Golf thread

[SpongeWorthy]

God as my witness, I'm going to figure out how to stop slicing. I don't care if I start pull-hooking everything down through my 8-iron, at least they won't be slices.

 

I moved further from the ball and that kept me in to out. Too much sometimes.

 

I spent the entire range session today going aggressively in-to-out and I was still managing to slice it. I think I have a really bad open-club-face problem. I can see it even when I practice in slow motion, my natural movement is to let my wrists break and open up like crazy. I have some ideas on how to fix it, maybe?

 

I'm wasting so much time on this stuff because I "don't have time for lessons."

 

I think this is the source of my distance problems too. I'm not a great athlete by any stretch, but I'm a healthy adult male who can get a normal amount of swing speed going, but I'm getting *way* less distance than the average golfer reports. I think with the higher irons, the backspin is letting it straighten out, but the backspin is still killing the distance. Then the longer clubs would be almost a decent length if it was going straight instead of curving so much.

 

this video helped me quite a bit:

 

but ya, get lessons

[stitchface]

God as my witness, I'm going to figure out how to stop slicing. I don't care if I start pull-hooking everything down through my 8-iron, at least they won't be slices.

 

I moved further from the ball and that kept me in to out. Too much sometimes.

 

I spent the entire range session today going aggressively in-to-out and I was still managing to slice it. I think I have a really bad open-club-face problem. I can see it even when I practice in slow motion, my natural movement is to let my wrists break and open up like crazy. I have some ideas on how to fix it, maybe?

 

I'm wasting so much time on this stuff because I "don't have time for lessons."

 

I think this is the source of my distance problems too. I'm not a great athlete by any stretch, but I'm a healthy adult male who can get a normal amount of swing speed going, but I'm getting *way* less distance than the average golfer reports. I think with the higher irons, the backspin is letting it straighten out, but the backspin is still killing the distance. Then the longer clubs would be almost a decent length if it was going straight instead of curving so much.

 

Another thing that really helped me is focusing on rotating instead of rocking . . . and then swinging down. The improvement in my long irons has been amazing.

[ConstableRabbit]

God as my witness, I'm going to figure out how to stop slicing. I don't care if I start pull-hooking everything down through my 8-iron, at least they won't be slices.

 

I moved further from the ball and that kept me in to out. Too much sometimes.

 

I spent the entire range session today going aggressively in-to-out and I was still managing to slice it. I think I have a really bad open-club-face problem. I can see it even when I practice in slow motion, my natural movement is to let my wrists break and open up like crazy. I have some ideas on how to fix it, maybe?

 

I'm wasting so much time on this stuff because I "don't have time for lessons."

 

I think this is the source of my distance problems too. I'm not a great athlete by any stretch, but I'm a healthy adult male who can get a normal amount of swing speed going, but I'm getting *way* less distance than the average golfer reports. I think with the higher irons, the backspin is letting it straighten out, but the backspin is still killing the distance. Then the longer clubs would be almost a decent length if it was going straight instead of curving so much.

How do you have so much time during the day to go golfing? Take some lessons and become really good.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

 

I moved further from the ball and that kept me in to out. Too much sometimes.

 

I spent the entire range session today going aggressively in-to-out and I was still managing to slice it. I think I have a really bad open-club-face problem. I can see it even when I practice in slow motion, my natural movement is to let my wrists break and open up like crazy. I have some ideas on how to fix it, maybe?

 

I'm wasting so much time on this stuff because I "don't have time for lessons."

 

I think this is the source of my distance problems too. I'm not a great athlete by any stretch, but I'm a healthy adult male who can get a normal amount of swing speed going, but I'm getting *way* less distance than the average golfer reports. I think with the higher irons, the backspin is letting it straighten out, but the backspin is still killing the distance. Then the longer clubs would be almost a decent length if it was going straight instead of curving so much.

How do you have so much time during the day to go golfing? Take some lessons and become really good.

 

I don't have *that* much time. I'm a paid caregiver for my disabled son. I go squeeze out 9 holes while he's in school or I get up early and try to get home before he wakes up.

