What/How Did You Practice Today?

[cnosil]

21 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

I like that drill for height control,  is there a way to incorporate distance/landing speed (ball runoff) control?

What you are looking for becomes a technique thing.....bump and run,  standard, lob.  Then distance becomes a factor of chosen club and lie.     Basically you just need to practice and learn the carry/roll ratios.

[cnosil]

1 hour ago, sirchunksalot said:

That's also good to know, I've watched a couple of videos on the course but I haven't found any that really shows how the green complexes are set up from the players point of view. Going into the search in YouTube, I was expecting for there to be more videos on the course. 

 

this didn't help?  https://www.royalnewkent.com/tour/

 

[sirchunksalot]

Thank you for that, Chris! I don't think I saw the video on their website when I looked them up. 

I like how they have the yardages to show how far you need to hit it to clear certain obstacles or avoid them. The views of the slopes of the greens are also really helpful. 

I might be diving too much into this with 3 1/2 months to go, but it's cool to see the layout. 

Edited February 10 by sirchunksalot

[THE GOLF GUY]

I typically try to play three times a week and that is how i improve the most . After working my starter job at the course , I may work on bunker , chips and try new things , but I work more on putting practice than anything . I feel like the better I putt the less stress I may have on my up and downs , in turn my iron play improves , and last but not least my tee shots improve. I think that working from the green back to the tee in that order is the fastest way to play better , but that is what works from me. Hopefully, this will give someone some help. 
 

Edited February 10 by THE GOLF GUY

[Willie T]

Days 28 and 29 (9 & 10 Feb 24) - played yesterday at Minnesott, solid round working with wedges and putter.  

Today played the front nine with son and grandson - easy relaxed times…..

[ILMgolfnut]

44 pitching wedges today at the schoolyard. Main purpose was to test out my new Garmin R10, and it recorded every one of the 44; distance and direction seemed to be reasonably close. No idea about spin, launch angle or any of that stuff. But my dispersion was pretty good, most of them were within a 10-yard range in both distance and accuracy, and I avoided whiffs, tops, bananas and big pull hooks. So I would have been putting most of those, I think. Dispersion chart attached.

Edited February 11 by ILMgolfnut

[Michael.Sandoval33]

Unfortunately the putting/chipping area at the local course was closed today, so I took my wedges down to the park and hit some sets. Just felt good to swing a little and get consistent contact with each.

[Bangsuk]

Putting practice notes- loosen the putting grip and let the putter head flow. This helped with “releasing” the putter head. Every time I felt like I had released the putter, my wrists stayed relaxed, which made grip pressure even throughout the stroke. They are all connected.

I stopped obsessing over the line and purely focused on feel and speed. My tendency is spend too much energy on the line. For example, I stay committed to each speed/stroke and trust it will be fine regardless of the result.

 

Which comes first? Is it tempo/speed or is it the line? 

[Fongle]

New irons arrive next week, and I've sold my old ones already (sold way faster than I thought, figured there would be some crossover, but not complaining), so I figured I'd eschew the range and normal chipping or driving practice, and worked on some golf fitness instead for once. Did 30min of swimming, some work on the rowing machine, and then went through a series of hip flexibility and rotation drills. Part of my golfing goals this year is walking 18 holes with my stand bag without having any pain issues for once, so never a bad time to slowly plug away at my fitness.

[cnosil]

8 hours ago, Bangsuk said:

Which comes first? Is it tempo/speed or is it the line? 

IMO,  line comes first.  If you can't deliver the putter correctly and start the ball where you intend you cannot dial in speed.  Rhythm (tempo) is simply another skill to work on to help dial in speed,  they are not the same thing...I can have great rhythm but terrible touch. 

[Fore67]

So ... here's an update on my holiday month of January in Palm Springs.

My handicap didn't change much, +1 on December 22nd, now +1.2.

I played 13 games and practiced 15 days.

I utilized my new Rapsodo MLM unit, which gave me some measurement/baseline.

I was able to attend the 1st round of the AMEX tournament at the Nicklaus Tournament course in La Quinta. I spent some early time walking up and down the practice range watching warm ups. Then I followed Adam Hadwin/Taylor Pendrith - Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen for their first 9 holes. Then I picked up some lunch and a beverage and sat behind the 9th and 18th greens watching play finish for the rest of the day. Great experience.

