My Swing (phillyk)

[phillyk]

Well, I had a video that I got with my phone.  As I was editing it, I somehow deleted the actual swing portion of the video.

I went to a GolfTec recently as a part of my PGA education seminar stuff, and they had a body suit that I put on as a demonstration and made a few swings.  They were mostly looking at the numbers regarding degrees of turn throughout various portions of the swing.  I've always known that by looking at my swing, my hips are barely open at impact with the ball.  According to GolfTec, they should be 36* open, and I was at 10*.  I hit 5 balls with my swing, and the results were actually really good.  I averaged 185 with a 6iron (which is ok), but all were less than 5yd draws and straight.  Can't complain about how I was hitting it there.  But, I finally realized a few pieces to my puzzle.

I've tried a few ways, in the past, to get either my hips open or my chest open.  Maybe dropping the right shoulder, maybe pushing hands more "left" in my swing to get the inline impact.  They all had some effect but not near what it should be.  My boss told me in the shop the other day before I go practice to try pushing left with my hips on the downswing.  My plan started with putting a bucket on the left side of my left foot, so that it would stop my hips from sliding at impact.  It's funny, I always "felt" that I was turning not sliding through impact, but obviously that wasn't true at all.  But, I tried what my boss said and felt like I was pushing my hips left on the downswing.  When I did this I thought this was the opposite of what I should do. But sure enough, by throwing my hips earlier in the swing, I got them open at impact and the picture of me at impact was so much better.  I really wish I hadn't accidentally deleted that video, it was really nice to see. I'll be able to do it again later this week when I get my new 2hybrid and 3wood. (I ordered a Ping G hybrid and wood with X flex shafts, figured it was time to have a full bag of Ping to make playability just a bit easier).

Another result of this better position was realizing how much I had started to flip my hands through the impact zone. It eliminated my slice and introduced a hook as a miss and I was able to control the flip to some degree, but it's still annoying to look at.  With this better turn, it's really hard to flip and now I feel like I'm following through much better from a hands position POV.

Nice that WA right now is having somewhat decent weather.  Not as rainy as it usually is, but it's colder too.  But playable so I can get out and practice.

[phillyk]

I played my first pro-am of the season yesterday.  Inglewood GC is a private course just outside of Seattle, par 73, 6500yds, 71.9/136.  It was cold and windy, 42* and 10-15mph consistently.  For how short the course was, the hills really made a difference, especially when it was uphill and into the wind.  330yds turned into 400yds.  

Despite the conditions, I managed to play well enough.  Shot a 74, 2 bogies and 1 birdie.  I hit a lot of hybrids off the tee because I can hit a low bullet with it and my driver just isn't working right.  My approach shots were not on point yesterday.  I was always nGIR but not a lot of GIR.  Luckily my short game was on.  The greens rolled so nicely, fast and smooth, my favorite!  I only missed 1 putt inside 7ft and that was because it was a ball buster pin which the event coordinator eventually apologized about.  I was 5ft away for birdie on this hole, I tapped it a foot right to let it drop down and it trickled, just short of the hole, all the way down the slope to 10ft away.  I couldn't have hit it softer, I thought I hit it perfect.  But it was a straight shot back up the slope, so I just gave it speed and it dropped for par.

I did figure out why my driver has been screwy lately, though.  One of my focuses last year was to keep my left wrist straight or slightly bowed at the top of the swing.  If it becomes cupped, I slice no matter what.  And I realized yesterday that I had been cupping it slightly.  So on my 9th hole, I focused on a flatter wrist and I hit a nice draw into the trees left, but I was happy about it.  On the next par 5, you had to hit a draw and up the hill, and I hit it perfect.  Too bad my 2nd shot wasn't really on point.

My highlight reel shot was on my 17th hole.  I had just got my only birdie of the day on the previous hole, and this was a par 3 that I decided to hit a 6-iron.  I think I just lost focus and I push faded the ball right of the green.  Left myself a 30yd pitch that I needed to put up high and land soft because the green rolled away from me.  I left it short, worst thing you could do there. I was left with 6 feet of fringe, uphill, and then 20 feet of green, downhill and sliding right to left, to the cup.  My first idea was to chip it, but I couldn't get comfortable with it, so I decided to putt it.  My lag had been golden most of the day so I just had to trust my instincts and start it on a good line, and that's exactly what I did.  It went up and to the right and just peeled down the slope to the left and plopped in for a saved par.  Definitely had a fist pump on that one.

