Seems some people were interested in how I got better at golf in a fairly short period of time. I have dedicated a lot of time to golf the last 4 months which has seen my handicap go from a little over 12 down to the low 5's. I think I am 5.2 on GHIN but am still missing rounds I need to turn in and oob has me at 4.2 right now.

I am just going to copy what I wrote in the other thread but will use this thread to explain what I am working on and my plan to go from the 4's to scratch.

Disclaimer- I am not a teacher and can get a tad obsessive about golf leading to me playing a ton and reading and watching a bunch of swing video. I would have had no chance to drop my handicap as far as I have in a short period of time.

The thread might seem a tad attention whoring but I find taking the time to explain and plan keeps me focused.


Another swing, 5 wood from about 240 or 250 out total, landed 15 yards short bounced up and left me 24 foot putt.





4 months ago I was a 12 or so but I didn't play a round of golf 2014. I decided this year to get a season pass. So for the past 4 months I try to play either 4 or 5 days a week. My typical day is rarely just 18. Most days I play 27 and at least once or twice a week play 36. On the days I play 18 I always go back out on the course and try to spend at least 1-1.5 hours working on what sucked that day. So usually it is either irons or 30-100 yards.

I got myself a very easy to hit set of clubs with hybrids and have no shame it hitting a 6 hybrid. I have done a lot of work with impact tape as well so I have begun to get very good at knowing exactly where on the club I hit the ball and how it affects ball flight. This lets me make on course changes for my driving some days playing the 5-10 yard draw that goes maybe 265-275 total or some days I suck so I either choke down and hit a heel driver shot that goes like 235 but stays mostly straight.

I have also gotten decent with fairway woods and even though the swing doesn't look great, and the one I posted was rushed because my phone always stops recording so fast. Normally it is a bit better than that one but I don't stress much on looks, just ball flight. This is where my biggest drop in HDCP came from. In 2013 I only had an old ****ty 5 wood and sucked with it. I think I his one par 5 in 2 the entire season. This year I can't even count how many I have hit and how many others are within 20 yards. I got good at chipping so the vast majority of birdies are either 2 putt birdies or under 5 footers that I chipped close.

Par 4's I just try to stay out of my own way. I always just shot for the middle of the green until the last week or 2 where I have started feeling comfortable to fire at pins from 165 and in.

I also putt 100 or more times a day at home focusing only on going through a very tight hole from 2-4 feet so now I don't stress 4 foot come backers.

And finally I basically just play the same course and know it like the back of my hand. It has some tricky greens that get really easy when you have had every single putt from any direction. No head scratching double breakers that I don't see. Not sure how much that helps the hdcp but I imagine it is 2-3 strokes.

So basically I have gotten 1 full shot better putting
My short game has gotten about 1.5 shots better
off the tee I am about 1.5 shot better
Outside 175 yards I have gotten about 3 shots better and
about 1 shot better on 125-175.

That is 8 shots right there so throw in a few for course knowledge and at least 1 or 2
more on the sole fact I believe I will shoot 70s as long as I don't do anything dumb to **** it up and you end up with the result of my HDCP going from 12 something to about 5

Other answer

Here is one from 3.5 months ago



But for real I am just trying to always get better or learn something, hopefully both at the same time. So everyone feel free to criticize my swing or point out flaws or talk ****.

Let me know if there is a better way to organize this info so it isn't tldr



Strokes gained stats from my 76 yesterday
Tee: -3.03
Approach -2.27
short game -0.51
putting -0.47

Here are the shots that cost me more than -.50 strokes

Driver on 9. Pulled into a lateral hazard.
There is way more room to the right and I should
be taking the left side out of play.
Practice next time: Hit 5 drives in a row that are right
of the centerline of a fairway

Drive on 16
The hole is a dogleg right but if you go left or a little
too far straight you hit water. Woods on the right side. The last
2 days I pulled a driver and a 3 wood into the water.
I decided to try 5 wood off tee but wasn't commited thinking
about the other drives and then I proceed to top my drive
50 yards.
Cause is not being fully commited to the shot which
can lead to a million different hacker moments.
Just focus and commit every shot. back off and re start
my pre shot routine if I have any doubt in my head.

