***Official 2025 Golf Thread,, woz humblebrags he's secretly a plus hcp*** (1 Viewer)

[TLEF316]

I dont think there are a ton of private club guys here (LOOK AT ME!!) but I'm curious how everyone feels about this situation.

My club is not member owned. Ownership is a management company that owns (I think) like half a dozen clubs. I like the golf course (when I can hit he ball straight...) and they have made many improvements to the course and facilities over the 7+ years I've been there. There are some really dumb qualify of life things missing (no ball washers.....no BENCHES on the course....the cart that they used to have for walkers to get up to the elevated 8th tee box died and they never replaced it post COVID) but they've made plenty of improvements. Just in the past couple of years they've done some path re-paving, replaced all the bridges and made the bunkers much better. They just did a bunch of stuff to the clubhouse and are building a whole new short game area (was supposed to be done this fall, but now isn't expected until the Spring)

The restaurant is public, so we dont have a food/bev min. And that works perfectly for me, as I'm not a Dinner/lunch at the club 5x a week guy like my retired dad.

The issue is that the prices they charge for food/ beverages at clubhouse patio (which you hit at the turn and obviously can hang out after your round) are extravagant. We're talking $8 for a single High Noon, $17 for a chicken caesar wrap. $13 for a Transfusion. Its a bit over the top. And then on top of that, we were getting banged for an 18% "Service charge" for anything you order there. Last week they sent out an email advising us that the charge has been increased to 20%. So that $3.25 Gatorade that I grab from the fridge and just show to the bartender becomes a $4 gatorade for basically no reason. (and people generally are pretty generous with cash tips as well)

I get that you're going to pay higher than retail. Its a business that needs to make money (and pay the staff...who are mostly great..... a fair wage) and I appreciate that. Part of the "private club" experience. But when you stack it all up (the 200% markup on the drinks + the 20% even on items that the staff didn't even "service" me) it just seems kind of obscene.

Now this morning we get a follow up email from the club GM. Apparently they have noticed an increase in people bringing outside food and beverage onto the course. They speficially noted people "eating sandwiches" on the patio. As a result, they've instituted a 3 strike policy for "outside food and beverages" (without really detailing exactly what that means). First strike, $100 fine. 2nd- 3 month suspension 3rd- kicked out.

As an insurance person (and just someone with common sense) I understand the legal aspects of bringing outside booze. Its a liquor liability issue that could cost us our license if something happened. So i have no issues there. But where does it stop? They specifically mentioned "sandwiches". But what about bringing a bannana? A bag of chips? A Gatorade? I generally bring a bottle of water with me and then fill it up at the various stations. Is THAT a problem?

Just seems like they're setting themselves up for people to throw a fit.

Very much a first world problem here (and I'm not someone spending $500 a month at the patio/bar annyway) but curious to see how this sort of stuff is handled elsewhere.

 

[Zow]

I'm on the board at my more modest private club in my area. We are member owned so the board is very active. Just saying this because we actually have lengthy and oftentimes heated discussions about some of these issues (e.g. cost of a sandwich, whether to turn a blind eye to outside food and drink, etc.). We do a member survey every few years and we just happened to do our this past end of season. While there were some good points and gripes, the overwhelming sentiment from the 350 or so surveys we got back was "do more for less" and, well, life just doesn't work that way. I think our board does its best to strike a nice balance between being the best private club option from a fiscal standpoint but still offering up a good service which includes very good drink options and reasonable food options (we actually voted to replace our last chef who made great, more advanced stuff but was a huuuge money pit with a chef who puts out a perfectly fine salad, club sandwich, and burger at a reasonable price and the membership seems happy). Since our margin here as a club is "good" (slightly less than break even on food, make money on booze but enough to keep prices still reasonable) and we have the minimum, our club is able to ignore food and drinks brought onto the course. Heck, myself and two other board members even put out coolers with drinks in them on certain holes and it is widely known. But, this likely due to the club being a non-profit.

My initial thoughts:

1. Not having a ball washer on the carts is bananas to me. This isn't 1975 and you aren't playing some muni goat track. Knowing your area, you're going to get mud on the ball. Just wild to me that the carts and holes don't have ball washers. I know this isn't your main issue, but this is genuinely the most egregious thing that I read.
2. I think we recently went from 18% to 20% for auto gratuity so that doesn't shock me too much. You'd be surprised how cheap some people are so the club needs to ensure the staff keeps getting a fair wage so they keep coming back and are incentivized to provide good service. I've been in that situation you describe where I literally grab my own beverage from the cooler, waive it at the bar manager, and move on knowing I'm getting the service charge either way. I just view that as the cost of my doing business there and I will say that the bar manager hooks me up well when I order something expensive (make an extra 1/2 ounce of Blanton's or something). So, in short, the issue doesn't bother me.
3. I find it a very good sign that the ownership entity is putting money back into the course. That is not often the case when these for-profits investment groups buy private clubs.
4. It sounds like their plan then is to to increase their margins with food and beverage (bold strategy, Cotton). I suppose this is much better than them pulling it out of the course, but historically food and beverage at golf clubs are lucky to break even. So, you're dealing with jacked up prices, the membership then naturally reacts by bringing their own stuff, and the conflict arises. I genuinely get it from both sides and as a membership you may need to realize that the food and drink prices are a necessary evil to keep the course running well.

Is there some like liaison between corporate and the membership where this can be discussed and maybe a compromise reached? I'm thinking maybe a discount for members to incentive them to still buy from the club?

 

[the moops]

I am going to Norway with my wife and kids in July. We are staying close to this place https://tromsogolf.com/

Northernmost 18 hole golf course in the world. 22 hours of sunlight when we are there, so I can probably get 18 holes in starting at 10PM. I gotta do this, right?

 

[TLEF316]

I am going to Norway with my wife and kids in July. We are staying close to this place https://tromsogolf.com/

Northernmost 18 hole golf course in the world. 22 hours of sunlight when we are there, so I can probably get 18 holes in starting at 10PM. I gotta do this, right?

I actually thought Lofoten (also in Norway) held that distinction but it looks like this one is further North. I would LOVE to go but man its a pain in the *** to get there.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

But yeah, ya gotta do it.

 

[the moops]

I actually thought Lofoten (also in Norway) held that distinction but it looks like this one is further North. I would LOVE to go there but main its a pain in the *** to get there.

It sure is. We go Minneapolis to Dallas to Helsinki to Tromso. Leave at 11AM arrive the next day at 6PM

 

[Zow]

I am going to Norway with my wife and kids in July. We are staying close to this place https://tromsogolf.com/

Northernmost 18 hole golf course in the world. 22 hours of sunlight when we are there, so I can probably get 18 holes in starting at 10PM. I gotta do this, right?

Yes.

