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As the golf weather is right around the corner in Michigan, I find myself looking back at how I felt about last season, where I ended 2017 in relation to my golf goal of shooting sub 80 at least 5 times, and what my goal for 2018 is.  Well, I didn't go sub 80 even one time in 2017.  Several 80's, but nothing lower. 

 

I use an app called The Grint for all my stat tracking, and here are my numbers.  Before the screen shots come, I will say that my goal for 2018 overall is to drop from my 14.4 handicap to an 8 to 10 handicap.  My thoughts now are how do I dissect the stats that I have from a year of tracking to help direct my focus?  

 

 

Handicap.jpg

Driving Accuracy.png

Grints.png

GIR.png

Iron Accuracy.png

Penalties.png

Scrambling.png

Driver: :callaway-small:  Rogue 9*, -1" length
FW: :callaway-small:  Epic SZ 13.5*, 18* -.5" length

Utility: :titelist-small:  816 H2 21*
Irons: :callaway-small: Apex CF 16, std. lenght/lie
Wedges: :mizuno-small:  T7 Blue Ion, 52*, 56*, 60*
Putter: :odyssey-small:  #7S
Ball: K-sig (until I run out)

RH golfer from Detroit, MI with a 14 handicap, working towards single digits

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A lot in golf probably depends on your age. But at any age I recommend you find a good instructor that you like and can work with. I'd also suggest you stop chasing a handicap. Focus on your ball striking and learn good swing fundamentals.

Best of luck!

My Sun Mountain bag currently includes:   TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 771CSI 5i - PW and TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png PFC Micro Tour-c 52°, 56°, 60 wedges

                                                                               :755178188_TourEdge: EXS 10.5*, TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 929-HS FW4 16.5* 

                                                                                :edel-golf-1: Willimette w/GolfPride Contour

 

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I can't help you with your stats.  I have a few objectives that I try to accomplish when I play.  If I perform well on those, I will meet my goal.

 

Here is something that you can do when you try to shoot a number but just can't quite get there.  Move up a tee box or two.  No, not a snide comment.  Our teaching pro who has a number of very good juniors did this with his students.  He started them on the forward tees and they could not move back a tee until they could break par.  Many of them have the length to play from the Blues, but getting to a goal from any tee has a positive psychological effect.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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At 46 this is the first year I am taking golf seriously.  My goal this year is to break 90.  Over the winter I looked at my game to determine my shortcomings that cost me the most strokes and came up with a list.

 

1.  Shot shape could be anything from a pull, straight or fade turning into a huge slice with longer clubs.

 -  I have been working on hitting a slight draw to take one side of the fairway out of play.  I hope this will eliminate the abundance of penalty strokes.  I should easily save a few stroke here.

 

2.  Short game has gone south since my 20's.

 - The last 2 weeks I have been practicing chipping and short pitch shots in my back yard.  Consistency in direction and distance has already improved.  If I can eliminate 75% of second chips alone I will save a few strokes.  Consistently leaving myself with shorter putts should save a few more.

 

3.  Inability to hit woods or driver with any consistency.

 - I am no longer going to always pull a longer club but instead hit more consistent mid irons on anything but wide fairways.  Again, cut down on penalty stokes and always playing from the rough.  Improved lies with shorter irons at greens will definitely help and eliminate more penalty strokes.

 

4.  First hole is often a horror show for me, at least half the time scoring triple bogey or more.

 - Make sure I hit some practice shots before I tee off.  Starting a round cold is not smart.  Could easily save a couple of strokes a round on the first hole.  Also it will be nice to start a round not feeling pressure to hit hero shots to make up for the early lost strokes.

 

Since the beginning of February I have been completely changing my swing.  After 2 weeks I realized I was an idiot trying to do it myself and started taking lessons.  Each lesson another piece is added and I get worse for a few days+ then start to see improvement.  I am practicing at least 5 hours a week.

 

The mental side with shot selection is another matter.  A couple of courses I play regularly I am going to script my tee shots with a couple of options for the next shot.  I hope this will get me making better decisions on the course.

 

Long story short, identify weaknesses and work on fixing them picking off easiest and most costly ones first.  

Driver - Ping G410

Woods - Callaway Rogue 5 wood

Hybrid - Titleist TS2 21 degree

Irons - Taylormade P790 5-PW

Wedges - Taylormade MG3 50, 54, 58, SM9 60

Putter - Mizuno Black Carbon BC3

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At 46 this is the first year I am taking golf seriously. My goal this year is to break 90. Over the winter I looked at my game to determine my shortcomings that cost me the most strokes and came up with a list.

