Jamo's Blog on TheSandTrap

[anthony]

I always copy the whole post before I "post now" in case something goes wrong.

[jamo]

It happens while I type. I need to get in the habit of pressing "preview post" which sort of saves it every now and then.

[kevin.chan]

You putting is really good !

[jamo]

I went to Southborough again to do a final preparation for the tournament tomorrow. When I did it all right, I was hitting it beautifully. I just needed to keep my head down, time the downswing correctly (bump and turn), and keep the swing short. I was good on number 2 the whole time, but I needed to consciously think about the head thing and until the end of the session I was swinging much too long. But when it all came together was hitting it awesomely. I think I have a good chance tomorrow. There are 10 or 11 people in the field, and a handful of them qualify for the next round. I'm not even sure I will play the next round if I do qualify, but I'll cross that bridge if and when I get to it. Last year in the same tournament I was in position to qualify, then had two triple bogeys on the back 9 and i was the first one out. This year I hope to do better, and I know I will. If I keep the ball out of the trees with my driver the course isn't too bad. A good deal of birdie opportunities and not too many long par 3's and 4's should give me a good chance. I can make birdies on this course- I made 2 last year and 2 more in my practice round last week, so I'm hoping I will be able to offset any mistakes. And, well, that's about it.

Edit: Got the date wrong. It's actually monday.

[jamo]

Ok, so I played really really poorly in this tournament. So much so that I don't want to put my score on here, just know that it wasn't good. My swing wasn't terrible, but I missed a lot of makeable putts and didn't get up and down a single time all day. I didn't have the time to write down stats so I don't have a scorecard either. I made more mental error than I would have though I'd make in a lifetime, in addition to some poor luck and lots of nerves. I don't even know why I was nervous. The tournament was a qualifier for a state tournament(which I actually did end up qualifying for), and I wouldn't even be able to play in the state one because I have college freshman orientation that day anyway. I wasn't proud with how I played, but I was very proud with how I acted. I was frustrated beyond belief, but I never let my playing partner know it. Unlike him I didn't let off a chain of swear, I didn't throw my putter, and I didn't sulk off the 18th green. But I was most proud with the way I finished the round.

On 15 I hit a really really good hybrid (about 240) to the middle of the fairway, then a perfect 8 iron to about 10 feet. My birdie putt was poor. I really killed it, but the cup got in the way and the ball nearly stayed in, but it popped out. Par. On 16 I nuked a 6 iron that just bounced off the back of the green. I missed a 4 footer for. On 17 I hit another good hybrid then a SW over a tree to the middle of the green. I rolled in a 20 footer for my first birdie of the day. On 18 I hit was trying to hit a little cut with my driver but it went dead straight, and a little but through the fairway. Because I had nothing to lose, I went for this par 5 in 2. The ball was well below my feet and the lie wasn't good, but I ended up in the fairway, nearly hole high, to the right of the green. A solid blind pitch shot left me about 35 feet, which I promptly rolled in for birdie. So finishing birdie birdie really helped show me what I can do.

But I was still mad about how I was going mentally. I put way too much unnecessary pressure on myself, and I caved in. Consider this my retirement from competitive golf. I just don't want that feeling of failing anymore. I know I can do well, and I prove that to myself daily, but I have trouble proving it when it counts. I am quitting partially for that reason and partially because it would be money poorly spent. I will try to play club golf in college (University of Delaware), but from their website it seems to be more of a low key thing. So, that's good.

