Journey to Break 90

[Rohlio]

[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1305146338' post='3225673']


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...

[/quote]


The 46 is nice especially when it wasn't "Your best stuff." In order to improve your score you need to be able to shoot around your target score without having to play perfectly. Nobody can play their best golf for 18 holes except maybe once every few years. In order for me to break par for the first time I had to have several months of shooting between 73-76 while still having a couple of doubles or a triple on the card, or a bogey train run of 3-4 holes. Once I realized how close I was even with making some silly mistakes I realized there was no doubt that I had the game necessary to do it. This helped me to really believe it. Then when the 70 happened I rattled off 5 of my next 11 under par.

The fact you were on a pace for a 92 with 7's and a couple of doubles should be encouraging. All you need to do is turn one of those per side into a bogey and you are on a 90.

In the words of Bart Scott. "Can't Wait!"

[bortass]

[quote name='Rohlio' timestamp='1305216242' post='3227910']
[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1305146338' post='3225673']
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...

[/quote]


The 46 is nice especially when it wasn't "Your best stuff." In order to improve your score you need to be able to shoot around your target score without having to play perfectly. Nobody can play their best golf for 18 holes except maybe once every few years. In order for me to break par for the first time I had to have several months of shooting between 73-76 while still having a couple of doubles or a triple on the card, or a bogey train run of 3-4 holes. Once I realized how close I was even with making some silly mistakes I realized there was no doubt that I had the game necessary to do it. This helped me to really believe it. Then when the 70 happened I rattled off 5 of my next 11 under par.

The fact you were on a pace for a 92 with 7's and a couple of doubles should be encouraging. All you need to do is turn one of those per side into a bogey and you are on a 90.

In the words of Bart Scott. "Can't Wait!"
[/quote]

I'm pretty sure that's what happened when I finally broke 100.

What I liked most about that round is it felt like right after I broke 100. It was relaxed and I was just swinging the club. No swing thoughts or pressure.

I've played a few 9 hole rounds since and they weren't as pretty. One round I was rushing things by trying to fit the round into a tight window. I had a terrible day chipping. I was long on some hole that left me dicey chips from the rough on downslopes to a green sloping away from me. My other round was a bit better. I blew up on a par 3 by hitting my tee shot into the stream, pitching my ball over the green, chipping to 12 feet and two putting, for a 6. However I had alot of dbl bogeys. I set myself up with some nice approaches and missed the putt.

I sank a long par putt and my longer putts are getting within a foot of the hole. I seem to have forgotten how to sink 4 footers though. I had one inside 4 feet for bogey and missed... Kinda strange but I feel better with a 6+ foot putt then one in the 3 - 4 foot range.

Anyhow I took a few days off from my range work and that probably didn't help any. I started back up yesterday and worked on my drills. I'm also started to do more stuff to be creative. For example hitting a 9i to a flag 60 yards out by hitting a cut shot. I even hit some flop shots with my 9i to see what the ball flight would look like. Other stuff was trying to hit the ball low and have it curve past the flag on the right and then come back to the left. Basically hitting a low draw around a pretend tree. I also mixed in my 5i but I didn't try any flops with that one, lol.

I'm hoping that adding in some of the more creative stuff will help with burn out/boredom and also help me develop some feel/touch on the course. Stuff for when I'm in the woods or need to keep my shot low to go under the overhanging tree branches.

The last thing I did earlier today was to hit all my irons 4 - PW off a lie board. My lie angles were good on all of them except my 7, 9, and PW. Two of them need to be bent +1 upright and the other needs to be bent +2 upright from their current spots. So my swing is definately not flattening out any, lol.

[bortass]

Last night was league night. It's a pretty simple format. Everyone has a quota based on their 9 hole HCP with a min of 4 points. You get 1 for bogey, 2 par, 4, birdie, 6 eagle, and 8 for an ace. My quota was 4 and I ended up with 7 points. I opened up with a par on #1 and was able to get another 5 bogeys. This is the first time I got more then my quota. Last year, I'd get my 4 pts and that's it. I also took second place, so I now have some shop credits to my name. First place ended up @ +4 and I was +3.

The quota adjusts on how you do as well, so next week my quota is 5. I can hit +3 if i can get 4 pars

You can probably tell I had a decent round last night. The funny thing is my putting let me down. I chipped a number of balls inside 4 feet and couldn't convert the putts. It has been raining, so the greens were a bit slower then normal. I never took it into account. I was missing putts by the smallest margins. I had at least 2 par putts inside 4 feet and I missed. A good lesson I think. My putts probably would have dropped if the greens were dry.

I shot a 47 though, so I'm happy. My ball striking was decent. I had a few mishits but they were the kind that don't kill you. The ball travelled a reasonable distance and stayed in the fairway. My driver was decent as well. I also hit some approaches long. This is starting to be a small trend. I don't do it every hole but if I make solid contact, I'm over the back.

I've noticed a mental change for me. Par is not a biggie anymore. I don't get nervous over a par putt. Last year before breaking 100, I'd get a little nervous/excited when i had a par putt. Not now. Birdie putts though, I have that feeling. I think this is gonna help my efforts. If I feel like a par is not big deal, then I won't get too excited with a good round. Well, not as excited may be a better way to look at it.

Cheers

[bortass]

I've been sick since 5/16. Luckily the weather was bad, so I didn't really miss any golf. I started to feel better on Saturday and played 9 holes on Sunday. I was winded walking the course thanks to the cold. So it wasn't a great round. The big thing is my putting is MIA. Whatever mojo I had going a few weeks ago is gone....

Last night was league night. We played the back which is 3300 yards. It was 50 degrees, misting/light rain and the course was saturated from all the rain over the wqeek with no sun to dry things out.

It was very tough out there. I tied with about 6 other guys for second place with a finale score of +0. Two guys got to +1 and tied for first. That's how tough it was. No one was doing good. luckily I got my 5 points with a par and 3 bogeys.

My driver was decent, shot wise except on #18. I hit a low hook into the woods. My provisional was a nice draw up onto the landing area. My drives cost me some strokes though because I landed in the rough. I was a few feet off the fairway but nothing has been mown in awhile and the grass was soaked. beads of water on the blades. Overall I'm happy with how the driver is working for me. it's nice to have it back.

I posted another topic about playing from the wet rough here. I was hoping to get some advice but none really yet. I had tried to punch a 5i into the fairway and only advanced the ball 40 yards or so. I went to the range today and there was a section of grass that the mowers missed as they were making a turn. So I took a few clubs and hit some balls out of it. I made sure that the balls were sitting down and that I'd catch grass before the ball. What I learnt was that higher lofted clubs work better. My 3h and 5i both sucked. A 9i though and I could advance the ball 70+ yards. I never expect anything great out of these lies, so the 9i results are perfectly fine with me. So I'm happy I took some time today to work on that shot since it cost me alot last night.

I shot a 54 with 2 9s on par 5s and a 7 on a par 4. My only penalty in the mix was the lost ball on #18. I just really struggled with some shots I had to deal with and the weather.

The hole I got my par on was #15 which is a par 3. It was 155 to center and you have to carry a pond. I'd say a good 100 yards to clear it. It's lightly raining and the wind is in our face and 50 degrees out. This hole always gives me fits. I decided to hit my 7w. It was a high overdraw that landed on the front left of the green. I was able to 2 putt from 40 feet out for my par.

I had to hit a flop shot on #13, a par 3. I pulled my 6i short and left of the green. The green is above me and there's a bunker inbetween us. I hit a nice high flop with my LW over the bunker and on the green. I should have used my SW though because the LW left me a long way from the hole. I don't use this shot alot but it's been paying off for me. Phil's shortgame DVDs were well worth it.

My putting blew chunks again. 21 putts... Just dunno what happened. I'll need to spend some time on the practice green if it doesn't turn around.

The good news IMO, is I'm still making some pretty nice shots. Shots that I wasn't making last year. I still feel like cracking 90 is legit even though my last few rounds have been clunkers. I want to blame the conditions for my scores more then my game. Maybe that delusional of me but we'll see.

[bortass]

I had an interesting range session today. I started off with my LW and at first it was bad. I'm hitting it heavy. I work through it and start hitting some nice 'punches'. I need a better term for this and maybe it's a pitch. I bring the club to parralel with the ground and my followthrough is vertical to the ground. I hit the same thing out of the rough etc with longer clubs. I'm hitting the ball with this swing a good 60 - 65 yards in the air. I alwaysfigured my fullswing with this club is about 70 yards and when I did a full swing that seemed about right. i get solid contact with the shorter swing compared to the longer one.

The pro stopped by and watched. He liked how my low point was alot better. he also noted that my balance has improved alot by doing the 1 foot drill and that i'm getting left alot better in my followthrough while maintaining my balance.

He had me grab a 7i and we started playing around with my ball position and hands at address. I play the ball back a bit with a forward press. He had me move the ball forward and my hands back. The ball started to go higher, as expected since i'm not delofting the club so much. We also started to mess with opening the club face. I tend to hit pushes or pull draws as my stock mishits. The push draw has been killing me on a certain hole since I miss long and left on a par 3. I didn't lose much distance with the changes and hit a few nice high draws. I also had the occasional push or pull draw. So it's not 100% but i have something new to work on at least.

