My quest to break 100

[sparnar]

Hi spies

I decided I might be more committed if I start documenting my road to breaking 100.

 

First off, I am currently a 29 handicap (and have recently been in danger of it going above 30). Earlier this year, I decided to take my golf more seriously. I try to play at least once a month, and while my work kept my very busy over the last 4 months, I also try to get to the range once a week.

 

After I decided to take my golf a bit more seriously, I upgraded my irons to Mizuno MP-53s, which I'm striking quite well. I replaced the 3i and 4i with some hybrids, and also bag a driver and 4w. The 4w haven't seen any action at all on the course, and the driver only sees daylight a very limited few times on the course.

 

I took some lessons earlier in the year, and this help alot. Unfortunately my work got very busy, and I haven't been able to ingrain everything we worked on.

 

That's just a bit of background.

 

My best round this year was a even 100. On that day I drove very well, actually hitting something like 9 fairways with my driver (a big anomaly). I did three putt something like 6 times on the day, including a 4 putt. Greens were quite fast, and my confidence with the flat stick was low.

 

This Saturday I played 18, and shot 101 without ever thinking that I was playing great.

 

I only managed to hit about 4 FIR, and 4 GIR (2 of which were on Par3s). Unfortunately on 3 of those GIRs, I had three-putts which were a little disheartening. I can't seem to make more than a single par in a round.

 

In this round I had the single par, 8 bogeys, 5 doubles and 4 triples. Also took a penalty 7 times in the round with balls going OB.

 

So there is more than enough room for improvement. I still feel that I need to make sure my tee shots get me into a decent position. I feel quite confident playing from about 150m and in (I was 6 over on the six par 3s for the round, but 14 over on seven par 4s, and 10 over on the five par 5s).

 

On Saturday I was doing reasonably well with my 3H off the tee, but I wanted to hit the driver a few times to get the confidence back up with it. With the driver, I still find that I try to crush the ball and end up just making a really crappy swing. During that round of 100, I was gripping it down, and swing at around 70%. I also adjusted for my normal left to right ball flight on the day, and it worked very nicely on a open course.

 

This past Saturday, the course was much tighter, and I didn't quite make the same smooth swings. I am working on it though.

 

Let me know if you have any thoughts.

[sparnar]

A few more things to add from this past Saturday's round.

 

1. After the first 3 holes I was 3 over, and was playing decently. It didn't even feel like I was playing well. I played the last 6 holes in 14 over, with 3 triple bogeys.

 

2. Second nine, I was 4 over after 4 holes, and again didn't feel like I was lighting up the course or anything. But then proceeded to play the last 5 holes at 9 over. Much better than the front 9, but I felt I could have done even better.

 

3. One thing I felt I did quite well, was that on some tee shots I clearly stated my intent in my mind. I picked a starting spot, and told myself that I would fade it from spot A to spot B. I made sure that I was very intent on these two spots. This helped me alot, and even though my shots didn't start and finish in those exact spots, this focus really helped me get the ball close to the general line I had picked.

 

4. When putting, I also tried to focus on a specific spot in or at the hole. At times, on the shorter putts, I tried to focus on a marking inside the cup, or a specific blade of grass, and this really worked well. On the last hole, I had a 5 footer, with a bit of a right-to-left curve on it. I picked the spot where I wanted the ball to enter the cup, and holed the putt for a good up-and-down (made a double bogey on this par 5, after a penalty...)

 

5. My concentration still needs some work, as I didn't have the same clear intent on all my tee shots and all my putts, but I have proved these two techniques to myself now, and will be implementing it more and more.

 

6. Even though I had 4 tree putts, I had 3 one-putts as well. Overall, I was content with my putting. It could have been better, but at least two of those three putts, came after some long, difficult first putts. So I am not get myself down over those ones specifically. Another one of the three-putts, was when I had a second putt from 2 feet that just shaved the hole. Not a bad miss, but a miss all the same. That one should have gone in, and maybe if I had taken more time, it would have gone in.

