I've been trying to find a left handed putter of this design for ever. Wilson is finally making some. Can't wait to see it in a store.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Getting into the swing of things in Florida
Just got back from Florida the other day. Spent a week with my parents and my Grandfather down in The Villages. Plenty of golf down there, and I managed to play almost every day. Now that I've had a chance to hit some balls and play a bit, I can start to assess how I'm doing. I'm mostly hitting the irons pretty well. So far, I'm very happy with my new Wilson sticks. My driver and fairways need some work, though. My first well-hit fairways were on my last round, with my best shot (a 5 wood from the tee) coming on the last hole I played in Florida. Also, I was very inconsistent with my wedges and horrible out of the sand.
Clearly I need to put in some practice on my short game as well as with my woods to get back to where I left off last season. Maybe a couple of lessons? We'll see....
Clearly I need to put in some practice on my short game as well as with my woods to get back to where I left off last season. Maybe a couple of lessons? We'll see....
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Time to Get Started....Again....
With the weather getting warmer here in the Northeast, it is time I dusted off my sticks and get started on another season of Golf. Especially since I'm going to visit my parents down in sunny Florida and we've got plenty of golf planned. The bag has been moderately revamped, and I'll post some pictures as soon as I can. I'm pretty excited to get going again, my work with the Stack and Tilt last season yeilded some good results.
First up for this season is to hit the range and really try and get that motion worked in. My main problem is still a wicked slice, though now it is pretty much limited to my woods and the hybrid. I think I've got that licked, but more on that later.
My punch list of goals hasn't changed from the end of the season last year, so there's no reason to rehash it here. Until next time...
First up for this season is to hit the range and really try and get that motion worked in. My main problem is still a wicked slice, though now it is pretty much limited to my woods and the hybrid. I think I've got that licked, but more on that later.
My punch list of goals hasn't changed from the end of the season last year, so there's no reason to rehash it here. Until next time...
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Done for the season?????
Well, we are closing in on the end of the 2010 golfing season, and it appears that if I'm lucky, i'll get in one or two more rounds of Golf before the snow flies, and maybe not even that much with other obligations sneaking in.
So, the question is how have I done compared to my goals I set back in April, and what can I accomplish before the spring thaw in April?
Power Swing:
Goals: Get rid of my current swing faults, develop a controllable shot shape which I can hit consistently, and chart how far I hit each club.
I feel like I've made some improvement here, but I've still got a ways to go. The Stack and Tilt has been really good for me, but I still need to practice it a bunch, but I'm very happy with the progress i'm making so far. For all of the noise about the “revolutionary swing” that is “Stack and Tilt” (SnT), the real revolution is the teaching method, as well as the “new” ball flight laws. For instance, back in April I wrote:
I know enough about golf to know that the slice comes from an open clubface and the push comes from the head of the club moving on an inside-out path when it strikes the ball.
After studying tons of Trackman data, The guys that wrote the SnT book have shown us that the traditional way of describing the interaction between the club and ball is a load of garbage. My push was from the open clubface and the slice is from an out to in path. I have mostly fixed the open face at impact which has mostly fixed the push, but I still have a tendency to have an out to in path with my woods, particularly with the driver. Therefore, my slice is still alive and well and pops up several times through a round.
New Goal: Unchanged, but I feel that i'm halfway to my original goal.
Finesse Swing:
Goals: Apply principles of the "clock" method for wedge shots and chart the distances with each wedge.
Okay, I never quite got around to working on this much, but I still feel that this is still one of my stregnths.
New Goal: Unchanged from April.
Putting:
Goals: Get properly fit for a putter, develop a feel for the "speed" of my putts, and concentrate on 2-putting on most holes.
I didn't get fit, but I think I will do that before the spring rolls around. That great tip that I found about gauging speed of a put helped a ton, and I have found that my 3-puts have gone down considerably since the beginning of the season.
New Goal: Work on better reading greens and eliminate 3-putts
Overall Objective:
As the 2010 season comes to a close, I'm fairly happy with my progress this year, especially considering that from during that from the middle of May to the beginning of September I didn't manage to pick up my clubs even once to play or practice. Hopefully the momentum I have right now will not completely fade over the off-season and I will be able to pick up where I left off this year.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Hunter Mahan's Five Moves
Here's a swing tip from Hunter Mahan in Golf Magazine. He hits all the high points of the Stack and Tilt swing, but with maybe a little different twist to it.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
If it's worth doing...
I'm a firm believer in the old adage: If it's worth doing it's worth doing well. Sometimes you've just gotta get let that club go. Here's the proper way to send that errant golf club for a ride.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Let's not forget about putting
I came across an old issue of Golf Magazine and found this gem of a tip inside. The magazine was dated October, 2008. The method here is similar to dialing in the distances for your wedges and irons. After reading this and trying it out I've cut my three-puts way down. I'm going to be trying to get some work done on my short game before I have to shut it down for the season. For now, follow this link. If you are like me and your approach shots could land anywhere on the green (especially as far from the pin as possible) give this technique a try. I doubt you will be disappointed.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
A word about wedges...
It is worth mentioning, I think, that I've recently changed the wedge options in my bag. I have gone from having a PW, 56º SW, and a 62º Hi-Lob wedge to the PW, 52º GW, and a 58º SW.
I've hardly ever hit the Hi-Lob well at all, and the gap between the PW at 46º and the 56º is pretty large. Trading the 62º for a 52º and the 56º for a 58º leaves me with two 6º degree gaps in between my wedges. The sand wedge has enough loft that I can use it for lob shots around the green and with a lower bounce it should be better getting out of the firm sand that is normal for the courses I tend to play.
I hope that these new wedges better complement my developing golf game, and maybe drop at least a couple of shots per round off of my score.
I've hardly ever hit the Hi-Lob well at all, and the gap between the PW at 46º and the 56º is pretty large. Trading the 62º for a 52º and the 56º for a 58º leaves me with two 6º degree gaps in between my wedges. The sand wedge has enough loft that I can use it for lob shots around the green and with a lower bounce it should be better getting out of the firm sand that is normal for the courses I tend to play.
I hope that these new wedges better complement my developing golf game, and maybe drop at least a couple of shots per round off of my score.
Stacked, Tilted, but still crooked.
I've got the basics of the stack and tilt swing down, and as far as that goes everything is pretty good. I'm more consistent than I was before, but not as consistent as I'd like to be. What I really need to do is to get to the practice range and really groove in the swing, specifically the downward shoulder turn and the inward path of the hands.
I have been playing a bunch, avoiding the range in favor of getting out on the links when the weather is good. Those days are getting fewer and fewer as the New England weather turns to autumn. There's been a bunch of rain recently which has limited the good golf days but has been good for the lawn that was destroyed by heat this past summer.
On the course my mis-hits are getting fewer, and when I get good contact the ball goes farther and straighter. I remain completely sold on the stack and tilt method. I may go out and pick up the DVD's too as I progress, but for now I'm sticking with the book. I hope that a couple of good range sessions will get the S&T swing grooved in and more consistent.
Every struggling golfer hits at least one shot each time he or she plays that leaves you with an amazing "I can't believe I just hit that" shot that leaves you salivating for your next trip out to the course. Before I started this, that shot would either be some sort of chip or pitch shot that would more or less come out of nowhere and leave me less than a three foot putt. Recently those "I can't wait to get back" shots have been mid- and long-iron shots and even the occasional drive. As I stated earlier, I'm playing more than I usually do. However, that means that I haven't been practicing at all. Predictably that means that my short "finesse" shots have suffered. I need to work on my touch, but that will have to wait until after I solidify my gains in my long game.
I have been playing a bunch, avoiding the range in favor of getting out on the links when the weather is good. Those days are getting fewer and fewer as the New England weather turns to autumn. There's been a bunch of rain recently which has limited the good golf days but has been good for the lawn that was destroyed by heat this past summer.
On the course my mis-hits are getting fewer, and when I get good contact the ball goes farther and straighter. I remain completely sold on the stack and tilt method. I may go out and pick up the DVD's too as I progress, but for now I'm sticking with the book. I hope that a couple of good range sessions will get the S&T swing grooved in and more consistent.
Every struggling golfer hits at least one shot each time he or she plays that leaves you with an amazing "I can't believe I just hit that" shot that leaves you salivating for your next trip out to the course. Before I started this, that shot would either be some sort of chip or pitch shot that would more or less come out of nowhere and leave me less than a three foot putt. Recently those "I can't wait to get back" shots have been mid- and long-iron shots and even the occasional drive. As I stated earlier, I'm playing more than I usually do. However, that means that I haven't been practicing at all. Predictably that means that my short "finesse" shots have suffered. I need to work on my touch, but that will have to wait until after I solidify my gains in my long game.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Stack and Tilt
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I finally went out and bought The Stack and Tilt Swing by Bennet and Plummer after reading about this new method in Golf Digest and on golf forums around the net. I can't say that I have a lot of experience with different methods as far as the Golf swing goes, but I think there is something to this one. I've just started to work with the stack and tilt swing, and I've got to say that I haven't swung this well since.....well......ever.
