The Drive for 5...

[Fairway_CY]

Played from blue tee (71.2/128) tee today.  No warm up and I started the round with an OB, which eventually led to a snowman.  At the time, I had no idea what was to come for the next 11 holes.  I went on a par binge, par'ng 9 of the 11 holes, 7 straight (personal best) at one point.    I GIR'd 5 of the 11 holes, getting up and down on 3 holes.   I was in a zone.  Then, I played to my norm rest of the way, finishing the round with another snowman.  Two OBs and a ball in hazard, two snowmen, and I still carded 90 due to the 11 hole stretch.   The score will lower my HI further to 17.3.

What's working?   Daily mirror work on the 1st 3 keys has improved my ball striking.   FIR, GIR rates are up.  Got 3W to be more consistent.

What's not working?  I am losing 4 - 6 strokes per round due to OBs, lost ball, and ball in hazard.   Total putts/round is up (hopefully, it's b/c of aerated greens).

Nice round!  It's always tough for me to score well when I have a horrible start... way to rebound!

I think the longest par streak I've ever had was probably only 3 or 4 holes.  I almost always tend to ruin a good streak like that with a bomb out of bounds.

Congrats on keeping it together for that long stretch!

CY

[DrvFrShow]

Well the season wasn't a total loss. The latest revision showed a gain of four strokes from the start of the season from 24.7 to 20.9 and this is with a short game that really sucks. We're hitting punching and sanding season now which means "auto-two putt" local rules for the next two weeks on some courses so I'll be calling ahead. Can't report those scores.

It's been a tough road back. I took a series of lessons in August, followed my pro's instructions, and got my swing back on track. I plan to buy a pack of lessons and spread them out six weeks apart over the winter just to keep things on track. No changes. Just keep grooving what I've got going and get that consistent so I know where the ball is going. Maybe by next spring I'll have the swing semi-grooved, and the course can show me all my weaknesses.

Goal for next season will be 14-15.

[rkim291968]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkim291968

Played from blue tee (71.2/128) tee today.  No warm up and I started the round with an OB, which eventually led to a snowman.  At the time, I had no idea what was to come for the next 11 holes.  I went on a par binge, par'ng 9 of the 11 holes, 7 straight (personal best) at one point.    I GIR'd 5 of the 11 holes, getting up and down on 3 holes.   I was in a zone.  Then, I played to my norm rest of the way, finishing the round with another snowman.  Two OBs and a ball in hazard, two snowmen, and I still carded 90 due to the 11 hole stretch.   The score will lower my HI further to 17.3.

What's working?   Daily mirror work on the 1st 3 keys has improved my ball striking.   FIR, GIR rates are up.  Got 3W to be more consistent.

What's not working?  I am losing 4 - 6 strokes per round due to OBs, lost ball, and ball in hazard.   Total putts/round is up (hopefully, it's b/c of aerated greens).

Nice round!  It's always tough for me to score well when I have a horrible start... way to rebound!

I think the longest par streak I've ever had was probably only 3 or 4 holes.  I almost always tend to ruin a good streak like that with a bomb out of bounds.

Congrats on keeping it together for that long stretch!

CY

Thanks, CY.   It turns out it was my lucky week.   The next day, I went to a local casino (a guest wanted to go and I happily obliged) and I hit a progressive jackpot which never happened to me or anyone I knew.   If I stayed home and played another round, I probably scored 4 straight birdies, 3 straight hole outs, etc..    Someone must have slipped me a lucky potion from Harry Potter movies.

Got my HI to 17.2 in today's GHIN report.  This is 0.3 below the HI when I signed up for this thread.   4.7 more to go and I don't know how.  I will figure it out somehow.

[Fairway_CY]

Thanks, CY.   It turns out it was my lucky week.   The next day, I went to a local casino (a guest wanted to go and I happily obliged) and I hit a progressive jackpot which never happened to me or anyone I knew.   If I stayed home and played another round, I probably scored 4 straight birdies, 3 straight hole outs, etc..    Someone must have slipped me a lucky potion from Harry Potter movies.

Got my HI to 17.2 in today's GHIN report.  This is 0.3 below the HI when I signed up for this thread.   4.7 more to go and I don't know how.  I will figure it out somehow.

Nice!  I never have luck at casinos and haven't been to one in quite awhile now for that reason.

After having the dreaded 'R' at the end of my handicap for the last 2.5 months, it was finally removed with the latest revision.  I now have a 17.7 handicap, which is down from a 19.3 when I first posted here.

Not bad!

CY

[pecos24]

Down .2 this revision to 29.5.  Down 1.0 since I 1st posted in this thread. Down 1.3 since the start of the season.

