My Swing (b101)

[b101]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

113 is exceptionally high. I'm not sure Brandt Snedeker is in that range.

Most of our players are around 78… give or take ten (and give or take 5 probably includes 90% of our golfers). 113… that's giving (or taking) an extra 35. Wow.

Also, decelerating too much is just as bad as accelerating too much. You want to be somewhere near no acceleration or deceleration. As the thread discusses.

FWIW, I generally prefer closer to 2:1 ratio. 2.3:1 would put you outside of even SAM's little "zone" of "good."

Useful - I do recall him saying to start high and tone it down, but you're right that it seems extreme. I'll give it a go on 78 and report back. Thanks as ever for the useful feedback.

[b101]

@iacas - so I went and had a go at 78 bpm, which felt really slow (understandably from where I'm coming from). My questions are:

1) the backswing now feels very long again. My concern is when I have a 60-90 foot putt with this tempo; does it work?!

2) again, I felt like the slow tempo leads to me making fewer putts as the ball goes offline more easily. Maybe just a thought for me rather than evidenced in reality...

I wonder what you make of the video below - thoughs much appreciated, especially if there's something obvious I'm missing.

 

[iacas]

Are we using the BPM the same way?

78 BPM means…

- Take putter away on a beat
- Make contact on a beat

Your stroke - from takeaway to impact - should be under 1 second. Yours in the video is well over one second. I got about 38 frames… About 1.27 seconds if 30 FPS. 78 BPM should be 0.76 seconds or so.

[b101]

On 14/03/2017 at 11:28 PM, iacas said:

Are we using the BPM the same way?

78 BPM means…

- Take putter away on a beat
- Make contact on a beat

Your stroke - from takeaway to impact - should be under 1 second. Yours in the video is well over one second. I got about 38 frames… About 1.27 seconds if 30 FPS. 78 BPM should be 0.76 seconds or so.

I wonder whether I am using BPM differently to you in that case - I'll look to record something properly in the near future and post it to see whether that's the case.

In other news, I got a bit more range work in yesterday and am trying to go again today. I'm on a little trip next week, playing four courses with a friend, so I'm trying to combine the usual work with getting my swing and misses to where I'm comfortable. I'm still trying to tidy things up, but neat and tidy with a constant weak push isn't really what I'm after at the moment!

The full swing isn't as pretty, but mostly a 5-10 yard push draw, which I can deal with. Driver's been a bit iffy again, but I think that's partly due to the range tees being higher than I'm used to - it keeps feeling like it's nearly coming off the crown of the club!

[b101]

So, I've played a lot in the last week, having done a links tour round the South West. I haven't really focused a lot on the swing, but more on getting results - the feels of a few of the positions I know I need to hit help, but it's been nice not focusing on the positions themselves and rather trying just to get ball to target. The clear point was that my game is getting much better, particularly off the tee and in wind. Putting was up and down over the few days, but when it was good, it was at an excellent level, particularly with lag putts from tough distances. 

Round 1: Burnham and Berrow (Channel) - https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1460478

+5, 4 fairways, 3 GIR, 15 putts

A really tight track, but I rallied well after an appalling first tee shot. Didn't hit many greens (they're tiny!), but lots of nGIR helped. Could have scored better, but I had a couple of really odd shots - the thin lob wedge on 4 for an unplayable lie was particularly poor. I hit some really nice tee shots into tight landing areas though and was happy with 5 over.

Round 2: Burnham and Berrow (Championship) - https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1460479

+13, 4 fairways, 8 GIR, 31 putts

To be honest, having practised and played the first nine, I just got tired - I was carrying as well and this was the last time that I did this tour; my tee shots became really scrappy late on (hence 29% fairways) and, to be honest, my driving was pretty average all day. Turning point was a good 8 iron on 13 that just didn't turn when I expected it to (ball above my feet), which rolled off the green into a bush for an unplayable and a double where it wasn't far off an easy par. From there, I just hit one awful shot per hole, which made life tough. Didn't really make any putts other than the excellent one on the first either, so I was never going to score that well.

