My Road to Improvement - swing video 3/15/24

[scooterhd2]

Sounds like chipping with a conventional wedge went terrible for you today. Ball striking in general sounded poor with all the blades and thins in your shot descriptions. Have you ever used or thought about using a chipper around the greens? Seems like you do better chipping with the putter anyway. Might allow you to make the same stroke as a putter, but give you some loft to clear some grass and get a more predictable run out. or maybe try experimenting using an 8 iron to chip instead of the SW.

[Chip Duffer]

Bortass, welcome back to the game and this forum. I’ve enjoyed reading about your journey back as you rediscover your game. It seems you’re making gains in some very difficult conditions with a wet southern winter course. One thing for sure is that with the cold temps and all the water, you’re earning every yard.

To expand on a suggestion by Scooterhd2, most “chippers” are in the 9 iron or PW loft range. It may be worth some practice time experimenting with those. With a simple putting type stroke, they will work well by just stroking the ball to get it about half way to the hole. Maybe worth a shot.

looking forward to hearing about your journey.

[bortass]

@scooterhd2 My ball striking was bad but par for course. I hit a few balls every round that I consider to be good or solid shots. They have the ball flight I'm looking for. I can do it but it's sporadic for the most part. I'm still hopeful that it will start to fall in place as I work on things and keep playing. My swing is my primary focus for my practice for the foreseeable future.
Regarding a chipper, I have a Cleveland Niblik I think. At least I used to, so it should be in the garage. I never really used it though. I know at the time, mid to late 2000's, the reviews of them on these forums was positive. So I decided to be a lemming and get one, lol. My old course was not conducive to putter style chipping. Most greens were raised, for example #5 the green was 2 yards above the fairway fronting it and the slope was probably close to 30+ degrees and the grass would be longer than fairway height. Also the turf conditions are completely different. The rough around the green was deeper and started sooner. So I was mostly a wedge chipper, never was confident in it, unless I missed to a spot where the putter would be useful. Down here the course maintenance is much better. Fairway height grass surrounds the greens and the rough seems shorter, though it may be just because it's dormant. So I'm finding I can use my putter more and with good results.@Twin2L Thanks, it's an adjustment. It's like spring golf in the Northeast but it's winter! I can't complain though, I get to play year round now. My return to the game just coincided with winter golf. I don't miss the frost delays or teeing off in the high 30's for a scramble. The advantage is the course is a bit quieter, so I'm always by myself and don't normally have to wait on people in front or get caught by people in carts behind me. I also need to learn to play in these conditions because it'll be like this after any significant rain in the summer as well. Besides I don't want to be just a fair weather golfer, I once golfed in 5 inches of rain in Maine. That was fun, front 9 was closed because of flooding, and I remember that I had to putt through running water on a par 3. The cup was right in the middle of a stream of water running down the green, lol. My rain gear doesn't fit currently, so I won't be doing anything like that for a long while, if ever.

[bortass]

Okay, I found my Casio camera and I'm charging the battery. I need to find/get a SIM chip for it and need to get a tripod. I got rid of the one I was using years ago. If the camera still works and I get everything else, I should be able to post my awesome swing for your viewing pleasure! Lol,

I also found the 'instructions' for Arccos, they have a link called Academy on their homepage. I found what they have there to answer my questions and explain, at a high level, what's going on under the covers. It is quite well done and I just missed it somehow. Check it out if Arccos is something you're considering, it gives a much better idea of what's going on than I found in reviews etc.

[dslatt33]

For chips and pitch shots on soggy turf try to hover your club a little instead of letting it sit behind the ball. I use this technique whenever its wet outside and my chipping has been great. No more fat shots. Give it a try.

[bortass]

@dslatt33 I'll have to give that a try the next time the course is soggy and I'm chipping from the wet stuff.

I managed another quick 9 today. I don't expect to be able to play or hit the range until late next week. It was about 55, overcast and a roughly 10 mph wind that was pretty constant. It also seemed to be in my face the until the last few holes. Overall it's still pretty wet but dryer than yesterday. I played the teal tees again.
1 - par 4, pretty straight hole. I hit my 4w into the wind and it's a high push fade heading for #9 again, as usual. I see it land in a puddle, so I know where to look. I'm 188 off the tee in a similar spot as yesterday. I'm 200 or so yards out or so and have trees to deal with again. I hit a 6i punch that goes between a couple trees and clips a small branch. I hit the ball solid though and it goes 100 yards into the middle of the fairway. I'm not just inside 100 yards and the wind is in my face. Arccos gives me a playing distance of maybe 104 or so. I hit my 6i and it's a high push fade. The wind doesn't help it any and I land in the right front bunker. The flag is more left middle and my ball is about a yard from the back of the bunker. So if I had gone with my 9i, I'd have been putting. I use my GW and I get the shot I want and it's out of the bunker but I don't get it close to the flag. I'm roughly 16 feet out and I manage a 3 putt for a 7. Not a good start...
2-par 3 that's 133 on the card. I think it was closer to 125ish, but into the wind. I hit a low pull with my 6i into the back of the front left trap, sigh. The sand is firm and i have an awkward angle with the ball below my feet. I hit behind the ball with my GW and catch the ball with the leading edge as it comes out of the sand. It sails over the green... I hit a ptch with my GW and make good contact and get the right ball flight but I'm a couple feet short of the green. So I chip with my putter and get the ball close to the hole and 1 putt for a 5.
So far I'm in the same spot I was scorewise yesterday.
3- par 5 dogleg right, I aim my 4w a bit left and hit a high push fade into the wind. I teed it up to high I think. I'm in the fairway on the right side a whooping 154 yards off the tee. I'm 220ish out and it's soft. I figure I'll hit my 5i to try to setup my approach. I am fat and the club slides a bit under the ball and I advance it about 67 yards. My next shot is a 4i which I hit low and left about 129 yards. So i'm short and left and the flag is on the right side. I prefer to miss left on this hole since there are no bunkers there. I have along way to go and use my putter to chip. My distance was ok but my line wasn't. I'm close to 10 feet below the cup but I two putt for a bogey 6.
4 - short par 4, I setup on the right of the tee box and aim left a bit. I hit my 4w, probably a push fade, 177 yards into the fairway. Here is where things get funky. I'm about 110 from center but Arccos is saying it's playing like 125ish. I go with the 125 number and hit my 7i. It's a high push fade into the right front bunker. The interesting thing is with the shape of the green and bunkers, my ball would have landed on the green if I had the correct line. I'm 25 or so yards from the flag and I hit a nice shot out of the bunker that ends up above the pin. I have a downhill putt and miss. My comeback putt misses when the crown around the cup moves my ball to the right. So a 3 putt 6.
5 - par 5, dogleg right that has been killing me. I go with the same setup with my 4w to aim a bit left and I hit a nice low draw that hits the slope to the right of the fairway, which kicks my ball left into the fairway. I'm 182 off the tee and it's probably 240-250 to center with no direct shot that I'd trust myself to hit. Wind is still in my face but I hit a nice low draw with my 5i about 130 yards into the fairway. I'm 120ish out and wind in my face. I hit my 6i and it's a low draw that I see land on the green. There's a tier in this green and the flag is back right on the tier and I'm more to the front middle on the lower tier. I'm about 30 feet away and I misjudge the break and speed and i don't leave myself a good second putt which I also miss. So a 6 on a ghole that i struggle with. That's two rounds I've played this hole much better.
6 - par 4 with OoB right. Wind is behind me and I aim left with my 4W and hit a high fade that goes 168 yards into the fairway down my target line. I'm 130ish out and hit my 6i to the back of the green, another GIR! I have a pretty long downhill putt and there's a twosome suddenly waiting on me. I don't give it enough gas and i'm short of the hole. My next one misses as well. I'm now about 2 feet from the cup and miss that too. So a 4 putt 6, sigh. My putting hasn't been great this round but this hole bugs me. I think I rushed myself and paid for it.
7 - par 4, dogleg right. Aim left with 4w and hit a high fade into the fairway. I'm not getting much roll and it's 168 yards off the tee. I am over 160 out and my ball is in a divot. I leave my 4i in the bag and hit my 6i. I'm conceding that I'm not going for this in 2. I hit a nice low draw about 134 yards. I'm too far short of the green to use my putter, so I chip with my PW. I make good contact and the ball runs about 8 - 10 feet past the hole. I line up my putt while the twosome behind me is waiting in the fairway. It's tracking true and stops a couple inches short of the cup. So I have a tap in for bogey,5.
8 - downhill par 3 and flag is forward. Marker in the tee box says 130 but Arccos is saying it plays like 120ish. So I hit my 7i and it's a high draw that lands on the middle left of the green. I'm above and left of the cup. I make my way to the green and the twosome is waiting at the tee. So I move to the side and wave them up. It's two women in separate carts and they are good. Both hit the green with nice looking shots and both two putt for par. I make a decent first putt but leave myself a few feet from the cup and manage to get my par.
9 - par 4, straight with a pond on the left fronting the green. I aim left with my 4w and hit a nice shot 188 into the fairway. I'm 100 yards or so out from center and the flag is forward. My shot at the flag is across the pond. I take my 9i and top the ball into the pond. I take my drop and blade my half GW shot into the back bunker. I have a downslope bunker shot to a green sloping away from me with a pond behind that. I setup and try to get my shoulders level with the sand. The ball comes out great but rolls through the green. I halfass my chip with the putter and manage to 3 putt from 8 or so feet. So put me down for a nice pretty 9...

