New to Golf and this forum. Just a quick hello and question

[chris1976x]

Hello everyone.

I have just started playing gold (about 10 weeks ago). I am having lessons, and I do go to the driving range regularly. I must say I have completely fallen in love with this game, so much so its hard to think about anything else haha.

I'm not a member of any club and have only been to a golf course twice, its a 72shot round, i shot 140 first time 130 second time. (shocking I know). So ok, i know i'm not going to be much good to start with but i'll tell you how it went and ask for some tips after.

I would say that 14 holes of the the 18 my drive was shocking, hit with a great big banana fade, so already hitting in a bad position before i start, after I hit back on to the correct fair way the iron shots I was extremely pleased with, hitting the green more often than not from 160 yards downwards this was very satisfying because on the driving range I'd worked on the irons a lot and I thought I was pretty accurate with them so it was nice to see it translate on the course. Then, the next MAJOR problem in my game PUTTING, since practicing putting at the driving range is not an option I have never putted before, and it really showed. On the 3 pars, where i could use the iron to tee off without a tee I hit the greens and was in range for a birdie, but only to see a birdie chance turned in 2 double bogies or triple bogies. On most of the holes if I 3 putted I would be lucky, sometimes it was 4 or 5. I just couldnt judge the speed at all, way over hitting them or not nearly hitting them hard enough.

So after this long winded way of asking a question, my question is, how can I practice my putting? Are putting mats any good or are they more for a bit of fun for kids? I have mainly hard floors so cant put on carpet.

I can practice driving at the driving range (which is what I will do) and hopefully work on that so I can consistently hit it straight. But unless the putting improves then there's hardly any point in hitting nice drives and approach shots.

As I say, I am getting a lesson every couple of weeks so I will ask my instructor this question when I see him next week. Also any tips on putting would be helpful too.

 

[Slab]

Welcome to the site

Most courses have a practice putting green so spending some time there will really help, most of the time it will be the same condition as the greens on the course


Also no ones forcing you to hit the driver off the tee, if the iron goes 160yards just hit that until your lessons improve the driver slice

Enjoy

 

[pbrown7582]

hello welcome and enjoy.

putting mat will help you hone a stroke and get the ball rolling consistently, speed adjustment will come once you've played a few more rounds, 3 more improvement by 10 and your knocking in around in 2 figures.

 

[chris1976x]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. Yes you are right, its what I should of done with the tee shot. I was being a bit stubborn with the driver. The 6 iron (lowest in my bag) actually goes about 175 yards, when I hit the driver well it only goes just over 200 yards at the moment so i'd of been better off hitting the 6 iron.......it was the putting the that really destroyed it (well part from one terrible hole where i hit it in out of bounds, then in to the water and then lost another ball in a big bunch of nettles).

As I say, i'm not a member of any club so I guess that means cant just turn up and start using there practice greens?

 

[chris1976x]

Thanks.

I think I will get a putting mat, i'm sure it will help improve something, at least the speed the ball comes off the putter.

And yes 2 figures is my lofty goal at the moment haha....when I get to 2 figures I will probably join a club

 

[Backache]

Thanks.

I think I will get a putting mat, i'm sure it will help improve something, at least the speed the ball comes off the putter.

And yes 2 figures is my lofty goal at the moment haha....when I get to 2 figures I will probably join a club

Are you getting lessons at the range?
Getting things right at the beginning saves a lot of headache later.
Even if you are getting lessons on your long game itmay be worth approaching a club pro for short game lessons, they will let you know about facilities for practice and are generally very happy to give lessons to non members.

 

[bobmac]

Putting is all about tempo.
Long putts, short putts, medium putts they're all the same tempo.
The only difference is the length of the swing.
Short swing for short putts, medium for medium putts and so on.

Find a tempo you are comfortable with and experiment with different lengths of swing.
The one thing to remember is always have a slight acceleration into the ball.

[video=youtube;GpSoNakV1to]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpSoNakV1to&list=PL7Uf2W3sfvqYBJ3OUldKvQT7ZWYEmPOyW&index=14[/video]

 

[chris1976x]

Yes at the moment my lessons have been at the range, my last lesson we worked on short game (chipping and pitching) but it was at the range, that lesson helped my iron shots hugely, not sure why, but it helped my full swing iron shots too, as before that I was always pulling them.

I think my instructor intends to take me to the course for short game lessons, so I will mention it to him next time. First time I hit a golf ball was with an instructor as I did hear the same about starting off doing things right, so I thought even before hitting a ball it's probably best to get some lessons. But as you say, it'll be best not to start things wrong with putting too.

 

[chris1976x]

Thanks for the tip.....yeah my acceleration was a bit much I suspect....first green it last time out, it was quite a long putt, but i well over compensated and hit it right across the green and off the other side! Started getting a little better towards the end of the round

 

[ScienceBoy]

As Bob said same tempo. For however far you go back go through twice as far. This helps with the acceleration and stops too long a backswing too!

