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

[SNIPERBBB]

Yeah you gotta be careful with those club recommendations from apps.

 

There's three yardages you should know that you hit each club. The perfect shot yardage, which is the ones where you hit it flush. The normal yardage, which is the distance you get 70-80% or better of the time. Then theres the miss yardage, which is the yardage if you catch it a bit thinner or fatter than usual. Don't worry about the big blocks, snap hooks, chunks.

 

The apps base things on averages which we should all know is a meaningless stat because it's either out of context or the outliers skewing it so badly

[bortass]

@SNIPERBBB I hear ya. The caddy feature doesn't apply well for me because I don't have enough shots with many clubs. My 4w numbers should be pretty solid since I've hit that thing almost 400 times., contrast that with the rarely used 4i where I don't trust it and base my yardages off other clubs. if I assume a 10 yard gap, I figure my 4i is about 155ish.

Of course I have a 'side' issue in the mix. All of this stuff starts in January and I was just starting to get back into playing. So the numbers are littered with mishits etc, that may not be as prevalent now. I almost wonder if I should unpair most of my clubs and start over. This system has the ability to do that and keep the old data. The main use for the feature would be changing clubs. Buy a new driver and you can set things up so it gets tracked seperately from your old one. Kinda cool.

Arccos is a bit different in how they seem to do things but I don't know the logic they use. They ignore shots that are short or go long when it comes to the averages. I have read that they partnered with Microsoft to apply AI to their golf shot database(s). In my club usage section shots are green if they got used or gray if not. For example I'm looking at my 7i from yesterday. I used it three times and none of the shots are included in my average distance stats. Hole 2, par 3, was 138 yard push that missed the green well right. On #6, it was my second shot from the fairway and I bladed it 107 yards. #8 elevated par 3, 155 yards and on the back of the green. I guess their analytics feel like all of those are too far outside my 'norm' to be considered.

The 7i has a range of 119 to 136 with an average of 128. My long is 154 and that was a pure shot on an elevated tee. My 6i is 119 - 140, 129 average with a long of 166 from the same elevated par 3 as the 7i. These numbers have been handy on hole 8, which is the elevated par 3. I almost always hit 7i on it now because I know if I do hit it pure, I'm on the very back of the green. If the flag is back, I will consider my 6i, especially with a headwind, and know that if I catch it pure, I will be over the back of the green. The 6i was heavily used early on as I was getting into things and I'm now using my 7i for those shots. So I kinda play my 6i as a 135ish club and 7i as 125.

[bortass]

I went to the range on my lunch break today. I chipped 25 times with the balls I play with. Short game has been a struggle and I figure it's time to use my game ball. I hit a few thin, which is bad, but I think I made a bit of progress. The majority of my chips were what I would deem "okay". They got close enough that I have a chance to one putt and two putt at the worst. One difficult thing is they pulled all of the little flags off the practice green. So I was chipping a bit blind at times. The big thing at the moment is just getting better contact and some distance control. I need to stay on my chipping. I was about to say I hope to stay on it but that's wrong, I need to...

 

I hit shots after chipping. It's still a real mixed bag. I started with pitches w/ the niblick. Next some partial PW shots. Then some full 7i. Followed by some driver. More partial shots with wedges and niblick at the end. I hit some good ones but most were mishit, namely thin. I managed a few shanks as well with the iron, sigh.

 

Driver, I tried using a lower tee and my first few shots were decent. True fades but it devolved into the typical push slice. I probably hit less then 10 shots with it. I'm thinking I need to go back to the Adams Speedline that I used to game. The MacGregor driver I started using is something I had picked up back in 2006 or so based on reviews. It was considered to be a real good driver and people loved the Adilia 65g shaft but maybe it's a bad combo for me. I couldn't hit it when I sucked at golf and when I got decent, I was using the Adams.

 

I did notice something odd yesterday. There an odd yardage gap between my 4w and 7w. It's less then 10 yards using it off the tee and when used off the deck. Arccos tracks tee shots and approaches separately except with par 3s. In both cases the difference between my average 4w and 7w is 10 yards or less. Seems odd to me. I'm gonna ask about it in the club builders section to see if any experts there have a clue on what i should expect for a gap based on the club specs.

[SNIPERBBB]

Is the 4w and 7w the same model and shafts or are they mix matched. There should definitely be more of a distance gap especially off the tee. Though with your swing speed, the gapping is going to be narrower by default compared to longer players. Really outta be around 20 yards unless you're hitting the 4w not quite as well as your 7w.

[bortass]

@SNIPERBBB They are same model and shafts. The 4w is 17* and the 7w is 21*. 4w is also one inch longer. It most likely just my swing and could even be the fact the 7w off the tee is fairly recent and only on a few holes. So it wouldn't have as many poor swings from earlier this year.

[bortass]

Well I snuck out for 9 around lunch and tried to beat the incoming rain... 13 MPH wind right in my face on #1. Overcast and probably high 60s.

 

1 - par 4. I hit a high push pop up with my 4w into the wind. It looked like a 6i shot and the ball just dropped out of the sky, 152 yards total, into the fairway on the right side. I'm far enough away from the trees on the right to aim for the opening to the green on the left side where there is no bunker. The flag is on the right behind said bunker. I'm 220+ out and won't reach regardless. So I see no reason to go right at the pin and bring the trees into play if i hit a push. I swing my 4w and top that ball a nice 106 yards down my target line. I'm about 115 or so from center and in the fairway. Steady wind in my face. I go with my 7i and hit a high weak push fade off the toe. It almost carries the right aside of the bunker but no dice. A nice 103 yards.....Sigh. I have a decent lie and use my GW. I hit behind the ball and it pops up and lands in the bunker.... Here we go... I try again and it comes out almost 45* right of my line and into the green. I'm 18 feet from the cup and two putt for a nice opening hole triple bogey 7.

 

I am so pleased with my start as I walk to #2. I don't feel good about my swing and the sand shots were not good. This is not a good frame of mind at all for me.

 

2 - par 3, the flag is to the left a bit and behind the left side bunker. I set up on the right side of the tee box and aim left. This makes the green the widest for my approach and guards against that stupid push fade I like to hit. I hit my 7i a touch thin but get a draw out of it. it carries the left greenside bunker and I see the ball roll to the right and towards the back middle of the green. My guess is i just carried the bunker and my ball landed on a little slope that's angled to the right, so the ball went in the opposite direction of the shot shape. I'm 29 feet from the hole and it's sloping away from me and breaking right to left. I can't recall the exact sequence but i end up three putting for a bogey 4. I think the first putt broke low and I was a good 3-4 feet out and I just missed the par putt.

 

I'm thinking that I still have a shot at a decent round as I walk to 3. All I need to do is play well on 3 and I can get the round back on track.

 

3 - par 5, dogleg right. I tee off with my 4w and top it 55 yards. Came right down on the top front of the ball and drove it into the turf. I'm thinking there goes my shot at a good round as I walk to my ball. I got my chip out of the way with a tee shot..... I am in the fairway and hit my 4w again. I make better contact and it's a high draw to the left that goes 165 yards. I'm still in the fairway and have a good angle into the green. I am about 160 - 165 out and decide to hit my 7w. I hit a low push slice with it , probably missed right by a good 35+ yards and I'm in the rightmost greenside bunker. The flag is to the left and I have a lot of distance to cover. I use my PW to hit out of the bunker and on the green. I'm 39 feet short. I don't know what to do to get out of a bunker and close if I have a long ways to go. My shot was nice and high and didn't roll out much. I two putt for a bogey 6.

 

I'm feeling a bit better as I walk to 4. I survived the crap tee shot on 3 and only lost one stroke because of it.

