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klossy

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About klossy

  • Birthday June 9

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  • Index: 22.5
  • Plays: Righty

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  1. Not sure if you're tried this already, but check out the 'Tour Tempo' tracks. It sounds like you have studied and worked on the fundamentals, but your timing gets off, and affects your end result: thins, blocks, etc. I bought the book (not the best read) on ebay for < $4.00, but it came with the basic tracks for each 'speed' of the golf swing. I helped me alot with realizing what affected the consistency of my swing, and it's cheaper than a small bucket of range balls. If you want to simply check it out and not spend anything, you can search Youtube for the intro videos and some of the tracks. TT Explanation: Also, you can find the tracks for free listening on SoundCloud: *I'm not endorsing Tour Tempo in any way, nor am I receiving any type of compensation from them. It simply helped me, and maybe it'll help you. If anything, it'll give you a good metric on how your tempo compares to some of the most successful golf players today.
  2. I went and walked 18 holes today since the weather is so nice - I'm starting a new job next month and expecting my first child in early next year, so I'll probably have to hang up the golf clubs this week or next for quite some time. Anyway, I took your advice and was more aggressive off of the tee today. I had a few short pitch shots for the 2nd shot onto the green, which was pretty satisfying! I did, however, have a few horrible shots with the longer clubs, which resulted in bogeys or worse. Interestingly enough, the only birdie on the day was on a shorter Par 5, 450 yds, that I went 5i, 5i, 30 yd pitch to 5 feet, and sank the birdie putt. I had an 89 going into the last hole, a long downhill Par 3. The white tees (where I play from) were back, and my GPS app said it was 209 to the middle, but the flag was at the back. I don't have a 4i, but I felt like I could push a 5i to get it close if I could play the draw that I was hitting most of the day. I step up, felt the pressure of potentially shooting a 92 or 93 and... I shank the ball 100 yds right into the no mans land. Ball is lost.. I tee up my 3rd shot, and hit a perfect ball into the middle of the green, about 30 feet below the hole. I three putt for what would have been a bogey, but was a triple bogey 6 with the lost ball. So, I shot another 95 on the same course. I hit some decent shots, and my wedges and putter saved me a few times. One of my biggest mistakes was on a short 140 yd Par 3. I joined up with 2 older guys, one with a rangefinder, which is a luxury I can't afford at the moment. He said the pin was at 149 yds, in the back of the green. I didn't think a PW (44*) could get there (remember, my PW used to be my 130 yd club, but working on my swing has increased my distance substantially). So, I choose a 9i, and hit a beautiful high draw that starts at the pin and comes left of it... and land in the bunker 15 yds behind the green. I guess my 9i is now my 160-165 yd club. It didn't bounce at all either, rather it was a 'fried egg' in the sand. I have an awkward stance, and duff the next shot barely out of the bunker. I chip on, and 2 putt for a double bogey 5. I was frustrated at the result, but it was a good shot and roughly where I was aiming, I just pulled the wrong club because I incorrectly guessed my yardage. Another tough break was on the 390 yd Par 4, with a creek bed running 220 out and a lake on the right. I played 5i to be short of the creek bed. but landed on a patch of hard ground, and it bounced forward into the creek bed. The lie was OK, but I didn't have a stance. I had to awkwardly semi-chip w a PW out, and hit the green with my SW from 80 yds out, and 3 putted for a Double Bogey. It was a great shot with the 5i, and an unlucky break with the bounce forward into the creek bed. If I had played a 6i, or maybe even played a longer club into the gap, things may have gone differently... but that's golf! All in all, it was a fun round, and I look forward to shooting in the low 90s or high 80s by next summer hopefully!
  3. Driver: Don't carry one 3W: 215 ish? (16*) 3H: 230-240 with roll 4i: 210 ish 5i: 200 6I: 190 7I: 175 8I: 165 9I: 155 PW: 140 GW: 125 (49*) AW: 105-110 (52*) SW: 85-95 (56*) Realize that I play lower lofted clubs: my pitching wedge is 44 degrees, and my 5 iron is 25 degrees!
