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

[SNIPERBBB]

Probably meant a stock shot.

[bortass]

Well it took a bit to find this thread again...

 

So I was kinda productive during our forum free time. I hit the range twice. I worked mostly with either an 8i or 9i. I did toss in a couple driver shots just to see. I know two main swing flaws thanks to my lesson, I flip and have early extension. No shocks based on my mishits. if you listen to what Monte has said in various videos on the subject EE isn't a swing fault. It's the only way you can hit the ball because of something you did wrong earlier. So I revisited his Efficient Swing series from the beginning. First day I just did the drill(s) for the takeaway to club parallel. I  wasn't too far off with my normal swing, so this is pretty much all set. Second day I did the drills for left arm parallel. The drill I did the second day is all about getting the rotation correct. Feeling the weight move to left toes and right heel. Both sessions went well and I plan to keep with it. I will keep working on the drills from the second segment because the rotation isn't set with me yet. 

 

I played a quick 9 Thursday and it was a mixed bag. The only thing worth mentioning was my tee shots on #1. My first was the normal fade that goes near the right trees. The course was punched Monday, so it's empty out there. I hit another drive and it was a pull draw. What caught my eye/brain was the fad was 212ish and the draw was about 242.... Hmmmm.... Greens aren't healed yet and the round itself isn't worth talking about.

 

Played 18 Saturday on a course I have played once before and it has a lot of water... Drive on #1 pull draw.... #2 fade,  #3 fade,  #4 draw,  #6 pull draw,  I'm skipping #7 for now. #9 pop up draw, #10 pull with 7w. #11 draw within 30 yards of the green. #12 pull with 7w. #14 draw, #15 draw within 20 yards of the green, #18 drive of the day, draw down the middle on a level hole with water all down the right side, draw 259 yards....

 

My driver turned into a draw machine and I hit the ball real close on two shorter holes. #7 is a par 5 with water. I hit a solid draw with my 4w down the left side and we never found it. It went into the large pond, I dropped 212 yards off the tee. My second shot was a 4w across the pond just left of the green, 177 yards and very dry through the fairway by the green. Left me a 50 yard shot in which I screwed up. Lol.

 

My score wasn't great, 95. Short game and putting bit. My worst hole was the triple on #7 because I put two different balls in the water. I made a lot of bogeys though, so not great but not a disaster either. Ball striking seemed much better.

 

The M565s are an adjustment and I don't know my yardages. I hitting partial PW shots further than before. Thursday's round had me hit a 163 yard 7i on #8 which is the elevated tee par 3. I am hitting it further is all i know, lol.

 

So no breakthrough but I feel real good about my driver turning back into a draw versus fade.

Edited August 18, 2020 by bortass

[bortass]

I was in a bit of a rush last night and forgot a couple of things.

 

I hit a 'new' shot on #2. I put my drive into a fairway bunker. I struggle with these and looked up how to hit them. take more club and grip down a half inch and use an armsy swing. I was 150 from the green and took my 4i, made the adjustment, and swung. It was a decent push draw that missed right. The ball landed on a the hill the greens on a bit right of the green and a little short and it then rolled down the hill part ways. So the shot went 144 yards based on where the ball ended up. I was quite happy with the result. My normal fairway bunker shot might go 30 yards...

 

My iron distances, of note, from Saturday. With the blades a partial PW was a 70 yard shot for me. I used my 7i for about 130, so 120 8i and 110 9i. 

#3 had a partial PW go 92 yards over the green.

#5 par 3, I hit a high draw with my 8i 127 to 9 feet.

#6 partial PW went 89 yards over the green into a bunker.

#9 full PW, high draw, went 111 yards or so.

#10 mishit PW, high draw, went 104 yards.

#12 9i, high draw,  117 yards to an uphill green.

#13 par 3, elevated green, 6i, high draw, 143 yards and missed left.

#16 is a par three and the tee shot is either level or partially elevated. I hit a high draw with my 9i 124 yards over the green

#17 4i from the fairway, 175 yards. Followed by a partial PW that went 89 yards and landed on the green.

[Chip Duffer]

It looks like your irons are producing much better now Bortass. Congratulations on your newfound distance. Those numbers are looking pretty darn solid.

[bortass]

On 8/18/2020 at 3:16 PM, Twin2L said:

It looks like your irons are producing much better now Bortass. Congratulations on your newfound distance. Those numbers are looking pretty darn solid.

  I agree. I should not have been stubborn and playing the blades just because i wanted to. I'll keep them for later because I do love using them. I'll need to see a club fitter to make sure I have the correct shafts in them before I do though.

 

Side note - it's nice to have the old reply format back. I rarely used reply with the previous software because it looked like crap and wasn't user friendly.

 

I made it to the range once last week and it wasn't real good and not as focused as it could be Tuesday afternoon. Found out Tuesday evening my father had terminal cancer and he passed Thursday night. This was out of left field. He had back pain and got cat scan results on a Friday regarding how they planned to treat it. I get a call Saturday saying they found a tumor but they don't know how bad. Tuesday evening we're told it's terminal after they do that round of tests . My brother calls me Thursday morning to tell me the hospice nurses think it's going to be days. I book a flight to try to see him and later that night he's gone. We're all in shock since it was so out of left field and how fast it was. The positive is he didn't suffer long and that's worth a lot.

 

So golf may be a bit scattered in the near term but I'll be getting out there as I can since life goes on and the quiet time on the course will probably be good for me.

 

 To dad - ?

 

[Chip Duffer]

Bortass, I pray that the Grace and Mercy of our Lord be with you and yours as you move through this time. I also pray that your father has his reward and that we thank the Lord for the mercy he afforded him in not having suffered long. Amen

[bortass]

@Twin2L Thanks for the thoughts. I appreciate them. I was torn about saying anything since it's a golf forum and this isn't related. I dunno, I just had to say something,  /shrug.

 

Back to golf - Right now I plan to play Saturday morning and I am hoping to get in 9 before then.

 

I finished Every Shot Counts on the flight back Sunday. There are some games in the back designed to help practice the key things that they found make a difference with the strokes gained data. They look fairly straight forward and I may try them someday but I'm not sure. I say that not because I see anything wrong/bad with them, just in that I know myself and I dunno if I will try them or not. The biggest takeaway to me is that the area that has the biggest impact on scores are approach shots and closer is always better. This was a thought process I had many years ago when trying to break 100 and the three irons to the green/layup strategy was mentioned or I read it in books. I felt the closer I get the better since I could mess up a shot of any distance, lol. End of the day, the book was worth the read and I would recommend it.

 

I also just got Monte's new video No Turn- Cast I think it's called. There's been some chatter here about it and I really think he does a good job explaining things. So I am ver confident that it's high quality and will make sense. I have yet to start watching it but I plan to shortly. I'm sure i will comment on it more after I watch it and see what I leverage.

 

As always, have a good one!

[berndgeurts]

Thoughts are with you and your family.

Maybe golf can act as a distraction. Good luck with the drills. Let's hope they will give you more consistency in your swing.

[bortass]

On 8/26/2020 at 12:45 PM, berndgeurts said:

Thoughts are with you and your family.

Maybe golf can act as a distraction. Good luck with the drills. Let's hope they will give you more consistency in your swing.

 

Thanks.

 

I got in 9 today. The course is wet from all the rain lately. It's been hasn't rained in over 36 hours and there's puddles in some fairways and bunkers. I could see my footsteps in places because of all the moisture in the grass. I'd say it was in the mid to upper 80s, sunny with a nice breeze. Overall a pleasant golf day. I played the white tees and warm-up was just my orange whip. It's been 12 days since I last played and it showed.

 

I shot a 47 with a triple bogey 8 on #5. I teed off with my 4w and things didn't feel right. I hit a high popup into some bushes and trees by the cart path. I hit a decent provisional and never found my first ball. I did manage to par two par 4s. Everything else was bogey golf except two doubles. I had a good time and that's all that matters to me at the moment.

 

My driver felt good. I kept it in play but didn't have great distance with it. Arccos has changed their app. Based on my performance my driving was like a 30 HCP, approaches 18, short game 26, and putting like an 8. None of that is new. they added Strokes gained stats for comparison. So I lost 10.8 strokes compared to a 0 HCP. I lost 4.1 driving, 3.7 on my approaches, 2 with my short game and only 1.1 with my putting.

 

What the app says helped me this round:

I gained 0.5 strokes with approach shots between 50-100 yards.

I gained 0.1 strokes for putts between 0-10 feet

I gained 0.1 on chips from 0-25 yards.

 

What hurt me:

I lost 2.9 strokes on my shots from the fairway. It was soft and i chunked a few....

I lost 2.2 strokes on my 150-200 yard approaches. No surprise since i'm not good at those.

I lost 2.0 strokes on driving accuracy because of penalties. This is the 4W skyball that went maybe 90 yards and I lost...

 

The part that makes me LOL. You can get a bit more detail and my driving summary says "Of your 7 drives on all par 4s and 5s (with any club), your average distance is 187. 0 handicaps average 259." I guess I suck ? lol. This is good info though. I'll have to see what else the new app says. This is cool!

[bortass]

I watched all of Monte's NTC video Friday. I like what I saw and it make sense and ties into what my lesson had with the motorcycle move AKA cast to 8. I putzed around with it on the range before teeing off Saturday. It was so so but I did some of my 'normal' swings and they were decent.

 

The round was a disaster with a few bright spots. It was very frustrating score wise but I mostly kept my cool. All aspects of my game had issues, so I can't just say my driving sucked though Arccos is saying my approach game is where the biggest issue is. I played the white tees and the course is still wet from all of the rain the last week, so the ball is not rolling as much.

 

1 - straight par 4, I hit a decent true fade down the right side, 220 yards, into the fairway with my driver. Off to a good start. The flag is front right behind a bunker and I'm 180ish out. I aim towards the left side of the green since there's no bunker on that side and mishit my 4w. It goes straight down my target line a few feet off the ground about 104 yards into the middle of the fairway. Bleh. I figure i'm looking at a 70ish yard shot to the flag and I still have the bunker to deal with. I hit a partial PW and it comes out good. I can't see where it lands since the green is slightly elevated from the fairway. I think I'm in decent shape though. I get to the green and the ball is in the back rough... My partial PW went 84 yards. I have a lackluster chip with my putter and then two putt from 12 feet for a double bogey 6.

 

2 - par 3, I decide to use my 8i since the flag is front left and I feel like I'm hitting the 565s longer.  It's a high push off the toe that goes 114 yards into the right front bunker. I have plenty of green to work with. I launch the ball out of the bunker, over the flag and off the green by at least 20 feet... I chip to 10 feet and two putt for a double bogey 5.

