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

[stevesteven1]

29 minutes ago, bortass said:

@betarhoalphadelta it's bent. It's something I have noticed when doing  some backswing work indoors where I'm just trying to do the start stop drill in the house w/o making a full swing. 

 

@stevesteven1 That is not a drill. My swing is a thing of beauty, lol. 

 

certainly doesn’t have to be beautiful. Whilst you could tidy up the setup and bs I’ve seen decent golf played from similar. 
 

you obviously know this but that move from the top is horrific. Just impossible to play from there. What have you tried to correct it?

 

can I suggest making some divots (without a ball) which go out to the right? Just to get a feel for the first move in transition. Then try with a ball but only hitting it very very gently. I’m talking an 80 yard 7 iron but trying to get your divot out to the right 

 

it will take a long time and a lot of balls to make this change but I see no future in that ds as is just being honest 

 

 

[bortass]

Golf has been rough. Played Saturday and it was wet and pretty high winds. They were a steady 17 MPH with much higher gusts which had a big impact on some holes. For example #8 which is a par three with an elevated tee box was playing over 200 yards with the gusts per Arccos. It was a back pin and normally I would hit my seven iron and instead hit my seven wood. It was a very solid shot that missed the green left and about pin high.

 

I want to make note that I had a major mental error. On #11, par four with a stream to carry short of the green, I hit my tee shot into the right rough. My plan as I left the tee box was layup since I would be hitting either five iron or seven wood into the green. I get to the ball and my five iron will reach the back of the green because of the tailwind on this hole. One of the guys says go for it. So like a lemming, I do. Hit it thin, a low push that didn't clear the stream. I drop  and have a short pitch to the green, maybe 25 yards or so.  I chunk it maybe six yards and into the stream... So I picked up. I can't say the layup would have led to a better score but the odds would have been much better, lol.

 

I did get to the range twice. I worked on chipping and putting one day and partial wedges and my pivot the other. The pivot work went much better than the prior week. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, so i may not be able to get out again 'til Wednesday.

 

 

I created something to provide a laugh:

 

 

 

 

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

2 hours ago, bortass said:

 

I want to make note that I had a major mental error. On #11, par four with a stream to carry short of the green, I hit my tee shot into the right rough. My plan as I left the tee box was layup since I would be hitting either five iron or seven wood into the green. I get to the ball and my five iron will reach the back of the green because of the tailwind on this hole. One of the guys says go for it. So like a lemming, I do. Hit it thin, a low push that didn't clear the stream. I drop  and have a short pitch to the green, maybe 25 yards or so.  I chunk it maybe six yards and into the stream... So I picked up. I can't say the layup would have led to a better score but the odds would have been much better, lol.

 

 

What was the stance / lie / situation in the rough? Was the decision made on that, or just based on not being fully confident in your 5i? 

 

For me, 5i to the back of the green is a go if there's no issues with stance or lie... Yeah, I might mishit it, but as long as my contact isn't completely horrible it seems like that gives me at least 25 yards of margin relative to my normal carry to keep it dry. And if my contact is THAT bad, I might not reach the creek lol... Now, my clubs are single-length, so my 5i isn't noticeably harder to hit than my 9i, so it makes it a little easier to trust the 5i in this case. I wouldn't trust my 3u at 2.5" longer or my 5w at (IIRC) 4.5" longer than my 5i. 

 

Just trying to understand why you necessarily call it a mental error. Sometimes we reason a bad result backwards into a bad decision, when it's not actually an error.

[bortass]

1 hour ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

What was the stance / lie / situation in the rough? Was the decision made on that, or just based on not being fully confident in your 5i? 

 

For me, 5i to the back of the green is a go if there's no issues with stance or lie... Yeah, I might mishit it, but as long as my contact isn't completely horrible it seems like that gives me at least 25 yards of margin relative to my normal carry to keep it dry. And if my contact is THAT bad, I might not reach the creek lol... Now, my clubs are single-length, so my 5i isn't noticeably harder to hit than my 9i, so it makes it a little easier to trust the 5i in this case. I wouldn't trust my 3u at 2.5" longer or my 5w at (IIRC) 4.5" longer than my 5i. 

 

Just trying to understand why you necessarily call it a mental error. Sometimes we reason a bad result backwards into a bad decision, when it's not actually an error.

Leave it to the engineer to ask for context! 😜  I really should have added it in but was in a hurry. I know what you mean about execution errors. You have a shot you know you can hit because you've done it a number of times before but this time you find a way to mishit it into trouble. That's just a bad outcome but the decision leading into it was sound.

 

Now my context as to why I think it was a brain fart.

 

I had a level lie in mostly dormant Bermuda rough. I am about as far right, thus away from the green, as I can be and still have a potential shot at the green. Any more right and there's a slope/long weeds. The fairway is elevated from the stream until you reach about 100 yards from the center of the green, just past that fairway bunker that's closest to the green in the picture below, where it slopes down fairly steeply.  The back of the green is 175ish. I have reached it from where I am with my seven wood in the past.

 

Here are the factors in why I thought layup while still on the tee box.

• I'm at the edge of my range to go for it in normal conditions. It's either a wood or five iron.
• I have not been hitting my woods of the deck well for a few weeks, so seven wood is not a good option.
• I have been hitting the ball thin a lot with my irons lately.

I get to the ball and have a strong tailwind which, with elevation, made the five iron a realistic option to reach the back of the green but I need to carry the ball at least 150ish yards which means a semi decent strike. I am not forcing anything distance wise. I go for it and lo and behold, it's thin and I kept it 'under the wind' as well.

