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Gaz

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Hope my fellow golfers had a nice weekend. A wee progress report on "Day One of Learning to Play Golf".

Right, I headed down to the driving range on Friday to see the state of my swing.

About 90% of my shots were dead straight and I was creating a little bit of draw as well. Here's how I fared with the distances....

PW = 100 yrds

9 iron = 110 yrds

7 iron = 120 yrds

5 iron = 135 yrds

These were all off the tee. I hit half my balls from off the tee and distances went down by about 10 yards per shot.

I tried 4 balls with a driver (it would have been rude not to) and they were all complete duffs. Don't think I need a driver in my life right now and will work my way up to this club over the next year. Maybe buy myself a nice one for my birthday in March.

As for my swing, these were all done with a HALF swing. I was really only at the range to work on my grip and address (following a read of a golf book).

Going to build up to a THREE QUARTER swing over the next few weeks.

Most of all, I really enjoyed my time. My sizeable midriff and my hands were a little stiff the next day but feel OK now. I trust this is normal, considering my aversion to exercise.

I would really welcome (as always) comments from others on my 'achievements' on the range i.e. whether this was positive or a waste of time. Any further advice on what to do next, or indeed whether I should just keep doing what I did on Friday, would be welcomed.

Not exact but roughly of the top of my head:

PW - 125 yards

9 iron - 135/140 yards

8 iron - 145/150 yards

7 iron - 160 yards

6 iron - 165/170 yards

5 iron - 180/190 yards

4 iron - Can't f*cking hit it. tongue.gif

3 wood - 200/210 yards

Driver - 220 yards

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Not exact but roughly of the top of my head:

PW - 125 yards

9 iron - 135/140 yards

8 iron - 145/150 yards

7 iron - 160 yards

6 iron - 165/170 yards

5 iron - 180/190 yards

4 iron - Can't f*cking hit it. tongue.gif

3 wood - 200/210 yards

Driver - 220 yards

Nice shooting Tex.

Hopefully as I build up to a 3/4 swing, I'll be where you are. I would assume then that after your drive, the 5 iron comes straight out the bag, followed by a chip on to the green?

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Nice shooting Tex.

Hopefully as I build up to a 3/4 swing, I'll be where you are. I would assume then that after your drive, the 5 iron comes straight out the bag, followed by a chip on to the green?

Most golfers (read: not me) use Hybrid clubs, a kind of mix between a wood and an iron, that serves as a substitute for longer irons.

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Another question for later on down the line;

When playing in club tournaments, do you use your handicap or the stroke index to work out your score?

In club tournaments you add up your score for every hole and then take off your handicap and this gives you your NET score. This will hopefully be close to or under the courses SSS which may change from competition to competition. The stroke index is mainly used when playing in match play, for example if you were playing me and you were getting 4 shots then you would get a stroke off your score at holes with stroke index 1 to 4. Hope that makes sense.

The stroke index is also used when playing in a stableford competition.

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Just started using a Ping G5 Driver, after having to get rid of my Cobra one as it's banned. However, I couldn't hit the thing straight for love nor money. I was connecting with the ball beautifully, but every shot off the tee was going way way way right. Any ideas how to stop this? Grip, stance, tempo?

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Right - just played a round at Cowglen at the weekend. Got 106 (36 over), as I played off the medal tees and kept losing balls/finding hazards.

The one bright spot was trying my mate's Ping G15. I think my Sports Soccer driver - Howson club combo has seen better days. This has convinced me to get a better set of clubs - I'll probably just go somewhere for a fitting, but having just bought a house I don't want to be browbeaten into getting some unnecessarily expensive set of irons. Anyone have any fitting/club recommendations?

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Just started using a Ping G5 Driver, after having to get rid of my Cobra one as it's banned. However, I couldn't hit the thing straight for love nor money. I was connecting with the ball beautifully, but every shot off the tee was going way way way right. Any ideas how to stop this? Grip, stance, tempo?

It seem to have a slice problem which is probably the most common problem that all golfers encounter when playing. In fact, some golfers spend years in frustration trying to remedy slice. Usually, slice happens just when you think your tee shot is just fine. Suddenly, the ball starts to curve to the right and promptly misses the target.

Let us start with developing a good grip. As you hold the club, your left hand and thumb should be along the shaft and is aligned toward your right eye. Your right hand should wrap over the left, with the palm resting securely over your left thumb. Your grip should not be too tight or too loose. Gripping the ball too tightly can cause the ball to hook. On the other hand, a weak grip will open the clubface and cause slice. Take the time to practice your grip. Make small adjustments and try new grips until you find one that works and that you are comfortable with.

Also, by simply correcting your golf swing, your goal to stop slice is half done. Remember that a correct back swing involves the hands, arms, and shoulders in one fluid and smooth motion. Meanwhile, the right down swing involves turning the hips, keeping your eye on the ball and making sure that your head is behind the ball as you proceed to your follow-through.

Hope this helps mate. smile.gif

Edited by forzamorton
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Finally upgraded my irons today to the John Letters T9+ hybrid set as discussed above - had them fitted as well so really looking forward to getting out for a round with them, hopefully tomorrow morning if it avoids pouring with rain all day...