 

3 - par 5, dogleg right. I'm not happy with the first two holes but it's early. I aim a touch right with my driver to carry a small spine of the hill. It's a pretty normal shot and I've taken this line a number of times before. I blade my driver right down the target line. It is on;y a few feet off the ground when it gets to the spine. There are flowery plants that grow 3 feet high in there like you would see in a field and long grass. No bushes, or anything with a woody stem. We never find the ball. It was moving fast enough i had hoped it would go through the grass and flowers in the air and be in the fairway near the cart path. No dice. I drop a ball and hit an okay 4w 160 yards to the left side of the fairway. I then mishit my 7i to the right and into a bunker. So i'm front right bunker and the flag is back left. Plenty of green to work with and I send this ball off the green again...My chip doesn't reach the green and I just pick up. Likely score is a 9 or 10. So I write down a 9 next to my X.

 

I have no clue what's going on but this is bad.

 

4 - shorter par 4 and based on Every Shot Counts I decide to hit my driver. It's a decent fade down the right side, 212 yards, into the right rough. My ball is on a slight slope and above my feet. The flag is front and about 60ish yards. I hit a partial GW. The ball comes out nice and high and lands on the green, 75 yards... So I have a GIR but I'm 33 feet from the hole. It's a downhill putt and I've been short on my putts today and my previous round. So i send the ball 9 feet past the hole... So a three putt bogey.

 

That's better but it's a wasted GIR. So I'm still not feeling good about things.

 

5 - par 5, dogleg right. I tee off with my 4w and I'm super steep. I left a divot where my tee was with a wood that looked like what an iron would do if you dig the clubhead some. It's a pop up push that goes 125 yards, clears the ladies tees by maybe 20 yards and is in the fairway. I whack my 4w again and it's decent, 169 yards into the fairway by the corner. I'm 180 out and don't want to hit my 4w since it gets narrow and there's a small stream fronting the green on the left. I layup with a 159 yard 4i.  I'm in pitch range. The flag is left front and I use my niblick.  I shank the ball or leave the face wide open. The ball goes well right somewhere between 45 and 90* right of my target line.  I pitch again to 12 feet and my bogey putt stops 3 inches from the hole. So another double.

 

Mentally I am not feeling good about things.

 

6 - par 4, I hit my driver thin, 159 yards into the fairway. I'm about 200 from center and wait for the green to clear, just in case. I hit my 4W and it's a high push that goes 159 yards and ends up on the slope that's to the right of the green where the cart path is. I hit a partial GW that goes 80 yards and over the green into the rough.... I pitch/chip to 13 feet and 3 putt for a 7.

 

I've had it and decide to try to do the NTC swing as best I can. It won't hurt anything since my game has be garbage up to now. 

 

7 - par 4, elevated tee box and a wide fairway. It's why I picked this hole to start the experiment. I hit my driver and it's a high fade into the wind, 210 yards ( not much roll), into the fairway on the right. The flag is left back and It's 140 something to the back. I decide to hit my 7i using NTC. It's a low draw that carries the green and back bunker, 157 yards into the trees... I find my ball and have a clear shot because I'm near an irrigation control box. I punch my GW and catch a rock the size of a brick I didn't see buried, so the ball doesn't reach the green. No damage to me or the club except for some new nicks in the leading edge. I chip again and flub it short of the green. Use my putter to chip to 5 feet and sink the putt for double bogey 6.

 

Score sucked but the drive was good and the 7i was a surprise.

 

8 - par 3, elevated tee shot, flag is barely on the front. I decide to hit 9i. It's a high push into the right trees... I put an X on my card as we head to the green. Another guy hit his ball into the right slope like me. So I grab some clubs and go help look for his ball. I wander up to where I think my ball is and sure enough I find it between two trees. My 9i went 127 yards and the ball was higher than the tee box, so I didn't get help with the distance because of the elevation. I have a clear shot at the green and I pitch the ball onto the green with the SW to 7 feet. I sink the putt for a par.

 

So I'm glad I didn't fully write this hole off. After the tee shot and the fact balls get lost on the right slope made me not want to bother. 

 

9 - par 4 with a pond on the left as you get closer to the green. I completely mishit my 4w again, nice and steep. it's a dead right pop up that goes 64 yards... I punch a 4i, 166, into the fairway by the pond. Flag is back left and I have to carry the pond. GPS says 140ish to the back so I hit my 6i. It's a low draw that lands on the green and rolls into the back fringe on the left side. I'm on  a mound at the back of the green and use my putter. I leave it 6 feet short and two putt for a double bogey 6.

 

10 - par 4 dogleg left, elevated tee shot. I stay with driver and hit a solid shot 221 into the fairway on the right side aka at the outer edge of the corner. The green is above me and I hit my 6i.  It's a low pull draw over the back of the green into some bushes. I mishit this one... A travesty unfolds and I end up carding an 8....

 

11 - par 4, dogleg left with a forced carry over a stream, short of the green.  The tee shot is slightly elevated and I hit my 7w. It it a very nice looking draw, 185 into the middle of the fairway.  The flag is right front and I'm above the green with a stream in between. I think I execute the NTC swing pretty good with my 7i and I get good looking draw, lower than I'm used too but higher then a thinned shot.  The ball lands on the back of the green, 154 yards. Well I didn't expect that distance.... I'm 59 feet from the hole and two putt for my second par.

 

That hole felt good! The 7w and 7i both were solid draws with a decent looking ball flight. I think I did better with the NTC swing.

 

12 - par 4, dogleg left. I tee off with my 4w and hit a solid draw, 201 yards, into the center of the fairway. The flag is middle and the green is elevated. I hit my 9i and it's a draw that lands to the right of the flag. I get to the green and I'm 9 feet from the hole. I make the birdie putt!

 

13 -par 3, flag is left back. I mishit my 8i and it's a low pull that goes 11 yards and stops short of the left front bunker. I pitch over the bunker to 5 feet and two putt for bogey.

 

14 - par 5, elevated tee shot with water on the right as you get near the green.  I hit a solid fade, 227 to the right side of the fairway. I'm in a spot where i don't want to hit a wood, so I aim left with my 4i and punch it 160 into the fairway. I follow it up with a slight pull of my 6i that goes 151 into a bunker behind the green.I have green to work with but the pond is behind the flag. So it takes me two shots to barely get out and I 3 putt from 42 feet....Triple bogey 7.

 

15 - short par 4, I snap hook driver into the left trees. It's cart path only on this hole and the path is on the right. GPS read close to 200 yards, so I just grab my 4i. I walk across the hole and no ball, so I drop. Look at my GPS and it reads 130.... So I choke down a punch my 4i. It goes 119 and ends up in the front left bunker. I hit the ball out of the bunker to 9 feet and two putt for a triple bogey 7.

 

16 - par 3. I'm feeling pretty good about my teeshot with 6i. The flag is right front and I have a club that will reach. I blade the ball into the stream that's short of the green. I drop and it's thick rough and my ball sits down in it.  I swing hard with the niblick and I get the ball airborne, over the stream, into the bunker, 29 yard shot... I hit the ball out of the sand to 7 feet and two putt for another triple bogey, 6.

 

17 - par 4. I hit a high fade with driver that lands in a FW bunker, 211 yards. I try to use my 4i to hit it out by choking down a bit and making an armsy swing. I hit the ball and it hits the front lip and pops out of the bunker about 10 yards. I mishit my 4i again, 121 yards, into the front right bunker by the green. Get out of the bunker and three putt from 30 feet for triple, 7.

 

18 - par 5 with a forced stream carry on an approach and a pond fronting the green.  I hit another fade with my driver, 212, into the fairway on the right. I use my GPS to see what it'll take to carry the stream and also go left away from the pond. My 4w looks good for the job and I hit a true slice right into the pond. I drop where it went in, 168 from prior spot, and it's about 70ish to the front of the green. I hit a partial PW 78 yards, to 4 feet! I can save bogey even with the pond ball. I miss by an inch or so. Oh well, I settle for a two putt bogey 6.

 

A smooth 54/52 106. I got off to a poor start and went to on course swing changes that seemed pretty decent when I executed it. The extra distance on the 7i was very interesting to me. I hope that holds up as I work on things and get the NTC down. I do expect my scores to settle down eventually. I have not had time to play or hit the range lately and the trend will continue. Travelling for the funeral that's later this week, so I don't know when I'll golf again. I expect it to be after Labor Day.

 

Have a good one.

 

 

 

 

[bortass]

Made it to the range today to work on Monte's NTC stuff. What a mixed bag it was. It's not a sudden magic OMG I'm striping it kind of thing, at least for me. The concepts are so simple but integrating it is the challenge. I am taking divots with almost every swing now. My main focus early on was the transition which is simply adding flex to the left knee.  It really helps with avoiding early extension but I feel bad that I'm chewing up strips of grass at the range. The 565s being CB are a decent size, so I leave quite the channel in the turf. Definitely not bacon strips....

 

I also did some work on the motorcycle move, which is part of his video, just with a different name. It wend okay. Sometimes I would do it smoothly and I'd have a real nice shot. Other times, so so much. It helps shallow the club though and did help with the divots a bit. I'm probably steep and may need to try to do some video at some point. 

 

Anyways, it was good to be able to get out for a little bit and swing a club again. The last few weeks have not been pleasant to say the least, so it was a good respite.

 

Cheers!

[Chip Duffer]

Good to have you back. 

 

The time away away should have given you an opportunity to begin again with a mind and body more open to change. II know sometimes when life requires my full attention and I am going absent from golf, I return with a renewed appreciation for this magical game. 

 

As as you are able, enjoy the moments that you are able to be fully present in your game, your swing and enjoy the beauty of the ball in the air.

[bortass]

@Twin2LThanks! It's good to be back and thinking about golf some. I am re-prioritizing a few things in my life but golf is still on the list.

 

I hit the range again Wednesday and kept at my NTC work via the drills. I don't know what to expect on the course when I actually play but I don't care. It will be a fun learning experience.

 

I read what I think is an excellent repost from @Obee in a thread about breaking 70. The post is here: Obee's Article for very good golfers. I like reading the thoughts of better golfers. I am unlikely to ever get there which is fine. But that doesn't mean the advice and thought process can't be helpful to a hacker like me. I recommend taking a look, even if you are a high capper like me.

[platgof]

Have you shortened your driver? I remember having a 43 1/2" driver that never missed a fairway, Cleveland 400. My driver now is 44 1/2 " and does great. I have shot three rounds recently in the low 40's, because of that driver. I am also playing shovels for irons, the Cobra F9's. I play what works best and these irons are in the bag for a reason. After I fixed the driver, the rest of the game is now coming along. On the back nine Saturday, I was 2 under after 5 holes, and then fell apart badly. I am going to have to find a way to not get so exhausted on the back nine! When I go to the range I always start out with the 7 iron. Once I get it dialed, then the 5 hybrid, and last the driver. I work on a toe shot with the driver, add some for a draw, and none for a fade. It works for me. Irons are always hit ball, hit ground, real simple. Fairway woods and hybrids, sweep down. The Toulon Columbus is not a fancy putter, but it works. I am getting better and better with it. I make sure I set the putter face and then the feet, so that the shoulders are in proper alignment. Right now I am playing my best golf ever, and I hope it keeps improving. 

[bortass]

I got my first round in since I started to actually work on NTC last week. I played 18, from the whites(just shy of 6000 yards). It was humid and pretty warm. I'd say upper 80s/low 90s. There was some wind to deal with as well but overall conditions were good. It did rain on us a couple of times and it definitely had an impact on a few holes.

