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

[TheDeanAbides]

35 minutes ago, bortass said:

@SNIPERBBB @TheDeanAbides

My high level thought process for chipping is roughly like this:

 

Can I putt? Default chip if reasonable.

 

If no, can I hit a running chip?  If so, what club makes the most sense with the easiest stroke, default is my SW. I have been using a putting stroke with 9i for some longer ones. I tried AW when I had to hit a low runner 30+ yards(bad results). I used the 60* when short sided(starting to miss over the green more) and I'm just trying to bump the ball over some crap that prevents me from using my putter with a green sloping away from me, so I don't want to send the ball rolling too far. Results so far have been decent with it but the sample size is tiny.

 

If no, use SW to loft one in best I can. I do tend to hit these better than my low chips as far as contact is concerned but I'm going into this shot with lower expectations of distance control.

 

I'm not defensive about what I did over the weekend, hope I'm not giving that vibe. Just trying to explain the thought process I'm using. I do not think any of the chipping decisions were horrible but execution left a lot to be desired. I am definitely not trying to lob my 60* at every chance. It was the club that gave me the best chance of a good result with a very simple and small swing IMO. My opinion can definitely be flawed though.

 

I will be devoting half my practice time this week to chipping, again just working on contact, and will use either my SW or AW. I'm leaning towards SW since that's my baseline when I can't putt.

Thanks for sharing your process - I never for a second took it as defensiveness. I know you’re committed to getting better, just as I’m trying to help with that goal. 
 

Are you using the UTB basic technique with your chipping? If so then that’s really great for the SW, but I’ve found it less effective for lower flighted chips with less lofted clubs. 
 

Regarding the 60* for being short sided, I’d humbly suggest that it’s unnecessary. Just having it in the bag encourages low percentage shots. We managed to use our SW for those before the 60 was popular. 
 

I definitely feel that a two club solution is the best way to improve without ego. I always look to use a PW and aim to hole every chip like a putt. If there’s an obstacle I’ll use the UTB with a SW. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

3 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

I think that there’s plenty of reason to practice with a 60*, but using one on the course? Every single mid to high handicapper that I’ve helped over the years has seen a drastic improvement in scoring by leaving their 60 at home until they had much better low point control. 
 

Monte’s short game teaching definitely helps with these issues, but I guarantee you’ll score better in the long term by keeping the ball closer to the ground. 
 

Those 60-70 yard shots are one of the areas that kill high handicappers. I know it’s not always possible because you don’t have great distance control, but I would always say that if you can plot your holes to avoid that distance you’ll be better for it. That is until you’re able to step up on the range and hit that shot with great confidence and consistency. 

 

Do you distinguish between the use of 60 around the greens vs partial wedge shots? I.e. I consider 10-40 yards to be chips/pitches, whereas when you're getting into that 50-80 range it's a partial wedge. 

 

I've started practicing the 10-40 yard range with my 60/6 wedge, as I can leave it a little open to expose the bounce and avoid the leading edge digging, but without so much bounce that it'll raise the leading edge. 

 

My workhorse for all shots <100 used to be my 56/12 wedge, and it's still my preferred club for those longer partial wedges, as I will play it square and have all that bounce to protect me if low point gets wonky. 

[TheDeanAbides]

3 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Do you distinguish between the use of 60 around the greens vs partial wedge shots? I.e. I consider 10-40 yards to be chips/pitches, whereas when you're getting into that 50-80 range it's a partial wedge. 

 

I've started practicing the 10-40 yard range with my 60/6 wedge, as I can leave it a little open to expose the bounce and avoid the leading edge digging, but without so much bounce that it'll raise the leading edge. 

 

My workhorse for all shots <100 used to be my 56/12 wedge, and it's still my preferred club for those longer partial wedges, as I will play it square and have all that bounce to protect me if low point gets wonky. 

I don’t think anyone with low point issues, which is pretty much everyone over a ten at least, should carry a 60 for any shot until they have genuine control. Until you can create consistent flight with that club it’s just too low percentage to be helpful. 
 

