Journey to Break 90

[bortass]

Courses are finally starting to open up here. Only two that I know of, so i haven't played yet. The one I play once in awhile was packed on Friday from what I heard. I'm hoping my schedule will let me get in an early morning 9 at some point.

I have been hitting balls fairly often. It's still just by using a shag bag but it's on a range that hasn't opened yet. The pro I work with has been watching the video and my swing on the range. So I think this is the first year, I've had a lesson before the season started. The longer back swing seems to be working.

Some interesting stuff:

I was hitting my 8i a few days ago. It was in the low 40s and 15+ mph wind from the left towards my face. I hit a few about 120 with most closer to 110. Real short for an 8i, however my 8i was my 120 club last year. So on a day that is 2 - 3 clubs because of weather I was carrying my 8i close to what I'd hit it last year. I saw the same pattern with my PW and 9i.

Two days ago I was hitting my 8i, nothing special. I then hit 11 4i shots, all but one completely sucked. The one decent one went about 156. I picked up the balls and grabbed my 7i, and hit 9 out of 10 fine. I just found it funny that switching clubs made such a big difference.

Yesterday I put some masking tape on my 9i to see my impact. I'm having problems flipping... I was very consistant on my contact, right on the heel, near the hosel. Hmmmmm.... I even set up with the ball outside my clubface at address and that was almost on the heel as well. I'm not sure what's going on with this. Ball position doesn't seem to matter. So heel shots get in the air and fly pretty good. The flips are low and tend to go right, pushes. I'm not making any sort of clean contact.

Today the pro took some video with his camera. He has a higher end Casio and can change his shutter speed. This lets him take vide face on w/o the shaft blurring. On one swing right before impact my clubface looks square and right after impact it's closed. I'm really shutting down my clubface through impact. The video today and from Saturday also showed how my head is drifting all wrong. My head is getting in front of the ball at impact. This is messing thinks up because my weight get too forward early in my swing and then my weight shifts back to try and recover in the downswing. Also my left knee is shifting backwards and I have no forward movement when I should.

So I have been givern pretty simple instructions. Take half swings, try to keep my head from drifting forward AND getting my low point forward where it should be. I'm to place a driveway marker a few inches behind the ball, so if i flip I'll hit it. I hit it quite a bit today.. This is just a simple way to replicate a compression board. I'm gonna have to make myself one i think. I also need to find my PBS. I was using that quite a bit last year right when i started to compress the ball. I got lazy and stopped using it and lost all my lag. The funny thing is when I had no ball I didn't seem to have a problem getting my divot forward. Add a ball and all bets are off.

The good news is even with the flip and heel hits, the ball if flying good enough for me to play ok. I'm pretty much gonna get the same yardages as last year, just with a higher ball flight with the irons. I'm still curious about the new driver and 4w. I'll hopefully get a chance to hit them at some point to see what they do before I use them in a round.

[bortass]

I read my Stack and Tilt book a bit a few nights ago. I've had my left knee action pointed out to me in the past. The knee would shift towards my right foot. In the book I read how the knee is supposed to move towards the ball. I was doing something in the house and I had to lean to my left a bit. So my left knee tracked over my foot and my right leg straightened a little bit. Hmmmm.... So I did some backswings with that motion and it seemed to match what I was reading in the S&T book and what I saw in some video of Grant, one of the better S&T models.

So I went to the range the next day and worked on it. What I found is my contact got closer to the center of the clubface and away from the heel. I also started to try to replicate that feeling i had when i was lagging the club last year. I was hitting little pitches with a 9i. half swing back with the new pivot and trying to feel the lag. I started to hit the ball with a forward divot and a solid click at impact. Every once in awhile I'd hit one and hear the ball spinning in the air. A nice little whiz sound. I've worked on the shorter swings and I'm able to hit the majority of them solid and i'm hearing the ball more often. I have a harder time doing things correctly with longer swings still.

The pro watched me for a bit today and he liked how the change with my knee is keeping my head alot quieter. he also commented how my tempo seemed to be better and I was more in balance. Also I started to hit more draws instead of pushes.

A side effect i noticed with the pitch shots today was that I'm starting to get my weight left at the start of the downswing. S&T talks about leaning to the left when you start the downswing and there's also movement of your hips to the left. I'm finally starting to do that on thses little shots. The funny thing is that i am probably only losing 20 yards when I hit one of this pitches with a partial swing and solid contact vs a full swing w/ a flip.

[bortass]

I got out and played 9. The last time I played this course was in 2003 and shot a 61. So I wasn't that familar with it. It was in the 60s and this course is very close to the coast and we had 15 - 20 MPH winds. There was heavy rain yesterday as well. There was alot of casual water and balls were plugging left and right. I'd say about 5 holes had 3 inches of water in the cup. So our golf balls got plenty wet throughout the round.

The front 9 here is about 2900 yards with a slope of 125. So it's a little shorter and a little harder then where I normally play.

1 - Par4 about 360 yards. This is a straight hole and the wind is to our backs. I tee of with the new Wishon driver. This is the first time i've swung it on a course. I hit a mid height fade 178 yards down the fairway, off to a good start. I'm 183 out and decide to hit my 4w. I have never hit this club except for on a launch monitor when i was trying it out. I mishit it and it goes fairly straight but not too far. I hit another approach shot with an iron that is just short. So i chip on and 2 putt for a 6.

2 - par 5 that's about 480 yards. Again the wind is to our backs and it's a straight hole. I tee off with my driver and crush it. I have never hit a driver shot this high before except as a popup. it's a draw and tracks down the right side of the hole and i see it land near the cart path. So I have an idea where it landed. The other guys i'm with tee off and we head down the hole. I see someone from the adjoining fair near where I think my ball came down bend over and pick something up. I get to the area and no sign of my ball. I ask them about it and they said it was further down my hole near the cart path. I went looking and never found anything. I have a strong feeling one of them took my awesome Topflite gamer. So i drop a ball near where I saw mine land. I hit my 4w and it gets high but is a slight push into the trees on the right. The ball flight looked great but my direction kinda bit. it hits a tree and falls. I chip into the fairway and look at my GPS. It shows about 110 to the center and it's a back pin. I hit my PW and it's a nice high draw. it lands on the back of the green and rolls off. I look at my GPS again and now it says 90 to center... I chip on and 2 putt for a 7. I gave myself a free drop because I'm sure my ball was taken. It's not in season yet and not a tourney/no money involved, so i'm not gonna worry about it.

3 - par 4, about 385 and a straight hole but into the wind now. I slice my driver into the right trees and it hits one and goes into the fairway of #2. I hit a little low pitch back into my fairway. I'm something like 260ish out and hit my 4w again. It takes off with a slight push and hits a tree about 40+ feet off the ground and over 100 yards away from me on the right. I never find the ball and there's a group right behind us, so I drop a ball and add a penalty stroke(yes, I know I'm not exactly following the RoG). I'm about 105 out and hit my PW short of the green. Again i chip on and 2 putt but for an 8. Sigh.

4 - par 4, about 350 and it's a late dogleg right. The dogleg is near the green. I knew this from looking at the course on Google earth last night. The hole depiction on the card shows it as being straight. The wind is behind us and i hit driver. it's a mid height fade that lands in the fairway with a splash of water and i see my ball bounce a few times and stop. Both my partners plug their drives. My tee shot went 184 and I'm in the fairway on the left. I can see the green and will need to flirt with some small trees if I go for it. I look at my GPS and see there are two greenside bunkers. I have no clue where they are. I decide to hit my 3H and I am just trying to get the ball in front of the green. I'm not going for it since i have no clue where those bunkers are. It's a low draw that lands right where i wanted it. the pin is back so i decide to chip with my GW instead of the SW i normally use. I hit it solid and the ball lands on the green and rolls off the back... So here's the deal. The green is a good 4 feet above my feet, slopes away from me, and I'm short sided. Oh and my ball is only a maybe 4 feet from edge of the rise to the green and it's a steep slope. I decide to hit a shot from Phil's shortgame DVD. I take my LW open the face and adjust my alignment. I do a hinge and hold and the ball pops up, lands on the fringe and releases about 5 feet to the hole and stops 6 inches away. So i 1 putt for a 5 and my first bogey of the day.