Also work on hitting the middle if the putter face. Best distance control from there.

 

[chris1976x]

Ok, cool, so twice as far on follow through to backswing, got it, I will give it a try

 

[njrose51]

have a look at Golf Monthly's web site - there may well be tips on putting. Also, try and put yourself under a bit of pressure when practising - 4 or 6 balls around the hole X feet away and you have to hole them all or start again from the beginning.

As for the driving? I often take a 5 iron as I know its 90% of the time 200 yards on the fairway. my driver is often topped, hooked, sliced so I'd rather be 20-50 yards behind my partners, use my handicap etc until I can nail my driver 90% of the time.

 

[chris1976x]

Thanks, i'll take a look.

I agree with self made games, thats what I do when practicing my irons, I pick and area I want the ball to land in and give myself a target of hitting it 5 times in a row or starting again and starting again is a different target with a different club. It makes things a little more fun for me too, so I will do it with putting too.

I think I will stick to the irons to tee off with in future, well at least until I can get my driver to be more consistent. The problem is, a par 4 thats 380 yards, i would not be able to reach in 2 with 2 iron shots, so it makes me bring out the driver with the hope it will go ok, never did go ok, and always wished i'd just hit an iron. I dont have a 5 iron in my bag, I have a 5 hybrid, but i struggle with that too, I find its too light, and seem to top it with it.

 

[njrose51]

you said your 6 iron was 175? hit two of those and then you are a short pitch to the green. Use your handicap and try and get up and down. hit a 5 or a 4 iron of the tee? Have you tried a 3 wood or even a 5 wood from the tee? hit clubs that you are confident with. no point putting yourself under undue pressure trying to out hit yourself. Do pros hit the greens every time? basics first perhaps?

 

[chris1976x]

Yes I know you're right, 2 clean iron shots and I am just short, I was just explaining what my thought process was. I dont have a 4 or 5 iron in my bag as yet. 3 wood and 5 hybrid is what I have but I suffer from similar problems with them as I do the driver. I will be working on them tomorrow so hopefully I can make them better.

I dont have another day booked in as yet for a round of golf so I have plenty of time to practice my drives and 3 wood etc. I go to the driving range nearly every day and do 2 baskets, I drop my wife off at the train station every morning and the driving range is right next door so before starting work I normally hit a couple of baskets (I work from home so its perfect for me).

Just need putting practice, I have ordered a putting mat now , 3 meters long, has 4 different speeds and also has ball tracking....will tell my wife it only cost £30 not nearly £100 haha

 

[chris1976x]

I also do not have a handicap yet. Not even sure how you get one....but thats for another day.

 

[WinBase]

Hi Chris, for what its worth IMHO id say that putting mats are ok but not really like it is 'out there' id make the effort to get down to somewhere you can practice on a proper putting green, and also try improve your short game & chipping from 50 yds out, as most newbies ive seen throw a horrendous number of shots away because of bad choices and technique when near the green, i.e trying to hit a lob wedge like Michelson when a pitch n run is a better percentage. you wont be able to hit a drive like Rory any time soon, but you can improve your short game quicker than most other parts, & Taking lessons now is a smart move so you don't end up with trying to cure 20+years of bad habits later like the rest of us lol - oh and don't get into the habit of ball bashing thinking that the more balls you hit the better you will become - pick something specific to work on each time. GL in your quest

 

[Foliage Finder]

Welcome! Lot of good advice so far so I won't go repeating a lot of it, but I will tell you not to worry about 130/140 rounds when you start! I just started going to the range a year ago, and started on a course about 6/7 months ago. I left it too long! Even now I can easily hit 120-130 if I'm having an off day. It's important to take confidence from the positives and realise that it's a long way to becoming "good". So in your example, your iron play was good but your driving wasn't on form. Remember how good your iron play was and take that positivity to the range and work on your driving. Then get out on the course and give it a bash.

One thing I will repeat, however, (because it's the best advice) is make sure you have lessons! The right foundations with a pro who you get on with will make the journey so much smoother. :thup:

 

[chris1976x]

Thanks winbase and foliage finder.

Firstly winbase. I kinda know that a mat isnt going to make me a great putter, but I was so much a fish out of water, hopefully it will give me a feel for how the ball comes off the club, I was SO shocked at how fast it came off. I do agree though, I need some good on green practice, I will be getting ask my instructor how I can get some green practice.

I also absolutely agree about the 50 chipping etc....I actually will have to stop myself practicing them kind of shots as i really do love hitting the chip and pitch shots, its the drives that make me feel like a tool on the driving range haha. But I do need to work on that. I also take your point about ball bashing, my instructor also warned me about that, and said take a couple of minutes, take a few practice swings etc

 

[Wayman]

welcome