Strike Rules All!

[Carl3]

On 9/12/2018 at 3:01 PM, SPJr said:

begin with chipping and pitch shots and then work their way back

I think that there is something to this. I think it is so important to visualize the target in the minds eye and then work the swing towards this point to get the ball to go where you intend. For so many years I just swung the club trying to hit the ball. It wasn't until I had a short game lesson 20 some years after I started golf that I made what I believe to be an important connection in getting my concentration focused on what seemed to be tiny results. If you cannot pitch a ball 30 yards consistently to a target, how can you ever hope to hit a ball to a target 120 yards out?

I have noticed that if I momentarily lose focus of the target during my swing it is a crap shoot with regard to where the ball might go. It can be the difference between the fairway and rough or the green and a green side bunker. If I keep my mind focused on a target through impact I usually have a decent result. This all came from hours spent chipping/pitching and this is when I went from a bogey golfer to something better. 

To the excellent golfer, this may seem ridiculously obvious, but to the weekend hacker...

[SPJr]

On 9/15/2018 at 11:26 PM, 70sSanO said:

While strike doesn't rule all, I'm old enough to remember playing with old guys tearing up courses back in the 70's with well used equipment that no one here would want to play with.  Before all the data there were a lot of golfers who could just play... like a stupid monkey, and not try to analyze everything little bit of data (there wasn't any to mess up their mind).  Geez, just hit the thing.  They did possessed 2 qualities that made them score so well... ball strike and course management.  The latter was just as important if not more.

What I take away from this is there are those who are obsessed with buying the latest or constantly upgrading their equipment to improve their game.

But... if everyone had really good ball striking skills, there would never be another Teeless Driver or GX-7 commercial.  That in itself is a plus.

John

Exactly

[iacas]

Spoiler

2 minutes ago, SPJr said:

Exactly

No. And since I was so brief before in dismissing what @70sSanO had to say, here's the fuller reply:

On 9/15/2018 at 11:26 PM, 70sSanO said:

While strike doesn't rule all, I'm old enough to remember playing with old guys tearing up courses back in the 70's with well used equipment that no one here would want to play with.

Those players still exist, and your "equipment no one here would want to play with" thing has two problems:

• I play with, for example, a set of Miura Tournament Blades. They're basically the same clubs as those that existed in the 1970s. So, for clubs where technology hasn't advanced much, you're wrong - people do play with those kinds of clubs.
• For clubs (like the driver) where technology has advanced, why would anyone want to play with a club that puts them at a huge disadvantage, and isn't made to suit the modern golf ball?

I'd wager that if those players in the 70s could have played with today's equipment, they would in a heartbeat. Many have, and heck, I doubt you play the equipment you played in the 1970s. Or even really the 1980s in clubs that have seen good advancements.

On 9/15/2018 at 11:26 PM, 70sSanO said:

Before all the data there were a lot of golfers who could just play... like a stupid monkey, and not try to analyze everything little bit of data (there wasn't any to mess up their mind).

There are plenty of players today who do the same thing, as well as a lot more players who play better than ever before because the data helps them. More correct information is hardly ever a bad thing - worst case, you can ignore it, and carry on.

On 9/15/2018 at 11:26 PM, 70sSanO said:

They did possessed 2 qualities that made them score so well... ball strike and course management.  The latter was just as important if not more.

It's probably not more important, but… those qualities exist in a lot of players these days, too. In fact, having written a book on course management, I can say that the game has actually improved more here. We understand better than ever how to score.

On 9/15/2018 at 11:26 PM, 70sSanO said:

What I take away from this is there are those who are obsessed with buying the latest or constantly upgrading their equipment to improve their game.

What I take away from your post is that you're missing the good ol' days when everyone was a scratch golfer and nobody ever tried to buy their game. The thing is… that world is pure fantasy.

---

OT stuff aside… the important skills in golf (full swing only, and off the top of my head):

• Strike quality
• Clubface control
• Path Control
• Speed

[SPJr]

On 9/15/2018 at 11:26 PM, 70sSanO said:

While strike doesn't rule all, I'm old enough to remember playing with old guys tearing up courses back in the 70's with well used equipment that no one here would want to play with.  Before all the data there were a lot of golfers who could just play... like a stupid monkey, and not try to analyze everything little bit of data (there wasn't any to mess up their mind).  Geez, just hit the thing.  They did possessed 2 qualities that made them score so well... ball strike and course management.  The latter was just as important if not more.

What I take away from this is there are those who are obsessed with buying the latest or constantly upgrading their equipment to improve their game.

