Golf - Winning is better than coming second

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
28th June 2010 Experiencing the personal reaction to a performance in a competition is a many faceted journey for me, this weekends round in the Keith Open was particularly stimulating on review. Managed to play under my handicap again in consecutive weeks and this should see me dropping to a playing handicap of 20 and another step closer to my goal for the season. Did not win either major prize in the “C” grade, missing out on the gross score runner-up by 1 shot and finished 3rd only 2 shots behind the winner and the Best Nett score was a fourth place finish on a countback. With a front nine 43 off the stick, the back nine resulted in a 48 with 34 putts for the day. Not a bad result for a “C” grade golfer, considering this is the first time on the course and having a few additional challenges that affected the round.




The week preceding had the unpleasant suffering of an abscess in the mouth from Monday morning until the eventual tooth removal on Thursday. The second setback was the result of a bit of an oversight on my part, having felt particularly good physically for the past 3 months prudence suggested it would have been a good time to have a tune up from my Bowen Therapist and get the back and hamstrings all moving freely without any tightness. I didn’t have the tune up and after the front 9 and sitting down for lunch following the 90 minute drive to Keith, my back went stiff and my swing was affected enough to make the round a battle. Even with these matters considered it is not possible to feel negative about the result, to do so would be just irrational carping the equivalent of winning a lottery and complaining about the tax you pay on the earnings!



It was confusing for me to have done well and not feel satisfied until the obvious was realised, I did want to win and to have came so close and falter in the last nine holes was the irritant. Not only did my game falter, for the first time in my golfing career I experienced playing on greens that changed dramatically during the course of the round. The front nine had greens which were quite fast not overly so but the pace of them was totally different slowing down a lot in the afternoon nine. Not being experienced enough to be able to adjust my putting while struggling with the stiffness in my back which had my tee shots with an outside in swing plane and slice taking me off the fairways. This added a stroke to several holes having to play recovery shots to be able to play at the green with the third shot and this is a long playing course with five par 5 holes and par 4 holes of 370-400 metres. The distance tested my mid iron accuracy and pitching ability and I am not adept to make the ball stop with my wedge and in many of the back nine holes I needed one putts for bogey and did not get them, 34 putts tells the story on the greens (2 x one putts and the rest 2 putts).



Once again the benefits of playing at another club’s Open Competition were more than just refreshing skills and game approach on a different course. For the second time I played in a group with a 4 handicapper who I had the pleasure of playing with in October 2009. A very sociable and chatty fella who revels in the game it was interesting that on the front 9 we were invariably playing our second shots from similar parts of the course. Not that I was trying to follow, he was teeing off after me. Once my ability to play accurately off the tee went in the back nine I fell away at the end of the day it was good to know that my game plan was similar to this players and that is very satisfying. There was also a 6 handicapper in our group and he had a 37 off the stick on the front nine (square with the card), on the back nine he started with an 8 on the par 5 tenth. He could have easily avoided this by playing safely when his drive went among the gum trees, playing sideways onto the fairway as opposed to taking the riskier shot towards the hole which hit trees and left him still among the timber. No wonder I feel tired after a round of competition golf, my brain is going flat out on my game and observing everything from the markers shots the rest of the playing group, the course and the nuances of the fairways and greens.



If I had played this inaccurately at my home course my score would have been in the 100’s after the back nine. No matter what I did though it was just not possible to get my swing right on the back 9 off the tee, it felt odd to realise that I knew what was going wrong only 6 months ago I would not have had a clue!? Booked a “tune-up” appointment for Thursday and getting ready to have a crack at the Monthly Medal this Sunday. “Hit ‘em Straight all” Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - Setting up for your swing

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1

If you're not hitting the sweet spot on the clubface, you're probably not driving the ball well. One reason why you could be missing the sweet spot is that your head is over your back knee at address. This might not seem like much, but it affects everything else in your swing. The most efficient--and fastest-- swing rotation occurs when your lower body is stable. You can only achieve this by being centred and balanced at address.


Below are seven keys to a power-laden setup:

1. Widen your stance at address
2. Shift more weight on your right side
3. Keep your chin up to allow for the turn
4. Make a full 90-degree shoulder turn
5. Hover the club head above the ground
6. Sense your right forearm crossing over left
7. Finish high and in balance with your swing

A balanced, centred position starts at address. A good setup allows you to make a good turn away from the target, yet still remain behind the ball at the top of your swing, with your weight over your back foot.

But it's not uncommon for a golfer to create extra side bend at address by moving his head over his back knee. This imbalance ends in a setup that results in (1) a slice causing-reverse pivot at the top and (2) too much "hang-back" at impact.

Since your right hand (left for lefties) is below your left hand on the grip, tilt your back shoulder down the same amount. You want to feel as if you're on top of the ball, with your head just slightly back of centre. If you tilt too far back, you throw your entire swing off.

We all want to drive the ball longer off the tee. Hitting driver/8-iron into the green beats hitting driver/4-iron into the green every time. But you must be centred and balanced at address to do this. If you are, you're in great position to hit a bomb. Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - Breaking 90 is very satisfying

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
20th June 2010 Delivered the result that matched my expectations in todays round, 89 Gross for a nett 68 with 31 putts. Breaking 90 was the minimum that was acceptable after the past 2 weeks of preparing and tuning up my game. Together with the result the game was very good fun, my brother turned up and wanted to have a round with me to see if the ‘hype’ was true. This added a particularly different attitude with a lot of jesting and chatter that would be an unacceptable distraction to most golfers. Which I agree with too, but playing with my brother gave an unexpected bonus. I was very relaxed and did not falter under the pressure from distractions and jokes. At the same time maintained a serious target focus and succeeded.
Ended up coming 2nd on the day and was happy with that placing, made a few mistakes in the round which cost me the win. Still surprising to me that my understanding of the game and my playing has evolved to this level in a year. In the round there was One bad drive, caused by not doing my routine set up, One bad putt, rushed it, two bad pitch/chip shots and this was the difference between winning and 2nd place. Happy with the result though as my goal was to break 90, not winning the competition. My handicap will go another step closer to 20 after this, under the system now consistency is the way to change handicap and I am finding this beneficial to my game as well.

The fluency and feel with the irons is a definite aid to my game at the minute. Since moving on from the oversized cavity back game assisting irons it has been a gradual appreciation and understanding of being able to ‘feel’ the shots when playing them. Can admit to actually shaping shots deliberately now with the more ‘pure’ style of iron. This is all good in the setting up for moving to blades later in the season. Putting was nothing brilliant yet again was consistent and my style did not falter except in the one putt that missed a par chance. This is perhaps the most enjoyable part of improving my game as every putt is taken confidently and expected to go in.

The coming weekend an hour and a half drive to Keith to play in the next round of the DK Edwards Trophy and their Open day is planned for Sunday. A 10.30 am hit off will make it a long day but the opportunity to play golf on another course can’t be passed up. Even though it will be the first time on this course I am looking forward to finding out if my current approach to playing is as effective there as it has been on my home course.  “Hit ‘em straight, all”
 Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - Winter and playing in the wind and rain

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1

18th June 2010 Travelled away for the first three days of the week and chose to not take the clubs with me in favour of having a few days break after the concentrated practise of past weeks. On arriving home Wednesday afternoon, considered going for a few swings and decided to withhold that pleasure until Thursday. The few days away from the course gave some soft tissue twinges a chance to recover and also was a little release from practising seriously and returned some fun and pleasure to going out for a hit again. Golfing never becomes a chore or task in my weekly routine and being able to realise that it is just a fun sporting game that I love playing is important to that view.


The first round of the US Open at Pebble Beach has begun with many still to finish the first 18 holes and the leaders in the clubhouse on even par. The course is playing tough it seems, Rory McIllroy on 2 over, Ernie Ells even, Tiger Woods even after 6 holes Sergio Garcia 2 over on the 8th hole, Tom Watson 1 over after 6 holes, Casey 2 under after the same so the Open has a ways to go yet and some good golfing action to be seen.

For those readers who may think it would be great to be able to go and have a hit at any time, it is. Golf is not my employment and is very important as relaxation and excercise that is the crux to why I make time available to play the game often. No more time consuming than going to the gym, playing football, cricket or bowls, golf gives sporting competitiveness as well as the former benefits for my well being. The sense of satisfaction from the clean sweep of winning the first round of the John Leake Trophy plus the nearest the pin and longest drive is very enjoyable. The two minor trophies are something that have not been in my ability to do, until recently. They are the first times since beginning to play again last year I have won them in fact, nearest the pin on a par three that is. NTP in two shots I have won before.

