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MPR: The Single Digit Project


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15 minutes ago, Jon Brittan said:

Thanks for the shout-out @GB13

My bits of advice:

  • Get a notepad and on the last page write your full target goal, be that making scratch or the PGA Tour, whatever, you are going to refer back to this repeatedly when setting your short-term goals, but you're going to close the book on that for the time being and not be solely focused on that, we now need achievable targets to remain motivated.
  • Set simple targets for your improvement, not easy but something you could expect to achieve in a month, for example, with regular and focused practice. This is how we're going to improve our game rapidly, but being achievable also helps keep motivation and morale high.
    • Targets can be simple and decide how far you want to push yourself and how you want to achieve your aims.
    • Do you want to be as good as possible as soon as possible? Then pick your biggest scoring weakness to work on and set hard targets like approach proximity etc
    • Do you want the game to be fun and improve at the same time? Set yourself short term goals like hitting more greens in regulation than your last round. Having fewer putts than your last round
  • Play as much as possible. Swing a club every day if you can, even if it's only a few times and it's not at a ball, but do it all with focus on what you're trying to achieve.
  • Use cameras and data as much as you can. It's one thing to eyeball your range balls, it's something different to have a launch monitor and see every aspect of your ball launch and know how each change you make affects your result. You can also target specific areas to improve with each session.
    • I use a piece of software called Kinovea, which is useful for a bunch of reasons. It's free, for a start, but it allows you to set a short delay on "live" camera feeds and multiple inputs, so you can have both an in-front and a down the line camera on a four second delay, take your swing and then look at the screen to see it back immediately. It also allows you to record, to put two videos time-synced next to each other so you can compare your swing from today with your swing from a point in the past or even to a professional's swing and you can measure angles etc easily
  • Practice with the intention of improving, play with the intention of enjoying. I, personally at least, really hampered my scoring for a while when I got to the point I knew I could get birdies, I started trying too hard to give myself the chances and making silly mistakes where I would then be scrambling to maintain par. I scored better when I focused on making par on every hole. My best golf has come in the last few weeks where I'm letting ShotScope record my rounds for me and not even bothering keep tally at any point in the round, simply focusing on every shot as it comes.
  • No matter how a round goes, always find something you did well and something you can learn from. Never waste a bad round dwelling on the fact you didn't play as well as you wanted, make it work to your advantage and think about what you can learn. Never allow a better than usual round to make you think all is perfect, appreciate what went well, think about anywhere you got lucky and look for the bits you still could have done better.

 

That's become quite extensive, so I'll leave it there other than to say one last thing. Everyone is different and has both different ways of learning and enjoying their activities, so find what works best for you, try new things and enjoy the process.

Good luck!

This post is gold. Thank you.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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17 hours ago, PlaidJacket said:

Seriously, and I haven't read every comment but your driving distance is really low for a young man of your age. You appear to be in good physical shape too. Please don't take this wrong but I know 12-14 year olds who can hit their driver 250 yds. I'm not kidding! I have no idea about your swing really but I can only guess you're arm swinging. When I see that move/swing out of golfers the ball goes nowhere. Well... maybe 192 yards. Keep working on it. 🏌️‍♂️

Plaid,

Definitely no offense taken to this comment; like I noted, that driving distance is embarrassing. The longest drive Game Golf ever recorded for me was about 280, and that was in pretty neutral conditions. I know there's way more in the tank than what I'm getting.

