PGA / LPGA / personal golf

[Jezza819]

Hmmm that is going to be difficult. Have you tried just swinging something like a broom stick or something like that with just a little weight to it in both directions to get some idea of which side you feel is better and more powerful for you?

 

[ENTERSANDMAN13]

Does anyone else golf? Now that I'm 30 I've decided that I will take up golf. Maybe I will also web log about it

Is it recommended to start with a driver at a driving range to establish a swing?

Like Jezza said, start at a driving range but i'd recommend getting a lesson just so you start off doing the basics right, you don't necessarily need one but will stop you getting bad habits early on.

So like, how do you figure out whether you should swing right or left? Do you go get a golf club fitting as part of a lesson/intro to golf? Or do you just kinda roll with a 5 iron as a training tool and then progress from there? You think it's better to go to driving range or to a retail center that has the virtual golf projection systems?.

What ever is more comfortable for you, just get a club and go on feel, if you have a lesson im sure they would have a left and right handed club for you to try. Id go to a range and enjoy, golf can be quite disheartening at the start when the realisation hits you of how hard it actually is, but youll see results fairly quickly if you keep playing.

Physically, how much thoracic mobility should you have for golf? What gets most sore after a round? I'm really bored of walking around my uglyass neighborhood and at gyms. I'd rather be on a beautiful golf course on a sunny day sweating and chasing a ball around with a stick.

Spinal movements will only be noticeable when your swing speed starts picking up (being a beginner id advise just concentrating on hitting the ball straight rather than a mile though ) Just warm up before and youll be fine.

Your legs will ache if you're not used to walking much, and your shoulders maybe. I cant really remember though because i started when i was 9 and nothing ached back then!

 

[Jezza819]

Plus get ready for blisters on your hands even with a glove on. It takes a while to get your hands toughened up.

 

[Omnis]

Probably not because I'm used to Kendo lol.

I think I'm gonna swing righty. It'll probably be cheaper. Lol. I'll be the anti mick. And since I'm starting out I'm pretty interested in the One Length concept. I basically want to just work on one iron swing, a driver swing, and a wedge shot. Putting is putting.

Definitely gonna pick up the Sigma Fetch putter. Can't believe nobody thought of the pickup cutout before. And the adjustable handle is a huge plus.

Kinda torn on irons. If I wanna do one length I have to see if I should build something out of players irons vs game improvement vs super GI to get properly gapped distances. I guess I could do a set of cobras but I don't really want to drop that much all at once. I'd rather wait until the F9s get obsolesced.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

@Omnis The clubs will look great in a 'Vette.

 

[Omnis]

@Omnis The clubs will look great in a 'Vette.

I know. I am preparing. I already got the new balances and the shorts.

 

[Omnis]

Took my first lesson today. I think I did pretty great. Worked up to a 3/4 swing. My instructor is very German so I got ze bazics down fery vell.

Took me a while to learn to relax. When you hit the sweet spot it's such an awesome feeling. Totally feels better than topping it. I think I'm definitely getting +1 length clubs

 

[ENTERSANDMAN13]

Took my first lesson today. I think I did pretty great. Worked up to a 3/4 swing. My instructor is very German so I got ze bazics down fery vell.

Took me a while to learn to relax. When you hit the sweet spot it's such an awesome feeling. Totally feels better than topping it. I think I'm definitely getting +1 length clubs

Good to hear, keep it going!

 

[Omnis]

So my bag looks like this:

1D, 4W, HW(7w head 5w shaft), 4H, 6i-PW+AW, 54°, 58°, P.

I have one more spot in the bag for either another distance club or for an extreme 64° wedge. I think most of the courses around me aren't particularly long, so I kind of set up my bag for the short game. I really want to get good with my wedges. That's the cheapest club to practice lol. My local facility has a sweet practice bunker with a nice ridge and a mini green to approach.

