MasonAsher2014's Complete Golf Thread

[MasonAsher2014]

Well, I am getting back into the game. I have played a little over the past few months ( after quitting college golf), and I am looking to get down to a 1.0 by the end of this year as I am currently a 2.5. I am looking to get to a +1 by the end of next year. By doing this I will be practicing 3 times a week for a few hours and playing hopefully twice a week (this is all I will be able to manage). I know a drop of 3.5 is rather large, but to get to a 2.5 I never really practiced much in the past. I am have been bitten by the competitive bug and will manage all of my rounds and my practicing via spreadsheets that I will post here. I will post those in individual posts with my own thoughts, and then my overall practice and round averages here on this post.

I am looking forward to starting this journey to become the best golfer that I can be. Hopefully I will be able to get back into competitive golf and be able to consistently play good golf instead of the inconsistent garb I am used to. I may soon update my swing thread, but I also am thinking of going back to my instructor and if I do that I may not post any swing videos besides vlogs which I will try to do once or twice every couple of weeks. If you guys want to follow my progress, give me some criticism. If you think this thread has no place here, let me know! 

I am getting the bug again and I am looking to have fun and improve along the way. Without further adieu, my first entry is up next.

 

Mason

 

 

[MasonAsher2014]

My first round in a few weeks went pretty solidly. I played at Coldwater Golf Links, a course in Ames, Iowa where I will be moving in January. I moved my girlfriend in this past Sunday and am staying here til the end of the week. Had a job interview this morning at a place across the street, and I would probably end up getting a membership here so I wanted to try out the course.

It's a pretty solid track as evidenced by their website http://www.coldwatergolf.com - Although the course was a little rough this round since they had 10 inches of rain in 3 hours back in June, you can tell in the non-burnt areas that were in the fairways were solid. In all, I think that I need a bit longer course to play on, but if I was a little wild or it was windy, it would be a tough course. The par 5's are easily getable and I don't really like that, but it takes driver out of my hand an awful lot due to it being a target golf course off the tee in some instances. I didn't have my rangefinder for this round, because it's back in Indiana so it was a little tough navigating, but all-in-all I felt pretty good, even with the hiccups coming in.

Coldwater Golf Links - Par 71 - 6798 - 72.4/130 - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11ESyOhEYyeiotvjGoyRnJqPYzewUG4rqxI9BqUKJBgo/edit?usp=sharing

Hole #1 - Par 4 - 323

Wide landing area off your tee shot but it is super narrow up by the green so I took hybrid off the tee, hit it a little toey and dumped it into the bunker 80 yards out from the green. Hit a nice shot to 20 feet and two putted for par. E

Hole #2 - Par 4 - 460

Toughest hole on the course, long and narrow with heather down the left and creek right. Hit a solid driver to the right rough and had to chunk an iron out since it was so thick and I had a sidehill lie. Ended up short left by just a little and so chipped it up close and made par. E

Hole #3 - Par 5 - 534 

This is a rather easy hole, bending just left and then back right with all the trouble to the right of the hole. I hit the worst driver of the day as I hooked the hell out of it but had swung so softly it didn't really go anywhere. I then ran a 4I up the lot side and got caught on a bunker lip and had 70 yards left but no shot at the pin. Just walked it out onto the green and two putted for a par. E

Hole #4 - Par 4 - 395

Not a driver hole as the fairway narrows about 300 off the tee. I piped hybrid and gave myself 90 yards in. I was passing a foursome so I hurried it a little bit and didn't really get a yardage. I hit it all the way to the back of the green on this front pin and then hit an awful putt setting up a three putt. +1

Hole #5 - Par 3 - 186

Stock 7I to a slightly elevated green. I hit it to 12 feet and missed the putt on the low side. +1

Hole #6 - Par 4 - 460

Playing into the wind I mashed a driver to 162 out and then screwed up my approach which left me in a little collection area right of the green. Hit an 8I and just quit on it in the downswing, which I tend to do when I get a little tired or try to hurry. Hit an awful chip from a few yards off the green, (green was about 4 feet above my ball) and two putted from 20 feet behind the hole. +2

Hole #7 - Par 5 - 528

This is a really easy par 5 if your ball finds the fairway. Off the fairway you'll be in a bit off trouble as there are trees blocking your view left and if you hit it with any distance right you'll be in heather. Crushed it straight down the middle, and hit a sawed off 6I to 15 feet which I missed. Tap-in birdies are always nice. +1

