IMDABES

these things do exist

Holy **** thank you. You might of singled handedly saved me a few hundred, was going to order mat just for that reason soon here.

Pretty random bump, I didn't actually get an indoor setup yet this winter.

I was in Vegas this week and I shot 105, 105, 95 after not playing for 6 months. Still can't putt. Think I might have made a pretty good breakthrough in my ball striking after watching a random youtube video. In a cpl months I'll probably get back into posting videos/results, possibly even sooner if I try to make a few trips to some indoor places.

You seem to get a strange / unusual pleasure out of "bragging" about shooting 100+ versus all the (full swing) practice that you are doing.

Since you obviously don't care about improving your scoring why bother posting your scores ?

It would make more sense to post how many GIRs, FWYs you make, to support your "breakthrough in ball striking" :/

And why do I care ?
Just bored I guess, cold winter still here in Toronto , golf "forum surfing" is the closest to real golf I can get for another ~ month

I'm pretty sure the things you said are not logically consistent, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If you want to improve your level of play, you have to commit to it. It can't be a casual process.

hey, great to see you and this thread back again

i still don't understand the problem with putting. have you ever talked to a golf teaching pro? or have friends that know alot of golf? they should be able to set you up putting really easily

putting to me is like bowling or shooting pool. takes very little to get reasonably proficient (like little kids often take to it right away, of course they don't overthink or have any tension)..... to get really good at aforementioned activities is a life long pursuit.

my thought is everyone can figure out putting pretty easily. guys i play with who often barely ever play golf but are athletic can always drive the ball quite well. irons and FW's take awhile to get comfortable with. and then i think wedges is where so many strokes are lost. i read that DJ spends 80% of his time on wedges and that's what usually impressed me when i watch the pro's.

can you post a video of your putting? like so many people do with full swing.

google "putting" and "metronome"....that idea really worked for me. even though i was already a good putter and i didn't practice with it much. but it ingrained the idea in my mind.

basically, the metronome idea is that your putting backstroke, forward stroke and follow-thru should take the same amount of time no matter how far the putt. just that putter travels a great distance. it takes some time to get the idea in your mind but i think it really works. and i will say that i doubt anyone anywhere necessarily achieves it completely..

for accuracy putting, something like a chalk line works well. a teaching pro got me into a putting mirror but i think it made me too tense. putting is alot about feel.

He needs some launch monitor info for this as well. These days trying to improve ball striking without launch monitor info is akin to trying to become a really good online poker player without ever glancing at your HEM or PT4 stuff.

There are still some things I'm working on cleaning up, but I think my swing is almost good enough to start w/ launch monitor. I'll probably not splurge for a trackman, what're the cheaper ones these days? flightscope?

I've been practicing the last week or so, usually chip/pitch from various distances, maybe 500ish shots a day, and then hit a bucket of whatever I'm working on (currently keeping my right knee back to give my arms room to get through, "squat"), and usually a few dozen putts (relax, I will eventually do some putting).

Finally stopped collapsing a bit and shortened my backswing some, I have a lot of confidence in my knowledge of how the swing is supposed to go, just have a lot of **** to work on to get it there. Am not super proud of these because of how much time I took off:

Probably didn't need to quote this entire post, buuut, I haven't gotten too far in my putting research. Right now the idea I have in my head is to play it off my front instep, which makes sense to me logically because you want a tiny bit of loft/don't want to put the ball into the ground in order to get a 1:1 transfer of energy.

I know that a little effort will go a long way, and by the end of this month I will have at least put in a little effort. I just bought a new putter (odyssey 2 ball, I just wanted the heaviest thing with the biggest super stroke grip they had, as those two things feel good to me) and am now fully out of excuses to do a little practicing and focus when I do get out on the course.

I'm no expert but I'll relay the things I think are most relevant based off my experience (I have a skytrak).

- For avg joes like us by all accounts everything from Skytrak up is "accurate enough". Far as I can tell anything nicer than a flightscope (and sometimes this depending on model u get) is for complete diehards or pro teachers/fitters.

- If hitting a lot of balls outside is a priority for you don't get a skytrak, its horrendous outside (at a normal range anyway), flightscope apparently is fine outside, but if your exclusively inside make sure the space you're going to use is big enough for the flightscope, apparently u need more space for this because it uses cameras instead of the laser skytrak uses, I'm not sure how much but it would be something to def look into before buying.

