Journey to Break 90

[bortass]

Played 9 this afternoon.

1 - par 4, I hit a nice fade with the driver 212 into the middle of the fairway. I'm 100 from center and hit my PW. I make solid contact and I'm over the back of the green , 110.... I chip and 1 putt for par.

2 - par 4, I hit a low slice with the driver 154. I'm in deep rough and blocked by trees. I hit my 7i a little left of my target to get to 88 out. I hit my sw a bit thin and am over the back of the green. A chip and 2 putts for a 6.

3 - par 4, strong wind in my face. I hit a high draw with my driver 207 into the fairway. I'm 151 out and hit my 5i. I had decided that I'm hitting irons longer then normal, so my 5i is my old 150 club but I have a strong wind in my face. I make solid contact and hit it 164 into the back fringe. I chip and 2 putt for a bogey.

4 - par 3, 160 to center, so I go with my 5i. I pull it left and hear it hit wood... I hit a provisional and it's a slice and falls on my side of the stream. My provisional is short oof where I xpect to find my first ball so I keep playing it. I hit a nice looking wedge that catches a tree branch and falls in the stream. I drop and pitch it short of the green. I head for the green and there's no sign of my first ball. I chip on and 2 putt for a 9.....

5 - par 4, driver is a low slice 162. I'm in the right rough and too far out to even think of going for it. I hit a great 7i but stay in the right rough. I'm 66 out and my pitch goes over the green. I chip on and 1 putt for bogey.

6 - par 3, It's 130 to center and I use 8i. I pull it left and hear it hit a tree but don't see it fall. So I hit another provisional and pull this one left too. I find the first in the right rough. It struck a tree and bounced 90 degrees to the other side of the fairway. I go into a mental lala land and end up with 5 on the hole even though I chip it to 6 inches and tap it in.

7 - par 4, I hit a driver popup 141. I hit a 4i punch to 91 yards. I hit a wedge nice and high, it lands on the green and spins left maybe 4 feet from it's pitch mark. I 2 putt for a 5.

8 - par 4, I hit a fade with the driver 164 into the fairway. I'm 184 out and hit my 4i a little thin. I end up left of the green, not short..... I chip on and 2 putt for a 5.

9 - par 5, my driver is a high draw into the left trees. I find it in the left rough 137 off the tee. I hit a great 7i 157 yards into the fairway. The ball was hit so well I actually measured the shot. Normally I don't do this and only measure tee shots. The flag is on the lower tier and I'm about 155 yards from the front of the green. I decide to hit my 6i, my 140 club, I figure I'm longer now and this may roll onto the front. I compress the ball and hit a draw that lands left of the green and rolls on. I GPS this shot and it went 171 yards total. I'm aboive the hole and have a long putt. I end up 3 putting for a 6.

So I have a 50 because of that damn par 3. Howeverr my irons are going way longer then normal. I hit my 140 club 170. My PW on 1 went 10 yards long but I hit that a bit heavy. I hit some 7i out of the rough in the 150 range. That 7i is my 130 club...

Now if I could get a decent tee shot off, I'd be dangerous, lol.

[SwingBlues]

I've been following this thread for a lil while and have you ever tried playing a round with just your 3 wood and see how you handle that long stick? You might be surprised.

Also those 3 putts will kill yer, need to work on your putting to find the "feel" for the speed and reading & hitting the putting line. Find a putter that will roll well, take a single ball and just go out one evening a week with that single ball to a practice green that has variations (not dead flat). Learn to read the putts, hit the putt line and basically treat this putting session like a real game, all the way into the hole. Give that a try. 1 ball.

Good luck and be patient, it will come.

[danielh]

Nice thread! It's always nice to have a log of your games and see where it all went wrong. Keep up the good work!

[bortass]

[quote name='SwingBlues' date='09 July 2010 - 12:15 AM' timestamp='1278648911' post='2564151']
I've been following this thread for a lil while and have you ever tried playing a round with just your 3 wood and see how you handle that long stick? You might be surprised.

Also those 3 putts will kill yer, need to work on your putting to find the "feel" for the speed and reading & hitting the putting line. Find a putter that will roll well, take a single ball and just go out one evening a week with that single ball to a practice green that has variations (not dead flat). Learn to read the putts, hit the putt line and basically treat this putting session like a real game, all the way into the hole. Give that a try. 1 ball.

Good luck and be patient, it will come.
[/quote]

I used to always tee off with my 3w. I started to use the 3w off the tee last year, it was my 7w prior to that, and switched to driver on 6/18 this year. My driver was normaly only used on 1 hole because I would always slice it. It's a par 5 dogleg right where my slice would go over the pine trees guarding the corner. All of a sudden I stopped slicing and hit draws or fades for a few rounds in a row on that hole. So the driver became my primary tee club except for a set of holes on the back 9 where it's just too tight.

My driver is slightly longer on mishits then my 3w. I track stuff on OOBGolf. So from 6/1/2010 through yesterday my 3w averaged 161 yard with a range from 3 - 231 yards. My driver averages 170 with a range from 73 - 254. Regarding the sample size I used 3w on 71 holes and driver on 76. Also my driver has been more playable then the 3w during this period of time, which I find odd statistically. I think it's because I hit the same types of mishits with both clubs.

Now one reason I've been trying to go with driver is because I'm short. My 5i is my 150 club, which means I need every yard off the tee I can get. However that was before the recent break through of actually compressing the ball. I no longer really know what my yardages are now. I've hit some 6 and 7 iron shots that were 25 - 30 yards longer then normal, and they were not skulled. But I don't have a big enough sample to really make any guesses. I know my PW that I hit a bit heavy was 10 yards longer then normal. I'll eventually figure out my yardages and maybe that'll mean I don't feel I need every yard I can get off the tee.

Putting is the area of my game I work on the least. I never practice it and average just under 2 putts per hole. This is something I do need to work on though. I have a good putter/ball combination now. My speed is pretty decent and I'm feeling almost automatic inside 4 feet. Oh course since I wrote this I'll start missing all my 4 footers now, lol.

I think my putting is good enough to crack 90 but I know it won't be to get into the low - mid 80s. Same with my shortgame. Not that I have any plans on even thinking about scores in the mid 80s. I'm just lucky to be trying to crack 90.

[SwingBlues]

Ah ha...good to hear you're doing stat tracking.

As for being short, I use to hit the 5 iron 150 as well, and my 7 iron was 125 - 5 years ago. Now after working with a pro for a number of years, I carry 8 iron for 150. Big change. You will find that as you work on your iron swing, your distance will improve as your contact on the ball improves - but you need to work with a pro who can see what your swing is doing and fix it on a regular basis. Most people are reluctant to spend money here and spend $500 on a new driver instead, which is silly.

Good luck with it and hope you crack the 90 soon.

PS I could not crack 90 for about 2 years - I always shoot 90 and that's it. Next thing I know I shoot an 88 and since then I've been low to mid 80s and cracking the 80 now and then. I worked and worked on the irons, short game and putting and just try and stay on the fairway off the tee but I spend a lot of time on the range. I can't play more than once a week so it's hard to crack 80 consistently. My best advice is be patient and persevere with working on all aspects of the game.

