49-44, 51-48, 54-46-47, 48-45, 53-40, 53-49, 57-44

GODDAMNIT I always start out like ****. Pretty sure I avg double the first 3 holes of every round.

no I dont think it's the "pressure" of the first hole.. just feels like my muscles are so stiff even if I hit a few warm up shots at the range. Pretty much same thing happens at the range where I would shank a good portion of my shots the first 10 minutes.

Grats on the ace Callum.


Just played front 9 today.

Missed 1 fairway
Missed 2 greens

+3 sigh

74 today. Par 70-6800. Was 4 over thru 4 tho

1 more round tomorrow early b4 Irene shows up.

Fun round today off the forward tees, 4 man team event which we won and I also got closest the pin on 14 with 7'8''

Made a few putts which was nice although didn't hit the ball that well.

also had a chip in on the 4th using the contours by sending the ball way out to the right and letting it die in the side of the hole

http://www.oobgolf.com/golfers/score.php?id=1741299

****. Day 1 of club championships and I shot 76 with 5 3 putts and a 5 foot eagle putt that i missed. 35 total putts. and then i went to try to find a belly putter and no stores around here have them.

Sounds like me in my clubby. +4 the first day, hit 13 greens, 3 3 putts and a 4 putt and only 1 birdie. Greens were a 13 when they are normally like an 8, but I usually putt way better on fast greens. Hands were like rocks that day, though.

41-50-91

Iron play is getting better again, yay.

Good round today...

47 - 49 - 96

...the ****ing greens were god awful, I have a pic I will upload... they recently airated (sp?) them and put sand down which I didnt get so they were very bumpy and slow and just ****ed up in general. We estimated everyone lost 5 or so strokes for the round, I had 5 1 putts and numerous putts that were headed dead center cup that hopped right or left... I even hit a bump and run that just stopped dead and a guy I played with hit a pitch that hit the green and hopped left.

Only lost 1 ball and it was off a tree that we just couldnt find, think this was a better ball striking round then when I shot a 90....

Here is a photo of the worst greens ever, each of those brown marks is a little tiny divot... just awful... I compared it to putting on a plinko board

Played here today. The course was awesome.



You can see the Chicago Skyline throughout much of the course and it's built on an old landfill so you get some pretty intense undulations and LOTS of wind. Shot 72 (E) but got to play the up-tees since I met up with some randoms who weren't good.

Made some adjustments to my posture and have been striking the ball BEAUTIFULLY. Excited for my round tomorrow. Hopefully something in the 60s if I putt decently.

46 - 53 - 99

Bah, was really hoping to break 90 today then lost 9 shots on 15-17. 17 in particular as I got a 10 on the par 5 540. Each of these holes is usually very playable for me, but I shanked 3 tee shots, and then got in more trouble trying to make a hero recovery shot.

Kind of a mixed bag today, despite everything seeming bang-on at the range for warmup. Drives were in the fairway if pretty short (200-230 ish) and much higher than usual. Irons really have added about 20 yards each, and my direction was better today, but I had some mis****s. Inside 100 was not exactly terrible, as I did pretty well getting onto greens, but usually "on the green" was not remotely close to the pin. 20 - 45 foot lag putting was good, and I did make a 35 footer 10-12 foot putting was terrible, like 0-5 with 3 lip-outs and left a couple of 5 footers.

So my iron distance change (as best I can figure) looks like this:
club____old___new
Pwedge_110__130
9i_____<120_<140
8i______125__150
7i_____<140__160
6i_____>150__170
5i______155__175
4i______175__<200
3i______180__>200

Main parts of the change are swinging less down on the ball and making the swing path for a fade (although it's really just going straight) with a slightly open face. I'm also swinging a bit harder now. And yet the driver seems to have lost about 50-70, lol.

Actually hit the ball half-decent and in the same round, made a couple putts. Still a lot of work to be done before I play a couple intramural tournaments but shot 76 today so its a start.

