What/How Did You Practice Today?

[davewr58]

I never practice. For me , it’s a waste of time. I’d rather be practicing on the course in real situations. I play as soon as the sun comes up and have the course to myself, so I can hit two or three shots if I don’t like the first one. I play about 150 rounds/year and still shoot in the 70’s.

[cnosil]

1 hour ago, davewr58 said:

so I can hit two or three shots if I don’t like the first one. I play about 150 rounds/year and still shoot in the 70’s.

So you only count about  70-79 shots during your round. 

[Jim Shaw]

1 hour ago, davewr58 said:

I never practice. For me , it’s a waste of time. I’d rather be practicing on the course in real situations. I play as soon as the sun comes up and have the course to myself, so I can hit two or three shots if I don’t like the first one. I play about 150 rounds/year and still shoot in the 70’s.

when I was a working man I practiced very little, time was at a premium so, like you, I would just play, although not like you I only played one ball unless I hit one in a hazard...

[tony@CIC]

Boy I'm way behind on this thread at 290 pages. 

I'm working on my irons - as I've lost a good 10+ yds of carry. My iron play use to be the best part of my game and my driver the least favorite and worst part. Now that's reversed - my driver is the best part. 

I had a lesson with a great instructor the other  day - a new one for me. This guy is  heads and shoulders above anyone I've had in the past. He immediately picked out three small tweaks to my swing that caused me distance loss. Now the hard part - ingraining those tweaks. It warmed up a bit , so I was out Sunday practicing. And more practice this morning before I go out and play this afternoon. 

[Preeway]

I have a hitting mat and net in my garage during the winter so I can avoid complete hibernation during the cold season. I also have a putting mat from Wellputt and I try to get in 50-100 putts 2-3x per week. Hoping to add a Garmin R10 launch monitor this spring. 

[Kevin McGrew]

I’ve just completed session 14 of the Stack Speed System training.  Have seen increases in estimated MPH of 15-20 mph…….large increases as I had much room for improvement in speed being 70 and coming off 90 days in ICU four years ago (lost approx 50 lbs of mass/muscle) and various back treatments last summer.  Also have been using LSV Pro2 video camera to work on swing mechanics.  I had been working hard on “recentering” and the “magic move” (shallowing the club) with little progress.  I then revisited some material on low hands (e.g., John Rham swing) vs high hand hands (e.g., Justin Thomas) in the backswing.  I realized my hands on back swing went up to my right shoulder. So I started “pushing them up higher” at that point in the back swing.  AMAZING finding.  By adding that “push up higher” step, it added a slight pause at the top of my swing which then automatically triggered my body recentering (and hips moving towards the target) just before I started the downswing.  This introduced the much desired lag and more open hips towards target near impact.  The beauty is that I no longer need to think about trying to recenter and open hips to target…..the new higher hands movement, which introduces a brief pause also, for some reason, serves as a trigger to make my body do what I had been trying to do conciously.  This may not work for everyone, as we all have different swings and bodies.  I’ve finally been getting that sweet sound and feeling of compressing my irons.   Also, I’ve integrated these new swing mechanics into my Stack training and in the last session gained more MPH and estimated distance (another 5 yards estimated).  I’m pumped.  This is all part of my winter (live in MN with snow) 3-4 sessions a week in the garage game improvement plan.  I can’t wait to try on a simulator and on a driving range this spring.

[Jim Shaw]

2 minutes ago, Kevin McGrew said:

