Dave2512

I need serious help 3 putting is becoming a regular thing for me. I shot 42 last night on what was arguably my best ball striking day in 2 years, maybe ever with one exception, and 3 putted four freaking times after hitting 8 GIR. I was knocking it 10 -12 feet by the hole. Now I had some long downhill putts but sheesh. The one green I missed was because I literally had my once in a season duff drive to the red tees. I stuck a 58 wedge to 4 feet and missed that putt to save par after that and just barely it stopped one roll short. Everything I else I smashed by the hole. Had to make some 8 footers to save par only easy 2 putts I had were legit birdie chances. Last 8 rounds have all had at least one 3 putt usually 2 and the holes that don't are usually because I chipped it somewhat close.

18Birdies

One shot from a bunker and the finish would be toast. I prefer unfinished wedges, no chrome, no anything let them rust.

You can get an extension to make it whatever length if you don't like it. And so can anyone else that might want it later. A couple bucks at Golf Galaxy.

GIR stats for a 15 HC is roughly 4. If you are close to that it's probably not the clubs. For me my stats are very close to the averages for my handicap. There are some greens I "hit" and the ball doesn't stay on the surface and though I wish it would it doesn't because it was mishit, some worse than others. My best strikes fly high and come down steep. One thing I see often is many amateurs don't hit the ball very high and the angle of descent isn't optimal for sticking it. If you were fit do you still have your numbers? I'd look at the apex if you do.

I honestly don't play much different in every day wind, the 0-10 mph stuff is what I consider calm conditions. Over 10 mph and it requires small adjustments similar how I approach playing to an elevated green, it's a club or so. In winds over 20 mph where it's knocking down drives and blowing balls sideways is not an everyday occurrence any where I can think of. Just looked at Accuweather to see what going on in Lubbock and Scottsdale, 97 and sunny in TX with 12 mph wind and 97 and sunny in AZ with 6 mph wind. Here in CO it's 81 with 6 mph wind.

Hard to say but for similarly rated courses golfers with like handicaps should be similarly skilled if they accurately return scores. When you look at stats for ranges of golfers they tend to match up somewhat closely regardless of where they are located. My experience is my handicap travels well relative to course ratings. I don't expect to play as well a golfer with the same handicap that regularly plays courses rated 3 strokes higher than the course I usually play. Akin to the differences in golfers with the same handicap that play different tees. I'd be curious to know what value is assigned to prevailing wind because it's always windy here.

I have a 5h this season, which is basically a 9w and follows my 4h and 3h. It's right up there with wearing a granny chain thing on your glasses. Totally temporary though, as soon as I can move a little better, and faster, I'll go back to irons.

Last 3 since last post. 40 41 39 Three putts are a huge problem for me ATM. I think it's a combo of rust, inconsistent green conditions, unusual for our course hole placements and ball striking related bad position. Quite a few are after GIR with the ball on the wrong side of the green where I may have been in a better spot missing it closer to the hole and chipping it. Over the hole 40 foot putts to a hole in a depression where there is no way to stop it near the hole. Short or long it's a another downhill slider unless I miss it long to leave on a flat spot. Weird stuff like that.

Wax on, wax off, my new swing thought.

LOL yeah I get it. When the wind is so bad it's blowing balls off the green most people aren't out golfing. You basically answered you own question in your first post. If it was the worst round of your last 5-6 rounds, and you are trending down, you have a 5-6 round cushion before it does anything that would cause much movement. An 89 is a isn't an unusual score in your handicap range even if it's at the upper end. Though it sounds like you may be thinking an 89 in wind deserves extra credit. The only way to know for sure would be if a bunch of golfers on that course returned scores that day and it was determined there was a higher than usual scoring average. But you still have a bunch of golfers out there that have a wide variance of scores without or without unusual weather, tough to determine who is having a good day or bad and no way of knowing if the returned scores are honest. I doubt any factor that could be applied would be significant as it relates to handicap. What's the difference when you post an 82 or 89, just a couple tenths right.

IMO splitting hairs, especially for a guy like the OP playing to a 12.5 handicap, it is for me too. We don't hit exact enough shots to put that much thought into it. After a hole or two you get a feel for it and adjust. On a dead calm day, on the range in a controlled situation my shot scatter is a 25 yard oval (FlightScope) with a 7i. Armed with that knowledge it's a "guestimate" no matter what the wind is doing. I don't know what the data shows but for a player with scores that vary quite a bit without weather factors (my last 20 has a range 15 strokes). My scores in wind, rain or whatever still fall within that range. A good day in wind might be better than a day of bad bounces and poor shot decisions when it's calm. A windy day score wouldn't be something I would sweat regarding handicap. It's not permanent and if it's well above whatever my 11th best is unlikely it ever enters the calculation.

