The Drive for 5...

[PJCdude]

I know you said in jest... but, I consider my LW to be the best club in my bag when I consider strokes saved and I use it more than any club other than my driver (I miss a lot of greens but you knew that by looking at my HI).

My SW, it's too hard for me to control the distance in the 20 to 50 yard range.  Those distances put me somewhere less that what feels like a 1/4 swing to me.  The LW gives me much more consistent distance control in that range.

50 to 80 yards, those are the distances where I feel I have better control with my SW.

My problem with my LW is the same problem that some people have with their driver. I don't fall prey to that "I'm a man so I need to hit the big stick" syndrome. I hit driver on wide holes where I need it but I have no problem hitting 3W or hybrid if the tee shot calls for it.

On the other hand, I have had some great chip ins and up and downs with my LW. When I am on with it, I feel like a real golfer and I can get up and down from anywhere. However, there are some days where I am skulling it over the green and into the woods. Right now, I think the biggest thing that will help my HI this summer is to not be afraid to play the safe chip and run even when it may lead to a two putt bogey (For my handicap, a good hole!) instead of pulling out the LW when I'm only 3 yards off the edge of the green. I'll still practice it at the range but save it from emergencies on the course for now.

[Faksakes]

I know you said in jest... but, I consider my LW to be the best club in my bag when I consider strokes saved and I use it more than any club other than my putter (I miss a lot of greens but you knew that by looking at my HI).

My SW, it's too hard for me to control the distance in the 20 to 50 yard range.  Those distances put me somewhere less that what feels like a 1/4 swing to me.  The LW gives me much more consistent distance control in that range.

50 to 80 yards, those are the distances where I feel I have better control with my SW.

Yeah play what you are comfortable with. I use my 60 for all shots inside 90 yards other than sand shots. For that I use my sand wedge most of the time although I have a 60 with a lot of bounce so I can use it for that too.

Side note I shot an 86 tonight on a really easy course (rated at 110 slope). I shot 47 on the front and 39 on the back. Had two birdies which was nice. My swing is coming bit by bit. I hit some really nice shots and a couple of nice drives. I'm going from a totally unconected swing to a connected one and I'd say I was successful about 20% of the time. Hit the longest drive I've hit in about 3 years, right down the middle on 17 to set up a birdie which was great. Really though my short game saved me. I got up and down for par or better 5 times so I'm really happy with that. 29 puts which for me is really low. I average 36 but really it was because I was chipping so well and leaving 4 feet or less on those puts.

[bm85]

Not happy with anything but 0-5 handicap.

Right now I'm very unhappy.

[No Mulligans]

My problem with my LW is the same problem that some people have with their driver. I don't fall prey to that "I'm a man so I need to hit the big stick" syndrome. I hit driver on wide holes where I need it but I have no problem hitting 3W or hybrid if the tee shot calls for it.

On the other hand, I have had some great chip ins and up and downs with my LW. When I am on with it, I feel like a real golfer and I can get up and down from anywhere. However, there are some days where I am skulling it over the green and into the woods. Right now, I think the biggest thing that will help my HI this summer is to not be afraid to play the safe chip and run even when it may lead to a two putt bogey (For my handicap, a good hole!) instead of pulling out the LW when I'm only 3 yards off the edge of the green. I'll still practice it at the range but save it from emergencies on the course for now.

Me too, 3 yards of the green I'm generally chipping with a SW.  A LW at that distance is pretty sketchy for me.  15 to 40 yards is where I feel really confident with the LW.  What did it for me was using the bounce and not taking a divot (maybe just bruising the grass sometimes), I feel I can miss with a 'bump' of the grass starting as much as 2 inches behind the ball and it doesn't make a difference.

[Salte]

I'm in.

Currently my hcp is 18, so I'll use 5 as my target.

I usually practice on the range/practice green one or two times a week (for about an hour or so) on the range and maybe half an hour once or twice a week at home (putting/chipping/pitching).

