Journey to Scratch

[MelloYello]

11 hours ago, dvq9654 said:

 

I usually make it out once or twice a week. I have a fairly full schedule, so can't play during the week, but can frequently find time early AM to practice. 

 

In terms of playing, I generally play alone. I often find myself fitting in rounds whenever works, which makes it tough to keep a regular group. I don't mind playing alone, but also would enjoy a group to play with. 

 

I would love to join a club, but the clubs near me have long waitlists and 100k+ initiation fees. There are some cheaper options a little further away, but if I join something the convenience will be one of the largest reasons, so it's hard to get excited about the less convenient options. 

 

Yeah, that's tough. It doesn't sound like joining a club is much of a possibility for you. It's alright because finding games at some of those more expensive clubs can be surprisingly tricky. People aren't always as welcoming as they are at more affordable venues and sometimes it's impossible to even get tee times (as a member!). I knew a guy who joined an expensive club. He and his wife were regular golfers of respectable skill (not to mention very friendly and popular) but they could barely get their names on the tee sheet through the first 6 months. They ultimately got fed up and bailed for another club that was less expensive / luxurious but more accommodating in terms of actual golf. 

 

Another topic of conversation I haven't seen discussed is the inclusion of more 9-hole rounds. If you're strictly looking to lower your index as a goal, you might ditch some of those practice sessions for 9-hole rounds (after you get past the need to explicitly work on the various mechanical issues I know you're looking at now). 

 

People who post 9-hole rounds commonly have a slightly better index. I suppose it's easier to "hold it together" during multiple shorter rounds? I know the requirement to post 9-hole "practice" scores is a thorn in the side of many scratch-adjacent players who don't want to be seen as +1 or +2 golfers because of the tendency of 9-hole scores to do that. If scratch is THE goal you can always take advantage of that approach. I've seen the effect even in my own index during periods of routine, mid-week, post-work 9-hole twilight golf. 

 

Either way, it's hard for me to believe you're going to see much progress (purely in terms of index) only playing once a week. I think that's your biggest liability. Generally the "journey to scratch" guys fall short not because of talent or skill but because they burn out playing 4-5x per week trying to stay perfectly in the groove. The fact you're a 1-2 now playing only once per week is incredible. I think this is inevitably a bridge you'll have to cross at some point. 

 

An alternative objective would be shooting for long-term stability rather than a simple index (which can always be improved upon after all). The index is going to quickly bounce right back up if you stop obsessively playing & practicing anyway. I believe your initial post contained something to the effect of just wanting to be more respectable / reliable when you show up to a new course or play with someone new (or even in competition). I can sympathize.

 

I played some of my best golf in club competitions last summer. But more recently I've also played some of my worst. There's a level of consistency I'm searching for, too. Maybe that'll come as your index improves. I would probably focus more on embedding fundamentals though so that you could potentially go 2-weeks or more without playing and not lose it all. I think it's infinitely more scary to watch someone who hasn't played in awhile roll in and post 74 as opposed to a guy who plays all the time shooting 70 on his best day. I think the former ultimately has a lot more skill. But maybe the goal of getting to scratch is how you refine that skill? IDK. But I would focus of getting to the point where you have fundamentals, keys and other stuff you know you can return to (and continue to build on at later points down the road). That would seem more rewarding in the long run. 

 

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

13 hours ago, dvq9654 said:

 

I would love to join a club, but the clubs near me have long waitlists and 100k+ initiation fees. There are some cheaper options a little further away, but if I join something the convenience will be one of the largest reasons, so it's hard to get excited about the less convenient options. 

 

Yeah, golf is expensive as heck here in SoCal... I don't have enough time to justify even a cheaper private club, but as my kids get older and start getting out of the house I'll start looking into it. 

 

But down here in Orange County, courses are either "cheap" ($50-60 weekend) and bad, expensive ($150 weekend) and so-so, or REALLY expensive ($250+ weekend) and good. I realize I could go over to Corona and get better courses for less money, but with my limited time that means adding several more hours to a weekend day when golf already takes a big chunk of time. 

 

My game doesn't justify spending that much for the nicer courses at this point lol...

[dvq9654]

12 hours ago, MelloYello said:

Another topic of conversation I haven't seen discussed is the inclusion of more 9-hole rounds. If you're strictly looking to lower your index as a goal, you might ditch some of those practice sessions for 9-hole rounds (after you get past the need to explicitly work on the various mechanical issues I know you're looking at now). 

 

People who post 9-hole rounds commonly have a slightly better index. I suppose it's easier to "hold it together" during multiple shorter rounds? I know the requirement to post 9-hole "practice" scores is a thorn in the side of many scratch-adjacent players who don't want to be seen as +1 or +2 golfers because of the tendency of 9-hole scores to do that. If scratch is THE goal you can always take advantage of that approach. I've seen the effect even in my own index during periods of routine, mid-week, post-work 9-hole twilight golf. 

 

Either way, it's hard for me to believe you're going to see much progress (purely in terms of index) only playing once a week. I think that's your biggest liability. Generally the "journey to scratch" guys fall short not because of talent or skill but because they burn out playing 4-5x per week trying to stay perfectly in the groove. The fact you're a 1-2 now playing only once per week is incredible. I think this is inevitably a bridge you'll have to cross at some point. 

 

 

 

I play 9-hole rounds pretty frequently, particularly when times are busy. I can get in a quick 9 on a weekend morning, then hit some balls and get back to work / life by ~9:30am. I actually find it a very productive morning in that I get to play and practice. In terms of scores, I can see what you're saying. I'll post everything I play, and we'll see how things play out. 

 

On your next point, there is no doubt time is the enemy. However, I didn't set this goal because I thought it would be easy. I set it because I want something to reach for and life is boring if you're not stretching for something new and/or challenging. I'm confident I can get better than I am now. How much better is the question. 

[ryan84]

I'll join in. I am a young (25) 3ish cap chasing scratch as well. Have made big progress the last two years with lessons and a range membership, but I truly believe the thing holding me back is play time. I am Considering doing a junior membership somewhere this year. While I don't know that this is the best financial decision, I just don't see any other way to get to scratch without a membership to play a crap ton.

 

Don't mean to hijack your thread, but I would say the same applies to you to an extent. It sounds like memberships truly aren't an option around you, but I would do everything possible to increase your play time.

[MelloYello]

3 hours ago, ryan84 said:

I'll join in. I am a young (25) 3ish cap chasing scratch as well. Have made big progress the last two years with lessons and a range membership, but I truly believe the thing holding me back is play time. I am Considering doing a junior membership somewhere this year. While I don't know that this is the best financial decision, I just don't see any other way to get to scratch without a membership to play a crap ton.