End result is a 53, same as yesterday but I got there differently. My irons, while still bad, were better.The 4w off the tee once i started to aim left was on. Distance varies alot but I was hitting fairways and giving myself an actual second shot that wasn't to recover. It was good enough that Arccos actually dropped my driving HCP to 28.7.

So the last time I posted the numbers from Arccos it said, driving, approaches, and chipping were like a 30+. Sand was 23.9 and I think putting was 23.2. After 5 rounds it has my approach still as 30+, driving as 28.7, chipping as 27.1, sand as 16.5, and putting 22.1. It's not a huge sample size and I'm sure the numbers can be debated but at least I seem to be improving.

Have a great weekend.

[PhlashPhace]

I would suggesting working on your putting. Putting is really really hard to get great at but I think it's the easiest part of the game to get good at. It's also the easiest to practice so figure out some drills to do and get a practice routine going. I would recommend focusing on 10-20 foot free putting and then making a ton of 3 footers from all the way around the hole.

You'll save strokes but it will also affect the rest of your game. Once you never miss from 4 feet and in and much easier to chip and when you feel like you'll get up and down every time your iron game will improve. If you want a good putting practice routine let me know how much time you can dedicate to it a week and I'll suggest something.

[bortass]

@PhlashPhace That makes sense but I'm not there yet. Let me throw out the caveat to all of the following in that I know all aspects of my game need work. I don't have as much time as I did years ago when I was at my personal best. I need to do a better job managing my time and not letting golf interfere with other aspects of my life.
My opinion, based on my experience in the past, is that short game matters the most if you can get close to the green in a reasonable amount of shots. For me that means getting off the tee a reasonable distance and having a second non-recovery shot, and approach shots, including par 3 tee shots, that advance the ball a reasonable distance in the right direction. This is why my focus is on my full swing right now. My biggest loss in "skill" since I quit is in this area. I know I have complained that I don't like my lack of distance because it makes me feel bad, lol. But what I miss the most is having shots that have what I consider to be good ball flight and go in the general direction of my target line. Blading and topping irons from the FW is tossing away strokes. I can feel good about a 6i that only goes 130ish if I hit a high draw or fade with it since that's the ball flight I expect with an iron. Also my distance issues should subside as I improve my swing.
I am confident in my ability to putt, compared to all other aspects of my game. My historical average for putting is 2/hole, my 1 and 3 putts offset in the long run. Those numbers are based on the hundreds of rounds I played before quitting the game. I just ran the numbers for the 81 holes I have played since coming back and I'm averaging 2.04 putts a hole. So my putting is roughly where I left it. Trust me, there are bad putts in there. There are a number of reasons for them but I don't feel like this is an area where I will get the most bang for my buck right now. Maybe I'm wrong...
So for me, as of right now, my priorities in order are working on my full swing with irons to be able to start advancing the ball towards the hole better; Sand shots because this is new for me to have to deal with; Chipping around the green since it's always been an area that I've had issues with; Pitching and finally putting. All of which is subject to change based on what happens on the course and the trends that pop up.
For what it's worth, I have done some putting practice since I came back. These greens are faster and have more variations in break than my old course. I felt the need to hit a bunch of putts on the practice green to see the speed and how things would break.
Hopefully this kind of makes sense.

[platgof]

Wet golf is no fun as the irons will not release right. Remember, most people do not post hdcp figures during the winter months, for a reason. My scores have really suffered due to cold and wet weather. I can't wait for more sunshine, and less cold weather and rain. I highly recommend that you pick up a 6 hybrid and learn to use it. Get a used one like a Rocketball, or Ping G5. This will help you with the 140-150 yard range. Sometimes I play bogey golf, where my goal is bogey only. Less pressure that way.

[PhlashPhace]

I understand that time is limited but like I said being really good around the greens will make your iron game better. Chipping and pitching is especially important because you're getting a lot of practice with contact and the path through the hitting zone without a lot of stress on your body and you can also get more practice in using less time.

Bad golfers like to use the excuse of getting to the green is the most important part for their improvement but it's basically because they want to get out on the range and smash balls. You're going to do what you want to do but my advice is still work on your putting and chipping and pitching and it will help your entire game. Learn how to make solid consistent contact with a pitch and then the full swing will come so much faster. Making solid and consistent contact with a full 6 iron and driver before your pitching is good is like trying to run a marathon before you know how to walk.

[bortass]

@PhlashPhace I understand what you’re saying. For what it’s worth, my range sessions tend to include a number of partial shots, including pitches. My most used clubs on the range are 7i, PW, and SW.
My normal routine is to start off with partial wedge shots. I’ll then move on to a longer swing and possibly change clubs depending on what I’m working on. I tend to change back to a wedge to hit some shorter shots every once in a while as well. I try to avoid beating balls with one club.
The range I used the most in Maine was irons only, no drivers or woods allowed. So I’ve never really been able to work on my driver. My practice with it tends to be live shots, lol.
I’ll try to be more cognizant of getting more short game shots into my range sessions. I do agree they are important and I used to be pretty good from 50 yards out.

[Chunking]

Enjoying reading your journey Bortass!

One thing I can add regarding an improved short game is that when I have put in the time and greatly improved mine, it greatly reduces the stress of missing the green on an approach shot since the confidence to get up and down is there. It had a way of taking off that pressure and the results of those shots were much better. ie, more approaches hit and misses much closer.

Take that for what it’s worth from a 17 cap (trending down though).

 

[bortass]

@Chunking thanks. If nothing else I may provide comic relief or help others feel better about their game. “At least I’m not as bad as Bort”, lol?
Rain for the last week, so no golf or range time until today. 49 degrees and wet. I started out decent with a double and bogey and then I fell off a cliff. Carded a 13 on number 3, and I got off the tee fine with my 4w... irons let me down big time, many a top and I had a disaster by the green in the bunkers.
That said, I had fun. I also had two real good sand shots as well. Chipping was actually decent. I had 5 green side chips. 2 with putter, which were fine. 3 with wedges and two of those were pretty good for me. Third was bladed a bit so I had a longer putt than I would have liked.
Inability to move the ball from the FW really hurt. I also came up short on a couple holes when my shot was low and hit the embankment going up to the green. It so soft the ball just bounced backwards and rolled a yard or two away from the green. The shots weren’t great but should have been on if the ball could have rolled forward 2 yards or so each time.
So I’ll lick my wounds and see what I can learn from what happened to me today. I didn’t try any stupid shots but you’d never know from my final score.
I may need to step back and get a lesson. I had hoped that my swing would come back but it’s not. I just hit a good shot the way I used to years ago once in a while now. I don’t feel like anything is getting better, so it’s probably not rust at all and I’ve been delusional.
But don’t get me wrong, I am having a great time playing again and can’t wait to get back out there.
Cheers and thanks for putting up with my rambling. Also forgive any typos since I typed this on my phone...