Overall my full swing seems to be moving in the right direction, so i'm happy. It was a good range session and that always helps. Hopefully I can get in 9 tommorow I'm feeling positive about things.

[bortass]

Things are not going well.

I am missing left with all my clubs even though I have a weaker grip now. My driver was a slice machine when we first weakened it. Not now. My common drive is now low and left. I've hit a few that start right then curl up and over, diving to the left and into the ground. I don't get it. My irons I'm pull hooking as well. I'm missing by 20+ yards left with almost anything 5i through PW.

I have played 18 the last two days and I'm very consistant with my scores, 100 and 99. I had 34 putts in the round of 100 and 33 in the round of 99. So my putting is a bit off but nothing major. I just can't seemto get things together for any stretch.

Once in awhile i'll hit a good drive. yesterday i hit a baby draw 232 into the wind. I'm 126 out and in the FW so I hit my 8i. The flag is on the right side of the green and I yank my approach 5 yards to the left of the green and settle with a 5. I hit a 9i, my 110 club, 134 yards with a high draw over the back of a green... I was +3 through 4 today. On #5 I push my driver into a pine on the right, 149 off the tee. Good lie and I top my 4w to about 150. I hit my 6i left and short. So I'm near the green in 3 on a par 4 that plays like a par 5. I chip through the green, chip on and 2 putt for a 7...... A few holes later I hit a green with my 4w from 180. Kinda funny how things are in flux. It's not all good and not all bad, lol.

The good news is i don't hit it fat unless I'm in the rough and rarely miss right anymore but the lefts are killing me. Sigh.

I guess the fact I can hover around 100 when I can't seem to hit alot of good shots in a row is ok.

[bortass]

I had a productive range session this morning. I've been talking to the pro about my low and left issue and he was pretty sure it was my swing path. I'm coming too far from the inside. So he gave me a box to put between the ball and myself. Hit the ball w/o hitting the box. I hit about 50 balls this way with a few different clubs.

What a difference. I started to hit the ball alot higher and just as far as expected. It was a mix of draws, fades, with the odd slice and overdraw in the mix. He came to the range and watched me hit some balls and had me try my 5i. The height was amazing. The ball flew like when I was playing with that 3 index for a few holes the other day. It climbs and at the end just drops out of the sky, no where near his distance, just same kind of flight chracteristics. I even heard the ball spin a few times with my 5i.

So I have a new drill to work on. Cool, progress is being made even if it seems slow.

I'm still ending my session by hitting balls to the closest range flag with various clubs. This is all just an attempt to gain some feel and see how the ball behaves. The flag was about 65 yards away today. I tried to hit it low with my 4i and have the ball go the 65 yards and did it once. Most times it went further. I also mixed in high and low shots with my GW, SW, PW, LW, and 9i. I like this tinkering on the range and never really did much of it in the past. I'm sure it will pay some dividends over time.

[bortass]

Got out for 9 after dinner tonight.

 

1 - par 4, I hit a high slice with the driver 200 yards and under a tree, so I have no shot at the green. AT least it didn't go low and left. I chip out and am about 60 yards from center. I pitch with my SW and come up short. I setup to chip and don't like my foot alignment, so I square myself up better. I hit the chip a bit too hard, it lands short of the hole bounces and hits the flag dead center about 2 feet off the ground and the ball falls into the cup for a par...

 

2 - par 4, I hit a high push into the right rough, 171 yards off the tee. I whack it out with a 6i and pull it low and left but it gets me to about 50 yards out. My SW pitch is long. I chip with my LW and the ball stops 4 feet from the cup. I miss my putt and settle for a 6.

 

3 - par 4, I hit a high slice with the driver 198 off the tee. I'm in the rough and close to 200 yards out. It's a blind shot with a stream carry, so I decide to layup. I take my 9i and mishit it. Now I'm in the right rough near the fairway and about 154 from center. My lie is decent and I decide to go for it. I take my 6i and hit another low pull hook. I'm safely across but I'm 10 yards from the left edge of the green and the flag is on the right side. I chip the ball 8 feet short of the cup. I read too much break and roll the ball 3 feet past the cup and get another dbl bogey 6. Bah...

 

4 - par 3 and it's 154 to center with a left front flag. I decide on my 6i and hit a high fade or draw, it didn't curve much so maybe it was straight. Anyhow it goes right over the large pine trees on the right side. So I'm safely across the stream and short and right of the green. Normally i'd have hit those pines because my ball flight is low. The change to not come too far inside is helping. I chip it to 6 feet and sink the par putt. :clapping:

 

5 - long par 4. I hit a high draw with my driver, 195, right into the middle of the fairway. I'm on the edge of the downslope and 180 from center. I have a good lie and go with 4w. Maybe I can hit this in 2! I slice the 4w under the trees on the right. I have about 92 yards to center and need to keep the ball low. I figure a 7i punch/ bump and run will do the trick. i make good contact but pull hook it and miss short and left of the green. I have a tricky chip and get 12 feet from the flag. My putting is off and I miss low, I think, and end up 2 feet past the hole. Another dbl bogey.

 

6 - par 3 and it's 134 to the front. Flag is front left and i go with my 7i and aim for the center of the green. I hit a big pull hook 106 yards and into the pine trees near the 7th tee. because of the angle i have about 40ish yards to go and I'm above the green. I try to hit a low pitch with my SW. I make solid contact and it hit a branch and gets knocked down a little, hits the green and rolls off the back. I'm in the rough and leave my chip 14 feet short. I leave my putt 2 feet short and get another dbl bogey.

 

7 - par 4, I slice my driver 171 over the right pine trees into #8. I'm the only person on the course, so I play down 8. I'm in the fairway and I mishit my 5i. It was a bit fat and went low and right. I'm in position now to hit into the 7th now though. I hit my 5i and it's a high draw over the smaller pines between 7&8 near the green. My ball is on the cart path 2 yards short of the green. I take relief and my chip doesn't break at all. I'm 14 feet from the hole and line things up. My putt doesn't break either, so I miss high and have a 3 footer that i make. The green slopes from front to back, so my putt should have broken to the right, no dice though.

 

8 - par 4, I top my driver. I left a furrow about the width of a ball and 5 inches long in front of my tee where the ball hit the ground and slid. I'm a whopping 58 yards off the tee and in the rough short of the fairway. My lie is decent, so I go with my 4w. I mishit it low and left into an area of GUR. I take relief and i'm 171 yards out. I think about hitting 4w briefly but I sliced it last time on this hole. It gets more narrow near the green with a stand of pines on the right. So I hit my 5i and it's low and left. I have a long chip on the face of a hill and I stub it short. I screw the next chip up and have 15 feet to save my dbl bogey. No dice and I get a 7

 

9 - par 5, dogleg right. I decide to try and hit a cut. I aim at my normal target in the middle of the fairway, and open the driver just a touch. I swinf and it's a high fade that lands on the face of the hill near the top and rolls up onto the flat landing area. 199 yards off the tee and i've never been here before except in scrambles with someone elses tee shot. The hill is a good 25 - 30 feet higher then the tee box. So all well struck drives here are shorter then they'd be on other holes where the tee shot isn't landing in the face of the upslope. I'm 260 out and have a great lie. 4w time and with a good poke i should be inside 70 yards in 2! So I swing and top it and get to 170 out in 2... My 4w is a bit dodgey here. If I catch the ball I'm well over the green and that's bad. I also have not hit it that good today. My 5i won't reach and I don't think the 7w will either. I decide to hit my 3H. I rarely use this club and can't remember the last time I did. I hit a great shot. The ball takes off and starts climbing. i can't belive how high this ball is going. it's pretty straight too and it reaches it's apex and falls almost straight down on the green and rolls forward. I find my pitch mark and my ball rolled about 12 feet after it hit the green. I GPSed the shot and it carried 159. I'm 42 feet from the hole and on the lower tier. The hole is on the upper tier. I hit my birdie putt and the ball stops 6 inches to the right of the hole on the high side. I tap in my par and call it a night.

 

A 48. Not a good score but there were some changes. My driver is no longer low and left. I am getting some real height out of it and it's going right. I need to stop the slices but the draw on 5 was great as was the cut on 9. Especially cuz I wanted to hit that cut on 9. A few of my irons were well struck, namely the 6i on #4 and the 3H on 9. The flight there was amazing.

 

I still have alot of pull hooks and got a dbl or worse on all the holes I hit one. It'll take some work to get my path to not be so in to out but I've seen improvement after only working on it early today for the first time. I think I'm moving in the right direction again.:drinks:

[ragnar9]

[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1306613453' post='3269292']
Things are not going well.

I am missing left with all my clubs even though I have a weaker grip now. My driver was a slice machine when we first weakened it. Not now. My common drive is now low and left. I've hit a few that start right then curl up and over, diving to the left and into the ground. I don't get it. My irons I'm pull hooking as well. I'm missing by 20+ yards left with almost anything 5i through PW.

