Changing Shapes

[Kenny B]

4 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

Tom's telling the truth when it comes to how straight he hits it off the tee. He's also got marvelous touch when it comes to his wedges. When we played at Dead Horse Lake he dropped a ball greenside and chipped it up to the next tee box to play that ball on the next home. He missed being dead center by less than two feet. 

@Kenny B, I've noticed on a lot of courses that the tee markers will lead you astray. It seems like my body wants to instinctively wants to line up with them and most of the time, it'll lead you into trouble. It's not the best example, but here's the tee box on the par 3 8th hole at my course. 

You can see the markers are aimed to the right of the green. I couldn't tell you how many times I've hit balls right. 

I've played Dead Horse Lake many times with my buddy when I traveled to Knoxville.  Not to far from the hotel I was staying at so we could hit it after work.

[Kenny B]

5 hours ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

Absolutely! My course does this on many holes and since some tee boxes are built on the side of a hill the natural direction of the teeing area and the placement of the markers will line you up in another fairway or directly into the woods. I always align the line on my ball with an intended target or target line. I also hit a very straight ball. When I get tired or really get into a drive it will move a few yards to the right. If I look back at my round on Sunday, 12 drives were straight down the middle and two moved to the right. The two that moved were on holes 13 and hole 17. Still in play but not center of the fairway. Both were because I was trying to put more behind it. Not smart on my part because there wasn't a gain in yardage anyway.  @BIG STU and @sirchunksalot can attest to how straight I hit my tee shots. 

I feel that I have better control of my game plan for the hole with a straight shot. If I know I will have a better angle to the green from the right side and avoid trouble on an approach, I will aim right of center. If the fairway slopes to the right I can aim up the left side.  Many of the tougher holes are tree lined and tight on my course so sometimes if you have a natural draw or fade you can get in trouble. When I say tight I mean tight. Number 8 is 10 yards wide at the landing area and a least two others (#9 and #13 are 25 yards wide (as measured on google earth).  I know most courses are designed to challenge a particular shot shape on certain holes, but I know straight has not got me in much trouble.  

Sounds like we play about the same, so I should be scratch too!!   Maybe in a few more years... Oh wait!!  I don't have that many years left!

[BIG STU]

7 hours ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

That's  what we call greens keeper revenge day. Once a year the superintendent puts all the pins in diabolical locations. Then we see who can come in with the least amount of putts that day.

LOL my bud was super up at a course on the North End called Harbour View. Really a good mix of a par 3 course long and short holes. I worked up there like 2 days a week. On a couple of holes sometimes he would do some diabolical pin placements for kicks and giggles and we would sit back and watch the old fart tourist hacks putt it. The same people own it as do Tupelo Bay so it is a tourist hack magnet. We did used to play some money shootouts on Wednesday night up there though. He really did a great set up on that course overall. The shorter holes he had smaller mown landing areas if one missed the green. The longer holes like 175 he had more generous landing areas. The gal running the clubhouse had zilch golf knowledge. One morning I was up there and noticed an old couple sitting on one of the benches inside. I was getting my coffee and the manager asked if we played in the Shootout the night before? I told her yes. She asked me if I thought the roughs were too long? I told her I did not know and did not have an opinion. She looked at me quizzical and asked why I did not know? I told her because I did not miss a green. She told me she had had a customer complaint about darn near all the holes. I told her golf was not supposed to be easy and anyone that missed that many greens in a round on that course needed either a lesson or to quit playing golf and take up bowling.  The complaintants were the old couple sitting on the bench. Oh Man we had a meeting that Monday!! It was supposed I reckon to be an arse chewing session. I pointed out to the owners first off that it was not her place to ask me that question. I was not the Super just the equipment manager/mechanic. And it should have never been asked off the cuff in public in front of customers. I told them that was what they got for hiring managers that did not know golf and evidently did not know how to handle customer service either. Ended up the owners had the super cut everything to fairway height and IMHO the course lost all the looks and character. My super bud was steamed. He called it the Old Fart snowbird hack set up. About a month later we did another hateful thing, Normally we cut those Poa Trivilaus greens at .175. We took the mowers down to like .120 and those greens were in good shape and rolled to about 11. Of course we got complaints. Had a meeting that I knew we were gonna have. Had the idiot clubhouse manager and the owners out on #1 which was about 75 yards or so long. They had complaints the greens were not holding. LOL I hit 3 balls off that tee with a 56* wedge but had 3 balata balls. Spun all 3 back. They never caught on to the balata balls Finally the owner told the Super well everyone is not as skilled at golf as you guys and the ones that play on Wednesday night. He said we had to set it up for the lesser skilled players. Abut a month later the super left and I was not far behind

[RickyBobby_PR]

I’ve just recently got into watching his videos but remember coming across this one about hitting a straight ball

 

[chisag]

11 hours ago, BIG STU said:

On a couple of holes sometimes he would do some diabolical pin placements for kicks and giggles and we would sit back and watch the old fart tourist hacks putt it.

