Jamo's Blog on TheSandTrap

[jamo]

When I played 9 holes today at St. Marks I did so in a lot of wind. Wind is my least favorite element because it is unpredictable, annoying, and it makes it colder. I played decently today, but not what I was hoping for and not what I was expecting. Part of it was the wind, part of it was my terrible short game today, and part of it was that I was just trying to kill the ball, on purpose, on most of my drives. I ended up shooting a 37 (2 over par, 3.3 differential) on a course that I have played dozens of times, and, especially after the first hole, I expected to do very well on. The swing was good, but I could not get the ball in the hole. Here is my Scorecard.

Hole #1: 325 downhill par 4, i hit a controlled 6 iron to 146. It was a little thin and way off the toe, but it worked. My 8 iron to the green was also thin and off the toe, but it landed at 6 feet. I rolled in the birdie.

Hole #2: 155 yard par 3, but I pulled my 8 iron left and long. I was short sided and the pin was about 8 feet onto the green, but my chip didn't quite reach the green. My 10 footer for par rolled by, and I fell to even for the round.

Hole #3: With the wind blowing hard to my right, I had to start the ball off in the left rough. Unfortunately, i hit the ball dead perfect, high and right where I was aiming, but I hit a tree that I didn't think I would hit. I ended up the the left rough. Hitting hybrid for my lay up, I hooked a shot with the ball above my feet. Luckily I hit a tree and bounced forward, still in the left rough. My PW to the green left me with 24 feet, and I 2 putted for par. Slightly disappointing.

Hole #4: With a hook wind I stepped up to this one and put a nice, solid swing on it. I was left with 70 yards left after a drive of 280. Before I hit my LW though the wind switched without me noticing, and I airmailed the green by 30 yards, riding the wind. My pitch shot from the edge of the wood left me with 31 feet, which I lipped out, leaving me a bogey.

Hole #5: My only nemesis on the course, it is a 375 yard uphill dogleg right. Because I am not very good with the 3 wood, and can't hit a controlled fade, I have to take a soft driver and try to fade it around the corner, but if I don't fade it it can reach the woods. I hit a perfect on, and was left with a SW that looked like I made from the fairway. I ended up about 12 feet, but made the birdie.

Hole #6: This hole always seems to be played with a slice wind, so I used to have a habit of opening my stance and slicing it even worse, putting me on the other side of the road. Lately I have been able to take dead aim, and leave myself with under 100 yards. One time the tees were up a little and on a downhill lie and I ended up flying the green by 20 yards. Go figure. Today I decided to just try to rip the ball, using a Hogan-esque transition with the hips and a Sergio style transition with the hands. The wind was hard right to left, abnormal, but I ended up flying it even with the green. Unfortunately my baby draw was exacerbated by the wind, and I ended up wayyyyyy left, in another fairway. Luckily I had a straight shot to the green, but I had no idea on the distance. Hitting LW I wound up way short, and it took me 3 more from there for a very disappointing bogey.

Hole #7: Not a fan of this hole either. 195 yards uphill, I somehow managed to fade a 3 iron with a hook wind, but i chipped to to a couple of inches. Tapped in for par.

Hole #8: My favorite hole on the course, this is where I made the first birdie of my life. A downhill par 4, 324 yards, I can drive this green if I really rip it. I made the same swing as on #6, but the wind held it up and let it drift to the right, leaving me on the edge of the wood. My pitch landed over the green, and I was unable to save par.

Hole #9: The longest par 4 on the course, there are some trees overhanging the left side that I like to hit over for the perfect drive. I did just that, but I wound up hitting into a one in a million chance. There is a mound of long grass that goes from the left side to the center of the fairway diagonally. I ended up cranking a drive, and I was left with 140. Unfortunately, I was on the top of the mound, buried under grass. It is something that I don't even think of, and I have never seen it happen. I hit a perfect drive with a normal swing, not like on 6 and 8, but ended up in jail. With no play on the second, I hit what seemed to be a flier, going wayyyyy over the green. I was about 30 yards past, and could not save par.

So all in all, not a great day. I was not playing seriously, and i would never attempt some of these shots in a tournament, but it is clear that my short game needs some work.