Round 3: Saunton (East) - https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1461159

+10, 7 fairways, 4 GIR, 28 putts

I played about as well as I could from the tee with 7 fairways, but it was really tough getting into the greens in regulation with the amount of wind and needing to hit big clubs to get in. Equally, my wedge shots weren't great when I was downwind and this is a work in progress. I did putt really well though from start to finish (with a couple of exceptions) and I definitely saved a few shots with my lag putting. The shot of the round was actually the putt down the slope on the 10th - it was a downwind 50 footer with 30 feet before a steep tier with next to no chance of keeping it on the green. I managed to stop it one foot away from the hole, having practically stopped it at the top of the tier - give me another 10 gos and I wouldn't do it again. It was a fantastic green and the sort of clutch putt that leaves you with a huge grin. Pretty pleased with this round and I was noticeably less tired for using a trolley rather than carrying!

Round 4: Saunton (West) - https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1461160

+12, 3 fairways, 6 GIR, 31 putts

A much tighter course with smaller green complexes and more cases of thinking your way around the course. I got very tired towards the end and my tee shots from the 10th onwards, when I suddenly developed a weak fade with every single club, put me in a world of trouble. I managed my short game really well though to minimise a lot of the damage. My putting wasn't as good as it had been at the start of the day, but I put that down to tiredness and losing concentration. I feel like the score of +12 was a testament to how well I know my game at this point in time; there were lots of really good scrambles for pars or bogeys where I just had no right to get them. It's been a long time since I played 36 holes in a day and it showed! A simply brilliant day of golf, though and I'd recommend Saunton to anyone.

Round 5: Royal North Devon - https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1462401

+12, 7 fairways, 9 GIR, 37 putts

This was the best I played out of all of the rounds really. I had a hard start with two good tee shots landing in ditches I hadn't seen from the tee on the first two holes, before making a good birdie on 3. It was seriously windy and I don't think I'll ever make better pars on par 5s than the ninth and seventeenth, both of which were right into the teeth of the wind - particularly 17, which was a brute at 556 yards. My driving was really good and I played a proper power draw on the back nine, which really got me in good positions. My only regret was getting horribly defensive on the tenth in a match play scenario and hitting a horrifically weak first putt. I was then nearly incandescent when I found a nigh on unplayable lie in a bunker on 11 after a good approach. Thankfully, things got better after 12 and I really closed out the round well. Didn't putt brilliantly, although a number were very long first putts, but it was a very fun round in tough conditions.

Round 6: Burnham and Berrow - https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1464827

 

+9, 6 fairways, 8 GIR, 33 putts

Not my best, but I hit a good streak on the back nine which helped! I didn't warm up before I went out, so the first few shots were very ropey and I was struggling to find my rhythm with the driver. Irons felt a lot more consistent and reliable although I did get tired again by the end having carried a bag again. Really nice to get two birdies back to back on 14 and 15, which have tended to be poor holes for me. The back nine was into wind as well, so great to play that well. 

---

After the last round this morning (round 6), I did some more chipping and putting practice before having a go at the drill again. It's definitely getting better and I know what feels I need to use to putt well - namely: rock my shoulders, shorter backstroke, check alignment very carefully (my current tendency is to aim a tiny bit too far left) and make sure that my hand path feels a touch right. With all of that, I was starting them dead on line and pace was pretty good.

Hole	Ft	Break	Score 1	Score 2	Score 3	Score 4	Score 5
1.	3ft	Straight	1	1
2.	6ft	R/L uphill	1	1
3.	9ft	L/R downhill	2	2
4.	12ft	R/L downhill	2	2
5.	15ft	L/R	2	2
6.	4ft	slight break downhill	1	1
7.	8ft	R/L	2	1
8.	12ft	L/R	2	1
9.	16ft	L/R downhill	2	2
10.	20ft	L/R uphill	2	2
11.	5ft	slight break	2	1
12.	10ft	L/R	2	2
13.	15ft	R/L	2	2
14.	20ft	Straightish	1	2
15.	25ft	Double Break	2	2
16.	6ft	R/L downhill	2	2
17.	33ft	Slight uphill	2	2
18.	45ft	Slight downhill	2	2
Total			32	30
Strokes Gained			-2.81	-0.81

[b101]

So today I had two fittings to address the two weakest areas of my bag - my hybrid and my sand wedge. I'm quite happy with my lob wedge, but in spite of being the same brand and make, my sand wedge just doesn't work for me. As for the hybrid, I basically feel like I have to hit a weak slice with it for it to fly high and straight; I have no control over it and it certainly isn't fulfilling either function of a 220 yard par-5 approach club or a fairway finder from the tee. 