 

4 - par 4 that's real short from the forward tees, about 225 to center. I use my 4w and hit a high push, 172 yards, into the right rough to the right of the fairway bunker that's on the right. The flag is forward and I'm 50ish from the front and about 60ish to center. i'm coming in from the right and have to carry a bunker. I'm also above the green since the fairway bunker is in the side of a slight slope. I take my GW and hit a partial shot. The ball comes out high, lands on the green, and rolls out about 8 feet above the hole. I don't know what it is about this shot but I felt soo good holding my finish and watching the ball fly and land on the green. I know it was a very good shot for me so i guess i did my best to savor it, lol. I have a downhill putt that looks pretty straight to me. I line up and putt and it breaks short of the hole and about 2 feet out on the low side. Oh well. I make the par putt though!

 

I am feeling good as I walk to #5. It starts to sprinkle now. I figure I'm about as far from the clubhouse as possible and might as well push on. I recently bought an umbrella extension for my Clickgear to help keep the sun off me in the summer. It was gonna rain today so I left it and my umbrella at the house.... Lol. Smarts I tell ya. The sprinkles/light misting rain keeps up the rest of the round. I don't bother with my rain gloves that are in my bag. My hands stayed pretty dry until the very end on #9. I never had a club slip on me during the round. So lets see how it goes as i get wet.

 

5 - par 5, dogleg right. I have been hitting my 7w off the tee here since I almost put a well struck 4w into the stream that's near the corner on the left. I stay with the 7w and hit a low push into the side of the slope to the right of the fairway. It kills the ball and kicks it left into the fairway, 150 yards. Not what I want at all but it's playable. I aim to the left side of the fairway on the other side of the corner and hit my 7w off the deck. I top a push right into the stream on the right about 70 yards in front of me...

I might have been able to find my ball in the tall grass but some members made a comment to me last week about snakes in that area. One nice thing about Maine is it's the only state with no indigenous poisonous snakes or spiders. I have no clue about such things and decided to say screw it. I just drop a ball. Gamers cost me about 75 cents each since I get them on sale. I'd probably be fine but I just know that I know nothing about it. So call me a wuss if ya want.

I don't have a great angle from here and just hit an 8i to get into play. it's a lowish draw that goes 115 yards and i'm in the fairway with a shot at the green. Flag looks like it's on the lower tier, right side, and I'm 105 from center. I decide to hit my 9i. I blade it 104 yards through the green. Center of the green is further left which is why a shot that's almost the same distance as center ended up in the back fringe. This chip is gonna suck. I'm going downhill and there is a tier to go down on the green. I aim with my putter and hit it too hard. I miss the hole and roll through the green and just into the fringe at the front. I use my putter again and get it a foot short of the cup. So i make the putt for a nice 8.

 

I walk to 6 and stop under some trees to write down my score. I'm not real happy at this point. My swing is just crap. The rain isn't bothering me though. I'm getting wet but I'm not miserable nor upset. I am frustrated with myself.

 

6 - par 4, slight dogleg left. I tee off with my 4w and hit a high push down the right side 171 yards. The ball lands in the right rough near the cart path and the slope kicks it left and barely into the fairway. The flag is front right and I have a perfect angle at it. The bunkers to the left are out of play and I'm about 125 from center. The ball is above my feet a little and I go with my 7i. I blade it 117 yards and onto the green... the ball was never more than a few feet off the ground. I'm 26 feet past the hole and it slopes down left to right. I leave my birdie putt a bit short but secure my par.

 

7 - par 4, slight dogleg right with an elevated tee shot. I top my 4w, smashing the ball into the turf again..It rolls 45 yards and stops in the short rough before reaching the cart path in front of the tee box. I am beside myself... i have no clue what is going on with my swing. I get to my ball and I don't like trying to hit another wood here. I just want to try and punch something as far down the fairway as I can. I decide to use my 4i and I manage a real low draw 146 yards into the fairway. I'm about 135 from center and grab my 6i. I hit a low push and miss the green right. The shot went 136 yards and I'm almost pin high, right of the green. So correct club, wrong direction. I chip with the niblick for the first time this round. I make good contact and it rolls out 9 feet past the hole. I look my putt over and sink it for a bogey.

 

Well I survived another crap tee shot at least.

 

8 - par 3, elevated tee shot. The flag is near the front and I've been hitting 7i on this hole. I stay with the 7i and hit it fat... It's a low draw that goes 126 yards and stops short of the green. I chip with the niblick again and make good contact but not a big enough swing, so I'm 18 feet short of the cup. I two putt for another bogey.

 

I'm thinking that I just need a decent score on 9 as I make the walk to the tee box.

 

9 - par 4, water on the left as you get closer to the green. I have been using my 7w off the tee since I have put my 4w into the pond with a well struck shot that went a little left on me. I almost always hit a push fade/push slice on this hole for some reason though. I take my 7w and aim left. It's a low draw right at the pond, 184 yards, and it stops just short. I'm about 120ish from center and decide on my 7i. I have to carry the pond to reach the green. The flag is back left and i decide to aim more for the right side of the green to reduce the amount of water I need to carry. It takes me a bit of time to dry my right hand after pulling the 7i out of the bag for some reason. I setup and top it right into the pond. Bite me. I drop a bit closer to the hole, don't even look at the yardage and hit my 7i again. It's a thin push 102 yards to the right of the green. I'm near the green in 4, yay me! I decide to pitch with my niblick. The club catches the turf in my backswing which slows it down and suddenly releases it. I blade the ball through 9 and the right side on #18... So I have to chip over part of 18 to reach 9. I chip with the niblick and the ball stops just short of rolling down onto 9 thanks to a big goose turd. I've just had it at this point. So I use the niblick like a putter to get onto the green about 16 feet short of the hole. I grab my putter and two putt for a nice +5 nine.

 

A nice 51 with a 7, 8, and 9 on the card. That's almost half my score on three holes. Talk about skill. The rain didn't really bother me which is good. Catching the turf in my backswing on the pitch with the niblick ended any serious attempt on #9 at an okay score but the goose turd stopping my ball sealed the deal with me even caring.

 

I really don't know what to make of things. I did not hit the ball well but still managed to play decent on 6 holes. I guess I have that going for me, lol. My scrambling skills after a topped tee shot are doing well. My mental composure wasn't good. Started off poorly on #1 and had negative thoughts scattered throughout the round. A good time to take a deep breath and relax. Put this round behind me and maybe see if I can figure out the mishits before I hit the range or play next.

[Chip Duffer]

It seems that’s you’re going through the gains and plateaus. As I read your post the other day and again today, I just started thinking one man scramble. It would be a good way to learn what your potential is with fewer “other” scores.

You have had some good 9 hole progress and I think confidence in your game will help you at least begin to believe that you CAN achieve your goal.

As for this last round, you shot a 51 in really bad conditions. That’s significant because only a month or so ago, that was a pretty good score in much better playing conditions. As challenging as the day was, it still shows that you’re making progress.

[Chip Duffer]

p.s. putt, chip, pitch. Rinse and repeat. Make it a game.

I was reading Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book last week and o e of he things that stuck with me is that’s he had students, VERY good golfers, chip and putt with one ball. Chip, then putt until the ball is in the hole, then do it again, and again. This serves multiple purposes. It simulates playing conditions and it also creates a level of pressure to perform. Clearly, when we do this we’re want the chips all in one putt range.

Play Well.

[bortass]

@Twin2L Thanks for the kind words. Overall things are improving. My swing being Helter Skelter is a bit painful but that's okay. It will come around as I play more. I need to remember that I'm coming off a 7 year layoff from the game and I wasn't at my best when I quit playing. My index is currently better then when I stopped.

