***Official 2025 Golf Thread, tbd*** (16 Viewers)

[TLEF316]

Hit another one of my personal goals today: breaking 40 for a side. Been close a couple of times this year (and shot a 38 a couple of weeks ago, but with a breakfast ball, so I couldn't really count it). I was actually even par after 7 holes (on the harder side of the course) but gagged my approach shots on 17 and 18 (17 a straight chunk, 18 pulled the string and left it in the bunker). And then my par put on 18 lipped out for an 84 (tying my best ever round but setting my best score at my home course)

Been going back and forth between the blue and whites tees. (today was whites).  Blues help my handicap a lot more when I play well, but it just takes away all my margin for error off the tee. (my course has 3 forced carries that can be REALLY tough for me if the tees are back)

My index is trending to a 16.8 after today. I was like a 21 at the start of the spring.  Would LOVE to get it below 15 by the end of the year, but I'm not sure that's realistic. I'd probably need 4 or 5 more rounds like today counting in my best 10 to get there. That seems unlikely given my inconsistency off the tee.

Days like today really make me wish I'd been more mature and played through my struggles in my 20's (I basically quit for like 8 years).  This game really is fun when you can actually consistently make pars.

 

[belljr]

Back to back 84 has me wanting to quit again lol

I felt great yesterday and hit maybe 2 good shots. Not an exaggeration

 

[Quint]

First round in a month today. Current index 17.6

In - 44

Out - 45

overall, I’m pretty happy with this round. last time out I had some kind of slappy-off-the-toe fade things going on with my irons which was really depressing. 

Today I was smoking irons with solid contact and correct distances. Figured out how to hit 4w and 5w better (choking down and swinging slower). 36 putts was the only downside (one three putt) along with two balls wet on the back nine. 

Driver was consistent - straight or babe fade/drift - and of the fairways missed it was by one or two yards. 

Gonna drink a couple hazy IPAs now. 

 

[gump]

I’m fighting age...and with it the internal debate of Changing my Swing vs Consistency.  I hit the ball better my new route...straightening out a pretty aggressive draw.  But I’ve brought both misses in with quick hooks or blocks...vs never missing right.  But man...striking the ball without a ton of spin just feels so much better...and is longer and prettier.

So...hit the ball better inconsistently...or hit the ball worse but more consistently?

 

[Quint]

I’m fighting age...and with it the internal debate of Changing my Swing vs Consistency.  I hit the ball better my new route...straightening out a pretty aggressive draw.  But I’ve brought both misses in with quick hooks or blocks...vs never missing right.  But man...striking the ball without a ton of spin just feels so much better...and is longer and prettier.

So...hit the ball better inconsistently...or hit the ball worse but more consistently?

Devil you know vs Devil you don’t?

I’d rather know my miss than dealing with a two-way possibility. 

 

[tommyboy]

This is a new video showing a simple exercise to train your mind/body to be in good position to strike your irons at impact.  I found it very helpful and something you can do at home or the range before taking full swings.  

May not help good golfers who already have good mechanics but for beginners and those of us (mid handicappers) that are looking to change our inconsistent swing, I recommend Russell.  

I have watched this 4 or 5 times now. I went to the range Sunday and worked on this drill for about 30 minutes. Noticed a straighter ball flight tending to a slight fade for me. I tend to hit a slight draw so that intrigued me.

Decided to put it on the course today so I warmed up really focused on this drill then went to the first tee and promptly smoked a 3 wood about 250 dead straight down the middle, right where I was aiming. Hit a hybrid 235 right at the pin, had eagle putt, made birdie. Next hole is hardest on course, smoked the 3 wood again. I could bore you but basically this continued all through the nine holes. I shot even par 36 with two birdies two bogeys.

That's the best I've played this year and probably the straightest I've ever hit the ball, ever. I was also crushing it, picked up a good 10-15 yards through the bag.

I would remind anyone that does this drill to remember two critical parts.

One. Remember the sequence of the swing is hips, chest, arms, hands, clubhead. In other words don't be in a hurry.

Two, remember not to lean or slide with this drill.  

Thank you for posting this vid. I wish one of my teachers would have showed me this years ago. I'm a 6 handicap, so it's useful for all of us.

 

[Jayrok]

I have watched this 4 or 5 times now. I went to the range Sunday and worked on this drill for about 30 minutes. Noticed a straighter ball flight tending to a slight fade for me. I tend to hit a slight draw so that intrigued me.

