MPR: The Single Digit Project

[GolfSpy MPR 5,537]

I've been inspired by two recent threads: @jlukes's swing overhaul, and @revkev's thread comparing lessons and fitting vs. self-teaching and off-the-rack clubs (these are both great threads that, if you haven't, you should go read and keep up with).

To begin, I'm nowhere in jluke's class as a player. I'm a mid/high handicap player, floating right around 15. But I think I can get better.

As I commented in revkev's thread, I have no objections to getting lessons and getting a fitting. I'd love to do both of those. My chief obstacle is location. I don't have an actual driving range within an hour of my home. There are no full golf stores (as far as I know) within two hours of where I live. There is a really good golf coach at a course that's an hour away, and he also does fittings. He would absolutely be my first choice, but signing up for regular lessons with a two-hour round-trip commute: the time and cost add up in a hurry. I tried to get together with him to get fitted for my G700 irons that I reviewed for MGS last summer, but we couldn't get our schedules to align.

So consider me another test case for revkev's question. I'm aiming to answer the question, "How much improvement can be gained with off-the-rack clubs and self-teaching?"

Here's the starting point:

This is my Game Golf summary of my rounds from this past July and August, set in contrast with a 5-handicap.

What immediately jumps out is that I'm loosing a ton of strokes to a single-digit off the tee and in my short game. There is certainly room for improvement in ball-striking and putting, but the low-hanging fruit is in the other categories.

Why am I so bad off the tee? It's not because I spray it all over; I hit an ordinary number of fairways. It's because I hardly hit it out of my own shadow.

Do you see that last column? That's embarrassing.

So, my first plan is to continue the SuperSpeed training that I've been doing for a couple of months now. I've seen significant speed gains already, but because I have no way to get to a course or a range before spring (late April at best here), I'm anxious to see how the speed with translate.

I'm also working on a meaningful swing overhaul, with a lot of similarities to what jlukes is describing in his thread. Here's a screen cap of a swing in my backyard from a couple of years ago:

Like jlukes, I have a tendency to have a pronounced forward sway through the swing, which essentially forces me to catch up with a flip at the bottom. The early extension is visible in this video I took for the G700 review. For my part, I'm pretty sure the answer is found in wrist angles, with a corresponding emphasis on rotation and staying behind the ball. These are the moves I'm working on now.

I'm also working through the content from Adam Young's The Strike Plan. I'm a big fan of Adam's work, especially the notion of turning strike into a practiced skill.

How am I going to measure progress until I'm on the course? Technology! I have just recently purchased a SkyTrak, which I got for a very good price. I also have a good camera that wirelessly connects to my tablet, allowing me to look at my swing in real time. And finally, I have a Zepp swing monitor. My intention is to use my garage as a pretty high-tech self-coaching bay.

The SkyTrak is going to be a big part of tightening up my short game as well. One of the built-in features is the Dave Pelz-esque wedge matrix: it allows you to chart your wedges distances for full, 3/4, 1/2, and 1/4 swings for each of the wedges in your bag. My hope is to dial these in with practice this winter, giving me much greater ability to knock shots within 100 yards to makeable putting distances.

My goal for this season is ambitious. I want to drop from being ~15 handicap to somewhere in the single digits. But I believe that I have the tools that I need to accomplish this goal. And I have a community here for the support, which is also a key component. I'll be using this thread to keep everyone posted on my progress.

[jlukes 9,997]

Awesome man - looking forward to following along.  Self improvement is tough but you are going into it with a great perspective and attitude.   Other than the Strike Plan, are there any other resources you are using?

[GolfSpy MPR 5,537]

Just now, jlukes said:

Awesome man - looking forward to following along.  Self improvement is tough but you are going into it with a great perspective and attitude.   Other than the Strike Plan, are there any other resources you are using?

Like you, I've learned a ton about the swing from Mark Crossfield. He's not everyone's cup of tea (bad British pun not totally intended), but the content is there if you want it. On the more technical side, some of the videos that Trackman Maestro has produced are very helpful.

