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

[berndgeurts]

@bortass I think there's great improvement since the first post. Improvements both technical and mental. How many strokes does arccos say you've won since the beginning?

[bortass]

On 5/14/2022 at 4:47 AM, berndgeurts said:

@bortass I think there's great improvement since the first post. Improvements both technical and mental. How many strokes does arccos say you've won since the beginning?

It took a bit since I had to go back and pull the numbers for my first 10 rounds but here goes...

 

Strokes gained is based off a 12 HCP. 

 

The first 10 column are the first 10 rounds I have captured in Arccos dating back to Jan/Feb, 2020. These would all be from the teal, forward tees. I started golfing again around Thanksgiving of 2019. Prior to that the last year I played more than a handful of rounds was 2012. From 2014 - 2018, I played 18 holes a year, lol. 

 

Last 10 are the most current 10 which is a mix of the forward tees, which I play for fun, and the longer whites which I play on Saturdays. I also have the 18 hole round played on the sister course with all the water. It would have likely killed me if I had played it when I first started because there's a forced carry on 9 holes I believe. My tee shots leaked way right, and that's the side the lake tends to be on and I was blading irons .

 

	First 10	Last 10	Improvement
Total Strokes Gained	-28.1	-10.9	17.2
Driving Strokes Gained	-8.1	-1.2	6.9
Approach Strokes Gained	-12.3	-5.8	6.5
Short Game Strokes Gained	-3.7	-0.2	3.5
Putting Strokes Gained	-4	-3.7	0.3
Par 3 Average	4.3	4.1	-0.2
Par 4 Average	6.3	5.2	-1.1
Par 5 Average	7.6	6.6	-1
Avg Drive	162	211	49
Fairway	45.8%	54.0%	8.2%
GIR	11.0%	33.0%	22.0%
Up/Down	7.5%	18.6%	11.1%
Putts	39.3	36.7	-2.6

[bortass]

On 5/14/2022 at 3:23 AM, TheDeanAbides said:

People hugely underestimate the power of making the correct moves before hitting balls. Did you know that the Korean golf program has students train their pivot for ages without ever giving them a club. They train the body to make the correct moves, and when they finally start hitting balls they’re miles ahead of the curve. 

 I can believe it now. I started golfing in my 30s because of a team building event at work and it was a number of years before I seriously took lessons. So that great opportunity is now lost, lol.

[TheDeanAbides]

3 minutes ago, bortass said:

 I can believe it now. I started golfing in my 30s because of a team building event at work and it was a number of years before I seriously took lessons. So that great opportunity is now lost, lol.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t shoot in the 80s or even high 70s regularly. I agree with Hogan on that, and you’ve clearly started showing that potential. 😀

[berndgeurts]

1 hour ago, bortass said:

It took a bit since I had to go back and pull the numbers for my first 10 rounds but here goes...

 

Strokes gained is based off a 12 HCP. 

 

The first 10 column are the first 10 rounds I have captured in Arccos dating back to Jan/Feb, 2020. These would all be from the teal, forward tees. I started golfing again around Thanksgiving of 2019. Prior to that the last year I played more than a handful of rounds was 2012. From 2014 - 2018, I played 18 holes a year, lol. 

 

Last 10 are the most current 10 which is a mix of the forward tees, which I play for fun, and the longer whites which I play on Saturdays. I also have the 18 hole round played on the sister course with all the water. It would have likely killed me if I had played it when I first started because there's a forced carry on 9 holes I believe. My tee shots leaked way right, and that's the side the lake tends to be on and I was blading irons .

 

	First 10	Last 10	Improvement
Total Strokes Gained	-28.1	-10.9	17.2
Driving Strokes Gained	-8.1	-1.2	6.9
Approach Strokes Gained	-12.3	-5.8	6.5
Short Game Strokes Gained	-3.7	-0.2	3.5
Putting Strokes Gained	-4	-3.7	0.3
Par 3 Average	4.3	4.1	-0.2
Par 4 Average	6.3	5.2	-1.1
Par 5 Average	7.6	6.6	-1
Avg Drive	162	211	49
Fairway	45.8%	54.0%	8.2%
GIR	11.0%	33.0%	22.0%
Up/Down	7.5%	18.6%	11.1%
Putts	39.3	36.7	-2.6

 This is a huuuuuge accomplishment. Wow. Hard work pays off. Well done

[betarhoalphadelta]

1 hour ago, bortass said:

It took a bit since I had to go back and pull the numbers for my first 10 rounds but here goes...

 

Strokes gained is based off a 12 HCP. 

 

The first 10 column are the first 10 rounds I have captured in Arccos dating back to Jan/Feb, 2020. These would all be from the teal, forward tees. I started golfing again around Thanksgiving of 2019. Prior to that the last year I played more than a handful of rounds was 2012. From 2014 - 2018, I played 18 holes a year, lol. 

 

Last 10 are the most current 10 which is a mix of the forward tees, which I play for fun, and the longer whites which I play on Saturdays. I also have the 18 hole round played on the sister course with all the water. It would have likely killed me if I had played it when I first started because there's a forced carry on 9 holes I believe. My tee shots leaked way right, and that's the side the lake tends to be on and I was blading irons .

 

	First 10	Last 10	Improvement
Total Strokes Gained	-28.1	-10.9	17.2
Driving Strokes Gained	-8.1	-1.2	6.9
Approach Strokes Gained	-12.3	-5.8	6.5
Short Game Strokes Gained	-3.7	-0.2	3.5
Putting Strokes Gained	-4	-3.7	0.3
Par 3 Average	4.3	4.1	-0.2
Par 4 Average	6.3	5.2	-1.1
Par 5 Average	7.6	6.6	-1
Avg Drive	162	211	49
Fairway	45.8%	54.0%	8.2%
GIR	11.0%	33.0%	22.0%
Up/Down	7.5%	18.6%	11.1%
Putts	39.3	36.7	-2.6

 

Amazing improvement! 50 yards off the tee, 8% more fairways hit, 22% more GIR, and 11% more up/down is all massive improvement without even looking at SG. 

 

Dropping a stroke a hole on the par 4 and par 5 is probably from cleaning up your swing and hitting driver better (and farther) too. 

 

[bortass]

Played the sister course with the lakes Saturday. I like this course. The greens were slow though. It definetly had an impact on some of my putts.

 

1 – par 5, 444 yards, dogleg left, #10 HCP. I hit a solid draw down the middle, 225 yards and almost through the fairway at the corner. The ball is slightly above my feet, so I don't bother to see how far from the green I aim because I don't feel extremely confident about hitting a 4w from that lie when it's probably not going to get all the way there anyhow. Instead I take my 5i and hit a low punch down the right side of the fairway, 169 yards, and it sets me up inside 50 yards. I have to pitch over a bunker to a slightly elevated green. Contact is good and my ball carries the bunker. I can't see the putting surface because of the bunker but my ball is on and I'm 8 feet short. My birdie putt stops 3 inches short... Par, 5.

 

2 – par 4, 328 yards, #14 HCP, dogleg left and forced carry over a small creek/drainage channel. I can't hit driver here because of going through the corner and into trees. I tee off with my 4w and it's a high draw, 191 yards, into the fairway. The flag is middle back and it's about 120 to center. I'm on a slight downslope and catch my 9i a tough fat. It's a high draw that goes 106 yards and lands short of the green. A comedy of errors ensue from here.

 

I blade my chip, 47 yards, through the green... My next chip comes up 19 feet short. Sigh... I expect my putt to break and it's downslope. I hit the putt and it come sup short and didn't break. So I'm 6 feet out and it takes two more putts for a triple, 7...

 

So 5 shots to hole out from probably 4 short of the green. I'm not that happy heading to 3.

 

3 – par 4, 356 yards, straight, #2 HCP, forced carry over a stream short of the green. I hit a strong draw a bit more left than I want. There's a large drainage hole near the cart path on the left in that area. I get lucky and my ball is in the rough under a tree, 255 yard drive. I have a clear shot at the green and the hole is back left. It's probably 105 to the back rough and I don't want to go long. I feel good with a partial AW and it's a great shot. It ends up middle back, 102 yard shot. I'm 23 feet to the right of the hole and I get the birdie putt to 2 feet. I make the par putt, 4.

 

4 – par 4, 319 yards, straight, #8 HCP, elevated green with a tier in it. I hit a fairly solid draw down the middle, 226 yards. The hole is close to the right edge and about halfway back. It's 70ish yards or so, and I hit a partial SW. It's a chunk that goes 52 yards and lands well short of the green. I have at least 6 yards of rough to go through, so I chip with my PW again. I blade it 31 yards through the green... This time I chip with my putter, 6 yards, to 6 feet. I actually make the putt for bogey, 5.

 

A great drive ruined...

 

5- par 3, 138 yards, #16 HCP, elevated tee shot with a forced carry off the tee over and overgrown area with a small stream in it. The hole is near the middle which is 120ish. I hit a nice high draw with my 9i that's heading for the flag. The ball lands short of the hole and a bit right and stops 2 feet directly in front of it. I sink the birdie putt, 2.

