Fairway_CY

I'll absolutely put some cash up when it's against guys at the club I belong to or against some of my buddies. Strangers, though... not happening again. When I was 17, my buddy and I were at a local course just playing to get some practice in. We were both on our high school golf team... but we were both bad. Like, if we broke 100... it was a career day type of bad. Anyway... we were told by the starter to head to the first tee and join a couple of guys that were set to tee off. We made our introductions and away we went. Through the first few holes, everybody was struggling. I believe we made the turn and each of us was somewhere in the 55 range for the front side. These guys were in their early 20's or so and we were all having a good time up to that point. As we hit the 10th tee, they asked us if we wanted to play a best ball match on the back side for $5 a hole. We honestly figured it wasn't a big deal and that, at worst, we'd lose maybe $10 each. Well... we caught fire and reeled off a string of best ball pars and birdies and we won all 9 holes on the back side. By the time we got to the 14th tee, we asked them if they wanted to just call it off because it was a little ridiculous how lucky we were getting. They declined. At the end of the round, the guys each took out $45 and literally threw it at us. They told us we were lucky we were just kids or they'd have kicked our teeth in. We tried, multiple times, to give them back their money... but they drove off, kicking rocks up in the gravel drive on their way out. It was the most uncomfortable I've ever been on a golf course and I genuinely didn't enjoy it even though I played pretty well on the back side. For reference... I still shot over 50 on the back as did my buddy. We just made pars and birdies on the holes where the other struggled. I made it a point to never bet with a stranger again. If I'm paired with random people somewhere and they want to throw $1 on a closest to the pin or something... I'm game. I just won't agree to any kind of bets that require more than a single shot when asked by a stranger. CY

I don't have an exact number. I tend to forget starts when the finishes never keep it memorable. That said, I'd guess that it was probably something like -1 through 3 holes, give or take. Earlier this season, I played in a tournament with a shotgun start. I started on the 15th hole and began my round par - par - par - double - birdie - bogey - birdie - birdie - bogey - par. So, I was even through my first 8 holes and +1 through my first 10 holes... but then I closed it with a string of ugliness and posted +12 for the day. CY

Nice round! Seems like your short game saved you quite a few strokes last night. Keep it going! CY

