Whiffle Balls and Practice Nets

[Brad W]

Hi,

I'm 51 now and just came back to golf this season.  I played for around a year or so back in my early 20's.  I was never very good, I didn't take lessons, I only played Par 3 courses.

I've taken a few lessons this year and every once in a while I can hit the ball OK.  I've had three back surgeries and I am short on flexibility in my neck and shoulders.  I have a pretty slow swing (80).  I've been starting off with really small swings and building on that.  Trying to build a foundation for a decent swing, even if it is slow.  It is slow going and is taking a lot of swings

I have space in my south yard to practice with real balls for anything <40yds.  For taking full swings I've been hitting whiffle balls as they only travel about 15 or 20 yds.  They seem to react to my swing like a real ball.  if I'm thin it will stay low to the ground and maybe not go very far.  If I'm fat it will pop up.  It will slice and hook just like a real ball.  It seems to me the whiffle is very similar to a real ball in how it gives me feedback for making adjustments.

The one thing whiffles don't give me is that solid ball contact feeling from hitting a real ball.  I've considered getting a net to hit into and it seems there are a fair number of choices out there for a reasonable price.  My concern though is without a good amount of space for the ball to travel, I'm not going to really know if I've corrected my natural fade or not.  I think it will be obvious if I'm thin or fat on the ball as you can feel that, but for those draws and fades I can't "feel" in the contact that it wasn't a good straight shot (I'm just working on hitting straight at the moment, I'll worry about intentional draw later)

I'm curious what you all think between the two which is likely to give me the most bang for the effort.  Winter is coming and I need to do something that keeps my body doing the swing motion so I stay fit and accustomed to the movement.  With crappy weather running for a good nine months in the PNW, if I wait that long to pick up a club, I'll have to start all over each year.

Thanks for your input

- Brad

[Hacker James]

Have you considered "Almost Golf" balls?  They travel about half as far  while retaining much of the same feeling as a real ball.  Another option would be "Birdie Ball" which is not a ball at all, but resembles a cut off piece of PVC pipe, but flies pretty much as a real ball and reacts the same.  As for practice nets, I use a cage, but also pitch and chip from 45 feet away. I posted some photos on December 8. The topic was "Improved practice area".

[allenc]

You mention you've taken some lessons.  I assume your instructors gave you something to work on.  If that's true, then a net will be excellent even if you can't see where the ball goes.

Just hit balls into the net while working on improving whatever it is he wanted you to improve.  For example he may have given you drills that will help you swing more from the inside.  Once you incorporate those into your swing, you will "fade" (ahem slice?) less.  You don't have to see the flight on any individual swing.

You'll definately want to use a video camera to see if your making the changes correctly.  Also, if you use a high frame rate and learn the ball flight laws, you can see which way the ball would have gone anyway.

[70sSanO]

Brush-T Limited Flight balls are great, but you may need a little more than 40 yards.  They are hard plastic and react just like real golf balls, only they only go a max of around 100 yards.  I have been using them for years.  If fact I just got back from hitting some.

John

[Brad W]

Thanks for the replies so far. If I'm reading between the lines, the suggestion is to try to hit something that feels like real balls

[Rainmaker]

I have tried almost golf balls and birdie balls and, while they are fun - especially birdie balls - I don't think they are as valuable to my practice as hitting real balls into a net. 

You can't see the ball flight but you really don't need to.  After a while, you can tell a lot by the sound of the strike and how the ball reacts in the net.  You're already taking lessons - If you add in a video camera and weekly or bi-weekly trips to the range to see full ball flight . .you have what is, in my opinion, the best way for a busy person (ie - can't spend all day at the range or course) to improve at golf.

[boogielicious]

18 hours ago, Brad W said:

Hi,

I'm 51 now and just came back to golf this season.  I played for around a year or so back in my early 20's.  I was never very good, I didn't take lessons, I only played Par 3 courses.

I've taken a few lessons this year and every once in a while I can hit the ball OK.  I've had three back surgeries and I am short on flexibility in my neck and shoulders.  I have a pretty slow swing (80).  I've been starting off with really small swings and building on that.  Trying to build a foundation for a decent swing, even if it is slow.  It is slow going and is taking a lot of swings

I have space in my south yard to practice with real balls for anything <40yds.  For taking full swings I've been hitting whiffle balls as they only travel about 15 or 20 yds.  They seem to react to my swing like a real ball.  if I'm thin it will stay low to the ground and maybe not go very far.  If I'm fat it will pop up.  It will slice and hook just like a real ball.  It seems to me the whiffle is very similar to a real ball in how it gives me feedback for making adjustments.

