The Unconventional You Hold Dear

General Discussion
#1

I thought it would be interesting and thought provoking to hear what is the most UNCONVENTIONAL thing you do in golf that you passionately believe and hold on to despite that most other golfers don’t do themselves.

Mine is side saddle/face on putting. I’ve been doing so for the last 8mos and despite being literally the only one I’ve seen at the course (there are definitely a few around) and having the starter on the course ask a buddy if I was the guy “that putts funny”, I love it and wouldn’t go back. I feel like I can hit online every time and I’ve gotten a lot better around pace control.

Conversely, I’ve played with random people who are much better strikers than mw who do not use a tee on a par 3. That seems highly unconventional to the point of insanity but it clearly works for them.

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#2

If things start going haywire with my lofted wedges (fats and thins) I drop down and will start “bunting” 8i and 9i from 30-60 yds off green

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#3

The bump and run is a very underrated and under-utilized shot on this side of the pond.

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#4

If I know there is a green I can’t get to, I try to hit it in the sand. My sand play is waaaay better than my chipping/pitching play.

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#5

I only tee up long irons on par 3s. I have a tendency to hit huge pulls with short irons when I tee them up.

I also putt with my glove on but that’s mostly out of laziness.

#6

So many people think bunkers are the worst place to be on a golf course, but if your miss is a green side bunker, generally you’re ok.

I’m the same as you. I can knock a bunker shot closer than a thin lie chip from a few yards off the green 9/10 times.

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#7

It’s the only shot in golf you’re intentionally trying to miss the ball! It’s so easy!

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#8

I don’t tee up anything except driver. No tees on par 3’s, and no tees when I hit long iron, 3w, hybrid off other holes. Never thought of it as unconventional, but also feel like it adds consistency from shot to shot and avoids adjustments to hit a teed ball.

When you’re on the range, how often do you tee up iron shots? Or do you just dig them out of the dirt?

#9

I only put enough tee under an iron/hybrid to give it as close to a perfect lie as I can. I’d also like to try this:

Of course the tee boxes of the courses I play aren’t exactly in pristine condition, so not sure how well it would work.

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#10

I also putt with a glove on. I see no added benefit to taking it off (and I am lazy as well).

My big unconventional is I don’t take practice swings. Like ever.

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#11

For teeing up with an iron, i try to tee it as low as possible so it’s barely above the ground. I feel like I get a bit more spin as if it was an optimal lie, which for me, is a good thing.

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#12

Baseball grip on all clubs (small hands and short fingers!) and a rather tight grip on all but putter, have some grip feel problems (medical) that cause me to drop lightly held objects. I can line up the V’s even with the baseball grip…and keep a neutral club face to hit straight.

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#13

I don’t have an iron in my bag longer than a 6 iron.

A lot of people I play with look and say “but how can a 6 handicap golfer not hit a 4 and a 5 iron”

I tell them I can but my hybrids are so much more forgiving that I choose to play them instead

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#14

I’m sure I do several things that others might find unconventional, but I’ve never thought about them being weird. Probably the weirdest thing I have is my double overlap grip, similar to Jim Furyk. I switched from interlock years ago and my fat inflexible fingers make a standard overlap uncomfortable

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#15

love that book passage! I’m going to have to remember that quote.

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#16

Years ago when Billy Casper was playing and putting so great i tried to copy some of his technique. He used a lot of wrist and closed the putter face on the way back and opened it on the way through in an attempt to keep the face square. I would practice that move endlessly watching the clubhead on the way back and through.
Well, today I no longer use any of his methods. But, what has stuck is that I watch the clubhead and not the ball. I’ve come to realize that the ball is sitting still…not moving. If I try to watch the ball my speed suffers and I am a great long putter and above average on shorter putts.

Murv

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#17

That’s really interesting. I’ve heard of people looking at the hole when they putt but not the putter itself.

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#18

I actually started putting only looking at the whole - not the ball or club last year. I was actually planning to try side-saddle, but couldn’t find a left to experiment with and didn’t want to lay out a few hundred just to try. So I read a book called “Instinct Putting” and have been putting looking at the hole ever since.

I’ve found it really cuts out 3 puts for me by and large…and makes the short ones feel almost automatic. No brain getting in the way thinking about technique or path or squaring the face. Many folks I play with don’t notice…others are intrigued, but I doubt anyone else tries it.

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#19

I read a book by George Low last year called the Master of Putting. Forever, I putted basically using the Stockton Method of shoulders/big muscle stroke. I started in Sept of 2020 on my mat at home just using wrist hinge only, everything else static. Using basically the right hand and the thumb and forefinger on my right hand which are your main receptors to feel the putt. Left hand is on the club to only hold the line and keep the clubface square. Nothing else moves, just your right wrist, The left wrist hinges only when the right hand tells it to. It’s the old Palmer/Nicklaus putting stroke you would see on old films from the 60’s. All I can say is, the ball rolls where you aim it, it never goes off line, and the propensity I had to close the toe of my putter, so far is gone. I am working on speed control. I am way more consistent on 3 ft putts and in. I would say using the Stockton method I would make 18 out of 20 3 footers. This method has been closer to better than 19 but less than 20 out of 20.

#20

I don’t think I do too much unconventionally. I will putt with my glove on, but I see a fair amount of people do that.

I pretty much always use a wedge or iron from just off the green where most will use a putter. I just find it works better for me. If I played in AZ where the fairways were as smooth as the greens I wouldn’t, but New England is different. I will even chip from the first cut as ours can be really spongey and tough to judge speed. I know stats say hackers should putt as often as possible, but not for me.

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