EDIT 6/24/10: Okay, now that I have had some time to digest, I will go over where I made some mistakes and where I did well. Here is a link to the online course tour so I don't have to repeat myself every hole on the yardages and so you know the landmarks that I am talking about : http://www.cypriankeyes.com/club/scr...APP=80&DN;=TOUR
Hole #1: I had a perfect hybrid tee shot set up. I was going to start the ball at the bunker and if it went straight fine, it would stay short of the trap, and if it cut it would be perfect. Unfortunately I hit a slight draw, and it headed left of the bunker. It got lost in some tall grass and I never found it. I had to hit from the drop zone which was a driving range mat near the yellow tees (way up there, near the fairway with a straight shot to the green). I had about 220, a good distance for another hybrid. I hit it a little off the toe, and it wound up in the greenside bunker, but in a perfect lie. A little frazzled, I hit it a touch thin and the ball went over the green.
Hole #2: A perfect 3W left me a 9 iron over the marsh area, but I chunked it pretty bad and wound up about 30 yards off the front. I got the next on but made bogey,
Hole #3: Textbook GIR par, almost dropped a birdie from 10 feet.
Hole #4: Perfect hybrid drive to just short of the marsh area on this one, and I had a 6 iron lay up to leave me a wedge to the green. I pulled the 6 iron a tad, and it hit some high hanging branches and just stuck up there. I never found the ball, so I had to re hit my 6 iron.
Hole #5: Perfectly struck drive, but i caught a bad lie on the downslope with the ball above my feet, and in the rough about 2 feet from the fairway. I was just short of the cartpath on the online tour picture. With really no shot at the elevated green, I hit it just left of it, nearly hole high. It was actually a pretty good shot. My chip was poor though.
Hole #6: This is a really hard looking hole, but I hit a really good shot and was about 20 feet from a front pin location. Par.
Hole #7: Really where my round blew up. I hit 2 straight drives OB right, but the third one was good . I made a huge number.
Hole #8: One of my favorite holes, I like to aim at the sand trap and just bomb the ball. I fit flies straight the sloped fairway pushes it towards the green. If it draws the same happens. If it fades it winds up in the fairway just right of the bunker. I hit mine straight, but from the lie I had I couldn't attack the pin, even with a SW. They had just finished watering the green and had left a lot of puddles, so I expected it to be quite slow. The part I ended up putting through was actually dry, an my ball went way passed. I missed the comebacker.
Hole #9: Perfect tee ball to the back of the green, but it took me more than 2 putts to get down.
Hole #10: Great 3W drive, great hybrid layup, LW to the front of the green with the pin back, 3 putts.
Hole #11: One of the hardest hole on the golf course, but I always seem to own it. I hit a perfect 5 iron that just barely stayed in the rough, then rolled backwards between the green and that bunker. I played a good chip but could not make the putt.
Hole #12: Good fairway drive, but my approach went long and with the front pin I didn't get up and down after I flubbed my chip a little.
Hole #13: My nemesis hole. I have never (in the 2 prior times that I have played this course) hit a good tee shot here. This time I chunked and toe-hooked my 3W short and left into the ravine. I once again was relegated to the drop area near the yellow tees, where I launched a hybrid onto the green and made bogey.
Hole #14: Flared it right off th tee and took me a few more shots to make it to the green.
Hole #15: This is where my round turned around. I hit a beautiful hybrid tee shot. A long baby draw that left me in the middle of the fairway with an 8 iron in my hand. I then hit that 8 to about 12 feet. My putt was uphill but I gave it way too much, and luckily the cup got in the way. Still, I felt like that one shouldn't have popped out, it literally hit the bottom of the hole.
Hole #16: In the practice round I hit a pured 5 iron over the green, so I hit a 6 iron this time and dammit if I didn't pure that one too. it nearly held the back edge but finished in the rough. Could not make an easy par putt.
Hole #17: The big dark green blob short of the green in the online course tour is a giant tree. I hit a hybrid the the left of that tree in the fairway, but I still needed to go over it a little to make it to the green. I had about 85 yards, which was right between my LW and my SW. I knew that to get over the tree I would have to either hit the LW or open up the face of the SW. I went for the latter because it was a little uphill and I thought it gave me a better chance of getting to the green. I hit it to about 20 feet and sank the putt for my first birdie of the day.
Hole #18: On the picture on the online course tour there is a little bunker on the left side of the bottom fairway. In the practice round I hit my tee shot just over that bunker. This time I hit it a little left, into the rough with the ball below my feet. If I wanted to have any chance at the green, I had to open the face slightly with my hybrid and launch it over some trees. It is a shot that I like and that I am comfortable playing, but the fact that the ball was below my feet made it a lot harder. I ended up catching it off the toe a little and it landed in the fairway out to the right of the green. My pitch was blind and I left it just short of a ridge that would have brought it right to the hole, but I was left with 30-40 feet. I took my time reading this one, but I knew what it was going to do. It had a lot of late break on it, and as I watched the ball roll towards the cup I was waiting painfully for the ball to break into the hole. It did, for back to back finishing birdies.

