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

TheDeanAbides · June 23, 2022

If you’re struggling with short ones I’d try looking at the hole instead of the ball.

bortass · June 23, 2022

A quick 9 off the forward tees. 95 degrees out and some wind which helpoed on #1 and #3 I think. No warmup as usual for these rounds and the greens were just punched and sanded.

Numbers in () is the difference between the teals and the whites, so #1 is 29 yards shorter from the teal tees. Most holes are just slightly shorter. There is a 4 stroke difference between the whites in teals for course handicap.

1 – par 4, 375 yards (-29), straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. I hit a great draw, 263 yards, into the left side of the fairway. The hole is near the middle and about 100 yards or so. I go with a partial PW and blade it low and right, almost into a bunker. I have to pitch over the bunker now and something goes wrong. I hit it thin and way right, the ball lands in the back fringe and rolls over a mound. I never find the ball as it likely rolled into the hazard that's behind the green. So I drop and try to chip on. I'm in the rough next to a cart path and I'm chipping to the elevated green, maybe 4 – 5 feet of elevation to get over the mound that then goes down to the putting surface. I have a similar mishit with the chip, thin and right. I chip with my putter and really misread the break as I get it pin high but 6 feet low. I miss the first putt and have a foot to go. I make that one and have an opening quad, 8, after a great drive.

2 – par 3, 133 yards (-9), #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The hole is middle front and I don't bother to look at the GPS. It's a 9i normally, so that's what I go with. I hit a thin draw, 134 yards, onto the back of the green. I'm 36 feet above the hole and I do the verbalization of the break and do my best to keep my hips quiet and hold my finish. I hit the ball and it's tracking pretty good and I get it hole high, 1 foot out on the low side. I make the next for par, 3.

3 – par 5, 452 yards (-6), dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. I nuke a draw over the corner, 261 yards, and through the fairway into the left rough. I have a good lie and the hole is on the right behind all the bunkers. It's 190ish to center, so I go with my 4w and aim more for the center of the green. I think I tried to nuke it and instead I topped it 54 yards, lol. Well it's now 140ish to the hole and I hit my 7i. This time contact is decent and it's a low draw that I see lands to the right of the green, maybe a couple yards off, and kick left. I get to the green and my ball is in the back rough, 160 yard shot with my 140 club. I chip with my putter to 3 feet. I miss... Not sure exactly why but it's a bogey, 6.

4 – par 4, 283 yards (-10), straight, #15 HCP, water left and OoB right. Right side has a slope. There's a fairway bunker on the right. I hit a low push draw well right of my target line. It lands in the rough to the right of the fairway bunker and just rolls. There's a crest by the bunker so I don't know exactly what my ball did but it's safe. Sure enough it must have taken the cart path because the ball is almost in line with the front of the green, 253 yard shot. I have to pitch over a bunker. No problem, I'm feel good with these shots. Same mishit as on #1. The ball is low and right, lands on the back of the green and rolls over, crap. Luckily the ball is only a few yards over the crest at the back of the green. So now I have to chip up and over it and land on a sandy, holey green that slopes away from me. I actually hit a decent chip with my SW. Kit lands on the green and stops 17 feet short of the hole. The sand slows things down. I do the verbalization and the Monte stuff and hit my par putt. I get it hole high but a foot low. An almost tap in for bogey, 5.

Right now I'm starting to feel good about my putting. The pitches are worrying me though.

5- par 5, 439 yards (-62), 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 tee off with my 5i and hit a high draw down the right side that lands on the right slope and kicks left and down into the fairway, 174 yards. I have a great angle past the corner and go with my 4w. The ball takes off and it's looking like a very solid high draw but I'm sad because it started a bit right of my line and it clips a branch of a tree in the hazard. The ball had some zip and kept going though, 125 yard shot and I'm in fairway on the right. Too bad because a better start line and I would have been in great shape. Now I'm about 120ish from center and have to keep the ball low because a tree overhangs the cart path down by the green. I take my 7i and hit a punch, 114 yards, that ends up in the rough just below the hole and maybe a yard off the fringe. I chip with my putter and misread the break and end up about hole high but 4 feet low. I do my best with the Monte stuff and miss. So a bogey, 6.

6 – par 4, 290 yards (-77), 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 a bit thin and is a low draw down the left side. 224 yard shot into the left side of the fairway. The flag is on the left side and it's about 70 yards. I hit a partial SW and it's a fairly straight draw, but left of my line, 77 yards and barely into the left rough. I chip with my putter, 10 yards, and get the ball hole high and a foot out on the low side. I make the par putt, 4.

7 – par 4, 346 yards (-5), 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 tee off and it's a high push fade that I hear hit trees on the right. I hit a provisional and never see the ball but here it hit trees on the left... I find the first in the right rough, 150 yards off the tee. I might be able to get to the green with a 5i from here but I'm in the rough. Also I'd be hitting it blind over a spine in the ridge and any shot to the right could leave me a tough next shot. So I take my 5i and hit a power chip, 126 yards, into the fairway on the left side. I have a partial SW in the the hole which is on the right. Contact is good and it's a fairly straight draw but a bit to the right. It goes 80 yards and I'm on the green. I'm 32 feet to the right and slightly past the hole. I try to voodoo putt and the ball has no chance. It's low all the way. Speed was on since I'm hole high but 3 feet low. I stick with the putting changes and I make this one, bogey, 5.

8 – par 3, 140 yards (-20), 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 middle right. I don't bother looking at my GPS, it's a 9i and I'd rather be short than long. Well my 9i is a real thin low line drive draw that lands in the right rough between the bunker and the green and off it goes over the back of the green, 163 yards... I hit a decent chip and get on the green 12 feet left of the hole. I do all the new putting stuff but I think I read it wrong. I end up 3 feet out and I miss that one as well. 3 putt double bogey, 5.

Sigh.

9 – par 4, 300 yards (-57), straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. I tee off with my 5i and hit a low draw down the right side that lands and runs. 186 yard shot and I'm in the right rough near a pine tree. The hole is front left and there's a bit of pond to deal with. It's 120ish and I hit my 9i. Contact felt and sounded good but I'm looking right into the sun and can't see it. Well it was a 123 yard shot that went past the flag. I have a 27 foot putt down a tier. I do the new stuff and hit my putt and it stops hole high, low side, about a foot out. Really a great putt since the ball is coming down a tier at an angle. I have an easy par, 4.

So a 46. Not a great score but my putting was so much better than it has been and it's on less than ideal greens. My driver was almost golden all round, #7 kinda messed that up. I just struggled with approaches and pitches. Catching the ball thin. I'm chalking it up to the lesson for now. My short game SG took a hit with the boned pitch on #1 which led to a penalty.

Regardless, I played decent out there and once again gave myself some chances but couldn't do much with them.

birdies: 0

pars: 3

bogeys: 4

double bogeys: 2

triple+: 0

Some stats:

Avg drive: 216 yards (contains 2 5i tee shots)

Longest drive: 263yards

Fairways: 4/7

GIR: 2/9

Avg Approach: 108 yards

Up & down: 1/6

Putts: 18

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP.

Overall: -4.7 strokes

driving: +0.9

Approach: -2.4

Short game: -1.1

Putting: -2.1, big improvement compared to my last few rounds!

bortass · June 23, 2022

33 minutes ago, TheDeanAbides said:

If you’re struggling with short ones I’d try looking at the hole instead of the ball.

I've heard of that. I'll give it a shot.

bortass · June 24, 2022

Well I got out for an unexpected 9 last night. Played the forward tees on the back 9. Unfortunately it was a mess. Shot a 51 with 4 penalty strokes.

In a greenside bunker and I hit that low right miss that suddenly has crept into my swing and the ball goes into a hazard, led to a triple.
In a fairway bunker and tried to hit a partial PW to the green, it's way short and into a stream. Which led to:
Drop next to the stream and duff my pitch across to the other side but in rocks on the bank. Result is a quad. Hard to over come two penalties on different shots.
High push fade with driver into a hazard on the right. Led to a triple, though I also duffed my shot after the drop, lol.

No part of my game was on fire but there were some real good shots in the mix.

128 yard 9i that was a very high draw into the back fringe of a par 3.
136 yard 8i that was also a high draw into a par 3.
127 yard 9i that was a high draw and into the back fringe of a green.

Putting was better/worse at the same time.

