TKR 3-17 RTKR and Totally "On Course"

[JustJeff]

I'm afraid of jamming my hands before I get my muscle memory back. Hate that feeling. Probably after a few swings I'll be lifting them off the mat, maybe.

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[Phil75070]

If at all possible, @JustJeff, avoid hitting off of mats. Not good for your hands and elbows and doesn't really give you a true indication of how you are hitting the ball as the club can bounce into the ball resulting in what looks like a good shot. However, the same swing on turf would result in something totally horrible!

 

[JustJeff]

I'm not sure if my local range has turf on the side or not. I'll find out tomorrow.

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[Phil75070]

Mats can also damage clubs. Depends how much rubber they put between the artificial grass and the cement. Enjoy!

 

[Janet2012]

Really? I get bored on the driving range very quickly. How do you make it fun?


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[JustJeff]

Janet. . When you haven't been able to play in so long it won't be boring. But, I don't know too many serious golfers who just stand there and hit. I'm working on all the parts of the swing, whether I'm in the rot position, depending on the club, where the ball is relative to my feet, proper angle of swing, too much going on to get bored. Then I'll work through all of my clubs. Whew! Hard work tomorrow!

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[Phil75070]

@Janet2012 You asked!

Jeff is planning on working on "mechanics". I don't know the state of your game nor your goals, Janet, to suggest that you should do the same. If you have something specific with your swing you want to work on, sure go ahead, but don't spend the full time doing just that. A lot of golf is just "feel", not mechanics. It is a sport and is supposed to be fun, not work! LOL

To avoid boredom, you can try to make it fun or a challenge depending on your skill level. Maybe start out by hitting hitting a few half shots with a pitching wedge or 7-iron, like you would chipping the ball. Then when you are warmed up imagine you are playing your course. Maybe the first hole is a par 4 so hit the driver. Then hit the club you would normally hit for your 2nd shot. Then move onto the 2nd hole and hit the clubs you would ht on that hole, etc. On the course you don't hit a driver or your favorite club 10 times in a row, so why do it at the range.

If you are at the range with a husband or friend have a friendly wager and award points for coming closest to a target you pick. Loser buys the drinks afterward.

You can do the same on the putting green. One pick which hole you will putt to and the one that holes the ball in the fewest strokes gets the point and gets to choose which hole you next putt to. If by yourself, challenge yourself and put 5 balls one putter length from the hole. The goal is to make all 5 without a miss. If you do miss, the string of 5 starts all over. Once you make 5 in a row, move to another side of the hole and do the same thing until you have made all 5 from East, West, North and South of the hole. If a putter length, roughly 3 feet is too far for your skill level, make it two feet or use 3 balls instead of 5.

Drills are good - A good drill for balance and to learn to swing smoothly instead of forcefully is to hit balls with your feet together. Another is to pick a target, say a flag or whatever they have out there at 75 or 100 yards and try to hit that target using every club in the bag. Don't just try to hit every club you have as far and as hard as you can. That gets boring really quick.

 

[JustJeff]

If I don't start with mechanics now my foundation will be mush!

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[JustJeff]

Short game distances are also really important.

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[Janet2012]

Those are actually good and helpful suggestions, thanks! I really should practice. I don't have strong arms, and hitting through balls in a half hour with the equivalent number of strokes for a game seems a bit much. I should learn to pace myself. (I haven't been to a driving range in 3 or 4 years). I do go through all my clubs. I need to learn to hit my driver. I had a pro tell me once to just stick with my 3 wood, because I got as much distance and more accuracy, and that continues to prove out. I don't even keep it in my bag. I do get short game practice because we live on a par three, challenging with water on 6 holes. Funny story, to me, which I will hang on to for the rest of my life: My husband has always been the golfer, I was new to it, both of us limited in opportunity at the time because we lived overseas. We went to Portugal on a mini golf vacation, and because we didn't have handicaps, had to have a lesson with the pro to get the okay to play on the house course. We split the hour, me first, and after watching me hit, the pro said he wouldn't change anything. Then it was my husbands turn and he watched him hit and said they didn't have enough time to address his issues. My poor hubby never gets to live that moment down! But he can chip and hit out of the sand, unlike me. My only defense against the sand is to never get into it to begin with. Before I had my knees done, I couldn't walk down in and out of the traps anyway. Opted for accuracy instead.


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[Phil75070]

@Janet2012 If you can't hit driver then by all means stick with the 3 wood! Yes, I had heard that you either present a handicap or you have to be "tested" to be allowed on a lot of courses in Europe, unlike here. I like your story about the lesson with the pro. Tell your husband it isn't how it looks it is what you do with it. There is no room on a scorecard for video, pictures or a narrative, only a number.

 

[Janet2012]

Germany is the worst. You actually have to get a license to golf. In every country we lived in, we found one public course we were allowed on, and they were always an hour away. Not a lot of golf going on for 18 years. There are so many great public courses in the US.


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[JustJeff]

I wish some of the guys I used to play with needed a license. The rounds would have gone much faster.

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[Phil75070]

I play with a group of guys Monday through Friday, weather permitting. We have the first tee times. We rarely take longer than about 3:15. Even 4 hours seems incredibly slow after playing with these guys for the last couple of years.

 

[Phil75070]

I sure hope my PT sessions are coming to a close! They are going to kill me as I think I'm too old for this stuff. Even though it is only 5 minutes on an elliptical, it just sets the tome for the rest of the session. A couple of new exercises added including some upper body work. The one that got me was the last one. I had to squat enough to grab the toes on my shoes with each hand then lower myself in that squat position as low as I could go (I was actually surprised by how far I made it). The rough part is to take one hand and raise it in the air, then do the same with the other hand, then stand from that squatted position. Repeat 5 times. Talk about feeling it in one's quads!

I then went to the golf course for about 40 minutes of practice (the guys I play with were already done and gone by then), followed by taking the dog for a long walk. Knee feels fine as I actually picked up the pace on the return portion of my walk with the dog. I think it is nap time!

 

[JustJeff]

I read this as I'm on the bike with the dreaded elliptical on my left, laughing at me. I can only make it 3 minutes. The pain on the outside of my knees that I feel going up steps really goes into high gear on the elliptical. I think I'll hold off strengthening until the pain goes away. Heal first, then strengthen. That's the Bonesmart way. Right? (I don't want to use that infernal machine today. )

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[Phil75070]

You have to keep in mind, @JustJeff, I am about a month ahead of you, AND, I only had one knee done. I SHOULD be able to do more than you.

 

[JustJeff]

I just discussed this with my daughter ( a PT). She said to do quad stretch exercises for a while before doing the elliptical.

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[jbucks]

I am glad to hear everyone is back playing golf. I have not played in a couple of years but hope to get back into this by the end of summer to be ready next year. my husband is an avid golfer, his brother a golf pro which puts all the pressure on us women in the family. after reading your posts I guess I can't use my knee as an excuse for my bad play

 

[Phil75070]

I guess I can't use my knee as an excuse for my bad play

@jbucks! Sure you can! Whenever I hit a bad shot that is my excuse, "The knee isn't quite there yet." I figure I can use that excuse for another 9 months, anyway!