I have played 18 the last two days and I'm very consistant with my scores, 100 and 99. I had 34 putts in the round of 100 and 33 in the round of 99. So my putting is a bit off but nothing major. I just can't seemto get things together for any stretch.

Once in awhile i'll hit a good drive. yesterday i hit a baby draw 232 into the wind. I'm 126 out and in the FW so I hit my 8i. The flag is on the right side of the green and I yank my approach 5 yards to the left of the green and settle with a 5. I hit a 9i, my 110 club, 134 yards with a high draw over the back of a green... I was +3 through 4 today. On #5 I push my driver into a pine on the right, 149 off the tee. Good lie and I top my 4w to about 150. I hit my 6i left and short. So I'm near the green in 3 on a par 4 that plays like a par 5. I chip through the green, chip on and 2 putt for a 7...... A few holes later I hit a green with my 4w from 180. Kinda funny how things are in flux. It's not all good and not all bad, lol.

The good news is i don't hit it fat unless I'm in the rough and rarely miss right anymore but the lefts are killing me. Sigh.

I guess the fact I can hover around 100 when I can't seem to hit alot of good shots in a row is ok.
[/quote]

Hi

I have been reading this thread with great interest, and, trailing about 5 strokes behind you, I'm hoping you find the key to finally break bogey. I have had this exact problem myself after changing for a weaker grip, and it turned out to be all my "slice fixing" swing corrections still kicking in, turning a fairly decent swing into something nasty. From my hard earned experience, giving swing changes some time to settle before trying to correct them gives wonderful results.It sometimes takes a bit of time to erase muscle memory.

[bortass]

[quote name='ragnar9' timestamp='1306790722' post='3273075']
[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1306613453' post='3269292']
Things are not going well.

I am missing left with all my clubs even though I have a weaker grip now. My driver was a slice machine when we first weakened it. Not now. My common drive is now low and left. I've hit a few that start right then curl up and over, diving to the left and into the ground. I don't get it. My irons I'm pull hooking as well. I'm missing by 20+ yards left with almost anything 5i through PW.

I have played 18 the last two days and I'm very consistant with my scores, 100 and 99. I had 34 putts in the round of 100 and 33 in the round of 99. So my putting is a bit off but nothing major. I just can't seemto get things together for any stretch.

Once in awhile i'll hit a good drive. yesterday i hit a baby draw 232 into the wind. I'm 126 out and in the FW so I hit my 8i. The flag is on the right side of the green and I yank my approach 5 yards to the left of the green and settle with a 5. I hit a 9i, my 110 club, 134 yards with a high draw over the back of a green... I was +3 through 4 today. On #5 I push my driver into a pine on the right, 149 off the tee. Good lie and I top my 4w to about 150. I hit my 6i left and short. So I'm near the green in 3 on a par 4 that plays like a par 5. I chip through the green, chip on and 2 putt for a 7...... A few holes later I hit a green with my 4w from 180. Kinda funny how things are in flux. It's not all good and not all bad, lol.

The good news is i don't hit it fat unless I'm in the rough and rarely miss right anymore but the lefts are killing me. Sigh.

I guess the fact I can hover around 100 when I can't seem to hit alot of good shots in a row is ok.
[/quote]

Hi

I have been reading this thread with great interest, and, trailing about 5 strokes behind you, I'm hoping you find the key to finally break bogey. I have had this exact problem myself after changing for a weaker grip, and it turned out to be all my "slice fixing" swing corrections still kicking in, turning a fairly decent swing into something nasty. From my hard earned experience, giving swing changes some time to settle before trying to correct them gives wonderful results.It sometimes takes a bit of time to erase muscle memory.
[/quote]

Yup. I only make corrections under direction of my pro. I talk to him after most rounds and range sessions, he'll sometimes stop buy and check on me. It's funny how things go. I was a slice machine a few years ago and I've slowly become a hooker . The problem are the subconcious adjustments that I make w/o thinking. I was missing driver right when we first changes my grip and within a few weeks, I was hitting it low and left.

So now it's just the process of moving back to center. The good things is most of the stuff we are working on are more small adjustments, though the grip change was pretty big.

I played 9 tonight again. Not a good score again. However I hit some real good shots.

#2, I hit a draw with driver 196 into the fairway. #3 I hit a draw 212 into the middle of the fairway. #9 I hit a draw to the back left of the hill landing area 191 yards.

My second shot on #9(par 5) was my 4w off the deck. I hit a high baby draw 194 yards.... I was sitting 90 yards out in 2. Too bad i chuncked my approach...

I got an invite to the member member at the club. My partner plays off a 2 and it's best ball. 80% HCP as well. So he gets pars and birdies and I try to pick up birdie/eagle, here and there, thanks to the stroke or 2 I get on each hole. I've played with him a few times and we get along well. So it'll be a fun day when it rolls around. It's in August and i'm hoping to shave some more strokes off my index by then. I'm moving in the wrong direction right now but i'm pretty sure that will change.

I hit a couple high irons and launched my 3H twice with good distance and height. i actually hit more good shots tonight then last night. My score was a bit worse thanks to a stream ball and I had trouble with a few recovery strokes.

Mentally I seem a little more stable( my wife will dispute this) then last year. I don't get POed at myself when I fubar a hole. I still have flashes of anger/frustration but I don't dwell on it like in the past. This was the biggest lesson I learned in trying to break 100.

[bortass]

Interesting 9 tonight. Low 80s and humid. Not a good round but I am real consistant. Most of my rounds hover in a 3 stroke range it seems.

There is good news though. I only hit 1 pull hook tonight! It was my approach on #1. Most of my shots have been pull hooks lately, so that's a nice change.

Off the tee, I was a bit short tonight. I hit draws on 1,3, 5, and 8. I hit a push on 2 and a slice into the pines on 9. I hit a high fade on #7, 221 though!

#6 has been pull hook central for me off the tee. Tonight it was 142 to center, 133 front with a forward flag. I teed off with my 7i, 130 club, hit a decent draw that lands on the green and i see bounce. I figure I'm on with a long put. I get close to the green and no ball. I'm 154 off the back.... I had hit my 8i on #3 from 129 to center. That ball went into the back fringe....

On #4, the other par 3, it was 162 to center and i hit my 5i. It was a bit thin but a draw 152 to the front fringe area. I chipped to 1 foot and secured my par.

My shortgame was way off. I chipped through 3 greens and chipped short of the green once. I even somehow chipped 17 feet past the hole using my LW, and it was not skulled.

I estimate I lost about 5 strokes to my shortgame. Oh well. I'm happy that my long game seems to be coming around. I am starting to club down with my irons. I've gone long a few times now, so I'll see how things go.

[bortass]

Played 18 earlier. Heavy winds, 20+ MPH.

1 - par 4, I hit a nice draw 223 into the left rough. I'm about 78 out and go with my SW. I make good contact and miss the green to the right. I chip to 3 feet and sink the par putt.

2 - par 4, I hit a slice 192 into the wind. I'm in the rough near the tees for #3 and am behind the pine trees. I have a gap to punch the ball through and go with my 5i. I hit it thin, so the ball stops in the rough behind a tree. I have enough room to take a full backswing but not a full follow through because the tree is right off my left side by a few inches. I hit a punch with no follow through and the ball gets airborne but clips a branch, so the ball drops almost in the fairway on the right side. I'm 40 yards out and underneath the pines. I hit a small 8i onto the green. I'm 20 feet from the hole near the left side and the flag is towards the right. This putt will pick up speed if I miss... I hit my putt and miss the hole high by an inch or two. The speed would have holed out but the ball trickles 8 feet past the hole. I get it to 1 foot and end up with a 3 putt 7.

3 - par 4, I hit a high draw 248 into the right side of the fairway. Love the wind assist. I'm 107 from center. The green is 30 feet below me and I have a strong wind. So I go with my SW. I open the face a touch since I've been missing low and left. I swing and hit a hich cut and miss short and right of the green. Shouldn't have opened the face. I chip the ball 11 feet short of the hole and miss my putt. I tap in from 6 inches for a 5.

4 - par 3, 171 dead into the wind. it's a steady 20 MPH with some higher gusts. I hit my 7w. It's a high draw and the wind just kills the ball and it drops straight down 148 yards off the tee. I cleared the stream by 20 yards. I chip to 9 feet. My par putt misses low and I have a 3 inch tap in bogey.

5 - long par 4, into the wind. This hole plays the same direction as #4 practicaly. I hit a mid height draw that lands near the back of the hill. I find my ball at the base of the hill 226 off the tee. I'm 160 out and decide to hit my 4w because of the wind. I mishit it into the left rough. I have 80ish yards to go and hit my SW short of the green. i caught it a bit heavy from the rough. I chip to 8 feet and sink the bogey putt.

6 - par 3 and about 137. Wind feels like it's right to left and at time behind me. I go with my 8i and pull it left and short of the green. I chip to 12 feet and 2 putt for a bogey.

