PJCdude

Last spring I shot a 122 then rebounded a week later to shoot a 103 (on a harder course too)

I think it's Stan Utley plays most short game shots with a 58 degree wedge. I don't play on greens as firm as the pros so 54 works for me. It might not always be the correct play but if I THINK it is, then I'll be more likely to hit a good shot. If I use the Pelz method, I'll be second guessing whether I should be hitting an 8 or 9 iron. Having one predominant club eliminates that doubt.

152 yards to flag with 7 iron on the Par 3 8th hole of Pelham Bay Golf Course....I made the putt

Well if you'd like to know... I'm a teacher who just completed a Master's degree while still doing my part to take care of a 1 year old. I was able to get 30 minute sessions in at the range and occasional 9 hole rounds throughout the year but since summer break started I've been able to play more. Playing more is a huge advantage in terms of improving. More tangible things that led to improvement: -Posting a MySwing Thread. I'm not as religious about updating it as other guys, but the little bit of advice I got went a big way. Instead of searching for GD tips online I just try to keep Keys 1 and 2 (and a little bit of 3 now) on my mind for swing thoughts. That's it. -Zen Golf by Joseph Parent is a great book for the mental game. I recommended it to a single digit friend of mine and he says its the best thing he's ever read. PRE SHOT ROUTINE is no joke. -Committing to a short game philosophy. I've read tons and tons about the 1 club vs Pelz Clock approach but I decided to just experiment with each one instead of read myself to death and found that I feel way more confident with less tools. I make my 54* wedge my go to 50 yds and in, excluding obvious bump and run situations. It helps my confidence greatly to not be second guessing which club I should have taken. I'd rather rely on my hand eye coordination in terms of flying the ball to the hole and expecting minimal roll.

I don't know Charlotte that well, but there's gotta be a pitch n putt somewhere. There's one by be in Queens that's 18 holes. Every hole is between 40-80 yds and it is a great place to play a day or two before a real round. At our level, there's going to be a lot of mishits and recovery shots, which will lead to the awkward 40-80 yd distance. However, being able to get it to that zone in two shots, pitching on and two putting will be a bogey and bogeys are good.

My HI is only 26 rn but I have been trending downward every chance I get. Before this summer my lowest score was a 98, but once school let out (I'm a teacher) I was able to start playing twice a week and my last 4 scores are 101-91-102-91. I don't consider myself a "Bogey Golfer" yet but I feel like with two 91's in two weeks I'm on the verge of breaking 90 so I hope you guys don't mind me lurking in this thread. PJ

Shot another 91. This time at Pelham Bay Par 71 69.6 117 6216 yds from the middle tees. My putting wasn't as good and I didn't have a crazy finish, but I was steady with a 45-46. 2 Birdies 0 Pars 11 Bogeys 4 Doubles 1 Triple (Bogeyed a hole after hitting tee shot OOB) FIR-7/14 Driver was a little shaky on the front, but on the back 9 I hit 5/7 FW, and the two that missed were a few yards into the first cut, nothing crazy. My distance could still use a little pick me up but I was pretty consistently in the 220-230 neighborhood. I'll take it for now. GIR 3/18 This could have been better if it weren't for the holes where I hit a crappy tee shot (or second shot on par 5s that were topped). I had 9 shots from 90+ yards that landed on the green and a few wedge shots that were stuck right around 6 feet. 36 putts This was my downfall. I hit some GREAT pitch shots that led to missed putts. I also had a few 3 putts that were inexcusable. My driver was outta whack on the front but my putter was hot. The opposite was true on the back. I had putter in my hand for par (2 were on fringe) EVERY SINGLE HOLE on the back 9 and didn't get one par. Still managed a 46 though which shows I limited the blow ups. 1 penalty stroke. This is good for me. This was the most in control I've ever felt on a golf course. Before this summer my lowest score was 98 and now I've shot 91 twice in the span of a week. My schedule gets a little busier later this summer but I definitely feel like I could break 80. HCP has already fallen from 29 to 26 and hopefully will keep trending down.

Dropped to 26.0 today! Started this challenge a few weeks ago at 28.6 and I'm making some big strides. Shot a 91 at Pelham Bay Par 71 6200-69.6-117 from the middle tees.

