First Eagle of my Life
So I decided I was going to be a tough guy and go play Eagle Run Golf Course in the 104 degree heat; I wasn’t going to let a little sweat in my eyes phase me one bit.
The round started out rather normally, I was 2 putting almost all of the greens, but getting there in regulation was the problem.
Then, drenched in sweat, I climbed the hill and approached hole #6 I noticed that the blue and white tees were in the same spot on this day, putting the pin at 257 yards. The hole lies about ten feet downhill, and you can see the back half of the green and a little of the flag. The flag was sitting on the right third of the green this day and after staring at the flag for a few seconds I walked back to my bag to get my club.
Let me preface this by saying I normally would reach for hybrid and give it a ride, but for some reason my Nike SQ 22 degree has been giving me fits; so I grabbed my 4-iron instead and thought “I’m just gonna give this sucker a ride and see where she lands”.
I whacked it good. And as I went down the hill to get a better look I saw this:
I JUST PUT IT ON THE GREEN WITH A FREAKING 4-IRON!!!!
I grabbed my putter and took a better shot.
Not too shabby!
So I approached the ball, stood there for what seemed like ten minutes…..
back…..contact….follow
IT’S IN THE HOLE!
I tell you what, for a guy who sucks at golf, that was one of the sweeter feelings in my hacker/duffer career.
-Fency
What’s In Your Bag?
Ben Spadt
I thought that with a few rounds under our belts I would begin a series where we talk about the equipment we have in our bag.
As very much the beginner, I have recently upgraded my set. Just to let you know a little about what type of golfer I am, I am lucky to break 100, with a goal of this summer trimming that down to under 90. That being said, here is the equipment that I am playing with
Driver: TaylorMade R580 XD 9.5 degree
I bought this club at my local golf galaxy, lightly used for under $20. A bargain at twice the price.
Hybrid: Nike SQ 20 degree
I picked this up in the pro shop where I work on clearance. It had a regular flex shaft in it, so I had a stiff Banzai shaft installed.
Hybrid 2: Cleveland Halo 22 Degree
Again from Golf Galaxy, again super cheap. Why the two hybrids? I don’t know.
Irons: Nike Slingshot 4d 4-PW
Again, Golf Galaxy. Under $200. Enough Said.
Wedges: Mizuno MP T-10 56 degree
TaylorMade Z-TP 52 degree
Both Purchased on Amazon.com. Great finds.
Putter: Never Compromise Milled Series #7
Also from Amazon. I had been looking for a decent milled face putter for a long time, I had hit one like this before and when I saw it, I had to pull the trigger.
Well, there you have it. The equipment I curse at when I tally up my crappy scores.
Get out and play a round and tell me about what is in your bag.
-Ben
Breaking 100-90-80 : A monthly guide to the scoring basics
Golf Digest, Nov, 2001 by Bob Rotella, Mike Stachura
That “Breaking 100-90-80” headline up there bugs me. I’m all for having goals, but when average players think about shooting a specific number, they can lose sight of the building blocks that make that low number pos-sible. You improve by focusing on the moment, trusting your pre-shot routine and staying solid in the short game. Remember, golf is a game of scoring; it is not a game of adding up your score.
Play as if you care–just not about score
Maybe we’d all play better if we got our scorecards at the end of our rounds instead of the beginning. Thinking about your score rarely helps you execute shots. Instead, you have to learn to play as if you don’t care about your score. That’s different from playing as if you don’t care.
Get excited and focused–that’s fun. But focus on preparing to make a solid swing, not on how it affects your score. Leave the card in the locker room. Focus properly and you’ll have no trouble remembering every shot after the round, because there will be fewer of them.
Breaking 100
Play to strengths
Even 100-shooters can find things they do well. Two easy ones are choosing the safe play and learning to hit your pitching wedge. Get only marginally competent in both of these areas, and there’s almost no way you won’t be able to break 100.
Do you really want to break 100?
A lot of people say they’d like to break 100, but if you watched them play, you’d probably say, “Your goal can’t be to break 100, because you’re hitting your driver off every tee and you haven’t hit the fairway yet. So your real goal must be to hit driver on every hole.” You can’t strategize based on having a dream day with your most difficult club. Be honest. You’ve probably never even had a practice session where you’ve hit 14 good drivers in a row. Why all of a sudden are you going to do it today on the golf course? So keep practicing with the driver, but take a lofted wood or iron off the tee and start each hole in the fairway. You’ll score lower–that’s your goal.
To break 100, be like Tiger Tiger is one of the greatest drivers in the game, but watch how few drivers he hits. So if a great driver isn’t always grabbing the big stick, maybe you shouldn’t, either.
Snow on the ground here in the Great Plains.
I have already played three rounds this year. That fact might annoy my wife, but I am overjoyed. I think that there can be nothing greater than a decent round of golf. That being said, mother nature decided to bless this area of the country with a nice blanket of snow and temperatures not conducive to golf.