 

Don't mean to hijack your thread, but I would say the same applies to you to an extent. It sounds like memberships truly aren't an option around you, but I would do everything possible to increase your play time.

 

If golf is a serious part of your life then having a membership is pretty vital. I feel very sorry for folks who live in big cities where that's not feasible, but I would also recommend those people enjoy the perks of that city lifestyle: higher income, more savings, more opportunity for a social life, find a wife, start a family, etc. There will always be time for golf once you're older. 

 

If you live outside the biggest cities, joining clubs is what it's all about. You meet tons of other golf enthusiasts who all have the same goal -- to play as often as possible. The result is a mix of groups all with standing times. Going into next year I can honestly say I know probably 30-40 people at my club who play across 5-6 different groups that all have standing times (plus dogfights). I can literally drop into something at virtually any time I wish. It's as easy as opening up our club's App and putting my name in. It's amazingly simple. 

 

What makes this possible is the presence of a lot of older / retired guys. Their availability and desire for regularly-scheduled games is what drives this system but they're happy when younger guys get involved. So the groups end up being quite diverse with some young guys, lots of middle-aged guys and a slew of retirees, too. And best of all, with people playing as often as they do, pretty much everyone's best golf is sub-80, which makes for great competition!

 

I'm a 2-index and I can't count the number of times I was beaten by seniors last year, LOL. It's humbling in the best way. I'm happy for those guys and the money games keep it fun. At some point you lose track of your index and it's all about the competition. It's a symbiotic relationship for sure. 

 

I'm starting to think this sort of system is the only way to avoid the inevitable boredom of playing alone. Even before club life I always preferred to get paired up with other golfers but that's hard to bank on. Some courses don't do it and some players don't invite you in. I certainly have a lot of fond memories of rounds played alone at dusk but being integrated into a social network of other skilled players is 100% the way to go and I think ultimately you need it to survive and continue to stay motivated.

 

Doing things strictly for yourself only takes you so far in my experience. It's natural to live like that as a kid but adulthood is different. Sustaining a demanding professional career while trying to be a scratch golfer all for the sake of personal pride is a recipe for a mental breakdown, LOL. And that doesn't even factor in the pressure to get married and raise kids. Once you're an adult it's very hard to continue doing things just to do them. You need reasons and usually those are found in other people. 

 

.

Edited February 4, 2022 by MelloYello

[Obee]

On 1/20/2022 at 5:11 AM, milesgiles said:

 

 

Only going off what Ive seen and who Ive played with..

 

I dont think 10-11 greens is nearly enough to get to travelling scratch (which I reckon is plus 1 to plus 2 on a moderately difficult course you know well).

 

Ive seen it done two ways. One is to be long and exceptionally straight off the tee. Over 110 ss without the possibility of a big miss. Or, a nonsense bonkers good short game. 

 

Although Id still say the exceptional short game guy has to have a very serviceable long game.

 

A high ss but just one bad miss a round will almost certainly preclude you from being a travelling scratch imo.

 

Completely depends on the course. Totally completely and forever.

 

When I was in my 30's, I averaged over 12.3 12.5ish GIR per round, but my home course was 6,580.

 

Put me at Bear Creek, my next home course, and I immediately dropped to 11. That's a huge difference and the only variable was the golf course.

 

Bottom line: 10.8 is either "pretty good," or "not that good" depending on the courses he's playing. 🙂

[Obee]

3 hours ago, ryan84 said:

I'll join in. I am a young (25) 3ish cap chasing scratch as well. Have made big progress the last two years with lessons and a range membership, but I truly believe the thing holding me back is play time. I am Considering doing a junior membership somewhere this year. While I don't know that this is the best financial decision, I just don't see any other way to get to scratch without a membership to play a crap ton.

 

Don't mean to hijack your thread, but I would say the same applies to you to an extent. It sounds like memberships truly aren't an option around you, but I would do everything possible to increase your play time.

Yup. Get. A. Membership. You will very likely never go back if you do.

 

Where do you live?

[ryan84]

5 minutes ago, Obee said:

Yup. Get. A. Membership. You will very likely never go back if you do.

 

Where do you live?

Metro Detroit area. One of the negatives being paying dues while there’s a foot of snow on the ground. I definitely have the perspective of “looking back, I will only regret NOT doing it” however I may be slightly biased. 
 

For more perspective, I’ve lived at home past couple of years and saved a ton of money. Now moving into a place with my girlfriend (prob future mrs.) who is in med school, so I will be paying all of the bills. Golf is really my only hobby and I like playing in state events and competing, but man is it scary/illogical to be joining a club in my situation, at least in my head. 

[ryan84]

34 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

 

If golf is a serious part of your life then having a membership is pretty vital. I feel very sorry for folks who live in big cities where that's not feasible, but I would also recommend those people enjoy the perks of that city lifestyle: higher income, more savings, more opportunity for a social life, find a wife, start a family, etc. There will always be time for golf once you're older. 

 

If you live outside the biggest cities, joining clubs is what it's all about. You meet tons of other golf enthusiasts who all have the same goal -- to play as often as possible. The result is a mix of groups all with standing times. Going into next year I can honestly say I know probably 30-40 people at my club who play across 5-6 different groups that all have standing times (plus dogfights). I can literally drop into something at virtually any time I wish. It's as easy as opening up our club's App and putting my name in. It's amazingly simple. 

 

What makes this possible is the presence of a lot of older / retired guys. Their availability and desire for regularly-scheduled games is what drives this system but they're happy when younger guys get involved. So the groups end up being quite diverse with some young guys, lots of middle-aged guys and a slew of retirees, too. And best of all, with people playing as often as they do, pretty much everyone's best golf is sub-80, which makes for great competition!

 

I'm a 2-index and I can't count the number of times I was beaten by seniors last year, LOL. It's humbling in the best way. I'm happy for those guys and the money games keep it fun. At some point you lose track of your index and it's all about the competition. It's a symbiotic relationship for sure. 

 

I'm starting to think this sort of system is the only way to avoid the inevitable boredom of playing alone. Even before club life I always preferred to get paired up with other golfers but that's hard to bank on. Some courses don't do it and some players don't invite you in. I certainly have a lot of fond memories of rounds played alone at dusk but being integrated into a social network of other skilled players is 100% the way to go and I think ultimately you need it to survive and continue to stay motivated.

