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

[SNIPERBBB]

Its not really that so much as the lack of skill(most likely lack of practice) to hit any shot full or less so inside 100. The same people that skull/chunk a full lob will chunk/skull a 1/2 48*

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

1/2 swing shanks?!? Yes, that’s most definitely lack of skill. Although, I’ve been distracted myself on occasion. Lol

[SNIPERBBB]

Did I say shanks?

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

Right.skull and chunk Lol

[SNIPERBBB]

@bortass if we can flip that GIR and Short percentage your journey would be over :p

[bortass]

@SNIPERBBB I hear ya. The approach stat in Arccos is weird. They say it's:
Your Approach Handicap reflects your performance on shots taken from more than 50 yards away from the green, including layup shots. It takes into account the lie you were hitting from, as well as distance and accuracy.
Your Approach Handicap also includes tee shots on par 3s, and excludes recovery shots required to get back into position after a poor drive.

So I went into the details to get an example and one of the short shots is a 4w from 311 out that I topped 70 yards or so. No way is that ever reaching the green. I will also say the data in the detailed view is different then the overall.

I found the issue. The overall performance tab is where I have been getting my numbers from. It's based on my 10 best rounds.

Time to go edit things...

[bortass]

Okay,

based on my last 10 actual rounds here are my approach numbers:

55 - 311 yards:

GIR: 28.7%

Left: 8.8%

Right: 8.8%

Short: 46.9%

Long: 6.9%

55 - 150 yards: I chose 150 since that's a 5i for me at the moment.

GIR: 35.6%

Left: 7.8%

Right: 12.2%

Short: 35.6%

Long: 8.9%

[berndgeurts]

46 percent short, club up :).

Nice stats overall, really showing improvement now. Booked some lessons already?

I shot a 38 today on 9 holes, finally some land on the horizon after two breakdown rounds.

[bortass]

@berndgeurts Lol, I'm starting to see if dialing back some makes more sense. Nice job on that 38!

Walked 9 this afternoon. It was mid 80s and a little humid but not too bad. I had 2 pars, 5 bogeys, and 2 8s! Talk about talent. Shot a 48 though even with 16 on two holes, lol.

My issues were on #3 and #4.
#3 I hit a push slice OoB with driver and then hit a pull with my retee that almost went into the brush on the left. Two 6is got me into the front bunker. My sand shot was to 8 feet and I two putted.
#4 I used 4i and hit a very thin pull hook into the stream on the left. The round doesn't count for anything, so I reteed to hit 4i again and it was a high shot down the right side 172 yards. I was about 115 out and had issues from there. Ball above my feet and my 8i slid under it like a pitch... Add a few other issues and a nice 8.

Outside of that I was happy with my play.

Driver was okay. 222 yards on #1 into the fairway. 219 on #6 into the fairway. 242 on #7 into the fairway. The odd push slice just killed me on #3.

I'm now using irons on 5 tee shots, including the two par 3s. #4 had issues but I think it's the right play. #5 I hit a nice draw with my 5i down the right side 184 yards. #9 I hit a high draw down the middle with my 5i 176 yards.

#2. par 3, I hit a high push draw with 7i 139 yards and missed right. I think I may need to start using 8i on this hole since I am missing right and towards the back. #8, par 3 elevated tee shot. Flag was back and I hit 7i 147 and onto the green.

Putting was okay, 19 putts. My three putts were from 23 and 53 feet. Two putts from 21, 8, 12, 24, 18, and 11. The one putt was from 4 feet.

I feel oddly good about my game. Even the two 8s in a row didn't bother me at all. I just kept going like nothing happened. I can recall not so long ago where i'd be frustrated after that first 8. I think it's because my overall ball striking is better. I am hitting more good than bad shots and most of my mishits are not the end of the world. Maybe I'm delusional but it seems like a good frame of mind.

I'll play 18 tomorrow with the guys. The greens are getting punched Monday and Tuesday. So maybe I'll get to the range instead of playing.

I hope you all have a good weekend. Cheers!

[bortass]

Played 18 with the guys Saturday. It was sunny and the round started in the high 60s and ended in the mid lower 80s with not much humidity. A great day to be outside really. The greens are being punched today and tomorrow, so this may be my last round for a little bit. I don't mind playing on punched greens per se but it'll be like Plinko out there when it's time to putt. So it'll probably be a good week for me to hit the range. I stay on the forward tees.

1 - longer par 4, I hit a decent shot with driver down the middle right of the fairway , 205 yards. I'm about 160ish from center and the flag is mid which is behind bunkers from my angle. I hit my 4i and it's a real thin push that goes about 143 yards and luckily rolls past the right edge of the bunker. So now I'm in light rough near the green and have to carry a bunker. I decide on a pitch with my Niblick Contact a good and it comes out nice and high with backspin on it. I can't see where it lands on the green since the green is slightly elevated but it rolls through the green, so I hit it too hard. I use my putter to chip from the fringe and it's lack luster and 15 feet short. I "decide' to continue to struggle and 3 putt for an opening 7.

Not the start I expected. I have been playing #1 quite well recently but I decided to buck the new trend....

2 - par 3, about 130 to center. I have been hitting my 7i here and i tend to go to the back of the green and even when I miss right my ball is in line with the back half of the green. The flag is forward behind the right front bunker. I decide to use 8i. I hit a high draw off the toe. The sun is in our eyes and we think it's on the green, middle left. Get up there and only one ball is on the green and it's not mine. I'm in the front left bunker. The shot went about 109 yards. I use my SW and keep the face square. I hit behind the ball and it comes out nicely and lands on the green. It rolls outs and stops about 4 feet from the hole. I make thew par putt!

