Bogey Golfers Only (Index 16-22) / Breaking 90 Topic

[808hacker]

That's the key - will we ever really be happy for an extended length? 

I went down to a 15, not really trying, but in reality my handicap is truly around 18. It's because I hardly ever practice. So the lowest I can score now is around 84 and the highest - well is I seem to never hit 100. So 84-99 is a really wide gap, so I strive for 90. If I go about 3-4 weeks without touching the club, I will typically shoot around 90-93. 

With no practice, short game suffers a lot for me. 

The key for me is I don't practice. When I did, I wanted to score better and I got very frustrated because I rarely did better on a consistent basis. 

[rkim291968]

8 hours ago, paininthenuts said:

The main things are that I get exercise, have some fresh air, but most importantly enjoy the company of the people I play with, 

At the end of the day, this is why many of us play golf.  Enjoy the journey.

2 hours ago, newtogolf said:

You seem to be stressed out about your HI rather than just playing good golf and enjoying it.

Guilty but I enjoy the process and all those other things that comes with playing golf.   

 

[9wood]

1 hour ago, 808hacker said:

 

The key for me is I don't practice. When I did, I wanted to score better and I got very frustrated because I rarely did better on a consistent basis. 

I personally think that when a person takes the game too seriously and then doesn't do well, frustration becomes the by-product. I see that all too often in people. It's better in my opinion to relax and enjoy the game and you will see gradual improvements. 

[Bryan Kasper]

Hello fellow club swingers, 

I'm headed out for my first real round of the year tomorrow. not my first time playing on course, as the first couple of times i did not keep score and hit multiple shots from different locations for what i would call practice rounds.

Tomorrow im going to be counting all of my shots and seeing what i start out the season shooting. my practice rounds(two of them) felt great and i have been feeling good when i have hit some balls at the range so we will see. Not looking for a certain score tomorrow, but want to make sure that i am consistently picking targets and swinging toward target as opposed to focusing on the ball too much. weather is looking good the next couple of days so i will make sure that i am getting out and taking advantage of it.

[808hacker]

Good luck Bryan!

Just wanted to say that although I don't practice anymore, there was a period where all I did was try and understand my swing. Although my swing is so bad it makes me and others laugh, it is repeatable. So I can go long periods and come right back and the swing is back where it was. Short game suffers a lot without practice, but multiple days of playing seems to fix that right up. A while back I wrote down all the "fixes" to my swing, so if I am really in trouble for some reason, the fix for that is in the book. hahahaha or so I think! Good luck everyone!

[divot dave]

did a bunch of work on my grip and swing over the weekend, posted the results here.

Also snuck in a round of golf Sunday with my 10 year old son... it was good to be out with him and also play a non-serious round where I felt freed to try some of the changes I've been practicing. Still hit a bunch of wedge shots fat, which is terribly frustrating, so I'll continue to emphasize the use of that club on the range. 

[rkim291968]

Played 3 rounds in between rains this week.   One day, mid-iron/hybrid shot gave me fits.  Another day, it was the driver.  Short game was a downer in all three rounds but the short irons consistently worked, giving me higher number of GIRs.   The best score came off GHIN and I could not make it up with the 3 rounds.   The next GHIN on 3/15 is going to stay at 16.1 or so.   Breaking out of bogey golf land has to wait until 3/31 GHIN.

 

What's working:  ball striking fluctuates from one round to the next but keeps getting better overall.  GIR stat is up to 5 per round b/c of that.  

What's not working: short game as the rain kept me from practice.   

[newtogolf]

I'm looking forward to my first round tomorrow with the swing changes I've been working on all winter.  I am not sure what to expect but hopefully it's somewhat close to what I've been seeing on the simulators.  

[rkim291968]

31 minutes ago, newtogolf said:

I'm looking forward to my first round tomorrow with the swing changes I've been working on all winter.  I am not sure what to expect but hopefully it's somewhat close to what I've been seeing on the simulators.  

