)
Sorry cheap shot...
"
Then
again, if he was inside 100 yards, it only took him 5 or 6 shots
till he was dancin' 
© 2000-2007 iseekgolf.com. All Rights Reserved. ABN: 89 096 508 495
Maximum handicap?
Forums → Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction | 75 posts
|
One of my pet annoyances is the high handicapper who gives unsolicited advice during a round. If they had any idea at all about the golf swing they would have a lower handicap. At which handicap is it clear that someone has no idea (assuming they aren't an amputee or have some other serious impairment)? My guess is that if you play off more than 8 then you don't have any idea whatsoever and should be ignored at all costs. Am I way off the mark? I'd be interested to hear what you guys think or any anecdotes of bad advice you may have heard. Cheers, PC
|
|
8 is a bit low a mark to say someone has no idea in my book...above 13-14 and you are dreaming though...
down and out…did ya get that? |
|
Toolish, I said more than 8. You're OK.
|
|
Unless they play at a level where they break 80 everytime they go
out I would tend to ignore pretty much anything they said (except
"FORE" So 8 is a reasonable line in the sand. Having said that - If I was playing with a 24 marker that had just chipped in on 4 out of the previous 5 holes I might listen if they started talking about chipping.
Beware of cheap imitations - Especially from the US |
|
Mate you've got no idea! I give advice all the time and it's excellent advice to ANY player who has a swing flaw! Get a lesson.
Though on a serious note observation can play a part, I'm
unable to consistently hit the ball to where I want it to go but
that doesn't mean I'm blind or stupid. A mate I play with
most weeks has a stock bad shot which is played off the back
foot, when he starts hitting them off the back foot I can see
this and can say to him "never got through that one" or
such like. I can't talk about power accumulators and the
relationship between a the shaft and the right forearm, but I can
tell when he's slashing at one outside the offstump.
|
|
Porkchop, my handicap has recently dropped back to 5 and I have no idea about the mechanics of a golf swing, my grip looks like I'm about to chop wood and my backswing barely gets past my right shoulder. I would happily listen to a competent 15 marker (not during a round, that is a pet hate) tell me about the 39819946 swing flaws I have. I know blokes who play off somewhere between 10 and 20 and I'd happily ask them for help if I was looking to work on a specific part of my game. All depends on if its some average 15 marker, or some golf nut who reads every coaching manual and watches golf videos all day. The latter can often be quite helpful. I on the other hand would never offer advice to even a 27 marker unless they asked for it, and my first bit of advice would be to not ask me for advice again. Unless its something blatantly obvious when a bloke tees it up 3 feet outside his left foot or is doing something else equally obvious, its unlikely I'd be able to help.
|
|
I believe that the amount of unsolicited advice on a golf course or driving range is inversely proportional to the ability of the adviser. The higher the handicap, the more likely a person is to offer advice.
There are also "professional" teachers on golf forums who have never been below a "teen" handicap.
|
|
Moe, couldn't agree with you more. You'll not get
unsolicited advice from me and I'm likely to walk away if
it's offered. Now, if I'm having a social I'm more
than happy to talk about most anything from alignment to various
swing motions as long as the person is considerate and measured.
Just don't walk up and say something like "You're
doing xxx wrong..."
|
|
In my one game with JJJ, I found his advice quite helpful, even if most of it was in jest!
I even got a putting lesson on the practice green after 9 holes,
before we made it to the 10th tee
|
|
Even pro's I know don't give advise when you're playing with them, unless you specifically ask them a question. Having said that it's hard to shut me up when practicing on the course, and usually I am talking about the latest golf whatever that I read, or an interesting part of one of the Pelz bibles or an interesting article on here, or the advise that Virge or Guru or someone respected has given to another forum member. I don't try to pick out faults in someone else, and I don't think the people I practice with really listen to me, which is also fine. hmmm... what was the point of this post...
"There is no society in human history that ever suffered
because its people became too reasonable" Sam Harris |
|
I see it slightly differently...I listen to anything anyone will say and try to pick what I think is useful...if its useful and comes from 20 marker thats ok (unlikely) but I dont switch off either...but on the course isnt the time to listen to anyone no matter what mark they are off but over a beer or two is... as for getting advice during a round from someone I say look hey lets just enjoy the round and we'll talk about it over a beer...which I think is polite and diplomatic way of hnadling it...if they bable on even more then...I say hey concentrate on your own ball...no matter if they are off scrathc or 27...you do get bad advice from scrathc players also sometimes I find lower markers worse than higher handicappers...high markers usually laugh and smile a hell of alot more than lower handicappers...
