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

[berndgeurts]

10 hours ago, bortass said:

@berndgeurts I ‘upped the ante’… Kinda, played 18 solo today. 39 degrees (F) and windy, think it hit 46 or so when I was done.

 

I used just irons, so 5i tee shots. Forward tees and I played best ball the entire round, shot a 79… lol.

 

 

That is incredible!! Well done. What do you mean with best ball? Did you play 2 balls and noted the best score?

[bortass]

6 hours ago, berndgeurts said:

That is incredible!! Well done. What do you mean with best ball? Did you play 2 balls and noted the best score?

I messed up. It was a scramble. 2 balls and played from the location of the best shot each time. Not sure why I thought that was best ball. My tournament scoring is very rusty.  It's not as impressive since I had 2 shots for every 'shot' in the round unless I holed the first putt. It was a very positive round for me though and I continued to learn some things. I can't put my finger on it but these rounds with my irons are showing me some things that I'm not picking up while either on the range or on the course the last couple of years. I excluded this round from my Arccos stats, so it won't mess those up.

 

Because of the temps the course was dead. I could easily play 2 balls per shot and not be holding things up/annoying someone behind me. First off, the second shot wasn't always the best and it wasn't all fairways and greens for me either. I still put the ball in a dodgy spot or two throughout the round. That said, I only had 1 penalty reversed by the second ball and it was the only shot that would have been a penalty the entire round.

 

I was 220ish from center on #14, par 5, after my drive which was a 228 yard 5i thanks to the wind and slope. I hit 5i to get close and hit a high fade 180ish, instead of my normal 155-160ish and it landed near the right edge of the pond and rolled in. I recovered my ball and never lost a ball the entire round. My second shot was 5i again and I chunked it about 125 yards, lol. Still came away with my par in the end though.

 

Hitting a second shot every time really helped me  understand a couple of things better. These tie into other things but hitting a shot and then immediately hitting another one really does provide better feedback than if it's 'well I gotta remember to do XYZ on my next swing'.

• I never made the same mistake twice on the same shot. This is good because it means my mishits are not a flaw that is present in every swing. It's not like the days when I would always hit my driver way right with a push fade. I'm not saying I had flawless swings, just that  I wasn't in a rut and unable to do anything else.
• Correct aim feels more to the right than it really is. I noticed this on my approach shot on #4. I was hitting a 3/4 PW, which isn't a shot I use on the course normally. I was in the fairway and trying to hit the center of the green. I took my time aiming and send the shot left, high draw without much curve, and my body was facing where the ball went at the end of my follow through. Drop a ball and align myself even more right and it felt that my body was aimed too far right but the shot was a high draw right down my target line and onto the green. I have been trying to work on this on the range but I have never made this observation before. I think it's because I had a much more specific target. 
• My iron swing in general. I hit the ball much more solid when I feel like my left shoulder is moving down during the backswing. It's really my right hip is moving up and back and my left knee is gaining flex. It's a very big difference from the feel of my mishits where that's missing and I almost always feel like I started my downswing too soon and it's jerky. Mishit the first ball and the second shot was more likely to have this feel and be so much better. A few times both swings had that feel and were great.
• My chipping is broken, I do not have a good technique to chip with. Even with 2 tries, it wasn't great unless it was using my putter.

 

I also learned the following using just irons.

• I can play #18, par 5, using just irons and reach the green, in 3 from the white tees. The forward tees are maybe 10 yards shorter than the whites, sometimes less. I hit a 167 yard 5i into the fairway. I then hit a 145 yard 6i, just short of the stream. I actually hit the 6i further and it went into an area of erosion from flooding. It's full of rocks so I played it as GUR and pulled my ball back onto some grass, probably 10 yards or so. I then hit a 6i, into the wind, 155 yards onto the back of the green, carrying both the stream and pond with ease.
• I was forced to layup on some holes and I started to think about what I wanted my actual approach to be. I think this is more because using all my ironsi gives me more variation in club selection. When I limited myself to just the 7i, it was almost always hit 7i again. Using the 5i meant I now had some decision making to do.

 

The interesting question for me is how was this round different than normal?

 

My last 10 rounds compared to a 12 HCP

 

Overall: -12.8 SG

Driving: -3.8 SG/ like a 25.9 HCP

Approach: -6.4 SG/ like a 26.3 HCP

Short game: +0.1 SG/ like a 12.2 HCP

putting: -2.7 SG/ like a 21.6 HCP

 

Scramble round compared to a 12 HCP

Overall: +3.6 SG

Driving: -0.2 SG/ like a 13 HCP

Approach:+1.8 SG/ like a 8 HCP

Short game: +1.5 SG/ like a 0 HCP

putting: +0.5 SG/ like a 9 HCP

 

The approach game was night and day better.  It is normally the worst part of my game and I turned it into the best part of my game. My 10 round stats are a mix of normal rounds with all clubs but it has at least 45 holes of just a 7i off the forward tees. What changed with using just irons and getting a single do over per shot? 

• My strokes gained from 150+ yards was negative but not as much as normal. The distance band of 150-200 yards is -2.3 SG for the last 10 rounds and it was -0.8 for the scramble round.  I think this is a combination of there were no big miscues with a wood and just better overall iron play afforded by the second shot.
• Big gains inside 150 yards and on par 3s. This was all about a good swing in the correct direction. Fixing the aim and making the very solid contact when I had the "feel" made a huge difference.

 

I've always known my approach game was my biggest issue but I think I have a better idea about how to make it better. It's not the 150+ yard shots as much as the ones inside 150. I have more control inside 150 and if I can get to the point where I can replicate what I did yesterday on those shots, I'll score much better.

 

 

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

1 hour ago, bortass said:

 

• My iron swing in general. I hit the ball much more solid when I feel like my left shoulder is moving down during the backswing. It's really my right hip is moving up and back and my left knee is gaining flex. It's a very big difference from the feel of my mishits where that's missing and I almost always feel like I started my downswing too soon and it's jerky. Mishit the first ball and the second shot was more likely to have this feel and be so much better. A few times both swings had that feel and were great.

 

 

IMHO the feel SHOULD be that your left shoulder is moving down... Because it should be doing so. 

 

Or, more accurately, your body should rotate around the plane of your spine at address. Your shoulders will naturally be 90* perpendicular to your spine plane, so if you're tilted at address, your left shoulder will actually move "down" during the backswing as your right shoulder moves "up". You're not deliberately "dropping" the shoulder or anything like that, but simple mechanics are that rotating around an inclined plane will cause the left shoulder to move down in the vertical dimension and the right shoulder to move up. 

 

It's one of the things I work on with my son, because he didn't even have this concept when he started, and once I explained to him to rotate his left shoulder under his chin, he naturally started swinging around the inclined spine plane. 

 

So I took a look at your swings from Nov 10. 

 

 

This is crude because I don't have the best photo skills, but I did my best to attempt to draw a line through your spine plane at address and at the top. I then drew a perpendicular line on the address position, as the angle upon which your shoulders should have rotated, and a line at the top of where your shoulders actually are. 

 

You can see that you've made your spine plane more upright at the top and therefore your shoulders are more level than they should be. 

 

Compare with Rory:

 

 

Again, terrible photo skills, but you can see his spine angle at the top is almost identical to address. In fact, they probably are identical, because he's a pro golfer, and any deviation is my poor photo skills lol 😉 

 

So if the "feel" that works for you is that you're moving the left shoulder down on the backswing, that's pretty normal. It's kinda the same for me, I feel it working down under my chin even though it's not really going "down" relative to my original spine plane, it's going down because it's rotating around my original spine plane. 

[bortass]

Saturday's round wasn't pretty. I played the whites and used all clubs. Weather was real nice, it was in the 60s and sunny with some wind. It was a 51/52 103. I started out good and went bogey, par, bogey, bogey and then on #5 I carded a +4 9. Solid drive into the fairway. Mishit 4w got me closer and I laid up with a 9i to inside 40 yards from center. I mishit my pitch into the stream... Drop and pitched/chipped 26 feet pat the hole and 3 putted...

 

It went downhill from there. I didn't have another bogey until #11 and my only other par was on #15.

 

I had 39 putts including a 4 putt from 48 feet after hitting the green in regulation. I left the first putt 9 feet short and sent the second one 6 feet long.... It was just one of those days.

 

I did have some very good shots but never capitalized on it. For example, I hit a great drive on #1. A nice fade down the left side, 240 yards. I also had a `190 yard 5i tee shot, all carry, on #15. it's an elevated tee shot but i still hit it very pure.  

 

My game plan is to stick with irons when I play solo. Those rounds have been very helpful and I want to see what will happen if I try to build on that. I also want to hit the range. Weather and work haven't really allowed me to practice much.

 

 

[bortass]

4 hours ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

IMHO the feel SHOULD be that your left shoulder is moving down... Because it should be doing so. 

 

Yup, but I didn't want to say that what was happening since i have no video of it. your description about the shoulder under the chin pretty much nails it.

[bortass]

Got in a quick range session yesterday. Part of my swing is feeling much better, the takeaway. I had been doing some dry runs with no ball on the wrist movement and the push to 7 o'clock from NTC.  What I'm really noticing is I am getting my left shoulder under my chin and my left knee is flexing as my right hip moves up and back. I don't have video which is why I'm saying it's a feel. I don't know how good things really are but the results on and off the course have been positive.

 

I got out for a quick 9 today, played the back, and I played a two ball scramble from the forward tees. The change from what I did on Sunday is I used my 5H off the tee on most holes. I never was in a position to use the 5H from the fairway. I do not use this club  much at all and the results were mixed. 

