Be Better, Brad! (Update 4-11-2024 with new swing videos)

[betarhoalphadelta]

Played Oso on Sunday. Not going to do a full write-up, as I'm low on time due to traveling yesterday. 

 

Weather was toasty--probably got to 90* by noon. 

 

I shot an 86* (+26), which was an 82 for handicap purposes due to some big blow-up holes. I.e. I picked up on hole #1 after 7 strokes (two penalty strokes) while in a greenside bunker and marked a 10. It was a damn mess. 

 

Birdies: 0

Pars: 5

Bogeys: 8

Doubles: 1

Triple+: 4

 

Positives: Driver: I only took it on hole #4 and #9, but both were perfect, good launch, straight down the middle. #4 almost reached the green and #9 was well over the creek in the middle of the fairway. Chipping/Pitching: I was actually making good contact and getting the ball where it needed to be. Far better than usual. Gave myself opportunities: I had good looks at birdie on #4, #5, #8, #12, #14--I didn't make any (and bogeyed two of those), but I was giving myself good scoring chances.

 

Negatives: Putting: I only counted 37 putts, but that is terrible given the starting putt distances on some holes where I two-putted or three-putted. I had two 3-putts from inside 10 feet and another from about 15 feet, and a 2-putt from 5 feet that wasn't a hard putt. On 12 I hit 56* to 14" from the pin but it pulled back to 30 feet, and I miraculously two-putted after contacting the ground before the ball on the first putt and leaving myself 10 feet for par. Other than that, the negatives were blow-up holes that compounded. Hole #1 was just terrible in every way. Hole #6 I had two duffed shots and a 3-putt from 7 feet for triple. Hole 13 was a lost ball off the tee, a duffed partial wedge, a shanked partial wedge, and managed to two-putt for triple. And hole 16 was a ball launched long and left of the green and lost (presumably somewhere in the creek), a duffed pitch, another duffed pitch, a "chip" with the putter from off the green to 5 feet, and then two-putting from there for quad. Just so many bad mistakes at the wrong times, one right after another on the same holes.

 

It aged out a hdcp score and even with a 4-stroke change due to ESC, wasn't enough to count for my calculation... So my cap increased to 22.4. 

 

It was a mess of a round where I actually did a lot of good things, but didn't turn any of those good things into birdies (and three-jacked for a few bogeys) and had a couple complete screw-ups to ruin the rest. 

 

We're playing River View on Saturday, so hopefully something can improve there. 

[bortass]

Sorry to read it was a rough round. I think it's great that the driver worked well on the two holes you could use it. Also creating opportunities is big. In my mind, that's a big step since you'll eventually start converting some of them and the scores will drop even more.

 

What are your plans with the Orange Whip? Just warm-up or are there drills? I got one probably 10+ years ago and rarely use the thing and I probably should...

[betarhoalphadelta]

45 minutes ago, bortass said:

Sorry to read it was a rough round. I think it's great that the driver worked well on the two holes you could use it. Also creating opportunities is big. In my mind, that's a big step since you'll eventually start converting some of them and the scores will drop even more.

 

What are your plans with the Orange Whip? Just warm-up or are there drills? I got one probably 10+ years ago and rarely use the thing and I probably should...

 

Yeah, it was a rough round because there were things that I could take away as positives, but a couple of horrific holes and then not taking advantage of the opportunities made it seem like it could have been something much better. Three-jacking for bogey on two consecutive holes, once from 10' and once from about 15-18', really pissed me off. Gotta get more and more time putting.

 

For the Orange Whip, part if it is warm-up because I know that often I either don't have time to hit balls, or I'm playing at Oso where there's no range anyway, so I want to have that available. However I've also read that it can help to give feedback on tempo and plane, i.e. if you get off, you'll feel it. That plus just the ability to swing something heavy say 10-20 times a day to help keep me loose and flexible might help me in general. Seems getting older ain't helping me 😉

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

One other thing I forgot to mention... On 18 (225 par 3, a little into the wind Sunday) I decided to try something new. I choked down on my driver to the bottom of the grip and figured I'd swing it easy rather than trying to muscle the 3u up there. I'm still not all that comfortable with the 3u and even when I hit it pure, I'm not sure I'm getting 225 out of it. 

 

I emotionally don't like pulling driver on a par 3, and I knew it was risky to try something I've never done before on the course... But my round had already gone to $#!+ so I figured why not?

 

Well, I push faded it well right of the green, but other than that it worked. I ended up just past pin high. 

 

Until I figure out a club for that distance (might look at trying to finding a fairway wood I can hit), it might be a better option for me on that hole. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Thinking that the 3u isn't working out in its current form. The shaft just doesn't fit me. Threw up a post in the WRX Club Techs forum in case I want to get it reshafted.

 

In the interim I'm dropping my previous 3i back in the bag. It was one club I didn't hand down to my son yet (because he doesn't need a freakin' 3i at this point!)...

 

Playing River View tomorrow. Haven't practiced at all this week, but I'm not sure that makes a damn difference at this point lol...

[TheDeanAbides]

12 hours ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

Thinking that the 3u isn't working out in its current form. The shaft just doesn't fit me. Threw up a post in the WRX Club Techs forum in case I want to get it reshafted.

 

In the interim I'm dropping my previous 3i back in the bag. It was one club I didn't hand down to my son yet (because he doesn't need a freakin' 3i at this point!)...

 

Playing River View tomorrow. Haven't practiced at all this week, but I'm not sure that makes a damn difference at this point lol...

I strongly suspect that you’d be better off with a 7 wood. They’re insanely easy to hit.

[betarhoalphadelta]

2 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

I strongly suspect that you’d be better off with a 7 wood. They’re insanely easy to hit.

 

Quite possibly. For something like that I'd probably need a fitting. I feel like most graphite fairway wood shafts are equal or lighter than my driver shaft, and for a club ~4-5" shorter may not feel right... Much like my issue with the 3u now with the 80g shaft. 

 

This might be on my list of things to look at though. At some point later this year I'd like to update driver, and then potentially do a fairway wood fitting for something in 3w/4w loft, and then could look at something higher like 7w as well. 

[TheDeanAbides]

10 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Quite possibly. For something like that I'd probably need a fitting. I feel like most graphite fairway wood shafts are equal or lighter than my driver shaft, and for a club ~4-5" shorter may not feel right... Much like my issue with the 3u now with the 80g shaft. 

 

This might be on my list of things to look at though. At some point later this year I'd like to update driver, and then potentially do a fairway wood fitting for something in 3w/4w loft, and then could look at something higher like 7w as well. 

I used two in the 90s with steel shafts. Those things were absolute weapons from 200 yards.

[berndgeurts]

For 200-220yds I use my hybrid 3. I know many people want a 7w over  3h, but I like the slightly lower launch. Probably going to a utility soon. In the Netherlands wind is a big factor. Open courses into the wind, spin and high launch can be detrimental.

[betarhoalphadelta]

What a mess. 54/51 for a total of 105. 

 

Managed to get down in 34 putts... Only three-putted twice. Of course, both of those were three-jack bogeys. GRRRR at the wasted GIR. 

 

Front nine I was all over the place ballstriking. I didn't hit a good shot until my drive on the 7th hole, which left me 60 yards uphill to a back pin--took 3 to get on the green and two-putt for double. Followed up with a great drive on the par-5 8th hole, a topped hybrid, a 9i that came up short, a chip/putt from off the green and then sink a putt to make my first par of the round. 

 

Back 9 things improved in some ways. Even made 3 consecutive GIR (par 3 resulted in bogey, par 5 where I stuck my approach to 6 feet and made birdie, and par 4 where I hit a perfect drive / great second to get to 15 feet and 2-putt for par). Of course I followed it up on 17 with a dead solid perfect drive on a par 5, and finished with an 11 on that hole. 

