Saw this article on the Europro website and thought I would share it. It sounds positive to me. It was refreshing to see a couple of players (Snedeker for one) playing at a cracking pace at the Masters.
It's a shame it happened to the youngest player ever to play the Masters and that he is an amateur, but it was also good to see the officials taking slow play seriously (even if he is only used as an example to the others). More consistent penalties should speed things up considerably, in my opinion.
In my own play, I try to be ready to start my shot routine when it is my turn to play (having already decided on the distance, shot style/shape and club to be used), walk quickly from shot to shot and generally go with my first instinct on putts after assessing the green on the way to the green and my ball. I can imagine that my putting routine might change a bit especially on courses I haven't played much, but at the moment it seems to be working with my putting sitting as the better part of my game at the moment. Calling groups through when searching for balls also significantly helps to speed up play overall. It also helps with club morale/camaraderie.
My handicap ended up being reduced by 2.1 to 17.6 so I am currently playing off 18.
We had a medal (stroke play) on Saturday in which I carded a 12 on the difficult dogleg left 9th hole. I sliced my drive with the assistance of a head/cross wind which shot it WAAAY out of bounds right so I reloaded and hit my safe shot with my hybrid exactly 'where I wanted'. I walked to where it should have been and found that the wind was lots stronger than I reckoned and my ball didn't clear the left OB by about a yard/metre. I then ran back up the steep hill to play my fifth shot with an 8 iron which I pull-hooked OB and finally hit a nice 8 to end up with 12 at the hole. I was quite angry at myself after all those shenanigans and managed to compose myself quite well for the rest of the round finishing with a 24-over score of 93. If it was stableford, it would have been worth 35 points.
It was great to be playing from the grass teeing areas rather than the winter mats and I'm looking forward to a fun-filled summer of golf.
Thursday, 18 April 2013
Sunday, 14 April 2013
Congratulations Scotty!!!!
Well done Adam Scott! First Aussie winner of a green jacket at the Masters
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Sunday, 7 April 2013
44 POINTS! dew dew!
I had a great day at golf yesterday for the Stableford comp. I have hit the ball better in previous rounds, but I found that I was able to get the ball to the greens very well on the whole. The thing that helped me shoot my best ever round (81) was my putting (3 birdies and 5 pars in the same round wasn't a hindrance either!).
I managed to drain two long range putts for birdies on the 3rd and 4th holes after hitting the greens in regulation and the putting feeling stayed with me through the rest of the round with most of my putts going close or in. I don't think I missed from inside 6 feet. I use an app on my phone for storing stats and giving me distances called FreeCaddie and it helpfully let me know that I hit 7 greens in regulation and my previous best was 4. This actually bumped up my amount of putts to 35, but they were good putts with only two 3-putts.
I was really excited to have tried to put pressure on myself to do well and pulled it off. I found myself in a matchplay scenario on the back 9 defending a 3 point lead over Owen and also keeping track of my progress with the aim of shooting 45 points. I managed to par the last three holes to get 44 points and extended my 3 point lead to 6 for the finish. I'm not sure that the same mental attitude can apply next week, but this week I knew I 'could' shoot 45 points and I was going to give it a good go. Next week my handicap is likely to be a bit less so the same aim could be a bit unrealistic, and we have a medal, so no points (I think). But I'd like to think I can shoot 81 or better ............ we'll see how I feel.
Max has caught the League to Dubai bug and entered the singles. He also convinced me that we should enter the pairs comp together, so we did. We have created a two-man Welsh team with an Aussie and a South African!! The pairs competition is a betterball Stableford comp off 3/4 handicap with the top 6 teams after groups and 3 regional finals going to Dubai for 6 nights for a 3-day final competition over three courses.
I also noticed that the singles comp is off 3/4 handicap, which will make the singles a bit trickier. My thoughts on the 3/4 hcp issue are that if you can play to 4hcp, 3hcp isn't too different, although if you can play to 20hcp, 15hcp is a massive difference.
The better I can play, the better my chances are (obviously!! Haha). SO, practise, practise, practise! I've heard that some people like to protect a higher handicap, I personally (not a dig at ANYONE!!) don't think there is any point protecting a higher handicap, especially as I think it is a destructive mindset for improvement. Maybe time for another lesson soon too.
