For All the Golfers

[Rebel Chuck]

I bet that some of you are golf fanatics just like me. I need some suggestions. I started playing golf when I was still at Ole Miss and I 've been playing for about 4 years now. The years I played in college we didn't take it too seriously, but it was fun to have some beers with my buds and have a good shot every once in awhile. The last two years since graduating I have gotten pretty serious about it and play at least once every two weeks, and almost every weekend for the last 6 months. I've improved enough to usually stay below 100 over 18 holes. That could smoke my drunk college buddies, but not the group I play with now; which is usually my boss, work friends, or my Father- in- law and his buddies. My best score is still a 94. I can get to the green in pretty good shape most of the time, but my short game is awful. I know it is a long learning process, but I would love to shoot in the 80's and play some consistent Bogey golf. I can string some bogies together and sprinkle in a couple of pars, but the dreaded double and triple bogeys always rear their ugly head sooner or later. I love the game and will always play it, but it would be nice to just suck and not REALLY SUCK. Do any of y'all have any suggestions to get me into the 80's. Any type of benificial info would be appreciated.

[timNem]

Spend ALOT of time on the practice green with chipping and putting even if it means skipping the course and practicing only. If you are right handed, practice putting with only your left arm (it being straight like a pendelum). With golf, you need to start from the bottom and master one distance at a time. Once you are happy with your putting, move on to chipping, then your pitching wedge from 20 to 80 yards out. Then keep moving up in your irons from PW to 3I. When you are at the Driving Range pick out various spots or flags and try to place he ball as close to that location as possible instead of trying to crush the ball. Once you can place the ball, then work on crushing the ball.

[GAMECOCK_FAN]

I've got a better suggestion...............use your foot wedge.:laugh:

j/k

[gatorunvrsty]

Don't take suggestions from other bad golfers.:laugh: Talk to the club pro, and get a few pointers.:thumpsup:

[Rebel Chuck]

Don't take suggestions from other bad golfers.:laugh: Talk to the club pro, and get a few pointers.:thumpsup:
Well I went to get a swing analysis and a lesson and I have gotten worse since I did that trying to implement everything he says. I'm not down with the "it's going to get alot worse before it gets better philosophy"

[gatorunvrsty]

Well I went to get a swing analysis and a lesson and I have gotten worse since I did that trying to implement everything he says. I'm not down with the "it's going to get alot worse before it gets better philosophy"

Well, we all have our own little traits in our swing; but, if you truly want to get better across the board, you'll spend hours (and dollars) at the range trying what he suggests. Otherwise, just keep playing, and you'll figure out what you can and can't do. As with most things, it's practice, practice, and when you're done... to make sure you've got it down pat... practice. If you're interested in striking the ball correctly, and improving your overall game, then it will get ugly before it gets pretty. It all depends on what you're after. If time permits, you might want to play more often. With 2 weeks between outings, you're likely to revert back to some of the bad habits you corrected the last time you played. While working at a golf course, I got to take a cart and go out and play free. It was not unusual for me to play 27 or 36 holes a day. I eventually broke 80, and shot a 76 one day. I'm naturally a bogey golfer, and am today. But, that illustrates the possibilities when playing frequently.:thumpsup:

[The Ramp]

u unfortunately sound just like me and my game

[crimsonnation713]

Best advice I ever got was that everyone has a different swing and hence theres no textbook way of doing it. The short game is the backbone of it. Go to the practice range and chip til your sick of it then putt til you puke. you've gotta get ur short game going it sounds like.

[AU Blaaaaaaaake]

Take a lesson from a local club pro... get a full lesson too.. have him go over everything from putting to driving.

After that.. practice. But, when practicing, focus 95% of your range balls on chipping and 50-175 yard shots. These will be the shots that make or break your score every round. Use the remaining balls to fine tune long irons/fairway woods/the driver. Trust me on this tip, if you can chip within 7 feet of the hole every time, you will instantly shave 5 strokes off of your game.