That I deliberately wound up for a crack at the long drive is true, it was on one of the holes that I do try and hit long on occasion as opposed to other holes on the course. There is an Out of Bounds on the hole but it is the 2nd hole and not the combined ninth and 18th the long drive usually is on. My tactic is not to take unescessary risks on the 9th and 18th holes. “I do have a particular game strategy, that has no bearing on what course I am playing on. Breaking 18 holes into loosely four sections being, the first 4 holes and having a gross score of 21-22, with this I know that I am playing close to bogey golf which is appropriate for my present handicap. After 9 holes a score of 44-48 is what I look for on my card. This gives me a definite focus on what I can shoot for at the end of 18. The next three holes I play with a touch more aggression, with a target of 60-65 gross wanted after this attacking charge. If I blow out during this stanza there is still 5 holes left to recover a close to nett handicap score, if not then my target is to play the final six holes in 25-30 strokes. My current handicap is 21 and I have played with this round strategy for the past 6 months and dropped 4 strokes. Soon it will be due for a recalculation to suit my next handicap goal.” Sticking to my round plan with the goal to win or have a good round rather than win a LD, on the 2nd hole though there is plenty of holes left to make up for any errors.

Went out for a hit on Thursday with an added incentive, the weather had taken a turn for the worse at last. Gale strength gusts blowing across the course and a few showers with the rain coming in sideways with a taste of salt from the waves breaking on the cliffs a couple of kilometres away, put the onus on concentration and technique to play well. Had an enjoyable 9 holes for a 45 with 14 putts, not to bad considering the wind was blowing the ball 6 inches from its resting place on some greens let alone the effect it had on some putts rolling towards the hole. It was real game time practise, slowing down and taking my time in the set up of shots and I performed better than expected. In fact the accuracy was beyond expectations with Tee and fairway shots. Pitching left a little to be improved on with my calculation of how much the wind would affect these shots. Friday is shaping up to be much the same except wetter so another 9 holes will suffice for my tune up into Sunday’s stroke round. With Saturday being spent putting and pitching and getting the short game in some good order. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all”Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf Babes: Cristie Kerr

Golf Babes: Cristie Kerr winner of the LPGA State Farm Classic June 2010
The Ladies Professional Golf Tour is marked with the established golfers and the up and coming new players as is the PGA itself. Golf Babes is a great site to follow and keep up to date with the results of tournaments.

Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - Stableford scoring to win at last

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
14th June 2010 It is a bonus in winter to turn up on competition day and be in the midst of fine weather, a slight breeze, patchy cloud and a warming sun in between the cloud cover. This was the pleasant conditions for the field on Sunday and all that was required was to play some good golf. I had expected the round to be the Monthly Medal and had read the syllabus wrong, our June Monthly Medal is being played in July. The Pennant competition, Club Handicap Championships plus several Club Trophy competitions made it impossible to fit a stroke round for the Monthly Medal into June.


This day was the first round of the John Leake Trophy a club stableford competition. Was grouped with one of the big hitters from Fridays 9 hole Chicken run his brother-in-law a 10 and 7 handicap respectively and another “C” grader albeit one on a few more strokes than me. A bit of good natured stirring before the round was dealt out, the chicken I won on Friday went to the big hitter after it was found that I had played off the wrong hcp that afternoon.

The “Chicken Run” Stableford comp is more than just fun. It is not an official comp. and there is a specific club adjustment for handicapping purposes that prevents it being dominated by high handicappers who can play a blistering 9 holes. If you score over 18 points a stroke is taken from you handicap, over 20 another stroke and over 25 another stroke is deducted. So it is possible to lose 3 handicap strokes in a round. This is a benefit for people like me who are trying to get down to lower handicaps as I have to play to a lower handicap than I would usually to score points on holes. Unfortunately I missed the last deduction of a stroke off my hcp for this comp and played off 21 instead of 20, no great worry but it had been a while since winning a chicken and having a bit of an ego boost.

The end result though was I received some ribbing at losing out in the chicken stakes and some additional motivation. It definitely worked in my favour together with the past weeks practise and focus on certain areas of my game. Had a Front Nine 44 gross for 21 points and Back Nine 47 and 17 points, total of 38 points, not to pass by that I had a gross 91 for a nett 70 on the day. Won on a countback and to top it off made a clean sweep of all the days prizes, the longest drive and nearest the pin. First time I have ever won these two daily prizes and that was very satisfying for the efforts I have made to improve my accuracy with all my clubs. The Longest Drive was won by hitting the fairway. I was out driven by 10 metres on the hole by the 7 handicapper except his shot went into the rough. The nearest the pin was extremely satisfying, hitting a 120 m par 3 green from a hill, down to the green and on a hole I struggle to get the right distance and club on. The near perfect weather and no wind to affect the ball was what got me on the green.

Now it is possible for me to look seriously at my progress after the past week of committed effort to improve my hitting, from the driver off the tee to the putter on the green. I had four double bogeys and one triple bogey in the round of 91 gross. Balanced out with a birdie and several pars I am happy with my performance. It is possible to continue improving and it is all a matter of hitting more balls and getting the consistent swing and minimise the errors a little more to take off another 4-5 strokes per round. Does not look like a lot of strokes but it is easier said than done and I have no delusions of this being as easy as boiling water. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all”  Geoff

Golf - underclubbing... practise never ends

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
12th June 2010 Preparation for Sunday’s round was finished off this week with two 9 hole rounds and a revision trial in swing balance for curiosities sake. Finally got myself back into the winners spot in the Friday night 9 hole “Chicken Run” stableford comp. at the club won on a countback between 3 golfers with 18 points and that included zero points on the first hole and had a gross score of 47 off the stick. A good return considering the eight shots on the par five first hole. The “Chicken Run” is a semi serious comp. and is a lot of fun to play in. Also a great way to tune up for the weekend. It was interesting to be in a group with 3 of the clubs acknowledged big hitters, as I have commented before I am not seen as a big hitter by myself or the other players. This may have to be reconsidered, after the round which included a lot of running commentary and gamesmanship I more than held my own off the tee.


The gamesmanship was a result of having five golfers who have all played matchplay this season against each other, it was very good natured and after this game it is apparent that we all accept future meetings in the club championships are considered possible this season. I do prescribe to the adage; “Drive for show and Putt for dough” in my golf. The effect of playing good shots off the tee especially of late in my experience cannot be ignored. For those who may not know from my previous posts, I did not use drivers at all in rounds for the first year, only since January 2010 has the driver even been in my bag. It has taken a while to get the accuracy off the tee that was so beneficial last year using irons only. Certainly had a lot of fun as well in the transition period, winding up and really belting the ball at times with the driver just for the sheer joy. Since getting the rythym and swing technique consistent the distance of my shots has been average 220 m and occasionally 250 m. Making it so apparent that technique is the key to golf rather than brute strength. In 9 holes on Friday I was up there or past the big hitters I played with and still all that mattered to me was being on the fairway and not the length. On the third last hole a par five one of the guys tried to cajole me into using a driver for my third, a little bit of argy-bargy followed and I played my 3 iron as intended and he pulled his out and played his as well. It was all gamesmanship and fun to do but I take note of this as much as the various playing style and attitudes of other golfers as well for future reference. In fact I won the comp. beating this guy in the final countback for the day. We both knew what the others approx score was at the time and he was trying to goad me into letting him in with an ego driven slog and possible error.