I’ve just completed session 14 of the Stack Speed System training.  Have seen increases in estimated MPH of 15-20 mph…….large increases as I had much room for improvement in speed being 70 and coming off 90 days in ICU four years ago (lost approx 50 lbs of mass/muscle) and various back treatments last summer.  Also have been using LSV Pro2 video camera to work on swing mechanics.  I had been working hard on “recentering” and the “magic move” (shallowing the club) with little progress.  I then revisited some material on low hands (e.g., John Rham swing) vs high hand hands (e.g., Justin Thomas) in the backswing.  I realized my hands on back swing went up to my right shoulder. So I started “pushing them up higher” at that point in the back swing.  AMAZING finding.  By adding that “push up higher” step, it added a slight pause at the top of my swing which then automatically triggered my body recentering (and hips moving towards the target) just before I started the downswing.  This introduced the much desired lag and more open hips towards target near impact.  The beauty is that I no longer need to think about trying to recenter and open hips to target…..the new higher hands movement, which introduces a brief pause also, for some reason, serves as a trigger to make my body do what I had been trying to do conciously.  This may not work for everyone, as we all have different swings and bodies.  I’ve finally been getting that sweet sound and feeling of compressing my irons.   Also, I’ve integrated these new swing mechanics into my Stack training and in the last session gained more MPH and estimated distance (another 5 yards estimated).  I’m pumped.  This is all part of my winter (live in MN with snow) 3-4 sessions a week in the garage game improvement plan.  I can’t wait to try on a simulator and on a driving range this spring.

Hey Kevin, wow, that seems like you are really working hard on the right things, good going... is that Stack Speed System Training the one that Matt Fitzpatrick uses?

[Kevin McGrew]

Yes….it is the one Matt Fitzpatrick uses.

[Jim Shaw]

8 minutes ago, Kevin McGrew said:

Yes….it is the one Matt Fitzpatrick uses.

wow, looks like it is worth giving it a try...

[Kevin McGrew]

PS…one more important detail I forgot.  I noticed (from videos of my swing) that in my right leg loading motion, I still tended to sway a bit.  So…I now, at set up, make sure there is considerable pressure on the inside of my right foot at address, which I maintain in the backswing.  I’ve found that it makes me “post up” my right leg in a straighter fashion.  I think this produces some kind of physics thing that, when my hands are now “pushed high”, together requires my body to recenter to accommodate both the firmly posted right leg and new physical forces by higher hands.  It is hard to explain…but it seems those two movements, in combination, plus the pause, require my body to recenter without thinking…someone in biomechanics probably could explain why my body “needs” to recenter to protect itself or something.  I don’t care why…I’m just excited that by doing these three things together (right foot inside pressure to firmly posted right leg; pushing hands higher at apex of backswing; pausing briefly at the top) removes my need to think about moving hips, re-centering, etc.  It is magical…but also the result of studying my swing, staying with the basics (took first formal 1-1 private lessons two years ago), and simply using technology-based improvement and feedback tools.  

[GolFlikeaNUT]

Swinging my GEM trainer every hour or so while a crew is in my master bath doing some remodeling.

In-between putting on birdyball mat and stretching so I can hopefully not lose distance now that Im a year closer to the big 6 0

[GHGFORE]

Today I spent 1 hour hitting balls with my even number irons and hybrid, 3w and Driver in my SPORNIA SPG-7 practice net.

Then after a break I putted for 45 mins. on my garage carpet (my garage is converted to a game room with the floor is all office carpet fast   speed).

- Greg

Edited January 16 by GHGFORE
mispell

[chisag]

2 hours ago, Jim Shaw said:

when I was a working man I practiced very little, time was at a premium so, like you, I would just play,

 

... I used to love practicing, not as much as playing of course but really enjoyed it. After my 2nd back surgery standing in  one spot and swinging a club is a recipe for problems. I just need to keep moving and walking keeps the blood flowing while minimizing the effect of the swing on my back. I play 5 days a week usually, but if things really get out of whack I go back to #1 after playing 18 and just hit shots dropping a couple balls simply trying to find the right feel. But I do miss practicing. 

[Jim Shaw]

5 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... I used to love practicing, not as much as playing of course but really enjoyed it. After my 2nd back surgery standing in  one spot and swinging a club is a recipe for problems. I just need to keep moving and walking keeps the blood flowing while minimizing the effect of the swing on my back. I play 5 days a week usually, but if things really get out of whack I go back to #1 after playing 18 and just hit shots dropping a couple balls simply trying to find the right feel. But I do miss practicing. 

I hope I didn't post this twice, I am getting used to this format, anyway I agree with walking especially after major surgery like a back, my wife has back problems and loves to walk to the golf course. Hey did you see my post on what Azinger said on the weekend "mechanics trump feel" I thought about you immediately lol...

[edingc]

Back up to the heated range as a birthday present to myself. Felt good to see ball flight again, especially after my "mishap" with my garage window that I posted about in the offseason speed challenge thread. 

