My Road to Improvement - 7/9/25 new swing video

[bortass]

1 hour ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

I don't have a lot of experience with private or semi-private courses. And I don't know exactly how packed courses are in the Atlanta area. What I *do* know is that I basically am NEVER playing alone, even if I book as a single, here in SoCal, with the exception of morning rounds at the pitch & putt. These are all public courses, but the tee sheets are packed dawn to dusk, even on weekdays. 

 

And there are ZERO courses around here that will block the other three spots of your tee time if you book as a single. If someone else gets online and wants 1, 2, or all 3 of the remaining slots, you're playing with them. And that's always the case around here. It's rare to even play as a threesome. People are watching the sheets and if I have booked a foursome for Sunday and determine Friday afternoon I need to drop to three, there's almost always a single there on the tee on Sunday morning to join us. 

 

So you might find yourself playing a lot with people you don't know, whether you want to or not. 

 

The tee sheet at this course is not packed from what I can tell. I played the last 18 hole tee time they had in late June which was @ 4:45. I think there was one tee time after that for 9. Granted it was a Thursday night and I expect weekends to be busier. I just don't think it's a super busy course. I know there's always a chance someone else will show up to play at the same time. I guess where I was going is I won't have a regular group/game anymore like I do now. It'll be more of a crapshoot, lol. I am looking forward to the challenge though. This course will put more stress on my game and in different areas which is a great opportunity to improve my accuracy/short game with the smaller greens for example.

 

1 hour ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Congrats on the hole out! That's a rarity and ALWAYS fun. For me especially when things aren't perhaps going so well and it ends up being a par save lol. 

 

For me though when we start getting to 50 yards and beyond I feel comfortable enough with partial wedge there. I don't really think of that as a pitch any more. I've become pretty comfortable with that. Inside 40 I think I'd be making use of that 7i though. 

 

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Thanks!

 

My partial wedge starts more around 70 yard mark since my stock partial SW is 80 yards. My pitch shot is for when I must carry something and tends to max out in that 50 yard range but I only use my SW for that shot. Monte showed us the 7i bump and run in the playing lesson section of the clinic I went to in '23. I have not used it much and that needs to change. There have been times when I could have hit that instead of my pitch shot and I think the results would have been better. The margin of error is higher because a bump and run is a simpler shot and doesn't need as good of a lie, at least for me. I need some grass under the ball to hit a pitch, lol. 

[bortass]

I finally made it to the range this morning. It felt good to practice again. I forgot how these early morning range sessions make me feel. I was alone and it was peaceful. Came away feeling relaxed and positive. A nice change from a normal morning.

 

I did two twenty minute blocks. The first block was the three ball drill from Monte's new Break 100 video with my 7i. The drill, for those that have not seen it, is focused on making solid contact. Take three balls and chip the first making sure to setup weight left and keeping it left; Hit a partial iron again setup with weight left and keeping it left; Last ball is a full swing from normal setup. It highlighted what I already knew, I struggle with solid contact. I did decent with solid contact with the chipping one but that is about it.

 

The second block was making full swings with my 9i. I made a slight change in my approach after a couple balls and began to actively work in cast A from NTC. It made a huge difference in ball flight and overall results. I started to see high shots again that were fairly straight, either a baby fade or rarely a baby draw. There were some clunkers of course but those were mostly fat strikes that still were pretty high and just not as far. I know Monte wanted me to work on using my arms in the downswing because they are too passive but my poor left wrist action has bugged me off and on for a few years now.  I want to keep working on it, along with getting my arms more active. I just hope Monte doesn't tell me I'm an idiot the next time I get to work with him but I do resemble that remark a fair bit so....

[bortass]

Played last Thursday and shot a 96. Played Saturday and shot a 92. The greens were slow from being punched the week before and I just struggled to get the ball to the hole.

 

Sunday morning I played with a buddy and we had to wait on most of our shots because we easily kept pace with the foursome in front of us. there was no place to go and they were playing at a good pace, so it wasn't a slow round. Just a lot of down time between shots. Weather was good which helped.

 

 

1 – par 4, 404 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. I manage solid contact with my driver for a change and it's a nice draw, 237 yards, into the fairway on the right side. The hole is near the middle of the green and I'm 180ish out and opt for my 7w.

 

Contact sucks, thin and toe, and it's a low push fade into the right rough, about 122 yards. I now have to go over a bunker and it's about 60 yards to the hole. I do not have a stock shot for this distance, so I take some off my partial SW. Good contact and it's a high shot onto the green.

 

I'm 15 feet past the hole. My par putt doesn't drop but I have only a foot for bogey, 5.

 

2 – par 3, 142 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The hole is front right and it's about 140ish to center, so I opt for my 7i.

 

I hit a decent looking high shot that goes 135 yards and ends up on the green about 10 feet left and past the hole. My birdie putt misses but I'm inside a foot for an easy par, 3.

 

3 – par 5, 458 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. My drive is off the toe. A high fade that hugs the right tree line and I hear my ball hit branches.

 

The trees knocked my ball down, so it was only a 169 yard drive. I'm on bare dirt/leaves under the trees . My goal is just advance it back into play as best I can. I take my 71 and hit Monte's 4Ls shot and it works out well. A low draw, 126 yards, to get me back in the fairway with a shot at the green.

 

This hole is near the middle and it's 150ish to center. I go with 6i and mishit it, thin, 112 yards and well short of the green. I now have to carry a bunker and I hit a nice high pitch, 49 yards, onto the green about 9 feet past the hole. My par putt goes a couple feet long but I make the bogey putt, 6.

 

4 – par 4, 293 yards, straight, #15 HCP, water left and OoB right. Right side has a slope. There's a fairway bunker on the right. Decent contact with the driver and it's a slight pull draw, 218 yards, into the left rough. The hole is middle left and it's around 90 yards. I go with a partial Aw and hit a nice high shot, 91 yards, to the middle of the green.

 

I have a birdie putt from 15 feet and sink it, 3!

 

5- par 5, 501 yards, dogleg right, #5 HCP, hazard down the left side. There's a slope on the right side which makes the fairway narrow in the landing spot. A stream runs down the right side from the corner to near the green.

 

I hit my drive off the toe again and it's a low fade, 202 yards, into the right rough. I have a decent lie and angle so try to hit my 4w. I make contact with the toe and a very open face. The ball starts well right of my intended line, hits a tree and drops into the stream.

 

I drop, about 112 yards from prior spot, and try my 4w again with similar results except this time the tree kicks the ball back into the fairway a whooping 66 yards closer to the hole.

 

The hole is back right and around 115 yards or so. Long is bad, so I do not feel good with my normal 9i. My partial PW won't go that far either. So I take my 9i and make my partial wedge swing with it instead. It comes out very well and I get on the green 12 feet below the hole.

 

Two putts later I have my first double of the day, 7.

 

My second shot was not a great decision. My 4w off the deck is very hit and miss lately. I could have hit a 5i and the odds are it stays dry and I'd have either a full 8i or 9i into the green.

 

6 – par 4, 367 yards, slight dogleg left, #7 HCP. Medium width landing area with a bunker on the left. Houses are on the right and there's a sharp slope into the left trees if you end up too far into the left rough.

 

Pretty good contact with driver and it's a lowish draw down the left side, 223 yards. I'm in the fairway and have a slight downhill lie. Flag is near the middle and it's about 130ish, so 8i. I chunk it 110 yards instead. The front of the green is elevated by 4 – 6 feet but there is nothing but grass between me and the hole. I use my 9i and hit the bump and run from Monte's break 100 video.

 

The ball gets up on the green and rolls towards the hole, 23 yards, and the ball stops about a foot out, par 4.

 

7 – par 4, 351 yards, slight dogleg right, #11 HCP, elevated tee shot to a wide open fairway that slopes down right to left all the way to about the 100 yard marker. Bunkers on the left marking the corner and a slope on the right.

 

I like teeing off on this hole but only manage an okay draw, 223 into the left rough. That leaves me about 140ish from the hole. I mishit my 7i, 134 yards, push fade that misses the green a fair bit right. Nothing but grass to the hole, so I try my 7i and a bump and run. Good contact but I blow it past the hole and through the green, lol.

 

I chip again, this time with putter to 2 feet and I make the bogey putt, 5.

 

8 – par 3, 160 yards, elevated tee shot, #13 HCP, bunker on the right side of the green. Slope to the right of this hole that is weed whacked. So it's long stuff and wild. Balls can get lost here. The flag is near the center and I opt for my 8i.

 

A nice high shot, 142 yards, that lands near the front of the green. I have 33 feet for birdie and leave it three feet short... Crap! I do sink the par putt though, 3.

 

9 – par 4, 357 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. I mishit my driver, 206 yards, a low pull draw into the left side of the fairway.

 

The hole is front right and my 6i should get me on the green. I mishit it, high push fade, 144 yards, and my ball ends up to the right of the green. Not great but at least it's dry.

 

I hit a bump and run with my 9i and hit it through the green... Try again and I get it to 9 feet. Two putts later I have my second double of the day, 6.

 

That really sucked. Not gonna lie.

 

10 – par 4, 342 yards, dogleg left, #10 HCP hole. Elevated tee shot to a lower fairway. Green is elevated with a bunker front right. I tee off with 4w and hit an okay shot. My normal toey push fade but I aimed far enough left my ball land sin the fairway instead of near the right tree line.

