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

[bortass]

Played 18 Saturday. It was sunny, no real wind that I can recall, and temps started in high 60s and it was close to 80 when I finished. The course was still very wet from the cloud burst last Wednesday. A number of my drive distances are pure carry because the ball plugged on impact. I played the teal tees again.

 

1 - par 4, I tee off with my 4w and I hit a nice draw down the right side 204 yards. I'm in the fairway with a long way to go, so I hit my 4w again. It's a mishit that goes 154 yards into the right rough. I hit a long pitch/chip but I'm fuzzy on the results. I think I may have rolled through the green. I carded a 6 with a 7 foot putt and my notes have 2 chips and 1 putt. Sorry, I have no idea what happened. Anyways I start with a double bogey which isn't great but I am okay with it. This is the #1 HCP hole on the course.

 

2 - par 3, about 125ish or so with a middle flag. I've gone long with my 6i here and hit 7i. It's a high draw that carries the left side of the green and lands in the back left bunker. The shot went 133 yards. I use my SW and get it out of the bunker and leave myself about 21 feet from the hole. The green sloped away from me and the ball just rolled on along. I two putt and have a bogey, 4. Not a bad start to the round.

 

3- par 5, dogleg right. I hit a mid height draw with my 4w too far left, 177 yards into the rough next to a bunker. My ball is on the slope leading to the bunker and is at least 1 foot below my feet. Going for it is out now. I take my 6i and blade it 62 yards into the fairway. I have a shot at the green and mishit my 4w left about 158 yards. So I'm in the left rough near the green in three. I hit the ball with my GW using the chipping/pitching motion i'm trying to learn and leave it on the fringe. I don't trust myself to swing harder still. I use my putter for the next chip and I get it to three feet. I sink that putt for another bogey, 6.

 

I'm happy with the start of the round. It could have been better but I'm playing steady and the scores are good.

 

4 - short par 4, I hit a high draw 190 yards with the 4w into the fairway on the left. I'm about 100 from center or so and hit my 9i left, into the left greenside bunker. I use my GW to get it out and I'm on the fringe. I chip with my putter to 9 feet and sink the putt for another bogey, 5.

 

I'll keep riding this bogey train to the promised land...

 

5 - dogleg right. I hit a great draw down the right side with my 4w. It hits the side slope that is to the right of the cart path and kicks left into the fairway 186 yards. I have a good angle to advance the ball and hit my 7w. It's a very solid high push fade into the hazard that runs down the right side of the fairway after the corner... I don't find the ball and drop. The fade surprised me since i don't recall hitting that much with the 7w. I drop and I'm 70ish out. I opt for a partial PW and I miss the green to the right. I'm a few yards off the green and I have to go up the incline on that side to reach it. The flag is a good distance away and I use my putter to chip. I get it to 4 feet and sink the putt for a bogey.

 

Not bad to pull out a bogey after having to take a drop.

 

6 - par 4, and I tee off with my 4w. It's a high push into the trees on the right and OoB is over there. I hit a provisional and pull it into the left trees... Sigh. I find the first ball under some bushes, in a hole with a drain that's all marked with red stakes, 154 yards. I take my drop and I'm 150- 160 out. Slight side hill lie but nothing major. I hit my 7w fat and it goes about 63 yards into the fairway. I'm 100ish from center and hit my 9i, it's another mishit that lands short of the green and rolls back. I chip on with my GW to about 12 feet and two putt for a nice triple bogey 7.

 

Well that's two holes in a row with a penalty stroke and I just had my first blow up.

 

7 - par 4 slight dogleg right, elevated tee shot. I hit a high draw with my 4w down the left side and into the rough. I'm 160 or so from center and go with my 7W. I make solid contact and it's another fade that misses the green to the right, 169 yards. I take relief from the casual water and chip on with my GW. I'm 22 feet from the hole and two putt for a bogey 5.

 

8 - par 3, elevated tee shot, 130ish to center with a back flag. I've been hitting my 6i in the upper 130s and use it. Something is wrong with my grip and the club looks hooded. I still swing and it's a draw that lands on the green but about 40 feet short. My left middle finger is sore after this shot because of the messed up grip. I have no idea what I was thinking... I'm putting up-slope and I leave my first putt a good 5 feet short of the hole. I barely miss the next one and settle for a 3 putt bogey.

 

I'm am not thrilled about the three putt but it's another bogey. I'm not playing great but I'm doing reasonably well overall.

 

9 - par 4, with a pond further down the fairway on the left and fronting the green. I almost always miss right off the tee including hitting some nice push slices into the fairway of #1. Because of that I aim a bit left off the tee. I did it my previous 9 hole round and I hit the fairway for a change. This time I hit a draw to the left more than I wanted and I see it land near the pond, roll, and disappear from view. It could be fine since everything is soft in the fairway. No luck though, the left rough is pretty dry and there is no sign of my ball. This is the first time I have lost a ball in the pond off the tee. I tend to put it in the water on my second shot when I try to hit it from #1 back to the 9th fairway and I hit it too hard. I take this as a learning moment and drop 183 yards off the tee. I'm 130ish from center with the pond to deal with. I hit my 6i and it's a low draw that skirts the left rough and curves over a corner of the pond, hits the green and rolls to the back fringe. I chip with my putter and leave it about 6 inches short... So I one putt for a bogey.

 

So a 48 on the front 9 with three penalty strokes. I am happy to have pulled out two bogeys when I had to take drops as well. I am playing steady golf for a change. No wild swings in my hole by hole scores. Of course I can't seem to get a par either and I have the one blow up.

 

10 - par 4, elevated tee shot, dogleg left, and the green is elevated from the fairway as well. I hit a great draw with my 4w, 205, into the fairway on the left side. I'm 120 - 130ish out and it's elevated. The flag is more on the left but I still need to carry the left side of the bunker that fronts the green. I mishit my 6i, well right, and it clears the bunker. I'm on in two but have a 70+ foot putt across the green. I three putt for a bogey 5.

 

I can't complain about 3 putting from 70 feet.

 

11 - short par 4, dogleg left. Bunkers about 150-160 off the tee guarding the corner. I put my 4i in them the last time I played the back. I tee off with my 5i and hit a great draw that follows the curver of the hole and catches the downslope that leads to the stream that has to be carried. The shot went 178 yards... The hill helped, lol. I'm 80 or so from center in the fairway on a down slope. I go with a partial PW and hit it too soft. the ball carries the stream, lands on the grass right in front of the rock stream bank and kicks backwards 6 inches into the rocks. I am not hitting out of the rocks, so I drop. The flag is near the back of the green. My chip with my GW is well short of the flag but on. I manage to two putt from 45 feet for a double bogey 6.

 

Well that hurt. I was in great shape off the tee.

 

12 - par 4, dogleg left. I hit a high draw with my 4w into the fairway on the right side. It's about 120 yards to center but the green is elevated. I hit my 6i to about 12 feet and two putt for my first par of the day. Yay!

 

It only took 12 holes to get a par, lol. Sigh.

 

13 - par 3 about 120ish to center, slightly elevated green. The flag is front right behind a bunker. I hit my 7i and it's a draw to the left back of the green....I'm on the green but 50 feet from the hole. The flag is on a lower tier in the front right. So I have to putt from 50 feet downslope and try to get the ball to stop close after coming down the tier... I hit my putt and it breaks right, a bit sooner than i wanted, slows down and catches the edge of the tier and it rolls down and stops almost pin high 3 - 4 feet short of the hole. Hopefully that makes sense. I sink the next one for my second par of the day.

