BugDude

Shooting par is easy. Stop keeping score after 14 holes.

I have some rounds where I feel like I played bad, but scored well. Conversely, I have other rounds where I feel like I played great and just score so-so. Try to take something positive from every round. Focus back on what you did well that round and not what you did bad. Golf is a never ending journey. You're never DONE figuring it out.

When I get in a ball striking slump, I do one of two things: 1) Take 2 weeks off. 2) Play several rounds in a row with irons only. Anything other than ball striking, I just press on through.

I started playing at 20. Now 44. I'm not sure exactly how long it took because the first couple years I played "big" courses and then got turned on to a little 9 hole course you had to walk. Got into regular matches there with regular groups and had a blast. Tough little course of 5 par 3s and 4 par 4s. Hilly, tiny fast sloping greens, a lot of hard pan, and tree-lined. I thought I was terrible at golf playing there for years. When I started going back out to "big" courses I noticed something strange. I was suddenly shooting GREAT scores. It was because what others thought were tight holes looked wide open to me. The greens seemed huge and flat, and my short game had gotten great. So, I'm not sure how long it took me (5 years or so) but to me there are a few keys I've found to staying there consistently: 1) Short game. Pitch, chip, and putt. This is where the majority of your practice time should be. Have fun with the creativity you have with pitches and chipping. I like low spinning wedge shots from 100 and in. 2) Be able to eliminate one side of the course. You don't have to work the ball on every shot, but when there is trouble on one side you have to know you can take it out of play. 3) Play smart. Eliminate the double bogies. You don't have to make up a bad shot by trying to pull off the miracle shot. You can make up a stroke on later holes. Know when you have to stay below the hole. Knowing the smart place to miss to if you miss shaves strokes. 4) Practice 5 foot putts over and over. I had a matt with 10 balls and a putter in my garage and I would hit 100 each night from 5 feet. Robo-putting. 5) Range time. For me, I do better hitting fewer balls per session more days per week and finish each session with chipping and putting. 20 balls per session 4 times per week is better for me than 80 balls once per week. I pick 2 or 3 clubs and work on them. Different clubs next time.

I played in a 9 hole one-club tournament many years ago and took a 7 wood. I scored about the same as with a whole sack of clubs. Where I lived previously I was a member of a club and owned my own cart, so I played a lot of rounds late in the evenings when the course was empty with just irons, or sometimes just 1 club to work on ball striking. I found that a 5 iron on that particular course I could reach all of the par 3s from the tee, all but a couple par 4s in 2, and all of the par 5s in three. I once played 9 holes with nothing but a 9 iron just because I was having a little trouble with my short irons. Problem solved after that 9. If you're paying green fees to play, it's hard to go out and do stuff like that. If you're paying the same amount per month regardless of how much or little you play, it makes a difference in trying things like this. I now have a short 18 hole track near my house that is very cheap to play and I typically play only irons at that course. It's a lot of fun and makes a big difference in ball striking. I think a 7 iron would be perfect for that course.

It all depends on how much money is at stake. No one forces any of them to play any particular tournament. They get to choose. I just said it would be interesting to watch. Heck, for that matter make it just a 1 day event, kind of like the skins games. Those seem like a gimmick but they don't have trouble finding people willing to play in it.

I kind of like the idea of a "throwback tournament" where today's pros use early 60s era equipment on modern courses. One tournament per year, that would be very interesting to watch. Golf courses don't have to be long to be a challenging test of golf. The course I learned on was a 9 hole (5 par 3s and 4 par 4s) that was hilly, tiny greens that were fast and very sloped, with lots of dropoffs, narrow, tree lined, and a lot of hard pan. That little course kicked a lot of good golfers' butts. A phenomenal short game, course management, and making sure your misses were below the hole were key. Creativity and patience on that course meant more than anything. It is no longer there, although I still keep in touch with the man that owned and operated the course. I've never found another course quite like it.