 

7. I really need to avoid penalties, they are costing me dearly.

 

8. Since my last lesson, I have gotten the hybrids, the FW and new driver. I must make some time to meet my pro, so we can work on my long game, especially off the tee.

 

9. I must make some time, and go spend 2 hours in a bunker, to get rid of my fear of the sand. I only visited one "beach" on Saturday, actually duffed a chip into the bunker, and then proceeded to hit the ball over the green.

 

10. Had a few good chip shots, but must focus more on the landing spot (this relates to the same focus and intent on tee shots and putts).

 

I recently started pulling my shots, whereas my miss was a slice before. So I am not comfortable with compensating for my new miss just yet. I will be checking my fundamentals with my pro, hopefully over the weekend, to see if something has drifted off. I've got this feeling that my shoulders are a bit open, but it is tough to verify without someone checking it for me.

 

Thanks for providing me with a place to ramble and put these things down.

[sparnar]

I think another contributing factor in my last score, was that this was my 2nd round in about 10 days. I've found that playing semi-regularly (I know this is relative), seems to help alot.

[Tyk]

Think about it, if you just cut down the penalty strokes and improve your putting, you'd break 90, not 100! I realize that if it were that easy you'd have done it already! I used to lose alot of balls and now I rarely lose them. The bottom line about how I did that is that I got better at hitting my driver, and stopped hitting it where it was likely to get me in trouble.

 

I suspect you know there's no magic fix, mostly you need to play and practice more! If you can't get to the range or the course, do what you can at home. Work on your putting at home on the carpet (or get a putting matt), practice one handed both right and left, then together. I hit wedges into the back of my couch while I'm watching TV, and I use my sliding glass door as a mirror to practice my takeaway and top position, for me, it beats sitting on the couch!

 

Seems to me like its just a bunch of little things keeping you from your goal, so pick something and put a bit of time into it. When you're playing, don't think about your score if you can help it. Alot of breaking 100,90,80,70 is in your head, give the scorecard to someone else and just focus on making a good swing for 18 holes and see where it gets you.

[revkev]

Great advice from Tyk - I'll try to offer some more, let's see.

 

How committed are you? If we're talking 100 that means 9 fives and 9 sixes - think of that and realize it's not that hard if you're willing to do things like hit 5 or 6 iron off the tee to avoid penalty strokes and the like - I think you'd find that once you get accustomed to scoring in the 90's you could bring the big dog back into play and be fine with it. At first though you'd find yourself hitting way less club than your playing partners and when they hit a succesful shot you might be 100 yards behind them in the fairway. Will your ego allow for that? (This is not an insult just a help in determining the best strategy in accomplishing your goal.)

 

Next and this is the way bigger one - devote all of your practice time on shots from 50 yards in including putting - By laying up off the tee whenever there is trouble and penalty strokes to be found you've eliminated that issue so your focus shifts to the other end of the game - you need this part of the game as your goals increase to breaking 90 and latter on 80 or even 70 any way so why not start now! The short game is where it's at and it's the big equalizer.

 

Once you've accomplished that goal of breaking 100 you can move back towards to proper balance of half long game, half short game for your practice.

 

Good luck!

[GolfSpy WD]

First of all, sparnar it takes guts to journal this, so huge kudos to you. You will make it some day. I've gone through the same thing you are going through and it's frustrating as hell at times, but the scores do drop eventually. Keep us updated, because us high handicappers need to read more posts that don't involve folks getting frustrated because they had a single bogey in their round .

 

A few points of generic advice:

 

1) As Tyk said, practice putting. I still get three putts, but more than not I get twos.

 

2) You can break 100 and still have very bad habits in your swing, leading to a false sense of accomplishment since there will be a wall you hit. Everyone eventually hits a wall, but you want that to be somewhere near scratch and not 90. The point I'm making is I've had to completely re-work my swing and have spent the entire year on it with my scores getting drastically worse at first, so if you are flipping the club or hitting the ball fat, you should work on it before worrying about your score. If your pro has never mentioned these things to you and just keeps giving you bandaids (i.e., close your clubface to hit it straighter), get a new pro.

