OT: Official Golf Thread - One small golf tip lands Matt Kuchar in deep rough

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ODAAT

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Oct 17, 2006
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Going through a major mental block on the course right now.

On the range I am flushing the ball with my irons , when I get to the 1st tee all the tempo is gone and I'm just trying to rip the cover off the ball. Topping the ball , fat shots and everything in between.
Extremely frustrated at the moment. Going to the course seems more like a chore than a hobby.


This may not work for you but I go to the range once a year, just to get swings in. I take virtually 0 practices swings once I start a round and I don`t over think things. If I`m playing and for whatever reason I`m pulling or pushing the ball I go with it, I NEVER try to fix anything mid round. If it`s a day where I`m pulling, I align myself accordingly.

I always club down too, I never try to put a charge into any ball (not saying you are doing that). Bottom line, the games where I`m missing fairways I can almost guarantee it means I`m trying to be too perfect.
 

Tmac37

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Going through a major mental block on the course right now.

On the range I am flushing the ball with my irons , when I get to the 1st tee all the tempo is gone and I'm just trying to rip the cover off the ball. Topping the ball , fat shots and everything in between.
Extremely frustrated at the moment. Going to the course seems more like a chore than a hobby.

I hear you on this one, I fall into the trap sometimes of trying to hit every shot perfect when really the aim is just to get it around the course and into the hole.
 

Sheppy

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Nov 23, 2011
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Got our midnight tournament tonight. For those of you curious about that... We tee off at 11:59 pm at night and finish at 3-3:30 am.

This is what 1 am looks like where I live...

13516229_10157029196740257_5342312138415192526_n.jpg
 
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ODAAT

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I hear you on this one, I fall into the trap sometimes of trying to hit every shot perfect when really the aim is just to get it around the course and into the hole.

yep, we all know when were hitting it well and distance control is on. For me, if I`m playing well, I get a bit more aggressive with approach shots and take some risks which I did Father`s Day, problem is with risks, they are just that, risky and it cost me but still had a blast. There is a par 4, dogleg right on the back, you can take it over the trees and close or onto the green but ya just have to be perfect. Hit a beauty drive but it looked like it caught the last possible branch, kicked into the woods.

Another hole, pin merely feet behind a bunker, tried a flop shot, landed inches short, rolled into bunker in a spot were someone didn`t rake well and had a horrific lie and it cost me

On the bright side, putter was golden all day
 

Tmac37

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yep, we all know when were hitting it well and distance control is on. For me, if I`m playing well, I get a bit more aggressive with approach shots and take some risks which I did Father`s Day, problem is with risks, they are just that, risky and it cost me but still had a blast. There is a par 4, dogleg right on the back, you can take it over the trees and close or onto the green but ya just have to be perfect. Hit a beauty drive but it looked like it caught the last possible branch, kicked into the woods.

Another hole, pin merely feet behind a bunker, tried a flop shot, landed inches short, rolled into bunker in a spot were someone didn`t rake well and had a horrific lie and it cost me

On the bright side, putter was golden all day

Not getting out as much to play as when I was younger, consistency is the hardest part of the game now. Can have a few holes of solid shooting and then can't sustain it over 18.
 

BigBadBruins7708

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Dec 11, 2017
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yep, we all know when were hitting it well and distance control is on. For me, if I`m playing well, I get a bit more aggressive with approach shots and take some risks which I did Father`s Day, problem is with risks, they are just that, risky and it cost me but still had a blast. There is a par 4, dogleg right on the back, you can take it over the trees and close or onto the green but ya just have to be perfect. Hit a beauty drive but it looked like it caught the last possible branch, kicked into the woods.

Another hole, pin merely feet behind a bunker, tried a flop shot, landed inches short, rolled into bunker in a spot were someone didn`t rake well and had a horrific lie and it cost me

On the bright side, putter was golden all day

haha, Im remembering how long it took the idea of course management to be beaten into my head...its mostly stuck on approach shots and laying up par 5s

It's still fun to cut corners when possible off the tee
 

Glove Malfunction

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Jan 1, 2009
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Got our midnight tournament tonight. For those of you curious about that... We tee off at 11:59 pm at night and finish at 3-3:30 am.

This is what 1 am looks like where I live...

13516229_10157029196740257_5342312138415192526_n.jpg
I spent a summer in Keflavik, Iceland back in 1996. They have a midnight fun run on the solstice. The sun actually goes down, but only for a couple of hours, and it never gets dark. Would be fun to play golf like that.
 