I'm definitely making swing improvements this off season (more on that to come), but I'm pretty certain the key to better distance for me is found in strike. I don't claim to have a dime-size wear spot on my irons, but I'm at least a decently consistent ball striker. But there's something about the large driver head that throws me, and I have a very hard time repeatedly hitting a useful part of the face.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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20 hours ago, Jon Brittan said:

 

  • Use cameras and data as much as you can. It's one thing to eyeball your range balls, it's something different to have a launch monitor and see every aspect of your ball launch and know how each change you make affects your result. You can also target specific areas to improve with each session.
    • I use a piece of software called Kinovea, which is useful for a bunch of reasons. It's free, for a start, but it allows you to set a short delay on "live" camera feeds and multiple inputs, so you can have both an in-front and a down the line camera on a four second delay, take your swing and then look at the screen to see it back immediately. It also allows you to record, to put two videos time-synced next to each other so you can compare your swing from today with your swing from a point in the past or even to a professional's swing and you can measure angles etc easily

Great mention on Kinovea. I've used it in the past. The only problem I have with it is that it's not available for Mac OS. Great piece of kit though. I especially like that I can use their measurement tools to see club speed and ball speed with a reasonable level of accuracy.

Driver: :mizuno-small: ST190 9.5* Fujikura Atmos Blue 5S
Fairway Wood: :mizuno-small: ST190 15* Fujikura Atmos Blue 6S
Hybrid: :mizuno-small: CLK 17* Fujikura Speeder EVO HB
Irons: :bridgestone-small: J40 CB (3-PW) Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: :taylormade-small: Milled Grind 2 54* & 58* Dynamic Gold S200
Putter: :odyssey-small: Tri-Hot 5k Two 34"
Bag: :titleist-small: Players 5 Stand Bag
Ball: Maxfli Tour

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On 1/15/2019 at 7:11 PM, Jon Brittan said:

My bits of advice:

(etc.)

Fantastic. Really great stuff! Thank you!

WITB of an "aspiring"  😉 play-ah ...
Driver...Callaway Paradym (Aldila Ascent PL Blue 40/A)
5W...Callaway Great Big Bertha (MCA Kai'Li Red 50/R)
7W...Tour Edge Exotics EXS (Tensei CK Blue 50/R)

4H...Callaway Epic Super Hybrid (Recoil ZT9 F3)
5H...Callaway Big Bertha ('19) (Recoil 460 ESX F3)
6i-GW...Sub 70 699 V2 (Recoil 660 F3) 
54°, 60°...Cleveland CBX2, CBX 60 (Rotex graphite)
Putter...Ev
nRoll ER5 or MLA Tour XDream (P2 Reflex grip on both)
...all in a Datrek bag on an MGI Zip Navigator electric cart. Ball often, not always, MaxFli Tour.

Forum Member tester for the Paradym X driver (2023)
Forum Member tester for the ExPutt Putting Simulator (2020)

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Spent some time in the 10° garage on Saturday hitting shots. Poorly. A lot of bad contract, mostly fat shots that SkyTrak was (appropriately) punishing me for. This week, I'm hitting Walmart for some spray powder. It's time to focus on strike improvements.

Two observations from Saturday's practice. I did another skills challenge from 135 and down, with slightly worse results than the first time:

Screenshot_20190121-095522.png

I had one badly fatted shot on the 75 yard distance, which really killed that number. 105 continues to be a problem. It should be a full 54°. Maybe it needs to be a gentle GW? I'll test that.

I also did a little video work. Turns out, feel isn't real (apparently, that saying exists for a reason). Felt like I was really shallowing the shaft in transition and fighting the early extension. In reality, it's a bit better, but I still have a lot of improvement to make there.

On the plus side, I hit well over 100 shots in bitter cold, and two days later, my left hand isn't in sharp pain. The fat shots certainly hurt on Saturday, but it looks like (hopefully) whatever I strained in my hand is improving. Ideally, that will let me get back to SuperSpeed swings, maybe by next week.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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Also something I'm trying to figure out: how much the freezing temps are going to affect my SkyTrak results. A couple of considerations:

  • I keep my balls that I use for SkyTrak in the house in my golf bag. So the balls are not starting out at 10°. That said, our basement this time of year is still sub-60°, so they're not warm to begin with.
  • A lot of articles about golf ball performance in the cold factor in the changes to ball flight with the colder air. SkyTrak doesn't know about that; it's set to ideal air temp and fairway conditions.