 

I consider it a mental error because my gut reaction when I was watching my tee shot was lay up. Get a short iron or wedge in my hands at a distance where thin still clears the stream and is on/over the green. Instead I second guessed myself and the poor contact was inline with other mishits the last few weeks.

 

Edited March 25 by bortass

[betarhoalphadelta]

Got it. That makes sense. Not necessarily a mental error because you can't pull off the shot, but a mental error because you weren't confident over the shot, and that was partly due to knowing your recent tendencies meant that your prominent miss was likely to rinse it. 

[bortass]

1 hour ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

Got it. That makes sense. Not necessarily a mental error because you can't pull off the shot, but a mental error because you weren't confident over the shot, and that was partly due to knowing your recent tendencies meant that your prominent miss was likely to rinse it. 

That's the ticket!

[TheDeanAbides]

On 3/25/2024 at 3:47 PM, bortass said:

Golf has been rough. Played Saturday and it was wet and pretty high winds. They were a steady 17 MPH with much higher gusts which had a big impact on some holes. For example #8 which is a par three with an elevated tee box was playing over 200 yards with the gusts per Arccos. It was a back pin and normally I would hit my seven iron and instead hit my seven wood. It was a very solid shot that missed the green left and about pin high.

 

I want to make note that I had a major mental error. On #11, par four with a stream to carry short of the green, I hit my tee shot into the right rough. My plan as I left the tee box was layup since I would be hitting either five iron or seven wood into the green. I get to the ball and my five iron will reach the back of the green because of the tailwind on this hole. One of the guys says go for it. So like a lemming, I do. Hit it thin, a low push that didn't clear the stream. I drop  and have a short pitch to the green, maybe 25 yards or so.  I chunk it maybe six yards and into the stream... So I picked up. I can't say the layup would have led to a better score but the odds would have been much better, lol.

 

I did get to the range twice. I worked on chipping and putting one day and partial wedges and my pivot the other. The pivot work went much better than the prior week. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, so i may not be able to get out again 'til Wednesday.

 

 

I created something to provide a laugh:

 

 

 

 

 

This was an interesting watch. I'd be interested to hear what your take home is from this evolution?

[bortass]

6 minutes ago, TheDeanAbides said:

This was an interesting watch. I'd be interested to hear what your take home is from this evolution?

I have a few observations from the video.

• I gained a lot of weight over the years, lol.
• My setup seems pretty similar with my butt sticking out a fair bit.
• The 2009 swing when I was trying to break 100 looks steeper in the backswing compared to what I seem to be doing today. 
• The short backswing has always been an issue for me.
• You don't need a great swing to break 100/90.

 

I didn't create the face on version of the video but I was looking at it since I thought I'd be able to fit both DTL and FO in one short. What stood out from that was a massive shift left at the start of my swing. That is one thing that is a bit better these days.

 

I have recently revisited my old break 100 thread and reading some of the notes from my lessons was a bit sad. My teacher pointed out some of the flaws I still see today. The obvious example was he told me my backswing was too short and he wanted me to work on it. Fast forward thirteen years or so and Monte tells me the same thing....

[stevesteven1]

On 3/25/2024 at 3:47 PM, bortass said:

Golf has been rough. Played Saturday and it was wet and pretty high winds. They were a steady 17 MPH with much higher gusts which had a big impact on some holes. For example #8 which is a par three with an elevated tee box was playing over 200 yards with the gusts per Arccos. It was a back pin and normally I would hit my seven iron and instead hit my seven wood. It was a very solid shot that missed the green left and about pin high.

 

I want to make note that I had a major mental error. On #11, par four with a stream to carry short of the green, I hit my tee shot into the right rough. My plan as I left the tee box was layup since I would be hitting either five iron or seven wood into the green. I get to the ball and my five iron will reach the back of the green because of the tailwind on this hole. One of the guys says go for it. So like a lemming, I do. Hit it thin, a low push that didn't clear the stream. I drop  and have a short pitch to the green, maybe 25 yards or so.  I chunk it maybe six yards and into the stream... So I picked up. I can't say the layup would have led to a better score but the odds would have been much better, lol.

 

I did get to the range twice. I worked on chipping and putting one day and partial wedges and my pivot the other. The pivot work went much better than the prior week. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, so i may not be able to get out again 'til Wednesday.

 

 

I created something to provide a laugh:

 

 

 

 

 

aug 21 looked fine

 

 

[bortass]

Got to the range twice this week. The course is supposed to be closed tomorrow for an outside event, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to use the range in the morning, hence why I'm writing this today. Like that run-on sentence? 

 

Yesterday I worked on partial pitching wedge swings for twenty minutes. I then worked on the Start/Stop drill from PS with my seven iron. I did three sets, 3/10, and it went very well. I spent the remaining time at the end of that twenty minute block hitting some shots.

 

Today, all I did was one block working on the Start/Stop drill. Again three sets, 3/10, and it went quite well. I only did the one set because I wanted to grab more video which I have yet to look at.

 

The Start/Stop drills seems to be going better. I feel like I'm making progress but have a feeling the swing video will show minimal gains, if any.