5 - par 3, playing 184 yards with the wind in our faces. I tee off with my 4w and hit a low draw 167 yards and short of the green. My partners are hitting drivers... I mess up my chip by hitting it thin, so I'm on the back of the green and the flag is in front. I 3 jack for a 5. Argh.

6 - par 4 that's about 367 and fairly straight. the wind is still in our face. I hit my driver and it slices into a tree on the right and pops back in the fairway a massive 80 yards off the tee. I go with 4w and again it get's airborne nicely but i'm tracking down the right side and i hit a tree about 156 yards from where I'm standing. The ball kicked into the fairway, so i have a clear shot at the green. i'm 118 yards and go with my 8i. I don't take the wind into account and i'm barely on the green, my ball is a few inches behind my pitch mark. I have an uphill putt that's over 20 feet. I give the balla good whack and miss the hole by a few inches and have a 1 footer for another dbl bogey.

7 - par 3 about 162. The flag is near the back of the green and I can tell log is bad. The wind is to our backs now. I went with my 150 club aka my 5i. I hit a low draw that's tracking for the flag. I can't see it land. I get closer and my ball is on the green about 40 feet below the hole. I paced this putt off since it was for birdie. I line it up and leave it 6 feet short. It takes me two more putts to holeout for a 3 putt 4.

8 - par 4 about 340. Wind in our face but a straight hole otherwise. I tee up the ball and pick my line. I get in place and swing my driver and drive the ball into the turf about 18 inches in front of the tee and it rolls 89 yards down the fairway. Bah! I have a good lie and go with my 4w again. I swing and whiff. Ouch. Don't ask cuz I'm not sure how I missed the ball. So I start over and hit my 4w again, this time it's a high draw that goes about 164 into the wind which is close to 20 MPH now and the ball stops in it's pitch mark. I was real happy with this shot. I'm now 70 yards out and hit a pitch with my PW and I'm not sure exactly what I did. The ball squirts low and right, so I'm almost pin high and a few inches off the green on the right and the flag is more left center. I use my putter and chip to 3 feet above the hole and sink my putt for a 6.

9 - par 4, this is a late dogleg left about 320. Wind in my face and I hit driver. I get a mid-high height draw 193 yards and in the fairway. Again the ball plugged.I'm 110 out and decide on 8i. I hit it fat and short of the green. I'm 50 yards out and I pitch to about 6 feet and 2 putt for a 5.

End result is a 52 in worse conditions then that summer day in 2003 that I played this course last. I am happy with this score for a few reasons. I really don't know this course or it's greens. It's the first time I've played and while I have been hitting balls outside, I have not been doing it on the course. I also was able to 'save' dbl bogey when I had some bad shots. Like the 90 yard worm burner followed by a whiff on 8. And I was in the trees on a fe wother holes and only had 1 blowup.

I really like the new 4w. I know it got me in trouble a number of times but today is the first time i've used it. I can't believe the height I'm getting off the deck with this club. My 3w with a stiff shaft last year would rarely get more then 10 feet off the ground. This 4w is getting a good 40 feet up and it going straighter overall then that 3w. I really think this will be a key club for me. I never had any qualms hitting it because I was making good contact except for two shots and the ball goes a bit right on me but it's not a curve. I'm pushing it.

The LW shot on 4 was clutch. i dunno how well it'll work next time i need that shot but it worked perfectly today. I have only worked on how Phil explains hitting these shots a few times and never with a green. So far that short game DVD is definately worth watching.

My driver was ok. I got some decent shots and had some dogs. I haven't had a chance to really work with it before today. I really wish the drive on #2 didn't go AWOL on me. I wanted to see what my GPS said for the distance.

My irons were not bad. I can only recall one bad swing and that was the fat approach on #9. I was still flipping the club but the ball was a draw and except for the 5i tee shot very high. The 8i approach into #6 went backwards after it landed. only a few inches but I may be putting some backspin on my iron shots now.

My putting was normal. 2 putt average on greens I'm not used to, so I'm fine with that. I didn't have many short putts.

My chipping was not good except for the LW shot. I just had trouble with it today. It will come around with some practice.

It's great to finally play some golf.

[HitEmTrue]

[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1302487854' post='3140642']
I then hit 11 4i shots, all but one completely sucked. The one decent one went about 156.[/quote]

Hey bort, if you don't have one, you really should consider getting a hybrid. There is no reason that you should be hitting a 4 iron.

Keep up the work!

[Rohlio]

So first round of the year with new equipment you never hit before in 20 mph winds and rain.

And you shot a 52? Congratulations man. You hadn't broken 100 in perfect conditions with things you were familiar with til early last summer. Sometimes it is hard to see the growth, but you are certainly having quite a bit of it.

I wish you all the success in the world this season. Keep moving in the right direction.

[bortass]

[quote name='HitEmTrue' timestamp='1302876490' post='3155624']
[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1302487854' post='3140642']
I then hit 11 4i shots, all but one completely sucked. The one decent one went about 156.[/quote]

Hey bort, if you don't have one, you really should consider getting a hybrid. There is no reason that you should be hitting a 4 iron.

Keep up the work!
[/quote]

I hear ya. I have a 3H that I got last spring BUT it's a stiff shaft. So it's alow ball flight. I tried a 3H w/ regular shaft yesterday, a Nickent, and no dice. I hit it about as good as my 4i. I'll try some TM hybrids sometime next week to see if they work better for me. I'm thinking of a 3H and 4H if I find something I can hit.

I'm hoping this plays out like my 4W. I went and tried some and couldn't hit them at all. A month later I tried the Calloway Diablo and I was able to hit it pretty good. I used it for the first time my last round and love it already. The ball flight off the deck is great and many times better then the 3W I played last year. It's probably the shaft more then anything but still. If I find a hybrid I'm comfortable with that will pay off.


[quote name='Rohlio' timestamp='1302881425' post='3155858']
So first round of the year with new equipment you never hit before in 20 mph winds and rain.

And you shot a 52? Congratulations man. You hadn't broken 100 in perfect conditions with things you were familiar with til early last summer. Sometimes it is hard to see the growth, but you are certainly having quite a bit of it.

I wish you all the success in the world this season. Keep moving in the right direction.
[/quote]

Thanks. My game moved up a notch late last year. I got over that mental hurdle of 100. I'm also getting better at scrambling, even if it's for a double bogey or bogey. A duffed tee shot doesn't mean I'm destined for a triple or higher like it use to. Also being able to hit recovery shots under trees etc helps with keeping the high scores at bay.

Another helpful thing is I'm working on pitches inside 100 yards a bit more lately. I'm finding those swings help me work on more parts of S&T then a full swing. I have a better chance of a forward divot, compression, and getting that lateral movement left. Once I lengthen my swing too much all bets are off. I really want to improve the short game skills this year since I can get binto shortgame range w/o alot of problems now.

[HitEmTrue]

[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1303058607' post='3161740']
I hear ya. I have a 3H that I got last spring BUT it's a stiff shaft. So it's alow ball flight. I tried a 3H w/ regular shaft yesterday, a Nickent, and no dice. I hit it about as good as my 4i. I'll try some TM hybrids sometime next week to see if they work better for me. I'm thinking of a 3H and 4H if I find something I can hit.
[/quote]

In my opinion, getting a matching 5H would not be a bad idea for you, either.

[bortass]

I played my first 18 of the season today. The course is Sable Oaks Golf Club. I once played the front 9 back in 2001 or 2002, so this is basically a new course for me. It's 5545 from the white tees with a rating of 68.2 and a slope of 120, par 70. Doesn't sound too bad but it's target golf. There are only a few holes where a shot that's offline will land in another fairway and even then the odds of being able to play it are slim. I have never played a course like this before and it was eye opening.

The course was wet in spots, which is no surprise with the weather up here but other then that it was in very good shape. The holes have a diverse mix. The par 3s are manageable but there was a par 4 I hit 4w/4w and still wasn't on the green and I struck both shots well. There are also alot of forced carries off the tee, in front of the green, etc. I'd play it again.

I won't get into a play by play because my GPS doesn't have this course. I was relying on GPS readings from my playing partners and I had a Izzo Swami that i was borrowing. The Swami is a real basic GPS that just gives the distance to Front/Back/ and Center of the green but it's easy to use and I think it's fairly inexpensive.

I was very nervous when we started. I mean I was as nervous as when I played in the HCped flight of oiur club championship last year. it was very strange. Nothing was on the line but I was playing with better golfers then me and I knew this would not be an easy course to play.

I picked up on 1. I was mishitting the ball so badly. I was having flashes of 2008 when I was alot worse then I am today. I was mentally toast after butchering too many shots while my partners were near the green, so I just picked up so we could moive along.

I almost mangled #2 as badly but my round evened out a bit after that.

Target golf is not my forte. fairways are 30ish yards wide with woods on both sides, marshes and streams to deal with etc. My driver got me into alot of trouble off and on in the round, so I started to use my 4w more off the tee. That 4w is very good. I can hit the ball 181 - 193 with it, almost all acrry off the tee. I also used it off the deck and had some very good shots as well. It wasn't all rosey since i did have troubles on some holes. I hit a high draw thyat went 189 into the fairway. I saw my ball land and then spin back. Sure enough my pitch mark was 6 inches in front of my ball, so I am definately getting more spin with that then the old 3w. The ground was wet, so roll out was limited.

Other notable shots:

I'm 50 yards out on #9 in 2( par 4) . I hit a half SW and compress the ball. It lands on the green and just stopped, it never moved forward or backwards. I'm 6 feet from the cup and sink the par putt.

Another hole has an elevated green. probaly a good 15 feet above me and it's steep. I'm at the base of the slope and it's probably 70* or so. Very steep. So I grab my LW and hit a flop shot up on the green. I was still a ways from the hole but that was a great shot.

I used my LW to chip and almost holed out, I put it within 6 inches. I had another chip stop about a foot out. So that part of my game is getting better.

So I had a 55 on the front with 2 penalty strokes. I gave myself a 9 on #1 since that's as high as I can post a score for handicap purposes. I had a 53 on the back with 5 penalty strokes. Including 4 on one hole. It was par 5 and I hit a great 4w. The one that went 189 and spun back on landing. My next $w was heavy into the gully that cuts across the fairway. So i drop and hit an iron to layup and it's fat into the hazard. I drop on the other side and put an iron shot into the hazard fronting the green. I drop and hit a 1/2 SW that lands on the back right of the green and hops into the hazard....

So a 108 isn't that good but that course is a whole 'nother animal. Bad shots are paid for with strokes. Some of my misses would have been ok where I normally play, not here though. It kicked my butt as expected. The good news is I had 2 pars, 5 bogies, and 6 double bogies. Par 5s and 3s killed me but that's ok. I'm focusing on the good shots I made out there today.

[bortass]

My game is surprisingly consistant score wise lately. The home course is open but only the front 9. It's walking only, which is what I do anyhow, because the course is so wet. I have gotten in 5 9 hole rounds so far.
4/20 AM - 38 degrees out and very wet. No roll and I shot a 49.
4/20 PM - 40 degrees out and misting. There are beads of water on the greens and my ball kicks it up as I putt, shot a 50.
4/21 - 46 degrees out but very windy with gusts over 30 MPH. I shot a 48 and hit alot of punch shots.
4/23 - 36 degrees out and raining. Occasional gusts over 15 MPH and I even saw snow flakes at times. I shot a 50. I had a nice stretch of holes but fell apart on the last 3. I was wearing a long buttun up winter shirt and my Ping windbreaker, so I didn't swing as freely as I'd like. My average tee shot was maybe 140 with driver. I did have 15 putts though and sank a 15 and 18 footer.
4/24 - 56 degrees and sunny. Course is still very wet. Tee shots were better and I shot a 49. I had alot of mishits on the last three holes.

I'm not playing in ideal conditions but these score will drop my index a little with the next revision, so I'm doing something right out there.

My chipping sucks and I need to work on my short game. I'm doing ok on pitch shots and the few flops I've tried are working out good as well. it's good to be able to not hit the ball that good but still be able to get in range for a GIR +1 with a pitch or less.

I talked to my pro today about my misses. I hit some nasty pull hooks that missed my target by a good 30+ yards left. I also have some other shots with real poor contact. I have been trying to use punch shots alot because I tend to get better contact but that was not the case today.

So after we talked about my misses, he asked to see my grip. I have a very strong grip from the days I was fighting my slice. He told me to weaken it and we grabbed a small bucket of balls and went to the range. The grip felt weird and my first swing was a high draw that was compressed. Next one, compressed. And the next and the next. A small bucket is probably 40 or so balls. I compressed probably 35 of the 40. I was hitting some high draws with the occasional fade or push. No more pulls or pull hooks. My divots were in front of the ball as well. It was night and day. A simple grip change and suddenly I'm hearing the ball spin almost every time i hit it. I'm getting alot of height as well and will hold a green( assuming I can get the ball to land on it ). This is what I was hitting my irons like when I actually compressed the ball for a short window last summer. That was when I cracked 100 and quickly pushed my way to a 91.

I'm looking forward to some range time to ingrain the new grip more and to see what it does on the course. I'm thinking my yardages may get a bit off if it follows the same pattern as last time I did this. I gained 20 - 30 yards roughly, during that window. I have no clue how thinsg will play out this time but I'm feeling good about it. If the grip change holds, it'll just be my short game that's holding me back.

[bortass]

I had a lesson about 5 days ago. The video showed some promising things.

 

My head was moving better. A few weeks ago it would shift in front of the ball on my backswing and they drift right on my downswing. Now it's floating a little but staying behind the ball.

 

My pivot looks better and I'm holding the lag a bit better as well.

 

The new item that came up during the lesson is my lower body does nothing. I don't shift my hips and knees left and my hips don't start to open until after I hit the ball. So now I'm trying to start my downswing with my lower body. This will take alot of work.

 

I wasn't able to work on things during the week and I played 18 yesterday. So I'm now using my new weaker for me grip for the first time on the course.

 

My score was nasty :rolleyes: . The funny thing is it wasn't any one aspect of my game that let me down. I had different blow ups on different holes.

 

Tee shots - These were going right on me. Pushes and push fades mostly. I did slice one OB on 17 though. I hit a few nice draws and a few nice fades though that kept me in the short grass. 6/14 drives were not playable. On #1 I hit a push over the pine trees on the right. I was too close to a tree to go for the green, so I hit my SW over the tree and got a bogey. #7 I hit a push fade 200 yards into the right trees and I have to come out sideways and I get a bogey. #8 I hit a push into the right trees and it kicks back towards me. I end up with a triple because I fubar some iron shots. #12 Push fade over the right trees into the 11th. I fubar my recovery shots and get a double. #17 I slice OB. I retee with my old grip and shank the ball maybe 60 yards into some muck and I come away with a triple. #18 I hit my drive low and thin into the muck and end up with a dbl bogey.

 

 

Par 3 tee shots - #4 I'm a bit thin but get across the stream and get a bogey. #6 I hit a nice high 7i into the right bunker and card a 6. #13 I hit a high draw with my 6i and hit the green. #15 I hit a hosel rocket with my 5i into the pond. My retee is a push slice through the right trees into #16 and I card a 7.

