-
Posts
17 -
Joined
-
Last visited
About Hankster
![](https://thesandtrap.com/uploads/monthly_2015_11/ug_member.png.68e40c134104f8e70e7db7f7ea1ec85e.png)
- Birthday 11/30/1976
Personal Information
-
Your Location
Washington DC
Your Golf Game
- Index: 16
Hankster's Achievements
-
At the range my 9i hits around 135. On the course my 9i hits around 120 consistently.
-
Annoying Things Golfers Say and Do on the Course
Hankster replied to Lag Rag's topic in Instruction and Playing Tips
1. People who talk too much. 2. People who talk at the wrong times. 3. People who aren't aware of the situation (standing in the wrong position, too close to someone's ball, shadow, etc). 4. People who try to give advice when none is requested. 5. People who get too angry over bad shots. 6. Groups who play too slow. 7. People/Groups who don't allow faster groups/players play through. -
Grabbing the green with putter. Help please!
Hankster replied to AnthonyGraziano's topic in Golf Talk
A few points you may want to consider: 1. Make sure to take several practice swings prior to putting. 2. Keep your head/eyes over the ball and not too angled. 3. Your grip should be solid and not "light". I always grip my putter lower than normal, it works well for me. 4. When putting use less wrist (actually almost none) and more arm and shoulder in the swing. -
The story behind my two grips is long and complicated. In short, my iron grip consists of more hand contact with the club whereas my driver grip has less contact and is on a slightly different angle (fingers are tighter on driver, more spread out on iron). Also, my thumb placement for my irons and driver are different. Both my thumbs are directly in line in my iron grip, my thumbs are slightly off-set in my driver/wood grip. The latter is the more "correct" grip if you look at instructional videos. I had to adjust my grip long ago because of several factors, specifically the length of my arms. I'm 5'10" with very long arms, I can almost touch the top of my knee without bending over. As you can imagine this effects the distance the ball is from your body. Because of my arm length I've worked out a system where I grip my irons with the ability to make it very compact. My iron swing is extremely sort and fast. My driver swing is long and a bit slower. The slower swing does decrease distance, but the accuracy is pretty good. On a good day my driver goes 240-250 (TM Burner). At the range I've managed 270 with the driver, but it's not consistent. The other adjustment I had to make was for my back. I'm a fireman and I threw my back out four years ago, then again last year. I've had to change my grip so I can get the proper angle with the club without injuring my lower back. For those who have had back problems, you know once you have them they never go away. This was a huge reason why I changed grips for my driver. I'm pretty happy with my swing even though they're not perfect. They're close enough for me :) Out of everything the thing that helped me knock off several strokes was the range. I got in there and practiced - a lot. When I'm working on something serious, I go off to the corner or the top level where there's no one around and just practice. Also, filming has been so key for me. It's ridiculous how much I've learned about my swing just by looking at myself.
-
I used to have this problem and when I got serious about golf I learned a few things about my stance and swing that may help you. 1. Your back. I never realized how not straight my back was until I started recording myself at the range. Keeping your spine straight while leaning over was key to giving me a very consistent swing. I also had to focus on not dropping my head towards the ball. You can keep your eyes on the ball without dropping your head. 2. Gripping. I use two different grips (probably not a good thing). One for my irons and one for my driver/woods. Before, I would use the same grip for both my irons and driver/woods. This resulted in amazing iron shots but unpredictable driver/woods shots. This frustrated me to the point where I was using my 3i to tee off. What I did was change my grip to be very consistent for my irons and driver/woods. 3. Practice. The old saying "practice makes perfect" is true. As a prior serious athlete in high school and college I loved practice, because I knew I was getting better because of it. I look at golf the same way. I started hitting the range 2-3 times a week regularly, sometimes even 4 times a week. But, the key is not to just hit balls with your driver. The key for me was to have a training plan. Every time I hit the range there's an agenda in my head, what I want to work on. Some days I'll focus solely on short irons, then others long irons. Other days I'll focus only on property grip, swing, and stance. This way I'm not worried about how far the ball goes because that comes in time once you have the swing down. Also, never swing at the range like you're at a shooting range. Take your time between shots to relax and focus. I try to focus on one ball at a time instead of thinking "Oh, I have 50 more balls...if this shot goes right I don't care". 3a. Range training plan. One thing I'll never understand are the folks who don't have their swing down yet and they start off the range with their driver. It's the hardest club to swing and if you don't have a good swing it's the worse club to start a session with. I always start with my 9i and work my way down to 3i. And, I hit the proper amount of balls for the club I'm working with. For instance I warm up hitting 3 balls with my 9i, then 4 with my 8i, 5 with my 7i, etc. Because longer clubs are harder to swing I give more balls to them. It just works for me. 4. Select clubs smart. If you're unsure of your 4i, then hit your 6i. When I'm on the course and my 3i is not working for me I always fall back to my trusty 6i that I can hit 175-195 regularly. I'd rather be out of the woods and short 30 yards than in the woods. Shot selection is key when playing on the course and I've learned to sacrifice distance for accuracy - cause accuracy wins :) Everyone is different so my experiences may not work for you, but they really changed my game tremendously.
