practise for the unknown?

[njrose51]

I suppose I started thinking about this after watching Speith's 13th adventure. But even as I write this, it seems like an odd question to ask...

How on earth do you practise for the unknown?

Case in point 1. A par 3 at Nizles last week. tee shot was coming up short but then my ball took a wicked bounce right and landed on a large steep bank. the ball was so below my feet I was almost toppling over as I addressed it. Confused brain, bad swing and obvious result of terrible shot.

Case in point 2. 2nd shot into par 4 and ball runs through the green. Issue is that the ball finishes very close to a hedge meaning that I cant actually get a great stance or a great swing? it's playable but I cant chip it out properly and just have to stab at it with the obvious results.

Now before I get the smart a*** answers saying play better shots, have lessons, learn how to hold the green etc I'm just curious as can we practise or prepare for the unknown results?

 

[Slab]

I guess maybe its more about knowing your options (so read the rules etc) you never have to hit the ball where it is


edit: Spieths eventual shot was just a 245yrd iron shot off a flat mown fairway type lie which he practices every day, I guess the only difficulty (for him) was it was blind

 

[guest100718]

I suppose I started thinking about this after watching Speith's 13th adventure. But even as I write this, it seems like an odd question to ask...

How on earth do you practise for the unknown?

Case in point 1. A par 3 at Nizles last week. tee shot was coming up short but then my ball took a wicked bounce right and landed on a large steep bank. the ball was so below my feet I was almost toppling over as I addressed it. Confused brain, bad swing and obvious result of terrible shot.

Case in point 2. 2nd shot into par 4 and ball runs through the green. Issue is that the ball finishes very close to a hedge meaning that I cant actually get a great stance or a great swing? it's playable but I cant chip it out properly and just have to stab at it with the obvious results.

Now before I get the smart a*** answers saying play better shots, have lessons, learn how to hold the green etc I'm just curious as can we practise or prepare for the unknown results?

either take an unplayable or play a shot you know will work

 

[Hosel Fade]

Compete with a mate in practice from stupid spots. Failing that just choose a sensible shot

 

[Garush34]

In a casual round go a drop a couple balls and play different shots. I usually do this around the greens, select one club and play from different sections around the green, different lies and play to the pin. Obviously the club you select might not be right for that shot you want to play but sometime you have to be creative and this helps.

This is where going out for a game yourself in the evening helps with these type of shots etc.

 

[FairwayDodger]

Don't always practice from nice perfect lies.

I played a one handed backwards chip out of trees in the club championship and someone asked me later how I came up with it and pulled it off under pressure. The answer was I saw Matt kuchar play it in a tournament, realised it would be handy so I practiced it. (Have used it a few times where I couldn't make a normal swing - too many times!)

 

[Orikoru]

I think it's just keeping an open mind, being flexible and able to improvise. Just try things out basically, if it doesn't work it doesn't work. Sometimes you have to hit a pitching wedge even with 250 yards to go, or use your hybrid to bump it up to the green under a tree branch from 80 yards. I think with more experience you have more similar scenarios from the past you can recall upon to help you as well.

At other times it might be more sensible to take a drop, even though you feel like the ball is playable - you need to think about how​ playable it really is, and what the end result is likely to be.

 

[Val]

You can't practice for the unknown but you should always consider options whether to play it or not from a horrible spot, like Spieth did

 

[garyinderry]

I am always amazed at how badly some of the higher handicaps remove themselves from tree trouble and longish rough.

Many times they choose the wrong line out of the trees or even worse, are unable to play a punchy type shot to advance the ball back up the fairway a decent bit.

The real clinker is the hit out of trouble one side into the crap on the other side.


Learning to play these recovery shots would be much more beneficial to this type of player than worrying about a slight shut club face at the top look at the range.

 

[patricks148]

I am always amazed at how badly some of the higher handicaps remove themselves from tree trouble and longish rough.

Many times they choose the wrong line out of the trees or even worse, are unable to play a punchy type shot to advance the ball back up the fairway a decent bit.

The real clinker is the hit out of trouble one side into the crap on the other side.


