EricBro

(Damn magnolias have persistent leaves that don't break down) By "shorten" my swing, do you mean don't take it back as far? Maybe so it's pointing more upright at the top?

I've been Playing Golf for: 2 years My current handicap index or average score is: 33 My typical ball flight is: Often now what I expect The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: Slice I'm 67 years old and this is the beginning of my third year playing. My group lesson in the fall of 2017 was the first time I had been on a golf course, and I have had approx 6 private lessons since (they're hard to schedule because the instuctor is across town and pretty booked up). I've played a few 9-hole par-3 courses we have around here, and another short course that's only about 5300 yards. Late last year, (and when I've visited out-of-town friends), I've played more mainstream courses. Generally, when weather permits I'm out 3 - 4 time per week, either playing or on the range. I'm a spreadsheet guy, so I've tracked my scores, scores as a percentage of par, fairways in regulation, greens in regulation, and 2 putt holes. I've seen gradual improvement in those categories. I haven't played all that many 18-home courses, but for those rounds I've my handicap has hovered around 29 - 33. Obviously, I'd like to make faster progress. To try to isolate on what parts of my game are most problematic, I also record, as I play, for each club, did I hit it well and did it do (pretty much) what I wanted it to do - I'm at approx 45 - 50% of my shots. At this point, my worst sore spot is my driver. Although I generally seem to hit the ball solidly, I've always struggled with a slice, but particularly the last few times I've gone out, I've lost way too many balls. It's gotten worse. Given that my instructor (all instructors, I think) are unavailable because of the coronavirus, I can't go to him for a tune-up. I'm hoping I can get some help here.

Our courses are open and it's not difficult to maintain appropriate distances, so I've played a couple of times in the last week. But somehow I've completed lost my driver swing. I've always (all two years that I've been playing) struggled with a slice but usually manage to get a few acceptable drives. But I can't even count how many balls I've lost in the last 36 holes. It's killing me. Are online swing assessments any good? Any recommendations?

So my guy who has the Tour Edge clubs won't get the Callaways until later in the month. But the more I think about it, the less comfortable I get with only comparing two sets. So I went to Dick's where they carry all the brands (other than Tour Edge) that I'm interested in after having read GolfDigests rankings of Super Game Improvement irons. The guy at Dick's said he'd do a fitting (measuring, using tape on the club face to see my stroke pattern, using tape on the sole to check my lie, etc.) AFTER I've decided on which clubs I want. Does this sound right? Also, there are 4 or 6 clubs that intrigued me, but he indicated he'd limit me to 3 sets (probably because his system will only compare 3 at a time). Sounds wrong to me. And... no Trackman. Opinions?

I went back to the show the next day. I was going to give it another try, even though they weren't next to each other, but the Callaway guy was gone. In talking to the Tour Edge guy, it turns out that they also have Callaway but don't they have the Mavrik in yet. I'm going to check back in with him every week until he gets it, then he'll fit me with whichever I decide I like. I know I'm limiting myself with only 2 brands to choose from, but I think I like them both and more choices would probably only confuse me. I'll post back once I've tried them.

I've been playing for two years with my starter set (Strata, marketed by Callaway). Still struggling at the game (30 handicap), but I tried a couple of other clubs and I know I can do better than what I've got. I stopped by Dick's one day and hit a Callaway Rogue X and a Ping (can't remember the model) 7-iron. Definitely liked the Rogue better than the Ping - felt like there was more mass, and the Trackman said I was hitting it about 25 yards farther than my current clubs and the Ping. There happened to be a Golf Show in town today and I hit with both a TourEdge (which I had previously swung at a Demo Day) and Callaway (with their Mavrik Max). I like them both, but swinging them was not consecutive - they were at different places at the show. I have one course here in town that fits and sells TourEdge (they set me up on a launch monitor at the show and were able to give me some numbers). And, of course, there are multiple Callaway dealers, just not at that course. The TourEdge guys were touting the price difference, but based in internet pricing at each manufacturer's website, they're only about $300 apart, so not a relevant difference. Not sure how to do a valid comparison of the two. Any thoughts?

I'm winding up my 2nd year playing. I'm 5'9", 165 lbs, age 67. Been using Strata box set since that's what I found the internet said was the best set for a beginner. It was a small investment to get started. But I'm not happy with my distances, and when I swung some Tour Edge clubs at my local course's demo day, I thought they had lots more heft and I felt like I was getting much more distance. I know getting fitted is the right thing to do, but I'm confused about the timing. I've had two people (one of them my instructor) say that my swing isn't "consistent enough" to get fitted. But I'm struggling with understanding how I'll know when that happens. I don't have a problem with the investment if it will make the game more enjoyable. Anyone have any thoughts?