I managed to drain two long range putts for birdies on the 3rd and 4th holes after hitting the greens in regulation and the putting feeling stayed with me through the rest of the round with most of my putts going close or in. I don't think I missed from inside 6 feet. I use an app on my phone for storing stats and giving me distances called FreeCaddie and it helpfully let me know that I hit 7 greens in regulation and my previous best was 4. This actually bumped up my amount of putts to 35, but they were good putts with only two 3-putts.
I was really excited to have tried to put pressure on myself to do well and pulled it off. I found myself in a matchplay scenario on the back 9 defending a 3 point lead over Owen and also keeping track of my progress with the aim of shooting 45 points. I managed to par the last three holes to get 44 points and extended my 3 point lead to 6 for the finish. I'm not sure that the same mental attitude can apply next week, but this week I knew I 'could' shoot 45 points and I was going to give it a good go. Next week my handicap is likely to be a bit less so the same aim could be a bit unrealistic, and we have a medal, so no points (I think). But I'd like to think I can shoot 81 or better ............ we'll see how I feel.
Max has caught the League to Dubai bug and entered the singles. He also convinced me that we should enter the pairs comp together, so we did. We have created a two-man Welsh team with an Aussie and a South African!! The pairs competition is a betterball Stableford comp off 3/4 handicap with the top 6 teams after groups and 3 regional finals going to Dubai for 6 nights for a 3-day final competition over three courses.
I also noticed that the singles comp is off 3/4 handicap, which will make the singles a bit trickier. My thoughts on the 3/4 hcp issue are that if you can play to 4hcp, 3hcp isn't too different, although if you can play to 20hcp, 15hcp is a massive difference.
The better I can play, the better my chances are (obviously!! Haha). SO, practise, practise, practise! I've heard that some people like to protect a higher handicap, I personally (not a dig at ANYONE!!) don't think there is any point protecting a higher handicap, especially as I think it is a destructive mindset for improvement. Maybe time for another lesson soon too.
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Still golfing, even after 5 penalty strokes in one round!
It's been a little while since I last blogged and you'll be pleased to know that I am still whacking the little white 2oXI-X around Coed-y-Mwstwr golf course. My swing changes are sticking and I am hitting the ball more consistently. My recent competitions have all been on or around par for my handicap with one drop of 0.6 points to 19.7 being given to me two weeks ago. Last week I played to my handicap whilst incurring 5 penalty strokes throughout the round. The first one was the result of my ball finding an eroded hole at the base of a tree on the 3rd, the second was water in front of the green on the par 3 4th, the third was lateral water on the 7th, the 4th was water on the 9th and the fifth was O/B left on the 16th. Other than those 5 shots, I played pretty well, especially on the inward 9, scoring 22 points to finish with 37.
I was feeling pretty good about my golf, especially as the last few rounds have been in some substantial wind ............. until I played at Pyle and Kenfig yesterday with Unlce Tony. I parred the 10th (our first) and was thinking that my form was going to continue. I followed that with many shanks and fat shots to put me in quite a grump. Oh so frustrating! I couldn't putt to save my life with at least 3 FOUR PUTTS! My driver shaft snapped at the sure-fit adaptor (I bought a Titleist 910 D3 off ebay a month or so ago) after a fantastic drive on the 18th, and I could not get my 3 wood going for love nor money over the next nine holes. While my mood was plummeting, my slices were increasing. I stopped scoring after 13 holes and just tried to hit a few shots to pop in the 'positive golf' memory-bank. A couple of shots that are stored there are a 3 wood straight into the wind on the 15th from an elevated tee to the green which just rolled through, resulting in a par 3 and a 4 Iron onto the 6th green with the wind into and across, also resulting in a par.
After our round Tony and I stopped in the pro shop where Dylan helped me to get a replacement (Ex-demo) shaft. I chose to upgrade to a slightly stiffer and heavier shaft after hitting a bucket of balls on their new driving range. The driving range also gave me the opportunity to figure out the cause of my poor play and get the 3 wood dialled back in.
In a much better mood, I joined Tony in the clubhouse for a Coke.
I have registered for the League to Dubai (Stableford comp) and also the Trilby Tour Matchplay comp. I don't expect to win ..... much..... but I am looking forward to possibly playing on a couple of different courses around Wales and the UK.