 

I don't quite know what's wrong. I have some concern that getting this new Peloton is kicking my butt, and I'm going to have avoid a ride the day before a round until I build up my endurance. Both of my last two rounds I felt a lot more fatigued than usual, and yesterday despite riding in a cart I was so stiff after the round when I took my wife out for a movie/dinner date that I wasn't walking right. 

 

Planning on an early morning solo round [meaning single paired with a group] at Oso on Friday before I settle in to the work day, and then another round at Oso next Sunday with the usual group. Going to try to adjust my workout schedule so I don't go into those rounds already worn out. 

[bortass]

Sorry to hear about the rough round. I think there was something in the water over the weekend since I too played like garbage. The odds of us both doing poorly are quite low after all 😜

 

Like the Peleton?

[betarhoalphadelta]

2 hours ago, bortass said:

Like the Peleton?

 

Been great so far. I'm using it, and not dreading using it. So that's a plus. Being in my house is WAY easier than getting the motivation to go to the gym.

 

But it's been a week and a half. Could just be honeymoon period. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Played yesterday at Oso. Warm day--started out at 8:30 well into the 70s, and by the time we finished (noon) it was mid-high 80s. Overall a good day for golf though. 

 

I deliberately skipped the Peloton on Saturday. I had felt more fatigued my last two rounds and my ballstriking had been terrible, and I wondered if working out the day before a round was a problem. Well, as you'll see from the below round, my new rule is no workout the day prior to a round!
 

Hole 1, 285 par 4, HDCP 11: 4h off the tee, which I proceed to top and only make it halfway down the hill to the creek. Worried that random guy playing in our foursome (who hit a nice draw up the left side of the fairway) would think me even more of a duffer than I am lol. Get to the ball, and it's a severe downhill lie and so far from the green (~240) that I couldn't make it anyway, so I take PW since I know the slope will take loft off, and hit a high pull that ends up around left edge of the fairway. Left myself full 56* distance, and hit that, but didn't get a great strike and it ended up 5 yards short of the green. I've been working on my pitching motion, and I pitch it right up to 7 feet short of the cup. 1-putt. Bogey, +1. 
 

Wasted shots: 1, the duff off the tee.

 

Hole 2, 171 par 3, HDCP 9: 6i off the tee, and it's a slight draw heading left of the green. Stops about pin high maybe 10-12 yards left of the left edge. Again pitch up, and it's a decent pitch distance-wise but right of my intended landing point and with the back->front slope of this green, falls off even more right, leaving me 15 feet. Putt to tap-in range, and tap in. Bogey, +2.  
 

Hole 3, 146 par 3, HDCP 15: Took 9i, started straight but curving left, and I'm just hoping it clears the greenside bunker... It does, and it's pin-high on the green, 30 feet left. GIR! So of course I three-jack for bogey. Bogey, +3.  
 

Hole 4, 266 par 4, HDCP 13: Tees up and it should be reachable with driver. Hit a nice one dead straight at the flag, but doesn't get there, ending up about 5 yards short of the front edge. Thinking I've got a great chance at par or even birdie here. So I chunk my first attempt at a pitch. Then I skull my second one to the back fringe. Chip with the putter from there to tap-in range. Bogey, +4. 

Wasted shots: 2, the pitches. I could have putted the ball from there and guaranteed myself to be on the green, instead of taking two shots and still being only on the fringe.  

 

Hole 5, 168 par 3, HDCP 5: My nemesis hole due to the left miss. Rangefinder says 170 and it's 180 with the slope, so I hit 5i. I hit it just about perfect, starting right and drawing back to the right half of the green. It's a blind green so I don't see anything until I get up there. Ball is pin-high with a giant pitch mark about 2 yards behind it. Great shot! I'm 30 feet right of the hole, and putt to 3 feet. Which I make. No three-jacking for bogey with this GIR! Par, +4.  

Hole 6, 296 par 4, HDCP 7: Hit 4h off the tee, and it's one of those where the big elevated tee box is a major help. I can't say I "topped" it, but it was basically bladed, and came off the club with probably a 3* launch angle lol. But it was a screamer, and rolled out 200+ like that! It's just narrowly into the right rough before a bunker, ball well above my feet, about 95 to a front pin. I aim well right of the pin knowing it's going to go left, and hit a good shot that, indeed, goes left, and lands and stops just onto the left fringe. 21 feet for birdie, and I watch as the putt (counted as putt, not chip for this one) just never breaks when I read it as about 3-4 feet. So now I'm 3-4 feet above the hole, putting downhill. And I sink it! Par, +4.

 

Hole 7, 148 par 3, HDCP 17: Hit 9i, and it starts well but turning left, and lands pin-high about 2-3 yards left of the green. After my pitching woes on 4, I decide to putt, and don't do *too* bad, leaving me about 5 feet. But I two-putt from there. Bogey, +5.

 
Hole 8, 174 par 3, HDCP 3: Tees up, so I hit 7i. And top it about 70 yards, but thankfully the rough holds it up short of the creek. I'm about 100 out, so I take 56*, and make a good swing but the grass was thicker than I anticipated and I leave it about 20 yards short. Pitch with the 56* to leave myself 30 feet, and manage to two putt to avoid a blow-up. Double, +7.

 

Wasted shots: 1, the duffed tee shot.
 
Hole 9, 317 par 4, HDCP 1: The one hole on this course that actually rewards driver. There's a creek you need to be able to carry ~230 or more to clear, and if you do so you're in prime shape. Laying up, due to the slope, requires a shot trying to stay about 150 yards from the tee, which leaves 170 to the green. So I take driver and it's a good ball, good launch, headed towards the left edge of the fairway. I don't know if it's wind or I just didn't give it enough "oomph", but it just BARELY carries the creek (slightly shorter left side than right) and lands just onto the fairway about 10 yards past the water. I'm about 120 out so I pull the 52*, and make middling contact leaving me still 10 yards short of the front edge. Get up there and pitch to 10 feet, and make it! Par, +7. 

 

Phew! I have too much of a tendency to hit a great tee shot and then screw it up after I've managed to clear the creek. Didn't do that for once!

 

So I go out in 38 (+7), not bad. Get a protein bar and a beer at the turn. 
 

Hole 10, 242 par 4, HDCP 16: About 207 with a tailwind. I don't know if this is ever going to play 240+ any longer--rumor from our single who joined us is that they want to use that back teeing area for seating for events and want to convert this hole to a par 3. I take 4h because I don't want to swing my 3i and don't trust a bunted driver, and just hope it'll get there with 4h. I hit what seems like perfect contact, good sound and launch, turning left and I'm hoping it doesn't end up in the left greenside bunker. Well, SOMETHING wasn't what I thought with the contact on this one, because it didn't even come close--I was about 30 yards short. Pitch from there and make it onto the green, 20 feet short of the cup. Two-putt. Par, +7. 
 

Hole 11, 172 par 3, HDCP 6:  Another uphill par 3 to a blind green. 6i and make good contact but it's drawing left of the green. Find it a little past pin-high about 10-15 yards left of the green. I pitch and hit it a little firm, so it lands short of the pin but farther than I wanted, and doesn't check as the green runs away from me, rolling out 20 feet past the hole. I lag it to 3 feet, and then miss. Ugh. Double, +9. 

 

Wasted shot: 1, missing from 3 feet. 

 

Hole 12, 118 par 3, HDCP 18: Downhill par 3, back tees to a front pin. Last time I was here I hit a 56* and landed it a foot from the hole and watched it spin back off the green. Instead, I plan to take 52*  and hope to land it over the pin, and spin it back. I don't know what happened with contact, but it ended up 2 yards short of the green. Maybe teed up too much and too high off the face? Maybe toe? Either way it didn't have anything. Chip with the putter, and just nuke it 10 feet past the cup--hard to do considering it's all uphill. Putt back down the hill and just miss it, and tap in. Bogey, +10. 