 

I also worked on my putting using the Wellputt matt a few evenings. The Blue course is kicking my rear. The first nine holes are putts from different distances where you need to roll your ball over the hole AND stop it in a zone that's behind the hole. It's trying to get you to aim correctly and hit it with enough pace for the ball to stop within 18 inches or so of said hole. Hole #1 for example is a three foot putt and all three balls need to go over the hole and stop in the zone or you "fail" that hole. I am doing good hitting the hole but keep hitting the ball too hard. The matt does roll faster than our greens are currently but I think that gap will change once the growing season really hits. I do find it to be good practice.

 

I don't recall if I mentioned it but I got the green light to get a new putter a couple weeks ago. I need to schedule the putter fitting still. I've been lazy about it and need to get it on the books. My best option seems to be from Golftec and I have already confirmed they do putter fitting, including Edel fittings. I don't know much about Edel putters but the fitting videos I've seen for them makes it look very interesting. I'm not set on a specific brand or model though.

[betarhoalphadelta]

17 minutes ago, bortass said:

 

I have recently revisited my old break 100 thread and reading some of the notes from my lessons was a bit sad. My teacher pointed out some of the flaws I still see today. The obvious example was he told me my backswing was too short and he wanted me to work on it. Fast forward thirteen years or so and Monte tells me the same thing....

 

Changing motion patterns is HARD lol. 

 

This IMHO is another of those reasons to have at least some level of regular checkpointing on video. I was actually worried based on some of my recent swings that I was dropping back into my setup issues (too much forward bend at address) because it's comfortable for me. That was the fix from my 2nd lesson with Monte that was probably middle of last summer, so it's a bit "stale" in my brain. So I did the "draw lines on a video still" of what should be my checkpoints and thankfully I was NOT drifting back to the old setup. But I feel like actually checking it was an important step to make sure I was still doing the right thing. 

 

Thirteen years have gone by which means you have thirteen more years of perspective, wisdom, and experience, to make sure that thirteen years from now you're not STILL fighting the same thing Monte tells you 😉

 

[TheDeanAbides]

58 minutes ago, bortass said:

I have a few observations from the video.

• I gained a lot of weight over the years, lol.
• My setup seems pretty similar with my butt sticking out a fair bit.
• The 2009 swing when I was trying to break 100 looks steeper in the backswing compared to what I seem to be doing today. 
• The short backswing has always been an issue for me.
• You don't need a great swing to break 100/90.

 

I didn't create the face on version of the video but I was looking at it since I thought I'd be able to fit both DTL and FO in one short. What stood out from that was a massive shift left at the start of my swing. That is one thing that is a bit better these days.

 

I have recently revisited my old break 100 thread and reading some of the notes from my lessons was a bit sad. My teacher pointed out some of the flaws I still see today. The obvious example was he told me my backswing was too short and he wanted me to work on it. Fast forward thirteen years or so and Monte tells me the same thing....

What stands out to me is that you're still way OTT. That's partly a backswing issue, but if you could correct that transition move you'd find quite a lot of power and accuracy. This is what I was getting at with my suggestion last week.

[bortass]

31 minutes ago, TheDeanAbides said:

What stands out to me is that you're still way OTT. That's partly a backswing issue, but if you could correct that transition move you'd find quite a lot of power and accuracy. This is what I was getting at with my suggestion last week.

Monte is hoping that if I fix my shift at the start of the backswing and then fix the left wrist, my OTT move may resolve itself. He was clear that it's maybe it will resolve itself if I fix the first two items. Otherwise there will be additional things to work on to try and make that move go away.

[TheDeanAbides]

2 minutes ago, bortass said:

Monte is hoping that if I fix my shift at the start of the backswing and then fix the left wrist, my OTT move may resolve itself. He was clear that it's maybe it will resolve itself if I fix the first two items. Otherwise there will be additional things to work on to try and make that move go away.

That makes absolute sense. OTT is often the bodymind trying to find a way to get back to the ball despite the sequencing issues. 

[bortass]

Looking at the video from today, I've made little progress, if any. Gotta keep grinding and my guess is this will still need to be fixed when I see Monte in three weeks.

 

 

I get to about here before I start left:

 

And by left arm parallel, I'm way too far left. My right hip should still be touching that red line.

[bortass]

Well I decided to look at PowerShift again and a different drill this time. The Heel toe heel drill which you can't hit a ball with. The results were very different.

 

 

 

and the video clip:

 

[bortass]

Welcome to Groundhog Day! That's what it feels like at least, each round is a repeat of a prior one, at least when it comes to results. I had some nice holes but too many dogs.

 

Triple because I topped a four wood off the deck and then three putted once I got on the green. I have not been hitting my woods off the deck well at all for a while now, so it should have been no surprise.

 

Triple when I took a S&D penalty off the tee on a par three. Blocked my seven iron to the right and never found the ball.

 

Quad partly caused by getting greedy with a layup. I struck the shot well but took a line that made my ball land in pine straw and it just stopped. If I had aimed maybe 5 yards right, I would have had plenty of room to land my ball on grass and it would have rolled out into the fairway. My shot from the pine straw ended up in the pond. I went over the green after the drop, so a chip and two putts later I have a nice looking snowman on my card.

 

Quad when my tee shot with seven wood was a very bad push fade and I heard it hit a tree on the right. Never found the ball so dropped, 2 strokes, and hit my layup into a stream, another stroke.  Easy way to turn a 'bogey into a quad, lol.

 

Triple, had a straightforward five iron across a stream and hit it thin and wide open. Ball started right and curved more right and hit the face of the far bank of the stream. Drop and have seven iron across the stream and a pond into the green. Hit it thin, but straight, skips a few times just short of the green and sinks into the depths (of about 2 feet of water so I recovered the ball). Miss the green after the next drop, so a chip and two putts later I have another snowman.

