saltman

Some of you may have read that I am trying to re-establish my game after a near 15 year absence. Its been a struggle, shooting in the mid-high 80s with streaks of holes where I will be even or in the red sandwiched between big numbers. I will hit ridiculous tour quality shots.....but not as often as I will hit something fat, thin and even the occasional top or shank. The biggest problem is the driver, I stand over the ball with no idea where it is going to go. So I decided to get two lessons from a local pro, inclusive of video. After my first one, things felt closer, but I still had a tendency to lose it during a round. I had too many things going through my head. Last night I had my follow-up and then stuck around to hit balls....really glad I did! I saw my old swing, versus new swing and I was stunned. I am so close to being "on plane" for the first time in my life! I wish I could show you guys the videos. Anyway, I hit about 200 balls after the lesson, I couldn't stop, I was having so much fun! I was puring everything, I was starting to work the ball again and I was bombing drives. I was in control of my swing not for the first time in 15 years, but for the first time in my life. At one count I had hit 71 straight shots totally pure and within 5 yards to the left or right of my target. Never in my life.....now, lets take to to the course!!

In my local City Tournament in 1994, I was sitting in 3rd place alone to start the day, but 4 off the pace. I was playing in the final group however and had a first row seat to the action all day. I watched the lead change hands about 5 times that day a real slugfest. The runner up shot 68 and lost by 1, the winner shot 70, but had a 3 shot lead to start the day. Awesome to watch and I scraped around a 77 to remain in 3rd. One of my better tournaments and played in front of a large gallery 300-400 people. I was only 17 and shaking in my shoes all day.

How are the course conditions? This early in the season, I play pick, clean and place which basically morphs into bumping the ball almost all the time in the midwest. Its just too wet. Where I come from we play the ball up until May then its 100% down. Now that should be agreed upon beforehand if you are playing for money. Next time, just be clear you are playing the ball down at the start.

I think solid putting comes from confidence born out of repitition. I haven't practiced putting in years, but I would enter a putting competition against anyone. I have so much confidence on the greens, I literally think I can make every putt. Where did that come from? For about 5 years between the ages of 13-18, I practiced putting religiously everyday. I loved it and it was free! One other poster suggested making games out of it, which is what I did. I would find a practice hole that had an uphill, downhill, left to right and right to left 3-5 footer on each side of the hole. My goal was to make 10 in a row from each side of the hole. If I missed I had to start all over. I can't tell you how many times I would make 35+ in a row only to miss somewhere between 36-40 as the pressure mounted. I actually very rarely made all 40 before running out of daylight. This session would last 2-3 hours or longer. I did a similar thing with chipping, but not quite so structured. I would practice chipping until I chipped 10 in every night (not consecutively of course). This actually got to a point where it was very easy. I could chip in 10 within an hour, so I had to play around with different lies and shots, flops, bumps, checks, etc. to make it more difficult.

Well, to each their own I guess. Imparting spin is very easy to do escpecially with square grooves and it comes from proper ball striking....ergo work on ball striking not imparting spin. The spin will come as a byproduct. In my experience working on my own game off and on for 25 years. T rying[/I ] to impart backspin is fool's gold. The mid-high handicap player a) doesn't have club selection totally dialed in. What good is backspin if you don't land the ball where you want to? b) begins to focus on trying to use backspin everywhere until he/she develops a bad case of the fatsies or slices.

You do realize though that the grand slam then was US Am, US Open, British Am, British Open. So in 2 of those victories, the field did not include professional players. Still incredibly impressive, but I am patiently waiting for someone to win the modern day grand slam. The Tiger Slam doesn't count to me.

high hcp's are better off focusing on ball striking period, not trajectory or spin....just solid smooth contact coming from a repeatable swing. People don't need to learn how to "hit shots" as 20+ handicappers, even 10+handicappers. Its like runners doing speedwork before they have an aerobic base. Its the icing on the cake, you need to bake the cake first.

If anyone would like to play with me I may the outlier that proves the rule.....did I say that right? Now, I am not your average bogey golfer as I have played down to a sub 3 index and my swing and fitness are very much intact from those days. I just haven't been playing. I don't know a sole that "averages" 300 yards, but it appears we have morphed into can the bogey golfer hit a 300 yard drive at all. Well folks it pains me to say it, but todayI am a bogey golfer. I don't look like a bogey golfer on the range, my swing doesn't look like a bogey golfer swing, but I am playing bogey golf these days. So I am a bogey golfer AND I can hit the occasional 300 yard drive. A good solid drive for me is 285-295. Unfortunately that is the club that is also making me a friggin bogey golfer as I cannot keep the ball in play anymore. I am also struggling mightily with long irons. I would say in 10 swings with the driver 3 will result in the fairway, 6 will be solid and playable, 1 of those 6 will be 300+. The remaining 4 will be mishits that result in various amount of penalty strokes!! Working on it!

