Darthweasel Golf Goals

[darthweasel]

Few threads out there on various handicap goals and so froth and this seems like a good place to start posting some of my random thoughts and reflections.

Several people through the years have been shocked to hear I was not a single digit handicap. And to be fair, i have all the tools..I have enough distance...my most recent round had 12 driver uses with a top end of 274 and a bottom end of 173...something that will come up later in this post...with 5 of them being 260 yards or longer. I have had months where the average hovered around 270, but have recently had a significant distance loss across the board.

I track my strokes gained against scratch and historically have been marginally plus (,01, but still positive), and had plenty of distance throughout the bag. My chipping game has been mediocre but not so bad as to look incompetent. So people see the distance and the putting and assume...but the holes have held me back.

The first major flaw has been dispersions. I will take a 9i from the third hole in the tournament Saturday. The hole was playing 142. I grabbed my 9i, took what has been my miss lately (pull/draw) and moved my shot zone where most of it was completely safe from the water left. I then immediately hit a block/fade 156 yards. So I missed 14 yards long and 30-40 yards right of my expected landing area leaving myself a 56 yard chip to a short-side green tilting away from me toward the water. This is not a recipe for success...but is illustrative of why I have not scored well.

I might get away with missing distance by 14 yards. I might get away with missing 30 yards right. I can't get away with both on the same shot...I need to tighten my dispersion.

A second reason has been that one bad shot doesn't cost me one stroke...sometimes it takes me 2 or 3 to dig out of the hole. The driver OB leading to 3 off the tee...now I am likely at best a double and if I "bogey" off that tee shot...that is a triple. Do that twice a round and there is zero room for error anywhere else.

To be fair, there was a stretch 2 or 3 years ago where I got serious about everything, had a stretch of scores in the upper 70s. Then I quit practicing, because I was satisfied. But after that, I no longer enjoyed playing in the 90s. So I spent hour after hour last year in the sim house working on swing path, clubface control, angle of attack...the idea is to tighten the dispersions.

So here is the game plan for improvement
1) tighten distance dispersion across the bag: I don't need to go 147, 210 with a 7i for example, as I recently did on back to back shots...
2) tighten the left/right dispersion across the bag; I certainly don't need my width dispersion to be 30% of the length...
3) maintain the putting level
4) tighten the chipping dispersion

Once I get there the scores should drop more consistently. Goal # 1 is to get single digits...which 9.9 technically makes, but for me I mean 9.0 or below. This feels like a pretty modest, attainable goal.
Goal #2, more of a "stretch" goal, get to a 7.0. Less likely this year but not impossible.

So the plan is to post random thoughts, assess my rounds, etc here to monitor my progress. Starting today at 11.3 and off we go.

 

[darthweasel]

So the first random thought is reflecting on Saturday's borderline disastrous tournament at Langdon Farms. Usually I don't really care about the tournament setting...I am playing with the NW Golf Guys primarily for 2 reasons: 1, to golf with specific friends, and/r 2, they play a lot of courses I can't get on otherwise.

This time, I cared. I think I cared too much. I really overdid it on the practice and playing leading in. I normally take Sunday as a complete rest day...no biking, no tennis, no golf...just hanging out, eating, resting. This time I spent a couple hours at the range, then the chipping and putting area. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday all saw either a round after a solid half hour or more on range or a couple hours chipping/putting.

I have recently been in a putting slump. I have always been a die it in the hole putter and it never has bothered me to "leave an eagle putt" or "leave a birdie putt short"...I always think, "a 3" birdie putt feels pretty good" or "a 2" par putt...I like my chances". Somewhere along the way I lost my pace control. Suddenly I am shipping it 4,5, 6' past the hole...something I have not done in years. And suddenly three putts were a thing. Average putts skyrocketed from 1.7 to 1.9 and GIR made it to an embarrassing 2.1. That has to stop.

So Friday I bought a new blade putter, went out and chipped and putted for 3 hours getting used to it. Then I went right to work and...went with my mallet for the tournament.

Anyway, instead of coming into the tournament relaxed and fresh, I felt like I overdid it and was putting a lot of emphasis on how I played instead of hanging with Jonathan, Jon and Won.

My historical miss has been a monstrous slice. Over the last couple years I have really worked to retrain my swing. At one point I had the club path dialed to where nearly every swing was between 1.6 and 3.6 inside out, the clubface a bit more variation, but I was okay with it and most misses were a pull. Dead pull. Well, on the range...everything was moving right. I mean EVERYTHING. 95 yard 3/4 50 degree? 30 yards right of target. Uh oh.

So hole 1 is the longest par 3 on the course, playing something like 578 from the box I was on. I immediately hit my first, last and only pull of the day, and got a bit lucky leaving the ball 1" in the first cut, just outside the long stuff that would have been a disaster. I then proved the longer rough they had grown out was something i was not prepared for, the ball coming at a bad angle and leaving me in the far rough. From there, a club I intended to hit 210 out of the rough went 149, after a mediocre chip I ran the first putt 6' past, missed the comebacker and started with a double.