 

That's better, I'm starting a par streak!

 

14 - par 5, with water on the right as you get close to the green. The fairway slopes down away from the tee towards the green.I hit my 4w and it's a high draw to the left side of the fairway and it plugs. 197 yard carry off the tee. I have to take relief from casual water and drop in the left rough. There is no way I'm reaching the green from here and while I could try to get close with my 4w, I don't like it. I do not want to bring the pond into play, which a mishit 4w could do. I hit my 6i and am fat, the ball goes all of 78 yards. I'm in the fairway and still don't like trying for the green. I decide to hit my 6i to the left of the green and pitch on. I pull my shot into the trees on the left.... It's under some bushes. I can get a club on it if I hack down on the back of the ball. There's a bunker between me and the green as well. I take my PW and hack down on the ball and drop it right into the bunker. The flag is all the way on the back right of the green. So i am a long ways away still. I hit my GW from the bunker and don't get out.... I get out with the next one but am a good 60 feet from the hole. I three putt for a smooth 9......

 

That really hurt. I should have taken the unplayable from the bush I think. I had a great tee shot and sucked the rest of the way in. Oh well.

 

15 - short par 4, elevated tee shot. I hit a high draw with the 4w that plugs in the fairway 181 yards off the tee on the right side. I'm 80ish from center and the flag is forward. i hit a partial PW 75 yards and barely on the green. I'm about 24 feet short and right of the cup and two putt for par.

 

Okay, that's better and I didn't let the 9 snowball me.

 

16 - par 3, stream carry and elevated green, probably 130 to middle. The flag is middle back behind the bunker that guards the mid-front to right front of the green. I hit my 6i and it's a high draw that lands on the green, 139 yards. I'm 36 feet short and right of the cup. I line things up and putt. The ball is tracking for the hole and stops 2 feet short. I come away with another par though.

 

I'm feeling good about things.

 

17 - par 4, slight dogleg left. I hit my 4w and it's a draw down the right side, heading for the fairway bunkers that are on the right corner. I'm just short of the bunkers and 197 yards off the tee. I'm 170ish out with a good lie. I decide to go for it with my 4w. I hit a strong push into the right trees... No sign of the ball, so I drop. I'm about 50-60ish out now. I hit a partial SW on the green and 24 feet from the cup. I two putt for a double bogey 6. Sigh.

 

18 - par 5, with a stream to carry and the pond on the right side, fronting the green. I play this as a par 6 and work my way down the left side to keep as much water out of play as possible and to avoid trying to carry the stream with my second shot. I hit a high draw with the 4w into the middle of the fairway, 185 yards. I am not trying to get across the stream yet, so I hit my 6i to the left. it's a bit thin and a pull but it goes about 108 yards and I'm in the left rough. I could be brave and try to hit my 4w at the green but that's a low percentage shot. I stick with my 6i to layup left of the green and I hit it a bit more left than I want. It was a high draw though. The shot goes 139 yards and I'm in a fairway bunker. I'm probably 90 yards from center and decide to go for it. I use my GW and I make good contact and get a nice draw onto the green. i'm 10 feet from the cup and two putt for my bogey 6. That's pretty much how I plan to play the hole, so I'm good with it.

 

I add things up and I have a 48/46 for a 94. My new best score since 2013. That included 5 penalty strokes and a 9 on a hole that didn't have a single penalty. I am real happy with the round overall. I played pretty steady and even the holes were I had penalty strokes, I limited the damage. I was 11/14 fairways hit off the tee and 5/18 GIR. My index dropped by 2.6 after posting the score.

 

So that's mini milestone #2 down. I have two options. Move back to the whites, start using my driver, and try to break 95 or stay forward and try to break 90. I'm leaning towards staying forward and trying to break 90 as my next milestone. I will need to get my driver working someday and move back to the whites since my goal would be to break 85 from them. My short game needs a lot of work, so I'm not sure I want to spend my limited range time trying to sort of the driver.

 

Any thoughts on it?

[bortass]

I hope you all are well in these "interesting" times. Our health and that of our loved ones is what matters in the end.

 

I'm going to ask this upfront, instead of at the end which is where it would have normally ended up. Do you think I should stay forward on the teal tees and try to break 90 or should I move back to the whites and start dealing with my driver issues? When I first broke 90, years ago, my driver was part of it. It started to come around and became a pretty decent club for me to use. So it's not like I have never been able to hit driver.

 

I am a bit torn on things. I can't post my solo rounds, so they do not impact my Index. So having a rough time with scores won't hurt anyone. I started playing a very small stakes game on Saturdays, pins and skins, and I'll be sticking to the forward tees and my 4w for that, which are the scores that get posted. So I was thinking maybe I should start mixing in the white tees when I play 9. I might not do it every time I go out but using driver on the course is how it came around for me.

 

I got out for 9 today.It was in the 70s and humid. The course is soft in spots but is drying out as the fairways are starting to green up. I'm not going into hole by hole details. The round started out good and I fell off a cliff. I started double, bogey, par, bogey and was doing great on #5 until my third shot... I went triple, double, quad, double, bogey to finish things out shooting a 53...

 

I'm on the right side of the fairway on #5, which is a par 5, in two and about 120 out. There's trees on the right side of my shot path. I hit a full 7i anyways and it was more right, hit a tree and I lost it OoB... had plenty of room to my left for the shot too. So I punched a 7i short of the green. I hit a low draw on #6 off the tee a bit more left than i wanted and it came to rest in some bushes, so unplayable time. On #7 I hit a big push fade OoB off the tee. #8 was just a short game mess, lol.

 

I have not been sending balls OoB much but I made up for it today. Guess the bell curve is fixing itself for my 4w.

 

There are positives though. I did manage some good drives off the tee with my 4w. I also used my 7w on #9 and hit a low draw that rolled out 183 yards. So I was in position to go for the green in two for a change. Of course i missed right but the ball stayed dry. I got just short of the green on #3, par 5, in two.

 

My short game, save on #8 was much better. On #2, I chipped using Monte's technique to 3 feet (FUBARed the putt though) I used a different technique on 3, 4 , 5, and 6 because of the distances involved and made good contact and got the ball between 10 and 20 feet from the cup. The 20 footer was #3 where the chip went 44 yards total, so it's not like I was near the fringe and blew it past. On #9, I was near the fringe and going downslope, so I used the Monte technique again and got it to about 5 feet( and another 2 putt). So I am building some confidence in my short game just by playing.

 

My overall ball striking was a mixed bag. I had some good shots but also some mishits, namely being fat. I'm not worried about this aspect of my game though.

 

Have a good one.

[bortass]

G'day,

 

Got an email from the club regarding how they will be handling the virus. The main things on the course are no rakes or ball washers, no drinking water, and they may do something with the cups. I talked to a guy coming off the course as I went to the range and he said the cups are still in as normal. I've seen a post here about the cups being raised and if you hit the cup with your ball, it's considered holed out. I think if they do something like that my goal(s) will be on hold. I feel like I need to be able to actually hole out to consider my score as 'legit'. Hopefully that makes sense and your courses remain open so you can still play.

 

The range session was decent. I warmed up with some partial wedges. and then some partial 7i shots. Those were good overall. I hit about 10 or so bunker shots and they were a mixed bag. The long delay between range sessions at play I think. I hit about a dozen chip shots using the bounce and that went very well. Only one mishit and even it wasn't horrid. I'm still just trying to make contact and get the ball flight down with range balls. I will say this technique has the ball coming out much higher than I am used to.