 

1. Shot shape could be anything from a pull, straight or fade turning into a huge slice with longer clubs.

- I have been working on hitting a slight draw to take one side of the fairway out of play. I hope this will eliminate the abundance of penalty strokes. I should easily save a few stroke here.

 

2. Short game has gone south since my 20's.

- The last 2 weeks I have been practicing chipping and short pitch shots in my back yard. Consistency in direction and distance has already improved. If I can eliminate 75% of second chips alone I will save a few strokes. Consistently leaving myself with shorter putts should save a few more.

 

3. Inability to hit woods or driver with any consistency.

- I am no longer going to always pull a longer club but instead hit more consistent mid irons on anything but wide fairways. Again, cut down on penalty stokes and always playing from the rough. Improved lies with shorter irons at greens will definitely help and eliminate more penalty strokes.

 

4. First hole is often a horror show for me, at least half the time scoring triple bogey or more.

- Make sure I hit some practice shots before I tee off. Starting a round cold is not smart. Could easily save a couple of strokes a round on the first hole. Also it will be nice to start a round not feeling pressure to hit hero shots to make up for the early lost strokes.

 

Since the beginning of February I have been completely changing my swing. After 2 weeks I realized I was an idiot trying to do it myself and started taking lessons. Each lesson another piece is added and I get worse for a few days+ then start to see improvement. I am practicing at least 5 hours a week.

 

The mental side with shot selection is another matter. A couple of courses I play regularly I am going to script my tee shots with a couple of options for the next shot. I hope this will get me making better decisions on the course.

 

Long story short, identify weaknesses and work on fixing them picking off easiest and most costly ones first.

I can relate to #4. But perhaps that's where course strategy comes into play. You might be better off with a club you're most confident in off the tee on 1 - say a hybrid or long iron and take an extra stroke to get you to the green. Vs. an errant shot with a driver that takes you places you don't want to go, I.e. Water hazard or ob.

 

On the mental game ( something I've been working on) there are some great books on the topic starting with "Be A Player".

 

Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

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:taylormade-small:SIM 2 D Max with Fujikura Air Speeder Shaft 

Cobra  Radspeed 3W/RIptide Shaft
:ping-small:  410  Hybrids 22*, 26*

Cobra Speed Zone 6-GP/Recoil ESX 460 F3 Shafts 

:titelist-small: SM7 54* Wedge

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2020 Official Teste:SuperSpeed: Beginning Driver Speed  - 78

2019 Official Tester :ping-small:  410 Driver

2018 Official Tester :wilson-small: C300

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3.8 penalty strokes per round. Limit those and your scores will drop.

Driver: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max LS Tensei AV Blue S

3w/5w: :titelist-small: TSi2 Tensei AV Raw Blue S

4h: :mizuno-small: CLK 22* Hybrid Tensei CK Pro Blue 80HY S

Irons 5-PW: :mizuno-small: 223 Steelfiber PR 95 S

Wedges: :cleveland-small: RTX Zipcore Tour Rack 50, 54, 58 Steelfiber PR 105

Putter: LAB Link.1

Ball: :srixon-small: Z-Star Diamond

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3.8 penalty strokes per round. Limit those and your scores will drop.

This. What is leading to the penalty strokes? Problems off the tee? Approach shots?

 

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

What's in the bag:
Driver - :cobra-small: F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S )
3 Wood (13.5*) - :titleist-small: 980F 
4 Wood (18*) - :cobra-small: F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S )
3 Hybrid (19*) - :taylormade-small: RBZ
4i - PW - :wilson_staff_small: D7 Forged - Recoil 760 ( S )
52* - :cleveland-small: CBX
58* - :cleveland-small: CBX Full Face 2
Putter - :ping-small: Craz-e
Bag - :1590477705_SunMountain: 2.5 (Blue)
Ball -  :titleist-small: AVX
Instagram - @hardcorelooper
Twitter - @meovino
Facebook - mike.eovino

 

 

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Last year I reached my goal of dropping 4 strokes to break 90, for this year my goal is to do it consistently. I know what helped me a lot last year was getting a GPS and knowing my yardages. Before last year I was basically guessing which added unnecessary decisions.

This year I'm going to try to play to my shot that day, which is something that I struggle with. No matter what I would aim straight, regardless of whether my shot that day was tending to draw or not.

 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Driver -  :callaway-small: Big Bertha Alpha

3W -  :callaway-small: XHot Pro

3 Hybrid - :taylormade-small: Rescue 11

4-PW - Maltby DBM Forged

52 -  :vokey-small: SM4

56 -  :cleveland-small: RTX-3

60 - Scratch SS

Putter -  :seemore-small: FGP

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This. What is leading to the penalty strokes? Problems off the tee? Approach shots?

