GOLF

[Otto Von Blotto]

Another ordinary round today, after the initial part of the fitting process last week it's pretty clear where my game is struggling currently and it was much of the same today. I hit 8 fairways (the app misplaced the tee shot on 17), but couldn't take advantage with these ill fitting irons I currently have and could only manage 28 points. Started on 10 today. This birdie was a result of two pieces of luck, first the tee shot faded right into the trees and must have got a great bounce back to the fairway, second was a long putt that dropped after my approach just dribbled onto the front of the green. Pin was back left. 

I am going to finish the fitting process on Tuesday in my break, and will test out a few iron heads as well. Pretty keen on the T100 but would like to actually hit a few with it first. My handicap held steady despite a 34 point round dropping off, and until I get my new irons I'm basically just trying to keep the approaches in a position to chip and putt... with proper fitted ones I'll attack the greens properly. Can't come soon enough

[DavidM]

After a run of crap golf and poor swings, I seem to have turned the corner and starting to play better golf.

My last three games have been 35, 33 and 36 Handicap down to 19.9 and the ball striking is much better, still to many mishits but scoring.

Started strong yesterday and kept it going to have 20 points half way, fell away from there but still finished Ok.

See what the next game brings!

[Otto Von Blotto]

Today was much the same as yesterday. It was a social club game this time but at my home course. Cold early mornings suck, it takes too long to loosen up properly, and the dew negates any spin I usually rely on for short game control. 

I'm not playing the next social club game in a fortnight because it's too early for how far away it is, and it's a bloody Ambrose anyway. 

Next Saturday is the monthly medal, it got postponed last week because of the crappy weather causing carts to be off and a lot of the rest of the field pulled out anyway. I'm hoping I'll have my new irons by then but I suppose it depends which heads I choose and if they have my recommended shafts in stock to build them. 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Finished the fitting today and ended up going with Titleist T100 irons in 4-P,  with AMT tour white S300 shafts. I will pick them up Thursday after he adjusts the lie angle upright a degree or so, so they'll be in the bag for Saturday and beyond. 

I probably wasn't swinging my best but I tried those and the T200 as well, and overall hit the 100 a bit more consistently and preferred the feel of it as well. He said that either one would perform pretty similar, and I preferred the look of the 100 at address as well, so I went with it. They are pretty kickass looking irons I must say

https://www.titleist.com.au/golf-clubs/irons/t100

[DavidM]

Very Nice, might take a few weeks to really dial in but this is going to see you hit your Goal.

Enjoy

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yes, I think I will have to adjust distances a bit. I picked them up today in the end after I had a long break and decided to do some chipping practice. Had a hit with the 4, 7 and PW on the range as well and other than a couple of ordinary swings they all went more or less at whatever my target was. They're easier to deliberately fade or draw with, tried a bit of that as well. I was landing the PW what looked like about halfway between the 100 and 150 markers which is about 10 metres longer than the old one, although I don't know how far away they actually were from the tee area. The 7 was going at or just past the 150, and the 4 looked about 180ish maybe a little longer with rollout. 

I prefer the smaller heads and thinner topline, they make the ball look like it's teed up on the grass which gives me confidence in making a pure strike. I also prefer the minimal offset compared to the old ones. Can't wait for Saturday to use them in a round to see how I go with accuracy. 

[Classic Brewing Co]

6 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

I prefer the smaller heads and thinner topline

They look really cool Otto, well done. You will be on scratch before you know it. 

[Otto Von Blotto]

59 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

They look really cool Otto, well done. You will be on scratch before you know it. 

Cheers mate. I'm glad I waited the year though so I could get the lessons and sort my swing out first. I have no doubt it's gotten faster during that time which would have changed the shaft recommendations, and also a better swing overall. But yeah these are great to hit, everything feels a lot better than what I was using. 

