Dornenglanz

I'm in. I intended to reply to this yesterday (the 1st) and to do my 5 mins, but yesterday was my mother-in-law's birthday, and my day was somewhat taken up! So, notwithstanding day one, I shall update this daily with my practice.

Had my best ever round last week. I've not yet played 18 holes yet - still focussing on 9 holes and par 3 courses, but progress is progress. So, on the nearby par 3 links, previously I'd shot 49, 51, that sort of score, which, for a 27 par course is not great. I've been working with my teacher on hitting the ball straight, with good alignment, and rotation so as to bring the club face through square. Turns out the work has paid off.... I hit a total of 38, which was 3 shots ahead of my target. I hit pretty much all of my shots straight. A few green misreads and a few bad puts added 4, and one chip that was too hard added another, but I was delighted with how I played. I also managed my first ever "green in regulation". Now, to reality: this is a one-off, on a par 3 course, but: it represents real and measurable improvement, and given that I had never played before June, I'm pleased!

Played 9 holes (18 hole course with 2 tee positions, only had time for 9) at a course local to where I am on holiday. Mixture of very good and very bad. It's a short course (1883 yards, one par 5, 3 par 4s, for a total par of 32), but demands accuracy. I managed 2 pars (including the 5), 2 bogies, and 1 double bogies, but runied it with a few absolute shockers (lost 3 balls, went OOB twice on the last hole). 52 in total. Still, notwithstanding the shockers, one of the best rounds I've played since I started, only back in June.

On the hole my putting is reasonable. It's rare, once I am actually on the green, for me to put in 3. If my shot onto the green is really great, I might put in 1, but it's usually 2, with the occasional 3. Once I am within 100 yards of the green, I stand a fair chance of getting onto the green. So that's 3 shots. 4 if I screw up my short shot, or put in 3. Most of the points, for me, are lost in getting to being within 100 yards of the green. I'll hit the ball into rough, or out of bounds, or top it, or whiff it, or slice it or hook it wildly. If I hit a good one or two iron/hybrid shots to get me to where short game and putting takes over, I'll be in with a chance of a bogie, double bogie, or even sometimes a par. But my inconsistent swing, and lack of confidence off the tee, is what causes me to turn in the horrible scores... 7, 8, 9 on a hole.

I've noticed that if I mishit one, I often mishit the next two or three. I agree that this is partly mental. Today I traced it to tension in my hands. Having hit a bad one, and moved a few feet down, I found that I was gripping the club very tightly. Consciously relaxing that grip made a big difference... the image I have is that of holding a small animal: you want to be holding it firmly enough that it won't escape, but not so firmly that you squash it.

I went out for 9 holes this morning, with the intention of hitting a goal that would mark my progress towards breaking 100. However, after three holes, I had shot 5, 7, and 8, and was playing badly and getting angry about it. Rather than persist in this frame of mind, I decided to reframe how I was thinking and playing. For the last six holes I didn't score, and started setting different goals, such as "no penalties", or "stayed calm", or "played more than one good shot in a row". By the ninth hole I had come up with a scoring system that would represent a different way of measuring my progress. So, I went round again, using it. I found it really useful, and I enjoyed myself, and I felt as if I played much better. Here's the system: For every hole, award a mark from 0-4 for the following areas: Mental Game: 0: Bellowed with rage, threw clubs about, swore wildly etc 1: Became very angry, several times, had major effect on hole. 2: Swore, allowed bad shots to influence subsequent shots. 3: Reacted to shots, played impatiently, winced at missed puts, nearly swore. 4: Stayed completely calm, even in the face of poor shots. Course Management / Club Selection: 0: Made ridiculous club selections; played wildly inappropriate shots 1: Made very serious errors in club selection; selected a number of very risky shots 2: Made a poor club selection and played an unnecessarily risky shot 3: Either club selection, or hole strategy less than ideal 4: Sensible, conservative club selection and hole strategy Full Swing Shots (on average): 0: Missed the ball completely, severely topped the ball, or hit the ground first 1: Wild shot, hooked or sliced, incurring penalty 2: Reasonable swing, but suboptimal impact, resulting in thick, thin, or poor aim 3: Good swing and contact, advanced the ball in the right direction 4: Perfect swing and contact, hitting green or fairway in regulation Short Game: 0: Missed the ball completely, severely topped the ball, or hit the ground first 1: Poor shot, thick or thin, with little control, of distance and direction 2: Reasonable swing, but suboptimal distance or direction, requiring another shot 3: Good swing and contact, landing on green within two putts, or on fringe. 4: Perfect swing and contact, landing on green within easy putting distance Putting: 0: Putted in > 4 shots 1: Putted in four 2: Putted in three 3: Putted in two, or putted a simple shot from within a club length 4: Putted in one shot from more than a club length On holes where there is no need to make a full swing (such as some of the par 3 courses I play), simply don't count full swing shots. On holes where more than one full swing shots are needed before short game comes into play, simply take what seems to be a reasonable average. You can then work out a precentage performance for each hole. My theory is that in order to be at a point where one is getting close to breaking 100 (9 bogies, 9 double bogies), that all holes will be around 70% or more. I will experiment and see if this is born out I found on my second 9 that my mental approach changed. I found myself thinking: there are free points here - keep calm, make a sensible shot selection, that's 8/20 already. Then, by not trying too hard, and not trying to work miracles, the shots were more relaxed and less likely to result in a 0 or 1. Putting was largely 3 anyway. I made far fewer mistakes, and generally played better. I anticipate that this system and the scoring criteria might need some tweaking, but I'm going to try it for a while. Hopefully it might be of interest or use to others.