 

I broke out the driver as well. I started out hitting true slice after true slice. Ball starting left and going way right. Kinda amusing but not. I decided to do something different and it helped alot. I started to force a release in my follow through. The results was true small fades. I may have had a high draw in the mix too. Regardless the ball was going far and straight. I have been in the habit of letting the release happen naturally, ie' loose wrists so the club head forces them to turn over. I have no idea what is correct.

 

[bortass]

My range session was the canary in a coal mine. I lost a tee shot the day before way right out of the blue. I hit mostly partial wedges or full swings with my driver on the range. I think this matters because my partial shots seemed fine and I do not recall the results of the couple of full swings I may have taken with an iron. Saturday rolls around and I play 18 and kit was an adventure!

 

Played 18 at the course I played for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I think I shot a 112 on it and this is the second time I have played it. A trend popped up early and I was sending the ball right with all of my clubs. Off the tee I hit 7/14 fairways and went right 6/14.... I would say this course is a bit more open than my home course.

 

I felt like I was taking the club too far to the inside on my back swing. I started to have a swing thought on bring the club back versus inside at the start of my takeaway and things stabilized somewhat. I also went out for a few holes before it started raining yesterday with the same swing thought and things were a bit more normal. So I'm not sure if this is the 'cure' for my sudden go right with everything issue but it's helping.

 

I shot a 51/43, 94. A big improvement over two weeks ago on this course. Part of it was having a better idea of the layout. I think it helped, along with actually hitting the ball. I did have a few good shots but some real clunkers too like sending my tee shot OoB on 12. I took a drop using the new rule. I was a bit over 200 yards out and hit 4w from the deck and it was fat. So I get on in 5 and two putt for a triple, 7.

I had some serious issues on the front with sand and short games. For example #1 is a par 5. I get in the right greenside bunker in 3 and it takes me 3 shots to get out and barely on the fringe. A chip and a putt later I have an 8. I had 3 holes with 2 chips as well. I have not been practicing bunker shots since I haven't been to the range much. It's showing. My chipping is a work in progress but I am seeing positives and feeling better about it overall.

The funny shot of the day was my second on 18. It's a slight dogleg left and slightly downhill when you get near the lake that has to be carried for your second shot to the green. I hit a great draw with my 7w that bounced down the slope 186 yards into the fairway maybe 10 yards short of the lake. I have 150ish to center and at least 130 yards carry to stay dry. I want to be safe and hit my 7w again. I blade that puppy and it never gets more than 10 feet off the ground. A line drive over the lake and green. Shot went 187 yards and stopped in the rough on the backside of a slope leading down to the lake again. The 18th green is on a penisula... I hit a pitch to 5 feet and got a bogey.

 

So another pretty good round for me even with the struggles. My index dropped another 1.3, so that's a drop of 3.9 after the last two rounds.

 

I got out for a few holes yesterday and picked up on #7 because of rain. My tee shots were a mixed bag. I had some very good ones and one that I sent way right and lost. I am playing around with my ball position and discovered that if I tee it lower, I need to move the ball back in my stance a bit, duh. I think it was #3 where I teed it lower and caught the back of the ball with the bottom of my club on the upswing. It went a massive 72 yards. I'm trying to get a lower ball flight that will hopefully run out more. Sometimes I hit a high ballooning shot that still goes a good distance but it's all carry. It reminds me of an iron shot and I'm hitting it high on the club face.

 

I tried driver on #7. I hit the turf a good 4 inched behind the tee with the first swing and hit a second ball very thin. Maybe someday I'll figure out that club, lol.

 

[Chip Duffer]

hello Bortass, looks like you’ve been working on becoming more consistent and have had a couple of rounds that are surely heading in the right direction.

SInce you asked, I like the idea of staying on the forward tees, but with the caveat that you play from the whites every 5th or 6th round. It will vary the challenge and serve to illustrate your improvement.

Reading that you were getting the club too far inside and hitting push/cuts doesn’t sound like the swing you had in your vid. In that’s vid, if I remember correctly, the club was outside your hands and on plane at least until it was horizontal. Perhaps you caught a case of “rolling the wrists over” from me. LOL.

it sounds like you’re putting has returned to the form you had before and you’re making putts that really help keep the score down.

Stay well and continue to enjoy playing this great game.

[bortass]

@Twin2L Thanks for the feedback. I'll definitely be staying forward when I play on Saturdays with the group of guys I joined. I looked at the card and it's a 500 yard difference but that's wrong. It's longer I think. #3 is a 458 from the whites and 452 from the teal on the card, however the teal tees are up by the red tees which is 378. I think one of the guys said they get moved up there in the winter, so maybe they will get moved back later. The handful of longer holes that get a significant yardage drop seems to be the main advantage with playing forward. It's why I can be near the green in 2 on #3.

I will probably have to decide the kind of round I plan on playing each time I head out to play 9. A 'serious' one where I'm trying to score my best and 'practice' where I'm doing things that may not help my score in the short term, like using driver. This only matters with regard to my expectations and course management though.

With regard to my swing, I have no video of what happened on the course. I know my swing is fluid, as in it changes over time. My predominate miss with all my clubs was to the right when I started this thread. I had gotten the 4w to be a draw and misses left recently but my irons still tended to go right for a miss. The range video is of a shot that I hit correctly and had a high draw on it, so I'm not surprised the swing looked good. I'm thinking my case of the 'rights' with my short irons are a result of path issues. I had thought it was ball position or something with my alignment. I'll see what happens if I try to not bring the club to far inside on my takeaway.

This highlights something though. A lesson should have caught this fairly fast. So I guess I'm paying the price on my avoidance of having one. My swing is good enough now for one. I didn't want to take one while I was trying to get a semblance of a swing back. Maybe I'll consider on after everything blows over.

Have a good one.

[bpink21901]

I am late to the party and skimmed the previous pages so I apologize if this has already been mentioned. Regarding the setting of scoring goals i always tell people that care to ask they should set 3 hole target scores rather than a 9 or 18 hole goal. Set a 3 hole target of 15 and reset every 4th hole. Its a mental trick so you don't fall into the i just took an 8 and blew my 9 or 18 hole target score mentality. If you can do this you reset your attitude every 4th hole and it helps to stay focused and minimize the snowball effect of a bad hole. Don't total up your score after 9, just start the next 3 hole stretch. If you can average 15 for each 3 hole span you just shot 90 when you add it up at the end. I used this approach for the HS team and it seemed to work for most of them.

Regarding what to practice...i know others have said this but I'll concur....short game, short game, short game....and again short game!! Serious backyard target chipping does wonders and you can get 20 minutes of practice in without any travel time and be socially isolated while doing it!

 

[Chip Duffer]

bpink, I really like the idea of 3 hole target scoring. I had never heard that before, but I may use it myself with 13.

[bortass]

@bpink21901 Welcome to my ramblings! How to manage bad holes was one of the important lessons I learned when I was trying to break 100 for the first time. I had to learn that a few big numbers do not mean that a round is ruined. It was a very hard lesson to learn too. It was followed by learning how to ignore score to prevent the "I only need a bogey to break XYZ" and promptly feeling pressure to perform and carding a triple...lol. I got into the habit of just writing down numbers and adding them after walking off 18. Of course, I have a general idea how a round is going overall but I try to avoid focusing on where I am and what I need to do.

