Skenny

Funny how it keeps coming back to this: Last two 9-hole rounds...... 46 and 44, for a total of, what else....... 90. This evening...... 44 - felt more than two strokes better than the 46. Had 3 Pars, 4 Bogeys, after doubling the first two holes. Would have been a 42 if two putts had each rolled 1/2 inch further. Sunday evening - 46 - 4 Pars and 5 Double Bogeys. I was nearly exhausted from cleaning my Mom's gutters (ladders, bleach/brush, pressure washer, etc.), about six hours worth. I believe there is a 13 handicapper trapped in my 20 handicap body.

First, the Good News: Over 9 holes..... hit 7 fairways, and on the Par 3s, hit one Green and parred the other. You can already see where the bad news is coming from. Had 3 pars, One DB, and five bogeys for a 43. Approach shots, chipping, and putting were generally horrendous. Four-putted one green just to keep from three putting, I guess. It's never all there on the same day. I've been saying, "If I could just hit some fairways......"

Firmly marooned in Bogey-land........ Shot 90 yesterday, with three pars, not much else. Immediately after scoring a par on the Par 5, # 3 hole, carded a 6 on the next hole, a Par 3. Knocked first tee shot OOB left, and the next OOB right....... Not unlike some range sessions, where I can get tripped up "shifting gears". Ex: at range, started off with 7i and 5H, knocked about 5 shots each pretty much where I wanted them. Pulled out 3H, and darn near miss the ball 4 consecutive shots. On the course, I hit some nice shots, but hard to hit several consecutive. I have made significant swing alterations over past two years and don't yet feel comfortable over the ball. Hit it farther when I hit it, but miss it too often. One positive is that my misses are better than they used to be.

I have only one concern about playing alone: If I ever get an Ace, that's probably when it will happen. Would prefer a witness......

Tonto, ....... interesting post, to me, because my 3H, 4W, 3W, and driver tend to bunch up around 185 - 205 yards. You are probably more consistent than me, but like you said, it does not seem reasonable. In my case (I'm 57 with below avg swing speed, 80s), I think it is attributable to a flaw (poor contact consistency, or could be partly due to something with clubs/shafts) that manifests itself more noticeably in the longer clubs due to less control of the club face. I know that "toe-hits' are part of it..... I can get relatively straight ball flight, but the toe hits don't go too far. When I do get pure contact with the driver (maybe 2 or 3x out of 10), it will carry 220 - 225 and roll out 240 or better. Probably half of my shots have some degree of top spin, side spin, sky-spin, toe-hit, and/or heel-hit tendencies, more so on the long clubs..... not so bad they go OOB, but enough to compromise distance.

"Perfect" bogey golf over nine holes (walked) Tues evening........ 45 strokes, five bogeys, two pars (on consecutive holes), two double bogeys. Hit some nice shots, lost only one ball. Very impressive Sunset. Life could be worse.

Thanks Brakkus. And I was kidding about not laying up. I often do it by "duffing:." I do lay up intentionally on a routine basis, and typically would not attempt to carry anything over 200 yards. I have not been overly score-conscious, though. I have gradually and grudgingly come to the conclusion that finesse/precision endeavors, including golf,will not be mastered by me. I have streaks, good and bad, and my challenge is to minimize the bad ones and maximize the good ones, but most importantly, accept that both will occur. I've never consistently broken 90, in 30 years of hacking. But in the past two years, I have gone through an overhaul, and have developed the game to break 90 on occasion. Like many here, if I could discard a hole or two per round and replace them with bogeys, I would do it consistently.

Shot a 70 today........... always want to leave it at that, but it was on a 2,900 yard, par 58 "Executive" course: 1 birdie, 6 pars, 9 bogeys. Slow start, nine over on the front, 3 over on the back, which included a five hole stretch of four pars and the birdie. Had several birdie opps, putting (and chipping) could have been better.