 

Middle front pin location and I hit my 6i. Poorly... a low push fade, 134 yards, and just right of the front bunker. I can barely see the top of the flag and have to carry the bunker that's built in the face of the upslope leading to the green. I hit an awesome pitch with my SW to 3 feet! I make the putt! 4, par.

 

11 – par 4, 329 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. The stars align and I hit a great looking draw with my 7w, 190 yards, into the middle of the fairway, past the corner.

 

The hole is front left but closer to the middle. I'm above the green and have a level lie. I hit a great looking high draw with 9i, 127 yards, onto the green about 9 feet past the hole. Two putts and I have my par, 4.

 

12 – par 4, 315 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. I hit a decent high draw with my 4w, 181 yards, into the fairway on the right, which makes the hole a bit longer.

 

The hole is back left and about 120ish. I chunk the snot out of my 9i and it only goes 88 yards. I decide to bump and run my 7i and do not hit it hard enough. The ball goes about 26 yards and just gets on the front left of the green. I'm 18 feet short of the hole and two putt for bogey, 5.

 

13 – par 3, 123 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and left and long left. Tiered green as well. The hole is middle back and around 130ish yards. I opt for my 8i and completely mishit it. A low, very thin, push fade, 102 yards next to the right front bunker.

 

I have a clear path to the hole and bump and run my 7i, poorly. Again not hard enough. I'm 31 feet below the hole and putting up a tier. I get my par putt to 2 feet and make the bogey, 4.

 

14 – par 5, 543, straight hole, #4 HCP. Elevated tee shot to wide open fairway. Fairway slopes down left to right, water on the right closer to the green and fronting the entire green.

 

My drive is a solid draw, 234 yards into the middle of the fairway. I have a real good lie and go with my 4w. I make solid contact and hit a high draw, 191 yards, into the fairway on the left.

 

The hole is back right, near the pond, and it's around 120 yards. I aim more towards the middle with my 9i and chunk it 51 yards... Now I have a partial SW and just need to take a little off it, so I flub it 36 yards...

 

I have to chip with my wedge and hit it okay, 35 yards, but 18 feet left of the cup. Two putts later I have a double bogey, 7.

 

It took me three shots to get on when I was 120 yards from the hole. That is pure suck IMO.

 

15 – par 4, 264 yards, straight, #16 HCP. Elevated tee shot to a fairway that is always soft and cart path only year round. Fairway bunkers on left side in line with the green. Bunker surround this green except for the left side.

 

I hit a decent draw with my driver, 210 yards into the left rough near a fairway bunker. I hit an okay pitch with my SW,39 yards, to get on but I'm 27 feet short of the hole which is back left. My birdie putt ends up about 2 feet out and I come away with a par, 4.

 

16 – par 3, 147 yards, #8 HCP. Elevated green with a forced stream carry. Bunkers short right and long left and middle. Tiered green with a strong back left to front right slope. The hole is middle front and I go with my 7i. It's a high fade, 139 yards, that ends up in the front fringe to the right of the hole. I use my putter to chip it to a foot and I have my par, 3.

 

17 – par 4, 363 yards, dogleg left, #6 HCP. Fairly open fairway with bunkers on the right at the corner. Green has a tier and heavily slopes left to right, can putt off this green... Bunkers short of the green as well.

 

I hit a decent draw with my driver, 219 yards, into the center of the fairway. The hole is front left and I have a 7i in. It's a nice looking high shot, 145 yards, that lands on the green about 30 feet left of the hole. I have a tricky downslope putt and I miss and the ball stops three feet out. I somehow make the par putt, 4.

 

18 – par 5, 504 yards, straightish, #2 HCP. There is a stream carry on either the second or third shot. There is also a pond fronting the green...

 

My buddy asks me what the best score I have ever shot is. I tell him 82 but I'm not on pace for that and if I am, I don't want to know. Shows you how out of touch I am with the scorecard.

 

I hit a fairly solid drive, 225, into the right side of the fairway. I am close enough to the stream I can go across with my 4w with plenty of room to spare. I aim for the fairway bunkers on the left and swing. It's a high push fade heading down the right side of the fairway by the pond. We see my ball land and disappear from view.

 

What the hell, I was aiming a good 40 yards left of the pond and I still went at it. We get to where my ball should have gone in and see it about a foot short of the bank, still in the rough!

 

I just dodged a bullet. The hole is middle back and I feel like I should hit a partial AW from the rough. I make good contact and it goes 89 yards, over the flag into the back bunker.

 

Well damn. There's no lip and I chip out with my 9i to a foot and make the par putt, 5.

 

A 42/40, 82! I tied my best ever round with three doubles on the card. This was a round where I wasn't paying attention to score at all. There was no money game and we had to wait a fair bit,so it was hit the ball and shoot the breeze while waiting. A very relaxed round and I think that helped quite a bit. It dropped my index by 0.5 to 17.6.

 

The only thing I am purposely doing different is the last week or so is my grip and posture. I'm trying to keep inline with Monte's video. The grip seems to be coming along but the posture needs more work. It's not throwing me off though which is good.

 

Two keys for the low score was I had no penalties off the tee and I putted much better than normal. All areas of my game had better than normal performances but I think those two areas are the biggies.

 

birdies: 1

pars: 9

bogeys: 5

double bogeys: 3

triple+: 0

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 209 yards

Longest drive: 237 yards

Fairways: 9/14

GIR: 6/18

Avg Approach: 111 yards

Up & down: 4/10

Putts: 30

 

Strokes gained compared to a 10 HCP. 

Overall: +0.6 strokes

driving: -0.4,

Approach: -2.9

Short game: +2.7

Putting: +1.2

 

[bortass]

I also played today with the seniors. I shot 42 on the front with the same mix, birdie, 3 pars, 3 bogeys and two doubles as Sunday. The back 9 wasn't quite as good though with a 45, thanks to three doubles. Still an 87 is pretty good for me. I was just glad to see I was able to keep what I had going on Sunday. I feel pretty good about the last two rounds just in time to take some time off from golf. I think my next round will be the 14th because we got the clear to close on the new place today. I'll be playing my September rounds at my current club and will need to see how it all shakes out in October. I expect to join that course in October but may still get some rounds in here since it's still "private but the public can book via GolfNow and we aren't gonna call ourselves semi-private because the dues are to high for that". Can you tell I'm not happy about what my current club is doing? lol.

 

Have a good one!

[bortass]

As of 10/1, I no longer belong to a club. I have mixed feelings about it. I will miss the guys I golfed with every weekend. They are a fun bunch of guys to be on the course with. I'll miss the greens at Chapel Hills. Those were always in great shape. The range was the other big factor. It was easy for me to get out in the morning before work to practice. Lastly, I'll miss the private aspect but that's been dead since April.

 

What I will not miss is the club management. They turned it into a semi-private club in all but name. They opened up the tee sheets to the public except for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday mornings since late April. They claim it's a private club still though. Our monthly dues remained the same which are higher than all the other semi-private courses in the area. Public golfers could also play for less than what most member costs per round were. Of course there are exceptions, if you got out enough.  It became more difficult to just get out in an afternoon for 9 as well. Lastly, not golf related but when we first joined there were events etc, it wasn't just golf. COVID messed that up and they have not been able to get back on track. My wife was fond of saying, 'we're paying a lot for you to play golf'. The social aspect provided value to us. The new management team talked a good game but never got it turned around. The club situation was the final nudge we needed to decide to move.

 

We closed on a new place in early September. That's why I haven't been posting and only played five rounds since my last post. Today is the first time I have my desktop readily available. I really dislike trying to post on my phone, lol. All my rounds were in the 90s: 92, 94, 94, 97, and 98 (not in order played). It was a struggle, lol. I was scrambling during all these rounds. I learned a couple of obvious things. It's hard to play decently with a sore/stiff back and core from moving boxes. A sedentary job was no help on that front. Not enough sleep also made it rough during a few rounds.

 

What kinda bugged me is I felt like I forgot how to swing a club, namely irons. My mishit was a low aka thin, severe push fade. No video but it felt like I was shifting my weight towards my trail side on the downswing. Dunno how true that was but I definitely did not stay down and many a goat was humped.

 

I will finish my Chapel Hills era with a 17.9 index. I'm okay with this because I was not able to practice nearly as much as I had hoped with work and the housing search. 2024 is kind of feeling like a lost year right now. No big gains but I haven't lost everything. I am still much better today than I was when I first played Chapel Hills in 2019. My opening round was 53 for nine and my last round was a 48/44 92 with an 8 on both sides, lol.

 

What now?

 

New place is on a public course. I will join it in November I think. There are a lot of projects I need to do at the new house and we still need to get the 'old house' ready to go on the market. We finally got enough stuff to sleep and work from the new house but that's about it.

 

This course is more difficult, very hilly, with small greens. It will take me a while to adapt because this will stress parts of my game that were not needed as much in the past. I am really looking forward to playing because it seems like a real fun course based on the one time I played during the house hunting. It's golf only and significantly cheaper. The only drawback is there is no range membership, so I'll be buying balls every time I go practice. Based on the math I'd have to hit the range close to 30 times to have it cost as much as what our CH membership was. I also don't know if the range is grass or mats. 

 

I think an unfinished room in the basement may be big enough to support a golf simulator. I haven't measured it yet but that's a project that'll be a year or two out. That will really help me practice if I'm able to pull it off.

 

End of the day, all that's changing is where I'm going to play and practice. I still think I can shoot scores in the mid to low 80s more often and maybe I can actually break 80 someday. My goals haven't changed. Things will be slow for a bit but I expect that to change.