 

Now some more positive things. My partial wedges and chips were very solid. I was positive strokes gained inside 100 yards for a change. 

 

Forty-eight yard pitch shot to nine feet for GIR (par)

 

Seventy-eight yard AW to nine feet(double because of hitting my driver into a hazard and having to drop 100 yards off the tee)

 

Twenty-nine yard pitch to five feet (par)

 

Fifty-five yard pitch over a bunker to five feet (birdie)

 

Eighty-three yard partial AW to eight feet(par, was forced to layup after my tee shot)

 

I managed to hit five greens in regulation on the day and finished with a birdie and five pars. Nine holes were double+ though.

 

The biggest issue on the day is still clubface related. I just leave that thing open and hit push fades. It's okay when contact is decent and it just causes me to miss a green to the right. The problems happen when it's a real bad push or I hit it thin at the same time. I plan to ask Monte about the release at the clinic. Hopefully I don't end up as an example of students that don't listen to him 😜 

 

I'm still just going to stick with working on my shift as instructed. I think I'll be able to hit the range multiple times this week to work on it.

 

I was never able to get out for any nine hole rounds in March because of work/weather. My target is to play nine at least twice a month.

[bortass]

It was a good week of practice. I used the putting matt a few times, it's still kicking my butt, and made it to the range three times. Rain is expected for a few days this week, so I may not be able to get out as much this week.

 

Tuesday: Block 1 was twenty minutes working on my pivot. Block 2 was also twenty minutes working on my pivot.

 

Thursday: Block 1 was twenty minutes working on my pivot. Block 2 was twenty minutes hitting easy seven irons with the pivot feel.

 

Friday: Block one was twenty minutes working on my pivot. I was grabbing video so block 2 was a bit short. I spent a little time hitting my four wood off the deck. I need to start working on some of the shots/clubs that I am having issues with, especially since I had been hitting my woods off the deck quite well last fall. Something changed in my swing/setup and I can't seem to hit them for crap from the fairway.

 

No complaints/issues with how the practice went.  I expect the pivot to be what Monte focuses on for me at the clinic in a couple of weeks. 

 

Made it out for eighteen and I'll do a write up and post it later since it's been a while since I've done one.

[TheDeanAbides]

Do you work on your pivot at home with a mirror and without a club? I found this work to be a huge accelerator for this change. Just five minutes here or there. 

[bortass]

29 minutes ago, TheDeanAbides said:

Do you work on your pivot at home with a mirror and without a club? I found this work to be a huge accelerator for this change. Just five minutes here or there. 

I don't use a mirror but I do try to work on it around the house when I think of it. I should try to find a good way to make sure I do this at least once a day. The heel - toe - heel drill uses a club but there's no swing and I can easily do it since I have high ceilings. 

[TheDeanAbides]

16 minutes ago, bortass said:

I don't use a mirror but I do try to work on it around the house when I think of it. I should try to find a good way to make sure I do this at least once a day. The heel - toe - heel drill uses a club but there's no swing and I can easily do it since I have high ceilings. 

Mirror work is invaluable because it gives immediate feedback. Also the butt against the wall drill on Monte's Insta is great for ingraining a better pivot without a club (although a short one helps). Honestly, this will help you make huge leaps if you can add it. After a while you'll practice a couple of times every time you go past a mirror. As long as you can see knees to chest it'll be valuable. 

[bortass]

Saturday was nice out. Sunny without much wind. The course was dry for a change. It was in the high 40s/low 50 when we teed off but it warmed up as the round went on.

 

 

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. I hit a solid pull with my driver, 249 yards, into the fairway on the left edge. The hole is front right, just behind the bunker. I have 160ish to center, so it's my five iron. I aim left of the bunker, towards the middle of the green.

 

Contact is thin and it's the high push fade and it only goes 144 yards, dropping in the bunker. I have a decent lie and it's just a long shot for me. I don't give it enough gas and my ball plugs in the face of the lip! Well that kinda sucks.

 

I took my sand wedge and smashed it under the ball burying the face in the lip. The ball pops out, as expected, and just barely gets on the green. I have a ten foot bogey putt which I miss and come away with a double, 6.

 

Not a great start but I have been carding triples on this hole lately. The first bunker shot was unfortunate but I made the correct swing, just a bit too slow.

 

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The hole is on the left and it's about 140ish to center. I aim left with my seven iron and hit a horrible push fade way right a sin my ball is in the trees about fifty yards right of what I wanted my start line to be...

 

I have to take a drop and it's just a disaster. I shank my pitch, chip through the green, chip again with my putter, this time to a foot and walk away with a triple bogey, 6.

 

I can't figure out how to cure the push fade. It's killing me.

 

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. The green has a small tier in it on the left side and bunkers guard the front right. There are also a few bunkers behind the green.

 

My drive is a decent mid height fade, 234 yards, that follows the curve of the dogleg and I'm in the middle of the fairway. I can't reach the green and have a clear path but I have not been hitting my woods off the deck decently. I either top or blade them way right.

 

I just take my five iron and hit a decent shot. It's a bit right and low but goes 160 yards down the fairway on the right. The hole is back left and it's in that sixty-five to seventy yard range. I hit a partial 60* and it comes out nicely. A sixty-six yard shot onto the green about fifteen feet right of the hole. I barely miss the birdie putt and come away with a 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. Bunkers guard the left and right sides of the green.

