HiHandicapper

baw1, looks like we started playing about the same time. It's nice to know other beginners share some of my thoughts and concerns. I think I was definitely swinging with just my arms until early December, when I started reading more about swinging with the body. I'm confident that I'm doing a little better with that now, and my distance improved from 170 or thereabouts with a driver to almost 200. I can tell you, though, that a 14 year age difference between you and me definitely makes a difference. When I turned 50, my doctor looked at me and said, "Things are going to start to happen now," and he was right. I would love to feel 44 again, although the vast majority of people I meet don't think I look 58. One of the things that golf has taught me in the past 6 months, though, is that I am definitely that age. I would love to play 18 holes or go to the range and get three 150 ball buckets. Alas, the golfers elbow thing allows me only to play 9 or get a 45 bucket before it lets me know it's time to quit. And I can only hit twice a week with it, max. This is quite frustrating, but I look at it from the perspective that if my son in law hadn't told me about the pressure pad, I would almost definitely have had to quit long ago. As for the indoor range, I'm in the Baltimore area and I've not been been able to find one around here. I believe there are some around DC, but that's a three hour commitment just with the travel time (and assumes no traffic). I feel the weather is conspiring against me, too, as I can't remember a colder December. As for finding an instructor, that is certainly my plan....possibly as soon as Spring. Two things about that: 1. I'd rather take lessons at a time of year when I can go out and practice what I learn without freezing my *** off, and 2. I'm still progressing just by reading, and I'd like to get to the point where I'm not before incurring that expense. Thanks for the advice. I think you are spot on with just about everything you wrote.

Hazard Finder, again, I appreciate the comments. It's likely I'm worried too much about holding other folks up, and perhaps overestimating the quality of play on the public courses. I wish I had started playing again at least in my forties. I wouldn't have to deal with the various aches and pains....major and minor...that I find have surfaced as a result of hitting a golf ball at the age of 58. Part of my problem is I plan on retiring in about four years to a place that is known for very excellent golf.....i.e., Pawley's Island, SC....25 minutes south of Myrtle Beach. There are several top 100 courses in the area, and most of the rest aren't very far behind. It is said that 70% of the people in the area play golf. I want to find the least popular courses where the good golfers never go. Ask me if I were 25 and I'd say I want to compete with the best. But ask me now at 58 and I just want a quiet, peaceful game with no pressure and the ability to make mistakes with no one breathing down my neck to "hurry up." I honestly think I have a great chance to get out there and be quite competitive with your average golfer. My short term problem is that the bad weather curtailed me just when I was about (I think) to graduate from quite mediocre to not half bad. My wife says we have a five year plan until retirement. We're in the first year. Patience is not my middle name, but I now intellectually that she's right. I truly love being out there. I think I can be good. I would love to have a friend who is good to offer on the spot advice. I will eventually take lessons. I could so totally get wrapped up in this game. Wish I was 25. Half my problems would go away.

Hazard Finder, thanks for the comments. I was definitely asking that "when am I ready for the regular course" question. I've read some online articles about that, but it's nice to hear it from a regular golfer. Your experiences sound a lot like mine. I can't play as much as I wish. This is due partly because of work, partly because of weather this time of year, and definitely because I'm nursing a golfer's elbow problem that won't quite go away. My routine over the summer was to head to the range once a week and then to the course once on the weekend. I was almost to the point where I was getting pretty darn consistent when the weather turned. I'm thinking it doesn't take much time off for me to take several steps backwards, so I'm regularly looking for that clear 45 degree plus days now. I have not yet "realized how bad most people [are]." It's not fair to look at the folks on my little executive course because I know it's a place to learn. I've seen a few struggle on the regular course next to my driving range, but I have no idea how many are like that. I'll defer to you on that one. Par on my little 9 hole course is 29. I believe my best score is around 38, but that's probably with several mulligans. An honest best score might be 42, so I don't know that I'm quite at "2 pars and nothing over a double-bogey." I bet I was fairly close, though, before the weather turned, especially when I was able to go hit a few practice balls before playing. My distance had taken a quick jump for the better and I thought I knew how to improve even more, but alas....temps in the 20s and snow set in. My "confident swings" are all taking place in my living room these days, but there looks like maybe I have a shot with the weather both Friday and Saturday this week. You're right, pace of play is a real concern for me. I read it's the number one concern of golfers in a survey at the regular public course near me. I worry about it less on the executive course than I used to, but it's still a concern. I absolutely never want to hold anyone up who is faster than I. I like the advice to just put another ball down and not search for out of bounds balls (although my wife apparently lives by the rule that one should absolutely never abandon a ball because that's just "throwing money away"). Anyway, thanks for the advice. You sound like a guy who sincerely wants to help and I think pretty much everything you said was dead on.