 

[TLEF316]

I'm on the board at my more modest private club in my area. We are member owned so the board is very active. Just saying this because we actually have lengthy and oftentimes heated discussions about some of these issues (e.g. cost of a sandwich, whether to turn a blind eye to outside food and drink, etc.). We do a member survey every few years and we just happened to do our this past end of season. While there were some good points and gripes, the overwhelming sentiment from the 350 or so surveys we got back was "do more for less" and, well, life just doesn't work that way. I think our board does its best to strike a nice balance between being the best private club option from a fiscal standpoint but still offering up a good service which includes very good drink options and reasonable food options (we actually voted to replace our last chef who made great, more advanced stuff but was a huuuge money pit with a chef who puts out a perfectly fine salad, club sandwich, and burger at a reasonable price and the membership seems happy). Since our margin here as a club is "good" (slightly less than break even on food, make money on booze but enough to keep prices still reasonable) and we have the minimum, our club is able to ignore food and drinks brought onto the course. Heck, myself and two other board members even put out coolers with drinks in them on certain holes and it is widely known. But, this likely due to the club being a non-profit.

My initial thoughts:

1. Not having a ball washer on the carts is bananas to me. This isn't 1975 and you aren't playing some muni goat track. Knowing your area, you're going to get mud on the ball. Just wild to me that the carts and holes don't have ball washers. I know this isn't your main issue, but this is genuinely the most egregious thing that I read.
2. I think we recently went from 18% to 20% for auto gratuity so that doesn't shock me too much. You'd be surprised how cheap some people are so the club needs to ensure the staff keeps getting a fair wage so they keep coming back and are incentivized to provide good service. I've been in that situation you describe where I literally grab my own beverage from the cooler, waive it at the bar manager, and move on knowing I'm getting the service charge either way. I just view that as the cost of my doing business there and I will say that the bar manager hooks me up well when I order something expensive (make an extra 1/2 hour of Blanton's or something). So, in short, the issue doesn't bother me.
3. I find it a very good sign that the ownership entity is putting money back into the course. That is not often the case when these for-profits investment groups buy private clubs.
4. It sounds like their plan then is to to increase their margins with food and beverage (bold strategy, Cotton). I suppose this is much better than them pulling it out of the course, but historically food and beverage at golf clubs are lucky to break even. So, you're dealing with jacked up prices, the membership then naturally reacts by bringing their own stuff, and the conflict arises. I genuinely get it from both sides and as a membership you may need to realize that the food and drink prices are a necessary evil to keep the course running well.

Is there some like liaison between corporate and the membership where this can be discussed and maybe a compromise reached? I'm thinking maybe a discount for members to incentive them to still buy from the club?

Yeah, my dad was on the board at his club for several years...so I know that the margins are generally thin and its always a balancing act of finances vs member happiness.

The ball washer thing is definitely absurd. People can't believe it when I tell them. I played a round with the GM (was the head pro back then) and he said it had something to do with a "maintenance study" and that they elected to go with coolers on the carts rather than ball washers. (doesn't help me, as I walk 90% of the time) Just nonsense. we have 4 water stations on the course (holes 4, 8, 13 and 16) and the cart kids have to drive out a few times a day to re-fill those coolers. Even if they just put ball washers at those same 4 holes and refilled them at the same time, it would be infinitely better.

We also dont have boxes of divot mix on the par 3 tee boxes. The carts have mix on them, but for walkers, the expectation is that you'll carry a bottle.

Good to know on the service charge. My dad said his was much lower (equity club though, so apples and oranges). Guess that's relatively standard

Agreed on the investment. While I wish they'd focus efforts on different items sometimes, I can't deny that they're doing good work there.(the short game area they're building should be really nice when its done) One of the clubs where we get a reciprocal (Pine Barrens down in South Jersey) was recently purchased by a Hasidic Jewish group. The expectation is that they're basically gonna strip mine the place over the next few years and eventually turn the land into homes for their community. Real bummer.

The members committee was disbanded a couple of years ago. I'm sure the more prominent members have a line of communication to ownership (probably through the GM) but I have no idea what that is. And honestly.....this doesn't really affect me enough to be worth the effort. More just general annoyance and curiosity....unless they consider me showing up with a bottle of Poland Springs or a pre-round banana "outside food and beverage"

The rumor late last year was that they were considering instituting a walking fee. If that happens.....I'll have to strongly consider looking elsewhere. (not easy, as the clubs near me are either out of my price range or just very mediocre golf courses) I walk probably 75-80 rounds a year, so if they start charging me for that...it will add up quick.

 

[Zow]

We're equity as well. But, my city has been the national flagship for increased minimum wage so that could be why 20% seems reasonable to me as most restaurants in town now have a similar mandatory charge.

 

[Judge Smails]

Similar - we're owned by the same group that owns PGA West. Century Golf. Nothing is cheap and there is an 18% charge. We also have a "Premier" program for $100 a month and that makes all food 50% off. Cool but the service charge is factored on list. We always tip our staff more on top of that, so even at 50% off it's not a deal. Almost always higher than I can get a meal of similar quality elsewhere. Guess it's the going rate these days. I understand not allowing alcohol on the course, but if I bring a banana or something to eat on the course I better not get hassled. What a terrible policy. On the plus side, the staff is known for extremely strong pours in the bar!

 

[SouthJersey]

I'm on the board at my more modest private club in my area. We are member owned so the board is very active. Just saying this because we actually have lengthy and oftentimes heated discussions about some of these issues (e.g. cost of a sandwich, whether to turn a blind eye to outside food and drink, etc.). We do a member survey every few years and we just happened to do our this past end of season. While there were some good points and gripes, the overwhelming sentiment from the 350 or so surveys we got back was "do more for less" and, well, life just doesn't work that way. I think our board does its best to strike a nice balance between being the best private club option from a fiscal standpoint but still offering up a good service which includes very good drink options and reasonable food options (we actually voted to replace our last chef who made great, more advanced stuff but was a huuuge money pit with a chef who puts out a perfectly fine salad, club sandwich, and burger at a reasonable price and the membership seems happy). Since our margin here as a club is "good" (slightly less than break even on food, make money on booze but enough to keep prices still reasonable) and we have the minimum, our club is able to ignore food and drinks brought onto the course. Heck, myself and two other board members even put out coolers with drinks in them on certain holes and it is widely known. But, this likely due to the club being a non-profit.

My initial thoughts:

1. Not having a ball washer on the carts is bananas to me. This isn't 1975 and you aren't playing some muni goat track. Knowing your area, you're going to get mud on the ball. Just wild to me that the carts and holes don't have ball washers. I know this isn't your main issue, but this is genuinely the most egregious thing that I read.
2. I think we recently went from 18% to 20% for auto gratuity so that doesn't shock me too much. You'd be surprised how cheap some people are so the club needs to ensure the staff keeps getting a fair wage so they keep coming back and are incentivized to provide good service. I've been in that situation you describe where I literally grab my own beverage from the cooler, waive it at the bar manager, and move on knowing I'm getting the service charge either way. I just view that as the cost of my doing business there and I will say that the bar manager hooks me up well when I order something expensive (make an extra 1/2 hour of Blanton's or something). So, in short, the issue doesn't bother me.
3. I find it a very good sign that the ownership entity is putting money back into the course. That is not often the case when these for-profits investment groups buy private clubs.
4. It sounds like their plan then is to to increase their margins with food and beverage (bold strategy, Cotton). I suppose this is much better than them pulling it out of the course, but historically food and beverage at golf clubs are lucky to break even. So, you're dealing with jacked up prices, the membership then naturally reacts by bringing their own stuff, and the conflict arises. I genuinely get it from both sides and as a membership you may need to realize that the food and drink prices are a necessary evil to keep the course running well.

