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

[betarhoalphadelta]

17 minutes ago, bortass said:

I just joined WW since work will end up paying for it. I have prior experience with them from the 80s and 90s and know it works. It's about finding the motivation and  accountability for me. I know what to do but left to my own devices I won't. Kinda sad I guess. I've been eating more fruit this week than I have in a long time. I like fruit too but never think of it. Veggies are the challenge for me. Not a veggie lover by default but I'll work on it. Luckily, I have plenty of support at home and won't run into any issues there.

 

I don't eat a lot of fruit, but I eat tons of veggies... We're pretty good about most dinners being a lean protein and a veggie side, and we cook 6-7 nights/week typically. We rarely eat out. It's not by definition a "low carb" diet, as we're not doing it to restrict ourselves, but 75%+ of our dinners don't have carbs...

 

...I mean unless you count the beer/wine... 

[bortass]

2 hours ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

I don't eat a lot of fruit, but I eat tons of veggies... We're pretty good about most dinners being a lean protein and a veggie side, and we cook 6-7 nights/week typically. We rarely eat out. It's not by definition a "low carb" diet, as we're not doing it to restrict ourselves, but 75%+ of our dinners don't have carbs...

 

...I mean unless you count the beer/wine... 

I'm not good about this. More meat aka beef and carbs kinda guy. I do like some veggies but that's it. The good part for me is I have enough flexibility that I can still eat what I like. This is getting me to have more portion control and to make better choices. So it's sustainable and I will hopefully build a stronger healthy eating habit which is what I really need in the long run. I want to be one of those guys that still golfing in their 70s and 80s.

[bortass]

2 hours ago, BigTerp1524 said:

This is true for me as well. I eat extremely healthy 75% of the time. Pretty much 100% adherence to eating healthy during the week, which is when I workout daily. I take weekends off typically, unless I miss a workout during the week, and it's MUCH easier to not eat as good when you haven't put in the effort that day to workout. Personally, I'm ok with that. I feel like you've gotta find a good balance and be able to enjoy yourself with a few crappy meals or beers or whatever. For me that's the weekends. I've been doing this for 5 years now and have been able to maintain my weight of 245ish (I'm 6'8"). I once got down into the 230's, but it took a pretty strict diet and was rather miserable to get there. I enjoy eating like crap and having some beers every so often too much to try to get down there again. 

 

If you enjoyed P90X you should check out P90X3. It's what I've been doing since 2016. P90X was great, but I couldn't fit in the lengthy workouts. P90X3 is only 30 minutes but very intense. It still kicks my butt every morning after 5 years. I took the last week and a half off with being out of town for vacation and just started back up this week. I'm so sore (in a good way) today I can barely scratch the back of my head.

 

If you're interested, I've got the original P90X DVD's somewhere at home. If I can find the Yoga and stretching ones they're yours if you want them.

So  what is x3 like? I did X2 but no longer have the equipment. Got rid of it when I relocated. Also does X3 have DVDs? I don't want to deal with a subscription which I saw BB has for their workouts now.

 

I hear you on being strict and whether it's worth it or not. When I did P90X, I followed the plan and dropped 30ish lbs in 3 months. I had a hard time finding pants because I needed a 33 inch waist. Got down to 197 and I'm 6'2. The problem is how I ate while doing P90X wasn't sustainable. A can of plain tuna for lunch almost every day with a can of green beans. No pizza or other fun things. Of course I grilled a lot at the time and calories weren't as big of a deal, so ate plenty of beef, chicken, and pork. But I gotta be able to have nachos and a frozen margarita at our favorite Mexican restaurant once in a while. It about moderation and it's easy to say but hard for me to implement. I'm off to a good start on that path right now. just had an apple for a snack instead of looking for a can of Pringles...

 

One funny aside about what happened after P90X. Prior to P90X I wore XXL shirts and my 36 inch jeans were tight and I was 233 lbs. Sometime after P90X my 34 inch jeans got tight and XL shirts were getting snug too. Jumped on a scale and I was 240..... It really changed my body composition. of course I haven't worked out in about 3 years and quit VB at about the same time, so I am quite sure some of the muscle mass I had a few years ago is now blubber...

[betarhoalphadelta]

1 hour ago, bortass said:

I'm not good about this. More meat aka beef and carbs kinda guy. I do like some veggies but that's it. The good part for me is I have enough flexibility that I can still eat what I like. This is getting me to have more portion control and to make better choices. So it's sustainable and I will hopefully build a stronger healthy eating habit which is what I really need in the long run. I want to be one of those guys that still golfing in their 70s and 80s.

 

Yeah, the good thing about WW is that it's basically calorie counting without as much math lol... Eat whatever you want, as long as you don't go over your points. 

 

In my mind, when it comes to weight loss [not necessarily health], that's all it really comes down to. Calories in, calories out. More going out than coming in, and you lose weight. 

 

I'm lucky that my typical calorie burn is about 3200/day, so I have a lot of room to work with. If I can start getting to the gym a little more frequently, maybe I'll have even more available. But back when I was counting calories, it was always good to know that just by eating like a normal person (2500 cal/day) I'd be melting off the weight...

[BigTerp1524]

14 minutes ago, bortass said:

So  what is x3 like? I did X2 but no longer have the equipment. Got rid of it when I relocated. Also does X3 have DVDs? I don't want to deal with a subscription which I saw BB has for their workouts now.