 

Chipping/Sand - On #6 I'm in a bunker and I skull it 20 yards over the green. I somehow need 3 more chiops to get it on... My chipping elsewhere is kinda eh. I get a few inside 9 feet, 1 was 1 foot away, but still leave a number of 15+ foot putts.

 

4w - this club has been paying off till yesterday. I can't hit it now. #9 my second shot i whiff. I then hit a pull fade into a soft spot and can't find the ball. So I end up with a 7. #10 I top one 80 yards and my next shot is better with it and i get a dbl bogey 7. #11 I top 2 in a row and then hit one short of the green and end up with a triple. #14 I top one as well,s ame with 18.

 

Iron shots - I had issues on #8 with my irons that led to a high number. However I hit mostly good shots and hit some greens and held them.

 

Recovery shots - on #8 I really mess up some 5i punches. On # 12 I play ping pong with the trees. My recovery shots on other holes were fine.

 

Putting - I had 2 3 putts on the back 9 because I read more break then i should have. However I had 31 putts for the round. I had 7 1 putts with the following distances in feet: 2, 5, 1, 9, 18, 5, 21. This is the second round in a row where I'm sinking putts over 10 feet. I even had a 24 ft birdie putt just miss low. So my putting is what saved my butt except those two bad holes.

 

So I carded a 105. My driver and 4w hurt me the most, but the driver did give me some good shots but other aspects of my game went awol on those hole. I had 3 penalties including 2 S&D. A 3 chip, 2 3 putts, and some fubared recovery shots. I am kinda embaressed(sp?) by the score but it happens. I'm hoping it's just an aberation cuz if my putting can keep going at this rate, I should start having an occasional birdie or long par in the mix.

 

I worked with the pro this morning and we came up with some adjustments. namely I'm aiming right. My alignment is off. I also need to work on getting my hips opening and my knees sliding left towards the target. Lastly, there's turning down my knuckles to help square the club. We worked on this stuff a bit and my 4w and driver started to be on target. So all those push fades were mostly fade because I was aiming to the right too much.

[bortass]

I got out for 9 tonight. The course is par 71, so I need to bogey every hole to crack 90. I'm not sure if looking at things this way will help me out or not. As I mentioned in my previous post i'm still working through the grip change. I have problem holding the club the new way, I just don't have everything worked out to get the ball going where I need it to.

1 - par 4, I'm a bit fat with my driver and I hit a small draw 139 down the fairway. Not a great start but I'm in play. I'm 166 out and I go with my 5i. My 5i is my 150 club. I've hit my 4i on the range a few times but it's been ugly, so I don't dare use it on the course. I want to look at some hybrids but haven't had the time yet. The 5i comes up a bit short as expected but the ball went where i wanted it to. So that's progress. I chip 12 feet past the hole though. I misread my putt and miss 3 feet on the low side. I sink the next one for a bogey 5 and I'm on pace.

2 - par 4, I hit a nice low draw with my driver 188 down the middle. I'm 133 out but it's uphill, so I go with my 6i. I miss left and just a touch short. My chip blows, I duffed it, and I'm 27 feet short of the hole. I'm putting crosshill and I miss high and the ball rolls 5 feet past the hole. I sink the next one for another bogey.

3 - par 4, The tees are to the right. I've been hitting a pine tree with my drives on this hole when the tees are in this position. I remember my alignment and hit a fade 191 into the fairway. I'm 159 out and go with my 5i. it's a blind shot with a stream carry that's blind. I make decent contact but pull it. I'm pin high though. My ball is sitting in a strange spot and there's a knob of dirt right behind it. I grab my SW and notice the dirt and chip the ball. I duff it short of the green again. So I get to chip again and I put this one 2 feet past the hole. An easy putt for my bogey and I'm on track still.

4 - par 3, with a stream carry and it's playing about 155. I go with my 5i and I hit it 161 and miss to the left. I'm on a cart path and take relief. I duff my chip. My next onew goes 17 feet past the hole. Awesome! I line up my putt and sink it for my bogey.

5 - long par 4, I leave the face of my driver wide open and slice the ball into a pine tree 70 yards off the tee. I have no shot, so I use a 5i and punch the ball real low into the fairway. So now I'm about where a decent drive would put me. I'm 240 ish out and hit my 4w. I just want to get close. I top it and it goes 90 yards or so. I'm about 146 out and the green is slightly elevated. I hit a draw with my 5i and it lands to the right of the green and up the hill in the back. I GPS it and it was 171 yards.... I chip on but 17 short of the hole. So I'm on in 5 and I just miss my putt leaving it 1 foot short. So i card a 7 and I'm off pace.

6 - par 3, about 130 so i hit my 7i. Again the face is wide open and I slice it into the right trees. i see the ball hit a tree and kick back into the woods instead of out. I find it 92 yards off the tee. It's sitting on the slope of a small ridge and is resting in the V of some small branches. i can't move them or the ball will move. If I go for the hole, I'll hit the sticks first. So I chip out 90 degrees. My chip is too agressive and goes 26 feet past the hole. I lagg it to two feet and get a double bogey 5.

7 - par 4, I hit a popup. No idea how but it goes 145 yards and plugs in the right side of the fairway. I take the free drop and hit my 5i. I make sure to aim left and I hit right where i was aiming, so I'm now in the rough of #5. I had aimed too far left and struck the ball well. I'm 80 yards out but have to go under two pine trees. I hit a low runner with my 5i past the green. I didn't have much of an option and I'm on a cart path. So I drop and chip it 16 feet from the hole. My bogey putt is rolling and I miss leaving me with an easy 6 incher for another double.

So I've reall screwed the pooch in trying to shot a 44 at this rate.

8 - par 4, I hit a low fade up over the hill 192 yards into the right rough. I'm 166 out and go with my 5i. I make decent contact and i'm short of the green. I have a long chip that's blind and uphill. I leave it short.... So i chip again and the ball tracks for the hole, hits the flag dead center and spins out 6 inches from the cup. Another easy putt for a bogey.

9 - par 5, dog leg right. I push slice my driver again into trees on the right. I'm 49 yards off the tee and under some small pines. I hit a low 5i up barely past the corner. This is where I'd hit my 4w but that club has been dodgey. So I go with my 5i and hit a fade that gets me into the middle of the fairway. I'm 170 out and it's a back flag. I go with my 5i again since I have no faith in my 4i, 3h, or 4w. I clip it thin and it only goes about 90 yards. So now i'm about 80 from the back of the green and i hit my SW long. I'm thinking this is gonna be a snowman. I'm in the rough behind the green and chip the ball to 1 foot. So i have the easy putt for my double bogey.

So a 49. Just so happens a 49 is even par for me.

Good things. My putting. 14 putts... The 17 foot putt on #4 was key. I'm starting to make these long ones once in awhile.

Overall my irons and tee shots were alot better then yesterday. My driver got me in major trouble on two holes but was decent otherwise.

My chipping still sucks. Every once in a while I do get a good chip but it's too rare still. I have no feel. I need some of my putting mojo to enter my chipping game, lol.

[SwingBlues]

wow bortass, you're still at it! keep it up and take those lessons, one step at a time and keep going

[HitEmTrue]

[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1304302757' post='3200869']
I got out for 9 tonight. The course is par 71, so I need to bogey every hole to crack 90. I'm not sure if looking at things this way will help me out or not.[/quote]

I don't think so...to play upper 80's you'll need some pars. That needs to be your goal on every hole you have the ability to reach in regulation.

[bortass]

[quote name='SwingBlues' timestamp='1304376930' post='3203188']
wow bortass, you're still at it! keep it up and take those lessons, one step at a time and keep going
[/quote]


I am. Lol. It's come a long way in the last few years and I'm getting closer.