The ball played Plinko as the smooth layer of sand on the green is going away and the holes from the aeration are more exposed. It's fun watching the ball bounce along and sometimes change direction a little as it slows down.
I was 3/4 in making 3 foot putts! Massive improvement for me.
I had a 2 foot putt and looked at the hole as @TheDeanAbides suggested. I made it but it was real disconcerting. I was questioning, is my putter lined up? Will I miss the ball? Etc, because I wasn't looking at the ball. I think this will take some getting used too.
I had speed issues though. An example : 37 foot putt and I send it 5 feet long. I hit the next putt and it's dead at the hole, hits the flagstick and stops 3 feet past the hole.
I had some bad reads of the line on lag putts.
The good news is I know what I did wrong on all my putting miscues save one which was the missed 3 footer. It took a hop and I missed low, thought I gave it enough speed to get through the break but maybe not.

I had someone with me both nights, so the scores are in GHIN and it came out as a 96 with NDB cap. This neither helped nor hurt my index.

Overall, it was a laughable round at times but I had some great shots. Thanks to the forward tees, I was chipping/pitching from 10 yards short of the green, over the corner of a bunker, on a par 5 to get on in 3, is another example. Too bad this was the example above of speed issues. I sent it long and then drilled the ball dead center off the flag stick.

The shots that really hurt me were the penalties. The PW from fairway bunker was a bad decision. The duffed pitch and the bad greenside bunker shot were just terrible mishits. Driver into the right trees was a bad swing, though I'm pretty sure I know what I did wrong.

I am starting to feel much better with my putting though. Watching UTB 2.0 putting section has really helped. I'm keeping my hips quiet and holding the finish. I'm still talking to myself about the break as well, lol. I'll start more putting practice once the greens heal more and the ball isn't bouncing it's way to the hole.

Have a great weekend!

trilerian · June 24, 2022

15 minutes ago, bortass said:

Well I got out for an unexpected 9 last night. Played the forward tees on the back 9. Unfortunately it was a mess. Shot a 51 with 4 penalty strokes.

In a greenside bunker and I hit that low right miss that suddenly has crept into my swing and the ball goes into a hazard, led to a triple.

In a fairway bunker and tried to hit a partial PW to the green, it's way short and into a stream. Which led to:

Drop next to the stream and duff my pitch across to the other side but in rocks on the bank. Result is a quad. Hard to over come two penalties on different shots.

High push fade with driver into a hazard on the right. Led to a triple, though I also duffed my shot after the drop, lol.

No part of my game was on fire but there were some real good shots in the mix.

128 yard 9i that was a very high draw into the back fringe of a par 3.

136 yard 8i that was also a high draw into a par 3.

127 yard 9i that was a high draw and into the back fringe of a green.

Putting was better/worse at the same time.

The ball played Plinko as the smooth layer of sand on the green is going away and the holes from the aeration are more exposed. It's fun watching the ball bounce along and sometimes change direction a little as it slows down.

I was 3/4 in making 3 foot putts! Massive improvement for me.

I had a 2 foot putt and looked at the hole as @TheDeanAbides suggested. I made it but it was real disconcerting. I was questioning, is my putter lined up? Will I miss the ball? Etc, because I wasn't looking at the ball. I think this will take some getting used too.

I had speed issues though. An example : 37 foot putt and I send it 5 feet long. I hit the next putt and it's dead at the hole, hits the flagstick and stops 3 feet past the hole.

I had some bad reads of the line on lag putts.

The good news is I know what I did wrong on all my putting miscues save one which was the missed 3 footer. It took a hop and I missed low, thought I gave it enough speed to get through the break but maybe not.

I had someone with me both nights, so the scores are in GHIN and it came out as a 96 with NDB cap. This neither helped nor hurt my index.

Overall, it was a laughable round at times but I had some great shots. Thanks to the forward tees, I was chipping/pitching from 10 yards short of the green, over the corner of a bunker, on a par 5 to get on in 3, is another example. Too bad this was the example above of speed issues. I sent it long and then drilled the ball dead center off the flag stick.

The shots that really hurt me were the penalties. The PW from fairway bunker was a bad decision. The duffed pitch and the bad greenside bunker shot were just terrible mishits. Driver into the right trees was a bad swing, though I'm pretty sure I know what I did wrong.

I am starting to feel much better with my putting though. Watching UTB 2.0 putting section has really helped. I'm keeping my hips quiet and holding the finish. I'm still talking to myself about the break as well, lol. I'll start more putting practice once the greens heal more and the ball isn't bouncing it's way to the hole.

Have a great weekend!

You got to love aerated greens.

TheDeanAbides · June 24, 2022

1 hour ago, bortass said:

Well I got out for an unexpected 9 last night. Played the forward tees on the back 9. Unfortunately it was a mess. Shot a 51 with 4 penalty strokes.

In a greenside bunker and I hit that low right miss that suddenly has crept into my swing and the ball goes into a hazard, led to a triple.

In a fairway bunker and tried to hit a partial PW to the green, it's way short and into a stream. Which led to:

Drop next to the stream and duff my pitch across to the other side but in rocks on the bank. Result is a quad. Hard to over come two penalties on different shots.

High push fade with driver into a hazard on the right. Led to a triple, though I also duffed my shot after the drop, lol.

No part of my game was on fire but there were some real good shots in the mix.

128 yard 9i that was a very high draw into the back fringe of a par 3.

136 yard 8i that was also a high draw into a par 3.

127 yard 9i that was a high draw and into the back fringe of a green.

Putting was better/worse at the same time.

The ball played Plinko as the smooth layer of sand on the green is going away and the holes from the aeration are more exposed. It's fun watching the ball bounce along and sometimes change direction a little as it slows down.

I was 3/4 in making 3 foot putts! Massive improvement for me.

I had a 2 foot putt and looked at the hole as @TheDeanAbides suggested. I made it but it was real disconcerting. I was questioning, is my putter lined up? Will I miss the ball? Etc, because I wasn't looking at the ball. I think this will take some getting used too.

I had speed issues though. An example : 37 foot putt and I send it 5 feet long. I hit the next putt and it's dead at the hole, hits the flagstick and stops 3 feet past the hole.

I had some bad reads of the line on lag putts.

The good news is I know what I did wrong on all my putting miscues save one which was the missed 3 footer. It took a hop and I missed low, thought I gave it enough speed to get through the break but maybe not.

I had someone with me both nights, so the scores are in GHIN and it came out as a 96 with NDB cap. This neither helped nor hurt my index.

Overall, it was a laughable round at times but I had some great shots. Thanks to the forward tees, I was chipping/pitching from 10 yards short of the green, over the corner of a bunker, on a par 5 to get on in 3, is another example. Too bad this was the example above of speed issues. I sent it long and then drilled the ball dead center off the flag stick.

The shots that really hurt me were the penalties. The PW from fairway bunker was a bad decision. The duffed pitch and the bad greenside bunker shot were just terrible mishits. Driver into the right trees was a bad swing, though I'm pretty sure I know what I did wrong.

I am starting to feel much better with my putting though. Watching UTB 2.0 putting section has really helped. I'm keeping my hips quiet and holding the finish. I'm still talking to myself about the break as well, lol. I'll start more putting practice once the greens heal more and the ball isn't bouncing it's way to the hole.

Have a great weekend!

The thing about putting at your level is that for anything over five feet speed is KING. It’s everything. Even tour pros only make about 20-25 % of putts from 10 feet so if you make that many out of 30 you’ve done well. What you can do is make sure you make the next one by working on speed, speed, speed.

The best way is to work on strike - which you can do on your carpet at home - and speed by putting to the fringe on your putting green. Two balls only. Aim for the second to be closer than the first and then change length.

Edited June 24, 2022 by TheDeanAbides

TheDeanAbides · June 24, 2022

Edited above. Important typo in the last sentence!

trilerian · June 24, 2022

2 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

The thing about putting at your level is that for anything over five feet speed is KING. It’s everything. Even tour pros only make about 20-25 % of putts from 10 feet so if you make that many out of 30 you’ve done well. What you can do is make sure you make the next one by working on speed, speed, speed.

The best way is to work on strike - which you can do on your carpet at home - and speed by putting to the fringe on your putting green. Two balls only. Aim for the second to be closer than the first and then change length.