 

This is helping offset that triple bogey on #2.

 

6 – par 4, 318 yards, slight dogleg left, #12 HCP, entire hole slopes up away from the tees. I catch my drive a bit thin and it's a low push draw, 204 yards, into the fairway near the right edge. It's a middle back flag and 120ish. I hit my 9i and it's a mishit. I can't recall if I chunked it or bladed it. Either way the ball goes 103 yards down the right side and ends up barely on the green, right middle. So a GIR even though it was ugly. I'm 53 feet short of the hole and get my putt to 3 feet. I make the p[ar putt, 4.

 

7 – par 5, 414 yards, dogleg right, #6 HCP. Slightly elevated tee shot to a fairway that slopes away from the tee box to the lake, roughly 205 yards to the water. Hazard left off the tees and houses right as well. Fairway on the other side of the lake runs 90* right. Lake is on the entire right side and it's a clear shot to the green or any part of the fairway from the tee box side of the fairway. So the first forced lake carry of the day.

 

Okay this hole plays fits with me and I'm thinking about it on the tee. I have hoit 4w into the water off the tee, so I've used 7w in the past but I have topped those into some trees on the right side. I'm torn between a 7w and a 5i. The 7w could get close to the water if I nut it since there's a slight slope leading to the lake. 5I shouldn't reach the water at all but may leave a longer second shot.

 

I go with 7w and top it into the right trees... I drop, 67 yards from the tee and don't have a good angle down the fairway. I punch a 5i that hits some branches but at least it goes 78 yards and I'm in the short grass. I decide to hit 4w across and it's a push fade. Starts too far right and curves even more so and splash... So I drop short of the lake and hit a great 6i, 178 yards, to the left of the fairway on the far side. I think I got cart path assist. I'm now above the green and I have to chip down with a lake if it goes long.

 

I hit a soft chip with my SW that reaches the steep downslope to the green and it rolls onto the green and through it. My ball stopped 3 inches short of the lake.

 

I'm all out of sorts. I whack the ball with my putter to 7 feet and 2 putt for a nice round, 10...

 

I think I just need to punch a 5i off the tee and see what happens going forward.

 

8 – par 3, 126 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated and a forced carry off the tee. It's a right hole position kind of middle backish. I hit my 9i and it's a high push into a pine tree near the green, 129 yards. I have a lot of grass to go through and chip with my PW. I've been blading it so I swing softer and leave it short. I then chip with my putter and leave it 5 feet out. Well it's also a two putt for a double bogey, 5.

 

9 – par 4, 306 yards, dogleg right, #4 HCP. Forced lake carry off the tee to a fairway that runs 90* right. Water down the entire right side of this hole once you get across. Driver has been good to me and I stick with it. I hit this extremely high draw that carries the fairway on the far side. It's a 238 yard drive and I'm under trees and my path to the green has to go between a couple trees that are 30 yards in front of me. I have to keep it low and there's the lake past the green from where I am. I hit a low runner with my 7i through the trees and onto the green about 15 feet past the hole. I get the birdie putt to a foot and have an easy par, 4.

 

Some bad holes and the rest are very good overall.

 

10 – par 4, 250 yards, dogleg right, #7 HCP hole. Straight off the tee with lake down the entire right side. The green is across the lake with a forced carry all the way to the green. I normally tee off with a 7w on this hole but decide to hit my 5i since it should be safer. It's a push fade that's heading for the lake... It lands near the bank and rolls in.... I drop where it went in, 156 off the tee. It's 120 to center with a back left pin. I hit 9i and it's a high draw that lands on the green, 116 yards. I'm 57 feet from the hole and get it to 3 feet and miss the next one. Three putt double bogey, 6.

 

11 – par 4, 260 yards, straight, #15 HCP. Short par 4 the green is on the left side and houses on the right of a fairly wide fairway. Because of the difference between how they measure distance for the hole versus how a crow flies, this green is drive-able. I have come very close in the past. My tee shot is a strong mid height draw down the left side and heading at the left edge of the green. I don't see it roll on up so I know I didn't get on. It was a 235 yard drive and I am pin high in the left rough. I'm about 19 yards from the hole and hit a small chip with my SW to 3 feet! I'm thinking birdie and waiting for the other three guys to get on the green and putt, so plenty of time to look it over. I hit the putt and miss. Par, 4.

 

Darn. Can't be mad though. I wasn't happy with #10 and I bounced right back.

 

12 – par 5, 477 yards, straight, #1 HCP. Drainage ditch about 200 yards off the tee. It's playable in there but you may have a bad lie. Approach shot is a forced carry over a marshy area of the lake short of the green. Last time I was here I hit a 4w into the right brush near the drainage ditch. I decide to hit my 5i instead to be safe and get some decent distance. It's another push fade that lands on the downslope of a fairway bunker they removed a couple of years ago. My ball kicks right which gives me no good angle.

 

Story time: For some reason our cart acts like it's gonna die on the previous few holes. So I had called the pro shop while waiting to tee off on 12. They show up with the replacement cart as we're by my ball. We swap carts out and being in a hurry I jammed the plastic latch that holds the strap tight right under my right thumbnail. Hurt real good and there was some blood involved.... Waaahhhhhhhh

 

I can't honestly say it affected my play though I wish I could point to it....

 

I have to take a strong angle to the left that is unlikely to get me in the fairway because i'm blocked out by the brush I was trying to avoid. I punch my 5i, 143 yards, under the left trees. It's open since there are fairways that run side by side here. From there I pitch a little 5i, 88 yards, down into the fairway to setup and approach shot. I have a 9i in and it's a high draw that goes 122 and gets me on the green, 20 feet right and a bit short of the hole. I get my first putt to 2 feet and end up with a bogey, 6.

 

Still feel okay even with the bad tee shot and my injured thumb.

 

13 – par 3, 154 yards, #17 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and tiered green. It's a front left hole and I decide to hit 7i. It's a bad push fade into the right trees.... I left the face wide open... I drop and pitch my SW, 43 yards, to 13 feet and two putt for a double bogey, 5.

 

Sigh.

 

14 – par 4, 349, straight hole, #9 HCP. The approach to the green is from an elevated fairway. My drive on this hole is a nice fade down the middle, 234 yards. I'm in great position. The flag is near the middle of the green and it's probably 100 yards to center. I hit a partial PW and it's a nice high shot, 97 yards, onto the left side of the green. I'm 27 feet left and below the hole. I hit my birdie putt and it's not good. I leave the ball 4 feet out on the low side. Crap. I make the par putt though, 4.

 

15 – par 4, 274 yards, straight, #17 HCP. Entire hole slopes down to this green. The area fronting the green is always very soft. Another great driving hole. Fairly wide fairway that slopes down to the green. I have come within yards of driving this green too. I hit a real solid push into the right trees.... We find my ball but I have to drop. So 224 off the tee and it's just a little runner with 7i to go. Well I blade it, 76 yards, into a back bunker. I get out in 1 to 9 feet and two putt for double bogey, 6.

 

 

16 – par 3, 112 yards, #13 HCP. Forced carry over a small creek. The elevation of this hole is like a U with the tee and green being the top points. The hole is near the front and 90ish yards. I hit a partial AW and it's a decent shot, 100 yards, that lands on the green. I'm 22 feet to the right of the hole. It's a right to left downslope putt. I get it pin high but 3 feet high... Well I miss the next one, bogey, 4.

 

17 – par 5, 467 yards, mostly straight, #5 HCP. Forced carry over junk off the tee to the fairway which is about 150 yards away. The lake is down the entire right side of this fairway and the green is offset to the right, so the approach in is almost always crossing water. Tee shot is an issue because driver can reach the lake with a push of about 205-210 yards. There are a couple trees that will knock balls down into the junk on the left side, so you are forced to hit at an angle that makes the lake an issue off the tee.

 

This hole is always a challenge off the tee. I saw screw it and aim just to the right of the fairway bunker that's on the left side of the fairway with my driver. I hit a great draw down my line, hopefully it's dry... I find my ball, 249 yard drive, about 2 yards short of the lake. It's 228ish to the green and all carry, so I figure I'll punch my 5i down the fairway. I leave the face open and it's a push fade that lands near the lake and rolls in...

 

Great drive ruined for no reason. I recover the ball and drop, 142 yards closer. I decide to hit a partial SW in and I hit it over the left side of the green, 84 yards, into a bunker. Two to get out and into the rough. I chip with putter to 3 feet and make the putt for a triple bogey, 8.

 

Really no need for that at all... I didn't try anything fancy.

 

18 – par 4, 360 yards, straight, #3 HCP. Lake down the entire right side and the fairway narrows but I'm not sure exactly where distance wise off the tee. I aim down the left side and hit a nice draw off the left slope which kicks it to the right and into the fairway, 228 yards. I'm in a good spot. Arccos is saying about 130 to center and to use 9i. Sure why not? Well it's a push that lands short of the green and rolls down the bank into the lake.... I drop and chip to 13 feet and two putt from there. Double bogey, 6.

