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

[RFKFREAK]

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.

Haha, well, it was a bit lower and is now creeping back up.

[RFKFREAK]

Built this last night to attach my phone to my tripod so I can record my swings. I'm excited to try it out!

[RFKFREAK]

Gutted.

122 on Par 71

67.5/120

0/13 FIR (0%)

0/18 GIR (0%)

8 Penalty Strokes
36 Putts (1.8/hole)

• 3 - One putt
• 13 - Two putts
• 1 - Three putts
• 1 - Four putts

0 Birdies
0 Pars
5 Bogeys
5 Double Bogeys
8 More than Double Bogey

Game Golf

This is the worst round of golf since my first round in cold conditions.  Today, it was beautiful out there.

I'm somewhat dispirited about my game since July 2nd.  After losing all the weight I did, going to the gym, and the practice during the off-season, I feel my game has regressed severely since July 2nd to about the level where I was the first season I played where I'm spraying the ball all over.  The few decent rounds I've had since July 2nd I've found that my miss was consistent rather than sprayed all over the place.  I had drives of 96 yards and 108 yards, so not only am I spraying it left and right (but not middle since I had 0 FIRs), I'm also miss-hitting and not reaching the fairway,

I'm playing with a friend tomorrow and if I have a similar day, I'll probably strongly consider just hitting the range, hitting into my net, and doing some indoor practice until next season.  It would pain me because I remember I used to love playing golf but lately, for the most part, it's been a grind and I've been having the feeling of just getting to the 18th for the pain to be over..

[mailman]

That sucks mate! How you managed to maintain the will to live on that back nine is an accomplishment in its own right! Do you think something like having a "personal" coach instead of being coached over the Internet would make a difference to your development as a golfer? Regards Mailman

[RFKFREAK]

That sucks mate! How you managed to maintain the will to live on that back nine is an accomplishment in its own right! Do you think something like having a "personal" coach instead of being coached over the Internet would make a difference to your development as a golfer? Regards Mailman

I was thinking that but two things came to mind: 1) I haven't ingrained the changes to my swing and "forcing" those changes helped inflate the score and then after much frustration from that, it led to an overall golf frustration. So, making on the course changes without making them on the range or into my net was certainly not the best idea. 2) I tried three instructors in the area, two severely disappointed me and the third was just eh. Only one used video but he didn't use any other equipment like TM/FS/GC2. I think the internet instruction is better than any of these three. Maybe I'm just not talented enough to be anything on a golf course but a hack.

[DrvFrShow]

I've been to three different pros in my area. I finally found one who uses a GC2 and video. He's good.

When you're making changes to your swing you need to practice them, and it's okay to practice on the course. When you take them to the course you cannot worry about the score. You have to focus on making the swing correctly each time you address the ball. One thing at a time. Like I said earlier - put the gadgets away and just use the course as a driving range with grass. Forget about the rules of golf. If you get a crappy lie and  are not solid  with your  swing, move your ball to a lie where  you're comfortable until you can feel better about your swing. There  is no USGA rules official looking over your shoulder.

Then when you're feeling better about your swing and you're  making better contact with the ball, play a full 18 for real to see what happens. Just remember to make the same basic swing every  time. One shot at a time. One hole at a time. You'll still make  bad shots. We all make  bad shots. We all make double  bogeys  and  have a blow  up hole now  and then.

There's  no rule that says you cannot  do  this. They're called practice rounds. Even pros play practice rounds. They're places where you're allowed to screw up and fix  your mistakes.

At our level, video is more important than a GC2. We can see the ball flight. We know when we make solid contact with the ball. We know the sound the club makes when we hit off center. The technology starts getting more important when we reach the single digit and are going for the scratch. It's more for the top end golfers. But having an instructor be able to show us  what we did on video is a great  tool. They can show us both what  we're doing right and what we need to do.

[RFKFREAK]

I've been to three different pros in my area. I finally found one who uses a GC2 and video. He's good.

Yeah, there's one guy who has TM but right now my golf budget doesn't allow for the rate he charges for golf instruction.

When you're making changes to your swing you need to practice them, and it's okay to practice on the course. When you take them to the course you cannot worry about the score. You have to focus on making the swing correctly each time you address the ball. One thing at a time. Like I said earlier - put the gadgets away and just use the course as a driving range with grass. Forget about the rules of golf. If you get a crappy lie and  are not solid  with your  swing, move your ball to a lie where  you're comfortable until you can feel better about your swing. There  is no USGA rules official looking over your shoulder.

I don't really like practicing swing changes on the course.  Maybe if I had a membership at a club it might be different but 99% of the time, I play public courses and when I'm paying green fees, I want to play, not practice.  What killed me Saturday was not setting my alarm correctly and waking up in time to hit a bucket beforehand to get a sense of how my driver was going that day.  The gadgets don't get in my way or in my head nor is the score I have going getting into my head - even from good lies, it's the swing I had that day.  Earlier this year, it was bad, but it was more predictable than it is now, or, at least it felt like it, which made the game more predictable.  I just had a terrible swing that day.

