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

[bortass]

@davidy1948 You are correct that I do not practice putting unless I see a crisis on the course which has happened a couple of times. I actually do practice short game shots but maybe not in the most typical way. I hit chips and pitches on the range to warm up and sometimes when I am winding down. My reason with doing this is multi-faceted. Obviously it's an easy warm up to start with small stuff to just get the body moving. I find pitching helps my overall tempo. I used to just hit pitches on the range before some rounds just to get the feel of a smooth swing. Also these pitches were very solid with contact and ball flight. Crisp is how'd I'd describe it, not a bunch of duffs etc. So getting in a groove with that helped me overall. It helps me with just making contact correctly for these swings. Things are better now than they were a year ago. Sure I still screw up but I'm not scared to chip with a wedge like I was at times last year. I also hit a fair number of half wedges on the range, I consider this short gameish but that depends on definition of short game. Arccos says it's anything off the green inside 50 yards. Me, I think my partial GW from 70 yards is short game related.

 

@Myherobobhope Explains the why, triage. Arrcos says I'm a 23.9 index which is different than my GHIN index because I can't post my solo rounds. I'll use Arccos since all the following is based on their stats. Overall I'm a 23.9 using best 8 of last 20 rounds. The rest of the stats are based on my last 10 rounds. I drive the ball, any non-par 3 tee shot, like a 26.9. My approach game, par 3 tee shots and shots outside of 50 yards, I'm like a 25.3. I putt like a 16.9 and my short game is like a 12.3.

 

Based on that the biggest issues I have are full swing related, so that's my why I spend my time there. I know I can improve in both short game and putting because I can improve ever place with my game. I'm not saying what I'm doing is the best way but it's the reason I'm doing it the way I am. I do expect to start working more on putting and short game as I get my full swing into a better place.

 

Hopefully this makes some sense.

[hoselpalooza]

On 4/2/2021 at 2:18 PM, betarhoalphadelta said:

You know that hand is called the Anna Kournikova, right? Really, really pretty, but doesn't win a lot lol...

 

a buddy and i played hooky in high school to watch her play a mid-day match. there was practically nobody there so it was really easy to get the players' attention. when i called out to her she looked back at me and smiled, and my buddy had to practically scrape me off of the ground after i completely melted. i haven't thought about that in decades. thank you 😄

 

15 minutes ago, bortass said:

You are correct that I do not practice putting unless I see a crisis on the course which has happened a couple of times.

 

if you're able, i would recommend getting a putting mat that's at least 7'-8' long, and perhaps a yard-/meterstick that's just slightly narrower than your ball. in under 20 minutes a day you can probably get to the point where 3'-4' putts are automatic, and that can take a lot of pressure off other parts of your game. e.g. fewer 3-putts from all distances, more up-and-downs when you are just outside of the 5' circle, etc.

 

if you try putting on a yard-/meterstick, one drill that's fun is placing the ball 2' away from one end and working your way out to 3'. e.g. make one from 2' and then move the ball back so it's 2'3". make that and move it to 2'6". miss it and go back to 2'3". and so on and so forth. one of the things i like about this drill is you don't even need a putting mat, just something to stop the balls from running away from you.

 

 i frequently hit  putts on the meterstick while i'm watching golf or basketball on TV, and then go to my putting mat in my entryway during commercials. i've noticed the 3' putts on my mat are boring now because the hole looks enormous after repeatedly trying to roll the ball over a skinny piece of 39" metal 😂 most days i'll just start rolling the ball from 7'-8' away because it's more of a fun challenge, but still significantly easier than when i first got my mat.

 

anyway, could be worth a shot and is really easy to do if you have the time and space.

 

p.s. you can also do challenges with the meterstick to simulate on-course pressure. my current favorite is forcing myself to roll 2-in-a-row at full length just before i catch light rail to work. in the past 2 weeks i've only missed my train once, and fortunately i didn't have any in-person meetings scheduled that day 😂

[SeeMore Putters]

19 hours ago, Myherobobhope said:

Bortass and I have talked about this... I think here? Maybe elsewhere... 

 

the question becomes where do you spend what little practice time you have... and can you do it effectively to improve what you need to improve...

 

he’s been focused on long term improvements in his “long game” and I think it made sense in the context of what he was doing... avoiding penalty strokes, putting the ball in play and not topping 4 woods into hazards is a great way to improve... 

 

I do think there is some low hanging fruit on the short game side... though I’d argue getting better with full swings will help chipping. 
 

ive personally struggled with putting my entire life... I’ve finally figured out what works for me to actually improve... I’ve worked on tempo and speed since January. Honestly, my ball striking has suffered because of my putting focus... it’s hard to balance all the aspects of your game with limited practice time. 
 

That said, the @SeeMore Puttersputting mat I have is an excellent training tool and doesn’t need a ball to use... that and a few hours of ladder drills can get you putting better!

Not only is the putting mat a great training tool but also the SPi CT Mirror that can be used for RH and LH players.  

[bortass]

Made it out for a quick 9. I messed around with my posture some as I was playing. Weather was good, 60s, dry and sunny. Some wind as well but much better than the last two days.

 

 

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. I tee off with driver and it's a pull draw that goes into the left side of the fairway, 228 yards. I'm actually inside 200 yards for a change and the hole is in the middle of the green. I decide to go for it with my 4w. I hit a thin, low draw, maybe 6 feet high that heads towards the middle right of the green. It lands short and rolls into the bunker. The ball reaches the back lip and kicks back into the bunker, 162 yards. Almost made it, lol. I hit my sand shot, 16 yards, and it comes out high, lands on the green and rolls 3 feet right of the flag. I sink the putt for an opening par, 4.

 

Awesome start!

 

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The hole is front right and I aim for middle with my 6i. I hit a high pull that lands in the back left fringe and takes a weird bounce into the back left bunker, 153 yards on a level hole... I have most of the green to work with. The ball comes out low, lands on the green and rolls 14 feet past the hole, 35 yard shot. I hit my par putt and miss high and the ball stops a foot out. I have a tap in bogey, 4.

 

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. I hit a low pull with the driver at the front left fairway bunker. I find the ball in the bunker, 189 yard shot. I don't have to worry about the lip and I whack the ball out with my 6i. It's a push that goes 101 yards into the fairway on the right. I don't have a real shot at the green, so I hit my 5i. It's thin and takes the slope to end up on the left side of the fairway, 153 yards. I'm inside 100 yards and the hole is to the right behind the bunkers. I figure a partial SW and I blade it low and right. The ball rolls into a bunker and the back lip keeps it in. I guess I like sand shots today... I make good contact behind the ball and it pops up and out. It lands on the green and takes a weird bounce right, 11 yards, and i'm 9 feet right of the hole. My bogey putt is tracking pretty good and just rolls poast the high edge, stopping about 3 inches behind the cup. So close but it's a tap in double bogey, 7.