I liketo talk about other things besides golf like the news..or
cricket or footy depending on season or whatever...just hit the
darn thing ok...
|
|
I have a big handycap so I hit bad shots a few days ago I played with a 7 handycaper who was full of advice about my driver then I noticed when he set up to the tee he is faceing way right the face of his driver is faceing to the sky what Im saying is what works for one may not work for others.
|
|
I was playing with a 7 handicapper recently (we had 3 rounds together in 7 days) and half-way through the 3rd round he says to me "You should get one of those swing-mates. You're picking it up too quickly". I had 13 pts in 8 hols to that point. I parred the 9th (for 3), and had 20 coming home, as I concentrated on taking the clab back lower and slower from that point on. So, a little advice from someone who has been watching for a while can be helpful. Advice offered from someone you've hardly ever played with, on the second tee, should be taken with a grain of salt! Now, if only he'd teach me how to chip!
|
|
I don't care whether a person has a low or high handicap, I can know immediately whether or not to listen to someone by the sound their irons make when they strike the ball.
If I hear that unmistakeable "click" of a ball being
compressed with a true down and out swing, then that's a
man/woman worth listening to. I think the Guru plays off 15
(could be wrong!), yet by listening to the sound made when he
hits his irons you can tell that he knows a lot more about how to
efficiently hit the ball than a 5 marker who just picks it up off
the grass.
|
|
Like how to spell scratch? Might be a good time to remind everyone that in competition advice is not allowed in the round, maybe you can mention that to people trying to "help out" in the round...say something like, "would love to hear your thoughts, but as it is against the rules to ask for or give advice during a round, better wait until the clubhouse". Sven's idea of listening to everyone and filtering the information has merit, problem is you have to know enough to be able to filter the crap out!
down and out…did ya get that? |
|
What happens if your normal swing pattern requires you to "pick it up too quickly", what if your swing on the course is a little rusty and that compensatin helps you today, but when you practice with it - it throws other things out. Simple rule : Don't take advice on the course... EVER, even from a teaching pro. Unless your round is over scoring wise... hitting one shot every 6-15 minutes ain't going to do anything for your swing.
Range = Practice Round = Changes Enjoy
|
|
My dad used to play off +4 and also at that time he was the assistant professional at Bonnie Doon. So he had to give a lot of lessons. Now his off 17 and knows more than he did back then and happily gives a lesson to the more inexperienced players of the group.
woohoo my birthday today!! 14 y/o
|
|
Each to their own.
Since then, I've stuck the ball a lot more pure than I had
for months. I've scored worse (can't get the correct
direction!), but ball striking has been very nice.
|
|
Wow, you know the old saying, "39819946 swing flaws in
always better than 39819947 swing flaws
I think if a player of an any handicap specializes in any
particular part of his game, then he has advice worth hearing, in
respect to that part of his game. Now, if your playing with a guy
name Marty, whose beer count on the day is higher than his double
digit handicap, tees of from the tips but can't make it past
the ladies tees, says more curse words than Eminem after a bad
shot, and wears shorts that go down to his ankles...Yep, this
happened to me, and he tried giving me advice on my chipping,
when I was probably the best chipper on the course
|
|
Fair call . . . wasn't a dig. Just other things to keep in mind. You say you cannot get the right direction . . is the direction consistant ?
|
|
Sometimes the best players aren't the best teachers, and there's also a maxim that says if you can't do something well, perhaps you can teach it. Handicaps are not a relevant measure of the worth of your tips. They're a measure of your own golfing ability, which as often as not is a genetic result, and not the result of your attentiveness to the golf swing. Giving advice during a round is not ideal but then some people welcome it, and if it's well-considered and well-delivered, it adds value to both the giver and receiver in terms of enjoying their time on the course.
|
|
Haven't read the whole thread but this came to mind...
Asking for or giving advice is a 2 stroke penalty!!!
Either way you are taking two steps backward so it better be
damned good advice if you are going to make up the strokes!
|
|
Novice, Leaving individuals out of it for a minute, have a look at what you have written. Surely the most 'efficient' way to hit a ball is the way which gets it in the hole in the fewest shots. When one player hits 'down and out' more than the other but takes ten more shot to get the ball in the hole, it does not make him the more efficient ball striker. He may, or may not, know more about the swing, but but he certainly isn't the most efficient golfer. The so called 'click' of the ball is no way to tell how good the advice of that golfer will be. I actually think handicap does matter to some degree. If a player is reasonalbly fit and truly knows the golf swing, he should be able to play fairly handy golf. Golf is all about getting the ball in the hole in the fewest possible strokes, not about who has the prettiest swing or makes the ball go click. Lower handicappers are more likely to know how to achieve this. Mick
|
|
Nope! One hole I hit it sweet - straight left. Next hole - straight right! I think I've just been trying too hard! The problem is, I went from 14 to 11 in 3 months!
Now I'm trying too many different things - trying to draw it
off the tee; etc etc. I just need to get back to what I was doing
in Sept & Oct - nice easy straight drives. Taking 1 club less
with my irons (as I wasn't hitting them pure). Hence the
username - SlowNEasy - to remind me of what I was doing when I
was scoring well! Plus, playing twice a week back then probably
helped too!
|
|
Is the modern golf consensus that two players can hit the ball with the same part of the clubface with the same clubhead speed and produce a different sound? Does this difference in sound have anything to do with the particular ball and club combination? or perhaps the clubhead speed? or perhaps where on the clubhead the ball is struck?
What are the alternatives to "true down and out"?
BTW I've detected a different impact sound when the buggy
tyres are fully inflated.
|