That's funny. If I hit the putting green before a round this is similar to what I do. Except I use 3 balls, and I try to get it to the fringe from a 10 pace distance. That helps with my speed for the round.

I get my fair share of questions though...

bortass · June 24, 2022

2 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

The thing about putting at your level is that for anything over five feet speed is KING. It’s everything. Even tour pros only make about 20-25 % of putts from 10 feet so if you make that many out of 30 you’ve done well. What you can do is make sure you make the next one by working on speed, speed, speed.

The best way is to work on strike - which you can do on your carpet at home - and speed by putting to the fringe on your putting green. Two balls only. Aim for the second to be closer than the first and then change length.

I've done this in the past. My goal is to try to stop my ball at the fringe. I will do it with a few balls but I'm not trying to get inside the first with the second. Regardless of where the first ball stops, the second's target is the fringe. I'm likely using three balls as @trilerian mentions. It is helpful and I'll be sure to do it on the practice green before tomorrow's round.

TheDeanAbides · June 24, 2022

10 minutes ago, bortass said:

I've done this in the past. My goal is to try to stop my ball at the fringe. I will do it with a few balls but I'm not trying to get inside the first with the second. Regardless of where the first ball stops, the second's target is the fringe. I'm likely using three balls as @trilerian mentions. It is helpful and I'll be sure to do it on the practice green before tomorrow's round.

The most important part is to focus on speed when you putt. Line is secondary on anything longer than 5 feet for you. Cutting out 3 putts is the easiest way to drop strokes.

Also don’t forget strike practice. You can’t accurately judge speed if you’re hitting it all over the face.

bortass · June 24, 2022

18 minutes ago, TheDeanAbides said:

The most important part is to focus on speed when you putt. Line is secondary on anything longer than 5 feet for you. Cutting out 3 putts is the easiest way to drop strokes.

Also don’t forget strike practice. You can’t accurately judge speed if you’re hitting it all over the face.

I agree. I think one reason I'm hitting it a bit long is I'm making better contact with the changes I've made. I used to see some wobble in my putter head on some strokes the old way I putted. Now I'm keeping my hips as still as I can and rocking my shoulders, so everything is moving as a single unit.

Regardless, I'm already seeing improvement on less than ideal greens. I'm curious to see how things go practicing and on the course after the greens heal.

betarhoalphadelta · June 24, 2022

I will say that recently I did the "put two tees on either side of the putter head" test during some putting practice. I didn't make contact with a tee on a single stroke, so I was pretty happy that I should be hitting it pretty close to the center of the face.

TheDeanAbides · June 24, 2022

49 minutes ago, bortass said:

I agree. I think one reason I'm hitting it a bit long is I'm making better contact with the changes I've made. I used to see some wobble in my putter head on some strokes the old way I putted. Now I'm keeping my hips as still as I can and rocking my shoulders, so everything is moving as a single unit.

Regardless, I'm already seeing improvement on less than ideal greens. I'm curious to see how things go practicing and on the course after the greens heal.

That’s good. A solid putt should feel really solid - just like an iron shot. If you can work on that consistency you’ll soon recalibrate distance.

TheDeanAbides · June 24, 2022

17 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

I will say that recently I did the "put two tees on either side of the putter head" test during some putting practice. I didn't make contact with a tee on a single stroke, so I was pretty happy that I should be hitting it pretty close to the center of the face.

In that case, based on your reported putting results and cap, the exact same applies as with Bortass. Distance control is king. 👍🏻

bortass · June 27, 2022

Saturdays round was a bit of an adventure. It's been fairly dry here and late Friday night some thunderstorms roll in. The front 9 was closed and we had to start on the back 9, The front was open by the time we made the turn. Entire course was cart path only and the greens were punched earlier in the week. So not what I would call scoring conditions. I warmed up on the range and that was okay. I also hit the practice green to work on speed control which was also okay.

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 decide to mix things up a bit and use my 7w off the tee instead of my 5i. It's a solid draw down the left side and around the corner, 222 yards. It's a front left flag and about 100 yards or so from me. The bunker is not in play and I hit a partial PW. Contact is good and it lands on the green but I can't see what it does since the green is above me. It was a 107 yard shot and I'm near the middle of the green and 27 feet from the hole. I stick with the changes I made late last week and I lag it to a foot. Par, 4.

11 – par 4, 329 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. I hit another decent draw off the tee with my 7w, 182 yards, and into the fairway on the left side. I'm just short of the slope leading down to the stream, so it's pretty level. The pin is in the back of the green and it's about an 8i to center, so I hit that. It's very thin, low and a push right into the stream.... I drop 100 yards from prior spot and hit and okay pitch. It's high and goes 45 yards, so I'm on the green but 18 feet short of the hole. I miss the first putt, low, and have a 2 footer which I make. Double bogey, 6.

A decent drive ruined.

12 – par 4, 315 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. I'm worried that a solid drive may go through this fairway now, so I use my 4w. I hit a low shot down the left side and may have had a bit of an assist from the cart path but I can't remember. It was a 200 yard shot and I cleared the corner. The hole is on the right and behind the bunker. A partial PW should get me near the middle of the green and I hit that. It's a decent looking shot that lands on the green a bit short and left of the flag. The green is elevated and I have no clue what the ball does. It was a 102 yard shot and I'm near the middle of the green and just short of the tier that goes up to the right side of this green. It's a 21 foot birdie putt and going up the tier and I lag it to 2 feet. I make the par putt, 4.

13 – par 3, 123 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and left and long left. Tiered green as well. It's a front pin location and it's probably 110-115 yards. A 9i is my normal club to just hit the middle of the green. I catch it thin and it's a line drive that ends up in the back rough 139 yards. My ball is in decent rough and on a severe down slope from a mound that's next to the back bunker. Everything slopes away from me and theirs a tier in the green to go down. Well it takes two chips with my putter to get on the green and 12 feet from the hole... The bogey putt misses and I have a foot for double bogey, 5.

Well that sucked.

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. I hit a high push fade, with just a little curve, down the right side of the fairway, 245 yards. It's a goot lie and I hit my 4w, aiming left, and it's pretty solid. A 179 yard shot that's in the fairway on the left side. The hole is front left and 120ish yards. I hit a full 9i and it's a high push fade into the pond.... I drop 75 yards closer and pitch on, 38 yards, and 19 feet short of the hole. I get my putt to about 18 inches and have another double bogey, 7.

A solid drive and decent 4w ruined by a 9i into the pond.

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 driver and it's a slight push fade that clips the leaves of a tree that's on the right and continues on. I find my ball in the right rough and it was a 233 yard drive. The hole is middle right and roughly 55 yards or so. I have to carry a bunker and I can't hit my pitch shot because of the lie. So I hit low punch type pitch, 60 yards, that lands on the green and rolls 14 feet past the hole. I can't recall what my birdie putt did but I missed and had a 3 footer remaining. Great no man's land... I stick with the putting changes and it drops for par, 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 and it's over 150 yards back there. Long is bad, so I hit my 140 club aka 7i. I hit a great high draw to the middle back and right of the hole, 156 yards... I'm 18 feet right of the hole and I'm putting up slope. I either left it short or missed low and ended up about pin high, either way I'm 2 feet out. I had been looking at the hole with my 2 foot putts with good success and stick with it. My stroke felt off and I missed... Tap in bogey, 4.

Blah.

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 my driver and it's a high weak push fade, 206 yards, into the fairway on the right and just short of the bunkers on the corner. The hole is middle front and this green slopes pretty severely left to right. It's 150ish to center and I aim left of the hole just a bit and hit my 6i. I leave the face wide open and it's a high, weak, push fade that lands near the cart path and kicks right into the trees. It's marked as a hazard and no sign of the ball. So I drop in the rough, 132 yards from the prior spot. I hit a great pitch , 37 yards, to 2 feet and I make the putt for bogey, 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... I hit a solid draw but it's a slight pull, 241 yards, but I'm in the left rough and on a slope. The ball is below my feet and I don't like my odds of hitting my second shot over the stream, so I pitch with my PW and hit it 70 yards towards the right side of the fairway by the stream. This sets up a third shot into the green. It's a front right hole and it's 180ish to the back of the green. I decide to hit my 7w. A 5i would have worked but that would cut it a bit closer with regard to dropping it into the pond. Contact is good but it's a low pull draw, 183 yards, and well left of the green. My pitch isn't firm enough, about 37 yards, and I leave my ball on the upper tier and 53 feet short of the hole. I'm putting down a big tier and get it to 6 feet, which is actually not bad. I miss that one too. Double bogey, 7.