Is there some like liaison between corporate and the membership where this can be discussed and maybe a compromise reached? I'm thinking maybe a discount for members to incentive them to still buy from the club?

Yeah, my dad was on the board at his club for several years...so I know that the margins are generally thin and its always a balancing act of finances vs member happiness.

The ball washer thing is definitely absurd. People can't believe it when I tell them. I played a round with the GM (was the head pro back then) and he said it had something to do with a "maintenance study" and that they elected to go with coolers on the carts rather than ball washers. (doesn't help me, as I walk 90% of the time) Just nonsense. we have 4 water stations on the course (holes 4, 8, 13 and 16) and the cart kids have to drive out a few times a day to re-fill those coolers. Even if they just put ball washers at those same 4 holes and refilled them at the same time, it would be infinitely better.

We also dont have boxes of divot mix on the par 3 tee boxes. The carts have mix on them, but for walkers, the expectation is that you'll carry a bottle.

Good to know on the service charge. My dad said his was much lower (equity club though, so apples and oranges). Guess that's relatively standard

Agreed on the investment. While I wish they'd focus efforts on different items sometimes, I can't deny that they're doing good work there.(the short game area they're building should be really nice when its done) One of the clubs where we get a reciprocal (Pine Barrens down in South Jersey) was recently purchased by a Hasidic Jewish group. The expectation is that they're basically gonna strip mine the place over the next few years and eventually turn the land into homes for their community. Real bummer.

The members committee was disbanded a couple of years ago. I'm sure the more prominent members have a line of communication to ownership (probably through the GM) but I have no idea what that is. And honestly.....this doesn't really affect me enough to be worth the effort. More just general annoyance and curiosity....unless they consider me showing up with a bottle of Poland Springs or a pre-round banana "outside food and beverage"

The rumor late last year was that they were considering instituting a walking fee. If that happens.....I'll have to strongly consider looking elsewhere. (not easy, as the clubs near me are either out of my price range or just very mediocre golf courses) I walk probably 75-80 rounds a year, so if they start charging me for that...it will add up quick.

My club is more or less the same with the service charge. Auto 20%. Like Woz said, we have some cheapskates and it was instituted to take care of the staff. I do like that when I'm done eating I can just get up and go rather than waiting to sign a check. I think outside food/drink is frowned upon and nobody does it. I've never seen anyone do it since I've been a member and have just followed the norms.

My club also did away with ball washers/divot sand during COVID when you weren't supposed to touch anything. They never brought it back, apparently because our Sup said that during COVID he got rid of the mix so members were way more conscientious about replacing the actual grass divots rather than just filling with sand. It led to better conditions so the Green's committee scrapped them and now any bigger divots that weren't replaced are filled by the grounds crew every morning.

 

[belljr]

Been pounding the arthritis cream the last 2 days. Hands feel much better so there's some hope

 

[The Gator]

Been pounding the arthritis cream the last 2 days. Hands feel much better so there's some hope

I have cow mint udder cream that will work for you.

 

[TLEF316]

I'm on the board at my more modest private club in my area. We are member owned so the board is very active. Just saying this because we actually have lengthy and oftentimes heated discussions about some of these issues (e.g. cost of a sandwich, whether to turn a blind eye to outside food and drink, etc.). We do a member survey every few years and we just happened to do our this past end of season. While there were some good points and gripes, the overwhelming sentiment from the 350 or so surveys we got back was "do more for less" and, well, life just doesn't work that way. I think our board does its best to strike a nice balance between being the best private club option from a fiscal standpoint but still offering up a good service which includes very good drink options and reasonable food options (we actually voted to replace our last chef who made great, more advanced stuff but was a huuuge money pit with a chef who puts out a perfectly fine salad, club sandwich, and burger at a reasonable price and the membership seems happy). Since our margin here as a club is "good" (slightly less than break even on food, make money on booze but enough to keep prices still reasonable) and we have the minimum, our club is able to ignore food and drinks brought onto the course. Heck, myself and two other board members even put out coolers with drinks in them on certain holes and it is widely known. But, this likely due to the club being a non-profit.

My initial thoughts:

1. Not having a ball washer on the carts is bananas to me. This isn't 1975 and you aren't playing some muni goat track. Knowing your area, you're going to get mud on the ball. Just wild to me that the carts and holes don't have ball washers. I know this isn't your main issue, but this is genuinely the most egregious thing that I read.
2. I think we recently went from 18% to 20% for auto gratuity so that doesn't shock me too much. You'd be surprised how cheap some people are so the club needs to ensure the staff keeps getting a fair wage so they keep coming back and are incentivized to provide good service. I've been in that situation you describe where I literally grab my own beverage from the cooler, waive it at the bar manager, and move on knowing I'm getting the service charge either way. I just view that as the cost of my doing business there and I will say that the bar manager hooks me up well when I order something expensive (make an extra 1/2 hour of Blanton's or something). So, in short, the issue doesn't bother me.
3. I find it a very good sign that the ownership entity is putting money back into the course. That is not often the case when these for-profits investment groups buy private clubs.
4. It sounds like their plan then is to to increase their margins with food and beverage (bold strategy, Cotton). I suppose this is much better than them pulling it out of the course, but historically food and beverage at golf clubs are lucky to break even. So, you're dealing with jacked up prices, the membership then naturally reacts by bringing their own stuff, and the conflict arises. I genuinely get it from both sides and as a membership you may need to realize that the food and drink prices are a necessary evil to keep the course running well.

Is there some like liaison between corporate and the membership where this can be discussed and maybe a compromise reached? I'm thinking maybe a discount for members to incentive them to still buy from the club?

Yeah, my dad was on the board at his club for several years...so I know that the margins are generally thin and its always a balancing act of finances vs member happiness.

The ball washer thing is definitely absurd. People can't believe it when I tell them. I played a round with the GM (was the head pro back then) and he said it had something to do with a "maintenance study" and that they elected to go with coolers on the carts rather than ball washers. (doesn't help me, as I walk 90% of the time) Just nonsense. we have 4 water stations on the course (holes 4, 8, 13 and 16) and the cart kids have to drive out a few times a day to re-fill those coolers. Even if they just put ball washers at those same 4 holes and refilled them at the same time, it would be infinitely better.

We also dont have boxes of divot mix on the par 3 tee boxes. The carts have mix on them, but for walkers, the expectation is that you'll carry a bottle.

Good to know on the service charge. My dad said his was much lower (equity club though, so apples and oranges). Guess that's relatively standard

Agreed on the investment. While I wish they'd focus efforts on different items sometimes, I can't deny that they're doing good work there.(the short game area they're building should be really nice when its done) One of the clubs where we get a reciprocal (Pine Barrens down in South Jersey) was recently purchased by a Hasidic Jewish group. The expectation is that they're basically gonna strip mine the place over the next few years and eventually turn the land into homes for their community. Real bummer.