 

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

Yes, mostly problems off the tee, usually right. Smarter club selection, and a recent driver fitting are my plan to address the tee box problems. The 3.8 doesn't even include the punch outs that happen more than I'd like.

Driver: :callaway-small:  Rogue 9*, -1" length
FW: :callaway-small:  Epic SZ 13.5*, 18* -.5" length

Utility: :titelist-small:  816 H2 21*
Irons: :callaway-small: Apex CF 16, std. lenght/lie
Wedges: :mizuno-small:  T7 Blue Ion, 52*, 56*, 60*
Putter: :odyssey-small:  #7S
Ball: K-sig (until I run out)

RH golfer from Detroit, MI with a 14 handicap, working towards single digits

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For me this season is gonna be about practice. I've started doing it regularly over the past month and half and I've noticed my swing is becoming much more consistent and tighter. Can't wait for it to warm up so I can get back on the grass and whip the short game into shape as well. I'm aiming to break at least 90 but hopefully 80 at least once this year.

Driver:   :callaway-small: Epic 10.5 set to 9.5 w/ Tour AD-DI 44.5

FW:   :cobra-small: F6 baffler set at 16º

Hybrid:  NONE
Irons:   :taylormade-small:  3i 2014 TP CB  4-PW 2011 TP MC w/ TT S400

Wedges:   :nike-small: 52º :nike-small: 56º  :edel-golf-1: 60 º w/ KBS C-Taper XS Soft-stepped

Putter:   :ping-small: Sigma G Tyne 34 inches Gold dot

 

 

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Many of the suggestions and comments above are relevant and quality, but I think this one is the key.

 

If you take the time to practice, you're bound to improve (the caveat is smart practice, productive practice... not just pounding balls).  Coaching and learning proper technique are super important, but even if you get that help - if you don't practice, it will likely only pay small dividends in the long run.  

 

I'm of the same mind here - my goal this year is to practice.  I get bored w/ the driving range, so after discussion w/ a teaching pro that I visit from time to time, we determined that I needed some "incentive" to practice - so for me, I decided to go the simulator route with the ability to hit all shots with some sort of feedback (and incidentally stats to back it up) other than just watching the ball fly down into the driving range abyss. 

 

I also found that practicing alone, without others around, helps me focus.  

 

For me this season is gonna be about practice. I've started doing it regularly over the past month and half and I've noticed my swing is becoming much more consistent and tighter. Can't wait for it to warm up so I can get back on the grass and whip the short game into shape as well. I'm aiming to break at least 90 but hopefully 80 at least once this year.

~ JSWAT ~

"your best shot, is your next shot"

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As the golf weather is right around the corner in Michigan, I find myself looking back at how I felt about last season, where I ended 2017 in relation to my golf goal of shooting sub 80 at least 5 times, and what my goal for 2018 is.  Well, I didn't go sub 80 even one time in 2017.  Several 80's, but nothing lower. 

 

I use an app called The Grint for all my stat tracking, and here are my numbers.  Before the screen shots come, I will say that my goal for 2018 overall is to drop from my 14.4 handicap to an 8 to 10 handicap.  My thoughts now are how do I dissect the stats that I have from a year of tracking to help direct my focus?  

When looking for improvement I always suggest the same 2 things: 1) Find a good instructor who your are able to communicate well with. 2) Constantly work on your putting from 5ft or less and more than 20ft. You should be most concerned with your pace and starting the ball on the line you are intending. Don't stress of having "perfect" technique, there a multitude of ways to putt well. I worked really hard to improve my putting and ended up dropping my handicap from a 5 to a +2 in a year and a half.

 

In terms of adjustments based on your stats I would say that you should probably be aiming a little more left since your miss tends to be right. And

(assuming your approach stats are indicative of your whole game and not just on par 3's) I would work on taking a little more club and choking down slightly with a controlled swing since you rarely miss long and a controlled swing should hopefully tighten your dispersion 

*:taylormade-small: Staff Professional*

Driver:  :taylormade-small: Stealth Plus+ (7.25*) - Fujikura Ventus Black 6X Tipped 1" 

3 Wood: :taylormade-small: Stealth Plus+ (14.25*) - Fujikura Ventus Blue 7x Tipped 1"

Driving Iron: :taylormade-small: P790 UDI 2 iron - HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 100 6.5

4 Iron: :taylormade-small: P790 - KBS C-Taper 130 X

Irons (5-7) :taylormade-small: P7MC - KBS C-Taper 130 X

Irons (8-P) :taylormade-small: P7MB - KBS C-Taper 130 X

Wedges: :taylormade-small: MG3 Black 50.09 / 55.11 - KBS TOUR FLT 130 X

60* Wedge: :taylormade-small: High Toe Raw - KBS Tour 130 X

Putter: 5WoCG8Y.jpg Custom Black ER2 or Custom Black :taylormade-small: Del Monte