 

I hear you on being strict and whether it's worth it or not. When I did P90X, I followed the plan and dropped 30ish lbs in 3 months. I had a hard time finding pants because I needed a 33 inch waist. Got down to 197 and I'm 6'2. The problem is how I ate while doing P90X wasn't sustainable. A can of plain tuna for lunch almost every day with a can of green beans. No pizza or other fun things. Of course I grilled a lot at the time and calories weren't as big of a deal, so ate plenty of beef, chicken, and pork. But I gotta be able to have nachos and a frozen margarita at our favorite Mexican restaurant once in a while. It about moderation and it's easy to say but hard for me to implement. I'm off to a good start on that path right now. just had an apple for a snack instead of looking for a can of Pringles...

 

One funny aside about what happened after P90X. Prior to P90X I wore XXL shirts and my 36 inch jeans were tight and I was 233 lbs. Sometime after P90X my 34 inch jeans got tight and XL shirts were getting snug too. Jumped on a scale and I was 240..... It really changed my body composition. of course I haven't worked out in about 3 years and quit VB at about the same time, so I am quite sure some of the muscle mass I had a few years ago is now blubber...

For X3 I have a set of adjustable dumbbells and a pull up bar (door frame type). That's it. I'm not sure how you purchase the program now, but I got it as a download and have all the workouts as media files on my computer. My wife just signed up for a BB on demand subscription to mix up her workouts and IIRC it was $100 for a year. I haven't looked at it at all to see if all the P90X workouts are on there or not, but I know there are something like 40 complete programs.

 

Yeah, a super strict diet is tough to maintain for most of us. Nowadays I basically eat the same breakfast and lunch 5 days a week with a very healthy dinner. The other 2 days a week I'll still usually eat the same healthy breakfast but am up for whatever for the other 2 meals of the day (beer included, HA!!) But I'm at the point where I'm not stressing over it either. It's nice to get to a point, health wise, where you're healthy and happy and not chasing a number on the scale or counting calories with everything you put in your mouth. I really feel like balance is the key to make a healthy lifestyle long sustaining.  

[bortass]

7 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Yeah, the good thing about WW is that it's basically calorie counting without as much math lol... Eat whatever you want, as long as you don't go over your points. 

 

In my mind, when it comes to weight loss [not necessarily health], that's all it really comes down to. Calories in, calories out. More going out than coming in, and you lose weight. 

 

I'm lucky that my typical calorie burn is about 3200/day, so I have a lot of room to work with. If I can start getting to the gym a little more frequently, maybe I'll have even more available. But back when I was counting calories, it was always good to know that just by eating like a normal person (2500 cal/day) I'd be melting off the weight...

Yup, I was over 3k burn a day once upon a time. Problem is when you eat like that and are burning 2kish... Weight lifting makes it easier since your metabolic rate goes up with the added muscle mass. VB helped maintain leg strength and was a very fun couple of hours of cardio 2 - 3 times a week.

 

WW is just like ITFYM, if it fits your macros. Doesn't mean it's smart to eat something though. Like you said all that matters is calories in versus out. But I'm also trying to be smart about it and make some positive changes at the same time.

[BigTerp1524]

1 hour ago, bortass said:

So it's sustainable and I will hopefully build a stronger healthy eating habit which is what I really need in the long run. I want to be one of those guys that still golfing in their 70s and 80s.

What got me was when my wife got pregnant with our son. I was 36 and 285#'s. Was always active but never worked out and ate like crap. Quickly did the math and realized I'd be in my mid 50's when he graduated high school. Wanted to make sure I was around a LONG time for him as well as my daughter, who came 2 years later. Didn't want to do anything drastic but rather commit to a sustainable healthy lifestyle. Probably took a solid year, but it's now an engrained lifestyle that should last the rest of my life. Why couldn't swing changes, and golf in general, be so easy?!?!?!   

[bortass]

7 minutes ago, BigTerp1524 said:

For X3 I have a set of adjustable dumbbells and a pull up bar (door frame type). That's it. I'm not sure how you purchase the program now, but I got it as a download and have all the workouts as media files on my computer. My wife just signed up for a BB on demand subscription to mix up her workouts and IIRC it was $100 for a year. I haven't looked at it at all to see if all the P90X workouts are on there or not, but I know there are something like 40 complete programs.

 

Yeah, a super strict diet is tough to maintain for most of us. Nowadays I basically eat the same breakfast and lunch 5 days a week with a very healthy dinner. The other 2 days a week I'll still usually eat the same healthy breakfast but am up for whatever for the other 2 meals of the day (beer included, HA!!) But I'm at the point where I'm not stressing over it either. It's nice to get to a point, health wise, where you're healthy and happy and not chasing a number on the scale or counting calories with everything you put in your mouth. I really feel like balance is the key to make a healthy lifestyle long sustaining.  

That's what I had for P90X. Adjustable dumbbells and a pull up bar mounted to some rafters. It wasn't easy but that program worked great. I also think that a big help was the fact I joined a group thread that was starting P90X on Jan, 1 on the BB forums. Not sure how many started but I think there were about 7 of us left that posted frequently even if it was just a simple "done" to show accountability.

[Myherobobhope]

So I hadn’t broken 80 on my home course this season… just threw up a 75 with 1 birdie… everything mostly clicked… still plenty of work to do, but good scores are out there!

