Topic: Golf Classifieds / Nike Slingshot OSS, Stiff - 6 months old

I am selling my Nike Slingshot OSS clubs 3i to PW with stiff shafts. They are not fitted so come as standard. These are test winning game improver irons.

A great club, easy to hit and in very good condition – they haven’t seen a lot of golf and have been kept in neoprene covers to protect them.

Based in the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

Open to reasonable offers in the region of $400.

Cheers

PS will take and upload photos.

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / Breaking tees

Wood is biodegradable and doesn’t damage the mower blades…

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Good stuff Jack, hope it reads well for you.

I’m still at the beginning of the journey and have some very basic things to work on. I played 3 rounds on the weekend, 2 at Kooindah Waters and was finding it hard to control my shots. The great thing is, as I’ve said before, the slice has gone. In 3 rounds I hit one slice.

My major problems are all based around 2 things, which I’m assuming are the building blocks of the whole TGM way of playing.

I am so adamant that I’ll have an inside out swing (so as not to slice) I have now developed either a strong draw or a push depending on the timing of my pivot. I really need to do as Dart said and try to re-align my swing plain. The big draws and pushes really effected my score as I lost a lot of balls in the water!

The shots that were more on target still had a draw and have gained more distance. Driver was going to 270/80m (hard fairways so good roll) and I had a few birdies in the last round (once I’d sorted my timing) and a lipped out eagle putt. I’m extremely happy to get 1 birdie every 2 rounds, so to get 3 in one round and on a Par 3, 4 and 5 was extremely pleasing!!

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Jack, that’s my problem! I just don’t think that I’ll get on with it – I find technical reading very hard to digest, I’m better at learning through seeing and feeling things.

I do wonder what it’s like though.

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Jack, is that your post? Do you have the TGM book? If yes, is it understandable?

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Dart, I am presently (and impatiently) waiting for a new set of irons that I’ve had custom fitted. Once they’ve arrived I’d be keen to meet up again to try to “get the Hinge working cleaner and the hinge pin placed more precisely.”

In the meantime I’ll not worry about the ball flight – as in height, not direction!!

I have to say, even though I’m still very much at the beginning of the TGM journey I’m loving golf more than ever, especially because of 2 things:

1. I no longer worry about hitting a slice with every shot.
2. If I hit a bad shot I now have (although limited) the understanding of why it has happened and can therefore work to improve.

That’s all down to having an “engineering/physics” explanation of why the swing works as it does (as opposed to having “fixes” to rid me of errant shots).

Thanks for the enlightenment Dart – I look forward to more of it!

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Hmmm, I never thought it could be a club/shaft issue.

I have stiff shafts at present but regular in my old clubs – I’ll take an old club out with me and see how the shaft stiffness affects the ball flight.

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Like it!

Something I’m coming to find with my ball flight is that it’s reasonably low in comparison to playing partners. The typical ball flight would be low and almost curve upwards at the end of the flight before dropping. This isn’t a major problem but extra height would have obvious advantages – eg when I’m trying to clear trees (it does happen!) or to get a softer landing.

Reading the articles on this forum would suggest in a basic way that speed = backspin = height. My club speed is quite high (5 iron to 175m), I certainly compress the ball and do get good back spin. I just don’t seem to get the hang time which may help in extra distance and shot stopping.

So my question is this – could this be down to me not yet knowing the low point of my swing and therefore not having the ball in the right place, or simply that I have my hands too far forward? I used to play with my hands right in the middle of my stance until a pro told to move them forward and impart more forward shaft lean.

I would be interested to hear your views.

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Loren, I avoid cliches like the plague.

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

I guess that’s why I find it hard to putt on plane….

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Loren – looks like you beat me to it RE the mental aspect.

I remember reading in a book how a kid would look at a par 3 over water as really good fun – an adult would look at it as way to loose a ball.

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Guru, I have worked very hard at maintaining a FLW and really try to make sure I keep on plane and compress the ball. I know that if I do a really bad chip it is often because I have broken the LW and have tried to scoop the ball up (I also used to do a terrible out to in action).

