Vespidae

Is it really that complicated? It’s two shots. A leading edge shot for low trajectory chips and a trailing edge pitch shot ... where the only variables are ball position and loft. He told me that you don’t miss horizontally with wedges. It’s a distance thing ... so based on the lie and based on the green, decide which shot. Leading edge shots for when you have green to work with and trailing edge when you don’t. Seems pretty simple ...

How about a Biarritz green when you’re five yard short of the green? I don’t see how you bump and run that, but if you can ... you’re a helluva lot better player than me. My local track is an RTJ course. If you can’t pitch it to the flat spots on the green ... you are D-E-A-D. Thats two I can think of ...

I’ll answer it as best I can. The basic shots are low shots and high shots, so you’re on track. If I understood him correctly, you have to plan your shot based on a) the lie and b) where and how it will land. For example, a low spinny pitch is still just a pitch. It’s application is different that’s all. The “2” shots are just 50 yd half wedges. One if when the pin is further back, one is when you have to carry a slope and stop the ball. It’s not that complicated. Basically, two shots where you adjust set up based on how you need to flight the ball. Do I need all these shots? Based on my stats, he wants me to improve my scrambling %. That’s the weakest area of my game. I’ve been working with him for 4 years. He wants me to dramatically up my scrambling percentage.

Ok. Had a lesson to work on my short game. My instructor wants me to focus on 4+2 shots, in addition to putting. The 4 shots are for inside 40 yds. They are: No hinge and release. Basic chip shot using the leading edge. To be used for fairway lies, not more than 10 yds off the green and no more than 35 yards to the hole. Hit it low and let it run to the hole. Bounce and check. Low spinner for pins located in the back of the green or on a tier with danger behind. To be used for 40 -60 yards because of the speed required to spin the ball. Cut pinch. High shot using clubhead release to generate speed. For carry over bunkers or other obstacles. Flop. High trajectory shot for shortside situations. The other 2: Leading edge trap. A driving partial wedge shot to drive onto the green and release and run to the hole. Trail edge floater. A higher, softer shot that uses trajectory to stop the ball. He suggested I have a game philosophy for choosing which club. For example, if <35 yds out and within 10 yds of the green, the no hinge release should be hit about 80% of ten time. If you are on a tight lie with a back pin and the green slopes slightly up in back, hit the spinner. Otherwise, pitch. When approaching, if the pin is in the back, use the trap and release. To carry a slope or stop in front, use a high lob. Any thoughts on this? He added a bunch about the lie (grass, grain, lie, etc), but these are the basics.

A comment from earlier this year by Hank Haney .. “I can show you player after player statistically,” Haney said. “At one time on Tour, he (Spieth) was second in strokes gained tee-to-green. To get back to that number, it would take him at least three years, if it’s even possible.” Currently, Jordan Spieth is 155th in strokes gained tee to green. Haney suggested that an “incredible” three-year progression might be 100th in strokes gained tee to green at the end of this year, 30th or 40th next year and 10th the following. But Haney said it is just going to take some time. “You don’t go from 155th like to top 10,” Hank Haney concluded. “It doesn’t happen. It’s never happened ever.” Will he come back? It feels to me he is reverting to the mean.

Here's an interesting question. I'm a golf resort recently and spoke to a highly ranked female amateur, plays D1 golf at a top school, and who was preparing for a tournament. I asked her about 65/25/10 and if she practiced that way. She said she knew all about it and no, she didn't. In fact, her woman's team does the opposite. She said it's based on the slower swing speed that women generate and that the strategy of her team, and pretty much everyone she plays, puts the ball in play and in the fairway. So the game (in her opinion) comes down to short game. Her coaches employ a 70% short game practice and 30% full swing. She admitted, it is completely different for the men's team. They practice 70% full swing and only a little on the short game. She said they can really bomb it and it's a different game for them. I'm not claiming one way or the other is accurate, but does this make sense? What do you think of her point?

I have no idea if Jordan will come back or not. I’m guessing not if you just look at statistics and turnover on Tour. A good friend of mine played the Tour and has several students on the Tour today. He says all the time, “They won’t listen. It’s hard to stay focused and do the work.” Who knows? We’re all just guessing.

Your handicap reflects what you actually score, on course. I’m currently an 18. On a range, I can carry a drive 260, hit 15 greens in a row from 175 and drop 20 putts in a row from 30 ft to < 3 ft. On a course, I chilly dip. 3 putt. And hook. But every 10 rounds or so, I’ll shoot the lights out. In tournaments, my peers complain when it all comes together. (Really complain!) But I only get to play 12-15 rounds a year. A handicap is my adjusted score ... it’s what I actually post. If I played 30 or 50 rounds a year, the statistics would be different. But we don’t adjust for the statistical population of samples. Still ... it’s a pretty good system...

I completely redid my practice routine based on 65/25/10 ratios. I tend to practice 100 minutes daily using this framework and it's really helped provide structure to my practice. My short game has improved dramatically. Question? Is it better to practice all areas of the game (putting, short game, full swing) each day ... or ... break it up into alternating days? For example, Monday/Thursday: Short Game, Tue/Fri: Putting; Wednesday/Saturday: Full swing. (I'm also thinking of playing 9 holes a day on a par 3 course attached to the range.) Any thoughts?

