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

[bortass]

56 minutes ago, TheDeanAbides said:

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

Triple+.  I know doubles are bad but if I pretend to be a 90s golfer, which is where I tend to be versus in the 80s, a regular bogey is good. Doubles will happen a fair bit and while I don't like them, they don't make me feel incompetent. Incompetent isn't the correct word but I'm having a hard time thinking on what to say to convey how I feel about them. Part of why a double isn't the end of the world is I can offset them with a par which is not unreasonable. Granted there is a tipping point and too many doubles will sink a round. I can't easily offset a triple+ to get back in that bogey golf range.

 

The 1/1 round where I thought I played well for the most part had three triples and a +5.

[TheDeanAbides]

3 minutes ago, bortass said:

Triple+.  I know doubles are bad but if I pretend to be a 90s golfer, which is where I tend to be versus in the 80s, a regular bogey is good. Doubles will happen a fair bit and while I don't like them, they don't make me feel incompetent. Incompetent isn't the correct word but I'm having a hard time thinking on what to say to convey how I feel about them. Part of why a double isn't the end of the world is I can offset them with a par which is not unreasonable. Granted there is a tipping point and too many doubles will sink a round. I can't easily offset a triple+ to get back in that bogey golf range.

 

The 1/1 round where I thought I played well for the most part had three triples and a +5.

That's about what I thought you'd say, buddy. I get that attitude, and I think it's generally a good one, but I think it's worth thinking of double as a blow up too, because it's a score that happens because of one terrible shot or two bad shots... whatever your level. 

 

How often are you fatting or skulling the ball on the course?

[betarhoalphadelta]

36 minutes ago, TheDeanAbides said:

That's about what I thought you'd say, buddy. I get that attitude, and I think it's generally a good one, but I think it's worth thinking of double as a blow up too, because it's a score that happens because of one terrible shot or two bad shots... whatever your level. 

 

How often are you fatting or skulling the ball on the course?

 

I'm with @bortass on this one... If I considered a double a "blow up hole" I'd probably get incredibly discouraged with my game. 

 

For me, my aspiration at the moment is to play better than bogey golf. I.e. break 90 with some level of regularity. I can break 90 with doubles, because I generally make a reasonable number of pars too. If I make one more par than I make double on a regulation course, that's 89. 

 

It's triple+ that are score-killers. I need either two pars to balance a triple (or more for +), or a birdie--and birdies don't come often. 

 

A double is just a poor hole for a bogey golfer. A triple+ is a "blow up" hole. 

[bortass]

1 hour ago, TheDeanAbides said:

That's about what I thought you'd say, buddy. I get that attitude, and I think it's generally a good one, but I think it's worth thinking of double as a blow up too, because it's a score that happens because of one terrible shot or two bad shots... whatever your level. 

 

How often are you fatting or skulling the ball on the course?

@betarhoalphadelta spelled out my current mindset. I have a history of letting a bad hole ruin rounds. I'd get frustrated/mad and have no fun. I don't play better golf angry. I'm just not wired that way. 

 

I do agree that doubles aren't good and are score killers. My goal when things go sideways is to avoid the double, now if I hit it OOB off the tee then I'm playing for triple because of skill level. Finding the sweet spot between good and bad and keeping my mental state on course intact is the challenge. I can see the side of the coin that is analogous to dress for the job you want. Double bogeys are bad if you want to shot in the low 80s.

 

Regarding the question, skulls are rare. I'm defining a skull as hitting it with the leading edge( blading it) and it's a worm burner that goes forever. I had one last round. I hit a lot of my shots thin though, the ball come out low but goes a reasonable distance. I hit it thin with every club. I lump this in with thin shots but I'll top driver and woods once in a while, hate those since the ball goes nowhere or into a hazard.

 

Fat shots will happen a number of times per round with a wedge or iron and these always cause my shot to come up short. I don't have a good count but I'd say a half dozen shots may be fat per round. I think these tend to happen mostly with a partial wedge or par three tee shot.

 

Here's a list of mishits from my 1/4 round based on memory and what I see in Arccos.

 

#1 Pushed partial PW, went right where I was aiming

 

#2 thin push fade 5i with a wide open face that got maybe 6 feet off the ground and started right and curved right.

 

#5 topped a 4w about 125 yards. Skulled 8i that rolled all the way to the green for GIR, lol.

 

#6 fat 7i layup, so it didn't hurt me. 

 

#7 thin 4w push fade, ball only got a few feet off the ground and was well right of where i was attempting to hit it.

 

#8 fat 7i, push fade way right off the tee on a par 3.

 

#9 topped driver that went 180 because of it being down hill.

 

#10 topped 7w into a hazard

 

#11 thin 7w, very low push fade and only went 100 yards, well right of my line.

 

#13 fat 6i off the tee on a par three and came up about 20 yards short of the center of the green.

 

#14 High push fade OOB with driver. Started right and kept going more right. This 4w but it went an okay distance.

 

#16 fat 5i that misses short left( I was aiming left to avoid the hazard on the right that I almost always flirt with. I may have aimed too far left but result was playable)

 

#17 thin driver but it went straight about 200 yards.

 

#18 Not sure if I skulled my 4w or topped it. Ball came out very low, just a few feet off the ground, and only went about 100 yards. Quite fate SW that cam up about 30 yards short.

 

Hope the above helps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TheDeanAbides]

19 minutes ago, bortass said:

@betarhoalphadelta spelled out my current mindset. I have a history of letting a bad hole ruin rounds. I'd get frustrated/mad and have no fun. I don't play better golf angry. I'm just not wired that way. 

 

I do agree that doubles aren't good and are score killers. My goal when things go sideways is to avoid the double, now if I hit it OOB off the tee then I'm playing for triple because of skill level. Finding the sweet spot between good and bad and keeping my mental state on course intact is the challenge. I can see the side of the coin that is analogous to dress for the job you want. Double bogeys are bad if you want to shot in the low 80s.

 

Regarding the question, skulls are rare. I'm defining a skull as hitting it with the leading edge( blading it) and it's a worm burner that goes forever. I had one last round. I hit a lot of my shots thin though, the ball come out low but goes a reasonable distance. I hit it thin with every club. I lump this in with thin shots but I'll top driver and woods once in a while, hate those since the ball goes nowhere or into a hazard.

 

Fat shots will happen a number of times per round with a wedge or iron and these always cause my shot to come up short. I don't have a good count but I'd say a half dozen shots may be fat per round. I think these tend to happen mostly with a partial wedge or par three tee shot.

 

Here's a list of mishits from my 1/4 round based on memory and what I see in Arccos.