Yesterday was a very relaxed day, ambled out for 9 holes (44 gross with 12 putts) after practising first. I was only doing short iron hitting 7 to 9 and some pitching wedge pitching in practise. My short irons have been a bit of a quandary of late, since changing to the older (1980’s) irons and reshafting the to my preferred length they have improved. I appear to have lost 5-10 metres with my lofted clubs these do have more loft than the cavity backs had for the same iron sizes, to balance this though has came greater accuracy and “feel” with the irons so the practise is to get comfortable with the choosing right club for distance. For curiosity I did use an older practise routine for some variety and to help gauge my club selection choices. Simply standing with my feet close together and taking as large a swing I could without losing my balance is the drill. Then widen the stance and hit another ten balls then out to my regular stance and another ten. This has helped me in realising hat my swing is not too bad and I had good accuracy and did not lose my balance with the feet close together. From 100 metres out I now have to take a little more time in club selection and acknowledge the course conditions and this will curtail the under clubbing problem. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em Straight all”  Geoff

Golf - Winter play in the rain, wind and mud

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
When the winter season begins golf takes on a new set of variables. As much as I enjoy playing in sunshine with the fairways dry and the ball rolling further on when hitting the ground after a driver or iron shot, winter golf is a new set of challenges. I will even go on record and admit to looking forward to the winter golf as it brings players closer together in competition with the increase in errors caused by weather conditions. The golfers who do not practise as much are at a definite disadvantage in winter with playing conditions more likely to impede rather than assist shots. The following is an article written by, Patrick Keegan a college graduate who competed on the NCAA collegiate level in golf for four years in the United States, and also served as a golf professional for two years.

My home course is on the Southern Coast of South Australia and winter is stormy and wet. It is not unusual to be on the course hitting into a 20 + gale force wind with rain coming sideways into your  face. So the preparation to play in this weather has been a part of why I persisted this past week playing in conditions that were not all that pleasant at times.  There is a scene in the 1980's film Caddyshack where the priest is playing his best round ever in lousy weather. His playing partners leave him to finish the round. On dropping the final shot into the hole his dance of elation is cut short when lightning strikes his putter waving above his head. I had a moment the same this week without the lightning strike, on the twelfth hole I hit the green in regulation and made an easy par setting me up for a good run home on the final six holes and a chance to break my handicap. The sky was black the rain was falling and I kept going and this was a two part bonus, made a gross 91 and played well in lousy weather.

Playing in Inclement Weather by Patrick Keegan on February 24, 2009

"We’ve all been there. You have a great round going, you are feeling it…then the clouds get dark and the skies open up. You go from stringing pars and birdies together, to barely being able to hang on to the club. The temperature drops in the blink of an eye, and before you know it, you are cold, playing poorly, and completely out of it. There really is nothing worse than having a great morning or afternoon ruined by poor weather. But, since you likely do not play on the PGA Tour, you will actually have to play through some bad stuff over the course of a season.



The bottom line is that no one is on top of their game during a stretch of poor weather. The key is to let it have as minimal an effect on you as possible. Because, even a 15 minute stretch of rain can ruin a round of golf, if you are not prepared to handle it, mentally and physically.


Half the battle with the elements is a mental one. In my competitive days I much preferred playing in terrible weather when I knew I was going to have to. Seeing an awful forecast for a big round of golf didn’t really phase me much. I would go into the round with the mindset that ‘it’s going to be a grind’ and ‘everyone else has to play in the same weather that I do’. This was always much better than having a beautiful day unexpectedly ruined by a downpour. But, when it does rain, you can’t let it bother you or get into your head. You will likely get frustrated, but half the battle is keeping your composure and playing through it.


If mentally preparing yourself is half the battle, the other half is preparing yourself physically. It is essential that you bring proper attire for whatever might come your way. My philosophy with rain gear has always been “light and tight”. Too much clothing will hold you back and make swinging the club difficult. Avoid sweatshirts, sweaters, and anything with cotton. Cotton will only soak up water and make your task even more difficult. It’s best to wear a tight top made from either spandex or polyester. I usually wear a GORE-TEX rain vest or jacket depending on the temperature and amount of precipitation. GORE-TEX rain pants are an absolute must for me too. They keep the entire bottom half of my body dry, I can’t recommend them highly enough.


Lastly, and most importantly, your hands. The only part of you that is actually attached to the golf club. If you can’t hold on to the club comfortably and confidently, you are done. You need to find yourself a really good pair of rain gloves, or an alternative. I personally have never found a pair of rain gloves that I like or can rely on. I tend to grip the club tighter than most players, so when the rain comes, I go with my bare hands. Everyone has habits or rituals they go to when the weather turns. Find a combination that works for you, and rely on it. Keeping your head focused on your game as opposed to the elements is all that you can hope for while playing inclement weather. The rest is out of your hands."

This was an interesting piece that described to me why I look forward to winter golfing, the harsher playing environment and influences are in my favour. Mentally I have a positive outlook in the worst conditions and have won some of my best competition rounds in the most trying of weather conditions.
Thank you for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - Putting and chipping practise works

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
9th June 2010 Got out on the course at 3pm this afternoon to practise pitching and putting. Set up a pitching target and used the Wedge only in the practise, in games of late often used the 7 iron to pitch and run from the fringe of the greens. The 7 iron has taken a while to get a good enough touch to pitch and run the ball up to the hole. Do not have a preference for using either club it is a matter of which one will deliver the best result. The Pitching Wedge is becoming a very effective tool for me from 25 metres and in to the green, all from the repetitive practising that has been done in 2010.


Putting; often referred to as the “other game” in golfing conversations is not a strength in my game, still making bad putts in close to end up with three putting holes. Searching for knowledge to improve my putting and having lessons have all began to give my efforts some substance to improve on. Recently some words and a description in how to improve putting from Hale Irwin (US Open, 1974/79, Aust and Sth African Opens 1978, Brazilian Open 1982, winner US Ryder Cup Team 1975/77/79 and US vs Japan Tournament 1983.) has made this a lot easier to practise.

Hale Irwin comments, “I know you see a wide range of styles on the putting green, but the players who are consistently good putters have three things in common. They operate from a stance which is basically square and well balanced; their heads remain almost completely still throughout the swing; and the face of the putter repeats its square contact with the ball every time. It does not matter how odd some of the putting styles may look, you can guarantee that if they are successful they will incorporate these three factors. So should your putting action.”

Practising putting is not spectacular or as energetic as it is with drivers or irons and we have all heard the advice of why it is important and the reasons. Even so it can easily become an irritating mantra which takes the fun out of practise. That is the “F” word that is important in golf; FUN none of that in the game and where is the enjoyment for a player? I enjoy practise at times it does become a task, that is when I change the routine to enliven my spiit and challenge my progress in a different direction. A little change and I can return to practising the same routins again later on refreshed and enjoying it as much as when I began. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em Straight all.”Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - 54 holes fixes the slice, hook and putting yips

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
8th June 2010 Peaked this weeks training this morning after playing 18 holes 3 days in a row, was not certain if 18 would be played this morning. It was not imperative to do so in respect to my training program, although it could not hurt and eventually in coming months it would have to be done any way. Playing three consecutive days of 18 holes is something I have not done for at least a year, when I was first starting to play golf again.


First result to report is my physical condition being excellent, feet and ankles a little stiff is the only noticeable after effect from 54 holes played. Not positive about the next assumption, felt a little resistance in my back and ribs to the swing turn during the last 6 holes today and Monday as well. This became apparent during practise swings and I adjusted the stroke to remove the feeling with no ill effects. Sitting here 4 hrs later there is no residual stiffness or tenderness, in which case this can be put down to tiring towards the end on the rounds. As it took two months to prepare for Southern Ports tournament in March this year, I have definitely progressed to a greater extent in my physical conditioning without being consciously aware this was happening. I am aware that golfers do not need to be an athlete to play good competative golf, the higher your level of fitness is does give you another asset in game play. It is very easy to ignore fittness in the quest to play better golf, the game does require you to learn specific skills and repetative practise to hone them. I do use a couple of excersise tools, a set of handgrips and a 5 strand chest expander. If I have a gap in playing golf then I use the excersise equipment. Just to keep my arms, shoulders, hands tuned and active.
I view my golf practise and training the same as a trainer sees a horse in preparation, have a set of goals to meet in competition and know that the conditioning is done well in advance. Tuesday my score improved on the day before by one stroke a gross 90 (33 putts), compared to 91(30 putts) on Monday and Sunday’s 93 (32 putts). No complaints from this happy golfer, no matter what errors were made in the round that could have made the score lower, consistency has been established in my game again. It has been a challenging target to achieve with new irons and establishing a better fitness and physical condition while still trying to be competitive and improve my game skill level at the same time. My game scores of late have been below acceptable standards and this is no critique of my ability. Simply my skill is not that good, a 21 handicap indicates that.
Today I am not going to play a round, instead with the lousy weather a little practise on the putting and pitching range will do and I can catch up on some career work for a change this week. My iron game has been intriguing to experience of late. The irons have a lot more feel and the ball can be shaped with draws and fades. Getting a consistent swing every time is still being worked on. During the past 3 days the feel of my swing has became second nature and the grip as well, and memorised into how to do it correctly, more often. The driver was totally on the mark in the 3rd round, settled into that 200m distance shot that gets the best results with accuracy. The added bonus was that the distance had crept out to 220m off the tee average with the continued practise of the past days. Did enjoy the past months of winding up and really giving the ball a crack off the tee, the wayward shots were disastrous though and it is good to be back to a profitable game rythym on the tee. As usual looking forward to the coming weekends game and having a red hot go at winning my first Monthly Medal for the season.  “Hit ‘em straight all.”Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1 

7 June 2010 Only 4 months ago to play in the Southern Ports Tournament it took 2 months of training to be develop the capability to play three 18 hole rounds in a week. Fitness is one of the reasons many of us amateur golfers play each week, after all a 6 plus kilometre walk with some vigorous swinging is a good thing.

