otto6457

I am quite certain my "natural/real swing" when I was six was pretty much trash. Why on earth would I want my "natural/real swing" back?

No matter your age, if you want to get better, identify your weaknesses and put in the time to improve them. That's pretty much the scoring part of DECADE. Track your Tiger 5 mistakes as they are much easier and faster to enter, and track, than your full Strokes Gained stats. And the Tiger 5 stats will give you the exact same areas you need to work. on. Eliminate penalty strokes. That's the first, lowest hanging fruit to fix. Penalty strokes off the tee are especially damaging to your score. Your full swing will usually define your average scoring ceiling. Your short game and putting will usually define your average scoring floor. That's not a hard and fast rule but it's pretty accurate over the long haul. So short game as well as long game practice should get nearly equal attention and time. Other than that, play as much golf as you can and get more comfortable on the course with your routines and mental game. Keep a mental scorecard also if you can. In a perfect world you could keep a journal where you deconstruct your rounds/stats and make note of the mental mistakes and the obvious swing flaws that keep derailing your rounds. Then get to work and improve them. And as others have said, 55 ain't old. It's "seasoned".

To see a lot of mobility options and exercises go to: https://www.mytpi.com/exercises/#filter?area=fitness&page=1 Click on Advanced filter/Search. Tic the Mobility box and there are 2 full pages of exercises and stretches to get started on.

First off. I'm not a tinkerer. I don't like change. I've had the same putter for 15 years. About ten years ago I tried a Super Stroke Flatso 2.0 on my putter after a friend of mine raved about how much better he putted when he put one on his Scottie. I liked it fine and I got comfortable with it so I kept replacing it when it got worn out. I had gone left hand low not long before I tried the Flatso and I felt like it worked well with left hand low.. Well, for the last few weeks I have felt like my hands aren't very comfortable on the grip. It's hard to explain. The Flatso feels uncomfortable in my lifelines for some reason. It just feels clunky and sharp in my palms. Maybe I'm crazy. I don't know how else to put it. Why it suddenly feels bad is a mystery to me. So, I've been looking around for something new. I almost feel guilty admitting it. What has me a little concerned is that apparently the Flatso 2.0 is a rather light grip. The specs say it weighs 50gms. Most every other grip I've looked at are in the 60-100gm range. Is this weight difference something I will feel? (stupid question?) I don't know if I could go all the way back to the thin style grip my putter came with, since I like having my thumbs fitting next to each other, but I think thinner than the Flatso 2.0 and maybe more like a pistol style grip would be a good option. As I said, I know next to nothing about this sort of stuff. I could use a little advice and ideas on what I might try. Thanks in advance.

I'm not sure if I'm a "good student" I honestly try as hard as I can to be a good student. I do know I'm a loyal student. I've had the same swing coach since 2009. It's an 18 hour round trip drive to go see him, and I go 2-3 times a year. Going to work with him is some of the best days in my year. I might be an outlier, but I honestly believe that one of the really important parts of getting really good at this crazy game is having one consistent swing methodology to focus on. Having one voice in your head and in your training, day in and day out, is so important. Reinventing your swing every time you have some struggles is a recipe for never getting better. There are a lot of folks right in this forum that have posted swings, asked for swing help, and then admit they just got done with a lesson from a teacher they just went to see. THAT my friends is madness! There are so many voices out there. So many of them are so slick and so well produced. Some of these instructional videos have better production than some prime time TV shows. You almost feel guilty for not believing this new swing method they are selling isn't the greatest thing ever. Look how amazing these swings are! Look at those numbers! Oh my...take my money!!! I personally feel a lot of them are borderline snake oil salesmen. But I'm not smart enough to know the difference so I just tune it all out and focus on what my swing coach tells me I need to work on. my .02

Maybe my experience will provide some perspective. I have been playing competitive golf for over 50 years. My first tournament was in 1969 and I was twelve years old. I played in high school, college, and on the mini tour grind for several years. Went to Q-school twice and failed both times. I lost 30K in sponsorship money and it took me six years to pay every penny back. Golf cost me a wife and more money than I can even estimate. It's been the first thing I think about every morning and the last thing I think of at night. Every good friend I've ever had is because of golf. This season is probably my last. It's been a journey of a lifetime. There were so many times I quit. Usually for a week or two, I even quit once for five years. But this game just drags me back no matter how much I think I've had enough. In 2023 I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and my only question was that I wanted to know if I could postpone my surgery until after the U.S. Senior-Am qualifier. Doctor said no. He told me I could start light practice again four weeks after my catheter came out. I was putting two days after the catheter came out. Seriously, I was putting at the course in an adult diaper. My entire life revolved around getting healed as soon as possible so I could get ready for the 2024 season. I worked as hard as I ever have to get my game back in shape. I failed to qualify in all three qualifiers I entered and I wasn't very competitive in any of them. I doubled down for the 2025 season and I've failed at two qualifiers and I've withdrawn from the other two I had signed up for. It seems father time has finally won. My golf career has flown by so fast. I still feel like I'm 30 in my head, but my body feels slow, sore, and tired. The focus is not as sharp, the eyes aren't as good. The consistency is inconsistent and the swing is lacking pop. Father time is undefeated and he will always win in the end. I can't stand the fact that my competitive career is coming to an end but it happens to every player. I say all this in hopes that you will take some time to think back on why you started playing this silly game. What drew you in and what was it that made you excited about hitting a little white ball when ever you got a chance. Because that is the golf that matters. It's not the score you shoot, or the equipment you love. It's the joy of spending time in the outdoors. Hopefully with some friends, just having a grand time slapping a golf ball around and having fun. Step away if you need to. If you want to play, go play. If not, go do something else. You get to decide how much, or how little golf matters to you. Golf will always be there waiting for you. But take it from me, if you truly love this game, you are going to miss it eventually. I am already missing it and I'm still playing. My only regret is that I took it for granted for so long. I don't regret a second of the thousands and thousands of hours I spent on the game, all the time, money, and energy I put in, or the consequences of chasing my dreams. Time flies by so fast. Do what you love as much as you can. If it's golf, embrace the frustration that's built into the game, and laugh when it wins. If it's not golf, embrace whatever it is and give it all you have. Good luck on your journey around the sun and enjoy the ride.

I just wrap some athletic tape on the callus's on the two middle fingers on my right hand that are pretty big and sore before a round. Sanding them down helps, but they come right back, And if you sand them down too much, they get really tender. So, I just try to manage them as best I can. If you practice and play a lot that's just the price you pay. I always say if your hands don't look like Alex Noren's you're fine. LOL!!

I started using Tin Box a few years ago and it has held up very well in the Texas heat. I sweat a lot and some of the other yardage book covers I've used over the years started to fall apart and the stitching failed after one season. You can see in the photos that mine is pretty sweat stained and well used, but it's still in good shape and it is still flexible. It's been through several really wet rounds, and plenty of 100+ degree rounds. The only complaint I have is that the plastic scorecard rain cover that's built in will pick up the ink from yardage books if you leave it in the yardage book when it's really hot. Plus they have a LOT of custom options. You can use your own images for the front and back and motivational messages inside if you want. Obviously you can have your name embroidered also. https://tinboxpartners.com/ Here's a few shots mine after a little over three years of tournament play.

No one is worse off knowing more. Education about how the body makes power and speed can't be a bad thing, and knowing how to test a person for strength, power, and flexibility would benefit most players. Whether a potential student would see TPI Certification as important for working with a swing coach? 95% of possible students probably have no idea what TPI even means. I work with a TPI Medical and Fitness Professional here in town. He has helped a bunch with this aging body and my rehab. I can recommend getting an TPI evaluation to anyone that is looking for any edge they can get. But realistically, unless someone is REALLY serious about their golf game, they aren't looking for this sort of commitment or expense. But being educated in this would probably be very useful in your teaching whether your students are aware of TPI or not.

So many rabbit holes.........so little time.