 

[Omnis]

It's actually pretty funny that I made the above post on the 13th of February 1 year ago. Exactly 1 year later, 2 weeks ago, I had my first golf outing with some friends at a local short course. We are all horrible, but we found a great club that has awful grounds and where nobody really cares that you suck. It was just a blast to be out there and to look great in my full golf getup.

Covid threw a huge wrench in my development as a golfer, since the park I liked to practice at was turned into a covid testing facility. I had so much fun though that I can't wait to practice more and actually get better!

 

[Stavingo]

I'd say Covid was good for my golf game as I got out and played more rather than being stuck in an office full time.

Now work is back to normal here for the time being, I haven't hit a ball since January.

Also has anyone on here ever been fitted for clubs before? I'm due to invest in a new set 👍

 

[Omnis]

Shot my first par the other day. Missed the birdie putt!

My driver and iron shots are fairly decent now. Not long, but at least I'm getting the irons up and can find the fairway off the tee with a decent fade. Also having a lot of fun playing the steep wedges out of the bunkers.

Definitely the biggest thing that helped me was actually getting to a course, and not just swinging off the turf.

 

[Omnis]

Looking at what's involved in getting tickets to the next Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Anyone have experience with PGA events or want to meet up?

 

[ENTERSANDMAN13]

Been to a few events here in the UK, you'll be gobsmaked at the level of the top pros ball striking (its crazy).

Have you become a member yet anywhere? good to see you've got the golfing bug.

 

[Omnis]

Been to a few events here in the UK, you'll be gobsmaked at the level of the top pros ball striking (its crazy).

Have you become a member yet anywhere? good to see you've got the golfing bug.

Not a member anywhere. Luckily living in South Florida I'm afforded a plethora of cheap, accessible golf courses all over the place. Best score so far is a 112 on a 72. I've been really striking irons great lately, though, and my short wedge game has been pretty consistently good. Problem is my driver and putting. If I could get the ball 250 or even 200 yards off the tee in a straight line, my strokes would plummet.

They just had Q School come through at my home course. Watching pros golf in person is insane.

My first tournament is this Friday. Wish me luck lol

 

[Stavingo]

Not a member anywhere. Luckily living in South Florida I'm afforded a plethora of cheap, accessible golf courses all over the place. Best score so far is a 112 on a 72. I've been really striking irons great lately, though, and my short wedge game has been pretty consistently good. Problem is my driver and putting. If I could get the ball 250 or even 200 yards off the tee in a straight line, my strokes would plummet.

They just had Q School come through at my home course. Watching pros golf in person is insane.

My first tournament is this Friday. Wish me luck lol

Good luck with the tournament

My annual club championship starts this coming Saturday, shame I haven’t gotten my new clubs yet or I would’ve given it a try.

Here’s hoping I can shave a few shots once the bag is full of new clubs lol

 

[Omnis]

How'd the 'ship go. @Stavingo ?

My tourney got rained out. But in other news I figured out how to do WHS handicapping and using the net double bogey rule really helped me out. Most of my strokes get racked up on a few blown up holes, so recalculating all my scores puts me at between a 40 and 42. My goal with each outing is to eliminate the extra stroke needed on each hole down the handicap index until I get to a solid 36.

My short game is still my favorite and best area, followed by the hybrids. Need to work on driving. Sometimes I wonder why I bring the 3/4W at all, because I never use it.

My hardest hits with by 5H are only carrying 150 with a ball speed of 100-107, so that means I'm leaving a lot on the table and being really inefficient. I need to go back to lessons. At this point I think I also sprained my left ankle.

 

[Omnis]

Handicap is down to 40 from 42. Next goal is to break 100 on a Par 70 championship/non-executive course.

So last week, for the first time ever, I holed a chip shot from off the green. It was so awesome. My short game has either been absolutely incredible or horrible. I usually knife my wedge in key moments, send the ball skimming across the green like a supersonic ekranoplan. But some shots I look down at my hands and I'm like, "Wow, I did that?" Golf is so cool.

My irons aren't super long but they're coming along pretty well as far as getting the ball up in the air and hitting consistent distances.

