Blog Comments

Update:

Weekend rounds showed a huge improvement in ball striking. I had a huge amount of confidence standing over the ball with the irons, hybrid and 3 wood. The Driver is still my problem, but hopefully the right shaft in the driver will help fix that for me.

Unfortunately, the comp score didn't reflect my improvements. This is mainly down to my putting which is atrocious at best. Unfortunately putting isn't fixed by little technique changes, its going to take time and patience and practice to get a consistent putting stroke going.

i would yoss, but i dont like putting with dildo's for a grip.

All jokes aside, one of the guys I played with on saturday pointed out some things to me, namely that im bringing the putterhead back along way and trying to caress the head onto the ball. Leads to inconsistency.

You seem to have a pretty good feel with the putter though, so may get you to keep an eye out.

You playing saturdays yet?

Mate next time we play ask me a bit about putting, i reckon with some of the tips JC has given me I could help a little.

IDG gave me some advice yesterday that has definately helped.

The major thing I have to remember is that its not a long drive contest. Im playiong with guys who avg 65 - 70 yrs of age, and drive the ball maybe 150m.

If you consider the course Im playing on, and look at the way some of the top guys play it, its all about placement - not distance. So im going to start playing smarter, not harder/longer. That way, i'll hit the confidence clubs more often, and hopefully keep the ball in play.

The putting is different. Im kind of spoilt on the Kennedy Bay greens, so i just need to get down to the local public track and get some practice in. I've established im 'decelerating' through impact not accelerating like i should be.

Like the song says - "its all coming back to me now!"

Good stuff Rubin!
I particularly agree with this:
"I have also established that on 95% of holes, i'm losing shots off the tee. It doesnt help your score to be 3 off the tee on almost every hole in the round you take driver from."
I'm sure it looks funny to a number of the guys at my club, standing on the tees of Par 5's off the blues with 3i in hand, but i'd rather be hitting 3 from 150m out than off the tee.

How are you planning to go about improving your putting? Do you have a consistent stroke? Do you understand how YOU putt? I'd suggest just rolling a few balls as often as you can, learn what stroke takes you what distance etc.

And I also agree re: confidence. Its funny how your game changes once you've got some.

Tim

Rubin any chance I could trial the putter for a bit? Happy to swap with my odyssey rossie mallet white hot tour thing (or something like that)

Good stuff Rubin.

Driver still seems to be the worst club in my bag. Which is frustrating, considering how well I was hitting it during my fitting. I can't seem to get it right on course. Which really, if I play sensibly isn't an issue as I still make par on par 5's hitting 3i from the tee.

But definitely, practice practice practice. Golf is not a game of perfect.

Originally Posted by timah!

Rubin,
I'm not a real fan of ditching putters on a whim (although my efforts with the Courty stick say otherwise). To me, the putter is the second best weapon in the bag, but its probably the club that takes the most time to 'feel the love' with. And unfortunately, it's not as easy as picking up a driver to make that connection (well, IMHO its not). I got lucky with my Scotty, it felt good in the first few rounds, and then from then on has felt very good. But it's now going through a stage where i'm not comfortable.

What don't you like about the YES? Weight, face, look, length? If it didn't cost you much, why not play around with it? Lead tape, different size grips, change its length etc...

Yeah, might do actually. It just doesnt feel right. its feather light to start with (especially compared to the Mallet Odyssey) i might play around with it, maybe give it to fit on sunday to put some more length on it, and add some weight etc. It was brought on a whim though, so im not fussed if it doesnt work to well.

In terms of the Swing, she's coming along nicely. The driver is back on fire. PLayed Saturday, and smoked 6 or 7 on the back 9 270, 280 + and gun barrel straight as well.

The longer irons are starting to come along nicely. Still the occasional average shot, but even on a links course they are still able to be found, if not playable. The shorter irons have become a small problem though, pulling them left like crazy, but thats an easy fix, and I know whats going on with that.......

Practice, Practice, Practice...... Its a game of never perfection.

Rubin,
I'm not a real fan of ditching putters on a whim (although my efforts with the Courty stick say otherwise). To me, the putter is the second best weapon in the bag, but its probably the club that takes the most time to 'feel the love' with. And unfortunately, it's not as easy as picking up a driver to make that connection (well, IMHO its not). I got lucky with my Scotty, it felt good in the first few rounds, and then from then on has felt very good. But it's now going through a stage where i'm not comfortable.

What don't you like about the YES? Weight, face, look, length? If it didn't cost you much, why not play around with it? Lead tape, different size grips, change its length etc...

There does not seem to be an easy solution to your problem. I have had the same experience and still trying to get something back which resembles a consistant swing. I hit good balls on the range but can not take it to the course. Something has changed in my head over the years.
Good luck

Now, a week on and much practice, my game has improved out of sight - in terms of ball striking.

Played 9 today, and hit 7 of 9 greens in reg, and 7 of 9 fairways. Lost 1 ball, which really shouldnt have happened, but i was trying to be a smartass on the last and cut the corner - didnt cut it far enough and now the KB range has an additional ball to collect!

The yES! putter is going to be retired after 2 days work. No confidence, and just doesnt feel right.

So,

Ive been given some pointers by, Who i believe to be, one of the better pro's here in WA.

Played with Hocko and Nuff yesterday, and whilst the score didnt reflect the improvement, Im much happier with the golf swing in general. Still managed to lose a couple of balls, but thats Kennedy Bay for you. The proof is in that I actually hit quite a number of fairways and GIR's. Improvement now will come from grooving this new swing style in and not making the stupid mistakes that have plagued me for so long.

Thanks Mate, I remember reading a few of yours and something about making your goals public. So i figured its a good way to go. especially my recent out of contrl spiral into chopper high

Good stuff Rubin. It seems you're on a similar journey to me.
There's definitely something to be said for playing smart, simple golf.

Good luck, and feel free to check out my blog to see how i'm getting on.

Took my R11 TP out on course for the first time today and it didn't disappoint !!!

Great feeling shaft, and very solid feeling at impact make this thing a real pleasure to hit.

Originally Posted by jarro

Nice writeup Rubes.

A question regarding the stock Fuji Blur shaft ...... can you compare it to any other shaft you've tried recently ?

I play a Pro-Launch Red in my G10 and was wondering how different the Blur might feel compared to it ???

The Blur in the TP model is right up there with the likes of the Pro Red. Apparently, and don't take this as gospel, the Blur in the TP is not a made for shaft like in the standard. It is a true Fuji Blur with the TM sticker/paint on it.

The difficulty is in that its a completely different club to anything i've hit before, so without putting different shafts into the same club, I don't think I could give a reliable comparison. Needless to say, I wont be changeing the shaft any time soon.

Nice writeup Rubes.

A question regarding the stock Fuji Blur shaft ...... can you compare it to any other shaft you've tried recently ?

I play a Pro-Launch Red in my G10 and was wondering how different the Blur might feel compared to it ???

Update:

Been out to the range now and hit 250 balls trying all the different settings.

I found that changeing the face angle via the plate on the bottom didn't seem to do so much at all, other than a placebo type effect of thinking/knowing that the club is setting up the way you want it to.

The loft adjustment seemed to have the most effect on ball flight. Not so much in the height range, (I tried it on all 5 settings) but in the left to right movement. Having said that, it wasn't a huge amount.

The weighting system is nothing new and has been around since the early days of the R7. Everyone knows how it works, or the theories behind it anyway. Having said that, it does seem to have more of an impact on this club than previous offerings.

The set-up I've settled on for the moment.
Standard 9* loft, heavier weight in the heel, and closed clubface at address.