I am not happy with the pace of improvement but I am happy with steady trend down.  I think I have 3 revisions left in the season. We'll see what I can do... Maybe another 1.0?

[rkim291968]

Well the season wasn't a total loss. The latest revision showed a gain of four strokes from the start of the season from 24.7 to 20.9 and this is with a short game that really sucks.

< snip >

Goal for next season will be 14-15.

That's a good progress.  Good job, and congrats.

Carded 97 in a Stableford tournament today. The score didn't help or hurt my HI.  Had a great start but couldn't keep it up.  Lost two balls due to poor 9i, and 7i shots.  Typically, it's the big clubs which cause OBs, ball in hazard but not today.

[Fairway_CY]

I posted a 93 today... but it should have been better.  I fell apart on the last 3 holes and finished double - triple - double, which knocked me out of the running.

My handicap is trending now towards 17.2 which is the lowest I've been since I was at my lowest (16.8 I believe) to end 2009.

2 more tournament rounds I'll be entering in for next weekend at courses I played well on in the past, so... fingers crossed!

CY

[RandallT]

I posted a 93 today... but it should have been better.  I fell apart on the last 3 holes and finished double - triple - double, which knocked me out of the running.

My handicap is trending now towards 17.2 which is the lowest I've been since I was at my lowest (16.8 I believe) to end 2009.

2 more tournament rounds I'll be entering in for next weekend at courses I played well on in the past, so... fingers crossed!

CY

Good luck!

[rkim291968]

Carded 97 in a Stableford tournament today. The score didn't help or hurt my HI.  Had a great start but couldn't keep it up.  Lost two balls due to poor 9i, and 7i shots.  Typically, it's the big clubs which cause OBs, ball in hazard but not today.

92 today (91 ESC, 16.78 HI point).  This will reduce my current HI by a fraction.

This is a 3rd straight round that I scored an 8 on the last hole.  This hole is hurting my HI.   The other hurting point?  Penalties due to OB, ball in hazard, and lost balls.  I had a few today, every one of those caused by a driver this time.   Back to the ranges ...

[rkim291968]

Shot 102 today.  Hit 12 out of 14 fairways with driver but poor 3w/3h/iron shots led to 5 OBs, a ball not found, and a ball in hazard.  My swing practice has been poor all week, even the driver despite hitting 12 of 14 fairways today.   I need to continue to work on the 3 keys.  I get them right in front of a mirror but can't do it in field.  Some days are worse than others.  Today, it was definitely worse.  Updated HI is 17.3.  Need a good round tomorrow to get it below the current GHIN of 17.2.

[rkim291968]

99 today, 95 with ESC applied.   The next GHIN will not move, one way or another.   Got a long way to go to 12.5.

What's working - driver accuracy.  In the last two rounds, I went 12 of 14, 9 of 12 FW hits using the driver.

What's not working - Hybrid & 3w - all the OBs, ball lost, ball in hazard came with these clubs.  Sudden bad shot to left or right has cost my score big time.  Driving "average" distance = barely over 200.  Approach shot accuracy = only 1 GIR in 2 rounds.     Time for another lesson.

Status quo - short game.

[Fairway_CY]

I played in our Local Finals tournament this weekend.  Both days were played in crappy weather... worse Sunday than Saturday, but... very wet, cool and humid.

I posted 92 and 93 for handicap scores... 91 and 92 for tournament scores.  I finished in 4th place, which isn't bad at all... but 8 strokes behind the eventual winner.

My index will drop to 16.8 at the next revision, which I believe is tied for the lowest I've ever been... and 2.5 strokes lower than when I first posted on this thread.

Using the format that @rkim291968 is using...

What's Working - Keeping the ball in play.  On the range on Saturday morning, I got a tip from @Aflighter .  He noticed my alignment was very closed and told me to bring my front foot back a bit.  When I did that... I stopped drawing the ball so much, and I also didn't have many pulls.  Although I only hit 12 of 28 fairways over the weekend, most of my tee shots were not in any real danger.  I only had 2 penalties all weekend, both on Sunday... and only 1 off a tee (on a shot I blew way right into a pond)... the other was a well struck 3 wood from the fairway that was 5 yards left of my target, but hit an overhanging tree and we never saw the ball again.

What's Not - My putter.  Obviously, the moisture on the greens didn't help matters this weekend for me, but... I just couldn't putt.  Saturday, the greens still had puncture marks on them from being aerated 10 days prior.  Putts would bounce and bounce and bounce... to the tune of 36 putts, which is average for me.  Sunday, the greens were great... just wet... but I couldn't putt and I finished with 39 putts.

