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

[bortass]

Sunday's round was okay with more positives than negatives IMO, or at least they balanced out. I shot a 45/46* for a 91/90 with NDB. It has no impact on my index, so I stay at 15.9. The course was quite wet when we started with a lot of dew. The greens were also punched earlier in the week. They were rolling good but slow. I don't recall any putts from my playing partner or I taking weird hops or bounces. Speed control was an issue though, so putting was off more than it should have been.

 

Start with the bad.

 

Putting was off but I'm blaming the greens a bit for it. leave a putt short and then hit it too hard on a later hole type of deal. They were rolling  decent, it was just speed control. I missed two putts in the 2 foot range as well, I can't blame the greens for those miscues.

 

#13 - par 3 and I mishit 9i off the tee and OOB/lost when I miss the green right and the ball lands on the cart path and takes a big bounce to the right. Provisional also mishit short of the green. Led to a triple and was the hole that NDB kicked in for posting.

#17 - par 4, pulled drive into left trees but it bounced out into the left edge of the fairway. 5i into the green and I blocked it way right, flew like a shank with a big curve right, and into the right trees(hazard). Drop and mishit a partial SW short. Chip to 11 feet and 2 putt for triple.

 

#3 - par 5, Aim was with drive and I hit a strong draw into the left hazard. I drop and get into the back rough in 4. Chip to 6 feet and two putt for double. My chip was online for the hole but the slow greens slowed it too much.

 

#5 - par 5, solid drive with 4w, 210, into fairway. Get away with a ball position mistake with 4w off the deck. I'm in the right rough, have about 80 yards to the hole but need to go under the limbs of a tree in the hazard. I decide on a low 9i and make good contact but it's not enough club for how hard I swung. Maybe a 7i would have been better.  I chip to 9 feet. Get it to 2 feet and miss.... 3 putt double.

 

#9 - par 4, mishit 4w off the tee. Off the toe and 175 yards into the rough of #1. I tell my partner I can get on in three because I likely won't have a shot. I get to my ball and I have a shot at the green with my 4w, ball is in a depression and below my feet. It's badly mishit off the toe and goes almost 90* right of my line about 68 yards, and now I have to go under trees. Let's just say I get on in 4 and two putt from 12 feet for double. This one really hurt because it was a clear mental error on my part. I followed up a bad shot with a poor decision, the 4w at the green was probably an okay call if I had a solid lie, which I did not.

 

#10 - par 4, I grab my 4w instead of my 7w by mistake and hit a pull into the left trees(hazard). Drop and ball is above my feet, I hit a low 7i short. Chip to 12 feet and two putt for double.

 

Synopsis of the bad: The real killer was the mental mistake on #9. It only led to double bogey but it was the most avoidable lost stroke. OOB on #13 was a bad bounce. It's probably the second time I've lost a ball from hitting that cart path, so it's rare, but it exasperates what is already a poor shot. The rest were execution errors and will hopefully clean up over time as I work on things.

 

The good:

 

Cast B swing thought. I stuck with it and my driver was pretty good. I had two poor drives with it and they were aim related, not swing mechanics/contact. Both were very solid draws.  I Distances were pretty good, 236, 224(hazard), 234, 222, 268, 254, 234, 175(left trees on 17 killed distance), 260. Pre clinic a drive of around 220 was solid for me, so I'm hit it real well this round. As far as ball flight, they were all tight draws except for a high fade that led to the 268 yard drive. 

 

#14 par 5, 254 yard drive followed up by a 219 yard 4w set me up about 90 yards from a back left hole location. Partial SW ends up in the left rough near the pin and my chip with putter is too soft because of the slow greens and i'm 9 feet short. Turns into a bogey, but overall it was two very good shots followed by a solid wedge to get me in position.

 

#18 par 5, I went for it in two. 260 yard drive in the fairway set me up just over 200 yards from center. Left pin and I aimed left of the green to take as mush of the pond out of play as I could. Hit a low draw with the 4w, 194 yards, that ends up in the fairway, almost pin high. Hit a 49 yard pitch to 6 feet and two putt par. This is the first time I've ever gone for this green in two. Didn't make it but I have the ability, assuming conditions are good.

 

Short game was on. I was +1.5 SG compared to a 0 HCP inside 25 yards, and was a flat 0.0 SG for the 5 pitches in the 25-50 yard range. It probably would have been better but the slow greens caused a few of the shorter chips to come up short of the hole.

 

#11, I've been having an issue with my tee shot going down the right edge of the fairway and it's a 90* dogleg left. I asked my playing partner to stand behind me and after I hit the shot, let me know where I was aimed. Hit a great baby draw with 5i, 197 yards, down the right side... He tells me I hit it right where I was aimed. I thought I was aimed at a bunker about 50 yards left..... I have a similar pattern on #16, par 3.  I aimed a touch more left on that hole and while not enough, it shifted my shot onto the right edge of the green and about 9 feet from the hole. It's good to know the ball is likely going where I aim and I can start to work on fixing it. The high level pattern is driver/woods off the tee can be too far left. Irons tend to be aimed right off the tee. I'll have to be cognizant and improve/work on my aim more.

 

So not a great round but what went well and what I learned made up for it. I did okay and wasn't frustrated at all while playing. This week looks bad for practice with going into the office and finding out the course is closed Friday for an event. I won't get my practice goals completed this month but at least it's because of injury/work and not laziness on my part.

 

 

birdies: 0

pars: 7

bogeys: 5

double bogeys: 4

triple+: 2

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 216 yards, three 4w and 5i in the mix.

Longest drive: 268 yards

Fairways: 10/14

GIR: 5/18

Avg Approach: 110yards

Up & down: 3/11

Putts: 35

 

Strokes gained compared to a 0 HCP. 

Overall: -18.8 strokes

driving: -3.1, 2 penalty strokes( pulled driver and pulled 4w).

Approach: -10.6, 3 penalties, bad decision on 9.

Short game: +1.5!

Putting: -6.6, punched greens and some bad putts as well.

[bortass]

As expected, no practice last week thanks to work and a private event that closed the course on the one day I could have gone. Played Saturday and Sunday. Greens are still recovering from being punched and are soft and a bit slow. A number of tee boxes have also been resodded, so the tees on 15 and 18 were moved forward to the ladies tees.

 

Saturday was sunny and hot. Not bad though and it was a weird round. I had 0 penalties and finished with the same ball and no triples. Shot a 43/45 88..... I lost my swing for a set of holes and duffed it about. I just couldn't get anything going and pretty much played bogey golf with not enough pars to make a big enough difference. No real complaints though. A sub 90 round is still good in my book. It didn't impact my index at all and won't be used until a score rolls off and even then the differential will be the same.

 

It felt good to play a very rare clean round. Just would have thought more would have come from it. 

 

birdies: 0

pars: 5

bogeys: 10

double bogeys: 3

triple+: 0

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 195 yards

Longest drive: 275 yards

Fairways: 7/14

GIR: 4/18

Avg Approach: 117 yards

Up & down: 3/14

Putts: 32

 

Strokes gained compared to a 0 HCP. 

Overall: - 16.5 strokes

driving: -3.2

Approach: -7.5

Short game: -2.4

Putting: -3.4

 

 

 

Sunday's round. Sunny, temps in the 90s and some humidity but not terrible.

 

 

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. My drive is a pull draw, 245, into the left rough. The hole is on the left, so the bunker is out of play. It's about 165 yards and I hit 5i. Contact is good and it's a low draw that hits the face of the slope leading to the green and rolls on. 167 yard shot and I'm almost pin high and 6 feet right of the flag! Two putts and it's a par, 4.

 

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. Hole is front right and I decide to hit 8i. None of us see the ball because of the early morning haze. I'm on the left side of the green, 141 yard shot. It's 35 feet to the cup and the birdie putt stops inside a foot of the cup, par, 3.

 

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. I rip a high draw with driver, 245 into the left side of the fairway. The green is 200-210 away, so 4w might reach it. I wait for the green to clear and aim at the left side. It's a push draw that clips some leaves of the trees on the right but the ball makes it through.

 

194 yard shot and my ball is in the right rough, short of the green. I have to go over a bunker and hit a high pitch with SW. Good contact but a bit too firm, it easily flies over the bunker and ends up 26 feet past the hole. I get the birdie putt to a foot and have another par, 5.

 

4 – par 4, 293 yards, straight, #15 HCP, water left and OoB right. Right side has a slope. There's a fairway bunker on the right. I mishit driver and it's a high push fade down the right rough and it catches cart path and bounces more right. 212 yard shot and my ball is in the rough and on a slope above my feet. I'm above the green and it's about 80 yards to center. I go with a partial SW and hit it fat and short, 64 yards.

 

I have plenty of green and hit an 18 yard chip with SW to 4 feet. I miss the putt..Bogey, 5.

 

5- par 5, 501 yards, dogleg right, #5 HCP, hazard down the left side. There's a slope on the right side which makes the fairway narrow in the landing spot. A stream runs down the right side from the corner to near the green.

 

Yesterday I hit a great 4w off this tee. Today, I top it 71 yards next to the ladies tees... Well, it's time to be smart and play for bogey. I punch a 5i, 154 yards, down the fairway to where a very good tee shot should end up, near the corner.

 

I hit 4w and it's a low fade, 196 yards, that follows the curve of the hole and ends up in the fairway on the left. The hole is back right and around 95 yards or so, long is bad. I go with a partial AW and it's a nice high shot, 88 yards, onto the green and short of the flag.

 

There's a tier in this green and my ball landed on it and rolled back a couple feet. I'm 21 feet below the hole and don't trust the break I read. I miss 2 feet low but make the bogey putt, 6.