So not perfect but I made a very good sand shot and a par at least gets me to level 5s. I will probably keep seeing how my 8i does on this hole for a few rounds to see if it makes sense or not.

3 - par 5, dogleg right. I hit a decent draw to the right of the first fairway bunker that guards the outside of the corner. So I'm in the left rough, 192 off the tee. I need to aim right more off the tee. The ball is a bit below my feet because of the bunker behind me. I do not feel good with attempting to hit my standard 4w second shot now. I take my 6i and hit a low draw, 144 yards, into the fairway on the left side. I'm about 125 from center and the flag is more mid and behind the greenside bunker that covers middle of the green. I hit a high push with my 7i into the right front bunker, 126 yards. Another sand shot, so I take my SW and use a square face again. The ball comes out nice and stops 8 feet from the flag. I manage a two putt for a bogey 6.

A second bunker shot that came out decent. The change to a square face seems to be helping.

4 - shorter par 4, I have just switched to hitting an iron off this tee based on what @scooterhd2 mentioned last week. So this is my second round trying this out. I decide to try my 4i, like the previous time, and hit a low pull into the left rough, 135 yards off the tee. I hit a low pull the first time I tried the 4i off this tee. It's an odd mishit for me. Maybe I'll dial back to my 5i since I use that on a few other holes already. I'm 160ish out and hit another 4i. It's another push that misses right. I find my ball, 146 yard shot, in an interesting place. It is sitting in the rough on the upper right lip of the front right greenside bunker. Another inch and my ball is in the sand. I figure I'll chip with my niblick. I'm above the green and have a real awkward stance. I have my lead foot on the bunker and trail outside it. I have to choke down on my niblick to the metal of the shaft... I swing and the ball lands in the front of the bunker... I didn't adjust my swing for the severe choking down on the club. I use my niblick out of the sand and hit it 27 feet past the hole. I two putt for a double bogey 6.

I still think the iron off the tee is a good idea. I'm just not hitting that shot well and the failed chip on is something I have not seen before. So it's a learning experience. I am not thrilled by the result since this is an 'easy' hole, #15 HCP, and I seem to have a hard time on it.

5 - par 5, dogleg right. I hit a nice draw with my 5i and it lands to the left of the cart path that runs down the right side of the fairway and kicks left into the fairway, 164 yards off the tee. I have a great lie and angle for my second shot and hit 7w. It's a dead push into the trees on the right that are in the stream. No sign of my ball, so I drop. There's no shot to the green because of trees and the curve of the fairway. I punch a PW about 94 yards into the fairway. I'm about 105 from center and the flag is front right on the bottom tier. I do not want to be long and hit my 9i. It's a high draw that goes more left than I want. it lands on the green, left of the flag and it rolls out more left . I'm 56 feet from the hole now but on the lower tier. I have to aim across the slope of the tier, so my putt will go up the tier and then back down it. I don't aim high enough, so it breaks before the hole and rolls down to the bottom tier and I'm probably 8 feet from the hole. Another two putts and I have a nice triple bogey 8.

Sigh. A very nice tee shot 'wasted' by poor execution. Not the start of the round that I had wanted.

6 - par 4, slight dogleg left. I hit a low draw down the left side. This could be bad because of the slope of the hole. There's a drop off to the left of the fairway that goes into the left trees. We find my ball in left rough, luckily. I'm 207 off the tee and about 70 from center. The ball is sitting down in the rough and seems to be in a small ditch. I hit a partial PW and blade the ball 92 yards and through the green. I'm behind the green in the rough and the green slopes away from me and the flag is near the middle front. I decide to pitch on with my niblick. I hit the shot like I want and it lands on the green and rolls down the slope and into the front fringe. I'm now wondering if i should have hit a chip and try to die the ball onto the green and see if it would slowly trickle down to the hole. I chip with my putter to about 5 feet and make the putt for a bogey 5.

Another good drive 'wasted' by a mishit. The bogey is okay but I'm looking at par when my approach shot is a partial wedge.

7 - par 4, dogleg right, elevated tee shot, wide fairway. I aim like normal towards the left side of the fairway and hit a nice high push slice with my driver into the right trees.... No sign of the ball, so I drop with the two stroke penalty tacked on. I'm about 160ish out, ball is above my feet a little and the spine of the ridge is between me and the hole. It's a shot i've hit before, so I aim a touch more right with my 4i and hit a low pull draw into the greenside bunker that guards the left front of the green. I have a blind shot and hit my SW out but I hit it too hard and the ball rolls past the flag and through the green. I use my putter to chip from the fringe and get it inside 4 feet and make the putt for a nice triple bogey 7.

Ouch.

8 - par 3, elevated tee shot, flag is mid. It's 140ish to center but plays much shorter. My 7i tends to go to the back of this green. So i hit my 8i and it's a 'nice' push into the hill on the right. There's a lot of long grass and weeds on this slope and the ball does not roll down. I've also lost balls hit in there. I do find it and use my GW. It's a steep down slope so my club is delofted a fair amount. I don't swing hard enough and land in the bunker that's between me and the green. I'm not gonna walk back to the cart to get my SW and use my GW out of the bunker and I hit it through the green. I chip on with the putter to 3 feet and sink the double bogey putt.

Yay me! Wow, talk about disheartening. This round is not going well but I am not feeling too bad about it. I'm disappointed but I do not feel mad or frustrated. this is good I think.

9 - par 4, pond on the left as you get close to the green. I hit a high draw with my 5i, 158 yards, into the fairway on the left side. I'm 140 to center and the flag is front right. There is a tier in this green and being on the top tier with a low flag isn't good. I hit my 6i and It's a touch more left than I want. The ball lands on the green and releases left. I'm about 54 feet left of the flag and three putt for a bogey 5.

