The Day After Christmas

I played at Wente today, the local upscale course with wicked greens and long fairways, wine filled lunches and good company -- Thanks Phil!

I was working on blocking early extension, which I didn't seem able to do.  Now mind you this was at the driving range and it was 35 degrees, and I had about three jackets on and the back was stiff a bit.  But otherwise all systems were in top shape.  The balls were 35 degrees too...  All in all, it was like hitting ice clumps for the most part.

But I was able to allow the club to come through and do its work without my needing to help it.  The main feeling was that of waiting for the club to come through and find the ball. 

Hmm, I thought this was a sensation worth pursuing.  As the round progressed I was keeping my swing under control and moving the ball around pretty well.  Ah, it wasn't going far, but I was getting off the tees and the irons straight.  Did I mention the greens being somewhat evil?  It's true, I swear by the ancient ones!

Then it struck me and if you play golf well, you already know this, I can move the arms about as fast as I want and if I don't help the club with my hands all will be well at contact. 

Perhaps it's the old case of not knowing what you are really doing.  I've got grooves worn in my grips and I've long been curious as to why I generate them.  No pro has really come up with an answer or much insight. 

But I think it was from try to help the club instead of letting the physics of the situation do what it must.  You can fight the physics, but there is scant reward in it.

I'm off to play tomorrow at the home course, I'll see how it goes.  If this is correct, then I am probably losing a fair bit of speed with my attempts to help the club.  I remain optimistic!


I used the electronic handwarmers today.  They worked quite well and were hot enough.  I turned them off after 15 holes or so; I cannot yet speak for the longevity of the power supply.   One other point about them I would mention, they are pretty heavy.  My jacket, full of all the goodies for a round of golf, and then these warmers was quite a burden to drag around.  Basically, I'm quite happy with them.

Year End Round Up - Updated

Update section is at the bottom!

Dear Readers,

Have a happy holiday season.

Thanks to the God of modern commerce, that being Amazon, I'm expecting some newfangled hand warmers.  I used the chemical type for the last couple of years.

These are the ones where you open a Mylar package, shake, and then they are warm for about 4 to 6 hours.  They work pretty well and the cost is about $1 per pair of warmers.

They do have a shelf life however.  One pair I used this year lasted about 3 hours and then went cold.  It then becomes a problem to buy the right amount for a season.

But there are other technologies available.  The old lighter fuel fueled catalytic heaters have been around forever.  I can remember wanted them in my youth, but grandma wasn't going to spring for anything with fire, so I never had one.  I understand the catalyst needs to be replaced after a while and I am not sure how well they will work in a pocket, which is where I want them.

The latest items are rechargeable batter packs with some kind of heater built in.  You can either charge your phone or turn on the heater feature.

I noticed these last year, but the Amazon reviews didn't suggested they had some problems and I went the chemical route.

But while looking for chemical warmers, I ran across some of the new ones that had solid reviews.  There were not a lot of reviews, but no one was upset by performance.

There is a life span on these as the batteries are not replaceable unless you have a soldering iron :-).  But they are supposed to go 500 charge discharge cycles, which ought to last a number of years.  Three temperature settings, too!

They are $50 a pair, so a lot cheaper than the chemicals guys over the long range.  Funny thing, I order them on 12/23 and Amazon has one day free shipping!  How nice is that?  I don't expect their business model to hold up for the long run, but it sure is nice while it lasts.

It's turned pretty cold in this part of the world - not in absolute temps, it's kind of a relative world.  We have frost delays in the morning and interestingly the greens can either be a bit frozen and you hard bounces, but the putting speeds can be all over the map.  We've also have dry days where there was no moisture on the greens and grass and then others where there are rooster tails on the putts and it is a trip to soggy city.

Do I need to discuss water proof shoes?  I've met guys who will buy nothing else and it's kind of a dry climate.  Well, ok, they do water a lot and with that high quality "used" water, so keeping the stuff off your toes can't be a bad idea.

OK, happy holidays and I'll review the heaters when I try them.  Probably Tuesday.

Update:

I tried the hand warmers.  There are three levels of heat and the first level is probably hotter than the chemical warmers.  They heat for a bit, then the heater turns off, then that's repeated.  Quite warm.  I was surprised how big they were.  I had no real expectations, but maybe 4 inches by 1.5 inches by about an inch thick.  A nice size to hold in your hand. 

They are a metal shell with a control button, a charging port, which is micro USB, an output standard USB female connector, and some indicator leds. 

There are three levels of heating and per the manual, the ranges of temperatures overlap a bit and maybe are 3 degrees apart.  As I mentioned, level 1 is pretty warm. 

They come with a charging cable and a draw string bag for storage.

I'm happy with them. The last two items that matter are how long they stay warm and how many cycles I'll get out of them.

Comment Reply II

Doogie has asked another question about whether I keep track of stats for ups and downs and pitches inside 20 yards.  I'm still not able to reply to a comment so, I'll do it here. 