ODAAT

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Victoria BC
Not getting out as much to play as when I was younger, consistency is the hardest part of the game now. Can have a few holes of solid shooting and then can't sustain it over 18.

indeed, for me it`s typically all about how much I`m playing. My Father`s Day round came almost 3 weeks after my last round and I was shocked how well I hit it as generally with that much time off, I`d have no rhythm at all

I play tomorrow which will be the first time this year I`ve played twice in a week. I still don`t put a ton of expectations on myself but I am hoping I`ll feel a bit more comfortable on the first tee
 

ODAAT

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haha, Im remembering how long it took the idea of course management to be beaten into my head...its mostly stuck on approach shots and laying up par 5s

It's still fun to cut corners when possible off the tee

I recall watching an episode of Feherty a few years back, can`t recall who he was speaking to that episode but the conversation swayed to the amateur golfer or weekend golfer and how they should approach the game and just what you wrote came up, course management. The guest said if your 250 yds out on a par 5 and you typically could never hit a 3 wood 250, why risk the wayward shot when you could easily take out an iron, 5-7 iron, lay up, give yourself a more comfortable 3rd shot

Every so often I put myself into a spot to reach a par 5 in two but unless it`s a hole with little to worry about around the greens (bunkers/woods) I will almost always just plunk up an iron, chip on and hope for a birdie but take my par and walk to the next tee
 

BigBadBruins7708

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Dec 11, 2017
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I recall watching an episode of Feherty a few years back, can`t recall who he was speaking to that episode but the conversation swayed to the amateur golfer or weekend golfer and how they should approach the game and just what you wrote came up, course management. The guest said if your 250 yds out on a par 5 and you typically could never hit a 3 wood 250, why risk the wayward shot when you could easily take out an iron, 5-7 iron, lay up, give yourself a more comfortable 3rd shot

Every so often I put myself into a spot to reach a par 5 in two but unless it`s a hole with little to worry about around the greens (bunkers/woods) I will almost always just plunk up an iron, chip on and hope for a birdie but take my par and walk to the next tee

yup, same now.

unless I rip the drive and like you said, have little danger around its a lay up. hit an iron to 75-ish and just wedge it on and take a par at worst.

the other place for me where course management helped was with pins. I used to get too locked into pin seeking and ignoring the risks of missing. Now if the pin isnt worth it (like being a few paces on the front with a bunker guarding), I aim more for center of the green and take the longer putt
 

ODAAT

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yup, same now.

unless I rip the drive and like you said, have little danger around its a lay up. hit an iron to 75-ish and just wedge it on and take a par at worst.

the other place for me where course management helped was with pins. I used to get too locked into pin seeking and ignoring the risks of missing. Now if the pin isnt worth it (like being a few paces on the front with a bunker guarding), I aim more for center of the green and take the longer putt

exactly, last round the pin was in a spot on the green on a par 3 where it wasn`t protected at all however, only to the right side of the pin offered a level putt so instead of going after the pin, I just drew an iron right of the pin, landed it probably about 20-25 feet right but gave myself an easy 2 putt for par. Two others in my group were probably within 15 feet but in tough putting spots and both missed their birdies
 

ODAAT

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Played an odd round yesterday at an exceptionally challenging course here. Shot 83 with 4 penalty strokes, 1 lost ball which all in the foursome felt went just down right center yet we couldn`t find it anywhere, the other 3 we`re all on drives that I hit well but 2 actually rolled through the fairway and put myself into a spot where had I been a righty, I could have played but I`m not. The 4th pentaly stroke was a straight up bad club choice, took way too much club, hammered it and flew the green on par 3.

Overall happy with my round, anything in the low 80`s at Brunello for this guy is good scoring, tossed 2 birdies in there too
 
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Glove Malfunction

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Played Trull Brook today with my son. Was hot as balls. But still, it was good to play with the offspring. Went 56-46=102. Getting closer to getting back to breaking 100. Some weird holes with 90 degree doglegs, but it was fun anyway.
 

ODAAT

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Played Trull Brook today with my son. Was hot as balls. But still, it was good to play with the offspring. Went 56-46=102. Getting closer to getting back to breaking 100. Some weird holes with 90 degree doglegs, but it was fun anyway.

sweet, played yesterday as well and it took me the whole front nine to adjust to the insane temperature. Started off Bogey, Triple, then double and finished the front with a 46. Rebounded on the back with a solid 40. The course I played is one where the once a week golfer can`t play "catch up" golf which I was doing after the first 3 holes.

Whenever I get off to a bad start like that I just try and put the bad holes behind me, said to myself I have 15 holes left, how about we try to finish with 1/3 of them being pars which I did, burned a few edges which would have helped but man o man, "hot as balls" as you said, constantly soaking a towel to keep over head and around neck
 
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Tmac37

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Had a pretty good Canada Day weekend golf wise, 43 over 9 holes on Friday and 86 over 18 on Monday, starting to hit my irons more consistently and putting is as good as I can remember.
 
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ODAAT

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Oct 17, 2006
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Had a pretty good Canada Day weekend golf wise, 43 over 9 holes on Friday and 86 over 18 on Monday, starting to hit my irons more consistently and putting is as good as I can remember.

solid numbers there. I couldn`t make a putt if my life depended on it yesterday. It wasn`t because I hit poor putts, just one of those days we have all likely experienced, burning edges. The majority of my misses were on the pro side. A few holes where I didn`t see a break in the green. I can`t spin the ball and the challenge for me on the course I played yesterday was the greens are not receptive so it alters my typical approach, forced to play a bit of a bump and run game in and around the greens, flop shots not always the best option.

