29/6/11 A good weekend on the courses for me, played in the stroke competition at Kingston SE on Saturday, then the 27 hole foursome at Robe on the Sunday. A weekend of third places, satisfied with the 85 gross for 71 nett at Kingston, first time in an A grade competition and was not far off, 1st 69 and 2nd place 70 nett. Combined pairs score at Robe was a 3rd place by half a stroke.
The Kingston SE course is entering the last few months of the major course development with the 7th green almost completed. The 18th green had to be relaid after a vandal attack with a 4WD ripped it up. The new turf is knitting together at the edges and a temporary green on the fairway is in use. For some reason the Kingston course has always been a successful golfing ground for me, having won in all the Open events there in the past I think that a change to the results will apply playing in the A grade section. That said it is a course which does challenge my golfing ability and the added concentration on my part does make me play better there.
Being only half an hour drive away it is the first choice for me when my game starts to get stale and lazy playing the home track. The addition of grass mounds on the fairways, (maintaining sand bunkers is too hard for country clubs which rely on volunteer green keeping assistance), put me under pressure with some tee shots. I was sitting pretty on the 18th and the ball ended on the side of a mound and the difficult lie was part cause of the OB shot and finishing with an 8 for a back nine of 43. The front nine 42 included a three putt hole that scored a double bogey 7 in the 42. The game plan for the day was to play attacking golf, going for the green with renewed vigour, putting was also a refreshed with positive energy. Playing the same course does tend to make my game go stale and I start to play uninspired lazy golf. Looking back on the day it was good in general and I am feeling confident for the Kingston SE Winter Open Tournament on the 31st of July.
The Sunday 27 holes at Robe was a challenge to be tried and see if I could front up and play after 18 the previous day. Was feeling the strain on the final four holes and overall did it easy, this time last year I could not have played this much golf in two days. Even so my game was not quite as good, my playing partner did say it was a challenge from past experience in this style of game, as a player only hits the ball on alternate shots. I did struggle to get settled into a rythym and my short pitching/chipping game was not good. Putting was a real heartbreaker as three shots had the ball stopping literally just off the cup lip. Losing by half a stroke and knowing that many shots just needed one more roll did hurt. Our player partner pair won the day in fact and being two thirty plus handicappers got them over the line by 4 strokes. Congratulations to them both to finally get that first competition win on the board and as they were both in a cart due to knee and ankle injuries the effort was a big one.
Unfortunately they did cross the line with excessive drinking during the round. On the minor side of a course etiquette breach, yet they were wrong in their hole scores several times and were completely pissed at the end of the day. Dropping the F-bomb in earshot of women and taking way to long on shots, I had to get them to control the outbursts on the 18th especially with ladies within earshot again. As new members of the club they are not totally at fault, part of the club playing culture does include members who drink during rounds and finish at least a six pack in a round. Golfers who drink are more restrained that people who drink, ‘as a social event’ and the guys have been informed that golf competition requires them to be restrained vocally and in the alcohol consumption on the course.
Playing social golf is no problem at all having a few or lot of bevies among friends, in competition an adjustment needs to be made. When I play in a competition it is a serious game with the focus on winning and enjoying the round. I do not want to be waiting for partners who are slow moving and slow in playing shots, nor continually looking for balls and having to pay even more attention to their scoring. That is bearable in most rounds yet when it is from drunk golfers dribbling shit and being loud also, the tolerance level soon evaporates.
Back to my game this week in practise it is time to work on my major weakness of recent rounds. The second shot on par four and five holes is vital to my scoring opportunities. At the minute from 120m and in to the green success in hitting the target is 80% plus. Not being a long hitting player for so long due to fitness and injury 130m to 180m shots have been a problem in my still evolving game improvement. The distance is easily reached, the accuracy is erratic and no consistency in the ball direction pulling and slicing the shots 10-15m to either side of the target. This is not catastrophic in general as it is a pitch to the green, then putt. Hitting greens in regulation is now a must in the efforts to improve my scoring of pars and making birdie.
The coming weekend will be my last hit for a week or so taking the trip to Queensland as an opportunity to have a break from golfing. No golf is not a job or an imposition for me, I spend a lot of free time on the course and practise range. Having a break is not a must but a good way to refresh my body and fitness while away. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Golfing not drowning....
My game has never been an “attacking” game, more emphasis placed upon playing percentage shots and keeping the score around the handicap ability is an apt description. In playing with the lower handicappers over the seasons I have been aware of the attacking attitude many of them have. Never applied it to my game except in occasional practice to see what level of this I could maintain. Up until recently this was a recipe for disaster, inconsistent strokes with all clubs put too much pressure on my ability to achieve good results.
This weeks practise was notable for a change from general tuning up to getting specific parts of my game spot on. After stretches and having a few swings to get the body warmed up I have upped the ante on my accuracy expectations. Putting in half hour (approx 40-50 balls) sessions with one club aiming at a target for the ball to land on was the main routine. Surprised myself with the results particularly the 6 to 9 irons. From 140 metres in to the green my game is much better than I was aware, established for success and can only improve. The Pitching Wedge around the green is benefiting from the blade style of the J 33’s, this has also been a bonus from the 7 to 9 irons.
The Driver got a solid 50 ball workout yesterday afternoon and 33 of the 50 balls were inside a 15 metre radius around the target 200 metres from the tee off point. Most exciting for me was that 70 % of the Driver shots had a gentle draw on them. Unfortunately this is still not good enough to play many local courses and that 30 metre spray off the tee still pushes too many drives into danger with poor lies for the second shot.