I would have liked to hit the ball slightly better than I did, but I still finished with a decent score.  Low score of the day went to the pro who worked at that course, he shot -4.

[Golfdad2014]

One of the guys I played high school golf with (Tyler Wong) was just named on of the top 50 junior golf instructors at sudden valley gc. I think it's in Bellingham.

[phillyk]

20 minutes ago, Golfdad2014 said:

One of the guys I played high school golf with (Tyler Wong) was just named on of the top 50 junior golf instructors at sudden valley gc. I think it's in Bellingham.

I don't know about that at Sudden Valley, is he new there? A quick PGA search puts a Tyler Wong at Tualatin GC in Oregon. Would that be him?  Either way, our section has been doing a lot of junior PGA teams and a lot of kids work.  It's really cool!  I haven't done much myself since my course is carts only but we do a junior camp in summer.

[Golfdad2014]

Sorry apparently he doesn't work there anymore and the course you mentioned is him. Had to check out his Facebook page to verify. 

[phillyk]

Well, I had an epiphany with my driver this morning.  When I was hitting it well a couple years ago, in my back swing and at the top, I'm still looking at a spot 4-5in behind the ball.  As I swing down I'll move my eyes to the ball.  The point of this is to keep my swing center in the same spot.  My tendency when I stop doing that is my swing center gets too far to my left and my clubface is left wide open at impact.  I hit a couple shots in the simulator and it definitely made a difference.  Just need to bring it to the course and see what happens.

[phillyk]

I played in another pro am yesterday at Gold Mountain Olympic course.  It was an interesting day.  Course was wet in places and just soft everywhere else.  Greens looked like they aerated 2-3 weeks ago so you could see the darker coloring of where the holes were.  Greens were soft, not fast, but they got bumpier and more inconsistent as the day went on.

I shot a 73 (+1, 40 front 9, 33 back 9).  I'm happy and not happy.  I'm happy because I'd been hitting my irons crappy the last few rounds and I finally figured out what I'd been doing and fixed it.  I'm happy that my driver, generally, was also hit well.  I'm not happy because I missed 5 birdie putts within 10ft.  I'm also not happy because I had 2 doubles on the easiest holes because I was trying to ease a driver too much and never got through the ball and it sliced.  I also had one bad chip which gave me a bogey.

Long version of the round:  I hit the range before the round and hit driver really well. No slices.  I hit my irons and wedges really well.  With my irons, before, I was apparently flipping a lot through the ball which made me lose a lot of distance and sometimes chunk the ball.  What I'm doing now is feeling like I'm pressing my left hand forward (to my left) at impact.  It feels more compressed and a slightly lower ball flight.  I'm still hitting a baby draw, but now I'm getting my distance back with them.  

1) The first hole for me (#10), is only 320 or something, uphill.  I felt what I thought was a normal driver swing but it went right.  I must've not gotten through it.  Had to punch out from the trees, and got a double.  

2) Next hole is a 500yd par 5 which I over-correct the driver and hooked it left but I was able to have a good shot and I put it 120 out from the green.  Putt the approach to a 15ft slider which I barely missed.  

3) Next hole is a downhill 175 yard par 3.  I thought 9-iron would be enough.  I struck it really well, but almost right away knew it wasn't enough especially with how much spin I put on the ball.  It hit the front of the green and spun back to 35yds from the pin.  I did get up and down for par.

4) Next hole I smacked a driver just off the FW which left me 90 to the pin.  Because of the previous holes, I knew this would spin and check a bit but not as much from the rough.  I had about 15ft of room behind the pin and I hit a 56 really well.  Gave myself a 8 footer for birdie.  I miss it, hit the edge.

5) Par 5, I smack driver again, which left me 215 to the pin.  I hit a 4 iron, but I chunked it, only chunk of the day.  Left me about 40 paces to the pin.  I hit a low pitch with a ton of spin.  It nearly one hopped into the hole and rested a couple feet away for a tap in birdie.

6) Par 4 I hit a 2 hybrid really well, but I was surprised by the shape of the FW when I got to my ball.  It was a blind tee shot.  I was into the rough because the FW, at that point, shaped to the left towards water.  I had 120 to the pin which I wanted to make sure I didn't leave short because water guarded the front and with the spin I didn't want to risk it.  I left myself a 30ft birdie putt which I barely missed.  Easy tap in.

7)  Par 3 over the same water hazard I hit 9 iron from 145.  I gripped down and hit it 3/4 or so.  It went a little right of where I wanted but hits the back of the green and spins back 30ft to the front.  Almost to the water.  50ft or so for birdie.  Manage to give myself a slider 5ft for par, but I made it.