After my 91 last Thursday I was brought back to earth by a 102 (48-54) today at Maple Moor in White Plains NY (6065-69.5-125 from the Middle Tees) On the plus side, I still dropped a few points from my HCP from 27.4 to 27.1. FIR-3/14 All 3 penalty strokes were on tee shots and a few others were obstructed by the tree line. This course isn't super tight but I should have respected it more and maybe hit my 3W or 3H a few times. I went to the range after to mainly work on my driving. On the first hole I hit my driver 240 but the rest of the round my drives were mostly in the 210-220 range. GIR 2/18 These were the first two holes. After that, shit went downhill and I blame my tee shots more than my iron game. I had quite a few nGIR and that part of my game is OK if I can keep it in the fairway. 37 putts This could have been better. Chipping with my 54 was good as usual, but I used my 46 for a few longer chips but wasn't as accurate. I know the correct play is to work on my bump and run game with the 46 but I feel more comfortable flying the ball in the air longer and having less rollout to judge. 3 penalty strokes In my last round I parred the last 3 holes which is crazy for me. I started off this round with the same hot streak parring 1,2 and 4. After that, things went south and I played my normal round of some nice shots accompanied by bonehead decisions and swings where I'm probably forgetting not to sway. I'm playing again on Thursday at Pelham Bay in the Bronx (6216-69.6-117). This course is a little longer, but much more open and I'm much more familiar with it. I'm looking forward to "ripping" some 230 yd drives

Shot a personal best 91 last week 49 on the front which is pretty much playing to my handicap 42 on the back! My previous low for 9 was a 48 so this was crazy. bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-double-par-par-par (par 35)

SwingBySwing It's great for stats, it keeps an (unofficial) handicap and uses GPS for yardages. You can manage how much data it uses up but when putting it on medium or low usage, it will take time to find your correct yardage. It's not perfect, but it's free and I like it.

Recorded a new personal best yesterday with a 91 at Van Cortland Park in the Bronx. Its only 5700 yds and rated 66 from the middle tees but it's tight and I've never even broken 100 there. I shot a 49 on the front which is playing pretty exact to my handicap (par 35-35). The back nine I had 5 bogies in a row, a double and then ended with 3 pars. One of my 2015 goals was to break 45 for nine holes and I shot a freakin 42. This is totally new ground for me and I hope to keep it going. The key was not recording anything worse than double bogey. 4 pars 7 bogies 7 doubles 35 putts 3/13 fairways 4 GIR (only converted 2. 2 of my pars and a few bogies were up and down. My 54 degree wedge was a MONSTER) I'll be playing again hopefully Tues and Thurs next week. I'm so glad my summer break has started and I'm able to play consistently. Next Mission: Break 90

210 yd par 3. I hook my hybrid into the right rough, still about 45 yds short of pin. I hit a half SW to about 1 foot, drained the par.

Went from 28.3 to 27.4 in 1 day! Just posted the best round of my life by a LONGSHOT. A 91 (49-42) at Van Cortland Park in the Bronx, NY (Par 70-5600-66.7, 117) This short but tight course is the oldest public course in the USA. BREAKDOWN 4 Pars (3 were on 16,17,18!) 7 Bogies 7 Double Bogies 0 Triple or worse (this is the biggest reason I shot so well today by far) I didn't feel like I did anything special, I just avoided trouble and stuck to using almost my 54 degree wedge exclusively around the greens. I lost 1 ball OOB but then parred the hole on my second ball for a 6. 3/13 fairways-Really not a great day off the tee but only one OOB. Most of these misses were in the first cut 4 GIR-Parred 2 of these, 3 putted the others. Fairway game was decent but honestly I felt like I could have swung better. 35 putts-Putting could have been better. This is good for me but mainly thanks to my 54 degree wedge. From 50 yds and in I killed it with this wedge today and I'm glad that I found some consistency in the short game. I Can't wait to play again next Tuesday. I have an opportunity to really shave some strokes. My next few rounds that will drop off my HI are all part of the bottom half so I can't drop, can only go up for the next few rounds.

Dropped .3 today! Shot a 101 at Pelham Bay in the Bronx but I dropped from 28.6 to 28.3 I felt so out of control in regards to my swing today but managed to score well (for me) despite this. I had 5 holes that were triple or worse (including a 10 on a par 5) but also finished the round bogey, par, bogey, par. 35 putts (Good for me. Short game was decent but I wasn't able to warm up pre round which cost me a little on the opening holes) 2 GIR (mid Irons/hybrids were plain awful today. I went to the range post round and discovered that I was probably swaying a ton. Worked on Key 1 and was back to smackin them decently) 7/14 FIR (Driver was ballooning a tad and limiting distance but most were a good 220 in the middle of the fairway. My long poke was 240) 2 penalty strokes I'm playing on a shorter tighter course Thursday. I usually don't use my driver on this course (Van Cortlandt Park) but since I've seemed to straighten it out, I'm hoping to take advantage of some newfound control off the tee and score better. Definitely hoping for a sub 100 round

Last summer on my quest to break 100 I had 3 seperate rounds where I was sitting pretty on the back 9 and then the shanks appeared. Very mentally draining but I have fixed them by not attempting to draw my shorter irons as much as my longer clubs. This has seemed to help. I've heard that shanks are due to TOO MUCH of an in to out swing path. Fundamentally better than slicing but WAY less user friendly.