I do not go by how many balls I hit in a practise session, slow and steady as I would in a game the set up for the shots as coaches tell you is important. Taking my time is even more enjoyable as I can see which stance, ball positions make the ball draw, fade go straight. Still a little surprised that these words are applied to my experience of golfing, this is what had me out in the wind, rain and traipsing on the muddy practise fairway all week. Wearing the wet weather gear and not missing a beat in working on getting a little better.
This season unlike 2010 I am putting in as much practise time possible for two month stints then backing off for a month to enjoy the game before upping the ante again. My goal of reaching a 10 handicap requires that alone. This season the A grade club championship is where I will be playing and being able to crack the 80 mark will not be good enough. Being able to have a round of 75 gross is a must to be competitive in the finals. That is a big ask but I am hungry enough and confident that by following the current schedule it is a possibility. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all”
Geoff
Thursday, June 23, 2011
"Footyheads" review, Rd 13 Carlton def Swans
Carlton saw off the challenge by Sydney who were out to establish their credentials as a top four finalist. The return of Mathew Kreuzer to the Carlton team from knee injury was a highlight of the win against the Swans.
Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Welcome to the nightmare...
AAAAAAARRRRGHH!!!! The frustration of Sunday’s round had me going internally berserk for the duration of the 350 km trip to Adelaide afterwards. Never has a round of golf promised so much, led to the brink of delirious ecstasy and then abandoned me to go and begin a stamp collection.
It was always an iffy proposition with the weather forecast yet the field teed off on time playing 5-8 holes before the full fury of nature hit the course. At the run for cover I was 1 over the card after 5 holes. My game was on song and stopping was the last thing on my mind. One of my playing group was keen enough to at least play nine so we headed out to the 6th tee after 30 minutes. Ending with a 42 after a lost ball (plugged and did not see it hit the fairway in the conditions) penalty and one miss hit, on the green the flat stick was on song too with 12 putts.
Eventually 6 hardy souls were willing to continue the comp. and off we went as a large group, eventually finishing in winter darkness on the 18th. The moment was lost for me after all the delays, a back nine 52 (20 putts) had me lose the count back for second place. Still won the putting though, one ball won to replace the tally of three lost on the day!
The four hour drive afterwards was torture, my mind was reeling from the fluctuating fortunes of the days golf. Still laughed and enjoyed the day no matter what went wrong and not once did any display of bad humour or etiquette lapses occur on my part. As I was so focused for the round and the first nine was delivering the results of the current practise routine in prep for the coming open golf tournaments.
I have no excuses for the result, the frustration though is so hard to expunge. Taking responsibility is a must for me to be able to be satisfied with golf and I am. Fact is I play social, enjoyable golf at the club and that is why I am a member. The desire to challenge myself in competition is a private goal. Playing in any conditions and importantly learning from the experience with friends is an unseen benefit that days like yesterday deliver.
Even so Bugga, Bugga, Bugga!!!!
Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em Straight all”
Geoff
It was always an iffy proposition with the weather forecast yet the field teed off on time playing 5-8 holes before the full fury of nature hit the course. At the run for cover I was 1 over the card after 5 holes. My game was on song and stopping was the last thing on my mind. One of my playing group was keen enough to at least play nine so we headed out to the 6th tee after 30 minutes. Ending with a 42 after a lost ball (plugged and did not see it hit the fairway in the conditions) penalty and one miss hit, on the green the flat stick was on song too with 12 putts.
Eventually 6 hardy souls were willing to continue the comp. and off we went as a large group, eventually finishing in winter darkness on the 18th. The moment was lost for me after all the delays, a back nine 52 (20 putts) had me lose the count back for second place. Still won the putting though, one ball won to replace the tally of three lost on the day!
The four hour drive afterwards was torture, my mind was reeling from the fluctuating fortunes of the days golf. Still laughed and enjoyed the day no matter what went wrong and not once did any display of bad humour or etiquette lapses occur on my part. As I was so focused for the round and the first nine was delivering the results of the current practise routine in prep for the coming open golf tournaments.
I have no excuses for the result, the frustration though is so hard to expunge. Taking responsibility is a must for me to be able to be satisfied with golf and I am. Fact is I play social, enjoyable golf at the club and that is why I am a member. The desire to challenge myself in competition is a private goal. Playing in any conditions and importantly learning from the experience with friends is an unseen benefit that days like yesterday deliver.
Even so Bugga, Bugga, Bugga!!!!
Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em Straight all”
Geoff
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Compete... Or Practise golf?
19/6/11 Sunday 8 am, rain, rain and a little more rain all night and through to an hour ago will mean that the course is going to be very soggy on the flat. Which is the front 9 at Robe, if it stops raining I will be out in the stroke round having the first competition game with the new irons. After having put in a good solid week on the practise track this unexpected change is going to throw my pre-Tournament preparations out a little. The upshot is that my short game is much better than last week, having had to delay the planned Driver practise while getting familiar with the Bridgestone’s.
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A few months ago I began reading posts on THE DAN PLAN, where a fella is putting in 10,000 hours of practise to have a crack at playing professional golf. I follow his blog on line and it was interesting to read a recent post where he played a social round with a friend (single figure golfer) for lunch and won for the first time. It was a rare thing to read that Dan felt a little bad about winning and taking the prize from a friend. He is still only using short irons as his plan prescribes and doing well enough. For some one that is targeting playing professionally the reaction to his first win and how he felt will soon change, In fact it must, I wonder what the plan prescribes for, when does Dan start playing competitive golf? A commentator during the US Open at Congressional remarked yesterday the difference between current golfers who practise the game more than playing it, as he and his peers did and how it affects a golfers game play.