 

4 – par 4, 293 yards, straight, #15 HCP, water left and OoB right. Right side has a slope. There's a fairway bunker on the right. I hit a high fade, 197 yards, that the wind seems to knock down. The ball lands in the right rough on the slope, short of the fairway bunker. I'm in the first cut about 100 yards from center with the ball above my feet. The hole is back left and long is bad. I decide to hit my 9i and it's a touch thin but it lands on the right edge of the green for my first GIR. I'm 36 feet below and right of the hole. I hit the birdie putt and watch as it misses a touch low and rolls 7 feet past the hole and just off the green, lol. I stay with my putter and get it to a foot. Because of how Arccos works this goes in as a 3 putt from 36 feet instead of a putt, chip, putt. Regardless, it's a bad first putt, bogey 5.

 

5- par 5, 501 yards, dogleg right, #5 HCP, hazard down the left side. There's a slope on the right side which makes the fairway narrow in the landing spot. A stream runs down the right side from the corner to near the green. I hit a low pull draw, 198 yards, into the left rough and almost into the left hazard. My 5i will clear the corner and it's a low pull, 143 yards, up into the rough on the slope on the left. Blah, no way am I going for it from outside of 150 from the rough with the ball below my feet. I hit a partial 7i thin and it rolls 114 yards into the left side of the fairway. The hole is back right on the upper tier. I go with a partial SW and chunk it about 36 yards. I chunk it again into the fringe short of the green, sigh. I use the putter to chip and the balls goes 9 feet past the hole to the left. I tap my putt and it misses low and I see it barely reach the slope in the tier and roll down it. I'm now 21 feet directly below the hole. The conversations about practicing my putting and short game are running through my head now... I hit the putt and sink it, triple bogey, 8.

 

I can hear the 'I told you so' in my head as I head for 6...

 

6 – par 4, 367 yards, slight dogleg left, #7 HCP. Medium width landing area with a bunker on the left. Houses are on the right and there's a sharp slope into the left trees if you end up too far into the left rough. It's a low push draw to the right. The ball lands on the cart path and kicks into an area marked as a hazard. I find my ball in the hazard and pull it out, dropping 219 off the tee. Blah... I thin a partial 5i and it goes about 126 yards and just short of the green. I chip with my SW and hit it good. The ball pops up and lands on the green, 33 yard shot, and stops 6 feet past the hole. I make the bogey putt, 5.

 

7 – par 4, 351 yards, slight dogleg right, #11 HCP, elevated tee shot to a wide open fairway that slopes down right to left all the way to about the 100 yard marker. Bunkers on the left marking the corner and a slope on the right. I hit what felt like a weak draw that lands in the middle of the fairway. I find my ball further down than expected and on the left in the rough, 237 yards. Hole is on the left side and I'm about an 8i out. Ball below my feet and I hit it low and right, 120 yards, into the right fringe. I chip with my putter and it's terrible. I leave it 20 feet short from about 71 feet out. I hit my par putt and it looks good but I miss and the slope takes it 6 feet behind the hole... I sink the bogey putt though, 5.

 

8 – par 3, 160 yards, elevated tee shot, #13 HCP, bunker on the right side of the green. Slope to the right of this hole that is weed whacked. So it's long stuff and wild. Balls can get lost here. Hole is middle left and I go with my normal 6i. It's a high draw that lands on the back left of the green and rolls into the fringe on the left side, 170 yards... It sounded pure and sure flew that way. I chip with my putter to a foot and have a tap in par, 3.

 

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. I hit a low push fade with my driver to the right. It hits the cart path and takes a big bounce and I watch the ball run towards a pine tree, hit the trunk, bounce up in the air back towards me and stop. Well i'm about 150ish from center with a front right hole. I don't want to be cute and I hit a power chip with my 9i, 89 yards, and just short of the pond. Contact was real good and almost cost me... I go with a partial SW and make good contact at last. It's a high draw that lands on the back of the green and rolls off, 67 yards. I'm chipping with my putter down tier now. I hit the ball and i'm too low. It looks like it's gonna stop at the tier but it takes it and rolls down a bit past and 6 feet right of the hole. I make the bogey putt, 5.

 

 

A 45 and not what I would call a great ball striking day. I put a fair amount of pressure on my short game and putting and it was amusing. Per Arccos I did real well even though I had some real screw ups out there. The pure 6i on #8 was the shot of the day. I know the elevated tee is why it went 170 but still. it was a great shot. Overall I am feeling good about how things have been going on the course lately. I'm stringing together some more reasonable scores and my driver is starting to come into it's own distance wise.

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 211 yards

Longest drive: 237 yards

Fairways: 3/7

GIR: 1/9

Avg Approach: 113 yards

Up & down: 4/8

Putts: 14

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -2.5 strokes

driving: -1.2 strokes

Approach: -4.7 strokes

Short game: +2.0 strokes

Putting: +1.3 strokes

 

Birdies: 0

Pars: 3

Bogeys: 4

Double Bogey: 1

Triple+: 1

[bortass]

On 4/22/2021 at 3:46 PM, hoselpalooza said:

[snip]

 

if you try putting on a yard-/meterstick, one drill that's fun is placing the ball 2' away from one end and working your way out to 3'. e.g. make one from 2' and then move the ball back so it's 2'3". make that and move it to 2'6". miss it and go back to 2'3". and so on and so forth. one of the things i like about this drill is you don't even need a putting mat, just something to stop the balls from running away from you.

 

[snip]

 

I have one but wouldn't it be easier on a wooden on with the groove down the middle? 😂 I got a metal ruler years ago just for that drill though I have use it more for projects around the house, lol. I may need to consider actually putting on it.

[hoselpalooza]

7 minutes ago, bortass said:

 

I have one but wouldn't it be easier on a wooden on with the groove down the middle? 😂 I got a metal ruler years ago just for that drill though I have use it more for projects around the house, lol. I may need to consider actually putting on it.

 

you just reminded me of a funny story. before i got the metal one i purchased a wooden yardstick (without the groove). it was one of the most frustrating things i've ever experienced practicing golf. i could maybe get 1/100 putts to travel the length of the yardstick, and even that could be optimistic.

 

after a few days of feeling like the worst putter on the planet, i picked up the stick to chuck it in the trash when i noticed something out of the corner of my eye: the yardstick was ever so slightly warped at about the halfway point -- hardly noticeable to the naked eye, and just enough to throw any well-struck putt offline toward one of the edges.

 

is there a word that means to feel very stupid and relieved at the same time? because that's exactly how i felt 😂

 

p.s. the yardstick did not make it to the trash. i keep it around as a constant reminder to check my equipment if something doesn't feel like it's working correctly. 🤦‍♂️

[Myherobobhope]

Bortass, hope all is well my friend! 

 

I shot a mediocre 83 today (well inside my handicap range, just a frustrating round) with a double on hole 13 sitting at 3 over... Couldn't recover and played the last 6 holes in 8 over. Rough stuff...

 

Need to sharpen my mental game. The wheels came off and stayed off... 

[bortass]

No golf since the 9 hole round a week ago. Couldn't play last weekend and I've been under the weather, so no range sessions or anything else. My next round is tomorrow which is the 1st, so I'm posting my monthly stats update prior to it.

 

Last 10 round stat update for April. All strokes gained is based on a comparison versus a 12 HCP.

 

April 30, 2021 State of Bort's Game (or lack thereof)

 

GHIN Index: 24.4 - a minor improvement of 0.1.  