-
The biggest thing I notice is you're turning your head. Your head should be still as possible and eyes are on the ball. If your head is turning right along with your shoulder, this means you're not leaning over enough with a straight back. I can't tell from this video, but if you're hunching over your shoulders force your head to turn. Your head should always be straight and eyes looking down. Also, it seems your arms are tense and you're locking your elbows. During your stance loosen up your shoulders and arms, then relax then before swinging.
-
where should I go to have my clubs re-gripped?
Hankster replied to jgreen85's topic in Clubs, Grips, Shafts, Fitting
I've never gripped my own clubs, I've always headed to the local shop. This summer I used Golfsmith and it was easy. I brought them in mid-day and they gripped them within 20 minutes. Yeah, there's a fee but it's a service. From what I see grips are the cheapest way to better your game and it does have a huge impact on your swing. For $70-80 you can regrip your entire bag. Well worth it. -
I lay on an electric heat pad every night and sometimes in the mornings before getting it. It really loosens up my back muscles. They're only $25-$35 at the convenience store and worth every penny.
-
Being a fireman and a guy who sprinted for eight years in school, I can tell you there's a huge difference between water and soda (even diet). I'm also a track & field coach. If you're looking for simple hydration go with water because it's clean. Soda, even diet, has ingredients your body has to filter out. It's not the best way to hydrate. If you're playing for long periods of time (over 2 hours) drink some sports drink also. Or, you can mix both sports drink and water. Also, you're metabolism does increase when you intake anything that's not at body temperature. So, drinking cold water does burn more calories than drinking room temperature water. But, in reality the difference is very minimal.
-
I enjoy using the Gamer balls also, they're always in my bag. I particularly like them early morning or when it's a little wet outside.
-
When I started out I played by myself often, and was paired with others often. All you have to do to ease the stress is simply tell them upfront that you may not be very good. 90% of golfers will understand and don't mind playing with you. This also puts you at ease after hitting a bad shot, and less tension on you to hit a good one to impress. A perfect example: I pulled a muscle in my back two months ago. The first time I went back on the course I was paired with three guys. I told them right away that it was my first time back from a back injury. I hit well, but had a few shots that went wide. They didn't mind at all.
-
100% agree with DaSportsGuy. When I started I held my club like that, straight with elbows locked. This stance works, but it's not ideal. You need to relax your arms and drop them straight down. Your arms and club should not be in a straight line to the ball. Check out any PGA players teeing off and you'll notice their arms "fall down" from their shoulder.
-
Upgraded my golf shoes four months ago to the Addidas Tour 360. I was a little hesitant of the price tag (got them before the price drop to $150), but I needed a good shoe. Went with the wide model. Can honestly say it's the most comfortable golf shoe I've ever worn.
-
I was at Dicks this past weekend, there's a postcard ad above all the sets that this deal applies to. Not sure it's advertised online though.