So the question for me is going to be something like this: how quickly does a (say) 55° ball drop to being a 10° ball? Does hitting the same ball over and over (as I normally do) help keep its temperature up? And how much of an effect is that temperature drop on distance and spin rate?

I might have to leave a Q-Star Tour out in the garage, and hit a few shots with it and a ball from inside back-to-back, to see if I can (with an inconsistent swing) isolate any results there.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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4 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Also something I'm trying to figure out: how much the freezing temps are going to affect my SkyTrak results. A couple of considerations:

  • I keep my balls that I use for SkyTrak in the house in my golf bag. So the balls are not starting out at 10°. That said, our basement this time of year is still sub-60°, so they're not warm to begin with.
  • A lot of articles about golf ball performance in the cold factor in the changes to ball flight with the colder air. SkyTrak doesn't know about that; it's set to ideal air temp and fairway conditions.

So the question for me is going to be something like this: how quickly does a (say) 55° ball drop to being a 10° ball? Does hitting the same ball over and over (as I normally do) help keep its temperature up? And how much of an effect is that temperature drop on distance and spin rate?

I might have to leave a Q-Star Tour out in the garage, and hit a few shots with it and a ball from inside back-to-back, to see if I can (with an inconsistent swing) isolate any results there.

I read an article a couple months back (can't remember where) about the affects of cold weather on equipment and your swing.

Isolating the ball, the ball's temperature lowers to the outside temperature almost immediately, hence why the USGA allows your to warm your golf ball before the round. Hitting it over and over, won't keep it warmer. You're just not hitting it in quick enough succession. 

The distance drops 1 yard for every 10°. Keep in mind this is for the ball and clubs only. Your swing in colder temperature will be slower. Your muscules aren't as warm and you won't be as flexible. Also, depending on what you are wearing, extra layers can and will slow down your swing. 

Temperature has a neglible affect on spin. The difference in compression ends up being fairly small so you won't get any crazy reading on spin. If spin gets affected at all, it will be just a bit lower. ~100rpm. 

Wilson Staff C300 9.0* Fujikura Pro 58 stiff

Callaway Rogue 3W Mitsubishi Diamana D+ LTD 80 stiff

Mizuno MP-18 MMC FLI-HI 2 iron UST Mamiya Recoil 95 stiff

Ping I200's 4-W Aerotech Steelfiber I110 CW stiff

Ping Glide 52* and 58* stiff

Bettinardi Studio Stock #38 Armlock

 

 

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2 minutes ago, GB13 said:

I read an article a couple months back (can't remember where) about the affects of cold weather on equipment and your swing.

Isolating the ball, the ball's temperature lowers to the outside temperature almost immediately, hence why the USGA allows your to warm your golf ball before the round. Hitting it over and over, won't keep it warmer. You're just not hitting it in quick enough succession. 

The distance drops 1 yard for every 10°. Keep in mind this is for the ball and clubs only. Your swing in colder temperature will be slower. Your muscules aren't as warm and you won't be as flexible. Also, depending on what you are wearing, extra layers can and will slow down your swing. 

Temperature has a neglible affect on spin. The difference in compression ends up being fairly small so you won't get any crazy reading on spin. If spin gets affected at all, it will be just a bit lower. ~100rpm. 

That all makes good sense. Thanks.

Just before doing the skills test, I set up a target at 130 just to hit PWs at. I just couldn't get the ball there, and it was driving me nuts. Some, again, were obviously bad strikes. But even on good strikes, I was falling short. I suppose a completely frozen ball might be as good an excuse as any 🙂

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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You could always use a small space heater directly next to the balls you're using. Might help. I'm wondering what kind of clothing you're wearing that sort of cold and how your swing actually reflects what you'd see in the summer. You could be in for some trouble if you only learn how to bunt the ball due to limited movement. That said, any gains on strike location will carry over to a changing swing fairly well as you learn to how to control the club handle and club face better.

