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Where to practice distances

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Sat, Jun 22 2013 2:53 PM (18 replies)
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  • WeidaDeNei
    298 Posts
    Sat, Jun 22 2013 7:39 AM

    Soo... No practice range obviously... which is ridiculous as we all know...

    Where in your mind is the best place to work out distances. I'm looking for somewhere flat with decently flat greens... But the only place I can really think of is St. Andrews #1... Problem though is I can't get away from the high winds... Even a practice with low winds there still runs around 10-11 mph which is to much deviation..

    Soo where should I hit the ball around keeping in mind...

    1. Low winds

    2. Long course with flat green

    3. minimal elevation

    Thank you in advance for the help everyone!

  • YankeeJim
    25,827 Posts
    Sat, Jun 22 2013 7:44 AM

    Back 9 at BPB. 10, 11 and 12 all have long flat fairways good for nailing irons on-hit back and forth using the reverse green cam to aim backwards. 

    Front 9 BPB-2, 3 and 4 have great greens for putting practice.

    Set up practice rounds with low winds from the front tees.

  • courteneyfish
    15,796 Posts
    Sat, Jun 22 2013 7:51 AM

    You're in a country club. If you set up a tournament with low winds it will be less windy than in a normal set up. On Kiawah it sometimes goes down to 1mph.

  • WeidaDeNei
    298 Posts
    Sat, Jun 22 2013 8:13 AM

    Thank You... BPB it is... and yah I know that but I don't want to crowd my cc with tournaments I set up just so I can practice. lol... Although they would probably be ok with it.

    Next question if you have an answer to it... Is it safe to say I hit a Iron on the fairway that I should add an extra couple of yards that would actually occur if I were hitting it on the green? (Hope that isn't to confusing)

  • YankeeJim
    25,827 Posts
    Sat, Jun 22 2013 8:45 AM

    WeidaDeNei:
    Next question if you have an answer to it... Is it safe to say I hit a Iron on the fairway that I should add an extra couple of yards that would actually occur if I were hitting it on the green? (Hope that isn't to confusing)

    Not confusing at all but this is not how you want to learn your clubs. What you want to do is learn how far they carry-the distance they go in the air. Knowing where they're going to land is much more important than how far they go. That landing will affect the total distance so don't get too concerned with the overall distance.

    What worked for me was getting into the fairway and then hitting the iron while watching the yardage indicator. There's a very audible thump when the ball hits the ground and THAT is the number you want to know. 

    So now, when you're facing an approach shot, look at where the ball will land on the green and then figure out how the rollout is going to be affected.

  • WeidaDeNei
    298 Posts
    Sat, Jun 22 2013 8:58 AM

    Sad that I have played golf my entire life and didn't think about that approach for this game until you just mentioned it. Thank you!

  • CerinoDevoti
    3,232 Posts
    Sat, Jun 22 2013 9:06 AM

    YankeeJim:

    WeidaDeNei:
    Next question if you have an answer to it... Is it safe to say I hit a Iron on the fairway that I should add an extra couple of yards that would actually occur if I were hitting it on the green? (Hope that isn't to confusing)

    Not confusing at all but this is not how you want to learn your clubs. What you want to do is learn how far they carry-the distance they go in the air. Knowing where they're going to land is much more important than how far they go. That landing will affect the total distance so don't get too concerned with the overall distance.

    What worked for me was getting into the fairway and then hitting the iron while watching the yardage indicator. There's a very audible thump when the ball hits the ground and THAT is the number you want to know. 

    So now, when you're facing an approach shot, look at where the ball will land on the green and then figure out how the rollout is going to be affected.

    Something I do even in ranked rounds, I save a replay of the shot. When you view the replay you can hit pause just as the ball hits the ground. It makes it a lot easier to note the carry distance. Once you do it a couple of times you get pretty good at pausing just as the ball hits the ground. I also do it around the greens to see the carry distance of pitch and flop shots. What's nice is you get to see the "frozen" shot from several camera angles as well. It also freezes the vapor trail to note fade and draw shots off the tee.

  • gr8flbob
    592 Posts
    Sat, Jun 22 2013 10:56 AM

    YJ's suggested practice 'areas' are good choices, and it is important to note his advice to fire each iron being 'dialed in' in both directions - down the fairway, then a reverse shot going back to where you first played the club. Note distance carried (and roll) in both directions, then average the results; it's that average carry/roll number that should go in your notes.

    Practically, you can't practice anywhere with zero wind and elevation changes, so trying the shot both ways should effectively cancel out wind and elevation differences. To be more thorough about gathering this kind of info, repeat the process with no spin, 1/2 back, and full back-spin. 

    Do not neglect the other shot types: Punch, Pitch, Flop, and Chip - the latter 3 being mostly limited to your wedges. Do the same process as above, varying spin to analyze impact on carry vs roll ratio.

    Ultimately, you can add intentional off-ding data (thanks Cerino, for jogging my memory) if you intend to add draws and fades to your game arsenal. Adding these shots to your bag is a valuable tool, but going the 'shot-shaping' route will cost you distance, relative to a dinged shot. I now have an idea of what the 'distance penalty' is for the amount off-ding I hit. As a % it varies with the club choice and shot type.

     

  • Woodoworkery
    3,498 Posts
    Sat, Jun 22 2013 12:34 PM

    Right now is the perfect time to see just what your clubs will do with the no wind courses available. Although you still have to figure in the elevation on the shot which is a pain in the butt .

    Also what wind speed do you ignore? I personally ignore wind up to 4 mph 

  • WeidaDeNei
    298 Posts
    Sat, Jun 22 2013 1:23 PM

    Hey wood im still working on making a good instructional video in bandicam for the putting. I tried t explain my method to another player and he is lost as could be. So don't think I forgot about you. Also I am running into a new issue...

    So I went on BPB 10, 11, 12... There is light wind and very little elevation change. Which is exactly what I needed... WellI I have been a callaway guy from lvl 33 until now...

    I took a good amount of time and did a survey on all the nikes available and the winner by a longshot is the lvl 71 nikes and the lvl 81 nikes. Both with the same attributes but one having a half dot slower meter....

    So I decide if I am going to get better I should upgrade rom the callaways. So I buy a good amount of nikes 71 and 81 thinking I can just go out and practice with the 71s and get all my distances then play my serious matches with the 81s...

    2 hours into practices with the 71s and plotting club distances and Im just shocked... (Not in a good way)

    I am literally hitting the ball back and forth in the same spots and getting completely random distances EVERY TIME... Not one consistent flight at all. Not only that I am noticing my distances are MUCH shorter then the callways. I am very confused. I have accounted for the wind, spin, and elevation change which is minimal...

    Anyone have any answers?

    I am using the 79 rbz with 71 nikes.. Any help with that would be great!

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