Hybrid fitting:

I went back to Precision Golf, who I love, for this fitting. I first explained my issues and said that I just didn't trust the club, particularly the shaft in it. Pleasingly, the shots that I see with the hybrid (low hook, high weak fade and low straight) all showed up with equal regularity in the first ten hits. The fitter (Simon) is great; he listens to your assessment, watches you hit and then just changes the club around you without giving detail on what you're hitting, rather what he's trying to sort out. The numbers with my X2 Hot hybrid were a bit scary - minus 4.5 Angle of Attack, path 6 degrees in to out, face 3 degrees closed to path (at least that last was ok!). As suspected, the shaft was offering no stiffness and led to me having to really work with my hands through impact to save the shot.

After going through a few (much heavier) shafts, we found the right one - Oban Isawa 70g - and it came down to either the Titleist 816H2 or the Cobra King F7. I liked the fact that the Titleist was nice and traditional, set up really square to the ball and made a slightly more muted sound off the face. It was also nice and consistent with distance and direction, landing straight to slightly right of target at 220 yards. Plus points for the Cobra were that it would launch higher and had a really powerful feel - I could definitely hit it further. On balance, we decided that the Titleist had the slight edge; I can tweak launch characteristics slightly with the hosel system and I felt that it was more consistent and controllable. I don't need the distance with this club, I want reliability and the feel that I just need to hit a normal shot and I'll get the result I want.

Wedge fitting:

In the afternoon came the really fun part. It's hands-down the best golfing experience I've had off the course (and top five including on it!). I'd read a lot about the process beforehand and went in with high expectations, expecting that they wouldn't be fulfilled. They were actually surpassed and my jaw genuinely dropped on a number of occasions. I've never had a proper eye-opening experience where something you believe is impossible is actually totally doable and even easy...

I found a fitter recently in the UK (there are only 2 wedge fitters in the UK and one is based 20 minutes away from my parents' home) - Matt Rice at Purley Downs - and booked a fitting for when I went back to them. I turned up this afternoon and was slightly concerned when I was directed into a swing studio. Matt popped in shortly, asked me a load of questions about my set make-up, yardages, gapping, what I liked and disliked and what shots I felt comfortable/less comfortable with. He quickly pointed out that the reason I despise my sand wedge (a Cleveland Rotex 2.0) but love my lob wedge (a Cleveland Rotex) is that the grinds are different - the former being more like a driver and the latter a trapper. He then watched me hit a few off the mat (no more than 5) before moving the fitting outside. That was where it got really fun.

We moved to the practice green and Matt put me on a bare-ish lie (similar to a links lie) and got me to hit a wedge to the nearest flag - about a 10 yard shot (5 yard carry onto the green), then to a flag near the back of the green - about a 20 yard carry. He made a small tweak to my technique, getting me to stand up a bit more and not raise the toe. Otherwise, I loved the extra height that the Edel gave me, and found the shots pretty easy to perform. Nothing mind-blowing yet, but still good. He then gave me a second wedge, which I found much harder to hit - it grabbed more in the turf and I just didn't find it easy to hit. Matt showed me the two and explained the first was the trapper (similar to my LW) and the second the driver (my SW). Everything else was identical.

He then dropped balls in deep rough and asked me to hit the trapper out of them to the first flag. I looked at him as if he was mad and he said just to play it as if they weren't in the rough. This was the first 'what the hell?' moment. The ball flopped up beautifully, landed and rolled about 10 feet past. A few shots later and they were all rolling neatly up to the side of the hole. I could never have managed that once with my current set. Same with the trapper in a 56 degree. We put balls in all sorts of horrendous lies and no issue whatsoever. Matt then got me to hit high and low shots; it was just so easy, with my slips coming when I tried to pick the ball rather than hitting down into the soil.

Having sorted the grind and having a good idea of lofts, we then went out on the course to check height and shafts. He put me at 100 yards and got me to hit full sand wedges - I had said at the start that I never go for a full swing with a wedge as I feel it can just flare one way or the other. With the Edel, no problem at all; I just needed to trust it and go at it. The fun part was that every time I felt the wedge should be sticking in the ground, it just went straight through with no problem. Ball flight was wonderfully high compared to what I'm used to and the spin was good when it hit the green. We then did the same with 3/4 shots, changing shafts in and out and actually hit on the right shaft on the second go.