Hit 50 today! .... on a minuscule par 3 9 holer... :D Long way to go. Two bogies, three double bogies, and the rest 6 and 7. A few putting mistakes (mostly putted in 2 but in 3 twice). The rest were thinned chips or pitches that went far too far.

So I've settled for a second-hand set of Macgregor M455s, 4-9,PW,SW, an Odyssey putter, I've accidentally (!) obtained a Callaway Big Bertha 3W. Just want to add a hybrid/rescue, and a bag!

Another question on grip: do you think a glove makes it harder or easier to grip the club as described? Does the glove mean you lose some touch? But does it help with grip? I found an old B&W video of Hogan playing, and he wasn't wearing a glove. Are gloves just fashion, or do they actually help? Or indeed hinder?

I've just started reading this book. As a complete beginner, I figured it'd be worth reading some of the classics, so I've bought this and the Little Red Book. I have a question about the grip... it says in the book: 1) The back of my left hand should face the target 2) The club should be in the general position it would be in at address Since I am not aiming at anything - I'm just trying to learn how to hold the club, the back of my left hand isn't facing anything in particular. I also don't understand what general position the club should be in at address. I also don't understand where the club face should be pointing. If I stand with my feet square, and ensure that if I drew a line pointing at an imaginary target, like this: And my club were to point at 90 degrees to the angle, if I rotate the club in my hands, the face opens and closes. At one extreme, if I continue to turn the club clockwise, the face opens until at points to the sky. At the other extreme, if I rotate the club counter-clockwise, the face starts to point down and to the left, towards the ground. If I make the foot of the club perfectly straight, parallel to the ground, and at right angles to the line I drew above, the club shaft is pointing at an angle away from me: Is this normal and ok? I'm holding a 7I at present!

I'm currently using a borrowed set of clubs from my friend. I can't really keep borrowing them long term, so I need to get some of my own. I'd rather go for quality than quantity, as as a complete beginner, I'm guessing that while I am learning the essentials/fundamentals, I have no need for a wide selection of clubs. So - my question is this: what is the absolute bare minimum set of clubs for me to learn the game and play? Here's my thinking: Putter: obviously ~3/4 hybrid: could be used off the tee and for most long(ish) shots Sand wedge: bunkers and short game Could I get away with as few as that? What would you add if you absolutely had to?

I've been reading up on this, as I paid my first ever visit to the range yesterday. Here's a summary of the recommendations I've picked up after a few hours of research online: - Think about percentages, on an average round, you might use your driver 15-20% of the time. Spending 100% of your time on a shot you use 20% of the time might not be a good investment of time - Start small and work up. This helps warm your body up too. Start with a wedge, move up through irons, and end on driver - Play a game using distance markers - hit a drive, then an iron, then a short shot; consider visualising your favourite holes Looking forward to hearing other people's recommendations.

Hello all! I'm from Hampshire, England, 40 yrs old, complete beginner. I played a little bit of pitch and putt when I was a teenager, but before this week, I'd never hit a club other than a cheap 9 iron or a cheap putter. Went out with a friend and colleague early this week, and played 9 holes. Had a splendid time. Of course my shots were mostly hopeless, but one or two went where I wanted, and my putting was surprisingly good. I went to see a local club/course, and they have a 3 month offer, which I think I will take up. I played 9 holes there by myself on Friday. My driving and long shots were mostly awful - either topped, or hugely sliced. Mid length shots from the fairway with irons were also mostly topped or hit the ground and the ball trickled a few feet! Closer to the green when I used a wedge, the shots were much better, and one or two did exactly what I wanted, including one where I chipped the ball to land at the top of a bank and roll down to near the hole. Putting was good - I putted in 2 on 7/9 holes, putted in 1 (from about 12 feet away) one, and in 3 the last. Yesterday I went to the driving range, to see if I could get a feel for hitting the ball. Hit a hundred or so balls with driver, 3 wood, and 6 iron. More than half were hopeless, but a fair few went in the air, a decent distance, and more or less in the direction I wanted! I have a lesson with a pro on wednesday - I figured it'd be worth getting a few lessons before I learn bad habits. At the moment I'm using my friend's old clubs - Callaway Big Bertha X14 I think, and a Taylor Made driver. If I stay interested, I'll get some of my own. Hopefully this forum will be a useful place for me to learn? I'll likely record some of my swings and shots, and upload them for comment. I don't see myself wanting to play competitively - just for fun / social / business. But I'd like to feel like I was making a little improvement over time.