 

Doing things strictly for yourself only takes you so far in my experience. It's natural to live like that as a kid but adulthood is different. Sustaining a demanding professional career while trying to be a scratch golfer all for the sake of personal pride is a recipe for a mental breakdown, LOL. And that doesn't even factor in the pressure to get married and raise kids. Once you're an adult it's very hard to continue doing things just to do them. You need reasons and usually those are found in other people. 

 

.

Great answer here thanks. I think it applies to OP as well for getting to scratch. If you play enough competitively and it becomes your regular mode, perhaps scratch happens naturally, or is easier achieved.

[betarhoalphadelta]

1 hour ago, MelloYello said:

 

I'm starting to think this sort of system is the only way to avoid the inevitable boredom of playing alone. Even before club life I always preferred to get paired up with other golfers but that's hard to bank on. Some courses don't do it and some players don't invite you in. I certainly have a lot of fond memories of rounds played alone at dusk but being integrated into a social network of other skilled players is 100% the way to go and I think ultimately you need it to survive and continue to stay motivated.

 

 

Another of the trials & tribulations of big city golf--you literally can't find a time where you're not paired up. 

 

One of the nicer public courses around here, that I've never played but have a gift card for, is Arroyo Trabuco. They allow booking for people who aren't part of their membership program 14 days out. It's 15 days out for those who are members. So if I look at the non-member option (Feb 18), there are no times available before 2 PM... On a Friday. If I look out at Saturday the 19th, which I can't even book since I'm a non-member, earliest available is 2:50 PM. I was hoping to play there on President's Day because I'm off work, but I know there's NO way to actually get a booking and use that gift card...

 

Heck, I've got a time at my local course for 10:20 AM tomorrow. I had booked it for 4 people, but it looks like it's only going to be two of us. About 10 minutes ago, I changed my reservation to drop it to 2 people. I just looked at it and one of those spots is ALREADY filled. I'm sure the final spot will be filled shortly too. 

 

[MrFlipper]

1 hour ago, ryan84 said:

Metro Detroit area. One of the negatives being paying dues while there’s a foot of snow on the ground. I definitely have the perspective of “looking back, I will only regret NOT doing it” however I may be slightly biased. 
 

For more perspective, I’ve lived at home past couple of years and saved a ton of money. Now moving into a place with my girlfriend (prob future mrs.) who is in med school, so I will be paying all of the bills. Golf is really my only hobby and I like playing in state events and competing, but man is it scary/illogical to be joining a club in my situation, at least in my head. 

 

Something to consider is that usually junior memberships have reduced dues and small or non-existent up front fees. The one I joined expired when I turned 35, they expect you are hooked by then and are willing to pony up full price. I was not, but it hurt not playing there anymore. No more nice conditions, practice facility, etc. Went from a course that hosted state opens back to pure munis. Fortunately I got transferred within a year...

 

You have roughly 10 years of potential junior membership. Generally it's a smoking deal. And odds are you won't be there in 10 years anyway. Think seriously about it. 

[ryan84]

2 hours ago, MrFlipper said:

 

Something to consider is that usually junior memberships have reduced dues and small or non-existent up front fees. The one I joined expired when I turned 35, they expect you are hooked by then and are willing to pony up full price. I was not, but it hurt not playing there anymore. No more nice conditions, practice facility, etc. Went from a course that hosted state opens back to pure munis. Fortunately I got transferred within a year...

 

You have roughly 10 years of potential junior membership. Generally it's a smoking deal. And odds are you won't be there in 10 years anyway. Think seriously about it. 

Thanks, messaged you to not hijack the thread.

[dvq9654]

Played today at Encino. Weather turned out to be excellent with way less wind than forecast and perfect low 70s temps. The round was a wild ride in that I couldn't get off the tee to save my life yet managed to turn in a 74, due to other parts of my game really coming through. Summary and takes aways below. 

 

Course Par: 72

Yards: 7023

Course Rating: 71.9

Slope: 119 

Score: 74

Fairways: 2/14 (yes, seriously...)

Greens: 11/18 

Putts: 29

Birdies, Pars, etc.: 1 eagle, 1 birdie, 11 pars, 5 bogeys 

Up and Downs within ~30 yards: 4/9

Strokes Gained (Per Arccos): Overall (+2.6), Driving (-0.5), Approach (+1.5), Short (+0.4), Putting (+1.2)

 

Positives

 

Mid and Short Irons + Wedges: I salvaged this round with solid iron and wedge play, including dunking a PW from 120.  First time I've done that in a while. Amazing feeling. 

 

Putting: My speed control was great, and I hit a lot of good putts. I barely missed a couple ~9 footers on par 5s which stung a little, but they were both from above the hole with quite a bit of break, and I hit the putts exactly as I wanted. Hard to be mad when you are rolling it well even if they don't all drop 

 

Mental Resiliency: Despite hitting it terrible off the tee, I kept grinding and turned in a decent score. Could have easily turned the other way if I wasn't as focused and resilient

 

2 Hybrid: After thinking about the last couple rounds, I came to the conclusion I was missing the club necessary to attack longer par 3s and longer par 5s, so, in GolfWRX fashion, I purchased a TSi 3 Two Hybrid this week. Worked exactly how I wanted it to. On the long, 240-yard par 3 it put me pin high and allowed me to better attack two of the longer par 5s. I think this was a good choice and will fill that 220 - 240 yard gap in my bag 

 

Areas of Improvement 

 

Driver: Yikes, this was bad today. Was hitting dead, toe "draws" or pushes and just couldn't get it ironed out. I had to pitch out 3 times on par 4s, was essentially blocked out of aiming anywhere near the flag 2 other times and also couldn't go for par 5s twice. These misses were my old path coming back to haunt me, so just need to keep focusing on neutralizing path 

 

Short Game Aggressiveness: On par 5s or short par 4s where I'm pitching or chipping to put myself in range of birdie, I've noticed I get a little tentative compared to when I'm trying to save shots. When trying to save shots, I get very focused and really attack the shot, which results in crisper contact, more spin, etc. I get somewhat lackadaisical and protect more when trying to get close for birdie. Need to bring that same aggression on those shots

 

Playing an early 9 tomorrow and if my schedule allows, I'll add a range session afterwards to keep working on my game. 

 

Handicap should go down ever so slightly based on this round. 