[Classic Brewing Co]

3 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

Cheers mate. I'm glad I waited the year though so I could get the lessons and sort my swing out first. I have no doubt it's gotten faster during that time which would have changed the shaft recommendations, and also a better swing overall. But yeah these are great to hit, everything feels a lot better than what I was using. 

I watched the video you attached, it was pretty good albeit a promo for Titleist however those pro's gave the irons the thumbs up.

It makes a difference when you are confident/comfortable with your equipment.

[Otto Von Blotto]

1 hour ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

I watched the video you attached, it was pretty good albeit a promo for Titleist however those pro's gave the irons the thumbs up.

It makes a difference when you are confident/comfortable with your equipment.

I still haven't watched it yet originally I saw this model somewhere online and thought it looked good, but without having actually hit one I didn't know if it'd suit me or not. But yeah now that I have I'm glad I decided on it, and got a proper fitting as well. I had a bit of fun on the range trying to fade and draw, the draw comes pretty easy, fade takes a subtle swing adjustment but I can do either on cue a lot more easily with these irons than my old ones. That's an advantage in itself 

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 minute ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

I still haven't watched it yet originally I saw this model somewhere online and thought it looked good, but without having actually hit one I didn't know if it'd suit me or not. But yeah now that I have I'm glad I decided on it, and got a proper fitting as well. I had a bit of fun on the range trying to fade and draw, the draw comes pretty easy, fade takes a subtle swing adjustment but I can do either on cue a lot more easily with these irons than my old ones. That's an advantage in itself 

That's pretty much the guy's on the video said - I realise they probably got a golf set each for endorsing but it looked convincing with their comments on the irons.

Enjoy it sounds like you will do well with them.

[ozdevil]

3 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

Yes, I think I will have to adjust distances a bit. I picked them up today in the end after I had a long break and decided to do some chipping practice. Had a hit with the 4, 7 and PW on the range as well and other than a couple of ordinary swings they all went more or less at whatever my target was. They're easier to deliberately fade or draw with, tried a bit of that as well. I was landing the PW what looked like about halfway between the 100 and 150 markers which is about 10 metres longer than the old one, although I don't know how far away they actually were from the tee area. The 7 was going at or just past the 150, and the 4 looked about 180ish maybe a little longer with rollout. 

I prefer the smaller heads and thinner topline, they make the ball look like it's teed up on the grass which gives me confidence in making a pure strike. I also prefer the minimal offset compared to the old ones. Can't wait for Saturday to use them in a round to see how I go with accuracy. 

very nice  clubs you got fitted kelsey  

i know a lot of serious golfers  get there lofts changed  for winter and summer golf.
usually for winter  most  bring there lie angles forward a few degrees   eg a 7 iron the may change the dree of the loft to say a 6 iron  and when summer they change the 7 iron loft from a 6 iron loft back to a genuine 7 iron

who did your club fitting your coach or did you go and see a professional club fitter??

i used to know a club fitter here in Melbourne and would change my lies lofts for next nothing when i needed it.


anyway  i hope you enjoy the new sticks and they help you bring the scores down alot.

 

 

 

 

  Edited July 13, 2022 by ozdevil

[Otto Von Blotto]

48 minutes ago, ozdevil said:

very nice  clubs you got fitted kelsey  

i know a lot of serious golfers  get there lofts changed  for winter and summer golf.
usually for winter  most  bring there lie angles forward a few degrees   eg a 7 iron the may change the dree of the loft to say a 6 iron  and when summer they change the 7 iron loft from a 6 iron loft back to a genuine 7 iron

who did your club fitting your coach or did you go and see a professional club fitter??

i used to know a club fitter here in Melbourne and would change my lies lofts for next nothing when i needed it.


anyway  i hope you enjoy the new sticks and they help you bring the scores down alot.