[bortass]

Played 9 in my league tonight. It's the 4th league night I've been able to play. I went to the range first and worked on impact with a small bucket. Mostly half shots. I only hit maybe 3 - 4 full shots. Everything else was pitches.

10 - par 5 playing 566. I hit a nice draw with my driver, 231 into the fairway. Great start. I smoke a high 3w and I'm 120 from center in 2! My yardages are messed up, so I go with my pw and I pull it well left of the green. I chip on and 3 putt. The green hadn't been mown and was looking shaggy. So my first 2 shots were great and I card a 7.

11 - par 4, I hit a low draw , 179,with my driver and it takes awhile to find my ball. It was in a depression in the fairway where the mowers can't reach. So I'm in rough like grass. I hit out with an iron and I'm 125 out. I hit my PW on the green and 3 putt for a 6. My putting is off tonight.

12 - par 4, I hit a real high fade 170 into the fairway. I'm 184 out and hit my 4i. It's a mishit low and right. I'm near the green but in some trees. I try to hook my ball around the tree but it doesn't curve much and I'm just over the back of the green. I chip and and 1 putt for a bogey 5 and my first poiint.

13 - par 3, 135 to the front so I guess an 8i. I pull it left into the trees. I hit a provisional on the green and to the right, the flag is all the way on the left. SO I had the right club but theres no sign of my first ball. I have a 50 foot 2 way breaking putt that I leave well short and 3 putt for a 6.

14 - par 4, a popup driver goes 171 and I see it bounce when it lands. I find it in the hazrd on some roots. I have no shot and I drop. I hit my 7i low and to about 125 out. I go with PW and it's real fat and only goes 106 yards(still longer then my normal 100 yard PW ). I chip on and 2 putt for 7.

15 - par 3, pond playing 164. I hit my 6i and I flip and hit it a bit thin. It's a high draw 150 yards right of the green. I chip with my GW and it lands and skips instead of rolling out. The guys I was with said I put backspin on the ball. Never done that before.... I 2 putt for a 4 and another point.

16 - par 4, I hit my driver and it's a high, I mean high, draw 170 into the fairway. I'm 155 out and hit my 6i. It's thin and rolls just short of the green. I chip it close and 1 putt for par. Another 2 points, so I have my quota of 4 covered.

17 - par 4, I stay with driver and hit a nice draw 212 into the left fairway. I'm 126 from center and it's a back flag. I hit my PW and the divot goues over my shoulder and lands behind me. The ball is a high draw that misses right but went 120. I chip on and 2 putt for bogey and a point.

18 - par 5, my driver is a high fade 177. I hit a 3w into the right rough about `178 out. I'm thin again with my 5i and the ball stops 15 yards short of the green. I chip on and 2 putt for a bogey 6 and another point.

So I have 6 points which is +2. This is the first time I actually got points.

My driver behaved all day. The high shots surprised me. They were high like a popup but were going 170ish. Most popups I'm used to go like 100... I dunno what this means if anything.

So I shot a 50 which isn't that great. Man I would have killed for a 50 last year, lol. Myirons are alot better except the pulls. Those kill me. My PW has gone from my 100 yard club to about a 120 yard club. The mishit 6i on #15 went 150 which is still 10 yards longer then I was hitting it a month ago.

Over all things were good excpet the 2 penalty strokes and 3 putts.

[bortass]

I had a few good range sessions. I've been working on my impact mostly with the small swings. Today the pro stopped by and watched me and it turned into a lesson. I was hitting shots right. Turns out my plane got off and too steep again. Some of it has to do with adjustments that we made in the past are not needed as much now or I just went a bit too far with it.

The swing plane adjustment was to simply allow my lower body to start my swing. I eventually started to hit it solid with a draw.

I went and played 9 tonight and on 1 I hit a nice draw 230 off the tee. I was 75 from center and skulled my pitch through the green. Bah. I used driver on 5 holes and 4 tee shots were unplayable. I hit the ball behind trees etc, so I had to use my second shot to get in the fairway. I ended up with dbl bogey 6s on all of them, well except for the bogey on #1.

I hit 3w on 2 holes, both were pretty decent, mid height draws. I came away with bogies on both of those.

My irons were also so so. I missed a few greens and I had a 4 and a 6 on par 3s.

So pretty much every aspect of my game had issues and I ended up with another 50.

So I have played 1 18 and 4 9 hole rounds since my 91. I shot a 104 and 4 50s....

I'm not sure what to make of things. My 91 was just me swinging the club and good things happened. Now I can't seem to replicate it... I must be thinking too much again. I know I've been thinking about my iron yardages since I don't know how far they'll go anymore. I don't quite get what's going on. I probably shouldn't whine about things. I have the 4 rounds @ 50 which is decent for someone that brooke 100 less then 4 weeks ago.

Oh, today was also the GHIN revision here. I'm now a 28.4 index. I've dropped 7.5 strokes off my index so far this year. So that's good though it may drift upwards if I don't get things figured out.

[robbie91]

this is a great thread and im really enjoying reading the play by plays. keep it up!!!!!!

[bortass]

[quote name='robbie91' date='17 July 2010 - 01:11 AM' timestamp='1279343481' post='2581320']
this is a great thread and im really enjoying reading the play by plays. keep it up!!!!!!
[/quote]

Glad you like it.

Played the front 9 today. It was low 90s, humid, and I teed off at around 2:15 pm. I played with Dean. He's a member I've seen a number of times and he takes lessons with the pro. He claim to fame is he wears +4s when he plays unless it's real hot out. I don't know his index but I think he shoots in the high 80s low 90s range. I've caught up with him and finished the round with him in the past. He's a good guy and I enjoy playing golf with him.

1 - par 4, the driver is hooked and I see it bounce in the left rough. It's heading for the second fairway when it strikes a tree trunk and kicks back into the rough on #1, 165 off the tee. I'm 153 out and decide on 6i. My yardgaes are in limbo, so I'm adding 15 to my old ones. I hit it straight and miss right. I look and that's where I was aimed. I take a practice chip with my GW and then blade it through the green. I chip on and sink my bogey putt. I don't pace off my putts when I play with others since I don't want to slow things down. So I dunno what my distances for putts are today.

2 - par 4, I hit driver and it's a nice lowish draw, 214 into the left rough. I'm 128 out and go with my 9i. I hit up the hill and miss to the right of the green, right where I was aiming... I chip on but have a tricky downhill putt. I've missed these and they roll off the green.... So I tap it and it barely rolls to the hole but the break etc means I'm 6 inchs from the hole. I tap in for a bogey.

3 - par 4, I slice the driver 172 into the rough. My ball is sitting down in some clover and I'm 189 from center. I pull my 3h and swing. I dub it to the edge of the drop off as if I had laid up. I'm 125 out now and hit my GW right of the green and a touch short. I chip with my GW through the green... I chip again and 1 putt for a 6.

4 - par 3, 140 to center and a back flag. I decide on 8i and hit a high draw 137 and hit the green. I didn't make great contact but I'll take it. I have a long birdie putt and I get it hole high but a foot or so to the left of the hole. So I get my par.