 

1 - longer par 4 with an elevated teebox, maybe 10 yards, to a pretty flat fairway. I hit driver off the tee and it's a good looking fade that tarvels 214 yards and comes to rest in the fairway on the right side near the clump of trees. I'm just over 200 yards out, I think, and the flag is on the right side behind bunkers. I decide to hit 4w and aim more left away from the bunker and towards the middle of the green. I catch the ball nice and thin and it only gets a few feet off the ground and travels 122 yards down my target line. So much for following up a decent drive... I use the GPS and figure the flag is 70ish yards from me. Partial PW time. I hit it using what little I have from NTC and I launch it 89 yards over the green... Sweet! The ball is over the cart path that runds behind the green and near the bushes that line the stream that is back there. I take my niblick and pitch the ball 22 yards to 6 feet of the cup. I look it over and sink the putt for a bogey, 5.

 

2 - par 3, and the flag is front middle in between the two bunkers. There's some wind in my face and I hit 7i. It's a high shot that lands on the right side of the green, 139 yards. I'm 36 feet from the flagwith a right to left breaker. I hit the putt and come up 6 short but I sink the next one for par, 3.

 

3 - par 5 dogleg right, I aim a bit right to clear the little spine of the hill that's on the right side with my driver. I hit a solid push fade into a tree and it kicks out into the right rough, 159 yards off the tee. It would have been great if I had aimed for center of the fairway. I then top my 4w 64 yards further down the fairway. Off to a great start on this hole. I hit 4w again and it's a solid draw, 186 yards, into the left rough. From there I hit a partial GW 64 yards and just over the green. I use my putter for the chip and leave it 5 feet out and proceed to 2 putt for a double bogey 7. 

 

Well I felt good after the first two holes and the third was a does of reality.

 

4 - short par 4.  Based on Every Shot Counts, I hit driver. It's a solid fade down the right side 199 yards and lands in the right fairway bunker. I have a decent lie and the flag is front right. I'd say it was a 70 yard shot. I take my GW, choke down on it and swing hard. It's a push out of the bunker and thin travelling 116 yards and missing well right of the green. I go with a partial SW from the rough and the shot goes 49 yards, carrying the bunkers and landing on the green and it feed towards the hole. I'm 9 feet short and the par putt is 3 feet long. I make the next for bogey, 5.

 

5 - par 5, dogleg right. I tee it up for my 4w and it's a complete mishit. It's a pushed skyball that lands in a hazard to the right of the teeing area, i barely made it to the ladies tees.... I'm not gonna find the ball and and dropping where i went in is not going to save me anything since I'd have no shot. I take S&D penalty and retee. This time it's a draw down the left side 192 yards into the fairway. I mishit my 4w again thin and the ball does 158 yards into the fairway and just past the corner. I'm 160ish out and hit 4i. It's a pull hook, 151 yards, into the left trees near the green. The ball is under a bush and I have no swing. It's marked in red paint, so i drop and pitch onto the green, 37 yards, to 12 feet. My putt ends up about 18 inches out and I walk away with a 2 putt 9 thanks to the three penalty strokes.

 

Yup, that was a kick in the teeth.

 

6 - par 4, slight dogleg left. I thin my driver low and left 151 yards into the left rough. I look at my lie and it's real good. There's a fairway bunker maybe 20 yards in front of me I need to carry. I hit 4w and blade it. the ball hits the far lip of the bunker and pops out, 101 yards, but I'm now in the fairway on the left. The flag is left, behind a bunker and I have 100 yards or so. I mishit my PW off the toe right into the bunker. Sweet! I take my SW and do my normal square face swing and I hit the ball 23 yards. It comes out high, lands on the green and rolls three feet from the cup. I sink the putt for a bogey 5.

 

7 - par 4, elevated tee shot with a fairway sloping down most of the way. I have a tailwind and hit a nice high fade that hits the right slope and kicks hard into the fairway, 269 yards. Great drive for me to say the least. The flag is front right and my GPS says it's about 60ish yards. I hit a partial GW and do the NTC stuff and I launch the ball nice and high, 81 yards, onto the green but 33 feet past the cup. Based on my pitch mark the ball only released a few feet.... I hit my birdie putt and it stops a foot from the hole. So I have an easy par.

 

8 - par 3, elevated tee shot . The flag is mid right and playing about 130ish once the elevation is factored in. I hit my 8I and it's a well struck high shot that lands on the left mid side of the green, 151 yards, and 18 feet left and slightly above the hole. My birdie putt misses and I'm 2 feet from the cup and have another "easy" par.

 

9 par 4 - with a pond to the left as you get closer to the green. Based on my GPS I'd have to hit a pull about 220 to go in the pound. So I feel daring and hit driver. It's a solid high fade down the right side, 222 yards, and I end up in the rough on the right side of the cart path. I think i'm about 130ish and have to carry the pond and there's also a mature pine to my right. I could punch a 7i or hit my normal shot. I figure normal shot shouldn't get too high and go with it. Based on the sound of impact I hit the ball pure. it takes off strong and high right into the pine tree. the ball kicks left into the fairway 40 yards from where I hit it. I decide to hit PW and I launch the ball over the green into the back bunker, 111 yards. the green slopes away from me, has a tier with the flag on the lower tier, and a pond behind that... I'm not confident with my sand shot and I only advance the ball barely on the green. I'm on the wrong tier and roughly 34 feet from the cup. I hit my putt and it reaches the tier and feeds past the hole by about 9 feet. I am so awesome. I take another two to hole out for a 3 putt, triple bogey 7.

 

Well I'm making the turn with a 48 that is mostly made up of 2 7s and a 9.

 

10 - par 4, dogleg left with an elevated teeshot. I hit driver and it's a fade, shocking! The ball lands in the right rough and kicks into the trees. I find my ball on leaves and stuff. I have a clear path and swing area to try to chip out sideways with my PW. I whiff?Wow, I don't recall my last whiff. I try again and knock the ball out into the rough. I then top my 5i into the right trees about 50ish yards in front on me. Take a drop and I hit my PW 93 yards over the elevated green. I pitch to 24 feet. My first putt is 9 feet short. So it's a 3 putt 10. 

 

I am in disbelief. So much for a good back 9.

 

11 - par 4, dogleg left with a forced stream carry. It's an elevated tee shot and I hit my 7w. it's a bit of a pull and catches the slope, 201 yards, into some trees on the left. I find my ball and I'm dead. I have to go through the trunk of a tree to go at the green. I chip out sideways into the fairway with the niblick. The flag is front left and I settle on a partial SW over the stream. It's a high shot that carries the water and drops into the loose rocks that line the far bank. the ball richochets back and right, over the stream again to a spot that's 34 yards forward and well right of where i started. I hit another partial SW 50 yards and trough the left side of the green. I chip with the putter to 3 feet and make the putt for a double bogey 6.

 

12 - par 4, dogleg left. I hit 4w since driver could go through the fairway into the trees. it's a low draw, 187 yards, into the fairway. The green is elevated and I'm about 100 yards out. i hit my PW and it's a high mishit that goes 84 yards and lands short of the green. I hit a blind pitch with the niblick, 31 yards, and through the green, long. I use my putter from the fringe and leave it 6 feet short but make the bogey putt, 5.

 

13 - par 3 and the flag is back right, 130ish. I completely mishit my 8i, I may have shanked it. Itwas low, right, and curved almost 90 degrees and went no where. No sign of my ball... There's a large drain located where my ball went and the grate will let golf balls through it. I mishit it so bad, I put my ball someplace it's not expected to go about 40 yards from the tee box. You can't even see this drain off the tee. I take a free drop and hit a partial GW, 80 yards, over the green. Chip with the niblick and I send the ball 26 feet past the hole. So a two putt double bogey 5 on the easiest hole on the course.

 

My game is in shambles.

 

14 - par 5, elevated tee shot water right near the green. I hit a pull with driver192 yards into the left rough. I don't like 4w from this lie and go with 4i which I chunk about 86 yards. I then hit 4w from the fairway and mishit it 101 yards into the fairway. The flag is back right and over 150 so mi hit my 6i. I dub it 95 yards.... So I decide to hit a full GW. it's a high shot that goes through the green. I use my putter from the fringe and just miss the hole and end up 2 feet out. So I sink the putt for a double bogey 7.

 

15 - shorter par 4 with an elevated tee shot. I hit driver and it's a decent shot that goes 206 into the rough near a fairway bunker that's short of the green on the left side. I pitch the ball with the niblick, 44 yards, to 8 feet. My birdie putt misses and stops 3 inches from the hole. So I have a par, 4.

 

16 - par 3, flag is right and the green slopes that way. I hit my 7i and it's a mishit pull, 122 yards, to a slightly elevated green. I'm in the fringe short on the left side, so I have to go most of the green. I use the putter from the fringe and get the ball to 6 feet and two putt for a bogey 4.

 

17 - par 4, slight dogleg left. It's raining so I grip my driver tight. My swing feels completely wrong and I never see the ball. It was a mishit into the left side of the fairway about 156 yards. I mishit my 4w, 143 yards down the fairway. I pitch the ball 48 yards to 9 feet and two putt for a bogey 5.

 

18 - par 5 with a forced stream carry approach and a pond near the green. Use driver and it's another real nice fade, 233 yards, into the fairway.  I decide to hit my second shot over the stream instead of laying up. I top the 4w 74 yards into the left side of the fairway. My swing felt messed up. Guess I can try again, this time with my 6i. That gets bladed into the stream. Again the swing felt all wrong and it stays that way the rest of the hole. No clue what it was but the rain really messed me up for some reason. So I drop and top my 7w, 87 yards, across the stream and my partial SW is short of the green. Use the putter from the fringe to 3 feet and make the putt for a triple bogey 8.

 

54 on the back 9 for a nice 102 with a 10, 9, 8, and two 7s. I think I did okay most holes and just blew up. My index actually dropped some since I went over NDB on a couple holes.

 

NTC is making a difference already I think. My distances seem better with the irons and my driver was fairly good with a fade. Arccos has my strokes gained in the short game as +0.7. So I was supposedly better than scratch, the sand shots really helped I think.  My approaches were -17.9 though. They just sucked. I'll keep at it though.

 

I only had the two range sessions and nothing is grooved yet with NTC. I like what I see though. So bad score but I still see some positives. have a good one.

 

 

 

[bortass]

I got out for a quick 9 today. Wanted to get something it before the rain from Sally hits this area, if it does, later this week. It was overcast with 11 mph winds and some gusts hitting 20 MPH. I played the white tees and used the orange whip to loosen up preround. I did the moves from the NTC video with it and the weight of it really helped with the feelings.

 

1 - long par 4, the wind is blowing left to right on this hole. I aim for the left side of the fairway with my driver and hit this great looking draw, 238 yards, about a foot into the left rough. I really felt both casts from the NTC stuff with this swing. I'm 170ish from center and hit my 7w. I hit it pure. A high draw that lands on the back right of the green and rolls off, 199 yards... I look at the grass mark on the face of the 7w and it's dead center. Again, I really felt the NTC moves with the swing. I chip over the cart path and on the green with my niblick but leave it 21 feet short. I get the first putt to about a foot and have a 2 putt bogey, 5.