One thing about my game is I am erratic and always have been. So I'm used to having a couple big numbers on my card but can string together a number of decent holes to make up for it. Part of it may be the fact that I once was a 19 index. I can play like that 19 for a few holes each round and need to do it more often to hit my target. I've shot 85 twice in my life and my lowest 9 was a 41 or 42. So I'm sure I can do it and it's a question of how much work and time it takes.

I will mention something that I find strange. I play better when I play 18 on Saturdays with the 'guys'. I have shot 99, 98, 112(new course/badswing day), 94, and 94(on the course I had the 112 on). My best score when I have walked 9 is a 52... I have played 18 without the 'guys' twice and had a 101 and 108. I'm not sure what it is outside of two things. First, it takes longer to play. I can walk the front 9 in 90 minutes if I don't have to wait on anyone in front of me. So i have more time between shots and it probably matters most with my putting. Second, I have more holes to play better on, lol. Who knows.

I hope all of you get through recent events unscathed. Have a good one.

[Chip Duffer]

Pace when playing by yourself is quicker. Once you get to your ball, follow the routine that you find gets your best results.

I discovered for myself that when playing by myself i can get a bit quick and even a tad too casual over shots. Then I’ll have a few throw away, “here hold my beer and watch this” shots. It’s fun to have those experiments and thinking like Phil for a moment. Of course, the results on those “Phil moments” are more often than not very predictable. ?

[bpink21901]

I am the opposite and play much better when playing quicker whether by myself or with others outside of weekend prime time. I rarely play weekend prime time any more because i lose interest around the 13th/14th hole when my 3 hour impatience trigger kicks in and all I can think about is I should be done by now.

If some act of God would bestow me with tour level ability I still could not do it because of the slow play. On one of those 10 minute waits on the tee while a ruling was being dragged out in front of our group & I would pull a Woody Austin and beat myself on my head with my putter, and have to permanently withdraw due to never ending concussion symptoms.

[bortass]

The range is now closed until further notice. The club needs to figure out how they can comply with the local health rules and reopen it. Luckily the course remains open.

@bpink21901 @Twin2L It's funny that you're opposite of each other. Not surprising though in the greater scheme of things since personalities vary so much. I don't like waiting a long time either but if the course is busy and there's no place to go, I understand I'm in for a long day. Not gonna like it though.

I played a quick 9 in 75 minutes today...I have some cart passes so I took my stepdaughter out with me so she could drive the cart. She's never done that before. It was great to get her out of the house and she really liked it. I find it kinda funny since she drives but that's fine, lol. We had fun and didn't die

My score was horrible.., Shot a 56 with 22 putts. I pulled a couple 4 putts out of my rear end too. I told my wife about how I play better on the weekend and she said maybe it's because it's more competitive. I don't feel that way on the weekends and it's just a $10 buy-in skins/greens game. It's not like I feel any pressure while playing. I'm thinking I rush too much at times.

I am very used to walking 9 solo. It's the format I have played by far the most. Playing 18 was kinda rare for me. And carts are 'foreign' to me. I have ridden 5 times recently and I probably rode less than that in the hundreds of rounds I played in Maine at my home course. Where I'm going with this is I used to always play hit ball, find ball, hit ball again. You would think that a quicker pace of play is fine with me but maybe that's not true these days. I have noticed that I tend to do poorly if I feel like there's someone behind me that's going faster than me. A single in a cart for example, they will almost always move faster than me. So I let them through if possible but until I can actually do that, my game suffers. I feel like I gotta play faster. I rarely got caught by anyone playing in Maine because most singles walked at the hours I played. That's not the case here.

So today, there was no one behind me until I was waved through a foursome on #5. I still felt rushed. The hit ball, find ball, hit ball pattern was just faster and it's my putting and short game that seem to crack under it. I don't take the extra time to look at what I'm doing and hit a dud or miss a putt, walk to it and miss again... I guess I need to learn how to slow down some, when appropriate, on the course. Take a deep breath or something. I'm hoping it's just something new I need to learn and adapt to

[bortass]

Saturday was a fiasco. I fell apart at the end. I walked and it was in the mid/upper 80s. One of the guys asked if I was tired but I think it was mostly decision making, execution, and shifting mental state. It was a beautiful 49/58 for a 107. Well it would have been at least a 107 but I had a number of Xs on the card.

 

It started bad on #1. Great drive, 193 into the fairway on the right. So there are tree branches that over hang the right side in front of me. I hit a real solid 4w right into them, so it goes about 100 yards. I have a PW to the green and mishit it into a bunker. The ball is on hard packed sand because the bunkers have not been maintained. I blade it over the green into the stream. I just write down 8 and move on. My drop would have been 5 and the odds are I chip and two putt.

 

From there it got better. I got pars on #2 and #3. Hit both in regulation and two putted.

Great drive on #4 that put me about 60 yards out(the tees were way forward). I hit my partial wedge into a bunker, took 1 to get out and was all the way at the back of the green with a forward flag. So I three putt from 60+ feet for a double.

#5 was a bogey after an errant tee shot. #6 was a double since I almost put my tee shot OoB and had to hit my second back in play.

#7 I hit my 4w, 192 into the fairway. I'm 150ish out and the green is slightly elevated. I hit my 7w and it's very solid, I watch it land on back of the green and roll over a hump in the rough. Shot went 180 and stopped short of the cart path behind the green. I chipped on and two putted for a bogey.

#8, par 3 forward flag, about 130ish to center and elevated tee shot. I have been hitting my 7i here since my 6i was going to the back or long. I swing and contact is good. I watch a high draw land on the back of the green, as in maybe a yard from the back, and it stops quick. Maybe released a couple of feet. I looked at my 7i as I walked off the tee box and there's a grass mark on the sweet spot. The shot went 154 yards.... So I am almost off the back of the green and the flag is maybe three yards from the front. I three putt from over 90 feet away for a bogey. It's good to know that if I actually could hit the sweet spot my 7i might have a 140ish carry, lol. Too bad that won't happen any time soon.

 

#9 great drive with the 4w, 212 into the fairway. I have 100 yards to a back flag, water carry for part of it. I mishit my PW all of 60 yards to the right. Blade my chip/pitch through the green. Use my putter to chip and two putt for a 6.

 

That's my front 9 49. I started real bad but muddled my way through the other 8 holes decently even though I wasn't on top of my swing and my sand game sucked.

 

#10 I hit 4w, 194 into the right rough. I follow up with a well struck 7w that goes 167 onto the green. I end up three putting for a bogey 5.

#11 is a bogey. Nothing special.

#12 I manage a par after bladeing my 6i approach shot onto the green. Gotta love a mishit that pans out.

#13 is a "routine par(3)" Hit the green with my 7i and two putted from 9 feet.

 

So far so good.

#14 is the par 5 with water on the right by the green. I hit 4w 205 into the left rough. I'm 240ish out, in light rough, with the ball below my feet a little. I decide to hit my 4w and it's a big push slice that stops just short of the water. I'm about 100 yards out with a water carry. I brought the water into play with the dumb 4w shot. I chunk the ball into the lake with my 9i. I drop and have a partial GW shot that is very fat and goes right in the water. I drop again and chunk a partial SW into the water. I'd by laying 8 with the next drop, so I just pick up.

 

#15 I hit a push slice off the tee into the right trees. It's open beath them and I'm in the leaves on the side of a slope. I just need to chip out as best i can and keep it low. I use my 6i, hit is solid right into a tree. I hack it out just past the cart path. My next is a punched 9i short of the green. 2 chips and 2 putts later I have a nice 8.