My 4W is by far my worst club, and Driver has been sort of a drag all along. However, I played a course with no water and a big wide fairway and I just decided to rip it and see what happened. I think I had an epiphany because my driver face had a huge ball mark on it and I sent it like 220-240 yards straight as an arrow. Maybe by trying to be slow and deliberate I was leaving the face way open at impact. This time I just gripped it and ripped it, concentrating on getting all my pressure to the front foot like you're supposed to, and it worked. Just need to get the swing on video and see if it looks sound. Maybe it'll transfer over to my irons lol.

Did I mention I love my Heavenwood? That thing is like gold on a Par 3. Check out this tee shot:

Too bad I went on to 3-putt it. I'll get my first birdie someday. I play again on Thursday, so fingers crossed!

 

[Omnis]

Checking in again. I broke 100 for the first time a week or two ago. Haven't matched that since, though. Still chasing that first birdie, but it felt good to par multiple holes. Really had the driver and wedge game dialed in that day.

Hopefully my long clubs help me out tomorrow. I'm playing at Emerald Hills for the first time. Wish me luck!

 

[Omnis]

Man, that course was a nightmare. The greens are impossible. The Emerald tees that the guys played in the video are just insane. Nobody is that good. Just a dumb course.

 

[JohnBM01]

I guess I'll make this my debut to this thread.

Honestly, I could never get into watching or following golf, tennis, or cricket. The former, I am kind of watching right now with the 2022 Masters. I saw moments ago Sungjae Im sink an Eagle on Hole 15. He's currently tied with D. Johnson and Smith for the lead at -4.


If you're watching The Masters, enjoy the action!

 

[JohnBM01]

Stewart Cink sunk a beautiful hole-in-one at Hole 16! Awesomeness! It was probably the first-ever time I saw a Hole-in-One live as it happeneed.

Tiger Woods looks pretty good returning from that car crash from last year. Last I checked, he's +1 around Hole 12 or so in the 2nd Round of The Masters 2022.

 

[Joey D]

The coverage of Tiger over the weekend was a bit much. Was it impressive that he made a comeback? Yup. Was it impressive that he made the cut? Also yes. However, when he fell off the rails on Saturday I no longer cared. Scottie Scheffler is an incredible golfer and arguably a better golfer than Tiger was at 25. Scheffler made it to number 1 fast than any other golfer and that's impressive.

I was pulling for Mcllroy though. His charge on Sunday was awesome and he played one hell of a round. Still, I'm not upset Sheffler kept the lead though since he was so dominant the entire tournament. Cameron Smith really came on strong too but I think the pressure got to him a bit on Sunday. But being tied for third at the Masters is still quite a feat.

I'll probably hold off on watching any more golf until the PGA in May. I'm really looking forward to The Open though since it'll be at St. Andrews' Old Course this year. I didn't mind Royal St. George's last year, but there's just something about St. Andrews that is perfect for golf. Carnoustie is still my favorite though.

 

[JohnBM01]

In speaking of Tiger Woods, I think he said he'll next play at the British Open. I didn't get to see much of anything over the weekend from the Masters, but I did see some of the Thursday and Friday coverage. As far as Scottie Scheffler is concerned, there is some love for him around my way because he graduated from the University of Texas. All congratulations to Scottie on winning The Masters 2022.

 

[Omnis]

The coverage of Tiger over the weekend was a bit much. Was it impressive that he made a comeback? Yup. Was it impressive that he made the cut? Also yes. However, when he fell off the rails on Saturday I no longer cared. Scottie Scheffler is an incredible golfer and arguably a better golfer than Tiger was at 25. Scheffler made it to number 1 fast than any other golfer and that's impressive.

I was pulling for Mcllroy though. His charge on Sunday was awesome and he played one hell of a round. Still, I'm not upset Sheffler kept the lead though since he was so dominant the entire tournament. Cameron Smith really came on strong too but I think the pressure got to him a bit on Sunday. But being tied for third at the Masters is still quite a feat.

