# How many strokes this season



## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

We are always making adjustments in our stance, grip, equipment or body movement. This year based on popular suggestions I'm just re-gripping the clubs. So if I haven't lost too much ability from last season my goal is to knock off at a minimum of 5 strokes. How about all of you?

PS I know a couple of golfer have been able to play all year, are you meeting your goal?


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I'd love to average 5 shots better. It would put my best rounds around par and my worst rounds still in the 70's. Maybe I'll just learn to cheat. Most of the people around me do...


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

DennisM said:


> I'd love to average 5 shots better. It would put my best rounds around par and my worst rounds still in the 70's. Maybe I'll just learn to cheat. Most of the people around me do...


And you invited me to play golf with you the next time I'm in Miami. You'd be strongly suggesting I find another sport:laugh:


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

broken tee said:


> And you invited me to play golf with you the next time I'm in Miami. You'd be strongly suggesting I find another sport:laugh:


Nope - Your invitation stands and your room is ready.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

I try to set realistic challenges for myself these days, so my goal for 2010 is to have more fun and try not to play any worse than I did in 2009. :thumbsup: 

If I do better than that it's just gravy. 


BTW Bob.... what part of Utah are you in? I'm going to be going to Idaho Falls again this summer to play golf with my brother, and it would be great to try and get together if it isn't too far out of my way.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Salt Lake City; that would be fantastic I'll even drive there if the master lets me


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

broken tee said:


> Salt Lake City; that would be fantastic I'll even drive there if the master lets me


Looks like about 2½-3 hours straight up the freeway to Idaho Falls. :thumbsup:


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

That is about right, its been awhile since I've driven that route. I'll get us a tee time at Hill AFB they have a great Course there.


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

I'm trying for an average of 5 strokes less too. And for those of us the can play all year round yes Bob I did meet most of my goals for the year apart from playing more. I may not be shotting 70 but my game is progressing.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Surtees said:


> I'm trying for an average of 5 strokes less too. And for those of us the can play all year round yes Bob I did meet most of my goals for the year apart from playing more. I may not be shotting 70 but my game is progressing.


I'm glad that I'm giving you the motivation to progress. Playing more is good, meeting your goals is good, dropping an average of five strokes is good, but getting into the 70's before I do bad. I have an ego to massage


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## Up North (Jul 3, 2008)

well since I'm going to be starting out with a new set of irons this next season I think a realistic goal would be to learn what I can do and can't do with them. One nice thing is I already know a lot of what I can't do...I just hope I don't add anything to that list. 

I hope to drop 3-4 shots per round, I think I can do it if I can get more consistent with the putter in that 10-15ft range. Had an awful lot of lip-outs the past two seasons.

Buck


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

good goal you will find the with the new clubs that you will drop stroke I dropped about4-5 after a couple of rounds with my new club. THe biggest part is getting used to the new sticks and then there will be no stopping you. Look out pro tour!!!!!


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Up North said:


> . One nice thing is I already know a lot of what I can't do...I just hope I don't add anything to that list.
> 
> I hope to drop 3-4 shots per round, I think I can do it if I can get more consistent with the putter in that 10-15ft range. Had an awful lot of lip-outs the past two seasons.
> 
> Buck


can do: put bag on cart, reconnize golf ball from snow ball :laugh:

can't do: hit ball


Buck: if you haven't played with those clubs yet, it may take two or three rounds. what you use to use may change for example a 7 iron with the old set is now an 8 iron. that putting seems to be a goal this year. you're cutting yourself short on the strokes I think.


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## Up North (Jul 3, 2008)

it took me a few range sessions and about 8 or 9 rounds before I really felt dialed in with my last set, the Taylormade RAC LT II's. I expecting about the same with the new Cally's. I ran the specs on the clubs from both Taylormade and Callaway and the X-20 lofts are a couple degrees stronger than my RAC LT's, but the Cally shaft says "High Launch" on them. So I don't know if I'm going to lose yardage or gain it. In the golf shop the launch monitor was indicating greater ball speed than with my old set, so hopefully I'll gain a few yards. 

But for now all I can do is hit snowballs, HURRY UP SPRING!!!!


Buck


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

Up North said:


> it took me a few range sessions and about 8 or 9 rounds before I really felt dialed in with my last set, the Taylormade RAC LT II's. I expecting about the same with the new Cally's. I ran the specs on the clubs from both Taylormade and Callaway and the X-20 lofts are a couple degrees stronger than my RAC LT's, but the Cally shaft says "High Launch" on them. So I don't know if I'm going to lose yardage or gain it. In the golf shop the launch monitor was indicating greater ball speed than with my old set, so hopefully I'll gain a few yards.
> 
> But for now all I can do is hit snowballs, HURRY UP SPRING!!!!
> 
> ...