 

Penalty shots are a product of inconsistent swings, so if you have a good pro working with you, then your goal will quickly become breaking 80, not 100. I'll also say that it just was not possible for me to take online advice and apply it with any consistency because the root problems are still there. I've tried stack and tilt and lots of other methods, including going through two different pros before finding my current instructor.

 

3) You have to get yourself to the course more than once a month and range once a week. I've had to take three weeks off due to work at times and my scores jump at least ten points each time. I try to play at least twice a week and hit the range when I need to fix a swing flaw. I also practice putting at home and have a chipping area in my backyard to work on my short game. When I can't get to the course, I go to the local pitch and putt, which only takes an hour, but lets me work shots 100 yards and in.

[GolfSpy WD]

Next and this is the way bigger one - devote all of your practice time on shots from 50 yards in including putting - By laying up off the tee whenever there is trouble and penalty strokes to be found you've eliminated that issue so your focus shifts to the other end of the game - you need this part of the game as your goals increase to breaking 90 and latter on 80 or even 70 any way so why not start now! The short game is where it's at and it's the big equalizer.

 

I know I'm not a low handicapper, but I'm not sure I agree with this entirely. I agree with the premise of getting good inside 50 yards, however swing flaws which are devastating from 200 yards can be mostly masked inside of 50. So the flaws exist, but you're working around them. But then once you try to fix your long game, your short game gets screwed up again.

 

Tiger is an extreme example. How many times have you heard him say last year that he is working on his long game and his short game (including putting) will follow?

 

This is what happened with me, so it's personal experience that may not apply to others though since I am not naturally athletically gifted. There are certainly people out there who on their own will break 80 and in this case revkev's advice is probably very good. You just have to be realistic with yourself and know whether you are one of those people.

 

Matt probably has the best insight into this argument since he sees all sorts of people in his work.

[Matt Saternus]

 

Matt probably has the best insight into this argument since he sees all sorts of people in his work.

 

Flattery will get you everywhere...

 

I'll start with this: sparnar, if your goal is to shoot under 100, stand on each tee with the goal of making bogey. Hit the ball into the fairway, advance it towards the green, pitch it onto the green, and two putt. Don't try to do any more than that. Hitting driver and going at greens are what leads to penalties and putting yourself in tough positions.

 

Now, in reality, hitting irons off the tee and laying up isn't a lot of fun (unless you're winning money playing that way). So to the question of how do you improve your game: everyone's different (if you read my blog or my posts here, you knew that was coming). I would say that if you have shot 100 already, breaking 100 isn't any kind of stretch. What's your ultimate goal? Shooting in the 80's? Would you be happy in the low 90's?

 

You don't need to be a great driver to shoot in the 80's, you just need to keep it in play. You don't need to be a great iron player to shoot in the 80's, you need to hit a handful of greens and not drown the ball. You don't need to be a great putter, you just need to 2 putt all day long. You don't need a great short game, you just need to be able to find the green consistently from inside 100 yards.

 

You will get the greatest return on investment (a big concept in the Vision 54 books) from working on your weaknesses.

 

As far as the short game/long game thing, you obviously need both to play at a high level. Guys who grew up playing stick and ball sports (baseball, hockey, probably lacrosse) have a big advantage in terms of the coordination required to maintain a good long game without a ton of work. Personally, I grew up playing basketball (totally worthless for golf), so I have to work on my long game more than others. Everyone has to find the balance that suits them.

 

That said, I will repeat something I got from Pelz which I think demonstrates tremendously good thinking about the game:

 

You can make up for a bad drive with a great iron shot.

You can make up for a bad iron shot with a great pitch.

You can make up for a bad pitch with a great putt.

You cannot ever get back a missed putt.

 

As you get closer to the hole, your chances to "make up lost ground" decrease.

 

Hope it helps.

[Kanoito]

Join the club, sparnar!

 

Here is a little tip from me... take it with a grain of salt.