Learning to play these recovery shots would be much more beneficial to this type of player than worrying about a slight shut club face at the top look at the range.

very true, its all about course management as much as anything. if i'm ever playing a few hole on my own i always play worse ball. plus the better you get the more options you find you have but mostly choosing the safe option is best

 

[garyinderry]

In essence, learn how to 'play golf' like Jordan, not try to swing like Rory.



Spieth hit less than 30% of fairways at the open. He was also aiming to miss fairways in the rough on certain sides. I wonder what percentage of his drives and tee shots actually went where he was trying to hit it.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

These are things we used to practice as kids.
We'd have chipping comps, where whoever got closest would choose the next spot from which to play. We would have some unbelievable lies and stances, ball in bunker feet out, feet in bunker ball out etc etc from behind trees, using different clubs.
Hit the practice green and try things out

 

[londonlewis]

The professionals often practice shots from imperfect lies. They want to practice under course conditions.
But how do you do that at a range?

 

[Yant]

Faldo always used to just randomly throw a load of practice balls all around the green, all over the place. And spend that practice session trying to get up and down with each.

It's also about being able to adapt. We will all experience shots where the ball is way above or below our feet, you just need to think clearly about what is achievable with that shot and not try to do something that's overly risky and unlikely to be executed well.

 

[guest100718]

The professionals often practice shots from imperfect lies. They want to practice under course conditions.
But how do you do that at a range?

Thats what the late evenings are for, i'll try and go out after 7, play a few holes, stop and chip putt for a bit.

 

[Yant]

Thats what the late evenings are for, i'll try and go out after 7, play a few holes, stop and chip putt for a bit.

Isn't the summer great?

 

[jim8flog]

When we had a practice ground rather than a driving range I could be found in all sorts of odd places at the edge trying out different shots from odd places.

These days I hardly ever practice anything, so I get to try all sorts of weird shots actually on the course.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If I'm on the practice ground at the club I'll often stick balls in longer grass and work on my short game and hit longer shots from harder lies. As I'm rarely on the mown stuff at the moment it's standing me in good stead. I'll often play bunker shots with the ball trodden in so only the top third is showing, off downhill lies close to the back lip and generally make life difficult. On the course in competition rounds I'll play the shots I know I can control rather than the one I think I can. Stick me in the weekend roll up and I'll often take the 1/10 shot on, especially if my round isn't going that well just for the fun and to see if I can

 

[the_coach]

it's about being imaginative during game practice

so shots from different length & growth of rough - say hitting a 6i from fairway into hole then drop a ball in the first cut drop couple balls against the grain in 4" or more rough - probably find no joy with 1st 6i from 4" or more of rough against the grain - so go to 8i for 2nd ball - then compare the shots & results
if find out of deeper rough balls don't get airborne that will be about rough slowing the clubhead speed along with not enough loft
experiment with balls in rough meaning the grip hold is taken with the club face a tad open

do this with hybrids or 5 or 7 metals whatever is carried

then if playing a practice round after tee shot move every ball so you have an uneven lie so downhill/uphill/ball above/ball below

if practice ground available each out poor uneven lies for full & 3/4 shots
practice different lies in the bunkers

play chip/par around the practice green (if no practice green find some quiet time out of the ways on course) but instead of giving fairway lies - take 10 balls scatter them around the green in bad lies some in practice bunker (if doin this on course probably only goin to be able to use 2 maybes 3 balls)
as the name suggests it's chip/pitch to flag & hole out so par would be 20 - goin to take some time to improve for a bunch over par to par - then the target is to finish under par so as well as pars goin to have to hole at least one chip out

thing is not to cheat by teeing all the balls up on the rough

over thing you can do on a practice round is take an inflatable balance aid with you and every approach shot has to be hit while standing on the balance aid - it's great practice trying to have balanced swing from an unstable stance

to hit blind like jordan you gotta know in depth your carry distances - then all you doin is working out the line - then it's about mental focus & the process of set-up psr to be conscious only of the starting line of the ball to the 'point' picked

 

[guest100718]

Isn't the summer great?

seems to be flying by too quickly