JerryB's "Gettin' Better" thread

[RickyBobby_PR]

3 minutes ago, JerryB said:

This is exactly why I started this thread; to get called out when I start dogging it.  I moved some things around in the garage and should be good.  On that note, I tore up my hands on deadlift day over the weekend so it'll be a few days until I can grip a club properly.

Does anyone have a suggestion for one of those swing analyzer tools or something else that would give me feedback on film?

V1 or technique will probably be best for that. 

[JerryB]

Last weekend I did some heavy trap bar deadlift work.  I was able to pull 500 for a double, then dropped the weight and did a bunch of volume work and managed to tear up my hands in the process.  Couldn't grip a club properly all week .

All week I felt less than stellar but set rep PRs on all four of my main lifts.  

On the golf front, Owen talked me into buying a new putting mat and driving mat under the guise of our gifts for each other.  Once those are here I'll be able to practice in earnest.  In the meantime I'm trying to figure out my setup in terms of getting my lower body more upright so I'm not swinging from my heels as much.  Weird feeling.

[JerryB]

Was messing around with the swing weight scale I'd gotten over the summer and checked my gamers.  Assuming for a moment that I know what I'm doing, here are the measurements I got:

Driver  D4

3 wood D0.5

7 wood C7.5

Hybrid D0.5

5 iron D4.5

6 iron D4.75

7 iron D4.5

8 iron D4

9 iron D4

PW D5.75

50° D4.5

56° D7

60° D7

 

I'm not really sure what to make of all this.  I'd guess my irons look within operator error (me) and are pretty good.  Wedges look decent enough too but maybe I should put a little tape on the 50°, no?

The longer sticks...they seem pretty all over the place.  The 7 wood kinda jives with my feels now that I think about it; it's always felt pretty light, comparatively.  Feels like I should at least add a little weight to bring it in line with the 3 and hybrid.

I was surprised by how time consuming this was.  Dabbling back and forth to get the scale to balance took some effort.  

Edited December 7, 2022 by JerryB

[Hakr4ever]

Just keep doing golf stuff. Remember, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it! The more stretching and hip/shoulder separation exercises you do, the better your shoulder turns will be, which equals more distance.

[ChuckZ]

Wish I could do physical things that could help my game.  Hips partially bone on bone and back degenerative disease and not improving.  Have had surgery and am glad I can play.  Hips not bad enough for replacement yet but walking is a real *****.  Found out a few years ago that I have pulmonary issues from of smoking and living in the pines.  Kinda puts extra pressure on the old heart.  The Drs have said just hop on a cart and do your best.  Kinda eliminates workouts and a lot of time at the range.  At 76, do a little warm up and go out and have fun, shoot in the mid 80 to 90s.  Just enjoy my 17 handicap at this point in life.  Have a coach that keeps me lined up and my tempo below warp speed.   Can still put some pop in my clubs, better than 98% my age.  We can always hope better, but I just enjoy what I can do and have fun.  If the steriod shots and ibuprofen can keep the pain down, I might be able to throw in a low 80 every now and then.  Take care of yourself while you are young.      

[MacTourney]

12 minutes ago, ChuckZ said:

  Have a coach that keeps me lined up and my tempo below warp speed.   .      

Well, you have more than half the battle in your grasp so carry on, carry on, take no prisoners, and continue having fun.  Great post!

[JerryB]

Was a weird week in the gym.  Soon after starting on Monday I had to leave to pick up a sick kid.  On Tuesday I got a really late start but was killing it on deadlifts to the point that I went off program a bit and set a few rep PRs.  Then (TMI) I tried to lift a new max and midway I felt the urge to puke.  I dropped it and held composure but that was it for me.  Bench day and squat day we're solid volume days but I just felt like I had nothing to give.  Went back yesterday and still wasn't feeling it so I rode the bike for an hour and called it a day.

Almost finished reading The Match by Mark Frost.  Pretty interesting book about a match between Hogan and Nelson against Ward and Venturi.  Our putting mat arrived the other day and the driving mat is supposed to be here tomorrow.  Been taking a few swings as I pass the net but nothing too substantial.

