and on the other end of the spectrum i shot 99 on friday and 98 yesterday. chipping costs me roughly 15 strokes a round.

on another note i did hit a 4 iron yesterday, 130g x stiff tapered steel shaft. felt like i was swinging a telephone pole. hit it well though. i said the club face looks so tiny. my buddy said no, just think of it making the ball look big, like you're hitting a tennis ball. lol.

40-41-81. 1 birdie, no double bogeys. 69.3/124/6100 yards

Kind of a grab bag. Driver mostly very good. Hybrids very good. Irons awful. Wedges, chipping and pitching decent. Putting much improved to get to mediocre. Scrambled well to save bogeys. Really all I needed to score in the 70s was to hit mediocre irons.

43-43 86 Saturday (4 fwys, 6 GIR, 37 putts) 8 pars, 3 doubles and a triple

42-53 95 Sunday (6 fwys, 8 GIR, 34 putts) 7 pars, 2 doubles and a 9 and an 11.

Well the long game (specifically tee shots with just about any trouble) are not ready for even the lowest level of amateur golf. Sunday on the second nine (started on 10) blasted 2 OB on each of the 5th and 6th holes (OB on both sides). Chipped irons down into play for my 5th shots just so I wouldn't end up with more OB as I had no confidence to hit those shots.

Irons were pure - hit greens on the par 3s and when I was in play off the tee plus a bunch of GIR+1 where I was out of position off the tee so badly had to chip out/get back in play then hit full shots. Putting was meh - just didn't feel comfortable on the greens and my hands didn't feel like they normally due gripping a putter (another tournament thing); missed 3 2.5 to 3-footers (I normally "putt out" but it's that casual round putt out without the pressure kind of putting out). Missed all my birdie putts and I had 8 inside 15 feet. Chipping decent - tough greens to get chips close to but did okay.

Good learning experience - that tournament is certainly a step or 3 above my ability at this time; my tee game just can't handle tough, tight shots with a scorecard in my pocket. Have a 2 day local flighted event this coming weekend on a more forgiving course. So hopefully a few good range sessions this week and give it a go again.

I'm glad you played. It's always good to get tourney reps. The more you play the better you will get for sure.

Thanks - yeah it's never fun when golf humbles you but it certainly seems that experience helps. I hit the fairways on the opening hole both days when first tee nerves are definitely something that has always gotten to me when playing events or with unknowns etc.

I think the biggest thing I lack is the ability to commit to a target on a tough tee shot and just hit it. I'd be way happier to hit it OB if I made a committed swing but almost always those shots are timid and hopeful.

44-45-89. First round with new irons & driver on a course with quite a few narrow, long greens (Black Bear, near Orlando). Irons felt great, but it was hard to get dialed in with them since I was playing off so many sloping lies. Driver was a dud though. Had many well struck drives that just didn't fly anywhere near the height I was expecting.

The first tee ball jitters was one of the last things that I had to get over when I started playing again. Worst one ever was GC Am Tour Finals in round 3 I popped up a hybrid that didn't get to the fairway. Brag: still made par.

my very first trip to Bandon was 15+ years ago and i hadn’t yet met (yet alone played with) half the guys in the 28 person group. first round was at Pacific and as bad luck would have it I was in the first group. only bright side is I wasn’t the first person to tee off...I was second. first swing with the 3w literally ended up in the junk across 18 fairway. with my heart racing and don’t **** up thoughts in my brain my second swing ended up just off the front of the green. may just be the biggest pressure shot I’ve ever made (in my non-competitive golf career)

39-41-80 today, 1 birdie, 2 doubles. Hit it decent enough but a few missed spots. Tinkering with grip mostly.

36-40-76

1 birdie, 1 double

Course was a muddy mess.
Driving: C- Irons: C Chipping: D+ Putting B+

One day tourney at Innisbrook Copperhead. Nothing special and they don't have their usual skins game because of no exchanging $. The gross division is usually lucky to get one group. So pretty much a normal day of golf. No pressure.

8/8
Sun City Riverview
34-39 - 73, Par 72 69.8/119 6336 yards

A two birdie no bogey front was followed by a no birdie three bogey back. 2 of the 3 bogeys were directly from awful drives. One was topped about 100 yards and the other into a hazard.

