2021 Thread of 3 Putting

[crash_davis 23115]

On 3/6/2021 at 9:01 PM, pops said:

Oh, hello. 

 

damn, how many strokes off you handicap do you need to justify that 1/2 thousand. beautiful club! jelly!

[pops 7007]

1 hour ago, crash_davis said:

damn, how many strokes off you handicap do you need to justify that 1/2 thousand. beautiful club! jelly!

The driver it replaced is 9 years old (titleist 913)  so I don't change clubs often. 

Luckily I know a guy who knows a guy so I don't pay anything close to retail. With that shaft it is 900 retail which is fucking insane. I dont care if you're Dakota rain prescott. There is no driver in the world worth 900 bucks. 

Ranges open up up here this weekend so I'm champing at the bit to take it out. 

[crash_davis 23115]

7 minutes ago, pops said:

The driver it replaced is 9 years old (titleist 913)  so I don't change clubs often. 

Luckily I know a guy who knows a guy so I don't pay anything close to retail. With that shaft it is 900 retail which is fucking insane. I dont care if you're Dakota rain prescott. There is no driver in the world worth 900 bucks. 

Ranges open up up here this weekend so I'm champing at the bit to take it out. 

holy sheet. for $900, it better suck my dick for every birdie. wait nevermind, i'd never get my dick sucked.

[babysdaddy 2728]

19 hours ago, crash_davis said:

holy sheet. for $900, it better suck my dick for every birdie. wait nevermind, i'd never get my dick sucked.

married to the game, apparently

[blacklab 11955]

@Seneca Tinsley Re: Lakeway

Falcon head is nice and you should be able to get on

Ones in lakeway you probably can get on and are nice: The Hills of Lakeway Hills and Hills of Lakeway Flintrock. They are semi-private but I've been able to play in the past.

Ones in lakeway that will be a pain to get on but do if you can: Spanish Oaks and Austin Golf Club. Need a current member to get you on or if you have a pro they may be able to get you on

A little west are Barton Creek Lakeside and Lakecliff. Shouldn't be a problem getting on Lakecliff, Don't know about BC lakeside, have played it a few times just by calling. Both are fun courses.

If you want to play Willie Nelson's course it's out west too. http://cutnputt.com/

 

[Atxracer 797]

@Seneca Tinsley  Looking through your posts, you don't seem like an axe murderer so I can get you on Spanish Oaks if I am available when you are.  Unless you are a 10 handicap or under, bring at least a dozen balls, lol.  

[Go Pokes 979]

I have a tee time at Kizer tomorrow around noon if any Austinites want it.

[gurt 751]

So played Crystal Falls today, and for the last time. I don’t know who they think their clientele is, but hitting it in the middle of the fairway shouldn’t result in it rolling 50 yards into the rough (which was really just dirt and rocks). And maybe don’t make it to where the greens are skating rinks. Basically any chip that wasn’t up hill was gonna roll to the fringe. It just felt cruel, punishing you for decent shots. If you weren’t inch perfect par was unattainable.

[conVINCEd 21469]

16 minutes ago, gurt said:

So played Crystal Falls today, and for the last time. I don’t know who they think their clientele is, but hitting it in the middle of the fairway shouldn’t result in it rolling 50 yards into the rough (which was really just dirt and rocks). And maybe don’t make it to where the greens are skating rinks. Basically any chip that wasn’t up hill was gonna roll to the fringe. It just felt cruel, punishing you for decent shots. If you weren’t inch perfect par was unattainable.

Same as it was 20 years ago.

[blacklab 11955]

14 hours ago, gurt said:

So played Crystal Falls today, and for the last time. I don’t know who they think their clientele is, but hitting it in the middle of the fairway shouldn’t result in it rolling 50 yards into the rough (which was really just dirt and rocks). And maybe don’t make it to where the greens are skating rinks. Basically any chip that wasn’t up hill was gonna roll to the fringe. It just felt cruel, punishing you for decent shots. If you weren’t inch perfect par was unattainable.