 

I suppose I could call the bad chip with the putter a wasted shot, but I'm not going to. Grass can be unpredictable from that point still leaving me a two-putt, and trying to chip with a lofted club can EASILY leave me with a two-putt, or worse as we saw on hole 4. So I'm not going to beat myself up over that one. 

 

Hole 13, 288 par 4, HDCP 8: Tee off with 4h, and it's a nice high push draw down the right side, landing nicely in the fairway. Get up to the ball and it's 82 to a center pin, which is a partial 56* for me. Hit the 56 and it's looking good but a blind landing point, so I'm just hoping I have the distance right. I get up to the ball and I do! 10 feet left of the hole, pin-high, ball stopped and jumped back about 18 inches from the pitch mark. Unfortunately, I just BARELY miss the birdie putt, and tap in. Par, +10. 

Hole 14, 163 par 3, HDCP 10: Short tees but to a back pin, so playing about 152. I take 8i and it "looks" good but the moment I hit it I felt my contact wasn't good, just a SHADE fat, and it lands and stops on the front left fringe about a yard short of the green. Chipping with the putter up 60 feet, and I give it a decent roll but it stops about 7-8 feet short. I miss that and tap in. Bogey, +11.

Hole 15, 162 par 3, HDCP 12: Playing shorter today, but into a slight headwind, so I take 8i. I hit a good shot that starts on line and is curving left, and I'm hoping it doesn't keep going enough to bring the bunker into play. Luckily, it doesn't and lands a yard off the green in the left fringe. Buddy (who hasn't won a skin all day) went over the green, duffed his first pitch, and then chips in for par. Other buddy hit his tee shot short and pitch short, and is looking at bogey. So I need to par from 30 feet, on the fringe, to push the hole. I call this a putt rather than a chip, and I put it on what I think is a perfect pace and line, and it JUST burns the left edge and finishes 2 feet past. Which I make. Par, +11. 

 

Heh. At least I got the push on the skin there!

Hole 16, 136 par 3, HDCP 14: Playing long and with the same headwind, so I take 8i here as well. Hit a nice high draw that drops on the left side of the green, 20 feet from the hole. Two-putt. Par, +11. 
 

Hole 17, 193 par 3, HDCP 4: Playing a little over 170 to a back pin into a headwind, so I take 6i. I strike it pretty well, but it's turning left. I'm worried it's going to catch the side of a hill and kick left into the creek, but thankfully it just bounces once in the left rough and stops. I go to pitch, and just completely duff it. Go to pitch again, and this one is better, to about 7 feet. Buddy (who still hasn't won a skin) did the same--left off the tee, duffed pitch, pitch again to 7 feet. So it's a putting contest for either of us to win the hole outright (other buddy who gets a stroke made triple). He sinks his putt. Now I've got pressure. So I sink mine too! Bogey, +12.

Hole 18, 225 par 3, HDCP 2: Like last time, I decide I'm going to try the bunt driver approach here. Into the wind and playing a full 225 to a center pin. So I grip it down to the very bottom of the grip, play it slightly farther back in my stance, and take a nice easy swing...

...and hit it DEAD straight at the pin, it lands just short of the green, and rolls out 20 feet past the pin! Calm two-putt for par! Par, +12.  

So, +5 on the back, to finish with a 72 (+12). Heck of a round!

 

Stats:
Birdies: 0
Pars: 8
Bogeys: 8
Doubles: 2
Triple+: 0

Fairways: 3/6 (but almost 5/6, as I was JUST off the fairway on 6 and 10).
GIR: 6/18 
GIR+Fringe: 11/18
Putts: 34 
Wasted shots: 5, two tee shots, two pitches, and one putt.
Three-jack bogeys / wasted GIR: 1, but there could be a few more if you count GIR+Fringe.

Count for HDCP: Yes! Dropped from 22.4 to 20.7!

 

Positives: Well, most of it, honestly. Driver was great. Only pulled it out of the bag 3 times but hit it great each time, especially the bunted driver on 18. I might need to work on that and keep that shot in my bag in the future. Overall ballstriking was good today. A few misses, of course, but it wasn't anything like those last two rounds where it was ugly. Pitching was also improved, despite my issues on 4 and 17. I feel like I'm making more consistent contact, and it's starting to show up in improved distance control. And putting--it's more "neutral" than positive, but getting to "neutral" is pretty positive compared to where I used to be with consistently >36 putts per round. Also... Didn't go in a bunker, didn't lose a golf ball, and didn't have a SINGLE blow-up hole (and only two doubles)! Also... Won 13 skins out of 18!

 

Negatives: Honestly, not many. Clearly, it wasn't a perfect round, but I can't exactly expect that. Probably the only thing I can point to is the decision not to use the putter on #4. I had it in my head that birdie might be more likely with a lofted shot, but I should have been playing for par there and I *know* I would at least put the ball on the green with putter. 

 

Overall, a great round. Now to hope I can keep up the momentum. I can definitely say I won't be working out the day before a round going forward tho...

[bortass]

Great job! Like you said it wasn't perfect but you still played great. That's definitely the kind of round that you can build on. Looking forward to the next installment.

[betarhoalphadelta]

Played the 9 hole exec course with my son. Ugly first hole; average beyond. Took putter, 56*, GW, 9i, 7i. 

 

I did exercise Saturday, but was hoping that it wouldn't affect my game too much since it's such a short course. 

 

Hole 1: 56* off the tee from front tees to middle pin, ~80y. Didn't give it enough oomph and may have been a *little* thick, so it landed in the front bunker. Took 5 (!!!!) strokes to get the ball out, and then just over the lip onto the fringe. Chipped w/ putter, then two putted for a smooth 9. +6. 

 

Hole 2: Back pin so a little over 100. Took full 56*, tugged it a little left, but almost pin high about 4 feet onto the left fringe. Misjudged my lag chip/putt and put it 10 feet past. Two putt from there. Bogey, +7.

 

Hole 3: Playing 95 to a front pin so took a nearly-full 56* knowing it would spin back due to slope of green if I went long--hit off the bottom of the face and went well over the green. Plan a low pitch with 9i due to some tree branches, executed it as intended, but rolled just off the front of the green. Just over 20 feet and left my chip/putt 5 feet short. Two putt. Double, +9.

 

Hole 4: Playing about 50 yards to a center pin. Pitch with the 56* and chunk it halfway there. Pitch again to about 10 feet. Two putt. Bogey, +10. 

 

Hole 5: 205 par 4 dogleg left over water to a back left pin. Lay up with 7i off the tee but block it right. Luckily it stopped short of the pond from hole 2, but I'm in rough with a only a very low window under trees, but thankfully I'm at the perfect angle to run it up to the green, about 70 to the back edge. I hit a punch pitch bump & run with the 7i and execute it just how I want to, and it rolls just off the back edge. Chip/putt to 5 feet, and sink that. Par, +10. 

 

Hole 6: 65 yards, so I long pitch / partial 56* it, and chunk it again. Pitch from halfway there, to 12 feet. Misread the break, and it skirts by the hole about 3 inches low leaving me 18 inches coming back. Make that. Bogey, +11. 

 

Hole 7: Playing 117 to a center pin, so I hit GW full. Make what feels like buttery contact but it drops on the front of the green. 36 feet uphill, and leave it 6 feet short. Miss that, so it's a three-jack bogey. Bogey, +12. 

 

Hole 8: Back of the green is 98, back pin, into wind. Hit 56* thinking that even with a good strike, the wind will hold it up and keep it from going over, and even if it's the very back edge it'll spin. Nope. Perfect strike and it flies the green by about 10 yards. Duff a pitch. Pitch again to 7 feet. Hit my putt and it's exactly on line and stops half a revolution from the cup. Double, +14. 