5 - par 4, I hit a mid height fade right down the middle of the fairway 207 yards. I'm 176 out and figure I'll hit my 5i. I promptly slice it well short and way right. My clubface was wide open... I'm grumbling to myself as I walk to my ball. It's in a hollow and sitting down in the rough. I'm too close to the trees to try to hit a wedge over them. I seyyle on a 9i punch. I play the ball way back in my stance and smother it. It rolls maybe 10 yards forward. I'm in the rough and clear of the trees now. I have a funky yardage though and I know a SW pitch is gonna go too long. But I took my 5w out of the bad prior to my round and added a 60* LW. So I hit my pitch with my LW on the green. I then 2 putt for another 6. Kinda bummed. I was in a good spot off the tee and I didn't try anything risky/fancy for a second shot and it still killed me.

6 - par 3 playing 136. I go with my 8i and slice it into the trees. I have a crappy lie between roots with no path to the green. I can try to chip out by going backwards away from the green... I decide to hit a 9i and set up closed and want to hook it around the trees towards the green. I hit the shot and it strikes a trees and bounces back towards me and ends up 3 feet behind where i started. My next chip is pushed to the right and hits a tree and drops in the rough. I chip on and 2 putt for a 6. Bite me. Stupid trees!

7 - par 4, the tees are to the right but not as much, so i try driver. I hit a push through the fairway and it strikes a tree and kicks back into the left rough. It looks like I'm gonna be too close to a tree to address the ball but as I get there I see I am well clear. I need to hit a low punch because of tree limbs. I hit it with my 4i and it gets maybe 3 feet off the ground, crests the hill and is off and running. A great recovery IMO. I'm 114 out and hit my GW. it's pulled and misses well left. I chip with my SW and leave it well short and havbe a 2 putt for another 6. What the hell is with these 6s?

8 - par 4, I hit a nice fade with the driver 207 yards into the fairway on the right. I'm 148 out and hit my 7i. It's thin and misses left of the green. I chip my my SW and it lasnds at the top of the slope fronting the green and rolls 4 feet back towards me. I chip again with the SW well short and 2 putt for a 6. I suck.

9 - par 5, I go with 3w and it's a slight push that hits a tree guarding the corner and lands in the fairway 127 yards from the tee. I hit a 4i that was decent and GPS it. It went 180 yards into the fairway and I'm 150 from center. I decide on 8i and hit it pure and left of the green. I GPS it and it went 150 yards! I'm in heavy rough and my chips stays in the fringe, never reaching the green. I chip again and skull it through the green. I chip on but have a mid range putt and 2 putt for an 8.

A 51 and my shortgame sucks. 12 chips for 9 holes and 2 holes I hit with non chip shots. I know where I need to start working. I had been chipping well but not now. If I don't suck at chippin g maybe I have a 46 or so...

I am probably hitting the ball better then ever. On 9 I hit my 8i, my old 120 club, 150 yards! I'm pretty sure that I've gained 30 yards on pure contact. I've gained 15 - 20 yards on my slight mishits. So I'm bumping my yardages up at least 20 yards. I had been going at least 15 prior to today. The pro thinks I may want to go the full 30 because being short is normally better then being long when going for a green.

I'm still struggling to score but my yardages are in limbo. I have no clue how far any iron/wedge shot is gonna go now. I have a 30 yard variance now. My short game sucks but all my tee shots except that 1 par 3 were decent.

[offapex]

just curious, what's the slope rating on the course you're playing?

[bortass]

[quote name='shift' date='17 July 2010 - 10:44 PM' timestamp='1279421093' post='2582732']
just curious, what's the slope rating on the course you're playing?
[/quote]


It's a par 71, 67.4/115. Basically just an average course as far as slope is concerned.

[bortass]

Got out for 18 this morning. It was in the mid 80s and breezy. Actually pretty nice out.

1 - par 4, I tend to aim for a pine tree in the right rough down near the green because a shot from the right avoids the greenside bunker and trees are less of a problem then if you hit into the left rough. Today I almost hit my target... I swung my driver nice and smooth and got a mid height draw right down my target line. It was so good i just bent over and grabbed my tee before watching it land. It landed in the fairway and rolled into the rough, 240 yards off the tee and I was 3 yards from my tree target. I'm sitting down and 75 yards from center. I decide to hit a pitch. The rough slows me down and it wasn't agressive full pitch swing, and I come up short. I chip 15 feet from the hole and 2 putt for a 5.

2 - par 4, I take another easy swing with my driver and it's a mid to low fade right down the middle of the fairway. I walk down the fairway pushing my Clic gear looking for my ball, where the hell is it? There it is inside the 100 yard marker, I hit my drive 243 yards! Middle of the fairway on a flat spot. I'm going uphill and go with my GW. I hit it heavy about 89 yards but I'm on the green. I'm short left and the flag is more back right. I have a 54 foot putt that is breaking left to right downslope. Not a good spot to be. I aim high and don't hit it hard enough, it breaks down the slope about hole high but I'm still over 10 fett out. So I end up 3 putting for a 5. Too bad.

3 - par 4, my driver is a popup draw that goes 185 into the fairway on the left. I'm 168 out and long is bad. I hit my 6i and it's heavy and goes right. It crosses the stream and is near the middle of the green, if you look at it front to back, but in the rough. I hit a nice chip to 4 feet and sink the par putt. Good times!

4 - par 3, playing 162. I have a tailwind and think I'll hit my 7i. I'm heavy and come up way short. I try a pitch and leave that short as well. Suckage! I chip to 9 feet and 2 putt for a dbl bogey 5.

5 - par 4, #1 handicap hole. I hit a draw down the left side and it hits near the top of the hill and I find it in the left rough 228 off the tee. Sweet! My driver loves me today! I'm 157 out in the rough and go with my 7i. I hit a low hook further left into the rough. I leave my next shot short of the green. I chip it to 3 feet. Ahh I saved my bogey! and I go and miss the putt. I hit it too soft and it broke below the hole. I card a 6 like an idiot. Argh!

6 - par 3, playing 137. I go with my 9i and hit it into the trees on the right 102 yards... Today I have a clear view of the green and chip it on but am 39 feet from the hole. I line up the par putt and it dies hole high 2 feet on the low side. Pretty good lag putt in my book. I sink the bogey putt.

7 - par 4, I'm waiting on the twosome in front of me. It was probably a good 10 minute wait. I hit a high fade with my driver into the right trees. I find my ball in the rough of the 8th. I don't have a good shot back to 7 and no one is coming up 8 at the moment. I figure I'll hit a 7i punch down 8 to get a clear shot at the green. I make solid contact but it's a tight draw and hits a tree on the left and falls. If i aimed right more I was golden. I hit a 7i punch into the fairway. I didn't write down how far out I was. I think it was 50 yards or so. I decide to pitch with my lob wedge and I flip under the ball and land short of the green. Stupid! I chip on and it rolls 12 feet past the hole. I'm going downhill and tap my ball. It tracks for the hole and stops less the 1 inch from the cup... So much for saving my dbl and I tap in for a 7 and my first bad hole of the round.

