Conference 7.286::golf

    
    	I will start this off (I wish my entry was a positive one)...
    
    	In the last few weeks my game has gone out the window...!
    	I know what I have been doing wrong, as most people that
    	have ever seen me play could easily guess, and that is I
    	am swinging way to fast and coming up. This is mostly true
    	on my tee shots. The worst part is that I get to the tee
    	and try to talk myself into a slow smooooooth swing, but
    	end up swinging even harder than at the last tee....!!!

    	Anybody have any possible cures for my mental approach to
    	this problem...? 
    
    	Thanks
    	Gene (who_did_play_a_little_better_last_night)

       Gene, I've only played 3 times this Year, but my short game
    is better, and I'm hitting down on the ball, and I'm getting
    some Loft for a change, but my Putting isn't there yet. I'm
    hitting the Driver (a wood/wood) better this Year, and I've
    always had trouble with the Driver and prefered to hit the
    # 3 Wood in previous Seasons. I've changed my Irons, but still
    have the same Woods.
    
    					it's gonna be a great Year,
    									Bob
    

    I'm playing so well that it scares me!  Last year I averaged in
    the high 80's with occasional rounds in the 90's.  This year I'm
    consistently shooting in the low to mid 80's.   Why?
    
    1.  In the spring a bunch of us to a 5 day golf trip and played
        an extremelly difficult course.  Everything seems much easier
        now.
    
    2.  I'm finally using my head.  When in trouble I don't try to get
        it all back in one shot.
    
    3.  Most important,  I'm hitting my tee shots in the fairway.  It's
        amazing how much easier a hole is when ones ball is in the short
        grass.  Of course this has come about with much time at the
        range.
    
    One final thought, is it is of interest to anyone.  I did purchase
    the Wilson Staff Gooseneck irons this spring.  I loooove them. 
    

    
       I'm off to a rough start in the scoring department. The
     disastrous part of the game is still the putting.  My problems
     on the greens have carried forward to this year. Averaging
     21 putts per nine-holes does not help the old bottom line.
    
       I'm striking the ball extremely well this year, which has
     kept me coming back, otherwise I think I would have taken up
     knitting by now.  I've been hitting on average 60% of the
     fairways off the tee and 50% of greens in regulation, which
     isn't too shabby for someone that plays 18 holes a week.
    
       Chipping has been slightly better this year as I've cut
     down the number of the chilly-dips.  The up and down saves
     are few and far between though, as I've failed to sink those
     par saving putts.  I'll be working on it though...
    
    
    -rick

    Due to lack of practice time, my game is erratic to say the least. On
    the bright side, I play 36 holes per week (this week is an exception,
    I'm playing at Nashawtuck at 4:00 pm today, making it a 54-hole week),
    2 nines in  a league and 18 on Saturday.  I slice the ball, chunk it,
    hook it, with no predictability.  The last three years, I never had
    trouble with sand shots.  This year I'm like a little kid in a sand
    box.  I'm there for two or three shots.  Usually by this time of the
    season I'm hitting (for 9 holes) 43-48.  This year I broken 50 once
    (49)! 
    
    	Last night my round went double-bogey, double-bogey, triple-bogey,
    bogey, par, birdie, bogey, quadruple- bogey, triple-bogey, for a
    51 with no penalty strokes and 14 putts (not one no-brainer in the
    bunch, either)!
    
    						Mike

    Gene, 
      So far my season is off to a pretty good start. I bought a set
    of John Riely irons and woods in December and have been working
    hard at learning to use them. For the first four months I upped
    my score approx. 15 strokes. Handicap went from 20 to 28 over the
    winter and i was getting pretty frustrated. These last two months
    though have seen a marked improvement in my ball striking. We started
    league play six weeks ago and I placed first in my flight in my
    second tournament. Also have won two closet-to-the-pin awards in
    the three tournaments we have played. However, all of this is starting
    to fade as I am starting to have an impossible time hitting the
    ball off the tee with anything other than my 5-wood. If I use driver
    or 3-wood the ball hits the ground about six inches in front of
    the tee, digs a little trench about a foot long, and then bounds
    off down the fairway for 50-100 yards. Also, the 3-wood from fairway
    lies is behaving much the same way, a screaming worm-burner for
    a short distance!!! At least I'm hitting the other clubs fairly
    well.
    
