Month: May 2018

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Golf Round Review

Blow Up Holes

By Shooting 90

May 22nd 2018 Golf Round Review

Some rounds you just don’t have it. I think we’ve all been there and know the feeling. Nothing feels right, you’re not striking the ball consistently in the center of the club face, and your round quickly turns into a grind to post a respectable score.

I was looking forward to our league returning to the front nine this week. As I’ve mentioned before, the front nine, a par 35, is more open and plays the easier of the two nines. My plan was to improve on the two 49’s I had posted for the first two weeks. The result was me hitting the trifecta with a third consecutive 49.

If I’m looking for positives on the stats, I hit 33% of greens in regulation. That is three putts at birdie. Of course three penalty strokes is no good.

Find a warm up routine that works for you. That may be hitting a few balls at the range, stretching, taking several practice swings, or a combination of these. In our league, you can tee off whenever both teams are there. Sometimes there’s a line of teams waiting and sometimes there’s not. Sometimes you get there and you’re up. I didn’t properly warm up, and pulled my driver into the left woods. From there it’s do the smart thing and be 100% sure your next shot finds the fairway. I then hit a decent three wood but then bladed another wedge over the green. I made a nice recovery chip and saved the bogey.

Hit a nice driver on the 2nd hole, and then found the front of the green with a 7 iron. I did one of the more depressing things in golf by hitting a green in regulation and then three putting for a bogey.

Hit the short par 3 3rd hole with a three quarter gap wedge. Left my first putt way short and three putted another green in regulation for another bogey.

I didn’t feel comfortable on a lot of shots over the first three holes, really couldn’t putt, and felt OK grinding for three bogeys.

The wind caught my attention on the 4th tee but I stayed with 4 iron. I hit my best feeling shot of the night but it was a high shot, hitting a wall of wind and landing in the mud on the back side of the first pond, never to see a human again. I hit my 6 iron fat, had a horrible lie in the rough in front of the second pond, and could not clear the water. I hit a wedge to just over the green for my sixth shot, chipped on and two putted for nine.

A nine. A nine kills your round. At this point it is so important to play each hole as its own and keep your total score from getting out of control.

I hit a nice driver on the 5th tee, especially after the disaster on the 4th hole. My approach shot drifted a bit right and was just off the green. A chip on and two putt got me a bogey. Righted the ship a little bit.

I laid up with a nice 4 iron off the tee on the 6th hole. Missed another green however and needed to chip on. It still took me 2 putts to get in the hole for another bogey. Along with cutting way down on 3 putts, I need to be able to get up and down a lot better from just off the green.

Speaking of doing better getting up and down, I was able to do just that on the 7th hole. I hit a decent 5 iron off of the tee but it was off to the right a bit. My pitch was within 6 inches of the hole for an easy tap-in par.

The 8th hole is one of the easier driving holes. You’ll really only get in trouble if you are very long left. I hit a driver up the right side and avoided the only tree that could have gave me trouble. I hit an 8 iron to the front part of the green, leaving me with a 25-30 foot birdie putt. It felt good to hit my first green in regulation since the 3rd hole. I then preceded to hit the worst putt I have hit in a LONG time. I saw the putt breaking to the right but I pulled it so far left I still had an 8 foot par putt which I missed. I three putted another green in regulation for a bogey.

Pulling my driver left has become a bit of a problem for me. I pulled another one off the 9th tee. I was optimistic I cut the corner but could not find my ball and had to take a drop. Frustrated and on the last hole, I tried to reach the green with a 3 wood out of the rough. I should have hit an iron but I got away with the 3 wood. I then chunked my pitch for my 4th shot and had to take a 5th shot to get on. A two putt gave me a triple bogey to end the round.

Not the round I was hoping for but I did a decent job of grinding out a sub 50 score after posting a 9 on the 4th hole.

Categories
Golf Round Review

When the Wheels Fall Off

By Shooting 90

May 15th 2018 Golf Round Review

As I mentioned in my first league round review, each week we alternate between the front nine, a par 35, and back nine, a par 37. The back nine at Pinewood Country Club is the tougher test between the two nines. It is cut more out of the woods while the front is a bit more open.

