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Golf Divas?

MissySki

Angel Diva
Biweekly my instructor takes our women’s lesson group onto the course in the late afternoon to play a few holes. We break into 2 teams and play best ball, with our pro instructing the whole way on etiquette and demonstrating the shot he would take in each case. I find this so valuable! Sure, the driving range sessions are fun and chipping into nets is too.. but boy is it different on the course.

The first hole Monday was atrocious.. none of us had been on course yet this season, and it showed! I kept hitting behind my ball which is so annoying because my usual issue is topping the ball. Apparently I was dipping my right shoulder for some reason, so focused on that. The second hole was a bit better. The third hole was great for me, until putting. The practice putting green hasn’t opened yet and oh boy do I need some recalibration there. But my drive was really nice, for me.. (stayed in the air the whole time around 130 yards or so, and landed just a little to the right of the green) which is unusual lol. I followed it up with a really nice pitch onto the green.. before sucking with putting. It’s amazing how a couple of good hits makes you want to come back even more though :smile:.

I know 130 yards isn't all that far to drive at all, but for me it was extremely good for on course. I always tend to do better at the driving range, but it hasn't translated well to the course yet in my very short golf journey. It got me to thinking about how far I should be able to drive as a beginner.. anyone know what a good average is for a beginner female? I hope I can get more consistent in general so I can eventually focus on getting more distance etc. My swing is still all over the place though, so seems that would be most important to get a handle on.
 

Susan L

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Biweekly my instructor takes our women’s lesson group onto the course in the late afternoon to play a few holes. We break into 2 teams and play best ball, with our pro instructing the whole way on etiquette and demonstrating the shot he would take in each case. I find this so valuable! Sure, the driving range sessions are fun and chipping into nets is too.. but boy is it different on the course.

The first hole Monday was atrocious.. none of us had been on course yet this season, and it showed! I kept hitting behind my ball which is so annoying because my usual issue is topping the ball. Apparently I was dipping my right shoulder for some reason, so focused on that. The second hole was a bit better. The third hole was great for me, until putting. The practice putting green hasn’t opened yet and oh boy do I need some recalibration there. But my drive was really nice, for me.. (stayed in the air the whole time around 130 yards or so, and landed just a little to the right of the green) which is unusual lol. I followed it up with a really nice pitch onto the green.. before sucking with putting. It’s amazing how a couple of good hits makes you want to come back even more though :smile:.

I know 130 yards isn't all that far to drive at all, but for me it was extremely good for on course. I always tend to do better at the driving range, but it hasn't translated well to the course yet in my very short golf journey. It got me to thinking about how far I should be able to drive as a beginner.. anyone know what a good average is for a beginner female? I hope I can get more consistent in general so I can eventually focus on getting more distance etc. My swing is still all over the place though, so seems that would be most important to get a handle on.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Many factors contribute to why people hit certain distances. There is no standard on where someone should be at a given point in the golf journey and improvements are not linear. What’s more important is hitting your clubs consistently and accurately - direction/dispersion and distances that YOU can get out of YOUR clubs. What others hit doesn’t really matter.
What your instructor is teaching on the course is called “game management” - how to play smart and keep the ball in play.
 
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tinymoose

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Biweekly my instructor takes our women’s lesson group onto the course in the late afternoon to play a few holes. We break into 2 teams and play best ball, with our pro instructing the whole way on etiquette and demonstrating the shot he would take in each case. I find this so valuable! Sure, the driving range sessions are fun and chipping into nets is too.. but boy is it different on the course.

The first hole Monday was atrocious.. none of us had been on course yet this season, and it showed! I kept hitting behind my ball which is so annoying because my usual issue is topping the ball. Apparently I was dipping my right shoulder for some reason, so focused on that. The second hole was a bit better. The third hole was great for me, until putting. The practice putting green hasn’t opened yet and oh boy do I need some recalibration there. But my drive was really nice, for me.. (stayed in the air the whole time around 130 yards or so, and landed just a little to the right of the green) which is unusual lol. I followed it up with a really nice pitch onto the green.. before sucking with putting. It’s amazing how a couple of good hits makes you want to come back even more though :smile:.

