low point control | 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.

June 12th 2018 Golf Round Review

I stated my goals for golf league at the beginning of the season. I want to break 40 on both the front and back nines at Pinewood Country Club. Doing that will be tough on each nine, but will be toughest on the par 37 back nine. I haven’t been close yet this year until this round. Backed by my first birdie of the year, I was two over after six holes, only to have an epic collapse on the last three holes.

I still managed to post my best score or the year, a nine over 46, although this round was a major disappointment. I take solace in the fact that I had a great round going and know I can repeat that.

The first two times I’ve played the 10th hole this year I have drove it left. Left is jail and no good. I’m happy to report I didn’t go left this round. I went right, too far right but somehow my ball ended up in the right hand side of the fairway. Members bounce. Had to have hit a tree and came out. I took advantage of the break and laid up with a nice 4 iron to about 135 yards out. I couldn’t have reached the green in two and had predetermined before teeing off that I would play three shots to the green. Course management is big. I hit a nice 8 iron for my third shot that wound up just off the left fringe of the green.I used my putter and lagged it nicely within 3 feet of the hole. I missed the less than 3 foot par putt and had to settle for bogey. I really need to work on my putts of 3 feet and less. I need to get to making 90% of these.

I hit a nice drive on 11 up the right hand side of the fairway which gave me a great line into the green on the dog leg left. I had about 85 yards left and bladed my 3rd quarter swing gap wedge over the green. I was fortunate that it checked up before the woods. I hit a nice pitch to within 4-5 feet of the cup and made my par putt.

The 218 yd par 3 12th has always been a challenge for me. Let’s be truthful. It’s a challenge for almost every golfer. I didn’t lose my focus on the tee and hit one of my best 3 woods of the year, slightly right of the green but catching the bank and bouncing left just a few inches off the fringe. I putted a bit too firm on and ran the ball about 6 feet past the hole. I missed the putt coming back and had to settle for a bogey. Still, I was 2 over after three and happy with my start.

I pulled my driver slightly into the left rough, which isn’t the worst place to be. I hit a 5 iron from 165 yards out, again playing the bank right of the green nicely, getting a great bounce left onto the green and settling 7 feet away from the hole. I drained the putt for my first birdie of the year in league play!

My play off the tee on the 14th hole all year has been 6 iron and that was what I played this round. I found the fairway and played a great 8 iron from 133 yards out that ended up pin high about 15 feet left of the pin at the back of the green. I was thinking two birdies in a row at this point. My putt was right on line, all I had to do was hit it, which I didn’t. I left it about 3 and a half feet short. My par putt lipped out and I went from possibly two birdies in a row to a three putt bogey.

I hit my driver down the left side and flirted with the two large pines on the left side of the fairway. Fortunately my ball made it through and I had about 160 yards into the green. The second shot is uphill so I clubbed up one club and hit a 5 iron to just off the back fringe. I had a good lie on short grass just off the green so I used my putter again (always putt when you can). It was downhill and I misjudged the speed, knocking it 7 feet past the hole. I was able to make the 7 footer for par. While my putting has been a weak spot for me this year (and previous years), I missed a few short putts already, I was very happy I made a few 5-10 foot putts this round. I was also very happy with my round thus far, 2 over after six holes!

I made solid contact with my driver but pushed it just slightly right, but right enough to catch the corner of the woods. The woods get to be pretty thick with ground cover by this time of year, so while I searched for my ball I was unable to find it. I had to drop and hit a gap wedge for my 3rd shot which ended up a few feet short of the green. I putted on but not close enough to get up and down, and I ended up taking a double bogey on the hole.

I didn’t let the double bogey get me down and I hit a decent driver up the right side in the rough. I only had about 160 left but I didn’t have the best lie so I clubbed up to a 4 iron. I hit a decent shot which found the fairway about 30 yards short of the green. I got a few breaks this round, but none bigger than my next shot. I bladed my gap wedge and hit the marker for the hole event on one hop. The ball went slightly right and died fairly quickly, leaving me only about 12 feet for par. If I didn’t hit the hole event marker I would have been way off the back of the green. I certainly didn’t take advantage of the huge break though. The green is deceivingly downhill from right to left, and I knocked my par putt 6 feet past and missed the return putt. Another three putt and another double bogey.

I had yet to keep a drive in play far enough to the fairway this year on the 18th hole. I pulled both my drives left in the woods during my previous two rounds. Sadly I did about the same thing this time. I did get the ball just about to the beginning of the fairway before it crossed the line into the woods. Golf is so mental this hole is in my head like you won’t believe. I need to be able to finish strong so I need to play this hole much better. I did recover very nicely with a 4 iron for my third shot which left me about 100 yards to go, a perfect gap wedge for me. I bladed the gap wedge over the green. What is that like the 3rd bladed wedge this round? I used a gap wedge to pitch it on and didn’t fly the ball fall enough and it was short. I’m going to start pitching with 8,9, and PW to use less loft and get more roll out. I left my first putt way short and took too more to get in. Another 3 putt and this time a triple bogey.

I choked really big time this round. I was 2 over after six only to finish double bogey double bogey triple bogey for a 9 over 46. Low point control on my short irons and wedges along with short putting is killing my rounds.

By Shooting 90

By Shooting 90