 

My average drive was 192 yards with a long of 240. The caveats are there was more variation using two balls with the 5H than 2 balls using the 5i; There was some decent wind today, 15 MPH with gusts going higher; The 240 yard 5H was a downwind draw and the ball landed on the cart path and took a big bounce... The reality is I don't think I'm ready to use my 5H yet for my practice rounds, too much variance as I'm still trying to figure out how I need to setup with it etc.

 

I mentioned the wind and I did not adjust for it. I've had too many issues in the past where I try to account for the wind and it doesn't affect the shot. That meant I hit solid high draw with my 9i into the wind 112 yards and later a high fade with my 8i went 150+. I could have adjusted each shot by a club but didn't bother. I've been burnt in the past where I club up into the wind and launch the ball over the green, lol.

 

How did I play? I would say meh. I shot a 39 on the back with a double and 3 bogeys that were offset by two birdies. The 5H wasn't always solid, even with two balls per shot. I also lost about 5 balls, lol. Only 1 was off the tee and the rest were on approaches with an iron. I even managed to hit two in a row into the right trees on #10 and came away with my double.

 

I really like this format to play. Today's lesson is if the ball is below my feet and I hit a 6i, it'll be a low push fade. Did it twice in a row, lol. I love being able to see what happens on the first shot and trying to improve on it. For example, I mishit my 8i and it's a thin push fade. Drop a ball while the 'bad' swing is still fresh and I tend to make a much better swing. It helps me learn the difference in the feels between the two shots. Will it help me in the long run? I assume so but won't state it will since I have no evidence of it.

 

@berndgeurts Did you ever play that 7i round, if so how'd it go?

[berndgeurts]

7 hours ago, bortass said:

Got in a quick range session yesterday. Part of my swing is feeling much better, the takeaway. I had been doing some dry runs with no ball on the wrist movement and the push to 7 o'clock from NTC.  What I'm really noticing is I am getting my left shoulder under my chin and my left knee is flexing as my right hip moves up and back. I don't have video which is why I'm saying it's a feel. I don't know how good things really are but the results on and off the course have been positive.

 

I got out for a quick 9 today, played the back, and I played a two ball scramble from the forward tees. The change from what I did on Sunday is I used my 5H off the tee on most holes. I never was in a position to use the 5H from the fairway. I do not use this club  much at all and the results were mixed. 

 

My average drive was 192 yards with a long of 240. The caveats are there was more variation using two balls with the 5H than 2 balls using the 5i; There was some decent wind today, 15 MPH with gusts going higher; The 240 yard 5H was a downwind draw and the ball landed on the cart path and took a big bounce... The reality is I don't think I'm ready to use my 5H yet for my practice rounds, too much variance as I'm still trying to figure out how I need to setup with it etc.

 

I mentioned the wind and I did not adjust for it. I've had too many issues in the past where I try to account for the wind and it doesn't affect the shot. That meant I hit solid high draw with my 9i into the wind 112 yards and later a high fade with my 8i went 150+. I could have adjusted each shot by a club but didn't bother. I've been burnt in the past where I club up into the wind and launch the ball over the green, lol.

 

How did I play? I would say meh. I shot a 39 on the back with a double and 3 bogeys that were offset by two birdies. The 5H wasn't always solid, even with two balls per shot. I also lost about 5 balls, lol. Only 1 was off the tee and the rest were on approaches with an iron. I even managed to hit two in a row into the right trees on #10 and came away with my double.

 

I really like this format to play. Today's lesson is if the ball is below my feet and I hit a 6i, it'll be a low push fade. Did it twice in a row, lol. I love being able to see what happens on the first shot and trying to improve on it. For example, I mishit my 8i and it's a thin push fade. Drop a ball while the 'bad' swing is still fresh and I tend to make a much better swing. It helps me learn the difference in the feels between the two shots. Will it help me in the long run? I assume so but won't state it will since I have no evidence of it.

 

@berndgeurts Did you ever play that 7i round, if so how'd it go?

Not yet, it's stormy and rainy in the Netherlands and dark after 6pm. So practice round time is pretty limited. Friend of mine did do the 7i challenge and shoot a 91 (he's a 29 HCP, so pretty good result). It's funny to see all high handicappers scores go down if the don't get in trouble just playing the 7i.

[TheDeanAbides]

I’m so glad that you guys are picking up on this. I pushed it pretty hard on @BigTerp1524, but I don’t think he tried it more than once. 

[bortass]

8 hours ago, berndgeurts said:

Not yet, it's stormy and rainy in the Netherlands and dark after 6pm. So practice round time is pretty limited. Friend of mine did do the 7i challenge and shoot a 91 (he's a 29 HCP, so pretty good result). It's funny to see all high handicappers scores go down if the don't get in trouble just playing the 7i.

Let me know how it goes when you get a chance. I haven't seen lower scores with just irons yet but that's no fault of the concept. Those rounds where I did it with a single ball had me losing strokes from other things, namely short game and putting. I dropped so many strokes that had nothing to do with a short tee shot, lol.

 

 

6 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

I’m so glad that you guys are picking up on this. I pushed it pretty hard on @BigTerp1524, but I don’t think he tried it more than once. 

Honestly it's not easy. It was suggested that I do the same thing back in '08/'09 when I was trying to break 100 for the first time. It was difficult for me to buy into it back then. Even when I tried it that first time a couple weeks ago, I had to stick with it because the first few holes didn't give me a sense that it was any better than playing with a full bag. It very likely exactly what Monte has been preaching lately, being too shortsighted i.e. expecting immediate results. I think it's also a level of being stubborn on my part and not seeing the value.

 

Luckily, I stuck with it and kept an open mind so I did start to see the value, regardless of score, for me to play this way. I have always played for score, now I have been enlightened with a slightly better understanding of a practice round and found it enjoyable. I'll stick with it and see how I modify things as things progress. I feel pretty good about using a 5i or less. Playing the scramble format is also helpful since it gets me to try a second time.

 

Hindsight is 20/20 and I wish I had tried this sooner, lol.

[BigTerp1524]

11 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

I’m so glad that you guys are picking up on this. I pushed it pretty hard on @BigTerp1524, but I don’t think he tried it more than once. 

HA!!! Guilty as charged. Although I only played one round sans driver, hybrid and 4i it still quickly showed me that it's OK, and sometimes preferable, to pull something other than driver on any hole with par higher than 3. I know that's not the entire point of the exercise, but that realization/revelation or whatever you want to call it has definitely helped my overall game. It helped me realize it's no all about hitting it as far as possible every shot (and not just off the tee). Simple and straight forward concept, but difficult to get through some of our thick skulls!! 

[bortass]

Got out for a quick 18, took 2.5 hours. Played with just irons and a single ball. I was playing to score, not practice. 41 degrees out with a 10 MPH wind. Course was cart path only because of rain in the middle of the night, so not scoring conditions. Forward tees which are 5484 yards, 67.3 rating, 121 slope.

 

 

1 – par 4, 375 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. 5I off the tee and it's a decent mid height draw, 176 yards into the fairway on the right side. I'm about 200 yards out and decide to layup about 80 yards short instead of trying to get as close as possible. I blade my 9i about 96 yards down the fairway... I have a tailwind and it's 100 or so to center. I hit a partial PW and it's a bit thin and lands on the green and rolls off the back, 113 yard shot. I chip with my putter and leave it 7 feet short. It's a 2 putt double bogey, 6.

 

2 – par 3, 133 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The flag is forward and I decide to go for the middle of the green with my 8i. Contact is decent and it's a high shot, a bit to the right, that ends up in the rough near the back of the green, 136 yards. The green slopes away from me and there's enough rough that I decide to chip with my SW. I do something I saw Obee demonstrate in a thread the other day. I open the club slightly and my stance and hit a cut chip. Contact is decent and the ball klands short of the hole and rolls 9 feet past it. Not the end of the world and I two putt for bogey, 4.

 

3 – par 5, 452 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. I hit a nice high draw down the right edge, 181 yards, into the right rough. It's past the corner and I'm not sure if I landed on the cart path and got a kick or not. I hit 5i again and contact is very solid as is the ball flight but it's too far to the right. It hits a tree and kicks back into the right rough. It's about 100 yards to the pin on the right, behind a couple bunkers. I have a tailwinf and decide to hit a partial PW. I skull that puppy and because of a ridge I can't see what happens. I expect to be in a bunker but my ball is in the back rough, a 119 yard shot. I chip with my putter to 3 feet and sink the putt, par, 5.

 

4 – par 4, 283 yards, straight, #15 HCP, water left and OoB right. Right side has a slope. There's a fairway bunker on the right. My 5iu tee shot is a low push fade down the right side and it lands on the cart path and rolls onward... 217 yard shot and I'm in the right rough. I hit a partial SW, 78 yards, onto the green and pin high but 23 feet to the left of it. It's a 2 putt par, 4.

 

5- par 5, 439 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 aim a bit right with the 5i and hit a nice solid draw into the right slope which kicks the ball to the left and into the fairway, 175 yards. I make decent contact with the 5i again, and it's a high fade 158 yards into the fairway. I have about 90ish to center and hit a partial PW after the twosome that I just caught up to clear the green. It's thin but lands on the right side of the green and rolls onto the upper tier, 85 yards. I'm 42 feet from the hole and I have to putt down the tier. I take a great line and get it to 2 feet. I'm nervous about 3 pars in a row and decelerate into the ball and miss... Bogey, 6.