 

I toe shank my driver OOB. The swing was so steep, I snapped the head off my tee and left an idiot mark on the top line near the toe. Retee and I hit a solid draw, 226 yards, into the fairway on the right.

 

The hole is forward and it's a pitch in. I strike my pitch quite well and it's a high shot, over the bunkers, and on the green. I should be pretty close but I hit it too good. My pitches are normally arounf fifty yards and this one went sixty-six.

 

I'm twenty-five feet above the hole and get my bogey putt to about two feet. I make that one and walk away with a double bogey, 6.

 

I'm good with the double since I was three off the tee.

 

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

 

I hit a solid drive, 238 yards, into the right side of the fairway. Normally I'd hit a wood for my second shot but not today. I go with my five iron and hit and okay fade, a bit thin, that goes 155 yards and gets me past the corner and on the right side of the fairway.

 

The hole is middle front and I hit a partial pitching wedge. The shot comes out very good and my ball lands on the green. The slope of the tier feeds my ball left and towards the front of the green, so I'm about pin high twenty-one feet to the left of the hole.

 

This green slopes towards the front right corner. I take some off my putt and the speed is pretty good but I miss low and about three feet long. I sink the par putt, 5.

 

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

 

I catch my driver thin and it's a low push fade, 204 yards into the right rough. The yardages dictate my seven wood but that's not an option. I go with my five iron and block a high weak push fade, 115 yards, way right and almost OOB. Another iron shot that ends up a good 50+ yards right of my target line.

 

I'm above the green and under some trees with a clear shot. The hole is front right. I thin my sand wedge, eighty-seven yards, and through the back left side of the green. I hit a twenty-five yard chip with my putter that come sup six feet short. I make the bogey putt though, 5.

 

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

 

My drive is a high push fade that hits the right slope and kicks back into the fairway. I lost a lot of distance and my drive was only 200 yards. The hole is near the center of the green and about 140ish, so seven iron.

 

I blade it, a low push that somehow has enough speed to roll onto the right side of the green. It's ugly but a GIR. I have a thirty foot birdie putt and under read the break a bit. I get it hole high but a foot to the right(low side). I come away with a par, 4.

 

8 – par 3, 160 yards, elevated tee shot, #13 HCP, bunker on the right side of the green. Slope to the right of this hole that is weed whacked. So it's long stuff and wild. Balls can get lost here.

 

The hole is at the front of the green and playing into the wind. I opt for my seven iron and hit a high push into the bunker on the right, 155 yards. There's no lip so I can either putt or chip out. I opt to putt with my nine iron and don't hit it good enough. It goes about five yards and stays in the bunker. I repeat the shot and get it to six feet. It's a two putt double, 5.

 

Green side bunkers are costing me today.

 

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green.

 

I slice my drive, 175 yards, into the fairway of #1. I do not have the skill/talent to attempt going for the green from here. I layup with a punched pitching wedge that goes seventy-two yards. I really needed to hit it harder.

 

I've got about 140ish in and have to keep the ball low. I could punch my seven iron and get on. I try and end up hitting a low hook into the pond... I drop and hit a partial AW, eighty-five yards, and on the green.

 

I'm twenty-eight feet right of the cup and my putt is completely misread. I have the speed but my line is six feet too high. End result is a three putt quad, 8.

 

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 my four wood and hit a solid draw, 192 yards, and into the middle of the fairway and past the corner. The hole is back left and it's a bit over 150 yards. I go with six iron and hit a low fade, caught it thin again, that carries the bunker and gets on the front of the green.

 

I think my ball fed right and forward, away from the hole, because of the slope for the small tier in this green. I thought I'd be near the back of the green and instead I'm middle front. I have a forty-five foot birdie putt, up the small tier, and I get it to two feet. I make the par putt, 4.

 

11 – par 4, 329 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry.

 

I tee off with my seven wood and hit a great draw, 179 yards, into the middle of the fairway. The hole is front right and my eight iron should get me near the center of the green. I blade it...

 

The ball takes off very low and hits the rocky bank on the far side of the stream. I see the ball richochet back towards me but can't see where it goes because of the crest of the slope that's blocking my view of the stream itself.

 

Somehow my ball bounced all the way back to my side of the stream and is sitting in fairway. I got real lucky there. I hit a solid pitch, fifty-eight yards, and get on the green, twenty-seven feet above the hole. I miss the par putt and have two feet for bogey, which I make, 5.

 

12 – par 4, 315 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner.

 

I go back to my four wood off the tee because course conditions are changing with the grass coming out of dormancy and my driver could go through the fairway. There's a slight tailwind and I hit a very solid high draw, 213 yards, into the middle of the fairway past the corner. The hole is near the middle of the green and should be a partial pitching wedge. I catch it a bit heavy and it's a high draw at the left front of the green but it lands short. The ball rolls a few yards down the slope towards me.

 

I decide to chip[ with my nine iron and mishit it. I end up hitting it twenty-two yards, which sends it almost thirty feet past the hole and up the tier on the right side of this green.

 

I have a twenty-eight foot par putt that I miss about three feet low. I miss the bogey putt too. Double bogey, 6.

 

13 – par 3, 123 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and left and long left. Tiered green as well.

 

The hole is back left and it's 120ish to center. Long is not that good, so I stick with my nine iron. I aim left edge of the green for two reasons. The green slopes to the right and a miss left of the green likely will roll on and I tend to hit push fades.

