The golf thread - 2019

[thebraketester]

I think so.. but I still like them as a ball.

[HaplessBoyLard]

It’s a personal thing with truvis balls I think. My uncle says the ball looks bigger to him, which I guess could make a difference to some people; either positive or negative.

I like them, but seen as it’s primarily chrome soft that uses truvis I’m not using them any more after the My Golf Spy ball test. 12 yards shorter through the air than pro V1x is not to be sniffed at!

[Blackpuddin]

Tried those red and white Truvis when they came out but my eyesight wasn't good enough to spot it if it went off the fairway. Yellow balls seem twice as visible to me as anything else so they're the only ones i use now,

[SpeckledJim]

Blackpuddin said:

Right well here I am fresh from the practice ground and Jim I owe you a massive beer. That technique you suggested not only worked for the bunker but it has become my new technique of choice for short chips around the green too! Amazing! Thank you so much. Just in time for a big away day on Thurs which I haven't been looking forward to because of this problem. Realised something else today which is that I have been reverting back to my old baseball swing. Kept the swing much more upright today and again that seemed to be working really well on the pitching wedges at least. Hope it all sticks for Thursday! Thanks again.

Glad to hear it. Don't get carried away though - if it worked brilliantly today then that's a very good sign it won't work at all next week.

[thebraketester]

You’ll not believe this.

I had taken out my Cube motocaddy from the boot of my car last week and put it on the top of the recycling bin around the back of our house. Our neighbour kindly offered to put out our bins on Tuesday night.... (you can see where this is going can’t you)

He also kindly put the trolley in said bin..... never to be seen again.

FFS. 2 year old at most, in perfect working order.

[WindyCommon]

bodhi said:

I've tried them a couple of times when I've found them out on the course. They're OK but don't really live up to their name, most people seem to find them a lot harder to find in the rough than just a normal white or yellow ball. They normally last about 3 holes for me until I hit them into the rough, never to be seen again.

You’ve misunderstood the purpose of the Truvis markings/pattern. It’s not about making your ball easier to find! Here’s a good explanation: https://www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/news-and-events/equ...

I like them because they provide additional feedback when chipping and putting because you can see the axis and rate of roll/spin. Unfortunately I find them a little soft.

[yorky500]

SpeckledJim said:

Blackpuddin said:

Does anybody have any experience of the c3i/alien type flat-bottomed wedges? The fact that there are no impartial reviews of the c3i on YT makes me suspicious but I am getting desperate for a solution to my bunker woes (3 shots minimum to get out, had four lessons to try and fix it, looked at every YT video and tried every possible method, still no joy) and am now looking for anything that might help as I cannot attack any greens for fear of getting into a bunker.
I never used to have a problem before joining my current club which has packed/heavy/thin layers of sand in all its bunkers. Every shot with the clubface open ends up hitting the lip and rolling back in no matter how hard I try to make use of the bounce. Recommended method for this course is to play a normal neutral-face shot but I am so lacking in confidence now that this rarely works for me.

They're no panacea. They don't do anything you can't do with a regular sand wedge.

If balls are hitting the lip, then you're probably thinning them, which would suggest you're using too much bounce and trying to take too much sand, and on a packed deck, the club is on the way back up by the time you're reaching the ball.

Roll your sand wedge open on a hard surface - how far above the surface is the leading edge? Probably 5-7mm? That's a lot, if the surface isn't one that allows you to dig into it.

I'd practice nicking it off the top with a pitching wedge (less bounce) and taking minimal/no sand. Short swing, lots in the wrists.

For green side bunker shots I use my 60 deg wedge. I find it much better that using the SW.

[Blackpuddin]

SpeckledJim said:

Blackpuddin said:

Right well here I am fresh from the practice ground and Jim I owe you a massive beer. That technique you suggested not only worked for the bunker but it has become my new technique of choice for short chips around the green too! Amazing! Thank you so much. Just in time for a big away day on Thurs which I haven't been looking forward to because of this problem. Realised something else today which is that I have been reverting back to my old baseball swing. Kept the swing much more upright today and again that seemed to be working really well on the pitching wedges at least. Hope it all sticks for Thursday! Thanks again.