 

... My muni in Chicago had their Head Pro and friends money game every Wednesday afternoon. I would forget sometimes and was very frustrated with the ridiculous pin placements that went beyond difficult to unfair. I complained to the Head Pro and he said he would look into it but of course nothing changed. About a month later I played with a Dad, his wife and son that had never played the course but were there for his birthday as he always wanted to play there. High index players that struggle with routine pin placements so the impossible pins made for a day that was most certainly not fun for any of us. He didn't want to pick up and putted everything out with the exception of the worst pin that literally was on a downslope and the only way the ball was going to stop was falling in the hole. After multiple attempts with the same results he finally picked up. After the round he said he wished he hadn't played the course for his birthday and would never come back. 

... So I went straight to the Head of the Park District that I knew from our kids playing football and it was bad enough when he heard that my playing pards and I would not play there on Wednesdays and had told the Pro. Talk about an a$$ chewing. He played the next Wednesday to see for himself and he was furious that anyone would set up a course to turn customers away. They did OK financially but could not afford to lose customers. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

20 hours ago, Kenny B said:

Sounds like we play about the same, so I should be scratch too!!   Maybe in a few more years... Oh wait!!  I don't have that many years left!

Well then get it done this year. 

[Kenny B]

1 minute ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

Well then get it done this year. 

Thank you for that!!  However, given my lack of consistent ball striking, I don't see that happening... unfortunately!  I wish I had the same game as I have now... 20 years ago!  I was down to a 7-something hcp when I joined MGS but the knee surgeries and age cost me distance, and my hcp started going up.

[Tom the Golf Nut]

20 hours ago, Kenny B said:

I've played Dead Horse Lake many times with my buddy when I traveled to Knoxville.  Not to far from the hotel I was staying at so we could hit it after work.

That reminds me. I thought you were coming to TN sometime in June. Your late! 

[Kenny B]

3 minutes ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

That reminds me. I thought you were coming to TN sometime in June. Your late! 

I was.  Sorry!  Planning the MGS PNW Outing got in the way, getting deconstruction of my hitting bay underway, rising airline and gas prices, flights being canceled, etc., etc.  

My new bonus room/hitting bay added on to my house should be completed in a month or so (starting a thread on that soon).  I decided to see if travel got back to near normal by this fall and hopefully avoid the summer swelter.  This old body doesn't like humid!!  Going to try late September or early October and I will let you and Jason know my plans.

[sirchunksalot]

5 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

I was.  Sorry!  Planning the MGS PNW Outing got in the way, getting deconstruction of my hitting bay underway, rising airline and gas prices, flights being canceled, etc., etc.  

My new bonus room/hitting bay added on to my house should be completed in a month or so (starting a thread on that soon).  I decided to see if travel got back to near normal by this fall and hopefully avoid the summer swelter.  This old body doesn't like humid!!  Going to try late September or early October and I will let you and Jason know my plans.

That would be awesome! I'd love the chance to get out on the course with the two of you. I can't say I blame you for not liking the humidity, I was of all last week and couldn't bring myself to get out of the house due to 105+ heat indexes. I was pouring sweat every time I so much as looked outside. 

Best of luck with the hitting bay! I'm looking forward to seeing photos of the construction (stay off ladders) and reading about it. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

20 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

 I can't say I blame you for not liking the humidity, I was of all last week and couldn't bring myself to get out of the house due to 105+ heat indexes. I was pouring sweat every time I so much as looked outside.  

And I was a dumb arss and decided to walk the course with the Motocaddy. Not one of my better decisions. But I have lost another 3 pounds. 

[Kenny B]

31 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

 Best of luck with the hitting bay! I'm looking forward to seeing photos of the construction (stay off ladders) and reading about it. 

No ladders!!  I'm not doing any of it.  Did you know that you can hire people to do that?  

[chisag]

5 hours ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

And I was a dumb arss and decided to walk the course with the Motocaddy. Not one of my better decisions. But I have lost another 3 pounds. 

