   Keep it up, Christian.  I mean keep it (HI) down.