 

#1 Pushed partial PW, went right where I was aiming

 

#2 thin push fade 5i with a wide open face that got maybe 6 feet off the ground and started right and curved right.

 

#5 topped a 4w about 125 yards. Skulled 8i that rolled all the way to the green for GIR, lol.

 

#6 fat 7i layup, so it didn't hurt me. 

 

#7 thin 4w push fade, ball only got a few feet off the ground and was well right of where i was attempting to hit it.

 

#8 fat 7i, push fade way right off the tee on a par 3.

 

#9 topped driver that went 180 because of it being down hill.

 

#10 topped 7w into a hazard

 

#11 thin 7w, very low push fade and only went 100 yards, well right of my line.

 

#13 fat 6i off the tee on a par three and came up about 20 yards short of the center of the green.

 

#14 High push fade OOB with driver. Started right and kept going more right. This 4w but it went an okay distance.

 

#16 fat 5i that misses short left( I was aiming left to avoid the hazard on the right that I almost always flirt with. I may have aimed too far left but result was playable)

 

#17 thin driver but it went straight about 200 yards.

 

#18 Not sure if I skulled my 4w or topped it. Ball came out very low, just a few feet off the ground, and only went about 100 yards. Quite fate SW that cam up about 30 yards short.

 

Hope the above helps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, like I said (and this it to you too, @betarhoalphadelta), I completely understand that mindset. Learning to get past bad holes is critical to shooting better scores. I'm sure you both have plenty of evidence to support the idea that once your head goes the round is screwed - we all do, and that's definitely a place to look with seriousness.

 

However, the low point issues are clearly costing you, essentially, a shot each. That's something you can work on with technique. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

1 hour ago, TheDeanAbides said:

Yeah, like I said (and this it to you too, @betarhoalphadelta), I completely understand that mindset. Learning to get past bad holes is critical to shooting better scores. I'm sure you both have plenty of evidence to support the idea that once your head goes the round is screwed - we all do, and that's definitely a place to look with seriousness.

 

 

I think there are certain ways that I'm not necessarily like @bortass in that regard. I have anger with myself when I have a really bad shot but I have a very short memory for it. I don't let bad holes derail a round. 

 

As an example, one of my recent rounds I started double-double to start +4 through 2 holes, with a GIR+4-putt on #1 and then a 3-putt on #2. To say I was steaming a bit would be an understatement. It wasn't even the score--it was how I got there. But I birdied #3 and made par on every remaining hole on the front except #7, which was just a bogey, so I finished the front at the exact same +4 that I was at after 2 holes. 

 

Then, riding that high, I shot +16 on the back 😄

 

I never let those bad holes take me out of the grind for scoring. I don't mentally give up. But I also know that I'm not good enough to really recover if I put up a couple of big numbers. So while I'm still trying to score my best, I intellectually know that a couple of triple+ are the true "score killer" problems. One I can deal with, it's when we start getting into the 2-3 range that it's going to be too much of a hill to climb. 

[TheDeanAbides]

8 hours ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

I think there are certain ways that I'm not necessarily like @bortass in that regard. I have anger with myself when I have a really bad shot but I have a very short memory for it. I don't let bad holes derail a round. 

 

As an example, one of my recent rounds I started double-double to start +4 through 2 holes, with a GIR+4-putt on #1 and then a 3-putt on #2. To say I was steaming a bit would be an understatement. It wasn't even the score--it was how I got there. But I birdied #3 and made par on every remaining hole on the front except #7, which was just a bogey, so I finished the front at the exact same +4 that I was at after 2 holes. 

 

Then, riding that high, I shot +16 on the back 😄

 

I never let those bad holes take me out of the grind for scoring. I don't mentally give up. But I also know that I'm not good enough to really recover if I put up a couple of big numbers. So while I'm still trying to score my best, I intellectually know that a couple of triple+ are the true "score killer" problems. One I can deal with, it's when we start getting into the 2-3 range that it's going to be too much of a hill to climb. 

I don't want to derail Bort's thread, but all I'll say is that your entire game is a mystery to me! No way that swing is a 22! 

[bortass]

17 hours ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

I think there are certain ways that I'm not necessarily like @bortass in that regard. I have anger with myself when I have a really bad shot but I have a very short memory for it. I don't let bad holes derail a round. 

Everyone is different with how stuff is dealt with. I remember too well getting so mad at myself for a bad hole that I got into my own head and blew up on the next few holes because I was so mad. I was too focused on score. I had to break 50 for 9 like it mattered to my very being, which it obviously doesn't. I took it too serious and walked off the course a few times because of it and eventually quit the game. I was emotionally immature in how to deal with it positively. There were times since my return and this thread came about where I let a bad hole taint a round like it did back in 2008-13. Not fun at all and I do not like playing golf that way.

 

I am much better about dealing with it now. The guys at the course I just left would joke about how I'd just say 'oh well' after a terrible shot. My worry is if I look at double bogeys as being bad, which they are, I'll regress. Sounds kinda dumb as I type it out.

 

It's is a valid point about upping the standard. I don't want to be like Tomlin coaching the Steelers after all.

 

10 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

I don't want to derail Bort's thread, but all I'll say is that your entire game is a mystery to me! No way that swing is a 22! 

No worries about derailing. I'm waiting for things to click and he leaves me in the dust!

[bortass]

The weather is not cooperating. It was barely getting into the low 40s the week of 1/6 with snow and ice on 1/10. Some of that snow was still on the course when I played on Saturday, 1/18. This week. This week is also supposed to be cold, I see a low of 15*(f) and the highest high temp is 42*.  Today and tomorrow it's not supposed to get above freezing.  Next weekend has highs around 50 but the lows are in the 20s, so may be able to get out and play.

 

The reason I mention the cold weather is it's messing with getting to the range to practice. I have started to do one of the wall drills from Monte's Break 100 video since you can do it inside w/o swinging. This drill has two benefits, a steeper backswing and it includes cast A from NTC. My takeaway tends to be flat and I roll my forearms. This drill should help with the flat part and I need to work on Cast A to get my wrists to work better. Rolling the forearms is something I need to figure out how to fix though, just like @betarhoalphadelta based on what I saw posted in his thread recently.

 

I also picked up Jon Sherman's The Foundations of Winning Golf. I really liked Four Foundations, so figure I'll give this one a read too.

 

Saturday's round was ugly. It started raining around 11:30 PM Friday night and stopped around 6-7 Saturday morning. We teed off at 10 and most of the course was casual water with temps that got into the low to mid 50s. The wet course did not help my low point issues, fat shots really dug and slid under the ball. I will not use it as an excuse though. Execution was terrible and could be because I had swing thoughts from the drill in my head.