It's a wash unless you're playing in the same direction the entire time, which doesn't usually happen. Some holes wind will hurt and others it will help. Regardless for all but the very best there are other factors that affect how we score, wind or lack of doesn't change what I am capable of it just adds another element to consider. We played in 22 MPH winds last night on holes 10-13 and then it died to limp flag calm. Because of it my well struck drive on 10 left me a 193 yd shot to front edge on a 385 yard par 4. Much longer than usual for a well struck shot but not something I haven't faced often with mediocre shots when there is no wind. I made bogey which is average for that hole. On 11 the wind was helping and it's a 225 yd par 3 that I rarely hit the green, talking like 5% of the time and it's not uncommon to miss the green by 50 yds in any direction you can think of including short. With wind helping I clubbed down two and stuck it 10 feet from the flag and made par on a hole I often double. It goes both ways.

If it works for someone why not. He's kind of oversimplified why certain players sweat that shot. A better player is near the green in two on par 5's and trying to get up and down after missing GIR on a par 4. Higher handicap players are usually faced with that shot after hitting more than one previous bad shot trying to save bogey or worse. Something worse than yippy chipping got them there, the nerves are from trying to minimize the damage. If I was a couple feet from the green in two on a par 5 I am nothing but confident.

IMO it's probably as simple as different purposes, I don't use my wedges like a full swing club. There are so many variables with wedges, partial shots, stance alterations, funky lies and the touch that goes with all that. I have different shafts in my wedges it's just not the same thing. But I don't notice a different "feel" in the way the ball "feels" coming off the face with a full swing. So much of that is where on the face and the quality of the contact. Well struck full shots certainly feel similar.

I have no idea because I don't browse golf clubs often, can't remember the last time I was in a golf specific retail store. I have seen the lurkers in those places that seem fascinated by the shiny new objects. When I was in the market for clubs I read reviews and specs before heading out for a demo. Once I found a head that worked the real work was finding the right shaft. At this point I'm not splitting hairs when I have a club that needs replaced due to wear I buy the exact same thing or something very similar and chase down the shaft or pull my old one. Before anything I buy sees action unless I ordered it to spec I will have yanked the shaft and installed my grip of choice. My irons are 2013, I don't use a driver and for me it's all about the shaft with fairways and hybrids. I keep a stash of uncut shafts and new grips.

I've never seen one that was perfectly flat or any too uneven to affect stance. Sometimes I move to a spot where putting the ball slightly above or below my feet might have a slight effect on shot shape if I really have a need to curve it. But that's a very rare occasion.

Welcome! I've found the only consistency in golf is inconsistency until it gets to a very high level. Best thing I ever did regarding golf was learn to play and manage my miss. Being realistic about what result to expect helped me as I worked to improve ball striking. It still does. Due to a rib and back injury I am nearly 3 clubs shorter than I was 2 years ago and this season my scores have only crept up 2 strokes playing the same tees.

I keep my Bushnell attached to my bag 365, in the cold, heat, wherever. It's pretty sturdy and through three years never a problem. I seriously doubt the speed of use would ever be an issue when comparing GPS to a laser. I've used both and IMO a laser is quicker if you hit your target needing just that number. GPS can and does recalculate. I've been waiting for a green to clear, looked at it and looked again, watching it even as the points change. GPS is certainly more comprehensive on the fly giving front, center and back, yardage to obstacles etc. In that regard it's faster to aid in decision making when reality is the unskilled should need to plan for some degree of mishit. I don't think stick it on the flag I think hit it to the biggest, safest spot to give myself a chance to score.

These weren't noobs, I'd guess two are probably sub 15 handicap, one closer to 10. The guy that really bombed it was very inconsistent from the tee but he recovered every time I watched him. On one hole he followed a very poor drive with a fairway that put him near the green pitching right next to the other two that hit much better drives. He had to wait for the green to clear from 270 out on a par 4.

Yeah kind of like how anybody that won a couple and had some top 10's was the "new" Tiger a few years ago. The press proclaimed a new Tiger every couple of months until it was just a bunch of talented guys alternately winning. Rahm hasn't done anything yet that demonstrates he is going to distance himself from a very deep field.

40 Sat 42 Sun Putting is dreadful, two 3 putts Sun and 1 Sat.

I saw it happen three times yesterday, on the same hole with successive drives. On a 372 all three in the group ahead of me hit drives inside the signs pointing the carts back to the path near the green. They did yell fore and after following them for the rest of the front it was evident those drives were atypical for them. These were monster drives even cutting the corner, landed where the group ahead had hit their second shots and were chipping. On the very next driver hole the guy that nearly poked it on the green hit his first shot OB and his second drive was a pop up short of the fairway and left. Have never seen anything like it.

I'd have to see it to believe it. Most amateurs I see that play worse than mid single digit golf tend to complete their backswing and then some with elbow bending to move the arms more "up" in an attempt to create swing length. Even when I feel like I am stopping at waist level what I see on video it's well past that.

The male amateur tends to be a best case scenario golfer. I see guys that struggle to break 90, that maybe hit 5 shots a round that could be considered their very best ball striking type shots out of the 55-60 remaining strokes (excluding putts) and make every club choice on that 8-9% shot.