[uaodnabnjz]

We all strive to improve our games, and we all have an area that we believe, with improvement, will provide the most to lowering our handicaps and make us better players all around.

For me that is consistency. I see this from two primary views:

1. Consistency in ball striking
   
   1. Increased consistency in getting the club back the ball and square to my target line
   2. Increased consistency in hitting the ball solid and online, with EVERY CLUB in the bag
      
      1. Less/fewer of those slices and high floaters
      2. Fewer of those hard pulls and the hook that comes when I forget to swing easy and 'jump' on a shot
2. Increased consistency in yardage distance with the same club.
   
   • I see postings where better players discuss the 'yardage gap' between clubs. Well for me, I'd like to be able to hit my 7 iron time and again and know that it is going to be within 5-10 yards each time. Sometimes I can hit my 7 iron 150+ yards, then when I feel that I really need it at 145, I float one out there and get 130 out of it.

I spend the majority of my time on the range vs chipping and putting. Most of my range time is devoted to hitting irons, 7-SW. I do practice the driver and fw woods but mostly on hitting irons.

My thoughts about this approach are:

1. If I can become more consistent with my hitting, overall my scores will come down. At this time my handicap IS NOT my primary focus, while it is in the back of my mind as an objective. Improved consistency is the primary focus.
2. My putting is ok, I'm very confident in my putting an very comfortable on the greens. I seldom have more than 3 or 4 three putts in a round. I also usually will have 1-3 one putts per round. Even when I go to another course I usually don't have very many 3 putts. I'm able to 'get the feel' of the greens pretty easily, so this is one more reason that currently I'm more focused on ball striking than putting

What do you think about this ?

What is your area of GI improvement ? What are your thoughts about your approach to your GI ?

[MackBranon]

Very good thread idea.

Right now, I am really focusing on my wedge play. More in depth than that I would say shots 100 yards and in and hitting them 4 ways. Normal, high, low and different clubs. It is something 2 years ago I spent hours a week working on. I let that get away from me and now I am refocusing my effort there.

[Marat]

Everything minus my wedges and putter. Everything is a pull or off the toe. But my good short game keeps my scores decent

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

[Heliosprime]

My main focuses right now are my driver and my approach shots. Lately I have been really inconsistent and I messed with my swing so nothing is comfortable anymore. Lot of work at the range hasnt done too much and I had a really bad lesson which is where things kind of seemed to fall apart. I plan on doing a lot of recording and hopefully working with my old swing coach from back home.

[tinetttstation]

Driving and mid iron play.

I simply miss too many fairways, an when in good position miss too many greens. Quite pleased with my wedge play, but those mid irons have to improve.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PymnImmen]

My focuses while practicing are my ball striking with my irons (been hitting them fat lately) and chipping around the greens.

While playing, I have really been focusing on eliminating penalty strokes, playing to a number and no 3-putts.

[Nesskissabe]

I am working on making sure I have a good wrist hinge in my swing. I took a lesson this week and that was the thing that I was told I need to work on. I was told I was being robbed of distance because of a lack of wrist hinge. I do not consider myself a long hitter but I am not short either. My normal 7 iron is 165. I will focus on the wrist hinge in the near future and see what it does for my ball striking and distances. Time will tell...

[uaodnabnjz]

Thanks. Interesting focus you have, good on ya for getting back to it.


As you know I"m getting new G20 irons, you also know that shots as you are focused on are really not doable with those types of clubs. Hitting them high is doable, as that's the design point, but low, or knock downs not so much. However, having said that I know it's still something that one can 'work on' with the g20's too, just not gonna be the same as with say a muscle back club.

I am, I guess because of my skill level, always looking to bringing the ball in high - or what we might consider 'normal' being whatever the club offers without any extra 'intent' on my part.

I have some serious problems trying to hit low shots ... Attempting that type of shot seems to bring out my tendency to flip the club, and we all know the results of that.

Even with the GI clubs I still try to hit shots with open/close face so that I can better understand what's going on. If I can 'make it' go left, then I can understand what I need to do to 'make it' go straight, or left .... well, that's my thinking anyway LOL

Very good thread idea.

Right now, I am really focusing on my wedge play. More in depth than that I would say shots 100 yards and in and hitting them 4 ways. Normal, high, low and different clubs. It is something 2 years ago I spent hours a week working on. I let that get away from me and now I am refocusing my effort there.