  4. @Buckeyebowman But I can understand it can be frustrating if you're waiting on a group ahead and they're dropping and playing a second shot when it doesn't count, that totally makes sense. I usually play by myself, and I walk, so it's a rare case that anyone is playing behind me, let alone waiting for me to play my shot.
  5. Prove that you can hit the shot as intended, yes, when it doesn't "count" - the only difference is the mental game at that point: same conditions, same shot, etc. Think about any other sport - take basketball, for example: 4th quarter, you pull up for the elbow jumper, ... and miss it. What will you most likely do after the game? ... You go practice that shot until you can make it 10 times in a row! Sure, it doesn't "count", since the game is over, but it instills mental confidence and experience so that the next time you're in that situation, you give yourself the best possible chance of making the shot. That IS the whole point of practice - whether it's on the driving range, putting green, or the 2nd shot into a green...
  6. True - I'm not 100% confident I can place the ball on the green, but I know with a decent swing, it should be either on the green, or close enough to give myself a chance at Par or Bogey. The greens at the course I play at are pretty soft - if you hit the green, it's usually going to leave a big pitch mark and stay there. As a 22 hc, I'm honestly not playing for birdies. If I manage one, great! The few times I've used the longer club off the tee has been for the larger fairways, or the longer Par 4s and Par 5s. You're absolutely right - the most frustrating thing is putting the ball in play off the tee, but then hitting a poor 2nd shot, or even worse, 3 putting the few GIRs you hit. Either way, that's what I love about this game - no matter how much you may improve, you're never satisfied! There's always going to be those few shots that you could have hit better, or a decision that could have saved you a stroke here or there. I'm realizing more than even professional golfers don't hit the shot they want to all the time, @iacas says PGA Tour players only hit the green 64% of the time from 150-175 yds, and they're the best in the world at playing golf.
  7. I'd prefer that too, but I'd rather be 160 out in the fairway that 100 out in the trees... I play the longest club that I have confidence to put the ball in a place where I should be able to place the ball on the green.
  8. You hit it on the head here - that's exactly what I'm feeling! I know I can make the shots, I usually drop a 2nd ball if there's no one behind me to prove it to myself, which kind of makes me more frustrated when I make the shot when it doesn't count.
  9. @iacas You have a good point, but I don't even carry a driver, as I found I can hit my 18* hybrid almost as far, but with much more consistency (230~240 yds). And yes, I'm laying up on the Par 4 s, but they're relatively short, and a 5i goes 190-210 depending on how hard the fairway is for me, but usually pretty straight - that's just as far as my driver would go several months ago, but with the slice! I'll post a swing video if the weather stays decent enough to go to the range this year, and see where that goes.
  10. You do ever feel like you've been improving in leaps and bounds, but your handicap / score doesn't show it like it should? I've been having this for my last several outings... I've been playing golf for about a year and a half. I used to hit the banana ball slices, 180 yards and 50 yards to the right. I've since ditched the driver, taken a golf lesson to correct my grip, and learned how to swing more on plane vs over the top. The swing correction has only happened in the past several weeks, and my last 3 scores have been 95, 97, and 95... but I feel like I should be scoring better than this! Here's how my round today went: (Started on Hole #10, as there was an outing starting around 10am when I walked on). #10 154yd Par 3 Downhill, front pin - pulled a PW left into the rough just past the fringe pin high, chipped on, 2 putt. [Bogey]. I hit the chip where I wanted, but the ball didn't break like I thought it would... not a big deal after a mediocre tee shot. #11 310yd Par 4 Tight fairway with trees on left and right, but pulled a 5i into the trees left. Chipped out to 75 yds. Hit 56* wedge a hair fat, and came up 40 ft from the pin... 3 putt for [Double Bogey] I'm pretty frustrated now, played smart and walked away with a 6. The next hole is another narrow Par 4, with a creek before the green. #12 340yd Par 4 Aimed towards the right side of the fairway expecting another pull, hit a slight draw with a 5i into the right rough, ball beneath my feet. Had about 160yds out, but there was grass between the ball and the club path, so I grabbed a 9i. ...Pulled it 15 yds left of the green, about 10 yds pin high... chip on, 2 putt [Bogey]. #13 470yd Par 5 This is a short, but extremely narrow, Par 5. The fairway slopes left to right, but there is OB left, and a thicket of trees right of the green starting 100 yds out if you go for it in 2. I hit 5i again, found the middle of the fairway. 