It's been awhile since I've posted a recap of one of my rounds. I'm bored today, so... I figure I may as well post one. I played last night in the weekly 'dogfight' at our club. It's a nine-hole Stableford scoring event with a $10 buy-in. It's a blind draw for partners, so... it's really a crap-shoot. Either way, it's always fun. I hadn't played in it since the middle of May and I hadn't touched a club in 10 days prior to yesterday. The weather was nice and I really just looked at it as an excuse to get back out on the course. Anyway... details are below. Hole #9 - Par 4 - 342 Yards I began on the 9th hole. Typically, I wouldn't take driver on this hole but because it was my first hole and the format allows for 2 balls off of your first tee, I figured I'd go for it. My first swing resulted in a big pull-hook which saw the ball finish in the short game practice area (248 yards). My second swing was much better contact, but it hit an overhanging tree limb and dropped straight down. With the first ball in a much better spot, I elected to play that one. I was left with 126 yards up the hill. I had to go over some trees and there was a bunker directly between my ball and the flag. My 9 iron never got more than 5 feet off the ground. It ended up in the bunker. I blasted out and then took 2 putts from 30 feet for a bogey. Hole #1 - Par 4 - 355 Yards No trouble on this hole if you avoid the 5th tee which runs along the left side of the fairway. My drive was solid (251 yards) and in the middle. I had 116 to the flag. I pulled my pitching wedge a touch and it finished in a little valley just left of the green. I absolutely flubbed my first chip, then chipped up to about 3 feet and took another bogey. Not the greatest start, but not the worst either. Hole #2 - Par 3 - 165 Yards The flag was 160 yards from the tee which is a perfect 7 iron for me. I hit what I thought was a perfect shot. The ball landed about 6 feet left of the flag but then released with a big bounce. I was 33 feet away and with the greens being recently punched and sanded, I needed to putt through what was essentially a bunker. I left it about 12 feet short but managed to make the next putt for a par. Hole #3 - Par 5 - 504 Yards My drive was a little pulled but finished in the fairway (252 yards). I do not have enough in me to reach this green, so I was just trying to hit a solid 3 wood to get me in position to have a short wedge into the green. I managed to do that nicely and left myself about 40 yards or so to the flag. I nipped my lob wedge nicely and I thought it was going to hit the green, bounce once and then roll down the slope towards the hole. Instead, it hit and checked... and then actually rolled back towards me a bit leaving me on the wrong side of the slope. Another woefully short putt led to a three-putt and a bogey. Hole #4 - Par 4 - 331 Yards This is another hole I typically elect to hit an iron from the tee, but I felt good with my driver so I hit that instead. It was a little right of where I wanted it to go and ended up in the right rough (252 yards), but it left me an angle to the flag. A full sand wedge from 91 yards left me about 18 feet for birdie. The putt didn't break back enough for me but I was left with a tap in for par. Hole #5 - Par 4 - 389 Yards This is the longest 389 yard hole ever. I find it to be the most difficult on the front side at my home course. Anyway... I hit a solid drive to the middle of the fairway (238 yards) which left me 160 yards to the flag. I cold topped a 7 iron that ran into the fairway bunker about 70 yards short of the green. I was against the lip, so I blasted out. I hit a wedge onto the green, but it checked quickly and left me 28 feet from the hole. The putt for bogey was on line but finished just short. I tapped in for a disappointing double. Hole #6 - Par 3 - 179 Yards The way the hole was set up, it was playing 171 yards so I hit a smooth 6 iron that finished pin high but about 30 feet left of the hole. My birdie attempt ran just past the hole and left me a simple 1 foot tap in for par. Hole #7 - Par 5 - 486 Yards I got a little lucky with my tee shot. It carried further than I usually hit it there, but it stayed out of the cross bunkers and in the fairway (257 yards). I was left with 193 yards to the flag. I hit a solid 4 iron that ran all the way to the back of the green and into the fringe. I putted from there to about 3 feet and made the ensuing putt for a birdie. Hole #8 - Par 4 - 397 Yards My final hole of the evening. I tried to mash my drive and pulled it horribly into the 7th fairway. It left me a shot similar to my approach on the 9th hole, having to go over some trees and with a bunker directly between my ball and the flag. I hit a 9 iron from 136 yards that somehow managed to find a hole in the tree canopy to sneak through. It didn't get high enough to clear the trees, but it went through an opening, landed softly on the green and checked immediately, leaving me 5 inches for a closing birdie. I had finished birdie - birdie. With my current handicap, I needed to pick up 12 points on the evening. I managed 15 points for a +3 total. My blind draw partner had a rough evening and finished with a -5 total leaving us far out of the money. In the end, I had fun and it was nice to post a solid score. I've now had more 9 hole scores in the 30's than I have in the 40's over my last 5 times on a course. My USGA index is trending at a 10.5 right now which puts me seriously close to a single digit index for the first time in my life. I'd like to keep the momentum rolling! CY

Just bought the Bose Soundlink for my parents as an anniversary gift. Outside of that... nothing really stood out to me. CY

Mine is the 10th hole at my home course. It's really not a difficult hole, but I always seem to start the back with an ugly score. From the tees I play, it's listed at 349 yards. It's downhill pretty severely the entire way, but just shy of the green (at about 280 yards from the tee) is a creek. A lot of people will hit a fairway wood or a hybrid from the tee to try and get as close to the creek as possible, but... I've tried that and managed to run into the creek, so... my play is usually a 4 iron off the tee to about the only flat area on the hole, which is up on the right side of the fairway and about 140 yards short of the middle of the green. The problem is, if you don't find the flat area... the ball is going to be on a severe downhill slope. The green slopes big time from back to front... and balls can spin off the front and roll into the hazard. To the left is the safest play now, but... it leaves a pretty tough pitch or chip. Long is dead because you're pitching up a steep slope onto a green that feeds away from you and it's next to impossible to get the ball to stay on the green. You have to hope it gets held up in the rough short of the hazard. Just to the right of the green is a small bunker... but literally 4 feet to the right of the bunker is a road that is OB. If I find the flat area in the fairway, I'm capable of making par. More often than not, however... I'm left scrambling for a bogey or worse after rinsing the ball or missing my target and leaving myself an impossible shot. Starting the back nine with a double or triple is never fun. CY