The 10,000 hours figure caught my eye in another blogger’s writings who is trying to achieve a Professional Golf standard as well. This time it was explained why that was the number of hours selected. Specifically for this golfer it was from Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The following comments are from this review of the book at http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/malcolm-gladwell%E2%80%99s-new-book-outliers-and-the-10000-hour-rule/
“Gladwell’s gift as a writer is not for justification and proof of his claims. What Gladwell does have is an extraordinary gift to use stories to explain abstract ideas in a way that is vivid and memorable, a way that brings those abstract ideas quickly to mind at later need. This shamanic gift is dangerous, for if you read his books credulously, it leaves you open to believing ideas that may be false. It’s also incredibly valuable, for what you learn you internalize deeply. In my opinion, this more than makes up for whatever Gladwell’s books lack in rigorous justification.
I say all this so you know what to expect from Gladwell’s new book, Outliers: The Story of Success.Outliers is a vivid and memorable exploration of a single question: what makes some individuals so successful? It’s not a book that lends itself to a brief summary, for to summarize is to lose the essence of the stories which make it an enjoyable and memorable read. For this reason, I won’t review the book here, beyond saying that I strongly recommend the book, with the caveats above: read sceptically, and check the original literature when in doubt!”
The weather today is not encouraging to play golf and in all fairness my practise this week has been good and a rest could even be of benefit. I want to play because I want to have a competitive round of golf against a field. That is a driving force in the enjoyment of the game for me. On Friday the Chicken Run was one of the worst nine hole scores I have had, 9 stableford points and it was great fun. A lot of stirring, sledging and risk taking shots combined to make it a great round. Playing off 10 (actual hcp is 14) the Chook Run is a competitive round that has the bonus of being able to get fun out of a crap score, and a good scores gives experience playing to a hcp that is far beyond my current ability.
Stroke round today and following the last two rounds of 82 and 82 getting out and having a crack to get to 13 is a priority at the minute for my golf. The weather is a minor concern when it comes to getting on the track and chasing the dream. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff
A few months ago I began reading posts on THE DAN PLAN, where a fella is putting in 10,000 hours of practise to have a crack at playing professional golf. I follow his blog on line and it was interesting to read a recent post where he played a social round with a friend (single figure golfer) for lunch and won for the first time. It was a rare thing to read that Dan felt a little bad about winning and taking the prize from a friend. He is still only using short irons as his plan prescribes and doing well enough. For some one that is targeting playing professionally the reaction to his first win and how he felt will soon change, In fact it must, I wonder what the plan prescribes for, when does Dan start playing competitive golf? A commentator during the US Open at Congressional remarked yesterday the difference between current golfers who practise the game more than playing it, as he and his peers did and how it affects a golfers game play.
The 10,000 hours figure caught my eye in another blogger’s writings who is trying to achieve a Professional Golf standard as well. This time it was explained why that was the number of hours selected. Specifically for this golfer it was from Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The following comments are from this review of the book at http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/malcolm-gladwell%E2%80%99s-new-book-outliers-and-the-10000-hour-rule/
“Gladwell’s gift as a writer is not for justification and proof of his claims. What Gladwell does have is an extraordinary gift to use stories to explain abstract ideas in a way that is vivid and memorable, a way that brings those abstract ideas quickly to mind at later need. This shamanic gift is dangerous, for if you read his books credulously, it leaves you open to believing ideas that may be false. It’s also incredibly valuable, for what you learn you internalize deeply. In my opinion, this more than makes up for whatever Gladwell’s books lack in rigorous justification.
I say all this so you know what to expect from Gladwell’s new book, Outliers: The Story of Success.Outliers is a vivid and memorable exploration of a single question: what makes some individuals so successful? It’s not a book that lends itself to a brief summary, for to summarize is to lose the essence of the stories which make it an enjoyable and memorable read. For this reason, I won’t review the book here, beyond saying that I strongly recommend the book, with the caveats above: read sceptically, and check the original literature when in doubt!”
The weather today is not encouraging to play golf and in all fairness my practise this week has been good and a rest could even be of benefit. I want to play because I want to have a competitive round of golf against a field. That is a driving force in the enjoyment of the game for me. On Friday the Chicken Run was one of the worst nine hole scores I have had, 9 stableford points and it was great fun. A lot of stirring, sledging and risk taking shots combined to make it a great round. Playing off 10 (actual hcp is 14) the Chook Run is a competitive round that has the bonus of being able to get fun out of a crap score, and a good scores gives experience playing to a hcp that is far beyond my current ability.
Stroke round today and following the last two rounds of 82 and 82 getting out and having a crack to get to 13 is a priority at the minute for my golf. The weather is a minor concern when it comes to getting on the track and chasing the dream. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff
Thursday, June 16, 2011
The New Irons have been selected....
First two days were a couple of hours on the practise range alternating between the J33’s and my current favourite iron the Ping Karsten clones. The J33’s are a combo set with cavity backs from 2 to 7 irons and blades from the 8 to PW. Yes the set has a 2 iron which I had never used before even though I use a #2 Maxfli 16 degree Hybrid. As I played 2009 without using Drivers and #3 iron was first choice off the tee then and successfully I add in winning and getting 8 or so strokes off my starting hcp., I had a plan. After two days of range practise and champing at the bit to get on the course in earnest. Discovered some major changes in my iron play with the J33’s. First and most obvious was the added distance with the lofted irons, with a definite improved control in shot play. Secondly was the need to change my stance, moving a little closer to the ball at address, fixed the early problem of pulling shots to the left.