It's always been like that. I remember one hole that it was literally impossible to stay on the fairway. I played it 3 times and every person in our group ended up in the creek on the right. The last time I played it I took a 3 iron and hit a low draw into the left rough and it still ended up in the creek on the right side of the fairway. You could stand in the middle of the fairway and drop a ball from your hand and it would end up in the creek. That's not golf, that's just stupid.

[Atxracer 797]

They had a weird deal at Spanish yesterday where they put the cup in the hardest possible spot on the green. It was like putt putt and I seven putted one hole.  Best score of the day was an 85 which is actually pretty impressive considering where the cups were.  

[Lurch 5931]

Hate to hear Crystal Falls has reverted to old form. They fixed it around 2010 and it was solid until I left in 2017.

Bob, you’re almost certainly referring to 11. They cleared the underbrush on both sides and changed the way they mowed it to fix that and it turned into a great hole, especially after they rebuilt the green following one of the floods.

My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure Cap thinks #9 is the best hole in Central Texas.

[conVINCEd 21469]

8 hours ago, blacklab said:

It's always been like that. I remember one hole that it was literally impossible to stay on the fairway. I played it 3 times and every person in our group ended up in the creek on the right. The last time I played it I took a 3 iron and hit a low draw into the left rough and it still ended up in the creek on the right side of the fairway. You could stand in the middle of the fairway and drop a ball from your hand and it would end up in the creek. That's not golf, that's just stupid.

Fuck that hole, and everyone who has ever played that course knows exactly what you are talking about.

[blacklab 11955]

I'll take your word for it Lurch but I'm never going to play there again.

[capnamerca 572]

21 hours ago, Lurch said:

Hate to hear Crystal Falls has reverted to old form. They fixed it around 2010 and it was solid until I left in 2017.

Bob, you’re almost certainly referring to 11. They cleared the underbrush on both sides and changed the way they mowed it to fix that and it turned into a great hole, especially after they rebuilt the green following one of the floods.

My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure Cap thinks #9 is the best hole in Central Texas.

Do you mean 12? 11 is the par 3. WAY back in the day, 9, 10, 12 and 18 were both "drop a ball in the middle of the fairway, and it'll roll into the rough and possibly even the hazard" territory. 12 runs HARD right, but as long as there's even a little bit of grass in the rough right, it'll keep your ball out of the hazard now.

As of summer 2020, CF was eminently playable. It would be a bummer if they've let the greens go back to being trampolines with no grass. They had a fairly large management turnover two summers ago (head pro, several staffers), but I think the super is still the same guy (and he's awesome). 

#9 can suck a cock, btw. @Lurch is very aware of my opinion on the matter.

Edited March 15, 2021 by capnamerca

[capnamerca 572]

On 3/13/2021 at 6:21 PM, Atxracer said:

They had a weird deal at Spanish yesterday where they put the cup in the hardest possible spot on the green. It was like putt putt and I seven putted one hole.  Best score of the day was an 85 which is actually pretty impressive considering where the cups were.  

Christ I can't imagine that track tricked up like that.

[capnamerca 572]

Made a 2 today on #7 at Forest Creek. That was fun :).

[Lurch 5931]

Do you mean 12? 11 is the par 3. WAY back in the day, 9, 10, 12 and 18 were both "drop a ball in the middle of the fairway, and it'll roll into the rough and possibly even the hazard" territory. 12 runs HARD right, but as long as there's even a little bit of grass in the rough right, it'll keep your ball out of the hazard now.
As of summer 2020, CF was eminently playable. It would be a bummer if they've let the greens go back to being trampolines with no grass. They had a fairly large management turnover two summers ago (head pro, several staffers), but I think the super is still the same guy (and he's awesome). 
#9 can suck a cock, btw. [mention=241]Lurch[/mention] is very aware of my opinion on the matter.

Oops, yeah #12

[heso 2816]

Gonna be a chilly start to the season for a couple hours tomorrow morning.

But the clubs are clean, the bag is stocked, new glove, new shoes, and the clothes are picked out like it’s the night before a middle school field trip.

Starting my golf season in March instead of shoveling snow is as good as it gets.

