Month: July 2018

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Golf Round Review

A Scorecard With No Fours

By Shooting 90

July 24th 2018 Golf Round Review

I didn’t play well this round. From a lost ball on the first shot of the night on the 10th to an out of my mind four putt on the 12th, I never really felt comfortable. Everything seemed like a real grind.

It is so important to realize you are going to have these bad rounds at times and to really focus on one shot at a time and not on the scorecard.

My final score of 52 ties for my worst of the year, with my first 52 also coming on the back nine. If this is the worst score I’m going to post, I feel my game will be alright. Besides losing my drive on the 10th, I did hit my driver OK, hitting some off the toe, with gear effect producing a hook, but was still able to keep them in play.

I hit what I thought was a good drive off the 10th tee down the left side of the fairway. You need to be careful of too far left as it will take a wicked bounce into the woods. I saw this drive bounce forward so I though I was fine. It ended up getting too much roll and went into the woods. I had to take a drop. Penalty stroke on the first swing of the night. I recovered with a nice 4 iron layup to about 115 yards. I pulled my 4th shot left of the green. I pitched on and two putted for a double bogey.

I hit a great drive on the 11th hole. I left a gap wedge short of the green from 90 yards. I hit an awesome chip to a foot away and missed the par putt and had to settle for a bogey. A penalty stroke on the 10th hole and now a missed one foot putt.

I chunked my 3 wood off the 12th tee, blocking it into the woods to the right. Another penalty stroke. After I took my drop, I had several trees between me and the green with about 60 yards left to the hole. I had two options. Pitch it left back into the fairway or try a punch shot through a gap to the right of the trees to the right side of the green and hope I get a kick left off the bank. If I had a better start, I might of pitched back into the fairway. I ended up going for it and hit one my best shots of the year. I hit a punch shot with my 4 iron right through the gap, it rolled up, took a curve off the bank, ran right by the hole and stopped 10 feet away. I had a chance to save bogey but hit my putt way short, leaving about two and a half feet short. I made a huge mistake and let my frustration over putting get the best of me. I didn’t line up the next putt, no pre-shot routine or anything, and just walked up and hit it. I missed it and then missed the putt coming back. My frustration cost me a 4 putt and quadruple bogey.

Still, I was proud of myself as I just blew it off and recollected myself. Sometimes you are not going to have your A game, your going to hit bad shots, and shoot high scores. I finally concluded this was going to be one of those rounds. I should have came to that conclusion before getting overly frustrated, but better late than never. I just need to take one shot at a time.

I hit another fairway with my driver on 13. I had about 160 yards left up the hill. I blocked my 5 iron a bit right and it ended up in the tall grass to the right of the green. I hit a good shot with my gap wedge and hacked it out to within a foot of the green. I putted it close from off the green and tapped in for a bogey.

I hit my usual 6 iron off the 14th tee, taking an aggressive line over the pond and to within 100 yards of the center of the green. I hit my gap wedge a little fat, still finding the green but a good 30 feet from the hole. I hit a poor lag putt, misreading the break, leaving it over 10 feet left of the hole. I didn’t get the par putt to the hole and 3 putted for a bogey.

I hit my driver a bit off the toe and hooked another drive left of the trees on 15. That’s a popular spot for me. I tried to hit a 4 iron from 175 yards but had a very weird stance. My left foot was in a hole, a good six inches below my right. Not a shot I can ever remember practicing, and I proceeded to top it 35 yards up the fairway. I then pulled an 8 iron hard left, getting a good break with my ball dropping down, not going in the woods. Even with the break, my ball was sitting up in some tall grass right behind a tree. My only option was to hit it left to the left side of the green. I hit a great shot to within 15 feet of the hole. The putt was downhill and I ended up hitting the putt over 10 feet past the hole. I needed two putts from there and scored another double bogey.

I hit another driver off the toe, but this this one starting right and finding the middle of the fairway. I had 100 yards left, a perfect gap wedge for me. I chunked it and had to pitch it on in 3. I two putted for bogey.