    Jim (who-digs-for-worms)
    

        Gene,
    
              my game has gotten off to a poor start. Ever week something
    is off, putting or chipping, etc. Generally, off the tee into the 
    woods or rough is the major problem. Normally, I fight a slice, but
    for some reason this year I go through streaks during a round when 
    everything I hit is left !!!! It is reaching the point where I don't
    know where to aim, left or right of the target.
     My scores last year where in the high 90's, yet this year it takes alot
    of struggling to even break 100.
    
     I haven't given up yet and I will keep at it. There's plenty of golf
    left for this year to figure out what's going on.
    
    
    
               hacking away,
    
                               Ken--

    Got off to a great start this year and then........  After not playing
    all winter went out to Amherst and shot 78, went back next day and
    shot 78 again.  Went to Stow and shot 79, was hitting everything
    crisp and straight, couldn't believe it and was looking forward
    to a great year.  Then the wheels fell off!!!  Went through a spell
    of topping everything in sight including driver, then lost my irons.
    With the driver I've been hitting everything off the heel, still
    getting giid distance but has a tail to the right, don't have a
    clue as to why I'm hitting them that way.  Also have become real
    uncomfortable over the ball.  I have a set routine before each shot
    and it has alsays serverd me fine, for some reason about a week
    ago I started feeling real uncomfortable and just haven't gotten
    it back yet.
    
    	Hopefully this is just a slump and will end real soon, gets
    frustrating going out there and hacking away.  Theres a lot of golf
    yetto be played so it has to get better!!!!!
    
    	Mike

Every spring, it seems, I score well. Come out of hybernation stiff and 
relaxed. The drives are a little erratic, but the irons are usually 
pretty good. Sink a lot of putts, too.

Then I start thinking I'm pretty hot stuff, start thinking this is the 
year I'll break 70, start practicing hard and thinking hard. By June 
I'm back to struggling to break 80--usually in vain. Humbled by the 
greatest of all sports.

Can't wait for June...

    
    
    	Gene,
    
    	My game is allot better then it was last year, but still not
    	what I had hoped for.  I was just over a hundred last year but it was
    	ugly golf, lots of worm burners, chilly dips... This year I'm
    	hitting the ball allot better, but every time I play it seems
    	like something is still off.  One week I'll three and four putt
    	most of the greens.  Then the next week I'll one or two putt
    	everything but my driving will be all off.  Consequently although
    	I hit the ball really well most of the time, I've only been
    	under a hundred twice. 
    
    	Steve
    
    	P.S. RE to Mike Carbone.  Don't worry I'm sure your game will
    	come back when you play Barry and I in the league, everyone
    	else has had great days when they played us. ;-)
    
    

    not being a big hitter I always strive for consistency...but this
    year the only thing that's been consistence with my game is the
    INCONSISTENCY.....guess it's the nature of the game...!!!
    

    Gene
    
    Got off to a fast start.  Went down to florida for 3 weeks in mid
    march. Actually went down for the players championship. I got tied
    up with a guy who was the former golf coach for Michigan State.
    He worked on my game and changed a number of things around.  Last
    year I got in 96 rounds and had my handicap back down to a 6.  This
    year, with his help I have 22 rounds in so far, an have it down
    to a 2!
    
    I realize that it's going to be a long year, and not to get too
    excited, but it is the first time I have been down this low since
    my old college days which is longer than I care to remember.  I
    have been involved teaching over the winter months and I have to
    believe it has helped.  I worked alot with video taping the students
    and have managed to observe a number of small flaws which sometimes
    contribute to miss hits.
    
