Golf 2022

[Uncle Rico]

Tower

Any tip or advice on why I am taking my putter inside on the back stroke? I struggle to get my set up consistent and I cannot straighten out my stroke.

Footwork.  It's my bugaboo on consistent putting

[MuggsyB]

Tower

Nice playing. I cannot get over the hump and break 80. I have had multiple nines of par or better and still cannot break 80. I feel like I am 14 again and trying to do it for the first time.

Muggsy

Great stuff and nice on Harding Park. The older I get the harder the game gets. My short game continues to cost me multiple shots per round.
I had a decent year last year, but have played far less this year and it shows.

That's the strength of my game Goose!  I guess it's only fitting but I did switch chipping with my 9i to a 56 degree wedge.  My suggestion is to practice less on the range and more around  the green.  I also think learning a consistent check up/bump and run is essential.  I see a lot of guys pitching and chipping with too much loft.  I think going with a lower trajectory is beneficial 75%  of the time. 

[Goose]

Rico

Sound call. When I played a lot of golf my putting setup was very solid and I now I struggle to get comfortable.

Muggs

I never practice any if my game. 100% course golfer, with an occasional warm up if time permits or bigger money game.

[tower912]

I generally hit any shot inside 90 yards with my 56 degree.    Occasionally, the lie dictates that I putt with a hybrid from just off the green.   I hit that shot three times a year.

[MuggsyB]

Footwork.  It's my bugaboo on consistent putting

Set-up is enormous.  People fk this up constantly.  And you're right, mostly putting. 

[tower912]

Tower

Any tip or advice on why I am taking my putter inside on the back stroke? I struggle to get my set up consistent and I cannot straighten out my stroke.

Consistent footwork will help.   Sometimes I switch out putters just to give my brain something else to look at and remind me to focus on my keys.  I putt left hand low and the big one for me is to feel like I am hitting the putt with the back of my left hand while accelerating.

Today,  I was quitting a little bit on the stroke.

[Goose]

Fella's

This is the first year that I have lost distance with my short irons and it sucks. Enjoy your youth and play a lot of golf. I have always been very strong with my sand wedge up to a 110 yards and now maxed out about 95. It truly is the first in my life that I felt age catching up on me. Actually, my drinking skills have diminished about 20% over the past several years and that was first sign that Father Time was winning.

[MuggsyB]

Rico

Sound call. When I played a lot of golf my putting setup was very solid and I now I struggle to get comfortable.

Muggs


I never practice any if my game. 100% course golfer, with an occasional warm up if time permits or bigger money game.

Goose,

it's tough if you can't golf year round.  But I practice at least an hour a week on the green and in all phases.  I've generally been a good putter but have worked hard to improve in the bunker and 20 yards and in.  I would highly recommend less time at the range and more time working on the short game.

[Uncle Rico]

Set-up is enormous.  People fk this up constantly.  And you're right, mostly putting.

I play with a terrible putter and he blames everything but the fact his alignment is a mess and he never practices.  He thinks he's a great putt reader so he's a good putter but his feet look like he's trying to hit a cut putt sometimes and then a fade the next.  Hogan would get the yips again watching him

[tower912]

Agreed.  Getting up and down from the cart path clears your brain and fries the brains of your playing companions.   Do it a couple of times and they call you names.   Glorious.

[MuggsyB]

I play with a terrible putter and he blames everything but the fact his alignment is a mess and he never practices.  He thinks he's a great putt reader so he's a good putter but his feet look like he's trying to hit a cut putt sometimes and then a fade the next.  Hogan would get the yips again watching him

I

From my experience it's almost always about alignment.  And it amazes me that really good players just don't see it over their putts.  The other thing I see quite often is a jab at contact or coming too far inside. 

[tower912]

How far out do you pick your mark to roll the ball over?    And are you precise enough to do a blade of grass, or are you more of a 'just above that pitch mark' kind of guy?

Personally, I like a pitch mark 2-3 feet in front of me and to work off of that.

[jesmu84]

I follow a guy on YouTube who is good at getting me to rethink strategy/course management.

If we take the assumption that longer clubs (driver, woods, long irons) bring more risk and therefore increased chances with errors, does it make more sense to leave them in the bag MUCH more than we normally do?

If playing a 500yd par 5, hit 3 7/8 irons (or similar combinations) rather than driver, hybrid, wedge?