Scores will fluctuate because it's a sum total of your game that day. It's why I'm also going to use the Arccos numbers as a gauge of progress. I may see incremental progress there versus a consistent drop in scores. It's about motivation and staying positive.

A one man scramble would be interesting. I can't post any of my scores when I'm solo which is the majority of the time. The low round of 41 is also a good sign of what I am capable of. It might be very rare but if I did it once, I can do it again. Especially since I expect to be golf more frequently than I used to. Gotta play to justify the membership.

The chip and putt game you mention is something I used to do. I would take three balls, scatter them in slightly different spots and pick a hole. Chip them all and then putt out and see what my score was. I should start doing that a bit more.

I have a better feel for my course management and I'm starting to make adjustments based on how far the ball is going off the tee. It's no longer pull 4w on all the non par 3s. I'm mixing the 7w in on a couple holes to prevent a real good shot from getting me in trouble. Kind of funny to be playing defensively that way versus defensively to avoid putting the ball into the trees on the right with a slice, lol.

[jim rockford]

i analyzed your 57 with 5 penalty strokes.

 

versus bogey golf (will get to you 87 or so with some easy hole pars and a couple of doubles)

 

for 9 holes, i have...........

2 good holes.

3 utter disasters.

4 holes where you gave away a shot in short game.

probably obvious but utter disasters have to go. i shoot high 80's and i'm probably down 1.5 per round..... we need to get to zero.

and giving away short game shots is completely unacceptable.......... i understand wayward drivers and mis-hitts from fairway/tee. but not being able to get up/down in 3 strokes from near green is outrageous. don't get me wrong, i suffer from this too.................. in fact, you want to be saving strokes with your short game to break 85 consistently, not just get ok with it.

sorry for the harsh tones......... just thought i'd make these ideas very clear. and i struggle with this too.

 

[bortass]

I suck, this post is gonna be venting a little or maybe whining, lol.

Went out for 9 and it turned into a disaster. I got delayed heading to the course and barely got to the tee at my tee time. I was alone, the foursome in front of me was on the green and the group behind me was waiting around for their 4th guy. I rush my tee shot and top it. Try again and top it worse. I play my original ball and manage to get a 6. Not horrid, just embarrassing.

 

#2 - I tee off with my 7i and hit a real high draw that looks good. It lands a few feet from the back of the green on the right side and the slopes feeds my ball left and towards the front. Shot only went 120 total but I'm 3 feet from the cup. I make the birdie putt.

 

Life is good!

 

#3 - Hit my tee shot into the right trees and play it out. Hit my third shot thin and through the left side of the green. End up with a 7.

#4 - bunker fun leads to a 5.

#5, I card an 11 and it snowballs from there. Bunch of triple bogeys with a single double after that disaster. It was a 57, lol.

 

I have lost the ability to hit the ball it seems. A lot of tops and blades. I am getting real good at hitting the ball on the upswing. I'll eventually figure out what I'm doing and correct it.

 

Positives were #2 and my chipping was better. Distance control is off but I did not blade any. My course management was good. I wasn't trying to play risky shots, I just couldn't hit the ball.

[bortass]

@jim rockford Not harsh at all. What you wrote makes complete sense. I wish it was just one area that I struggle with but I'm all over the map of late. I need to shore up everything. I doubt that splitting my time on the range between chipping, sand shots, pitches, and full swings is optimal but I am hoping that it will lead to incremental improvements across my game.

My course management is geared to avoiding a blow up. There are a couple holes on the back 9 where I am possibly giving up on par to avoid dunking a ball in the water and carding a triple+. Execution is the issue of course. I can recover and do okay with a single blow up per 9, if we're talking about a triple bogey. At least golf is fun!

[SNIPERBBB]

@bortass
Never pays to rush. You get tense, which causes your arms to get shorter and you get said tops.

[bortass]

I agree. Thing is I thought I had recovered after the tee shot top. I had to hit a layup 7i with my second. It went well. I then hit a low shot with my 4w off the deck, 193 yards. Takes me three to get down from about 45 yards from the hole. The guys behind me are teeing off as I'm leaving the green. I never felt rushed after that. I waited on the foursome in front of me for every tee shot and approach after that. The guys behind me eventually started waiting for me to hit my approach to tee off but that wasn't until #6.

 

#4 I hit a low 4w, 197 yards into the left green side bunker off the tee. I misplayed my bunker shot and ended up in the back right bunker. Got out of that and two putted from about 33 feet for a 5.

 

#5 - Top my 7w 70 yards off the tee. Layup with a partial 7i, 108 yards, which put me where a tee shot would land. I aim left with my 7w and top it off the toe into a hazard to my right. Find my ball and try to hack it out with a 6i and it goes in the water. Drop outside the hazard, punch a 6i, 79 yards to get in position. I'm 95 - 100 from center. I hit a full PW which is bladed through the green into a bunker on the left. Get out of the bunker and slopes make my ball roll into the fringe. Chip with my putter to about 2 feet. Check out mentally and miss the putt. Make the next one and card an 11.

 

#6 - top 4w 87 yards into the fairway. About 197 out and I top my 4w again, 113 yards. Partial PW that I somehow blade dead left into a bunker. Get out and three putt from roughly 33 feet. My focus was gone.

 

#7 - hit driver for the hell of it and it's a thin shot but straight 165 yards, lol. I'm 165 from center in the fairway and top my 7w. Hit a partial GW on. Miss my par putt and lip out the next one. So a 6.

 

#8 - par 3, wind in my face and back pin. I decide to hit my 6i and it's a dead push into the right trees. I don't bother to look for it. I drop a ball short of the green, chip on and two putt and write down a 6 with 2 penalty strokes on my 6i shot. I can't post my round, so it's not the end of the world that I played a bit loose with the rules here. I already know I'm not going low, so no harm no foul in my book.

 

#9 - low push with my 7w 171 yards into the rough on #1 again. I hit a strong chip with my PW about 52 yards to get in position. i'm 95 from center and hit my PW. Another low push that misses well right. I've had it by this point. So I chip my my niblick and come up short of the green. use my putter from the frine and get it to about 8 feet because i completely under read the break. Missed the putt by a little and end up with a 7.

 

Walk to my truck frustrated at my inability to play. Something is off and I'm not sure what it is. I'm not real concerned yet but tomorrow's 18 may be interesting. I need to stay focused regardless of what happens since it's a very low stakes skins game and all it takes is a good hole or two to at least break even.

[bortass]

So I shot a smooth 57 the last time I played 9. I played 18 with the guys Saturday morning. Weather was good, sunny, low 70s when we teed off. No wind. Greens have been sanded which is something new to me. Only time I saw that was when they punched them up north. So they were rolling good and speeds were up there. Before the round I hit a few putts and then warmed up by just hitting a few partial wedges on the range. I didn't want to hit full swings and have mishits get in my head preround, lol. The partial wedges were a mixed bag... I am still playing the forward tee.

 

1 - long par 4 that is a par 5 for me unless I find some more distance someplace. I tee off with my 4w and hit a nice mid height draw down the right side of the fairway, 189 yards. I have the tree branches overhanging the fairway in front of me but they are not really in play if I aim for the left side of the green. I'm just under 200 out and I hit my 4w again and it's a low draw heading for the left side of the green. Very solid shot and we find the ball in the drainage basin in front of the green. My guess is my shot rolled up near the green and trickled back down, so it only went 163 yards in the end. I chip with the niblick and make good contact with the right ball flight. It lands on the green and I'm 12 feet from the cup. I miss the par putt a bit low but am about pin high, ie I'm inside a couple of feet directly below the hole. I get my bogey 5 and am feeling good about the start of things.