8) Dropoff tee shot par 4.  Hit hybrid burner which hits the tree guarding the left FW edge and bounces back into the middle, very nice of the tree.  Approach, I left out right again.  Idk what I did on this chip, but it wasn't well struck and I missed the par putt.

9) Easy 270yd par 4.  Here's the thing though, the green is surrounded by bunkers and you have to carry 245ish over water to get to the bunkers standing guard.  Driver, I knew, if well struck would go over the green but it would smack into the slope beyond and be OK.  If I hit 3 wood well, it should be good to get over the water but maybe not to the green, I didn't want to quite risk it.  I told myself with the driver just to swing full, but my mind took over and I eased the drive which made me not get through and I slice it.  I found it in the woods, but I brought a 60 wedge instead of something like a PW.  I went right underneath the ball twice before I advanced it close to the green.  Ended with a really stupid double.

10) Uphill par 4, smacked a drive down left side.  Left with 9iron which I put to 5ft and I miss off the edge of the cup.

11) Short 320yd par 4.  Smack a drive to 30yds short of green.  Hit another low pitch which one jumps and stops on a dime 7ft or so away.  Miss the birdie off the edge again.

12) Longer par 4 but smack another driver.  This was tough because I wasn't sure on distance and I was in between clubs.  It was around 90yds though.  2 options, hit 56 with a bit more power than I usually do to try and land it past the pin and let the spin bring it back OR hit 52 normal and hope that it doesn't go to far and then let spin bring it back.  I opted for the 56 and I landed it 5ft short of the pin and it spins back to 30ft away.  Finally a bit of luck and the birdie putt rolls in.

13) Short, but steeply, uphill par 4. Smack a driver to halfway up the slope.  Left with 50yds or so which a take a 56 and play a pitch.  I couldn't see the pin from where i was, and I miscalculated where the pin was.  I left myself a 10ft slider for birdie, which with luck I sank.

14) Downhill par 3 of 120yds.  This time I went with the longer club option, but I didn't hit it quite far enough and it leaked right on me.  Left with a 15ft birdie putt which I missed.

15) Par 5, smack a driver to the downhill slope.  Left with 220, skulled a 4 iron.  I was hitting from the down hill slope, but the ball still was about 5 paces from the green, but the pin was back so I opted to chip.  I hit it way too hard and it left me a 15ft birdie which I missed.

16) Longer par 4 into the setting sun.  I smacked it but I knew this was a slight cut.  I couldn't watch the ball because of the sun and none of my group saw it.  After a few minutes of searching, I found it was sunk 2 inches into the ground.  Glad to have found it, I put my PW to 8ft and once again missed my easy birdie putt on the edge.  

17) Short par 3, I spun it too much and pulled the shot a bit.  Ball spun off the green and down the slope.  I left my chip just barely short of the hole, so I had a easy tap in.

18) Longer Par 5, I smacked a driver.  Hit a hybrid down the slope to leave a 35yd pitch.  I hit a really low burning pitch that also had a TON of spin.  Bounces 3 times and spins hard to stop a few feet past the hole.  My playing partners had started to scream for it to stop when it spun.  It was funny.  Nice easy tap in birdie to finish.  

So, like I said before, it was an interesting day.  Some good holes, some bad with a lot of missed birdie opportunities.  I have a hard time putting on greens that don't break true, because of bumps or whatever the case is.  I just can't force myself to aim at the hole when I'm 100% sure it would normally break.  Most of my birdie putts I missed were from playing too much break.  My goal for 2017 was to get my tournament cap down to 0, so this and my last few pro-ams are a really good start to achieving that goal.

[phillyk]

Played a casual round today.  It was at a course I haven't played in almost a year.  Being still wet everywhere, I decided to play the blue tees, 6200yds, 70.3/128.  Back 9 start, didn't really warm up or hit any putts, I just went out to get her started.

1) 340yds, hit hybrid down right side, which I expected to turn but it didn't.  Not terrible for the first hit of the day.  Left with 120yds which I pulled my PW but still hit the green to give myself a 40ft putt. 2 putted for par.

2) 516yds, hit driver down the middle.  I felt like I hit it really well, just no bounce after landing.  Left with 240, I opted for the hybrid which I smoked.  I lost it in the air but saw it land just short of the green and roll on to give me a 40ft eagle chance.  2 putt birdie.