If your driver is not clicking for you on the course, don't be ashamed to pull out the 3-iron and use it on the tee-box. You may have to hit a longer 2nd shot, but the 3 Iron is often a lot easier to control on days where your driver has gone crazy.

And finally, get a nice set of wedges. You can ebay a set of Cleveland 2-dot wedges for 100-130 (PW, LW, and SW) and it will be a guaranteed improvement on your game.

Hope this helps!

[USAFGAMECOCK]

Best advice I ever got was that everyone has a different swing and hence theres no textbook way of doing it. The short game is the backbone of it. Go to the practice range and chip til your sick of it then putt til you puke. you've gotta get ur short game going it sounds like.


I agree 100% The short game is where it's all at. About 75% of your shots are going to be from about 100yds-120yds in. Hit a 3w if you have to to stay on the fairway from the tee, and then it's wedges....short game.

Whenever my game falls apart(which is often), I go to the range and hit SW, PW, 9i and 8i for the majority of the time. Pick out targets and try to set the ball on top of them with these clubs.

And also, before a round, I take about 20 light shots on the range, finish up with 2 or 3 3w and driver shots to see which I should tee off with, and then I go to the putting green and stay there until I have to tee off.

Just my .02 worth.....good luck and hit em' straight!

[currdog]

Don't waste your money trying to play golf (the Golf way) Find what's comfortable and what works, ArnaldPalmer had one of the uglies swings but is a great golfer, even watching the open yesterday I saw Jim Furik has an ugly swim , but almost come back to win. besides your swing , get in the yard with a 5-gallon bucket and try chipping for the bucket at different angles distances , someone mentioned earlier practice, and practice, and practice some more

[WarEagle73]

I've been addicted myself for about 7 years now. The main thing I've figured out that the only way to get better is to put the time into the game. Find yourself a local club and go ahead and join. Spend as much time as possible during the week at the range and on the practice green. Then go out and play on the weekends. Also, remember to stay lose. Don't tense up and don't try to kill the ball off the tee. Keep your mind on the fundamentals of a good smooth golf swing. As far as putting. I'd start by working on putting speed. Aiming correctly will do you no good if you blow by the hole or leave it really short. Once you have that down only then should you really start to worry about reading breaks and such.

[crimsonnation713]

And now that you've had all these suggestions , you're going to have so much crap going thru your mind next time you play you'll just stand there staring at the ball.:laugh:

[WarEagle73]

And now that you've had all these suggestions , you're going to have so much crap going thru your mind next time you play you'll just stand there staring at the ball.:laugh:

Great, we've created another Sergio Garcia! :laugh:

[WayzUp]

I've played golf since I was a little kid cuz my dad is an avid golfer to put it mildly. I'm not bad (not good either) but I average in the low-mid 80's and am usually among the better of those I play with most often & here's what I've found is the most frequent mistake that makes them spray the ball all over, put it in trouble quite a bit and have those "blow up holes" like an 11 on a par 5 or 9 on a par 4 which turns a halfway decent round into a 105-110 type round in a hurry: They have a baseball swing backswing.

Do this and see if it doesn't apply to you; do your normal backswing and stop it at the top. If you take your hands behind you and go back at bicep level/below your shoulder, you've already taken the club off the plane it needs to be on in order to hit a straight ball. Your hands shouldn't get any further away nor any closer to your body as they are when you are at address. In a baseball swing backswing, the hands go back instead of up and it makes the clubhead open up from the get-go. Then, in order to bring the club back on line, you have to come across the ball which leads to a lot of pull hooks or you keep your hands too close to the body which makes it almost impossible to follow through all the way...the club face stays open as it was when you drew it back and you're slicing/pushing it right.

If you're spraying it with long irons/driver/woods, try concentrating on taking the club straight back and then straight up so your hands are free to snap through at the bottom of the swing. My last thoughts before I start my backswing are 'keep the head perfectly still' and 'hands before the head', meaning your hands should be slightly ahead of the ball at contact.