What I noticed most about the warm-ups of the pros, they didn't rush anything! Their rhythm and tempo was amazing as they blistered balls one after another down the range. 

It had gotten cold overnight during the 2nd week of our trip, and there were frost delays each of the 3 mornings I was playing. Although I warmed up appropriately (stretching wise) and stayed warm before teeing it up, the range was closed because of the frost so I couldn't hit any balls. I found that second week got me a bit out of sync and I was rushing a bit, one to stay warm and I was first off the blocks, no one in front and got playing too fast! Watching the pros really helped me slow down and finish my back swing and hit my finish on follow through. My 3rd and 4th week at the course and on the range were significantly better than week 2. Week 1 was a really great week for scoring. Overall, low score was 70 (twice), high score 76 (one of the frosty days). I played Escena (near the Palm Springs Airport) once - a Nicklaus design, where I carded one of the 70's. The rest in PS were at Tahquitz Creek - Legend. I was able to purchase a $39 monthly membership and my games cost between $34 - $39, instead of the $80 - $110 on GolfNow. 

I played a strange layout in the Yucca Valley (we spent 10 days up in the high desert - Joshua Tree) called Hawks Landing. It's a 12 hole course with 2 - 6 hole loops. You are to play the 2 loops and then choose the 3rd loop depending on traffic. It is a pretty short course around 5900 yds. I saved myself a bunch of time and played 2 balls for most of the holes instead of going for a 3rd loop. I played exceptionally well making 17 birdies out of the 40 holes I played there. I did not record any 18 hole scores there, as I didn't play the holes in order (was able to skip around a bunch) but I made lots of putts and hit so many good shots. This was at the end of my holiday and the work that I had put in for the month of January really was paying dividends.

The Rapsodo showed me that I could still manage to get my driver swing up over 100mph, which I thought for me was a thing of the past. Hitting as many balls as I did and playing or practicing every day allowed me to limber up and really concentrate on ball striking. 

During the month, I also concentrated on my fitness level. I was staying at a condo that had a 20 metre pool and I got up to swimming 800 metres per session. I started at about half that and worked up more every time in the pool. I also did some weight training and stretching concentrating on core and golf movement exercises.

All in all, I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to concentrate a good stretch of time with only golf as my priority. Awesome experience for me.

Now that I'm back in Vancouver, I've already put in a week's work, played once (11 temporary greens as it's still cold here), and gotten my life back to normal. I am so ready for the 2024 season here. Joined the McCleery Men's Club (opening weekend, March 17th) and am looking to enter two tournaments, a one-day CGTF event (May) and the 3-day Vancouver Open, put on by the Vancouver Golf Tour (August). Health permitting.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers and FORE!

Mike

[Jim Shaw]

42 minutes ago, cnosil said:

IMO,  line comes first.  If you can't deliver the putter correctly and start the ball where you intend you cannot dial in speed.  Rhythm (tempo) is simply another skill to work on to help dial in speed,  they are not the same thing...I can have great rhythm but terrible touch. 

well, you and the GOAT, Jack Nicklaus, are on the same page with line...

[Jim Shaw]

1 hour ago, Fore67 said:

So ... here's an update on my holiday month of January in Palm Springs.

My handicap didn't change much, +1 on December 22nd, now +1.2.

I played 13 games and practiced 15 days.

I utilized my new Rapsodo MLM unit, which gave me some measurement/baseline.

I was able to attend the 1st round of the AMEX tournament at the Nicklaus Tournament course in La Quinta. I spent some early time walking up and down the practice range watching warm ups. Then I followed Adam Hadwin/Taylor Pendrith - Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen for their first 9 holes. Then I picked up some lunch and a beverage and sat behind the 9th and 18th greens watching play finish for the rest of the day. Great experience.

What I noticed most about the warm-ups of the pros, they didn't rush anything! Their rhythm and tempo was amazing as they blistered balls one after another down the range. 

