Golf...

[cover2]

Not about the pros, but after reading the box and seeing Ray (who has a really nice looking swing, despite possibly playing in Jorts and a "wife beater") and Diddy bantering a bit, it made me wonder what the make up and skill level of the Chatter members consists of. Be neat (to me at least) to find a time and place to play with some of the like (or unlike minds). Having an idea of who you'd want to play with from a strictly golf standpoint might help. Of course, there should be no embellishing, not that that sort of thing would ever happen on a message board or among Gator fans. Anyhow, I'll start for anyone interested:

*Handicap - Not sure as I've recently started playing again after a 6 year hiatus (health issues) and my kids are interested. At one point about 20 years ago, I played to a 7, but I'm nowhere near that now. Lately, I've been mid 80's and my long irons are the most inconsistent part of my game.

*Strengths - Pretty consistent off the tee, though I can't hit it nearly as long as I used to. I seem to be getting a little distance back as I play more, but 56 is telling on me! Putting is pretty consistent and my short irons, when I can get into position to hit them, are pretty accurate. I've added a couple of hybrids that help with what was once the long iron shots.

*Weaknesses - Long irons. When I started back, I was using my old Titleist 762's, but just wasn't puring anything. With the addition of the hybrids and a return to my old Ping Eye 2+ irons, I'm a little more consistent, but ball striking with the 5 and up needs a lot of work.

*Best golf story - I actually coached our high school golf teams for about 6 years and when I first got started, I felt the need to seek some advice from some of the veteran coaches at the successful programs. We played more tournaments than matches and many of the elite teams would participate and at that time, Glynn Academy (from Sea Island) was a perennial state champ, and I had the opportunity to visit with their coach, Terry Tuley, who was a good guy and had been a college football coach at one point. So I asked him what advice he could give to a relative novice coach who wanted to build a competitive program. He told me that he appreciated me asking him, but that he didn't know if he had much to offer. Seems that most of his players were children of corporate executives who were flown to places like Texas and the Golf Digest School to work with golf professionals like Jim Flick, Hank Haney, and the like. He told me that the president of the golf boosters (which was larger than a lot of football booster clubs) told him what they need from him when he got the job; 1) make sure the kids arrived safely and on time to all the tournaments and matches and that they were properly fed, and 2) don't f**k with their swings!

 

[MJMGator]

I used to enjoy it, but gave it up about 20 years ago after getting frustrated with the time it took to implement a swing change. Who knows...maybe I'll give it a go again when my son gets old enough.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Those aren't jorts. They are blue Under Armour golf shorts. By far the most comfortable shorts I've worn. Even the pockets are stretchy. And that is not a wife beater. There's a little chest pocket, so I think that keeps it from being a wifebeater

As for my game...

Strength: 6, 7, 8, and 9 iron. Those are the four I do most of my drills and swing experimenting with. Over the last month I have gotten scary long with these clubs. 165 is 9, 180 is 8, 190 is 7, 200 is 6. The ball flight on these are extremely high too and overall I am really comfortable with anything between 135-200 out.

I would also put my 3w in this group. I regripped my driver Friday but it was giving me some issues. I use jumbo grips on all my irons so I thought I'd try it on my driver too. Couldn't ever seem to consistently get the driver face squared with the jumbo so we shall see. At any rate. I didn't really miss not having it in my bag (I had to force myself to leave it in the car). I hit about 80% of the fairways using my 3w and I outdrive most of my playing pals with it. An average 3w for me is around 275, but I anticipate that to be around 290 by the end of the month. My favorite shot was with this club. It is the Internet afterall, so I dont anticipate anyone to believe me, but it's a true story. Wind was at our back and there is a gradual downhill on this hole, but I hit the 3w 380. Brad can text the witness if need be

Weakness: Putting, anything between 90-125ish, and mental.

I am replacing my wedges soon but they let me down. With my swing project, things have changed so much I simply have the wrong clubs here. The guy I got them from is 6'6, so they are 1" longer than standard and their lie angle is way too steep. I had the lie on all of my clubs fit but I didn't mess with his custom clubs. I have a 60 degree that is standard so I can do fine with that. I do avoid the 60 a lot though just due to the extreme loft. You swing them harder and they just go higher and never seem like they go an inch further.

I hate putting, I suck at putting, fvk putting.