 

2 - par 3, it's 125ish to center and I almost always hit 7i here now. I tee off with it and mishit a high draw at the green and it lands near the back of the right front bunker, 118 yards after it rolled back a bit. I think I caught it a bit thin and lost some distance. I was probably a yard or so from clearing the bunker. I'm on an upslope and the sand looks real firm. As in I think it's going to be very firm and I'm worried a normal sand shot is gonna skip and blade the ball. I use the niblick to chip out. The ball comes out great and I am 4 feet from the cup. The greens are fast so I don't put a lot of pace on the ball and it breaks short of the hole and I'm inside a foot on the low side. So another bogey, for 4.

 

Things are looking good and I am feeling great.

 

3 - par 5, dogleg right. I tee off with a the 4w and hit a low true fade, 193 yards into the middle of the fairway. I'm inside 200 yards and I aim for the left side of the green where there are no bunkers. I hit my 4w again and t's a low push that goes 165 yards and stops short of the middle front bunker. I have to pitch over the bunker. I don't have any angles to avoid it. the distance looks good for a niblick pitch like I do on the range. I blade it right into the back lip of the bunker, it pops up and kicks left onto the green about 26 feet from the hole. I complete screw up but it's still a GIR. I misread the birdie putt and and ball breaks harder then i though and I'm about 4 feet below the hole, sigh. I miss again and three putt for a bogey 6.

 

I'm still feeling good about things as I walk to 4. Something non golf related happens and I'm mad at myself as I wait to tee off.

 

4 - short par 4, tees are way up and it's 225ish to center. I tee off with my 4w and hit a weak push 45* right, probably off the toe or maybe the crown. It probably gets 15 feet off the ground and goes OOB maybe 30 yards off the tee.... It was a little pop up that probably would have only gone 50 -60 yards... horrid shot. Stroke and distance time, I retee and hit a low draw 203 yards to the left front of the green. I'm short of the bunkers and need to hit a long chip. I take a practice swing and it seems good. I then blade it through the green. I am still mad at myself and have checked out mentally. I don't even pay much attention as i use my putter and send the ball from the back rough, down the slope of the green, past the hole by a good 25 feet. I go on to three putt not giving a crap for an 8.

 

I'm now not happy for gold reasons too as i walk to 5.

 

5 - par 5 dogleg right. I have been using my 7w hear to avoid trouble if I hit it too far and left. I stay with it and hit a low pull draw, 176 yards, that stops in very long grass/weeds that about 3 feet short of the stream on the left side. I hit through the fairway... I decide to hack the ball out with my PW. I aim for the fairway to the right and hack at the ball. It's a bit of a push, very low, that hits the slope on the right side of the fairway and it kicks into the long grass in the stream area on that side.... Swung too hard, and the ball went 85 yards. I find the ball and hack it out with my PW again. This time it goes 40 yards and I'm barely in the fairway. I don't have a shot at the green and layup with a punched 6i to get near the center and have an approach. I make good contact and the ball goes 77 yards and I'm all set about 95 yards from center. So I'm where i should be in 2 in 4..... The flag is front right, so middle is probably further from me. I hit my mishit PW and it goes 89 yards and stops on the green about 16 feet out. I two putt for a nice double bogey 7.

 

I'm slowly getting my composure back.

 

6 - par 4, slight dogleg left, oob right. I hit a very high push with my 4w that's heading for the trees and houses on the right. Awesome. There's a section of red stakes where my ball went so I don't retee. We find my ball just short of some bushes on the right side, I'm probably less then 2 feet from losing the ball... I chip/hack it back into the fairway with my PW. So I'm in the fairway and about 105 or so out. I have a good angle into the green from the right, avoiding the bunkers that guard the left front. I decide to hit my 9i and aim for the right side. I top it 82 yards, short of the green. I chip with the niblick and make good contact but I'm well short. Blading the ball is making me scared of taking bigger swings... So I'm 33 feet out and two putt for a double bogey 6.

 

Sigh.

 

7 - par 4, slight dogleg right, elevated tee shot. OOB right, so I aim left and hit a decent draw down my target line, 182 yards in the fairway on the left. I'm about 165ish from center and decide on my 7w. I aim for the right side to avoid the bunkers on the left front. I hit a bit of of a push that goes 160 yards and i miss the green to the right. I'm maybe 3 yards off the green and use my putter to chip. I hit it well and miss a little high and 4 feet past the hole. I have a realistic par putt for a change and lip out....At least I have a bogey, 5, and I'm stopping the bleeding from earlier holes.

 

8 - par 3, elevated tee shot. the flag is middle left and it's about 135 to center. I mostly use my 7i here since a pure one reaches the back of the green and odds are I'm closer to the middle thanks to the elevation. I hit a high pull that misses well left. My ball lands to the right of the cart path which runs down the left side of the hole, and it bounces across it into the rough near the left bushes. My lie is fine and I have a very long chip. I use my niblick and the chip is 29 yards and about 9 feet below the hole. I two putt for another bogey, 4.

 

Not great but not bad after the mess i made on 4, 5, and 6.

 

9 - par 4 with water on the left as you get closer to the green. I have been using 7w off the tee since I have hit one ball into the pond with the 4w. I hit a real high pop up push over the pine trees on #1 and into the fairway of #1, 139 yards off the tee... I have no shot and hit a partial/punched 7i. I make good contact and it looks like it lands and rolls into the pond. Awesome... I walk up and my ball stopped short. i'm 50 from center and the flag is front right. I hit a partial SW that's a slight push, 43 yards into the fringe on the right. I use my putter to chip and it's looking pretty good. The ball drops in for a par! I think I have 1 other par on this hole but I'm not positive.

 

I'm feeling good as I walk to 10 even though I didn't play 9 well off the tee and got lucky with my second shot.

 

10 - par 4, slight dogleg left. Elevated tees shot to a lower area and the green is above that. I hit a decent draw with my 4w, 186 yards into the fairway just left of middle. I have a good angle into the green, which is above me, and I'm about 160ish out from center. The flag is just behind the left side of the greenside bunker that's on the right. The left side is open though and I decide to hit my 7w. It's a line drive draw that hits just short and left of the bunker, bounces up and hits the top lip of the bunker and hops up and over. The green is above me, so I don't know where my ball is but I should be on. I walk up to the green and see a couple balls on. Two of the guys, in carts, are already on the green and talking.

I holed out for my first, and likely only, eagle of my life and I didn't get to see it. The guys are ribbing me about my 'awesome' shot and maybe my index needs to be looked at. it was surreal to pull the ball out of the hole and write a 2 down for a par 4.

 

Everyone gets to 11 before me since I'm walking and they are riding. No one has teed off yet when I get there, which is what normally happens. I guess an eagle means something, lol.

 

11 - par 4, dogleg left, with a forced stream carry on the approach. I tee off with my 5i, which has been my standard club on this hole for a while. It a real thin worm burner draw that goes 140 yards and stops in the fairway just before the downslope that leads to the stream and green. It's about 125ish to center and I want enough club, so I go with my 7i, which is what I would use on a level 125 shot. I have a level lie and top it right into the stream... I drop and hit a partial GW onto the green and about 27 feet past and left of the hole. I two putt for a double bogey 6.

 

Blah. Hole of my life to a more typical bad hole, lol.