Without going too deep into anything right now, the biggest thing that 'clicked' for me was where my weight was at impact. I paid more attention to my lower body during the swing when someone said I was always starting the swing with my upper body. I fought the sh*nks with wedges for a portion of last season. On the range one morning, one of my buddies saw me struggling and asked me if I knew my lower body wasn't moving at all. He then had me do a drill with my feet together and after that, told me to focus on turning my belt buckle to my target. I immediately felt off balance because I was hanging back so much on my right foot. I made a conscious effort, at first, to keep my weight on my front foot. It helped with short game and my wedges. It also helped me become less erratic with my driver. Eventually, I let my weight shift a little bit and focused on ensuring it was forward at contact. I got some of my distance back (picking up about a full club with irons) and continued to keep the ball in play. Although I only hit about 38% of my greens, my nGIR percentage is closer to 80%. My penalties have dropped from 2.97 per round in 2016 to 1.26 per round so far this season. A lot of my penalties in 2016 were from the tee (72 with the driver alone in 78 rounds). This season, I've taken 63 penalties in 50 rounds. Of those 63 penalties, only 16 have been with the driver. My focus right now is my short game. Putting has improved dramatically in the last 5 weeks. If that continues and I can spend some time on my chipping, pitching and sand game... I'm hoping to get close to single digits by the end of 2017. CY

I love reading these types of things and I'm happy I got to be a part of one. I can say that, between LSW, a lot of practice & on-course time and the analysis that @RandallT put together... my game has completely changed. I don't have access to take a screenshot now, but... as of this morning, my Game Golf insights page has the following: Handicap - 12.5 Average Score - 88.9 Fairway Accuracy - 46% Greens in Regulation - 38% Putting - 1.9 Scrambling - 17% My USGA index is 11.8 and trending down. My penalty strokes off the tee are few and far between now. Recently, my putting has taken a major turn for the better, so I expect things to improve even more. I'm a stats nerd, so... when RandallT approached me about doing this, I jumped at it. I believe it's made a big impact in my game just seeing (from someone else's point of view) where my focus should have been. Anyway... I hope @Slowcelica gets as much out of it as I feel I have. CY

So, due to some unforeseen life circumstances, I had to put the clubs away for about 2.5 weeks to take care of some things. That was, quite possibly, what I needed to turn things around. Prior to that break, I was battling my game. I lost everything with my driver. I was playing a nice draw... and suddenly, I couldn't draw the ball at all... and it had turned into a fade. Of course, because I was playing to the right side of the fairway for a draw... when the ball would fade, I ended up in trouble. My 9 hole scores had gone from a consistent 40 - 42 to a wildly fluctuating 43 - 50. The day I finally got back on the course, I posted a 44 - 48 = 92 during a tournament. I wasn't upset with that considering I had not even touched a club in 17 days prior to warming up that morning. I made a simple adjustment on the range with my setup and the fade was reduced to nothing more than a few yards at most... so, I went with it on the course. I went out 2 days later with my son and completely blew up, posting a 49 - 51 = 100 on my home course. The score was entirely due to a lack of touch around the greens. I converted on only 1 of 13 opportunities around the greens and generally played like I was wearing ski gloves on my hands. Three days later, I played in a 2 day tournament. Warming up on the range prior to the first day, something clicked. I slowed my takeaway and focused on where my weight was at impact. It's made a major improvement in my ball striking and has lead to being left with much more manageable up & down opportunities. Starting that afternoon and running through today, I've played 3.5 rounds in which I've posted scores of 42 - 39 = 81, 40 - 43 = 83, 39 - 45 = 84 and a 38 this morning for 9 holes at my home course. The 45 was the result of a trio of poor swings that I didn't recover well from... but otherwise, the swings have all been there. When I've missed greens, I've done a good job of giving myself at least decent opportunities to salvage a par or bogey at worst. The biggest thing has been confidence in my putter. One of my buddies pointed out that I had a tendency to stop the putter following impact. He told me to keep the putter moving. That simple little change has made a huge difference. On Saturday, during the 39 - 45 = 84 round... I needed only 26 putts, which is a new lifetime low for me. Since he gave me that tip, I've cut 3 strokes per round off my game. My index is now 11.8 & trending down... and I have every bit of belief that I'll finally break 80 at some point in the very near future. CY

