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

[bortass]

Well the weather pattern continues and Saturday got rained out. It's also looking like rain this weekend as well.  It's been a bad year for my Saturday group, lol.

 

I made it to the range Thursday and Friday last week, and today as well. I've only been working on two things. Chipping with release 1 and 2 from Three Releases and putting.

 

I'm getting much better at release 2, which is a high soft shot versus the bump and run of release 1. I practice it the same way by chipping the random balls in front of the hitting line back into the range proper. This has been the majority of my practice. One advantage is I can't beat balls when I do this. I have to keep moving to the next ball, so I always have to set up aka no raking balls. I do move the balls to get some grass under them though.  They didn't close the hitting area of the range and reseed it this year, so it's full of divots etc. When I started on release 2, I had major issues with chunks and blades. Now I'm able to execute most of the time. I am seeing a definite improvement over the last few weeks.

 

I have mixed in a few partial wedge shots as well and I think I did some 7i punches one day.

 

Putting has been the same. Take a ball or two and putt out. No drills for the most part. I feel like I'm doing better.

 

I did get to play 18 Sunday from the forward tees. It was cart path only but overall conditions were pretty good out there. It wasn't a great ball striking day IMO but I did have a few very solid shots. I also shot a 44/46 90( forward tees are 4 strokes easier than the whites according to HCP). The 49 on the back had a triple(7) and a quad(9)...

 

I should have broken 90. I was a single and the starter had me skip ahead to #2 to start the round. I finish 18 with my quad and head to #1 to complete the round.  I get wedged in between two full groups. So I tee off, head to my ball and wait out of range of the group on the tee, so they can tee off while I wait for the 4 guys in front to clear the green. The green clears and I rush. I block my approach to the right. My chip is okay to 11 feet. I've been jogging between shots to get out of the way and I blow my first putt 4 feet long. Led to a 3 putt double. I don't think it would have happened if I wasn't rushed but I don't feel like it would have been okay for me to take my time either.

 

So let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. My only penalty off the tee was on 18. I messed up something in my setup and noticed my driver face looked open but I didn't back out. So I push sliced into the right hazard roughly 115 yards off the tee. I got in position to hit the green in 4(par 5)  with my 7w. The ball looked too far back in my stance and I swung anyways... A bad push slice into the pond. I drop a bit closer and get on in 6. I tack on a 3 putt to seal the deal for the quad.

 

My triple was on #10. 4w off the tee into the right rough. I don't like the angle in from this distance and decide to lay up. I aim too far left and send it into a hazard. A dumb mistake.

 

My only other penalty was on #3 where I had a 4w from the fairway and the ball was too far back and I hit a push slice into the right hazard.

 

I dropped a shot on 12 with a lack of focus. had a PW into the green and setup too far left. I just winged it with my aim, sloppy.

 

I think I dropped at least 4 shots because of lack of focus or not backing out when something doesn't look/feel right.

 

Now the good stuff. 

 

I did the bump and run chip with my 7i, 23 yards from the hole, and sank it for birdie. I hit a 6i to 4 feet on 17 but missed that birdie putt.

 

My short game felt real good. The practice is paying off. I never used the release 2 chip but the bump and runs with 7i were pretty good. I still had some that could have been better but I'm still getting use to it on the course. Per Arrcos I was +3.1 SG in my short game compared to a 12 HCP. It says this is 4 strokes better than my average SG over the last 10 rounds.

 

I felt pretty good with my putting. SG doesn't bear this out though at -3.1 compared to a 12. I had 5 putts in the 9 - 45 foot range where I left the ball inside a foot. I also had a couple others where I left the ball  4 inches short of the cup... I only sank 1 putt from over 3 feet though, a 6 footer. This is likely why my SG is so bad. I couldn't get any random longer putts to drop and I still managed three 3 putts. That all said I felt more confident putting. I felt like I was getting the ball closer on my lag putts but still have some issues to work out.

 

Have a good one.

[bortass]

Hola, it's been a while.

 

I've been doing pretty well with the before work range sessions. I made it three times last week and went this morning. I expect to be able to go Thursday and Friday as well. The chipping is getting better. Still have miscues but the average contact and flight are getting better. I've mixed in some Power Shift at times. I've also stuck with wrapping up with putting pretty much every day. There have been an exception or two based on weather aka started to rain or the grounds crew were working on the practice green. I don't have anything to prove my putting is getting better but I feel like it is. I'm sure once i get more rounds in Arccos will tell me if I'm trending better or not.

 

Things are still not very structured but I think that will change after the clinic which is about 11 days away. I'm excited by the chance to work with Monte in person and see what my focus really should be on.

 

Actually got to play Saturday for a change. It was the third time since 3/11 due to the weather. I warmed up with chips, pitches, some full 7i swings, and putted some before the round. The warm up went very well and I was expecting a good round based on it.

 

Reality doesn't work that way though. I was just a off. Shot a 49/48, 97 with 5 penalties. Think it was a 96 for GHIN because I had a quad on an easier hole. The biggest issue was the push fade. 4 of the 5 penalties had that shot shape. I also hit a few others similarly that while not a penalty still cost me.

 

The penalties were:

 

A very solid push fade with my 4w on #1 that went into the hazard behind the green. I probably should have hit my 7w but my ball started on a line that was 30 yards or so right of the green with a slight fade. led to triple bogey.

 

A push fade off the tee on 5 with driver.  Led to double bogey.

 

A push fade with 8i off the tee on 8, par 3. Led to double bogey.

 

The 'funny one' on 12. Hit an okay push with my 7w off the tee, 187 yards. It's a 7w to the back of the green with a forward flag. So I feel okay going for it. Top the ball 123 yards to the flat area short of the stream. I have a 50 yard pitch across and blade it into the rocks on the other side of the stream. The ball kicks left, hits another rock, and comes back to my side of the stream into the right trees. So the ball went about 30 yards right and a few yards backwards. The ball was in a bush and I had no swing, so I took a drop. End result was a quad.

 

A terrible push with 7i off the tee on 16, par 3 into the right trees. Another double.

 

And to top it off on 18 we had: A 213 yard slice that started well left and ended up in the right rough. I aim at a fairway bunker on the left side, over 215 yards away with my 4w. The pond is no where near my line. I block a push fade that went into the pond... The ball took a line that was a good 60+ yards right of my target line... It had 0 chance of not going in.  Ended up with a bogey.

 

I had some good shots, a 173 yard 5i to 6 feet was the highlight but I missed the birdie putt, lol. On 9, I sent my tee shot too far right and had to go under some trees. I hit a 120 yard punch with my 8i to the back right fringe. Used my putter to chip down a tier to 6 feet and made the par putt. My only other par was on 17 with a okay drive then a bad push fade with 8i to miss the green right. Chip to 9 feet and I made the putt.

 

 

birdies: 0

pars: 3

bogeys: 8

double bogeys: 5

triple+: 2

 

Avg drive: 214 yards

Longest drive: 249 yards

Fairways: 7/14

GIR: 3/18

Avg Approach: 110 yards

Up & down: 2/13

Putts: 36

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -12.6 strokes

driving: +0.1, only 1 penalty for a change.

Approach: -8.2, had my other 4 penalties in this bucket

Short game: -1.2

Putting: -3.3

[bortass]

The clinic can't come soon enough. Saturday was a disaster that made me question why I play. Three bogeys were the best holes. Lost 8 balls and came close to the rarified air of 120... Kept missing right and couldn't seem to do anything decently. I felt broken, I have a functional swing at times but something is very off and I don't know what(shocking). 

 

Sunday I played the sister course with all the water and it was a round that was both hopeful but frustrating at times. I shot a 94, much better than the 114 Saturday, but left a bunch of strokes on the table. I decided to close the face of my club at address and that led to a bunch of draws instead of weak push fades or slices. I didn't trust it for a few holes but I had to aim right, so I had a few tee shots that were more pulls and one went into a drainage ditch and led to a drop. 

 

I'll get the bad out of the way with the most embarrassing hole first.

 

#11, short par 4. I hit a solid drive at the left side of the green, 224 yards. I am two paces short of the left edge, almost drove my first green. It's a back right pin and I have a lot of room. I chip with my 7i but don't give it enough gas and it's 26 feet short. I get my birdie putt to about 2.5 feet or so. Three putts later I have a double bogey....

 

This wasn't the first hole I had screwed up short putts.

 

#8 par 3, I hit a 9i, 120 yards, and miss left. I'm in the fringe and chip with my putter into that 2.5 - 3 foot range. Came away with a double bogey.

 

I had three holes where I took 3 putts to hole out from 3 feet or less. I'd hit the putt and it'd break right at the hole. Hit it firmer to take out the break from the cutting of the cup and lip out... I realistically lost 4 strokes to 3 putts inside 3 feet. Maybe 6 if I had holed them all but I need to be semi realistic with my putting.

 

My putting wasn't completely terrible though. I sank a 19 footer and a 12 footer, I really just sucked at short ones.

 

Now the good. I will start with my nemesis hole on this course #7. I really suck on it and probably average over double bogey.

 

It's a par 5, slight dogleg right. Hazard left and OOB right off the tee. The 'corner' is the lake which is anywhere from 212(left side) - 240(right side)  yards from the tees. You must carry the lake on the second shot. The lake runs down the entire right side of the fairway once you get across, including the right side of the green. So you can see the green and have a clear shot at it after your drive but it's all water...

 

I tee off with my 4w and smoke a low draw that ran once it landed, 227 yards. I'm in the fairway on the right side and I'm inside 200 yards of center... All water if I go for it.  The back bunkers are in 4w range. I aim for the left one and go for it. I hit a slight push but it's well struck and my ball lands on the right side of the green, 199 yard shot! I'm on a par 5 in two! 26 feet for eagle but I miss and get the ball to about 2 feet. I come away with a birdie.

 

(next hole was par 3 #8 where I had a par putt inside 3 feet and double bogeyed as mentioned above).

 

Best par save of the day was on #13 par 3. I block my 5i way right, which seems to be my miss on this hole. I find my ball for a change. It's in the rough and the green is above my head and i can just see the top foot or two of the flag. I also have to carry a large bunker. I need to hit the high chip with my SW that I've been working on. I make good contact and I see the ball carry the bunker and I should be on. One of the guys said my ball almost ran over the hole and I'm probably 2.5 feet past the hole. A great chip and I make the putt.