I never total my score til I finish the round, so I just know that my front was not good.

10 - par 4, dogleg left. I hit a nice draw with my driver, 226 yards, through the fairway on the corner. The flag is on the right side of the green and I have no shot because of how some trees come out near the green on the right side. it's hard to describe but the hole narrows as you get close to the green and then it widens again for the green itself. So the right side of the green is blocked by trees, unless you can go over them, from the right side of the fairway/rough. The left of the green is open, so I aim there and mishit my 7i, 104 yards, short and left of the green. I have a long chip and use my niblick. The ball checks up and doesn't roll out as i expected. I'm 22 feet short and two putt for a bogey 5.

11 - shorter par 4, dogleg left with a forced stream carry. I hit my normal 5i off the tee and it's a nice low draw, 160 yards, into the fairway and it stays on top of the slope that leads to the stream, giving me a level lie. I'm 100 from center and the flag is front, so I hit my PW. It's a high draw that lands on the green and releases about 8 feet past the hole. I hit my birdie putt and it misses barely high. So I have a two putt par.

12 - par 4, 90* dogleg left. I tee off with my 4w since I'm worried that a real solid driver will go through the fairway. It hit a nice mid height draw, 214 yards, down the left side. So I'm in the fairway on the right side through the corner. I have 75 or so to center, elevated green. I hit a partial PW 78 yards, 4 feet from the hole... My birdie putt is looking good and lips out on the high side and stops just behind the hole. So I have another par.

A guy in my group comments on my wedges in a positive manner. I'll take it :)

13 - par 3, elevated green. The flag is back and on the upper tier. I mishit my 7i, 121 yards, and it's a high draw that gets on the green about 19 feet left of the flag. I manage a two putt for another par.

I'm +1 through the first four holes on the back. There's no way I can blank it out completely.

14 - par 5, straight hole but water on the right as you approach the green. I hit a decent driver, high draw, into the fairway on the middle left, about 189 yards. I have just a touch of a downhill lie and am 228 from center. I take my 7w and aim to down the left side and hit a high draw, into the wind, about 158 yards. I'm now about 105 from center and the flag is middle right, nearer the pond/lake. I aim more left, to take out as much risk of the water as possible and hit my 9i. I blade a worm burner the runs onto the left side of the green and follows the slope, stopping 6 feet from the cup, 108 yards.... My birdie putt lips out on the high side again....So another par.

15 - shorter par 4, elevated tee shot to an always soft fairway with a forced carry before the fairway starts. I hit a push fade into the right trees with driver... I find my ball, 179 off the tees next to a tree. I have no stance since I'm not lefty. I can stand in front of the ball and hack down on it though. So i do that with my 9i and it goes about 30 yards into the fairway. I'm in that 70ish yard range and hit a partial PW onto the green but left of the flag. I'm 33 feet out and hit my par putt. It's tracking decently, breaks early, and stops about 8 feet below the hole... Ouch, that was a bad time to hit it too hard. Iend up with a three putt double bogey 6.

Well I just snapped my par streak and maybe I should consider a shorter club off this tee as well. It's 258 yards on the card.

16 - par 3,flag looks forward mid, slightly elevated green with a forced carry short of the green. The green slopes back left to front right. I hit a high draw with my 7i, 135 yards, that lands left of the flag and rolls back towards it. I'm 6 feet below the flag. I send my birdie putt at the hole and miss high and 2 feet long. I need to sink the next one to have a chance at closest to the pin. I miss.... A three putt from 6 feet for bogey.

Okay, this was karma and I deserved it. On #8 a guy in my group, Bob, was putting for closest to the pin. He left his first putt a couple feet out and missed the par putt. We couldn't believe it. On #9, Bob chips to about a foot and the third guy in the group says that's good. From across the green, I say "are we sure that's good?". So turns out Bob's tee shot on #16 was only a couple feet further out than mine and he made his par. His closest to the pin held. teach me to try to be 'witty', lol.

17- par 4, slight dogleg left. I hit a real nice fade with my driver down the right side, 222 yards. I'm in the fairway and about 125 from center. this green slopes left to right and the flag is more on the right side. So I am aiming left to let the slope of the green feed my ball down. I hit a high push off the toe of my 7i and miss the green right. I chip with my niblick to 5 feet and two putt for a bogey 5.

So the last three holes were not great but so far the back 9 has been very good. I'm +5 through 8 holes.

18 - par 5, forced stream carry on an approach and there's a pond fronting the green. I play this like a par 6 normally by using three shots to set up left of the hole for an approach with no pond to deal with. I hit a good draw with my driver down the left side, 225 yards. My ball is just off the left side of the cart path in light rough. The ball is below my feet a few inches though. I can't claim relief from the cart path to find a level lie, so i don't even consider any sort of second shot over the stream. I chip an 8i about 57 yards into the fairway as my layup. I aim well left of the green where the fairway is and hit my 7w. it's a high pull into a bunker that's left of the fairway. I'm 90ish out and hit my PW. It only goes about 36 yards. So i hit a partial SW from the fairway into the fringe. So my ball from where I was went left but it's actually the back of the green as the hole would normally be played. I'm in the fringe and the flag is on a tier that I need to go up. I use my putter to chip and the ball gets up on the tier, breaks short of the hole, catches the tier's slope and trickles down towards the front of the green, 27 feet below the hole.... I go on the three putt for there for a quad bogey 9. Not a penalty shot in the mix either... Wow.

A 52/45 97. I think this is the first time I've shot 45 for 9 with a 9 on the card. 5 pars, 6 bogeys, and 7 double+. I hit 10/14 fairways with 2 misses left and 2 right. 6 GIRS and one sand & down.