 

2 - par 3 into the wind. I hit 7i and it's a high push draw, 133 yards into the right rough. I chip the ball about 16 yards and am 8 feet short of the cup. I miss my putt low but it stops 6 inches from the hole, so a bogey 4.

 

3 - par 5, dogleg right into the wind. I hit another draw with the driver through the fairway and it rolls into the bushes... No sign of the ball and I drop in the left rough by a bunker. So my shot is listed as 221 yards but it went further.I take 4w from the rough and launch a high draw into the wind 218 yards if Arccos is accurate, lol. I'm about 40ish yards from the grreen and pitch with the niblick but don't commit to the shot. I don't swing hard enough and my high shot dies and lands in a bunker about 38 yards. Disaster ensues. I catch my bunker shot too clean and launch the ball about 40 yards into a back bunker. I try again and the ball comes out with a decent trajectory but again too hard and it ends up off the gree between two bunkers. I chip it to 17 feet and 2 putt for a smooth quad 9.

 

4 - shorter par 4 into the wind. I stay with driver and rip a high draw, 225 yards, into the fairway on the left. The flag is back and GPS says 80ish to the back. I'd rather be on the green below the hole than risk being over the green. I go with a partial GW and hit it 62 yards and 26 feet below the cup. My first putt stops a foot out and i have an easy par, 4.

 

5 - par 5 dogleg left. I hit a strong draw with the 4w, 193 yards into the fairway. I hit it again and it's another great draw that goes about 181 in to the face of the slope that's on the left side of the fairway past the corner, so i hit my shot almost directly into the face of it. So i didn't get any roll, etc. The ball is below my feet and I'm 150ish out. I decide on my 5i and top it about 40 yard, 90* right of my target line...I'm in the fairway but trees are an issue. I punch a 9i and it's a bit right but makes it through all the branches and it lands in the right rough almost hole high. I mess up my chip by aiming wrong. I didn't aim high enough above the hole and my chip lands on the correct tier but rolls down the tier, 33 feet below the cup. I hit my putt and it is tracking good and drops for a bogey 6.

 

6 - par 4, slight dogleg left. I mishit my driver and it's a push that hits the right slope and kicks left into the fairway, 198 yards off the tee. I think I have a tailwind on this hole. I'm 170ish out and decide on my 7w. The flag is behind the corner of a bunker from where I am. I decide to aim right, for the middle of the green where there is no bunker. I hit a high draw that lands on the green and rolls into the back fringe, 182 yards. If I looked at the right pitch mark, I carried to pin high and it rolled the rest of the way into the fringe. I use my putter from the fringe and misread the break, ending up 8 feet from the hole. I leave the first putt 2 feet short and settle for a bogey 5.

 

7 - par 4, elevated teeshot and wind Behind me.  I completely mishit the driver and it's a high pop up that goes 155 yards into the right rough. the ball is above my feet and I don't have a good line to the green. I hit my 5i and I hear a click. It's the sound when I actually hit the sweetspot on these irons. It's a great looking draw that gfoes left and short of the green, 167 yards, into the back left corner of the left front bunker. I do a bit better with my sand shot and hit it about 22 yards but still 26 feet from the hole. My first putt ends up about 18 inches out, so a two putt bogey 5.

 

8- par 3 with an elevated tee shot. The flag is mid left and I hit 8i. It's a high push into the weeds on the right slope. I never find the ball so I just drop short of the green and add a 2 stroke penalty. Yes, this isn't by the rules but I can't post anyhow, so it doesn't matter to me. I chip the ball to 5 feet and sink the putt for a double bogey 5.

 

9 - par 4 with water left near the green. The wind should be right to left on this hole. I hit a high pull draw with driver, 220 yards, into the left rough near the front edge of the pond. I have 130 to center and decide on my 7i. The ball looks forward in my stance and I hit a low pull hook that lands in the pond short of the green. I drop where the ball crossed, about 40 yards from the previous spot and hit my 8i. This time the ball is centered and I get a high draw that lands on the green and rolls into the back fringe, about 119 yards. I use my putter from the fringe and get it to 5 feet and sink the putt for a double bogey 6.

 

So a 49 with a 9 on the card and a total of 4 penalty strokes. Not a good score but I am happy with the woods and driver. When the NTC swing clicks, I hit these great looking draws that really go. 221 and 225 into the wind is pretty good for me. The 218 yard 4w from the rough on three was probably the second best shot of the day. That honor goes to the 7w on #6 that I landed on the green and had it release into the back fringe. That shot just looked so great to me.

 

I am starting to learn some of my swing mistakes too. I had the ball position off when I hit the push with driver on #7 and the 7i on #9. If I don't remember cast B from the video, I'll send the ball to the right. However if I remember to do it all, holy crap, the ball just takes off and it's a draw.

 

Stay safe if you're in the path of Sally. Have a good one.

Edited September 17, 2020 by bortass
Fix spelling

[bortass]

I wasn't able to get to the range last week thanks to the rain. I am hoping to get out there this week to keep working on NTC. I like the simplicity of it and I've seen enough results on the course to convince me that it will work for me.

 

I got in 18 Saturday. My phone didn't charge overnight, so while I have all my shot distances etc, Arccos did not do any analytics of the round. I guess finishing the last few holes with the low battery warning caused something to not happen. The "highlight" of the round is I got stung by something on #14. There's a restroom next to the tees for 14. A partner drives his cart up the path between two bushes to use it. I park my cart by the tee and walk the way he just drove. I get between two bushes and there's a sharp pain in my right wrist just above the joint on the forearm side. I didn't see what it was but it left the stinger in. So I scrape that out and move fast to clear the area. I'm not allergic so that was no worry and I don't think the sting had an effect of holes 14-18. It did swell up overnight though and it still bugging me today. 

 

The round itself. Weather was cool and dry. About 70 I'd say and cloudy. The sun came out a bit later. It was cart path only and the course was soft in spots. I had a couple shots in the fairway that landed and only went a foot or two from the pitch mark in the soft turf.There was a 10 mph wind with gusts over 20. I noted the wind direction for a few holes on my card.

 

1 - 404 par 4 and a straight hole. I tee off with driver and hit a solid draw down the middle, 215 yards. I'm probably 190ish out and decide on 4w. The flag is on the right side of the green behind the lone bunker. I decide to aim for the middle/left to avoid it since I feel like I can two putt this green. My shot is a thin draw that goes a tough left of my target line. It lands well short of the green and can't roll it's way up to it. If it was dry, I may have been on. My ball is in the low point on the left front of the green where a large drain is and the flag is right side across a spine. I puitch with my niblick, 40 yards, and the ball stops 3 feet from the hole! I make my par putt, 4.

 

2 - 142 par 3, the flag is middle front between the two bunkers and the tees are forward a good amount. I decide on my 8i since it's a forward flag. I hit a high draw, 140 yards to the back left of the green. I have a 42 foot putt and I leave it 9 feet short.... Oh boy, that sucked. My par putt misses and stops 3 inches from the hole. So I have a tap in 3 putt bogey, 4.

 

3 - 458 par 5 dogleg right. This hole is into the wind once to make it to the 'corner'. I aim like normal with my driver and i hit a pop up push into the right trees near the tee. I find my ball, 156 yard shot, in the right trees. I have an opening to advance it and mishit a punched 6i. The ball advances 88 yards into the fairway on the right side. I'm just past where an extremely good drive that fades would be in 2. I can't see the green since this hole curves. I hit my 4w and it comes out okay, into the wind, 165 yards short of the green on the left side. The flag is on the right, so plenty of green to work with. I pitch/chip with my niblick, 39 yards, to 7 feet. I miss the pat putt and have a tap in from about 6 inches for a bogey 6. 

 

4 - 293 par 4, fairly straight into the wind. I hit a high fade with my driver 187 yards into the rough just short of the fairway bunker on the right side. The flag is middle right and I have to carry the fairway bunker and a greenside bunker. It's 100ish yards and I hit my PW. It's a high push off the toe that lands in the greenside bunker to the right of the green, 90 yards.  I use a square face with the SW and hit the ball out to 12 feet. I miss the par putt but am only around 1.5 feet from the hole for an easy bogey, 5.

 

5 - 501 par 5, dogleg right. I tee off with the normal 4w and hit a very thin pull hook that is a worm burner and it dies in the long grass fronting the tee box, 56 yard shot....I find my ball in the foot high grass and hack it out with my 6i, 119 yards into the fairway. Well, I'm on the right side of the fairway where an okay tee shot would go in two. I go with my 4w off the deck and hit a very solid shot with a slight push to it. The ball takes off and it a mid height draw and it clips the leaves on a tree. i see a leaf fall but not the ball. One of my partners says 'now that's a golf shot'. I'm on the right side of the fairway and the flag is right side too. I decide to punch an 8i and it's a push, missing the green right, 110 yards, but I'm near the mid line of the green. I chip with the niblick to 15 feet past the hole because of the tier in the green. The bogey putt just misses and stops about 2 feet from the hole and I make the putt for a double bogey, 7.

 

6 - 367 par 4, hole curves to the left and there's a tail wind. I hit driver and it's an okay fade, 202 yards, into the fairway near the right rough. The flag is left, behind the only greenside bunker. I'm in 7w range and just like Tuesday, I aim for the middle of the green and hit a high draw that lands on the green on the right side. I'm 39 feet out and get my birdie putt to about a foot and have a tap in par, 4.

 

7 - 351 par 4, elevated tee shot and the faireway slopes down and to the left. I hit a decent fade with my driver, 210 yards, into the fairway on the right but get no roll. I'm near the 150 marker but when I use the GPS to see my distance to where the flag it it comes up in the 120ish range. I go back to my cart which is all the way on my left to swap out clubs I bring 6,7,8, and 9i with me after putting the 4 and 5i back in my bag. I wait for the other guys to hit and my GPS is still reading the same. So I decide on 9i. I putty down three clubs and hit the ball. it's an okay draw, but didn't feet super solid, and the ball lands on the green and releases into the back fringe. I pick up the three clubs and as I'm walking to my cart I notice that my 9i is in the hand holding the three clubs.... I hit my 6i by mistake.... Good thing it wasn't perfect contact... I use my putter from the fringe and knock it to 4 feet. I miss the par putt and tap in for a bogey, 5. darn it.

 

8 - 160 par 3, elevated tee shot. The flag is mid right and I decide to hit my 7i. It's a high draw, 156 yards that lands on the left side of the green, 19 feet from the cup. My birdie putt misses the cup by a few inches and stops about 6 inches out. So I have a tap in par, 3.

 

9 - 357 par 4 with a pond on the left side as you approach the green and it completely fronts the green. There is a tail wind this hole. I hit a high draw with my driver 208 into the fairway on the left side. The flag is left front and there is a tier in the green that can be a problem. I decide to go for it with my 6i. It's a bit thin but goes 136 yards, landing on the bank on the pond that fronts the green. My ball holds on and I chip from the right front of the green to 12 feet. I miss the par putt and make the next one from about 18 inches for a bogey, 5.