    I'll keep you up to date on what transpires over the year up here
    in Canada.
    
    
    -paul

Hmmm... this here golf is a strange game. I've only played about 10 rounds so
far, and ever since I got my new Nicklaus Muirfield persimmon driver I've been
hitting my drives dead straight and out of sight down the fairways. But my iron
play positively stinks, the shots are too high and too short - I can't figure
out what's wrong.

Maybe when I get my new Power Bilt TPS irons next week the problems will 
disappear. I actually found this "American Golf Discount" store just about a
kilometer from my house, and they gave me a good price on the clubs. I will
pick them up on Wednesday. Looking forward to them.

Well, I have time for a bucket of balls before my 16.00 tee-off time. I think
I will humble the course today... ;-)

  -- Mr Litby

    
    	Well, I got a tip to help me with my FAST backswing. I was
    	playing in the Hoodkroft Open this weekend (did not have a
    	good tourney). The pro at the course starts the groups on
    	the first hole each of the two days, well yesterday morning
    	the pro mentioned that my backswing was too fast (he said
    	you don't hit the ball with your backswing). He then said
    	that he knew why and asked if I wanted a tip (of course I
    	said yes). He said the main reason was that I don't waggle
    	before I swing, that I should try a nice "slow" waggle. I
    	tried it and it did help, now I have to work on it and get
    	used to it. Hopefully this will help get me some consistancy
    	that I have always been looking for...!!!
    
    
    	Gene

    Gene, what do you mean waggle ?
    
    Waggle your hips ? Waggle the club ? Tongue ??
    
    As for myself, when a double bogey is the highlight of my round,
    something is not right...
    
    Think I'll head to the driving range before my league match tonight.
    
    Jim
    

    
    Sorry about that Jim. By waggle, I mean waggle the club, have it
    moving, not at a stand still and then into the backswing...
    
    Gene

    See Hogan's "Golf Fundamentals" for more on the waggle. He sees
    this as integral to the whole swing. (A waggle is more than just
    a few nervous twitches of the club over the ball, in Hubert Green
    style - Hogan sees it as positive movements in preparation for the
    backswing.)                                                           
    
    Very roughly, Hogan says the waggle is the same as the first part
    of the backswing, but without turning the body or swinging the arms
    away, followed by some motion forward of the ball - which I can't
    remember.
    
    I think Sevvy is about the only pro I've seen not use clubhead waggle.
    He puts the club on the ground and settles his position around that.
    His takeaway is from a completely cold start. (Ah but what a takeaway)

    
    	A few years ago I started doing Jacks noted method of not grounding
    the club. I then set up with slight wrist waggles and the start
    the back swing with a forward movement of my right knee. The right
    knee comes forward about an inch. as it stops the back swing begins.
    
    
    Tom

    Well, I started playing in March and at one point in time I thought I
    was really going to  cut  my handicap by a couple of strokes come the
    DEC league play. Well it has gone up, not down.
    
    About  a month ago, I went to play the Captains.   A  member  of  the
    foursome  was    a    ten    handicapper    that  can  hit  the  ball
    looooooonnnnnnnggggggg, and my game went to hell in a hand basket.  I
    was trying so hard that was never able to get the face back square to
    the ball.
    
    It has taking my until now to start to get  back my swing and hit the
    ball solid.
    
    As a matter of fact, last evening in my round at  the  league playing
    the south course  at Stow, I hit my driver in the nine hole about 250
    yards which is as far as I remember my longest drive (I am chitting a
    little bit because I had the  wind  in  my back), but it was straight
    and in the right side of the  fairway, which made a easy second shot,
    and then I proceeded to blow the green.   Ended  up  with a boggie to
    half the hole.
    
    I plan to stop as often as I can at  the  driving range to really get
    to shove off those strokes!!
    