The members committee was disbanded a couple of years ago. I'm sure the more prominent members have a line of communication to ownership (probably through the GM) but I have no idea what that is. And honestly.....this doesn't really affect me enough to be worth the effort. More just general annoyance and curiosity....unless they consider me showing up with a bottle of Poland Springs or a pre-round banana "outside food and beverage"

The rumor late last year was that they were considering instituting a walking fee. If that happens.....I'll have to strongly consider looking elsewhere. (not easy, as the clubs near me are either out of my price range or just very mediocre golf courses) I walk probably 75-80 rounds a year, so if they start charging me for that...it will add up quick.

My club is more or less the same with the service charge. Auto 20%. Like Woz said, we have some cheapskates and it was instituted to take care of the staff. I do like that when I'm done eating I can just get up and go rather than waiting to sign a check. I think outside food/drink is frowned upon and nobody does it. I've never seen anyone do it since I've been a member and have just followed the norms.

My club also did away with ball washers/divot sand during COVID when you weren't supposed to touch anything. They never brought it back, apparently because our Sup said that during COVID he got rid of the mix so members were way more conscientious about replacing the actual grass divots rather than just filling with sand. It led to better conditions so the Green's committee scrapped them and now any bigger divots that weren't replaced are filled by the grounds crew every morning.

Well aren't we fancy.

 

[Thorn]

So my friend who is a DIII college coach just called and asked if I could take Friday off and go to Bethpage next weekend because they don't allow just one coach to travel with the team. Oh and a round at the Red course is included. I have an excite.

 

[TLEF316]

So my friend who is a DIII college coach just called and asked if I could take Friday off and go to Bethpage next weekend because they don't allow just one coach to travel with the team. Oh and a round at the Red course is included. I have an excite.

Nice. Haven't played the Red but generally hear that its pretty good.

If I was a local, I'm sure I'd play it, but as someone who has to trek all the way out to LI, sleep in my car and get up at 4:45AM just to get a tee time, the Black is the only option.

 

[Thorn]

So my friend who is a DIII college coach just called and asked if I could take Friday off and go to Bethpage next weekend because they don't allow just one coach to travel with the team. Oh and a round at the Red course is included. I have an excite.

Nice. Haven't played the Red but generally hear that its pretty good.

If I was a local, I'm sure I'd play it, but as someone who has to trek all the way out to LI, sleep in my car and get up at 4:45AM just to get a tee time, the Black is the only option.

The only reason I'm needed is for a second non-student in the van, so believe me, from the moment I get there I will be angling to get on the black.

 

[Instinctive]

Playing a lot with the nice weather.

Recent rounds of 88, 92, 89, 83. Through the offseason I popped up to a 15.2 handicap after reaching a low of 13.6 end of last summer.

I would say I am playing MUCH better on the whole, in that I am far more consistent striking the ball, but my off-the-tee game still murders me. Averaging 6 off the tee penalty strokes in these rounds. Arccos has my breakdown vs my goal of a 10 handicap over the last 10 rounds as:

-2.2 driving
-5.1 approach
-0.6 short
+1.6 putting

I think that mostly jives with how I feel, although if I narrow it to just this season's 4 rounds, the approach is -3.8 and the driving is -2.5, short game becomes -1.0 (makes sense, lost the touch a bit and took a couple rounds and practices but felt dialed in the last 2 rounds). I'm less concerned with the approaches - that's been much better recently and my first lesson of the year was focused on fixing the error, which is my bad iron tendency (worse the longer the iron is) to pull them an insane amount or slice a bit.

Really interesting cause of that (which I imagine causes my off the tee troubles too) identified as standing too far from the ball. Causing a couple issues: first, it throws off my aim and basically forced me into a stance more closed than what I think relative to intended swing path and club face. Second, that means I throw my shoulders out and come over the top to line up the path as intended, which means I hit it clean and it goes WAY left, or I don't quite get it clean and it slices. Did a bunch of drills on weight shift and general advice of "stand closer" and that's helped a lot. The swing thought that's helping is "don't overswing."

Off the tee...I'm all over the place. Sometimes dead straight but skyball, most common miss is a minor slice or big fade depending on how generous you feel (it's not a big slice, it's WAY better than me a year ago, but being a few yards right and being 30 yards right both mean "punch out" or "in the water" so the improvement hasn't transferred so much to scoring. The biggest change from a year ago is maybe 40% of drives are now that miss instead of 70%, 30% of them are BOOMING 250-300 yarders on the intended middle of fairway line (carry is probably 240-270) that if I could do every time I would be amazing at this game, and 20% are some combo of faded but playable and more line drive fading right and playable, and 10% are like a bullet so far left as to never be seen again no matter the hole setup.

I've committed to using the driver on any hole where I need driver distance to have a reasonable approach distance. Last year, my fix was just hit 3h off the tee every time, get 190 yards in the fairway, and accept that I will be laying up some par 4s. But that was also when I hit the driver 215 on a good one, so the risk reward was way off. Now I'm hitting that 3h like 200, but I'm giving up 50-100 yards instead of 20 yards (and possibly not even getting those 20 because of how rarely I hit a good drive).


In sum, I think my approach game only looks bad because of my tee game. The approaches are just too long. When I hit a good drive (say 230+), and I'm left with a wedge, 9, or 8 iron in...I feel and play awesome. But when the drive leaves a punch out, or a 5 or 6 iron or 3h to get to the green, I basically always miss the green. And often by a lot. And sometimes it's just punching out or dropping and STILL needing a 3h that's gonna be 40 yards short anyway.

Arccos stats would back that up, on approaches from 50-150 yards I'm losing around half a stroke. Anything longer, I'm losing more than a full stroke. Which, to me, is interpreted as "if you're in position, your approach isn't a strength but it isn't murderous. When out of position, you get killed." That's not a surprise, but seeing it so starkly helps me focus in what I need, I think. You can see it on par 3s too - short of 150, decent GIR%, longer and things get murkier.

Another cool insight - when I do hit the GIR, I'm 10% closer to the pin than the average 10. But when I miss, I'm 50% farther from the pin.


Short game - I'm great at getting on the green, but not as good as I need to be getting up and down. Putting is phenomenal. Just a bunch of green on any distance putt, and my work over all of last year to become automatic in the 3-6 foot range has made that the strongest part of my game. I am pretty much automatic from 6 feet and in. Almost never three putt, 32 putts a round average. I think that can be even better with better chipping.

Hope you enjoyed my improvement essay journal entry for the week (LOL). I feel like I'm the precipice of unlocking the good golfer that's somewhere inside me. It's all marginal things now, whereas a year ago I'd have said I really need to trust that I won't fat the living hell out of 1/3 of shots where they only go like 25 yards forward and I gain nothing.

 

[Zow]

So my friend who is a DIII college coach just called and asked if I could take Friday off and go to Bethpage next weekend because they don't allow just one coach to travel with the team. Oh and a round at the Red course is included. I have an excite.

I’d move to continue a murder trial if I got that invite.

Enjoy!

 

[MAC_32]

Any recommendations for new woods? I got a new set of irons last year (Callaway Smoke), so time for the next level. I've received a green light for a driver this spring and a strong maybe for a 3 wood by summer. Hybrids may be a year out, but we'll see how much we sink into our home improvement budget.

I got a club fitting with a highly regarded local pro for xmas, so we're good there, just hunting for some ideas before setting that appointment. Not in any rush, coaching responsibilities heavily limit my availability through mid-May, so it's possible I don't tee one up until Memorial Day weekend.

