Different golfer strategy

[Charli]

So from the beginning started golfing before I was married. Had range time putt time before the round. Played my round and practiced some more without worry. Got married range time and putt time stayed but practice stopped after. Had a kid now it’s just play 18 without anything. I walk out of the truck and head to first tee. So my question is how do I approach the first couple holes without ruining my round? I was 49/39 last week. Any tips on how to stay somewhat consistent starting my rounds? 

[CarlH]

Pretty sure you already know the answer to that question .... stepping onto the tee box cold isn't your best way to start a round.

 

[Charli]

yes Why I’m looking for tips or what other guys do who can’t hit the range before anymore. 

[tehuti]

yes Why I’m looking for tips or what other guys do who can’t hit the range before anymore. 

For me going to the range before playing actually screws up my swing for several holes. What I do is just loosen up with my Sklz swing trainer. Take a few swings with it to get my timing down and then tee off.


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[pulledabill]

Get a practice donut to throw on the club to loosen up a bit.   Is there a net to hit into? Thats just a couple minutes.

[Mr. 82]

Stretch out your limbs at the very least for at least 5 minutes.  I take a club and stretch my arms and legs to loosen them up a bit.  I have a bad back now, so it's a must for me to stretch out a bit.  And if you are not going to hit range balls, simulate your driver swing about 30 times as fast as you can after stretching.  The key for me in situations like this is to warm up without hitting a ball the same way I would if I had hit a small bucket or even just a handful of balls.

Do you have at least 5 minutes to practice putt?  By all means, if nothing else, test the speed of the greens by hitting a handful of practice putts at the very least.  I mean, I can hit 3 crappy shots on the first hole and still walk off with par if I can make the putt.

Another thing to try is having a "go to cold club" that isn't necessarily driver.  A lot of first holes are the easiest holes on the golf course, because the architect knows that every player needs at least one hole to get going, so they typically start you off easy.  Hit a club off of that tee that will get you in the fairway, even if it's like a 7 iron.  I'm less concerned with how far I hit my first tee shot as I am of just finding the fairway.  That first tee shot sets the tone for the entire round.  If you are cold and had no warm up and then you hit a bad tee shot right away, you will probably already be defeated before you've even hit your 2nd shot.

[Charli]

8 minutes ago, GSwag said:

Stretch out your limbs at the very least for at least 5 minutes.  I take a club and stretch my arms and legs to loosen them up a bit.  I have a bad back now, so it's a must for me to stretch out a bit.  And if you are not going to hit range balls, simulate your driver swing about 30 times as fast as you can after stretching.  The key for me in situations like this is to warm up without hitting a ball the same way I would if I had hit a small bucket or even just a handful of balls.

Do you have at least 5 minutes to practice putt?  By all means, if nothing else, test the speed of the greens by hitting a handful of practice putts at the very least.  I mean, I can hit 3 crappy shots on the first hole and still walk off with par if I can make the putt.

Another thing to try is having a "go to cold club" that isn't necessarily driver.  A lot of first holes are the easiest holes on the golf course, because the architect knows that every player needs at least one hole to get going, so they typically start you off easy.  Hit a club off of that tee that will get you in the fairway, even if it's like a 7 iron.  I'm less concerned with how far I hit my first tee shot as I am of just finding the fairway.  That first tee shot sets the tone for the entire round.  If you are cold and had no warm up and then you hit a bad tee shot right away, you will probably already be defeated before you've even hit your 2nd shot.

Yeah I can test the greens which I usually putt a couple balls but it’s more the tee shots and approaches on the first couple/9 holes 

[Kenny B]

2 hours ago, tehuti said:

For me going to the range before playing actually screws up my swing for several holes. What I do is just loosen up with my Sklz swing trainer. Take a few swings with it to get my timing down and then tee off.
 

I second using the Skilz swing trainer.  I will always stretch out my hips, back and shoulders, then make 10 swings both right and left-handed with the Skilz.  It may take you a few rounds but if you stick with the same routine, the first tee shot becomes fairly routine.

I'm 72 and very rarely hit the range before playing.  At my age if I hit a good shot on the range, it's one I wasted not hitting it on the course. lol  I will spend as much time as I can before I play putting and chipping.

[Charli]

Seems like I need the heavy stick to get warmed up. 

[revkev]

yes Why I’m looking for tips or what other guys do who can’t hit the range before anymore. 