 

I shot a 53/52, 105 with #6 ending with my ball in my pocket. This didn't touch my index which stays at 18.5. Going with @TheDeanAbides blow up being double+, I blew up on twelve holes. There are a couple trends too.

 

#2 multiple chips with 7i

#3 chip over bunker with SW went in it instead

#5 pulled tee shot into right trees about 90 yards from the tees and needed multiple chips(sw and putter)

#6( hole I picked up on) 5i layup with face wide open and thin. Low right push fade under the base of a tree. Try a 4Ls shot with 7i and same thing but it hits a tree and goes into a stream. I gave up at that point.

#7 heel topped 4w, ball rolled about 7 yards about 45* left of my intended line.  5i wide open and thin, just like on #6. I have been having this issue with my 5i the last few rounds.

#8 par three and I leave the face open on my 6i and hit a mid height push face 9into the right trees. I'd be dropping in a bad spot maybe 70 yards from the tee box, so I took S&D. Hit the green and three putted from 12 feet.

 

#10 left my AW layup too short and hit 8i approach heavy into a bunker. Out in one but still had to chip with my putter which was terrible and two putt from 27 feet.

#11 skull 7w approach about 80 yards. Chunk PW approach. 7i chip goes 26 feet past the hole.

#12 5i approach, yup thin, low push fade from wide open face. 7i chip gets on but 39 feet short of the hole and I four putt.

#14 thin 4w( second shot on par 5). 6i approach and I do my 5i mishit, wide open face and low push fade to the right. Chunk a pitch with my SW.

#16, par 3, same deal as #8. Terrible mid height push fade into the right trees and stream. Drop about 70 yards from the tee box and hit a partial SW that misses the green. Two putt from four feet after I chip on with putter.

#17, got a par but needed multiple chips on a very short par 4.

#18 par 5 approach with 7w and I hit the same heel shot as I did with 4w on #7 except the ball rolls 30 yards this time. Hit 7w again and thin shot that comes up short, only went 135 yards.

 

The trends:

• I cannot hit my 5i
• 6i started to have the same issues as 5i
• heavy partial wedges and pitches
• Multiple short game shots around greens. Sometimes it was two chips. others it'd be a pitch followed by a sand shot as I dumped it short.
• Couple of woods that I nearly whiffed and barely made contact with the heel towards the outsie of the ball cause it's roll dead left.
• My low point sucks overall

 

Good shots.

• Partial PW to 2 feet that led to par( I chunked the previous shot, partial 9i all of 8 yards). Not is list above since the hole was "good".
• 7i chip( 24 yards) to four feet after I hit a heavy push fade with 6i off the tee( par 3). Came away with a par. Again mishit 6i not listed above.

I hit 8/14 fairways but couldn't do anything the majority of the time thanks to my approach mishits.

 

I did get a great compliment before the round though, and I truly mean it. We had three threesomes, and the head pro is always in the first group since he needs to get back to the clubhouse as soon as he can. I heard him tell the other guys I'd be playing in his group because I play fast. As a hacker that needs a lot of shots, being labeled as slow has always been a worry of mine even though no one has ever told me to pick up the pace. That comment alone made my round a good one.

 

I'll keep working the wall drill this week and hope it warms up enough to get to the range sometime this month, lol.

[TheDeanAbides]

I wouldn't worry too much about the score - it's really tough to play in those conditions with low point issues. 

 

Interesting you said that about playing fast because I've been meaning to check in with you to see how you're doing with alignment and aim on the course. I remember you being resistant to dealing with that a while back, so I wondered if you've managed to adjust your preshot routine to improve aim. I've never played with anyone over an 18 who's consistently aiming where they think they are. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

On 1/20/2025 at 8:14 AM, bortass said:

 

I did get a great compliment before the round though, and I truly mean it. We had three threesomes, and the head pro is always in the first group since he needs to get back to the clubhouse as soon as he can. I heard him tell the other guys I'd be playing in his group because I play fast. As a hacker that needs a lot of shots, being labeled as slow has always been a worry of mine even though no one has ever told me to pick up the pace. That comment alone made my round a good one.

 

 

Agree with Dean that there's little point in worrying about score in those conditions. 

 

I also understand your pride in the "play fast" comment. I always chafe at the comments that hackers like us are by definition slow because we take so many strokes. I'm like you that although I don't play *well*, I definitely play fast lol...

 

[bortass]

On 1/20/2025 at 11:24 AM, TheDeanAbides said:

I wouldn't worry too much about the score - it's really tough to play in those conditions with low point issues. 

 

 

1 hour ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Agree with Dean that there's little point in worrying about score in those conditions. 

 

 

Yup, I'm on board with both of you regarding the score. I can't say I like it but conditions do matter. Temps in the 70s, dry with no wind and that 105 would have me rethinking my priorities in life 🤪 

 

The issue with 5i is a bit worrisome in that I have been having that specific mishit with that specific club for at least three rounds now. I'm starting to think I may need to stop using it when I play since I have no clue what I am doing that causes that shot to always happen. I know the face is open to target line and path at impact and I am catching it quite thin. The ball may get 5 feet off the ground starts, well right of my intended line and curves right.

 

On 1/20/2025 at 11:24 AM, TheDeanAbides said:

Interesting you said that about playing fast because I've been meaning to check in with you to see how you're doing with alignment and aim on the course. I remember you being resistant to dealing with that a while back, so I wondered if you've managed to adjust your preshot routine to improve aim. I've never played with anyone over an 18 who's consistently aiming where they think they are. 

I am very confident there is plenty of room to improve still. It's not super common but I do hit shots and realize I aimed more left or right than I wanted. I will not say that it's limited to that subset because I could be doing it every shot w/o noticing because it was not as egregious. I logically understand that I could do much better but I have a hard time actually trying to improve it. It's like my weight, I know exactly what to do about it but struggle. Sure, it's part laziness/prioritization but it's partly personality. I'm not a 'details' guy, more big picture. Guess it'd be easier if I was OCD, lol.

 

By 'fast' I do not mean rushed. I really fall apart if I feel rushed, lol.  Ready golf is my default play style since I spent so many rounds when I started playing solo. I don't hang out with everyone else in my group between shots like I see some guys doing. Head to my ball as long as I'm not in the line of play. Figure out the shot I'm gonna hit. Grab the club, go through my routine, and swing. I do not take any practice swings and pull the trigger pretty quickly after addressing the ball.

 

2 hours ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

I also understand your pride in the "play fast" comment. I always chafe at the comments that hackers like us are by definition slow because we take so many strokes. I'm like you that although I don't play *well*, I definitely play fast lol...