[bortass]

1 minute ago, Myherobobhope said:

So I hadn’t broken 80 on my home course this season… just threw up a 75 with 1 birdie… everything mostly clicked… still plenty of work to do, but good scores are out there!

Awesome job out there! Must have been the golf cart 🤣

 

It's always good when things click. I'm curious to see how tomorrow goes for me.

[Myherobobhope]

51 minutes ago, bortass said:

Awesome job out there! Must have been the golf cart 🤣

 

It's always good when things click. I'm curious to see how tomorrow goes for me.

Ha! Honestly… everything I was working on clicked to a certain degree… I had no doubles, I had a putt for par or better on every hole and my driver stayed in play… still plenty of mistakes and shots I wish I had back… (I went 320 drive, 8 iron to 6 feet, lipped out eagle putt for my one birdie)… but I just never put myself out on a hole… my misses with driver were all playable with 3 total punch outs… 2 on par 5s where I got on in regulation… 

 

I just wasn’t fighting my game all day. 
 

 

that was my pre round hype mix…

[betarhoalphadelta]

49 minutes ago, Myherobobhope said:

Ha! Honestly… everything I was working on clicked to a certain degree… I had no doubles, I had a putt for par or better on every hole and my driver stayed in play… still plenty of mistakes and shots I wish I had back… (I went 320 drive, 8 iron to 6 feet, lipped out eagle putt for my one birdie)… but I just never put myself out on a hole… my misses with driver were all playable with 3 total punch outs… 2 on par 5s where I got on in regulation… 

 

I just wasn’t fighting my game all day. 
 

 

Yep. I posted in my thread about my best round ever, where I got around an admittedly easy course (3670 yards, par 60) in a 69... I had good holes... 3 birdies and 6 pars. But the biggest key was that I didn't have any terrible holes--which at my skill level is triple or worse. I had 6 bogeys and 3 doubles. 

 

I have shots in that round I'd love to have back. I had two VERY possible birdie opportunities on the front that I didn't sink the putts. I missed a par putt on 9 from about 3 feet. I look at the holes which could have improved my score and realize that I was a few shots away from an even better score...

 

...but at the same time, two of my three birdies were NOT easy putts by any stretch--I just managed to sink them. I had several up-and-downs for par that I converted were probably a little above my typical skill level. And I'm always one bad shot away from a triple--I narrowly missed a hazard on 18 which I doubled, that could have easily been a triple.

 

If I ever have a round where I don't have at least ONE shot I don't want back, I might as well retire and go out on top lol...

[bortass]

Saturday was warm and humid. I warmed up on the range with my normal routine and it went well. I went to the practice green to putt and focused on shorter putts. It was a mixed bag... I'm just doing the round write up and will post my thoughts later.

 

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. I hit a high fairly straight shot with my driver. On the tee box, I'm thinking it's a pop up because of the height but the ball goes 239 yards and is in the fairway, a bit right from middle. The hole is near the middle of the green and behind the left eide of the front bunker. I'm about 170ish from the front of the green and a wood can get me on but I have not been using my woods and don't have much faith in them because a mishit with one can be quite bad. So I just use my 5i. If it hit it solid I may get on and if not, it's no different than laying up with any other iron. Contact is thin and off the toe and the ball goes 144 yards and into the bunker. I hit an okay sand shot out and onto the green. I'm 18 feet short of the hole and the par putts drops, 4.

 

Great start since I'm playing for bogey on this hole since I rarely reach it in regulation.

 

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The flag is front right and it's 140ish to center. I use my 7i which is starting to be my 140 club. It's another thin toed shot that only goes 126 yards into the front right bunker. I get in the bunker and dig in my feet and feel firm ground very quickly. So I think I'm dealing with hardpan like last week from the other bunker. Based on that I decide to pick it as clean as possible. I do a decent job and the ball lands on the green short of the flag, hops once, and slowly rolls towards the hole. It misses by less than a foot and I'm 18 inches past the hole. I make the par putt, 3.

 

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. I hit a low hook with my driver, 168 yards into the left rough. Well this is interesting since hooks are not a normal miss for me since starting to play again. I figure I'll punch a 5i down the fairway and it's a mistake. Thin contact and the ball rolls into the fairway, 71 yards total. I should have used a more lofted club. No way I can reach the green and decide to go with my 5i. It's off the toe and the ball only goes 138 yards but it's in the fairway on the left. The hole is on the right behind some bunkers and about 90ish yards. This is a partial PW and I make real good contact. It's a high shot that clears the bunkers but I can't see what happens since the back lips of the bunkers block my view. I get to the green and my ball is in the back rough almost in a back bunker, 108 yards shot.... That's odd, the ball went much further than expected. I don't have a good stance and my ball is positioned in a way I kind of have to hack down on the back of it because of the slopes. I hit it too hard and the ball ends up 30 feet past the hole. Crap... I get the bogey putt to 2 feet and make the next one. Double bogey, 7.

 

My first blow up of the day but still better than a triple.

 

4 – par 4, 293 yards, straight, #15 HCP, water left and OoB right. Right side has a slope. There's a fairway bunker on the right. I hit a pull with my driver into the left rough, 209 yards. The hole is back left and It's about 90 yards to center. Long is bad and I hit a partial PW. I think I hit it heavy. The ball goes 71 yards and ends up in the front left bunker. I have most of the green to work with and don't swing hard enough. I get out of the bunker but I'm 21 feet below the hole. I hit my par putt and it's 3 feet short. I miss the bogey putt and have a double bogey, 6.

