Practice with purpose is paying dividends.
I just lived and died with your recap! Great round and I think with that attitude Old Man Par is getting beat soon!
I donāt know if others are experiencing this, but this Spring in Nebraska has been absolute garbage. I havenāt played a round that was in less than 15mph wind, cold, and gray. Iām used to wind a lot of the time, but the constant grind of playing in it this year is weighing on me. Iām scoring well, but Iām exhausted after playing.
League last night was more of the same weather-wise. Blowing 20-25, gray with off and on sprinkles, 55ish degrees. Semi-brutal conditions. I scored fine. Even par 36. My inconsistency with my driver is becoming a bit of an issue. Iām starting to think I need a shaft with a little more feel. I may go in for some testing when I can find the time.
I played a tournament on May 8th where it was near 50, but had a wind chill of high 30ās, but then it was almost 90 2 weeks laterā¦still pretty windy though. This weekend is supposed to be 50ās with wind and rain. Iāve golfed in decent weather maybe twice?
Our course is always windy Spring & Fall, but itās been brutal so far this year. I am struggling with my swing as it is and dealing with gusting swirling wind is making it even harder to find something. I did play a decent 9 the other night, but I felt like all I did was punch low 4 irons and then chip & putt solidly.
Weather was wet today, but not badā¦ wind didnāt pick up until that last 2 holes (of course, it was in my face)ā¦ Letās go with a DRAMATIC READING OF THE SCORECARD.
First hole: Only time I hit driver in the fairway all day. Par.
Par 5 2nd hole: 3 wood layup, hybrid into position, wedge shot short of pin, mediocre 1st putt. Drain second putt.
3rd Hole Par 3: Ball on green, 2 putt
4th Hole: Ball left and in the rough, try to run a 4 iron up, wedge on, 2 puttā¦ Bogey
5th Hole: Lay up hybrid, 6 iron in, par.
6th hole, par five: Lose drive left, have an opening (not a window, and actual clear shot) 180 in out of the roughā¦ leave the shot short and in a bunkerā¦ Leave the ball one roll short of a birdie. Par.
7th hole: Hybrid to middle of the fairway, Gap wedge to 8 feet. Make the putt. Back to even.
8th hole: Short par 3 and I flair an 8 iron rightā¦ tough lie out of the rough, run it past with a decent chip and 2 putt to go back to 1 overā¦
9th hole: We started on the back, this is a long hole and is tough to playā¦ Hard to get an even stance and you will have at least 150 yards inā¦ Pull driver left, hit a provisionalā¦ canāt ever find the first ball (there is a road left, but I should have found it)ā¦ make a par with the second ball for a 39ā¦ Hit a GREAT 4 iron after a short second driveā¦ Should have made the puttā¦ Oh well.
Back nine was terrible and I shot 81 with a double on 9 (my 18)ā¦ played the par 5s in 2 over, had 2 doubles and 32 total puttsā¦ Iām not unhappy with how the round went, and know where I need to focus my attention moving forward.
Played a nice fall golf weather round yesterday in May. Came out great, standard bogey to start then had looks at birdie on 2 and 3 before holing one on the 4th. Hopped in the bogey train and ended up shooting 41 on the front. Some were decent bogey saves, some were dumb mistakes. The back was fairly nondescript, some regular bogeys/pars, had back to back doubles (both dumb mental mistakes) but then went back to back pars to finish so Iāll take it!
My main takeaway is to try and transfer to more serious rounds is step up and pull the trigger. I made my decision, committed to the shot then made my swing. I got away from that on the back, but recommitted and saw immediate positive results.
Memorial Day golf, and I shot a 3 under 65 at my home course. Iām definitely getting better and going low and staying there. The key ingredient Iām finding to my best rounds is a mental approach where I fully accept whatever outcome I get.
It also helps to hit 12+ GIR.
Played 27 yesterday 42-48-41. It was cold and wet and felt like March. Couldnāt get off the tee to save my life and my back was tight and I struggled to stay down and thru on my irons, but the short game was okā¦well the chipping any way as putting was not so great. We certainly needed the rain (think we got 6-7" in a few days), but hopefully that is the end of the cold weather.