I believe this still happens when I have a bad lie – I don’t know how the shot will end up (eg off a bare lie, in long grass or patchy/tufty grass). Due to this I assume I actually de-accelerate the club through the shot as I have a moment of subconscious doubt. In the same action I may try to scoop the ball which could result in a thinned ball..

Put me on a nice lie and I’d be disappointed not to be within 6 feet (from 40 metres out).

I spent every evening for a week chipping 2 metres from the carpet on to my sofa. It gave me a great idea of plane, FLW and compression (if I didn’t compress/hit down I’d thin it under the sofa!). I need to get back to doing that!

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Morning,

I had a bit of a shocker on Saturday with a 92 at Warringah. The positives I can take out of the game are that, 6 months ago, I would have had to have played very well to get that score! I had some good shots in there with a good swing, good timing, good hinge pins which resulted in accuracy and consistent length (I’ve added 10 metres to each iron in the last 2 months) but I couldn’t make the most of any good shots. A good tee shot into the centre of the fairway resulted in a pushed approach shot or big draw. I wasn’t missing by far (2-5 metres from 150 metres out) but the real problem was my short game – I could not chip! It took me 4 shots from 5 metres off the green on a number of holes – I 2 putted every hole which was good – but shows that my first chip shots were usually duffed about 2 foot!

I think the mental side of golf is starting to affect my scores. I had 2 very difficult shots to make the greens on 2 holes – one was a low cut shot around the trees and another a high draw – both about 150 out. I rehearsed the different swing plains and timing of hand rotation. Both shots worked perfectly – but put me on a 120 metre straight shot and I push/draw it too much.

I’m wondering if I rehearse/think of the hard shots a lot and get a good result and go for the “easier” shots without thinking and mess them up? I think it’s time to consider all the options for all shots and get back into the living room for on plain chipping practice!

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Some good advice there – thanks Loren and Dart.

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Morning all,

I have another early game of golf (not as early as usual which is good) and I am really wondering what I can do to try and grove in my swing etc before the 10th hole!

I’m playing Warringah which I find very narrow and all they have there is some nets – I’ve never found those that helpful.

What do people recommend as a pre-game routine? Stretch, swing, putt? Putt, Stretch, Swing? Swing 2 or 3 clubs? When I swing, should I swing on different paths? Should I do gentle, small swings, full swings or build up?

When I play the first few holes should I swing with a low power setting but more club to compensate? (Dart, you know I’m not too good at low power shots!) or should I just play a normal shot?

I find my first few shots are always a strong draw with an iron or if I’m hitting a driver I find I get a push because I’m not timing the the hinge pin correctly.

Cheers

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

I have just had the round of my short golfing life! A dreadful start at Long Reef with a 49 (seemed to develop a massive cut slice and couldn’t putt) but really worked on swing plain after that. The back 9 was a different story and I shot a 2 over par for a total of 86!! I’ve been trying to beat 90 for 3 months and to do so by 4 shots is a great feeling.

It just felt so easy and the drives were going straight and far. I still had a slight occasional push but nothing like before.

It’s slowly coming together!

Hope you all played well as well!

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Thanks for the info/advice. I think my grip is ok but i’ll check it tomorrow when I’m playing.

Dart, what you’re saying makes perfect sense and it’s probably happening due to me over compensating my swing plane to make sure I don’t do an out to in swing and slice/fade the ball.

Bergsey, something that I found fascinating was how Dart could ask me to hit different shots with different swing plains and different hinge pins – it resulted in a controlled (or slightly controlled!) ball flight of my choosing – slice/fade/draw/hook. I’ve used it once on the course and it was very helpful.

Alex, I completely agree with you – writing these posts makes me really think about what I am doing and what I should be doing. It is also great getting advice from people that I can take onto the course.

Cheers

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Oh and I’m trying really hard to keep the left wrist flat. Makes a massive difference!!

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Dart,

Had an early morning round last weekend and as usual I had a pretty terrible start (hook into trees, distance and accuracy issues) but things are coming together. I’m yet to play a good front 9 when I tee off at 6am – I’ve decided that I can’t control myself physically at that time (in a golfing sense!). I also never get up early enough to hit some balls and warm up. I shot a 50 on the front 9 at Warringah which is pretty terrible.

The back 9 was a different game altogether. I had a cup of coffee (always helps) then practised the single plain and visualised hitting the ball slightly on the inside. The next 5 holes I pared, including a dead straight 270m drive! Unfortunately I had a few double bogeys after that (I think I got carried away thinking I was going to have a on Par back 9!) and ended up with a 42.

I’m now having 2 issues with my golf – firstly, if I hit a good shot I get a lot of right to left ball movement – ending slightly left of where I was aiming. The divot I take after a shot like this (with a tee) is about 10cms long, has a gap of grass of 4 or 5 cms behind the ball (the “hole” side of the tee) and is aiming about 25 degrees right of the target line. If the ball doesn’t come back with a draw I end up with a ball flight a good 20 metres right of the target. The great thing is I’m getting good penetrating ball flight from really compressing the ball.

I’m guessing that the big draws are a slightly too early “hinge pin” (hand rotation) and the pushes right are a too late “hinge pin”? As you know my terminology is always wrong, but I think you’ll understand what I mean. Does this also mean that my swing plain is coming on ok and is from the inside (as opposed to OTT)? In the 92 shots I hit one slice, so happy with that (and I knew as soon as I’d swung that it would be zipping right!).

I’m looking forward to getting more consistency with the “hinge pin” and I’m guessing it’ll only come with practice! One of these days I’ll break 90!

Topic: Golf Equipment / Balls balls balls

I’ve played a lot with the NXT Tours and like them but find they cut very badly. I’ve recently played the Nike Platinum’s(not that keen) and have a box of TaylorMade Burner TP balls. These are 3 piece, NXT Tour price point, don’t cut up as much and feel good off the wedges and gets good distance.

Topic: The Lounge / Cycling

I bought an Aussie built frame road bike the other day off Ebay for $350. It’s excellent. Probably about 10 years old but goes like a dream. Excellent for fitness. I also got a full suspension Giant MTB from ebay about 9 months ago for $700 with disc brakes. Ebay can be very good for bikes!

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / My first experience of TGM..

Another update!

I’ve just had a game and shot a 90 – so I’m almost at my first goal which is to break 90. This was made up of a poor front 9 (49) due to two reasons – one, trying too hard with TGM and having a lot of body sway. I realised what was wrong, and made sure I stayed steadier but ultimately I rehearsed a number of different swing planes and pivot points. It all came together on the back 9 where I shot a 6 over 41. It all fell into place…

The highlight was a par 5, I hit the driver really well (280 dead straight) and had 170 left (a short par 5) but my drive had left me without a clear line into the green (it was a slight dogleg and I was stuck behind trees). I had two options, one was a 3 iron punch under the trees. The second option was to try what Dart explained very well to me.. I changed the direction of the swing plane and pivoted a little later than usual. I ended doing what I wanted to do – a high fade that ran onto the green. My eagle put lipped out!

It’s starting to come together – and on all clubs now. I need a few more range sessions to sort out accuracy and “fine tuning” but I feel I’m on the right path!

Topic: Golf Talk / Working out handicaps..

Ricky, just had a look at one of the links Norm posted and you’re right. It is now 3 per hole.

When we play we tend to base handicaps on the overall score, even though in that score there could 2 birdies and 2 9’s! It results in a lot of big scores on some holes!

Worst case scenario is that I just collate the adjusted scores, add them up and divide by number of rounds.

That should do for a basic “mates” handicap shouldn’t it?!

Topic: Golf Talk / Working out handicaps..

Morning ISG’ers..

Just a quick one – does anyone know how I could record, calculate and keep up to date, the Handicaps for our group of “Nomads”. There’s usually between 6 and 12 of us, and we often have cash on the games – so I’m keen to stop the Bandits always wining, but also I’m keen to have a “handicap” to play to and improve.

Are there any Excel spreadsheets/programs etc that could do the job?

Also, if you get for an example an 8 on a par 3, does this get logged as a 5 for handicap purposes?

Cheers

Topic: Your Favourite Golf Courses / Long Reef...your thoughts?

St Micks is tougher, cost me more (it’s $77 for a round) but the greens are much better at the moment. Long Reef greens seem to be taking an age to recover from the coring (played yesterday). I like the course, and we got around in a little over four hours on a Sunday afternoon – so all good!