Today was the day the plan was put into action, simply play 9 holes with the irons only. With a strong wind it was a definite challenge on some holes and a 46 off the stick was a credible score. With one three putt and a little inacuracy caused mostly by selecting a club too much on three second shots I was very satisfied. I must comment on the 2 iron, used it of the tee on all holes except one par 3. It was excellent hitting into the wind and with it as well. Apart from the clubs owner another golfer (and former club champ) I play regularly with uses a 2 iron a lot. This player is going blind (glaucoma) and has drifted out from 4 to a 10 and needs a spotter to play. Have caddied for him in championship match play and learnt a lot, watching a fella who cannot see where his ball goes yet as his swing so good that hi ball rarely if ever is off the fairway.
The accuracy of the lofted clubs was superb the PW made the difference from 100 m and in. Last week that was a distance that had me struggling in club choice. Tomorrow is the “Chicken Run” and this time will be the irons and the driver in unison. Lack of distance off the tee today really did stretch my capability on all second shots with and into the wind on the par fours. This set of clubs have a good history for me to measure myself with in progress for the next couple of years.
The former owner of the irons hits a long ball, where as I have never been in that realm. At times of late with the better swing and physical condition it has felt that there was a little more in the tank on some iron shots. Leading me to question if the irons needed to be upgraded and hence the start of my search last week. With the J33’s that bit ‘extra’ is now coming into the stroke play and is going to take a bit of getting used to.
The past two years of trial with cavity back and blade irons has worked for me. If I had used these clubs last season when they were available it would have been a wasted effort. That I can “feel” these irons surprises me, the difference between these and what I have progressed with to this stage is like chalk and cheese. It has invigorated my delight in golf even more, visualising practise sessions with deliberate efforts shaping shots. This has made every bit of effort, pain, enjoyment, and disapointment to get to this level of playing golf worthwhile. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all”, Geoff
Footyhead's Rd 12eview Carlton V Brisbane
Highlight of the round was the game between Geelong and Hawthorn, showing how tight it is between the top 4 sides. Rd 12 was an easy victory for Carlton over Brisbane, Collingwood def Melbourne and adelaide's poor form continued.
Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff
Monday, June 13, 2011
Hit the wall or another door to open......
The first week of dedicated practise in preparation for the coming Club Open events starting in July was not the best fun. Being out in the wind and rain with the cold temperature stinging my cheeks and nose did create a mental note of the practical use of balaklava in winter golf. The first session using 3-7 iron blades did not take long to have me get the technique going as it should. A big incentive for improvement is hitting balls and not have the hands stinging from mishits.
Friday night’s 9 hole “Chicken Run” was my first competitive hit out for the week. This is a fun event that I play to enjoy, winning is not the be all and end all of this comp. Even so it is handicapped differently which I use to my advantage. For me that means I am playing off 12 (now down to at least 11) which was 2 strokes less than my official hcp on Friday. (In January everyone starts on their Golf Link handicap, every time you win you lose a stroke plus every score over 20 points lose another stroke.) I also took the 460cc Cobra driver out for its first hit in 3 months. Besides 6 GIR’s with the iron shots, the distance off the tee was significantly longer that with the 380cc Driver. Again the fall down was inaccurate drives with the Cobra and the distance added does not make the effort worth doing to get this club into the bag at the minute.
Interesting bit of detail was discovered mid week while researching in my search for a new set of irons. I have 20 odd year old knock offs of the original Ping irons with Shark stiff shafts. (“Ping's Karsten I irons are a remake of Ping's original irons. They have a barrel hosel construction and deep single cavity located closer to the heel side of the back of the club.”) The review of these irons remarked that this design was not inducive to hitting the ball long. I have often wondered if my inability to hit the short irons very far at all was a swing fault of my own or if the clubs had an influence on this as well.
With improved accuracy with my irons the 10 m shortfall with 7, 8, 9 and Pitching Wedge is literally the difference in hitting the green or missing short. The practise has helped a lot in now being able to take an iron longer and hit it well enough to the green and not go through. I have now invested in a Distance Range Finder as my “eye” is not accurate enough in gauging the distance and I too often end up underclubbing. I am looking forward to combining the use of this piece of equipment in my game to improve accuracy and Greens in Regulation shots.
Now to Sunday’s round, the definitive proof of how practise is a major benefit to playing better golf. A gross 82 for a Nett 68 was full of confident stroke making. Even the mishits shots were a chip away from the green. After two weeks of carrying the 60 degree wedge I have taken it out of the bag, personally I prefer using the set’s sand wedge for lob shots and the pitching wedge for pitch and run on the greens. The group coaching session on short game and putting with the club pro last week has improved my skills. Nothing major yet just the bit of fine tuning that has added consistency by removing technical errors from the strokes played. To also win the putting comp. with 27 and nearest the pin with closest for the monthly competition so far (1.02m) on the day were part of how well I played.
The magical 80 figure was not broken and this time though it would have been nice to achieve I made the errors that cost me in the end. Having played this well though makes it possible in the day after to sit back and after reviewing the score say that 3 strokes could have been shaved off the score. Optimistically perhaps 5 or 6 less shots could have been possible, but dreams have to be a little tempered with reality. The handicap goal has always been 10 and that was seen as an unattainable golf dream by others never myself though. Now as the figure is nearly achieved I can say at the minute, I do not believe there is much fuel left in my tank to surpass that.
Once it is reached though I will begin starting to enact the plan going the next step into single figures. I will continue to follow the steps and procedures written in my golf books that I have published in the last two seasons. Nothing special about them and no “Secret” method revealed to make it possible to play better golf either. Nothing but following the basic techniques of golf swings, getting professional coaching and practise, practise and practise. Sitting here right now making the attempt at single figures is going to take a hell of a commitment on my part and will not be attempted until I can maintain playing to 10 first. This will be easier than last season when I broke the 20 mark and struggled with the transition during winter.
Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all.”