 

Yeah, slow players are at all levels. I think we're just easy marks, lol. One of the women that is always in the running for ladies club champion at my old course is notoriously slow. She's probably in her late 30's/early 40s, walks and appears to be in very good shape. I mention walking and age only because playing with golfers that are not as mobile as they once were has shown me that being able to move around the course impacts pace of play.  She just has a slow pace of play even though she is an very skilled golfer.  Also gender has nothing to do with it. Some guys I have played with complained if the ladies group was in front of them. My experience being behind them is they move right along and do not hold things up. 

 

It's the people that take five practice swings and freeze over the ball for 30 seconds that hold things up in my experience. I'll also throw in newbies that have no idea that pace of play is a thing, that's a completely separate issue though IMO.

[betarhoalphadelta]

9 minutes ago, bortass said:

 

The issue with 5i is a bit worrisome in that I have been having that specific mishit with that specific club for at least three rounds now. I'm starting to think I may need to stop using it when I play since I have no clue what I am doing that causes that shot to always happen. I know the face is open to target line and path at impact and I am catching it quite thin. The ball may get 5 feet off the ground starts, well right of my intended line and curves right.

 

 

Are you mentally worried that the ball won't get up in the air so you're trying to "help" it into the air, going neutral (or even worse, slightly positive) AoA, and that's why you're hitting it thin? And the face is open because you're [again] mentally not thinking about compressing it like you would say a 9i and so you're not committing to closing the face? 

 

I don't know if that makes any sense? 

 

I just know I'm a lot more likely to get an ideal peak height on my 5i when I'm essentially hitting down and through the way I would with a more lofted iron. I don't have to "help" it launch; hit down to get the ball up. 

[bortass]

5 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Are you mentally worried that the ball won't get up in the air so you're trying to "help" it into the air, going neutral (or even worse, slightly positive) AoA, and that's why you're hitting it thin? And the face is open because you're [again] mentally not thinking about compressing it like you would say a 9i and so you're not committing to closing the face? 

 

I don't know if that makes any sense? 

 

I just know I'm a lot more likely to get an ideal peak height on my 5i when I'm essentially hitting down and through the way I would with a more lofted iron. I don't have to "help" it launch; hit down to get the ball up. 

It makes perfect sense to me and nope, I'm not. I never worry about getting the ball in the air. I attribute the thin shots I hit with all my clubs on my flip at impact thanks in part of my OTT swing but maybe that's not the case here. In my head the swing with 9i and 5i are the same. I don't think I have to swing differently. Ball position and setup is different since the 5i is longer as I don't have the fancy one length irons you do 😉  but that's the only obvious thing I can think of.

 

It's snowing in Atlanta again( what is up with this?), so I'm not sure when I'd be able to get to the range to see if I can replicate it and if so, video it as well.

[SNIPERBBB]

1 hour ago, bortass said:

Grab the club, go through my routine, and swing. I do not take any practice swings and pull the trigger pretty quickly after addressing the ball

I know a lot of people complain about guys taking inordinate amount of practice swings but it's a bit overblown. Getting your body flowing and getting a feel for the shot is something people just can't ignore. Some guys can pull it off but most can't. And most of the ones that do are the super seniors that have to hit driver to a 125yd par 3... If you play a hilly course at all, there's just too many micro adjustments that need to be compensated for to just wing it. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

28 minutes ago, SNIPERBBB said:

I know a lot of people complain about guys taking inordinate amount of practice swings but it's a bit overblown. Getting your body flowing and getting a feel for the shot is something people just can't ignore. Some guys can pull it off but most can't. And most of the ones that do are the super seniors that have to hit driver to a 125yd par 3... If you play a hilly course at all, there's just too many micro adjustments that need to be compensated for to just wing it. 

 

I think for some people it's inordinate...

 

To paraphrase Good Charlotte's The Anthem, "Swing it once that's fine, swing it twice that's okay, swing it three times, you're playin' with yourself!"

 

I think one is pretty normal, two is a little much but okay, but if you're getting much beyond that, you should speak to a psychologist about your OCD. (Granted, most golfers probably should speak to a psychologist!)

 

Obviously there are exceptions. If you're on a particularly tricky lie, or it's a finesse/touch shot and you want to get the right "feel" before you go at it, maybe it's okay to do more. But on a stock full swing shot? I think it might be counterproductive. Especially for those super seniors... Three+ practice swings are going to tire them out before they even attempt to hit the ball!

 

[SNIPERBBB]

16 hours ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

I think for some people it's inordinate...

 

To paraphrase Good Charlotte's The Anthem, "Swing it once that's fine, swing it twice that's okay, swing it three times, you're playin' with yourself!"

 

I think one is pretty normal, two is a little much but okay, but if you're getting much beyond that, you should speak to a psychologist about your OCD. (Granted, most golfers probably should speak to a psychologist!)

 

Obviously there are exceptions. If you're on a particularly tricky lie, or it's a finesse/touch shot and you want to get the right "feel" before you go at it, maybe it's okay to do more. But on a stock full swing shot? I think it might be counterproductive. Especially for those super seniors... Three+ practice swings are going to tire them out before they even attempt to hit the ball!

 

I don't think there's really a number on the swings. Especially since most of them can and should be done before it's your turn to hit. They don't have to be full power swings either. 

[bortass]

16 hours ago, SNIPERBBB said:

I know a lot of people complain about guys taking inordinate amount of practice swings but it's a bit overblown. Getting your body flowing and getting a feel for the shot is something people just can't ignore. Some guys can pull it off but most can't. And most of the ones that do are the super seniors that have to hit driver to a 125yd par 3... If you play a hilly course at all, there's just too many micro adjustments that need to be compensated for to just wing it. 

You bring up a good point. This course is built on hills and I have been dealing with many more uneven lies than I am used to. I will slowly get better at hitting those kinds of shots but it'll take time. Practice swings may not be a bad idea. My challenge will be just making them since it's a change in routine. I always worried about damage from practice swings since I would lay some sod when I tried to make them at times. That's one reason I stopped using them over ten years ago.

 

The guys taking too many practice swings haven't been too common in my experience when I have been playing. Living on the course and being able to see golfers make their second shot on a par 5 has been interesting at times. They may be the outliers but the guys that take 5 slow practice swings, checking positions, and then FUBAR their shot always stood out but that's because they were outliers.  One of the biggest reasons for slower play I ran into was guys playing the wrong tees. My old course wasn't long but it's OoB/Hazards on both sides of 16 holes and every hole has OoB/Hazard on one side. We'd get stuck behind guys that would play further back and they couldn't keep the ball online or hit it far enough.  It was always 'fun' watching four guys looking for balls in the left trees about 100 yards off the tee box on a Saturday morning, lol.

