What/How Did You Practice Today?

[Dweed]

Had to cut the grass today before an 9 day trip for a memorial and the visit sis in WI and then back to U.P. MI to visit. No golf planned, not my doing. But I guess a slight rest is in order. Tweaked my 70 YO back trying to lift and move yard stuff. The brain is willing but the body weak. Had to finish chores with hitting some balls in the barn net and saying good bye to the clubs for a while.

[Willie T]

Day 181 (17 Jul 24) - Another easy day in the backyard - today with the LW.  Focused on on 11:30 on the feet (line to ball at noon) and opening the face slightly to work the bounce.  Then making 1/4 - 1/2 swings for controlled distances and accuracy around the pin.  Total of about 40 swings today over the hour session.  

Edited July 19 by Willie T

[JAYER38]

Since vacation and having time to think vs just going to play I've realized I want to change my swing... I'm looking for something that feels less tense with more natural I can use with my woods and irons..... Doing this because I've noticed I'm getting tired by the end of a round and some days I am sore the next day.

Have been trying a few different setups and swing feelings to see what comes natural yet performs almost instant. Well then last night it hit me at about 8pm eating dinner... I have been trying to keep the club in more of a straight line and while this has been consistent it does cause issues with contact and dispersion. DUHH no wonder my misses have become 2 way extremes. So we go to test on the sim with my BLP and sure enough instance satisfaction. Took my total 8* I-O & O-I swing path with a Pull hook & Push slice miss to a 3.5* I-O with a push miss.

Heading to the course today if the weather hold out to see how I feel after 9 or more holes but now I have to find a way to transfer this to my irons...

 

[Michael.Sandoval33]

Headed to Willowick GC today for the first time to try out their "grass" range which has been brutalized and filled in with sand. Still, swing was good just all terrible lies and footing. Afterwards spent good time chipping and putting. Qi10 Max was solid on its few hits once again. The course is nice enough that I will be back to play it next week, just didn't have the mindset today when I left to play 18. 

[Fiorenini]

My daughter plays on a travel softball team and after her games this morning I came home and wanted to do a little chipping in my yard, I lost a ball over the fence and hit my dog when I skulled a shot. So it didn't go very well, so I came inside and started getting my gym equipment broken down. Golf is hard!!

[Willie T]

Day 182 (18 Jul 24) - Played an easy 9 hole session with son and grandson.  Was another breezy, almost threatening type day of weather….solid tail winds going out (holes 1-5)steady head winds coming in(holes 6-9).  Really saw the head wind effect on 9, a par 3 completely over water if the ball got too high you saw it stall out. Was a fun day of course management - still managed a 41 (the dbl on 3 really hurt).  Best part was hearing my son say, “If I don’t hit another good shot, see my son hit the ball like has today was well worth it”.  Have to agree, have to agree! 

[SDGolf619]

I went back to a great drill to help straighten out my driver and longer clubs. Set up as you are going to hit the ball on the tee. Practice swinging around the ball three times with no side bend, then on the fourth practice swing, throw in some tilt/side-bend. You should find the club face is very square at delivery. Next swing, keep the swing around the ball feel with the side bend and let er rip. It really helps promote the inside to out swing path. So, I worked on that a lot with good results and the feel it carries over into most clubs.

Give it a try if you are struggling with a slice and combine it with the towel drill. A big part of my mis-hits have been heel-side so keeping my hands closer on the downswing has helped immensely.

[E Powell]

Short game has been a huge focus for the last week and a half or so. I’ve watch a couple dozen Dan Grieve videos lately and have really started to focus on the feel he mentions with each situation to get the desired result. I’ve knocked four strokes off of my average score in the same timeframe. Additionally, I started alternating irons for each range session.  I hit shots with each iron until I hit one directly over/at each of the five flags on the range in a row. Really tightened up my approaches, which was my other big struggle. 

Hope it helps!

[Willie T]

Day 183 (19 Jul 24) - Friday men’s scramble - solid round of 80 (38 front / 42 back)…..oh so close to a new personal best.  Had 7 pars, 2 bogies on the front….back was more messy with 1 dbl, 4 bogies, 4 pars.  Of the eleven pars, 7 were solid up and downs from 5yds or less off the green.  Fun day of golf.  

