Foot Wedge

Go for the GPS. Especially if you have the skill level to shoot close to par. Your ballstriking should be consistent, so your carry distances should be consistent. Couple that with an accurate reading to the pin and you're going to give yourself better scoring chances. Course markers can be a bit off and the effect is amplified when you're not familiar with the course. Even with a perfect shot, if the marker is five yards off, you've potentially added 15 feet to your birdie putt. I played a course with GPS carts for the first time and birdied a hole after hitting my drive into the adjacent fairway. Couldn't see the pin over the hill but the GPS said 156 yds and I chose a target line. Approach landed 12 feet from the pin and I son't think I could have pulled that off without the GPS. Knowing the distance eliminates one variable from the equation...

Try imagining that you're putting over a stack of 2-3 coins placed before the ball. That'll help you hit the ball's equator.

I don't know what kind of course this is or how often you play it, but if you're out there alone and can play 2 balls, you could use it as practice for those low punch out shots. A 100 yard 4 iron (or whatever your situation may be) can be extremely useful if you end up under trees or somewhere else that would require you to keep it low, but still gives you a look at rolling it up to the green. You could use these holes to develop the feel for these rescue shots.

+1 handicap and shoots at the national level = "decent", HAHAHA ok I've noticed that guitar gear differs from golf gear in that "pro" level gear can be easier to use than "beginner" gear due to quality differences. However, a cheap guitar with some time and a little cash invested in a skilled tech (be it yourself of a reputable luthier) can reach a similar level of quality with a good setup, fretwork, and good electronics. You certainly don't need to spend a fortune to have a good guitar, the problem lies in the continuous desire to find a different sound. Temptations MAY be minimized if you have a good amp that can produce a variety of tones. Yeah sounds like you'd need some new hardware for 3-gun, and while I don't keep up with the ebbs and flows and ammo prices as much these days, you'd most likely need to be firing .223 and the expenditure of that ammo is going to cost a nice chunk of change. I have to say though, for someone your age, you're taking great advantage of the opportunities offered out there. Free golf and grant ammunition is a very big deal and while it may not last forever, you've used both to developed skills in both far beyond what I or many others would hope to obtain. What you've learned will hold up a lot better once you have to start spacing out your fun activities due to budget and time restraints. Keep up the good work!

Very impressive! Congrats on the results. I did a lot of clay target and pistol shooting a couple years ago since there was range about 10 minutes from the university that was part of a state park so it was free to use. Once I started working I started playing the guitar again and playing golf much more regularly, so those became my two main hobbies. I would have loved to get into 3-gun but golf, guitar, and shooting are three hobbies that are very expensive to have all at once...

I'm around 5'9" and am very glad that I got a 33" putter. Arms are able to hang more naturally without having to grip down on the putter and and my stroke felt a bit more fluid that way. I'd agree that you should have a professional do it, just to make sure it's done right. Looks like that putter is face balanced, so you made the right choice for your straight back-straight through stroke. Best of luck and enjoy the new putter!

So I guess club choice would be based off what I THINK is likely to happen. Maybe the fix is to just hit the damn fairway! Thanks for the input.

Try filming your swing. I bet that if you do what "feels" like a 3/4 swing, you'll see you get a lot closer to parallel than you think. I had to work on shortening my backswing, seeing what's happening helps convince you not to make that huge turn to create power. A lot of things that feel powerful ruin good contact.

Ok that makes sense, would clubbing up be the right choice then? Unless... Does this happen when grass is between the clubface and the ball which cuts down the spin? In this situation, it was a spongy grass with the ball sitting unobstructed on top of it.

I played the same course twice within a week, and both drives went just left of the fairway into fluffy light rough to about 100 yards from the green. Being a downhill approach shot that put it into range for my 58* wedge and both shots seemed to go on line, but a bit higher and land 10 yards short of the green. Two similar shots almost a week apart landing within 3 yards of each other. My question is, does the fluffy lie cut down on distance? It felt like the wedge almost slid under the ball since it was sitting up some. I'm not sure it's the lie or me, I remember both swings feeling good until I saw the ball flight. It may be a lesson in club selection for the future. Thanks!

Had my third lesson since my last post, focused on lining up at the target correctly and keeping from lifting up during the downswing before hitting the ball. I had a habit of creating a false sense of power by lifting up onto my toes. My focus will be starting rotating my hips before moving my upper body so I can get them facing closer to the target at impact and keeping my right arm close to my body so I don’t release the club early. As shown by the videos I’ve got a ways to go. Any input would be appreciated! 7 iron, 4 iron, and driver videos are attached. 7 Iron: 4 Iron: Driver:

My humble opinion is that everything is about perception. So I'm going to ask you to look at your one situation, but from two different angles. First (you seem to be looking at it this particular way) is that you've invested these countless hours and although you are solid (I'd kill to have a shot at shooting +5, want to give some pointers on my swing thread???) you haven't seen the improvement that you think should have been attainable for the time you have invested. All of this is a disappointment to you. Now take some time to look at your situation from a second perspective. You have invested enough time and practice into this game to get good enough where, as far as joe golfer goes, you are good. You are going off to college, which in itself is a blessing not everyone gets, and with competitive golf behind you, you can focus on your major, studies, and personal life. You will meet new people, some of which may play golf. Some of which may be good, some of which may have been casually taught by their father a year or two before, like me. All of which wouldn't mind the chance to get out and play a few rounds with a new friend, and given your knowledge of the swing, wouldn't mind getting a few pointers either. If golf changes from being a source of stress and anxiety to being associated with friends, family and enjoying yourself, all of this will add up to a very positive experience for you. It's hard to look at the big picture when emotions are running high, but in the long run as priorities change during life's different chapters , golf will provide you with much more positive experiences than negative...if you want it to.

Second lesson focused on my lower body. More specifically, correcting my tendency to slide my hips forward to pivoting my hips during the downswing. So I've been focusing on making sure my hips pivot and are rotated more towards the target at impact than before. I struggled with this and noticed that my pelvis pretty much faced the ball on all my swings as I mentioned in my previous post. Now if only it would stop raining so I could go to the range and see some ball flights....video and impact comparison below. Comparison between impact position from earlier post and current videos. Non slow motion video used since it's easier to see hip details.

Pictures didn't embed...I guess I'm still having trouble with that. I'll attach them as files. Fast tempo swing impact: Slower tempo swing impact:

I know that one! I've driven past that course several times but haven't played it. Looks nice.