[bortass]

@PhlashPhace I want to say thank you. I wanted to get that in first since I'm not sure how much I'll type in this post and don't want it to get buried if I get long winded again...
I made it to the range today and spent over an hour there. I did my dozen or so bunker shots as I have stated i would each time I go. A couple mishits in the mix but I am seeing improvement each time and on the course. I don't dread bunkers now but I'd still prefer to avoid them if possible. I feel confident enough that I can get out in one but know that I may still mess up.
I started off with some half wedges, mixed in full shots and wedges some more and even hit driver maybe a half dozed times. I was a bit scattered in what I worked on and was messing with my ball position. I tried a drill from Monte where at the top of your back swing you pause and flatten the shaft and then try to hit the ball. It was a nightmare.... I gave up on it after a bit and tried to focus on some other things like my weight shift and length of back swing. I got my left arm under my chin and it seemed to help a bit. I want to say that up to this point I'm doing what I generally try to avoid on the range. I'm bouncing around and not really focused on one thing. It's not good to do in my general opinion.
Then I listened to @PhlashPhace and worked on my chipping... I was just using my SW and range balls, so my focus wasn't so much aim and where the balls ended up, but contact. I started off by blading a couple and then I settled down into a routine and things got much better. My setup was better as was my contact when something happened!
Does anyone remember the Pure Ball Striker, PBS? I used it back many years ago and it led to my best ball striking ever. I won't say the PBS alone did it but my contact changed after using it. It was, you can't get them anymore, a rubbery orange half ball that would attach to the shaft of your club. It was created to help people feel pressure in their index finger in the downswing and 'feeling lag'. I can't remember what it related to in TGM but I think it was P2 or P3. Anyhow, I had one back in 2010 or so, and I started to use it with half wedge shots. After a short while, I started to feel pressure in my right index finger from the shaft of the club and my partial wedges started to sound different. I was getting a click when I hit the ball. This transferred to my full swing and my iron shots took on a whole new look. I'd hear the click, take a divot, and that ball would take off high and far. I'd have to look for it my the details of this are buried someplace in my old trying to break 100 thread.
Well, I started to feel it again, after probably 8 - 9 years, while chipping. I also started to hear that click. My memory of it came back to me. It was something that I had completely lost and forgotten about. My chips came out with a little pop and had a nice arc to them to reach the green. That feeling of the shaft pressing against my index finger was glorious. I don't have a PBS anymore but I remember what it led to. So I went back to the range and hit some partial wedges with that feeling and i heard that click again and the ball came out better. It wasn't completely perfect ball flight but the sound meant that I wasn't blading/thinning the ball. I ended my range session with a couple of full 7i swings with that feeling and it was night and day. A beautiful high shot that had some distance to it. That sound... Yes, I'm gushing but this brought back a bunch of positive memories.
I will not say that I hit the ball as good as I did when I became a 19 index but I am on to something. I plan to keep working on this feel with my irons during my range time. I will keep working on my chipping too. All of this to help ingrain this feel and hopefully it will become second nature some day. So thank you @PhlashPhace for getting me to chip and regain something that I had lost years ago. I was so excited when I left the range today.
Lesson(s) are still on the table but may take a bit to get going. There are some things that need to sort themselves out before I feel comfortable trying to go down that path. My wife may actually try golf and she got some great advice from a fellow female member regarding the teaching pro and clinics that they run for women. The teaching pro works out of our sister course, so he's not readily available when we're at the club. She wants to meet him at some point and I would much rather invest in her trying the game and her learning, assuming she enjoys it.
So don't think that I am ignoring what I said earlier about getting lessons. I just don't know when it might happen with current priorities.
Have a good one!

[PhlashPhace]

There was a guy on my college team that literally would go a month without mishitting an iron shot and he would hit 100 40 yard shots with an 8 iron but all he would do was take it back to waist high and follow through to waist high. I can stress enough how much of an impact chipping and pitching can have on the rest of your game. We've got a 100 yard range to a real green and whenever my irons are acting up I stand on that range all day and hit 60-80 yard wedges. You can hit almost twice as many shots in the same time as you would be able to hit full irons, it's a lot less stressful on your body, and it makes you focus on contact.

Now that's one practice session chipping so keep it up and keep focusing on hitting the ball consistently solid and the other issues will be far easier to fix if they don't fix themselves.

[bortass]

I made it out to play 9. I did one thing a little different today and went to the range for a few minutes first. Normally when I play, my first swing of the day is the tee shot on #1. I only used my PW and I just hit partial shots trying to feel the pressure in my index finger. Overall it went well. I did hit a few thin but they were okay. I hit a couple full shots and the first one was a doozy. I hit it severely fat and my right wrist was sore for a while afterwards. It's still not quite right but I don't think it's anything. I can just tell that something happened to it, lol.

Temps are in the low 50s and overcast. The course is wet and soft but it's much better than my last round. I played the forward tees again. I want to mention I try to not bring swing thoughts with me to the course. I just want to swing the club with whatever swing I have that day. I do try to be cognizant of what I feel after the shot though, like I was too fast etc. I try to do that as feedback if I make a good or bad shot but I don't dwell on it. So I probably had a number of mishits today due to tempo for example.

1 - straight par 4 and I hit my 4w 187 off the tee into the fairway and I'm still a long ways out. I decide to go with my 4w off the deck and hit a low fade that comes to a stop short and right of the green. It only went about 155 yards and now i have to carry a bunker with my chip. I don't go towards the flag since that has the longest carry of the bunker. I aim a fair amount right of it to reduce my risk of dropping it in the bunker. I use my GW and hit a nice chip just over the bunker but it runs out a lot and I have a 30 foot putt. I lag it to 4 feet and have a brain fart. My second putt misses and I'm further away now... a 4 putt for a 7. Sweet start.

2 - par 3, playing 130ish and I hit a 6i and it's a high fade that misses right of the green. I chip with my GW and blade it. I have a 15 foot putt and end up two putting for a bogey.

3- par 5 that I got the 13 on my last round...I hit a weak pop up with my 4w about 100 yards off the tee into the fairway. Sweet! I decide on 4w off the deck. I feel like I have the angle to reduce the risk of losing a ball and I am too far out to hit it into trouble unless i manage a slice. It's a low fade that goes 161 and I'm about 120ish out. I grab my 7i and hit a high fade that lands on the green past the flag and it releases maybe 6 feet or so basded on the pitch mark. I'm 12 feet above the flag and it's a downhill left to right putt. I hit the ball and I thought it was too slow but it's tracking towards the hole slowly. I end up about a foot away on the low side. So I get my par and move on all happy.

4 - short par 4, I do something new and try to visualize my tee shot. I don't do that at all but some people claim it helps and I need a better preshot routine I think. I set up on the right side of the teebox and aim left and hit a high draw. It goes 183 yards to the left side of the fairway. I'm in soft stuff and have no idea if i got any roll or not. Arccos is telling me that it's playing in the area of 115ish. I go with my 8i and hit a low thin shot. I see it hit the green and roll off the back. At least it was airborne and I'm long. I'm short sided with a downhill chip. I swing too hard with my SW and it rolls well past the hole. The green is kind of kidney shaped and I'm in the fringe near the middle of the green where it curves inward. I chip with my putter and it's too hard and goes about 7 feet past the hole. I two putt for a double bogey 6.

5 - par 5, dogleg right. I hit a skyball with my 4w. Left an idiot mark on the crown, snapped the tee off at ground level and the ball went 87 yards. It would have been a great wedge with the height I got. I am a long ways out and get stupid. i decide to hit my 4w off the deck and I hit a pull to the right which is bad, luckily I saw the ball bounce so I don't think I'm in the trees. I find my ball and my shot is like one from last time. I have nothing at the green. My shot to the fairway has to go through two trees and there's a small stream on the other side of the trees followed by the cart path. I take my 6i and hit a low punch. It has some zip and hits a branch which deflects it up. I hear it land on the cart path though. My ball is now in the fairway and I'm 130ish out. I hit my 6i and it's fat and off the toe. It's a sever pull dead right and OOB. I drop another ball and try again. This time I hit a low draw to the front left of the green. I chip with my PW and don't hit it hard enough. So I use my putter to chip. I can't recall where i ended up but it was a 1 putt for a 9.

6 - par 4, I tee off with my 4w and it's a high weak fade that goes 125 in the fairway... Another good iron shot. No idea what's going on. I'm close to 150ish out and decide on my 7w. I hit a high pull to the right of the green, 159 yards. I have more chipping woes, so two shots later I'm 8 feet from the flag. I line things up and hit my putt. It's tracking for the hole and I end up inside 6 inches. So a two putt, 6. Sigh.