All facets of my game were a complete B- yesterday which put me on the bogey train for most of the roundā¦ five 3 puttsā¦ woof
Probably hit the best strokes gained shot of my life thoughā¦
Par 5, hit driver left into the fescue, hacked the ball out with a 7 iron and advanced it about 70 yards
Had 240 left and smoked a 3 wood that carried 235 (in to the wind a bit), land 5 yards shorts and gently roll out to five feet (greens were vary soft)ā¦ made the putt for a very unique birdie
Definitely my longest up and down ever
I continue to battle my driver. Half the time Iām unconsciously hammering it into any window I want. The other half Iām hitting these ugly, low blocks that go nowhere. Really need to test some new shafts, but hate to because my driver setup was SO expensive last year.
Thankfully, Iām recovering well. Hitting my irons and wedges as well as I ever have and Iām making a lot of putts.
68 at Indian Creek here in Omaha on Saturday despite hitting a handful of really, really bad tee shots with the driver.
A nifty little 84 at Smothered Hook Golf Club. Driving was erratic, but everything else shaping up nicely. One nice mental boost was that I parred three of final four holes on each nine. Too bad it took me an hour or so on each nine to get my head out of my hinterlands. My final two holes had some solid decision making and shot execution. I am eager to get back at it tomorrow.
Hottest temps I played in so far this year and I think the heat was getting to me as I was little sloppy on the front nine (40 +4) but found my stride and grinded it home going 2 under the last 5 holes and finished with 75 (+5)
Supposed to get even hotter this week and have a 3:30 tee time Thursday so need to make sure I have a few more snacks and do a better job at staying hydrated before and during the round to avoid those mental lapses.
Played 9 last night and could not do anything rightā¦except mostly hit shots blocked high and right for a nice 47.
First hole weak push cut; I think it may have gone 180 yds into US Open type rough. Next hole I need a lot more than that to get a look around the doglegā¦so I crush it about 270 right thru into the woods of course. No need to describe the rest of round as I just proceeded to hit it every place you shouldnāt. The only highlight was a beautiful flop shot that went in for par lol.
If it worked last year, why do you think something has changed with the club this year to make it ineffective? Youāre such a good player itās probably something really minor. Maybe just have a pro take a look at you before investing in a new shaft.
Itās a good point. I have hit it well more than I havenāt. I think the thing thatās throwing me off and kind of always has with the shaft in particular is that itās so stiff I lose feel and Iām very much a feel player. I donāt know if that makes sense to a lot of people, but itās almost like I canāt feel where the club head is. All I feel is from my hands to about halfway down the shaft.
When Iām swinging it well it doesnāt matter, but to your point, if Iām a little off I have no idea whatās going to happen after impact.
Iām right there with you on my driver (except I havenāt managed to swing it well this season)ā¦ Jon had some interesting information about shafts on his podcast with PING, but the key takeway for me was that the lower torque stuff will FEEL softer without necessarily playing at a lower flex (but the club will present more open at impact).
Iām actually contemplating getting an 80 gram shaft, I just canāt find one! (I havenāt looked that hard)ā¦ For me, weight is a much bigger deal than any other factor when it comes to driver shaftsā¦ Iām also contemplating just throwing a second heavy weight in my Callaway and bring the total club weight up 10 grams.
Another 84 round today. At this point, Iām not driving as well as last year but my putting is much better (drive for ādohā, putt for dough). Iron game improving and nGIR wedge play showing signs of life. Even though Iām not thrilled with my driving at this point, I have had NO penalty shots so far.
So, in terms of two of P-G pillars:
No scorecard this week. A paltry 7 over my hdcp. Had trouble correcting a draw/hook with driver most of round. (I been a fader for 40 years 
) Putting was average, around greens better than last week. Re calibrated to give the delicate shots more loft, more speed helped. Highest rated course we play, 3 pars, 9 bogeys, 2 doubles, 4 blow up holes. Glad I can still manage to have fun when a round is off the rails a bit.
Hey, it happens. If it makes you feel better I shot 10 over my handicap (for 9 holes) last night.
Ever grabbed a club and your body felt like it had never held such a thing in your life? A LOOOOT of that last night.
Now Iām in this spot where I need to decide whether itās better to take time off or get to work and grind the hell out of whatever took over my body.
Sorry to hear it, but it does make me feel better. I had been swinging and playing so much better and then just like that it was over. Maybe because I didnāt touch a club for 6 days due to weather and time constraints?
I have been to the range this week and am still struggling to regain even a little of the form I had. My course is closed this weekend for a big tournament and I figured I would play elsewhere, but Iām also considering taking the weekend offā¦shudder.