 

Overall: -13.0 strokes gained. This is +5.4 SG since the 4/1 stats update. A very nice improvement. I'm hopeful this is gonna hold since my full swing seems to be working a bit better. Of course I probably just cursed my round tomorrow, lol.

 

Driving – Any non par 3 tee shot regardless of club

Overall: -5.6, a change of +0.8, A slight improvement overall

Distance : -1.7, an improvement of +0.9 strokes. Average distance 182( a 12 averages 228), a gain of 12 yards.

Accuracy: -1.1, +0.6 SG , another slight improvement and my directional misses are almost even

FW hit 49%, no change

left 25%, +5%

right 26%, -4%

Penalties: -2.9, -0.7 SG – not a huge surprise since I had a couple very bad rounds off the tee.

 

Approach – any par 3 tee shot and all non tee shots from outside of 50 yards

Overall: -6.5 a change of +1.2. It's good to see improvement in my weakspot.

Par 3: -0.3, a change of +0.7.

Fairway: -4.4, a change of +0.7, actually doing a bit better from the short grass

Rough: -1.8, a change of -0.2.

Sand: -0.0, no change

GIR: Hit 22% , +4% minimal gain but it's the right direction.

Long: 6%, change of +3%, so going long a tiny bit more.

Short: 68% , -6%, not as short as often( barely)

left: 7%, no change

Right: 9% , +1%

GIR Avg distance to pin: 25 ft, 3 feet further than last time.

All approaches avg distance to pin: 132 ft , 12 feet closer.

 

Short game – any non putts 50 yards and in.

Overall -0.0, +0.8, actually doing a bit better here and short game is like a 12 HCP

Chips 0-25 yards: -+0.5, -0.4, slight drop here

Chips 25-50 yards: -0.5, +0.5 and the gain was in the longer shots

Chip 0-25 average distance from pin: 15 ft,2 feet further

Chips 25-50 yards average distance from pin: 26 ft, 4 feet closer

 

Sand 0-25 yards: +0.3, +0.8 shots better

Sand 25-50 yards: -0.3, -0.1 SG worse

 

Sand 0-25 average distance to pin: 15 ft, 12 feet better

Sand 25 – 50 yards average distance to pin: 42 feet, 10 feet better

 

Putting – Decent improvement but I don't practice this

Overall : -0.8, +2.6 SG

First putt 0-10 feet: -0.2, +1.0

First putt 10-25 feet: -0.7, no change

First putt 25-50 feet +0.2, +1.3, sinking the longer putts helped here

First putt 50+ feet: -0.0, +0.4
 

One putts: 3.8

Two putts: 11.6

Three+: 2.3

 

Putts per hole: 1.9, +0.1

Putts per GIR 2.1, +0.1

[bortass]

On 4/28/2021 at 5:20 PM, Myherobobhope said:

Bortass, hope all is well my friend! 

 

I shot a mediocre 83 today (well inside my handicap range, just a frustrating round) with a double on hole 13 sitting at 3 over... Couldn't recover and played the last 6 holes in 8 over. Rough stuff...

 

Need to sharpen my mental game. The wheels came off and stayed off... 

It's a challenge to not let the wheels come off IMO. I'm doing better at it but wouldn't be surprised when I do it next. I find that the more I play the easier it is. Maybe because I know I'll be out on the course again soonish, so there's less self inflicted pressure that feeds the frustration of a bad hole.

 

When's your next round?

[Myherobobhope]

30 minutes ago, bortass said:

It's a challenge to not let the wheels come off IMO. I'm doing better at it but wouldn't be surprised when I do it next. I find that the more I play the easier it is. Maybe because I know I'll be out on the course again soonish, so there's less self inflicted pressure that feeds the frustration of a bad hole.

 

When's your next round?

I'm playing first thing Tuesday (I'm the first person on the tee sheet)... If I'm flying solo, I'll be done in under 3 hours... it will be interesting to see if I can stay committed while playing fast and alone. 

 

I've had people join me on the tee sheet recently (I sign up with a "join me" note) so I might have company... I'm trying to stay focused when playing with people!

 

I'm going to try to get into the gym a couple more times between now and then... With my back, I hadn't really been all that active, so I want to make sure I have the stamina I need on the course... I don't think I was tired, but who knows? I made a ton of silly mental mistakes on the back 9... My 39 on the first nine (actual back nine) was birdie with 2 big mistakes that led directly to bogey... I'm excited to get back out there.

 

Hope you are feeling better! Good luck out there tomorrow.

[bortass]

It was a disaster. I held it together on the front but faded hard on the back. Still not feeling good and I am blaming that for things.Ran out of energy but my driver held together the entire round. Awesome drives followed by weak irons.....

 

I’ll post some details Monday since there were some good points.

[rondo01]

2 hours ago, bortass said:

It was a disaster. I held it together on the front but faded hard on the back. Still not feeling good and I am blaming that for things.Ran out of energy but my driver held together the entire round. Awesome drives followed by weak irons.....

 

I’ll post some details Monday since there were some good points.

doesnt sound like a disaster to me then; sounds like you’re still a bit under the weather and had a great day off the tee. I’m a bit of a head case on course and have to keep two scores, one that tells me how many shots it took to put the ball in the hole, and another which is a letter grade of how I felt about the hole which I convert to a GPA after. Curious if you’ve ever taken such an approach?

[bortass]

On 5/1/2021 at 5:18 PM, rondo01 said:

doesnt sound like a disaster to me then; sounds like you’re still a bit under the weather and had a great day off the tee. I’m a bit of a head case on course and have to keep two scores, one that tells me how many shots it took to put the ball in the hole, and another which is a letter grade of how I felt about the hole which I convert to a GPA after. Curious if you’ve ever taken such an approach?

I don't grade my holes. Just track some stats. Writing about the round helps me think about things and how I did etc.

 

Saturday was sunny, low 70s, no real wind. I warmed up on the range and that went very well. I still am not 100% from the cold I've had. 

 

 

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. 220 yards drive that I don't see the ball flight of but it's under the stand of trees on the right. I don't bother looking at how far out I am because the ball is on pine straw and I need to keep it low. Luckily I don't really need to worry about hitting a trunk unless I shank it. I punch my 5i, 154 yards, into the right rough. I pitch the ball over the bunker, 33 yards, with the SW and I'm 15 feet from the hole. My par putt misses and i'm left with half a foot and make the almost tap in bogey, 5.

 

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The hole is back left and I hit a high push fade with my 6i, 135 yards, onto the back middle of the green. I'm 36 feet from the hole and I'm putting down slope with right to left break. I hit my putt and it's tracking real good. It barely misses the low edge of the hole but rolls 3 feet long. Well I miss the par putt and walk away with a bogey, 4.

 

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. 180 yard drive that I don't see. The guys tell me it was a low line drive. I'm in the fairway and a ways out and I hit my normal 4w shot. It's a high push slice into the right trees... No finding the ball and I drop where it went in, 119 yards from prior spot. I can't see the green from here and just punch a 7i, 113 yards, into the left side of the fairway short of the green. I pitch with the SW again, 34 yards, to 19 feet. The bogey putt stops a foot out. Double bogey, 7.