Geoff
Friday night’s 9 hole “Chicken Run” was my first competitive hit out for the week. This is a fun event that I play to enjoy, winning is not the be all and end all of this comp. Even so it is handicapped differently which I use to my advantage. For me that means I am playing off 12 (now down to at least 11) which was 2 strokes less than my official hcp on Friday. (In January everyone starts on their Golf Link handicap, every time you win you lose a stroke plus every score over 20 points lose another stroke.) I also took the 460cc Cobra driver out for its first hit in 3 months. Besides 6 GIR’s with the iron shots, the distance off the tee was significantly longer that with the 380cc Driver. Again the fall down was inaccurate drives with the Cobra and the distance added does not make the effort worth doing to get this club into the bag at the minute.
Interesting bit of detail was discovered mid week while researching in my search for a new set of irons. I have 20 odd year old knock offs of the original Ping irons with Shark stiff shafts. (“Ping's Karsten I irons are a remake of Ping's original irons. They have a barrel hosel construction and deep single cavity located closer to the heel side of the back of the club.”) The review of these irons remarked that this design was not inducive to hitting the ball long. I have often wondered if my inability to hit the short irons very far at all was a swing fault of my own or if the clubs had an influence on this as well.
With improved accuracy with my irons the 10 m shortfall with 7, 8, 9 and Pitching Wedge is literally the difference in hitting the green or missing short. The practise has helped a lot in now being able to take an iron longer and hit it well enough to the green and not go through. I have now invested in a Distance Range Finder as my “eye” is not accurate enough in gauging the distance and I too often end up underclubbing. I am looking forward to combining the use of this piece of equipment in my game to improve accuracy and Greens in Regulation shots.
Now to Sunday’s round, the definitive proof of how practise is a major benefit to playing better golf. A gross 82 for a Nett 68 was full of confident stroke making. Even the mishits shots were a chip away from the green. After two weeks of carrying the 60 degree wedge I have taken it out of the bag, personally I prefer using the set’s sand wedge for lob shots and the pitching wedge for pitch and run on the greens. The group coaching session on short game and putting with the club pro last week has improved my skills. Nothing major yet just the bit of fine tuning that has added consistency by removing technical errors from the strokes played. To also win the putting comp. with 27 and nearest the pin with closest for the monthly competition so far (1.02m) on the day were part of how well I played.
The magical 80 figure was not broken and this time though it would have been nice to achieve I made the errors that cost me in the end. Having played this well though makes it possible in the day after to sit back and after reviewing the score say that 3 strokes could have been shaved off the score. Optimistically perhaps 5 or 6 less shots could have been possible, but dreams have to be a little tempered with reality. The handicap goal has always been 10 and that was seen as an unattainable golf dream by others never myself though. Now as the figure is nearly achieved I can say at the minute, I do not believe there is much fuel left in my tank to surpass that.
Once it is reached though I will begin starting to enact the plan going the next step into single figures. I will continue to follow the steps and procedures written in my golf books that I have published in the last two seasons. Nothing special about them and no “Secret” method revealed to make it possible to play better golf either. Nothing but following the basic techniques of golf swings, getting professional coaching and practise, practise and practise. Sitting here right now making the attempt at single figures is going to take a hell of a commitment on my part and will not be attempted until I can maintain playing to 10 first. This will be easier than last season when I broke the 20 mark and struggled with the transition during winter.
Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all.”
Geoff
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Hitting the ball forward works best...
Tuesday 7/6/11 Wind, rain and the lazy cold that goes through you instead of around has settled in since Sundays cancelled round, pretty much confirming that winter has arrived. The inner golf nut is not distracted by these changes in weather conditions, in my case it has upped the ante in practise becoming even more important. Having already mapped out the increased commitment in preparation last week, for the start of the Various Regional Opens come July, there is no backing away now the weather has gone crap. Mind you sitting here at the minute I am realising that sometimes my golf obsession does border on the edge of stupid, stupid man behaviour.
The benefit of having made the commitment to get in form for July and onwards did deliver during the cancelled Sunday round. The score was on track for a a good one up until the cancellation of the round due to weather, hail, lightning, wind and big fat rain storms caused a rush for the clubhouse after 6-8 holes play. I was doing damn well with only one wipe and that was caused by the wind blowing the ball off the tee and a ball flying right across two fairways into lost ball oblivion. If it had not been for a playing partner telling me he saw the ball taking off sideways as I played the stroke I would still be wondering what the hell happened. The wind is a major influence here on the coast during winter and must be taken into all game day thinking.
Practise this week, yes out there in the crap weather started with getting the iron play adjusted to hitting into, accross and with the very strong winds. Coming in at 110kg myself it is a struggle to stay in place on the tee and on the fairway, let alone play good strokes.The adage “hit easy when it is breezy” works well with and into the wind. The lofted irons require the most concentration for my game, 20m to 80m out from the green with a howling wind is not easy from club choice to playing the shot. Did my prefered iron tune up exercise using blades and getting the swing down pat then pulling out the cavity irons and sure enough hitting the ball so much better. It does not take many mishits stinging the hands with the blades to stop me making lazy errors in set up and swing.
Even with my much improved swing over the past 3 seasons, my lofted iron shots are not powerful distance eaters. Even with the injury effects on my body that make me take it easy. The preference for me has always been consistent accurate strokes, being able to hit a wedge 100m has no appeal to me what so ever, which is a good thing as I average 80m with the pitching wedge. The 8 and 9 are my club choices for 100m distances, in the winter wind even the 7 iron gets a look in for the shot at times. It adds to my golfing enjoyment to have a lot of versatility with my irons ever since I returned to golf. With the latest leap in improvement off the tee with the driver my game now has a good foundation to be able to add a better short game.