 

[bortass]

Normally I wait 'til end of week to discuss practice. This morning I did a twenty minute block chipping range balls with my SW. I did the same thing I was doing last week with the 60*. Randomly hitting them different distances and heights into the range to work on contact. The results were the same as using the 60* on the range. Good contact and flight. I only bladed a single ball in the entire twenty minutes. Very different to my on course results the past weekend but course is not equal to the range. Conditions and state of mind are different. I plan to stick with practicing this quite a bit in the near term.

 

I do want to spend some time working on a couple of the other short game shots Monte showed us. I'll probably spend a twenty minute block working on the chip with a wood. It's something I could have used over the weekend instead of the 60*. I really need to get a feel for how it reacts and I don't think that would be a major time sink since the stroke itself is very simple.

[hammersia]

Have your club specs been discussed ITT?

 

The videos you post look like your clubs are too short and too light. I'd like to see how your swing looks with clubs considerably heavier. 

[bortass]

On 5/1/2024 at 10:55 AM, hammersia said:

Have your club specs been discussed ITT?

 

The videos you post look like your clubs are too short and too light. I'd like to see how your swing looks with clubs considerably heavier. 

They have not. I would have to see if I can find their specs.

 

What I can say is all are R flex, I have never been accused of having high swing speed.... My 7i swing speed at the clinic a few weeks ago was around 63 MPH. It went up to 74 MPH when I did what Monte was asking me to try doing within a few swings.

 

Driver was fit in 2021 by PXG on a LM. Shaft is Evenflow Riptide 5.0 A 40G. Fitter found I did better with the lighter shaft at that time.

 

Irons are TM Sim2 MAX, fit in 2021 during a fitting day on the range at my course. +1 inch, not sure about the lie angle, outside of being upright. Shafts are Dynamic Gold 105 R300 VSS pro.

 

My older irons. Macgregor M565s circa 2006, were refit 10+ years ago by an independent fitter and standard length, they had been +1 inch prior to this refitting. Shafts are Areotech SteelFiber i95s. The lie angles were flattened over time as well.

 

I also have a set of MacGregor Pro-Ms, Ebay purchase because I always wanted a set, that came with Dynamic Golf S300s, no other marking on those shafts with regard to possible weight. All I have done with those is regripped them and had them bent to match the M565s. I was playing them because I like them but too many people were telling me it was a mistake. I should take one to the range to see how I hit it for the fun of it, lol.

 

 

Edited May 2 by bortass

[hammersia]

I queried the club specs because in your swing videos you appear to have little feeling for the clubhead, the club seems very disconnected from your body movement. What does your broom swing look like? 

 

How tall are you?

 

Plus 1 inch is a lot.

[bortass]

23 minutes ago, hammersia said:

I queried the club specs because in your swing videos you appear to have little feeling for the clubhead, the club seems very disconnected from your body movement. What does your broom swing look like? 

 

How tall are you?

 

Plus 1 inch is a lot.

I'm roughly 6'2 and an idiot... I logged into TM to see my fitting stats and they are +0.5.... I seem to have confused it with the M565s which were +1 inch once upon a time. I assume it's whatever the stock swing weight for the SIM2 Maxs would be since it's not listed in the fitting info.

HEAD

• Hand:RH
• Loft Adj:Standard
• Lie Adj:Standard

SHAFT

 

• Vendor:True Temper
• Model:Dynamic Gold 105 VSS
• Flex:R300
• Tipping Adj:Standard
• Length Adj:0.50"

 

What do you mean by broom swing? 

 

 

Edited May 2 by bortass

[hammersia]

10 hours ago, bortass said:

I'm roughly 6'2 and an idiot... I logged into TM to see my fitting stats and they are +0.5.... I seem to have confused it with the M565s which were +1 inch once upon a time. I assume it's whatever the stock swing weight for the SIM2 Maxs would be since it's not listed in the fitting info.

HEAD

• Hand:RH
• Loft Adj:Standard
• Lie Adj:Standard

SHAFT

 

• Vendor:True Temper
• Model:Dynamic Gold 105 VSS
• Flex:R300
• Tipping Adj:Standard
• Length Adj:0.50"

 

What do you mean by broom swing? 

 

 

I thought Monte told you to practice swinging a broom? 