 

[dvq9654]

Played again today. Was originally planning on playing 9 early but switched to an afternoon tee time knowing I wouldn't finish 18. Hoped to get in more holes than I did, but it was like pulling teeth pace-wise on the local muni. I got in ~13 holes, the last 4 of which were jumbled as I played till darkness on an empty course and tried to work my way back to my car. Round was prefaced by a range session with one focal point - more connected takeaway + more wrist set (more on this below) 

 

As an aside - I will never understand how some people can play so slowly. The group in front of me today was literally chatting on the tee boxes and in the fairway, all while we were clearly waiting for them. They had no sense of etiquette and were in their own little world (so much so the single with them broke ahead at hole 3; this is an entirely different issue). Couple this with them not being particularly good at golf and it was a grind. Even after a marshal came due to a call from the guys behind us (I'm guessing) they did not speed up one bit. It's downright rude and incredibly inconsiderate to play like this. Play faster, please

 

Ok, rant over. Round summary below (only including the 9, since didn't play enough to record 18)

 

Course Par: 37

Yards: 3566

Course Rating: 36.6

Slope: 120 

Score: 37

Fairways: 2/7 

Greens: 7/9 

Putts: 16

Birdies, Pars, etc.: 9 pars

Up and Downs within ~30 yards: 1/2

Strokes Gained (Per Arccos): Overall (+1.6), Driving (+0.5), Approach (+1.1), Short (+0.0), Putting (+0.0)

 

Positives

Wrist Set: I have always had trouble setting my wrist. I think it goes back to when I broke my wrist and tried to rush back, so developed a habit of minimal wrist set. I've been practicing this and, as noted above, made this a focus in my pre-round range session. I managed to take it to the course today and the results were great. Better contact, straighter flight, you name it. It's particularly beneficial with my driver. Although I missed a lot of fairways, the fairways I missed were generally small misses. My good drivers were great and in spots I've rarely been in before distance-wise (e.g., greenside bunker just short of a 330 yard par 4), so going to continue to focus on wrist set in my range sessions

 

Ball Striking: Hit some pure irons throughout the bag (an extension of the above). Hit a PW to 6 feet, a 50 to ~10 feet, a 6 iron from 200 to ~15 feet (wind aided). Generally, just solid contact with minimal curvature. Would love to keep this up

 

Undecided

Putting: I didn't make anything today, but I felt like I hit good putts. Greens were bumpy as can be and slow, so even though I hit putts where I aimed, they didn't go in. That said, probably could have read a few lines better, which I may need to work on

 

Overall, I played solid making par on all 13 holes I played (with some goofing around on the last 4 holes as darkness approach / I was speeding along alone). I need to make more birdies to reach my goal, but I can't help but echo my earlier thoughts - if I continue to hit the ball as I am right now, good things will come

[ryan84]

9 hours ago, dvq9654 said:

Played again today. Was originally planning on playing 9 early but switched to an afternoon tee time knowing I wouldn't finish 18. Hoped to get in more holes than I did, but it was like pulling teeth pace-wise on the local muni. I got in ~13 holes, the last 4 of which were jumbled as I played till darkness on an empty course and tried to work my way back to my car. Round was prefaced by a range session with one focal point - more connected takeaway + more wrist set (more on this below) 

 

As an aside - I will never understand how some people can play so slowly. The group in front of me today was literally chatting on the tee boxes and in the fairway, all while we were clearly waiting for them. They had no sense of etiquette and were in their own little world (so much so the single with them broke ahead at hole 3; this is an entirely different issue). Couple this with them not being particularly good at golf and it was a grind. Even after a marshal came due to a call from the guys behind us (I'm guessing) they did not speed up one bit. It's downright rude and incredibly inconsiderate to play like this. Play faster, please

 

Ok, rant over. Round summary below (only including the 9, since didn't play enough to record 18)

 

Course Par: 37

Yards: 3566

Course Rating: 36.6

Slope: 120 

Score: 37

Fairways: 2/7 

Greens: 7/9 

Putts: 16

Birdies, Pars, etc.: 9 pars

Up and Downs within ~30 yards: 1/2

Strokes Gained (Per Arccos): Overall (+1.6), Driving (+0.5), Approach (+1.1), Short (+0.0), Putting (+0.0)

 

Positives

Wrist Set: I have always had trouble setting my wrist. I think it goes back to when I broke my wrist and tried to rush back, so developed a habit of minimal wrist set. I've been practicing this and, as noted above, made this a focus in my pre-round range session. I managed to take it to the course today and the results were great. Better contact, straighter flight, you name it. It's particularly beneficial with my driver. Although I missed a lot of fairways, the fairways I missed were generally small misses. My good drivers were great and in spots I've rarely been in before distance-wise (e.g., greenside bunker just short of a 330 yard par 4), so going to continue to focus on wrist set in my range sessions

 

Ball Striking: Hit some pure irons throughout the bag (an extension of the above). Hit a PW to 6 feet, a 50 to ~10 feet, a 6 iron from 200 to ~15 feet (wind aided). Generally, just solid contact with minimal curvature. Would love to keep this up

 

Undecided

Putting: I didn't make anything today, but I felt like I hit good putts. Greens were bumpy as can be and slow, so even though I hit putts where I aimed, they didn't go in. That said, probably could have read a few lines better, which I may need to work on

 

Overall, I played solid making par on all 13 holes I played (with some goofing around on the last 4 holes as darkness approach / I was speeding along alone). I need to make more birdies to reach my goal, but I can't help but echo my earlier thoughts - if I continue to hit the ball as I am right now, good things will come

Great round! With no warmup on the greens and being bumpy I wouldn't worry, putts will start falling soon. I think if the trend continues of missing putts like that PW approach and 50 degree, then you should look at what is happening there.

 

I am curious, what is your par 5 play/scoring looking like? To me that would be the easiest spot to start picking up birdies. If you can start to get near the green in two, that should start to snowball into birdies. Are you laying up too often?

[dvq9654]

11 hours ago, ryan84 said:

Great round! With no warmup on the greens and being bumpy I wouldn't worry, putts will start falling soon. I think if the trend continues of missing putts like that PW approach and 50 degree, then you should look at what is happening there.

 

I am curious, what is your par 5 play/scoring looking like? To me that would be the easiest spot to start picking up birdies. If you can start to get near the green in two, that should start to snowball into birdies. Are you laying up too often?

 

Agreed on the putting. I hit good putts, but do want to monitor as I can only make excuses for putts not going in the hole for so long 😂

 

According to Arccos, my scoring average on par 5s is 4.8 over the last 10 rounds, which is 0.1 strokes better than an average 0 handicap. 