As for short game, I shaved quite a few strokes off my game back in the day by not aiming for the pin on chips and pitch shots. Envision the shot you'd shoot in order for it to go in. Where would it land? How would it release & roll? High trajectory or low? Once you do that, aim for the spot you envisioned the ball to land and make sure you get your hands through first at the bottom of your swing. 1) Aiming at the pin always made me go past cuz I'd neglect to think about the 10-15 feet of roll and, 2) I'd skull it a lot trying to 'scoop' it when the club's loft really does all that for you. If you concentrate on keeping your hands in front of the ball at contact, you'll be much more apt in following through & finishing the stroke instead of skulling it, skipping it 5-10 feet in front of you only to have to do it again or getting the club to dig into the ground way too early.

Practice and playing as often as possible are always the best advice though.

[timNem]

I've played golf since I was a little kid cuz my dad is an avid golfer to put it mildly. I'm not bad (not good either) but I average in the low-mid 80's and am usually among the better of those I play with most often & here's what I've found is the most frequent mistake that makes them spray the ball all over, put it in trouble quite a bit and have those "blow up holes" like an 11 on a par 5 or 9 on a par 4 which turns a halfway decent round into a 105-110 type round in a hurry: They have a baseball swing backswing.

Do this and see if it doesn't apply to you; do your normal backswing and stop it at the top. If you take your hands behind you and go back at bicep level/below your shoulder, you've already taken the club off the plane it needs to be on in order to hit a straight ball. Your hands shouldn't get any further away nor any closer to your body as they are when you are at address. In a baseball swing backswing, the hands go back instead of up and it makes the clubhead open up from the get-go. Then, in order to bring the club back on line, you have to come across the ball which leads to a lot of pull hooks or you keep your hands too close to the body which makes it almost impossible to follow through all the way...the club face stays open as it was when you drew it back and you're slicing/pushing it right.

If you're spraying it with long irons/driver/woods, try concentrating on taking the club straight back and then straight up so your hands are free to snap through at the bottom of the swing. My last thoughts before I start my backswing are 'keep the head perfectly still' and 'hands before the head', meaning your hands should be slightly ahead of the ball at contact.

As for short game, I shaved quite a few strokes off my game back in the day by not aiming for the pin on chips and pitch shots. Envision the shot you'd shoot in order for it to go in. Where would it land? How would it release & roll? High trajectory or low? Once you do that, aim for the spot you envisioned the ball to land and make sure you get your hands through first at the bottom of your swing. 1) Aiming at the pin always made me go past cuz I'd neglect to think about the 10-15 feet of roll and, 2) I'd skull it a lot trying to 'scoop' it when the club's loft really does all that for you. If you concentrate on keeping your hands in front of the ball at contact, you'll be much more apt in following through & finishing the stroke instead of skulling it, skipping it 5-10 feet in front of you only to have to do it again or getting the club to dig into the ground way too early.

Practice and playing as often as possible are always the best advice though.
You are correct, I played High School Baseball and Golf and they were both spring sports, and my golf swing totally screwed up my baseball swing.

[Rebel Chuck]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I went to the range today and try to work out a few kinks. The main thing I focused on was my short game. I actually felt pretty good when I left. Before I went I took a couple of swings in the mirror and was shocked to see my arms completly curl up in my backswing and my wrists break almost 75 degrees on my wedge swings. After focusing on straight arms for long irons and straight wrists for short wedges the day showed some very positive results. Can I drink a dozen Bud Lights on the course and still implement the things I've been working on? Stay Tuned

[BamaFreak]

I gave up golf and took up tennis. I never looked back, but since I tore some tendons in my ankle, I've thought about going back to golf. It won't be the same, though. :(

[crimsonnation713]

I gave up golf and took up tennis. I never looked back, but since I tore some tendons in my ankle, I've thought about going back to golf. It won't be the same, though. :(

SHAME ON YOU FREAK !!!!!

