mellojoe

Ditto. Ditto. #1) If you are spending $75 a week, that means you are hitting 10 big buckets a week. My guess is that you are hitting one, hitting one, hitting one, hitting one, etc. Try a full shot routine. Leave all the balls in the bucket. Reach down, pick up one ball. Tee it up (or place it in the grass for "approach" shots). Step back, and aim your shot. Pick a target. Do your practice swing. Setup and stepup to the ball. Do your waggle. Swing. Hold your finish. Watch the ball all the way until it hits the ground and watch it all the way until it stops rolling. Relax. Determine what you liked / didn't like about that shot. Step back. Make a mental note: were you on target? Finally, reach down and pick up another ball and start again. You'll get MORE out of each shot. And you'll get an opportunity to translate what you are doing at the range into what you are doing out on the course. You won't need as many buckets of balls, and you'll get more accomplished. #2) GET A LESSON! Trust me. From the guy that didn't want to spend money on them (and why I started adopting #1 as well, since it was cheaper). I can't tell you how important even one lesson is. You can swing a club a million times, but unless you have someone just standing there watching you may not realize what you are doing well or what you are doing inconsistently. An observer's experienced set of eyes will pay off for you big time. At $75 a week, you could get one lesson each week. By the end of the year, instead of ingraining flaws into your swing, you could drop tons of strokes off your handicap and become much more consistent. I would LOVE the opportunity to do that. In fact, I will be. My wife just offered to pay for 5 lessons for me. Its much better than me just "guessing" out at the range or on the course. It will be quality time spent with someone to monitor all the good / bad things I'm doing and help me to correct them. I guess that's the whole point. QUALITY over Quanity. Good luck!

I wanted to bring this thread back up, because it is still a bit of a problem for me. It comes and goes. #1) I first look at my grip, as was suggested. That has been the culprit of adding SLICE to the problem. As long as my grip is proper, I eliminate most of my slicing problems. #2) The other fixes (keeping good alignment and ball position + focusing on a straight take-away) have helped my overall contact with the ball in general, but they haven't fixed this particular problem that crops up. I still push sometimes. I played a little the other day with a guy and he mentioned a couple of times the "towels under the armpit" drill. Now, he's a scratch golfer who's been playing for 40 years. I remember seeing that drill, but I've never taken lessons so I've never tried anything like that. I re-read this thread, and I see this being mentioned again. I'm going to go back out and focus on the arm-body connection. Its been mentioned here a couple of times, but I looked right past it. Now, through re-reading, I think I may need to put work here. So, I wanted to thank you all again for your tips, and I'm going to try this drill. Put a towel in my right-side arm pit and be sure that the towel doesn't drop throughout the swing. That will help reinforce Hogan's rule of the arm-body connection. Right?

When i didn't know what I was doing, I was using a baseball style grip, only because that was a sport I was comfortable playing from my youth. When I had a quick freebie lesson, the guy taught me an overlapping grip and it worked brilliantly the first couple of times I used it, so I've kept it. However, I've never had many formal lessons, so I don't know the benefits / pitfalls of any grip.

I have to play mulligans. If I didn't, I'd have 5-hour 9-hole rounds. As a beginner, I'm just not consistent. I'm getting significantly better and I rarely have to take a mulligan off the tee anymore. Maybe once per 9 holes, and thats only if I mishit it so bad that my 2nd shot would be nearly impossible to get back to the fairway. Just because its short, or off in the rough a bit, or in a fairway bunker... those aren't mulligans for me. Those are normal hits, so I take them. But, I usually keep two spare balls in my back pocket just in case I totally screw up a shot and send it into the pond, I can just drop another one and swing again. (For me, its like picking up the 10th stroke. If I'm hitting 10, I'll just pick it up and move on to the next hole. No sense holding everyone up. Thank goodness that is getting better.)

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the support. I just wish there was a film crew to capture that stuff when it happens. OH! And I figured out a trick with my irons. It REALLY helps if you square your face up before you swing. I realized that I wasn't paying attention to exactly where the club face was at set-up and sometimes I would be way closed, causing all kinds of mis-hits. When I took a moment to look at the club, I realized my error. So, take a moment, pay attention, and be sure your club face is square before you do anything.

That's a good feeling. Adds confidence, too. Now, I just wish someone would say that about me. Mostly I just hear.... "wait, what sport are you playing?"