Same hole, after I hit my hybrid to put myself
80 yards out. Was really un sure how to play it and I ended
up short in rough.
Distance control
Next time out I will hit 10 shots in a row from
80 yards that hit an area of no more than 12 feet short or long.

Dogleg left with trouble both sides.
I push faded my shot and ended up behind a tree.

Going to hit 5 drives in a row that start on my target line and either
go straight or draw a bit.

On 10 a short par 5 I shanked a 5 wood fro 217 that went like 70
yards. Just need to stop thinking about how I am even par
and have a great chance to try and make eagle.
Focus on one shot at a time, double check alighnemt and don't rush the
shot.

other shots that still cost me more than -0.30

120 yards from rough. I hit it a little long and left to a part
of the green that is sloped away so it kicked it to an ever
worse spot.
Causes: flier lie and wasn't paying attention to the fact I needed
to not land on that section of the green.
Make 5 shots in a row from 120 that land on one side
of the green and not where I can't miss

Par 3 pin in back, 207 to pin
Took 5 wood and landed back half of green and went way long.
the wind was from a different direction and I didn't
account for the fact a 5 wood wont hold the green downwind like that.
focus and consider wind direction every time.

67 yards to pin from fairway
Hit my wedge about 40 feet short.
I will make 5 shots in a row from 70 yards that have a distence dispersion
of under 9 feet short and 9 feet long.

Those are going to be the things I focus on next time
I play and then golf another 18 once I finish all of that.

Good job with your season so far. Not trying to be too internet creepy, but that is a heck of a deal your club has. 400 for cart and unlimited Monday through Friday...is that right. I'd be playing a bunch also. What happened with last year (14)? Life get in the way of golf, or were you hurt? Is your club host to a HS golf team? Does it host sectional or district golf? You going to lose your ability to play 27 a day soon?

Been trying to think of a reason to make it over your way to meet up for 18 but haven't yet. Heck was going to meet up with Triple H in Toledo last year and never made that work :/. Week 2 of football, we are headed to Tiffin to play Colombian but will have family so that probably out.

Anyway congrats again on a great season so far, keep it up!!

Just had no money last year and for some reason wasn't super motivated. The $400 M-F deal is pretty much the sole reason I decided to give it a shot this season. They also have $700 if you want weekends but not till after 11am so id really didn't seem worth it to pay 300 extra for 4 hour rounds of golf when I average 2.5 hours an 18 during the week and that is still taking my time. The old dudes always let me play through basically right away and the course is empty so I can just have the course to myself and stay on one green for 30 min if I want. Greens are good, the fairways not so much but you can't really complain for the price.

I am down to hit up Sawmill Creek before this season is over but after this month once the cedar point crowd dies down. Going to pretty bummed when winter gets here, either need to flee to somewhere a few hundred miles south or get one of those optishot things .

backswing looks good. Keep your head over the ball through impact and let your arms extend and feel long. If you work on this you will then start to feel that you are "pulled" into a more natural follow-through, one that is facing the target. This, instead of the spinout you now have.

Look up some videos on casting. You are throwing the club away and flipping at impact. If fat/thin shots are not a problem now, they will creep in and be a big problem.

Great progress.

Thanks and I agree about the fat and thin ones. I hit way less than I used to but 1 or 2 times a round they show up out of nowhere and I chunk like a 70 yard 7 iron. Thin ones end up being more playable but that wouldn't be the case at a course with hard greens that need spin to hold.

Here is something I came across while analyzing my game. This is only from the last 10 or 15 rounds but I think that is enough to be able fairly accurate going forward.

I plotted my shots and found that for 100-150 yards I have a standard deviation of about 15 feet on my proximity to the hole. I also plotted where my misses were, short long ect.
I found I miss short about 3 to 1 compared to long. When I missed short it was left about 65% of the time and right the rest. When I missed long it was almost 90% left compared to right.