I hit my driver on 17 left in the rough. I blocked my 4 iron to the right. It caught the cart path and traveled past the green. I bladed my gap wedge over the green and chipped my 8 iron back over. I putted on and sank the next putt for a double bogey. I need to continue to improve my short game.

I’ve played the 18th hole well the last two times I have played it. I hit another driver off the toe but found the left side of the fairway, I then hit a 3 wood into the left rough leaving about 100 yards. I hit what felt like a perfect gap wadge about a yard short of the green. I hit a nice 7 iron chip to within a few feet and made it for par.

A scorecard without any fours is a bad round. What high handicap and beginner golfers should realize is that they will have bad shots. Have enough of them and you’ll have a bad round. It’s part of the game and the sooner you can get over bad rounds the less frequent they will become and the better your bad rounds will get.

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Golf Tips

Have One Golf Swing Thought

By Shooting 90

One needs to put in the work on their golf swing at the practice range if they want improved scoring. You may be working on multiple concepts on the range, fitting all the pieces together to improve both your ball striking and ball flight.

I’ve always thought you should play your round with the swing you have that day and not attempt to incorporate changes while on the course. That is what the practice range is for, to give you the time and place to work on changes.

The hard part for many of us is taking our improved swing mechanics to the golf course. Many high handicap golfers become overwhelmed with everything, and begin thinking way too mechanically while on the course. You need to focus on course management while on the course, visualizing your shots and selecting the right club for each shot. For the most part, your swing should just take care of itself, with one exception, the swing thought.

A swing thought is a one single element that you are thinking about when hitting a golf shot. I’ve always thought it near impossible to be thinking and acting on a swing thought during the swing. For me, I think about my swing thought right before starting my takeaway.

The key word in the definition we stated in the previous paragraph is single. You want to have a single thought about some aspect of your swing that helps you execute the swing the way you want. Trying to have multiple swing thoughts during a single swing doesn’t work and ends up hurting your efforts a lot more than it helps.

I have a one swing thought for my driver and woods and another one for my irons and wedge. Develop your swing thoughts on the practice range, experimenting with different ones until you find one that works for you. A swing thought could be reminding you do perform a specific action and many times it is a feeling that helps you do that.

Here are a few of my swing thoughts to give you a few examples. Keep in mind these most likely will not work for you. Everyone’s situation is different, and it’s important you find your own that work for you.

I, like many high handicap and beginner golfers, had a slice that I eradicated from my driver a few years ago. My ball flight now is a high draw and my big miss with the driver, a pull hook, is a common one for a drawing ball flight. I feel one of the contributing factors to my pull hooks is bringing the driver back too far to the inside to start my back swing. My swing thought with my driver and woods is to bring the clubhead straight back on my take away.

My biggest miss with my short irons and wedges is, believe it or not, a shank. It used to creep into my rounds periodically, would take me several shots to correct, and would destroy my round. Through work on the range, I found that if I line up my clubface with the ball a bit farther out towards the toe, and have the swing thought of hitting the toe on the clubface on toe side of the middle, I get much more pure ball striking and do not shank.

Developing a simple, single swing thought we help you take your swing improvements from the range to the course.

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Golf Round Review

Bye Bye Blow Up Holes

By Shooting 90

July 17th 2018 Golf Round Review

I titled one of my earlier golf round reviews “Blow Up Holes”. It’s hard to recover from a 9 on a hole. As your game progresses, your definition of what a blow up hole is changes. For my game at the moment, I feel I can recover from a few double bogies and still post a final score I’m happy with. I currently consider a triple bogey to be a blow up hole, a score which will be more difficult to recover from.

I had a few streaks going over the last few founds. My penalty stoke free streak came to an end this round at 21 holes. But even with penalty strokes on back to back holes this round, I was still able to salvage double bogey on each, post my season best front nine score of 44, and run my current streak of holes since my last triple bogey to 27.

Although I hit a few poor tee shots, incurred two penalty strokes (one related to a poor tee shot and one not), and three putted the last hole, I was still able to avoid any blow up holes and piece together a good round of 44.