The one thing whiffles don't give me is that solid ball contact feeling from hitting a real ball.  I've considered getting a net to hit into and it seems there are a fair number of choices out there for a reasonable price.  My concern though is without a good amount of space for the ball to travel, I'm not going to really know if I've corrected my natural fade or not.  I think it will be obvious if I'm thin or fat on the ball as you can feel that, but for those draws and fades I can't "feel" in the contact that it wasn't a good straight shot (I'm just working on hitting straight at the moment, I'll worry about intentional draw later)

I'm curious what you all think between the two which is likely to give me the most bang for the effort.  Winter is coming and I need to do something that keeps my body doing the swing motion so I stay fit and accustomed to the movement.  With crappy weather running for a good nine months in the PNW, if I wait that long to pick up a club, I'll have to start all over each year.

Thanks for your input

- Brad

Brad, 

I don't like whiffle balls either, so at home, I use a net and real balls.

Think of net practice and range practice as two different types of practice. With hitting into net, you are working on your swing form and making good contact with the ball. It is easy to film these sessions too. Your focus is on form and contact and not ball flight. One of the most important parts of the golf swing, is contact! Thin and heavy shots cost us as many strokes as left and right shots. So only worry about making great contact and the swing that helps you make great contact.

At the range, you can also look and form and contact, but because we see flight, we tend to worry about that more. So for range work, focus on flight more, launch height and direction.

There is a good drill you can do at the range with two alignment sticks, the gate drill. Put them out about 20-25 feet from where you are hitting and about 2 feet apart. Starting with shorter swings, like chips, your objective is to hit the ball through the gates. Progressively increase the swing toward full swings, but always try to get the ball to go through the gates.

Lastly, film your swing. It really helps.

[metbid]

I am on my second net, wore holes in the first.  I have also taken lessons, and then practice what I've learned with real balls and my net. Then I'll go to the range or play a round to see how it's working out.  This has worked real well for me....My PGA teacher uses The Golfing Machine technique, which I see very few differences with 5sk (I actually use 5sk for my foundation).  I have some of the 'almost' golf balls and some foam ones, but they just don't give the feedback a real one does, and hitting into the net has vastly improved my swing.

[Brad W]

Thanks guys

[gregsandiego]

On 8/14/2016 at 6:54 PM, Rainmaker said:

I have tried almost golf balls and birdie balls and, while they are fun - especially birdie balls - I don't think they are as valuable to my practice as hitting real balls into a net. 

You can't see the ball flight but you really don't need to.  After a while, you can tell a lot by the sound of the strike and how the ball reacts in the net.  You're already taking lessons - If you add in a video camera and weekly or bi-weekly trips to the range to see full ball flight . .you have what is, in my opinion, the best way for a busy person (ie - can't spend all day at the range or course) to improve at golf.

I've tried almost golf balls and I'd agree. The sound of a well hit golf ball is very clear. So is the sound of a topped ball, or a fat hit.

[Hacker James]

Not to beat this horse to death.....I also have a vinyl target suspended on the back of my golf cage in addition to a tighter weave impact panel net. The target serves multiple purposes. It protects the net (although, the impact panel would be very hard to penetrate).  It also gives you audible feedback so that you can concentrate on the swing and not be tempted to look up too soon. To a certain extent, you can also judge ball flight by noting the direction the ball bounces off the target.  I even can pull the back wall, panel, target,forming an inclined plane towards the front and the ball will roll back to me as in the "Net Return" Product. Good luck with your endevour.

[Rainmaker]

1 hour ago, Hacker James said:

Not to beat this horse to death.....I also have a vinyl target suspended on the back of my golf cage in addition to a tighter weave impact panel net. The target serves multiple purposes. It protects the net (although, the impact panel would be very hard to penetrate).  It also gives you audible feedback so that you can concentrate on the swing and not be tempted to look up too soon. To a certain extent, you can also judge ball flight by noting the direction the ball bounces off the target.  I even can pull the back wall, panel, target,forming an inclined plane towards the front and the ball will roll back to me as in the "Net Return" Product. Good luck with your endevour.

Along the same lines - we have here in San Antonio something called Bulky Item PIck-up day.  This day comes twice a year so, while we're waiting, I store the items directly behind my net to be used as targets.  For a while I had a mountain bike behind it and the crossbar was *perfect* for my 6 iron trajectory.  *Ping*.  

I've had old light fixtures, a bed frame, etc . .behind the net at one time or another and I always try to position whatever is there so a really good shot will hit it and make a noise.  

edit . .I also now have 5 golf balls that are inside my garage walls . .from getting shanked, breaking through the wood paneling and then dropping down somewhere, lol . .so be careful in case you care about your garage walls, lol. 

Edited August 16, 2016 by Rainmaker