Travtex

True. Though I'd think over the long haul, expecting to have a Career Round after a month of being unable to really play or practice isn't a help to one's overall confidence. The line you quote is essentially the poetic hyperbole version of, "I wasn't expecting too much, all things considered."

(For the supportive folks, thanks, but it's more of an amusement with myself than any legit frustration. Again, I'm still viewing things as a bit of an improvement because the atrocious chipping and putting was a bit of an anomoly -- aforementioned 'New Way' to suck. Think this was my first round without any lost balls, too. As much water as I was looking at, I'm pleasantly surprised.) As for the ball rolling off the green. I've upgraded my random balls to recycled random balls. Was playing a couple titleists and a srixon that day. As for the short game... Yeah, no doubt. The topped approach shots caught my attention a bit more as they're viciously frustrating, but the putting and chipping was horrifying. Might be a good object lesson in practice... When I was living in San Antonio, I spent all of my time at the practice facility working on chips, pitches, and putts... little time on the range. Since moving, I have yet to FIND a similar facility and have to work on those things at the course. With visibly bad results, haha.

Well, that was interesting. Zero penalty strokes, zero horrific blow up holes... and an utterly lousy score. Is that improvement or regression? First nine played today after almost a month of hiding indoors from the rain + the extreme grip makeover. Went out fully expecting to suck it up, and I was in no way disappointed. But it was a bizarrely different sort of sucking. 1.) First hole is a Par 3, 187 yards. I hit a monster hook with a 6 iron. Ugly, but playable. Pitch rolled right off the back of the green (Deceivingly steep greens at my new home course). Chip and two-putt. +2 Ugh. 2.) Short Par 5. Laid into a driver, ended up 268 yard dead-center of the fairway. Skulled the planned lay-up. Lay-up attempt #2 (It's a nasty dogleg right with the green RIGHT over a pond. Evil hole.) puts the a giant tree and the water between the green and I. Shot of the Day with a 52* wedge straight over the stupid tree and softly on the green. No, wait... it rolls off again. Fringe putt. Putt... putt, damnit. +4. 3.) Short 4. 3 wood that looks nice, but the wind stuffs it. Whatever, it's in the fairway. Catch the wedge a bit thin and fly the green. Chip, putt, putt. +5 4.) Short 3. Top my 10 iron. Top my 58*. Chip, putt, putt. +7, and it's obviously gonna be a long day. 5.) Driver finds a tree branch on the right side, but it's kicked into the fairway. Drill a 6 iron, but it's waaaaaay left. Ugly line drive that fades and rolls clear past the #2 tee box. Fore. My bad. 52* out and put it just off the green. Fringe putt. Putt. DROP YOU MOTH... er... Putt. +9 6.) Monster Uphill Death Par 4. Drive is pushed a bit left, but in 'Okay' left rough territory. Not wanting to climb the mountain to find the green, I take playing partner's word for it. I scamper out into potential landing zone of 7's blind tee shot and hastily hack at where I kinda think the green might be. It's sorta in that direction, but much further than advertised. Third shot hits the green and, again, just rolls right off the back. Chip. Putt. Putt. What the...? PUTT!! +12 7.) Monster Downhill Blind Shot Par 5 with Water Right. Hit driver, and it isn't pretty... another low liner, but it's in the fairway and over the hill. Leaves me like 250 yards on a nasty downhill lie. So, naturally, I skull an iron which skips cheerfully up the fairway about fifty yards. Better lie, 4h... another liner, pushed left a bit.... and winds up about buried into a tree root. Chip back to freedom. Pitch, and you know the rest of the story. Chip, Putt, Putt. +14 8.) Middling Par 4 Over Lake. I SKY my driver, and have a moment of concern that the wind is going to blow it right back into the lake... BUT, it's clear and in the fairway. Top my approach. Sigh. And then comes The Horror, as I shank my 52*. While chasing that one down, I manage to narrowly avoid Death by Titleist. How's this go, again? Oh, yeah -- Pitch... hey, it held the green this time. That means I get to three putt instead of Chip Putt Putt. I succeed. +17 9.) Another drive that -almost- gets overcooked, which would put it in the river lining the backside of the fairway on a sharp dogleg right. But, safe in the fairway. I'm at about 155. Put an 8 iron just a couple paces shy of the green. Feeling like I haven't been enough of a jackass on this hole, yet, I chunk my chip. Chip, Putt, Putt. +19 Kinda feels idiotic to be hovering around twenty over for nine hitting six fairways. On the other hand, it's the most fairways I've actually hit, and there weren't any 'Okay, let's hit five from the tee' moments. It actually FELT like a solid step in the right direction, even though the scorecard begged to differ. Jeez, I pay money for this?

