First Tournament Tomorrow

[enis750]

Tomorrow Marks the first tournament in 4 years for me
It is a club tourney and is match play (with full handicap allowances...grrr......)
the dude I am playing is an 11.2, but his best score in the past 12 months is a 79
My index is 3.4 now, but I am playing more to a 6 or 7 now (still bangin out winter rust)
I will NOT go the whole winter without picking up a putter or any indoor range sessions again....its taking a while to recover

I played a practice 18 today and shot 78...wasnt pretty as I hit 2 of 13 fairways.....but I made it work w lots of ups and downs
but i finally broke 80 this year - THANK THE LORD!! haha! I was starting to doubt myself
I burned 3 birdie edges and 3 pars...so it could have been a really good round considering
My ball striking improved GREATLY today - I didnt hit one thin ot fat today
Swallowed my pride and bought a players CB w stiffer shafts - NIGHT AND DAY MAN...good move

Two key factors tomorrow - Course Management and Distance Control
My new irons I am finding me a club short from last last set - my 150 go to club was a 9i, but is now an 8i
thats ok though, i just needed to know that
I spent a good part of the day figuring this out

I made a list of what needs to be done tomorrow, as follows: (5) Par, 1. Hole - club

(5) 1. Driver-6i-SW
(3) 2. 7i if pin at back, 8i if in front
(4) 3. Driver, stay right
(4) 4. Driver over the water, stay left of the first tree on the other side
(3) 5. 5i from upper decks, 6i from lower
(5) 6. Driver, 6i, SW
(4) 7. 4w, PW or 9i
(3) 8. 8 or 7i depending on pin
(4) 9. Driver all the way, let er buck no trouble!

(5) 10. Driver, 5or 6i depending on wind, and SW or putter
(4) 11. Driver
(4) 12. 4w-9i or PW in
(3) 13. Gap wedge - easy swing, take SOME turf and be long, NO SHORT
(4) 14. 4w, 8i or 7i in
(5) 15. Driver-6i-GW
(3) 16. 7 or 8i - STAY LONG, just hit the middle of the green (very tough hole - rates # 2)
(4) 17. 4w, 9i or PW in
(4) 18. Driver, aim left and cut it in and around the corner

I normally play from the tips, which is about 6800yds, but we are playing from the middles tomorrow so it plays to about 6500
IF I STICK to this plan, I should play well and hopefully take him down after 13 or so (remember full handicap allowances)

This is not a HUGE tournament, but most club players wil be playing this weekend, so I am trying to make a name for myself there
AND to prepare me for some bigger upcoming tourney's this summer

Tee time is 9:40 am - weather is +2 in the am, progressing to +12 my mid day
I will arrive about an hour early, hit a small bucket and practice some greenside chips, lag putts from 10-25ft and some from 5ft and in

Well, wish me luck all, and I will report back tomorrow night
Probably wont sleep....kinda nervous.......

[sean_miller]

I lke the gameplan approach - good luck and kicks some ass!!

[enis750]

well round one under my belt
I played really well and am happy to report a 76!!!! (it was match play, but I played out every hole)

I was really nervous on the first tee amd blocked it straight right....ooouch!!! hahahha!
the dude I played shot his A$$ off to keep up as well
he had 8 strokes and although I thought I should take him down early, we went to the 18th green
I was down 3 after 12 and came back to 1 up going into 18 - we both bogied, but he got a stroke on that hole so we tied
no playoff, we are matched up again tomorrow
he played to his handicap or better on the front - dude putted to saved his life - he drained 4 over 20 ft long...couldnt believe it

heres my stats:

12/18 greens
5 fwys (I know, I know but I still hit 12 GIR)
and 32 putts

I left a few out there as well, but over all I played well
only one 3 putt and no doubles and ZERO fat or thin shots
I leaked only 3 tee shots, the other fwys i missed were like barely in the rough - the driver worked today

the highlight of my round (well i have 2)
hole 7 i pulled my driver (one of the ones i leaked) and was stuck behind a tree about 2ft
I had no chance at hitting the green and only had a 1/2 swing
I was 140 out, pulled a 7i and played a Rory Mac hook around the tree - NO SH*T!!!!
i hooked it about 20 yards and rolled it to 3 ft...pared...grrr!!! hahahha!
it was amazing