 

Well, I am not happy at all about the last hole. I'm regretting that 4w shot as I play #4...

 

4 – par 4, 293 yards, straight, #15 HCP, water left and OoB right. Right side has a slope. There's a fairway bunker on the right. I hit a high draw down the left side, 233 yards, into fairway. Hole is front left and I need to carry a bunker. I don't want to get too cute, so I hit a partial GW. It's a high shot that lands on the green and releases to the middle right. I'm 45 feet past the hole. I guess a partial SW may have been better but I wanted to take the bunker out of play as much as possible. I made the right choice but my putting sucks...I do not make the birdie putt and my notes say the next one was from 9 feet...I don't know if I went long or not but think so. It's a three putt bogey, 5.

 

5- par 5, 501 yards, dogleg right, #5 HCP, hazard down the left side. There's a slope on the right side which makes the fairway narrow in the landing spot. A stream runs down the right side from the corner to near the green. I hit a low draw with my driver down the right side and it hits the slope there and kicks left into the right rough, 199 yards. I'm in good position and go with my 5i. It's a weak high fade off the toe. I see it land to the left of the cart path, crap... The ball could kick right into the stream from there. We can't find my ball, so I drop, 109 yards from prior spot. No shot at the green, so I punch my 7i to set up my approach. I make very good contact and it's a low draw, 125 yards, into the fairway on the left. I'm about 90ish from center and hit a partial PW. It's a nice high shot that lands on the green, 89 yards. I have 15 feet for bogey and my putt ends up half a foot out. Double bogey, 7.

 

Well I have now screwed up both par 5s.

 

6 – par 4, 367 yards, slight dogleg left, #7 HCP. Medium width landing area with a bunker on the left. Houses are on the right and there's a sharp slope into the left trees if you end up too far into the left rough. I hit a high push fade with driver towards the houses. The ball lands on the slope to the right of the cart path and the ball kicks into the fairway, 183 yards. I'm 200 yards out and the hole is front right. I could go for it with my 4w, there's no real trouble by the green but I decide to be cautious after what happen on #3 with said 4w. I just punch my 5i and it's a so so shot that goes 131 yards and sets up short of the green. I hit a partial SW, 56 yards, to 9 feet and I two putt for bogey, 5.

 

7 – par 4, 351 yards, slight dogleg right, #11 HCP, elevated tee shot to a wide open fairway that slopes down right to left all the way to about the 100 yard marker. Bunkers on the left marking the corner and a slope on the right. I hit a great looking draw to the left side of the fairway. Tghe ball lands and takes the slopes to get me inside 100 yards on rthe left side, 269 yard drive. The flag is forward and I hit a partial GW, 79 yards, onto the green. I have 24 feet for birdie and send it 4 feet long. I manage to make the par putt, 4.

 

Finally a par.

 

8 – par 3, 160 yards, elevated tee shot, #13 HCP, bunker on the right side of the green. Slope to the right of this hole that is weed whacked. So it's long stuff and wild. Balls can get lost here.Hole is back right and I go with my 6i. It's a push into the hill on the right... I find my ball after searching a few minutes, 155 yard short, on a steep slope against some thick grass. I have to carry bunker as well. I use my SW and put the ball in the bunker.... I then pick the ball clean and send it into the trees on the other side of the green... The group behind us is up on the tee, so I go get my ball and card an X. I enter a 5 for GHIN.

 

Well so much for this round, lol.

 

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. I hit a solid low draw, 219 yards, into the fairway. I'm inside 150 for a change and decide to go for it. The hole is back right on the upper tier and I spend sometime trying to decide what to hit, 6i or 7i. I would prefer to be below the hole but that brings the pond into play more. I settle on my 6i to try to avoid any risk of the pond. I hit a decent shot that lands on the green and rolls into the back rough, almost into a bunker, 135 yards. I'm not far from the flag and chip with my putter. I hit it too low, so it has no chance of going in. The ball trickles to the slope of the tier and almost comes to a stop but instead slowly gains steam... So now I'm putting from 25 feet below the hole.... I get the par putt to 2 feet and walk away with a bogey, 5.

 

Not a good front 9 but also not the end of the world. I am starting to feel off, physically and mentally, though as the back 9 progresses.

 

10 – par 4, 342 yards, dogleg left, #10 HCP hole. Elevated tee shot to a lower fairway. Green is elevated with a bunker front right. I really suck at this hole. I have been trying to use an iron off the tee to cut down on penalties and it hasn't been working so good. I use my 5i and it's a high push towards the right trees... My ball lands in thick rough, 140 yards off the tee. I try to hack it out with my 7i and it goes about 7i yards, if that, and stays in the rough. Hack it out again and the ball goes 129 yards, through the fairway and luckily doesn't roll all the way down the slope on that side. Almost lost my ball... Ball above my feet and I hit a partial SW about 57 yards and short of the green. I pitch on to inside a foot and manage a double bogey, 6.

 

I really need to figure out how to play this hole.....

 

11 – par 4, 329 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. I use the normal 7w off this tee and it's a decent draw down the right side, 181 yards, into the fairway. I just made this hole longer with about 170ish to center. I have hit v7w across a few times but it's a forced carry and I'm not feeling it. I punch my 9i, 114 yards, to the flat area at the base of the slope, short of the stream. Perfect! Just what I wanted. I hit a partial SW and it's a slight pull, 56 yards, into the left fringe. I chip with my putter and it's bad, leaving me a 9 foot putt for bogey, which I miss. Double bogey, 6.

 

Well that sucked.

 

12 – par 4, 315 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. I hit driver down the left side, 225 yards, into the middle of the fairway and past the corner. I have a partial PW in and chunk it bad, 37 yards.... A partial SW goes 55 yards and gets me on, 26 feet from the hole. The hole is front right on the upper tier. I'm putting up the tier and get the par putt for 2.5 feet or so. I then miss and wind up with a double bogey, 6.

 

I am feeling a lack of energy thanks to the cold and my focus is suffering.

 

13 – par 3, 123 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and left and long left. Tiered green as well. The hole is forward, so I figure 8i. I hit a high push off the toe, 107 yards, into the right front bunker. My sand shot gets out but again I hit it too clean. I am now back left, 45 feet from the hole. I seconf guess my read with coming down the tier, and miss well low and the ball rolls off the green.... End result is a 5 putt, quad, 7.....

 

Yup, stick a fork in me. I would be embarrassed but the way I feel, I more don't care... Or maybe it's just resignation, I don't know.

 

14 – par 4, 543, straight hole, #4 HCP. Elevated teeshot to wide open fairway. Fairway slopes down left to right, water on the right closer to the green and fronting the entire green. I hit a nice draw down the left side, 255 yards, into the fairway on the left. I have a good lie and fell okay hitting my 4w sice it would take a real bad push slice to find the pond. I hit a low thin draw down the left side, 180 yards. I'm in the fairway and the hole is middle back, about an 8i from where I am and the pond isn't really in play. I make contact and it's a high push fade off the toe and into the pond... Lol, can't seem to make what should be a fairly easy shot... I drop where it crossed and hit a partial SW into the back fringe. I chip with my putter to 5 feet and miss the putt for a smooth triple bogey, 8.