[bortass]

[quote name='HitEmTrue' timestamp='1304436265' post='3204618']
[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1304302757' post='3200869']
I got out for 9 tonight. The course is par 71, so I need to bogey every hole to crack 90. I'm not sure if looking at things this way will help me out or not.[/quote]

I don't think so...to play upper 80's you'll need some pars. That needs to be your goal on every hole you have the ability to reach in regulation.
[/quote]

I agree. The bogey pace is just an easy way for me understand what I need to do worst case scenario and still shoot an 89. I'm playing to par every hole. I understand that the par 3s and shorter par 4s are where I can pick up the the best chance to pick up a par. There's 1 par 5 that I sometimes birdie, but I've been playing poorly on that hole this year.

The longer par 4s I'm unlikely to par since I can't hit them in 2. What I try to do on them is all based off my tee shot. I'll use my 4w to try to get close to the green if the ball is in a flat spot w/o some abnormal conditions. I know my 4W may not reach the green but it'll get me closer then any other club in my bag. A mishit 4W will get me in range for an iron shot unless I really mishit it badly and it goes only a few yards. A decent shot will get me inside pitching range.

I will use a 5i punch on the longer holes if my tee shot is someplace dodgey. Again, I'm trying to get the ball as close to the hole as I can and I mishit punches less then full shots.

Some guys would say layup to a known yardage. My 'issue' with that is I'm conceeding par and settling for bogey. I don't hit a full wedge good enough to know I'll be on the green and in a place to make my par. The closer I am to the hole, the more likely i'll get the next shot closer to the hole then i would from further out.

I played 9 Monday night with a guy I know that's about an 8. I started off rough. I had a good drive on a par 5. I then mishit my 4w. I'm still way to far out and while normally it'd be another 4w, I go with my 5i. I figure I'm in a wet spot, I just mishit my 4w and haven't been hitting it well lately. So the 5i is a safer play. I hit a beaver pelt. I go to replace my divot and I see my foot prints from where I was at address and I'd sunk over 1/4 inch into the ground because it was so wet. I never adjusted my grip on the club to account for the fact I had sunk in...

After that I settled down and picked up 4 bogeys, including a long par 4 where i hit a good drive and then a decent 4w. A partial LW on the green and 2 putts. Then things got erratic for me and I had some major blowups. The weakening of my grip is playing hell with some of my tee shots. I'm slicing them into the great unknown because I don't always square up the clubface. BTW my pro doesn't want me going back to my old grip. So I've gotta work through this grip change.

We get to 17 and I hit a low fade into the fairway. I'm about 150 out and long is bad. I go with my 5i, which is my stock 150 club and I somehow pull it way left of the green. I'm 30 yards or so from the hole and I chip it inside 8 feet and just miss the par putt.

My partner who has watched me hack around the course this round and I played with him for 18 on another course a few weeks ago, makes a comment on my shortgame as i'm walking to the green on 17 after my chip/pitch. ' You know you have a pretty good short game. Your shortgame is about what I'd expect to see from a 16 - 18 HCP.' He know's I'm a 28. We talked a bit the next day and he mentions that he wouldn't be surprised if I have a breakthrough with my swing sometime soon and go from high 90s to high 80s.

It was nice to get a vote of confidence. Also maybe my short game isn't as bad as I thought. I know there is room to improve but maybe it's not the weakest link, which is how I feel sometimes.

I'm gonna keep working at things and hope to start posting some good news sometime soon. I know I can shot lower then I have been lately. It'll be interesting to see what happens once i get this grip change under my belt.

[HitEmTrue]

[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1304519360' post='3207281']
[quote name='HitEmTrue' timestamp='1304436265' post='3204618']
[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1304302757' post='3200869']
I got out for 9 tonight. The course is par 71, so I need to bogey every hole to crack 90. I'm not sure if looking at things this way will help me out or not.[/quote]

I don't think so...to play upper 80's you'll need some pars. That needs to be your goal on every hole you have the ability to reach in regulation.
[/quote]

I agree. The bogey pace is just an easy way for me understand what I need to do worst case scenario and still shoot an 89.[/quote]

My point is that you don't have to single bogey every hole...a bogey is not your worst case scenario. Playing at that level will involve a few pars. Those pars will offset a double bogey or more and still shoot 89.

[sshadow2]

Hey Bortass,

It's great to see you still making progress and posting your results. Your thread is a highlight for me here. Keep it up. I'm looking forward to hearing about several rounds in the 80s from you.

One question though: Do you still find yourself tense over the ball? A 150yd 5i seems quite short.

[bortass]

[quote name='HitEmTrue' timestamp='1304522713' post='3207396']
[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1304519360' post='3207281']
[quote name='HitEmTrue' timestamp='1304436265' post='3204618']
[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1304302757' post='3200869']
I got out for 9 tonight. The course is par 71, so I need to bogey every hole to crack 90. I'm not sure if looking at things this way will help me out or not.[/quote]

I don't think so...to play upper 80's you'll need some pars. That needs to be your goal on every hole you have the ability to reach in regulation.
[/quote]

I agree. The bogey pace is just an easy way for me understand what I need to do worst case scenario and still shoot an 89.[/quote]

My point is that you don't have to single bogey every hole...a bogey is not your worst case scenario. Playing at that level will involve a few pars. Those pars will offset a double bogey or more and still shoot 89.
[/quote]

I'm pretty sure I know what you mean but I didn't explain what I meant well enough, I do this at work sometimes too. I left out the part that when I said pace I meant average at the end of the round. I can play +18 and shoot 89. That's a bogey golf at the end of the day. I'm hoping there are some pars in there and no doubles though

[bortass]

[quote name='sshadow2' timestamp='1304526301' post='3207537']
Hey Bortass,

It's great to see you still making progress and posting your results. Your thread is a highlight for me here. Keep it up. I'm looking forward to hearing about several rounds in the 80s from you.

One question though: Do you still find yourself tense over the ball? A 150yd 5i seems quite short.
[/quote]

I think a 150 5i is short. The club fitting I went to in february showed my 6i SS in the low 70s. My driver was 76 MPH. I don't generate much clubhead speed but my swing is still armsey. i don't use my lower body at all.

Tenseness varies. I'm starting to move in the direction of hitting vs swinging. I already have hitter tendencies and that includes the tenseness part. A swinger will have the nice relaxed arms and wrists and I struggle with that. The pro and I are focusing on making sure my low point stays in front and that I can control where the ball goes ie i can keep it in play and not spray it way left or right. After that I'm hoping we start to figure out how to generate more clubhead speed through my pivot etc.

[dgrove12]

Hey Bort. First time posting in your thread. I too share your obsession with breaking 90. I've been dancing around 91-93 the past three rounds. For me, it's boiling down to a few REALLY bad holes. I'm getting some pars mixed in, mostly bogies... but I'll have 2 or 3 monstrous holes where I'll 4 putt or get in deep trouble off the tee. It's been frustrating because I know that it's only a stroke here or there and I will be under 90. So... I share your frustration my friend. Be strong, hang in there and soon enough we'll both be in the 80's... and there will be a time when we won't understand why it was so hard to break 90.

[bortass]

[quote name='dgrove12' timestamp='1304533130' post='3207877']
Hey Bort. First time posting in your thread. I too share your obsession with breaking 90. I've been dancing around 91-93 the past three rounds. For me, it's boiling down to a few REALLY bad holes. I'm getting some pars mixed in, mostly bogies... but I'll have 2 or 3 monstrous holes where I'll 4 putt or get in deep trouble off the tee. It's been frustrating because I know that it's only a stroke here or there and I will be under 90. So... I share your frustration my friend. Be strong, hang in there and soon enough we'll both be in the 80's... and there will be a time when we won't understand why it was so hard to break 90.
[/quote]

I'm starting to come to the same realization about the blowups. I'm playing bogey golf for most holes and then I blow up. I do need to start eeking out more pars though. We will get there though.

I played a quick 9. It was raining when I started and it stopped before I ended the round but everything was wet and I wore my rain gloves the entire round. I normally play w/o a glove.

1- par 4, I'm thinking about my alignment, how I shift my weight, and my right arm a bit before I tee off. I get up there and hit a slice 194 yards over the pine trees on the right. My ball lands in an open area between the pines on the right of #1 and the left of #5. I've played from that spot a few times over the years. I'm 130 out and far enough away from the trees between me and the green to go for it. I pull my 7i and hit a decent draw that clips the outside edge of a pine tree branch near the top. My ball lands just short of the front of the green but it's in the middle of the fairway. I look things over and my chip rolls 9 feet past the hole. I have a downhill putt w/o alot of break. The greens are wet and I hit my putt. It's tracking for the hole and comes to rest 2 inches short of the cup. So close to nailing my par!

2 - par 4, I hit a fade into the right rough 180 yards off the tee. I'm 148 out. The green is 10 yards above me and it's raining. I go with my 5i, my 150 club, knowing that I'm likely to be short. I make good contact and hit a low draw just short of the green. I'm on the slope fronting the green. I chip the ball and it squirts out at 45* and rolls along the right side of the green and into the fringe. There's something about chipping from a slope that makes me chip the ball way off target like that. I've done it a few times on #5. So I chip again and get it to 2 feet and sink my bogey putt.

3 - par 4, I hit a big slice into the right rough between 2 and 3, 143 yards. I'm 200 yards out and have a stream carry. I take my 6i and hit a punch to the top of the hill that leads down to the stream. I'm 104 from center and I have a slight breeze behind me. Long is bad so I grab my GW, which is my 90 yard club, I make good contact and I hit a high draw into the middle of the green. I GPS it and it's a 110 yard shot.... So I made the right decision. I have a 38 foot putt for par. I hit the ball and it tracks for the hole and dies 4 feet short. I sink my bogey putt.

4 - par 3, stream carry. The tees are back and it's about 156. I'm elevated but the breeze on 3 is now in my face. I go with 5i and hit a high draw that lands on the left side of the green and rolls into the left fringe. The 5i shot went 151. I chip to 4 feet and sink the par putt.

5 - par 4, I aim way left and hit a slice into the middle of the fairway, 147 off the tee. I go with my 4w and hit it nice into the left rough. Right where i was aimed. I'm 70 yards out and go with my SW. I fubar the shot, short and right of the green. Probably 20 yards from center. I chip to 12 feet and 2 putt for a double, Darn.

6 - par 3 playing 136. I go wityh my 6i aka the 140 club. I hit a pull draw and miss long and left 151 yards... I blade my chip through the green into a bunker. I hit my bunker shot out and 12 feet past the hole. I don't read the break right and my ball stops hole high 2 feet on the high side. So another dbl bogey.

7 - par 4, I hit a solid push 192 yards into the right trees. I have an agle to advance the ball. So I hit a little 5i punch. I just want the ball to get a few feet off the ground and then run. I'm thinking i may kill myself if I hit a tree and end up cutting across the ball and it squirts out to the left into the fairway. So I'm 119 out and my 8i is short and left. I hit my LW to 18 feet and 2 putt for a 6.

8 - par 4, I hit a big slice into the trees on the right...110 yards. I try the 5i punch again and hit a little pop up a few yards, it hits a tree and kicks back. I try again and the ball hits a root, bounces up and hits a branch and fall just through the trees. 3 shots and I'm not quite where I should be in 1. I pull my 4w and hit a shot low and left. I wasn't reaching this green regardless. I have about 85 yards and hit my SW long. I'm in the fringe a few inches off the green and I chip to 1 foot. So i get a 7.

9 - par 5 dogleg right. I've had it with my driver. I can't afford to lose the ball to the right. So I use my 4w and hit a nice draw 170 down the lefty side. This makes the hole play longer but it's my best tee shot of the day. I'm 300 out and on the back of the hill. I decide to hit my 5i. I normally hit a punch from this spot but go with a fulls wing that is mishit. I clear the hill and am now 200 out. I hit my 4w and it's low butr fairly straight. I'm now about 50 yards from the pin. I grab my SW and bring the club parralel with the ground on my backswing. I make good contact and launch the ball over the green. I GPS it and I hit my 80 yard club 77 yards with not much of a swing. I didn't skull it either. So i'm in the wet rough and the ball is sitting down a bit. I chip the ball on and 6 feet from the cup. I sink the bogey putt.

So another 14 putt round with a 48. I guess I need to quit playing when the sun is out because I seem to do better in the wind and rain...

My driver is going in the bag I think. I can't hit it ever since the grip change happened and it goes right. My 4w went straight, so i will start using the 4w off the tee unless i think a slice won't kill me. SO I may be able to use driver on 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, and 11. maybe lol

[sshadow2]

[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1304550691' post='3208520']
[quote name='dgrove12' timestamp='1304533130' post='3207877']
Hey Bort. First time posting in your thread. I too share your obsession with breaking 90. I've been dancing around 91-93 the past three rounds. For me, it's boiling down to a few REALLY bad holes. I'm getting some pars mixed in, mostly bogies... but I'll have 2 or 3 monstrous holes where I'll 4 putt or get in deep trouble off the tee. It's been frustrating because I know that it's only a stroke here or there and I will be under 90. So... I share your frustration my friend. Be strong, hang in there and soon enough we'll both be in the 80's... and there will be a time when we won't understand why it was so hard to break 90.
[/quote]

I'm starting to come to the same realization about the blowups. I'm playing bogey golf for most holes and then I blow up. I do need to start eeking out more pars though. We will get there though.
[/quote]

I usually struggle with 2 disaster holes (par 5s) per round. Every round! I usually have to put a 9 or 11 on my card for it. That's 4 - 12 strokes I could be saving per round. I'd be in the 80s if not for them, but because they happen EVERY time, I haven't broken 90 either.

I always try to kill with my driver on holes like these, but the truth is, I can get to the green on most straight par 5s with 3 attempts from my 150 yd club (my primary course is under 6200 yds from the Whites). The yardage most casual players feel utmost confident in. I'm going to try this strategy the next time I go out and make these 2 holes my "Must make Par" holes.

[dgrove12]

[quote]I always try to kill with my driver on holes like these, but the truth is, I can get to the green on most straight par 5s with 3 attempts from my 150 yd club (my primary course is under 6200 yds from the Whites). The yardage most casual players feel utmost confident in. I'm going to try this strategy the next time I go out and make these 2 holes my "Must make Par" holes.[/quote]

I started doing this the past 3 rounds. My 3w and 3i off the deck are BY FAR my weakest clubs. I just have zero confidence in them. But for some reason I can hit long irons decently. I figure I'm rarely gonna get to green in 2 strokes on the par 5s anyway. Why not hit an iron? My 3rd shot would be a little longer, but I'm pretty confident from 160 and in. It has helped tremendously. I need to get rid of errant tee shots and make some more putts and I'll get 90.

[bortass]

[quote name='sshadow2' timestamp='1304612558' post='3210194']
[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1304550691' post='3208520']
[quote name='dgrove12' timestamp='1304533130' post='3207877']
Hey Bort. First time posting in your thread. I too share your obsession with breaking 90. I've been dancing around 91-93 the past three rounds. For me, it's boiling down to a few REALLY bad holes. I'm getting some pars mixed in, mostly bogies... but I'll have 2 or 3 monstrous holes where I'll 4 putt or get in deep trouble off the tee. It's been frustrating because I know that it's only a stroke here or there and I will be under 90. So... I share your frustration my friend. Be strong, hang in there and soon enough we'll both be in the 80's... and there will be a time when we won't understand why it was so hard to break 90.
[/quote]

I'm starting to come to the same realization about the blowups. I'm playing bogey golf for most holes and then I blow up. I do need to start eeking out more pars though. We will get there though.
[/quote]

I usually struggle with 2 disaster holes (par 5s) per round. Every round! I usually have to put a 9 or 11 on my card for it. That's 4 - 12 strokes I could be saving per round. I'd be in the 80s if not for them, but because they happen EVERY time, I haven't broken 90 either.