 

Hole 9: 275 dogleg left over a creek. Tees are back, and we estimate it's 182 to the front edge of the right side fairway bunker. That's my aim point to get the right approach angle and allow for a fairway that slopes left and my tendency to miss left. My 7i is my 165-170 club, 175 on a perfect strike, so I take dead aim at the bunker and hit a perfect shot--that carries 185 and drops right into the bunker. Not sure where that came from. I've got a decent lie and I'm now 95 from a center pin, so I play it like I would a fairway shot with the 56*. Catch it just right but it's a slight tug left, and it lands off the back left edge. Too far to chip with the putter, so I pitch, and it rolls out to about 8 feet past the cup. Hit my putt on a perfect line and... again it stops half a revolution short. Bogey, +15. 

 

So, yeah, that sucked. The first hole ruined my score, obviously. But my putting was crap, and everything else was inconsistent. Even when I did things well (great contact on tee shots on 8 and 9) I ended up with bad results--although I recovered ok on 9. 

 

My son started really well. He made par on #1 so I got off the first hole already down 6 shots. He was only 5 over through 6, so he averaged bogey golf in that stretch (one double, one par, 3 bogeys). I did the same so I was down 6 through 6. But then he made quad/double/quad on the last three holes, so we tied at +15. Sand got him on #7, taking 3 strokes to get out, and he duffed a tee shot and had to lay up for the creek on 9, then topped his third into it and had to take a drop. 

 

So I managed to avoid him beating me for the first time, but I had to work my butt off and have his game blow up just to tie lol. 

 

He's really making strides. Had his second lesson last week, hit the range/putting green Saturday, played 9 yesterday. I'm getting him out to Oso for 18 today while I work, and then he's going to hit the exec course, range, and putting green again tomorrow. I think his pace of improvement makes it realistic to make the JV golf team by tryouts in late fall. 

 

[bortass]

Gotta love bunkers. Do they have sand? I thought you had mentioned the bunkers at one of the course/facilities aren't that great.

 

Good to read that your son is improving. Is he hooked yet?

[betarhoalphadelta]

There's "sand", but those bunkers are terrible. 

 

I'd say my son is hooked, but he shot 105 (+45) at Oso yesterday, so it might have been a little setback in his journey 😉 

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Played Oso this morning with my son. Might have time for a full write-up tomorrow, might not. 

 

I managed something I have *never* done on a golf course. I played the entire front 9 at even par! 7 pars, one bogey, one birdie. 

 

Now, the back was a different story. Went +14 on the back, with three hazards, and two bunkers that took two shots each to get out of. 

 

So I shot 74 (+14), which is my third-best score at Oso, and follows my last round there which was my second-best. 32 putts, only one 3-putt, and only one blow-up (triple) which coincidentally was both a penalty due to hazard and then a 3-putt. 

 

My son shot a personal best 86 (+26). He was also playing there on Thursday while at his mom's house, and I could see from The Grint that he was +24 through 15, and on track (assuming net par, which is double/bogey/double on the last 3 holes) for a +29, which also would have been his personal best. Unfortunately his mom had to pick him up so he couldn't finish 18. The day before that he shot a personal best at the exec course, a 41 (+12). 

 

For my round:

 

Positives: Well, being even though 9 is pretty damn positive! 32 total putts and only one 3-putt. Only one triple. Ballstriking was overall VERY good. Screwed up my tee shot on 8, chunked just about every shot on 13, and my tee shot on 17. Almost everything else I hit was great contact. Even my hazards/bunkers (pushed bunt driver/penalty on 10 OB, pushed 9i/bunker on 14, pulled 8i/bunker on 15, pulled bunt driver/penalty on 18 into pond). Pitching was a strength for once. 

 

Negatives: Bunker play is still a problem. One was pretty much plugged and on a downhill lie, so I couldn't do much about that. The sand was very wet, so instead of the 56/12 I was using the 60/8. I found that helped quite a bit, but still need more practice and experience in bunkers. Bunt driver didn't help me much. 

 

Overall, one of my best rounds, even counting the screwups on the back 9. 

Edited August 1, 2022 by betarhoalphadelta
realized there were three hazards entered on back 9, not two

[bortass]

Great to read that both you and your son played well. It sounds like he's making some pretty good progress.

 

Even par for 9 is huge. The pitching will really help lower scores when you either bomb it into pitch range on shorter par 4s/5s or be like me and dub one into that range on the longer par 4s.

 

Regarding the sand: I assume very wet also means very firm. If so, have you tried closing the face on your wedge? It's something that was mentioned in a thread about getting out of firm bunkers. I think it was @596 that mentioned it. 

 

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

41 minutes ago, bortass said:

 

Regarding the sand: I assume very wet also means very firm. If so, have you tried closing the face on your wedge? It's something that was mentioned in a thread about getting out of firm bunkers. I think it was @596 that mentioned it. 

 

 

It's fairly firm as well, yes. I sometimes wonder what it's like to play out of fluffy bunkers lol. 

 

My take on that thread was that closing the face was done largely to remove the bounce, and that using a low bounce wedge was an alternative approach to closing the face. 

 

Essentially that either way you want a little bit of "dig" because the firm/wet sand will just not allow a higher bounce wedge to enter? 

 

But I might not have that right. Should probably respond in that thread, actually. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Played Rancho San Joaquin yesterday. Played from the blues, par 72, 6155 yards, rating 69.4 and slope 123. 

 

Weather was hot. The bulk of the front 9 was stagnant with no wind, so it was a bit rough, just sweaty with no breeze to dry me off. By the back 9 it started picking up a breeze and was a lot more reasonable, but still a pretty toasty round, even starting at 9 AM. Especially given that we walked it. Although they have a range, I didn't hit any balls to warm up. Just rolled some putts and swung the Orange Whip. 

 

I knew going in that it was an important round for HDCP purposes. This round would age out a 15.9 differential in my calculation, and with a current cap of 19.9, failure to put down a decent number would then push me back up over 20. I'd pretty much need better than bogey golf to stay under 20, and my best round ever here is a 90 on a day that all the tee boxes were being redone and the course probably played 500 yards shorter. So... Tall task!

 

Hole 1, 505 par 5, HDCP 5: Slight dogleg left par 5. Open fairway with trees right between the first hole and the range. To the left is sparse trees and farther left is the 18th fairway. Left can be bad if you're stuck too close to a tree, but can also be pretty open. Green is protected front left, and pin-high right, by bunkers. Hit driver, and blocked it right, ending up in the right rough. Had a clear shot from there though, too far out to reach and just planned to hit 7i and advance it back to the fairway. And I top it. Get up to the ball, top it again. And again. Finally make a good swing from 130 out with my GW and put it just onto the back fringe. Counting that as a putt, I two putt from 30 feet. Double, +2.

 

Oof. What a start. Why can't I hit the ball?  

 

Wasted shots-2, "approach", because I should be able to be greenside in 3, and I duffed it badly enough to make it there in 5. 

 

Hole 2, 142 par 3, HDCP 17: Short par 3 on a normal day, playing to an extreme front pin. Green is protected by a big and nasty bunker front left, and is elevated so misses can leave tricky chips. The front of the green is very heavily sloped. Playing about 131. I hit GW and make good contact, but pull it left. It lands just left of the bunker in rough. I get to the ball and have a fluffy lie, pitch over the bunker, land about where I want in short grass just before the green but didn't realize I caught a slope going away from me and it runs out to the fringe on the other side. Again, counting it as a putt from the fringe, I two putt from 20 feet. Bogey, +3.
 