[JerryB]

More of the same this past week.  A different sick kid and with the weather getting colder my wife's fibromyalgia has been flaring badly.  Hit the gym enough, during odd hours, to hit my four main lifts and get out.  Still getting rep PRs, so that's good.  I'm expecting the next two weeks to be pretty funky as well.  No excuses, just...well, ok, excuses.  But, y'know, life (shrugs).

Driving mat came last week and I was planning on opening it on Christmas but Owen was antsy so he and my wife opened it up on Friday.  Been sitting in the kitchen to flatten out and it's quickly become the favorite resting spot for one of the dogs.

I already put in a lot of time into golf, but man... every now and then I wish I had no responsibilities and could golf all day every day!

[Tom the Golf Nut]

9 hours ago, JerryB said:

I already put in a lot of time into golf, but man... every now and then I wish I had no responsibilities and could golf all day every day!

I have a lot of responsibilities as well,  but fortunately part of my job involves playing golf in outings and with customers. Add in the twice a week I normally play and it gets me to a point in time where I look forward to a break.  It was always January and February. Now that I moved to a slightly warmer area I’ll just have to see if I take a break or not.

With the move, I already had three weeks off from playing and I’m antsy to get out and play some new courses in the area and join a club.

[JerryB]

15 hours ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

With the move, I already had three weeks off from playing and I’m antsy to get out and play some new courses in the area and join a club.

And I'm looking forward to hearing about it!

[JerryB]

Another "get in and get out" week in the gym.  With the weather rolling through and some other general goings-on, I hit the gym when I could.  Set rep PRs for bench and overhead press and did the minimum for deadlift and squat.  

On the plus side, the garage is a mess as we're pulling things out for winter but I've got my driving and putting mats out, just need to get everything situated.

After clearing the driveway I decided to take a few swings.  Felt like I absolutely pured my third shot although it sounded a little off.  Turned out a sub zero garage may not have been the best place to hit balls.

I'm not using my gamer clubs or any good balls, but still... guess I need to warm things up a bit before playing!

And this is just a gratuitous shot of the dogs because why not??

[Kenny B]

15 hours ago, JerryB said:

Another "get in and get out" week in the gym.  With the weather rolling through and some other general goings-on, I hit the gym when I could.  Set rep PRs for bench and overhead press and did the minimum for deadlift and squat.  

On the plus side, the garage is a mess as we're pulling things out for winter but I've got my driving and putting mats out, just need to get everything situated.

After clearing the driveway I decided to take a few swings.  Felt like I absolutely pured my third shot although it sounded a little off.  Turned out a sub zero garage may not have been the best place to hit balls.

I'm not using my gamer clubs or any good balls, but still... guess I need to warm things up a bit before playing!

And this is just a gratuitous shot of the dogs because why not??

Be careful hitting worn, scuffed balls into the net.  Rough surface and spin will tear up a net prematurely.  I suggest buying a dozen new balls from Walmart or wherever; get ones you like.  Only hit a couple of them; replace with new ones when they start to look worn; then take those the course.  Your net will thank you!

[JerryB]

On 12/24/2022 at 11:03 AM, Kenny B said:

Be careful hitting worn, scuffed balls into the net.  Rough surface and spin will tear up a net prematurely.  I suggest buying a dozen new balls from Walmart or wherever; get ones you like.  Only hit a couple of them; replace with new ones when they start to look worn; then take those the course.  Your net will thank you!

Do you think the ball matters much?  I have about thirty mostly new-in-box older lady balls (not a phrase I thought I would say), or am I just being cheap?

[JerryB]

Ugh, it's been a week.  Tuesday was deadlift day and it was a struggle.  Wednesday was an off day but I felt awful by the end of work.  Wound up calling in on Thursday and Friday with a non-covid illness that knocked me on my butt. 

Woke up today feeling better but I feel it lingering.  Despite our best efforts to isolate it appears to have hit my wife this evening too.  Owen and I were planning on sneaking over to the course tomorrow or Monday to scratch the itch but that may have to be put on hold.

Now that the holidays are past, it's all uphill from here, right?

Umm... right??

 

[Kenny B]

11 hours ago, JerryB said:

Do you think the ball matters much?  I have about thirty mostly new-in-box older lady balls (not a phrase I thought I would say), or am I just being cheap?

Hitting into a net... No, it won't make a difference.  Might even spin a little less and cause less wear.  Callaway Supersoft were my goto for my net.  Now with my hitting bay and launch monitor, I'm using only my gamer ball... Maxfli Tour X so I can get the spin and launch numbers.