It had gotten cold overnight during the 2nd week of our trip, and there were frost delays each of the 3 mornings I was playing. Although I warmed up appropriately (stretching wise) and stayed warm before teeing it up, the range was closed because of the frost so I couldn't hit any balls. I found that second week got me a bit out of sync and I was rushing a bit, one to stay warm and I was first off the blocks, no one in front and got playing too fast! Watching the pros really helped me slow down and finish my back swing and hit my finish on follow through. My 3rd and 4th week at the course and on the range were significantly better than week 2. Week 1 was a really great week for scoring. Overall, low score was 70 (twice), high score 76 (one of the frosty days). I played Escena (near the Palm Springs Airport) once - a Nicklaus design, where I carded one of the 70's. The rest in PS were at Tahquitz Creek - Legend. I was able to purchase a $39 monthly membership and my games cost between $34 - $39, instead of the $80 - $110 on GolfNow. 

I played a strange layout in the Yucca Valley (we spent 10 days up in the high desert - Joshua Tree) called Hawks Landing. It's a 12 hole course with 2 - 6 hole loops. You are to play the 2 loops and then choose the 3rd loop depending on traffic. It is a pretty short course around 5900 yds. I saved myself a bunch of time and played 2 balls for most of the holes instead of going for a 3rd loop. I played exceptionally well making 17 birdies out of the 40 holes I played there. I did not record any 18 hole scores there, as I didn't play the holes in order (was able to skip around a bunch) but I made lots of putts and hit so many good shots. This was at the end of my holiday and the work that I had put in for the month of January really was paying dividends.

The Rapsodo showed me that I could still manage to get my driver swing up over 100mph, which I thought for me was a thing of the past. Hitting as many balls as I did and playing or practicing every day allowed me to limber up and really concentrate on ball striking. 

During the month, I also concentrated on my fitness level. I was staying at a condo that had a 20 metre pool and I got up to swimming 800 metres per session. I started at about half that and worked up more every time in the pool. I also did some weight training and stretching concentrating on core and golf movement exercises.

All in all, I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to concentrate a good stretch of time with only golf as my priority. Awesome experience for me.

Now that I'm back in Vancouver, I've already put in a week's work, played once (11 temporary greens as it's still cold here), and gotten my life back to normal. I am so ready for the 2024 season here. Joined the McCleery Men's Club (opening weekend, March 17th) and am looking to enter two tournaments, a one-day CGTF event (May) and the 3-day Vancouver Open, put on by the Vancouver Golf Tour (August). Health permitting.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers and FORE!

Mike

Love Escena... havent played the other 2, we usually stay in La Quinta so mostly courses over there, how did you play so reasonably??? I am thinking of going down soon so will PM you... Is Muncie Booth still at McLeery? Say hello to him from Jim Shaw... I know him well..I played 5 days last week in Victoria, great weather and the course (Olympic View) is in great shape as I am sure all the other courses in Southern Vancouver Island are...

[barney_bogey]

Worked on plane today. That OOT move likes to sneak back into my swing every so often.

Instead of buying a $90 training aid, I made one for Free.99

I'll suffer the .2 discrepancy.

Hope y'all have some drier weather than we do out here in central VA.

Cheers
B

[Fore67]

1 hour ago, Jim Shaw said:

Love Escena... havent played the other 2, we usually stay in La Quinta so mostly courses over there, how did you play so reasonably??? I am thinking of going down soon so will PM you... Is Muncie Booth still at McLeery? Say hello to him from Jim Shaw... I know him well..I played 5 days last week in Victoria, great weather and the course (Olympic View) is in great shape as I am sure all the other courses in Southern Vancouver Island are...

I loved Escena too! Tahquitz Creek has 36, the Resort and the Legend. Legend is way more difficult with greens and length. It is now owned by the city of Palm Springs, so not in as good condition as some of the more expensive privates, but it was close to where we stayed and the GolfVantage program couldn't be beat!

Yes Muncie is still running the show at McCleery, though he's not around much. Next time I see him I will drop your name! 

Glad you are getting lots of games in. I've only played  Olympic View once and not for many years. Might get a round in at Cordova Bay this week, over there to visit with my mom. 

Cheers,

Mike

[Jim Shaw]

10 minutes ago, Fore67 said:

I loved Escena too! Tahquitz Creek has 36, the Resort and the Legend. Legend is way more difficult with greens and length. It is now owned by the city of Palm Springs, so not in as good condition as some of the more expensive privates, but it was close to where we stayed and the GolfVantage program couldn't be beat!