 

Well not today, I stripe a great looking high draw, 129 yards with my 120 club, into the left rough near the back of the green, about thirteen yards from the hole.

 

I have to go up over a mound in the rough and then it goes down to the putting surface which also slopes away from me. I decide to chip with my putter and it comes out quite well. We watch as my ball reaches the green and rolls at the hole and into the cup for birdie, 2!

 

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 mishit my driver, very thin and almost topped it. The ball goes about 191 yards but at least it's in the fairway. I hit a push fade with my five iron, 156 yards, into the right side of the fairway. I can't reach the green and lay-up with my six iron.

 

I aim for the back left bunker and hit a horrible, thin push fade. It starts well right of my intended line, lands and rolls into the pond. I drop where it went in, 122 yards from where I last hit.

 

The hole is right middle near the pond and about sixty yards. I hit a decent pitch that goes a bit long but is on the green. I'm twenty-eight feet past the hole and I two mputt fro double bogey, 7.

 

The drive sucked and made me play the hole for bogey but that six iron layup was the real trash of the hole.

 

15 – par 4, 264 yards, straight, #16 HCP. Elevated tee shot to a fairway that is always soft and cart path only year round. Fairway bunkers on left side in line with the green. Bunker surround this green except for the left side.

 

I hit a high push fade at the right trees with my driver. Luckily my ball hits s bank and bounces dead left and back into the right rough, a 192 yard drive.

 

The hole is back left and a partial sand wedge, eighty yards, will get me on the green. I hit it very thin, a low bullet draw that flies over the green and ends up on the tee boxes for #16. A 129 yard shot...

I hit a great fifty-four yard pitch to five feet and miss the par putt. Bogey, 5.

 

 

16 – par 3, 147 yards, #8 HCP. Elevated green with a forced stream carry. Bunkers short right and long left and middle. Tiered green with a strong back left to front right slope.

 

The hole is middle front and I'm teeing off from near where I just hit my pitch, lol. Some wind in our faces and I opt for my 150 club, six iron. I aim at the left corner of the green because I always hit a push fade right of the green on this hole.

 

I hit it pretty pure for a change and it's a high draw over the green and into the back left bunker, about 170 yards with my 150 club. This bunker is GUR, so I take my relief in the rough. I have to chip down slope and down a tier. I use my putter and get decent speed but start it too low. I end up in line with the hole but twelve feet to the left from my perspective. It's a two putt bogey, 4.

 

17 – par 4, 363 yards, dogleg left, #6 HCP. Fairly open fairway with bunkers on the right at the corner. Green has a tier and heavily slopes left to right, can putt off this green... Bunkers short of the green as well.

 

I slice my drive right and into the trees. We see it hit one and drop straight down, 127 yard shot but at least it's not a penalty. I hit a low five iron using Monte's four Ls to get back in play. It's a decent low draw, 158 yards, into the left rough.

 

The hole is middle back and everything slopes to the right. It's ninety yards or so. My ball is on a slope and below my feet, so it'll likely go right on me. I hit a partial AW and while a touch heavy, it's a high shot that lands on the green.

 

I'm thirty feet below the hole and hit my par putt to a foot. Bogey, 5.

 

A bogey is fine after that tee shot.

 

18 – par 5, 504 yards, straightish, #2 HCP. There is a stream carry on either the second or third shot. There is also a pond fronting the green...

 

I hit a true mid height fade with my driver that starts towards the left trees and curves back in. It lands on the left slope and rolls back to the fairway. Only a 218 yard shot, so I decide to layup short of the stream with my nine iron. I bunt it about 109 yards down the left side. I then hit a decent eight iron, 128 yards, to get in the fairway near the green.

 

The hole is middle front and I hit another real good pitch with my sand wedge but it's too far left. The ball lands on the green just on top of the tier and stays there. If it landed a couple feet to theright, it would have rolled down towards the hole.

 

I'm on though and twenty-four feet from the cup, going down a tier. I tap my ball and barely miss the cup and it rolls three feet long. I go space cadet mode and miss. Double bogey, 7.

 

A 50/45 95. I posted a 94 since I went over NDB on #9. Turns out it doesn't matter though. I hit the hard cap and didn't notice until this round. It does not matter how poorly I play, my index will not go higher than 19.4. My low index of 14.4 will not age out until September. I expect to be playing better by summer and should get my index back into the mid teens.

 

I played solidly on ten holes. One of the doubles is fine since it was caused by the OoB tee shot. Penalties off the tee will happen and today that was the only one.

 

The double on #1 is also okay, as in I am not frustrated by it. I hit the first sand shot the way I wanted but w/o enough force. So it wasn't a mishit or mental error. I can live with that because it will happen.

 

The lousy iron shots that are terrible push fades though bug me. As do the push fades with my driver. I just cannot close the face to the path.

 

One of my bad push fades had the divot going right to left. That makes sense with my OTT swing but leaving the face wide open to start the ball right is not good.

 

Low point continues to be an issue with the thin shots. The chunks aren't great either but I'm only catching it slightly heavy right now, so I lose a bit of distance but the ball gets in the air.

 

 

birdies: 1

pars: 4

bogeys: 5

double bogeys: 6

triple+: 2

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 203 yards with two four woods and a seven wood.

Longest drive: 249 yards

Fairways: 10/14

GIR: 4/18

Avg Approach: 110 yards

Up & down: 2/8

Putts: 35

 

Strokes gained compared to a 10 HCP. 