 

6 – par 4, 367 yards, slight dogleg left, #7 HCP. Medium width landing area with a bunker on the left. Houses are on the right and there's a sharp slope into the left trees if you end up too far into the left rough.

 

I FUBAR my aim or ball position. It's a very solid draw but started too far right. My ball lands in the right rough and kicks right towards the hazard that's in that area. No sign of my ball and I drop, 229 off the tee and in the rough. It's 150 to center with a forward flag. I hit 6i and nuke it, 162 yards into the back rough...

 

I have plenty of green and this green is heavily sloped back to front. I chip with SW, contact is good, but I come up 12 feet short( 14 yard chip). I two putt for my first double of the day, 6.

 

7 – par 4, 351 yards, slight dogleg right, #11 HCP, elevated tee shot to a wide open fairway that slopes down right to left all the way to about the 100 yard marker. Bunkers on the left marking the corner and a slope on the right.

 

My drive is a complete mishit, a low pull fade/slice, that starts down the left side of the fairway and curves right along the left side, 259 yards and into the fairway.

 

The hole is back right and a bit over 100 yards. I'm just inside the 100 yard marker and go with AW. I just want to be on the green and not risk going long. I make great contact and it's a high draw, but a touch right. 96 yards and I'm on the green, right and short of the cup. I have 27 feet for birdie and miss a foot out on the low side, par, 4.

 

8 – par 3, 160 yards, elevated tee shot, #13 HCP, bunker on the right side of the green. Slope to the right of this hole that is weed whacked. So it's long stuff and wild. Balls can get lost here. It's about 145ish to the hole and I go with my 130 club, 8i, because of the elevation. I hit a great looking high draw that lands near the front of the green and hops back a foot... 137 yard shot and I'm 21 feet short and left of the hole. I get the birdie putt inside a foot, par, 3.

 

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. Ball position is too far forward with 4w and I hit a bad pull hook. It strikes a tree on the left and we never find the ball, we also didn't see a splash in the pond. It likely kicked back into the trees which are marked as a hazard. I drop in the rough by the tree it struck, 169 yards from the tee.

 

The green is in 4w range but I decline. I'm trying for a heroics free bogey now. I hit a nice layup with 7i, 142 yards, into the fairway to the right of the green. I have a long pitch with SW but hit it too far. A 53 yard shot that gets me on the green in 4 but 20 feet past the hole. I get the bogey putt to a foot and have another double, 6.

 

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 tee off with 7w and it's a push draw, 207 yards, just into the right rough, through the fairway. It's 150ish to center and I have an angle at the green. I go with 6i and leave the face open a touch.

 

It's a push fade that skirts with the trees on the right but I make it through, 127 yard shot and I'm short and right of the green. The grass is very sparse and I'm on an up slope. I can see the top couple feet of the flag and that's it. I mess up my SW chip and thin it a bit right. I'm 20 feet right of the cup and two putt for bogey, 5.

 

11 – par 4, 329 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. I aim at the leftmost fairway bunker through the fairway at the corner and hit a full 5i. Well, I thought I was aimed at that bunker... I hit a push fade down the right side a good 60+ yards right of my intended line. A 174 yard shot and I'm in the right rough. It's 170ish to center and I figure 5i in.

 

Mistake.

 

I pull it badly into the left trees, marked as hazard. I drop 55 yards from the prior spot. I then hit a partial PW, 122 yards, thanks to wind and elevation to get on the right front of the green. I'm 25 feet right of the cup and leave the bogey putt 3 feet short.... I'm staring at triple for the first time today and make the putt, double, 6.

 

12 – par 4, 315 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. A solid high draw with my 4w that starts too far left. My ball hits the slope and kicks into the left rough, 188 off the tee. The hole is on the left side and I'm between my partial PW and 9i. I decide to hit a partial 9i but aim too close to the flag. I hit the shot I want but it starts left of the green. 118 yard shot, may have hit a cart path, and I'm in the rough across the cart path.

 

My ball is on a down slope and I chip with SW. It's decent but rolls 9 feet past the hole. I two putt for bogey, 5.

 

 

13 – par 3, 123 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and left and long left. Tiered green as well. The hole is middle back and about 138ish yards. It's slightly uphill and long tends to be bad. I go with my 130 club, 8i, and hit a strong high draw over the back right of the green, 142 yards. I'm about 30 feet right of the hole and chip with my putter to 3 feet. I sink the par putt, 3.

 

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. I think there's a tail wind but I can't recall. I rip a mid height draw down the left side that catches cart path, 308 yards! One of the longest drives of my life. Pretty sure it's the third time I've hit it 300+.

 

I'm in the left rough with a decent lie. I go with 4w and mess up the shot. It's a mishit pull that only goes 159 yards and ends up across the cart path on a down slope. I figure the slope will deloft my club and the hole is middle right, 100 yards, near the pond. I go with a partial AW to just try and get on. I shade the shot too far left and it goes 81 yards and ends up in the left rough between the left bunkers and the green. I chip with SW to 3 feet and make the par putt, 5.

 

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. They are resodding the tee boxes and the tees setup in the ladies teebox, so 216 on the card.

 

I hit 4w and it's a high draw that goes 205 yards and lands on the green! My ball stop a couple feet from it's pitch mark. I finally drove a par 4! And I don't care if it's from forward tees, lol.

 

I'm 39 feet right of the hole and leave the agle putt 6 feet short... I come away with a par after barely missing the birdie putt, 4.

 

Drive a par 4 and three putt for par, that's talent! Lol.

 

16 – par 3, 147 yards, #8 HCP. Elevated green with a forced stream carry. Bunkers short right and long left and middle. Tiered green with a strong back left to front right slope. Middle front flag with a tailwind of sorts. I decide to hit 8i and nuke a draw, 154 yards, and over the left side of the green... I have to chip from the rough and down a tier. I use SW and hit it pretty good but not quite right enough. My ball rolls down to the flag and stops 5 feet out on the low side. I make the putt, par 3.

 

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.

 

There's a tailwind and I hit a very solid high draw that's heading at the right side fairway bunkers which is not good. I think my aim was off. Anyhow my ball carries the bunkers which means it'll be in the right trees because it's a down slope of firm clay with barely any grass. I can't find my ball and drop on the line, 266 yards off the tee. I'm in very sparse rough, hard pan, and ball below my feet.

 

I mishit my 9i and it only goes 89 yards and comes up short of the green on the right. I have to go over a bunker and hit a high pitch with my SW a bit too firm and end up 21 feet above the hole. I miss the bogey putt and have 3 feet to go. Another chance at triple bogey and I make the putt to stay with a double, 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... This tee box is being resodded too and the tees are up in the ladies tee box, so it's 420 on the card.

 

I know from yesterday driver can run through the fairway and into the stream area, so I go with 4w. It's a pull draw down the left side when I wanted to be on the right. I catch cart path again and it's a 241 yard shot into some think rough to the left of the cart path. I am in range of the green with either a 5i or 7w but not from this lie. I hit a partial PW across the stream and it's a great shot that goes 125 yards! I expect these to be about 100 or so.

 

I'm in the fairway and about 60 yards from the hole which is back middle, so the pond is definitely out of play. I hit a partial LW and it's a very nice looking high shot that lands on the green, 5 feet right of the cup! I make the putt! Birdie, 4.

 

A 42/41 83 with 4 doubles, caused by 4 penalties! I had a score roll off and instead of being replaced by yesterday's 88 for no change, my index dropped 0.5 to 15.4. This is second lowest score I've shot and I could have beat that 82, lol.

 

A big key is I just played golf and stayed out of my own head better. I was frustrated with the 5i approach on #11 that went into the left trees but I just moved on. I think it helped that I knew I made a mental error after I hit the shot. I should have hit a wedge short of the stream and just pitched on in 3 instead of hitting 5i from the rough.

 

My driver was on, even with the two mishits, neither of which was a penalty. My two penalties with driver were great looking shots. Slight draws, nice and high, but my aim was off. I don't consider them mishits because it wasn't the shot shape that got them in trouble.

 

The 4w on #9 was horrible though, no excusing that.

 

All aspects of my game were pretty good, even if I could have done better.

 

The 308 yard drive on 14 and then driving 15 with a 4w, even if it's forward tees, was awesome. Not gonna lie, I'm proud of both even if it's just circumstances and the stars aligning.

 

I came off the course feeling great. That 82 back in July wasn't a flash in the pan. I'm feeling good ( for now) with my overall progress and this is the kind of round that let's me feel like on on the right path. I just need to let the process take me where it will which is probably a round in the high 70s at some point....

 

birdies: 1

pars: 9

bogeys: 4

double bogeys: 4

triple+: 0

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 216 yards

Longest drive: 308 yards

Fairways: 4/14

GIR: 7/18

Avg Approach: 121 yards

Up & down: 3/9

Putts: 33

 

Strokes gained compared to a 0 HCP. 

Overall: - 11.4 strokes

driving: -4.8, with 3 penalties

Approach: -4.1, with 1 penalty and some mishits but this is a big improvement overall for this round.

Short game: 0.0, hey, I played like a 0 ( the good kind) 😉

Putting: -2.5

 

Edited August 28, 2023 by bortass

[kiwigolf72]

the short game is the most important part.

[bortass]

12 hours ago, kiwigolf72 said:

the short game is the most important part.

It depends on the state of a players game. My own experience, so this applies to just me, has been that tee game and approaches are what matter the most for my improvement. When I started playing again after quitting for a number of years, getting rid of the dumb mistakes like tops, blades, and chunks mattered the most. My massive improvement post Monte clinic is being driven primarily by two things. An actual full swing with driver and woods because I was never taking a full swing with any club. This has had a direct on how far the ball goes, especially with driver. I still need to learn to take a full swing with my irons since I flight almost all of them. The other was short game related with UTB. I have a very reliable shot to go over bunkers now.

