march11934

Actually that is brilliant! Never thought about friction tape. Too late from me now but what a good idea. G-

Hope your client isn't a member here. G-

Thanks for the clarification. G-

Thanks. I chose not to take relief and at least I know I didn't miss an opportunity I could have used. G- Thanks for the reference. I would have been a bit confused by the "clearly unreasonable" statement for my situation. The pro, I get it. trying to swing lefty creates an unreasonable swing situation. But for me it was a right handed swing, I am right handed, was aiming in the direction of getting back into the fairway, and the tree was in the fore swing, so how does the unreasonable part come into it? Would it be that knowing you are going to hit the tree be what makes it an unreasonable situation? G-

I tried the tubes. Issue was the tubes were coming out of the bag with the clubs. So each time I pulled a club out of the bag, I had to wrestle the tube back into the bag, lol. The grips were Lamkin Mid-size grips. So not really that oversized. I recently purchased a new bag from One with Golf, I know you mentioned you don't want to buy a new bag. But to be honest I wasn't looking to buy a new bag either until I came across this in a PGA store down in Myrtle. So many things on a premiere bag for an affordable price. The full length skirts was a big plus. The bag I had before was 1/2 skirt as was causing the labels on the KBS shafts to get ruined. So full skirts is a great thing to have. G-

Hello all. I searched this topic and found a 1900 day old post that was not quite on topic. The post more discussed about backswing and not fore swing. I was at a Pro event a few years back and a player tried getting a free drop by switching lefty and then claiming he would be striking the tree on his fore swing creating a dangerous condition. Rule official denied his claim and he had to pitch out right handed. Similar issue came up with me the other day. I am right handed and tried cutting a corner on 18. Ended up along side a tree growing horizontally and had I taken a full swing at it would have wrapped the club across the tree base. The first half of the swing was unobstructed. Hitting the ball would be clean. But the fore swing was taking on a tree trunk. Was there an option similar to what the pro was requesting for free relief? This was to keep a round in the 70's after a year and a half of not playing. So sort of a key shot in the round. Hated ending up there but it was what it was. I can't find anything concerning "hazardous swing" or "hazardous conditions". Anyone have input on this? Thanks G-

I can see adding it to your bag but not replacing a Driver or 3-Wood. I guess it depends on how far back you play? What distance are you getting out of you 3 Wood now because i dont think you are going to get any more out of a driving iron. Actually you will probably be a bit shorter.

Some good points however practice isn’t anything without the pressure. If you don’t play for anything at stake then you probably haven’t played under pressure. I have been gambling on pool tables for over 20 years. I know how to not choke. It’s the suckers out there that crap a 5 footer that I have to shake my head wondering why. Point I was trying to make was posting a drill that forces a single putt to count. There are plenty out there. Repetition is not concentration. You would be amazed at how loud your heartbeat can get after a 5 hour round rides in a single putt. Tempo, grip, putter weight, etc all change on that one putt. Overcoming it can be a rush. Thanks Juan. I have completed the 4 to 40. however it was on my mat so I can’t go in a circle. Muscles and back cramps come with it. I recall the circle drill being mentioned by a tour pro. Was it Sergio Garcia I think? He mentioned no lunch until he completes it. That can build some pressure.

Then you found something that works for you. My whole point about creating a situation that resembles a putt that has something on the line. You know if it works or not when you stand over that 5 footer that can win a side bet. For those that don’t gamble, probably wouldn’t understand what we are searching for in a practice session.

I have been playing some light money rounds with a bunch of guys for about 6 months now and never realized how much guys can "choke" over a 3-5 foot putt. Then it came to me that they probably never practice putting under pressure so when it comes down to it... they fail. This is not to bash on these guys. They are a good bunch of guys, but seeing a 3 foot putt come up short and 6 inches offline makes you stop and think. I have a long history of billiard halls (pool halls for the northerners) in NY/NJ area before I moved to NC and picked up golf. Barely play pool at all now but the mentality of playing under pressure is always a thought. So i came up with a drill that I found helps to force me into a situation where consequences are a consideration when missing a putt similar to say, missing the 3 footer to save or close a 9. They have a name when i see guys rolling putts in from literally everywhere and then puke the greens when competing, they call it free stroking in pool. Don't be one of those guys. I have an 11 foot mat that i putt on. Very straight so a straight putt goes in. Not trying to test my ability to read slopes. I'm trying to achieve a consistent putting stroke that goes straight so the mat needs to be true. Occasionally i will slide a strip of wood under the mat to create a slope from L to R or R to L. The mat is about 2 feet wide and i try to put in from the edge at each distance to avoid creating a track in the mat that could start guiding the ball. Also helps with visual alignment. I also have 1 foot increments, starting at 3 feet out from the cup, to the end of the mat for reference. The objective is simple: Start putting at the 3 foot mark. If you make all 3 move to the 4 foot mark and start again. Keep going until you miss. If you miss this is how i handle it. The point is to put yourself under pressure. I allow myself a choice of 1 "save putt" or go back 1 foot closer to the hole and try putting 3 times. If you make the "save" putt you stay at the hole you missed at and get to repeat the 3 putts. Miss during those 3 putts, you give yourself another "save" putt and try the 3 putt again. If you miss the "save" putt you go back 2 holes. That is the risk of trying the "save" putt. I have had good days where i needed a save putt 2 or 3 times, saved every one and made it to the 11 foot mark with a final 3 putt and home. Never had to go back a hole. I have had bad days where i have been up and down the ladder and just can't get to the 11 foot mark. If you can pull off 27 putts without a miss, you're a God and go show Speith how its done... LOL So of course there are tons of options you can factor in to make the game interesting. My objective is to stay away from mindless "free stroking" putts with no care. This feeling of "I can make everything" will leave you quick in a money game. What ever is a option in the game that is within your abilities but enough to challenge you without utterly defeating you will carry over the greens. It has for me. I have heard some comments made about about me making putts when they count. Its a very good feeling. Builds confidence too. All the best. March

Bringing it from the range to the course. Sucks buttering clubs 3 feet from the flags at the range and then shanking a Par3 iron i was just hitting really well at the range.

Rykymus, Congrats on finding the swing in the first place through a means without costing you a fortune. I have been doing the same (You Tubing) and can only recommend one thing thing that will save you a ton of time. Take notes! As you search for you swing technique you are going to go through a lot of revisions. From your grip to your stance to you back swing through your take away. I have 3 sets of notes that i have been working on for a few years. Some are on the pres-wing routine. Some are on the swing itself and some are on the recovery. All have their merits. The most important are the recovery ah ha moments that I discovered on the range that brought me back to striking it clean. Could be a stance change, grip change etc. You want to take notes on all of them. Use them as reference so when things go sideways you have reference to what worked. Or you can spend hours going back over the same You Tube videos again and again. I'm a 6 handicap and keeping in that range can mean the difference of hitting it well rather than just OK. All the work you do on the range can be fruitless if you can take it with you on the course. All the best. March

Do you document your rounds? You might want to keep track of gir, fairways hit, and total putts. Helps you see what part of your game is falling apart. I shot an 82 one day keeping track of those specs and was surprised how bad my putting really was. I putted 39 times that day. If I had two putted every hole I would have been in the 70's. stats don't lie..

I agree on the p3. I boughT one too. In a closet somewhere. Probably will put it on eBay for whatever I can get for it. Not worth much if you are looking for any kind of accuracy.