 

I used to think that the aiming line on the ball used when putting was some serious bullshit. Such a waste of time, having to bend down, align, walk away, realign if necessary, etc...

 

Then I decided to try it a couple of weeks ago. Result? I shot a 79. I keep my stats with the Golfshot app (it's free if you don't need the GPS function) so I went to check on what I did differently.

 

I noticed I only had 1 OB, which is very rare (I usually slice the ball OB on 4 or 5 holes).

 

Then I took a look at number of putts... 26 putts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it's all because of that alignment line on the ball. I took the time to bend down, align the ball, stand up, realign if necessary. Once I stood over the ball, the hole was invisible and I just had to trust the line. Of course, this is useless if one can't read the greens or control the pace.

 

I was so excited and went to ask my pro. The basic idea is that the human eye looks at the line differently when standing behind the ball and over the ball. I used to think I had the line, but this thing showed me how wrong I was.

 

Waste of time? Perhaps... but it worked for me and it shaved a shitload of strokes off my game!

[BK in TEXAS]

I know I'm not a low handicapper, but I'm not sure I agree with this entirely. I agree with the premise of getting good inside 50 yards, however swing flaws which are devastating from 200 yards can be mostly masked inside of 50. So the flaws exist, but you're working around them. But then once you try to fix your long game, your short game gets screwed up again.

 

I agree with Kevin on this. It's a different swing inside 50 yards.....actually inside 75 yards for that matter. If you get good inside 75 yards, you'll be finishing out the hole in only 2-3 strokes....1 pitch and 1-2 putts. Now all your left with is getting inside 75 yards in 2 strokes. Even on a 400 yard par 4 that's not too terribly difficult.

[BK in TEXAS]

FWIW....I loved Mickelson's short game DVD......especially the hinge & hold part......it made a big difference in my short game.

[GolfSpy WD]

I agree with Kevin on this. It's a different swing inside 50 yards.....actually inside 75 yards for that matter. If you get good inside 75 yards, you'll be finishing out the hole in only 2-3 strokes....1 pitch and 1-2 putts. Now all your left with is getting inside 75 yards in 2 strokes. Even on a 400 yard par 4 that's not too terribly difficult.

 

Is it a different swing? All my swings are the same, just shorter for half swings or chips. I'm curious if that's true for others or not.

 

I guess the point I'm trying to make here really is understanding your swing flaws rather than blindly getting good at 75 yards in. The short game is a great place to work on not flipping the club because you are moving the club slower. However, you can get decent at the short game with swing flaws, which could come back to bite you later.

[BK in TEXAS]

Is it a different swing? All my swings are the same, just shorter for half swings or chips. I'm curious if that's true for others or not.

Good question.

Ya, pitching/chipping is definitely a different swing for me. I "hinge & hold" inside 75 using either the 50/54/58 wedge depending on what distance/trajectory I need.

[Matt Saternus]

Is it a different swing? All my swings are the same, just shorter for half swings or chips. I'm curious if that's true for others or not.

 

 

It can be different, but it doesn't have to be.

[revkev]

Big shocker here - I disagree that shots under 50 yards mask flaws in fact I believethat they expose them. What's the big deal about a 40 yard miss from 200 yards? You can recover from that so long as you're not OB or in water - Blade one or S........?xo's one from 50 yards and you can miss by that same 40 and now you have 40 yards for par. How often do you make it from 40 yards? How often do you get up and down in 2 from 40 yards?

 

I practiced my short game with a pro today and he remarked on what a beautiful shot game I have - we practice together a lot - this guy is the anti MGS short because he's a member of the hickory shaft society - but I like him - he let me hit his 1928 sand wedge today. That club's weight is F 10 - talk about bizarre - I hit a pitch with it to inside of 10 feet from 40 yards and then got it out of a bunker - 1928 - history - what a great club to get to swing.

 

Back on topic - Making bogey's is what this is about - can you find a plan to make bogey on every hole because now you're thinking about breaking 90.

 

Think about that.

[sparnar]

Wow! I don't even know where to start thanking everyone!