Yes Muncie is still running the show at McCleery, though he's not around much. Next time I see him I will drop your name! 

Glad you are getting lots of games in. I've only played  Olympic View once and not for many years. Might get a round in at Cordova Bay this week, over there to visit with my mom. 

Cheers,

Mike

Cordova is an awesome track, if you want to fit in with us at OV PM me... 

[Jmikecpa]

Range session number two today with my 15 year old daughter. She hit 175 balls and feels fine….i hit 50 and need a Percocet for dinner. She hit it really well for just getting back into the game and has a good base to start with. I spent time hitting some wedges and a few drivers. I am playing in FL next week and decided to give up on the 7 wood for now. Going back to the UW and putting my Apex Pro hybrid back in the bag. The Titleist hybrid may be a good one but need some more time with it. On a good note absolutely bombing the TSR3 with the new shaft in it. Stock flight is a high draw and I can hit a flat turnover bullet if I need to. Going to be a hard driver to beat this year. 

[Michael.Sandoval33]

First range session in over a week, although I did play 9 holes last weekend. It was the roughest day on the mats I have had in a while. Only used the irons out there. I started off topping shots, even missing the top on one completely. Then it went into fatting the ball for a bit, close but not there. This lasted for about 1/3 of the bucket total. I really couldn't put my finger on it. Started to feel a little more fluid again towards the end and I decided I would leave the mats on a good note, shook off a little rust. Putting was consistent today. Dropped 3 balls and played 5-10 footers for about half an hour. Switched to longer putts for about 20 minutes afterwards and I have found a good tempo in that area. Chipping with the 60 was really good today. The 52 was a touch and go as the greens were really firm today. Overall, today was ok. I wanted to quit about 15 minutes in and then of course.....I clocked one. Freaking golf whyy

Edited February 12 by Michael.Sandoval33
Small edit*

[Willie T]

Day 30 (11 Feb 24) - hit a few regular foam balls in the back yard today using the 50* wedge.  Focused on pre-shot routine and making an easy swing thru the ball using the bounce of the club.  

[IndyBonzo]

I had a long range session outdoors today, focusing on driver mostly as it did not cooperate for me last week.  My focus today was on a strong grip, slowing my transition, and clearing my hips and rotating through the shot fully.  Progress was definitely made, although I am pretty sore after range time and garage cleaning thereafter.  

[THE GOLF GUY]

10 hours ago, Jmikecpa said:

Range session number two today with my 15 year old daughter. She hit 175 balls and feels fine….i hit 50 and need a Percocet for dinner. She hit it really well for just getting back into the game and has a good base to start with. I spent time hitting some wedges and a few drivers. I am playing in FL next week and decided to give up on the 7 wood for now. Going back to the UW and putting my Apex Pro hybrid back in the bag. The Titleist hybrid may be a good one but need some more time with it. On a good note absolutely bombing the TSR3 with the new shaft in it. Stock flight is a high draw and I can hit a flat turnover bullet if I need to. Going to be a hard driver to beat this year. 

Was reading the part about your 7 wood trial . I have always hit my fairway woods (3&5) very well but struggled by comparison with a 3 hybrid . So I have been experimenting with  a  7 wood too ,and hit it a similar distance but straighter and higher . My point is this , some people tend to hit hybrids better ( not me ) and some people hit fairway woods better (me) . I always ask myself this question when in doubt , is this club saving or costing me strokes ? One of the very reasons that I finally took out my 60* LW and got a more forgiving 58* LW , which helped me tremendously. 

Edited February 12 by THE GOLF GUY

[IndyBonzo]

Good lesson this morning.  Need to work on what should be an easy fix - keeping my hands lower in the backswing and swing.  If I get tense, I raise my hands/forearms, which keeps the face open and gives me a push/slice.   So simple to say, but tough for me to do consistently.  It’s drill time!!