8 - par 4, I hit a mid height fade 207 into the fairway on the right. I'm 133 out and hit 9i. It's heavy and short. I chip to 12 feet. I have a fairly straight par putt and line things up. The ball tracks for the hole and does the loop de loop around the cup before falling in for par!

9 - par 5, I hit a great darw with my 3w. The problem is it's tracking down the left treeline( dog leg right). It strikes a branch and falls. I find my ball 183 from the tee and good thing it hit that tree. It probably would have gone through the fairway and OB. I hit a low 4i punch that goes about 193 yards. I'm 120 out now and have my PW. I don't make clean contact and it goes right and rolls into a greenside bunker. I get out of the bunker and on the green. I have a 30 foot putt to a higher tier. I misread the break and leave myself 14 feet out... So I end up 3 putting for a 7. Darn.

10 - par 5, I hit a high fade with my driver over the trees into the rough on the right, 219 yards. This hole has clumps of 3 - 6 pine trees down the left and right side with 30 yards gaps in between. I'm even further over to an area of rough that borders the road. I hit a 7i and want to hit it through a gap. I instead hit it right into a clump of trees... I'm in the rough but no more trees to deal with now. My ball is sitting up and I hit a 3w that gets me 104 from center. I hit my GW thin ie I flipped, and it barely gets on the green. I'm 39 feet away and lag it to 1 foot and sink the bogey putt.

11 - par 4, and the wind is gusting into my face now. I hit a high fade with the driver 192 into the right rough. The ball is sitting down so I layup with a 7i. I hit that thin but it goes 144 and I'm 94 from center. I hit my SW and miss right. I chip my ball waaay past the hole and almost off the green. I'm 41 feet away and my putt misses high and goes 6 feet past the hole. Bite me. I miss that one and end up with a 7 and my second bad hole....

12 - par 4, I hit a low draw. it's going too far left and I see a puff of dust as it hits near the top of a ridge. Crap, this could be in the trees.... I find my ball in the rough 193 off the tee. I have a shot at the green and am 166 out. I hit my 6i right and under some trees. What the hell...Stupid push. I find my ball and I have a clear shot and am 53 yards from the hole. I hit a little half swing that I work on the range with using my GW and I watch it as it rolls for the hole and stops 1 foot short. I knew it was real close so I GPSed things. Not bad being 1 foot out after a 53 yard shot. So I hit an easy par putt.

13 - par 3 playing 148. The foursome in front of me waves me through. I hit a draw with my 7i tracking right at the flag but short. I hit it thin. I chip it to 9 feet and with 4 guys watching sink the par putt.

14 - par 4, I hit a low draw with my driver 210 into the fairway. I'm 193 from center and figure maybe my 3H will get there. I hit a mid height draw that lkands short, only going 154 or so. I've hit this club 190 off the tee on soem par 3s recently. I decide to chip it and leave it short of the green. Mistake on my part. I was far enough out I should have pitched the ball. I chip to 14 feet. My putt dies 6 inches from the hole on the low side. So I have a 6.

15 - par 3, 156 with pond. I go with 7i and hit it super fat into the water... Bah! I hit my 7i again and it's well short of the green. I chip to 27 feet and 2 putt for a 6.

16 - par 4, I hit a low hook with driver 157. It's sitting down in a low spot, so I hack it out with my PW. I'm 98 yards from center in the rough. I hit my GW and it goes 103 and I'm 36 feet past the flag. I 3 putt for a 6.

17 - par 4, I decide on driver and hit a high fade 197 ino the fairway. I'm 15 outand hit m 7i a bitthin and I end up nfront of the flag in the fringe 3 fee short of the green. So my shot was on line just short. I chip to 7 feet. It's staright uphill and I hit my par putt and it goes in the middle of the hole, strikes the top of the cup and kicks back out 1 foot towards me. Damn! I had a par! But I get an easy bogey.

18 - par 5, I rip a draw with my 3w 207 into the fairway and clearing the corner. The ball is above my feet and on hard pan. So I grab my 3w and push it right over somne trees. What an idiot. I know that was a bad decision.... I have to hit a punch out sideways and that gets me 54 yards from center. I then dub my pitch. Bite me. I chip on 24 feet past the hole. My putt is 4 feet short but I sink that for a 7.

End result a 47/50 97. My driver was on. Shortgame was a little better but still left some to be desired. My irons were a mixed bag. I think maybe I justr go with the +20 and stop thinking. I kept finding myself wondering is this a 7i or a 6i?? Not good. Any how an ok round at last.

I get to go to Ct for the next 4 days for business, so golf is very unlikely while I'm in the Hartford area. Fun fun.

[Rohlio]

Happy to see you still at it mate.

Also one of the things I hope you realize is how much the goal became it's own barrier in your quest to break 100. You start aiming for something as the upward bound and it seems farther away than it really is imo.

The proof of this is that now that you have broken 100 one time you seem to be doing it with regularity. Most of us pulling for you expected this to happen. Why all of a sudden are you shooting in the 90s? There wasn't an epiphany at the range or a magic bullet that changed you. Sure you worked hard on your game and continue to do so, but what is the real difference? In my opinion it is your belief in the possibility of breaking shooting in the 90's. Once it happened once it no longer required a leap of faith to envision it, now you can accomplish hit without undue pressure and without stumbling in the dark.

The next real challenge is to use this gained knowledge to approach your next goal with the same level of belief in yourself that you have about shooting under 100.

This process in my opinion is the real beauty of the game of golf. Or really of any endeavor that is worthwhile.

When you get some time you should read "Extraordinary Golf" by Fred Shoemaker.

Keep at it m8.

[bortass]

[quote name='Rohlio' date='18 July 2010 - 07:23 PM' timestamp='1279495422' post='2584331']
Happy to see you still at it mate.

Also one of the things I hope you realize is how much the goal became it's own barrier in your quest to break 100. You start aiming for something as the upward bound and it seems farther away than it really is imo.

The proof of this is that now that you have broken 100 one time you seem to be doing it with regularity. Most of us pulling for you expected this to happen. Why all of a sudden are you shooting in the 90s? There wasn't an epiphany at the range or a magic bullet that changed you. Sure you worked hard on your game and continue to do so, but what is the real difference? In my opinion it is your belief in the possibility of breaking shooting in the 90's. Once it happened once it no longer required a leap of faith to envision it, now you can accomplish hit without undue pressure and without stumbling in the dark.

The next real challenge is to use this gained knowledge to approach your next goal with the same level of belief in yourself that you have about shooting under 100.

This process in my opinion is the real beauty of the game of golf. Or really of any endeavor that is worthwhile.

When you get some time you should read "Extraordinary Golf" by Fred Shoemaker.

Keep at it m8.
[/quote]

I agree 100%. I shot that 93 and 91 just by swinging the club and not caring about my score. It was awesome!

Now it's not the score that's getting me per se. It's more the recent changes in my game. Today my drive averaged 204 off the tee. This is from the roughly 175 it averaged the 10 prior rounds. My yardages being whacked aren't helping either. It'll settle down and I'll adjust. I'm startin to se how shortgame and putting are going to be ore important I'm not scrambling quite as good as I was month ago. Or that's how it seems to me, at least. Too much thinking instead of looking at my GPS and saying '150, that's my 5i'. Now it's more like '150, that's a pure 8i. I better hit a 7i instead. What's long? Still looks good." Lol.