Since the last week I have began to trawl the golf club market in earnest with the nearness of my 10 handicap goal. The time has come to prepare and get the set that will take the next step down to a single figure handicap. Still with 4 strokes to go to ten and having played to 11 and 12 in recent competitions the reason for starting to look seriously is because there are several sets that I have to whittle down. The Bridgestone J series appeal and I will be trialing a set of those in coming months, Titielist AP2’s, TalyorMade Burners, Wilson Ci/9’s, Callaway X series all have been given a run. Taylor made R9’s did not make the grade with me which I was bemused by. R9’s just did not feel good at all yet the cavity back Burners were a delight to hit. Mizuno fans do not feel slighted same as with the AP2’s it is a club choice that is out of my pockets reach for now. Together with the belief that my game is not at a level that warrants those at the minute. As confident as I am in my ability to improve and play a decent round of golf, a reality check that works for me is not to get capability and ambition confused.
After all of the experimenting with various clubs blades and cavity backs the sensation of a beautifully hit ball from either is delightful. The changes in my swing and improvement in my bodies flexibility have gone hand in hand since December 2010. It has not been easy or enjoyable at times as my previous posts reflect when expressing how pain is something to avoid. A game improvement iron is the best choice at this stage, something that will deliver feel and sensitivity to strokes played. Plus give a little tolerance to my shortcomings. Whilst I played well with the blades during the summer months the results fell away rapidly as I could not maintain performance and consistency. Two months of playing well with them was a great learning experience and I will return to them besides use as a practice tool.
Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff
The benefit of having made the commitment to get in form for July and onwards did deliver during the cancelled Sunday round. The score was on track for a a good one up until the cancellation of the round due to weather, hail, lightning, wind and big fat rain storms caused a rush for the clubhouse after 6-8 holes play. I was doing damn well with only one wipe and that was caused by the wind blowing the ball off the tee and a ball flying right across two fairways into lost ball oblivion. If it had not been for a playing partner telling me he saw the ball taking off sideways as I played the stroke I would still be wondering what the hell happened. The wind is a major influence here on the coast during winter and must be taken into all game day thinking.
Practise this week, yes out there in the crap weather started with getting the iron play adjusted to hitting into, accross and with the very strong winds. Coming in at 110kg myself it is a struggle to stay in place on the tee and on the fairway, let alone play good strokes.The adage “hit easy when it is breezy” works well with and into the wind. The lofted irons require the most concentration for my game, 20m to 80m out from the green with a howling wind is not easy from club choice to playing the shot. Did my prefered iron tune up exercise using blades and getting the swing down pat then pulling out the cavity irons and sure enough hitting the ball so much better. It does not take many mishits stinging the hands with the blades to stop me making lazy errors in set up and swing.
Even with my much improved swing over the past 3 seasons, my lofted iron shots are not powerful distance eaters. Even with the injury effects on my body that make me take it easy. The preference for me has always been consistent accurate strokes, being able to hit a wedge 100m has no appeal to me what so ever, which is a good thing as I average 80m with the pitching wedge. The 8 and 9 are my club choices for 100m distances, in the winter wind even the 7 iron gets a look in for the shot at times. It adds to my golfing enjoyment to have a lot of versatility with my irons ever since I returned to golf. With the latest leap in improvement off the tee with the driver my game now has a good foundation to be able to add a better short game.
Since the last week I have began to trawl the golf club market in earnest with the nearness of my 10 handicap goal. The time has come to prepare and get the set that will take the next step down to a single figure handicap. Still with 4 strokes to go to ten and having played to 11 and 12 in recent competitions the reason for starting to look seriously is because there are several sets that I have to whittle down. The Bridgestone J series appeal and I will be trialing a set of those in coming months, Titielist AP2’s, TalyorMade Burners, Wilson Ci/9’s, Callaway X series all have been given a run. Taylor made R9’s did not make the grade with me which I was bemused by. R9’s just did not feel good at all yet the cavity back Burners were a delight to hit. Mizuno fans do not feel slighted same as with the AP2’s it is a club choice that is out of my pockets reach for now. Together with the belief that my game is not at a level that warrants those at the minute. As confident as I am in my ability to improve and play a decent round of golf, a reality check that works for me is not to get capability and ambition confused.
After all of the experimenting with various clubs blades and cavity backs the sensation of a beautifully hit ball from either is delightful. The changes in my swing and improvement in my bodies flexibility have gone hand in hand since December 2010. It has not been easy or enjoyable at times as my previous posts reflect when expressing how pain is something to avoid. A game improvement iron is the best choice at this stage, something that will deliver feel and sensitivity to strokes played. Plus give a little tolerance to my shortcomings. Whilst I played well with the blades during the summer months the results fell away rapidly as I could not maintain performance and consistency. Two months of playing well with them was a great learning experience and I will return to them besides use as a practice tool.
Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Now for the Open Tournaments
Saturday 4/6/11 Now that Pennants have finished I have got a copy of all the various Club Open Tournaments in the region yesterday and can start planning my next golfing challenge. The first Open hits off on the 24th of July at Lucindale, in 2010 I won the C Grade this season I am in the B grade and will need to get a bit of dedicated practise under the belt to repeat the performance. This tournament is also the 2nd round of the DK Edwards Trophy which started last season and requires playing in 5 of ten regional Open Tournaments to qualify for a ranking. Entered it last year and it was a good incentive to travel and play in the many regional tournaments. Not entering this year due to the underwhelming promotion and information available on the event circulated by the regions Golf Association. I thoroughly support the idea yet cannot participate in something that is so poorly administered. Given that this is a volunteer based association, it is just not a promising evolution to do things half arsed. Hoping that word of mouth and supplying no running tables/ranking etc is going to inspire golfers to enter.