The question that I needed answered was; “How far can a healthy person walk with no training?” http://walking.about.com/od/beginners/f/howfarbegginer.htm Thanks to the internet it was not too hard to find the answer. Ten kilometres (6 miles) is do-able for a healthy person without diabetes, heart disease, or orthopaedic problems. That is about 2 hours of walking. It is not recommended walking for 2 hours as a starting place for regular walking exercise, simply saying that's how far a healthy person COULD walk without training. Which is most likely why I was often so stiff and out of energy on Mondays after playing 18 holes during 2009. I may have been relatively healthy when I started playing golf, in medical terms. I certainly was not fit enough to walk and play golf at my best. My weekly routine did have a plan to work to, playing two rounds of 18 , including Sunday competition, plus 3 x 9 hole rounds each week.

This was not possible every week for the first year, injury took its toll on my body that caused most of my non golfing time. Soft tissue and hamstring problems all related to damage in a motor vehicle accident in the 1980’s. I strained the intercostal muscles between the ribs, these move with breathing, and particularly violently when sneezing. Several of the muscles that move your shoulder (Pecs, lats) attach to you chest wall, hence difficulty swinging golf clubs. treatment is painkillers and rest. That injury was recurring and took 2-3 months out of playing it is fine no. The cause was the straining of internal scar tissue and whilst very painful as the doctor said, “your body is actually realigning itself correctly” which is why 12 months later my physical condition is better than it has been in 20 plus years.

On Monday 7th after the Sunday round I went out for 9 holes after getting a couple of hours work done. With the success of the day before, I kept the option open to play 18 if possible, which I did. Improving on the result with a 91 off the stick, two strokes better and 30 putts. I was flagging over the last 5 holes energy wise and did make 3-4 errors which cost me an equivalent number of strokes. I do have a particular game strategy, that has no bearing on what course I am playing on. Breaking 18 holes into loosely four sections being, the first 4 holes and having a gross score of 21-22, with this I know that I am playing close to bogey golf which is appropriate for my present handicap. After 9 holes a score of 44-48 is what I look for on my card. This gives me a definite focus on what I can shoot for at the end of 18. The next three holes I play with a touch more aggression, with a target of 60-65 gross wanted after this attacking charge. If I blow out during this stanza there is still 5 holes left to recover a close to nett handicap score, if not then my target is to play the final six holes in 25-30 strokes. My current handicap is 21 and I have played with this round strategy for the past 6 months and dropped 4 strokes. Soon it will be due for a recalculation to suit my next handicap goal.



The Handicap Finals pairing is confirmed after the last semi final was played Sunday. With last years runner-up winning (2 up after 18 holes) over my conqueror in the elimination rounds. It will be an interesting final with only 4-5 strokes in handicap between the two players, I think a 9 hcp Vs 13 hcp. The game is not scheduled until the 20th of June and having caddied for one of the finalists in his last round (his vision is going, glaucoma) and winning against his opponent in last years final, I have a more than passing interest in the result.

Depending on the weather on Tuesday I will get in 9 holes and put in some time with the driver, mid irons and pitching wedge, before some putting practice that is starting to get my on the green play back to some form that has been lacking for several weeks. Thankyou for your time and attention, Hit ‘em straight all. Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - concentrate on the setup to win

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1

6/6/2010 The past week of practise paid off on the course in todays competition.best round for a while admittedly only by one stroke and managed to drop from 21.4 to 21.3. The last 8 rounds I have played to the following handicaps starting on 21/3/10 – 21hcp, next 28hcp, 30 hcp, 34 hcp, 27 hcp, 24 hcp, 24 hcp and 23 hcp. on today 6/6/2010.


Today was a particularly enjoyable day as can happen on the golf course with good company. Which is an unspoken attribute to playing well at times, with the right playing partners a very comfortable attitude can establish itself that is a benefit to playing your game. The three of us are all around the same handicap and intent on improving them. This created a pleasant group attitude with a smattering of very good humour and support. In fact there was not one eruption of the F@#k volcano for any of the bad shots played by any of us. I did have a fair few “Bugger” moments though.

Came out of the blocks well, pars on the first two holes and a bogey on the third, with a start like that already two strokes under my handicap it was always going to be a reasonable round. The weather was superb, just enough breeze to be noticeable and refreshing in the sunny early afternoon. Made several very costly mistakes that affected my round. Two bad drives, one a hook off a par 3 out of bounds! This is not a major concern as it is a result of a grip change by me back to how I should hold the stick again. Amazing that the grip which we all know is the constant cause of problems, can be correct and then gradually a player starts to make subtle changes and have to go back to correcting it. In my case I have noticed the change happening and it is nothing but laziness that caused the problem. I made a change to my pitching and used the 7 iron for most holes and this was very effective in getting the ball inside the 2m circle around the hole on most holes. The greenkeeper has lowered the blades on the mower and the greens are a little faster than usual and this adds a challenging intrigue to putting. Especially how hard to hit the ball, they are so smooth the ball just keeps rolling and a lag put can very easily end up 2m past the target if struck a touch too hard. I did miss two very easy close putts through hurrying the shot. Also had two putts which literally stopped just short of the lip of the hole. Once again though it was not bad action but the mental actions that cost me dearly. The bad tee shots and the two missed putts all came from not setting up properly and causing the errors. How often is this important fact described in coaching and so easily overlooked and forgotten in the focus on swinging clubs and hitting the ball. Good thing I don’t play golf for a living, be eating a lot of 2 minute noodles for 3 meals a day if that was the case.

At the end of the day I came in tied 3RD place, two players tied for first six positions 2 on nett 70, 2 on second nett 71 and 2 (including me) In third nett 72.

=1 100 5101300219 N N 94 70 24.4 24 24 24.0 O

=1 100 5101300231 N N 80 70 10.0 10 10 9.7

=2 88 5101300211 N N 82 71 10.9 11 12 10.8 O

=2 88 5101300249 N N 96 71 25.0 25 26 24.9 O

=3 75 Geoff D. N N 93 72 21.3 21 23 21.2 O

=3 75 5101300264 N N 92 72 19.6 20 22 19.6 O

Two strokes too many at the end of the day that could have been saved with a little more mental concentration.

A lot more practise this week to do happy with my progress of late and this coming week is the Monthly Medal and it would be nice to win my first for the season. Main goal is to be in best form for the 27th of June, the next round of the DK Edwards trophy at the Keith Golf course. Best 6 rounds out of 10 competition played at different courses in the region. Thankyou for your time and attention, Hit ‘em straight all.Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - stop slice and hook off the tee

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
Had an easy 3/4 hr practise session Friday morning, working on the iron problem that has been irritating of late. Nothing major in the problem, for some reason my approach shots to the green from around the 100 metre out distance with the 8 and 9 irons have consistently been hit fat and falling short. Set myself up on the range and started hitting balls and that was most likely the problem, not enough practise with the short irons of late. Hit 30 + balls and they all made a good grouping at 90-105 metres for the two irons, Then had a tune up session with the 5 and 3 irons, these two have become popular selections around the course of late in my game. The re-shafted irons feel good and the accuracy with them is well worth the continuing practise. Then finished off with a short pitching and putting session following on from the practise put in this past week in these two parts of my game.

Played in the social 'Chicken Run' 9 hole stableford comp. Friday afternoon. the first three tee shots were a hook, slice, hook lost one ball and took the option of not playing a provisional ball each time. Previously I have taken the playing on with the penalty in this competition. Today I decided that this was not deserved and I would rather score a blank than fight for a 1 or 2 points that was not deserved. The next 6 holes I scored 15 points hit 3 greens in regulation and came home well. Pitched well enough around the greens even though the ball was not  as close as I would have liked to the pin. My putting was an interesting experience to say the least because of the distances. I still managed to go long, up to 2 metres past on one hole and dropped every return putt . No complaints at all with this and it was good to add results on the green to confidence.