Brakkus, What does this mean? Also, I notice a difference between our tendencies... I often start better and struggle on the back nine. In fact, I often par two or three of the first few holes. Can't stand prosperity I guess, and I'm almost superstitious about the "first hole birdie" jinx. Oh yeah, and that course management stuff..... "I didn't come out here to lay up!"........ nor do I keep score very often. I keep track of pars, birdies, bogeys in my head, try to forget the rest.

I've been Playing Golf for: over 30 years My current handicap index or average score is: Avg score = 90-95 My typical ball flight is: atypical, sometimes it draws, sometimes fades, doesn't slice as much as it used to but I've been battling a nasty hook with Driver The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: Can't figure out why I am consistently hitting the ball high on the toe, but It's gotten a little better. Generally, versus two years ago, my misses now sometimes go relatively close to the target. Chronic out-to-in swing is better. Focusing on turning rather than sliding hips, Trying to relax my grip and slow down the backswing. Even if the scorecard won't admit it, my ball flight, a lot of the time, indicates my swing is better after two years here.. Videos: Sorry about slack time between swings. There are three swings: at :04 - ball flew well around :26 to :33? - A little out on the toe, a little shorter, but straight near the end, :46? - Hit on toe, blooped high and right https://vimeo.com/136791908

Still struggling for consistency, though..... I had a range session a few weeks ago where I hit nine of ten on the button. It's been difficult to translate that to the course. And yesterday, at the range, I might have hit two of ten decent, the rest going all over the place. It's going further when I hit it, but it's hard to make pars when you can't even put three consecutive shots together.

Sorry for delay. Catching up. Work interferes with lots......... The main thing I have done is begin employing a wrist cock, I guess it is called. I've been concerned I am flipping and may encounter negative repercussions long term, but the line between flipping and releasing is a little blurred. But at this point, by concentrating initially on cocking the wrists, where at the top of my backswing, the club is a little more toward the target, and coming to the ball with a little more looseness (relaxed), I am getting extra clubhead speed. I have also worked on slowing my backswing and turning rather than sliding hips on the backswing. But I am probably just getting to where most of you already are. I was woefully short before.

I recently found significant extra distance with a swing modification. It is more pronounced on shorter clubs, but noticeable throughout the bag. Gap wedge, for example, increased from about 75 yards to over 95, and 4-wood from 180 to 200. Not sure why it's not proportionate, but I'll take it. Problem in the short run on one of the Executive courses, par 62, is club selection. Haven't totally adjusted., so going over greens frequently. Thru 12, was 11 over, then injured a hamstring (recurring) on # 13 tee. Parred two holes after that hitting hybrid on short par 3s, basically from one leg. Wore out and rode in from # 16........ .

I con myself when I get mad on the course, usually after a succession of poor shots, the con residing in the belief that I am capable of avoiding such streaks over 18 holes.I should take the bad streaks with the good, and try to enjoy the game, rather than expecting to par or bogey every hole because I parred the first one.

Shot 41 over nine holes Saturday. Played 2900 yards from Gold tees. One birdie, 4 Pars. If I could do this over 18, I might move back to the whites. But I am old (57). And play with 60+ .........

Shot 71 today................ on a Par 58 Executive Course, 2900 yards. Nine Pars, and five bogeys. Had 4 putts lip out. Hit about nine GIRs, a couple of FIRs. Took one "poison ivy drop." It was under 98 degrees, so it could have easily been worse. Funny how I can play decent from 150 yards in on this course, then get on a regulation-length course and struggle from 150 yards in. Think it has something to do with swinging easy, and of course, teeing it up, if only a little.

Anybody can make pars going down the center of the fairway. Varying between brain dead and spastic, I shot 41-49 for a ninety last Friday, and hit no more than three or four GIR all day (two on the front nine). I one-putted 4 of the first 5 greens, and began getting funny looks from playing partner. I told him that when my putting came back to Earth, combined with my recently acquired habit of hitting the ball high off the toe of the club, it would revert to its normal overall ugly, inconsistent, highly annoying style of play. A ninety for me is very good, and it's amazing how ragged it looked and felt. It felt like 100. This game is too hard. I'd be awful skinny if I did it for a living.

