Learning your distances

[Shooter McPowick]

Excuse my ignorance but how does a gps watch learn you your distance If it says 173 to the middle of the green, how far does my 9 iron go

It tracks distance from one swing to the next. I dont keep a diary of how far each one goes and im not good enough to need to hit the ball to an exact yardage. Give or take 5 yards is good enough for me. You can input what club you hit after every shot and download the data to get all the averages if you like. By the time the ambient temperatures are up and the numbers have settled i know what club to pull.

 

[chrisd]

210

Is that the same as your tree iron ? 😤

 

[Dando]

Is that the same as your tree iron ? 😤

Every club has potential to be a “tree” iron

 

[chrisd]

Every club has potential to be a “tree” iron

Explain "potential"

Serious question, did your mate enjoy the meet (weather excepted)?

 

[Dando]

Explain "potential"

Serious question, did your mate enjoy the meet (weather excepted)?

Potentially I can hit a massive hook with every club but sometimes I hit it straight
Yes he did mate. Think he’s gonna join us at Addington.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I've done it the old fashioned way and hit balls both ways on the range (into and down wind and and took the average of ten balls per club) pacing them out. I've also used a launch monitor and some balls I'd use on the course (think I used NXT's from memory) and again took out any poor strikes to get an average. Not interested in my Sunday best and want a consistent mid-point figure as a ball park figure

 

[duncan mackie]

I've done it the old fashioned way and hit balls both ways on the range (into and down wind and and took the average of ten balls per club) pacing them out. I've also used a launch monitor and some balls I'd use on the course (think I used NXT's from memory) and again took out any poor strikes to get an average. Not interested in my Sunday best and want a consistent mid-point figure as a ball park figure

Better way to look at it is to use the modal value rather than any mean average (tweaked/adjusted/whatever)

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Better way to look at it is to use the modal value rather than any mean average (tweaked/adjusted/whatever)

Whatever method or calculation, I have a number I can trust each club to go on a reasonable swing. It gives me a safe go to number before factoring other elements like weather, hazards etc. One of the lasting things I've taken from the New Golf Thinking years ago at The Grove was to actually take one more club more often than not and play for the middle of each green, Certainly the majority of trouble at my course tends to be at the front and the greens aren't massive so the middle of each doesn't leave a monstrous putt

 

[User 99]

Whatever, I have a number I can trust each club to go on a reasonable swing. It gives me a safe go to number before factoring other elements like weather, hazards etc. One of the lasting things I've taken from the New Golf Thinking years ago at The Grove was to actually take one more club more often than not and play for the middle of each green, Certainly the majority of trouble at my course tends to be at the front and the greens aren't massive so the middle of each doesn't leave a monstrous putt

Without trying to sound condescending Homer, you talk a great game, with talk like that and smart play, how come you haven't broke the single barrier yet ?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Without trying to sound condescending Homer, you talk a great game, with talk like that and smart play, how come you haven't broke the single barrier yet ?

I was single figures as a callow youth. Since then, serious illnesses and injuries, stopping golf for ages, now playing a far more demanding course and less time to play because of something called work don't help. You're not the first to say this. Add in a short game that for several years went into meltdown and too long have lessons and standing on ranges and practice grounds trying to find a textbook swing. Looking at a load of other single figure guys they've some agricultural swings but know where its going and can get it round and can chip and putt. I'm still having some successes and winning competitions and roll up money. My handicap having played competitions all season has moved from 14.2-14.5. Hardly a disaster and had I started marginally lower at 14.1 I wouldn't have gone up at all in 2018

 

[User 99]

Ye I know where you're coming from, I feel I should be lower than I am but I can't shake off the stupid bogies that make the difference, week in, week out.

 

[garyinderry]

I was single figures as a callow youth. Since then, serious illnesses and injuries, stopping golf for ages, now playing a far more demanding course and less time to play because of something called work don't help. You're not the first to say this. Add in a short game that for several years went into meltdown and too long have lessons and standing on ranges and practice grounds trying to find a textbook swing. Looking at a load of other single figure guys they've some agricultural swings but know where its going and can get it round and can chip and putt. I'm still having some successes and winning competitions and roll up money. My handicap having played competitions all season has moved from 14.2-14.5. Hardly a disaster and had I started marginally lower at 14.1 I wouldn't have gone up at all in 2018

Been meaning to discuss this with you. Could it be argued that you have stalled this year by not having the amount of lessons you normally do. Watching the vlogs and the amount of work you do on short game it's clear that side of your game has got better.
It was the short game holding you back in the past by your own admission.

 

[duncan mackie]

Whatever method or calculation, I have a number I can trust each club to go on a reasonable swing. It gives me a safe go to number before factoring other elements like weather, hazards etc. One of the lasting things I've taken from the New Golf Thinking years ago at The Grove was to actually take one more club more often than not and play for the middle of each green, Certainly the majority of trouble at my course tends to be at the front and the greens aren't massive so the middle of each doesn't leave a monstrous putt

Without trying to get into an argument, if you have a number that you can trust (by whatever process you have got there) why on earth would you then take one more club?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Been meaning to discuss this with you. Could it be argued that you have stalled this year by not having the amount of lessons you normally do. Watching the vlogs and the amount of work you do on short game it's clear that side of your game has got better.
It was the short game holding you back in the past by your own admission.

I am playing more consistently. I've been going on all year on my blog about the frustrating car crash hole that takes a buffer zone away from me. I am scoring more in the 30's where last year these would have been 27-28 points. Indeed I came second in my division the other week in the monthly stableford with 34 points and only got one point on the eleventh and twelfth and came second by two points. So I feel I am making progress and have argued on here before the handicap isn't always an accurate barometer of progression. Yes it's what we use to measure ability by and yes single figures is still the aim

The short game is definitely coming on (although has stagnated now I can't get to the club and work on it so much after work). I actually think tuition wise, less is more. My wife bought me a set of six lessons with the guy I used in some of the live lessons on the youtube channel. Two of those (an hours tuition) went on a short game refresher and so I've only used four on the swing all year and again two of those were swing MOT's before the season started. I do feel I am thinking less about mechanics and trusting what I have more week in week out. As I've said, plenty of single figure players at my place are a million miles from textbook. I did some well documented work with @The_Golf_Psych James Lamdon and again have better thinking on the course. It's a work in progress and I've some plans in mind for the winter work. I feel 2018 was a bit frustrating in terms of the handicap but had a win, several seconds and a third so it's not been a write off. Hoping for a breakthrough season in 2019 where it all comes together

 

[Scholesy]

Explain "potential"

Serious question, did your mate enjoy the meet (weather excepted)?

Yes I did. And think I’ll make Addington as Dando said.