Thank you for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - Some progress is happening slowly

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
Jun 02 2010  The last two days have been spent practising and getting a semblance of effective consistency with the driver and irons in my bag. The driver did not require much to improve and get the result I am after. It has been a lot of fun the past couple of months hitting booming drives off the tee. I am not a big hitter of the ball, never had the physical conditioning or swing dynamics to get the long metres off the tee. With that in mind it was my decision to wallow in the ability to drive 250-270 m for a few weeks. It was not a waste of effort, learning to control your drive and deliver the ball as accurately as possible is crucial to improving your handicap. Having never been in the position before and have a reliable drive technique to practise this with has been another distraction in my game of late.

For those of you are not aware, I have been back playing golf a little over a year now. That means there is a long way to go to reach the various stages of lower handicaps. The transition from low 20’s to the teens is where I am at now. Where as previously my handicap had several holes giving two strokes added on to par now it is three (21Hcp). I can play bogey golf and plug along easily enough, it is more enjoyable to grab the moment and see how well I can play and win competitions though. Getting my drive on par 4’s to the 150m marker or closer to the green has been achieved. The accuracy was not there and this week I have corrected the fault in my set up that seems to have been the cause. I was concentrating during setup on the tee in my body alignment. Changing the focus to the club head during set up courtesy of advice from Billy Dunk and Kel Nagle (yes been reading Golf Porn again) has delivered accuracy. Apart from the accuracy, the most noticeable change has been that I am standing a lot closer to the ball on the tee and the club feels more comfortable in my grip not being stretched out so far to reach the ball.



Next up in the improvement list was the irons, been getting too much height and some atrocious pulled and sliced shots of late. This was compounded with the 3 changes in clubs of late. Two of the sets were too short in the shafts, plus being older clubs have more loft than newer models. Having the reshafted clubs available to use again since last Friday has been an improvement in the equipment. The shot execution was still below average until yesterday. The crux of the problem was that for some reason I had started playing the ball closer to my front foot. This resulted in me scooping the ball up and not having the loft of the club doing the work. It was as simple as that, moved the ball back in my stance and the accuracy and distance returned to the iron shots. All of them that is, from 3 iron to Wedge iron, I use all of theses clubs from 170m in to the green.



Proof is in the playing though and this morning I had to rush out early and get 9 holes in to see if the practise had delivered. Early start as it is ladies day and the course is full from 10am onwards. The results were 5 greens hit in regulation, a 42 off the stick, all drives on the fairways and a very enjoyable morning hit. My putting was very ragged, only one birdie but that was not a concern it was the long shots I wanted to see the results from. Past few weeks pitching and putting has been no fun at all as these shots have all been the make or break strokes trying to scrape home bogeys after my erratic drives and fat second shots. No matter what my goals are in golf, having fun and enjoying playing are always the most important ones.

Thankyou for your time and attention, Hit ‘em straight all.

Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - not all games are fun

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
May 30 2010  Gotta love the rain when it is blowing sideways into your face on the golf course, well you do when it does not last for too long. A couple of holes had the rain fall down and it is the first time this season that winter conditions had to be played in. Which for our local course that means welcoming the wind off the Southern Ocean. One very surprised golfer here, instead of having my shots blow all over the course I was instead treated to shots going where the aim was. It was amazing to be hitting the ball and not being at the whim of the weather. Do single figure handicappers get the same thrill of a shot going to the spot it was aimed to? I reckon they do it is just not mixed up with the thrill and shock surprise of playing such a sweet shot. On the last hole my second was onto the green in regulation. Hitting into the wind it was the final proof that the reshafted clubs have the right setup.

Even started to get the distances right in club selection across the gamut of all my irons. Particularly the approach irons 8-W, and the feel with the 7 iron in playing pitch and run was spot on. Driver was right on the mark today as well into the wind, with the wind and cross wind nothing went wrong, a little wayward and a few difficult second shots which did not help my score. Speaking of which, I admit to having the most uninspiring competition round ever today. The competition was a Modified Stableford and to be honest a total waste of my time and I found it as interesting as watching grass grow. (which answers to the score of myself and the two others in my group) We did not even bother to tally it up as the round progressed. Put our cards in and let the captain figure it out, the fact that cards were printed up for each player to carry during the round showing how to score in this type of comp. sums up its relevance.



This is how you score in Modified Stableford Nett Albatross (3 under par) = 8 points, Nett Eagle (2 under par) or better = 5 pts. Nett Birdie (1 under par) = 2 pts. Nett Par = 0 pts Nett Bogie (1 over Par) = -1 pt and Nett Double Bogie (2 over par) or worse = -3 pts. I really cannot be bothered having to deal with this sort of scoring in a game. It may be fun and a challenge to match the scores but the size of the field 5 players (Pennants took a lot out and the weather conditions) speaks for the interest in this sort of competition as well. Perhaps I could have been more interested and made the effort to track my score and use it to have a good game focus. But I didn’t and know for a fact that next time this event is in the program I will be a non starter. My final score was -10 the only thing I did do was play out every hole and so a 104 off the stick was my total and two others had the same gross as well. As much as I enjoyed playing some good shots my lack of interest in scoring had me play several half hearted pitches, 5-6 poor second shots that added up to the bad total and I still could not care. In summary of the result and days play “Big deal, never again”. Mind you the group had a great time playing the 18 and had a lot of good laughs. Thankyou for your time and attention, Hit ‘em straight all.

Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - Caddy for championship finalists

May 29 2010  An enjoyable experience being the ‘eyes’ for one of the golfers in the matchplay yesterday. Did make an error in the previous post, the guy who is losing his sight’s handicap was 7 and went out to 12 with the new handicapping system. The glaucoma which is causing the blokes vision to go is gradual and prior to the onset of this his handicap was down to 4. The opponent was a fella who started playing last year as I did and is slowly getting his game together at the minute on 32, being handicap matchplay the 12 handicapper gave him a stroke on every hole plus two strokes on one.
Play your best golf - break 90 Vol 1

I did speak to them both on the first tee explaining that I was there to observe and not to have to bother about including me in the social chatter as the game progressed. It was all convivial for the match as it went anyway, I just wanted to let them know that I understand the gamesmanship that goes on during these matches and did not need to be considered a distraction. On the back nine I did ease myself a little more ‘space’ away from them. The game was getting serious and by the 14th hole I don’t think they even knew I was there.

After 9 holes the low handicapper was 2 down after winning the 9th. The high handicapper is one of the biggest hitters at the club his short game lets him down and his club selection is a failing limiting his options. Tends to hit hard and long without any finesse. Good grief here I am on 21hcp making this observation and I have only recently began realising there is more golf swing speeds besides “FLAT OUT”shots can be shaped deliberately and not flukes that come about when trying to hit straight. Five holes later the score was all square, the 11th to 13th holes are tight and no room for error off the tee and the low handicapper won both 11 and 12, had the chance to go one up on the 13th and missed a short putt to end up halving the hole. A little reaction of disgust in himself steamed out and it was game on from there. Match play in finals adds pressure on players and it can be the mistakes made from club selection to thought that gets the result in the end. This match went to the 18th hole and even with a bad drive and a bad second, third long into the bunker fourth on the green, fifth a lagged putt that stopped short, the higher handicapper sank a sensational putt, 4 metres, down hill over a tiered green to hole out in 6 and still lose to a sensational 5 m lag putt his opponent stopped 4-5 cm from the hole and and par the last.

It was a matter of pressure having a greater effect upon the less experienced player. Some poor club selection in particular choosing a ‘Lob’ Wedge ( I think they are called that? 60 degree loft) around the green and popping the ball up in the air and going forward a metre or two and still off the green. Not once but several times On the other hand the lower handicapper played a game that unless I was there would have been indescribable. Perfect placement to my vision (not to the guy losing his sight) the fact that on our course which is 14 holes, 4 holes are played twice with different tee markers. On the holes played twice his shots were in the same position from drive to second and on the green in regulation. If you reading this are a single figure handicapper that is without doubt what makes the difference among the grade of golfers. ‘SHAPING THE BALL WITH DRAWS AND FADES TO LAND PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHERE YOU AIMED’. That is a huge advantage and display of ability and skill from the better golfers. Having several practise swings before playing a shot was exactly the same each time the by the low handicapper and did he release some power in the swing. The totally smooth effortless swing that does not show any sign of effort.