 

I was hoping that I could use this thread as a bit of a journal (detailing things that work, things that don't, and improvements in certain areas). And maybe another high handicapper can read it one day, and find it useful.

 

Tyk, thanks for your comments. I think right now my game from the tee, is holding me back. I do have the discipline to keep the driver in the bag on holes where I see trouble down the right side (I still have a slice with the big stick). So I am getting there in eliminating tee shot problems. I am fairly confident with my 3H off the tee, and can get it around the 200yd mark, maybe 220yd if the stars align. I do still slice it, but not half as bad as the driver. Problem is I have started hooking some shots as well, so I find it difficult to play to my miss (with one miss being right, and another being left). But I am hoping to see my pro this weekend, to check my fundamentals. I think it might just be a slight tweak on my alignment, and grip. Hoping that fixes it.

 

You'll be glad to hear that I have a putting green at home, although it doesn't see as much action as it should. I'll definitely try to roll some more putts. And I do a little bit of chipping with birdieballs in my garden (but it is a very small garden).

 

And another thing which I have become much better at recently, is to not think about score at all. A few months ago I would tally up the score on the 17th tee, and having 10 shots to break 100, would promptly make a 6 and a 8 to fail in reaching my target. These days I don't even add up the score at halfway, I only count my strokes when all is said and done. This alone has already made a big difference.

[sparnar]

revkev, thanks for the advice. I don't get to the short game practice area enough, as you can see from my previous posts in this thread, I barely get to the range once a week. And that is usually around 7PM when the little one is asleep. I'm lucky enough to live down the road from a range with pretty good spotlights (good enough that I can follow a ball hit by the driver pretty much up until it landing).

 

I do some chipping in the yard with birdieballs. I have found that my short game is pretty okay for someone shooting 100 plus. I don't duff most chips, I am really concentrating on not decelarating, which has been a problem of mine. And now that I focus (I mean, really try to focus) on my landing spot, I find that my chip shots result in some decent shots. I don't get it inside 5 feet necessarily, but I don't chunk it or skull it, like a lot of players of my calibre. Sure, it can improve a whole lot. But if I'm greenside, I am fairly confident that I can get it up and down maybe 2 times out of 10, and the rest of the time I should be up and down in three. I know this is not great, and can potentially save me a few strokes, I think right now penalties, and smarter play might save me more.

 

The one exception on the short game, is bunker play. I really need to improve on this. I don't hit the green nearly enough, and in larger bunkers I don't always exit on the first try. Luckily I do have a bit of a knack of avoiding bunkers, I do try to play away from them on approaches.

 

As for my ego, it is fine when playing with people I don't know. But when I play with my friends, the ego takes over, and I seem a bit stressed out if I'm way behind in the fairway. I usually hit 3H off the tee, to my friend's drivers. I have some friends who drive really well(but their short games are lacking, so I make up some strokes there...).

 

I don't approach any greens from more than 165 yds out. When I'm striking the ball well, I can hit my 7i pretty much that distance. But if there is trouble in front of the green, I'll opt for my 6i from that distance.

 

Anything more than that on an approach, and I'm looking for trouble.

 

My pitch shots from about 90yds out, are fairly decent. I can hit the green. But I think my fundamentals are a little bit off, I keep pulling the shots to the left. I will be seeing my pro soon, to check these out.

 

Thanks again for the comments.

[sparnar]

Thanks for the tips, wdgolf.

 

I have definitely experienced that my play improves drastically if I can make it to the range more often. Unfortunately it is very hard to make time of the range at the moment, I have a 7 month old baby boy, and the wife is very busy at work. So while my golf is very important, the family is even more so. I do try to get at least one range session in a few days prior, if I know I'm playing.

 

One thing that I'm quite proud of, is that I can dissociate the range session from the playing session, in the sense that if the range session doesn't go as well as I would have liked, I can forget about when I get to the course. A while back that would really get me down, and make me quite nervous on the first tee.

[sparnar]

Hi Matt

Thank you for the questions, and the advice.