Hole #8 - Par 3 - 142

Another easy par 3 given you don't miss the green left where you'll find the creek since the side of the green is banked over that way. I hit a little 3/4 9I 25 feet right of the hole and 2 putted routinely. +1

Hole #9 - Par 4 - 390

A dog leg left with a pond through the dog leg and down the entire right side. It was 290 to the water so I hit hybrid to 130 and then a 52* to 20 feet from where I two putted. A simple hole if I don't hit driver. +1

Hole #10 - Par 4 - 424

Another hole that gets narrow at the landing area for driver, so I opted for a hybrid which left me 172 yards out with a full 8I in my hand. Just like on #4, I quit on it which sent it into the right side bunker. I blasted my sand shot out nicely and it rolled out to just under 10 feet but I missed the putt. +2

Hole #11 - Par 3 - 163

Decently easy par 3 with just a bunk in front of the green. I tugged mine a little left so I was about 30 feet away in the fringe. I hit a bump and run 7I to just over 4 feet and made the putt to go into the next hole with some momentum. +2

Hole #12 - Par 4 - 350

Easiest hole on the course. No trouble and drivable if down wind. I hit a decent drive out right and found the rough. Had 66 yards to a middle pin and hit it to 7 feet but missed the putt. +2

Hole #13 - Par 4 - 429

Pretty simple hole here too. Just have to find the fairway and not go way right and you would be fine. A decent amount of bunkers guarded the green and I missed it right of them. Had a chip up to the green which didn't roll out as I thought and I left myself a 10 footer, which I made to save par. +2

Hole #14 - Par 5 - 505

Another easy par 5 where you can't miss left or you're blocked out by trees along the creek, and you can't go right because of heather. I pounded driver and left myself 190 which was another sawed off 6I which I hit 20 feet past the flag. I two putted for my birdie. +1

Hole #15 - Par 4 - 453

This is a long hole in which you have to carry a hazard 210 off the tips to be safe and you must hit it 230+ to get it into the fairway. Once you find the fairway, it's an easy hole. I hit my approach about a foot off the green left, but was 15 feet out so I easily made par. +1

Hole #16 - Par 3 - 191

Weird paar 3 as it's coming from an elevated tee box way above. I hit a soft 6I to the green but missed left as I had been doing a little. I meant to hit a cut but it kind of just never moved. Picked the wrong club to chip with up hill to the green and left it about a foot off, from there I two putted. +2

Hole #17 - Par 4 - 415

A creek runs through the hole about 305 out, so I was between clubs. Tough set up as there is a pond left, the creek out in front, and you have to carry over about 100 yards of heather. I was unsure of the club to hit off the tee, so I chose hybrid and quacked it into the pond. Re-teed and it wasn't much better as I barely cleared the pond as I hooked it left into a bunker almost 200 out. They were just tired swings as I was walking in 92* weather. Hit a great bunker shot to 25 feet and two putted for double. +4

Hole #18 - Par 4 - 453

Pretty easy finishing hole as you just have to keep it somewhat straight and you'll find the fairway. I did that but then hit my next shot about 80 yards as I laid the sod over it for some reason. Went from 160 out to 80 out and hit a 60* to 25 feet to two putt for a frustrating round ending bogey. +5

 

Score: 76 (+5)

Fairways: 8

Greens: 10

Putts: 33

 

Overall Thoughts

Thought that I hit the ball pretty well, as evidenced by my strokes gained. Short game and putting need some work, still missing one or two putts a round I should make. I need to work on my lag putting some more but mores in that 10-15 foot range. New course and the greens were tough to read. Good ball striking day, especially my long irons and was pretty happy with my driver all day. I lost most of my strokes there with hybrid off the tee as you can see.

 

I am playing Otter Creek Golf Course in Ankney, Iowa tomorrow and it is a bit longer and tougher, so I will see you all tomorrow night! Thanks for reading it all if you've made it this far.

[Dime]

Sounds awesome, man. Keep it up.

[Valleygolfer]

6 hours ago, MasonAsher2014 said:

Hopefully I will be able to get back into competitive golf and be able to consistently play good golf instead of the inconsistent garb I am used to.

I keep saying this too.... 

6 hours ago, MasonAsher2014 said:

I moved my girlfriend in this past Sunday and am staying here til the end of the week

I see dwindling golf career in your future... 

[dennyjones]

Good luck with your future endeavors.   Sounds exciting.

[MasonAsher2014]

9 hours ago, Dime said:

Sounds awesome, man. Keep it up.

Thanks! Heading off to the course now for another 18 at a new course...with no rangefinder.