 

12 - par 4, dogleg left. I top my 4w 88 yards, and am no where near the corner. I'm barely in the fairway and hit a 6i. it's a mishit draw that goes 119 yards and i'm in the fairway, short of the fairway bunker that marks the outside of the corner. A solid tee shot with my 4w might reach here, so I'm in the ball park of where I would normally be off the tee in 2. I have about 115 or so uphill to center and hit my 7i. It's a mishit weak draw that lands near the left side of the green in the fringe maybe 3-4 yards off. I could use my putter but a section of fringe looks a bit funny. i decide to chip with my niblick instead. Big mistake... I make good contact and the ball barely lands on the green, since iIdon't want to blade it, I'm not taking longer swings when I chip. the ball comes to a stop almost right away and slowly rolls off the green, and down the slope towards the fairway, and it finally stops halfway down the slope. My chip went a net 14 yards backwards.... I should have gone with the easy putter and this would not have happened at all. Lesson learned. I pitch on up with the niblick, about 22 yards and on the green. i', 12 feet out and two putt for a nice triple bogey 7.

 

Ahh, good ole reality evening out the curve.

 

13 - par 3, uphill shot. 120ish to center and the flag looks to be back left. I hit a high draw with my 7i over the left side of the front left greenside bunker. It looks like I missed the green left. I get up there and I'm 8 feet from the cup... My ball took the slope and rolled on. We play closest to the pin on par 3s and you have to make a par or better to confirm it. I'm well inside the marker and in the last group. So if I two putt, I get the greenie. I have a putt that breaks left to right and it slopes slightly away from me. I look at my line but speed is my main concern. I hit my putt and it breaks early but stops less then a foot below the cup. Mission accomplished. I wasn't sad that my birdie putt had no chance by breaking low. I have my par,3, and move on.

 

14 - par 5, with water down the right side as you get closer to the green. I hit a push with my 4w, 172 yards to the right side of the fairway. I aim to the left side with my 7w and hit a low draw that hits a lopse on the left and I can't see the ball as it rolls after that. I find it in the fairway, 172 yard shot. I have a good angle into the green avoiding the water. I'm about 105 or so from center and hit my 9i. It's a mishit push fade that starts well right of my target line and goes in the pond.... Wow, I'm in position in 2, and my third is not a risky shot and I still FUBAR it. I drop and hit a partial GW to the back right of the green where the flag is. The ball has a lot of spin on it and it hits, hops a little and stops a couple inches from where it landed. I'm 12 feet past the hole, 66 yard shot, and two putt to 'save' a double bogey 7.

 

15 - shorter par 4, with an elevated tee shot into a soft fairway that I think is always cart path only. Balls plug here when they will bounce and roll on other holes. There is a stream carry off the tee and i top my 4w, 46 yards, into the rough near the ladies tees at the bottom of the hill.. I'm in thick rough and punch my 6i 116 yards into the fairway. I'm about 95-100 out and hit my PW. It's a weak push fade into the right green side bunker. I have a long carry in the bunker and use my PW. I hit behind the ball as planned and it pops up and lands in the front of the bunker. I use it again and get out but am 32 feet short of the hole and I three jack for a nice 8.

 

16 - par 3, slightly elevated green with a force stream carry. It's 125sh to center and the flag is forward. I hit my 7i and blade it into the stream, 76 yards... I drop and am about 50ish from center and hit a partial GW. I hit it solid and it goes 66 yards into the back left bunker. So I'm hitting out of a bunker to a green sloping away from me with a tier that I will run down and probably off the green. I use my GW and hit it out of the bunker, onto the green and it takes the slope and tier and rolls off the front. I use my putter from there and hole out in 2 for a triple bogey 6.

 

I just suck and can't hit the ball.

 

17 - par 4, dogleg left. I hit a high push fade with the 4w, 176 yards, under the right trees. i've been here the last few rounds so I already know what I'm gonna do. I'm in the rough with a good, level lie. There's a slight rise win front of me across the cart path where a couple fairway bunkers are. I hit my 4w and it's thin. it hits near the top of the rise and goes over. I'm now in the fairway, 118 yards from my previous spot. The flag is front left, behind a bunker. I'm about 70 from center. I watch one of the other guys hit a high shot into the green to the left of the flag and watch it roll all the way to the right front. I'm going to hit a partial PW and I aim left of the flag. i hit a high shot over the bunker and I can't see it land because of the raised back of the bunker. I'm starting to walk to my bag and I see the ball trickle into view and stop near the hole. I'm inside a foot and have an 'easy' par. lol.

 

18 - par 5, with a stream to carry on either the second or third shot and a pond by the green. Elevated tee shot and i top my 4w, actually hit up on the back of the ball maybe 50 - 60 yards even with the ladies tees. I whack it again with my 4w and top it. So I'm now about 160 yards off the tee. I make a comment to one of the guys about whether or not I'll get past someone else's drive in 3... I lay up short of the stream with my 7i. It was a decent draw and about 124 yards. I have a good lie in the fairway and the stream is about 45 yards in front of me. I aim left of the green avoiding the pond and hit my 7w. thin line drive right into the face of the stream on the other side.... I drop and hit my 6i about 118 to the left of the green. I have about 50 yards or so to center from the fairway. The pond is to the right of the green from where I am facing and isn't in play. I hit a partial Sw and it's a bit thin. It takes the slope of the green and rolls off the front right side and into the pond. I just walk off the course at this point and put down an 8 for GHIN.

 

So a 49/"51", 100 with an eagle. I had some solid holes and a bunch of real bad ones. No idea what is wrong with my swing but I'll work on it on the range this week. I also will focus more on my short game. I bled shots there. For all that went wrong, I cannot complain because of the eagle on 10. I never thought i'd ever do something like that and even though it was all luck, I'll take it.

 

One thing I am happy with is on #17, I aimed left of the flag on purpose and had the ball feed back down to it. I don't recall ever doing that before. I have played greens a certain way to be defensive like knowing long is bad and making sure to be short if I miss. This time I saw what happened to the guy before me and planned on it. Worse case I'm left of the green and chip with my putter. It actually feed on and down like i knew what i was doing, lol.

 

Anyhow, I hope things are going well for you all and you're able to get out and play. Have a good one.

[Chip Duffer]

Congratulations for the eagle on a par 4!! You’ve done something i haven’t done yet.

You got off to a good start and had a distraction that took you out of your game for a bit. Good that’s you got back in the game even if you had a few challenges along the way.

Sounds like a beautiful day to be outside and active.

[berndgeurts]

@bortass thanks for this thread. I enjoy reading your progress. Keep on the good work.
Based on the many pushes you play, your clubpath is in to out and your face is slightly open. There could be a number of reasons, but a pro can figure it out for you.
Did you get any lessons yet? Maybe some lessons with your wife together. It can be great fun.
I'm still in lockdown, swinging indoors, anxiously waiting to get out ;-).

[bortass]

@Twin2L Thanks! I never thought I'd ever get an eagle. I've had a couple eagle chips on par 5s but have never come close. It's very rare since I don't hit the ball far. There was some shock when they were reading the cards from the groups and a net 1 was called. Guy in my group said I hit this beautiful high shot into the green. About 10 minutes later the real story came out, lol. For the record, I put the eagle ball in my bag before teeing off on 11. I didn't want to risk losing it during the remainder of the round.
@berndgeurts I'm glad you enjoy reading my struggles ;) The in to out swing path was ingrained over many years of lessons. It's great when I was hitting my stock draw but that has yet to return. The pushes are mostly off the toe especially if it's a high weak push fade with an iron. I'm hoping to hit the range this afternoon and seeing if I can sort out my tops issue.

No lessons yet. It's a possibility at some point. I've got the name of which pro at the club to use. Three different people have recommended him.

[berndgeurts]

It's just very fun to read. I myself am on a quest to routinely break 80. Broke it a couple of times now, but would like to see more scores under 80. Was fighting a push/push fade. Swinging more in to out to try and draw it, but saw the club got stuck behind me. Watched and tried the Malaska move, which feels good, really powerful and ready to control the face. Going to try it out soon. But for now I am still swinging in my living room: video and swing and video again.