Hope you have better luck than I did. I bought a set (5I-PW) of Callaway X-22 based on how I did with them in the store on the monitor. Got them on the course and absolutely hated them. Now I'm planning on reshafting them and giving them to my wife for her birthday next month, so at least it's not a total loss.


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## Up North (Jul 3, 2008)

Fourputt said:


> Hope you have better luck than I did. I bought a set (5I-PW) of Callaway X-22 based on how I did with them in the store on the monitor. Got them on the course and absolutely hated them. Now I'm planning on reshafting them and giving them to my wife for her birthday next month, so at least it's not a total loss.


I put a few balls into the net with the X-22's as well, didn't like them at all. Last summer I hit the x-20's and x-18r's as well a few others out on the range. Really liked the 20's, but again it's like you said. Monitors, indoor ranges, outdoor ranges, all different from actual game situations. Hopefully they'll work out.

Buck


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Rick your the 2nd person I've heard that want to rid themselves of their Cally's. One of my buddies loves his woods but hates his irons. why?


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

broken tee said:


> Rick your the 2nd person I've heard that want to rid themselves of their Cally's. One of my buddies loves his woods but hates his irons. why?


Don't know... I have nothing from Callaway in my bag. I can't even stand their Tour balls. I found two of them on the course a while back, both in pristine condition. I tried to play one for a while, but it was short on every shot, from driver to wedge. That compared to a Pro V1x, Bridgestone B330, TM Penta TP. The only balls I've tried that it compared to were the B330 RX and the Titleist NXT Tour, and I hate both of those balls too. :thumbsdown:


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

Fourputt said:


> Don't know... I have nothing from Callaway in my bag. I can't even stand their Tour balls. I found two of them on the course a while back, both in pristine condition. I tried to play one for a while, but it was short on every shot, from driver to wedge. That compared to a Pro V1x, Bridgestone B330, TM Penta TP. The only balls I've tried that it compared to were the B330 RX and the Titleist NXT Tour, and I hate both of those balls too. :thumbsdown:



Speaking of balls I've been playing the srixon soft feel lately and they have been a great ball to play I hit them about the same for driving but I have a lot more control with them around the green I can actually get them to spin and do litte drop and stop shoots with them. I can't control them everytime but I think that the person hitting the ball not the ball.

I've only tryed one Cally ball I didn't mind it to much but it felt a bit hard when contacting the club.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

No matter how many balls I try, I keep ending up back at Titleist Pro V1x. Way back in the day it was Titleist Tour 100 balata. This spring I'll be going with the TaylorMade Penta TP, and see if it still feels as good as it did when I was part of a group testing it last September. Otherwise,I think I'm through looking at other balls.... I always seem to come away dissatisfied in one way or another.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I'm sticking with the Titleist NXT Tour. The Pro V1 and V1X feel good, but I seem to hit them so high that I lose distance. The NXT Tour works better for me.

I've been thinking about this thread some, mostly about whether the 5 shots I mentioned is unreasonable. I'm not sure it is. Here's my reasoning... Practically every round has around 5 bad shots I'd like to do over and along with those, there's usually 2-3 really lucky shots, whether good bounces or really long putts that go in, holing out a chip... that sort of thing.

The differential is only a couple shots. Lucky shots lead to good scores. Less bad shots lead to better scores. Less bad shots and a couple lucky bounces would be a great improvement. I can't control the luck, but I can work on the weaknesses that lead to the wasted 5 shots per round. I know what they are and that all comes down to doing what all the pros tell us we should do... Stop hitting drivers on the range and practice our short game.

I need to work on mid iron shots and getting up and down if I miss a green. That's where those 5 shots generally lie.


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

Yep thats pretty much where i think my strokes will come from too.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Dennis: You just demoralized my goal. if you close your eyes on a putt and it drops in thats luck, if you putt off line and hit goose poo and it goes in that's luck. if your mid irons puts you left or right of the green its still a chip and a putt. so Dennis 5 strokes is not unreasonable


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## Up North (Jul 3, 2008)

think of it in terms of how many short putts does one miss in one round? I feel that if I jarred everything within 8ft. that would be like 5 or 6 strokes right there. If I jarred anything within 6ft that could be 3-4 strokes a round. A lot of it comes down to nailing putts and dropping a couple longer putts each round. The thing I really need to clamp down on this year is the short putt that I think "no biggie, I'll just walk up and roll it in, no need to take my time with this short one"...next thing I now I'm a foot past the hole and just added another stroke.:dunno:

Buck


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

Yes like the saying goes drive for show putt for dough missing the short putts really does hurt some with the short game for me where it's only like a 5m chip on to the green and you should be able to place it near the pin and the next thing you know your just on the green with a big putt or I've flown over the green to leave another little chip on. The short game is where the strokes can really be made up, hitting your driver another 5m is good but not worth much if you cant chip or putt.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Up North said:


> think of it in terms of how many short putts does one miss in one round?