Then when you're feeling better about your swing and you're  making better contact with the ball, play a full 18 for real to see what happens. Just remember to make the same basic swing every  time. One shot at a time. One hole at a time. You'll still make  bad shots. We all make  bad shots. We all make double  bogeys  and  have a blow  up hole now  and then.

Feeling better about my swing won't likely come for a while but playing golf without keeping score just isn't fun for me and then I'd lose out on those rare occasions when I shoot (for me) well, and wouldn't have an idea of how good it was.

There's  no rule that says you cannot  do  this. They're called practice rounds. Even pros play practice rounds. They're places where you're allowed to screw up and fix  your mistakes.

Yup, like I said, practice rounds if I were a member at a club would likely be a strategy I incorporate but seeing as how I don't have a membership, it's not really my cup of tea.  I can work on my game taking video of me hitting into my net or going to the range and sending it to my Evolvr instructor.

At our level, video is more important than a GC2. We can see the ball flight. We know when we make solid contact with the ball. We know the sound the club makes when we hit off center. The technology starts getting more important when we reach the single digit and are going for the scratch. It's more for the top end golfers. But having an instructor be able to show us  what we did on video is a great  tool. They can show us both what  we're doing right and what we need to do.

Agreed.  At this point, it's more curiosity.  For example, I went to the local Golf Galaxy last week and hit one of their used drivers with a 10* loft and the numbers it spit out (although, I'm very suspect about how accurate these numbers are because they've given me some suspicious results before) for the degrees that the ball left the tee was in and around 10* so I'd love to know if that was accurate or not (which I'm guessing it's not far off because my drives are rarely very high).

Anyway, at this point, I'm going to work on my game with my net, range, video, and save money to buy new irons and hybrid (hopefully in Oct./Nov.).

[mailman]

J[quote name="RFKFREAK" url="/t/78581/rfkfreaks-journal-about-golf-past-present-and-future/210#post_1201886"] Maybe I'm just not talented enough to be anything on a golf course but a hack.[/quote] Everyone has talent mate...even that guy doing the 10,000 hours thing! However if you don't click with a coach then you are just wasting your time! Secondly mate, how much do you spend playing rounds of golf every month and is that similar to membership somewhere near you? I guess I'm just a bit spoilt as even over here in rip of Britain one can join a half decent public course for not much up front and then you can play/practice as much as you want. Regards Mailman

[inthehole]

I feel your pain ... here's what I do when my ballstriking goes bad.    LIMIT your backswing.    I don't go past vertical, but come down on it really hard (as hard as a full swing).   I find that I don't lose all that much distance at all, but with an abbreviated back swing, I make center contact way more often.      I do this until I can consistently hit my irons well, then I ramp it up some - usually its not much.    I think we all fall into the mindset that we need a golf swing that looks like Rory's.     I'm about your size & hit it as far as most anybody I play with ... even with the shorter backswing.

It's all about hitting the ball solidly.    I haven't seen your swing, but if you have a big backswing and aren't hitting center club face JUST ABOUT ALL THE TIME, your backswing is too big.    I don't think there are many teachers that would condone this, but for us mid-hcp'ers I think its pretty solid logic & I can tell you with 100% ceratinty it works for me

[RandallT]

Hang in there, @RFKFREAK . We will stayed tuned, and hope you post more frequently than the guy doing the 10,000 hours thing. Things may turn  your way before the season shuts down.

[RFKFREAK]

J

Everyone has talent mate...even that guy doing the 10,000 hours thing!

However if you don't click with a coach then you are just wasting your time!

Secondly mate, how much do you spend playing rounds of golf every month and is that similar to membership somewhere near you?

I guess I'm just a bit spoilt as even over here in rip of Britain one can join a half decent public course for not much up front and then you can play/practice as much as you want.

Regards

Mailman

I think my instructor is good.  I was making strides until I started regressing.

There aren't any courses around that area that I can budget for but there's a municipal course that's 45 minutes away that seems to cost $700 for a standard membership but I don't know if it's available for everyone and considering how far it is, I doubt it'd be worth it considering the drive.  That, plus I like playing different courses.

The local municipal course used to offer membership with unlimited golf to residents years ago but that's a thing of the past.  Don't know of anywhere that's got a membership rate I'd feel comfortable with.

I feel your pain ... here's what I do when my ballstriking goes bad.    LIMIT your backswing.    I don't go past vertical, but come down on it really hard (as hard as a full swing).   I find that I don't lose all that much distance at all, but with an abbreviated back swing, I make center contact way more often.      I do this until I can consistently hit my irons well, then I ramp it up some - usually its not much.    I think we all fall into the mindset that we need a golf swing that looks like Rory's.     I'm about your size & hit it as far as most anybody I play with ... even with the shorter backswing.