My only "bogey free" round of golf in 24 years was 18 holes I played with nothing but irons. Shot a -1, 71. This was on a private course I had been playing for many years and at the time my handicap was 1.2. Granted, it wasn't the "lowest" round, just the only one without a bogey. I was playing 1 round per week with nothing but irons working on my ball striking. Oddly enough, it taught me a lot of strategy on that particular course and I started playing some of those holes with irons off the tee all of the time. The most important lesson I learned was course management. Being a good chipper and putter saves a lot of pars too. So, in the end I think you have some solid concepts to build on revolving around ball striking, course management, and saving par. You don't have to be the longest hitter to shoot a good score.

This course was 6400 yards (back tee) with a course rating of 70.

+1, 73. 39 front 34 back.

I can honestly say I'm not "giving up" anything by playing the irons I play. I gain trajectory control, consistent and predictable distance control, and easy workability to either side. I play better with them, and I enjoy hitting them. I have traveled a lot and rented modern "new technology" sets a lot and have played many different brands and types and to me nothing compares to my old Rams. For me, they're timeless and the best irons on the planet for my game...so why change? Woods and hybrid, I'm on the technology bandwagon. I hit an 8.5* RBZ Driver that I can accomplish things with I could never do with an old persimmon with steel shaft. Irons, I'm much more concerned with precision. So what if I'm hitting a club with a 5 on the bottom rather than a 6...I can't see the number when I'm hitting the ball.

I've been where you are. For years I was a member of a private club with my own cart and played a lot of evening golf by myself when the course was mostly empty. I got used to playing at my pace (which was 2 - 2.5 hours for 18). I noticed when I played with others and the rounds took twice as long I lost my rhythm and couldn't stay focused on my game for that long. Now that I live in FL I play a lot of different courses and get paired with a lot of different people and I've gotten much more adjusted to playing with others in longer rounds. I do, though, still enjoy the occasional evening round by myself. It is a tranquil place to focus on something other than everything else in life when you have the course to yourself.

Even par 71. Was +3 on the front 9 and chipped in an eagle on the par 5 13th hole. Then birdied the 15th. Managed to par in from there.

Quitting in the middle of a round is never an option. I've learned a lot playing through bad rounds. Find something to work on, and forget the front nine and see what you can shoot on the back. I've started out some rounds really crappy and ended up having a stellar back nine and a decent score. That to me ends up being a rewarding round in that I was able to turn it around.

I also play as a single and get paired up with a lot of folks. It's a great way to meet people in a new area. I agree with you. I NEVER give anyone any tips or advice unless they specifically ask me for it. I had some regular playing buddies in Virginia I played with a lot. One guy, a really good golfer, was having a terrible day. Finally on hole 16 he hit a terrible shot and turned to me and asked, "what the heck am I doing wrong?" and I replied very simply with what I saw different compared to his normal swing. He put another ball down and hit it beautifully. He looked at me and asked, "Why didn't you tell me that 16 holes ago?" and I replied, "You didn't ask." I played with a guy several weeks ago and I was only 1 over par through 13 holes. I usually hit a very consistent draw and suddenly started blocking it out to the right on 14 - 18. Ended up shooting a 75, but on every shot the guy kept telling me I was blocking it out to the right and his thoughts as to why. Well, I knew that and I knew why, I just couldn't stop it because I was tired. Hands getting low at the top of the backswing, coming in from too far inside, and I was swaying back a little too. I agree with you, It was annoying.

I play exclusively with a set of irons made my RAM in 1980. Golden Ram Frequency Matched Tour Grind muscle back irons . 2 iron - PW. I bought the set off ebay for $50 14 years ago to practice ball striking on the range. The more I practiced with them, the more I loved them. I started playing practice rounds with them and absolutely fell in love with being able to work the ball either direction and more than anything being able to control trajectory. The feel was amazing, especially pitch and chip shots inside 100 yards with the wedge. Spin was great too. I've now been playing with them for over 12 years. I've had other sets of irons over the last 20 years, and I always choose these. Just sold several other sets of irons I never used and just kept these. My handicap is down to 2.5 and I have shot two under par rounds in the last month. Back in the day, RAM was ahead of their time. An off the shelf set of frequency matched, balanced, weighted, and spine-aligned clubs was high end. That's why they feel so consistent all the way through the set. New irons today are just epoxied so the shaft logos all are turned the same direction. Just pumping out expensive mass produced irons with no thought to frequency matching, balancing, weighting, lofts, spine alignment of shafts, etc. I had a set of irons once that I loved the 7 irons and pured it a mile, but the 5 irons I couldn't hit for anything. The others were inconsistent. Come to find out, it had to do with inconsistency of weight, balance, and spine alignment of the shafts So, in the end I bought a really nice set of expensive irons back in the day on the cheap because people dismiss them and the demand is low. Once I tried them, I'll never play anything else. Granted, given the loft differences between older irons and newer irons, I don't hit them as far as some newer sets, but I know the distances I hit them and they are consistent. My distances on full shots are: P 115 9 125 8 140 7 155 6 170 5 185 4 200 3 215 2 230 I also play with a Ping Zing putter I've had for over 20 years. I also play with a new RBZ Driver, a Cobra Super Steel 3 wood, and a Mizuno 17* hybrid. And a Titleist Vokey 54* SW.