8i to lay up, pulled it left, but hit off the slope before the trees and ran out to the middle of the fairway again. Pulled my 56* wedge, but found the green. 2 putt [Par]. #14 540yd Par 5 Snap hook my 18* hybrid off of a small tree, ball in under a large tree, but has branches overhanging so I can't play a normal shot. Since I'm pulling all my shots, I put the ball in the back of my stance, grab a 6i, and play for a hook... I hit the perfect low riser shot, hits off the cart path 180 yds out, and bounces into the right rough. I find the ball in the rough, 171 yds out, and hack a 8i onto the front of the green. 3 putt for [Bogey]. #15 315 yd Par 4 All uphill Par 4, 5i to right side of fairway, 9i to pin high. 2 putt [Par]. #16 310yd Par 4 This is a severe downhill Par4, with a 80 degree dogleg left with a stream running about 100 yds out and lakes left and right. I hit a knockdown 6i into the right side of the fairway, pull a 9i left and long. Chip on goes a little too long, in the fringe on the other side of the green. Duff the next chip, 2 putt for [Double Bogey]. #17 145yd Par 3 I weaken my grip and PW to the center of the green, but the flag is back left. 2 putt [Par]. #18 400yd Par 4 I stripe my 18* hybrid 250 yds down the center of the fairway, have just under 150 in to the flag. I duff a PW from the middle of the fairway, leave my chip short. and 2 putt for a SIX [Double Bogey]. #1 360 yd Par 4 45 degree dogleg left, but a lake is 200 yds out straight, a stream runs about 220, and there is a pond short left. I remember the grip change, but overdo it, and hit a high fade instead of the draw, ball bounces into the edge of the lake.... I take my drop, and pull a 8i long and left... past a tree 20 yds past the green. I try the hero flop shot over the tree to a downhill green, blade it, and it shoots over the green to the front. I duff my next chip onto the green, 3 putt for an eight... #2 145 yd Par 3 Hit another high fade with PW, bounces off of the tree to the right of the green, bounces backwards to 25 yds short of the green. Duff the 2nd shot, hit the 3rd shot below the hole, 2 putt for [Double Bogey]. #3 300 yd Par 4 Uphill Par 4, decide what the heck, and grab the 18* hybrid, hoping to get it close for a chance for pitch and putt birdie. Top the ball 90 yds to the rough before the fairway. 210 yds out and very frustrated, grab a 5i, and try to play the slight pull to get the ball close. I instead hit the perfect straight ball, and the rough took some spin off, land to the right of the green but 5 yds short of the pin. I chip from the rough, ball doesn't check on the narrow green, and run into the fringe on the other side. Chip to 6" and tap in for [Bogey]. #4 390 yd Par 4 Plays downhill halfway, and uphill the other half to a small green with trees all around. Hit a perfect high draw 5i, 8i to 10 ft, 2 putt [Par]. #5 385 yd Par 4 Plays downhill, but slice a 5i into the other fairway instead of a draw, have 200 yds in with trees in the way. Figure if I hit a 6i well, I should be close to the front of the green or on. Hit it in the center of the clubface... and snap hook it 100 yds left back over the fairway into the next under a tree. Chip a 7i under the branches, onto the green, and it runs over into the rough. Chip it onto the green to 15 ft, 2 putt [Double Bogey]. #6 290 yd Par 4 Driveable, and if I were confident, I would have tried to hit my 18* hybrid close enough for a chip and putt, but decide on the knockdown 6i idea to play it safe. Hit the 6i and it starts fading... hits the fairway, bounces onto the cart path, hit a tree, and lands just behind the tree so I have no shot to the green... I try to play around the tree and hit a 75 yd fade back onto the green, but the ball clips the top limb of the tree and lands short. No problem, I have about 20 yds to a easy pin... duff the chip into the bunker...the sand is much softer than normal, and I hit the next shot fat, doesn't get out of the bunker. 5th shot over the green, next chip is close to the pin, putt for a [triple bogey]. 