 

But mostly I'm just making excuses because lessons would be a pain to set up and commit to, while thinking the next Youtube video or random tip will save me is easy and low-effort.

 

I did the same thing when I learned to ice skate for hockey. Three years of learning on my own had left me very frustrated. I hired a serious coach and literally the first lesson they had me going 50% faster with just a couple of easy tweaks. I should have done it from the beginning, and I'm doing the exact same thing with golf.

[KingCubsFan]

 

I moved further from the ball and that kept me in to out. Too much sometimes.

 

I spent the entire range session today going aggressively in-to-out and I was still managing to slice it. I think I have a really bad open-club-face problem. I can see it even when I practice in slow motion, my natural movement is to let my wrists break and open up like crazy. I have some ideas on how to fix it, maybe?

 

I'm wasting so much time on this stuff because I "don't have time for lessons."

 

I think this is the source of my distance problems too. I'm not a great athlete by any stretch, but I'm a healthy adult male who can get a normal amount of swing speed going, but I'm getting *way* less distance than the average golfer reports. I think with the higher irons, the backspin is letting it straighten out, but the backspin is still killing the distance. Then the longer clubs would be almost a decent length if it was going straight instead of curving so much.

 

this video helped me quite a bit:

 

but ya, get lessons

 

1. Fix your grip. Over-exaggerate it to a closed grip to start, i.e. you can see 2-3 knuckles on your left hand in your set up.

 

2. Get the Watson golf hanger.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Yeah, screw it, I'm buying myself lessons for Christmas. I tried all the different stuff today, and I'm just making it worse or at least not helping. I think the problem might be my lead wrist at impact. Or maybe I'm not rotating my hips enough.

 

Stronger grip, inside-out swing path, bowing the lead wrist, no matter what I do, I'm still getting left-to-right ball movement. I might even be experiencing that thing where you overdo the thing and make the problem worse instead of fixing it. But I literally cannot make the ball move right-to-left. Best I can do is get my best ones down to a slight fade, but mostly I'm still slicing, especially with driver and 3 wood.

 

Although I do like the wrist-bowing thing, and I think in general trying to fix this has improved my swing. Getting that trail elbow tucked, rotating and keeping the arms in line with the body, I definitely noticed some more distance today on the ones I did hit clean.

[Splendid Splinter]

Yeah, screw it, I'm buying myself lessons for Christmas. I tried all the different stuff today, and I'm just making it worse or at least not helping. I think the problem might be my lead wrist at impact. Or maybe I'm not rotating my hips enough.

 

Stronger grip, inside-out swing path, bowing the lead wrist, no matter what I do, I'm still getting left-to-right ball movement. I might even be experiencing that thing where you overdo the thing and make the problem worse instead of fixing it. But I literally cannot make the ball move right-to-left. Best I can do is get my best ones down to a slight fade, but mostly I'm still slicing, especially with driver and 3 wood.

 

Although I do like the wrist-bowing thing, and I think in general trying to fix this has improved my swing. Getting that trail elbow tucked, rotating and keeping the arms in line with the body, I definitely noticed some more distance today on the ones I did hit clean.

 

I feel ya. My natural swing is a 5-10 yard fade with my driver and 3 wood. Some days it can be a 10-20 yards fade. I can hit a straight flight with my irons pretty consistent or do the fade. Now, if you ask me to hit a slight or normal draw, I have a damn hard time to do it. I can hook the ball, but it bugs the crap out of me that I can't get that slight to normal draw flight down. Most of the time it's a straight ball (going right of fairway because I'm lining up for a draw so it looks like I pushed it) when I try to hit a draw so I'm not turning my wrist over at impact. I know what to do/how to do it mentally. Just got a hard time applying it as it's a timing issue.

 

A lot of that has to do when I made my swing change a few years ago that I blocked myself from going left. I did that because I used to hit it everywhere and get in all sorts of trouble so I had to really simplify my swing down and stick with one flight. That way I can get really good with that swing and can adjust on the course with that flight. Now I need to get all the other shots down so I can use it whenever the shot calls for it. Only problem is that the nearest driving range for me is an hour away so I can't go work on hitting shots multiple times a week like I want to.