[bortass]

@berndgeurts I'm glad you like it. I had a similar reaction to my original thread on trying to break 100 here. I provided some good comic relief in it, lol.

[bortass]

I did make it to the range yesterday afternoon. I did some chipping and it was so so. My partial wedges were decent and full swings were okay I guess. Not many tops but I did have the 'thins'. I put my Adams Speedline driver back in the back. I used it some on the range and what I noticed is I feel the club head better than the MacGregor I took out. I hit some really good shots with it but still had a couple push fades and a push slice in the mix.

 

One thing I did notice is my grip may be a bit weak. If I strengthen it, the ball goes much straighter. Years ago, the pro weakened my grip because of hooks. It was part of the process of changing my swing from a slice to a draw. My grip's worked great for me in the past but my ball flight is a bit off at the moment. Messing with my grip will come up in the round overview below...

 

Played a quick 9, took just under 90 minutes to walk the front. It's sunny, about 72*s and a 15 MPH wind that is constant with higher gusts.

 

1- par 4 and downwind and I'm messing with my right thumb position on this hole and it feels odd. I'm not changing my hand position, just where I rest my thumb. I hit a push fade with my 4w under the right trees, 188 yards. I have a gap between the trees to go towards the green and have to keep it low or I can bail to the left and try to get to the left side of the fairway, maybe 100-120 yards out. I go for the green. I punch a partial 5i that has great contact which means it's a touch high and a little right. It hits a tree trunk and kicks left into the fairway. I should not have been surprised by the result of my poor choice. I'm 165ish out and hit my 7w. It's a low push fade that misses the green right, 152 yard shot, and it's in pine straw under a small tree. The flag is back left and I'm more mid right, so a long ways to go. I chip with my GW, keeping it under the branches and it goes about 30 yards and onto the green but I'm a good 50 feet short of the hole with a spine in the green to deal with. I aim well above the hole and hit my putt. It breaks sooner then expected and I'm about 6 feet out on the low side. 2 more putts for a nice triple bogey 7.

 

I'm not thrilled as I walk to #2. The dumb 5i and first putt miss... I am happy I hit the ball a few times and it was airborne each time though.

 

#2 - par 3, wind is coming left to right. i can't feel it on the tee box but I see it in the tree tops. The flag is middle rightish. I feel fine with my 7i here still since it's not a strong headwind. I'm still playing around with my thumb and hit a high draw down the right. It carries the right bunker and lands on the green and releases left some, 134 yards. The greens are kinda firm, I don't find a pitch mark. I'm 29 feet right and below the hole. I don't read enough break and I'm 4 feet below the cup. My par putt breaks more than I thought it would and grazes the right edge. So a 3 putt bogey, 4. Not pleased with my putting but i am not giving myself and close ones.

 

#3 - par 5, dogleg right. Tailwind here! I'm messing with my grip still and I hit an interesting shot with my 4w. I somehow swipe across it and it goes left 77 yards into the rough short of the fairway. I'm by myself and can't post my score, no one behind me. So I tee another one and hit a high push down the right side. Great looking shot but I am playing my first ball. So i am in the light rough, short of the fairway with a good lie. I go with my 4w and I'm messing with the right thumb. I do something funny with my swing. My left shoulder tilts down to the left. it's like instead of rotating level, I decided "Hey let's rotate and tilt my shoulders so my left is pointing down and my right up". I can't stop the swing and top it 62 yards into the fairway. At this point, I say screw it. Forget everything, take whatever grip comes to you and swing the club. No more swing thoughts/tinkering. I hit my 4w, from the fairway this time, and I catch it very thin. the ball is never more than a few feet off the ground. it's got some zip on it though and is going straight. 212 yards.... I'm now short of the green on the left. Flag is mid front. I chip with the niblick and leave it well short, as in the fringe short. So I use my putter through the fringe and get it to 4 feet. The ball doesn't break and I miss... So a 2 putt double bogey 7.

 

I'm not thinking about much as I walk to #4 that I can recall. Just trying to enjoy the nice weather and stay positive.

 

#4 - short par 4, about 220ish to center with the real forward tees placement. I tee it up and just swing my 4w. It's a mid height baby draw down my target line. I'd say a perfect looking shot in my book. I find my ball in the front left bunker near the back, 208 off the tee. I can see how my ball rolled in the sand. There is a strip of fairway/fringe between the two front bunkers. My ball came it from that strip of grass and run just along the back lip of the bunker. I almost could have been on the green with my tee shot. It had the legs to make it on. So I'm near the back of the bunker and the flag is near the back of the green. So I use my PW to hit out of the sand. I get out but it's not very far and i have a 62 foot putt. I gotta learn to swing harder when I need to go more than 20 feet from the sand. My inability to read a putt continues and i three putt for a 5...

 

To be honest, I don't care about my putting as I walk to #5. I just hit a great tee shot and it's my full swing that I care about at the moment. The tops from previous rounds killed me and I know my putting, overall, is decent. This is my mindset the rest of the round.

#5 - par 5, dogleg right, wind is right to left. I use my 7w off the tee to try to avoid the water on the left where the stream runs under the fairway. I hit a push with the 7w, 159 yards, and miss the fairway right and up on a flat spot on the right hand slope. I have a decent lie and have to go left of some trees that are in the stream. I go with my 5i and I hit a nice draw 144 yards to the left side of the fairway. I'm now about 144 from center and going into the wind. I hit my 5i again and it's a push fade that misses right and I'm actually behind the backline of the green. Not good..... The flag is back left and there is a tier that can cause the ball to run off the front of the green. I use my putter and aim just in front of the back bunker, as high as I can. I don't have good pace and it breaks short and it rolls to the front of the green. I'm 37 feet below the hole and 3 putt again for a 7....

 

#6 - par 4, into the wind, slightly elevated tee shot. I aim left and hit a push fade 188 yards into the right side of the fairway. GPS reads about 114 or so to center. I club up to my 7i because of the wind. I hit an okay high fade about 108 yards and on the green. I'm about 38 feet from the hole and surprisingly 3 putt again for a bogey 5.

 

#7 - par 4, elevated tee shot into the wind. I aim a bit left and hit a solid pull. 188 yards and I'm in the left rough. the ball flight was real good, not much curve to it and not very far offline since i was waiting for another push fade. I have a decent lie and the green is 165ish and into the wind. I saty with my 4w and hit a solid push fade, 169 yards, that misses the green right. I'm past the hole on the right with room to work, about 14 yards. I do something different and look at where I want the ball to land on the green and how it'll roll out. I use the niblick and it's good contact that carries to roughly where I want. The ball rolls about 3 feet past the hole on the low side. I make the par putt! Yay me! Lol.

 

#8 - par 3, elevated tee shot wind is at me and the flag is middle. I stay with the 7i and hit a high draw, 147 yards onto the green. I'm 18 feet below and left of the hole. I leave the birdie putt 4 feet short.. The par putt misses low, lol. So a 3 putt bogey.

 

#9 - par 4 with water on the left as you get close to the green and wind in my face. I tee off with the 7w and hit a pop up to the right 109 yards, sigh. I'm in the left rough of #1 again. I try to be smarter this time and punch a half 9i. my aim is a bit too much right and it ends up on the cart path. I take relief and don't have a good shot at the green. I aim for the right side and punch a 7i 114 yards that misses the green right and stops near the back right bunker. Another bad miss. The flag is on the lower tier. So I have to chip onto the top tier, the green slopes away from me with the tier and a pond off the front. I look at where I want to land the ball with my niblick. My contact is good and i see backspin on the ball. It lands in the right area and procees to roll down the tier and off the front of the green. Luckily it stops short of the pond. A goose hisses at me as i use my putter to chip to the flag. I get the ball 2 feet short and one putt for a double bogey 6.