 

Generally, at least at the munis, if I put a drive in play, I am going for the green and am somewhat close to the green. This weekend was pretty representative of how I approach par 5s

 

Saturday

Hole 2 - 550 yards - Good drive (~300) followed by a 2 hybrid into the front left bunker ~20 yards short of the green. Sand is basically dirt so pick a 54 off the sand to 20 feet. Two putt for par. 

 

Hole 4 - 505 yards - left drive that requires a punch out of sorts. Hit low 6 iron to center of fairway ~138 yards out. Baby 9 iron to ~9 feet slightly above hole. Green has strong slope from back to front. Lip out a good putt. Par 

 

Hole 10 - 500 yards - left drive that requires a punch out of sorts. Hit low 6 iron to ~60 yards. Not my best 54 to ~25 feet. Two putt for par 

 

Hole 18 - 550 yards - Drive in fairway (~290) followed by a 2 hybrid to ~20 yards short of the green. Hit a good pitch to ~9 feet, but left it above the hole and a strong breaker from left to right. Hit putt exactly how I wanted and lips out. Par 

 

Sunday

Hole 3 - 485 yards - Hit ~300 yard drive into a strong headwind. Pin is 190, with overhanging tree to right about ~100 yards out. Hit a pure 6 iron, but it clips the leftmost branch and falls dead down. 50 from the from ~95 into strong wind to ~15 feet. Hit a good putt but seemingly bounces / breaks up hill at last minute. Par 

 

Hole 5 - 500 yards - Good drive then a 2 hybrid to pin high right of green, but ball sitting a little funny next to the lip of a bunker. Hit a 58, catch it a little less than ideal, to ~20 feet. Hit a good put right on line but dies right at last second. Par

 

I was on the green in regulation in all cases, just didn't make any putts or was too far away due to just ok chip shots. Also put myself in less than ideal situations a few times with poor drives / clipping trees which didn't allow me to attack 

 

I would love to improve my scoring average though and it's a good area of focus to drive the birdie numbers up. I could certainly benefit from hitting more greens in two, which I think I can reasonably aim for as I get more comfortable with my 2 hybrid and continue to make strides with my driver 

 

[ryan84]

22 hours ago, dvq9654 said:

 

Agreed on the putting. I hit good putts, but do want to monitor as I can only make excuses for putts not going in the hole for so long 😂

 

According to Arccos, my scoring average on par 5s is 4.8 over the last 10 rounds, which is 0.1 strokes better than an average 0 handicap. 

 

Generally, at least at the munis, if I put a drive in play, I am going for the green and am somewhat close to the green. This weekend was pretty representative of how I approach par 5s

 

Saturday

Hole 2 - 550 yards - Good drive (~300) followed by a 2 hybrid into the front left bunker ~20 yards short of the green. Sand is basically dirt so pick a 54 off the sand to 20 feet. Two putt for par. 

 

Hole 4 - 505 yards - left drive that requires a punch out of sorts. Hit low 6 iron to center of fairway ~138 yards out. Baby 9 iron to ~9 feet slightly above hole. Green has strong slope from back to front. Lip out a good putt. Par 

 

Hole 10 - 500 yards - left drive that requires a punch out of sorts. Hit low 6 iron to ~60 yards. Not my best 54 to ~25 feet. Two putt for par 

 

Hole 18 - 550 yards - Drive in fairway (~290) followed by a 2 hybrid to ~20 yards short of the green. Hit a good pitch to ~9 feet, but left it above the hole and a strong breaker from left to right. Hit putt exactly how I wanted and lips out. Par 

 

Sunday

Hole 3 - 485 yards - Hit ~300 yard drive into a strong headwind. Pin is 190, with overhanging tree to right about ~100 yards out. Hit a pure 6 iron, but it clips the leftmost branch and falls dead down. 50 from the from ~95 into strong wind to ~15 feet. Hit a good putt but seemingly bounces / breaks up hill at last minute. Par 

 

Hole 5 - 500 yards - Good drive then a 2 hybrid to pin high right of green, but ball sitting a little funny next to the lip of a bunker. Hit a 58, catch it a little less than ideal, to ~20 feet. Hit a good put right on line but dies right at last second. Par

 

I was on the green in regulation in all cases, just didn't make any putts or was too far away due to just ok chip shots. Also put myself in less than ideal situations a few times with poor drives / clipping trees which didn't allow me to attack 

 

I would love to improve my scoring average though and it's a good area of focus to drive the birdie numbers up. I could certainly benefit from hitting more greens in two, which I think I can reasonably aim for as I get more comfortable with my 2 hybrid and continue to make strides with my driver 

 

To be honest I don’t think it’s hitting the green in two, it’s getting better birdie looks from those green-side shots. Sounds like some bad luck on some of those green-side shots, but I would think you would have a lot more looks inside 10ft from there. 
 

Obee would be a great reference here as someone with a renowned short game and handicap to back it up, but I think he would agree that 20ft in some of those situations isn’t going to get it done. Those aren’t realistic Birdie looks. 
 

Based on those hole recaps you are definitely knocking on the door, just cleaning up some tee shots and short game shots. Thanks for updating all of us, I am definitely motivated following along!

[Obee]

51 minutes ago, ryan84 said:

To be honest I don’t think it’s hitting the green in two, it’s getting better birdie looks from those green-side shots. Sounds like some bad luck on some of those green-side shots, but I would think you would have a lot more looks inside 10ft from there. 
 

Obee would be a great reference here as someone with a renowned short game and handicap to back it up, but I think he would agree that 20ft in some of those situations isn’t going to get it done. Those aren’t realistic Birdie looks. 
 

Based on those hole recaps you are definitely knocking on the door, just cleaning up some tee shots and short game shots. Thanks for updating all of us, I am definitely motivated following along!

 

Interesting stuff there @dvq9654. Seems short game is letting you down on the par 5's for sure. But could also be in better shape off the tee and on approach, of course. Should still probably have had two birdies at least out of those holes, just with a better short game. What are the greens like on the courses you are playing this time of year?

[dvq9654]

1 hour ago, ryan84 said:

To be honest I don’t think it’s hitting the green in two, it’s getting better birdie looks from those green-side shots. Sounds like some bad luck on some of those green-side shots, but I would think you would have a lot more looks inside 10ft from there. 
 

Obee would be a great reference here as someone with a renowned short game and handicap to back it up, but I think he would agree that 20ft in some of those situations isn’t going to get it done. Those aren’t realistic Birdie looks. 
 

Based on those hole recaps you are definitely knocking on the door, just cleaning up some tee shots and short game shots. Thanks for updating all of us, I am definitely motivated following along!