[jamo]

Today was another windy day out on the golf course, but I played well. The last time that I had played this course, Bungay Brook, I came down the 9th fariway -1, but made a bogey to finish E par in a HS match that I won. Today I again came down the 9th at -1, but I was able to par the last to finish under par. It was another up and down day, but I was hitting the ball miles, though my score was helped some by some of the tees being up. I ended up shooting a 1 under par 35, with a differential of -.1. Here is my Scorecard.

Hole #1: A 303 yard par 4, I was feeling good so I decided to try to crank a driver. The wind was slightly from left to right, and my driver ended up about 25 yards short of the green. I hit a soft, high pitch to 12 feet, and made the birdie. The last time I played this course, me and my partner both birdied the hole, but last time I hit my tee shot with a hybrid into the left rough to 100 yards, but I knocked it stiff.

Hole #2: Last time I found the front bunker with my tee shot on this 172 yard par 3, this time I found the grass directly in front of it. I had a really bad lie and had to play away from the hole with my 2nd shot, and I was unable to save par.

Hole #3: This hole is normally 343, so I usually hit hybrid, but today the tees were at about 282, so I hit driver. I ended up with a missed fairway, but I'll take it because I landed in a greenside bunker, about 2 feet from the front edge of the green. Unfortunately my ball was in a fried egg lie, and I was unable to advance it to the upper tee of the green, where the hole was. A solid 2 putt from 37 feet go me a par.

Hole #4: This 475 yard par 5 is very easy. The tee shot is a little downhill, and the wind was strong from the left to right, so I teed it up on the left wide of the tee box, and just let it ride the wind. When it came to to stop I had a mere 155 yards to the hole. I know a lot of the distance was the wind and slope, but a 320 yard drive is always nice. I hit my 7 iron to 15 feet, but my eagle putt barely missed, lipping out.

Hole #5: The tees were up here too, and the hole was playing 100 yards. I hit an easy SW, and when I hit it I knew it would be good. It started out just to the right and the wind brought it back right on line. It landed about 6 feet short of the hole, but spun back 4 feet to 10. Another lipped out putt left me with a solid par.

Hole #6: Usually the toughest hole on the course, the tees were at 400 yards on this par 4. Because it was a dogleg left, I hit an easy draw that left me with a 9 iron. I then hit the worst shot all day, coming up out of it, picking my head up and thinning the ball. Luckily I was only a couple of feet off the front right of the green. Left with a tough breaking chip, I hit it as close as I could have, about 7 feet, and made the par putt up the hill.

Hole #7: A 459 yard par 5, this one is much the same as the 4th hole. I blasted another drive and was left with a 9 IRON! to the green. I hit it well, but the slope of the green brought me about 49 feet away. A solid 2 putt gave me my third birdie.

Hole #8: The tee ball on this 417 yard par 4 was my worst of the day. I left it out to the right and it finished in the rough. My 9 iron to the green rolled through to the left, about 2 feet off the green. My first "putt" (technically a chip, because I missed the green) was a total misread, and I was left with 13 feet for par. It lipped out, and I settled for bogey.

Hole #9: The last time I played here I hit a perfect drive and then chocked away my second, hitting it wayyyy left with a SW into some water, and I made bogey. It was in a match play HS match, but luckily I had already won the match. This time I decided to hit 3W because I was hitting my driver so far, I was worried about the water which could come into play if I hit it too long. I didn't think I could actually hit the water, but judging by the distance I got with my 3W (and a poorly hit one at that) I might have been able to. Like I said, the 3W wasn't great. I hit it way off the heel and it was a slicing weak shot. I only had a LW to the green, and it went to 11 feet. Another birdie shot, another lip out, but I was happy to get out of there with a par, finishing under par.


So it was a pretty good day today. The course was in a position to be attacked, and I was able to do it. I am a lot better at short courses, so it was good to do well on one.

[enis750]

that first hole must be tough...303 yd par 3!!?????
im sure u meant par 4!! haha! ;)

[jamo]

Whoops, my bad. Just fixed it, thanks for pointing that out. It would have been a solid par if it was a par 3 though.

[bogeyhitter25]

I'd say a 35 is 1-over. 4 and 7 are par 4s.

[jamo]

Basically yeah. Have you played there before?