The biggest positive I am taking from this was my mental state. The front 9 had some rough holes but it really didn't bother me. I was not happy about it but was able to move on without dwelling on it. On the back 9, I never felt pressure from playing so well. Even the disaster on #18 had no nerves. I didn't second guess my shot selection and felt good about what I was committing too. Even driver off the tee didn't get a second thought. I just played normally and had some issues at the end of the hole.

I think the iron off the tee on #4 is the right call, I just need to stop hitting a low pull draw into the left rough/stream. it's an odd miss for me since I don't normally miss like that with an iron off the tee. I also need to consider an iron on #15. It's a shorter hole and while it's nice to have a partial wedge into the green, it may be smarter to try to increase the odds of being in the fairway and hitting an iron in. Overall I am feeling good about my irons and don't think I need to be as close as possible like I did 5 months ago when i was likely to mishit the shot every time.

I still feel real positive since I am seeing stretches of good golf. I gotta work on the blow ups but want to be measured about it. I feel okay teeing off with my driver even though a couple of them cost me shots. Overall, things seem to be coming together. It ain't perfect but I'd like to say that things are improving.

Let me know your thoughts, especially if you think I'm off base. A reality check never hurts.

Cheers!

[scooterhd2]

@bortass , have you seen a chart like this before. These are average numbers for players shooting the given score. It's nothing to live by, but can provide some insights. It's helped me tamper expectations that I needed to hit every green and every fairway. I've gotten a little more realistic and then worked on recovering from my misses that are bound to happen.
Just looking at one round here, so obviously a limited sample size but your 10/14 FIR and 6 GIR check out within your goal of 85. Your 5 pars look to be right at 90 and are probably close to in line with your goals. If I am counting correctly, your 38 putts looks to be the worst of the measurable metrics. But all in all, I think there are some real positives to take away. You've had a couple 45 or under 9 recently. This round and others have shown you are getting the ball in play more. Your iron play and hitting greens may not be exactly where you want it, but its not destroying you. just something to build on. I'd have to look at more putt counts, but that seems to be something to work on as part of the total package.

[img]https://s3.amazonaws.com/golfwrxforums/uploads/D1RMCYG5W3LL/image.png[/img]

[bortass]

@scooterhd2 I think I have seen a chart like that before. It's good see that things are completely out of whack for me. Putting isn't where it should be. I am getting worse though Putting numbers also depends on distance of first putt. I can 'accept' a three putt from 50+ feet, it'll happen but from 6 feet? I do sometimes have rounds where the putting is on, so it's not completely broken. Arccos has my putting as my second worse area now. I don't think it has really changed much versus I'm getting better elsewhere. I've also been told by a few members that the greens are the defense of the course since it's not long by any stretch, tips are just under 6500 yards... So I shouldn't be surprised that I'm not holding to my 2 putt average from a course with easier greens.

My fairways hit is probably helped by the irons I'm using on a few holes. Those tend to be a bit more accurate, though the 4i on #4 has been 'amusing'. I think I may just use my 5i next time. It's kind of nice to be hitting a mix of clubs for tee shots because of the nature of the hole versus because I can't hit a ball. I still remember the days of teeing off with a 5i on every non par 3 and being extremely happy with a double bogey.

[SNIPERBBB]

That charts amusing to me on my course lol. It's a context thing, we have the smallest fairways on the planet but it's a wide open course with little interior trouble with OB on the outside.

 

Have you tried hybrid replacements for your 4band 5 irons? Especially if you hit your woods better than the 4-5irons

[bortass]

@SNIPERBBB Yeah, it's all about context. That said it's still a good barometer to see where one's game stacks up. I have not tried a hybrid replacement for my 4 or 5 irons. I have a 2 hybrid i picked up years ago but it never made it into my bag. I do okay with the 5i off the tee for the most part. The 4i mishits on #4 are head scratchers for me though. I feel okay with both clubs in my hands, even from the fairway. That wasn't the case a few months ago when I'd be automatically grabbing my 7w.

The range was too packed yesterday so i didn't bother trying to go. I talked to someone and found out that the greens are in pretty good shape after being punched since they used the smaller 'punch'. I have seen greens where they used the larger ones like in a fairway that make it like plinko.

I wanted some exercise today, so I played 9. I can't say that the tiny holes and beach sand on the greens made a difference in my putting. the ball rolled well and I can't recall it hopping or going off line. I had a putt or two settlre in one of the small holes but that's it.

That said my score wasn't good. Shot a 47 with 3 pars, 2 bogeys, 3 doubles, and a triple.

The struggle was hitting the ball early on. Pulled my tee shot on 1 into the left trees, topped a 4w, and was too aggressive on my first putt from 54 feet and ended with a triple 7. Topped a 4w on 3 and bladed a 7i on 3, but got my par out of it. Topped a 7w into the stream on #5 and that led to a double. My full swing settle down from there until I got to #9 where I made a mess of things and escaped with a bogey. I doubled both par 3s for different reasons.

Positives. Well the par on #3 after mishitting my second and third shots.
#4 - I used my 5i off the tee and hit a low draw, maybe 5 feet off the ground down the right side, 183 yards and the slope fed the ball into the center of the fairway. I hit my 9i a bit thin and it went 114 yards into the back fringe and I end up with a bogey 5. I like the suggestion to use an iron off this tee. I think it will help me in the long run.

#5 - 5i off the tee and it's a high draw down the right side, 160 yards, into middle of the fairway. I mess up the 7w. I hit what felt like a pure shot from the fairway with my 5i. Impact felt very solid, if you've played blades you'll know what I mean. You can feel the mishits... It was a high draw that landed in the fairway and traveled about 156 yards. Ended up with a double here thanks to the 7w into the stream. Wonder if i should just hit an iron for my second shot on this hole now. I have been hitting my 7w into that stream with a push quite a bit lately.