BTW, if anyone is looking for a set of irons or indeed a full set of clubs (Dunlop driver, Titleist 3+5 woods, Wilson 4 hybrid, King Cobra II irons 3-PW, and a putter) give me a shout... Nice and cheap for a quick sale!

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PW - 120 yards

9 iron - 135 yards

8 iron - 148 yards

7 iron - 160 yards

6 iron - 170 yards

5 iron - 180 yards

4 iron -190 yards

3 iron- 200 yards

1 Iron- 220 yards

3 wood - 240 yards

Driver - 275 yards

I'm a decent golfer, but I would love to find extra yardage with my longer Irons.

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It seem to have a slice problem which is probably the most common problem that all golfers encounter when playing. In fact, some golfers spend years in frustration trying to remedy slice. Usually, slice happens just when you think your tee shot is just fine. Suddenly, the ball starts to curve to the right and promptly misses the target.

Let us start with developing a good grip. As you hold the club, your left hand and thumb should be along the shaft and is aligned toward your right eye. Your right hand should wrap over the left, with the palm resting securely over your left thumb. Your grip should not be too tight or too loose. Gripping the ball too tightly can cause the ball to hook. On the other hand, a weak grip will open the clubface and cause slice. Take the time to practice your grip. Make small adjustments and try new grips until you find one that works and that you are comfortable with.

Also, by simply correcting your golf swing, your goal to stop slice is half done. Remember that a correct back swing involves the hands, arms, and shoulders in one fluid and smooth motion. Meanwhile, the right down swing involves turning the hips, keeping your eye on the ball and making sure that your head is behind the ball as you proceed to your follow-through.

Hope this helps mate. smile.gif

Thanks mate appreciated. It's very annoying as you can imagine. Thinking ive hit a decent drive only gor it to die right every time.

With regards to club fittings, how useful would this be to a mid 20s handicap golfer?

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DHD - Direct Golf in Dundee.

I've just been out for my first round with them. I shot an 89 - finally breaking 90 on my home course, obviously recording my best score there.

The new irons were brilliant. Having them fitted has really helped - I make a much better connection with the ball, and that gave my a lot more confidence for going for those longer shots. One example - I didn't catch my tee shot quite right on the 15th, leaving myself far shorter than I would have liked, to the left and in some rough. Normally in that position I'd have dinked the ball into the fairway about 40 yards short of the green - there is a burn and a bit of a hill on the approach.

Instead I pulled out the 4 hybrid and caught it beautifully - soaring it on to the green.

Really enjoyed my round today, although disappointed I didn't go a couple of shots better. On the 16th and 17th - both par 3's - I took a 4 and a 5.

If I could pitch properly from within 30 yards of the green I'd be dangerous. I probably dropped 4 or 5 shots with dodgy little chips from within that range that, instead of giving myself a putting chance, I left myself either chipping again or put it out the back of the green. Any tips in that regard more than welcome.

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DHD - Direct Golf in Dundee.

I've just been out for my first round with them. I shot an 89 - finally breaking 90 on my home course, obviously recording my best score there.

The new irons were brilliant. Having them fitted has really helped - I make a much better connection with the ball, and that gave my a lot more confidence for going for those longer shots. One example - I didn't catch my tee shot quite right on the 15th, leaving myself far shorter than I would have liked, to the left and in some rough. Normally in that position I'd have dinked the ball into the fairway about 40 yards short of the green - there is a burn and a bit of a hill on the approach.

Instead I pulled out the 4 hybrid and caught it beautifully - soaring it on to the green.

Really enjoyed my round today, although disappointed I didn't go a couple of shots better. On the 16th and 17th - both par 3's - I took a 4 and a 5.

If I could pitch properly from within 30 yards of the green I'd be dangerous. I probably dropped 4 or 5 shots with dodgy little chips from within that range that, instead of giving myself a putting chance, I left myself either chipping again or put it out the back of the green. Any tips in that regard more than welcome.

For shorter dink shots treat it more like a putt(assuming your hands and back are moving in one movement not just arms) with the heel off the ground, you'll struggle to go through the green using that method.

http://www.ehow.com/video_2357698_chip-like-putt-golf.html

Edited by ayrmad
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Just back from my first golf lesson at World Of Golf in Glasgow.

It's a beginners class which is free for 6 weeks (except for cost of range balls). There was only me and another person so was a real bargain. This won't be the case in future though as he'll only run classes with a minimum of 6 people.

Just working with the 7 iron taking the club back until it is parallel with the ground. Here's a few findings and bits of info:

-Was told to adopt the 'Baseball' grip. Felt quite comfortable but understand that my grip may change in future.

-I now realise that I have never bent over (ooh-er) in my stance, instead just bending the knees. Felt really weird doing it and took some getting used to!

-I stand too close to the ball.

-My wrists are too 'active' in my back-swing. I have been told to concentrate on not moving them.

-My right elbow wasn't bending into my body as it should. I need to work on that.

-My chest needs to point slightly to my right at address.

So, lots of things to work on over the next week. I will need to rest up for a while. My back (lower right) and the right side of my neck are quite sore. Hands feel good for a change though.

Any comments appreciated.

Edited by Nutz_the_Squirrel
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