4 hours ago, Valleygolfer said:

I keep saying this too.... 

I see dwindling golf career in your future... 

I haven't really actually ever tried to improve my golf game, in college our coach wasn't really that great so I had no instruction stemming from that.

Actually, I'll be able to play more. I will be 7 hours away and she let's me play golf whenever I want to really. So, I don't think it'll dwindle at all, more like pick up.

1 hour ago, dennyjones said:

Good luck with your future endeavors.   Sounds exciting.

Thanks, I appreciate it. 

[Shindig]

Good luck.  If you're going to take that detailed notes on your rounds, you might choose to invest a few bucks in a GameGolf.  Better note taking and it alerts you where your strengths and weaknesses are.

[Valleygolfer]

6 hours ago, MasonAsher2014 said:

Actually, I'll be able to play more. I will be 7 hours away and she let's me play golf whenever I want to really. So, I don't think it'll dwindle at all, more like pick up.

As long as she is "girlfriend" and not pregnant this will be accurate.

[MasonAsher2014]

Just now, Valleygolfer said:

As long as she is "girlfriend" and not pregnant this will be accurate.

Well, it’ll at least be 2 years before that “on purpose”. So I’m thinking it will be decently accurate. 

[MasonAsher2014]

Well, yesterday was a little rough to say the least. I looked at reviews of a bunch of courses in the area and wanted to play one of the nicer ones. This was a nice course for sure. A two-ended driving range, huge chipping area and a great course set-up. It's a links course and they guys who I was paired with said that the wind never stops blowing. It was a tight and tough course which I liked, the par 5's are decent lengths and you must have a tee shot in the fairway to get home in two, if not, you had to lay-up for the most part. The par 4's were all long besides a couple under 400 yards so you really had to hit driver in order to put yourself in a prime spot to attack the pin.

Playing it at 6895, I thought that there would be a few easy birdie holes, but really there aren't any besides the first and the eleventh. One of which I royally screwed up, and then I didn't (you'll see below). I played this on a GolfNow hot deal and came away very impressed. I will definitely be making a return to this course, and possibly getting a membership if I can iron out all of the detail. 

On the range before the round I was hitting the ball great, like better than I had hit any time before. I was striping the ball and was pretty excited to play, especially with the way that I had played the day before, it seemed to have carried over. The wind was blowing about 15 miles an hour all day so it was right at a club or two wind, sometimes more with the gusts. I was a little nervous heading in, being paired up with two guys, but I had a lot of fun and there were quite a few beers drank both on the course and at the grille. Enough rambling, here is my recap of my bad but decent round of golf.

Otter Creek Golf Course - Par 71 - 6895 - 72.9/125 - http://www.ottercreekankeny.com

My strokes gained: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NvdjJhLEhtzGBpVny8b_shmA4UseyP3GdBlStMrJuv0/edit?usp=sharing

 

Hole #1 - 374 - Par 4

Pretty easy hole here as the fairway is fairly wide. Striped a drive, just nutted it down the center and gave myself a great look to a back left pin. Had 80 yards and decided to hit my 56* low and let it check and roll back there. Instead, I bladed it over the green right on the crease of the second cut and the heather. That's why I advanced my next shot 8 yards, as seen in my strokes gained. The tall grass was right behind my ball and I had no other choice than to chunk it out towards the green. Hit a great chip for par on a downhill chip that rolled about 10 feet and in. E

Hole #2 - 389 - Par 4

This is where the real fun started. I hooked driver here pretty far left up against a pond so I just had to knock it up the fairway as I had no stance and felt like I was going to fall in the whole time. Had a 60* wedge in to save par and just pushed it out a little to the center of the green. Two putts later and I had a bogey. +1

Hole #3 - 552 - Par 5

Was looking to get a shot back here so I went with driver. Sliced it way right into another fairway so I just had to take a 4I and knock it back up the fairway. Well, I tugged it left and was over a hill left of the fairway with no view of the flag and wasn't sure how far I really had to the pin. I ended just short of the green, coming from the left and I dumped it into the bunker. Hit a great shot but it didn't have any spin so it rolled out down the hill which gave me a 25 footer coming up the hill, which I had no chance at making once I hit the putt since I didn't read enough break. That gave me a pretty bad bogey. +2

Hole #4 - 203 - Par 3

A long par three that was into the wind again. I hit a little low chunk with a 6I and it landed 20 yards short of the green in a good spot. I hit a good 60* wedge over the bunker just onto the green but it stopped dead once it hit so I had a long putt for my par. +3

