odom730’s Journey to a 10

[odom730]

So I was selected for the SkyTrak Experience and I need to give an update on my game. The update is simple. I haven't been able to play much.

I'm in the south, so weather isn't a major issue. But time and health have been. I had an overuse injury in my pinky last year that hasn't gone away. It hurts to pick up a club or write, but it's getting better and I can play golf if I really want to. I think it was a result of an incorrect interlocking grip. My left index finger would put pressure on my right pinky during my swing. By the end of the year it was just hurting. So I plan to change my grip for the season. Maybe an overlap or different variation that doesn't cause any issues.

The last golf I played was in November. I went to the Srixon Experience early in the month and had a vacation to Palm Springs for Thanksgiving and played multiple rounds there. It was a month of playing some of the best and most beautiful courses I've ever played. All my practice and effort from last year were built up to it. I was happy with how I played. My putting could have been better and so could my short game, but I loved every second of it. I played 7 rounds that month where I counted score and all ranged between 87-92. If this is my new average range, then I've very pleased. The beginning of last year had me averaging around 100 on courses I knew. I've managed a few practice sessions and 1 round since. But I've kept it to a minimum.

Last week I gathered all my older clubs and decided to trade them in and put it towards a quality mat and net for the garage. I was doing research and boxing up clubs when i saw I was selected for the SkyTrak Experience. I didn't plan to enter any experiences this year, but I couldn't pass this one up. A home simulator has been near the top of my wish list for as long as i can remember. With my club trade-ins, I should be able to get a quality net and mat setup that won't punish my wrists. I just need to clean out the garage and get some stuff ordered. By mid March I should have my setup or as much of it as possible.

So goals/areas of need for 2024:

• 10 hdcp is still the goal. I ended last year as a 12.8. Down from a starting 20.7. That's pretty awesome. It took a lot of work. As well as lessons, memberships, and most importantly, time. That's not something I will have this year. But having a SkyTrak in my garage will make things a lot easier.
• Approach game. My best scores came when I had lots of GIR's. (Duh) I added way too many strokes from being offline with my approaches last year. So I need to tighten up from 160 and in. Get it on the putting surface. That's the focus this year.
• Short game. It's not good. It needs to be better.
• Specific on course goals to start the year:
  • Break 80
  • Round with no 3 putts
  • Round with 3 up and downs
  • Round with 3 birdies

I'm looking forward to golf season kicking off and having goals to work towards.

 

[ryang13]

Huge gains last year! Congrats on the selection, this is gonna help keep the train rolling towards improvement . Looking forward to seeing the shiny new home set-up!

 

[odom730]

Took a month off of swinging for my finger. It still hurts. But I had to go to the range today. Had some time and it was 72 and sunny.

Tried using an overlap grip that doesn't cause pain. It worked and my swing doesn't feel that much different. I think it'll be my grip for the foreseeable future.

Hit some good shots and hit a lot of bad. Lots of rust to knock off. But I did do this.



I've been working on swinging up into the ball to lower my spin. This is a perfect result. I can't get any better than that.

I traded in all my old clubs and a check is on the way to me right now. Will be ordering my net and mat soon. Should have enough room for the R10 to work in the garage. At least until the SkyTrak Experience!!! Cleaning the garage this weekend and next to be ready.

 

[Chef23]

Keep at it. There is no reason you can’t get below 10.

 

[odom730]

Built my home simulator and have been hitting balls almost everyday. It's resulted in a few swing changes. Some good. Some bad.

Had a lesson today. I keep falling back to my Achilles heel. Open face on the downswing. This time it's caused by cupping my left wrist and taking my backswing too high. Used the credit card trick and I now have the feeling. It'll take awhile to implement, but I know what's wrong.

Another issue I've been having is my backswing goes back too far or too high. He had me hit a bunch of "3/4" shots and then compared them to a bunch of pros. Billy Horschel, Lucas Glover, and then Scheffler. My "3/4 swing" was deeper than all of their full swings.

So my drills and goals for the next month are to shorten my swing and to keep my wrist from bowing. It's doable, but will take some practice.

The good from the lesson was he was pleased with my swing speed and distance gains on my irons. This mainly came from loosening my shoulders and grip which resulted in releasing thru the zone better than I was. He said I should possibly look at different irons that offer more spin to get better distance control, but that it wasn't a major issue because my ZX4's are working well for me at the moment.

I was also concerned with my hips "sliding" during my swing. I've been trying to twist around my spine and swing in a phonebooth, but my best results came with my left hip sliding forward. I asked if that's an issue and he emphatically said no. That it's just my natural weight transfer. And as long as I can keep my head and hands behind the ball, then I should welcome that move. He again compared my move to some pros that do something similar.

So I have some practice and drills ro work on for the next few months. I hope to get out and play some more. I had a good score drop off and my hdcp went up to 14, but I can get that back with a few good rounds. I'm looking forward to the SkyTrak Experience in a month and to getting a proper launch monitor in my garage. Hit 'em well, fellas.