Snow! So What Do I Do Now?

Here in Romford we've had about four or five inches of snow, so golf is out of the question and probably for the next week!

So what do I do now?

Russ

You could take up darts???

I can't see the 'POINT' in darts!  lol

and it's too windy in my house for a putting competition!

Hopefully somebody will make a suggestion that I can use to good effect during this bad weather.

Make sure it's not house work, DIY, gardening!

Russ

Practice grip allignment posture stance until the snow goes then head for the ranges to see how it all stacks up with a ball...

lol at the cleaning

How about thinking about going abroad - I hear the Algarve is nice at the moment..

I've had my putting mat out so when I get back on the course my putting should be good!

The swing trainer has been out, even watched the DVD that came with it to make certain that I'm doing it the correct way.

The 325 golf balls have now multiplied!  So I've got more like 400 now.

Going abroad would be great, but the Algarve is a 'No No' this time of year.  I've heard there are a notorious gang of hackers heading that way and I don't want to end up near that mob.    lol

I've been watching the US golf on Setanta, including the Golf Fitness programme, it tires me out just watching it.

I had an e-mail from my club yesterday saying the course is shut today, but they are hoping the Priors course will be open tomorrow.  They have cleared six holes on the Abbotts course that can be played.

Russ

I'm getting a bit twitchy as I haven't played since last Sunday.  Had a pleasant round with Tim Hawkins and Martin Millichip but didn't play very well so am desperate to get back out on the course. 

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that what falls out of the sky tomorrow is sleet or rain.  The snow is almost gone after a slow thaw today and the forecast for the rest of the week is cold but dry.   I have rounds booked for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Bloody snow is getting on my nerves now, wish it would melt away...fast!.  Had a game booked in yesterday at a course in Hampshire (been booked in for ages) and obviously it was cancelled because still loads of icy snow laying around and it's freezing down in the south this weekend again.

I cant wait to get out on the course again, roll on Spring.

I'm hoping to get out this afternoon (Sunday)

Had an e-mail from the golf club yesterday saying the Priors course was going to be fully open from today.

The Priors course is really open and therefore would have benefitted from the glorious sunshine we had earlier in the week.  They say it's wet, but it was wet before the snow came!

The Abbotts course still has snow on it.  They have cleaned the first three holes and the last three holes, so there are six holes that can be played now.

To be honest, I don't fancy just six holes so I'm hoping to play a full 18 holes in a couple of hours.

Russ

Well, I phoned the club about 11am and asked about the Priors course.

It was open and busy, but was quiet for 1pm which is when I intended to play.

I took Samantha, my daughter with me.  She is seven and last summer had some beginner lessons.  She does enjoy walking with me but 18 holes is a little too much for her walking at the moment.

The course was in a very good condition and I shot 81 (par 70 course, SSS 66) so I was happy.  2 birdies, 8 pars and a couple of 7's!

It's been exactly a week since I managed to get out and swing a club in anger so I was happy with my score.

Hopefully the snow they have forecast for the next few days will not materialise and we will be able to continue playing.

Russ

I'm sat here at home watching it snow again.

I'm in Leeds, so I might venture out into a Park with my 7iron and a Tennis Ball. We used to play 9 holes like this years ago. It's fun.

Nice round of golf, Russell,you really have come on a lot this year, looking forward to having a knock with you.

Today I ventured down to the driving range and spent a very pleasant couple of hours with our own Dennis Visser.

I started from scratch with him, changed virtually everything from grip to stance, posture, plane and lower body movement.

It must have felt very strange to him, but gradually it started to come together and he hit some excellent shots throughout the couple of hours we were there.

I am quite sure that he will drift back to old ways, but with persistence, he has potential to become a much better player, being young, strong and with a willingness to absorb instruction, he will  get a feel for the correct way to swing the club.

Myself I hit a few good shots but I struggled to get down to the ball with my back, the knee was hurting after yesterdays disaster of trying to kneel under the kitchen sink to fix the washing machine water inlet.

Irons were fine, as usual, but the woods were still doing there own thing. Still early days.

I'm looking forward to our game John, and thank you for noticing my improvement.

Dennis will find it hard to remember everything that he has been told, but if he sticks to it he will get there eventually.

John, take it easy mate, don't overdo it.

Russ

Indeed, today was a high learning curve for me!

I was hoping to get out for a game today but in a lot of ways I'm glad of the snow as I managed to spend some time in the very capable hands of John!