I had 3 contenders today... all on consecutive holes. 1) 10th hole. I had hit a solid 4 iron off the tee and found a fairly flat (slightly downhill compared to the rest of the hole) lie. I had 141 to the stick... and it play downhill about a club. I played my 9 iron to drift off to the right because of the downhill lie... and it did perfectly. The ball landed 2 feet behind the flag, bounced once and spun back to about 3 feet. Unfortunately, I didn't make the super-quick, slippery downhill birdie putt and had to settle for par. I tried the putt 2 more times before giving up. 2) 11th hole. My drive was a bit off the heel of the driver and low. It ran out but left me 202 yards to the flag. The ball was a little below my feet. The only club I was comfortable with hitting from that position was my 4 iron, which is usually a club I will draw. I played the ball back in my stance just a bit, aimed a little left of center on the green and hit a perfect, low fade that landed on the front of the green and released. A solid two-putt led to another par. 3) 12th hole. This is a par 3 that was playing 188 yards. There's trouble right, long and left. I hit a decent 5 iron that bounced off a mound and finished behind the left bunker, pin-high. I was extremely short-sided. The pin was on the left side by about 4 steps, leaving me no room to work with. I opened my 58 degree wedge and played a pitch over the bunker that landed about a step on and dribbled out. I was left with 3 feet. I made that for par. The rest of the round was really unremarkable... but those shots felt good to pull off. CY

http://www.gamegolf.com/player/cyoung2ty/round/1605174 I decided to drop back to the back tees at the club today to prepare for a tournament on Tuesday where we'll be playing from further back than I'm used to. The back tees (Blue - 72.2 / 134) at my course are just over 6600 yards... which is nearly 500 yards more than the tees I typically play (White - 69.8 / 129). I jumped onto the first tee right out of the car. I hadn't touched a club since Sunday... and it showed. I opened quad - bogey - triple before settling into a pattern of bogies with some pars mixed in. Things on the back were much better... but I ended with an ugly triple. 49 - 43 = 92 CY

I carry 4 wedges right now... PW - 122 Yards (Max) 115 Yards (90%) AW - 107 Yards (Max) 100 Yards (90%) 54° - 95 Yards (Max) 85 Yards (90%) 58° - 80 Yards (Max) 75 Yards (90%) Inside of 100 yards... it really depends a lot on my lie and where the flag is located. I like to play a lower flight with my 54° when a pin is back... but I prefer a higher shot with my 58° when a pin is up front. I'm inconsistent (at best) when I get inside 70 yards. I've tried the 'clock' system with my arms, but I find that if I pay too much attention to my arms, I forget to move my lower body and that leads to some really, really bad results. CY

http://www.gamegolf.com/player/cyoung2ty/round/1587244 I truthfully wanted to go back to the 1st tee and start over after I played that hole. I just kind of chopped it around that one. The rest of the round wasn't horrible, but it wasn't all that good either. I had a tough chip on the 16th after missing long. I'm still not sure how the ball ended up there. Outside of that, the back side was pretty good. I'll be playing another round tomorrow with my buddy who is my member - guest partner this weekend. He's playing pretty well and I'm playing average so... I feel like if I can keep my swing together, we may have a pretty good shot at making some noise in our flight. CY

Wow... it's almost crazy to read this. I can't imagine playing from distances like that. I typically play 6200 - 6400 yards. I've been moved up a flight in the group I play with which means moving further back. In 2 weeks, we're playing from 6700 yards and I'm honestly worried I won't break 100. There are 4 (at least) par 4's that I will have either a 4 iron or hybrid into the greens and a par 3 that I may very well play a choked-down driver on. My average drive (with roll) is only 235. My average carry is probably in the 215 range. I play with a lot of guys that are between 3.0 and 7.0 indexes that drive the ball about 15 yards further than me. Average drives of about 250 and carries of about 230. They're all pretty good golfers but I don't think many of them would break 100 on a course like the one shown above. Myself? A 'perfect' round would be a 99. I'd be lucky to break 110 on an average day there. I agree that distance isn't everything but it's certainly a big factor. CY