 

Bad break of the day:

 

#14 par 4. I have gotten pars on both 12 #1 HCP hole and 13. Tail wind and i smoke a low draw 254 yards that ends up in the left side of the fairway.  Front left hole and the green is below me. A SW should be fine. I aim a bit right and hit a slight push. It's a high shot and my ball barely carries the left edge of a bunker by a foot or two. the ball lands and then hits a rake and bounces into the bunker...That sucked, I would have been on otherwise but my aim was a bit off and maybe I was too cute with hitting my SW versus a AW that would have gone to the middle/back of the green. I get out in 1 to 16 feet. My par putt misses about 2.5 feet long. I three putt from there for a triple....

 

 

A 94 with 40 putts.  Happy with actually being able to hit the ball mostly where I wanted. Had a birdie and 5 pars. I had short putts inside 3 feet for par on 3 holes and blew it(all were double+ in the end). I felt mostly competent for a change.

 

I'm hoping the putting portion of the clinic will shed some light on what I'm doing wrong in that area. I also can't wait to see what Monte has me do for my full swing. I shouldn't have to close the face like I did Sunday. That's a bandaid. I think there may be something fairly basic like setup or grip he finds and also something more difficult for me to fix with the actual swing itself. At least I hope there's something fairly simple for me to change to stop the push fades that just kill me on the course. I know making my swing 'good' will not be so simple but hey that's golf!

 

 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by bortass

[ericg33]

Sorry to hear about the Saturday round but as you know it happens from time to time.

 

With respect to the clinic, I assume you will get one or two items to work on at the most.  I have a feeling from reading your journey that the temptation to try to work other things in addition to the root causes that Monte identifies will be very strong for you.  I would suggest resisting that urge and working what Monte wants you to work on for much longer than you think necessary and at much slower speed.  Assuming you hit it off with Monte I would suggest his improvement plan or additional FaceTime lessons as you progress.  Unfortunately it likely won’t be a simple tweak and will take time and commitment to fix.  Good luck and have fun at the clinic.

[bortass]

17 hours ago, ericg33 said:

Sorry to hear about the Saturday round but as you know it happens from time to time.

 

With respect to the clinic, I assume you will get one or two items to work on at the most.  I have a feeling from reading your journey that the temptation to try to work other things in addition to the root causes that Monte identifies will be very strong for you.  I would suggest resisting that urge and working what Monte wants you to work on for much longer than you think necessary and at much slower speed.  Assuming you hit it off with Monte I would suggest his improvement plan or additional FaceTime lessons as you progress.  Unfortunately it likely won’t be a simple tweak and will take time and commitment to fix.  Good luck and have fun at the clinic.

Yes, it does happen but it's still quite the gut punch that makes one question things.

 

Agree completely regarding the clinic. I expect he will have one big ticket item for my swing. The 'you gotta improve this before thinking about anything else' flaw. I wouldn't be surprised if it's takeaway related TBH. My intent is to focus on that for however long it takes which is probably months. It will be good to have something specific from a teacher of his caliber. I know I've jumped around a bit in what I work on the last few years, so I understand where you're coming from.

 

The simple thing referred to would be if there is something wrong with my setup/posture/grip. I question how solid those fundamentals are at times. Maybe it's just in my head but I tend to not fiddle with any of that stuff, though Sunday was an exception when I just said what happens if I just close the face at address? That's not a long term fix though. I assume I'll find out quick enough if I have something wrong in this area but may ask if it never comes up even if it's just for peace of mind that what I'm doing isn't too far off base.

 

I do expect to clinic to be fun and a great learning experience. I think I'm going in with the right mindset. I've read Monte's comments over the last 18-24 months about what it takes to improve and how us amateurs have unrealistic expectations. Logically, I know there's no magic bullet. I trust his knowledge and believe his teaching style works for me.

Edited April 25, 2023 by bortass
Typo

[betarhoalphadelta]

I had that point after my lesson with Monte a few years back where I'd been working on stuff at the range, seeing good results there, but not deliberately trying (or trying to avoid) taking it to the course. 

 

And then out of nowhere dropped a 121 at Rancho San Joaquin, with my next round after it at Oso being terribly bad as well. 

 

And then, poof!, it was gone, and the changes in my swing started to translate to the course. So maybe this was just a transitional period where your range work finally slipped in but conflicted with your muscle memory. Hopefully it fades quickly. 

 

I'm sure the clinic will be a great experience! 

[bortass]

On 4/25/2023 at 7:10 PM, betarhoalphadelta said:

I had that point after my lesson with Monte a few years back where I'd been working on stuff at the range, seeing good results there, but not deliberately trying (or trying to avoid) taking it to the course. 

 

And then out of nowhere dropped a 121 at Rancho San Joaquin, with my next round after it at Oso being terribly bad as well. 

 

And then, poof!, it was gone, and the changes in my swing started to translate to the course. So maybe this was just a transitional period where your range work finally slipped in but conflicted with your muscle memory. Hopefully it fades quickly. 

 

I'm sure the clinic will be a great experience! 

I just think I’m in a bad patch for swings. Maybe it’s range work creeping in but I doubt it. It’s all good though because I have a plan now(see below).

 

I survived day 1 of the Monte clinic. It was great. 9 guys ranging from a 1 up into the 20s, including a beginner.

 

Day one is kinda like group therapy. We warmed up and he took video of our swings. Monte talks about what makes up a good swing and the myths. Throughout this he has everyone hit while the rest watch.

 

This was an interesting process since he’d ask what the typical miss was and then ask the group why that type of ball flight could occur. We’d hit a ball and he’d ask the group what caused the miss. From there it was diagnosis time. There was a common theme for a few of the guys, which I found interesting.
 

When I told the group my miss, his comment was roughly that I probably don’t hit it far either. So very true.

 

Well my full 8i swing is like a half swing because I don’t rotate. Think he called it a half wedge swing, lol. What I am to work on is rotating during the backswing and getting my right hip back and left shoulder pointed at the ball. It’s the drill where you hold the club across your chest and turn to point the butt of the club at the ball. He mentioned if I get this down I’d likely gain a couple clubs in distance. This either has never come up in my few lessons the last two years, or I just didn’t understand what I was being told, which wouldn’t surprise me.

 

So I now have something specific to work on for however long it takes to improve that portion of my swing.

 

Putting is all about speed and for me I gotta take my hips out of it. I rotate them when I putt. This was the case for everyone, even the people that went later and knew the hips need to be quiet, weren’t able to not do it. This causes strikes that aren’t solid. So he gave us the driveway marker through the belt loops drill.  I know what I’ll be working on the practice green. He did say I have a good putting stroke, so that was nice.

 

Short game needs work as well. I rotate my hips too much forward. So a short chip and I rotate my hips like I was trying to hit the ball much further. I have a drill for this now too. Chip with the right foot behind the left, so you’re almost standing on one leg. If you rotate too much, you’ll fall over.

 

It’s interesting that my full swing fault is the opposite of my putting/short game. I wouldn’t have picked out any of these three items as being a problem/ needing work. I knew about the hips being an issue putting from UTB but never really looked into it seriously.
 

Anyways, it been great and I can’t wait to see what day 2 and 3 bring.

Edited April 30, 2023 by bortass

[bortass]

Day two of the clinic done. Another great day. I’m tired and sore but it’s not from hitting balls. It’s from being out of shape and not being used to standing for 8 hours. Desk jobs can kill…..

 

I’m surprised by the number of balls I have hit during the clinic. I expected to be sore from beating balls for 2 days while Monte watched us and corrected things. That was what I thought it may be like having no experience with a clinic, outside of a VB clinic I attended where it was two full days of running around, jumping, and hitting balls.

 

He doesn’t run it that way. Today was full swing day and I think I may of hit 80-100 balls over a 6 hour window.

 

Monte is very upfront that education is his goal. He shares his knowledge with the students, so we have a better idea of not only what a good swing looks like but also dispelling myths, how to do things, how to practice, and having realistic expectations. It should come as no surprise if you read his posts that he doesn’t sugarcoat things. 
 

‘changing how your wrists move is a 5-10 year process’ is me paraphrasing something he said. 
 

That’s bad news for me….. Hackmotion, you want left wrist to be around +20 at the top of your swing. I was +32….. I cup my wrist like there’s no tomorrow. There was good news and Monte paid me a compliment, at impact I was +28. He didn’t expect to see that I unbow my left wrist during the downswing. My guess is the common pattern is people that are that bowed keep it bowed throughout or make it even worse trying to hold the lag.

 

So the numbers are not great but at least I kinda do some of what I’m supposed to. I now have an easy drill to perform, pretty sure it’s part of Cast A in NTC. Maybe by the time I retire, I’ll be better at it, lol.

As for the overall day, we started with Monte talking to us about how to practice. 20 minutes and then take a break. I asked if the break had to be not golf related or could you do 20 minutes working a drill and then go 20 minutes say putting.

 

Part of his answer was ‘go watch panda videos’….. Practfor 20 minutes and take a break, go do something else for a bit like play on your phone, etc.

 

He also mentioned raking balls is bad. There were other questions he answered from the guys.

 

Then it was Hackmotion time. He went down the line testing each of us. Every once in a while he’d call all of us together because of a question or what he was going to share with someone. 
 

So even though everyone was hitting balls, it was broken up quite a bit.

 

The afternoon was Monte hitting the crap out of range balls into a 3 club wind. All I can say is holy crap. He talked about how to adjust ball flight via setup changes and then showed us. I have never been to a pro event, so I’ve never seen someone hit a golf ball like that in person.

 

Oh, a couple key tidbits. Monte sent a ball into the left trees and was happy because he’s working on a swing change and his miss goes right. He had told us that it’s a good thing when we miss opposite of normal because it means you did the new move more versus the old ingrained one. Reminded me when I always sliced the ball, I was so happy to hook one into the left trees while play because it meant progress.

 

Other tidbit was about changes to combat certain swing faults. An example is heel strikes. Common wisdom would be address the ball off the toe and stand further away which just makes it worse. It has to do with the path the club needs to take to hit the ball. Address it off the toe and you’ll have to swing the club head more outside of where you addressed the ball to try and make center contact aka you need to swing in a way that makes the club head move away from you which can lead to even more heel hits.

 

Im sure I didn’t explain it well but for heel strikes, address it more towards the heel and stand closer. That should cause you to swing in a way to bring the club head more into you, thus away from the heel.

 

Playing lesson tomorrow. Can’t wait to see how that goes.

 

So far the clinic has been awesome and I’m very glad I had this opportunity!