Using this info I know I should never be firing straight at a pin on the left side if it closer than 15 feet to the left side or 15 feet on. Using this I should be aiming about 5 feet long and 5 feet right of the targets since I don't need to worry about missing long as much and my misses inside my normal deviation will still hit the green.

Also seeing as how I almost never miss long and right if the pin is back right I can fire away at it and if there is trouble right fire away at it distance wise but 5 feet left. I find the fact that you can use this info to find your optimal target interesting.

Anyone one else do this?

Here is an example of the end result, this is hole 2 on my course and if I aim anywhere inside the black I should expect to get a GIR 65% of the time from 100-150 yards.



The next logical step would be to figure out how your target effects your expected putts and figure out if it is worth risking getting close in exchange for missing the green more.

Obv this is massive overkill but I find it fun when I can't sleep

I just cant watch that swing lol

re bold. Pulled shots are usually long; pushed shots are usually short. Most people are going to experience same thing as you in bold.

I wouldn't try putting to much math/stats into how you should attack pins. Lots depends on wind, your natural ball flight, and how well you are hitting that day. You can't plot all that out. Just assess the risk reward in your head, and make the best shot for the circumstances...

lol yeah I don't do all that much thinking while actually playing. I keep track of all my shots and write down gps yardage and worry about the rest later. All that other stuff happens at a 3am insomnia induced boredom

hey good thread, thx for starting it...

you were about where i am... i am very enthusiastic about golf but don't actually play/practice that much. around a 12 handicap too (most rounds in mid-80's.... lots of great shots, some blowups. some flubs etc.)

i need to do what you are doing. i have to think about it alot and figure out what/how i need to practice it.

i think i need to track how many shorts per round i'd take a half stroke penalty to hit again i.e. back where i started and add a half stroke to my score.

my local pro tells me that i don't play/practice enough so i'll be leaking strokes in every part of my game (sometimes a bit different game to game) and i think he's right.

i think my big thing that i had at one point in past but have lost somewhat is very very simple: solid contact on every shot such that i've really reduced the distance to the flag. i.e. every shot is reasonably competent ...... right now, i think i hit more great shots than ever before but i have some problems with fat shots. think i'm on the right track generally to fixing it.

then the next level is probably good shot game so that you are constantly giving yourself 8-15 feet for par even when you haven't played the hole that well.

beyond that is stuff like hit the ball alot further. and i think i am showing good improvement there.

fyi, i have played with a former elite hockey player (say junior A in canada, the equivalent of NCAA BCS conference football) recently.

the guy absolutely mashed the ball with not that much effort. pretty smooth, non-fast swing and i didn't notice tons of lag (wasn't throwing lag away either).

wondered how this guy (FYI probably 40-45 age) hit the ball so far (320 yards on a hole i'd never seem anyone else over 285 or so) with so little effort.

the two things i've always thought about hockey players (beyond the very obvious like hand/eye coordination) is 1) strong hands/wrists and 2) get their weight onto that front foot very fully and very early................

anyone have thoughts on this? thx advance

Let me know when you figure it out, would love an extra 40 yards with out looking like I am swinging harder.


This is what I used for strokes gained, kind of a pain since you can save the info so I just transfer it to a spreadsheet.
http://strokesgainedcalc.com/strokes-gained-calculator/

Didn't have much time today so just played 18 but didn't get a chance to practice.
Shot 74
Strokes gained numbers
Tee: -2.23
Approach: -1.50
Short: -0.26
Putting: -0.48
Was about an average day putting and off tee, above average short game and a really
good approach shot day.

Crappy shots: Hit 2 drives all funky kind of popped up off toe that barely went 200. Hit another drive where I had to pitch out and a bunch of average ones which caused me to lay up 3/4 par 5s. Hit a wedge from 103 that came up 55 feet short that I ended up 3 putting.
Missed 2 greens from 130 and totally chunked a 7 iron like 30 yards short.