7 - par 4, tees are to the right. So I setup on the left side of the tee b ox and aim left. I hit a low pull 162 yards into the rough. I hit a 7i out of the rough and over the hill. So I'm 106 out and in the fairway. The wind is behind me and I hit my GW. It's a high draw that misses long and right. The ball is above my feet and i'm chipping to a green that's lower then me and slopes from right to left from where i'm at. The hole is back left side as well. I hit an ok chip and end up pin high 15 feet past the hole. I three putt from there for a 7.

8 - par 4, I hit a slcie with my driver into some trees on the right. I'm 124 off the tee and in some thick rough. I hit a 9i I think and that gets me into the fairway 167 out. I mishit my 3h. I'm 70+ yards out and hit a pitch with my sw 8 feet past the hole. I two putt for a dbl.

9 - par 5, dogleg right. I hit a nice draw 185 onto the back of the hill and I'm in the left rough. I have a decent lie and go with 4w. I make good contact and I'm now 96 yards out. it's a forward flag but my ball is on a slight slope. I hit my PW with a pitch swing just short of the green. I chip to 5 feet and leave the par putt 6 inches short.... So a 6.

10 - I hit a slice 207 behind a pine tree....I get too cute and hit my punch off a trunk and further behind me. I take my 7i and hit my ball towards the left rough on a slight angle to the hole. I make good contact and my ball goes through the fairway(I should have done this my prior shot). I have a decent lie and 250ish from the front and hit my 4w into the right rough about 73 yards from the green.My SW misses left. The wind is blowing and I'm thinking too much and rush my chip and leave it on the fringe.... I chip with the putter and sink it for a 7.

11 - long par 4, I hit a slice over the pines between 11 and 12, 187 yards and i'm almost in the #12 fairway. Never been here before... I have a good gap to hit through and the rough is light. I punch my 5i to 110. I go with my PW and skull it short of the green That's odd... I chip to 11 feet and 2 putt.

12- par 4, I hit a low draw 168 into the fairway on the left. I'm 204 out and hit my 4w. I hit it fairly straight but I was aimed too far right. I'm behind a tree and can't chip towards the flag. I chip onto the from of the green but I'm 60 feet from the flag. My putt doesn't break and I gave it too much juice and I roll 8 feet past. I miss and sink a 1 footer for a dbl bogey 6.

13 - par 3, about 137 and the flag is way left. Wind into my face, so i hit my 6i. It's a high draw over the green and almost OB 151 yards. I didn't expect that at all... I chip to 5 feet and 2 putt for a 4.

14 - long par 4, I hit a push down the right side 201 into the right rough. I'm 200 out and hit my 4w. I mishit it right and I'm in the rough 120 out. I feel like the winds in my face and my target is closer to 130. I go with my 8i and hit a high draw. It lands on the back of the green and rolls off, 151 yard 8i....I chip to 7 feet and 2 putt.

15 - par 3 with pond carry. The flag is near the middle/front. I figure it's 150 and hit my 5i. It's a low draw 147 just short of the green. I chip to 8 feet and again 2 putt. Another bogey.

16 - par 4, I hit a draw 226 through the fairway! I'm 121 out in the rough. The green is above me. I hit my 8i and it lands short of the green, bounces on and rolls through it, 137 yard 8i... I chip on and 2 putt for 5.

17 - par 4, I mishit my driver and it goes less then 10 yards and plugs in the bank of a cart path. I take a stroke and distance penalty and retee. I hit a draw 187 down the fairway. I'm 122 out and skull my 9i through the green. this is a bad green to be long on. I chip to 18 feet and 2 putt for my 7.

18 - I hit a fade 191 through the fairway. I'm blocked by some trees and hit my 7i into the left rough. i'm 171 out in the rough and go with 7w. i mega slice it and it turns into a freak show and I card an 8.

48/53 for a 101. Sigh, some interesting shots. The wife's kicking me out, so i'm off for another 9

[bortass]

Ok, so the 18 earlier...

 

I said it was interesting. mainly because I hit the ball more solid then normal even with the wind. I went long on a number of my approaches even when I tried to dial back. One was the skulled 9i on 17, but the rest I got airborne. So i think I'm starting to gain some distance. I know that I have been changing my yardages and going with a more lofted club, about 10 yards on average is my change.

 

I had some course management issues though. Moree on this latter.

 

I also wasn't happy with my putting. I had 34 putts. I try to die the ball in the hole. So i've been missing at times because the ball is deflected by the little mound that can form around the hole. It also makes my putt more touchy with the break. I spent some time on the putting green earlier tonight after my round. I worked on 3 footers and 6 footers. I was really trying to get them in the hole with a decent pace. Enough to go in and take out some break but not enough to lip out or go 3 feet past.

 

I played 9 this evening.

 

1 - par 4, I snap hook my driver 150 into the rough of #2. I chip the ball into the fairway and have 125 to go. I hit a high 8i just short of the green. I chip to about 6 feet and sink the bogey putt.

 

2 - par 4, into the wind. I hit a mid height drraw 215 right up the center. I have a great lie in the fairway. I'm 111 out, into the wind and going uphill. I decide to hit my PW aka my normal 90 yard club. I hit a high shot that lands short of the green and kicks right. So I'm hole high in the right fringe. My chip is kinda eh and I 2 putt for a 5. I'm playing with my partner for the member member, so I wasn't pacing off my putts.

 

3- par 4, I hit a low draw 230 into the middle of the fairway. I'm 136 from center, the green is downhill and down wind. I hit my 8i, 120 club, and it's a high draw that lands on the back edge of the green, rolls off, acrosses the cart path into the lateral hazard behind the green. I gps the shot and my ball went 151 and carried about 145. The ball is in some long grass at the base of some small trees. I figure i can hack it out. I'm facing the tree and trying to hack the ball behind me.2 strokes later I'm a few feet out of the hazard. I chip on the green and 1 putt for a 7. I should have takena drop instead of playing a stupid shot like that. I figure a drop would have saved me at least 1 stroke.

 

4 - par 3, the moved the tees up from earlier and the wind isn't as bad. It's about 133 to the front and I play my 8i. I hit it heavy but it's a nice draw and short of the green. I chip maybe 9 feet past the hole and sink the par putt.

 

5 - long par 4, I hit a fade 194 into the middle right of the fairway. I don't get to the bottom of the slope but I'm on a level spot. I', 185 from center and I hit my 4w and it's a bit thin and short of the green. I'm 40 yards from center. I hit a solid pitch with my LW that I hear spin and it lands on the green and releases in to the back fringe. I chip to tap in range and sink the bogey putt.

 

6 - par 3, still about 137. i go with my 8i and while I'm heavy, I don't pull it. I hit a draw short of the green and a bit left. I make solid contact with my chip and it flies to the hole, lands and rolls into the back fringe. I gotta get some touch.... I chip on and sink my bogey putt.

 

7 - par 4, I hit a high push into the right trees. It's clears the tops of them and we hear it strike wood as the ball drops. We're heading down the fairway and my ball is sitting in the middle of the fairway about 166 off the tee. My ball hit a tree further up and the ball kicked back and left a good 30 yards. I have a slightly uneven lie and don't hit my 4w super solid, but it's a decent shot over the hill and it gets me to 80 yards out. I decide to hit my LW and skull it over the green into the woods behind it. Turns out my partner saw me aiming way right, so I brought the inside and then looped it around trying to save the shot. My provisional misses right of the green and I chip on and 2 putt for 8. My approach shot was lost, but I heard leaves/bushes make noise as my ball went over the back, so I knew I was very unlikely to find anything.

 

8 - par 4, I'm thinking of my decent tee shots and I hit the ball off my hosel. I shank it 20 yards dead left and 1 foot from the OB fence. I can't take relief, so I try to hit a shot backwards. The ball goes a foot or so... I'm a bit mad at myself and hit another bad shot maybe 15 yards but still in the left rough. My lie is decent and i've had it. So I grab my 4w and whack it. It's a high draw that goes into the trees on the right side a good 170 yards down the FW. I have to come out at 90* and almost hit my ball OB with my 6i. I'm finally in range for an approach and I hit it a bit long and end up in the right fringe. I chip on and 2 putt for a 9. I needed to take an unplayable off the tee or reteed. Instead I again try to get cute and recover with shots i don't have and paid dearly.

 

9 - par 5, I slice my tee shot 168 yards and halfway down the par 3 6th. So I really shortened the hole distance wise but I have to try and punch through some trees. The ball strikes a tree and bounces towards the 6th tee. So i'm closer to the hole by 40 yards but still in the wrong spot. I have a better opening and get my ball into the correct hole but in the right rough. I'm 153 out in the rough and I pull my 5i. My chip lands short of the green and dies in the fringe. Another 2 feet and it would have rolled on the green and trickled towards the hole. So i chip again to a foot and sink my putt for a 7.

 

Again, improvement ballstriking. I am hitting the ball better and my course management really bit me in the butt. I probably save 3 strokes by taking two unplayables. The skull on 7 cost me another 2 strokes IMO. So I gotta work on my alignment.

 

I think I'm going to add 10 yards to all my irons. Going long is deadly and I'm doing it too much even discounting the two skulls.