Too many doubles...

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. I hit my driver and it's a push slice, 211 yards, into the middle of the 9^th fairway... I have a clear shot at the green and it's 200ish yards. I probably can't reach with my 4w but laying up makes little sense since there's a lot of debris in the fair way starting inside 100 yards. I hit a solid 4w, 186 yards, into the rough to the left of the front bunker. I chip with my SW to 3 feet and make the par putt, 4.

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The hole is in the middle, closer to the back. 130Ish to center and I hit my 8i. It's a high push fade that misses the green right. I'm in the rough and it's soft. I'm chipping to a green that's above me with my SW and the ball doesn't make it onto the green. I chip with my putter from the fringe to a foot and come away with a bogey, 4.

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. This entire hole is pretty much casual water or muddy, along with some standing puddles that are quite large. I take my normal aim with my driver and it's a massive push slice into the right trees... I hit a provisional and it's an okay shot that goes 200 yards into the fairway on the right side. No sign of my first ball, which is what I expected. I hit a good 4w, 201 yards, into the left rough. My ball is on very soft ground. I pitch and the club slides under the ball thanks to the mud and it comes up short of the green... I hit a weak chip on and 27 feet short of the hole. I'm putting up a tier and my putt for double bogey ends up a foot from the hole. Triple bogey, 8.

Love S&D penalties and my first true blow up.

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 decent draw, 228 yards, into the fairway on the right side. The hole is front left and about 60ish yards. I hit the shot I want but miss left and I'm in the rough a few yards from the green. I chip with my putter and sent the ball 13 feet long. I hit the par putt and miss. It's a 3 footer for bogey and I miss, double bogey, 6.

Now that really sucked.

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. It's a decent draw into the fairway on the left, 218 yards. I hit 4w past the corner, a bit thin but it goes 190 yards and sets me up just inside 100 yards. The hole is middle left and I hit my partial PW. It's a nice shot, 96 yards, and onto the green. I'm 35 feet short of the hole and I don't recall my miss but it's 8 feet from the hole... So a three putt bogey, 6.

Sigh.

6 – par 4, 367 yards, slight dogleg left, #7 HCP. Medium width landing area with a bunker on the left. Houses are on the right and there's a sharp slope into the left trees if you end up too far into the left rough. I hit another decent draw with my driver, 228 yards, into the fairway on the left side. I'm on a slight down slope and it's about 140ish to center. The hole is back right and long is bad. I go with my 7i and hit a high push fade well right of the green, 140 yards. Crap, I keep hitting my irons over there on this hole it seems. I'm on a down slope and chipping to a green that slopes away from me, so I'm not going to get this close since I'm short sided. I hit my chip about the way I wanted and the ball rolls 24 feet past the hole. I get the par putt to 2 feet and come away with a bogey, 5.

7 – par 4, 351 yards, slight dogleg right, #11 HCP, elevated tee shot to a wide open fairway that slopes down right to left all the way to about the 100 yard marker. Bunkers on the left marking the corner and a slope on the right. I hit a great draw down the middle 252 yards. The hole is on the left for a change and it's about 90 yards. I hit a partial AW and it's a nice high shot. The green is raised so I can't see what happens but my ball ended up going through the green and into a flooded bunker. Another guy saw where it went in but I couldn't find it with a rake. I drop in front of the bunker where it went in and chip to 2 feet with my putter. 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. The hole is back and I don't want to be long. I tee off with my 7i and hit a high, fairly straight push, 164 yards into the bunker. It's partially flooded but my ball didn't go into the water. I barely get out of the bunker and into the rough. I chip with my putter and it drops for par, 3.

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. I hit a solid draw, a touch more left than normal, 226 yards into the fairway and near the bank of the pond. The flag is back right and 130ish yards. I don't want to go long, so I hit my 9i. It's a great high draw that goes to the back of the green and lands to the left of the hole and stops. 132 yard shot and I'm 12 feet from the cup. I hit my birdie putt and I miss low and the ball stops about 3 inches below the cup. So close to a birdie, but I have a par on one of the harder holes on the course, 4.

A 46/44, 90. My 44 has the 8... Just getting rid of the 4 penalty strokes would have been enough to get me to 86, lol. It was an odd round, not great conditions but I played decently and posted a very good score. It dropped my index by 0.7, so I'm now a 21.0 which is the lowest I've been since coming back to golf! The putting changes made a big difference, I was 8/10 on putts from 2 - 4 feet. There were still some bad misses but things were greatly improved.

My driver let me down a couple of times and my approach game was off. I also sucked on the par 3s, average of 4.6, and 5s, average 7.0. I averaged 4.6 on the par 4s though. I still feel like the pieces are there and if my putting gets out of the trash zone it's been in lately, I should post some more decent scores.

birdies: 0

pars: 7

bogeys: 5

double bogeys: 4

triple+: 1

Some stats:

Avg drive: 221 yards

Longest drive: 252 yards

Fairways: 10/14

GIR: 6/18

Avg Approach: 119 yards

Up & down: 4/11

Putts: 34

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP.

Overall: -5.1 strokes

driving: -0.2, The S&D penalty hurt this stat

Approach: -4.9, 2 penalties hurt this as well but it's still slightly better than usual.

Short game: +2.3, gotta love a chip in

Putting: -2.3, not perfect but much improved

Edited June 27, 2022 by bortass

trilerian · June 27, 2022

1 hour ago, bortass said:

Saturdays round was a bit of an adventure. It's been fairly dry here and late Friday night some thunderstorms roll in. The front 9 was closed and we had to start on the back 9, The front was open by the time we made the turn. Entire course was cart path only and the greens were punched earlier in the week. So not what I would call scoring conditions. I warmed up on the range and that was okay. I also hit the practice green to work on speed control which was also okay.

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 decide to mix things up a bit and use my 7w off the tee instead of my 5i. It's a solid draw down the left side and around the corner, 222 yards. It's a front left flag and about 100 yards or so from me. The bunker is not in play and I hit a partial PW. Contact is good and it lands on the green but I can't see what it does since the green is above me. It was a 107 yard shot and I'm near the middle of the green and 27 feet from the hole. I stick with the changes I made late last week and I lag it to a foot. Par, 4.

11 – par 4, 329 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. I hit another decent draw off the tee with my 7w, 182 yards, and into the fairway on the left side. I'm just short of the slope leading down to the stream, so it's pretty level. The pin is in the back of the green and it's about an 8i to center, so I hit that. It's very thin, low and a push right into the stream.... I drop 100 yards from prior spot and hit and okay pitch. It's high and goes 45 yards, so I'm on the green but 18 feet short of the hole. I miss the first putt, low, and have a 2 footer which I make. Double bogey, 6.

A decent drive ruined.

12 – par 4, 315 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. I'm worried that a solid drive may go through this fairway now, so I use my 4w. I hit a low shot down the left side and may have had a bit of an assist from the cart path but I can't remember. It was a 200 yard shot and I cleared the corner. The hole is on the right and behind the bunker. A partial PW should get me near the middle of the green and I hit that. It's a decent looking shot that lands on the green a bit short and left of the flag. The green is elevated and I have no clue what the ball does. It was a 102 yard shot and I'm near the middle of the green and just short of the tier that goes up to the right side of this green. It's a 21 foot birdie putt and going up the tier and I lag it to 2 feet. I make the par putt, 4.

13 – par 3, 123 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and left and long left. Tiered green as well. It's a front pin location and it's probably 110-115 yards. A 9i is my normal club to just hit the middle of the green. I catch it thin and it's a line drive that ends up in the back rough 139 yards. My ball is in decent rough and on a severe down slope from a mound that's next to the back bunker. Everything slopes away from me and theirs a tier in the green to go down. Well it takes two chips with my putter to get on the green and 12 feet from the hole... The bogey putt misses and I have a foot for double bogey, 5.

Well that sucked.

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. I hit a high push fade, with just a little curve, down the right side of the fairway, 245 yards. It's a goot lie and I hit my 4w, aiming left, and it's pretty solid. A 179 yard shot that's in the fairway on the left side. The hole is front left and 120ish yards. I hit a full 9i and it's a high push fade into the pond.... I drop 75 yards closer and pitch on, 38 yards, and 19 feet short of the hole. I get my putt to about 18 inches and have another double bogey, 7.