Overall: -12.5 strokes

driving: -2.4, not bad since I lost two strokes to that OoB penalty.

Approach: -7.9, a bit better than my recent ten round average.

Short game: +0.0, better than my recent ten round average but the sand shots killed me.

Putting: -2.1, Also better than my recent ten round average.

 

[bortass]

3 minutes ago, TheDeanAbides said:

Mirror work is invaluable because it gives immediate feedback. Also the butt against the wall drill on Monte's Insta is great for ingraining a better pivot without a club (although a short one helps). Honestly, this will help you make huge leaps if you can add it. After a while you'll practice a couple of times every time you go past a mirror. As long as you can see knees to chest it'll be valuable. 

I do the wall drill at times as well. I have a spot near my office that works for that drill even with an iron. I'll start doing these more.

[TheDeanAbides]

1 minute ago, bortass said:

I do the wall drill at times as well. I have a spot near my office that works for that drill even with an iron. I'll start doing these more.

It doesn't feel sexy, but without a ball the only feedback is the change itself, so we don't get blinded by strike and ball flight. Once I got my buddy to see the value of this stuff he dropped shots like confetti. Went from 20 to 7cap in about 12 months. 

[bortass]

I have been taking the advice of @TheDeanAbides and working on a pivot drill at home a few times a day. It seems to be helping.

 

I got in two range sessions this week, I had hoped for more but it rained a couple of days and I'm not that dedicated.

 

Wednesday: Block 1 was twenty minutes of pivot drill with my eight iron. I did three sets (3/10) doing the start stop drill from Powershift. I was using the feels from the heel-toe-heel drill to help with things. I feel like it's coming along. Block 2 was twenty minutes doing the putting drill where you putt over an alignment stick/driveway marker to help with the speed of your short putts. It also went well and the pace of my short putts picked up by the end of the session.

 

Today: Block 1 was twenty minutes of pivot drill with my seven iron. Same format as block 1 on Wednesday. Block 2 was twenty minutes working on a cast B drill with my nine iron. Both went very well IMHO.

 

I also did the blue course on my putting mat a couple times this week.

 

There's a club tournament this weekend and the Saturday round is at my home course, so we'll be playing one of the sister courses tomorrow. It'll be fun to play a different course but I am not used to those greens which means my putting will likely be more off than normal.

[TheDeanAbides]

Excellent! I'd also suggest doing pivot drills without a club - just with your arms crossed on your shoulders. This helps to focus in on the pivot only and speeds up the integration. It also means you can do it anywhere. 

Edited April 12 by TheDeanAbides

[bortass]

Another weekend of less than stellar golf. Only three things worth mentioning IMO.

 

1) my putting strokes gained, most recent ten round average compared to prior ten round average, has dropped by 0.9. The work on the putting matt is helping. I am starting to sink the odd putt that I would always miss before. I still have a very long way to go but it is starting to trend in the right direction.

 

2) The shot I feel most comfortable with is the very high pitch/chip that just drops and doesn't roll out much. This is for my entire game, not just short game. I can't use the shot from a tight/bare lie and it's only good inside fifty yards or so but I do not seem to mishit these as much as my other swings. Perhaps it's because it's simple. I take the club back the distance I think I need and just throw the clubhead under the ball. I still blade low chips. I don't get it since what I'm confident with, in theory, is a more difficult shot. I still try to use the lower chip as my first option, perhaps I just need to fly the ball most of the way to the hole even if there's nothing I need to carry. That just feels wrong though. A running chip should be easy, sigh.

 

3) I made a change on #11 yesterday. Story time...  I was struggling and had just finished #10 with a nice quad after I hit two separate shots into hazards.  I was on the green in five and ninety feet from the hole which was a three putt. My tee shot on #11 was thin but at least was in the fairway for a change. The hole is at the back of the green and my eight iron will get me back there. I tell myself, hit the ball like you mean it. It wasn't perfect but contact was more solid and I missed pin high in the right rough. I kept that swing thought the rest of the round and managed to go +5 over the last eight holes, all bogeys and pars. I still had mishits and off line shots but they were much better. I still don't expect any magic but I did actually hit my four wood off the deck fairly solid for a change, lol.

 

Monte's ATL clinic is this upcoming weekend and I am stoked. It won't 'fix' me but I do expect it to help get me back on track. I'll get an update on what progress, if any, I made on my pivot and a wealth of other knowledge. Last year's clinic helped me play the best I ever have and I am expected this one to help me build on that. It'll take months but I'm good with that. As a bonus there will be another WRXer there, so I'll get to meet @Duffer Mark.

 

Have a great week!

[kiawah]

1 hour ago, bortass said:

Another weekend of less than stellar golf. Only three things worth mentioning IMO.

 

1) my putting strokes gained, most recent ten round average compared to prior ten round average, has dropped by 0.9. The work on the putting matt is helping. I am starting to sink the odd putt that I would always miss before. I still have a very long way to go but it is starting to trend in the right direction.

 

2) The shot I feel most comfortable with is the very high pitch/chip that just drops and doesn't roll out much. This is for my entire game, not just short game. I can't use the shot from a tight/bare lie and it's only good inside fifty yards or so but I do not seem to mishit these as much as my other swings. Perhaps it's because it's simple. I take the club back the distance I think I need and just throw the clubhead under the ball. I still blade low chips. I don't get it since what I'm confident with, in theory, is a more difficult shot. I still try to use the lower chip as my first option, perhaps I just need to fly the ball most of the way to the hole even if there's nothing I need to carry. That just feels wrong though. A running chip should be easy, sigh.