[bortass]

The clinic is over and I have mixed emotions because I both want to work on what Monte showed us and I also want to learn more. I'd be happy to be going to another clinic day tomorrow to see what tidbits I could pick up but it would be overload and I'd have no time to work on what I need. I want to be very upfront and state that it was an awesome experience and I hope I can do it again.

 

Day three was playing lesson. We had 6 guys, two groups of 3, so Monte played 9 with each group. Playing 9 is a misnomer. It was a 9 hole on the course lesson about our swings, a bit of strategy, and how to hit some new shots. Normally we'd tee off and go pick up our balls to go to a specific spot where Monte would show us something. No putting.

 

The 'new' shots were:

Having us flight a ball from 150 yards. He had talked about flighting yesterday and today he had us hit one. The other guys had to take more club but I got to stick with my normal club for that yardage because I don't make a full swing....

 

He showed us the wood/hybrid chip from UTB. I have the video and have watched that segment before but seeing it in person was a gamechanger. How close you need to be to the ball with your elbows flared way out was surprising.

 

He added in a few sand shots. Funny thing about one of them is I struggled because of not making a full backswing. My 'old stock swing' holds me back in a number of areas, lol.

 

There was a chip from rough where you aim right, close the face, and try to hit the ball off the toe of your wedge. The ball just pops right out.

 

Another one from the rough where you setup with the ball about 6 inches behind your trail foot and you use just your wrists to hinge your putter up and down into the ball to pop it onto the green from the rough in a short sided situation.

 

Hitting out from under the trees using the 4 Ls, ball left, weight left, swing left, finish left.

 

I'm sure I'm missing something.

 

With the tee shots he gave each of us a feel to get us to make a proper swing. He told me to give it my best John Daily(sp?) backswing. It wasn't always perfect but I ripped one 285 per Arccos, with wind and a downslope assist. I have driven the ball 285+ less than a half dozen times in my life, so it was an anomaly. It was a very solid looking draw down the middle and it did not feel odd. I have to learn to use my entire range of motion in the backswing and try to smash the ball(my words not Monte's). I expect things to be a bit rough on the course as I work through trying to do more than what I'm used to with my swing.

 

The best part is I got to drive Monte around for 9 holes.  It just worked out that I was the solo in a cart in my threesome. I got to ask a few questions and get a bit more feedback thanks to that. I was surprised when we finished 18 because it didn't feel like it had been 9 holes of learning. That's how good it was. I had no clue how long we were out there, it was just a bunch of learning in a fun and positive way. Not grindy at all.

 

I also want to say Monte helps build the guys up. He sees the potential we have and let us know. For example, one of the guys is a 10. His main swing issue was ball position being too far back. I guess during the playing lesson(he was in first group), Monte picked up on he overthinks things on the course. Monte told all of us that he may be a 10 today but can get down into the low single digits. His swing is very good, just fix the ball position get stay out of his own head.

 

For me, he thinks  I can add 20-30 yards if I actually make a full backswing. The drive I nuked, he made a comment about getting used to it. He also thought I have the potential to get down into the 10-12 index range if I can fix my backswing and tighten up the other stuff he had use working on. Maybe it's hokey, but it means a lot to me that a teacher of Monte's caliber sees potential. BTW, if you've never met him in person, he's not the type to blow smoke up yer @ss to make ya feel better.

 

To say I am excited is an understatement. It'll be a long road but if I can do it, I'll be so much better. I hope I am able to attend again. It was money and time well invested in my game. It's up to me now. I have new tools and knowledge and need to put them to use!

 

 

 

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Sounds like it was MORE than worth it for you. Glad to hear it!

[bortass]

Very much so. Great time and great group of guys.

 

 

[SNIPERBBB]

Reading your post over the years it always seemed like you had some power available that you hadn't really unlocked. 

[bortass]

18 hours ago, SNIPERBBB said:

Reading your post over the years it always seemed like you had some power available that you hadn't really unlocked. 

I always thought that too but was wrong at the same time. I thought I would unlock more distance by making better contact and I've seen that once in a while on the course. When I hit it more flush and I get an extra 10-20 yards. Makes perfect sense. 

 

What I didn't grasp is I wasn't making a full swing. I've been playing golf with a partial swing this entire time, lol. I hit one of my stock push fades with 9i while Monte was watching during the playing lesson. His comment was that I didn't bring it back far enough, so I didn't have time to get the club in position at impact.

 

It's going to be a bit of a wild ride but I'm excited to see what happens when I get better at taking a full backswing.

Edited May 2, 2023 by bortass

[ericg33]

Is the bigger turn the main issue you are focusing on?  Anything else.  Perhaps use this thread to show progress, videos, etc to help keep yourself accountable and avoid bouncing around and working on too many other things? 

[bortass]

I planned to take today off. I figured I may need a day to recover from the clinic. As I mentioned yesterday, I didn't beat balls and feel fine, so I played 18 this morning! Sister course w/o all the water.

 

I want to preface this with, I spent the entire round trying to work on what Monte talked about during the clinic. I was trying to make a full turn on full swings. Trying to make adjustments to flight balls. Trying to not use my hips putting, etc. I was not going out there to score but to have fun and see what happens. I did warm up on the range before the round and that went well. I think this was the most thinking I have ever done while playing a round of golf. looking at things and trying to decide which option to use. It wasn't my normal, well it's X yardage so lets hit Y

 

 

Course stats: 5400 yards, 67.3 rating, 120 slope. Home course is 5963 yards, 68.9 rating, and 126 slope, for comparison.

 

Yardages for the holes are what is on the card.

 

1 - par 5, 419 yards #8 HCP, pretty straight hole. There's a fairway bunker on the left that's probably 50 yards short of the green. A couple bunkers are at the rear of this green.

 

My drive is a pull draw, 219 yards, into the left rough. Ball is below my feet. I decide to try to advance the ball down and into the fairway with my 5i instead of taking a whack at the green with my 4w. It's a mishit that is a low push fade that goes across the cart path and under the trees, 150 yard shot though. I have about 80 to the hole and go with a partial SW. I hit it a bit fat and don't swing hard enough and it goes a mighty 59 yards and lands short of the green. I chip with my 7i but don't strike it firm enough. I'm 27 feet short and my par putt is decent and gets to about 2 feet and I get a bogey, 6.

 

2 - par 3, 116 yards, up hill a bit, #18 HCP. There's a bunker on the right front of the green. The hole is front right and a bit over 100 yards.

 

I go with PW and hit a nice high shot that goes 92 yards and comes up short. I chip with my putter to 2 feet and get my par, 3.

 

3 - par 4, 365 yards, #10 HCP, fairly straight as well. Left is trees and to the right is #7. There's a bunker short left and long left.

 

I hit another very solid pull draws into the left trees. Somehow my ball ended up popping out into the left rough, 166 yards off the tee. I do not have a realistic shot at the green from here, so I take my 6i and hit a low punchy shot about 127 yards I nto the right side of the fairway. It's about 65-70 yards to the flag, so partial LW time. I blade that puppy 49 yards into the front left bunker. LOL.

 

Well, these bunkers have sand even if it's firm. I take my LW and go through what Monte showed us for hitting sand shots. I pick the ball clean though and it's a high, soft shot, 31 yards, and over the green. I chip with my putter to 7 feet and sink the putt to save double bogey.

 

4 - par 4, 265 yards, #10 HCP, slight dogleg left. Left side is a steep slope and trees, so a pull down the left side is a lost ball. The right side is #6. Bunkers cover the front/left of this green. If you go right far enough the bunkers aren't an issue and will save balls from heading into the left trees.

 

It's another solid pull draw into the left trees, lol. Somehow my ball is in the left rough, it must have gone through the trees at the corner. My ball is almost in the junk. I can't make a full swing or even take a normal stance. I have to play the ball way back in my stance and hack my PW down on the back of the ball. It comes out decent, and is a low runner, 56 yards, onto the top of the slope that's short and to the right of the green. It's a 7i chip and I hit it maybe 3 feet too short. The ball comes out decently and rolls down the green, 37 yards. I'm about 3-4 feet short of the slope in the green that would have fed my ball closer to the hole.

 

Instead I'm 26 feet short. I hit my par putt too firm and roll 9 feet long... it's a 3 putt double, 6.

 

5 - par 4, 296 yards, #12 HCP, slight dogleg left. Left is woods but shots down the left shorten this hole. Right is trees but open for the most part.

 

This time I hit a very solid push draw, 239 yards, through the right treeline and almost onto the tee box of #6. I have a shot at the green but need to keep it low. I hit a partial SW and mishit it. The ball only goes 60 yards. I'm well short of the green and decide to try the 4w chip Monte showed us. I hit it too firm and blew the ball 19 feet past the hole. I leave the par putt 4 feet short and it turns into a 3 putt double bogey, 6.

 

Okay, I am not seemingly playing well so far. I didn't care. I was and am perfectly happy with the results so far. I'm trying to integrate a lot of what Monte shared for the first time. It's not pretty but I'm seeing improvements. My miss is better with driver for example. I'm trying to not use my hips when I putt, etc.

 

Sure I don't like doubles but I'm perfectly happy with them!

 

6 - par 5, 440 yards, #4 HCP, slight dogleg right. Wide open fairway. Left trees are hard to reach unless you hit a strong pull. Right trees are in play off the tee though. It's uphill all the way to the green.

 

I do not know what I did with my driver swing. I hit a massive push, pop up. It flew like a wedge, 156 yards, and almost into the right trees, lol. I punch my 5i, 134 yards, to get into the right rough with a shot at the green. I figure it's an 8i in and I chunk it, 108 yards, and short. I chip with the 7i again and it's decent. A 25 yard chip to 7 feet right of the cup. I miss the par putt but make the 2 footer for my bogey, 6.

 

7 - par 4, 336 yards, #2 HCP, pretty straight hole but ... Elevated tee shot to a fairway that slopes down to a stream, which is a forced carry, and the fairway then slope up to the green. It's 200 yards to the front of the junk according to my GPS and a 230+ yard carry roughly.

 

I take my 5i and hit a nice high shot, 178 yards, down the right side. I'm blocked out from the green and decide to hit a low 7i punch into the middle/left of the fairway short of the green. I leave the face open and hit a low push slice into the right trees, 89 yards.

 

I have a line to the left side of the green. It's maybe 80 yards away but I have to stay low. I decide to take my 7i and hit the shot from the trees that Monte showed us yesterday using the 4 Ls. So I lean left, forward ball position, shoulders left, and finish left. I execute decently but 7i is too much even with the small swing I took. The ball comes out as expected but goes 97 yards and through the back left of the green.