Well, that does feel a little better.

[enis750]

tournaments eff with your brain and you game so much its not even funny
i hear ya bro
i shot my worst round of the year (88...yep eighty friggen eight) in a tournament, at that time my index was a 3.5
i felt embarassed man....like really, did i just do that???

next day fired a solid 74 like nothing was wrong (day 2 of the tourney.....where was that yesterday????)

i have mad respect for the guys bangin it out on mini tours trying to make the show
being able to control the 4" between your ears is the biggest thing about this game - if you cant it will kill you

dont let it get you down bro, good on ya for keepin your head high and acting like a professional out there
nothing worse then sulking around, swearing and tossing clubs - i hate that sh*t

im sure you have a pre-tourney routine, but heres what i do to help me get mentally ready

1. no hardcore tunes in the am (big fan of Octane on Sirius). Gets me in a mood for destruction. Good for pre-hockey games, not good for golf. No word of a lie, i turn on some country (wife got me into this) but really. Its pretty soothing or even some accoutic jams that are slower and keep your mind from racing. I will sometimed catch myself singing a song in my head while walking down the fwy. Better to do that than think about a bad shot OR putting pressure on yourself to birdie the next one.
2. no coffee - no matter how much you love the stuff, stay away from it on game day
3. no cell phone before you tee. Turn it off and forget about it until after the round.

just a few simple tips, maybe it will help maybe it wont

good luck w the next one and keep us posted

enis

[jamo]

Thanks. I have to agree with you about the mini tour guys. What they do, playing in every event possible, scraping to get their tour card, making very little money, is just not something I could ever do.

[rafal]

Same thing happens to me during tournaments, but it only highlights weaknesses in your game. If you stop playing them you will not improve. You know, "dont practice until you get it right; practice until you CAN'T get it wrong." It's my motto, and tournament rounds show me what I can and will get wrong when on the stage.

[jamo]

After a week away from the game, I decided to go back to the range in Southborough and see what I still had. It wasn't as bad as I expected. The same things that I needed to work on were there, and no new mistakes, which was good. My timing was a tad off, and it was a little tough to grip the club in the 90 degree heat, but all in all it wasn't bad. With no specific thing to work towards, I have decided to bring in a new range of swing changes, starting with impact. I tend to bend my left arm slightly before impact, and it stays that way through the end of the swing. I also have a bit of a flip and a little too much rolling. I am going to start working on this tomorrow (well, today, I am writing this a day late) with a specific drill that I think will help. We shall see.

[jamo]

I went to the range in Southborough intending to tape a driveway stick onto my SW and my 6 iron and just hit a whole bucket of range balls using the lag stick drill. This is meant to make sure you extend through the shot, because if you don't the stick hits you either in the right arm or the stomach. Unfortunately I found out that when my parents bought the driveway stakes they opted for the pricier (approximately $3), taller stakes, and they were much too long for my SW or my 6 iron. It did however fit onto my driver, so I ended up hitting most of the bucket with the driver. It was probably a good idea too, because with the driver there is no club-turf contact, so it was a little easier. It was a good starts. I started mostly with the stick hitting my right arm, but made the adjustment after about 20 balls and I started hitting my stomach. The reason this drill is good is because it not only punishes flipping, it punishes rotation too, both of which I struggle with. By the end I was hitting more good ones, and the stick was not hitting me, which was an improvement. But I know this is not a quick fix. My hands have always moved this way, flipping slightly and turning slightly, and it is going to be really hard to get rid of it. But at the end I hit my last 4 balls with my 6 iron without the stick, and they were some of the best struck 6 irons that I have ever hit. So that is encouraging.