 

Cheers!

[bortass]

Golf has been a very minor backdrop with this move. Trying to move and all the work that needs to be done at the new place has been and still is priority.
 

I managed one round in October at my old course but there wasn’t much to say about it. Shot in the mid 90s with my typical pattern of good holes being ruined by blow ups. I can’t complain because I have spent no time on the range in a couple months and only played a few times during the same timeframe.

 

I did join the club last week but have yet to play. I’m hoping to get out this week weather permitting and was given the info for a regular Saturday men’s group by a neighbor. That should give me motivation to play and practice more.  I have a feeling I’ll embarrass myself when I do play, lol. Just joking but my expectations are quite low with a new course I don’t know how to play and my lack of swinging a club. Gotta get started again somehow though.

 

 

[bortass]

I suck. No seriously, I am so bad I can't get to P6 with any reliability!

 

I went to the range, more on that later, and broke out the Hackmotion. I used my 9i and did the drill that the app recommended based on my prior two uses of the HM which were in 12/23 and 8/24. All I needed to do was make at least 10 swings with a P6 backswing. It took 42 tries to manage 12 shots that were counted! The app threw out 30 swings because I either didn't reach or went past shaft parallel. I think I figured out why near the end of my 42 tries. I kept going past P6.

 

How did I do on my 12 reps? Terrible... See below. The good news is if I keep trying this drill, I may learn how to make a P6 backswing.

 

 

 

I saved 10 balls to just do full swing free practice to see what those looked like. Well I hit two decent shots total. First and last. The main reason I used this mode was to see the stats, namely tempo. Guess what? I'm freaking slow... My average tempo ratio was 3.4. My best shot was the last one where I made sure to try and use my arms more and it had a tempo of 3.5.

 

 

Now, I have a bunch of other numbers for those 10 swings but just wanted to point out the temp piece. I really don't know what some of them mean such as the rotation stats that seem to say I over rotate at one point and then do okay at the second point. Gotta do some more research/learning about what things mean but the tempo stat is the one I was really interested in. I know my wrist movement is bad and now i can say I'm slow too.

 

 

As for the range itself, today was the first time I directly paid for a bucket of balls in over 10 years. My last two courses had range memberships, so I just paid once a year and could hit all the balls I wanted. This place does not offer that option. I just got a small bucket which had about 50 balls in it. I'll have to see how paying each time I hit balls impacts my practice habits. Granted this was my first range session in months thanks to the move.  I know, cry me a river, first world problems, lol.  

 

As for the range itself, it has both mats and grass. The grass area had a lot of sand but was level and that's what I hit off today. My old range had longer grass and it wasn't always level. This range is all downhill. Much more severely than my last course. This doesn't matter much to me since I don't use the range to figure out distances. The new place has fewer targets though which is a drawback but that may force some creativity on my part when I get to the point of hitting to a target.

 

End of the day, it felt good to practice and what I have available to me is fine. I see no reason that the range at the new course would cause any issues outside of possible cost of balls if I go a lot. Flip side is maybe that will get me to work on my putting more since that's free, lol.

 

I'm on tap to play Saturday with a new( to me) group of guys. I don't expect much with regard to my game since I have not been playing/practicing. I have only played this course once and it was back in late June. It's very hilly with not many level lies. I hope whomever I'm paired with will offer some advice on where to hit or not hit the ball. It'll be fun to get out there again though.

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bortass]

Got out to play 18 Saturday. It was in the low 40s when we teed off. Sun was out and there was some wind as well which seemed to change directions at times. I can't say if the wind helped or hurt any of my shots. I have only played this course once and that was almost 5 months ago. It was going to be an adventure.

 

Coweta Club, white tees, 70.4/129, 6202 yards per the card. All hole description yardages are from the card. The course winds through a subdivision and every hole has trees on both sides. There are no holes where a miss will just put you on another hole. The course is also hilly. There are a lot of uneven lies out there. Greens are small IMO, have no tiers, and some are in rough shape.

 

 

1 – par 4, 300 yards, slight dogleg right, #15 HCP. There is a gully of sorts fronting the tee boxes. The landing area is lower than the tee boxes but wide. There's a dip in the fairway short of the green before it rises back up to the fringe, so short shots may roll back away from the green. One small bunker is front left.

 

Tee off with driver and it's a decent draw, 227, into the left middle of the fairway. I have about 80 or so yards to the hole, which is front right, and chunk my partial SW. It goes 68 yards and I miss short and right. I'm in the rough and the green is elevated a few yards and I wasn't sure about a 9i bump and run chip, so I went with my SW. Decent contact but I come up short. I chip with my putter and somehow sink it for par, 4.

 

2 – par 4, 354 yards, slight dogleg right, #3 HCP. Fairly wide fairway with no real trouble. Too far right could block you out though. The entire fairway slopes left to right. The green is slightly elevated compared to the fairway and there's another dip between the fairway and green. There is a fairway bunker on the right near the green and another bunker guarding the front right.

 

I hit driver and it's a low draw into the left rough. The ball is below my feet and I'm 150ish out and go with my 6i. I shank it across the fairway into the right trees. I think my ball is OOB, so I just take S&D and try again. I make contact but never see my ball since I'm looking right into the sun. I never find it and take an X(7).

 

3 – par 3, 150 yards, #17 HCP. There is a gully/stream bed with stuff growing in it about halfway between the tee and green, so a forced carry. A small bunker is front right. The green is a little lower than the tee boxes.

 

I try my 6i again and make okay contact but the it's a bit heavy. Ball goes 127 yards and lands short of the green on the left. I chip with my SW and the ball stops about 9 feet past the cup. I don't read enough break and miss low and come away with a bogey, 4.

 

4 – par 4, 340 yards, fairly straight hole, #13 HCP. Tees are lower than the fairway landing spot and there is another stream forced carry between tees and fairway. The landing area is very wide but the right side slopes steeply into the woods. The fairway dips again, probably 100 yards short of the green, and rises back up to an elevated green. There are two fairway pot bunkers on the right side where the fairway starts to rise towards the green again.

 

I hit a low draw with my driver, 192 yards, into the left rough. I'm 150ish again and go with 6i. Okay contact but heavy and it only goes 125 yards and my ball ends up short on the left side. The green is elevated and the corner of a bunker is in my path, so I use my SW and hit a high pitch in. It comes out nicely, about 25 yards, and stops 5 feet from the cup. I miss low and it's a bogey, 5.

 

5- par 5, 490 yards, another fairly straight hole, #9 HCP. Decent fairway width and the fairway may be o bit higher than the tees. The fairway then drops to a gully with brush short of the green with a small gap on the left side that rises to an elevated green. Behind the green is a slope going up that is covered in very long grass and whatever else will grow. This makes it tricky because short runs the risk of rolling back into the gully and long is very difficult as well.

 

Another low draw with my driver, 218 yards, into the middle of the fairway. The gully is about 200 yards away . I decide to hit my 6i and use the down slope to try to get close to the gully. Contact is good for a change and my ball lands over the crest and is out of sight. It's a 195 yard shot thanks to the down slope and my ball is probably 10 yards short of the gully.

 

I'm inside 50 yards and hit my pitch too hard. The ball goes 46 yards and into the back rough. I bump and run chip with my 9i to 6 feet. It's another two putt for bogey, 6.

 

I can't get the speed of the greens down...

 

6 – par 4, 404 yards, close to 45* dogleg left, #1 HCP. It's tight off the tee and then opens up in the landing area at the corner of the dogleg. A tee shot of 210+ yards risks going through the fairway and into trees. If you get too close to the outside edge of the fairway, you will not have a shot at the green. The fairway narrows as it drops to another stream, forced carry, around 100 yards short of the green. The fairway rises up to the green and a small set of three bunkers guard the front left.

 

I use my 7w and make good contact. A nice draw but it's also a bit of a push. 178 yard shot into the right rough. I'm about 200 yards out but my stance is a bit wonky, so using a wood is out of the question. I have to layup and figure my 5i will clear the gully. Decent contact and my balls lands on the other side, 159 yards. The green is above me and I try to pitch on with SW. Contact is thin and I launch it 63 yards and over the green. I bump and run with 9i to 9 feet.

 

I make a comment to the guys I'm playing with that I'll probably leave it short yet again. I hit the putt and it's tracking right at the center of the cup and stops about ¼ of an inch short, lol.

 

Double, 6.

 

7 – par 5, 514 yards, fairly straight hole but the green is a bit off set to the left, #7 HCP. The fairway goes up to a crest before it starts to drop to the green, so you are teeing off into an up slope. There are a set of fairway bunkers on the left side about 300 yards from the white tees. Being on the left side will block you out from the green or you have to deal with trees. There is a pond to the right of the green. Overall this hole is narrows as it approaches the green.

 

I hit a pull into the left trees with my driver, 219 yards. I find my ball and it takes me two shots to advance it about 60 yards with my 5i. Let's just say I pretty much keep the left treeline in my path the rest of the way and I pickup after I can't reach the green with my 6^th shot. I card an X(8)

 

8 – par 3, 152 yards, elevated green, #11 HCP. There is a forced carry, stream, about halfway to the green. It's really only in play with the tee shot. It then climbs up higher than the tee boxes. Short shots will likely roll backwards away from the green but that's about it.

 

145ish yards and I hit 6i. It's heavy and goes 123 yards and lands short of the green but it's up on top of the slope and doesn't roll down and away from the green. I bump and run with my 9i to inside 3 feet and make a putt at last, par, 3.