[SNIPERBBB]

5 minutes ago, bortass said:

My challenge will be just making them since it's a change in routine. I always worried about damage from practice swings since I would lay some sod when I tried to make them at times.

Don't need to actually try to hit the turf with practice swing...unless you're chipping or hitting out the rough.

[betarhoalphadelta]

1 hour ago, SNIPERBBB said:

I don't think there's really a number on the swings. Especially since most of them can and should be done before it's your turn to hit. They don't have to be full power swings either. 

 

And yeah, I don't think there's truly a "number" on them either... I just wanted to paraphrase the old joke (related in the song but obv much older) that if you shake it three times, you're playin' with yourself. 

 

That said, I think golfers should do whatever they need to do for themselves. But per the "psychologist" comment, I think that in most cases a larger number of practice swings like that is serving a mental need, more than a physical need. Which is fine if it helps them; we all need a routine. 

 

My one practice swing is more of a mental need / routine than a physical rehearsal of the exact swing I intend to put on the ball. Often I haven't even completely settled into a full stance by the time I'm taking the club away on my practice swing. I know that's partially mental and partially just loosening up my body a bit. 

[RayPlan]

I would posit that number of practice swings correlates with number of swing thoughts. The more things on someone's mental checklist, the more they notice when they don't hit all of them on the first swing. Then they need another to fix that. Then another get other things they forgot. Then they forget an earlier thing. Finally, on #7, they've got it all figured out and ready to go.

 

Then they get up to the ball and top it.

 

Edited January 22 by RayPlan

[GoGoErky]

34 minutes ago, RayPlan said:

I would posit that number of practice swings correlates with number of swing thoughts. The more things on someone's mental checklist, the more they notice when they don't hit all of them on the first swing. Then they need another to fix that. Then another get other things they forgot. Then they forget an earlier thing. Finally, on #7, they've got it all figured out and ready to go.

 

Then they get up to the ball and top it.

 

I would posit practice swings are pointless and one should have a thought feel they want for the shot they are trying to hit. Create the feel then step up to the ball and hit.

 

swing the club a a few times to get loose if play is slow and having to wait or oft it chilly/cold. Other than that practice swings shouldn’t be taken

[bortass]

Finally made it to the range for the first time in 2025! I thought I left the snow behind when I left the northeast but no... It decided to bless the Atlanta area twice this year and actually stick around for multiple days both times. I'm hopeful the cold weather aka below freezing is past and I can find a routine to work on my game outside. 

 

I used my Hackmotion for the entirety of the medium bucket of ball and decided to mess with it on the putting green.

 

I started by doing the HM release drill which is club parallel backswing. The goal is to flatten the left wrist at impact into 'range'. I think I hit 45 balls with it but it only registered 36 swings. It throws out swings where the backswing is either too long or two short. The fact I got 36 swings to register is a win by itself. The  last time I did this drill, Nov of '24, I only got 12 shots to register. I was getting very frustrated with the drill because I couldn't get the backswing length correct.  I attribute this to a couple of things. The wall drill from Monte's Break 100 video and the conversation about rolling wrists over in @betarhoalphadelta's thread. I have been a habitual roller of the forearms to start the backswing and get the clubhead way inside immediately. I have found that using a feel that it's my chest rotating and not my arms to get the club to move away from the ball really helped.

 

The real big win from the drill were my results. I have done this drill three times:

Date	Reps	Too Extended	Too Flexed	In Range
08/24/24	8	100%	0%	0%
11/21/24	12	92%	0%	8%
01/28/25	36	50%	0%	50%

 

 

I actually was successful for a change and passed the drill. HM looks for 50% in range in the last 10 reps to move on to the next drill. The feel that was starting to work was of the clubhead lagging behind my hands. I know lag is a loaded term on these forums and I'm not talking about creating or holding 'lag'. I just mean a feeling that the clubhead was trailing my hands. It was some the Pure Ball Striker was great at teaching me but that training aide hasn't been available for a long time and I lost the ones I had. The shots themselves were not great but I don't expect that when I'm trying to learn a new movement. It's the numbers that the HM is providing that matter to me right now.

 

I 'graduated' to the dynamic transition drill which is arms parallel backswing. The goal is the same as the release drill, just a longer swing now. I was pleasantly surprised. I had 22 reps and was too extended 59% of the time and in range 41%. I wasn't expecting to be able to get in range that well from a longer swing since i had more to think about. Ball flight was squirrely but again I'm okay with that for now.

 

I will say the drill did wonders for low point consistency as in I got the club into the ground every single time. No thin or topped shots, lol. Did chunk a few though but low point isn't the purpose of the drills. It was just something I noticed early on.

 

I ended my practice session on the putting green trying the Hackmotion with putting. It was very eye opening. I started with just free practice and hit 8 putts just to see what the numbers looked like. There was one putt where I tried to mess up on purpose but I don't know which one it was, lol.

 

Anyhow The averages for those 8 putts were:

Tempo of 2.1.

Ulnar deviation, -24 at address, -25 at top, and -25 at impact. So I do not have any real issues to deal with here.

Extension, +5 at address, +9 at top, and +14 at impact. I even have a flip with my putter lol.

Not sure if rotation matters much or not but 0 at address, -7 at tope, and +8 at impact.

 

I then did the putting stability drill which only looks at flexion/extension and ulnar/radial deviation. 15 putts and I was in range 100% of the time for ulner/radial.  87% too extended, 7% too flexed, and 7% in range. So 13 putts too extended, one too flexed, on purpose trying to get flexed, and then one where I did it correctly. No real surprises with this drill based on what I saw right before the drill. I will say getting to impact with my putter and not being too extended is a challenge and I have no figured out how to do it/ a feel for it yet.

 

I think it was a very productive practice session and I'm excited to continue the HM drills.

[betarhoalphadelta]

Heck, we even got some snow here in Orange County! I mean, not down here at my elevation... But the peak that's occluded by clouds is about 4500 ft, so I'd estimate the snow got down to somewhere maybe around 2500 ft...

 

 

[bortass]

Decided to work out my anti-handicap and the snapshot is positive at least.  I did it based on roughly what it would have been near the start of each year, 2022 through 2025.

2022	2023	2024	2025
29.8	30.6	28.7	26.7

 

It went down at least. I tend to have worse scores in this time frame due to winter golf, so it kinda reflects how bad I play during the worst time of year for me. Not like I can really say much about it but I will pretend that the message is positive.

 

Got out to the range again today and had a different focus. I worked on cast A with 7i, 3 sets of 3 drill and 10 slower full swings replicating the feel. It was kinda ugly but was getting better by the end. I managed a few decent looking shots as far as trajectory, low point, and impact sound go. I took a quick break and hit pitches with my SW, along with a couple partial wedges, to finish the balls I had. 