We then moved around the green and did more situational stuff - Matt would pop a ball down in a bare lie, deep rough, a bunker or short sided (downhill and downwind) and ask: 'What would you normally do?', then 'What are you going to do now?'. Every time, the answers were totally different and it was like making the game 10x easier with the Edel - it just does what I want, how I want. We moved on to partial and full shots both uphill and downhill and with various wind directions to check that the ballflight wasn't ballooning and to fine-tune the shaft choice. In the end, I opted for the higher-launching of the two shafts it came down to; I never have problem taking the flight down, but I always need help getting it higher! We then finished off by going back, looking at the lie angles and noting all the various options down. 

Due to the new hybrid this month, I'll have to wait till next month to order the Edels. I cannot wait - it's just going to revolutionise my short game practice and the way I treat shots from 100 yards and in, especially around the green. Again, my thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread and I'll post pictures when done! 

To anyone still debating, go for a fitting; it's the best I've had by miles - and I've been to a top end driver and putter fitting. I'm slightly regretting not having got an Edel putter as well, but that can wait a while!

[b101]

On 14/03/2017 at 11:28 PM, iacas said:

Are we using the BPM the same way?

78 BPM means…

- Take putter away on a beat
- Make contact on a beat

Your stroke - from takeaway to impact - should be under 1 second. Yours in the video is well over one second. I got about 38 frames… About 1.27 seconds if 30 FPS. 78 BPM should be 0.76 seconds or so.

@iacas - I finally got round to recording a few takes with me putting to the metronome as I use it. This is with the metronome on 113 as I would usually practice - it doesn't feel too 'stabby' or as if I'm hitting at the ball, so I'd be really interested to get your take. For what it's worth, these are good feeling putts for me, so I'd guess at pretty typical.

Many thanks, as ever!

[b101]

A few things today. Had my last round of the holidays (probably - might be able to sneak a last one in) yesterday and wanted to go through that. I hung around to do some pitching work afterwards as well and then went to the range for a session this morning.

---

Burnham and Berrow - 10/4/17 - 10 over.

https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1487554

Quite a good round, all things considered. I was late getting to the course and had no chance to go on the range beforehand - I was also randomly joined by another single (9 handicap) on the first tee, which I wasn't expecting. It was nice to have company, but did throw me a touch early on as my plan had just been to go out and then play two balls from within 100 yards of each green. I ended up winning 2 and 1, which goes to show me that I'm well on track to get my handicap down below 10. Just need to master that competition mentality... And the front 9 of this course.

I had two blow-up holes, but one (14th) was due to matchplay and being called through - I rushed my pitch from the bottom of the hill and knifed it, which is utterly unlike me. As for the 6th, I actually played well to get back in position, but missed my pitch on the wrong side, leaving a bunker shot to a downhill slope, downwind. On the 6th, which I double bogeyed, I actually only played one poor shot and even that wasn't too bad. Just need to learn where to miss it on this hole.

Tee shots were distinctly different after about the 7th - two poor ones on the back nine, whereas on the front nine there were only two good ones. Irons are much better than they have been and I'm definitely making better contact than I have been. Still slightly wayward on occasion but I reckon part of that is due to my alignment being off (only realised that this morning...). Putted fairly well and need to keep the practice going with this - it's miles better than it ever has been.

Tee shots: 

Hilariously, the 282 was with my 3 wood - just happened to be the only hole downwind - the 151 left was a drive off the crown on the 4th and the next three up on the left were on the other 4 opening drives... After that, pretty good! All other red dots were absolutely fine and safe misses. 

Approaches:

Outside 100 yards:

Inside 100 yards:

Pretty pleased with both of these. Left the opening GW from 60 yards about 40 feet short, but otherwise all good. N.B. the very short right from outside 100 yards was a 3 wood from 250 into wind that was never going to reach - short right was the safe bail out.

---

Game Golf Insights:

Haven't looked at these much and having played 10 rounds in the last 2 weeks (!), it seems a good time to have a check-in.

Pretty pleased with all of these compared to a 10 handicap and great to see that I'm on track for what I'm aiming for! Changing things to compare with a 5 handicap produces this:

Short game: I can definitely scramble better and I think part of that stat is to do with me adapting my game to fit the different style of course I play now. I now attempt far more chip and runs, putts from off the green and similar shots whereas I used to always just throw it high. Additionally, though, I need to improve my bunker play as I think it costs me a shot every time I'm in a bunker. I don't have much distance control, partly because my contact is inconsistent and I'm going to devote more time to this when my Edels arrive. I did some practice yesterday and managed to get some better height with a steeper takeaway.