#6 - Smoked(for me) a high draw down the right side, 226 yards into the fairway. I'm 70ish yards from center and hit a partial PW onto the green about 23 feet past the flag. I two putt for par.

#7 - elevated tee shot and Ismoke(for me) another high draw with my driver 252 yards into the fairway on the left. I hit a full PW on the green about 20 feet right and slightly past the flag. Two putt for my par.

Don't want to talk about the dbl bogey on #8 nor #2. I understand what I should have done differently on both holes.

#9 - swing feels wrong and I mishit my 5i off the tee. I get on the green in 4... But I put my partial SW to a foot from the hole. So I somehow managed a bogey when I was thinking triple after my second shot.

So ugly golf mixed with some nice looking holes. Seems about right for the current state of my game.

[davidy1948]

Once a again I admire your optimism and positivity in the face of adversity !

Something does occur to me reading your posts - all your attention seems to be devoted to your ballstriking, virtually none to your putting - it's a kind of afterthought. When you practise it's all about ballstriking too - I can't recall you're ever spending much time on the practice green ?

On the ( all too rare ) occasions I've played well I usually find it stems from good putting - I hole a nice one early on or manage a 2 putt from a difficult spot for instance - that puts me in the right frame of mind to relax a little and improves my confidence. Also takes the pressure off approach shots and chips if you're feeling that way. In my humble view everything feeds back into your game from good putting

The greens on your new course are obviously tricky - but I can't recall you're ever holing anything over 6 feet , and sometimes you're even 3 jacking from 6 feet...I reckon this is probably costing you at least 3 shots per round, maybe more. Can I suggest a putting/green reading lesson from your pro followed by some really intensive work for a month to get this sorted ?

[bortass]

@davidy1948 You bring up a very valid point. It's mostly been a matter of triage. I am not a range warrior as is very evident from my posts. It's more fun to play 9 than hit the range. Of course this attitude of mine will start to limit how good I can actually get. I am not a natural talent, obviously, so I will have to actually put some work in to get past a certain point.

The breakdown of my game, using strokes gained, has been #1 sand and #2 putting. Those two areas were the only ones below 30.0+ which is the highest the app will show. So my driving, approach, and chipping were all very weak. Chipping started to come around which left driving and approach shots as being my worse areas based on my last 10 rounds. The better ball striking has led to putting being my worse area. I now have:
1 - chipping 17.8
2 - sand 18.6
3 - driving 24.8
4 - approach 25.4
5 - putting 26.1

So it looks like it may be time to start to look at that aspect of my game. A couple of my decent rounds had me lagging the ball real close, so two putting from long range, and sinking a few in that 6 - 10 foot range. But there are still too many three putts in the mix because my speed control is off. I either leave it short or blow it past the hole. It's one thing if my approach isn't great and I'm putting from over 50 feet away, I can at least accept that. But the ones from inside 20 feet are tougher to swallow and that 6 footer is embarrassing.

One possible glimmer of hope is some of my misses lately have been much better. I'm hitting the high edge of the hole and the ball stops inside a foot of the back of the cup. A little softer or slightly better aim and those will drop. It won't happen magically though. So it's either time on the practice green or time on the course to build up more feel. I am thinking about the putting lesson comment. It would probably be a good idea. There's a lot going on right now but I'll see if i can find a way to make that happen.

Now to start looking into putting info to see what kind of wisdom I can glean.

[bortass]

What are some good putting drills that you guys use?

[SNIPERBBB]

Ladder drill for speed. Find a spot on the putting green that offers the longest fringe to fringe putt possible. Start with a 3ft putt or longer. Next putt has to go past the previous putt till you run out of green or balls. Then go the other way, putt the first putt as close to the fringe as possible then work backwards with each putt getting shorter. If you want to make it punishing, if you fail to go farther or shorter depending on which way you're going, you have to start over.

My problem is usually start line related so I use either a chalk line or a string to ensure my stroke is sending the ball down my start line

[scooterhd2]

I've been working on my putting alot lately and have really seen improvements. I dont really do any drills per say, but really focus on the practice green to get the ball past the hole and to miss on the high side. I'd rather miss by 4 feet hard and high than be 2 feet away short and low. Ultimately, I'm playing more break and really making sure that ball has a chance to get there. It has really been translating to the course, where I am 3 putting less and making more long putts than ever before.

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

Broke through 80 the first time since the Covid-19 break.

Lots of caked on rust brushed away and didn’t attempt to knock the ball into orbit.

Now, to return to much needed gardening.

[bortass]

@Lincoln_Arcadia That's great! Not sure if I'll ever put in the time or have the ability to break 80. Diminishing returns start to kick in at some point and it becomes harder to make smaller gains.

Hope all the fathers out there had a good Father's Day. I was given a copy of Every Shot Counts and I hope to start reading it soon. Also tried to play 9 but T-storms ended that and I only played 5 holes. Probably just as well since it was an ugly start with a couple topped 4w approach shots on #1 that advanced the ball about 10 yards. My ball position was messed up. I did sink a 16 foot putt though on #2. I also had some decent shots on later holes including a 227 yard 4w approach shot on #3. I got the ball in the air and had a tail wind. Too bad I don't get that kind of distance normally, lol.

I did a little research about putting and changed my putting routine Saturday. My old putting routine is to play the ball as it lies. I don't mark and clean it unless there's a big chunk of mud on it. Stand behind the ball to get my line. Look at the hole and make a few practice strokes to get a feel for what I think the speed is. Step up and hit the putt and see what happens.