    Tavo

    If I will ever remember what it was like to be a beginner at golf,
    so far this year, this is it! In fact, I think I've been playing
    worse than when I first started.
    
    One of my big problems has been trying to change things that were
    working just fine for me last year. Watch a little golf over the
    winter months, take in a few instructional tapes, and bang! You
    got it all figured out what you need to do to improve your game.
    
    I don't care if my grip isn't book-perfect; it works and I'm going
    back to it! Since going back to it after trying to change it, I'm
    starting to get back into the swing of things again. This is the
    year that I'm determined to lower my handicap by at least three
    strokes. Mostly, I just need to play more, and by gosh, that's what
    I'm gonna do--poor_grip_that_works an' all!
                  
    	Keep-on-hackin...
        P

    I haven't played much this year YET, but the plans are being made.
    When the driving range opened I spent lunchtimes working on the usual
    springtime things.  Grip, stance, takeaway......  but added tempo to
    the check list.  I've been hitting the ball EXTREMELY well off the tee.
    The tee shots are long (for me) and in the short grass.  The iron game
    has improved with the new irons.  (I custom built a set for myself)
    Since I'm hitting greens again, it turns out that I've forgotten how to 
    lag putt.  The short game is just terrible.  My new sand wedge will
    take a long to get used to.  (RE: Bob Smith I guess you know that the 
    magic is in those Ultra's still)  Since the short game is my strength
    I'm not worried.  This looks like it will be the best year since I cut
    back on my playing schedule 4 years ago.  
    
    It really is interesting how reviewing the fundamentals of the swing,
    spending some time with them on the range and concentrating on making
    a good swing improves one's ball striking.
    
    
    						KO

    Well, last night I had the best 9 holes of the year, a 52...
    
    Started out with an 8, threw in a 9 and then bogie the rest
    of the way...
    
    The difference? More relaxed slow backswing and a WAGGLE of the
    club head..The waggle seemed to get the body going. I had been
    experiementing with a turn of the left hip foreward to start
    my swing, ala Bobby Jones. The hip turn really messed me up. Tried
    something different last night and everthing feels pretty good.
    Of course my grip is slightly different also...Hey, it works.
    
    Jim
    

     Last season my handicap went down from a 7 to a 4... mostly due
    to learning fundamentals. This season (so far) my handicap has dropped
    from 4 to a 2, due to slowing down my swing. My goal is to reach
    0 by the end of the DEC league play. Last week on Stow North I shot
    a 51 on the front nine, followed by a 38 on the back... the only
    thing I changed was club selection. The front nine I was using my
    PW from 150, and overswinging... Starting the back nine I dropped
    to an 8 iron and imagined the swing tempo of the Pro's (they never
    look like the swing hard) . Well that's what did it! Keeping a well
    balanced swing with a smooth backswing into a smooth downswing kept
    things on target.
    
    	Walt

    Hi Gene,
    
    This is a reply from one of the old Hoodcroft DEC league
    people....Bunny!
    
    My goal this season is to get my hanidacap to 19...it's presently
    23, and I'm working very hard to get it down. I took a lesson last
    year, and my handicap went up four strokes!! It took most of the
    season to get it back where it originally was. No more lessons for
    me. I'll keep you posted through the course of the summer as to
    the status of my game.  Hope all is well with your game and Pat's!
    
    Regards,
    Bunny

	I had been avoiding putting my reply in here because the start
	of this year has been pretty lack luster.  I generally have been
	struggling, especially off the tee.  I spent two weeks in Florida
	on vacation and had a couple of good rounds, but nothing to write
	home about.

	However this weekend I got to play at Stow twice both time breaking
	90.  Yesterday's round on the South course was relatively boring 
	golf thru the 11th hole I was at bogey golf.  Then it snuck up on
	my I played the last 7 holes at even par to finish with a 83.  It's
	only the second time that I have broke 40 on a nine.

	I'm still not hitting the ball the way that I would like to, but
	I'm looking forward to this weekend a lot more.

