Practice swings.

benny79

Seve OB wrote: »

here's an idea.

I take as many practice swings as i feel i need, sometimes it's one, sometimes its a few (generally for a chip around the green or a putt) to get a feel for how hard i'm gonna hit it.
but i generally i make sure i walk to my own ball while others walk to theirs and get myself ready to hit when they have played their shot. and when i've played, i shift it rather than dawdle and chat all the way up to my ball.

i don't care what anyone says, the slowest golfers are not the ones who take practice swings, they are the ones who wait for everyone, walk up the fairway all together, walk to each ball, chat when they should be hitting, leave their balls on the wrong side of greens and boxes.

there is another type of slow golfer and being from an old club i see a few of them. slow walkers and aul lads. but isn't it a great sport we play when you can tee it up on a saturday morning with an 80+ year old lad. i'm sure we all hope we'l be doing the same when we get to their age.

take as much time as you want over your shots, but its only a problem when you can't keep up with the group ahead. and if you are not slow over your shots and still can't keep up... call the lads behind through...... otherwise they'll be on boards moaning

+1.

I normally take 1, just to feel the shot.. but if waiting to hit as in lads ahead, will take a few to keep loose..

blue note

What I don't understand is people here saying that you should have your practice swings finished when it's your turn to hit your shot. I'd never take a practice swing while someone else is hitting their shot. And no-one does when I'm hitting mine in my experience. So after a play hits his shot the norm is that the next person will take about 2 practice swings and hit their shot. This seems okay to me.

Seve OB

blue note wrote: »

What I don't understand is people here saying that you should have your practice swings finished when it's your turn to hit your shot. I'd never take a practice swing while someone else is hitting their shot. And no-one does when I'm hitting mine in my experience. So after a play hits his shot the norm is that the next person will take about 2 practice swings and hit their shot. This seems okay to me.

we are not talking on the box or anything. more when you are down 2 opposite sides of the fairway

frink

For Long game, I take one quick one behind the ball, get my line and set up and hit.

For chipping and short pitching, I tend to take 2-3 just to get the feel but they are short and quick.

redzerdrog

The slowest golfer I play with takes no practice swings.

I take at least one and mostly two however I am looking for where I am striking the grass in the practice swing, if this is miles behind or ahead of where I am aiming I will take more until I get it rights

kiers47

2 practice swings on first tee box. Good to go.
Maybe might on the odd chip but usually just hit it.

I mean each to their own. Once i am not feeling that we are being slowed up by a bunch of practice swings from playing partners i tend not to even notice how many they are taking. Any more than 2 would seem excessive though.

I really fail to see the significance of them if im honest but whatever they dont really bother me.

lawred2

Seve OB wrote: »

If you don't want to take a practice swing... Then don't take one.

If it bugs you that your playing partner takes to many, don't watch him.

I don't agree it slows the game down.

It is people who don't keep up with the group ahead of them which slows the game down. They are not always one and the same.

So take as many swings as you like, just keep up with the group ahead of you

if a lad takes 5 - of course it slows the game down. How could it not?

PARlance

It's the FREEZE that kills you!!!!!

Freezing over a ball can frustrate but when someone has to freeze over 3 or 4 "practice" swings in addition to freezing over their shot, then the will to live soon disappears.

I was playing a very informal round last year with one of these guys. On the 14th, he went through the usual routine of 2-3 painful swings before addressing his ball.... but this time, he broke out of it, to stand up a start a conversation.

"JUST HIT THE FN BALL" was a shout from one of the lads... enough was enough.

****

Practice is for the range or an empty course imo, by all means swing to loosen up or to help visualise a shot if you want... but you're practicing nothing if there's no ball being hit. And this is often proven by the 40 yard slice that proceeds.

Seve OB

lawred2 wrote: »

if a lad takes 5 - of course it slows the game down. How could it not?

did you not read what i said? he could take 10, but once he keeps up with the lads in front and moves around the course at a reasonable pace he is slowing nobody down.

GreeBo

Seve OB wrote: »

did you not read what i said? he could take 10, but once he keeps up with the lads in front and moves around the course at a reasonable pace he is slowing nobody down.

And if one of the lads in front is also taking 10 practice swings, what then?

Its no good being behind the group in front if you are all out there for 5 hours.