I have a long way to go in getting to 15hcp this season, at least there is no delusion in the effort and improvement that is needed to achieve this. Also the reality of my getting to 15 is by no means certain, although the end of June should give me some indication of how my progress is going. I have now started using the reshafted clubs after the glue curing period ended Friday. I tried really hard to not use them until Saturday but it was like having the keys to the lolly shop and not opening the door to have a peek. The longer shafts have been the exact change needed, the ball now gets the distance that was lacking before. Not an increase in distance but back to my usual club ranges. Also have gained a much better ‘feel’ and touch using the clubs around the green which is vital. The results so far with the new clubs were a 43 with 14 putts Friday and a 94 with 32 putts Saturday having a social practise hit. Tomorrow will be a challenge as my putting is still poor and my accuracy (Long to Mid Irons) is not up to standard. Next lesson with the club pro is going to be on my long and mid irons, he has done a terrific job showing me the way to use a driver also pitching and putting around and on the green. I am a great believer in getting professional coaching to tune up and establish a golf game. It makes a lot of sense and gets results for me. I have listened to other golfers say that lessons have not helped them which is hard to believe. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all”.Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - Results make it worth the effort

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
May 27 2010 Practising what you preach is a must with golf, words are not going to improve technique and skills, hitting balls correctly is. Got out early to have an 18 hole practise round to see if my deductions were correct in the improvements that would be worked on in coming months. Used the short shaft, Keith Knox blades and finished the front nine with 48 strokes (21 putts). Came home in the back nine with 43 strokes (15 putts). Total 91 strokes and 36 putts for 18 holes, deduct my handicap (21) for a nett 70. There was four 3 putts and a couple of duffed short pitches in the 18 holes. Did not have any warm up hits the first five holes were where most of the putting errors and duffed pitches were made. Before a round, having 20-30 practise hits plus putting warm up is my usual routine. Not to be taken as an excuse, this is the reality of my ability and 21 Hcp.

Moving the ball back in my stance definitely had the effect that was deduced yesterday and is an adjustment to compensate for the short shafts on the Keith Knox irons. A little wallow in the pleasure of using these sticks, delightful and easy in the hands to swing and strike the ball. The shorter shafts will have to be replaced eventually. Today my mind was on the task did hit a couple of fat and thin shots but once the front nine was finished as the score showed came home very well. Hitting greens in regulation and on the last hole was 2cm off getting a birdie to finish. Also left the big driver at home again and used the #3 metal off the tee and fairway again and well to. A great improvement on the disastrous efforts that were why it was taken out of my bag. Very satisfying to play to my handicap today and only taking four days to get some good insight into the practise routine and game plan changes needed to go down in handicap again. Putting and pitching will be concentrated on in the build up to Sundays round and see if I can come in among the winners.



Tomorrow morning I am caddying and walking the course with two of the finalists in the club Handicap matchplay comp. In a testament to the recently introduced handicap system one of the players who has a degenerative eye disease is in with a good chance. He is going blind slowly and has virtually no peripheral vision, under the previous handicap system he was on 11-12 now out to 17-18. He requires his playing partners to watch his ball when it is hit as he cannot see it’s flight in the narrow tunnel his eyesight is reduced to. I am going to do a bit of caddying and mostly be watching the balls for both players. His opponent is a player who is beginning to get consistent with his game. Hits a very long ball and never holds back, in March he won the first round of the Southern Ports Tournament C grade on a day where the wind was a gale blowing balls backwards, sideways and into orbit. Was the second best qualifier in this championship, the number one qualifier was knocked out today 4 and 3, beaten by the player who wiped me off the course. Have a great coming weekend and Hit ‘em straight all.

Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - Practise and new irons to lower the scores

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
May 26 2010 Returned home after four days on the travelling and partying circuit. Good to get away have a play in the nighttime and socialise while doing a little business at the same time. No golf in the trip aside from picking up the latest addition to my club collection. Very happy to have a set of Keith Knox R700 blades circa late 1970’s (I will guess). New grips on them and although a little short in length have been a delight to use the last three days. Have been hitting the ball very sweet and the smaller heads on the irons are “light as a feather”. I have also reshafted the set of late 80’s irons and they will be ready friday/saturday for a hit. The longer shafts will be a good correction for my accuracy and distance consistency.

The progress in the past months has been very gradual in my game. In essence it is a matter of relearning a lot of the basics again and coming to grips with the requirements of playing to a lower handicap. It has been most surprising to notice the difference in my own ability to play shots, the improvement is a little disconcerting, now it is a matter of not expecting slices and hooks to happen. The ball flying straight and true is a delight to experience off my clubs. There is several specific improvements which have been establishing themselves in my game of late. Now I can identify them and accept as permanent aspects of my game for now and not the occasional fluke that I used to try to have repeat.



First is the drives off the tee, after the lessons in January 2010 the club pro put me on the right track with my swing plane. Since then the hours of practise have delivered better results than I even considered possible. First off the Driver a King Cobra S9.1- 9.5 degree has been a revelation from my first ever swings with it. I have never been a big hitter of the ball on or off the tee. Even though in 2009, I used the 3 iron off the tee choosing accurate and controlled hitting of the ball with as few errors as possible in preference to “no Idea” ball clubbing with Drivers. The past two weeks my distance off the tee is 220-250 metres with the driver. Accuracy is average and nothing that some dedicated practise and set up routine cannot improve and establish. This morning I left the Cobra and took a No 3 metal, a club that I was very erratic with previously. Nine holes later no bad drives, 200-220 m average and some amazing hits that were shaped with draws and fades as well had me gob smacked. Irons were a bit ragged to begin, the last 5 holes began to get the set up with the shorter shafted irons figured out. Simply a matter of having the ball a little further behind the front foot solved the over hitting errors. Ended up hitting the last green in regulation and one putt for a birdie. Drive #3 Metal 220m, 5 iron 150m and Putter 1.5-2m in the hole. Speaking of the putter the PGF model 705 is perfect, took a while to track one down and was well worth the effort. Pitching/chipping is a little scrappy at the minute, nothing that some practice will not address and improve either.



The simple program is the same as it was when starting out. hitting buckets of balls with all my clubs. Not forgetting the same with Pitching, chipping and putting. The difference this time is that the hitting will be a lot more measured and directed to hitting targets for all clubs.



Having seen friends make the move from low twenties handicaps to teens has made it easier for me. All of the work put into getting my swing and actions working well does not end it is still a matter of “hitting balls” to improve. It has been frustrating as my brain has been figuring out what I need to do next. Sitting here at the minute knowing the steps required in my program, it is so obvious all along what I had to do, yet it did not click until this morning. The past two weeks in particular built up

my awareness of the transition coming. Lately some of the balls hit have been perfect and then the shots have been repeated with following strokes. A bit of revelling and wallowing in this delight has happened. Then there have been the blow out holes which when on 25-22 Hcp are a lot easier to recover from. With a 22 handicap a golfer can have 4 double bogies among a round of bogies, pars and birdies, that is a handy number of strokes to have in hand during a round. The trial with the blades and other irons has not helped in my results of late. That time has past now and the consistency will return. With the new handicapping system it is going to take a little longer to drop strokes even so 18 is the target by the end of July 2010. Thankyou for your time and attention.

Hit ‘em straight all.

Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - A lot has changed in 12 months

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
19th May 2010 Golf is a game that is for many people one of the very few things they willingly initiate and accept change in. You have most likely experienced this yourself and even at this given time the reaction to the new handicapping is still resonating. The year seems to be flying along and this morning while browsing backposts up came my initial entry in the ISeekGolf.com Player Description, March 13 2010. I am editing it here now and putting the changes in brackets.

