Playing Hooky

[ezra76]

There is only one thing worse than playing with a dead hook and I won't say that word. Man, I've never seen anything like the hooks I was hitting today. Setup dead fade and still hooked it 30yds. left. I managed to finally setup dead block on 15-18 and score well enough to limp in a 92, too little too late. So I guess I've got some work to do at the range. I haven't been able to "know" where the ball is going for over a month now. On a good note, I birdied the 16th for the 1st time ever. It's 396 with uphill approach and a 200yd. carry over water. I hit a massive 50+yd. draw off the tee into the fairway and then a little 9i 3/4 trap to 8ft.

I need to make some more video I think. Really don't know what's causing the hook. Possible early release. I made a point not to get the club inside on the takeaway but still hooking. At least I don't need a new driver, lol. I hit 2 6i's that were hooked over 30yds. left.

[King Par]

Whatever happened to hitting it straight? To be honest, I've never heard an 11 handicap talk more about working the ball.. trap this, dead block that.

[ezra76]

Originally Posted by King Par

Whatever happened to hitting it straight? To be honest, I've never heard an 11 handicap talk more about working the ball.. trap this, dead block that.

If I could hit it straight I would. If you hit it straight, why aren't you sharing the secret? I couldn't fix the hook so I setup to the right with body shut to target. This delayed the release. So I was setup for a draw essentially but with the clubface dead right at adress, setup block. That got the ball starting right and able to play the hook while subduing it a bit. I don't try to "fix" my swing on the course, I try to figure out a way to play it. Besides, I'm not nieve enough to think that after 26 dead hooks in a row I'm magically going to hit one straight. Had I done that I'd have shot 106.

BTW- I tried to hit it straight, every time on the front. That got me 2 lost balls and a 48. Hit one fairway and missed the rest, left.

[ezra76]

I'm half thinking of going back to the original guy I took lessons with. I struck the ball best after lessons with him and hit iron draws and driver cuts. Never hit it straighter than the few weeks after those lessons.

[JEFF4i]

"Straight" is relative I think he meant.

In a normal tournament or round(what have you), I only "work" the ball maybe 3 or 4 shots. Everything else I just use my draw. Well, unless its windy.

[ezra76]

Yeah, I'm not trying to "work" the ball really, just trying to hit it where I'm aiming. When I miss, I have to work it to get it at the target. Can't hit it straight with a tree 10yds. in front of me, right? So I draw or cut it around. The 9i I hit to make birdie was from a between GW-PW yardage off a ball above feet lie. It was a draw lie with a hook swing going. I just aimed it right and hit it 3/4 with a 9i, trapping the ball from back in my stance. Worked perfect on that hole anyway.

I'm agressive to say the least. I try to hit the optimal shot just about everytime. If I can sling a 40yd. hook with a 3i to the stick, I'll try it every time rather than punch out and hit a straight 7i in. If I can visualize the shot, I'll try it... and I've got a heck of an imagination as well as little short term memory.

[Stooonne]

"When I miss, I have to work it to get it at the target. Can't hit it straight with a tree 10yds. in front of me, right? So I draw or cut it around."

How many shots a round do you find yourself having to work the ball different from your normal shot pattern?

[ezra76]

About half probaby. I don't play on flat a cow pasture. I had my first iron shot off a clean flat lie on the 11th hole today... 185yd. par 3, lol. Which I tried to hit straight with a 6i btw and hooked 30yds. left.

[Stooonne]

Originally Posted by ezra76

About half probaby. I don't play on flat a cow pasture. I had my first iron shot off a clean flat lie on the 11th hole today... 185yd. par 3, lol. Which I tried to hit straight with a 6i btw and hooked 30yds. left.

Golf is tough enough, don't make it tougher! If you spend a little time to develop a consistent flight (draw or fade you pick) you're almost guaranteed to lower your handicap a lot. Hit your 'normal shot' when you can, and only hit the opposite when you absolutely have to (1-5 times a round roughly).

I know everybody has their own way of playing the game, but you should at least give it a try and see what happens.

[ezra76]

Originally Posted by Stooonne

Golf is tough enough, don't make it tougher! If you spend a little time to develop a consistent flight (draw or fade you pick) you're almost guaranteed to lower your handicap a lot. Hit your 'normal shot' when you can, and only hit the opposite when you absolutely have to (1-5 times a round roughly).

I know everybody has their own way of playing the game, but you should at least give it a try and see what happens.

Believe me, I wish I could. I've been trying to get the fade back. I used to hit all fades, then took lessons. Within a month I was hitting all draws. For a brief time I had iron draws and driver fades. Now it's a crapshoot. Sometimes I have a driver cut going, sometimes a draw. 3W-wedges are all slight draws when I'm swinging well. I went on this computerized setup a few time over the winter that measured the swingpath and clubface at impact. I've got a consistant in to out path with a slightly open face at impact. The swingpath is more than the face angle, superceeding it so to speak. Basically it's a slight block that draws back online. Of course finding the base is how to go about working the ball. To hit a cut I need to open up to the point I will get the swingpath to be slighty out to in but be able to maintain the same face angle at impact, not shut it and pull it left. To draw the ball I just close up a bit and the same thing, don't pull it, just let the swingpath draw the ball with the face angle a constant. No matter what the shotshape, face should be dead at the target at impact.

[ezra76]

I may have finally fixed it on 18 though. 2fast (who btw is so gd tanned from playing golf he could pass for Cambodian, lol) told me on the tee he thought I was releasing early, which I think he was spot on...

18 is 511, little uphill to the green. Adjacent right is 10, 422 a little downhill. I block the snot out of the tee shot (playing for the hook) into the fairway of 10. Then I hit a 3w, again playing for the hook and again blocking the crap out of it. Thankfully no OB or hazards. I was past the green for 18 and so far right I had to use the ball washer on 10 to aim at to hit the green with a 60* wedge. 2 putt par and let's get the F out of here.

[JEFF4i]

Seriously dude, you don't really need to be working the ball that much.

My tracks I can assure you can be just as difficult, and its just not that necessary.

[ezra76]

Originally Posted by JEFF4i

Seriously dude, you don't really need to be working the ball that much.

My tracks I can assure you can be just as difficult, and its just not that necessary.

You would if you played my tee shots.

[warbirdlover]

Ez, dink around with a stronger or weaker right hand.

[Stooonne]

Originally Posted by ezra76

You would if you played my tee shots.

Are you taking dead aim at the pin from 160 out? Or towards the center of the green?

I wouldn't be surprised if Jeff was your caddie for a round and if you HAD TO listen to him for strategy, you would shoot high 70s/low 80s.