Hole 3, 325 par 4, HDCP 15: Shorter par 4 that plays a very slight dogleg left. To the right is OB, to the left is sparse trees. Green protected front left by a bunker. I've learned not to hit driver here (poor risk/reward), and just hit a 5i. I stripe it and its a draw that ends up on the left side of the fairway. I don't recall yardage or club for my approach, but I hit it decently, but just a shade off center such that I barely catch the front edge of the green. Two-putt from 30 feet. Par, +3.

 

Ok, so after a poor start I'm at least playing bogey golf.  

 

Hole 4, 336 par 4, HDCP 11: Another shorter par 4, but tricky. From the tee, the green is directly in line with a large fairway bunker that's usually about 200-210 off the tee. The fairway curls around the left side, and then there's a big valley between the bunker and the green, so if you're down there you're hitting to an elevated green, protected front right by a large bunker. OB all the way down the right side, and safe but sparse trees between fairways if you end up left. This is a driver hole, because that bunker is in range of other tee clubs but I can carry beyond it with driver. I smack one strongly down the left side. I get to my ball and I'm in the left rough, distance enough to take a pretty full 56* and need it because I need to elevate over a tree. I catch it just a hair thin and it's low and long, just catching a leaf at the top of the tree and going about 10 yards over the green and stops on a slope away from the hole. I pitch up to 10 feet, and then two putt. Bogey, +4.
 

Hole 5, 502 (460) par 5, HDCP 1: Tough hole. Off the tee there's a bunker guarding the right side of the fairway. Right is OB all the way down, left is safer (trees or adjacent fairway) but if you get over there you only have a play back into the correct fairway and can't likely recover without it costing a stroke. After the bunker and down a hill, your second shot plays to a landing area where the fairway is narrow and guarded left and right by lakes. The green is wide but shallow, guarded by the right lake, and elevated 15' from water level. Not only that, 3 palm trees just off the shore of the right lake can get in your way depending on pin placement. Leaving your second short of the lakes gives a mid-long iron and good luck stopping it on that green, if you reach. I take driver off the tee. It's a great pull fade that starts towards the left edge of the fairway and comes back towards center. Get up to the ball and figure I can put a 7i between the lakes. I hit it and it starts on line, but it's drawing left... And luckily stops a few yards from the edge of the left lake in rough. I get up to my ball and the rough is kinda thick. I'm about 120 out but plan to take my 130-135 club (GW). I hit it and I can tell I haven't gotten all of it, and I've gotta clear the right lake between me and the green... And I just barely clear it and the ball is in fairway grass just short of the green. I pitch up and it rolls out 5 feet past the pin. I sink that! Par, +4. 

This is a hard hole. I'm ecstatic to walk away with a par here. I'm usually quite satisfied to just walk away with a bogey. So this was a good one, with a bit of luck involved because I flirted with disaster twice. 

Hole 6, 366 par 4, HDCP 3: Short par 4, but with a big lake that is in play if you're long-left off the tee. OB down the right side but this hole is diagonal at the corner of the property, so the farther you are from the tee, the more room there is. The water follows the fairway all the way down the left side, and then there's a bunker between the water and the green protecting the green. I decide to take driver, and I hit it just below the crown. It's a pop fly to right center field, goes about 160-170ish yards because I end up 200 out from the green. 200 is just at the edge of my 4h range with a good strike, so I give that a shot, and absolutely pure it, finishing pin high on the left edge of the green. I'm about 25 feet out and just leave my putt 6 feet short. Miss that. Tap in. Three jack bogey. Ugh. Bogey, +5.

 

Wasted strokes- 1, a completely terrible lag putt. 

 

Hole 7, 346, par 4, HDCP 9: Hole has a giant tree down the right side that can really mess with approach shots if your tee shot is out right, and the left side is much more open. Green is protected front left by a bunker, and has a bunker behind. Tees are up, which scares me because there's a large net to protect houses from anything going right off the tee. I take driver and hit a high fade onto the right edge of the fairway. Get to the ball and I'm about 105 to a back pin, the edge of my 56* range but a 52* likely puts me well over. So I hit the 56* and it looks great but I'm holding my breath the whole time to make sure I clear the left side bunker... And I do! I knock it to 7 feet! I two-putt that. Par, +5. 

Hole 8, 166 par 3, HDCP 13: Hole plays uphill over a pond to a blind green, with big bunkers fronting the green on the left and right. Pin is on the front edge, and with the elevated green my laser says it's playing 166 with the slope. I hit 7i and absolutely nut it, but it's headed left. I see it hit the top of a palm tree and not come down. I hit another just in case and put it just off the front edge of the green. I go looking for the first ball and can't find it. Not sure it came out of the tree at all, and if it did, there is some NASTY long grass all around the likely area where it would have come down, with pretty much the consistency of a marsh. So I call it lost and go to the other ball. I'm about 5 yards off the green and it's a front pin, so I elect to chip with the putter rather than try to chip short-sided with a lofted club. Unfortunately I don't give it enough and end up 7 feet short. Two-putt from there. Triple, +8. 

 

Well, at least with the triple I'm *back* to bogey golf. But that one hurt. Penalty strokes always suck.
 

Hole 9, 414 par 4, HDCP 7: Pretty open hole. Decently wide fairway, with sparse trees left and right, and this hole is between #16 (left) and #10 (right), so you're actually pretty safe no matter where you end up (but #10 cuts the corner a little). Tricky multi-sloped green is protected by small bunkers all around. I take driver and hit it perfectly up the right side. IIRC I had about 140-145 left, and took 9i. Slight pull and sent it long, over the green. Pitch back to 5 feet. Unfortunately just barely miss that, and tap in. Bogey, +9. 

 

So I'm out in 45. Not bad. Playing bogey golf at this course is a good day for me. I'm making just enough pars to cover my screw-ups.  

 

Hole 10, 355 par 4, HDCP 10: A bit of a tricky dogleg left, with houses and OB down the left side but still some room to cut the corner if you're brave. There's a fairway bunker at the corner and trees just to the left of that. There's bunker left of the green, but otherwise it's pretty open once you're past the corner. I take driver and hit a nice gentle draw over the top of the bunker and it rolls out just to the right rough, leaving a perfect angle to the green. I think it left a partial 56*, which I hit long and left and into the short grass past the green. I try to pitch up and flub it. GRR! Try again and pitch it to 5 feet. Finally make one of these to save bogey. Bogey, +10.

Feels like I've wasted great drives on the last two holes. 
 
Wasted strokes: 1, the flubbed pitch. 
 

Hole 11, 368 par 4, HDCP 6: This is HDCP 6 for two reasons. There are a couple of big trees down the left side that if you're over there, you have nothing other than trying to punch under them, lay up over them, or draw around them. That, and the green is very well protected by one bunker front left, and two bunkers to the right. Other than that, it's pretty straightforward. I take driver and crush it, up the right side ending just on the other side of the cart path. I sight it at 114 left to the pin, which a near-full 52*. Of course I catch the 52* perfect and it flies to the back edge of the green and stops there. I've got 45 feet downhill breaker for birdie. Which I lag to tap-in range, and tap in. Par, +10. 
 

Hole 12, 527 par 5, HDCP 2: There's water down the right side that normally requires a hell of a drive to reach (and usually is in play for a second shot). Houses and OB down the left side, but decent room between the fairway and those houses that you have to REALLY end up left to be OB. The fairway narrows about 100 yards short of the green near the end of the lake to the left and the encroaching trees on the right, and then the green is protected left and front-right with bunkers. I take driver and hit a low pull fade that ends up in the center. Still well out of range of the green, so I hit 6i to advance. It ends up starting on a good line but is curving left, catches the cart path, and ends up in the left rough. I get up to the ball and I have no tree trouble, so it's all good. I'm about 130 out and hit GW. Unfortunately I catch it a bit fat and it only goes maybe 100 yards. I pitch up from there and make good contact, but don't give it enough juice, and it stops on the front fringe. Two-putt from 30 feet. Bogey, +11. 
 

