Journey to Break 90

[bortass]

[quote name='Rohlio' timestamp='1280429028' post='2606685']
Bort i noticed you picked up a tourstriker, has it been helpful to you?
[/quote]


Yes it has. It was after working with it a few days that I started to hit my irons more solid and longer. I haven't used it much lately though. Not alkot of range time and I've been working on smaller swings which would still be great to use the TS on. I will be starting to work with it again more though.

[bortass]

I somehow managed to get 9 in tonight in a bit less then 90 minutes. It's nice when no one is on the course in front of you. I spent some time this morning working on chipping and putting before work as well.

I'm playing in the last flight of the club championship tommorow. I don't know the exact name for what I'm playing for. Based on the number of people only me and another guy are playing from that flight and the winner plays with the others that got a buy on ther first day. I guess it's a qualifier of sorts.

1 - par 4, I hit a great draw with the driver 235 into the middle of the fairway. I'm 65 from center and dunno what to hit. I pitch with my SW and am too fat and short of the green. I do the new chip and my aim is WAY off and I go through the green. So i chip again and 1 putt for a 5.

2 - par 4, I hit a high popup hook into the first fairway 129 yards. I hit PW over the trees back into #2 and I'm 100 yards out. My GW is thin and rolls short of the green I'm rushing for some reason. I chip to 15 feet and i have a sidehill right to left breaking putt. I miss high and long. So a 3 putt 7. Hmmmm

3 - par 4, popup right with driver 112 yards. I sit on the tee a minute or so and go through the swing in my mind. I hit a 9i punch to layup and it puts me 99 yards out. My GW barely lands on but 30 feet right of the flag. I was aiming for the middle and not the flag. If I aimed for the flag I'd probably put that shot inside 6 feet. I 2 putt for my 5 and feel good.

4 - par 3, the tees are forward and I hit my 8i. It's a bit thin and short of the green. I have a real long ship and I go through the green onto a hill. I chip again and it sucks. 2 putts later I have a 5. I'm not feeling down with the chipping so far.

5 - longer par 4, I go with driver and slow things down a touch. I hit a nice draw 222 into the fairway. I have a 6i approach that I hit thin and pull into the left rough. I hit a pitch on and 3 putt from 30 feet for a 6.

6 - par 3, I hit an 8i and it's tracking right at the flag with a nice draw but a bit thin. I end up in the left fringe. I chip to 6 feet and hole the par putt. I'm feeling better with my putts. The 2 three putts were trickier greens. I'm not duffing my short ones and they are going in the hole with a fair amount of authority. i'm not jamming the back of the cup but i'm rolling them enough that they go in the middle and drop. I guess that's my bad way of trying to say it's not like earlier this week when I was missing 3 footers because my speed was slow enough that the lumpy donut around the hole was deflecting the ball.

7 - par 4, I fade my driver into the right trees, 180 yards. I'm not in a terrible spot but I can't go for the green. I hit a 4i punch that gets me in the left rough about 45 yards from center. I decide to pitch with my LW. It is well struck, lands near the back of the green on rolls through it. I have a tricky chip. The green slopes away from me, I'm 6 feet left of the line that the flag is on and I have alot of fringe to deal with. A chip at the hole is stupid. I take my putter and the ball barely makes it on the green and trickles all the way even to the cup and 1 foot on my side of it. I came close to playing it perfectly. I sink the easy bogey putt.

8 - par 4, The ball looks a little back in my stance. I push my driver into a pine tree on the right. I hit a 4i punch to get into my fairway and it puts me 138 yards out. My 8i is thin and left, so i'm short of the green. The green is elevated and all I can see is the flag. I'm getting ready to chip and I notice my clicgear rolling down the hill away from me. I laugh at it and chip the ball and it looks like a decent one. I go get my cart, it rolled 30 yards or so, and I laugh as I get it. Gotta be able to laugh at yourself, I'm thinking as I go and collect it. I get near the green and my chip was online with the flag and 6 feet short. I roll the putt right into the middle of the cup for a bogey.

9 - par 5, I hit a nice dsraw with my 3w 188 into the face of the hill. The ball is delow my feet a bit. So I hit a 4i punch that goes 189 yards. I caught it perfect and I'm elevated, so a low 4i will run after it lands. So I'm 96 out in 2. My GW swing is all wrong and I hit it fat and short. I was not confident in my clkub selection. My GW used to be my 90 yard club but I have no idea what it'll do now. So my swing was a bit shorter then normal. I get a long chip on the green 15 feet short of the hole. I was 20 yards from the front, so it wasn't terrible. My putt tracks for the hole and misses low and rolls about a foot or so past. I hit the putt well but misread the break a bit. So I get a bogey 6.

End result a 47. Not awesome but definately better then all those 50s recently.

I feel a little better with the chipping but still have a ways to go. The putting is much better. I'm putting with more feel and confidence. I'm not doubting the break and speed on putts inside 3 feet right now and I had some putts sink in the 6 - 9 foot range tonight.

Tomorow will be fun. It's match play. I know the guy I'm playing. The only thing that sucks is i gotta get up in less then 7 hours for it. So I better get to bed. My goal is to go out and have fun and try to make him work if I can't win. I get 11 strokes so that will help since he's an 18.

[bortass]

I lost my match 5 - 4. It took me about 6 holes to get rid of the jitters. I had fun but the nerves was like when I was really trying to shoot under 50 last year and I'd get a good round going and the pressure would sink me.

I did learn some stuff though.

ChipDriver is right on regarding my driver. On 1 I hit a nice draw with the driver into the fairway about 255 yards. On 2 it's a slice, on 3 a push, and on 5 a slice. I say screw it and go with 3w on 7. I hit a great draw down the middle. On 8 my 3w is a fade down the middle and a guy in the other match said "You should break that driver over your knee the way you are hitting that stick".

On 10 I try driver and it slices. I used the 3w the rest of the way and my tee shots were solid. I am just gonna game the 3w and see what happens.

Here's the hole that kills me in my match. #14. I'm down 5 with 5 to go. I get 1 stroke on the next 4 holes including 14. My opponent hits his driver into the hazard on the left maybe 100 yards down or so. I hit a nice draw with my 3w into the fairway. He drops and punches into the fairway. 3w is too risky to try and go for the green and he's used 3 strokes to my 1 and needs to give me a stroke as well. I decide to play safe with a 4i punch. I slice it almost OB. I don't have a good next shot and it ctaches a tree and falls way short. In the end he gets a 7 and I get an 8.... I guess I didn't play safe enough.

It was fun even though I was a mental midget.

I need to work on everything. My irons are not as solid and I'm coming up short alot now. Time for some tourstriker range time along with poutting and chipping.

[bortass]

My game went off the deep end on 8/1. I walked off the course after 14. I was thinking that this thread is too premature and I just plain suck.

I talked to the pro after my round and he took me out on the range for a lesson even though it was after 3pm on a Sunday. I pretty much lost my easy swing and the solid contact I had going for me right after I broke 100. So we worked on my impact and I started to see better results.

I played a few 9s and shot a 49 and 47. Much better.

Work is killing my free time. I pretty much have worked all weekend except for the 18 I played today. I'm a desk jockey and working 12+ hour days are unusual. I know I'm whining.

I played Brunswick GC today. I was invited by a co-worker. I played it one time last year, so this was my second time ever. The greens are a bit faster then I'm used to, so i missed alot of putts.

We started on the back and I played decent.10 and 18 were triple bogey par 4s. I had 4 bogies and 3 dbls for the rest of the holes.

I had a rough front 9 after the turn though. #1 par 4 and I get a 7. #2 par 5 and I get an 8. All tee shots were in play, I was mishitting irons etc. #3 par 5, solid tee shot; topped 3w; PW layup to get in position; GW on; 25 feet from hole roughly. I putt 3 feet below the hole. Walk over address the ball and it rolls back an inch. I putt it in the hole for a 9.... 3 penalty strokes on that last putt. Too bad since I had a 6. I followed that up with a string of bogies, par, dbl, dbl, bogie, and the last par 5 I blew apart with a 10.

A great tee shot and I put my second shot into the trees. I hit my provisional into a perfect spot but I find my ball....It was bad. In hindsight I should have just taken an unplayable. Instead i hacked it around and dropped on in the pond etc.


So my score really sucked but I could have saved 6 strokes easily with that set of penalties and just trying for a dbl on the last par 5. I hit some real nice shots and some clunkers. Today's round isn't an indication of my game I don't think.

This thread still is too premature in all likelyhood but my game ands ballstriking are starting to get back to where it was when I was posting rounds in the 90s.

[hacker1]

[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1281319873' post='2626956']
My game went off the deep end on 8/1. I walked off the course after 14. I was thinking that this thread is too premature and I just plain suck.

I talked to the pro after my round and he took me out on the range for a lesson even though it was after 3pm on a Sunday. I pretty much lost my easy swing and the solid contact I had going for me right after I broke 100. So we worked on my impact and I started to see better results.

I played a few 9s and shot a 49 and 47. Much better.

Work is killing my free time. I pretty much have worked all weekend except for the 18 I played today. I'm a desk jockey and working 12+ hour days are unusual. I know I'm whining.

I played Brunswick GC today. I was invited by a co-worker. I played it one time last year, so this was my second time ever. The greens are a bit faster then I'm used to, so i missed alot of putts.

We started on the back and I played decent.10 and 18 were triple bogey par 4s. I had 4 bogies and 3 dbls for the rest of the holes.

I had a rough front 9 after the turn though. #1 par 4 and I get a 7. #2 par 5 and I get an 8. All tee shots were in play, I was mishitting irons etc. #3 par 5, solid tee shot; topped 3w; PW layup to get in position; GW on; 25 feet from hole roughly. I putt 3 feet below the hole. Walk over address the ball and it rolls back an inch. I putt it in the hole for a 9.... 3 penalty strokes on that last putt. Too bad since I had a 6. I followed that up with a string of bogies, par, dbl, dbl, bogie, and the last par 5 I blew apart with a 10.

A great tee shot and I put my second shot into the trees. I hit my provisional into a perfect spot but I find my ball....It was bad. In hindsight I should have just taken an unplayable. Instead i hacked it around and dropped on in the pond etc.


So my score really sucked but I could have saved 6 strokes easily with that set of penalties and just trying for a dbl on the last par 5. I hit some real nice shots and some clunkers. Today's round isn't an indication of my game I don't think.

This thread still is too premature in all likelyhood but my game ands ballstriking are starting to get back to where it was when I was posting rounds in the 90s.
[/quote]
Gotta hang in there, man. When I first broke 100, I thought it was going to be 90s city from there.... It wasn't. But, eventually I noticed that at times I could shoot in the mid 90s, and my best at 92 for some time. But I would still shoot over 100 from time to time, also. Now, I've broken 90 within the last month or so quite a few times, with a best of 87 a few times. BUT... I still shoot in the 90s more than I like. Heck, I just shot a 99 last week. But shot an 87 on Saturday. To me, it seems like it is back and forth (80s...90s...80s...90s...). My point is, when I first broke 100, it was 100s... 90s... 100s... 90s. It is a very slow process, but as time and rounds go on, the score is trickling downward. It is truly a great game!

[sagobro]

Bortass...are you having fun out there when you play? It's great that you have all these stats and summaries but are you genuinely having a good time?

[bortass]

[quote name='sagobro' timestamp='1281369153' post='2627776']
Bortass...are you having fun out there when you play? It's great that you have all these stats and summaries but are you genuinely having a good time?
[/quote]


Except for the day I walked off the course, yes. The day I walked off, that was a mental cluster, I was so POed at myself. That was not fun. Which is why I'm wondering if this is a bad idea or not.

Yesterdays round I posted a real high number but I had some bad breaks and I let one bad shot snowball. I shot below average scores on everything but par 5s. I also had some really good shots and strings of decent holes. I think the fact it was only the second time I ever played the course also let me loosen my expectation a bit. I had a good time.

The stats and summaries are a bit funny. The stats have become part of my normal routine. Setting my GPS on my tee shot is part of my preshot routine, lol. I also don't always enter all the stats I keep lately. I've been ignoring my approach shot stat even though I normally keep it. I also adjust my stat keeping based on if I'm alone or not. I never pace off putts unless I'm alone or it's real important to for some reason.

The summaries are done off the score card and memory. Those I enjoy writing, though I don't post summaries of every round anymore. It would just create spam. I try to keep it to significant stuff. That spell in the low 90s really got me going, lol.


I remember a recommendation to play a few rounds w/o a score card. I really don't know if I can do that or not. I know exactly what you mean though and if I can't find that carefree golf again I'll have to revisit how I approach the game.

[ChipDriver]

[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1281375486' post='2628040']
[quote name='sagobro' timestamp='1281369153' post='2627776']
Bortass...are you having fun out there when you play? It's great that you have all these stats and summaries but are you genuinely having a good time?
[/quote]


Except for the day I walked off the course, yes. The day I walked off, that was a mental cluster, I was so POed at myself. That was not fun. Which is why I'm wondering if this is a bad idea or not.

Yesterdays round I posted a real high number but I had some bad breaks and I let one bad shot snowball. I shot below average scores on everything but par 5s. I also had some really good shots and strings of decent holes. I think the fact it was only the second time I ever played the course also let me loosen my expectation a bit. I had a good time.

The stats and summaries are a bit funny. The stats have become part of my normal routine. Setting my GPS on my tee shot is part of my preshot routine, lol. I also don't always enter all the stats I keep lately. I've been ignoring my approach shot stat even though I normally keep it. I also adjust my stat keeping based on if I'm alone or not. I never pace off putts unless I'm alone or it's real important to for some reason.

The summaries are done off the score card and memory. Those I enjoy writing, though I don't post summaries of every round anymore. It would just create spam. I try to keep it to significant stuff. That spell in the low 90s really got me going, lol.


I remember a recommendation to play a few rounds w/o a score card. I really don't know if I can do that or not. I know exactly what you mean though and if I can't find that carefree golf again I'll have to revisit how I approach the game.
[/quote]

Just a suggestion - stop focusing on a final number.

Here's a trick that helped me to break 80:


Have you ever kept score in relation to par? I found this was a way to get me to stop centering on a final number....my last 3 or 4 holes always seemed to balloon if I were close to my magic number. Instead I keep score "in relation to par" for every hole. So if I par a hole I mark a " - " or a "0" on the card. If it's a bogey I mark a "+1" on the card; and if it's a birdie I mark a "-1" on the card.

You don't see any "6, 7 or 8s" on the card (which tend to demoralize you) but instead you see a bunch is 1 1 3 0 -1 2....and it helped me to focus on the game instead of the math. At the end of the round, just add up the numbers, and add/subtract to the total for par. You might be surprised how low you can go.

[bortass]

Things settled down a touch, so I got in 9 this evening. I played the back 9 which is longer. I'm pretty much waiting on a single in front of me most of my round.

10 - par 5, I hit a nice draw with my 3w, 201 yards into the middle of the fairway. I have a good lie and hit 3w off the deck and it's a low draw. I find my ball in the middle of the fairway about 165 from center. I push my 5i a good 30 yards right of the green. I pitch to 29 feet and 2 putt for a 6. Not a bad start after the lack of confidence I hit 10 days ago.

11 - long par 4, I hit my 3w and it's a high draw and a bit of a pop up 175 into the left rough. I'm too far out to go for it, so I lay up with a 7i. It's a nice shot into the fairway and it gets me 89 from center. The flag is a bit left and I hit my SW, solid, and over the back of the green. Too bad. I chip to 12 feet and my bogie putt is 2 feet short. SO I sink my dbl bogey 6.

12 - par 4. The guy in front of me tees off and leaves the tee box just as I finish up 11 and he heads off down the hole. So I take my time and clean my ball etc while I sit and wait. I hit a nice draw with my 3w 207 into the fairway but it's in a divot. I have 142 to center and it's a bit uphill, so I go with 7i. I hit it fat and short thanks to the divot. I have a real long chip and leave it 30 feet short of the hole. The ball was a good 50 yards from center before the chip. It's an uphill putt that I leave 10 feet short. I send the next 3 feet past and finally sink it for another 6.

13 - par 3, I wait for the guy to clear the green. It's about 140 to center and I hit an 8i on the green but 47 feet right of the hole. The birdie putt is well short. I lag the next to 1 foot and take a bogey.

Now the funny part. The single is waiting on the threesome in front of him as I putt out. I hear hist first tee shot go in the woods. I hear another tee shot as I finish up. I write down my stuff and hear a 3rd tee shot. I'm within 30 feet of him as he walks down the fairway to find his ball. I kinda scratched my head a bit. I know he's waiting on the guys in front but figured he'd wait for me to tee off with him. No dice though. So i wait.....

14 - long par 4, I hit a draw down the left treeline with my 3w 191 into the rough. I'm in a depression and decide to hit a punch. It's super fat and goes 40 yards or so. So i'm 160 from center and waiting for the guy to clear the green. I hit a decent 6i that's a high draw and lands left and short of the green. The ball was below my feet, so I didn't have a true full swing at it. I take my GW and chip the ball 2 feet from the hole and sink the bogey putt.

I am feeling good about the round and the waiting isn't hurting my mood any.

15 - par 3 with pond carry. It's 156 to center and the flag is left. I hit a solid draw with my 6i 165 and short of the green on the left. My GPS is real basic, so I really just have a ballpark of how far the center/front/back of a green is. I never factor in that the flag being left may add another 10 yards since the tees are to the right of the green. I chip with my sw and it tracks at the hole and dies 18 inches short. I laugh as I walk up, pull the pin, and sink the par putt.

I notice that the single is gone. He must have headed back to the clubhouse.

16 - par 4, I hit a high fade with my 3w. It's heading down the right treeline and I listen but hear nothing. I do see it land and bounce though. I find it in the right rough 196 off the tees. I'm 120 from center with a great angle. I hit my PW on and 21 feet below the cup. I have a fairly straight uhill putt but leave it 3 feet short. I sink the par putt.

So far things are looking real good.

17 - par 4. I'm now waiting on the threesome. I hit a draw into the left trees 188 yards. I find my ball and hit an 8i punch. I'm steep and the ball gets too high hits a branch 10 yards in front of me and drops straight down. I have a gap at the green now and hit another punch. It's a bit right, hits the outside tree and I hear it go deep into the woods on my left. So I drop a ball and punch to about 70 yards. I hit a low wedge but it's 21 feet past the hole. I have a 21 foot right to left breaking downhill putt. I try to trickle it in and leave it 12 feet short. I tap the ball and it rolls 6 inchs past the hole. So I get a 9. Bah.

18 - par 5. The threesomes asks me if I want to finish with them. I hit a high draw with my 3w 166 yards. I'm teeing off into a hill, so good shots are always short on the gps. I hit a great 5i that gets me in the middle of the fairway and 114 from center. My shot was blind since I'm on the backside of the slope and I hit it real solid. I hit my PW on and left of the hole. I'm aboiut 21 feet away with a left to right downhill putt for birdie. I'm away so I tap the ball and watch it trickle near the cup and stop in the cup! First time I ever birdied this hole.

I add things up and I have a 47 with a 9 on the card. The 9 was a mix of bad execution with maybe some not real solid decision making. I never tried a hero shot but there were safer options, I went medium risk and paid.