Glad to hear it. Don't get carried away though - if it worked brilliantly today then that's a very good sign it won't work at all next week.

Yes of course. I have a chance to test it out earlier than that in the midweek medal tomorrow, hopefully there will be a bit of action.

[Blackpuddin]

yorky500 said:

SpeckledJim said:

Blackpuddin said:

Does anybody have any experience of the c3i/alien type flat-bottomed wedges? The fact that there are no impartial reviews of the c3i on YT makes me suspicious but I am getting desperate for a solution to my bunker woes (3 shots minimum to get out, had four lessons to try and fix it, looked at every YT video and tried every possible method, still no joy) and am now looking for anything that might help as I cannot attack any greens for fear of getting into a bunker.
I never used to have a problem before joining my current club which has packed/heavy/thin layers of sand in all its bunkers. Every shot with the clubface open ends up hitting the lip and rolling back in no matter how hard I try to make use of the bounce. Recommended method for this course is to play a normal neutral-face shot but I am so lacking in confidence now that this rarely works for me.

They're no panacea. They don't do anything you can't do with a regular sand wedge.

If balls are hitting the lip, then you're probably thinning them, which would suggest you're using too much bounce and trying to take too much sand, and on a packed deck, the club is on the way back up by the time you're reaching the ball.

Roll your sand wedge open on a hard surface - how far above the surface is the leading edge? Probably 5-7mm? That's a lot, if the surface isn't one that allows you to dig into it.

I'd practice nicking it off the top with a pitching wedge (less bounce) and taking minimal/no sand. Short swing, lots in the wrists.

For green side bunker shots I use my 60 deg wedge. I find it much better that using the SW.

Yep, I have tried just about every club with a slope on it! SpeckledJim's suggestion worked better than all the tips and lessons. Well, in practice anyway.

[yorky500]

Blackpuddin said:

yorky500 said:

SpeckledJim said:

Blackpuddin said:

Does anybody have any experience of the c3i/alien type flat-bottomed wedges? The fact that there are no impartial reviews of the c3i on YT makes me suspicious but I am getting desperate for a solution to my bunker woes (3 shots minimum to get out, had four lessons to try and fix it, looked at every YT video and tried every possible method, still no joy) and am now looking for anything that might help as I cannot attack any greens for fear of getting into a bunker.
I never used to have a problem before joining my current club which has packed/heavy/thin layers of sand in all its bunkers. Every shot with the clubface open ends up hitting the lip and rolling back in no matter how hard I try to make use of the bounce. Recommended method for this course is to play a normal neutral-face shot but I am so lacking in confidence now that this rarely works for me.

They're no panacea. They don't do anything you can't do with a regular sand wedge.

If balls are hitting the lip, then you're probably thinning them, which would suggest you're using too much bounce and trying to take too much sand, and on a packed deck, the club is on the way back up by the time you're reaching the ball.

Roll your sand wedge open on a hard surface - how far above the surface is the leading edge? Probably 5-7mm? That's a lot, if the surface isn't one that allows you to dig into it.

I'd practice nicking it off the top with a pitching wedge (less bounce) and taking minimal/no sand. Short swing, lots in the wrists.

For green side bunker shots I use my 60 deg wedge. I find it much better that using the SW.

Yep, I have tried just about every club with a slope on it! SpeckledJim's suggestion worked better than all the tips and lessons. Well, in practice anyway.

Where I play here in Ghana, the sand in the bunkers is heavy and very compact (red sand - mud when its raining). I have a very high ball flight and if it lands in the bunkers, it is often the classic "fried egg' or plugged. Not 100% sure how, but I seem to be very successful with playing these fried egg shots. Again, 60 deg wedge, deloft a bit and then swing like a monkey in a tree- seems to work!

[Blackpuddin]

Yeah I know it works because I've seen others do it ha ha and I will keep going back to the practice bunker to try and hone this technique but for now I'm just glad to have something that holds out some sort of hope of getting out. This is my only ambition at the moment. Small steps etc.

[gbrown2014]

Hi All- New to the golf thread!