A great day yesterday. Went out and played evening golf with a customer / friend. We started off pretty poor, but then it turned into a GREAT day. I'm a beginner, mind you, and I'm averaging Double-Bogey per hole, with several triples and a handful of single Bogey's. Single-bogey is a good hole for me, especially on the Par 5's. We were playing in the evening, so after hole 6, we jumped to hole 15 to come back to the clubhouse for the finish. Kingswood Golf Course in Bella Vista, Arkansas, on 08-14-08. #15 is a Par 4. I was on in 3 with a 1 putt. My very first ever Par. Legitimate par, no gimmie putts, no "preferred lie", no mulligans. Just a solid bit of golf. 3-wood off the tee with the wind at our backs. Landed right on the 100-yard marker. Right next to it. I didn't know you could move them, and almost bent my 7-iron on the follow-through. But, I put it right on the fringe from there. A quick chip with my 8-iron... I guess you call that a bump-and-run using an almost putter-like stroke. That put me within 5 feet, and I putted it out for the Par. #17 is a Par 5. First shot went right, took a lucky bounce off the cart path, and ended up just off the fairway, a good 275 yards to go. 2nd shot wasn't perfect. I used my old all-metal 5-wood and punched it about 125, leaving nearly a full 150 left to the green. Same club, easy swing. I just wanted to get it close and let it roll. My target is 1-over Par, so I want to be on the green on a Par 5 in 4 strokes. However, I hit it perfect, and she bounced in the short stuff in front of the green, and rolled on. Not only did it roll on, it rolled to within 7 feet. I couldn't believe it. My first legitimate chance for Birdie. I'll NEVER underestimate the little pressures of sinking a birdie putt ever again. It wasn't overbearing pressure, or crazy nervousness... but it was a little extra thought in the back of my head. Sink it. Sink it. Sink it for Birdie. Well... I didn't. Missed it by a little. Sank the Par Putt. Too bad I missed the Birdie. But I was ECSTATIC to have such a great hole. GIR on a Par 5? Unheard of for me. A real birdie putt on a Par 5? Insane. TWO PARS ON THE SAME DAY?!?!? Priceless. A happy day that I just had to share.

Dent, When you play, do you play with other guys your age? Or do you play with an older crowd? Or do you play with old geezers like I do? Sometimes the pressure of the group you are with causes your ego to get on edge. I play with a bunch of retired old geezers who play from the #3 tees (#1 being the longest, #4 being the shortest). There is no such thing as "EGO" with these guys. They just laugh it up. It is no problem for me to pull out my 3-W. Now that I've gotten comfortable with it, it is easier to pull out the 3W with the more .... "ego centric" crowd that always remark on who's drive was the longest. And its amazing how I can (on a good 3W drive) keep up with the guys playing Driver. A ball in the fairway rolls a lot further than balls in the rough. Try finding an excuse to pull out your 3-Wood. You'll eventually get comfortable doing it in front of people. Its definately an "intellect" choice and not an "ego" choice. And its hard. Try leaving your Driver at home one day? Say you were cleaning it and you "accidentally" forgot to put it back in your bag. Laugh it off, shrug it off, and see what happens. Then next time you cay say you were "on" with your 3-W and wanted to keep the "magic" flowing. The guys may say something silly, but you'll shut them down when you are hitting more and more birdies. Good luck and Have fuN!

I have read about a lot of Pro's playing a course backwards, from the hole to the tee. Find your "go-to" shot: lets say 100-yards with a 9i. So, for example: 450-yard, par 5. We know that we want to be hitting our 3rd shot from 100 yards out. So, our 1st and 2nd shots need to cover 350 yards total. 3w + 5i? Those are nice easy shots, with lots of confidence behind them. So, why NOT take them? Or, same example, except with a "go-to" shot of a 50-yard Wedge. 450-yard, Par 5. 3rd shot will befrom 50. 1st + 2nd needs to cover that 400 yards. Driver + hybrid? Now, we need the big stick because we need the first shot to go past 200 yards and hopefully approach 250 yards to ensure our 2nd shot will put us in range of our "go-to" shot. That's the course management as I understand it.

Either way, both seemed to be great days at the course. Good job!

I think the poll would need to break up the 200-260 selection. I hit it 200 to 220, usually. 240 on a great drive. However, as a beginner, I'm rarely consistent with my Driver, and I pick up a slice real easy. So, I use my 3-wood most often. My 3-wood goes dead straight 150 to 180 regularly. I'd rather hit that then slice my Driver. Not super long distances by any measure, but I'm happy.

Well, whatever it is.... I like it. I guess I'll just call it the "Gazelle". Its so much fun to hit.

Its not too terribly large, and its all metal.

This is my goal, as well. I'm definately NOT a distance player, and my Driver is the worst club in the bag. So, I spend a lot of time with my irons. 3-wood off the tee, then hybrid or 5-iron from then on. The 3-wood is the only wood I carry. (Well, now this really old 5-wood that's an all-metal thingy that plays more like an iron-hybrid). PS: To play Bogey Golf, flirting with 90 on a regular basis, you simply get an extra shot from the tee box. So, on a Par 4, if you hit the Green in 3, you are playing Bogey Golf. Even a 450-yard Par 4 is simply 180 + 150 + 120. That's 3-wood + hybrid + 7 iron for me. So, technically, Bogey Golf is simple. Its just planning backward from the hole. Find a "Go-To" shot (maybe that's your 100-yard 9-iron), then back up from there to make sure you set yourself up for that shot. If your "Go-To" is a 20 yard pitch, then set yourself up for that. example 350 yard Par 4. Go-To Shot: 50 yard pitch. Landing Zone is now at 300. To be on the green in 3 (Bogey Golf, under 20 handicap), we have 2 shots to cover 300 yards. 150 + 150 will get you there (5-iron + 5-iron?). 200 + 100 will get you there (3-wood + 9-iron?). That's your plan. Execute.