 

Seriously? Miss from 3 feet?

 

5- par 5, 501 yards, dogleg right, #5 HCP, hazard down the left side. There's a slope on the right side which makes the fairway narrow in the landing spot. A stream runs down the right side from the corner to near the green. I hit a high push with my driver 218 yards onto the flat area on the ridge to the right. I'm not in any long stuff and have no issues getting my club on the ball. I can hit a shot to the left that will clear the corner and get me to the left side of the fairway with my 7i. I make contact and it's a low push right at the trees in the hazard that I was trying to avoid. My ball hits something solid and kicks back at me, 61 yards. I find my ball on compact dirt and rocks. It's an area that equipment drives on and has made a path. It's not a cart path though and no relief. I decide to punch my 5i through the trees. I make good contact and it catches some leaves. The ball makes it through and goes 120 yards into the middle left of the fairway. The hole is back right and a partial PW away. I hit my shot and it's nice and high but I miss left and my ball takes the slope of the tier even further left. I'm 46 left and below the hole. I need to putt up and across the tier. I hit the par putt and it gets up the tier and above the hole. The ball dies near the hole and takes the break pretty hard, as expected. The ball barely misses the high side of the hole and I'm less than 3 inches behind the hole. I tap in for bogey, 6.

 

6 – par 4, 367 yards, slight dogleg left, #7 HCP. Medium width landing area with a bunker on the left. Houses are on the right and there's a sharp slope into the left trees if you end up too far into the left rough. I aim down the middle with my driver and hit a low pull, 162 yards, into the left rough and just short of the fairway bunker that marks the left side of the slight corner. No way I can reach the green from here. I layup with my 7i and it's a nice looking shot that goes 138 yards into the fairway short of the green. The hole is front middle and about 60 yards away. I hit a partial SW and it's a nice high shot that lands on the green and goes right and above the hole. A 72 yard shot that is 31 feet past the hole. I hit the par putt and get it to 3 feet when it doesn't break as expected. Another short putt for bogey and I miss... Double bogey, 6.

 

Again? I suck....

 

7 – par 4, 351 yards, slight dogleg right, #11 HCP, elevated tee shot to a wide open fairway that slopes down right to left all the way to about the 100 yard marker. Bunkers on the left marking the corner and a slope on the right. This time I hit a mid height fade 244 yards into the fairway. The hole is back right and 105-110 yards away. I figure a partial 9i will work. I make good contact and it's a high shot that misses right, 113 yards. I'm in the right fringe and chip with my putter, about 10 yards, to 3 feet. This time I make the short putt for par, 4.

 

8 – par 3, 160 yards, elevated tee shot, #13 HCP, bunker on the right side of the green. Slope to the right of this hole that is weed whacked. So it's long stuff and wild. Balls can get lost here. The hole is middle left. I think it was 160ish playing as 140ish. I went with my 6i and hit a solid draw down the right side of the green and over the back, 172 yards. I'm in the rough a few yards from the fringe and don't feel good about using my putter. I hit a decent looking chip with my SW and the ball stops 6 feet from the hole. It takes two to get down for a bogey, 4.

 

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. I hit a low pull with driver, 176 yards, into the fairway on the left. I don't bother looking at how far I am from the green because I'd have to carry the entire pond. I take my PW and hit a punch shot down the fairway, 107 yards. The hole is front right and there's a little pond I may need to carry unless I hit a pull or a hook. I'm not worried about the water and hit a partial SW. It's a high shot that goes 69 yards and misses the green to the right. Sigh, I chip with my SW to 5 feet and the bogey putt stops 3 inches short of the hole, 6.

 

Okay, I have a rough idea that I shot a 46 on the front since I have one more double than par. I'm not feeling too badly about things because my swing is off, or at least I can't get off the tee on most holes. I'm scrambling around out there.

 

10 – par 4, 342 yards, dogleg left, #10 HCP hole. Elevated tee shot to a lower fairway. Green is elevated with a bunker front right. My hole from hell and I hit my drive into the right trees... I was aiming more center and hit a nice push fade right into them. It's marked as a hazard and I drop 189 yards from the tees in the right rough I'm too far out to go for it and I don't want to send my ball into the left or right trees, so I layup with my PW. It's a good shot that goes 84 yards down the fairway and I should have a partial wedge into the green now. The hole should be front middle and it's a blind shot, though I can see the top of the flag. I hit a partial AW and it's a nice high shot that clears the bunker and should be on the green. I get up to the green and find my ball 13 feet right of the hole, 79 yard shot. I hit the putt and it drops dead center for a bogey, 5.

 

Good recovery IMO.

 

11 – par 4, 329 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. I go with the normal 5i tee shot here and it's a nice looking draw, 172 yards, into the fairway on the left. I'm far enough that I have an angle to the green. It's about 150 to center and the hole is front middle. I hit my 6i and it's alow pull that travels 152 yards into the left bunker. My ball is on the down slope at the back of the bunker and near the lip, so I have to come in steep with my SW. I hit the ball and it's way too hard it it goes rolling 33 yards and off the other side of the green. I'm in the rough and chip with my SW and I flub it 3 yards and short of the green.... I'm in the fringe and use my putter to chip to 5 feet and I make the double bogey putt, 6.