I'll probably hold off on watching any more golf until the PGA in May. I'm really looking forward to The Open though since it'll be at St. Andrews' Old Course this year. I didn't mind Royal St. George's last year, but there's just something about St. Andrews that is perfect for golf. Carnoustie is still my favorite though.

Ha. I almost completely agree with you here. The coverage from ESPN was pretty much exclusively Tiger Woods. They may as well have called it "Tiger Does The Masters." While Tiger is good for ratings-- and thus why he was the only person of interest as far as ESPN is concerned-- at some point The Network is going to have to realize that he's old and heading downhill after a gruesome and normally decimating injury. Maybe they wanted to just have their last shot to milk the bell cow. Who knows. I thought CBS was far better with their coverage and the treatment of the remainder of the field. This may have been prompted by the Green Brass at Augusta after watching how ESPN handled things. Tiger was first off the tee and pretty much done by 4:30pm, leaving the last 2.5 hours to cover the rest of the relevant players in what I thought were absolutely awesome groupings and pairings. Additionally, if you watched the "Featured Groups" feed on Augusta's website, it was far and away better than the Broadcast feed. To me, it seemed like this was the feed for "Golf Patrons", whereas the broadcast seemed to be produced for "Sports Fans".

Golf is a weird sport and plays to a weirder audience. Just look at their advertising. Most of the ads are targeting a presumptively very wealthy viewer. They feature people known in the "golf world," while most of the time clumsily attempting to connect the viewer to their product in the real world, and it's even clunkier when the product is something everyday people use. Look at AT&T's latest Masters barrage. It's like a weird shibboleth to be able to recognize Maria Fassi but not Eva Longoria. And if you're young and cool enough to know both of them, the odds that you're also going to instantly recognize both Nancy Lopez and Ben Crenshaw are slim to none.

What does that have to do with the above? Well, I would say Tiger Woods is the first golfer to ever cross over from the Golf World into the Real World and infiltrate pop culture and the mind of the everyday person. Why? Because he was so good and so different that this new mystique created its own hype machine. For as much as Tiger was ever hyped up, however, he would always live up to it, playing out of his mind and attracting more attention as the spotlight grew ever more intense. The only other parallel I can think of is Lance Armstrong and cycling. If you asked 1000 random people here to name a Tour de France cyclist, you wouldn't get one that could give you a name. But they would know Lance. Likewise, there are competitive eaters that have outdone Kobayashi, but nobody ever had the hype to spread the fame of Kobayashi and his 50-something hotdogs.

Scheffler right now probably is better than Tiger was at 25, but even when you consider the quantum leap in golf ball and club technology, coaching, training, swing tracking and shot monitoring advances, the greatness of Tiger Woods on the margin is still so much higher than Scheffler's. Everyone is so good now, it's nuts. But you only appreciate that by entering Golf World, because nobody has been given the same platform or spotlight to shine through to the rest of the population.

This is where I think the networks are making a big mistake. They should be promoting young talent and the game, making it relatable for a sports fan. The DP World Tour does a good job of this, treating its athletes like characters to be followed. They give the audience insight into their golfers and their performances as they go along during events. The way ESPN and the American media handled Tiger over the past weekend has almost gotten to the point of prying. It was really annoying, and when you have amazing young talent like Scheffler and a dozen other guys under age 25 there's no question that they're dropping the ball with having the next generation of golf break through to the young generation to come.

I think Rory's charge was amazing and kind of rattled Cam Smith a bit. I was rooting for Cam after he finally figured out the greens, but was gutted when he hit the water at Amen Corner. That's just Rory being Rory though. He is so good when he's on. You might say his best golf is better than Tiger's, but unfortunately he's never been able to sustain the hype machine the same way Tiger did. His bunker shot on 18 was probably one of the best in Master's history, but because of the circumstances it'll unfortunately never be esteemed like Tiger On 16. Even with Morikawa holing out right after him. What a wild end!

