What/How Did You Practice Today?

[downlowkey]

Worked on putting fundamentals. Drilled my setup and checked start line. I have a pretty brutal billiard style routine where I position another ball about a foot in front of the one I’m hitting and try to get it to stop in the “perfect” notch on my PuttOUT trainer. You’d be amazed how easy a normal six footer seems when the billiard shot system is your daily putting practice.

 

Also spent an hour at the short game complex. In March, I started experimenting with the Joe Mayo methodology that transformed Victor Hovland’s short game. Took a few days to get the hang of it, but since then I’m amazed at the consistency. My short game wasn’t bad before, but contact quality improvement since I’ve made the switch is noteworthy. Direction spread has also improved and I’ve been scaring the hole from all over the place. The other upside is that keeping my short game sharp requires less time now, which frees up hours to work on other parts of my game.

[Willie T]

Day 201 (6 Aug 24) - rain is as rain does …. inside day  - putting drills (including an obstacle course by my grandson - talk about tricky reads for pace) and ultra short chips (10-12ft) on carpet. Solid day of work. 

[TJ Hall]

Indoor putting tonight.  My kids took over your bonus room (where I practice putting) building a giant fort, so my distance was limited to around 7 feet max overall, but still was able to work on some things.

[Overspark07]

I went to the driving range with just three wedges intending to dial in distances between 40-100 yds. Grass tees were closed today so it didn’t go quite as planned but still got some relative feels.

[Coulter]

Got a little time in on the rapsodo mlm2pro this afternoon.. I tried to complete 9 holes for the Olympics challenge and my phone kept over heating at around 5-6 holes. So I decided to work on making a divot after the ball for about 10-15 minutes.

[schooner44]

Went back to basics tonight and tried to simplify things to cut out the 50 million things I've been trying to think about when swinging. Reverted my grip and my stance a little back to the way it used to be before lessons started and combined it with some things I've picked up from the lessons. Yielded a more relaxed and comfortable swing... Hopefully it still feels the same the next time I swing.

[cksurfdude]

Had a pretty good practice yesterday - following a bit of self-reflection on my golfing...

..that is: I have definitely been improving over the season in the quality and consistency of my ball striking .. AT THE RANGE .. but it has not transferred over to my on-course playing and scoring...

My thinking is that working on and paying attention to discrete mechanics within the swing are (so far) *not* resulting in proper progress on the skills development of playing the game of golf.

So I decided to just swing the club, focusing my attention .. and sight .. on the point of contact. Maybe the instant leading into contact and maybe the instant after contact, but tried to keep my attention and focus on just that literal spot.

It helped!!

Felt like I was swinging more freely and even a bit more consistently, especially with the 7i .. irons have been problematic for me.

Also spent some time with the wedge on distance control; then over to the putting green for my usual trio of drills - long lags, mid length putts to a cup, plus around the clock from about 5-7 feet. All mostly good there.

 

[Jawmusique]

50 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

Had a pretty good practice yesterday - following a bit of self-reflection on my golfing...

..that is: I have definitely been improving over the season in the quality and consistency of my ball striking .. AT THE RANGE .. but it has not transferred over to my on-course playing and scoring...

It is super annoying how you can have a great range session and then go right to the course, and it's like you completely forgot how to play golf.  Had that happen a few times; pretty frustrating.

[MBernGolfs]

I have recently been thinking about my high school days when I used to hit my drives nice and high and straight.  Fast forward a decade, and my drives have become much lower than I'd like. I'm spending more time at the driving range with the driver than any other club, trying to figure out what's changed.  Maybe it's just a matter of shaking off some rust or my swing technique has unknowingly evolved in a way that does not lead to higher drives.

Despite that challenge, I'm thoroughly enjoying every opportunity to get out on the course.  There's something special about seeing the gradual improvement in my game. Not being as good as I used to be actually has a silver lining.  There's more room for my scores to drop with each round!  It's a rewarding feeling to work on these little adjustments and see incremental progress.