So analyzing my play is key. My distance off the tee was fine. i left myself in fine position. My work out of the rough...I need to learn to play out of longer rough. It was probably 3/4 to an inch longer than I am accustomed to. That led to needing to get up and down. No worries, that is correctable. Shipping the putt that far past the hole was inexcusable. Mental note, more time on speed control.

So starting at the top, what did the driver look like the rest of the day? In a word...awful. Drive #2 slice into the fairway I had just left. Drive # 3 giant slice into the next fairway. Drive #4 slice into an awful lie...more on that in a bit. Fifth drive hit a fairway. But only because the sidehill bounced it in

I think my driver was in the fairway 3 times all day. One was OB and unplayable and 1 put me into a tough spot due to lie but I nearly parred the hole.

So considering: should I have taken club other than driver? Looking at my stats...absolutely not. Many of the par 4s were north of 400. Taking less than driver would require two near perfect shots followed by an above average chip and a 2-putt to make bogey. Driver, even with the direction issues, gave me a look at being on in reg. I think it was the right shot.

The OB shot was just a miserable swing. I was aiming at the far left of a wide fairway, and immediately block/sliced into the driving range that should not have been in play. I missed my shot by 200 yards. Just a terrible swing, moving on.

So now to long irons: I actually liked them most of the day. There was a notable sequence I did regret: on hole 18, our 9th hole of the day, as I was in the backswing I heard them yell fore. Knowing the teebox they were on, I continued my swing as the ball would have little to no velocity when it arrived. My playing partners elected to try to protect me, saying something like, "incoming"...I saw the ball in the corner of my eye, it did not bother me but them saying that did throw me off...which probably didn't matter but in addition to the slice, this was a short drive...the lost distance felt like a jerk in my motion related to their yell. I then hit my 4i and it was a beautiful shot, right on the line I wanted. Unfortunately, it was a blind shot that went 245 when i was shooting for 220 and I rinsed it...

The wedges...oh, the wedges. Out of nowhere I not once but twice elected to dig a trench instead of scraping the ground, leading to 2 awful shots. So that will be a point of emphasis as well.

Chipping was mostly good...there was one 9i I missed wide right, the chip was 3' from being brilliant...I was a shade right of my target line, leaving me on the upper tier instead of the lower. Conceivably had it been lower tier I might have had a makeable putt, instead it was a guaranteed 2-putt. The next hole I bladed the living smurf out of one, shooting it across the longest green on the course for no apparent reason. Something to work on...make sure I get that shoulder down, weight on the front foot.

Outside of the first putt I launched, the rest of the round was decent to good including about a 20' bogey save.

As is my way, I got better as the day went on, going 48 (facepalm)-41. I would have been happy with an 85. The 89 felt awful.

So things to work on:

1) I HATE the slice. I will take a snap hook over a slice 100% of the time. Face control. Face control. Face control. Will be working on that
2) Eliminate the fat shot
3) Putting pace

so those are the three things I will concentrate on this week.

 

[darthweasel]

Been thinking a bit about one of the drawbacks to having joined a semi-private club.

It has mostly been beneficial...every break in the weather I go get in some cow pasture pool and as long as I stick to the private side the rounds top out around 3:43 with most of them quicker.

But...BUT...I need to maintain my practice time. And I know me...I would always rather play than practice. So I sat down and charted practice time versus play time...and it is out of balance. So last night on a beautiful, sunny night...I hit the range and putting green instead.

Ah, the benefit was quick and immediate. I have a hypothesis on both the return to chunks and also some of the directional issues so worked quite a bit on those two things for a couple hours, working my way through the bag.

Side note: I need to make sure I play more with solid playing partners. My eyesight is declining even since my appointment a couple months ago. For most clubs this is no problem. When I hit the driver mediocre it is not a problem. But when I square it up, it is a problem as the ball launches off the clubface fast enough I cannot pick it up...so I need help watching it.

Regardless, 2 keys from last night
1) Remember to stand more upright. I tend to hunch over the ball too much which crowds things too much to swing inside.
2) Look 2 dimples left of what I had been using as my target. Results in a more consistent ball flight
3) Keep that left shoulder down

Likely play tonight and tomorrow, practice Friday then Stone Creek with Jonathan Saturday. Keep those keys in mind. 2 setup, then the one swing thought. Lets go!

 

[bkuehn1952]

... it is a problem as the ball launches off the clubface fast enough, I cannot pick it up...so I need help watching it.

A "seeing eye" playing partner! A few of us with failing eyesight could use the same assistance.

 

[JonMA1]

A "seeing eye" playing partner! A few of us with failing eyesight could use the same assistance.

It’s an actual issue. Even when I follow the ball off the tee, I can see the flight but will often lose the kick or roll. And it’s not like I’m putting the ball that far out there.