New routine which I used on every putt Saturday. Mark my ball and maybe clean parts of it based on need. Get an idea of my line from behind as usual. Line up the wording on the side of the ball with my line. This was always incorrect it seems, what I lined up and what my brain said while addressing the ball didn't jive at all and I went with the line I had from over the ball. I also changed my posture to get my eyes over the ball. I was not doing that at all before. Pretty small changes but I felt a big change in overall focus.

Saturday's 18 was at a course I've played four times previously. It is slightly shorter than my normal course by 84 yards and has a slope of 120 verus 121. The greens are bent grass, not bermuda, and they don't seem to have the tiering my normal course does. It was pretty warm when we teed off, mid 80s, and sunny. Some wind in the mix but overall I only took it into account on a single hole. It really wasn't enough to matter.

1 - straight par 5, I hit a low pull with my driver 184 yards into the fairway on the left. The ball was never more than 10 feet off the ground. I have a decent lie and am about 240ish out. I go with my 4w and mishit it with a thin pull that rolls out 165 yards but stays in the fairway on the left side. I'm now 70ish from center and hit a partial PW. Contact is good and it's a high shot that lands on the green and ends up about 15 feet from the flag, long and left. I get the first putt inside a couple of feet and sink the par putt, 5.

2 - par 3, about 115ish and I tee off with my 8i. I hit a dead push that's gonna miss well right but my ball hits the trunk of a pine tree and ends up in the green side bunker which is front right, 89 yards. This course has better bunker than my normal course, so i use my SW and open the face. I'm below the green with a semi blind shot. I can see the top of the flag and that's it. I hit a nice explosion shot out and 11 feet right of the flag. I follow the new routine and sink the putt for a par, 3.

3 - par 4, pretty straight, with a slight bend left near the green. I hit a low pull with my driver and see it roll into the left trees. We go looking for it and it's in the fairway, 193 yards, I must have hit a tree and the ball kicked out. Lucky.... The green is elevated and there are bunkers guarding the left side and the flag is behind them. I am 170ish or so out and aim to the right side of the green with my 7w. I hit a strong push that carries the top of the rise the green is on in the air, well right of the green under some trees... Awesomesauce... So find my ball in the rough, 70 yards right of center and there are a couple scattered trees to deal with. I have a clear shot between them though and hit a partial PW. It's a good looking shot and lands on the green but the slope means I can't see what happens after it lands. I find it in the fringe, the ball ran through the green, 83 yards. I am able to use my putter to chip and I get the ball to 3 feet. I sink the bogey putt, 5, and my par streak ends at two holes.

4 - shorter par 4, 265 yards on the card, my driver is not on and this hole is short, so I tee off with my 5i. It's a low pull into the left trees... Crap. No sign of the ball and I drop. I hit my 9i thin and the ball goes through the back of the green. I can use my putter to chip and the ball stops about a foot from the cup. So I have a bogey, 5, with the penalty.

5 - par 4, slight curve left to this hole. I hit a decent driver, 213 yards, into the fairway on the right side. I'm about 70ish from center and hit a partial PW that lands on the green and rolls out some, 81 yard shot. My ball is more left back and the flag is front right, 36 feet to the hole. There is also a tier to deal with. I hit my putt and get it inside a couple of feet and make the par putt, 4.

6 - par 5, I hit a low pull with driver that hits a hump in the fairway and it kicks high into the air and goes into the left trees. We find my ball in some low plants under the trees, 167 off the tee. It's pretty thick and I have no shot. I take my 5i and swing hard and punch the ball about 96 yards into the fairway on the right side. I'm 200ish out, there are bunkers guarding the left side of the green, I aim right with my 4w and top it 129 yards.... Well now I'm in partial PW range. It's a high pull that goes into the bunker. Lol. I do the sand shot with an open SW and my ball comes out to the right of my line. I'm 24 feet from the hole to the right. I pull off a sweet three putt for a triple bogey 8.

Ouch. A triple and not a penalty in sight....

7 - par 4 elevated tee shot, with a forced carry starting about 190 yards off the tee and it's about 220 to carry. I put my 4i into the front of the crap last time I was here. I tee off with my 6i and it's a high draw that lands in the fairway and rolls part way down the slope, 166 yards. I have a slightly downhill lie, 30 yards short of the brush of the forced carry. The fairway rises up to the green after the stream area in front of me. it's about 170ish and I hit my 7w. I blade the ball right into the brush... I should have known better... I drop near where it went in and hit my 6i, 129 yards, short and right of the green. I chip on with the niblick and hit it a bit too firm and end up 22 feet past the hole. I two putt for another triple bogey 7.

Talk about falling apart. That second shot was just dumb. I think I need to just play this more like a par 5. Layup short of the stream area and then hit an iron short of the green. It makes par more of a challenge but I have hit my second shot thin and into the stream more often than not.

8 - longer par 3, it's about 150ish to center and slightly uphill. I hit my 5i off the toe and it's a high draw that's heading in the correct direction but lands in the right front bunker, 137 yards. I use my SW and I hit the ball out and about 7 feet from the cup. My par putt misses high and stops inside a foot, so I have a 2 putt bogey 4.

Well that's a bit better. I think I should have hit my 4i off the tee since it's 160ish off the back. Sure I'm over the green if I hit it pure but a mishit is more likely to be on. It's hard to say though since i'm starting to use my 6i for shots that are close to 140.