 

 

[bortass]

7 hours ago, hammersia said:

I thought Monte told you to practice swinging a broom? 

 

 

No, but maybe I should. He said Broomforce is the video that applies most to me. Two of the other guys were Powershift.

 

Would a video of me swinging my orange whip provide any insight? I can try to snag that next week.

 

I had three range sessions this week.

 

Tuesday block 1 was twenty minutes chipping with my sand wedge, went fairly well.

Tuesday block 2 was twenty minutes working on the countertop drill. Three sets 3/10, nothing much to say about it outside it went well.

 

Wednesday block 1 was twenty minutes practicing the chip Monte showed us using a wood. I wanted to do this to start getting some feel about how the shot behaves and how hard I may need to swing based on distances involved.

Wednesday block 2 was twenty minutes hitting partial pitching wedge shots. Fairly decent results but can still improve.

 

Thursday Block 1 and 2 were the same. I worked on chipping contact with my sand wedge. I set twenty minute timers for both block but I spent less than that in block 1 working on the shot. One of the guys I golf with showed up at the range and we started talking, lol. I figure I got in about thirty minutes of practice total. Results were pretty good and I think I may have found a key feel for it but will need to see if it pans out in the long run or not.

 

I expect to play Sunday and am looking forward to things. The start with the arms swing thought does seem to make a difference when I am playing.

[bortass]

Managed to play a round each of the last two weekends and both were bad. I thought I'd play semi-decent but nope.

 

My last round a few days ago was odd. I posted a 108 with a 110 carded( 7 penalties off the tee). I had a severe lack of focus and would have probably been just as happy to have stayed home. It wasn't because I was frustrated with the bad play or was not having fun, I just could not have cared less to be on the course. I was not "into it" at all, I was ambivalent to be golfing. I think the main driver is frustration with my club. Three guys in my Saturday group, all regulars, are resigning their memberships. Our Saturday group is roughly 15 people, including those that play every few weeks. So roughly 20-25% of the group is leaving. We, as in wife and I, decided a few weeks ago to look in to moving to a different city. Initial golf course research has been underway, so we've narrowed down potential areas. We're just waiting for a house we like to hit the market. This has led to most talk within the golf group to be about other courses, who's leaving and to where, etc. Not a good atmosphere for me to be focused on playing well. My mind is elsewhere...

 

I did get out to practice a few times last week and it went well. It's still not transferring to the course though. Short game is still a great example, I can chip decently on the practice green but blade them on the course. I'm not sure what I'll be able to do for practice this week with the weather and work. I will say that I'm still seeing positives even if the scores suck and I'm sure if I gave a crap on Saturday I would have saved a few strokes. 

[PNWGuy]

Just a random thought...  When you tee it up on the first hole, do you have any expectations about your round?  If so, what are they?

 

Once again, thanks for posting this much about your game.
 

[TheDeanAbides]

15 hours ago, bortass said:

Managed to play a round each of the last two weekends and both were bad. I thought I'd play semi-decent but nope.

 

My last round a few days ago was odd. I posted a 108 with a 110 carded( 7 penalties off the tee). I had a severe lack of focus and would have probably been just as happy to have stayed home. It wasn't because I was frustrated with the bad play or was not having fun, I just could not have cared less to be on the course. I was not "into it" at all, I was ambivalent to be golfing. I think the main driver is frustration with my club. Three guys in my Saturday group, all regulars, are resigning their memberships. Our Saturday group is roughly 15 people, including those that play every few weeks. So roughly 20-25% of the group is leaving. We, as in wife and I, decided a few weeks ago to look in to moving to a different city. Initial golf course research has been underway, so we've narrowed down potential areas. We're just waiting for a house we like to hit the market. This has led to most talk within the golf group to be about other courses, who's leaving and to where, etc. Not a good atmosphere for me to be focused on playing well. My mind is elsewhere...

 

I did get out to practice a few times last week and it went well. It's still not transferring to the course though. Short game is still a great example, I can chip decently on the practice green but blade them on the course. I'm not sure what I'll be able to do for practice this week with the weather and work. I will say that I'm still seeing positives even if the scores suck and I'm sure if I gave a crap on Saturday I would have saved a few strokes. 