Looking forward to playing golf in more than 5 degrees soon and also was reminded yesterday how nice it will be to not be playing off mats in a couple of weeks.
I was feeling pretty good about my golf, especially as the last few rounds have been in some substantial wind ............. until I played at Pyle and Kenfig yesterday with Unlce Tony. I parred the 10th (our first) and was thinking that my form was going to continue. I followed that with many shanks and fat shots to put me in quite a grump. Oh so frustrating! I couldn't putt to save my life with at least 3 FOUR PUTTS! My driver shaft snapped at the sure-fit adaptor (I bought a Titleist 910 D3 off ebay a month or so ago) after a fantastic drive on the 18th, and I could not get my 3 wood going for love nor money over the next nine holes. While my mood was plummeting, my slices were increasing. I stopped scoring after 13 holes and just tried to hit a few shots to pop in the 'positive golf' memory-bank. A couple of shots that are stored there are a 3 wood straight into the wind on the 15th from an elevated tee to the green which just rolled through, resulting in a par 3 and a 4 Iron onto the 6th green with the wind into and across, also resulting in a par.
After our round Tony and I stopped in the pro shop where Dylan helped me to get a replacement (Ex-demo) shaft. I chose to upgrade to a slightly stiffer and heavier shaft after hitting a bucket of balls on their new driving range. The driving range also gave me the opportunity to figure out the cause of my poor play and get the 3 wood dialled back in.
In a much better mood, I joined Tony in the clubhouse for a Coke.
I have registered for the League to Dubai (Stableford comp) and also the Trilby Tour Matchplay comp. I don't expect to win ..... much..... but I am looking forward to possibly playing on a couple of different courses around Wales and the UK.
Looking forward to playing golf in more than 5 degrees soon and also was reminded yesterday how nice it will be to not be playing off mats in a couple of weeks.
Thursday, 21 February 2013
Great lesson with Paul the Pro
I had some annual leave on Tuesday, Mia was with Granny, Clare was in town and Adam was at nursery so I dedicated the day to golf. I went to the course after dropping Adam at nursery and tee'd off in -2degC at 0715. Round 1 was a quick one and got me warmed up and I managed to play OK with a round of 87 (against par 69). I felt like I had left a LOT of shots out there with some very, very fat misses so when I got back to the clubhouse to discover that every Veteran in the club had come out to enjoy the weather for their Tuesday Stableford, I asked Paul if he had any time for a lesson and we booked it for 30mins away.
I immediately noticed a Massive difference between trying to learn from feel and watched lessons, and being taught by a Professional that is watching and can give practical, real-time input and advice. My idea of a clubface squared with target was WWAAAAYYY off! When Paul lined my clubface up, I felt like the face was pointing 25deg left. Paul explained that having the face open as far as I did promoted an inside to out swing which was very 'armsy' and 'flippy'. He told me that my alignment and backswing were great, but to hit the ball effectively I wasn't transferring my weight to my left foot and my posture was hyper-extended which was restricting my hip turn and weight transfer. He did say which one was more likely to be the root cause, but I can't remember (it was either posture or clubface, I think).
We hit lots of shots with the 8 iron and I found it very hard to keep my arms from firing too early. I've got a drill to practise with and when I get the timing right, the strikes and results are amaze-balls!
After the lesson, the course was lots clearer, so I headed back to the 1st tee for round 2. After 6 holes Max called to say he'd be there in 20 mins, so I went down 7 and back 18 to head back to the first for 18 more holes with Max. I was starting to get a bit fatigued by the end of that 18 and was glad to be getting off my feet in the bar. The holes after my lesson with Paul had some frustrations but on the whole, I was very happy with my progress.
I left the course at 1630 exhausted, but satisfied. 44 holes of golf and a lesson had taken their toll and I was looking forward to some food.
This morning I was catching up on clips I had missed from Mark Crossfield and saw this one first.
It struck a chord with me, but if I hadn't had a lesson with Paul I would still be none-the-wiser about my clubface issues. So as Mark says regularly "go and see your local Pro".
When I have my clubface lined up properly, my posture correct, transfer my weight to my left side without sliding and relax my arms (that's the hard bit) my strike are beautiful. Sounds simple.