The basics of the method are:
- Keep your weight on your front foot.
- Turn your forward shoulder down on your backswing.
- Keep the hands in going back
- Let your rear leg straighten naturally, don't try and keep it flexed.
- Keep arms straight throughout the swing.
- Slide your hips forward during the swing.
On page 29 the authors lay out the basics of the swing to get you going with Stack and Tilt. I took what I read there and went to the range after work yesterday. I'm still as inconsistent as ever, but I started making much better contact yesterday with definite improvement over how I've been doing lately. I'm definitely sold on this method and I'm going to see how my swing develops.
Let's see how this develops.......
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Don't Call it a Comeback!
Wow, I can't believe it's been five months since I've posted here, not that I'd really gotten very deep into this blog anyway. I knew it'd been a long time, but the summer just flashed by like it didn't even happen.
Didn't pick up my clubs all summer. They made it back into the house in late April or early May and didn't leave until I took the family down to Florida. Got a little golf in down there, but more importantly the golf bug was rekindled again.
Going to be more posts soon, up next: I'm stacked and tilted. I think.
Didn't pick up my clubs all summer. They made it back into the house in late April or early May and didn't leave until I took the family down to Florida. Got a little golf in down there, but more importantly the golf bug was rekindled again.
Going to be more posts soon, up next: I'm stacked and tilted. I think.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Where I am and Goals for 2010
I did a little review of my golfing skills last time, and there isn't much more to tell, really. That's not enough reason for me to keep from plowing on anyway.
The short version is that I'm your average beginning high handicapper with a soul-crushing slice off the tee. Add to that a pretty severe push with my irons and you have a pretty good idea how my average round of golf is. I'm going to separate my goals into the three physical aspects of this sport we call Golf: Power Swing, Finesse Swing, and Putting.
Power Swing:
This is, of course the "full swing", and golf shots that are, as Dave Pelz defines it, more than 100 yards from the pin. As I am left-handed, my push and slice are sending these shots WAAAYYY left. I've hit the driver as much as 100 yards left of my target. I know enough about golf to know that the slice comes from an open clubface and the push comes from the head of the club moving on an inside-out path when it strikes the ball. I knew this even before I asked some of my golfing friends for advice, but that's all they could tell me. What I need to figure out is how to fix those swing faults so that I can begin to play and not get discouraged by shooting double par on every hole. As i am at the end of my rope in dealing with my swing, I will soon be calling in the cavalry (which is to say that I'll be searching for a teaching pro, signing up for lessons, and begging for help.
Goals: Get rid of my current swing faults, develop a controllable shot shape which I can hit consistently, and chart how far I hit each club.
Finesse Swing:
Shots from inside 100 yards. I'm actually somewhat satisfied with my current abilities here. No need for a crash course in the short game. That isn't to say that I don't need to do a lot of work in the short game. I do. However, the issue with the short game is distance control and the path to figuring that out is fairly well documented by Dave Pelz and others. Hopefully I'll be able to work out my short game for 60 cents in overdue charges at the library instead of paying $100 an hour for lessons.
Goals: Apply principles of the "clock" method for wedge shots and chart the distances with each wedge.
Putting:
As with the other two phases of Golf, there is significant work here, too. My putting is erratic, to say the least. I need to work on speed and reading greens. My feeling is that reading greens will come with time and paying attention to my putts as I play. This might be wishful thinking, but if I'm not fuming about how it took me 5 shots to get the ball onto the green I might be in a calmer mental state as I'm putting. It should follow that I can concentrate more on the speed and trajectory of my putts.
Goals: Get properly fit for a putter, develop a feel for the "speed" of my putts, and concentrate on 2-putting on most holes.
Overall Objective: Have a handicap (besides golf itself), consistently score less than 100 during a round of 18 holes.
As I review what I've listed as goals for this year I might have bit off more than I can chew, but I believe that most of these goals are attainable. Possibly even all of them. Realistically, I hope to at least see some improvement in each aspect of the game and a measurable drop in score.
Coming soon: The quest for a teacher begins.....
The short version is that I'm your average beginning high handicapper with a soul-crushing slice off the tee. Add to that a pretty severe push with my irons and you have a pretty good idea how my average round of golf is. I'm going to separate my goals into the three physical aspects of this sport we call Golf: Power Swing, Finesse Swing, and Putting.