 

9 – par 4, 366 yards, straight hole, #5 HCP. The tees are elevated but so is the green. Imagine a U with the green being higher than the tee box. Your tee shot is into the face of the slope rising to the green. It's also very steep just short of the green the green.

 

Hit another pull draw with driver, 200 yards, into the left rough. It's about 120 yards or so but the green is 15 yards above me. I opt for my 8i and hit it okay but it's a push., 111 yards. My ball lands on the slope fronting the green on the right side. I try to pitch with my SW and blade it over the green, 33 yards. I then try to chip with my SW and hit it too firm and off the front of the green. LOL.

 

A chip with my putter to 2 feet leads to a double bogey, 6.

 

On the surface the front 9 would seem to be terrible. A couple doubles and I have picked up on two holes and marked those as triples which is NDB. I'm completely fine with things. I'm playing a course I don't know with guys I just met that morning. Golf has been out of the picture for most of the last 10 weeks. I did get a bit frustrated on #7 but it was that initial flash of WTH are you doing after each mishit. It didn't stay with me and I'm having a good time.

 

10 – par 4, 390 yards, dogleg right, #4 HCP hole. There is a steep slope to the right at the corner that goes down to a stream, about 270ish yards from the tees and inside 100 from center. The ball will feed right and take the slope if you hit the ball around 210ish off the tee. There's a bunker short right just across the stream and below the green. A small set of bunkers curve around the left side of the green.

 

Go big or go home! I aim to the left with my driver and hit a low draw that takes the slope towards the gully. I find my ball about 5 yards short of it, 264 yard drive! Okay, it rolled for 50 of it, LOL. Driver may not be the club for this hole but what the heck.

 

I have about 100 yards and hit my partial PW heavy and push it as well. It goes about 91 yards and misses the green short and right. The hole is front left and I bump and run with 9i. Contact is bad and I get on but 14 feet short. I miss the par putt but get a bogey, 5.

 

11 – par 4, 354 yards, straight hole, uphill the entire way, #8 HCP. There's a forced carry over a stream off the tee. The fairway is wide but slopes to the right. It's entirely uphill and balls that get too close to the right side may take a slope into the trees. There's a bunker about 20 yards short of the front right with another bunker just past it fronting the green.

 

My drive is a low drive into the face of the up slope, 195 yards, but I'm in the middle of the fairway. I opt for my 5i and shank it, 106 yards, into the right trees. I'm lucky and find my ball. I hack it out and my ball hits the rake sitting right behind the bunker that's 20 yards short of the green.

 

I get lucky again and my ball stays in the rough. I move the rake and hit a high pitch to the green above me. A great looking shot that ends up within 3 feet of the cup! Too bad I miss the bogey putt... double, 6.

 

12 – par 4, 351 yards, dogleg right, #6 HCP. It's narrow off the tee but opens up as you approach the corner. A couple fairway bunkers guard the outside edge of the corner in the rough, about 220 yards from the white tees. There's more room to miss the green to the left than right.

 

Another low pull draw with my driver, 216 yards, into the rough between the fairway bunkers at the outside of the corner. I'm not in a good spot with the rough and ball below my feet. I take my 6i and hit a low push, 130 yards, into the rough on the right side, short of the green. I pitch with my SW, 26 yards, to 8 feet and two putt for bogey.

 

13 – par 3, 181 yards, #16 HCP, the tees are very elevated on this hole. Imagine a lopsided U with the green being on the low side. There are a couple bunkers on the left edge of the rough and trees short of the green. A large bunker is front right and a set of four small bunkers curl from three back right to back left of the green.

 

One of the guys has the flag playing at 165 w/ slope. I didn't like this hole the first and only time I played the course because it's a long par 3 and I am not good with my approach shots. I don't trust an iron and tee off with my 7w.

 

I don't know how but I hit a great looking shot. High draw that drops onto the back of the green, 187 yards. My ball is a foot from it's pitch mark. I'm also 39 feet past the hole. I have a downhill birdie putt that I leave 4 feet short. I do make the par putt though, 3.

 

14 – par 5, 515, straight hole, #10 HCP. The fairway is more narrow but there's no real trouble outside of the trees on both sides. There are a couple of fairway bunkers about 80ish yards short of the green. There's another bunker front right and a second on the left side towards the back of the green which would catch balls that would otherwise take a slope into the trees.

 

It's another low shot with my driver, think a draw, at the right side of the fairway, 207 yards. I have a great lie and decide to hit my 4w short of the fairway bunkers. I don't know what I did, yet again, but hit a great looking high draw, 189 yards. I now have a partial SW in which I chunk and push, 59 yards, short of the green on the right. I'm close enough to chip with my putter, 16 yards, to 4 feet and I make the putt, par, 4.

 

15 – par 4, 360 yards, straight, #12 HCP. There are a couple of trees on the left side that cut into the fairway short of the green. So a tee shot into the left rough will lead to them being in the mix with your approach shot. This fairway also slopes right to left.

 

I hit a very solid( for me) draw with my driver, 238 yards, into the left rough. The trees that jut out on the left near the green shouldn't be a big deal. I have a clear shot at over 2/3 of the green. It's about 90 yards and I hit a partial AW which I pull, lol. It hugs the tree line and catches a branch and drops in the fringe on the left side of the green. I'm about 12 yards from the hole and chip with my putter. It drops for birdie, 3!

 

16 – par 3, 157 yards, #18 HCP. Elevated tees and a long narrow green. A stream is on the right side by the green and there's a single bunker front left. The green slopes from back left to front right.

 

I bhit a solid push with my 6i, 147 yards, to the right of the green and about a yard short of the drop-off into the stream. I decide to bump and run with mu 9i and hit a pretty solid chip. The ball is rolling towards the hole and I barely miss high. Almost had a second birdie but no dice, plus that's not very realistic at my skill level. I make the 2 foot par putt though, 3.

 

17 – par 4, 250 yards, straight, #14 HCP. The tees are very elevated. The fairway is narrow and the green is slightly offset to the left. A few bunkers guard short right. Another guards short left. There are mature trees that poke out a bit on the left side near the green. This is a drive-able hole.

 

The tees are forward and it's about 230 yards to the hole. I'm going for it! It's a very solid fade down the left side that catches a branch near the green. My ball drops in the rough between the two front green side bunkers, 211 yards. I deice to bump and run the 9i again and don't give it enough force and leave it short of the green, lol.

 

I can't get a GIR from inside 15 yards. That's talent! I chip with my putter to about a foot and at least have an easy par, 4

 

 

 

18 – par 5, 544 yards, slight dogleg right, #2 HCP. The fairway drops off into a wide gully that you can't see from the tee boxes at the corner. The landing area is wide and there's a small slope on the left side that you can try to bank your tee shot off but anything 220ish yards is likely in that gully. The fairway climbs back up from the gully and the green is the highest point on this hole. A cluster of bunkers are short and left of the green to catch balls that would otherwise take the steep slope into the trees on the left. The main defense on this hole is the length and the gully takes driver out of the mix unless you can carry about 250ish.

 

This time I know about the gully and tee off with my 4w. I am pretty sure I came in very steep because I pop the ball up and it only goes 145 yards. I'm on an up slope and need to hit 4w to get over the gully. Contact is meh but it goes 178 yards and it's in the left rough on the other side.

 

No way can I reach this green. I don't have a great lie, yet again, so I just hit a partial PW. I finally make solid contact with a partial wedge and it's a nice looking draw that goes 110 yards. I'm in the fairway on the left and have another partial PW to get on.

 

I shank it into the right trees... I find it on the edge. I'm above the green and the ball is sitting on leaves. I hit a little chip with my SW and the balls gets on the green and rolls 15 feet past the hole, 36 yard shot. I miss the putt and come away with a double bogey, 7.

 

A 49*/41, 90*. This assumes triples on the holes that I picked up on, which is NDB for me. This is a differential of 17.2 and didn't shift my index which is still 18.3. Part of it is I have been at the soft cap for a number of rounds now. The round that rolled off had a differential of about 25 and wasn't being used. The soft cap is gone now though, so something positive for my index came from it.

 

I am very happy with the results. I played much better than I expected. The front 9 was not a surprise but the back was. Two things really helped. No penalties with my driver and short game. The greens being small made chipping a bit easier, plus no tiers to deal with. I'm excited to get back out there again.

 

I am really starting to think my ball position is a bit off. My driver was almost always going left, more forward, but irons and wedges were the push fades. I'm fine with the driver going left compared to the weak push fade misses that I tend to have with it. I'm wondering if part of my push fade issue with irons is possibly caused by the ball being too far back in my stance. Something I'll have to think about.

 

birdies: 1

pars: 6

bogeys: 5

double bogeys: 4

triple+: 2

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 210 yards,

Longest drive: 264 yards

Fairways: 7/14

GIR: 1/18

Avg Approach: 107 yards

Up & down: 5/15

Putts: 23(for 16 holes)

 

Strokes gained compared to a 10 HCP. 

Overall: -7.5 strokes

driving: -0.6, not a single penalty off the tee.

Approach: -9.1, terrible

Short game: +3.6

Putting: -1.4* The two holes I picked up on I just said I two putted. So this stat is questionable but Arccos doesn't have a way to flag that you picked up.

 

 Have a good turkey day for any US readers!