[JerryB]

Owen and I did manage to get out to the course twice last weekend.  First time was fun, second time felt forced and we called it early.  I'm coming to the realization that cold weather golf is just not for me.  If I have to start layering up to golf then it's no longer fun.  Throwing on a quarter zip is one thing, but if I need pants more than once in a blue moon...meh.

That said, I have spent a little time with the hitting net but mostly working on slow rotational work rather than live hitting.  Still hitting the gym although that illness from last week has lingered in my lungs a bit and is messing with my work capacity.  Still managed to hit rep PRs on three of my four main lifts.

[JerryB]

Took some cuts into the net with my 8 iron today and had a bit of an "ah-ha" moment where I really narrowed my stance and gripped down as far as possible.  Tried to stand more upright and hinge more at the waist.  Contact was much more consistent.  Forgot to charge the launch monitor so I'm not sure how the numbers look but I did try filming from a couple angles.  Doubly helpful because I've now discovered the hole in my shirt

 

 

Side note, watching myself makes me think of this:. 

 

Also got me thinking about a hypothetical scenario:  If you lost 25% of your yardages but cut your dispersion in half, would you take that?  At some point the tradeoff wouldn't be worth it but I think at my level it would be.  Knowing that, would I actually accept it?  I'm not sure...

[cnosil]

11 minutes ago, JerryB said:

note, watching myself makes me think of this:. 

Also got me thinking about a hypothetical scenario:  If you lost 25% of your yardages but cut your dispersion in half, would you take that?  At some point the tradeoff wouldn't be worth it but I think at my level it would be.  Knowing that, would I actually accept it?  I'm not sure...

IMO, that is a multi faceted discussion.  
1. the closer you are to the hole the higher lofted club you can take which should have a smaller dispersion than a longer club. Longer club means less greens and potentially higher scores.

2. if my shots result in lots of penalties or having to pitch back to a playable location then yes because I reduce the penalties which is just giving up strokes 

There was a post on here a while back by someone that used to coach me that said something along the lines of higher handicap players could break 100/90 threshold by playing a club that could go 150ish off the tee and they could keep in play  and then keeping the ball low and get it on the green and 2 putt.  He said people often reject that approach simply because they view it as  it playing proper golf.  
 

If you fall into scenario 2 and want to score as low as you can then yes I would cut my dispersion and give up hitting the ball as far as I could   

 

 

 

[cnosil]

@JerryB found the post I referenced above

 

[Kenny B]

18 hours ago, JerryB said:

Took some cuts into the net with my 8 iron today and had a bit of an "ah-ha" moment where I really narrowed my stance and gripped down as far as possible.  Tried to stand more upright and hinge more at the waist.  Contact was much more consistent.  Forgot to charge the launch monitor so I'm not sure how the numbers look but I did try filming from a couple angles.  Doubly helpful because I've now discovered the hole in my shirt

 

 

Side note, watching myself makes me think of this:. 

 

Also got me thinking about a hypothetical scenario:  If you lost 25% of your yardages but cut your dispersion in half, would you take that?  At some point the tradeoff wouldn't be worth it but I think at my level it would be.  Knowing that, would I actually accept it?  I'm not sure...

I agree with @RickyBobby_PR's assessment of your swing from the Practice thread.  Like so many of us when we began playing golf, the initial move always seems to be to swing the club too far to the inside with minimal lower body rotation.  Nothing good can happen from there; the common outcome is over-the-top move in the downswing.  

Gripping down on the club and bending over that much combined with collapsing arms and little rotation means that the swing has no width and depth, so loss of power.  After getting your grip and posture properly set, the first move should be rotation of the lower body keeping the club head more in front of you as you rotate.  At left arm parallel the club should be about 90º to the arm.  From this position the backswing is just more rotation with the upper body, and the right arm more bent like you are carrying a server's tray with glasses on it.  Your right arm is almost parallel to the ground!!

@cksurfdude's suggestion of checking Monte's Instagram page for his demonstrations of his No Turn Cast video.  He demonstrates the proper positions to achieve and provides drills on how to get there.  It's worth it to buy the video (about $30) and you can play it over and over as many times as needed to get in the correct positions to make your best swing.