I normally play my local 18 hole course once a week.

Also my clubs are all second hand. The pro shop on my local course offers free club fitting session (nothing fancy, just a pro observing your swing while you're trying different clubs), i'm planning on doing that this summer (not necessarily buying a new set of clubs, first of all to get an idea of how bad/good fits the clubs I have are for me).

Main focus for now: More consistency with the driver. My good drives are 200-220 m and pretty straight. Most of the rest are either a) bad slices or b) sky high. In my last round all my drives on the 8 first holes were good/ok, then after that they were all bad (except for the one provisional that I didn't need in the end). The course I played is very forgiving for bad tee shots (often end up on the fairway/light rough on a different hole), if it wasn't for this I would have scored a lot worse.

To achieve this (more consistency with driver) I'll work on making the same swing every time by having a shorter and more controlled backswing  and also focusing on the the advice in the first post of this thread: http://thesandtrap.com/t/77244/how-to-hit-a-driver-hit-it-further-and-stop-slicing. I'll also get someone to record my swing, both so that I can actually evaluate it better myself, secondly I may put it up here if it's not to embarrassing.

My last score: 92, one under par for my hcp (par 72, sv 143)

[Fairway_CY]

Okay... I'm in.

Current Handicap - 19.3

Lowest Handicap - 16.5

Goal Handicap - 14.0

Problems:

• I don't play or practice enough.  Summer months are tough on me because between my job and having the kids around all day, I don't get much time to practice.  Then, when I DO have time to practice, it's typically abbreviated because it's so hot and humid.  Most of my practice happens at the course before the tournament rounds I play.

• My swing is OTT and is something I've been working on for YEARS.  I've recently been getting a feel for swinging from the inside, but I still come OTT and I ESPECIALLY do it when I get back on the course.  I've got to learn to trust what I've been working on and stop falling back on old habits.  I'm never going to improve if I don't trust changes I've made on the range when I get to the course.

• I'm wildly inconsistent off the tee.  I'm fully capable of hitting the ball 260 yards... and I'm fully capable of hitting the ball 210 yards.  This last weekend, I played in a 2 day tournament and my shots (minus a topped shot and a shot that hit the trees right) ranged from 202 yards to 266 yards.  Game Golf averages my drives at 222 yards... the spreadsheet I use, which removes mishit shots from the equation, has me averaging 236 yards.  The bigger problem is that, depending on the day, I'm either playing a hook, playing a slice or hitting the ball on ropes... and what happens on the range before the round is almost NEVER what happens on the course.
  • For example, last week, I went to the driving range specifically to practice tee shots with my driver and fairway shots with my hybrid and 3 wood.  When it came time to hit my driver, I used my rangefinder to find a target (which happened to be a post in the middle of the range).  That target post was at 249 yards... the next post was at 299 yards.  I hit probably 30 shots that day with my driver, and with a handful of exceptions (maybe 4 shots), They were slight draws that carried beyond that 249 yard post.  During the first day of the tournament, as I was warming up, there was a flag on a green at the range there that was 240 yards.  Again... I was flying my ball at that flag, with a slight draw, and in most cases, carrying it over that green.  On the course... 9 of my 12 swings with my driver went left, 2 hit the fairway and 1 went right.  Only 5 of those 12 swings saw the ball finish at 240 yards or further.  So... I need to carry my practice tee swings to the course.

• My putting needs big time work.  Over the 2 days this weekend, I took a combined total of 75 putts (40 - 35).  I ran the ball over the edge of the cup from 6 to 15 feet at least 10 times in those 2 days and I had 7 three-putts (as opposed to only 4 one-putts) in 36 holes.  My problem is that, the little practice time I do get, I spend on the range... and before rounds, I spend about 20 minutes on the practice green, usually just trying to learn the speed.  I pull a LOT of putts... so I've got to find myself a drill the get my putter working properly, even if it's something I can practice here at home.