[bortass]

I was out of town last week on business and it was awesome! No golf, some yahoo has road rage and hits my car on purpose( minor damage), a tornado hit my hometown(other side of town so my house is fine).

I got to play for the first time yesterday in a week. It was decent. I'll run through some highlights.
1 - driver is hooked into #2 fairway 199 yards. I have a shot at the green with my 8i. I pull it into a tree trunck and it bounces off and lands in a ditch. Take my drop and my chip through the trees goes off at almost a 90 degree angle from where I'm faceing. I skull my next on all the way to the back fringe but it stays on the green. I have an 18 foot downhill putt that I sink for dbl bogey.

I dbl the next 2 holes and they bogey a par 3 and the long par 4.

I get to #6 a par 3. About 131 so i figure 9i. I top it 60 yards.... I can't remember the last time I topped an iron on a teebox..... I'm in some low rogh and top my next shot 3 feet. So i skull it through the green. Chip 27 feet past the hole and 2 putt for a 6.

#7 - nice drive 216 into the fairway. I put my 6i just to the right of the green. I chip the ball and it goes 3 feet and short of the green. A weak chip on and I 2 putt from 9 feet for dbl bogey.

I bogey 8.

9 - par 5, I get to 130 from center in 2. I hit my PW 126 and on. I'm 30 feet left of the hole and the green looks a little furry. So I give it some gas and go 9 feet past the hole, so I 3 putt for a bogey 6.

On the back, I get joined by Tommy. He's a 3.1 or so and a good kid. He gives me 13 strokes and we play a match. It's amazing playing with someone who can drive the ball. He's hitting it 270ish w/o breaking a sweat. On 10, a 560 yard par 5, he outdrove me by 50 yards. We get to his ball and he pulls his 3w and I make a comment about 'can you hit driver off the deck?" He's like "yup" and he pulls out his driver and puts away the 3w. He hit it a touch heavy and the ball was a few yards short of the green..

I do good through 13. I get a dbl, bogey, bogey, and a par.

14 - hook driver into the left trees marked as a hazard. I'm able to wedge out. SUper fat 5i when i go for the green. I get on in 4 and 2 putt for a dbl bogey.

15 - par 3 complete mishit off the tee and take a 5.

16 - a bogey.

17 - driver popped up 70 yards into real wet grass. Barely wedge it out. In wet stuff and punch my 4i and it goes low and left. I have a GW in the rough going for the green and shank it all the wau across the fairway into trees on other side. Drop a ball and land short of green. Chip through green. Chip on and 2 putt for a 10... I can't remember the last time I wrote a 10 on my card.

18 - par 5 and I hit a ball into the pond and settle for a 7.

End results a 103 with 3 penalties and 2 bad holes but 1 is a 10... No surprise really that my ballstriking would be off but I hit some shots I haven't seen in a while. Tommy was able to win the match by 1 hole thanks to 17. The par 3 is the one that kills me though. Topping the ball like that... I dunno.

[bortass]

I need some help.

I played a quick 9 today. I shot another 50. I had 2 blowup holes, an 8 an 7 on par 4s. Both times I put my tee shot in a bad spot and my recovery shot sucked. I had 1 par, 4 bogeys, 2 dbls, and 2 blowups. My par should have been a birdie since I stuck my PW 3 feet left of the flag from 134 yards but I missed the putt....

I played with a different driver, a MacGregor 460MT with Adila 65g stiff shaft. The shaft is too stiff. I was hitting the ball more right then normal and low. I used it on 5 of the 6 driver holes. My distance was ok but 2 of the balls that went right ended up under trees or against roots. That cost me shots.

I played with a different putter and had 19 putts. 4 putts on the hole with an 8. I had a 30 foot left to right breaking sidehill putt to begin with. I was too agressive and missed high and 3 feet past. I missed the 3 fotter and it rolled 10 feet downhill away from the hole and I didn't hit the ball hard at all. I hit it soft and it broke low and rolled forever. Everything else was a 1 or 2 putt.

I had a 5 and 4 on the 2 par 3s. On the first I mishit my 4i low and right off the tee. It went maybe 60 yards. On the other I hit my 8i thin and short of the green. Par 3s have been rough for me lately....

Chipping. I had 6 chips since I pitched on a few holes with a 2 chip in the mix. When I chipped my first putt was 30, 12, 39, 2(the 2 chip), and 27 feet respectively. I can't tell you how far I was away on any of those. Some were well short and others were skulled long. My second shortest 1st putt was 3 feet and that was a PW approach that hit the green.

The good stuff. My PW was on and I didn't have stupid penalties this round. I don't feel pressured when i'm playing.

So I am super consistant. my last 6 9 hole rounds have been 5 50s and 1 51.....

Any thoughts on where I'm going wrong and need to work on things?

I feel my driving is decent lately. My irons are fairly good except when I'm teeing off on a par 3. My putting is still ok with less then 2 putts per hole on average but i don't seem to be able to sink many long or even 8 foot putts. My speed is decent on lags. Most of the time I get inside of 3 feet. My chipping sucks plain and simple. I just don't give myself an easy putt most of the time when I chip.

I'd like other opinions though. Maybe I'm missing something. I enter all my rounds on OOBGolf: [url="http://www.oobgolf.com/golfers/bortass"]http://www.oobgolf.com/golfers/bortass[/url] for anyone that wants to look at hole by hole break downs or anything else. If there some info that would help ya let me know and I'll see if I can compile it. So I'm hoping some of you guys have some thoughts on things....

[ebenn]

I have been reading all of your hole by hole posts and feel like I am reading posts of my rounds!! I know my game is close but I can't stay away from at least a couple of big numbers per side. It drives me crazy. I know that its more mental than anything else. I lose focus and get quick on my swing and hit fatties or big left-right slices which then makes me mad and then am completely gone.

If I can get off the tee in the fairway, not even far, just get me in the fairway, then my mental game is easier to manage. But put me in the trees and I am scrambling.

I wish I knew how to stay focused and get back to a calm after bad shots.

I am a mental midget on the golf course.

[OzzDOA]

For me breaking 90 just kind of happened. It felt like breaking 100 was much tougher to do. And now that I am trying to break 80 it feels like when I was back trying to break 100. I am posting 9 hole scores that would have me under 80, it's just a matter of putting two of those 9's together.

From looking at your OOBGolf page and reading your post-round reviews two things stick out that would get you on the road to the 80's.

1. Short game: This is where strokes are saved or lost. My GIR stink for my handicap (26%) but I save pars and scramble for bogeys at worst by having a fairly good game 100 yards and in. A lot of the short game is feel. Sure there are the basic techniques of chipping, pitching and bunker play but after that it is all feel IMO. When I set up for a pitch or a shot out of a greenside bunker I want to feel the shot before I make it, my practice swings are used to get the feel I want then the actual shot is just repeating that feel. I still flub my share of short game shots but it's most often not due to technique but a bad judgment of the lie or shot itself. I usually make the shot the way I wanted it to feel it just turned out the ball was sitting up more than I thought or something like that. My best scores were put together on days where my tee shots and iron play were ugly with a capitol U, but I just was playing fantastically around the greens.