 

I couldn't see the entire shot but the guys said it rolled out the back of the bunker and sure enough there it was. A few feet past the back left bunker. So I'm now a few feet above the green and have to carry a bunker. I need to perform the UTB chip that Monte showed us. I take my SW and give it the college try. The ball pops up nice and high, carries the bunker, lands on the green and rolls forward, stopping 12 feet to the right(from my viewpoint) of the cup. A great shot IMO. The bogey putt misses but I'm a foot out and get a double, 6.

 

8 - par 3, 157 yards, #16 HCP. Bunker short right and that's about it.

 

I tee off with my 5i and chunk it badly, the ball goes 118 yards. The hole is on the left and a bit forward of center. I take my 7i and SW with me because I don't know what chip option I have. The front bunker is just to the right of my line, so the 7i bump and run chip is out. Instead I have to pitch it. I do the UTB pitch and hit a nice soft shot, 33 yards, to 7 feet....

 

I miss the par putt but get an easy bogey, 4.

 

9 - par 4, 336 yards, #6 HCP, dog leg left. You tee off, carry the lake, to the fairway on the far side which runs right to left as viewed from the tee box. The lake is down the entire left side of this hole.

 

This hole is a disaster. Slice my tee shot into a tree across the lake, 138 yards, my punch to get the ball in play hits a tree and ends up in the fairway bunker I aimed for off the tee. I take my 7i to hit it out of the bunker and at the green and hit a low push slice OOB.

 

I pick up and just card a 7 which is NDB for me.

 

10 - par 5, 307 yards, #9 HCP, dog leg right. This is a stupid par 5 from the whites. The longer tees have to hit a tee shot across the lake and past the white tees. So the next set of tees back make it a 450 yard par 5 with a forced lake carry of about 150 yards off the tee. No idea why this is not a split par hole. It should be a par 4 from the whites but....

 

I hit a solid draw with my driver, 206 yards, and almost through the fairway on the left. It's about 110ish and I go with my 9i. I chunk it well short of the green. It's a clear path and I chip with my 7i. A 14 yard chip to 5 feet above the hole. I three putt for bogey, 6...

 

That hurt. My birdie putt was 5 feet above the hole. I barely missed but the ball rolled three feet past... Blah.

 

11 - par 4, 337 yards, #11 HCP, straight hole.

 

Into the wind, and I hit a booming push slice into the adjoining fairway. My ball was going close to sideways at the end, lol. 162 yard drive. I have to get through some trees and just want to get close to the green. I take my 5i and do the 4 Ls again to keep the ball low. I make good contact but it's a bit more right than I want. I see it get through the trees and that's it. I got real lucky because that wasn't a great line for my ball to take but it's a 176 yard shot that's on the green... I'm 35 feet above the hole. I hit the birdie putt to inside 2 feet and get a lucky par, 4.

 

12 - par 4, 351 yards, #5 HCP, straight hole. Elevated tee shot over a stream to a fairway that then slopes upwards to the green.

 

Still into the wind and I hit a very solid push draw down the right edge of the fairway, 231 yards. I figure it's an 8i in with the wind and I want to keep it lower aka flight it. I pretty much hit the shot I wanted but it started too far left and hit the face of the left bunker... I'm below the green in a trap and I take my LW with me. It's firm sand but I do slightly better and I take a bit of sand this time. It's a highish shot, 27 yards, and 27 feet long.

 

I'm out in 1 which is all that matters. My par putt gets inside a foot, so bogey, 5.

 

13 - par 3, 129 yards, #15 HCP, elevated tee shot.

 

Into the wind and I take 7i and block a fade to the right of the green, 133 yards. I'm below the green and short sided in the rough. I take my SW and do the UTB chip/pitch. It's a great shot to 6 feet below the hole. I two putt for bogey though, 4.

 

14 - par 5, 500 yards, #3 HCP. fairly straight but narrow hole. Elevated tee shot and the fairway slopes down towards the lake. The green is offset to the right with a carry over the brush and swampy area that borders the lake in this area.

 

I hit a slice off the tee into the right hazard and lose my first ball of the day. I drop 190 yards off the tee and the ball is slightly above my feet. I decide to be an idiot and hit my 4w. It's off the toe and a low runner into the right hazard, 179 yards. I somehow find my ball on some very young kudzu. I hack it out with my PW, 67 yards, to set-up a shot into the green. I hit a nice partial SW, 81 yards, to 12 feet and two putt for double, 7.

 

15 - par 4, 343 yards, #7 HCP, straight hole with the green a bit offset to the left.

 

With the wind and I hit a massive push slice, 206 yards, into the adjoining fairway. I can't go for the green. There's a line of mature trees separating the two holes. I figure a low punched 5i back into position and hit the green in 3. Well the ball starts a bit right and hits a tree and kicks back some. I try again with my 7i and hit an 81 yard shot into the correct fairway. It's 50ish yards to the hole, so I take my SW and just hit a feel shot. Nothing fancy and it comes out high and lands on the front of the green. I'm 27 feet below the hole and drain the bogey putt, 5!

 

16 - par 4, 264 yards, #13 HCP, dogleg left. It's straight off the tee and then 90* left, forced carry over a stream, to the green.

 

I use 7w and it's a strong pull draw into the left trees. I find my ball though, 172 yards off the tee. It's real soft and I need to keep the ball low. The hole is about 70 yards away. I decide to use my 7i and hit a low punch. I don't take much of a swing but it's too much and my ball goes through the green and over the cart path 91 yards.

 

My ball is on a down slope of moss. I have one foot on the cart path and the other above the ball. The green is below me. I can't take relief because full relief would put me in bushes. I take my SW and hit a little chip onto the green and 12 feet past the hole. A great chip from where I was. I then sink the putt for par, 4!

 

17 - par 3, 103 yards, elevated tee shot with a stream carry.

 

Front left hole, so it's inside 90 yards and wind in out face. I hit a partial AW and it's nice and high and lands on the green to the left of the cup. 83 yard shot to 6 feet! I miss the birdie putt but get my par, 3.

 

18 - par 4, 336 yards, #1 HCP. Dog leg left. This hole has water, the lake is 200 yards off the tee. You then cross the lake to reach the green. I play it like a par 5 normally. 2 shots to get short of the lake and then an iron into the green.

 

I hit a flighted 6i and don't know exactly what transpired but it was a low draw down the right side and I find my ball 193 yards off the tee and short of the lake on the flat. I obviously caught the down slope but I can't recall which way the wind was going.

 

The pin is middle back and it's 150ish to the back of the green, across the lake and into the wind. I hit 6i again and it's a low pull fade that goes 157 yards and ends up off the back of the green. I chip with my 9i, 13 yards, 7 feet long and two putt for a bogey, 5.

 

A 50/43, 93. It's a 24.2 differential I think, so not great score wise but I don't care. I lost only 1 ball with only 1 penalty stroke off the tee! I spent the entire round trying to play differently. This is not how you score well. It was awesome none the less. I felt like I played better than normal, maybe it's just because I played differently. Trying new stuff was fun and the UTB chip/pitch was money. I can't believe how well I executed it on the course.

 

My short game was 2.2 SG better than the average from my last 10 rounds and that includes the bunker shots. Putting was the same, not great but 2.2 SG better than last 10 rounds.  

 

I expect things to be rocky as I work on making the long term changes. So scores will suffer but I'm cool with that.

 

Avg drive: 189 yards. Three holes don't use driver, I had 5i, 6i, and 7w on three par 4s.

Longest drive: 239 yards

Fairways: 3/14

GIR: 3/18

Avg Approach: 99 yards

Up & down: 3/13

Putts:35

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -11.3 strokes

driving: -4.4

Approach: -7.1

Short game: +1.8, chipping was +2.6. I actually had sand shots and lost strokes there.

Putting -1.6, not great but better than my recent average.

 

Birdies: 0

Pars: 4

Bogeys: 8

Dbl bogey: 5

Triples+: 1

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by bortass
typos per usual

[bortass]

1 hour ago, ericg33 said:

Is the bigger turn the main issue you are focusing on?  Anything else.  Perhaps use this thread to show progress, videos, etc to help keep yourself accountable and avoid bouncing around and working on too many other things? 

For my full swing there's 2 -3 things depending on how you count.

 

The big one is I need to make a full backswing. As Monte said pretend I'm John Daly when going back. This blends in with a second thing he wanted me to do which was swing harder with my driver, so it's either 1 or two items.

 

The other piece is Cast A from NTC to start the slow process of trying to improve how my wrists work. I have a drill for that one but can't mix it together with trying to work on my full turn. I need to work on one for the other at any specific point in time.

 

Short game practice will be working on UTB chipping for the most part. I need to keep my hips quiet and my results on the course today were very promising.

 

Putting practice will be to keep my hips quiet with an alignment rod through my belt loops while I putt, lol.

 

So I have stuff for each aspect of my game. I will also likely add in some other stuff, like practicing how to flight shots the way he showed us or maybe some of the other short game shots. I think that type of thing will be used to break things up aka if i get tired of trying to work on a full turn and just want to do something different.

 

The 20 minute rule will make things interesting. I'll have to be a bit more disciplined with my practice. Work on something 20 minutes and then take a break before either resuming or working on something else.

 

Monte told us we need to use video to see what we're really doing as well. I did ask him about it aka do we need to video every swing or just once in a while? He said it's personal preference. So while I think it's a PITA to setup a tripod with my phone, I'll need to start doing it at times. I'll try to post some select swings when I do.

 

As far as accountability, I think spam may be the way to do it. When I did P90X over a decade ago there was a group of us with an accountability thread. A lot of times someone would just post 'Done' to show they did that days workout. I have been trying to not update this thread every time I do something aka spamming it, cause it's probably not very exciting but maybe I need to just post what I do each time I go to the range. Either that or I need to learn how to journal and do it on paper, lol.

 

[bortass]

Baseline numbers for future reference when trying to see progress compared to where i was right after the clinic

 

Per Arccos as of 5/1 smart distances

Driver 230

4W 189

7W 183

5i 167

6i 152

7i 145

8i 138

9i 125

PW 107

AW 94

SW 77

LW 65

 

Last 50 rounds compared to a 0 handicap (includes today's round)

50 rounds V 0	05/02/23
Total Strokes Gained	-25.4
Driving Strokes Gained	-7.3
Approach Strokes Gained	-9.5
Short Game Strokes Gained	-2.5
Putting Strokes Gained	-6.1
Par 3 Average	4
Par 4 Average	5.4
Par 5 Average	6.8
Avg distance off tee(all clubs0	201
Fairway	51.00%
GIR	25.00%
Chip Up/Down 0-25 yards	26.00%
Chip Up/Down 25-50 yards	9.00%
Sand Up/Down 0-25 yards	11.00%
Sand Up/Down 25-50 yards	33.00%
Putts	36.1

[ericg33]

I wouldn’t be afraid to spam. It is your thread afterall. The nice part about working on a bigger turn is you can do a lot of work at home in front of a mirror. Monte’s improvement plan is also a great  option.  He is incredibly responsive and direct and to the point. 