I've really been working on my short game lately and feeling very good about it. If I can get it near the green, I feel pretty confidant about my ability to scramble. I started by creating a list of all the typical short game shots and I think I had about 14 in total. But I was trying to reconcile all the different thoughts put out by Runyan, Rodgers, Harrington, Sieckmann and Ridyard to create a better approach to organizing how I approach this. Harrington for example, doesn't practice the belly wedge, the use of a hybrid in collection areas or the chip+run. He says the belly wedge is used too infrequently to put much time into it, the hybrid is course-specific and (this was a surprise), the chip+run isn't used on today's fast greens. It's reserved now for mostly flat greens with Stimp<9. So he doesn't practice that much anymore either. (Paul Runyan's assistant said the same thing ... although I love his book ... his assistant said the game has changed and many of Paul's techniques aren't as valid as they used to be so be careful about using too much of it.) Ridyard said not to bother with practicing the "spinny wedge" as a separate pitch because ... if the mid-trajectory pitch is set up correctly, it IS the spinny wedge. So his emphasis was on learning 5 trajectories and each trajectory has different combinations of height and spin. (But if we drop the chip+run, we have basically just 2 ... the mid and flop.) Where does that leave me? I practice the following ... Fringe chip-putts (this is Runyan with the heel up) Short pitches from the rough onto the green (< 5 yards) A mid-trajectory pitch from about 20 yards (from fairway) Flop shot over a bunker 1/2 wedge from 30-40 yards from fairway (and another from rough) 3/4 wedge from 50-60 yards Short sand shot (15 yards), Medium sand shot (22 yards), Long sand shot (29 yards) Shots onto the green from various lies (uphill, downhill, side slopes, etc.) Does that sound reasonable? Or am I overcomplicating this? It works with practice because I start closest to the pin and work my way to the 3/4 wedges before moving onto the full swing which is where I spend most of my time. Interested in any thoughts ... Also, both Ridyard and Harrington said to forget the clock when adjusting distance on pitches. Use speed instead. I've started doing this and it actually works better. Thoughts?

I love to watch golf. But the CT has almost no value to me. I’d rather go hit balls than watch it on TV. I think I there is value in the US Senior Open. But the CT? No.

I actually enjoy watching the LPGA. I like their swings and some of them are pretty hot.

I was fitted for my wedges. My primary course has very tight lies and needed a completely different grind. Can you do this on your own? Maybe. But my club fitter is Vokey trained and put together a great 3 wedge set for me. I’d repeat.

I've thought about this a lot since I first posted. I read Mark Brodie's paper and sorted through all sorts of websites to get a good idea of leading indicator stats that would not just track my game, but help me understand if my strategy is working. Brodie made two important contributions. First, he said, forget GIR. Yes, it is THE ONE metric worth tracking but ... greens aren't consistent in size and they vary course to course. Second, he said what separates amateurs from professionals (other than distance) is consistency. (Hank Haney said something similar.) So ... here's what I'm going to start tracking ... Median FRL (Fractional Remaining Length) ... the % proximity to the hole from the approach shot. 1st Putt Distance ... I have to record this anyway, but I average 18.1 feet from the hole and my goal is to always be within 30. If I am, I will two putt. Number of Awful Shots ... Brodie wrote that reducing this has the greatest impact on higher handicap players. Haney said the same ... eliminate 3-putts (which I will from 30 ft), 2 chips, and penalty shots. No need to track all the variations ... just the number is fine. So that's the system ... Record the Approach Shot Distance, Third Shot (which should be the first putt) Distance, and the Number of Awful Shots. This will provide a way to objectively measures ball-striking and consistency. Thoughts? (PS - once FRL is < 6% ... Brodie suggested that is when you focus on length off the tee.)

There’s no shortage of stats to use evaluate one’s game. The traditional stats of FWs, GIRs, and putts is not as popular as it used to be. In my own game, I track GIRs, first putt distance, and Scrambling %. What’s the simplest metrics you track to give you an idea of your game?

Too late to do anything about it now. I always try to NOT work on swing changes until after tournament season. Regardless, this is where I would say, good instruction matters more than ever.

No. They require it. So there’s no extra charge. The problem is they don’t have enough carts.

I don’t know. 30?

Nope. It’s not a typo. I think instruction is an essential part of the game. I finally found one that understands my game and was pretty blunt about what it would take to fix it. He has helped me win my flight at the club and we’re working to win another. That’s great instruction and I wish I had taken that approach 30 years ago. I’m not a fan of simply buying bandaids. That’s my point.

I’ve spent thousands on lessons. First, I’d be interested in how an Instructor is going to help me reach my goals. Paying an hourly rate on bandaids isn’t customer oriented. That’s instructor oriented. Second, I want testimonials. What were your goals, what was the process, how did you guys collaborate and what results did you produce? I live near Atlanta. My instructor is 12 hrs away. Twice a year we do a 3 day school. We start with stats ... what % FW do you hit, % GIR, etc? And we build a plan. I don’t want to see an instructor that charges by the hour and isn’t committed to helping me achieve my goals. In 30 plus years of taking lessons, I’ve met ...one.

Golf instruction “in general” is a scam. “Uh huh”, “I see ..” The goal for many is to sell instruction hours rather than results. Before you hire an instructor, you should learn, HOW to hire an instructor.

I feel your pain. But, the question will be ... what will you do about it? Me? I scheduled time with an instructor and changed how I approach the game. Last year, I played and won my flight. I vow to surprise people with my best golf. Have a beer, reflect and start your plan ... tomorrow.

I suppose it depends on your definition of success. The ranges are full of people teaching themselves.

I’m reminded by Teddy Roosevelt ... "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

My club publishes a dress code and provides a yearly reminder. At a resort course near my home, golfers dress as if they just finished changing a tire.