 

Hole 13, 157 par 3, HDCP 14: Forced carry over water, protecting the green short and right. Bunker to the left, and the green is pretty heavily sloped so putting can be tricky, but otherwise a pretty straightforward par 3. Playing 162 to a back pin. I've been hitting some of my irons long today and I'd rather miss below the hole here anyway, so I take 8i. I strike it well but it's curving left, and ends up pin-high off the left edge of the green. I'm about 48 feet away, over a big of short grass before the green, but I still choose to chip with the putter. And send it 12 feet past the hole. Putt back and leave myself 3 feet. Miss that. Tap in. Double, +13. 
 
Well, back to bogey golf, I guess. 

 

Wasted strokes: 1, whether it's the bad putt from 12 feet or the missed 3 footer I left myself, I should two putt from 12 feet. 

Hole 14, 348 par 4, HDCP 8: This hole has a completely blind tee shot down a hill. Trees down the left side and open on the right. Bunker short left of the green, but the hole is not all that hard to play as long as you're not really far left. I hit driver and it's a smoked pull fade down the left side and coming back to center. Get down to my ball and I'm 75 yards from the front pin, so I hit a partial 56*. I strike it just fine but misjudged the distance, leaving it just short of the green. I chip with the putter, to tap in distance. I tap in for par. Par, +13. 
 

Hole 15, 156 par 3, HDCP 12: Significantly uphill to a blind green. Bunker short left. Rangefinder says 161 true, 168 adjusted. I take 7i and it feels like a little bit of a toe strike but it's starting at the right edge of the green and just barely curving back. I see it land and can see my ball. Can't tell if it's on the front fringe or over the green on another slope due to the weird optics. I get up there, and I'm off the back edge. Got a weird downhill chip with the putter over about 6 feet of fairway grass and then downhill to the pin. I hit it nicely, though, and it stops 3 feet above the hole. I sink that. Par, +13. 

Hole 16, 396 par 4, HDCP 4: Another relatively open dogleg right hole as it sits between #9 on the right and #4/5 on the left. Left isn't that great on this hole because you're adding distance to the dogleg, but right is fine. There's no trouble in the fairway, but three bunkers protect the green front-left, front-right, and back-right. I hit driver and it's nuked up the right side of the fairway, finishing in the center due to the dogleg. Rangefinder says 132 left, so I take GW and stick it to 15 feet. This is a really tough green, but I get a read from a playing partner who chips on from roughly my line, so I'm hoping to put down a birdie putt. Unfortunately, I miss, but leave myself a tap-in. Par, +13. 
 

Hole 17, 292 par 4, HDCP 18: Short, straight hole, but 3 bunkers ring a small green, and the fairway is pretty tight, so accuracy is a premium here. On the right side the trees are pretty dense, and if you get stuck there a few near the green are nigh-impossible to hit over. Down the left is more sparse, but still a lot of trees. I hit 4h and it's a nice strike heading up the left side. I think it's trying to curve left but a strong left->right wind holds it up and it finishes just left of center. I'm left with 115 to a front-ish pin and after what happened from that distance on 11, take a slightly more gentle 52* wedge. I strike it nicely and it gets onto the front of the green about 16 feet from the hole. I get to see pretty much everyone else putt from different angles, but it tells me this putt breaks a ton to the left.  So I play plenty of break, and just miss it on the high side, and tap in. Par, +13.

Easiest hole on the course and I think this is the first time I've ever made par lol. 

 

Walk up to the 18th. I've got 3 skins so far. Partners have 2, 4, and 5, so that's 14. Realized we've pushed the last 3 holes, so the 18th is worth four skins and nobody gets a pop. 

Hole 18, 457 par 5, HDCP 16: Short par 5, but narrow fairway in the first landing area. It opens up as you approach the hole, but with bunkers left and right of the green. I hit driver and it's a pull draw, and that wind from 17 is now right->left because we're going the opposite direction and it pushes it even farther. Find my ball and it's rolled all the way through the rough to the fairway of hole #1. Get to the ball and I've got an unreachable 233 to the green, but that doesn't matter because I have to play over a tree back to my own fairway anyway. So I hit 8i and pure it, clearing the tree and ending up on the right side of the correct fairway. I've got 75 left and hit a partial 56*. I strike it okay but it's pulled left, leaving me on the left edge of the green, with about 45 feet to the hole. I lag that to about 18 inches and tap in. Par, +13.

 

Rest of the group went bogey/double/double so my par is good enough to take 4 skins and put me into the money! Which I used to buy them all a round of beers because I just shot a freakin' 85! 

 

Yep. 45/40, to finish with an 85! This is now the first time I've officially broken 90. I've played better than bogey golf at the 9 hole exec and at Oso, but both courses having slope ratings of <100 have made me not consider those to be "breaking 90", even if it was <18 over par. But par 72, slope of 123--that's legit. I did it!
 

Stats:
Birdies: 0
Pars: 9
Bogeys: 6
Doubles: 2
Triples+: 1

 

Putts - 34
Fairways hit - 11/14 (may be wrong--just took what I had them scored as in the app)
Greens in regulation - 7/18 
Wasted shots: 5, 2 approach, 1 short game, 2 putting.
Counts for HDCP: Yes! It's a differential according to The Grint of 13, which not only counts for my cap, but is 2.9 lower than the differential which just expired from my last 20 scores. So I dropped from 19.9 to 19.4!

 

Positives: Well, obviously. I shot a freakin' 85! Finishing with 5 straight pars helped. I feel like ballstriking continues to be a positive. And the swing changes have been helping me neutralize my draw/hook pattern so I'm hitting the ball a lot straighter in general. I've been doing a lot better lately with my partial wedges and pitches, one hole notwithstanding today. Although I had two doubles and one triple, it was one of those days where I was keeping myself out of trouble for the most part.

 

Negatives: Tough to find too many here, although both of my recorded three-putts were pretty terrible. And I don't know why I just couldn't hit the ball to save my life coming up the fairway on #1. 

 

What a day!

[bortass]

Congrats! Way to finish the round out! Time to set your sights on <80 🙂  Staying out of trouble/taking your medicine makes big difference. A triple isn't always the end of the world, it just makes things much harder. 

 

Are you feeling more relaxed/confident on the tee with your driver?

[betarhoalphadelta]

30 minutes ago, bortass said:

Congrats! Way to finish the round out! Time to set your sights on <80 🙂  Staying out of trouble/taking your medicine makes big difference. A triple isn't always the end of the world, it just makes things much harder. 

 

Are you feeling more relaxed/confident on the tee with your driver?

 

The driver has been coming along for a while now. I think most of my improvement is elsewhere...

 

Here is where I think things have been coming from:

 

1. Long game consistency: I've now been exercising for the past month and a half. I don't think this is anything that will obviously yield major muscle growth, but the ballstriking being better may be due to some improvement in strength and balance. I.e. I don't hit the ball any "better" on my good shots, but I have good shots more often. I think this could be fitness-related. I know it's not because I've been hitting the range--I'm too tired from the Peloton and it's the middle of the hot season so I don't want to be there lol.

 

2. Pitching/Short Game: I feel more confident. I've been focusing on getting the right shoulder through (Monte's UTB 2.0), and it's definitely reduced the number of chunks/etc. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy too... The more confident I get, the better I do. The better I do, the more confident I get. 

 

3. Putting: If I look at my last 20 scores in The Grint app, I've taken my average putts per round down from a high of 38.8 to now 36.6. But that understates the improvement. Over the last 10 it's 35.5, and 8 of the last 10 were 36 or below. I had a 41-putt (!) round in there, 10 rounds ago, so my next 18 hole round should pull that out of the last 10. The older rounds 11-20, I only had two rounds that were 36 or below. I think a portion of this could be due to more mindful practice and approach, and may also have to do with the new putter. That 41-putt round was the first day I had the new putter, and in general my putting has been better since I put it in the bag. 

