whats your game ?

Never mind hitting a PW 150yds what's your assement of your game, what are you good at ? bad at ? indifferent at ? I'll start, hopefully when assessing your game you will know what to focus on the next time you practice.

Driver.... Not bad with the driver, reasonably accurate, though I do send a fair few right but I get away with them on my local course.

3 Wood.... I hit this fairly straight off the tee, off the fairway I tend to pull it  left a fair bit.

7 Wood.....Probably my most accurate club. hit high and straight almost everytime, be it off the tee/fairway or rough, love it

Irons..... My problem area, 9,8,7 Irons I'm fine with even if I do hit the odd fat or thin shot, my 6 Iron I hate and will try any other club before I'm forced to use it, I strike a 5 Iron well about 70% and I don't carry anything below it as my woods suffice. I do struggle with my accuracy with my Irons even when I strike them clean.

PW....Another problem area for me, I can hit good shots with this if it's round the green, but I tend to catch them fat from further out, around the 100 yrd--60yrd areas, probably because I'm up looking for it.

Gap wedge..... I can hit great shots with this club, but usually from around 50yrds, I get it high and get a lot of backspin, love using it but tend to pull it out from the wrong distance at times and find myself short of the gree

Putter....Since I bought my new putter my putting has become a shot saver to my game, I have improved a lot since my purchase and would say I am a strong putter.

Chipping...Another strong part of my game though I still duff a fair few hence my handicap staying static

Bunkers....Hit and miss here I'm afraid, I lack confidence and tend to focus on getting the ball out of the sand rather than where I get it out, this in turn leads me to decelerate and invariably stay in the darn thing.

Driver -

Now I have accepted I cannot get on with a "modern" driver, my Callaway Steelhead Plus 9 Deg comes out on rare occasions, not when the pressure is on! I get on with a steel shaft but must have a graphite allergy!

5 Wood - Mixed fortunes, again not a banker.

Rescues - Ever since I ditched these, I hit my 3 and 4 Iron alot better.

Irons - 3-SW - Very very happy at the moment, got my yardages sorted out, need to improve course management. Making alot of GIR.

LW 60 Degree, effective when I commit to the shot.

Putter - When I started playing, I could putt well (luck) and therefore did not practice anywhere near enough. This is the part of the game where I lose out and I need to address this if I ever want to have a single fig HCP.

Getting there with most of my clubs, can't say I really fear any one club in particular.  Certainly need to work on bunker play though as do still fear going in them as very likely to thin one shooting across the green, or leave in the bunker totally.  Sometimes catch them just right and it then seems so easy - but currently not confident.  Must work on that...

Wayne's the only guy on this thread so far that I've seen swing... hope your lesson sorts your wedge out mate. I'm surprised that's a problem club for you as having seen you play a little bit last week I really liked the look of your swing.  Like you say sort that club and the handicap will drop some....

Maybe you can give me some bunker tips next time we meet if I haven't sussed it by then? 

Nice one Wayne thanks.  I can't really offer you advice on the short wedge shots, apart from the fact I've been trying to learn the 7.30, 9.00, 10.30 length of backswings on my wedges to try and get some judgable distance control - then obviously as with all shots it's a case of fully committing to the shot and making sure you accelerate through the ball - I'm sure you know all that. it's just executing it that's the tough bit isn't it?!

Jim, I must be way behind the times as I have never heard of the 7.30, 9.00 or 10.30 length of backswings to determine distance.

To me distance control is all about feel which determines the strength of the shot I play.

If you throw a ball to a certain point, you instinctively know how hard to throw it, and I apply this prniciple to playing all my shots. Varying the length of the backswing will not alter the strength of the shot.

Absolutlely, I can hit my wedge as far with half a backswing as with a full backswing. It is about how hard you come through the ball on the downswing and this surely must be based on feel.