 

A 46/49 95. Talk about helter skelter. I either played good on a hole or poorly. I would never expect to have a 46 on a side that has a triple bogey, 7, and a 10. On the back, I either played real good or made a mess of it with mostly irons. Only one bad drive with my driver on #15. The other bad drives were with 7w and 5i.

 

This course has forced carries on 10 holes and #12 has two forced carries. So while it's short, it's not as easy as the forward tees at my home course. I know the rating/slope say otherwise.

 

Regardless, I'm happy over all, but to be honest I am a bit bummed because I was thinking I could do much better than I did. Still, the NDB posting cap turned it into a 92 and it dropped my index by another 0.3. This is just one of those rounds where I need to focus on the good.

 

birdies: 1

pars: 6

bogeys: 3

double bogeys: 5

triple+: 3

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 207 yards

Longest drive: 255 yards

Fairways: 6/14

GIR: 8/18

Avg Approach: 102 yards

Up & down: 1/9

Putts: 36

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -12.5 strokes

driving: -2.9

Approach: -4.9

Short game: -2.1

Putting: -2.7

 

[bortass]

Got out for 9 last night. I played the forward tees with no warmup. I won't go into detail but here's the synopsis.

 

1 - par 4, 243 yard drive into the right rough. 124 yard 9i misses the green to the right. I chip with PW, 27 yards, to 2 feet and make the putt, par.

 

2 - par 3, 117 yard, high 9i misses the green to the right. I'm short side and chip with my PW and it's too firm. I'm 21 feet past the hole and two putt, bogey.

 

3 - par 5, 242 yard drive through the fairway. I'm near a bunker and my right foot is going to be higher than my left. The ball is fairly level though. i just punch a 5i, 181 yards, down the fairway. I pitch on with my SW, 54 yards, and 21 feet right of the hole. two putts for par.

 

4 - par 4, 244 yard drive through the fairway and a couple yards short of the front left greenside bunker.... Back flag and i pitch, 50 yards, to 4 feet behind the hole. This is a tap the ball and hope it goes in situation. I miss low and rolls 2 feet long but get my par.

 

5 - par 5, feel real good. Take 5i off the tee and hit a high push fade into the crap on the right slope. Find my ball and the only shot is to pitch back into the fairway at 90*. Use 7i and the ball hits a rock i didn't see about 5 feet in front of me and bounces up and stops.... Try to hit a 7i from deep rough and hook it into the stream. In the end I two putt from 9 feet to card a 10.....

 

Okay, I don't know what it was but I didn't handle the bad tee shot on #5 well. The rock was rub of the green but I mishit a few other shots badly and I'm out of sorts.

 

6 - par 4, top my driver, 111 yards, down the fairway. 7w into the green is also topped, 92 yards down the fairway. 82 yard partial AW to 7 feet and two putts for bogey, 5.

 

7 - par 4, 257 yard high fade with driver into the fairway. Beautiful drive. It's a partial SW approach and i blade it 111 yards into a back bunker. Get out in one and 20 feet short. 2 putts for bogey.

 

8 - par 3, decide to punch a 9i because right is bad and the punched 8i shots from the whites have been real good on this hole. High push into the right slope. can't find the ball... I just drop one, add a two stroke penalty. Chip on and two putt for a triple bogey.

 

9 - par 4, with a pond left. hit a real nice punch 5i, 185 yards, down the right side of the fairway. It's a partial PW in and I pull it. It lands on the bank of the pond and rolls back in....  I drop where it rolled in and whiff my chip...next one barely gets on. 20 feet out and putt to three feet. I miss again and it's a quad.

 

Shot a 51....  I just lost my composure on #5 and never got it back the rest of the round. Part of it is I was +1 through 4 and hit a bad tee shot on #5 which got compounded by bad luck on the recovery. Blah, I gotta not be so fragile...

Edited May 16, 2022 by bortass

[TheDeanAbides]

Don’t worry about this stuff - progress isn’t linear. 

[bortass]

On 5/16/2022 at 10:53 AM, TheDeanAbides said:

That doesn’t mean that you can’t shoot in the 80s or even high 70s regularly. I agree with Hogan on that, and you’ve clearly started showing that potential. 😀

20 hours ago, berndgeurts said:

 This is a huuuuuge accomplishment. Wow. Hard work pays off. Well done

20 hours ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Amazing improvement! 50 yards off the tee, 8% more fairways hit, 22% more GIR, and 11% more up/down is all massive improvement without even looking at SG. 

 

Dropping a stroke a hole on the par 4 and par 5 is probably from cleaning up your swing and hitting driver better (and farther) too. 

 

 

Thanks guys! Some of it would have been knocking off the rust. I was struggling to get the ball airborne consistently during those first rounds but there have been some significant changes/improvement.

 

Like most things in golf it's not one thing. It's a combination of items and how they interact. The improved driver is getting me more chances to realistically hit a green in regulation. Of course my practice rounds from the forward tees help compound that as well. That then leverages the improved pitching because that's the shot I'm starting to use to get on in regulation on the shorter par 4s and one par 5. Add in my partial wedges tend to be mostly good and positive things happen.

 

Also have the newer, fit, clubs. I'm sure they play a role as well. I'm still a bit shorter with irons than I was when I played good in Maine when I used a full PW from 120 and not my 9i. So I may get some more distance out of the irons as the swing improves. I know my driver is averaging longer that it did up north. A real solid drive for me was 220ish there and I'm getting that more often here.

 

6 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

Don’t worry about this stuff - progress isn’t linear. 

I know. I don't quite understand why I just got so frustrated Sunday evening. I'm playing stretches of much better golf and it is reflected in the score even with some of the massive blowup holes that last two rounds.

 

 

[TheDeanAbides]

With progress comes greater expectation. It’s completely natural to have previous good play affect you if you’re making old mistakes afterwards.

[bortass]

Got out for a quick 9. Played the forward tees and shot a smooth 41. 4 pars and 5 bogeys. Almost chipped in for a birdie too.

 

It wasn’t perfect but I made the best of it. Two of my pars involved getting up and down after hitting my tee shot into a fairway bunker.

 

Overall I’m feeling pretty good about my game right now. Hopefully the good play continues 😜

Edited May 19, 2022 by bortass

[bortass]

I took the morning off and played with the seniors today. I played the white tees and it was a shotgun start off 17. It's a hot and slightly humid day, temps in the upper 80s when we finished. It was a 54/48, 102. Hit pulls and a couple pushes with my driver. Bladed a chip. Mishit my irons, etc, Lost 4 balls. I struggled everywhere yet still had some great shots, just never on the same hole it seemed.

 

For example on #3, a par 5, I hit my best driver ever on this hole. A great looking high draw that cut the corner, 258 yards. I'm in the center and the middle of the green is about 185ish. I wait for it to clear and chunk my 7w 60 yards... Okay 8i in now and I chunk it too... Ended up with a bogey, 6.

 

I had a couple holes where I hit my approach shot, which both were partial AW, to 6 feet. I just couldn't convert. So it wasn't all bad.

 

The shining part of the round was my mental state. I didn't get frustrated. I just kept trying to play solid , but the execution went out the window. I didn't try anything dumb or get upset though. So I'll take that as a positive.

 

I'm bummed that I had such a bad score but it's okay. I'll be out on the whites again Saturday!

 

 

[bortass]

Got out for another quick 9 earlier. I played the forward tees and shot another 41, 4 pars and 5 bogeys. Once again, I felt like I left a couple shots on the course. Things were not perfect and I didn't play lights out. There was a 10 MPH wind that seemed to be in my face most holes but seemed to change directions on #7 where on the tee box it was in my face but by the green is was behind me.  I had a number of partial wedges go a bit long on me, so I wasn't having real short first putts unless I chipped first. I had two 3 putts with one being from 63 feet. I can kinda live with that.

 

The drive of the day was probably the 226 yard wind assisted 5i on #9. I hit a mid height draw down the fairway and it's a level hole, so no cart path or slope assist, lol. The 272 yard drive into the wind on #7 was the best driver shot of the day though.

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 228 yards ( there are 2 5i tee shots)

Longest drive: 272 yards

Fairways: 6/7

GIR: 5/9

Avg Approach: 102 yards

Up & down: 2/3

Putts: 19

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: +0.3 strokes

driving: +1.5

Approach: -0.1

Short game: +0.8

Putting: -1.9

 

[bortass]

I was talking to one of the guys I know and mentioned I have been playing the forward tees when I'm out alone. I think I just replied with "just working on things". It made be think a bit about it the last few days though.

 

1: I enjoy it. Do I feel a bit funny the odd times I play through? Yep. It's fun though. Is it more fun than the whites? Not really, but it's different. This is probably the most important reason.