[bortass]

31 minutes ago, ericg33 said:

I wouldn’t be afraid to spam. It is your thread afterall. The nice part about working on a bigger turn is you can do a lot of work at home in front of a mirror. Monte’s improvement plan is also a great  option.  He is incredibly responsive and direct and to the point. 

I can believe it after meeting him in person. He tells it like it is. I asked a question and his answer was “ not to be mean but you were lucky “.  It’s just the truth 😋

[bortass]

Something I was happy about regarding yesterday's round won't  be as likely at my home course. I hit a couple of big slices into adjoining fairways. That's only an option on two holes at the home course. So I am likely to lose more than a single ball. It'll be all good though.

 

Hit the range for the first AMC, After Monte Clinic, practice session. Goal was to work on two things, a full turn and my putting. I wanted to add some structure based on what Monte said about not raking balls and the 20 minute rule. So I was a bit anal and set the timer on my phone for 20 minutes for the full swing, set a timer for a 5 minute break( didn't watch panda videos like Monte said to though), set a timer for 20 minutes of putting, came home.  

 

Did a warm up with my LW. Hit UTB chips w/o the drill and it worked great. I then hit some partial wedges where I got closer to left arm parallel, which is further than my old partial wedge swing. I liked the results from this. I didn't swing hard and hit some nice high shots. Just trying to get the body moving with the bonus of getting used to a slightly longer wedge swing.

 

Full swing: 8i and just trying to make a full turn. To not rake balls I eventually started to get one ball at a time from the bucket instead of dumping some on the ground. I also was holding my finish for a moment to help give me more time to process what happened. Didn't care about ball flight at all, though I will say there were some very good ones. One side effect I noticed was I was getting into my left side better with the longer backswing. I'd finish more upright and feel pressure on the outside of my left foot. This is a change from my normal finish where I'm only partially rotated through and finishing facing a bit to the right. Also, I didn't have to think about it. It just happened and being different than my normal, I noticed it.

 

Putting: Look like a dork aka stuck a driveway marker through my front belt loops and tried to not move my hips when putting. I used 3 balls and just hit them around the green. I stopped putting to specific holes because my attention was split between trying to make a putt and not use my hips. The isolation of the hips is what I need right now and it was easier w/o dealing with trying to make putts. I'll have to add that in at some point but not there yet. Over all I think it went okay. I rocked my shoulders more but not perfect. It'll hopefully come with time assuming I keep working on it. I'll say it's hard for me to tell if the alignment stick was moving. I didn't see a lot of obvious movement but I'm trying to focus my eyes on the ball and not move my head to watch the stick...

 

I will try to grab some video of the putting and full swing work. Today, I had to get home for an appt, so maybe i can do it in the next couple of days.

 

PS my back can feel the new swing.... Another reason to go slow and not try to spend 40+ minutes on full swing.

[bortass]

Instead of the range I took the morning off and played 18 at the sister course with all the water. My score was a disaster, 49/52 101 for GHIN. Picked up on one hole and NBD was triple when I would of had a quad or higher. I had 12 penalties, 8 of which were off the tee, hit two OOB and another 4 into hazards. So my Arccos stats are horrible, kinda....

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -19.6 strokes, ouch

 

driving: -11.4, with 8 penalties. The ball went left, right, or straight, lol. I hit some slices, which is fairly new. The shots left were very solid pull draws, not the real weak low pulls  I have been hitting when I miss left. However I want to write about three specific tee shots.

#2 I used my 4w and did a pretty good job at making a full swing.  It was a high draw around the corner, 229 yards!

#3, A high baby draw down the middle with driver, 232, but mostly carry.

#9, 4w off the tee and it's a high baby draw, slightly downwind, level hole, 238 yards through the fairway and into the trees. My ball went where it will go if I hit my driver solid... 

 

The tee shots on #2 and #9 give me hope that I can unlock some serious distance gains. 

 

 

Approach: -4.9 with 4 penalties...  This is huge. Approaches are my bane. I tend to average between -6 and -8 in that area. I was actually +1.2 for the 50-74 yard range band. I also hit some 'great' iron shots. I say 'great' because the results/distance were what I'd call great but the ball flight was just a touch off. There's much more to unlock here I think as well.

 

#5 par 3, 8i off the tee, a high push fade, 138 yards with my 130 club. Normally a push fade is a weak shot for me but this one wasn't. 

#14, 9i approach. It's 125ish and I'm above the green, so I hit my 120 club. A high true fade, that carries over the back of the green, 130 yards. Carry was about 129 yards based on the pitch mark in the fringe.

#18, 6i from about 150ish. A high fade over the back left of the green and into a bunker, 154 yards, carry was 153 based on the mark in the sand.

 

My irons feel a bit more solid and I'm just trying to take a slightly longer backswing. Monte said my old swing is what I want to use when I'm trying to flight an iron. I'm more cognizant of it and think I just did better with not cutting my swing too short like I sometimes do.

 

Short game: +1.3, this tends to be my best area even though i don't think I have a good short game.  I got up and down 67% of the time from inside 25 yards when I was chipping. I never got up and down with the 25-50 yard chips or any of the sand shots but I didn't lose any SG in the sand, even though I had one hole where it took me two to get out( the one that got out was a 28 yard sand shot to 2 feet). I'm feeling real good with the UTB chip/pitch. i hit it a number of times because I had to carry either bunkers or areas where rolling the ball was too risky.

 

Putting -4.6, I had some real bad holes. A 4 putt and four 3 putts... I did have some better putts though. I'm still trying to get used to keeping my hips still when I putt. I actually feel that my putting was better than normal. The miscues are ones I could of had anyways. I just have a feeling I would of had a much worse day putting if I was using my old stroke with the hips moving so much.

 

I'm quite happy with this round. I expected things to be rocky on the course, post clinic with the changes, but some of the positives that I'm already seeing are better than I expected to see so soon. A lot of work to be done but to already see what can happen when I do things better is awesome. Those 4w off the tee that went as far or further than my average solid driver shot were amazing! The short game stuff Monte showed us is paying off too.

 

I plan to hit the range tomorrow morning and then play 18 Saturday. More lost balls in my future but that's okay!

 

have a good one!

[bortass]

Made it to the range this morning. Warm-up as posted before. The UTB chip/pitches were extremely good, for me, only a couple were mishit, lol. Confidence is growing with it.

 

Full swing was the drill to work on my wrists. I did 3 sets of the drill. 3 balls, full backswing, pause, do Cast A, pause, swing at ball. Followed by 10 balls singing where I was just thinking about Cast A as my swing thought. The three sets took about 20 minutes, so that worked quite well. I also kinda work on taking a full backswing with this since I'm trying to do it on every full shot.

 

Did the alignment rod through the belt loops for putting. I spent most of the 20 minutes just putting the random range balls that were on the green towards one edge. My focus is on the stroke using the shoulders and trying real hard to not use my hips. So distance didn't matter, etc. I did eventually use a couple of my balls after I had cleared the green of the range balls. 

 

Overall, I think today's session went real well.

[bortass]

I was able to play 18 both days this weekend. Scores were not good, which is what i expect. Hopefully that will start to sort itself out a bit by mid-summer. Saturday was a 9 penalty, 49/54, 103 ( 101 for GHIN because I carded an 11 on a par 5) and Sunday was an 8 penalty, 50/52, 102  (99 for GHIN because of a 10 on a par 4). I started out well both days. Saturday I was +1 through 4 and Sunday I was +2 through 4. Things got a bit hairy after that.

 

Get the not so good stuff out of the way first.

 

My first blowup, aka triple+, Saturday was on #6. I heel shanked my driver 52 yards into the left trees. That led to a drop way out of position. I executed decently the rest of the way but came away with a triple. The lack of distance with the drive made it similar to a S&D penalty.

 

Triple on #7 after hitting my tee shot OOB, so  I played the hole as expected if I didn't have the 2 stroke penalty.

 

Quad on #9 which was just amusing. I slice my tee shot into #1. Punch my AW towards 9 and end up on pine straw under a large pine tree. I have a clear shot at the green with my AW and top the ball 4 yards... Try again and I chunked it in the pond...

 

The 11 was on #14. tee shot was a slice OOB. Never saw the provisional and couldn't find it. So I just dropped in the fairway and gave myself 4 penalty strokes off the tee.  NDB is 9 on this hole and best case if I went back to the tee and hit the next one in play I'm laying 5 on a par 5 or maybe I lose that ball too...

 

Sunday, Triple and quad on 5 and 6. Went left off the tee into the hazard on both holes and had some other struggles.

 

The disaster was #9. Hit  a bit of a push fade off the tee into the rough of #1. I chip back into the correct fairway and I have a 100 yard shot with a clear view. I chunk my partial PW into the pond. So I drop and now have a 70 yard shot and  chunk my LW over the pond, onto the bank and it rolls back into the pond.... Lose focus and hit a terrible chip and three putt from 36 feet....

 

It wasn't all doom and gloom though.

 

Good stuff.

 

#1 both days, same pattern. It's the #1 HCP hole. My tee shots went right on me and I wasn't in great position to go for the green. I get short of the green in 2 and have to pitch over the bunker. I hit the high UTB pitch over the bunker to 3 and 6 feet. Made both par putts.

 

#3 Saturday, par 5, hit a great drive, 235 yard fade around the corner. It's into the wind and I hit a very solid 4w at the green. I come up short and have to pitch over a bunker. My ball ends up 6 feet past the cup and I make the birdie putt!

 

#7 Sunday, finally hit a decent drive, 234 into the fairway. It's about 100 to center and the flag is more middle back. I hit a nice partial PW that goes 109 yards and stops 2 feet from the hole. Made the birdie putt.

 

What I noticed this weekend, irrelevant sample size I know, is that my good play is better than my normal level of good play but there's too much variance with everything I'm trying to fix for it to reflect in my scores. Things are going better than I expected TBH.