Putting needs to continue to be my area of focus. Only one putted a green once and missed a three footer for birdie on the first hole. As Rickie Fowler said during the Scottish Open last week, slow greens reward good putting. Slow greens will also penalize poor putting in my opinion. My putting is still less than stellar and the greens at Pinewood are slow this year.

I continued my great driving of late with one right down the middle on the first hole. I had 250 yards left, so instead of hitting a 3 wood 20 yards short of the green, a shot which has a lot of risk and little reward, I hit a 7 iron and laid up to 100 yards. I then hit my gap wedge to three feet from the hole. It would have been great to start off the night with a birdie, but my short putting woes continued and I missed the putt and had to settle for par.

My run of great drives came to an end as I pull hooked my driver left into the woods off the 2nd tee. In a stoke of remarkable luck, it bounced back out and actually advanced up the left rough a few yards. When you get a break in golf, you need to take advantage of it. I had a great lie but 200 yards left to the green. The 2nd hole is extremely uphill and we were into the wind, so I wasn’t sure even my 3 wood would get there but a gave it a shot. I hit a great shot that almost made it, stopping 5 yards short of the green. I chipped on and left my first putt 3-4 feet short. They are leaving the greens longer so they don’t burnout with the lack of rain, but it does make them slow. I made the second putt for a bogey.

I hit my gap wedge a little long and left off the 3rd tee. The tee shot on this little hole plays a lot harder than it looks. I was able to pitch on and two putt for a bogey.

I made a course management mistake on the 4th hole. I have hit 4 iron off the tee all year long, but for the second time this year I failed to clear the mud on the backside of the first pond. I had to take a drop. I hit a 5 iron that rolled off the back of the green. I chipped on and two putted for a double bogey. It’s hard to overcome penalty strokes. This was my first penalty stroke in 22 holes. I’m going to have to hit 7 wood from the 4th tee from now on.

I hooked another driver off the 5th tee but it stayed in play, ending up on a slope in the left rough. I was 121 yards out with the ball very much below my feet. As these shots will many times go right, I aimed left but unfortunately my shot stayed left, 5 yards too far left and into the woods. I had to take an unplayable and pitched on for my 4th shot. I two putted for another double bogey. Two holes in a row with a penalty stroke! The saving grace was that I recovered on each hole to avoid the blow up hole.

I hit my usually 4 iron for my tee shot on the 6th hole. It was right side of the fairway, which is not ideal but it was OK. I had 128 yards left up the hill. I clubbed up to a 7 iron and hit a great shot over the trees on the right side, just a bit too much club, and a half yard off the back of the green. I putted on and drained a 4 footer for par, a nice recovery after two double bogeys in a row.

I haven’t found the green on the 7th hole in my previous attempts this year, but this time I hit a great 4 iron to within 15 feet of the hole. It was straight downhill to the hole and I was worried about running it way past. So I of course left my birdie 3 feet short but was able to make the next for two pars in a row.

I hit the fairway with my driver off the 8th tee and had 125 yards left. I hit a nice 9 iron but didn’t quite get all of it and was a yard short of the green. I putted on and then two putted for a bogey.

I hit my driver slightly right again which left me 170 yards to the hole. I made decent contact with a 4 iron to right of the green. I didn’t hit a good pitch. It was on the green but 20 feet from the hole. I three putted, my only one of the night, for a double bogey. Last week I was able to break my curse on the 18th hole by getting a par, but I still haven’t been able to solve the riddle on the 9th hole, where I haven’t scored better than double bogey all year.

My scores have been trending down throughout the season. I’m still hitting a few errant shots, but we all with do that. Overall my ball striking is getting a lot more consistent, and when I do make a bad shot I am able to minimize the damage.

I still feel if I can improve my short game, especially my putting, even a small amount I can see my scores progress even lower.

Categories
Golf Round Review

Driver Striping

By Shooting 90

July 10th 2018 Round Review

In my last golf round review, No Penalty Strokes, I mentioned the importance of keeping the ball in play off the tee. I’ve had 18 straight penalty stroke free holes in a row, and putting the ball in play off the tee is the biggest contributor to that. It’s obvious, but no penalty strokes makes it so much easier to put together lower rounds, and I was able to post a 45 this round.