 

The numbers have changed over the years but the order of strength really hasn't. From best to worst per Arccos SG last 10 rounds compared to a 0 HCP, Short game(-1.5), Putting(-4.2), Driving(-4.9), Approach.(-8.0).  I can improve in all areas and my short game is pretty basic, so I think there's a fair bit of room to grow there. I also know length will be a limiting factor for both the driving and approach stat, so I'm not expecting those to get close to 0. Short game and putting don't have that hard limit.

 

I'll shift my focus to short game more as I clean up the approach game. I'm dropping shots in all range bands but the biggest issues are 75-99 yards and 125-174 yards, dropping 5.2 strokes across those three bands. Those match my partial SW, AW, PW which are my 80 - 100 yard clubs. Along with all my irons, 9i-5i, which are 120 - 160ish. 

 

Hopefully this makes sense.

 

 

 

 

 

[bortass]

Last week was a washout. I was able to practice Cast B and putting Tuesday and then 4 inches of rain hit that night. Course was closed Wednesday and Thursday.
 

It was back 9 only yesterday and played 18, looped through twice. Scores can’t be posted since #18 went from a 500 yard par 5 to a 110 yard par 3 because the temp tees were moved so far forward because of silt in the fairway.

 

Did okay but even Arccos stats are pointless since it thinks I had s birdie and eagle on 18…..

 

The front was open today and played all 18 but it was ugly. No pars…. #18 is still a short par 3, so nothing to post for handicap nor talk about with Arccos.

 

Next round is Monday but I still expect the temp tees to be in place on 18.
 

Hope I play better than today. I had no focus it seemed since the round doesn’t count.

[PNWGuy]

On 8/28/2023 at 8:49 AM, bortass said:

As expected, no practice last week thanks to work and a private event that closed the course on the one day I could have gone. Played Saturday and Sunday. Greens are still recovering from being punched and are soft and a bit slow. A number of tee boxes have also been resodded, so the tees on 15 and 18 were moved forward to the ladies tees.

 

Saturday was sunny and hot. Not bad though and it was a weird round. I had 0 penalties and finished with the same ball and no triples. Shot a 43/45 88..... I lost my swing for a set of holes and duffed it about. I just couldn't get anything going and pretty much played bogey golf with not enough pars to make a big enough difference. No real complaints though. A sub 90 round is still good in my book. It didn't impact my index at all and won't be used until a score rolls off and even then the differential will be the same.

 

It felt good to play a very rare clean round. Just would have thought more would have come from it. 

 

birdies: 0

pars: 5

bogeys: 10

double bogeys: 3

triple+: 0

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 195 yards

Longest drive: 275 yards

Fairways: 7/14

GIR: 4/18

Avg Approach: 117 yards

Up & down: 3/14

Putts: 32

 

Strokes gained compared to a 0 HCP. 

Overall: - 16.5 strokes

driving: -3.2

Approach: -7.5

Short game: -2.4

Putting: -3.4

 

 

 

Sunday's round. Sunny, temps in the 90s and some humidity but not terrible.

 

 

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. My drive is a pull draw, 245, into the left rough. The hole is on the left, so the bunker is out of play. It's about 165 yards and I hit 5i. Contact is good and it's a low draw that hits the face of the slope leading to the green and rolls on. 167 yard shot and I'm almost pin high and 6 feet right of the flag! Two putts and it's a par, 4.

 

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. Hole is front right and I decide to hit 8i. None of us see the ball because of the early morning haze. I'm on the left side of the green, 141 yard shot. It's 35 feet to the cup and the birdie putt stops inside a foot of the cup, par, 3.

 

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. I rip a high draw with driver, 245 into the left side of the fairway. The green is 200-210 away, so 4w might reach it. I wait for the green to clear and aim at the left side. It's a push draw that clips some leaves of the trees on the right but the ball makes it through.

 

194 yard shot and my ball is in the right rough, short of the green. I have to go over a bunker and hit a high pitch with SW. Good contact but a bit too firm, it easily flies over the bunker and ends up 26 feet past the hole. I get the birdie putt to a foot and have another par, 5.

 

4 – par 4, 293 yards, straight, #15 HCP, water left and OoB right. Right side has a slope. There's a fairway bunker on the right. I mishit driver and it's a high push fade down the right rough and it catches cart path and bounces more right. 212 yard shot and my ball is in the rough and on a slope above my feet. I'm above the green and it's about 80 yards to center. I go with a partial SW and hit it fat and short, 64 yards.

 

I have plenty of green and hit an 18 yard chip with SW to 4 feet. I miss the putt..Bogey, 5.

 

5- par 5, 501 yards, dogleg right, #5 HCP, hazard down the left side. There's a slope on the right side which makes the fairway narrow in the landing spot. A stream runs down the right side from the corner to near the green.

 

Yesterday I hit a great 4w off this tee. Today, I top it 71 yards next to the ladies tees... Well, it's time to be smart and play for bogey. I punch a 5i, 154 yards, down the fairway to where a very good tee shot should end up, near the corner.

 

I hit 4w and it's a low fade, 196 yards, that follows the curve of the hole and ends up in the fairway on the left. The hole is back right and around 95 yards or so, long is bad. I go with a partial AW and it's a nice high shot, 88 yards, onto the green and short of the flag.

 

There's a tier in this green and my ball landed on it and rolled back a couple feet. I'm 21 feet below the hole and don't trust the break I read. I miss 2 feet low but make the bogey putt, 6.

 

6 – par 4, 367 yards, slight dogleg left, #7 HCP. Medium width landing area with a bunker on the left. Houses are on the right and there's a sharp slope into the left trees if you end up too far into the left rough.

 

I FUBAR my aim or ball position. It's a very solid draw but started too far right. My ball lands in the right rough and kicks right towards the hazard that's in that area. No sign of my ball and I drop, 229 off the tee and in the rough. It's 150 to center with a forward flag. I hit 6i and nuke it, 162 yards into the back rough...

 

I have plenty of green and this green is heavily sloped back to front. I chip with SW, contact is good, but I come up 12 feet short( 14 yard chip). I two putt for my first double of the day, 6.

 

7 – par 4, 351 yards, slight dogleg right, #11 HCP, elevated tee shot to a wide open fairway that slopes down right to left all the way to about the 100 yard marker. Bunkers on the left marking the corner and a slope on the right.

 

My drive is a complete mishit, a low pull fade/slice, that starts down the left side of the fairway and curves right along the left side, 259 yards and into the fairway.

 

The hole is back right and a bit over 100 yards. I'm just inside the 100 yard marker and go with AW. I just want to be on the green and not risk going long. I make great contact and it's a high draw, but a touch right. 96 yards and I'm on the green, right and short of the cup. I have 27 feet for birdie and miss a foot out on the low side, par, 4.

 

8 – par 3, 160 yards, elevated tee shot, #13 HCP, bunker on the right side of the green. Slope to the right of this hole that is weed whacked. So it's long stuff and wild. Balls can get lost here. It's about 145ish to the hole and I go with my 130 club, 8i, because of the elevation. I hit a great looking high draw that lands near the front of the green and hops back a foot... 137 yard shot and I'm 21 feet short and left of the hole. I get the birdie putt inside a foot, par, 3.

 

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. Ball position is too far forward with 4w and I hit a bad pull hook. It strikes a tree on the left and we never find the ball, we also didn't see a splash in the pond. It likely kicked back into the trees which are marked as a hazard. I drop in the rough by the tree it struck, 169 yards from the tee.

 

The green is in 4w range but I decline. I'm trying for a heroics free bogey now. I hit a nice layup with 7i, 142 yards, into the fairway to the right of the green. I have a long pitch with SW but hit it too far. A 53 yard shot that gets me on the green in 4 but 20 feet past the hole. I get the bogey putt to a foot and have another double, 6.

 

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 tee off with 7w and it's a push draw, 207 yards, just into the right rough, through the fairway. It's 150ish to center and I have an angle at the green. I go with 6i and leave the face open a touch.

 

It's a push fade that skirts with the trees on the right but I make it through, 127 yard shot and I'm short and right of the green. The grass is very sparse and I'm on an up slope. I can see the top couple feet of the flag and that's it. I mess up my SW chip and thin it a bit right. I'm 20 feet right of the cup and two putt for bogey, 5.

 

11 – par 4, 329 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. I aim at the leftmost fairway bunker through the fairway at the corner and hit a full 5i. Well, I thought I was aimed at that bunker... I hit a push fade down the right side a good 60+ yards right of my intended line. A 174 yard shot and I'm in the right rough. It's 170ish to center and I figure 5i in.

 

Mistake.

 

I pull it badly into the left trees, marked as hazard. I drop 55 yards from the prior spot. I then hit a partial PW, 122 yards, thanks to wind and elevation to get on the right front of the green. I'm 25 feet right of the cup and leave the bogey putt 3 feet short.... I'm staring at triple for the first time today and make the putt, double, 6.

 

12 – par 4, 315 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. A solid high draw with my 4w that starts too far left. My ball hits the slope and kicks into the left rough, 188 off the tee. The hole is on the left side and I'm between my partial PW and 9i. I decide to hit a partial 9i but aim too close to the flag. I hit the shot I want but it starts left of the green. 118 yard shot, may have hit a cart path, and I'm in the rough across the cart path.

 

My ball is on a down slope and I chip with SW. It's decent but rolls 9 feet past the hole. I two putt for bogey, 5.