 

3) I made a change on #11 yesterday. Story time...  I was struggling and had just finished #10 with a nice quad after I hit two separate shots into hazards.  I was on the green in five and ninety feet from the hole which was a three putt. My tee shot on #11 was thin but at least was in the fairway for a change. The hole is at the back of the green and my eight iron will get me back there. I tell myself, hit the ball like you mean it. It wasn't perfect but contact was more solid and I missed pin high in the right rough. I kept that swing thought the rest of the round and managed to go +5 over the last eight holes, all bogeys and pars. I still had mishits and off line shots but they were much better. I still don't expect any magic but I did actually hit my four wood off the deck fairly solid for a change, lol.

 

Monte's ATL clinic is this upcoming weekend and I am stoked. It won't 'fix' me but I do expect it to help get me back on track. I'll get an update on what progress, if any, I made on my pivot and a wealth of other knowledge. Last year's clinic helped me play the best I ever have and I am expected this one to help me build on that. It'll take months but I'm good with that. As a bonus there will be another WRXer there, so I'll get to meet @Duffer Mark.

 

Have a great week!

Just stopping by this thread for the first time, I wanted to commend you on your commitment to improving. I have been journaling for the last year or so after practicing or playing and have found it rewarding. It is all too easy to take results out of context in this game.

 

I wanted to highlight the point you made about "hitting it like you mean it." That to me is so key. Thoughts like that allow you to zone in on the shot you are trying to hit rather than the range of results you are trying to avoid. Intent is a crucial component to playing good golf. At the end of the day, the worst outcome of any given shot is that you lose a golf ball that's worth a couple bucks. There is no guaranteed method of hitting good shots every time or shooting a certain score every time. But I find that it's way easier to accept a shot you didn't love if you really committed to what you were trying to do and tried your best to execute as opposed to anything else. Best of luck! Keep playing YOUR game, trust your skills, believe in yourself, and magical things can and will happen for you on the golf course.

[bortass]

On 4/15/2024 at 11:41 AM, kiawah said:

Just stopping by this thread for the first time, I wanted to commend you on your commitment to improving. I have been journaling for the last year or so after practicing or playing and have found it rewarding. It is all too easy to take results out of context in this game.

 

I wanted to highlight the point you made about "hitting it like you mean it." That to me is so key. Thoughts like that allow you to zone in on the shot you are trying to hit rather than the range of results you are trying to avoid. Intent is a crucial component to playing good golf. At the end of the day, the worst outcome of any given shot is that you lose a golf ball that's worth a couple bucks. There is no guaranteed method of hitting good shots every time or shooting a certain score every time. But I find that it's way easier to accept a shot you didn't love if you really committed to what you were trying to do and tried your best to execute as opposed to anything else. Best of luck! Keep playing YOUR game, trust your skills, believe in yourself, and magical things can and will happen for you on the golf course.

Glad you enjoy the journaling. I've been doing it for years and while it can be painful at times since I do it publicly, it's been very helpful.

 

I agree with your point about focusing on the shot at hand. Luckily, I've learnt( the hard way) how to do that. So I am never standing over the ball thinking don't hit it in the trees or I hope I don't pull it into the pond. It's hard for me to articulate this well but here goes.

 

"Hitting it like I mean it" was about swinging with force and power. My normal intent is "just swing the club" and I think that has me half @ssing it when I swing. Let's say trying to kill the ball is NASCAR and a realistic speed is doing ten MPH over on the highway. I'm out for a Sunday drive instead, just tooling around. I'll get there eventually but no hurry. This is a chronic issue with amateurs that Monte has referenced numerous times. They swing too slow, his example is you put an amateur's swing side by side with Ernie Els and the am is still completing their backswing while Els is past impact.

 

I was out getting some swing video for my new project last night and I used that swing intent again. The sample size was tiny but the results were not. I hit the high baby draw that has been missing for so long now. I plan to stick with it but won't be able to see if it makes an on course difference until later this month. Fun stuff!

 

 

[TheDeanAbides]

30 minutes ago, bortass said:

Glad you enjoy the journaling. I've been doing it for years and while it can be painful at times since I do it publicly, it's been very helpful.

 

I agree with your point about focusing on the shot at hand. Luckily, I've learnt( the hard way) how to do that. So I am never standing over the ball thinking don't hit it in the trees or I hope I don't pull it into the pond. It's hard for me to articulate this well but here goes.

 

"Hitting it like I mean it" was about swinging with force and power. My normal intent is "just swing the club" and I think that has me half @ssing it when I swing. Let's say trying to kill the ball is NASCAR and a realistic speed is doing ten MPH over on the highway. I'm out for a Sunday drive instead, just tooling around. I'll get there eventually but no hurry. This is a chronic issue with amateurs that Monte has referenced numerous times. They swing too slow, his example is you put an amateur's swing side by side with Ernie Els and the am is still completing their backswing while Els is past impact.

 

I was out getting some swing video for my new project last night and I used that swing intent again. The sample size was tiny but the results were not. I hit the high baby draw that has been missing for so long now. I plan to stick with it but won't be able to see if it makes an on course difference until later this month. Fun stuff!

 

 

That’s what I was trying to get you to do a couple of weeks back with the P3 swings and then really feeling like your pushing into and off the ground. Really going for it with intent.