[Bookman 4642]

I'm going to go on a little rant about golf instruction.

When I started playing again last year, I'd hit a lot of great shots and a lot of terrible shots. In particular, if I was 30-90 yards away I'd hit about 80% of those shots fat and 100% of those shots to the left. It was so bad that on par 5s I'd lay up to have a 100+ yard approach shot. So I decided to take a lesson, which was pretty worthless. I basically paid him $125 for him to tell me "don't worry about your backswing" and "don't hit it fat."

Since then I've been practicing, have gotten more consistent, but now I've been hitting a lot of tops. I'm not an especially long hitter, but on Saturday I busted a drive on a par 5 and then cold hard topped my approach. I was so disappointed with that shot that on Sunday I got another lesson.

This second instructor was great. He immediately told me that I'm "flipping" the club, which explains my inconsistency. He also very-simply got my legs more involved with my swing which immediately added 10+ yards to my drives.

This is going to take some time, but at least now I have something to work on.

I'm 45 years old and played lots of golf from ages 14-27. I've taken lots of lessons over the years and I'm just dismayed by how bad most of them have been.

 

[HouTex 1894]

^^^ The right instructor is everything. Some pros can be great with some people and horrible with others. It can be hard to find the right mix of technical teaching ability and the right personality fit. I recently took a great lesson from a pro who was brutally honest with what I needed to change. I like that approach and i have thick skin. Other guys I know hate it and think the guy, and others with a similar style, are terrible. For them, bedside manner is very important. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to spend some $$ to find the right teaching pro for you. Another point for any sexists in the house, don’t discount lady pros.

[capnamerca 572]

+1 to bedside manner being important. I'm a talker when I get a lesson; I have to be able to "play back" what I'm being told in my own words, things that make sense to me, and have the instructor understand that and course correct me where I translate something wrong. I also describe how things feel, and I have to rely on the instructor to translate to teachable functional movements. I've put two guys onto my guy here in Austin, and both love him. He's VERY technical, but also incredibly patient lol.

[crash_davis 23115]

I took a lesson a month ago. I have a pretty good swing but my problem was casting/releasing my hands way to early on the downswing. I had/have huge issues with chunking the ball, consistently making good contact, and compressing the ball. My ball flight was way too high, which goes back to casting/releasing way too early and not having any shaft lean at contact. The instructor wasn't great as he seemed to be used to teaching brand new golfers. He gave me three tips/advice.

I wasn't shifting enough weight on my back leg on the backswing. I was really 50/50 throughout the swing. I knew to put weight on back leg and then drive to front leg on the swing. It was good for someone to validate that I wasn't always doing that. He gave me a tip and drill on rolling my wrist in, squaring the club face at the peak of my backswing and holding that wrist position (squaring the face) through the downswing. The last tip which I already knew was the stop casting and hold the lag longer. He gave me pump drills, again which I knew. The big tip/drill for me was the wrist roll/squaring of club face through the downswing. Taking what he taught me and watching copious youtube videos have my working on a new swing.

I bought a hitting mat and have been grooving my new swing. I put a piece of paper 2 inches before the ball during hitting drills. I consistently do not hit the piece of paper which means I am not casting on the downswing/chunking and holding my shaft lean through contact. 

Long way of saying, instructors seem to be good at certain stages of people's learning. I think my instructor is great for beginners. He was ok for where I am in my swing and what I needed fixing. He gave my good tips but I had to watch many youtube videos to get better drills on holding lag and shifting weight during downswing.

$60 for the lesson. I'd say it was worth it.

[ocugolf 1214]

Went on a splurge today. Traded in some old junk for a basically new Titleist TS3 with the Fujikura Ventus black in it. The ordered a combo set set from Calaway with 4-6 being the Apex Pro and 7-9 being the Apex MB. True Temper Tour Issue X100s. Can’t wait to get them all in.

[Jimbaround 975]

In reference to the lesson discussion: I bought a GolfTec package late last year.  It wasn't cheap, but it's helped immensely.  I know everyone uses video for lessons now, but it's nice to be able to go and practice and video yourself.  It's helped me a ton in self-diagnosis when out on the course.