 

All I can do is laugh at myself.

 

15 – par 4, 264 yards, straight, #16 HCP. Elevated tee shot to a fairway that is always soft abd cart path only year round. Fairway bunkers on left side in line with the green. Bunker surround this green except for the left side. I hit my driver down the right side, 197 yards, and I find my ball on pine strw under a small tree. I can't hit my normal partial shot because i'm worried about hitting a branch. I punch my SW, 63 yards. The ball lands short of the green and rolls on and stops about 6 inches from the hole. I make the tap in, birdie, 3.

 

Hey a good hole!

 

16 – par 3, 147 yards, #8 HCP. Elevated green with a forced stream carry. Bunkers short right and long left and middle. Tiered green with a strong back left to front right slope. Hole is back middle and I hit my 5i. It's a push into the right hazard. No sign of the ball and I drop. My chip is weak and I'm 45 feet short. I get my first putt to 5 feet and miss again. 3 putts for triple bogey, 6.

 

Lol.

 

 

17 – par 4, 363 yards, dogleg left, #6 HCP. Fairly open fairway with bunkers on the right at the corner. Green has a tier and heavily slopes left to right, can putt off this green... Bunkers short of the green as well. I hit a solid draw down the middle, 224 yards. I have a 7i in and chunk it 71 yards, lol. I screw up my partial SW, probably chunked it too. The ball goes 41 yards and ends up in a bunker. I get out of the bunker in one and have 27 feet to go. I get my putt to 3 feet and miss again, lol. 3 putt, quad, 7.

 

18 – par 5, 504 yards, straightish, #2 HCP. There is a stream carry on either the second or third shot. There is also a pond fronting the green... I hit a draw down the left side and see it land on the cart path and bounce forward, 255 yards. I take relief from the cart path and decide to carry the stream with my second shot. I almost never do this but I also never get this far off the tee on this hole. I hit my 5i and it's a bad push fade that carries the stream easily and lands in the pond.... I just shake my head and go drop by the pond. I hit a partial GW, 72 yards, onto the green, to 12 feet and 2 putt for a bogey, 6. This is actually one of the best plays of this hole by me. Had a legit shot at par for a change if I hadn't hit the ball way right and into the pond.

 

A 47/55, 102 assuming a 5 on the par 3 I took the X on. I just sucked on the back 9. Irons and putting killed me. My driver was good all day long and I did have some good shots at times. I'm chalking this up to not feeling great. I was tired and felt slightly winded at times even though I was riding. That's the only thing I can point to.

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 213 yards

Longest drive: 269 yards

Fairways: 9/14

GIR: 4/18

Avg Approach: 98 yards

Up & down: 1/11

Putts: 42, lol

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -17.2 strokes

driving: -1.1

Approach: -9.0

Short game: -0.4

Putting: -6.8

 

Birdies: 1

Pars: 1

Bogeys: 6

Double Bogeys: 6

Triple+: 3

[betarhoalphadelta]

44 minutes ago, bortass said:

 

A 47/55, 102 assuming a 5 on the par 3 I took the X on. I just sucked on the back 9. Irons and putting killed me. My driver was good all day long and I did have some good shots at times. I'm chalking this up to not feeling great. I was tired and felt slightly winded at times even though I was riding. That's the only thing I can point to.

 

 

Given the collapse on the back 9, that actually makes a ton of sense. You just ran out of juice due to not being 100%. My terrible round was a 61/60, so I can't even point to fatigue lol...

 

Keep your head up and I'm sure once you feel better, you'll get back in the swing of things.

[bortass]

Okay, any advice for hole #10 of my home course?  Par 4, 342 yards and #10 HCP. Picture below. This is a screen shot from last year. I can't get the one from yesterday's round it seems. I've been terrible on this hole. Think it's my worst compared to par. I think I average close to 7 on it...

 

 

 

Tee box is elevated. The area in front of the tee box is a very steep slope. Anything short of the cart path that goes across in front of the tee box is either in long Bermuda rough or lost. The trees where the white line of my tee shot  before the cart path is actually a sink hole of sorts. Any ball in there is gone. The rough above the word edit is also long Bermuda and it's on the front of a slope upwards. The left of the cart path, above it in this picture, is another slope down to a stream. So any ball that is near the cart path off the tee is probably lost.  The edge of the trees above the words edit hole history and help slopes down into the trees and it's full of undergrowth.

 

The area where I hit the 4w is flat and then it slopes down to a flat area before it goes back up to the green. So shots from maybe 60 - 90 yards out are from a flat area below the green. The trees below the PW shot are marked as a hazard and there's a drop off to a stream there too. You can't play any balls from those trees. The bunker is set in the face of the slope the green is on.

 

So that's the hole.

 

I had been hitting driver off the tee but ended up in the right trees too often. This is before is tarted doing better off the tee BTW. I have tried 4w and 7w and had a string of tops which led to lost balls. Sometimes the 4w found the right trees as well. 4i has been topped a few times, so the 5i i tried yesterday just made into the thick rough above the work edit(140 yard shot) because I hit a push fade.

 

Second shot finds the right trees/hazard quite a bit as well. So I was thinking of trying to reach in three but I can't seem to hit an iron into play off the tee, lol. I'm at a bit of a loss with this hole.

[SNIPERBBB]

The shot you have off the tee to the corner of the dogleg is the shot off the tee to hit as to where you want to end up. You really don't want to intentionally hit too far past that spot especially if the ball leaks right as it looks like you risk being tree blocked into the hole.  Don't really see the need to play this hole as a three shotter unless you're tee ball is dead or you don't have a reliable 150 yard shot.

[betarhoalphadelta]

Based on your data, your "typical" drive is ~210-220, right? 

 

That looks like it should put you right into the widest point of the landing area. So using a shorter club to find fairway makes life harder because you're aiming at a more narrow fairway. 

 

Driver gets you close enough to the hole that you might be able to take a lofted-enough club to get you over the trees if you're to the right, and if not, you can call an audible and go to a three-shot strategy.

 

So I'd take a driver and just swing it REAL easy, not trying to max your distance. That should at least get you close enough to go at the green, even if it's the left side of the green to a right-side pin. 

 

I mean, it looks like a tricky hole. But you can screw up your 4w/7w/4i/5i almost as easily as driver, right? So hit driver and give yourself the best shot at GIR, and swap to a three-shot strategy only if you have to based on what you have after your tee ball. 

[95124hacker]

Looks like that hole requires a draw tee shot but a fade approach. Hard to tell from aerials. Would have to play it a couple of times myself to give proper feedback.

[bortass]

Well another week with almost no golf. Storms rolled through earlier this week and dumped a bunch of rain. Playing the home course tomorrow morning and it could be an adventure because I got a call this afternoon.

 

 

 

Irons came in for the most part. There was a mix up someplace and they built a 5i and not a SW.... I left the 5i at the club and they are dealing with it. No eta on the PING 5H yet. If I didn't have a 5H coming, I'd probably have ordered a 5i-SW instead of 6i-SW. Oh well. No biggie.

 

I hit the A wedge and 6i at the range a bit. It's gonna take a bit to get used to the heavier shaft and extra length. I have a feeling there will be some odd shots tomorrow as I get used to them. It I am putting them in the bag this evening. Only way I'm gonna figure them out is by hitting them.