 

My putting was alot better. I had 12 putts because I was able to sink some longer putts that I was missing earlier today. I think working on a firmer putting stroke is a good idea for me.

 

I know my scores aren't in the realm of sniffing 90 ATM. Parts of my game are improving though. I'm starting to not have the low pull happen as often. A week ago and I think most of my shots were low pulls. I still have faith that I can do this. I kinda thought I'd be shooting in the lower 90s by now or even cracking 90 by this point. Maybe I'm too optimistic but that's a good thing.

 

Cheers :drinks:

[tfish]

so i'm interested.....how much range/chipping/putting practice is mixed in here? (or what's the ratio of legit practice vs. playing rounds)

seems like most of what you do is play 9 or 18 holes. my buddies do that (couple times a week), and shoot the same scores and make the same mistakes over and over, every round.

i spend a lot of time at the range trying to get to a point where i hit every shot with solid contact, decent dispersion and drilling that (good) muscle memory into my head....and it's nice to gain some confidence there knowing you can hit a whole bucket flush.

along with hours and hours on the chipping green....to the point where solid contact is a foregone conclusion, there's tight circles of balls around the cup, and i'm disappointed by stuff outside 5 feet.

then taking it to the course is just figuring out yardages from different situations, course management, and trial and error with funky lies/stance.

they're shooting well over 100 on any mildly lengthy course, with a couple mulligans, same as a year ago. i started out at 115+, and a year later i'm knocking down 80's door. i think the simple repetition and focused practice is invaluable.

[bortass]

[quote name='tfish' timestamp='1307170486' post='3283892']
so i'm interested.....how much range/chipping/putting practice is mixed in here? (or what's the ratio of legit practice vs. playing rounds)

seems like most of what you do is play 9 or 18 holes. my buddies do that (couple times a week), and shoot the same scores and make the same mistakes over and over, every round.

i spend a lot of time at the range trying to get to a point where i hit every shot with solid contact, decent dispersion and drilling that (good) muscle memory into my head....and it's nice to gain some confidence there knowing you can hit a whole bucket flush.

along with hours and hours on the chipping green....to the point where solid contact is a foregone conclusion, there's tight circles of balls around the cup, and i'm disappointed by stuff outside 5 feet.

then taking it to the course is just figuring out yardages from different situations, course management, and trial and error with funky lies/stance.

they're shooting well over 100 on any mildly lengthy course, with a couple mulligans, same as a year ago. i started out at 115+, and a year later i'm knocking down 80's door. i think the simple repetition and focused practice is invaluable.
[/quote]

A very legitimate question. It varies. I was working on stuff @ the range daily a few weeks ago. I got sick and the weather was bad, so I went over a week w/o a range session. I've had 4 range sessions since then. They were split up between working on not coming from the inside too much w/ the box drill and pitching to the first flag with different shots.

I really don't have a set pattern. I go periods of time when I'm on the range more then I play and vice versi. Some of it has to do with how well I'm hitting the ball. When I was hitting the pulls almost all the time, I spent more time on the range then playing, trying to work through it.

I worked on my putting for 30 minutes for the first time all year last night. I plan to work on this more, I just wish my back wouldn't get sore from it. My putting has been decent, so it's something I rarely work on. I may be a bit delusional about how good it is, I am averaging 1.83 putts per hole over the last 20 rounds, gotta love OOBGolf. That number has been dropping. It was about 1.96 last year.

Chipping, definately needs some time spend on it. I'm starting to chip with my LW in certain situations. Normally I chip with my SW. I don't have any great short game areas around me to my knowledge. So all I can do is practice chipping from the fringe on a couple practice greens. I still haven't made the jump to practice rounds and going out on the course and just dropping balls to work on stuff. Not sure why that is.

[Kevin_J]

Thanks for posting your journey to share. It's brought back many fond and frustrating memories from when I was in your spot. There are a couple of things that you describe below that happened the same to me as well.

First the transition from slicing to pull hooks. Yes much of that came from my swing plane, but what also helped me in the interim of trying to find the balance was checking out my iron lengths and lie angles. I found out that with swing improvements my lie angles had to be adjusted up to 3 degrees in some cases. While it didn't fix the problem, it did make things more manageable.

Secondly, with all golfers at this stage some distance gains are realized from a more consistent swing with less power leaks and better impact position. I know it's maddening at times during this period. The one drill I spent a ton of time with was iron swings with feet together at 50, 75, 100 percent speed focusing on maintaining balance. This helped me limit my sway and get better contact.

Hope this helps and I look forward to you reaching your goal!

Kevin

[bortass]

[quote name='Kevin_J' timestamp='1307211014' post='3284480']
Thanks for posting your journey to share. It's brought back many fond and frustrating memories from when I was in your spot. There are a couple of things that you describe below that happened the same to me as well.

First the transition from slicing to pull hooks. Yes much of that came from my swing plane, but what also helped me in the interim of trying to find the balance was checking out my iron lengths and lie angles. I found out that with swing improvements my lie angles had to be adjusted up to 3 degrees in some cases. While it didn't fix the problem, it did make things more manageable.

Secondly, with all golfers at this stage some distance gains are realized from a more consistent swing with less power leaks and better impact position. I know it's maddening at times during this period. The one drill I spent a ton of time with was iron swings with feet together at 50, 75, 100 percent speed focusing on maintaining balance. This helped me limit my sway and get better contact.

Hope this helps and I look forward to you reaching your goal!

Kevin
[/quote]

You're welcome. Posting stuff helps me think through some things.

I had my lie angles checked with every club except my GW, SW, and LW, a few weeks ago. I had to have three clubs bent more upright by 1 - 2 degrees. My clubs were +5 upright until February of this year when a fitting showed +3 upright, so i had them bent when they were reshafted.

The fitter said I'd need to get them checked again as my pro flattened my swing. Odd thing is my pro mentioned to me that I have a flat swing now, I used to be steep a few years ago. So I'm not sure what's up.

I have played a few more 9 hole rounds and things are changing.

Driver - I'm coming full circle. A bit over 1 month ago or so, my grip was changed to be weaker because I was hitting low hooks with all my clubs. My driver turned into a slice machine. I started to tee off with my 4w for a round or two and things settled down, so I went back to driver. I started to hit my normal mix of fade, draws, pushes and over draws. Then I started to hit it low left with the weaker grip. So the pro gave me the box drill to try to reduce the amount I come from the inside. I started to hit the odd slice, but mostly draws, pushes, and fades. Friday nights 9 hole round was a mix of shots.

I played Saturday afternoon and I sliced everything off the tee. I even went to my 4w and that was a slice just alot shorter. It's not a weak slice though. The ball is going between 190 - 200 and it's high. I have ended up in some new places at times. I was on #8 and hit a slice, normally the ball will hit one of the pine trees that are 100 - 120 yards off the tee. This time I carried them all and my ball was on top of the hill of #7 in the fairway and I came within 15 yards of hitting it through that fairway. Last night I had a mix of mostly slices, with a pull hook, a mid height fade that went 221, a low fade, and an overdraw.

Irons - I was missing low and left alot prior to the grip change. Things got better but i still was manageing to hit the odd shot low and left. Enter the box drill. I started to hit the ball higher and I didn't notice much else on the range besides the shot shape improving. On the course, I'm picking up some distance. I've put my 8i long on a few approaches now. My 8i is my 120 club. I was 121 from center, hitting to a green about 10 yards above me. I'm over the back. We finish the round and play 1 and 2 again. Now I'm 131 from center and going uphill. I hit my 8i and it lands just short of the green and I'm in the fringe.So I'm not sure if i need to modify my yardages by 15 or 20 yards. 10 yards seems too low based on what i've seen on the course.

Little swings where I get the club to waist height and a full finish are getting a bit interesting for me. I used that swing with my GW and the ball went 110 through the green. I hit the ball clean and it's lower then a full shot, so it carried about 100 yards, lands on the green and rolls into the back rough. I hit a similar shot with my SW and it went about 90 yards. I didn't hit it as cleanly based on the sound of the ball. I used to use these shots as pitches, but they go as far or further then what I expect a full swing to go.

Chipping - I've had a couple of people recomend I try chipping with a PW or 9i using a putting stroke. I tried it a few times last night and I have to say the results were better then I was getting with hinge and hold. My issue with hinge and hold is I take too big of a swing. I'm gonna keep going with this and see what happens.

The biggest thing hurting my scores right now is my ego. I'm getting big numbers because I hit the ball into trouble and then think I can recover using an aggressive shot. I need to learn(relearn) that just because I'm better then a year ago doesn't mean I can get the ball out of a bad spot. Gotta take my medicine as it were.

[sshadow2]

Bortass,

As a fellow "breaking 90 Journeyman", I'd like to suggest trying out another ball. As good as the Gamer V2 is (looking at your oobgolf page), I find it can be a bit too spinny off the tee for my liking when I'm struggling from there.