9 - par 4, lake carry off the tee and the fairway runs along the far shore, so the lake is in play for every shot. I tee off with my 4w and aim aiming to minimize the amount of water to carry. I hit a nice draw, 174 yards into the fairway. So I'm in the fairway on the right, short of the fairway bunker and thre lake runs down the left side of the hole. I'm 160ish from center and go with my 4i. I aim a bit right to minimize the risk of a water ball. I hit a solid draw that misses right and long. As in 205 yards long.... My ball is in some real soft turf near a tee box and green for the other 18 holes that are here. I have to go over a cart path and carry a bunker, with a blind shot to the green. I hit a partial GW and it only goes about 40 yards and lands in the bunker. I don't know if it's the soft turf led to being a bit heavy or if i didn't commit fully with the normal speed required to carry my shot the normal distance. So I now mess up my sand shot and it takes 2 to get barely out. I'm in the fringe and use my putter to chip and I get it inside a foot of the cup. So I make the putt for another triple bogey,7.

Wow, this is rough. Three triples in the last 4 holes. I had started out decent IMO too.

10 - stupid par 5 that is 307 yards dogleg right. It should only be a par 5 for the longer tees that have to carry the lake and are 450+ yards but the card is what the card is. I hit driver and it's a decent draw to the left. I'm in the fairway 206 yards off the tee. The flag is on the right and I'm about 110 from center. This green is long and narrow, so the center of the green is to the left of the flag. I hit my 8i and it's a little thin, 116 yards. My ball lands on the green and rolls through it. So I'm in the fringe a few yards off the back on the right side in two and have an eagle chip with my putter. I leave it 6 feet short though. My birdie putt misses an inch low and stops a few inches from the cup. So I have a par, 5.

11 - par 4, pretty straight hole. I hit a good driver, 227 yards, into the fairway on the left. The green is slightly elevated from me and it's around 105 yards or so to center. I hit a nice draw with my 9i that looks like it's on a great line for the flag. I'm on the green and about 12 feet left and slightly long of the hole. My birdie putt misses high and I'm inside a foot of the cup, so I come away with a par, 4.

12 - par 4, pretty straight hole, I hit a draw with driver down the right side, 217 yards. I'm in the right rough and it's about 38-140ish to center and I hit my 6i. It's a high push draw that goes into the brush on the hill right of the green... So sign of my ball, so I drop and chip on and leave it a good 20 feet short. two putts later i have a double bogey 6.

13 - par 3, with a slightly elevated tee shot. The flag is forward and it's 110ish to the front. I hit my 8i and it's a nice high draw that goes 115 yards and lands on the green about 15 feet left of the flag. My birdie putt stops within a foot of the hole and i have my par, 3.

14 - par 5, pretty straight until you get near the green where the green is offset to the right. I hit a real good draw with my driver, 234 yards, into the right side of the fairway. The fairway slopes downhill slightly and it'ssible to hit through the end of it. I hit my 7w and it's a low and strong shot that goes 215 yards and stops 3-4 yards short of the end of the fairway. The flag is left and about 50 yards from me but i have to carry some tall bushes/small trees that are growing next to the lake. I hit a partial SW but it's a bit more right than I wanted. I'm on the green about 23 feet to the right of the hole. Again I get my birdire putt within a few feet and come away with a par, 5.

Guy with me comments how I'm +2 through 5 on the back. So now I really know where I stand. I try to not think about this stuff when playing. Though I know I'm doing good on the back, I just don't want to know how good, if that makes sense.

15 - par 4, fairly straight as well. Slightly elevated tee shot and the green is elevated from the fairway. I hit a decent drive down the left side, 209 yards, into the fairway. I'm about 125ish out and hit my 7i. It's a weak push fade off the toe that goes into the front right bunker. I have a blind shot and take some time looking at my aim point while the guys are making their approach shots to the green. I use my SW and leave it in the bunker. So I try again and get it out, 9 feet from the cup. I two putt from there for a nice double bogey 6.

So much for just being 2 over... LOL.

16 - par 4, short dogleg left. The fairway slopes downward to a small stream with the green on the other side of it. This is a hole where you hit a shorter club off the tee since going through the fairway will put you into the woods. I hit a nice draw a bit left, 175 yards, that ends up at the flat short of the stream. I shortened the hole by mistake. I have about 60 yards to center and the flag is to the left of the green, closer to me. There is a spine in the green, along with a tier. I hit a partial GW and it lands near the back of the green and rolls over the spine to the right, 73 yard shot. I'm 27 feet from the cup and it'll break right to left and go down a tier. I do the new routine, like i have all round, and hit my putt. It reaches the top of the tier and slowly rolls down it towards the hole. the ball stops about 6 inches from the cup on the low side. I get my par and move on.

17 - Par 3, slightly elevated tee shot with a forced carry over the little stream that also runs by 16. The flag seems to be about 115 out. I hit my 8i and it's fat and goes 76 yards into the rough short of the stream. I hit a partial SW a bit too hard. It goes 49 yards and into the fringe behind the flag. I use my putter to chip and leave it 6 feet short. I sink the bogey putt though. So a 4.

18 - par 4, stream down the left side and there is a forced lake carry to the green. I decide to hit my 5i and it's a pull into the stream on the left.... I drop and punch a PW about 90 yards to the flat area that is short of the lake. I'm 125-130 out and hit my 7i. It's a nice high draw that lands on the green to the right of the flag, 134 yard shot. I'm 27 feet out and two putt for a double bogey 6.


A 48/43 91 which is my best 18 hole score since I started playing again. 8 pars, 4 bogeys, 3 doubles, and 3 triples. Not bad for a 27 index. My ball striking was not on and I had a couple screw ups in the sand. 10/14 fairways with 3 misses left. GIR was 7/18. 30 putts though! The new putting routine seems to really help me out. I didn't have many short first putts but I got my first putt inside 3 feet on almost every hole. I really think the change in routine forced me to focus on my putting more. It definitely made a difference in my opinion. I have not putted this well in a while. Too bad I had that many triples on the card. Could have broken 90 if I didn't mess up.