 

2: It puts me under more pressure (in a way), especially now that my driver is working extremely well. My approach shots into greens are obviously shorter. I am hitting more pitches and partial wedges to get on in GIR. The pressure here is if I'm around 100 yards out, I should get on almost all the time. I shouldn't be short. I have been able to  go for the par 5 #3 in two four times in the last few weeks.  I have yet to do it but I have had my second ball  end up in the back left rough one. Twice I was in the left rough, probably 15 yards left of the green, but past the front edge. And then there was yesterday where I chunked the shot and still had a full iron in, lol. Lastly, there's the scoring pressure. I am shooting some extremely good scores for me. It's easy to know where you are, score wise, if there are only pars and bogeys in the mix. I know when I am playing real well and have had to deal with some of those nerves. All bets are off when I'm +2 through 6 for example.

 

3: It removes some pressure (in a way). I feel confident with my partial wedges and pitches, so I'm not 'worried' about hitting my second shot into the pond on #9. I don't feel any tee box pressure, a so so drive will still give me either the same or a slightly better second shot than I'd have from the whites. So I don't have to be as good off the tee. I am not worried as much before a shot.

 

4: I'm getting used to scoring well. I know I have this also listed under #2 but this is probably one of the biggest things. It's helping with the "act like you've been there before'. The more often I shoot these low scores, the less rare( duh) it is and the nerves that come with it are slowly going away. Does that mean I expect to cruise through 18 holes of par/bogey golf? Nope, I'll still probably freak out, lol. But the "been there, done that" attitude really does breed confidence for me.

 

Is this for everyone? Nope but it is helping my game IMO. 

 

What I'm wondering about is moving back to the blue tees at some point during my practice rounds. It would place pressure on my long game. The bonus is if that improves, life becomes even easier from the whites. Maybe I'll give it a shot at some point.

 

Have a great weekend!

[bortass]

It was struggle today. Not sure quite why but I can’t seem to get the momentum from the forward tees to carry over. My first par wasn’t until #11. I picked up on a couple holes as well. Only one triple, I entered my two Xs as double bogeys for HCP. Just couldn’t get the par train rolling.
 

Probably the highlight was losing 6 balls, lol. Hit a drive into a hazard when I went through the fairway. Hit a 7i recovery punch too far and into a hazard. Lost a 8i tee shot on a par 3. Lost another drive that was a solid draw but down the left tree line. Hit a high push fade that rolled hard into a hazard with driver. Finished with a push fade 4w into the pond on 18.

 

 There were more recovery shots than normal and I struggled with them. 

All that said, I kept my composure on the course and I’m looking forward to my next round.

[bortass]

Well last week didn't go quite as planned. There has been no real rain here since late April, so the week I was off it started raining... I did get in almost 90 holes though. Conditions varied from wet but firm to cart path only to cart path only on some holes. The nice firm fairways with lots of roll were not quite there any longer.

 

Overall, I can't really complain about things. Friday was the 10 year anniversary of my breaking 90 from the white tees and I was hoping to pull out an 84/85 by then but no dice. A few highlights were:

 

Played the course with all of the water again and didn't lose a single ball. I didn't play great though. Shot a 97 with  2 pars, 11 bogeys, 2 doubles, and 3 triples. Everything was a bit off but it was fun and I won a skin, lol.

 

Played the sister course without all the water. It was cart path only and I was trying to beat the rain which wasn't a problem. Shot a 92( 50/42), with a 10 on #3.... Not a single penalty in the mix. I hook my drive into the left trees and find the ball. I chip out sideways. It's a 7w into the green and I top it, almost into a drainage ditch. I then hit a partial PW into a greenside bunker. It's very firm sand because of the rain and it took me 4 to get out...Chip with putter to 4 feet and make that putt. I didn't have any bunker issues after that, I always got out in 1 and even hit some fairly close. 

 

I had a birdie( on #5), 7 pars, 4 bogies, 4 doubles(all on the front), the +6, and a triple. Two doubles were on the front 9's par 3s.

 

Another was on one of the hardest holes. There's a stream area that is about 200 yards off the tee box and it's about 230ish to carry it. The tees are elevated and it slopes down to the stream. It's then uphill all the way to the green. I can carry the stream with my driver but I think it needs to be a very good shot to do so. I used my normal strategy on this hole. Iron off the tee, iron across the stream, and get on with my third. Well my third was a pitch that I mishit short of the green. Chip on to 5 feet and two putt. Not what I wanted but it's gonna happen, at times, on any hole that I'm actively playing for bogey.

 

The last double was on #9. The tee shot is across the lake to a fairway that runs almost 90* to the left. There's water down the entire left side of this hole once you cross the lake. I hit a meh drive into the right rough near a fairway bunker. It's 140ish or so to the green and the ball is above my feet a bit. Nothing fancy, just punch a 6i towards the right side of the green and avoid the lake. Well contact is good and more right than I wanted. My ball lands on the cart path and I see it take some big hops down it, 206 yards, and my ball is in the short grass just short of a practice green that's next to the lake. I don't need to take relief but now I'm pitching towards the lake and I need to carry a mound that has the green side bunker in it. Everything slopes to the lake and my pitch comes within a foot of being wet. Chip to 6 feet and two putt.

 

The triple was caused when I hit a very thin weak slice with my driver into the right trees about 100 yards off the tee. It's marked as a hazard, so I drop. It's a par 5 and losing the distance really hurt. Add in some so so shots and I'm on the green in 5 and I 3 putt from 65 feet, for a triple, 8.

 

I was happy with this round even though I felt like I was struggling at times. I went off the rails with the 10 on #3 and still played well overall. The back 9 was 5 pars, 3 bogeys, and the triple. I could have shot in the high 80s, even with that 10, lol.

 

I'll be writing up Saturday's 18 and posting it later.

 

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by bortass

[bortass]

Saturday I played the white tees at the home course. It was cart path only for a handful of holes. Weather was sunny, 70s and dry. Real nice day out. Some wind but nothing major. Fairways were soft from the rain during the week.

 

 

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. My drive is a mid height push fade that rolls into a stand of trees to the right, 209 yards. I hit a strong chip with my 5i, 92 yards, between the trees and towards the green. I'm in the fairway on the right side and it's a right pin location behind the bunker. I hit a partial PW and blade it. It's a low rocket worm burner that hits the green side lip of the bunker and rolls back into said bunker. This sucks but the bunker saved me. That ball was going to go through the green and into the hazard behind it. I hit an okay shot out of the bunker and onto the green, 10 feet past the flag. It's a 2 putt double bogey, 6.

 

Not a great start but my drive put me in a bad spot and I really messed up that PW shot.

 

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The hole is on the left and it's 130ish, so I go with my 8i. I hit a high push fade that lands in the right rough, 128 yards. I have plenty of green to work with. It's a blind chip since the putting surface is above me and it slopes down to the front left corner. I chip with my PW and it's not bad. I can't see what the ball does but I got it 10 feet below the hole. So I had the speed but not the line. I hit the par putt and it drops, 3.

 

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. I aim to cut the corner with my driver and hit a mid height draw that starts a bit left of my target. It's a 221 yards drive, into the fairway near the left edge. I can't reach in two but a decent 4w will get me into pitching range of the green. I make contact and it's a low pull hook that's heading for the left hazard... I find my ball in a small ditch in the left rough. The water district has a pumping station next to the course and there's a man hole that's overflowed in the left rough of #3. This ditch was put in when they did some repairs on it last year. I might hit large stones and it's marked with red paint, so I take the penalty drop. The flag is left and it's 100 yards away. I'd rather be short, so I hit a partial AW. Contact is good and it's a high shot that travels 93 yards and lands on the front of the green. I have 25 feet for par and get it within 2 feet. I come away with a bogey, 6.

 

Well, that's too bad. The man made ditch hurt me. If it wasn't marked with red paint, I'd probably have taken a free drop. I'm rusty with the rules but I think you get relief from man made drainage normally.

 

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 solid draw down the right side, 235 yards, and into the fairway on the right. The hole is forward, so I'm pitching over a bunker. Good contact and I clear the bunker. I can't see the surface of the green, so I don't know what the ball does. I get to where I can see and my ball is 24 feet past the hole. I'm putting down slope and get it to a foot. Par, 4.

 

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 great looking mid height draw down the right side, 238 yards. I'm in the fairway and feel fine with hitting my 4w past the corner. Contact is good and it's a high draw that lands on the left slope and rolls back towards the fairway. 192 yard shot and I'm in the left rough and the ball is a bit below my feet. I hit a partial AW, 84 yards, and it's a bit right and ends up in the back right rough. The hole is on the lower tier. I can chip with my putter and plan to hit it to the tier and let it trickle on down. Well, I come up short of the tier and leave myself 17 feet short of the hole and still have to go down the tier. I tap the par putt, which misses, and rolls 3 feet long. This is what I wanted to do with my chip, lol. I'm in the no man's land of 3 feet and make the putt for a change, bogey, 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. My drive is a high push draw that lands in the right rough and the slope feeds it back towards the fairway. Only a 216 yard drive and it's about 155ish to center. I'm in the fairway and hit my 5i. It's a terrible push that's just got a touch of a fade to it down the right side of the hole and no chance of being near the green. It's a 155 yard shot and I'm on the slope to the right of the green and it's over 30 yards to the right edge... This is bad... I figure I can use my sw and play the ball back and come down on it fairly steep aka hack at it. I trey that and top the ball 8 yards. I then blade my next chip, 28 yards and through the green. My ball was headed for the front bunker... I somehow get lucky and my ball is hanging in some grass right above the lip of the bunker. No idea how it hung on but I hit an 11 yard chip with my putter to 2 feet and come away with a double bogey, 6.