Good luck with the new adventure. 

[bortass]

22 hours ago, PNWGuy said:

Just a random thought...  When you tee it up on the first hole, do you have any expectations about your round?  If so, what are they?

 

Once again, thanks for posting this much about your game.
 

 

You're welcome.

 

I really don't have much when it comes to expectations when I tee off on #1. I may go in feeling good about my game because of recent rounds or what I saw on the range. Sometimes, I'm more neutral because of issues/poor rounds. I rarely go in all excited with expectations of a real good score. I have found that lower expectations seems to help me not get frustrated when things go sideways. I try to not think about my score when I'm playing but I know roughly how well I'm doing, so I'm rarely surprised when I see the end result. 

 

My mindset is to try to play the best I can and still have fun. I am not trying to grind hard out there to try to squeeze blood from a rock. I'm trying to play within my game and doing the best I can without forcing anything. I am fine playing for bogey if I have a bad shot or even triple if I send my tee shot OOB, though I'm hoping to manage a double instead. I take my medicine and have adopted more of an 'it is what it is' attitude when I do have a bad shot instead of getting mad at myself or tinkering with my swing to try and 'fix' it on the course.

 

My last round is an major exception though. I was not focused at all. I had some chips with my putter that were 'what the heck are you looking at?" because the line was off by 4+ feet. I think that's what started to clue me in that I had mentally checked out of the round. I would have been fine to be doing anything else but golf that day. I went into screw it mode on #11, dog leg left) and tried to hit driver to carry trees on the left side to give me a pitch into the green instead of my normal 7w someplace into the fairway that would give me anything from a 9i-5i in depending on how far right the tee shot went. I pulled my first ball into the left trees and just reteed, instead of taking a hazard drop, and I pushed my second shot far enough right that I wasn't about to try to reach the green. It turned into a blowup and that was the likely result once I decided to try to hit a shot a scratch golfer could pull off( but would probably be smart enough to not even try).

 

8 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

Good luck with the new adventure. 

 

Thanks. It'll probably take a while. The good news is it'll be on our own timetable, we'll just be getting things ready while waiting for the right house to come on the market in one of the areas we're interested in. 

[bortass]

Sometimes stepping back and thinking can help. Weather and work kept me from practicing all of last week. I also was not focused on anything golf related in my spare time outside of checking on a couple threads like @betarhoalphadelta's. The exception was reflecting on something that was bothering me. Post clinic I went out and shot a ninety before I worked on anything, Frame of reference my average score for the last twenty rounds is in the ninety-seven to ninety-eight range, lol. Outside of that there was nothing great and my push fade miss started to show back up even though I was practicing. I felt like I was where I was pre-clinic.

 

I am well aware that improvement is not linear and takes time and effort. By no means did I think I was 'cured' of poor swings after I shot that ninety. I want to get that part out of the way because I get that us amateurs expect to improve faster than is realistic. It just didn't feel right with how things were going. A feel Monte gave me was pretty simple, feel like I'm trying to throw a head cover high over my left shoulder the corner of the room. He actually had me do it with a headcover and it really got my arms moving in a better way. My good round post clinic was the day after I got home from it. That feel was fresh in my mind and the ball striking was better than pre-clinic. 

 

I played two rounds over the weekend and did my best to replicate that feel. The results were great!

 

Saturday, I shot a forty-one/forty-six, eighty-seven. One birdie, seven pars, five bogeys, four doubles, and a triple. I was +9 on four of the last five holes. I started to have consistent swing issues after my tee shot on #14, though I did par #15. The late struggles were no surprise because I was trying to do something new but over all it worked well and I was getting putts to drop.

 

Sunday, wasn't as pretty, rained fairly good overnight and the course was soft and wet. I shot a forty-eight/forty-nine, ninety-seven but I need to add context because bad shots(one exception) didn't hurt me until #9.

 

I started off with a double bogey because I missed my approach shot and my ball was under trees and on soft mud. I wanted to punch out a strong chip with my seven iron and all i did was smash it into the mud. I tried again and got the ball on the green about nine feet from the hole. My bogey putt barely missed and I had a three inch tap in for double.