3) 345yds, hit a hybrid really bad.  A low push draw that luckily ended up ok.  Left me with 160, which I put a 9iron just past the pin to 15ft.  Missed the putt low side.

4) 405yds, hit a driver really bad.  Push fade, which I was lucky to find and had a iffy lie.  I chopped it out of there to 75yds out.  Put my 60* wedge to 10ft which I missed low side again.

5) 130yds, hit a 9 iron to 30ft.  I figured my PW might not get there, so I hit an easy 9 and I came straight over the top of it to hit a pull.  Missed the putt low side again.

6) 370yds, Hit a hybrid ok, not great but left me with 140 yds at which point the 4-some in front of me waved to have me hit up.  Great, I get to start rushing my shots.  Chunked my 9 iron short of the green but I got up and down.

7) 200yds, still rushing to get out of their way, I hit a 5iron short.  But still got up and down.

8) 481yds, just told myself to relax and make sure you hit it good, which I did with my driver.  Left me with 220yds.  I hit a easy hybrid that landed short of the green and rolled to the back to 30ft away. 2 putt birdie, missed low side again.

9) 391yds, I miss-hit my driver out to the right, hits the cart path and stays in the rough.  Leaves me with 130 to the pin. I pulled my PW left just short of a trap.  Chunked my chip, so ended with a bogey.

Front 9 summary:  First off, I've been playing my home course a lot lately that still is bumpy and slow from aeration.  So, I play less than normal break there, and the course today was rolling better and I never adjusted myself on the front 9.  But, I had 2 birdies and 2 bogies, so not bad I suppose.  I definitely wish I could've putt just a bit better.  I really was missing barely low almost every time.  Tee shots were generally ok, and approaches were generally ok.

10) 323yds, I hit a driver to the right just a hair. Left me with a 50yd pitch which I skulled to just on the back of the green.  I had a 20ft putt that I once again left on low side.

11) 401yds, hit driver down the pipe.  155yds to the pin, I hit a 9 iron just on front edge of green, which left me with a 30ft putt uphill. ho-hum par.

12) 350yds, Hit driver down the left side, left me with 100yds.  Hit my 52* wedge to 5ft away and made a nice tap in birdie.

13) 366yds, hit driver but I cut it instead of drew it which put me in the rough right side.  But 85yds out, I hit my 60 to 7ft.  And missed the putt.  I thought it wouldn't break but it went left a hair.

14) 170yds, hit a 7 iron being into wind and slightly uphill, but I left it short.  I had a good chip to save par though.

15) 460yds uphill par 5.  Hit my driver really well over a ravine-like part of the fairway, which left me 190yds slightly uphill to the pin.  Hit 5iron well, went right at the pin, but stopped 15ft short.  And, yep, you guessed it! I miss the eagle putt low side. Tap in birdie.

16) 330yds, Hit hybrid because my driver would reach a ravine that I wouldn't hit out of.  But I hit the hybrid crappy.  Left me with 145 which I hit 9 iron on line but 20ft short of the pin.  Finally got the break right on this one and made the birdie putt.

17) 190yds, hit 5 iron.  I don't what happened, but I knew right as I hit it that it was going dead right.  I think my set-up was just bad.  It felt wrong.  Still held the green but gave me a 50ft putt across the green.  I hit it with good speed and saved my par.

18) 500yds, hit my driver well with a slight cut.  Left me with 215yds which I opted for the 4 iron because you really don't want to go long on this approach. But it was uphill and I left the iron short of the green.  Had about a 20yd pitch which I put to 10ft and I made my final birdie putt.

Overall Summary:  First thing that popped out to me was my driver distances.  Some good hits only carried 250 while others carried 285. I think it was the lower draws that didn't go as far but would've rolled a mile had it been dry versus the longer carries were higher cuts that may not roll out as much.  Either way, I need to lock that down a bit.  My hybrid shots were generally good, a few of them got away from me but nothing that put me in big trouble.  Approaches were good once I figured out that I need to feel myself swing more inside-out. Still ended with 13/18 greens, 29 putts, for a (-4) 68.  Today was one of those days that wasn't spectacular but you still had a good score.  The biggest help was getting on in 2 on 3 of the par 5s, and birdieing all 4 of them.  I'm happy about the round, and I'm hoping to keep the momentum going through this summer.

[mvmac]

7 hours ago, phillyk said:

 I'm happy about the round, and I'm hoping to keep the momentum going through this summer.

