As I said earlier, I did all that when I was a kid and you can't really compare the improvement of a preteen to that of an adult.

I do remember that my parents joined a 9-hole full-sized course when I was 12 and I think I averaged 48-50 that summer. The next summer when I was 13 it was more like 40. And by the summer I was 14 it was 36-37. The first time I beat my Dad (who was a scratch) for 9 holes I shot 33(-3) finishing eagle(holed out 6-iron from 150 yards, my first hole out and first eagle) par, birdie, birdie. That would have been at the age of either 13 or 14.

As a kid I practiced, my Dad was my coach and he knew my game. But at that age it's not really like practice, it was just fun. But it's not like I practiced 8 hours a day. I'd go to the club, maybe practice for an hour, swim for an hour, go play nine holes, swim for another hour or two. Just having a blast.

BO

Is it true that JTrout once walked in on you in bed with Mick Jagger and Laura Davies?

It wasn't Laura Davies, it was Joanne Carner.

BO

You mentioned having problems with confidence at times, and being able to trust dialing in your wedges. This seems to be a major problem of mine during this season, as when I pull a club from 80-125, I'm usually asking myself "how am I gonna miss this time?" and then proceed to find a new way.

How were you able to at least mentally get the confidence to hit the full and dialed-down wedges we all need?

I don't exactly not trust dialing in my wedges, I just know that there are times where are dialed in much better than others.

You just have to think confidently, you see the target and picture the ball going there and then react to that picture. You absolutely cannot be over the ball and thinking of all the bad things that can happen. Do you think Steve Nash goes to the free throw line thinking about missing?

BO

DrOldSchool, don't know how good a golfer you are. if you're very good then disregard.

but i've had good success recently really going at my wedges alot easier. almost watching for clean compression and not focussing on snapping/releasing the club much... and lo and behold, i think my wedges might go further. i'm now to 100 yards+ on my gap wedge swinging really easily. 115 yards on PW. not sure if it's because i'm delofting some, but the ball is going right at the flag and very little adventure in the shot.

this strategy doesn't seem to work for 7-iron for instance though. seems needs more of a hit and more clubhead speed.......... famous last words but it seems consistent with what i've seen watching local elite players. seems like they go very easy on the wedges.

just my two cents!

Sorry, BO, it came off wrong. I didn't mean that it should be considered a curse to be awsome in golf. I guess I was just trying to point out that it must be really tough in golf to be so close to your dream (let's say a 1/100 shot of making it pro), but still fighting great odds against you.

That must be a tough place to be. As you approach 25, 26....28 do you move on and give up the dream, or keep trying? With family and everything it must be tough. Personally, I think i'dr rather be just slightly worse than that 1/100 chance, so that I could get on with something different.

I guess that is what I meant.

I guess I've known a few guys in hockey in this situation. The good thing about hockey though is that by 22 or so if you are not in the NHL (or very close, as in a strong AHL player), it's time to pack it in. These guys knew that.

Great thread, BTW.

Oh I didn't take it bad at all, I was just saying I didn't consider it a curse or anything. It's just tough no matter how good or close you might be. It's never easy. No dream worth having is.

About giving it up, I'm 40, never been married, no kids, and lucky enough to be in a position of being financially secure for the time being. If I wanted to, I could still chase the dream. And as I've said, if I could improve my ball striking a bit and find 20 yards more carry with the big stick, I'd be right back out there.

FWIW, when I did walk away from it a few years ago, I wasn't close at all, physically or mentally.

BO

A quick blurb on scoring when all the pieces aren't there.

Today I had a small problem, el hosel, the laterals, you know, the s word. It stems from throwing the club from the top rather than starting down with the big muscles. My irons are Pings so they're pretty much unshankable, but my wedges are forged Vokeys.

So on #1 I've got a 70 yard wedge shot green light special. I shanked it into a forest 20 yards right of the green. Nice. On #2 I made a similar swing with an 8-iron and skanked it into a greenside bunker. Sweet. On #5 I've got another 70 yard wedge and watched one of my playing partners scramble out of the way after another shank buzzed his tower. On #6 I 3-jacked from no more than 20 feet. On #7 I missed a 4-footer for birdie. On #8 I failed to get up and down from 5 feet off the green.

It was as nasty as it sounds without question. Thing is, I found a way to turn it around a bit and shot 69. How many times have you seen a golfer cold shank two wedge shots and break 70? I just didn't let it get to me too much, I knew what I was doing wrong and was determined to rectify it. Which I did.

I just didn't panic and trusted my game to pull me through.

BO

question not really related to golf but what do you do now for a living and if you do have a full time job do you still put in a lot of practice or do you just play a couple rounds and put in an hour or two on the putting green a week?

so champions tour?

See this is what I'm talking about. How do you do this? I played solid for 18 holes yesterday, picked the wrong club once or twice, had a ton of birdie putts lipout, missed a few 4 footers and shot 79.

For one thing I didn't have anything worse than bogey. Got up and down on #2 and #5 for par. Was only +2 through 8 when I found some semblance of game and played the last 10 in 4-under.

