The Golf Thread

[Art Vandelay]

Ladies day is always an adventure at my course...

[PaloAltoCougar]

As final prep for next week's epic tournament, I was scheduled to play a tune-up match at the SLCC Friday morning. But my host/friend of 40 years called with a totally lame excuse so now my Friday is wide open (beginning at around 10 AM after my arrival at SLC. If anyone is playing a round somewhere in the Greater Salt Lake Valley next Friday and has room for a single, please consider this as an application for admission.

[jay santos]

Last minute tried to get out this afternoon before the game. All the courses booked up completely. Jerks from Salt Lake county coming down early for the game, I think.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

I should really quit golfing. After feeling like I was making real progress early in the summer, April-June I had 13 rounds in the 90s with 4 over 100 the highest being 104. Since that time I have broken 100 once, 99, and am lucky to break 110. Nothing feels right, I am extremely frustrated.

[byu71]

I should really quit golfing. After feeling like I was making real progress early in the summer, April-June I had 13 rounds in the 90s with 4 over 100 the highest being 104. Since that time I have broken 100 once, 99, and am lucky to break 110. Nothing feels right, I am extremely frustrated.

I feel your pain. I can go out and have 9 pars and still throw down a 87. No consistency. I thought I was going to get back to where I was all year long, but nada.

I still enjoy the good shots, but it isn't like it was. However, you are young. You have plenty of time to get it back.

[The_Tick]

I should really quit golfing. After feeling like I was making real progress early in the summer, April-June I had 13 rounds in the 90s with 4 over 100 the highest being 104. Since that time I have broken 100 once, 99, and am lucky to break 110. Nothing feels right, I am extremely frustrated.

Have you taken lessons? I took 4 from one golf instructor and got a little bit out of it but not much.

I switched to a new coach and have taken 1 lesson from him. He looked and my hands and switched my grip. That little change took 5 strokes off of my game.

Time to switch it up.

[Donuthole]

I should really quit golfing. After feeling like I was making real progress early in the summer, April-June I had 13 rounds in the 90s with 4 over 100 the highest being 104. Since that time I have broken 100 once, 99, and am lucky to break 110. Nothing feels right, I am extremely frustrated.

I feel your pain. I can go out and have 9 pars and still throw down a 87. No consistency. I thought I was going to get back to where I was all year long, but nada.

I still enjoy the good shots, but it isn't like it was. However, you are young. You have plenty of time to get it back.

Have you taken lessons? I took 4 from one golf instructor and got a little bit out of it but not much.

I switched to a new coach and have taken 1 lesson from him. He looked and my hands and switched my grip. That little change took 5 strokes off of my game.

Time to switch it up.

I agree with these two guys. Whenever I go through a golf slump (and I certainly have--i'm still not as good as I was right before law school, back when I golfed 9 holes/day on weekdays and 27-36 on Saturdays) I just try to focus on visualizing how I want the club face to come through the impact zone and strike the ball. That, coupled with a forced slow-down of my back swing usually gets me back to striking the ball well, even with my homemade version of a golf swing.

I've yet to learn how to tweak my driver when i'm not hitting it well. If I'm smart, I'll put it away on those days and tee off with a hybrid.

[Surfah]

Played in a charity scramble today. Sort of. We got to the course early to warm up at the range and were greeted with a dense fog. Beyond 100 yards you lost your ball. Once the fog lifted we got off to a shotgun start. Then the rain started in. It was a light drizzle but then got progressively heavier. On our 6th hole we were drenched and the marshal came around to ask if we wanted to continue. We said we're already soaking wet, might as well keep on. The marshal said that every team said the same thing. As the marshal pulled away though the rain turned into a serious downpour. On our approach into the green, my dad lost his club on the downswing and stuck in the ground like a lawn dart. I nailed my 9i to 5' of the pin from 133. Unfortunately, the grounds had reached their saturation point and the pin was in a low lying area so my ball was sitting in water. Still it didn't look to bad, but once we got to the green we could see the cup was sitting in 3" of water and my ball was completely submerged. So we called it a day and headed to the clubhouse. We were the second group in but slowly the unplayable conditions forced everyone else back.

The tournament has been rescheduled for the 22nd and we're just going to start over they said. The food was decent and they did the door prizes and I won a club cleaner. It's a nice one but not the Frogger I have been wanting but couldn't justify buying.

[Surfah]

Cleveland CG16 wedges at Costco for $70.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...=1&topnav=&s=1

[falafel]

Let's talk about practice.

