Bit of an update on my slow and painful introduction to golf.

Got tired of of the same inconsistant scores and decided to get a little more serious about golf. Went to see the boys at Long Drive Golf (The Range at O’Halloran Hill) to get a program put together, tuition to build a swing and then get some clubs made that I can hit properly.

Have been getting lessons with pro Chris West every week or so for the last two months and have got to the point where I can make use of some new equipment – sweet.

Amazing once you begin to be fitted just HOW much difference one club to the next can change the end result. Went through a number of head/shaft configurations with the final trials today. Four shaft/head combo’s and the differing results between them were amazing to say the least!! When hitting the different clubs, even for a short time the confidence you begin to feel with “the right one” verus the others is suprising to say the least

Ended up with the latest Alpha RX-3 heads ( http://www.alphagolfclubs.c... ) http://www.alphagolfclubs.c..., combined with sexy silver Graman graphite shafts ( http://www.gramanshafts.com... )http://www.gramanshafts.com... and new Sharpro grips ( http://www.sharprogrips.com... ) http://www.sharprogrips.com...

Any one who wants the best outcome for their $$$$ (even high handicapers like me) should go get custom fitted, just the extra confidence you get standing over the ball is worth it!!!!

If you are in Adelaide go see the guys at The Range, they really do eat, sh*t and sleep golf and club fitting and the price is a real suprise….

Will keep you posted on the results after a few weeks of the next clubs!

Great story about what life is all about. YOUR clubs and YOUR swing worked on together.

It is great that you are playing better but a lesson every week over the past 2 months seems a bit too much? To custom fit a “high handicapper” as you have said you are can be an educated guess at times for the person trying to fit you as well. A high handicapper will not get the consistency off a lie board due to their technique as opposed to a golfer with a more consistent swing and “better technique”. That is a fact. Good luck

Tai, I statement you made about the lie board impact is correct to some point. But I find that fitting high markers to be the most important. I would bet top dollar that I could get a broom handle slap abit of iron on the bottom, and you would still whip my ass around a golf course. i.e a pro needs the least amount of fitting.

I get the most kicks out fitting H/C they are the ones who benefit the most with clubs that are built to a good lenght, swingweight/M.O.I, new forgiving designs.Hybrids etc. It also gets rid of that little voice that they get, when they are standing on the tee, is it me, or is it the club?

There are a few things that help in golf, A great coach, sticks that fit, Pratice, time on the golf course , and a positive attitude.

With golf clubs I think of the three Cs, if you are comfortable, and confidant in your gear it will help with consistenency on the course, just my point of view.

Cheers . mate

I have only just last week had a club fit, which resulted in a new set of clubs – full set from Driver to putter.

Spent a heap of time (more than previous purchases) trying different setups for the irons, and a second visit for the driver / 3w.

Am yet to have a real good go with the irons (have gone from an old regular shaft to Dynamic gold S300’s and feel is heaps different, and I’ll need some work on becoming used to the feel), but the driver improvement is enormous. I now have heaps of confidence with the feel of my swing on the tee with the new setup.

Could’nt encourage getting fitted (by someone that is interested)enough.

I have only been playing golf for 10 months, had a lesson or two when I first started (with a different pro) and then nothing for 8 months. My goal in the first year was to break 100, have been SOOO close on numerous occasions and just when I felt it was coming together I’d crash and it would all go to crap.

My intent was to COMMIT to listening to someone tell me what I needed to do and implement it, not just get a couple of tips, go out on the course and gradually morph their advice into my poor skills and loose it.

The lessons were only 20 minutes each, small steps but regular ones with a “No BS” approach. The side benefit was as the lessons were progressing the guys were trialling different shafts / heads etc to get a feel of what direction to take me in with what club (I never really used the gear I had during lessons as it wasn’t right for me from the get go).

I actually feel it was exactly what I needed, the best thing was despite my being keen to get the clubs from day one the guys at The Range WOULD NOT sell me a thing ‘till they thought I was ready…....

As opposed to the local golf superstore who were going to take $$$$ after 30 minutes in the nets!!!

The result is a good solid START to developing my golf game, I will now have some equipment to work with…...and will be able to give Chris feedback based on a club that is built for me so we can continue to improve my swing and my game.

Money well spent so far I reckon!!

A Tai said, weekly lessons does sound a bit too much. As a high handicapper, your coach should be giving you smalls amounts to learn at one time, every three weeks or so. Therefore, you can go away from a lesson and work on what he has taught you and go back ready for more, or to further refine what you have learned.

Getting fitted for clubs is a must, well done there…

Good luck…

Horses for courses.

I have never played ballsports before, so at 35 I have to LEARN hand eye co-ordination….

Having someone drill it in to me, there to kick my arse if I am doing it wrong helps me to program the correct habits into my brain.

One thing I have quickly learned is how easy it is to FEEL that your doing what you were told, only to find that you have altered it or exagerated it away from the original direction once your out on the course. I am playing around twice a week, so I am getting time to put into practice what the focus was for the week.

I am an impatient person, I guess I’d rather pay to be taught the right habits early than pay alot more to fix a couple of years of BAD habits down the track.

I guess that once my new bats and I are tweaked and tuned the lessons will be less frequent as I gain confidence.

Thanks for all the postive feedback too!

Nice work Foxy. Pity about the HILAC episode at the start of the session today. Still it came good later. LOL.

Nice work Foxy. Pity about the HILAC episode at the start of the session today. Still it came good later. LOL.

LOL at HILAC, you boys have your own language up there…....

Are my clubs ready YET??? hehehehe

Yeah… HILAC! Hitting It Like A C@%# LOL

Patience, patience….