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Funny per the discussion in my thread... You barely play or practice for months and you shoot better than your differential, on a course that doesn't give you any leeway if you're wild off the tee. What's the point of practice? 😄

 

Interesting stuff on the driver / left and irons / push fade stuff. 

 

With ball position, the ball too far back would make it harder (due to D-plane) to actually get the face closed. So that would be understandable for a push with irons. And with the ball farther forward with driver would suggest the face has closed more so a pull with driver would make sense. 

 

However, what happens after the initial direction of the ball doesn't compute. I.e. I have a predominantly in->out swing. Which for me with irons mean that if I don't get the face closed in time, it's a straight block. I'm not likely to fade my irons. A perfect shot for me with an iron is a push draw. An open face is a straight block. And a closed face... Goodbye! On the other hand, with driver (due to D-plane) it's different. Since I have a predominantly in->out swing, the ball position with driver usually leaves me with a very neutral path. So if I match up the face I get a very straight ballflight. If I leave it open it'll be a push fade, but that's due to neutral path, open face, meaning face-to-path is negative. I don't often snap hook the driver, but when I do it's because I've gone completely haywire with weight shift and path and I don't even know what happened lol. 

 

You've historically had a bit of an OTT move and struggled with fades. So a push fade with irons makes some sense. Although D-plane would tend to catch the irons earlier in the arc and be LESS out->in than later, you may be relatively neutral with irons so an open face means path is [roughly] neutral, face is open, and face-to-path is negative meaning you hit a push fade, much like I do on driver when I leave it open. But I would think that with driver, your out->in path would be even more prevalent, so that even if you pulled it, you'd be hard pressed to make your miss a straight pull rather than a pull fade / pull slice. Unless you're REALLY closing it and losing it miles left... 

 

Are you trying to do things different in your driver swing vs irons? For me, I generally try to make the same swing. Differences in setup and ball position exist, sure. But I don't try to make a "different swing" for driver than everything else. It seems to me that a lot of people get screwed up when they try to change everything for driver. 

[bortass]

@betarhoalphadelta You bring up good points. I have heard of D plane but no clue what it was. I found a couple brief videos on the subject last night and I think I get the gist of it. That alone could explain the difference, I doubt it really does completely because of swing flaws are part of the mix too. The Youtube rabbit hole pointed out a couple things that I know I do can help cause a push fade. My left wrist doesn't flatten at the start of my downswing, cast A from NTC. I also fan the face open during my takeaway when I roll my forearms and my grip may be a touch weak.

 

My predominate ball flights are:

well struck Irons/woods = push draw. Starts right and curves left and is nice and high and goes further than normal, since I mishit it most of the time. 

normal miss irons/woods = push fade. Start right and curve right. The longer the club the more right the ball will start.

 

Well struck driver is either a high push draw or a high pull fade. My driver can do either but they are a bit rare, so I'm not sure which one wins out. I really don't care which it is because both are great looking.

normal miss driver is either high push fade or low pull draw. I will hit the push fade further offline than the pull draw. The push just starts more right than the pull starts left and it's a pretty big difference IMO.

 

I rarely hit a pull slice anymore. It used to be the only thing I could hit with my driver back before 2011. Push hooks are very rare and I don't recall hitting one in a very long time. Snap hooks are rare but happen when I get wiggy with the swing. I always feel something glaringly wrong with the swing that result in those.

 

 

You asked about my driver swing. I don't intentionally do anything different either. 

 

15 hours ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

Funny per the discussion in my thread... You barely play or practice for months and you shoot better than your differential, on a course that doesn't give you any leeway if you're wild off the tee. What's the point of practice? 😄

 

 Here is what is funny. Per the rating/slope this course is harder than I was playing but right now I do not think it is, based on my whooping two rounds played. Prior course, Chapel Hills, had OoB/hazards on both sides on 16 holes versus trees on both sides of all 18 here. I don't know how the trees are marked at Coweta yet. My guess is OoB stakes may be deeper in the trees. I'll learn more when I actually start to spray some shots, lol.

 

A couple differences:

• Chapel Hills is almost never playable if you go into the trees. There is either marsh or it's heavily over grown with brush, most of the time it's not worth looking for your ball unless you think it's close enough to the edge to retrieve it. New place, Coweta, is more open under the trees. A ball that would be lost/unplayable at CH may be playable at Coweta.
• Chapel Hills is more narrow and has more doglegs. It's a figure 8. Coweta has a number of holes that run next to each other but there's 30+ yards of mature woods separating them and if you did hit a ball high and offline enough to land  in one of them, you're dead.
• Coweta has smaller greens with no tiers. Smaller means easier to miss but it also means easier to putt. No tiers means easier to putt. Chapel Hills' greens are excellent, the ball will roll true. Coweta's are in rough shape so some putts are like putting on a punched green. The ball may do something weird when it hits a dead spot.
• Chapel Hills has some hills but most holes are flat. Coweta is much hillier with more slopes in the fairways. I expect more uneven lies at Coweta, so it'll help me learn to hit those shots over time.
• Coweta has no significant water in play. CH has the pond that fronts both 9 and 18 greens. There's the lake on 14 that covers the entire right side of the fairway and green from about 200 yards out. 
• Coweta has more forced carries caused by small streams/gullies cutting across fairways.

 

My round was 'saved' by the consistent pulls with my driver. If I had ever hit my normal high push fade into the right trees, I'd have been screwed. My only penalties were from a shanked iron. 

Add in NDB capping my two blowups that I never finished and it kept things in check.

 

Last thing is related to what Monte wants me to work on. Speeding up my arms, that's it. I wasn't trying to do anything different with my swing, outside of that one swing thought. I haven't been trying to change much of anything with my swing mechanics. My swing gets more erratic when I'm actively trying to change something like weight shift or how I use my wrists. I was not dealing with any of that. I was just trying to swing the club. I think I dumbed it down as much as i could out there.

[mshills]

I played Coweta Club all the time after I quit Canongate. Shot my career low there, on my birthday, the day I finished grad school!

 

I also had the honor of being in the very first twosome to play it, a few days before the official opening. I got low blood sugar late in the front nine, called the trailer, they had nothing but the pro ordered a huge pizza and drove it out to us on #11 green, I’ll never forget that!

 

Hope the greens aren’t unrecoverable. Do they still have that big ole rock in the middle of #10 fairway? It was right where I’d land a hybrid, made that tee shot tough. 

[bortass]

33 minutes ago, mshills said:

I played Coweta Club all the time after I quit Canongate. Shot my career low there, on my birthday, the day I finished grad school!

 

I also had the honor of being in the very first twosome to play it, a few days before the official opening. I got low blood sugar late in the front nine, called the trailer, they had nothing but the pro ordered a huge pizza and drove it out to us on #11 green, I’ll never forget that!

 

Hope the greens aren’t unrecoverable. Do they still have that big ole rock in the middle of #10 fairway? It was right where I’d land a hybrid, made that tee shot tough. 

I really like the course and the crew is trying to make things better. They replaced the grass on 9 and 18 last month. Today, there was sand on a few of the greens. Just a light coating. I've never seen that except for when greens are punched, which is not the case.

 

I don't recall seeing a big rock on 10, so it must be gone.

[bortass]

Okay, I should keep my fat mouth shut...

 

Played the front this afternoon. I didn't rush and it took just over 90 minutes. I wasn't waiting on anyone but I did have to hunt for my ball once and I sometimes hit a second shot after flubbing the first.

 

I shot an even 50 with a blow up quad. My only penalty was when I hit out of a fairway bunker and pulled it into the left trees, led to a double. The greens only bit me once. Par putt on #8 and my ball hops after hitting a dead patch that was less than a foot in front of my ball. It got airborne and kicked a touch right. The ball stopped next to the cup.

 

I struggled off the tee. Topped driver on #2, pushed driver on #4 into a fairway bunker. Steep skyball 7w on #6. Pulled driver into left trees on #7. I was also catching it thin and hit a couple low pull fades, lol.

 

None of my irons or partial wedges went right on me though! I strengthened my grip a touch and it seems to have helped. 

 

birdies: 0

pars: 2

bogeys: 2

double bogeys: 4

triple+: 1

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 180 yards,

Longest drive: 206 yards

Fairways: 5/7

GIR: 1/9

Avg Approach: 107 yards

Up & down: 2/8

Putts: 16

 

Strokes gained compared to a 10 HCP. 

Overall: -8.9 strokes

driving: -1.7, not a single penalty off the tee.

Approach: -5.7, terrible

Short game: +0.0

Putting: -1.5

[bortass]

 

A couple random pictures from today

 

#2 white tee view

 

#5 green complex from about 80 yards out. Note the gully on right side.

 

#8 (par 3) from the tees. 

 

 

#9 view from white tees

and lastly #9 green complex from about 140 yards out.

 

 

[bortass]

No one wanted to play Saturday because of temps and likely college football, lol. There was a one hour frost delay and it was high 30s very low 40s when I teed off solo. I quit after my tee shot on #6. Not because of the weather but my swing. I do not know what got into my head but my swing was an embarrassment. I was +13 after 5 holes with a single bogey being the best hole.

 

Tee shots with driver or woods: Bad push fade into right trees. Topped. Topped into hazard and next one topped over said hazard. Topped. Topped and decided to try again and topped that one a bit further and quit.

 

Woods off the deck: topped all of them.

 

Irons: all thin and very short, save one.

 

Chips with a SW, bladed most.