My biggest issue was my backswing was so long I was striking the ball inconsistently.  I had to fix my brain to realize what felt like a 1/4 backswing was almost full, and that I didn't need an exaggerated backswing to obtain the same distances.

The difference in the accuracy in my irons is night and day and my confidence level his way up when hitting any of my clubs.

[Bookman 4642]

I don't want to talk too soon, but I've played 36 holes since the lesson on Sunday and I've hit some of the best long irons of my entire life. I even drove a short par 4.

[Bookman 4642]

On 3/24/2021 at 9:47 AM, crash_davis said:

I took a lesson a month ago. I have a pretty good swing but my problem was casting/releasing my hands way to early on the downswing. I had/have huge issues with chunking the ball, consistently making good contact, and compressing the ball. My ball flight was way too high, which goes back to casting/releasing way too early and not having any shaft lean at contact.

 

This was basically my problem. When I was hitting a normal shot I was pretty good at making contact, but whenever I'd try to hit it hard or use a 3/4 swing it was a disaster.

During the lesson the guy told me to add some shaft lean at address, https://www.golfdistillery.com/tweaks/setup/club-shaft/shaft-lean/, and these last two rounds I have hit some crisp, straight, high, drawing iron shots with lots of spin. I'm hitting 180 yard iron shots that are beautiful. I haven't even practiced it. The driving range at my course has been closed.

I feel like this is a game changer.

[DDD Dad 14352]

+1 to bedside manner being important. I'm a talker when I get a lesson; I have to be able to "play back" what I'm being told in my own words, things that make sense to me, and have the instructor understand that and course correct me where I translate something wrong. I also describe how things feel, and I have to rely on the instructor to translate to teachable functional movements. I've put two guys onto my guy here in Austin, and both love him. He's VERY technical, but also incredibly patient lol.

You’re not just a talker when you get a lesson.

[Mileslong 4728]

Pretty cool that you guys named the thread in honor of [mention=121]DDD Dad[/mention]

DDD Dad just needs to buy a more expensive putter. Everyone knows that the more you spend the better you play...

[Bookman 4642]

I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I started playing golf over 30 years ago and I feel like I just learned how to hit the ball. I should have taken a hint from a round a had a few months ago. It was real windy and I tried to hit a low drive under the wind by keeping my hands forward. Instead of hitting it low, I hit it high and absolutely crushed it.

[ocugolf 1214]

Playing Maridoe today, this winter kill is BAD. Can’t see how they will host the USGA Women’s 4 ball in 3 weeks.

[ztejas 43546]

Played Penick today on a whim because it's $20 and there are always tee times and golf is still golf. The greens were basically unplayable in areas but I hit maybe my best shot ever from about ~150. 

I was wondering had I landed it 2 inches left would it have stayed in the cup (probably not).

[tx 3 putt 77535]

16 hours ago, Bookman said:

This was basically my problem. When I was hitting a normal shot I was pretty good at making contact, but whenever I'd try to hit it hard or use a 3/4 swing it was a disaster.

During the lesson the guy told me to add some shaft lean at address, https://www.golfdistillery.com/tweaks/setup/club-shaft/shaft-lean/, and these last two rounds I have hit some crisp, straight, high, drawing iron shots with lots of spin. I'm hitting 180 yard iron shots that are beautiful. I haven't even practiced it. The driving range at my course has been closed.

I feel like this is a game changer.

 

im a huge fan of positive shaft lean 

[tx 3 putt 77535]

6 hours ago, ztejas said:

Played Penick today on a whim because it's $20 and there are always tee times and golf is still golf. The greens were basically unplayable in areas but I hit maybe my best shot ever from about ~150. 

I was wondering had I landed it 2 inches left would it have stayed in the cup (probably not).

 

why's that pin in the middle of a field ?

[ztejas 43546]

4 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

why's that pin in the middle of a field ?

It was an interesting putting day to say the least. 

Rest of the course was actually in great shape. Not that I'd recommend anyone play out there with a straight face.

