What are you looking at improving?

[HawkeyeMS]

Interesting how some people are looking at improving their driving to knock some shots off. Is it not better to master the scoring end of the game then work your way back? I feel that my ball striking is really good (even if my swing does not look the prettiest:swing but it is no good getting it there if you can't then put it in the hole and I think I am a perfect example of this. But then again I suppose if your ball striking is that bad it takes you too many to get there, it does not matter if you one putt every green.

My point is as club golfers we do not have lots of time to practice so maybe can't practice everything we want to. So do we master one area before moving onto another, or do we try and develop all areas of the game together and improve each area equally?

It all really depends on the person and we are all different. You are absolutely right that the bit on and around the green is vital. Personally I'm a very good putter but my short game is a bit ropey so lessons are pencilled in for when the weather improves. But the thing that bugs me most is that I don't hit enough greens with my approaches because my ball striking isn't consistent enough.

I have 2 options, I could have short game lessons so I get up and down more when I miss the green, which of course is vital and is getting better, or I can work on my ball striking & hitting more greens. The question comes down to what type of golfer do I want to be? I play with guys who play off 5\6\7 h'caps by virtue of getting up and down from everywhere. Everyone at the club talks about their brilliant short games and how they never waste a shot from within 50yds. Now, there's nothing wrong with being that type of player but it isn't for me, that's not how I want my golf to be.

I want a solid short game that gets me out of trouble if I miss the green, but I don't want my game to rely on it. If I have 10 approaches between 100 to 170 yds a round, I want to be hitting the green 7 times and it bugs the hell out of me that I can't do that so that's where I want to improve.

I know that it doesn't matter how you make your score and that they don't draw pictures on Scorecards and all that but all of us, if we're honest with ourselves, have a picture of how we want to be as golfers and the type of shots we want to be good at and hitting good iron shots happens to be mine.

 

[m9wst]

my main area for improvement has to be how i release the club, it happens far too early which sends the ball way up in the air. the other part is distance control, its ok with wedges but anything longer can be hit and miss.

 

[Imurg]

Interesting how some people are looking at improving their driving to knock some shots off. Is it not better to master the scoring end of the game then work your way back? I feel that my ball striking is really good (even if my swing does not look the prettiest:swing but it is no good getting it there if you can't then put it in the hole and I think I am a perfect example of this. But then again I suppose if your ball striking is that bad it takes you too many to get there, it does not matter if you one putt every green.

My point is as club golfers we do not have lots of time to practice so maybe can't practice everything we want to. So do we master one area before moving onto another, or do we try and develop all areas of the game together and improve each area equally?

To get good you need to get good at all aspects. It comes back to the question Would you rather be a good putter or a good driver?
Well, if you're a good putter and you sink everything within 15 feet of the hole you first need to get it there. If you're always hacking out of the trees/rough/bushes then no matter how good a putter you are you'll rarely make par.
If you drive well but can't putt then you're going to end up in the same boat but facing the other way.

So you have to improve everything. If you work on one aspect and get that right and you then move onto the next, do you not run the risk that the first aspect starts to decline a little as you're not keeping the practice going? Probably. So, to my mind, working on all parts equally would achieve not only improvement but more enjoyment. If you, say, work really hard on your putting but then spend half the round hacking out of rough -are you going to enjoy that? Taking 4 to get to the green and then sinking a 15 footer and still walking off with a bogey. I'd rather hit 3 ok shots, miss a putt and tap it in for the bogey than have to hack out all the time.
And enjoyment is a big factor in this game - if you don't enjoy it,why are you playing it?

 

[mikee247]

I have to sort my game from 75 yards in, i keep putting myself under presure cause of inconsistency!

Im totally in with this comment. However the main issue with me is whats between my ears! I can practice (and do) my short game for hours and come off feeling great with hardly missing a shot. Go on the course and it goes to rat **** and me with it.... sort that out and Im in with a chance of being a half decent golfer I think. Probably confidence

 

[HawkeyeMS]

To get good you need to get good at all aspects. It comes back to the question Would you rather be a good putter or a good driver?
Well, if you're a good putter and you sink everything within 15 feet of the hole you first need to get it there. If you're always hacking out of the trees/rough/bushes then no matter how good a putter you are you'll rarely make par.
If you drive well but can't putt then you're going to end up in the same boat but facing the other way.

So you have to improve everything. If you work on one aspect and get that right and you then move onto the next, do you not run the risk that the first aspect starts to decline a little as you're not keeping the practice going? Probably. So, to my mind, working on all parts equally would achieve not only improvement but more enjoyment. If you, say, work really hard on your putting but then spend half the round hacking out of rough -are you going to enjoy that? Taking 4 to get to the green and then sinking a 15 footer and still walking off with a bogey. I'd rather hit 3 ok shots, miss a putt and tap it in for the bogey than have to hack out all the time.
And enjoyment is a big factor in this game - if you don't enjoy it,why are you playing it?

I'm with Imurg on this one. I make a lot of putts but often walk off the green thinking that I got away with it because of my putting and you aren't gonna score well consistently by getting away with it. No matter how good you are at putting, if you keep putiting pressure on your putter, eventually it will fail. Same with your short game. If you're gonna get down to any kind of decent level, you simply have to put yourself in position to make tap in pars. Getting up and down from all over the place regularly is called scrambling for a reason, because it's messy and while it's good every now and then, I wouldn't enjoy it week in week out.

 

[duncan mackie]

I'm with Imurg on this one. I make a lot of putts but often walk off the green thinking that I got away with it because of my putting and you aren't gonna score well consistently by getting away with it. No matter how good you are at putting, if you keep putiting pressure on your putter, eventually it will fail. Same with your short game. If you're gonna get down to any kind of decent level, you simply have to put yourself in position to make tap in pars. Getting up and down from all over the place regularly is called scrambling for a reason, because it's messy and while it's good every now and then, I wouldn't enjoy it week in week out.

with the FIR / GIR stats for the tour players you would seem to be aiming extremely high!

I also think you have another flaw in your stated logic - there will be times when either conditions dictate that hitting the GIR is unlikely, or even that the risk reward isn't there to try.

nothing wrong with aiming high, but the way you are presenting it here suggests you will have to be well into + handicap before you start to enjoy playing

I completely agree that I would much rather make a good swing, hit the ball well but miss the green than thin it badly and run it on the green next to the pin, and that's bad enough in many eyes, but you seem to want to hit it great and stay on the green everytime...probably best to avoid links courses in the summer!

 

[Lump]

The weakest part of my game is my driving/wood play. I very rarely duff an iron or a chip and I'm a decent putter but that all means nothing if I put it into the cabbage off the tee.
I go through patches of good driving to push fading every wood shot. If I get off the tee and don't go too far into the crap I play well.

 

[Ian_S]

The thing that's really killing me is chunking it. Every so often I go through patches where I'm striking the ground a good 2/3 inches behind the ball with whatever iron I take out. Cue a massive shower of mud and the ball going about 20-30 yards. Had it really hurt me today as I chunked one off the winter tees, the club bouncing up and shanking it OOB.

So other than cutting out beginner mistakes like that, I think I need to spend the majority of my practice time chipping and putting. Assuming I haven't chunked one, I'm usually on or around the green with two strokes to get par. Getting up and down more often will bring the scores tumbling down, and working on the putting so that when I do get a GIR I have more chance of making birdie.

 

[DAVEYBOY]

I want to improve my Long game, 3 Rescue, 4 Iron and 5... My Driving is going great so not touching that. I can hit the clubs great on the range but when I stand with a 200+ YRD shot on the course I tend to try and hit it harder (over swing) as my vision is telling me its a long way to the hole. I also want to become more consistent in my overall game. 18+ months of playing now so I want this year to be a good one.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

with the FIR / GIR stats for the tour players you would seem to be aiming extremely high!

I also think you have another flaw in your stated logic - there will be times when either conditions dictate that hitting the GIR is unlikely, or even that the risk reward isn't there to try.

nothing wrong with aiming high, but the way you are presenting it here suggests you will have to be well into + handicap before you start to enjoy playing

I completely agree that I would much rather make a good swing, hit the ball well but miss the green than thin it badly and run it on the green next to the pin, and that's bad enough in many eyes, but you seem to want to hit it great and stay on the green everytime...probably best to avoid links courses in the summer!

Ambitious maybe, but 7 out 10 from 150yds with a 6 or 7i doesn't seem like an unrealistic target for someone with ambitions of single figures. I'm not talking about GIR either, I'm talking about the times I have an approach to the green, it might be my 3rd shot on a par 4 but with a 7i in hand i expect to be troubling the green not fatting it 50yds short

 

[jason6r]

Having worked hard on improving my driving accuracy, I've managed to keep hitting fairways whilst improving my putting significantly (starting from a low base to be fair). But now my short game has cratered - both from 150 yards in but more damagingly from 10-20 yards and around the fringe - and chipping used to be a big positive for me! Today, I could not get it close and ended up trying too hard and making the problem worse.

So I suppose I know what I need to practice: chipping, short pitches, chipping, 8 and 9 iron full shots and knockdowns, and probably a little more chipping.

 

[Mozza73]

I had a lesson in January where I found out I had a reverse pivot and over-swing, resulting in casting and scooping the ball and very inconsistent striking .

The fix my pro went through with me was keeping my weight on my back foot and a full shoulder turn behind the ball , arms nice and wide on the back swing and a smooth transfer onto my front foot .

My ball striking has improved a lot, but every time I hit the range I keep two thoughts In my head - Full shoulder-turn and arms wide.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

First round back today since Mum died last year. Terrible conditions so arguably a good testing ground for the new swing. OK but what was very apparent as it was last year that a lack of short game will stop me getting much lower. Ball striking wise apart from an inablilty to hit my hybrid in any shape or form either off grass or the tee I was happy. Chunked chips at the opening two holes set a tone. I was due a short game lesson a few weeks back but the snow killed that. I want it off the grass so I am waiting for the chipping area to dry and the weather to warm up. Once I get a technique I can trust it means I can work on it relentlessly.

 

[JT77]

Short game for me, playing off 8 I rate myself as follows
Driving - 6
Irons - 4
100 yards in - 8
50 yards in - 16
Putting - 7
Just need to get the weather now.

 

[AMcC]

Inside 100 yards for me.

Currently playing off 16 and would rate my game as follows.
Driving 12 - can generally hit the ball as far as and as accurately as my lower handicap friends.
Long irons, 15 generally fairly consistent.
Short irons and wedges 24. Need more consistency.
Putting 15.
Looking to take a couple of lessons on the long game and more on the short game.
Have set myself a target of 14 for the end of the season.