 

I also will have no idea what my yardages are because I'm sure there will be a bit of variation from my M565s. I'll play the M565 yardages and go from there. I think it'll take a few rounds to build up enough shots for Arccos to give me a good idea of what I do with these. So I expect more volatility in my game than normal until I get used to things.

 

They did feel real good when I hit them.  Ball position seems to matter a bit more, I struggled some with the 6i until I moved it forward a touch. I think my ball flight may end up being a bit lower but it's hard to say. I can't really tell distances at the range since I'm hitting down a slope and it was windy today.

 

Have a good weekend!

[Chip Duffer]

Nice looking irons Bortass! I like the idea of playing your old yardages as a reference point and adjusting from there. 

 

As for the length of the clubs, just set the club down and grip it naturally. You'll find your comfort zone quickly. The truly great thing about new clubs is that they come with "hope", but no "expectations", so we can just put them behind the ball and put our "good swing" on it. The old, swing back, swing through and see the ball fly. I suspect you'll adjust well to the new clubs.

[bortass]

Morning,

 

I thought of taking some pictures of #10 since my typed description is wordy and i don't know how good it is. I took these from where my tee shot landed. It's the right rough, almost in the tree line, roughly 210 yards off the tee. One picture is looking back at the tee box and the other at the green.

 

 

 

[SNIPERBBB]

Yeah it definitely looks like you need hug the left side of the fairway, middle at worst unless you're a fader. Miss to far right or right and long and you have no approach

[bortass]

13 hours ago, Chip Duffer said:

Nice looking irons Bortass! I like the idea of playing your old yardages as a reference point and adjusting from there. 

 

As for the length of the clubs, just set the club down and grip it naturally. You'll find your comfort zone quickly. The truly great thing about new clubs is that they come with "hope", but no "expectations", so we can just put them behind the ball and put our "good swing" on it. The old, swing back, swing through and see the ball fly. I suspect you'll adjust well to the new clubs.

Thanks! It's going to take some time I think. I was all over the map Saturday but that also included shots with my old clubs. I think part of my issues may have been I have not been to the range in 2 weeks. Part of my game that I always counted on has left me lol. Partial wedges are turning into chunks.

 

The good news is I like the new irons and I think my distances will increase once I get situated with them. I'm just waiting on that PING 5H and for TM to build and ship the SW that was supposed to be with the irons. That will still leave 2 holes in my bag that I will need to think of what to fill them with or I just play with 12 clubs, lol.

[bortass]

7 minutes ago, SNIPERBBB said:

Yeah it definitely looks like you need hug the left side of the fairway, middle at worst unless you're a fader. Miss to far right or right and long and you have no approach

 

Very true! If only it were that simple, lol.

 

The problem with the left side, which you can't see in the pictures is, balls there risk going into the left trees. The picture showing the green, you can see the cart path. To the left of it, is a steep slope. They mow an area on that slope and it's normal rough. It then turns into long grass,  small pucker brush, since they do weed whack it some, etc. I had a shot from that slope a few weeks ago from where that tree casting the shade on the cart path is. I was inside 100 yards out, after a few shots,  but the ball was a good 18 inches - 2 feet above my feet.... 

 

Off the tee, it gets interesting risk reward wise. The topography feeds things left. A tee shot near the cart path is likely to roll into the trees and that slope, even if it lands in the fairway. However, if you can get it to land on the left side in the correct spot, the ball will run down to the flat area that is short of the green. Problem is being left enough to take the slope but right enough to not lose your ball. I tend to aim for center and then end up hitting a push or push fade into the right trees. 

 

The right side off the tee is kinda amusing too because the trees are also on a slope away from the fairway. So in the pictures I'm standing on the highest point of the hole outside of tee or green. In the picture of the tee box you can see how the ground slopes to the left of the picture, which is the right side off the tee. Shots that are not curving left and headed for the right side are very likely to land and rolls down the slope into the right trees. It's full of undergrowth in there and not finding your ball is very likely.

 

So far this is how I tend to lose shots on this hole.

 

Hit tee shot into right trees, most common reason.

Followed by hit an approach shot into the right trees from the fairway.

Then it's top my tee shot when I try to play safe with an iron or wood and reduce the risk of reach the right trees.

Hit a recovery shot from the right side into the left trees down by the 100 yard marker.

Left trees a handful of times but it's rare since I am almost always to the right.

 

I will be fine once I figure out a strategy that I can reasonably execute. Heck, even a double bogey is an improvement over what I average on this hole. Kinda funny in a way that it's not the real hard holes that kill me.... The tee shot is going to be the key though. Maybe the 5H will be what I need to get the ball far enough and in play unless the 7w starts to behave off the tee, which I think it's starting to do again.

 

Right now though, driver is what I hit the best. Can't believe I can hit my driver better than I can an iron.....LOL.

[MattC555]

Take enough club to round the corner into the widest area of the fairway.  Aim away from where the ball typically goes, even if that means your concerned it'll end up too far left. 

[bortass]

 

18 Saturday morning. low 70s and sunny. Some wind but I didn't notice the directions or strength. Cart path only on some holes because of the rain that hit Monday and Tuesday. I warmed up on the range and it was okay. My miss with the new irons is low and right. New irons are longer with a heavier shaft, so I expect to have some issues out there since I haven't had any real time to hit them and adjust as needed. I tried to note when I hit the new irons but it's 6i-AW in case I forgot.

 

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. I hit a nice draw down the right side with my driver, 238 yards, into the fairway on the right. I am about 160ish out. 7W is too risky because long will go into a stream. I decide to hit my 4i and I top it, lol. I watch it take off a few feet off the ground and then it lands and rolls kicking up rooster tails of dew, which slows the ball down a lot. I whopping 119 yards and now I'm in the right rough. I have to go over a bunker and hit a partial SW. I don't go full out and it's a nice shot that carries the bunkers. My ball is in the rough at the back of the green, 63 yard shot. The hole is front left and I use my putter to chip through the rough. I'm going down slope towards the hole and I leave it 11 feet short. I manage to sink the bogey putt, 5.

 

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The hole is on the left and I aim for center with my new 6i. I hit it thin, off the toe, and it's a low push into the front right bunker 119 yards. This is the mishit I saw on the range. I have plenty of green to work with and I get my ball out in 1 but am 22 feet short of the hole. I hit my par putt but my aim was too low. The ball rolls out and goes just past the hole on the low side and I have 2.5 feet for my bogey, which I make, 4.