- aside from the ability to use it outside, and presumably a very slight increase in accuracy of valuable ball info, a big difference between FS and ST is the FS gets accurate club information. I've been told by a -3 golf nerd friend this becomes really relevant when you get to his level. ST does have a couple club related stats, CHS and launch angle, but from what I've heard and my own observation CHS in particular isn't reliable on ST. But the ball speed is very accurate when stacked up against the way more expensive products.

I don't know the prices, haven't looked at a FS in a while, got my ST for $1650 during one of their sales, from last I've heard/seen FS are probably 3 to 5x that for a new one. I know my buddy is trying to find a used one in 4-6k range currently.

I'd say If you got some serious cash to blow and really want to use it outside go with FS, if ur gonna use it mostly inside and want to take it a little easier in the $$ department just buy the skytrak, then maybe upgrade in a couple years. I'd imagine the level of info on the skytrak is suitable for your level of ability (mine too) for a couple years min.

Thanks, that is valuable info for sure. I'll keep looking into it, ask my coach, etc.

Yesterday (6/4/18) I went and played 18 by myself for the first time ever. As it's sort of my first real round of the summer I thought it'd be good to track it:

Course is ~6100 yards from the blues, almost every hole has an elevation change of at least 25 yards, many over 50. Big greens, but usually kind of oblong shaped with multiple tiers.

1. Short par 4 downhill to the left: Breakfast ball, solid five, good wedge to 11 yards just off the front of the (long, but narrow) gren, chip to 6f, underread, bogey/triple (but what kind of heathen doesn't allow a mulligan on the first hole)

2. Par 5 down into a valley: Solid drive but was aimed right, found it on the hill, but chunked my recovery shot with the ball way above my feet to the right, generous drop, perfect 7 to back bunker (at this point I'm realizing I really need a rangefinder), 3 shots to get out (it rained the night before and it was wet like an inch below the surface), 2 putts from 24 feet (3f) for a 9

3. 170 yard par 3: (I think there was a bad hole location on gps) I hit it over the top of the stick to the middle of the green, 45f short to 9f, 9f over adjustment on downhill putt, roll it by to 6f, save bogey

4. Maybe 375y downhill par 4, water as you get to around 200: Slightly hooked 7i to left rough, fat 8i bounced off the left side bounced on, 35 feet misread how uphill it was, 7f two inches short

5. Dogleg left par 4: 4i “straight” but needed a draw to sand trap, solid 7i left of green, good pitch from 22y to 24f without much green to work with, underread uphill to 6f, hit solid at right edge, didn’t break, 12i past

6. 180 yard par 3 over water: Thin 7i bounced off the bank, rolled to 70f, median putt to 10f, good miss left for bogey

7. Very uphill dogleg left 350 yard par 4: Solid 4, ball a few feet above my feet, fat Approach wedge didn't get far, stuck a 60d from 50y to 4f, rolled in par

8. Long par 5 down hill then uphill with creek at ~300 yards: Solid 4 (Lucky bounce over trap, rolled into fairway), solid 7 to left rough, wedge that barely got in to the back tier where the flag was, 30 foot putt to 12f (more uphill), good attempt but 3i short

9. 335 yard uphill par 4, HCP 2: Good drive but stayed on the left side under branch, dropped unplayable edge of fairway, slightly fat Approach wedge off false front? (Idk, I thought when I hit it it was on the green), 30y pitch to 15f safe side, good effort on putt

10. Long dogleg right par 5 over water: Perfect drive but still 240ish and uphill left, good 7i to the red stick, but it rolled on the sloped fairway to collection area, good approach wedge to 30f, good uphill effort, missed 4f on the way back after considering changing my read when I was over the ball (I recognized this was an issue: I am reading the putts and then when I get over it I'm trying not to change it, trying to trust what I looked at from behind the ball more than when I'm over it, but I think I should just start trying to putt it to make it, if that makes sense)

11. Short downhill par 4: Fat 7i left side bounced to fairway, good 8i that hit off left slope and went across green to fringe 24f, putted to 6i

12. Similar short par 4: Great 5i, solid approach wedge to left side of green, 20f to 4f, good effort

13. Downhill par 4, "picture hole": Decent 4i but a little cut, 9i out of the rough, maybe could have taken an extra club but thin green, hit it into the maze of bunkers, miraculous bunker shot to 30f, good effort to 18i, missed 18i (so yea, some strokes left out there)

