Playing with a 2 handicapper

Things of note from the weekend after playing with a 2 handicapper:

He uses Mizuno MP33s.

His wedges have the minimum bounce and he gets tremendous check, even from close distance.

He's only about 5 foot 9, not a big lad, yet hits the ball a mile.

If I had a kid, I'd send him to Charterhouse so he could play golf and cricket all the time like this chap seems to have done

If you send him to Charterhouse, he might also end up in the greatest rock band of all time

Merc bounce has very little to do with that spin... anyone can learn that. It's about an aggressive positive strike with a good solid move.

But that doesn't mean that it's a good thing as it can make it difficult to predict how the ball will react at times unless you are very good at the shot.

LondonJonnyO wrote:Merc bounce has very little to do with that spin... anyone can learn that. It's about an aggressive positive strike with a good solid move.

But that doesn't mean that it's a good thing as it can make it difficult to predict how the ball will react at times unless you are very good at the shot.

Doesn't having more bounce give you more lift as opposed to spin, then?

The check shots he played were from about 10 yards away and the ball didn't get higher than 2 feet - some were downhill, too.

No. Bounce is more to do with how the sole interacts with the turf as you come through the ball.

I have a huge amount of bounce on my primary wedge and the ball comes out very very low.

To play that shot it's about technique and quality of strike more than anything else.

No, the bounce only affects how the sole of the club reacts with the turf/sand. The less bounce, the more the club will dig into the turf. Less bounce does make it a bit easier to slide the club under the ball but unless you are playing on hard ground it does make it easier to dig heavy behind the ball and chunk it. More bounce will give you exactly that, the sole will bounce off the grass a bit more, possibly leading to thinned shots.

It's a fine balance, selecting the right amount of bounce is very much dependant on the type of course you generally play. Higher bounce for a lush parkland course, less bounce for firm links or heathland courses.

drive4show wrote:It's a fine balance, selecting the right amount of bounce is very much dependant on the type of course you generally play. Higher bounce for a lush parkland course, less bounce for firm links or heathland courses.

Essentially correct although it is also affected by how you play your shots. I am very leading edge with my pitches/chips and even though I play at a very firm track I use 14 degrees of bounce on my 57 degree wedge to compensate for that... and also to give me more options when playing off the trailing edge of the club.

I'd say the conditions on Sunday when the turf was heavy and uneven were exactly the right conditions for low bounce wedges.

There was no way I could have played the same type of shot as him as I would have just skulled the ball with my 'bounce-heavy' wedges.

Merc to be fair i carry a medium bounce pw, low bounce 54 and a high bounce 57 so that i always have options around the greens.

I rely heavily on my short game (around 90% of my practice time is on the 50 yards and in area).

I think his low bounce wedge was a 52, so his other wedges may have similar bounces to you.

I've finally fallen in love with the chipping game. I love the challenge of getting up and down, but I don't whether it was the chicken or egg that happened first. Did I love the challenge because I became good at chipping or did I become good at chipping because I loved the challenge?

It's what's got me down to 13 because my driving and iron play hasn't been anything special for any length of time. It's exciting for when I do sort out the longer game, though

Merc did you find that you picked your game up, when playing the low handicapper, because thats what happens with me. I've played a few over the last couple of years and tend to focus more, probably because I don't want him thinking I'm a hacker. I usually enter the club scratch comp knowing I have no chance, but enjoy the challenge of competing against Cat 1 players. I've conceded my last couple of games on the 17th and 15th greens, against a 3 and 4 handicapper, so was pleased with that. Its also great seeing how they can shape shots, and take on shots that I would bale out of. The guy who won the scratch comp this year was a 6-handicapper, and not much longer than me, but boy did he have a short game. He usually one putts everything from within 100-yards and around the green. So short game very important, and think being confident/agressive around the greens in the solution. I just always have the worry of thinning it when in this position, and that can lead to chunked, fat and too big shots, even when feeling good in practice beforehand. Its still in my head, which effects the shot

drive4show wrote:If you send him to Charterhouse, he might also end up in the greatest rock band of all time

Only Carthusian I knew ended up doing time for fraud!

Doc wrote:Merc did you find that you picked your game up, when playing the low handicapper, because thats what happens with me. I've played a few over the last couple of years and tend to focus more, probably because I don't want him thinking I'm a hacker. I usually enter the club scratch comp knowing I have no chance, but enjoy the challenge of competing against Cat 1 players. I've conceded my last couple of games on the 17th and 15th greens, against a 3 and 4 handicapper, so was pleased with that. Its also great seeing how they can shape shots, and take on shots that I would bale out of. The guy who won the scratch comp this year was a 6-handicapper, and not much longer than me, but boy did he have a short game. He usually one putts everything from within 100-yards and around the green. So short game very important, and think being confident/agressive around the greens in the solution. I just always have the worry of thinning it when in this position, and that can lead to chunked, fat and too big shots, even when feeling good in practice beforehand. Its still in my head, which effects the shot

I'd say it's good to watch and it's great for showing you how far you've still to go, but it doesn't raise my game when I'm playing with them, at least not in a Stableford (4 points after 7 holes). I actually seem to play better when I'm playing high handicappers. Maybe because, I feel like a good player in comparison and that gives me confidence.