So... that's it for me.  If I practice and/or play more, I know my scores will improve.  I've played 2 multi-day tournaments so far this season and in those tournaments, I've gone 96-85 and 97-84.  When I'm playing and I have a semblance of an idea of where my ball is going and my swing has found its groove... I can post much better scores.  When I've been off the course and/or range for a period of time... my scores tend to fall in the 94 - 98 range.

Thanks for posting this thread!

CY

[Faksakes]

Welcome to the thread guys, I am having that issue of taking my swing changes to the course as well. Anyone have any good advice for that issue?

[reedf]

I'll jump in this as well! My current index is 24 and I am wanting to trim 5 shots off that.

I have been working on posture, consistent ball position at address and alignment.

Just like the previous couple posts I have worked hard on bringing my range swing to the tee box. I have been able to do that for the most part. I will say that it is 100% mental! You really have to NOT care about where your ball will end up. It can't be any worse than when I'm swinging out of my shoes trying to kill the ball.

My biggest issues right now are:

*practice time - I travel quite a bit for work and when I'm home I play more "practice" rounds than go to the range

*as the round progresses, my tee shots start pushing right (not a slice), towards the end of a round my miss is an OTT pull

I have taken driver out of my bag and added a 5w, I hit my 3w consistently 235 so I don't feel like I need a driver right now. My misses are smaller and more consistent which has improved my tee game. I have felt that this has been my biggest fault for the past couple years.

I'm not taking lessons but am considering it. Improving "on my own" hasn't worked out so well thus far.

[djfajt71]

I'll join!  Currently, I'm at a 17.5 and 25% would put me at 13.  It will be tough, but I hope having a stated goal, for all to see, will keep me focused.

[Lihu]

I'm wildly inconsistent off the tee.  I'm fully capable of hitting the ball 260 yards... and I'm fully capable of hitting the ball 210 yards.  This last weekend, I played in a 2 day tournament and my shots (minus a topped shot and a shot that hit the trees right) ranged from 202 yards to 266 yards.  Game Golf averages my drives at 222 yards... the spreadsheet I use, which removes mishit shots from the equation, has me averaging 236 yards.  The bigger problem is that, depending on the day, I'm either playing a hook, playing a slice or hitting the ball on ropes... and what happens on the range before the round is almost NEVER what happens on the course.

For example, last week, I went to the driving range specifically to practice tee shots with my driver and fairway shots with my hybrid and 3 wood.  When it came time to hit my driver, I used my rangefinder to find a target (which happened to be a post in the middle of the range).  That target post was at 249 yards... the next post was at 299 yards.  I hit probably 30 shots that day with my driver, and with a handful of exceptions (maybe 4 shots), They were slight draws that carried beyond that 249 yard post.  During the first day of the tournament, as I was warming up, there was a flag on a green at the range there that was 240 yards.  Again... I was flying my ball at that flag, with a slight draw, and in most cases, carrying it over that green.  On the course... 9 of my 12 swings with my driver went left, 2 hit the fairway and 1 went right.  Only 5 of those 12 swings saw the ball finish at 240 yards or further.  So... I need to carry my practice tee swings to the course.

I think it's the degree of the mishit that is what differentiates you from a lower handicap. It seems like you can hit balls as far as anyone, but where the ball ends up on the face is why your average is only 222 yards. Using the separate spreadsheet to eliminate what you feel are mishits is not going to help you improve, because all the shots less than your maximum are really mishits .

I'm also OTT, and hopefully we can work together to eliminate them once and for all.

[Fairway_CY]

I think it's the degree of the mishit that is what differentiates you from a lower handicap. It seems like you can hit balls as far as anyone, but where the ball ends up on the face is why your average is only 222 yards. Using the separate spreadsheet to eliminate what you feel are mishits is not going to help you improve, because all the shots less than your maximum are really mishits.

I'm also OTT, and hopefully we can work together to eliminate them once and for all.