Bring the morning low sun and solo rounds into the fold and I might never see the ball come off the club. On short tee or approach shots I’ll have to switch over to sonar (not a joke on some holes).

 

[darthweasel]

So Wednesday I played a round, Thursday was practice: lets update

Things that went poorly Wednesday were all over the place, so I think I will review the round and pinpoint what needs work
Hole 1, good drive, and the approach with a wedge was ab absolute shank 45 degrees right so instead of being on the green I am 55 yards right. It was a complete outlier, have not had that issue so not going to worry about it.
Hole 2, uphill par 3 bunkers short right and left. Normally a 7i, I clubbed up as I have been a club or two light lately...squared it up, flew the green into water on reverse side of hill. I am never complaining about a pure strike.
Hole 3 my second shot was a sidehill lie, I went ahead and dug a trench...already something I am working on.
Hole 4 I was in an awkward spot where I won't use the Taylormade Hi-Toe, tried to modify a swing, it just rolled a bit too far. No worries
Hole 5 good file
Hole 6 just an unlucky bounce that put me trying to decide 50 yard punch shot or 50 yard over tree...not something I have worked on.
Hole 7 had nice chip showing work.
Hole 8 just slightly off contact.
Hole 9 more than normal offline driver led to recovery-ish shot. Still made the bogey I was in the middle of 7 straight bogeys and 8 in nine holes, only broken by a single par...so no big deal
Hole 10 is in the good file
Hole 11 was a nice chip
Hole 12: Attempted to modify wedge...dug trench...happens. Clearly needs work.
Hole 13 another in the good file
Hole 14 ""
Hole 15 just comprehensive awful. 60 degree driver, 3w fine but short, just pulled wedge into bunker, mediocre out...just an entire hole of "I am not always making great contact"
Hole 16 awful off the tee 9169 yard 3w? Dig a trench on tee?) but stuck the 8i on green, routine 2-putt.
Hole 17 Blocked a 7i into trees. Made prudent decision to instead of over bunker to narrow green water behind, punch out left of bunker, chip close, lip out par putt...happy with this.
Hole 18 good file

Okay, the good from the round:
Driver was a weapon, including a top end 290 on the nose, a late round 271 and only one I think put me in any sort of trouble.
Chipping showed the work. I gave myself chances several times to make 8-15' putts that just mostly did not fall...one fell on 18 to walk off with the second birdie of the day.
Putting also showed improvement...still some distance control but it was much tighter.
Early on when the score was...awful (the penalty par 3 was a triple, the awful sand shot on 3 was another triple...) I was still laughing, having good time and the guys I was with were having a good time as well.

Things not working:
The one-offs, don't care. I am not going to worry about the out of nowhere shank. The big block 7i...eh, happens. There are always going to be shots outside my dispersion zone. Just work on making it less common.
so the list to work on
- direction
-distance control
- contact
- modifying my wedge for those awkward distance: I keep having 80 or 85 yards, looking at the Hi-Toe, knowing I can't hit it for $%^ and grabbing the 50 degree, trying to modify...with very mixed results.


So yesterday I went to the range planning the 5-s (hat tip to Lowest Score Wins)...my version. The author would have a conniption at my version of short, my version of simple...

So after a short warm-up, I spent several swings working on swing path. Had the camera out, the video going. Success, move on.
Next up, clubface: spent some time doing the Harrington drill of massive left, massive right...dial it in. Less successful but have the germ of an idea of what I need to do.
Next up, distance control. Working on some of the things: narrowing stance. Shorter backswing. Opening face. Just experimenting where I can see the results.
Finally, spent a good deal of time working on short-sided chipping. I leave myself short-sided too often and while I do plan to work on that, having the skill to chip off anything from tight lie to ball sitting down in rough will always help so I was working a variety of lies to three different flags till others came, then I limited it to one flag.

Today's plan is more range work and likely more putting. Probably start with the clock drill, then do some pace work. Range will primarily be face control.

A couple weeks ago, when I was standing over any given shot I expected it to go more or less the distance and direction I planned. Everything was in the low 80s. Just a tiny tweak and now they have been 89-91 last few rounds. I just need to remember even when scuffling like I am right now I am still in the game...

Next week's tournament is on my mind. I just need to get myself in the best place possible to not make huge mistakes and lets go.

 

[darthweasel]

Okay, been working on the keys
so the list to work on
- direction
-distance control
- contact
- modifying my wedge

For the contact, I made an adjustment and been spending time working on it. Instead of looking at the ball, I draw an imaginary line on the swing path and look at the ground about 2" on the far side of it. The idea is to ensure the low point of my swing is past the ball. I want to hit down with every non-driver club on every swing without exception. Been practicing this on everything from chips on up to my 3w.

The results are promising. The fat shots have been gone for the practice sessions and rounds. Of course, I have thinned a couple but that is just a tweak.