It's all about hitting the ball solidly.    I haven't seen your swing, but if you have a big backswing and aren't hitting center club face JUST ABOUT ALL THE TIME, your backswing is too big.    I don't think there are many teachers that would condone this, but for us mid-hcp'ers I think its pretty solid logic & I can tell you with 100% ceratinty it works for me

Yeah, shortening my backswing was something that my instructor and I had previously worked on.  I haven't taken video of myself since Saturday and if it's not too cold, I'm going to try and hit balls after work and will keep that in mind along with the two things in my take away my instructor wants me to work on and another thing I think I need to fix.

[RFKFREAK]

Hang in there, @RFKFREAK . We will stayed tuned, and hope you post more frequently than the guy doing the 10,000 hours thing. Things may turn  your way before the season shuts down.

Haha, I could only hope one day to have a 2 (but really 10) HC!

Honestly, I've read here and elsewhere from a few folks that over like 5 years, they've gotten a HC in the teens or high single digits.  I think my feeling of possibly being nothing more than a hack stems from not seeing the improvement that I would have liked to have seen by now.  I'm sure there are a lot of different circumstances and I don't practice as much as I probably should or would like due to life, but at this point, I thought I'd at least be a bogey golfer which I'm very far from.

[Elmer]

Gutted.

122 on Par 71

67.5/120

0/13 FIR (0%)

0/18 GIR (0%)

8 Penalty Strokes

36 Putts (1.8/hole)

3 - One putt

13 - Two putts

1 - Three putts

1 - Four putts

0 Birdies

0 Pars

5 Bogeys

5 Double Bogeys

8 More than Double Bogey

Game Golf

This is the worst round of golf since my first round in cold conditions.  Today, it was beautiful out there.

First hole @ Capital Hills is a tough hole.

The back nine can be super tough especially if you are running out of steam or spraying.

and the rest of the holes are not easy either. (full disclosure I once took a 10 on #7. took me 4 tries to get out of one of those bunkers)

I know there are a bunch of decent teachers in the area who can give good advice.

When I was first starting out I went to NW8, SWMBO had bought me a package of lessons which I used 1 per year. 1 hour hour lesson to give me a part of my game to work on.

I started with something simple, teach me to get off the tee  And for a 1/2 hour we worked on just getting my swing to smooth out and make decent contact. Simply moving the ball forward to start with. I still make sure I spend a few minutes every day swinging in the yard/garage just so my swing can feel natural.

I know some of the best advice my teacher gave me was to relax and dont stress. You only play once a week, dont expect to be a scratch golfer. Not to mention once something goes wrong we tend to TRY and make the next shot make up for it and this is when the train goes off the rails.

On a side note that Game Golf is really neat

best of luck.

[RFKFREAK]

First hole @ Capital Hills is a tough hole.

The back nine can be super tough especially if you are running out of steam or spraying.

and the rest of the holes are not easy either

Yeah, and hitting a 96 yard drive doesn't help matters.

I think what happened on the back was mental weakness that just snowballed.  On 10 I have had issues all season with losing my tee shot to the left and it happened again.  I tried to make an adjustment and then sliced it right.  Found the ball but really couldn't advance it and then I'm facing a long shot with little hope of hitting the green with, including the penalty stroke, my 5th shot.  I then make solid contact with my 5th shot using my 3W but push it into the woods for another penalty stroke and, by that point, I'm frustrated as can be because I've blown the hole up to the point that a decent score is out the window.

I know there are a bunch of decent teachers in the area who can give good advice.

When I was first starting out I went to NW8, SWMBO had bought me a package of lessons which I used 1 per year. 1 hour hour lesson to give me a part of my game to work on.

I started with something simple, teach me to get off the tee  And for a 1/2 hour we worked on just getting my swing to smooth out and make decent contact. Simply moving the ball forward to start with. I still make sure I spend a few minutes every day swinging in the yard/garage just so my swing can feel natural.

I know some of the best advice my teacher gave me was to relax and dont stress. You only play once a week, dont expect to be a scratch golfer. Not to mention once something goes wrong we tend to TRY and make the next shot make up for it and this is when the train goes off the rails.

best of luck.

If there's someone you recommend, please feel free to PM me their contact info and I'll look into getting a live lesson.  Making decent contact on a regular basis would be nice.

[DrvFrShow]

If you're having a s...h...i...t of  a time with a hole like 10, why not just play it safe? Hit a 5 iron off the tee. Forget about reaching the GIR. Just keep the ball in play. Go for the bogey. It's a 525 yd par 5. Play it as a par 6. If you make it in 6 you win. If you make it in 7 you came really close. That's still 5 strokes better than 12 isn't it?