 

1 hour ago, Obee said:

 

Interesting stuff there @dvq9654. Seems short game is letting you down on the par 5's for sure. But could also be in better shape off the tee and on approach, of course. Should still probably have had two birdies at least out of those holes, just with a better short game. What are the greens like on the courses you are playing this time of year?

 

Agree with both your assessments that short game was not on point on this sample of holes and should have walked away with at least a couple birdies. As noted above, I think I tend to protect a bit on par 5s compared to when trying to save par, so I'll try to keep an aggressive mindset. Practice can't hurt either

 

In terms of the greens, Encino greens are actually in somewhat decent shape right now. Faster than usual and relatively smooth for a muni. Not scary speed-wise by any means though. Balboa, the course I played on Sunday, was slow and bumpy.

[D0ch0l1d4y]

On 2/7/2022 at 6:38 PM, dvq9654 said:

 

Saturday

Hole 2 - 550 yards - Good drive (~300) followed by a 2 hybrid into the front left bunker ~20 yards short of the green. Sand is basically dirt so pick a 54 off the sand to 20 feet. Two putt for par. 

 

Hole 4 - 505 yards - left drive that requires a punch out of sorts. Hit low 6 iron to center of fairway ~138 yards out. Baby 9 iron to ~9 feet slightly above hole. Green has strong slope from back to front. Lip out a good putt. Par 

 

Hole 10 - 500 yards - left drive that requires a punch out of sorts. Hit low 6 iron to ~60 yards. Not my best 54 to ~25 feet. Two putt for par 

 

Hole 18 - 550 yards - Drive in fairway (~290) followed by a 2 hybrid to ~20 yards short of the green. Hit a good pitch to ~9 feet, but left it above the hole and a strong breaker from left to right. Hit putt exactly how I wanted and lips out. Par 

 

Sunday

Hole 3 - 485 yards - Hit ~300 yard drive into a strong headwind. Pin is 190, with overhanging tree to right about ~100 yards out. Hit a pure 6 iron, but it clips the leftmost branch and falls dead down. 50 from the from ~95 into strong wind to ~15 feet. Hit a good putt but seemingly bounces / breaks up hill at last minute. Par 

 

Hole 5 - 500 yards - Good drive then a 2 hybrid to pin high right of green, but ball sitting a little funny next to the lip of a bunker. Hit a 58, catch it a little less than ideal, to ~20 feet. Hit a good put right on line but dies right at last second. Par

 

What's the top end of your bag look like? Looks like your 2 hybrid is your 210-230 club...any reason you aren't hitting 3/4/5 wood from 230+? Or 3/4/5 wood off the tee on the short par 5s?

Edited February 9, 2022 by D0ch0l1d4y
words

[dvq9654]

23 minutes ago, D0ch0l1d4y said:

 

What's the top end of your bag look like? Looks like your 2 hybrid is your 210-230 club...any reason you aren't hitting 3/4/5 wood from 230+? Or 3/4/5 wood off the tee on the short par 5s?

Driver (TSi2) --> 3 wood (914Fd or something like that) --> 2 Hybrid (TSi3) --> 4 iron (Apex Pro)

 

I'm not a big fan of my 3 wood off the deck, so rarely use it in that capacity. It's great off the tee, but too much variability otherwise. It's one of the areas of my bag that I know could probably change for the better (shaft too), but haven't really looked into it yet

 

I tend to use my 3 wood off the tee on shorter or tighter par 4s. It may not be a bad idea to use it on shorter par 5s, but unless there is a lot of trouble, I think the risk / reward with a driver is worth it

[MelloYello]

By the time I pull out my 7w which goes about 225-yds I'm just trying to make sure I hit it solid and that it curves in the proper direction. From that range, it's about landing the ball in a general area and then getting up and down for birdie as was previously discussed. 

 

I do this as often as possible on the Par-5 holes where I play. Unfortunately, there's 1 that is always a 3-shotter but the other 3 are opportunities for birdie if I can get up and down. Even the 3-shotter leaves an 80-yd wedge so it's still a reasonable chance, too. 

 

This is where having a good short game inside 60-yds is critical, but you're going to have to bury some putts between 5-10 feet to make that happen. 

 

.

Edited February 10, 2022 by MelloYello

[dvq9654]

11 hours ago, MelloYello said:

By the time I pull out my 7w which goes about 225-yds I'm just trying to make sure I hit it solid and that it curves in the proper direction. From that range, it's about landing the ball in a general area and then getting up and down for birdie as was previously discussed. 

 

I do this as often as possible on the Par-5 holes where I play. Unfortunately, there's 1 that is always a 3-shotter but the other 3 are opportunities for birdie if I can get up and down. Even the 3-shotter leaves an 80-yd wedge so it's still a reasonable chance, too. 

 

This is where having a good short game inside 60-yds is critical, but you're going to have to bury some putts between 5-10 feet to make that happen. 

 

.

Completely agree. 

 

I think what I may start doing is tracking up and downs from ~50 yards and in. This is a somewhat arbitrary cut off, but I feel like it will bring into play a lot of shots on par 5s and short par 4s. Tracking this and improving upon it should yield more birdies. 

[bortass]

10 hours ago, dvq9654 said:

Completely agree. 

 

I think what I may start doing is tracking up and downs from ~50 yards and in. This is a somewhat arbitrary cut off, but I feel like it will bring into play a lot of shots on par 5s and short par 4s. Tracking this and improving upon it should yield more birdies. 

Arccos does this for you in the short game stats. It's broken down into 4 categories chips 0-25 yards, chips 25-50, sand 0-25, and sand 25-50. I assume you are aware of it but thought I'd mention it just in case.

[darom86]

One thing that helped improve my par 5 birdie rate was attempting to make sure, above all else, that my third shot had a chance to get very close to the hole.  This means when going for the green in 2, picking a target generally on the fat side of the green.  Going for it on the second shot doesn't add much value if your third is impossibly short sided or you can only get it to 20 feet.  This takes some discipline to aim away from the stick, but is well worth it.

 

I think it is also a good takeaway to maintain the same routine and mentality on all short game shots whether they are trying to get you to save par or pick up a birdie.  I think you can and should be aggressive with short game shots (try to hole it!), with the biggest no no avoiding holes on which you don't hit the green with your short game shot.

 

I don't think it is worth backing off driver on par 5s (or par 4s).  The math is there to hit driver wherever practicable.  