7- par 4 that is downhill and pretty open. Time for driver! I hit the same shot as the last time I tried driver on this hole. I make contact with the heel of the club, pretty much in the area of a shank, there's a new tee mark on my driver below the shaft.. The ball bounces about 40 yards left in the rough. I am a moron. The rough is long and dormant. I just want to advance the ball, so I play it back a little and hit it with my 7i. It make good contact and it's a low draw that goes 126 yards into the fairway. I am 180ish out or so and hit my 4i. The ball is above my feet and I'm just trying to get close to the green. I hit it nice and fat 51 yards to the right. I'm still in the fairway and hit my 6i next. Ball is still above me feet and I hit a low draw that goes more left than I wanted. The ball hits the green and rolls into the back bunker. I'm near the front of the bunker and i have plenty of green work with. I aim at the flag and set myself up. I hit behind the ball and hear a solid thump from the sand. The ball comes up but goes more right than I wanted. It lands on the green and releases. I'm now about 12 feet right of the flag. I manage a 2 putt for my 7. I was pleased with the 6i, 7i, and bunker shot on this hole. The rest of my full swings, not so much.

8 - par 3, playing about 130ish. I hit my 6i and it's off the toe, low and right. It hits the right slope and that kicks it left and down the hill towards the green. I am 33 yards or so from the front edge of the green in the rought. I chip my my PW and make great contact. I see the backspin on the ball. It lands about a yard short of the green, bounces up out of it's pitch mark and goes about 6 inches right and 2 inches back.... I hit the shot I wanted but not taking the turf being soft into account cost me. I will not complain though since the ball in flight did what I wanted. I chip with my putter and bone the speed going about 8 feet past the hole. I sink the putt though for my bogey.

9 - par 4, pond left and fronting the green. I him my 4w and it's a high push that goes 166 yards and misses the fairway to the right. I'm 140ish out with a shot at the green. I take my 5i and aim a bit right to minimize pond risk. I hit a low pull hook right into the pond... I go drop a ball and I have about 60 yards to center. A nice half GW should do the trick. I mishit it right into the pond. Drop another ball and manage a pull hook that goes in the pond. Go drop where that one entered the hazard and I just chip to the right of the green. I chip on about 30 feet past the hole and 2 putt for my 9.

 

So a 57 with 5 penalty shots in the mix. I got stupid with the driver and that cost me a shot. I got stupid with my 4w on # 5 which cost me a shot. I kinda knew I was pressing my luck with that shot but did it anyways. I don't feel as disheartened as I was with my round on Sunday though. I actually hit a few shots the way I wanted and my irons seemed a bit better. At least I missed some shots that were to the right or long of the green. The 4w pop ups/high weak shots this round are a bit worrisome.

Game plan going forward for my range sessions: Continue to practice sand shots; Start practicing chipping every time; Work on the feeling in my right index finger with partial shots; Mix in some full shots as well.

I also need to work in some putting practice too. I had 18 putts which isn't the end of the world but that 4 putt is inexcusable.

Cheers.

 

[bortass]

Mini-story time from back in the day. I went back and started reading about when I was trying to break 100 in 2008. I'm in the same boat right now, can't shoot under 50 for 9. My struggles back then was getting off the tee and getting to the green. It brought back the painful memories of hitting the ball and leaving a crater where I smashed the ball into the turf and watching it roll forward 40 yards, if I was lucky. Good times. What jumped out at me is that I read about that I was working on back then. Short game.

 

My comment in a post was how my range sessions prior to that post in 2008 were mostly partial wedge shots( Short Game Bible), pitches, chips, and punches since I liked the trees a lot. I also practiced putting some, but it looks like I averaged about a 2 putt per green back then as well. I said that if I could get inside 100 yards, I'd be okay. Okay is a relative term because I had chipping issues even then but my odds of advancing the ball in the right direction and distance were much higher. Even after I started to take the lessons that eventually led to changing my slice to a draw, most of my practice was short game related.

 

I'm not sure how or why I seemed to have forgotten the focus I used to have on it 12 years ago but I'm glad I documented it for current me to read and remember. I used to have a decent short game. I think it's time to try and get it back. This ties into something I was thinking about when I played yesterday's round. I felt that I was able to move the ball around the course but a better short game would have helped a lot.

 

I'm hoping to hit the range later and my focus will be my 10-12 bunker shots, chipping, and partial wedges. I'll throw in some full swings as well I'm sure.

 

[bortass]

Range session at lunch is in the books. The difference a day makes weather wise. It's low 60s but sunny, so much nicer than yesterday and it should help the course dry out some more. Wish I could have played but no dice today and I'm not sure when I will get a chance to play again. Maybe tomorrow, maybe sometime later next week.

I followed 'The Plan', AKA whatever it is my brain has decided should be done, and it went well. I am not a planner by the way. I don't micromanage or make detailed plans, not something I enjoy. I'm more of a high level planner, get the general idea on what needs to happen and go from there. I warmed up with partial shots with my PW. Then hit my bunker shots. Went back to partial wedges. Hit driver a little. Chipped. Partial wedges again. A couple more driver shots. More partial wedges and added a few pitches. That was the overall look of the session. I plan to try to keep this little routine up when I go to the range next.

 

Partial wedges - I spent the most time on these. The results were positive. I'm getting better at making the contact I want and getting good ball flight. It's not perfect but even my mishits would be playable. I am finding that tempo matters quite a bit here. When I am smooth, I have better results. This made me recall that in 2011/12, I used to pitch the ball on the range to help my tempo. I tend to get quick and there was just something about hitting pitches that made me slow down. Probably the fact that if I am quick with a pitch, I will blade it into the next county...

 

Sand shots - I hit a dozen of these. I varied where I was in the bunker a little. So a couple were on down slopes. I also tried to vary my power on the shots. All 12 were out of the bunker in one and had the flight I wanted. never thought I'd see the day when I'd say I'm feeling confident around bunkers.

 

Chipping - I hit about 25 - 30 chips total with range balls. I scattered them about, so some lies where uphill in rough, and other flat in rough, and some fringe. I picked a hole and chipped all the balls to it. Threw them to new spots, picked a new flag and repeated the process. I did it a total of three times. A couple chips were great. A few were good. Most needed work, lol. I think I need to worry more about contact than results but I still want a target to chip too. Overall I think it was a positive thing to do and will pay off big, if I keep it up.

 

Driver - I hit 6 - 8 shots total. Let's see, what can I say about them? They all sucked except 1. I hit some massive slices. So I didn't spend much time on it. I just wanted to hit some to see what would happen. I expect I will try hitting driver once in a while at the range but I don't see it being a focus for me in the near term. My 4w hits the FW and that's the key right now off the tee. Just get the ball in play with a legitimate second shot of some sort.

 

My pitches were so so. Need to review this aspect of my game some more.

 

Bright spot that has me excited as a "range warrior" since I dunno if it'll transfer to the course. I hit three full shots with an iron at different times when I was working on the partial wedges. I hit an 8i, later my 7i, and right before leaving my 5i. One shot each. I just set up to the ball and swung. No thinking about I want to do XYZ or feel ABC. What i found is I did a full back swing with my left arm under my chin; started my downswing in tempo, and made a full finish. The balls just took off. High draws, even the 5i got the height that it was dropping downwards at the end. these were not the low draws that are going to run once they land. The distance on the shots was very good (for me) as well. So it's not like I hit my 5i like a PW. The ball just took off and climbed. It was a thing of beauty and if it was the ending of a Hollywood movie, the sun would have been setting and I'd have a tear in my eye. Lol, so much for that imagery. It was nice to see those shots. They are what I am striving for and not what one would expect to see from a golfer carding the scores that I have been.

 

 

[bortass]

Well another 9 done. I was thinking about this thread while playing and whether or not I wanted to post anything. I decided to for a couple reasons. It helps keep me honest. Everyone learns differently and writing it down helps me. I can't as easily blow things that go wrong off. I may provide reasons I think it happened but I risk getting called out if I'm off base. I also sometimes review my posts and it's good to see what I was going through/doing. I happen to have been reading one of my old threads lately and finding some common ground from almost 12 years ago. I'd have lost this without the online record of it here.