 

 

13 – par 3, 123 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and left and long left. Tiered green as well. The hole is middle back and about 138ish yards. It's slightly uphill and long tends to be bad. I go with my 130 club, 8i, and hit a strong high draw over the back right of the green, 142 yards. I'm about 30 feet right of the hole and chip with my putter to 3 feet. I sink the par putt, 3.

 

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. I think there's a tail wind but I can't recall. I rip a mid height draw down the left side that catches cart path, 308 yards! One of the longest drives of my life. Pretty sure it's the third time I've hit it 300+.

 

I'm in the left rough with a decent lie. I go with 4w and mess up the shot. It's a mishit pull that only goes 159 yards and ends up across the cart path on a down slope. I figure the slope will deloft my club and the hole is middle right, 100 yards, near the pond. I go with a partial AW to just try and get on. I shade the shot too far left and it goes 81 yards and ends up in the left rough between the left bunkers and the green. I chip with SW to 3 feet and make the par putt, 5.

 

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. They are resodding the tee boxes and the tees setup in the ladies teebox, so 216 on the card.

 

I hit 4w and it's a high draw that goes 205 yards and lands on the green! My ball stop a couple feet from it's pitch mark. I finally drove a par 4! And I don't care if it's from forward tees, lol.

 

I'm 39 feet right of the hole and leave the agle putt 6 feet short... I come away with a par after barely missing the birdie putt, 4.

 

Drive a par 4 and three putt for par, that's talent! Lol.

 

16 – par 3, 147 yards, #8 HCP. Elevated green with a forced stream carry. Bunkers short right and long left and middle. Tiered green with a strong back left to front right slope. Middle front flag with a tailwind of sorts. I decide to hit 8i and nuke a draw, 154 yards, and over the left side of the green... I have to chip from the rough and down a tier. I use SW and hit it pretty good but not quite right enough. My ball rolls down to the flag and stops 5 feet out on the low side. I make the putt, par 3.

 

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.

 

There's a tailwind and I hit a very solid high draw that's heading at the right side fairway bunkers which is not good. I think my aim was off. Anyhow my ball carries the bunkers which means it'll be in the right trees because it's a down slope of firm clay with barely any grass. I can't find my ball and drop on the line, 266 yards off the tee. I'm in very sparse rough, hard pan, and ball below my feet.

 

I mishit my 9i and it only goes 89 yards and comes up short of the green on the right. I have to go over a bunker and hit a high pitch with my SW a bit too firm and end up 21 feet above the hole. I miss the bogey putt and have 3 feet to go. Another chance at triple bogey and I make the putt to stay with a double, 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... This tee box is being resodded too and the tees are up in the ladies tee box, so it's 420 on the card.

 

I know from yesterday driver can run through the fairway and into the stream area, so I go with 4w. It's a pull draw down the left side when I wanted to be on the right. I catch cart path again and it's a 241 yard shot into some think rough to the left of the cart path. I am in range of the green with either a 5i or 7w but not from this lie. I hit a partial PW across the stream and it's a great shot that goes 125 yards! I expect these to be about 100 or so.

 

I'm in the fairway and about 60 yards from the hole which is back middle, so the pond is definitely out of play. I hit a partial LW and it's a very nice looking high shot that lands on the green, 5 feet right of the cup! I make the putt! Birdie, 4.

 

A 42/41 83 with 4 doubles, caused by 4 penalties! I had a score roll off and instead of being replaced by yesterday's 88 for no change, my index dropped 0.5 to 15.4. This is second lowest score I've shot and I could have beat that 82, lol.

 

A big key is I just played golf and stayed out of my own head better. I was frustrated with the 5i approach on #11 that went into the left trees but I just moved on. I think it helped that I knew I made a mental error after I hit the shot. I should have hit a wedge short of the stream and just pitched on in 3 instead of hitting 5i from the rough.

 

My driver was on, even with the two mishits, neither of which was a penalty. My two penalties with driver were great looking shots. Slight draws, nice and high, but my aim was off. I don't consider them mishits because it wasn't the shot shape that got them in trouble.

 

The 4w on #9 was horrible though, no excusing that.

 

All aspects of my game were pretty good, even if I could have done better.

 

The 308 yard drive on 14 and then driving 15 with a 4w, even if it's forward tees, was awesome. Not gonna lie, I'm proud of both even if it's just circumstances and the stars aligning.

 

I came off the course feeling great. That 82 back in July wasn't a flash in the pan. I'm feeling good ( for now) with my overall progress and this is the kind of round that let's me feel like on on the right path. I just need to let the process take me where it will which is probably a round in the high 70s at some point....

 

birdies: 1

pars: 9

bogeys: 4

double bogeys: 4

triple+: 0

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 216 yards

Longest drive: 308 yards

Fairways: 4/14

GIR: 7/18

Avg Approach: 121 yards

Up & down: 3/9

Putts: 33

 

Strokes gained compared to a 0 HCP. 

Overall: - 11.4 strokes

driving: -4.8, with 3 penalties

Approach: -4.1, with 1 penalty and some mishits but this is a big improvement overall for this round.

Short game: 0.0, hey, I played like a 0 ( the good kind) 😉

Putting: -2.5

 

Just a quick thought...  You would have broken 80 if you eliminated your aiming errors.  That should be easy to clen up with dedicated range time and a solid pre shot routine.  You should practice on a range until it's 100% automatic.

 

Also, your alignment was probably off on a lot more shots... you just compensated in your swing.  Better set up + better alignment + better pre shot routine = better scores.

 

Keep up the good work and keep posting your progress

[bortass]

On 9/2/2023 at 5:07 PM, PNWGuy said:

Just a quick thought...  You would have broken 80 if you eliminated your aiming errors.  That should be easy to clen up with dedicated range time and a solid pre shot routine.  You should practice on a range until it's 100% automatic.

 

Also, your alignment was probably off on a lot more shots... you just compensated in your swing.  Better set up + better alignment + better pre shot routine = better scores.

 

Keep up the good work and keep posting your progress

Very likely to be the case. I do need to work on it. 

 

Yesterday's round was 'interesting'.  I excluded it from Arccos stats because we didn't finish playing #17. The greenside sprinklers were stuck on and the green had running water on it. We had hit approaches into the green but the ground crew couldn't turn them off from the control box. So we picked up and moved on. I carded a most likely score of 5 since I was just off the green in two. We also ignored the temp tees on 18, which turn a 500 yard par 5 into a 110 yard par 3, and played it like normal with the sandy area of the fairway as GUR. Came away with a par and never came close to the sand. 

 

We did post our scores since we played 18 at it's normal length. I posted an 86 but shot 87. NDB kicked in on #10. this dropped my index by 0.4, to 15.1.

 

I'm surprised I shot an 87, 42/45. I thought I played like crap. They started everyone on #10 and I hit a decent 7w into the fairway. 6i into the green and I pulled it into the left trees. The rails fell off in my short game and I ended up with a quad, 8.... Great start to the round. 

 

Followed it par, bogey, bogey. 

 

Get to #14, par 5. Solid drive, 247, into the right side of the fairway. Top 4w 75 yards... Mishit 5i 107 yards. I decide to hit a partial 9i approach because it's in that 110ish ballpark. I hit a great shot but it's a flyer that goes 126 yards to the back left corner of the green. I'm 72 feet from the hole and leave the par putt 7 feet short... Double bogey.

 

Finished the back, birdie, bogey, bogey(most likely score), par.

 

Get to #1(par 4) and pull my driver into the left trees but the ball ends up in the middle of the fairway, 214 yard shot. It's just over 200 yards to the green and I hit a solid 4w a bit right. The ball lands on the right side of the green and rolls into the back fringe, 210 yards. It's a left hole location and I screw up. I don't bring a wedge and chip with putter. Too much fringe/rough to go through and a terrible line leaves the ball 23 feet above the hole. Par putt is 3 feet long and I miss again, double bogey 6, 4 strokes with a putter in my hand....

 

Par on #2.

 

Decent drive on #3(par 5), 228 into the fairway. Mishit 4w off the toe into the right trees. Find the ball and try to punch a 7i at the green. Hits a tree but makes it out of the trees at least.  I have a 50ish yard pitch on a downslope in the rough and chunk it. Finally get on 12 feet from the cup and sink the bogey putt.

 

Then it was par, par.

 

#6(par4), I top my drive 137 yards and barely into the fairway. I whack my 4w and I miss the green way right. I have another 50ish yard pitch from a downslope to the green and hit it poorly. I hit it thin but the ball gets on the green and ends up 12 feet past the hole. I hit the par putt too hard and low. I'm 4 feet past the cup and miss. Another double.

 

Par on #7. Bogey on #8(par 3), missed the green, chipped to 3 feet and 2 putt... Par on 9. 

 

The 42(+7) on the front had two doubles and the 45 on the back (+9) had a quad and double. So 14 holes of solid golf with 7 pars. I've reached the point where a double is pretty bad, or that's how I feel about them. I didn't like them when I was shooting in the 90s but it was the triple+ that I thought was horrible. My standards are improving, lol.

 

Speaking of standards, I was a mental midget yet again this weekend. Saturday, I'm not going to talk about but it was very prevalent there. Yesterday's round had similar issues. I'd make mistakes and get frustrated. That quad to start the round was mostly mental. I got frustrated after hitting the approach into the trees and then each mistake after it grew. I struggled to let go of the bad. I don't like when this happens because of how my attitude becomes poor and the frustration gets externalized which is not fair to playing partners etc.

 

There were also mental mistakes with regard to decision making. I've been having problems with my 4w off the deck on #3 and #14 for some reason. I could have just hit my 5i to try and setup a shot at GIR instead of hitting the 4w and trying to get as close as possible. I wasn't going to reach either green, especially #14 in two. The double on #1 was a poor choice in using my putter to chip. There was too much grass to go through and I should have used a wedge or even 9i.