Walked 27 holes today. It wasn't anywhere near as hot as I thought it would be. First 18 were crap. Last nine holes, well, let me let the scorecard tell you:

http://oobgolf.com/golfers/score.php?id=1743651

Starting the day off I thought about what ship wrote in his thread about how he thinks "Jordan" before he putts (because Jordan didn't think about the fadeaway jumper, he just took the shot). It really helped my lag putting--aside from one 15 footer that I blew 4 feet past, and one uphill 33-footer that I somehow shot way past the hole, everything else was within two feet. Most of them were within a foot. Even from 20-40 feet I was getting it within 18 inches. Then, as I started the last nine holes, I decided I'd say it out loud. I drain a 16-footer. I ended up with 12 putts for the last nine holes, and that includes 3 misses from 6-7 feet (1 of them was for a birdie after a great PW on a par-3). Now, there were a couple of putts from off the green along with that total, but again, I was getting almost all of those close as well.

Unfortunately the rest of my game was all over the place. Off the tee, I managed to mostly get rid of the 230-yard slice--it's nice to be consistent, but my home course has way too many trees to just aim left and hope to get away with it. The downside was that I hit five topped drives, a duck hook or two, and the occasional big slice just for old times' sake. I was trying to take a little bit off and keep it in play, but it didn't help. Need to spend some range time working on a less-than-full-power driver swing, because I really have no idea now whether's it going to hook, draw, go straight, fade, or slice when I try to play it safe. When I hammer it, I can usually get a fade or slice, but as I said, I can't afford to hit a huge slice.

Irons were a little bit all over the place. I started the day pushing them right, then sprinkled in a few hooks. Hit a couple of good shots with my PW, but also hit a bunch of LW shots into the water. So gross. Out of the three par-5s I played, I hit two balls into the drink on each one. (I also made nines each time. Yay consistency.) Short game sucked.

Well if this wasn't done you'd have no greens at all...

35 + 37 = 72 (even).

Just got home from a nice round. Played awesome first nine, with 8 green hits and 8 pars and a birdie. Managed to make birdie on 13th and 14th to be -3. Unfortunately my nerves got into my play and I made bogey on 15th and double bogey on 16th. Birdied 17th and bogeyd 18th.

Up and down hey hooo

I still find this hard to believe. I need someone to explain the science to me instead of just having my club pro always give me that standard answer lol.

Double round sunday!

46 - 48 - 94

then

43 - 48 - 91 (This was with 2 OB and 1 in a lake, so if I can avoid those mistakes it would have been really solid.)

70 75 145

won my club championship by 4. was a nervous wreck most of the day but generally happy with the stuff I'm working on and my progress. I might write up something more significant later.

Well I dont know the exact science of it but my dad is a greenkeeper so I have a decent idea. The holes a put into the green to allow air to circulate on the soil. With so much traffic over the year the soil becomes compacted and root find it hard to survive. This just loosens everything up again allowing the roots to survive.

It also gets rid of thatch (the build up of organic matter) under the greens,. Ever go to a pitch and putt course and the green are really spungy and the ball bounces off them like a ping pong ball? This is because of thatch buildup. Try hitting a ball from 200yard plus to a green like that and you'll soon see why this process is necessary.

congrats! would love to read more

42 and 43 = 85 par 68

sucks though I've been having lessons for like 8 weeks now and there working good, but the only thing I'm concerned about is that I'm losing so much distance....my irons are just going high when i feel i'm striking them pretty sweet.

any tips on getting a lower ball flight?

Thanks.

Saturday - Our club championship had about 50 guys divided into 3 flights. Open, Senior, and Super Senior. In the Open division there's probably 6-8 guys that can win who range from +1 to 4 handicaps. My current handicap is 0.5 so that had me in the first group at 7:03, sigh. I typically have not played well before 10am and generally feel like a different golfer that early in the morning. Anyone else experience this? So the sun isn't even up as I'm warming up and I'm yawning through the first 3 holes despite ample sleep. Felt like a dream imo.