On the mental side of the game and double-bogey avoidance, I think Jon Sherman over at Practical Golf has a lot of good stuff to say.

On the short game, the books by Stan Utley and James Sieckmann are really helpful. I like Pelz for a lot of information, but I have moved strongly away from how he teaches the short game swing itself.

[jlukes 9,997]

3 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Like you, I've learned a ton about the swing from Mark Crossfield. He's not everyone's cup of tea (bad British pun not totally intended), but the content is there if you want it. On the more technical side, some of the videos that Trackman Maestro has produced are very helpful.

On the mental side of the game and double-bogey avoidance, I think Jon Sherman over at Practical Golf has a lot of good stuff to say.

On the short game, the books by Stan Utley and James Sieckmann are really helpful. I like Pelz for a lot of information, but I have moved strongly away from how he teaches the short game swing itself.

I am not a Pelz guy either.  If you are looking for some great short game and putting reads, I highly suggest Dave Stockton.  His Unconcious Putting and Unconcious Scoring books are just absolutely fantastic and really helped me simplify my wedge play and putting

[GolfSpy MPR 5,537]

17 minutes ago, jlukes said:

I am not a Pelz guy either.  If you are looking for some great short game and putting reads, I highly suggest Dave Stockton.  His Unconcious Putting and Unconcious Scoring books are just absolutely fantastic and really helped me simplify my wedge play and putting

I've read his putting book. My take on it:

1. I really like it.

2. Like a lot of golf books, it's a single idea that could fit in an article stretched out over a whole book.

3. I'm glad I read it after I read a bunch of technical books. From my point of view, Stockton's "just relax and putt with your stroke" is best taken by those who've already done a ton of grinding over their putting. To go to Stockton right away, I think, could be a problem.

[TR1PTIK 1,326]

Best of luck!. I'm hoping to reach single-digits in 2019 as well, but I'm starting out a little closer than you. I will say - based on my own experience - that it can definitely be done and not really even that difficult if you put in some time and have modest athletic ability. After seeing your average distance, I'm curious to know what swing speed looks like for you?

[romeopapazulu 490]

I've read his putting book. My take on it:
1. I really like it.
2. Like a lot of golf books, it's a single idea that could fit in an article stretched out over a whole book.
3. I'm glad I read it after I read a bunch of technical books. From my point of view, Stockton's "just relax and putt with your stroke" is best taken by those who've already done a ton of grinding over their putting. To go to Stockton right away, I think, could be a problem.

Ha! No.2 is sooo true. I was getting mad as I read that one with fifteen long examples of someone not believing in themselves every single chapter. The story of Jack Nicklaus being told by a bogey golfer how to think on the green was great. A couple others really struck home with me about how down on my own game I was. But after that, tell me how to practice better! I can only handle so much talk about feelings.


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[cnosil 7,011]

Good luck on your journey;  I think we are all pulling for you.   How many fairways are you hitting per round?

 

 

[GolfSpy MPR 5,537]

10 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Good luck on your journey;  I think we are all pulling for you.   How many fairways are you hitting per round?

 

 

Game Golf tells me I'm hitting 55-60%. That's actually in line with what they have for a 5 handicap, but I'm 60 yards short, so the "accuracy" isn't even close to mitigating the distance.

@TR1PTIK, I don't have a Trackman measurement. The SuperSpeed measurements would lead me to guess that it's going to be somewhere between 90–100. So while I am trying to increase my speed, the other factor is that my strike is very poor, so that I'm not getting efficient use out of the speed I already have.

[Wedgie 3,102]

I don’t have much to add but best of luck hitting single digits. On second thought, get a set of Launcher HB irons and be done with it.


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[MaxEntropy 4,036]

Good luck! This will be another good one to follow.

[Shankster 17,821]

Nice! You all are inspiring me to get a hitting mat and a net for the garage. Research begins. I’ll be following along.