My problem with my LW is the same problem that some people have with their driver. I don't fall prey to that "I'm a man so I need to hit the big stick" syndrome. I hit driver on wide holes where I need it but I have no problem hitting 3W or hybrid if the tee shot calls for it. On the other hand, I have had some great chip ins and up and downs with my LW. When I am on with it, I feel like a real golfer and I can get up and down from anywhere. However, there are some days where I am skulling it over the green and into the woods. Right now, I think the biggest thing that will help my HI this summer is to not be afraid to play the safe chip and run even when it may lead to a two putt bogey (For my handicap, a good hole!) instead of pulling out the LW when I'm only 3 yards off the edge of the green. I'll still practice it at the range but save it from emergencies on the course for now.

I hear ya but both of them have 8 degrees of bounce. I used to have a SW with 12 and skulled the crap out of it since I have a pretty shallow swing. The LW is only 58 degrees so it's not too crazy high lofted. I agree that I shouldn't pull it unless nessecary but I hit it way better out of sand than I do my 54

I'm at 28.6 right now. Already shaved a stroke off since the beginning of this season. I haven't been able to consistently play but have been managing 1-2 range sessions a week and been working on suggestions from my MySwing thread. Main keys have been shortening my back swing and keeping my weight forward. My rounds since last month have been: 49 (9 holes) This includes an 8 on a Par 3 hole (thanks a lot Lob Wedge!) 52 (9 holes) 100 106 My trends: OTT: Started off keeping driver int he bag and hitting 3W but after a few rounds I've gradually put driver back in the bag and am hitting it with very little dispersion 220-240 almost every time. I'm feeling VERY good about this since the tee box was my nemesis last summer. VERY few OOB so far (fingers crossed) hybrids/irons from fairway: Already hitting more GIR than I'm used to. Advice on my swing thread has been the main reason for this. THanks Guys. Short Game: Putting has been very good and I rarely practice it. Chipping and Pitching used to be a strength of mine but I have been having more mishits than normal this season. I'm still experimenting with decision making in regards to what kind of shots to hit and which wedges to hit. I feel like it's almost better to have an OK system and stick to it then to flip flop around. Here's the roles each of my wedges play currently: PW: Full shots from 100-110 and lower running chips, especially from fairway. GW: Anything from 50-90 yds. This wedge came with my TopFlite set. It doesn't have the feel of my cleveland wedges but I have WAY less mis hits. SW: All pitches 50 and in and shorter chips from the rough LW: To get out of bunkers and to get over bunkers/trees. I've had some great rounds when this club was on, but I'm inconsistent with it and it also has caused some NIGHTMARE holes. I'll continue to work on it at the range but take the safer shot if it presents itself. I've put most of my range time into the short game and have been seeing progress. Hopefully I can take it to the course. Am playing 9 after work tomorrow and then hope to start getting 2 18 holes rounds in a week during the summer. I personally made a goal of getting below 25 this summer but I'll go the extra mile and push for a 23.6. Let's do it!

Played 9 today and shot a 49. 2/7 FIR (alot of my misses were barely in the first cut....driving was good) 2/9 GIR (a third approach baaaaarely on the fringe which led to a par...approaches were mostly good) 16 putts (missed a 4-8 foot putt on each of the last 3 holes ( double-bogey-double) but had some nice up downs in the earlier holes 1 penalty stroke (skulled a lob wedge that was meant to go over the sand but it went over the green and into the woods but still close enough for an unplayable drop) 3 pars (never done that in the span of 9) 2 bogies 3 doubles 1 QUINTUPLE BOGEY (8 on a par 3!...thanks lob wedge...see above) I was pleased with the 49 but that 8 really shows that even a double bogey on that hole would have me at 46 which would be a personal best for nine for me. Golf really is a game of misses and today proved that old adage. Besides that one hole and a few thin shots that didn't turn out too bad, today was a good day.