I know 130 yards isn't all that far to drive at all, but for me it was extremely good for on course. I always tend to do better at the driving range, but it hasn't translated well to the course yet in my very short golf journey. It got me to thinking about how far I should be able to drive as a beginner.. anyone know what a good average is for a beginner female? I hope I can get more consistent in general so I can eventually focus on getting more distance etc. My swing is still all over the place though, so seems that would be most important to get a handle on.
I haven't golfed in a few years but I could never learn how to hit my driver. Used my woods as my driver off the tee. At best, if I got a really good shot (which were few and far between I could maybe get my 1 or 3 wood to maybe 150-175 range? I'm either terrible at golf or lack the patience to put in the time to become not terrible at it. lol
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I haven't golfed in a few years but I could never learn how to hit my driver. Used my woods as my driver off the tee. At best, if I got a really good shot (which were few and far between I could maybe get my 1 or 3 wood to maybe 150-175 range? I'm either terrible at golf or lack the patience to put in the time to become not terrible at it. lol
I think you are too hard on yourself :smile:
 

tinymoose

Ski Diva Extraordinaire

tinymoose

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Anyhow, I guess my point was 1) the driver (from what I've been told) is one of the more difficult clubs to learn to hit well (which is why I didn't lol). That being said, the fact you're getting 130 with one of the more difficult clubs seems fine for a newbie? It's not far off what I was hitting with the longer woods.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Anyhow, I guess my point was 1) the driver (from what I've been told) is one of the more difficult clubs to learn to hit well (which is why I didn't lol). That being said, the fact you're getting 130 with one of the more difficult clubs seems fine for a newbie? It's not far off what I was hitting with the longer woods.
I wish we lived closer so we could play together~! :smile:
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Has anyone been to a Top Golf? If so, how is it? I’ve heard good things, but we don’t have any nearby yet. That will be changing this year though as there will be two opening within around 40 minutes of me. One will be opening in Cranston, RI at the end of the summer/early fall and another in Canton, MA towards the end of the year.

Looks like it could be fun and just in time for when the outdoor golf season ends in New England. I like the idea of hearing that non-golfers can have fun there too, for group outings.
 

TNtoTaos

Angel Diva
Has anyone been to a Top Golf? If so, how is it? I’ve heard good things, but we don’t have any nearby yet. That will be changing this year though as there will be two opening within around 40 minutes of me. One will be opening in Cranston, RI at the end of the summer/early fall and another in Canton, MA towards the end of the year.

Looks like it could be fun and just in time for when the outdoor golf season ends in New England. I like the idea of hearing that non-golfers can have fun there too, for group outings.
They're fun -- but pricey. Best thing is to get a group together to share the cost of a bay. The golf is fun -- there are different games you can play, and when you hit a target it shows up on the screen. hard to descibe, but definitely worth an outing. My ladies golf group (LPGA-Amateurs, Nashville Chapter) does a 6-wk winter Top Golf league.

It can actually be good practice, as you try to hit the targets. You can also bring your own clubs, so that's even better.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Does anyone have a golf net they can recommend? I had a Callaway one that someone gave me and liked it a lot.. it was a pop up so super easy to setup and also to break down to store, and it was a great large size to catch my errant shots and collect balls. Well.. apparently storing in my shed was a bad idea because some mice had a field day with it. :doh: The same net is no longer available, and I don’t love what it was replaced with based on reviews.

I’ve been reading reviews for several days and they all seem to be of horrible quality! So now I am in analysis paralysis. I just want something I can use in my backyard for all clubs including driver, but also that is relatively quick/easy to breakdown and store. I can’t leave it up full time because of our landscapers who cut the grass weekly and I also don’t want to kill the grass leaving it up in one spot. I’d prefer to spend under $300. There are some very high end ones that get good reviews, and I will store it in my finished basement rather than the shed going forward.. but still.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I have been having an ongoing struggle with my irons.. and I just haven't been able to break it. I'll get one awesome swing (per instructor) and then a ton of crap where I top the ball (most often) or hit the ground behind the ball (infrequently, but hate when it happens). I know it takes time to get a consistent swing.. I am just worried that my body is practicing the wrong so much more than the right!

On the positive side, I had very consistently good swings with my driver yesterday. This is weird because usually driving is the hardest for me. Hybrids and 3 wood were okay too, and I hadn't used them at all this season yet. But my darn irons..

Short game has at least been going well. I went to a little par 3 pitch and putt nearby last weekend and had 2 putt ins from the fringe and a chip in from the rough. I was so excited, at least some of my practice is paying off.
 

vickie

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My previous instructor told us to warm up with a short swing, then gradually increase it to a full swing.

Using a clock face, I imagine myself facing the clock. If you imagine your arms being the hands on the clock, reverse the numbers. My first swing may go back to 4 and end at 8. Then I swing from 3 to 9. Etc. If I am struggling with anything -- i.e., poor contact, bad direction -- I go back to a limited swing to get things back on track. I have spent entire sessions on the range without ever using a full swing.

If -- ok, When! -- my timing gets off, I slow down my swing to allow my body to get back in sync and to allow more time for me to feel my body positions. I'm actually doing this now to ensure my hips are ahead in the forward turn.

Like you, I am concerned about practicing bad form and creating muscle memory of the wrong things. I also use visualization as a way of letting my brain practice the right things without interference from the train wreck that my body can be.
 

SkiBam

Angel Diva
I have been having an ongoing struggle with my irons.. and I just haven't been able to break it. I'll get one awesome swing (per instructor) and then a ton of crap where I top the ball (most often) or hit the ground behind the ball (infrequently, but hate when it happens). I know it takes time to get a consistent swing.. I am just worried that my body is practicing the wrong so much more than the right!

On the positive side, I had very consistently good swings with my driver yesterday. This is weird because usually driving is the hardest for me. Hybrids and 3 wood were okay too, and I hadn't used them at all this season yet. But my darn irons..

Short game has at least been going well. I went to a little par 3 pitch and putt nearby last weekend and had 2 putt ins from the fringe and a chip in from the rough. I was so excited, at least some of my practice is paying off.
My thinking is that if you're not doing well with your irons and you are doing well with your hybrids, why not just use the latter more. That's what I do - only really use an iron on an approach shot. Mind you, I am a very short hitter (hey, I'm a short person!) so the hybrids seem the best choice. That's what Aimee (Golf with Aimee - good online instruction from her) says to do. I know I'll never be a long hitter. As I've said before my goal is to be "consistently adequate."
 

tinymoose

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm the opposite. lol I'm much more consistent with my irons than my woods off the ground (can only hit woods off a tee).
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I just found this really cool sounding women’s “golfari”. Maybe something I’ll consider next year, looks fun and like all levels are welcome.

If you decided to do this, let me know if you want to stop by Raleigh. Pine Needles is about an hour from my house.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I had such a good driving range session in my lesson today! I don’t know what got into me, but I’d say I hit at least 75% of my shots well and went through my entire bag hitting irons, hybrids, 3 wood, and driver. They all felt great! I sure hope it’s the beginning of more consistency than I’ve been having as some sessions have been such a lesson in frustration recently. I’ve been working really hard on making better contact since my main issue has been topping the ball.. today I was even taking divots in the right way which has never even happened with my irons before. Usually the only time I tear up grass it’s from hitting a fat shot. :rotf:

I must say, golf has become SUCH a great distraction from summer for me this year. Usually I am just pining away for ski season to get here, this year I’m so sucked into trying to improve my game that I haven’t thought about snow almost at all.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Has anyone been fitted for a putter specifically? I kind of think I hate my putter.. I have the Calloway Strata set as my starter clubs, except I have upgraded the driver to a Big Bertha. I am doing well working on my swing with all of the other clubs in my bag and finally seeming to get along with all of them for the most part. However, I never have felt comfortable with or liked the feel of my putter. When I look up reviews on my set overall the putter often comes up as something to consider upgrading and I think that’s where I’m at. I just have no idea how to pick a new one. I plan to ask my instructor about it next week, but until then.. what have you done to pick a new putter and how did you know it was time to upgrade your putter? I see that Golf Galaxy does a putter fitting and I’m tempted to try that out, but won’t before checking in with my instructor as well.
 

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