OUCH!!!!!! I try NOT to think about that...

Kidding aside, that's a large part of what I have to do. Putting isn't my only problem and in general, my friends consider me a good putter, but like many, I am very uncomfortable over a 2 foot putt. In some rounds, I'll miss 2-3 of them.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

DennisM said:


> OUCH!!!!!! I try NOT to think about that...
> 
> Kidding aside, that's a large part of what I have to do. Putting isn't my only problem and in general, my friends consider me a good putter, but like many, *I am very uncomfortable over a 2 foot putt. In some rounds, I'll miss 2-3 of them.*


Welcome to the yips. That is precisely why I use the putter I do (Enterprise putter from Golfsmith with a straight rifle shaft). A bit over 3 years ago I suddenly lost the ability to stand over a 3 foot putt without going completely spastic. It affected the rest of my short game too, as I had to be within 2 feet to have any chance of making a putt. That just put too much pressure on my chipping, so that went south as well. I went from a being a pretty good scrambler to a complete train wreck over the course on one off season. I putted horribly for about 3 months, then a friend offered me his Enterprise putter to try out for 9 holes. I had 13 putts with 5 one putts in those 9 holes and I was sold. He made this putter up for me, and I've never been so happy with any other golf club in my life. 

I think that the reason it works so well is that the ball comes off the face just slightly deadened. Not like it's padded, but it doesn't jump off the face. That allows me to make just a slightly more aggressive stroke on those short putts. It is also face balanced, center shafted, which is a setup I've never used previously. For whatever reason, it really seems to work for me. I average around 30 putts per 18 holes, and barely over 2 putts per GIR. 3 putts are something that happen less than once per 18 holes.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Hey Rick... I don't know if I would call it the yips. I have days where I make everything under 5 feet. I think it might have to do with being so tall that it's just me getting out of alignment posture, complicated by my usual poor eyesight.

With my occasional back problems, I tend to bend over more or less depending how I feel and sometimes I wonder if that throws me off. I have a friend who cured his yips with a belly putter. I think he would have quit the game otherwise.

I have always used blade style putters and I played the ball forward, making and open to closed stroke, pretty much imitating the posture of Jack Nicklaus. Yeah, I'm old fashioned as God's original dirt. In an effort to help on short putts, I've been trying some of the mallet head putters with long sight lines. I recently found a GM2 model from Never Compromise that I like. It's heavy to begin with and has movable weights in the bottom so you can face balance it to aid a straight back, straight through stroke, or heel balance it for an open to close stroke.

I have it face balanced right now and I found if I move the ball back closer to the middle of my stance, things work out really well.

What I have to get over is the feeling that a 2'-3' putt ever has to be played outside the cup. I'm often too guilty of trying to play more break than needed and dieing the ball on the top edge. The face balancing and sight lines give me the confidence to hit the ball within the edges of the cup.

That doesn't mean I'll make everything, but it's been better.

The one thing I've tried and absolutely CAN NOT get a feel for, is putting cross handed. I feel like a monkey trying to rape a football.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Dennis: with your height do you look directly over the ball or are bent over so far that you look back toward the ball, because I think I do that when I putt and it throws the line off.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

I use the same grip for putting as I do for all of my shots. I've tried "correct" putting grips, but they always just feel awkward. I'm better off simplifying things by just using the same grip for everything. I too took my cue from Mr. Nicklaus. I hunch over and address the ball slightly open. That's about where Jack and I diverge though. I also chicken wing my left elbow, when seems to be necessary to keep the putter squared to the line. Whatever I do, it seems to work for me. I'm quite good at starting the ball on my planned line.... most of the time when I miss a shortish putt (inside of 10 feet) it's a misread, not a mishit. 

I too am a bit streaky, but from longer distances. I can usually depend on holing almost every 3 footer. But I also have days where I hole everything within 6 feet, and days when those 6 footers just won't drop, again just because I misread the break, or maybe just get the speed off enough to miss the break. I don't worry about it if I'm stroking the ball well.


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

I use the same grip for all shotsto I tryed a "proper" grip but it felt unco and didn't seem to work for me. Some days the putter works like magic and other I should try using my driver....


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## custom cluber (Jun 22, 2009)

I have been stuck in this sand bunker for 6 months now, Luke I have almost dug a hole to australia! So I'm in the trillion stroke range! C/C


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

lol welcome back C/C have you made it to the course lately?


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I hate this weather so much that I think I could move a ball on emotion alone. That should be good for one stroke. Four left to go... Supposed to get warmer the end of this week, so maybe we'll get back to normal and I'll get to play. Anyone wanna come along?


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

yeah sure what time shall we meet it's 44c(112F) here today so I'v got the back to front of you guys it's to hot to play.....


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## Up North (Jul 3, 2008)

DennisM said:


> I hate this weather so much that I think I could move a ball on emotion alone. That should be goof for one stroke. Four left to go... Supposed to get warmer the end of this week, so maybe we'll get back to normal and I'll get to play. Anyone wanna come along?


want to come up here and experience some nice cool 30-40 below zero type weather? Seriously, in the past two weeks we had one morning that was 41 below, and several in the 30-37 below, thats actual temps, no windchill included. Today we got up to 17 degrees and I was cutting wood in a t-shirt & sweatshirt and still sweated up a storm. My and my 6 year took a ride on the snowmobile so I could cool off...

Buck


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

I think we'll let you keep your 30-40 below temps Buck although it would of been nice last night as it did drop below 30c (86F) all night which doesnt make for a good nights sleep.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Surtees said:


> I think we'll let you keep your 30-40 below temps Buck although it would of been nice last night as it did drop below 30c (86F) all night which doesnt make for a good nights sleep.


Try buying air conditioning for your house you cheap skate. your wife needs the rest, she's been fanning your sorry backside for weeks now.


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

Yes we have A/C in the lounge, kitchen and we use a portable A/C in the bedroom but we set it on a timer so it goes off through the night and then the bedroom warmed up after that. It works well doing it that way most nights because it will cool off during the night but it just didn't cool off the other night.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

This winter seems darker and colder than past seasons maybe its the temperature inversion we get here, warmer air holds the stagnant air in the valley here. I need to get out more and do something


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

I went to the course yesterday and hit a large bucket of balls. The course is still about 80% covered with snow, but the range was open. They pick the balls by hand when they can't use the picker, so the range is usually closed part of the day a couple of times a week to collect the balls. Even hitting from mats, it felt good just to swing a club. 

They have actually forecast rain for tomorrow... we NEVER get rain in January. Looks like global warming is back... 

With a bit of luck, we'll be playing by the first of the week. :headbang:


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

I hope you're right. I looked at my practice course and its still covered:thumbsdown:


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Hey Rick - Do folks in Littleton play in the really cold weather as long as there's just no snow to lose the ball in?


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

DennisM said:


> Hey Rick - Do folks in Littleton play in the really cold weather as long as there's just no snow to lose the ball in?


Hey Dennis: is it true that it got so cold in Miami last week you had to wear long pants on the course:rofl:


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

DennisM said:


> Hey Rick - Do folks in Littleton play in the really cold weather as long as there's just no snow to lose the ball in?


More or less. If the course is open, then people will play. A course in Denver used to plow the fairways and shovel off the greens. I've played there when no other course was open, and the temp was in the low 30's. It was like a bowling alley, with the mounds of icy snow along the fairway to deflect the ball back into play. 

But I younger then and not as wise as I am now. Now it has to be at least 40.


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## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

Every new year I just try to play consistently well for 18 holes every time I go out. My best scoring golf is behind me to be sure. I am fortunate that I can play year around, and I figure if I play in the low 80s, and high 70s I am doing well. In my situation, even though I might play two or three times a week, I very seldom play on what I consider my home course more than twice a month, with a few new, unknown courses always in between. Some months, when traveling, I play only on unknown (to me) courses.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

broken tee said:


> Hey Dennis: is it true that it got so cold in Miami last week you had to wear long pants on the course:rofl:


Sorry I didn't see this post when you wrote it...

Jokes aside, I wear long pants on the course all year round. From when I was young, the feel of the material against me became part of what my swing felt like to me. I do have some shorts and last summer, for the first time I wore shorts on the course for the first time in probably 50 years. And yes, it really felt weird.

Now, my buddy David Bowers tolerates the cold a lot better than I do and on some of those days when I had on long pants and three layers of t-shirt, golf shirt and sweater, he was comfortable in shorts and a golf shirt. I don't know why I don't tolerate cold well, practically at all... If it's under 75, I really do get cold.


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