And, as much as it pained me to do it, I went to a golf store and bought a "training rod" for $8. It is shorter than the driveway one that I had so I should be able to use it with my 6 iron and maybe my SW. There should be another update tomorrow.

[jamo]

I went to Southborough again today, armed with the lag stick taped onto my 6 iron. I decided to warm up with a few SW's and then hit the rest of the bucket with my 6 iron. I was surprised with how good contact I was making, and how long I was hitting the ball even with my swing slightly restricted because of the awkwardness of the stick. My takeaway was a little funky because of the stick, and for that I am not going to post the DTL videos that i took. They really have not changed at all, except the wrists a little on the takeaway because with the stick I have to set up with the butt end of the shaft off my left hip. It seems dumb to post the face on video too, but I was quite impresses with my progress. I was able to keep my head steady on the takeaway, keep the swing well short of parallel, maintain a lot of lag, and time the downswing correctly so I was leading with my hips. I will however post a few comparisons. The first is impact. The left pic is from 10/09, the middle is from about a month ago, and the right is from today.

As you can see, my left arm is slightly more flat (not sure how that happened exactly, but I'll take it), my let wrist is less cupped, and I am maintaining the angle in my right wrist a touch better. Not bad for a day or two of work. Now here is a comparison of just past impact: The left arm is surely better (and still, I don't quite know how I did that), but you can't really tell about the flipping. The thing is though there is still a lot of rotation. I'm not sure quite how to stop that, but I think it is slightly better. The comparison with last year's swing is soooooooo much better. My hips and shoulders have rotated so much more, and I'm really happy about that. The left arm is not even close to as bad as last years and my left foot is much more stable. Happy about that, but I still have a ways to go to fix the rotation of my right arm. I am going to have to stop counter rotating on the backswing, but for now that produced huge duck hooks because I am still rotating on the follow through. Now onto a comparison of the shaft horizontal position: Today's and that of a month ago are pretty close, but the arm is a tiny bit straighter. It's so much better than october's that I don't even know what to say, but that is still way too much rotation. So at least I know what to work on. I am going to extend the stick part a little farther so that there is less room for error and I will be forced to do an even better job. Let's see where this takes my swing. EDIT: Another image that I made for a thread:

As you can see by the lines, on the right picture my left arm is dead straight and there is not cupping of the left wrist. On the left there is cupping. Slightly, but it's there. The left arm is also bent a little more on the right. Look, the difference isn't huge, but in the swing it makes a big difference. I don't claim to be the best in the world, and if you note my original post in this thread I wrote that specifically I was working on precisely these positions in the swing.

[jamo]

I went to the chipping area at the range just to hit a few (about 100) chips. I started with flop shots over the sand trap, mixed in with some lower, spinning shots over the bunker, then I went to uphill, sidehill lie chips to an elevated green, then downhill chips. As always, I was a beast with the flop shot, and pretty good with the rest. As for my swing, I might play the par 3 course at Cyprian Keyes tomorrow, if not I will likely go to the range. I don't see much playing courses in the next week or two, I just need to work on my swing before I ruin it my trying to play a round.

[jamo]

Today (alright, it was yesterday, I'm a bit behind) I went to Southborough to hit some balls on the range, once again using the lag stick. I pulled more of the stick out so as to make the drill even harder. I didn't do quite as well as I was hoping to do, but it was better then the day before, or at least it felt better based on the fact that I was not getting hit much. My miss was a quick pull hook, where I was swinging in-to-out (good) but the face was closed (bad). That could mean a few things: Either I am turning my wrists over more (bad), or I am getting rid of the flip, which naturally opens the clubface (not so bad). I don't know which it is, but I would be willing to bet it is the latter. With no video though I really can't be sure.