 

6 – par 4, 290 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. I'm now waiting on the twosome this entire hole. My 5i tee shot is a decent draw but it lands in the right rough, 165 yards. It's 140ish to center and a left pin. I go with 7i and mishit it. A low push fade, 103 yards, and short and right of the green. I pitch with my Sw and get on but 30 feet short of the hole... My putt is terrible and I leave it 6 feet out, below the hole. It's a three putt double bogey, 6.

 

7 – par 4, 346 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. The twosome lets me play through and I top my tee shot 74 yards into the rough, short of the fairway, lol. I hit 5i again and make great contact. A high draw, 168 yards, down the fairway on the left side. It's a forward flag and about 90ish yards. I hit a partial PW, 92 yards, and miss well right of the green.. I chip with my SW to 12 feet and two putt for double bogey, 6.

 

Well, this isn't good at all.

 

8 – par 3, 140 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. Thew hole is almost dead center of the green. I don't adjust for elevation and hit my 8i. It's a nice draw that lands on the back right of the green, 146 yards. I'm 36 feet past the hole and should of hit my 9i. Oh well. I hit my putt and miss and it rolls 9 feet past the hole... 3 putt bogey, 4.

 

I'm making a mess of things now. The missed par putt on #5 seems to be haunting me.

 

9 – par 4, 300 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. I hit a terrible push fade, 134 yards into the rough of #1 with my 5i. Now I get stupid. I try to punch a 7i down the right side and through some trees, instead my aim sucks and I hit a low punch draw down #1 into the rough, 134 yards. I have no real shot at the green because there's a small tree that i'm too close to go over and it has all kinds of branches that are low to the ground. I somehow chip my 7i, 57 yards, and onto the green. I'm 36 feet short and on the upper tier. I hit a decent putt down the tier to 3 feet. Miss the putt for a double bogey, 6.

 

What's wrong with me? It's not terrible but I left some shots out there. The good news is no blowups.

 

10 – par 4, 338 yards, dogleg left, #10 HCP hole. Elevated tee shot to a lower fairway. Green is elevated with a bunker front right. I hit a high fade too far to the right with my 5i. It lands on the slope in the right rough and rolls into the trees. I find my ball 175 yards off the tee and I can try to chip it out. I use my 7i and get it a few yards out of the trees, pretty much no better than a drop would have been. I can now try to punch a 7i down to the 100 yard marker. I think my club hits a rock because the ball comes out weird and goes about 63 yards. I'm in the fairway at last. The hole is back right and I hit a thin 8i that goes 125 yards onto the back left of the green. I'm 45 feet from the hole and thinking blowup... I hit my putt and leave it 6 feet short, sigh. I actually sink the next one for double bogey, 6.

 

To be honest, I'm fine with this double. I average almost a triple on this hole, so it's an improvement.

 

11 – par 4, 268 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. I have to tee off with a 7i and aim for a bunker on the outside of the corner. I make great contact and it's a high draw, 154 yards, into the rough through the fairway and just short of the bunker. The flag is front left and it's 120ish to center. I hit my 9i and it's a touch thin but carries the stream and lands on the green and rolls into the back right fringe, 130 yards. I hit a great chip with my putter to 3 feet. The par putt misses, bogey 5.

 

I am thinking I have the yips in the 2-3 foot range as I walk off the green. These misses have been killing me...

 

12 – par 4, 308 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. I hit a high draw with my 5i, into the wind I think, 152 yards and all carry because of the soft conditions. The green is elevated and I can reach with my 6i. I mishit a low push fade that lands to the left of the bunker and it rolls into it near the top... Crap.... I'm not short sided since the flag is back left but it's a blind shot. I can see the actual flag and that's it. I hit my shot using a closed SW and it comes out of the bunker in one. I'm very confident I'm on the green and when I can finally see my ball it's 2 feet from the cup. I strike my putt foirm and it drops for par, 4.

 

13 – par 3, 118 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and left and long left. Tiered green as well. The flag is back right and this is a 9i green for me. I hit a high draw to center, 117 yards. I'm on the upper tier and 27 feet left of the hole. This green slopes back left to front right. I hit my putt and it's looking pretty good and drops for birdie, 2.

 

Well that just made up for a couple of the doubles on the front!

 

14 – par 4, 447, 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. I hit a high draw, 171 yards, into the fairway with my 5i. My next 5i shot is a bit low but lands on the slope on the left which is firmer and kicks to the right and itno the fairway, 166 yards. The hole is back left and i'm looking at the yardages involved. I decide to hit a partial 9i. I think the wind is behind me because it's a high draw that goes 131 yards. It lands on the back of the green and rolls into the fringe. I chip with my putter and it's looking real good. The ball heads right at the hole and stops, literally an inch of grass between my ball and the cup.... So close to two birdies in a row but i'll take a tap-in par any day, 5.

 

15 – par 4, 258 yards, straight, #16 HCP. Elevated tee shot to a fairway that is always soft abd 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 push fade with my 5i towards the right trees. It strikes on and it sounds like the ball landed on something soft. I find my ball next to the cart path, 169 yards off the tee. It's a front right pin and about 90 yards. I'm on bare dirt, no grass, with small rocks poking out here and there. I hit a partial PW and it's a low pull into the front left bunker, crap. I close the face of my SW and get it out in one. The ball lands in the fringe and rolls to 5 feet of the cup to the left. A great bunker shot for me! I hit the par putt and hear a 'tink' sound. The ball tracks right at the hole and drops, 4.

 

That 'tink' was the sound of a solid putt coming off the face. I need to listen for it in the future to confirm that's what it is. All I know is it wasn't a weak putt....

 

16 – par 3, 141 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 front right, like it almost always is. I aim for center with my 8i and hit a high draw to the left. My ball lands on the green, 119 yard shot, but it's back left( which is closer to the tee box than the right side is). I'm 71 feet from the hole and have to put across a tier... My birdie putt is 18 feet short. It's a 3 putt bogey, 4.

 

Honestly as much as that first putt sucked, I can't complain about a 3 putt from just over 70 feet. Kit's much better than the other 3 putts this round.

 

17 – par 4, 354 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 nice draw with the 5i down the left side, 177 yards, into the fairway. I'm unlikely to reach the green with my 5i, so I hit a punch with it. It's a low draw and runs out a bit, 130 yards total. I now have a pitch into the green with my SW. I make good contact and it land son the green and releases to the back. I'm 18 feet out and two putt for bogey, 5.

 

18 – par 5, 494 yards, straightish, #2 HCP. There is a stream carry on either the second or third shot. There is also a pond fronting the green... It's a nice draw with my 5i into the fairway, 176 yards. My GPS estimate is a 6i will get me short of the stream. I hit a high push fade with it and watch it land in the stream... I shouldn't of hit my 6i or aimed much more left... I drop, 131 yards from prior spot. The hole is back left and I feel good about reaching with my 5i. I hit a low draw that lands a couple feet to the right of the flag and it releases into the back fringe. I chip with my putter but misread the break, so I'm 5 feet out. I 2 puu for double bogey, 7.

 

A 47/42 89.... I left some shots out there but was also 'lucky' with some great shots as well. This is a much better score than normal for me. Tomorrow is from the whites and i'll be using driver so i expect higher numbers, lol.

 

birdies: 1

pars: 5

bogeys: 6

double bogeys: 6

triple+: 0

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 164 yards

Longest drive: 217 yards

Fairways: 8/14

GIR: 5/18

Avg Approach: 118 yards

Up & down: 4/11

Putts: 36

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -6.3 strokes

driving: -3.4

Approach: -5.0

Short game: +4.7, lol

Putting: -2.6

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

89 with just irons is pretty damn good!

[berndgeurts]

14 hours ago, bortass said:

Got out for a quick 18, took 2.5 hours. Played with just irons and a single ball. I was playing to score, not practice. 41 degrees out with a 10 MPH wind. Course was cart path only because of rain in the middle of the night, so not scoring conditions. Forward tees which are 5484 yards, 67.3 rating, 121 slope.

 

 

1 – par 4, 375 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. 5I off the tee and it's a decent mid height draw, 176 yards into the fairway on the right side. I'm about 200 yards out and decide to layup about 80 yards short instead of trying to get as close as possible. I blade my 9i about 96 yards down the fairway... I have a tailwind and it's 100 or so to center. I hit a partial PW and it's a bit thin and lands on the green and rolls off the back, 113 yard shot. I chip with my putter and leave it 7 feet short. It's a 2 putt double bogey, 6.

 

2 – par 3, 133 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The flag is forward and I decide to go for the middle of the green with my 8i. Contact is decent and it's a high shot, a bit to the right, that ends up in the rough near the back of the green, 136 yards. The green slopes away from me and there's enough rough that I decide to chip with my SW. I do something I saw Obee demonstrate in a thread the other day. I open the club slightly and my stance and hit a cut chip. Contact is decent and the ball klands short of the hole and rolls 9 feet past it. Not the end of the world and I two putt for bogey, 4.

 

3 – par 5, 452 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. I hit a nice high draw down the right edge, 181 yards, into the right rough. It's past the corner and I'm not sure if I landed on the cart path and got a kick or not. I hit 5i again and contact is very solid as is the ball flight but it's too far to the right. It hits a tree and kicks back into the right rough. It's about 100 yards to the pin on the right, behind a couple bunkers. I have a tailwinf and decide to hit a partial PW. I skull that puppy and because of a ridge I can't see what happens. I expect to be in a bunker but my ball is in the back rough, a 119 yard shot. I chip with my putter to 3 feet and sink the putt, par, 5.

 

4 – par 4, 283 yards, straight, #15 HCP, water left and OoB right. Right side has a slope. There's a fairway bunker on the right. My 5iu tee shot is a low push fade down the right side and it lands on the cart path and rolls onward... 217 yard shot and I'm in the right rough. I hit a partial SW, 78 yards, onto the green and pin high but 23 feet to the left of it. It's a 2 putt par, 4.