I will... Play an 18 hole one-ball up and down game every time I go to the course to practise. All par 2s, with easy, medium and hard. I can hit pretty much all of the shots I need to, it's the pressure aspect I'm not great at.

Off the Tee: This fits. Whenever I'm hitting a hybrid, 3 wood or long iron into a narrow fairway, I don't feel anywhere near as confident as a long hole where I can take driver. 

I will... Give myself a tight fairway line when at the range and take ten shots between 4 iron, hybrid and 3 wood to again create a similar pressure situation

Approach and Putting:

These are exactly where I'd want them to be. To be honest, it's a question of 'keep doing what I'm doing' with these two categories and keep committing to the evolvr work.

---

On that last note, a couple of practice videos. First one was trajectory work with my 58* wedge in very windy conditions. Annoyingly, the ones where I thought I'd really got the low checking shot didn't record... The second was my range work from this morning. Really pleased with some of the improvements, particularly with the very last face-on swing.

 

Edited April 11, 2017 by b101

[b101]

Played my last round of the Easter break and had a short range and chipping session beforehand. On the range session, I was working in the focus from the last few days of starting the downswing with the hips and that one thought makes a huge difference to my contact and flight - suddenly had the nice high draw back. Still working on it with the driver, as it leads to the occasional low hook which is pretty destructive.

As for the chipping, I didn't really use much of it on the course, but spent a good 20 minutes working on landing spots by creating a 'box' of about 1 square foot with 4 tees and trying to hit that with 58*, PW, 8i, and 6i and watching the various rollouts. I'm still not great with my chipping technique and feel I get too technical, so it was nice to just focus on the one landing spot. 

---

With the round, I was expecting to play on my own again, but ended up marking a card for two guys playing foursomes. They offered to do a supplementary as well for me, or so I thought. Annoyingly, I forgot that you have to inform the pro shop beforehand and as I'd only met them on the tee, I didn't think about it. However, with one of my issues being blowing up a card in competition due to putting pressure on myself, it was actually really good to grind out a good score in a similar situation. Ended up +8 (+3 on front, +5 on back), which was awesome given that I could have played much, much better.

Main thought was to just hit the centre of the green, not go chasing flags and steer clear of the bad spots to miss in. I'd give my driving a C, iron play a B+, short game a B-, putting a C and course management an A. I wasn't playing particularly well, but really minimised the damage and for the first time in ages, I felt like I was in control of where my miss was and where I shouldn't go. +8 off an 11 handicap when not playing well is definitely something I can get on board with!

https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1504429

56% GIR... Another 3 in the fringes as well. Hard to explain how good that is on a course this tough.

Some key moments that are worth highlighting:

• 2nd: best two putt I'll ever make - 97 feet, up two tiers to 3 foot was awesome.
• 3rd: overdrew an approach left when there was loads of room right - should have aimed right hand side of the green. Gave myself a decent look for par, but lesson learnt.
• 4th: another really good two putt that Game Golf doesn't do justice - really slippery downhill putt on a very fast green. Also, a stunning 6 iron to set it up - pleased with this as well as you can't go at the flag on the front of the green as missing short is too dangerous.
• 6th: bogey is fine here and I gave myself a decent look at par, which is all you can really do. Shame about the approach, but the ball had ended in an old divot and I didn't hit it clean. This is the hardest hole on the course and I was delighted with the pitch on, which was to a section of the green that is hard to hold.
• 10th: Awful tee shot, amazing second (best of the day) from a dodgy stance. Nearly holed the putt from just off the green, too. Great par from somewhere that I had no right to salvage one.
• 11th: Snap hook trying to force the drive led to an unplayable and the low punch 7 just didn't draw. Need to work on that shot... Still had a really good look with the bogey putt.
• 12th: Another learning moment - needed an extra club going up the hill with the approach as I thought I'd hit it perfectly. From off the front, it's a putt up a 10 foot high slope, so little chance of a two putt.
• 16th: Really liked the wedge I hit in - worked out the best place to land it on the green and used the slopes and the weight of the shot to work it to a decent distance.