[jamo]

Went to Bungay Brook today to get in 9 without getting too hot. That didn't happen, I got very hot, but I got in a good round. I played well, hitting 7 of 7 fairways and 6 of 9 greens. I got up and down 2/3 times, including once out of the sand. My swing was good, not where it had been on the range (I'm sure there was more flip than yesterday) but good. I was hitting very nice looking tee shots with the driver. High, long, but only about 260 on the carry and no roll. They were ballooning a little, and some even spun back in the fairway. In short, I need a new driver, this has been going on for over a year. But I don't have the money, so.... Anyway I shot a 37, 1 over par and a differential of 1.9. Here is my Scorecard.

Hole #1: 309 yard par 4. I was being rushed by the starter so I just pulled out the driver and ripped it. I finished about 30 yards from the front, and had a LW to the green. I chunked it just a tad, and it stayed on the front, 36 feet away. Nearly holed it for birdie, but I settled for a tap in par.

Hole #2: Let me say this again: I always come up short on this 172 yard par 3. This time I ended up just inches onto the front of the green, so I was satisfied. I once again almost made the putt, but again settled for a par.

Hole #3: This hole is measured at 343 yards, but it is driveable, so I went for it. I ended up on the fringe on the left side of the green, and it was a very well struck shot. Again my chip was a little chunky, and I failed to get the ball to the second tier of the green. Again, just missed the putt but made a par.

Hole #4: 475 yard par 5. I hit a good drive of this tee, and with the ball above my feet somehow hit my 4 iron approach shot right of the green, just outside of a bunker. I had to flop my ball away from the hole, to the heart of the green, and from there again just missed a birdie.

Hole #5: 125 par 3. This hole might be short, but it gives me fits. My wedge went just passed the hole, and my chip ran a little to far for my liking. I was unable to save par.

Hole #6: The hardest hole on the course, this 444 yard par 4 requires a very straight and long drive. Mine was good, and I had a 6 iron into the green. I pulled it a little, and I finished in the left rough. Right when I hit it I thought my chip would be way long, but it settled to 4 feet, where I knocked it in.

Hole #7: 459 yard par 4: Another good drive here, and I was again left with a 4 iron. I hit my first really poor shot of the day, a total and complete chunk that only went about 100 yards. I took out my PW for another try at it, and I hit it to 20 feet. Another near miss, and another par.

Hole #8: I have never really done well on this 417 yard par 4, but I bombed a driver and had only a PW to the green. I tried to turn it left and hit a push draw, but it hung out right and wound up in a bunker. I hit a really good bunker from a short-sided position, and made the 12 foot par putt.

Hole #9: I was looking to hit a nice, soft cut into the fairway with my hybrid, but I chunked it badly and barely made the fairway. I had a 4 iron to the green on this 392 yard par 4, and put it to 31 feet where I again almost made a birdie.


Looking back, I was happy with my putting, I just got nothing to drop. I am happy with just 1 bogey, but I am a little frustrated that none of my birdie chances went it.

[Jonnydanger81]

Dude, props to you for playing in the heat today.

[jamo]

Yeah, it was really hot. I had to make sure to take my glove off right after I hit and carry it in my hand because it would have gotten sweaty in my pocket. And my shirt was drenched.

[joeyl5522]

If the handle or butt end shaft is ahead of the clubhead at impact, your left wrist will be bowed resuling in a closed club face- hence the pull hook, or possibly a big block with Driver. The arc of the club ( handle and clubhead in straight line at impact) is INCREDIBLY important for contact, accuracy and square clubface! Increased lag generates greater clubhead speed but if over-exagerated it will wreak havov on direction and solid contact.

BALANCE IS KEY! Having lag 3/4 of the way down, on the downswing is good, but the club needs to release at impact. Hope this helps.

[jamo]

I don't see how having the butt ahead of the hands causes a closed clubface? Either way, my wrist has always been slightly cupped at impact, and this drill is helping me take to neutral, if bowing is the result I would imagine my natural swing tenancies will do away with that. If it does become bowed I will see it on video and seek to eliminate that then. For right now I think the clubface is closed because my wrists are releasing too much, something I am also seeking to remove. Another thing: at impact most good players will have the club delofted a bit, where the left wrist is slightly bowed. Thank you for your comments your comments though.