 

5- par 5, 439 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 aim a bit right with the 5i and hit a nice solid draw into the right slope which kicks the ball to the left and into the fairway, 175 yards. I make decent contact with the 5i again, and it's a high fade 158 yards into the fairway. I have about 90ish to center and hit a partial PW after the twosome that I just caught up to clear the green. It's thin but lands on the right side of the green and rolls onto the upper tier, 85 yards. I'm 42 feet from the hole and I have to putt down the tier. I take a great line and get it to 2 feet. I'm nervous about 3 pars in a row and decelerate into the ball and miss... Bogey, 6.

 

6 – par 4, 290 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. I'm now waiting on the twosome this entire hole. My 5i tee shot is a decent draw but it lands in the right rough, 165 yards. It's 140ish to center and a left pin. I go with 7i and mishit it. A low push fade, 103 yards, and short and right of the green. I pitch with my Sw and get on but 30 feet short of the hole... My putt is terrible and I leave it 6 feet out, below the hole. It's a three putt double bogey, 6.

 

7 – par 4, 346 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. The twosome lets me play through and I top my tee shot 74 yards into the rough, short of the fairway, lol. I hit 5i again and make great contact. A high draw, 168 yards, down the fairway on the left side. It's a forward flag and about 90ish yards. I hit a partial PW, 92 yards, and miss well right of the green.. I chip with my SW to 12 feet and two putt for double bogey, 6.

 

Well, this isn't good at all.

 

8 – par 3, 140 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. Thew hole is almost dead center of the green. I don't adjust for elevation and hit my 8i. It's a nice draw that lands on the back right of the green, 146 yards. I'm 36 feet past the hole and should of hit my 9i. Oh well. I hit my putt and miss and it rolls 9 feet past the hole... 3 putt bogey, 4.

 

I'm making a mess of things now. The missed par putt on #5 seems to be haunting me.

 

9 – par 4, 300 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. I hit a terrible push fade, 134 yards into the rough of #1 with my 5i. Now I get stupid. I try to punch a 7i down the right side and through some trees, instead my aim sucks and I hit a low punch draw down #1 into the rough, 134 yards. I have no real shot at the green because there's a small tree that i'm too close to go over and it has all kinds of branches that are low to the ground. I somehow chip my 7i, 57 yards, and onto the green. I'm 36 feet short and on the upper tier. I hit a decent putt down the tier to 3 feet. Miss the putt for a double bogey, 6.

 

What's wrong with me? It's not terrible but I left some shots out there. The good news is no blowups.

 

10 – par 4, 338 yards, dogleg left, #10 HCP hole. Elevated tee shot to a lower fairway. Green is elevated with a bunker front right. I hit a high fade too far to the right with my 5i. It lands on the slope in the right rough and rolls into the trees. I find my ball 175 yards off the tee and I can try to chip it out. I use my 7i and get it a few yards out of the trees, pretty much no better than a drop would have been. I can now try to punch a 7i down to the 100 yard marker. I think my club hits a rock because the ball comes out weird and goes about 63 yards. I'm in the fairway at last. The hole is back right and I hit a thin 8i that goes 125 yards onto the back left of the green. I'm 45 feet from the hole and thinking blowup... I hit my putt and leave it 6 feet short, sigh. I actually sink the next one for double bogey, 6.

 

To be honest, I'm fine with this double. I average almost a triple on this hole, so it's an improvement.

 

11 – par 4, 268 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. I have to tee off with a 7i and aim for a bunker on the outside of the corner. I make great contact and it's a high draw, 154 yards, into the rough through the fairway and just short of the bunker. The flag is front left and it's 120ish to center. I hit my 9i and it's a touch thin but carries the stream and lands on the green and rolls into the back right fringe, 130 yards. I hit a great chip with my putter to 3 feet. The par putt misses, bogey 5.

 

I am thinking I have the yips in the 2-3 foot range as I walk off the green. These misses have been killing me...

 

12 – par 4, 308 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. I hit a high draw with my 5i, into the wind I think, 152 yards and all carry because of the soft conditions. The green is elevated and I can reach with my 6i. I mishit a low push fade that lands to the left of the bunker and it rolls into it near the top... Crap.... I'm not short sided since the flag is back left but it's a blind shot. I can see the actual flag and that's it. I hit my shot using a closed SW and it comes out of the bunker in one. I'm very confident I'm on the green and when I can finally see my ball it's 2 feet from the cup. I strike my putt foirm and it drops for par, 4.

 

13 – par 3, 118 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and left and long left. Tiered green as well. The flag is back right and this is a 9i green for me. I hit a high draw to center, 117 yards. I'm on the upper tier and 27 feet left of the hole. This green slopes back left to front right. I hit my putt and it's looking pretty good and drops for birdie, 2.

 

Well that just made up for a couple of the doubles on the front!

 

14 – par 4, 447, 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. I hit a high draw, 171 yards, into the fairway with my 5i. My next 5i shot is a bit low but lands on the slope on the left which is firmer and kicks to the right and itno the fairway, 166 yards. The hole is back left and i'm looking at the yardages involved. I decide to hit a partial 9i. I think the wind is behind me because it's a high draw that goes 131 yards. It lands on the back of the green and rolls into the fringe. I chip with my putter and it's looking real good. The ball heads right at the hole and stops, literally an inch of grass between my ball and the cup.... So close to two birdies in a row but i'll take a tap-in par any day, 5.

 

15 – par 4, 258 yards, straight, #16 HCP. Elevated tee shot to a fairway that is always soft abd 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 push fade with my 5i towards the right trees. It strikes on and it sounds like the ball landed on something soft. I find my ball next to the cart path, 169 yards off the tee. It's a front right pin and about 90 yards. I'm on bare dirt, no grass, with small rocks poking out here and there. I hit a partial PW and it's a low pull into the front left bunker, crap. I close the face of my SW and get it out in one. The ball lands in the fringe and rolls to 5 feet of the cup to the left. A great bunker shot for me! I hit the par putt and hear a 'tink' sound. The ball tracks right at the hole and drops, 4.

 

That 'tink' was the sound of a solid putt coming off the face. I need to listen for it in the future to confirm that's what it is. All I know is it wasn't a weak putt....

 

16 – par 3, 141 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 front right, like it almost always is. I aim for center with my 8i and hit a high draw to the left. My ball lands on the green, 119 yard shot, but it's back left( which is closer to the tee box than the right side is). I'm 71 feet from the hole and have to put across a tier... My birdie putt is 18 feet short. It's a 3 putt bogey, 4.

 

Honestly as much as that first putt sucked, I can't complain about a 3 putt from just over 70 feet. Kit's much better than the other 3 putts this round.

 

17 – par 4, 354 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 nice draw with the 5i down the left side, 177 yards, into the fairway. I'm unlikely to reach the green with my 5i, so I hit a punch with it. It's a low draw and runs out a bit, 130 yards total. I now have a pitch into the green with my SW. I make good contact and it land son the green and releases to the back. I'm 18 feet out and two putt for bogey, 5.

 

18 – par 5, 494 yards, straightish, #2 HCP. There is a stream carry on either the second or third shot. There is also a pond fronting the green... It's a nice draw with my 5i into the fairway, 176 yards. My GPS estimate is a 6i will get me short of the stream. I hit a high push fade with it and watch it land in the stream... I shouldn't of hit my 6i or aimed much more left... I drop, 131 yards from prior spot. The hole is back left and I feel good about reaching with my 5i. I hit a low draw that lands a couple feet to the right of the flag and it releases into the back fringe. I chip with my putter but misread the break, so I'm 5 feet out. I 2 puu for double bogey, 7.

 

A 47/42 89.... I left some shots out there but was also 'lucky' with some great shots as well. This is a much better score than normal for me. Tomorrow is from the whites and i'll be using driver so i expect higher numbers, lol.

 

birdies: 1

pars: 5

bogeys: 6

double bogeys: 6

triple+: 0

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 164 yards

Longest drive: 217 yards

Fairways: 8/14

GIR: 5/18

Avg Approach: 118 yards

Up & down: 4/11

Putts: 36

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -6.3 strokes

driving: -3.4

Approach: -5.0

Short game: +4.7, lol

Putting: -2.6

 

No blow ups, putting off, lots of greens and fairways, that 85 is coming... Well done 👍

[TheDeanAbides]

15 hours ago, bortass said:

Got out for a quick 18, took 2.5 hours. Played with just irons and a single ball. I was playing to score, not practice. 41 degrees out with a 10 MPH wind. Course was cart path only because of rain in the middle of the night, so not scoring conditions. Forward tees which are 5484 yards, 67.3 rating, 121 slope.

 

 

1 – par 4, 375 yards, straight, #1 HCP, bunker front right. 5I off the tee and it's a decent mid height draw, 176 yards into the fairway on the right side. I'm about 200 yards out and decide to layup about 80 yards short instead of trying to get as close as possible. I blade my 9i about 96 yards down the fairway... I have a tailwind and it's 100 or so to center. I hit a partial PW and it's a bit thin and lands on the green and rolls off the back, 113 yard shot. I chip with my putter and leave it 7 feet short. It's a 2 putt double bogey, 6.

 

2 – par 3, 133 yards, #17 HCP, bunkers short left and right, and long left. The flag is forward and I decide to go for the middle of the green with my 8i. Contact is decent and it's a high shot, a bit to the right, that ends up in the rough near the back of the green, 136 yards. The green slopes away from me and there's enough rough that I decide to chip with my SW. I do something I saw Obee demonstrate in a thread the other day. I open the club slightly and my stance and hit a cut chip. Contact is decent and the ball klands short of the hole and rolls 9 feet past it. Not the end of the world and I two putt for bogey, 4.

