Golfing Advice?

**Ripped Fetish** · June 4th, 2006, 10:33 AM

Yep, it's true...I golf. I'd even go so far as to say that I love the game. Nothing clears my head like golf and generally when I tell people this I keep getting comments like, "you're too young to like golf". And as I rain blows down upon their heads I think, where does this anger come from?

So basically, assuming that there are at least a couple people on the site that golf, I'm wondering what you do to keep yourself calm when you're either on the range or course? I have a tendency to get very annoyed with myself after a bad shot, which makes the next shot harder until I get to the point where I dont care and I just want to get off the range or course. Of course as soon as I'm finished, I want to play again.

So, any good tips or advice?

**mavgrad99** · June 8th, 2006, 03:06 AM

Ripped, sorry Im late in answering this... I too golf, and as Mark Twain once said "Golf is a long walk spoiled" It does have a certain novelty value to it for me at least, I try to challenge myself to get better, but whatever you do it is harder to think of why you hit that bad shot rather than just get mad and slam down a club or say a few choice words. Instead, you must ask yourself, "am I playing for money" or is it purely for sport? who do you have to impress if anyone but yourself? I find it amusing when playing with someone else and they get mad, I hit and killed a squirrel yesterday and still got up and down for par. That fascination you feel when you just get done and want to play again is the passion you have toward the game of golf. I would say that through practice and repetition you will achieve your goals. Focus on a certain aspect of your game when at the range, dont just pull out the driver and rip 100 balls at a time, you have accomplished nothing that way... here's the reg. I go through at the practice tee.

SW thru 5iron - 5 balls each
4iron thru 5 wood - 10 balls each (you will play a lot of these shots on the course)
3wood - driver - 20 balls each
go to putt putt golf... play 3 rounds
get tee time for next day
repeat as necessary

Hope that helps, enjoy the golf and dont let the bastards get ya down!

**chickwang** · June 8th, 2006, 03:26 AM

I like to just breathe in the fresh air when I get frustrated. It makes it all worthwhile to be outside with some buddies.

Here's my practice routine:
6-7 iron 5-10 balls
8-P 5-10 balls
3-5 5-10 balls
Then I pretend I'm playing a hole for about 20 shots.
I pretend what type of hole I'm playing and choose clubs based on the imaginary hole.
I always finish off with about 5 balls with my wedge.

Sometimes the range gets me too excited about playing. Hopefully there are some more golfers in here to share?

**Ripped Fetish** · June 8th, 2006, 09:11 AM

Thanks for the tips. And I have to be honest, on the range I maybe hit 10 balls out of a 100 with my irons. And usually I use a 5 iron for 5 and a 7 iron for 5. After that I pull out a 5 wood for around 10, 3 wood for 20, Driver for 20, 4 wood(or hybrid) for 20, and mix up the last 20 balls with a 3 wood, hybrid, and driver. I know I should be swinging the irons a lot (which is probably what leads to my frustration on the course) but its more fun to drive the ball. And I only recently added a hybrid to my bag so I'm still working out the mechanics so to speak.

**TXT** · June 8th, 2006, 11:06 AM

I enjoy a good game of golf as well and I also get frustrated when I hit a bad shot. One of the things I keep in mind though is that it is only a game and I can't expect to be like Tiger Woods when I only play a dozen times or so a year. Another saying I always keep in mind is "A bad day on the golf course is always better than a good day at work". Plus, just being outside in the fresh air is good. Some advice I'd like to pass along is to focus on the shots that are 150 yards or less. In otherwords shots that you would use a 7,8,9, pw or sw on. These are known as your scoring clubs. What I mean by that is these are the clubs that will get you close to the hole so you can easily 1 or 2 putt. A good drive is great and impressive but if you can't capitalize on it with a good approach shot, it doesn't do much good. Typically, these clubs are the easiest to hit also. When you're around the green, don't use a pitching wedge. Use an 8 or 7 iron and do a bump and run. The stroke with these clubs should be your putting stroke. These shots you can practice in your back yard if you have one. This shot will put the ball in the air a little but once it hits the green it will roll and thats the objective. It's a more consistent and controlable shot versus lobbing it up with a pitching wedge. As far as your driver is concerned, tee the ball so that the bottom of the ball is slightly above the top of the club face. This should get you the best distance out of your swing. You may have make some slight adjustments in this height. Play the drive off your left heel when lining yourself up. If you find that the ball is not going straight, you might not be rotating your hips through your swing. This is a problem I have. One way to tell if this is happening is after you hit the ball, stay in that position. Look at where the ball went and put your hands on your hip and extend them forward away from your body. Chances are they will probably point in the direction your ball went. A narrower stance, (feet slightly wider than shoulder width), might correct this problem if that is what is happening. One more thing. Make sure your weight is balanced evenly on your feet. Leaning back or forward can throw a shot off. Hope this helps. Tee em high and let em fly.

**weaselwes** · June 8th, 2006, 01:46 PM

All great advice. I too am an avid golfer. I don't get out as much as I used too but I still make sure to get out at least once a week. As for your frustration on the course, try to focus on the positive things that have occurred during your round on that day. If you focus on the negative shot, chances are you will make another one rather quickly. As for your need to hit the big clubs at the driving range, that is all well and good for fun, but if you want to improve your game, you need to spend time with your irons, particularily your short irons, like TXT said. You may be able to smash a beautiful drive, but if your approach shots arn't up to par, neither is your game. Spread out your practice time so that you are focusing on the clubs you have the most trouble with, but make sure to hit the big clubs too!!!

ThisFlyGuy · June 21st, 2006, 04:06 AM

Just take your time........you have plenty of golf balls and if you do bad on one ball, theres another.....atleast thats what i say to myself

**Gman1524** · June 21st, 2006, 05:41 PM

Advice? Quit now. It is the single most frustrating sport I have ever played. It made me want to choke the living you know what out of somebody.

**mudflap4874** · June 23rd, 2006, 02:34 PM

I used to hate watching golf on TV with my dad because of how freaking boooooooorinnnnnng it was. But now I realize it was pretty good therapy for me when I get out on the course. I watch it every chance I get to see what the pros do in certain situations. Then when I'm playing and I hit a bad shot, I try to recall tournaments I have seen and remember the shots from off the fairway, behind trees and such, and mimic what I saw. I'm in that mindset of -- ok Phil has been here before and what did he do to get up and down ... so even the pros get into trouble sometimes, just got to think you're not that much different from them.

at the range i think you need to hit 2-3 times as many irons and you do woods. you're only teeing off maybe 15 times on the course and putting, hopefully, around 32-36 times. that leaves 30+ shots with irons ...

**aircru** · June 23rd, 2006, 03:35 PM

Golf is the only sport I have ever really sucked at (hit in the 90's) and continue to try.....anything else I would have quit after the second time !! lol

**redwing** · June 27th, 2006, 10:07 PM

I've been playing for a little over 20 years now, but not much recently. The best advice I can give is, to play for that one hole, that one shot, that one putt that brings you back to the course again.

I played three weekends ago with a few guys from work. We went late in the day, so we only played nine holes. It was the first time in over a year. On a course I had never played, with rented clubs. In tennis shoes. It was hot and muggy, and with every swing I took, I made that underarm "fart" noise.

I made a 35 foot putt on the 7th hole for birdie. I can't wait to play again.

Here's my tip for the range. I see a lot of people start with a wedge, or a 7 iron. Don't. Get out the big stick and let it swing. Hit five to ten balls with the biggest club you have. Don't worry about where they land. Just swing. It's the best way to loosen up. Then you can for the short clubs. When I'm at the range, I'll hit two to three buckets, and I'll be there for three or four hours. Take your time between balls. Visualize each shot. Stand behind the ball, see your target and flight line. Watch the ball fly before you hit. Remember too, when you are using practice balls, they have had the life beat out of them, so it's more important to concentrate on straight than long. That red-striped Pinnacle isn't going to fly the same as a new Titleist HT, or Maxfli MD Tour. Just not gonna happen.

Here is my advice for the course. Walk. I might sound like a freak, but it's the best way to spend a day at the course. Carry your clubs. Get some exercise and enjoy the fresh air and the smell of cut grass. It isn't like that foursome in front of you is going anywhere fast, so there's no need to chase them on every hole. I find that riding in a cart doesn't allow me time to plan my next shot. It only gives me time to sit and wonder when they are going to put the flag back in the hole and get the fock off the green.

I birdied the 7th hole last time out. When do we tee off tomorrow?

GoldenGlovesBoxing · June 27th, 2006, 11:13 PM

Yeah golfing is fun but dont get mad!

**Goose102** · June 27th, 2006, 11:14 PM

You can't get frustrated. Sure, your going to want to throw you club and run over your buddie with your cart after you make a horrible shot, but you just can't get mad. Just think about what you did wrong and next time out, correct it! I was out playing with my dad the other day and i got really frustrated and he explained to me why i shouldn't get so frustrated when i make a bad shot because EVERYONE will do it. Nobody can go out onto the course and hit every shot perfect, not even the pros.

**Ripped Fetish** · July 4th, 2006, 08:36 PM

Thanks for all the contributions. As it turns out, I only had to slow down my backswing to straighten out my shots. I can consistently get my hybrid (4 wood) to around 160, 3 wood around 200 and driver around 225 - 250 depending on the flight path. Now I just need to force myself to swing some irons...or look into replacing my irons with hybrids.

gorez · August 7th, 2006, 05:52 PM

After vacation in Canada I merely stumbled into golfing,´cause some Guide said it to be "the canadian sport" (thought it was Icehockey...). OK, back now I tried out, buying a half set of clubs and practicing on the range and on the course. Long irons work pretty good some times, but I really have a lack on the short irons !! 150 -180 meters to the flag - no problem ! But if I happen to land at 20 to 30 metres distance - I need 2 shots to enter the green and (frustrated now) at least 2 shots to finish ..!!! Any advice ???

**Ripped Fetish** · August 7th, 2006, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gorez

After vacation in Canada I merely stumbled into golfing,´cause some Guide said it to be "the canadian sport" (thought it was Icehockey...). OK, back now I tried out, buying a half set of clubs and practicing on the range and on the course. Long irons work pretty good some times, but I really have a lack on the short irons !! 150 -180 meters to the flag - no problem ! But if I happen to land at 20 to 30 metres distance - I need 2 shots to enter the green and (frustrated now) at least 2 shots to finish ..!!! Any advice ???

feet pretty close together, use a 8 iron (my preference) and just bring the club back 1/3 of the way back (play with it on a practice green (pitching onto the green) to see how far exactly you need to bring the club back). Think about the swing as if you were putting (ie. all upper body without any lower body much like a green side bunker shot).

**Goose102** · August 7th, 2006, 09:50 PM

I shot 4 over today. Par 36. I am on the golf team for my highschool. I'm onlt 15. We have a match tommorow. It's gonna be fun. But i can usually help people out with there problems. Just ask me.

**flints41** · August 9th, 2006, 05:30 PM

Can't play golf anymore. Too much to coach for the kids and it is 105 outside right now.

**TXT** · December 7th, 2006, 12:07 PM

Received this e-mail this morning. I enjoy playing so I got a chuckle out of this.

Golf can best be defined as an endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle, followed by a good bottle of beer.

Golf! You hit down to make the ball go up. You swing left and the ball goes right. The lowest score wins. And on top of that, the winner buys the drinks

"Golf is harder than baseball. In golf, you have to play your foul balls."

If you find you do not mind playing golf in the rain, the snow, even during a hurricane, here's a valuable tip: your life is in trouble.

Golfers who try to make everything perfect before taking the shot rarely make a perfect shot.

The term "mulligan" is really a contraction of the phrase "maul it again."

A "gimme" can best be defined as an agreement between two golfers ...
neither of whom can putt very well.

An interesting thing about golf is that no matter how badly you play; it is always possible to get worse.

Golf's a hard game to figure. One day you'll go out and slice it and shank it, hit into all the traps and miss every green. The next day you go out and for no reason at all you really stink.

If your best shots are the practice swing and the "gimme putt", you might wish to reconsider this game.

Golf is the only sport where the most feared opponent is you.

Golf is like marriage: If you take yourself too seriously it won't work, and both are expensive.

The best wood in most amateurs' bags is the pencil.

Dr.Feelgood · December 12th, 2006, 04:13 PM

Golf- The only sport where you can wear fruity clothing and play with your balls in public.

I saw that on a t-shirt at Spencers Gifts.