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah I probably won't worry too much about that, winter during the day is usually low 20s anyway so the distance isn't as affected. Early morning probably a club extra, and I did notice late arvo the distance dropped a bit, but yeah overall it's probably not worth doing up here. I suppose I can hit the long irons just as well as the short ones anyway because the shaft weight varies across the set so they all pretty much feel the same to swing them, so it's easier to just pick a different club than get the lofts changed. 

My coach did the fitting, but he is experienced in that as well. I got them at a discount as well being floor stock, so saved about $300 in the end.

Edited July 13, 2022 by Otto Von Blotto

[ozdevil]

10 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

Yeah I probably won't worry too much about that, winter during the day is usually low 20s anyway so the distance isn't as affected. Early morning probably a club extra, and I did notice late arvo the distance dropped a bit, but yeah overall it's probably not worth doing up here. I suppose I can hit the long irons just as well as the short ones anyway because the shaft weight varies across the set so they all pretty much feel the same to swing them, so it's easier to just pick a different club than get the lofts changed. 

My coach did the fitting, but he is experienced in that as well. I got them at a discount as well being floor stock, so saved about $300 in the end.

mate it wont be long until you are reaching out for a set of Miura's   lol

i wouldnt worry myself either but the lie angles may vary mate  during ownership i think they are best kept an eye on

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Lie angle is different to loft though, you wouldn't be changing lie angle every summer and winter. It can be checked periodically or if I start having issues with consistent misses in one direction that aren't necessarily swing related but otherwise it should remain pretty stable for the foreseeable future. 

[ozdevil]

41 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

Lie angle is different to loft though, you wouldn't be changing lie angle every summer and winter. It can be checked periodically or if I start having issues with consistent misses in one direction that aren't necessarily swing related but otherwise it should remain pretty stable for the foreseeable future. 

yep your quite right they are different    , i agree you wouldnt be changing  every winter and summer with lie angles  

i'm loving the journey your on   , i once  had the bug to strive for the best i can before  breaking  both left and right funny bones,  has since stopped  my serious golf outlook  as my arms are not as flexible with a steel rod in 1 and plate in the other.  as well as my knees are not the best..    i went from a 36 handicapper down to 17  before giving the serious  golf and getting lower away.

i would annually get the lie angles looked at or changed with advice from my coach  (my coach was an old school mate).

i am now happy to hover around 17-22handicap .  just golf doesnt matter much today as it did before covid .  so  its not worth my hassles  getting lies and lofts done myself  

hey with your  new clubs and attitude  to getting lower i reckon you  will get to your magical figure  
 

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yeah, while I'm single and have the time available to dedicate to it, I'm taking full advantage. I reckon once I get my distances dialled in with these new clubs I'll start to see the scores drop. From the limited hitting I've done so far I'm gonna work on a rough theory of each one going about 10 metres longer than the old set for the first round. Most of the holes at my course are better off missed short than long, so if it's not quite right it won't cause too much damage. Once I hit a few decent shots with each and can track the actual distance I'll obviously have a better idea.  

I was pretty ordinary when I started too. Looking back to what I remember doing in the first few rounds back there probably wasn't much right about my technique gradually I got myself down to about 18-20 but I knew I'd have to get lessons to go further... I was at the stage where I'd hit draws, fades and straight ones but have no idea why these different shapes were happening. Now I know the techniques to play those shots, I just need to get more practice at doing it. It was difficult to do with the old irons because they're designed to limit that sort of thing, but these are really workable but also forgiving. I have kept the old 3 iron in the bag, specifically for situations where I'm punching low out of crappy terrain e.g. bare patches with rocks/tree roots all over the place. I'd rather not ruin the new ones on a rock. 

Next on the list is to sell the old ones and all the other random clubs I have lying around to fund a new driver, and then the bag will be pretty much complete. 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Anyone else watching the open? I watched a bit last night but took this arvo off to try and shake a stupid head cold so have had it on since the start, and might even forego the footy tonight to continue through the night. Enjoyed watching Cam Smith's round yesterday, and keen to see how some of the other Aussies go tonight. I won't last through the 16 hours of coverage or whatever it is but should see a reasonable amount of it.