First name: Geoff

Height: 180 cm (looks like my growth spurts are over)

Weight: 103 kg (105kg stopped smoking 3 months ago and been snacking a bit too much)

Location: Limestone Coast

Years Playing: Started playing seriously again in 2009

Righty or Lefty?: Righty

Home Course: Robe

What’s in the Bag?: Driver – King Cobra S 9.1

Irons – Shark XLT 3-SW, Dunlop Putter (2 x Hybrids MaxiFli 16deg. & TopFlite 18deg. )(Irons Ben Hogan power thruster blades and ProSimmon “Ping Karstens 1980’s” lookalikes, Sliver Scot 60deg. L/W)(PGA Model 705 BAT Putter)

Handicap: 22 (21)

Handicap Goal for 2010: 15

Strengths: Consistent

Weaknesses: Concentration lapses (been a little less practise than in 2009)

Your Typical Pre-Round Routine: 30 min driver, irons warm up, 30 min Pitching, putting. Stretches, Sacrifice chicken.

Your Golf Attire (usually): Neat casual

Club Distances: Varies Summer or Winter (Driver 220m-250m)(Irons 150m usually a 5 iron, since using the older clubs distance is less because the club lofts are greater)

Your Usual Ballflight: Straight, slight fade on occasional long irons (Straight and a draw on Driver and irons now)

Have You Played Competitively? Yes, golf is a sport and I like to win as well as improve my game :) Where? Every home club comp, Various club Opens When?: Whenever I can.

Pick The Ball Cleanly, or Divot?: Cleanly (starting to take divots now and working on this with the blades)

Blades or Cavity Backs?: Cavity backs (BLADES)

Links or Tree Lined?: Tree lined

Range Rat or Gain Experience By Playing? Both

What Time of Day Do You Prefer Playing? Any time

Do You Get First Tee Jitters? No

Your Overused Golf Sayings: “I’m happy with that”, “Bugger” and of course “F#@K”

Quiet Player or Loud?: Quiet

Walk or Golf Cart?: walk

Favourite Golf Quotes: “At least it went forward”

Highest / lowest / current handicaps:36/22/22 (36/21/21)

Best golfing memory: Winning Club Handicap Championship 2009 (Second place Southern Ports Tournament (3 rounds) “C” grade



Even though my height has not changed of late there has definitely been a few times that I have felt taller of late. This has a lot to do with some excersises and physio therapy that has been done since April. Well worth the effort. Damn it have got a bit fatter of late, not smoking is a poor excuse I gave up in the 1980’s and lost 10-15 kg then. A bit of lazy b@st@rd attitude is a better reason for this and having and extended holiday of sorts since the end of February.



My equipment has had a total make over, the Cavity backs are gone from the bag after giving good service since June 2009. In the last two weeks an old set of Prosimmons “ping” Karstens lookalikes has been purchased and used together with a set of mostly Ben Hogan Power Thruster blades. This week end a set of Keith Knox blades will be picked up for the bag. Also with the set of Prosimmons came a PGA putter which feels perfect in my hands and a Silver Scot 60* L/W. Purchased a set of new Presto irons, with True Temper firm shafts (half inch longer) for use in reshafting the Prosimmons. Oddly I have another set of 1980’s irons and they too are short shafts.



The move to blades has been coming for a while and I could have by passed getting the Ping lookalike set, my original set in the 1980’s were like these and it is a feeling of familiarity and they do have assistive Toe-Heel balance and weighting that is a benefit for my current ability. Using the blades already is part of my transition to this style of club. It is a purely personal trait to do this in my chosen manner. Starting with the older blades is a deliberate choice to give me a benchmark in comparing what is available in the market now. I would like to stress that the Cavity back SHARK XT irons were fine and the over size head and assistive club design did help a lot. The last few months though it has became a feature of my game where the assistive attributes of the irons were a hindrance and played me into trouble. Since moving to the mix of blades I have noticed improved accuracy and in particular ‘feel’ around the greens when pitching and chipping. Cavity backs do not pass on the direct feel from the ball hitting the club, for those who have never hit anything but Game improvement clubs ask anyone who hits blades what a mishit feels like! Hitting a ball sweet is a delight, a mishit is like an electric shock and being hit with sledge hammer in unison. The feel and touch around the greens with blades is a joy for me and is totally energising to my game enjoyment.



Equipment is part of the development. Golfers in general are very open about their progress over the years and being a good listener it has been valuable assistance. Perhaps you have been through the transition of Breaking 90 for the first time or from low 20’s to the teens, low teen’s to single figure handicap. Golf is a game of stages for each individual and it has been a revelation to become aware of what is needed to be done for me to go the next step. When on 23+ hcp blowing out 1 to 3 holes a round was a lot easier to recover from. The past 4-6 weeks has been a mixture of getting the equipment and taking action to change the game I have been playing to suit a lower handicap.



One of the benefits of how the playing groups are made up at my home club is they are random. Having played with virtually every member in every grade, socially the club is easy to mingle at. Being a good listener there is all the information needed passed around among players. Some are eloquent others terse in golf chatter. Yet from among them all I have garnered the experience of various journeys down and up in handicaps. Just as I am sure that you reading this have had the gamut of experiences in reaching certain levels of playing ability.



Can you recall the first time you realised that having reached the mid to low twenties that it was a begining all over again to get to the teens?

Thankyou for your time and attention Hit ‘em straight all.

Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - Consistently making the wrong shot not the right one

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1

17th May 2010 Maintaining my consistent efforts in competition is becoming a bad habit at the minute. Once again a blow out on one hole (11th) and an Out of bounds on the last hole after having played myself back to one over my handicap was a disappointing end to a great day on the course. Irritated at myself and playing the drive that went OB when I should have walked away from the tee due to outside noise distraction. At the time I was on a roll hitting the ball well and totally on my game, set myself for the drive, focussed on finishing even with my handicap for the 18. Then it started, the squeaking wheels of a buggy on the next fairway. It was a crescendo of screeching squeaks and I still played my shot when common sense dictated walking away from the tee until the noise stopped. No matter it shows that my mental attitude is still not right in competition and I can wear that more improvement is needed.




Played with a totally new club configuration in the bag; Cobra driver and the two rescue clubs then my Irons #3, #9, PW SW were all the Ping Karsten style irons, #4,#5,#6,#7,#8, were all Ben Hogan Power Thruster blades The cavity Back SHARK XLT’s which have done a sterling job as my club since June 2009 are being replaced. First it will be with the PING lookalike, after I have changed the shafts this week to longer ones, same as are in the Sharks. Not as forgiving and as with older clubs the loft is higher than current clubs, due to manufacturers decreasing club lofts in recent years. This did cause a few problems with under clubbing on Sunday, my short game was a little off a few times so making two putts max on all the greens was earnt on the day. Finished with a total of 32 putts out of a Gross 94 and nett 73 not the best of rounds but given the changes to my game and equipment at the minute I am still on track to reach the mid teens in my handicap this year.



Be seeing the club pro for lessons soon, his coaching with the use of the driver, and my short game + putting has been crucial to my current game. Now it is time to work on my long and mid distance irons. I am an average player and not over stated in my real ability to be able to pick up and rectify my errors. The club pro does a great job for me in this aspect, my game would be stagnant if I did not take the lessons.

Hit ‘em straight at.

Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - New clubs, Blades or Cavity backs?

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
15th May 2010

From Left (low) to Right (highest) in the pic are my irons from;


2010 – Ben Hogan 1960’s Blade, 2010 Unknown Circa 1980’s cavity back, 2009 Shark XLT Cavity back, 1986 YGF Cavity back



“Come to the Dark Side, Luke”… Use Blades.

In my time of playing golf one phrase has been regularly given to me as a comment and advice. “Don’t use blades!” Being one of those fortunate people who became serious about golf in the 1980’s the club choices available have grown markedly. It’s worth remembering, however, that until Ping made a huge impact on the golf equipment scene ALL irons were “blades”. The greats of yesteryear all improved and perfected their game on thin, small sweet spot irons that offered feel yet little forgiveness.

It’s only in relatively recent years that the industry as a whole has poured money into research and marketing to establish cavity back or improvement irons as “the” clubs for anyone who isn’t approaching a scratch score sheet. Being told; “I cannot….” plants a seed in my mind to one day have a go at something I can’t do. To make a short story long (again!) when I became a casual golfer during the 90’s the playing evolution of my golf stopped. In the build up to this my thoughts were becoming serious about trying blades. This time in the space of less than a year at the minute I have gone back to the future. First step was buying a set of new cavity backs, because the club style I wanted were no longer available. The Shark XLT’s were a bit better than the Dunlop Pro Tour set I used for the first month of playing. No great difference in effect, a little more “forgiving” definitely. This became a problem in the end, all to often I would mishit an approach shot from 130-150 m and out with 7 to 4 irons and the ‘forgiving’ aspect of the club would correct the error to carry the ball the distance but the accuracy was anywhere from 20 to 40 m left or right of the target. In my estimation ten of the holes at my club course with that error margin on long iron approaches end up with lost balls or unplayable lies. Not blaming the tools totally, the fella hitting the ball is the person who caused the mishit to happen.