Bag:  :taylormade-small: FlexTech Stand Bag

Glove:  :taylormade-small: Tour Preferred Glove

Ball: :taylormade-small: TP5X #11

RangeFinder: :918457628_PrecisionPro: R1 Smart Rangefinder

Instagram: @dpattgolf

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When looking for improvement I always suggest the same 2 things: 1) Find a good instructor who your are able to communicate well with. 2) Constantly work on your putting from 5ft or less and more than 20ft. You should be most concerned with your pace and starting the ball on the line you are intending. Don't stress of having "perfect" technique, there a multitude of ways to putt well. I worked really hard to improve my putting and ended up dropping my handicap from a 5 to a +2 in a year and a half.

 

In terms of adjustments based on your stats I would say that you should probably be aiming a little more left since your miss tends to be right. And

(assuming your approach stats are indicative of your whole game and not just on par 3's) I would work on taking a little more club and choking down slightly with a controlled swing since you rarely miss long and a controlled swing should hopefully tighten your dispersion

Thanks for the tip on the approach, that's one I hadn't tried to dissect too much yet. Putting has and will be a big area I focus on, and keeping myself in play off the tee is another one. I have almost 4 penalties a round and that is mainly off the tee box. Safely add in another 3 to 5 strokes for punch outs from the less errant tee shots

Driver: :callaway-small:  Rogue 9*, -1" length
FW: :callaway-small:  Epic SZ 13.5*, 18* -.5" length

Utility: :titelist-small:  816 H2 21*
Irons: :callaway-small: Apex CF 16, std. lenght/lie
Wedges: :mizuno-small:  T7 Blue Ion, 52*, 56*, 60*
Putter: :odyssey-small:  #7S
Ball: K-sig (until I run out)

RH golfer from Detroit, MI with a 14 handicap, working towards single digits

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I am a big fan of the practice advice above. This means methodical practice. I grew up doing block practice where I would hit hundreds of iron shots. Now that I am returning, I am trying much more to practice as I would play, I do some block practice to reinforce technique line, address etc. but then I switch it up. I will hit random shots, or sets of three where I try to go high, low, middle or left middle right. I am not hitting a huge volume of balls, you only get around 20 or so swings per 9 holes from tee to greens(not counting puts). Then I go over to the chipping green and practice, then the putting green. My plan this year at my peak is to only play about three times per week. I have yet to play my first round this year. I have no intention of playing a round of golf until the 1st of may.

 

However between now and then I plan to hit every day the weather is not miserable. This week has been bad. Even today the high is to be about 37 but if all goes well I will hit at lunch time today.

Driver Taylor Made M2 Ping G 3 wood 14.5 loftPing G hybrid 19Hogan Radial 3-PW(forged circa 1989)Evnroll ER2, Golf bag, old and worn out circa 1989

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The one stat that struck me was on the third panel, you had 30% of your scores at double bogey or worse.  To me this means that your "bad" shots have to get better, which means your full swing has to get better.  This ties into the penalty shot discussion.  I'd bet you essentially never take a penalty stroke while chipping or putting, these are all full-swing problems.  And to improve the full swing, you almost certainly need a competent instructor to diagnose your most serious fault, and help you learn to fix that fault.  Its a process, one change at a time, prioritizing the most critical thing first.  Of course, work on short game and putting too, but there are practical limits as to how good you can get with those.  The largest gains will be made with full-swing improvement.

:titleist-small: Irons Titleist T200, AMT Red stiff

:callaway-small:Rogue SubZero, GD YS-Six X

:mizuno-small: T22 54 and 58 wedges

:mizuno-small: 7-wood

:Sub70: 5-wood

 B60 G5i putter

Right handed

Reston, Virginia

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  • 1 month later...

Two years ago I went from near a 16 to 8.4 handicap in four months. Best round 74. Here is how. I found a good teacher. First lesson he had me hit about 8 balls than took me inside and showed me on his cell phone my swing and my swing and early release. Never showed me a video again even though I knew he took them. He than asked me if I liked to learn by feel or mechanics. I said feel. I did exactly what he told me at every lesson and had it down by the next lesson. He paid me the best compliment when he pointed me out to another student who is a friend of mine and said “ see that guy his lessons only take ten minutes. He asks a question I show him what to do and he does it and goes on to the next thing the next lesson unlike you who are still trying to fight the first thing I showed you.” LOL . You have to trust your instructor and not question him. Oh, and don't try swing tips you see on golf channel and magazines. YMMV hehe

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