The Official Golf Thread

[mackers]

playing slieve russell this weekend anyone played it whats it like

Super course, the back 9 is as good as you'll find in any parkland course in Ireland

[Puckoon]

My goal over the winter is to try and understand whats actually happening with my swing. I think I'll need to know this to get down in to single figures.

Be very carefull here. I have had a torrid time of it recently and needed lessons recently to get me back on the right path. I was watching a lot of golf and then trying to replicate that on the course. When you starting thinking about a lot of stuff its too hard to do. Keep it all as simple as possible. The less you think about the better. Concentrate on a few important things. this game can wreck your head.

I get what you're saying Gerry - but I think you need a basic understanding of at the very least - your swing plane, and how it affects your ball flight - other wise you will make a habit of the same mistakes. Maybe no need to go delving into the kinetics and the weight transfer and so on - but if you can't understand why a fade/slice is happening on some shots, or why a draw/hook is happening, you will be tortured.

Learning to hit a draw can be a dangerous thing - it is a great shot to have - especially off the tee with the extra yardage - but if you do not fully concentrate on all the aspects of the draw swing - you are going to go very left - very quickly!

I am currently fooling around with trying to hit the ground just behind the ball/at the same time as the ball off the tee - the yardage you can get from the top spin is fantastic - if you hit it right! It is a bit of craic.

[flantheman82]

I'm playing Lisburn golf club tomorrow as part of Mary peters trust. Qualified by default through finishing second in my clubs Fred daly competition and the winner being on holiday.
I'm only playing off 20 and can't use woods at all. Will I suffee because of this? Can hit my 3iron fairly straight about 80% of times off the tee.
What about the course? Anyone played there?

[JimStynes]

Puck - That's serious money you are going to be paying. Is that 2500 a year plus $360 each month after that? Where do you live? I would love to join a good club but i have no chance of affording the money that they would be looking 

Any ideas for practising my putting and my mid irons? I'm not to worried about my driving at the minute. My 4,5,6 irons just seem to slice off to the right.

[Puckoon]

Clubs at home are not that bad Jim. I think my dad pays around 800quid a year for Omagh golf course - which is a good little course for the area. It is shocking money over here - but that is just the way it is.

There are plenty of online articles out there for practising both of those - and working on your slice with the mid range irons. Couple things I do with the putting is working on the follow through. You want the ball to roll from the moment it leaves the club face, not shoot out from the putter head for a couple feet because you blocked it. I kind of raise my putter up a little after impact to try and put that forward roll on the ball. One thing I have worked hard on is making every putt inside 4 feet. That gives me the courage to go for a 8-12 footer - knowing that even if I go 4 feet past - I am confident of making the return putt. It means I actually give myself a good shot at the longer putts - I rarely come up short anymore.

Slicing your irons - your clubface is probably open at impact - and the ball may be too far back in your stance - not giving you enough time to get the clubface square at impact - and you might not be following through because of where you are hitting the ball in your swing plane - and so blocking it out to the right.

6 more hours and I will be out playing. Makes getting to work at 5.30 worth it.

[The Real Laoislad]

Typical example : Par 4: I hit a drive into the rough. About 160yds to green. lie not great! ah sure I'll hit a 6 iron and knock it on the green. Club gets wrapped in the rough, ball goes about 30 yards into worse rough or a drain.
The sensible shot would be to hit a 9 iron about a hundred yards or so down the fairway and leave yourself a 50 or 60 yard chip in. Take 2 putts, and leave with a steady 5.
Now the sensible shot sounds logical and makes a lot of sense when I have it written down in front of me, but for some mad reason, i never ever take that option.

I know that feeling! I think when we get in a situation like that we start thinking we are better than we actually are and think we can make the shot that we see the pros make every week.
Your right the sensible thing would be to pitch out into the fairway but the mind starts thinking,what if I did make the green maybe I could make birdie/par...9 times out of 10 though you end up making a 6 or 7 when a nice 5 could have been made with sensible play.

I often find when I'm teeing off on short par 4's that I think maybe I should just use a 5iron,bang it down 180 yards or whatever and then another 6,7 or 8 iron or whatever to the green..nice and easy and limit the chance of trouble.
I can never do it though as I always reach for the driver and usually slice it way right onto the next fairway ...

I'm certain if I planned my away around a course for the full 18 I would reduce my scores dramatically but the adrenalin rush always kicks in and I start thinking I can make just about any shot 

[Puckoon]

LL - You dont have a little rescue or 'go to" club for shorter holes like that? I have this little beat up 5 wood - and tbh - I can stay in touch with most peoples drive's (my own included) with it. If I am swinging bad - or the course is set up to punish a wayward drive - I will usually play it off the tee. Gives me much longer distance than a short iron - but it's as accurate a club for me as I have ever hit. I am almost embarrassed pulling it out of the bag, because it was cheap and is beat to shit - but until it breaks I will have it in there.