[Jmikecpa]

9 hours ago, THE GOLF GUY said:

Was reading the part about your 7 wood trial . I have always hit my fairway woods (3&5) very well but struggled by comparison with a 3 hybrid . So I have been experimenting with  a  7 wood too ,and hit it a similar distance but straighter and higher . My point is this , some people tend to hit hybrids better ( not me ) and some people hit fairway woods better (me) . I always ask myself this question when in doubt , is this club saving or costing me strokes ? One of the very reasons that I finally took out my 60* LW and got a more forgiving 58* LW , which helped me tremendously. 

It is not in issue of not being able to hit it but more I have a few specific shots that I like to hit from that distance.  For me a 7 wood is a one trick pony that is just not for me.  Going back to my Apex UW since it does what I want from that distance.  Agree in the 58* wedge and I have never played a 60* for that specific reason.  Grew up learning to play golf pre lob wedge so never really had a need for a 60*.

[BobBC78]

Today was 45* in RI, with little wind and I was able to hit a small bucket at the NKGC range plus do some short game practice on two of the holes. Good thing, because tomorrow we are getting 6"-10" of snow, which is unlikely to melt in the next couple of weeks, LOL.

Range: I'm changing to a single plane swing as taught by Kirk Junge and this was my first opportunity to try it "live fire" outdoors today. While this will need more work, I feel like I'm on the right track. 

Short game: hit various chips and pitches to two different greens. 

[Michael.Sandoval33]

Spent about an hour putting today, really wanted to dial in from everywhere on the practice greens, from various distances based on where the previous hole was. I was waiting on a call from my teacher who is considering me to be his TA while I attend CIAT, so I chipped around for, well probably 20-25 minutes before he called so not a lot there. Just 20 yarders with the GW after I was inconsistent with it yesterday. Quick phone call to discuss it, as I basically already have been his TA. Then to the range for a bucket. Night and day compared to yesterday. My stance is really getting locked in which, I haven't mentioned, has been a struggle at times. Swinging with the hips and keeping the elbow tucked, very solid day. Ready to get in some course time in a few days. Hope you guys had a good practice day. 

[cjeffs12]

The weather is starting to get better, so busted out the super speed sticks today. Trying to knock off the winter rust. The first training session was a little rough, I didn’t realize how out of shape I have gotten. I’m a long way from my speed goal this year, but it’s off to a good start. Finished up with some putting. 

[Willie T]

Day 31 (12 Feb 24) - rain delay, all day….no full swing stuff today.  Worked on alignment (behind the ball versus over the ball - reconciling the two perspectives) and tempo with putter.  Got in some accurate rolls….

[Fore67]

10 hours ago, Jmikecpa said:

  Agree in the 58* wedge and I have never played a 60* for that specific reason.  Grew up learning to play golf pre lob wedge so never really had a need for a 60*.

Same here! Used my 56 sand wedge and opened the face to make it higher loft. Currently, my highest lofted wedge is a 58. I tried to hit a 64 (in front of Roger Cleveland) and put sod over the ball. He suggested to me that only Phil can hit a 64!! Nice, humbling moment!

I am thinking of investing in the new Vokey, 50-54-58 trifecta! 

[cnosil]

Sitting on the sofa has been a bit boring so I picked up the putter and hit a few putts.    While I have been laid up I have been reading up on putting skills so I worked on improving core skills.  Worked on:

• aim 
• stroke rhythm
• starting the ball where aimed

Also part of this is recognizing when something wasn't done correctly.  Basically post putt analysis.  

 

[Jim Shaw]

7 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Sitting on the sofa has been a bit boring so I picked up the putter and hit a few putts.    While I have been laid up I have been reading up on putting skills so I worked on improving core skills.  Worked on:

• aim 
• stroke rhythm
• starting the ball where aimed

Also part of this is recognizing when something wasn't done correctly.  Basically post putt analysis.  

 

good stuff... "starting the ball where aimed" how did you get feedback on that? 

While I have your attention lol, I have often wondered, if you walk fast, talk fast, basically move fast, does that seque to your golf game, if you walk slower, talk slower, are more present in your every day life, does that seque to your golf game.

Someone like Brendt Snedeker comes to mind, he seems to be a "fast" guy and he had a fast putting stroke... 

I guess to summarize my question, does your DNA determine or have influence on your golf swing? 

Edited February 13 by Jim Shaw