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

[cutchemist42]

http://www.gamegolf.com/player/cutchemist42/round/1170138

Still trying to get back to my form before the injury. Also realize I am now swinging faster than I ever did before the injury. I was using a 13* senior flex before for about 230 yard average. Was just not liking it anymore and went back to a really old Lynx Black Cat.

Despite the smaller head, the shaft was a lot better and I recorded by first ever drives to break 280.

Gained 2 strokes putting today despite some 3 putts, but short game touch is still not as good as it was before. 

[Fairway_CY]

On 9/13/2016 at 0:27 PM, Vinny Cap said:

So after posting six consecutive rounds of sub 90 golf, I have some bad news.  I threw down a 91 on Sat and was disappointed with the score. 

CY – It sounds like you found a really nice place.  Hope you get to enjoy it with your son.  My son is 11 and I love every time we get out to play.  We have such a fun time before, during and after… we make a day out of it.

Isn't it funny how our mindset changes after awhile.  I remember my excitement the first time I broke 100... and then, after awhile, any time I would post a triple-digit score, I was upset with myself.  

My wife asks me all the time when I talk about golf what score I would be 'happy' with at the end of a round.  Earlier this year, I told her that if I was 93 or better... I was happy.  If it was a score of 94-95... I was okay with it.  If I was 96 or higher... it felt like a poor round.  

A few months later and it's shifted.  I feel like anything 89 or better would make me happy.  Anything between 90-92... I'm okay with but I know I left strokes out there.  If it's 93 or higher... I go home upset with myself.  

Anyway... I got out this morning for my first round at the new club.  I played alone because... well... I don't know anybody there yet and I just wanted to get a feel for the course.  I played from the white tees (6147 yards / 69.8 / 129) and walked with my push cart.  

I haven't walked a round of golf since probably 2012 and, well... I'm not exactly 'in shape' at the moment.  The front side is a very easy to walk 9 holes.  It's right there in front of you.  The back side, on the other hand... not so much.  I wore down pretty badly when I got to the 14th fairway.  I didn't have enough water in me or something because I started to get weak and my swing got lazy.  I finished double - double - par - par - bogey.  Still... I ended up with a better back than front.  

I managed a 46 - 45 = 91 for my first round out there (and my first time touching clubs in 9 days).  I had a few hiccups throughout the round, including my only penalty (a ball out of bounds) on #10.  I think once I get a few rounds in me and learn the course a bit... I'm going to really like it there.  

I'll probably get out Friday at some point to practice or play 9 holes... but then I've got a tournament round on Saturday at a course I did not play well at last year.  Hoping to regain my strength by then!  

CY

[DrvFrShow]

Figured out what the heck happened this year. See, last year and in the first part of the season I was making improvements. I was starting to hit 43 for 9 holes instead of 45. Then in June I took up shooting. What did this have to do with anything?

Well for one thing, for golf I'd trained myself to be left eye dominant so I wouldn't come up so soon. For shooting I needed to be right eye dominant again. To maintain left-eye, I'd have to shoot a rifle weak-handed. This has messed with my spatial recognition of where the ball is on the ground slightly and I've been hitting my shots a little fat ever since. Driver and FWs have been fine, but irons not so fine and they used to be my strong suit. Ugh. I think I've been lining up with my right eye, and then my left eye takes over on the downswing telling my brain the ball is a little further back. That makes sense. This would take a ton of practice to work out.

[newtogolf]

8 hours ago, DrvFrShow said:

Figured out what the heck happened this year. See, last year and in the first part of the season I was making improvements. I was starting to hit 43 for 9 holes instead of 45. Then in June I took up shooting. What did this have to do with anything?

Well for one thing, for golf I'd trained myself to be left eye dominant so I wouldn't come up so soon. For shooting I needed to be right eye dominant again. To maintain left-eye, I'd have to shoot a rifle weak-handed. This has messed with my spatial recognition of where the ball is on the ground slightly and I've been hitting my shots a little fat ever since. Driver and FWs have been fine, but irons not so fine and they used to be my strong suit. Ugh. I think I've been lining up with my right eye, and then my left eye takes over on the downswing telling my brain the ball is a little further back. That makes sense. This would take a ton of practice to work out.

