If you are really lost

[Babydaddy]

I've not spent a ton of time in this section of the forum lately- but as I scour the thread titles my heart goes out to the thread starters because I know how humbling and frustrating this game can be-

 

I hope that after 38 years in the game, and lots of money and time- with some help from above- maybe I can offer a couple of thoughts that someone might find helpful

 

1) If you don't get your grip really right- you are swimming upstream in a class five rapid- as Harvey Penick said, "if you have a bad grip, you don't want a good swing"-

How do you get a good grip- start with learning to grip a yardstick- really learn how to put a golf grip on it- feel the pressure points- look at the cup in your lead hand, feel the back of your lead hand- swing it-

 

** The mystery in golf is largely due to club face error-

If you can learn to manage the club face, you will be way ahead of the game-

How do you even start- get a good grip and learn to feel what an open, square and closed face feels like in slow motion without a ball

 

2) If you don't set up to the ball in an athletic manner- you will make it very hard for yourself- be balanced- and ready- you don't need to look like you are trying to take a dump in a hurricane-

 

3) If you set the club face down to your target line open or closed- you will have to do something to compensate for it- hall of fame players play with all sorts of combinations but if you don't know what square is, or what you are doing- you are making harder than it has to be

 

** How do I learn to set up with a square face and set up?**

Learn to hit 10-15 yard pitches and chips with three different clubs- you will learn a lot about a lot-

 

4) If you have problem shots, for example, you can't get out of a fairway bunker. or can't hit pitch shots- that problem shot that seems isolated is probably part of a bigger issue that manifests itself differently with different clubs- take some time and really learn about the potential cause and effect

 

** tendencies with the 5 iron are often there with the driver and the putter**

 

*** Why? because what we see as square is often congruent throughout the bag- it's just that each club demands something a little different in terms of speed and angle of approach and so the results are different

 

**** If you can consistently hit a 3 wood off the deck, don't mess too much with your grip or swing

 

5) People don't practice their short game enough and their whole game suffers because of it- really practice your short game-

** Practice with one ball for a while- pick some problem shots that you have from the course and learn to get the ball up and down with one ball- say you can't hit 30 yard pitches- pick a 30 yard shot and grab a ball and pick the club you think will get the ball closest and hit the pitch- if you screw up STOP- do some thinking work- ask questions- then try to get the ball in the hole, just as you would in a round

 

*** Often- players do not develop the persistence and toughness to recover from missed shots in practice and so they have no chance in a round- learn to pay for your mistakes in practice and you will see results in your actual rounds

 

6) I bet your putting problems and the effort to solve them can help you with your driver problem- sometimes your driver speaks to you about your putter

 

7) Expectations have to be realistic- almost never are they- if you think about it, your best rounds have usually come when you had lowered your expectations- as they say- watch out for the sick golfer-

Find a way to put your golf in perspective and enjoy your playing partners- OR get new ones

 

8) If you will dedicate yourself to learning to hit the sweet-spot of your putter, you will be amazed at how your whole game will improve

 

9) Most of us over-read short putts- hit the putt on the sweetspot and don't give the hole away and thank Harvey Penick later-

 

10) If you are lost- start at the hole and work backwards- if you can't hit a 7 iron, what the hell are you doing practicing driver all the time, hahah- learn to love each club in your bag like a sweetheart- start with your putter and graduate to your driver one by one-

 

11) Don't beat balls all the time- think about your patterns and don't chase solid- chasing solid on the range is disaster- learn to score and hit the sweet spot-

If you want to experiment on the range- view it as a one night stand, park your car on the other side of the apartment complex and know that you will never need to see that person again, except possibly at Starbucks which is ostensibly neutral ground!

 

12) Pick a style- and stick with- if you are above 50 you can't swing like the 25 year old PGA players- learn to use the ground as a 50+ year old- letting the hips turn just might surprise you.

 

13) For God sakes- STRETCH- if you stretch your hip flexors, hamstrings and shoulders you will enjoy the game much more and hurt much less-

*** Often a "back problem" is a hamstring problem

 

14) Keep a journal of what works and what doesn't - when you find something that works consistently write about it on different days in different contexts- you will look back and discover those are your pearls

 

15) At the end of the day golf is about face angle and angle of approach- if you learn to square the face with a reasonable angle of approach- you will hit the sweet spot more often- when you do, your distance control will improve

 

16) A major difference between good players and not so great is how the hips and ground are used-

If you are out of balance you might as well go sit down

If you can't keep your balance- check your grip and then your stance-

 

17) Even ​feeling tempo can cover a lot of sins-

If you show up to a round and are nervous as a cat- think smooth and even- breath even- walk smooth and even-

If you can't slow down- check your grip pressure-

 

18) Fall in love with your golf clubs if you can- they are your friends and fellow soldier in battle- if you don't trust them, you just might lose the battle

 

We all need to have fun and realize that we are so blessed to be able to play golf- I'm speaking to myself here as I tend to get my head up my own arse about stupid things

 

Cheers-

If you have thoughts would love to hear them

[gaffs]

Such a great post. I may print this out and stick it by desk at work.

[BrianMcG]

Number 8 is pure gold. Most people have absolutely no clue that they don't hit their putts solidly.

 

If most people understood that golf was a skill, more like playing a guitar, and not like an endurance sport, where they think the more balls they hit the better, they would be so much better off.

 

I can't sit in my bedroom for 8 hours a day, just randomly strumming my guitar and expect to become Eric Clapton.

[husky14]

Thank you good sir, this is by far the greatest thing i have ever read on the internet.

[Duffmeister]

Excellent post!

 

I agree with all of it.

 

The only thing I can add is: stay humble on the course and avoid the emotional roller coaster. The most dangerous part of the round is after I hit 3 or 4 good shots in a row, it goes something like this:

1. Hit 3 or 4 very good shots in a row
   
2. get over confident and delude myself into thinking I can do anything: start hitting the ball harder, try to squeeze an extra 20 yards out of every shot, try to thread every needle, go for every par 5, etc
   
3. Often leads to disastrous shots and then trying to "fix" the swing or steer the ball
   
4. which then of course leads to blow up holes and blown up score
   
5. This then hits the self confidence and doubt creeps in which leads to again trying to "fix" the swing and steer the ball etc ad nauseam. It's a vicious cycle that you never want to get into and one that could have been avoided
   

The trick is to keep your confidence up and maintain trust in your swing and do whatever it takes to avoid either of these things from deteriorating. Staying humble is what I've found works for me.

[Babydaddy]

Excellent post!

 

I agree with all of it.

 

The only thing I can add is: stay humble on the course and avoid the emotional roller coaster. The most dangerous part of the round is after I hit 3 or 4 good shots in a row, it goes something like this:

1. Hit 3 or 4 very good shots in a row
   
2. get over confident and delude myself into thinking I can do anything: start hitting the ball harder, try to squeeze an extra 20 yards out of every shot, try to thread every needle, go for every par 5, etc
   
3. Often leads to disastrous shots and then trying to "fix" the swing or steer the ball
   
4. which then of course leads to blow up holes and blown up score
   
5. This then hits the self confidence and doubt creeps in which leads to again trying to "fix" the swing and steer the ball etc ad nauseam. It's a vicious cycle that you never want to get into and one that could have been avoided
   

The trick is to keep your confidence up and maintain trust in your swing and do whatever it takes to avoid either of these things from deteriorating. Staying humble is what I've found works for me.

excellent post- thank you

[ro11away]

6) I bet your putting problems and the effort to solve them can help you with your driver problem- sometimes your driver speaks to you about your putter

 

Great read, thanks for posting. Can you expand on #6 a little bit?

[rteach1]

Hall Of Fame post.

[Racerx63]

That is a great post! thank you!!

 

#3 was the biggest for me and you just opened my eyes to it. I noticed it but did not put them together. I chip a lot in my back yard and to get it going straight, I have noticed the face looks a little open. I do struggle with setting up irons and driver a little closed. What looks square to me is actually closed.

[cardoustie]

Awesome post babydads

 

How old are you? What level do you play at ?

[Cool Hand Luke]

Cool post I like your style. Reminds me of penick's little red book.

 

Cheers

[Babydaddy]

6) I bet your putting problems and the effort to solve them can help you with your driver problem- sometimes your driver speaks to you about your putter

 

Great read, thanks for posting. Can you expand on #6 a little bit?

Thanks

A putt is a short shot- we use a club that has very little loft-

A driver has relatively little loft-

 

I see it all the time- people who for example line up right and pull their shots with a driver will often craft a small version of that with the putter-

If they have a short backswing with the putter and a long follow through with the putter they will often perform like that with a driver-

 

We sort of see what we see with a golf ball on the ground- it's the club and the the shot required that changes

 

I'll put it this way- when you discover something that helps your putting over a period of time consistently- see if you can apply that to your driver in some way

[Babydaddy]

Awesome post babydads

 

How old are you? What level do you play at ?

I'm 44- but I exercise a lot- and love the hell out of my wife and dogs

 

My lowest handicap was about 3 I am currently playing at about a 6- I'm trending downward as I am learning to follow my own advice :slow_en:

[RSinSG]

Thanks for this gem.

[Redpro]

Great post. I think I need to drive up to Nashville and spend three days having B-daddy straighten me out. Seriously. :)

[Babydaddy]

Great post. I think I need to drive up to Nashville and spend three days having B-daddy straighten me out. Seriously. :)

Ha!

I'm actually in North Florida now- but bring it on :)