Suggestions:

Macgregor MT Tourney (my new ball)
TM Burner

And I hear good things about:
Nike Crush
Noodle+ Long and Soft

[sertshark]

I had fun reading your posts. I usually shoot in the mid to high 90's. If I shoot over 100 I feel like it wasn't a very good day (though any day out there is not really a bad day). But my goal every time is to shoot under a 95 (which I consider a good day). Like you, my ultimate goal though is to break 90. Also like you, if I have a bad day of driving it hurts my score. Especially if I'm OB.

It's nice to come on here and see others at a comparable skill level. I enjoy being at this level. Athough I strive to get better by reading, practicing constantly (even in the back yard), it is fun to at least be good enough to actually "play" the course.

Nice posts. As I read through each of your shots I felt like you were explaining any of my typical golf days.

[bortass]

[quote name='sshadow2' timestamp='1307388687' post='3288369']
Bortass,

As a fellow "breaking 90 Journeyman", I'd like to suggest trying out another ball. As good as the Gamer V2 is (looking at your oobgolf page), I find it can be a bit too spinny off the tee for my liking when I'm struggling from there.

Suggestions:

Macgregor MT Tourney (my new ball)
TM Burner

And I hear good things about:
Nike Crush
Noodle+ Long and Soft
[/quote]

Funny you mention this. My partner for the member member suggested I try the Noodle+ long and soft last night. They are $25 for 2 doz @ the pro shop. So I bought 2 dozen today. I played almost 18 holes with them, a gamer snuck in when I had to take a drop, but I went back to the noodle as soon as the rules allow.

Off the tee I didn't notice any real change. Pretty much the same miss pattern and distances. Putting was no different, which is good. I tried NXT tours last year but gave up on them because I didn't putt well with them. Irons, I'm not sure about. I plan to keep playing the Noodle because I didn't see any place where it hurt my game.

I played 2 9 hole rounds today because it's league night. So there was a slight gap between rounds. The league was off the back.

Overall I did ok. 2 pars, 8 bogeys, 4 doubles, and 4 others.

The others.... I slice a tree shot under a pine tree. I'm in the right rough but need to hit my shot at an agle to the left. I hit a decent 7i and end up in the left rough 94 yards from the hole. My GW comes up short. I chip by using my PW with a putting stroke and I hit it a touch thin and go 15 feet past the hole and manage a 3 putt for 7.

I hit a push off the tee and it hits some trees and kicks into the fairway past the corner on #9. I have a decent lie and take my 4w. I start my back swing and my ball starts to roll backwards. I complete the swing and hit the ball barely and it goes maybe 2 yards to the left. I was screwed once the ball started to roll since if I stop my swing it's a penalty stroke. I dub my 4w to about 168 out. I go with my 5i and miss the green about 40 yards left, a nice low pull hook. I hit a partial LW and it goes past the flag. I chip to 6 feet and 2 putt for an 8.

Par 3 with water on the back, I tee off with my 5i and it's a low pull hook into the pond. I retee and same result. This is during the league match, so i just picked up and put down an 8. The best I could do would be a 7 assuming I found a way to hit a decent tee shot and 2 putt. 8 is the max score for ESC, so that's what I went with.

Par 4, I hit my tee shot OB. I hit my next tee shot 181. I 145 out and go with my 8i which I miss left with. I chip on and my putt for dbl bogey stops an inch short of the cup. So a 7 with S+D penalty.

Now the good stuff.

I hit two greens with my SW, one a partial shot from 85 yards and the other a full shot from 102.

The par 3 I've been pull hooking was about 128. I went with my 9i. I hit it a bit thin but it's a decent height draw that lands to the right of the green and rolls into the bunker, 128 yards. I get out and 2 putt for bogey.

On #8 I hit a high fade into a pine tree. The ball kicks left into the fairway 200 yards off the tee. I have 151 to center and hit my 6i. It goes 155 with a high draw and I'm on the left front fringe. A chip and putt for par on the #5 HCP hole.

On the back during the league I started out hot.

#10 I hit a bit of a duck hook 198 in the left rough. I take my 7i and hack it out pretty good. I'm 211 from center in the fairway. I hit my 4w and it goes right on me. I'm 15 yards right of the green in a low spot with rough around my ball. The flag is on the left of the green, the green is above me and I need to carry a bunker. I hit a partial LW on the green and it rolls through. I chip close to the hole and 1 putt for a bogey.

#11 long par 4, I slice my tee shot and it hits a pine tree and falls in the rough 140 off the tee. I hit my 7i out of the rough and I'm in the fairway on the left side 150 out. I go with my 6i and it lands on the green. I two putt for my bogey.

#12 a line drive fade with my driver misses a rouch out cropping and kicks left into the fairway. i'm 140 out and hit my 7i. it's a high draw that hits the green and rolls near the back. I two putt for par.

#13 par 3, I have 140 to center. I hit a slight over draw 143 and land in the front left fringe. A chip and 2 putt for bogey.

So after 4 holes i have my quota for the league and any point from hereon are to try and place.

#14, long par 4, and I hit a a low pull hook into the hazard about 135 off the tee. The ball went in hot and there was no way I was gonna find it. It's a lateral hazard, so I drop there. The ball is now a good foot above my feet. I have my 5i and had to grip down so my right hand was on the shaft. I hit a punch that gets me to 105 out in the FW. I hit a partial GW that lands on the green and I 2 putt to save a dbl bogey 6.

I have a string of bad holes, such as the par 3 from hell....

#18 par 5, I tee off with my 4w and top it 80 yards into the GUR in front of the tees. I take relief and hit a 7i up to the landing area. I then hit my 5i and it a bit low and left but I'm in the FW 108 out. I mishit my GW but it gets on the green. I have a 20 footer for par and leave my putt 6 inches from the hole on the low side. So a 2 putt for bogey.


On the back I had 3 bad tee shots. One went into a lateral hazard and I saved a dbl bogey on a hole that plays like a par 5 for me. I hit one OB and came a few inches short of saving my dbl bogey even with a stroke and distance penalty. I saved bogey on a par 5 when i topped my tee shot into GUR and didn't have a great second shot.

I recovered from the rough alot better. I also was hitting my irons very well for the most part. I was bumping up my yardages by 20 yards and my shots were in the ball park. I was hitting greens with the new yardages or I was in the front fringe, etc. So it's not like i upped things by 20 yards and just missed shorter by 20 yards. That looks to be a legit gain. My partial wedges though are a head scratcher. I bring the club to waist height ie parralel with the ground and swing. My SW has been going 85 - 90 yards with this swing and my GW has been in the 100-110 range. I was using those shots from those yardages and was hitting the green. My old full shot lengths for those two clubs was 80 and 90 respectively. I'm not sure what my full shot yardages are with those clubs but I figure it's not alot more then the partial shots since I make better contact with the partial shots.

One thing I just noticed though, as I was typing this. I had 4 approach shots with my 5i. I had a downhill lie and hit it heavy and short of the green, not a huge surprise. On #9 I hit a low pull hook and miss 40 yards left. I then did the exact same shot twice into the pond on the par 3 on the back. Interesting. I'll need to keep my eye on my 5i. Seems kinda strange that I hit the low pull hook with it 75% of the time while my 6i was on today.

I have a lesson bright and early tommorow. I'm hoping we can fix the tee shot because my irons saved my butt on the course.

[bortass]

[quote name='sertshark' timestamp='1307410370' post='3289066']
I had fun reading your posts. I usually shoot in the mid to high 90's. If I shoot over 100 I feel like it wasn't a very good day (though any day out there is not really a bad day). But my goal every time is to shoot under a 95 (which I consider a good day). Like you, my ultimate goal though is to break 90. Also like you, if I have a bad day of driving it hurts my score. Especially if I'm OB.

It's nice to come on here and see others at a comparable skill level. I enjoy being at this level. Athough I strive to get better by reading, practicing constantly (even in the back yard), it is fun to at least be good enough to actually "play" the course.

Nice posts. As I read through each of your shots I felt like you were explaining any of my typical golf days.
[/quote]

Glad you liked them. I miss my sub 95 days. My 92 from last September will roll off with my next revision. I've been hovering in the 98 - 104 range lately.

One good thing is my course is open enough that there are only 2 holes where OB is a realistic possibility for me, #14 and #17. Both are OB right. Today I went OB on 17 and hit the pull into the hazard on the left of 14. So normally my bad drives only cost me 1 stroke unless I do something foolish, Stroke and distance is harsh.

[bortass]

We did some video of my swing during my lesson today. A couple things pooped up. My ball position was too far back with my 6i. I need to move it forward about 1 ball.

I'm still coming too much from the inside. We started to work with a shaft stuck in the ground. Any of you that followed my original thread on breaking 100 may remember a drill where I'd take the club back in front of a shaft stuck in the grounfd and have my downswing come inside the shaft. I was trying to get away from an OTT out to in swing at the time. Now I need to take the club back outside the shaft and outside the shaft on my downswing. We're starting to undo some of the anti-slice changes that we implemented years ago since my swing no longer needs them and they are starting to hurt my ball flight.

I'm still too quick with my swing. What I mean is I lose my sequencing. An example is I tilt left too fast, so my head drifts in front of the ball. if i take it a bit easier I have better results overall.