 

I’ve come full circle with this - when i started playing very few courses had ranges - you showed up, put your ball on the rack, waited your turn and tee’d off when the starter called you up to the tee.

 

As newer courses were built ranges were included and pre-children (early 80’s) I started warming up. Once I had children I went through a transitional period where I learned to just show up and play again. You need to develop a simple stretching routine to get loose from the truck to the first tee, 3 or 4 chips and putts would be helpful (way more important than hurt balls.)

 

You could actually practice this on the range if you find sone practice time - Stretch and hit driver first - you’ll find it works fine. I can hit balls before I play or not now - it makes no difference to my score.

 

You will get the hang of it and wonder why you ever needed to hit balls before playing.

 

 

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[HardcoreLooper]

If you can, do a little bit of yoga before you leave the house.  You don't need to do a ton; I do maybe ten minutes or so.

When you get to the course and get to the first tee, do the following:

1.  Front-to-back leg kicks, about 30 seconds with each leg.

2.  Side-to-side leg kicks in front of your body, about 30 seconds with each leg.  Really swing your hips when you do this.

3.  Forward arm circles, about 30 seconds.  Start small, finish with big windmills.

4.  Reverse arm circles, about 30 seconds.  Again, start small, finish with big windmills.

So in about 2 minutes, you should be warm enough to hit that opening tee shot.  I've taken this from a couple different teaching pros whom I trust.  I play a fair amount of after-work golf where I just roll up to the first tee straight from the parking lot.  I've found now that I really don't like to hit a bunch of balls before I play.  10 shots or so will tell me what direction the ball is going, and I'll do that two minute warmup before hitting balls.

I also tend to play the first few holes pretty conservatively as @GSwag suggests.  I'm not going to hit a driver on a tight hole with trouble on both sides if you have to start on a tough hole.  All I want to do is keep the ball on the golf course and give myself a chance to see what direction the ball is going.  

[tony@CIC]

If you can, do a little bit of yoga before you leave the house.  You don't need to do a ton; I do maybe ten minutes or so.
When you get to the course and get to the first tee, do the following:
1.  Front-to-back leg kicks, about 30 seconds with each leg.
2.  Side-to-side leg kicks in front of your body, about 30 seconds with each leg.  Really swing your hips when you do this.
3.  Forward arm circles, about 30 seconds.  Start small, finish with big windmills.
4.  Reverse arm circles, about 30 seconds.  Again, start small, finish with big windmills.
So in about 2 minutes, you should be warm enough to hit that opening tee shot.  I've taken this from a couple different teaching pros whom I trust.  I play a fair amount of after-work golf where I just roll up to the first tee straight from the parking lot.  I've found now that I really don't like to hit a bunch of balls before I play.  10 shots or so will tell me what direction the ball is going, and I'll do that two minute warmup before hitting balls.
I also tend to play the first few holes pretty conservatively as [mention=71158]GSwag[/mention] suggests.  I'm not going to hit a driver on a tight hole with trouble on both sides if you have to start on a tough hole.  All I want to do is keep the ball on the golf course and give myself a chance to see what direction the ball is going.  

Great advice. As I look back on 2019, the days I played well I did a bunch of stretches at home (I'm only 10 min away from our #1) and played conservatively on our #1 which has water and bunkers to temp an aggressive shot.


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[SteddyGolf]

So from the beginning started golfing before I was married. Had range time putt time before the round. Played my round and practiced some more without worry. Got married range time and putt time stayed but practice stopped after. Had a kid now it’s just play 18 without anything. I walk out of the truck and head to first tee. So my question is how do I approach the first couple holes without ruining my round? I was 49/39 last week. Any tips on how to stay somewhat consistent starting my rounds? 

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[HardcoreLooper]

1 hour ago, SteddyGolf said:

 

 

 

 

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Thanks @SteddyGolf. I will definitely add side bends. 

[LeftyHawk]

A lot of good advice here For me, I work 2nd shift so I don't get to bed until about 2 a.m. I play a morning league so any kind of warm up is out of he question. What I have found that works for me is hit the putting green if there's time. Usually there's not.  While everyone's on the first tee, chatting while waiting for the fairway to clear I'm gently swinging the club in big arcs off to the side. My first tee shot is only about 50%  of what I got. My focus on the first tee is the short grass, not so much the distance. Same for the approach shot. With each hole I turn up the juice a bit until usually by the 4th hole, then it's game on !!!!It gets easier the warmer it gets here in Michigan

This seems to work for me....

Chris