Hit the clubs you're confident on using and clubs that also have lower risk

Thoughts?

[jesmu84]

How far out do you pick your mark to roll the ball over?    And are you precise enough to do a blade of grass, or are you more of a 'just above that pitch mark' kind of guy?

Personally, I like a pitch mark 2-3 feet in front of me and to work off of that.

I pick my line from behind the ball while kneeling, then position the ball so the line/logo/name points directly on that line. After that, easy to line the putter up on the ball and my feet parallel to that.

[tower912]

Right now, I am locked in with my driver.  I hit 9 fairways today and my misses weren't bad.   So that takes care of the first 240-250.   260 left.  Where are the hazards?  If there aren't any, I blast away with my 3 wood and get as close as I can, figuring that even if I top it, I will have an 8-iron in for my third.     If there is water or a lot of bunkers, I will pick the most open spot and aim for the center of it.  If that means PW then 9-iron, ok.

[tower912]

I pick my line from behind the ball while kneeling, then position the ball so the line/logo/name points directly on that line. After that, easy to line the putter up on the ball and my feet parallel to that.

I can't do that.  It causes me to obsess and tighten up.  Outside 20 feet, I pick a general break and then focus on speed.   Hit it to a foot, walk on.

[jesmu84]

Right now, I am locked in with my driver.  I hit 9 fairways today and my misses weren't bad.   So that takes care of the first 240-250.   260 left.  Where are the hazards?  If there aren't any, I blast away with my 3 wood and get as close as I can, figuring that even if I top it, I will have an 8-iron in for my third.     If there is water or a lot of bunkers, I will pick the most open spot and aim for the center of it.  If that means PW then 9-iron, ok.

That's fair.

But what about folks (like me) who only play 10-20x/year? Shoot mid/low 80s.

If the goal is the lowest score, it would make some sense to take as much risk (resulting in OB, hazards, punch-outs from trees, etc) out of the game

[tower912]

If you are  playing 10 times a year and still shooting low 80's, then you do you.

[Uncle Rico]

Women at Muirfield this week for the Women's Open.  Chilly with winds around 15mph in the early wave

[MuggsyB]

That's fair.

But what about folks (like me) who only play 10-20x/year? Shoot mid/low 80s.

If the goal is the lowest score, it would make some sense to take as much risk (resulting in OB, hazards, punch-outs from trees, etc) out of the game

If you shoot low 80's and play only 10 times a year you're ahead of 99.999% of recreational players.

[MuggsyB]

I follow a guy on YouTube who is good at getting me to rethink strategy/course management.

If we take the assumption that longer clubs (driver, woods, long irons) bring more risk and therefore increased chances with errors, does it make more sense to leave them in the bag MUCH more than we normally do?

If playing a 500yd par 5, hit 3 7/8 irons (or similar combinations) rather than driver, hybrid, wedge?

Hit the clubs you're confident on using and clubs that also have lower risk

Thoughts?

Wait a minute....are you saying 3w, 7i, 7i?  I supppse I don't see a problem with that if you're more comfortable with a short iron than a shot closer to the green.

[Uncle Rico]

Wait a minute....are you saying 3w, 7i, 7i?  I supppse I don't see a problem with that if you're more comfortable with a short iron than a shot closer to the green.

Depends on how much trouble is out there.  A penalty strewn par-5 can bring a big number into play.  Course management is something the amateur golfer lacks in spades.  A bogey is better than a snowman

[MuggsyB]

Depends on how much trouble is out there.  A penalty strewn par-5 can bring a big number into play.  Course management is something the amateur golfer lacks in spades.  A bogey is better than a snowman

Agree completely. 

[tower912]

Jesmu84, your larger point is a good one.   The secret to scoring is avoiding big numbers.   Picking the appropriate tees helps that.   If you really fight your driver, picking the longest club you can consistently keep in play off the tee and then bunting it around the course is a legitimate strategy.

[MuggsyB]

Jesmu84, your larger point is a good one.   The secret to scoring is avoiding big numbers.   Picking the appropriate tees helps that.   If you really fight your driver, picking the longest club you can consistently keep in play off the tee and then bunting it around the course is a legitimate strategy.

It sounds like he hits his 3W at least 230.  Unless I absolutely rip my draw, with the wind behind me, I cannot get to a 550 yrd hole in two on most courses.  Unless I get 50 yards of roll on the fairway.  Every time I try to get more pop in general I lose consistency.