To score you have to get up and down and not miss those 4-footers. Yesterday I made 5 putts outside 6 feet and only missed the one short putt on #7.

BO

I hit really nice shots inside 15 feet on #s 1, 2, 7, 14, 15.

I made one of these putts, a 4 footer on #14. I was -1 on these 5 holes. You probably would've been -3 or -4 on these, I guess.

I hit it to 30 feet + on #s 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 17.

I was +2 on these holes. I made 0 of these putts and 3 putted twice, missing 4 footers for par on two of them. You probably would've been -1 on these.

I hit it one club short on #s 3, 4, 16, 18

I was +5 on these. Duffed chip on three led to bogey. Launched sand shot on #4 led to double. Putted from rough short on 16/18 led to bogeys. All of these were pretty simple up and downs for a person with a good short game. I say you would've been +2 at the very worst on these. Which is probably actually very conservative.

I missed the green with a pitching wedge in the middle of the fairway on #10.

I then yipped a chip and made double. You would have easily made par.


So if you add it up, you would've been -2 if you played my round yesterday instead of me. I guess I probably need to get a little bit more aggressive putting and work like hell on my short game.

hey BO, i wish i had half your short game. played yesterday for the first time in 3 weeks when i shot a paper 86, the worst round i played in twenty years. went par, bogey, eagle, birdie...then 3-jacked the next 5 greens in a row for a par and 4 bogeys...shot even on the back with 2 birdies. in all my eagle was 2 feet, i knocked a wedge to about 8 inches for a bird, made a 3-footer on a par 5 and an 8-footer on a par 3. everything else i missed...you would have shot 65 worst case if you putted for me...

basically how much actual time do you put in to your game when you practice?

i'm going to post a video of my swing late next month but if i post a vid of my putting would you be able to critique it...even if it makes me cry?

I have had the lateral shaft pushes, hosel rockets,,,,whatever a few times. The herpes of golf.

I really hate "stock" advice that is given in the magazines. They approach this problem as if it only has one cause.....very frustrating.

For me I get the el hosels when I get quick and my right shoulder turns more around in my swing , when it should feel like it is firing under (hope that made sense).

Anyway, as soon as I get my upper body turning laterally, and my right shoulder starts coming around, there is nowhere to go but an awkward cut across that brings the club outside of the set-up spot, and then across the ball and zing.....lateral shaft push.

The one hint I get that these are coming is that in my downswing I can't tell where the club face is. I feel like I have lost it and I know it's going to be ugly.

I had them must less frequently with a swing that comes from too far inside, but that seems must less common.

I just mention that because if anyone says they can fix your shanks before they look at your swing, it's time to head in the other direction.

Well, you won't like this answer, but in the last four months I've probably practiced my short game a grand total of 10 hours or so.

The huge step I made was being able to free up my mind and body to the point where I could focus on just making the putt/shot. I've hit thousands of chips and putts over the years, I know how. It's just a matter of preparing smarter, not necessarily harder.

Bring it on Mr. Czervik.

BO

I mentioned what causes ME to shank, but in most all cases, throwing the club from the top and creating and out to in path is the culprit. It's almost impossible (but doable) to shank with an in to out path where the club drops in towards the right hip nicely from the top.

BO

Yup. I turn then throw....i get more solid contact with the shaft that way...lol

tell me how to hit a g(&^%*&%$*^%damn 60*. This club has cost me more money than anything. Saturday, $500. (multiple carries, ect, but hell.)


Hi, golf forum. I read you a lot. Thanks.

It would help if I could see you hit your 60* in action. Two, maybe three rounds of me playing with your usual game should do the trick.

p.s. It's just another club, treat it no differently than any other.

BO

Please comment on my swing and suggest areas of improvement. Thanks.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/93...-swing-576296/

you didn't answer this and i just want to elaborate on it from my pov:

i'm pretty much a beginner, first year of real golf (more than a round or two). fwiw shot my best round of 100 just this past weekend, where i managed to play a very solid stretch of golf over about 7-8 holes, with no real bad blowups on any holes... i just spend a lot of strokes around the greens mostly, my game from 20-80 yards where i'm not taking a full swing is very very poor, and my putting can be pretty terrible at times but i can already see improvements. i think i've spent probably too much time practicing (really, just hitting the range) and not enough time actually playing or practicing around the greens, but i figured i needed to build some kind of basic, consistent swing.

how do you allot most of your time, re: checkraise's post? do you have a standard 9-5 job? if so, are you able to squeeze in 9 (or however many) holes after work? or do you just go and practice?

I am self-employed and can practice/play whenever I choose. The past four months or so I've played on average twice a week (always 18 holes) warming up for an hour or so beforehand. Maybe hit a bucket of balls on a nearby range once a week ~half the time using a video camera. The only time I this summer I put any decent physical work whatsoever into my short game was the few days before the Nationwide qualifier, and that was maybe three hours total.

Keep in mind that my golf shortcomings are probably far different than most.

BO

have you ever had anger issues on the golf course? ever broken or thrown clubs?