I guess it's possible but not likely.  You should be able to prove or disprove by putting a patch over your left eye and seeing what happens with your irons.  I've watched blind people hit  irons and woods perfectly, the bottom of your swing should be consistent.  

[iacas]

On September 7, 2016 at 2:07 PM, dave s said:

Good tip on splitting up the yardage into TWO high-percentage, manageable shots.  I use this strategy on ridiculously long par-4s and even on par-5s if I've completely hacked my second shot.

Unless you're really bad with the longer clubs (in which case… get better with them…), this strategy is actually a poor one overall. It'll lead to higher scores overall. You're more likely to flub one of two full swings.

On September 7, 2016 at 8:17 PM, Fairway_CY said:

Great tip!  I use this strategy on nearly every par 5 I play.  Only time I even contemplate going for it is if I have less than 230 yards to the front of the green... and if there is no trouble on either side (since I have a two-way miss with my hybrid and 3 wood).  Otherwise... as mentioned above, it's a 4 iron advanced as far as I can (typically about 190 from the fairway) and then a wedge or short iron left in.

You should buy this book I wrote… both of you.

[rkim291968]

The OP here.   My latest (9/15/16) HI stands at 14.5, the lowest "official" one I ever had.   But it is due to California summer with very little rain.   Much of my home course's infamously long grass and brushes are dried out, making it much easier to find mishit balls & hit out of.   The number of "lost ball" per round has gone down quite a bit and it has helped with the scores.  But I will take it.  

What's working: short game, driver accuracy (see below), reduced ball not found (BNF) & OBs

What's not working: driver distance (see above)

[Lihu]

10 hours ago, rkim291968 said:

The OP here.   My latest (9/15/16) HI stands at 14.5, the lowest "official" one I ever had.   But it is due to California summer with very little rain.   Much of my home course's infamously long grass and brushes are dried out, making it much easier to find mishit balls & hit out of.   The number of "lost ball" per round has gone down quite a bit and it has helped with the scores.  But I will take it.  

What's working: short game, driver accuracy (see below), reduced ball not found (BNF) & OBs

What's not working: driver distance (see above)

I also posted a response to your driver distance dilemma, your 210 carry should give you 220 to 240 yard drives in dry turf. That should be enough to get you down into the low teens or high singles.

[rkim291968]

36 minutes ago, Lihu said:

I also posted a response to your driver distance dilemma, your 210 carry should give you 220 to 240 yard drives in dry turf. That should be enough to get you down into the low teens or high singles.

If I hit solidly, that is.   My solid hits are ending up around 220+ yards but I hit solid only a few times per round.  Wind, mishits, soft ground condition, and hitting to the edge (vs center) of fairway make the 2nd shots much longer than they ought to be.   A few months ago, I was hitting much longer but it suddenly went away.  I am trying to get it back with more work at range.   

[David L Yskes]

ok, so this is my first time posting in here.... i feel like i am on my way towards breaking 90..... 

So after playing 9 this morning with my father... i add up my score and was like ohhhh i didnt play so bad... shot a 48...   now i also lost 3 balls ( which i counted ) ... and had two three putts... one was on the last hole Par 5, when i was putting for birdie lol.....   

So its like i think i should feel good about my round considering everything.....  

i mean while i wasnt driving the ball great.. i was leaving myself playable.... and hitting my irons pretty solid..not great but good enough... and i was hitting my wedges like a champ!!!!!  

 

[divot dave]

7 minutes ago, rkim291968 said:

If I hit solidly, that is.   My solid hits are ending up around 220+ yards but I hit solid only a few times per round.  Wind, mishits, soft ground condition, and hitting to the edge (vs center) of fairway make the 2nd shots much longer than they ought to be.   A few months ago, I was hitting much longer but it suddenly went away.  I am trying to get it back with more work at range.   