 

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. This drive is a solid draw, 247 yards, and into the fairway. It's about 90 yards to the back right hole location and I have to carry a green side bunker. I decide to hit a partial PW and it's good contact. A high shot that clears the bunker but I can't see the putting surface since the green is slightly above the fairway when I am. It was a 102 yard shot into a back bunker. Crap... The bunkers here are not good on the best of days and it's rained most days, so I'm hitting off wet, packed sand that probably has clay right under the surface. I close the face on my SW as has been mentioned in a couple threads about hitting from hard pan type bunkers. I accelerate through the ball and it comes out nicely. A 10 yard bunker shot to a foot! I make the par putt, 4.

 

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. It's a forward hole location and I don't mind being short. I struggle on this hole since I tend to hit my ball right. I decide to use my 9i and hit a knockdown, which is a slight push, lol. My ball ends up in the right rough, short of the green. I chip with my putter to 2 feet and make the par putt, 3.

 

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. Things are going well and I feel pretty good with my driver. I swing and hit a pull hook into the left trees, which are marked as a hazard. No sign of my ball and I drop 139 yards off the tee. I'm in the left rough and no great shot except to try to advance the ball down the fairway. I figure a small punch with my 5i would work well and mishit it. The ball rolls 72 yards down the fairway. The flag is back left, on the upper tier, and being long is generally bad on this hole. It's 150ish to center and I hit my 6i. Contact is nice and it's a decent draw, 157 yards, to the front left of the green. I', 27 feet below the hole and putting up the tier. I get the putt to 3 feet and miss the second one. A three putt triple bogey, 7.

 

Well that kinda sucked. I had been doing pretty good overall until I hooked the drive.

 

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 have a good chance of going through the fairway if I hit my driver. I dial back to a safe 5i and it's a nice high draw, 174 yards, and into the fairway. The hole is middle back and it's 160ish to center. I have a good lie and hit my 5i. It's a high push well right of the green and down the tree line. I get lucky and actually find my ball on the edge of the trees. My ball is on damp, firm sand/dirt. I seem to be safe from tree roots, though I can see some near my ball. The green is above me and I can't even see the top of the flag. I use my SW to chip and I hit it a bit firm and through the green. I chip with my putter to 2 feet and make the bogey putt, 5.

 

Not great but I'll take a bogey on this hole anytime since this is the single worst hole on the course for me. I just tend to play poorly and hit shots into the trees either from the tee or fairway.

 

11 – par 4, 329 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. I tee off with the normal 7w I use on this hole. Contact is okay and it's a high draw, a bit more right that I would have hoped, but it goes 174 yards and I'm in the middle of the fairway. The hole is front right and it's about 140ish yards to it. I'm above the green and feel okay hitting my 140 club, aka 7i. I figure the elevation will give me enough buffer, so a slight mishit will still be on. Well, I was a little wrong because I hit it almost pure... Contact felt and sounded great and it's a very high draw to the back of the green and the ball rolls into the back rough, 166 yards. I looked at the face of my club and I see a grass mark near the sweet spot. Well, I can't complain about a great shot, though I really don't want to be long on this hole. I am lucky and the ball stays up and doesn't roll down the slope behind the green. The green slopes away from me and I have the entire thing to work with. I chip with my putter and don't give it enough gas... A 19 yard chip that stops 15 feet short of the hole... I hit my par putt and it misses and I have a foot for bogey, which I make, for 5.

 

12 – par 4, 315 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. I can hit through this fairway with my driver and it's a hazard down there. I decide to play it safe an use my 4w. It's a pull into the left trees... I find my ball 127 yards off the tee and I have no shot. I chip out sideways into the fairway with my 7i. I don't have a great angle at the green and have to go over the corner of the slope. It's a 5i and my contact is very solid and it's a pull into the trees on the left again... I never find the ball and just card an X and post a double bogey 6 for HCP.

 

Well, this round just went out the window as far as trying hit/break 85 because of the X. it won't be a true score as far as my goal is concerned.

 

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 back left, behind a bunker. Long is bad in my experience and it's roughly 130 yards to the hole. I stick with my 9i and aim left. It's a high draw over the bunker but I can't see my ball land or what it does because of the back lip of said bunker. I should be in decent shape though. I get to where I can see my ball and I'm in the left rough closer to the front of the green, 119 yard shot. I'm chipping up slope on a green with a pretty strong left to right slope to it. So my chip is going to go up and then start back down near the flag. I use my putter to chip it 13 yards and my ball stops a foot from the hole... Almost a tap-in, for par, 3.

 

14 – par 4, 543, straight hole, #4 HCP. Elevated tee shot to wide open fairway. Fairway slopes down left to right, water on the right closer to the green and fronting the entire green. My drive is a very solid draw down the left side of the fairway, 243 yards. I'm in great shape and decide to be safe and just hit a 5i down the left side. I probably would of hit my 4w if my ball was closer to the center/right side of the fairway. My reasoning being the angles involved. From the middle/right side, I'm hitting away from the pond if I aim left. My ball already being on the left side of the fairway means that aiming down the left side is a pretty straight shot and parallel with the pond, so a tail to the right could get risky. I make a good swing with the 5i and it's a nice draw, 170 yards, down the left side. I'm now about 120 out and in the fairway. It's a 9i and I chunk it 51 yards... Okay, now it's a partial SW and I chunk it as well, 50 yards and my ball comes within 18 inches of rolling into the pond... I chip with my SW, 23 yards, to a foot and make the bogey putt, 6.

 

Well that was sad. Two very solid shots to get within 9i range and I then chunk it twice, blah.

 

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 aim at the right corner of the green and hit a real solid draw, 232 yards, that end up in the fairway at the mouth to the green. There's a strip of fairway length grass between the fairway bunkers that protect the front of the green and the green side bunker that's on the right of the green. It's a middle back hole and I pitch with my SW. Decent shot that lands near the hole and rolls into the rough just behind the green and about 6 yards past the hole. I chip with my putter and it's too firm. 'Hit it”, I say as I realize my speed is off. My ball hits the flag and drops, for birdie, 3.

 

No luck, all skill!(Joke, lol)

 

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 hole is on the right side which is where it almost always is on Saturdays. I hit my 7i and it's the typical high push that I always seem to hit on this hole. It has no chance to land on the green and I'm in the right rough, 149 yards off the tee. I chip with my PW and it's not bad. 18 yards and i'm 6 feet past the hole. I'm putting down slope, so I don't need to be too aggressive. I hit the par putt and I miss low and my ball rolls 5 feet past the hole... it's a 3 putt double bogey in the end, 5.

 

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 high draw with driver just short of the furthest fairway bunker that marks the outside of the corner. I'm in the rough but it's a decent lie. The hole is near the back middle of the green. There's a pretty steep left to right slope on this green. So I want to land above the hole and let the slope take my ball towards the hole. I hit my 9i and it's a slight chunk that goes 111 yards and ends up in the left green side bunker. Well, I have plenty of green to work with and no illusions about getting it close. This is a tricky green and I'm coming out of the firm, wet sand/clay of our crappy bunkers. I close the face on my SW and hit a few inches behind the ball and accelerate through. The ball comes out pretty good and lands on the green. It takes the slopes and ends up 12 feet directly behind the hole (24 yard shot). That was a very good shot for me. I didn't expect to get pin high at all and just wanted to get out in 1.Well, I know which way this putt breaks. The trick is to be above the hole and hope it dies near the hole and doesn't take the slope and trick way past the hole. I hit my putt and it's high but not high enough that It'll die and possibly roll down into the hole. My ball gets to the high side of the hole, past the front edge, and drops in the side door for par! One of the strangest puts I've even holed out, lol. No idea how it decided to drop in the hole 90* from it's path but I'll take it. 4!

 

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 an okay drive, 219 yards, into the fairway near the fairway bunker that's on the right side. I'm too far out to go for it, so I look at my option of playing to the left across the stream. My 4w shouldn't reach the bunkers that are at the outside of the corner that the pond creates. I make very good contact and it's a high draw, 206 yards, into the left rough. The hole is middle front and about 90 yards. It's a partial AW but I don't want to be too aggressive and risk a shot going right and into the pond. So I am more for the middle of the green and hit a 90 yard shot on. Only thing is I'm on the back of the green and need to putt down a tier and it's 27 feet to the hole. Well, I'm not stopping this close since the hole is cut on the slope. I hit my birdie putt and miss within a foot of the hole and it rolls 6 feet long. Really nothing I could do about it. This is the miss I was hoping for. I just miss the par putt and have a bogey, 6.