6 shots from 75 yards away. Unreal. #7 460 Par 5 Another narrow Par 5, with OB left and a group of trees to the right. I hit 5i to the right side of the fairway, then punch a low 9i that rolls to about 50 yds away from the pin. Hit a soft pitch shot to 15 feet. 3 putt for [Bogey]... #8 320 Par 4 Uphill slight dogleg Par 4, and the fairway slopes severely from left to right. Try to hit a draw with my 18* hybrid, but hit a high fade that comes to rest in the next fairway 150 yds out. The pin is in the back right side of the green, and I go for it... but hit the shot ever so slightly right, and it bounces from the fringe to 10 ft in the rough to the right of the green. I chip on, but 2 putt for [Bogey]. #9 185 Par 3 This plays downhill, and the gentleman's smartwatch I paired up with said it plays like 177 yds. Nevertheless, I thought the wind was towards us, so I pulled a 6i and aimed to the middle of the green... hit a beautiful draw that started at the middle and kept going and going... and landed and stopped dead in the further back and left portion of the green. A GIR, but by inches. I 3 putt for [Bogey] to end with a 95. I felt as if I hit some good shots, and the pulls and hooks had great contact with the club face, but either my grip starts to get too strong, or I'm stalling with my hips and coming too quickly through with my arms and wrists... it's really frustrating, but I know I can hit the shots if I slow down a little more and think things through. Quick stats: 3 putts: 5 Bladed chips: 1 Duffed chips: 5 Severe hooks: 2 Unlucky bounces: 2 Thats 15 strokes right there that I know I'm better than - short game and putting are usually my strengths because up until several weeks ago, my ball-striking was pretty poor, and my distances were at least 10 yards shorter than what they are now! I'd even take 1/2 of those strokes, say 7 strokes! That would still be an 88, which is decently respectable for someone who has been playing less than 2 years. Can any of you relate? Tell me your stories and input - does improvement come soon???
  11. I second that comment - I bought my current set (Adams Super S 5-PW) off of Ebay in like new condition for $85 shipped. Lefty clubs may even be cheaper. I know the Adams brand isn't as sexy as a Titleist or Mizuno set, but I couldn't be happier with the clubs. In my opinion, drivers don't make a ton of difference, as long as you have a decent swing. You may be better of buying a used 3 or 4 wood to use from the teebox and the fairway to get comfortable with, then find a used driver that fits your liking after you're comfortable with your other new clubs.
  12. Congrats on posting to TST! I can somewhat sympathize with your golf swing troubles, as mine looked very similar to yours not too long ago, and comes back from time to time. A couple of things I noticed: 1. You look very tense in your setup. If you're tense, you'll most likely rush your swing, which forces your body to try to compensate. 2. Your knees look a bit 'over bent', you shouldn't ever be uncomfortable in your stance, at least from a general athletic stance perspective. Compare your posture to a couple other pro or accomplished golfer's posture, and note any differences. Things that have helped me out that may help you: 1. Download some Tour Tempo tracks, you can find them on ITunes or Youtube. I'd recommend starting with a 24/8 or a 27/9 tempo track - I didn't find amazing results from just the tempo portion, but it made me realize that I was spending too much time in the transition due to 'over swinging', and allowed me to realize that I needed to make my swing more compact. 2. Focus on keeping your hands low and 'smooth'. You seem to do a decent job of this in your backswing, but it looks like you 'rush' from the top down to make contact, which keeps your hands high, and forces the rest of your body to try and compensate to deliver the face to the ball. Therefore, start practicing your takeaway and downswing to get a feeling of 'low hands' - this helped me deliver the clubface to a consistent location more... consistently. 3. Try swinging with a weak grip - or honestly, just try swinging with different, but correct, grip positions. This isn't an attempt to try to 'fix' your grip, I honestly can't really see it, but rather make your body more aware if it's positions during the swing. 4. Download a slow-motion video app (assuming you have a smartphone). I use the free version of 'HUDL Technique' and make practice swings in my living room to the TourTempo tracks, and then check the positions to make sure I'm on plane during the downswing. 5. Lastly, try not to focus on hitting the ball. I know, it sounds strange, because the whole point of swinging is to hit the ball. But it helped me to think about my swing path through the ball. You'll find alot more technical information on this site, specifically about the 5 swing keys and positions, etc. You can dive in, but I believe those are secondary to making a solid swing without a ball first to feel how it should, then you can focus on the details from there. Good luck!