 

My very short term (immediate, really...) goal is to break 100, and to consistently stay under 100.

 

I would love to shoot in the 80s, and thinking about it, I think shooting mid 80s (with perhaps some low 80s on a good day), would most likely be my ceiling. I have a bit of ballsense, in that I played rugby (american football, without pads, if you like..), squash, cricket, etc at school. But I wasn't a star in any of those. So I would rate my athletic ability as just slightly above average.

 

I do feel that my short game can become quite good. I have always been a feel type of player around the greens, and if I can practice reasonably often (realistically speaking maybe twice a week), and maybe play twice a month, I think my short game would be sharper. My putting is also progressing quite well, even though 4 three putts is still too many. But I have been pulling my pitch shots, which sometimes leaves me with a 30 foot plus first putt. In this scenario it is quite easy to miss by 5/6 feet, and those putts right now are going in less than half the time. I am building my confidence on those though, and I feel very confident from three feet. I have also managed to sink a few good 4, and 5 footers on the course, so I am getting there.

 

Definitely looking at implementing the Vision54 stuff.

 

My primary focus right now, is to eliminate the penalties. That could easily get me under 100. With some smarter thinking on the course, and some good focus, I am hoping that I'll be around the 95 mark or so. In my last round I shot a 48 on the second nine, without feeling in complete control (nowhere near it), so I feel like I might get close to 95 on a good day, at my current level of skill.

 

I do think that concentration is another weakpoint of mine. Over my last round, I had good focus on some tee shots and some putts, and could really see some great results. But I can't quite apply it on every shot yet, my concentration wavers too easily. I think this goes hand in hand with the penalties I am currently taking, and also on some putts that might be just a little too sloppy (if my first putt is around the 10 foot mark, I perhaps don't give it enough attention, thinking easy 2 putt, instead of makeable 1 putt).

 

thanks again for the advice.

[sparnar]

stevenhw8, Thanks for the tip.

 

It is something that I have read a million times, and see on the tv every time I watch golf, and when I play golf. Yet I have been less than eager in implementing it.

 

I can see all the advantages, and I understand why it would work. I've just been a bit lazy in trying it. Now that I have read the Vision54 books, I think doing this exact thing might help me focus more on each putt. And I am pretty sure it will help my green reading alot, which I have always felt is lacking just a bit.

 

My green reading has become a bit better recently though, probably mostly because of more regular play than in the past.

 

I do feel though, that I am more of a instinct type player. My current putting routine involves trying to spot the low points when walking up to the green. While I am waiting for my turn, I'll clean my ball, and watch the other players putts to see if my initial read of the low point was correct, and to get some idea of speed and break.

 

Once I am ready to putt, I take about 3-5 practice strokes standing next to my ball, looking at the hole. I have found that making these practice strokes while looking at the hole gives me a good feel of the stroke I need.

 

I also aim at getting the ball to the hole, and would aim for a entry point on the hole. I don't aim for two balls right, or for a certain spot where the putt would starting to break.

 

In a way, I think that is why I have been a little lazy in using the alignment marker.

[sparnar]

Thanks, BK! I had a couple of short game lessons with my pro a few months back, and I was amazed at how much it helped knowing the techinical aspects of chipping vs pitching. same goes for lob shots and bunker shots, even though I don't use the lob shot, and I suck at bunker play. But knowing the techniques for each, and focusing on not decelarating, has helped me eliminate my duffs almost completely.

 

I just want to point out, that when I say I focus on not decelarating, I am really telling myself to accelerate through the ball (with that whole negative vs positive thoughts thing...). But I am a little tentative in saying that I accelerate through the ball, it really is more of a constant swing speed on chips. Not sure if I'm making sense?

 

I'm not 100% familiar with the hinge and hold, but I think it is close to what I'm doing when chipping. It is basically have some preset hinge (with some forward shaft lean) at address? And not unhinging on the downswing right?