Thanks, Hammer. I'm glad to be here. Most of my average distances right now correspond to a "short hitter" on a swing speed/distance chart. I'm actually fine with that. I'd like to make sure I've achieved my potential, but I don't need it to hit 300 yard drives or 100 yard pitches that land 3 feet from the flag. I just want to have fun, hit consistently, achieve reasonable distances, and be able to fit in with the pace of play on a regulation course.

Dave, thanks for your comment. The main thing that makes me think you're right is that there's some variance in the distances that I hit a given iron. For example, I know I probably hit a 7 iron usually around 120-125, give or take. But I know I've hit it 140 before, and that's a pretty wide variance.120 vs. 140. The same thing holds for most of the rest of the clubs, although I'd say it's much narrower for the PW, but that's the club I've worked with the most, and it's the club I'm most comfortable with. I do think I hit most of the clubs pretty solid and on the sweet spot when I hit my max distance. But still, I think you may be right that there's a little more distance out there for me. Not sure it's 150 for a 7 iron, but I hope you're right. Thanks again.

Thanks, Dave. I really appreciate your comments and the welcome back. I hope to play a long time, as well. Re your thoughts: 1. I do have several local courses with chipping and putting greens. I went there probably 5-10 times during the summer, but certainly not as much as I should. I will take this suggestion to heart, as I enjoy the short game. Just need to wait for the temps to get out of the 30s. Coldest darn December I can remember. It figures. 2. I don't really have any data to compare what my swing speed was to what it is now, but I'm sure you're right. I started this project with the thought that if I can just hit drives consistently at 200 yards, I'll settle for that. My wife swears that when I'm there I'll want more, but I don't think so. Having spent much of the summer hitting no further than 175 (and rarely that), I was ecstatic when just a few changes bumped me up to some 195 yard drives. 3. I've used the PW more than any other club at the range. I have the greatest confidence in this club. 4. I do plan on getting a club fitting sometime. I looked up the best fitters in my state on Golf Digest and called them. The guy was great and spent a long time just chatting on the phone. I could tell these guys know what they're doing, and I'm definitely going to visit them. Still, the 460cc driver I bought off Ebay about a month ago with the 13 degree loft has greatly improved my morale. 5. Yeah, my 5-hybrid is really pretty cool. I just have to remember to hit it like an iron, not a wood. So many things out there to remember. The executive course I play is 1600 yards for 9 holes. Shortest hole is 127 and the longest is 292, with the majority being in the 150-165 range. Two par 4's and seven par 3's. I bogey a lot; Double bogey (or worse) maybe twice for 9 holes. Pars are rare. If I get one, I'm happy. Two is pretty cool and three is awesome. I did manage to par the two par 4's this past Saturday. Sadly, the rest of the round was pretty miserable. I attribute that to having to slack off hitting because of the cold temps. 6. That's great that your wife plays. Mine is trying to, although she's having back problems. She also can't quite get past the idea that when she's 60 yards from the hole, she might not want to reach for that driver. I'm just glad she's there, so I don't say much. 7. I've definitely decided golf is a long term thing. It's part of my 4 year plan towards retirement. I played bass in various bands when I was in my teens and twenties, so I can relate to the guitar story. I'm trying to decide when to get off the executive course and try a regular course. I'm getting there with the distance, which was my first concern. I didn't want to get out there on those 500-yard-plus holes and hit it 150, 150, 150, 70, and back 20 just to get on the green. Now that I know I can hit around 200 doesn't mean that I will. And hitting straight is another issue. I hit a ball 195 yards off the tee the other day and onto the green. The only problem was....it was the wrong green. I also know pace of play is a huge concern on regular courses and I know if there's a foursome waiting on me, what little consistency I have will be shot to hell. I'm thinking since I only started in May, that maybe June 2014 might be a good time to try it. Poor woman I watched on the first tee of a regulation course hit the ball 30 yards off the tee....then 30 more...then 30 more......paired with two guys she didn't know. That's my nightmare vision for myself.