Decided to put it on the course today so I warmed up really focused on this drill then went to the first tee and promptly smoked a 3 wood about 250 dead straight down the middle, right where I was aiming. Hit a hybrid 235 right at the pin, had eagle putt, made birdie. Next hole is hardest on course, smoked the 3 wood again. I could bore you but basically this continued all through the nine holes. I shot even par 36 with two birdies two bogeys.

That's the best I've played this year and probably the straightest I've ever hit the ball, ever. I was also crushing it, picked up a good 10-15 yards through the bag.

I would remind anyone that does this drill to remember two critical parts.

One. Remember the sequence of the swing is hips, chest, arms, hands, clubhead. In other words don't be in a hurry.

Two, remember not to lean or slide with this drill.  

Thank you for posting this vid. I wish one of my teachers would have showed me this years ago. I'm a 6 handicap, so it's useful for all of us.

One of my regrets in my golfing life is that I didn't take a lesson from a pro back in my 20s or earlier.  I've been a 10-12 handicap for most of my adult life mostly due to short game woes, but consistent ball striking has always been an issue. 

The sequence you mention is something that I never really got until fairly recently.  I always got to a position where I threw my hands at the ball often with a strong right wrist.  When clicking it worked for me but varied from round to round.  I knew not to slide and I rotated my hips but on the down swing I found myself with the early hip extension (toward the ball) which caused my sternum/head to lean back and to the right enough where I couldn't get consistent strikes.  I felt that I was raising my head too soon to see where the ball was going.  But now realize I was just out of good position on those swings. 

I believe this drill has helped me too and one of the biggest things for me was to make sure my sternum and head stayed in position over the ball and let my left wrist roll to control getting the face square at impact.  There's no need to flip your right wrist through. It should go through naturally at impact.  And the right elbow leading the right hip... I never knew that to generate power and accuracy.  But when you see pros in slow motion swings, they all do it.  

Thank you for your post and congrats for the success on your recent 9!  Even par is fantastic. Hoping I can join you there!  

 

[TheIronSheik]

I know I'm different, but back when I was in my early 20's, I wanted to turn my game into being the best I could be.  I had just started playing and I was shooting around 110-120.  I practiced every day.  Working at a golf course, I would get done work around 10am, go out to the range for 3 to 4 hours and then maybe play a round of golf late in the afternoon when the course was empty.  After about 2 seasons (no practice during the cold months), I had worked my game down to low 90's.  But I was so obsessed with constantly lowering my score that golf was not fun for me.  Throwing clubs, turning red with rage, always upset with every swing... I just felt I was always playing worse than I should've been.  By my mid 20's, I put my sticks away and stopped playing.  

Around my 30th birthday, I went out a played a couple rounds because a guy I worked with played.  I reluctantly went out, but I stopped keeping score for myself.  I just went out, hit the ball and had a good time with the people we played with.  If I topped the ball, or hit a fat shot that slowed the Earth's rotation slightly, I laughed it off and hit again.  Sometimes from the same spot.  Since I wasn't keeping score, I didn't care about one bad swing or one bad putt.  And before long, I was actually having fun on the golf course again.

Since that time, I've started keeping score again and I golf all of the time.  It's my biggest hobby that keeps me sane from the daily work grind.  And there are still times where I can get slightly mad on a course, but no where near when I was young.  And that's because I've given up on trying to better my score.  I'm not constantly trying to fix my swing anymore.  It's my swing and it's fairly decent.  I'm not a pro and I'll never be a single digit handicap.  I average in the mid to upper 80's, but can also shoot a 100 or a 78 depending on the day and track.  

Giving up on trying to better my game was the best thing I ever did.  

 

[TheIronSheik]

On a completely different note, this past week the fam went down to visit my folks in Texas.  They belong to The Woodlands CC.  I was so excited to play the old TPC at The Woodlands course.  It used to be a public course where they played the Shell Houston Open, but is now part of the CC.  If you ever played PGA Tour III for Sega Genesis, it was a course on that game.  It has the Par 5 island green.  The course is really a challenging course and I hadn't played it in over a decade.  But I love it.

Got down there last Saturday and it turned out that the course was closed for the week for aeration.  Talk about horrible timing. :(

 

[Jayrok]

I know I'm different, but back when I was in my early 20's, I wanted to turn my game into being the best I could be.  I had just started playing and I was shooting around 110-120.  I practiced every day.  Working at a golf course, I would get done work around 10am, go out to the range for 3 to 4 hours and then maybe play a round of golf late in the afternoon when the course was empty.  After about 2 seasons (no practice during the cold months), I had worked my game down to low 90's.  But I was so obsessed with constantly lowering my score that golf was not fun for me.  Throwing clubs, turning red with rage, always upset with every swing... I just felt I was always playing worse than I should've been.  By my mid 20's, I put my sticks away and stopped playing.  

Around my 30th birthday, I went out a played a couple rounds because a guy I worked with played.  I reluctantly went out, but I stopped keeping score for myself.  I just went out, hit the ball and had a good time with the people we played with.  If I topped the ball, or hit a fat shot that slowed the Earth's rotation slightly, I laughed it off and hit again.  Sometimes from the same spot.  Since I wasn't keeping score, I didn't care about one bad swing or one bad putt.  And before long, I was actually having fun on the golf course again.

Since that time, I've started keeping score again and I golf all of the time.  It's my biggest hobby that keeps me sane from the daily work grind.  And there are still times where I can get slightly mad on a course, but no where near when I was young.  And that's because I've given up on trying to better my score.  I'm not constantly trying to fix my swing anymore.  It's my swing and it's fairly decent.  I'm not a pro and I'll never be a single digit handicap.  I average in the mid to upper 80's, but can also shoot a 100 or a 78 depending on the day and track.  

Giving up on trying to better my game was the best thing I ever did.  

I get this.  And having fun is what it's all about.  I have more fun when I'm hitting the shots that I know I have in my bag.  I'm not completely overhauling my swing.  Just tweaking the parts that I can see have improved my game and, therefore, my fun on the course.  Love it when I'm putting for birdie.  

The old saying has always been true for me:  "I hate golf... I hate golf... I hate golf... Nice shot!  I love golf!"

 

[TheIronSheik]

I get this.  And having fun is what it's all about.  I have more fun when I'm hitting the shots that I know I have in my bag.  I'm not completely overhauling my swing.  Just tweaking the parts that I can see have improved my game and, therefore, my fun on the course.  Love it when I'm putting for birdie.  

The old saying has always been true for me:  "I hate golf... I hate golf... I hate golf... Nice shot!  I love golf!"

I get that 100%.  And I'm not in any way saying my way is the right way.  I was just saying once I stopped worrying about fixing my game, it became fun for me again. 

 

[Jayrok]

My local course has gone coo-coo with grass lengths this season.  Think the tall fescue at the Open and US Open has gone to their heads. The fairways are nicely shaped with a nice primary rough, but anything right or left of the FW is deep trouble.  Some of it is knee high.  

Yes, we should all hit the fairway if we don't want to be in there, but there are no professionals at this course and many of us play alone or in pairs of two.  The PGA tour events have marshals that help find balls in this kind of rough.  They quickly mark the ball with flags, etc.  We don't have that benefit.  We have to guesstimate where the ball is approximately and then spend way too much time looking for the ball. 

No one wants to go out and lose 5/6 balls that only missed the fairway but a few yards or so.  Frustrating.  On the flip side there are times when I'm looking for my ball and stumble across other balls where players couldn't find them.  But I don't want to play their top flight or scratched noodle.  Wish they'd cut the grass.  Off soapbox. 

 

[TheIronSheik]

My local course has gone coo-coo with grass lengths this season.  Think the tall fescue at the Open and US Open has gone to their heads. The fairways are nicely shaped with a nice primary rough, but anything right or left of the FW is deep trouble.  Some of it is knee high.  

Yes, we should all hit the fairway if we don't want to be in there, but there are no professionals at this course and many of us play alone or in pairs of two.  The PGA tour events have marshals that help find balls in this kind of rough.  They quickly mark the ball with flags, etc.  We don't have that benefit.  We have to guesstimate where the ball is approximately and then spend way too much time looking for the ball. 

No one wants to go out and lose 5/6 balls that only missed the fairway but a few yards or so.  Frustrating.  On the flip side there are times when I'm looking for my ball and stumble across other balls where players couldn't find them.  But I don't want to play their top flight or scratched noodle.  Wish they'd cut the grass.  Off soapbox. 