There were a lot of positives from this round. First and foremost, my putting was much improved, with only one 3 putt. My driving accuracy was not as good as the first week, but I was able to keep the ball in play off the tee until the last hole, when I snapped my streak of 17 penalty stroke free holes to start the season. Probably the best thing to come out of the round was the three pars, after not having a single one last week. Greens in regulations are so important for scoring well, and while I didn’t sink any of the birdie putts, I made good attempts at all three leaving me with tap in par putts for all three.

The wheels fell off over the last four holes, which I again contribute to lack of focus, leading to a final score of 49. I’ll get into the messy details in my review of those holes.

Just like the front nine, the back nine starts off with a par 5, the 497 yard 10th hole. Going left off the tee is the worst play, as you can easily lose your ball in the woods. Maybe I was thinking don’t go left, as I hit my driver left, fortunately not too far left but unfortunately up against a tree. My only play was to advance it ten to fifteen yards forward. Visualization is so important in golf. You want to visualize striping a great shot down the middle of the fairway, not focusing on where to not hit it. I think I was guilty of the latter as I pulled my drive left. I hit a few decent shots to be sitting 4 right off the green, from where I putted and hit a great lag putt to within six inches of the hole for a tap in bogey.

I pulled another driver left on the 11th hole. I received a lucky bounce to just be sitting in the left rough, although I was blocked out from reaching the green in two. I hit a nice 7 iron in front of the green. My chip was great and I needed two putts to get home for a bogey. I was still very pleased with a bogey-bogey start for my first time playing the back nine in several years.

The 12th hole has always been a tough hole for most golfers playing from the blue tees and I am definitely no exception. The wind was slightly into us and I wasn’t sure my 5 wood would be enough. I chose to hit 3 wood off the tee but looking back should have hit 5 wood. Being in between long clubs is not a good feeling for me but it’s always better to be short on this hole. Long is only going to get you in trouble. I wasn’t committed to 3 wood and I ended up topping it. I hit a decent second shot slightly left. It hit the bank and kicked further left. A chip on and 2 putts gave me a double bogey.

The fairways in regulation stat can be a bit misleading at times. I hit a great driver on the par 4 13th, but it ended up just off the fairway in the right rough. I had a good lie so while this wasn’t a fairway in regulation, the drive put me in a good position which I took advantage of. I had 180 yards left to the hole and hit a 4 iron. My 4 iron is my 190 yard club but out of the rough I thought it was the right club, especially considering the pin was in the back. So many beginner and high handicap golfers repeatedly do not hit enough club on approach shots. It one bounced the green and ended up 8 feet from the hole. I missed the birdie putt which had quite a bit of break left to right. Still a well played hole for my first par of the year.

The par 4 14th hole is best played by laying up off the tee. There just isn’t enough reward to risk driver into the small landing area. I hit a 6 iron off the tee in the fairway. A 9 iron for my second shot found the green from 125 yards out. Another 2 putt gave me my second par in a row. Suddenly I’m four over after five holes and am feeling pretty good about my round. That feeling would not last long as the beginning of the train wreck was near.

The par 4 15 hole is the toughest hole on the course. Not overly long but wooded on both sides with a green that is difficult to hold. I pulled another drive left but was in OK position for my second shot. I hit a 5 iron fat and was still 70 yards short of the green lying two. 70 yards is a full sand wedge for me although I’ve been hitting a half to three quarter gap wedge in these spots. I shanked my sand wedge 30 yards right of the green leaving me a very poor lie in the rough. It took me two pitches and two putts from there and I recorded my first triple bogey of the season.

Shanking has always been a small problem for me with short irons and wedges. I do not do it much, this was my first one of the year, but when it happens it can be a real round killer. I fixed a slice years ago and after that like to get the face closed early in my swing and keep it there. Sometimes I do not turn enough in my swing and get too “armsy”, which does not allow me to get my club path right enough causing my shanks with a face that is too closed.