 

Screwed the pooch on that hole...

 

12 – par 4, 315 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. My driver has been wonky and I decide to see what happens if I hit my 5i off the tee. I catch it off the toe and the ball goes 142 yards and barely makes the fairway. The front of the green is 170ish, so maybe a great 5i will reach. I hit my 5i and it's a solid pull down the left side slope. It takes a while to find my ball because I'm next to a bush and almost under it, 115 yard shot. I have no way to hit this and take an unplayable. I have a ball below my feet lie and my SW shot comes up short. I chip with my putter to 2 feet and sink the putt for double bogey, 6.

 

Lesson learned, 5i is not enough club off the tee. I might as well hit driver and have a possible drop.

 

13 – par 3, 123 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and left and long left. Tiered green as well. The hole is middle back and should be a 7i. I hit a high draw over the left bunker and I can't see where the ball lands but I should be on. Sure enough I'm on the green, it was a 141 yard shot, 21 feet left and above the hole a bit. This greens slopes to the front right and I hit my putt and I miss low. I was hole high and am 2 feet out. I hit the par putt and miss...Bogey, 4.

 

It's official my short putting is terrible today.

 

14 – par 4, 543, straight hole, #4 HCP. Elevated teeshot to wide open fairway. Fairway slopes down left to right, water on the right closer to the green and fronting the entire green. I catch the ball thin with my driver and it's a lowish fade into the fairway on the right, 218 yards. My lie is okay, so I aim for the left side and hit my 4w. It's a thin low fade that goes 176 yards into the fairway on the right. The hole is back right and about 150ish to center. I hit my 6i and contact is out on the toe past the grooves.... The ball takes off and it's a high, weak fade, that drops in the pond, a few yards short of the far shore. I drop 76 yards down the fairway where I crossed the hazard and hit a partial SW. it's a good looking shot and goes 78 yards. I'm now 21 feet past the hole. I get my putt to 2 feet and then miss again.... A three putt triple bogey, 8.

 

Okay, I am losing confidence in my putting now.

 

15 – par 4, 264 yards, straight, #16 HCP. Elevated tee shot to a fairway that is always soft abd cart path only year round. Fairway bunkers on left side in line with the green. Bunker surround this green except for the left side. I hit a decent looking draw that lands in the fairway and looks like it runs to the right of the fairway bunker. As another guy tees off, my left oblique cramps up on me.... I find my ball in the bunker, 203 yards off the tee. I decide to choke down on my SW and try to hit the ball first like I would with a normal fairway bunker shot. I make good contact and the ball comes out high and travels 55 yards onto the back of the green. I'm 40 feet right of the hole and past it. I hit my birdie putt to 4 feet. Another shortish putt for par and I miss... Bogey, 5.

 

16 – par 3, 147 yards, #8 HCP. Elevated green with a forced stream carry. Bunkers short right and long left and middle. Tiered green with a strong back left to front right slope. The hole is front middle behind the bunker. I hit my 7i and it's a nice high shot and it drops in the bunker, 130 yards. Oblique cramps up again... I get to the bunker and I have a decent lie and there's sand when I dig my feet in. I do my normal sand shot and leave it in the bunker. Rinse and repeat... Takes me 3 to get out to 7 feet. My double bogey putt misses and I have a 3 inch tap in for a triple, 6.

 

I'm falling apart...

 

17 – par 4, 363 yards, dogleg left, #6 HCP. Fairly open fairway with bunkers on the right at the corner. Green has a tier and heavily slopes left to right, can putt off this green... Bunkers short of the green as well. My drive is a high push fade into the first bunker. 218 yard shot and I'm real close to the front lip. There's also a bunch of wasps flying around this bunker. I'm not allergic, so I take my 9i and try to get out. I rush things a tough with the wasps and my ball hits the lip and kicks out of the bunker sideways, 20 yards. My aim was off and I didn't give myself enough room to clear the lip. I'm 150ish out and hit my 6i which head straight for the left trees. I think my aim was off again or I pulled it. I get lucking and find my ball on the slope to the left of the green. It's in the rough and my chip will be a hacking motion into the back of the ball. I need to avoid the bunker that's on the front left of this green, so my right based on location of my ball. This green slopes away fairly strongly from left to right as well, so i'm chipping down slope too... I hit my chip and it lands in the rough short of the green. The ball hops forward and trickles on the green and down to the hole about pin high and 5 feet left of it. A great chip for me from that spot. I miss the putt of course and two putt for a double bogey, 6.

 

Meanwhile that oblique is telling me it wants to spasm after and between shots.

 

18 – par 5, 504 yards, straightish, #2 HCP. There is a stream carry on either the second or third shot. There is also a pond fronting the green... I grab my driver and setup. I feel like my feet are pointing left. Swing away and it's a pull into the left trees. I say screw it and card an X. I post a double bogey, 7 which is a net 0 for GHIN. I make up some shots to put into Arccos since it can't handle not playing a hole that well.

 

A 46/53(with an X) for 99. It was ugly out there. That's all I'm saying for now since I plan a follow up post.