2. Course Management: Everyone gets in trouble sometimes, it's the nature of the game. The thing is to not let that trouble turn into big numbers. If you put one into the trees don't try a shot that you really don't have. Punch out to a playable lie and keep par at least possible. Shooting in the 80's is really just bogey golf, your putting is good enough that you should be playing to comfortable yardages. For example: If you are 210 out on a par 4, lay up to something like 80 yards where you know you can hit an easy wedge close enough to the pin. That way you have a possible one-putt for par and at worse a tap-in two-putt for bogey. Keeping this in mind really helps in turning those 7's and 8's into 5's and 6's.

[bortass]

[quote name='ebenn' timestamp='1280264214' post='2602739']
I have been reading all of your hole by hole posts and feel like I am reading posts of my rounds!! I know my game is close but I can't stay away from at least a couple of big numbers per side. It drives me crazy. I know that its more mental than anything else. I lose focus and get quick on my swing and hit fatties or big left-right slices which then makes me mad and then am completely gone.

If I can get off the tee in the fairway, not even far, just get me in the fairway, then my mental game is easier to manage. But put me in the trees and I am scrambling.

I wish I knew how to stay focused and get back to a calm after bad shots.

I am a mental midget on the golf course.
[/quote]

I know what you mean from when I was trying to crack 100. I don't feel like I'm putting any pressure on myself but maybe I'm delusional.

[bortass]

[quote name='OzzDOA' timestamp='1280273172' post='2603008']
For me breaking 90 just kind of happened. It felt like breaking 100 was much tougher to do. And now that I am trying to break 80 it feels like when I was back trying to break 100. I am posting 9 hole scores that would have me under 80, it's just a matter of putting two of those 9's together.

From looking at your OOBGolf page and reading your post-round reviews two things stick out that would get you on the road to the 80's.

1. Short game: This is where strokes are saved or lost. My GIR stink for my handicap (26%) but I save pars and scramble for bogeys at worst by having a fairly good game 100 yards and in. A lot of the short game is feel. Sure there are the basic techniques of chipping, pitching and bunker play but after that it is all feel IMO. When I set up for a pitch or a shot out of a greenside bunker I want to feel the shot before I make it, my practice swings are used to get the feel I want then the actual shot is just repeating that feel. I still flub my share of short game shots but it's most often not due to technique but a bad judgment of the lie or shot itself. I usually make the shot the way I wanted it to feel it just turned out the ball was sitting up more than I thought or something like that. My best scores were put together on days where my tee shots and iron play were ugly with a capitol U, but I just was playing fantastically around the greens.

2. Course Management: Everyone gets in trouble sometimes, it's the nature of the game. The thing is to not let that trouble turn into big numbers. If you put one into the trees don't try a shot that you really don't have. Punch out to a playable lie and keep par at least possible. Shooting in the 80's is really just bogey golf, your putting is good enough that you should be playing to comfortable yardages. For example: If you are 210 out on a par 4, lay up to something like 80 yards where you know you can hit an easy wedge close enough to the pin. That way you have a possible one-putt for par and at worse a tap-in two-putt for bogey. Keeping this in mind really helps in turning those 7's and 8's into 5's and 6's.
[/quote]


My short game blows. I spend a few hours working on chipping and putting yesterday. The results? Today my chipping sucked and so did my putting. I missed 2 three footers...

I have no touch or feel. I made a couple pitches today and left the ball short of the green.

Today I shot a 52. Maybe I need to go back to trying to break 100. Those 90s are mocking me now.

#1 - I have a 3 foot putt for bogey and miss.

#2 - I put my second shot in a greenside bunker. It takes me 2 to get out. My chip from the fringe is short and I 3 putt for an 8.

#3 - great drive. PW is fat and short of the green. I chip on and 3 putt for 6.

#4 - par 3, 5i is short of the green, chip on and 2 putt.

#5 - drive goes right. I punch with 7i into fairway. Approach ends up in bunker. I get out and 2 putt for 6.

#6 - par 3, 8i short of green. Chip to 6 feet and hole the par putt.

#7 - great drive 227 into fairway. Apporach is short. Chip way past the hole. I have atricky downhill putt and I trickle it 2 inches short of the hole. So I get a bogey.

#8 - My driver hits the ground 8 - 12 inches behind the ball and takes a divot. The ball goes 96 yards right and my wrist hurts now. I'm in rough and figure on a 7i punch. It barely gets out of the rough. I hit another 7i to get me to about 90 yards from center. My sw goes under the ball and it flies maybe 30 yards. My pitch is short of the green. I chip past the hole. My putt misses 6 feet wide and I sink the next for a 9!

#9 - 3w into fairway. 3w off the deck to get to 90 from center. SW on and well short of hole. 2 putts for par.

I really don't get what happened on #8.

I looked at my lower scores and it's shortgame/putting. My round of 91 I had 31 putts with alot of bogies. Now I get dbls alot.

I have a short game lesson at 7 am tommorow. I need it badly....

[EK16]

You might want to consider playing less driver. While I didn't entirely read the full detail of the rounds a lot of them start with, "I sliced my driver...." or "I hooked my driver...." It seems you get in a lot of trouble because of this club.

Have you considered playing less driver off the tee and more with your low irons, hybrids, or fairway woods. It looks like you're par 4's on the course you are playing at are all around ~300yds. You should be able to hit a more controlled club off the tee and only have less than an 8 iron in on most of those holes.

[bortass]

[quote name='EK16' timestamp='1280336238' post='2604219']
You might want to consider playing less driver. While I didn't entirely read the full detail of the rounds a lot of them start with, "I sliced my driver...." or "I hooked my driver...." It seems you get in a lot of trouble because of this club.

Have you considered playing less driver off the tee and more with your low irons, hybrids, or fairway woods. It looks like you're par 4's on the course you are playing at are all around ~300yds. You should be able to hit a more controlled club off the tee and only have less than an 8 iron in on most of those holes.
[/quote]


I was using my 3w off the tee until about 6 weeks ago. That's when my driver stopped being an instant slice. My 3w misses seem to be about the same but shorter, though I think they may happen less. On the front the par 4s are listed as 324, 344, 369, 406, 391, 378. For the back, they are 427, 365, 424, 358, 375. The front 9 in reality is probably 10 - 20 yards shorter then the card says but some of it may be my GPS giving straight line yardages too.

It definately wouldn't hurt me to use my 3w off the tee to see what happens for a few rounds. I'll lose some yards off the tee. I looked at my stats from 6/1/2010 to present and my driver averages 16 yards longer and I hit slightly more fairways with the driver. A whooping 2% more. I can't look at playable drive stat because that may be skewed. I know with the 3w I'd mark a tee shot unplayable if I couldn't reach the green in GIR, which was often. I'm not sure I'm doing the same with the driver and I may be marking anything as playable that I have a decent second shot with. Driver I have as 84% playable and 3w is 75% playable.