Best wishes for the new season.  Expect better things.  

[RandallT]

6 hours ago, newtogolf said:

I'm looking forward to my first round tomorrow with the swing changes I've been working on all winter.  I am not sure what to expect but hopefully it's somewhat close to what I've been seeing on the simulators.  

My latest theory is that we have 6 swings- each with a different tempo, feel, and swing path (in roughly best-to-worst order):

1. In our brains. That ideal we picture ourselves achieving when we watch instructional video. Near perfection.
2. Slow motion in the mirror. Pretty darn good still, but our bodies start to get in the way here.
3. Practice swing with no ball present. Easy, smooth flow without any objects to get in the way. More degradation though, because... well, just because.
4. Range swing, very similar to a simulator swing, most likely. Still not quite as good as your practice swing, but you're finding the ball ok, but the form degrades just because of that stupid white sphere in your swing path.
5. On the course. Not only is the ball staring at you from below, but the darn target makes you manipulate the club subconsciously in ways you cannot fathom, particularly when you think of the purity of swings 1 or 2.
6. That evil mess lurking in your brain from 5 swing changes ago. You think it's gone from the memory banks, but it jumps out of your memory banks in the #5 slow on the most critical shots. Maybe in a competition or when a crowd gathers at the first tee.

[divot dave]

1 hour ago, RandallT said:

My latest theory is that we have 6 swings- each with a different tempo, feel, and swing path (in roughly best-to-worst order):

1. In our brains. That ideal we picture ourselves achieving when we watch instructional video. Near perfection.
2. Slow motion in the mirror. Pretty darn good still, but our bodies start to get in the way here.
3. Practice swing with no ball present. Easy, smooth flow without any objects to get in the way. More degradation though, because... well, just because.
4. Range swing, very similar to a simulator swing, most likely. Still not quite as good as your practice swing, but you're finding the ball ok, but the form degrades just because of that stupid white sphere in your swing path.
5. On the course. Not only is the ball staring at you from below, but the darn target makes you manipulate the club subconsciously in ways you cannot fathom, particularly when you think of the purity of swings 1 or 2.
6. That evil mess lurking in your brain from 5 swing changes ago. You think it's gone from the memory banks, but it jumps out of your memory banks in the #5 slow on the most critical shots. Maybe in a competition or when a crowd gathers at the first tee.

bingo, i subscribe to your theory, whole heartedly. 

My Achille's Heel (so to speak) right now is key 3, inline impact.  I can (at the range) rehearse 10 excellent practice swings, with good rhythm and tempo, making contact with the ground well ahead of my imaginary ball, everything feels great. The moment I step up to hit the shot, its like none of that was ever even possible, and I'll either top the ball, or hit 5 inches behind it. AT BEST, I hit a decent shot but with making contact with the ground precisely AT the ball, not in front of it, little to no shaft lean, etc... 

How does one break thru these types of barriers?!?!!?!

 

7 hours ago, newtogolf said:

I'm looking forward to my first round tomorrow with the swing changes I've been working on all winter.  I am not sure what to expect but hopefully it's somewhat close to what I've been seeing on the simulators.  

best of luck !

[Bryan Kasper]

On 3/6/2016 at 1:59 PM, 808hacker said:

Good luck Bryan!

Just wanted to say that although I don't practice anymore, there was a period where all I did was try and understand my swing. Although my swing is so bad it makes me and others laugh, it is repeatable. So I can go long periods and come right back and the swing is back where it was. Short game suffers a lot without practice, but multiple days of playing seems to fix that right up. A while back I wrote down all the "fixes" to my swing, so if I am really in trouble for some reason, the fix for that is in the book. hahahaha or so I think! Good luck everyone!

