Disastrous

I picked this up on Monday and have practiced all week at the range. No longer will my 60 degree sit in my bag mocking me. I used it all around the green and in the sand during practice. I can't wait to play tomorrow. I have improved more this week than any other. I feel very confident about my ball striking right now. The putting section was very useful to me as well.

I just went out for a smoke and realized i didn't say congrats. Your round confirms a suspicion i've had for a while. When you start pulling your game together it is quite possible to drop strokes in bunches. I know I have it in me to play great golf but have only broken into the 80's once (87). I have a feeling I will do it again this weekend but feel it will quite possibly be low 80's. I have been practicing everyday for a few hours and am feeling unusually confident. I have worked out a few glitches and am stroking it well. If I use sound course management I think I may have finally made the turn. Congrats again.

I shoot 73 all the time. I just never quit after the 15th hole so it keeps going up.

I am anxious to try out a new app I just downloaded for my Blackberry Storm called nRange Golf. It is free and has satelite images. Has anyone tried it?

I have an unorthodox putting grip. I grip it just like any other club but extend my right index finger down along the right side of the shaft. Makes everything seem solid for me.

Without seeing you putt it would be hard to tell you what you are doing. If you are hitting with the bottom of the putter I would think it is your setup or you are allowing your wrists to flip instead of following through. I suggested the DVD because it was one of the best I have seen on putting from setup, follow through, and practice. Good luck working it out and hopefully someone who is a better teacher than I can chime in.

I have had an amazing turn around in the way I practice after getting "Phil Mickelson's Secrets of the Short Game". The explanation on putting and how to practice are very good in my opinion. I specifically like how he says he incorporates memories of performing his putting drill right before hitting a putt. His drill has him hit 100 3 footers in a row so while on the course he merely says 87... (practice put) 88... (actual putt).

I think zeg hit it on the head. It takes a little pressure off if I have a plan to play a bit more coservatively. I always want to get a birdie and usually end up with one or two over the course of 3 rounds. I always end up with double bogey+ every round. Pars come and go so my strategy has me approach the holes that are more difficult in a more reasonable manner while still having the goal of improvement. I appreciate all the input.

I have been playing golf off and on for the past 11 years. I really enjoy playing but haven’t seen the kinds of improvements one would expect from 11 years experience. My first mistake was learning how to swing on my own just so that I could occasionally get the ball going in the right direction. I spent $500 on lessons a few years back and that helped a bit in the frequency of good shots but I still continued to blow up enough holes to keep my score in the 90’s an the dreaded triple digits every now and again. I started to get in the bad habit of starting a round hitting the ball the way I was trained and then switching to a bastardized version of it and my old swing after a few holes of frustrating madness. A couple of months ago I went out and played with rain in the forecast. It was a slow drizzle and I didn’t expect much (read relaxed). I managed to score an 87. This has been the only time I have ever accomplished this elusive feat. I decided then that I would give myself the rest of this year to duplicate or better that score or give up on ever being anything other than a very casual golfer. I have begun practicing at the range about 3 hours each evening. I spend about 30-45 minutes on the range and split the rest between the putting and chipping greens. One of the main changes I am making is planning my round prior to play. I am not a scratch golfer. I think it is ridiculous to approach each hole as though I will par it. I know that approach shots greater than 200 yards are a weakness of mine. I plan to bogey on holes that are notoriously difficult for me. I will give myself an extra stroke to get on the green by laying up so that I can use my shorter irons that are more comfortable to hit. I figure that this course management approach will take some pressure off and give me a bit more confidence on the holes I plan to par. I also have left four of the five par 3’s as bogeys so that I have a bit of wiggle room. The plan works out so that I only plan on getting par for 6 holes. If I bogey the other 12, I end up with an 82 (par 70) or 12 over. Does my plan sound reasonable? Regards, Mark

Check if there is a The Golf Ball Shop in your area.

Both are/were incredible golfers but I get to watch Tiger play so he is my fav. The greatest... is yet to be determined.

I am serving in the US Navy.