[Chas c]

Was feeling a little stir-crazy, so I went to the driving range on my lunch break. Been working on my swing path lately, and getting a nice in to out swing on my driver has been difficult, but I've finally got it to a point where I can call my very consistent slice a fade and I couldn't be happier. 

[ILMgolfnut]

Had a bit of stir-crazy myself this afternoon after the Open wound down so went to the local resort course. Hit some putts with the DF 2.1 working on speed more than anything, although I made a couple of 25-footers and lipped out/hit the pin on a couple more. Which is better than I did in a week in Scotland. Then I went in the practice bunker and worked on my 54-degree sand shots. As usual, they were consistently inconsistent. Hit about 15, then chipped around the chipping green with the 54 as well.

[Willie T]

Day 184 (20 Jul 24) - Easy putting work today, focused on starting line points - first rolls at about 12” out, then out to about 30”.  Allows focus on getting a consistent rolls off the face.

[Wasper007]

On 7/18/2024 at 5:40 PM, Fiorenini said:

My daughter plays on a travel softball team and after her games this morning I came home and wanted to do a little chipping in my yard, I lost a ball over the fence and hit my dog when I skulled a shot. So it didn't go very well, so I came inside and started getting my gym equipment broken down. Golf is hard!!

 

[Byrnzee]

Hit the range today to get some practice in before an event at a private course tomorrow. The biggest focus of this session was trying to figure out whether the 2-iron deserved to stay in the bag. I haven't been as consistent with it as I would like and have been thinking about benching it and bringing back a 5 wood. 

My bad tendency (especially with longer clubs) is to get too steep when I'm trying to crush the ball. I try to swing through with all arms, which leads to a steep swing and aggressive attack angle. With a club like a 2-iron, that means a lot of mishits that don't really go anywhere. 

Today my thought process was to have "dead arms." This was a feel for me that helped me to stay patient on the downswing and let the club get more on plane before impact. Another thing that has helped me with longer clubs at the top of the bag is a slower backswing. Helps the clubhead get into a better position at the top and results in a shallower swing and less aggressive angle of attack.

So TL;DR, the 2i is staying in the bag... for now! Hoping I can continue to be patient with it tomorrow and let the club do the work instead of my flailing arms.

[Coulter]

So I got out on the launch monitor yesterday afternoon with my son and wife in attendance (playing in the backyard) it quickly turned into something akin to what I imagine Tiger’s dad did to him and they just loved it. My personal favorite was from my wife when I hit a ball that didn’t reach more than 8” off the ground “I don’t think that was a good one do you?” 

[Mdrnsamurai]

got back to work today... back was super sore and had to take a break...

nothing crazy just a bunch of chips from different distances with a 60* wedge...

open, closed, and full-face shots... a lot of fun playing flops... holed 5 of them...

[Willie T]

Day 185 (21 Jul 24) - short session with 8i, hard foam balls and Divot Board.  Worked on making contact with the ball first and DB after the ball.  Also used the DB to work on alignment….interesting how perspective changes from the back vs the side. 

[TSauer]

Been practicing a lot this week and dare I say I think I figured something out. 

Haven’t we all? 

I don’t remember what pro I saw doing this pre-shot routine, or if it’s something maybe I imagined, but it seems to be working. Before each shot, I’ll sit the club perpendicular to my foot, then grip the club with my lead hand, then continue to address the ball. This has made me realize just how open my club has always been at address. Everything now feels more square. Still lots to works on, as there always is, but I think I’ve now developed an actual pre-shot routine. 

[cnosil]

4 minutes ago, TSauer said:

I don’t remember what pro I saw doing this pre-shot routine, or if it’s something maybe I imagined, but it seems to be working. Before each shot, I’ll sit the club perpendicular to my foot, then grip the club with my lead hand, then continue to address the ball. 

Adam Scott?   https://golf.com/instruction/adam-scott-golf-grip-trick/

 

[TSauer]

1 hour ago, cnosil said:

Adam Scott?   https://golf.com/instruction/adam-scott-golf-grip-trick/

 

Yes, that’s the one! No idea how long ago I watched him do that, but it popped in my head this past week so I gave it a shot. 