Put me in the harder to go really low on an easy course category. I feel as though course length has a lot to do with ratings, though I could be wrong. If I play a wide-open 7500 yard course my score will be 10+ strokes better than a 5500 yard tight course. Even if I hit 9-irons off the tee all day, I will find trouble if I see it. If I can't see, piped down the middle 300+ all day. Mental midget.

If Norman committed himself to the game today, he would be a top-50 player no doubt. He has the body of a 30 year old, he just needs more rounds.

I am going through the EXACT same thing. I am coming back to the game after a significant layoff, and the inconsistency is a HUGE battle. I just cannot get the big numbers out of my game. i have to believe its just part of the process. Last year, when I started coming back, I was uncomfortable about every shot. Now, I am making really solid contact from 9-iron down for the most part, but still spraying the ball wildly off the tee and its very frustrating. Saturday, I shot 37-47. My front 9 included 4 tops, but 5 up and downs and a near ace (hit the pin) and some very solid mid iron/hybrid shots. My back 9 included 1 birdie, 1 par, 4 bogeys, a double, a triple and a quadruple. On the day I made 3 15+ foot putts. I can't decide how to think about my round. Did my srambling and short game save an otherwise dreadful round OR did my ball striking and wayward tee shots prevent me from shooting 68! The more balls you hit the more consistent you become. Try to figure out where you are giving most of your strokes away. Mine is easy identify, hard to fix, keeping the ball in play is a major hurdle. I have a bailout mentality right now, the fairway looks like it is 2 feet wide to me. Stick with it, this is the game. One great shot will keep us coming back, even if its sandwiched in between 100 bad shots.

I used to "jump" at the ball when I was younger as well. I remember I developed a bit of a complex one year as people kept pointing it out to me. So I decided that I would make a huge change and think about have my weight back on my heels. I don't know if it helped, but I figured you can't jump off your heels. Eventually it either went away, or I quit thinking about it. Its worth pointing out that I have never seen my swing on tape so for all I know it might still be there. Long response with no substance....LOL. She has a very nice swing and its only very slight, I wouldn't sweat it.

This is a pretty interesting thread to read through as I am trying to get back to a 4-5. I think one person mentioned it, but getting to a 5 is certainly very attainable, a 2 will likely take some more time. Getting up and down more consistently is critical. When I was playing as low as a 3, there was a huge difference mentally from where I am today. First, I expected to get up and down from everywhere inside 100 yards and did so about 60-70% of the time. Second, I expected to make EVERY putt inside 10 feet and felt I should probably make most putts inside 15 feet. I would also aim for the back of the hole on every putt inside 4 feet with no fear of the comeback putt. Read: There wasn't going to be a comeback putt. Finally, course management is critical. Most of this is about leving yourself with comfortable full swings and having your iron distances dialed in.

Not weird David. 9-irons impart more spin than any other iron. Its usually the last club most people take true full swings with.

2 things I recall in my life. 1 - Was playing with a guy who ripped a tee shot right down the center and his tee flew straight up bounced off his driver head in his follow through and landed perfectly right back in the pocket he pulled it out of. He was so confused as to why we were laughing so hard after he hit such a dead perfect shot. From that moment on we had a new definition for a perfect tee shot. Needless to say I haven't seen a perfect shot in 20 years since this happened. 2 - During a high school tournament, an opponent dunked his approach shot on a par 5 straight into the pond in front of the greeen. Dead eye, splash right in the center of the pond. As he was putting his club back in his bag, note about a 20-25 second lag....his ball inexplicably shot back out of the pond and landed on the green. After discussing with the officials. No explanation, no penalty, he made par. We later learned there used to be a fountain in the pond and the maintenance crew was trying to get it up and running that morning. The ball must have landed on the fountain head when they were trying to turn it on.

