The Golf Thread

#1,751
#1,751
GAVol said:
Just remember . . . You get what you pay for.
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if we ever meet on the course, I'll buy your range balls to warm up with...

and if it's not for like ten years down the road, maybe all this edumacation i'm working on will pay off and i'll just pay for the round. Deal?
 
#1,752
#1,752
volfanbill said:
BPV, for all our talks about how much i love my 60 degree, I have used it about 4 times the past 3 rounds.

Tried it once on a next to impossible downhill lie chip from right behind the green because i knew everything was going to run way past the hole and i knew i had to at least get it slightly in the air...

This year I have also discovered I'm a lights out chipper with my 56 in normal situations. I'm sure now that I have officially brought this issue up, it will disappear during my next outing either thursday or sat morning.

I have also discovered I have lost about 10-15 yards on all my wedges when I hit them full. To my knowledge I'm not doing anything different, but with how little I played last year, I think it may have something to do with the fact that my 56 and 60 degree are the 588 DSG RTGs while before that they were the original 588 gunmetals.

I know the sole grind is different between the two clubs, but my original 60 degree was ground down to essentially the same specs. Anyone have any suggestions where I'm losing my distance?
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I'm with GAVol, you're likely cupping or scooping the ball and full swings just result in higher shots.

Play and back a bit and pound it into the ground for a while. I mean actually feel like your hitting down on the very top of the ball.

As an aside, I've often found that bladed wedges travel farther than those hit on the face.

The chipping thing with lower lofts, believe in it. We are all better off hitting the least amount of loft that we can hit on any given chip or pitch. Keep working that. I love my 60, but will default to my PW or 9 for anything that will allow it.
 
#1,753
#1,753
BigPapaVol said:
I'm with GAVol, you're likely cupping or scooping the ball and full swings just result in higher shots.

Play and back a bit and pound it into the ground for a while. I mean actually feel like your hitting down on the very top of the ball.

As an aside, I've often found that bladed wedges travel farther than those hit on the face.

The chipping thing with lower lofts, believe in it. We are all better off hitting the least amount of loft that we can hit on any given chip or pitch. Keep working that. I love my 60, but will default to my PW or 9 for anything that will allow it.
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would the fact that I still hit 3/4 wedge shots the same distance I always have make the cupping theory more likely? I'm about to leave for the range now.

also, I can crush a bladed 56. And it will roll forever.
 
#1,754
#1,754
Went to the Country Club this afternoon. Shot a 47 on 9 walking. Not to bad for me on a pretty difficult course. Should have been a couple strokes better though.
 
#1,756
#1,756
I finally made it out Sunday evening and got in 6. Par, triple, bogey x 4 made for an interesting round. I really wasn't too displeased other than than an OB tee shot on the long par 3 2nd. Anyway, it wasn't bad enought that I want to quit, or good enough that I want to practice, so I'll consider the mini-round a success.
 
#1,757
#1,757
Out for the first time since last Fall.

Rough start - 11 over after 3 holes! 19 over after 7 holes! Finished the last 11 holes in 6 over for a 96 (par 71) Front - 55; Back - 41.

Let's just say I was knocking some rust off at the beginning :ermm:
 
#1,759
#1,759
so 120+ wedge shots later, I'm just still torn.

It sounds like i'm hitting them pure, it feels like i'm hitting them pure and they have my usual trajectory for wedges. Mind you, as mentioned my trajectory has always been high.

I tried the 3/4 swing and got a little over 3/4 of my current full swing results. If i tried to really swing down all the way through it, i lost a lot of trajectory but got added distance. These balls won't be stopping on any greens though. They looked more like a high punch shot. that or I came down through so much dirt with the ball I got about 30 yards out of it.

I really am confused. These shots really do seem perfectly pure in every aspect expect my old distances. I even walked it off thinking maybe the driving range distances were that badly off. They weren't.
 
#1,762
#1,762
volfanbill said:
so 120+ wedge shots later, I'm just still torn.

It sounds like i'm hitting them pure, it feels like i'm hitting them pure and they have my usual trajectory for wedges. Mind you, as mentioned my trajectory has always been high.

I tried the 3/4 swing and got a little over 3/4 of my current full swing results. If i tried to really swing down all the way through it, i lost a lot of trajectory but got added distance. These balls won't be stopping on any greens though. They looked more like a high punch shot. that or I came down through so much dirt with the ball I got about 30 yards out of it.

I really am confused. These shots really do seem perfectly pure in every aspect expect my old distances. I even walked it off thinking maybe the driving range distances were that badly off. They weren't.
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It's still early in the year
 
#1,763
#1,763
volfanbill said:
so 120+ wedge shots later, I'm just still torn.

It sounds like i'm hitting them pure, it feels like i'm hitting them pure and they have my usual trajectory for wedges. Mind you, as mentioned my trajectory has always been high.

I tried the 3/4 swing and got a little over 3/4 of my current full swing results. If i tried to really swing down all the way through it, i lost a lot of trajectory but got added distance. These balls won't be stopping on any greens though. They looked more like a high punch shot. that or I came down through so much dirt with the ball I got about 30 yards out of it.

I really am confused. These shots really do seem perfectly pure in every aspect expect my old distances. I even walked it off thinking maybe the driving range distances were that badly off. They weren't.
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you might be surprised by the low wedges that the big boys hit today when they really want to control them. They can hit solid 60 deg wedges 20 feet high and stop them on a dime. In fact, the low driving skipper is becoming one of the most popular shots out there.

Obviously not there to see them, but if the clubhead speed's the same, you have to be breaking down that left wrist and adding loft.