Thanks for the comment.  I don't keep track of a lot of stats.   I usually shoot in the 70s on a not too difficult course; there is not a lot to keep track of. 

I have days where I hit a lot of greens, and other rounds where I am chipping a lot. 

Percentage up and downs might be 70 or so, and I can get hot.  The course helps as the greens are pretty flat and the speed is not too fast and not too slow. 

Sand and flop shots are not too much of a problem.  Biggest problem there for me is distance control out of a bunker.  The course flooded badly last winter and some of the traps have very little sand in them; so bladed sand shots are the big mistake. 

I practice chipping before every round and whenever I go to the range.  I might get in 4 hours practice a week or so.  Mostly done with my 60 degree wedge.  Tell me about your game!

Drive Length

Doogie, in a comment it the last post, has asked about my driver length.  There are details in some of the blogs are about this. 

And I've got a few things to say in any case and blogger has made it impossible for me to reply to comments - I must be doing something wrong and doing it again and again.  What a pain.

Ok, driver length...

When I hit the ball well it might go 200 and then some roll out.  I've seen drives close to 240 total length. 

When I'm in my "hook it under a bush" mode it goes about 180.

Most of the guys I play with will hit it shorter than that on average.   There are exceptions and a couple are quite long, maybe 250 or so and not necessarily with a driver.  Most of them are more consistent off the tee.

It's my experience that most people will over estimate the length of a shot.  We have a par 3 that requires 150 carry.  I don't see a lot of folks managing to do that.  I've found I need a well struck 5 iron to carry that distance.

Doogie's question was about length; that's been answered above.

Let me also add that being in the fairway and the 40 or so yards closer changes the club I hit on my approach.  Cuts down on angular dispersion and allows more flexibility as to which shots can be hit to play a hole.

Let me expand on that a bit.  If I'm 300 out on a par 5 and want to get home in two from there, I would divide that up into 200 + 100 yards to get there and reach for a wood or utility club.  If I'm 250 out and in the fairway, a 5 or 6 iron is enough to get me to a good layup position.  I'm more likely to be in the fairway with the shorter club.  If I don't hit it great, I'm coming in with a 9 instead of a 6 or 7 iron.  The 9 iron is high confidence, the 6 is not as accurate and I may be more tempted to over swing with it.

If I'm coming in from 100 yards it's pitching wedge or gap wedge and I am quite straight with those and would not expect to miss the green.  I would also tend to hit at the pin and not just play to the middle of the green. 

Getting close makes for the odd birdie and a lot of tap in pars.  All in all a lot less effort to play the game.

Yes!

So the thought was that my take away was the problem with my driver performance on the course.

I'm happy to report that this seems to be the missing piece of the puzzle.

I made sure to get the club around my right shoulder as part of the backswing.  From there do nothing special.

I hit two bad drives, but the rest were just fine.  The bad ones were not that bad either. 

It was a most comfortable sunny day here, with a hot sun and cool shade, and the golf ball behaving as it should.

Maybe, Maybe

Played a round with Fred today, who is good company.

I keep working on the driver discrepancy between range and course.  I'm wondering if it't the take away.  At the range I'm over the right shoulder and on the course, maybe behind my back.

I was careful with that today on 18 and hit great shots in a row from driver, 3 wood to wedge to get home on the par 5.  All were solid and straight as a Roman's road.

I have hope for the future.

Putting Grip Pressure

In an email conversation with Jay, the question of putting grip pressure came up.  He has a video from Monte Scheinblum who advocates for a firm grip.

I was intrigued with this as putting is becoming more of an interest.

I looked at a few things last night on youtube.  There is not too much disagreement here.  Let's see what the experts say.

Crenshaw suggests 3/10, because it's all about feel.  This is maybe ok as he putts are very fast greens and the rest of us don't.  But I could see his point.  He also has a longish, slow swing.

The Odyssey putting people saw it differently.  If you have a short, quick, "hitting" type of stroke, they you will do better with a firmer grip.  Use a light grip if you have a lazy, swinging stroke.

Brad Faxon has a test.  Grip it firmly enough that it will not twist, but loosely enough so that you can extend your arms easily.  Thus he wanted biceps and triceps to be somewhat relaxed, but the lower arms and wrists to be firm.

At the Mr. Hume's school of putting, the first lesson is "get the ball to the hole every time."  The second lesson is "Match the line for the speed that's required to get the ball to the hole every time."  See how neatly that builds on itself?

Lesson three: on breaking putts, aim to drop the putt into the low side of the hole, thus having it break across as much of the hole as you have courage.  That protects you from a putt that doesn't break as much as you thought and it allows you to hit the ball harder - see lesson 1.

I've been applying some of this lately.  And have been happy with the results.  A firmer grip is keeping me from stubbing the putt, which saves a stroke or two a round.  Mostly an issue with long putts where one has to bang them a bit.

We'll gather some more data and revisit another time.