I'm so looking forward to the rest of the majors this year. The PGA should be great. Hopefully Oklahoma is nice and windy for a wild weekend. Carnoustie is also one of my faves, but St. Andrews is St. Andrews.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Matt Fitzpatrick took an excellent play-off win against Jordan Spieth at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town at the weekend, thrilling 3 hole play-off with a dramatic miss by Spieth to win on the 1st play-off hole. Leaps up to 22nd from 81st in the Fed Ex Cup rankings.

Really happy to see Fitz take the W, played really well and the 9-iron into the green to clinch it was an absolute dream.

Also, funny to hear the Ryder Cup getting hyped in the crowd, chants of USA at the tees as Fitz was prepping, very partisan crowd. The excitement building already for September.

On a personal golf level, I have just purchased my first full set of clubs in over 10 years as I begin my quest to get back playing regularly. Used to play at Peacehaven Golf in East Sussex, UK. Started as a junior on 45 handicap at 12 and got down to around 17 by the time I was 16, took a few years out, went back at 19 and then it was too sporadic to really do anything significant. Then some life happened and now in my early 30s and years of driving range trips later, it's time to hit the course again.

Living in Norfolk, UK now, so will be joining Mattishall Golf Club to begin my journey and have purchased a set of Cobra clubs with an Odyssey putter to hopefully get off to the best start possible.

I'd love to see some pics of what equipment you guys are rocking, your local course, showcase some of the beautiful holes you get to play.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Absolute scenes.

 

[lilcat89]

I'd love to see some pics of what equipment you guys are rocking, your local course, showcase some of the beautiful holes you get to play.

I just started playing again as well. It's been very sporadic for the last few years. I have played twice a week for the last month. Started at a local par3 course and have gotten back to where I have been before. I'll get some pics next time I go out at one of the more beautiful courses. I started when I was little as a thing I did with my dad. Played through high school very regularly, and then between moving and real life, it became few and far between.

 

[MagpieRacer]

This is the course I learned and played on. Peacehaven Golf Club in the south east of England. Challenging 9 hole heathland course with a bit of a links feel (is only about a mile from the coast). Quite short at just over 5000 yards when playing 18 (2697 for the 9 holes off the back tees).

1st: Super tough opening hole, 198y par 3, over a valley into a small green that slopes back into the valley.

2nd: Relatively straight forward 274y par 4, uphill, trees front right of the green and a ditch through the middle of the fairway.

3rd: Longest par 4 at 439y off the middle tees or a short (495y) par 5 from the back tees. Slight dogleg to the right but the 2nd shot is totally blind as you head down a valley/hill towards a green protected by a bank with OB right off the back.

4th: Forgot to get a pic. 269y par 4. Uphill tee shot, bush left and woodland with OB right. Slight dogleg to the right as well with a bunker on the corner and another protecting the sheltered green.

5th: Horrid blind tee shot, just have to aim at the stick at the top of the bank and hope for the best. 263y par 4, other than the bank it's dead straight with OB quickly to the right.

6th: 364y par 4, pretty straight with a small green and a couple links style pot bunkers on the fairway and around the green. Green is like a bowl, tough putting hole.

7th: 339 par 4, tough drive as the fairway rolls right to left, slight dogleg left, lots of rough and a couple nasty fairway bunkers. Green is flat though.

8th: One of the toughest holes for me. 327y par 4. Tee over the trees and bushes below into a lower fairway with a ditch through the middle. Lots of undulations and a protected green. Lost lots of balls here.

9th: Tough 170y par 3 back across the valley. Unlike the 1st, protected by trees and water rather than fairway. Safest play was go long and roll back. Very hard hole.

When playing 18, the 10th, 11th and 18th all play different tee boxes and all play longer. The 10th is stroke index 1 on the scorecard, playing as a 215y par 3. The 11th becomes nearly 30 yards longer than the 2nd and has a dogleg tee shot. 18rh plays same distance as 9th but feels 20 yards longer.

My new club is very different and will get some pics of that when I get back out there.

 

[MagpieRacer]

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