I told you to pound it into the ground in an effort to keep your hands in front of the ball and moving. Maybe try to exaggeratedly hold the club off through impact (a la Zach Johnson or like hitting a cut) to make sure that firm left wrist is getting through the ball.

Other issues could be front shoulder flying open or set up open. Ball placement (but I think you were playing it back) can obviously kill wedge shots and hanging on the back side from wanting to help the ball in the air could cause similar problems.

I think at your point, I would find a pro or best player I know and have them watch a few or film some swings from the side. If not that, I'd keep the 3/4 thing going with the ball off my right instep until I saw some boring trajectory with some zip on it. Guy that taught me when I started wouldn't let me do anything but the 9 to 3 (clock face positions) drill when I started going awry. He would make me hit all 4 shots (low hook, high hook, low cut, high cut) with some level of control before going back to any full swings and at times, it would take a week to get things straight. It's amazing how that gets the body in synch and takes the focus off yardages. I was focused on hitting it solidly and trajectory control.
 
#1,766
#1,766
ok BPV, way too much to copy your quote but here goes (and anyone else can answer this too).

I'll have to tinker with those low punch like wedge shots at a better range to get a better idea of what they do, but it's worth a shot I guess.

My shoulder isn't flying open, that was my first thought before I even came on here asking for suggestions. also, while coming up shorter than I expect, these balls are dead on my target line.

How much impact will ball position play on distance? As i stated originally, I've spent a great deal of time changing things up to make my irons more accurate. One of them was that I've moved a lot of stuff toward the front to middle of my stance. Originally I played my 3 iron just inside my left foot (i'm right handed) and moved back a little with each club. my 7 iron came in at about the middle of my stance and the wedges at the back of my stance.

Now everything is further up in my stance and I'm much more accurate and i mishit the ball a lot less with my irons. However, I haven't lost any distance with my irons. I haven't paid enough attention to where I address the ball with my wedges. Am I perhaps inadvertently pushing it up in my stance and that's causing me to come through too much and get the extra loft that's causing me to lose distance?
 
#1,767
#1,767
I should note I have never had any kind of actual lesson ever before.

Every Tom, Dick, Joe, Moe and Curley that I played with when I started gave me a pointer here and there to get me started and I've read all sorts of tips in magazines and just used what felt natural to me. For example, I've spent all fall and winter working on improving my iron game and it was just me, my clubs and pounding away on a bunch of range balls. Ever slight change in grip pressure, moving the ball up in my stance and working on coordinating my hips and shoulders for better overall timing. The results have more than paid off with my irons.
 
#1,768
#1,768
Two things:

1: I'm reading the Pelz series on the short game. Anyone a fan? I actually set up a mat in the backyard and am mapping out my wedges, with the 10:30, 9:00, and 7:30 swings. I really like the idea -- it will take a lot of the guesswork out of shorter shots.

2: Anyone played Rarity Pointe? I'm in a tourney there next week and am going to try to play a round this weekend. I hear valleys and moguls.

Also, I really like my new irons (TM r7 TP). Nice setup and the feel is great over my old cavity-back Callaways.
 
#1,769
#1,769
volfanbill said:
How much impact will ball position play on distance?
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Ball position with a wedge is a HUGE issue. The shorter the club, the more you change the loft when you move the ball around in your stance. If the ball is toward the front of your stance, you are using the full loft of the club vs delofting it a little when you have it in the middle or back of your stance. The reason you are hitting it shorter is that you are effectively using a higher lofted club.
 
#1,770
#1,770
GAVol said:
Ball position with a wedge is a HUGE issue. The shorter the club, the more you change the loft when you move the ball around in your stance. If the ball is toward the front of your stance, you are using the full loft of the club vs delofting it a little when you have it in the middle or back of your stance. The reason you are hitting it shorter is that you are effectively using a higher lofted club.
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True that. I have learned to play all my wedges from a centered position so I can judge distance more accurately. (I carry a PW, 52, 56, and 60).
 
#1,772
#1,772
GAVol said:
A 4 wedge man huh? A lot of people do that now, but I think it would cause me to have a nervous breakdown.
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I'm carrying 4 wedges at the moment, but it is really because I can't figure out what I should replace it with. I'm carrying 4-9, D, 3w, 5w, PW, GW, SW, LW, putter. Part of the issue is the delofting of the iron sets these days--my PW is 49 degrees, and 4-9 are just as strong, so I need the gap between the PW and 56. I bet I don't hit the lob on my home course once every 3 rounds, and I'd be just as well off opening up the 56 when I do, but I have no business swinging a 3i and anything else would just be a replacement.

Maybe I should carry two putters: one to use on the greens and one to throw in the ponds.
 
#1,773
#1,773
On a brighter note, I think it is time for me to invest in a new cart. Aside from adjusting the governor, I'm pretty sure having a good radio is the primary consideration.
 
#1,774
#1,774
i will definitely make sure this afternoon that i'm still hitting my wedges from the back of my stance. I never struggled with accuracy on my wedges and to my knowledge I didn't move them up, but it's entirely possible that I've just not picked up on the fact that I moved them slightly up with everything else. Thanks GA, thanks BPV.

also, i'm still a 4 wedge man. Driver, 17 degree wood, 3-9, pw, 52, 56 and 60 degree. As stated earlier this setup gives me a club to hit for every distance 225 and in. In my younger days i could even hit the smaller drivers off the deck around 240. Now I don't even think about trying that with my 905T.
 
#1,775
#1,775
PW, 54 and 60 here.

New 3 woods are so long, drivers should never be hit off the deck and the high sweet spot on the new ones makes them hideous from the ground anyway.
 
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