 

birdies: 0

pars: 3

bogeys: 5

 

double bogeys: 8*

triple+: 2

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 190 yards

Longest drive: 244 yards

Fairways: 7/14

GIR: 2/18

Avg Approach: 118 yards

Up & down: 3/13

35

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -14.3 strokes

driving: -5.1

Approach: -7.2

Short game: +0.1

Putting: -2.1

[bortass]

Okay here goes.

 

 Friday night I spend at least 90 minutes clearing brush on a downslope behind my house. It was in the low high 70s/low 80s and cloudy when I did it. It was humid from the thunderstorms in the area. Being out of shape I was sweating like a pig and my heart rate was through the roof. I woke up at one point in the middle of the night with my left calf cramping... I guess the leg cramp pills weren't enough.

 

I felt fine in the morning and had a yogurt and some blueberries for breakfast. My normal breakfast would have been a couple servings of All Bran flakes, I fill the bowl pretty good...., doused in whole milk. So there is a pretty good sized calorie difference. I was near the end of my first week cutting my intake. So instead of eating enough food and junk to slowly gain weight, I ate less but healthier. No Pringles for snack, instead an apple. I can eat a decent amount of food and while I go to be hungry, it's just a little bit. I'm not starving and never feel that way. WW doesn't do calories but my guess is I'm someplace between 2k and 2500 a day.

 

I mention the above because the yardwork is why I started cramping on the back 9. I don't know if my collapse on the back has anything to do with the changes to my intake or not. I know there's gonna be an adjustment period as my body gets used to fewer calories. 

 

Okay golf.

Short putts killed me. I have spent some time practicing them and did them before my round. What I find is I am trying to hit it firm and I'm missing high on some of them. I am not missing low. The carried forward onto the course. I had a number of putts inside 4 feet that I missed high. It really hurt the score and how I felt about the round as it went on.

 

Driver was good on 1 and then I started to see pulls and hooks. Later in the round I was sending it off to the right. I will likely sort this out on the range. I was dialed in the prior week but not this time.

 

Same with my irons, previous week I felt great. This week and it's thin and off the toe. Range time should help that too.

 

The bunker debacle on 16 was me pretty much waving a white flag. All the bad shots and holes, some of them just pathetic( missing 2 footers...), with the cramps just killed my focus. The drive into the bunker on 17 didn't surprise me. My personal morale was 0 when I teed off on 18 and just called it.

 

So mentally I was weak out there. Not gonna lie or sugar coat it.

 

I didn't start that way. I was feeling great after 1 and 2. Even the doubles on 3 and 4 didn't set me back. I told myself that it's better than what I did last week when I blew up. I'll take a double over a triple+ any day. #5 had issues but I didn't do anything stupid and managed to salvage a bogey thanks to a great first putt.

 

6 has a crap drive. I lay up as required and my shot into the green is further from the hole than I'd like but I was thinking, I'm on in 3 and this is just a two putt bogey which is fine. And that is how the conversation goes in my head, playing for bogey is fine or walking off the green with a bogey is fine.

 

The drive in the trees on 10 bugged me but I recovered. The events on 11 are what I think were the beginning of the downward spiral that happened on the back 9.

 

Plans for this week. Lesson on Friday. Not sure about range time but I hope to get out there at least once. Also keep on the weight loss. This will have indirect benefits for my game. Week 1 was very successful and I expect it to slow as I get past the losing water weight phase.

Edited July 19, 2021 by bortass

[bortass]

On 7/16/2021 at 5:56 PM, Myherobobhope said:

Ha! Honestly… everything I was working on clicked to a certain degree… I had no doubles, I had a putt for par or better on every hole and my driver stayed in play… still plenty of mistakes and shots I wish I had back… (I went 320 drive, 8 iron to 6 feet, lipped out eagle putt for my one birdie)… but I just never put myself out on a hole… my misses with driver were all playable with 3 total punch outs… 2 on par 5s where I got on in regulation… 

 

I just wasn’t fighting my game all day. 
 

 

that was my pre round hype mix…

Some good tunes in there!

[bortass]

On 7/16/2021 at 6:53 PM, betarhoalphadelta said:

[snip]

 

If I ever have a round where I don't have at least ONE shot I don't want back, I might as well retire and go out on top lol...

So true.  But I guess maybe we can be pickier about the shot we want back, lol. You know I could of shot a 73 if I put that wedge to 6 feet instead of 10....

[BigTerp1524]

Days like that are going to happen. I'm sure you're new diet had at least a part in how you felt on the back. It'll take a little bit for you body to get accustom to the decrease in calories and type of calories. But if you stick with it, you'll eventually feel like a champ coming into 18. It really is amazing the difference you feel with a decent diet compared to a crap one. 

 

As far as golf goes, it's such a funny (frustrating) game. I went to my round yesterday planning to hit a small bucket before hand working only on half shots with my wedges to get a better feel for them and to get some swings in with my driver. Ball machine was empty so I spent 45 minutes on the chipping and putting green instead. Chipping and putting turned out to be the worst part of my game yesterday when it was the best part of my game the round before. Go figure!! 

[bortass]

8 minutes ago, BigTerp1524 said:

Days like that are going to happen. I'm sure you're new diet had at least a part in how you felt on the back. It'll take a little bit for you body to get accustom to the decrease in calories and type of calories. But if you stick with it, you'll eventually feel like a champ coming into 18. It really is amazing the difference you feel with a decent diet compared to a crap one. 