 

I wanted to hit the pitches because I have been messing those up fairly badly on the course. The first one was a dog, lol. It was much improved after that though. I started to hit the shot I wanted. Nice, high, and on line.  I wish I knew how but one of them sounded much different. It had the click I normally hear when I strike it well near the sweet spot on full shots. That one also came out nice and high and I am assuming that sound meant a very well struck ball.

 

I mixed in a couple random partial wedge shots to just break things up and I noticed two things. I was getting the club to the ball and taking a divot at or in front of the ball, no thins or chunks. Ball flight was very good, high baby draws down my line. I was quite pleased with all of the partial wedge shots since they have also been a bit of a crapshoot on the course the last few months. I think the wall drill I have been doing has helped.

 

I'd rate it as a very good practice session and it was both great weather and felt very good to be on the range for a second day in a row. Rain is rolling in tomorrow afternoon, so very unlikely I get to the range again before I play Saturday morning. I will be curious to see how my right knee holds up because I tweaked it moving stuff almost two weeks ago and it's still sore. The range has not seemed to bother it and I am hoping that's the case with playing.

 

[bortass]

Yesterday’s round was another terrible score. Only two pars and five bogeys. That leaves eleven blowups.
 

Bunkers hurt as I dropped at least three to four shots because of them but they just happen to stand out. Nothing went well, lol.

 

The highlight were two shots that I actually hit well. Driver and 9i on #10. Both were nice high draws.  The ball flight set them apart from everything else I have been hitting lately.

 

I can’t seem to get out of the funk I’m in regarding ball striking along with scoring. I’m not expecting anything great but the ball flight I am predominantly hitting is a step backwards. End of the day it’s me, nothing else. I just have to work through it.

 

 

[bortass]

My January target for golf practice was eight sessions. I only had four. Weather was a big part of this. That span of freezing weather is the primary reason. My target for February is also eight sessions.

 

I got in a range session with the HM this morning. I did the dynamic transition drill and really struggled. Fifty-six reps counted, it took my at least a half dozen balls to get the swing to register because I'd either be too short or too long with the backswing. 89% too extended and only 11% in range. The only positive I am taking away from it is the majority of swings were yellow which means near range.

 

I also tried the drill HM recommended afterwards which was the motorcycle drill. I had a hard time figuring out what I was trying to do with it.  I only did six reps which mean the numbers are not super valid.

 

At the top:  17% too extended, 83% in range

At p6: 17% too extended, 17% too flexed, 67% in range

At impact: 100% too extended

[bortass]

Another great day weather wise and the siren song of the range was irresistible! It wasn't a quick session because I was taking small breaks in between drills. There was no a light bulb moment but I think I found something that made a real impact. 

 

@MonteScheinblum told me my arms are too passive at last year's clinic. I was looking for a video of his wall drill to share with my stepdaughter and found this:

 

 

I gave this a shot with my 7i when I first got to the range and it isn't easy. The best I could do was a fairly straight baby draw. However when I did some full swings trying to replicate a feel I noticed, my ball flight was much better. I actually hit some high baby draws for a change. This drill is going to become a staple for me I believe. My contact and ball flight were much improved over what i was hitting on the course a few days ago. 

 

I then fired up the HM and redid the guided practice which the app was recommending. It told me I have some issues at the top of my swing and am a complete failure at impact, lol.

 

I decided to tackle the top of the swing. That involved two drills w/o hitting a ball and then a drill while hitting a ball. I passed through those with flying colors and it recommended I retake the guided practice and this was the result:

 

 

I know the top of the swing isn't fixed just because I did some drills and passed the test right afterwards.

 

Six of the twenty shots were red at impact between +11 and +17 and the rest were in the yellow range,  which was between +1 and +10. Looking at the numbers now with a small sample size, I did better with my impact position during the first test. This was right after doing Monte's drill above with the feel being fresh. The second test is where all the red numbers were. I'll keep doing Monte's drill and the HM recommendations to see how that helps my impact position. It'll take a while to move the needle but it'll be worth it. I'm actually excited about what I learned at a range session for the first time in quite a while.

 

I wrapped things up hitting some pitch shots with my SW. Nothing exciting but it'll be helpful if I can tighten that aspect of my game up some. My short game is not doing so hot in the twenty-five to fifty yard range. Part of it is learning how to hit the bump and run chip from Monte's break 100 video longer distance with elevation changes and the other part is not duffing/blading pitches that need to carry a bunker.

[bortass]

I got out and played a solo 9 from the forward tees. I moved up since I was by myself and I wanted to make things easier on my game. I have been struggling quite a bit on the course and wanted just go out and have fun, which I did.

 

In a nod to @TheDeanAbides I stopped my trash aiming and paid attention to it for a change. I made sure I had a line and something to aim my clubface at. 

 

Coweta Club, gold tees, 68.1/120, 5598 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, 276 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.

 

I hit a thin hook with driver, 200 yards, and into the left rough. The middle of the green is about 90 yards away but there are overhanging branches in my way. I leave the wedge in the bag and grab my 7i. I hit a very low runner, as I wanted, but it's a bit too firm. The ball goes about 94 yards and through the green.

 

I follow it up with a 7i bump and run chip that's too firm and rolls off the front edge of the green. I use my putter to chip it to a foot and start with a bogey, 5.

 

2 – par 4, 320 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.

 

Driver is hit pretty thin but the ball goes down the middle, 190 yards. I opt for my 7i for the approach and hit a push. It's a decent looking shot overall, good height and not much curve to it. The ball goes about 125 and it's a short right miss.

 

My ball is in the rough, on an up slope, and I have to carry a green side bunker. Awesome... I take a practice swing with my SW and make an adjustment based on ground contact. I hit the pitch and it comes out nice and high but will be long. Sure enough, a 26 yard pitch, to 23 feet past the hole. This is a perfectly fine result.

 

The par putt dies a foot from the hole and it's another bogey, 5.

 

3 – par 3, 128 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.

 

Arccos is saying 120ish to center and I go with 9i. I aim for center and hit a high push, again not much curve to it, 117 yards and miss right but near the mid-line of the green.

 

There's too many bald patches to traverse, so I chip with my 4w. Decent contact but I aimed too high. The ball rolls 23 yards and stops about 8 feet above the cup. The green slopes towards the front and I tap my ball. I miss low and it rolls 5 feet past the cup! Turns into a three putt double bogey, 5.

 

My first blowup of the round and I blame the first putt. The 9i shot and chip were both fine in my opinion based on how I've been playing.

 

4 – par 4, 293 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 catch it thin with my driver but it takes off down the middle, 197 yards, and through the end of the fairway. It's about 75ish to center. Ball is on an up slope in the rough and I have a blind shot. I can see the top of the flag but decide to climb the slope to get a better frame of reference.

 

The pin is tucked near the left edge. I find a tree that's more inline with the center of the green to use as my aiming point. Decent contact with my partial SW and it's a high shot just a little right of my line. The ball only went 65 yards but I am putting.

 

I have a 29 foot birdie putt and I miss low by about two feet. I sink the par putt though, 4.

 

5- par 5, 456 yards, another fairly straight hole, #9 HCP. Decent fairway width and the fairway may be a bit higher than the tees. There is 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 thin drive that is more like a pull hook into the left rough, 226 off the tee. I'm in a fine location and the center of the green is just under 200 yards. Wind in my face and I have to carry a ditch that fronts the green, so I am laying up.

 

I opt for 7i and start the ball a bit too far right. Contact is solid and I see it disappear over the crest that leads down to the gully. Sure enough my ball is about a yard in on the left side of the ditch, 170ish yard shot thanks to the roll.

 

I don't trust myself to be able to hit a decent shot from the bank leading down to the stream, so I take a drop. MI have to pitch over the ditch to an elevated green and hit a decent shot, just too hard. A 40 yard shot into the rough behind the green.

 

I chip with my putter to three feet and make the bogey putt, 6.

 

The best outcome I could have hoped for. I don't begrudge the 7i shot because contact and ball flight were both better than my usual fare. I just should have aimed more left and I would very likely have been fine.

 

6 – par 4, 378 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.

 

This hole kicks my rear and it's no different today. I tee off with 7w and hit a nice high draw, 188 yards into the left rough. The problem is my ball stopped right on the edge of a drop off. I can get a club on it but it's a very awkward stance with my lead foot well below the ball.

I try to punch a 7i across the stream and short of the green but it's that real weak low, starts well right, and curve more right shot. My guess is ball was too far back in my stance which lead to the path being to the right and a very open face.

 

I see the ball land and roll but then lose it. No sign of the ball and I assume it rolled backwards into the stream. I take a drop and don't hit my pitch nearly hard enough to reach the green.

 

I chip with my 7i and leave it 39 feet short, lol. I want to get the ball to the hole and roll it 12 feet long and just off the green, lol. The next one is three feet long but I manage to sink the third putt, Arccos doesn't let you mark a chip with the putter once you start to putt, for a quad, 8.

 

A true blow up. I hit the tee shot well but should have aimed further right. The layup was a disaster and I just let the wheels fall off the bus.

 

7 – par 5, 484 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 upslope. 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.

 

Another thin pull wuith driver into the left rough, 212 yards. My second shot will go up and over the crest of the hill and I use 7i. My shot is solid but another push with not much curve. The downslope helped the ball roll out, 169 yard shot, and I'm in the fairway.

 

The green is below me and the hole is near the right side. I aim for center with PW and hit a nice high pull that lands in the left fringe.

 

I completely misread the break and my chip with the putter misses low, stopping 5 feet below the cup. My par putt is hit firm and I miss high and 3 feet long, sigh.

 

I do manage to sink the bogey putt, 6.

 

Not the result I wanted based on being a foot off the green in regulation but this is a hole that normally kills me with triples.

 

8 – par 3, 143 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.

 

It's about an 8i to center and I hit a high pull, 126 yards, into the left rough. My line to green and at the hole is over roughly 15 yards of rough and bald spots. I chip with 7i and don't give it enough. My ball stops less then a foot off the green. I chip with putter to a foot and make the bogey putt, 4.

 

 

 

9 – par 4, 333 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.

 

Yet another very thin pull, 194 yards, into the left rough. I have an 8i to center, up the hill, and completely mishit it. I hit that stupid weak low and right shot that has been plaguing me. Now I have a partial SW to the green and I blade it. The ball hits the face of the slope leading to the green and rolls down and right, away from said green.

 

My ball is in the rough. I can see the top of the flag but not the putting surface. I'm on a steep up slope and I use my SW to chip and I send it over the green.

 

Everything slopes towards the front of the green and I decide to chip with putter through about 6 yards of rough and fringe. I hit it too hard and the ball stops 17 feet past the hole, lol.

 

A miracle occurs and I make the putt for a double bogey, 6.

 

I have to say I am happy with the 49. Overall my ball striking was much better. There were no penalties off the tee for a change and my irons were mostly solid even if I missed left and right the entire round. I still had that weak, low, start right and curve way right shot but it was only a couple of times versus the majority of my shots.

 

I did have three blowups but even that is a marked improvement over what has been happening lately. I also managed 7 Stableford points which is relevant to me because the Saturday game I'm in is points based and my quota is 14 points. Saturday's round had me getting all of 3 points on the front, so again I did much better than usual.

 

I'm also very happy with the focus on my aim. This is something 'simple' to do while playing and there is no reason not to. It'll take a while for it to become habit but I will keep working at it.

 

birdies: 0

pars: 1

bogeys: 5

double bogeys: 2

triple+: 1

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 201 yards

Longest drive: 226 yards

Fairways: 1/7

GIR: 1/9

Avg Approach: 106 yards

Up & down: 0/8

Putts: 16

 

Strokes gained compared to a 10 HCP. 

Overall: -8.3 strokes

driving: -0.7,

Approach: -5.3,

Short game: -1.4

Putting: -0.9

 

[TheDeanAbides]

12 hours ago, bortass said:

I got out and played a solo 9 from the forward tees. I moved up since I was by myself and I wanted to make things easier on my game. I have been struggling quite a bit on the course and wanted just go out and have fun, which I did.

 

In a nod to @TheDeanAbides I stopped my trash aiming and paid attention to it for a change. I made sure I had a line and something to aim my clubface at. 

 

Coweta Club, gold tees, 68.1/120, 5598 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, 276 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.

 

I hit a thin hook with driver, 200 yards, and into the left rough. The middle of the green is about 90 yards away but there are overhanging branches in my way. I leave the wedge in the bag and grab my 7i. I hit a very low runner, as I wanted, but it's a bit too firm. The ball goes about 94 yards and through the green.

 

I follow it up with a 7i bump and run chip that's too firm and rolls off the front edge of the green. I use my putter to chip it to a foot and start with a bogey, 5.

 

2 – par 4, 320 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.

 

Driver is hit pretty thin but the ball goes down the middle, 190 yards. I opt for my 7i for the approach and hit a push. It's a decent looking shot overall, good height and not much curve to it. The ball goes about 125 and it's a short right miss.