Hole #5 - 542 - Par 5

Once again I pulled my drive over to the left where I was forced to hit a 4I under a branch and attack up the left side of the hole. I found the hazard where I also was able to find my ball and hack it out to a green I couldn't see way above my feet. I put it to 20 feet and two putted for a lucky par. +3

Hole #6 - 181 - Par 3

A long par three that was into the wind. It was a back pin so I thought I could get it on the green with a 6I. I hit it low but pulled it pretty badly over to the left. I had a downhill chip to a downhill green and it just rolled way out past the hole so I had another bogey on the card as I just couldn't get any putts to drop. +4

Hole #7 - 467 - Par 4

This was just a tough hole where I hit a low hook off the tee. I ended up left with no shot at the green about 260 out so I just punched a 4I up to the front of the green. I landed 60 yards out and hit a low 56* that should have released but moved about a foot from where it landed so I had a long two putt bogey. +5

Hole #8 - 397 - Par 4

This was the lone hole on the front that was actually good for me. I pounded a drive to 102 out and hit a low 56* in that hit and stopped. Missed the 15 footer for birdie. +5

Hole #9 - 417 - Par 4

This is a dogleg right in which you have to hit a pretty solid drive that cuts to be in a good spot. I hit a pull draw and ended up behind a tree 180 yards out that I couldn't really go at the green from. There was a small hill right under the tree which made me just punch up the fairway to 60 yards out. I hit a bad 60* and it bled right. two-putted from 25 feet. +6

Hole #10 - 408 - Par 4

With a pond al down the right side, I decided to hit 3 wood and hit a great high draw just up the left side into the rough. Was 136 to the pin into the wind so I pulled PW and hit it to 18 feet, two putted for a par. +6

Hole #11 - 553 - Par 5

Easy and open hole if you hit it decently. I knocked a 3 wood to 270 out and was down wind to the hole, although on the tee it was across us. Hit a good hybrid just off the toe so I ended up about 30 yards short left of the green. Chipped up to four feet and made it for a birdie. +5

Hole #12 - 431 - Par 4

A pretty easy hole where the fairway was really wide. Hit the fairway with 3 wood and then hit the front of the green with PW. Hit an awful first putt that left me 10 feet for par which I missed. +6

Hole #13 - 163 - Par 3

This was a very steeply downhill, into the wind par three that normally probably plays 140. I hit a 3/4 9I into the wind which left me on the center of the green. I two-putted downhill for par. +6

Hole #14 - 431 - Par 4

Long par four where all the trouble is about 280 out so I opted for hybrid and hit it a little thin. I barely made it over the creek that was 170 off the tee. My ball stopped right over the hazard in the mud so I had a long shot in. Hit it into the front bunker and blasted it out to 25 feet. Drained the par putt to save it. +6

Hole #15 - 220 - Par 3

This one was a doozy. Into the wind I hit 4I that went about 180 yards since I chunked it a little bit. I went to the drop area and hit it into the wind about 80 yards barely onto the green. Lagged a 50 footer up and made a 7 footer for a double. +8

Hole #16 - 391 - Par 4

Hit a great driver here right down the center and had 102 in. Hit a great shot to 8 feet which I missed on the high side. A ho-hum par (one of the few today). +8

Hole #17 - 409 - Par 4

Another easy hole in which I creamed my driver down the center and then hit a great shot from 133 to about 8 feet. Missed this one on the high side and made the two footer for par. +8

Hole #18 - 400 - Par 4

My goal for the day was to break 80 and I needed a par. Pulled driver and hit it a little they and low but I got an insane amount of roll out of it and ended up 60 yards out. Stuck a 60* to 10 feet and hit an uphill putt to end the round. +7

Score: 78 (+7)

Fairways: 7

Greens: 8

Putts: 31 

Overall Thoughts

Liked the course a ton. It's a really hard course if you are hitting it all over as I was today. Had a few breaks but overall my swing just felt off. I feel as if I was being a little conservative in my irons today which could have stemmed from playing with guys I never have before and wanting to hit every shot well. I figured out my driver on the back and realized that I wasn't getting much hip turn and thus pulling every thing. Once I turned through the ball aggressively, I hit it much better. A good round to have to show myself that even when I play really bad I am able to still throw up a decent score. Going to try and get out to play tomorrow after I caddy in the morning back in Indiana.

[dumpsterfire]

Could you explain that spreadsheet and how you pull in the stroke data to populate it? I'd love to track my games to the same level of detail.