I guess when Stug said he was fine on the range but couldn't do the same on the course, that was the reason for my suggestion.... If he makes the range more like the course, perhaps he can do well on both. My comment certainly wasn't a general recommendation to improve his swing. I have way too many problems with my own to give anyone any advice there.

Exactly what part of your shoulder hurts? Top? Side? Back? How far down your arm....back....etc.?

I'm probably the last guy you want to listen to, since I've only been playing for five months, but I read a post from a guy that I thought had some really good advice. He said when he's at the range, he imagines the course he's playing. For example, If the first hole is 450 yards with a straight fairway, he'll drive the ball towards the farthest flag on the range, estimate his drive distance, and calculate the remaining distance to his 450 yard hole. For example, the first drive on the range goes 250, so there's another 200 yards to his imaginary hole. He'll then pull out his 3-wood and hit towards a flag on the range that is around 200 yards away. Let's say he hits that 190 but 30 yards to the left. He's got maybe a 40 yard shot left, so he take his PW and aims for the closest flag or yard marker on the range. So this guy doesn't hit 20 consecutive times with the same club. He rotates from one club to another, just as you would on the course. Obviously, this slows way down the time it takes to go through a bucket, but sounds like as good a way to simulate on the range what you do on the course.

Just to be up front, I am a new member with The Sand Trap and this is my very first post. I'm also a 58 year old male, 5'9" and 165 pounds. I was reasonably athletic when I was a young guy, but as an adult, life sometimes takes you in different directions. I played golf for a year or two in my teens, but quit. Now that I'm considering retirement in a few years, I have become interested again, so back in May I bought a $60 set of clubs off Craigs List (Wilson, graphite, medium flex), bought some of those plastic practice balls and got out in my back yard. After about a month, I thought I wouldn't embarrass myself too badly at the driving range, as long as I could go way to the end and be by myself, and that seemed to work okay. In July I learned what an executive golf course is, found one in my area, thought I might be at least as good as some out there, so I've tried to play once a week. Along the way, I've had to overcome golfer's shoulder and to get golfer's elbow at least semi under control, with the help of a physical therapist. All I want to do is play well enough to have fun and not get frustrated. I understand the importance of lessons and how one is likely to learn bad habits without them. Still, I'm pretty good at teaching myself up to a point, and I decided I'd postpone lessons until I reached a point of diminishing returns. I think I've just about max'ed out my distance with the irons. Pitching wedge is around 90-100, 8-iron is 125 or so, 5-iron is 140-150. I've hit longer than those distances, but of course I've also hit shorter. I recently bought a 5-hybrid with a senior flex and hit that 165-175 out on the course. Consistency is less of a problem if I can hit at least twice a week. I might badly mis-hit a bucket of 45 balls fewer than 5 times, only slightly mis-hit fewer than 10 times, and mostly solidly hit the rest of the time. My practice routine at the range is to start with the PW and work my way to the long irons. Understanding that the driver is the most challenging club to hit consistently, I saved that for last to work on. I found I really couldn't hit the driver that came with the original clubs I purchased, so I hit through the summer and fall with the 3-wood. Distances ranged from 150-175 yards (tops), which was frustrating because all the distance charts said that I should be able to hit farther based on the distances with my irons. But this was all when I wasn't trying that hard with the woods and still learning the irons. Recently, having decided that the irons are okay for now, I started paying more attention to driving the ball. I've read a lot of articles, watched various videos, and on and on. The most important thing I did was to take time to understand what it means when someone says, "you need to stop hitting with your arms and start hitting with your body." The other fortunate thing I did was to purchase a 460cc driver with a higher (13 degree) loft to accommodate what I imagine is a slightly under 80 mph swing speed (although I haven't been tested). I've also purchased some low compression golf balls and gotten some very good exercises from my physical therapist that have helped me rotate my hips to the proper back swing position and at least make a decent attempt at keeping the left arm fairly straight. All this had an immediate impact on my drives, which have a fairly decent trajectory now and reach top carry distances of 195 yards. Consistency is definitely my biggest problem here. I hit maybe one in three drives straight. With all this information, I'm wondering: - Have I about max'ed out my driving distance now? - What can I do to get more drives in the fairway? - How do you develop a consistent swing with the various aches and pains that come with being almost 60 years old? - What can I do to keep from losing over the Winter all that I've learned since May and then just having to re-learn it when Spring is here again? - What would you have done differently? - Where do I go from here? Comments in any of these areas would be most appreciated.