Current keys on contact:
1, left shoulder down.
2, set up to the ball looking 2" past on my intended swing path.

Distance control, spent a significant portion of my practice session Friday and more Saturday before the round experimenting with foot distance, swing distance, how far down I grip the club...

Came into play on the very first hole Saturday. 71 yards from the flag. This has been a real trouble spot as I try to modify my stock 95 yard swing. Well, this time I narrowed my stance, choked down, narrowed my backswing...and stuck it pin high about 15' right of the pin. Just one shot, but it shows progress and I am working to concentrate on that.

So reviewing the round:
I swapped back to my old driver after some range experiments showed on that day it had tighter dispersion.
Hole 1 was 261, dead center fairway.
Hole 2 was too good...278, dead on my line...too bad that put me behind a tree leading to a punchout..but I am not complaining about a long, straight drive. Easy fix, adjust my aiming line.
Hole 3 I bombed it with a slight draw. Too bad I anticipated a fade and that draw put me in the water. Again...easy fix, adjust aiming line.
But instead I changed my approach and had 3 consecutive really, really weird drives...217, 212, 210. They all felt like I missed the face entirely. I need to work on this.

Have today through Wednesday for practice, then our practice round Thursday and the tournament Friday/Saturday. The plan is to refine the setup to make sure the contact issue is solved, continue work on the modified wedges and maintain the putting.

 

[tucsoncacti]

Regardless, 2 keys from last night
1) Remember to stand more upright. I tend to hunch over the ball too much which crowds things too much to swing inside.

I have started this. (Standing more upright) I have had bad habit in the past of being to far away from the ball, and moving to a more upright position had helped this. I cant say for sure if this is my real bugaboo, but I am a lefty, but I am all over the place when it comes to left handed things. I throw left, but hit/bat right handed, kick righty, right eye dominate. So lately I personally wonder how much this effects my swing.

Looking forward to reading your progress.

 

[darthweasel]

So the last couple of nights have been pretty positive. Fat shots are few and far between. Chipping has been a much tighter dispersion, my putting touch is back and I have drained several mid to long range efforts without adding a commensurate short miss.

So maintaining the eye point 2" past the ball on intended swing path, standing slightly further away and left shoulder down will continue but move slightly into background as I work on the next thing.

The driver has overall been a positive but I have developed a weird new miss where I just hit a brutal skyball.
217
167
255
194
277
280
217
211
276
270
255
264

There are 5 in there that absolutely suck. I spend little time practicing the driver, so that is next on the list.

Fortunately I have enough length that the first and second were bogey/par regardless. The third awful one was exacerbated by overhitting my 9i...was shooting for 142 and hit it 159 into trouble that...did not go well.

By the same token, take say...the 277 immediately following. It was a thing of beauty, baby draw putting me in great location. I then grab my 3w and absolutely pummel it 295. Too bad it was a pull/draw that left me 95 yards left of the green....

Which leads to another interesting point. The South course a lot of people play Tan. It had felt short and for some reason I thought it was a shade under 6000...like 5981. I thought the tan/black combo were about 6200 and black around 6400. So the last few rounds I have moved back and played from the black. Yesterday while waiting for the twosome ahead of me after hole 1 I wandered over and glanced at the scorecard.

Oops.

Black is 6809, combo 6407 and tan 6201. 6800 is definitely a bit long for me.

With that said, the longest par 4 is 467. The distance is not the issue...I went 280 off the tee, was pin high on the approach, albeit in the rough on the hill 30 yards right. A very acceptable chip to about 10' was followed by the made par putt...but that is not a repeatable plan. Usually I will bogey this hole.

And the good part is playing a 6809 course with 72.9 rating and 137 slope, still staying in the 80s with a few ventures into the low 80s feels good.

So continue work on what I have been and make some driver adjustments.

Unfortunately the knee issue that ended my biking/racquetball/tennis career reared its ugly head so likely take tonight off. Tomorrow driving over and playing the practice round, then tournament Friday/Saturday. Hope it holds up.

 

[tequila4kapp]

Buddy! My opinion, having played with you a bit:

When you play Bomb and Gauge you have to accept some dispersion challenges. Swinging at 90% capacity instead of trying to max out everything would help on this front more than more practice.

 

[Sean]

I like your commitment.

I used to do a lot of analysis, track stats, etc., but it wasn't really working for me. Over the winter I decided to simplify a game I was making too complicated. So far I'm trending in the right direction.

Good luck!

 

[darthweasel]

okay back from the tournament.

It was another reminder golfers are, by and large, the most mentally weak athletes on the planet.

I once had hit my drive on 18 304. It was a titan. As I was in my backswing for my approach shot, I saw the ball of the guys behind us flying in. Heard it land as I completed my swing, actually stuck it to about 8'. Did not bother me.

By contrast, things that bothered my partner so much he could not swing included...a breeze...the golf cart being in his sight 20 yards to his right...me standing 6' left of the cup when he was attempting a 4' putt...I could go on, but why.