 

Now some good stuff.

 

Driving. I was -0.7 SG compared to a 0 HCP. This is a valid SG number, it's SG and putting, that are suspect because of picking up on #17. I had no penalties with tee balls. I had two poor driver shots. The pull on #1, still hit it very solid, and the top on #6. All other tee shots were good to very good.

 

Some iron shots went longer than expected. Tee shot on #16 par 3 is an example. The hole is middle back and 155ish. I decide to tee off with 6i, my 150 club. I hit a high draw at the flag and over the green, 162 yards, all carry. My ball plugged when it landed. #2 par 3, I hit a high push draw with 8i( 130 club) 147 yards.... Second shot on #18 from the rough was 6i, (150 club) and it was a high draw that went 175 yards, had some rollout.

 

I'd starting to see the longer distances a bit more often. I'm still hesitant to make any real changes but I'm sometimes choosing the shorter club unless there's a forced carry. So maybe I'm hitting 7i instead of 6i etc.

 

The reality is I'm bouncing around score wise but am playing much better than ever. I need to take that to heart and not let how I think I should perform dictate my mood/happiness. Sometimes I can do it but it was a struggle this weekend. 

 

As always, there is a massive amount of room for me to improve in every aspect of this game. I have a feeling that will never change but that means there's room to grow!

 

Have a good one.

 

 

 

 

[tatertot]

My wife says I can't be single ... I've asked.

[TheDeanAbides]

Good to see you making some solid progress, buddy. 🙂

[bortass]

On 9/2/2023 at 5:07 PM, PNWGuy said:

Just a quick thought...  You would have broken 80 if you eliminated your aiming errors.  That should be easy to clen up with dedicated range time and a solid pre shot routine.  You should practice on a range until it's 100% automatic.

 

Also, your alignment was probably off on a lot more shots... you just compensated in your swing.  Better set up + better alignment + better pre shot routine = better scores.

 

Made it to the range this morning, yesterday too but that'll be in my weekly practice synopsis, and I spent the entire time on aim. Two blocks, 20 minutes each. The first was with AW, hitting partial shots, and the second was with 9i hitting flighted shots. I followed the same process for both blocks.

 

I picked a short game flag as my target line. They were different based on the clubs, so the AW was more down the range but the 9i target was off to my right. I did this because of angles and distances. I had an alignment stick in the ground and had a couple broken tees 4+ feet ahead of where the ball would be just to act as a frame of reference. I'd place a ball and go through my PSR. Stand behind it and focus on the line to my target and try to pick out something closer to align the clubface to. Setup, look at target, and just swing.

 

I found 2 things. My clubface is a touch closed and my shoulders are open. I fixed both but the shoulders were eye opening. I closed my stance over a few shots and when the ball seemed to be on target, my shoulders felt like they were aimed right at the target. I stuck with that feeling and things seemed to be better. It wasn't perfect but some of it was just bad swings versus aim being off.

 

I'll have to keep working on it and September may be a month of working on basics.

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, TheDeanAbides said:

Good to see you making some solid progress, buddy. 🙂

The Monte clinic was a game changer. Trying to make a full swing with woods and driver( still needs work); The drill to fix my chipping/pitching; Keeping my hips quiet when putting. Those were not heavy lift changes but they made a massive difference. Really hope I can go again in 2024. 

[mshills]

2 minutes ago, bortass said:

The Monte clinic was a game changer. Trying to make a full swing with woods and driver( still needs work); The drill to fix my chipping/pitching; Keeping my hips quiet when putting. Those were not heavy lift changes but they made a massive difference. Really hope I can go again in 2024. 

 

I think this is critical....maintaining focus on a small number (less than five!) of key items is the way to get better, not working on 20 different things every day.

 

Regarding alignment / setup, for me, proper alignment for all shots -- full swing, short game, putts -- still feels closed, but that's because for much of my golfing life I purposefully lined up open, particularly with the putter.

[getitdaily]

I like the title change...

 

Improving in golf, can I be single?

 

Well, if you're at the range every night rather than at home with your wife then I think thr answer is a double yes..lol

[bortass]

25 minutes ago, getitdaily said:

Well, if you're at the range every night rather than at home with your wife then I think thr answer is a double yes..lol

That's why I go in the morning before work!

[PNWGuy]

3 hours ago, bortass said:

 

Made it to the range this morning, yesterday too but that'll be in my weekly practice synopsis, and I spent the entire time on aim. Two blocks, 20 minutes each. The first was with AW, hitting partial shots, and the second was with 9i hitting flighted shots. I followed the same process for both blocks.

 

I picked a short game flag as my target line. They were different based on the clubs, so the AW was more down the range but the 9i target was off to my right. I did this because of angles and distances. I had an alignment stick in the ground and had a couple broken tees 4+ feet ahead of where the ball would be just to act as a frame of reference. I'd place a ball and go through my PSR. Stand behind it and focus on the line to my target and try to pick out something closer to align the clubface to. Setup, look at target, and just swing.

 

I found 2 things. My clubface is a touch closed and my shoulders are open. I fixed both but the shoulders were eye opening. I closed my stance over a few shots and when the ball seemed to be on target, my shoulders felt like they were aimed right at the target. I stuck with that feeling and things seemed to be better. It wasn't perfect but some of it was just bad swings versus aim being off.

 

I'll have to keep working on it and September may be a month of working on basics.

 

 

 

 

The Monte clinic was a game changer. Trying to make a full swing with woods and driver( still needs work); The drill to fix my chipping/pitching; Keeping my hips quiet when putting. Those were not heavy lift changes but they made a massive difference. Really hope I can go again in 2024. 

I'm glad to hear you have made the improvement.  You should video your swing or have a trusted friend check your alignment regularly.  Poor alignment causes all kinds of compensations in your swing that are hard to repeat.

 

Also, think hard about your pre shot routine.  I recently changed mine on the advice of a plus handicap.  No practice swings as part of the routine, just aim, takeaway rehearsal, check the target, trigger and go.  It's helped me a lot, but I tend to deviate from it later in the round.  

I have been practicing it regularly on the range, but it takes a long time to make it automatic.  My swing is much better on autopilot.
 

[bortass]

6 hours ago, mshills said:

 

I think this is critical....maintaining focus on a small number (less than five!) of key items is the way to get better, not working on 20 different things every day.

 

Regarding alignment / setup, for me, proper alignment for all shots -- full swing, short game, putts -- still feels closed, but that's because for much of my golfing life I purposefully lined up open, particularly with the putter.

 

I agree with the small number of changes.  I probably don't do it well, but I'm trying. I have the key things from the clinic and some other stuff I want to also work on. The setup of my practice sessions help because I go in knowing I will work on two things, one per block. Today I kinda doubled up since I worked on alignment both blocks but I used different clubs and shots. The 5 minute break between blocks also helps keep it from feeling like I'm just doing the same thing.

 

I haven't mapped out September yet, but I'm trying to go into each month with a set of items I want to work on. It's the core minimum for the month. last month wasn't so hot because of work, injury, and weather but I want to get a picture of my tracker posted at some point.

 

 

 

3 hours ago, PNWGuy said:

I'm glad to hear you have made the improvement.  You should video your swing or have a trusted friend check your alignment regularly.  Poor alignment causes all kinds of compensations in your swing that are hard to repeat.

 

Also, think hard about your pre shot routine.  I recently changed mine on the advice of a plus handicap.  No practice swings as part of the routine, just aim, takeaway rehearsal, check the target, trigger and go.  It's helped me a lot, but I tend to deviate from it later in the round.  

I have been practicing it regularly on the range, but it takes a long time to make it automatic.  My swing is much better on autopilot.
 

 

My pre-shot routine is very simple. Assess lie, distance, etc to determine club and target. Aim, set-up, look at target, trigger, swing. No practice swings or position checking. I never could get into the whole practice swing thing. Part of it was when I started golfing, I'd hit it fat, and practice swings just made big divots for no reason, lol.

 

The change now is just in the aim portion, so no big impact overall to the process. I plan to keep working on it at the range to get it ingrained better.

[Bob M]

@bortass - I haven't followed this thread much lately, but today read from May 2 to the present. Congrats on your terrific progress! It sounds like Monte's clinic was fantastic.

 

Over the past year, I purchased his UTB and NTC videos, watched all of UTB (some of it several times) but NTC not so much. your discussion about the full swing drills has me watching it again, more closely this time.  I really like your practice planning, particularly the concept of limiting it to specific things in 20-minute blocks. I need to get more efficient in my practice and plan to "steal" as much as I can from this thread, LOL. My goal is to break 80. Unlikely that it will happen this year, but I did shoot 82 and have broken 40 three times on our Par-34 back 9 so far this year. 

 

Thank you for doing this thread and laying out your efforts to improve. 

[bortass]

19 hours ago, Bob M said:

@bortass - I haven't followed this thread much lately, but today read from May 2 to the present. Congrats on your terrific progress! It sounds like Monte's clinic was fantastic.

 

Over the past year, I purchased his UTB and NTC videos, watched all of UTB (some of it several times) but NTC not so much. your discussion about the full swing drills has me watching it again, more closely this time.  I really like your practice planning, particularly the concept of limiting it to specific things in 20-minute blocks. I need to get more efficient in my practice and plan to "steal" as much as I can from this thread, LOL. My goal is to break 80. Unlikely that it will happen this year, but I did shoot 82 and have broken 40 three times on our Par-34 back 9 so far this year. 

 

Thank you for doing this thread and laying out your efforts to improve. 

You're welcome! That's one reason I have this thread. It gets me feedback but can sometimes help other people that are in a similar situation. It also forces some accountability on me which can be a plus or minus at times.