-2, 70. My best score in many years...although I played with a co-worker who doesn't play often and we played the white tees.

I visualize the trajectory I want to achieve while keeping a smooth, fluid, rythmic tempo.

I think "Yes" you can get to a +3 without killing yourself in the process. One question: Have you ever been at that level of play in the past? I'm 44 and share many of your current standings. My driver distance is about the same as yours. I can occasionally eek out a 300, mostly 270 - 290. I also do not practice much nor play a ton anymore. That seems to help me more than practicing a ton. I will go to the practice green and chip and putt twice per week for about 30 - 45 minutes. Go to the range and work on ball striking once per week and play once per week. That's not a lot. The differences for me are I hit a fair number of fairways. I also pitch and chip really well and putt a little better than average. I also have good course management skills as far as strategically working my way around a course playing to my strengths and not taking crazy risks. My stats show I struggle more with GIR when using mid irons than anything else, but my short game consistency keeps me able to shoot low 70s rounds. I'll shoot 72 - 75 70% of the time, 76-78 20% of the time, and 79-82 10% of the time when nothing seems to be clicking at all. One big difference for me is I used to be a 1.2 Handicap over a period of 10-15 years ago. I played 4 times a week and practiced more than that. I slowed down and even stoped playing for a period of a couple years because of job, kids, and a series of health problems (knee and foot). I got back into the swing of things a couple years ago and really started working on it the last year. My current handicap is 5 and steadily coming down. For me, I can shave 2 more strokes off of my handicap by playing a little more and practicing just a little more. I think having played at that level before certainly helps getting back to that point.

I've played 4 different courses the last two weeks. Since moving to Florida in December, I've probably played 25 different courses. After playing the same course to death the last 14 years, I am really enjoying playing the variety of courses here.

+5 75 today. Birdied the last two holes to shoot that. Putter was working well when I finally got in a position to use it. Chipping and the feely inside 100 wedge shots just were not there today. Hit a couple good ones. Mid irons were pretty good. Driver was all over the place.

Shot a +3 74. Driver was unpredictable and irons were not crisp. Chipping and putting were pretty good though. I had the less than 100 yard wedge shots working very well today. I'm milling around with different combinations of irons from three different sets.

Several years ago I went on a golf trip to Pinehurst NC with a large group of buddies. Golf all day, cards all night. We had multiple team and individual games with stakes riding on them. The first day, I was on fire. I was pounding the ball and my short game was dialed in. I shot a 77 on a super tough course the first time I had seen it. I was totally feeling it. At this time, I was a single digit handicap but had been on a lull and not playing a whole lot for a couple of months. The next day, all of a sudden, I couldn't hit an iron to save my life. I mean, the low push, the hozzel rocket, the it looks like I've never picked up a club before, it rhymes with thanks. Full shots, chips, off of tees, fairway, it didn't matter. And the bad part was I had 2 more days of golf to go. After that trip was over, I didn't even think about playing golf for a month. Another month I thought about it, but didn't do it. Slowly, I got back out to the range and course and worked through it. To this day, I have no idea what happened and it hasn't happened since. But lurking in the back of my mind, the experience of that couple days is still lingering. It's like golf voodoo or something.

Try choking up on the club a bit.

People used to tell me "nobody can hita 1 iron" all the time. I guess my brain never got the message. If it works for you, there's no reason not to hit it.