My home course from the white tees (middle) is 69.8 / 129 and just about 6200 yards. I'll typically score 82 - 86 there. This past Saturday, we played a course from a set of mixed tees that was 71.1 / 141 and played about just shy of 6500 yards. In the middle part of my round, I completely lost my driver swing. For 6 holes (not including a par 3)... I was in the woods or in trouble and punching out after my tee shot. This is the 4th time I've played this course from varying sets of tees (69.6 / 135 or 71.1 / 141). I've shot 102, 94, 93 and 95 there. I don't typically pay too much attention to the rating and slope of a course until after I've struggled, but I can tell you that once the slope gets above about 132... I really begin to struggle and my scores will go from the 82 - 86 range to the 92 - 97 range. CY

It depends on the circumstances. Alone at my home course... I prefer to walk. Playing with other walkers at my home course... I will walk. Playing with 'riders' at my home course... I will ride. Any other course... I ride. I enjoy walking... but because I'm lazy... I prefer to ride. CY

I don't know how to feel about these rounds in the mid-80's anymore. I used to come home smiling and excited about scoring below 90. Now I feel a little disappointed when I don't post something below 85. Today's 43 - 43 = 86 had some positives (iron play, primarily) and some negatives (putting, as usual). I missed a 6 footer for birdie on the 5th hole and then a 3 footer for birdie on the 12th hole. I just wish I could figure out the putter. Anyway... the link is below. http://www.gamegolf.com/player/cyoung2ty/round/1571640 CY

Since the 84 I posted about above, I've had 2 more opportunities to get to that 79 mark that I let slip away with a few bad holes. The most recent was on Saturday morning. I started poorly and that meant I never had that shot, but... if I could have taken a few bad swings/decisions and a pair of bad breaks out early on... I'd have been close. I missed a 7 footer for birdie on the 1st hole. On the 3rd hole, I landed on a fallen tree branch and the ball sit on the 'v' of the split in the branch meaning there was no way to move it. My only shot was to hack down on the ball, hope I snapped the branch and advance the ball. It led to a bogey. On the 5th, I tugged my tee shot into some trees. Instead of playing to the larger opening, I tried a 'hero' shot (it was match play so I needed to try it). The ball hit a tree and went backwards. It resulted in a double bogey. I still managed to shoot a 42 on the front. On the back, my big downfalls were on back-to-back holes. On the 12th, I hit my tee shot shy of the green then put too much on my putt from there. The ball caught the grain and the slope and ran it off the back of the green. 2 chips (trying to get cute) meant a double bogey. On the next hole, my tee shot was hammered but took an awful kick and went behind a tree and finished on the base of it. I had no way to advance the ball forward, to the left or backward... so I punched it out to the right and deeper into the rough. Again, being match play, I tried to get cute towards the green and posted a double bogey. In the end, my back nine was a 41. 42 - 41 = 83 One of my better scores... but it could have and should have been better. A bunch of foolish decisions coupled with some poor luck. Live and learn. On to the next round. CY

I had horrible issues with my wedges at times last year. Someone told me to take 10 practice swings without a ball and focus ONLY on turning my belt buckle to the target. I did that... put a ball back down in front of me... kept that swing thought in mind... and began hitting the ball as I envisioned it. Being able to hit my wedges inside of 100 yards with some level of consistency has cut 2-3 strokes from my index since early last year. I agree with others who have said that hitting a 'full' wedge is not the way to go. If I go 95% with my 58 degree wedge, it's about an 85 yard club for me. I don't like to hit it if I have over 70 yards. I like to go about 80% with my swing with my wedges. Same with my 54 degree wedge. A 95% swing would be about 95 yards or so. I rarely do that. I like to hit that club from about 75 - 85 yards... and I'll hit it from shorter distances if I'm into the wind or I need to fly it in a little lower. Try the belt buckle thing... and then figure out what swing speed you're comfortable going at the ball with when you have those clubs in your hands. CY

Nah... my index is 13.2 at the moment (trending lower) and I probably know FAR LESS than a lot of people that are in the 18 - 22 range. If I post a question and someone replies... I take the time to read it and attempt to process it. My 'knowledge' of the golf swing is basically just "hit the thing with the other thing while trying to get the thing into the small, round thing" if I'm being honest. CY