[jamo]

I went to Juniper Hills today and played the Riverside course. It is a pretty nice course, and they had a good deal on 18 holes. The course is very sloped, and it is the most tree lined and probably the hardest course I have played this year. I ended up shooting a 70, which is 1 under par and a differential of -.4. My swing was not great, but my short game was very good. I had a little over the top move, and I flared a lot of balls to the right with my driver. The rest of my clubs were pretty good though, and they really sort of saved me. The 18th hole, normally my favorite, was a joke. It is usually a 476 yard par 5, but the fairway was so beat up that the tees were set at the 250 yard marker. So I drove a par 5. Then 3 putter for a birdie. My Scorecard.
Some memorable holes:

Hole #2: A 336 yard par 4, downhill and a dogleg right, I hit a driver that I meant to keep down the left side. I flared it out right but luckily the slop of the fairway brought it down nearly to the green. The only thing the green and me was a bunker, and I made a nice pitch over the bunker to 18 feet. Ended up with par.

Hole #3: A 495 yard par 5, another flare right with my driver. The 2nd shot was the same, and I ended up in some trees next to the green. I tried to chip out with my hybrid, but the ball hit a root and flew offline. A really good up and down kept me at even.

Hole #6: A 330 yard par 4, I hit another weak flare to the right that only stayed in the fairway because the fairway is huge. I hit it so short that I had a 9 iron to the green. I knocked it to about 4 feet and made the birdie.

Hole #8: The longest par 4 on the course, I hit another out to the right. It was another huge fairway so I stayed in. I failed to cut the corner on the left so I had a 6 iron, which I hit a little fat and a little left. I could not get up and down, and made bogey.

Hole #9: The tees were up here, at 220 instead of 350 on this par 4. I hit a soft 3W to an elevated green, but I missed a little left. A really really good chip left me 3 feet, only after it lipped out. I made the birdie.

Hole #10: This par 5 is a 190 carry over the Assabet River. I hit a good driver then a solid 4 iron just short of the green. I was able to get up and down for birdie.

Hole #11: This 391 yard par 4 is downhill and a slight dogleg right. I hit a very good driver, into the fairway, but was behind a tree. I had to hit a flop shot 9 iron, but this left me a little short of the green. I was unable to get my chip onto the top shelf, where the hole was, and I made bogey.

Hole #16: A 391 yard par 4, downhill. I hit another flare to the right, into the trees. I had no choice but to punch out with my hybrid, but I got caught up in some long grass. A really good up and down saved my par.

Hole #17: This hole has 2 greens, and they picked the harder one today. I hit my hybrid a little right. Not a slice but I was mis-aimed, but I got lucky when I tree knocked my ball down. Another very solid up and down kept me at even par for the round.

Hole #18: Like I said, this hole was a joke. I drove the green on this par 5, and only 3 putted because the hole was on the back tier, which was really hard to get to with a putter from 75 feet away.

[jamo]

I played a very casual round today with a friend. I considered not even entering it but I decided to because if is only fair. I shot a 78, 6 over with a differential of 4.8. My ball striking was very good, much better than yesterday when I shot 1 under, but I wasn't taking the round seriously enough to have any semblance of a short game. I had 4 3 putts after having only 1 or 2 the whole beginning of the season. When I say my putting is bad, it is more because it doesn't help me, because it usually doesn't hurt me. I am the king of 2 putts, whether it be from 40 feet or from 5. Today though it hurt me, I just didn't care enough to take is seriously and to line putts up. I wasn't flaring the ball right like yesterday, and a lot of my power returned, so that was good. I also hit every (at least all of the ones I can think of) iron shot pure, but I found myself misaligned often, another side effect of a lack of seriousness. Here is my Scorecard. I am not going to break down my round today because, well, it really wasn't that interesting, other than the fact that I bogeyed the first 5 holes.

[jamo]

I went to Southborough Golf to hit the driving range for the first time in about 2.5 weeks, and I haven't picked up a club in about 9 days. I was a little rusty, but my short clubs through about the 4 iron were very solid. The 6 iron swing below is the best yet. But when I got to the longer clubs my biggest problem was exposed: I still haven't fully incorporated the left arm extension into my swing, and it was evident with the long clubs. I was chicken-winging, and it was really hurting impact. But just about everything else was good, thought I could probably have a touch more weight forward at impact, and my head was moving a little too much (you can see it right at the top of my driver swing). A couple things to work on, but overall I am happy with where I am for not having played in a while. I likely wont get out much in the near future unless I play tomorrow because I have 4 AP tests in the next 2 weeks. Here are the videos:

6 iron back


6 iron face on


Driver back


Driver face on

[Stretch]

That's a wicked powerful-looking swing!