Driver: :mizuno-small: ST190 9.5* Fujikura Atmos Blue 5S
Fairway Wood: :mizuno-small: ST190 15* Fujikura Atmos Blue 6S
Hybrid: :mizuno-small: CLK 17* Fujikura Speeder EVO HB
Irons: :bridgestone-small: J40 CB (3-PW) Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: :taylormade-small: Milled Grind 2 54* & 58* Dynamic Gold S200
Putter: :odyssey-small: Tri-Hot 5k Two 34"
Bag: :titleist-small: Players 5 Stand Bag
Ball: Maxfli Tour

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6 minutes ago, TR1PTIK said:

You could always use a small space heater directly next to the balls you're using. Might help. I'm wondering what kind of clothing you're wearing that sort of cold and how your swing actually reflects what you'd see in the summer. You could be in for some trouble if you only learn how to bunt the ball due to limited movement. That said, any gains on strike location will carry over to a changing swing fairly well as you learn to how to control the club handle and club face better.

I actually have a propane heater in the garage, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Dyna-Glo-TT15CDGP-Liquid-Propane-Heater/dp/B0044R8Y4Y/ref=sr_1_4

It's not going to warm the whole garage at these temps, but it's a decent way of warming up the hands from time to time. As for clothing, I had on jeans, a flannel shirt, and a quarter-zip jacket. And a winter hat. Honestly: I play at least a month of my season in the same outfit 🙂

I'm not born here, but we Yoopers adjust to the cold 🙂

EDIT: here's a terrible video of a swing: https://photos.app.goo.gl/XSC54KiRPfYmDfsH9

The lighting is entirely inadequate, so I'm not going to even make the effort to convert it to YouTube. But you can see that I can make a full swing.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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18 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

I actually have a propane heater in the garage, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Dyna-Glo-TT15CDGP-Liquid-Propane-Heater/dp/B0044R8Y4Y/ref=sr_1_4

It's not going to warm the whole garage at these temps, but it's a decent way of warming up the hands from time to time. As for clothing, I had on jeans, a flannel shirt, and a quarter-zip jacket. And a winter hat. Honestly: I play at least a month of my season in the same outfit 🙂

I'm not born here, but we Yoopers adjust to the cold 🙂

EDIT: here's a terrible video of a swing: https://photos.app.goo.gl/XSC54KiRPfYmDfsH9

The lighting is entirely inadequate, so I'm not going to even make the effort to convert it to YouTube. But you can see that I can make a full swing.

Good to hear you've got something! I couldn't imagine hitting a golf ball in 10 degree weather. I wired in this 240V heater last winter (https://www.amazon.com/King-KBP2406-5700-Watt-240-Volt-Single/dp/B000PSFRTG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1548095436&sr=8-7&keywords=king+garage+heater). I can get it close to 80 in my small garage during single digits, but it costs me an arm and a leg. I need to add some insulation to the garage door and a few other places to make it more efficient. I usually try to run it around 65 as of now.

Driver: :mizuno-small: ST190 9.5* Fujikura Atmos Blue 5S
Fairway Wood: :mizuno-small: ST190 15* Fujikura Atmos Blue 6S
Hybrid: :mizuno-small: CLK 17* Fujikura Speeder EVO HB
Irons: :bridgestone-small: J40 CB (3-PW) Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: :taylormade-small: Milled Grind 2 54* & 58* Dynamic Gold S200
Putter: :odyssey-small: Tri-Hot 5k Two 34"
Bag: :titleist-small: Players 5 Stand Bag
Ball: Maxfli Tour

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1 hour ago, TR1PTIK said:

 I couldn't imagine hitting a golf ball in 10 degree weather. 