After changing 'everything' in how I play, I was amazed at the difference in shots! I cannot wait to get out there and practice what I have learned and look forward to some more sessions John!

Many thanks again!

It is a two way thing, Dennis, you have to understand yourself the feeling I am trying to impart. It will take time, because you will lapse back into a closed position, an inadequate shoulder turn that puts you off plane and, last but not least, the difficulty of trying to get you off the back foot.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating and you will have seen enough today to, hopefully whet your appetite for even more progress.

I really enjoyed myself today and you played your part in being receptive to some pretty drastic changes. Thank you for the pleasure.

Then we will have to agree to differ, David, and seeing as I was a better player than you are, I do know that if someone does have so many faults then it is better to start completely from scratch. Yes, it will take time, but I know that he will become a better plare much quicker than being taught by a preofessional who is not rea,lly interested in him.

My method of teaching produced 40 players in single figure at my club in Somerset. Not many clubs can boasrt that amount of single handicap players.

The difference between me and a Pro is that I take an interest, as I do it for nothing.

Let us hear about your history in this game as you are claiming a 2 handicap with no profile. Are you a bullshitter or genuine. Lets see it.

Sounds impressive, can you substantiate any of it? I have sent you a PM. Your response will tell me everything I need to know.

You could not teach me to play golf properly as I already know.

Now you are being ridiculous, you are frightened to show yor credentials whereas I am not, You are not in the same class now as I used to be at your age.

Pointless quoting Jim Furyk as we wall know there are many one of swings that look odd but manage to be correct at impact. The mostd important stage of the swing.

If I make a comment to someone on this forum, after they have requested it and you disagree with what I say then you are at liberty to counter it by attempting to say that what I have said is wrong.

Unfortunately for you my knowledge of the theory of this game is as good as anyone elses. If you were any good you would either be on the amateur circuit, although at 2 handicap yo would not be able to get into the better class of competition. It seems to me that you have failed as a pro, are bitter and twisted and having to work in a shop to earn a living.

Then I am disappointed for you, David, as your kind of talent is very rare these days. I know excatly where you are coming from when it comes down to having to pay to enter tournaments, travel, hotel, caddies etc. etc. You really need a sponsor when you are in this position.

I did not turn pro because in the late fifties/early sixties, there was no money to be erarned as a pro. the circuit was small and there was no TV. So I stayed as an amateur but at the same time I had to work as well, so I had my problems as well.

Ageed, David, I had a friend in business in Bristol who sponsored Eamon D'Arcy and Andrew Sherborne and did not take any omoney off them when they started winning.

It is difficult, but sometimes one has to take a chance and grab at an opportunity. If you made it down to plus 3, then you were a far better player than I was and that kind of talent should not be wasted. That is all I am saying.

Yes, the great Gary Player was one for practice, myself I preferred to play all the time and I have to admit I have been a very lax at spending time on the practice field.

Personally I never found it a problem, I could be away to the Middle East with my trucks for a month, come back and still shoot 68. How, because I used to swing the club correctly.

There is a widely recognised way of swinging a golf club and I am sorry that you have not learnt it.

Come on, I am 72 and have offered to play off your tee shots level. Now with your exceptional short game you should be biting my arm off.

at 20 you still have lots of time to go for it again.

I hope I can reach that kind of standard after 5 years of playing!

It appears, Stephen, that his ambition is not as strong as his ability or his ability is not as strong as his ambition. We see hundreds of these youngsters working in golf shops and driving ranges who will never make it.

If you are going to reach that standard then it will be done quickly, if not then you have to accept that you will not make it.

When do you think I will know? I'm still a newbie at the minute!

I will give you my opinion on your chances when I see you, Stephen. If one swings the club correctly which is then giving consistently straight shots, then the game will take on a different light and progress will then be rapid.

Without a sound method you will always struggle. Even those in single figures now know how hard it is just to get 1 shot lower and the nearer you get to scratch the harder it becomes.

Cool, I have dreams of getting to that kind of level but realisticly I know it is very unlikely.

Look forward to the 15th though!

Think he was talking about the date rather than the hole Paul

Can I just point out that Mr Williams took on the corner of the 14th last week and was middle of the fairway just 90 yards short of the green on this 385 yard hole.  He was very disappointed that I was also middle of the fairway but only 70 yards short......

lol, the date indeed.

I dont have a lob wedge so maybe i'll open the face on my putter?

I have more options open to me now from the tee with my new clubs - I might hit my 18" rescue now :-)

Should have been a couple of birdies after those great drives, not struggling for a par.

didnt think of that - 4 shots down from 70 - 90 yds - sounds just like me!

Paul pulled his approach into the moster of a greenside bunker, got it out first time and took two putts.  I missed the green short and slightly right (opened the face on my wedge too much) and slightly overhit my chip trying to get onto the smaller upper level where the pin was then took two putts. 

Oh dear, you boys are really throwing shots away. I will have to give yo a stiff talking to.

<p>Chris P.</p>  <p>&nbsp;Have you tried choking down on a wedge or sand wedge?&nbsp; You might find better results than trying to open the face from 70 yards.&nbsp; With a full swing each 2&quot; down the handle goes about 10 yards less than a normal grip for me and I would have thought is easier to judge than what angle you need to have the face at.&nbsp; Choking down like this gives plenty of distance variations without having to go to &frac34; swings which are harder to hit correctly. </p>  <p>Or you could buy lob wedge and hit it hard </p>  <p>Just a thought. </p>

I didn't open the face deliberately Andy, I failed to get my hands through properly (something that rears it's head occaisionaly, especially if I haven't played for a couple of weeks), hence right and short.  It was a poor shot rather than poor shot selection. 

As regards the chip, the intention was to chip into the face of the rise in the green to scrub some pace off but still get it up there, which I did but it ran through further than I thought it would as I hadn't used a lofted enough club. 

Ah, I thought that was a bit strange!!  I blame it on reading the other post on lob wedges....

In the past week I have been to the driving range to try and help our own Dennis Visser start of on the right foot as regards to having a sound method.

As you will have read on the post about this earlier I started from scratch and had to alter everything, why? because everything was wrong. His grip was poor, his setup not correct, his alignment needed attentiion, his swing, though nice and fluid, as one would expect from a young man, was on the wrong plane which meant he was coming from outside to in and he was reluctant to come of his right hand side threough the swing leaving him waybehind and having to hit with arms and hands only, with the consequent results of this fault.

The first lesson went very well indeed but to be honest the second one did not, why I don't really know, perhaps it was because he had played that day and was a little tired, but his main problem was that he just could not get the ball onto the clubface, hitting fat, topping, the whole range of poor shots which rear their head when one is tired. I told him to forget it as next time it will come together again.

Now if he had been given a lesson from any of the five young pros at this range then they would not have changed anything. I have watched and listened and they hardly ever say anything, never change an obvious fault, who knows perhaps they have not spotted the fault, after all diagnosis is the esential part of the repair, as we all know.

Am I qualified to teach? I think I am because I was a good player and know the theory of this game pretty well now. Some methods I do not agree with, but that is my choice and I teach the method that served me well, and a method that was used by Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and that wonderful player from Australia Peter Thompson.

Now I think we could safely say that they were pretty decent players and what was good enough for them is good enough for me.

How does a pro become a teacher, much the same way as me, he played to a high standard and through circumstances ended up teaching. They will all teach the method that they used themselves.

I was speaking to one of these lads at the range and he told me he was five handicap and would shortly be turning pro. Am I missing something, how on earth does he think that he has the necessary ability to make a living on the tour, he would need to be at least level par for the six rounds of the tour card to even get a card.

This is a tough game and there are many players who can strike the ball very well, our own David Ley is a classic example of someone with a long game that is good enough, certainly Kevin H strikes a ball that has to be seen to be believed, yet he is still struggling to stay in single figures,. when with his natural ability he should be there comfortably.

Perhaps this young lad is right and I should crawl back into my shell as I am too old, and he feels the game has moved forward. I don't think so but that is an opinion I am entitled to.

A couple of these young pros are really nice strikers and one in particular hits the ball really sweetly and as I came onto the range I said, "Have a go with a real golf club" and I promptly handed him my 45 year old hand made persimmon driver, which he hit beautifully to the end of the range, no further and no less than he hits his metal driver. In fact he was quite amazed as he had never ever played with one before.

Perhaps this young lad is right and I should crawl back into my shell as I am too old, and he feels the game has moved forward. I don't think so but that is an opinion I am entitled to.

John, dont you dare go anywhere...I like to read your comments on this game we all adore.  I sometimes sit here reading in awe of the things you have achieved within the game and you obviously have a wealth of knowledge and experience that we are all very grateful that we can tap into now and then.  Kudos to you John, keep up the good work ; )  smile

No panic, Matt, I am too thick skinned to let anything get me down.