What/How Did You Practice Today?

[cnosil]

More short pitches and chips. These shots are needed a lot since I haven’t been hitting greens lately. Unfortunately I haven’t been converting many up and downs.

Need to get to the range so I can work on the irons.

[Mtbryant01]

Playing Sat and Sun. Haven't played or gotten to the range since last Friday. Needed to get loose and get a feel for the swing before tomorrow.

Started out pushing my irons and then got a feel for them towards the end. This will be my second round with the new Ping G410 driver. Balls are reacting well with my swing, seem to be going a good 20 yards further than usual. Last part of the range session I worked on my 50-100 yard shots with my 60 and 56. Working on some lower flight path to get a couple hops and stop IF I hit the green. Before leaving I went to the chipping and putting green to work on my short game.

[aerospace_ray]

On 9/5/2016 at 2:22 PM, jlukes said:

We have a thread asking how did you play today, but what about those days you simply worked on your game rather than played?

 

What did you work on today?

Today I am focusing on improved ball striking through chipping and pitching. I have been on a journey to better utilize my legs, hips while coming through impact with hands leading. The instruction I follow emphasizes mastering the chipping/pitching which can improve long game. For too many years I got away with timing and flipping as I have always been very athletic (played multiple sports). Now that I am much older, well I need to focus on center ball strikes with a much shorter backswing, less flexibility, etc. Anyway thats what I am working on. 

[Kenny B]

56 minutes ago, aerospace_ray said:

Today I am focusing on improved ball striking through chipping and pitching. I have been on a journey to better utilize my legs, hips while coming through impact with hands leading. The instruction I follow emphasizes mastering the chipping/pitching which can improve long game. For too many years I got away with timing and flipping as I have always been very athletic (played multiple sports). Now that I am much older, well I need to focus on center ball strikes with a much shorter backswing, less flexibility, etc. Anyway thats what I am working on. 

True statement.  I spent 2 hours practicing yesterday.  I started my session warming up on the pitching green with 25-30 yard shots, high and low with my 60º.  Sometimes I will hit my 54º but mostly out of thicker rough.  Yesterday was just my 60º from a tight fairway lie, and it was one of my best pitching sessions this year.

Many of you old timers on this thread know I don't like hitting balls on the range, but yesterday I needed to work on getting my right hip turned back further in the backswing.  I was working on exaggerating the hip turn with the pitch shots since they are a slower motion of the full swing.  Maybe that was why I hitting my wedge so well.

On the range it took a few balls to get my driver synced up since it's so much longer.  I started by making the same backswing and about the same speed as with my wedges.  It started feeling good, and when I went after a ball, the ball flew much higher and straighter than I usually hit a range ball.  After a few more drivers with similar results, I lowered the loft on my driver 1º and had a much better ball flight... and more distance.  

I ended up hitting waaaay too many driver shots than I'm used to and my old body doesn't like it.  So today, I mowed the lawn.  My body doesn't like that either!  I play at 10:30am in the morning.  Hope I remember what I was doing yesterday and can make the same move.  

[revkev]

I absolutely think that chipping and pitching especially improves ball striking. I’m not so convinced about putting.

I’ve settled in to a nice summer routine (summer is not prime golf season in Florida)

Sunday - SuperSpeed
Monday - chipping and putting
Tuesday - driving range
Weds. - SuperSpeed
Thursday - off from golf
Friday - Play
Saturday - Chip and putt


I will flip Tuesday and Friday if my league is ever able to resume. I might occasionally play on Sunday afternoon which means I will do SuperSpeed on Saturday.

I can play reasonably well following that schedule.


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[StrokerAce]

7 minutes ago, revkev said:

I absolutely think that chipping and pitching especially improves ball striking. I’m not so convinced about putting.

I’ve settled in to a nice summer routine (summer is not prime golf season in Florida)

Sunday - SuperSpeed
Monday - chipping and putting
Tuesday - driving range
Weds. - SuperSpeed
Thursday - off from golf
Friday - Play
Saturday - Chip and putt


I will flip Tuesday and Friday if my league is ever able to resume. I might occasionally play on Sunday afternoon which means I will do SuperSpeed on Saturday.

I can play reasonably well following that schedule.


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+1 on the chipping and putting - I was a bit erratic off the tee but managed to scratch out a 79 due to chipping it close and putting consistently.

Not a member of a club but my nightly backyard routine alternates between: golf net/full bag/launch monitor -- chipping/pitching.
I also putt in my basement nearly every night.

[cnosil]

I absolutely think that chipping and pitching especially improves ball striking. I’m not so convinced about putting.

Can you explain more why you think this? I am not sure I agree. Chip and what I will call finesse shots dont seem to help with ball striking because the swing is too different. I can center strike these pretty consistently. Distance/partial wedges will help full swing since the swings are similar. I agree Putting doesn’t help ball striking.

[Getoffmylawn]

Can you explain more why you think this? I am not sure I agree. Chip and what I will call finesse shots dont seem to help with ball striking because the swing is too different. I can center strike these pretty consistently. Distance/partial wedges will help full swing since the swings are similar. I agree Putting doesn’t help ball striking.

Same here. Pitching at various distances I can see, but chipping I’m not sure it translates, especially if you’re manipulating ball position and the club face as part of your chipping practice (and I think you should be).


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[toehold57]

I had every intention of hitting after dinner but then these showed up.  Now I can hardly move.  Love me some watermelon.

 

 

[Kenny B]

On 6/15/2020 at 5:53 AM, cnosil said:

 

Can you explain more why you think this? I am not sure I agree. Chip and what I will call finesse shots dont seem to help with ball striking because the swing is too different. I can center strike these pretty consistently. Distance/partial wedges will help full swing since the swings are similar. I agree Putting doesn’t help ball striking.

