Back into the Swing of Things

This entry covers two recent range visits in the last two weeks.  

For those of you who question if golf is something that can be pursued during the colder months, God Bless the heated ranges.  Last night (1/14), amongst about twelve other devoted enthusiasts, I finally endured the frigid air and swung a club for the first time since October.

The session actually had a purpose other than the usual swing mechanics.  

As I mentioned last time, I received a new driver as a gift this holiday season.  As part of this new piece of heaven, before I committed, I had the opportunity to demo up to five types to ensure I was purchasing the right fit.  

So with the weather finally hitting forty again, I ventured out with three in hand (Titleist 909 D3, King Cobra S9.1, and Titleist 909D) to see what felt good.

Quickly, the King Cobra wasn't doing it for me.  The Titleists were great, but a bit out of my price range.

Eventually, the range that I frequent had a demo Taylor Made Burner.  They were selling it for $299 but the place in Hoboken where I took out the other three (NJ Golf Man) was offering it for $180.  

I hit around 30 balls and although it wasn't great at first, I knew it would suffice once I learned to hit it.  

Because truthfully, my game doesn't need some fancy expensive driver to make me feel powerful when I tee off.  For now, all I need is a driver to get me dead center on the fairway and around 280 yards out.  

After that, to get me to the green...

This past Saturday (1/23), I began my new 2010 approach to range practice.  It's going to be methodical and repetitive.  I know, I know, how else should someone approach practice?  But what I was usually accustomed to was hitting the range with all my clubs in hand, and if one wasn't going well after about twenty minutes, I would shift to one that was, in order to feel positive about my session.

This year, not so fast.

Instead of leaving a few shanks on a club and throwing it back into the bag, I now insist on hitting that club until I can work out the kinks.  This weekend was my first attempt.

Overall, it went really well.  My clubs of choice: P-wedge, 9-iron and 8-iron.  

Initially I was hitting my P-wedge poorly.  I would sprinkle in a few goods shots now and again, and in doing so, started realizing what my misdoings were: upon bringing my hands back, my arms weren't steady and thus at impact, my club head was not flush to the ball.  Additionally, my top hand was not coming over the top.  All this left my follow through out of whack, and my ball flailing off to the right (ugly).

But because of my new method, I did not give up and continued to hit poor shot after poor shot (mixing in a few good ones) until my body finally found its comfort zone.  

At that point, I was hitting nice, smooth balls (consistently).

One thing, though.  Can someone help with some trouble I'm having?  I position my ball back in my swing, to maximize my wedge's distance.  This still doesn't help me to get the ball very far, though.  I've always had a hard time hitting my wedge further than about 110 yards.  

What am I doing wrong?  I was literally hitting my shots to exact same spot over and over.  I mean, it was good that I was consistent, and that my shots were fluid.  But eventually I need some distance.

If anyone can provide some feedback, I would appreciate it (you can email me: info@sportsfanIQ.com).

After my P-wedge, I hit my 9-iron and 8-iron beautifully.  I even had some confidence to throw in a few fades with both. (Another issue I have is my inability to hit draws.  We'll save that for another time.)

In the end, I believe my new habits will pay enormous dividends on the progress of my game.  They will enable me to learn how to hit each club effectively, and allow my muscles to memorize what feels good.

I left the session with a huge burst of confidence, but in my mind, knew I needed to balance the humility necessary to excel at this game.  When I return for more practice, I'll have to understand the possibility of failure.  But at the same time, there's always a chance of success.  

Man is this game hard, but wonderful.  

For next time: my 7-iron, 6-iron and 5-iron.

Hours of practice: 337