 

3 – par 5, 452 yards, dogleg right, #9 HCP, couple of fairway bunkers on the left at the corner. I hit a nice high draw down the right edge, 181 yards, into the right rough. It's past the corner and I'm not sure if I landed on the cart path and got a kick or not. I hit 5i again and contact is very solid as is the ball flight but it's too far to the right. It hits a tree and kicks back into the right rough. It's about 100 yards to the pin on the right, behind a couple bunkers. I have a tailwinf and decide to hit a partial PW. I skull that puppy and because of a ridge I can't see what happens. I expect to be in a bunker but my ball is in the back rough, a 119 yard shot. I chip with my putter to 3 feet and sink the putt, par, 5.

 

4 – par 4, 283 yards, straight, #15 HCP, water left and OoB right. Right side has a slope. There's a fairway bunker on the right. My 5iu tee shot is a low push fade down the right side and it lands on the cart path and rolls onward... 217 yard shot and I'm in the right rough. I hit a partial SW, 78 yards, onto the green and pin high but 23 feet to the left of it. It's a 2 putt par, 4.

 

5- par 5, 439 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 aim a bit right with the 5i and hit a nice solid draw into the right slope which kicks the ball to the left and into the fairway, 175 yards. I make decent contact with the 5i again, and it's a high fade 158 yards into the fairway. I have about 90ish to center and hit a partial PW after the twosome that I just caught up to clear the green. It's thin but lands on the right side of the green and rolls onto the upper tier, 85 yards. I'm 42 feet from the hole and I have to putt down the tier. I take a great line and get it to 2 feet. I'm nervous about 3 pars in a row and decelerate into the ball and miss... Bogey, 6.

 

6 – par 4, 290 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. I'm now waiting on the twosome this entire hole. My 5i tee shot is a decent draw but it lands in the right rough, 165 yards. It's 140ish to center and a left pin. I go with 7i and mishit it. A low push fade, 103 yards, and short and right of the green. I pitch with my Sw and get on but 30 feet short of the hole... My putt is terrible and I leave it 6 feet out, below the hole. It's a three putt double bogey, 6.

 

7 – par 4, 346 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. The twosome lets me play through and I top my tee shot 74 yards into the rough, short of the fairway, lol. I hit 5i again and make great contact. A high draw, 168 yards, down the fairway on the left side. It's a forward flag and about 90ish yards. I hit a partial PW, 92 yards, and miss well right of the green.. I chip with my SW to 12 feet and two putt for double bogey, 6.

 

Well, this isn't good at all.

 

8 – par 3, 140 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. Thew hole is almost dead center of the green. I don't adjust for elevation and hit my 8i. It's a nice draw that lands on the back right of the green, 146 yards. I'm 36 feet past the hole and should of hit my 9i. Oh well. I hit my putt and miss and it rolls 9 feet past the hole... 3 putt bogey, 4.

 

I'm making a mess of things now. The missed par putt on #5 seems to be haunting me.

 

9 – par 4, 300 yards, straight hole, #3 HCP, water on the left as you approach the green. The pond fronts this green. I hit a terrible push fade, 134 yards into the rough of #1 with my 5i. Now I get stupid. I try to punch a 7i down the right side and through some trees, instead my aim sucks and I hit a low punch draw down #1 into the rough, 134 yards. I have no real shot at the green because there's a small tree that i'm too close to go over and it has all kinds of branches that are low to the ground. I somehow chip my 7i, 57 yards, and onto the green. I'm 36 feet short and on the upper tier. I hit a decent putt down the tier to 3 feet. Miss the putt for a double bogey, 6.

 

What's wrong with me? It's not terrible but I left some shots out there. The good news is no blowups.

 

10 – par 4, 338 yards, dogleg left, #10 HCP hole. Elevated tee shot to a lower fairway. Green is elevated with a bunker front right. I hit a high fade too far to the right with my 5i. It lands on the slope in the right rough and rolls into the trees. I find my ball 175 yards off the tee and I can try to chip it out. I use my 7i and get it a few yards out of the trees, pretty much no better than a drop would have been. I can now try to punch a 7i down to the 100 yard marker. I think my club hits a rock because the ball comes out weird and goes about 63 yards. I'm in the fairway at last. The hole is back right and I hit a thin 8i that goes 125 yards onto the back left of the green. I'm 45 feet from the hole and thinking blowup... I hit my putt and leave it 6 feet short, sigh. I actually sink the next one for double bogey, 6.

 

To be honest, I'm fine with this double. I average almost a triple on this hole, so it's an improvement.

 

11 – par 4, 268 yards, 90* dogleg left, #12 HCP. Fairway eventually slopes down to a stream short of the green, forced carry. I have to tee off with a 7i and aim for a bunker on the outside of the corner. I make great contact and it's a high draw, 154 yards, into the rough through the fairway and just short of the bunker. The flag is front left and it's 120ish to center. I hit my 9i and it's a touch thin but carries the stream and lands on the green and rolls into the back right fringe, 130 yards. I hit a great chip with my putter to 3 feet. The par putt misses, bogey 5.

 

I am thinking I have the yips in the 2-3 foot range as I walk off the green. These misses have been killing me...

 

12 – par 4, 308 yards, 90* dogleg left, #14 HCP, green is elevated. Narrow tee shot that opens as you reach the corner. I hit a high draw with my 5i, into the wind I think, 152 yards and all carry because of the soft conditions. The green is elevated and I can reach with my 6i. I mishit a low push fade that lands to the left of the bunker and it rolls into it near the top... Crap.... I'm not short sided since the flag is back left but it's a blind shot. I can see the actual flag and that's it. I hit my shot using a closed SW and it comes out of the bunker in one. I'm very confident I'm on the green and when I can finally see my ball it's 2 feet from the cup. I strike my putt foirm and it drops for par, 4.

 

13 – par 3, 118 yards, #18 HCP, green is elevated with bunkers short right and left and long left. Tiered green as well. The flag is back right and this is a 9i green for me. I hit a high draw to center, 117 yards. I'm on the upper tier and 27 feet left of the hole. This green slopes back left to front right. I hit my putt and it's looking pretty good and drops for birdie, 2.

 

Well that just made up for a couple of the doubles on the front!

 

14 – par 4, 447, 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. I hit a high draw, 171 yards, into the fairway with my 5i. My next 5i shot is a bit low but lands on the slope on the left which is firmer and kicks to the right and itno the fairway, 166 yards. The hole is back left and i'm looking at the yardages involved. I decide to hit a partial 9i. I think the wind is behind me because it's a high draw that goes 131 yards. It lands on the back of the green and rolls into the fringe. I chip with my putter and it's looking real good. The ball heads right at the hole and stops, literally an inch of grass between my ball and the cup.... So close to two birdies in a row but i'll take a tap-in par any day, 5.

 

15 – par 4, 258 yards, straight, #16 HCP. Elevated tee shot to a fairway that is always soft abd 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 push fade with my 5i towards the right trees. It strikes on and it sounds like the ball landed on something soft. I find my ball next to the cart path, 169 yards off the tee. It's a front right pin and about 90 yards. I'm on bare dirt, no grass, with small rocks poking out here and there. I hit a partial PW and it's a low pull into the front left bunker, crap. I close the face of my SW and get it out in one. The ball lands in the fringe and rolls to 5 feet of the cup to the left. A great bunker shot for me! I hit the par putt and hear a 'tink' sound. The ball tracks right at the hole and drops, 4.

 

That 'tink' was the sound of a solid putt coming off the face. I need to listen for it in the future to confirm that's what it is. All I know is it wasn't a weak putt....

 

16 – par 3, 141 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 front right, like it almost always is. I aim for center with my 8i and hit a high draw to the left. My ball lands on the green, 119 yard shot, but it's back left( which is closer to the tee box than the right side is). I'm 71 feet from the hole and have to put across a tier... My birdie putt is 18 feet short. It's a 3 putt bogey, 4.

 

Honestly as much as that first putt sucked, I can't complain about a 3 putt from just over 70 feet. Kit's much better than the other 3 putts this round.

 

17 – par 4, 354 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 nice draw with the 5i down the left side, 177 yards, into the fairway. I'm unlikely to reach the green with my 5i, so I hit a punch with it. It's a low draw and runs out a bit, 130 yards total. I now have a pitch into the green with my SW. I make good contact and it land son the green and releases to the back. I'm 18 feet out and two putt for bogey, 5.

 

18 – par 5, 494 yards, straightish, #2 HCP. There is a stream carry on either the second or third shot. There is also a pond fronting the green... It's a nice draw with my 5i into the fairway, 176 yards. My GPS estimate is a 6i will get me short of the stream. I hit a high push fade with it and watch it land in the stream... I shouldn't of hit my 6i or aimed much more left... I drop, 131 yards from prior spot. The hole is back left and I feel good about reaching with my 5i. I hit a low draw that lands a couple feet to the right of the flag and it releases into the back fringe. I chip with my putter but misread the break, so I'm 5 feet out. I 2 puu for double bogey, 7.

 

A 47/42 89.... I left some shots out there but was also 'lucky' with some great shots as well. This is a much better score than normal for me. Tomorrow is from the whites and i'll be using driver so i expect higher numbers, lol.