 

So a 49 with 3 7s on the card and a pure crap day putting.

 

I am not worried about my putting. I know it was bad but my overall putting is better than this. What I am happy about is I started to actually hit the ball again. That was my primary focus because the tops off the tee and in the fairway killed me the last few rounds. It really shook my confidence. Now if the crap putting keeps up, that will be different. I am chalking it up to an aberration for now. I walked off the course feeling good and that's all that matters in the end.

 

Have a good one.

[bortass]

I forgot to mention the results of my bonus tee shot on #3 Wednesday. I don't have an exact distance since i did not play the ball. It was in the fairway, right of center and I was 170 yards from the center of the green. I am normally 195-205 yards out when I hit a real good tee shot. Being right shortens the hole somewhat, so my guess is my tee shot was 200-210 which is pretty good for me. Maybe more but I can't say for sure, so I'm trying to be conservative. I did catch it good though.

 

I managed a quick 9 yesterday. It's nice to walk 9 in just under an hour and a half. I'm glad I was able to do it because I tweaked my right knee walking in my the kitchen the night before. No idea how but it hurt climbing stairs and I felt it on the first hole I played. Whining aside, it was high 60s, sunny and still some wind but not like yesterday. The pro shop sent me off the back because no one had made the turn recently and I'd have been sitting behind people on the front.

 

I consider the back 9 to be harder since there are three holes with forced water carries. The front has no forced carries.

 

10 - par 4, dogleg left. I don't expect a repeat of last weekend's eagle, lol. It's an elevated tee shot into the wind. I hit a high fade with my 4w, 186 yards, into the fairway, all the way to the right side by the corner. So I have a pretty good angle to the green. The green is above me and the flag is behind the bunker set into the front right of the hill. I am about 160ish out and go with my 7w. I aim left where there is no bunker and hit a push that hits the face of the upslope just under the front right corner of the bunker. I see a puff of dirt/dust on impact. The shot only went about 135 yards and I'm in the bunker. The green is above my head and I have a long way to the flag. I take my PW and swing harder than normal. The ball pops up high and lands on the green but I am still 45 feet short. I'm going uphill and there's a small tier. I hit my putt and I send it 8 feet past the hole on the high side... So I end up with a 3 putt double bogey 6. I am having flashbacks to yesterday...

 

I am not happy with my putting on 10 as I walk to 11.

 

11 - shorter par 4, hard dogleg left with a forced stream carry short of the green. I tee off with my 5i per usual and it's a mishit, thin fade, 135 yards, so it doesn't follow the curve of the hole and makes things longer. I'm in the fairway near the bunkers that guard the outside of the corner with a perfect lie. GPS says 140ish to center but playing shorter because of the drop to the stream and green. I ignore that and go with my 5i. I want enough club to make it without worries of a mishit being short and wet. I hit a nice, high, push fade that i lose sight of and is most likely in the stream way right of my target line. I drop and hit a partial GW over the stream on on the green. I'm 22 feet short of the hole and 2 putt for another double bogey 6.

 

Sigh.

 

12 - par 4, dogleg left. I tee off with my 4w and it's a solid shot, maybe slight pull with no curve on it. It follows the left side of the fairway, 193 yards, and stops in the middle of the corner. I'm in great position. I'm close to 118 out with the green slightly above me. I decide on my 8i. I hit a low pull that misses the green left, hits the slope of the hill that the green is on and kicks my ball right, 111 yards. I find it in the fringe near the left rear bunker. The slope acted like a backstop and fed my ball towards the green. I have to putt through the fringe at close to a 90* angle of where the hole is because of slope and tiering. It's not a great shot and I'm 9 feet out. So I go on to 2 putt for a bogey 5.

 

13 - par 3 with an elevated green. About 120 to center and the flag is on the right and I think back but I'm not sure. I don't want to be long because of a possible tier and the slope of the green. I hit my 8i and it's a high draw that lands on the green, near the front and releases, 123 yard shot and it felt and looked great. The flag is back and i'm putting uphill and slightly up a tier. I strike my birdie putt and and breaks early and stops 4 feet short and low of the hole. I put some pace on my parr putt to try to take out the break and burn the top edge of the hole... So I'ma foot or so out and sink my bogey putt.

 

I am not happy with my putting at all and i'm thinking about it the rest of the round. Something is just off. My speed is good and line isn't or the other way around but it varies and there is no pattern I can discern.

 

14 - par 5, elevated tee shot with a pond on the right as you approach the green. This entire hole slopes down and left to right. The wind is behind me and I nuke my 4w. It's a high draw that goes towards the right of the fairway and I see it land in the fairway. I don't find my ball where I thought but there's a big drop in the fairway near where my ball landed. I see it further down the fairway, 270 yards off the tee! I got major wind and slope assist. My longest drives with a driver are I think 274 and 302. Too bad I don't have this kind of range normally, lol. So I'm in the fairway on the right side and 160ish from center but there's a pond carry. I aim left and hit my 6i to setup a third shot. It's a good draw down my target line and it hits the left slope and kicks right. I don't find my ball where I expect it. It's in the left green side bunker, it went 155 yards and the slope fed it towards the green.... So I'm front left in a bunker and the flag is back right. There's a low lip and I figure I'll pitch out with my SW. I leave it in the bunker.... Get out with the next one and three putt from 37 feet for a double bogey 7.

 

My short game sucks....

 

15 - shorter par 4, elevated tee shot to a flat fairway that's soft. the wind is behind me and iI hit a true fade with my 4w, nice and high, 175 yards into the fairway on the right. I'm 70 yards from center and the flag is front right. I hit a partial PW and I'm fat and it hurts my right wrist at impact. Turns out I was on a slight hump. The ball gets in the air but falls a few yards short of the green. I use my putter and the ball barely gets on the green. I was going into the grain and it killed the ball speed. This is new to me. I never had grain to deal with up north. I'm 30 feet out and three putt for a nice double bogey 6.

 

16 - par 3, forced stream carry and the green is above me. Flag looks like it's front right. 130ish to middle and I don't feel it on the tee but the wind is in my face as I walk to the green. I hit my 6i and it's a very high draw that goes all the way to the back of the green, 139 yards. I'm above the hole and to the left of it. I have a 42 foot putt and a tier to deal with. I completely screw up my read. I take the tier into account but not the overall slope of the green. I miss about 18 feet low..... It was obvious after I looked at it. So another 3 putt bogey.

 

17 - par 4, slight dogleg left. I hit a true fade that's high, into the wind with the 4w, 183 yards, and I'm through the fairway in the right rough on the corner. I'm 170 out and go with 4w. I fidget a bit and swing. Turns out my ball was too far back in my stance and I top it 116 yards. I knew it didn't quite look right but it wasn't enough to register that I needed to step back and start over. I have a real hard time with this concept for some reason. I'm still in the fairway and the green is probably a few feet above me. 50 yards to center and the flag is forward middle. So It's barely behind the left side of the right green side bunker. The green slopes left to right as well. I decide to take that into account and plan to hit my shot left of the flag and let the green bring it down and closer. I normally would hit a partial SW for a 50 yard shot. the flag is a bit closer than that, so same club just a slightly smaller swing. My swing feels good, contact feels good, and my ball flight is wrong. I watch a low draw head into the green, no more than 10 feet off the ground, and it lands short of the green and stops. I was expecting a higher shot with more arc to it. Maybe the ball was too far back in my stance? Anyhow I'm a few yards off the green and i've been struggling with the putter through the apron. I decide to chip with the niblick. I look at where I want the ball to land and roll out. I take my swing, it's pretty small, and catch it thin and it goes through the green. I'm in the back fringe and use my putter this time and I get it a foot from the cup. So I have a 1 putt double bogey 6.