 

The only decent shot I had was a five iron from the fairway. I was 150ish out and opted for 5i because of the temps. I hit a low draw that landed on the green and rolled off the back, 159 yards. Not great ball flight but at least it got in the air and I somehow hit my '160' club close to 160.

 

I did not feel like I was rushing or under any sort of pressure. Being alone, there was no reason for me to keep playing. I was getting frustrated with how I was hitting the ball and there was no social aspect to offset it. Pretty much if anyone else had been with me, I would have stuck it out because I don't want to be that guy.

 

Weather and work are not good for practice this week. Highs most days are in the 40s and lows are dipping into the 20s. What I am trying to do to practice is a partial double wall drill from Monte's Break 100 then 90 video. The Hackmotion work has highlighted that I suck the club inside and roll the face wide open. This is a swing fault I was first made aware of back in the 2009-2011 timeframe. The double wall drill helps work on getting the arms to work more up versus around. I am doing the drill to the point where you do cast A and have the butt of the club touch the wall. I am not doing the downswing part of the drill right now. I am keeping it slow and trying to do it for a couple minutes at a time a few times a day as I can. Not the greatest way to work on things but it's better than nothing.

 

The recent bright spot is I got the go ahead for Monte's 2025 clinic. Not sure when he'll be in ATL, but I expect it to be end of April since that was the case in '23 and '24. Check out his BF sale if you are thinking of going to one. You'll save a couple hundred that way.

[bortass]

It was another late start Saturday. Frost delay of about 1:40 and only two other guys played. It was around 40 at the start and hit mid 50s as the sun got stronger. It turned into a nice day for golf.

 

Both guys were much better than me which is no surprise and around 70 years old. I normally don't mention ages but I had an eye opening experience. One of them hit the ball a mile, much further than I can. Everything was high and far, driver, woods, irons, wedges, it didn't matter. Consistent ball flight with not much curve to it. I don't think I have played with anyone that hit the ball like this since the scratch/+1 I used to play with in Maine 10+ years ago. I'm used to most golfers hitting the low to mid height ball, even with irons into par 3s.

 

This was completely different. The ball flight looked like what I think it's supposed to look like unless you're trying to lower it on purpose. Granted, this is my take. I have no clue how elite golfers hit the ball because I never get to play with any. I don't know his background but I had to look him up on GHIN and he is about a 7 index. I assume he was much better when he was younger.  What I noticed about his swing was the entire swing was quick. Monte tells the story how ams get to the top of their backswing in the time it takes Els or Couples to be at impact. This guy made me think of that. Didn't look like there was any wasted effort. Amazing to see what consistent very solid contact looks like.

 

I don't know if I'll play with him again or not. I don't know how the groups are created but I get the impression he tends to play with the better guys in the larger group. I got lucky that there were only three of us that wanted to play. I hope I get in his group again just so I can try to observe and learn what I can. Friendly guy, so far everyone I have played with at the new course have this quality, so I wouldn't be surprised if I asked how he did something that he'd show/tell me. 

 

How did I play? Well, not great but I didn't completely embarrass myself until 18. Shot a 94 with two blow-ups. #18 is a par 5 where anything about 220ish off the tee is in a gully that cuts across the entire fairway. I teed off with my 4w and almost whiffed. Left a foot long divot inside the tee and hit the ball high on the tore. It went about 6 yards to the right a bit.  Yes, maybe 6 yards. I didn't bother to look up but the ball went higher than it did far, lol. I decided to retee and pulled the next one into the left trees. Laying 4 off the tee on a par 5 that I don't think I can easily reach in 3 meant I was carding a NDB before I even left the tee box.

 

I struggled with everything except approach shots. I had 5 penalties off the tee. One with driver which was a pull and the rest were my 4w. Three were the mess on 18 and the other really bummed me out. I hit a great draw down the middle of #10. This hole has a steep slope down to a gully that cannot be seen off the tee. We couldn't find my ball any where. We saw it land in the fairway at the top of the slope and bounce to the right which is expected with the slopes involved. It should have been near the bottom of the slope but nope.

 

Putting was mostly speed issues and my short game was not good. I had to chip multiple times on a few holes and hit a number of chips thin. Overall ball striking was okay. I hit some solid, for me, shots but most are thin and low.

 

What surprised me were the par 3s. I had to use 7w on two of them, 5i and 7i on the others. I actually hit all four greens which never happens. Came away even par on them which was very nice. Shot of the day was my tee shot on #3, par 3. The tees were back and I had to hit my 7w with the temps and distance.  A great looking draw at the flag, 164 yard shot.

 

Yes, I made the putt for birdie. I offset it with a three putt on #8 when I had a 27 foot birdie putt, below the hole, and sent it 5 feet long, though.

Edited December 9, 2024 by bortass

[bortass]

My weekend round was terrible. I don’t have anything positive to say about it except that I still had fun.

 

Today’s weather was quite nice and a range session materialized. I worked on Cast A from NTC. Three sets of three ball with the drill and then hitting ten balls with the feel. I used my 9i and did better once I slowed down.

 

The main thing I noticed is I sometimes got the ball in the air closer to what it should be. My swing lately has not produced that ball flight. I have been hitting it pretty thin the last month, so it’s been a low ball flight. 
 

I consider it a positive session and I hope to get out again this week and hopefully use the HM to work on my wrists more. 
 

Sacrilegious as it may be, golf is still a low priority. A couple of things may be falling into place that will make it easier to spend time on it but that is still not until late January at the soonest. My game is where it deserves to be IMO since I’ve been unable to practice much at all since last summer.

[betarhoalphadelta]

On 12/16/2024 at 4:49 PM, bortass said:

 

Sacrilegious as it may be, golf is still a low priority. A couple of things may be falling into place that will make it easier to spend time on it but that is still not until late January at the soonest. My game is where it deserves to be IMO since I’ve been unable to practice much at all since last summer.

 

Well, golf SHOULD be a low priority. Will dropping your index by 3-4 strokes increase your income? Will it make your wife and kids love you more? Literally does ANYONE in your life (the members of this site excluded) care or will treat you differently if you get better at golf? Of course not. 

 

We should all consider ourselves lucky in life if we can have the luxury of being able to make golf ANY priority other than low 😉

 

 

[bortass]

19 hours ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Well, golf SHOULD be a low priority. Will dropping your index by 3-4 strokes increase your income? Will it make your wife and kids love you more? Literally does ANYONE in your life (the members of this site excluded) care or will treat you differently if you get better at golf? Of course not. 

 

We should all consider ourselves lucky in life if we can have the luxury of being able to make golf ANY priority other than low 😉

 

 

Lol, I agree. It's just dropped further than normal for me down the priority list, hence the lack of practice etc. The time I had been spending on attempting to improve has gone elsewhere but I'm hoping that will change. This move has been more disruptive than I expected, lol. It's all good though. My big golf thing last week was I finally put together the golf storage rack in the garage. Doesn't really count for this thread but at least all my extra clubs and bags are organized for a change.

 

I should get one more round in before year end, maybe even a couple. Some practice time would be nice and should be a bit easier to work in.

 

Have a great Xmas.

[bortass]

Year in review time. This will be two posts. The first, this one, being the legacy holdover of the Arccos player stats for my last ten rounds. I started to capture this when I fist started this thread but it's just numbers and I don't know how good of a picture it really paints upon reflection. I commented on the questionable value of these numbers in the 2023 recap. But I'll stick with tradition, even if it may be pointless.

 

A noticeable improvement in overall SG which being driven by putting and approach play.

 

The putting makes a bit of sense because the greens at the new course are smaller and do not have the big tiers like my old course. The flip side is the putting surfaces themselves are much worse, dead patches and other damage cause balls to bounce off line at times. There are only a couple greens where the putting surface is in good shape regardless of pin/ball locations. My old course greens rarely had any areas on the greens where the ball wouldn't roll true.

 

Not sure what to make of the approach play improvement yet since I feel like my swing is not good. I'll have to think on it some more.

 