 

Well a decent front 9. Not great but I didn't blow up.

 

10 - 342 par 4, dogleg left. I hit driver and it's a nice looking draw that lands in the fairway on the left side. The ball keeps curling left and it could go down a slope into the left trees. I find my ball on the cart path, 245 yards off the tee. I drop in the left rough and the flag is back right. The green is elevated from me and my shot is completely blind. My GPS says it's 80ish yards to that area. I hit a partial PW and it's a high draw that looks like it lands on the green. I get up the hill and my ball is 5 feet right of the hole. I hit my birdie putt and it drops! 3.

 

11 - 329 par 4, dogleg left and a forced stream carry short of the green.  I am having nerves on the tee for some reason. I hit a high push into the right trees. there are houses over there and I'm not familiar with that area since i have never been there before. I hit a provisional and it's a low draw into the fairway. I find my first ball on some pine straw. I look around and can't find any stakes marking OOB. My partners can't find any either. They have been members here for years and they tell me to play it. I punch my 5i 99 yards into the fairway to the top of the slope that leads to the green. The flag is front left and GPS says about 100 yards to that area. I decide to go for the flag and hit my PW. It's a high draw but pushed off the toe. I think it's good and the ball drops and lands in the rocks on the far bank of the stream. The ball takes a big hop left and into the drink... I should have done like previous holes and gone for the middle with a 9i... I drop on my side of the stream and pitch it about 37 yards and 16 feet from the hole. My putt misses and I tap in from a foot for a triple bogey, 7.

 

12 - 315 par 4, dogleg left to an elevated green. I tee off with my normal 4w since driver may go through the fairway. It's a low pull hook into the left slope 89 yards. Sigh. I decide to hit my 6i to try to reach the corner. I hit it real thin and the ball goes 111 yards and barely clears the corner. The flag is left back and it's elevated. I have about 100 yards and hit my PW. I chunk it 58 yards and well short of the green. I use my SW and hit a partial shot 15 feet right of the flag. I hit my putt and end up missing and being a foot out. So a two putt double bogey 6.

 

13 - 123 par 3, flag is back right and I hit 8i. It's a touch thin but still a high draw right at the flag. It lands on the green and I think it rolls back away from the flag because of the tier. It's 118 yard shot and I'm 15 feet below the hole. i have to putt up the tier and leave it 3 feet short... I miss the par putt and have a three putt bogey, 4.

 

14 - 543 par 5, pond to the right as you get closer to the green. We're waiting for the group in fron to tee off, so I head to the bathroom and get stung. I hit a push fade with my driver 219 yards into the fairway on the right. I grab my 4w and 4i and walk across the fairway to my ball. I decide to hit 4W and aim left. I chunk it 89 yards into the center of the fairway. I hit 4w and it's a thin push and goes 155 yards, stopping near the pond on the right. The flag is back right and i have to carry the pond. It looks like a full PW shot. I leave the face wide open and block the ball into the pond. I move up where it crossed the hazard line and drop. I hit a partial PW on the green, 73 yards, and 33 feet from the cup. (I hit my putt and blow it 9 feet past the hole. I somehow make the next putt to "save" a triple bogey, 8.

 

15 - 264 par 4, elevated tee shot. I hit driver and the ball  goes straight up and back down like a nice wedge, 102 yards to the right rough. I'm in 7w range of the green and have to carry a bunker. I hit a thin pull, 116 yards, into the left fairway bunker.  I'm 40 yards or so from center and the flag is forward. i use my GW and hit the ball 50 yards to the back of the green. I have a 43 foot putt and  I leave it 6 feet short. I make this one though to keep a double bogey, 6.

 

16 - 147 par 3, flag is right side and this green slopes left to right. There's a forced stream carry near the green. I aim for middle with my 7i and hit a pull draw 150 yards into the back left bunker. I completely carried the green. So I'm in a bunker back left and the hole is front right. The green slopes away from me as well. This isn't good. I use my SW and I hit the ball out of the bunker and onto the green, about 19 yards. The ball is 40 feet from the hole and on the upper tier still still. I hit my putt and roll it 6 feet past the hole on the low side. I make the comeback putt for a bogey, 4.

 

17 - 363 par 4, hole curves left. I hit an okay draw down the left side, 205 yards into the fairway. I'm 150ish out and the flag is front right. this green has a severe left to right slope. I use my 6i and aim for tyhe middle. I catch it thin and it's a mid height draw that lands between the two greenside bunkers that front the green. I chip with the niblick, about 15 yards, to 7 feet. The par putt just misses and I have a tap in for my bogey, 5.

 

18 - 504 par 5, fairly straight but a forced stream carry on an approach shot and a pond fronts the green. This hole is a disaster. I pull my driver into the left slope and it takes me 4 shots to get just short of the stream because of serious mishits. I put shot #5 into the pond. I drop and put #7 into a back bunker. Take 2 to get out and two puts for an 11. I just fell off the deep end this hole.

 

End result  was a 43/53 for a 96 with a freaking 11 on the card. Thanks to NDB it's a 94 for GHIN and my index drops by .7 to a new current low of 24.5. I am actually happy with this round. My ball striking was all over the map. I didn't feel like I had anything special going on the front 9. I limited my blowup to a single double bogey and was able to sneak in a few pars to help offset things. I started the back great with the birdie and nerves hit on the tee box of 11. I made some bad decisions as well but I started to fall apart there. I still managed 4 decent holes of the last 8 but double, triple, triple, and 6 over screwed me. I just blew up back there. I can't say the sting affected my game since I struggled on 11. I fell apart on 14 and 18 but did okay on 15-17, even with my mishits.

 

I'm doing my best to look at the positives of that round and not go down the path of:"well I blew that and should have shot under 90." yeah, I had a chance but it just didn't pan out. Now i just need the swelling to go down in my wrist because it's annoying me, lol.

 

 Anyways, I hope you all had a good weekend.

[bortass]

Morning,

 

Golf has taken a backseat. There has been unexpected events related to my father passing last month. So I wasn't able to get to the range nor sneak in 9 during the week.

 

My 18 Saturday was a disaster, so I'm not gonna really talk about that in detail. My focus hasn't been golf and that played a big part of it I think. Mentally I was all over the map. I had some solid holes but overall I need to work on NTC. If I forget to do cast 2, I send the ball right. If I forget to do cast 1, I send it left.... If I do both it's very nice. I hit an 8i, uphill on a par 3 126 yards and I had a high pull with 7i on  a level par 3 go 143. I hit my PW, on #10, 113 yards to an elevated green. I think I am gaining at least 10 yards with the iron change and NTC swing changes. Also had a drives of 232 and 235 on level, wet fairways. So some real good shots but a lot of clunkers. I blew up on 4 holes and struggled with bogey golf. 

 

My short game was off. I started to add cast 2 from NTC to my chips and suddenly they roll out instead of check up. So I didn't have good distance control. My putting was mixed at best too.

 

A key area has come up in the Arccos analysis of my game. I am losing more shots on approaches from the fairway and on approaches from 100-150 yards as far as strokes gained goes. So my plan remains unchanged. Keep working on the NTC swing with my irons. I just have to find the time...

 

Have a good one.

[Chip Duffer]

Bortass, It seems that golf and our attempts to both enjoy it and get better have been our way of calling "time out" on this thing called 2020. 

 

I haven't had the pleasure of playing near as much this year, but the joy is just as great as ever. 

 

I hope that life grants you a quick return to less interruption in the near future.

[bortass]

@Twin2L Thanks! It's been a challenge since July but that's just life. I would rather do the right things now and not play as much versus ignoring things and regretting it down the road.

 

The good news is I got quite a bit accomplished Monday and Tuesday. So I hit the range yesterday and today. I worked on NTC and it was funny. I warmed up with my orange whip and by hitting pitches with cast B from NTC. I grab my 9i and take a full swing and it's pure. High draw and grass spot on the sweet spot. I worked a couple of Monte's drills and almost all of my fulswings with that 9i were great. Today I did the same thing but used my 8i. You would have thought that yesterday never happened, lol. I had some 'interesting' shots to say the least. No surprise really, I'm trying to make a big change and it will take time and effort. I still really like the results I have seen overall though. I'm very confident that NTC will get my swing to the point where I crack that 85. Maybe I'll go even lower but that's just a pipe dream right now.

 

I don't really have a short term goal for myself now. I broke 90 on one of the sister courses in August. Maybe I should have a mini goal of breaking 90 on my home course. Not sure that really buys me anything though. I'm really bad with having goals and milestones. It's just not how I'm wired. So if any of you reading have thoughts on possible milestones as I make my way forward and under 85, let me know.

[Chip Duffer]

I think the intermediate goal of 90 and maintaining it pretty consistently is a worthy and achievable goal. At the same time, when the 90's (88-93) get consistent, the 85 will sneak up on you while you're not looking. This happened to me when I was playing consistent 83-87's. I was in a season finale of a club tournament series and shot a 78. That clinched 1st place in the "net" division for me. 

 

Consistent rounds is probably a worthy first target to consider. As they stabilize, your ability to analyze your game will enable you to shave off a shot here and a shot there to acheive your longer term goal of shooting 85.  jmho

[bortass]

@Twin2LSounds like a plan.

 

Played 18 Saturday. I warmed up on the range beforehand and was hitting it good. That did not transfer to the course though, lol. It was sunny and in the high 50s when we teed off. Everything was wet from dew.

 

1 - par 4, Hit a decent drive 217 into the fairway. I was 190ish out and hit my 4w, 168, short of the green on the left side where there is no bunker. I chip on to 17 feet past the hole, lol and two putt for a bogey, 5.

 

2 - par 3, I tee off with my 7i and it's a low pull that goes 121 and misses the green short and left. I pitch on to 12 feet and leave the par putt about 3 inches out... So another bogey, 4.

 

3 - par 5 dogleg right. I hit a low pull off the heel of my driver 133 yards into the rough short of the fairway. Lie was decent so I hit my 4w and top it 80 yards into the fairway. 4w again and it's a low push into the right trees... Take an unplayable and mess up my 6i blind shot into the green.  I hit a partial SW 64 yards just into the back fringe. I chip with my putter and leave the ball 4 feet short. I miss my putt and send the ball 3 feet past the cup... Make the next one for a smooth quad, 9.

 

Ouch.... I am embarrassed and not feeling good about things.

 

4 - shorter par 4. I hit an okay draw with my driver 198 yards into the fairway on the left side. I amd just inside 100 yards and hit my PW. It's off the toe and lands on the green 32 feet below the cup. I get the birdie putt to about 18 inches and have my first par of the day, 4.

 

5 - par 5 dogleg right. I tee off with my 4w and it's a very nice draw down the right side 206 yards into the fairway.  I then catch my 7w thin and hit a wormburner 128 yards. I'm 160ish out and hit 4i. It's a high push that goes 98 yards into the right trees and it lands well right of the green. I chunk my pitch and then chip it to 10 feet and two putt for a double bogey 7.