A lot of my shots inside 50 yards came up short this weekend.  I couldn't use the bounce of my wedges at all.  The second the club got to the ground... it got sucked in.  It was almost like I had to intentionally try to pick the ball, or hit it thin... and with trouble behind a lot of the greens, I just couldn't get up the courage to do that.  Instead, a lot of my shots from that distance were outside 20 feet.

I've got a weekend trip planned this weekend with my family, and then I've got work the following weekend... but then I head to Hilton Head for a 3 day tournament 10/16 - 10/18.  That'll likely be one of the last times I play until late November or early December.

CY

[Aflighter]

I played in our Local Finals tournament this weekend.  Both days were played in crappy weather... worse Sunday than Saturday, but... very wet, cool and humid.   I posted 92 and 93 for handicap scores... 91 and 92 for tournament scores.  I finished in 4th place, which isn't bad at all... but 8 strokes behind the eventual winner. My index will drop to 16.8 at the next revision, which I believe is tied for the lowest I've ever been... and 2.5 strokes lower than when I first posted on this thread. Using the format that @rkim291968 is using... What's Working - Keeping the ball in play.  On the range on Saturday morning, I got a tip from @Aflighter .  He noticed my alignment was very closed and told me to bring my front foot back a bit.  When I did that... I stopped drawing the ball so much, and I also didn't have many pulls.  Although I only hit 12 of 28 fairways over the weekend, most of my tee shots were not in any real danger.  I only had 2 penalties all weekend, both on Sunday... and only 1 off a tee (on a shot I blew way right into a pond)... the other was a well struck 3 wood from the fairway that was 5 yards left of my target, but hit an overhanging tree and we never saw the ball again. What's Not - My putter.  Obviously, the moisture on the greens didn't help matters this weekend for me, but... I just couldn't putt.  Saturday, the greens still had puncture marks on them from being aerated 10 days prior.  Putts would bounce and bounce and bounce... to the tune of 36 putts, which is average for me.  Sunday, the greens were great... just wet... but I couldn't putt and I finished with 39 putts.   A lot of my shots inside 50 yards came up short this weekend.  I couldn't use the bounce of my wedges at all.  The second the club got to the ground... it got sucked in.  It was almost like I had to intentionally try to pick the ball, or hit it thin... and with trouble behind a lot of the greens, I just couldn't get up the courage to do that.  Instead, a lot of my shots from that distance were outside 20 feet.   I've got a weekend trip planned this weekend with my family, and then I've got work the following weekend... but then I head to Hilton Head for a 3 day tournament 10/16 - 10/18.  That'll likely be one of the last times I play until late November or early December. CY

Congratulations on finishing 4th.Thats an achievement in those conditions.Unfortunately for me I needed to finish 4th to win the points title.I dont know yet but I believe I lost the title by 20 pts or so.

[Fairway_CY]

Congratulations on finishing 4th.Thats an achievement in those conditions.Unfortunately for me I needed to finish 4th to win the points title.I dont know yet but I believe I lost the title by 20 pts or so.

Holy crap! That close??? Who do you think you lost to, Allen? I can't believe it was that close! As for my 4th place finish... thanks! Primarily, I attribute that to the lack of entrants. I mean... only the craziest of people were out playing in that weather! CY

[Aflighter]

Holy crap! That close??? Who do you think you lost to, Allen? I can't believe it was that close! As for my 4th place finish... thanks! Primarily, I attribute that to the lack of entrants. I mean... only the craziest of people were out playing in that weather! CY

Chad.He got 900 pts for winning.I needed 347 pts and 4th gets 350.I believe ill get around 320-330.

[rkim291968]

My index will drop to 16.8 at the next revision, which I believe is tied for the lowest I've ever been... and 2.5 strokes lower than when I first posted on this thread.

That's a serious downward trend.  Congrats!

For the next 5days of practice, I will be focusing on weight shift during downswing.   Rethinking my last weekend's rounds, I weight shifted fine when hitting driver.   I was less consistent with other clubs.  When I don't shift weight properly, I think my wrist overcompensate and bad things happen.

[rkim291968]

The latest GHIN HI is 17.3, virtually no change from the last HI of 17.2.   A long way to go before it gets to 12.5. 

[rkim291968]

Carded 90 today from my home course (71.2/128, 6266 yards). 

I have been focusing on swing keys 1 - 3, in front of mirror at company gym, and at range practices.  I've noticed a sudden improvement in the last 5 days, especially, with iron.  That translated into 8 GIRs today, my personal best for my home course/blue tee.   Unfortunately, I had a poor putting day and quite couldn't break 90.  

I pray to the golf god that the improvement is real and here to stay.   If it is & does, I think I have a chance to break 90 every round.   That'd quickly lower my HI to 14 - 15.