It was also a reminder I have been spoiled by the rounds being 3 and a half hours or less...people were all pumped for the 4:58 "fast" round the first day and the nearly 5 hour round the second day. No, those are NOT fast times. Maybe for a tournament...but it is another reminder I enjoy golf far more outside of tournaments.

Okay, on to the actual tournament thoughts.

We were the defending champions for our flight but both have improved. Last year you had to be separated by no more than 6 strokes. So he was playing off I think a 19 but his official cap was something like 23 or 24. So he was not getting all his strokes in the best ball. I had a rough first day, shooting like a 95...but every blow-up hole I had, he rolled out a par and vice versa and we tied for first after day one.

Day two was more of the same...if I put my drive OB he would stripe his. Then he would hit a 10 yard chunk and I would put the approach on the green...we just meshed well.

This year we added the "free" practice round. It was obvious early things would go...less well. My cap was 11 when they locked us in...I shot a 95 in the practice round. He barely broke 115...uh oh...but hey, that is what practice rounds are for!

Day 1 Best Ball: I played very reasonable for me. Rolling off a 132 slope course, playing 6535 yards I shot a reasonable for me 87with a `16.9 differential...My score was not helped by 3 triples and a double...but hey, it is best ball, lets see how he did!

Well...my personal 87 was not as good as our team score of 84...lol...uh oh. He went for like a 110.

Now, as a general rule I don't care what the partner is shooting but this year I actually was being that weak-minded golfer. A series of things...not golf related, more partner related...that are not worthy of stating.

What I noted was playing a gorgeous course I really, really like, I did not have a good time. And it completely revolved around my partner.

Some things are things like this: I have many flaws. I am aware of them. One was not, is not, and will not be integrity. I err on the side of correctness. Well, on one Closest to pIn (side note, fun conversation on how "KP" is maybe and Oregon thing and it is the makes more sense "CTP" elsewhere such as Arizona where the guy who brought it up is from) he was on the fringe.

And got upset with me because I pointed out it was fringe and not eligible. "Everyone else would count it" he muttered at me.

No. I refuse to believe that. I think most people are legit. If you miss the green it doesn't matter if it is by an inch, a foot or a hundred yards...you missed the green and are not eligible. Don't get mad at me for it...that is the rule. I have had a couple on that mow line that would have won I did not put my name on. I am not on the green.


Regardless, for the golf...driver was up a bit, averaging 262 for the practice and best ball rounds. My 4i was a beast, putting me in position again and again. The wedge was decent and my putting showed the results of the work I have been doing, being back to a plus. Didn't hurt that I hit a couple long ones.

During the scramble we were matched up with the team we were tied with in our flight. One of the guys had made a long putt and commented, "I almost called my shot, I knew I had that one." A couple holes later I went Driver/9i and had about a 15' sidehill. I commented to my partner, "Go ahead and snag the flag, I will just make this so you don't have to putt" and rolled it in on a no-doubter, drawing a good laugh and fist bumps all around for the natural bird.

Point being, my pace is back to where I like it, where the putts are just dying in the hole which, on a related note, means my reads matter because I am not blasting them 2,3,4,8' past the hole.

Ultimately to my goals: I had been struggling enough that had they waited a couple days my handicap would have been up to a 13. Dropped a point based on the performance and the work showed. I had a lot of chips that gave me looks at par based on being on or close to the green in or around regulation, the putting was dialed (I don't recall a single 3-putt across the 3 rounds)...just a wild shot here or there with any club in the bag...and sometimes not wild, just alignment.

Case in point, on one par 5 I absolutely pummeled the driver. It carried 270 at least...that is the tree I scoped it flew over. Unfortunately, never found it as I overdrove the fairway by a good 20 yards...that was just a mental error, very fixable as I did in the scramble, giving us a look at getting home in two.,

I did get offline once or twice with long irons, but I also...the 6i, I would have been on the green if it was 210 out instead of 190 out...I am not going to complain about a pure strike. But that did lead to a bogey.

Upshot is, the practice and work on the swing is working, and I can see a brighter future for my game.

And a different partner if I play that tournament next year...

 

[PatsFan]

It’s an actual issue. Even when I follow the ball off the tee, I can see the flight but will often lose the kick or roll. And it’s not like I’m putting the ball that far out there.

Bring the morning low sun and solo rounds into the fold and I might never see the ball come off the club. On short tee or approach shots I’ll have to switch over to sonar (not a joke on some holes).

Your not alone, I can see them off the club but lose them coming down a lot. A "seeing eye" playing partner! A few of us with failing eyesight could use the same assistance.
Paging @snafu He is my "seeing eye" partner. I am lucky to have him!


Glad to see your work on the swing pay off for you.

 

[snafu]

I hate your bobbers @PatsFan

 

[PatsFan]

I hate your bobbers @PatsFan

Then Stop buying them for me!

