Hittin' the links: Golf talk

I don't get out as much as I would like, and there are plenty of decent courses in the Denver area. My favorite course in the area is called Riverdale Dunes. It's a Pete Dye designed course on Adams County property, so the greens fees are very reasonable. It's a links style course, with high grassy areas off the fairway. It's a fun course, and a really easy walk.

 
BigRedBuster said:
I actually became a member at the local course this year. Now I can tell my wife that I have a financial investment in me playing more. The more I play, the less each round costs.

My goal is to actually go out and play over my noon hour some some days. Yesterday I actually played 9 holes in about 50 minutes. Hopefully just being out there and having a club in my hand will help me improve in certain parts of my game.
Click to expand...
Your noon golf post motivated me to head to the practice green these past two days! I have two putters that I've liked at different times over the past several years. So I've been trying out both of these putters to see which one I like the best right now. Also, since I haven't been playing for the past six months I'm just now trying out several different clubs to see which ones I like in different situations around the green for chipping and short pitch shots.

At present I use my 8-iron for chipping. If the situation permits, I nearly always try a chip-and-run shot as my first choice for a ball sitting within a few yards of the green. This little chip-and-run also seems to work well for me for balls sitting a ways back, but with a smooth collar of fairway leading up to the green that has a somewhat predictable roll. At different times in the past I've used a 7-iron for chipping. Also a 9-iron sometimes.

For pitch shots that I need to stop fairly quickly I have a Vokey 56 degree wedge. It has 14 degrees of bounce, so I plan on using it out of the sand as well. (I just bought this club, so admittedly I'm not sure how well I can hit it yet.)

For other shots that I can't chip with an 8-iron I have a 52 degree Vokey wedge that I like. It's useful for short chip shots where the green slopes away from me, since the ball tends not to roll quite as far. I also like this 52 Vokey for anything between about 10 yards to 70 yards from the green, assuming I have a little bit of green to work with. I've spent a fair amount of time in the past working on a little half swing shot with this 52 Vokey that flies about 45 yards in the air. The practice facility where I play is perfect for practicing this shot.

===================================

The problem is, these past couple of days around the practice green I'm only getting up and down about one-fourth to one-third of the time. And that's hitting five or six balls from about the same spot. (/facepalm) This percentage needs to get a LOT higher before I can card a decent round.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I played 9 today and it was really windy so I just tried to hit all irons as knock gown shots and actually did well.

The guy that instructs me the most tells me I should be hitting like that most of the time.

 
I had a fitting with a Titleist Tour Fitting Professional this afternoon. There is likely a 915H 21* hybrid in my near future.

 
Have you had hybrids before? I held out for awhile but now I wouldn't be without one (or two ... maybe three).

 
Mavric said:
Have you had hybrids before? I held out for awhile but now I wouldn't be without one (or two ... maybe three).
Click to expand...
I need to upgrade my 3-wood/metal and 5-wood/metal. I just don't play enough to justify buying some new ones.

The lowest iron I carry is a 4-iron. I haven't thought about putting hybrids in my bag, as I like to carry extra wedges.

 
Mavric said:
Have you had hybrids before? I held out for awhile but now I wouldn't be without one (or two ... maybe three).
Click to expand...
I have played hybrids off and on. They just have a tendency to go left more than any other club for me. Last season, I used somewhat of a "driving iron," a 3i from a Tour Edge Exotics iron set. It was a mix between an iron and hybrid. I hit it great all season. This year, I've been making a few swing changes and improving. However, now that trusty 3i is just launching/spinning too low. It become basically obsolete off of the deck; I didn't feel comfortable if I had to carry it 230 on a long par three or reachable par five.

 
I don't carry a 5 wood. Driver, 3W, 3H, 4H, 5i-9i, PW, GW, SW, LW, Putter. There is a distance gap between my 3W and 3H but that's a distance I rarely need anyway so I live with it to have the hybrids and extra wedges. I'd much rather have a 3H than a 5W.

 
Just curious, Q, in a typical round how often (%) do you hit your driver off the tee on par 4s? Par 5s? I suppose it depends largely on how tight the fairway is, and the length of the hole. If you're not hitting your driver well on a given day, do you put it in the bag after a few holes? Or tough it out, hoping it will start working for you? (Or maybe you don't have those days when your driver just won't go straight.)

 
I'm frustrated right now. I have tomorrow off for Good Friday and have been planning on golfing most of the day. Problem was, I wasn't paying attention to the weather. Now, I see it's supposed to be in the 30s in the morning and only a high of 55.

Crap, I'm going to be expected to do work around the house now.

 
ColoradoHusk said:
Mavric said:
Have you had hybrids before? I held out for awhile but now I wouldn't be without one (or two ... maybe three).
Click to expand...
I need to upgrade my 3-wood/metal and 5-wood/metal. I just don't play enough to justify buying some new ones.

The lowest iron I carry is a 4-iron. I haven't thought about putting hybrids in my bag, as I like to carry extra wedges.
Click to expand...
I need to do this as well. I'm using a Wilson Deep Red that I've had for probably close to 10 years now. I have yet to find a club that feels as comfortable as this one does in my hands. I can hit this thing from the tee/fairway straight as an arrow every time. Tried out many just haven't found one.

What are some 3 woods that you guys play?

 
NUance said:
Just curious, Q, in a typical round how often (%) do you hit your driver off the tee on par 4s? Par 5s? I suppose it depends largely on how tight the fairway is, and the length of the hole. If you're not hitting your driver well on a given day, do you put it in the bag after a few holes? Or tough it out, hoping it will start working for you? (Or maybe you don't have those days when your driver just won't go straight.)
Click to expand...
It really depends on the course. At my club, I find it to be one of the toughest courses off of the tee I have ever played. Under normal wind conditions, I will hit D 6-7X, 3W 6-7X, and 3i once. Then I will go to Eagle Bend (Lawrence), host of my Kansas Amateur qualifier, and I'll hit D 13X and 3W once. I feel nearly equally confident in my accuracy with both D and 3W, but it just comes down to "landing areas." If it gets tight past 280, I'll hit 3W. It is uncommon for me to bench it as a result of a few bad drives in one day. I have somewhat of a "shooters mentality," I think the next one is always going in, or will be hit perfect when it comes to golf. That being said, after a few weeks of poor play, I took my old 3W out of the bag for the entire 2014 season.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
wiuhusker said:
What are some 3 woods that you guys play?
Click to expand...
I can't say enough good things about the Taylormade SLDR Mini. It was actually designed as a driver replacement. It is sized in between your normal D (460cc) and 3W (180cc). The size makes it confidence-inspiring off of the tee. However, it is surprisingly easy to launch off of the deck. My instructor put me on to it and says "Taylormade accidentally made the best 3W ever."

 
QMany said:
wiuhusker said:
What are some 3 woods that you guys play?
Click to expand...
I can't say enough good things about the Taylormade SLDR Mini. It was actually designed as a driver replacement. It is sized in between your normal D (460cc) and 3W (180cc). The size makes it confidence-inspiring off of the tee. However, it is surprisingly easy to launch off of the deck. My instructor put me on to it and says "Taylormade accidentally made the best 3W ever."
Click to expand...
Is it referred to as the mini driver by websites? If so I may be looking to get that club soon if prices are what I have seen them going for. Definitely need to upgrade the 3 wood.

Q here's a question for you. I have never really cared/thought about different bounce on wedges. Always been a pretty decent short game guy until the last couple years with my 2 shoulder surgeries. What kind of wedges do you play? I've got a couple older Cleveland wedges. Been looking at the Vokeye wedges and have heard some good things about the Mizuno wedges too.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top