Having gone from a 32 Hcp to 21 Hcp with the Shark XLT’s the frustration was that some of my developing shot playing skill was affected by the ‘forgiveness’ of the club interfering. It is now a week since the second set of clubs I purchased arrived and I have already broken 90 with them, and played myself into some good touch. Seeing as they are 3 cm shorter and 20 + years older than the Shark clubs that was an impressive result. It has proved that the less forgiving club, which when mishit, jars my hands and shoulders still sends the ball forward but not flying into trouble. Going a step further with the revamping of my clubs, an old set of blades near 40 years old off ebay has now joined the mix in my bag.

Just as some manufacturers, Titelist is one that has produced composite sets where the cavity back long irons have gradual progress to ‘muscle back’ (blades) with the short irons. I am certain that the cavity back iron has taken my game to the level it has reached and been a great benefit. I am just as certain that in the near future I will be playing with 100% of my irons being ‘blades’ or musclebacks as the term is applied. all of the nay saying about blades has been a total furphy, and in some cases been based upon arrogance not real appraisal of my ability. I do not feel as though the Dark side has lured me into the Star War of Golf Technology. yet It has been apparent through personal experience and research that the battle of the iron’s does exist among golfers.

The following is from “Blade Irons Vs Cavity Back Or Improvement Irons” @  Blade-Irons-Vs-Cavity-Back-Irons

“The crux of the debate lies in the following:

Cavity backs offer a large sweet spot which makes contact will the ball easier and as a consequence will “correct” slightly misaligned shots. This is called “forgiveness” and it is what these clubs are famous for and have been marketed as providing. The bottom line is that they make it easier for you to hit the ball straighter and with distance more consistently – they are assistive.

In contrast, blade irons provide a much truer reflection of your actual swing on any one shot. For example, if the club face is slightly misaligned on impact then this misalignment will be apparent in the trajectory, distance and direction of the golf ball after contact.

So – cavity backs are the obvious winner you might say as they will enable me to hit the ball straighter and further more consistently?

This is both true and not true.

While cavity backs are easier to hit and will result in a quicker level of consistency they do encompass two flaws which depending on your own aims for your golf game and your playing habits you may or may not want to have to accomodate.

The first of these is that because they are corrective in nature faults in your swing can be masked (ie hidden from you). Therefore, while you may make faster progress in the short term you are also likely to plateau more quickly as unlike blades they don’t force you to make a rigourous inspection and analysis of your swing. Many players consequently find that when they then decide to switch to blades after using improvement clubs for a lengthy period that there game falls to pieces as swing faults that were once hidden become instantly magnified. The consequence – a loss of confidence and an increase in scores. This experience by golfers is often the source of most negative comments about blades. “It’s the clubs they say”, when in fact it is very much their own swing.

The second and critical flaw if your making real in-roads into the game is that the short cavity back irons which are critical in your approach to the green are lacking in feel and shot-making capabilities. It’s your short game where the nuances of golf really come to life. A little more here, a little less there – that’s what your looking to perfect on your way into the green and the clunky nature of the over-sized improvement iron club heads make such control difficult.”

Thankyou for your time and attention, hit ‘em straight all.

Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - Eliminated from Handicap championship

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
May 07 2010  Played my Elimination final yesterday morning and came off second best. Was an excellent game played in good spirits which is always a bit of a challenge to start with, the social side of the game is not high on the agenda in matchplay. Was well beaten with a 5/4 result after 14 holes, yet did not feel disgraced. My opponent played some sensational golf hitting the greens in regulation, my opportunities on the 1st, 4th, 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th were all missed, no particular fault caused the result, a few bad putts, couple of ‘fat hit’ seconds to the green, and a couple of pitches that did not get close enough to the hole. I drove of the tee well, hitting fairways, the rest of my game was untidy and some poorly executed shots especially seconds, when I had my opponent under pressure cost me dearly in the end.




Was a bit concerned that I would be a “bad sport” in losing, My competitive nature is one thing, speaking what I am thinking might have me belt out something better off not said. Not a problem for most people, in my case though an important part of my career is based on saying the first thing that comes into my head. Now know that I am not a “bad sport”, bugger, would have prefered not to have found out though.



Having benefited in matchplay games before when my opponent was the one whose game was ‘off’ on that day. It is still a surprise to look back at the round and the 7 holes that I let myself down on to such effect. One member at our club goes so far as stating, “he has never been beaten by an opponent in matchplay.” alluding to the reasoning he made some errors and was not outplayed. This is total rubbish, good manners has me hold my tongue in this and I do not ever want to be that full of myself to say the same about any game I play. That is so damn rude to the winners ability to outplay the loser.



My last month of golf has been full of this erratic play, and to be on the receiving end of a couple of shots the opponent pulled out their ar*e this time, shows that golf is the great leveller. Phil Michelson did the same at the Masters this year from off the fairway and won, and at the level we play at the same shots happen. We are more surprised when they do, more luck than practise and skill for us club golfers in those ‘miracle’ shots.



Not at all disheartened with continuing to play as much golf as possible. Like any golfer awareness of other players is more than just keeping score during a round. The demeanour and attitude of other players is a part of the game that is often discussed around a club. Again something that is not a great concern and although warranted for some players when action has to be taken. Often I think it is just pissant bitching that is pathetic if the people saying it don’t have the guts to say it to someone else’s face. It has been refreshing to lose this time, and get benefits for my own game and character. Would much rather be a gracious winner than a good loser though, BUGGER! Thankyou for your time and attention. Hit ‘em straight all

Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf - Putting practise tool

Play Your Best Golf - Break 90 Vol 1
Can’t go past a few days away from home to refresh the mind and body, first break in a couple of weeks from working and did the world of good. Looked forward to getting back on the course and hitting a few balls around as well. The final 16 has been split into two groups of 8 for the Handicap matchplay elimination rounds. My group is headed by the best qualifier and apart from two players on 10 and 11 the other six are on 20-25 hcps. So far two of the matches have been decided the player on 10 hcp lost to a 21 handicapper 4/3 and the top qualifier (25hcp) won his first match 2/1 against a 20 Hcp player.




Playing my match tomorrow or the day after, drawn against a guy I have played with the past two weeks and giving him a stroke on 3 holes our respective handicaps are 21 (mine) and 24 (his). Will be an interesting match as there has not been much between us although I have been better over 18 holes in the final scoring of the past rounds. The match play index is different to the weekly competition playing index but not too much difference Number 1 M/play is the No. 2 Stroke play indexed hole, Number 2 M/play is No. 9 S/play and Number 3 M/play is the No. 4 Stroke play indexed hole. Must admit that I am fairly indifferent to the possible if any effect this can have on the outcome. Confident that I can win and have been fine tuning my putting and pitching that past week. My pitching has been a positive in my game of late getting within one put range. My putting has been in the doldrums though, not devastating in effect on my usual game but not at the level required to win matchplay and put pressure on opponents.



I had some putting coaching in February which improved my technique and accuracy. The club professional used this tool that is simply a metal tube which has two 20 cm pins at each end that stick into the green. Then it is a matter of putting balls with the club shaft running back and forth along the tube. It makes is easy to concentrate on the movement technique without concern about the club movement. During my trip away a visit to a hardware store ended up with me getting some towel railing and a couple of long tent pegs that have since been put together and I have my own putting tool for practise with now. This has been put to good use and the benefits are very noticeable already.



Have been concentrating on using the Driver to better effect in practise and that has made me reconsider the decision to use it less often. It has taken a bit of work to improve but again it was simply a matter of technique on the tee. Not being the best of golfers and only enthusiastic about improving my game, it takes me a while to identify my various faults and correct them one at a time. Presumably you have heard the words “see a professional” often enough when asking for assistance with your own game. That is not always possible, in fact we have only had a resident club pro for the past two years. In my own example though I have had coaching on three parts of my game, Driver, pitching and putting. Without doubt this has been well worth it and together with my filming of my stroke play keeps my game consistent and is money well worth spending. Thankyou for your time and attention. “Hit ‘em straight all”.

Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff