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MrLeek

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Everything posted by MrLeek

  1. MrLeek
    Day 70: Aug 28 Played 9 holes followed by some clubpath practice.
  2. MrLeek
    Day 69: Aug 27 Continued to work on clubpath & forward lean with lots of 1/2 and 3/4 7-iron shots into a net. Felt like I was rotating the club through impact when generating speed (which felt like a new sensation, but not completely unfamiliar either). Something to explore with coach next time I see him. Broke up the session with some short game practice; both chip shots and short pitch shots. Lots of experimenting with different ball positions.
  3. MrLeek
    Day 68: Aug 26 Golf lesson followed by range time. I still have to concentrate a little on maintaining a good club path, but it’s becoming more natural. But I want to tighten it up a little more, especially as adding additional club head speed could easily result in poorer technique. Also did a lot of driver practice - I don’t have a consistent miss, but then it’s a new thing for me to handle. So that will come with time & practice. Plus most of the shots are fairway finders; steady backswing to set correctly at the top, then fully commit to the shot. Swing thought is just “square the clubface”. Wasn’t that long ago that my standard driver shot was a weak slice…
  4. MrLeek
    Day 67: Aug 25 Played 18 holes, coming in -5 nett. Struggled off the tee for a while before settling down. Still not as accurate as I’d like for approach play, but in some ways I’m being overly picky about that - most of my misses were “good” or “safe” misses, leaving me simpler short game shots. By and large short game/ putting was where I’d want it to be.
  5. MrLeek
    Day 66: Aug 24 Spent an hour or so hitting balls into a net, focusing on clubpath and not over swinging.
  6. MrLeek
    Day 65: Aug 22 Played a practice round. Went round in bogey golf (ish) - as before, the goal was to hit lots of driver shots and gain confidence. Didn’t hold out a number of holes, but my short game/lag putts were setting up ~4ft putts to finish on a regular basis. But bogey golf is now my minimum target every round. I really need to refine my distance control with finesse wedges. In practice it’s consistent, but in play….I tend to be long. Something to discuss with my coach next lesson.
  7. MrLeek
    Day 64: Aug 21 Played 9 holes. Wasn’t really keeping score; at least part of the reason for playing was to go hit my new driver. The big takeaway was “rhythm”, something I’ve found myself thinking of before when wrestling my 3-wood into a consistent state. When I got that right…..lovely looking drives. Lots of wayward drives as well! But still lots of fun. Approach play & short game were generally good. Always room to improve but lots of positives.
  8. MrLeek
    Day 63: Aug 20 Range day, focusing on getting to grips with new driver. Results were positive overall; there’s some overly leaky shots to the right, but there were a fair number of “strong fades” that would have been completely fine on the course. Bring down my clubpath a little more and it’ll improve the shot results. Also spent time working on short game and finesse wedges. Really good results, good distance control and touch is improving all the time.
  9. MrLeek
    Day 62: Aug 19 Lesson followed by driver fitting. Clubpath is still in a decent place - it reaches a little too much out-to-in with driver, but if (when!!) I learn to control it a little better it’ll become workable. Even then a fair number of driver shots were playable. It didn’t help that I’d set overly excessive expectations on driver performance, which tarnished things a little. But then I’ve been here before and the hard work plus coaching has seen me right. So trust the process, keep doing the clubpath drills and keep working. Driver will become part of my game!
  10. MrLeek
    Day 61: Aug 17 Continued work on swing path by hitting 3/4 shots into a net, trying to maintain my in-to-out feel. Then switched to chipping practise before finishing with some part-distance wedges. Good session.
  11. MrLeek
    Day 60: Aug 15 Round of golf. Executed well, planned out my approach and had a really good day (setting a new PB). Improving my accuracy will come the more I play; if I subconsciously feel that I’m not aligned correctly then adjust accordingly.
  12. MrLeek
    Recorded a new PB by recording a +10 gross round, breaking 80 for the first time. Yes, it’s a shorter (sub-6k yards) course and it’s only a par 69. But I’m hitting fairways with a 3-wood*, putting myself on/around the green in regulation on a fairly regular basis and subsequently creating good par opportunities with my short game. Yes, there’s lots to improve on. For instance, Ideally I’d be a little more accurate with my approach shot direction; missing greens is fine but part of that may be needing to re-gap my irons to better control distance. But I’m aware it’s fine margins that even sub-10 hcap players don’t regularly achieve. *Driver shopping is scheduled for this weekend. I can now hit one reliably enough to compare new drivers with my existing ~20 y/o driver. Excitement levels are building! 🤣
  13. MrLeek
    Day 59: Aug 14 Hit a bunch of 3/4 shots into a net, focusing on my feels that seem to promote a neutral clubpath (right elbow rubbing my side through impact). Also concentrating on maintaining forward-lean through impact. When I got bored…switched to short game chipping/short pitching practice. Bounced between the two practices until it got dark.
  14. MrLeek
    Day 58: Aug 13 Lesson followed by range time. Clubpath remains in a decent place - I still have to keep drilling the feel I’ve got to make sure it starts to stick. But it’s in a good place. Also looked at driver, something I’ve been staying away from to a point. Setup is fine, clubpath is a little out-to-in…but it’s playable and more practice will/should continue to improve that. But it’s clear that my ~18 y/o driver is ready for replacement; a 2nd hand G425 that was available had an average carry that matched my best carry with my current/old driver. So a proper fitting (scheduled for next week) should create better results.