 

The practice routine is all based on stuff Monte said at the clinic. After 20 minutes of doing a task, we tend to check out and that means wasted time and effort when practicing. He also said to take a 5 minute break. 'Watch penguin videos' is what he said lol. He mentioned Hogan would take breaks to have a cig. Give your mind a break from things. I am not a planner and can be lazy. Getting up early and going to the range before work gets it out of the way. It makes it hard to work on some things like using foot spray to figure out face contact because the dew on the grass wipes it all away but something is better than nothing.

 

Made it out for 18 today with the seniors. It was ugly. 8 doubles.... I wish I could say I just sucked but that wasn't it. I had some great shots and followed them with garbage. 257 yard drive into the fairway sets up a partial SW into the green and it's a low pull and short. Bad chip and 3 putts for double.  240 yard drive into the fairway on a par 5 gets me 200 from center. Toe my 4w into the trees, leads to double. 236 yard drive into fairway and it's 9i to a back pin. Toe shank it way right and about 65 yards, leads to double. 216 yard 4w into fairway. I have a partial SW in and dump it in a bunker, leads to double.

 

It wasn't all bad but I rarely had multiple good shots back to back. A few mental errors didn't help either. I think chipping and wedges need some focus this month. My tee shots are giving me some pretty good looks and a solid wedge game would really help. 

 

I tried to aim better and I did on some shots I think.  I also think it led to some of the mishits I had but I can't expect magic after just 40 minutes of working on it. 

 

Overall, not a good round but not the end of the world. The weather was good and I did have some very solid shots and holes.

[bortass]

Practice went pretty good this week.

 

Tuesday block 1 - 20 minutes hitting partial PW, about 40 balls. It seemed to go well but I had some gaffs on the course Thursday with a wedge in my hand.

Tuesday block 2 - 20 minutes putting. Spent the first 10 minutes hitting short putts over an alignment stick. I need to keep working on this drill because I'm leaving putts short quite a bit. The second 10 minutes was holing out random long putts. I'd toss three balls in different spots and putt out to the same hole. Both items went pretty good.

 

Wednesday - mentioned in previous post. Two 20 minute blocks working on aim.

 

Friday block 1 - 20 minutes chipping range balls with SW. I was working on release 1 from Grieve's Three Releases, which is a low shot. It got better towards the end of the 20 minutes as I remembered some of the details.

Friday block 2 - 20 minutes hitting partial AW to a target. I went through my entire PSR each shot, so I was working on aim and contact. This one also got better over time. Had some nice shots but still too many mistakes. Had a few mishit pulls and pushes. Also was hitting a few of them fat. 

 

My stats in Arccos are a bit out of sorts. Because of damage to the course, I've had to exclude a number of my recent rounds. They should still paint a picture of what needs work and I don't think I've really looked closely under the hood that often.

 

Last 10 rounds(included in stats) compared to a 0 HCP. 

 

Approach(-8.3), my worst area and always has been.  I'm -4.1 from the fairway. I do better from the rough, -2.7, go figure. When I look at the breakdown of SG by distance a few things pop out.

I'm -1.5 in the 75-99 yard range which would be partial SW through some partial PW shots. My personal opinion is this area should be better. I used to consider it a strength but I think what has happened is the improvement in my irons and woods are starting to catch up and the wedges have stayed the same.

 

Speaking of irons, -1.8 in the 125-149 yard band, this would be 9i - some 6i shots. -1.9 in the 150 - 174 range band which is my 6i and 5i. 

 

My thoughts on a game plan: Practice the partial wedges because I do hit a decent number of them each round. I think I should also practice my short irons more. I know improvements will bleed across the range bands but I should be able to do better with the shorter clubs.

 

Putting(-4.4) A tie with driving for the #2 spot but I rate it as worse. I'm -3.1 inside 10 feet.... Give me short putts and I'll bleed some strokes away. It being short putts and my belief that putting is easier than a full swing is what makes it my #2. 

 

Game plan: Practice putting over the alignment rod since it helps with speed control and taking the break out of shorter putts. I probably need to start doing the clock drill from 2 feet and work my way further out as I get better.

 

Driving(-4.4), the story here is penalties, -2.1. Distance is next at -1.6. There's not much I plan to do about this. Distance will always be a challenge since a 0 HCP averages 259 off the tee on par 4 and 5s. I'm sitting at 212... I do have two tee shots per round w/ 4w, one w/ 7w, and one w/ 5i.  I don't practice with driver and rely on the trickle down from my full swing work with irons.

 

Game plan: nothing specific.

 

Short game (-1.7), my best area. This is one is pretty obvious. I'm -1.6 with 25-50 yard chips/pitches. I'm +0.6 in the 0-25 yard range. I'm leaving sand out of this because almost every bunker on my home course is played as GUR because of their condition. I am dropping strokes in the sand game but sand shots only really happen at the sister course or if I end up in one of the 4 bunkers that's been repaired at the home course. It's not worth the time to practice my sand game right now.

 

Game plan: Practice short chips because I still make bad mistakes and rely on chipping with my putter to keep this solid.  I do need to spend more time working on the longer chips/pitches though. Some of it will be using an iron to chip with. I do know my distance control has been off when I have been hitting the high pitches over bunkers, I tend to hit it too hard and land near the hole and it runs out long. Of course I'd rather miss like that than drop it in the bunker but I'm pretty sure I can do better.

 

As always, if you see anything that just looks dumb, let me know.  

 

 

Edited September 8, 2023 by bortass

[bortass]

I'll foreshadow a bit, process is what matters. 

 

Things are still a bit of a mess on the course from the storm. The big issue is #18, par 5, is still a par 3. They hope to get it reopened by this weekend but we'll see. This is why I have been excluding rounds from my personal stats in Arccos. It thinks I'm getting eagles on 18...

 

Now some possible controversy.  Both of the larger groups I play with are posting scores, by adding 2 to the score actually shot on 18. Reality is no scores should be posted if you follow the rules, it's in appendix G of the HCP guide. You could always post as if the hole was not played but it's the #2 HCP hole, so it'd be 6s for most everyone but that's not the case. So I have been posting scores by adding 2 to #18. It's not correct, and may be seen as vanity capping, but I don't want to deal with the fallout of not posting the scores or posting higher than people are expecting. Peer pressure is a b**** and I've won more than my fair share in some people's eyes. I apologize and feel free to add a * to my index until all these rounds roll off in a few months.

 

Back to the rounds. Both days were interesting but for different reasons.

 

Saturday, I was great off the tee. I never lost a ball and my only penalty was when I hit a partial 9i a bit heavy. The ball landed on the bank of a pond and rolled back in, so I was able to recover it. The greens were much faster than they have been and it took me most of the round to adjust. My putting was bad as a result. I knew they were fast because I spent 10 minutes on the practice green beforehand. 

 

My short game also struggled. I tried using 7i and 9i to chip at times and it went poorly. I was leaving stuff short, even when trying to chip with a wedge. I had a couple holes with two chips and I just wasn't getting anything close. I got up and down 1 time...

 

Approach game was solid, except for that 9i that went in the pond. I hit 11 greens! 

 

Driving was the star though. I was hitting it great( for me of course). I had 5 out of 7 driver shots were over 240. The other two was a 211 mishit and a solid drive that went 238, lol.

 

I did have a mental mistake or two that cost me shots but I'm aware of them. 

 

I shot a 44/37, 81 with two doubles. I posted an 83 and it dropped my index to 14.6( a new low).

 

Today's round was different. I had 4 doubles, 3 on the front and 1 on the back. Two doubles on the front were because of tee shots OOB... My driver struggled with the 4 penalty strokes. I was also off on a few other  drives but it was playable and I did good with what I had.

 

Process is what matters though. I shot a 45( 4 penalties) on the front with a birdie, 2 pars, 4 bogeys, and 3 doubles. Not exactly great. I shot a 38 on the back with 2 birdies, 1 par,  4 bogeys, and a double. I just played my game and it came together on the back. This time I didn't get frustrated and it paid off. It was a good lesson for me to experience and I hope I remember this round and just stick with it when I FUBAR things. Stay confident and just do my thing.

 

My approach game was better than normal but not as good as yesterday. I only hit 7 greens. My putting was much better. I still had some brainfarts but my three birdies were all one putts from 10, 12, and 15 feet. I also had another 1 putt from 15 feet to save double after being OOB off the tee.

 

So I shot an 83 and posted an 85, which is supposed to drop my index to 14.4( another new low). Like I mentioned, add an * if you'd like. I also avoided the mental mistakes that cost me some strokes on Saturday. Put myself in similar spots but I stuck with the smarter play and it paid off.

 

A couple of things I'd like to mention, one is related to my actual game and the other is opinion.

 

Opinion first, I got complimented by a guy I play with a fair bit. He's a good golfer, 7 index currently, so it bears some weight in my mind. He likes watching me hit the ball now and loves the ball flight I get. Both him and the other guy I play with a lot are amazed at how much I've improved since May, all thanks to Monte of course. It felt good.

 

Back to actual golf, I am starting to hedge my iron shots on the longer side, even my PW. This happened a few times today and it worked well. I'm starting to hit it further often enough that I think the change makes sense. It's still case by case though. I did have a great shot hurt me but it's a bit of an example. Par 3, 147 to a front right flag. I decide to hit 7i which pre-clinic was my 140 club. It's a high draw over the left side of the green, 160 yards, all carry. Tough chip and it led to a bogey but I can't complain about a great shot. I'll note that I don't expect to be hitting 7i, 160 but it's getting closer and closer to being a 150 club

 

I'm also finally taking into account my lie a bit more. Dew has caused a few fliers on me. Now I'm actually starting to play for it. Slow progress is still progress, lol.