[bortass]

I was able to get out and play the same 9 this evening. I used the 3w off the tee.

1 - par 4, I hit a nice high draw with the 3w, 233, into the middle of the fairway. I'm 76 from center and my SW pitch is pushed and misses right. I chip to 6 feet and 3 putt for a 6.... I eventually catch up and join a grandfather and grandson, so I don't have any putting distance stats. I almost never pace them off when playign with others.

2 - par 4, I hit a high popup into under the left trees lines, 137. I was hoping to ride some 3w magic after #1 but no dice here. I hit a 4i punch and make solid contact. I'm 70ish from center but under the right tree line, so I can't get the ball airborne or I'm toast. I try a PW punch that hits a branch and falls short. I need 2 chips and 2 putts to hole out for a 7.

3 - par 4, I hit a low hook with my 3w and bury myself in a corner behind trees. I'm in thick rough and try a half wedge that barely makes the corner. I'm under trees and no shot at the green again. 155 out so I try a 5i punch. That gets me across the stream into the right rough about even with the midpoint of the green. I have plenty of green to work with since the pin is back left. I make nice contact on my chip and it rolls through the green. I chip again and almost hole out. An easy putt for a 6.

4 - par 3, playing 170 still. I hit my 5i a bit thin and it goes 163 and lands short og the green. I chip to maybe 8 feet and 2 putt for my first bogey. Yay, a decent hole at last!

5 - long par 4, low hook with the 3w 126 yards. I'm in the rough and hit 3w again topping it to about the 190 mark in the fairway. I hit it again just short of the green. 2 chips and 2 putts later I have another 7.

6 - par 3, about 140. I hit my 8i thin and it goes 131 short of the green. I chip to 5 or 6 feet and hole the par putt.

7 - par 4, another low hook with the 3w 1`65 under the left trees. I hit a PW punch into the fairway about 156 from center. I hit my 6i thin and miss a bit short and left. I have a blind chip and it hits the flag and bounces 4 feet away. Another 2 putt for a 6.

8 - par 4, I've had it with my 3w. So I hit driver and push it into a tree on the right. It bounces into the fairway 137 yards off the tee. I mishit a 4i punch that gets me to 114 from center. My PW is mishit short of the green. I was worried it was too much club since I've launched it 129 - 130 a few times lately. I chip on past the hole and 2 putt for a 6.

9 - par 5, I'm back with 3w since driver is too risky. I shut the clubface way down and hit another low hook 109 yards. No idea why I rolled the right forearm over like that but it killed the shot. It's sitting up in the ough a bit, so I hit a nice 5i 170 yards. It looked good so I GPSed it. I'm 162 from center and hit my 5i thin, so I'm in the left front fringe. I chip within 6 feet and 2 putt for a bogey 6.

I shot a 51. Shocking I know. My 3w was awesome on 1 and bit after that but I've seen the same thing with driver before. I had 3 2 chips which is pathetic. My putting is dodgey too. I lag it good but can't seem to sink 3 - 6 footers lately.

Overall I can live with my full swing issues. I really think my shortgame is too weak to get where I want to go. I can't score when I have the rare opportunity and I can't save myself when I miss the green lately. Really hoping my lesson tommorow will help me out. Last time we did short game it really helped but I've forgotten it a bit or gotten out of whack someplace.

[bortass]

My short game lesson went good and I am sure that if I practice what we covered, I'll improve.

We spent most of the time working on chipping. I'm too flippy and I sway towards the target. I happen to do this in my fullswing at times too... The thought/thing we spent the most time on was how to use the right arm to power the chip. My chipping stroke was to pivot and **** my wrists with my arms fairly straight. Now I hinge my right elbow on the backswing and straighten my arm on the down swing w/o moving the wrists. I started to make good solid contact and the ball had a different sound coming off the face. The other thing that I had to do was hold the club tighter. This sounds like an oxymoron, since you always hear loose grip, but he noticed that the club was flopping around because my grip was so loose. He mentioned I may have to do that in my fullswing as well.

Putting was interesting. He took some tees and built a gate of sorts: crappy ascii art to follow:
[code]
X x
X X
[/code]
Each tee was about 1 putter head apart. The ball goes between the 2 middle tees and you putt right to left and your putter shouldn't strike any tees. This just helps with your path since hitting a tee means you did something wrong. Now you can still mess up and not hit a tee but that's when he added the next part.

Take 2 more tees and make a small gate 1/4 inch bigger then the ball on your line maybe 2 feet from the hole. My starting ball position was 4 feet from the hole BTW. Now you need to putt the ball through the small gate into the hole. If you push or pull it, it will strike the ball gate and you'll know it.

I was pushing some shots and this started to fix that. We went to another hole and he had me hit 4 foot putts w/o a gate and I got 10 in a row from the same spot.

He thinks one reason I may be having trroubles in close is I push the ball and then think I misread the break when I may have read the break fine. This can also cause me to overcompensate. He saw me push one putt and then pull the next while we were using the tees...

AT least I have something concrete to work on for my shortgame now. I feel better since I have a gameplan and know what to do. Now to try and ingrain and execute it!

[ChipDriver]

Nice thread - and congrats Bort.

If I may make some simple suggestions:

1) Do not treat your tee shot like a "hit it as hard/far as you can" shot....try to hit is a precise carry distance (just like all clubs) and just let the fairway ground roll the ball after it hits. From your posts you seem to get into a BUNCH of trouble with your driver and 3wood off the tee. I am just guessing but I'll bet you are trying to hit the tee shot "hard"/with maximum effort? If so - stop doing that. As they say - let the club do the work.

Focus on a swing that is 75% effort (more than 50% but less than 100%).....and focus on holding your finish for 3 seconds after you complete your swing (so you are well balanced). If you swing 75% I guarantee you will hit the fairway more often - and you will be as far or FARTHER than your mis hits.

2) For every shot outside of 100 yards - aim for a safe target (middle of the fairway/middle of the green).
3) When aiming at the pin - pick a club that is 10 yards farther than you want to hit it (over club).
4) When chipping try to chip PAST the hole and try to leave most of them within 3 feet of the pin after you pass it.
5) practice making 4-foot putts.

If you do those things - you can break 80. Not 90....80.

[jkumpire]

Bort,

Long time, and I am glad to see you are still improving. I am impressed with your teacher, he is a good instructor. Listen to him, and just relax on the course. You will continue on your improvement.

How are you doing in the league? Does the pressure of trying to score in it help or hinder your game?

[bortass]

[quote name='ChipDriver' timestamp='1280415558' post='2606182']
Nice thread - and congrats Bort.

If I may make some simple suggestions:

1) Do not treat your tee shot like a "hit it as hard/far as you can" shot....try to hit is a precise carry distance (just like all clubs) and just let the fairway ground roll the ball after it hits. From your posts you seem to get into a BUNCH of trouble with your driver and 3wood off the tee. I am just guessing but I'll bet you are trying to hit the tee shot "hard"/with maximum effort? If so - stop doing that. As they say - let the club do the work.

