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pendlebg
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About pendlebg
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- Birthday 11/30/1965
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Your Golf Game
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pendlebg's Achievements
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The only way this makes sense to me is if and only if I get everything right in my swing and the club gets back down parallel around the hip, then my right hand is free to pretty much fire as hard as it can in that last split second through the ball (and I sense the momentum of the swing drives that more than I force the right hand into action, so it is still somewhat a result of a good swing for me) . If anything goes wrong in the swing between takeaway and that point, then any right hand action from at that point here is a killer. As you mention OTT, that is an example where the swing has already gone bad and firing the right hand more just makes it worse, staying passive in that case will lead to a better result. This is my opinion and experience only, others may disagree.
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I can't hit my 3 wood off the deck :(
pendlebg replied to LSeca's topic in Instruction and Playing Tips
I had the same problem and did 2 things. The first , and most important was fixing my overall swing. Many of my flaws were present in my irons, but I got away with it because they are easier to hit (instead of a snap hook on bad swings it might be a pull). However, out of all of those, the #1 thing that I had to change to hit my 3 wood was to stop being overactive with my hands. Relative to where I was it felt like my fix came once I felt I was doing nothing at all with my hands on the swing. Once that was done I hit my 3 wood much better (as well as having my other clubs improve as well). The second thing was I bought a 5 wood when I was struggling with my 3 wood. I still use the 5 wood over the 3 wood. It is straighter and I tend to find I only might have maximum one or two shots a round that the added distance of the 3 wood might help, and even then, it would be marginal help at best given the extra risk. So, even though I feel I can hit either my 5 wood or my 3 wood now, I keep the 5 wood in the bag and carry an extra wedge instead of the 3 wood. -
1) Developing 3/4 swing to tighten the circle I aim for, dropping distance on every iron by 10 yards at the same time. 2) Develop reliable FW Wood and hybrid swing to stretch out over a longer range of distance (see above not where irons are being shortened, need more range with woods/hybrids to make up for that) 3) Put Driver in the fairway more often End goal is to increase GIR's from 5-6 per round up to 9 - 10 per round.
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Winter Golf Trip Suggestions
pendlebg replied to dragonflyin's topic in Golf Courses and Architecture
Tampa / St. Petes area always good. Have had friends go to Inverness, just north of there and had a very good time. Many, many choices in Florida. Curious if anyone has ever tried South America? I know it is a much longer flight which makes it tough for a one week trip, but maybe 10 - 11 days (2 weekends bookending a week) would make sense. Argentina would be nice in the winter I am sure. If anyone has done that please share any details about whether it is worth considering (or not)? -
Chance to play Torrey Pines....help
pendlebg replied to Where's the Cart Girl?'s topic in Golf Courses and Architecture
yes that does suck but hopefully someday. Nice picture, when I was there the overhead entertainment was a little noisier, about every 20 minutes - half hour about 2 or 3 F-16's or F18's (I am not a military jet guy but they were low, fast, and loud) buzzed the course. Very impressive and glad I saw then (no idea if buzzing jets is par for the cours,e so to speak ) , certainly but made it harder to putt if they buzzed you on the green but an added element to the experience nonethelss. -
It has been a long, long time for me so my memory is fuzzy, but if you are across the bay and not far from Berkeley, I remember playing a course that is in a park around Berkeley that if I recall correctly, I enjoyed, very nice scenery and some very hilly holes as I recall. The name was Tilden Park and was also reasonably priced. Others with more recent memory might tell me I was wrong, but I think it is at least worth checking into.
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1) An early spring 2) Good weather for the week I pick to go to Florida and golf this winter.
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Read Extraordinary Putting by Fred Shoemaker (I think). Some of the text is a little flaky but the drills are very good to try and tackle the mental side of putting, which has a direct relationship on the physical part of putting. I was an average putter at best and working on those drills has made me above average. On a recent round I had 27 putts, which would never have happened before I started working on the drills in that book.