 

birdies: 1

pars: 5

bogeys: 6

double bogeys: 6

triple+: 0

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 164 yards

Longest drive: 217 yards

Fairways: 8/14

GIR: 5/18

Avg Approach: 118 yards

Up & down: 4/11

Putts: 36

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: -6.3 strokes

driving: -3.4

Approach: -5.0

Short game: +4.7, lol

Putting: -2.6

 

That could very easily have been an 85 or better. Well done. What it shows you is that you can score if you keep the massive blowups off the card.

[bortass]

Today was a disaster… took a couple of Xs.

 

Nothing was working. I had a couple very good drives followed by topped irons or I pushed them into the right trees. The four putt on #9 was just perfect, three of them were inside 3 feet. Just one of those days I guess.

 

 

[berndgeurts]

20 hours ago, bortass said:

Today was a disaster… took a couple of Xs.

 

Nothing was working. I had a couple very good drives followed by topped irons or I pushed them into the right trees. The four putt on #9 was just perfect, three of them were inside 3 feet. Just one of those days I guess.

 

 

Forget and move on, you shot an 89 a few days earlier

[Myherobobhope]

On 2/19/2022 at 2:36 PM, bortass said:

Today was a disaster… took a couple of Xs.

 

Nothing was working. I had a couple very good drives followed by topped irons or I pushed them into the right trees. The four putt on #9 was just perfect, three of them were inside 3 feet. Just one of those days I guess.

 

 

Followed up my best round of the season (a 75) with my worst… mid 90s?

 

two very different courses… but still…

 

 

[bortass]

23 hours ago, berndgeurts said:

Forget and move on, you shot an 89 a few days earlier

 

I hear ya but it was still painful.

 

12 hours ago, Myherobobhope said:

Followed up my best round of the season (a 75) with my worst… mid 90s?

 

two very different courses… but still…

 

 

Ouch, that seems to happen to me when I think I'm 'fixed'. Do real good playing solo for 9 and then blow up the next day playing 18 with the guys, lol.

 

 

Saturday's round was painful. Take a deep breath painful because of what lead to the mess. Course conditions were the same as the previous day. Cart path only and it was soft everywhere with casual water in spots still. The difference was the weather. There was a small frost delay and it was in the high 30s F when we teed off. A 10 MPH wind as well. It got into the 40s and felt good in the sun. So I wouldn't call it scoring conditions but they weren't Friday when I shot the 89 using irons only from the forward tees. I should of had a premonition of what would occur based on my pre-round warm up. I couldn't seem to make clean contact for some reason. A lot of thin shots...

 

I'm not going to write about all 18 holes in detail but here's the quick version.

 

1 - par 4, driver was a high push fade, 215 yards, into #9 rough. Bladed 5i, 95 yards, into rough of #1. Thin partial PW, 123 yards, into rough behind green. Chip with putter to 3 feet and 2 putt for double.

 

2 - par 3, Solid 8i, 139 yards, onto green and 30 feet from hole. 2 putt par.

 

3 - par 5, Use 5i off tee based on my irons only 'experiment' experience. A great draw 192 yards into fairway. Thin 5i push fade, maybe 3 feet off ground, 139 yards. Partial PW is thin push fade 112 yards into right bunker. Out in 1 and 2 putt from 8 feet, bogey.

 

4 - par 4, stay with 5i because i don't need driver on this hole. Nice shot down the middle, 199 yards. Partial AW is a thin, almost bladed, push fade that barely gets airborne and it rolls 89 yards into a bunker.  Out in 1 to 12 feet. Par putt to 3 feet and I miss the bogey putt, double bogey.

 

5 - par 5, I need to use driver off this tee and it's a nice draw down the middle 222 yards.  I hit my 5i next and it's a slightly thin push fade into the right trees... I drop and hit a heavy 8i barely on the green and 9 feet from the hole. 2 putts for bogey.

 

6 - par 4, another driver hole and I hit a bit of a push into the right rough, 218 yards. I have a 5i in, or so I think. Contact is very solid but it's a push, 168 yards, over the the back right side of the green. I'm chipping onto a green that slopes away from me and the ball runs through the green and stops just short of rolling into the front left bunker. Chip with putter to 3 feet and make the bogey putt.

 

So far the first 6 holes have had issues but I'm still doing okay with things.

 

7 - par 4, fairly open hole so I use driver since it's been working well. A complete mishit that is topped with a very closed clubface way left and 123 yards into a hazard that I have never hit into before. It's seriously not in play at all unless you find a way to hit a horrendous topped pull.... I find my ball and hack it out into the fairway.  A 5i will get me close to the green and I hit a push fade into the right trees... I find my ball and have to hack at it in the underbrush. Whiff... Next one is into the fairway. Mishit another PW well right of the green. I just pick up and add a shot and a couple putts to make Arccos happy which is a +5, 9.

 

8 - par 3, push with my 8i onto the right slope...Find my ball and i have to hack it at the green and carry a bunker.  Ball goes through the green which isn't unexpected. Chip to 9 feet and make the bogey putt.

 

9 - par 4, use driver and it's a bit of a push, 207 yards, into the right rough. I have a clear angle in with my 6i and hit a terrible thin push dead right... I hit a SW onto the back left. The hole is middle front and i'm going down the tier. 45 feet and my par putt stops 3 feet short. Bogey putt misses 3 feet long. Double bogey putt misses. Make a 1 footer for a 4 putt triple bogey, 3 putts to hole out from 3 feet.

 

10 - par 4, hit an okay 5i, 154 yards into the middle of the fairway. A partial 9i layup to around 100 yards is in order. I hit a bladed pull dead left into a hazard....Drop and 9i is a high push fade that misses the green short and right. 2 chips to get to 28 feet and it's a 2 putt quad.

 

11 - par 4, use 5i instead of the normal 7w. it's  a draw, 167, down the left side. I'm blocked out from the green... I hit a real strong chip/punch with my 5i that takes the slope and goes 94 yards to setup on the flat area short of the stream. Pitch my SW into a bunker that's behind the hole. 2 to get out to 9 feet and 2 putts for a triple.

 

12 - par 4, I use 5i and hit a nice draw 182 down the left side and  just past the corner. Chunk pull my 9i approach 32 yards onto the left slope and thick rough. Mishit a partial AW thin and a push fade into the bunker.  get out in 1 to 9 feet and 2 putt, double bogey.

 

13 - par 3, mishit my 9i high, well left and short into a bunker. 2 shots later I'm in the back fringe. Chip with putter to 3 feet and make the putt for double bogey, 5.

 

14 - par 5, hit a strong baby draw with driver, 252 yards downs the middle right of the fairway. Top a 5i from a level lie 102 yards. %i again and it's a thin push fade into the pond... Drop and hit a partial AW into the back fringe. Chip with my putter to a foot and make the putt for double bogey.

 

15 - par 4, hit a terrible push fade with my 5i way right. I hear the ball land on the cart path and I hear the ball hit something solid again. I hear a third cart path bounce and I see the ball roll to the left and out of the trees where it went in originally. It looks like the first bounce went into the trees, hit a rock, went back to the cart path, landed on that and into the rough. Very lucky to say the least. I hit a partial PW to 5 feet and barely miss the birdie putt. Par. 

 

It's ugly but I finally have something that isn't a double or worse.

 

16 - par 3, 8i is a high fade short and right of the green. Chip 9 feet long and 2 putt for bogey.

 

17 - par 4, a solid shot with my driver into the wind and it's soft, so only 205 yards into the fairway. I have a 6i into the green and hit a back push fade into trees well right of my target line. I drop and pitch on and 21 feet from the hole. get the first putt to 3 feet and miss the next... Triple bogey.

 

18 - par 5, I decide to use driver and hit a horrible push fade into the right trees. I delete the shot from Arccos and card a net par which is a 7.

 

Shot a 105 roughly... Driver was not bad except for that tee shot on #7. 5i off the tee was perfectly fine on the holes I used it on except for #11 and #15. Irons from the fairway or on par 3s killed me. Putting inside 3 feet also killed me.

 

What surprised me was how bad I was with my irons and wedges. I had been very solid with them the day before but it went away. I played 8 holes yesterday with just irons and it was also a mixed bag but included some tee shot issues. I think it boils down to I can only have one swing thought. I have noticed the feel of my left shoulder under my chin leads to a more solid shot, I don't seem to blade/top those. The problem is if I think about that I don't always remember to do Cast B and leave the face open...  In the sequence of the swing the shoulder happens first and is what I need to think about until it's more automatic. Fun stuff but I feel like I'm making progress with moving my swing in a better direction.

 

Regardless, I'll stick with the irons only practice rounds. Those have been gamechangers with my understanding of my swing and how I can play. I feel fine using 5i off the tee on a number of the holes where driver may not buy me enough to offset the risk. Someday I'd always hit driver to get as close as possible but I'm not there yet. i can score with the 5i tee shot except on a handful of holes that are too long for me to do that reliably.

 

 

 

[bortass]

On 2/19/2022 at 7:37 AM, berndgeurts said:

No blow ups, putting off, lots of greens and fairways, that 85 is coming... Well done 👍

 

On 2/19/2022 at 8:23 AM, TheDeanAbides said:

That could very easily have been an 85 or better. Well done. What it shows you is that you can score if you keep the massive blowups off the card.

 

Thanks!  I was very surprised about the final score. I had some troubles on the front after a decent start but I played great on the back. I'm beating a dead horse but I am loving the iron only rounds from the forward tees.

[berndgeurts]

11 hours ago, bortass said:

 

I hear ya but it was still painful.

 

Ouch, that seems to happen to me when I think I'm 'fixed'. Do real good playing solo for 9 and then blow up the next day playing 18 with the guys, lol.