My first 3 holes were a dumpster fire, I was terribly uncomfortable over the ball. When I finally hit a solid drive on the 4th, I hit it too well, went right through both the fairway and rough, found myself directly behind a tree, took a penalty stroke for unplayable. Still had a blast, only have 5-6 more weeks of golf in Nova Scotia before I take the gong show to Victoria BC so just grateful to be out there with the boys having some laughs
 

Tmac37

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solid numbers there. I couldn`t make a putt if my life depended on it yesterday. It wasn`t because I hit poor putts, just one of those days we have all likely experienced, burning edges. The majority of my misses were on the pro side. A few holes where I didn`t see a break in the green. I can`t spin the ball and the challenge for me on the course I played yesterday was the greens are not receptive so it alters my typical approach, forced to play a bit of a bump and run game in and around the greens, flop shots not always the best option.

My first 3 holes were a dumpster fire, I was terribly uncomfortable over the ball. When I finally hit a solid drive on the 4th, I hit it too well, went right through both the fairway and rough, found myself directly behind a tree, took a penalty stroke for unplayable. Still had a blast, only have 5-6 more weeks of golf in Nova Scotia before I take the gong show to Victoria BC so just grateful to be out there with the boys having some laughs

For me it's limiting 3 putts, my feel and distance control on first putts is coming along well so I'm getting it close enough to the hole to make the next one. That was not the case the first few rounds of the year, had no feel around the greens at all.
 

ODAAT

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For me it's limiting 3 putts, my feel and distance control on first putts is coming along well so I'm getting it close enough to the hole to make the next one. That was not the case the first few rounds of the year, had no feel around the greens at all.

3 putts are both frustrating and killers. A tip I received years ago when it came to putting from a guy I was paired with who was a terrific golfer while we were playing a course where the greens were like glass and he was golden on them was on quicker greens, lighten my grip on the putter and vice versa on slower greens. He said that when he grips any club tightly, it tends to force him to intuitively swing harder and cause issues.

I tried it and it`s helped a lot in recent years, distance control for me tends to be little more than playing time. I play again this Sunday so hoping I`ll be a touch more consistent
 

Tmac37

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Apr 1, 2018
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3 putts are both frustrating and killers. A tip I received years ago when it came to putting from a guy I was paired with who was a terrific golfer while we were playing a course where the greens were like glass and he was golden on them was on quicker greens, lighten my grip on the putter and vice versa on slower greens. He said that when he grips any club tightly, it tends to force him to intuitively swing harder and cause issues.

I tried it and it`s helped a lot in recent years, distance control for me tends to be little more than playing time. I play again this Sunday so hoping I`ll be a touch more consistent

Makes sense, may try that.
 

ODAAT

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Oct 17, 2006
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Victoria BC
Makes sense, may try that.

another thing I practice on putting green prior to the round is taking putts while NOT looking down at the ball but rather the hole I`m putting to. Helps me create a tempo as the tendency while putting for me at times is to take the putter back too quickly. When not looking at the ball, I take it back slower. When I am focused on the greens, my putter face finishes directly aimed at my target too, similar to the following through concept with a club in my hand.

I rarely practice in any area other than the putting greens, I NEVER hit balls prior to a round, find it can do two things, destroy my confidence if I have a poor session and/or give me too much confidence if striking it well and I get too loose on the course. I dunno, works for me
 

Glove Malfunction

Ference is my binky
Jan 1, 2009
15,875
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Pleasantly warm, AZ
sweet, played yesterday as well and it took me the whole front nine to adjust to the insane temperature. Started off Bogey, Triple, then double and finished the front with a 46. Rebounded on the back with a solid 40. The course I played is one where the once a week golfer can`t play "catch up" golf which I was doing after the first 3 holes.

Whenever I get off to a bad start like that I just try and put the bad holes behind me, said to myself I have 15 holes left, how about we try to finish with 1/3 of them being pars which I did, burned a few edges which would have helped but man o man, "hot as balls" as you said, constantly soaking a towel to keep over head and around neck
My son was actually able to catch up though. After hacking around a 43 on the front, he went 35 on the back. He was still disappointed with the 78. I even told him I don't get as upset at bad shots anymore, because I just don't play enough to be consistent. At least I'm generally hitting the ball straighter, and hit ny hybrid nicely a couple of times, when I usually struggle with that club. It's the little things, right?
 

ODAAT

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Oct 17, 2006
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Victoria BC
My son was actually able to catch up though. After hacking around a 43 on the front, he went 35 on the back. He was still disappointed with the 78. I even told him I don't get as upset at bad shots anymore, because I just don't play enough to be consistent. At least I'm generally hitting the ball straighter, and hit ny hybrid nicely a couple of times, when I usually struggle with that club. It's the little things, right?

I don`t have your son`s ability to do that:laugh:

There was a time when I could do a degree but not these days
 
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