A solid drive and decent 4w ruined by a 9i into the pond.

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 driver and it's a slight push fade that clips the leaves of a tree that's on the right and continues on. I find my ball in the right rough and it was a 233 yard drive. The hole is middle right and roughly 55 yards or so. I have to carry a bunker and I can't hit my pitch shot because of the lie. So I hit low punch type pitch, 60 yards, that lands on the green and rolls 14 feet past the hole. I can't recall what my birdie putt did but I missed and had a 3 footer remaining. Great no man's land... I stick with the putting changes and it drops for par, 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 and it's over 150 yards back there. Long is bad, so I hit my 140 club aka 7i. I hit a great high draw to the middle back and right of the hole, 156 yards... I'm 18 feet right of the hole and I'm putting up slope. I either left it short or missed low and ended up about pin high, either way I'm 2 feet out. I had been looking at the hole with my 2 foot putts with good success and stick with it. My stroke felt off and I missed... Tap in bogey, 4.

Blah.

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 my driver and it's a high weak push fade, 206 yards, into the fairway on the right and just short of the bunkers on the corner. The hole is middle front and this green slopes pretty severely left to right. It's 150ish to center and I aim left of the hole just a bit and hit my 6i. I leave the face wide open and it's a high, weak, push fade that lands near the cart path and kicks right into the trees. It's marked as a hazard and no sign of the ball. So I drop in the rough, 132 yards from the prior spot. I hit a great pitch , 37 yards, to 2 feet and I make the putt for bogey, 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... I hit a solid draw but it's a slight pull, 241 yards, but I'm in the left rough and on a slope. The ball is below my feet and I don't like my odds of hitting my second shot over the stream, so I pitch with my PW and hit it 70 yards towards the right side of the fairway by the stream. This sets up a third shot into the green. It's a front right hole and it's 180ish to the back of the green. I decide to hit my 7w. A 5i would have worked but that would cut it a bit closer with regard to dropping it into the pond. Contact is good but it's a low pull draw, 183 yards, and well left of the green. My pitch isn't firm enough, about 37 yards, and I leave my ball on the upper tier and 53 feet short of the hole. I'm putting down a big tier and get it to 6 feet, which is actually not bad. I miss that one too. Double bogey, 7.

Too many doubles...

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. I hit my driver and it's a push slice, 211 yards, into the middle of the 9^th fairway... I have a clear shot at the green and it's 200ish yards. I probably can't reach with my 4w but laying up makes little sense since there's a lot of debris in the fair way starting inside 100 yards. I hit a solid 4w, 186 yards, into the rough to the left of the front bunker. I chip with my SW to 3 feet and make the par putt, 4.

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The hole is in the middle, closer to the back. 130Ish to center and I hit my 8i. It's a high push fade that misses the green right. I'm in the rough and it's soft. I'm chipping to a green that's above me with my SW and the ball doesn't make it onto the green. I chip with my putter from the fringe to a foot and come away with a bogey, 4.

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. This entire hole is pretty much casual water or muddy, along with some standing puddles that are quite large. I take my normal aim with my driver and it's a massive push slice into the right trees... I hit a provisional and it's an okay shot that goes 200 yards into the fairway on the right side. No sign of my first ball, which is what I expected. I hit a good 4w, 201 yards, into the left rough. My ball is on very soft ground. I pitch and the club slides under the ball thanks to the mud and it comes up short of the green... I hit a weak chip on and 27 feet short of the hole. I'm putting up a tier and my putt for double bogey ends up a foot from the hole. Triple bogey, 8.

Love S&D penalties and my first true blow up.

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 decent draw, 228 yards, into the fairway on the right side. The hole is front left and about 60ish yards. I hit the shot I want but miss left and I'm in the rough a few yards from the green. I chip with my putter and sent the ball 13 feet long. I hit the par putt and miss. It's a 3 footer for bogey and I miss, double bogey, 6.

Now that really sucked.

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. It's a decent draw into the fairway on the left, 218 yards. I hit 4w past the corner, a bit thin but it goes 190 yards and sets me up just inside 100 yards. The hole is middle left and I hit my partial PW. It's a nice shot, 96 yards, and onto the green. I'm 35 feet short of the hole and I don't recall my miss but it's 8 feet from the hole... So a three putt bogey, 6.

Sigh.

6 – par 4, 367 yards, slight dogleg left, #7 HCP. Medium width landing area with a bunker on the left. Houses are on the right and there's a sharp slope into the left trees if you end up too far into the left rough. I hit another decent draw with my driver, 228 yards, into the fairway on the left side. I'm on a slight down slope and it's about 140ish to center. The hole is back right and long is bad. I go with my 7i and hit a high push fade well right of the green, 140 yards. Crap, I keep hitting my irons over there on this hole it seems. I'm on a down slope and chipping to a green that slopes away from me, so I'm not going to get this close since I'm short sided. I hit my chip about the way I wanted and the ball rolls 24 feet past the hole. I get the par putt to 2 feet and come away with a bogey, 5.

7 – par 4, 351 yards, slight dogleg right, #11 HCP, elevated tee shot to a wide open fairway that slopes down right to left all the way to about the 100 yard marker. Bunkers on the left marking the corner and a slope on the right. I hit a great draw down the middle 252 yards. The hole is on the left for a change and it's about 90 yards. I hit a partial AW and it's a nice high shot. The green is raised so I can't see what happens but my ball ended up going through the green and into a flooded bunker. Another guy saw where it went in but I couldn't find it with a rake. I drop in front of the bunker where it went in and chip to 2 feet with my putter. 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. The hole is back and I don't want to be long. I tee off with my 7i and hit a high, fairly straight push, 164 yards into the bunker. It's partially flooded but my ball didn't go into the water. I barely get out of the bunker and into the rough. I chip with my putter and it drops for par, 3.

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. I hit a solid draw, a touch more left than normal, 226 yards into the fairway and near the bank of the pond. The flag is back right and 130ish yards. I don't want to go long, so I hit my 9i. It's a great high draw that goes to the back of the green and lands to the left of the hole and stops. 132 yard shot and I'm 12 feet from the cup. I hit my birdie putt and I miss low and the ball stops about 3 inches below the cup. So close to a birdie, but I have a par on one of the harder holes on the course, 4.

A 46/44, 90. My 44 has the 8... Just getting rid of the 4 penalty strokes would have been enough to get me to 86, lol. It was an odd round, not great conditions but I played decently and posted a very good score. It dropped my index by 0.7, so I'm now a 21.0 which is the lowest I've been since coming back to golf! The putting changes made a big difference, I was 8/10 on putts from 2 - 4 feet. There were still some bad misses but things were greatly improved.

My driver let me down a couple of times and my approach game was off. I also sucked on the par 3s, average of 4.6, and 5s, average 7.0. I averaged 4.6 on the par 4s though. I still feel like the pieces are there and if my putting gets out of the trash zone it's been in lately, I should post some more decent scores.

birdies: 0

pars: 7

bogeys: 5

double bogeys: 4

triple+: 1

Some stats:

Avg drive: 221 yards

Longest drive: 252 yards

Fairways: 10/14

GIR: 6/18

Avg Approach: 119 yards

Up & down: 4/11

Putts: 34

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP.

Overall: -5.1 strokes

driving: -0.2, The S&D penalty hurt this stat

Approach: -4.9, 2 penalties hurt this as well but it's still slightly better than usual.

Short game: +2.3, gotta love a chip in

Putting: -2.3, not perfect but much improved

Congrats on the putting.

bortass · June 27, 2022

2 minutes ago, trilerian said:

Congrats on the putting.

Thanks.

It's amazing how simple the change is. I just needed to reminded that Monte covers putting in UTB 2.0. That made a huge difference. The other changes based on Clements and Orr are helping too. It was a feeling of no confidence like it has been the last month.

I still don't like 3 footers but the improve,ment doesn't make me think ' oh great here we go again...'

bortass · July 5, 2022

We’ll I got in 27 holes over the weekend. Played like trash with a 51 and a 53/48, 101. The 48 on the back was because I either got a par or double+ on every hole. There was nothing else…

Everything was AWOL. Couldn’t get off the tee, putt, or make an approach shot. There were some good holes and iron shots though.