Today was slightly frustrating. I got out to play at a course I have only played a few times but I really enjoy. My buddy, who is a member there, asked me to join him and since I had nothing else to do... I figured I'd get out. I opened really well. Except for missing 2 birdie opportunities early on, I was on fire. I started with 7 straight pars before I let a flyer with a 9 iron derail me a bit. I made a double on the 8th hole but then rebounded with another 3 pars. I was sitting at +2 on the 12th tee. On the short par 5, I hit a bit of a pull and my ball found the rough (still mostly dormant) up the left side. I was left with 158 to the hole and I'd have to carry it about 155 to keep it out of the hazard. There was a tree overhanging that was preventing the straight line. I figured I'd be able to start it out to the right side of the green and draw it back in. The contact was solid but the draw didn't happen. The ball slammed into a pine just to the right of the green. I had no shot so had to take an unplayable. Even with the drop, I didn't have much of a line. I tried to hack it out onto the green but it didn't make it. The end result was an ugly triple. The next hole was a par 3 over water. Short, playing 121, but into a breeze. Typically, that would be a pitching wedge for me... but I decided to go with the 9 iron to carry the hazard. The breeze died down just as I was about to hit. Instead of being smart and either waiting or changing to the wedge, I tried to take something off. My swing was all arms and I hit it about 50 degrees to the right and into the hazard. I was deep with my 3rd shot and took a double. After getting up & down on the 14th, the rest of the round was a series of stupid mistakes. I was 30 yards from the flag after my 2nd shot on the 15th (a par 5) and I managed to somehow make a bogey. A perfect drive on the 16th was followed by a pretty good approach, but my ball caught a slope that fed it off the right side of the green leading to another bogey. My tee shot on the 17th found the green, but then I three-putted from 45 feet for yet another bogey. To top it all off... I hit a horribly ugly 3 wood off the 18th tee. I had to lay up because of the water, so I hit a perfect 7 iron to 104 yards out. My 50 degree wedge was dead on line but the wind carried it JUST too far. I closed out my round with a double. I went 38 - 46 = 84 on a day that I really should have been very close to the 80 mark. Oh well... I'll get there one of these days. CY

A. Max Kellerman is about as athletic as a thong. B. Those who can, do. Those who can't, talk about it. (See Smith, Steven A.) C. I get more hyped seeing sportsmanship like what we saw Sunday (or between Reed and McIlroy at the Ryder Cup) than I do when I see something like Tiger's 9 & 8 win over Stephen Ames. CY

Thanks for the drills! I'll give 'em a shot. I'm thinking about making a putter change. I have been using an Odyssey Sabertooth XG which I find to have too much weight to it on those slick, downhill putts. I'm looking at going to something lighter and smaller like a blade. I like the new Odyssey putters and I've been looking at a Scotty as well. Just gotta pull the trigger! CY

Well... looks like I should be posting in this thread instead of the Breaking 90 thread. I've been consistently at or below the 90 mark. I had a really good shot at breaking 80 on Saturday. I was +1 through my first 10 holes and then kinda struggled with a few holes coming in and ended up posting an 84. My biggest issue at the moment is my putter. I have zero confidence when standing over putts. If I find myself over a putt from 5 - 7 feet, I just can't seem to get the speed correct. I worry more about hitting it 4 feet past the hole than about just putting it in the hole. I probably won't be touching a club until Sunday but then I'll be playing 4 times in an 8 day span so I'm hoping that begins to instill some confidence in my putting stroke. CY

Due to the weather and some things going on around the house, I took an unplanned week off since my last round. I then got out to play on Friday and Saturday. Friday Things started out pretty well. I struggled with my driver as I kept hooking tee shots, but they weren't so bad that they were unplayable. Other than a quad on the 3rd hole, I played pretty well and managed a 44. I was in pretty good position on the back when I reached the 15th and I was only +2 for that side. Then the wheels came off. I finished triple - double - double - double due to a combination of poor ball striking and poor putting. My 44 - 47 = 91 wasn't anything to write home about, but I wasn't all that upset about it. Saturday I played in the next tournament of the Charlotte area Golfweek Amateur Tour. I was +1 through my first 10 holes as I managed to make 3 birdies fairly early in my round. Although I struggled a bit down the stretch, I held on. My 40 - 44 = 84 was enough to win C Flight by 3 strokes. I now sit & wait to see if I'm getting bumped up to B Flight or not. If not, I almost certainly will following my next round as I'm right on the handicap threshold. All in all, it was a pretty good weekend for golf. Now I put the clubs away until next Sunday when I'm on vacation in Florida. CY