Good luck on the journey fellow Yooper.

[GB13 5,322]

That's a really solid plan. I can tell you that being a self taught single digit player is an achievable goal. I know of 2 on the forum who are self-taught single digits. @Jon Brittan and myself. I've never had a lesson and for myself, I feel that is the best path for my game. Taking a cursory look at your game and statistics, extra distance will help you immensely. You're plenty accurate and seem to have a good short game. Eliminating the "hip slide" will increase distance. By eliminating the hip slide myself, I've picked up 5mph and make much better contact. That coupled with SuperSpeed, I expect to see some distance gains and lower score. 

Good Luck! 

[Wedgie 3,102]

That's a really solid plan. I can tell you that being a self taught single digit player is an achievable goal. I know of 2 on the forum who are self-taught single digits. [mention=68729]Jon Brittan[/mention] and myself. I've never had a lesson and for myself, I feel that is the best path for my game. Taking a cursory look at your game and statistics, extra distance will help you immensely. You're plenty accurate and seem to have a good short game. Eliminating the "hip slide" will increase distance. By eliminating the hip slide myself, I've picked up 5mph and make much better contact. That coupled with SuperSpeed, I expect to see some distance gains and lower score. 
Good Luck! 

Hey, I’m self taught off the rack barely single digit.

If you are swinging 90-100 you are about where I am swing speed wise. I was hitting 200-210 drives on average and mostly because of high spin and angle of attack. The Cobra rep put me in a 9.5 head and had me move the ball from inside my left heel to outside my left pinkie toe. I’m still very inefficient but those 2 things gave me about 20 more yards.


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[00sportsman 2,023]

Good luck.  I'll be following along with great interest.

[GB13 5,322]

6 minutes ago, Wedgie said:

 

Hey, I’m self taught off the rack barely single digit.


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Okay, okay, I know three people on the forum who are self-taught single digits. And one of them (not saying who), is a little needy.

Edited January 15 by GB13

[hckymeyer 5,849]

22 minutes ago, GB13 said:

Okay, okay, I know three people on the forum who are self-taught single digits. And one of them (not saying who), is a little needy.

Make it four

I've never had lessons and played off the rack for a very long time.  Maybe got down to an 8 or so that way.  I've still never had lessons, but I have been fit several times.  I do believe it's made a big difference.  A bad swing is still going to be a bad result, but a good fitting can help you hit the ball well more often.  So even though it's a drive, don't give up on it just yet!

I will say the biggest thing that helped me go lower though was just playing more often.  I used to play a handful of times a year, maybe once or twice a month when the weather was nice.  Since we moved on to a course I get to play weekly and sometimes more.  Just going out to play more has made by far the biggest difference in my scoring.

[perseveringgolfer 4,125]

9 hours ago, hckymeyer said:

Make it four

 

Make it 5 

18 to 5 with no lessons or even much understanding of equipment or the technicalities of the swing. I learned it all from John Jacobs basic golf book Practical golf.

Since I learned about shafts and intricate technical swing motions in the last 10 years ......I got worse lol

 

Good luck @GolfSpy MPR I'll be following, and supporting, with interest.

 

[TR1PTIK 1,326]

11 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

So while I am trying to increase my speed, the other factor is that my strike is very poor, so that I'm not getting efficient use out of the speed I already have.

If you haven't heard about it already, I strongly recommend a can of Dr. Scholl's foot powder spray to help you with strike. Spray it on the face, and you'll be able to see where strike location is. More importantly, you'll be able to LEARN strike location by sound and feel. If you are swinging in that 90-100 MPH range, you should definitely be getting a little more distance. I've lost speed over the last couple years, and now hover at the 100 MPH mark. Carry distances of 220+ are certainly possible at those speeds.

[MattF 5,642]

Good luck in your endeavor Pastor! Personally, I'm hoping to get mine down by playing a lot more that I have been because of my membership. Oh, and a new driver.