Yeah, for that reason, I don't take a lost ball if I know for a fact it's somewhere in the rough.  F that.  I also won't hit off of a root or rocks.  I take free relief because TaylorMade isn't going to FedEx me a new club overnight for free if I damage my club on the swing.  

 

[Jayrok]

Yeah, for that reason, I don't take a lost ball if I know for a fact it's somewhere in the rough.  F that.  I also won't hit off of a root or rocks.  I take free relief because TaylorMade isn't going to FedEx me a new club overnight for free if I damage my club on the swing.  

Absolutely right. Once many years ago I broke an iron shaft because I hit a tree after a follow through when the ball was inside a few roots.  And I was just punching out into the fairway!  Unless I'm in a tournament, I'll never do that again. Not worth damaging clubs when you're out on a non-competitive round. I'll take a penalty stroke by calling it unplayable, but I won't do something that may damage my clubs. 

 

[tommyboy]

I know I'm different, but back when I was in my early 20's, I wanted to turn my game into being the best I could be.  I had just started playing and I was shooting around 110-120.  I practiced every day.  Working at a golf course, I would get done work around 10am, go out to the range for 3 to 4 hours and then maybe play a round of golf late in the afternoon when the course was empty.  After about 2 seasons (no practice during the cold months), I had worked my game down to low 90's.  But I was so obsessed with constantly lowering my score that golf was not fun for me.  Throwing clubs, turning red with rage, always upset with every swing... I just felt I was always playing worse than I should've been.  By my mid 20's, I put my sticks away and stopped playing.  

Around my 30th birthday, I went out a played a couple rounds because a guy I worked with played.  I reluctantly went out, but I stopped keeping score for myself.  I just went out, hit the ball and had a good time with the people we played with.  If I topped the ball, or hit a fat shot that slowed the Earth's rotation slightly, I laughed it off and hit again.  Sometimes from the same spot.  Since I wasn't keeping score, I didn't care about one bad swing or one bad putt.  And before long, I was actually having fun on the golf course again.

Since that time, I've started keeping score again and I golf all of the time.  It's my biggest hobby that keeps me sane from the daily work grind.  And there are still times where I can get slightly mad on a course, but no where near when I was young.  And that's because I've given up on trying to better my score.  I'm not constantly trying to fix my swing anymore.  It's my swing and it's fairly decent.  I'm not a pro and I'll never be a single digit handicap.  I average in the mid to upper 80's, but can also shoot a 100 or a 78 depending on the day and track.  

Giving up on trying to better my game was the best thing I ever did.  

This is why I have only occasionally taken lessons. My swing is self taught and over the years I've modified it as I've learned more and more about the swing. I've been as low as a 3 and as high as an 8 over the last twenty years.

I would say the single most important part of being a low handicapper is short game. If you can putt, chip, and hit bunker shots with confidence golf becomes so much easier.

 

[[scooter]]

My local course has gone coo-coo with grass lengths this season.  Think the tall fescue at the Open and US Open has gone to their heads. The fairways are nicely shaped with a nice primary rough, but anything right or left of the FW is deep trouble.  Some of it is knee high.  

Yes, we should all hit the fairway if we don't want to be in there, but there are no professionals at this course and many of us play alone or in pairs of two.  The PGA tour events have marshals that help find balls in this kind of rough.  They quickly mark the ball with flags, etc.  We don't have that benefit.  We have to guesstimate where the ball is approximately and then spend way too much time looking for the ball. 

No one wants to go out and lose 5/6 balls that only missed the fairway but a few yards or so.  Frustrating.  On the flip side there are times when I'm looking for my ball and stumble across other balls where players couldn't find them.  But I don't want to play their top flight or scratched noodle.  Wish they'd cut the grass.  Off soapbox. 

I hate when courses do this. My buddies and I agreed on a "local rule" for such courses: anytime your ball disappears in the grass, it's an automatic free drop anywhere inside the grassy area, or a 1-stroke penalty to drop at the nearest spot in the fairway.