WARNING – OPPOSING VIEW :)

Well, not really opposing, but as someone who has started the process of being fitted for clubs I thought I’d wade in with my experiences. I had 2 initial (and beneficial) sessions looking at various shafts, and then another 3 sessions which has led me to significant self doubt! Trouble is, the more I was concentrating on hitting the clubs the worse my swing become, and the more I concentrated on my swing the worse I become in trying to select the right shafts and heads. Basically everything went to crap, regardless of the best efforts of the fitter. I could not decipher whether off target hits were as a result of my swing, or partly due to the clubs. (I was surprised the fitter didn’t ask me my handicap (9), as I thought this might provide some indication on how I’d expect to hit the ball). Eventually the fitter gave me a shaft and head he said met my requirements which I tried, and I tried, and I tried – I estimate I hit these about 5/10 or maybe 6/10 – ie 5 or 6 adequate shots in 10 -certainly not well enough for me to commit to purchase. So, after all that, I’m no further advanced and if anything a bit more frustrated. But having said that, I can see the process will be beneficial to many if not most golfers, maybe just not all the time. Maybe I shouldn’t be trying to fix my swing at the same time as getting fitted?

Angler, you can obviously get the ball around. Tinkering with your swing whilst getting fitted is somewhat counter productive as the fitter should be sorting out what will fit your current swing – or the one you are moving towards.

When you are being fitted, it is not about busting the numbers on the launchie or muscling it further than you have ever done before. Its is about fitting for your normal routine and shot shape.

So in a fitting session let the clubs do the work rather than you work the clubs.

To do this a clear key is really helpful.

My experience was a little different in that I had 8+ lessons to fix my swing FIRST, I didn’t realise unitl 3/4 of the way through that my coach was “testing” out suitability of equipment along the way.

Once my coach was happy enough that I had some sort of repeatable action that would benefit from some better gear we then began “proper” fitting. The club fitting was done by another pro on the team so no bias was involved and I wasn’t trying to “impress” my coach, made things a little more relaxed. On the last day they both collaborated to come to agreement on the end set up.

Very personalised service. Top shelf.

The two processes blended into eachother but were definately not done simultaneously.

As I said in the first post, even at the final trials of the short list of setups the difference between the four combo’s as far as ball flight were quite different, but the “right” club was clearly evident in the end.

Now I just gotta go and make it count out on the turf…....

The Fox has it in one. Until there is a repeating action, no matter how good or bad, only then can you make use of a fitting. Many a time do I send someone away without selling a club with a line along “go see your pro for a while as solider golf shot profiles are something a fitting is not going to help one bit”.

The Fox has it in one. Until there is a repeating action, no matter how good or bad, only then can you make use of a fitting. Many a time do I send someone away without selling a club with a line along “go see your pro for a while as solider golf shot profiles are something a fitting is not going to help one bit”.

Or a “Sorry mate but you’re HILAC & need to work on your action.”

Well, after choosing the final components on Tuesday night, the next question was when can I pick them up??

The boys said if EVERYTHING falls into place maybe a week. Said Mr Eager Beaver here, any chance of the weekend?? :-)

We’ll do our best but don’t hold your breath was the reply.

After a huge effort from the boys I picked up my schmick new clubs this morning, ready to rock!!! Not bad, 5I-SW in three days.

That’s service!!!

Had a quick test run to check lofts/lie’s and they feel FANTASTIC, best I have ever hit the ball and SOOOO forgiving for mishits.

A huge thanks to Heath, Chris and Tim at The Range, the whole process has been professional and prompt with great customer service and advice, even kept smiling whilst I was asking the impossible and putting the pressure on.

ANYONE who wants top service with respect to golf equipment should seriously consider making a visit to The Range.

So, with a farkin grin from ear to ear I’m off to punish the little white ball!!!!!

Jarret

ps – Hope you enjoyed the Pineapple fellas!! ; – )

Played in the Sunday stableford this morning and the clubs are already paying off.

I got my best result so far with 37 points (big deal for me..) also broke 50 for nine holes which I have never done (49) and recorded my best round score so far of 103 (went to peices with an 8 on the last hole, nearly cracked the 100!).

Pretty pleased as I STILL had three blowout holes (9,8,8), everything else was pretty good for me.

Major difference with the shorter clubs, I have NEVER been able to hit a sand wedge from 60/70 metres out (lots of bladed shots), today lobbed it onto the green three times with lovely high ball flight.

Also dropped it on a couple of times with the pitchy from around 110, so happy with the improved flight and confidence these new clubs have given me.

Didn’t expect to do well at all seeing as everything is new, but felt SOOO much better and as the round went on my confidence to have a crack at the pin grew.

Will keep on with the lessons and hopefully this is the start to reduce my handicap which has been stuck fast on 32 since I joined the club 6 months ago.

Once again a big thanks to the boys at The Range, happy camper here!

Where do you play Fox? (might bump into you at sometime!)

We play at The Vines down South mostly….......

That’s a coincidence – that’s where I play!

Nice, if you don’t mind playing with a chopper we could catch up for a game at some stage….....

Nice, if you don’t mind playing with a chopper we could catch up for a game at some stage……..

Don’t fret, I’m no better!

Do you only play weekends/Sundays or can you get out weekdays?

We usually play at least nine holes during the week and then in Sunday comps.

The weekday stuff is organised on the fly though….........

I am up at the Range once a week for lessons too.

We usually play at least nine holes during the week and then in Sunday comps.

The weekday stuff is organised on the fly though……......

I am up at the Range once a week for lessons too.

I mainly play in the Sunday morning comp this time of year, but every third week I am able to play in the mornings on a weekday.

Well done for the weekend just gone, see you finished = 4th – dropped a bit on the handicap too!