I always try to kill with my driver on holes like these, but the truth is, I can get to the green on most straight par 5s with 3 attempts from my 150 yd club (my primary course is under 6200 yds from the Whites). The yardage most casual players feel utmost confident in. I'm going to try this strategy the next time I go out and make these 2 holes my "Must make Par" holes.
[/quote]


That's not a bad strategy. Some of the par 4s, 3 to exact, at my course are either 400 yards or are 380ish and play longer. I have to play those as par 5s. A solid driver for me will get me 200 yards off the tee and then I have no club that can reach the green. So my second shot will depend on the hole and conditions. If it's green light, I will take a whack with the 4w to try and get as close as i can. If it is dodgey, I'll try to punch a 5i and hope to have a 70 yard shot or so. One par 5 plays 560 yards. So I follow the same strategy because realistically, i'm trying to get inside 100 in 3. It would take a decent tee shot and either 2 perfect 5i or 2 decent 4w to get a GIR.

I played 9 tonight with a couple regulars. They have played with me in scrambles and that's it. One guys knows my HCP and the other didn't. We were talking about scrambles and I mentioned how I get alot of strokes depending on the format as we were heading down #7. The guy that doesn't know my HCP was like 'what do you mean you get alot of strokes?' The other guy replies 'He's a 28', as I hit a high PW draw over the back of the green. "How many 28s do you see hitting that shot?" was what he said next.

So my scores may not reflect it but it not as obvious that I'm a 28 based on some of the shots I hit.

I started out with my driver on #1 and skipped it into the ball and it was a low baby draw into the fairway. On #2 I hit my driver and it's a massive slice into #3 which we never find.... My driver stayed in the bag after that. On #3 I hit my 4w and it's a nice draw 190 down the middle. O hit a low fade on #5, a push into the right trees on 7, a low draw on 8 into the fairway, and a big slice on 9.

I think I'll stay with the 4w. The shot on #3 was about the same as a good driver for me. My other distances were in the ballpark as well. I feel like i have a bit better control with the 4w. Not perfect as the #9 tee shot proved but better.

So #3, I'm 190 off the tee. 160 from center and I hit my 5i short of the green. I have a good 20 yard chip that I get 18 inches from the cup. I had some other good chips but my putting was off. I had 17 putts with 2 3 putts.

I pulled my 6i long and left again on the par 3 6th.

I think I only mishit badly 4 iron shots. 2 were on #2 as I was dealing with long wet rough. I messed up a 5i from the fairway on #8 and I hit a 5i low and left on #1.

I hit two irons long on my approaches. So I'm gonna start having to see how things trend. I'm normally short but I'm getting closer to the greens and am long sometimes. My funny shot was on #2. I'm 118 out and hit my 8i. There is a thin nylon rope 4 feet in front of me about 3 feet off the ground that's marking off a soggy area. I hit the ball nicely and it clicps the rope, and starts to fade and lands to the right of the green. I would have hit the green I believe except i somehow hit a thin rope with my ball. lol.

[bortass]

Played in a scramble today. I was the D player as expected. One of the things with a scramble is I have to play a slightly different game then normal. I find I use a wood alot more for my approaches. There were a few shots today where I'd probably be content to hit a 5i to setup a third shot. Not much point doing that in a scramble as best I can tell.

I think I did my part to help the team. I always hit and putted first. I sunk 3 of our 6 birdie putts and they were between 9 and 21 feet. Not tapins. I hit a couple 5i shots 10 yards longer then expected and over the green. That was interesting. I put a ball 8 feet past the flag from the rough 60 yards out. I also had a few good tee shots. We needed to use two of mine and there were a hole or two where we could have used mine if forced to w/o a big issue. I used a mix of 4w and driver off the tee and had clunkers and good shots with both.

Afterwards the pro and I worked on some stuff. namely I'm not releasing and then he gave me a new drill. Take an iron, setup and then move your right foot back and on your toe. SO all you weight is on youre left leg and then swing. The goal is to not lose your balance. I stopped hitting the ball fat as long as I didn't fall to my right. So I have a new drill to work on.

The last thing is the guys on my team gave me some compliments on some shots and my putting. I know it's only words but it's nice to hear that some people are seeing some of my potential even though i can't get it all together at once. I'm headed in the right direction and expect to post so lower numbers.

[pappaf2]

Good work bort, glad too hear you're making progress. The drill with the right foot back and on the toe is something I think Sean Foley did on his 12 nights at the acadamy. Did you feel like you had any trouble keeping your balance at the beginning of the drill?

[bortass]

Good work bort, glad too hear you're making progress. The drill with the right foot back and on the toe is something I think Sean Foley did on his 12 nights at the acadamy. Did you feel like you had any trouble keeping your balance at the beginning of the drill?

 

Yes. it got better but still I can only do a pitch shot. Even then I lose my balance at times. The pro was doing the drill and he can do a most of a swing into a full followthrough. My followthrough is to get my arms parralel with the ground.

 

The other thing I'm to work on while doing that drill is making sure i get my right arm straight during my followtrhough. I tend to 'chickenwing' it and not extend. So that is also a reason i hold off my release.

[bortass]

I'm still working this drill with mixed results. I can still hit it fat or thin. The biggest thing I noticed is my swing gets armsy sometimes with this drill.

I played 9 yesterday and it was an up and down day. I used my 4w to tee off with.It worked pretty good. I went draw into fairway; fade into right rough a few feet off FW; dubbed left; Push into the left trees; draw intio fairway; fade into fairway; fade into fairway. My distances were comparable to my driver and there were no big slices.

I mishit some 5i punches and 4w from the fairway. However I was playing the back 9 and hole 11 is over 400 yards. My tee shot was a fade into the right rough. i'm 240 ish out and go with my 5i and just want to punch it 120+ yards down the FW. I dub the shot and end up in the fairway and a bit over 200 yards out. There's a breeze to my back and i wait for the green to clear even though I'll be short of the green with a good shot. I hit a solid shot that looked real good and it lands on the green and rolls into the back fringe. 211 yards off the deck..... I average closer to 170 on a solid strike off the deck. That 211 is also longer then any of my tee shots with this club.

irons - I pull my approach long left on #10 my first hole. I hit the green on 12, 13, 14, 18. I was long on 10 and 11, short and right on 15, pulled left and short on 16, short on 17. #13 is a par three. It was about 144 to center and 136 to the front. The wind is behind me and the flag is on the right of the green. I go with my 7i, which is my 130 club and hope the wind will carry the ball there. I hit the ball and it sounded different. Not sure what it was, it didn't sound thin, fat, and it didn't click the way it does when i compress it. It's a draw tracking down the right side and i'm thinking i'm short. The ball lands on the front fringe and releases and stops right behind the flag 4 feet away. I get my first birdie of the year.

Putting was terrible. I've been doing real well but i had a 3 and 4 putt when I end up on the green on the wrong side and the pin is on the other. So I have to putt the entire green and the back has more sloped greens.

So hopefully I can start building on these good swings. That 4w from the deck that went over the green would really change things if i can start poking the ball out there 180+ off the deck. It gives me a shot at either hitting or getting real close to the greens on the longer par 4s and it will help on the par 5s too.

[bortass]

I'm still working on the 1 foot drill. My left ankle is sore and I also felt it in my left shin and hip flexors. I'm not used to having all my weight left, so the muscles in that leg are taking a beating.

I added something new yesterday though. I've strengthened my left hand a touch. Nothing major. I also added some new stuff to my range practice. I started to take my grip and waggle the club back and forth to feel my arms getting loose and relaxed. I'd then take a full swing with that feeling. After a bit I added a practice swing where I'd make the club woosh.

The woosh led to some interesting observations. First, I took the club back nice and easy and then accelerated my hips to get the extra speed instead of trying to make my arms move faster. I didn't feel that quick jerk back at the start of the swing and then the rough transition that I normally do. Second, I found i was getting into a full finish with all my weight on my left leg and I was balanced. I rarely take the classic golf trophie finish. My right foot is normally part way off the ground but now I'm getting my right foot on the toe. Third, I don't hit the ball fat. Thisn sometimes, but I'm not laying sod over it.