Has anyone else experienced a similar issue with their drives? Any tips or exercises that helped you get more air on your shots? I'd love to hear your experiences!

[Willie T]

Day 202 (7 Aug 24) - More rain, more inside only - some putting (lagging for distance); swing setup in the mirror.  

[TAGolf13]

Got three hours of chipping and putting in today, and actually hit a milestone for me. One of my short game practice routines is to throw 20 balls down around the green, chip them all toward a hole, then putt them all from where they lie. The objective is to see how many up-and-downs I can accomplish. Today I got up and down 18 of 20 times on my final go-round. Most of the day I'd been getting 13 or 14 up and down and that was pretty good for me given my short game challenges. Today was also my first time putting left hand low, so of course I'm wondering if that had something to do with my performance. Only time will tell. I'll see if it pays off in tomorrow's game at the club. 

[donyell94]

Short game was the name of the game today. I really tried to get consistent with hitting the same spots with my chips and flop shots. I was aiming for getting about 15/20 shots to land in the same area and I usually got around 12. That is a major improvement for me, because about three months ago I skulled half my shots across the green. Now I am just a couple yards short on most of my shots. Seeing what consistent work does is encouraging!

[TAGolf13]

1 hour ago, donyell94 said:

Short game was the name of the game today. I really tried to get consistent with hitting the same spots with my chips and flop shots. I was aiming for getting about 15/20 shots to land in the same area and I usually got around 12. That is a major improvement for me, because about three months ago I skulled half my shots across the green. Now I am just a couple yards short on most of my shots. Seeing what consistent work does is encouraging!

Sounds like we're both making some progress donyell94

[BLD7]

7 hours ago, Jawmusique said:

It is super annoying how you can have a great range session and then go right to the course, and it's like you completely forgot how to play golf.  Had that happen a few times; pretty frustrating.

I played 27 holes today. Went 38, 37, 46... completely lost my swing on the 3rd 9 including 2 triples and a double. 3 penalties. Must have just got tired, I dunno. But after that I did an hours worth of chipping. Various distances, using both the 54 and 58. Had to forget about those penalties off the tee!

[Jawmusique]

1 hour ago, BLD7 said:

I played 27 holes today. Went 38, 37, 46... completely lost my swing on the 3rd 9 including 2 triples and a double. 3 penalties. Must have just got tired, I dunno. But after that I did an hours worth of chipping. Various distances, using both the 54 and 58. Had to forget about those penalties off the tee!

Losing your swing makes me want to run screaming into the night.  Ha. 

 

 

[Rob Person]

2 hours of chipping and putting after my 18 holes today

Putting was not stellar when playing, and I diffed a few chips that should have went where I wanted them to go.

[sp0rtsfan86]

Two things I'm working on:

I'm trying to hit more purpose draws and fades even when straight will do. The idea is that by doing a little of both I will get more familiar with working the ball and be able to use them when I need it.

Second, I need to figure out putting. It feels mechanical, but I'm not 100 percent sure. I'll break out the TIBA putting system and try to get my stance down which feels like the culprit. I had about a month stretch where anything inside 12 foot felt like a makeable putt. Now anything outside of 5 feet is no confidence. I feel like one practice session and I'll be able to figure it out.

[Hacker60521]

Yesterday was another lesson with the course instructor. Spent about 30 min on driver. Made some very small changes to my setup, and the top of my takeaway. Then another on hybrids just to fine tune them a bit more. We’ll see what today brings!

[russtopherb]

It's been a few weeks since I've been at the range and I wasn't too thrilled with my driver the last few times I was on the course so I hit the local muni this morning for a small bucket. After a bit the driver started to come back around, most of my issues have been setup and weight distribution, along with my usual bad move of lunging forward when I start the downswing. Feeling like I'm almost pushing my head slightly towards my rear foot when I start the downswing helps keep me a lot more centered. Hoping to keep things going during my post-work round today. 