 

Wow, I feel like I suck.

 

6 - par 4. I thin my driver 179 yards into the right side of the fairway. I'm about 200ish out and mishit my 4w, 154 yards and miss short and right of the green. I pitch the ball to 8 feet and sink the par putt, 4!

 

Okay signs of life at least. I bounced back from both bad holes with a par.

 

7 - par 4 with elevated tee shot. I hit a high fade, I think, down the right side 233 yards with driver. I kishit my 9i a bit and it goes 114 yards and ends up 24 feet left of the cup. I hit the birdie putt and leave it 4 feet short. I miss the par putt and end up with a three putt bogey, 5.

 

Sigh.

 

8 - par 3. I hit my 7i and hit a high pull into the left hazard. I can't find the ball and drop. I pitch/chip on to 14 feet and two putt for a double bogey, 5.

 

Ouch.
 

9 - par 4 with water left as you get near the green. I hit a push with my driver , 239 yards, into the right rough across the cart path. I'm behind a couple trees so i chip out sideways with my PW. I then hit a partial GW 83 yards to the back of the green. I have a 35 feet put and need to go down the tier... I hit the put and it breaks early and stops 4 feet below the hole. I make the bogey putt though, 5.

 

10 - par 4, elevated tee shot, dogleg left. I hit a push down the right side through the fairway, 223 yards with my driver. i have a semi blind shot with my 6i and it's a touch right and into the right trees. i got lucky and the ball kicked out left into the middle of the fairway, short of the green. I have a blind shot and hit a partial SW. The guys tell me i almost jarred it. the ball landed a few inches from the cup and released 10 feet.  The first putt misses and I make the 1 foot bogey putt, 5.

 

11 - par 4, elevated tee shot, dogleg left. I hit 7w here normally. It's a slight pull draw that lands in the fairway on the left. We can't find the ball... It must have taken the slope into the left trees which are marked as a hazard. I drop and blade a full PW right into the rocks that are on the far bank of the stream. I get lucky and my ball comes out of the stream left of the green.  I chip to 6 feet and two putt for a double bogey, 6. 

 

12 -  par 4, dogleg left. I hit my usual 4w and it's a low darw that goes 187 yards down the left side and past the corner. Great spot to be! I then chunk my 9i short of the green. I pitch/chip to 5 feet and two putt for a bogey, 5.

 

13 - par 3. I hit a high pull with my 8i that barely rolls onto the left back of the green. I'm 26 feet out and three putt for a bogey, 4.

 

14 - par 5, water right down by the green.  I hit a pull off the heel 95 yards into the left rough. I then hit a 174 yard 6i all way to the right side of the fairway. I thin my 4w, 146 yards. Follow that with a mishit 8i. So I hit a partial PW, 92 yards, and on the green in 5. I then three putt from 12 feet for a triple bogey, 8.

 

Yup, I still suck.

 

15 - shorter par 4 with an elevated tee shot.  I muishit my driver but it's a push that goes 185 yards into the right side of the fairway.  I chunck my partial GW 34 yards and am short of the green. So I pitch with my SW to 36 feet past the hole. I look my putt over and blow it 8 feet past the hole...Luckily I make the come back putt for a bogey, 5.

 

16 - par 3, stream carry. I hit a high 7i, into the wind, 131 yards. I'm 20 feet left of the hole and leave my birdie putt 6 feet short... I somehow sink the par putt though.

 

Got lucky there.

 

17 - par 4, I hit a nice draw, 223 into the fairway with driver. I then mishit my 9i into the right green side bunker. I get out of the bunker in one and two putt from 12 feet, for a bogey, 5.

 

18 - par 5. Tee off with driver and it's a popup that goes 96 yards and drops in deep bermuda rough. It takes two more shots to get out of it and advance the ball 30 yards. I then top my 7w about 74 yards. i layup short of the stream with a decent 7i that goes 137. I'm in range of the green with my 7w and i hit a line drive into the stream right in front of me. i say screw it, drop a ball on the other side and go on my way to card a 9 which included chipping in with my putter from the back fringe.

 

A 48/50 for 98 (97 for GHIN). I don't know how I kept it under 100 with 2 9s, an 8, and a 7 on the card. Nothing was good with my game I struggled in all phases but also had good shots, at times, in all phases. Arccos says I did good chipping and my one sand shot. It also says I sucked horribly with approach shots.

 

I'm not surprised though. NTC is a big swing change for me. I plan to keep at it and hopefully I can stop embarrassing myself on the course... It's gonna take time, so I'm not about to give up. I think I should be able to get to the range 1-2 times this week to work on things. I'm just playing 18 holes a week which isn't helping either. At least when i was playing 27-36, I was able to putt more...

 

[bortass]

I mentioned earlier that Arccos changed their app and added in actual Strokes gained info and more breakdowns. So here is the state of my game per SG analysis as of the round on 10/4. I have it set to use my last 10 rounds and it is comparing me to a 0 HCP player.

 

Here is the summary with the details posted below in case anyone likes numbers.

 

Driving: any non par 3 tee shot regardless of club - I am -8.1 and this is trending down by -1.0. I am getting worse off the tee.I think this is related to not playing as much and the NTC work. I am thinking golf swing a fair bit on the course right now. I think this will improve as I keep working on my full swing with my irons.

 

Approach: all par 3s and other non tee shots from outside 50 yards. I'm -11.5 but I am trending up +0.2 so a slight gain. This is where I really struggle. and it's full shots from 100-200 yards mostly that's the issue. I use partial wedges inside 100 for the most part and I am doing okay there. i also am doing okay from 200+ yards, which is probably a wood off the deck or a longer iron layup. Go figure. Anyway my focus is working on NTC with my shorter irons. Monte recommends this approach and says the swing changes will eventually trickle up the bag to the longer clubs.

 

Short game: all shots from inside 50 yards except putts. I'm -2.6 and it's trending up by +0.6 strokes. I'm getting better here and it's not as big an issue as my full swing. There is plenty of room to improve though particularly from 25-50 yards from the hole. This will become more of a focus once I improve my full swing. My time is too limited to try to work on multiple areas at once. maybe that changes someday but I gotta focus on the big issues and not what may be low hanging fruit.

 

Putting: I lose 4.7 strokes to a 0 but it's trending up by +0.6 strokes. So I'm getting a bit better here as well but like short game it is not a priority for me. What I notice in the numbers is my putts inside 10 feet need the most work. I tend to feel that I am an okay putter but this area can get better. I am not lights out with my putter. I think this will come with time and experience but I will need to look at putting drills at some point but it's like my short game, gotta fix the full swing first.

 

 

Details:

 

Driving: any non par 3 tee shot regardless of club - I am losing 2.9 strokes from distance, I average 189 yards off the tee and a 0 averages 259. I'm -2.0 for accuracy, so I am losing some shots because of missing the fairway and those times I have to chip out/layup because of it. The big area lately is I'm losing 3.2 strokes to penalties compared to a 0 HCP.

 

The breakdown by length of hole has me at -2.4 for holes under 350 yards; -1 for 350-400; -1.4 for 400-450; and -3.3 for 450+. The par 5s and #11 which is a shorter par 4 seem to be holes where I have the most issues off the tee.

 

As far as hole shape goes I lose 1.2 on a dogleg left, -3.7 on straight holes, and -3.1 on dogleg right.

 

Approach: all par 3s and other non tee shots from outside 50 yards. I'm -11.5 but I am trending up +0.2 so a slight gain. Based on distance from the pin - -1.6 from 50-100 yards; -4.7 from 100-150; -3.3 from 150-200 yards; and -1.8 from 200+. 

 

With regard to where the approach shot was from: -2.4 on par 3s; -7.4 from the fairway! -1.7 from the rough; and just -0.2 from fairway bunkers which I rarely hit into.

 

GIR is just 18% with 60% short.

 

Approach accuracy for a GIR I average 29 feet and a 0 averages 26. So I am okay in this regard. For all approaches though, i avaerage 116 feet versus 44 for the 0 HCP.

 

Short game: all shots from inside 50 yards except putts. I'm -2.6 and it's trending up by +0.6 strokes.

 

Chip/pitches 0-25 yards - I miss 8% of greens versus 4% for the 0 HCP. However I average 10 feet from the pin and the 0 averages 12 feet. I only get up and down 35% of the time verus 57% for the 0.

 

Chip/pitches 25-50 yards -  I miss 40% of my greens versus 11% for the 0. I average 28 feet out and the 0 HCP averages 20. I get up and down an impressive 11% of the time against their 35%.

 

Sand 0-25 yards - I miss 53% of greens verus 11% for the 0 HCP. My average distance is 27 feet and a 0 is 17 feet. lastly, I get up and down 13% of the time and the 0 does it 39%.

Sand 25-50 yards - I miss 45% of greens against 17% for the 0. My avearge didstance is 60 feet vs their 24. I do not get up and down in this range. It's 05 and a 0 HCP will do it 27% of the time.

 

Putting: I lose 4.7 strokes to a 0 but it's trending up by +0.6 strokes. I one putt 22% of the time and a 0 is 29%. I two putt 62% of the time versus the 64% for the 0. But I have 3+ putts 16% of the time and a 0 only does that  7% of the time.

 

First putt distance: 0 - 10 feet I am -2.0; 10 - 25 I'm -1.6; 25-50 I'm -1.1; 50+ I only lose 0.1 strokes.

[bortass]

Hit the range a few days ago and it went very well IMO. I messed up Cast A from NTC last week. Luckily I caught my mistake from reading the thread on NTC here. I did the cast A drill correctly this time and the results were much better. I did notice that I am hitting fades. I broke out my driver and 7w and had good results with those as well. Again fades but they stayed on the planet. I also started to mess around with my PW and SW. I tried to hit different short game shots with them. It's about trying to understand how changes affect ball flight to become better in the short game. I think Obee would call it imagination.

 

I wanted to hit the range again today but it's started to rain. Not sure I will make it out now.

 

I got in a quick 9 in just under 83 minutes. It was  a partial adventure and I did not score well. My short game and putting were terrible. So I won't go into much detail. I doubt anyone wants to read about the troubles I ran into since they are not novel or interesting. There is good news though, I had some decent shots and holes.

 

1 - long par 4, I hit a low true fade with driver 211 into the fairway. I then hit my 4w "correctly" for a change. It was a high draw that went 200 yards and missed left.  I chip/pitch poorly to 21 feet and two putt for a bogey 5.

 

2 - par 3, I hit a push fade with the 7i 131 yards and miss the green to the right. the ball is sitting on top of a clump of grass in the rough.  My pitch slides under it and i don't reach the green. I then blade the chip through the green. Chip with the putter to 6 feet and two putt for a triple bogey 6...

 

3 - par 5, I hit a high fade around the corner of the dogleg right with driver, 204 yards into the wind. I then hit a high fade with my 4w, 199 yards. I'm probably 50 yards out and don't check my GPS to get a feel for my distance. I eyeball it and hit a pitch way short of the green. So i blade my chip through it again, lol. This time I chip with the putter to 1 foot and make the bogey putt, 6.