I agree, 100%.  I'm capable of hitting shots 260 yards or more... as about 15% of my drives have been between 260 and 300 yards.  So, if it doesn't travel at least 260... it's a mishit.  What my spreadsheet is eliminating are the topped shots.  Game Golf, to my knowledge, doesn't eliminate those.  I've had 'drives' of 52 yards, 75 yards, 64 yards, 137 yards, 115 yards and 72 yards.  Each of those was topped.  I track them all... but my spreadsheet average doesn't account for any drives of less than 150 yards.

I keep my average so that I know what trouble may be in reach or not.  Because my average drive is about 235 yards... I'm not going to take on a bunker that requires a carry of 230 yards even though I know that IF I hit the ball well, I'll easily clear that.  Instead... I'll aim away from that bunker, or I'll club down (which doesn't happen very often).

I love Game Golf because it gives me a good indication of where my game is... but it doesn't really quantify things.  For example, it has my average distance below for each club listed from the fairway:

5 Iron - 148 Yards

6 Iron - 148 Yards

7 Iron - 145 Yards

8 Iron - 149 Yards

It accounts for every swing, including the topped shots... the fat shots... the pure shots.  If I'm at 148 yards out sitting in the fairway... I'm not going to use my 5 iron.  Depending on whether it's uphill, downhill and what direction the wind is coming from... I'm going to use a 7 iron or an 8 iron on that shot.  My 6 Iron is about a 160 yard club out of the fairway... my 5 iron would be about a 170 yard club.

That's why I keep the spreadsheets I do... because then, using formulas, I can control what to count.  The best part about Game Golf for me is that I can go back afterwards and all the GPS data is there.  Where I used to have to estimate my distances... I now know exactly how far a ball traveled.  No more thinking I hit the ball 280 off the tee.  I can go back after the round and see that it actually only went 255 or something.

I'm looking forward to seeing the progress for everybody and, hopefully we can all help each other improve!

CY

[No Mulligans]

My problem is I've dropped 6 strokes on my HI in the last 8 months.  Dropping another 5 seems really daunting.  I'm 57 and only hit my driver 200 - 220 when I make good contact.  Getting to a HI of 13 or 14, hmmm.  I probably lose about 2-3 strokes a round from hitting the ball fat and maybe another stroke from catching the ball too close to the toe.  Eliminate those and I could be close.

Is there a time frame on this?

[Lihu]

I keep my average so that I know what trouble may be in reach or not.  Because my average drive is about 235 yards... I'm not going to take on a bunker that requires a carry of 230 yards even though I know that IF I hit the ball well, I'll easily clear that.  Instead... I'll aim away from that bunker, or I'll club down (which doesn't happen very often).

Using this average drive to know if you are in reach of trouble is not that good when your potential range of distance is 210-299 yards. You could leave yourself short a good number of times. This is a very difficult starting point to make a decent strategy. . .

Carry yardage is very important to consider, and is the one statistic you can't really measure that easily without really having good consistent contact. The good part is if you hit too far, that's usually okay.

[rkim291968]

My problem is I've dropped 6 strokes on my HI in the last 8 months.  Dropping another 5 seems really daunting.  I'm 57 and only hit my driver 200 - 220 when I make good contact.  Getting to a HI of 13 or 14, hmmm.  I probably lose about 2-3 strokes a round from hitting the ball fat and maybe another stroke from catching the ball too close to the toe.  Eliminate those and I could be close.

Is there a time frame on this?

Congrats, @No Mulligans .   Can you tell us how you dropped 6 strokes in 8 months?   What worked?

[Fairway_CY]

Using this average drive to know if you are in reach of trouble is not that good when your potential range of distance is 210-299 yards. You could leave yourself short a good number of times. This is a very difficult starting point to make a decent strategy. . .

Carry yardage is very important to consider, and is the one statistic you can't really measure that easily without really having good consistent contact. The good part is if you hit too far, that's usually okay.