 

Driving - This is in the tank. The good ones are extremely good compared to my pre-clinic norm. I just can't keep it on the planet. Mostly slices which hasn't been a major issue for me in many years. My SG Saturday driving was -10.8 with 7 of it from penalties. Sunday it was -5.9 with 5 penalties(I used my 4w off the tee on a couple shorter holes instead of driver).

 

Approach - Saturday was rough with -7.4 and -7.2 on Sunday. I had a few penalties both days and the two penalties on #9 inside 100 yards on Sunday is laughable. I did hit some solid shots but nothing that was oh wow! 

 

Short Game - +1.4 Saturday and -2.2 Sunday. I had some serious issues Sunday. Some was decision making, the rest was execution. The UTB chip/pitches worked well both days. I did have some distance control issues and I seem to hit the shot left but nothing that was terrible. no double chips or blades with that shot. However when I tried the putting stroke with an iron or wedge, or tried a different type of pitch from say 40-50 yards, it was a mess. 

 

Putting - Saturday was -1.7 and I was positive SG 0-2 feet, 6-9 feet, and 10-14 feet. Sunday I was -2.2 and was positive SG in 0-2 feet, 15-24 feet, and 40+ feet. I'm real happy with the progress here. The biggest struggle is I'm striking it solid for a change. My speed control is a bit off and I send the ball long. I did have some short misses but mostly putts with severe slopes and I was above the hole. Tap the ball and let it roll in putts. I was a bit off with my aim on those. I actually had some longer 1 putts of 6, 6, 11, and 21 feet.  I sank an 8 and 10 footer as well after I hit the ball too hard past the hole, both of those are very likely missed pre clinic. 

 

Still a long road ahead to more competent golf but there's already improvement. I think my putting will be the biggest area of improvement in the near term. My short game is next. Its' been my strongest area for a long time but the clinic has unlocked some new options and once I get the distance control with UTB and sort out things when I don't use that shot, it'll make a noticeable difference. I'm seeing the most signs of life with these two areas.

 

Driving and approaches are the long haul. The good is real good but holy crap there's a lot of garbage in the mix. I have a feeling I will be adjusting some of my club selection and using the 4w on certain holes I had been hitting driver on. The 4w doesn't seem to be having the slice issue, so I'm keeping it in play more. I do lose distance but I have hit a couple 4w shots that went as far as okay drives, so I still have reasonable next shots. I'll be happy if I can get the driver slice under control...

 

 

[Long_Left]

On 5/8/2023 at 8:23 AM, bortass said:

Still a long road ahead to more competent golf but there's already improvement. I think my putting will be the biggest area of improvement in the near term. My short game is next. Its' been my strongest area for a long time but the clinic has unlocked some new options and once I get the distance control with UTB and sort out things when I don't use that shot, it'll make a noticeable difference. I'm seeing the most signs of life with these two areas.

 

Driving and approaches are the long haul. The good is real good but holy crap there's a lot of garbage in the mix. I have a feeling I will be adjusting some of my club selection and using the 4w on certain holes I had been hitting driver on. The 4w doesn't seem to be having the slice issue, so I'm keeping it in play more. I do lose distance but I have hit a couple 4w shots that went as far as okay drives, so I still have reasonable next shots. I'll be happy if I can get the driver slice under control...

 

 

This is going to be blunt, please know that I admire your commitment to improving and your willingness to lay it bare on these forums. Long time reader of the thread, rooting for your success. This is all perspective from an admitted non expert currently sporting a 6 index, take from it what you will, I've tried to include suggestions for what has worked for me as an "answer" to every critical point, as criticism without proposed solutions is just whining.

 

The bolded sentence above really sticks out to me as a problem and, potentially, a reason why you aren't improving at the pace you'd like to. Just based on your writing, you're smarter than this and you know that the driver doesn't have "the slice issue."

 

It's 100% understandable to deflect blame to external things when you've reached a level where you feel comfortable and improvement is no longer worth the effort, tour pros do it constantly and blame everything but themselves while performing in competition, but the learning process is greatly accelerated when the student is put into a position to both accept responsibility for outcomes and given the task to assess why, then ask the questions as to how to fix it of an instructor. 

 

Your driver slices because your clubface is open to the path, your clubface is open to the path because that's where you put it at impact. I'm sure you know this as you've had some quality instruction, but it reads as though you are chasing a silver bullet and avoiding root causes of your frustrations. Why is your clubface contacting the ball with a variance of -X to +Y degrees? 

 

I'm not an instructor, I'm just another golfer trying to get better every day so I don't have all the answers for you but I can share what has helped me learn to strike the ball better over the last 3 seasons. In 2020 I could have a career day and shoot 78, an average day and shoot 85, or a bad day and shoot "get me another beer." In 2022 my scores ranged from 71-87, the 87 hurt my feelings, but I had a lot of external things to blame that day and a few glasses of single malt to ease my pain, it happens, usually when I'm trying WAY too hard to be perfect. Dr. Rotella and Scott Fawcett would be sad at my incompetence.

 

How I am moving forward:

 

1) Full commitment to practicing the worst parts of my game based on actual data (which you are collecting in spades, kudos.) Personally, my driver/tee game has transformed over the last 2 years from a liability to the best part of my game. I didn't do this all on my own, but I've had maybe 3 lessons in there to spot the big things. Like you, I suffered from very poor clubface control and a club path that was excessively out to in, huge pulls when I squared up the face, massive curvature wipey fades/slices when I didn't. I still work on it several times a week using the "imaginary nail thru the ball" from Adam Young, alignment sticks to manipulate my stance, and swinging exaggerated in the opposite pattern, trying to hit big looping hooks or fades when my path wanders too far in either direction. I'm not saying to do this, just relaying what is working for me. You have to have a lightbulb moment where you become aware of the clubface, I'm not well versed on Monte's instruction but it would seem that his broom stuff would be key here. Golf with Aimee on YT where she uses huge plastic clubs really resonated with me.

 

2) No excuses or failures when learning and practicing. Experiment, gather feedback, and really process the result. Can I hit it high or low or left or right, where am I most and least comfortable? Which shot can I hit repeatedly the best? What happens when I make "this" (grip, posture, ball position) change to that most comfortable pattern? Can I repeat that and is it useful? Take notes, read those notes! Foot spray for contact and I use a SC300i launch monitor a couple times a month, mostly for 30-120 yard work. The foot spray is far more valuable. The biggest piece of information I have learned is that I'm most comfortable and swing most naturally with my balance WAY out on my toes, this leads, for me, to a ridiculously steep transition and a ton of mishits and blocks and cuts, I have to consciously address it during warmup to feel comfortable.  Cheesy takeaway line: The only times you've failed at the range is when you've practiced frustration and not learned a thing.

 

3) Acceptance of results and focus forward. This is really hard to do and it sounds so simple, but we all dwell on poor past execution and missed opportunities to the great detriment of our ongoing and future performance. I use an app to score and have it set up so I cannot see my current standing to par while playing. I have a "golf brain" and can tell you most clubs and distances I hit playing in Scotland in 2007 because I was 100% living and dying by the previous shot while competing against a lifelong friend/rival. I'd really have to think to tell you the same information about a round played last week on a course I've played probably 1000 times, forget how you got here, focus on how you get to the hole. To that point, I'm not saying it's hurting, but I doubt your detailed hole by hole writeups are helping you move on.

 

I hope some of this is helpful, and wish you the best on your path forward, I've read thru this a few times now and I hate it more each time but I'm pot committed. I sincerely apologize if it reads with negative intent. I look forward to the day when you change the title of this thread to "I did it!"

 

[bortass]

1 hour ago, Long_Left said:

This is going to be blunt, please know that I admire your commitment to improving and your willingness to lay it bare on these forums. Long time reader of the thread, rooting for your success. This is all perspective from an admitted non expert currently sporting a 6 index, take from it what you will, I've tried to include suggestions for what has worked for me as an "answer" to every critical point, as criticism without proposed solutions is just whining.

 

The bolded sentence above really sticks out to me as a problem and, potentially, a reason why you aren't improving at the pace you'd like to. Just based on your writing, you're smarter than this and you know that the driver doesn't have "the slice issue."

 

It's 100% understandable to deflect blame to external things when you've reached a level where you feel comfortable and improvement is no longer worth the effort, tour pros do it constantly and blame everything but themselves while performing in competition, but the learning process is greatly accelerated when the student is put into a position to both accept responsibility for outcomes and given the task to assess why, then ask the questions as to how to fix it of an instructor. 

 

Your driver slices because your clubface is open to the path, your clubface is open to the path because that's where you put it at impact. I'm sure you know this as you've had some quality instruction, but it reads as though you are chasing a silver bullet and avoiding root causes of your frustrations. Why is your clubface contacting the ball with a variance of -X to +Y degrees? 

 

I'm not an instructor, I'm just another golfer trying to get better every day so I don't have all the answers for you but I can share what has helped me learn to strike the ball better over the last 3 seasons. In 2020 I could have a career day and shoot 78, an average day and shoot 85, or a bad day and shoot "get me another beer." In 2022 my scores ranged from 71-87, the 87 hurt my feelings, but I had a lot of external things to blame that day and a few glasses of single malt to ease my pain, it happens, usually when I'm trying WAY too hard to be perfect. Dr. Rotella and Scott Fawcett would be sad at my incompetence.

 

How I am moving forward:

 

1) Full commitment to practicing the worst parts of my game based on actual data (which you are collecting in spades, kudos.) Personally, my driver/tee game has transformed over the last 2 years from a liability to the best part of my game. I didn't do this all on my own, but I've had maybe 3 lessons in there to spot the big things. Like you, I suffered from very poor clubface control and a club path that was excessively out to in, huge pulls when I squared up the face, massive curvature wipey fades/slices when I didn't. I still work on it several times a week using the "imaginary nail thru the ball" from Adam Young, alignment sticks to manipulate my stance, and swinging exaggerated in the opposite pattern, trying to hit big looping hooks or fades when my path wanders too far in either direction. I'm not saying to do this, just relaying what is working for me. You have to have a lightbulb moment where you become aware of the clubface, I'm not well versed on Monte's instruction but it would seem that his broom stuff would be key here. Golf with Aimee on YT where she uses huge plastic clubs really resonated with me.