Seve OB

Seve OB wrote: »

did you not read what i said? he could take 10, but once he keeps up with the lads in front and moves around the course at a reasonable pace he is slowing nobody down.

GreeBo wrote: »

And if one of the lads in front is also taking 10 practice swings, what then?

Its no good being behind the group in front if you are all out there for 5 hours.

i agree, 5 hours is to long. but read what i posted please.

GreeBo

Seve OB wrote: »

i agree, 5 hours is to long. but read what i posted please.

You cannot take 10 (or 5) practice swings AND move around the course at a reasonable pace.

Seve OB

by the way, i'm not suggesting anybody should be taking minutes over their practice swing.

it only takes seconds. i would probably have 4 practice swings on a tee box these days as i'm blocking it out a lot and swinging 4 times in quick succession stops that block out for me 7 times out of 10. it probably takes me about 5 seconds to do that. much better than having to look for golf balls and hacking back onto the fairway those 7 times.

Seve OB

GreeBo wrote: »

You cannot take 10 (or 5) practice swings AND move around the course at a reasonable pace.

you are trolling now

GreeBo

Seve OB wrote: »

by the way, i'm not suggesting anybody should be taking minutes over their practice swing.

it only takes seconds. i would probably have 4 practice swings on a tee box these days as i'm blocking it out a lot and swinging 4 times in quick succession stops that block out for me 7 times out of 10. it probably takes me about 5 seconds to do that. much better than having to look for golf balls and hacking back onto the fairway those 7 times.

I wouldn't necessarily call swishing the club a practice swing.
The main issue is with people who take "replica" swings before hitting the ball, including the freeze, glances up the fairway, triggers, waggles etc, all before they address the ball.

Seve OB wrote: »

you are trolling now

No, but you are back seat modding and I've reported it as such.

Keano

Seve OB wrote: »

you are trolling now

Leaving the modding to us. Thanks, if you have an issue please PM me to discuss.

tayto lover

kiers47 wrote: »

2 practice swings on first tee box. Good to go.
Maybe might on the odd chip but usually just hit it.

I mean each to their own. Once i am not feeling that we are being slowed up by a bunch of practice swings from playing partners i tend not to even notice how many they are taking. Any more than 2 would seem excessive though.

I really fail to see the significance of them if im honest but whatever they dont really bother me.

They bother me when we lose a hole or sometimes three on the group ahead of us like what happened on the day in question. To do that and still continue in complete oblivion is simply selfish.

kiers47

tayto lover wrote: »

They bother me when we lose a hole or sometimes three on the group ahead of us like what happened on the day in question. To do that and still continue in complete oblivion is simply selfish.

I mean im not disagreeing with you tbh. If people can keep it together and be quick about then yes go for it. But if your losing holes and playing slow in general its unacceptable and a pain in the ass.

Deise Vu

Try this for size: I play regularly with my Brother-in-Law and a retired friend of his. The BIL addresses the ball carefully, lining up his angle and his stance, takes a deep breath..... then steps back one step and does two utterly stupid, ridiculous 'swings' where he drops his hands slightly, jerks the club back and then pushes it out the other side. It is absolutely nothing like a swing.

The friend does at least one full routine if not two.. address, slow take away, swing.. follow through high, raise the head to gaze into the distance...big pause... sometimes he even takes a divot doing this... then he shuffles into the ball like a fella with a load in his trousers and starts again.

The only way I can deal with this is to look away and pretend I am not there but the friend has some kind of eyesight problem and literally hasn't a clue where his ball goes unless you tell him. So the choice is watch while you die inside or tell him you missed his ball in the sun and then wait while he walks around the course randomly looking for his ball. The BIL also always asks me to keep an eye on his swing because the friend is obviously no help for spotting.

I am literally on the verge of giving the game up entirely. Fellas I know in the club are laughing at me and asking am I just caddying for the lads because they never seem to see me hitting a ball. And of course, the worse I am playing the more this shít plays on my mind and the downward spiral goes on.

GreeBo

^ Do you not end up letting loads of groups through every time you play?

Deise Vu

GreeBo wrote: »

^ Do you not end up letting loads of groups through every time you play?

The BIL is a decent walker between shots and I spend my supposed evenings enjoyment telling the friend to keep up. I also end up rushing everything I do myself so we tend to be reasonably up to the group ahead.

FixdePitchmark

GreeBo wrote: »

^ Do you not end up letting loads of groups through every time you play?

Deise Vu wrote: »

The BIL is a decent walker between shots and I spend my supposed evenings enjoyment telling the friend to keep up. I also end up rushing everything I do myself so we tend to be reasonably up to the group ahead.

brilliant post above. laughed so much .

would you not play with someone else ?

I just find a practice swing guy is going to tend to be routined in everything.

green
measuring distance
changing club
watching everyone before he gets ready and starts his "sequence"
lining ball up .

Seen some wanker line his ball up on a tee recently.

some of these lads are even slow getting a head cover on and don't move until the club is in bag perfect .

I can do it walking and pushing at same time.

I think if a lad is doing 3 or 4 practice swings it is a good indicator he won't be too pushed about getting around in under 4 hours .

PARlance

Tell your sister to get a divorce.

Edit: Or brother... to be entirely PC.

GreeBo

Deise Vu wrote: »

The BIL is a decent walker between shots and I spend my supposed evenings enjoyment telling the friend to keep up. I also end up rushing everything I do myself so we tend to be reasonably up to the group ahead.

Sounds like a good walk spoiled alright.

Seve OB

PARlance wrote: »

Tell your sister to get a divorce.

Edit: Or brother... to be entirely PC.

Or maybe he is the one who needs the divorce

Deise Vu

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

brilliant post above. laughed so much .

would you not play with someone else ?

I just find a practice swing guy is going to tend to be routined in everything.

green
measuring distance
changing club
watching everyone before he gets ready and starts his "sequence"
lining ball up .

Seen some wanker line his ball up on a tee recently.

some of these lads are even slow getting a head cover on and don't move until the club is in bag perfect .

I can do it walking and pushing at same time.

I think if a lad is doing 3 or 4 practice swings it is a good indicator he won't be too pushed about getting around in under 4 hours .

I have no choice about playing with the BIL as we have a business relationship too. I can get over his idiocy on the tee because he is alright otherwise apart from having a slight variation on his driving tic when he is putting. (He lines up the putt, you think he is going to pull the trigger, then he brings his hands inside the line of his swing and does a few ridiculous sweeping motions. In his defence he is an engineer and more than slightly OCD).

You have the friend down to a tee. He is so slow and deliberate around the green that people behind start going berzerk even if it is obvious we are keeping up in general. The crazy thing is I say it to him and he is perfectly aware that not only is he slow but that it is unacceptable so I don't know what more I can say to him (apart from FO). He told me recently that he didn't enjoy playing on another course as he felt there was a lot of pressure to keep up and he had to.... wait for it..... crank the speed on the trolly from his usual 4 all the way up to 5.

We will drop him eventually as even the BIL is pissed off with him. I also think the club should really have sanctions as he plays a lot of golf and his reputation precedes him to the extent that I have seen him joining lines on a Sunday only to see the people he was proposing to join delete their names and put them down on another line. (I think that is frowned upon in some clubs but they have my sympathy).

mighty magpie

lawred2 wrote: »

Seve OB wrote: »

If you don't want to take a practice swing... Then don't take one.

If it bugs you that your playing partner takes to many,  don't watch him.

I don't agree it slows the game down.

It is people who don't keep up with the group ahead of them which slows the game down.   They are not always one and the same.

So take as many swings as you like, just keep up with the group ahead of you

if a lad takes 5 - of course it slows the game down. How could it not?

If he's quick to the ball, leaves bag in the right place, has club selection made whilst others are hitting and quick in other areas he could be faster than the guy who takes no practice swings.

Rikand

mighty magpie wrote: »

If he's quick to the ball, leaves bag in the right place, has club selection made whilst others are hitting and quick in other areas he could be faster than the guy who takes no practice swings.

But he probably isn't.

Dublin Spur

one is pleanty

Rikand

My brother in law plays with a guy who takes two of the slowest practice swings you're ever going to see before finally addressing the ball. When he gets to the green the practice swings step up to around 4 or 5.

He's known in the club, he's been told by his friends, by other golfers, mostly by whoever gets stuck behind him but he has not and will not change.

I wouldn't mind but he's genuinely a lovely guy but has it in his head that this is what he needs to do to play well. There must be something in it as he regularly appears in captains and presidents prize playoffs so the habits have received positive reinforcement in his results but God help you or your round if you get stuck behind him.