 

... Just be smart as you ain't a young man and heat stroke is no joke. Hottest I ever played was 103* in Chicago with high humidity when I was in my 40's and I vowed never to do it again. In contrast 114* is my limit here when humidity is below 20%. Anything above 19% and I am not gonna play. 

[BIG STU]

8 hours ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

And I was a dumb arss and decided to walk the course with the Motocaddy. Not one of my better decisions. But I have lost another 3 pounds. 

And I bet R2 D2 aint missed a beat yet. You will not believe this---- With the rain etc our greens and fairways have came in good. Played a vintage 9 hole dew sweeper round Monday. Greens had just been cut and they rolled great. Being a vintage / experimental round I had a plethera of sticks in the bag. Had a Spalding TP Mills #7 in the bag which resembles a 8802. It was rolling the rock.Chuck and AJ both told me if the cart barn was open grab the first cart and go pay them later. Now the course was soaked Monday and was CPO. It rained Monday night and last night so I do not know for now if the Mens groups have called off if they have then they will not open. Used to be I would walk my 7 club rounds anyhow now days walking is out for me. I will swing over about 6:30 or so and see if they are open I will get at it

[Tom the Golf Nut]

12 hours ago, Kenny B said:

No ladders!!  I'm not doing any of it.  Did you know that you can hire people to do that?  

WHAT!!! You can hire people to do that stuff? I'm going to have to have a long talk with my 90 year old dad. He always taught me that I had to do everything myself. He still does! 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

7 hours ago, chisag said:

 

... Just be smart as you ain't a young man and heat stroke is no joke. Hottest I ever played was 103* in Chicago with high humidity when I was in my 40's and I vowed never to do it again. In contrast 114* is my limit here when humidity is below 20%. Anything above 19% and I am not gonna play. 

Yup! I have gone to a riding cart for July and August. You can't get away from the humidity here. You just have to deal with it. We had 15" of rain in the last 24 hours the humidity is at 94% right now but at least the temperature is only getting to 83 degrees today. It was 90 yesterday. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

3 hours ago, BIG STU said:

And I bet R2 D2 aint missed a beat yet. You will not believe this---- With the rain etc our greens and fairways have came in good.

Motocaddy is doing great. I'm glad to hear your course is getting better.  She needed some TLC. 

[chisag]

3 hours ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

Yup! I have gone to a riding cart for July and August. You can't get away from the humidity here. You just have to deal with it. We had 15" of rain in the last 24 hours the humidity is at 94% right now but at least the temperature is only getting to 83 degrees today. It was 90 yesterday. 

 

... Yup, same here. Once the temps get above 100* they usually don't drop below that til late September/October so I take a cart. But of course the old cliche applies, it is a dry heat so I can play up to 114* and anything over that is day off. Back in the humid midwest and right next to the small ocean called Lake Michigan, 95* with high humidity was about as hot as I wanted to play. 

[TheCanadianBogeyman]

All of my life I have had a fade at best, but more often a slice if I wasn't swinging well.  Over the past winter I put in a fair bit of work and lessons to change my shot shape.  The goal wasn't really to hit a draw, but more to stop hitting a slice.  So I ended up shallowing out my swing and fixing my path and club face position.  Now once in a while I can still hit an impressive slice, but now my usual miss is a pull hook.  I've sort of overcorrected.  I really like hitting a draw now, and play expecting that shape, but I don't really approach holes differently.  So when I step up to a hole I don't really try and take one side out of play based on shot shape, I just aim slightly more right or left depending where I want my bail out to be, and hit as good a shot as I can.  My aim point allows me to be safe as long as I hit a tight draw or fade.  If I slice/hook, I may be ok, or I may be screwed, but I accept that it was due to a poor swing and I probably wouldn't be much better off if I was trying to account for it.  I don't have the ability to really work the ball left or right, so I just try and play to where a slight shape either way is acceptable.

[Micah T]

My shape has evolved as I’ve improved, but I tend to agree with @RickyBobby_PR. As a mid handicap I played a fade that would veer into a slice when not striking it well. Since I’ve broken into single digits, my practice has been solely focused on hitting draws, driver to wedge. Does that mean I hit draws when I play? Sometimes yes, but really what all that practice does is keep me hitting nice, tight, 3 yards cuts. For me, the harder I swing, the more my natural shape comes out. If I’m going to swing my driver all-out, I’m going to set up for a fade. If I need a draw, or I need to play away from the right side, I’m going to my stock controlled swing which allows me to hit a draw.

I’m a firm believer that working on whatever is the opposite of your dominant shape will help you hit straighter, more on-target shots.