Focus on a swing that is 75% effort (more than 50% but less than 100%).....and focus on holding your finish for 3 seconds after you complete your swing (so you are well balanced). If you swing 75% I guarantee you will hit the fairway more often - and you will be as far or FARTHER than your mis hits.

2) For every shot outside of 100 yards - aim for a safe target (middle of the fairway/middle of the green).
3) When aiming at the pin - pick a club that is 10 yards farther than you want to hit it (over club).
4) When chipping try to chip PAST the hole and try to leave most of them within 3 feet of the pin after you pass it.
5) practice making 4-foot putts.

If you do those things - you can break 80. Not 90....80.
[/quote]

I'm not a grip it and rip it type. In case I have the label wrong, what I mean is off the tee I just swing the club. I'm not counciously thinking "I need to hit this 220 so i better swing away at it". I wonder if that's happening subconciously though. Now my real good tee shots are effortless. I will try to dial back a bit and see what happens. I can always go to a shorter club even though stepping back like that kinda hurts me ego wise. An example would be #1. It's an elevated tee and is just over 300 yards for the most part. If I can hit a 5i out there 160 - 180, I have a 6i or less into the green most likely. I think I may need to start playing smarter. I've hit driver and 3w off the tee on 1 and when it goes 220+ I'm left with an awkward yardage it seems and I miss the shot. I dunno if I'd hit it better from 120 vs 75 but there's less touch involved, just a full PW.

#2) I don't do yet. I tend to aim for the flag and can change this. I may still aim for the flag with my PW which is the 120 - 130 range.

#3) I have a hard time with this, I think. My yardages are in flux. For example a well struck PW will go about 130, a slight mishit will go 120ish. So if I'm 120 from center, I'll hit my PW. If the pin is back and it's 130 to the back, I'll hit PW. If I over club to my 9i I risk sending the ball over the back of the green and that's bad on a number of the holes on my course. ANy advice on how to work this in or am I already doing that?

4 and 5 I can definately work on.

[ChipDriver]

[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1280418907' post='2606298']
[quote name='ChipDriver' timestamp='1280415558' post='2606182']
Nice thread - and congrats Bort.

If I may make some simple suggestions:

1) Do not treat your tee shot like a "hit it as hard/far as you can" shot....try to hit is a precise carry distance (just like all clubs) and just let the fairway ground roll the ball after it hits. From your posts you seem to get into a BUNCH of trouble with your driver and 3wood off the tee. I am just guessing but I'll bet you are trying to hit the tee shot "hard"/with maximum effort? If so - stop doing that. As they say - let the club do the work.

Focus on a swing that is 75% effort (more than 50% but less than 100%).....and focus on holding your finish for 3 seconds after you complete your swing (so you are well balanced). If you swing 75% I guarantee you will hit the fairway more often - and you will be as far or FARTHER than your mis hits.

2) For every shot outside of 100 yards - aim for a safe target (middle of the fairway/middle of the green).
3) When aiming at the pin - pick a club that is 10 yards farther than you want to hit it (over club).
4) When chipping try to chip PAST the hole and try to leave most of them within 3 feet of the pin after you pass it.
5) practice making 4-foot putts.

If you do those things - you can break 80. Not 90....80.
[/quote]

I'm not a grip it and rip it type. In case I have the label wrong, what I mean is off the tee I just swing the club. I'm not counciously thinking "I need to hit this 220 so i better swing away at it". I wonder if that's happening subconciously though. Now my real good tee shots are effortless. I will try to dial back a bit and see what happens. I can always go to a shorter club even though stepping back like that kinda hurts me ego wise. An example would be #1. It's an elevated tee and is just over 300 yards for the most part. If I can hit a 5i out there 160 - 180, I have a 6i or less into the green most likely. I think I may need to start playing smarter. I've hit driver and 3w off the tee on 1 and when it goes 220+ I'm left with an awkward yardage it seems and I miss the shot. I dunno if I'd hit it better from 120 vs 75 but there's less touch involved, just a full PW.

#2) I don't do yet. I tend to aim for the flag and can change this. I may still aim for the flag with my PW which is the 120 - 130 range.

#3) I have a hard time with this, I think. My yardages are in flux. For example a well struck PW will go about 130, a slight mishit will go 120ish. So if I'm 120 from center, I'll hit my PW. If the pin is back and it's 130 to the back, I'll hit PW. If I over club to my 9i I risk sending the ball over the back of the green and that's bad on a number of the holes on my course. ANy advice on how to work this in or am I already doing that?

4 and 5 I can definately work on.
[/quote]

Cool.

From reading your posts you seem to be inconsistent with driver in particular, but perhaps you are inconsistent with every club? But getting into the fairway is "smart golf 101" so get it in the fairway. There is no reason not to hit a driver with today's technology - but since it's a different swing than with an iron or a wood - you should practice it at the range. One good drill is simply learning how to hit it specific distances.....to learn how to hit it straight and IN CONTROL. With a full swing (where you have to control the speed, effort, balance etc.) try to fly the ball 100 yards/150 yards/200 yards. If you can do that then you will develop a "fall back" on your driver when it starts going squirrely.

#3 is not as hard as you may think. Most of the time when amateurs make a golfing error - it results in the ball being short, not long. If you're hitting a 120 club to a 120 yard pin - that means you have to hit it precisely. In most cases IMPRECISE contact ends up in being short. And ask most amateurs - hitting it precisely doesn't happen every shot.

One final thing - if you're taking a bunch of lessons now - practice that stuff on the range, but not on the golf course...it will screw you up.

Last thing - the most important thing to me in golf is to make sure you remain athletic throughout the swing - it's the best way to groove your swing and hit it well and in control and get the most out of your ability.

Have fun.

[bortass]

[quote name='jkumpire' timestamp='1280418621' post='2606286']
Bort,

Long time, and I am glad to see you are still improving. I am impressed with your teacher, he is a good instructor. Listen to him, and just relax on the course. You will continue on your improvement.

How are you doing in the league? Does the pressure of trying to score in it help or hinder your game?
[/quote]


I'm glad I lucked into him all because the course decided to go with a new pro and move in a new direction overall a few years ago.

The league is a nonstarter. Work and stuff had kept me from playing. I've only made 4 nights so far. I made my quota the first 2, lost 3 points the next, and got 2 back the last time I played. I really do feel any pressure in the league outside of playing golf with people. The quota system makes it real easy to just treat it like any other round. It's not like I'm actively playing the guys with me in a match or something. It's fun and I like it, I just wish I could play in it more then I have.

I'm stepping up in the tourney world. I signed up for the club championship. I'm in the net flight, no way am I good enough to waste peoples time trying to play in the actual championship flight. I have no expectations since my game has varied from real good, the 91 on 7/3 and crappy the 103 last Sunday. I just want to make a good showing for myself and hopefully make my opponent work for thier win, if I'm unable to beat them.

It's funny how things change though. Last year I'd be dancing around if i shot this many 50s. Now that I broke 100, that 50 that used to be good is now 'crappy'. I shouldn't let my freak run into the low 90s jade me too much, but I guess I have. Lol.

[Rohlio]

Bort i noticed you picked up a tourstriker, has it been helpful to you?