And into the Fall 

[phillyk]

8 hours ago, mvmac said:

And into the Fall 

I'm including the Cup as a summer thing, close enough 

[phillyk]

From yesterday, I kept my stats on approaches to see how I stack up against PGA Tour guys just for fun.  I've always been that type of golfer that is almost never happy with a shot.  I am happy with maybe 3 to 5 shots a round. I had a few yesterday that I knew I pulled left but it still ended up within 20ft or something, but I'm unhappy about the pull.  I don't expect to be perfect every time, so I don't freak out when I miss, but I want to try to make the same swing every time.  (I'll just use the 100th spot on the PGA stats listing, so the median instead of average; I'm not sure whether they use every shot from said distance or just ones that hit green, so I'll just use the ones where I hit the green)

50 to 75yds - 15ft                   PGA - 16ft
75 to 100yds - 7ft                   PGA - 17ft
100 to 125yds - 23ft               PGA - 20ft
125 to 150yds - 25ft               PGA - 23ft
150 to 175yds - 23ft               PGA - 27ft
175 to 200yds - 33ft               PGA - 33ft
200 to 225yds - 30ft               PGA - 41ft
225 to 250yds - 40ft               PGA - 52ft

I've always been a wedge player.  I'm typically going to be close when I have a wedge in my hand.  I did make a few mistakes though with my PW.  But I'm consistent under 100yds.  100 to 175yds is also my scoring zone, where I'm hitting up to a 7iron.  I'm really comfortable with those clubs.  Above that at 175+, gets to the longer clubs which I'm sure I can hit the green with, but not necessarily going after the pin.

I'll try to keep my approach distances each round so I can record my averages across the season.  The main zones I'm interested are 200yds and in.  If I'm 200 and out, it's unrealistic to have an expectation of being close every time.

[14ledo81]

1 hour ago, phillyk said:

From yesterday, I kept my stats on approaches to see how I stack up against PGA Tour guys just for fun.  I've always been that type of golfer that is almost never happy with a shot.  I am happy with maybe 3 to 5 shots a round. I had a few yesterday that I knew I pulled left but it still ended up within 20ft or something, but I'm unhappy about the pull.  I don't expect to be perfect every time, so I don't freak out when I miss, but I want to try to make the same swing every time.  (I'll just use the 100th spot on the PGA stats listing, so the median instead of average; I'm not sure whether they use every shot from said distance or just ones that hit green, so I'll just use the ones where I hit the green)

50 to 75yds - 15ft                   PGA - 16ft
75 to 100yds - 7ft                   PGA - 17ft
100 to 125yds - 23ft               PGA - 20ft
125 to 150yds - 25ft               PGA - 23ft
150 to 175yds - 23ft               PGA - 27ft
175 to 200yds - 33ft               PGA - 33ft
200 to 225yds - 30ft               PGA - 41ft
225 to 250yds - 40ft               PGA - 52ft

I've always been a wedge player.  I'm typically going to be close when I have a wedge in my hand.  I did make a few mistakes though with my PW.  But I'm consistent under 100yds.  100 to 175yds is also my scoring zone, where I'm hitting up to a 7iron.  I'm really comfortable with those clubs.  Above that at 175+, gets to the longer clubs which I'm sure I can hit the green with, but not necessarily going after the pin.

I'll try to keep my approach distances each round so I can record my averages across the season.  The main zones I'm interested are 200yds and in.  If I'm 200 and out, it's unrealistic to have an expectation of being close every time.

 

Am I reading your chart correctly?  You are consistently better (or close) to PGA pros with your approach shots?

[phillyk]

2 minutes ago, 14ledo81 said:

 

Am I reading your chart correctly?  You are consistently better (or close) to PGA pros with your approach shots?

It's after one day though and im not playing under pressure. The numbers will go up over the summer, I'm sure. 

Edited May 4, 2017 by phillyk

[phillyk]

I played in a pro-am yesterday at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, site of the senior tour Boeing Classic.  It's an interesting course.  We played the blues at 6500yds.  The course off the tee wasn't terribly difficult except for the one par 4 that goes over the canyon.  The greens, though, were weird.  They rolled smooth and at a reasonable pace, maybe 9 to 10, but they didn't hold.  I typically put a ton of spin on my wedge shots and play them past the pin to let the ball come back.  But I didn't get any of that, it was slightly annoying and I never really adjusted.

