David Hineline

Can't you hit full iron shots? I hit my three most of the time because it's the hardest to hit flush. Have you tried the Martin Ayers drill? It's the perfect drill! It's one of the links when my vid ends.

Wish i had this right now.

Really cold but worked on the swing before the snow hit. This is the Martin Ayers drill

Quote: Originally Posted by David Hineline A video of me utilizing the net. Swing speed is about 85%. Nice and smooth 3 irons. 2 hours after this vid I hit 3 iron to 6 feet at 215 yards with this swing at 90%. The Secret in the Dirt web underground and my net are my greatest assets right now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMsU54bjwZc&list;=HL1358207449&feature;=mh_lolz

I haven't experimented but have been concerned that they can shattered glass. They seem hard enough and have enough mass to break a window. As far as ball flight I get great feedback with a full swing when the ball is compressed right. I think it's pretty obvious that a push fade or hook is going to put you in trouble weather using a real ball or the Almost Golf ball which is why i think it's a great training tool.They mimic almost exactly my misses which is a push fade off the tee and a slight hook with my short irons.

Man, I love practicing in the wind. I think it really helps you learn how to flight the ball. The best practice I get with my driver is at the high school football field which is a 1/4 mile from me. I can hit dead into a prevailing wind with the Almost Ball using the hash marks to line up a "fairway". After multiple trips to the range and putting about 1/3 of my tee balls into trouble on the course this year, this was the trick that taught me how to hit the driver flush and straight. I don't recommend hitting the driver into the net unless you are having trouble just making contact. You can hit 100 balls into the net and think you are hitting it well and maybe you are making good contact but you will have no idea what your ball flight is and where the ball is going unless you have the simulator or monitor. Way to high a margin of error with the metals.

Definitely hitting foam balls into the net would be almost worthless other than to practice swinging the club. I don't even recommend the Almost Ball into the net unless you are inside using Optishot. As far as missing the net goes. I have shanked quite a few balls in my net and the shank flies off at about a 45 degree angle and it has always stayed in the net surround. Don't practice anything higher than a 52 degree wedge and I don't do it much unless I am playing it back in my stance. The key to the net is to forget about missing it and just start hitting the ball like you would on the course or at the range. You can buy an adequate net for under 100.00. You can also buy just the netting and make a pvc pipe frame dirt cheap. There are many ways to do this.

Next for me is the camera setup but will start with my little Nikon Coolpix. A video of my swing will probably show some glaring issues that need corrected. I actually think seeing ball flight would be important for video work to get a baseline of what the swing actually produces. Anyone know if any swing coach's have an internet site that you can send video in for a small fee for quick analysis? Seems like a good little business for someone.

I had to take the net down because of snow last week but when I set it back up I am going to hang a thin strip of fabric or whatever to aim at. Say 4-6 inches wide and about 6-8 feet from where I am hitting. If you can hit that and you aren't putting any side spin on it then you are basically hitting it at the target. My accuracy was great right before the snow. I was hitting my 60 degree from about 30 yards with the Almost Ball over the weekend and probably hit 300 wedges. 12 holes in one, 6 on the fly and some even sucked back into the hole. I also dinged the pin about 10 times and riddled the area around the cup with marks leaving the ball around 1-2 feet away dozens of times.

Wifffle's will help you develop a swing in a tight area. They aren't completely worthless and can give you "some" ball flight feedback. They are better than swinging at air all the time. The next step is the dimpled foam ball then the Almost Ball if you have enough room. Use these to learn to swing, learning ball flight control and most importantly, hitting the ball to a target. Use the net just for finding a swing that produces consistent, solid ball contact. Do this for a month and if you feel like you are coming along well go to the range and fine tune what you have learned. That is what I did and was blown away by my accuracy and my solid ball striking. When I used to just go to the range it would take quite a few balls to just feel like it was hitting it well. I have not mentioned this in previous posts but at this point in my comeback to the game, which is 18 months after nearly 15 years away from golf, I am mainly concerned with building the skills and tools to score well. I golf every few weeks but I am not ready to score well and have about a ten handicap at this point. I hope to drop 5 off that by next year at this time. By far I am way more driven to developing my short game and being able to consistently hit solid shots on the sweet spot every time then go shoot an 82. I quit the game because I was sick of playing below my abilities but didn't have the time to improve so when I decided to start again I took it serious enough to build a way to practice at home. Next year it all gets tested and I will focus on getting through 18 holes of golf with minimal mistakes and capitalizing on scoring opportunities. That is a different game altogether...mental, but if you don't have the mechanics down you can't even begin to tackle the mental game.

I am a former golf course supt but don't let that scare you. If you have ever planted grass successfully you can have a putting green. The short course is as follows: I took my lawnboy and started cutting through the existing lawn down to stubble and raked it off. I then brought in a few tons of sand and shoveled and broomed the area smooth about 2 inches deep. I planted L-93 bentgrass and watered a few times a day. I found an old Ransomes walk behind greensmower and started grooming the surface fairly quickly because I wanted to start putting and chipping. I had to add new seed every month or so until it was filled in. Fertilized every few weeks. Sprayed fungicides monthly. The way I did this is totally different then when I built greens on the golf course but I didn't have 20K to spend. It cost me a few hundred dollars which included the mower. If you live down south you would sprig champion bermuda or similar and you could do it much the same. My superintendent friends would cringe and I have had problems keeping the grass happy all the time but I putt and chip everyday and improve my game so what do I care if I have a few dead spots every now and then. It is the greatest home landscaping project I have ever done and I use it every day. I look forward to getting home from work to practice and waking up on the weekends to mow for a few minutes and begin practice. There is a bit of a learning curve to all this but that is what google is for!

I love the new office set up. Now maybe you can get some real work done! Sounds like the Mrs. catches on quickly. Might as well pick up an Optishot to go with the new net!

I have found that hitting a driver into a net or blanket provides little feedback so I wouldn't bother with it and just hit your irons over and over again until they all feel flush. Sounds like you have a concrete floor. Find an old quilt or something to throw on the floor to deaden the balls when they drop off the blanket.

That's exactly right. I search for one thing when I hit into the net, that soft feel of a flushed iron! Feels like hitting a marshmallow whereas not hitting it flush can feel like you're hitting rocks. Once I can hit it flush every time then I can worry about distance control and accuracy. I try to get to the range every few weeks and it's so nice to have most things worked out in advance and not waste a 1/2 bucket of balls just trying to hit it solid. I know what you mean by adjusting to grass. It usually doesn't take much but I have learned that unless I hit a grass range before I get to the course I will take "several" practice swings from my first approach shot on the first hole. I have fatted a few and started the round off bad.