 

I'm hoping to get out and practice 4 days this week. My next round is probably next Sunday.

 

Cheers!🍻

 

 

[bortass]

The mental mistake that cost me shots Saturday was pretty simple. I didn't follow my strategy for a hole. 

 

#3 par 5, and I have been hitting 4w for my second shot for a long time on this hole. For the last few months, I have been blocking it to the right and into trees. Four things will happen. 1)Shot went OOB or is lost; 2)Shot went in the section marked as hazard if it went in a certain area that's marked that way. 3) Ball is in the trees and it won't be an easy shot out. 4) ball makes it through some of the trees and ends up in the rough on a slope, ball above feet and above the green. None of these are good and I've been telling myself to hit an iron with my second shot instead of the 4w for a while.

 

Saturday, I cut the corner with my drive and it was a great looking shot. I think to myself, hit an iron, and then get on in three. My ball is in the fairway and the green is 200 yards away, which is 4w range. Think about it and decide to go for it with 4w. Green eventually clears and I block it into the right trees... My ball came out the other side and I'm on the slope in the rough.  Ball above my feet and a partial downslope in rough to a green below me. SW is decent but long and I come away with a bogey 6 after a great drive.

 

Sunday same hole, first tee shot OOB, lol, but we'll ignore it for this exercise. Second tee shot is a slight mishit and short but finds the fairway. I leave 4w in the bag and hit a poor 5i but it goes far enough to get me inside 100 yards and the right trees were never in play. Wedge over the green because I hit it too good. Chip to a foot and make the putt. A worse drive but better result without any stellar shots in the mix. 

 

Sure, these examples don't actually prove anything because it's a single instance. In theory, I could have hit that 5i into the trees or messed up, just like I could have hit that green in two with the 4w. It's about the trend with that specific shot. 4w off the deck is likely a push of some sort and over the long run it's been costing me.

 

Strategy isn't rigid though, and it'll change on this hole once I get the 4w off the deck figured out again. I used to be real good with it too. Off the tee 4w is almost always a draw, from the fairway it's that foolish push. Fun fun.

 

 

[bortass]

Made it to the range all four days.

 

Tuesday block 1 - Twenty minutes of chipping range balls with my SW. My focus was on contact and it seemed to go fairly well.

 Tuesday block 2 - Twenty minutes of hitting 4w off the deck. I picked a target and went through my PSR on each shot. The results were very mixed. Some were good and some were terrible. I have a feeling that my 4w needs to stay in my bag except for tee shots. Not sure what I did to break this swing since it had been going well but my driver, teed 4w, and irons are not suffering the same problem. I finally found my tripod and should try to get some swing video.

 

Wednesday block 1 - Twenty minutes of chipping and pitching range balls w/ GW. I picked various targets and it was decent.

Wednesday block 2 - Twenty minutes hitting 7i recovery shots. I used to be pretty good hitting low iron recovery shots in Maine because of all the trees. This is not a shot I need that often but it has other uses. A couple things of note, if I have a weight shift, I hit it fat. If I do a mostly arms swing, contact is much better as is the ball flight.

 

Thursday block 1 - Twenty minutes of short putting. I took four balls and placed them N/S/E/W around the hole. Start with the balls at one foot, make all the putts and then set the balls at two feet. make all of those and then set them at three feet. Miss a putt and start over at one foot. I never completed a loop at three feet. I made it to three feet a couple times but missed either the first or second putt.

 

Thursday block 2 - Twenty minutes putting inside 10 feet. I created a little game. Each round, scatter the four balls randomly around the same hole inside roughly ten feet. Make the putt for a point. Two putt for zero points. Lose a point for every putt over three it takes to hole out. After holing out all four balls, I did the same thing at another hole. I used three different holes and completed nine rounds. I had three points at the end of it. I think I earned five or six points but I had some three putts when I hit the ball too long. I left them all within three feet past the hole but still managed to miss a few.

 

Friday block 1 - Exactly the same as Thursday block 1. This time I managed to make the three foot loop once. I missed the first putt when I reset for the second loop at three feet.

 

Friday block 2 - Exactly the same as Thursday block 2. This time I scored fourteen points in my nine rounds. I did not have a single three putt. I missed at least one putt in that three foot range and it was not a bunch of short putts that let me score. I like that it puts some pressure on to make that second putt if you miss.

 

Should be able to play Sunday morning. Hopefully the course is back to normal.

 

Have a good weekend.

Edited September 15, 2023 by bortass
typo

[bortass]

Ever just want to laugh? That was my round Sunday. Things went off the rails in an almost amusing way. The main thing is I still had fun while shooting a ninety-nine. Thanks to NDB I posted a ninety-five. No change to my index, still 14.4, since nothing rolled off.

 

I started out pretty good with pars on #1 and #2.

 

#3 par five, I sent two tee shots OOB right... Led to a quad nine.

 

#4 par four, I hit a decent tee shot into the fairway about fifty yards from the hole. My wedge on goes a bit long and I have a forty-two foot birdie putt. I leave it six feet short and it turns into a four putt double.

 

#5 par five, a good four wood into the fairway. I play it safe and hit my five iron instead of the four wood that I have been pushing for the last few months when hit off the deck. I leave the face open and hit a push fade that catches a tree limb and falls a hazard. Leads to a double.

 

I get back on track going bogey, par, par.

 

#9 par four, is the piece de resistance of the round. I top my four wood off the tee two yards and do not get off the tee box. It's now on the ground, so I hit a push fade with the four wood into the rough of #1 by some trees. I want to just hit a low chip/runner to get back in the fairway and for some big brain reason used my sand wedge. Bad idea, lol. It clips a tree and drops about ten yards away. Might as well go for it with a punched five iron which ends up in the pond. Drop and barely get a partial SW across the water because I hit it very fat. The ball is almost in the pond and in very long grass. I can't take a normal stance and I hack at it with my sand wedge. It goes about two yards and I then hit my next chip too hard and through the green. Chip with putter to a foot and I have a nice round +6 ten on my card.

 

#10 is a quad eight.

 

I stabilize things with a par and a couple of bogeys over the next three holes. Though the bogey on #11 started with a topped five iron off the tee that went about 117 yards and luckily found the beginning of the fairway.

 

#14, tee shot OOB. Came away with a triple. I hit a great second tee shot, 264 into the fairway. Follow up with a solid five iron to the left side of the fairway to get me about one hundred yards from the hole. I hit a partial pitching wedge and it is a great looking high draw that goes long, a 116 yard shot... I three putt from thirty-six feet when I misread the break and get about pin high but five feet feet out.

 

A par on #15.

 

#16 par 3, I shank my seven iron into the right trees, about thirty-five yards in front of me. I drop and hit a partial pitching wedge 110 yards and forty-three feet past the hole. I lag it to two feet and have a double bogey.

 

#17 par 4, a decent drive into the wind. I have a six iron in and leave it open and blade it. I have a long chip from mud and get it on the green but twenty-four feet past the hole. two putts for bogey.

 

#18 par 5, this hole sums up how I felt about the round. The tee boxes are re-sodded, so all the markers are by the forward tees. I hit a solid four wood, 213 yards, into the fairway on the right. I can reach the green in from here with my four wood and there is a bit of a head wind. This time I hit a high draw, 171 yards, that lands just short of the green. I have an eagle chip and leave it short. Use the putter and send it five feet past the hole and I two putt for a bogey, six. Yup, an eagle chip turns into bogey.

 

I struggled in every aspect of the game but also hit some great shots in every aspect of the game.  I sank an eight footer for par. I had a twenty-two yard chip with my gap wedge get to a foot of the hole. My driver was solid except the three OOB shots which are hard to overcome. I had a few high draws with my irons on a couple par threes that went longer than expected. There was also the partial pitching wedge that was going longer than normal.

 

I chalk it up to just one of those rounds and do not plan to change anything I am doing because of it. Hopefully, I play better next weekend.

 

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

2 hours ago, bortass said:

 

I chalk it up to just one of those rounds and do not plan to change anything I am doing because of it. Hopefully, I play better next weekend.

 

 

Yeah, it sounds like one of those rounds where every mistake results in a penalty stroke, whereas other rounds where you make all the same mistakes but they at least end up "ok". Score-killers for a round even when you maybe did nothing differently than the previous round; you just did the bad things in places you can't get away with it... 

 

[bortass]

34 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Yeah, it sounds like one of those rounds where every mistake results in a penalty stroke, whereas other rounds where you make all the same mistakes but they at least end up "ok". Score-killers for a round even when you maybe did nothing differently than the previous round; you just did the bad things in places you can't get away with it... 

 

That seems about right. A key will be to not panic and try to 'fix' things. Nothing good will come of it. It is what it is, just have faith in the process and keep moving on. I wish that mindset was as easy as typing the words but that is how I need to handle it.

 

How was the concert?

[Long_Left]

On 9/15/2023 at 12:25 PM, bortass said:

 

 Tuesday block 2 - Twenty minutes of hitting 4w off the deck. I picked a target and went through my PSR on each shot. The results were very mixed. Some were good and some were terrible. I have a feeling that my 4w needs to stay in my bag except for tee shots. Not sure what I did to break this swing since it had been going well but my driver, teed 4w, and irons are not suffering the same problem. I finally found my tripod and should try to get some swing video.

 

Wednesday block 2 - Twenty minutes hitting 7i recovery shots. I used to be pretty good hitting low iron recovery shots in Maine because of all the trees. This is not a shot I need that often but it has other uses. A couple things of note, if I have a weight shift, I hit it fat. If I do a mostly arms swing, contact is much better as is the ball flight.

