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Short Hitters

Sandpiper3

Golf Course Designer
Aug 9, 2006
5,058
2
I know some of you are going to tell me to f*** off on this one, but its legit if you look at it properly:p.

How hard do you short hitters find it to stick to your gameplans and keep your swing smooth and not try and get that extra few yards and such from shots?

Im saying this as by a stretch, I am the shortest player on my golf team. By comparison to players of my calibre playing from the tips at my level, I am a short hitter. Slowly throughout the year ive slowly gotten away from my gameplan of just hitting every fw and punching up to the middle of greens. I have noticed a considerable drop in my fw hit stat as the year has gone on (through my first two tourneys it was at 96%, now it has dropped to 81% through another 2 tournaments). I lengthened my swing, I have definately lost tempo and lost accuracy, and now ive developed a nice little OT move that basically kills what little power I have now anyway.

So even with the changes, the OT got in and killed everything, and am now even shorter than I was before, my best drive hit today was a 30 yard slice that went about 240 total (normally hit it about 265-275 and much straighter, and that is still shortish-mid length for my competition, still avg shortest on my team at that).

I dont really know where the question was in all that, just sort of a rant/blah thing I just sorta needed to write. We have our conference championship coming up this weekend, so all this week im just working on shortening my swing and tightening it back up and just making some solid contact shots that stay a little straighter (for example, hit a 15 yard L to R with a PW today, that definately isnt right:deadhorse:).

Before this happened all was well, hitting lots of greens and was right on the brink of shooting a 67, now I have to find that control I had not even a week ago and get that feel back, wish me luck.

Again, have no clue what the point of that was, lmk what you think:laugh:.
 
OP
Sandpiper3

Sandpiper3

Golf Course Designer
Aug 9, 2006
5,058
2
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Couldn't at least use a Micheal Jordan box or something?:laugh:
 

SilverUberXeno

El Tigre Blanco
Jul 26, 2005
4,620
26
Also- I just looked up some local courses, found a nice par-3 course...

There's only a few holes you should need to lay up on :)
 

MIKE1218

Top Bloke
Dec 21, 2006
3,485
6
Compared to two of the guys I play with regularly I'm pretty short, I average about 260. If they hit one well, I sometimes try to swing a bit harder, thus losing my tempo and hitting a snaphook. Sometimes my body will outrace my hands and I will get a massive block. Looks like we both need to focus on not trying to keep up with long hitters. Hope you get rid of your OT.
 

jojosasser

Well-Known Member
May 14, 2007
151
0
I know it's an ego thing, but driving distance doesn't show up on the scorecard. I say play your game, because the final score is what you're after anyway. My best score so far this year is when I made myself take a nice smooth tempo'd swing the whole round. I was short but hit all but one fairway.
 

eclark53520

DB Member Extraordinaire
Supporting Member
Dec 24, 2007
17,521
7,590
South Central Wisconsin
Country
United States United States
Golf is a very unique sport in which you are competing against the course, you then compare how you did against the course to see who you are better than.

If we apply this to, lets say, basketball, your team would play team X then my team would play team X and whoever beat team X by the most points we would call the better team.

The only way to play your best golf is to play against the course like no one else was even playing that day.
 

ezra76

Well-Known Member
Feb 5, 2006
12,412
16
Play the hole from green to tee. I'd imagine that's what you do anyway. Eventually your 265 out of the fairway is going to move ahead and stay ahead of the guys hitting it 300 all over the place. Work on your ballstriking, that will give you the confidence to say "I hit a 5iron better than this dude hit's a 7i anyway". If you are hitting it 265 carry flat out, that's plenty long enough. I'm sure guys aren't out there driving greens and eagling par 5's all day.

Play within yourself. It's something I'm trying to do. I know I can reach about 500-530 in 2 depending on how downhill/uphill and the condtions. Once I know I can't reach, hit 3W off the tee. Par 4's I won't use driver unless it's over 400 and sets up well to my eye.