I've experienced the same phenomenon over the last year. I was debating on getting a simple swing speed radar to provide instant feedback while practicing, but I decided to get a Zepp 2 golf kit instead... being that it can give me swing speed and a bunch more metrics as well. While I assume that its not quite as accurate as radar, it is accurate inasmuch as showing if your speed is increasing or decreasing from swing to swing. 

So far it has been super helpful. When working on my speed, I am able to instantly experiment with different feels and tensions and grip pressures etc. and see immediately what is working and what is not. So far it has worked really really well. I went out last weekend and birdied both par 5's on the back nine by being able to reach the green in two. Something I've never done before. While I'm not swinging faster than ever, I am realizing noticeable improvement since getting the Zepp 2 device less than 2 months ago. 

It also provides you with swing plane, backswing rotation, tempo, and even hip turn metrics (with the app running on your phone, and your phone in your pocket while you swing).  Really smooth tech IMO... 150$ +/-

I would recommend u invest in either one, the Zepp or the Radar. The range by itself can be misleading in terms of swing speed. 

[Jeremie Boop]

I guess I did forget to post about my last round in here. Was pretty good, even with 1 OB, 2 lost balls in tall grass, and 2 balls into water hazards. Shot 87 on a course that played 7129 with a rating of 74/ 133. Ended up with a differential of 11. I had 10 pars, 2 triples, 3 doubles, and 3 bogeys. 43% fairways, 28% GiR, 1.56 average putts, and 38% scrambling. I had 3 bad pulls off the tee, one off the start *no warm up* and 2 on the back after having a long wait to tee off. The one off the start was stroke+distance and the one on the back was stroke+distance while the other was into a creek so it was a drop. The other two lost balls were actually not bad shots. The first was stroke+distance because I hit a fade instead of draw so the ball landed in tall grass instead of fairway and the other I didn't account for the left to right wind which pushed my ball into a pond. This round dropped my HC down to 15.5. Not sure I'll be able to hold that unless I'm able to keep this level of play, but either way I really enjoyed having such a good round on a tougher course.

[rkim291968]

1 hour ago, divot dave said:

I've experienced the same phenomenon over the last year. I was debating on getting a simple swing speed radar to provide instant feedback while practicing, but I decided to get a Zepp 2 golf kit instead... being that it can give me swing speed and a bunch more metrics as well. While I assume that its not quite as accurate as radar, it is accurate inasmuch as showing if your speed is increasing or decreasing from swing to swing. 

So far it has been super helpful. When working on my speed, I am able to instantly experiment with different feels and tensions and grip pressures etc. and see immediately what is working and what is not. So far it has worked really really well. I went out last weekend and birdied both par 5's on the back nine by being able to reach the green in two. Something I've never done before. While I'm not swinging faster than ever, I am realizing noticeable improvement since getting the Zepp 2 device less than 2 months ago. 

It also provides you with swing plane, backswing rotation, tempo, and even hip turn metrics (with the app running on your phone, and your phone in your pocket while you swing).  Really smooth tech IMO... 150$ +/-

I would recommend u invest in either one, the Zepp or the Radar. The range by itself can be misleading in terms of swing speed. 

A golfer at the next stall at my range had one of those - Swingcaddie II.   It even has a speaker and yells out the yardage after swing.  He let me use if for a few swings. Afterward, I looked one up on EBay and am considering buying one.  The only problem is that any thing I carry to range, I tend to lose it after a while.   At $200 per pop, I am hesitating to get one, only to lose it after a few month.

[divot dave]

8 minutes ago, rkim291968 said:

A golfer at the next stall at my range had one of those - Swingcaddie II.   It even has a speaker and yells out the yardage after swing.  He let me use if for a few swings. Afterward, I looked one up on EBay and am considering buying one.  The only problem is that any thing I carry to range, I tend to lose it after a while.   At $200 per pop, I am hesitating to get one, only to lose it after a few month.

cool thing about the Zepp device is it attaches to your glove... not sure if that helps or hurts your chances of losing it, but I just leave mine attached at all times and it goes where my golf bag goes. 

[Fairway_CY]

14 hours ago, iacas said:

Unless you're really bad with the longer clubs (in which case… get better with them…), this strategy is actually a poor one overall. It'll lead to higher scores overall. You're more likely to flub one of two full swings.