The only shot I regret is the 7w on #7 for the second shot. That was a mistake and I should know better. An iron there, short of the green, and I probably save 2 strokes. The other issues with ball striking were execution. I seem to be having ball position trouble. The low pulls with driver and irons on a few tee shots is strange. Arrcos gave me a 30+ driving, 30+ approach, 5.9 chipping, 26.4 sand, and 4.5 putting. This is another one of those rounds where I see my potential despite the bad holes. Hopefully I can keep it up.

Cheers!

[mocokid]

Congrats!!! I know what it's like to grind and try to hit a sub 80 score. I got back in the game in 2013 after about a 15 yr hiatus, and I spent time with slicefixer, a GG guy and many others. It's a tough journey especially if you're 50+, I'm now 62 and a 10.0, scores ranging from 80 to 90 lately. Last week shot 76 38/38 on my local course, 6200 yards, 132 slope from white tees. My takeaways to breaking 80: ball has got to be in the fairway or light rough off the tee, you don't need to be super long (I'm about 230-240 for the good drives) , No double bogies!! Take the bogey and go to the next tee, and you still can break 80! Don't play golf swing, if you make par or bogey after a so so short drive and thinned iron into a green , not to worry, it's OK. You will make better swings during the round. Can't lose your cool. You can't help thinking about your score and what you need for those last 3 or 4 but keep grinding, 1 hole at a time. You really need a putting round of not more than 32 putts to have a good chance. One putt greens keep you positive. And around the greens be sure you can get out of the rough and sand, I improved my sand play by getting steeper on the backswing and swiping across the ball, and the mental lift I got from getting out of deep bunkers where you can't see the green surface is immense. Good Luck you can do it.

[berndgeurts]

Keep up the good work. There's a nice video from be better golf about putting about the line you see and the line you need to putt. Have a look.

https://youtu.be/t7RrP1DtM3oI'm back on track with my own adventure to break 85 regularly. Short game is on par. So are my approaches. Driving could be better. The later is mainly because I get lazy during my round and don't concentrate enough. If you get lazy and don't concentrate, bad balls are gonna happen.

[bortass]

@berndgeurts That's an interesting video. It makes sense. I will have to see how my misses are going forward. I think the biggest thing Saturday is I left the ball near the hole after my first putt, except the single three putt. Also making three first putts between 6- 11 feet helped too.

The sample size is too small, and it's from a different course, for me to say that this change in routine is making a big difference. I felt like I was actually focused when I was putting for a change. I thought I was focused before but this was different. Maybe the better word is engaged? It felt more active/involved. Anyhow I had good results with it for the 23 holes I've played since making the change.

Concentration is an interesting topic. The round that I shot my PB 41 did not have much concentration in it. I was in the zone. My thinking was about what club to hit and where to aim and then just do it. I guess my mind trusted my swing that day. There's a sweet spot for it, like most things. Too little and bad things happen. Too much can also lead to bad things. My best golf has not felt like I was out there concentrating/focusing a lot. I dunno, I'm sure a psychologist has a better explanation of it.

[scooterhd2]

Nice to hear the putter was working for you. Makes a huge difference standing over the ball thinking that you have a real chance to drain longer putts. Keep with the routine and practice. Focus on getting putts all the way to the hole and missing on the high side. For some reason a putt 5 feet too long seems worse than a putt 5 feet too short but it is not. The ball actually has a chance to go in, and you get to watch the break after the hole, giving you a better idea of the break on the return putt. That really helps to reduce those 3 putts.

[berndgeurts]

@bortasss had a lesson yet?

How are the practice sessions going? Improving contact? Solid contact is one of the key things.

You are improving now, but maybe 5 or 6 lessons with the local pro can guide your progress even more.

Also curious to know how the new buggy is driving. Looking sharp on the course? :-)

[bortass]

@scooterhd2 That's an interesting comment about 5 feet short versus 5 feet long. I think I fall into the camp of thinking blowing it 5 feet past is worse. I may be wrong though, I don't like either result. I can live with being less than a foot short or a couple feet past the hole. I definitely prefer to miss high since a low putt will never go in and had no chance.
@berndgeurts No lesson yet. I reached out to the pro that has been recommended by a few people and he's too busy. I did hear back from someone that he has been sending his 'overflow' to though. It's probably fine for a putting lesson. I'd like to see if the change I made last weekend has sorted things out some or not. However, I have been unable to get out at all this week and this weekend is looking bad. I'm not sure when I'll be playing or hitting the range next. I need to see how things shake out on and off the course a bit before pursuing a lesson.

As for the cart, it's great! I still can't believe my wife surprised me with it. I've used it for the 18 hole rounds on Saturdays, to drive myself and my CG3.5 to the course to walk 9, and a few times my wife has driven it while I play 9. It's been an awesome addition and will get even more use as things get hotter out. I still like walking though, it helps my waistline more then riding does, lol.

[bortass]

No updates. I haven't been able to play or hit the range since the last round a week ago. I'm not sure when I'll be able to play/practice next. A family matter has priority. We have a game plan and things will settle down again, it's just a question of when. So if there's no golf updates from me for a bit or they are sporadic that's why. I didn't quit my goal/this thread. As much as I'd like to be out on the course, there's more important things going on right now.

 

Cheers.

[scooterhd2]

No doubt where the priorities are. I really hope things go your way. Good luck.

[berndgeurts]

Family comes first. Stay strong. I'll shoot a birdie for you tomorrow :)