You know well enough that all swinging harder from the top does is get your timing out of sync and you'll end up hitting it shorter and more wild. Tempo is the key, distance is not going to get much longer by swinging faster. It's going to take exercise, stretching and swingwork over the course of months to increase it for you.
 

ezra76

Well-Known Member
Feb 5, 2006
12,412
16
Another thing. I've not played any competive golf except friendly matches. I know what me strengths are and what my "opponents" fear in me. To a certain extent I'm sure they know they'd better step it up when I start pulling the cover off the 3W and for sure they are holding their breath a little bit when I'm chipping and they have a long putt.

Know that they fear your short game, no need to fear their distance.
 
OP
Sandpiper3

Sandpiper3

Golf Course Designer
Aug 9, 2006
5,058
2
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #11
Ez, I said 265-275, not carry, total:laugh:.

I know, one of my teammates and assistant coach were tellin me just get back to a smooth tempo and hit every fw again and theyll be expecting me to be under par this weekend at conference the way my short game has been the past week.

Here's hoping!
 

sandwedge

Well-Known Member
Oct 19, 2006
790
0
Compared to two of the guys I play with regularly I'm pretty short, I average about 260. If they hit one well, I sometimes try to swing a bit harder, thus losing my tempo and hitting a snaphook. Sometimes my body will outrace my hands and I will get a massive block. Looks like we both need to focus on not trying to keep up with long hitters. Hope you get rid of your OT.

This is very similar to me. I am about 250 off the tee when I am hitting it well and occasionaly get into one for 270-280. When I try to really go after it I hook the hell out of it and get no distance.

Sandpiper, just play your game and don't try to keep up with the really long hitters. Your game is obviously very good so just play to your strengths and don't worry about trying to hit the ball a mile.
 

Bubble Head

Well-Known Member
Oct 14, 2006
231
1
Last time I looked, Zach Johnson averaged about 265. He has a green Jacket. Play to your strengths.
 

Pa Jayhawk

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2005
7,196
62
Country
United States United States
How hard do you short hitters find it to stick to your gameplans and keep your swing smooth and not try and get that extra few yards and such from shots?
....
So even with the changes, the OT got in and killed everything, and am now even shorter than I was before, my best drive hit today was a 30 yard slice that went about 240 total (normally hit it about 265-275 and much straighter, and that is still shortish-mid length for my competition, still avg shortest on my team at that).
You pretty much answered your own question, with exception to the fact that you are also likely aware that by practicing something good, or bad, over time it will become ingrained into your swing. Simply put, if you keep trying this in knowing you are obviously going about it the wrong way, it will become much harder to go back to the old way. I had a pretty good swing after a couple years of playing, then went to this Power John Daly crap and while I would hit the ball further, because of lack of control my average distance was probably no more and probably less. Amazing what that tree 120 yards out will doing to your driving average when you put it up next to the the one you hit like 280 the time before.

Because I tried to master this over the course of a year, it took almost 3 years to get back to where I was, as anytime I tried to ease off my tempo was terrible and my draw would quickly revert to a slice. I would get that crap out of your head before it's to late and if you want to try and add distance and don't see only positive results in all points, I would only try it in the presence of a swing coach. Otherwise, you too will likely ingrain the poor swing practice that is bringing about the slice into your swing and if you try and go back you may not even imagine where it takes you if you wait to long. Unless you can imagine something like hitting low 120 yard duck hooks that terrify the nearby wildlife.

I quickly realized the value to sticking to a smooth swing, after spend about 3 years trying to break the habit

edit 1 - once I managed to get back to my old swing, I even now resist the temptation when we play in scrambles and such, and usually go first to get a ball in play even though I could be one of the longer hitters and in the past would play last. I quickly noticed after playing in scrambles my tempo would usually suck for about a week or so afterwards just from one round of trying to "Swing out of my shoes". Let someone else do the damage to their swing, they can have the day in the sun if they hit one by me 20 yards or so.
 

gwlee7

Ho's from Rocky Mount, NC
Supporting Member
Jun 15, 2005
1,402
1
Ryan,

As one of the people on this board that has actually seen you play, I can say just keep doing what you are doing. You hit the ball far enough to play all but the longest of courses and even then, you should still score reasonably well.

Just to help you feel better, I hit first from the fairway all day Saturday but still posted the lowest score and won my tournament.
 

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