A ‘New’ Club?

(What’s this? Three posts in one day?!)

During the round on Tuesday my friend got me to try one tee shot with his driver (after I’d flunked my real tee shot 70yds left) and I hit it straight, about 140yds.

Now, a single stroke straight is not anything like a decent sample base, but what struck me about it was the feel of the hit compared to similar good shots with my existing driver, in that it felt so much nicer.

I discussed this with my teacher, making an allegory with the perception by users of an IT system that if they think it’s slower then it IS slower (even if it isn’t actually). i.e. if I don’t feel much confidence in my driver, then it’s not a good driver (even if it is).

Or rather, if I think another driver is better, then it is (even if it isn’t).

Realistically, although my driver is probably OK, almost anything will be better bearing in mind my whole 12 club set cost £150 and you can easily spend twice that on one club alone (a quick search showed some new drivers priced £329).

So, teach said if I told him my budget he’d look on a web site called GolfBidder and make a recommendation of a second-hand – hence the apostrophes around the new in my post title –  club on there. From my budget of £90-£100 he’s picked out the TaylorMade Burner SuperFast (silly name!), which, as far as I can tell, originally retailed at around £239. His email says “Great club, cheap because they have brought out so many models since…”

The ONLY thing, other than my usual purchasing procrastination, is that the shaft is 46″ long when most are around 45″.

One inch may not sound like much (although I bets most blokes would like to have another inch…eh? eh? eh?) but while it will help generate extra speed, so extra distance, it may be at the cost of accuracy…but will the better quality club mitigate against that?

*sigh* This game is hard in ALL sorts of ways!

Final Summary so far. Part 4 – Getting Up-To-Date

OK, I admit, there was a clear and strong suggestion I’d got up-to-date with my last Summary post, but the trouble is, in the meantime I’ve had lessons, played some rounds, bought stuff, and so on.

So, for what I believe is the final time, a catch-up of where I’m at.

Friday, 8th July 2011 – Lesson
My more recent rounds had been marked by an inability to hit fairway shots. Tee shots were OK (with a ‘noddy’ driver/wood swing my teacher got me starting with recently – no tilt, keep the arms straight, stand tall), short game strokes were mostly OK and putting was pretty good.

Fairway shots though were a real problem. They were all upper body, with quite a lot of shots hit ‘fat’. The odd and frustrating thing was the practice shots prior to addressing the ball generally felt really good, even the practice divots (well, bruised grass marks) were in the right place. But step up to the ball and it was, as so many golfer’s experience, a completely different swing.

So, Jon (for that is still my golf teacher’s name) got me to take a few swings with my 8 iron, then recorded it – as is the routine. We then watch it back and he tells me what corrections to make. Well that’s hardly a front page revelation is it? The change he made to my swing is, I think, the most exciting for some time because it feels so right. Not that it didn’t feel right before, it just feels MORE right. And more powerful, or rather, naturally, unavoidably, capable of hitting the ball further.

The change was two-fold:

1. Keep my right arm closer to my right side on the back swing and on the downswing. On the downswing this forces my hips through the ball (rather than remaining static);
2. Imagine my right hand is facing the ground as the hands get to about hip height on the downswing. This squares the clubhead to cut out the slice.

Quite simple changes, really. Although a touch too much tension seems to have brought to light an injury. Perhaps more on that another time.

Two rounds since then have contained many better fairways shots, often going further than previously. Shame my short game went to pot. End result: Same sort of scores as usual – 68 and 64 (both over nine holes).

*sigh*

Thursday, 21st July 2011 – Lesson
From my last score (that 64) he spotted that I 3 putted on five of the nine greens. Now that’s a very bad day’s putting for me but still, it gave him good reason to make the lesson about putting and to take us on the practice green just outside his studio (his previous studio, the location of most of my lessons, had no such access to a green). We’d covered putting before, but indoors and without a green it only held limited meaning.

So, he changed my grip, which had the primary effect of aligning my arms with the shaft of the club. He also told me my putter wasn’t up to the job. Good words to be said for the rest of the set of clubs, but the putter was a let-down, and demonstrated such by showing me the balance was way off. How exactly was the balance off? Well, he balanced the club on one finger (about 8-10 inches away from the club-head) and showed the club jead was pointing about 35 degrees from level, where level means the club-head should be pointing straight up to the sky. Not good. And I thought all that wobbling as I started my putting back stroke was just me! So I’ve bought a new putter.

How much the putting lesson helped I can’t say, as I’ve not played since.

Next game, well, was due to be today but then the weather turned bad overnight, so has been mentally pencilled in for this Thursday (28th July).

Crikey, I do believe my blog is up-to-date. Mission Accomplished.