 

#2, I hit my eight iron, 130 club, near perfectly.  A high draw, 140 yards over the green. Bogey.

 

#3 miss a two foot par putt burning the lip.

#4 miss a four foot par putt the same was as #3. 

#5 "easy par" on the #5 HCP hole.

#6 block my approach shot right of the green and hit the chip I wanted but too hard, flag was on the left, and it just barely rolls off. Chip to a foot and get a bogey.

#7 two putt par from thirty feet after I hit my partial PW 114 yards instead of the normal 100...

#8, par three, and I card a double. My aim was off and I  nuked my seven iron, high draw, 163 yards, into a hazard. Great contact and ball flight. 

#9, take an X and card a seven. Got greedy with my approach after an okay tee shot left me in questionable position and hit it in the pond. I drop and have a partial SW into the green and I dig the club under the ball through a bunch of soft ground, into the pond it goes. Drop again and same thing.

 

I blow up on the back.

#10 Quad with no penalties. Pulled tee shot and forced to lay-up. My pitch to the green is shanked and it's just a mess overall.

#11 escape with a double after pulling my tee shot into the left trees and hitting my second shot into the stream fronting the green.

#12 Bogey after a bad tee shot left me out of range of the green

#13 par three, miss the green left and it's a front right pin. Two Chips to get to three feet. Three putt for a triple...

#14, par five. Solid tee shot and second shot. Six iron into the green and I hit it a bit fat with an open face into the pond, leads to a double.

#15 'easy' par after I miss a seven foot birdie putt.

#16 par three. Stick my eight iron to six feet and make the birdie putt.

#17  'easy' par.

#18 par five, block tee shot into right trees, drop, and layup okay. Top my seven iron twenty yards, but short of the stream. Top my four wood, somehow over the stream, sixty yards. Get one with a partial PW and two putt from thirty-three feet for a triple.

 

Realistically, I should have been closer to a ninety-four just because of the missed short putts and the ones that just didn't want to drop. I was a bit frustrated at times with the mishits but still managed to not mail in the entire round. I kept at trying to hit the next shot better with obviously mixed results, lol.

 

My index is still hard capped at 19.4. It should be 21.6 based on the eight differentials currently being used, so even that 87, which is a differential of 16.8 can't dent things. I know it'll take some real solid golf over multiple rounds to get it going down again.

 

The positive is I am back to feeling good about things. It's not perfect but it's what I expect. Some better golf with a fair dose of bad golf as I try to get my arms more involved. I need to stick with that feel from the clinic and ride it through the desert like a horse with no name.

 

I do expect to make it to the range this week and vacation next week(starting this Friday) which should lead to a lot of golf and less practice.

 

Edited May 20 by bortass

[skim4]

12 minutes ago, bortass said:

#13 par three, miss the green left and it's a front right pin. Chip to three feet. Three putt for a triple...

Would this not be a double? 

 

14 minutes ago, bortass said:

#16 par three. Stick my eight iron to six feet and make the birdie putt.

Dope.

[bortass]

1 hour ago, skim4 said:

Would this not be a double? 

I forgot to add the first chip rolled into the fringe past the hole.

[betarhoalphadelta]

Nice 87! 

 

I'm taking the week off practicing. Didn't want to bring my clubs on the flight... 😂

 

 

We'll get home Saturday morning and I'm planning to play both Sunday and Monday though...

[bortass]

3 hours ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

Nice 87! 

 

I'm taking the week off practicing. Didn't want to bring my clubs on the flight... 😂

 

 

We'll get home Saturday morning and I'm planning to play both Sunday and Monday though...

Looks awesome! Hope you have a great time!

[bortass]

Vacation has begun and I got in eighteen this morning with the second tee time. It took about 2:35 even with waiting on a threesome from #13 onwards. They had the first tee time and had teed off at least thirty minutes early since I saw them on #2 when I was heading to the clubhouse. They never let me through but they did play fast and managed to play eighteen in about three hours. So I am not about to complain about being 'stuck' behind them with an open course in front of them.

 

I played the forward tees since I was by myself which meant I used five iron on three par fours replacing my driver twice and seven wood once. I did not hit the ball well. The front nine felt like a series of mishits, well it was, so I shouldn't say felt like. I shot an even fifty on the front with my 'blow ups' being five double bogeys. The other four holes were all bogeys.

 

I started the back nine with a penalty less triple on #10. I played the last eight holes at +4 with four pars and four bogeys. Ball striking improved a little but I still was not hitting it great.

 

A 50/43, 93. I can't complain given my lack of ball striking. What made the biggest difference is I had only one penalty with my second shot on a par five. Ugly and in-play gives me a chance, lol. My short game was solid even though I struggled out of bunkers. My chips with the SW were pretty good and I almost holed two of them. One caught the lip and the other just missed the side of the cup. Overall it was much improved. Approaches left a lot to be desired. I only had two GIR and both led to bogeys when I three putted both times.

 

I am taking this round as another positive though. I never expected to shoot a 43 on the back with a triple. I just need to put two of these sub 45 nine hole scores together for a full 18, lol. Things are better out there albeit very ugly at times which is what I expect to be the case until I get better at this new change and things settle in a bit.

 

birdies: 0

pars: 4

bogeys: 8

double bogeys: 5

triple+: 1

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 195 yards

Longest drive: 244 yards

Fairways: 7/14

GIR: 2/18

Avg Approach: 107 yards

Up & down: 5/16

Putts: 34

 

Strokes gained compared to a 10 HCP. 

Overall: -12.2 strokes

driving:+0.1, no penalties off the tee for a change even if I was distance and directionally challenged.

Approach: -9.5, worst part of my game normally and it's tied for the best part, even with the penalty on #18.

Short game: +0.0, My good chipping was offset by my lackluster sand game, lol.

Putting: -2.9, better than normal

[bortass]

Saturday was a washout. Thunderstorm hit and I bailed part way through #4.

 

Sunday was decent though. A 45/47, 92 but there was a triple on the front and a quad and two doubles on the back. The back also had six penalties. I hit my 4w very short and into a hazard on 10 and then hit it OOB on 12. I hit my driver into a hazard on 17 and 18 had two separate penalties when I hit irons into the stream and then pond. I did manage 8 GIRS and overall played decent. I was a bit bummed because I missed a couple very short putts in the two foot range. I posted a 91 which actually dropped my index to 19.2. I am finally moving off the hard cap!

 

I was planning to play 18 early this morning with one of the guys but thunderstorms rolled in. We delayed things a few hours and had to play the back nine twice because the front was closed. There's a tunnel under a busy road to get to #2 - #8 and it had flooded. I don't feel like I played great but solid instead. I still had a quad and a triple, both on the same hole, but shot a 45/45, 90. I posted manually per the rules in this situation, an 89 because the quad was over NDB. It looks like this will drop my index to 18.X.

 

Things seem to be heading in the right direction and I';; be playing the sister course tomorrow with the seniors.

[bortass]

Tuesday was a shortened disaster. Real bad allergies hit me out of the blue and I quit after 12 holes. My nose wouldn't stop running and was a gusher a few times while I was standing over the ball. I did post the round but it didn't matter to my index because I played so poorly. 

 

My wife found some good allergy meds we had and it worked wonders. I got out this morning and felt completely fine. I played the forward tees solo, so can't post it. I shot a 48/47, 95. It was another building round IMO. I hit some great shots and had some solid holes. I also had some miscues that hurt per usual, 5 penalties off the tee didn't help.

• OOB drive led to a triple 
• Miss the green long and left with my approach, three chips and two putts later I have a triple.
• Pushed 4w off the tee led to a drop and a series of mishits ensued for a triple.
• Nuked 5i on a par 4 through the corner and into a hazard, led to bogey.
• Pushed second shot way right on a par five into a pond and led to a bogey
• Pulled drive into left hazard and ensuing pitching issues led to a triple
• Pushed layup on a par 5 into a pond led to a bogey after I holed out my chip.