FWIW, idk how good you are or if others who know more will disagree, but I find the hybrid to be the most important, consistent, and most used club in my bag. If or when I ever update clubs and get re-fit, if I can't pay for the whole bag at once I'm definitely going hybrid first in purchase order.

And this is why we go for fittings - I tried two hybrids and neither one of them generated more ball speed (105) nor carry (148) than my 5i. Zero solid contact on any swing. He quickly pivoted to the 7 wood - first 2 weren't great, but yielded better results than the hybrid anyway. The next 2 leveled up quite a bit and ultimately I settled on the last one - elyte (ball speed 122, carry 189). Curious how I do with it out of the rough, suspect I may need something in between it and the 5i, but we'll see how the season goes. Very much looking forward to par 5's up to 500-520 yds being in play in 2 again.

 

[Instinctive]

Any recommendations for new woods? I got a new set of irons last year (Callaway Smoke), so time for the next level. I've received a green light for a driver this spring and a strong maybe for a 3 wood by summer. Hybrids may be a year out, but we'll see how much we sink into our home improvement budget.

I got a club fitting with a highly regarded local pro for xmas, so we're good there, just hunting for some ideas before setting that appointment. Not in any rush, coaching responsibilities heavily limit my availability through mid-May, so it's possible I don't tee one up until Memorial Day weekend.

FWIW, idk how good you are or if others who know more will disagree, but I find the hybrid to be the most important, consistent, and most used club in my bag. If or when I ever update clubs and get re-fit, if I can't pay for the whole bag at once I'm definitely going hybrid first in purchase order.

And this is why we go for fittings - I tried two hybrids and neither one of them generated more ball speed (105) nor carry (148) than my 5i. Zero solid contact on any swing. He quickly pivoted to the 7 wood - first 2 weren't great, but yielded better results than the hybrid anyway. The next 2 leveled up quite a bit and ultimately I settled on the last one - elyte (ball speed 122, carry 189). Curious how I do with it out of the rough, suspect I may need something in between it and the 5i, but we'll see how the season goes. Very much looking forward to par 5's up to 500-520 yds being in play in 2 again.

Nice. Weird on the first couple hybrid tries - 148 carry is reaaaalllllllly low. Wonder what was going on there.

 

[belljr]

I just removed my hybrids. Put a 4iron back in the bag

 

[Andy Dufresne]

And this is why we go for fittings - I tried two hybrids and neither one of them generated more ball speed (105) nor carry (148) than my 5i. Zero solid contact on any swing. He quickly pivoted to the 7 wood - first 2 weren't great, but yielded better results than the hybrid anyway. The next 2 leveled up quite a bit and ultimately I settled on the last one - elyte (ball speed 122, carry 189). Curious how I do with it out of the rough, suspect I may need something in between it and the 5i, but we'll see how the season goes. Very much looking forward to par 5's up to 500-520 yds being in play in 2 again.

There are golf clubs that combine features of both a fairway wood and a hybrid are commonly referred to as "hybrids", but more specifically, when they blend the characteristics of both, they are sometimes called "Utility" or "Hy-wood" or some such:

Examples:​

• TaylorMade GAPR series (GAPR Lo, Mid, Hi) — designed to fill the gap between irons and woods.
• Callaway Super Hybrid — has the size and power of a fairway wood but plays more like a hybrid.
• Cobra King TEC Utility — a utility iron but similar concept in terms of bridging gaps.

One of my scratch golfer buddies has a GAPR and he hits the tar out of that thing.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Second round of the spring yesterday.

Shot 42 on the front, which is good for me. Then went par-par on 10 and 11. Finished with a 52 on the back nine. You do the math.

Just completely fell apart in all aspects. Haven't had a stretch like that in, I can't even remember when.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

played 18 in the morning at my regular course and shot an 86 with a triple bogey that came out of nowhere, then had lunch and watched the leaders play their first 9 before heading a town over and playing another 18, shot an 82 while watching the rest of the masters from my phone. My ball striking has been excellent lately, 5 wood is lights out but my putting is a bit off and I'm blaming it on the greens either just having healed or just about to be punched. I can't wait until they are all back to normal and I can hit confident lines with speed again.

Weather was 80 and I'm completely toast this morning at work, gonna be a long monday.

 

[Schmeabs]

I just removed my hybrids. Put a 4iron back in the bag

I have no idea how you guys can hit woods off the fairway. No dice for me ever

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I just removed my hybrids. Put a 4iron back in the bag

I have no idea how you guys can hit woods off the fairway. No dice for me ever

Align ball just left of center, weight distribution is 50/50 with shoulders parallel, swing more like an iron as in shift weight forward and don't be afraid to take a small divot. Easier said than done, I know.

I don't get how people can hit their wedges so far. If I swing those things hard enough to get distance there's no accuracy.

 

[Zow]

I just removed my hybrids. Put a 4iron back in the bag

I have no idea how you guys can hit woods off the fairway. No dice for me ever

Align ball just left of center, weight distribution is 50/50 with shoulders parallel, swing more like an iron as in shift weight forward and don't be afraid to take a small divot. Easier said than done, I know.

I don't get how people can hit their wedges so far. If I swing those things hard enough to get distance there's no accuracy.

I know I probably sound like a broken record at this point but lot of these golf feats are made easier by ensuring the golfer has the proper equipment for his swing - particular the correct shaft and ball for the golfer's swing speed and launch angle.

 

[Schmeabs]

I just removed my hybrids. Put a 4iron back in the bag

I have no idea how you guys can hit woods off the fairway. No dice for me ever

Align ball just left of center, weight distribution is 50/50 with shoulders parallel, swing more like an iron as in shift weight forward and don't be afraid to take a small divot. Easier said than done, I know.

I don't get how people can hit their wedges so far. If I swing those things hard enough to get distance there's no accuracy.

Thanks. I sometimes will top a driver with it teed up so trying to hit it off the surface is a no go for me. Wedges are OK for me but somehow I have lost a lot of distance in my PW the past year. At one time I could hit it as far as 150 and now it is down around 100-120.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I know I probably sound like a broker record at this point but lot of these golf feats are made easier by ensuring the golfer has the proper equipment for his swing - particular the correct shaft and ball for the golfer's swing speed and launch angle.

This is a thing that almost nobody (including me) understands fully but is important - kick point. It doesn't seem to make sense that one straight stick could launch the ball higher than another straight stick. But it does.

Another thing that I always have to think about when hitting fairway woods is my grip. Actually if I were a golf coach (I'd like to coach kids someday) I think I'd spend at least 1/3 of the time on grip and the setup routine.

For me, with fairway woods, I have to start with the club head on the ground and the butt of the club on my left hip. Then I just let my trail hand dangle naturally and place it on the club (I think most people say to put your lead hand, but it works better for me this way) then place the lead hand on top. If that results in me choking up on the club an inch or so, so be it. That usually gets me the right length of club to hit the ball then ground for fairway clubs.

All this sounds like I know what I'm doing. I really don't. It's golf after all.