 

4 - shorter par 4, I hit a thin fade with driver, 181, again into the wind. i'm 100 from center and hit my PW thin, 121 yards over the green into the back right bunker. I hit my sand shot 15 feet short of the hole and 3 putt, double bogey 6.

 

5 - par 5 disaster... I tee off with 4w and top it  45 yards into deep Bermuda rough. Another two shots later I'm back in the fairway about 150 from the tees... I hit a push with my 6i into a hazard. Lets just say I am near the green in 7. A chip with the putter followed by a three putt from 15 feet( I missed a 2 foot putt) and I have an 11!

 

6 - par 4, I hit a high fade with driver 211 into the fairway. I'm 160ish out and the threesome on the green wave me up. I hit a dead push with my 4i that stops in a bush near the green. The shot itself was a solid draw, but I missed 20 yards right. Take an unplayable and pitch to 8 feet and I quickly two putt for a double bogey 6.

 

7 - par 4, elevated tee shot. I smoke a high fade 248 yards into the fairway on the right. I hit my PW and it's a push fade that lands on the green about 39 feet right of the cup. I two putt for par, 4.

 

8 - par 3, elevated tee shot with a back flag. I hit a high draw with my 7i onto the green, 147 yards. the ball only released a couple of feet after it landed. I'm 45 feet left and below the hole and two putt for par, 3.

 

9- par 4 with water left closer to the green.  I'm very steep with my driver and hit a pop up and break my tee. the shot went 134 yards and barely reached the fairway. I'm 200 yards out with a water carry to the green. I layup by punching my 9i, 144 yards, into the pine straw under a tree on the right side of the fairway. I then punch a PW 77 yards onto the front right of the green. The cup is back right on the upper tier and i blow my par putt 7 feet past the hole. So I end up with a 3 jack, double bogey 6.

 

Yup, an embarrassing score of 54.  I didn't want to actually mention the score but it's easy enough to do a little math.

 

So lets talk bad stuff first. I am wondering if I teed the ball too high on #5 with my 4w. The ball was well above the crown and I topped that puppy. I was hitting it good off the deck, so maybe a lower tee height makes more sense. I also failed to execute/make the right decision again out of thick Bermuda rough. I tried to play safe after that but still managed to mess up.

 

The 4i shot on #6 was actually not terrible. I hit the ball straight down the right side and it was a solid draw. There is a set of steps in the slope on the right to get from the cart path to the green. My ball stopped under one of the bushes that line the steps. The bush itself was probably only a couple feet high and diameter but I wasn't gonna get my club on the ball. I wanted to finish the hole fast since the threesome was standing there waiting for me so I rushed my putting.

 

The driver on #9 was way too steep and a terrible swing. I think I recovered well though and forgot how to putt.

 

My short game and putting were off and there is no excuse for what happened on #5. Can't recover from +6 on a single hole.

 

Good stuff. The drives on 1, 3, 6, and 7 were all solid for me. They went where they were supposed to for a change and I didn't send any way right. The distance could be better but that hopefully will sort itself out as i get better at making contact.  The 4w from the deck on 1 and 3 were as well. I hit my irons decently on 2, 7, and 8. My recovery shots on #9 work as planned. I feel like I  hit the ball better yesterday than I was on Saturday. I had more confidence with my full swing.

 

Have a good weekend.

 

 

[bortass]

Made it out for 18 Saturday morning. There was heavy rain overnight and rain forecast during the day so all the guys cancelled. I was by myself, so I couldn't post my score. The course was dead and it was cart path only.  I did not rush and played in 3 hours and 14 minutes. It was probably about 65-70 degrees out and damp. My shirt was wet just from the dampness of the air, it never rained or sprinkled while I was out playing. There was no roll in the fairways for the most part and I saw at least one splash of water when my ball landed in a fairway off the tee. The greens had been mown that morning though and bunkers were maintained too even though there were puddles in them. The SR club championship happened this weekend and they were playing the course on Sunday.

 

I did not warm up on the range beforehand. It was off mats because of the rain and I don't like hitting off them. My warmup was swinging my Orange Whip prior to teeing off on 1.

 

1 - par 4, I hit a pull with my driver down the left side just into the rough, 207 yards off the tee. I have a good lie and hit my 4w from about 200 yards out. It's a mishit pushthat goes 147 yards into the right rough short of the green. I have to go over the only green side bunker now to the flag which is on the right side. I decide on a partial SW and I hit a nice high shot, 61 yards, that carries the bunker and rothe ball ends up left of the flag and past it a little. I have a 15 foot par putt that i get inside a foot and have a bogey, 5. I feel good about bogey on this hole. It's the #1 HCP hole and I rarely reach it in two.

 

2 - par 3, I hit a low pull hook down the left tree line with my 7i, 116 yards. Complete mishit with no chance to reach the green.  The ball is in the rough to the left of the left front bunker. the flag is also left front. I chip with the niblick. The ball gets in the air and lands on a little hump on the fringe. It kicks left away from the hole and I'm 8 feet out now. My par putt misses low and is 3 inches right below the cup. So another bogey, 4.

 

3 - par 5, dogleg right. This hole has been a struggle lately... I hit a high fade with my driver, around the corner, into the wind, 194 yards. This fairway is extremely wet and has large standing puddles in it. So i got no roll off the tee. I'm over 250 out and hit my 4w. It's a decent shot, high fade, into the wind that goes 168 yards into the middle of the fairway.  The flag is left back and I decide on a partial PW. I hit a high draw that's headed for the flag, 71 yards. The ball lands on the front of the green and releases some. I'm 29 feet below the cup and have to go up a tier. I hit the birdie putt and it stops 3 feet short. I make the par putt though, 5.

 

4 - shorter par 4, I hit a draw with my driver down the left side of the fairway, 199 yards. The flag is forward and I decide on a partial PW. I hit a high push, off the toe, 80 yards, into first bunker that guards the right side of the green. I had the club and distance but not the direction... I use my SW and get my ball to 5 feet. The par putt misses and I have a 1 footer for bogey, 5.

 

5 - par 5, dogleg right, another hole that has been an issue lately. I tee the ball a bit lower for my 4w this time and hit a solid draw down the right side, 178 yards, into the fairway. I decide to hit 4w past the corner. I catch the ball real thin and it's a worm burner that doesn't get off the ground. It's barely makes it past the corner near the hazard. I drive up and don't see my ball. I look around and it's in the middle of the fairway left and behind me. The ball must have hit a rock that made it kick almost 90* left of it's original path. The mishit 4w went 124 yards and I'm still 200 yards out. There is a small stream short of the green on the left side. I don't want to hit 4w and risk a good shot turning out to be bad. I figure I'll hit a 4i. I hit a bladed push  77 yards well right of my line. I'm still in the fairway though and have a shot at the flag. I decide to hit 8i and it's another push that lands over the green. I'm in the back fringe and use my putter to chip. I get my ball inside 6 inches and I sink the double bogey putt, 7.

 

That hurt. I keep struggling on this hole and I have a decent tee shot and mess up everything else.

 

6 - par 4, I hit a high fade, 191, into the middle of the fairway on the right side. I am 170ish out and go with 7w. It's another push down the right side. It lands on the right slope and kicks left towards the green, 161 yards.  I chip with my niblick and leave the ball 11 feet short. I miss my par putt long by 2.5 feet and miss the comebacker.. Double bogey, 6.

 

Ouch.

 

7 - par 4, elevated tee shot. I hit a nice high fade, 205 into the middle of the fairway with driver. I'm about 150ish out and hit my 6i. it's a mishit low push that goes 119 yards and misses short and right of the green. I chip with the niblick 9 feet short of the cup. My par putt misses and i make the 1 footer that remained for a bogey, 5.

 

8 - par 3, elevated tee shot and the flag is forward. I tee off with 8i and hit a low push dead right into the trees... Sigh. I find my ball and disaster ensues. I'm in the rough on a slope with the green below me. I have my SW with me and I make a mess of things. it takes me two shots to get into the roguh at the base of the slope. I then blade my chip with the SW through the green. I chip with my putter and leave it 9 feet short and two putt for a quad, 7.

 

That was horrible and i'm not pleased as I head to 9.

 

9 - par 4, with water left as you get closer to the green. I hit driver and never see the ball. Contact felt okay, so I head down the cart path and i see it in the left rough, 184 off the tee. I'm probably 180ish out with a pond carry. Not worth it to me. So I punch a partial 7i and it's a great low draw as planned, 109 yards, into the right side of the fairway. I hit a partial GW, 68 yards, and I'm 45 feet below the hole, which is up a tier and to the left. I hit my putt firm and miss low, 6 feet past the hole. So a 3 putt double bogey, 6.

 

I'm heading to 10 and don't feel happy with the front because of my short game and the mess on #8.

 

10 - par 4, dogleg left. I hit a decent fade, 203 yards, into the fairway on the right side. I have a good angle into the green and I mishit my 6i short of the green. I chip with my niblick and leave it 29 feet short...My par putt misses and I make the foot and a half bogey putt, 5.

 

11 - par 4, dogleg left with a forced carry short of the green. I hit 7w, like usual on this hole, and it's a solid draw into the center of the fairway, 185 yards. I'm 150ish to center and the flag is front right. I decide to not be cute and hit a 6i. It's a low pull hook that somehow cleared the stream and ends up in the left rough, 125 yard shot. I chip with the niblick and leave this one 24 feet short.... I get the par putt to a foot and have another bogey, 5.

 

Yup, my short game is reeling. I suck at chipping....

 

12 - par 4, dog leg left. I hit my normal 4w and it's a low, thin, draw that goes 160 yards but clears the corner. I'm in the fairway and 160ish out to an elevated green. i hit my 7w off the deck and it's a solid pull that misses the green to the left. I can't see where the ball went or what it did after it landed. I find it on the cart path, 135 yards, from where I hit it. This section of the cart path is a collection area with a drain, i may have been past this and the slope fed my ball back towards the drain but I don't know. Colntact was very solid though, so the distance surprises me.  this time i leave my chip 15 feet short... Par putt misses and i tap in from 6 inches for a bogey, 5.

 

13 - par 3, elevated green. The flag is back left and i go with 7i. I chunk it 66 yards, well short of the green. I hit a partial SW, 56 yards, and 9 feet past the flag. I barely miss the par putt and have another bogey, 4.

 

14 - par 5, elevated tee shot with water on the right as you get closer to the green. I hit a high pull draw down the left side. It's tracking down the left rough and I lose sight of it but hear it land. I hear the unmistakable sound of a ball hitting a cart path! Sure enough i find my ball in the left rough, 262 yards off the tee. I have a good lie and hit an okay fade with my 4w, 173 yards, into the left side of the fairway. I'm 110 from middle and decide to hit 9i. I'm not going at the flag since it's a touch right and closer to the pond. I do not understand why I did what I did but her goes. I swing with my 9i and it feels like I'm cutting across the ball with my followthrough. i've noticed the same thing happen on some of my partial wedges lately. the ball comes out high and is a fade that lands near the flag. I have 9 feet for birdie and just miss again. My par putt is inside a foot and I make that easily, 5.

