Great content again my friend. How you don't have thousands more subscribers is beyond me. Although I am now 62 and don't hit my ball 260 yards, I can generally hit it straight and keep it in play which then takes pressure of my approach and wedge play. And your observations regarding courses and conditions are spot on. Keep it up Simon - your videos are genuinely a highlight of my youtube viewing!
Thankyou very much. Given a bit of elevation help and a dry summer fairway a decent stroke will still get out there 260. But I'm not striking it well enough right now. Short game is where it's at, I miss so many greens I have to practice it. Otherwise I can double my handicap. As to greens, just played on hollow tined greens so that will show up in 2 weeks. Why youtube has only pushed me once I have no idea. I've seen many other small youtubers quit after 2 years. It really is a lottery. Cheers
I agree with the order Simon, except I’d probably say wedges plural, since I am less adaptable I need to use different wedges for different purposes. This is the considered golf content that sets this channel apart. Thanks Simon.
The video was inspired by a story in one of Harvey Penick books. The byron Nelson and Ben Hogan reference. I agree with 'wedges' as we have to use more than one for different problems. Cheers
Very interesting subject Simon.I largely agree although my reasoning is slightly different.I remember a golf mad hollywood film producer and writer called Michael Laughlin who wrote a book called Radical Golf.He said anyone capable of shooting in the 90's can regularly go around in the 70's.He said you will have to leave your Driver and woods in the garage.Use a 3i or 4i off the tee.As he was writing in the 90's these could now be substituted with a 3 and 4 hybrid.He said play short avoid all hazards,and do not go for the green in regulation on the longer well protected holes.On those par 4's he said your most important shot was your third.On certain par 3's it was your 2nd.For par 5's,it was both the third and fourth shots.He also quoted Harvey Pennick and disagreed with him.His mantra was the most important three clubs are wedge,wedge,wedge.Practice with your wedge he said more than any other.The only other shot to practice was the lag putt.Interestingly he also said it matters not a jot if you only hit your iron/hybrid off the tee shorter than 200 yards,because you can always get into what he described as your free throw area with your wedge.Playing this way he implied was sensible logical and much less pressurised.It echoes the words of The Battle of Britain pilot,athelete, Inventor,engineer and Captain of Wentworth golf club Mindy Blake who stated anyone who can regularly get up and down will manage to beat any opponent.Laughlin would have continued by saying to give yourself any chanc of that ,you must remain in play. And for all the skeptics who are having trouble scoring in the 70's he suggested they have a round with just a 7i wedge and putter.You may well be very surprised with your score. Now that's Radical.
Hello Mark, you wont get an argument on that from me. Most people will do better with loft and a short shaft in their hand. I mention it from time to time and then you get a comment saying golf should be fun and it's fun to hit driver as hard as you can. Then I ask their handicap and they say 16. Most people can manage 200 yards off the tee with a lofted wood. You can play golf from there and score well if you will practice the short game and be confident over a 4 footer. A lot of people are terrified of 4 feet and miss a lot. But then they don't pactice it. The easiest thing in the world to get good at and they don't bother. There is a huge amount of good advice out there but where are people? On the range swinging out of their shoes with the driver. I had a lesson this morning and then went to the range. All I used was a 7 iron for 100 balls. Guy 2 bays from me was busting a gut and popping a vein trying to reach the back fence. I don't think he learned as much as me.
I've watched a few vlog's now and I love your down to earth no nonsense approach. I came to golf 2&half years ago ( now approaching 71yrs old ) I have no thoughts of how far I use to hit the ball so it's all new. I have often thought how the top pro players would fair on the courses we play, no practise rounds no caddies or green books just turn up and play. I'm Hereford based and play at AP which claims to be the longest in Hereford & Worcester. Maybe not the easiest course to learn on but when I go to other courses it's a breeze😄
Wow that is late to the game. Better than rotting on the sofa though in front of the tv. I wonder how they would cope on slow and bumpy greens. Plus the out of bounds so close to fairways. They would have to reign in the driver a bit. But in reality they take apart a short course. Would be fun to watch. AP? I'm going to see if I can work out where that is. Of course, Alexander Park. I drive past it. If the weather had been kinder this year I would of played it already. It does help being at a tough course, your handicap will travel well. Thanks for joining the regulars. The channel is growing a bit now. Cheers
Well thought out content for this clip, really enjoyed all of it, particularly the post round editing for captions - so much useful information in those captions - plus the lucid comments. Altogether an excellent result and time well spent watching the full clip. For each round I play there is one sector of the four phases of my game that's not working well. That could be driver, approach, pitching/chipping, or putting.The problem is that I don't know beforehand which of the four phases will be the problem for any given round. I was particularly impressed with your recovery rate from missed greens. That is the largest number of extra strokes for me. And so that's why your recent video on playing from forward tees for super seniors appealed to me so much. Looking forward to the next video.
Thankyou Ian. Editing is roughly 5 hours. I've cut it down a bit. Shot tracer is a pain, about an hour and 3/4 for 18 holes plus it's not accurate. You will see that on a bid screen rather than a phone. There is always something that lets us down except for 2 weeks of the year where suddenly golf seems easy. Then it's back to normal service. I have always been a poor iron player for my handicap level. I miss 9 greens a round usually so I'm always chipping. If I didn't practice that bit I would be a 10 handicap. When the irons are on than I can shoot par from a normal length course. Not out at 6500, too long for me now to go low. I'm just editing a round from the red tees. For 2 weeks time. It wasn't quite as easy as I thought but then the greens have been tined and are bumpy. Which proves my point about the putting for ever changing for us. Hope you enjoy it.
Thank you. I have said for many years the "put for dough..." cliche is nonsense. It assumes everyone hits the drive long and straight. The tee shot (for all holes) sets up everything else. And my beloved 56 degree wedge is what keeps me consistently in the 80's and not the 90's.
Spot on. If I chip poorly you can double my handicap. If I chip well I can cover my mistakes to a degree. 220 in the fairway beats 270 out of bounds every time. Cheers
Interesting video. As the only thing consistent amongst us amateurs is our inconsistency, I'd suggest that it varies day-to-day! And each are interlocking depending on the rest of your game! Why? Because if you drive well, yet your irons are poor, that puts greater strain on your wedge play and putting to make your score. Similarly you can drive poorly but hit irons well, leading to fewer wedge shots and sinking more putts etc., etc.. So every day the importance of each element of the game changes! Interesting point about a club golfer and putting though, and you're quite correct! We have to put up with a lot during the playing year, as far as our greens are concerned, which makes our putting inconsistent! Similarly with our short game! Well played. You certainly drove the ball well, and at least bagged a couple of long putts. Cheers!
I have always missed a lot of greens. Even on my good days. I'm always chipping so it's so important. It's why I'm 5.7 and not 10.7. Chipping or little pitches. The greens now are tined and bumpy. Saturday they were dead slow, monday they had been cut and I raced it past. And then they were all different. I just want to know why they never bump into the hole? Putt on 15 was nice and then 17 brought me back down to earth. Doesn't look that steep but it is.
thx Simon , pro's dont have to deal with divots left on the fairways ! I did play Weston Super mare and the number of un repaired divots was driving nuts until got half way down the fourth , looked behind me and the crows where flipping the replaced turf out , looking for worms ! made me laugh out load :)
They are good at that Kevin. Pinch balls too. The Pros get a free drop and all we do is look around for a ball that should of been in the fairway and then walk back to the tee. Nice having a camera and thousands of people to search for your ball. Thye don't know they are born!
Too mnay people think hitting the driver as hard as they can is fun. But it costs them 2 balls or more a round. I used to think that was fun but that is why I was stuck on a 9 handicap for years.
Hi Simon. I agree with your order but I would add that you can recover from a poor drive but not a missed putt. Food for thought! Course looks in good nick.
Depends on how bad the drive is! I try not to miss inside 4 feet, I do a lot of practice there. Outside of 4 feet it gets harder for us. Course is good, hollow tining has been done so the greens are quite bumpy now and you can't hole a thing.
got to say after my season this year being able to putt is number 1 Too many 3 points have become 2 2 becomes 1 1 blob. My hc would have dropped this year if I had putted well. Played The Bells today very enjoyable. Thanks for video. Your comments re courses and pros is spot on except for the rough comments. They get it out cos they are good at . When I played squash I saw Jahanger Khan play. Came to the opinion I was playing squash he was playing something different !!!Great video as usual. Stay safe,
If you are 3 putting a lot then that needs to be fixed. No doubt. They do get out of the rough well. Of course speed and strength makes a huge difference over us. What surprised me watching Pro golfers is how low they hit irons. They really do hit it forwards instead of up. Except for the high ball hitters like Jack, Tiger and Rory etc
Great video, I enjoyed watching it. I would agree with you on driver, wedge, putter for my game. If I am driving well I have confidence that carries over to the rest of my game. As a general guideline I follow the data but there are no set in stone rules that you have to play each hole\course the same. ShotScope and Arccos data over millions of shots have shown that being closer to the green results in closer proximity to the hole. Across all handicap ranges 60-80 yards gets a better proximity than 100-120 yards. Even in rough\fairway bunker closer is better than longer and in the fairway. I'm not talking about 75 yards into the trees or waist high grass though LOL. There is a par 5 at a course I play that is so narrow, I tee off with a 5 iron because shorter in the fairway is better than OB on both sides of a 30 yard wide fairway. PGA putting stats show 8 foot putts at about 52 percent so really until I am within 8 feet I am really just trying to get the ball close for the second putt. Yes we all make the 40 ft putt from time to time but really as a mid cap I need the ball within 6 feet to have a real chance of making it most of the time. This is why I think my wedge game is so important. If I am chipping\bump and running\putting and leaving it outside of 8 feet, it's going to be a 2 putt the majority of the time. Have to get those chips close to have a chance of getting up and down.
Thanks Joey, the stats can show a lot of things except for the individual golfer. I get twitchy from 65 yards to 30 yards. I try and stay out of that. I'm better from 90 yards with a gap or 75 with a sand. Then close than 30 I'll hit my 46 deg wedge. So whilst the stats say I should be better at 40 yards it's better for me to stay back. But round the green I'm looking for a chip to 4 feet or better and that is where i spend my time practicing. I should do more 40 yarders but then we all have only a limited amount of free time. I always say we get better at what we do the most and the stats does not allow for the amount of free time we have. Otherwise we would all be off scratch if we had the time. As for putting for me my success depends entirely on speed and smoothness. The better the green the more likely a 12 footer will feel as easy as a 2 footer. Or let's say my % success rate goes up from 1 out of 10 to 3 out of 10. (picking numbers out of thin air)
@@joeymanning6563 I don't keep any data these days. I had a programme 25 years ago but it didn't really tell me anything I didn't know. If I miss the fairway the chances of par go right down. After playing with really good golfers and comparing myself to them I realised the short game is where it's at when I miss a fairway or a green. I don't need stats to tell me what I did wrong. That's just me. I know others who follow strokes gained with a passion. Whatever gets the job done for each individual I guess.
My worst rounds come from driving the ball poorly. So I agree, driver is most important for me. Hitting the greens, with whatever club, is next on my list. And then putting, which is my true nemesis. I’ve played rounds this year where I drove it well, hit 14-16 greens and then took 36-40 putts! LOL
Oh my that's brutal Tim. Do you play on tough greens? I try to read the green from back in the fairway, just spot the slopes and attempt to give myself something uphill. But perhaps not as uphill as the 17th! But you can't do anything from out of bounds, driver is top of the list or whatever club you choose to drive with.
@@thehairygolfer I have always struggled with speed control. It probably doesn't help that I've "tried" roughly 40-50 different putter since 2017. I will say, I have been sticking with my Yes! Hanna for the past 3 seasons but still have my days. Cheers!
@@TimC887 Tim, everytime I walk in the Pro shop I pick up one of those really expensive putters. They look great. But then I remember my 34 year old works well and spending £450 will not make me better. Speed is everything, I would probably hole a few more if I hit it harder. But then my observation over the years is people 3 putt by being too aggressive and going past the flag 6 feet. I cannot suggest a resolution for you other thna spending time trying to hone distance control.
Perhaps it’s better to look at it from this perspective - it’s not a particular club (driver) that’s most important, but better looked at as “the tee shot” (all woods and irons) that’s most important. This would then include the par 3s, and thusly it is comparable to putting in importance. Edit: great content by the way!
I'd go putter, tee shot club (which is what "driver" really means for amateurs, and then wedges. If I have a mediocre day off the tee, the wedges and putter are what will save the score. But even with a good driving day, if you can't putt you won't score. But as you say, it'll be different for everyone.
Well my wedge and putter are saving the score for me right now. If I could drive it better then I could really score. If I had to add a 4th club I would pick the 6 iron. Probably use it on a lot of par 3's, par 4's and even short par 4's as a tee shot. Easy to hit, should hit greens with it and get a reasonable distance out of it. Can chop it up to land soft, can close it down to run out. A good all round useful club.
I miss so many greens the wedge is certainly very important to me. Pitches and chips and then I need one on a par 5. I think we are all the same there.
Next friday is a round from off my summer holiday. The friday after I play the red tees with no handicap. I will put senior in the title and see if it goes mad too. Not finished the editing on that yet. Had a much needed lesson this morning and I'm playing tomorrow. I can't put senior in every video title. Can I? Cheers
Just going from 10.5 to 12.5 degrees makes a huge difference. Plus getting a shorter shaft. Why they sell us drivers with a 46 inch shaft is beyond me. Hope you are playing lots up north. I'm down south in November.
@@thehairygolfer golf course is flooded .I use a 3wood shaft in my driver works a treat,driver head set at 13Degrees Enjoying the videos and good golf in November cheers Nads
@@GONADSable I thought the middle of summer was a little dryer before the rains of september and october? But then I've never been up north so I'm just guessing. I saw some video of Phuket back in may and the courses really suffered. Bridges washed away, cars floating in the street. Fairly normal stuff. I remember 3 feet in Pattaya the first time I went. I don't know how people cope with it. 13 degrees is fine. You don't need me to tell you height is everything on fairways that go splat. Low drives go nowhere. Take care Simon
Golf is a gambling game , often played hole to hole in match play! Under those conditions putting is really where the money is at . Assuming of course you have a decent game off the tee with your driving iron .
I like to bet on certainties. In matchplay I let the other guy gamble and lose. I've found a decent drive in the fairway is the most intimidating thing to do to an opponent. Just a thought.
@@thehairygolfer and the show of the other guy blasting his drive 50 yards further down range is , not as important as that 8 foot putt you need to win or half the hole .
@@charlessandoval3382 I think we agree we need all elements to work. I have found the mind to be a good tool too. All square with 4 to go and I let the other guy try to break the deadlock. They usually do by trying too hard and gifting me a hole.
Played West Monmouthshire yesterday, course is looking nice, although I don't know why they have removed many of the marker posts to show people where to drive... Greens were superb. Rough was brutal. Took a video of me putting on 6 at 90 degrees to the hole that was fun. Unfortunately I played terribly. My mate told me after the round "even when you play poorly it is down to one aspect of your game but the rest is solid. You had nothing out there today". My states definitely proved he was correct against a 10hc (my handicap is 12.4) my strokes gained; tee shots -4.52 (lost 1 ball), approaches -14.20 (I lost multiple balls here), short game -1.3, putting -6.83.. I shot 109, if I played that bad at home I would have walked off, it was only because its a nice adventure up there that I was "happy" to loose so many balls. Are you going back up there any time soon?
It's been noticed that the marker posts have gone and words in the bar. No idea of the outcome but it's a bit silly. 109? How does strokes gained work? The Pros measure themselves against all the other Pros in the tournament. Well, actually the Pros don't, they don't care about strokes gained. So what do you measure yourself against? Is there some magical number a 12.4 should do? When I used stats as a 9 handicap it said I was a 5 handicap driver of the ball and a 22 handicap putter. Somebody had decided how many putts I should hole. Who gets to say what your standard should be? I'm up on sunday. Weather forecast looks good so far.
@thehairygolfer pros are taking more notice from strokes gained. It's focusing their practice, it's why Bryson got buff and is driving the ball so far. For handicap golfers, if you have a shotscope or ARCCOS, how you play goes into a data base. Clever stats are used to compare all players and taking their handicap into account. We aren't just talking about crude number like how many putts, but what our putting distance is compared to the number of putts. How close we get to the pin from under 50 yards. How close we get to the pin from various approach shots ( on or off the green) from various conditions, how far we drive how many yards off the fairway we drive and how many lost balls or hazards we go into. Data gets consumed from thousands of golfers around the world to give us what the average golfers is for; putting, short game, approach and driving. It's a remarkable tool if you have the time to work on your weaknesses.
@@streamleazefishhouse I think everyone is too different myself. Got a 1 handicap friend who drives very short. But he can get up and down out of your back pocket from 40 yards. Got friends who refuse to use a 3 wood off the fairway despite playing for years they are afraid of it. I've seen too many long drivers who lose balls to consider that to be a good thing. People who take gap wedge from 145 yards and can't even reach the front bunker. Length is only an asset if it goes dead straight, otherwise it's a liability. Jack Nicklaus said use the club that gets you in play. For some people that might be as low as a 6 iron. The tools that say you should hit driver all the time are completely wrong.
@@thehairygolfer Everything you just said strokes gained agrees with.. I am confused to why you think strokes gained is the enemy, when you're singing the same song.
@@streamleazefishhouse Strokes gained encourages you to hit driver when you shouldn't. The vast majority of golfers struggle to hit driver well enough but if you want to get better strokes gained says hit it further. You can measure yourself against scratch, 10 handicap, 20 handicap etc to see how well you are doing. Who determines how many fairways, how far, how many greens and how many putts you should take? It's a bullshit number. I measure myself against the only number that matters - par.
@@finbar481 I remember one year at Wentworth. Long before the alterations. Vijay was tight down the right of 18 and launched his 3 wood over the hospitality on the left of the green and he got his free drop in a little circle next to the green. They do it all the time. Tiger did the same, I forget which course. Think it was in Dubai. A deliberate shot straight into the stands.
@@finbar481 There doesn't seem to be any useful stands around when we play. Did you see Bryson in the first round of the US Open? Hit a horrible push slice off the front 9 par 5 tee. Only just in bounds and he had no shot. But the bloody recording stuff for strokes gained was in his way. By the time he had found his nearest point of relief he had a shot at the green. Think he made birdie when he was looking at bogie with no backswing up against the OOB fence and trees in the way.
Don't they say, it's the best putter of the best ball strikers? Scheffler being the ultimate example. He's often leading strokes gained tee to green but his putting is the difference between him winning or coming 5th. I think for handicapped amateurs the game is too extremely varied to put them in order. Its simply a game of the fewest mistakes and us handicap amateurs are capable of making a mistake with any club, from any distance, at any time. The most important shot is the one you're about to play! We'd all play better if we accepted our distances and swung within ourselves.
Scheffler is something else! I hope he doesn't fade away like Speith did. He was a putting machine but now it's a bit cold it puts so much pressure on the rest of his game. Got to agree. Every day we are different and we have no idea which bit will let us down. I was down the range mid week and there was a young man busting a gut with the driver as hard as he could. He got some exercise but I don't think he learned much. I'm stood there hitting 7 iron feet together to work on timing and just wondering what he is getting out of his £9.75
@@robertcourt8593 I loved it when there was a practice ground. Hit your own decent balls off grass. Pick them up and repeat for as long as you like. Plus it was empty as people are lazy. Now you have to stand next to someone hitting 100 drivers in 20 minutes and hope to maintain some sort of proper rythmn while the machine gun is going off in your ear. Ranges really suck. Especially as I need a 5 iron to get past the 135 yard marker at the range I use. Only God knows what those balls are made of. Rant over!
@@thehairygolfermy range isn't much better, crap balls, crap mats and 5° uphill. I prefer to go on the par 3 course but once the nights draw in its range or nothing.
@@robertcourt8593 I'm on a practice ground tomorrow morning although there isn't much grass on it. But better than nothing. I can use a tee peg and level it up. We get very wet round here in the winter and many courses close. This spring some were closed for months. Now I need to practice after this mornings lesson. Some of it I can do in the back garden though, just sorting out my turn and clip a tee peg.
I agree with Ben if you set up the hole with a decent drive it usually helps to score better. Looks like you were striping it here Simon!! Great chip in and long putt on the back 9!! If you watched Bryson's last video he was also commenting on the green speeds on a public course compared to the pro setup courses!!🏌♂⛳😀
Got to drive it straight enough to be usable. Just avoid the trouble and that's the start. I got lucky with those 2, I usually make my birdies from much closer. I've watched a bit of Bryson, he's very good, I'll seek that one out. Cheers
