I'm back from Hawaii, and you're not.

Yes, it's me and I have arrived back on the mainland. Where am I? The golf Meca of the United States. I am in The Villages of Central Florida where there are over 40, yes 40 par 3 courses and 9 or 10, 18-27 hole courses. the par 3's are free all day every day and the larger courses charge very little for a round. I have not played on any of them yet but I am working on it. I really needed to work on that swing and let me tell you what, I am smakin and whackin some very crispy shots that have a hang time I have never really had with one exception. MY DRIVER. I am making some solid hits but they are headed to the right or high in the air. Not like a classic slice where it goes way right, and hits the ground with a spin that makes it go even further right on the ground. sort of like a drastic fade that starts in the middle. I am working on it and just need to spend more time with the driver which is difficult when you are hitting your irons well. Not every time but most of the time. So I have a few questions that are general, here they are.

grass or mats? I have either one to choose from. the only problem with the turf range is that by the time they move the boxes to better grass, I always seem to get there after the duffers have destroyed any chance of hitting off good grass. Yesterday I hit off mats and I was 90% crispy with the exception of my driver which was relatively crispy, just not as straight as I need it.
warm up. I always start with my 9 iron and work down to the driver. Since I am having the most difficulty with my driver should I concentrate on it? The issue is that if I am hitting a lot of schleppers with it, I have to grab another club to hit good ones to keep my sanity
golf shoes for practice, or does it matter? Just cant seem to find a definitive answer on this one.

I am very methodical on every shot. I try to do the same thing, over and over. I seem to know what I did wrong when I hit a bad shot and

try to correct it. I really do believe I am coming over the top, and not squaring my shoulder to the ball. If yesterday's practice session is any indication of how I am going to continue hitting the ball then I will be pleased with the exception of the driver. So good to be back here on the mainland of the USA and back to this group of wonderfully helpful people and last but not least, the best online golf teacher on the planet. Tom Saguto

One last thing. I got back to the States in September and only started hitting 3 weeks ago. had to find a job😁

3 comments

3 Comments

burkholder.ronald

Feb 20, 2023

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Welcome back @Tom Holt ! I'll weigh in on your questions.

I prefer turf to mats. Mats will hide a slightly fat shot, giving you inaccurate feedback. Also, too much of hitting on a mat may do some damage to your arms, especially the elbows.

Your warm up routine is a good way to do it. I start with the SW as that is usually a little heavier than the other clubs. If I am warming up before a round, I try to concentrate on the most likely clubs I will be hitting into the greens. For instance, if I am playing a course that measures under 6000 yards from the tees I am playing, after the SW I will hit a few PW shots, then 8 iron, then 5 iron (my worst club), then Driver. If I am playing a longer course, then its 9 iron and 7 iron instead of PW and 8 iron. When warming up before a round, I'm not working on swing mechanics. I'm just looking to get the muscles warmed up and seeing what kind of swing I brought to the course that day. What I just described is my pre-round warm up. If I am warming up before a practice range session, I do the same routine but I focus on swing mechanics and try to master a specific area of SandT such as the 2.8 drill or adding power accumulators to the swing.

I do wear my golf shoes when I go to the range to practice. I want the same feeling and same traction as when I am playing on the course.

Now that you are back, you might consider the Myrtle Beach World Amateur tournament in August. We have a forum thread going for those interested in this. Check it out.

Ron

Tom Holt

Feb 20, 2023

Replying to

I ask the question about turf for one reason. When I first started hitting again I went to the turf range. The problem with this place is that people don't care and leave nothing for the next guy. It's like hitting off the Sahara desert. If you want to smack 150 balls, you would be hard-pressed to find enough turf. I was not hitting them that well though even off the little grass I had. I went to the mat place and I still struggled with contact so I stopped, went to Youtube, and tried to watch everything That Tom teaches from set up to follow through. Starting with the grip, the setup, hogan arms, shoulder pointed at the ball, and hips. I tried to put it all back together again. Went back to the mat where I started having more consistency with contact. I would say 50/50 on 150 balls. Unfortunately I broke my driver. The head came off. I am sure I came over the top, hit the ground and on the next swing, the head flew off. Damn near went 50 yards. Cost 100 bucks to fix it but since I paid 300 for it I figured I saved 200. Now yesterday at the mats I was very disciplined in everything I did and I was hitting 80-90% crispy. that feeling like Mana from Heaven. the longer the club the longer they stayed in the air. I was very excited about it.

Even with the driver I had crispy contact most of the time but, I was all over the place and hitting more to the right. Tossed in a few worm burners to keep worms on their feet. The grass is more expensive but I will go there from now on. You het about 90 balls for 12 and at the mat range you geet 75 for 5. Big difference. I can't tell you how happy I am to be back here. I am excited to get out and play as much as I can.