 

#16 par 3, I hit a push slice with my 6i into the bushes short of the stream. I drop and it's thick rough and the ball sits down in it. I hit it with my GW. I feel double contact as the club hits the ball a second time as it's coming out of the rough and the ball goes right into the stream maybe 40 yards in front of me. I'll be laying 5 with my next drop, so I just pick up again and write down an 8.

 

#17, par 4 and I'm in the tank mentally. I decide to hit driver and top it 25 yards to the front of the teeing area. It's a slight downslope and I go with my 4w. I top the ball again and it pops up in the air and falls back down where I originally hit it... I hack a GW into the FW and put my 4w into the right trees. My drop will be 5 and i'm 100 yards out, so I pick up again and write down an 8.

 

#18 is the par 5 with a stream and pond to deal with. I mishit my 4w, 158 yards, into the fairway. I blade my 7w down the left side and it hits a small "carts" sign and kicks left into the rough more. So I lost a good 40 yards or so. I hit a push slice with my 6i over the stream and just short of the pond. GPS was saying I was 90 ish out and I have to carry water. I hit my PW over the green into the back bunker. I get out and three putt from 18 feet for another 8.

 

That second 4w shot on 14 derailed me. The smart play would have been a 6i down the left side and not try to hit that same shot with a 4w below my feet. I thought I got away with it but my next three shots were all mishit into the water. On 15, I got too aggressive with the direction for my chip out. I could have come out at 90* and been fine instead of trying to go low towards the green between a couple small trees.I don't know what happened to my 6i tee shot on 16. It was a low push slice into the junk which is rare for my irons. I didn't respect the rough when I dropped and tried to hit a normal shot. On 17, I got stupid and pulled driver. I decided to compound it with my second shot that went no place and then sending my final shot of the hole into the right trees.

 

On 18, I regained my composure and didn't try to do anything stupid. I just did not execute well.

 

I did have a couple good tee shots throughout the round. And the pure 7i on 8 was the highlight for me. The 8 on 1 wasn't the start I wanted but I got right back on track.

 

This is a good learning round for me I think. Not practicing is showing up with my sand and short game. My swing is a bit off kilter as well. the big takeaway is going to be trying to learn not to let things snowball like I did at the end of the round.

 

Blah.

 

 

[Mr Smooth]

I used to shoot low 90’s for many years, my mind clogged with mechanics, never really improving

 

then i read, “Understanding The Golf Swing” by Manuel de la Torre. Followed the guidance of this book, forgot all the other stuff I “learned “ through the years, and started striking the ball much better. Near the end of the second season employing the simple principles of this book, I was shooting in the low 80’s and having more fun.

 

just my journey - good luck

 

[bpink21901]

Looks like 7 is your lucky number.... flushed the 7i and your 7w seems to treat you well too. Your #7 hole experience has you walking off the green with mixed emotions....flush a 7w but still get a bogey. If you have any questionable lies in the rough or issues with trees I'd suggest playing one of those clubs to advance the ball back into play toward the green and avoid hero ball triples.

[bortass]

@Mr Smooth I may have to check that out. There is a recent thread on MDLT going right now. I skimmed through it last night.@bpink21901 Well my 6i is my 'best' club but I think it's because of the number of times I have used it. The two par 3s on the front were always a 6i for me and now I'm using my 7i on them. So I'm starting to capture more data on it. The 7w has treated me very well and the 4w is pretty good too. I don't fear using those clubs from the FW as long as I have the correct conditions. I agree about trying to not be stupid and attempting a hero or zero shot. I'm almost always a zero with those, lol.

A club usage break down for the last 27 rounds, most of which are 9 holes, which is when I started to use Arccos. Keep in mind I am also playing the forward tees, so I am not forced to use a long iron much.
Driver - 17, was struggling and try to leave this in the bag and when I do use it, nothing good happens...
4w - 266 shots, use this on the majority of my tee shots and for a second shot on #1, #3, and sometimes other holes based on distances and how safe a shot i think it is.
7w - 42 shots, used off the tee a couple of times but these are almost all approaches or a second shot on #5.
4i - 15 shots, almost never use this club. I used to be able to hit a real good knockdown with a 4i. Maybe someday it will come back.
5i - 42 shots, tee off on #11 with it. Used sometimes for punches
6i - 101 shots, was used on #2 and #8 par 3s and for any approach in the 130 yard range. This was my go to club and still is if I need to layup. I have been getting longer with this club and am now using the 7i more for par 3s.
7i - 50 shots, starting to use this more as a 130ish club
8i - 20 shots. Nothing to really say about it.
9i - 24 shots, ditto
PW - 84 shots, this is what I'm trying for around 90 - 100 yards, along with partial shots.
GW - 160 shots, most chipping and bunker shots are with this club. Not many full shots, maybe a handful. Partial wedges in the 60 yard range.
SW - 68 shots, some chips and sand shots. Maybe a handful of full shots. Partial shots around 50 yards.
LW - 2 shots. No idea why I have this club in the bag. Well I do. I bought into Pelz's 4 wedge system and used this club once in a great while for certain flop shots. I probably should remove this club and add something else. I just don't know what to add. I have a matching 3i, covered in cobwebs in the garage. There's also a hybrid or two kicking around. Or there is a Cleveland Niblick I bought a long time ago which would be a short game/chipping club.

[bpink21901]

I suggest using a hybrid instead of the 4i. Possibly a 22* or 23* depending on the necessary gap yardage from your 5i. Generally they are easier to hit for most. Maybe even a 26* or so hybrid instead of the 5i although it is nice to have a punch out club since it is hard to keep a hybrid as low (at least for me it is) .

Maybe a strong 3w to use instead of your driver.

The LW doesn't need to be replaced with anything since it isn't a law that you have 14 clubs.

[bortass]

@bpink21901 I used to be decent with my driver. Not long mind you but I could poke it out there 220ish and if I really caught it sometimes 240ish. Almost always in play as well. I did have one mythical tee shot right before I quit that went just over 300 yards at sea level. The course in Maine had alot of clay. So balls would plug easily in the spring. Come Summer it dries out and gets very hard. So I hit a low draw down the middle, with a tailwind, through the fairway and it caught the downslope that leads to a stream. Think it was 302 on my GPS. I took a picture of it, lol.

I expect my driver to come around once I spend some time with it. I'm looking forward to it and being able to move back to the white tees. Though I will say that the forward tees do make me hit some different clubs off the tee. I kinda like that actually. I have hit my 5i off the tee on #11 a couple of times now with great results.

I was thinking, today, about my swing when I was 'decent'. Some of the best golf of my life was when I just swung the club. No swing thoughts, nothing I was working on, etc. I'd just take a swing and good things happened most of the time. I want to recapture those days, lol. It was carefree golf and probably the most enjoyable golf too. Don't get me wrong, I'm having a good time now, else I should just find a new hobby, lol.

Played the front 9 today. It's sunny, 10 MPH wind with gusts a bit higher. Temps were 55 when i teed off and about 60 when i finished. So it's a beautiful day out. Sorry to those of you that are dealing with closed courses due to weather or Covid-19.