Power Swing:
This is, of course the "full swing", and golf shots that are, as Dave Pelz defines it, more than 100 yards from the pin. As I am left-handed, my push and slice are sending these shots WAAAYYY left. I've hit the driver as much as 100 yards left of my target. I know enough about golf to know that the slice comes from an open clubface and the push comes from the head of the club moving on an inside-out path when it strikes the ball. I knew this even before I asked some of my golfing friends for advice, but that's all they could tell me. What I need to figure out is how to fix those swing faults so that I can begin to play and not get discouraged by shooting double par on every hole. As i am at the end of my rope in dealing with my swing, I will soon be calling in the cavalry (which is to say that I'll be searching for a teaching pro, signing up for lessons, and begging for help.
Goals: Get rid of my current swing faults, develop a controllable shot shape which I can hit consistently, and chart how far I hit each club.
Finesse Swing:
Shots from inside 100 yards. I'm actually somewhat satisfied with my current abilities here. No need for a crash course in the short game. That isn't to say that I don't need to do a lot of work in the short game. I do. However, the issue with the short game is distance control and the path to figuring that out is fairly well documented by Dave Pelz and others. Hopefully I'll be able to work out my short game for 60 cents in overdue charges at the library instead of paying $100 an hour for lessons.
Goals: Apply principles of the "clock" method for wedge shots and chart the distances with each wedge.
Putting:
As with the other two phases of Golf, there is significant work here, too. My putting is erratic, to say the least. I need to work on speed and reading greens. My feeling is that reading greens will come with time and paying attention to my putts as I play. This might be wishful thinking, but if I'm not fuming about how it took me 5 shots to get the ball onto the green I might be in a calmer mental state as I'm putting. It should follow that I can concentrate more on the speed and trajectory of my putts.
Goals: Get properly fit for a putter, develop a feel for the "speed" of my putts, and concentrate on 2-putting on most holes.
Overall Objective: Have a handicap (besides golf itself), consistently score less than 100 during a round of 18 holes.
As I review what I've listed as goals for this year I might have bit off more than I can chew, but I believe that most of these goals are attainable. Possibly even all of them. Realistically, I hope to at least see some improvement in each aspect of the game and a measurable drop in score.
Coming soon: The quest for a teacher begins.....
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Who am I and why am I doing this?
The purpose of this blog is to find the answers to those questions. Of course, I know who I am. I think, anyway.
I am, at the very least a novice golfer. That is, a new golfer who sends every damn ball way to the left. Way, way to the left. Not content to handicap me with a simple slice, I also push the ball. It's so bad that the friends from work that were good enough and kind enough to let me play with them when I was first starting out two years ago started to call me "Bear" as I was always playing out of the woods.
Yes, I started two years ago. Sort of. I got some clubs and some lessons and was making progress towards actually playing. That is to say, I was on the cusp of not completely embarrassing myself every time I swung a club. Of course, halfway through that first summer what existed of my golf game deserted me.
Last summer I was destined to not pick up my golf bag for the purpose of playing golf at all. This is because last spring I bought a new house. Instead of working on my swing and practicing putting and chipping and the like I was working on my yard and painting the house.
Thankfully, the list of renovations needed for the house has shrunk to a manageable level and I shall go back to trying not to embarrass myself any more than necessary on the golf course.
I hope to record my progress here. I will also record any lack of progress here as well. I don't know if anyone will read this blog, although I hope they will. This blog is primarily for me, of course. With some luck, and a little hard work, this endeavor will by the end of this golfing season become more than just a handful of cathartic rants. Also, I hope to find some measure of consistency with my golf swing.
I welcome you, dear reader to come along for the ride.
I am, at the very least a novice golfer. That is, a new golfer who sends every damn ball way to the left. Way, way to the left. Not content to handicap me with a simple slice, I also push the ball. It's so bad that the friends from work that were good enough and kind enough to let me play with them when I was first starting out two years ago started to call me "Bear" as I was always playing out of the woods.
Yes, I started two years ago. Sort of. I got some clubs and some lessons and was making progress towards actually playing. That is to say, I was on the cusp of not completely embarrassing myself every time I swung a club. Of course, halfway through that first summer what existed of my golf game deserted me.
Last summer I was destined to not pick up my golf bag for the purpose of playing golf at all. This is because last spring I bought a new house. Instead of working on my swing and practicing putting and chipping and the like I was working on my yard and painting the house.
Thankfully, the list of renovations needed for the house has shrunk to a manageable level and I shall go back to trying not to embarrass myself any more than necessary on the golf course.
I hope to record my progress here. I will also record any lack of progress here as well. I don't know if anyone will read this blog, although I hope they will. This blog is primarily for me, of course. With some luck, and a little hard work, this endeavor will by the end of this golfing season become more than just a handful of cathartic rants. Also, I hope to find some measure of consistency with my golf swing.
I welcome you, dear reader to come along for the ride.
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