I was thinking to myself, prior to 17, that this could be my lowest 9 hole round ever. My low is 45 and I've done it a few times. A simple dbl bogey on that hole has me shooting a 44 and a par has me at 42. I know these mental games don't count but after having to be talked off the ledge a few rounds ago, this round felt great.

I stuck with the 3w and had fun out there. No idea when I'll get to play again because of work but I felt so good as I walked off the course and talked to my pro about the round. Cheers!

[jkumpire]

Bort,

Very well done, I am very happy for you and your continued good play. My game has gone totally south, so it is good to hear about your play.

Keep at it, and I will add some comments later.

[bortass]

My 3w is MIA, lol.

I played 9 yesterday and 27 today.

Yesterdays 9 was a 6 solid holes and 3 disasters. I shot 29, par 22, on 6 holes, and 26, par 13, on the other 3. Very unfortunate but it happens.

Todays' 18 and 9 hole rounds were a little better. My biggest problem is I suddenly cannot hit my 3w off the tee. I am pushing or slicing the snot out of it, except on #1. On #1 I hit a fade 226 into the fairway and another fade 190 into a stiff breeze into the fairway. After that all bets are off. I have a lesson early Tuesday that will hopefully fix my 3w. An early though is that I'm holding the lag in my club too long, so the face is open through impact instead of rotating my wrists to square the club. I really have no clue but it's too bad cuz I'd put up a decent score if I could get off the tee.

My irons have been solid, relatively speaking, for the most part. I'm getting some nice shots including dropping an 8i pin high and 15 feet left of the hole on a par 3.

I sank a 47 and a 20 foot putt during my 18 hole round as well. The 47 footer saved dbl bogey and the 20 footer saved a bogey. Two awesome putts that help stave off what was looking like some bad holes.

[HitEmTrue]

Hey Bort, I haven't been around for a while. Glad to see you still at it. Echoing the sentiments of a couple others...hope you are having fun!

[bortass]

Played 9 this evening. I won't be doing this much longer since I'm running out of daylight.

I had to play the back since the greens on the front are/were aerated today.

I hit a slice on #10 right behind a tree in the rough. I tried to hit my PW over it but I was too close and ended up in the fairway though. 2 solid irons and I was on the green. Of course I blew my 27 foot putt right over the hole and 12 feet past. The hole didn't even make it hop, it was rolling so fast. So I 3 putt for a 7.

On 11 I say the hell with it and I turned my hands over and hooked my 3w 188 into the left rough. I cranked my 7i to 91 yards in the fairway. My SW hit the green and I 2 putt for a 5 on a par 4 that may as well be a par 5 for me. No way can I hit it in 2.

On 12, I hook my 3w into the left trees. I chip out and my 6i approach misses right. I chip on and 2 putt for a 6. I definately solved my misses right the last 2 holes and that's all I cared about. The hook into the trees and losing a shot didn't bother me since I wanted my ball to go left.

!3, par 3 and I slice into the woods. Find the ball(my provisional was short of the green), get on in 3 and 2 putt from 39 feet to save a dbl bogey.

On 14, I ease of trying to hook the ball and hit a real straight one down the left side about 184 since it was really low and was skipping down the fairway. Another par 4 over 400 yards, so I can never reach it in 2. I nail my 7i and get a great draw that leaves me 79 out. My approach was a bit thin but stops in the left fringe. I chip to 2 feet and sink the bogey putt.

15, par 3 pond carry playing 160. My 4i is a low hook that goes splash, barely missing the far bank by a couple of feet. I drop in the drop area and hit my GW on and 3 putt from 33 feet for a 6. Sigh.

16, my 3w is 168 right down the middle. I hit it fat, so it was a bit short. I'm 162 out and go with 5i. I hit a nice draw where I was aiming which it turns out was 40 yards left of the green and in the woods.... I hack the ball out and on the green but it takes me 3 putts from 42 feet. This is a problem I know about and never seem to work on. I get lazy with lining up and a share of my misses are because I aimed right where I hit the ball.

17 - I hit a low draw 184 in the fairway. I'm 141 from center and the pin is back. I grab my 8i, address the ball, then back off. I get behind it and look at the line I want. I see it on the ground and line up my clubface with it. I hit a draw on line 148 yards on the green and 11 feet below the hole. My best 8i will go 150, so I really hit this one solid. My birdie putt in 2 feet short and I have a par.

18 - I hit a high fade167 into the upper landing area. My 5i is solid and gets me to the 150 marker. I push my 7i right and have some fun with a mishit after that to land in a greenside bunker. I get out of the bunker in 1 and my 20 foot putt is 6 inches short. So i tap in for a dbl bogey 7.

Par 3s really hurt today as did 2 tee shots, though 1 was intentional. I'm happy with the fact my 3w slice has abated a bit once I over did the hit the ball left thing. My iron play for the most part has been real good. I've been laying up from the rough with my 7i and getting solid distance from it. That 8i into 17 was awesome.

I shot a 51 but I had fun out there and only had 1 blow up hole, which was the 6 on the par 3 15th. I just wasn't able to capitalize on some of my good shots. I also need to pay attention to my line with my full swing. I always used to a year or 2 ago but fell out of the routine.

Lesson at 7 am tommorow. Looking forward to it to see what we adjust this time. He knows my woods are MIA and I'll tell him about what I did tonight that semed to have helped a bit.

[HitEmTrue]

Seems like you could save a lot of shots be staying out of the woods off the tee box.

How far can you hit a 4 or 5 iron off a tee? Do you have a 3 or 4 hybrid?

[hacker1]

[quote name='sagobro' timestamp='1281369153' post='2627776']
Bortass...are you having fun out there when you play? It's great that you have all these stats and summaries but are you genuinely having a good time?
[/quote]
+1. Gotta have fun.

[bortass]

[quote name='HitEmTrue' timestamp='1282056669' post='2644616']
Seems like you could save a lot of shots be staying out of the woods off the tee box.

How far can you hit a 4 or 5 iron off a tee? Do you have a 3 or 4 hybrid?
[/quote]


Yep, the woods off the tee have been killing me. Though 1 time I did it on purpose to force the ball left. My par 3 woods ball was caused by the same thing as my woods shots though.

My 4i is dodgey and my 5i will go between 150 -170 I think. I have a 3H and can't hit it to save my life. It's a slice machine but that may be linked to my recent issues.