  13. Let me start by saying I'm not a great golfer, but have been working on my swing alot to use the power of the hips more, and playing more of a inside-out swing path vs. a 'straight through' swing path. As a result, my distances have been increasing by a least 1/2 - 1 club quite rapidly, but I've been hitting draws more often than my usual 5 yard fade, so my aiming has been off as well, making it frustrating, especially on Par 3s being in greenside bunkers on a great strike. I went out and shot a 95 two days ago on a Par 71 / Slope 126, and had a few good shots, but one great one stood out for me: Par 5 [460 yds] I hit a mediocre tee shot, about 240 yards over the cart path into the right rough on top of a small mound. It is a narrow fairway, so I pulled my Pitching Wedge, and tried to hit a cut back into the fairway around a tree line to leave around 100 yards in. I took the swing... and duffed it about 30 feet back over the cart path, but closer to the fairway, and had a semi-clear shot to the green. I had about 210 yds in, but the pin was in the back, so I took a 6 iron (normally hit 185 yds), and set up to hit a small cut, but lined up so that if I caught it well and hit the draw I've been hitting occasionally with the new swing, I wouldn't put it into the trees out of bounds on the other side of the fairway. I was planning to lay up just in front of the green, and hope for a chip and a putt to save par. I hit the shot, and actually hit the small cut I was hoping for, but the ball kept going farther than I expected. The green is set very slightly downhill from where I was at, with a small mound in front, so I wasn't able to see anything more than the ball bounce once. I assumed it was about 5-10 yds in front of the green... When I walked up, I couldn't find the ball anywhere in front of the green. I looked for about 2 minutes, and didn't see the ball on the green either. I walked onto the green, and lo and behold, the ball was about 4 feet short of the pin, just on the border of the fringe and the rough. It traveled about 215 yards in total!! I missed the birdie put, but made the Par putt!
  14. I know this thread is old - but I didn't want to start a new one, given the input this one has already received. I learned of Tour Tempo late last week, and just ordered the book and CD off of EBay. In the meantime, I downloaded 2 sample tracks of the 24/8 tempo (none other were available), and spent yesterday evening practicing my timing in the livingroom. I started playing golf last summer, and I hover around a 26-28 handicap. When I feel 'on', I can hit almost any 'stock' shot I want. Not far, but consistent enough to play for bogey, and have a chance at par. The trouble is, I can't keep that feeling throughout the course of an entire round. So... I headed to the local driving range this morning with my iPhone and earbuds, playing the 24/8 tones on repeat. Wow! When I sequenced my swing positions (takeaway, downswing, and impact) to the 3 tones, I began hitting the ball farther and straighter than before. Granted, it's difficult to learn the new tempo with a small bucket, but the results when I did were impressive! The only downs wide is that the ball flight is a little lower than what I had before, so I'm unsure how the spin numbers have changed. I play with KBS Tour 90 shafts? Anyway, I wanted to share my findings with you all. I'm excited for the book and the remaining tones to arrive in the next 2 weeks to see how much I can improve my tempo. Anyone else have similar results with the Tour Tempo system??
  15. Okay. Quick update. I took my first golf lesson with a local instructor, whom I was recommended to by several low handicap players. I embedded two videos below. The first was taken by my coach during the lesson, and the second was several days later, practicing the new grip and downswing at a local range. What I'm realizing is that although it doesn't feel like it, I'm coming over the top, and this initiates during the start of my downswing. It doesn't help that my right elbow tends to flare out, making it easier to start the downswing with my arms vs. the lower body. Have any of you found success using the 'glove under the armpit' drill? During lesson [9 iron]: After lesson [56* Wedge]: I know I'm still coming over the top, from the outside, but I'm seeking to tip specific training drills to 'teach' my body a new club path, rather than trying to tell my body to act a way that it hasn't learned yet?
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