1-thin a hybrid, reasonable PW, 2 putt from 35 feet up a big left to right slope. Feel like the 5 footer I made for par there was very important in hindsight.

2-good 5 iron from 195 to 25 feet, 2 putt

3-just miss fairway right with driver, SW just short of green, 2 putt from 30

4-bad drive in trees right on par 5, punch out, 146, good 9 iron yardage and shove it right of green. really happy with the pitch shot(mostly because i've been working hard on my short game and am notorious for getting steep/stabby with chips/pitches but this came off perfect with lots o nerves) dead pull an 8 footer and don't even touch the cup.

5-par 4 ob right, good drive down left rough that 90% has a shot but kicks left under tree. punch 7 iron to front of green, another well executed chip, but to a foot this time

6-6 iron 180 uphill poorly struck short in bunker, nervy, timid swing. ok bunker shot to 12 feet downhill left to right, 1 putt imo

7-330 par 4, ob/bunkers right, trees left, creek at about 130, good short par 4. mostly hit driver in casual rounds as I can get pretty close to green fairly often and left isn't much of a penalty but decide to hit hybrid with tees well back. make one of worst swings of tourney and heel thin hook it right into creek. drop zone 126 in rough, hit good GW to 6 feet, push the put, nice 5 clown

8-480 par 5, best drive of tourney, 166 draw 8 iron left of green, chip to 3 feet, birdie

9- snap hook driver into 1st fairway worrying about ob right, 5 iron top left tier with pin front right, make tough 2 putt, turn +1

10-super tight 380 yard par 4, trees both sides, hit fairway with driver, terrible LW from 80, 2 putt from 40

11-185 par 3, great 6 iron 10 feet, hit it where I wanted, putt didn't berak

12- #1 handicap hole, good par 5, water right on tee shot and pond in front of green. good drive, 230 hole slightly into breeze, thin the hybrid again but clear the pond by a few feet and bounce it up to 18 feet. eagle! one under!

13- layup par 4, 5 iron, GW, burn lip from 12 feet

14-200 yard par 3, wave at 5 iron into right trees and it kicks left short of greenside bunkers in zoysia. tight lie to an uphill tight pin. just hoping to have 10 feet for par. meh, made it

15-driver, LW 2 putt

16-fav hole on course, downhill par 5, water right of green. good drive 5 iron pin high just off right. caught a bad lie here in no grass, soft thatchy ****. like trying to chip off mud. flub it, 2 putt par

17-good drive, 9 iron 2 putt 16 feet

18 - bad drive, good break, flyer lie from 160, pure 9iron over stick, 2 putt from 25 feet. 70 in first round.

Sunday - I've got a 4 shot lead going to today playing in a foursome with a 74,75,76. Instead of being the first group off in a threesome on freshly mowed greens, we're the last group off at 9:12 delayed to 9:30 and we play in what couldn't have been in much less than 5 hours.

The range session was mediocre and def not as good as saturday. My trouble shot is a low hook and I hit a few on the range and just generally didn't feel all that great.

1- quack a hybrid left bounces off trees 146 in left rough. Good break and I hook a 9 iron left into the trees which I had a very clear shot around. Luckily it goes through and ends up on the upper tier with the pin down low. Good putt, tap in par. 74 makes birdie, 3 shot lead.

2- good 5 iron 15 feet. Just miss on the right. 74 makes birdie, 2 shot lead

3- drive waaaay left, punch out to 70 yards, fail to get up and down for par. 1 shot lead

4- drive left, punch into a tree but get good break back into fairway. 182 third on par 5, hit a god awful 6 left with a back left pin. on pretty bare lie with no green and trees overhanging. This was one of my prouder moments of the tourney wrt to course management. I can see myself trying to do too much with this in the past but conceded to just try to make bogey even though I figured my lead would be gone. Hit a bump and run just short of green, make the putt from 20 feet thru 1 foot of light rough. 1 shot lead

5- get my legs working finally to stop the lefts and hit a bomb. had 80 downhill to a back pin and landed it 5 feet to far and one hopped over back, easy chip up and down.

6- good 9 iron, 2 putt from 18 feet big right to left downhill putt. 74 makes bogey, 2 shot lead

7- decided on driver after saturdays hybrid blunder and the tees were up a bit. hit a good one 15 yds short of green. good pitch, lip out 5 footer, 74 birdies, 1 shot lead

8- good drive, just missed left with 7 iron into bare patch just off green, mediocre chip to 8 feet. leave it short dead center.

9- ok drive left rough, LW 12 feet downhill right to left swinger, missed low with the feathery stroke. 74 makes bogey, 2 shot lead.

10- good drive, bailed out LW to lower tier with tough back left pin. tough 2 putt up big slope, give it a little extra at the bottom and I'm worried right off the putter, slam it in back off cup, bounces up leave tap in

11- best swing of day, perfect 6 iron from 178 into slight breeze. lag it downhill from 18 feet, falls in on last roll, birdie. 74 3 putts for bogey, 4 shot lead.

12- missed fairway 2 feet left, have to lay up from 220. 2 wedges and 2 putts for par. 74 misses green from 80, chunks two chips and makes 7. 6 shot lead.

13- nerves really starting to get to me now that 'it really is mine to lose' make two nervous swings with a hybrid and a GW but get away with them and miss a tough breaking right to lefter from 12 feet.

14 - 166 par 3, hang back half committed nervous 8 iron hooks left into a a bad spot in a back left bunker with a back center pin. ok bunker shot but was dead, 30 feet 2 putt bogey.

15- 3 hands on the steering wheel driver swing up the right rough with ob left and creek/trees right. SW, 2 putts from 20 feet.

16- thinned driver misses right and hits path which is usually good but without normal distance I had tree overhanging from 194 and decent lie in rough. water/bunker right, big bunker left. well designed green for a reachable par 5. hook 4 iron left of bunker. now pitching over bunker downhill with water over green. couldn't be happier with execution, thought I made it, but rolls down false edge on right side of green, burn edge from 20 feet. 5 shot lead now fwiw.

17- much better driver swing but a bit low and 5 yards too far right. punch 8 from 137, good pitch to tough pin on ridge, leave 6 footer on edge short.

18 - good drive, ob left. set up right of fairway and trap drew one down the middle. 119 pin, slightly uphill, slightly downwind. the tourney is effectively over and I'm all but shaking with nerves. I skull my GW over the green from a perfect lie and almost hit a spectator. Lucky to be in bounds have to drop over by the putting green. Chunk run a wedge off a down slope out of a crappy lie to 40 feet. 2 putt for bogey, 75, win by 4.

Good: Since college, I rarely play competitive stroke play rounds anymore. I forget just how different it is from match play or my regular $20 a hole thursday afternoon group. I didn't miss anything inside 4 feet despite being relatively nervous on some putts that are not really hard. I imagine I would get more comfortable with the short ones with more competitive reps.

The aspect of my game I'm most proud of was the pitching and long chips. I've struggled with these for a long time for no good reason and spent a few hours last week working on technique and just getting a bunch of reps in. The jist of my short game struggles boil down to good enough hand eye coordination that I was always 'ok' around the greens. Okay enough that while I was annoyed I wasn't better, I've never put in much effort to be disciplined about technique or practice.

I felt my course management was at least a B+. I'm really trying hard to think of every golf shot as I do with a poker decision. Simply trying to find a way to maximize long term expectation(lowest avg score) on every swing. I find it liberating and intimidating at the same time. Liberating in that I focus better on the shot at hand and not a potential score for a hole or a round. Intimidating in that I feel more ownership of my decisions than I used to.

I've also struggled with my driver alot in the past mostly for similar reasons I stated with the chipping and I've played most my golf on three courses where you can spray it on most holes. I certainly wish I drove it better and will continue to work hard but most my drives were in play and I hit none OB on a course with alot of OB.

Bad: I was really displeased with my putting. The 75 today was making nothing but the putt on 4 and squandering several good opportunities. It wasn't so much that I didn't make anything that bothers me, it's how I was missing putts. I was so fixated on having tap-ins that my pace was just a bit slow and my stroke generally timid. I'm not necessarily surprised by this fact given I had a lead(was trying to not make dumb mistakes) and I'm not near as comfortable with the 3-5 footers as a guy who holes out on a regular basis is.

Given that one of my goals as a golfer is to become a competitive amateur, at least locally(say a +2 that can travel), I'm thinking I should forgo gimmies all together. It's such a funny irony about gimmies because despite the fact that many golfers claim to give them or not like to putt them for pace of play reasons, the main reason we "give them" or what them given is because we're bonified scared we're going to miss them. And the other irony there is that the fear is kind of silly in the first place. We don't want to miss ANY 2 footer. But the reality is that everyone misses them X% of the time. The goal should be to make X as low as possible, not rarely putt them so we don't have to face the reality that is X.

Ugly: Despite winning, I was genuinely embarrassed with the skulled wedge on 18. The weird part about the shot on 18 is that even though the tournament was effectively over, I wanted to hit a good shot(or maybe not hit a bad shot) more there than I did all day. It's obviously related to having people watching and it's a natural reaction to be nervous. I'm just disappointed that I didn't execute when it mattered most to me. This specific shot speaks well about commitment and club selection.

I know that my gap wedge will carry 115 under normal fairway circumstances. My yardage for this shot was 119, it's slightly uphill maybe adds 2-4 yards, and 5 mph of helping wind out of a good lie in the fairway. The pin is middle left with a ridge right behind it and the green tilts a bit from back to front. My pw carries 133. Let's say it's 105 to the front edge and 130 to the back edge. We have fairly long zoysia fairways which tend to produce more spin.

If we assume the uphill and wind nearly cancel each other out, we're left with 119 effective. If I could carry the ball 115 and stop it, I would def hit gw, but a solid strike will probably produce 15-20 feet of backspin under these conditions leaving my "normal" shot at about 109 or 30 feet short of the hole.

Unless I really suck with taking some off a pw and/or long is dead and/or par is some magical number there, I can't think that I hit the right club. One of the areas I've struggled with most in my game is the 120-125 yard pw. Like most people who try and take something off an iron, I get disconnected, quick, flippy, etc.. and either block it short or hook it long. It's kind of funny because with a 5 shot lead and some real nerves I had a good opportunity to 'practice' a shot I'm not real comfortable with.

So like most people in pressure situations, with my clouded and rushed thought process I decided that 'oh I'm pumped up I'll just hit this gap wedge really hard.' Did I ever.

I also feel pretty dumb for leaving 2 putts short inside 10 feet.

Yep its absolutely necessary or you'd be complaining about hard greens with dead patches. Its annoying as hell when you go out and pay for a round to find greens with a bunch of holes in them...but the good news is that a couple weeks later the greens have almost completely healed.

It sucks for the greenskeepers too... one summer I had to plug the greens with a 20-year-old machine that went about 1/2 walking speed and only did a swath about 2 feet wide. Took 13 hours to do 9 holes and the entire day I got to listen to people, mainly regular members, yelling at me and bitching about it, as if they hadn't noticed that the course does this every single year.

As a 1 handicap, I have a hard time breaking 78 if I tee off before 10. I do it 40% of the time maybe.

If I tee off after 10 and it's sunny and dry I shoot 74 or better like 80% of the time.

My mind and body don't function as well early in the morning, no matter how much or little sleep I get. Plus I suck if the weather isn't great. It tilts me so much.

The most +EV time for me to play is like 2PM.

oh yea I thought I remembered you mentioning that. Thoughts on how we can improve this? I swear my warm up range swing feels like two entirely different moves before 9am and afternoon.