My motivation is to use these Open Tournaments as the inspiration to get out in the winter weather and practise hard and try to knock off 3-4 strokes by October for the Club Championships. Because of the dearth of low handicappers at our club 13-14 will have me in A Grade and there is no way that I will be competitive against the single figure golfers on my existing number. I have managed to play to 11 and 12 in competition this year so perhaps I may even manage to get into single figures by October. Joined with a group coaching session this week on short game and putting, This has definitely helped in planning my next practise routines that are going to assist in getting 3-4 strokes off my scores. The Open Tournaments have the competitive edge that inspires me to play my best. This time I am aware of the various course layouts and that is going to be a benefit together with my improved game.
Mentally at last I have come to terms with playing off the lower handicap (down 4 strokes in 5 months) It was fun enjoying seeing the numbers and having a wallow in getting there, the need to have competative golf to play and beat others is vital to getting value for the effort put in so far. Yes, I enjoy playing at the home club, the need to play better is supplied by the Open Tournaments. The whole experience of playing with new people and enjoying the socialising is a big part of the anticipation. There are a few courses which “kicked my arse” in 2010 that I am looking forward to returning and having another crack at. Well the sun is now up and time to get out and start the next round of practising. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all”. , Geoff
My motivation is to use these Open Tournaments as the inspiration to get out in the winter weather and practise hard and try to knock off 3-4 strokes by October for the Club Championships. Because of the dearth of low handicappers at our club 13-14 will have me in A Grade and there is no way that I will be competitive against the single figure golfers on my existing number. I have managed to play to 11 and 12 in competition this year so perhaps I may even manage to get into single figures by October. Joined with a group coaching session this week on short game and putting, This has definitely helped in planning my next practise routines that are going to assist in getting 3-4 strokes off my scores. The Open Tournaments have the competitive edge that inspires me to play my best. This time I am aware of the various course layouts and that is going to be a benefit together with my improved game.
Mentally at last I have come to terms with playing off the lower handicap (down 4 strokes in 5 months) It was fun enjoying seeing the numbers and having a wallow in getting there, the need to have competative golf to play and beat others is vital to getting value for the effort put in so far. Yes, I enjoy playing at the home club, the need to play better is supplied by the Open Tournaments. The whole experience of playing with new people and enjoying the socialising is a big part of the anticipation. There are a few courses which “kicked my arse” in 2010 that I am looking forward to returning and having another crack at. Well the sun is now up and time to get out and start the next round of practising. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all”. , Geoff
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Back on target...
Three holes into the round on Sunday and one of my playing partners commented his mind was just not on the game and it was going to be a long day for him. I appreciate that honesty in golfers that often gets blurted out, it epitomises the unique bond this sport of individuals creates. To which my reply was I can relate to that attitude having had it myself, but could not care less how it is going to affect his day because I am a selfish b@st@rd. He cracked up and laughed and the round went on in a good nature.
Particularly enjoyable for me after the last 3 weeks of playing Pennants (as mentioned in the previous post) which was a pain in the @rse. To finish with an 82 off the stick with some good fortune that balanced out the bad shots second place on the day with 40 points, the missed birdie putt on the 16th and 18th cost me a win. This score is going to take me from 14 to 13 Hcp which is very satisfying. At the minute my mind is finally starting to come to terms with playing off this handicap level and no longer bemused at seeing my name next to that figure.
Booked in for a lesson this week with the club pro, this time a finessing treatment to establish the set up routine to avoid making the slight errors which are so damaging to playing to lower handicaps. All is well with my grip, swing and equipment. The Club Pro now has to set me up with the mental attitude/focus to reach that goal of a 10 Handicap. He said he could do it and after two years of following his advice I am in position to hit the target. For those that think this is an undue amount of time in development please take on that my body is to be blunt, damaged beyond repair and I have had at least 6 months of enforced recovery time.
From the start of yesterdays round to the end I was coping with soft tissue pain that was irritated with every full swing and follow through. Forcing myself to keep the front (left) foot planted on the ground and not lifting the heel to not have pain as my back twisted and hips turned with each swing. The benefit was accurate shots to the green and good distance, a good score came from not favouring relief to the discomfort. Why I believe that getting to 10 Hcp is possible is because of rounds like yesterday. To those who would throw in that adage, “No pain, No gain” Come a little closer so can kick you in the groin and help you improve. That is bullsh!t when it comes to my experience, fine if you are talking about gym exercise and the like. For a person dealing with injury and rehabilitation I do not enjoy pain one iota and would give anything to not have to endure it.
Getting the positives out of the negatives is why I am still breathing today and not stopping trying to achieve a little more satisfaction and enjoyment in life. The day I sit back and see that 10 in my handicap box is going to be a pleasure. Soon replaced by planning to get to a single figure handicap. Thankyou for your time and attention. “Hit ‘em straight all.”
Geoff
Particularly enjoyable for me after the last 3 weeks of playing Pennants (as mentioned in the previous post) which was a pain in the @rse. To finish with an 82 off the stick with some good fortune that balanced out the bad shots second place on the day with 40 points, the missed birdie putt on the 16th and 18th cost me a win. This score is going to take me from 14 to 13 Hcp which is very satisfying. At the minute my mind is finally starting to come to terms with playing off this handicap level and no longer bemused at seeing my name next to that figure.
Booked in for a lesson this week with the club pro, this time a finessing treatment to establish the set up routine to avoid making the slight errors which are so damaging to playing to lower handicaps. All is well with my grip, swing and equipment. The Club Pro now has to set me up with the mental attitude/focus to reach that goal of a 10 Handicap. He said he could do it and after two years of following his advice I am in position to hit the target. For those that think this is an undue amount of time in development please take on that my body is to be blunt, damaged beyond repair and I have had at least 6 months of enforced recovery time.
