Mike
18-10-2006, 03:59 PM
When I read about an in to out swing or high trajectory shots or even worse wrist planes and shoulder turns my eyes glaze over. :o
I feel as though I know next to nothing about the technical side of the game. :confused: As a consequence I have no idea what clubs or balls suit me. My thinking for this thread came from reading the balls thread - some of you/lots of you seem to know quite a bit about your game and so choose balls that suit. I dare never go into the kit section for fear of feeling like a 7 year old in a Astrophysics class. :mad:
I learnt the game playing with mates in fields. We had a 7 iron each to start then eventually cobbled together a mixed set between us over two summers (including a blade or two and a junior club or two!). One of the group had an instruction book and one had had lessons from his dad at a golf club. The rest just kind of copied as best we could. Happy days :)
Three years ago I started again at 6am on muni courses with in-laws and after a season of that I had six half hour lessons because my inconsistnecy was becoming too frustrating to bear. My tutor was very down to earth unlike one guy who spent an hour with me a few months previously at The Belfry talking about swing planes (I couldn't take it in and literally rolled my eyes). :confused:
My down to earth guy talked in general terms of standing up a bit straighter, pushing out the club a bit more on the upswing and where to distribute my weight depending on the shot. That was about as technical as it got. A few weeks ago, a low handicap friend suggested I wasn't getting my short irons on a high enough attack line of the downswing so I now try and welly the arse off the ball (that's my technical term for it) and it's working.:cool:
I play to a decent standard. My official handicap should be reviewed to between 8 and 9 shortly and I rarely if ever shoot above 82/85. That and my putting is truly woeful (mid 30 putts a round). I can fade the ball at will but drawing the ball is a problem and I only try it on knockabout holes. I stand over every shot confident I'll advance it as I intend. :D
So what's my problem? Well, if I hit a bad tee shot the next is likely to go the same way as I have no fall back technical discipline to turn too. Once I lose my confidence it takes me a similar shot or two to get back. The same applies to an even greater extent around the green where I like to take out my sand wedge and float the ball to the pin (becuase it feels natural) but one thinned shot and I'm spent and have to turn to a 7 iron that'll be average at best for the next shot.:o
In addition, I only have a three quarter swing which isn't too fast (never been tested - just an observation) and friends advise that it is likely to be holding back my consistency. I'm a fairly big chap and usually hit the ball cleanly so distance isn't a problem though I have the all too common feeling that if I could just sort out my swing then a few more yards on my driver would occur. I'm loathe to get into stating distances publicly but if my ball is around the 150 marker I instinctively take out my 8 iron and hit it hard or soft depending on wind and terrain. I easily hit a driver over 250.:cool:
I have 20 yr old graphite irons that I bought on a whim for £90 a year or two ago. Mcgregor 'Jumbo' Reverse Draft if you're interested. I know they need to be replaced/looked at because they're a bit battered. But not knowing anything about the technical side of my game I fear I wouldn't be able to hit enough consistent swings/strikes for my game to be tested. Not sure if that makes sense but standing next to a club fitter on a range sends shivers down my spine. On a course I walk up to my ball, visualise the shot and hit it without any thinking. My attitude to golf balls is the same and I've only ended up with Callaway Big Bertha balls (having tried everything else) because they've tied in with a run of good scores.:)
So I see a lot of you guys seeming to know an awful lot about your games and swing mechanics and I feel left out. What's more there's a few that on paper don't seem to have my ability yet have a much greater understanding and I feel jealous:p
About 18 months ago I spent a few sessions at the local park hitting wedges from a hundred yards for hours and from that learnt how to move the ball and low/high flights etc. But I couldn't tell you how to replicate it off the top off my head!
Does anyone else share my experience? Or can anyone suggest ways of improving my understanding? How much do you feel you know about your own game? And as importantly how much do you know about the way forward and how to improve? 'cos I ain't got a clue!
Thanks for listening.....
I feel as though I know next to nothing about the technical side of the game. :confused: As a consequence I have no idea what clubs or balls suit me. My thinking for this thread came from reading the balls thread - some of you/lots of you seem to know quite a bit about your game and so choose balls that suit. I dare never go into the kit section for fear of feeling like a 7 year old in a Astrophysics class. :mad:
I learnt the game playing with mates in fields. We had a 7 iron each to start then eventually cobbled together a mixed set between us over two summers (including a blade or two and a junior club or two!). One of the group had an instruction book and one had had lessons from his dad at a golf club. The rest just kind of copied as best we could. Happy days :)
Three years ago I started again at 6am on muni courses with in-laws and after a season of that I had six half hour lessons because my inconsistnecy was becoming too frustrating to bear. My tutor was very down to earth unlike one guy who spent an hour with me a few months previously at The Belfry talking about swing planes (I couldn't take it in and literally rolled my eyes). :confused:
My down to earth guy talked in general terms of standing up a bit straighter, pushing out the club a bit more on the upswing and where to distribute my weight depending on the shot. That was about as technical as it got. A few weeks ago, a low handicap friend suggested I wasn't getting my short irons on a high enough attack line of the downswing so I now try and welly the arse off the ball (that's my technical term for it) and it's working.:cool:
I play to a decent standard. My official handicap should be reviewed to between 8 and 9 shortly and I rarely if ever shoot above 82/85. That and my putting is truly woeful (mid 30 putts a round). I can fade the ball at will but drawing the ball is a problem and I only try it on knockabout holes. I stand over every shot confident I'll advance it as I intend. :D
So what's my problem? Well, if I hit a bad tee shot the next is likely to go the same way as I have no fall back technical discipline to turn too. Once I lose my confidence it takes me a similar shot or two to get back. The same applies to an even greater extent around the green where I like to take out my sand wedge and float the ball to the pin (becuase it feels natural) but one thinned shot and I'm spent and have to turn to a 7 iron that'll be average at best for the next shot.:o
In addition, I only have a three quarter swing which isn't too fast (never been tested - just an observation) and friends advise that it is likely to be holding back my consistency. I'm a fairly big chap and usually hit the ball cleanly so distance isn't a problem though I have the all too common feeling that if I could just sort out my swing then a few more yards on my driver would occur. I'm loathe to get into stating distances publicly but if my ball is around the 150 marker I instinctively take out my 8 iron and hit it hard or soft depending on wind and terrain. I easily hit a driver over 250.:cool:
I have 20 yr old graphite irons that I bought on a whim for £90 a year or two ago. Mcgregor 'Jumbo' Reverse Draft if you're interested. I know they need to be replaced/looked at because they're a bit battered. But not knowing anything about the technical side of my game I fear I wouldn't be able to hit enough consistent swings/strikes for my game to be tested. Not sure if that makes sense but standing next to a club fitter on a range sends shivers down my spine. On a course I walk up to my ball, visualise the shot and hit it without any thinking. My attitude to golf balls is the same and I've only ended up with Callaway Big Bertha balls (having tried everything else) because they've tied in with a run of good scores.:)
So I see a lot of you guys seeming to know an awful lot about your games and swing mechanics and I feel left out. What's more there's a few that on paper don't seem to have my ability yet have a much greater understanding and I feel jealous:p
About 18 months ago I spent a few sessions at the local park hitting wedges from a hundred yards for hours and from that learnt how to move the ball and low/high flights etc. But I couldn't tell you how to replicate it off the top off my head!
Does anyone else share my experience? Or can anyone suggest ways of improving my understanding? How much do you feel you know about your own game? And as importantly how much do you know about the way forward and how to improve? 'cos I ain't got a clue!
Thanks for listening.....