Played yesterday. On the last hole, Par 3, I hit it short and bouced a little to the right. I pitched on, and rolled it right near... a hornet's nest. It was just a collection of mud and dirt about 10 feet from the hole with 2 hornets just buzzing around it. And of course, to try putting meant putting my butt right next to them, with my back turned. I yelled to the guys I was with, "if one of them comes at me let me know before it gets me!" I eased in, putted quick, missed the hole, and ran away. Ended up putting it in for Bogey. Still a very good hole for me (double-Bogey average, and really bad 6 and 7 on the two previous Par 3's). Stupid hornet.

Wait... lessons on the mats, but playing on a course? That's something I struggled with, too. One driving range I went to mostly just had mats. They are VERY different to hit off of then grass. I couldn't do anything wrong on the mats, but I couldn't do anything right on the course. I think your next lessons need to be on grass. This will give your wife (and you) a better representation of what you can do to translate the lessons to the course. GOOD LUCK!

A little more than a year ago, I bought a used set of clubs off of a guy I work with for real cheap. It was probably about 20 clubs plus a bag. Now, I'm playing more and I'm really starting to get a feel for how I swing the different clubs. I still tee-off with my 3-Wood, since my Driver is inconsistent, except for my slice. The 3-wood I hit fairly straight and somewhat consistent. Then, my next club in my bag was my 5-iron. So, I had quite a gap as to what I could play. 3-wood, then 5-iron on down. I felt like I needed more options. So, I bought a 3-hybrid (Bridgestone 21*) from a guy here, and started playing with it. I like it, I really do. However, digging through my assortment of random clubs that I originally bought in that full bag, I was suprised to find a 60* lob wedge... and this other club. My new favorite club. I think its just an older 5-wood. But, I can hit this thing all day long. Its long. Its straight. I'm consistent with it. I swing easy, and I connect consistently with it. It is now my go-to club. I just can't believe how easy this thing is to hit, and how well the ball jumps off the club. (Not to say that I'm an excellent golfer with it... I'm still just a horrible beginner. But, its just impressive that I have a club that I can hit so consistent.) Its so perfect for me, its unbelievable. Can anyone tell me what it is, exactly?

HA! That's funny. We have a Geese problem this year. They're all over the place. Mostly they just scurry away, but they've been getting braver and braver. Nothing like being attacked by a swan though. Goodness.

Put a clothes dryer sheet ... you know those static-cling sheets ... in your pocket. Scented ones are best. The non-static chemical used on those repels small bugs and they don't like the smell. I don't mean it PHYSICALLY repels them, like they would be bouncing off of you. But, that they don't like that chemical and the smell, so they avoid you.

When I played last Sunday afternoon, I started to wish I had a second glove. It was 99 degrees with a ton of humidity, so I started pouring sweat while we were out there. My shirt was soaked, my poor towel was being used as a sweat rag instead of cleaning my clubs. My glove-free hand kept getting sweat on it, making it hard to hold the clubs.

Played a little yesterday. I now turned my Push into a Push-Slice. I'm going backwards. I did find out, though, that the local Pro up here charges very little for member lessons. I think I'm going to take him up on it. We live in a retirement community with a hefty POA board, so they give lots of stuff free to members. So, I think I'll be scheduling some lessons soon. I'm just not consistent and I've lost most of my sense of comfort over a ball. Not that I was good... but I'm just a beginner and its time to get some real lessons.

Physics would dictate that if a ball doesn't roll, then it has enough backspin to counteract the forward momentum.

Leo Fiyalko is 92 and legally blind. It just took a 5 iron for the 110 yard hole. He got his first hole in one in his 60 year career and couldn't even see it. Margaret Waldron, a 74 year old legally blind lady scored a hole-in-one in 1990, then did the same thing the next day using the same ball! The blind are hitting holes in one. I can't hit the green in two!

I have to. I've only been playing for a short while, so I need to practice on my alignment. On the course I often don't trust my alignment, so the club on the ground helps me to learn what to look for when I'm lined up properly.

Set your feet the same, and you can get close just by looking at the backswing in relation to your toes. Short putt: on the backswing, the putter head can go to your big toe of the back foot. Medium putt: on the backswing, the putter head can go to your pinky toe. Long putt: on the backswing, the putter shaft can go to your knee The follow through is supposed to be the same. These are tips that I've read, and I'm not a good player by any means. But, this helped my putting go from nothing to at least halfway decent.