I am definitely going to have to write some of my swing fixes down. they are the same things that i fixed last year going through my swing progression, yet i totally forgot about them the first part of this year. That first real round was horrible until i starting trying different things and relearning what gives me problems throughout my swing and finally being conscientious of them when i step up to a ball. I have a small notepad that i am going to keep in my bag so i can go there and know exactly the bad habits i get my self into

[newtogolf]

3 hours ago, RandallT said:

My latest theory is that we have 6 swings- each with a different tempo, feel, and swing path (in roughly best-to-worst order):

1. In our brains. That ideal we picture ourselves achieving when we watch instructional video. Near perfection.
2. Slow motion in the mirror. Pretty darn good still, but our bodies start to get in the way here.
3. Practice swing with no ball present. Easy, smooth flow without any objects to get in the way. More degradation though, because... well, just because.
4. Range swing, very similar to a simulator swing, most likely. Still not quite as good as your practice swing, but you're finding the ball ok, but the form degrades just because of that stupid white sphere in your swing path.
5. On the course. Not only is the ball staring at you from below, but the darn target makes you manipulate the club subconsciously in ways you cannot fathom, particularly when you think of the purity of swings 1 or 2.
6. That evil mess lurking in your brain from 5 swing changes ago. You think it's gone from the memory banks, but it jumps out of your memory banks in the #5 slow on the most critical shots. Maybe in a competition or when a crowd gathers at the first tee.

I definitely see a digression from my visual swing to slow motion to practice to range and course.  I prefer to think of them all as the same "swing" that degradates under increasing levels of pressure to perform which is why I'm concerned about how today goes.  

I see this year as a pivotal year to take the next step in my golf game.  I've spent a lot of time this winter taking lessons, doing mirror work, putting and practice work in preparation for this season.  I have high expectations overall for this season but my main goal for today is to avoid the number of pull hooks I hit.  I'm sure my short game will be rusty and not sure how true the greens will roll so the score is secondary to the overall quality of golf shots I hit.  

[divot dave]

5 minutes ago, newtogolf said:

I definitely see a digression from my visual swing to slow motion to practice to range and course.  I prefer to think of them all as the same "swing" that degradates under increasing levels of pressure to perform which is why I'm concerned about how today goes.  

I see this year as a pivotal year to take the next step in my golf game.  I've spent a lot of time this winter taking lessons, doing mirror work, putting and practice work in preparation for this season.  I have high expectations overall for this season but my main goal for today is to avoid the number of pull hooks I hit.  I'm sure my short game will be rusty and not sure how true the greens will roll so the score is secondary to the overall quality of golf shots I hit.  

honestly, with that much practice, you really should see some marked improvement. You may need a little time to adjust from indoor practice to outdoor play, but it will eventaully show. 

I put in similar effort last year and noticed improvement early on in the season, but injury and life got in the way and didn't get to play much the rest of the season. 

[paininthenuts]

Only been playing six months, and I started at the age of 57. I would be amazed if I ever shot one round below 90. That said, I now shoot around the 100 mark on a par 74 course. 

[divot dave]

1 minute ago, paininthenuts said:

Only been playing six months, and I started at the age of 57. I would be amazed if I ever shot one round below 90. That said, I now shoot around the 100 mark on a par 74 course. 

par 74! where do you play?!

[newtogolf]

2 minutes ago, divot dave said:

honestly, with that much practice, you really should see some marked improvement. You may need a little time to adjust from indoor practice to outdoor play, but it will eventaully show. 

I put in similar effort last year and noticed improvement early on in the season, but injury and life got in the way and didn't get to play much the rest of the season. 

Thanks, life and injury can definitely impact ones golf game.  I'm hoping to get the handicap below 15 but that's going to take a lot of improvement in all areas of my game.  If I can eliminate the pull hook I'll be better able to implement LSW concepts into my rounds.  

 

[paininthenuts]

5 minutes ago, divot dave said:

par 74! where do you play?!

Play in Lincolnshire UK. It's a 9 hole course, which obviously you have to go around twice. 2 x par 3, 4  x par 4, 3 x par 5.