8/9
Sun City South Course
35 - 36 - 71, Par 72 69.6/116 6456 yards

Similar to Saturday but without the 2 awful drives. Both courses are wide open so was able to spray my drives all over and not be in trouble. Short game was great and I made a bunch of putts outside of 10'. That score isn't something I would say was 100% legit. Hit two drives on #1, though may have gotten a par on the first one anyway. The greens had also been punched recently and were covered with sand, so more putts than normal were conceded but I don't think I picked anything up outside 30-36".

Overall extremely happy with how I played. My driver is getting worse and worse(shorter and shorter) so I gotta get that fixed, but iron play and scrambling is the best it's ever been. That could completely go away by this weekend, but it's nice feeling like I'm gonna be on or around the green every time from inside 200. Not capitalizing often enough when I have wedges into the green, but that'll get better with more practice.

As someone who is getting ready to turn 43 and has never been more than a weekend casual, it's fun to be playing the best golf of my life right now.

nice work ec

41 (par 35). 1 birdie, 1 triple bogey.

Too much mental midgetry, though with the exception of the triple I scrambled well and gave myself par chances. Swapped out the putter before playing Sunday and it continues to be adequate. Chipping is improving with a technique change.

46-42-88 (par 71). Was on a tough track from 6700 yards and pretty windy, but I just made way too many bogeys. Lots of things to work on.

42-33-75

4 birdies, 2 doubles

FSGA one day event at Innisbrook Copperhead. The start was not pretty including a 3-putt double from 4 1/2 feet on #3. Some serious hockey going on that green. Made double on #9 after hitting a low one out of the trees too hard and hitting the cart path over the green, then it rolled down to hill on the cart path. Had 76 yards coming back

Hit a tree about 50 yards off the tee on #11 (510y par 5). Have to hit a punch hook out of the trees and hit it PERFECT. Have 187y left and peel in a soft 5 iron to 1 foot, birdie. Also ended up making about a 60 foot downhill putt on 18 for the 4th birdie of the day.

No skins game so I played a guy in my group for $10, most birdies. We were tied at 3 before I hit the bomb on 18. I bet he didn't see that one coming. I looked at his handicap last night, he is a +3.6. He birdied 1 and 2 and I thought I was toast. HE shot 70 to win it. My 75 was good for 2nd. Although only an lol 5 person gross field.

71 yesterday
85 today

golf

109 yesterday
86 today

This crazy game just keeps bringing me back.

haven't played since the last week of june, venturing out early this sunday. based on several range sessions between then and now my game is absolute trash and i'll end up in triple figures. my mind is so scrambled i'm surprised i can tie my shoes.
wish me luck.

Good luck!

I'm going out at 6:15 tomorrow morning hoping to beat the heat as much as possible.

43-44-87

Just feel like I'm not hitting the irons flush. It's irritating because I can't pinpoint what I'm doing wrong. Even the shots that end up in a good spot feel just the slightest bit thin or mishit. Heading back out tomorrow, hopefully will find something.

can anyone tell me the proper way to position the index finger on my right hand while gripping the club? these are the types of things that keep me up at night.

So much instruction says to use it like a trigger for control. I dunno how that really works, I just try to do something in that vein that feels natural.

Most of your scores are pretty good, how did a 109 happen?!

Just sort of everything turning to crap, outside of keeping the ball in play (somewhat). I double hit at least 3 or 4 putts from yips, had many 3&4 putts. My head was off by hole 3, and I just didn't give myself a chance to rally mentally. Just crap golf

37-37-74

4 birdies, 1 double

I tweaked my back on the range before my tournament on Thursday. I can usually get through the day that it happens and then I am trash the next day. A combo of Aleve, a foam roller, and the hot tub and I went out and played today. I absolutely could not hit a full shot on the range. Opted for adding another club to just about every shot today, worked well.

Course was absolutely soaked. tried a grass tee with my hybrid. First one I hit OB (leading to my double), second one I popped up and didn't reach the fairway. Started using a tee after that which I usually never do, but it worked well.