As you can tell from my putting woes, things turn into head games quickly for me. If I feel great about a club, I own it. I step up to the ball, see my path, and execute. A few rounds ago i was 160 out, had to get the ball up and over some very tall trees in about 30 yards. I told my buddy "shot of the day coming up". Grabbed my 9 iron, opend the face a tad, and stuck it about 10 feet from the hole. Opposite happens with a driver or putter in my hands. I'm convinced beforehand that I am not capable of sinking the putt/splitting the fairway. I'm on a new medication so hopefully that translates on the course

Overall game

As most know my goal was to break 80 this year and I feel really good about it. Shot an 84 recently and knew I had 6 piss poor shots on the front 9. They bit me. It's been a little added pressure on myself so I may experiment with changing the number at some point. My brother is coming in town next month so I'm hoping the family competitive nature kicks in and pushes me over the hump.

 

[Ancient Reptile]

Tennis, and can't even play that anymore.

 

[cover2]

Those aren't jorts. They are blue Under Armour golf shorts. By far the most comfortable shorts I've worn. Even the pockets are stretchy. And that is not a wife beater. There's a little chest pocket, so I think that keeps it from being a wifebeater

As for my game...

Strength: 6, 7, 8, and 9 iron. Those are the four I do most of my drills and swing experimenting with. Over the last month I have gotten scary long with these clubs. 165 is 9, 180 is 8, 190 is 7, 200 is 6. The ball flight on these are extremely high too and overall I am really comfortable with anything between 135-200 out.

I would also put my 3w in this group. I regripped my driver Friday but it was giving me some issues. I use jumbo grips on all my irons so I thought I'd try it on my driver too. Couldn't ever seem to consistently get the driver face squared with the jumbo so we shall see. At any rate. I didn't really miss not having it in my bag (I had to force myself to leave it in the car). I hit about 80% of the fairways using my 3w and I outdrive most of my playing pals with it. An average 3w for me is around 275, but I anticipate that to be around 290 by the end of the month. My favorite shot was with this club. It is the Internet afterall, so I dont anticipate anyone to believe me, but it's a true story. Wind was at our back and there is a gradual downhill on this hole, but I hit the 3w 380. Brad can text the witness if need be

Weakness: Putting, anything between 90-125ish, and mental.

I am replacing my wedges soon but they let me down. With my swing project, things have changed so much I simply have the wrong clubs here. The guy I got them from is 6'6, so they are 1" longer than standard and their lie angle is way too steep. I had the lie on all of my clubs fit but I didn't mess with his custom clubs. I have a 60 degree that is standard so I can do fine with that. I do avoid the 60 a lot though just due to the extreme loft. You swing them harder and they just go higher and never seem like they go an inch further.

I hate putting, I suck at putting, fvk putting.

As you can tell from my putting woes, things turn into head games quickly for me. If I feel great about a club, I own it. I step up to the ball, see my path, and execute. A few rounds ago i was 160 out, had to get the ball up and over some very tall trees in about 30 yards. I told my buddy "shot of the day coming up". Grabbed my 9 iron, opend the face a tad, and stuck it about 10 feet from the hole. Opposite happens with a driver or putter in my hands. I'm convinced beforehand that I am not capable of sinking the putt/splitting the fairway. I'm on a new medication so hopefully that translates on the course

Overall game

As most know my goal was to break 80 this year and I feel really good about it. Shot an 84 recently and knew I had 6 piss poor shots on the front 9. They bit me. It's been a little added pressure on myself so I may experiment with changing the number at some point. My brother is coming in town next month so I'm hoping the family competitive nature kicks in and pushes me over the hump.

Appreciate it Ray, and sorry about the mistake on your golfing ensemble. You sound a little like my son with the driver, but he happened to hit one in the fairway about 350 when we played last week, so he doesn't want to hear dad tell him about putting the big stick up and hit his 3 wood. I guess 1/16 fairways and X number of lost balls isn't so bad if you can get that one bomb!

I'm no expert, but I'll share something I learned a while back about the lower wedges (sand, gap, utility, etc.), they are made to get the ball up and quickly depending on the bounce and what kind of lie you hit them from. If you aren't doing this already, practice in a place where you can accurately check your yardages. Take these clubs and work on quarter, half, and three quarter swings (along with full swings) and record the yardages you get with each club on each swing. Of course, consistency of your swing speed is an important variable. Once you've done this, you can see which club offers the appropriate spin, stop or release, that you need and then narrow the clubs down to which are most comfortable and consistent. As they are true scoring clubs, distance control is extremely important. I carry a sand wedge (56 degree loft with little bounce) and a utility wedge (52 degrees) along with the pitching wedge from my set. I only use the sand wedge out of the traps and the utility for the swings described above and it is a very reliable club from 82 yards in (remember I'm not real long anymore).

As far as your new medicine, I hope that helps. I find a couple of beers each round seems to put me in a better frame of mind. I'm naturally very competitive and still thinking as an athletic 30-something (instead of the old guy I am) can make me a little irritable! Too many, however, and I'm a little more Rodney Dangerfield than I need to be.

 

[GatorInKnox]

My lowest handicap was +3 at one point. Closer to +7-8 now.

Strengths: Driver distance, irons in general (long and short), putting (sorry Ray), and my Jason Dufner-like approach to the game

Weaknesses: Driver accuracy, short game (inside 30 yards), and driver accuracy again

That combo of weaknesses can make for some really sh1tty rounds but I can go pretty low if I can keep it in the fairway.

 

[cover2]

Strengths: Driver distance, irons in general (long and short), putting (sorry Ray), and my Jason Dufner-like approach to the game.

Does Ox know this?

Seriously, I hope this doesn't mean you have that annoying waggle and/or you had a trophy wife (out-kicked your coverage) and lost her and a good portion of your $.

 

[Ray Finkle]

I'm no expert, but I'll share something I learned a while back about the lower wedges (sand, gap, utility, etc.), they are made to get the ball up and quickly depending on the bounce and what kind of lie you hit them from. If you aren't doing this already, practice in a place where you can accurately check your yardages. Take these clubs and work on quarter, half, and three quarter swings (along with full swings) and record the yardages you get with each club on each swing. Of course, consistency of your swing speed is an important variable. Once you've done this, you can see which club offers the appropriate spin, stop or release, that you need and then narrow the clubs down to which are most comfortable and consistent. As they are true scoring clubs, distance control is extremely important. I carry a sand wedge (56 degree loft with little bounce) and a utility wedge (52 degrees) along with the pitching wedge from my set. I only use the sand wedge out of the traps and the utility for the swings described above and it is a very reliable club from 82 yards in (remember I'm not real long anymore).

Before the swing overhaul, my wedges were my strength. The 50, 75, 100 percent swings is how I gauge things as well. Very fixable and it shouldn't be long until I get them back out of this category.

To be clear, my putting isn't awful. In fact, it's close to great. I usually have great speed and my lines are really good. I just burn the edge on almost every putt outside of 6 ft or so. I rarely 3 putt, it is just so damn frustrating how close I come every single time.

 

[cover2]

To be clear, my putting isn't awful. In fact, it's close to great. I usually have great speed and my lines are really good. I just burn the edge on almost every putt outside of 6 ft or so. I rarely 3 putt, it is just so damn frustrating how close I come every single time.

You sound like a guy who practices as well as plays, but I wonder how much time you spend on the greens as opposed to the range? Sounds like distance and speed isn't the problem, but determining your line and getting the ball rolling and staying on the line is. Again, no expert, but what I used to do with our golfers on the greens was spend a lot of their time on 10 footers. I have them putt a determined number straight (flat, uphill, and down) along with left to right and right to left breakers from the same elevations. We quickly figured out if the kids were putting everything at about the same consistency and not making more of the straight ones, there was a problem seeing the right line. I think that is where I might start. I have a tendency to pull my putts, so I have to be conscious of this, especially with the right to left breakers. I've used a few putters in my day but have found I see the line best with one that has no offset and is short enough to allow me to have my eyes perpendicular over the ball. I've got a Ping Zing that allows me to do this.

 

[GatorInKnox]

To be clear, my putting isn't awful. In fact, it's close to great. I usually have great speed and my lines are really good. I just burn the edge on almost every putt outside of 6 ft or so. I rarely 3 putt, it is just so damn frustrating how close I come every single time.

How many putts per round do you usually take?

 

[cover2]

How many putts per round do you usually take?

I haven't been too good about tracking them since I resumed play, but I'm usually in the 34-37 range. I don't three-putt a lot and I'll make a couple of birdies fairly often, but not being long off of the tee, I usually either leave several approaches short or long left when I pull them trying to get a little more distance on the longer par fours and fives. One strength that I didn't mention is the pitches and short chips. Approach problems over the years necessitated this I guess, so it helps me one-putt fairly regularly. When I was learning the game a long time ago, my putting was horrific and practice to me consisted of seeing how far I could hit my diver. Eventually I came to understand that putting usually accounted for at least half (a lot more in my case) of your strokes per round and therefore should be what you worked on with at least half of your practice time. I became a much better putter when I put this plan into action and I started seeing my handicap drop. Unfortunately, I decided that I needed to change my swing from what I'd done forever that resulted in a high, long fade into one that resulted in a lower draw. I haven't been close to that seven handicap since and now work on taking some of the flat out of my swing . It's important to add that my beer storage facility hinders me in this pursuit!

*My apologies to Knox and Ray as I realized I nswered Knox' question of Ray. Dull day after cutting grass and was probably too glad to have some golf to talk about. Sorry guys.

 

[cover2]

I used to enjoy it, but gave it up about 20 years ago after getting frustrated with the time it took to implement a swing change. Who knows...maybe I'll give it a go again when my son gets old enough.

I hope you return to it. It's a lot fun playing with your kids. Frustrating at times, but can be very gratifying. When they get to where they listen to you and maybe even spring for a round on your birthday, you become glad that those threats about sending them to the foundling home weren't ever carried through!

 

[GatorInKnox]

*My apologies to Knox and Ray as I realized I nswered Knox' question of Ray. Dull day after cutting grass and was probably too glad to have some golf to talk about. Sorry guys.

No worries, Cover! It was more of a general question for the thread anyways but Ray's post got me thinking about it. I used to be effing TERRIBLE at putting. What made it so frustrating is that it was seemingly the only thing holding me back from regularly shooting in the 70s. I would consistently shoot in the low 80s with 40+ putts. I always thought I could read greens pretty well but could never hit it on the line I wanted. I eventually pansied out and switched to a long putter and instantly dropped my putts by 4+ strokes per round. You literally have to try to miss your line with a long putter. Within a year the USGA outlawed grounded putters (and I also felt kind of stupid for being the only person in their 20s using a long putter) so my wife got me a ping putter designed for people with a strong arc putt stroke. I don't know if it was having a putter that actually fit my natural stroke or just the confidence I gained from the long putter but I'm now in the low 30s to high 20s each round. I've always HATED putting but now it's my favorite part of the game.

 

[cover2]

No worries, Cover! It was more of a general question for the thread anyways but Ray's post got me thinking about it. I used to be effing TERRIBLE at putting. What made it so frustrating is that it was seemingly the only thing holding me back from regularly shooting in the 70s. I would consistently shoot in the low 80s with 40+ putts. I always thought I could read greens pretty well but could never hit it on the line I wanted. I eventually pansied out and switched to a long putter and instantly dropped my putts by 4+ strokes per round. You literally have to try to miss your line with a long putter. Within a year the USGA outlawed grounded putters (and I also felt kind of stupid for being the only person in their 20s using a long putter) so my wife got me a ping putter designed for people with a strong arc putt stroke. I don't know if it was having a putter that actually fit my natural stroke or just the confidence I gained from the long putter but I'm now in the low 30s to high 20s each round. I've always HATED putting but now it's my favorite part of the game.

I appreciate it Knox. I never tried the longer putters, but a couple of guys I used to play with did with great success. Like you said, both could keep their putts on line much easier than when they putted standard. If you don't mind sharing, what model Ping are you using? I've had pretty good success with the Zing I mentioned, but I recently putted with a TaylorMade Monte Carlo Ghost and liked the set up and the line of sight. Typical golfer, I guess, always looking for something better when maybe you don't really need to!

 

[GatorInKnox]

I appreciate it Knox. I never tried the longer putters, but a couple of guys I used to play with did with great success. Like you said, both could keep their putts on line much easier than when they putted standard. If you don't mind sharing, what model Ping are you using?

I'm using the Shea H and couldn't be happier. Most people buy in to getting fit for irons but I think getting fit for a putter is often overlooked. In general, if you have a straight back-and-forth stroke the shaft should come down in the center of the club head (or should at least "point" to the center if you have an offset hosel). If you're like me and swing the putter much more around your body, the shaft should be on the edge of the club head. Ping does a really good job of categorizing their putters based on your natural arc and at one time had an app you could use to determine which category fits you (I haven't checked but that app probably still exists).

 

[TLB]

Handicap: Pssshhhaawwww. In my heyday I'd shoot about 90-105. But I'm a decade removed from that.

Strengths: My patience has grown immensely, specifically owing to my playing time in my heyday where I took up golf for two reasons - 1, be more social and connect with people (I really don't like being social, it is an effort) and 2, work on my patience because I was extremely hard on myself in all things.

Weaknesses: Playing time. I've played a grand total of 18 holes in the past 36 months. Unless you want to count this weekend's putt-putt with the kids where I lost.

Plan: Taking this Friday off, and as the wife works I'll have the kids (boy 7, girl 10). They'll take turns driving the cart while I teach them the basic ettiquette of golf, we all laugh at some of my horrendous shots, I teach them how daddy doesn't have a meltdown tantrum "all" the time (a perception they have lately), and hopefully....hopefully, they learn how and when to keep their mouths shut (a problem they both have lately, "all" the time).