What is your typical routine? I don't have too much of a set routine, but I think I should start. I usually go to the range once a week during my lunch hour and hit 60 balls. Here's what I generally do:

- warm up/stretch.
-start with some half shots with a PW or SW, then move to more full shots (but with a laid back tempo) with the same clubs
- move around in my wedges: 56, 60, 52. Still easy swings, gauging distances with those clubs
- start moving into my 9, 8, 7. I'll hit each until I can manage 5 or 6 solid shots in a row (or if I can't after I've tried and I don't want to get frustrated by more poor hits)
- move into my 5/6 irons. Truthfully, I don't hit these that well so I should probably get there sooner.
- move into my hybrids. Just got some new (to me) hybrids at Golf Galaxy on clearance. Need to get used to them.
- Finally move to my driver. Totally lost on what to do there. My shots are okay, generally straight, but lack distance. None of my tweaks seem to do much, so I don't put in a lot of practice with it. I probably should.
- with the last 3 or 4 balls, I usually try to stick a few wedges close. I hate ending on a bad drive.

If I have time, I go to the putting range, but I never have time. I need to probably start hitting 30 balls and then spend 20/30 minutes putting.

I'm sure I could be doing something more "focused," but I don't know what that would be.

[falafel]

Cleveland CG16 wedges at Costco for $70.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...=1&topnav=&s=1

That's $40 to $50 cheaper than... anywhere.

[Donuthole]

Cleveland CG16 wedges at Costco for $70.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...=1&topnav=&s=1

That's a sweet deal. I need a CG14 60 deg to complete my CG14 set (right now I have a CG 12 60 deg), but If I were in the market for a completely new set of wedges, that would be the way to go.

[Surfah]

That's $40 to $50 cheaper than... anywhere.

Yup. And that's shipping included.

[Surfah]

Let's talk about practice.

What is your typical routine? I don't have too much of a set routine, but I think I should start. I usually go to the range once a week during my lunch hour and hit 60 balls. Here's what I generally do:

- warm up/stretch.
-start with some half shots with a PW or SW, then move to more full shots (but with a laid back tempo) with the same clubs
- move around in my wedges: 56, 60, 52. Still easy swings, gauging distances with those clubs
- start moving into my 9, 8, 7. I'll hit each until I can manage 5 or 6 solid shots in a row (or if I can't after I've tried and I don't want to get frustrated by more poor hits)
- move into my 5/6 irons. Truthfully, I don't hit these that well so I should probably get there sooner.
- move into my hybrids. Just got some new (to me) hybrids at Golf Galaxy on clearance. Need to get used to them.
- Finally move to my driver. Totally lost on what to do there. My shots are okay, generally straight, but lack distance. None of my tweaks seem to do much, so I don't put in a lot of practice with it. I probably should.
- with the last 3 or 4 balls, I usually try to stick a few wedges close. I hate ending on a bad drive.

If I have time, I go to the putting range, but I never have time. I need to probably start hitting 30 balls and then spend 20/30 minutes putting.

I'm sure I could be doing something more "focused," but I don't know what that would be.

My last office was about a mile from a range so I used to do the same thing on my lunch. Now I am not really close to anything.

Whenever I get to the driving range I start with my 8 iron. It's the club I hit best in my bag. I think it helps me get some confidence to see my ball do what I want it to before moving onto my other clubs. After that I usually do the same thing as you. Wedges, short irons to long irons to fairway woods to driver. I usually go back to my 8 iron though again for a few balls after I put my driver away.

Occasionally I will kind of play a round at the range. I do it with my dad quite a bit. I'll make up the yardage for a hole in my head. Say a 400 yard par 4. I'll hit driver. Depending on where it ends up I may play a 7 iron - PW. Etc.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Let's talk about practice.

What is your typical routine? I don't have too much of a set routine, but I think I should start. I usually go to the range once a week during my lunch hour and hit 60 balls. Here's what I generally do:

- warm up/stretch.
-start with some half shots with a PW or SW, then move to more full shots (but with a laid back tempo) with the same clubs
- move around in my wedges: 56, 60, 52. Still easy swings, gauging distances with those clubs
- start moving into my 9, 8, 7. I'll hit each until I can manage 5 or 6 solid shots in a row (or if I can't after I've tried and I don't want to get frustrated by more poor hits)
- move into my 5/6 irons. Truthfully, I don't hit these that well so I should probably get there sooner.
- move into my hybrids. Just got some new (to me) hybrids at Golf Galaxy on clearance. Need to get used to them.
- Finally move to my driver. Totally lost on what to do there. My shots are okay, generally straight, but lack distance. None of my tweaks seem to do much, so I don't put in a lot of practice with it. I probably should.
- with the last 3 or 4 balls, I usually try to stick a few wedges close. I hate ending on a bad drive.

If I have time, I go to the putting range, but I never have time. I need to probably start hitting 30 balls and then spend 20/30 minutes putting.

I'm sure I could be doing something more "focused," but I don't know what that would be.

I always start with my driver, but I'm really awful so you probably don't want to do what I did.