I bought a new set of clubs a few months ago (Tommy Armour TA1 irons with two hyrbids). My wife last xmas got me the 3 wood and I loved it so much I got the matching irons. Man the ball flies off these things.
I just bought the matching Driver and will be using today for the first time after work.
Im not the greatest golfer to say the least. I average 90-95 for 18.
Off the Tee I am tough to beat if I can pat myself on the back for that. I am truly the "drive for show, putt for dough" guy - I am all show. I typically drive about 275-280 but if I muscle it I can hit 300-305 and its pretty straight most of the time. The driver I bought is a 9* (typically driver the ball pretty high), but it is adjustable, I thinking of playing around with it to 7* to see if I can get some more distance that way. I know the trade off is its less forgiving then, but im pretty accurate off the tee, so I am going to give that a whirl.
Its when I get within 15 feet of the green I struggle. I bought one of those specialized chipping clubs, that looks like a putter and a wedge had a baby. That has helped a bit, I also found a 68* wedge that I love, but that only helps from 30-50 yards out - if I don't take a full swing with it or try to chip with it - it just goes about 5 feet.
My biggest deficiencies are chipping from about 15-30 yards, and putting. I have tried choking up on the club, using a 7 iron, etc. I either blade it and go over, or I "chunk" it and it goes 5 feet. I'm starting to think just have terrible touch and ill never get any better.
Oh I do! I get invited to a lot of them and usually tee off last. If we get a good ball in play, my buddy tells me to crack the crap out of it and I swing out my shoes. My farthest drive ever was about 330 but that had some good roll because of a hill
Chipping and putting are all about feel. Getting that "feel" takes time and practice. I don't think it's instinct, it's a learned skill.
I do think a regular golf swing is instinct. I've been playing for years and I never get better. I'm a 100-110 player. I have no idea where the ball is going, if it indeed goes. I can hit it well for a few holes and then the wheels fall off. I chunk, wormburn, skull and even miss. There's no consistency.
Thing is, I do well in the short game. Something about a full swing, there's so many more moving parts (hips, head, shoulders, elbow, wrists, legs, weight shifting, overswing, underswing, etc.). With a putt or short chip, there's only so many things to control, at least how I see it.
Hit up a driving range and just focus on short stuff. And yeah, take your putter to a putt-putt course. Have fun. Heck, drive to a golf course and setup shop on their practice green. You don't even have to play a round. If you feel bad about using the green for free, grab lunch from their clubhouse and tip hard.
“...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
When you put, make sure your head is directly over the ball and not off center
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
Im not the greatest golfer to say the least. I average 90-95 for 18.
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Don't sell short that avg of 90-95 for 18.
You shoot 90 you're 1 stroke over on each hole.It used to be said that 90% of golfers don't break 100 so......👍
TIP.....When you go to the driving range BRING ONLY 1 CLUB! Master it.
Got my handicap down to 7-8. Played once or twice a week till all the surgeries started accumulating. Played in a traveling Sunday league as well. 48 guys with an A flight, a B flight, etc. Weekly skins, pin shots, long drives, etc. Banquet every year. Great times.
As my Grandma would say....."Dang it Anyhow"!
Now ya got me thinking about golf again.
Let this sink in..... On 12-31-23 it be will 123123. On the flip side, you can tune a piano but you can't tune-a-fish.
Okay, I don't know what I'm talking about, but here goes.
Before I read your part about the middle shots, ... before reading that I was going to tell you it's all about that 2nd shot. To correct myself, it's all about the shots between the drive, and the makeable put.
My tip is to practice all the shots between your drive and your makeable put, (now I'm not talking about a, that last 10 inch put when you miss putted a few times,... what I mean is, I'd say about 3/4 or 2/3 of the green area is the makeable put.
there is a quarter to a third of the green that isn't probably a makeable put, sure anythings possible, but I guess, I mean the focus is to get that 2nd shot, .. or 3rd if it's, you know every situations different,
That mid distance shot, to get it to land and stop where that makeable put is, that is my golf tip. Now I want to talk about 2 kinds,
there is the long range where the ball is going to have to have a lot of flight time, I don't have much to offer on that (half drive) kind of shot, you already appear to understand that more than me anyway.
But the shorter range, shot, which I'd hope to get onto the green to set up the next shot with a medium put, that shot.
