My Golf : Strategy & Mental Game

http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/foley.htm

Handicap Indexes of the Pros
http://www.mygolfspy.com/how-to-become-a-golf-tour-pro/
Mental Game:
Under pressure and when feeling nervous I must go through my routine and focus on a specific target. I must count my inbreaths and outbreaths to regulate/ slow my breathing and become a little less tense by doing so. If I please, I can tally on my scorecard my negative thoughts so that I become more aware of what I am consciously thinking inbetween shots, during shots, and after shots.,

Full Swing Carry Distances:
LW - 55-60
SW - 90-95
50* PW - 100-105
48* PW - 120
9 iron - 130
8 iron - 140
7 iron - 150
6 iron - 160
5 iron - 170
4 iron - 180
21* hybrid - 195
15* 3 wood - 210-215
9.5* Driver - 230-240

Off the tee:

Add about 5-10 yards extra to each iron
4 iron rolls out to about 195-200
21* hybrid rolls out to about 210-220
15* 3 wood rolls out to about 230-245
9.5* driver rolls out to about 250-265

Strategy:

Wedge Shots:

Layup Shots:

Tee Shots:

Driver:
I'm playing the ball positioned off my shirts emblem. I make sure to feel that connected feeling on the backswing and I focus on swinging out to the right more with my arms straightening after impact (when the club is 45 degrees with the ground. Sometimes feeling my weight 50-50 gets the ball more on the upswing and I get it more airborne. Generally my weight is 55-45 or 60-40 at address to promote a flatter angle of attack and more of a push draw. When I hit the ball in the middle of the face I hit the ball the straightest and the furthest (max ball speed & smash factor). Focusing on hitting the ball in the middle of the face and conjuring up images of the super slo-motion footage of pro golfers helps my driving accuracy and distance a lot. Again I turn around my axis of symmetry (no shift at all to the right), but do not straighten the right leg on the backswing.

Consciously trying to shift my lower body dramatically on the downswing leads to poor results. My miss is still catching it more towards the heel which closes the clubface at impact causing the golf ball to slice/ gear off to the right. Trying to manipulate the clubface by twisting my hands or rolling the arms to create a draw doesn't work for me, I will tend to start the ball left and low, hitting an ugly duck hook. It's best to feel swinging out to the right and just holding on to the clubface keeping it closed to the path (but it will feel open to the target).

Irons:
The irons are becoming my strong suit right now because of the hybrid stack and tilt technique that I am using. I am striking it purer than I ever have. I love that hiss off the clubface. I just have to lean the shaft forward a lot more than I think I should to make sure I hit the ground after the ball. I usually am 55-45 or 60-40 in my weight ratio, again this helps the strike. I have noticed today that I should position the ball a little more back in the stance so I don't have to shift my lower body so radically on the downswing to catch it solid. So wedges a little bit behind sternum, short irons in the sternum, mid to long irons slightly left of sternum, 3-wood between emblem and sternum (I still want to hit down on this club about 2 degrees). Driver positioned at emblem. Positioning the ball back also promotes catching the ball on the outward part of the arc, promoting a push draw (a powerful shot -see Rory Mcilroy). On the backswing I turn around my axis of symmetry (no shift at all to the right) and I don't straighten my right leg.

I still tend to let my arms become a little bit lazy causing my swing to bottom out behind the ball and I catch it thin shot.

Wedges:
I'm going back to playing the Pelz wedge system which included the 7:30, 900, & full swing length swings. IT was the most reliable thing I had going in my round of 70 at Lakewood, so I don't know why I sort of left the system. I will use this system starting with my LW at 730 which goes about 25-30 yards. So for me, the Pelz system goes from 25 yards to about 125 yards with my PW

	7:30	9:00	Full Swing
60* Callaway X Jaws LW	25-30 yards	45 yards	55 yards
54* Cleveland CG10 SW	40-45 yards	65-68 yards	90-95 yards
50* Lynx PW	55 yards	80 yards	100-105 yards
48* Cobra FP PW	75-80 yards	105-107 yards	125 yards

LW	25-30 yards	7:30
SW	40-45 yards	7:30
LW	45 yards	9:00
LW	55 yards	Full Swing
50* PW Lynx	55 yards	7:30
SW	65-68 yards	9:00
48*PW Cobra	75-80 yards	7:30
50*PW Lynx	80 yards	9:00
SW	90-95 yards	Full Swing
50*PW Lynx	100-105 yards	Full Swing
48*PW Cobra	105-107 yards	9:00
9 iron	115 yards	9:00
48*PW Cobra	125 yards	Full Swing
8 iron	125 yards	9:00
7 iron	135 yards	9:00
6 iron	145 yards	9:00
5 iron	155 yards	9:00
4 iron	165 yards	9:00
· You subtract about 20 yards from the full swing to 9:00 · It’s best to go with the fullest swing possible: take the full swing 1^st, 9:00 swing 2^nd, and the 7:30 swing 3^rd. · You can use the 9:00 swings into the wind, or when you need to hit a punch/ lower shot.

I hit my sand wedge about 90 yards full swing, LW about 55-60 yards full swing. I just noticed that I wasn't leaning the shaft forward enough at address to promote hitting the ground after the ball. Then I needed to put the ball more back in my stance.

Putting:
Right now I am really putting well when I look at the hole while putting. I judge the distance exponentially better (especially on the touchy downhill ones and the long putts) and the game is way more fun again. I'm putting like a kid again. I use Dave Stockton's promotion of a forward press to start the stroke.

Around the Greens:
From an uphill lie, the avg bunker shot seems to suit my 54* sand wedge. It is officially my "go-to" club for all shots around the green (which is usually less than 20 yards and in with green to work with). On downhill bunker shots I will use the 60* wedge and on flat lies in the bunker depending on how far away the pin is, I will decide which wedge to use. For the bunker shots I keep my weight about 65-35 on my left side to promote a downward strike through the sand, propelling the ball upwards with some spin. I also figured out that taking practice strokes while looking at the hole helps me gauge feel (just like putting while looking at the hole helps me gauge speed/ feel there)

With shots from deep rough I will use the hinge and hold technique most notably used by Mike Weir and Phil Mickelson.

use 54* sand wedge

depending on the distance, use one of the pelz system swings

If the pin is short-sided from this position, take your chances with the LW hoisting the ball up from here. Generally, try not to open the face as this tends to glance the ball short of the hole (Opening the face with the 54* SW is easier for me). If 25-30 yards away use Pelz system.

Use the LW but again do not open the face too much as this produces to much loft and a glancing blow. Aim to hit the pin, pick a landing spot, and loft it on the green. If 25-30 yards away use Pelz system.