When the weather is bad (or when I have some free time) I like to play Tiger Woods on the Wii. I like the fact that the game attempts to realistically portray the game of golf on a console system. My only beef would be that the controller does not feel like a golf club.
That is about to change.
Reblogged from Techland:
video
Two Minute Video: Golf Club Meets Wii Remote with the Chicken Stick
By Doug Aamoth on July 22, 2010
Related Tags: chicken stick, golf, Golf Pride, nintendo, sports, tiger woods, video review, Wii, wii accessory
The Chicken Stick is a $40 Wii accessory. Wait! Don’t go. Don’t go. It’s better than you think. Developed with true golf fans in mind, the Chicken Stick is made from a real golf club–Golf Pride grip, True Temper shaft–shortened, and with a slot on the end to hold a Wii remote and MotionPlus attachment securely in place. Check out the above video for more info.
Want more video reviews? Click here.
More on Techland:
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 for Wii Review: ‘True View’ Trumps All
Related Tags: chicken stick, golf, Golf Pride, nintendo, sports, tiger woods, video review, Wii, wii accessory
Do You Have Game?
Do You Have Game?
OK Magilla you can stripe that tee shot 300 yards off the tee now that’s impressive!! You can stripe your three iron 220 that’s impressive!! When you walk off the green with a double bogey that’s not impressive!!
We all want to show our buddies what a great testosterone level we have off the tee but fail to realize that our short game is pathetic. Golf is a game of skill and numbers and big numbers take that testosterone level and creates a Pee Wee Herman clone out of us!!
The great icon Harvey Penick says in his “Little Red Book” and I quote “if you wish to take 5 strokes off your game practice for two weeks around the green” putting chipping and pitch shots are the key to lower scores period. He also points out that for beginners they should start learning the game from the green and work their way back to the tee area not the reverse.
With the advent of videos on the web a person can learn all kinds of techniques that will help in becoming a great short game player. There are also great books to assist you as well. It really is about numbers and smaller numbers on that score card will make you feel much better about yourself!!
A personal note-I am not a long ball hitter but when my short game is working I can play with almost anybody. When it is not clicking I just tell them to take me to the car and point me the way home!!
Doc Tucker
Feel Better, Play Better
Reblogged from Better Golf With Fitness,
I just watched “Feel Better, Play Better” from Jason Glass. Jason does a great job making the program really easy to use, without too much equipment. Check out the preview below and order at MyTPI.com.
Understanding TaylorMade’s Flight Control Technology
There seems to be some confusion understanding how TaylorMade’s Flight Control Technology (FCT) can change the loft on the new R11 Drivers. To understand how this works we must understand the theory of “effective loft”. Effective loft is the actual face angle at impact. We have all experienced this when we’ve pulled that iron shot on an approach shot and the ball traveled much farther than we intended. The closed face at impact de-lofts the club and an open face will add loft.
With the theory of effective loft we can easily understand how we can change the loft on the R11 using FCT.
Each white notch on the ferule indicates one degree of open or closed up to a maximum of two degrees. Therefore, if I set my FCT to the full two notches higher, I have closed the face two degrees and increase the loft one full degree. Now conventional wisdom would say, “wait a minute, I shut the face two degrees wouldn’t that lower the ball flight?” Here’s where you must think of effective loft. In order to hit the ball with a square face you would open the face two degrees at impact which actually increases loft one full degree. The opposite would be true for the lower ball flight settings.
The R11 is also equipped with a new sole plate adjustment. This can allow the club to set on the ground an additional two degrees either open or closed. Combined with the FCT adjustments you can set the R11 from four degrees close to four degrees open. The R11 also has Moveable Weight Technology that allows you to change the center of gravity creating a draw or fade enhancement. Now don’t go thinking that this club will instantly cure your slice. A slice is generated from sidespin due to an outside to in swing plane and can only be truly corrected by the golfer improving their plane. This technology may however lessen the severity of the outcome of your slice.
The real benefit to this technology is we can fine-tune your launch angle without expensive shaft upgrades, although upgrades are available in the more expensive TP version. In addition, if your game changes you can just change your club without needing to buy a completely new driver.
Come by our store to demo an R11 or call with any questions.
Shane McClure – PGA Golf Professional
Shane can be reached at Dick’s Sporting Goods – Omaha (402)951.4400
For Everyone That Says Baseball Ruined Their Golf Swing
Every time I encounter a golfer, I hear the same thing “My swing is bad because I used to play baseball” or some variation on that.
I would like to set the record straight (with video evidence) that baseball could be benefiting your swing and it might be one’s stubbornness or unwillingness to practice that is effecting your swing negatively.
All harsh tones aside, on to the videos:
This first one is a David Leadbetter drill where he uses a baseball style swing and gradually moves his swing plane down toward the ball in an effort to get a more comfortable feeling when swinging a club bent over.
Secondly we have a video with Jeff Ritter comparing a golf swing with The Kid, Ken Griffey Jr.
There you go, evidence that baseball can in fact help, not hurt your golf game
-Ben