I'm often down at that range myself. Still trying to hit just one lousy ball by that back yellow flag they have marked as 270.

[jamo]

Thanks!

Good luck, you'll get it sometime.

[jamo]

I went to ECG to work on a couple things from yesterday to work on a couple things from yesterday. Those are: keep the head still, more hip slide, more hip rotation, and better extension/straight left arm. The most important in the long run is extension, but it is also the hardest to change. My best swings came when I was thinking solely of extension, which is a good thing. My head also seemed to stay still, or at least more so than yesterday. It is probably the easiest to the 4 things to fix, it is just about making it second nature so it doesn't keep leaving my swing after a little while. With my hips sliding forward I was just trying to pre-set them a little at the top, then push forward on the downswing. This seemed to help. As for rotation, it is also a hard change to make, but I think when I get it nailed down it will really help my extension. My hips tend to stop rotating about at impact, and I think this actually makes it harder to extend my arms because I have not cleared my hips. Overall my range session was good. The long irons were atrocious yesterday, but just mediocre today, a slight improvement. I think I tended to get away from the extension swing thought a little when I got to my long irons, but when I got to my 3W I remembered it again, and I hit my 3W as well as I ever had. So all in all, not a bad day.

[jamo]

I went back to ECG today to work on my extension. I had 2 thoughts today: finish like Rory McIlory (or Ishikawa, or Tiger in his younger days, etc..) the point is that their hips are totally clear and the club is pointed towards the target. This helped clear my hips which let me extend my arms at contact and after it. My other thought was just plain extension. Nothing hard, just extend the arms, and hold off the folding of the left arm. I also worked a little on keeping my weight centered a little better. All of this really helped maintain my balance. I know that my finish did not actually look like they do, but the thought really helped me, and I could feel the difference and see it with the ball flight over yesterday. It was still not fantastic, but since yesterday was mediocre, I will say today was decent. My long irons were still poor, but better, and my driver was very very good. So good to see a little progress, but I still have some work to do.

[jamo]

I really feel like I had a breakthrough today. I don't completely know because I didn't take any videos, but I was hitting the ball today as well as ever and my swing felt really good. At ECG today, my only thought was finish like Rory McIlroy (or Ishikawa, or Rickie Fowler, or Tiger in his early days). That is, I wanted to feel like my hips had turned as far as possible and the club shaft was pointing to my target. I don't quite have the flexibility of those guys, or the swing speed, but the feel was what I needed. It really let me clear my hips, straighten my left arm, and keep the arms straight into the follow through. I was really hitting the ball well, and really far. I am thinking of playing tomorrow afternoon, so we shall see if it keeps up, but I can not be any more encouraged.

On a side note, I am going to the University of Delaware in the fall, so if anyone knows of any golf courses or driving ranges near Newark, DE (northwestern tip of the state, just a few miles away from the border with Maryland and the border with Pennsylvania), post 'em in the comment section. I am going to try to play the club team, which will be fun, but I am looking forward to exploring the state of Delware. And that school stiff too.... I don't know how much golf I will get to play, but I will have my car and my clubs, to I'm sure I will get out once in a while, especially to the driving range. FWIW, my major is mechanical engineering, so if you majored in ME, post it below.

[Stretch]

I think I'm doing mornings at ECG and you're doing afternoons.

Glad to hear you're making progress.

[jamo]

After having a couple of really good range sessions I came to Sassamon Trace Golf Course expecting to shoot under par. Not even close. Well, sort of. I started the day off poor but finished much better. I ended up shooting 34 (2 over par, 2.3 differential) which was disappointing but understandable. Here is my Scorecard. I did use the opportunity to learn about the changes to my swing that I have made recently. I learned that occasionally I started leaning left during the follow through, a way for my body to cheat me into thinking that I had made a full turn. When I actually made the full turn I hit the ball beautifully, but when I cheated I pulled my body away from the ball and hit it way off the toe. After the first couple of hole I learned this, and began hitting the ball much better. As for the course, hole 1-3 and 9 are built on the top of an old landfill, and hole 4-8 are built on an old apple orchard (don't ask who's idea it was to build an apple orchard next to a landfill ). The landfill holes are above the tree line and very very windy, and more links style, while the others aren't really at all. Here is a breakdown:

Hole #1: A 158 yard par 3 to start with, I aimed left to try to let the wind take the ball back to the hole. I ended up pulling it a little left and the wind just pushed it straight down, short of the green. My second shot was a solid flop that the wind too away from the hole to about 22 feet. From where I was it was actually a solid shot. My putt was dead straight up the hill but I left it short and made a good 5 footer for bogey.