 

I used to have an instructor that believed that he could look at the way a person putts and chips and tell what their major swing flaw is in their full swing.  I can't dispute it... he was correct with me and his other students.

However, I have a difficult time believing that putting helps ball striking.  Everything about putting is so different; quiet lower body, little to no rotation, different grip, no wrists (sorta).  I do tend to believe that chip and pitch shots do help.  For me they are mini-swings.  In my early days when I never could get up and down, my full swing issue was taking the club back to the inside.  Did the same on my chips/pitches, which led to chunks and skulls.  When I improve my short game shots, I got a better feel for low point of the swing.  My full swing improved; or maybe it was the other way around.  Probably both together; it was a long time ago.

[russtopherb]

Hit a small bucket at lunch today, trying to figure out the D7 driver. On the good side, I think I’ve got ball position and tempo figured out. Had some really nice drives and I was going left instead of right which was a welcome change. On the down side, after warming up my irons were fairly garbage. I supposed that’s to be expected after hitting driver a bunch and not jumping around the bag, as one would do on the course.


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[revkev]

Can you explain more why you think this? I am not sure I agree. Chip and what I will call finesse shots dont seem to help with ball striking because the swing is too different. I can center strike these pretty consistently. Distance/partial wedges will help full swing since the swings are similar. I agree Putting doesn’t help ball striking.

I think of Chips and pitches as mini swings - good chipping requires keeping your torso moving and the club synced up in front of your body just like solid full game contact does.


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[edingc]

After my lesson focused on driver yesterday, I figured I better go hit some balls to see if I could make it work.

Left the range extremely happy after spending about half of a 60 ball bucket on the driver.

Over 27 swings, I averaged a ball speed of 149.7 MPH, smash factor of 1.48, for an average carry over those swings of 241 yards. That included two drives on which my Mevo reported carry distance of 255 yards. I actually stopped hitting driver for a bit until I could move further down range because I piped three straight into the trees at the end of the range (whoops!).

Now, just hoping I can take it to the course, and also hoping I can continue to strike my irons well alongside the driver.

[Gurra]

Did some impact practice today with the new Irons. Also bombed some drives in to the woods over the range fence

[sirchunksalot]

59 minutes ago, Gurra said:

Did some impact practice today with the new Irons. Also bombed some drives in to the woods over the range fence

What's your initial impressions of the Forged Tec's? Nice shot, btw, that solid contact. 

[GolfSpy_BOS]

After my lesson focused on driver yesterday, I figured I better go hit some balls to see if I could make it work.
Left the range extremely happy after spending about half of a 60 ball bucket on the driver.
Over 27 swings, I averaged a ball speed of 149.7 MPH, smash factor of 1.48, for an average carry over those swings of 241 yards. That included two drives on which my Mevo reported carry distance of 255 yards. I actually stopped hitting driver for a bit until I could move further down range because I piped three straight into the trees at the end of the range (whoops!).
Now, just hoping I can take it to the course, and also hoping I can continue to strike my irons well alongside the driver.

Somebody is getting all jacked up for CCC4!

Was this taken during your range session?

[edingc]

1 hour ago, B.Boston said:

 

Somebody is getting all jacked up for CCC4!

Was this taken during your range session?

 

Hahahaha, while I've put on some weight recently, I'm not quite Bryson hulked (yet...).

Felt really good. Still working on getting the face fully shut, a lot of them had a bit of right to left movement, but I think I'm making some progress now.

[GolfSpy_BOS]

Hahahaha, while I've put on some weight recently, I'm not quite Bryson hulked (yet...).
Felt really good. Still working on getting the face fully shut, a lot of them had a bit of right to left movement, but I think I'm making some progress now.

Great stuff! Hopefully we will all be at the top of our games to make this year interesting. I cannot wait to get those Forged Tec irons in play.


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[edingc]

On 6/18/2020 at 1:05 PM, edingc said:

After my lesson focused on driver yesterday, I figured I better go hit some balls to see if I could make it work.

Left the range extremely happy after spending about half of a 60 ball bucket on the driver.

Over 27 swings, I averaged a ball speed of 149.7 MPH, smash factor of 1.48, for an average carry over those swings of 241 yards. That included two drives on which my Mevo reported carry distance of 255 yards. I actually stopped hitting driver for a bit until I could move further down range because I piped three straight into the trees at the end of the range (whoops!).

Now, just hoping I can take it to the course, and also hoping I can continue to strike my irons well alongside the driver.

Went back to the range today at lunch for a small bucket to make sure this wasn't a fluke.

Happy to see that over 19 "good" shots today with the driver, I averaged 148.5/1.5/240. I have a hunch that Mevo is underreporting club speed (it seems to miss CHS a lot, too) so that's why the smash was so high. I did hit a bunch out of the center of the driver but there were a few that registered 1.53 and 1.54 smash.

I was made more happy by the three-straight push draws I hit right at my target with my 7-iron while I was finishing warming up. I've been placing an alignment rod in the ground about 5-7 feet in front of me on my target line and trying to sling push draws around the stick and back on line.

I will place an asterisk by these numbers ("good shots" - as mentioned above). It was 87 degrees, and the range was in full sun. I hit about 8 7-irons and then about 15 drivers, switched to wedge for a few shots and then my bucket was pretty much emptied and I was full of sweat. I should have stopped but someone had left about 15 balls from their bucket in the spot next to me, so I grabbed them to try to better my driver numbers. I think I was just plain wiped at this point and I struggled some. My glove was soaked and I just couldn't get comfortable swinging any club from that point on.

 

 

 

[revkev]

So transferred practice to course perfectly today for an even par 72.

Haven’t been in a trap for months not practiced that either - guess what area of my game gets a bit of work next. Could have broken par today. Hit 15 greens,


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