Official Golf Thread - Page 16

Nah .. I hit the ball fairly well. Just not consistent enough to score well. And my chipping (inside 50 yards) can be attrocious. Some rounds .. I'd have better odds hitting the green with a 3 iron from 200+ then a chip from inside 20.

^ Sounds like you're uncomfortable with less-than-full swings. Practice hitting half shots, rather than crushing the ball.

Nah - I have three wedges: a 48 PW, a Cleveland 588 56 wide-flanged sand wedge, and a cheapie 60 with very little bounce. Between those I either grip down or take a shorter backswing if I have to dial it back. The 588 gets me through fluffy lies and the 60 covers me on hardpan and the occasional flop. These cover me from 120 and in from the fairway.

One of my favorite things to do in high school after a match/practice would be to squeeze in another 9 with just a 3-wood, 7-iron, and sand wedge. I'm still pretty good at putting with my SW. We'd basically have to jog to get 9 in before the sun went down.

It's fun, and it can teach you a lot. Its also fun to brag about shooting even par for 9 holes once with those clubs.

Eh .. I'm not sure what it is. I can have really great practice swings at less then full swing. But as soon as I go to hit the ball the swing becomes sloppy and awkward. I should probably spend more time on the range and less time on the course.

A lot of people lose confidence in how hard to hit it on half-shots, and decelerate into the ball, or catch it thin/fat.

A good trick for avoiding this is to keep your backswing as short as possible. If you do this, you have no choice but to accelerate through the ball.

Also, on short shots most golfers leave the ball short of the pin, because they look at the front edge of the green instead of at the hole. Concentrate on getting the ball to the hole.

Interesting thought .. probably also explains how I was chipping very well my first 3-4 rounds while I was still playing around with the Golf Channel stuff I "learned" over the winter. Had one bad round a few weeks back chipping, and I'm back to where I was last season. Ditching work a little early to go out this afternoon. I'll give this a try.

whoever can hit a drive 280 uphill but cant hole the ball from 20 yards in AT MOST three shots is definately spending his time at the wrong practice site. Leave the range and start working those par 3 holes.. Besides, thinking one would need 5 wedges is a bit much in my book.. Most guys I know prefer to get comfortable with 3 or at most 4 wedges, with a couple of them that carry only two..

the 3 clubs 9 holes thing reminded me of a "drill" my old pro gave me a long time ago. He basically confiscated my clubs and left me the 7 iron and a putter, and the message that I could get the rest back when I broke 82 in a club tournament. He did the same thing a half year later with the 4 iron instead, which is a bitch to get out of greenside bunkers . the main thing that it taught me was to be VERY creative with my irons, to this day i can vary the length, height and curvature of a shot because I needed those shots then(and a sort of flop shot with the 4 iron, which isnt very usefull except for training some "feel" for shots).

iammatt's remark about the driver holds true for me as well, a normal drive for me is 230m carry, 240, 250m total depending on conditions. Which is more then enough to play most courses in these parts.

i agree whole heartedly on practicing half and 3/4 shots. i have a 48, 52, and 56 degree wedges, but really the 48 only comes out of the bag. use the 52 for chipping and the 56 for sand or flop shots. from 140 and in, it is all PW. i change my grip, the position of the ball in my stance, and my backswing depending how far i am.

I'd say .. at most 4 shots. On and 3 putts, or on in 2 and 2 putts. Either of these are absolute worst case scenario. Takes a really bad chip not to hit the green from 20 yards (I do it fairly consistently), or takes a really bad putt to 3 putt.

Plus .. I don't think I've ever hit my driver at a driving range, and can consistently drive the ball 290+. I have a good driver, play good balls, and have the mechanics for a good drive. So, just because someone can hit the ball 280 .. doesn't mean they practice that.

Ahhh, at long last, this threak is starting to turn into a StyleForum threak.

The point is that almost nobody hits the ball 280 or 290 consistently... hell even ever without a good bounce. People who have played some golf see that and assume it is BS until proven otherwise. Post a swing or something... How is that, Douglas?

Yeah, I was about to talk about the good old days of drives in the 280-330 range (a handful at best), until I remember what it was like to get really cozy with the OB markers, and sacrificing a few balls to traffic, and finally I remembered that there's a reason I leave my woods at the house.

Oh, and if you're 20 yards off the green and can't chip on, bang it with your putter.