And got upset with me because I pointed out it was fringe and not eligible. "Everyone else would count it" he muttered at me."

No. I refuse to believe that. I think most people are legit. If you miss the green it doesn't matter if it is by an inch, a foot or a hundred yards...you missed the green and are not eligible. Don't get mad at me for it...that is the rule. I have had a couple on that mow line that would have won I did not put my name on. I am not on the green.


Upshot is, the practice and work on the swing is working, and I can see a brighter future for my game.

And a different partner if I play that tournament next year...

@darthweasel
Is the Different partner because your too far apart HC wise or because his ethics? I commend you on protecting the field and doing what's right.

Keep up the good work Sir!

 

[Parrot]

It’s an actual issue. Even when I follow the ball off the tee, I can see the flight but will often lose the kick or roll. And it’s not like I’m putting the ball that far out there.

Same on landing and roll. My depth perception isn’t what it used to be. I play yellow balls to help but I still sometimes lose the ball off the tee.

@darthweasel, thanks for sharing your journey with us. I’m immensely enjoying following along.

 

[darthweasel]

Then Stop buying them for me!




@darthweasel
Is the Different partner because your too far apart HC wise or because his ethics? I commend you on protecting the field and doing what's right.

Keep up the good work Sir!

a couple things not mentioned in the post...but also, our thoughts on golf just don't mesh. But things like fudging drops/claiming things inaccurate don't help, strongly along with the things he lets affect him on the course

 

[darthweasel]

Well, after the tournament I was traveling so did not touch a club for a few days. When I did, so much had changed...

went to the range. Nobody on the "private" chipping green so I spent about an hour working from different lies and conditions to 4 different flags. Tight lies, ball in a divot, light rough, hunkered down in deep rough, flag tight to green edge, flag with lot of green to work with and a lot of break...switched ends, working more out of rough to tighter flags (a real trouble spot)...sunk enough that the cup filled up on the flag closest to me. Never done that before lol

But when I moved to the range..fat shot city. Taking giant beaver pelts. It felt like all the work I had done was undone. So I went back to fundamaentals.

Step a, how is my grip? Made subtle adjustment.
Step b, am I standing too hunched? subtle adjustment.
Check ball location, shaft lean, weight forward...

Started hitting it well again. Worked my way up through bag hitting about 5 balls with each. Oh, it was...not good. Pull-draw off the range. Fade-slice off the other side.

Back to drawing board. Dialed back the backswing and was having good success. Wanted to get the wife coffee before she started for work so called it good.

So yesterday looked at weather...nice, but then rain for the foreseeable so decided on quick round. For warmup randomly grabbed 6i just to hit a couple shots before kicking off. I like to start with a short chip and "ladder" my way up to full swings, trying to land the first few balls on top of where the previous one...it gets e swinging as in to out as I can.

Was matched up with a guy on hole 1 who wanted to play up a box, so will be rolling 5822. Was already talking about just playing 9 so I elected to not play a "serious" round, just make it a "practice" round so I could hit a second shot or whatever if I felt like it...

The first swing was...uh...interesting. Sky-ball I only found coming back up hole 9. Hilariously where I took my cheater drop was short of where the ball landed. I would then go on a tear.5i straight and beautiful. Wedge it to about 8' and that would be about the last putt I would miss.

Hole 2 was average drive (254) about 5' into left rough, a 147 yd nine iron to 10' and drain it for the birdie. I also birdied hole 6 and 9, leaving Scott in awe of my 3 birdies in 9 holes...for some people no big deal, for me well above average.

But the thing is...average, straight drives, good wedges and short irons put me in position again and again and again. Hole 6 was a perfect example of seeing my work pay off. Drier 269 down right side. 4i 207 with a fade but my aiming line meant that fade was ccenter-right fairway instead of rinsing it (I literally aimed into the left rough...) Flag is 112 out, water short so I grabbed my 50 and tried to hit it 115...direct line we thought might dunk it, hit just north of the flag and backed up 5 yards leaving me a 3' putt I drained for the birdie.

Except for the wedge, there was not a shot on the whole that felt "special." I have hit the driver better and worse. The 4i was a bit short but very, very reasonable. They felt, and this is the key word...repeatable.

Even better, a second thing I have been working on came into play. Based on a Padraig video I have been working on modifying my wedges...I have a 95 yard wedge...I don't have say...a 75 yard. So when I need a 76 yard shot...I narrow stance, check down, shorten the backswing, some such combination. It has been successful more and more frequently but is not exactly automatic. That would cost me twice.

First time on a target golf hole (laid up with 5i 198 off tee to right side of fairway. Perfect angle in, aimed at hill on right to bounce on green, tried to choke it to about a 75 yarder...went about 90 which meant it was past red stake and did not find leading to a needless bogey, later from 60 yards, I hit it almost the exact difference I was trying but pushed it right which caught a swale in the green, rolled it off green and down into a collection area leading to a chip that rolled out to about 20' and a 2-putt bogey...