 

[NVGator]

I eventually pansied out and switched to a long putter and instantly dropped my putts by 4+ strokes per round. You literally have to try to miss your line with a long putter.

Played in a tourney yesterday and was partnered up with an old man I've played with before. I say old because he's in his 80s. He uses a long shafted putter but instead of grounding it to his chest, he stands beside the putter face, feet pointed at the hole, or line, and swings next to his body. The man couldn't miss from 30'. He'd putt from off the green, sometime another 30' off, and put it within inches of the hole. Said he'd been using it for 40 years.

 

[cover2]

Played in a tourney yesterday and was partnered up with an old man I've played with before. I say old because he's in his 80s. He uses a long shafted putter but instead of grounding it to his chest, he stands beside the putter face, feet pointed at the hole, or line, and swings next to his body. The man couldn't miss from 30'. He'd putt from off the green, sometime another 30' off, and put it within inches of the hole. Said he'd been using it for 40 years.

I remember seeing Sam Snead putt side-saddle when I was a boy. I believe he used a standard putter, however. Seems like he was having putting problems, seeing the line and what not, and this style allowed him to be more accurate. I might be mistaken, but it also seems like the USGA and maybe the R&A outlawed this around the time Sam employed it. Whether legal or not, your partner deserves a nod if he can knock down some 30-footers!

 

[Gatorbait25]

Those aren't jorts. They are blue Under Armour golf shorts. By far the most comfortable shorts I've worn. Even the pockets are stretchy. And that is not a wife beater. There's a little chest pocket, so I think that keeps it from being a wifebeater

As for my game...

Strength: 6, 7, 8, and 9 iron. Those are the four I do most of my drills and swing experimenting with. Over the last month I have gotten scary long with these clubs. 165 is 9, 180 is 8, 190 is 7, 200 is 6. The ball flight on these are extremely high too and overall I am really comfortable with anything between 135-200 out.

I would also put my 3w in this group. I regripped my driver Friday but it was giving me some issues. I use jumbo grips on all my irons so I thought I'd try it on my driver too. Couldn't ever seem to consistently get the driver face squared with the jumbo so we shall see. At any rate. I didn't really miss not having it in my bag (I had to force myself to leave it in the car). I hit about 80% of the fairways using my 3w and I outdrive most of my playing pals with it. An average 3w for me is around 275, but I anticipate that to be around 290 by the end of the month. My favorite shot was with this club. It is the Internet afterall, so I dont anticipate anyone to believe me, but it's a true story. Wind was at our back and there is a gradual downhill on this hole, but I hit the 3w 380. Brad can text the witness if need be

Weakness: Putting, anything between 90-125ish, and mental.

I am replacing my wedges soon but they let me down. With my swing project, things have changed so much I simply have the wrong clubs here. The guy I got them from is 6'6, so they are 1" longer than standard and their lie angle is way too steep. I had the lie on all of my clubs fit but I didn't mess with his custom clubs. I have a 60 degree that is standard so I can do fine with that. I do avoid the 60 a lot though just due to the extreme loft. You swing them harder and they just go higher and never seem like they go an inch further.

I hate putting, I suck at putting, fvk putting.

As you can tell from my putting woes, things turn into head games quickly for me. If I feel great about a club, I own it. I step up to the ball, see my path, and execute. A few rounds ago i was 160 out, had to get the ball up and over some very tall trees in about 30 yards. I told my buddy "shot of the day coming up". Grabbed my 9 iron, opend the face a tad, and stuck it about 10 feet from the hole. Opposite happens with a driver or putter in my hands. I'm convinced beforehand that I am not capable of sinking the putt/splitting the fairway. I'm on a new medication so hopefully that translates on the course

Overall game

As most know my goal was to break 80 this year and I feel really good about it. Shot an 84 recently and knew I had 6 piss poor shots on the front 9. They bit me. It's been a little added pressure on myself so I may experiment with changing the number at some point. My brother is coming in town next month so I'm hoping the family competitive nature kicks in and pushes me over the hump.

Wow. Impressive. If the bold is true there is literally no reason for you to ever pull the driver out of the bag. The exception would be if you play from the tips, or if you have a 500 yard plus par five with a massive fairway.

 

[ppinesgator]

I used to run a lot on a local golf course. The groundskeeper, in his golf cart, used to try and chase me off but I could outrun the golf cart long enough to reach an exit. Then I'd sneak back on somewhere else.

Otherwise, I'm left handed, mostly blind in my right eye and pretty dyslectic. I'd tried to learn the game but only bad things happened. The FAA got involved at one point. Lives were in danger.