 

On the plus side:

• Got a par on all four par threes.
• Partial wedges are starting to go long on me, not sure why but I am not hitting them thin. My guess is just a more solid swing and contact.
• 11 holes were either GIR or n(ear)GIR. Five holes had penalties that didn't allow me to manage GIR/nGIR even though I tended to get the approach shot near the green. BTW nGIR shots were within a couple yards of the green, so they were pretty close for my skill level.
• Dropped a few shots via brain farts. I count this as a positive because it wasn't a swing issue. Misread some putts and tried to chip with my putter through some very wet rough and that was a mistake, lol.
• I feel pretty confident even with the miscues.

 

I will be playing my home course tomorrow morning with the seniors. Hopefully allergies are still under control. Gotta love vacation golf, cuts into practice time but it's worth it 😉 

 

 

 

[bortass]

Whelp, I should say I'm a bit bummed with today's round but that'd be a lie. I shot a 46/44, 90 from the whites. This may drop my index a little overnight. It was almost feast or famine out there. The men's group I played with does a shotgun start and #17 was my first hole. I only had one bogey in the first fourteen holes I played. It was either a par or a double+. I did bogey the last three holes though.

 

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. Solid push fade with my driver, 223, into the right rough. Eight iron in and I hit it solid but a pull to miss the green left. This green has a pretty severe left to right slope and the hole was cut near the base of a tier.  I hit a great chip with sand wedge to inside a foot and opened with a par.

 

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... Slice my drive into the right trees. it started at the left rough and curved way right. I drop and hit a solid layup short of the stream. I was in seven wood range of the green but need to carry the stream and pond. I went for it because we play a points/skins game, so total score doesn't matter. I hit a great looking shot onto the front of the green. It's a thirty foot par putt, up a tier, and i misread it and leave the ball pin high, four feet right of the cup. I miss and end up with a double.

 

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. I never see my drive but find it in the fairway of #9, so i hit a 227 yard push fade. I hit a low five iron up by the green and chip from pine straw to eight feet. get the par putt inside a foot and have my only bogey for the foreseeable future.

 

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. I'm on the tee box when I get a phone call. Turns out my golf cart needs new batteries, it 'broke down' on my on the way to the club to play Sunday, and I was given the options and prices. So that was on my mind, lol. Hit a very solid push with my seven iron and miss the green right.  Kinda flub my nine iron chip. Another chip gets me to eight feet and i two putt for double.

 

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. Push fade with my driver right down the right tree line and we hear it hit leaves. I find it, 186 yards, off the tee under the trees and I have to hit a low punch with my five iron to get back in play. the shot comes out quite well and it gives me a nine iron into the green. I hit a high draw at the flag, 128 yards, and a couple yards into the back rough. My 120 club went long on me. I chip with my sand wedge to a foot and walk away with a par.

 

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. Solid pull fade with driver, 225 yards, into the center of the fairway. I hit a high pitch with my sand wedge, 53 yards, to eight feet past the hole. Another par.

 

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. A real thin pull fade aka slice, with driver, 196 yards, but it's on the cart path which runs down the right side.  I take relief and hit a solid five iron from the rough, 161 yards, to give me a shot at the green. it's another five iron in and i hit it a touch thin and miss the green just to the right. I chip with my putter to two feet and make the par putt.

 

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. A decent, albeit thin, pull fade, 207 yards, into the middle of the fairway. I have a five iron in and miss hit it low and right, a worm burner. I hit my pitch fat and short. Blade my chip thirty nine feet past the cup. get the bogey putt inside a foot, double.

 

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. Top my driver, 38 yards. I didn't even reach the ladies tees. Top a my iron from the rough, 64 yards, and barely reached the fairway.  Hit a solid five iron, 182 yards, thanks to the slope, and short of the green. Hit a decent pitch just over the green and into the rough. Chip with my putter and the ball hits the flag and bounces behind the cup inside six inches. A double bogey.

 

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. Forward flag and I hit my eight iron. A decent shot and I'm just past pin high in the right rough. Chip with sand wedge and it's too firm and the ball rolls eight feet past the hole. I sink the par putt.

 

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. A solid drive, 229 yards, down the right side. I'm in the rough across the cart path and have some trees to deal with. I do have a clear view of the green and just need to keep the ball low. I go with Monte's 4Ls shot and keep it low. I blade it into the pond... I drop and my partial AW goes long and I'm in the back rough. I chip with my putter to six feet and miss the putt. Triple bogey.