  15. MrLeek
    Day 57: Aug 12 Continued working on clubpath by hitting 3/4 shots into a net, focusing on my feel of “right elbow rubbing my side through impact” and keeping forward lean/ straight arms through impact. Then spent time practicing chips and short pitch shots.
  16. MrLeek
    Thanks for the response. I think my 3rd point is (on reflection) just something to be mindful of. If you’re hitting a blind shot then the extra pair of eyes are of course useful. But otherwise once the shot is played and it’s obviously not going off target then ignore it and focus on my upcoming shot. I’d also use aimpoint (the quicker version to verify what I’ve seen) but I know that’ll just add time and cause the same problem you described. An additional point I’ve thought of: if you can get to your ball safely, get to your ball. That gives you more time to consider the shot. Even thinking about the shot 10-15 yds behind the ball can be useful time (‘where do I want the ball to be next?”, “what’s the carry for that bunker?”, etc)
  17. MrLeek
    So I’m mindful that I could be playing ready golf a little better. I’m curious on people’s thoughts on what to watch out for, things to avoid, good habits to acquire, etc. Appreciate this is a very subjective topic! Some of my own personal thoughts: My actual “step into the shot” routine could be a tiny bit quicker. But that preshot routine is not overly excessive (I think): align against a mark on the ground, get settled (waggle) and know I’m in line & the ball is positioned correctly; look at the target (waggle); back to the ball; swing. Getting caught in-between clubs is a sticking point. I need to be more decisive, sooner. Spend far less time worrying about where a playing partners shot has gone. In some ways It’s fine if it’s a bad/wayward shot as it helps with the inevitable search. But if the ball can clearly be found, ignore it and focus on getting on with preparation for my next shot. I think tee shots are more important to watch for as they can be especially wayward. But if I’m teeing up next, that should be my primary task. Other golf shots - the focus needs to be on my own golf ball first. Finesse shots can sometimes take more time to get the correct feeling. Do practice putts (trying to get the correct pace of my upcoming putt) well away from my ball. It just seems to make playing partners think I’m about to attempt a putt, when I’m just trying to save time. Or just tell said playing partner what I’m doing.
  18. MrLeek
    Day 56: Aug 11 Round of golf. Good off the tee and around/on the green, but some of my approach play wasn’t good enough (not all the time, but enough to impact my performance on that particular hole). Part of this is fine margins; a little more accuracy means more makeable par/birdie putts. But other times it’s just a bad ugly shot, or a good shot in terms of direction but poor in terms of distance control.
  19. MrLeek
    Day 55: Aug 10 Practice round. Tee to near-the-green was fairly solid, but my touch on and around the green was sporadic at best. Lesson learned: if you’re not ‘feeling the shot”, rethink and play a higher percentage shot. The result may be less impressive but you won’t get disheartened. Still played to hcap. So it wasn’t that bad at all - I’m just setting a higher pass mark for myself.
  20. MrLeek
    Day 54: Aug 9 More indoor takeaway drills. Trying to stop myself taking an excessive backswing.
  21. MrLeek
    Day 53: Aug 8 Indoor drills to maintain (lock down) clubpath; takeaway, backswing and transition into impact.
  22. MrLeek
    Played a practice round by myself yesterday. Shot +13 gross (new PB by 4 shots) which is -10 nett; all with an ugly triple on 13 and a lost ball off the tee on a par-3. Over 50% fairway finders, 4 GIRs (two more finished within touching distance). Lots of good golf and generally made good decisions. Especially pleased with the putter and was consistent off the tee. But plenty to work on. The round is yet more proof that I’m getting my head around this silly beautiful game.
  23. MrLeek
    Day 52: Aug 7 Back to the course, having made some time to squeeze in 18 holes on a quiet evening. Despite a triple-bogey hole combined with 3 off the tee on a shortish par-3 (a shockingly bad 8-iron that deserved a lost-ball outcome)…I recorded a new PB of +13 gross. Which Is Awesome! Lots of positives naturally, but a few points to learn from: take extra care with awkward lies combined with awkward stances; better understand what short game shot/club is the right one; if I’m in between clubs, go long should be my default (unless long == dead) - forcing a shorter iron approach risks poorer results. But above all trust yourself and have confidence in what you’re doing. It’s working, so stop basking in your success and get back to work! 😆
  24. MrLeek
    Day 50: Jul 5 Golf lesson. First time (I think) I’ve had a consistently neutral swing path without any physical impediments (such as tees in the ground to create a “gate” to swing through). The worst swing was -3.0. I’ve got the feel that I’m looking for clear in my head - and a fair number of the swings were displaying an in-to-out swing path. Which is awesome! I do have to watch for a slight overswing in my backswing; it’s causing me to try and correct the problem in the downswing, which is obviously hard to do. Far better to avoid the problem in the first place. So plenty of drills to ensure the correct wrist position and avoid a ‘twitch’ where I lose a little control of the club at the top.
  25. MrLeek
    Day 49: Aug 4 Todays mission: exorcise my sudden demons over one particular tee shot (160-170 yd carry over rough ground - there’s a bailout of sorts that’s 120 yds carry) that I’ve been failing recently. Also, look at the tee shot from the medal tees on another hole (uncertainty on the target line has led to poor shots) and try different approaches. Mission accomplished: having hit five tee shots that made the carry with ease I’ve concluded that I can clearly play the shot. The other tee shot: I have a clear target line to take, along with a bailout option if weather conditions are a factor. Bonus: to do all that I had to play 10 holes (skipping holes along the way). Fading light meant I couldn’t continue - I was never going to fit 18 holes in - but to be +5 gross (which I think is -8 nett!) over 10 holes is icing on the cake!
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