How firm is your grip when chipping, pitching and sand play?  

Ah, the questions never end...

A Thought....

The answer is probably on youtube, but consider this:

In the down swing the left hand leads the right hand.  At impact they are somewhat back in their original position, which means that the right hand has moved faster than the left at some point to "catch up."

After the ball is struck, the right hand continues its movement and superior speed to the left and crosses in front of the left.

So, is the left hand slowing down?  If that is so, does the right hand also slow, but not as much as the left?

The next case is that the left doesn't slow down (much) and the right hand accelerates past it. 

As a golfer do I try to accelerate the right hand?  Or do I let it free wheel, as Hogan suggests, and let the angular acceleration of the club move the hands past each other?

An Interesting Nine with More Detail than Warranted

There have been some requests for more stats and detail.  I played an interesting nine the other day and I can supply all the numbers you might want and then some.


This nine was played off the usual tees, id est, not the short ones -- though I do enjoy the short ones.

Now, how to go about this?  Start with the results and work backwards or let it unfold as it happened.  Ah, let's try the latter.

The first hole is 320 yard par 4, but there are ponds and traps and you have to lay up with your tee shot.  That, assuming you are dry, leaves you 160 or so to the green.  The green is trapped well, but they don't come into play for me most of the time.  My misses are short on this hole.

Tee shot was fine, dry and not in the bunker.  Second shot ends up about pin high, but left and I have hump in the green to play over.  I flop from wet, cold grass and do it well.  I have two feet left and roll that in.

Second hole is a modest par 5, maybe 480 - 500 yards.  I hook my drive, but it's not too bad and I hit a reasonable hybrid to 140 yards or so.  The third shot is struck nicely, up in the air and...  it's short to a front pin.  A simple two putt from there for a second par.  Up and downs are now 2 for 2.

Third hole requires a shot down the left avoiding the pond right.  I manage this and hit a good 6 iron to the middle of the green.  Two putts and we are still even par.  First green in regulation.

The third is a longish par 3.  It's not really long, but with huge traps all across the fronts, it requires a full carry of 150 or so to get to the green.  "How far do you hit a 7 iron?"   "About 150 yards!"  "Oh, yeah, show me!"  I learned from this hole what club I will truly carry 150 yards and it's not a 7 iron.  Maybe in my youth, but, I wonder about that.

The ball while well struck, but it's in one of the front traps.  Not to fear, I can hit out of the sand and I do to about 10 feet.  Not what I wanted, but I'm a recreational golfer and it's on the green so I ought to be happy.  I manage to cover the break and make the putt. 

Still even par and up and downs are now 3 for 3.

Fourth hole is 360, which makes it a bit long if the driver is up to its usual antics.  I push the drive and it ends up on the edge of a bunker where I have no stance.  I find a way to advance it and I'm about 40 yards from a middle pin. 

An ugly wedge and the putt is too far for me to make.  One over par, up and downs 3 for 4.

Six is a par 5 and I hit an ok drive.  Nice layup and then put an 8 iron about 10 feet above the hole.  This is a quick putt, but I manage to coax it down the hill and into the hole.  Back to even par.  Is this an up and down?  Hard to say, but maybe I'm 4 for 5 on the u/ds.

Seven is a short par 4, but 17 traps or something.  I hit a nice tee shot and manage a mid iron to the middle of the green for 3rd GIR and a simple two putt.

Eight is another 150 yard carry to a green with two levels.  I'm a bit strong here and end up over the green.  The carry is required as the entire fairway is a pond full of coots, ducks and egrets.

So I'm going to chip this and I have to hit it along the edge of the cliff built into the green.  The pin is in the front with the pond lurking for a bladed shot.  But not to fear, I hit a pretty chip that walks the edge and follows the contour of the green and curls back to 4 inches of the pin.  Still even par and u/d now 5 for 6. 

The 9th is in interesting hole.  360 or so yards and there are trees left that will block the access to the green.  There is a pond right and in front, so blasting a driver does bring water into play.  The slot between it all is about 40 yards wide.  I manage to smother hook one and lay up to 130 yards or so.  It's not unusual to lay up on this hole as the water does not allow you to hit for the front of the green unless you can carry the ball pretty well.  Even if you do that, the pin placement might put you in a position of wishing you were coming in from 100 yards.. 

The green has some slope and there are bunkers both left and right.  But the green is fairly wide and the bunkers are not too tough.  But, I've left 130 yards out.  This is an 8 or 7 depending on how well I've been hitting it.  I choose 8 and hit it to 3 feet below the pin.  In it goes and we are even par for the nine.  And 6 for 7 on the ups and downs.  There have been 6 one putt green for 12 putts total.


Sadly the back didn't go as well.  I was under 80 for the day, but the front was a nine I was quite happy with on many levels, like the chipping and putting.  The driver was no real help.  The iron play was my usual level, or actually a little worse.  I normally would hit more greens; just hit 4 on this nine.