1 - par 4, I mishit my tee shot off the toe of my 4w I think. it was a mid height push fade, 183 yards into the right rough behind a stand of trees. I have dealt with these trees a few times. I have a gap in front of me headed toward sthe green or a larger cap to the left that isn't at the green but I can hit it into the fairway and gain some yardage in the mix. I'm gonna hit a low partial shot with my 5i and i decide to use the larger gap to the left. I make good contact, the ball is probably never more then 3-4 feet off the ground and it goes 114 yards to the left side of the fairway. I'm now about 80-90 yards from center. I figure a full GW. I don't know what I did but contact felt like a pitch shot using the bounce. The ball is high and right and drops into a bunker. Not the contact I wanted at all nor result. The bunker has been raked by the machine the course uses but my ball is in damp firm sand. I don't trust a standard sand shot and chip it with my GW. I catch the ball thin and it shoots into the lip of the bunker and kicks back in. Now i have some sand to work with and I make a normal shot and it comes out nicely and lands on the green and rolls out some. I have a 15 foot putt and they mowed the greens recently. I hit the ball and it rolls and stops 1 inch from the cup on the high side. Perfect speed, just off with my line. So I get a 7 which isn't a great start.

2 - par 3, It's about 130ish and I have been just hitting my 7i here. I feel the wind behind me on the tee box. I decide to stay with my 7i and it's a high draw. Not as pure as the one on Saturday but a very nice shot. It tracks at the green and lands on the left side near the middle back. The ball only released about 3 feet based on where the pitch mark I repaired was. As I get to the green, the wind is in my face through the trees. So I figure my tee shot was probably into the breeze as it neared the green. Anyhow, the shot went 129 yards and I have a GIR. I'm about 31 feet from the hole and miss my first putt a few feet past it on the high side. I sink the par putt and leave #2 feeling real good.

3 - par 5, dogleg right. Tees are forward still like they have been since I started playing again in December. I hit my 4w real bad, it's thin and I'm not sure what else. It's a low pull hook, maybe a few feet off the ground into the first fairway bunker on the left. the shot went a whooping 123 yards. I'm near the greenside lip and decide to hit my 6i. The ball flies right into the lip and stays in the bunker. I manage to get the next one out and it goes about 20 yards... I hit my 4w real thin about 117 yards...I'm 150ish out and go with my 5i. It's a mishit that is a low push fade about 124 yards and short of the green on the right side. I chip with my GW and blade it across the green into the back left bunker. I'm on a downslope and use my GW to get out of the bunker. I don't make great contact and I go through the green into the front fringe. I use my putting for the chip and put it 1 foot from the hole. So I 1 putt for an awesome 9.... Sigh

4 - short par 4 and the tees are way forward again. I look at my GPS and it says that center is about 206 yards.... There's a threesome in front of me putting. So I can actually reach the green with my 4w if I catch it very solid. I decide to not wait and tee off with my 7w. It's a low pull draw, 181 yards, to the left side of the fairway. I'm about 50 to center and hit a half SW. it's a high shot that clears the bunkers and lands on the green. I'm about 12 feet from the cup and manage to three putt for a 5.

5 - par 5, dogleg right. I have to wait to tee off and this becomes a trend for a few shots the rest of the round. I catch the ball thin aka bladed it with my 4w and it's a low shot maybe a few feet off the ground( notice a trend?). it goes 149 yards into the fairway. I have a good lie and angle with the corner of the dogleg, so I hit my 7w. My contact is decent but it did not sound pure. It's a low draw that goes 176 yards. I'm not in the fairway about 110 from center and the flag is on the lower tier. I decide to use my 9i and let me explain what happened...

The leading edge of my 9i hits the top front of the ball in my downswing. I have no idea how I manged such a work of art... The ball comes out low and right about 52 yards. II'm short of the green and decide to stay with my 9i and hit a little partial punch. I make good contact and get the expected ball flight but come up short. i needed to swing just a touch harder. I chip to 6 feet using my putter and two putt for a double bogey 7.

My swing is a mess today.

6 - par 4, I hit a high push fade with the 4w into a large pine tree on the right, about 152 yards total. It doesn't go OoB but is in some bushed and I have no real shot. So I take an unplayable. I could try to whack my 7w from the area under the trees at the green. There are small sticks and dried up chestnuts in the area though. I just punch my 7i back into play. I'm 70ish from center or so and hit a partial PW on the green about 24 feet past the hole. I two putt for a double bogey.

7 - par 4, with an elevated tee shot. I slow down some and take the club more back and hit a nice draw with my 4w, 188 yards into the left rough. I'm about 175 from center. I don't want to hit 4w here which is likely to at least reach the green but could also go through it. I hit my 7w instead and i get a decent mid height draw that goes 158 yards and is short and right of the green. I get to my ball and decide to chip with my GW. My chipping has been bad so I take a practice swing and don't make any contact with the ground... So it would have been a bladed ball again. I take another one and feel the bounce of the club in the grass. i address the ball and hit the chip using the bounce for a change. The ball pops up in the air, lands on the green and rolls out about 6 feet from the hole. Finally, I did it correctly... I two putt for a bogey 5.

8 - par 3, elevated tee shot. It's 135 to center and wind is in my face. the flag is back, so a pure 7i would be near the cup. I go with my 6i because pure contact is a unicorn for me. I hit it slightly fat and off the toe. It's a high push into the long grass on the slope to the right of the hole. I find my ball with a decent lie and hack a SW on the green and about 18 feet past the cup. I two putt for a bogey 4.

9 - par 4 with water to the left as you get closer to the green. Saturday I hit a great 4w off the tee into the fairway. That shot could have gotten wet if it went left on me some. So today I dial back to my 7w. I hit a high draw into the wind, 164 yards, into the fairway. i'm showing 135ish to center and a water carry to go for the pin which is on the front left. My 6i should reach and I aim towards the right side of the green which has less of a water carry. I somehow hit a low pull draw that just clears the water, lands on the bank and rolls back in.... Guess i needed a 5i if i was gonna mishit it that way. I drop and chip on to the upper tier by mistake and it's a 3 putt from 18 feet because of the tier. So a triple bogey 7.

Shot a 53 which isn't great. My swing was MIA but I did have a couple of decent holes. The routine par on #2 was nice. No idea about that 9i on #5 though. i have no clue how I managed to blade the top of the ball with my downswing.

This is just gonna be a round to reflect on I guess.

[Chip Duffer]

Bortass, so you had an AFGE today. “Another Friggin’ Golf Experience”

good you kept the round going. One thought I had was when you clubbed down to the 6 iron instead of hitting what would be the correct club because you weren’t confident. I suggest just hitting the “right” club for the shot and swing freely and at your normal pace. It allows you to just hit a shot and not be thinking. If you do choose the 6, choke down 3/4” and swing freely. You’ll get good results.

 

[bortass]

@Twin2L Do you mean the 6i on #8? If so I used the correct club IMHO. My 6i will go to the back of that green which is where the flag was. Saturday #8 had a forward flag, so I hit my 7i. I actually pured the shot and it went all the way to the back of the green, like a 'normal' 6i would. Now if I was likely to be close to puring my shots more often, I agree that 7i is the club to use.

The way I see that hole is as follows. My 7i should be near the middle front of the green. A slight mishit will be near the front. A pure shot will be almost off the back of the green. My 6i should be near the back of the green. A slight mishit should be near the middle. A pure 6i is over the back of the green.

Let me know if I misunderstood what you are saying. I do greatly appreciate the feedback I get and do not want to seem like I'm being dismissive or argumentative.

GA is supposed to go under lock down at Midnight. EDIT - Course remains open

I played 9 today. Sunny, almost 70 out. No real wind. Perfect golf weather and the conditions were very good. They are mowing the fairways and greens now. Things are firming up too.