 

A 45/43*, 88*. * for the X that I marked as a double bogey 6 on #12. I had no idea that I was playing this well. The double on #6 bugged me a bit but I came back and got pars on the next two holes. The hooked drive on 9 that led to the triple bogey really sucked. It was a legit 45 on the front though and bogey golf is good golf for me. The 43* on the back, would have been higher had I played out #12 hence the *. I think what frustrated me the most was #14 though. The two chunks with a 9i and SW respectively. Lame... Of course I made a couple of lucky shots with my putter on both #15 for birdie and #17 for par.

 

My driving wasn't lights out and my approach game was a bit weak but my short game made up for it and I also did a bit better than normal putting. I'm still feeling like I am playing better and it's kinda weird that some of these rounds don't feel like I'm playing great.

 

Oh my index has dropped 1.3 because of this round and that 92, which became an 89 because NDB for me was 7 on the hole I had the 10 on.

 

birdies: 1

pars: 6

bogeys: 6

double bogeys: 4

triple+: 1

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 208 yards

Longest drive: 247 yards

Fairways: 9/14

GIR: 2/18

Avg Approach: 122 yards

Up & down: 7/13

Putts: 29

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -3.5 strokes

driving: -1.3

Approach: -5.9

Short game: +4.5 (LOL)

Putting: -0.8

 

[Chip Duffer]

Well done Bortass, well done. It always inspires me to read of your journey and joy for finding YOUR game!

[bortass]

On 5/31/2022 at 7:49 PM, Chip Duffer said:

Well done Bortass, well done. It always inspires me to read of your journey and joy for finding YOUR game!

Thanks for the kind words.

 

Last week was play golf all week, so this week has been a break from it. I know, sacrilege to some, lol.

 

I looked at Arccos because I was curious if there was any sort of pattern with my better rounds. The sample size is small because I only have been seeing some lower numbers for the last couple of months. Its also mostly during my 9 hole rounds from the forward tees at my home course. I was just looking at the high level SG data for the various categories, driving, approach, short game, and putting. What I found kind of surprised me a bit. There is no pattern that I was able to quickly discern.

 

I expected to see something like short game is lights out each time or my approach game was much better. No dice though. It's a mix. Last Saturday was an example where my driving and approach games weren't great but my short game was lights out and I putted a bit better than normal. The two 41s I shot a couple weeks ago was mostly better approaches. I think part of it is related to the tees.

 

Forward tees and my average drive gets me much closer on some of the holes and that makes a difference. It's nice hitting either a partial wedge through 8i instead of 5i-4w to try and get on in regulation on the holes where there's a big difference. The normal tees lose the luxury of an easier approach, so my short game makes a bigger difference. Common sense. 

 

I am also finding that my yardages have changed a bit with the wedges. It used to be 70/80/90 for SW/AW/PW. The SW is still sitting around 70 per Arccos but it has all of my pitch shots. The AW is now what I'm using if I have about 90 yards and the PW is 100+.

 

AW is now the best club in my bag and it's not even close. This likely ties into the better approaches from the forward tees. It's not my PW or SW, both of which are good but there's a definite difference. For example the SG using my PW(-0.26) or SW (-0.22). The AW is -0.02 followed by driver which is -0.12. The rest of my bag seems to be in the -0.32 to -0.38 range excluding 8i and 5h. 8i is -0.24 and I almost never use the 5h and it's sitting at -0.6, lol. I really should start using that 5h to see where it fits in my bag and what I can really do with it....

 

 

 

[Chip Duffer]

In looking at those numbers, I wonder what the scorecard would look like if, when playing from the back tees, you never hit anything longer than the 8 or 9 iron for your approaches.
 

What I mean is, play the long par 4’s like a par 5. Keep the ball in the fairway and use the strength of your short game to score. Based on what I see, your proximity to the hole hints that you’ll have a chance for par, even if it’s a longer putt sometimes. It would surely seem to limit the doubles and “others” on the card.
 

Could be an interesting experiment. In fact it reminds me of an older gentleman than used to join us semi regularly. He was not a long hitter, didn’t carry a driver, used a 3W off the tee and was just fairway, fairway, chip and putted his way to kicking the butts of those of us who hit the ball twice as far as he did, myself included half the time. 

Edited June 5, 2022 by Chip Duffer

[bortass]

On 6/5/2022 at 7:00 AM, Chip Duffer said:

In looking at those numbers, I wonder what the scorecard would look like if, when playing from the back tees, you never hit anything longer than the 8 or 9 iron for your approaches.
 

What I mean is, play the long par 4’s like a par 5. Keep the ball in the fairway and use the strength of your short game to score. Based on what I see, your proximity to the hole hints that you’ll have a chance for par, even if it’s a longer putt sometimes. It would surely seem to limit the doubles and “others” on the card.
 

Could be an interesting experiment. In fact it reminds me of an older gentleman than used to join us semi regularly. He was not a long hitter, didn’t carry a driver, used a 3W off the tee and was just fairway, fairway, chip and putted his way to kicking the butts of those of us who hit the ball twice as far as he did, myself included half the time. 

I actually have been thinking of trying that. Not for the reason you mentioned because I've never thought of it that way but just to see what difference does it make. Also I assume it would force me to hit some longer clubs more and that could help me figure them out.

 

I am not completely sure why my partial AW shot is the best in my bag. I hit the same exact shot with both my SW and PW. One difference is SW is also used for pitches, so I hit some different shots with it. The PW is just the same shot as the AW though. My only guess is the yardage increase hurt me more with the PW than it did the AW. 

 

As far as short game in general, I gotta work on it( this comment and my short game thread are foreshadowing my round recap, lol). I do reasonably well with chipping with my putter but it's a big roll of the dice with any other type of chip. I am fine hitting pitches with the SW, those miscues seem more rare. I feel like I'm at a point where my full swing is decent enough and some basic improvements with chipping and putting could really pay off. I think the ROI is potentially high on both areas and it won't take a huge amount of work to see some results.

 

Have you been getting out much?

[SNIPERBBB]

Theres something almost magical with the gap wedge...Its my #3 club in my bag(not counting putter and 2h, which is rarely used) behind 8i and driver according to Arccos.

[betarhoalphadelta]

I could see it... GW or AW is going to be your shortest, highest-lofted, club used primarily for full swings. And the AW will often be the exact same makeup (shaft, grip, clubhead model) as every other iron in your bag, whereas for most, your SW is a dedicated wedge club. So you get all the same benefits of consistent "feel" from the irons you hit the majority of your approaches with, but shorter length and more loft. 

 

 

[bortass]

Good weather Saturday. Sunny, dry, and low humidity. There was some wind that helped some drives but I don't recall ever needing to take it into account. I warmed up a bit before the round with PW and 7i. I also did a few minutes putting.

 

 

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. I hit a high , I think fade but I'm not positive, drive down the right side of the fairway, 250 yards. I drove past the clump of trees on my right and i'm in the fairway. The hole is front left and I have a clear shot at it, no bunker to deal with or anything. I'm about 150 from center and use my 6i. Something is seriously off with either my setup or swing, I think I may have just left the face open but I am not sure. Not sure which but I hit a high fade that is going straight down the right side and has no chance to land on the green. 142 yard shot and I'm in the right rough. It's a decent lie and I have the entire green to work with. I use my PW to chip and I sent it 41 yards through the green, think I bladed it. So now I'm chipping from the left rough and I use my putter. I get it to 5 feet and two putt for an opening double bogey, 6.

 

A double on this hole isn't the end of the world. I'm playing for bogey since I rarely hit this green in regulation unless I'm playing forward. How I get the double bugs me though.

 

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The hole is back left and it's 130ish to center. I feel good with 8i but screw up my aim. It's another high fade down the right side that has no chance to land on the green. The ball lands maybe 5 yards right of the green, on a downslope, and kicks right. 135 yard shot and I'm in the right rough. Level lie but the green is above me. After the mess on #1, I try to chip using my 7i and a putting stroke. It's meh, I hit the ball 13 yards to get on the green but 25 feet short of the hole. I have no clue what I'm thinking next because I hit my putt too soft and come up 5 feet short... A 3 putt double bogey, 5.

 

Well this isn't good. The tee shot miss is to a spot I miss to a fair bit. I have a decent lie almost all the time on that side of the green. The only issue is chipping to a putting surface above me and that runs away from me. I wasn't short sided and still messed it up.

 

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. I feel good with driver still, so I aim to cut the corner. I shade my shot a bit more left since I came too close to the right trees in one of my 9 hole rounds in the last few weeks. I want to be aggressive with my tee shot but not foolhardy. I hit a great looking draw that starts a bit left of my line and goes 237 yards into the fairway on the left side. I could have started this ball much more to the right and been able to reach the green in two but I'm in a great spot. It's about 220ish to center. I hang out waiting for the green to clear because if I nut my 4w, I may get real close to the front of the green. I'm thinking about upsetting someone if a ball lands short of the green while they are putting more than the fact I can realistically reach. For the record, we have been waiting on the group in front of us, so it's not a situation where waiting is creating a back up. We still had a wait a bit on the next hole for them, lol.