All in all, it was good, but could have been so much better. I had putts just burn the edge or be right in the jaws and end slightly short on 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17 and 18. It's a ridiculous number, but all were makeable. If I sort my putting out so that I'm making even half of those, I'll be near level par... And it's not that far off. Worth thinking about. The greens had only just been done, so they weren't at their best, but I don't think that's what cost me, really...

That said, I know that the long game counts for more, so that'll keep getting the most attention. 

[b101]

Range session early this morning. I feel I'm making some progress, but still not particularly close when I try to switch off from the piece I'm working on... I've uploaded to evolvr to see what Preston suggests, but I've particularly asked for drills or a session plan as I'm struggling to bridge the gaps at the moment.

 

[b101]

Good news is that Preston got back with a seriously detailed post and a practice plan, as requested. He's seeing improvements at 80%, which is great and our target is to get that going through to 100%. The main thing for me to be aware of that's new is that I shouldn't turn the hips as much by letting my right knee fold. By keeping that lower body more solid, everything should get easier. 

Practice plan per range session is as follows:

-- 5 min warm up 
-- 5 min "Start and Stops". Similar to what you shared in your YouTube video, but I'd like to see really stable positioning as you stop at A2, A3, A4, A6 and A7. Club shouldn't be waving around. Make sure you incorporate the hip stuff. Really great for training the new motion and heightening awareness. Make sure alignment rod and basket are in place 
-- 5 min at 40% speed 
-- 5 min at 60% speed 
-- 10 min at 80% speed (vary clubs) 
-- 15 min, but not a lot of balls, at 100% speed 

Homework: 
-- Give me 5 minutes every day of Start and Stops between now and the next upload.

Will start this up tomorrow morning before my round, but I've already been having a good go at the stability with the start and stops and that feels fairly natural (at least, when I'm conscious). In other news, both the hybrid and wedges have arrived, so I'm really looking forward to getting those out on the course tomorrow. My hope is that the hybrid becomes the 220 yard fairway finder - there aren't many tee shots where I need that at Burnham and Berrow (1st for sure, maybe 3, maybe 6, maybe 10 and 16 in summer) - and for chewing up distance on par 5s. The wedges will make a huge difference as well - it'll be nice to use a sand wedge again, for sure!

[b101]

Good progress over the last couple of days and I already feel I'm changing the picture much more than I was managing. I sent the below clip of my practice to Preston to look over and he suggested a few more tweaks, most notably to attempt to make the backswing a little shorter to stop my wrist angles collapsing at the top.

By the way, the last swing might just be the best one I've ever captured on camera... That's the aim!

Went to the range again today and seeing some real success - I'll be aiming to do the same a couple more times this week and make at least 10 minutes for slow motion mirror work at home every other day. I'm determined to get this piece sorted!

[b101]

Due to work suddenly getting very hectic again, I haven't updated this much, but I have at least kept up with some practice! I've really worked on my wedge play, trying to get the feel of the pivot driving the swing rather than chasing at it with my arms, which is getting there. I've certainly noticed that I can get it up and stopping much quicker, but there's a horrible shank in there when I get out of sync (pretty rare though). I need to re-learn my distances a bit, but it's definitely a more consistent shot as well as one I can control better.

In the video above, Erik's advice has been to focus on getting more wrist hinge and letting the arms feel really soft - this remains a work in progress as it feels very different!

In terms of range work, the focuses have been:

• Keeping the left arm tight to the body on takeaway - forever a work in progress
• Shortening the backswing a bit to stop my wrists collapsing - this hasn't been too difficult and has made a massive difference with iron contact
• Keeping right knee from falling backwards towards my ankle to keep the lower body stable - I can over-think this one, but it's getting there...

I'm not ready to upload to evolvr again just yet, as I know there's better to be done first, but it's definitely helping to eradicate some of the bad shots.

Finally, I've played a few rounds. I won't go as in-depth as normal, but here are the highlights and a short summary:

Oxford Golf Club: +14

Good in parts, but a couple of shocking holes leading to doubles from poor decisions or execution. I knifed a wedge out of nowhere on the first, before finding OB on the 6th with a tee shot that actually wasn't that bad (a push draw that just started too far right and landed 10 feet OB. Had two weird ones on par threes as well that put me in poor position. In short, didn't putt particularly well, but drove the ball ok.

