Some Ugly Backsliding

[Travtex]

Finally got a chance to hit the course after my latest quest to Fix the Driver. Talk about a horrifyingly bad backslide round. My last three 9-hole rounds:

+10
+8
+17 (!!!!!)

The driver was much friendlier than usual, and that hideous score SHOULD have been much worse but my Utley-directed Short Game Practice seems to be paying off. Didn't chunk a single chip or blade a single pitch. Only problem was with distance control -- I was consistently making better contact than expected, and overshooting my target. Overall, though, very happy with my 30-50 yard pitches. Got three of them over greenside bunkers at a short-sided pin (Who the hell set up the course that day? Jeez).

Anyway, the former best part of my game has fallen completely to pieces. I couldn't hit my irons to save my life.

That +17, though it doesn't look like it, actually included my getting my s*#& together for the last couple holes to give myself a couple birdie looks after the first seven holes of self-loathing. *hah*

Hole of the Day:
9th 499yd Par 5, Driver (Surprisingly). Right down the middle, just the right amount of draw to start around the dogleg right. Had originally estimated about 250, but looking at the birds-eye puts it closer to 265. Followed it up with a 'Why the hell not' three wood that I pulled a bit... don't know if it hit a rock or what, but the thing rolled for days and ended up just off to the right of the green for another one of those short pitch over the bunker shots. Gave the pitch too much gas, left a loooooong birdie putt. Happy with par at the end of that round.

Problems:

*Irons. Just... everything. It was craptastic. I don't think I hit a single iron anywhere near how I wanted to hit it. Pull hooks have returned.

*3w,3h,4h. Better, but only marginally so. My usual war of push fade versus pull hook.

*Summary. A round that made me feel like I've completely wasted a year of practice. Gawd, that was just no fun at all.

*Bright spot. Chips 'n pitches. Ball actually doing what I wanted it to. Down side: Inexperience has me making stupid decisions regarding what I want it to do.

*What the hell? I couldn't putt At All. At the end of the day, I was amazed I wasn't adding up +25 or so.

[Bug Bunny]

Any day playing golf is a great day! Congrats on the par to end it!!!

[Travtex]

Any day playing golf is a great day! Congrats on the par to end it!!!

Yep, beats working. Hah.

[Dub]

It does beat working!!!!

That was a sweet par 5 for you. One
to bring you back.

I can relate to your experiences. I'm going through a "reintroduction" after many months away.

Lots of rust to knock off.

Driving has bitten me some these last three outings. I'm rushing the transition and hooking the mess outa some tee shots.

One thing I did yesterday was drop back to 3 wood off the tee. Results were nice...hit 75% fairways. Distance losses were not too noticable. Still...I want too hit the big dog.

That is great about your Utley short game. His putting method has helped me tons. My knees suck, though, and I struggle with his chipping/pitching method.

Keep at it and things will settle down!!!

[retexan599]

What usually goes down the tubes on me during a round is....whatever I did not practice the last time I practiced at the practice facility! If I only hit full swing shots on the range, I will often have a miserable chipping day for example. I guess I need to be sure I cycle through all the clubs/shots each time I practice. But the weather is really nice right now in the Houston area, so a few bad shots are not going to ruin my day (he merrily says....)