Luckily for me the second easiest hole on the course, the 16th, was next. I hit another decent drive, technically another missed fairway, but one that put me in a good position for my second shot. I found the middle of the green and two putted for a great comeback par.

I hit a nice driver on the 17th hole which found the fairway. The ball was above my feet for my second shot. I took this into account and aimed right, but not enough, and my 6 iron went left, kicked more left off the bank and ended up a foot in the deeper rough by the thickets. It was a bad lie and I was lucky to get it out. I had a decent next shot to give me a look at bogey from about four feet. I preceded to hit my worst putt of the night, blowing it five feet past the hole, missed the comeback causing my only three putt of the night and giving me my second triple bogey in the last three holes.

I didn’t make a lot of putts this round but was not making any mistakes on the greens up until this point. It was a disappointing and demoralizing three putt.

This would have been the perfect opportunity to improve on leaving a bad hole in the past and committing to focus on the present hole. If you’ll remember this was an issue for my last week. I still have a lot of work to do in this area as I severely pulled my driver into the woods. We have a local rule in our league that gives us distance of our shot instead of being forced to re-hit off the tee. You can re-hit but you can take a drop at the point where the ball crossed the tree line. This is a good rule which helps maintain speed of play. I went from one side of the hole to the other when I hit my now third shot far too close to the woods on the right. I advanced my fourth shot to about 150 yards out and hit a very good 7 iron just off the back of the green to be lying five. We have some hole games each week and the 18th was closest chip. I chipped my 7 iron to within two inches to win a $49 gift card to the pro shop. It was a great consolation for taking a double bogey on the last hole and going triple-par-triple-double to close out my round.

I’m hoping to put the best of these first two league rounds together next week when we return to the easier front nine. I pulled several shots left again so I will work on that and also my pitching, chipping, and putting. The short game is so important in golf.

Categories
Golf Round Review

My Return to Pinewood Country Club

By Shooting 90

May 8th 2018 Golf Round Review

I’m happy to tell everyone that I’m back golfing in a weekly league. A long time ago, I wrote about the reasons to join a golf league, and they all still hold true today.

The league is the Tuesday Night Men’s Late League at Pinewood Country Club in Harsaw, WI. The course plays 6,179 yards from the back tees which we play in league. While the course is unique in that it has no bunkers, the rolling, wooded terrain provides a challenge for amateur golfers of every level. I golfed in this league for a few years about 10 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the course, members, and owners.

I will be reviewing every round here on the website, and I my hope is that you can learn some things along with me throughout the season. The league is a nine hole league and we alternate between the front and back nine each week. My goal is to break 40 on each nine before the end of the season.

We had a late spring this year so courses have just open within the last week. We had our first night of league this past Tuesday.

My final score of 49 wasn’t the score I shoot for, but there were enough positives in the round, especially considering it was the first time on a course this year.

As a high handicap or beginner golfer, it is extremely important to focus on the positives from your round and not dwell on negatives. Absolutely take stats during your round to formulate a practice plan to improve in needed areas of your game, but don’t relive your bad shots over and over in your head.

I had a lot of positives in this round, including hitting 71% of fairways in regulation, incurring no penalty strokes, and scoring no worse than a double bogey on any hole. Avoiding triple bogeys and worse is so important to keeping your round in check and not allowing it to get out of hand score wise.

Of course I have many areas of improvement. 22 putts for nine holes is not good. Add in that I only hit one green in regulation, the 22 putts shows how poor my short game and putting really was.

The first few rounds I will be reviewing every hole so you can get an overview of the course. While I’m not sure if I’ll review each individual hole every week, I’ll be reviewing at least some every week.

On the 1st hole, I striped my driver 260 yards right down the middle of the fairway. I truly could not have been happier. With 250 yards left, I decided to take 3 wood. I hit a pretty good shot up the left side, leaving me about 25 yards to go to the green. My short game issues surfaced immediately in the round, as I preceded to blade my wedge across the green. My chip coming back wasn’t much better, barely staying on the green. I then 3 putted for a double bogey 7. If I’m going to focus on positives, which I am, I’d take my first two shots any day of the week on this hole.