From the start of yesterdays round to the end I was coping with soft tissue pain that was irritated with every full swing and follow through. Forcing myself to keep the front (left) foot planted on the ground and not lifting the heel to not have pain as my back twisted and hips turned with each swing. The benefit was accurate shots to the green and good distance, a good score came from not favouring relief to the discomfort. Why I believe that getting to 10 Hcp is possible is because of rounds like yesterday. To those who would throw in that adage, “No pain, No gain” Come a little closer so can kick you in the groin and help you improve. That is bullsh!t when it comes to my experience, fine if you are talking about gym exercise and the like. For a person dealing with injury and rehabilitation I do not enjoy pain one iota and would give anything to not have to endure it.
Getting the positives out of the negatives is why I am still breathing today and not stopping trying to achieve a little more satisfaction and enjoyment in life. The day I sit back and see that 10 in my handicap box is going to be a pleasure. Soon replaced by planning to get to a single figure handicap. Thankyou for your time and attention. “Hit ‘em straight all.”
Geoff
Pennants Golf a slow death...
Good grief it is hard to admit that I have let work and responsibility get in the way of playing golf of late…it is times like this when reality makes me realise how much I miss the irresponsible 24hr a day party person days. Then again certain body parts, beginning with liver, kidneys, the mushy grey thing between my ears and eyes that earnt frequent flyer points for using eye drops would disagree with my fanciful recall of the “good Old days”
The health kick has dropped off 5 kg and that is a good thing in the past month, playing less golf has given the body which was labouring under niggling injuries and needed a break time to recover. The positives of playing less certainly outweigh the mental regret. The discomfort on the course was not improved with playing three pennant rounds and not the club competition rounds in the last month.
Having pushed at club and committee level since December last year that having a pennants team was a waste of time, further proven by the total lack of interest by club golfers who said no to playing, this was not enjoyable. That I work on Saturday and Sundays starting a 5 am the need to head off at 8 am for a minimum 50 km to 150km trip to play Pennants as an obligation not as golfing fun did not help. In fact I was lumped as acting Captain did have a bonus, I refused to cajole or beg to get players, I got 3 new golfers who have only just started to play this year and are on 27 plus handicaps into the team. They all lost every game, but they wanted to play and f@ck the club members who were concerned about the players knowledge and standard of golf. Two other golfers who played were former Pennants players and both played for the same reason as I. The club needed to have a team turn up. Both have since told me that next year they will not play as they would rather play in the club round.
During the competition one of the other teams did forfeit a round, and talking with other team players many were playing for the same reasons as me, due to a sense of club spirit and helping out. 15 years ago Pennants teams required 11 players per team, now it is 5, that shows how difficult maintaining the competition is at the minute. I have spoken to the club captain and let him know that I will be not endorsing entry into the Pennants for 2012.
Politicking is something that I really try to not do but I have noticed that my strong communication skill is the perfect way to do it in my time as secretary. I have no hesitation in asking questions and finding out what other committee members are thinking. This is a good thing and makes meetings where major decisions are being made much better. ie $600,000 being spent to buy the land to establish a full 18 hole course last month. Interacting here has been a great assistance in my year as secretary especially reading what is affecting other clubs and golfers activity and concerns.
It is much easier to have a large picture of golf to be able to interact with. I have used information from Iseekgolf at committee level every meeting this year! Golf clubs by nature are insular operations but today have to operate on a broader spectrum to remain active and continue into the future.
Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em Straight all” Geoff
The health kick has dropped off 5 kg and that is a good thing in the past month, playing less golf has given the body which was labouring under niggling injuries and needed a break time to recover. The positives of playing less certainly outweigh the mental regret. The discomfort on the course was not improved with playing three pennant rounds and not the club competition rounds in the last month.
Having pushed at club and committee level since December last year that having a pennants team was a waste of time, further proven by the total lack of interest by club golfers who said no to playing, this was not enjoyable. That I work on Saturday and Sundays starting a 5 am the need to head off at 8 am for a minimum 50 km to 150km trip to play Pennants as an obligation not as golfing fun did not help. In fact I was lumped as acting Captain did have a bonus, I refused to cajole or beg to get players, I got 3 new golfers who have only just started to play this year and are on 27 plus handicaps into the team. They all lost every game, but they wanted to play and f@ck the club members who were concerned about the players knowledge and standard of golf. Two other golfers who played were former Pennants players and both played for the same reason as I. The club needed to have a team turn up. Both have since told me that next year they will not play as they would rather play in the club round.
During the competition one of the other teams did forfeit a round, and talking with other team players many were playing for the same reasons as me, due to a sense of club spirit and helping out. 15 years ago Pennants teams required 11 players per team, now it is 5, that shows how difficult maintaining the competition is at the minute. I have spoken to the club captain and let him know that I will be not endorsing entry into the Pennants for 2012.
Politicking is something that I really try to not do but I have noticed that my strong communication skill is the perfect way to do it in my time as secretary. I have no hesitation in asking questions and finding out what other committee members are thinking. This is a good thing and makes meetings where major decisions are being made much better. ie $600,000 being spent to buy the land to establish a full 18 hole course last month. Interacting here has been a great assistance in my year as secretary especially reading what is affecting other clubs and golfers activity and concerns.
It is much easier to have a large picture of golf to be able to interact with. I have used information from Iseekgolf at committee level every meeting this year! Golf clubs by nature are insular operations but today have to operate on a broader spectrum to remain active and continue into the future.
Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em Straight all” Geoff
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