 

[belljr]

I just removed my hybrids. Put a 4iron back in the bag

I have no idea how you guys can hit woods off the fairway. No dice for me ever

3wood off the deck used to be my second best shot .. .in my prime......not anymore lol

 

[MAC_32]

Nice. Weird on the first couple hybrid tries - 148 carry is reaaaalllllllly low. Wonder what was going on there.

2 things #1 he said while my swing is consistent, it is rather aggressive, so I need a little more margin for error at the point of contact and #2 I naturally get more lift, which was demonstrated on fairway, and should translate to the rough as well. When I tried to slow the swing down, my rhythm was off, which is why he didn't think I had any solid contact with the hybrid. (paraphrasing) If you played a couple times per week all year, I'd suggest lessons, but it isn't going to be worth your time if you're in the 12-20 rounds / yr range.

That said, while it was outside the scope of what we were working on, he mentioned testing things out but coming back for 'utility' woods in the future. I thought he was just upselling, but now @Andy Dufresne has me thinking that it was an honest assessment...that just so happens to also result in him yielding future revenue. I hit my irons well out of the rough, but I'm capped at ~170 yards unless I can hit the 7w out of that stuff. We'll see.

 

[The Gator]

I just removed my hybrids. Put a 4iron back in the bag

I have no idea how you guys can hit woods off the fairway. No dice for me ever

I love my new 5w off the grass, I can absolutely smoke it.

3w is a little bigger learning curve so far, even though it's got me pin high in two on a couple par fives lately.

 

[Instinctive]

I just removed my hybrids. Put a 4iron back in the bag

I have no idea how you guys can hit woods off the fairway. No dice for me ever

Align ball just left of center, weight distribution is 50/50 with shoulders parallel, swing more like an iron as in shift weight forward and don't be afraid to take a small divot. Easier said than done, I know.

I don't get how people can hit their wedges so far. If I swing those things hard enough to get distance there's no accuracy.

Thanks. I sometimes will top a driver with it teed up so trying to hit it off the surface is a no go for me. Wedges are OK for me but somehow I have lost a lot of distance in my PW the past year. At one time I could hit it as far as 150 and now it is down around 100-120.

I mean that just sounds like something getting a couple lessons and practice would fix. So does the wood thing.

 

[Instinctive]

Played another today, 87 this time. Game is feeling way better than same place a year ago. Just striking the ball really well. First ever round with zero duffed iron or wedge shots. Only one "idk wtf happened there" drive, and one fat 3h off the tee.

Still lost one ball OB off the tee to a fade - was really a phenomenal drive but once again I was not aimed where I thought. Wind pushing right, I say out loud my aim point is this tree out a the left edge of the fairway, but then hit a beautiful drive up the right side which got blown OB (it's tight from fairway to OB on this particular hole). My buddy goes "you were lined up right where you hit it. Beautiful contact." (Which is not a jerk move, we have a pre-discussed tell-me-after if you think my aim wasn't what I said for me).

Another one was into a hazard right. had to drop, still bogey'd! Another one in a hazard because the ball went way farther than I thought, still bogey'd.

Arccos compares me to a 10 handicap for the day: I lost 3 strokes compared to the average round by a 10 handicap. 2.2 of them were driving, 1 on the approach, and 0.3 on short game. Putting continued to be a strength, netting me 0.5 strokes.

Big changes over last year though, as on driving and approach, only 0.4 strokes of the losses there are from distance. It's a mix of penalties and accuracy. Approaches killed me, but I felt really good. I had the same issue on the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th...I got a full club more than I thought out of the irons I used. Great contact, ball flight, etc. 5i twice, 8i twice, PW twice. Each time i thought "nah, I must have hit it perfect and had some wind" but what I really think now after a few rounds of this is "You hit the ball better and it's not 35 degrees out, so the ball is going to consistently go farther dummy."

I hit a PW 150 yards today. For two years it's been my 125 yard club. Flushed to 130-135. I think I'm going to treat it like a 135 club for a round or two, basically bumping every iron up ~10-15 yards too, and see how it plays.

Driver is WAY better still, but now I'm using it more and still have leaky right shots. Add in that we play the blues instead of whites now (the 5i rule and the Driver rule of thumb both indicate I should be around 6400 (5i averages around 180, driver around 240) vs the 5600-5900 the whites usually are around here. So I'm striking it better, my strategy is better, my misses are better, btu at the end of the day, I'm now feeling MUCH more able to par and birdie holes, but I lose more to penalties than when I just had to treat every par 4 like a par 5 so my scores are only slightly better.

Feels like a breakthrough is close. When I hit that tee shot well, birdies are now well in play. As evidenced by the hazards where I have to take a drop but still make a bogey, par is much more reasonable now too. I think I have two big unlocks that could get me down to flirting with breaking 80 every round:

1. Eliminate the big fade/slice off the tee completely. Of the 14 driving holes, I usually hit a 3h on 3-4, hit phenomenal drives on 2-3, hit horrible drives on 2-3, and hit perfectly playable acceptable drives on the remaining 4-7. I need those 2-3 horrible penalty and out of position inducing drives to go away. That's like 3-6 strokes a round.

2. Figure out how to aim consistently and better. The number of excellent iron and wedge shots that end up pin high but WAY left or right (not a normal dispersion, like you lined up 15 yards off and then had a normal dispersion) is too high. I mean this alone could by anywhere from 3-10 shots a round depending on how well I am getting up and down any given day.

THERE IS A GOOD GOLFER IN HERE AND HE WANT TO COME OUT

 

[Andy Dufresne]

On the Pluto app is the Golfpass channel - I think it's terrific. They have tons of great instruction there.

 

[The Gator]

The driver is getting broken in nicely

Quick 9 at lunch, hit 5 of 7 fairways and hit drives of 300, 289, 278

Also hit two trees off the tee, so there’s that

 

[CGRdrJoe]

The driver is getting broken in nicely

Quick 9 at lunch, hit 5 of 7 fairways and hit drives of 300, 289, 278

Also hit two trees off the tee, so there’s that

steroids?

 

[The Gator]

The driver is getting broken in nicely

Quick 9 at lunch, hit 5 of 7 fairways and hit drives of 300, 289, 278

Also hit two trees off the tee, so there’s that

steroids?

Like they say, don't practice or get lessons, just buy new clubs.....

 

[Zow]

The driver is getting broken in nicely

Quick 9 at lunch, hit 5 of 7 fairways and hit drives of 300, 289, 278

Also hit two trees off the tee, so there’s that

steroids?

I assume whisky.

 

[Instinctive]

Great lesson today. Fully driver focused for the first time (first time I think I ever hit 10 varying iron shots in a row all flush in warmups for a lesson too).

We did a ton of movement pattern drills and ingraining patterns, then reviewed videos of before during after swing stuff, then made it bigger and tried it for real.

Then I played the course from the range (visualize hole 1, driver, estimate what's left and hit that iron, then hit a wedge, then an iron off tee for a par 3, then driver 3h iron for a par 5 etc etc). Tried to put the driver stuff into play without just hitting it ten times in a row over and over.

Worked really well. Have a little mantra now that works for me. "line up tall, stay loose, tilt, then try to put topspin on it"

Of the last 15 drives, 14 were long and straight. The one missing was a dead pull, also super long. Feels amazing. Have to keep practicing but I think I should be flirting with the 70s this summer as this stuff all comes together.