 

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. A very solid draw with my four wood goes 215 and into the middle of the fairway. I have a downhill lie and it's a nine iron into the green. It's a low push but my ball is on. I have a forty-seven foot birdie putt and it's tracking at the hole and dies within a foot, par.

 

11 – par 4, 329 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. Bad high push with my seven wood into the right tree line. My ball drops in the rough eighty-eight yards off the tee box. I hit a solid layup with my seven iron onto a downslope. I have a sand wedge in and hit it a bit too softly. The ball clears the stream, lands on the far back and rolls back into the rocks that cover the banks of this section of the stream. I drop and chip to five feet. My putt lips out for a triple.

 

12 – par 4, 315 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. A pull hook with four wood into the left trees. I see my ball hit a tree and drop. It was 145 yard shot and I'm under trees, ball below my feet, and no shot at the green. I whack at it with my seven iron and it's a bit lackluster. the ball only goes 23 yards, but gets down into edge of the fairway and i can see the green. I go with my eight iron and hit a high draw right of the hole. I can't see the ball land since the green is elevated. We get up there and my ball is three feet to the right of the cup. I sink it for par.

 

13 – par 3, 123 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and left and long left. Tiered green as well. back left hole and i hit a high draw with my eight iron, 132 yards, and I'm pin high and thirteen feet right of the hole. I hit the birdie putt too softly and the ball dies a foot short, par.

 

14 – par 5, 543, straight hole, #4 HCP. Elevated tee shot to wide open fairway. Fairway slopes down left to right, water on the right closer to the green and fronting the entire green. terrible push fade heading OOB right but i hear it hit a tree. I find it and can get a club on it. I hack it out with my seven iron, about 100 yards, into the middle of the fairway. I can't reach the green and lay up with my five iron on a downhill lie. the ball comes out low and fades a touch, 181 yards, to the right side of the fairway. I'm inside partial sand wedge range, so try to take some off. I do okay but the ball still goes over the flag and into the back rough. I chip with my putter to three feet and come away with my first bogey since #1.

 

15 – par 4, 264 yards, straight, #16 HCP. Elevated tee shot to a fairway that is always soft and cart path only year round. Fairway bunkers on left side in line with the green. Bunker surround this green except for the left side. Another terrible push fade into the right trees, 178 yards. I find the ball in bounds and kinda have a shot at the green. I'm near a mature tree trunk and have to cut off my follow through. Left foot on a large rock and I hit a low punch with my seven iron. It comes out okay and goes eighty-five yards and into the fairway, short of the green. I have a long chip with my sand wedge and hit it too firm. My ball stops in the back rough about eighteen feet past the hole. I chip with my putter to two feet and come away with a bogey.

 

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. Strong wind in my face and I hit a decent six iron. A high fade that comes up just short of the green. I have about fifteen feet to reach the hole and chip with my putter. it's poor speed and line, I miss low and four feet long. My par putt stops on the edge of the cup for a bogey.

 

I got lucky to score as well as I did. I had no business getting a par on #12 after that tee shot into the left trees. I am bummed by the sequence of shots on #6 and #7 when i hit five bad shots in a row. Gotta love topping a drive, eighty something yards. Overall I'm happy with things. My irons were decent to very good for most of the round. I scrambled a fair bit but somehow pulled it off. It really helps my confidence even if there still are major issues with losing tee shots to the right and struggling with my woods. I feel like things are trending in the right direction though. I guess I'll see as I keep playing.

 

I have a round in the morning at the sister course. I'll be playing solo unless someone happens to have booked one of the open slots, so it'll be another non-postable score but I'm curious to see how things go.

 

birdies: 0

pars: 8

bogeys: 4

double bogeys: 4

triple+: 2

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 182 yards, lol

Longest drive: 229 yards

Fairways: 6/14

GIR: 3/18

Avg Approach: 123 yards

Up & down: 6/13

Putts: 29

 

Strokes gained compared to a 10 HCP. 

Overall: -7.3 strokes

driving: -6.1, I lost 1.7 to distance, 2.4 to accuracy, and 2.0 to penalties, so everything was just off.

Approach: -3.3

Short game: +3.5

Putting: -1.4