 

 

Saturday's round was painful. Take a deep breath painful because of what lead to the mess. Course conditions were the same as the previous day. Cart path only and it was soft everywhere with casual water in spots still. The difference was the weather. There was a small frost delay and it was in the high 30s F when we teed off. A 10 MPH wind as well. It got into the 40s and felt good in the sun. So I wouldn't call it scoring conditions but they weren't Friday when I shot the 89 using irons only from the forward tees. I should of had a premonition of what would occur based on my pre-round warm up. I couldn't seem to make clean contact for some reason. A lot of thin shots...

 

I'm not going to write about all 18 holes in detail but here's the quick version.

 

1 - par 4, driver was a high push fade, 215 yards, into #9 rough. Bladed 5i, 95 yards, into rough of #1. Thin partial PW, 123 yards, into rough behind green. Chip with putter to 3 feet and 2 putt for double.

 

2 - par 3, Solid 8i, 139 yards, onto green and 30 feet from hole. 2 putt par.

 

3 - par 5, Use 5i off tee based on my irons only 'experiment' experience. A great draw 192 yards into fairway. Thin 5i push fade, maybe 3 feet off ground, 139 yards. Partial PW is thin push fade 112 yards into right bunker. Out in 1 and 2 putt from 8 feet, bogey.

 

4 - par 4, stay with 5i because i don't need driver on this hole. Nice shot down the middle, 199 yards. Partial AW is a thin, almost bladed, push fade that barely gets airborne and it rolls 89 yards into a bunker.  Out in 1 to 12 feet. Par putt to 3 feet and I miss the bogey putt, double bogey.

 

5 - par 5, I need to use driver off this tee and it's a nice draw down the middle 222 yards.  I hit my 5i next and it's a slightly thin push fade into the right trees... I drop and hit a heavy 8i barely on the green and 9 feet from the hole. 2 putts for bogey.

 

6 - par 4, another driver hole and I hit a bit of a push into the right rough, 218 yards. I have a 5i in, or so I think. Contact is very solid but it's a push, 168 yards, over the the back right side of the green. I'm chipping onto a green that slopes away from me and the ball runs through the green and stops just short of rolling into the front left bunker. Chip with putter to 3 feet and make the bogey putt.

 

So far the first 6 holes have had issues but I'm still doing okay with things.

 

7 - par 4, fairly open hole so I use driver since it's been working well. A complete mishit that is topped with a very closed clubface way left and 123 yards into a hazard that I have never hit into before. It's seriously not in play at all unless you find a way to hit a horrendous topped pull.... I find my ball and hack it out into the fairway.  A 5i will get me close to the green and I hit a push fade into the right trees... I find my ball and have to hack at it in the underbrush. Whiff... Next one is into the fairway. Mishit another PW well right of the green. I just pick up and add a shot and a couple putts to make Arccos happy which is a +5, 9.

 

8 - par 3, push with my 8i onto the right slope...Find my ball and i have to hack it at the green and carry a bunker.  Ball goes through the green which isn't unexpected. Chip to 9 feet and make the bogey putt.

 

9 - par 4, use driver and it's a bit of a push, 207 yards, into the right rough. I have a clear angle in with my 6i and hit a terrible thin push dead right... I hit a SW onto the back left. The hole is middle front and i'm going down the tier. 45 feet and my par putt stops 3 feet short. Bogey putt misses 3 feet long. Double bogey putt misses. Make a 1 footer for a 4 putt triple bogey, 3 putts to hole out from 3 feet.

 

10 - par 4, hit an okay 5i, 154 yards into the middle of the fairway. A partial 9i layup to around 100 yards is in order. I hit a bladed pull dead left into a hazard....Drop and 9i is a high push fade that misses the green short and right. 2 chips to get to 28 feet and it's a 2 putt quad.

 

11 - par 4, use 5i instead of the normal 7w. it's  a draw, 167, down the left side. I'm blocked out from the green... I hit a real strong chip/punch with my 5i that takes the slope and goes 94 yards to setup on the flat area short of the stream. Pitch my SW into a bunker that's behind the hole. 2 to get out to 9 feet and 2 putts for a triple.

 

12 - par 4, I use 5i and hit a nice draw 182 down the left side and  just past the corner. Chunk pull my 9i approach 32 yards onto the left slope and thick rough. Mishit a partial AW thin and a push fade into the bunker.  get out in 1 to 9 feet and 2 putt, double bogey.

 

13 - par 3, mishit my 9i high, well left and short into a bunker. 2 shots later I'm in the back fringe. Chip with putter to 3 feet and make the putt for double bogey, 5.

 

14 - par 5, hit a strong baby draw with driver, 252 yards downs the middle right of the fairway. Top a 5i from a level lie 102 yards. %i again and it's a thin push fade into the pond... Drop and hit a partial AW into the back fringe. Chip with my putter to a foot and make the putt for double bogey.

 

15 - par 4, hit a terrible push fade with my 5i way right. I hear the ball land on the cart path and I hear the ball hit something solid again. I hear a third cart path bounce and I see the ball roll to the left and out of the trees where it went in originally. It looks like the first bounce went into the trees, hit a rock, went back to the cart path, landed on that and into the rough. Very lucky to say the least. I hit a partial PW to 5 feet and barely miss the birdie putt. Par. 

 

It's ugly but I finally have something that isn't a double or worse.

 

16 - par 3, 8i is a high fade short and right of the green. Chip 9 feet long and 2 putt for bogey.

 

17 - par 4, a solid shot with my driver into the wind and it's soft, so only 205 yards into the fairway. I have a 6i into the green and hit a back push fade into trees well right of my target line. I drop and pitch on and 21 feet from the hole. get the first putt to 3 feet and miss the next... Triple bogey.

 

18 - par 5, I decide to use driver and hit a horrible push fade into the right trees. I delete the shot from Arccos and card a net par which is a 7.

 

Shot a 105 roughly... Driver was not bad except for that tee shot on #7. 5i off the tee was perfectly fine on the holes I used it on except for #11 and #15. Irons from the fairway or on par 3s killed me. Putting inside 3 feet also killed me.

 

What surprised me was how bad I was with my irons and wedges. I had been very solid with them the day before but it went away. I played 8 holes yesterday with just irons and it was also a mixed bag but included some tee shot issues. I think it boils down to I can only have one swing thought. I have noticed the feel of my left shoulder under my chin leads to a more solid shot, I don't seem to blade/top those. The problem is if I think about that I don't always remember to do Cast B and leave the face open...  In the sequence of the swing the shoulder happens first and is what I need to think about until it's more automatic. Fun stuff but I feel like I'm making progress with moving my swing in a better direction.

 

Regardless, I'll stick with the irons only practice rounds. Those have been gamechangers with my understanding of my swing and how I can play. I feel fine using 5i off the tee on a number of the holes where driver may not buy me enough to offset the risk. Someday I'd always hit driver to get as close as possible but I'm not there yet. i can score with the 5i tee shot except on a handful of holes that are too long for me to do that reliably.

 

 

 

A lot of thinned irons. Maybe a little reversed pivot sneaked in. It can cause thinned and chunky shots at the same time, plus some stuck behind pushes. 

It's something I'm working on right now. Load the right leg and then turn and sweep (broom force style). 

Do you still have lessons with a pro? 

I got another 6 lessons planned ahead every 3 weeks. It's so refreshing to get tips and drills. The swing is always changing.

[bortass]

8 hours ago, berndgeurts said:

A lot of thinned irons. Maybe a little reversed pivot sneaked in. It can cause thinned and chunky shots at the same time, plus some stuck behind pushes. 

It's something I'm working on right now. Load the right leg and then turn and sweep (broom force style). 

Do you still have lessons with a pro? 

I got another 6 lessons planned ahead every 3 weeks. It's so refreshing to get tips and drills. The swing is always changing.

Funny that you mention reverse pivot. That's what I was thinking after some of my swings on Sunday. I'd finish and feel my weight be on the right side. Quite annoying.

 

I have not been doing any Broomforce drills because my focus has been on earlier parts of the swing. I may have to start delving into it more because while not 100% automatic, I'm doing much better with my takeaway.

 

I have nothing lined up with a pro right now. There's a new head pro at the club but I've yet to meet/talk to him. The pro I got the pack of lessons with is still here but what I got from him wasn't very swing change specific. Don't get me wrong, I did learn some valuable things from those lessons especially when it comes to pitching. The short game lesson made a huge difference. Full swing was more finish my turn because I tend to stall and end facing off to the right; Get the left shoulder under my chin - which is something that I'm finally having more success with. The rest was mostly around some ball position tweaks.

 

What I really need is a putting lesson, lol. I feel like my lag putting is decent but I'm making a mess of the short ones. I miss too many in that 2.5 - 4 foot range.

[bortass]

Another rough 18 that had potential to be decent. 46/53 99, had 6 doubles/triples on the back. The front I was able to offset 2 of the three doubles with a par.

 

Overall, it was a mix of issues again. The course being very soft/ muddy isn’t helping but it was my mistakes that hurt. Good news is there’s no pattern as to what was going wrong. So I take that as just one of those days where I couldn’t play solidly but it wasn’t anything specific that killed me.

[TheDeanAbides]

I see that you’re having some issues with weight transfer. The easiest way to get that back on track is to make some full swings using a step through drill.

 

 

[bortass]

My issues Saturday were a mix of tee shots and approaches, with short game sprinkled in on a couple holes. Part of it was I didn't keep all the miscues together. I'd hit a good drive and mess up an approach or get close to the green and mess up a short game shot, etc.

 

Weather did not let me get out and hit the range during the week. It rained every other day and the 'dry' days just didn't work out.