Last round I hit several nice drives, some in the fairway, some just off, but most in good shape. I built a lot on that this round and had the best round I can remember with my driver, hitting 67% of fairways. Every shot with my driver except one was a high, booming, baby draw, with every one of those except one finding the middle of the fairway.

I continued to strike my irons well for the most part, but my short game continues to be of area of needed improvement for me. I still do not have the ability to get up and down from green side. I’m not getting my chips and putts close enough to one putt, and when I do I’m missing short putts.

It was great to start the round off with a great drive right down the middle on the 10th hole. I had 279 yards left. I hit a 4 iron to layup to around 100 yards, which I did almost down to the yard. I hit my gap yard pin high but pulled it left a few yards off the green. I chipped on and two putted for a bogey.

I hit another nice driver off the 11th tee, missed the fairway left but still very playable out of the left rough. I had 80 yards left and hit a nice partial gap wedge on the green. I am not doing a great job with the speed of the greens and left my first putt way short. I missed the second putt and you guessed it, three putted another green in regulation for a bogey.

I hit my usual 3 wood off the par 3 12th tee. I hit a thin bullet, but it was straight and managed to get some air, and was only 10 or so yards short of the green. I pitched on and two putted for another bogey. Felt like I should be scoring better with my ball striking but satisfied with bogey golf.

Absolutely crushed a driver off the 13th tee which ended up right in the middle of the fairway. I made good contact with an 8 iron but pulled another shot, pin high but left of the green. It left a difficult pitch down the hill onto the green. I two putted for another bogey. 4 bogies in a row. Nice to be consistent if nothing else.

I hit a nice 6 iron off the tee on the 4th hole which found the fairway, but I didn’t cut the angle close enough, and left a shot with which I had to skirt the tree line. I hit a nice 8 iron which would have been near perfect, but it just clipped a tree. Luckily I found it, but it was in some tall stuff, and I just got it out. I then had a mental lapse and duffed my pitch. It took me 5 strokes to get on. I was happy to sink the 6 footer to save double bogey.

The 15th hole is the hole where I hit my driver off the toe, sending it left. I got lucky and the ball missed going in the corner woods. I had 190 yards left uphill, which is a little much for my 4 iron. Still, 4 iron was the correct play out of the rough, and I hit a great one that ended up just two yards short of the green. I hit a nice 7 iron chip to two feet from the hole but missed the par putt and had to settle for bogey! With the rest of my game in pretty good shape it really is highlighting how poor my putting is and how it is costing me strokes.

I crushed another driver off the 16th tee leaving me 88 yards from the middle of the fairway. I hit a great gap wedge that toyed with going in ending up 6 feet past the hole. I was tentative with my birdie putt and left it short, settling for a par.

I hit another beautiful driver on 17 which left me a 155 yard approach shot from the fairway. I hit one of my few only poor irons of the night, fatting a 6 iron. It is so important to remain focused after a bad shot. I thinned my next shot, a gap wedge over the green. I did make a great recovery shot, pitching it to 6 inches from the hole to save bogey.

I broke my 18th hole curse and hit a great drive down the middle of the fairway, leaving 228 yards left to the hole. I proceeded to hit a great three wood to within 10 yards of the green. I decided to chip with a 9 iron instead of a wedge, which was a great idea, I got more roll out than a wedge, just not enough, leaving about 12 feet for birdie. I hit one of my better putts of the night as my birdie putt broke just in front of the hole and tapped in for par.

It was great to have a strong finish. Almost unbelievable to me, in my previous seven league rounds this year, I failed to score better than a double bogey on the finishing hole. I need to focus my practice on short game and putting. If I do that I feel my game is trending in a great direction.

Categories
Golf Round Review

No Penalty Strokes

By Shooting 90

June 26th 2018 Golf Round Review

You can play not your best golf and as long as you avoid penalty strokes, still record an OK score.