If you want a 450yd drive it's awesome on a links! 😄

Driver     Awaiting NEW Driver (after 10 yrs)  
4 Wood   Callaway Big Bertha Steelhead plus 4+  :callaway-small: Callaway shaft in 'Firm' flex

Hybrid     Titleist 910H 19*    :titelist-small:   Diamana ahina 'flower' shaft in 'S'

Irons         Mizuno MP18SC 4-PW   :mizuno-small:  N.S Pro Modus3 Tour 105 in 'S'

Wedges    Callaway Mack Daddy forged in black 50* and 54*  :callaway-small:   KBS Tour in 'R'

Putter        'YES' Tracy 11 C groove 34.5"

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I greatly admire the DIY route, but...... I'd still suggest at least one session with that instructor - have him work with you to develop a practice plan, and then ask him to accommodate some limited amount of remote feedback so you can occasionally send him a video update and he can review/comment to keep you on track with your plan, or maybe later on talk about "next steps"..?

I'm fortunate to be able to arrange to see a pro I really like only a few minutes from my house, and we have a sort of guided practice review as a follow-up to the previous lesson(s) .. which has been really helpful for me.

The key thing is I'm now practicing at home "better" and am able to work more closely on exactly the "What" of all the things he's had me do during our lessons. 

WITB of an "aspiring"  😉 play-ah ...
Driver...Callaway Paradym (Aldila Ascent PL Blue 40/A)
5W...Callaway Great Big Bertha (MCA Kai'Li Red 50/R)
7W...Tour Edge Exotics EXS (Tensei CK Blue 50/R)

4H...Callaway Epic Super Hybrid (Recoil ZT9 F3)
5H...Callaway Big Bertha ('19) (Recoil 460 ESX F3)
6i-GW...Sub 70 699 V2 (Recoil 660 F3) 
54°, 60°...Cleveland CBX2, CBX 60 (Rotex graphite)
Putter...Ev
nRoll ER5 or MLA Tour XDream (P2 Reflex grip on both)
...all in a Datrek bag on an MGI Zip Navigator electric cart. Ball often, not always, MaxFli Tour.

Forum Member tester for the Paradym X driver (2023)
Forum Member tester for the ExPutt Putting Simulator (2020)

followthrough.jpg

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Did some short game work yesterday. Discovered something fun: the SkyTrak does a decent job picking up 10 yards chips in my basement. There's a level of excitement: I hit the ball, and then have to watch quickly to see whether it's ricocheting off the wall toward me or the SkyTrak. Good pressure to hit the wall squarely 🙂

In all seriousness, it was an enjoyable little practice. The SkyTrak (again) lets you know if I struck it poorly. And I played around with using each of my four wedges at the 10 yard distance, seeing the different launch angles and spin rates that each produce. I'm likely go to stay with my practice of using my 54° for most of these shots, but using a variety of clubs to hit the same shot (think 14-club challenge) is a useful skill-development practice.

My other practice was with my PuttOut. Even with real holes to putt to on my green, the PuttOut still has two things going for it: it rolls the ball back to you on a make, and it offers the tiny little target for the perfect putt. So I added to my PuttOut game repertoire with this:

I noted in a followup tweet that I end up getting stuck in the 4–6' range, which is awesome, because that's where I need practice. It's also a good mental game practice. When I miss a five footer and have to drop back to four feet, there were multiple times I immediately missed a four footer because I was still frustrated. Can anyone else relate to this? My hope is to really strengthen my putting from this range. I feel more comfortable from 8' than I do from 4'; call it a version of the Jordan Spieth syndrome.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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10 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

I noted in a followup tweet that I end up getting stuck in the 4–6' range, which is awesome, because that's where I need practice. It's also a good mental game practice. When I miss a five footer and have to drop back to four feet, there were multiple times I immediately missed a four footer because I was still frustrated. Can anyone else relate to this? My hope is to really strengthen my putting from this range. I feel more comfortable from 8' than I do from 4'; call it a version of the Jordan Spieth syndrome.

Yep, I do a similar drill with at the range. I need to pure 3 shots in a row with each club moving up the bag. If I miss 2 in a row, I go back a club. If I miss, I usually go into a downward spiral back to my 58*. It is frustrating, but it helps me play better under pressure and while not playing well. I always struggle with my 8 and 9, once I get to my 7, I feel pretty good that I can make it to my 2 iron. If I had to get ONE length irons, based on my current results, I'd make them the same length as my 6 iron. 

Wilson Staff C300 9.0* Fujikura Pro 58 stiff

Callaway Rogue 3W Mitsubishi Diamana D+ LTD 80 stiff

Mizuno MP-18 MMC FLI-HI 2 iron UST Mamiya Recoil 95 stiff

Ping I200's 4-W Aerotech Steelfiber I110 CW stiff

Ping Glide 52* and 58* stiff

Bettinardi Studio Stock #38 Armlock

 

 

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I'm coming to this a little late, but I'm definitely going to follow along with both you and jlukes. I have never used a systematic approach to improving my game other than to play, with the exception of SuperSpeed. It's going to be very informative hearing how you approach your improvement.

I'm rooting for you to improve MPR, I'd love to see you hit single digits. Best of luck to you!

Sent from my SM-G955U using MyGolfSpy mobile app

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34 minutes ago, jlukes said:
Love my puttout! Did you get the mat too? I use it on my mat upstairs and my birdieball green in the basement 

I don't have the mat, but I use the PuttOut regularly on my basement putting green, even though I have real holes to putt to there. Having the little target is great for focus, and not having to bend down for the ball is appreciated. 🙂

Really excited to report that I finished the drill I mentioned above for the first time today. And not only did I make three consecutive putts at each point from 1 foot to 8 feet, but I never missed one, so I never had to go back. 24 straight makes!

Standing over the third putt from 8' to finish the drill, I told myself that this one was to shoot par for the first time in my life, just to add a little more pressure.

 

It stopped in the perfect putt hole.

That might end up being the highlight of my golf career 🙂

 

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

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Added another SkyTrak short game to my practice. I set up the SkyTrak again in the basement, doing 10 yard chips into the wall. But this time, I set it on the "Closest to the Pin" challenge. Here's where it gets cool: I set it to have six shots, and then to track the cumulative distance from the pin. My goal: to keep all six chips to a total of less than 18' from the pin.

My best was just over 19'. So I get to keep grinding on this now.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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1 hour ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Added another SkyTrak short game to my practice. I set up the SkyTrak again in the basement, doing 10 yard chips into the wall. But this time, I set it on the "Closest to the Pin" challenge. Here's where it gets cool: I set it to have six shots, and then to track the cumulative distance from the pin. My goal: to keep all six chips to a total of less than 18' from the pin.

My best was just over 19'. So I get to keep grinding on this now.

How good is skytrak at picking up those shorter shots? 

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How good is skytrak at picking up those shorter shots? 
So far, when I do it inside, the SkyTrak has been nearly flawless picking them up. It's been dicier in the garage, but right now, I'm attributing that to inadequate lighting, which I'm planning to fix when I work up my more polished garage setup this spring.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

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I’m kinda with the other guy about lessons now. You might think you’re doing something right, and ingrating (sp?) into your mind and muscle memory- but in reality it might be a fatal flaw. Getting a basic lesson or two (maybe video tape it for future reference) might save a lifetime of bad habits. Getting correct structurally right away, and then working on that might be a time saving device. 

One other thing is, and hopefully not sounding like a stinker,  that being realistic about scoring shouldn’t become a “hang up”. I have a few friends that just aren’t ever going to be a single digit, ever. I’ve always believed that some people are born with a swing, and some are not, no matter how hard they try. So while I admire your goals, don’t become overly crazy about getting there if it just isn’t working no matter what you do. The vast majority never break 90, much less 80. A rotten round can be saved by just one or two great shots, and usually, that great shot makes the round acceptable. Always strive for excellence, but don’t beat yourself up for not reaching a goal that perhaps might never be attainable, and enjoy the day regardless, and just do the best you can...