 

As far as golf goes, it's such a funny (frustrating) game. I went to my round yesterday planning to hit a small bucket before hand working only on half shots with my wedges to get a better feel for them and to get some swings in with my driver. Ball machine was empty so I spent 45 minutes on the chipping and putting green instead. Chipping and putting turned out to be the worst part of my game yesterday when it was the best part of my game the round before. Go figure!! 

So true. It happens and will tend to get worse if I tinker with things on the fly.

[BigTerp1524]

2 hours ago, bortass said:

So true. It happens and will tend to get worse if I tinker with things on the fly.

Yeah. That's an issue of mine. I've gotten better with it, but it's tough to not try and correct instead of just hitting the ball. Especially when things are going south with a bad hole or a few bad drives in a row.

[Myherobobhope]

4 hours ago, bortass said:

Some good tunes in there!

Hype mix is 1/1… not sure if my dad will let me play it on the way to golf tomorrow… playing one of my favorite courses in the world with him… it’s goofy but gorgeous.

[95124hacker]

Good news is you seem to have figured out how to play the 10th hole & it’s less of a nemesis to you now. We each have a few demon holes that we just want to let pass with minimal damage. 

[bortass]

On 7/19/2021 at 7:17 PM, Myherobobhope said:

Hype mix is 1/1… not sure if my dad will let me play it on the way to golf tomorrow… playing one of my favorite courses in the world with him… it’s goofy but gorgeous.

How did your round go yesterday?

 

 

On 7/20/2021 at 12:44 AM, 95124hacker said:

Good news is you seem to have figured out how to play the 10th hole & it’s less of a nemesis to you now. We each have a few demon holes that we just want to let pass with minimal damage. 

Yep, the advice I was given here has helped. Hit driver and deal with the fallout, if any.  It's not perfect but overall it's been better. 

[Myherobobhope]

Scores? High. 
 

natural beauty? Also high.

[betarhoalphadelta]

I'd have to make a run to Costco for golf balls before stepping foot on that course!

[bortass]

@MyherobobhopeThat's a great looking course!Thanks for sharing the pictures. It's one where score wouldn't matter as much because of the views. 

 

@betarhoalphadelta  My record is losing 20 balls playing 18. I normally have 1 - 3 balls out of the sleeve and another 9 - 15 in sleeves plus a pocket in my bag is just found balls or ones I retired that I would dip into if needed. So I'm normally carrying close to 30 balls on a given day but I'd make sure to carry more than normal of my gamers! I'm not one of the guys that plays OPBs, other people's balls, unless it's desperate times.

Edited July 22, 2021 by bortass

[Myherobobhope]

We had fun! It’s a gorgeous course cut into a canyon in Idaho… blue lakes is its name and also a description of the water… it’s simply amazing… ive never played a course like it.

 

a perfect place to come back down to earth after one of my best rounds…on vacation with the family and may get in a few more rounds with my dad but who knows?

[bortass]

@MyherobobhopeIf I ever had the mythical round with some GolfWRX virtual buddies, that would be the kind of course I'd like it to be on. At least that thought popped into my mind for some reason when I saw the pictures. This is assuming there are tees that are reasonable for my distances, lol.

[Myherobobhope]

6 minutes ago, bortass said:

@MyherobobhopeIf I ever had the mythical round with some GolfWRX virtual buddies, that would be the kind of course I'd like it to be on. At least that thought popped into my mind for some reason when I saw the pictures. This is assuming there are tees that are reasonable for my distances, lol.

The course is not long at all… I think the back tees were 6300. Though it’s out of the way for both of us… it’s 90 minutes from my

parents house in Idaho.

 

Maybe one day we can do sweetums cove.

[bortass]

Okay, I am back from my lesson and I am wiped.... I've been wearing a Fitbit as part of the losing weight thing. The WW app takes data from the Fitbit app and converts it into something more simplistic. My lesson and warm up was logged as 96 minutes of sports, lol. I hit a lot of balls and was ready to stop any time at the end.

 

Whining about being tired aside, it went very well.

 

We started with driver since I explained how it was all over the map last round. We started with getting me to just make a nice smooth swing at the ball. Not trying to swing fast or crush it. Things were pretty good once I got the tempo down and then he made another change. He had me address it off the toe. That straightened out the ball flight quite a bit.

 

Next was 4w off the tee. The changes he made me do here were to add a touch of loft and address it off the toe. I hit some nice looking balls off to the right. So he has me setup and and he came in and held the club so i could step back and look at it. I'm aimed to the right..... LOL. I know I have done this in the past when I have complained about hitting a push and my pro at the time told me that's where I was aimed.... We corrected that and it straightened things out a lot. He then had me hit balls off the deck and again it was great. I could use my 4w again on the course with the shots I was hitting no problem.

 

The tempo and addressing the ball off the toe became standard with all my shots the rest of the day. Irons didn't start that way but he had me try it and it seemed to make a positive difference versus my normal setup off the heel.

 

He talked about how the 4w was an advance the ball club, not a hit it into a green club. I explained my historical usage was mostly to just hit an approach shot as close to the green as possible. 

 

We then did the same thing with my 7W and 5H. The 5H was a bit of a struggle but eventually I got it working.