 

Tee shots(non par 3): I opened the first 9 holes in decent shape. My driver was decent 215, 222, 191, 240, and 189 yards(mishit on #9 but playable). I used 5i twice and both were good shots of 169 and 153 yards into very soft ground.

 

It changed on #10 when I sent my 5i into the right trees and had to drop and it eventually led to my first triple of the day. #11 was a great 7w, 195 into the fairway. #12 was a good 5i, 155 yards into the fairway. #14 was an OOB driver. #15 was a 203 yard 5i down the right side, not sure how I managed that, lol. #17 was a mishit driver that went 192 and into the fairway. #18 was a nice 173 yard 5i down the middle.

 

Approaches, including par 3s.: These hurt. A bladed partial wedge over the green on #1 and into a stream. Some topped irons on 3,4, and 5, etc. Part of it were course conditions. It's still very soft, I would sink some, even places without casual water. Part of it was poor weight shift or other swing issues. Hit a high push fade with my layup on #18 into the stream, slightly too much club....

 

Short game: The faults here were a double chip on #11 after getting next to the green in 2(par 4). I also had a double hit out of a bunker on #16. My clubhead struck the ball a second time, as it was in the air, and sent it about 90* left of target, so I picked up since it was in another bunker and I was looking at a double at best.

[bortass]

A hectic week, so no range time. I did get out for 9 today though. It's been great weather and the course is drying out. I played a scramble with two balls since there was a foursome in front of me and the course was semi packed. It was irons only from the forward tees. I am really loving this format of play even if it may seem odd.

 

I shot a 38! Yeah, a scramble means a lower score since I hit two shots and used the best result each time unless I holed out. I get that. I feel like it's a confidence builder and I'm learning a few things. The confidence comes from it's still just me hitting the ball. A normal scramble would have other guys carrying me. I did it with just two balls, so it's not like I had four attempts per shot. I did manage to hit a few sub optimal shots in a row out there as well. It's about potential, if that makes sense.

 

The learning is coming from these areas:

1) it reinforces how I can play certain holes with just irons and still have a chance at par.

 

2) I can make an adjustment after seeing the results of the first shot. A good example was my third shot into #1. It was a partial AW and my first ball was a bit low and likely long. So I moved the ball a touch forward and hit a higher partial AW to 4 feet. The first ball was on the green but probably 12 feet past the hole. I'd have been happy with the first one but being able to say to myself 'That needed to be higher" and then dropping a ball and doing it is better than the normal 'I need to remember to hit it higher next time' which may not be for another 5 holes...

 

3) just using irons helps me focus on one thing out there. I'm not having to try and hit driver and woods which are slightly different in set-up etc. I'm getting more confident with an iron in my hands and I think it will pay off long term. It may take a while to see during a normal round though.

 

4) I am seeing how avoiding big numbers helps reduce score. Even with the scramble format I had just 1 birdie but no doubles+. I know if I had played just one ball or even two balls separately, the score would have been much higher. This format is a good way for me to experience it first hand.

 

5) The second shot isn't always the best and I still left some shots out there. One of my bogeys is from missing a 2 foot putt twice... Really sad in a way but it's what happened.

 

birdies: 1

pars: 5

bogeys: 3

double bogeys: 0

triple+: 0

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 168 yards

Longest drive: 185 yards

Fairways: 5/7

GIR: 4/9

Avg Approach: 118 yards

Up & down: 1/3

Putts: 15

 

Strokes gained compared to a 12 HCP. 

Overall: +3.4 strokes

driving: -0.8, using just irons will always lower this number because of distance.

Approach: +3.0, an extra shot turned the worse part of my game into my best! So I can do it 😉 

Short game: +1.8

Putting: -0.7

[bortass]

Saturday was sunny and in the mid 70s and it hit 80 by the time we finished. It was a beautiful day for golf. We played at one of the sister courses. The one without all the water, 5400 yards, 67.3/120. It was a real struggle except two holes. I ended up picking up on 5 holes. This is a round that just told me I need to practice more and figure out why I'm hitting thin, push fades.

 

#4 - 263 yard par 4. This is a dogleg left and the fairway slopes to the left. A slight pull or draw down the left side may land in the fairway but will kick into the left trees about 100% of the time. The trees are marked as a hazard, so you can drop. It's a short hole and I aimed through the corner of the fairway with my 5i. It's slightly downhill but not what I would call significant. Contact was great and I hit a high shot, think it was a fade, 189 yards and through the fairway into the right rough. Exactly what I wanted.

 

The green is slightly below where I am and it runs away from me. The flag is on the close edge and the putting surface is not visible because of the slopes involved. I can see the flag but cannot see where I want the ball to land. It's about 77 yards or so and I decide to hit a partial SW. i want to land short and have the slope get the ball onto the green. I also know I need to hit a high shot in, any thing that doesn't drop out of the sky will roll a long ways. This is very similar to the shot I hit with a partial wedge on #1 the prior day, so my scramble round is helping me today since I have a better understanding of what I need to do. I play the ball a touch forward and swing. 

 

It's a great looking high shot that drops out of the sky. I can't see anything with regard to where the ball landed or what it did. I do hear one of the guys make a comment about it being a nice shot or something similar. I get to the green and my ball is 3 feet short of the hole... I sink the birdie putt! It wasn't worth anything since 2 other guys in my group also birdied the hole and no one gets any strokes which is usually how I snag a skin.

 

#13 - 129 yard par 3 with an elevated tee shot. The hole is front left and slightly inside 120 yards. The green is narrow with a bunker to the left. I'm in the second group and the marker we use for closest to the hole looks to be right at the hole. Someone knocked it stiff and there's hole in one talk but we didn't hear any yelling. There's no real chance for me to get the closeup so I aim to the right of the flag with my 9i and hit a nice high fade onto the green well to the right of the hole and the ball kicks back a foot, 121 yards.

 

I get to the green and the marker is less than 6 inches behind the hole. I'm the only one in our group to actually hit the green and to look to see who has the close up and it's a guy in my group.... Guess the prior group all missed the green and instead of leaving the marker in the fringe they thought it'd be funny to write his name on it and put it right behind the hole, lol. We got a good laugh out of it. The story doesn't have much relevance out side of showing some of the shenanigans the guys I play with can get up to.

 

Well because of this I can write my name of the marker for the closeup if I can two putt. We play that closeups need to be confirmed by a par or better. I'm 30 feet to the right of the hole and a bit past it. It breaks right to left and I hit my putt and we watch as it tracks at the hole and drops for birdie! The closeup doesn't hold but the birdie is good enough for a skin, lol.

 

It's rare for me to get a birdie but I managed 2 in the same round. That's extremely positive but I was under bogey on only 3 holes...

 

Now to see what the pattern(s) were:

 

Non par 3 tee shots: Overall not a good day off the tee regardless of club. I had some decent shots but too many issues. The driver mishits were tops off the heel with a very closed clubface that went low and very left. Irons were push fade misses.

 

Par 3 tee shots: Thin push fades killed me on two of them. The other two I had GIRs that led to birdie and par.

 

Approaches: two common themes. Shanked a couple partial wedges that killed me, felt like I just held the face wide open into impact for some unknown reason. Thin push fades with irons. 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2022 by bortass

[TheDeanAbides]

Time to post a swing.

[Myherobobhope]

I’ve had a ton of success with my buddy jayson Nickol on skillest if you ever need a swing coach.

[bortass]

On 3/8/2022 at 9:02 AM, TheDeanAbides said:

Time to post a swing.

I will once I get a chance. Work and weather have prevented any range sessions over the last couple of weeks. I try to capture some this week if I can get to the range and we can all have a good laugh 🙂 

 

 

2 hours ago, Myherobobhope said:

I’ve had a ton of success with my buddy jayson Nickol on skillest if you ever need a swing coach.

What's he helped you with if you don't mind me asking?

 

 

The normal Saturday round two weeks ago was cancelled due to weather. Only 3 of us played last Saturday because of course conditions. It rained every other day last week, including a late night storm Friday. Almost every shot would have qualified for relief from casual water, including some tee shots. It was good to get out and swing a club. I played the ball down except for the two times I pulled my ball out of standing water. Some good holes but nothing worth writing about score wise.

 

We played the forward tees and I used driver unless I had a specific reason not to. It was actually decent. Hit 11/14 fairways with two misses being 5i shots. My only tee shot penalty was when I launched a 5i OOB.

 

I putted better than I have been but still managed a couple of three putts. Luckily I had five one putts from 2 - 15 feet that offset them. 

 

The big issues were short game and approaches. 4 holes had 2 chips, mainly because I bladed them. Approaches suffered from being thin or topped, which is what I was doing the last time I played three weeks ago. So no surprise since I wasn't able to get to the range to try to work things out. That last sentence is the key note to myself. I haven't been able to work on things much, so there won't be any reason to expect better results than I have been getting.

 

I have done some slow motion work on Cast A from NTC in my office with no ball the last couple of weeks. What surprised me is I started to do that in my full swing Saturday. The biggest thing this did was change my shot shape. I hit mostly fades that had more curve then I have been seeing. No push fades which is my typical fade. I haven't had any time to actually do this on the range and work out any kinks, so I expect things to be a bit unstable until this move is integrated into my swing which may take a long time.

 

 

[Myherobobhope]

I don’t mind you asking! My takeaway had gotten real open… basically my club head was in a terrible position at the top of my swing. I think it was a result of my speed training…

 

working in my takeaway… sent him another video today and looking forward to his feedback… I’ll see him in person in a few weeks when we are both in Austin.

 

still need to do a deeper dive into my driver. ..