I ended up with a 77.  I'm disappointed and pleased.  Disappointed because I was +4 on the par 3s from putting 2 balls in the water.  Both of them were less than 1yd from being fine.  Just under-hit them by a tiny bit. I also couldn't hit my long irons to save my life.  I kept chunking them, but they didn't really hurt because I only used them on par 5s for my 2nd shots.  I'm pleased, because once again my driver was nearly perfect all day and my middle irons and wedges were going the distances I wanted and to the degree of accuracy that is acceptable to me.  I did have 3 missed putts from within 5ft that were not on par 3s.  I got scared of them or something.  

I had 13/18 greens in regulation.  It's just that my misses cost me more than normal.  This year, so far, has been pretty consistent.  I've been between 68 and 77 every round, including both recreational and tournament.  Some rounds with little to no mistakes and others with 1 or 2 mistakes.  We'll keep working to get rid of those mistakes and start making a few more putts.  

[phillyk]

Well, since that last pro-am on May 9th, I've been playing a lot better.  My last 2 18 hole rounds were under par.  My last 3 9 hole rounds were under par.

Today I played North Bellingham from the tips, roughly 6800yds 74 rating, 136 slope.  Started on hole 10, and put my hybrid right down the pipe.  I ended the day at -1 (71), with 4 birdies, 3 bogeys.  My goal was to shoot 70, so just missed it.

Off the tee, I hit the ball very well.  Only 1 miss-hit that gave me one of my bogeys.  My approaches weren't bad but they weren't good either.  A lot of slight pulls, which gave me 20-30ft putts versus 10ft putts.  I had a lot of wedges, 8 irons, and 9 irons into greens, and I usually hit those just a bit better.  Putting was average, some makes, some misses, no 3 putts.  

The last hole is a par 5 and I needed birdie to get that 70.  I hit a good drive down the left side to leave me 240yds to the green.  I tried to hit a cut with my 2 hybrid, but I left it out to the left and behind a tree.  I managed to flop it over the tree, but still left it short.  Got up and down but it was disappointing.

The day felt average, even though the score was good.  I hit a lot of greens, but didn't make a lot of birdie putts.  But to have, what feels like an average day now be under par, makes me feel better.

[phillyk]

I finally got around to having someone video my current swing.  My first one I hit really well, maybe a step or two left of my aim point.  But, it was struck really well.  This swing has been bringing me back to shooting a lot better scores.  The "feel" goal in my swing is to get my left hand doing a bit more work to get my hands in front of the ball at impact.  I also am making sure my left wrist is flat into the impact zone and that I'm releasing the club at a good time.  The DTL swing was a bit skully but it went where I aimed it.  I'm coming from the inside like I want.  I have to remember my tempo and release and it'll be good.

Also, I've been told my knees form a weird angle or something that looks like it should hurt, but I haven't noticed anything.  It feels natural what I'm doing.

Edited June 14, 2017 by phillyk

[phillyk]

Recently, I had considered filling in the gaps in my long irons.  Distance wise, my 2 Hybrid will carry 240-250yds and roll out for 30yds or so because of how low I hit it.  I can also hit a nice high cut about 235yds and stop when I need that distance.  But, my club below that is my 4iron, which I can only hit 215yds or so.  I don't want to hit much more than that, because I'll lose control.  My 3 wood flies 250 - 260yds but doesn't really roll out much.  So the 2hybrid and 3 wood go practically the same distance.  The hybrid I hit well, and the 3 wood I have some issues to sort out.  SO, I bought a 3iron to match my set to fill in the gap at 220-225yds.  I'll bring around the 15 clubs and then decide at the course whether to leave out the 3wood/iron depending on how I play it.  That gap comes in handy on longer par 3's and 2nd shots on par 5's when I want to get on in 2, so I'm sure it'll save me a stroke or two.

[phillyk]

I played in a tournament recently and am disappointed in my performance.  Course is short, but tight.  I hit the ball well overall, but my short game royally let me down, ended with a 77.  Full swing was mostly what I expected.  However, I do think I started releasing the club slightly early, because distance was a bit off and I was pulling/cutting a few shots which was unusual.

The greens were very quick and smooth.  It's the kind of greens I expected to do well on, but for the life of me, I could not get the right read.  Oddly enough, it wasn't because of under-reading the breaks.  If anything, they didn't break at all.  My home course is a lot slower and softer, which made the transition to this course tough.  Chipping/pitching, the ball checked after a big hop like I wanted, but there are different tiers which I managed to trickle down.  Except for one putt, I missed everything.  I couldn't force myself to aim at the hole when I'm sure I saw it breaking.

Well, I'll just keep practicing and hope I can adjust faster next time.