This is right up SShadow2's alley now. I noticed when we were comparing my DTL video with a tour players, can't remember which one, that my posture is very upright. The clue was the players club points at their zipper at address, and this is mention on the S&T dvds. Mine points at my belly button. So I'm now bending my knees more and bending forward more. The toe of my club is no loger flush with the ground and points up. I found that this posture got me to urn my right shoulder under my left in the downswing alot better then before. I'll keep working on this and I wonder if i'll need to have the clubs bent. This does explain why I have a flat swing but upright clubs, lol.

My driver slicing is mostly because of an open clubface. I have a hard time squaring it up compared to say my PW. I'm not sure how things are gonna playout with this club. I think part of it is tension based.

So I have my next set of things to work on. I'm curious to see what happens with my ball flight as i ingrain this stuff. The posture will be interesting to say the least. I'm not used to that amount of knee flex and it feels weird in my follow through but I did hit some real nice shots.

[sshadow2]

[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1307411145' post='3289098']

Funny you mention this. My partner for the member member suggested I try the Noodle+ long and soft last night. They are $25 for 2 doz @ the pro shop. So I bought 2 dozen today. I played almost 18 holes with them, a gamer snuck in when I had to take a drop, but I went back to the noodle as soon as the rules allow.

Off the tee I didn't notice any real change. Pretty much the same miss pattern and distances. Putting was no different, which is good. I tried NXT tours last year but gave up on them because I didn't putt well with them. Irons, I'm not sure about. I plan to keep playing the Noodle because I didn't see any place where it hurt my game.

[/quote]


Too bad about the Noodle+ but I'd still encourage that you still try to find the ball for you. A ball fitting perhaps?

My most recent round and my first 18 of the season, I had a disastrous front nine with the Gamer V2. I couldn't hit a fairway, especially not with a wood. Switched to the MT Tourney at the turn and hit every fairway. Finished the round with a 53% hit fairway percentage. My best ever. This with a full length 46" driver! Needless to say I was convinced. Eight shots better in the back nine vs the front.

Thought it might help to tell you. For me, the tee shot damages my game more than anything else.

[bortass]

[quote name='sshadow2' timestamp='1307465381' post='3290080']
[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1307411145' post='3289098']
Funny you mention this. My partner for the member member suggested I try the Noodle+ long and soft last night. They are $25 for 2 doz @ the pro shop. So I bought 2 dozen today. I played almost 18 holes with them, a gamer snuck in when I had to take a drop, but I went back to the noodle as soon as the rules allow.

Off the tee I didn't notice any real change. Pretty much the same miss pattern and distances. Putting was no different, which is good. I tried NXT tours last year but gave up on them because I didn't putt well with them. Irons, I'm not sure about. I plan to keep playing the Noodle because I didn't see any place where it hurt my game.

[/quote]


Too bad about the Noodle+ but I'd still encourage that you still try to find the ball for you. A ball fitting perhaps?

My most recent round and my first 18 of the season, I had a disastrous front nine with the Gamer V2. I couldn't hit a fairway, especially not with a wood. Switched to the MT Tourney at the turn and hit every fairway. Finished the round with a 53% hit fairway percentage. My best ever. This with a full length 46" driver! Needless to say I was convinced. Eight shots better in the back nine vs the front.

Thought it might help to tell you. For me, the tee shot damages my game more than anything else.
[/quote]

Oh, the noodle+ seems fine. It didn't have the drawback that the NXT did last year. So I'll keep playing it. It seems comparable to the Gamer for me and I like the Gamer. The club fitter suggested a bridgestone because he wanted to get my spin rate up. When I used the gamer on his LM after using the Bridgestone my spin numbers were higher.

My criteria is a ball that is not a rock when putting and chipping and doesn't cost so much that I'd cry if I lost a few. I can lose 3 gamers for the cost of a prov1, and with that sale I can lose almost 5 Noodles. I have never seen a ball fitting up this way. I'll ask around because i think it would make sense.

[HitEmTrue]

[quote name='sshadow2' timestamp='1307465381' post='3290080']
My most recent round and my first 18 of the season, I had a disastrous front nine with the Gamer V2. I couldn't hit a fairway, especially not with a wood. Switched to the MT Tourney at the turn and hit every fairway. Finished the round with a 53% hit fairway percentage. My best ever. This with a full length 46" driver! Needless to say I was convinced.[/quote]

Shadow, any modern ball isn't going to prevent you from hitting fairways like that. Do they even make Tourney balls any more? When I was a kid sometimes I'd buy Tourney balata X-outs, because I couldn't afford them otherwise.

[sshadow2]

[quote name='HitEmTrue' timestamp='1307471979' post='3290362']
[quote name='sshadow2' timestamp='1307465381' post='3290080']
My most recent round and my first 18 of the season, I had a disastrous front nine with the Gamer V2. I couldn't hit a fairway, especially not with a wood. Switched to the MT Tourney at the turn and hit every fairway. Finished the round with a 53% hit fairway percentage. My best ever. This with a full length 46" driver! Needless to say I was convinced.[/quote]

Shadow, any modern ball isn't going to prevent you from hitting fairways like that. Do they even make Tourney balls any more? When I was a kid sometimes I'd buy Tourney balata X-outs, because I couldn't afford them otherwise.
[/quote]

I'm not saying it was prevented me from hitting fairways, but the side spin numbers of the Tourney seemed way low compared to the Gamer V2 of the tee but about the same around the green. Immediately loved the ball. Also unlike the Gamer, I didn't lose any balls the back nine (at least until I got a 9 on 18 because I hit the pond twice. I could have been 12-13 shots better! The Tourney was slightly nicer off the putter too imho.

Macgregor was bought by Golfsmith where they sell the Tourneys exclusively. In my area, the deal is 3 dozen for $40. As you can imagine, they are not balata.

[bortass]

I did some range work with the new drill yesterday with good results IMO.

I ended up playing a practice round tonight. Some interesting things.

My driver was not an insta slice! It went something like this. Pull hook, 224 yard draw into FW, pull hook, 209 yard fade into FW, 248 yard fade that I hit on purpose, the fade that is, 180 yard low fade, and a push fade. Much better then losing the ball way right everytime I swing the driver. Gotta prevent the low pull hooks though, they are killers.

Some irons highlights. My old yardages were SW 80, GW 90, 9i 110, 8i 120. I hit a 9i 134 with a high draw and missed the green left. I hit a high draw with my 8i 144 that landed in the right fringe of a green pin high. I hit a 'little' punch with my GW that went 124, I made crisp contact and heard the ball whiz in the air. I had 50 yards to a green, so i took my SW and opened the face, aimed it at my target and opened my stance. this is how Phil hits a flop shot on his DVD. I hit a very high shot that lands pretty soft over the back of the green 70 yards.... I was 40 yards from a hole later on, I GPSed the distance, in the rough. This time I used my LW and the same setup as my SW shot. The ball landed near the hole, skipped once and stopped, 4 feet from the cup.

Things are real helter skelter. i'm mixing in some awesome(for me) shots with some dogs. This is a normal pattern for me as I get used to changes and improve. I really don't know what the ball will do before any shot because I have no consistancy at the moment. On the flip side I am pulling off shots that were unheard of for me even 4 weeks ago. I will have a good chance of cracking 90 if my new yardages hold up and I start hitting more shots along those lines. I did not have this distance last year when I shot my 91. I was hitting a 7i into the par 3 that I hit my 9i 134 into tonight. So if the consistancy becomes decent and my short game and putting don't crumble, I can do this.

[Timanator]

Hi bort

Good to see you at it.
Your getting a bit too long winded with the description now. I'm just gonna comment on the few rounds i did read.

Practice more irons with pins as targets
drivers with less fear and more concentration on the ball and target.

[bortass]

Played 9. I wanted to play 18 but the course was jammed and I had to wait to tee off and it would have been at least a 5 hour round.GHood weather today, mid 70s and not as humid as the last few days with a light breeze. I'm playing with some other people so i didn't pace off my putts.

1 - par 4, I pull my driver and it hits a birch on the left and kicks in to the fairway, 124 off the tee. I'm 177 from center and hit my 5i. It's a low draw that misses just short and to the right of the green. I chip on and sink the par putt.

2 - par 4, I crank a draw down the middle 222. I'm 111 out going into an uphill green. I hit my GW and I'm a few yards short of the green. My PW may have hit he green but it would have been near the back and would have rolled off. I chip with my LW and it's too soft. It lands on the sloped fringe and then trickles down further from the hole then i started. I chip again with my LW and get inside 3 feet and sink the bogey putt. A good start so far.

3 - par 4, I push my tee shot into the top of a pine tree that's near the red tees. My ball kicks up and through the tree into the right rough about 129 off the tee. I layup with my 7i and it put me a few yards short of the hill that leads to the stream. perfect place to be. I'm 106 out into a green below me and hit my SW. I blade it over the stream, miss the green to the right, and into the woods. I play a provisional and leave it a few yards short of the green. I find my ball and it's on a steep downslope at the base of the setem of some brush. I also have a log fence 4 feet in front of my ball. I take the unplayable and drop. It takes 2 chips and 2 putts for an 8. Sigh.