Last 10 rounds compared to a 12 HCP	01/11/21	01/03/22	12/27/22	1/2/24	1/6/25
Overall SG	-14.3	-16.1	-13.9	-14.2	-11
Driving SG	-3.2	-2.8	-5.1	-4.4	-4.4
Distance	-1	-0.3	-0.2	-1	-0.5
Accuracy	-0.4	-0.8	-1.3	-0.4	-0.7
FW Hit %	60%	59%	49%	54%	54%
Left %	14%	17%	27%	16%	22%
Right %	26%	24%	24%	29%	24%
Penalties	-1.9	-1.7	-3.7	-3	-3.2
Approach SG	-7.8	-6.3	-5.6	-6.5	-5.4
Par 3	-0.7	-1.2	-0.9	-0.4	-0.5
Fairway	-6.3	-3.7	-4	-4.9	-2.9
Rough	-0.9	-1.3	-0.8	-1.2	-1.8
Sand	NA	NA	0.1	NA	-0.3
GIR	21%	19%	23%	23%	22%
Long	5%	6%	3%	4%	2%
Short	58%	57%	54%	55%	57%
Left %	6%	8%	7%	6%	6%
Right %	10%	8%	13%	13%	12%
GIR Average Distance to Hole (12 HCP averages 31 feet)	33 feet	24 feet	27 feet	26 Feet	24 Feet
All Approaches Average Distance to Hole (12 HCP averages 65 feet)	123 feet	94 feet	88 feet	96 Feet	109 Feet
Short Game SG	-1.3	-2.9	0.1	-0.3	0.2
Chips 0 – 25 Yards	-0.2	-0.4	1.5	0.9	1.8
Chips 25 - 50 Yards	-1.4	-1	-1.5	-1	-1
Chips 0 – 25 Yards Average Distance from Hole (12 HCP averages 17ft )	14 feet	17 feet	10 feet	12 feet	12 feet
Chips 25 - 50 Yards Average Distance from Hole (12 HCP averages 26ft )	35 feet	27 feet	30 feet	31 feet	34 feet
Sand 0 – 25 Yards	0.2	-1.3	-0.1	-0.1	-0.4
Sand 25 - 50 Yards	0.1	-0.1	-0	-0.1	-0.1
Sand 0 – 25 Yards Average Distance from Hole (12 HCP averages 24ft )	24 feet	33 feet	24 feet	19 feet	34 feet
Sand 25 - 50 Yards Average Distance from Hole (12 HCP averages 32ft )	34 feet	71 feet	32 feet	34 feet	37 feet
Putting SG	-2	-4.2	-3.3	-3	-1.5
First putt 0-10 feet	-2.1	-2.3
0 – 2 feet	NA	NA	0.2	-0.2	0.4
3 – 5 feet	NA	NA	-0.8	-1.3	-0.9
6 – 9 feet	NA	NA	-1.5	-0.8	-0.9
First putt 10 – 25 feet	-1.1	-1.3
10 – 14 feet	NA	NA	-0.4	-0.2	-0.2
15 – 24 feet	NA	NA	-0.4	-0.4	0.1
First putt 25 -50 feet	-0.8	-0.5
25 – 39 feet	NA	NA	-0.3	0	0
40+ feet	NA	NA	-0.1	-0.1	-0.1
First putt 50+ feet	0.1	-0.1	NA
One Putt %	15.0%	17.7%	17.70%	21.1%	26.5%
Two Putt %	65.0%	55.0%	63.30%	62.2%	58.8%
Three+ Putt %	20.0%	26.1%	17.20%	16.1%	14.7%
Putts per Hole	2	2.1	2	1.9	1.9
Putts per GIR	2.3	2.2	2.4	2.2	2.1

[bortass]

2024 recap.

 

I am a bit torn about what to say about 2024. It feels like a 'lost year' yet I did some good things. 

 

It's a lost year because per GHIN 2024 rewind I only posted 62 scores compared to 88 in 2023. That's a pretty big drop and was driven by looking for and buying a new house. The same thing happened with my practice. Too much going on and I didn't work on things the way I wanted to.

 

My index started the year at 19.3 and was buried way behind the hard cap. It took twenty-two rounds to break free of it. It ended at 18.6 on 12/29 with a low of 17.0.

 

I shot a low round of 82 which ties my lowest ever, so I can at least say the 82 I shot in 2023 wasn't once in a lifetime kind of round, lol.

 

Like my 2023 review, I want to say I feel like I'm still a better golfer than the prior year but there doesn't seem to be much hard proof of it. I am getting better at dealing with bad rounds and shots, the 'oh well' mantra is becoming much more common. I still really dislike the mistakes but shrugging them off seems to work better for my own enjoyment and rounds aren't spiraling into pure chaos. I still had some very embarrassing scores but don't feel it was my head space causing it. Inability to execute was prime on those days. The push fade is not as prevalent but my low point control sucks with chunks and thins. One thing I am noticing is I almost never hit the ball high now. I'm hitting that low bullet type of shot because I catch it thin. At least that's my assumption as to why the ball is coming out so low.

 

What do I foresee for 2025?

 

First off, I got the green light for Monte's clinic again. I did not work as much as I wanted on what he pointed out in '24 but I just need to move on. The insight from him at the clinics is worth it to me and I am hoping we get good weather this year and the playing lesson happens.

 

I think 2025 will have a lot of adjustment to the new course.  It's pretty much OOB on both sides on every hole. My old course had trouble on both sides of 16 holes but at least some of the tree lines were marked as hazards. That doesn't seem to be the case here. An errant shot is going to be two strokes. This is a hilly course with a lot of slopes and mounds. I really need to learn how to hit off uneven lies of all sorts. The par threes are long. I'm using anything from 7i to 7w on them compared to 9i through 6i at previous course. My game is being stressed in new/different ways.

 

I think I will be able to get more practice rounds in. I consider any round where I'm solo and can't post as practice even if I play completely normally by the RoG. I liken it to a scrimmage in other sports. I believe playing on the course helps just as much, if not more, than range time. I will probably play some rounds from forward tees as well, maybe even the reds. I found that helpful in the past because of the changes in clubs/shots used.

 

I commented on the following in @betarhoalphadelta's thread. I want to 'Be like Brad' and work on my overall fitness. If you haven't see what he's done, go look at some of his older swing videos compared to what he posted a few weeks ago. His fitness routine over the last two years has paid off. I do not expect results like him for a number of reasons but I'm using his example as motivation/inspiration to get in better shape which will tangentially improve my golf game.

 

Now to see if i can live up to my plans, lol.

 

Have a great 2025!

[betarhoalphadelta]

 

2 hours ago, bortass said:

I commented on the following in @betarhoalphadelta's thread. I want to 'Be like Brad' and work on my overall fitness. If you haven't see what he's done, go look at some of his older swing videos compared to what he posted a few weeks ago. His fitness routine over the last two years has paid off. I do not expect results like him for a number of reasons but I'm using his example as motivation/inspiration to get in better shape which will tangentially improve my golf game.

 

 

Good luck!

 

You highlighted something yourself when you posted >5 years ago...

 

On 12/9/2019 at 2:14 PM, bortass said:

 

12/22 Edit: “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems" - James Clear

 

 

I'd implore you to not necessarily think about fitness as trying to hit "goals". Fitness is a journey. There is no destination. The journey is the destination. 

 

What's worked for me for fitness hasn't been about hitting any particular goal. It's been about deciding what I'm willing to put in, and then the chips fall where they may. Which means that it's about an accountability system, to make sure I'm doing what I say I'll do, not about getting to a specific end point. 

 

For me, I've had two key tenets of my accountability system starting in 2023 (I got the Bike+ in June 2022):

1. Working every day to the 60-day streak, taking a true rest day, and then starting anew. Personally I'm not the type of person that can say I'll work out 5 days per week, or work out 6 days per week, and actually do it. If I start scheduling days off, the next thing I know I'll be barely working out at all. So even if what I do is minimal, forcing myself to do it daily is important for me. Even if it's just a 10 minute stretch or core. But often committing to one thing leads to more.  
2. Having an annual minutes goal. In the 1/2 year of 2022, I put up about 4500 minutes. Originally I was going to shoot for 10K in 2023, but I decided to stretch that to 15K, and I've hit it both 2023 and 2024. The minute goal is the second bit to the daily goal, because if I spend too many days JUST doing a 10 minute stretch or core, I'll fall too far behind the minute goal. So that keeps me on track to make sure I'm getting enough volume. 

I also joined the monthly challenges with a goal of getting gold in each. In 2023 that was basically taken care of for the "activity" challenge with the daily streak goal, and I rode enough to handle the cycling challenge easily, so it was really only the strength challenge that I had to work to get through. But in 2024 with daily(-ish) core, that one took care of itself too... 

 

I'm essentially doing the same for 2025, except I'm targeting 20K minutes, and I'm going to try to incorporate daily stretching as that's fallen off...

 

So... What is your accountability system for 2025? 

[bortass]

22 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

So... What is your accountability system for 2025? 

I am doing the Peloton challenges and want to hit 10K minutes but that's a goal.

 

I have time management issues as in there's a lot I like to do but don't because I do not devote any time to it. I am dabbling with habit trackers in a bullet journal. Never done it before and I'm keeping it very simple. Not like my stepdaughter who makes hers' very elaborate and pretty, lol. I want to read( an actual paper book), stretch, and "workout" every day. I just color in the box for that day when I do the thing. I have workout in "" because I count any workout even a 5 minute core. I'm easing into the strength training and rides which is where the real minutes will come from.  I missed Saturday and didn't color it in even though I played 18. I don't consider golf while riding as a workout even if I still get a lot of steps in. Now if I had walked the course, I'd have counted it. I am hopeful that the trackers will help create long lasting habits.

 

The goals section is kinda similar for things that I would only do a few times a month, like practice bass, paint minis, and golf practice. 

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Good stuff!

 

I like the monthly diagrams. Admittedly I'm questioning your ability to count the number of days/weeks in a month 😉 

 

[bortass]

39 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

Good stuff!

 

I like the monthly diagrams. Admittedly I'm questioning your ability to count the number of days/weeks in a month 😉 

 

That's the secret code in my head that knows it's days of the week based. No reason to write the Su M Tu W Th F Sa across the top. That's just wasted effort and so complex I am positive no one will ever figure it out. 😜 

 

The reason I did it that way is to see patterns based on day of week like will I always miss Saturday for workouts? I don't think I will but it'll be easy to figure out at the end of the month where the struggles are.

[betarhoalphadelta]

14 minutes ago, bortass said:

That's the secret code in my head that knows it's days of the week based. No reason to write the Su M Tu W Th F Sa across the top. That's just wasted effort and so complex I am positive no one will ever figure it out. 😜 

 

The reason I did it that way is to see patterns based on day of week like will I always miss Saturday for workouts? I don't think I will but it'll be easy to figure out at the end of the month where the struggles are.