	Larry

    	Well, I finally have taken a lesson. We'll have to see long
    it takes to adapt to my new swing, as it was changed by the pro.
    I got the lesson from Pete Dupuis, formerly of Amherst now head
    pro at Fort Devens CC. My biggest problem was not getting enough
    turn on the backswing, hence I was chopping at the ball with an
    outside in swing. Now I'm getting the proper turn and the swing
    LOOKS better, just need to get the feel.
    	Played yesterday at Charmingfare, in gale force winds, and
    seemed to hit the ball a little straighter. Hard to really tell
    though due to headwinds, tailwinds, and crosswinds about distances.
    I do know that the greens at Charmingfare are deplorable. A ball
    would not stay on the ground and roll, it would bounce all the way
    to the cup on most greens. Maybe due to the past week of rain they
    haven't had a chance to work on them, but they needed cutting and
    rolling. One in our group has been playing Skymeadow frequently
    and he was ready to leave after our first 5 holes, just because
    of the green. I will say the fairways were in very good shape and
    the rough was ROUGH. You paid the price if you strayed. 

    You think the greens were bad yesterday at Charmingfare?  I played
    Saturday and they were about a 1000 times better than when I played
    there a month ago.   Still in rough shape next to most courses but
    I think the rain helped a lot.  
    
    Pam

    
    	RE: .26/.27
    
    	Keith/Pam
    
    	You are being kind about the greens at Charmingfare...! Being
    	a member there I know what it is like... MANY of the members
    	are VERY upset about the situation...! They have improved as
    	Pam stated, but some of them still have a long ways to go...
    	The rain and warm weather has helped and they will continue
    	to improve, but it is a slow process... I am sure that they
    	will be in fine shape for the league tourney on July 28th...
    
    	Gene

	Last week I played 9 holes at Green Meadow after work.  I met a 
fellow that appeared to be ~40 who has been playing for two years.  He had 
the worst grip (both hands way to strong, right thumb tight on shaft -- put
a hole in the grip), the worst stance (8" closed on PW shots), and the 
worst swing (too ugly to explain) I have ever seen.  However, he hit the
ball looong (Blaisdell-like long) and straight. After the first two holes I
figured his par string would surely run out. Well, I was wrong.  He ended
up with a (-1) 35 for 9 holes.  He hit every green in regulation. I shot a
41, but didn't feel good about it.  The bottom line is that this guy didn't
know what he was doing, or how he was doing it, he just hit the ball. 

	In a nutshell, I think I've been reading too much about golf
mechanics to the point that I question everything that I do.  Too many golf
videos and too many golf magazines.  To be naive about golf again would be
nice.  Oh, well...

Jeff
 

    Well, I have played only 2 rounds this year.  I worked on grooving my
    swing at the range first and it paid off.  I shot an 81 the first round
    and hit the ball fairly well.  Second round was a 79 (and I even made a
    birdie).
    
    Things that need work: short iron accuracy...  I'm making fairly good
    contact but I'm not close enough for serious birdies.  Putting... I'm
    sure it will take a little time to get the touch.  When I shot the 79,
    I reached 2 out of the 3 par 5 in 2 blows and then proceeded to 3 whack
    each green.
    
    All in all, I think I will have a satisfying year if I keep the swing
    in good shape.
    
    Mike

    re: .29
    
    but can he do it consistantly...??? those who rely on feel alone
    and not sound fundamentals have good rounds occasionally but the
    true test of good golf is over the long haul....
    
    anyone can get it going for a par or subpar round once in a while
    but I'd rather shoot 5-12 over par every time I play and the only
    way to have a chance at that is with sound fundamentals...i.e.
    good grip/stance/posture...etc.  don't give up on sound fundamentals
    because they don't work right away...it takes years of practice

    Come on Gene.  Come on Gene!  Do tell us about your Eagle on the
    Seventh hole of Hoodcroft!  Do tell!  Do tell!
    
    John