 

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. I hit a nice draw with my driver, 219 yards, into the middle of the fairway. It's cart path only on this hole, so things are a touch soft but nothing too bad. I am not worried about a mishit with my 4w being an issue since the right trees should be far enough right that it would take a push slide to go in them. I swing and top the 4w 110 yards down the fairway, lol. I'm about 115 out or so and decide to hit my new 8i. It's a bit of a push and I am not exactly sure what the ball flight was or what caused the following to happen. My ball lands near the greenside lip of one of the front right bunkers. The ball kicks out of the bunker onto the green or so I think. I get to the green and my ball is in the back rough between two bunkers, 139 yard 8i thanks to that bounce out of the trap. My ball is on the face of a mound which slopes towards the green. I have a fair amount of rough to deal with and decide to chip with my SW. I know I'm gonna come in steep because of the slope and it's delofting my wedge a fair amount. I skull it, 34 yards, off the front of the green... I chip with my SW and don't give it enough gas. The contact is decent and my chip goes 16 yards but I'm still 28 feet below the hole. I expect the ball to break left and it breaks right instead and i'm now 9 feet to the right of the hole. I think this is a spot where the grain takes the ball in a direction that you wouldn't expect. Anyhow I wind up 3 putting for an 8 because my short game sucked.

 

4 – par 4, 293 yards, straight, #15 HCP, water left and OoB right. Right side has a slope. There's a fairway bunker on the right. I hit a nice draw into the fairway on the left side, 227 yards. I'm 60ish yards from the hole, which is front left. A partial Sw is just what the doctor ordered, luckily I'm pretty good with them. So I chunk it 51 yards into the front left bunker. I am not happy. I had some chunks with partial wedges last week too. I felt like I was pretty solid with them and now that's starting to waver. I use my SW to get out of the bunker in one and I'm 12 feet below the hole. I hit my par putt and miss and have 18 inches for bogey, which I make, 5.

 

5- par 5, 501 yards, dogleg right, #5 HCP, hazard down the left side. There's a slope on the right side which makes the fairway narrow in the landing spot. A stream runs down the right side from the corner to near the green. I hit my driver a touch thin and it's a low draw down the middle, 200 yards. I'm in a good spot and decide on my 5i to get past the corner. It's a push, off the toe, into the hazard on the right... Can't find my ball so I drop and have no shot at the green. I punch my 5i about 104 yards to setup a shot into the green. I'm about 60 yards out and go with a partial SW. I chunk it about 33 yards into the little stream fronting the green, as in a stream that's about 1-2 feet wide..... Can't find my ball and I drop again. Pitch on to the green about 15 feet right of the hole. My first putt stops about a foot out and I make the next one for a smooth quad, 9.

 

I am reeling a bit from #3 and #5, holy crap this is bad.

 

6 – par 4, 367 yards, slight dogleg left, #7 HCP. Medium width landing area with a bunker on the left. Houses are on the right and there's a sharp slope into the left trees if you end up too far into the left rough. I hit a high push fade with my driver towards the houses on the right. Great.... Luckily I find my ball in bounds, 207 yards off the tee, under some large pine trees on pine straw. I hit a little punch with my 5i to just get it into the fairway. The ball goes about 85 yards and I'm in the fairway. I go with my new 9i and it's a high push, 111 yards and over the back right corner of the green. I'm in the rough and blade my chip into the front bunker on the left. It takes me two to get out. I'm 30 feet below the hole and I get my first putt to a foot. Quad, 8.

 

7 – par 4, 351 yards, slight dogleg right, #11 HCP, elevated tee shot to a wide open fairway that slopes down right to left all the way to about the 100 yard marker. Bunkers on the left marking the corner and a slope on the right. I hit a high fade with my driver down the right side. The ball lands in the fairway on the right and takes the slope to end up in the fairway on the right 230 yards. I'm about 120ish out and the ball is above my feet a bit. I go with my 8i and it's a pull hook well left of the green and into the left trees. Can't find my ball and it's marked as a hazard. I drop and pitch onto the green, which is above me. I have 33 feet for my bogey putt and I get it within a foot. Double bogey, 6.

 

Stick a fork in me? Lol.

 

8 – par 3, 160 yards, elevated tee shot, #13 HCP, bunker on the right side of the green. Slope to the right of this hole that is weed whacked. So it's long stuff and wild. Balls can get lost here. The flag is back right. I normally hit 6i on this hole to get to the middle of the green. I decide to hit my new 6i. I make contact, it sounds like solid contact, and it's a high pull that flies over the left side of the green and into the trees on the left back of the green, 186 yards.... I did not skull this ball and it was almost all carry since it landed in soft stuff just across the small drainage stream that's back there. I don't recall ever hitting a 6i 186 yards. Yes, it's an elevated tee shot and I don't know if I had wind assist or not. Regardless, I was not expecting this at all. 'm in some long grass and hack my ball towards the green. It goes about 23 yards and is short... I chip to 5 feet and miss the bogey putt. Double bogey, 5.

 

I'm just laughing at the tee shot. It doesn't bother me because I hit the ball solid. Now I question how far can I hit these new irons.

 

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. I hit a solid draw down the middle, 228 yards. I don't really have to worry about the pond and I'm 130ish out. I hit my new 7i and it's a high push off the toe. The ball is heading for the trees that are well right of the green and it gets knocked down by the branches. The ball drops and rolls left towards the green, 121 yard shot and I'm in the rough. I blade my pitch 44 yards through the green, lol. I chip with my putter from the back left and the hole is front right. It goes 25 yards and stops 5 feet from the cup. I two putt for a double bogey, 6.

 

Things are not going good as I head to my personal 'hole of doom'.....

 

10 – par 4, 342 yards, dogleg left, #10 HCP hole. Elevated tee shot to a lower fairway. Green is elevated with a bunker front right. I hit a push with my driver, 209 yards. I think it's going into the trees but it lands in the right rough and somehow rolls left to stay in the rough instead of to the right and into the trees. See pictures in the post above. I'm 150ish out and hit my 5i. I chunk it 81 yards... I have a partial SW into the elevated green. I make good contact and I miss the green a bit left, 59 yard shot. I chip with my putter to 5 feet. The bogey putt misses and I have a foot left which I make, double bogey, 6.

 

Well, ugly but it's better than normal for me on this hole. That's how pathetic I play it normally.

 

 

11 – par 4, 329 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. It's a nice draw with the 7w, 181 yards, into the middle of the fairway. About 150ish to center and the flag is back. 5I should do the trick. I hit the ball and it's a high draw that lands on the back of the green and rolls off under some small trees, 184 yards... Well now, lol. My chip from the pinestraw doesn't reach the green, so I chip again with the putter. I get it to 5 feet and two putt once again from that range... Double bogey, 6.

 

12 – par 4, 315 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. I hit a push fade with driver, 208 yards, just into the edge of the right trees. I don't have a good shot from here and just hack a 5i 77 yards into the fairway. The hole is front right on the upper tier of this green. I have to carry the bunker and hit a partial SW. It's a good shot that lands on the slope of the tier and it rolls back and just into the fringe. I use my putter to chip and I get it up the tier to 3 feet and sink the bogey putt, 5.

 

13 – par 3, 123 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and left and long left. Tiered green as well. The hole is in front maybe 105ish out. I decide that the new irons are likely to be longer than my old ones, so I try my PW. It's a high shot and the wind catches it. It drops in the front left bunker, 107 yards. Not terrible since that's my old 9i distance lately. I get out of the bunker in 1 to 5 feet. Any guesses what happens next? I two putt for bogey, 4.