On that shot, I'd say, unless you are leaving sand or planning to dig a divot, On that shot, I'd say to focus on keeping your shoulders the area above your pecs, still, there shouldn't be a lot of movement or leean in that area, it's hips and elbows. (excuse me, forearms- not elbows).
And as always, on all shots, study the course; angles, winds, (if there), and even eyeball it. ( Like you see pool players do when they walk around the table before taking a shot).
Moving on: I'd take a lesson from a pro, and get him/her to focus on your short game. Often it's one little thing that can make a big difference.
If you're chipping from around the green, use a 7 or 8 iron, and use a putting motion for your chip. Rock your shoulders, don't get hand-sy.
Someone mentioned using your left arm to 'lead, or right arm for us lefties. That's a good tip, for chipping and putts. I seem to get a more consistent stroke when I do that.
Lots of practice, dawg. You wanna get good at something, gotta get to work.
I always get stuck on the one where the hole is at the top of the hill, and the ball keeps rolling back at me.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
Last time I did that I wound up knocking out this poor guy ahead of me at the clown mouth hole.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
Its when I get within 15 feet of the green I struggle. I bought one of those specialized chipping clubs, that looks like a putter and a wedge had a baby. That has helped a bit, I also found a 68* wedge that I love, but that only helps from 30-50 yards out - if I don't take a full swing with it or try to chip with it - it just goes about 5 feet.
My biggest deficiencies are chipping from about 15-30 yards, and putting. I have tried choking up on the club, using a 7 iron, etc. I either blade it and go over, or I "chunk" it and it goes 5 feet. I'm starting to think just have terrible touch and ill never get any better.
Any tips or suggestions?
Do not decelerate on your downswing when chipping. A lot of golfers think " I'm swinging too hard" mid-swing and decelerate instead of trusting their swing and end up doing what you mentioned...chunking it about 3' -5'.
Also, take some lessons and practice at the range.
Before you do anything else and before you get too many opinions stuck in your head, go get professionally fit for your clubs. The fitting pro can determine the proper lie angle you need and depending on your clubs, bend what you have to fit. Having your irons sole flat to the ground from heel to toe is important.
Then do whatever you need to get into the fairway from the tee and let the game begin from there. Practice your irons, from 200 yards and in so you hit the green. Practice, practice and practice some more. The best short game is to not need one very often.
Find one swing thought that works for you. Learn your mechanics on the range, not the course. You don’t want to be adressing the ball and have 12 different swing thoughts in your head. I suggest big boobs as your swing thought. DD sized big boobs. This will free your mind and body to do what you’ve trained it to do on the range. Like a pro buddy of mine once told me, just hit the damn thing.
Practice. If you don't play often, chipping and putting is hard/impossible to be good at - practice as often as possible even if it's hitting it 8 ft in the back yard.
I like to press hands forward - lower trajectory but I am more consistent and it makes it easy to not get too wristy.
My number 1 issue - don't de-accelerate when you hit the ball. It's nearly always better to be 10 ft long than 10 ft short ... I try to get my practice swing the tempo I want - the step up and make sure the tempo for your shot is the same.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Good video - but ... when he takes his shots, his hands are forward slightly and he has the ball back in his stance - he would not hit a mid-long iron from the same position ... he definitely would not hit a drive from there.
His "examples" at the start of the video of moving the handle forward and ball back are so extreme ... maybe people do that? I have never seen it.
Point 3 was the biggest thing I see people struggle with - people getting too wristy.
Last edited by mgh888; 09/02/1906:59 AM.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
When you're chipping, trying to get the ball on the ground as soon as possible, it's best to keep the ball back in your stance a little. It helps prevent getting lift you don't want.
My biggest deficiencies are chipping from about 15-30 yards, and putting. I have tried choking up on the club, using a 7 iron, etc. I either blade it and go over, or I "chunk" it and it goes 5 feet. I'm starting to think just have terrible touch and ill never get any better.
There are 2 reasons most average amateurs (and if you shoot 90-95 I will put you in that group) do not make good contact on shots inside 50 yards...
1. If you are chunking it, it's probably because you are taking the club back too far and trying to decelerate into the ball. Makes it almost impossible to make clean contact if you do not have a good tempo through the ball. Plus, if you are decelerating, as soon as your club head hits the ground, it stops... and you hit it 5 feet.