Exactly. It's mostly "pointless" and "expensive".

Or less, depending on the nature of your problem.

This year I've bailed on my limited teaching. I think the addictive part of instruction like that is that you're given a band-aid compensation... and for a bit of time it works, then your body adjusts to THAT weirdness and things go to crap and you're back for another band-aid, ad infinitum. I've progressed dramatically sans instruction just being aware how the physics actually work. (Though it's a bit disappointing at times to have to just reject EVERY instructor out of hand because they don't pass the 'Old Ball Flight Laws' or the 'Video?' tests.) Still, figuring out WHY it was working at that time helps. The other Swing Fix Type Thoughts are, come to think of it, placebos. Ways to trick yourself into doing something right. Heh, at one point last year I was making excellent contact with a swing thought of "Hook the crap out of it" because it forced me to come from the inside AND get good extension.

I've been doing some slow-motion swing tinkering. One thing (Of many) that's struck a dissonant chord with me since my Way Back Only Lesson I've Ever Had was the idea of hitting a fade and/or a draw via the "Release". The pro I had at the time was basically going with the old, 'Hold off on the release for a fade // turn it over for a draw' method. After a good bit of reading and learning I had been stuck wondering how the hell it ever worked. The key problem for me was... that it technically DID work. Slow mo pondering has me... well, at least, I think, stumbling upon the answer. Anticipation. When I think about where I have to end up for a 'Held Off' finish.... I HAVE to come a bit over the top to get there. Likewise with the exaggerated 'Early Release', I have to dip along the way and come further from the inside. From what I'm feeling/seeing going slow and analyzing things is that mentally I'm already trying to square up the club without thinking about it... My brain is just forcing the few feet before impact into a position that gets that desired foot or so AFTER impact in place. None of which has anything to do with a 'Release' which I don't think I could coordinate regardless of HOW many performance-enhancing drugs are in my system. (Just a random observation... I could also just be ignorant and sleep-depraved.)

I have some questions for Eric and/or the Evolvr users. While I'm a near-pathologically perfectionistic sort of person, I've come to terms with the fact that if nothing else, I simply cannot afford (Both in actual dollars and in time) to Be All I Can Be with regards to golf. I'm only about a year in, and despite managing a round or two a month between month or two layoffs for Life... I'm circling in on bogey. From what I've read, I'm already a bit in the S&T; camp just in how I've self-taught. I haven't found an instructor in my new (admittedly lower-population) area, and I'm wondering "Is Evolvr For Me?" Counter to some concerns, I'm wondering if 1/week video lesson is too MUCH. My work and family schedules aren't going to permit the time I -want- to put into practice... Would I be better served with the occasional one-shot lesson? Or are there other options? Or is it something that just won't be that helpful without tons of practice? (Granted, that's one thing I miss from San Antonio -- I had a range membership and practiced at least an hour a day, three or four when I didn't have other obligations. Nowadays? I'm lucky to get a range hour or a round in a week.... Though I still burn off an hour or so chipping and pitching in the yard. By "Yard", I mean, "Living room, until my wife makes it out here in July.")

In one of those odd instances of feel opposing reality -- I was having (And occasionally regress to) severe fat/thin problems. At one point, I all but elimited them both by the seemingly counterintuitive feel of keeping my hips further -down- as I thrust them forward. Almost like I was full-on shoving my arse at the target (At the time, it felt almost like I was "sitting down" at the target). Farewell fats and thins. For that day, anyway... Now it's just a matter of my brain remembering... *whistle*

Heh, I've been playing live shows since I was about seventeen... and I -still- need to have the occasional pre-show barf.

I split the difference, and use the hell out of my 58*

I find a great deal more consistency when I'm focused as all hell... But relaxed. If that sounds like a difficult state to acheive, it's just because it's a difficult state to acheive. If I'm slack-assing at the range... sure, I'm loose.. but I hit like crap. If I have any stiffness, sure I'm alert, but I hit like crap. (For what it's worth, I'm having a lot of recent success with "Active Arms, Loose Wrists", though my swing is pretty hip-driven overall... I'm regularly being told 'Quiet Lower Body! Your Back Leg is Too Straight!' etc.)