[thebigfella]

Clubs at home are not that bad Jim. I think my dad pays around 800quid a year for Omagh golf course - which is a good little course for the area. It is shocking money over here - but that is just the way it is.

There are plenty of online articles out there for practising both of those - and working on your slice with the mid range irons. Couple things I do with the putting is working on the follow through. You want the ball to roll from the moment it leaves the club face, not shoot out from the putter head for a couple feet because you blocked it. I kind of raise my putter up a little after impact to try and put that forward roll on the ball. One thing I have worked hard on is making every putt inside 4 feet. That gives me the courage to go for a 8-12 footer - knowing that even if I go 4 feet past - I am confident of making the return putt. It means I actually give myself a good shot at the longer putts - I rarely come up short anymore.

Slicing your irons - your clubface is probably open at impact - and the ball may be too far back in your stance - not giving you enough time to get the clubface square at impact - and you might not be following through because of where you are hitting the ball in your swing plane - and so blocking it out to the right.

6 more hours and I will be out playing. Makes getting to work at 5.30 worth it.

Just move the ball forward in your stance (couple of inches from the centre) and you will catch it on the upstroke, creating that forward role. I don't think you should consciously try to lift the club up as this should already be occurring naturally in your putting stroke.

[JimStynes]

Thanks for the tips lads, I will work on that tonight and tomorrow morning. Then on saturday i'm moving to newcaslte, england to look for a new club close to my Uni.

Still need to buy new clubs and dont know what to go for. I'm still using my mates clubs at the minute which is a disaster as i cant get used to hitting one set of clubs.

[thebigfella]

Thanks for the tips lads, I will work on that tonight and tomorrow morning. Then on saturday i'm moving to newcaslte, england to look for a new club close to my Uni.

Still need to buy new clubs and dont know what to go for. I'm still using my mates clubs at the minute which is a disaster as i cant get used to hitting one set of clubs.

Newcastle Uni has its own golf course as part of their sports facilities. Not sure if Northumbria share it or their students can use it cheap though.

[JimStynes]

Thanks for the tips lads, I will work on that tonight and tomorrow morning. Then on saturday i'm moving to newcaslte, england to look for a new club close to my Uni.

Still need to buy new clubs and dont know what to go for. I'm still using my mates clubs at the minute which is a disaster as i cant get used to hitting one set of clubs.

Newcastle Uni has its own golf course as part of their sports facilities. Not sure if Northumbria share it or their students can use it cheap though.

Didnt know that, i would assume students would have a good rate there. This club http://www.centurionparkwallsend.co.uk/ is right beside my house that i am moving into.

[thebigfella]

Thanks for the tips lads, I will work on that tonight and tomorrow morning. Then on saturday i'm moving to newcaslte, england to look for a new club close to my Uni.

Still need to buy new clubs and dont know what to go for. I'm still using my mates clubs at the minute which is a disaster as i cant get used to hitting one set of clubs.

Newcastle Uni has its own golf course as part of their sports facilities. Not sure if Northumbria share it or their students can use it cheap though.

Didnt know that, i would assume students would have a good rate there. This club http://www.centurionparkwallsend.co.uk/ is right beside my house that i am moving into.

I think it was free to play on if you were a member of the sports facilities/gym. Never played it though.

I'd look about tbh, most club's offer good student rates in Newcsatle (at least they used to) and if you have a car it's handy enough to get around.

[The Real Laoislad]

LL - You dont have a little rescue or 'go to" club for shorter holes like that? I have this little beat up 5 wood - and tbh - I can stay in touch with most peoples drive's (my own included) with it. If I am swinging bad - or the course is set up to punish a wayward drive - I will usually play it off the tee. Gives me much longer distance than a short iron - but it's as accurate a club for me as I have ever hit. I am almost embarrassed pulling it out of the bag, because it was cheap and is beat to shit - but until it breaks I will have it in there.

I'm pretty decent most of the time with my 5 iron off the tee,my problem is I want to use the Driver all the time even when I know the sensible option would be to use the 5 iron.
Even if I nail the drive I'm still gonna need a 2nd shot onto the green so why not just go iron --> iron and make it easier,I say these things everytime the situation arises but still go with driver! No better feeling than smashing a good drive IMO.

[Puckoon]

Hey! Bigfella! (Always wanted to say that).

I am not talking about a big lift off the ground. The pendulum stroke necessitates that the ball is struck at the lowest part of the pendulum - and the putter head lifts up just a little from impact to the end of the stroke. It all contributes to the follow through, which is pretty important for a good roll. I wasnt telling Jim to conciously lift/jerk his putter head up - but rather be aware that the stroke aint done at impact - which wont lead to a good putting stroke or roll of the ball. Focusing on the follow through as you say should cause that raise to come naturally - I was more suggesting the focus, rather than jerking the club up.

Puttin competition for a fiver?

[gerrykeegan]

Puck

Sounds like you are a bit of a putting shark. I often dont finish out the putting stroke and its a weakness. No way am i playing you for a fiver.