4 - par 3 playing 166. I hit my 6i and it's a high draw short of the green. I chip about 4 feet past the hole. My putt dies at the edge of the hole, less then 1/4 turn from falling in. There was maybe 1/2 a centimeter of grass between where my ball was touching the green and the lip of the cup. So close to another up and down.

5 - par 4, I hit a slice and it's 178 in the rough behind some pine trees. I punch out into the middle of the fairway and that gets me to 130 from center. I hit my 9i and it's a pull hook. My ball is sitting on mud. It's the outside edge of a footprint from when the course was real soft. It's also below my feet and I have to carry a bunker. I chip with my LW over the bunker and on the green. I have maybe 20 feet to the hole and my putt goes 6 feet past. Completely hit it too hard. I end up 3 putting for a 7.

6 - par 3 and it's 120 to the front with a front flag. I hit my PW and skull it straight. It rolls past the flag and over the green. I chip with my SW and the ball takes a weird hop to the left when it lands and rolls 2 feet from the cup. So i get up and down for par.

7 - par 4, and the tees are way right. I decide to try to hit a fade with my driver, just like the other night. I open the face a touch and let rip. It's a high fade that lands in the middle and kicks over the hill. 219 into the middle of the fairway, into the wind. I executed the shot I wanted to hit! I have 147 to the green and pull my 7i left of the green. I chip on and am 14 feet or so above the hole. I watch a partner leave his putt way short. This green can be tricky
and I'm thinking that I aim just a little right and let the ball trickle down and in. I hit it way too soft and it breaks away from the hole, another 3 putt for 6. Crap.

8 - par 4, I slice the ball and it hits a pine on the right. Nothing new except it lands right behind the trunk. I have no good shot, an awkward stance, and restricted backswing. I chip the ball out into the right rough. My ball is sitting down on a barespot. I take my 8i and hack the ball into the fairway and I'm now 126 out. I take my 9i and open the face a little and hit a high push that misses the green right. I'm hole high on a barespot in the rough. My chip is flirting with the left edge of a bunker. I hit it a bit thin and the ball lands at the edge of the bunker, kicks right and barely on the green. I have a 20+ foot putt to try and save a dbl bogey. My putt stops 6 inches from the cup on the high side. i had the speed just not the line. Another 7.

9 - par 5 dogleg right, I decide to try to hit another fade to go around the corner. I open my face and I hit a high fade that cuts the corner over the pine trees. I'm 197 off the tee in the fairway and 206 from the front edge of the green. I don't recall ever being this close to the green. Cujtting the corner shortened this hole by a good 50 - 60 yards. I have a slight downhill lie and decide to go for it with my 4w. the ball feels like it's too far back in my stance and I top it to the 150. Crap. I have 160 to the back where the flag is and hit my 6i. I top this too into the right rough 110 from the back. A great tee shot for me and I'm making a mess of things. I hit a punch with my gw and miss the green left. I'm almost hole high in the rough and chip my ball inside 2 feet and come away with a bogey.

A 50 with an 8, 7, and 7. Almost half my strokes on 3 holes. I'm happy with the round though. I'm starting to hit more golf shots. Each of the last few rounds I kinda build on the previous one and hit a few more. Two rounds in a row I decided to hit a fade on #7 and did it. Normally i just setup and swing w/o a specific shot in mind. Maybe I need to see what happens if I start thinking about the shot I want to hit more. I cut the corner on 9 and had an outside chance of hitting the front of the green in 2. My irons were also fairly decent. I still have my mishits though. lastly parts of my shortgame were much better I got up and down 3 times and came close to doing it on 5 holes.

[sshadow2]

[quote name='bortass' timestamp='1307728814' post='3298547']
Played 9. I wanted to play 18 but the course was jammed and I had to wait to tee off and it would have been at least a 5 hour round.GHood weather today, mid 70s and not as humid as the last few days with a light breeze. I'm playing with some other people so i didn't pace off my putts.

1 - par 4, I pull my driver and it hits a birch on the left and kicks in to the fairway, 124 off the tee. I'm 177 from center and hit my 5i. It's a low draw that misses just short and to the right of the green. I chip on and sink the par putt.

2 - par 4, I crank a draw down the middle 222. I'm 111 out going into an uphill green. I hit my GW and I'm a few yards short of the green. My PW may have hit he green but it would have been near the back and would have rolled off. I chip with my LW and it's too soft. It lands on the sloped fringe and then trickles down further from the hole then i started. I chip again with my LW and get inside 3 feet and sink the bogey putt. A good start so far.

3 - par 4, I push my tee shot into the top of a pine tree that's near the red tees. My ball kicks up and through the tree into the right rough about 129 off the tee. I layup with my 7i and it put me a few yards short of the hill that leads to the stream. perfect place to be. I'm 106 out into a green below me and hit my SW. I blade it over the stream, miss the green to the right, and into the woods. I play a provisional and leave it a few yards short of the green. I find my ball and it's on a steep downslope at the base of the setem of some brush. I also have a log fence 4 feet in front of my ball. I take the unplayable and drop. It takes 2 chips and 2 putts for an 8. Sigh.

4 - par 3 playing 166. I hit my 6i and it's a high draw short of the green. I chip about 4 feet past the hole. My putt dies at the edge of the hole, less then 1/4 turn from falling in. There was maybe 1/2 a centimeter of grass between where my ball was touching the green and the lip of the cup. So close to another up and down.

5 - par 4, I hit a slice and it's 178 in the rough behind some pine trees. I punch out into the middle of the fairway and that gets me to 130 from center. I hit my 9i and it's a pull hook. My ball is sitting on mud. It's the outside edge of a footprint from when the course was real soft. It's also below my feet and I have to carry a bunker. I chip with my LW over the bunker and on the green. I have maybe 20 feet to the hole and my putt goes 6 feet past. Completely hit it too hard. I end up 3 putting for a 7.

6 - par 3 and it's 120 to the front with a front flag. I hit my PW and skull it straight. It rolls past the flag and over the green. I chip with my SW and the ball takes a weird hop to the left when it lands and rolls 2 feet from the cup. So i get up and down for par.

7 - par 4, and the tees are way right. I decide to try to hit a fade with my driver, just like the other night. I open the face a touch and let rip. It's a high fade that lands in the middle and kicks over the hill. 219 into the middle of the fairway, into the wind. I executed the shot I wanted to hit! I have 147 to the green and pull my 7i left of the green. I chip on and am 14 feet or so above the hole. I watch a partner leave his putt way short. This green can be tricky
and I'm thinking that I aim just a little right and let the ball trickle down and in. I hit it way too soft and it breaks away from the hole, another 3 putt for 6. Crap.

8 - par 4, I slice the ball and it hits a pine on the right. Nothing new except it lands right behind the trunk. I have no good shot, an awkward stance, and restricted backswing. I chip the ball out into the right rough. My ball is sitting down on a barespot. I take my 8i and hack the ball into the fairway and I'm now 126 out. I take my 9i and open the face a little and hit a high push that misses the green right. I'm hole high on a barespot in the rough. My chip is flirting with the left edge of a bunker. I hit it a bit thin and the ball lands at the edge of the bunker, kicks right and barely on the green. I have a 20+ foot putt to try and save a dbl bogey. My putt stops 6 inches from the cup on the high side. i had the speed just not the line. Another 7.

9 - par 5 dogleg right, I decide to try to hit another fade to go around the corner. I open my face and I hit a high fade that cuts the corner over the pine trees. I'm 197 off the tee in the fairway and 206 from the front edge of the green. I don't recall ever being this close to the green. Cujtting the corner shortened this hole by a good 50 - 60 yards. I have a slight downhill lie and decide to go for it with my 4w. the ball feels like it's too far back in my stance and I top it to the 150. Crap. I have 160 to the back where the flag is and hit my 6i. I top this too into the right rough 110 from the back. A great tee shot for me and I'm making a mess of things. I hit a punch with my gw and miss the green left. I'm almost hole high in the rough and chip my ball inside 2 feet and come away with a bogey.

A 50 with an 8, 7, and 7. Almost half my strokes on 3 holes. I'm happy with the round though. I'm starting to hit more golf shots. Each of the last few rounds I kinda build on the previous one and hit a few more. Two rounds in a row I decided to hit a fade on #7 and did it. Normally i just setup and swing w/o a specific shot in mind. Maybe I need to see what happens if I start thinking about the shot I want to hit more. I cut the corner on 9 and had an outside chance of hitting the front of the green in 2. My irons were also fairly decent. I still have my mishits though. lastly parts of my shortgame were much better I got up and down 3 times and came close to doing it on 5 holes.
[/quote]

Hey Bortass. Good to see your yardages coming together. 6i for 166 is good stuff. One thing I noticed personally is that the yardages I hit on matted ranges are about 5-10 yds longer than actual fairway strikes with irons. I've tried taking one more club and then gripping down about 2-3". I've been short a lot less lately because of that. Give it a try.