 

All that said, I think it's gonna be a while before I start scaring 80--except at par-60 Oso Creek lol 😉

 

[bortass]

I've found some of same things you mention to be true for me as well. The cycle of good shot > confidence > more good shots. It's great and the inverse is true as well. That's where process can help I think. My putting took a nose dive and I dreaded it. I finally settled on a mindful process and my putting is back to where it used to be. The parallels in the various threads of people trying to improve are great. Our paths are all different but they also share things.

 

You really crushed the 90 "barrier" with that 85. I think that's huge. It wasn't just eeking by with an 89. I assume that's a big boost to your overall confidence. I can't tell from your write ups if you feel any scoring pressure when you play because you want to break a number. If so, you may find some more carefree golf going forward which could lead to even lower scores. Sometimes not caring about the outcome leads to a better outcome.

 

When is your next round?

 

Oh, here's an odd question. When do you no longer "suck"? I know the answer for me but I'm curious what it is for you.

[betarhoalphadelta]

36 minutes ago, bortass said:

 

You really crushed the 90 "barrier" with that 85. I think that's huge. It wasn't just eeking by with an 89. I assume that's a big boost to your overall confidence. I can't tell from your write ups if you feel any scoring pressure when you play because you want to break a number. If so, you may find some more carefree golf going forward which could lead to even lower scores. Sometimes not caring about the outcome leads to a better outcome.

 

When is your next round?

 

Oh, here's an odd question. When do you no longer "suck"? I know the answer for me but I'm curious what it is for you.

 

Regarding scoring pressure, I don't think it's a big thing for me. Obviously my previous round at Oso where I shot even par on the front and then went +14 on the back, one could easily claim that it was a "collapse" due to putting pressure on myself when I had a good round going. But then Sunday at Rancho, obviously I knew going into the round that a 15.9 differential was coming off my index calculation and I needed to play better than bogey golf to put up a number that would keep my index under 20. I was even bogey through 13 and then ripped off 5 straight pars. I kinda figure my collapse at Oso was "reversion to the mean" while my good back 9 at Rancho was just a matter of stringing together a few good holes. I don't think the pressure standing over the ball is any different when I'm close to making any particular score. I knew at Rancho as I got through the 16th that I was +13 and that +13 is an 85, and an 85 just sounds a lot more impressive than 87 lol. Yet, it didn't cause me to blow up 17 or 18. 

 

Next round will be either 8/20 or 8/21. Too much going on this weekend with the kids (celebrating two of their birthdays) to get out with my son, so it'll be the following weekend. More than likely it'll be Oso again as well, as it's easier to get an early time and in the August heat, that's much preferred. 

 

To be honest, I don't know when a player no longer "sucks". After all, nobody goes out and shoots 18 on 18 holes, right? To be honest, though, I think the real answer for me is when you're high single digit to low teens. At that level of consistency I think you start to look like a real golfer rather than a typical weekend hacker. At that point par on a hole becomes an expectation that you sometimes fall short of, rather than a par being a "good hole" or an exception from typical play. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Son is at the exec course by himself today as I had other kid duty and couldn't join him...

 

 

He needs to work on his putting 😂

[betarhoalphadelta]

He ended up with his best score there ever, 38 (par 29, so +9, bogey golf). If he didn't literally have 4(?!) three-putt bogeys, it could have been epic  😂

[betarhoalphadelta]

Played at Oso yesterday. As mentioned, it's par-60 at 3760 yards, rating 58.2 and slope 99. No range, so only warm-up was the putting green and Orange Whip.

 

Was really looking forward to the weather, as we teed off at 8:10 and it was supposed to stay overcast until ~10, and then only get up into the mid-high 70s by the time we'd finish around noon. Unfortunately although the sun never actually showed itself, it was MUGGY with little breeze until the middle of the back 9, so it was definitely a sticky round. Uncharacteristic humidity for SoCal. 

 

I only had one of our usual betting group. We had another player who we met as a single months ago and he's come into the rotation, and then another coworker who hadn't played in 2-3 years so it was his first round back. So myself and Jim, who is an older guy I work with, decided to play $10 head-to-head match play instead of skins. With my recent good scores, my course handicap was 15 and his 22, so he had 7 strokes on me.  

 

Hole 1, 285 par 4, HDCP 11: I've been finding that driver is easier to hit when I'm not warmed up on the first tee than 4h, so I figured I'd tee off with driver. And with the tees such that the front edge of the green was only 265, I knew I had to wait for it to clear. Which meant that the predictable happened--smother hook. Thankfully it went over the creek that runs down the left side, and ended up in the 9th fairway. Now I'm sitting at about 155 to the hole, so I take 8i. I hit it thin, but it hits the upslope short of the green and rolls up to 10 feet. I don't sink the birdie, but I tap in. Par, E. 
 

Hole 2, 171 par 3, HDCP 9: Playing around 165, so I hit 7i. Make good contact but it starts turning left, landing pin-high well left of the green. At least I didn't hit double-cart-path and end up on 18, as I've done multiple times lol. But I'm stymied by the trunk of a big palm tree and can't aim at the pin. So I aim left of the tree which should put me about 2/3 of the way up the green and if I'm lucky it will follow the slope towards the hole, and flub it--only to stymie myself WORSE because I'm now closer to the tree. I hit the next pitch much better, but it puts me well up near the back of the green, leaving 30 feet downhill. I manage to two-putt it. Double, +2. 

 

Wasted stroke: 1, the flubbed first pitch. 

 

Hole 3, 146 par 3, HDCP 15: 145 to a back pin, so I take 9i. I hit it and it's a bit right, and felt like a good strike, but it just barely makes the front of the green. Weird. I thought it was well struck. Go to return my club to the bag and see my 9i on the bag. I hit PW. Hence why it was >10 yards short. Moron! I'm left with 45 feet and lag it to 4 feet, straight underneath the hole, which I make. Par, +2.

Hole 4, 266 par 4, HDCP 13: Tees up and it should be reachable with driver. Smother hook over to the fairway in front of the 7th (par 3) green. Great. Now I've got 135 to center and hit GW. I hit it straight but a little chunky and it ends up 40y short. Pitch from there, much better, to 10 feet. Two putt. Bogey, +3. 
 

Hole 5, 168 par 3, HDCP 5: My nemesis hole due to the left miss. Rangefinder says 170 and it's 180 with the slope, so I hit 5i. I make great contact but push it a bit right and long. I'm over the green in the rough, but with a pretty good amount of green to work with. I pitch, and flub it. Pitch again, and it's much better but with the crazy slope of this green, rolls down 20 feet past and below the hole. Two putt from there. Double, +5.  

 

Wasted strokes: 1, the flubbed pitch.

 

Hole 6, 296 par 4, HDCP 7: Hit 4h off the tee, and hit it pretty much perfect. Nice high draw which finishes on the left side of the fairway, leaving me almost exactly 100 yards to a back pin, perfect 56* distance. I hit a perfect full 56* and stick it 15 feet right of the pin. Two putt. Par, +5.

Hole 7, 148 par 3, HDCP 17: Playing 140, so I hit 9i. As soon as I hit it I know contact wasn't good. It's a draw short and left of the green. Pitch, and it runs 15 feet past. Two putt. Bogey, +6.

 
Hole 8, 174 par 3, HDCP 3: Playing about 165 slightly downhill, so I hit 7i. Seems like a good strike but turning well left, and I see a couple of weird bounces and find the ball SHORT of the creek along the cart path, 40 yards short of the hole. I have no clue how it got there because it easily had the distance to end up well past the path. Oh well. I take relief from the path and pitch it up towards the green, but don't get great contact and it ends up on the front fringe, 2 yards short. I'm probably 45 feet and going uphill, so I chip with the putter and just nuke the dang thing. Run it 20 feet past the hole. Two putt. Double, +8. 