My lesson today had 3 modifications.
1) Move the ball forward by my left ear. I normally play it near the middle of my head, which means I can still make contact if I cast. This change is for all clubs and I'm to vary the width of my stance to get say a wedge near center.
2) I need to hold the angles in my downswing. I start to release them early which throws away lag.
3) I need to roll my left wrist during the downswing to square and close the clubface. My 3w slice/power fades were because I was holding the face open through impact.

[bortass]

I played a practice round tonight with the changes made this morning.

My first tee shot was with my 3w and I hit a nice draw 222 into the left rough. Next hole I'm a bit steep and it's a popup 156 into the middle of the fairway. What the heck, lets try driver!

I hit a low pull 221 practically through the fairway into the left tree line. I hit driver again on the next hole. This is a 400 yard par 4 that plays as a 5 for me. I hit a nice draw over the ridge and I find my ball in the middle of the fairway 227 off the tee and 179 to the center. My best tee shot ever on this hole. I actually went for the green in 2 with my 4i and mishit it, lol. I'm normally laying up on this hole.

That eventually brings me to 15, my nemisis par 3 with the pond. The tees are back so it's 170 to center. I decide on 4i. I have the ball off my left ear and swing. It's a high draw that hits the green and curls left after it lands. 171 yard, almost all carry, 15 feet left and slightly below the hole. My best tee shot ever on this hole. My birdie putt is 6 inches short though. Now I've been trying 5i from 170 but I started taking an extra club on this hole cuz of the pond.

Next hole I hit driver. I'm looking into the sun and can't tell if it's a draw or fade, but there wasn't alot of curve on it. 230 yards into the middle of the fairway leaving me 104 to center. Again a personal record tee shot for this hole. My GW was thin and short, so i chip 17 feet above the hole and sink the long par putt.

Next hole I push my driver into the left trees. On 18 I can't see my tee shot and hear a ball in the left trees. Another pull I think. No sign of the ball and it's dark and a par 5. So I drop a ball at the 150 marker and the pin is back. I hit my 7i and it's a high draw that hits the green right of the flag and curls left of it, pin high and probably 15 or so feet from the hole. I didn';t GPS the shot but my guess is that 7i was in the 155 - 160 range.

My pro predicted I'd have issues with the forward ball position because i can't get away with the swings I was before with the ball further back. He was right, my iron game went a bit south on me, with fat and thin shots. But near the end that 4i on 15 and the 7i on 18 were great. They were among the best iron shots I think I have ever hit. That high draw is great looking.

I am very excited by what I saw tonight. My teeshots were back to pretty good with some very solid ones. I don't know if I'll use my 3w or mess with my driver some more. I'll work that out I think over time. If those iron shots become more common and my tee shots are decent then I may have opened a new door because then I have the potential to hit any part 4 on the course in 2. It will take a solid driver and then a real solid long iron but it could happen. Not gonna hold my breath but potential is a big thing for me when it comes to golf. Before tonight there were 3 holes on the course that I just knew I wasn't hitting in GIR, all long par 4s. Now I know I can do it, I just never have.

You may notice that some of my yardages seem odd. I hit my 4i 170 on a par 3 and later from 150 to center I was using a 7i that went near the back of the green. Here's my take on things. I started to add 20 yards to my club selections when I started to compress my irons. That is what led me to a 140 yard 8i and a 150 yard 7i. Now I have seen myself hit the 8i 150 and the 7i 160, those are very good yet rare strikes. My 7i into 18 was one of those very solid 7i shots. The 170 yard 4i while good, was not as well struck as that 7i. I really have no clue what a very solid 4 or 5i will bring. I don't hit those as often as the very solid 8 and 7i. AT least my line of reasoning makes sense based on my understanding of things. Shorter clubs are easier to hit, hence I hit them well more often then my mid/long irons. So I have this area where my iron yardages are compressing on themselves.

It'd be great if i could start looking at being 180 out and thinking that's a 5i! I can dream.

[jkumpire]

Hi Bort,

Glad you are out on the course.

Let em throw a suggestion at you and see if it sticks. I think it will help you

My game has been terrible recently, I can't hit you from 3 feet with a shotgun bad.

And it all revolves playing from 100 yards and in....

Keep working on your wedge and 9 iron until you have them grooved. Then breaking 90 will be a piece of cake.

[bortass]

I played another couple 9 hole rounds this weekend. The scores were ugly.

I'm mishitting my irons more now and missing greens. Saturday, I had a mix of pulls and weak slices with my irons. The weak slice is just leaving the clubface open which is because I am not rotating my left wrist the way I'm supposed to. Sunday my irons were almost all pulled. I talked to the pro this morning and his thought is my right hand grip is too strong. He showed my how to adjust it and I hit a few balls on the range before work in the drizzle. Overall it was better IMO. No pulls. I did have fat/thin shots as expected and a few slices.

What to say about tee shots? Much improved. #5 is a long par 4 that plays like a par 5 for me. It's not quite 400 yards but you tee off and there's a hill that's a bit higher then the tee box that you are hitting into, call it a ridge. Both days I hit a high fade near the back oif the ridge and found my ball near or in front of the 150 marker. 235 and 244 off the tee in the fairway.. On 7 I hit a couple high fades that put me around the 150 marker, 220 and 242 respectively in the fairway. The tee boxes can change alot on this hole which is why the 20 yard difference didn't really change where I ended up alot. Sunday's round had me hit my driver 223 into the into the fairway on #2 as well.

I am getting into very good position, for me, off the tee now. My irons are MIA so I miss every green by alot and just haven't been able to score. This is the best driving I have ever seen over a 3 round stretch for me

SO I'm in that familiar pattern where one aspect of my game is real good but another is gone. If both ever come together I know I can post a low number.

Tuesday's change was pretty significant for me, so I'm not worried about the not so stellar scores. I'me very consistant hovering right around 50 per 9. My index is probably gonna go up a bit soon. My low rounds are getting closer to rolling off now. That's not a big deal though, I'm confident that the low 90s rounds weren't a fluke and I'll be able to do it again. It's just a question of when.

[sagobro]

Have u been playing the same courses? I've done some experimenting over the past couple of weeks and have been playing really tough courses. Courses that I should not be even playing but I wanted to test myself. I barely cracked 100 at this semi private course last weekend. Fairways were soooo narrow, greens were super fast(club championship was earlier that morning) and the rough was worse than the bunkers.

Lesson learned but returned back to my regular course a couple days later and tore it up. I guess that's the beauty of this wonderful game.

[EnglishBob]

Glad your still grinding away at it Bort... if you remember I broke 100 for the first time just before you.. I got a low of 93 that should of been an 89... then crept back up to the 100-106 range.... finally got back under 100 after 3 months last week.