Hole #2: This is where I caught myself leaning. The ball went way off the toe of my hybrid and stayed out right. A good SW to 25 feet out of the rough and a good 2 putt gave me a par on this 326 yard par 4.

Hole #3: This is the hardest hole on the course in my opinion. A 180 yard par 2 with a waste area right and bunkers right also. Left is a big bank so the play is to hit it into the bank and let that take it to the green. the wind pushed my 5 iron shot a little right, but right at the pin. unfortunately it ran straight through the green, leaving me on a huge upslope behind the green. I pulled a Johnny Miller, soling the wedge too deep with my chip, and ended up making a bogey.

Hole #4: a 529 yard par 5. I thought for a minute that I had blasted my driver through the fairway and into some march, that is how straight and solid I hit it. but I found myself at the edge of the fairway. A 6 iron to the left rough and then a SW from 90 yards left me at 31 feet, but there was a huge fall line directly in front of my ball. I was able to make a really really good 2 putt par.

Hole #5 This 162 yard par 3 was playing short because the pin was in front, so I hit 1 less club, a 7 iron. Should have hit the 8. I ended up over the green with a tough chip. a Really good up and down got me my par. Mostly though I was very impressed with the tee shot. The 7 was absolutely perfectly struck, and I guess I just got unlucky that I chose the wrong club. The guy I was playing with said, "that's what you get for hitting it perfectly," because it was right over the flag.

Hole #6: A 341 yard par 4, I was able to cut the corner with a perfect driver that left me with about 50 yards to the green. A half LW left me at 15 feet, but once again I was right on top of the fall line. Another solid 2 putt got me a par.

Hole #7: I chunked my 5 iron on this 177 yard par 3, and my chip went way long. Another 2 putt gave me a bogey and left me at 3 over.

Hole #8: a 143 yard par 3 to a back pin, I hit 8 iron that finished hole high just in the fringe. A decent putt put me to a hard sloping 10 feet, but I made the par.

Hole #9: My best hole all day. It necessitates a long, high, fading driver to carry the ravine on the right. I did just that, and I left with about 50 yards on this 367 yard par 4. A LW to 7 feet and another really soldi putt gave me my only birdie.

So all in all not a terrible day, but one to learn from and improve on.

[jamo]

I went to Southborough to work on my swing today, and I took some videos. Some things I noticed: I had a tiny shift backwards on the backswing. Maybe, just maybe, I was turning my hips too much. The biggest thing was the bent left elbow at impact and beyond. It is certainly not as bad as a couple of months ago, but I am a little disappointed at how slow it is progressing. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't hit a bad shot with my driver today, but i think this will really take my irons, especially the longs ones, to another level. I was trying to focus on my head staying still and it worked with the 6 iron but my position at the top with my driver was just absolutely terrible. The hips had gone back a little, had overturned, and my shoulders were totally flat. I was also using my wrists a little to early. But, once again, my driver was fantastic, so go figure. I am not lifting my arms, which is good, but I was also having some trouble with swinging too long. So I have a lot to work on, nothing new. I just finished my last AP test today (Government and Calculus BC last week, Physics and Psychology this week) so I might have a little more free time, but I have started caddying on the weekends, so that has started to tire me out. But maybe I can play a little after school. The earliest I would get out though is friday, and that day is either going to rain or be spent fishing. So likely not until next week.

6 iron back


6 iron face on


Driver back
]

Driver face on

[jamo]

I think it was a good day today, golf wise. I set up a range in my backyard using a net that I got for christmas and a mat that I found in my basement. I was working on a smörgåsbord of things today, but they all boiled down to straitening the left arm. It is not really something that I can consciously change, so I have been searching for feeling that could get me there. I made sure to rotate and push the hips to a full finish, and I also added in one thing. Pushing my right shoulder through to impact, which should give my left shoulder a little more space for the arm to straighten. I think it worked, because I was really puring the ball. No video, but I really think it was better. Another thing that i noticed last time was that i was hinging the wrists very early on the backswing, so I was trying to fix that a little, which was a simple change. I'm not sure when I will play again, so I hope these things will stay in place.