I’m hoping these rounds were just a ‘thing’ and not a sign that my game is about to go off the rails again….

Edited July 5, 2022 by bortass

TheDeanAbides · July 5, 2022

Video update time 🙂

MattC555 · July 5, 2022

2 hours ago, bortass said:

We’ll I got in 27 holes over the weekend. Played like trash with a 51 and a 53/48, 101. The 48 on the back was because I either got a par or double+ on every hole. There was nothing else…

Everything was AWOL. Couldn’t get off the tee, putt, or make an approach shot. There were some good holes and iron shots though.

I’m hoping these rounds were just a ‘thing’ and not a sign that my game is about to go off the rails again….

Sounds like golf to me. 🤣

My buddy, who is one of the best ball strikers I know, was pushing everything into the trees the other day. Out of nowhere. No compression weak pushes. Was baffled. 4 cap that was 16 over after 9. It's a strange game.

bortass · July 7, 2022

Another rough round today. A smooth 50/45 95. The 50 on the front involved 23 putts and 3 one stroke penalties off the tee, including a par 3 when I hit my 7i real solid and lost it in a hazard left of the green. It would have been fine if I didn't hit it so good.

My putting was trash with 39 total putts and too many short misses. Overall my ball striking wasn't terrible and it was improved compared to this weekend. My index is going to drop a little bit overnight, so at least that's good.

Also had an mini adventure with the grounds crew. A mower clipped the front driver's side wheel. This messed up the alignment and damaged the rim. It took a bit but the course will cover the repairs. It was a he said she said situation. No harm no foul as long as they stand by it. Blah....

Hope things are going better for the rest of you 🙂

Edited July 7, 2022 by bortass

trilerian · July 7, 2022

28 minutes ago, bortass said:

Another rough round today. A smooth 50/45 95. The 50 on the front involved 23 putts and 3 one stroke penalties off the tee, including a par 3 when I hit my 7i real solid and lost it in a hazard left of the green. It would have been fine if I didn't hit it so good.

My putting was trash with 39 total putts and too many short misses. Overall my ball striking wasn't terrible and it was improved compared to this weekend. My index is going to drop a little bit overnight, so at least that's good.

Also had an mini adventure with the grounds crew. A mower clipped the front driver's side wheel. This messed up the alignment and damaged the rim. It took a bit but the course will cover the repairs. It was a he said she said situation. No harm no foul as long as they stand by it. Blah....

Hope things are going better for the rest of you 🙂

What's going on with the putting? The best thing I ever did for my short putting was really learn how to rock my shoulders. When my putting gets off line, I have to go back to the basics. Left shoulder down, then right shoulder down. It has made starting putts online much easier. I used to watch my putting stroke, but realized that all I was doing was trying to correct what I saw happening as it happens. Fix the stroke itself and I don't have to watch it.

Also, we need more info on the mini adventure...

betarhoalphadelta · July 7, 2022

Considering a 45 (+9) over 9 holes is not bad golf for guys like us, you were 5 over that with 5 too many putts and 3 penalty strokes. So it sounds like other parts of your game weren't bad.

Then you got around the back in bogey golf. That's not bad at all.

What tees were you playing?

bortass · July 7, 2022

1 hour ago, trilerian said:

What's going on with the putting? The best thing I ever did for my short putting was really learn how to rock my shoulders. When my putting gets off line, I have to go back to the basics. Left shoulder down, then right shoulder down. It has made starting putts online much easier. I used to watch my putting stroke, but realized that all I was doing was trying to correct what I saw happening as it happens. Fix the stroke itself and I don't have to watch it.

Also, we need more info on the mini adventure...

I have no clue what's up with the putting. I used to be "okay" but something changed a few months ago. I can't seem to make putts in the 2 - 4 foot range anymore. I missed another 2 footer today for example. A guy I played with both Tuesday and today mentioned it looked like I have the putter face open at address. I don't really know if that's true or not. Anyhow, I've always been a feel putter but I seem to have lost it completely. I have started to make sure to rock my shoulders and not use my hips like I used too. Maybe that's messing me up a bit? Dunno though. I just need to start working on it seriously. The greens are finally almost healed from the aeration, so it'll be easy to work on it again.

3 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

Considering a 45 (+9) over 9 holes is not bad golf for guys like us, you were 5 over that with 5 too many putts and 3 penalty strokes. So it sounds like other parts of your game weren't bad.

Then you got around the back in bogey golf. That's not bad at all.

What tees were you playing?

I was playing the normal white tees. I really had some good shots today with everything except the putter. My penalties were two pulls with driver, a slight pull draw with my 4w on a hole where being too far left sends it into a hazard. The last one was a 7i that I hit pretty pure but pulled on a par 3. The ball missed the green left and dropped into a hazard. I couldn't find the ball and my drop was 178 yards off the elevated tee. So I nuked it...

The mini adventure: #16 is a par 3 with a slope behind the green. There's a small semi-circle area in the path to park. So I park my cart there and my wheels were turned to follow the path, so they were sticking out. I had hit the green, so was up there putting, along with my group. Coming off the green, there's a younger guy on an orange riding mower for the rough parked in the right rough up the slope a bit. I had gotten my par and was feeling good. I think nothing off it because it seemed normal. He was waiting to mow and looking at his phone. I start up the hill and my alignment is all messed up. I have to hold the wheel at a 20* angle or so to go straight... I have no clue what happened to the alignment, it was fine before I parked. I'm trying to figure out what the heck happened as we tee off on 17.

While waiting to hit my approach shot, I look at the front driver's side wheel. The rim is damaged and I see a little orange paint in one of the scrapes. I talk to the guys in my group and none of us saw anything. The guy on the mower is coming down 17 but doesn't get that close to us. Not the end of the world, I'll just talk to the pro shop about it. We get to 18 and have to wait. The guy drives up in the mower and I ask if he hit my cart and he denied it. Said he never got close to it. So I tell him fine, I'll just talk to the pro shop.

He calls his boss, the superintendent, who comes out and looks at it while we're hitting our second shots. It went around in circles a bit. The guy on the mower saying he didn't touch my cart. The super is looking at it and saying he's not sure about things. He thought what I claimed was orange paint was dirt but it didn't rub off when he rubbed it. A small flap from the rim in the deeper gouge also came off when he ran his finger across it. He noticed damage to my rear rim and I told him I did that myself a couple years ago.

So in the end, he said he wasn't sure what happened but they'll cover the repair and I should go let the head pro know. The super was apologetic about things, as was the head pro when I talked to him. I said it was fine, I just wanted my cart fixed. There's a chance the guy on the mower didn't notice that he clipped my wheel but he would have gotten real close to the cart to hit a turned out wheel. No one got upset, no yelling, so it's not worthy of a post in the rules forum 🤣 The result is what I wanted and I already called to have the cart picked up and repaired.

I managed to par both 17 and 18, so at least dealing with the ground crew and being unhappy about the damage to the cart didn't phase my game any.

bortass · July 8, 2022

@betarhoalphadelta I was 'depressed' when I looked at my stats in Arccos for yesterday's round. It showed high numbers in all categories aka a major regression. Well I just noticed I had changed the filter to compare myself to a 0 HCP instead of the 12 HCP I've been using for most of this thread, lol. My approach game was much better than normal and my driving stayed in the ball park even with the 3 penalties.

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP.

Overall: -10.0 strokes

driving: -1.8, 3 penalties in here, but my distance and accuracy are in the ball park and helped offset it.

Approach: -0.9, 1 penalty in here and it was still a massive improvement over my normal -7.5 that I have been averaging over the last 10 rounds.

Short game: +0.5, had some real struggles here with distance control and at least 1 two chip. I'm kinda amazed my 'strength' is short game based on my historic chipping woes....

Putting: -7.8, 5.7 of it was lost inside 10 feet....

trilerian · July 8, 2022

@bortass

After reading through this thread I am considering getting the Arccos sensors. I am a little worried as I have no grip extending out of my grip so to speak. I grip right at the end of the club.

How many missed shots do you get? Do you happen to have an Apple watch?

bortass · July 8, 2022

2 hours ago, trilerian said:

@bortass

After reading through this thread I am considering getting the Arccos sensors. I am a little worried as I have no grip extending out of my grip so to speak. I grip right at the end of the club.

How many missed shots do you get? Do you happen to have an Apple watch?

I grip at the end of the club too, so the sensors stick out a bit. I sometimes have to tighten them before a swing, driver in particular, but it's no big deal. I never felt that the sensor changed anything with regard to how the club felt.

I do not have an Apple watch. I use the phone in the pocket and it didn't take long for it to become second nature.

For me, missed shots are two types.

Rarely will a non-putt not get registered. It's almost always with a pretty bad mishit or from say deep rough and the club slides under the ball. I don't recall how often it happens but I'm serious when I say it's rare. Keep in mind they have it programmed so multiple non-putter shots within a few yards only register once. It's how a practice swing won't inflate the number if it gets detected. It's an issue when I duff a shot 2 - 3 yards or leave my sand shot in the bunker. You'd get a feel for it pretty quick and I just add those shots in manually after the fact.
Putts can be a crap shoot at times. Keep in mind I've had these for 2 years and maybe I need to clean my putter sensor. Anyhow sometimes I come off the green and it has 0 putts registered. I always check after the hole as I walk to my bag. It's simple to add and I do the putt/hole mapping either while other people putt out or while waiting for people to hit tee shots on the next hole. It's real fast once you get the hang of it. Also tap-ins sometimes don't get registered. I always check my putting counts(see below)

Added shots:

Mostly with the putter. Sometimes it adds an extra putt. The putter sensor is supposed to be more sensitive, so I don't know why but sometimes it adds a putt. Again it's pretty easy to fix while playing.
Wedges dropped on the green. I see this a fair bit. Use a club to chip or hit a bunker shot. Go set it down on the green while putting and it sometimes registers a shot. I don't drop my clubs and set them down fairly gently and it still can happen. Again, it's easy to delete.
Clubs going into the bag. This seems to be around greens for me. Sometimes I will see an added shot with whatever I chipped with and it's registered on the cart path where I was parked. I never see this when I have just one club like on a tee box or in a fairway. I think it's probably because I also have my putter with me and I may hit the club on something. Sometimes that extra shot registers on the next hole BTW. It thinks you teed off with the club you just put into your bag, lol. I almost always catch these as they happen since I look at Arccos as a GPS on the next tee box.

All of these things are easy to fix. I make sure to verify Arccos after the round by comparing it to a paper scorecard that I always keep. Looking at the scorecard in Arccos and my paper one I can easily see where shots were added or missed.

Overall I really like it. I don't what I'll do when the batteries die because they went to the subscription model. All I had to do was buy the sensors and that's it. No additional costs. They have been great about sending me replacement sensors when I have had one die but I'm not sure how long that will last since I did get them in early 2020.

Support has been great and they have been actively updating the app and web dashboard.

Edited July 8, 2022 by bortass

bortass · July 18, 2022

Morning,

Well, it's morning where I am as I type this, so I'm gonna stick with it.

Things have been quiet. The Saturday round two weeks ago got rained out. My cart is still in the shop from the lawn mower incident, so I haven't been to the range at all nor have I been able to get in any 9 hole rounds. Life has also played a role of course. This week is shaping up to look the same way even if the cart is back.

I have not buried myself in online golf wisdom but I did check out a couple of things. Sidekick Golf started a new series about course management. He calls it strokes gained and I found the videos I watched to be interesting. I know like every channel on Youtube, he's not for everyone but I enjoy Matt's content. He doesn't talk about swing mechanics. It's more about process and some course management with his on course videos.

We didn't get rained out Saturday and the time off seemed to help. I'll get a writeup posted later.

I'm finding that breaks from reading/trying to learn more seems to actually help. Probably because I don't think about things as much and I end up processing what I have previously digested better. I do recall reading something over a decade ago about physiology that roughly said, it takes the nervous system about 3 weeks to do what it needs to do to support a motor function change. I'm not saying it's fact or anything like that. It's an explanation used for why we can sometimes take a break from something and then come back better. I read about it in context of either golf or volleyball, regardless there something about it that does seem to help..

betarhoalphadelta · July 18, 2022

3 hours ago, bortass said:

I'm finding that breaks from reading/trying to learn more seems to actually help. Probably because I don't think about things as much and I end up processing what I have previously digested better. I do recall reading something over a decade ago about physiology that roughly said, it takes the nervous system about 3 weeks to do what it needs to do to support a motor function change. I'm not saying it's fact or anything like that. It's an explanation used for why we can sometimes take a break from something and then come back better. I read about it in context of either golf or volleyball, regardless there something about it that does seem to help..

Agree with this. There are times where putting in "more work" is counterproductive. Especially if you get to a point where you're hitting a muscle fatigue or mental concentration limit. If you do that--particularly muscle fatigue--you might start compensating for muscle fatigue in ways that contradict the motor change you're trying to incorporate. Rest, both physical and mental, is necessary.

Just like many of us understand in our day jobs. If you're struggling with some specific thing, sometimes the right answer is to step back and think about something else. Go home, watch mindless TV, have a beer and then go to bed. Let your subconscious work it out in the background. It's amazing how many times the solution will come the next morning after having not thought consciously about it at all, when you're fresh and alert.

bortass · July 18, 2022

Saturday's round started in the 70s and hit the 90s by the end with little to no breeze. It was hot out there and a bit humid. Because of various things I didn't get any sort of warmup. I did change my putting routine though. My putting routine has always been lax. I pace off the putt, pick my line, and unless I need to mark my ball, I just leave it. This round I marked my ball. Looked it over(including my normal pacing it off) replace the ball and use a line to get an idea of where I wanted to start it. I'd then putt. I pretty much did this for every putt except some very short ones. Overall my putting was better from just the extra focus on the process.

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. My drive is a lowish pull draw, 216 yards, into the fairway near the left rough. The left side gives a better angle into the green since the green side bunker is front right but it's a longer approach. The hole is on the right side and it's 180ish to center. I aim for center with my 7w and hit a solid pull draw way left of the green. I was standing over the ball and felt like it was way too far forward but swung anyways. At least I'm not short sided, lol. I hit an okay pitch, 46 yards, to 16 feet short of the hole. I miss low but next to the hole. I misread the break but I left myself about 18 inches out and come away with a bogey, 5.

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The hole is middle front and my 9i should be decent for this. I catch it a touch thin and it's a fairly high draw that lands on the green and rolls into the back fringe by a couple of inches, 142 yards. Almost a GIR, lol. I chip with my putter, 19 yards, to 4 feet. I barely miss... Bogey, 4.

Bogey golf is not the end of the world for me, so I still feel good about things so far. I am not second guessing my putting yet which helps too.

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. My driver is a very solid pull draw, hmmm a trend? The ball lands in a fairway bunker in the left rough at the outside of the corner and has enough zip to bounce out, 208 yard shot. I get to the ball and I'm in the rough but it's a good lie. I see no reason I can't hit my 4w. It's a very solid pull draw into the left hazard.... Sigh. I drop where it went in, 153 yards closer to the green. The hole is back left. Long is very bad and my average 9i should make it to the center. I'm in the rough and hit a very high and solid push, 137 yards, onto the right side of the green, lol. I'm now 59 feet from the hole. I'm going over a spine in the green and don't give it enough gas. I leave it 12 feet short and it's a 3 putt double bogey.

Just bad speed control on the first putt.

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. This time my drive isn't a pull! Instead it's a nice draw, 221 yards, into the left side of the fairway. The hole is towards the front of the green and behind bunkers. It's roughly 70ish yards and I go with a partial SW. It's a nice high shot that lands on the green to the right of the hole and the ball stops almost pin high 15 feet from the cup. I'm putting down slope and hit the birdie putt too firm. I miss high by a couple inches and the ball slowly rolls 6 feet past the hole. I guess leaving it way short on the prior hole made an impression. I sink the par putt though, 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. Again I avoid the pull draw and instead hit a pull draw, 226 yards, into the right rough on top of the slope that's to the right of the cart path. My ball is in a flat spot and I have a decent lie. I have to go more to the left because of trees growing in the stream that I either would have to go through or over if I hit the ball more to the right. I check the distances and a 7i should be okay. I hit a fairly solid shot that's a touch right and it clips some leaves but the ball makes it through and into the fairway. 138 yard shot and I shortened my next shot by mistake, lol. The hole is front middle and it's about 120ish to center. I go with my 9i and chunk it a bit. It's still a high shot but only goes 99 yards. I chip/pitch with my SW and it's a great shot. 28 yard shot that stops 2 feet from the hole. I make the putt for my second par of the day! 5.