2. If you are blading it, you are aren't comfortable with how far to take the club back or don't think you have enough pace on the swing, you panic on your downswing and you slap at it like a hockey puck. Keeps the club head higher off the ground and the ball goes scooting 80 mph over the green and into the woods.
The good news is that this is fixable, the bad news is that it isn't some adjustment to your grip or your stance or anything like that. It's about finding a confidence in the length of your backswing and your swing tempo from different distances.
My advice to fixing this.. Pick a lofted club you like. I use my 55* wedge for everything inside 70 yards. I carry a 60* wedge but only use it for recovery shots and from the sand. Go to the outer limits of how far you can hit this club and hit it, full swing and smooth tempo, until you are comfortable, then move in 10 yards and do the same thing. You can achieve 10 less yards 2 ways, choke down on the grip and/or shorten the backswing.. once you have hit enough good ones, move in another 10 yards and keep doing that until you are right beside the green. The key to the whole exercise is to maintain the same tempo. Don't worry if you hit it too far or too short, you aren't necessarily trying to hit it close, just swing with nice tempo and make good contact. Then take note of the swing and whether it was too much or too little.
Then, and this is key, when you are playing an actual round, you have to hit the ball with confidence. If you are trying not to mis-hit it, you will. Remember the swing from that distance and relax and hit it. I don't know about you, but I would MUCH rather hit a good solid wedge from 40 yards and hit it 10 yards too far and be just off the back of the green, than chunk it or blade it.. So once you figure out your distance and how you want to hit it, put everything else out of your mind and don't try to "fix it" in the middle of your backswing..
And for the record, the same thing applies to putting. Most people who suck at it take the putter back way too far and try to decelerate through the ball.. throws the putter off line and makes distance control almost impossible.
My biggest deficiencies are chipping from about 15-30 yards, and putting. I have tried choking up on the club, using a 7 iron, etc. I either blade it and go over, or I "chunk" it and it goes 5 feet. I'm starting to think just have terrible touch and ill never get any better.
There are 2 reasons most average amateurs (and if you shoot 90-95 I will put you in that group) do not make good contact on shots inside 50 yards...
1. If you are chunking it, it's probably because you are taking the club back too far and trying to decelerate into the ball. Makes it almost impossible to make clean contact if you do not have a good tempo through the ball. Plus, if you are decelerating, as soon as your club head hits the ground, it stops... and you hit it 5 feet.
2. If you are blading it, you are aren't comfortable with how far to take the club back or don't think you have enough pace on the swing, you panic on your downswing and you slap at it like a hockey puck. Keeps the club head higher off the ground and the ball goes scooting 80 mph over the green and into the woods.
The good news is that this is fixable, the bad news is that it isn't some adjustment to your grip or your stance or anything like that. It's about finding a confidence in the length of your backswing and your swing tempo from different distances.
My advice to fixing this.. Pick a lofted club you like. I use my 55* wedge for everything inside 70 yards. I carry a 60* wedge but only use it for recovery shots and from the sand. Go to the outer limits of how far you can hit this club and hit it, full swing and smooth tempo, until you are comfortable, then move in 10 yards and do the same thing. You can achieve 10 less yards 2 ways, choke down on the grip and/or shorten the backswing.. once you have hit enough good ones, move in another 10 yards and keep doing that until you are right beside the green. The key to the whole exercise is to maintain the same tempo. Don't worry if you hit it too far or too short, you aren't necessarily trying to hit it close, just swing with nice tempo and make good contact. Then take note of the swing and whether it was too much or too little.
Then, and this is key, when you are playing an actual round, you have to hit the ball with confidence. If you are trying not to mis-hit it, you will. Remember the swing from that distance and relax and hit it. I don't know about you, but I would MUCH rather hit a good solid wedge from 40 yards and hit it 10 yards too far and be just off the back of the green, than chunk it or blade it.. So once you figure out your distance and how you want to hit it, put everything else out of your mind and don't try to "fix it" in the middle of your backswing..
And for the record, the same thing applies to putting. Most people who suck at it take the putter back way too far and try to decelerate through the ball.. throws the putter off line and makes distance control almost impossible.
Thank you for the tips! These def make sense!
J/C
Thank you everyone else as well. Lots of info to try out and practice on. Don't know if I will be able to get out again this year. I have an outing I was invited to play Saturday but I might be moving that day.
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