[Splendid Splinter]

If you really want to follow a golf coach on Instagram/Youtube/etc, check out Mike Bender. He's a top 10 coach in the US (Zach Johnson's coach) and he's really informative with his teaching. He has a lot of posts/videos on Instagram that if you're looking for a certain part of the swing, he has it and goes through the process.

[stitchface]

thanks for mentioning the elbow tuck - made me realize I had stopped doing that. Resumed and crushed my new driver - well, crushed balls with my new driver.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

We did it!

 

I went back and watched some of the first golf videos I ever watched, kind of trying to rebuild from the beginning. I noticed that I was gripping the club slightly differently than what I had learned. With my left hand, I was holding the club from the crease of the bottom knuckle of my pointer finger (correct) through the lifeline at the top of my palm underneath my pinkie (incorrect). It's supposed to stay above the palm the entire way, ending at the bottom of the pinkie. Then I was pointing both thumbs directly down the shaft instead of creating a V that pointed back toward my right shoulder.

 

This slight grip problem was encouraging an open club face, which was causing my side-spin problem.

 

Went back to the range this morning with nephew and the slice/fade was finally gone. The balls that I caught off the heel or toe still had a little left or right movement, but when I caught the sweet spot they were absolute ropes, laser-straight. And without that spin influencing flight, everything went farther. My irons all went about 20% farther instead of just dying at the end. I've been struggling to clear 160 with my driver because the ball would start to die in the air and then be going sideways by time it hit the ground. This morning the clean strikes were getting about 180 carry and another 20-40 in roll. 3w was getting to about 200, 5h about 180. That's more like what I would expect for someone of my skill level, club speed and equipment quality.

 

All the other stuff I learned trying to figure this out was still helpful. The slight in-to-out club path, the elbow tuck, the wrist hinge, all useful. I don't know if the grip was the whole problem all along or if it was just the last piece.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Took my new grip to the course today. Since my nephew wasn't with me and I was paired up with other people, I played the white tees. I'm pretty happy with how I did, +14 over 9, so basically a bogey and a half per hole. Miss dispersal is obviously wider when you're playing longer shots, and I lost a couple strokes to not knowing my distances right now.

 

I've been having trouble getting anything clear of 150 yards because the side spin was just murdering carry and roll. First time I hit driver today, I caught it just a little bit toward the toe. It started out dead straight, then died a little and faded to a couple of yards right of the fairway, didn't really get any additional roll. It still went 195.

 

I don't need to be a big hitter, but from looking at the maps of the full-size public courses around here, I need to be able to carry 180 of the tee consistently at a minimum to get around the course, so it's looking like we're about there. And this is with a dead cheap $60 off-brand driver. I promised myself I wouldn't go too deep on spending with yet another hobby, but I don't know how long I can resist temptation on a modern name-brand driver.

 

Hole of the day: 2nd hole. When I play it from the forward tees with the nephew, it's an easy 120. From these tees, it was playing 173 to the pin over a creek. Went 5-hybrid, dead at the pin but it ballooned up just a little bit and fell a few yards short of the green with no roll. I had about 40 feet from the fringe, rolled it to a stop less than an inch from the hole. First time I've ever par'd that hole.

[stitchface]

Took my new grip to the course today. Since my nephew wasn't with me and I was paired up with other people, I played the white tees. I'm pretty happy with how I did, +14 over 9, so basically a bogey and a half per hole. Miss dispersal is obviously wider when you're playing longer shots, and I lost a couple strokes to not knowing my distances right now.

 

I've been having trouble getting anything clear of 150 yards because the side spin was just murdering carry and roll. First time I hit driver today, I caught it just a little bit toward the toe. It started out dead straight, then died a little and faded to a couple of yards right of the fairway, didn't really get any additional roll. It still went 195.