I tried about every keyword I could think of on Google this weekend trying to remember where I saw that 

[Donn lost in San Diego]

Two more practice sessions with the New Old Stock Mizuno 58 x 8 ES21 model wedge.  The all black weapon.  Liking it a lot throwing lobs around 20 yards long at a practice area.  My skin cancer stitches come out Monday, I can bang the big boy again after 10 days of no full swings.  Discovered Glass Putters, made by a glass blower / golfer.  Hit a few balls and I might buy one.  easy find on internet.  Feel was different than EVERY other putter.  Smooth and feel of absolutely uniform material.

[Michael.Sandoval33]

Took the bag out to the mats for a bucket today.

Started off well with wedges, then swapping in between irons every few shots aiming at different targets. Still working to keep my swing more repeatable but I'm seeing improvement. Wouldn't know how to swing the Qi10 Max with an instruction manual today, though. Just couldn't find the feel of my stance in any way and it was throwing me off.

Afterwards, putting was so-so. Everything was rolling pretty short but the lines weren't the worst. Wedge practice was mainly with a 56°, which started out rough (pun intended) but got better after a few swings.

Pretty nice day of practice 

[NM01]

19 hours ago, cnosil said:

Adam Scott?   https://golf.com/instruction/adam-scott-golf-grip-trick/

 

Rickie Folwer does it too. It’s one of the suggestions in at least one of AMGs videos on how to grip a club.

 

[Josh Parker]

I did some chipping and putting practice this afternoon in-between the rain.  Hoping to get a round in this week but the rain isn't looking to cooperate. 

[Willie T]

Day 186 (22 Jul 24) - Worked with 54wedge and mat for some short grass pitches in the back yard.  Practiced at set distances, working on high floaters and punchy low fliers. 

[Erin B]

I actually played but worked on my drive. Ended up with a 75 after three days with an 87, 83, and an 83 because I couldn’t get off the tee. Got off today!

[IndyBonzo]

Not exactly practice, but have been wondering about gaining some distance by gaming a lighter iron shaft.  I have not totally given up on graphite, but an expert club builder I trust has tried to talk me out of it saying the low-torque, lighter weight steel shafts (in the 105g range) are better for playing golf than the higher torque graphite shafts.

I gamed MP 223s I was fitted into in spring 2023 with KBS Tour Lite 100S shafts yesterday.  I gained some distance, but the frequent hooks confirmed these were not stiff enough, even for my high-average swing speed (not super fast).  It also confirmed this was a failed fitting.  Even my really good swings yielded too much draw, and while I cannot always put a good swing on, I do know the difference.

So I hoped to try a few today at PGATSS.  On the list:  KBS Tour Lite XS (110g), Modus 3 105 XS (112g), and Accra iSteel Green (105 - variable flex, but aiming for S or X).  None were available in the demo bays.  I did hit the (a) best of the bunch Modus 3 105 S (106.5g) with good distance but still too many hooky draws, (b) C Taper Lite (too boardy - not for me - 10-15 yards shorter than my gamer PX LZ), and (c) $-taper Lite S (100g) which was just all over the place.

I know the gentleman who runs the Studio at the local PGATSS.  So I shot him an email to see if he has the preferred shafts to try.  Hoping I can do so. 

At least I ruled several possibilities out.  That's still progress.

[Lefty11]

Putting and some iron work.  

[Headhammer]

Everything! Went to the range and then chipped and putted. I was astounded at how well I was flushing my irons today and equally astounded at the number of crappy fairway wood swings! I chipped really well draining a number of really long ones and couldn't hit the side of a house with my putter! 

I have a weird trend emerging in my practice I'd love some feedback on. I usually work up and down my bag on the range and lately when I start moving back down (3W to 5I) my first swing with the next lower club is perfectly flush & long, then I hit 3-4 thin ones then find the groove with that club. Then I move down to the 7I flush it, then 3-4 thin ones and then decent swings. Any ideas why that first swing is so flush then poor results?

[Willie T]

Day 187 (23 Jul 24) - played in the monthly church men’s 9hole superball this evening.  Good mix of skill sets, allowed for playing from not the usual approach shot lengths.  Love mixing it up.