 

My ball is in the rough, on an up slope, and I have to carry a green side bunker. Awesome... I take a practice swing with my SW and make an adjustment based on ground contact. I hit the pitch and it comes out nice and high but will be long. Sure enough, a 26 yard pitch, to 23 feet past the hole. This is a perfectly fine result.

 

The par putt dies a foot from the hole and it's another bogey, 5.

 

3 – par 3, 128 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.

 

Arccos is saying 120ish to center and I go with 9i. I aim for center and hit a high push, again not much curve to it, 117 yards and miss right but near the mid-line of the green.

 

There's too many bald patches to traverse, so I chip with my 4w. Decent contact but I aimed too high. The ball rolls 23 yards and stops about 8 feet above the cup. The green slopes towards the front and I tap my ball. I miss low and it rolls 5 feet past the cup! Turns into a three putt double bogey, 5.

 

My first blowup of the round and I blame the first putt. The 9i shot and chip were both fine in my opinion based on how I've been playing.

 

4 – par 4, 293 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 catch it thin with my driver but it takes off down the middle, 197 yards, and through the end of the fairway. It's about 75ish to center. Ball is on an up slope in the rough and I have a blind shot. I can see the top of the flag but decide to climb the slope to get a better frame of reference.

 

The pin is tucked near the left edge. I find a tree that's more inline with the center of the green to use as my aiming point. Decent contact with my partial SW and it's a high shot just a little right of my line. The ball only went 65 yards but I am putting.

 

I have a 29 foot birdie putt and I miss low by about two feet. I sink the par putt though, 4.

 

5- par 5, 456 yards, another fairly straight hole, #9 HCP. Decent fairway width and the fairway may be a bit higher than the tees. There is 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 thin drive that is more like a pull hook into the left rough, 226 off the tee. I'm in a fine location and the center of the green is just under 200 yards. Wind in my face and I have to carry a ditch that fronts the green, so I am laying up.

 

I opt for 7i and start the ball a bit too far right. Contact is solid and I see it disappear over the crest that leads down to the gully. Sure enough my ball is about a yard in on the left side of the ditch, 170ish yard shot thanks to the roll.

 

I don't trust myself to be able to hit a decent shot from the bank leading down to the stream, so I take a drop. MI have to pitch over the ditch to an elevated green and hit a decent shot, just too hard. A 40 yard shot into the rough behind the green.

 

I chip with my putter to three feet and make the bogey putt, 6.

 

The best outcome I could have hoped for. I don't begrudge the 7i shot because contact and ball flight were both better than my usual fare. I just should have aimed more left and I would very likely have been fine.

 

6 – par 4, 378 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.

 

This hole kicks my rear and it's no different today. I tee off with 7w and hit a nice high draw, 188 yards into the left rough. The problem is my ball stopped right on the edge of a drop off. I can get a club on it but it's a very awkward stance with my lead foot well below the ball.

I try to punch a 7i across the stream and short of the green but it's that real weak low, starts well right, and curve more right shot. My guess is ball was too far back in my stance which lead to the path being to the right and a very open face.

 

I see the ball land and roll but then lose it. No sign of the ball and I assume it rolled backwards into the stream. I take a drop and don't hit my pitch nearly hard enough to reach the green.

 

I chip with my 7i and leave it 39 feet short, lol. I want to get the ball to the hole and roll it 12 feet long and just off the green, lol. The next one is three feet long but I manage to sink the third putt, Arccos doesn't let you mark a chip with the putter once you start to putt, for a quad, 8.

 

A true blow up. I hit the tee shot well but should have aimed further right. The layup was a disaster and I just let the wheels fall off the bus.

 

7 – par 5, 484 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 upslope. 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.

 

Another thin pull wuith driver into the left rough, 212 yards. My second shot will go up and over the crest of the hill and I use 7i. My shot is solid but another push with not much curve. The downslope helped the ball roll out, 169 yard shot, and I'm in the fairway.

 

The green is below me and the hole is near the right side. I aim for center with PW and hit a nice high pull that lands in the left fringe.

 

I completely misread the break and my chip with the putter misses low, stopping 5 feet below the cup. My par putt is hit firm and I miss high and 3 feet long, sigh.

 

I do manage to sink the bogey putt, 6.

 

Not the result I wanted based on being a foot off the green in regulation but this is a hole that normally kills me with triples.

 

8 – par 3, 143 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.

 

It's about an 8i to center and I hit a high pull, 126 yards, into the left rough. My line to green and at the hole is over roughly 15 yards of rough and bald spots. I chip with 7i and don't give it enough. My ball stops less then a foot off the green. I chip with putter to a foot and make the bogey putt, 4.

 

 

 

9 – par 4, 333 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.

 

Yet another very thin pull, 194 yards, into the left rough. I have an 8i to center, up the hill, and completely mishit it. I hit that stupid weak low and right shot that has been plaguing me. Now I have a partial SW to the green and I blade it. The ball hits the face of the slope leading to the green and rolls down and right, away from said green.

 

My ball is in the rough. I can see the top of the flag but not the putting surface. I'm on a steep up slope and I use my SW to chip and I send it over the green.

 

Everything slopes towards the front of the green and I decide to chip with putter through about 6 yards of rough and fringe. I hit it too hard and the ball stops 17 feet past the hole, lol.

 

A miracle occurs and I make the putt for a double bogey, 6.

 

I have to say I am happy with the 49. Overall my ball striking was much better. There were no penalties off the tee for a change and my irons were mostly solid even if I missed left and right the entire round. I still had that weak, low, start right and curve way right shot but it was only a couple of times versus the majority of my shots.

 

I did have three blowups but even that is a marked improvement over what has been happening lately. I also managed 7 Stableford points which is relevant to me because the Saturday game I'm in is points based and my quota is 14 points. Saturday's round had me getting all of 3 points on the front, so again I did much better than usual.

 

I'm also very happy with the focus on my aim. This is something 'simple' to do while playing and there is no reason not to. It'll take a while for it to become habit but I will keep working at it.

 

birdies: 0

pars: 1

bogeys: 5

double bogeys: 2

triple+: 1

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 201 yards

Longest drive: 226 yards

Fairways: 1/7

GIR: 1/9

Avg Approach: 106 yards

Up & down: 0/8

Putts: 16

 

Strokes gained compared to a 10 HCP. 

Overall: -8.3 strokes

driving: -0.7,

Approach: -5.3,

Short game: -1.4

Putting: -0.9

 

I'm glad you took that seriously. Those are the small things that have huge gains in the long run. Even knowing that you're aimed correctly over the ball helps you to diagnose path issues because you've removed a variable.