1 - par 4, I hit my 4w and it's a low draw, 180 yards, to the left side of the fairway. Yay, I'm not dealing with the trees on the right! I'm still about 200ish out and hit 4w again. the ball is a bit back in my stance and I hit a low push, 173 yards, into the right front bunker. My ball is near the front of the bunker and I have to carry most of it to get on the green. It's not a distance i'm super comfortable with though. I take my PW and hit a standard bunker shot with it. it comes out nicely and the ball ends up in the fringe on the back of the green. So it's not a great shot but I am happy with it. I use my putter to chip and I'm going downslope. I'm a bit timid and leave it 12 feet short. My putt goes past the hole and I salvage a double bogey 6 when I sink the next one. This is the #1 HCP hole on the course, so I played to my HCP on it. Not great but I have to accept that this hole is more like a par 5 score wise.

2 - par 3 that has been routine the last two rounds. I tee off with my 7i again and blade that puppy. it rolls 112 yards into the front left bunker. I'm near the front of the bunker and the flag is more middle back. I use the PW again for the bunker shot and it's a repeat of #1. I hit the shot well and am in the back fringe. So I'm not getting close but I'm not leaving it in the bunker either. I use my putter to chip again and leave the ball inside a foot of the cup. So I sink the putt for a bogey. Scorewise I am in the same spot as yesterday but feel better about things since I limited myself to a double on 1. And to be honest, I should not be complaining about bogies.

3 - par 5, dogleg right. This is were I started to fall apart yesterday. I tee off with my 4w and i think the ball is too forward. I hit a high push fade right along the right tree line. I hear it hit something and i find it in the right rough about 157 off the tee. If you darw a line from my ball out to the left side of the fairway, I'm actually in roughly the same distance from the green as a well struck draw. Of course I don't have as good of a shot from here though. I top my 4w about 129 yards to the left side of the fairway a little inside 100 yards. I go with PW which I hit thin and through the green, 109 yards. The ball is in the rough and has some long grass behind it. I take a practice swing with my GW and no contact with the turf. I take another one and it brushes the ground. I address the ball and it my chip. I make good contact and get the ball flight I want but still end up about 18 feet short of the flag. I'm on the green though and two putt for a bogey 6.

4 - short par 4 and the tees are forward again today. I use my 4w in hopes of hitting a great shot on the green , lol. I hit a low draw a bit left, 185 yards. I'm in the fairway, kind of the same vicinity as yesterday. I hit a partial SW from about 50 out and it's a nice high shot that lands on the green. I'm about 20 feet left and slightly above the hole. I'm thinking par and pull a sweet 3 putt outta my rear for a bogey 5, sigh. I'm sad about this but it's better than yesterday so far.

5 - par 5 dogleg right. I hit what I consider a perfect tee shot with my 4w. It's a low baby draw, maybe 20 feet off the ground right down the middle. I'm 197 off the tee in the fairway and near the corner. I could hit 4w again, I'm 229 from center, but that brings the tiny stream by the green on the left into play if I hit it too far. i don't have a good shot actually at the green. I go with my 7w and hit a decent draw 167 yards to the left side of the fairway. I'm about 85-90 out and have the small stream( it's only a few feet wide) to carry. I use my GW and top it right into the stream... Notice a trend with my irons yet? I drop and pitch on the green. I'm 36 feet short of the cup. My putt tracks for the hole and stops within a foot of it on the short and slightly low side. The only way this putt could have been better is if I holed it. So I come away with a double bogey 7 which isn't terrible with the drop I had to take. I am bummed about 'wasting' the two good wood shots that led up to it though.

6 - par 4, slight dogleg left and I'm teeing off on the back slope of a ridge. I don't know what happened with my swing but I hit the ball with my 4w and it's a nice draw down the right side, 188 yards and in the fairway. What i don;t get is after contact my right, trail, foot comes up and I step forward ala Gary Player. I have no clue why I did this. I will say my right knee has been sore for weeks. I'm about 110ish from center and go with my 9i. Any predictions on what happens next? I blade that puppy and watch it run all the way up the slope in front of the green and on... So I have a GIR but not the way I would have liked. I'm about 18 feet from the cup. I have a left to right breaking put going across the slope of the green. My pace is off and I miss high and a good 3 -4 feet past the hole. Terrible putt. I do sink the next one though for my par.

I'm thinking about my inability to do anything but blade/skull an iron as I walk to 7.

7 - par 4, dogleg right with an elevated tee shot. I top my 4w 103 yards and barely into the fairway. It's a good lie and I'm 250ish out, so I hit 4w again. I top this one even worse. It leaves an impression where the club drove the ball down and forward in the turf. It goes about 21 yards and I'm like WTH is going on? I don't trust another 4w shot and decide to hit a 4i knock down. I'm just trying to be safe and this was a shot I used alot for recoveries many years ago. I top this one to the right about 71 yards and it's here that I realize that I have no weight shift going on. I didn't feel myself shift back nor forward... I am now 130 - 135 yards from the green. I do not trust my iron yardages at all now because all I am doing is blading it. I pull my 5i because I want to take more club to get the ball there. i remeber to shift my weight and I hit a decent mid height draw. I find my ball in the back rough, 149 yard shot. I use my putter to chip it to 4 feet and sink the putt to 'save' a double bogey.

What a mess that was but I feel better because i got the 5i airborne. I'm starting to walk to 8 when a hear a horn behind me and almost have a heart attack. It's my neighbor driving his cart to the clubhouse... Bastid snuck up on me. i knew there was a twosome behind me but they were on the tee when i was on the green. So I wasn't expecting anything and though i was gonna get run over by a maintenance vehicle, lol.

8 - par 3 with elevated tee shot. I have recovered from my 'scare'. The flag is all the way on the back right of the green. I'm talking maybe 6 feet from the back fringe.... It's about 155 yards to the back fringe. I go with 6i again. I make my weight shift and hit a high push, 140 yards, into the bunker on the right of the green. About 5 yards left and I'm on and sitting pretty. I have a good lie in the bunker and use my GW. It's a great shot that pops out of the sand, lands in the fringe and rolls on the green. I'm 4 feet from the cup! A great out IMO. I'm thinking par and miss the putt. So I get a bogey out of it. Sigh.

9 - par 4 with water on the left as you get closer to the green. I tee off with my 7w like i did yesterday to reduce the risk of a water ball off the tee. I hit my stock push fade, for this hole, into the rough of #1. I am almost always over here it seems. I take my SW and my goal is to chip it back into the correct fairway yet stay out of the water. The clubhead slides under the ball and I hit a great mini pitch, which is not what I want at all. I do it again and end up under a pine tree in the right rough of my fairway. My two 'chips' went all of 42 yards and not where I wanted. I'm 110 yards from center, so normally a 9i but i have a pine tree to deal with if the ball gets high like it should with a full 9i. I take my 8i and hit a shot I don't know the name of. It's a partial back swing and I go through the ball hard and turn my wrists over. Contact sounds great and it takes off, 107 yards, and misses the green long and right. The ball started a bit low, climbed and dropped. I chip my ball with my SW into the back right bunker... I decide to putt out and end up 8 feet from the cup. I two putt from there for a nice snowman in April to end my round...

I end up with an even 50. I'm actually happy with this score. I believe it is the lowest score I have had when just playing 9 holes since my return. My swing was interesting as well to say the least. I played the entire 9 with the same ball since I was able to recover it when I put it in the small stream on #5. I am real happy that I found a way to recover from the disaster in the making on #7 too. #9 is a disappointment but I think i will take mostly positives from this round.

