Killa

I am still waiting for it even though the shipping label was created in March. And I lowered my expectations by a lot so I might just list it straight on ebay.

I've been Playing Golf for: 1 year My current handicap index or average score is: -46 My typical ball flight is: all over the place. Currently a miss is usually a pull hook/pull draw. I do occasionally push the ball, and rarely a push fade. A slice is very rare for me and is usually the result of a bad mishit of the ball. The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: Currently a hook/pull hook Videos: Ok so I didn't even know these boards have this section but since I recorded myself yesterday I thought I might as well post it. Let me expand on my "skills". Took up golf by myself in the summer of 2015. Then in the summer of 16 I took a beginner course with the local pro (7 students and 4x2 hours of instructions in 4 weeks). Then I had ~6 individual lessons from a trainer that helps the local pro with their children section (he is probably around the 10 hcp range himself). I will be getting more lessons with the pro in the future - he does give me little tips when he sees me at the range. While I do have an official hcp of -46 I have only posted 1 round of 9 hole golf for my hcp - I live in Europe and our golfing association has the hcp rules of the EGA. So from what I know pretty much only tournament rounds count and I only play single or with even higher hcper than me. Since then I have improved a lot, judging by the scores. For example my last round on the same course I posted the score for my hcp was a 47 for 9 holes (34 par for the course). I had 2 pars on par 4s, then 4 bogeys, and one double, triple and quadruple. My putting and chiping is very good for my current cap - so while I work on that too, my current worst part of the game are long irons (5) and I never used a driver in a round of golf (did use a 3 wood with average results). The video above was from my third driver practice. The camera angle isn't perfect but I'll try to add a better one soon. What I notice myself most is that I think that my takeaway is decent and then on the top the face is too much to the sky? The start of the downswing is too steep and while I do concentrate on coming from the inside I see on the video that my downswing is too steep in the start? I have incorporated the duck stance in my setup since reading those boards and it helps me with the backswing rotation. Also trying to practice with the 5 "S"'s in mind.

Thanks for the input guys. I know I don't want to learne everything myself so I do get lessons. Just wanted to figure out a baseline for the driver and then get lessons to start fixing flaws. I did read that thread yesterday and practiced according to it today. And that slow swing was something I picked up from a Rory YouTube video - the driver swing path is just so much longer you really need to take time for it to develop or you rush the shoulder and hip turn while the clubhead is still way back in the downswing. I'm thinking of going to a range nearby that has a shot tracker for rent for pretty cheap ($20/hr) so that I would get the basic numbers and then reevaluate at the end of the season after multiple lessons and practices.

Changed the avatar :) well the 75% might not be 75% at all :) it takes me like 1,5 seconds for the backswing. Feels slow motion :) I'll try to record a video this week.

Long story short - started golf 2 summers ago (all by myself so no real use from the first summer) and then took a beginners golf course last year and had some private lessons (only thing in my life I actually decided I want to be taught and not learn everything by myself). I have a 9 hole par 3 course (very short par 3, longest hole is 150, a couple of 110y and then the rest is even shorter) with a driving range, putting green and some pitching greens right next to my house. That's what made me start golfing even though the game always had an appeal to me. Now I'm a 46 HCP but I only have 1 recorded round for HCP from last year and I practiced A LOT from that round. So in my mind I think I am somewhere in the high 20's realistically (shot an unspectacular 47 on a 34 par 9 hole course on Saturday). Now looking at that score it would be much lower: a. if I hit more GIR b. had a driver in my bag to actually use and not carry around. To hit more GIR I need to work on my irons, but I'm fairly good with short irons (obviously since I got a very short course to play often) meaning my 60-56-52-P-9. I feel pretty confident when using those clubs. I practice quite a bit with my 7 and 5 and they are getting there slowly. My worst shot is a pull hook. I don't have many slices, topped or duffed shots. So let's leave the irons for another thread and go to b. I have hit my driver (actively) on the driving range once two summers ago. After that (and after the beginner course) I decided to best leave it in the bag until I "master" other aspects of the game, only to occasionally take it out for some relaxation and frustration relief ;) Now playing longer courses I see where a good driver would help me. A good drive would leave me with much shorter second and third shots that would be much closer to my current comfort zone (the green looks much bigger from 100 yards out than from 180 yards out). I have now been practicing with my driver for 2 days. So I've hit about 100 drives in the last two days. What I do is lay down my 4 and 5 irons and use them as alignment sticks. I space them about 18" apart. Then I stick two tees about 10" from another perpendicular to the irons and between them. I will then slowly swipe between them with the driver. So that is where I then place my actual tee. I will then hit some shots at about 25% speed, 50% speed and then end up with a perceived 75% speed. That looks like a very slow takeaway, and quite a slow start to the swing at 75%. I slow down to go faster. And at 75% I can probably hit 50% (will need to keep better statistics) fairly straight and about 200-220y carry. As soon as I want to "rip one" though, things get really messy, real fast. Total shanks, nasty hooks and low pulls are on the menu for strong shots. I know I just started practicing with a driver, but I feel as though if I really hit one good it should carry 250y easily if a 75% will get me 220... At 75% I concentrate on not too much rotation and loading, to drop the club at the top to get that inside to out path and to transfer my weight from the back to the front foot. I also incorporated the "duck legs" today after reading the boards yesterday. For the driver I have a well defined set up routine that leaves me with a pretty constant setup so that at least one thing is constant in my swing. How do you think I should proceed?