 

:titleist-small: TSr2 on tensi blue stiff

:cobra-small: Speedzone 3-wood on Tensi blue S

:callaway-logo-1: Epic Max 5 and 7 woods on HZRDUS  Reg flex

:callaway-logo-1: Paradym 9 wood on HZRDUS reg flex

:taylormade-small: P770 / P790 combo set on Ventus R-6 shafts 6-AW

:mizuno-small:  T22 Denim Copper 54°, 58° on Kinetic X Trajectory 

:EVNROLL: ER3 or,

:edel-golf-1: E.A.S. #4   (“Fang” or “Adele”)
 

:titelist-small: ProV1x, or, Maxfli Tour X

:callaway-small: .Org 14 cart bag

Adidas Tour 360 , or Sketcher shoes

 

 

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It's easy to recommend lessons.  I don't disagree that lessons from a good instructor may be the swiftest path to the single digit goal.  But I went to school in the UP and my in-laws live in Mass City, so I am well aware of the golf scene up there (or NOT up there?).

It may not have the greatest success rate, but I am another example of the possibility of reaching single digits without a real lesson.  I went to the LPGA Oldsmobile Classic in Lansing as a child and had a golf clinic (or Ping infomercial) there.  

I beat balls in a YMCA field as a kid but made real strides with a lot of range time with Leadbetter's Fundamentals of Hogan.  I didn't have a fraction of the setup that you have put together.  So I think with the right mindset and the right instructional book (and a few prayers), you should be able to focus in on the methods or positions explained in the book, verify them with your video gadgets and see the results on the skytrak.  And if you start making changes that have an adverse domino effect and things start falling apart, you are better set up than 99.9% of the golfers out there to catch it before bad habits get ingrained.  

Hank Haney is always talking on his XM radio show that you can send in a couple of swing videos and they will give you some tips to work on for free.  I can't recall exactly the email, but it is swingschool or golfschool at Hank Haney.  I think I'm going to give this a shot once I can hit a ball outside.

Whatever your path, best of luck!  Let's get self-made single digits cappers to double digits!

 

:ping-small: G400 LST 8.5 Ping Tour 65 Stiff

:adams-small: Adams XTD Ti 18 deg 3Hy

:benhogan-small: Ben Hogan PTx 22-46 

:benhogan-small: Ben Hogan TK15 50, 54, 58 deg wedges

:cameron-small: Futura 5.5

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In terms of handicap I have the same numbers (and goal) as you so I'm really curious and excited for you to see how it goes!

Last season I made some strides playing 1-2 times a week, but this season I should be going nearly every day in the summer. Anyway, you may have already answered this but how often are you planning on playing this upcoming season?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using MyGolfSpy mobile app

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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In terms of handicap I have the same numbers (and goal) as you so I'm really curious and excited for you to see how it goes!

Last season I made some strides playing 1-2 times a week, but this season I should be going nearly every day in the summer. Anyway, you may have already answered this but how often are you planning on playing this upcoming season?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using MyGolfSpy mobile app


I typically get out 2-3 times a week, with the majority of my rounds being nine holes. Golf season here in the UP starts (at best) in late April.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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Did my first work with foot spray powder this evening. Turns out that the swing changes I've begin to implement have resulted in a very consistent toe strike on full swings. Good to know, and another thing to dial in.

Also, I compress the snot out of foam practice balls:

IMG_20190125_211511.jpeg

(For those saying, "I thought you said you had a toe strike pattern?", this picture was from three pitch swings. At least I'm finding the center with those.)

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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16 hours ago, romeopapazulu said:

Hank Haney is always talking on his XM radio show that you can send in a couple of swing videos and they will give you some tips to work on for free.  I can't recall exactly the email, but it is swingschool or golfschool at Hank Haney.

You can also send them to his twitter account.

In the bag:
Driver: :titelist-small: TSR2 Project X HZRDUS Black 5.5
Fairway: :callaway-small: Apex UW 19° & 21° Project X HZRDUS Smoke RDX Black 5.5

Irons: :mizuno-small: JPX 923 HMP 5-PW UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4
Wedges: :mizuno-small: T-22 Denim Copper 48°, 52° & 56° UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4
Putter :Sub70: Sycamore 005 Wide Blade
Bag: 
:Ogio: Alpha Convoy 514
Balls: :callaway-small: Chrome Soft X

Cart: :CaddyTek: CaddyLite ONE Ver. 8


God Bless America🇺🇸, God save the King🇬🇧, God defend New Zealand🇳🇿 and thank Christ for Australia🇦🇺!