 

2) No excuses or failures when learning and practicing. Experiment, gather feedback, and really process the result. Can I hit it high or low or left or right, where am I most and least comfortable? Which shot can I hit repeatedly the best? What happens when I make "this" (grip, posture, ball position) change to that most comfortable pattern? Can I repeat that and is it useful? Take notes, read those notes! Foot spray for contact and I use a SC300i launch monitor a couple times a month, mostly for 30-120 yard work. The foot spray is far more valuable. The biggest piece of information I have learned is that I'm most comfortable and swing most naturally with my balance WAY out on my toes, this leads, for me, to a ridiculously steep transition and a ton of mishits and blocks and cuts, I have to consciously address it during warmup to feel comfortable.  Cheesy takeaway line: The only times you've failed at the range is when you've practiced frustration and not learned a thing.

 

3) Acceptance of results and focus forward. This is really hard to do and it sounds so simple, but we all dwell on poor past execution and missed opportunities to the great detriment of our ongoing and future performance. I use an app to score and have it set up so I cannot see my current standing to par while playing. I have a "golf brain" and can tell you most clubs and distances I hit playing in Scotland in 2007 because I was 100% living and dying by the previous shot while competing against a lifelong friend/rival. I'd really have to think to tell you the same information about a round played last week on a course I've played probably 1000 times, forget how you got here, focus on how you get to the hole. To that point, I'm not saying it's hurting, but I doubt your detailed hole by hole writeups are helping you move on.

 

I hope some of this is helpful, and wish you the best on your path forward, I've read thru this a few times now and I hate it more each time but I'm pot committed. I sincerely apologize if it reads with negative intent. I look forward to the day when you change the title of this thread to "I did it!"

 

 Great post. No offense taken!

 

My comment about "The 4w doesn't seem to be having the slice issue" wasn't about the driver itself. It's about my swing and fundamentals. Trying to have a longer backswing seems to have had the biggest impact on 2, maybe 3, clubs. My driver wants to slice off the planet when I am trying the longer swing most of the time. My 4w, maybe 7w as well but I'm not sure, has gotten better with the longer swing from both tee and deck. My ball flight is higher and distance seems to be better. My irons aren't changing as much because my normal swing is more of a flighted shot per Monte. I'm trying to take it back a little bit more with my irons because he pointed out I sometimes cut it short but I'm not trying to take as big of a backswing as I am with the woods or driver. 

 

Now back to the driver/4w dichotomy. My theory is that when I use my 4w, my setup, ball position, etc. are better. The driver slicing could be something like ball position. One swing this weekend and I felt like my hands were way ahead of the clubhead at impact and the face was wide open. I know the face is open relative to the path, I just don't know why, and it wasn't an issue during the clinic. Monte didn't point out anything obviously wrong with my setup but that doesn't mean it's not there.

 

So to boil it down, this swing change is not playing nice with my driver and that's not surprising. I found a way to keep my driver mostly in play with my old half a backswing swing. Now I gotta figure out how to make an actual full swing and keep the driver in play. It's only been a week and I expected it to not be smooth nor easy. I'll be more worried if it's still a slice machine this fall, lol. 

 

I do want to get into that experimentation you mentioned on the range at some point. Right now I'm just trying to  actually make a full turn, lol.

[SNIPERBBB]

Driver is the slowest club to square. Figuring out how to straighten out the driver and keep from pulling the crap out of everything else has been the bane of my golf existence. 

[bortass]

Made it to the range 3 days last week.

 

I worked on my full swing with 8i Tuesday, using the process I've mentioned before. I started to  practice my putting when they showed up to mow that green. I was gonna wait until I saw them also drive up with the sprayer they use to spray chemicals. So I went and worked on Cast B with my 8i. It was a good range session.

 

Thursday, I did the 8i full swing work and worked on putting using my own balls. Another good session.

 

Friday, I decided to hit driver, instead of the 8i full swing work. I wanted to see if i could figure out how to take a longer swing and keep it in play. Thinking about Cast B to start the downswing seemed to help. I hit some pretty solid draws. After 20 minutes, I took a break and went and worked on my putting. Another good session.

 

Played Saturday morning and was feeling good. Thought I'd have the driver under semi-control with the cast B thought but nope, lol.

 

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. Hit a push fade with the driver, 220 yards, into the fairway of #9. I have a clear shot at the green over the bunker on the front right and it's possibly in range of my 4w. Contact is good and it's a nice looking draw at the green that lands in the bunker and doesn't have enough gas to roll out the far side.

 

We play bunkers as optional because of their poor condition. I drop where my ball went in, so the 4w shot only registers as 173 yards. I have a simple pitch over the bunker to the green and I feel good about it. The UTB chips have been working great.

 

I use my SW and thin the ball 60 yards into bushes... In hindsight, maybe playing from the bunker would have been better but I'm not sure. This is a rare mishit ever since Monte pointed out my primary flaw with chipping/pitching. I also felt like I was thinking too much for some reason.

 

I find my ball in the bushes and instead of dropping, it's a hazard, I go in the bushes with my SW and hack the ball out and into the rough near the green, about a 20 yard shot. So I at least am closer than I would have been with a drop.

 

I hit a bump and run with my SW, didn't take the time to go back to get a better club, since the group is waiting on me and leave it 21 feet short of the hole.

 

I'm still thinking too much and leave my first putt 7 feet short. I barely miss the next but it's a 3 putt, quad, 8.

 

Not a good start since I have played this hole well the last couple of rounds.

 

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The flag is front right and the guys laser it around 135ish or so. I decide to use my 7i, 140 club, and aim for center. I hit a good looking shot onto the green. 142 yards and I'm near the center. My ball is about 27 feet above and left of the hole.

 

I'm putting downslope with L to R break. I hit an okay birdie putt to about 3 feet. Not as close as I'd like but it's doable. I make the par putt, 3.

 

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. I setup on the right side of the tee box, Monte told us to setup on the side with the trouble. Right is OOB and left is a hazard, so I choose the side with the biggest penalty. I have been doing this every hole since the clinic, I just don't mention it normally. I'm only mentioning it now to note that I've been doing it. It's not very relevant to what unfolds next.

 

I hit a very bad push slice with my driver into the right trees not very far off the tees. I just blocked the shot. We see it hit a tree and watch the ball come out of the trees and land on the right hand slope near the ladies tees. It's very long rough and flowery weeds but should find the ball.

 

We found about 6 other balls but not mine.... So I drop, 82 yards off the tee, and I tack on a 2 stroke penalty. Awesome.

 

I dropped on level rough back on the line the ball took roughly. I hit a very solid 4w, a nice low draw, 209 yards, and into the rough on the left side. I have a clear shot at the green and it's in 4w range. I hit a low pull and miss the green long and left. A 204 yard shot that has my ball in the rough to the left of the cart path and just short of the hazard.

 

I decide to hit a bump and run with my 7i and make decent contact. I needed another 3-6 feet of carry distance for it to be real good but the ball gets on the green and I'm 19 feet short of the hole. I get the ball to 2 feet and come away with a triple, 8.

 

I'm actually okay with this score based on the 2 stroke penalty. In my mind, I bogeyed the hole after hitting my tee shot less than 85 yards. It's mental gymnastics but I do this on every hole I take a penalty off the tee. It helps me gauge how I did in spite of the penalty.

 

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. Driver stays in the bag and I use 4w off the tee. I hit a solid high draw down the right side that lands on the right slope and kicks down into the fairway, 205 yards.

 

It's a back left flag and long is bad. It's about 90 to center and I hit a partial AW. I chunk it a bit and it's a high draw that goes 82 yards and gets on the green. I'm 30 feet below the hole though. I hit the birdie putt a bit firm. It tracks at the hole and clips the flag and ends up about a foot behind the cup. I make the par putt, 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 stay with the 4w and hit a great high draw down the right side. The ball lands on the cart path and kicks forward. 265 yard shot! Wish I could hit my driver that far, lol.

 

I know from experience that a 4w from here is a bad idea since it brings the stream fronting the green into play. I decide to hit my 7w and it's another great looking draw, 201 yards, and just short of the stream. There was a bit of a tailwind but this is still a good 20 yards further than I expect a solid 7w to go.

 

It's a back right hole on the the upper tier. I'm inside 40 yards and pitch with my SW. I hit a nice shot, 41 yards, into the back rough. I'm about 2 yards off the green and chipping downhill. I use my putter and tap the ball. It trickles on the green and into the cup for birdie, 4!

 

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 stay with the 4w and hit a pull, 202 yards, that lands in the fairway bunker on the left and just pops out the other side. The bunker likely saved me from having the ball roll into the left hazard.

 

Level lie in the rough and it's 160 to center, so I go with my 5i. I hit my shot a bit right but solid. 174 yards into the rough behind the green, oops.

 

My ball is on a down slope in the rough. The back of the green is elevated, so picture a U shape with the green side of the U being lower than where my ball is. Not an easy chip.

 

I decide on a 7i bump and run and don't hit it hard enough. The ball goes about 17 yards and is in the rough just short of the green. I can use my putter and hit a 18 yard chip to 4 feet. I make the putt for bogey, 5.

 

7 – par 4, 351 yards, slight dogleg right, #11 HCP, elevated tee shot to a wide open fairway that slopes down right to left all the way to about the 100 yard marker. Bunkers on the left marking the corner and a slope on the right. This is a fairly wide fairway and I use my driver. I set-up on the right and aim left. It's a high push fade, 225 yards, into the right side slope, so at least I kept it out of the trees...

 

Ball above my feet in thick rough. It's a back right hole location and probably 115 yards. I don't like 9i, my 120 club from here. My PW should make it on the green and I go with it. I hit a decent shot, 104 yards, onto the green but 41 feet short of the hole.

 

I hit the birdie putt to 2 feet and miss the par putt... Bogey, 5. Crap!

 

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. Middle left flag and I figure 8i distance with the elevation. Contact isn't solid and it's a high push draw a bit right of the green. My ball lands to the right of the green and kicks on, 142 yard shot, and I'm 44 feet below the the hole.

 

I hit the birdie putt to 2 feet and make my par this time, 3.

 

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. #1 is to the right, so I go with driver. This time it's a slight push fade, 236 yards, into the left rough of #1 but I've got too many trres in my line at the green. I chip with my PW back into the correct fairway. The hole is front right and about 80 yards to center. It's a partial SW and I chunk it. The ball lands in the pond probably 5 yards short of the bank...

 

So I drop 20 yards closer and try again. This time I hit it okay and it gets on the green, 65 yard shot. I'm 24 feet above the hole and putting down a slope. I get it to 2 feet and come away with a triple bogey, 7.

 

Well that sucked. A simple shot that I FUBAR. I was playing for bogey once I saw my second shot options and didn't execute. The plan was sound though.