6 – par 4, 367 yards, slight dogleg left, #7 HCP. Medium width landing area with a bunker on the left. Houses are on the right and there's a sharp slope into the left trees if you end up too far into the left rough. I hit another push with my driver towards the houses on the right. I see the ball land and bounce to the left, so I should be in bounds still. Sure enough I find the ball, 204 yards off the tee, in bounds and under pine trees. I have an opening at the green or I can chip out to the left with a slightly bigger gap to go through. I decide to go to the left and chip with my 5i. It's not great contact but the ball gets out of the trees and goes 51 yards and I'm back in the fairway. The hole is towards the middle and about 130ish. I hit a pretty solid 8i, 141 yards, that ends up 29 feet to the right of the hole. My par putt is tracking good and I miss but leave it within a foot. Bogey, 5.

7 – par 4, 351 yards, slight dogleg right, #11 HCP, elevated tee shot to a wide open fairway that slopes down right to left all the way to about the 100 yard marker. Bunkers on the left marking the corner and a slope on the right. I aim left as normal and hit a high push with my driver. I see the ball land near the right tree line and it bounces forward and left a touch, so I should find it, which I do. It was a 226 yard drive but I'm in decent rough, ball above my feet, and have to deal with branches/leaves. I don't feel great about going for it, so I take my 9i and hit a partial shot which comes out good. It clips some leaves I think but goes 91 yards and into rough that fronts this green. It's a middle flag that's roughly 17 yards away. I decide to chip with my 7i and it's a nice shot that stops 4 feet short of the cup. I make the putt 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. It a forward flag and I'd rather be short than long. I decide to hit my 9i and it's a touch thin. It's still a high draw,158 yards, that lands on the green and 32 feet past the hole, lol. My birdie putt misses and I think I went long. Anyway it's a 3 footer for par, which I make, 3.

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. Well this hole I hit a pull draw right at the pond... 224 yards and my ball barely stopped short of the water. It's 140ish to center, all water carry and the ball is a bit above my feet. Let's go for it with a 7i! Dumb move, It's a thin line drive draw that skips a bunch of times and doesn't make it across. I drop where the ball crossed. The hole is back left and around 120ish. I hit a 9i and it's a nice looking draw, 125 yards, into the back left fringe. I chip with my putter, 3 yards, to 2 feet and make the putt to 'save' my double bogey, 6.

Well crap. I deserved it though. It was a dumb idea to try and hit that 7i across the pond with the ball above my feet and in the rough.

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 used my 4w off the tee a couple times on this hole lately with mostly good results. So I do it again and I nut it. It's a high draw, 236 yards( elevated tee helped) through the fairway and into the right rough. Oops. I'm pretty much blocked out of the green now. The hole is middle back and I either have to go over trees or try to hit a full shot into the left side of the green at an angle that increases the risk of a pull going into the left trees. I just take my 9i and hit a partial shot short and left of the green. I decide to chip with my 7i again and hit it too firm. Maybe a 9i would have been better. I'm now 30 feet past the hole. My par putt stops 4 feet short but I make the bogey putt, 5.

Phew.

11 – par 4, 329 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. I stick with my normal 7w off this tee and hit a nice draw but too far left and into the left rough, 179 yards. The hole is towards the front and I'm blocked from the left side by branches. I think it over and decide to hit an 8i towards the right side of the green. I make good contact and it's a nice draw, 130 yards, that clips leaves and lands on the green, pin high, and 13 feet to the right. I drain the birdie putt for a change, 3.

Feeling pretty good about things!

12 – par 4, 315 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. My drive is a slight pull that hits the left slope and kicks right, bounces off the cart path and ends up in the fairway past the corner, 211 yards. The hole is on the left side and around 90 yards. I hit a partial AW and chunk it badly. It goes a mighty 61 yards... I pitch with my SW, 43 yards, to the back left of the green and 15 feet past the hole. The par putt misses, low I think, and it's a foot for bogey, 5.

13 – par 3, 123 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and left and long left. Tiered green as well. The hole is back left, about 130 yards and long is bad. So I hit my typical 9i on this hole and I chunk it... High draw , 114 yards and into the front left bunker. I get out in one and am 12 feet short of the hole. It's up a tier and with a left to right break and the slope to the right it pretty good. I hit the par putt and I miss high and 6 feet long.... It's a 3 putt double bogey.

14 – par 5, 543, straight hole, #4 HCP. Elevated tee shot to wide open fairway. Fairway slopes down left to right, water on the right closer to the green and fronting the entire green. This drive is great looking, a high draw, 258 yards, into the middle left of the fairway. I have a good lie and go with my 4w. I aim a bit left as normal and proceed to hit a very solid pull towards the houses on the left. I find the ball in play and it was a 187 yard shot. I'm well above the green in some rough but it's a level lie. About 110ish to the hole and my angle brings the pond in play for any either long or mishit right... I hit a partial 9i and it ends up in the left bunker. There's no lip and I use my putter. Arccos doesn't allow a sand shot with putters, so it's a chip. I get out of the bunker but am 34 feet short. I'm going down a tier and send the ball 9 feet long... 3 putts for a double bogey, 7.

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. My drive is a push to the right. I see it hit some leaves on a treee that's in the right rough but hear it land on something hard. No sign of the ball and it's very likely to be in an overgrown drainage ditch that's marked as a hazard. I drop, 237 off the tee, in to right rough. I'm well right of the green and hit a partial SW 73 yards into the left fringe aka through the green from my angle. I'm about 8 yards from the hole and chip with my putter to a foot and come away with a bogey, 5.

16 – par 3, 147 yards, #8 HCP. Elevated green with a forced stream carry. Bunkers short right and long left and middle. Tiered green with a strong back left to front right slope. The hole is middle front and I think an 8i will work. I hit a high push, 133, that narrowly misses the front bunker to the right. I decide to chip with my SW and it's a disaster. I don't hit it hard enough and the ball lands in the rough and kicks left and into the bunker... I hit my sand shot out and to 6 feet and two putt for a double bogey, 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. My drive is a solid draw down the right side that ends up in the rough near the second fairway bunker that marks the outside of the corner. I have a good lie and i'm above the green a bit. It's a back right flag and around 100 yards. I aim a touch left because of the slope in this green and hit a partial PW. It's a terrible chunk that goes 60 yards and ends up in the fairway. Well now it's a pitch with my SW and I chunk that too into the right front bunker... I get out in one to 4 feet and two putt for double bogey, 6.

Yeah, I have fallen apart. The chunks are killing me all of a sudden.

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 drive is a solid pull down the left side. The ball lands on the left slope and kicks down to the right but doesn't reach the cart path. A 216 yard drive and my ball is in decent rough and below my feet. I do not feel good about trying to cross the stream from here, so I punch a 9i 119 yards down the left side and into the fair. The hole is near the middle and it's about 150 yards. That's 6i range and I go for it. Contact is great and it's a very high draw that lands behind the flag and releases a few feet. I have a 6 foot putt for birdie and miss 2 feet long. I don't focus and miss the par putt, bogey, 6.

A 43(with 2 penalties)/ 47(one penalty) for an even 90. This drops my index another 0.3 to 20.6.

This is a what if round for me. I played solid on the front, even with the penalties. I was doing good on the back until #13 when I decided to get on the double bogey train. I do not know why the chunks suddenly showed up but they did. Drop the penalties and reduce the doubles and I'm pretty close to 85...

So the round ended kind of ugly but it was still a very good round for me. I didn't, and still don't, feel bad about it. I played solid overall and my putting was much improved even if the total putts is still high.

My approach game, even with the chunks, was better than normal for me. So maybe the pieces are there and I just need to keep doing what I'm doing for now.

birdies: 1

pars: 4

bogeys: 7

double bogeys: 6

triple+: 0

Some stats:

Avg drive: 222 yards

Longest drive: 258 yards

Fairways: 5/14

GIR: 4/18

Avg Approach: 122 yards

Up & down: 4/14

Putts: 35

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP.

Overall: -5.3 strokes

driving: -2.3

Approach: -3.1

Short game: +3.2

Putting: -3.1

Edited July 18, 2022 by bortass

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