The TourSpoon Blog - Page 5

Thanks Erik. The Scorecard software is very easy to use on my iPhone and I found site90 as the most user friendly host site. The ability to view stats is extremely valuable and it all came from being a regular on this forum. The other thing that I started doing was to use my phone with the Swing Reader app to look at mechanics. For a buck it is amazing.

I am good about posting my rounds but there are a couple that didn't make it because I didn't have time to load the course. One situation that I encountered yesterday is hitting my tee shot in a place where I punched out (no GIR) and then hit into a bunker. I made the sand save for a bogey and scored it no ud, and yes ss. Is this the correct way to score that hole?

Anyway, I appreciate the feedback.

Thanks. It's a work in progress for sure, one that I think most of us can identify with. I started it so that I could go back and remember some of the things that I have struggled with because those faults always seem to creep back in. I also enjoyed reading other guy's adventures so I was hopeful it could help others. This thread has more hits than I ever thought it would get so there are a couple people reading it. Thanks guys!

I will go to the range and work the full shots at least once a week at my home course. I will putt there too because the practice green is usually running @ 8.5. Most of my short game practice is at a course I pass on the way to work that has a great chipping/pitching area and that is all that I do there because the practice green runs slow. OCD? Just a touch. 

OK, I just tried the cross-hand putting today for 45 minutes this morning (before going to work). I finished up making 25 3 footers in a row. I kept telling myself that there is nothing OCD about having a random guy from Canada suggest this as a way to improve putting on my blog and then me trying it at the first available opportunity only to want to switch immediately. Ya, definitely not OCD. 

 

Left hand low is here to stay. I made a record 105 feet of putts in 31 attempts with 25 and 30 foot bombs and no 3 putts! I played the Atlantis course from the tips and was stellar through 14 holes. I finished bogey, bogey, double, double for a 78 (4.8). Even with the blow-up finish this will put me in position to be in the 4s for the next revision with a 4.8. If I play again on Monday, I could lower that or if I don't have a keeper round I would still be a 4.9. I have made my goal of breaking into the 4s before summer has officially started. That is exciting. 

 

Now, it is time to set some new goals, but they will be less handicap and more statistically oriented for the summer months. 

 

1. Continue with left hand low putting and get the putts to average 30 or less

2. Fairways at 60% 

3. GIR to 60%

4. Scrambling to 50%

5. GIR putts to average 18 feet

 

I am now going to take the mental pressure off of the score with the cap and enjoy playing no matter what happens. Today's round through 14 holes was tempo perfect and that is what I need to concentrate on. I hit some good shots today and was solid on left hand low. 

 

Today was extremely windy and very early after a late night out. The front nine was just brutal with the short game. I hit 5/7 fairways and only 3 greens only to not get u/d 6 times. Couple that with a triple and that is a 44. On the back I was 5/8 fairways and was u/d 3/4. The only issue was that two of those fairways resulted in OBs. While one OB was a bogey and the other was a double, I managed to shoot 40 for an 84 (10.1). While I missed two shortish putts within 6 feet, I managed to stay at 31 with no three putts. This round will be the last before tomorrow's revision and gets thrown out for cap purposes and will keep me at 4.9. 

 

One thing that I tried doing was to feel like I was reaching at impact. I tried this on the range because when I hit balls the other day everything was toe-y. When I did this it helped me hit the ball in the center of the face and resulted in some good shots today even with the big winds. This week I will be practicing the short game for sure as it kept me out of it. 

The last two rounds have been nothing to write home about and both get thrown away. Despite hitting on average 65% of the fairways, I only hit roughly 35% of the greens. I wish I could blame the wind, but my irons were poor and my short game was mediocre at best. 

 

I just went for a tune-up with my instructor and started on the putting green. I quickly drained 5 out of 7 10 footers and he remarked how I was finally keeping the putter head square and down the line. Previously, I fought the putter going left after impact, but these were pure. After getting that kind of feedback, left hand low is staying. In the irons department, he made me widen my take away to allow me to get into flatter position. The second thing we worked on was using the hips to help me swing the club because I was hitting it slightly toe-y. After the drill he gave me, I started to flush the ball in the middle of the face and then hit the 2H. I hit a couple of shots and then it came. The hips started the downswing, the arms followed inside and my body rotated to finish in balance. The centered turn was evident and I now have some things to work on. 

