The struggle is so real! Preseason for my second year of golf went like...New fitted clubs, back to the drawing board with a new swing, couple of extra lessons, 100s of youtube videos, some books, amazon gadgets, trackman analysis, recording hours of myself at the range, lots of mirror work at home, new club and course... Standing up at the first tee, throwing everything out the window and hooking it into the clubhouse...PRICELESS! :D Hoping to get some more confidence and momentum into the new season. Love the grind, keeping it real and showing the plight for all high handicappers alike. Keep up the good work! It's all worth it for those all too rare sweet shots!
Ah man it's the hope that kills you 🤣 I've been there so many times. Convinced you're gonna have your best ever round and then Triple Bogey the first to bring you crashing down to earth 🤣🤣🤣 At least for this round, I had very low expectations after that warm up, which were duly met 🤣 Sounds like you're putting in the effort tough so I'm sure it will come good eventually. We live in hope 🤣 Best of luck with the season ahead. And thanks for the comments about the video/channel 👍
Ahhh the psychology of golf. If you think you're going to hit a bad shot - you will. Think positive. Be stubborn . Be patient. Have fun..... - loving the channel
There's times when this game does this to you making you feel your games going backwards, but we just have to stick with it and we'll come out at the other end !! 👏👍🏴
Ah it was mainly the scoring and the ball Striking wasn’t as good as it had been. I’ve really been working on my chipping lately so hopefully I’ll be able to demonstrate that over the next few rounds. Thanks for watching John 👍🏻
You’ll get back in the “swing” of things! Playing more should help. At least that’s my hope as well! 😂 Good luck and hope the next round there’s lots of PARtying!
Hi Liam , your handicap is where I am currently although I am in the middle of a second set of lessons. Looking at some of your shots I see myself and an over the top swing. The last couple of holes showed this both with ball Flight and one with the divot Pointing 20-30 deg left of target. Remember it’s how many not how, as there are many occasions where you will hit a good shot (that one into the bunker) crap result so take the crap swing/ poor contact good result when they happen
Hi mate, thanks for watching. Yep, still a few things I’m trying to work out in my swing. It’s amazing the difference between what I feel I’m doing and then what the video evidence shows I’m doing. It’s what makes golf so hard. But we keep trying to get better 💪🏻
Cheers mate. I’m still reasonably confident I’ll get it down. My bad rounds now are ten times better than my bad rounds a year ago. And on another day I could have easily been 5 points/strokes better off than I was today without the unplayable lies and short putts missed etc. 👍🏻 Thanks for watching mate
I'm in the same H.I. index range - working to get into the respectable part of the teens. Playing for about 7 month now and I'm down to 23.9. My scores really started to improve when I added a Cleveland Smart Sole Chipper to my bag. I use it from 100 yds and in. The ball goes dead straight. I know that if I have that in my hands for no more than my birdie chance - I'm likely not making worse than bogey. I like your videos.
Yeah I’d love to get down to 18 this year. Just need to keep on practicing and get ready for summer golf 😎 I might need to look into that chipper. I’ve gotten quite poor with my wedges so could do with something 😂 Best of luck with your journey mate and glad you’re enjoying the videos. Thanks for watching 👍🏻
Ah mate so was I 😂 I definitely don’t like giving up strokes but there was no way that ball was getting out of that bunker. There was an overhang too and it would have went straight into it. I’ve been driving ok so far this year but I’m definitely not stepping up to the tee shots with unwavering confidence. Still expect to see them slice right 🍕 Thanks for watching Ryan 👍🏻
I train in a simulator every other day. Yesterday I played a round and had 113 and today after the same round 83... For me, golf seems to be about pure luck 😂 Thanks for the videos, love these 👌 Good and the bad rounds.
Sounds like me 😂 Last year I had my best ever round of 88, literally 4 days later I went out and a shot a 104 😂 How is that even possible? I don’t often hear people saying “thanks” for the videos so I appreciate that. It’s just nice to know people enjoy watching them. Should have a brand new one out next week 👍🏻
@@DiaryofaHighHandicapper all I can come up with it is, it's golf 😂 I like to thank for the videos, since it takes a lot of effort to make em for our enjoyment. Gear, batteries, mics, setting em up for each shot and post production to name a few steps and the added pressure to play for the whole wide TH-cam. It ain't easy 😁 Edit: Can't wait for the new one 👌
Golf is hard man 😂 Well thanks again. It’s a lot of effort. And expensive. People always ask me how much money I’ve made but I actually turned ads off on my videos to try and enhance the viewer experience and I’ve spent a good bit on equipment so it actually costs me money to run the page, but I do it as a hobby and it really does make it worthwhile when people take the time to engage with the channel so I’m genuinely thankful for the comment. It’s not easy 😂 I made massive progress on my vid tonight and I think it’s the best yet so stay tuned 👍🏻
Wow, sorry to hear that mate. I don’t know how I’d cope if our courses were closed like that. I’m sure you’ll make up for lost time once they open 😃🏌🏻♂️🏌🏻♂️🏌🏻♂️🏌🏻♂️
I went out the other week and I shanked, chunked and topped my way around 4 holes and got saved by a sick child needing to be brought to D DOC. I think I’ll be stuck at 30 handicap or worse forever. Good videos. You get decent yards on all your drives and irons. Lots of potential there.
Keep at it mate. I find when I'm chunking it, I'm swinging too hard. Slow it down a tad and the connection improves drastically. Although I do appreciate the irony of a 25 handicapper giving tips 🤣 Hopefully it was nothing too serious and your kid is on the mend. Thanks for watching mate 👍
Picked up a new putter myself… and it’s working a treat… a lot less 3s and closer to the pin.. it does wonders for the confidence and there’s always that one shot that reignites your love of the game / stops you from sticking the for sale sign on the bag! Keep on trucking!
Ah I’m in love with my new one. I had been stalking it for about four months so that round convinced me it was time to actually take the plunge 😂 so far so good 👍🏻 What one did you go for?
Great to see the journey continuing. Not sure if its just camera angle, but it looked like all the shots that went Left Left, you where aiming very left of target before you swung the club - On the drops you get much more on target with your alignment. Particularly the shots around 18:11 Keep working on it, it will click!!
Cheers Andy, glad you’re enjoying the journey 😂 I’m definitely taking the scenic route but we’ll get there eventually 💪🏻 I think you’re right with the alignment. In my early videos, my tendency was always to aim right. I’ve been working hard to correct it but it seems now I’ve gone a little bit the other way 😂 Sums up my journey so far, going from one extreme to the other I.E. shank - hook etc. Thanks for watching mate 👍🏻
Just found the channel, and love the content! The reactions to the shots are so relatable! 😂 I’m considering joining Druids Heath, would you recommend it?
Welcome to the channel Glenn 😁 Glad you’re enjoying the content. It think it would depend on how good a golfer you are as it is a VERY tough course. It was definitely too tough for me. I’m now in Arklow. But if you get onto them and tell them you’re thinking about joining, they’ll give you a free round to check it out 👍🏻
If anyone ever asks me about difficult golf courses in Ireland the first one that springs to mind is druids heath. Concra Wood is another one. I've never played the European but I hear that one is very tough.
It’s so tough. The only one tougher I’ve played is Macreddin. I was a member in Druids Heath for a year which is why I think my handicap is still so high 😂 Haven’t played the European but meant to be extremely hard
Sorry to hear that mate but if it makes you feel any better, based on the comments under this video, every single golfer who has played in the last week or so has also had a bad round 😂 Safety in numbers 👍🏻
@@DiaryofaHighHandicapper I get over it really quick these days. Funny though how I really stink at this game but play 5-10 shots per round that are really top drawer and they bring me back.
I really do think that's just golf. We set such high expectations for ourselves based off a minority of shots when the reality is that they are the exception rather than the norm. But it's the striving for greatness that makes the game so addictive. I think we just need to remind ourselves how difficult the game actually is
Cheers mate, I’ve actually started working on my short game already as I can see it’s where I lose the most shots. Hopefully I’ll be able to showcase an improvement on the channel over the next few rounds. Thanks for watching mate, much appreciated 👍🏻
I think you are a little hard on yourself and you weren't playing too bad. You seem to have the habit of a lot of us high handicappers in talking yourself into a poor shot before you've even addressed the ball. Have you seen 'Golf Sidekick's' TH-cam channel? Matt is a great one for thinking positive and he's helped me change my mental attitude to a more positive one. It doesn't always work but it has helped me bring my handicap down to something more respectable than it was (17 now was 22). Just a thought... Can I make a suggestion, which would make it easier for the viewer to follow? If it is possible then making sure your camera is level would really help us see how the shots are played. In the early few holes it did look rather skewed on a few occasions. All that being said, I do enjoy following your journey and I can see there is an 18 handicapper in there somewhere. Thanks for taking the time to sharing your golfing exploits. We do appreciate it.
Ah it's more so the score to be honest. I really should be scoring better given the handicap but it is a very tough course and nothing really went my way on the day. I'm certainly not dwelling on it or thinking about giving up the game.....yet 🤣 Re talking myself in to poor shots, it's definitely an issue I have. For my channel, I am trying to find a balance between commenting enough on each shot so that the viewer can see exactly what I'm facing and what I'm trying to do so they can then see whether I've executed it correctly but then perhaps this plays too much into negative thinking. Noted re: the camera. I do always try and make sure it is always straight. Unfortunately (as you can probably hear with my breathing throughout the round 🤣), I'm always trying to keep up with play as well as setting up the camera so I don't always get it right or sometimes the camera housing slips etc. but I'll try take more care and attention next time. Thanks for watching and leaving helpful feedback, I too appreciate it 👍
@@DiaryofaHighHandicapper I think you get the balance between playing and commentating just about right. I hadn't considered the 'keeping up with play' aspect! It's certainly a consideration for me as I tend to rush when the 'bigger boys' (i.e better players) are behind or, even worse, when someone lets us through. We're guaranteed to rush and duff the shot then!
Cheers mate, glad you’re enjoying it and thanks for watching it. Golf is hard man 😂 Been working on my short game loads out the back garden so let’s hope it’s transfers to the course soon 😂
Some good with some not so good unfortunately. Few putts dropping and the round is much better than it was. Your pull left is often my miss. Generally when I use my arms to swing and not turn my body is when I pull it left. Heath was looking good for the time of year. Looking forward to Glen being back open. Not looking forward to the cost though!
Yep, that sums up my round. Looking back on it, if I holes the three putts and the two unplayable situations only needed an extra yard or two and all of a sudden I’m 5 points/strokes better off and all of a sudden my score looks quite good. Oh well. And yeah, was very happy with the condition of Druids Heath, couldn’t realy fault it. It’s just sooooo hard 😂 The perched greens just add such a layer of difficulty.
Your putting is good and you're quite good,just a few tweeks to your swing. No professional myself but you should try to keep your arms straighter with more a smoother circular swing,slow speed and this helps alot too. I practice swinging (sounds rude) with an orange whip,gold flex style trainer,it's flex will tell you alot and improve tempo etc. You're doing well and keep it up,enjoy
Thanks Oliver. I was actually really happy with my lag putting. I think I left every long putt within three feet, just ended up missing a few of the short ones. But I think on another day I hole them all. And you're definitely right about keeping my arms straighter. I tend to rush my swing and my right shoulder and hip goes first meaning I have to compensate in the downswing by bending etc. I play best when I let my left arm do a lot more of the work as it helps me from coming over the top. It's amazing how I seem to forget this on course though 🤣 But it's all part of the journey and the fun. Thanks for watching and engaging with the channel 👍
I’m curious as to why you keep using your Pitching wedge, which you demonstrated you can flog 120 yards, for finesse shots around the edge of the Greens 🤷♂️
@@DiaryofaHighHandicapper I think it’s relevant - you have much more control and consistency of strike if you hit a stronger lofted club weakly, than a weaker lofted club strongly, in the short game anyway. From what I’ve seen in your vids you’ve using the incorrect club for the distance/ shot that’s required - if you’re looking for consistency and lowering your handicap. Take that shot, could have been the 8th or ninth hole. You actually recovered pretty well, surprisingly. You were about 70 yards from the pin, a perfect position to use a Pitching wedge, but you went with a Sand wedge with heaps of loft and I’m assuming the same with bounce. It was a terrible lie, the ground was rock hard (you even hit it with the club to demonstrate) and not suitable for a club with bounce. A world class PGA tour player would have contemplated (for a second) using a Sand wedge from 70 yards out, but then he would have seen the lie/rock hard ground and put the club straight back in the bag. Predictably when you hit that ball, the bounce reacted with the ground and club head bounced up (the bounce in wedges is not there so that the club head bounces, it’s there to let the club head leading edge glide along through the grass, turf or sand, below the ball, so that the club face contacts the ball first, and not the leading edge). Anyway the shot resulted with the ball landing on the slope to the Green (miracles do happen). Then you pulled out your wedge, chipped then putted, could have been a Par? What I’m saying is your club selection was a… about. The Pitching wedge was the correct club from 70 out (you more than likely would have made the Green) then the Sand wedge for the chip shot, if needed. Although the Pitching wedge for the chip was technically not an incorrect choice, some players use it for everything. That sequence of shots approaching and around the Green for Par you could expect to pull off maybe 1/1000 times. With not much practice, that same similar scenario, but using a pitching wedge from 70 out would have you successfully on the Green 50-70% of the times. The times you missed you’d be left with a simple chip. Smashing a Sand wedge from a terrible lie, and it’s all in the lap of the gods. You hit the ball ok, there’s nothing wrong with your long game, it is what it is like everyone’s and better than many. But there’s plenty of low hanging fruit to be had in the short end of the bag. It’s a hell of a lot easier to lower your handicap via your short game than it is from your long game. You can easily lower your handicap by 5-6 shots from 80 yards and in. Understand the clubs down that end and what they are designed to do and the effect that the lie of your ball has on club selection. Sure there is practice involved, but the rewards come quickly. Free handicap lowering tip: Forget about making Birdies and concentrate on not making Double Bogies A 2 handicap golfer (me) makes 1.1 Double Bogies/Round and 1.9 Birdies/Round A 26 handicap golfer (you) makes 6.1 Double Bogies/Round and 0.1 Birdies/Round Good Luck 👍🏻
Decent play to be fair. You are advancing the ball towards the hole and closing the distance pretty well. Seems like your biggest issue is alignment to target and a down swing that has you coming over the top significantly, that gets you sometimes tailing off right and sometimes pulling straight left. If it's not something you would be comfortable fixing right now then I would suggest managing the course better by not going for greens in two, consciously leave yourself short of the green and rely on getting up and down for par/bogey.
Cheers mate. I definitely think that my bad rounds now are ten times better than my bad rounds last year. Last year my miss would be duffing the ball 2 yards in front of me so I was just giving strokes away. At least this year, my miss is significantly down the course. I think the over the top comes from an overswing. I let the club get far too much behind me and it then feels like I have to almost pull it around from there. Something I’m really trying to work on. Thanks for watching mate 👍🏻
@@DiaryofaHighHandicapper yep, definitely over swing, your whole torso moves up and away from where you addressed the ball originally. I do the exact same thing. To help me, i repeat a mental note to make sure my left shoulder stays in front of the ball. Whatever distance you think you will lose because it feels like its not a full swing is actually negated because your strike is better. Keep plugging away 👌
Yeah I noticed that too 😂 I’m always all over the place on that hole, the way the tee box is angled just always plays tricks with me 🤷🏻♂️ Thanks for watching mate
Good video brother. You and I have a similar golf game (and Handicap). If you're ever near the Glasgow/ Edinburgh area give me a shout and I'll sign you on at my course, happy to have you :)
In hindsight, I definitely would have laid up. I’m actually gonna do a video where I actually use my handicap shots on every hole to see whether I score better. I guarantee I do. There’ll be bogey beers being popped everywhere 😂 You’re the first person to message Bogey beer to me which made me laugh so well done 😂
On the 5th. You played a provisional and found the first ball but you pinalised yourself 2 shots as your first putt was your second shot not your 4th. Keep going!
Hi mate, I appreciate you looking out for me 😁 But, it was actually my provisional that I found. I thought it was long, but needed up in the green hence my confusion. My first ball was way left and was lost in hedges. Thanks for watching and the positivity 👍🏻
Starting with low confidence doesn't help at all. Think bad, play bad. But if you just holed from 5' and in, score would have been miles better. Keep at it. I was a 24hc a year ago. Currently 16.3. Just trying to improve a little each round.
I hear ya mate. However, after mishitting 10 out of 10 balls on the range I’m not sure how I could have walked to the tee with any confidence at all 😂 But I definitely let it get to me too much. And overall I think I did ok, just lots of little things went wrong, like the two unplayable situations. An extra yard or two and I wouldn’t have needed either and there’s serval less strokes taken as well as the three foot putts. Congrats on the progress, that’s excellent. I’d love to get sub 20 this year. It won’t be for the want of trying anyway. Thanks for watching mate 👍🏻
The struggle is so real! Preseason for my second year of golf went like...New fitted clubs, back to the drawing board with a new swing, couple of extra lessons, 100s of youtube videos, some books, amazon gadgets, trackman analysis, recording hours of myself at the range, lots of mirror work at home, new club and course...
Standing up at the first tee, throwing everything out the window and hooking it into the clubhouse...PRICELESS! :D
Hoping to get some more confidence and momentum into the new season. Love the grind, keeping it real and showing the plight for all high handicappers alike. Keep up the good work! It's all worth it for those all too rare sweet shots!
Ah man it's the hope that kills you 🤣 I've been there so many times. Convinced you're gonna have your best ever round and then Triple Bogey the first to bring you crashing down to earth 🤣🤣🤣 At least for this round, I had very low expectations after that warm up, which were duly met 🤣
Sounds like you're putting in the effort tough so I'm sure it will come good eventually. We live in hope 🤣 Best of luck with the season ahead.
And thanks for the comments about the video/channel 👍
Ahhh the psychology of golf. If you think you're going to hit a bad shot - you will. Think positive. Be stubborn . Be patient. Have fun..... - loving the channel
The mental game certainly needs work 😂 Thanks for watching mate and glad you’re enjoying the channel 😁 Episode 3 out very soon 👍🏻
There's times when this game does this to you making you feel your games going backwards, but we just have to stick with it and we'll come out at the other end !! 👏👍🏴
Can’t play well all the time 👍🏻
We are not robots 🤣😂🏴
@@stevenbonnar3136 sadly 😂
Didnt think it was as bad as you made out, chipping and putting are key to lower handicap at all levels nice one though Liam 🏌️♂️💪👊
Ah it was mainly the scoring and the ball
Striking wasn’t as good as it had been. I’ve really been working on my chipping lately so hopefully I’ll be able to demonstrate that over the next few rounds. Thanks for watching John 👍🏻
You’ll get back in the “swing” of things!
Playing more should help. At least that’s my hope as well! 😂
Good luck and hope the next round there’s lots of PARtying!
Cheers mate, I’m sure things will click in time for summer 🏌🏻♂️ Thanks for the positivity and hopefully loads more partying to come 😉
Hi Liam , your handicap is where I am currently although I am in the middle of a second set of lessons. Looking at some of your shots I see myself and an over the top swing. The last couple of holes showed this both with ball Flight and one with the divot Pointing 20-30 deg left of target.
Remember it’s how many not how, as there are many occasions where you will hit a good shot (that one into the bunker) crap result so take the crap swing/ poor contact good result when they happen
Hi mate, thanks for watching. Yep, still a few things I’m trying to work out in my swing. It’s amazing the difference between what I feel I’m doing and then what the video evidence shows I’m doing. It’s what makes golf so hard. But we keep trying to get better 💪🏻
Keep at it dude! Take it a round at a time, you'll bring that handicap down in no time!
Cheers mate. I’m still reasonably confident I’ll get it down. My bad rounds now are ten times better than my bad rounds a year ago. And on another day I could have easily been 5 points/strokes better off than I was today without the unplayable lies and short putts missed etc. 👍🏻 Thanks for watching mate
Good effort and keep at it. I have had plenty of bad rounds. It happens and keep your head up mate
Cheers mate, appreciate the positivity 😁 Thanks for watching 👍🏻
I'm in the same H.I. index range - working to get into the respectable part of the teens. Playing for about 7 month now and I'm down to 23.9. My scores really started to improve when I added a Cleveland Smart Sole Chipper to my bag. I use it from 100 yds and in. The ball goes dead straight. I know that if I have that in my hands for no more than my birdie chance - I'm likely not making worse than bogey. I like your videos.
Yeah I’d love to get down to 18 this year. Just need to keep on practicing and get ready for summer golf 😎
I might need to look into that chipper. I’ve gotten quite poor with my wedges so could do with something 😂
Best of luck with your journey mate and glad you’re enjoying the videos. Thanks for watching 👍🏻
@@DiaryofaHighHandicapper check out Mark Crossfield's Chipper videos. Hilarious.
Looking forward to that 🤣
Ahhh was so gutted you didn’t play the plugged bunker shot!! Must be nice to step up the the tee knowing you’re gonna hit a good drive.
Ah mate so was I 😂 I definitely don’t like giving up strokes but there was no way that ball was getting out of that bunker. There was an overhang too and it would have went straight into it.
I’ve been driving ok so far this year but I’m definitely not stepping up to the tee shots with unwavering confidence. Still expect to see them slice right 🍕
Thanks for watching Ryan 👍🏻
I train in a simulator every other day. Yesterday I played a round and had 113 and today after the same round 83... For me, golf seems to be about pure luck 😂 Thanks for the videos, love these 👌 Good and the bad rounds.
Sounds like me 😂 Last year I had my best ever round of 88, literally 4 days later I went out and a shot a 104 😂 How is that even possible?
I don’t often hear people saying “thanks” for the videos so I appreciate that. It’s just nice to know people enjoy watching them. Should have a brand new one out next week 👍🏻
@@DiaryofaHighHandicapper all I can come up with it is, it's golf 😂
I like to thank for the videos, since it takes a lot of effort to make em for our enjoyment. Gear, batteries, mics, setting em up for each shot and post production to name a few steps and the added pressure to play for the whole wide TH-cam. It ain't easy 😁
Edit: Can't wait for the new one 👌
Golf is hard man 😂
Well thanks again. It’s a lot of effort. And expensive. People always ask me how much money I’ve made but I actually turned ads off on my videos to try and enhance the viewer experience and I’ve spent a good bit on equipment so it actually costs me money to run the page, but I do it as a hobby and it really does make it worthwhile when people take the time to engage with the channel so I’m genuinely thankful for the comment. It’s not easy 😂
I made massive progress on my vid tonight and I think it’s the best yet so stay tuned 👍🏻
Can't wait to play on the course again. Last year my home course open in the middle of March.
Keep practicing and the score will come 🏌️♂️
Wow, sorry to hear that mate. I don’t know how I’d cope if our courses were closed like that. I’m sure you’ll make up for lost time once they open 😃🏌🏻♂️🏌🏻♂️🏌🏻♂️🏌🏻♂️
I went out the other week and I shanked, chunked and topped my way around 4 holes and got saved by a sick child needing to be brought to D DOC. I think I’ll be stuck at 30 handicap or worse forever. Good videos. You get decent yards on all your drives and irons. Lots of potential there.
Keep at it mate. I find when I'm chunking it, I'm swinging too hard. Slow it down a tad and the connection improves drastically. Although I do appreciate the irony of a 25 handicapper giving tips 🤣
Hopefully it was nothing too serious and your kid is on the mend.
Thanks for watching mate 👍
Picked up a new putter myself… and it’s working a treat… a lot less 3s and closer to the pin.. it does wonders for the confidence and there’s always that one shot that reignites your love of the game / stops you from sticking the for sale sign on the bag! Keep on trucking!
Ah I’m in love with my new one. I had been stalking it for about four months so that round convinced me it was time to actually take the plunge 😂 so far so good 👍🏻 What one did you go for?
Well done buddy not too bad. Get the chipping and putting sorted and the shots will fall off 👌🏿
Cheers mate, definitely need to tidy up the short game 👍🏻 Thanks for watching
Great to see the journey continuing. Not sure if its just camera angle, but it looked like all the shots that went Left Left, you where aiming very left of target before you swung the club - On the drops you get much more on target with your alignment. Particularly the shots around 18:11
Keep working on it, it will click!!
Cheers Andy, glad you’re enjoying the journey 😂 I’m definitely taking the scenic route but we’ll get there eventually 💪🏻 I think you’re right with the alignment. In my early videos, my tendency was always to aim right. I’ve been working hard to correct it but it seems now I’ve gone a little bit the other way 😂 Sums up my journey so far, going from one extreme to the other I.E. shank - hook etc. Thanks for watching mate 👍🏻
@@DiaryofaHighHandicapper Its a story we ALL relate too!!
I gave up and quit last fall. Good job for keep going on.
Sorry to hear that. While it can be frustrating, I do actually love it and the good rounds definitely make up for the bad ones 👍🏻
Just found the channel, and love the content! The reactions to the shots are so relatable! 😂
I’m considering joining Druids Heath, would you recommend it?
Welcome to the channel Glenn 😁 Glad you’re enjoying the content.
It think it would depend on how good a golfer you are as it is a VERY tough course. It was definitely too tough for me. I’m now in Arklow. But if you get onto them and tell them you’re thinking about joining, they’ll give you a free round to check it out 👍🏻
If anyone ever asks me about difficult golf courses in Ireland the first one that springs to mind is druids heath. Concra Wood is another one. I've never played the European but I hear that one is very tough.
It’s so tough. The only one tougher I’ve played is Macreddin. I was a member in Druids Heath for a year which is why I think my handicap is still so high 😂 Haven’t played the European but meant to be extremely hard
@@DiaryofaHighHandicapper oh Macreddin yeah, that place is cruelty ha! Good course though.
So relatable. I had a stinker today (24 pts).
Sorry to hear that mate but if it makes you feel any better, based on the comments under this video, every single golfer who has played in the last week or so has also had a bad round 😂 Safety in numbers 👍🏻
@@DiaryofaHighHandicapper I get over it really quick these days. Funny though how I really stink at this game but play 5-10 shots per round that are really top drawer and they bring me back.
I really do think that's just golf. We set such high expectations for ourselves based off a minority of shots when the reality is that they are the exception rather than the norm. But it's the striving for greatness that makes the game so addictive. I think we just need to remind ourselves how difficult the game actually is
Good effort my man! Get some work on 100yards and in. Lots of low hanging fruit with your short game buddy! Looking forward to watching your journey
Cheers mate, I’ve actually started working on my short game already as I can see it’s where I lose the most shots. Hopefully I’ll be able to showcase an improvement on the channel over the next few rounds. Thanks for watching mate, much appreciated 👍🏻
nice round on a nice course and don't blame the putter it's usually the guy who holding it..................😋
The putter is already in the bin and has been replaced by a new putter who doesn't treat me as badly 🤣
Thanks for watching mate 👍
I think you are a little hard on yourself and you weren't playing too bad. You seem to have the habit of a lot of us high handicappers in talking yourself into a poor shot before you've even addressed the ball. Have you seen 'Golf Sidekick's' TH-cam channel? Matt is a great one for thinking positive and he's helped me change my mental attitude to a more positive one. It doesn't always work but it has helped me bring my handicap down to something more respectable than it was (17 now was 22). Just a thought... Can I make a suggestion, which would make it easier for the viewer to follow? If it is possible then making sure your camera is level would really help us see how the shots are played. In the early few holes it did look rather skewed on a few occasions. All that being said, I do enjoy following your journey and I can see there is an 18 handicapper in there somewhere. Thanks for taking the time to sharing your golfing exploits. We do appreciate it.
Ah it's more so the score to be honest. I really should be scoring better given the handicap but it is a very tough course and nothing really went my way on the day. I'm certainly not dwelling on it or thinking about giving up the game.....yet 🤣
Re talking myself in to poor shots, it's definitely an issue I have. For my channel, I am trying to find a balance between commenting enough on each shot so that the viewer can see exactly what I'm facing and what I'm trying to do so they can then see whether I've executed it correctly but then perhaps this plays too much into negative thinking.
Noted re: the camera. I do always try and make sure it is always straight. Unfortunately (as you can probably hear with my breathing throughout the round 🤣), I'm always trying to keep up with play as well as setting up the camera so I don't always get it right or sometimes the camera housing slips etc. but I'll try take more care and attention next time.
Thanks for watching and leaving helpful feedback, I too appreciate it 👍
@@DiaryofaHighHandicapper I think you get the balance between playing and commentating just about right. I hadn't considered the 'keeping up with play' aspect! It's certainly a consideration for me as I tend to rush when the 'bigger boys' (i.e better players) are behind or, even worse, when someone lets us through. We're guaranteed to rush and duff the shot then!
Had an appalling round myself today It happens. We will conquer this game ...
A small bump on the road to single digits 🚙💪🏻
That's part of the fun, we'll never conquer it haha
Loving the content mate. I feel your pain. My short game is killing me at the moment. Keep going. 🏌️💙
Cheers mate, glad you’re enjoying it and thanks for watching it. Golf is hard man 😂 Been working on my short game loads out the back garden so let’s hope it’s transfers to the course soon 😂
Some good with some not so good unfortunately. Few putts dropping and the round is much better than it was.
Your pull left is often my miss. Generally when I use my arms to swing and not turn my body is when I pull it left. Heath was looking good for the time of year. Looking forward to Glen being back open. Not looking forward to the cost though!
Yep, that sums up my round. Looking back on it, if I holes the three putts and the two unplayable situations only needed an extra yard or two and all of a sudden I’m 5 points/strokes better off and all of a sudden my score looks quite good. Oh well.
And yeah, was very happy with the condition of Druids Heath, couldn’t realy fault it. It’s just sooooo hard 😂 The perched greens just add such a layer of difficulty.
Your putting is good and you're quite good,just a few tweeks to your swing. No professional myself but you should try to keep your arms straighter with more a smoother circular swing,slow speed and this helps alot too. I practice swinging (sounds rude) with an orange whip,gold flex style trainer,it's flex will tell you alot and improve tempo etc. You're doing well and keep it up,enjoy
Thanks Oliver. I was actually really happy with my lag putting. I think I left every long putt within three feet, just ended up missing a few of the short ones. But I think on another day I hole them all.
And you're definitely right about keeping my arms straighter. I tend to rush my swing and my right shoulder and hip goes first meaning I have to compensate in the downswing by bending etc. I play best when I let my left arm do a lot more of the work as it helps me from coming over the top. It's amazing how I seem to forget this on course though 🤣 But it's all part of the journey and the fun.
Thanks for watching and engaging with the channel 👍
I’m curious as to why you keep using your Pitching wedge, which you demonstrated you can flog 120 yards, for finesse shots around the edge of the Greens 🤷♂️
Easier to hit than my lob wedges and far more bounce.
Not sure my full swing yardage is that relevant when I’m just looking to chip it 👍🏻
@@DiaryofaHighHandicapper I think it’s relevant - you have much more control and consistency of strike if you hit a stronger lofted club weakly, than a weaker lofted club strongly, in the short game anyway. From what I’ve seen in your vids you’ve using the incorrect club for the distance/ shot that’s required - if you’re looking for consistency and lowering your handicap. Take that shot, could have been the 8th or ninth hole. You actually recovered pretty well, surprisingly. You were about 70 yards from the pin, a perfect position to use a Pitching wedge, but you went with a Sand wedge with heaps of loft and I’m assuming the same with bounce. It was a terrible lie, the ground was rock hard (you even hit it with the club to demonstrate) and not suitable for a club with bounce. A world class PGA tour player would have contemplated (for a second) using a Sand wedge from 70 yards out, but then he would have seen the lie/rock hard ground and put the club straight back in the bag. Predictably when you hit that ball, the bounce reacted with the ground and club head bounced up (the bounce in wedges is not there so that the club head bounces, it’s there to let the club head leading edge glide along through the grass, turf or sand, below the ball, so that the club face contacts the ball first, and not the leading edge). Anyway the shot resulted with the ball landing on the slope to the Green (miracles do happen). Then you pulled out your wedge, chipped then putted, could have been a Par? What I’m saying is your club selection was a… about. The Pitching wedge was the correct club from 70 out (you more than likely would have made the Green) then the Sand wedge for the chip shot, if needed. Although the Pitching wedge for the chip was technically not an incorrect choice, some players use it for everything. That sequence of shots approaching and around the Green for Par you could expect to pull off maybe 1/1000 times. With not much practice, that same similar scenario, but using a pitching wedge from 70 out would have you successfully on the Green 50-70% of the times. The times you missed you’d be left with a simple chip. Smashing a Sand wedge from a terrible lie, and it’s all in the lap of the gods. You hit the ball ok, there’s nothing wrong with your long game, it is what it is like everyone’s and better than many. But there’s plenty of low hanging fruit to be had in the short end of the bag. It’s a hell of a lot easier to lower your handicap via your short game than it is from your long game. You can easily lower your handicap by 5-6 shots from 80 yards and in. Understand the clubs down that end and what they are designed to do and the effect that the lie of your ball has on club selection. Sure there is practice involved, but the rewards come quickly.
Free handicap lowering tip: Forget about making Birdies and concentrate on not making Double Bogies
A 2 handicap golfer (me) makes 1.1 Double Bogies/Round and 1.9 Birdies/Round
A 26 handicap golfer (you) makes 6.1 Double Bogies/Round and 0.1 Birdies/Round
Good Luck 👍🏻
Decent play to be fair. You are advancing the ball towards the hole and closing the distance pretty well. Seems like your biggest issue is alignment to target and a down swing that has you coming over the top significantly, that gets you sometimes tailing off right and sometimes pulling straight left. If it's not something you would be comfortable fixing right now then I would suggest managing the course better by not going for greens in two, consciously leave yourself short of the green and rely on getting up and down for par/bogey.
Cheers mate. I definitely think that my bad rounds now are ten times better than my bad rounds last year. Last year my miss would be duffing the ball 2 yards in front of me so I was just giving strokes away. At least this year, my miss is significantly down the course. I think the over the top comes from an overswing. I let the club get far too much behind me and it then feels like I have to almost pull it around from there. Something I’m really trying to work on. Thanks for watching mate 👍🏻
@@DiaryofaHighHandicapper yep, definitely over swing, your whole torso moves up and away from where you addressed the ball originally. I do the exact same thing. To help me, i repeat a mental note to make sure my left shoulder stays in front of the ball. Whatever distance you think you will lose because it feels like its not a full swing is actually negated because your strike is better. Keep plugging away 👌
Will do mate 👍
I noticed your alignment on your boggy hole during your tee shot. Aiming way right to your actual ball direction.
Yeah I noticed that too 😂 I’m always all over the place on that hole, the way the tee box is angled just always plays tricks with me 🤷🏻♂️ Thanks for watching mate
Good video brother. You and I have a similar golf game (and Handicap).
If you're ever near the Glasgow/ Edinburgh area give me a shout and I'll sign you on at my course, happy to have you :)
Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed it. And cheers for the offer, much appreciated 🏌🏻♂️🏌🏻
On hole 8 - i would have laid up on my second shot. I probably would have hit a full swing on my chipper and then chipped on. Bogey beer.
In hindsight, I definitely would have laid up. I’m actually gonna do a video where I actually use my handicap shots on every hole to see whether I score better. I guarantee I do. There’ll be bogey beers being popped everywhere 😂 You’re the first person to message Bogey beer to me which made me laugh so well done 😂
My handicap got worse in 2022 - still love the game though
I shaved a massive 0.1 off mine 😂 Still absolutely adore it ❤️
On the 5th. You played a provisional and found the first ball but you pinalised yourself 2 shots as your first putt was your second shot not your 4th. Keep going!
Hi mate, I appreciate you looking out for me 😁 But, it was actually my provisional that I found. I thought it was long, but needed up in the green hence my confusion. My first ball was way left and was lost in hedges. Thanks for watching and the positivity 👍🏻
Starting with low confidence doesn't help at all. Think bad, play bad. But if you just holed from 5' and in, score would have been miles better. Keep at it. I was a 24hc a year ago. Currently 16.3. Just trying to improve a little each round.
I hear ya mate. However, after mishitting 10 out of 10 balls on the range I’m not sure how I could have walked to the tee with any confidence at all 😂 But I definitely let it get to me too much. And overall I think I did ok, just lots of little things went wrong, like the two unplayable situations. An extra yard or two and I wouldn’t have needed either and there’s serval less strokes taken as well as the three foot putts. Congrats on the progress, that’s excellent. I’d love to get sub 20 this year. It won’t be for the want of trying anyway. Thanks for watching mate 👍🏻
Maybe you should take up pickleball? 😏
Great idea. Cheers mate 👍🏻
That was terrible mate
Absolutely shocking 😂