https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1565698

Cleeve Hill: +3

It's a very natural course, so no bunkers bar greenside ones and pretty much no rough. As a result, I could take driver on every hole and once I'd worked out the slice (note to self, pink tees mean you cut it...) after the first two holes, it was fairly straightforward. Game Golf doesn't recognise that 13 is actually a par 5. Didn't make many putts, but hit a lot of GIR, scrambling well when I didn't. The longest approach I had all day was a 7 iron. If this were my home course, I'd be playing off 5 or less...!

https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1616295

Burnham and Berrow: +9

Back to the home course and it was very dry, meaning greens were tough to land on (hence the 9 iron flying through on the first). It was a great round, with four truly awful shots - a pulled 9 iron from a tricky lie on the 2nd, a low sliced 3 wood on the 10th leading to a lost ball, a shanked wedge on 12 and a really poor drive on 13. Other than that, I played well and putted very nicely. The main thing to sort is the low hooked drives that are coming back - I think it's my lower body getting too active, so that's tomorrow's focus.

https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1618248

Finally, I have my first ever club match on Sunday, away at Saunton (which is another top-quality links course). Slightly nervy, but hoping all will go well and that I can crack the driver before then!

Edited June 1, 2017 by b101

[b101]

Well, I haven't managed much golf recently, but not far away from summer now. My evolvr work has definitely taken a back seat recently and I'm looking forward to getting back to it soon. Two rounds to share:

Club match vs Saunton (A)  -  11 over

https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1629954

Played pretty well and we halved the match. It was tough for the first three holes, where we went three down, but really came back well and two birdies definitely helped. Driver was on form for most of the round and I putted pretty nicely, too, bar a couple of horrendous long range attempts early on.

Oxford - 6 over

https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1655943?shot_id=99591727&hole_id=32255763

Hadn't touched a club in two weeks, so my swing felt very ropey going out. I was a bit more conservative off the tee than last time, taking hybrid more often and it definitely paid off. I was slicing massively when I first got to the range, but toned that down in 40 minutes or so, before working the rest out on the course. Switching to a slightly lower tee after 8 holes helped sort the driver. The highlight was the biggest drive so far, with 348 yards on the 11th (worth mentioning that it's a hard fairway and about a 50 foot elevation drop after 280 yards, but still!). There was one blow-up hole (14), where I went way too aggressive due to it being matchplay and just took on too ambitious a line.

Things to work on:

- wedges, particularly distances from inside 75 yards.
- putting, can make much more
- committing to draw swings (that was the attempt on the 12th tee shot) - I dropped another and hit it perfectly, but just backed off the first.
- a few poor strikes with irons - that'll be the evolvr stuff again!

[b101]

I'm finally done for summer now and really haven't had much time for golf until this week. However, after about 5 days of range sessions, I think I might be getting back into it. It's not been easy though - this was from my third range session, when I just couldn't work out why I was consistently hitting a weak fade. You'll notice how much things had regressed:

So, lots to work on, notably* (*pending evolvr response from Preston):

• Takeaway, again. 
• Balance and right knee falling behind me
• Shallowing club on downswing
• Right elbow collapsing (possibly?)

A few days later, and this is what I've managed to get to:

A bit better, but still things to work on! I am definitely enjoying having the time to really devote to practice. I have managed a couple of rounds and the main thing is just the lack of consistency off the tee. It's about 50/50 between a good shot or an absolute shocker, which is certainly hurting things!

I've also spent a good deal of time on my wedge play, which I think is getting better. Again, there's more to do here to improve my consistency with distance control, but I'm becoming far more comfortable with the technique.

We're off on holiday in a week, so I'll try to get one more update in before then - after that I've got the whole of August to get my game back where I want it to be. It's been a long first year in a new job, so I'm hoping that next year I can manage my time better to keep on top of my swing. Onwards and upwards!

[b101]

Today's practice work - definitely getting back to where I want to be:

 

[b101]

Some really pleasing progress over the last week - Preston got back and was actually much happier with things than I was, saying that things hadn't totally regressed, it's just a lack of practice. Sure enough, it has started to come back together and whilst there are a few things to keep focusing on, it's not all doom and gloom. His main comment was that I need to work on moving my hand path more out and up rather than down and left, which is causing the side bend and the odd high push fade. Typically, even this as a thought (without really working on it) has straightened up my ball flight and improved contact with everything from a 6 iron down. Preston wants me to get a draw going with these clubs and then post back with a 5 iron and driver swing to see what the issues are there. I can probably manage a high draw 7 times out of 10 at the moment with a 7 iron, but I know I'm not hitting all the positions and need to do more of the slow-motion work. We're off on holiday on Monday, so not a whole lot of time for practising, but I have the whole of August off, so will definitely be devoting a lot of time to it then.