[MackBranon]

Dont discount the club size, as long as something works for you, that is all that matters. I play rather large club heads and always love bringing it in high if I can. Im a big believer in perimeter weighted clubs and what it has done for my game. Keep working at your game and I look forward to following your progress.

[uaodnabnjz]

Everything minus my wedges and putter. Everything is a pull or off the toe. But my good short game keeps my scores decent

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

uh huh, when I got fitted for my new Pings it showed that I too hit towards the toe end of the club. I didn't need the fitting to know that, all you have to do is look at my clubs. They are from the late 1990's so they have some wear on them, very easy to see where my hitting pattern is. Most of my missed shots are pulls hard left or a hook, every once in awhile a weido slice will show up. Me too on the wedges and putter, I seldom pull either of those

Driving and mid iron play.

I simply miss too many fairways, an when in good position miss too many greens. Quite pleased with my wedge play, but those mid irons have to improve.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

EGGAXCTLY !!!!

[corkBrobe]

For me things that I'm working on regarding game improvement are the following...

1. Having undergone a complete swing change since February 2011 my coach and I are using time stuck indoors to pound tempo in my head. Ways that we worked on tempo was several rounds where I used nothing more than a 9 iron. Or buckets of strictly wedge. We are going to work on mechanics as we see fit (i.e. taking the club back too fast).

2. Course Management. I've always been good at it but there is room for improvement. The one thing that I don't do well is utilize my main shot (2-5 yard draw) by teeing it up on the left side of the block effectively eliminating the left side. as far as trying the hero shot that bounces off of 4 trees just end up costing you strokes has never been an issue.

Alex

[viagbloggerz]

Accurate approach shots from 150 and in. Doing lots of putting in my living room - working on a nice slow and smooth takeaway with the putter as I was getting way to quick and choppy.

[tousuarshatly]

For me, it's driving and chipping. I'm a pretty strong iron player and good with putter. My chipping is horrible, a crap-shoot.

With driver, length isn't the issue, it's direction. But, fingers crossed, I may have ironed things out the past two times at the range. I simply think about my takeaway as low, long, and slow. I think I was getting a bit too vertical in my takeaway. I'd driven the ball better than I have in two years, hopefully it translates to the course.

[Anydayhybeall]

Anything inside 150. Which is wedge play I guess.

[Slchtjgb]

2 things for me. Driver has gotten very sloppy over the past 2-3 months. Earlier in the summer I was driving better (accuracy) than I had ever been. Somehow that has gotten off track with old habits working themselves back into my swing. I can't swing by a range to tinker so I'm reliant upon getting out in the yard and taking slow motion reps without a ball. If I don't get off the tee well then I'm struggling on a hole, taking a drop puts be behind the 8 ball and honestly it's diffcult to recover at my skill level.

75 yds and in with 54* and 58* wedges. Missing to many greens or putting the ball in the wrong place. It's my goal to be able to place the ball within a range that gives me a good chance to get up and down a high precentage of the time. Not so much working on different types of shots, I can flight the ball low or high but accuracy is really hurting me know. I got a good tip from someone earlier this week on how they became a good wedge player and I plan on implementing a portion of that.

[SantaClaus]

2 things here as well:

Consistent solid iron striking
100 yards and in needs to get better if I am going to be a single digit.


Tappin' from my iPad!

[Seisyvose]

for me what i want to work on for next season is

1:short game.this to me is the most important part of the game because this is where shots are made or lost,i don't have to worry much about my long game and i find myself shooting my best scores when i'm getting up and down from the most impossible of places.

2:the mental side of the game,many times i have found myself scoring really well with say 6 holes to go before blowing it,i need to work on not thinking about my score and concentrating more on the task in hand and trying to play each shot as they come.

3:judging my iron shots better,i want to be a better distance player and be pin high more often.instead of playing the full shot and hitting the club i would need to hit absolutely spot on to make it there i want to play 1 club less and play a slightly easier shot.i tried this more towards the end of the season and it has worked a treat so next i want to employ this tactic more often if not all the time.it works well for me when i have a full wedge in but instead i'll take a slightly easier 9iron and the same goes for a full s wedge....i'll play a knock down p wedge and it works really well.

[uaodnabnjz]

For me things that I'm working on regarding game improvement are the following...