[dvq9654]

Played a quick 9 this AM at the local muni. Ended up going off alone but was behind a foursome so decided to use the round as more of a "live" practice session vs. focus on scoring. Was a fun morning, and I hit some good shots. 

 

While practicing I focused on:

 

Alignment (Tee to Green): As I think I've referenced before, I think my alignment is still calibrated for someone who plays a big draw. As my swing has improved, the large draw has dissipated so I need to recalibrate what correct alignment feels like. Today, I really focused on picking my target line, then picking a spot a few feet in front of the ball on that same line to focus on, aligning to that and then pulling the trigger.  This was really effective, particularly with my driver, and I found myself hitting it online more frequently than usual. It seems as though when I am aligned well, my mind subconsciously allows me to swing better. I am going to keep this process up and hope the results last 

 

Aim / Alignment (Putting): I did some early AM putting practice throughout the week, which focused primarily on 4-5 footers. Goal was to make sure I'm hitting the ball on the line I intend to. Took this same focus to today's round. Similar to above, I picked a spot a few inches ahead of my ball to align to on my intended line of play, aligned body / feet to that and went for it. I hit a lot of good putts as a result, and the ball was rolling true. I didn't necessarily make much (see Speed Control below), but I was absolutely hitting putts on my intended lines 

 

Wrist Set: Continued to focus on this, as it really improves my timing and quality of strike. Was a bit hit or miss today 

 

Wedges: I tried to vary my approach with different wedges for some tweener shots (75 - 85). Found myself really liking clubbing up to a 54 and using shorter / more tempered swings. Hit a few within 10 feet. Generally, wedges continue to be a strong part of my game 

 

Some areas I need to improve / think about 

 

Speed Control: I played at the muni with slower / bumpier greens. I just could not get the ball to the hole. I left two putts dead in the jaws about 1-2 inches short, each for birdie, and another couple short that at least had a chance. I need to figure out how to better adjust to these greens, because I hit too many good putts for them to be short. I am much better on faster greens, I'm realizing 

 

2 Hybrid: I chose to hit this a few times on some of the shorter par 4s following a driver or 3 wood, which would be my more typical club. Was definitely a bit of a hook machine today. This is a challenge I've had with hybrids in the past, so will mess with the weighting / SureFit settings to see if I can get it better under control. May also just take some time to groove

 

That said, on a ~225 par 3, I hit two solid hybrids into the green. Both landed on the green, one pin high and one right over the top of the flag, but then ran through long. Not surprising given the ball flight but leads me to believe I may want to loft up by a degree for some extra stopping power. 

 

In general, I continue to strike the ball well and my rounds feel relatively under control. 

[dvq9654]

Played yesterday at Rustic Canyon. Was a little windy at times, but generally a great day for golf. Had been a bit since I played Rustic, so was excited for the round. Got to the course early, hit ~30 balls, practiced putting and then tee'd off. Solid round overall, but whoever set the pins must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed, because they were TOUGH. Lots of locations I've never seen before and many that were "no go" in terms of approach - basically had to play 20-30 feet away from the pin and two putt for par. 

 

Performance-wise it was a very good round (73 in total). I got a little sideways late on the front 9, probably because I got a little quick, but really came into stride on the back 9, hitting 8 greens in a row and carding one under on what I consider to be the tougher side. Round summary is below with some key takeaways

 

Course Par: 72

Yards: 6634

Course Rating: 72.0

Slope: 130 

Score: 73

Fairways: 6/14

Greens: 14/18

Putts: 33

Birdies, Pars, etc.: 3 birdies, 4 bogeys, 11 pars 

Up and Downs within ~50 yards: 1/5

Strokes Gained (Per Arccos): Overall (+2.3), Driving (+0.7), Approach (+2.6), Short (-1.2), Putting (+0.3)

 

Positives:

Ball Striking: My ball striking was about as good as it gets. Felt in complete control of anything shorter than a 5 iron, and my GIRs reflected that. I was going for 9 straight GIRs on the back 9, which is something I've probably never done before and was foiled only because I hit it TOO good on 18. Hit a high towering cut back from 181 with a 7 iron into the wind, which was slightly off the right, to a redan type green with the intent of landing it well short (7 iron is ~165 yard club) to run back to hole. Landed closer to pin high and rolled just over the back. No harm done but would have been nice to go 9 for 9 on the back. Was one of a few shots that were struck so well I was flirting with the back of the green by accident 

 

I attribute the ball striking to better wrist set and improved angle of attack, but also lack of fear given a more neutral path leads to confidence the ball won't go off the planet left. Hopefully I can keep this up

 

Proximity from 100 - 140: I stuck a 50 to 1 inch on a short par 3 (almost HIO #2), put another PW to ~5 feet by running it up on a tricky green (more on that below) and hit another PW to 15 feet despite being out of position off the tee. These shots are what will yield birdies, so glad to see them come through 

 

Putting: I realize I had 33 putts, but I felt really solid / confident over anything inside 5 feet and also made a couple mid-range putts. My only 3 putt was also on a ridiculously challenging putt (above hole, down through a canyon in middle of green, back up other side of said canyon, and then breaking 10+ feet down to the left) driven more by an overly long / pushed 8 iron. Of course, I would like to have fewer putts, but the safety required on my approach shots seems to have dictated my number of putts as much as anything else. Those who have played Rustic know how challenging some ~40 footers can be depending on the pin locations and where you leave your ball

 

Negatives:

Short Game: My chipping / pitching was not great. Did nothing when within ~50 yards of the green. Part of it was poor acclimation to a very different course conditions when compared to munis but I also just didn't feel confident over these shots. Something to work on 

 

Tweener Wedges: Had a handful of 70-90 yard wedges into various greens and didn't really capitalize. I didn't hit terrible shots, but respect for pin locations led to some relatively average approaches. I never got myself into trouble, which is good, but could have been better 

 

Waste Areas: Left myself in a waste area while greenside on a short par 4. Risk reward type hole where a birdie is a given with a good tee shot but the alternative is a waste area when you miss left. I don't play out of these waste areas often but need to practice if I want to score more consistently at a place like Rustic

 

Transition: There were definitely times during the round where I was rushing from the top. It impacts longer clubs and results in hooky shots. Got me in trouble on 9 with a ball in a hazard left, which is silly mistake considering the fairway is massive. Need to get comfortable taking my time at the top, which feels like forever but I'm sure is an instant, as when I do, I can swing relatively aggressively with a relatively straight ball flight. 