 

 

These two things really jump off the page at me. "Not sure what I did to break the swing" and "if I have a weight shift, I hit it fat" 

 

Neither of those statements is anything other than you justifying not figuring it out. Apologies for the tone, I know it's harsh, I'm not here to bully you or make you feel bad. My aim is to inspire you to figure it out. 

 

Second one first. If you're hitting it heavy when hitting punch shots, you are (most likely) only "shifting weight" with your lower body and it's moving your path significantly to the inside, which will drastically change your low point. The general rule for deviations from your normal setup, out to in moves low point forward, and in to out moves it back. Giving up and hitting an arm swing chippy shot will really hold you back from recovering when your lie is poor. Spray a line on the ground with foot spray and experiment (start with your weight 70% on the front foot and swing without letting it shift back) rather than honing your skill on a limited use shot. Failing in practice is the entire point of practicing!

 

For the first one, if you can hit a club off a tee you can hit it off a decent lie, full stop. Maybe it flies a little lower or has a little more sidespin but if the results are dramatically different then you are putting different swings on it and it's in your head. Angle of attack is the most likely culprit, if you are a degree or two up then the tee shot will be fairly easy, the deck strike will require a ton of precision. How high are you teeing it up? Do you take any divot or leave any mark on the ground when it is teed up? Learning to hit down (or even neutral) on fairway woods and hybrids is a skill you need to have to score better. Reading thru your last round recap and seeing you struggling with a layup just screams that you are letting your head get in the way and are standing over the ball hoping instead of committing to a shot. 100% commitment doesn't guarantee success, we all still fail on execution plenty, but you have to get out of "I can hit it anywhere but there" mode and find a shot you can commit to.

 

 

[bortass]

21 hours ago, Long_Left said:

These two things really jump off the page at me. "Not sure what I did to break the swing" and "if I have a weight shift, I hit it fat" 

 

Neither of those statements is anything other than you justifying not figuring it out. Apologies for the tone, I know it's harsh, I'm not here to bully you or make you feel bad. My aim is to inspire you to figure it out. 

 

Second one first. If you're hitting it heavy when hitting punch shots, you are (most likely) only "shifting weight" with your lower body and it's moving your path significantly to the inside, which will drastically change your low point. The general rule for deviations from your normal setup, out to in moves low point forward, and in to out moves it back. Giving up and hitting an arm swing chippy shot will really hold you back from recovering when your lie is poor. Spray a line on the ground with foot spray and experiment (start with your weight 70% on the front foot and swing without letting it shift back) rather than honing your skill on a limited use shot. Failing in practice is the entire point of practicing!

 

For the first one, if you can hit a club off a tee you can hit it off a decent lie, full stop. Maybe it flies a little lower or has a little more sidespin but if the results are dramatically different then you are putting different swings on it and it's in your head. Angle of attack is the most likely culprit, if you are a degree or two up then the tee shot will be fairly easy, the deck strike will require a ton of precision. How high are you teeing it up? Do you take any divot or leave any mark on the ground when it is teed up? Learning to hit down (or even neutral) on fairway woods and hybrids is a skill you need to have to score better. Reading thru your last round recap and seeing you struggling with a layup just screams that you are letting your head get in the way and are standing over the ball hoping instead of committing to a shot. 100% commitment doesn't guarantee success, we all still fail on execution plenty, but you have to get out of "I can hit it anywhere but there" mode and find a shot you can commit to.

 

 

 

I appreciate the feedback! Your tone is fine and it did not bother me. This is constructive feedback. After I broke ninety for the first time back in '12, I had started a thread on trying to break eighty. Things were not going well and someone pointed out a harsh reality. I did not practice enough to get there and never would unless something changed. I did not like reading it because it was the truth and I knew it. 

 

I will tackle the "Not sure what I did to break the swing" first. That is a simple fact. I had been hitting my four wood off the deck pretty solidly and getting a nice draw to it. I actually had confidence in the shot. I felt fine hitting my four wood as the second shot on #3, assuming the lie and angle were good enough. A few months ago that changed and I started to hit push fades that would start well right of my target line and curve right. On this hole that sends the ball into the trees and likely OOB.

 

Something has changed and I do not know what it is. I thought it was ball position, ball drifting too far back. My swing could have changed. My statement was just highlighting the fact something is different and I do not know what it is yet.

 

As far as tee height, the top of the tee is about a fingers width above the ground. I have been putting the tee in the ground the exact same way for a few years but I have not looked to see how high the ball is versus the clubface. I'll try to get that info. 

 

I do not take a divot with my woods when using a tee. I don't think I do off the deck either.

 

Fat strike time. I actually spent today's range session working on this. Both twenty minute blocks used a line of foot spray on the ground. I placed the ball on the line and tried to get my divot in front of it. Strike drills like this is something I want to do more of.

 

Block 1, I started with my nine iron. I noticed I kept hitting behind the ball and it seemed to be about the same spot. I shifted the ball back so it was more in the center of my chest and the divot moved in front of the ball. I grabbed my seven iron and played the ball back a touch from where I normally do and the number of fat shots dropped. I still had thin shots though. My focus was on hitting the ball first versus where the ball was going. I feel like it went well.

 

Block 2, I used my pitching wedge and hit partial shots. I shifted the ball back a touch and started with weight left. It went pretty well.

 

One thing I noticed is my weight felt it was too far back on the thin shots. I can not say this is factual, just what I felt.

 

[TheDeanAbides]

Might be time to get some videos up again, buddy.

[bortass]

8 minutes ago, TheDeanAbides said:

Might be time to get some videos up again, buddy.

Yep, I found the tripod. Your post made me go put it back in my golf bag. I'll try to get some video tomorrow.

 

Anything in particular I should try to capture i.e. driver/wood swing or my flighted iron swing etc? 

Edited September 19, 2023 by bortass

[Long_Left]

59 minutes ago, bortass said:

 

I appreciate the feedback! Your tone is fine and it did not bother me. This is constructive feedback. After I broke ninety for the first time back in '12, I had started a thread on trying to break eighty. Things were not going well and someone pointed out a harsh reality. I did not practice enough to get there and never would unless something changed. I did not like reading it because it was the truth and I knew it. 

 

I will tackle the "Not sure what I did to break the swing" first. That is a simple fact. I had been hitting my four wood off the deck pretty solidly and getting a nice draw to it. I actually had confidence in the shot. I felt fine hitting my four wood as the second shot on #3, assuming the lie and angle were good enough. A few months ago that changed and I started to hit push fades that would start well right of my target line and curve right. On this hole that sends the ball into the trees and likely OOB.

 

Something has changed and I do not know what it is. I thought it was ball position, ball drifting too far back. My swing could have changed. My statement was just highlighting the fact something is different and I do not know what it is yet.

 

As far as tee height, the top of the tee is about a fingers width above the ground. I have been putting the tee in the ground the exact same way for a few years but I have not looked to see how high the ball is versus the clubface. I'll try to get that info. 

 

I do not take a divot with my woods when using a tee. I don't think I do off the deck either.

 

Fat strike time. I actually spent today's range session working on this. Both twenty minute blocks used a line of foot spray on the ground. I placed the ball on the line and tried to get my divot in front of it. Strike drills like this is something I want to do more of.

 

Block 1, I started with my nine iron. I noticed I kept hitting behind the ball and it seemed to be about the same spot. I shifted the ball back so it was more in the center of my chest and the divot moved in front of the ball. I grabbed my seven iron and played the ball back a touch from where I normally do and the number of fat shots dropped. I still had thin shots though. My focus was on hitting the ball first versus where the ball was going. I feel like it went well.

 

Block 2, I used my pitching wedge and hit partial shots. I shifted the ball back a touch and started with weight left. It went pretty well.

 

One thing I noticed is my weight felt it was too far back on the thin shots. I can not say this is factual, just what I felt.

 

Based on your descriptions, it sounds like the 4w issue is nothing more than an open clubface at impact, as for "why" it's happening it could be a number of things including many that you've mentioned. I'd recommend a different approach to fixing it though, if you know you're making contact resulting in a pushed fade, a few things are true, the clubface is open BOTH relative to path and relative to your intent. If you have a general idea of your path and strike point, there are a hundred ways to get the clubface pointed more left at impact, from full blown swing/grip changes to simply shutting the face down a hair at address. Experiment during practice and use ways to gather good feedback, foot spray, launch monitor, and simply understanding the launch conditions that produce a given ball flight. With all that said, I'm 95% sure you aren't getting enough weight onto your lead leg early enough to square the club up. You're likely trying to "help" the ball in the air off the deck (off your back foot and adding loft) which is why the teed up ball isn't affected, you believe that it's easier to launch higher. 

 

Your instinct on the heavy shots sound correct to me, weight back increases AoA ( i.e. from 6 down to 2 down or even towards positive in bad cases) and results in thin shots with shorter clubs. It's a VERY common fault, a good friend of mine hits every shot in the bag off his back foot and plays to an 8 index, great driver of the ball, abysmal inside 150 player and his "bad days" are brutally bad. My standard recommendation for weight transfer issues is practicing with a short iron (I use an 8i) hitting "full" 80%ish shots with your feet together, fighting the urge to set up open. If you can do that while staying in balance thru the finish and hold it you're moving close enough to correct to play solid golf. It's an uncomfortable drill, but it has paid huge dividends for me in consistently finding a clean strike.

[TheDeanAbides]

1 hour ago, bortass said:

Yep, I found the tripod. Your post made me go put it back in my golf bag. I'll try to get some video tomorrow.

 

Anything in particular I should try to capture i.e. driver/wood swing or my flighted iron swing etc? 

It world be good to see both if possible.