 

Aside over, I hit a low draw with my 4w right at the green. 190 yard shot, and short of the green as expected. The hole is back left and there's nothing I need to carry. I estimate I'm maybe 40 yards from the hole. I chip with my SW and blade it, 51 yards, into a back bunker... My ball is on a down slope. I'm short sided and I see a bunch of stones with some sand. I hit the sand shot way too hard, the club barely dug in because of the rocks, and I send the ball 41 yards and off the front of the green. So I hit my SW again, think I tried to real short pitch instead of a chip, and I get on but 22 feet short. My first putt is crap and I leave it 5 feet from the hole. So a three putt triple bogey, 8.

 

Yup maybe 20 yards from the front of the green of a par 5 in two and I get a triple bogey... Well, that's a kick in the teeth and a real great score is out the window in all likelihood.

 

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 aim down the right side with my driver and hit an awesome draw down my line, 245 yards, and in the fairway. The hole is front left and I'm about 50 yards from it. I have to carry a bunker, which is normal on this hole so I'm not concerned with it. I pitch with my SW and I'm a bit left, so the ball carries the bunker and ends up in the left rough about 5-6 feet short of the hole. I would have been closer if my pitch had been a few feet more to the right and landed on the green. Still I'm in a real good spot. I chip with my putter to 2 feet and make the par putt, 4.

 

We end up waiting between 4 and 5 for the group in front of us to finish teeing off on 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 aim just a bit right of center and hit a great draw down my line, 245 yards. I'm in the middle of the fairway and there's no issue with hitting past the corner with my 4w. We hang out waiting, and will pretty much on every hole at times the rest of the round. I hit my 4w and contact is very solid but it's a push fade into the hazard on the right... I drop roughly where it went in, 149 yards from where I hit from. The hole is front left and it's over 100 yards. I hit a nice partial PW, 105 yards, 12 feet from the hole. Great shot for me and my par putt doesn't drop. I have a foot for bogey and make that, 6.

 

Well the penalty sucked but I am happy with the score on the last two holes.

 

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 mishit my driver and it's a very high push fade that is heading for a section marked as a hazard on the right. I don't find my ball and drop, 226 yards off the tee. The hole is on the right side and probably close to middle with regard to distance from front and back of the green. It's 150 or so yards and I aim left since I have been missing this green way right and it's led to real high numbers. Contact is good and it's a nice looking shot, 156 yards, and onto the green. I'm 24 feet left of the hole and it breaks left to right. I hit the par putt and it's too low/slow. The ball stops 3 feet below the cup but I make the next one for bogey, 5.

 

Not great but I didn't let it snowball. That's two bogeys in a row with a penalty in the mix.

 

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 love this tee shot because it's a wide fairway that slopes down, as long as you don't send it OOB to the right. I hit a high draw, 262 yards, into the fairway on the left. The hole is middle front, almost 80 yards, and behind a bunker. My partial wedge shots have been going further, so I decide to hit a partial SW. Contact is good and the ball carries the bunker. I get to the green and I'm just past the hole and 6 feet to the left. I hit the birdie putt and miss low... It's a tap oin from about 6 inches for par, 4.

 

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 hole is back right. This isn't a normal spot for it on a Saturday. It's probably a 7i back there thanks to the elevation. I hit a punchy type shot and it's 168 yards and into the left rough. At least I didn't miss to the right which is very bad. I have a level lie and a decent amount of green to work with. I'm also about pin high and there's a bunker behind the hole from where I am. I chip using a putting stroke and my 7i and hit the ball 5 yards leaving it short of the green.... My composure is a bit off and I chip with my putter and leave that 6 feet short... two putts and I have a double bogey, 5.

 

That really sucked and now I extremely gun shy with my short game....

 

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. Level hole and the tee box is elevated about 3 yards from the flat fairway. I think I have a tailwind. I aim like normal and hit a great piercing draw down the right side of the fairway, 262 yards....The hole is back right and there's a bunker right behind it. It's about 88 yards to the hole and I go with a partial AW. Well that was a slight mistake. I make great contact and the ball ends up going 95 yards and ends up barely in the bunker. Guess I should have hit my SW. My ball is right on the front of the bunker and there's no lip. Just rough height grass full of sand, so I use my putter. This counts as a chip in Arccos even though I'm in the sand. Contact is okay and I get the ball on the green and 6 feet to the left of the hole, from my perspective. I'm quite happy with the result and should have a bogey at worse. I hit my par putt firm and it drops, 4.

 

Well a very rough start but I had some decent holes as well. It could have been a fairly solid 9 if I didn't have the two penalties and bogeyed #8. It could have been great if I did that and bogeyed the first 3 holes, lol.

 

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 think there's a tailwind on this hole. I tee off with my 5i because my driver could go through the fairway and I think it's safer than a wood to avoid the right trees. Contact is real good, high draw, but it's a bit more right than I want. Luckily the ball lands near the right trees but doesn't roll into them, 204 yard shot. From where I am I could try for the left side of the green but it's 160ish to center, so it would be a 5i. The fairway gets narrow about 70 yards from center because of trees on the right side blocking any shot at the right side of the green. This is a hole I do not score well on, so I decide to layup to the flat area that's about 70 yards short of the green. I hit a partial AW and it's a good shot, 95 yards, and into the flat area. The green is above me and this is a completely blind shot, I can't see any part of the flag. I know it's on the left and I just want to get the ball on. I hit a partial SW and it's a bit low but it should be on the green. I get up there and it was a 70 yard shot to 4 feet... I miss the par putt and have a tap-in bogey, 5.

 

11 – par 4, 329 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. I tee off with the usual 7w on this hole and it's a great draw but I start it too far right. I watch my ball head down the right side and land in a fairway bunker through the corner, 212 yards. The hole is at the back of the green. It's 145 to the back edge of the green and I'd normally hit my 8i because the green is below me. Being in a bunker though changes that. I take my 7i and grip down about a half inch. I make real good contact and it's a high draw that lands on the back of the green and rolls into the rough, 147 yards. I got lucky and the ball didn't roll down the back slope. I chip with my putter, 7 yards, but misread the break, so I end up 6 feet to the low side. My par putt misses and I have a foot for bogey, 5.

 

12 – par 4, 315 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. Last week I tried 4w off the tee because of the risk of going through the fairway and mishit it and wound up taking an X. This time I decide to hit driver and if I go through the fairway and into the hazard, so be it. I get to drop in a position where I will have a great angle into the green with a partial wedge. It hit a high push fade that ends up in the fairway bunker that's at the right side of the corner, 207 yards. It's about 120 yards and I have a good lie. The hole is on the right side, behind a bunker. Long is bad and I use my 8i. I catch it thin and the ball is heading towards the left side of the green. It catches the back lip of the bunker, maybe a foot higher and it lands on the green. The ball rolls back down to a flat spot, so the ball only went 101 yards. I get the ball out in one but I don't get it onto the upper tier to the right, where the hole is. It's a 36 foot putt for par and I get it to 3 feet. I miss and it's double bogey, 6.

 

Shoot...

 

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 front left and I tend to hit my 9i since it's 120 to center and long can be very bad. I stick with my 9i and hit a high draw towards the hole. I can't see the putting surface because of the back lip of the front left bunker. It's a 117 yard shot and I'm 3 feet from the hole... There's a fair bit of break since I'm hole high and it breaks right to left, missing low could send the ball well below the hole and I'm also worried about trying to hit through the break for the same reason. I'd be even further away. I aim high and try to die the ball into the top of the hole and it works! Birdie, 2.

 

14 – par 5, 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. Another fun driving hole, it's a wide fairway and it's a down slope. Just need to not hit the ball OOB to the right. I aim down the left side and hit a high push fade towards the right houses... It's likely OOB and I hit a provisional. My swing is very steep and that ball heads way right too. I don't find either shot and mark an X and card a net par(7) for GHIN.

 

Well, now I get to add a * to the round.

 

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 another push with my driver into the right trees. Luckily it wasn't fading much. I find it next to the cart path, 219 yards, and I have to take relief for my stance. The ball is on bare dirt with stones and tree roots. I have a good angle into the green and the hole is near the middle and about 60ish yards. I decide to hit a partial SW and take some off it. The club head enters the dirt and kicks up into the ball, it was an odd feeling. The ball only goes 38 yards and ends up in the rough next to a green side bunker. I have to pitch over the bunker and I hit it pretty good. A 20 yard shot that ends up 3 feet from the cup. I make the par putt, 4.

 

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 hole is middle back, which is as far as it can be. It's 150ish back there and long is bad. I hit 7i and it's pure... I high draw that almost carries the back left bunker but the ball hits the back lip and rolls towards the green a little. 157 yard shot from the 140 club... Well I am pretty much where I did not want to be but I cannot complain about a near perfect shot. The ball is on a down slope, I'm short sided, and there's a tier in the green just beyond the hole. I use my SW and leave it in the bunker... So I say screw it and use my putter, so as I mentioned on #9 Arccos considers it a chip and not a sand shot. There's a small lip but I get the ball out of the sand and into the rough, lol. I chip for real with my putter and it's pretty weak and I leave it 4 feet from the hole. It's a 2 putt triple bogey, 6.