I think I started to think about scoring too much and not enough about playing golf.

[jkumpire]

Bort,

Glad to hear the long game has improved, this will help a bunch with your scores when you have short iron in you hands!

I wouldn't worry about your short irons coming around after this change. Just go out and hit them regularly and find one club that you love more than anything else from 100 years in that you know is absolute money when you put it in your hands. Practice, practice, practice, and commit to the shot.

That is a big problem for me recently, I am not committing to shots, and it is inevitable they blow up in my face. Don't let yourself get in that rut.

How is your putting these days? Any better?

[bortass]

[quote name='jkumpire' timestamp='1282593587' post='2657209']
Bort,

Glad to hear the long game has improved, this will help a bunch with your scores when you have short iron in you hands!

I wouldn't worry about your short irons coming around after this change. Just go out and hit them regularly and find one club that you love more than anything else from 100 years in that you know is absolute money when you put it in your hands. Practice, practice, practice, and commit to the shot.

That is a big problem for me recently, I am not committing to shots, and it is inevitable they blow up in my face. Don't let yourself get in that rut.

How is your putting these days? Any better?
[/quote]
My putting is the same as always. I am averaging a touch under 2 putts per hole.

The long game is almost funny stupid. Yeah, I know that makes alot of sense.... On #1 today i hit driver 255 into the fairway(hill assist) leaving me 56 yards to center. So I skulled it through the green and settled for a 5. I didn';t take my first full iron shot till #3 because of how things went and it was a pull...


I talked to the pro again and he grabbed a bucket of balls and we hit the range for a quick tuneup.

He had me change one thing and it made a big difference. My right trigger finger has always been kinda loose on the club. That way I could feel the pressure of the club lagging on my downswing. I thought this was the way it was supposed to be but not so. He had me apply pressure with my trigger finger throughout the entire swing and the pulls went away. My loose trigger finger kinda lets the clubhead move around a bit on my backswing. It can't do that if I apply pressure with that finger throughout the swing. It's a subtle change but seems to have cured the pull on the range. Overall he likes the way my swing is right now. So I guess I got that going for me even if my scores are a bit off.

[jkumpire]

Bort,

Have an update?

[bortass]

So I got to play 18 today. I had played 9 last weekend and I was tired after 2 holes. I guess 170 hours of work in 3 weeks will do that.

 

I rocked my kilt today too. Yes, I bought a kilt maybe a month ago and wopre it on the course for the second time.

 

1 - par 4, Driver, a draw 263 into the middle of the fairway. I'm 50 from center, love the wind and hill assist, and skull my approach through the green. I chip to 6 feet and 2 putt for a 5. A good start and an awesome drive.

 

2 - par 4, I slice my driver 167 into the right rough and I'm blocked by pine trees. I hit a layup with my pw, which catches a tree branch and drops. Not a big deal thoug, I'm in the fairwayb and 131 from center. it's uphill and into the winds and my 9i is flipped and short. My chip sucks, 18 feet from the hole, and I 3 putt for a 7. Not a good showing.

 

3 - par 4, I'm steep with my driver and hit a popup draw that rolls to the left side of the fairway 171 yards. I need to hit a punch and I'm 161 from center, so I figure it's a 4i. I mishit it, fat I think, and it's rolls along into the stream. I drop and hit a 1/2 gw and it's too strong and through the green. I fluff my chip to 24 feet and 2 putt for a 7. I suck..... I am not happy with the last 2 holes.

 

4 - par 3 playing 165, so I decide on 4i. I pull it left and short of the green.. I have a long chip and I chip through the green. So I chip ro 6 feet and 2 putt for a 5. Argh.

 

I waved up another single while playing #4, so I had a companion the rest of the round.

 

5 - long par 4. I've hit my ball to the 150 marker a few times lately off the tee. So today I snap hook it left and it's right into a tree trunk. Very solid. So I find it 115 off the tee and in the rough of the 7th FW. I try to layup with a 7i and I pull it into the trees and it drops in the fairway. I top my 3w and end up about 90ish out. Not a bad mishit since tyhe odds of hitting the green from where I was was very unlikely. My GW is pulled a bit and I miss left into the fringe. My ball is sitting down in a divot and my chip barely goes anywhere. I fluff my next one... So I chip again to 4 feet and sink the putt for an 8. What a mess this is turning into.

 

6 - par 3, about 141, so I hit my 8i and pull it left. It hits a tree and rolls into the fairway well short of the green. I chip to about 12 feet and 2 putt for a 4. A bogey, so I'm happy with the hole. That pull sucks though.

 

7 - par 4, I hit a hook with my driver 191 and got under the left trees. I hit a 5i recovery very well and low. It ends up 50 from center. So I figure a pitch with my LW. It goes over 45* right of target and misses the green by 30 yards. My chip is well short of the hole and i blast my putt a good 10 feet past, so I 3 putt for a 7., Stick a fork in me..

 

Mentally I'm keeping things together. I've been chatting with the guy that joined me and while I'm playing like crap my mood is good.

 

8 - par 4, I hit a low draw 228 into the right side of the fairway! Finally another good tee shot. I'm 121 from center and I flip my PW and am short of the green. I chip on, and while not great it's decent but I 2 putt for bogey. STill I'm happy again. A good hole overall.

 

9 - par 5, I hit a low draw with my 3w and it runs up the hill 184 yards into the upper landing area. I have a decent lie and try 3w oiff the deck. I hit it right and I'm 115 out under overhanging trees. I know, I'll hit a little 1/2 6i! I hit it solid and I'm long... The ball uis sitting in the 4 inch rough and the grass is leaning towards me and away from the hole. So my chip is short and in the fringe. I chip again and 2 putt for a 7.

 

A bad 9 wraps up...

 

10 - par 5, I go with driver and slice it 236 into the right rough. I have never been here in 1! In 2 yes, when I slice it maybe 190 and duff my recovery. I pull a 7i into the fairway but I'm 200ish out. So I hit my 3w and it goes right and into a greenside bunker. I hit a high shot out of the bunker, over the green and my ball stops against the apron.... It takes 2 chips and 2 putts to hole out for an 8.

 

11 - long par 4, I hit a low draw with the driver 204 into the fairway. I'm 209 out and go with 3w. I make solid contact and it's a low draw that's right and short of the green. I chip on and 2 putt for 5. Sweet! A 5 is what I condider good on this hole since it's over 400 yards.