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Chance to play Torrey Pines....help
pendlebg replied to Where's the Cart Girl?'s topic in Golf Courses and Architecture
Although I am not sure about the weekends, I am pretty sure if you are there at 4 - 5 am you will get out with no problem. Definitely ask the locals and the starter when you go there Friday. The putting greens are right there by the parking lot, I did not see the range as I was teeting off at dawn, there would appear to be no problem practicing. If you are a 12 then breaking 95 is certainly doable, if you stay out of serious trouble and keep the 3 putts to a minimum (they will be there, count on 5 or 6 or so more putts than your average) then breaking 90 is doable ( I had a quad and a triple on my card, which cost me a sub 95 score), but play the round for the experience, not for the score. I am a 14 and shot 97 and left several strokes on the course. Birdies will be hard to come by, but I missed 2 by leaving the ball right on the edge of the cup twice (#4 and #8, a little California quake would have jiggled them in), so they are out there. You can take aim at the flags and stick the ball right there (or suck it back pretty easy if you use a high spin ball, I used a low spin ball which just stuck wherever I hit it) , which helps trying for birdies, but on any sucker pins be extra careful, some of the greenside bunkers are tough (I was in them on #1 and #2 on the right, got away with it on one but did not on two) and a few holes (#3 and #14 come to mind) if you go long your ball is gone into the canyon. Watch out for the canyon to the right off of the 6th tee (Par 5), anything hit that way is gone ( I was lucky and hit down the left side). If you are long then #9 is the best chance for a Par 5 birdie hole (or #6 if you stay away from the canyon), both have openings in the front you can run the ball on with. The Par 5s on the back 9 have more trouble and you would need to fly the green, (pond on 18 and a serious gully and bunkered hill on #13). Almost every hole will have fairway bunkers in play, at first I thought I could fly some of them but at sea level I could not. Most of my tee shots were around the bunkers, fortunately only one went in. One other thing I thought of, if you do not have a GPS or rangefinder, buy a yardage book. I had none of the above and it was difficult finding sprinklerheads to get yardages. -
Chance to play Torrey Pines....help
pendlebg replied to Where's the Cart Girl?'s topic in Golf Courses and Architecture
Ok, I just got back and played the South course last week. Here are my tips 1) Locals told me it is quieter this time of year. I showed up at 4:30 (still on east coast time so not a big deal). however those that showed up as late as 6:30 were still able to get on as far as I could tell. I was not there on a weekend and both the South and North were open so that might make it easier, cannot say if going on the weekend would be easier. If you can go Monday - Thursday it will be much cheaper. FYI - a sign posted on the course indicated the course is playing in tournament conditions. This would not be US open conditions as the rough was not as bad as it could be, but could be similar to the Buick, will have to check it out next year and compare when the tour hits there again. So great fun to play, but do not expect to drop your handicap. 2) Try and find a coffee shop or breakfast place before you get there. The breakfast spot at TP opened about 6 am. 3) The bag lineup is along the patio fencing overlooking the course right beside the starters booth, closest bag to the starter is first (although it sounds like the weekend deal is parking in the lot and the last car puts their lights on). 4) Definitely walk the course if you can. It is a much better walking course then it is a riding one. I walked and enjoyed it, the cart paths are often a long, long way from the fairway and when I was there it was cart path only. 5) The north course just had some damage with a mower leaking oil on the greens on the front 9. Apparently it is aesthetic only and will not affect play, who knows they may discount the fee for the Norht though. 6) Be prepared for fast greens, especially if you are not used to them. But the good side is the greens will hold almost anything you throw in there. I had 38 putts and actually felt I putted pretty well. There is no easy 2 putt on the course I could see. 7) Watch out for fog, it had cleared up before sunrise when I was there but could be a problem. Not sure how you predict it (maybe ask the locals( , but I could easily see a bank of fog rolling in from the ocean. Saw it several times in the days I was in Lajolla, especially in the morning. I understand there are no fogchecks available. 8) I am a 14 handicap and my goal was to break 100, which I did by hitting 97, I could see if I had several cracks at it I could break 90 as well, but not regularly. I was probably 5 - 6 putts higher than normal, which is to be expected on those greens, and I played 2 holes very poorly (and 8 on the 9) Play the whites, they are 6600 yards and obviously right at sea level (the blues are over 7000) , with the morning dew there is not much roll, so it plays much longer and most of the greens are very well protected. Even from the whites I hit a lot of 5 , 6 and 7 irons in and one of the players I played a little shorter than me with hit a lot of FW woods in (but remember the greens will hold so you should not worry about rolling through the back). 10 ) I would say that the comments about most golfers there being mid handicappers would be true. My foursome was 2 guys who where around 10 and me and another guy who were both about 14. Gorgeous course and you will not regret getting up early to play it. -
Just got back and played Torrey Pines and Coronado, like them both very much. Torrey Pines South you can play as a 20 handicap, just play off the Gold Tees, they are about 6000 yards. I am a 14 and played the Whites at about 6600 yards. If you are longer and not so straight then the Whites are playable. Do not worry about score, just enjoy the round. The putting is what will get you, very fast greens but they do hold very well, my foursome had a lot of 4 -5 footers go 5 feet past (or more) . The rough was very manageable I found. This time of year it is easier to get on if you go in the morning, get there on a weekday by 5:30 a.m and you will get on no problem, not sure about weekends. Even easier to get out if you want to play the North, almost everyone that came out wanted to play South as I did. Also, call ahead to the course and check the schedule, they will tell you the best days to come out in the morning to get on early. Coronado is also a lot of fun and the views are great. A lot of locals there so tougher to get on but I showed up at about 6 a.m., first tee time was about 6:45 and I was out on the course around 7:30. Those are the only 2 I can speak first hand about but Torrey pines is an incredible course and worth the money (unless you want full service and to be catered to your every whim, which does not happen there), but everyone who is there is very nice.