I'm a bit ambidextrous, though probably a bit stronger in my right arm (I write right-handed, throw right-handed for baseball... but left-handed for practice, etc). Golf left-handed, a decision I made when I started because 1.) I'm very right-eye dominant and 2.) It just feels more natural. On the golf swing, very much right-side dominant though I've been paying some attention to my left side lately (Extending the left arm, keeping connected, etc).

Personally, I think this season's goal is to start making it through rounds without the nagging concern that the next shot is going to go screaming into the next fairway and take a life. *snork*

I'm only a year in myself, but I'm thinking at this point spending another thirty bucks to discover that my putter needs to be a degree flat or whatever is the least of my worries.

Yeah, that's a point I was dancing around and never got around to actually SAYING, haha. In my instance, I was thinking I could go either way depending on my intentions. If I want to grove a better swing, I'm thinking I'd eat the potential distance gaps of less forgiveness (This is where I am mentally, now)... If I wanted to just play and shoot for scores, I'd drop back down to the GIs (An idea I haven't entirely abandoned, but probably isn't in my basic character when Improvement and Hard Work are possible options, heh). (That, and getting something without all that damn offset.)

I still wonder about this. I'm leaning toward a pretty solid 'I dunno' with a bit of 'depends on your swing'? Got to a Callaway demo day just this afternoon. Great opportunity as having multiple left-handed clubs around to try out has not been an available luxury since moving to a smaller town. At the end of the day, the rep had me pegged as a tweener in most respects. Actually said I should be avoiding beginner irons, though I'm not entirely sure why (Granted, I don't LIKE shovel irons, but I'm not sure why a person should necessarily avoid them if they don't mind looking at them). I probably hit the X22 Tours the best, about ten yards further than the regular 22s -- Problem being wider dispersion distance-wise. X22 6i hanging around 160 plus or minus a few yards... X22 Tour 6i ranging from 160-175. Now, adding 15 potential yards SOUNDS nice on paper, but who can judge distances with a 15+ yard distance dispersion? Anyway, my original point was: Had me pegged somewhere between 'Players Irons' and 'Game Improvement Irons', and no-no on Super GI Irons. Also said, surprising for a company rep, that they didn't really have anything in lefty models that fit that bill. (Not really sure how to interpret that, but...*shrug*) Aside: Had the same deal with driver fitting. Either a heavier R-flex or a lighter S-flex... and 10.5 launching a liiiitle bit high, 9.5 a liiiitle bit low. *laugh*

Thanks -- Didn't figure it'd be a simple answer. (Is it ever? Haha.) My grip change involved literally about an inch and a half, close to two inches of weakening. I was also working semi-consciously on extensor action with the left arm (Lefty). Try to work on one thing at a time, but as you know... Something gets into your head and POOF. Things I've been working on primarily: * Get comfortable with the grip change. * High finish with good left-arm extension through the hit. From how I'm understanding what you've said, the latter might have more to do with it?

I've had this problem. The Driver Push Fade is my sworn enemy. (I don't think too far -forward- could cause a PF. If anything, I think that'd promote a pull unless you're chicken-winging something fierce. Looking at my handicap, though, I could be drastically wrong. :D) As far as the open shoulders with forward ball position thing goes... Someone very recently posted a relevant video that I experimented with at the range, today. I'd cite the thread itself if I could remember where I saw it. The idea was basically when you stepped back into your setup with the ball in a good forward heel position, and then set your club up to the ball, that would cause your shoulders to open. The drill involved setting up a tee further back and setting up your address position to THAT (And then keeping your head behind that position to encourage a slightly ascending blow). I'm probably describing it poorly, but I'm sure somebody else will remember what the hell I'm talking about. *heh*

Sounds like I'm a bit backward from the other one-year rookies... My irons have been pretty good to me. Recently my 3 wood has joined the cause and become a pretty reliable club. Off the tee. Off the fairway who knows. It can go 240 or 24. I've had major driver woes. Can give it a good ride dead down the middle of the fairway one day... the next day it's blocked into the next fairway. Wedges are a coin toss. Chipping and pitching frustrate me... mostly on the psychological side of things. I practice chips and pitches more than anything else. I've gotten to be pretty accurate... while practicing. Then I get on the course and there's suddenly a 180 degree danger zone in front of me. Could chunk it, could blade it, could shank it. I have Bubba Watson's mental game. Same thing with putting. I can make a gorgous lag put from across the green to a couple feet... then miss the two footer. I have two 3-putt pars to my credit and zero birdies. Ha ha. *hairpull*