 

12 - par 4, I spank my driver and it's a draw 240 yards into the middle of the fairway. My best driver ever on this hole. I'm122 out and go with PW. I hit it fat as hell and it goes 20 yards. I grab my GW and hit it a touch kleft but fairly solid to land on the green but near the back left. The hole is front center. I have a long putt and leave it short. I then miss high and 3 putt for a 6...

 

13 - par 3, about 150. I go with a 6i. It's thin but styraight and I miss the gree just a touch right. I chip on and 2 putt for a 4. Not bad.

 

14 - long par 4, I hook my driver into the hazard. I drop and hit a 5i into the right rough. My 4i is flipped but online. It's low and rolls short of the green. I chip on and 2 putt for a 7.

 

15 - part 3 with pond playing 156. I hit a draw with my 5i pin high and 12 feet right of the flag. My birdie putt is 2 feet short. I then miss my easy par putt. "Well I am wearing a skirt" I say to my partner.

 

16 - par 4, I hit my driver straight off the tee. Not alot of curve to it. I couldn't tell if it was a fade or draw but I'm 198 yards off the tee and in the fairway. It's 145 to center and I hit my 7i on the green. I lagg it closde and sink the par putt :clapping:

 

17 - par 4, a low draw that goes 221 into the fairway. I'm about 100 from center with a forward flag. My gw is flipped and I miss a little short and left. I chip the ball and it catches the left edge of the hole and spins out 18 inches behind the flag. Soooo close to a birdie! I sink the par putt though.

 

18 - par 5, I hit a high fade with my driver 198 into the upper landing area. I'm 270 out and go with my 5i. It slips a bit but is a low draw to the middle right of the fairway. I'm 124 from center and my PW is flipped and short. I chip on and 2 putt for a 6.

 

A 55/48. Except for #1 my front 9 was dodgey till I teed off on #8. Dunno what's up but my pulls hooks mostly diosaapeared on the back and I ended my round with a string of solid holes.

[jkumpire]

Hi Bort,

1. Your bad score was because you had too much time at work. Forget it and move on.
2. When you "flip" a shot, what does that mean? Are you getting too handsy with your shot?
3. In relation to #2, it sounds like your wrists and hands are really messing around with your ball striking. I am sure your pro has you doing the right things with your hands and wrists, but just make sure your body and arms keep moving and don't stop. Flipping your hands on short shots can be death.

I think wearing a kilt is great! Once in a while I pull out a set of knickers for the course, and it is so nice to wear something different than the same old everyone else wears.

Your short game is better, just make sure you finish your chips and pitches.

Keep at it.

[bortass]

[quote name='jkumpire' timestamp='1283176275' post='2668465']
Hi Bort,

1. Your bad score was because you had too much time at work. Forget it and move on.
2. When you "flip" a shot, what does that mean? Are you getting too handsy with your shot?
3. In relation to #2, it sounds like your wrists and hands are really messing around with your ball striking. I am sure your pro has you doing the right things with your hands and wrists, but just make sure your body and arms keep moving and don't stop. Flipping your hands on short shots can be death.

I think wearing a kilt is great! Once in a while I pull out a set of knickers for the course, and it is so nice to wear something different than the same old everyone else wears.

Your short game is better, just make sure you finish your chips and pitches.

Keep at it.
[/quote]

A flip is me getting too handsy. For me it normally leads to a thin shot. If I hold my lag into the ball with an iron, I take a divot and the ball takes off. When I flip it get's airborne and will draw or fade, but I lose distance. I'm working with my pro on holding my angles longer.

My chipping isn't that flippy. The issues have been with having bad lies and not executing. It's not getting the job done lately though. My putting is definately getting worse but the greens were airated last week, so I'm hoping that's some of my problem.

The thing that has me scratching my head is that I pull my irons until the end of the round and then it corrects itself. I saw the same thing when playing 9 early in the week.

[ChipDriver]

[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1283178171' post='2668541']
[quote name='jkumpire' timestamp='1283176275' post='2668465']
Hi Bort,

1. Your bad score was because you had too much time at work. Forget it and move on.
2. When you "flip" a shot, what does that mean? Are you getting too handsy with your shot?
3. In relation to #2, it sounds like your wrists and hands are really messing around with your ball striking. I am sure your pro has you doing the right things with your hands and wrists, but just make sure your body and arms keep moving and don't stop. Flipping your hands on short shots can be death.

I think wearing a kilt is great! Once in a while I pull out a set of knickers for the course, and it is so nice to wear something different than the same old everyone else wears.

Your short game is better, just make sure you finish your chips and pitches.

Keep at it.
[/quote]

A flip is me getting too handsy. For me it normally leads to a thin shot. If I hold my lag into the ball with an iron, I take a divot and the ball takes off. When I flip it get's airborne and will draw or fade, but I lose distance. I'm working with my pro on holding my angles longer.

My chipping isn't that flippy. The issues have been with having bad lies and not executing. It's not getting the job done lately though. My putting is definately getting worse but the greens were airated last week, so I'm hoping that's some of my problem.

The thing that has me scratching my head is that I pull my irons until the end of the round and then it corrects itself. I saw the same thing when playing 9 early in the week.
[/quote]



Point your boobs at the ball at impact - should prevent the pulls.

You seem very inconsistent with your long game. Are you putting any time in at the range? If you haven't - take a 6 iron and learn to hit it reliably straight - and consistent distance. And swing every club with the same tempo - from Driver through wedge.

[bortass]

[quote name='ChipDriver' timestamp='1283181591' post='2668679']
{snip}



Point your boobs at the ball at impact - should prevent the pulls.

You seem very inconsistent with your long game. Are you putting any time in at the range? If you haven't - take a 6 iron and learn to hit it reliably straight - and consistent distance. And swing every club with the same tempo - from Driver through wedge.



[/quote]


Well unless I go on a diet I have plenty of moobs to point at the ball...

My long game is in shambles, for me, which is kinda odd.

When I broke 100 back in late June, my irons were on and tee shots were ok. I quickly rattled off 18 hole rounds of 95, 93, and 91 right after that.

Then I started to make better contact with my irons and my yardages jumped up. This is about when my scores started to hover at 50 for 9. I think I had 6 - 7 9 hole rounds where my score was either 50 or 51 in a row.

I started to get frustrated in early August or maybe late July, can't remember which, because all of a sudden my decent tee shots became slices and it was killing me. I went back to 3w a bit and had similar results. Now I couldn't rely on my tee shot and I didn't know what my irons were gonna do, yardage wise. Oh and I suddenly started to slice even my irons near the end of this period.