Hard for me to believe, but this 47 is my best score on the front nine this season. Only one par and too many poor shots, but still a lot of positives to take out of this round. I hit 43% of fairways and didn’t miss any left, which has been an issue for me early this year. When I missed the fairway to the right on four holes, all were still very much in play. Right is the correct miss on those holes, as going left is in the woods.

I’m driving the ball well as of late. You might have heard the saying “drive for show, putt for dough”, which has a lot of truth in it, but if you can’t put the ball in play off of the tee, you will continually struggle to score well.

I made decent contact on my drive on the 1st hole and hit it up the right side in the rough. I wasn’t fully committed to my second shot. I wanted to lay up with a 4 iron that would leave me a wedge into the par 5. I was worried about clipping trees to my right and I thought if I went left enough to avoid them I’d have tree trouble on the left. Never feeling comfortable with the shot, I ended up topping it twenty to thirty yards up the fairway. I hit a much better 4 iron for my third shot about 30 yards in front of the green. I hit a decent pitch leaving my par putt below the hole from about 18-20 feet. It had rained a little before our round and I left my first putt woefully short, missed my second, and three putted for a double bogey.

I felt like I wasn’t committed to some shots today. Thinking through your shots is a good idea, but once you have determined the shot to play, fully commit to that shot.

I hit a great drive on two up the right side of the fairway leaving me 110 yards left uphill for my approach. I hit a 9 iron a little fat and was a few yards short of the green. I chipped on and two putted for a bogey.

Par should be the score on the 3rd hole most of the time. I’ve already fatted a wedge and took a double bogey on this hole this year already. Today I thinned my gap wedge well over the green. I then thinned another wedge back over the green. Chipped on and two putted for another double bogey. My short game is presently not good enough to save me from bad approach shots. I am rarely getting up and down from off the green.

I hit a 4 iron off the 4th tee to the right. I avoided the few trees over there and if you can do that bailing right isn’t all that bad. At least you are dry. I made good contact with my 8 iron for my approach shot but pulled it slightly left. We had a lot of rain about a week and a half ago and there was ground under repair that I got relief from. I fatted my pitch shot but was able to chip my fourth shot close to the cup and was able to make the putt for bogey.

Six over after four holes. Not exactly where I want to be put still time to get on a run and salvage the round.

I’ve been playing the 5th hole well this year and hit another good driver to find the fariway. I was between a pitching wedge and 9 iron but chose pitching wedge to leave it below the hole. I hit a nice one and did just that, leaving it about 15 feet below the hole. I two putted for a par. I need to par more holes.

I hit my usual 4 iron off the 6th tee and found the right side of the fairway. I hit my 8 iron approach a little short and left but was in a good spot in front of the green. I bladed my wedge over the green. Way too many of those this round. I chipped on and two putted for a double bogey. Instead of stringing a couple pars together, another double bogey had me 8 over par after six holes and just trying to avoid a huge score for the round at this point.

I thinned my 5 iron off the tee and barely made it over the pond. I pitched on and two putted for a bogey.

The 8th hole is another hole I’ve been playing well this year. I hit a decent drive that found the right rough. With 125 yards left but an uphill lie I hit an 8 iron within 20 feet of the hole. It was uphill to the hole with slow greens. I wanted to get it to the hole. I judged the pace very well and hit a nice lag putt to within two feet of the hole. This weekend I practiced starting my putts, especially short ones, online. None of that helped this putt and I pulled it left, three putting for a bogey. I’ve said it before but one of the worst feelings I have in golf is hitting a green in regulation and three putting for bogey.

I hit my driver right off the 9th tee. While missing right is the safest miss on this hole, it does make the hole play much longer. I had 185 yards out of the rough left for my approach. I had a decent lie here but made a mistake. I should have taken my medicine and laid up with a 4 iron. I instead tried to get a 5 wood on the ball but ended up topping it. I then topped a 7 iron and then pitched on. Two putts and a double bogey ended my round. So far this league season my scores on the 9th hole have been double bogey, triple bogey, and double bogey. I need to finish rounds much, much better than I am.

As this season has progressed, I have improved my accuracy off the tee. I still need some work on putting, but what I really need to improve now is my low point on my irons. I’m either fat or thin on what feels like over half of these shots.