But I know, it's not fun to play like that.

Hell, play a 9 iron off the tee if that's what you need to do to keep it out of the woods on the left.

Taking a 12 on a hole isn't fun either, is it? It's frustrating and builds up negative thoughts that carry onto the next few holes.

By the way, I play public courses and pay green fees, too. I don't have a country club membership. The difference is that I can put aside certain things and just practice. I look at it like I bought a piano and I still have to practice on it. I'm essentially renting my time on the golf course to practice. That's the way I'm looking at it. I don't need to walk away with a score. If the course is empty I may hit three to four approach shots, or three to four bunker shots.

And it will take a while longer before I feel better about my swing, too. And I was going to play today, but  I woke up with a migraine.

[RFKFREAK]

If you're having a s...h...i...t of  a time with a hole like 10, why not just play it safe? Hit a 5 iron off the tee. Forget about reaching the GIR. Just keep the ball in play. Go for the bogey. It's a 525 yd par 5. Play it as a par 6. If you make it in 6 you win. If you make it in 7 you came really close. That's still 5 strokes better than 12 isn't it?

But I know, it's not fun to play like that.

Hell, play a 9 iron off the tee if that's what you need to do to keep it out of the woods on the left.

Taking a 12 on a hole isn't fun either, is it? It's frustrating and builds up negative thoughts that carry onto the next few holes.

By the way, I play public courses and pay green fees, too. I don't have a country club membership. The difference is that I can put aside certain things and just practice. I look at it like I bought a piano and I still have to practice on it. I'm essentially renting my time on the golf course to practice. That's the way I'm looking at it. I don't need to walk away with a score. If the course is empty I may hit three to four approach shots, or three to four bunker shots.

And it will take a while longer before I feel better about my swing, too. And I was going to play today, but  I woke up with a migraine.

Because it's purely a mental thing and I'm sure more often than not, if I looked at all my rounds at this course, I probably don't lose it left - it's just happened a few times that in a short period of time so I have it stuck that that's what happens on that hole.

And you're right, it's not fun to play like that.

Putting up a 12 isn't fun and snowballed the round but, the way I looked at it, by the time I got a second penalty stroke on the hole, the odds of saving the round went out the door, so, at that point, I'm not in a good place for golfing, so whether I put up a 10 or 12 or 20, it really doesn't change anything.  Hence why on 11, when I lost 2 balls off the tee and hit a squirter on my third tee shot, it didn't matter.  It's a mental breakdown which I should try and correct to make the rest of the round as constructive as possible.

I get the impression that you spend more time on the golf course than I do.  I'm not sure what your schedule is or whether you have more free time due to your work schedule (like if you're a school teacher with summers off) but, generally speaking, I only play golf on the weekends and rarely do I find a situation where the course is empty.  To be honest, I wish I had more time to play and practice golf, but seeing as how my golfing time is limited, and I like playing more than practicing, it's going to be what I do on the weekends and hitting in to my net or hitting balls at the range is where most of my outdoor practice is going to come from.

Hope you feel better!

[RFKFREAK]

Went to the range yesterday and took some vids but didn't look at them until later so didn't really get a chance to correct things.

Focused primarily on taking the club away slowly because my Evovlr instructor thinks I may use regripping to a stronger grip as a trigger to start my swing.  The other thing is to try and not straighten my back leg so quickly as I straighten it up my arms keep going.  I've also decided to incorporate the beginning of a takeaway (kind of like Rickie Fowler) to try and help me have a good takeaway.

What I realized while looking at these videos (primarily the ones with the driver) is that I don't do enough of a shoulder turn and that my club crosses the line at the top of the backswing.  I used to not have these issues and I really think a lot of these old bad habits have come about because I'm so negative about my game that I'm subconsciously going back to what feels normal.

Or maybe I just suck.

Anyway, going to the range again today to work on, well, a lot (the two pieces I've been working on and a good shoulder turn and having the club not cross the line at the top of the backswing), and, maybe send another video in to Evovlr or may try and get a live lesson (although I'm a little hesitant about having two instructors).

6i - DTL

6I - FO

Driver - FO

Driver - DTL

[Lihu]

Or maybe I just suck.

Anyway, going to the range again today to work on, well, a lot (the two pieces I've been working on and a good shoulder turn and having the club not cross the line at the top of the backswing), and, maybe send another video in to Evovlr or may try and get a live lesson (although I'm a little hesitant about having two instructors).

No, not just you. . .Keep plodding along with your drill swings. Some of us take longer to "get it", I take a huge effort to get even a little glimmer of hope and am still working on it like a fraction of a percent at a time. . .with the usual setbacks. . .

BTW, you look much slimmer in the videos. Nice job getting fit! Keep that up as well!