The back was not as good as the front, running 9 over with just 2 pars. Yet the 8 total pars/bogies is within range.

It felt like a successful round because the growth was something that felt repeatable. It wasn't a series of spectacular shots...My driver average for the round was a disappointing 242, and in fact of the 10 clubs used in the round, 6 were shorter than average. It also wasn't like the direction was spectacular...it was acceptable. THe miss right wasn't as far right, the miss left wasn't as far left...just tightened dispersions.

It felt good to get back to swinging and feel like I was expecting to hit a decent to good shot and know if I hit a bad one I could recover. For example, hole 15 I teed off with 3h to take the water out of play. I also took my fairway out of play with a massive block right that was in the right third of the fairway. Unfortunately, the fairway it was in the right third of was a full fairway to my right...hole 6, not hole 15. But I had an angle to the uphill green guarded by two bunkers, ball came up just short, decent chip, rolled in the 4' for the unlikely par.

So it is not like the awful shots are eliminated, just minimized, the average shots are a little better...and of course, playing 1000 yards shorter than normal makes it easier to score lol.

 

[darthweasel]

been a bit as life got in the way. Last night had plans to play but life got in way so was late enough getting there late enough just chose to practice.

Started on the putting green as everywhere else was packed. Glad to say even after a few days off my pace is on point so no worries there my putting is where it needs to be.

When a spot cleared up on the range I headed over and started with some ladder drills on the chipping front, working my way into full swings.

The keys continue to be the same...left shoulder down, target place just past the golf ball. Contact was solid, ball flight pretty good. Every so often there would be the wild snap hook when face too closed or slice when too open so did some light work on that.

Overall couple short hours of work and feel like the Saturday round I have lined up will be a pretty average round. There will be several nice holes then out of nowhere I will randomly ship one into the tulips that will lead to an unexpected big number...and based on what I saw this will happen 3-5 times.

Grr.

 

[darthweasel]

Had a rare opportunity Saturday. Matched up with a random pair and a random single. Dude is playing the back tees at 6800...and watching him play it made sense. Turns out he is 9-time club champ, plays in a lot of Senior PGA sectionals, etc.

As the better half is out of town, got there a couple hours early. Spent 40ish minutes chipping from a variety of lies to a few targets...nobody coming round so basically had the chipping green to myself. Sweet!

Then over to work my way through the bag, 10 shots each with wedge and driver, 5 with each other club. Then 20ish minutes putting, feeling ready.

On range poor lady hits the picker cart. I made some crack about "We expect a 12 page single space handwritten apology", get my cheap laugh...well, turns out she is in the group and married to the club chap dude. First hole she hits a pull draw, yells four, it one hops a dude coming into our fairway in the gut and he dramatically crumples to the ground and stays down almost til we get to him.

So she is a bit flustered...he admits it was really just surprised, he should not have been walking into our hole with someone teeing off and him not paying attention...they know each other pretty well, no harm, she is so shaken she can only make par lol.

Well, not going to lie...at this point I don't know G is the club champ but I have seen the first couple holes and can tell he is light years ahead of me skill wise and it is a bit intimidating. Hole 3 he asks if I want his mark moved, I don't want to inconvenience him but say no, adjust my line slightly above, and lip the putt out because of speed...this is on my mind as the round continues.

I proceed to roll in a couple long putts including one for bird (the other birdie on the front was a fairly short putt) and on hole 7 J comments, "He looks at the hole when he putts." Turns to me "You are a really good putter"

So lets pause to think about this for a second: for 4 holes I have been remembering that lip out and thinking I am putting poorly. It is amazing how different I can perceive myself as opposed to how others perceive me.

The other piece of it is this: I am, and know I am, a mediocre golfer. My goal is to be an enjoyable playing partner. Play good? Awesome, did people enjoy the round with me. Play bad? No worries, did they enjoy the round?

And as the round proceeds I have a lot of conversations with both of them (the other guy was having an awful round and kind of withdrew into himself). G gave me a couple really useful pointers I took to heart, and hole 12 was my favorite.

Par 5, tattoo my driver 275 down the left side. Tiny bit of poor strike on my 4i which goes 212 biut leaves a nasty bunker to a short side green with ob miss. The green kind of curls around it and I legit thought at chipping on the green to my right, knowing it likely gives me a 3 putt but I am on. But not wanting to look cowardly to this good golfer, I instead try to go left of the green to a wide area...and immediately thin the chip ob.

G quietly after the hole as we are walking off points to where I was originally going to play and mentions "play to your strengths. You are a good putter. That was a tough chip for anyone, you can come up here..."

Wow. Twice in one round I made the wrong play because I did not want to look like an idiot...twice I look like an idiot because I made the wrong play. He was so cool about it that I actually felt good about it and appreciate what he was saying. I think making a couple bad decisions will have long term good results and a reminder that cool golfers are cool golfers regardless of skill level.