The other major bit of big news is that I've decided to upgrade my driver and bought a used 'Epic', which I loved when hitting it and having a fitting (apart from the name). I didn't get the full fitting (as in depth as last time) as what I've found, three years on, is that driver is a long way off fitting what my swing has become. Instead, I just got a free one, went with the standard Epic in a stiff shaft and am happy to accept that it might not be the perfect fit now, or indeed ever, but that a perfect fitting club now wouldn't always stay that way if my swing changes as I hope it does. I'm certainly a long way away from the swing that used to have me hitting -8 degrees on a driver with a pretty vicious slice, and I'd hope I keep improving. I haven't yet taken it on the course (that'll have to wait), but here's a nice range clip - it definitely goes further than my current driver, but I am still fighting the push-fade a little. It's easy to see why in the slow-motion clip, but that's my job to work on!

Lastly, I had my best round in a while at Burnham and I'm getting more comfortable going low. I was -1 through 4, level through 7 but the back nine saw a few real mistakes. There are a few things I'm going to re-evaluate - notably what I hit for tee shots on 10 and 13. I've had some real issues getting my 3 wood over the top of the dune on 10 recently. As for 13, I just can't see the line or hit it and may try hitting a 3 wood or a 'pat-pat' driver to just find the fairway and treat it as a real three-shotter. I putted really well though and the short game was good. When my tee shots and approaches were good on the front nine, it all felt very easy, so that remains the area to work on. Admittedly, the back was into wind, so that was also a factor.

https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1707927

Probably won't get another update in before we head away, but I intend to do a fair bit next month. Stay tuned!

[boogielicious]

4 hours ago, b101 said:

Some really pleasing progress over the last week - Preston got back and was actually much happier with things than I was, saying that things hadn't totally regressed, it's just a lack of practice. Sure enough, it has started to come back together and whilst there are a few things to keep focusing on, it's not all doom and gloom. His main comment was that I need to work on moving my hand path more out and up rather than down and left, which is causing the side bend and the odd high push fade. Typically, even this as a thought (without really working on it) has straightened up my ball flight and improved contact with everything from a 6 iron down. Preston wants me to get a draw going with these clubs and then post back with a 5 iron and driver swing to see what the issues are there. I can probably manage a high draw 7 times out of 10 at the moment with a 7 iron, but I know I'm not hitting all the positions and need to do more of the slow-motion work. We're off on holiday on Monday, so not a whole lot of time for practising, but I have the whole of August off, so will definitely be devoting a lot of time to it then.

The other major bit of big news is that I've decided to upgrade my driver and bought a used 'Epic', which I loved when hitting it and having a fitting (apart from the name). I didn't get the full fitting (as in depth as last time) as what I've found, three years on, is that driver is a long way off fitting what my swing has become. Instead, I just got a free one, went with the standard Epic in a stiff shaft and am happy to accept that it might not be the perfect fit now, or indeed ever, but that a perfect fitting club now wouldn't always stay that way if my swing changes as I hope it does. I'm certainly a long way away from the swing that used to have me hitting -8 degrees on a driver with a pretty vicious slice, and I'd hope I keep improving. I haven't yet taken it on the course (that'll have to wait), but here's a nice range clip - it definitely goes further than my current driver, but I am still fighting the push-fade a little. It's easy to see why in the slow-motion clip, but that's my job to work on!

Lastly, I had my best round in a while at Burnham and I'm getting more comfortable going low. I was -1 through 4, level through 7 but the back nine saw a few real mistakes. There are a few things I'm going to re-evaluate - notably what I hit for tee shots on 10 and 13. I've had some real issues getting my 3 wood over the top of the dune on 10 recently. As for 13, I just can't see the line or hit it and may try hitting a 3 wood or a 'pat-pat' driver to just find the fairway and treat it as a real three-shotter. I putted really well though and the short game was good. When my tee shots and approaches were good on the front nine, it all felt very easy, so that remains the area to work on. Admittedly, the back was into wind, so that was also a factor.

https://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1707927

Probably won't get another update in before we head away, but I intend to do a fair bit next month. Stay tuned!

I like your transition from the top of the backswing. Looks good!