[LeftyKP]

After my first round with Arccos data, it was clear I have to spend more time with the putter. I went to the course today and had a productive putting session. Below is how I set it up:

- 5 in a row from 3 feet

- 3 in a row from 5 feet

- 2 in a row from 8 feet

- 3 in a row within gimme length from 15 feet

- Finished with 10 lag putts from 30 feet, needed to 2-putt 6 of them

[Michael.Sandoval33]

Hit the grass range this morning, still doing swing work of course. Wasn't really feeling it with the irons. Had some really solid swings, but also some of my worst in a while. I didn't change too much but it just wasn't there fully. Spent over an hour and a half chipping from all over which was a slow start, but after a few, I was really starting to hit the spots I wanted.

I'm pretty sure my irons suffered so my wedges could live today, I am really trying to get my wedge hands ready for my Titleist Wedge fitting Sunday. 

[Willie T]

Day 203 (8 Aug 24) - more rain, more inside only stuff - continued work from the past couple of days.  Worked on lag putts as well as short chips on the carpet.  Debby is supposed to be leaving NC tonight - maybe some outside stuff tomorrow. 

[sevegolfs]

Went to the range last night to work on two things:

1. Practice out of the sand... End Result: I still have no clue how to get it to come out high and light. Every shot was a beamer out of the sand into the thick grass outside the chipping green or 50+ yards further right. I've watched all the videos and kept the ball forward, weight forward a good amount, open up the face, choke down and always follow through. Still nothing. If anybody has any go to sand articles that have worked for them or YT vids, I'd be glad to see them (assuming I haven't watched it already).
*Note: my sand wedge is a Callaway SureOut 2 so not sure if this would negate any of the above swing mechanics that most play with a "normal" sand wedge.

2. Being able to fade the ball with my driver. Ever since I've fixed and gotten rid of my slice, I now have either a straight drive or a slight draw (which is great). But on the dogleg rights, I get in trouble and would like to learn how to fade the ball. The results from this were much better than the sand play and found that just moving the ball forward to my left toe instead of heel and SLIGHTLY opening my grip, I had a slight left to right fade so I may be giving this a try this weekend with my league's championship both days. We shall see. 

[cnosil]

6 minutes ago, sevegolfs said:

1. Practice out of the sand... End Result: I still have no clue how to get it to come out high and light. Every shot was a beamer out of the sand into the thick grass outside the chipping green or 50+ yards further right. I've watched all the videos and kept the ball forward, weight forward a good amount, open up the face, choke down and always follow through. Still nothing. If anybody has any go to sand articles that have worked for them or YT vids, I'd be glad to see them (assuming I haven't watched it already).
*Note: my sand wedge is a Callaway SureOut 2 so not sure if this would negate any of the above swing mechanics that most play with a "normal" sand wedge.

2. Being able to fade the ball with my driver. Ever since I've fixed and gotten rid of my slice, I now have either a straight drive or a slight draw (which is great). But on the dogleg rights, I get in trouble and would like to learn how to fade the ball. The results from this were much better than the sand play and found that just moving the ball forward to my left toe instead of heel and SLIGHTLY opening my grip, I had a slight left to right fade so I may be giving this a try this weekend with my league's championship both days. We shall see. 

1.  Look up Dan Grieve.   The things you didn’t mention are hands low and wrists cupped to maintain the open face.

 

2. i’d suggest focusing on a single ball flight with driver.  Being able to control pat and face during practice is fine, but better players typically don’t work the driver and hit stock shape. 

[Mnaks]

This morning I hopped on the simulator to work on two things:
 

1. Wedge control: I played a quick round yesterday and had a lot of shots at the 100-130 mark. I was consistently just pulling those shots, I could feel my shoulders coming way around and my body starting to lean back as I pulled the club face to the left. So I focused this morning on keeping the left hip stable (avoiding any potential swaying) and then holding the club face inside on the downswing to avoid over-rotating on it. I had to slow down initially, but it was good progress.