 

Today was about 42 degrees, overcast, with a slight breeze. The course is damp since it rained over night. It's not as bad as what I have been playing in but there are wet spots out there. I played the shorter tees again and the other thing of note is I changed balls and I think this had an impact on things. I was playing Top Flite Gamer Tours that I bought back in late 2012 or 13. Right before I quit. Well I only had a couple dozen and I've gone through them. Today I used a Top Flite Gamer Urethane. I have never used this ball before and I'm not sure what the changes have been over the years. This was the closest thing I could find to my old ball.

 

1 - par 4, no real breeze that I can feel. I just tee off like I normally do, so no pre-round hitting of balls. This is a straight hole with a fairly wide fairway. I stay with my plan to use my 4w off the tee. My contact is good and I get a mid height draw that goes 182 yards and I'm close to dead center of the fairway. I am over 200 yards out, so I am essentially laying up regardless of what I do. My goal is to get as close to the hole as possible as safely as possible. There is no real trouble in front of me. The green side bunker is on the front right and I'd have to hit a ball 180ish or so to land in it. I decide on my 4w and I hit it thin. It's a low push that goes about 122 yards into the right rough. I'm just a couple of yards off the fairway with a good lie. I'm about 70ish yards out and I'm not sure what to hit. I go with a full LW, 60*. I catch it thin and I watch it sail over the green. I have no idea how far it went because it went into a hazard that is probably 10 yards from the back of the green. I should of hit a half PW I think. Worse case scenaio I am short and in the bunker which I'm not as scared of these days. i want to avoid them but the bunker would have been better than the lost ball. I have to chip over a cart path and up to the green. I use my SW and make good contact and the ball runs about 10 feet past the hole. I'm looking at my putt, which is slightly uphill, and I blow the ball a good 5 - 6 feet past the hole. Not what I would have expected and i'm thinking my ball change is part of the deal. I end up three putting for an 8. Not the start I wanted. The only positives of the hole are my tee shot and the fact I chipped correctly.

 

2 - par three that is 130ish but Arccos is giving me a playing distance of 140. There are two bunkers fronting this green with just a narrow area to walk between them to the green. So any shot is going to cross sand unless you manage to thread that 2 - 3 yard walking area. I settle on my 5i. I setup and blade that puppy. the ball takes off a few feet off the ground, lands short of the right front bunker, skips through it and onto the green. A lucky GIR! My ball is on the right side of the green and the flag is about 45 feet to the left. It's going to break right to left. I hit my putt and leave it short. I just blew a putt past the hole and this time I'm too soft. I end up with another 3 putt for bogey, 4. I'm already thinking that I need to hit the practice green with the new ball and work things out.

 

3 - par 5 that is a dogleg right. I aim a bit left and I notice my stance feels real wide, like I was about to hit a sand shot. I swing anyways and get a push slice off the toe into the right trees OOB maybe 50 - 75 yards off the tee. Stroke and distance time and I hit a mid height draw with the 4w, 163 yards, into the fairway. I have a long ways to go, much like on #1 and there's no major danger unless I hit a shot way right like I did off the tee. The ground is a little soft but nothing major. I take my 4w and proceed to hit about 3 inches behind the ball. The clubhead makes contact and the ball rolls pretty straight about 59 yards and I'm still in the fairway. Arccos is giving me a playing distance in the 150 range. I decide on 4i and I hit a low push that goes 146 yards and misses the green left. I would say I am just past the middle of the green on the left side. I decide to chip with my putter and I don't hit it hard enough. I should have used a conventional shot or a wood. I was going up a slope with damp grass that has blades bent down facing me. So I didn't really take the turf into the proper consideration. The ball is not on the fringe and I use my putter to get to 3 feet from the cup. I do manage to 1 putt for my 8.

 

This is two 8s already and I'm wondering about how this round is gonna go. If I get 5s on the remaining 6 holes, I can get a 50. I'm already wondering if I want to even post about this round though. It's an ugly start and I'm embarrassed about the putting and mistakes.

 

4 - shortish with a slight dogleg right par 4, I aim left and crank a high draw, into the wind, It only goes 154 but I'm in the fairway on the left side. Close to where I was last round. I've made the hole slightly longer by being left. I think the wind killed this shot and the height didn't help with roll. I think I saw my pitch mark a couple yards from where my ball stopped. The hole is playing closer to 140 and I hit my 5i. It's a low pull that lands in the left greenside bunker near the back lip. It rolls back a yard or so, so I have a shot without a weird lie or stance. I hit my SW out and I'm about 18 feet short of the flag. I should have used my GW I think. Regardless, I'm happy to be out in one and on the green. I size up my putt and leave it a good three feet short. I manage the next putt and have my bogey 5.

 

5 - par 5, dogleg right. Historically, not a good hole for me. I tee off with my 4w and hit a high weak push slice that I hear hit branches. It looked like it may have landed near a small bush near the right treeline. I hit a provisional and it's the same shot but a little shorter. No sign of my first ball and the provisional went 124 yards. I have no shot and am laying 3. I punch my 7i to get back to the fairway. I decide to hit my 4w since i need to make up some ground. I catch it thin again and it's a worm burner that goes 149 yards but straight. I'm in the fairway and it's a little soft but no casual water. I'm in that 130ish area and settle on my 6i. there is a small stream on the left front of the green, so I'm aiming to the right side. I hit a low pull hook and it's headed for the stream. Can things get any worse? I find my ball in the rough short of the stream, things being wet help me out for a change. I now have to chip across a stream to a green that's above me from the rough. I use my GW and make good contact. I'm on the green but 27 feet past the hole and on the upper tier. The flag is on the lower tier... I am screwed. I should have chipped with maybe a SW but I had to get it over the crap and on. It is what it is. I hit my putt a bit more firmly than I'd like and the ball catches the left side of the cup and skips out maybe 6 feet past. Too bad I missed the flag stick, it wouldn't have dropped but the speed would have been killed for a shorter putt. It takes 2 more putts to get my 10.

 

So much for a good score. I'm definitely not going to post it. maybe I'll just do a synopsis or pretend it never happened.

 

6 - par 4, even though my round is shot, I stay with my 4w. I hit a nice high draw that goes 167 into the left rough. I'm a yard off the fairway and the rough isn't that bad. I have 130ish to the green and decide on my 6i. There is a large bunker on the front left of the green. the flag is behind the right side of it from where my ball is. I aim towards the right of the green and swing. I don't know what happened but the ball went about 32 yards into the fairway. Well, I'm closer now at least. I settle on my PW and hit a low draw that lands on the green and I see it roll off the back. I chip with my putter and it's a downslope shot. I end up 7 feet below the hole and two putt for a double bogey 6.

 

7 - par 4 that is down slope and pretty open. I'm toying with hitting driver as I make my way from the 6th green to 7th tee. This round is shot... Driver has not been good on this hole lately and I would be throwing away strokes on purpose. I can't do it. I tee off with my 4w and it's the relaxed swing that I felt on the range the other day. I hit a high draw 195 yards (downhill) into the fairway. It was a beautiful shot. Things are a bit soft where the ball is and I'm 155+out. I think about it a bit and decide to hit my 7w instead of my 4i. The 7w is in my bag, so I might as well use it. My direct shot would have to cross the left fron bunker but the right side is open, much like #6. I aim towards the right side and swing. I hit a low draw towards the right side and it lands on the green! A non mishit GIR! I am a little above the flag but about 48 feet right of it. I could have carried that bunker but I didn't think the risk was worth it. My lag putt is off and i three putt for a bogey 5. Oh well, not great but I'm happy with that 7w into the green and the tee shot too.

 

8 - downhill par 3. I have about 140ish to center but it plays about 10 yards shorter with the hill. the flag is towards the front of the green and I decide on my 6i. I make another relaxed swing and it's a high draw that misses left. it's the kind of draw I expect to see with a well struck iron. I don't care where the ball is. I find it in a puddle near the cart path that's to the left of the green. My shot went about 151 yards. I take relief and chip on with my PW. My aim is off and I'm about 14 feet above the hole. The chip itself went over 20 yards, so while not great I can't say that it completely sucked. I two putt for my bogey 4.

 

Walking to 9 I'm so happy with the previous two holes. Life is good.

 

9 - par 4, that has the pond fronting the green on the left. I almost always put a ball in the pond with an iron shot. I hit another relaxed 4w and it's a high push to the right, 168 yards. The ball is in a small drainage depression in the rough. So the ball is a little below my feet and there's no casual water to gain relief with. I have no real shot at the green and that pond wants my ball. I take my GW and pitch the ball about 50 yards, . I'm about 90ish from center and my angle in only brings part of the pond into play. There's no real way for me to avoid this unless I had been able to advance the ball even further towards the hole down the right side but trees were in the way. I hit my PW and it's thin. I get a low draw that lands on the right side of the green. I'm almost pin high and the hole is 7 feet to the left. Not a bad shot at all. I hit my putt and it's tracking to the low side of the cup and falls in for par!

 

So I shot a 54, my lowest score for 9 is 53 which I've done 3 times now. I had 26 shots on three holes. Par is 14, so 12 over on them. My other holes were double, 4 bogeys, and a par. What I am pleased with is the fact I actually stuck with it and went dbl, bogey, bogey, par, after writing that 10 on my scorecard.

 

My score sucks but I am taking a glimmer of hope from this round. I struggled out there but played decent golf on 6 holes. I could have gone in the tank but didn't. That 10 was a personal morale check for me but I actually passed. I also hit a couple shots that felt right to me. I am hopeful that it will happen more and more as I spend time on the range working on that relaxed swing. I have a long and difficult road ahead to reach my final goal but I feel good about my prospects of being able to hit that first milestone of getting under 50 for 9. I'll do it eventually.

 

Have a great weekend.

 

[Chip Duffer]

well done to recover after the 10 as you did. Nice way to finish. It seems that after #5, you just played the hole in front of you, just hitting the next shot and put together a solid finishing 4 holes of “bogey golf. You may well be closer to your goal than you realize. Some good weather, a shot at a time, a hole at a time and you’ll be making a new goal of breaking 50 again... and then again.

 

[llewol007]

If you want a chance at breaking 85 focus on the game from 100 Yards in. Master two ways to hit into a green whether a high shot or a low bump and run into the green. Focus your range time to 70/30 short game to long game. Love hitting chip shots from around the green and really develop the feel that’s needed and not to much technical. And of course half the battle is with the flat stick. Get into a habit of lag putts and the wheel from about 4 foot out. That’s how i got breaking 85 on a regular basis.

[Chip Duffer]

This is what I did when trying to break 100 consistently.

I still focus mostly on wedges and mid irons in my warm ups and range sessions unless i’m Working on something specific elsewhere. I tend to hit more practice shots with my 56* and 8 iron than all other clubs combined.

Do this and your game will be real solid inside 125.

[bortass]

@twin@Twin2L and @llewol007 That is very good advice that you both posted.

The stars aligned for me to play 18 today. I didn't plan to. I had a tee time and showed up early to hit the range first. the guy in the shop suggested I got off the back right away because there was a large group of golfers that were teeing off ahead of my time. I knew the times were all blocked, soI had given myself a 30 minute wind to tee off after them. I took his advice and went off the back. I ended up wedged between 2 foursomes but it seemed okay.

50 degrees out and overcast. 7 MPH wind with gusts up to 15. The course is a little dryer today. I have only played the back 9 once in a scramble months ago, so that doesn't really count. I don't know these holes or the greens. I have not walked 18 since 2016 either. It will be an adventure!

10 - par 4, dogleg left. Elevated tee and the fairway forms a V with an elevated green. I hit 4 w and it's 176 yards into the right side of the fairway. I am 150- 160 out. The fairway narrows as you approach the green with trees left and right. There is also a long bunker front right that is in the side of the hill. So any bunker shots to the green look like they would be blind to a green above you. I don't like this and layup with a half 7i that goes about 95 yards in the fairway. I'm 60ish out and go with a half PW which gets on the green. I had aimed left to take the bunkers out of play and the flag is right. I'm 37 feet away from the cup and three putt for a 6. I hadn't realized there was a group behind me and I rushed...

11 - par 4 dogleg left and there is a force carry to reach the green. The fairway slopes down more and I hit 4w again. It's a nice draw 181 into the fairway. I'm about 90 - 100 out and hit my PW. It's off the toe and a low push slice into the right hazard, short of the stream. I drop and hit a half GW 60 yards and over the green. I made good contact and the ball went long. I have to chip to a green above me that slopes away. I hit it too hard and it rolls 30 feet past the hole.. and I 3 putt again for 7...

12 - Par 4 dogleg left. I hit a high pull into the left rough with my 4w 171 yards. I'm going uphill and it's playing around 140. I go with my 5i and hit a low pull. I find my ball in the back left bunker. I'm a long ways from the flag but my ball is closer to the green ie I don't have to carry a lot of bunker. I hit the sand shot with my GW and don't swing hard enough. I'm on the green but 15 feet short of the flag. I blow my first putt past the hole and 3 putt again for a 7. Detect a trend?

13 - Par 3, playing in the 120 range. I hit my 7i and it's a bit thin and low but I'm on the green! I'm about 42 feet above and left of the flag. It's a bit downhill. I hit the putt and it comes to a rest inside 4 feet and I make the next one for par! Finally, okay putting for a hole.

14 - par 5 with an elevated teebox. There is a large pond/small lake along the right side of the fairway down near the green. It also fronts the entire right side of green. I'm waiting on the foursome in front of me and notice my ball is lined up with the right tee marker for the red tees in front of me. It'd be funny if I hit it with my tee shot. A couple minutes later I can tee off and I hit a low line drive with my 4w right off that tee marker. I still manage to get 151 yards out of it though and am in the fairway. I'm a long ways out and any long club that goes right will be wet. I decide to hit a half 5i that goes 114 yards in the fairway. I'm still 170ish out and same picture as before. I decide to layup left of the green with a half 8i. I make good contact and it goes 90 yards. I'm 80ish out and hit my PW on. I'm 44 feet past the hole which was front left. I two putt for a bogey 6. I pretty much conceded par on this hole. It wasn't worth the risk to me.

15 - par 4, slight dogleg left and downhill. I hit a high draw with my 4w that goes 149 yards. The entire fairway is pretty much casual water or close to it. I'm 110 ish out and hit my 8i. it's a high pull that I hear hit a tree to the back left of the green but I see it kick towards the green. The flag is right and i'm under the trees on the left. The green is elevated from me and I chip with my PW. I make good contact and end up 6 feet above the hole. I manage to miss the putt but get my bogey 5.

16 - par 3 about 140ish, slightly uphill and a force carry near the green. I tee off with my 5i and blade it about 2 feet off the ground. It goes about 82 yards and stops short of the stream. The flag is front left, so it's closer than center. I hit a partial SW on the green and about 13 feet past the hole. Not too bad since i have to carry the stream and the green is elevated. I two putt for my 4.

17 - par 4 slight dogleg left. I hit a nice draw with my 4w 183 yards into the fairway. the green is elevated just a bit and fronted by bunkers on the left and right with a gap in the middle. I'm 160 or so out and hit my 7w. It's a low pull that lands in the front left bunker. There's a tier in this green and it's not good. I'm front left and that's the upper tier. Flag is front right and that's on the lower tier. I hit my SW out of the bunker but not enough juice, so I'm on the upper tier. I'm 27 feet away. It's another 3 putt....for a 6 and double bogey.

18 - par 5. it's hard to describe this hole. The fairway is narrow off the tees and opens up. There is a large stream with a forced carry maybe 270 off the tee. The the green is off to the right, fronted by the pond that also fronts #9. I hit my 4w and it's a good shot, 180 yards into the fairway. Any longer club might end up wet, I doubt I can carry the stream. I look at the yardages on the GPS and hit a partial 6i layup. I make good contact and it goes 128 yards. This fairway gets soggy as you get closer to the hole... I'm short of the stream. Any shot at the green has to carry the stream and the pond that fronts the green. I aim well left and hit a full 6i into the fairway that's left of the green. it's a high draw that goes 143 yards. I'm 60ish from center and hit a partial SW. the ground is soft but i make good contact and it's a high shots that lands on thre front left of the green and the flag is back right... I'm 55 feet away and manage to 3 putt for a double bogey. I actually hit my first putt past the flag....

Well I survived the back 9 with only two true blowups on 11 and 12 with triples. I'm playing double bogey golf and had to give up strokes on the par 5s to be safe. I am quite happy even though my putting sucks. I just don't know this set of greens and there are some major tiers and humps. Regardless, my putting sucked.