 

On to the high pitch, I worked on opening my stance and swinging down the line and holding to hit the high floater. I still have a tendency to bring it inside and let the club go. Then we worked on the hinge and hold low runner and then the higher chip, again across the stance line holding the finish. We finished in the bunker with more emphasis on anchoring my legs and using my arms to regulate speed to hit the sand and have a controlled follow through.  He had me hold the finish in all the short shots to emphasize control through the shots.  This lesson reinforced a lot of things that I was doing right and helped me make some adjustments to fine tune some areas. 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning I decided to work on the flatstick. On Saturday, I started the front with 13 putts and then finished with 17 and could never get real comfortable on the back. So, with a plan, I took 5 balls to the practice green along with an alignment stick and placed the stick an inch and a half  inside my line and start rolling 3 footers. When I made 25 in a row, I knew that I would be setting a new personal best so I just went with it. Finally after making 126, I missed. I guess the stick really helps groove the path with the newish left hand low set-up. I then went to 10 feet and at one stretch made 8 consecutively. Too bad what I really need is distance control!  I finished up just lagging the ball to try to get the ball between hole high and two feet past. Still, I was pretty stoked on finding a new drill to work on for putting. The only thing I need to do now is to actually start making some putts!

 

Thanks, I will give that a try. It seems that with left hand low, I have the line, but not the distance control that I need.

After a string of rounds breaking 80 and then the last 4 rounds shooting 80 (how does that even happen), I was able to get it down to a 76 (4.5). There was nothing spectacular, I just avoided trouble pretty well, made 3 birdies, hit 60% of the fairways and greens, scrambled at 50%, and used 32 putts. This combatted two lateral penalties, one of those for a double, 2 three jacks, and a few putts left out there to get u/d.

The course I played today is called Park Ridge and was built on a retired landfill. It has 6 fives, 6 fours, and 6 threes on a links style layout with some major elevations and blind shots. There is a mix of risk and reward holes and there is a ton of lateral hazards either water or what I call junk which is a marshy, weed like sawgrass that just eats balls. The best shot of the day was hitting my tee shot onto the fringe of the par 4 13th hole which measures 342 from the tee. The aggressive line is to drive over and cut off as much of the ravine as possible. This set up an easy birdie and a much needed boost that set up 2 more birdies. Playing as a twosome we were able to get around in just over 3 hours without seeing another group the entire time.

Today was the first day that I have touched a club in two weeks. After my last round, I went on vacation and upon return, started a new job and haven't been able to practice. I started on the range with an 8 iron and took it back nice and easy and flushed it in the middle of the club face. It seemed as if the clubs were heavier and that I could just feel them. I jumped to a 4 iron next and the guy next to me said, "Nice Swing" after I hit one down my target line. It all just flowed through my 3H, 3W and Driver. I hit my wedges (not as good at first) and then went to chipping and the bunker. I finished with putting. 

 

Ahhh, it felt good to get a club in my hands. The lesson today was to make sure to have light grip pressure, a relaxed tempo, and to let the club do the work. Let's see how that all plays out tomorrow! 

I went back to Park Ridge last Friday and had the best round of the year. I started par, double (hit a 7 iron toe shank into the hazard) and then was even through the next 16 holes for a 74 (2.8).  The key was the turn. Hitting such a poor shot by lifting the club and not turning reminded me that I need to concentrate on turning (remember the club in the belly button drill?). With that thought in my head along with an unusually smooth tempo, I was able to hit 75% of the fairway, 67% of the greens, and put myself into position for some birdies and easy pars. Even with three penalties (one double, one bogey, and one par save) I had a great round with two birdies and a few left out on the course.  

 

The next day I followed it up at Palm Beach National with an 82. My second hole was a double, then a double on the par five, and finally a double on nine to shoot a 44 on the front. I settled down and managed a solid 38 on the back. The front really bothered me because it really came down to a bad choice on the par five and hitting it into the hazard and then a bad break with a fried egg on number 9.  I managed to put it behind me though and play solid on the back. My tempo was a little off and not as good as the day before, but I hit some decent shots. I am going to working on tempo and balance along with the turn this week and then getting back to the putting green to practice those 4-8 footers.