I immediately noticed a Massive difference between trying to learn from feel and watched lessons, and being taught by a Professional that is watching and can give practical, real-time input and advice. My idea of a clubface squared with target was WWAAAAYYY off! When Paul lined my clubface up, I felt like the face was pointing 25deg left. Paul explained that having the face open as far as I did promoted an inside to out swing which was very 'armsy' and 'flippy'. He told me that my alignment and backswing were great, but to hit the ball effectively I wasn't transferring my weight to my left foot and my posture was hyper-extended which was restricting my hip turn and weight transfer. He did say which one was more likely to be the root cause, but I can't remember (it was either posture or clubface, I think).
We hit lots of shots with the 8 iron and I found it very hard to keep my arms from firing too early. I've got a drill to practise with and when I get the timing right, the strikes and results are amaze-balls!
After the lesson, the course was lots clearer, so I headed back to the 1st tee for round 2. After 6 holes Max called to say he'd be there in 20 mins, so I went down 7 and back 18 to head back to the first for 18 more holes with Max. I was starting to get a bit fatigued by the end of that 18 and was glad to be getting off my feet in the bar. The holes after my lesson with Paul had some frustrations but on the whole, I was very happy with my progress.
I left the course at 1630 exhausted, but satisfied. 44 holes of golf and a lesson had taken their toll and I was looking forward to some food.
This morning I was catching up on clips I had missed from Mark Crossfield and saw this one first.
It struck a chord with me, but if I hadn't had a lesson with Paul I would still be none-the-wiser about my clubface issues. So as Mark says regularly "go and see your local Pro".
When I have my clubface lined up properly, my posture correct, transfer my weight to my left side without sliding and relax my arms (that's the hard bit) my strike are beautiful. Sounds simple.
Saturday, 16 February 2013
Am I aiming too high?
Today and last Saturday I played to my handicap (20) receiving 37 points in todays stableford comp and last week was a medal and I was 20 over par. I feel as though I should have been happy (at least satisfied) with my effort and results from today and last weekend. I'm not. I feel like I could (should) have played so much better.
I don't feel like I am useless, or that I should give up, but I can't help but feel disappointed with both rounds of golf. It's a bit silly really. I should be ecstatic that in my first ever medal (stroke play) competition, I didn't let my nerves get to me and I didn't have any card-wrecking holes. I should be satisfied that I played twice in a row to my handicap. It is just SO FRUSTRATING knowing that at least 10 shots were fat. It is also frustrating the pants off me knowing what it is I am doing wrong.
Why do I get back into my old swing so easily? Why do I forget my own advice and disregard my own plan for my round of golf? I was going to re-create the impact position before each shot as part of my pre-shot routine today. Do you think I did it? Like faaark. Maybe three times???
I know my swing is improving. I know it will take time to get the new swing to be consistent and to feel relatively natural. The drills from Mark Crossfield on youtube are definitely helping to improve my swing, unfortunately the new swing is yet to improve my golf game. By the time the new swing starts to feel a bit more comfortable, I will hopefully be getting a few lessons from Paul at C-Y-M. Hopefully Paul will have something to work with by then and not something to try to fix too much.
Anyway, I've got a few practise rounds coming up before my next competition, so hopefully my strikes will be a bit better by then.
I don't feel like I am useless, or that I should give up, but I can't help but feel disappointed with both rounds of golf. It's a bit silly really. I should be ecstatic that in my first ever medal (stroke play) competition, I didn't let my nerves get to me and I didn't have any card-wrecking holes. I should be satisfied that I played twice in a row to my handicap. It is just SO FRUSTRATING knowing that at least 10 shots were fat. It is also frustrating the pants off me knowing what it is I am doing wrong.
Why do I get back into my old swing so easily? Why do I forget my own advice and disregard my own plan for my round of golf? I was going to re-create the impact position before each shot as part of my pre-shot routine today. Do you think I did it? Like faaark. Maybe three times???
I know my swing is improving. I know it will take time to get the new swing to be consistent and to feel relatively natural. The drills from Mark Crossfield on youtube are definitely helping to improve my swing, unfortunately the new swing is yet to improve my golf game. By the time the new swing starts to feel a bit more comfortable, I will hopefully be getting a few lessons from Paul at C-Y-M. Hopefully Paul will have something to work with by then and not something to try to fix too much.
Anyway, I've got a few practise rounds coming up before my next competition, so hopefully my strikes will be a bit better by then.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)