 

[Zow]

Great lesson today. Fully driver focused for the first time (first time I think I ever hit 10 varying iron shots in a row all flush in warmups for a lesson too).

We did a ton of movement pattern drills and ingraining patterns, then reviewed videos of before during after swing stuff, then made it bigger and tried it for real.

Then I played the course from the range (visualize hole 1, driver, estimate what's left and hit that iron, then hit a wedge, then an iron off tee for a par 3, then driver 3h iron for a par 5 etc etc). Tried to put the driver stuff into play without just hitting it ten times in a row over and over.

Worked really well. Have a little mantra now that works for me. "line up tall, stay loose, tilt, then try to put topspin on it"

Of the last 15 drives, 14 were long and straight. The one missing was a dead pull, also super long. Feels amazing. Have to keep practicing but I think I should be flirting with the 70s this summer as this stuff all comes together.

Little mantra? That's like 5 swing thoughts!

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Great lesson today. Fully driver focused for the first time (first time I think I ever hit 10 varying iron shots in a row all flush in warmups for a lesson too).

We did a ton of movement pattern drills and ingraining patterns, then reviewed videos of before during after swing stuff, then made it bigger and tried it for real.

Then I played the course from the range (visualize hole 1, driver, estimate what's left and hit that iron, then hit a wedge, then an iron off tee for a par 3, then driver 3h iron for a par 5 etc etc). Tried to put the driver stuff into play without just hitting it ten times in a row over and over.

Worked really well. Have a little mantra now that works for me. "line up tall, stay loose, tilt, then try to put topspin on it"

Of the last 15 drives, 14 were long and straight. The one missing was a dead pull, also super long. Feels amazing. Have to keep practicing but I think I should be flirting with the 70s this summer as this stuff all comes together.

Little mantra? That's like 5 swing thoughts!

Not really. It's more a pre shot setup routine.

 

[TLEF316]

Been out 4 or 5 times so far this year. Knock on wood.....I've mostly gotten rid of the smother hooks that ruined my year last year (made some setup changes to fix what I was doing). Still not driving the ball great (topped a couple on Sunday and hit a couple out to the right) but I feel like I'm close. Just a few more weeks of reps and maybe a tune up lesson and hopefully I can get back to shooting in the mid-low 80's like I was 2 years ago.

 

[Zow]

Great lesson today. Fully driver focused for the first time (first time I think I ever hit 10 varying iron shots in a row all flush in warmups for a lesson too).

We did a ton of movement pattern drills and ingraining patterns, then reviewed videos of before during after swing stuff, then made it bigger and tried it for real.

Then I played the course from the range (visualize hole 1, driver, estimate what's left and hit that iron, then hit a wedge, then an iron off tee for a par 3, then driver 3h iron for a par 5 etc etc). Tried to put the driver stuff into play without just hitting it ten times in a row over and over.

Worked really well. Have a little mantra now that works for me. "line up tall, stay loose, tilt, then try to put topspin on it"

Of the last 15 drives, 14 were long and straight. The one missing was a dead pull, also super long. Feels amazing. Have to keep practicing but I think I should be flirting with the 70s this summer as this stuff all comes together.

Little mantra? That's like 5 swing thoughts!

Not really. It's more a pre shot setup routine.

I was joking.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Great lesson today. Fully driver focused for the first time (first time I think I ever hit 10 varying iron shots in a row all flush in warmups for a lesson too).

We did a ton of movement pattern drills and ingraining patterns, then reviewed videos of before during after swing stuff, then made it bigger and tried it for real.

Then I played the course from the range (visualize hole 1, driver, estimate what's left and hit that iron, then hit a wedge, then an iron off tee for a par 3, then driver 3h iron for a par 5 etc etc). Tried to put the driver stuff into play without just hitting it ten times in a row over and over.

Worked really well. Have a little mantra now that works for me. "line up tall, stay loose, tilt, then try to put topspin on it"

Of the last 15 drives, 14 were long and straight. The one missing was a dead pull, also super long. Feels amazing. Have to keep practicing but I think I should be flirting with the 70s this summer as this stuff all comes together.

Little mantra? That's like 5 swing thoughts!

Not really. It's more a pre shot setup routine.

I was joking.

Oh. I thought you meant that was ONLY five swing thoughts.

(Also joking)

 

[Zow]

Great lesson today. Fully driver focused for the first time (first time I think I ever hit 10 varying iron shots in a row all flush in warmups for a lesson too).

We did a ton of movement pattern drills and ingraining patterns, then reviewed videos of before during after swing stuff, then made it bigger and tried it for real.

Then I played the course from the range (visualize hole 1, driver, estimate what's left and hit that iron, then hit a wedge, then an iron off tee for a par 3, then driver 3h iron for a par 5 etc etc). Tried to put the driver stuff into play without just hitting it ten times in a row over and over.

Worked really well. Have a little mantra now that works for me. "line up tall, stay loose, tilt, then try to put topspin on it"

Of the last 15 drives, 14 were long and straight. The one missing was a dead pull, also super long. Feels amazing. Have to keep practicing but I think I should be flirting with the 70s this summer as this stuff all comes together.

Little mantra? That's like 5 swing thoughts!

Not really. It's more a pre shot setup routine.

I was joking.

Oh. I thought you meant that was ONLY five swing thoughts.

(Also joking)

Haha

Honestly, my goal is to have zero swing thoughts other than "crush this."

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Great lesson today. Fully driver focused for the first time (first time I think I ever hit 10 varying iron shots in a row all flush in warmups for a lesson too).

We did a ton of movement pattern drills and ingraining patterns, then reviewed videos of before during after swing stuff, then made it bigger and tried it for real.

Then I played the course from the range (visualize hole 1, driver, estimate what's left and hit that iron, then hit a wedge, then an iron off tee for a par 3, then driver 3h iron for a par 5 etc etc). Tried to put the driver stuff into play without just hitting it ten times in a row over and over.

Worked really well. Have a little mantra now that works for me. "line up tall, stay loose, tilt, then try to put topspin on it"

Of the last 15 drives, 14 were long and straight. The one missing was a dead pull, also super long. Feels amazing. Have to keep practicing but I think I should be flirting with the 70s this summer as this stuff all comes together.

Little mantra? That's like 5 swing thoughts!

Not really. It's more a pre shot setup routine.

I was joking.

Oh. I thought you meant that was ONLY five swing thoughts.

(Also joking)

Haha

Honestly, my goal is to have zero swing thoughts other than "crush this."

Mine is "Don't miss"

 

[Instinctive]

Great lesson today. Fully driver focused for the first time (first time I think I ever hit 10 varying iron shots in a row all flush in warmups for a lesson too).

We did a ton of movement pattern drills and ingraining patterns, then reviewed videos of before during after swing stuff, then made it bigger and tried it for real.

Then I played the course from the range (visualize hole 1, driver, estimate what's left and hit that iron, then hit a wedge, then an iron off tee for a par 3, then driver 3h iron for a par 5 etc etc). Tried to put the driver stuff into play without just hitting it ten times in a row over and over.

Worked really well. Have a little mantra now that works for me. "line up tall, stay loose, tilt, then try to put topspin on it"

Of the last 15 drives, 14 were long and straight. The one missing was a dead pull, also super long. Feels amazing. Have to keep practicing but I think I should be flirting with the 70s this summer as this stuff all comes together.