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21 hours ago, jlukes said:

How good is skytrak at picking up those shorter shots? 

Was gonna ask that same question...

MPR how not necessarily exactly accurate but consistent do you find Skytrak to be from, say, 100-125 and in?

I'm always looking for more and better ways to practice wedges and short game inside.

Thx!

WITB of an "aspiring"  😉 play-ah ...
Driver...Callaway Paradym (Aldila Ascent PL Blue 40/A)
5W...Callaway Great Big Bertha (MCA Kai'Li Red 50/R)
7W...Tour Edge Exotics EXS (Tensei CK Blue 50/R)

4H...Callaway Epic Super Hybrid (Recoil ZT9 F3)
5H...Callaway Big Bertha ('19) (Recoil 460 ESX F3)
6i-GW...Sub 70 699 V2 (Recoil 660 F3) 
54°, 60°...Cleveland CBX2, CBX 60 (Rotex graphite)
Putter...Ev
nRoll ER5 or MLA Tour XDream (P2 Reflex grip on both)
...all in a Datrek bag on an MGI Zip Navigator electric cart. Ball often, not always, MaxFli Tour.

Forum Member tester for the Paradym X driver (2023)
Forum Member tester for the ExPutt Putting Simulator (2020)

followthrough.jpg

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Oh and also question#2:

Similar question about the Zepp - do find it's giving you reasonably accurate and consistent numbers .. especially from, say, 100-125 and in..?

And - did you compare/contrast the Zepp to other "clip-on-the-club" devices SwingByte or R Motion or ___?

Thx!

WITB of an "aspiring"  😉 play-ah ...
Driver...Callaway Paradym (Aldila Ascent PL Blue 40/A)
5W...Callaway Great Big Bertha (MCA Kai'Li Red 50/R)
7W...Tour Edge Exotics EXS (Tensei CK Blue 50/R)

4H...Callaway Epic Super Hybrid (Recoil ZT9 F3)
5H...Callaway Big Bertha ('19) (Recoil 460 ESX F3)
6i-GW...Sub 70 699 V2 (Recoil 660 F3) 
54°, 60°...Cleveland CBX2, CBX 60 (Rotex graphite)
Putter...Ev
nRoll ER5 or MLA Tour XDream (P2 Reflex grip on both)
...all in a Datrek bag on an MGI Zip Navigator electric cart. Ball often, not always, MaxFli Tour.

Forum Member tester for the Paradym X driver (2023)
Forum Member tester for the ExPutt Putting Simulator (2020)

followthrough.jpg

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Was gonna ask that same question...
MPR how not necessarily exactly accurate but consistent do you find Skytrak to be from, say, 100-125 and in?
I'm always looking for more and better ways to practice wedges and short game inside.
Thx!
Some really good questions! I'll do a fuller write up on the SkyTrak in for course, but here are some initial thoughts.

A common complaint about the SkyTrak is the delay between hitting the shot and the display of the result. The delay is real. That said, it's a great time to guess, based on the shot, what the result will be. Only very rarely does SkyTrak really come back with a result that makes me skeptical (with the "puzzled puppy" head tilt).

Most often, the odd short game result comes from some really bizarre spin reading. For instance, I've had a 30 yard pitch with 2,000rpm of left spin, that landed and ripped sideways. I believe Kirke had a 60 yard hybrid shot with 10,000rpm backspin. These obvious misreads tend to stand out.

But otherwise, in the vast majority of the cases, I'll hit a shot and guess the result, and SkyTrak is right in line with expectations. I take that as a pretty good measure of consistency.

I'll get back to you on Zepp and SwingByte. I've not used either much on short game shots. I've used SwingByte more with putting than anything else, and Zepp exclusively for full swings.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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