What'd You Shoot Today?

[Shindig]

I just got back from not playing since early November, except one round on Black Friday at a course in Orange County. I'm back to my home course for 3 of the 4 rounds I played in the last week.

(Thursday) 12/13 - shot a 101, killing a streak of 4 rounds under 100. I chipped poorly, which is what happens when you haven't practiced chipping in 6 weeks. I did chip in once, on the 17th hole, for a par, though, so it wasn't a totally lost effort. Needless to say, after the round, I went to practice pitching and chipping. And driving, since I seemed to find every tree and only hit 5 fairways that day. It also convinced me to start actually writing my course notebook, since we don't have yardage books.

(Friday) 12/14 - away game at Rancho San Joaquin in Irvine. My buddy warned me that the greens here were tougher than any I was used to. Quite frankly, he's right - the courses I play don't have excessive undulation in the greens, and I feel this may have hurt me long-term to be used to greens whose break is something simple. In any case, I only used 31 putts, but took a +5 on the hardest hole on the course and a total of 5 penalty strokes in the round. I walked away, bruised, with a 105. But the saving grace is I chipped in (for par) on hole 4 and did a "traditional" par on hole 11 (fairway, green, two putts).

(Saturday) 12/15 - went to see Tiger et al at TWC. Didn't play, but went to the range and short game areas after the round, especially after seeing the pros do this after their rounds. It may have helped:

(Sunday) 12/16 - decided I'd focus on seeing the course. My goals were to find the fairway off the tee, advance the ball intelligently, and get down in 3 (or less) once I was within 125 yards. For the first 13 holes, I did this very well; I was +9 through 13 holes, and +3 was on a the first par-5. I was even par through the first two holes, hitting fairway, GIR, and two putts each. I also managed to par the hardest hole on the course. Then I blew up on the back five and played those in +10 and 14 putts, which sadly included a up-and-down for par on 15 (I say "sadly" because the other four of the last five were two triples and two doubles, with a four-putt and three three-putts). Walked away with a 91. Must focus on the back five!

By the way, those first 13 weren't a hot streak, even though there were three sets of two consecutive pars. It was just closer to my potential.

(Monday) 12/17 - same focus goal. Birdied the par-5 fourth, which means instead of an 8 the day before, I got a 4 this time. My blowup this time was holes 10-12, which I had made par-par-bogey the day before, and now did +2 +3 +2. Stubbed chips were the order of the day on those holes. And yes, I went to practice chipping after the round.

I did get my revenge, though -- I played the last five in five over. If I had done that the day before, I would've broken 90. In any case, this round was a 93.


So, what cost me strokes? Mostly, it was my mental game. On the 16th, I realized I could break 90 if I only whatever... and proceeded to get in my own way. Gaaar! And the 17th, same thing - I made the turn at 8 over both days, and realized I had another shot at breaking 90. Oops, destroyed myself right then and there.

So, I'm going to refocus on staying in the moment, on not caring about my score. I didn't care about my score going into the round on Sunday until I was on the 14th fairway, and look what it did to me. Monday, the 10th tee started my troubles.

Weather permitting, I will atone on Thursday.

[lagolfer]

On Monday shot a 3 over par round of 75 at Harding. One under on the front and four over on the back. I've got the short game of a 20 handicapper. Seriously. It's really pathetic. So much so that I checked out that Pelz scoring school website and and I couldn't believe it...they want $2,400 for a three day lesson! That's unbelievable. Talk about an elitist game! I'm gonna learn this on my own by actually practicing. I was never good at taking lessons anyway.

[geezer]

85 today (+14), third lowest round of the year!!

Was a measly 3 over after 8 holes, then proceeded to triple number nine, then finished with a solid +8 on the back nine. Soggy conditions again (what can I expect at this time of year ) and quite cool, I suppose around 6 or 7 degrees (thats celcius for all you americans!).

[Stuart]

Shot my first round under par yesterday. 69 on a par 70. Amazing feeling. 1 over on the front 9 and 2 under on the back. Finally stopped breaking my wrists at the top of my swing...mostly. :)

[Shindig]

98. But hear me out.

Today was extremely cold - like, in the fifties. The wind was howling. This was my first round in real wind.

I made five pars, got up an down five times, but three-putted EIGHT times! How was it that my first round in the wind was derailed by my putting?

I also hit nine fairways, but only two greens. And I made par on a hole that I had yet to par before today. 537 yard par-5 with the wind in my face. So now there are only two holes on that course that I've yet to make par or better at some point.

And I learned the huge downside of super game improvement irons - because they're meant to help you get the ball airborne, you can't keep the ball low when you want to. Or maybe it's just that I can't.

[lamebums]

Friday - 41-ish (par 34). Took a buddy out to the golf course for the first time. He was really eager to play, rather than just hit balls (he ended up shooting 91 for his first nine holes, not counting whiffs). Talk about muddy. Wherever anyone walked, their feet would sink a couple inches into the ground, we both had facefuls of mud at some point, and all my attempts to keep the clubs clean were pretty futile. But my putting was money that day (he kept the scorecard so I don't remember exactly).

Today - 42 (par 36). Dried out considerably by today. Excellent golfing weather (55 degrees, sunny). Started out with a nice three putt double and then a triple following a duck-hook OB, and then played the next seven holes at one over. I'd tried teeing off with my 3 wood instead. Now if only I could do that with my drives...

6/8 fairways (6/7 with the 3 wood), 5/9 greens (5/7 with the 3 wood), 18 putts.

[ks8829]

Played Sharp Park, Pacifica, CA yesterday and shot 2 over par with 3 boogies and 1 birdie. I am over all happy with the consistant play but you always feel you left a couple of shot on the course. I did have one great up and down putt from off the green to save par to keep the round going.

[atrapasuenos]

82.. 43 front nine 39 back nine. In hole 10 and 11 I was +2, 12 I made par, 13 I made birdie I was +1, 14, 15 par, 16 birdie, I was at par, but in 17 I feel the pressure and my second shot... waaaater! Damn! I finish 17 hole with triple bogey... 18 par, 39 for back nine.

Regards.

[FIJIGolf23]

Shot a 76 yesterday. First time that I've picked a club up in a couple weeks. I can't really complain. The first two holes were ugly and I ended shooting +4, 40, on the front 9. I had three putts lip out on that 9. The back was much better. Two birdies and a double bogey. The double was due to a poor pitch shot that I dumped into a dead lie.

[meenman]

123 yesterday and 124 today - but i can feel that 119 coming any day now lmao

[TourSpoon]

Finally back to 78 after two rounds in the 90s. I thought I was losing it.

12 pars, 6 bogeys, missed six makeable birdie putts...I hit almost every green so the putter turned suspect!

[Shindig]

A miserable 98. Heavy wind and cold out today. Maybe I'm making excuses, but I swear the wind was pulling my putter.

But I opened par-birdie, so at least that was good.

[jc21539]

I hate golfless winters in New England. One of these days, I'm going to shoot myself .

[Shindig]

I hate golfless winters in New England. One of these days, I'm going to shoot

Or move to Arizona. That could work.

[Jeepthrills]

I hate golfless winters in New England. One of these days, I'm going to shoot

We have had snow on the ground since about Thanksgiving. We got about 6" last Sunday. It rained hard Saturday night and the temps were in the mid 40's so I woke up Sunday morning to green grass, well more like brown, but temps were in the 20's and I had way too much to do to try and pull off a round of golf. I have also had back spasms since Wednesday. I am still hoping for a chance to play in January and February. They are the only two months that I have never played golf in.

[jrm1493]

I just got back from shooting a completely honest 92! It dropped my handicap over a stroke. Its only the third time I've broken 100 and i almost broke 90! I played with my dad and he shot an 88, so its the closest I've ever come to beating him (he's a 6 hdcp). I guess all the recent practice is starting to pay off.

[Shindig]

I just got back from shooting a completely honest 92! It dropped my handicap over a stroke. Its only the third time I've broken 100 and i almost broke 90! I played with my dad and he shot an 88, so its the closest I've ever come to beating him (he's a 6 hdcp). I guess all the recent practice is starting to pay off.

My second time breaking 100 was a 92. It followed a 95 the day before.

Keep up the good work. Scoring comes from plateaus.

[lamebums]

39 on the front nine of Pioneer (par 34), which included a nice double on #6 when I drove it into the trees and failed on two consecutive shots to get out of the trees. Drove the ball miles otherwise, and my short game was awesome. But I could have thrown my irons in the lake. I was only bailed out by the fact that I was hitting my second shot into par four's from under 100 yards, and even a bad shot meant a good chance at up and down.

3/6 fairways, 2/9 greens, 14 putts.

Got home in one shot on a 300 yard par 4...and then three jacked for par.