But... if everyone had really good ball striking skills, there would never be another Teeless Driver or GX-7 commercial.  That in itself is a plus.

John

@iacas - my "exactly" comment was in response to the bold. You don't agree?

It's just my opinion that too many golfers are getting wrapped up in equipment and not enough in lessons, improving their game, etc.

------

As far as the rest of your points:

I can't find anything I disagree with.

Edited September 17, 2018 by SPJr

[DrMJG]

While the animated data, at times, may represent my 20+ HCP, and, I also am using senior shafts and  "built to remove a bit of mishit" clubs, I am getting a solid hits and solid results 80% of the time.  I do believe that to strike the shot as well as I can, club face control, a problem for my arthritic right hand and path control have to be well considered.  Speed is something fairly difficult for me to improve, though senior shafts do help greatly.  

I have come to try and figure out more why my last shot was iffy (or crappy); and, most of the time it is a combination of things. I will check contact tape to see if strike area was too far off, understanding club control throughout the swing is my downfall. it is my reason for the missed sweet spot.

Love the feel and sound of a great strike, to be sure.

Edited September 17, 2018 by DrMJG

[iacas]

26 minutes ago, SPJr said:

@iacas - my "exactly" comment was in response to the bold. You don't agree?

The bold didn't show in the clipped quoted text - only after expanding it does the bold appear. You could just quote the part with which you agreed. 🙂

As for the bold… what's the point in saying something like "But... if everyone had really good ball striking skills, there would never be another Teeless Driver or GX-7 commercial."

That's not ever going to happen. You're always - always - going to have golfers who don't have "really good ball striking skills." I just don't see the point in saying or agreeing with something like that.

26 minutes ago, SPJr said:

It's just my opinion that too many golfers are getting wrapped up in equipment and not enough in lessons, improving their game, etc.

I don't think that's particularly new.

There were gimmicks in the 1970s, too. Golfers are better now than they were in the 1970s, too, at just about every level.

I believe those are from the 1970s. They're a gimmick club. You can find a bunch more, too, if you look.

I think nostalgia was getting the best of @70sSanO.

[SPJr]

1 minute ago, iacas said:

The bold didn't show in the clipped quoted text - only after expanding it does the bold appear. You could just quote the part with which you agreed. 🙂

I usually do - I have no good reason for why I tried something new.

2 minutes ago, iacas said:

As for the bold… what's the point in saying something like "But... if everyone had really good ball striking skills, there would never be another Teeless Driver or GX-7 commercial."

You're right - I just really hate those commercials. 😂

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, SPJr said:

I usually do - I have no good reason for why I tried something new.

No worries.

And yeah, the commercials are annoying. But try to find them amusing instead. Or ignore them. 🙂

[SPJr]

7 minutes ago, iacas said:

 

Any idea where I can get a sweet set of these?

Coupled with one of those Vertical Groove drivers and a G-Strike Wedge, I should be well on my way to scratch.

[Foot Wedge]

32 minutes ago, SPJr said:

I just really hate those commercials. 😂

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I love corny ass infomercials.  The Hammer X commercial may repulse some, but I think it's pure gold.  Hell, I'll watch it on youtube every now and again just for a laugh.

I just realized I can keep this post on topic.  Strike location is important but I've hit shots dead center of the clubface that started right and faded farther right.  As mentioned, club face control is key too.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

[SPJr]

1 minute ago, Foot Wedge said:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I love corny ass infomercials.  The Hammer X commercial may repulse some, but I think it's pure gold.  Hell, I'll watch it on youtube every now and again just for a laugh.

I just realized I can keep this post on topic.  Strike location is important but I've hit shots dead center of the clubface that started right and faded farther right.  As mentioned, club face control is key too.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Well done, sir.

[Pretzel]

Come on, how can you not love commercials like this? It's comedy gold is what it is!

I also just realized he's also using a brush tee in the commercial! It's like a two for one special right there!

Edited September 17, 2018 by Pretzel
Brush tee

[SPJr]

2 minutes ago, Pretzel said:

Come on, how can you not love commercials like this? It's comedy gold is what it is!

 

I'm sold! I'll take two.

[iacas]

Let’s stick to the topic, please.

[billchao]

44 minutes ago, Foot Wedge said:

Strike location is important but I've hit shots dead center of the clubface that started right and faded farther right.

So have I.

Recently I've been hitting the driver dead center and launching it about 5°. Only when I toe the crap out of it do I seem to get it airborne. Strike location is not everything.

[Carl3]

4 hours ago, Pretzel said:

Come on, how can you not love commercials like this? It's comedy gold is what it is!

Looks a little like Bruce Jenner in the 1980's