[WarEagle73]

Here is another question for my fellow golfers. Have any of you tried the new square headed drivers from Callaway or Nike? If so what did you think? I've been hitting the Callaway Great Big Bertha II Pro Series for quite a wile now and I'm thinking of upgrading soon.

[WayzUp]

Here is another question for my fellow golfers. Have any of you tried the new square headed drivers from Callaway or Nike? If so what did you think? I've been hitting the Callaway Great Big Bertha II Pro Series for quite a wile now and I'm thinking of upgrading soon.

I've tried the Nike one out at a place up here called Golf Services where they'll tape up the face and let you hit on their practice range and I didn't like it, personally. It could be that I'm just not used to the whole square-head thing but I think the shape is just a marketing tool more than a performance enhancer for the club itself. I mean, I hit a few good ones with it but there wasn't any real noticeable difference between it and my driver now. My driver is a Srixon WD-403 with 7.5 loft and I love it.

As far as club buying goes, my advice to anyone is to go to a golf-only shop (no Dick's or other sporting goods shop) that has a range & see if they'll do that; tape up the face and let you hit 'em. Then, find a good set that's maybe a year old or so, hit 'em to make sure they're what you want, wait until the dead of winter (early February seems to be the best) and go find 'em on Ebay. I picked up the driver I have now that way...it was a $275 driver when I tried it out and I had it at my place for $65 not even 4 months later and it was brand new, still in the box. Couple weeks after that I got an Orlimar TriMetal 56* sand wedge for $14...though it cost me $15 to ship it so almost $30 for a nice SW that has turned into my go to club the second I get inside 90 yards. I'm a flop shot master cuz I rely on the club so much! :laugh: Not so good when there's a branch hanging low between me and the green though, me not so good at those low runner shots...not so good at all! :brick:

Ah well, we all have something to practice...that's it for me; that and putting.

The question I have for anyone who has any feedback is a good hybrid. In my bag, I have a driver and that's it for woods. I never could hit a 3 or 5 wood so I just quit since I can hit my long irons pretty well. It's the 215-230 yard range that I have nothing for. My 3-iron maxes out at about 210 so there's a big gap between it and my driver that I have club for and it makes me play shots I'd rather not play...or would play with a hybrid if I could find one I like. I just haven't had time to really look so I'm open to suggestions if anyone has one they're in love with. I play a high trajectory right-to-left draw, if that matters.

[WarEagle73]

I feel your pain with the fairway woods. I'll struggle with them myself a good deal. I've thought about going to some hybrids instead but here lately I've been getting much better with my new fairway woods. I've always thought I was "bass akwards" because most golfers hit their woods better than their long irons and I'm usually the opposite. In fact one of the best golf shots I've ever had was with a buddies old 1 iron.

[WayzUp]

Yah, my 4-iron is my favorite. Hybrids I have tried just look so odd down there when I'm standing over it though. I can never get myself to swing them like an iron; I always revert to my driver swing and top it more often than not...think it's just a mental thing now & it's gonna take at least two large buckets back-to-back to get anywhere close to comfortable.

[WarEagle73]

Yah, my 4-iron is my favorite. Hybrids I have tried just look so odd down there when I'm standing over it though. I can never get myself to swing them like an iron; I always revert to my driver swing and top it more often than not...think it's just a mental thing now & it's gonna take at least two large buckets back-to-back to get anywhere close to comfortable.

That's pretty much what I've done to improve my wood play. Every evening @ the range. I start with my wedges and work up to driver or sometimes I just focus on what I've been struggling with (usually my woods)

[WayzUp]

That's pretty much what I've done to improve my wood play. Every evening @ the range. I start with my wedges and work up to driver or sometimes I just focus on what I've been struggling with (usually my woods)
Yup, that's how I do it but w/o the woods of course. What's your handicap, if you don't mind my asking...?