 

After that we took my 7i and did the following. Hit my full 7i, so he could get an idea on my distances with it. Once that was done, he had me trying the same shot but choked down which didn't work well most of the time because I'd hit it thin. So he had me try what I call a half shot with my wedges but get a full finish. I was getting tired by this point so it took a bit but I got it working. He was looking for what kind of partial shot I felt most comfortable hitting. He explained what I should see with these partial shots is a ball that hits the green and stops fairly quickly from the backspin. I'm not sure if I'm good enough at compressing the ball for that but either way, it's a more controlled shot.

 

We went and did that for every club from 7i - PW. I told him I never hit a full wedge, so he had me hit a full PW to see what happens. A great looking high shot, lol. He was making notes on distances and will be sharing them with me in chart form to help with club selection. Some of it I have from Arccos but it'll still be interesting to see. Also the iron distances for my fullswing he was noting down happened to pretty much match what Arccos is currently telling me.

 

Overall, it was a positive lesson and the big things are the change in how I address the ball and just trying to be smooth. He did make a comment how I can leave my driver in the bag on a number of holes based on how I hit it during the lesson. A slightly shorter 4w that's straight being better than a longer drive into the trees That'll be interesting for me to see if I do that or not. It may be a product of how my driver is on any given day. I don't like losing the distance but if I'm sending the ball into the left or right trees a lot, may as well see if the 4w stays in play.

 

Next lesson is short game. He is going to show me how to hit shots from 10 - 40 yards using three different flights. Guess I'll just say high, low, and normal since I have no better way to explain it right now since i haven't had the lesson. I will say I am excited for the next lesson. Learning multiple shots around the green will open doors for me. Right now I just have some basic shots that I do so so with and really rely on my partial wedges to get me on or chipping with my putter.

 

Hope you have a great weekend!

[BigTerp1524]

On 7/23/2021 at 4:28 PM, bortass said:

Okay, I am back from my lesson and I am wiped.... I've been wearing a Fitbit as part of the losing weight thing. The WW app takes data from the Fitbit app and converts it into something more simplistic. My lesson and warm up was logged as 96 minutes of sports, lol. I hit a lot of balls and was ready to stop any time at the end.

 

Whining about being tired aside, it went very well.

 

We started with driver since I explained how it was all over the map last round. We started with getting me to just make a nice smooth swing at the ball. Not trying to swing fast or crush it. Things were pretty good once I got the tempo down and then he made another change. He had me address it off the toe. That straightened out the ball flight quite a bit.

 

Next was 4w off the tee. The changes he made me do here were to add a touch of loft and address it off the toe. I hit some nice looking balls off to the right. So he has me setup and and he came in and held the club so i could step back and look at it. I'm aimed to the right..... LOL. I know I have done this in the past when I have complained about hitting a push and my pro at the time told me that's where I was aimed.... We corrected that and it straightened things out a lot. He then had me hit balls off the deck and again it was great. I could use my 4w again on the course with the shots I was hitting no problem.

 

The tempo and addressing the ball off the toe became standard with all my shots the rest of the day. Irons didn't start that way but he had me try it and it seemed to make a positive difference versus my normal setup off the heel.

 

He talked about how the 4w was an advance the ball club, not a hit it into a green club. I explained my historical usage was mostly to just hit an approach shot as close to the green as possible. 

 

We then did the same thing with my 7W and 5H. The 5H was a bit of a struggle but eventually I got it working.

 

After that we took my 7i and did the following. Hit my full 7i, so he could get an idea on my distances with it. Once that was done, he had me trying the same shot but choked down which didn't work well most of the time because I'd hit it thin. So he had me try what I call a half shot with my wedges but get a full finish. I was getting tired by this point so it took a bit but I got it working. He was looking for what kind of partial shot I felt most comfortable hitting. He explained what I should see with these partial shots is a ball that hits the green and stops fairly quickly from the backspin. I'm not sure if I'm good enough at compressing the ball for that but either way, it's a more controlled shot.

 

We went and did that for every club from 7i - PW. I told him I never hit a full wedge, so he had me hit a full PW to see what happens. A great looking high shot, lol. He was making notes on distances and will be sharing them with me in chart form to help with club selection. Some of it I have from Arccos but it'll still be interesting to see. Also the iron distances for my fullswing he was noting down happened to pretty much match what Arccos is currently telling me.

 

Overall, it was a positive lesson and the big things are the change in how I address the ball and just trying to be smooth. He did make a comment how I can leave my driver in the bag on a number of holes based on how I hit it during the lesson. A slightly shorter 4w that's straight being better than a longer drive into the trees That'll be interesting for me to see if I do that or not. It may be a product of how my driver is on any given day. I don't like losing the distance but if I'm sending the ball into the left or right trees a lot, may as well see if the 4w stays in play.

 

Next lesson is short game. He is going to show me how to hit shots from 10 - 40 yards using three different flights. Guess I'll just say high, low, and normal since I have no better way to explain it right now since i haven't had the lesson. I will say I am excited for the next lesson. Learning multiple shots around the green will open doors for me. Right now I just have some basic shots that I do so so with and really rely on my partial wedges to get me on or chipping with my putter.

 

Hope you have a great weekend!

That sounded like a well thought out and thorough lesson. Seems like a good bit of it "clicked" for you as well. Getting a good feel for your partial wedges should be a game changer. Something I've been working on as well. A half or 3/4 swing wedge feels SO much more controlled and accurate versus a full swing wedge trying to get your full swing distance with it. Getting the distance figured out has been the hard part for me so far.