Played my second round of 9 holes this year on Saturday and shot a 47 on a 34 par course. It's not the hardest course out there but the par 3's especially are tough as they are very narrow. Played smart-ish and left my 3 wood in the bag and only played irons (almost) all day long. Hit 1 GIR, which is good for me as I'm not the best at mid and long iron shots. Had only 1 3-putt though and saved the score with a very decent short game. Looking back I started nicely with a GIR and a par on the first hole (par 4), saved a bogey on the second (180 yard par 3 over a lake). Then comes a really hard 500 yard par 5 for me. Was able to get close to the green in 4 shots and then a nice up and down for a single. A double on the next 150y par 3 (very narrow) that could have been a single if I didn't play scared on the first chip. Then I made another par on a 320y par 4. Second shot was 15 yards of the green but I made a nice chip to about 3-4' and holed it. So naturally I was pretty pumped and then came my first blow up hole. It's a narrow 170y par 3 that has trees on both sides. On the left there is some pretty steep rough and you'll have a hard time to find it if you miss there. On the right the treeline is thin so if you go over it you'll end up in the 7th fairway. I did that but then I tried a hero shot through some trees (1 yard gap from 5 yards out) instead of going left for the fringe of the green. Hit the tree and ended up with a triple. But the worst hole was still to follow. It's a nice wide 330y par 4, all you have to do is not miss left (the woods from the 6th. Naturally I pull out my first 3 wood of the day and hook it left. Luckily I found it but again hit a tree while trying to pitch back on the fairway. A bad wedge shot followed (got underneath the ball as the ground was really soft and it went high and short. Then I landed on the fringe, decided to put and had a brainfart as I thought the fringe would be much slower and ended up overshooting the green... long story short - a quadruple. Managed to cool down and finish with two singles on 2 long par 4s. I think that's where my game is right now, even though it says in my profile that my HCP is -46 I only played 1 round that counted for HCP in my life and it was only the front 9 on this same course. So my guess is that my actual HCP is somewhere in the high 20's because I shot +13 here and that was without any miracle shots that were way above my skill set. Just slow and steady and play the course away from hazards even if that adds an extra shot here and there.

I'm pretty much a newbie, but last week I played my 5th round of golf (9 holes) with an even bigger newbie :) So on the third hole I we were caught up by 2 seniors and since my buddy was about 50 yards off the tee in the rough with 400 yards left to go we wave them on, to let them pass. We play behind them and see them finishing the hole and we still needed about 4-5 shots each to finish the hole. We walk up to the tee on 4th (150y par 3) and the layout is so stupid that the tee box of the 5th is maybe 10 yards behind the green of the 4th. I see them standing about 10 yards off the green and to the right and assumed they were teeing off on the 5th. Hit my 7 and it is about the same hight as the flag. The ball stopped about 10 yards from where they were standing but I never even considered yelling fore as I knew I was not gonna go over the green and my "vision" told me they were on the tee box behind it anyway. Turns out they were searching for their balls in the woods... Apologized to them but man was I ashamed... Made sure to leave them even further ahead on the fifth...