[Bookman 4642]

8 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

im a huge fan of positive shaft lean 

Yesterday my course's driving range was open so I practiced. Damn that was fun. I think I hit about 10 perfect six irons in a row. I pulled out my 3-hybrid and just crushed it.

Interestingly, there was a guy out there giving a lesson to one of his friends, and I could overhear them. He started talking about this "new tip that I just learned called the forward shaft lean."

I can't wait to play again.

[Spaulding Smails 1555]

Played Wolfdancer yesterday.  Won't be back any time soon.  Which is a shame.  That course always kicks my ass, but I still love the layout.

Range balls were old / slick.  The whole course just looked disheveled. Greens were average at best.  Bumpy, uneven and full of weeds in spots.  We teed off at 10:10 and got stuck behind two sloooooow groups.  Ended up playing a 5-1/2 hour round.  Bev cart girl disappeared on the back 9.  Never saw a Marshal once.  Bar / Restaurant was closed.  So, we couldn't even sit at the 19th hole and settle up bets.  We had to do that on the tailgate in the parking lot.  Oh, and green fees were $175.  To add insult to it all, it was $12 to park that you have to pay before you can leave the property.  From a pure value standpoint, it may have been one of the worst golf experiences of my life.  For $175, it better be an "experience".  It was far, far from that.  

[ztejas 43546]

1 hour ago, Spaulding Smails said:

Played Wolfdancer yesterday.  Won't be back any time soon.  Which is a shame.  That course always kicks my ass, but I still love the layout.

Range balls were old / slick.  The whole course just looked disheveled. Greens were average at best.  Bumpy, uneven and full of weeds in spots.  We teed off at 10:10 and got stuck behind two sloooooow groups.  Ended up playing a 5-1/2 hour round.  Bev cart girl disappeared on the back 9.  Never saw a Marshal once.  Bar / Restaurant was closed.  So, we couldn't even sit at the 19th hole and settle up bets.  We had to do that on the tailgate in the parking lot.  Oh, and green fees were $175.  To add insult to it all, it was $12 to park that you have to pay before you can leave the property.  From a pure value standpoint, it may have been one of the worst golf experiences of my life.  For $175, it better be an "experience".  It was far, far from that.  

Greens across centex seem to be a mess right now. I think that freeze really did a number on them. 

[Lurch 5931]

 
im a huge fan of positive shaft lean 

Always a critical part of my setup routine: PGA

Posture

Grip (shaft pointing a left pocket, thumb webs pointing at right shoulder)

Alignment

[Spaulding Smails 1555]

On 3/27/2021 at 11:22 AM, ztejas said:

Greens across centex seem to be a mess right now. I think that freeze really did a number on them. 

Agreed.  But the greens were the least of my concern.  Even if you can't control that, you can control the customer experience, interaction and perceived value.

[crash_davis 23115]

On 3/26/2021 at 4:01 PM, ztejas said:

Played Penick today on a whim because it's $20 and there are always tee times and golf is still golf. The greens were basically unplayable in areas but I hit maybe my best shot ever from about ~150. 

I was wondering had I landed it 2 inches left would it have stayed in the cup (probably not).

that's the definition of a goat ranch. if playing there, think of it as a course to work on your irons game. go elsewhere if you want to putt.

[capnamerca 572]

On 3/27/2021 at 9:27 AM, Spaulding Smails said:

Played Wolfdancer yesterday.  Won't be back any time soon.  Which is a shame.  That course always kicks my ass, but I still love the layout.

Range balls were old / slick.  The whole course just looked disheveled. Greens were average at best.  Bumpy, uneven and full of weeds in spots.  We teed off at 10:10 and got stuck behind two sloooooow groups.  Ended up playing a 5-1/2 hour round.  Bev cart girl disappeared on the back 9.  Never saw a Marshal once.  Bar / Restaurant was closed.  So, we couldn't even sit at the 19th hole and settle up bets.  We had to do that on the tailgate in the parking lot.  Oh, and green fees were $175.  To add insult to it all, it was $12 to park that you have to pay before you can leave the property.  From a pure value standpoint, it may have been one of the worst golf experiences of my life.  For $175, it better be an "experience".  It was far, far from that.  