 

I have implemented this with chipping, coupled with the thought of the grip end being 'connected to my left hip'. In my pitch shots I also try to not unhinge, but when I have to hit a shot of more than about 30 yards, the hinge comes back.

 

I'll have to see if I can hinge and hold on longer shots. It sounds like it would be more consistent.

 

The one gap I still have in my bag (excuse the pun), is the gap wedge. Foolishly got the LW, before the GW. And I don't really use the LW on the course, so I really should have got the GW first.

[sparnar]

Thanks for the message, Richard!

 

Earlier in the year I managed to see my pro almost once a week on average, and towards the end (when I were able to repeat the slight changes we had made), I could definitely tell that I was getting better.

 

Now that I haven't been to see the pro recently, I have a little bit of doubt creeping in on my fundamentals, as I know have a new miss (which is a pull, as opposed to my slice before). But I'll be visiting him this week, to have a look at the basics.

 

And I am hoping to get a long game lesson next week. The pro and I need to work on my tee shots. I am still not as confident when walking up to the tee box, as I would like to be.

[sparnar]

revkev, thanks for the bogey tip. I have read the same thing on a few places.

 

Again, my ego will need some work, to allow me to play this way. But I will definitely give it a bash.

 

The bogey concept makes golf sound so very simple!

 

To all the posters so far, thanks again, and excuse my lengthy replies to everyone. Was a bit surprised to see so many quality responses, and I thought each of you deserved some kind of reply.

[Kanoito]

I do feel though, that I am more of a instinct type player. My current putting routine involves trying to spot the low points when walking up to the green. While I am waiting for my turn, I'll clean my ball, and watch the other players putts to see if my initial read of the low point was correct, and to get some idea of speed and break.

 

Once I am ready to putt, I take about 3-5 practice strokes standing next to my ball, looking at the hole. I have found that making these practice strokes while looking at the hole gives me a good feel of the stroke I need.

 

I'm just like you man. I read the green when I'm walking towards my ball. Don't take more than 3 seconds and I like to believe I have the line. Believe it or not, video games have helped me a great ton when it comes to trajectory, green reading, speed, etc.

 

There is nothing wrong with making quick reads and relying on instinct. It works for you, it works for me too!

 

But the point of the alignment aid is keeping that line for you even after we've changed positions. Let's say the line is 100% correct when we are standing behind the ball. Once we stand over it, the line is gone, but our eyes/brain tricks us into thinking we got the same line... and we end up putting on the wrong line.

 

Practice strokes while looking at the hole are a good drill for pace and speed. That's also part of my routine.

 

Would love to hear how it works out for you.

[GolfSpy WD]

Really all I'm (poorly) saying is don't practice blindly, whether it's short game or otherwise. Ask your pro if you are flipping the club at impact or hitting it fat because nearly everyone who isn't low handicap does it. Then, when you practice, focus on making proper contact. In my first and second year of playing, I practiced my short game as often as anything else, but had a very poor swing and it didn't help whatsoever. Now when I practice, I do feel I'm actually improving because I can measure my results based on how I hit the ball and what my instructor tells me about my swing.

 

Also, if you have a putting green at home, practice it daily and you'll be in the 90s. Put something underneath it so it's not perfectly flat at times too. I find a lot more satisfaction in sinking a 20 footer than hitting it 280 yards.

 

Sorry for de-railing your thread sparnar

[sparnar]

Thanks, stevenhw8 and wdgolf!

 

Last night I pulled out the putting mat at home, and practiced putting for nearly an hour.

 

I've got the 13.5 foot Birdieball putting green, and have marked out the distance at 1 foot intervals up to 9 feet.

 

I took 4 balls, and started off at 3 feet.

 

First off, I hit 4 normal putts. Then I hit 4 putts while looking at the hole. Then 4 putts with eyes closed. Then 4 putts with leading hand only, after that 4 putts with trailing hand only. And finished off with 4 normal putts.

 

I did the same thing at 4, 5, 6 and 7 feet. I found that at 7 feet I get a little more inconsistent with the one handed putts, especially the leading hand putts.