 

Other:

Playing Better at Rustic: This is a strange phenomenon, but I have more good rounds at what is a more challenging golf course than I do at the easier munis. I think the reason is partially because Rustic doesn't penalize poor driving, but it's also largely because it requires shot making and focus. A good example was on hole 14. Hit a great drive and left ~135 into an elevated green that slopes heavily from right to left. It also presents as though it's sloped back to front, but because of the structure of the valley it actually runs very much front to back. Was also playing into a ~10 mph wind off the right. Rather than hitting a shot to 135, I played a knock down PW to ~125, landed it in the front right corner and the ball ran out to ~5 feet, apparently almost dropping in the process per my playing partner. Shots lot these really bring the best out in me vs. at the muni where it's point and shoot. Perhaps I need to bring some more creativity to my rounds at the munis and see what happens. Or just play more at Rustic...🤔

 

Handicap remains unchanged cause I pushed out a very similar score. Gotta love it when that happens! 

 

[dvq9654]

Been a busy week so haven't been able to do much other than work but made it to the putting green early before work today. I have been perusing Obee's putting improvement thread, so spent my time really focusing on 4-5 foot putts. Roughly as follows:

 

- Flat putts - started with about as flat a put you can find on the green. Made 10 or so in a row. Felt confident in my stroke and speed. Also practiced picking a spot / area in front of the ball to align to vs. focusing on the hole 

 

- "Clock" Work - Moved around the same hole at 4-5 feet, introducing some varying breaks into play. Again, focused on finding a spot on my intended line, aiming to that and making a good stroke. I made 25 of 28 putts at 7 different locations. I was putting in increments of 4, and all of the misses came on first putts due to improper reads. My stroke / speed was good overall. One thing I did notice in the putts I did miss, even if a small sample size, is that I tend to overread right to left putts. Something to keep in mind

 

Planning to play early a couple times this weekend, so we'll see how things go. 

[dvq9654]

Played a quick 9 this AM at Balboa. Was really in control of my game today (despite having one too many drinks last night and a 5:30am wakeup call...).  Summary and some takeaways below:

 

Course Par: 35

Yards: 3062

Course Rating: 34

Slope: 114

Score: 35

Fairways: 2/7

Greens: 8/9

Putts: 17

Birdies, Pars, etc.: 1 birdie, 1 bogey, 7 pars 

Up and Downs within ~50 yards: 1/2

Strokes Gained (Per Arccos): Overall (+1.3), Driving (-0.1), Approach (+1.5), Short (+0.1), Putting (-0.3)

 

Positives

Ball Striking - Similar to last weekend, I was very in control of my irons / wedges. Hit 8 of 9 greens and the only green I missed was because I hit a terrible 3 wood off the tee and had no chance to go for the green. My wedges were all well struck, and distance control was good

 

Driver - I got a little loose late in the round, but I hit some nice, tight draws early in the round. I had been toying around with making a cut my stock shot, but I think I am going to abandon that. I have neutralized my path enough to where the large swooping draw (aka hook) is very rare, and this more moderate draw is perfectly playable and comfortable. It also fits my eye better, so I'm going to roll with it

 

Short game - Although not stellar, I gave myself very makeable putts when within ~40 yards of the green

 

Things to Think About 

Putting - After sticking a wedge to 6 feet, I missed the chance to convert. I also missed a ~7 footer for birdie on the one par 5. The 7 footer was a good putt, just underread it slightly. The 6 footer wasn't necessarily a bad stroke, but I waaaaaayyyyy overread the right to left break, which is becoming a bit of a theme. I need to make more putts of this length to convert birdies. 

 

3 wood - There was a time where I absolutely loved my 3 wood, but I think its days may be numbered. I don't quite understand why, but the shaft now feels incredibly whippy (despite being a stiff shaft) and it's a complete hook machine. At best I can fight off a hook and play a draw, but it feels millimeters away from a snap hook at any second, which is what happened on the one hole I bogeyed (think Jim Furyk at Olympic but worse).  Given I usually take a 3 wood to play safe, I just don't think this club is going to work for me any more

 

After the round, I went to the putting green and focused on 4-6 footers. Hit a lot of good putts and also really focused on picking my starting point. Going to make putting a focal point in the near term in hopes of improving around the margins and making another putt or two a round. 

 

[dvq9654]

Played again this AM at Rustic. Shot 76, although it felt much worse than that. For some reason, at the beginning of the round I couldn't get comfortable over the ball and was very out of sync / way too quick in transition. I was able to work through the alignment / out of sync-ness by the back nine (hit 7 of 9 greens) but just never got comfortable pitching, chipping and putting. Lots going on, so not going to type out the intricate details, but main thoughts:

 

Positive  

Mid-to-short irons - I stiffed two 9 irons to 5-6 feet, hit a high towering 6 iron from 191 to 5 feet and generally struck my irons well. I've said this many rounds in a row, but my confidence with these clubs is at an all-time high

 

Birdie Putts - I had 7 birdies putts within 15 feet and a couple more around ~20 feet. As noted below, didn't convert nearly as many as I'd like (only 3), but I'm giving myself looks. Partially related to strong iron play, but also drove a short par 4 and was pin high / just off the green on a longer par 5. 

 

Negative

Putting - my putting was trash today. I missed two of the three putts I hit stiff, one of which wasn't even close. I also horribly misread a number of putts. As I noted above, I just never felt comfortable over the ball, and it really reflected in my stroke / the quality of my putts. 33 putts, which isn't good, but felt like 40+. I also put Pro V1s into play today vs. my usual TP5x. I don't want to blame it on this change, because it was much more pervasive than that, but I did notice some speed control issues (mainly short), which could be a result of the change. 

 

Short game - Was also trash. Duffed one from ~60 yards since ball was above my feet and didn't adjust well and failed to get up and down a number of other times. Similar to putting, never felt good over the ball and my misses were poor. I can think of one good chip all day. 

 

From a positive perspective, I can tell I've made a lot of improvement in my game overall. I say that because 3-4 months ago a round that felt this bad would have yielded a score in the 80s. Today, despite some pretty poor shots, bad putting and bad short game, I walked away with a respectable score. My "anti-cap" and score band is getting much tighter, which leads me to believe I'm becoming a better golfer. 

 

On the other hand, there is no doubt in my mind I need to continue to improve in all aspects of my game, particularly my short game, to reach my goal and go lower more frequently. 

 

I guess one question for those reading - did you notice an apparent decline in your putting as you started to hit more greens / better approach shots? How did you improve? I feel like recent rounds where I'm hitting the ball well are really highlighting putting weakness, which I didn't necessarily notice when scrambling more (and often better).