I hope you and yours stay healthy and get through this crisis

Have a great one, cheers!

[bpink21901]

Thanks for posting the round....we are closed up around here and I am living vicariously through you!!!

...and by the way as i am reading this I am getting frustrated with the 'tops' too!

[bortass]

Sorry you can’t play bpink .

 

On my phone and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to post details but I had my best solo 9. 1 double, 6 bogeys, and two pars.

 

only one topped iron and it was mid round.

 

Shot a 44! So I broke my shot under 45 for 9 from the forward tees. Gotta break 90 for 18 though. I felt like a golfer out there, lol.

[Chip Duffer]

That’s awesome news bortass!!!

Congrats on a very solid 9 hole round!! 44 is a great start to the season and only 1 double is a sign of very good consistency. I’m happy for you!

I’m looking forward to reading your round comments. Glad you got to experience such a positive day.

[SNIPERBBB]

@bortass

Reading through your round descriptions, I have a possible course management question for ya. You seem to be constantly missing right with your irons? About what percentage of the time does your irons go right(dont count S** and other mishits) , what is the kind of shots you are planning for, and where are you aiming?

[bortass]

@SNIPERBBB I miss right a lot. So Arccos has me 16% GIR, 5.6 long, 7 left, 12.5 right, and 58.7 short. my short misses tend to leak right as well.

I have to figure it out...

Played 18 today and it was a mess. 49 on the front and 52 on the back for GHIN purposes. I had three Xs.

I had good shots in all aspects of my game and bad ones in all of them.

sigh.

[SNIPERBBB]

I'd say you might want to start aiming more left and add a club or so . Good golf is more about getting your less than perfect strikes on the green and close and your "perfect" strikes won't get you in trouble. Once you're hitting your perfect shots at least 80% of the time or better, you can be more aggressive aiming for the result of the perfect shot.

[mikpga]

A few words of advice...

Be patient...

Learn to develop the mindset that failures and mistakes are opportunities to learn from, rather than get pissed off at...

Spend your lesson time (if you choose to take lessons) on the course...

Truly understand what "bogey golf" is, because "under 85" is only taking a few more strokes off...

Learn to love the process, and as you mentioned, manage your time that makes the most sense...

 

[bortass]

@SNIPERBBB I have been working on the short part and just looked up the definitions used by Arrcos for an approach shot. It is any shot after the tee shot and outside of 50 yards to the green. I checked one of the shots it had listed as 'short'. It was a 6i second shot on a par 5 and I was about 275 out and dubbed the shot about 20 yards. I'm kinda bummed by how they did that. So I will always have a lot of short shots I think. Like the 184 yard 4w from 220 out, great shot but I'm not reaching that green, lol.

I just found a yardage filter on the web page dashboard that I don't have in the app. So here are some better numbers. yardage range is 54 to 180 yards. I can hit my 4w 180 at times from the turf but it's a long shot.
My first 21 rounds, I have 31 total, are as follows: 19.4% GIR, 7.7% long, 12.3% left, 18.7% right, and 41.9% short.
My last 10 rounds, 59 - 180 yards: 24.3% GIR, 9.5% long, 6.8% left, 20.3% right, 39.2% short.

Short and right are still problems. My short shots are mishits off the toe that go right. I am not missing short left. There will also be chunks and skulls that don't roll all the way in. So I am getting better but really need to fix that miss right and am still working on yardages with my irons.
@mikpga Thanks for the advice. I'm not taking lessons at the moment. I am working on the trying to keep mentally even when things go bad. Luckily that is a set of lessons i started to learn many years ago trying to break 100 and 90 for the first time. It is also something that I will always be working on I think. The nice thing is it comes from playing and doing. I see myself string a couple pars together after a couple triple bogies. So I know I can do it and I need to remember to take pride in I shot a 53 with an 8 and 9 on the card. Yes, 53 is bad but if I can still get some good holes in... Hopefully I am articulating this but I'm not so sure, lol.

I hope to hit the range in a bit to work on things. I will try to post round recaps tomorrow if I have time.

Thanks for all of the advice and moral support. i appreciate it.

[bpink21901]

It's really good you have collected data to see what your tendencies are and what are the biggest needs to be addressed. If you are going to keep the swing you have for a while the short right - toe miss may get some help simply by adjusting the lie of your clubs.

If you are going to make a few swing adjustments with lessons in the near future then you probably want to wait for those to take effect.

Either way get some data from a launch monitor, try a few different club length, lie angle, shaft combo's and get your clubs adjusted for your swing either now or after the lessons.

[bortass]

@bpink21901 Arccos is great for collecting data. I used to track stats in my round manually. I had some shorthand that I scribbled on my card. Arccos does it all for me but I still keep a scorecard and track penalties, chips, first putt distance, and putts. That way I can go back and verify/update as needed. Arccos doesn't detect penalties and the biggest area I find with added/missed strokes is the putter. That sensor is more sensitive and it's the club I tend to be walking around with in my hand the most. So I'm not about to say the numbers are gospel but they are in the ballpark which is fine for me.

I had a good range session. Not that I was hitting the ball well but I learned a couple of things.

First because it's the simplest. I may be replacing my 60*LW with my Cleveland Niblick. I don't know if any of you are familiar with that club or not. They were popular probably 12 years ago, maybe a couple of years sooner. It is essentially a heavy wedge, mine is 56* like my SW. It's designed for short game shots. I used it to chip and I never bladed a ball. Same swing but the extra weight and club design really seems to help. the ball pops in the air and rolls out. I hit some pitches with it on the range as well and it worked good.

Now the fun part, which I had all typed out and somehow lost, so her goes again...

I have started to look at the MDLT swing. The recent thread on it here caught my eye and i mentioned it in a previous post. I have watched a couple of the videos of him from the 1987 clinic that are on Youtube and I like how simple he makes it sound. Swing the club up to the right shoulder and swing it up to the left shoulder. Don't resist and your body will react and shift weight etc. on it's own. The thoughts, besides just swinging the club, are start the back swing with the hands and the downswing with the arms. I forgot that last part until the very end of my range session. I ordered his book last week but don't know when I'll get it.

I hit some partial shots with my PW and all is well from what I recall. I try a full 8i and it's a shank. And another, and another... I look at the club face and sure enough the grass mark is by the heel, not the toe. I see the same think on my PW but I didn't shank those. My tempo felt off so I went back to partial PW. Addressing the ball on the toe of the club moved impact closer to center. I tried to do partial swings with tempo, feeling pressure in my right index finger during the down swing. I start taking divots, I hear a click sound at impact, and the ball goes nice and straight. The click sound is what I hear when i make solid contact near the center of the face. So I kept doing that over and over again. My results are good. i hear the click, get good ball flight, and a small divot.

I want to wrap things up and decide on a full 8i. This is where I remember to start the down swing with my arms. I swing, hear the click, see some turf fly down range, and it's a very high, pretty straight, true fade. I drop the mike and walk off. Okay, not really. I walk to my back, put the PW and 8i away and head home. I wanted to end on a positive note and I did.

I'll see where this leads me. I hope it's not a rabbit hole. There are others on the forum that have had good luck with this swing method and it'd be nice if I get some positive results from it as well. The way impact moved to the heel and I started taking a divot were interesting to me. I'm sure someone out there understands why that probably happened. I don't but I like the potential I see.
I'll be typing up my 9 hole round a bit later.

Have a good one.