Has anyone here ever suffered with freezing over the ball? I seem to take an age to initiate my swing, I wouldn't say I am having loads of pre-swing thoughts but I am really struggling to get them away when on the course.

I have tried practicing a pre-shot routine on the range but it just goes on the window on the course! I am a 30ish handicapper who has just picked up golf after a 5 year hiatus

any thoughts welcome

[SpeckledJim]

One little thought.

Try a little forward press motion as the initiator.

Nothing major, just half an inch at the hands, or a degree or two at the shoulders.

(my swing thought is 'conservative strategy, confident swing'. By the time I'm over the ball I should have decided on the first bit and envisaged the ball flight. All that's left is to put a positive swing on it.)

Where I fall apart is if I get it mixed up and go for a confident strategy with a conservative swing. Disaster.

[bodhi]

gbrown2014 said:

Hi All- New to the golf thread!

Has anyone here ever suffered with freezing over the ball? I seem to take an age to initiate my swing, I wouldn't say I am having loads of pre-swing thoughts but I am really struggling to get them away when on the course.

I have tried practicing a pre-shot routine on the range but it just goes on the window on the course! I am a 30ish handicapper who has just picked up golf after a 5 year hiatus

any thoughts welcome

If it helps you are not alone - especially when starting out (or re-starting out) in this game it's quite easy to get carried away and end up swimming in thoughts of what you are about to achieve. That is fine on the range when you are working on your swing, but on the course you need to try to forget about that and keep it simple - just think about where you are trying to hit the ball.

You are definitely on the right lines with a pre-shot routine, and when you get it nailed any thoughts will be in that part of the swing, then you can just pull the trigger. After picking where I want the ball to go I tend to stretch my left hand then breathe out to get myself focused, then pick a spot six inches in front of the ball to aim at, the get aligned. Then have a few waggles Jason Dufner style, then a forward press and off the swing goes.

Paralysis by analysis is very easy in golf, and over thinking stuff typically gives worse results than just standing up and hitting it. Just keep things simple, and the game gets much more enjoyable.

Worth looking at a couple of books about the mental side of things - Bob Rotella seems to have this market pretty well cornered - Golf is Not a Game of Perfect is quite old now, but has some great tips on how to think out on the course.

[SpeckledJim]

I'd second that recommendation for books by Bob Rotella.

[bodhi]

SpeckledJim said:

I'd second that recommendation for books by Bob Rotella.

Thought you might

[gbrown2014]

Thank you both for the tips! the idea of a particular move to start the swing is not something I had thought about! i appreciate this wont be an overnight fix but its a start, so thanks for that.

[SpeckledJim]

bodhi said:

SpeckledJim said:

I'd second that recommendation for books by Bob Rotella.

Thought you might

He taught me everything I've forgotten!

[Blackpuddin]

SpeckledJim said:

bodhi said:

SpeckledJim said:

I'd second that recommendation for books by Bob Rotella.

Thought you might

He taught me everything I've forgotten!

His putting one I found a bit dull, probably because there's a limit to what you can say about just one aspect of the game and so there's an element of stringing-out to make a book's worth of content, but his 'main' one is definitely worth a read.
For a really clear book on the basics, really well laid out (Dorling Kindersley) and every aspect covered, I hugely recommend The Golf Instruction Manual - Fast Track To Better Golf by Steve Nowell. Not new, but available for buttons on ebay.

Edited by Blackpuddin on Tuesday 20th August 15:20

[soupdragon1]

Blackpuddin said:

Right well here I am fresh from the practice ground and Jim I owe you a massive beer. That technique you suggested not only worked for the bunker but it has become my new technique of choice for short chips around the green too! Amazing! Thank you so much. Just in time for a big away day on Thurs which I haven't been looking forward to because of this problem. Realised something else today which is that I have been reverting back to my old baseball swing. Kept the swing much more upright today and again that seemed to be working really well on the pitching wedges at least. Hope it all sticks for Thursday! Thanks again.

Great news and hats off to Jim for the tips. Jeez, I read your post about all the work you put in but still no results - that must have been really frustrating. Hopefully that's you on your way now getting shot of your bunker blues!