The 2nd hole is uphill from about 175 yards out to the green. I hit another nice drive down the middle. I had just inside of 150 yards left. The green was nearly 40 feet above me so I choose my 6 iron. I judged the distance well but pulled the shot left of the green. I made an excellent chip to inside 3 feet. I missed the short putt and had to settle for a bogey 5.

While the 3rd hole measures only 99 yards, it has a 47 foot drop in elevation from tee to green. Hit the perfect distance three-quarter swing gap wedge but again pulled it left of the green. I chipped on to about 4.5 feet, missed the par putt and recorded a bogey 4.

Long hitters could try to drive the green on the short par 4 4th hole, but it’s a small target, and the smarter play is to layup. I choose a 4 iron off the tee and hit a great layup, leaving about 95 yards to the green. I pulled another gap wedge left off the green and a little long. This was the 3rd short iron I pulled left. My following chip was well short, not getting over the mound between me and the hole. I barely got my putt over the mound and still had several feet to the hole. I took another 2 putts to get in. It ended up being my 2nd 3 putt of the night and another double bogey.

Looking back I probably got too frustrated over the poor chipping and putting on the last green, because a proceeded to top my driver off the 5th tee. I had 250 yards left to the green. I’m not capable of reaching the green from 250 yards in the rough, so I laid up to the yardage I wanted for my 3rd shot. I hit a 7 iron for my second shot which left me my preferred remaining  yardage of 100 yards. I hit my gap wedge just a little fat so while I made the green, I had a good 50-60 feet to the hole. I hit a pretty good lag putt to 5 feet, sank that putt and recorded a bogey 5.

The 6th hole is an uphill par 4. Hitting driver off the tee requires you hitting into a small landing area. The safer play is to hit your tee shot about 200 yards and leave 100 yards to the green. I had hit my 4 iron cleanly but pushed it a bit too far right, not leaving me an angle to the green. I hit my second shot about 15 yards in front of the green and didn’t hit a great chip for my 3rd shot to the back of the green. I 3 putted for the 3rd time that night and recorded a double bogey 6.

A pretty nice wind had kicked up and was at our back on the 7th tee. I decided to go with a 6 iron. I had another lack of focus and topped the 6 iron. Hit a wedge for my second shot and again pulled it left. I couldn’t get up and down and had to record a double bogey 5. I just hate to take a double on a par 3.

I hit another good driver on the 8th hole, leaving me with 125 yards for my second shot. I pulled a 9 iron but thankfully not as bad as my other pulls, and hit my only green in regulation of the night. My 4th 3 putt of the night led to a bogey 5.

The 9th hole is a dog leg left par 4. I attempted to cut the corner with my driver, which is possible, but I caught the last tree. I was in the rough and did not have a line to the green. I hit a 7 iron to about 20 yards in front of the green. My next chip might have been the worst of the night. It came up short of the green and it took me a 4th short to get on. Missed the 5 foot putt bogey putt and recorded another double bogey.

Final Thoughts

Except for two times losing focus, I hit the ball extremely well off the tee, whether it was my driver or 4 iron. The two times I lost focus and topped my shots is a good reminder to clear my head before each shot and after every hole.

I did do a lot of work on my putting this weekend so I’m hoping to see improvement in that area tomorrow in my next league round. I worked on lag putting and short putts. Eliminating 3 putts is a two part process. You need to improve your lag putting, which is getting the ball close to the hole on your first long putt, and improve making the short 3, 4 and 5 foot putts.

I also worked on determining why and correcting pulling my short irons to the left. These are straight pulls, so both my club path and club face are left of target. I worked on getting my path more to the right, which seems to help. If I am still pulling my short irons tomorrow in league, a quick fix will be to aim more to the right. I need to hit more than one green in regulation.

I’m excited to see improvement in my game as we go through league season.