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"Extraordinary Golf: The Art of the Possible" by Fred and Pete Shoemaker
pendlebg replied to iacas's topic in Reading Room
I tend to think that different people benefit from different approaches. After 2 years of reworking my swing in very mechanical ways I found this book and the follow up Extraordinary Putting very helpful. It helped me eliminate mechanical notions from my swing, develop trust that for the most part my swing was pretty good, and gave me something very specific to the swing that was happening in real time to focus and concentrate on. This helped free my swing up considerably and my ballstriking, short game and putting have all improved as a result. The thing I did not realise was that by doing that, it did help me understand at a better level where I still had mechanical flaws, so served to work in practice as a feedback mechanism to help me identify what mechanical parts of the swing needed work. However, a case in point of how this helped, the other day I played a round and my primary ballflight off the tee was a fade. This is odd for me and in the past I would have fought it all the way around trying to eliminate it on the course. After reading this book I decided to take the approach that my swing felt good and felt reproducible but that day I was doing something that was causing a fade. My result was I went with it and kept trying to enjoy the swing I had. I realigned for the rest of the round and simply trusted that I would achieve the fade ballflight and it worked. I left it until my next range session to try and determine why I started fading. It was a little difficult and I ended up with a few bogies and doubles early on until I decided to trust the fade was what I brought to the course that day and went with it. As soon as I did my swing was smoother and I hit my line for the rest of the round. -
You very well maybe had this checked and determined not to be the issue, but I had some of the very same symptoms you describe, went several weeks without the pain improving and thinking it was a muscle problem but it turned out to be a gallbladder attack. It did go away for me after a very severe and painful attack that told me it was not a muscle problem, ended up in emergency, doctor diagnosed the gallbladder attack and then went for Ulrasound to investigate further. But if you have not had that checked out (or kidney stones are similar) you might want to. It is very painful, feels like a muscle pull, and will either go away or else you may need your gallbladder removed (not a big deal from what I hear) or have your kidney stones dealt with. Certainly a good chance that is not it, but apparently gallbladder attacks are misdiagnosed as muscle pulls all the time. Good luck.
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Chance to play Torrey Pines....help
pendlebg replied to Where's the Cart Girl?'s topic in Golf Courses and Architecture
Hi, I am in he same position, will be in San Diego next week so I called TP and asked the best way to get on as a single. Response was show up about 5 - 5:30 am and get in line. First tee time is about 6:30 and first booked tee time is 7:30. Those who come early will be put out in order of arrival for the first 6 tee times from 6:30 - 7:20, so that would be 24 players per course, hence room for 48 if both courses are available for early play. Best to call the course and ask the schedule for the day you are playing, depending on tournaments, etc.. some days are better than others to get on and some days one or the other course will not be available to you. For example next week I was told Thursday and Friday morning would be the best days to come early and get on. I do have a question I forgot to ask for those who have done this before. 1) I read the "lineup rules" for how you establish the order of who goes first in the morning and it sounds like you put your golf bag in a rack that holds your spot. For weekends there was a car lineup rule where as each car comes you put you parking lights on. My question is, if you are renting clubs and arrive with no bag and arriving by cab so have no car then how would one do that? I presume there is an easy answer, like put a golf glove or something there or just stand by the rack at your spot or tap on the window of the last car to get the name of who you will be behind. something like that. 2) Given it sounds like for the early morning spots they like to move things along quickly, do they have rental bags right at the check in post to hand you? Would hate to get out there and have them expect all early morning players to have brought clubs to get on. This will be the only round this trip I play so am not prone to want to lug my clubs down for a single round. I read earlier you get Taylor Made rentals which would suit me fine. I want to bring my shoes, some balls, glove, repair tool, and then grab some clubs and tees at the course. Thanks for any tips anyone may have on when to arrive (e.g. how early) to ensure getting out between 6:30 and 7:30 and any lineup etiquette tips. I will call the course again before flying out but thought someone who has the players experience could share some wisdom. Thanks -
Here is my experience with how someone who can drive 250 -300 yards (depending on roll, wind, elevation, etc..) yards and 105 - 110 mph swingspeed can have a 20 handicap. Now that is optimal distance, many drives (with Driver) could be 180 yard snap hooks or 250 yard slices. Hard to say what average Driver driving distance would be on the course as I rarely hit driver due to inconsistency. Driving clubs over 90% of the time have been mainly irons, hybrid and 3 wood. If someone is talking Average distance in that range then that is a different story I would agree, a 20 handicap does not average that driving distance, but reaches it when the ball is hit properly. In the past 3 years, have dropped handicap from 20 to 17 to 13 but driving distance has been the same. What has changed is accuracy and control. For the most part rarely use driver due to tendency to spray. Next years goal is to get driver under control and start to take advantage of that length on the course and continue to improve short game to get to single digit handicap (here's hoping anyway). Main point for this thread is that swing speed was the same regardless of handicap, but mechanics improved every year with effort and practice.