---Official Golf Thread----

Had my second lesson yesterday morning. I swear I play worse during every lesson than I ever do on the course. But I am learning (or in many cases remembering) a lot. I plan to have about 2 lessons per month, one in the middle of the month and one at the very end.

Last time we worked on a new grip and not opening the face during the backswing. This time we worked on shifting my weight (something I havent got into the habit of doing properly since returning to golf) and my club path after the backswing - I need to bring it more inside. I have also been working at accelerating the club in the last phase before contact as he says I have been hitting glancing blows and taking away loft - which explains why I now hit a 7 iron about 120 when I just to hit it closer to 145/150

All these changes are making me worse, I have to think about 6 different things during every shot - but at the end of it I will come out a much better player.

I went to the range last night and hit a bucket of 80 balls while practicing the new swing, hit some duffs but plenty of shots I was pleased with. I was also able to hit my driver a lot straighter than usual, the laat few weeks I havent even taken my driver out once.

I have found a range that is closer to my house and a little cheaper. Sadly it doesnt automatically retee a new ball everytime you hit a shot but it is a much less annoying drive.

It does have a pro, but he just coaches out of a normal (closed off) bay rather than a purpose built coaching area. Even though he is closer and his prices seem to be lower; I don't plan to make a change.

I like my coach and that he uses trackman and all sorts of tech. Plus he records all my shots and can show me on a tv what I did right, wrong etc. I have enjoyed that - as a junior all of my coaching with the club pro was just on the club practice ground with a bag of balls.

Good luck UK but don't over do it paying for coaching and lessons
Always keep your chin pointed at the ball and swing easy not hard. When i'm not playing well I just do those two things and it helps. The grip , stance and even the swing is something you adjust to until you find something that feels comfortable then by doing it over and over you build muscle memory.
There are a tons of slow motion videos of all the great golfers swings just try to do something that looks a bit like theirs.

shame this course isnt setup like it was yesterday. I enjoy seeing pros suffer and look human

The leader Koepka is even par so it's still pretty tough UK.

uk_dolfan said:

shame this course isnt setup like it was yesterday. I enjoy seeing pros suffer and look human

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Yeah I’m hoping for foul weather and brutal course play at the British Open. The British Open has always been my favorite major but I hate it when the weather cooperates. You ever go?

Birdmond said:

Yeah I’m hoping for foul weather and brutal course play at the British Open. The British Open has always been my favorite major but I hate it when the weather cooperates. You ever go?

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I love links golf, so its my favourite major -- though the US open at pebble beach is great.

I have been twice. Next year its 10 mins away from my home town but tickets for the week are about £300

The Masters is the best. Those opens are set up so very few players can even break par. A good test but not as fun to watch IMO

And there it is boys!!! My swing is back!!!
So freakin happy it’s clicked the last couple rounds!!!

Played 18 holes today for the third time since returning to golf. 95 shots, 27 over par lol

Round was: double bogey, double bogey, par, 7 , par, double bogey, bogey, double bogey, bogey, bogey, double bogey, bogey, double bogey, bogey, par, double bogey, double bogey, 7.

if I handed in 3 cards like this I would be given a handicap of 27. And with a handicap I would have scored plenty of points with that score...

But I left a lot on the course, those scores could have been so much lower. I have started to drive really well again, not every shot but more often than not I am not hitting my 3 wood to around the 150 yard marker on most par-4s. I did miss a couple of longer puts today which would have turned several of the doubles into bogeys and two of the bogeys into pars, but (much to my surprise) I am generally putting really well, arguably the best I have ever putted in my life. On the 7th and 8th I sunk two 12 foot puts in a row and I have been leaving a lot of similar puts within inches of the hole. I am also starting to feel confident when I get within a couple of feet. I adore my new putter, it inspired the currently ultra-popular spider and I can see why - personally I enjoy the larger, heavier feel of this one.

My iron play is awful, god awful and I still have very little feel with chipping (though my bunker play is really good.... I have no idea why). At the moment I am generally driving and putting really well, but ****ing up almost everything in between. There were several times today when a good second shot would have set me up with a birdy opportunity, but an utterly duffed iron shot left me with a tough put for bogey or double by the time I got onto the green. But I suppose my iron swing is completely in transition, the pro has got me changing literally everything from the start of my backswing to how I shift my weight and during every shot I am thinking about 4 or 5 different things instead of just letting it flow naturally. It feels so unnatural and clumsy, but if I can get this to click in the next month or two my game could be in a really good position for someone who just came back to the game.

The irons will come brother UK. Don't over complicate it . Do what feels natural to you then it will be easy to repeat over and over again.
Thinking about things too much is a killer to your game. At least it is for me.

For me it’s pretty simple. Don’t grip the club with the palms and think more about a twist than a shoulder turn. If I think of it as a twist my weight shift is automatic.

Birdmond said:

For me it’s pretty simple. Don’t grip the club with the palms and think more about a twist than a shoulder turn. If I think of it as a twist my weight shift is automatic.

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Oh....this is the golf thread.... thought we were in the ladies lounge for a moment! Lmfao!