 

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 use the normal 4w off the tee and hit a very solid draw, 226 yards, through the fairway and into the right rough. Once of my best 4w tee shots on this hole. The problem is the right side of the green is blocked out by the branches and leaves from the trees growing in the right hazard.

 

I aim for the left side of the green with my 7i and hit a horrid push, dead right and into the trees.. I drop 60 yards closer and have a long pitch into the green. I hit a 73 yard shot to the middle of the green, 31 feet past the hole.

 

I'm putting down a tier and just mess up. I don't hit it hard enough and I end up pin high by 6 feet short of the hole. I sink the next one to 'save' my double bogey, 6.

 

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 my normal 7w and it's off the toe. I never see the ball but the guys tell me it's almost in the left trees. I find my ball under the trees, 183 off the tee. I have no shot at the green from here. I chip with my 7i and it takes the slope to go 71 yards and stop on the flat area short of the stream.

 

The hole is front right. I pitch across with my SW, 63 yards, onto the green and 39 feet past the hole. My par putt gets inside 2 feet and I walk away with a 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. I nuke a strong draw down the left side, I don't know if I had cart path assist but it's a 228 yard shot into the fairway and almost through it. It's a front left flag and a partial LW should do the trick. I chunk it though, 61 yards... A trend with my partial wedges, I am chunking them more than normal.

 

I bump and run my 9i, about 8 yards, and leave the ball 6 feet short of the hole. I 2 putt for a 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 middle back and 130ish yards. Long is bad, so I stick with the standard 9i. I make good contact and my ball lands on the middle of the green, on the slope of the tier and rolls back some. It's a 114 yard shot and I'm 29 feet below the hole. I putt up the tier and miss 3 feet long and high. I know have a par putt that is down slope and breaks. I tap the ball and miss low and it rolls 2 feet past the cup. I come away with a bogey, 4.

 

My birdie putt was just a bad leave on my part. The par putt was not a simple 3 footer because of the slopes involved.

 

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. Fairly wide fairway, so I use my driver. Push fade towards the houses on the right. May be OOB, so I hit a provisional and hit the same shot but even further right...

 

I find my first ball in play in the right rough, 220 yards off the tee. It's on a down slope and my 4w is not a good option. I hit a low 5i, 174 yards, into the fairway on the left side. It's 150 to center, so 6i. I hit a low pull, 170 yards, long and left....

 

I'm in the rough and have a long pitch over a bunker. I'm a bit above the green and there's a pond if I go long... I hit a UTB pitch with my SW 56 yards to get on the green and about 7 feet from the cup!

 

I miss the par putt and have a bogey, 6.

 

I was very happy with my pitch across the bunker with water lurking long. It was not an easy shot because of my skill level and the trouble that both types of mishits would have. I trusted the swing and executed.

 

I don't think it was a hero shot since I had no other option and it is a shot I have been pulling off fairly well since the clinic, #1 today not withstanding.

 

I'd also take a bogey on this hole any day with a solid drive in the middle of the fairway.

 

15 – par 4, 264 yards, straight, #16 HCP. Elevated tee shot to a fairway that is always soft and 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 do not trust driver and hit 4w.

 

It was a disaster.

 

I just made a terrible swing. I popped the ball up in the air, like a wedge, and it was also a push towards the right hazard. The ball didn't travel more than 70 yards and we never found it. We heard it plug and that's it. So I drop 61 yards from the tee. I hit a meh 4w at the green that was a bit thin, 164 yards.

 

I'm just short of the left front green side bunker. I'm pitching across, like I did on 14, and don't swing hard enough. Now I'm in the bunker and decide to play out of it. My SW skips into the ball and I blade it over the green. I then chip with my putter to 6 feet and make the putt to 'save' a triple bogey.

 

Two bad swings cost me. I don't regret the decisions with 4w off the tee and the pitch over the bunker. I just messed up both shots.

 

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. Front middle hole location, it's 135ish, so I feel okay hitting my normal 7i, I almost always hit 7i on this hole...

 

I make good contact and it's a high draw that lands on the green a bit past and 15 feet right of the cup! So much better then my normal 7i push fade on this hole. I hit the birdie putt about 18 inches long. An easy par, so I don't mark the ball. I tell the guys I'll get it out of the way and miss..... Yep, a bogey, 4.

 

That was just dumb. I know to be careful about not waiting my turn on shorter putts because I tend to rush and miss easy ones. Oh well.

 

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.

 

4w off the tee and I pull it into the left trees. We find my ball inbounds and I can't go at the green. I do have an angle out of the trees that will advance the ball short and towards the right side of the green though. I take my 7i and do the 4Ls that Monte showed us.

 

Contact is good, too good. I hit a nice low 150 yard shot into the right trees by the green. My ball is barely in the bushes and I can get a club on it, kinda. I hack the ball out with my PW, 20 yards, and short of the green. I chip with my SW and it's not that good. I'm on the green 19 feet below the hole and putting up a tier with severe slope from back left to front right. I get to 2 feet and make the next one for double bogey, 6.

 

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 decide to be not smart off the tee and hit driver. It's a solid push fade that's heading towards the right trees. My ball might be in play though. I go look and no dice. I drop 203 yards off the tee. I can hit a PW over the fairway bunker to get me in position to go for the green with my next shot.

 

I chunk it 18 yards into the bunker. I decide to play out of the bunker and flub it 29 yards...

 

I'm in the fairway at last and the middle of the green is in 4w range. I'm not trying to save a score on this hole, so I go for it. I hit a solid low draw, 204 yards, that misses the green to the left.

 

I chip with my 7i and roll it 22 feet long. I almost sink the putt but no cookie. So a triple bogey, 8.

 

47/51 98. A bad score as usual. I was happy with the round though. My mind set has changed a bit. I would have been disappointed with a 98 prior to the clinic even though that's what I was shooting for score(or worse). I have a free pass with my scores right now since I'm trying to do new things in all aspects of my game based on feedback from Monte. it's not just metrying to change what i think needs to be changed. It's kind of freeing. I know things are going to be rocky on the course for quite a while.

 

Driver is just not worth it right now. It's like I regressed to when I was trying first break 90, back in 2010-2012, and never used it because of the insta-slice. I know it's not the same because I can hit the stupid thing, but can't currently with what I'm trying to change. I also have a more solid fall back than years ago, the 4w.

 

My 4w is making the biggest jump in performance with the longer backswing, followed by the 7w. I am hitting it further off the deck than pre-clinic and off the tee it's going a respectable distance for the tees I play. I need driver to shoot my best scores but the 4w is solid enough for me to be able to play decently. So it may be a crutch, but it's not gimping me completely. 200 yards off the tee, and in play, is workable for bogey golf which would be a 90.

 

My approach game was great( for me) this round. It's normally my worst area, pre-spraying driver and racking up penalties off the tee. Today it was my second best area with a SG of -1.5, even with the screw up with partial wedges. This is way better than normal, Arccos has it as 4.5 strokes better than it was over my last 10 round average. That's a huge improvement. Only one round but it shows signs of life.

 

Putting was my best area for a change but I had some real SG issues. The practice on keeping the hips quiet is paying off.

 

Lastly, I feel like my bad holes are the same as always but my good holes are even better than pre-clinic. I have a birdie in each of the last 3 rounds. Birdies are rare for me. I feel like I am hitting better shots more often but it's being offset by the increase in bad shots from trying to make changes. Not sure if that makes sense but that's how I've been feeling about my game.

 

Wish I had gone to a Monte clinic years ago, lol.

 

birdies: 1

pars: 3

bogeys: 7

double bogeys: 2

triple+: 5

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 196 yards

Longest drive: 265 yards, love cart path golf

Fairways: 3/14

GIR: 6/18!

Avg Approach: 118 yards

Up & down: 1/9

Putts: 36, with a 0 putt on #5

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -13.5 strokes

driving: -7.7, 5 from penalties, I'm tanking in this area.

Approach: -1.5, this is a big improvement

Short game: -2.9, 25-50 yard shots killed me, I was -4.5 for those.

Putting: -1.4, still had some issues but this is still better than normal

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

1 hour ago, bortass said:

 

Lastly, I feel like my bad holes are the same as always but my good holes are even better than pre-clinic. I have a birdie in each of the last 3 rounds. Birdies are rare for me. I feel like I am hitting better shots more often but it's being offset by the increase in bad shots from trying to make changes. Not sure if that makes sense but that's how I've been feeling about my game.

 

 

That's a really good thing. Not necessarily the birdies (which are obviously great, but IMHO those can be very dominated by chance at our skill level) but more that when you hit good shots, they're better than your good shots used to be. That's an indication that the swing changes are actually making your swing more efficient and leading to better impact conditions. 

 

Practice can make a bad swing more consistent, but it sounds like the clinic went a long way to making your swing better. Now you just need to practice and make a GOOD swing consistent!

 

 

[ericg33]

Glad to hear you are being patient with the changes. Just curious how you monitor improving your turn during your practice. Are you recording?  Hearing a lot about different things you are working on but not necessarily the bigger turn work. 

[bortass]

 

 

1 hour ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

That's a really good thing. Not necessarily the birdies (which are obviously great, but IMHO those can be very dominated by chance at our skill level) but more that when you hit good shots, they're better than your good shots used to be. That's an indication that the swing changes are actually making your swing more efficient and leading to better impact conditions. 

 

Practice can make a bad swing more consistent, but it sounds like the clinic went a long way to making your swing better. Now you just need to practice and make a GOOD swing consistent!

 

 

Yeah, the birdies are luck but I take it as I am getting myself in position to be lucky more often. The clinic has made all three aspects of my game better, with driver being the set back with my full swing. 

 

 

21 minutes ago, ericg33 said:

Glad to hear you are being patient with the changes. Just curious how you monitor improving your turn during your practice. Are you recording?  Hearing a lot about different things you are working on but not necessarily the bigger turn work. 

The bigger turn may be the wrong term. Monte pointed out that my 'full' swing was really a half swing. What I am working on for my full swing is to try to make a full backswing. I can tell when my swing is longer but to your point I can't tell how much longer it is. I do need to grab video at some point to see what progress I'm making. It's all I've been doing with full swing except for driver on Friday and the Cast B work when I couldn't work on my putting.

 

My range sessions are planned as full swing/break/putting/go home. Full swing portion focus is the backswing like John Daly with my 8i. I don't see that changing anytime soon but I may try driver again at some point but those are more one off situations. Days I can't putt will have something else for the second portion of the session, think I may be doing some chipping/wedge work next time I can't putt.

 

Did that answer your question? If not, let me know and I can elaborate.