Yeah... carry distance is something that I can't track.  Being a 19+ handicap, my strategy kind of has to revolve around the belief that I'm going to make (at minimum) decent contact.  I mean... at least that's how I think.  If there's a different thought I should be having... I'm entirely open to trying it.

But, if I'm standing on the tee and there is a bunker on the left side of the fairway that would be 200 yards to reach or require a carry of 220 yards to clear, and there is a bunker on the right side of the fairway that would be 220 yards to reach or require a carry of 240 yards to clear... I'm going to aim towards the left side.

Knowing that 65% of my drives are going to finish at 220 yards or more means that, without hitting the ball better than average, I'm not going to carry that right side bunker... but I'm more than likely going to reach it.

Also, knowing that of the 81 drives I've hit that have finished at 220 yards or more, 43 of them have finished at 240 yards or more... I'm confident in being able to carry that 220 yards down the left than I am in either (a) not reaching the 220 yard bunker on the right or (b) hoping to carry that 240 yards to clear the bunker on the right.  I hit the ball high off the tee and I don't get much roll out... so, the drives that are finishing at 240+ yards are almost all carrying 230 yards or more.

I do the same thing on approach shots.  I play a sizable fade with my irons from the fairway... so if there is a bunker or hazard ANYWHERE on the right side of the green... I aim significantly left.  Sure... once in awhile I'll pull the ball or hit a straight shot and end up in bunker on the left side, but the percentages say that I'm more likely to find trouble on the right side than I am on the left side.

Like I said above... I'm a 19 handicap, so it's ENTIRELY likely that I'm not thinking correctly.  If there's something different that you do that you'd suggest... I'd absolutely be open to trying it.  It can only help me improve... and, that's what I'm here for!

CY

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

Using this average drive to know if you are in reach of trouble is not that good when your potential range of distance is 210-299 yards. You could leave yourself short a good number of times. This is a very difficult starting point to make a decent strategy. . .

Carry yardage is very important to consider, and is the one statistic you can't really measure that easily without really having good consistent contact. The good part is if you hit too far, that's usually okay.

Yeah... carry distance is something that I can't track.  Being a 19+ handicap, my strategy kind of has to revolve around the belief that I'm going to make (at minimum) decent contact.  I mean... at least that's how I think.  If there's a different thought I should be having... I'm entirely open to trying it.

But, if I'm standing on the tee and there is a bunker on the left side of the fairway that would be 200 yards to reach or require a carry of 220 yards to clear, and there is a bunker on the right side of the fairway that would be 220 yards to reach or require a carry of 240 yards to clear... I'm going to aim towards the left side.

Knowing that 65% of my drives are going to finish at 220 yards or more means that, without hitting the ball better than average, I'm not going to carry that right side bunker... but I'm more than likely going to reach it.

Also, knowing that of the 81 drives I've hit that have finished at 220 yards or more, 43 of them have finished at 240 yards or more... I'm confident in being able to carry that 220 yards down the left than I am in either (a) not reaching the 220 yard bunker on the right or (b) hoping to carry that 240 yards to clear the bunker on the right.  I hit the ball high off the tee and I don't get much roll out... so, the drives that are finishing at 240+ yards are almost all carrying 230 yards or more.

I do the same thing on approach shots.  I play a sizable fade with my irons from the fairway... so if there is a bunker or hazard ANYWHERE on the right side of the green... I aim significantly left.  Sure... once in awhile I'll pull the ball or hit a straight shot and end up in bunker on the left side, but the percentages say that I'm more likely to find trouble on the right side than I am on the left side.

Like I said above... I'm a 19 handicap, so it's ENTIRELY likely that I'm not thinking correctly.  If there's something different that you do that you'd suggest... I'd absolutely be open to trying it.  It can only help me improve... and, that's what I'm here for!

CY

I can only think of three letters: 'L', 'S' and 'W'. It does help. I'm still working my way through it OTT and all. . .

[Fairway_CY]

LSW?

CY

[saevel25]

LSW?

CY

http://lowestscorewins.com/

Great book