I'm still open minded on the technique. It's a Dave Pelz technique from his "short game bible" that's fairly widely known, basic principal is you keep the same strength/tempo on all wedge shots, just varying the backswing length to vary the distance.

It definitely works as a technique, however I must agree that just developing a good "feel" for shots instead is probably a better and more natural way of moving forward.  However having worked on just the "9.00pm"  distances so far I must admit it does give me confidence from set yardages with each of my wedges that I didn't have before...

If you apply the same strength then the length of the backswing is irrelevant in my opinion.

I don't have much of a backswing anyway so not much scope for making it shorter or longer. I still maintain that distance is a feel thing and the brain will instinctively apply the necessary power to achieve the distance required.

This time clock theory is just not foolproof enough for me.

You have not mentioned the follow through, what does Mr Pelz say about this part of the swing as it is important to the trajectory of the shot, as is the ball position.

All of these factors have to be taken into account mentally as one is preparing fpor the shot and once decided has to be played with a committed swing.

I may be wrong, of course but the method I use has been good to me throughout my time in golf and now is even more important as my long game has deteriorated.

With the Dave Pelz technique ball position is always dead centre and regardless of the backswing length you always go to a full follow through.  As mentioned I can see how it works, and have even proven it to myself with the little I've tried with it.  However, like you mention I think there is more to be gained by learning a true feel for shots and allowing flexibility regarding ball position, trajectory etc....

So this is not a special technique at all and is very limited in what kind of shots this will achieve. If you are happy with it Jim, who am I to say differently. All I do know is that I require far more flexibility in my shotmaking than something as sinple as that.

I am sure you already know that a full follow through will achieve a high ball flight from the centre of your stance and a higher ball flight if played off the front foot and a lower ball flight if played off the back foot. Add in the various ball trajectories that can be achieved by the length of the follow through and you will realise that it is not an exact  science and this is why I feel that the methods I use for this demanding of shots needs to be thought out very carefully.

I am not decrying anyones method of playing these kind of shots as nothing is laid down in concrete in this game. It is a game of flair, imagination and invention, with many different methods that will achieve the same result. That is why it is so fascinating.

You have a very sound swing, one that I like very much and am pleased that you are open to all manner of swing thought from many different sources. Some you will take on board and others you will dismiss, but in the end you have the right attitude to improve. Good Luck, Jim.

Arghh another second attempt.

 Jim I agree with you as I use that method and I think the key is tempo, the incremental club head speed achieved from release at 7.30 9 or 10pm establishes the distance required but needs practise and the purity of strike has to be spot on. Anyway my game:

Driver is doing v well thank you in last four months. In this warm weather I'm getting 250 plus carry and added to dry fairways, the run makes life much easier as I used to get zilch run in winter (mostly a plug). The downside is stopping it on guarded par 5's.

1 iron, not needed due to driver but see 3 & 4

3 & 4. recently I have a tendancy varying from to left to right to a near duck hook...possibly when I'm trying to cream it and possibly due to me paying too much attention to driving and not my long irons. 

5-8 ok, striking consistently and getting good flight

9 iron ok but can't use as much as I'd like to in this weather

s/w 64* wedge-due to this dry weather from 50yds the 9 iron is not an option as a high ball is required. s/w reasonable but the 64* wedge is a big problem for me from 15yds. You need to be able to carry to within two feet of your visualised shot but I can be out by up to 100% both ways ie hitting it either 7 yds of 25 yds which I know is mainly down to the lie but I need to do a lot of work or God forbid I go into %age golf from so nest to the pin.

Putter- I have my triumphs and disappointments like all of us but I must get out of this 'should get down in two' mentality. Though at my new couse I reckon I'm getting 80% of 6 footers which is priceless. You can't beat good greens.

Im presuming that is meant to say 80% Patrick

Anyways, here is mine:

ALL CLUBS:

Really getting some good shots on the range - when I get out on the course, I forget everything and duff most!

God I hate this game!!!!

 Thanks Dennis, that post was in need of an edit after a reread.