 

My short game sucks. Have I mentioned that?

 

18 - par 5, with a forced carry over a stream and there's a pond fronting the green. My plan on this hole is to layup short of the stream in two. Hit my third to the fairway that's left of the green, and get on with my fourth shot. I tee off with my 4w and I hit a strong, low pull with not much curve into the thick rough on the slope that's to the left of the fairway. My ball hangs up in the thick stuff and only went `135 yards. I find my ball and I can get a club on it but it's at least 12 inches, maybe a bit more, below my feet on a steep slope. I take my 7i and punch it out with a swing that doesn't have a lot of movement since I have to maintain my balance and I am bent extremely forward. the shot comes out and it's a low draw and it ends up in the fairway, 134 yard shot. I'm in the area I normally plan to be in two. So while I made things harder on myself, I'm okay. I'm hitting the ball decently aka good for me today. So I feel fine with my 7w over the stream. It's a high true fade that goes 168 yards and lands in the fairway 40 or so yards from the left edge of the green. I'm now in great shape in three. I'm normally further left with a longer shot in. The pond is to my right and i don't want to hit my normal higher partial wedge in. The flag is very close to the left edge of the green. So I'm thinking of a low GW that's maybe 6 - 8 feet off the ground, lands and rolls forward type shot. I hit the shot the way I want and it comes up short. I look and I grabbed my SW, not my GW.... I'm 3 or so yards off the green and going against the grain again. I use my putter and barely get it on the green. I'm 11 feet out and actually sink the putt for a bogey 6.

 

End result is a 50 with 21 putts. My putting and overall short game were bad. That's two days in a row. So it's a cause for concern. Obee has started a short game thread here and I'll be going through it. I know what I'll be working on unless my swing goes to crap again. It's raining today but if it clears up later, I may try to get some time in chipping at the practice green.

 

The grain of the grass is completely new to me. The course I played in Maine didn't have anything like this. I need to figure out how to play it. I'm thinking a putting stroke with the niblick. it's 56* and will get the ball up and rolling better. Let me know if you have any thoughts on it. I gotta learn how to handle it. It didn't seem to be an issue for me playing in the winter and early spring.

 

I have been told by a few different members that the greens are the primary defense of the course. The course is not long, tips are 6478 on the card with a rating of 71.3 and slope of 130. They are fast and have tiers in them. I've also noticed a couple of spines in a few greens. My old course had pretty basic greens with only one tiered green and no real spines. They did have some serious slope though, front to back on a few holes. I need to pay better attention to topography of the greens and also try to remember what works and doesn't work. The places where i see it going one way and the ball pulls the opposite for example.

 

I have to say that I am quite happy with my ball striking for this round. Even without the miracle 270 yard tee shot with all kinds of help, I hit the ball well. I will just try to keep it simple and swing the club. That seems to be working for me.

 

Another thing I am starting to notice on the back 9 is topography and how the ball reacts. For example on #12 the way the slope of the hill runs to the left and behind the green will cause a ball to kick right and towards the green. So a miss left and even long may not be horrible and you can get a decent result. So a good miss. On #13 and 17, both greens slope left to right, so aiming left is more likely to have the ball roll towards the flag versus at the flag where it may end up rolling away from it. Granted I'm not good enough to count on stuff like that but I believe that if I start thinking about it consciously it will help me in the long run. So I may start to favor aiming left on my shots into the green on those holes. Granted if I hit a big pull way left, it may not be good by my main miss still seems to be to the right.

 

Sorry for the book but I guess I type a lot quite frequently here. Have a good one.

[SNIPERBBB]

For the grain, you have to learn how to read it and how the ball reacts to into, with and across the grain. Were too spoiled on bent greens up here.

[bortass]

Well I found yesterday that into it kills the speed of the ball when I try to use my putter into the grain of fringe grass. I can look and see or even brush it with my foot to confirm what I think I'm seeing.

 

The grain on the greens, I can't read or tell where it is at all. Supposedly it's shinier from one side then the other and I think there is a rule of thumb that has to do with the sun. The greens at my course have been getting sanded lately. It's not the sand that they used up north when punching a green. This is real fine stuff and it fills in between the blades of grass making for a smooth surface and I've been told it also makes the greens faster. I wouldn't be surprised to learn some of my putts that broke oddly had something to do with the grain, I'm the type of putter that prefers to die a ball into the hole. Things effect the ball more at lower speeds. Time to do some research on it.

[bortass]

I made it to the range. I brought just the niblick, putter, and three balls. That way no full swing shenanigans would interfere with what I need to work on. I spent about 45 minutes chipping and putting. I played the little game where i scatter the three balls, pick a hole, and try to hole out while keeping score. So par would be 6, up and down three times. I picked a number of more challenging targets namely either pretty long or far and going up a tier. I did down tier once I think. My scores ranged from 7 - 10 with an average between 8 and 9. I did hole out two chips but hit a lot of clunkers. I wasn't checking my distances but I was outside of 6 feet more then inside. I got to practice a lot of putts that I see on the course, lol. One positive is I only thinned the ball a couple of times.

 

My biggest issue was getting the ball to the hole. The niblick is 56*, so it doesn't roll out much since the ball comes in high. Maybe this is the wrong club for me to be using but I'll keep at it. Maybe there's a trick to lowering the flight without causing more problems than I already have. I dunno but will keep at it. I can only get better.

 

I wrapped things up pitching some range balls that were near the practice green back down to the range. This went well. I hit a number of nice high pitches and then I moved the ball back a little and worked on more of a low punch and that worked well too. Overall, I'd say it was a productive session.

 

My neighbor was on the range and I talked to him when I was heading out about the greens. He confirmed that the grain will mess with you on these greens especially in the afternoon since the grass has had some time to grow. He gave me the rule of thumb about the sun. Putting into the sun and it's with the grain. Sun behind you and you're putting into it.

 

Hope you have a great weekend.

[SNIPERBBB]

What kind of chips where you hitting? Off the fringe? In the rough just off the fringe? 6+ feet off the fringe in the rough?

 

With less ground to cover, consider using a 7-9 iron in a bump and run shot. It's closer to a putt so it will run better. You don't want the high ball much unless you gotta chip to an elevated green or you need to clear a thick rough or clear some mounding.

[SNIPERBBB]

You can lower the flight with technique but for your skill level, you might be better off using a lower lofted club.

[berndgeurts]

Exactly. Going with a hybrid or 7i for a bump and run, can get you really close to the hole. Forget the Phil Mickelson flops and stops. Sometimes ugly but effective is the way to go. I use my hybrid or 7i a lot with a puttereske stroke. I know how to hit flops and higher chips, but if possible I keep it low.

[bortass]

@SNIPERBBB @berndgeurts thanks. I’ll keep that in mind out there today.

[davidy1948]

Firstly my compliments and admiration for your courage in posting in such detail all the ups and downs you have on the course - reassures the rest of us hackers we're not alone !

I am bit perplexed ( but then I'm easily perplexed ) about the length of some of the holes you're playing though ? After your magnificent 270 tee shot of 270 yeards on 15 you say you only have 160 yards in - would that imply a par 5 of 430 yards ? One of the shorter par 4's seems to be only 240 yards in length. Is that correct ? Maybe for the benefit of your many admirers you could post a scorecard of the yardages some time ?

Success in your quest !