I had my last lesson where we worked on rotating my left wrist because I was leaving the face open through impact. This is also when the pro had me move the ball to off my left ear for all clubs. I used to have it more off my nose with my irons. This change was because i can flip and make decent contact if the ball is too far back, it's easier for me to hit a decent shot with a bad swing. By moving the ball forward, if I flip to early it's real fat.

Something funny happened after that lesson.

My tee shots suddenly got better. I hit my driver well enough to put it back in my bag and I was getting the ball into great position off the tee. My irons were super fat then near the end of the 9 holes I got it together and hit some decent draws.

I played a few more 9 hole rounds and the driver was money. I was hitting fairways and getting 220 - 240 off the tee. But my irons started to pull, so I might be 150 out on a long par 4 that I could never reach in 2 before and I'd hit my 7i and miss the green 20 yards left.

I got a quick tuneup with the pro and the change was to tightened my right trigger finger on the grip. My pulls went away on the range. I go out on the course and the pulls were back till near the end of the round when my draw would show up.

I had a bad stretch with my driver yesterday but it turned around on the back 9. It's scarey that I'm hitting my driver better then my irons over all. That 263 on 1 with the hill and wind assist ties my longest tee shot ever.

Here is what i think I need to adjust/do:
1) Just swing my driver. Bad things happen if i monkey with my swing if i have that club in my hands lately and good things happen if I just swing it for the most part.
2) Make sure to have the tighter trigger finger on my iron shots, along with a slightly weaker grip.
3) dial my yardages back. I have been playing my 7i for my 150 club, a pure 8i will go 150. I'm missing short alot, not long which was why I bumped up the yardages because I was going over the back of the green too often. I think I'll drop back 10 yards and that will still be 10 yards longer then earlier this season. So my 6i will be for 150. See if I can hit some more greens that way and then I'll worry about being long when it happens more often. I think I got carried away when I hit a few pure irons 30 yards longer then expected. I jumped my yardages up by 20 yards but I still don't hit it well enough often enough for that. Slight mishits seem to be good for an extra 10 yards though.

[bortass]

I got in a quick 9 over lunch today. It was hot, 91 degrees out and a little humid. I don't wear a glove and I had the club slip once or twice in my hands because they were damp.

1 - par 4, I hit a low pull with my driver 209 into the fairway of #2. I'm 107 out and go with PW, since I dropped my yardages back. I mishit it and it's a slice. I carry the pine trees in my way and land to the right of the green. My chip is aggressive and I end up 24 feet past the hole. I lagg it 1 foot from the hole and get a bogey. A good start so far.

2 - par 4, I hit a low draw 210 into the middle of the fairway. I have a slight uphill lie, wind in my face and 116 from center. I go with 9i and hit a nice draw onto the green. The ball only moved 3 feet from it's pitch mark. I have another 24 foot putt but this one breaks left to right, side slope downhill and a miss could roll off the green. I hit a nice putt and it curls just past the hole and stops about 18 inches directly behind it. I sink the par putt and things are looking real good.

3 - par 4, I slice the driver 198 into the right rough. It takes me a while to find the ball. It's sitting down and I'm too far out to go for it. I hit a little 9i punch that is too aggressive and rolls through the fairway and partway down the hill. I'm 80 yards out and I have the ball above my feet and a sidehill lie. I'm kinda aimed 45* down the slope of the hill instead of directly down it. I grab my SW and realize that the ball above my feet will send it left, so I aim more right. I swing and get this great lob/flop shot that lands right in the stream. I didn't factor in that all the angles involved turned that 56* wedge into something like a 64 or more. The ball came out real soft and high...

I drop by the stream and my little half shot misses well right. I chip on and it's 24 past the pin again. I end up 3 putting for a 9.

4 - par 3, about 150 so I go with 6i. It's a thin draw and lands short of the green. I have an interesting chip and leave it short. My next chip gets to 2 feet and I sink the putt for a bogey.

5 - par 4, I hit my driver and it's a low fade. 224 yards into the right fairway. I'm 150 out and the wind is in my face so I go with my 5i. It's a low, draw that I hit thin. It's on the mound leading to the green and I chip it to 2 feet and sink the par putt. I'm really happy now because this hole always plays like a par 5 for me.

6 - par 3, 129 to center so I go with 8i and I pull it left into the trees. My first real pull with an iron today. I am 30 yards from center, above the green on a slope with trees. I hit a good chip but it rolls through the green(back pin). I chip to 6 inches and get another bogey.

7 - par 4, the tees are off to the right today. So the best shot is a fade around the pinetrees on the right side. I can't do that so I aim more left. I hit a low draw with my driver 223 and watch it roll left and through the trees into #5. I find my ball and hit a low running 4i that gets me to 80 yards. A nice recovery. I grab my SW and it's fat city and goes maybe 20 yards right. I rush my GW half shot and it's thin and never reaches the green. I'm shortsided and chip with my SW and it still goes 12 feet past the hole. So I 2 putt for a 7.

8 - par 4, I hit a low draw with my driver 181 into the fairway. I'm 170 out and try my 4i. I hit a low pull left of the green. I hit a good chip but it rolls through the green. I had alot of green to work with and I'm chipping to an elevated green that's at least 6 feet higher then my ball. So I chip again to 2 feet and get my bogey.

9 - par 5 and I go with 3w. I'm steep and never see the ball but I hear it hit a tree to the right. I finally find it and it bounced back towards me. 90 yards off the tee and I didn't make the corner. I try to hit a low 5i and it hits a tree and kicks towards me but a bit left, so I can now clear the corner. I hit a real low 3w that gets me to 189 out in the middle of the fairway. I decide to try 5w. It's a bit thin and misses right of the green. The green is elevated maybe 4 feet or so. I hit a nice chip and it just dies, so I have another 24 foot putt. I misread the break and leave myself a good 5 footer that I miss. So I 3 jack for an 8.

So a 50. I'm pretty pleased though. I didn't hit alot of pulls with my irons. My tee shots were so so but except for #9 they didn't cost me strokes. It was the 3rd shot on 3 and 7 that hurt me. I am stoked by the par on #5. I hit a real good drive and got my second shot close enough to get up and down.

My chips were solid strikes. I didn't fluff them. It's a question of figuring out what it's gonna do. Even when I went with a more lofted club, it went past the hole. I also need to work out what happens when I'm chipping to an elevated green. On #9 I landed it on the upslope short of the green and it didn't release like i hoped. If I land it on the green it'll roll out past the hole.