Waldringfield GC: December 2009

So much to report but I'll leave my musings for tomorrow and just focus on today's round. This was my first venture out onto a full 18 hole course and to say I was nervous to start with would be an understatement. To be on the safe side I started off with a 6 iron on the opening 203 yard par 3. 30 yards short and off to the left. Cue woeful chips and three putts, not the greatest start.

Home, home on the range!

Back on the range today and things coming back together again. Still not sure what in the name of Chuck Dickens happened on Boxing Day but the swing was behaving itself today (well for the most part). I have slowed my backswing down slightly for the longer irons and started to build some consistency, though they are still devilishly difficult to hit.

Putting and chipping practice tomorrow and then my first venture out onto an 18 hole course on Wednesday. If you play at Waldringfield GC in Ipswich, keep an eye out for me. Hopefully, I'll be smiling...

...no idea?

The snow has finally gone and so, feeling full of excitement I headed out with a couple of friends yesterday. Now I wanted to just hit the range but due to the snow they were itching for a walk round the par 3. I hit 30 balls to warm up and there were the obligatory handful of thinned but I'd say 80% of the shots went long, straight and true. Warmed up with the three clubs I use the most the PW, SW and 6 iron and then stroked a few putts.

All the gear...

I've been very fortunate on the gear front so far. A hefty contribution into the golf kitty from my family for my 30th, lessons from my other half and
a little bit of compensation have all meant that I've been able to get my clubs, bag, waterproofs and clothing before Xmas.

The big thaw...?

Well that's what I'm waiting for and I'm growing so impatient that I've been tempted to use household appliances out to speed up the process. Similarly to Bogey my entire Christmas golfing schedule has been utterly ruined by the white stuff. To make matters worse both local driving ranges have run out of balls and can't collect any because of the weather. Wooden floors are impacting on the putting practice. I can only hope that along with my Yes! V-Easy Santa brings me a putting practice mat.

Merry Christmas one and all and I look forward to sharing plenty of news post Xmas. Now where did the missus leave her hairdryer...

Golf Swing: Dec 09

So here it is four months in. I had developed a nasty hook and following my last lesson adjusted my grip. However, though things are much better I'm now losing distance and have developed a weak fade.



Big thanks to Bob McArthur who has suggested I keep my left foot still throughout the swing and pointed out I have over compensated with my grip and now have a weak left hand. Making an adjustment to ensure the v on the left hand points to my right ear.

I'll be posting another swing vid in two months time...

Comments:

Tony
Quite a nice swing for a 28hp.One of the reasons you have a slight fade is due to your set up.your feet are aligned but your left shoulder points to the left,this means you are slightly cutting across the line of the ball causing side spin.try getting your shoulder pointing in the same direction as your feet and your fade should dissapear

Tiger
Thanks Tony, when the blinking snow clears so the range can collect all the balls I’ll be heading back out to work on it. Bogey mate I wouldn’t worry. It could be as smooth as silk but if the ball doesn’t go in a straight line you’re screwed .

Prudent Magpie

One of the interesting things for me to note over the coming months will be whether I made a mistake in getting fit for clubs so early, and whether, like Bogey, I should have started with a beginners set.

Titleist Vokey Spin Milled Wedge

More bounce, loft and finish options than you can shake a small stick at? Check. Excellent versatility and great feel? Check. Beautifully engineered and designed? Check.

These are great clubs and having tried Callaway, Mizuno and Cleveland wedges these for me were the stand out performer. The consistency of clean strike and distance has helped improve my confidence in my shortened and full swing. As a result I am now stopping the ball much faster on longer approaches and generating a reasonable amount of back spin. Once again with titleist the only real stumbling block may be the price especially as wedges are the clubs you are likely to change most frequently. But even at a higher price I just can't fault them.

If only the loft on my AP1 PW was more than 45 degrees. My dilemma now is do I make do with a 52 & 56 and save space for an extra hybrid/fairway, or do I get a 60 degree lob wedge. Based on how much I love these clubs the lob wedge might win....

Titleist Scotty Cameron Newport 2.7

Aesthetically this is a beautiful wand and will hopefully be a constant companion on my golfing odyssey. Inevitably there will be days when we fall out and the Scottys good looks will not be a sufficient redeeming factor. On those days I will try and remind myself that when I putt well this stick gets the ball rolling beautifully and on line. I'll remember that I can feel every mishit and every pure strike and I'll endeavour to control myself not to launch it off the green into a neighbouring bunker.

This isn't just a work of art but a very well engineered piece of kit with a lovely curved shaft that allows the head to sit beautifully at address and with the extra weight (mines a heavy) I have a nice controlled swing. In fact the only bad thing I have to say about this putter is the price. Then again if it lasts a lifetime, which it should, I'd see it as a very astute investment.

Before my Scotty arrived I used my friends odyssey two ball and averaged 2.2 putts per hole. I now average 1.75 and as my approach play improves I expect that figure to continue to fall. Putters are a personal choice so my only recommendation is if you have a straight back, straight through swing like me and want to treat yourself to a new wand, give this club a try, you might just like it.

Titleist AP1 irons: Equipment review

I'm new to golf and some may wonder why I have purchased these irons after four months playing. Well, I had a custom fitting with the old AP1s and they went a country mile, the new ones go even further. There are however a few caveats to this review:

1. I am new to the game and my swing is evolving
2. I have yet to take these out onto a full 18 hole course yet (that's happening later this month)
3. Mine are custom fitted
4. I have a limited frame of reference being new to the game

That said, these are beautiful set of irons. I prefer the revised look that Titleist have given this model and they seem to be more forgiving than the previous model (although this maybe that my swing has improved in that time. Distances are all relative but I can stripe the 6 iron with these between 180 - 190 yards and they have a lovely penetrating flight. I've not managed to use the long irons outside the range yet but have got good distance and control on the range.

I'd definitely recommend a custom fitting as I didn't get on at all with the stock shafts (flight was far too high for me). In my set up I've got jumbo grips, an extra inch on my project X 5.5 shafts and a 4 degree upright lie. I now feel much more comfortable at address and as my swing refines over the next two months I am looking forward to adding tighter dispersion and a bit more distance.

Finally aesthetics - they look lovely for a cavity back iron and the smaller heads on the shorter irons makes them a much more attractive proposition than some of the game improvement shovels on the market.

The only con is that the faces do mark very easily. I keep mine in iron headcovers to protect them in transit and during play but the faces are already starting to take a bit of a battering. Doesn't affect playability yet but m,ay upset some who want their irons to look beautiful for as long as possible.