 

15 - par 4, short par 4, elevated tee shot to a fairway that is cart path only year round. it's always went and soft. I hit a high push fade into the right trees with my driver, 174 yards. I have to take relief from the cart path. I'm about 80 or so out i think. I decide on a partial PW and I shank it. the ball goes dead right 90* from my target line. It hits a small tree and drops. Now it's partial SW time and i hit it high, 67 yards, over the green... I chip 9 feet past the hole this time. My third 9 foot putt and I make this one to save my bogey, 5.

 

16 - par 3, with forced stream carry. The flag is right front and this green slopes back left to right front. I aim a bit left and hit my 7i. It's a low pull that goes 112 yards into the left rough near the green. I decide to chip with my GW for a change and send the ball 27 feet past the hole....I look over the par putt and hit it. It tracks to the high side of the hole and starts to curve towards it. The ball stops three inches out. So another bogey, 4.

 

17 - par 4, slight dogleg left. I hit driver off the tee and it's a high fade, 185 yards, into the fairway on the right side. I'm 190ish out and hit my 4w, which I chunk 55 yards. I estimate i'm 150ish out from the cart path and bring my 5i and 6i to my ball. The GPS says it's 130ish... I don't feel like going back for a different club, so I hit a low partial punch with my 6i. It is struck well and goes 113 yards but is short of the green. I chip with my SW and the ball rolls 7 feet below the hole because of the slope. This was not unexpected. I make the bogey putt though, 5.

 

18 - par 5, forced stream carry and a possible pond carry. I hit a high fade with driver, 205, into the fairway on the right. I need to carry 150 to clear the stream at it's closest point. I don't like the odds since i am not striking the ball well. I layup with my 9i towards the left side where the stream is furthest away. It's  a nice draw that goes 120 yards. To hit the green i'd need a 7w and carry the stream in front of me and the pond fronting the green. Not gunna do it. I hit my 7i to the left of the green. It's a decent shot that goes 133. I decide to hit a partial SW and I'm a bit heavy. It goes 57 yards and is a few yards short of the green. I decide to chip with my putter. the flag is on the front of the green on the lower tier and I'm more back left. i hit it and it's too soft. the ball stops well short of the tier and 18 feet from the hole. I just need to get the ball to the tier and it will roll all the way down and likely past the hole. i hit the putt and it doesn't reach the tier and i'm 6 feet short. I tap the ball and it goes 2 feet past the cup. So a three putt, triple bogey 8.

 

I just fell apart on 18... I had a 50/46 for 96. I played the same ball all 18 holes for a change. I only blew up on two holes but they were big numbers. #8 with a quad on a par 3 is just plain stupid.

 

So the bad- chipping. It sucked and i have had over 36 hours to think about it. I posted earlier in a different thread how as one issue gets fixed the next one rears it's head. I think that is what happened. I normally do not chip a lot. Most chips are with a putter from the fringe because I'm hitting a partial wedge to the green. Saturday I had more shots that missed the green by wider margins because I didn't have as many partial wedges. So I put stress on my chipping/pitching which hasn't been used heavily and it cracked under pressure.

 

The good - I kept the ball in play. My tee shots were short but I found all of them. not a single penalty on the day. My full swing with irons and even woods off the fairway were an adventure but I didn't dub the ball as badly as the week before. there is still much room to improve my full swing but on a wet course I think I did okay. I played two par 5s solidly for a change as well. I also was fairly steady score wise. I seemed to hover around bogey golf except for the two blowups on 8 and 18. I need to do better to get to my goal but being steady for that many holes instead all over the map is a positive in my opinion.

 

A change - I think the niblick is coming out of my bag and my 60* LW is going back in. The niblick is the same loft as my SW and my LW would be useful for shorter partial wedge shots. i have been hitting a good number of those lately and having another club to do them with will help for the times where the SW may be too much.

 

Practice - I will continue with NTC but will also start working on chipping and pitching again. That area got exposed badly.

 

Cheers!

[bortass]

So close yet so far.... I took the afternoon off and played 9. I ended up on the back because there was a fivesome teeing off on 1 when I arrived.  I'm not going to get into every shot today since while I saw signs of life and some good things the final score is lackluster. Weather was nice, sunny, low 70s and a bit of wind but nothing terrible.

 

I played bogey golf, literally, for the first 6 holes of the round. Yup, 6 straight bogeys. I only had one realistic shot at par when I chipped to 5 feet on #15. I got excited and sent the ball high, two feet past the hole...

 

Things fell apart on #16. Par 3 and I shank an 8i and lose the ball. I go over the green and chip to 6 feet and make the putt to save my first double bogey. #17, solid drive into the fairway. I mishit my 6i, from inside the 150 marker, into a front bunker. I then pick the ball clean and send it over the green.  It's soft back there and my chip slides under the ball. End result is I card an 8 on the hole with not a single penalty in sight. #18 good tee shot into the right rough. I blade my 4w into the fairway bunker right in front of me and the lip kills the ball and it's barely in the grass outside of the bunker, 40 yard shot... I layup and then hit my 7w over the stream and pond onto the green of #9. Take relief and duff my chip. Chip with the putter and the ball stops 3 inches short of the hole for a double bogey 7. End result is the lackluster 50.

 

The bad - My irons. I hit my 8i on both par threes. I bladed it on #13 and shanked it on #16. I bladed other irons from the fairway and mishit the rest. Not one good full swing with an iron today. Kinda surprised I held things together as long as I did. Based on Strokes Gained I lost 8.6 strokes on approaches which include the par three tee shots.

 

The so-so - My short game. I was -3.6 strokes gained there. My chipping was okay for a change. 4 of my chips with my SW were between 3 - 8 feet from the hole. I had three chips with the putter, 3 inches,  2 feet, and the screw up of 10 feet on 17. The sand shot that I screwed up really hurt me and I estimate cost me 2-3 strokes.

 

The good - Driving, which is all non par 3 tee shots, I was -1.0 SG compared to a 0 index. I lost 0.8 of it because of distance. I averaged 198 off the tee today. I did hit my 4w and 7w once each on certain holes that i always use them on. I hit 57% of my fairways and did not lose any strokes from my tee shots except on #11. I hit a solid 7w down the right side but it's a dogleg left with a forced stream carry. I laid up with my 8i instead of trying to reach the green, 180-190 yards, with my 4w. 

 

Putting, I was -0.8 strokes. I had 14 putts, with no 3 putts, and only had one bad one when I was 21 feet out on #14 and left it 6 feet short which I did make.

 

Changes - I removed the niblick from my bag and put my 60* LW back in. I used it three times for partial wedge shots and should have used it a few more times since i sent a couple partial SW shots long. It's only there for partial shots by the way.

 

Practice - I did make it to the range Tuesday and it was very good. I kept working NTC and my irons were solid, too bad it left me on the course two days later. I think my biggest bugaboo is still the early extension. It causes my bladed shots. I also practiced chipping with my SW and I had some decent ones on the course today.

 

I feel positive about my round today. The score is not good but I held it together scrambling for 6 straight holes. My decision making is good, I'm just losing strokes with my execution, lol. To think I thought I was close back in April when I shot that personal best 41 for 9.

[Chip Duffer]

Bortass, I really like seeing that the tee shots are generally in play and stringing pars and bogeys together is a very big sign of that consistency beginning to creep in. The "fade" can  become a wonderful "go-to" shot and a sacrifice of a few yards is easily offset by being in or near the fairway. 

 

The pushes, when I experience them tend to be from too much inside out swing path. When I see this I tend to see it as a positive because the miss is not near as bad as a hard hook that can also result from the inside-out path. 

 

With Hurricane Laura, then Delta passing through in a 6 week period, I've only played three times, so it's good to see your continuing journey.

[thisjustanother]

been golfing in a league with other guys in my work. usually around a 15 handicap. averaging around 85-90.  my biggest fault is putting and leaving some chips shorts. ill average 36-40 putts a game. a lot of triple and double putts that just keep ruining my game.

[bortass]

8 minutes ago, thisjustanother said:

been golfing in a league with other guys in my work. usually around a 15 handicap. averaging around 85-90.  my biggest fault is putting and leaving some chips shorts. ill average 36-40 putts a game. a lot of triple and double putts that just keep ruining my game.

  Context really matters with number of putts. Two putts are not always bad. I believe the make average is 50% from 3 - 6 feet. So it's not the end of the world if I miss one of those, provided I am not missing everything beyond 3 feet. 6 feet and longer and the odds of a 2 putt go up. So to look at my putting game, I need to understand what's my first putt length because 36 putts isn't bad if I hit every green but was putting from 20 feet. This will also tie into my short game. That last 9 hole round I had 4 one putts because I chipped it inside 6 feet. I also had two chips that had me putting from 20 and 21 feet respectively. I two putted both of those but the issue is my chipping. Two putting from 20 feet is fine for me, three putting almost never is. The exception for a three putt is the time I had an 80 footer or when I really screw up and the ball is above a certain hole that has a sloping green which means if you miss, even at a very slow pace, it'll trickle 6+ feet past the hole. Sometimes a three putt isn't the end of the world, but they are exceptions in my book.

 

So in your case I would start to look at how far is that first putt. Combine that with number of putts to hole out and you can start to see where the problem is. You may find that there are certain holes that are an issue for you in the process. My home course has a few holes where I can easily three putt if you screw up where you are putting from thanks to slopes and tiers.

 

Luckily for me my putting is decent enough that it can help cover some of the weakness in my short game. I still gotta work on it though, lol.

[bortass]

14 hours ago, Twin2L said:

Bortass, I really like seeing that the tee shots are generally in play and stringing pars and bogeys together is a very big sign of that consistency beginning to creep in. The "fade" can  become a wonderful "go-to" shot and a sacrifice of a few yards is easily offset by being in or near the fairway. 

 

The pushes, when I experience them tend to be from too much inside out swing path. When I see this I tend to see it as a positive because the miss is not near as bad as a hard hook that can also result from the inside-out path. 

 

With Hurricane Laura, then Delta passing through in a 6 week period, I've only played three times, so it's good to see your continuing journey.

  I hope they didn't impact you too badly.  I've only had to deal with a couple of hurricanes over the years since they rarely hit Maine. Atlanta is also safe from them.

 

At the end of the day, I don't care if I hit a fade or a draw, just as long as it's down my target line and I get reasonable distance from it. I may care more someday if I ever get good enough for it to matter. Right now it's just small steps. I was quite happy with my non-par 3 tee shots. Sure a few could have been better but they were all playable which is big.

 

Consistency is also creeping into my game. I'm playing more bogey golf with the blowups messing up the final score. I don't seem to be yo-yoing as much during my rounds. Stringing together decent scores also helps with expectations. What I mean is the more bogey golf I play for stretches of time, the less "special" it is. So mentally, I shouldn't get all excited/nervous about it. It's ho hum if you know what I mean. I'm not saying I think bogey golf is ho hum since it's not but someday it will be.