Holy shit, this is horrible.  I used to love getting a last-minute (or government rate, my wife is civil services) rate out there, staying a quick overnight and playing 1 or 2 rounds at Wolfdancer. 

[Steel Shank 9432]

On 3/27/2021 at 11:22 AM, ztejas said:

Greens across centex seem to be a mess right now. I think that freeze really did a number on them. 

I've played Kizer, Plum Creek, Quicksand (Wimberly) and Falconhead since the freeze, and I thought all the greens were in good shape.

[DDD Dad 14352]

On 3/26/2021 at 7:49 AM, Mileslong said:

DDD Dad just needs to buy a more expensive putter. Everyone knows that the more you spend the better you play...

I've got a half dozen Scotty Cameron Napas and an original 1960's Wilson "designed by Arnold Palmer" sitting in a bag in my office collecting dust.

Trust me, it ain't the putter.  It's the putter.  If you know what I mean.

In other news, I did win "longest putt made" in our annual kickoff shamble this past weekend (30 foot right to left bender on 18).

[StruggleBus 3922]

I picked up a new set of the 21 Apex Pros 4-PW. I really, really like these. Decided on them over the P770 because I just liked the look at address better. 

[crash_davis 23115]

this motherfucking game. on the range, i'm a golf pro. hit every club like i should be on tour.

play my first course in upteenth year, i turn into a feeble idiot doubting my swing and forgetting everything i've done to groove my new swing. i'm spraying balls left and right, topping the shit out of hybrids and shanking drivers. my wedge game which was my strongest turns to complete shit.

any advice on hot to not revert back to old habits on the course?

[HouTex 1894]

this motherfucking game. on the range, i'm a golf pro. hit every club like i should be on tour.
play my first course in upteenth year, i turn into a feeble idiot doubting my swing and forgetting everything i've done to groove my new swing. i'm spraying balls left and right, topping the shit out of hybrids and shanking drivers. my wedge game which was my strongest turns to complete shit.
any advice on hot to not revert back to old habits on the course?

A very good club golfer told me if you really want to improve and take your practice game to the course you need to bet a little more than you are comfortable losing. I’m too cheap to give it a try. When I ask my pros your same question they say I need to play more often (I already play once a week) and I need to practice more and take more lessons.

[ztejas 43546]

49 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

this motherfucking game. on the range, i'm a golf pro. hit every club like i should be on tour.

play my first course in upteenth year, i turn into a feeble idiot doubting my swing and forgetting everything i've done to groove my new swing. i'm spraying balls left and right, topping the shit out of hybrids and shanking drivers. my wedge game which was my strongest turns to complete shit.

any advice on hot to not revert back to old habits on the course?

Right there with you. Would you punch me if I said keep your head down? I routinely top balls on the first 3-4 holes out. I think I get too excited/worried about the shot I'm hitting and where the ball is going and want to see the result before the swing is finished.

When you're on the range you don't care where the ball lands. I mean - you have a target and a desired ball flight but it doesn't matter. 

You know where the ball is going to go if you hit it properly - so just hit it properly. As I tell myself sometimes - "Quit being a pussy and hit the fucking ball." Then concern yourself with where it lands. 

Not sure if that makes sense or is helpful but it's my two cents.

I've also gotten more conscious about what I'm doing on the range. Hitting the same lie 100 times doesn't do me any favors. I'll hit one from one side then move a couple feet back. I'll hit one that's sitting up and then hit one that's a little buried. I might get 7-8 perfect lies during most rounds. If I'm lucky.

[gurt 751]

I actually find I am worse on the range than on the course a lot of times.  I think because I am thinking too much on the range.  I lose the natural feel.  Also, going too fast on the range I start to tire, not going through a good pre-shot routine for every shot like on the course.

[Lurch 5931]

Firm believer of using pre shot routine on the range. Establishes rhythm and reduces risk of ingraining a bad habit or feel

Also ensures you’re aiming at a target not just hitting downfield