2nd highlight - hole 13, 109 yds into a slight breeze downhill par 3
grabbed a gap, put it back for a PW
hit a 3/4 knock down and put it 8" from the hole (I thought it was going in) then it spun straight sideways to about 4ft - birdied
was a highlight reel shot for sure!! hahah! ;)
the slope of the tees we played is 69.1, but it feels harder than that and the club pro agrees w us

play the same dude tomorrow again
I feel confident I will beat him, as he tires out after about 13 holes - this is where i caught up
I need to be up holes minimum by that time
the stuck to the game plan as above except one shot, and i paid for it - so tomorrow I will not veer from it at all
having a agme plan like this REALLY helped me
I knew the shot i had to play and played it

forecast is +13 tomorrow and Sunny - great for another day of tournament golf! CANT WAIT!

PS - my new driver/shaft combo and irons are fircken amazing
Bridgestone gear is so under rated - they need more cash to get more guys on tour pkaying this stuff
my irons are definatly a club shorter though w the PJX's 6.0 - now that i know this, my distance control was WAAAYY better today
I am loving the X flex driver shaft - its what I needed
I am thinking of taking my 4w shaft in and tipping it .50 - .75" to firm it up a bit - im scared to swing at it sometimes, as when i do it ends in a big hook
I have it at 43", so i can stand to lose a little on it

Also went back to the Pro V1's
my last two rounds i shot great w them and remember why I use them now
YES they are expensive, but it just performs so well for me and does what I ask it to
And actually got a whole round out of one ball - these Cally's dont chew em up as bad as my VR's did

PPS - need to get laser range finder...one dude had one in our group - WOW, saved me a few today for sure

[enis750]

today was a ROUGH day to say the least
i lost on 16 and ended up shooting an 80.....i think dude was sandbagging now
hes says hes an 11hcp...right
dude shot a 38 on the front and a 37 on the back.....really, an 11????

was a little pissed today - either he played out of his a$$ or is fibbing about his index

anyways - I played like crap
I bladed a wedge, chilli dipped one 4 feet and could not get off the tee to save my life
I hit 3 fwys today and when I missed....i missed
no luck either today - when i missed the fwy i was in a divot, behind a tree, under a tree, up against a bunker - the golf gods were givin it to me
i struggled to get around today BIG TIME and coulndt get my head back in it

made one birdie, chipped in from about 3o yds and that was my highlights of the day - otherwise not good
i need to spend A LOT of time on the practice green putting - I think I had 4 3 putts today???? and all four were for birdie too
convert a couple of those and the round could have been ok

ah well.......first tourney of the year (well 4 years to be exact) and only 6th round of the year.....i think I did ok
to the practice green tomorrow afternoon and everyday this week
driving range one day to figure out why i am coming over the top and ill be in shape for medal play next weekend

hcp is on the rise too
i am a 3.5 now and only going up, unless i get my sh*t together soon
really not a 3.5 though, at least I dont feel or play like I am - i would say A solid 6 is good......

i think my goal of becomg scratch is out the window
really, it would be nice but i just dont have the time to get down to there
i think my goal is to maintain a single digit index at this point and shhot to get BACK to a 3, like last year
man,,,,winter is hard on a guys swing
I am NOT doing that again this year ........

[sean_miller]

3.5 to 0.0 is quite a difference - don't be afraid to pull the trigger on a couple lessons. With the video in hand, you can seek other opinions.

Anyway, your opponent does sound like a sandbagger.

[enis750]

I am actually calling this am to set up a session this week (hopefully they can get me in)
I THINK i know what I am doing wrong (hardcore coming over the top), but to be honest, I dont know how to fix it

putting was my killer yesterday, but all weekend I struggled off the Tee....time to get help

[enis750]

First lesson is booked for Tuesday May 11/10 @ 2pm w the club pro (my client I have been talking about)
he has been a pro for 35+ years and still playes to a 1.2hcp
he doesnt book many lessons anymore, but he has a few clients he checks in with

If things go well, I am going to check in w him every couple weeks to keep an eye on things for me

this is my FIRST LESSON ever, after 15 years of golfing
kinda excited/nervous for the outcome......

stay tuned..........