 

I don't need to be a big hitter, but from looking at the maps of the full-size public courses around here, I need to be able to carry 180 of the tee consistently at a minimum to get around the course, so it's looking like we're about there. And this is with a dead cheap $60 off-brand driver. I promised myself I wouldn't go too deep on spending with yet another hobby, but I don't know how long I can resist temptation on a modern name-brand driver.

 

Hole of the day: 2nd hole. When I play it from the forward tees with the nephew, it's an easy 120. From these tees, it was playing 173 to the pin over a creek. Went 5-hybrid, dead at the pin but it ballooned up just a little bit and fell a few yards short of the green with no roll. I had about 40 feet from the fringe, rolled it to a stop less than an inch from the hole. First time I've ever par'd that hole.

 

I don't think you need to go nuts to get a driver that will let you swing easier and still get plenty of distance.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Need? Maybe not. But I love hobbies and buying stuff for them, and golf is the ultimate “part men from their money” hobby, so I promised myself I would be reasonable and take it slow.

 

I just ordered a used Cobra Speedzone on a cyber Monday sale. I’ve always thought those looked slick, and used plus on sale is a pretty low investment if I end up not liking it.

[stitchface]

Need? Maybe not. But I love hobbies and buying stuff for them, and golf is the ultimate “part men from their money” hobby, so I promised myself I would be reasonable and take it slow.

 

I just ordered a used Cobra Speedzone on a cyber Monday sale. I’ve always thought those looked slick, and used plus on sale is a pretty low investment if I end up not liking it.

 

I have the Cobra 3/4W and absolutely love it. I absolutely crush it (when I get it right). Apparently, you don't ski.

[Splendid Splinter]

I don't think you need to go nuts to get a driver that will let you swing easier and still get plenty of distance.

 

Agreed. Just get a used brand name driver that fits your budget. As long it's not all scratched up or has a big dent in it, it'll most likely still have plenty left in the tank. This apply to all the clubs really with maybe the exception of wedges.

 

Find some nice used set of clubs and play with them while figuring out your swing and getting more comfortable is the way to go. Once you get to that point and you still like the game to play like twice a week, then start thinking about getting new clubs/fitted/etc.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Need? Maybe not. But I love hobbies and buying stuff for them, and golf is the ultimate “part men from their money” hobby, so I promised myself I would be reasonable and take it slow.

 

I just ordered a used Cobra Speedzone on a cyber Monday sale. I’ve always thought those looked slick, and used plus on sale is a pretty low investment if I end up not liking it.

 

I have the Cobra 3/4W and absolutely love it. I absolutely crush it (when I get it right). Apparently, you don't ski.

 

No, but I do have custom-made $1300 ice hockey skates that I use to play replacement level defense in the second-lowest beer league level. I know how easy I give in to stuff like this.

[Splendid Splinter]

Need? Maybe not. But I love hobbies and buying stuff for them, and golf is the ultimate “part men from their money” hobby, so I promised myself I would be reasonable and take it slow.

 

I just ordered a used Cobra Speedzone on a cyber Monday sale. I’ve always thought those looked slick, and used plus on sale is a pretty low investment if I end up not liking it.

 

I have the Cobra 3/4W and absolutely love it. I absolutely crush it (when I get it right). Apparently, you don't ski.

 

No, but I do have custom-made $1300 ice hockey skates that I use to play replacement level defense in the second-lowest beer league level. I know how easy I give in to stuff like this.

 

At least you're not the dumbass who bought a $200 bowling ball or $100 for a set of soft tip darts.

[stitchface]

Need? Maybe not. But I love hobbies and buying stuff for them, and golf is the ultimate “part men from their money” hobby, so I promised myself I would be reasonable and take it slow.

 

I just ordered a used Cobra Speedzone on a cyber Monday sale. I’ve always thought those looked slick, and used plus on sale is a pretty low investment if I end up not liking it.

 

I have the Cobra 3/4W and absolutely love it. I absolutely crush it (when I get it right). Apparently, you don't ski.

 

No, but I do have custom-made $1300 ice hockey skates that I use to play replacement level defense in the second-lowest beer league level. I know how easy I give in to stuff like this.