1 - par 4, I hit a high push 189 yards into the right rough with my 4w. i have to go through a couple trees, so no shot at the green plus I'm over 200 yards out. I hit a little partial 7i 63 yards under the trees and into the right rough. I'm 130ish out and hit my 6i. it''s a high push that sails over the back right of the green 137 yards. I'm thinking it's in the stream back there but I get saved by the tarp they cover the green with when it gets real cold. I chip with my PW about 30ish yards and I'm 8 feet from the cup. I line it up and just miss a few feet past the hole. Easy two putt I think as I take my next stroke and miss... I three putted because I did not focus. Another 7, sigh.

2 - par 3, 130ish and I hit a high draw with my 6i that goes over the green. I'm in the fringe and 9 - 10 yards from the cup. It's down slope and I chip with my putter. It's too much gas and I'm 5 feet past the hole. I barely miss the putt and settle with a bogey 4.

3 - par 5 dogleg right that I struggle on. I hit my 4w and it's a nice fade into the fairway. I see the ball bounce when it lands, very rare sight, and it's 203 yards.I have a tailwind BTW. 170ish out. i'm going for it! I hit a push with my 4w 163 yards, short and right of the green. I can chip over a bunker and at the flag or chip, avoiding the bunker to get on the green and have a 30 - 40 foot putt. eagle chip? Heck yeah, and I leave it in the bunker.... I get out of the bunker with my GW and have a 27 foot putt. Not sure what happened but it's a 3 putt double. I got greedy and lost at least 1 stroke here.

4 - short par 4. I hit a high push into the right rough about 177 yards with the 4w. 100 yards out with a decent lie. I hit my PW and it's a mishit. I get a high shot that only goes 70 yards. I chip with my PW but have 44 feet to go. I leave the first putt 5 feet short. My second putt lips out, low,so i settle for a 6.

5 - Par 5 dogleg right. I struggle here too. I hit a nice draw 181 yards to the right side of the fairway. I pay it safe and hit a full 6i. It's a high draw that goes 137 yards into the fairway. I decide on 6i for my approach and it's a high draw that goes over the back of the green, 132 yards. I can chip with my putter but I'm doing down slope and the pin is on the lower tier. I chip and the ball almost stops before the drop off for the tier. It barely rotates enough to catch the slope and picks up speed and stops past the hole. I manage a 2 putt, think I lipped out again for a bogey 6.

6 - par 4 - I hit a push with the 4w 173 yards into the right rough. The ball is above my feet and I'm 140ish out. I go with my 5i and as I start my back swing I remember i need to swing more around. I manage it and hit a low pull 139 yards onto the green. A GIR! I'm 15 feet away and two putt for par.

7 - Par 4, down hill. I hit a high fade with 4w, into the wind, and it goes 149 yards. I'm in the right rough with a sidehill lie. The green is 170ish, so I'm not about to go for it. I hit my 6i and it's a slight mishit that goes a bit right on me. Nothing major. I'm still on the slope and have 50is to center. I hit a partial GW. I make good contact and the ball gets some height but I'm off the back of the green in a bunker. There's no lip to deal with, so i chip out with my GW. I hit it to strongly and I roll 11 feet past the hole. Another 2 putt for a double bogey 6.

8 - downhill par 3, flag is back. I hit my 6i and it's a high draw a bit to the right. I sail the green, 166 yards. I actually hit the ball correctly for a change. I have to chip to a slightly elevated green that runs away from me. I use my GW and I'm now 10 feet below the hole. I hit my putt and it stops hole high 6 inches away on the low side. I have a tap in bogey.

9 - par 4 with the pond on the left fronting the green. I hit a big push slice 174 yards into the rough of #1. I have no shot at the green and need to be careful about putting it in the pond if I am too aggressive with a partial shot. I take my 7i and hit a little shot that doesn't get more than 2 feet off the ground but it travels about 70 yards. I'm 50ish out and hit a partial SW on the green. I'm 28 feet from the cup and 3 putt again...

So I end up with a 51/50, 101. My putting blew chunks and I put some approaches over the green. My tee shots were mostly playable and this is the best score I have shot in a long time. I may have cracked 100 if I had not gotten greedy on #5. Regardless, I am happy with my first full 18. I wasn't great but, for me, I felt like I was golfing. I wasn't scrambling and I feel that I tried to play soundly with my strategy.

Granted I may fall apart and play like crap my next round but maybe I'm making progress. My ball striking was better overall. Time to work on putting and my shortgame.

[Chip Duffer]

Well done bortass!

you got your 50 Andy know that you could ha e been in the 40’s with just a little improvement inside 100 yards.

Congrats on the progress!

[bortass]

@Twin2L Thanks. It felt good to play “competently “ for a change. I was steady for a change. There were no swing thoughts and I was hitting the ball better. The back 9 was decent for never have really played it.

My chipping and putting were not good but practice should help. It’s progress!

[bortass]

I was a bit rushed typing my 18 hole recap, so here are my thoughts on the round.

4w off the tee is working. I'm not crushing the ball but I am keeping it in play better than my driver. The numbers that Arccos has captured all back that up. It's nice to have metrics that back up what I think. The 4w will be fine for tee shots, even when I move back to the whites which I will have to do at times. The downside is a hole like #1 where it's a par 4 and assuming I hit the fairway, it's two 4ws to try to reach the green. Of course weather has a bit to do with it as well.

 

Irons - I'm trying to take enough club. The drawback is if I do hit the ball correctly, I may sail the green. I did it a few times my last round. This is more likely with my 6i on down in my opinion. I will stick with the yardages I've been using though unless it happens more. It's much easier to swallow going long because I hit the ball well versus always being short, ego be damned.

 

Sand shots - nothing to really say except I need to work on being more aggressive with my swing. I am getting out of the bunker fine but I'm leaving myself a long way from the cup. So I need to work on the amount of power I use when I go to the range.

 

Chipping - It's a little better. I made solid contact more often than not. I need to work on it more to get a feel for distance control again. This is a priority with my practice going forward.

 

Pitching - not much to say here. It's serviceable for now but I will need to spend time on it.

 

Putting - I can't say anything good about it after the last 27 holes I played. There are good putts in there but I have too many bad ones. This needs to be my #1 priority in the short term. I am using a new ball and played 9 greens I don't know Saturday. Those are facts but I cannot hide behind them. Practicing will either quickly make the problem go away because it's ball related, or it won't which means something has gone wrong with my ability to read the green or judge speed.

 

I may be able to get some swing video taken at some point. My camera still works and I now have a small tripod. So I'll see what I can do about getting some since it was requested a while ago.

[bortass]

I was able to get in a quick 9 today. It was in the low 60s and overcast. Everything is damp from small showers overnight but there was no standing water on the course except for puddles on cart paths. Fairways are starting to firm up some too. The winds were about 10 MPH with gusts. I played the shorter teal tees again.

 

Before teeing off, I spent 15 minutes on the practice green putting. I won't say it was great, maybe okay. It can't hurt though right?

 

1 - par 4, I tee off with my 4w and it's a high push fade into the wind. It's goes about 159 and lands in the right rough behind that stand of trees i am always flirting with. I have no shot through them, so I aim at an angle towards the left side of the fairway and hit a little 7i that goes about 88 yards and putts me in the left fairway about 140 out. The green is elevated and I'm into the wind. The flag looks to be front left. I have been going over this green lately and that is bad. I settle on my 5i and hit a low draw that hits the embankment running up the green on the front left and it just rolls backwards down the slope. My ball is resting next to a drainage grate and I have to take relief behind it. I chip with my GW and make good contact but the ball rolls almost 40 feet past the hole. I look at my putt and it's downhill, just like the practice green. I line things up and hit my putt and leave it probably 15 feet short. There isn't as much slope here... I mess up the next one and end up three putting for a 7. Sound familiar? I am three putting this hole for 7 quite a bit it seems.

 

2 - par 3 that's about 130ish. I have to carry bunkers and hit my 6i. I swing and I hit the ground a good 4 inches behind the ball, take a long thin divot and thin the ball about 34 yards, slightly right into the rough. So I'm in the mid 90s out and hit my PW. It's a bit thin but it is still a high draw that land son the green. I'm more front left and the flag is closer to mid right. I about 27 feet out and I see a single in a cart behind me. I thought I was alone out here... I line things up and hit the ball. It's tracking well and stops about a foot or so below the cup. I'm quite happy with the result and sink the next one for a bogey 4.

 

I let the single play through me before teeing off on #3. There is a brief period of sprinkles while I wait but nothing major and i don't bother digging my jacket out of my bag.

 

3 - par 5, dogleg right. I struggle on this, and all par 5s, though I had a couple 'miracle' shots the last time I played to get next to the green in 2. I aim left with my 4w and hit a solid draw. I'm aimed too far left and I watch it track towards a fairway bunker. Sure enough I find my ball in it, 178 yards off the tee. There is a slight lip, ball is on an upslope and I'm 240ish out. I decide to not be foolish and I go with my 6i. I catch it quite thin, probably bladed it, it hits the lip that is maybe 12 - 18 inches high and shoots forward and out of the bunker about 66 yards. it had some heat on it. I'm in that 160- 170 range now and hit my 4w. I'd have to hit a big pull hook or a massive slice to get into any real trouble. I hit another worm burner and the ball gets maybe 2 - 3 feet off the ground. It hits the ground well short of the green and I watch it roll into the green side bunker that guards the middle front of the green. The shot went about 148 yards and I have a decent lie in the bunker. I have plenty of green to work with and I use my GW. The shots comes out and releases, about 20 yards total, and I'm 8 feet from the cup. I look my putt over and sink it for par and my first sand save in I don't know how many years.

 

4 - shortish par 4. I hit my 4w and it's a nice draw that I see land in the fairway and bounce. the shot went 173 yards and I'm on the left side of the fairway. I am maybe 110 out and the flag is forward. I go with my 8i and hit a high push into the right green side bunker. the shot only went 100 yards but I'm past the front edge of the green, so not short for a change. The flag is towards the left of the gree, so i have plenty of room. I pull my PW and setup. I swing and hit behind the ball in the sand and it pops out. I didn't swing hard enough and while I'm on the green, I'm almost 30 feet short. The putt is breaking to the left and slightly downhill, so it's a side hill break if you will. I screw up and end up 5 feet below and past the hole. Bite me. I lip out the next putt on the low side and have another 3 putt for a double bogey 6. Well my putting still sucks it seems...

 

5 - par 5, dogleg right with a hazard left off the tee. I really, really, really have issues on this hole. I setup with my 4w and something seems off. I leave my club where it is and shift behind the ball to see where i'm aimed and it looks okay. I still leave the club in place and retake my stance. I feel like my stance is too open and i swing anyways. I hit a nice mid height draw into the hazard, sigh, at least it wasn't stroke and distance. I drop in the rough, about 148 off the tee, and hit my 5i. It's a chunk that goes about 67 yards. So I'm in the fairway on the right side near the corner, maybe 20 yards past where a solid drive would have gone. So I'm pretty much net with that stroke and distance penalty that I avoided. A stream runs down the right side here and the left is wide open. I have no shot at the green but it's pretty open. I have been hitting my 7w good and go with it. I severely mishit it, as it there is a small trench from the ball where it was smashed into the turf and it goes right into the stream on the right... Well, I have screwed the pooch on this hole. I drop, again, and punch my 6i about 127 to the left rough. I am 110ish out and hit my 9i. It's a high draw that i caught a bit thin. It lands on the green and releases about 2 feet from it's pitch mark. I'm on the correct tier, for a change, and 11 feet below the hole. I leave my putt just a little short and 2 putt for a 9.

 

6 - par 4, I hit a nice high fade that catches the downslope in the fairway and I'm 186 off the tee in the fairway on the right. I go with my 8i and it's another high push that misses right and is almost past the back of the green. I have a long way to go and chip with my PW. I blade it and it goes through the green, all the way to the left front. I use my putter for the next chip and mess that up too... So I'm 17 feet or so from the cup in 4 and proceed to two putt for a 6. Sigh.

 

7 - par 4, downhill. I hit a high push with my 4w, 191 yards, into the right slope. I see it bounce left but it doesn't look like it'll make the fairway. Sure enough I find it up the slope. I am 140ish out, the ball is so far above my feet that i am swinging like it's a baseball and it is sitting on top of some bent over long rough. it has trouble written all over it and i don't even try to go for the green. I hit a little 6i that is a sharp pull hook, about 100 yards, to the edge of the fairway on the left side. I'm 50 - 55 yards out and am thinking that a half GW will do the trick. I take my stance on a mound that is next to the fairway and the ball is at least a foot below my feet. I stay down and still blade it. I watch it get maybe a foot off the ground, race through a greenside bunker, pop up in the air when it catches the lip, and it disappears from my view. I find my ball on the other side of the green where a folded tarp stopped it. I chip with my putter after taking relief and leave it well short. I'm 20 feet out or so and two putt for another double bogey 6. Well, so much for a good round.

 

8 - par three that's 130ish and downhill. Tthe flag is back and I have been hitting 6i on this hole. I stay with the 6i and it's a high push that I don't see land. The slope on the right side of this hole has very long rough and I have lost balls in it before. I tee up a provisional and aim a little more left. It's another high push that I see land in the right green side bunker that is towards the back right of the green. I'm hoping I can find my first shot. As I get closer I see two balls in the bunker about 2 feet apart, about 151 off the tee. They are both mine, so I pick up the provisional. I have a good lie and I'm near the back of the green where the flag is. i hit my sw and the ball lands on the fringe and slowly rolls onto the gree, stopping about 4 feet above the hole. I make the putt for another sand save par!

 

9 - par 4, pretty straight with the pond on the left. I hit a solid draw with my 4w, 183 yards off the tee. I'm in the fairway on the left side and the flag is back right. My shot will need to cross the corner of the pond. I'm about 110 from center and the flag is back. I go with my 7i because I do not want to be short. I catch it heavy and it's a straight push that goes 86 yards down the fairway. So it didn't go at the flag but I'm still closer and dry. I chip with my PW and it's okay. My chip goes about 20 yards but I'm still almost 20 feet below the flag. So I three putt, yet again, for a 6.

 

So a 52. Not great but it's still lower than I have been in the past. I averaged just over 2 putts a hole but it's still bad over all. The best thing was my sand game. I did okay off the tee but still lost shots on a number of holes because of positioning and the one I sent into the hazard. Hole 5 was a complete brainfart. I made a mistake with the aim of my tee shot, hit it well, and just compounded things from there.

 

I feel like I'm doing better off the tee using the 4w and my irons are improving. The pressure is definitely on my short game and putting. Both of which need serious work, so no real change there. I'm doing better my last few times out and it's fun. So it's all good at the end of the day.

[bortass]

Hit the range today and capture some video. The DTL shot was a high draw and the face on was a high fade. I hit mostly partial wedges and pitches. There were 3 driver swings and all were nice straight draws. Funny I can hit those on the range but not the course. I did some shipping and putting too. That area needs more work though.@scooterhd2 as requested.... Enjoy a good chuckle ;)
Down the line:
https://youtu.be/nQ4jL1hYiUo
Face on
https://youtu.be/amGjQMGt2ko

[Chip Duffer]

bortass, i’m No swing guru, but that looks like a foundation for a very functional swing. I don’t see any cause for worrying about being embarrassed.

For me, I perform better with my chest up a bit more, rather than being rounded as much.

It does look like you get the club pretty far inside early., rather than bringing it back more on the target line. That said, at the top the iron is down the line and transitions down to a pretty nice plane toward the ball. It looks like you made good center face contact. Your backswing looked like even more inside on the face on view than the DTL. In the face on,it looks like you may get a bit ahead of the ball on the downswing by sliding your head and shoulders forward a bit, costing you distance and trajectory and may have caused the fade.

On the DTL, the trajectory and flight look real nice. Looking at that, I’m not sure I see the difficulty stopping the ball on a green you’ve mentioned. It also looks like your distances are better than i’m understanding from your posts.

In the DTL, do I understand correctly that you’re hitting a PW? What were your distances on those controlled shots? Looked like a very nice result to me.

Take that swing to the course and you break 50 and your goal of 85 is very achievable.

My .02 cents worth.

[Chip Duffer]

p.s. As for bringing the club back too far inside, something I know a LOT about, I just know i’ll Get a much more free flowing swing and won’t block or hook if I just keep the clubhead outside my hands up to waist high, then allowing the club to continue to rise. At the top, the club will naturally fall onto plane, he same way yours did in the DTL view.