1. Having undergone a complete swing change since February 2011 my coach and I are using time stuck indoors to pound tempo in my head. Ways that we worked on tempo was several rounds where I used nothing more than a 9 iron. Or buckets of strictly wedge. We are going to work on mechanics as we see fit (i.e. taking the club back too fast).
that's one of the several reasons that I spend most all my practice time hitting irons, working to develop better tempo and rhythm

2. Course Management. I've always been good at it but there is room for improvement.
boy don't I know that to be true !

The one thing that I don't do well is utilize my main shot (2-5 yard draw) by teeing it up on the left side of the block effectively eliminating the left side. as far as trying the hero shot that bounces off of 4 trees just end up costing you strokes has never been an issue.
I'm still trying to develop that 'main shot' and to know that I can 'count on it' ..... instead of a 'go to' club, I want that 'go to shot'
Alex

Accurate approach shots from 150 and in. Doing lots of putting in my living room - working on a nice slow and smooth takeaway with the putter as I was getting way to quick and choppy.

I can relate to that, I experience that throughout the bag .... I know when my game is bad, if I can just get that thought in my head, slow down, smooth it out, things improve.... as we all know, hard stuff to do in the middle of a round. Just one of the many aspects of the game that thrill me

For me, it's driving and chipping. I'm a pretty strong iron player and good with putter. My chipping is horrible, a crap-shoot.

With driver, length isn't the issue, it's direction. But, fingers crossed, I may have ironed things out the past two times at the range. I simply think about my takeaway as low, long, and slow. I think I was getting a bit too vertical in my takeaway. I'd driven the ball better than I have in two years, hopefully it translates to the course.

that sounds just like the lil voice in my head !!

Anything inside 150. Which is wedge play I guess.

To me, 125 and in is wedge play, further than that I'm into the 9 iron

2 things for me. Driver has gotten very sloppy over the past 2-3 months. Earlier in the summer I was driving better (accuracy) than I had ever been. Somehow that has gotten off track with old habits working themselves back into my swing. I can't swing by a range to tinker so I'm reliant upon getting out in the yard and taking slow motion reps without a ball. If I don't get off the tee well then I'm struggling on a hole, taking a drop puts be behind the 8 ball and honestly it's difficult to recover at my skill level.
me too, however I'm finding that over the past several months that many times I've been surprised, even amazed, that I was able to get a boggie after taking a stroke .... it seems like I'm getting better at the recovery than I used to be.

75 yds and in with 54* and 58* wedges. Missing to many greens or putting the ball in the wrong place.
That's mostly what happens to me, funny thing is, I gripe that it's in the wrong place on the green, the reality of it is, at my level I'm doing good, and internally happy, to be ON THE GREEN ! :-)
It's my goal to be able to place the ball within a range that gives me a good chance to get up and down a high percentage of the time. Not so much working on different types of shots, I can flight the ball low or high but accuracy is really hurting me now. I got a good tip from someone earlier this week on how they became a good wedge player and I plan on implementing a portion of that.

Can you share that tip with us ?

[Clarissa]

Thanks. Interesting focus you have, good on ya for getting back to it.


As you know I"m getting new G20 irons, you also know that shots as you are focused on are really not doable with those types of clubs. Hitting them high is doable, as that's the design point, but low, or knock downs not so much. However, having said that I know it's still something that one can 'work on' with the g20's too, just not gonna be the same as with say a muscle back club.

I am, I guess because of my skill level, always looking to bringing the ball in high - or what we might consider 'normal' being whatever the club offers without any extra 'intent' on my part.

I have some serious problems trying to hit low shots ... Attempting that type of shot seems to bring out my tendency to flip the club, and we all know the results of that.

Even with the GI clubs I still try to hit shots with open/close face so that I can better understand what's going on. If I can 'make it' go left, then I can understand what I need to do to 'make it' go straight, or left .... well, that's my thinking anyway LOL

I think you will be surprised with the workability of the Pings om. Might be a little more difficult to flight the ball but it can be done

Right now I am working on 2 areas. Putting from inside 10 feet and my full swing. I'm going to do a swing change so that will take up a lot of my time over the winter. I have a 6 foot truthboard(thank you Mdbuschr!!) which will let me practice 6 footers inside.

[Hsmrcahr]

My first focus is a small one which is just getting the distance down on my irons. Irons are still fairly new to me and I believe I hit them about 5 yards further on average and I just have to get that down. Once I do that I'm gonna really try and focus on the short game. Mainly bump and run around the greens, and putting. I'm going to the conventional grip once again instead of left hand low which I'm hoping will help. Gotta work on reading more of the green to get the best read as well as making a good clean strike.