 

Yeah, talent.... I hit the club that should have gotten me close to the middle of the green and it just happened to go 17 yards long.

 

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. My drive flirts with disaster as I hit a very solid draw right down the left side of the fairway and it goes through some tree branches in the distance. I didn't hear it hit anything and it was a very solid strike. I find the ball in the fairway, 264 yards off the tee... The left side shortens the hole and it's a middle left hole location. Maybe 70ish yards. I aim above the hole because of the severe slopes involved and hit a partial SW. It's nice and high but a foot short and it hits the back lip of a bunker and rolls back. 63 yard shot that was almost perfect. I have no illusions of getting it close and I use my SW to get onto the green and 13 feet short of the hole. I miss the par putt and have a two-footer for bogey which I make, 5.

 

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... My swing is a bit steep with the driver and I put an idiot mark on it... A high pop-up draw that goes 224 yards and is in the fairway on the left. It's over 200 yards to the nearest fairway bunker across the stream so I go with my 4w to cross the water. I hit a strong pull draw into the left trees. It's a hazard and no sign of the ball so I drop where it went in, 186 yards from prior spot. I have a brain cramp getting my yardages and hit a partial AW. It's a great looking shot that goes 99 yards and is short of the green. The round is almost over and I'm too far off to use my putter to chip, so I do a 7i putt. The results if a bit better and the ball goes 18 yards and stops 7 feet from the hole. I hit the putt firm and hole it for a bogey, 6.

 

A 47/46*, 93*. The 93 I posted dropped my index by 0.6, so that's progress.

 

An odd round. My driving was pretty good even with the penalties. I saw the same with my approach game. I had the 2 penalties with my 4w yet I did much better than normal in other areas to make up for it.

 

Short game and putting let me down though. I feel like my full swing is serviceable enough to get the job done. So my range plans are to work on a chipping technique to try to not bleed so much when I can't use my putter to chip. My putting weakness is inside 10 feet. I feel like I can improve both areas w/o a huge amount of work.

 

 

 

birdies: 1

pars: 4

bogeys: 6

double bogeys: 5* My X is a counted as a double bogey

triple+: 2

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 235 yards.... This has a 7W and 5i tee shot included.

Longest drive: 264 yards

Fairways: 9/14

GIR: 2/18

Avg Approach: 118 yards

Up & down: 4/14

Putts: 34

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -8.2 strokes

driving: -1.3 (with 3 penalty strokes)

Approach: -1.3 ( 2 penalty strokes with the 4w in this)

Short game: -2.0

Putting: -3.5 ( I suck inside 10 feet)

 

Edited June 6, 2022 by bortass
#14 is a par 5, not 4 ...

[betarhoalphadelta]

12 minutes ago, bortass said:

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. Another fun driving hole, it's a wide fairway and it's a down slope. Just need to not hit the ball OOB to the right. I aim down the left side and hit a high push fade towards the right houses... It's likely OOB and I hit a provisional. My swing is very steep and that ball heads way right too. I don't find either shot and mark an X and card a net par(7) for GHIN.

 

Well, now I get to add a * to the round.

 

 

BTW for the below I'm assuming that 543 yards is a par 5, so net par with two strokes is a 7. 

 

Why do you mark net par? 

 

My understanding of the handicapping rules is that you should mark most likely score. In this case, after two OOB you would either be hitting S&D from the tee (laying 4, your tee ball being your 5th shot) or if you use the modified rule, you take two penalty strokes and drop in the fairway perpendicular to where your ball went OOB, which means now you're laying 5 in the fairway and hitting 6. 

 

From there, it doesn't matter whether you assume you'll get into the hole in 5 strokes from the tee or 4 strokes from the fairway, which would make your most likely score a 9, or that you would take most likely one additional stroke and post a 10, because with the max allowable score per handicapping being a net double bogey and you have two strokes, you can't have more than a 9 on that hole for handicap purposes anyway.

 

[bortass]

1 hour ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

BTW for the below I'm assuming that 543 yards is a par 5, so net par with two strokes is a 7. 

 

Why do you mark net par? 

 

My understanding of the handicapping rules is that you should mark most likely score. In this case, after two OOB you would either be hitting S&D from the tee (laying 4, your tee ball being your 5th shot) or if you use the modified rule, you take two penalty strokes and drop in the fairway perpendicular to where your ball went OOB, which means now you're laying 5 in the fairway and hitting 6. 

 

From there, it doesn't matter whether you assume you'll get into the hole in 5 strokes from the tee or 4 strokes from the fairway, which would make your most likely score a 9, or that you would take most likely one additional stroke and post a 10, because with the max allowable score per handicapping being a net double bogey and you have two strokes, you can't have more than a 9 on that hole for handicap purposes anyway.

 

Politics.

 

So the rules lawyers will shake their fists at me but I did it to protect the field. I get the second most strokes in our Saturday game and I turn a small profit. It's not big money but my name comes up almost every week. So I hear jokes about it etc. I've also been questioned a couple of times about my index and how I enter my scores in the past. I just let the app handle NDB with hole by hole entry but there were some ruffled feathers when I mentioned a 9 for example. The person in question  had no clue NDB for me on that hole was 9 and, in their mind, there was no way I should have posted that number.... 

 

 The guys in the group I play with do the following:

• roll the ball, doesn't matter if it's fairway or rough. Heck I've seen a guy  do it in the margins of a hazard. I only mention it to show that they don't play strictly by the rules. FWIW, I play the ball down.
• Treat an OOB ball as a drop and 1 stroke penalty. I guess I had two heads when I told them the rule was 2 strokes and that's what I was gonna do. Also I rarely see anyone else hit a provisional.
• They pick up at double bogey or just card a double bogey whenever they pick up regardless of the situation.

 

You are correct that I should have posted a 9 on that hole. Once I pick up, my score goal is null and void regardless of how great the rest of the round is/was. I carded a net par 7 , which doesn't inflate my index at all, because I'd rather deal with an index that drops a bit faster than dealing with the possible headache of taking a 9 even though that was the correct score. Now if I had finished the hole and had a 10+ that's what I would have put in GHIN. I understand that there isn't great logic here, lol.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like the group I play with. I don't care that they play a bit fast and loose with some rules. Overall the guys are very good natured but people are people. Someone has a bad day and overhears something they don't understand and I'm a sandbagger, lol. It's just the situation of being high index, erratic hole by hole scoring, and improving as a player. So I used a number that in theory hurts me, vanity cap, but it doesn't hurt anyone else in the field. Yeah, by the handicap RoG, I'm no better than a sandbagger since I didn't follow the rules, so I'll stay out of Rules and Etiquette for a bit lest I burst into flames 😉

 

 

Hopefully that make sense. 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 6, 2022 by bortass

[bortass]

@betarhoalphadelta BTW #14 is a par 5 as you stated. My template has either been wrong this entire time or I somehow messed it up... Thanks for pointing that out, gonna go fix it now.

[betarhoalphadelta]

19 minutes ago, bortass said:

Politics.

 

<snip>

 

Hopefully that make sense. 

 

 

Lol got it. 😂

[bortass]

Not a good score today but I'm not too upset about it. It was a 46/50*, 96 for GHIN. The 46 on the front had two doubles and a quad... I had two Xs on the back that got entered as NDB. 

 

My quad had a OOB tee shot and then I 4 putt from 24 feet when my first putt follows the crest of the tier instead of going up it which left me 10 feet right of the hole.

 

The Xs were for different reasons but one of them was a par 3 where I tried 3 times to get out of a greenside bunker.... Sand game blew chunks... Putting was kinda sad too.

 

One problem is my aim. I am setting up too far left and I can't seem to wrap my head around it. I think I'm setup square but I'm not. It killed me on the two par 5s on the back. I had partial wedges into the green for GIR and I sent the ball straight left, where I was facing, and into bunkers which led to double and triple...

 

Positives, I had pars on the two hardest holes on the front. I got off the tee pretty well and even had some good 4w off the deck shots. I played well on a number of holes. I was giving myself chances and sometimes I get the par and sometimes I wouldn't. Also had some irons that went long because I hit them pure....

 

Overall, I think this is a bump in the road. The good golf feels normal to me and I feel confident on the course. It will drop my index again and I'll be down to 21.x. I haven't been in the 21s for a long while.

 

birdies: 0

pars: 5

bogeys: 6

double bogeys: 3

triple+: 4

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 210 yards

Longest drive: 248 yards

Fairways: 10/14

GIR: 3/18

Avg Approach: 119 yards

Up & down: 3/15

Putts: 36

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -14.1 strokes

driving: -0.6( with a 2 stroke penalty)

Approach: -5.4

Short game: -3.6

Putting: -4.5