The old course is one of my favourite courses, I haven't had the chance to go there yet but I love watching golf on it. It's definitely on the bucket list. Closest I've played to a links here was Belmont in NSW about 20 years ago, which is also on the beach/seaside. 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Total mare. Coordination was rubbish, and got tired more quickly than usual. Tee shots were unusually all over the place.  I had a head cold Thursday and into Friday which probably hasn't helped. Only positive was that I did hit my new irons pretty well when I wasn't punching out of trees and could actually play full shots. Chip in for par on 13 was nice too. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. 

[GregT5]

Unfortunately with golf you get days like that.  The good thing is that you are a week closer to a good round!

No golf for me at the moment, both of my daughters have Covid, so I would have to wear a mask. Not something I would look forward to. 

[DavidM]

Just one of those bad days.. wonder why you leave home

Cold, windy (35-65 kph) and rain. 

I like to play regardless so Off I went down the road on the trike, for a short warm up. Stepped off and ... I'm still wearing my Croc's! Back home and put my shoes on, back to tee off. Didn't put my thick rain coat in (hanging up to dry), only had a light spray jacket, during the rain it was Cold. 

Started badly and did not improve! Found the trees on the first, had to play a left hand shot to get out, same on the  second! 

After six holes I had 2 points, Ended with 20.

Sun's out today.. might go for a practice.

[Otto Von Blotto]

I didn't do a lot today either but I was 7 shots better than yesterday. Similar issue with concentration which mainly affected the short game and putting. Tee shots were a little less erratic, but I didn't take advantage with the irons. I struck them well enough but the radar was off. I think my alignment was off, most of them went dead straight but left. Late in the round I decided to shuffle my alignment a bit to the right and all of a sudden the ball went straight at the target Either way I am enjoying how much easier these are to hit well, hopefully I can get rid of the after effects of the head cold and have a better time next weekend.

I won a stupid NTP as well, I say that because it was 8.5 metres from it and I nearly didn't even bother putting my name on it but I thought nothing to lose. Something positive for the day at least. 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Did better today. It was actually 35 points not 36. Energy levels and concentration back to normal again thankfully. I sorted out my alignment issues from last week, but still working out distances with the new irons so I missed a few greens long and short, but was pleased to hit the ball straight on target most of the time. The wind got up through the back 9 which created problems of its own, had a couple of approaches knocked down by it. I also delofted my 3 wood a bit to see how it went, and the average distance across the round was nearly 10m longer. It was at 15.75° today down from 16.5°, may go further down to the standard 15° tomorrow and see how it goes. 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Not quite as good today, can largely blame my crappy short game and putting for that (38 putts is horrid), although a fair few missed fairways ended up in positions where trees blocked any sort of normal shot at the green, so that didn't help. I was happy with the start, but got a bit loose after that unfortunately. The start of the back 9 ruined any chance of playing to handicap. It held at 14.5 after I got it down a little yesterday

I couldn't get the pace with the putts today, along with a few uncharacteristic skill errors. I set the 3 wood loft at standard 15°, it went alright but not sure if I'll keep it there or go back up to yesterday's setting. When I did get opportunities to hit full irons I hit them mostly straight on target, but the ball striking was a bit off today resulting in inconsistent distance. 

Was nice to land one on this long par 3 green for once too. I will have a practice session during the week, as well as 9 holes on Thursday to get ready for next week's rounds.

[Otto Von Blotto]

Practice 9 holes today, pretty good for some ordinary ball striking with the irons. Didn't happen every shot but a few I hit a bit thin, luckily they stayed more or less on line though. I think I've found the sweet spot for loft on my 3 wood, changed it back to 15.75° after the first hole and every shot after that was straight down the middle. Forward tees on this hole turned it into basically a par 4 but I'll take the bird. Now to replicate it or better on the weekend