So many things in my swing key off of staying in balance. Overall, a really productive range session. It's gotten to the point where I can easily identify the causes of my misses, so now it's just a matter of really putting in the time and focus to improve upon them.

[Jim Shaw]

10 minutes ago, edingc said:

Back up to the heated range as a birthday present to myself. Felt good to see ball flight again, especially after my "mishap" with my garage window that I posted about in the offseason speed challenge thread. 

So many things in my swing key off of staying in balance. Overall, a really production range session. It's gotten to the point where I can easily identify the causes of my misses, so now it's just a matter of really putting in the time and focus to improve upon them.

it looks by your handicap you are a great golfer, is your area of opportunity your ball striking or short game?

[chisag]

10 hours ago, Jim Shaw said:

I hope I didn't post this twice, I am getting used to this format, anyway I agree with walking especially after major surgery like a back, my wife has back problems and loves to walk to the golf course. Hey did you see my post on what Azinger said on the weekend "mechanics trump feel" I thought about you immediately lol...

 

... I didn't but I am not surprised. Of course you have to be mechanically sound to play by feel. I am an excellent chipper and do it all strictly by feel. I don't pick a spot to land my ball on, don't think about trajectory and only concentrate on my feel for speed to get the ball to the hole. But admittedly I have that luxury because my mechanics are sound, developed through practice early on and fine tuned on my journey to playing better. At some point after basically scooping and looking up before contact like all beginners, I changed my mechanics to a forward shaft lean. I learned to have more weight on my front foot. I learned to always keep my eyes down til the ball is long gone. I learned a slightly open and narrow stance is needed because there is no time to rotate to that position. I learned what type of trajectory moving the ball in my stance produced. I learned what type of stroke with those different ball positions produced more spin or more roll.

... All of that was mechanics. But once I had those mechanics down, it became all feel and I never thought of those mechanics again. 

[Jim Shaw]

6 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... I didn't bat am n to surprised. Of course you have to be mechanically sound to play by feel. I am an excellent chipper and do it all strictly by feel. I don't pick a spot to land my ball on, don't think about trajectory and only concentrate on my feel for speed to get the ball to the hole. But admittedly I have that luxury because my mechanics are sound, developed through practice early on and fine tuned on my journey to playing better. At some point after basically scooping and looking up before contact like all beginners, I changed my mechanics to a forward shaft lean. I learned to have more weight on my front foot. I learned to always keep my eyes down til the ball is long gone. I learned a slightly open and narrow stance is needed because there is no time to rotate to that position. I learned what type of trajectory moving the ball in my stance produced. I learned what type of stroke with those different ball positions produced more spin or more roll.

... All of that was mechanics. But once I had those mechanics down, it became all feel and I never thought of those mechanics again. 

ahh, I understand, so in your experience feel is developed through mechanics, makes sense

[chisag]

6 minutes ago, Jim Shaw said:

ahh, I understand, so in your experience feel is developed through mechanics, makes sense

 

... Some blessed with great feel can skip a lot of mechanics because they are already in place. I doubt Mahomes put in a lot of mechanics throwing the ball at an early age. But most have to get there first. 

[Jim Shaw]

7 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Some blessed with great feel can skip a lot of mechanics because they are already in place. I doubt Mahomes put in a lot of mechanics throwing the ball at an early age. But most have to get there first. 

different game, put a golf club in Mahomes hands as many high achieving athletes in other sports have done,  and golf is like no other. I suppose the closest golfer I have seen in recent years that has achieved greatness through sheer feel is Bubba Watson, and I didnt and still dont understand his game, just not how I am hardwired, but you have to give it to him, he makes it work at the highest level of the pyramid. All the great senior amateurs I have run into the past 8 years, Jack Hall, Brady Exber, the list goes on and on, have a lot of mechanics going on. I was hitting balls beside the current US senior amateur champion, Rusty Strawn this past September, usually 8-10 of the best senior americans come up and play the Canadian Senior amateur championship because the winner gets an automatic exemption into the US senior amateur, and he has a beautiful swing of course and is a great golfer but lots of mechanics going on there.