Course Management

Thought of the day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone wants to lower their handycapp thats why we keep writting on this site(correct?)

Thought: If you new to within 5 yards how far you hit every club in your bag with 70% of your power,which is how much you use with every swing(you new that right).

If you worked out the yardage on every hole you play to within 5 yards or better still had a caddy to tell you.

Question: How much better or lower would you be, with the swing you have now??????

Ian.

I dont think the average player would know within 5 yards of a club distance. Or not me anyway. Far too much wind for one thing. Another is inconsistent striking and the shape of the shot. Knowing roughly how far someone hits a club i think is pretty much common knowledge for people who play regularly, i just like keeping feel in my game. Probably just me, but i also hit it harder than 70% too
Good idea if you can get it though

Ian,

When I was a higher handicapper, I taped the distances to my clubs. Average distance not the once in a lifetime spectacular shot. I had a much easier time telling distances, as my swing improved the tape was changed. Most golfers I play with under club by about one club thinking they are going to hit the super shot everytime. It's not how far, it's how close!!!

GolfBald

Guys,
The point of my thread.

When I was a higher handicapper, I was lucky enough to have a day at Woodall Spar (home of the PGA in England) Caddying for our club Pro for 36 holes.
Following that day my handicapp dropped dramatically because he played the competition soley on yardadges.
On one hole I thought I could have reached with an 8 iron (golfbalds point about underclubbing) The pro said 150 yards, wind of the left slightly in our face give me a 6 iron, He hit it pin high to within a few feet.

From that day, I went to our practice ground on a calm day and hit 20 balls with every club, then I paced out to the middle of the shot pattern (this will give the average distance) Then I simply add or take of an extra club for wind or how or where the ball is lying.

How many other players play this way, very few of higher handicappers I suspect?

Ian.

Ian,

I play the way you have mentioned by yardages. The three courses I play the most, I took a 100 yard measuring tape and mapped the holes. A laser yardage device would be better. It was an interesting exercise. I did determine my pacecount was 11 steps equals 10 yards. This is helpful when you are walking a course and need distances on the fly. It is also helpful around the greens, when you walkup to see the countour and where the elevations are walking back with a pacecount from the hole will help guage the club selection and type of shot to be played.

Some tips,

GolfBald

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The guy in the white hat!

Call me old-fashioned, but surely part of the skill of being a golfer is the ability to judge what club and shot is required. I feel that too much "playing by numbers" eliminates part of the fun, although it may well reduce scores!

Martin,
You must admit it's more fun when you play well????

Ian.

Absolutely, but I feel that there can be a difference between playing well and scoring well. Don't you think that there's a danger that the game is becoming lass testing with all these new clubs that make a bad shot go straight etc etc.?

Martin,

I agree with you 100% that pumping clubs out every month offering further distance is geting stupid(See my thread about "another new club,"

That said the game is hard enough for pro's never mind Joe Bloggs having a knock at weekend, he does need as much help as possible because it's usually his swing what is poor not his clubs.

But the majority of clubs only make a difference in the hands of a capable golfer.

You could have a club as big as a shoe box but it will still slice with an out to in swing!!

Ian.

I agree that the game needs to be enjoyable, and at the moment it's certainly still a challenge, but sometimes I worry about where all this technology will end.

I've just got a new driver because the others in the group I play in have all got them, and the weaker players were then hitting the ball straighter than me and as far. The first time I used my new driver I hit every drive dead straight and about 20 yards further than normal (an improvement not maintained unfortunately!) . But, the improvement wasn't due to me, so the satisfaction was minimal. Indeed, if clubs get so good that every shot goes straight - won't that diminish the enjoyment of the game? there'll be no point playing! Admittedly this is some way away, but this is the direction in which things are moving.

Returning to the original point, about measuring all the distances involved - don't you get more pleasure from shaping a shot when necessary and judging the length to perfection? Numbers can only do so much and we shouldn't lose the ability to judge the effect of weather conditions, bounce, terrain etc.

Hi again Martin,

I read your reply and took from it that when you purchaced a new driver you hit it further and straighter for a while. (but not now) This is a direct result of added confidence, not the clubs ability, if you could be as confident constantly you would no doubt be a better player and so would we all.

Distance and straightness is a direct result of swing ability, the size of the face only helps to achieve a centre contact, this helps a little but the average swing speed of a weekend player cannot swing fast enough to apply the spring face!!!

I wrote earlier in this thread that the pro I caddied for said we have 150 yards to the pin, he new he could reach with an 8 iron but because of the wind he hit a 6 iron to a few feet, from that shot I did the same, it also depends on the lie, uphill, downhill and cross winds etc what club you hit.

My point is that the fun is still there but to improve as a player you must learn your average yardage with each club, then you can have fun with the wind etc.

Ian.

Hi again!

Two points:

Firstly I've re-read your initaial point about your local pro, and surely this demonstrate that allowing for special conditions (eg wind) is essential and that the yardage alone is insufficient.

Secondly, my point was about the new drivers making the game less testing (especially for weaker players) and where will this end? Actually my new driver (Titleist 975JV-S) is still giving much improved results but occasionally misses the fairway when I try to hit it too hard - a common problem!

There will never be a point when a club makes a ball go straight, in my opinion. Only the golfer can do that. There is allready a ban on the 'hot' faces of some clubs in the usa & there is a limit on the size of both the shaft and clubface, so things are being controlled a little. No one forces anyone to buy new technology anyway, it could be spent on lessons if people dont agree with it. Courses are getting longer too, so personally i think technology is positive. The negative part is the price and ammount of clubs coming out. A bad shot is still a bad shot, just a good one is beter

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B.I.G

Hear Hear Bigman,

Spot on.

To us mear mortals it will always be a test.

If it wasn't we would be at the Dunhill right now.

Good fun chatting about different point of view.

"When you play for a tenner its nice to know what club you need on the last hole all square".

Ian.

Maybe you're right - I certainly hope they never invent a club that guarantees to always hit the ball straight.

It's just that sometimes I miss the days when woods were made from wood, the golf ball was smaller and even the pros were hard put to carry the ball over 200 yards. oh yes - and lob wedges and long-handled putters hadn't been invented.