This is an area of the game that I am always having a club carousel with. I go back and forth between 5W and 3H constantly. I just got an 18.5* RBZ Tour Hybrid off of eBay for 20 bucks INCLUDING shipping (when I got it it had a DEMO CLUB sticker but very little wear). Haven't brought it to the course yet but performed very well at the range the other day. Enough about me though, you need to go to a Golfsmith, Dicks, Golfgalaxy etc and pick out a few 5 Woods and Hybrids in the 18-22* area and hit them on the simulator. Simulators at stores often seem longer due to increased roll (I hit a thin shot the other day at NY Golf Center in midtown.....438 YARDS with a 5 Wood!!!!!!!) but you can just compare the clubs to each other. You can google 5 Wood vs 3 Hybrid and get a million different opinions but you need to see what works best for you. I personally think hybrids are MUCH easier to hit but you need to be careful with ones with very low lofts. At our slow-mediumish swing speeds (I only hit it slightly longer than you) hybrids under 18/19 degrees are so have diminishing returns. I was skeptical of the 18.5* club I just got but I think the whole RBZ speed pocket really helps. I wouldn't try lower than 18* but see what works for you then buy it used off of globalgolf.com. THey have a solid collection of clubs that have always come in great condition.

Love my Covert Driver! I think this is more indicative of the golf industry than Nike as a whole. Too bad.

You asked for it boogie... I haven't been able to play for a week but I was able to get a range session in today. Bottom Line: THIS CLUB (RBZ Tour 3H) IS A EFFING BEAST! I'm still cautious of the "hot new girl in class" effect but compared to my 5W I have NO anxiety hitting this club. I'm not a long hitter but this seems like it will fit that 185-215 gap perfectly. I was carrying range balls 180 with a penetrating ball flight that got a TON of roll. Another thing to note: I usually play regular flex but have gained some swing speed (currently about mid 90's) by shortening my backswing and follow advice on my MySwing videos. MUCH more consistent contact but a higher ballflight that is robbing me of some distance. I've always been told to err on the side of weaker flex but this was a stiff flex and gives me a much more penetrating medium ballflight. I know the right answer is to get fit but I'm on a somewhat tight budget/free time right now. Either way, this club gave me a GREAT first impression and I can't wait to try it on course. Bye Bye 5 Wood.

Sorry to rehash an old thread but this is a constant battle for me. My 23* 4H is absolute money. My 5W only goes 10 yards further on avg (185 vs 195) and is mishit much more often. I've owned a few 3H with little success and sold them on eBay. I resigned myself to the fact that my SS (low 90s with driver) makes hybrids less than 20* difficult for me. I got an RBZ 3W for xmas this off season and can (pardon the language) smack the shit out of it. My hits off the deck aren't always forgiving but get plenty of distance. I was able to get an 18.5* RBZ tour hybrid off eBay for 20 bucks including shipping. It should arrive on Tuesday and I have high hopes for this club. Im very happy with my 3W and very happy with my 4H but theres a gap in there (185-215) and im having trouble finding the right club. THis club will be huge on par 5's/long par 4's/long par 3's...my Cobra Baffler 5W has had some decent days but I love my hybrids and my RBZ 3W and are hoping this will be the answer for distance with decent forgiveness.

Haven't broken 100 yet this year (last few rounds 52 for nine, 100 (52-48), 106 (48-58) and 105)but I also havent been able to consistently play until school gets out. (Im a teacher). Have had some nice milestones though and I feel like I'll be comfortable in the 90's mid summer. YESTERDAY: Shot a 52 for nine holes at Pelham Bay in the Bronx (Slope 113). That includes TWO holes in which poor sand play led to a pair of quad bogeys. I had to take multiple bunker shots, some skulling over green into adjacent bunker, some hit fat....total disaster in the bunkers. On the 7th hole I hit the fairway, missed the green way wide, hit a fat LW shot into bunker, skulled over green to adjacent bunker, skulled another shot back, then took two shots to get up onto the side of the elevated green in between the bunker and green, short sided. I chipped in for an 8! I finished off strong though with getting out of the bunker on 8 correctly and saving bogey. On the par 5 9th I reached the green in two...it's a short par 5 (460-470ish) but it was my first time doing this as I am a short hitter. My 4H usually goes only 190 and I was laying up since my drive ended in rough but low and behold I hit it 215 and was able to attempt the first eagle putt of my life! Narrowly missed about 6 ft long (It was prob a 40-60 footer) and sunk the birdie putt...my first birdie on a par 5! The 100 I shot was at Mill Pond on Long Island (Slope 115). I have never beaten my brother (he usually shoots low 90s, high 80s) but he had an off day. We were tied at 95 going into the par 5 18. I parred it (almost chipping in for a birdie) and he bogied. It was the best round where I just missed breaking 100 ever! I attirbute my improvement to starting a My Swing thread in March and working intently on full swing before it warmed up. Since then, I've tinkered less with my full swing, worked alot more on short game and been trying some mental techniques from "Zen Golf" by Dr Joseph Parent. VERY helpful. Yesterday showed me that I need to keep my wrist hinge in bunkers and not panic. The shot on 8 really gave me confidence back. Hoping I can play again soon.