Hit 2 really good shots. 125 yard that I hit to 2 feet and 117 yards to 3 feet which led to my only 2 birdies.
Longest putt made was 8 feet and shortest miss was 6 feet.

Other than not being able to spend any time practicing today was a good day.

Played 18 and got in a good amount of practice. Strokes gained for the round were
Tee: -1.19
approach: -2.66
short: -1.19
putting: -0.3

Shot a 76

Fairly pleased with those numbers, would have liked to chip and pitch a little better today.
Good shots for the day:
185 yard par 3, hit 4 hybrid to 9 feet.
132 yards rough that had to go over a tree ht it to 11 feet and made putt for only birdie.
80 yards rough to 8 feet

Bad to Awful:
245 yards fairway chunked a 5 wood leaving myself 100+ yards short
Shanked hybrid on a par 3 that went into the water that I never even imagined would be in play ever.
Missed green from 149
20 yard pitch that I lol sent it 12 feet past hole
87 yards to pin that I hit the green but left a 60 foot putt


For practice today I jumped in front of 4some and just made sure to keep just ahead so they never had to wait on me. Off the tee I would hit 1 fade and 1 draw. I would then kick those balls to a part of the hole that needed me to draw and fade around tree or something. Next took 5 ball in one hand from 110 and threw them and played from wherever they landed. From there I would try to get up and down on any I missed and putt the rest out. Last few pitches I would step on the ball to try and get an awful lie.

Felt good and feel like I accomplished some decent practice.
Still dumping my wrist angle way way too early. Do you think just trying to hit left handed would help me with the follow through and hopefully hold the angle longer.

Wedge video

Some tough love.

You have a severe cast. Really bad. If you can shoot 76 with casting so bad, good on you. But the fact is you are now ingraining that cast as part of your swing. If you don't fix it now it will be harder and harder to do later.

BTW, You must have really good coordination because you dump the club so soon I am surprised you don't either hit the ground 4 inched behind the ball or top the ball really bad on most of your shots.

Don't be mad, but your backswing side on looks like it could be a 2 hdcp. Your impact position is like a 15 to 20 hdcp. In the 2nd video your swing bottomed out several inches behind the ball, yet you were able to "scoop" it airborne. Do you hit very high and short irons?

Can you get a 120 or 240 frames per second swing vid and post it.

Have you researched casting and retaining lag and are you doing any drills?

I will try, I think my actual camera is in storage so that was just a phone video.

Any good drills to help solve this issue?

Thats the thing though, I watch a lot of monte scheinblum videos and he tries to get people to not think about casting has some interesting drills because anytime I have don't cast as a swing thought it doesn't end well.

bobby clampett's book is good for anti-casting i think... i just wouldn't use his stuff for too long a club. i think he's probably mistaken about driver swing. but anyway, his ideas are gold for mid irons to wedges.

fyi, pretty sure i cast like crazy too... but i'm too scared to post my swing here.

go to youtube and try typing

retaining lag
stop casting

or, you can let me find them for you......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LQgicUbSv0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4QOuP15wWA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shIz-xC0aRc

Look where you hands are at impact and look where they should be:


I cast too. I am not too worried about it because
(1) I am old
(2) I am only slightly off optimum impact position
(3) I am getting ok distance
(4) I like the fact that my clubface is square for a fairly long time just before and just after impact.

Yours is pretty extreme and you want to be a scratch golfer. It is not likely to happen if you keep dumping the club in your downswing.

You need to read and research and watch videos related to valid tips that people give you. You cant stop casting by trying to stop casting. Casting doesn't work that way.

Just the same way you cant retain lag by trying to hold your lag position longer. It wont work.

So, if you are trying to figure out how to address casting with researching how to address casting, that doesn't sound like a very logical approach.

If you can afford some lessons that would be a good idea.

You seem talented enough to reach your goal, though maybe now you are too worried about stats and scores. One thing you have to accept is that if you are going to address any significant swing change, your scores are going to get worse before they get better. You will go through a period of inconsistency that may last a long time.

The videos you posted have only a few frames so it would be good if you got some pro help.