 

my suggestion is invest in the lessons first and the equipment second. I got a nice new driver but it turns out when I slice it, it still slices! The good part is when I catch it, it goes.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

 

I have the Cobra 3/4W and absolutely love it. I absolutely crush it (when I get it right). Apparently, you don't ski.

 

No, but I do have custom-made $1300 ice hockey skates that I use to play replacement level defense in the second-lowest beer league level. I know how easy I give in to stuff like this.

 

my suggestion is invest in the lessons first and the equipment second. I got a nice new driver but it turns out when I slice it, it still slices! The good part is when I catch it, it goes.

 

I've got some messages out to coaches in the area. Mostly for my nephew, but I'd like to take a handful to make sure I'm on the right path.

[stitchface]

 

No, but I do have custom-made $1300 ice hockey skates that I use to play replacement level defense in the second-lowest beer league level. I know how easy I give in to stuff like this.

 

my suggestion is invest in the lessons first and the equipment second. I got a nice new driver but it turns out when I slice it, it still slices! The good part is when I catch it, it goes.

 

I've got some messages out to coaches in the area. Mostly for my nephew, but I'd like to take a handful to make sure I'm on the right path.

 

I think the benefit of coaches is they see things you are doing wrong that you can't see.

[Splendid Splinter]

 

my suggestion is invest in the lessons first and the equipment second. I got a nice new driver but it turns out when I slice it, it still slices! The good part is when I catch it, it goes.

 

I've got some messages out to coaches in the area. Mostly for my nephew, but I'd like to take a handful to make sure I'm on the right path.

 

I think the benefit of coaches is they see things you are doing wrong that you can't see.

 

Yep. Also knowing what your strength/weakness are, your goals for golf, type of shot flight you want to have, etc. There's so much that a coach is looking at in a swing, then will start to implement his teaching/corrections/tweaks, and explain why they doing this/how this will help you, etc.

[Cubswin11]

Hovland won in Mexico today, fwiw. The amount of young talent in the game right now is absolutely insane. The game couldn’t be in a better spot talent wise.

 

[Wilson A2000]

Hovland won in Mexico today, fwiw. The amount of young talent in the game right now is absolutely insane. The game couldn’t be in a better spot talent wise.

 

 

There's a ton of young talent. That's one reason why I don't think Tiger is breaking Jack's major record.

 

I'm a golf nut and I watch a ton of it. I like all of these young studs. Unfortunately I don't see any of them really being a superstar that brings extra eyeballs to pro golf.

[Cubswin11]

Hovland won in Mexico today, fwiw. The amount of young talent in the game right now is absolutely insane. The game couldn’t be in a better spot talent wise.

 

 

There's a ton of young talent. That's one reason why I don't think Tiger is breaking Jack's major record.

 

I'm a golf nut and I watch a ton of it. I like all of these young studs. Unfortunately I don't see any of them really being a superstar that brings extra eyeballs to pro golf.

Agree on the Tiger and Jack thing. There’s just too much talent that even 95% Tiger with where he’s at career wise in most majors may not be enough to win with the influx of talent.

 

I also don’t see any superstar, mostly because the training/technology/constant influx of a large talent pool keeps guys from going on any sort of Tiger type run again. There’s still guys like Thomas who will be around for another 20 years and will have a HOF resume but what we’ll see more of are runs like Koepka/Spieth/DJ have gone on over the last 3-7 years where they look invincible for 18-30 month stretches then falter for whatever reasons. Which isn’t a bad thing, imo. I think how a superstar is defined needs to be redefined to a degree in the modern golf world. The overall talent level, and the age of it, is at an all time high. We are going to have less guys going on heaters for years and winning and more short bursts. The turnover may not be bad and the good guys will still stick around.

[squally1313]

Anyone played in the last couple weeks in the Chicago area on a course still in good shape? Looking like I'm going to be playing Wednesday/Thursday due to just need to take some time off and it warming up a little bit, but I know this time of year courses can be pretty hit or miss. I'm in the Wicker Park area, but trying to get out of the city/away from the lake for warmth, so pretty open in any direction within like...45-60 minute drive.