 

When I went through all those putts, I did the old 3 putts from 3 feet, then 3 putts from 6 feet, and finally 3 putts from 9 feet (starting over if I miss any). It took me about 4 tries to sink all 9 putts in a row, which is pretty much a new "lowest number of attempts" before getting it done.

 

One thing I'll mention, is that I am putting on a tile floor, and I have placed a single piece of paper towel underneath the hole. This absorbs a little bit of the sound (while baby is sleeping), and it also makes it slightly less likely to bounce out of the hole.

 

I also don't give myself any putts while doing these drills. If I miss one because it jumped out of the hole, or I miss one because it didn't make it over the slight ridge of the cup, it is a miss and I don't count it. It hurts at times, but it forces me concentrate real hard on pace.

 

I did these drills without using the alignment lines on the ball. But next time round, I will be trying to get used to aligning the putt before hitting it.

 

For any high handicappers reading this, you would be surprised how many putts you can make while looking at the hole, or with your eyes closed. I was sinking 80% of the putts while looking at the hole from 3,4,5 and 6 feet. And probably around 65% ish of the eyes closed putts from the same distances (combined average, at three feet, I was making all of them).

 

And trying the putts with only one hand, gives you a really good indication of what the role is of each hand.

[sparnar]

wdgolf, no need to worry. You're most definitely not derailing the thread, your tips are adding some real value to it!

 

Any advice is most welcome.

[RoverRick]

I was off playing in Florida with RevKev when you started this thread, but now I will weigh in with my thoughts. Kevin mentioned this thread and I have to agree with what he said yesterday. Eliminate the penalty strokes and work on putting and short game. Case in point, twice yesterday on par 5's I never touched the fairway.

 

Once i went way left, then hit out of the trees across the fairway in the woods down the other side, then out of the woods in the rough near the green, chipped near the hole and made the putt. Kevin hit his third into the bunker than hit a great shot near the hole for a par also. Several times both of us relied on our short game to save the hole.

 

Before I went to Florida, when ever someone heard I was going and was to play golf, they said the same thing, "Take plenty of golf balls." I have been there 20 times and played golf each time, but it did occur to me that I would not need any golf balls at home since I would be there and I took my complete supply. Probably three dozen. I played 3 rounds of golf while there, and lost 2 balls. Actually, three balls but the last one was a provisional and my first ball turned out dry.

 

The key point here I did not play well at all but never really got into trouble and only had two penalties on three different courses that I have never played before.. I had many many shot where I could not aim at the green and many more that were simply out of range. On average, i was 40 or 50 yards shorter all weekend with the driver. Yesterday, I was 20 to 30 short every hole and worse my irons were also 10+ yards short. Add elevation changes and wind I was questioning what club to hit all day. And while maybe not always in the best position, all I had to do was avoid the penalty.

[RoverRick]

I would like to say on more thing about avoiding penalties. If you are going to lay up and not use a driver use a club you are likely to hit really well. For instance, yesterday I was not hitting my driver well, so I decided to hit a 3 wood. Hell, a driver is easier to hit wit just a smooth swing. I should have given up 15 more yards and hit hybrid. Heck, a 6 iron 160-180 down the middle beat the heck out of a topped 80 yard 3 metal.

[sparnar]

Thanks, RoverRick!

 

I think my one of my biggest problems (if not the biggest...) is taking penalty from the tee. And when I'm not taking penalty, I'm not always in a good position.

 

And when you're playing three off the tee, on a par 4 or par 5, it already feels like I am scrambling to get close to the green. Although short game will definitely help me plenty, I feel I have a decent short game (not magic, but decent) for my skill level. I most definitely can do quite a bit better, but right now it is not a glaring weakness in my game (as opposed to my tee game, and concentration levels dropping at times).

 

I do love the short game however, and once I can build some confidence off the tee, I will definitely be focusing on my pitching, as it is slightly weaker than my chipping. My bunker play is horrendous, and definitely needs some immediate attention. Will try to get to a practice bunker over the weekend.

 

Thanks again for your advice, RR!