And when I birdied the next hole, one of the toughest on the course...he was right there celebrating with me.

On the bright side...3 birdies. On the dark side...still shot an 87 :-( but had a good time as did they and that is really the goal. Plus the lessons were invaluable and I will be working on them.

 

[darthweasel]

So I had started a round the other day and my knees were just bothering me too much so I tapped out after nine. Took a day off. Yesterday was really rough...beautiful, sunny, 78...perfect day for golf. But between my knees, some left shoulder issues stemming from a torn rotator cuff a few years ago and golfer's vasculitis on the legs...I elected not to golf and instead practice.

Ah, the joys of age. I wanted to be playing so bad...but my playing days are numbered.

Anyhow, I had some definite things I wanted to work on. Despite all my work on chipping, there is a flaw that has been working in, happened twice in the full round Saturday. In rough with the grass against me I have chunked a couple. Unfortunately, there was someone else on the chipping green and fear of hitting him if I got too aggressive in my strike meant that was imprudent. Coupled with the fact they were about to have a junior lesson, chipping was a very short portion...maybe 20 -30 balls.

Over to the range. Getting hard to find good grass. The guy who ended up in the spot right behind me is a fine example of why. His stretch was immediately in front of the sign pleading for "no scattered, no area of destruction divots...please do them in linear rows of 30" as he preceded to lay waste to random spots, cut huge swathes of now grassless area... but I found an area I could make the linear so I was happy. I am responsible for me, not others...I will at least try to follow the correct way to the best of my ability.

As I often do I started with the 58 and a ladder drill...try to land the first ball about 2 yard in front of me, wherever it rolls out to, try to land the next ball on that and so forth up to about a half swing. I find beyond that the 58 really gets too wild to be of much use to me. I wonder how much of that is psychosomatic. I think it was Harrington who cautioned against using a 60 too much...saying something along the lines of "you can hit one or two good shots but it is hard to hit consistently good shots.

Anyhow, I then worked my way 50 degree (10), and 5 shots each with 9i, 7i, 5i, 3h then 10 with the driver. Grab another bucket, start with PW and work my way through 8i,6i, 4i and 3w five each on the 8 and 6, ten each on 4 and 3w.

Working on multiple things against much advice from certain sectors. I can't work on just one thing, it is not how my brain works.

First, grip. I tend to twist my right hand too weak which leads to inconsistency. So I was really concentrating on gripping correctly, first with left, then right, checking at setup, then after each shot. Easy to do as, again mostly at Harrington's recommendation, I tend to hold my finish until the ball lands. Check grip, step back, think about the shot, the feels, the look, the result, ponder adjustments and/or tweaks. Not exactly machinegunning balls...I think I was hitting them so slowly the guy behind me actually got self conscious about how fast he was hitting them and started taking breaks between his.

Second, weight. I absolutely MUST have the weight on my left side. A big miss that plagues me is hanging back on my right side leading to digging the leading edge in. Hilariously sometimes these are the straightest shots but they also go half the distance...and when I really miss, the ball kind of crow hops, hits about 20 yards in front and is just awful.

The key really tends to be keeping the left shoulder down so that swing thought remains. Keep the left shoulder down. This also helps with my tendency to dive with my right shoulder leading to a clownish over the top swing when I miss that way.

Third, trying to take less of a backswing. I have battled weight issues all my life. Despite that, I have played so many sports all my life that I have above average flexibility. Well, I can get really, really far in my backswing. Too far. And I break my left arm early leading to some really inconsistent directions on the ball. I have found my dispersion tightens a lot if I take maybe a 3/4 backswing. I have also found that when I do this, I often make much purer contact leading to increased distance and lessened dispersion.

Well, I never make the same mistake twice. I make it like...a thousand times just to be sure. Do I shorten my backswing on the course? No. No I do not. So I am deliberately trying to practice that way to get it through my thick skull. 3/4 swing, weight forward, grip correct, eye 2" past the ball where it requires an inside out path...

Overall I am pleased with the results. Better consistency both distance and direction. This is not to say it is a guaranteed fix or anything like that...the first 9i I hit was so far off line right it would be of no use on the course. It would leave me an 80 or 100 yard shot coming in short side...not exactly the leave I want to have for myself. But those were fewer and further between which is encouraging.

Last thing I did was work on punch shots. I am going to get in trouble sometimes. The punch shot I have been using is not working. Sometimes it does not go far enough to get out of trouble. Other times I hit it pure...so frustrating to hit a beautiful punch shot that gets out of trouble, crosses the fairway, crosses the rough and goes in the water...done that on 18 a couple times. Inexcusable, easy fix. So why have I never practiced it? Took 5 shots each with 8i,6i and 4; on just that.

So highlighting what I want to work on tonight on course if things work out and I can play...
- take correct grip. every shot.
-left shoulder down, weight forward on impact
- 3/4 backswing, inside out swing.

Lets' go!