 

14 – par 4, 543, straight hole, #4 HCP. Elevated teeshot to wide open fairway. Fairway slopes down left to right, water on the right closer to the green and fronting the entire green. I hit a decent shot with my driver down the left side, 236 yards. I'm in the fairway and aim down the left side with my 4w. I hit it a bit thin into the face of the slope on the left, 171 yards, and I'm in the fairway on the left side still. I'm near 150ish out and the flag is middle back. I hit a high 5i shot that lands on the back of the green and rolls off, 152 yards. I chip with my putter to 7 feet and my par putt ends up 6 inches out. Bogey, 6.

 

15 – par 4, 264 yards, straight, #16 HCP. Elevated tee shot to a fairway that is always soft abd cart path only year round. Fairway bunkers on left side in line with the green. Bunker surround this green except for the left side. I catch the driver a bit thin but it's a low draw down the middle into a soft fairway, 181 yards. I hit a partial shot with my new AW and it's decent. It goes about 74 yards and into the fringe. A chip with the putter get to 6 feet and I two putt for a bogey, 5.

 

16 – par 3, 147 yards, #8 HCP. Elevated green with a forced stream carry. Bunkers short right and long left and middle. Tiered green with a strong back left to front right slope. The flag is middle back, pretty much as far back as possible. This tends to be 6i range for me, so I hit my new 6i. It's a high fade that lands on the green and rolls to the right, 146 yard shot. My ball is right against the fringe but on the green, so a GIR! I'm 66 feet from the hole and putting upslope and up tier. I hti my birdie putt and it's trackign right for the hole. It barely misses low and I have a foot for my par, 3. Great putt!

 

17 – par 4, 363 yards, dogleg left, #6 HCP. Fairly open fairway with bunkers on the right at the corner. Green has a tier and heavily slopes left to right, can putt off this green... Bunkers short of the green as well. I hit a decent drive, 216 yards, into the middle of the fairway. The flag is on the left and this is a green where you need to aim left of your target because the ball will roll left to right once it lands. Now I aim to the left side of the green which is where the flag is because I don't want to aim off the green on purpose even though that's where you want to land the ball. I use my new 6i and it's good contact and a high shot that lands off the green to the left and it rolls on and by the flag. The shot was a total distance of 139 yards but the slope caused my ball to roll closer to me. Regardless i'm 11 feet below the hole which is a great place to be and I sink the birdie putt, 3!

 

18 – par 5, 504 yards, straightish, #2 HCP. There is a stream carry on either the second or third shot. There is also a pond fronting the green... Not gonna go into details. Took an X. Tee shot lost right. Sent two other balls into the pond, I card an 11 since I was laying 9 after the third lost ball.

 

56/49 105. Not a good day out there. The partial wedges being fat is a major issue since that had been a strength. I can't believe my driver is my best club at the moment. Shots of the day, 186 yard 6i and 184 yard 5i. Neither were skulled. High shots, elevated, no idea about wind assist, but they were solid shots. I think the lack of range time is hurting me and I plan to make it out to practice this week, weather permitted.

 

Overall I'm not panicking about the last two rounds. I'm looking forward to some range time and getting out to play again.

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 207 yards

Longest drive: 238 yards

Fairways: 11/14

GIR: 2/18

Avg Approach: 109 yards

Up & down: 1/16

Putts: 34

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -20.2 strokes

driving: -1.3

Approach: -14.7, an utter disaster.

Short game: -3.4

Putting: -0.7

 

Birdies: 1

Pars: 1

Bogeys: 7

Double Bogeys: 5

Triple+: 4

[MattC555]

We have indoor golf locally that has good launch monitors.  They are fantastic for figuring out your gapping.  I go there anytime something in my bag changes, or if I feel like my distances are off.  Highly recommend.  You need to know which club to hit when. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

8 hours ago, bortass said:

Morning,

 

I thought of taking some pictures of #10 since my typed description is wordy and i don't know how good it is. I took these from where my tee shot landed. It's the right rough, almost in the tree line, roughly 210 yards off the tee. One picture is looking back at the tee box and the other at the green.

 

 

That's not as bad as I thought to be honest. If you have a left pin you have a good shot as long as you're not pinned all the way up into the right trees. If you have a right pin and can't elevate a shot over the right trees... Aim at the left side of the green and hope for a 2-putt lol. 

 

I still say that based on the fairway, the widest landing area is driver distance for you... So hit driver. If you hit it too long and too far right, then you have to worry about the trees on the right. So be it. Better problem than being short and missing the very narrow portion of the fairway, right? 

 

You also don't want to be short because you're not a high distance player... If you are going to elevate a shot over the trees on the right, you need a high-lofted club (I'm guessing 8i or more). The only way you can reach the green on approach with that sort of high-lofted club is to hit driver, right? With the bunker in front of the green you can't run a ball up there anyway... You need something you can hit high and stop. 

 

I think you're getting in your own head with this hole trying to strategize your way out of it, and nothing is working--largely because all your misses still exist with shorter clubs off the tee and they are in the narrow part of the fairway with trouble on both sides. Unless your driver is regularly reaching distances that put you INTO those trees past the landing spot of the fairway, hit driver. ESPECIALLY if it's currently one of your more consistent clubs!

[Myherobobhope]

1 hour ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

That's not as bad as I thought to be honest. If you have a left pin you have a good shot as long as you're not pinned all the way up into the right trees. If you have a right pin and can't elevate a shot over the right trees... Aim at the left side of the green and hope for a 2-putt lol. 

 

I still say that based on the fairway, the widest landing area is driver distance for you... So hit driver. If you hit it too long and too far right, then you have to worry about the trees on the right. So be it. Better problem than being short and missing the very narrow portion of the fairway, right? 

 

You also don't want to be short because you're not a high distance player... If you are going to elevate a shot over the trees on the right, you need a high-lofted club (I'm guessing 8i or more). The only way you can reach the green on approach with that sort of high-lofted club is to hit driver, right? With the bunker in front of the green you can't run a ball up there anyway... You need something you can hit high and stop. 

 

I think you're getting in your own head with this hole trying to strategize your way out of it, and nothing is working--largely because all your misses still exist with shorter clubs off the tee and they are in the narrow part of the fairway with trouble on both sides. Unless your driver is regularly reaching distances that put you INTO those trees past the landing spot of the fairway, hit driver. ESPECIALLY if it's currently one of your more consistent clubs!

I'm always team SEND IT... it seems like this hole is causing you problems and it's now both a layout and mental issue... 

 

I'd argue: Hit driver at the middle of the fairway. If you are in the fairway, great, hit it towards the green. If you end up in the trees? Fine. Punch out for a clear shot into the green. It doesn't matter if you have to go 90 degrees out, just get back into the fairway... 

 

This should arguably consistently put you at 150 in 2 or less strokes, which sounds like it would be an improvement over hitting 4w or 7w. From there, just get on the green and get yourself putting. 

 

Glad you got some new sticks! If your wife is mad, feel free to blame me...

 

My best round this season has been an 8 over 15 holes... and 2 of the 3 holes I skipped are the two hardest holes on the course... Still just grinding. All we can do somedays!

 

Hope the rest of the clubs get in soon! 

[95124hacker]

#10 is the HDCP 10 hole, right? How do most mid-cappers play that hole? Aim right side of FW off the tee & left side of green on the approach? If you miss the green left, try to get up & down for par?