[WarEagle73]

Yup, that's how I do it but w/o the woods of course. What's your handicap, if you don't mind my asking...?


I'm not exactly sure right now. I don't keep up with it like i use to before I joined my current club.I'm probably somewhere between a 8 - 12 hanidcap right now. I'm quite the jeckle & hyde type golfer. I shot 73 at Baytown in Sandesten back in April (1st. time to play the course). My next round at my home course (Heritage Golf in Oneonta) I shot a 92. go figure!

[Rebel Chuck]

I'm not big on fairway woods either. My 3 iron seems to get me where I want to go and if I have to use a little more club for my next shot no problem. My boss bought a NIKE Sumo b/c he likes the sqaure heads, but he hits it just like his old driver. I use a Titleist 905r driver and I would never go to another brand. Maybe you have heard the saying "you always go back to Titleist"

[crimsonnation713]

I've tried the Nike one out at a place up here called Golf Services where they'll tape up the face and let you hit on their practice range and I didn't like it, personally. It could be that I'm just not used to the whole square-head thing but I think the shape is just a marketing tool more than a performance enhancer for the club itself. I mean, I hit a few good ones with it but there wasn't any real noticeable difference between it and my driver now. My driver is a Srixon WD-403 with 7.5 loft and I love it.

As far as club buying goes, my advice to anyone is to go to a golf-only shop (no Dick's or other sporting goods shop) that has a range & see if they'll do that; tape up the face and let you hit 'em. Then, find a good set that's maybe a year old or so, hit 'em to make sure they're what you want, wait until the dead of winter (early February seems to be the best) and go find 'em on Ebay. I picked up the driver I have now that way...it was a $275 driver when I tried it out and I had it at my place for $65 not even 4 months later and it was brand new, still in the box. Couple weeks after that I got an Orlimar TriMetal 56* sand wedge for $14...though it cost me $15 to ship it so almost $30 for a nice SW that has turned into my go to club the second I get inside 90 yards. I'm a flop shot master cuz I rely on the club so much! :laugh: Not so good when there's a branch hanging low between me and the green though, me not so good at those low runner shots...not so good at all! :brick:

Ah well, we all have something to practice...that's it for me; that and putting.

The question I have for anyone who has any feedback is a good hybrid. In my bag, I have a driver and that's it for woods. I never could hit a 3 or 5 wood so I just quit since I can hit my long irons pretty well. It's the 215-230 yard range that I have nothing for. My 3-iron maxes out at about 210 so there's a big gap between it and my driver that I have club for and it makes me play shots I'd rather not play...or would play with a hybrid if I could find one I like. I just haven't had time to really look so I'm open to suggestions if anyone has one they're in love with. I play a high trajectory right-to-left draw, if that matters.


I have a Callaway hybrid 4 and I love it. It takes the place of my 3 and 4 iron. Its looks funny when you get over it but since it sounds like you have a draw swing , it shouldn't be that hard to get used to for ya. I like the Callaway products as far as clubs but my buddy has a Mizuno hybrid and swears by it. Wayz , your just gonna have to go to your pro shop and hit til you drop and find the one you like but as far as hitting outta rough , the hybrid is great and alot easier to hit.
I leased the Callaway Rti from Edwin Watts and it doesn't hit near as good to me as my Taylor-Made R7 Quad.The R7 to me goes farther and I'm more comfortable with it than the Callaway. Again, I feel like its what your comfortable with. Standing over the sqare-headed driver just doesn't feel right to me.

[BamaFreak]

SHAME ON YOU FREAK !!!!!

What can I say, golf bored me when I was in my 20's. Now that I have quietly tip-toed into my 30's, maybe it will grow on me. I think the thing I disliked most about the game was the fact that everything moved so slowly. Now that I've been hobbled, maybe golf will be more my speed.