I apparently have an ongoing tendency to slide my hips. I think that focusing on weight transfer contributes to this. How is weight effectively transferred if the head doesn't move, and the hips only pivot about a more or less fixed axis? It would seem that the weight of the arms and the club would be the only significant weight transferred............. unless, "pushing" off the back leg (around the start of the downswing) results in the transfer of weight, back to front, while restricting movement of the head and "sliding" of hips.....?

Swing has evolved from severe out-to-in, plus other symptoms, to a current problem, most pronounced with the driver, wherein I am consistently contacting the ball high and on the toe. I have tried lots of set-up adjustments, experimented with my prescription glasses, and have intentionally swung at an imaginary ball at a location that would compensate for my misses. Any improvements have been very temporary. although one adjustment I made has improved ball flight from a nasty pull hook to a weak, sometimes straight, often "skied right" trajectory. I have attached I video which shows two swings: the first resulted in sweet spot contact, the second was high and on the toe. I hope the quality is adequate, my player will advance it frame-by-frame. but any suggestions as to the problem/fix are most appreciated. I don't know why I can't make the needed adjustment, but the problem has been very consistent, or persistent.

Thorn, You are way ahead of the game if your confidence can be restored that quickly. I came to this forum because I was ready to quit, after 30 years of hacking combined with a recent resolve to improve (or quit).. Advice I received, particularly to seek professional instruction, has helped in making long term improvements. I still backslide periodically, but I now can often make adjustments mid-round to get back on track (or at least closer). The real point is, if you are like me, you are going to occasionally get frustrated, and sometimes even furious. If I could not at least try to put that behind me, and go on to the next shot, I need to quit, or at least take a break. Generally, there is no substitute for a positive attitude, especially in this game. More specifically, I found that inconsistency, for me, often stems from sliding my hips as opposed to turning. It's easy for old, bad habits to creep back in.... The good thing for you is you can't have any old habits, having just started a few months ago. You have a lot yet to look forward to. Hang in there.

I looked for info on this and don't see alot of discussion about "oversized" fairway woods, and their playability from various lies versus forgiveness, owing to an oversized clubhead/face. More specifically, and/or said another way, I recently purchased 5, 7, and 9 fairway woods that I hit extremely well (for me) off a mat at the range. They had larger club faces than previous versions I owned, so I attributed their performance to forgiveness. In actual play, however, this larger clubface seemed to get held up by grass in light rough or even just lush fairways, resulting in weaker fades, as opposed to what I was hitting at the range. At this point, I have gone back to my older FWs with smaller club faces. They appear to have more potential from "real world" lies. Would this be a typical trade-off between the two scenarios, or am I missing something? Please note, for purposes of this question, I am not concerned about tee shots, which I think would benefit from the larger face, just like from the mat at the range. What I would like is clubs that hit explosive shots with maximum forgiveness from all lies........ (humor intended). Thanks for feedback.

Al Qaeda plot...... related to surplus of sand.....

During a mini-vacation last week, playing nine one evening, 3-over through 4 (Good for me).... # 5 is a Par 5 dogleg Right: 1- Tee shot entered the bunker I aimed at in the dogleg, thinking I wouldn't hit it if I aimed at it. 2- Clean lie, and a lucky swat at it left second shot on the fringe, in front, no more than 12-14' from the pin. (Here is where the initial sin was committed, as I'm thinking Eagle or Birdie). 3- Third shot, chip, goes several feet beyond. 4- Putt coming back goes maybe three feet past. 5- I missed the par putt, and promptly broke the head of the putter off against the closest tree. Normally would not call a bogey a blow up hole, but when it took me four strokes from 13', I damned sure blew up. Did get a new putter out of the deal..........

Check that loft on my 9 H, should have been 37*, the new 7 H I just bought is 34*..,.. doesn't look like I can squeeze an 8 H between them.........