14. Long par 5, HCP1: Great drive, even a little cut on it to go with the fairway, still have 240 uphill, good 80% 7 to 80 yards, 80% sw to elevated green just short, I struggle a bit on elevation changes and also hitting non-full wedges, chip on an upslope hit it a bit into the side of the hill but got it on the green, putt to elevated tier was short, disappointing double (keeping worse track of stuff now because it started raining)

15. 135ish yard par 3 over water, massive green, front left hole location: Safe PW to 60ft, above average lag, 5 ft made par

16. Uphill par 4 that I never do well on: Blocked 4i to the right, PW from rough to middle of elevated green, tough 45f two tier putt to 10ft, good effort but not quite, tap in

17. 165 yard par 3 with front hole location: Thin 9i to edge of rough/fringe, 12y chip to 6f, good effort but misread. Another instance where when I’m standing over it and it looks different than my previous read I don't change.

18. 420 yard par 4 that probably goes downhill almost 100 yards. I hit a draw/hook with a 4i that had some equity to be perfect with the fairway and roll to inside 100 yards, but it must have not cleared the edge and I didn't find it (related: I'm the worst at looking for balls), dropped in the rough and hit an 8i into the water (this was poor aim, the flag was in the middle on the back tier of the green, but I really should have been two flagsticked right, might have still gotten wet), dropped 50y away in the rough, tough lie but there was nowhere reasonable to drop, and hit it to the middle of the green (not great, considering flag was on the top tier), 55f uphill to top tier, made it to top tier, finally made a 10footer! (...to save triple)

8 GIRs, 44 putts

Overall I'd say I ran bad on putting (I haven't played for a long time, minor work on lag putting on flatter surfaces is muuuch different), ran kind of good on some random bounces, hit 4 or 5 pretty awesome drives even if I did have to take a drop on one and was in a terrible lie on another, and played okay. First round over by myself in sub 3 hours was glorious, playing fast is the best, gonna have to start calling places in the afternoon and just asking if there's literally no one on the course

Do you not hit woods / hybrids ever? Feel like if I caddied for you you would break 100 for sure.

Great question! ...And I literally don't have either in my bag, both were excised when they had too flexible of shafts when I changed over to a heavier/stiffer shaft on my irons, and I haven't bought new ones yet and don't want to be hitting a light/flexible hybrid with the rest of my clubs being so different. Will be doing that in the next few weeks. And yes, my course management isn't great

nitBO

nitBO

You will love hybrids I'd wager.

Definitely, have hit some pure in the past, just didn't want to be using the Senior flex shaft m2 that i had that was the lightest club in my bag

TM M1 hybrid is my go to. Try it out and thank me later.

Smaller head than the M2, so it feel more like an iron. Low, penetrating flight with very low spin. Good luck.

M3 and M4 replaced these about 4 months ago.

I'll check those out, see if I can get something workable for at least this summer

Btw I'm sure back problems are pretty common, but my lower back was hurting a bit last week, so I did some traveling and essentially took a full week off-- but now that I'm back, it feels worse. I've been doing some kb swings but not really deadlifting, nothing too serious tbh. Any advice other than stretching and getting it warm and dealing with pain? I take typically ice baths ~weekly

i'm pretty close to completing jettisoning 3w and 5w and going with hybrids only. perhaps 7 w or 3 iron to complement the hybrids.

hybrids just so easy to hit and the dispersion is pretty low. i used to pull hybrids, which is pretty common i think. but the more you play with them and having the right club set up then the pulls seem to go away..... pretty much a one-way miss with hybrids anyway. almost never hit a big slice with them.

i think you are right about getting best setup. have you ever tried golfavenue.ca? canadian co that is golf town's newish used club site. i've tinkered alot with shafts in buying things there. nice to experiment with a $50 club.

I bought my irons from golf avenue, but yea I'll try a few different hybrids and see what I like. Also I think I'll be fine with just a hybrid as well-- if I'm ~230ish with a 3 hybrid, do I really need something for between 230 and 300? I mean I guess if I could hit a 3-wood 250 and be 25% more likely to hit it straight or something than my driver, then I guess? I haven't played particularly nuanced courses where that'd be necessary, probably

Going from driver straight to hybrid is not smart. Nothing more than putting a bad band-aid over not being able to hit a fairway wood. One way or another, learn to properly hit a fairway wood and avoid having a horrible gap in your bag.