Little mantra? That's like 5 swing thoughts!

Not really. It's more a pre shot setup routine.

I was joking.

Oh. I thought you meant that was ONLY five swing thoughts.

(Also joking)

Haha

Honestly, my goal is to have zero swing thoughts other than "crush this."

Mine is "Don't miss"

My swing thought ends up being the last bit now, everything else is a setup reminder, pre shot.

Driver swing thought: Topspin
Iron swing thought: don't overswing, nice and easy
Wedge swing thought: ball first
Putter swing thought: I don't think i really have one I just put these babies right next to the hole or right in it from any distance. I'm so damn hot with the putter right now.

Seriously if these driver lessons work and I practice and get it in play 250+ instead of either not in play with driver or in play at 200 with a lesser club I really feel like I will be breaking 80. I already feel like i can birdie every hole, but if this works out, some par 5s become eagle-able, par 3s are already way more reliable, and I can play par 4s with a short iron or PW in instead of a 6 iron.

I'm so excited.

 

[Schmeabs]

Great lesson today. Fully driver focused for the first time (first time I think I ever hit 10 varying iron shots in a row all flush in warmups for a lesson too).

We did a ton of movement pattern drills and ingraining patterns, then reviewed videos of before during after swing stuff, then made it bigger and tried it for real.

Then I played the course from the range (visualize hole 1, driver, estimate what's left and hit that iron, then hit a wedge, then an iron off tee for a par 3, then driver 3h iron for a par 5 etc etc). Tried to put the driver stuff into play without just hitting it ten times in a row over and over.

Worked really well. Have a little mantra now that works for me. "line up tall, stay loose, tilt, then try to put topspin on it"

Of the last 15 drives, 14 were long and straight. The one missing was a dead pull, also super long. Feels amazing. Have to keep practicing but I think I should be flirting with the 70s this summer as this stuff all comes together.

Little mantra? That's like 5 swing thoughts!

Not really. It's more a pre shot setup routine.

I was joking.

Oh. I thought you meant that was ONLY five swing thoughts.

(Also joking)

Haha

Honestly, my goal is to have zero swing thoughts other than "crush this."

Mine is "Don't miss"

My swing thought ends up being the last bit now, everything else is a setup reminder, pre shot.

Driver swing thought: Topspin
Iron swing thought: don't overswing, nice and easy
Wedge swing thought: ball first
Putter swing thought: I don't think i really have one I just put these babies right next to the hole or right in it from any distance. I'm so damn hot with the putter right now.

Seriously if these driver lessons work and I practice and get it in play 250+ instead of either not in play with driver or in play at 200 with a lesser club I really feel like I will be breaking 80. I already feel like i can birdie every hole, but if this works out, some par 5s become eagle-able, par 3s are already way more reliable, and I can play par 4s with a short iron or PW in instead of a 6 iron.

I'm so excited.

How does one practice to get topspin on driver? I ask because I get absolutely no roll on my drives as they go very high and the ball mark is usually farther than where my ball ends up

 

[Instinctive]

Great lesson today. Fully driver focused for the first time (first time I think I ever hit 10 varying iron shots in a row all flush in warmups for a lesson too).

We did a ton of movement pattern drills and ingraining patterns, then reviewed videos of before during after swing stuff, then made it bigger and tried it for real.

Then I played the course from the range (visualize hole 1, driver, estimate what's left and hit that iron, then hit a wedge, then an iron off tee for a par 3, then driver 3h iron for a par 5 etc etc). Tried to put the driver stuff into play without just hitting it ten times in a row over and over.

Worked really well. Have a little mantra now that works for me. "line up tall, stay loose, tilt, then try to put topspin on it"

Of the last 15 drives, 14 were long and straight. The one missing was a dead pull, also super long. Feels amazing. Have to keep practicing but I think I should be flirting with the 70s this summer as this stuff all comes together.

Little mantra? That's like 5 swing thoughts!

Not really. It's more a pre shot setup routine.

I was joking.

Oh. I thought you meant that was ONLY five swing thoughts.

(Also joking)

Haha

Honestly, my goal is to have zero swing thoughts other than "crush this."

Mine is "Don't miss"

My swing thought ends up being the last bit now, everything else is a setup reminder, pre shot.

Driver swing thought: Topspin
Iron swing thought: don't overswing, nice and easy
Wedge swing thought: ball first
Putter swing thought: I don't think i really have one I just put these babies right next to the hole or right in it from any distance. I'm so damn hot with the putter right now.

Seriously if these driver lessons work and I practice and get it in play 250+ instead of either not in play with driver or in play at 200 with a lesser club I really feel like I will be breaking 80. I already feel like i can birdie every hole, but if this works out, some par 5s become eagle-able, par 3s are already way more reliable, and I can play par 4s with a short iron or PW in instead of a 6 iron.

I'm so excited.

How does one practice to get topspin on driver? I ask because I get absolutely no roll on my drives as they go very high and the ball mark is usually farther than where my ball ends up

With the disclaimer that I don't know how to teach someone golf and I understand it to be very personal and unique to the swing you come in with...here's what we did, in order:

1. Kick a soccer ball back and forth only a couple times, but to illustrate the goal of getting it to spin nicely with top spin, vs being "skippy" or having backspin
2. Putt from about 10 yards off the green to the far pin at practice green, with the goal of making the putt have top spin.
3. Same spot, but with a 3 hybrid, same goal - get it close to the pin with topspin
4. Same thing, but with a PW - this was really interesting, and might open up my short game some too. I only really play one or two chips - basically a stock 54 where I can land it 90% of the time where I want (definitely has backspin) and it usually releases after spinning and checking a bit. Or, I hit like an 8 iron bump and run using a putting stroke. This showed me that the ball still goes in the air and is a much more predictable roll - just a side thought worth practicing. if this works and really improves my tee game, the next bits of improvement then will come from much better chipping. Right now my chipping Arccos rates as that of a 10 or 11 handicap.
5. Same thing, with the driver. Ball on ground, easy swing, just try to put it by the pin with topspin
6. Move to the range itself, ball on ground, driver in hand, try to hit it with topspin, bit bigger stroke, to a flag about 40 yards away
7. Then try to go about twice as far
8. Tee ball up really low, try to get to like 150 yard flag, again working on topspin
9. We watched the videos, showed me old setup, I had zero tilt or anything and looked super stiff, and it kind of caused my shoulders to be a little like as if I had opened my stance in baseball, kind of like aimed at shortstop with shoulders but intended line and club face are center field. Used this to demonstrate the value of adding a few degrees of tilt from the beltline to head. When i did that, it moved my shoulders back more in line, put the left arm slightly higher than the right instead of the right slightly higher than the left. Seeing the change was cool - it was easy to see how my body needed to throw the club out a bit and hit in from the earlier setup, and how much more naturally it wanted to be in to out with the new setup.
10. Teed a couple up for real and went after it.
11. Repeated step 7 whenever it felt like the slice creeped back in, then repeat step 10 and see.

Repeat step 11 until it felt like it really sunk in. Then I went and did a simulated round as the hour was up.