Good question. I actually would consider someone to be a good golfer if they have 16 handicap or better. The person you can expect to go out and play bogey golf. They can keep the pace of play up, clearly can hit some shots and make some putts. I would argue the "average" player is a high handicap player. I agree with the 5 category approach and would define as the following. Beginner (less than 2 years exp.) = 20+ High-Handicap (Average) = 16-20 Mid-Handicap = 8-16 Low-Handicap = 4-8 Playa = < 4 From my experience having been as low as a 3. It was extremely hard to get from 5 to 3. It was actually pretty easy to get from 15 to 5. I can't even fathom getting to scratch or better. A 5 handicap player probably mishits 1 out of every 15-20 swings. The scratch or bettter player mishits 1 out of every 100 swings. The scratch or better player can play the same shot 4 different ways and see a similar result. The 5 handicap probably has 2 different plays, but is only really confident with 1. The scratch player RARELY misses inside 5 feet. The 5 handicap is probably 80-85% This is how it was 10 years ago at least, perhaps equipment has changed how it is a bit.

Thanks again for all the help. I was able to get out on Saturday for a soggy few holes, just getting some swings in, not even keeping score. It was a lot of fun though, haven't been this excited to play in years! Last year, I did some upgrading of the clubs. I had a 7.5 degree Big Bertha, that was simply unhittable. I don't know how I ever hit that thing. I upgraded to a Titleist D1 Driver 9.5, then I re-configured a very bizarre wedge combination that I never really liked to begin with. I was playing PW, 54, 59. I now have PW, 54, 56, 60. The 56 and 60 are new Cleveland CG12s, so far so good. I really like them. Finally, I added a Nike SQ Dymo 3-wood, which feels great. Last week, I ordered a hybrid, should be here today. Titleist 585 21 degree. Even though this is more like 3-iron loft, in the demo swings, the face is so hot that it plays more like my old 2-iro which is what I was looking for. Now, I haven't upgraded my irons. I am playing Tommy Armour V-31 Evos, ~10 years old I am guessing. I am not in love with them, but they are easier to hit than my old Staff Fluid Feels! Ultimately, I will probably play the season on these clubs.

LOL....what do you suppose hardwood floors run on the stimp? What about equipment? Obviously the shots are less consistent with longer clubs, specifically long irons. I have bagged the 2 iron entirely, its pointless. I assume Hybrids have taken their place anyway. Would you recommend a steel shaft in a hybrid to match other irons? Does it matter? For the poster that asked how long has it been since I played seriously. My last competitive year was 1996, but really 1994 was my last good year. Also, thanks for the responses so far!

Hey all, I am new to this site, been trolling for a few days until they allowed me to start a thread. Lots of great threads to read and great to see such a mix of playing ability. I am seeking some tips on coming back to the game from a long lay off. What have some of you done to get your game back? When I say long lay off, I mean seriously long. I have played about 20 rounds in the last 13 years, 10 of which came last year. It was those 10 rounds last year that got the itch back in me. A quick backround. I started playing at a very young age ~6 I believe. Throughout my school days I spent every day I could on the course usually 2-3 hours of practice and anywhere from 18-45 holes a day. By the time I was a senior in HS, I had a 2.7 index and was conference champ. After high school I took a whole year off and came back and had one unremarkable season in which I was playing to about a 4.5 index. Then it was adios to the game until late last season. I played only a handful of rounds, usually struggling to break 95 all penalty strokes, spraying the ball wildly. Each time I played it was more embarassing, so the rounds became fewer and further between. There was a stretch of 2 years without a single round. Fast forward to last year and with the help of a friend and some updated technology the swing started to feel better. Ball striking was more consistent, but nt able to score. Low round was 83, still had a lot of rounds in the upper 80s, low 90s, but if you played with me you would swear it was lower. Here is what I am looking. Some quick/easy tips and drills. I don't really have a home facility I live in downtown Chicago. Unfortunately, not many places to practice the short game, what are some things to think about and how can I maximize those times when I can get some short game practice in? I am hoping to get 20-30 rounds in this summer. My 1 and only goal, break 80 at least 1 time. Its been so long! Sorry for the long post, but thanks in advance. Cheers!

I hope you had a little action during that round....those are th days you get paid on. 3 eagles!!

That's a much better feeling than pulling out the brand new ball and losing it on 1 swing! I once played 72 straight holes with the same balata before retiring it to the shag bag. Those were the days! Not only did I not lose it, I didn't hit a tree or cart path or slap a big smile on it. 72 straight holes of good swings.....will it ever happen again?? Congrats, I love when people recognize milestones like this, it shows a real appreciation for the game.

David in FL.....hmmm that is an interesting name. Did I hear about this site from you?