Got back from the range with the usual some-good-some-bad results. One thing I'm wondering about is a pretty dramatic change in ball flight with my irons. There's only a negligible loss of distance, now, but the trajectory is significantly higher than it used to be. At first, I thought I was flipping at it, but that doesn't seem to be the case -- Nice happy divots after the ball. Perhaps I just got used to delofting, before? I moved from strong to neutral grip. Not complaining at all, maybe I can finally stick a green or two rather than bounding right across them. Just curious as to what's physically going on, there. Meanwhile, I've started fighting a bit of a slice -- Thinking I developed an OTT move when fighting the grip-induced pull-hooks? Preliminary results are still promising, but when I get out of whack and skiv off a banana slice it's frustrating as hell. Although... My slice is actually closer to being in the fairway than my more vicious hooks ever were. Oh! Another question: I'm still hitting the occasional dead push despite major grip overhaul. Isn't that... ODD?

Yeah, it's 100% mental for me. Doesn't seem to matter... warm up, don't warm up, what type of hole (I tripled an opening Par 3 the other day, top, chunk, top, chip, putt, putt... talk about going on tilt, lol). Haven't found a Pro in my new area, yet... and didn't actually have much luck -before- I moved. Feeling pretty good reaching mid 20's just winging it, but I think without more help I'm going to have an iffy ceiling at best.

Obviously, I skulled it. (*badumching*)

I started a year ago... Oh, I started in the summer sometime. Will be a year in June or July. I'm hovering around a 25HC, though that's estimated (Once I get some financial recovery from the move/job switch/etc, I'm hoping to get in enough rounds to establish a for-real HC). Best for 9 so far is a +8, though my average is hovering closer to +12. My problem has been wild inconsistency as everyone else has mentioned. One thing that's been killing me is the Early Blow-Up Hole. The first part of my scorecard can look like +4, +2, Par, Par, +1, +1 and so on. Really sucks out your focus to crap up the first hole and go into the round knowing that this isn't the day. Dramatic Grip Change is showing promising results so far, so my goal for the year is Bogey.

Had my first post grip-change session, today. Granted, probably not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it was pretty surprising how much WORK it was to implement what was essentially shifting my hands around a couple inches. As my swing vid helpers noted, my grip was on the extreme side of Strong Grip. Basically, my top hand thumb was pretty much pointed down the target line, and my bottom hand was more or less under the club, with comparable thumb position. My Shiny New grip has both thumbs directly on top of the grip. Some observations/questions/rants at random: * Dispersion seems better. I was wildly inconsistent before with full-on pull hooks and skyball pushes... Now, for the most part, my mishits are going straight. Just a fat/thin issue. * I hit a few actual slices. I wasn't even that bummed. Relative to where the fairway would've been, my slices were less slice-y than my hooks were hook-y. * Took a while to get contact down. Feel like I'm having to really DRIVE my hips more aggressively, though off the top of my head that seems counterintuitive. I -feel- like I'm having to slide more than rotate. I'm making best contact when I feel like I'm just driving my arsch directly toward the target, almost downward (I might have been rising up, before). * Lost a touch of distance, but not much. Better trajectory -- Probably hitting the same ballspeed, just higher. * When I got a bit tired, I started hitting lazy pushes again. Think that was just being sloppy. In conclusion, I'm liking the grip change so far. I'm not booming it like I was before, but... two things 1.) It's probably a lack of comfort with the new grip slowing my swing down, 2.) Even if not, I'll trade improved control for distance any day. I ended off the day hitting some pretty fun flop shots that I hadn't been able to pull off, before. Kinda funny on the range, though -- Looks like you just made a horrible mistake when you take a full swing and the ball squirts straight up and then sticks about twenty yards in front of you. Drives... Meh, probably about my usual. (I'm not sure this makes sense. My problem before was irons too boring, driver too high. I changed the grip and I'm hitting high floater irons and line drives with the big stick.... ) Average in the 250 range with 225-230 carry. Occasionally uncork one that ends up 270-280 (Only two of them, today. They're pretty fun at my new home driving range -- There's a lake at about 300 yards out, and at the edge of the lake is the 10th tee which aims at an island green on said lake. If you put one in the lake, or hit somebody's cart wheel... you know you've smacked the crap out of it.) EDIT to add: Almost forgot... Hit my first shank, today, too. What the HELL?! No wonder they piss people off so much.