Today at the range I did the same things but added in punch shots again. I use them to recover alot and need to be able to hit them. I was doing good for awhile but lost that shot. I also took my 8i and hit to a flag that was 60 yards away. At first I was hitting normal chips that would fly low and roll the rest of the way. Then I started to open the clubface and my stance and I carried the ball most of the way to the flag and it only rolled out a few yards. I'm thinking of doing this with other clubs in my bag. Try to build some touch etc.

I went out for 9 on the front. Some people were in front of me, so i headed to the 10th tee since no one was making the turn. I get there and I see two carts parked at the base of the hill that has the tees. Based on their location, someone hit a tee shot maybe 50 yards. I watch some guy go through a preshot routine that took a good 2 minutes before he actually swung at the ball. So i decided to head back to the front and just play that. The two guys in a cart that were in front of me were on #2 before i teed off.

1 - par 4. I decide what the hell and use my driver. I take my modified grip, the loose arm waggle, and the woosh practice swing. I address the ball and hit a nice draw down the left side 214 yards in the fairway. I'm about 90 out and hit my SW pin high butin the fringe 6 feet to the right of the green. I had the distance but not the aim. I chip with my SW and the ball rolls over the hole and 12 feet past.... I line up the putt and sink it for par. Now this is more like it.

2 - par 4, I go with driver and the same routine. i hit a real fade that started left and curved right to target, 189 yards into the fairway. I'm 143 out, uphill green and into the wind. i figure it's playing closer to 165, so I go with the 7w that just went back in my bag to replace my 4i. I dub it but get it within 50 yards of the hole. I hit a nice high pitch with my SW that lands a foot or two short, so instead of releasing on the green, it releases along the raised face of the green. I chip to 4 feet though. I have a fairly easy putt. I line it up and it's slightly down hill, so i just tap the ball and it misses low and rolls 3 feet past the hole. I then miss the comeback putt high. So a 3 putt 7 from 4 feet....Bite me.

3 - par 4, I do the new routine and hit driver. It's a fade that goes further right then i wanted 210 yards into the right rough. I have a good lie and i'm 160 from center. The green is below me and the wind is to my back. I go with my 150 clug aka my 5i. I do my new t\routine and i hit a high draw right along my line to the flag(blind shot BTW, i'm basing this on the trees behind the green) and i'm thinkinging crap, I just sailed the green Sure enough I'm on the backside of the cart patrh, my 150 5i actually went 177 yards..... The green is above me and i can't see the hole. I chip with my SW, it lands in the fringe and releases and almost goes in the cup. I had caught up to the two guys, soi they actually saw my ball hit the hole and spin out. I have a 1 foot putt and get my par.

4 - par 3 into the wind 167 yards to center. I go with my 5i. i do the routine and i hit it thin and it's a line drive into the far bank of the stream. Crap. I drop and i'm about 70 yards out. I take my GW and hit a pitch on the green and 12 feet left of the hole. The guys let me putt out and play through them. So I line it up and my ball catches the low side of the hole and ends up 1 foot behind it. So a 2 putt double bogey thanks to the water ball.

5 - par 5, into the wind and this hole plays long regardless. I hit a high fade into the right rough 200 yards. I'm about 167 or so out but being into the wind and the rough, I take my 5i and just want to advance the ball into the fairway. I do my routine but hit it thin again but I'm in the fairway and 58 yards out. I pitch my SW and it's thin and through the green. My ball is sitting down in the rough. I chip with my SW but it's too hard and I end up 27 feet past the hole. gotta love chiping downslope... I lag my putt to 2 feet and lip out for another 3 putt 7.....

6 - par 3, forward flag and 130 to center. The wind is more right to left and i hit my 8i. it's a high draw that lands in the front fringe and doesn't release. I think another couple of feet and it releases onto the green and rolls towards the hole. I'm 2 feet short of the green and chip with my LW. The ball rolls right over the hole, missing the flag on the low side and stops 6 feet past. I line up the putt and watch it catch the low side and spin in for a par.

7 - par 4, dogleg right with the tees on the right. I'm in the right trees alot here... I stay with driver and tee it up on the right side of the box and aim left. I hit a real high shot and i'm thinking crap, it's going into the left trees, but it fades right near the end. 226 yards off the tee and in the left fairway! I'm 154 from center and slightly above the green with a tail wind. I decide to put my 5i away and use my 6i aka the 140 club. i do the new preshot routine and swing. The ball comes out clean and it's a high draw that lands on the green and releases off the back, 165 yard shot.... I chip with my LW and have the speed but don't aim far enough left, so I'm even with the hole and 1 foot to the right of it. So another par.

8 - par 4, into the wind. I hit a low draw, clearing the crest of the hill in the air but not by much. 189 in the fairway again. I'm 179 out and hit my 4w. It's a slice that hits a tree on the right and I don't see where it goes. I find it over on the 7th FW... I can't go over or through these trees. So I hit up to the right of the 7th tee boxes since it's more open up there. I pitch into the green and it lands in the back of a bunker and kicks onto the green. Another foot and I'd have been in better shape. I'm 36 feet away and misread the break. Turns out it's a pretty straight putt and I go 6 feet past the hole. I sink the next for my dbl bogey. I know better then to hit a wood to approach this green. It gets narrow with trees right and OB left. Too bad i had to remind myself the hard way.

9 - par 5 dogleg right. I goi with driver again and it's a low draw 156 yards into the fairway. Gotta love driving the ball into the face of a hill. I leave the 4w in the bag since the ball is below my feet and hit my 5i into the middle of the fairway. i'm 154 from center but it's a forward flag in to the wind. I decide on my 6i and I'm thin and left and short. I hit a nice chip but it releases through the green. So I have to chip again and i get this one 2 feet from the cup and come away with a bogey.

So a 46, my best 9 of the year with 2 7s and dbls on a par 3 and 4.

I have 15 putts with 2 3 putts...

This new routine seems to have made my driver playable again and is helping my irons. I estimate that I could have shot a 41 if I don't drop 2 shots putting on #2, 1 penalty shot for the stream on #4, 1 shot by missing a 2 footer on #5, and 1 shot because I hit my approach on #8 into #7 somehow and in a spot where i was dead and needed to take 1 shot to even have a chance to go towards the green.

All in all I'm pretty happy. I had some mishits but no tops and realistically most of the mishits were very playable. Only two cost me strokes IMO.

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[BluExile]

First time reading this thread and it's interesting because I just recently broke 90 myself. I think our games are similar except I drive the ball a lot better and you seem to be a better putter. My swing speed is around 95 so I have a little more distance than you. I almost never put myself in a bad spot after a tee shot, but my approach game and fairway to green game needs a lot of work. I don't make near as many greens in regulation as I should with my tee shots. My chipping is also terrible. My short game costs me at least 10 strokes a round. I 3 putt four birdie putts my last round and none of them were difficult putts at all. I also had my biggest blowup hole in forever. (a 10 on a par 4) . I still shot a 97 though, so there was some good in that round still.

The thing I have noticed when checking through my scorecards is that I don't have near as many blowup holes. I'll go rounds without even getting a triple bogey now. I also par and birdie more holes now too. Instead of thinking bogey, i'm thinking birdie. I'm trying to take advantage of the easy holes and then do as best I can on the tough ones. I still want to birdie the tough holes, and I'm trying to attack the course but be smart also. My mental game has changed so much from just a few weeks ago. I used to have the same thought process as you and thinking I just needed to play bogey golf to shot a 90. (get 1 lucky par to get an 89) . Once I finally broke 89 and it came from ending with back to back birdies, I just realized I had so much more potential than to just be a 90s golfer. Now I want to break 80!

Good luck on your quest. I will follow this thread.