You should buy this book I wrote… both of you.

Interesting.  I thought my strategy was the proper one.  

In any case... I just placed my order for this book you speak of.  So, thanks for the reminder that it's out there.

1 hour ago, David L Yskes said:

ok, so this is my first time posting in here.... i feel like i am on my way towards breaking 90..... 

So after playing 9 this morning with my father... i add up my score and was like ohhhh i didnt play so bad... shot a 48...   now i also lost 3 balls ( which i counted ) ... and had two three putts... one was on the last hole Par 5, when i was putting for birdie lol.....   

So its like i think i should feel good about my round considering everything.....  

i mean while i wasnt driving the ball great.. i was leaving myself playable.... and hitting my irons pretty solid..not great but good enough... and i was hitting my wedges like a champ!!!!!  

 

Welcome to the thread!  Not a bad round at all... and it seems like you're on your way to breaking into the 80's!

1 hour ago, Jeremie Boop said:

I guess I did forget to post about my last round in here. Was pretty good, even with 1 OB, 2 lost balls in tall grass, and 2 balls into water hazards. Shot 87 on a course that played 7129 with a rating of 74/ 133. Ended up with a differential of 11. I had 10 pars, 2 triples, 3 doubles, and 3 bogeys. 43% fairways, 28% GiR, 1.56 average putts, and 38% scrambling. I had 3 bad pulls off the tee, one off the start *no warm up* and 2 on the back after having a long wait to tee off. The one off the start was stroke+distance and the one on the back was stroke+distance while the other was into a creek so it was a drop. The other two lost balls were actually not bad shots. The first was stroke+distance because I hit a fade instead of draw so the ball landed in tall grass instead of fairway and the other I didn't account for the left to right wind which pushed my ball into a pond. This round dropped my HC down to 15.5. Not sure I'll be able to hold that unless I'm able to keep this level of play, but either way I really enjoyed having such a good round on a tougher course.

I often wonder how I'd play on a longer course.  I feel like if I get over 6700 yards or so, my score would begin to suffer.  My drives are primarily in the 220 - 250 range on any given day, but if I'm hitting anything longer than 170 into greens, it becomes sketchy and I score much worse.  If I was able to post an 87 on a course as long as that... I'd consider that a great day!

CY

[Kalnoky]

1 hour ago, Fairway_CY said:

I often wonder how I'd play on a longer course.  I feel like if I get over 6700 yards or so, my score would begin to suffer.  
 

You might do alright actually. Once I played a few holes (7-9) from the back tees at my home course and I pretty much scored the same on those holes. It was a little bit more stressful taking second shots w/ a longer club, but definitely doable. Of course, as a beginner I would not have tried this if there was anyone behind me. Never know until you try it.

 

[Fairway_CY]

We played a tough course yesterday for our most recent tournament.  It's one of those courses that, until you play it, you don't realize how tough it can actually be.  

Although I didn't play overly well... I still managed to post a respectable score of 48 - 45 = 93.

That included way too many penalties and 5 three-putts on 'fun-house' greens.

Overall... I'm not displeased with my round, but it certainly could have been better.  I'll try and get out this week for a round and then we've got our final two-day major of the year Saturday & Sunday.  

CY

[DrvFrShow]

My last round... I didn't screw up the drive often, but sometimes when you do screw it up, depending upon how bad, it's better to just reload. Like the time I pulled it into the blackberry bushes on the left. Sure it was a par 4, I reloaded and left a lob wedge onto the green. Drove by and picked up the other ball. I'd have had to take two unplayable lies just to be able to take a stance and hit, and I would have still had to chip it through some trees... so abandoning that ball was a good move. I had a 4 + S&D. Could have been a lot worse.

Another shot, I should have reloaded, but I played it. Disastrous hole. 

And I have one putter that has cooties. I went back to my Callaway broomstick and started sinking putts again. 

[uitar9]

Shot a 43+44= 87 at our usual muni yesterday. Shot reasonably well within 100 yards. Got a bit of a slice starting up with the driver but managed to recover on second shot