 

[Mookie]

Headed to southwest Ireland next week for a bike trip with my wife's family.  Convinced her to let me and my two sons (23, 21) go early for 5 rounds of golf in 5 days.  My kids are lousy golfers and we are on a budget so top tier courses like Ballybunion and Lahinch are off the menu (I'll be scouting for a future buddy trip).  We are staying in Killarney and playing Dromoland Castle fresh off the plane, Dooks, Dingle, Killarney-Killeen, and Killarney-Mahony's Point.  SwingGolf set up the rental car, accommodations, and all tee times and have all sorts of packages that you can customize.  Found an outfit that will rent us clubs by dropping them off at the course before our first round (Dromoland) and picking them up after our last round (Killarney).  A bit nervous about driving on the left, but that will be part of the adventure.  I'm so excited I'm having trouble focusing on anything other than this trip.  I'll report upon my return.  

 

[Mario Kart]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXxQsNJJhj4

I've missed golfing this summer. No money and/or had to spend money elsewhere. But, I'm 6'3" and I'd be freaked out golfing with this guy.

 

[TheIronSheik]

Posted this in the wrong thread (along with a whole crapload of other posts.  Whoops.)

So it looks like this year's trip will be back to Frederick, MD.  Right now it's slated to be 4 courses in 2 days because one of the guys can't get a Friday off for a 3 day weekend.

We went a couple years back and played Whiskey Creek, Worthington Manor and Musket Ridge.  All of them were nice.  WM was the surprise nice course, as it was a last minute add.  But I've read some reviews that it's kind of rough of late.

So our four courses are:

1) Whiskey Creek - Ernie Els course that was beautiful.  Really liked this course.

2) PB Dye Course - Wanted to play last time but they had some sort of outing.

3) Little Bennett - Have heard good things, but not many photos online

4) Maryland National - Same as LB.

 

[tommyboy]

thanks to Jayrok posting that one video, my handi is down to 6.3 and about to go to 5.7.  in one sense it sucks because our big member-member tournament is coming up in a month and we are defending champs (have one won it twice in 4 years actually), and I'll lose a stroke or two in the gambling sense.   But man, i'm hitting it where i want to and when you can stand on a tee and feel that way, it makes the game simple

 

[belljr]

I'm hitting everything fat.  I some how shot a 77 by getting up and down from everywhere. It was a terrible day TBH but I drained putts from everywhere

 

[Quint]

Today:

Out - 46

In - 46

7 pars, 1 birdie, 4 triples, 8 fairways hit, 35 putts, 1 in the water. 

I’m a mess. Lol. 

 

[TheIronSheik]

I think I figured out a fair tiebreaker for carryovers if they still exist after all holes have been played:

Every par 3 is a closest to the pin.  If there happen to be carryovers at the end of the rounds, then whichever team won the most closest to pins gets the carryover holes.  Adds a little more pressure to par 3 tee shots.

 

[TheIronSheik]

Hey @Apple Jack.  Turns out I got confused and was posting in the wrong thread about personal golf, so I moved over to here.  But if you have any more insight into those courses, I'd love to hear it.

I know you said the Dye course is unfair or whatever, but I've heard a bunch of people say it's a course they'd play once and then never again.  They all said that the course was a tough setup (much like you imply) but they said it's really nice and worth checking it out.  They then usually end by saying, "But you'd probably never go back to play a second time."

 

[Jayrok]

thanks to Jayrok posting that one video, my handi is down to 6.3 and about to go to 5.7.  in one sense it sucks because our big member-member tournament is coming up in a month and we are defending champs (have one won it twice in 4 years actually), and I'll lose a stroke or two in the gambling sense.   But man, i'm hitting it where i want to and when you can stand on a tee and feel that way, it makes the game simple

Congrats on your success!  I shot 77 this past weekend for the first time in a long time.  Hoping now I can stay sub-80 on a more consistent basis.  My nemesis remains an inconsistent driver, but I'm getting better at scrambling and I'm putting a lot better this year.  Bought a new putter in the late spring (TM spider, last year's model).  Love it.  

 

[TheIronSheik]

So the weakest part of my game is the under 80 yard shot.  I can take a full swing with my SW and hit it 80 yards.  Inside 80 yards, I have to take less than a full swing.  That's when I start to look like I just picked up this game last week.  I can blade it 150 yards or chunk it 3 feet.  I wish I could figure out how to pitch and chip the ball consistently.

I can hit a drive down the middle and on my second shot, if I hit the green, make par or birdie.  But if I miss the green by 5 yards with my second shot, I might come away with a 7 or 8.  I'm sure 75% of my issues are all in my head at this point.  If I miss the green, I'm already sweating that next shot before my iron is back in the bag from that shot.

 

[Jayrok]

So the weakest part of my game is the under 80 yard shot.  I can take a full swing with my SW and hit it 80 yards.  Inside 80 yards, I have to take less than a full swing.  That's when I start to look like I just picked up this game last week.  I can blade it 150 yards or chunk it 3 feet.  I wish I could figure out how to pitch and chip the ball consistently.

I can hit a drive down the middle and on my second shot, if I hit the green, make par or birdie.  But if I miss the green by 5 yards with my second shot, I might come away with a 7 or 8.  I'm sure 75% of my issues are all in my head at this point.  If I miss the green, I'm already sweating that next shot before my iron is back in the bag from that shot.

The in-between yardage shots are very difficult for me too.  I'd rather be 100 out than 50 or 40.  I'd always had trouble executing a 3 quarter back swing.  Just could never control not going all the way back.  Put a 60 degree wedge in the bag and can hit it between 50-70 and can flop it fairly okay around the green if grass is fluffy enough.  Trying to get better at the half/3 quarter swings to control distance.  They aren't easy, as you know.  

I think you're right that most of your issues are in your head.  I keep reminding myself in shots where I'm not comfortable... trust the club and let it do the work.  Things like don't decelerate the club on chip shots, don't punch at the ball.  I still have to say those things or I'll get into bad habits. 

 

[Apple Jack]

Hey @Apple Jack.  Turns out I got confused and was posting in the wrong thread about personal golf, so I moved over to here.  But if you have any more insight into those courses, I'd love to hear it.

I know you said the Dye course is unfair or whatever, but I've heard a bunch of people say it's a course they'd play once and then never again.  They all said that the course was a tough setup (much like you imply) but they said it's really nice and worth checking it out.  They then usually end by saying, "But you'd probably never go back to play a second time."

That's a good area to do this kind of trip. Whiskey Creek and Musket Ridge are the only ones I've played in the last couple years and both were in excellent condition. WC is the class of the daily fee tracks in the Frederick area. Little Bennett isn't quite on that level, but it's not far off. It's worth playing. A lot of contour/elevation changes and the greens have always been in decent shape when I've been there. Worthington Manor has always been famous for its turf. They hosted the Maryland Open this year so I'm sure they're fine and any dirt tee boxes were probably part of a maintenance project in advance of that. Links at Challedon, haven't seen in 20+ years. Raspberry Falls is just across the Potomac (via Rt 15 bridge) outside Leesburg, and that's a great layout that tends to get a lot of play, so they should be able to afford to keep it up. PB Dye is a great piece of land; some like it, some hate it. I don't think of it as tough, just recall blind tee shots and bad bounces in the middle of some fairways. Possibly not as bad as I recall.

A couple day trips you might consider from there are Laurel Hill in Lorton, VA and Rocky Gap up near Cumberland. Each a little over an hour from Frederick. Laurel Hill is the best public course in the DC area. They played the Publinx there a few years ago; if the USGA chooses you, you have something going on. Rocky Gap is the only Nicklaus course in MD. Kind of a mountain setup. They also have a casino that I've never seen.

Fwiw, we're in the middle of about a month without rain, so I don't know what's what with courses around here at the moment.

 

[tommyboy]

Congrats on your success!  I shot 77 this past weekend for the first time in a long time.  Hoping now I can stay sub-80 on a more consistent basis.  My nemesis remains an inconsistent driver, but I'm getting better at scrambling and I'm putting a lot better this year.  Bought a new putter in the late spring (TM spider, last year's model).  Love it.  

With the driver I think going 80% but swing freely is the trick. I mean you have to practice it, but it works.  You'll get it. Focus on center face contact

 

[tommyboy]

The only way to get good at shortish wedge shots is to practice them. All arms:  body and head are still. Figure out how far a half swing goes vs full swing then you know 9 o'clock (half swing) is say 40 yards, then 10 o'clock is 55-60, 11 o'clock is 65-70. These are examples based on 80 yard full swing.

 

[encaitar]

The only way to get good at shortish wedge shots is to practice them. All arms:  body and head are still. Figure out how far a half swing goes vs full swing then you know 9 o'clock (half swing) is say 40 yards, then 10 o'clock is 55-60, 11 o'clock is 65-70. These are examples based on 80 yard full swing.

I always tell people to use multiple wedges.  If you don't play/practice all the time, then mastering how hard to swing is difficult.  However, even guys that don't play all the time should be able to reasonably master a 50% shot.  Now, just use the same tempo/backswing/speed on a 52/56/and 60 degree wedge and even a PW and you'll likely have a 40 yard shot, a 50 yard shot, a 60 yard shot and a 70 yard shot that you can repeat regularly.

Now, that doesn't work for every situation as you won't get the spin with a 52 degree or a PW that you will on a 60 degree wedge, but 90% of your short shots will fit into one of these easily repeatable 50% swings.

 

[tommyboy]

Had to sub for a guy at the club for nine hole match play. Never done it before cuz I'm usually busy Wednesday nights.  I was giving the other guy 3 strokes for nine holes. Beat him on the 6th hole up 4. Just crushed the guy. Dead straight all day. This is fun.

Now I need to build confidence in medium chips where you are like 10ft short of green, tight lie. I usually putt them but that cost me two bogeys today. Any tips appreciated

 

[Quint]

Had to sub for a guy at the club for nine hole match play. Never done it before cuz I'm usually busy Wednesday nights.  I was giving the other guy 3 strokes for nine holes. Beat him on the 6th hole up 4. Just crushed the guy. Dead straight all day. This is fun.

Now I need to build confidence in medium chips where you are like 10ft short of green, tight lie. I usually putt them but that cost me two bogeys today. Any tips appreciated

I’m 99% Texas Wedge in that situation. Maybe try 9i and hit it as hard as you would hit a putt from the same distance?

 

[tommyboy]

Definitely something I need to figure out. I feel like I need to chip it but be able to spin it just a bit. At the same time don't want to get the chunks. I'm sure there's a simple drill I'll have to scout YouTube

 

[belljr]

Had to sub for a guy at the club for nine hole match play. Never done it before cuz I'm usually busy Wednesday nights.  I was giving the other guy 3 strokes for nine holes. Beat him on the 6th hole up 4. Just crushed the guy. Dead straight all day. This is fun.

Now I need to build confidence in medium chips where you are like 10ft short of green, tight lie. I usually putt them but that cost me two bogeys today. Any tips appreciated

I'm an old school guy.   I take my 8-PW. PLay it way back in my stance, weight forward and take a putting stroke.  $$  This is how I was taught as a kid fyi, 

Recently I started incorporating my Gap - 58 degree - with this same technique with pretty good results (pending on pin placement and green speed).  Just make sure you excel and keep your head down.   

 

[CGRdrJoe]

I'm an old school guy.   I take my 8-PW. PLay it way back in my stance and take a putting stroke.  $$  This is how I was taught as a kid fyi

Recently I started incorporating my Gap - 58 degree - with this same technique with pretty good results (pending on pin placement and green speed).  Just make sure you excel and keep your head down.   

it's exactly what I do and I no longer have to worry about blading it and puting it in the trap on the other side or chunking it 3 inches.

 

[belljr]

it's exactly what I do and I no longer have to worry about blading it and puting it in the trap on the other side or chunking it 3 inches.

oh ill hit flops when need but no bunker in the way thats how i cchip

 

[belljr]

Played yesterday.  I couldn't make a putt to save my life. I had 2 bad holes but if I could putt yesterday it would not have mattered.  I had 8 birdie putts inside 20 feet and made 2.  One was a tap in after an eagle putt the other was a 5 footer.

I missed 3 I side 6 feet. It was terrible

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Had to sub for a guy at the club for nine hole match play. Never done it before cuz I'm usually busy Wednesday nights.  I was giving the other guy 3 strokes for nine holes. Beat him on the 6th hole up 4. Just crushed the guy. Dead straight all day. This is fun.

Now I need to build confidence in medium chips where you are like 10ft short of green, tight lie. I usually putt them but that cost me two bogeys today. Any tips appreciated

Bump n run with an 8 iron and a long putt stroke

 

[belljr]

Officially done with golf for awhile. No fun.  Embarrassed of a round today. Same issues again. 

Not fun a little

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Officially done with golf for awhile. No fun.  Embarrassed of a round today. Same issues again. 

Not fun a little

From the way outside looking in (through my phone screen lol) it seems you’re taking our hobby way too seriously  

I’m too hard on myself also, I get pissed when in reality I don’t play enough to play with any consistency. But never thought about putting my clubs away.

last couple yrs I’ve tried to just relax and have fun and enjoy spending the time with my friends

 

[belljr]

Shut up

When you have 5 matches you are in, it's no fun losing

 

[tommyboy]

I always tell people to use multiple wedges.  If you don't play/practice all the time, then mastering how hard to swing is difficult.  However, even guys that don't play all the time should be able to reasonably master a 50% shot.  Now, just use the same tempo/backswing/speed on a 52/56/and 60 degree wedge and even a PW and you'll likely have a 40 yard shot, a 50 yard shot, a 60 yard shot and a 70 yard shot that you can repeat regularly.

Now, that doesn't work for every situation as you won't get the spin with a 52 degree or a PW that you will on a 60 degree wedge, but 90% of your short shots will fit into one of these easily repeatable 50% swings.

funny bit here;   i was playing really lousy this saturday and stopped caring. So i decided to start trying different shots just for fun.   (note: if you're having a bad day, its an opportunity to try shots you normally don't hit)

so i had a shot that was exactly 50 yards, to an elevated green and pin about 20 feet from the false front.   ONly way to get it close is flop it or hit one of those lower trajectory one hop and stop shots.

i remembered this post, so since i hit my 54 approx 100 yards with an avg swing, i decided to hit it 50% and see what happened.  It landed 13 inches from the hole (almost jarred it) and then rolled out to about 15 feet.   funny actually that the 50% swing was dead on distance wise.   Unfortunately i needed a 45 yard shot.

 

[tommyboy]

Bump n run with an 8 iron and a long putt stroke

i practiced this at length yesterday and feel much more confident about the shot.   

 

[CGRdrJoe]

i practiced this at length yesterday and feel much more confident about the shot.   

https://youtu.be/6VVOJLUufe0

this video really opened my eyes to what I was doing wrong as I was setting up like I normally would to hit my 8 iron and then using a putting stroke. It makes so much more sense to get more vertical with the club when setting up.

 

[Quint]

Out 48
In 43

Fairways 7
GIR 6
Putts 31
Birdies 2
Pars 2
DBL 6
One ball lost 

Lipped out 2 par putts on the back inside 4’

positive: 4 birdies in the last 3 rounds, nothing worse than DBL today

negative: six DBLs, three 3-jacks where the 1st putt was just gawd-awful 

 

[tommyboy]

im not going to tell you NOT to 3 putt.

i will tell you there's two good ways NOT to 3 putt.

one is boring;  practice 3-5 footers repeatedly

the other is more fun,  practice 30-40 footers with only one look.   That's right, you get one look at the hole, no peeking.   You have to use the mental image in your head to judge distance.   You'll be surprised at how close you'll get and probably sink a few.   its weird.    

 

[TheIronSheik]

im not going to tell you NOT to 3 putt.

i will tell you there's two good ways NOT to 3 putt.

one is boring;  practice 3-5 footers repeatedly

the other is more fun,  practice 30-40 footers with only one look.   That's right, you get one look at the hole, no peeking.   You have to use the mental image in your head to judge distance.   You'll be surprised at how close you'll get and probably sink a few.   its weird.    

This is how I putt everything.  My philosophy is if I'm taking a foul shot in basketball, I don't worry about how hard to push my hands, or what arc to try to throw.  I look at the rim and let my body handle the calculations.  Putts are the same way.  I look at the distance and then just putt.  Ever since I started doing this, my putting has improved greatly.  

 

[Zow]

Had to sub for a guy at the club for nine hole match play. Never done it before cuz I'm usually busy Wednesday nights.  I was giving the other guy 3 strokes for nine holes. Beat him on the 6th hole up 4. Just crushed the guy. Dead straight all day. This is fun.

Now I need to build confidence in medium chips where you are like 10ft short of green, tight lie. I usually putt them but that cost me two bogeys today. Any tips appreciated

I use an all shoulder, near putter swing swing with a 52 degree with the ball in the middle of my stance for these. 

 

[tommyboy]

holy hell, i went out with my 3 youngest kids to play nine holes last night, hit every fairway, missed one green and shot a 34.   burned the edges on 2 birdies putts.   Never hit the ball this straight in 30 years. I'm hitting my 3 wood 280.   I'm sure this won't last forever but for now, its pretty fun