Wasted stroke: 1, the lag chip from the fringe. It's hard to judge it coming from 2 yards off, but I should be able to at least give myself something well under 10 feet from there. I just gave it WAY too much. 

 
Hole 9, 317 par 4, HDCP 1: The one hole on this course that actually rewards driver. There's a creek you need to be able to carry ~230 or more to clear, and if you do so you're in prime shape. Laying up, due to the slope, requires a shot trying to stay about 150 yards from the tee, which leaves 170 to the green. So I take driver. Smother hook into the creek along the left between 9 and 1. Take a drop roughly where it went in, and I'm still 205 out hitting 3. So I take 4h and hit one off the toe about 35 yards forward and about 50 yards right. Ouch. Hit 6i from there and run it up into the front right bunker. See my original ball that had followed the creek ALL the way down to where the creek turns to cross the fairway, so at least I found my ball. Take my 60* and actually get out of the bunker, in one stroke, nicely, leaving 20 feet. Two putt. Triple, +11. 

 

Wasted strokes: 1, the horrible 4h. The driver hurt me, of course, but at least I advanced the ball and if I had managed to bounce over the creek (which almost happened) I would have gotten another 20-30 yards out of it.  

 

Out in 42 (+11). Was maintaining "even bogey" through 8, but just blew up on 9. 

 

And I'm 2 down in the match. 

 

Hole 10, 242 par 4, HDCP 16: About 205 to center pin. I take 4h and it's a big push toe hook that goes about 160 and curves right back into the center of the fairway. Ok. I'll take it. Pitch from there and it's a nice crisp contact and rolls up to 5 feet from the pin. Which I miss 3 inches low. Tap in. Par, +11. 

 

Par gets me back to 1 down.

 

Hole 11, 172 par 3, HDCP 6:  Another uphill par 3 to a blind green. 6i and make good contact but it's drawing WELL left of the green. Find it a little short of pin-high, with a BIG tree between my ball and the green. I don't have trunk trouble, but the hanging branches mean I need to keep this low. So I pitch with my 9i, and hit it just about perfect, bumping a little short of the green and running on, 15 feet. Two putt. Bogey, +12.  

 

With a bogey and my opponent making triple (net double as he had a stroke), we're back to all square.  

Hole 12, 118 par 3, HDCP 18: Downhill par 3, back pin. 120 yards true, but 112 adjusted for slope. I hit the 52* and it's just a bad strike again, pulled left. Luckily the bad strike took off enough distance that it lands just short of the front left bunker. Pitch up to 10 feet short of the hole. Drain the putt. Par, +12.

 

Well, back to even bogey. 

 

Hole 13, 288 par 4, HDCP 8: Tee off with 4h, and it's a nice high draw finishing along the left side. Left with a tricky 85 yard light 56* with the ball above my feet. Hit it crisp but pulled a little, and just hoping it clears the bunker. It does, and I find myself on the green 40 feet out. Two putt. Par, +12. 

 

Par is enough to put me 1 up. 

Hole 14, 163 par 3, HDCP 10: Playing longer than usual today (about 170), so I take 7i. I hit it really nicely but it's turning left. It hits a berm left of the green that gives it a kick right, but not quite enough, and I end up a little bit long and left in the rough. I pitch, and it's relatively nice, to finish 10 feet below the hole. Two putt. Bogey, +13.

 

Opponent makes 5 with no strokes, so I'm 2 up. 

Hole 15, 162 par 3, HDCP 12: Tees up to a back left pin so maybe 145 into a slight breeze. I don't want to go long so I hit 9i. It starts well right of the pin and is turning left nicely, and then too much, and lands just off the left side of the green. There's enough between me and the green surface that I call this a chip with the putter, because I don't believe I can stop an actual chip with a lofted club in 20ish feet. So I putt and leave myself 3 feet past the hole. And I make that. Par, +13.

 

Opponent bogeys, so I'm 3 up with 3 to play. 

Hole 16, 136 par 3, HDCP 14: Playing long into a slight breeze, so I take 9i. And as soon as it leaves the club I know it's a mishit and isn't going to get there. Leave myself 20 yards short. Pitch nicely from there to 10 feet. Two putt. Bogey, +14.  
 
Opponent bogeys, so I win the match 3&2! (Which is lucky because he'd have beat me on both of the next two holes). 

 

Hole 17, 193 par 3, HDCP 4: Playing over 170 today with a little headwind, so I take 6i. Which I hook over the left side creek under the trees. Have a long pitch to the green with the 56*, which I hit nicely and leave myself 20 feet. Two putt. Bogey, +15.

Hole 18, 225 par 3, HDCP 2: My driver has been trash today, so I'm not going to try the bunt driver approach. I've got a good round going and I don't want to ruin it by putting one in the pond left of the green. So I hit 4h and it's a beaut. High push draw ending up 15 yards short of the right side bunker. From there I've gotta hit over the bunker, but it's to a back pin so I've got plenty of room to work with. Nope. Flub it just short of the front edge of the bunker. Ok... Still fine. Just need to pitch over. Nope. Flub it into the bunker. Oof. Okay, so let's just use the 60* and get out. Well, at least I did one thing right--I get out of the bunker. But I'm left with 50 feet from the fringe. It's close enough to the putting surface that I'm calling this one a putt, which of course means that I end up having to call it a three-putt as I hit the first one too far past and don't make the comebacker. Quad, +19. 

 

Wasted strokes: 2, the flubbed pitches. 

 

So I was 42 (+11) on the front, and was +4 on the back through 8 holes, but finished 37 (+8). Total of 79 (+19). 
 

Stats:
Birdies: 0
Pars: 7
Bogeys: 6
Doubles: 3
Triple+: 2

Fairways: 3/6 (4/7 if you count 18).
GIR: 5/18 
Putts: 35 
Wasted shots: 6, 1 long game (4h), 4 flubbed pitches, and 1 terrible lag chip with the putter.
Three-jack bogeys / wasted GIR: 0, so that's good.
Count for HDCP: Yes! Dropped from 19.5 to 19.2. 

 

Positives: Fourth straight round that counts for my cap calculation (makes it 6 of my last 10, and yesterday's round knocked out one of the last 10 to be there). That's a sign things overall are improving. Managed to keep it under 36 putts. Only one three-putt (and that's a stretch as it was on the fringe), and it wasn't a bogey / wasted GIR. Got out of two bunkers each on the first try, maybe not perfectly, but WAY better than typical. Also, after a poor grinding front 9 I was actually doing quite well on the back, until the 18th lol. 

 

Negatives: Where'd my driver go? Was helping me massively of late and I went 3/3 on smother hooks? Also, the hook is showing up more than it has been lately. Aim right and miss left? Gotta get that under control. I think I'm sliding instead of rotating and dumping my hands inside again. And four flubbed pitches? Man, I had been doing so much better. And lastly, sitting at +15 on the 18th tee, making the smart play and putting a 4h into great position, and then ending up with quad? Yeah, with a layup off the tee I'm pretty much playing for a bogey 4, but that was just a meltdown from 35 yards to take 6 strokes to get in the hole. 

 

Overall, though I guess I can't complain too much. I was only 1 over bogey golf. If that's a round I walk away from disappointed rather than elated, it must mean that I've been getting better and my expectations have been rising to match. 

[NoTalentLefty]

Advise : Stop using straws.

[betarhoalphadelta]

34 minutes ago, NoTalentLefty said:

Advise : Stop using straws.

 

Maybe this is some lingo I'm missing, but I don't understand what this means... I feel like it's a joke I'm just not getting. 

 

Can you elaborate?