 

Really? I figured out it was days of the week based... But January only has 24 days in GA? 😄

 

[bortass]

1 hour ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Really? I figured out it was days of the week based... But January only has 24 days in GA? 😄

 

Yes, because I am challenged….

[bortass]

Now that I have been schooled in how many weeks are in January, I am prepared to talk golf 😄

 

I have played two rounds in 2025 and they are making me think about a challenge some could have when trying to get better. I shot the same score both days. As an aside since it's off topic the Saturday round, 1/4, was postable and with PCC of +1 it dropped my index to 18.5

 

I shot a 96 both days with four pars each round. 1/1 was a 49/47 and 1/4 was a 46/50. Not a radical change in the scores when looking at front versus back. Pretty similar rounds right?

 

Dumb question I know since most golfers realize that's a big fat nope. The first round I blew up on four holes and was +14 on them, includes a 10 on a par five, and +10 on the other fourteen. The second round had two blow ups, both triples, so +6 on two holes and +18 on the other sixteen. I played much better on 1/1 and just couldn't get out of my own way on 1/4. 

 

Arrcos stat summary for both days also paints different pictures. I kinda flip flopped the areas that I did better in. 1/1, I struggled with tee shots and approaches and putted better than normal. 1/4, I did much better off the tee and with approaches but short game suffered a bit and my putting tanked. 

 

 

 

The challenge I reference at the beginning of this post is related to analysis. I have similar end results, got there different ways, and if I don't think things through I may go down the wrong rabbit hole.

 

Mistakes I could make:

• Assume the rounds were similar based on the score and I had the same problems.
• Look at the 1/1 round and think OMG my driving sucks. Do same for 1/4 but think it's putting that needs work. There are two possible traps here. If I just look at one round, it says I need to really work on either driving or putting, which may or may not be true. The second would be thinking I somehow 'fixed' driving and my putting is a major issue.

One way I could mitigate the risk of the above mistakes would be knowing that my sample size is too small. Improvement is not a short term endeavor. It's the trends and patterns that will inform me what direction my game is heading and where I should spend my time. I'd ask myself how do these rounds fit into the context of my game? My short game was worse than normal both rounds. My driving was pretty bad on the first and average on the fourth. My putting had major swings in both directions versus my average performance, so that may be a wash. Approach game was a bit off on the first and much better on the fourth. 

 

I'd then ask myself why?

 

I'll get an easier one out of the way. Driving was bad on 1/1 because of both accuracy and distance. I couldn't find the fairway. Distance was hurt by a strong headwind and the mishits I was having. I dubbed one drive less than 75 yards because I topped it so bad.  I had a number of push fades that tend to be shorter and adding in the headwind just made it worse.  Right now, I'd probably write off the poor driving as just a bad day. There's an underlaying issue in both rounds which are penalties 4/3 respectively and I seem to lose three strokes to penalties off the tee normally.

 

Short game was worse than normal because of needing multiple shots to reach the green. The difficulty is one day I did great near the green but terrible in that 25-50 yard range. The other day I did bad around the green and did okay with the 25-50 yard shots. My takeaway is I had a similar problem but with different shots, distance control. Leaving shorter chips short of the green and sending my pitches long. 

 

My approach game was hurt by penalties with 5i and 4w on the first. Lost shots to the right and the 5i ones were horrible, wide open faces, start right, stay low, and curve right. The one penalty I had with an approach on 1/4 was when I topped a 7w into a hazard. I chalk it up to course management, I should have laid up rather than hit my 7w since my lie wasn't 100% perfect, not that it was a terrible lie, just I don't have enough skill/experience with the shot I had with a forced carry.

 

Putting is only interesting because the difference was one round I made some 3-10 foot putts and the other I missed them all. I normally struggle inside 10 feet, so my takeaway is if I could improve my short putting, I'd probably fix most of my putting issues.

 

TLDR: Details and context are needed when trying to figure out what needs to improve.

 

Hopefully there's some value above. I thought I had a good idea of something to write based on the same score scenario but like with my golf, execution may be a touch off. 

 

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I think a decent amount of this was hashed out in another thread, and I said most of what I think I needed to say there:

 

 

But the short answer is yes, round-by-round analysis does not make for a useful improvement plan. I can have rounds where I make all the same misses, but on one round or course those misses are penalties, whereas on another round or course those misses are playable. 

 

I.e. at San Juan Hills if I block-fade driver on hole #2, I'll have a mostly clear shot to the green from either between the 2nd and 8th fairway, or sometimes from the 8th fairway. If I pull or hook driver on #3, I might have some sparse trees affecting my approach, but commonly I'll have a clear shot at the green. If I reverse my shot pattern? OB on #2 and in a pond or possibly OB on #3 if it's even farther right. One is two clear(-ish?) shots at the green and zero penalty strokes. The other is effectively 3 or 4 penalty strokes. 

 

That said, I also think that Arccos might be relatively useless to golfers of our skill level, who simply need to work on, well, everything.  It's only if you have a significant outlier that it might highlight that you need to fix something absolutely glaring. For example, my short game. I very well might have the full swing of a 15 index and the short game of a 35, which is a giant problem because a 15 index misses a LOT of greens and has to use the short game nearly every hole. I have to work on my long game, of course, to get better... But actually taking a portion of a lesson and devoting it to short game was also IMHO important for me because it was SO bad that it needed immediate attention. 

 

I think you're the opposite. If your short game and putting are basically functional compared to the low teen index that you're currently aspiring to reach, it means that you can largely just ignore stats and work primarily on your long game, while giving your short game and putting enough attention that your skills don't atrophy. 

 

But either way, those are stats that you need to compile over 10-20 rounds, not one or two. Too much noise relative to signal in a single round.

[TheDeanAbides]

22 hours ago, bortass said:

Now that I have been schooled in how many weeks are in January, I am prepared to talk golf 😄

 

I have played two rounds in 2025 and they are making me think about a challenge some could have when trying to get better. I shot the same score both days. As an aside since it's off topic the Saturday round, 1/4, was postable and with PCC of +1 it dropped my index to 18.5

 

I shot a 96 both days with four pars each round. 1/1 was a 49/47 and 1/4 was a 46/50. Not a radical change in the scores when looking at front versus back. Pretty similar rounds right?

 

Dumb question I know since most golfers realize that's a big fat nope. The first round I blew up on four holes and was +14 on them, includes a 10 on a par five, and +10 on the other fourteen. The second round had two blow ups, both triples, so +6 on two holes and +18 on the other sixteen. I played much better on 1/1 and just couldn't get out of my own way on 1/4. 

 

Arrcos stat summary for both days also paints different pictures. I kinda flip flopped the areas that I did better in. 1/1, I struggled with tee shots and approaches and putted better than normal. 1/4, I did much better off the tee and with approaches but short game suffered a bit and my putting tanked. 

 

 

 

The challenge I reference at the beginning of this post is related to analysis. I have similar end results, got there different ways, and if I don't think things through I may go down the wrong rabbit hole.

 

Mistakes I could make:

• Assume the rounds were similar based on the score and I had the same problems.
• Look at the 1/1 round and think OMG my driving sucks. Do same for 1/4 but think it's putting that needs work. There are two possible traps here. If I just look at one round, it says I need to really work on either driving or putting, which may or may not be true. The second would be thinking I somehow 'fixed' driving and my putting is a major issue.

One way I could mitigate the risk of the above mistakes would be knowing that my sample size is too small. Improvement is not a short term endeavor. It's the trends and patterns that will inform me what direction my game is heading and where I should spend my time. I'd ask myself how do these rounds fit into the context of my game? My short game was worse than normal both rounds. My driving was pretty bad on the first and average on the fourth. My putting had major swings in both directions versus my average performance, so that may be a wash. Approach game was a bit off on the first and much better on the fourth. 

 

I'd then ask myself why?

 

I'll get an easier one out of the way. Driving was bad on 1/1 because of both accuracy and distance. I couldn't find the fairway. Distance was hurt by a strong headwind and the mishits I was having. I dubbed one drive less than 75 yards because I topped it so bad.  I had a number of push fades that tend to be shorter and adding in the headwind just made it worse.  Right now, I'd probably write off the poor driving as just a bad day. There's an underlaying issue in both rounds which are penalties 4/3 respectively and I seem to lose three strokes to penalties off the tee normally.

 

Short game was worse than normal because of needing multiple shots to reach the green. The difficulty is one day I did great near the green but terrible in that 25-50 yard range. The other day I did bad around the green and did okay with the 25-50 yard shots. My takeaway is I had a similar problem but with different shots, distance control. Leaving shorter chips short of the green and sending my pitches long. 

 

My approach game was hurt by penalties with 5i and 4w on the first. Lost shots to the right and the 5i ones were horrible, wide open faces, start right, stay low, and curve right. The one penalty I had with an approach on 1/4 was when I topped a 7w into a hazard. I chalk it up to course management, I should have laid up rather than hit my 7w since my lie wasn't 100% perfect, not that it was a terrible lie, just I don't have enough skill/experience with the shot I had with a forced carry.

 

Putting is only interesting because the difference was one round I made some 3-10 foot putts and the other I missed them all. I normally struggle inside 10 feet, so my takeaway is if I could improve my short putting, I'd probably fix most of my putting issues.

 

TLDR: Details and context are needed when trying to figure out what needs to improve.

 

Hopefully there's some value above. I thought I had a good idea of something to write based on the same score scenario but like with my golf, execution may be a touch off. 

 

 

Question: what do you consider a blow up score for a hole?