2. Ball Flight Control: I pulled the 7 iron and tried approaching the same 175 mark from the left, from the right, and straight on. It was a mixed bag, but I found that if I keep that lead hip more stable and then opening or closing my stance slightly helped me get that level of control I was looking for. Probably still not course ready, but encouraging progress!

[TJ Hall]

43 minutes ago, sevegolfs said:

Went to the range last night to work on two things:

1. Practice out of the sand... End Result: I still have no clue how to get it to come out high and light. Every shot was a beamer out of the sand into the thick grass outside the chipping green or 50+ yards further right. I've watched all the videos and kept the ball forward, weight forward a good amount, open up the face, choke down and always follow through. Still nothing. If anybody has any go to sand articles that have worked for them or YT vids, I'd be glad to see them (assuming I haven't watched it already).
*Note: my sand wedge is a Callaway SureOut 2 so not sure if this would negate any of the above swing mechanics that most play with a "normal" sand wedge.

2. Being able to fade the ball with my driver. Ever since I've fixed and gotten rid of my slice, I now have either a straight drive or a slight draw (which is great). But on the dogleg rights, I get in trouble and would like to learn how to fade the ball. The results from this were much better than the sand play and found that just moving the ball forward to my left toe instead of heel and SLIGHTLY opening my grip, I had a slight left to right fade so I may be giving this a try this weekend with my league's championship both days. We shall see. 

For the sand shots, are you hitting them thin or bouncing off the sand into the ball?

For practice, I would draw a line in the sand an inch or two behind the ball and focus on that (not trying to hit the ball, just sweep the club under it).

How open do you have the club face?  I don’t open mine that far, so your bounce could be causing issues.

Just some thoughts.

[sevegolfs]

1 hour ago, cnosil said:

1.  Look up Dan Grieve.   The things you didn’t mention are hands low and wrists cupped to maintain the open face.

 

2. i’d suggest focusing on a single ball flight with driver.  Being able to control pat and face during practice is fine, but better players typically don’t work the driver and hit stock shape. 

Excellent, definitely will do. More practice sessions ahead.... 

[sevegolfs]

26 minutes ago, TJ Hall said:

For the sand shots, are you hitting them thin or bouncing off the sand into the ball?

For practice, I would draw a line in the sand an inch or two behind the ball and focus on that (not trying to hit the ball, just sweep the club under it).

How open do you have the club face?  I don’t open mine that far, so your bounce could be causing issues.

Just some thoughts.

I think I'm hitting thin. The shots where I do get lucky and hit sand before ball, it only goes 3 feet ahead since i've gotten too much sand. I try to set the face open 30-45* like I would for a lob shot in the grass. But still just not working.

[TJ Hall]

8 minutes ago, sevegolfs said:

I think I'm hitting thin. The shots where I do get lucky and hit sand before ball, it only goes 3 feet ahead since i've gotten too much sand. I try to set the face open 30-45* like I would for a lob shot in the grass. But still just not working.

Just googled your wedge, it has a really thick sole.  Do you have any wedges with the thinner sole that might get through the sand easier?  Maybe try keeping the face a little more square (not open) to see if that makes a difference.

Still recommend the line technique for practice, can help give you a consistent feel of where to “hit.”  

[Willie T]

Day 204 (9 Aug 24) - More putting today (via the hall obstacle course created by my grandson)…talking about working on the start line - 1st gate is 4” at 10’, 2nd is under the skateboard about 20’, 3rd narrowly misses the football around 30’ to the auto return cup at the end of the hall - on a hardwood floor (stimp off the scale fast).  Best I could do was an easy paced two-putt.  Really was a tough drill focusing on starting well. Here’s a photo of the trek: