Monday 7/2/11 Stabelford round on Sunday with a final tally of 36 points two holes wipes score wise and 8 fairways hit. The memorable moment losing the nearest the pin to a hole in one. Good to finish tied for 4th place 3 points behind the winner. Used the 3 metal off the tee, the Driver for 3 holes only and 2 of those were woefully inaccurate resulting in a wipe and 1 point.
One of my throw away sayings for many years has been; “I am going fine until I start thinking” it is used in jest to lighten a moment, which comes in handy during some golf rounds.
Of late too much thinking has been causing a little disruption to my game. Reaching the improved level of my handicap in recent weeks has been a result of practise, practise and study. I am not what would be called a student of golf it is more apt to say that I am an informed golfer. There is an adage which goes “a little knowledge can be dangerous in the wrong hands”. At times this “little knowledge” has caused some problems in my game when I begin to surmise there are faults the need correcting.
Having carried the results of several injuries from a motor vehicle accident for two decades, it is always a consideration to make sure that as little strain and damage is put on my physical weaknesses. This protective attitude to my health can become a problem if I do not keep it within the realms of reality and not wander into the error of ‘self diagnosis’. Much the same as self diagnosis of Golf Technique instead of going to a professional it is so easy to fiddle with real and imagined problems. A pointless excercise can take up time and bring a self imposed fog on your own golf games progress. I keep myself in check and although at times do wander down this path it is good to recall another adage from the legal fraternity, “A man who represents himself, has a fool for a lawyer.” When it comes to golf I try and keep to the basics, when I meander into the act of self coaching it is soon realised to be a waste of time and potentially dangerous.
Of late during the recovery from the injury in January I became over protective on the physical front and this flowed over into a journey of equipment that is suitable or not to my game. Over a two week period my thoughts were that perhaps using stiff flex shafts was an error and using regular flex shafts would be better. This was enforced with the ease of using #3 Metals off the tee and fairways during the recovery period. Yes the injury happened while teeing off with the 9.5 degree driver. It was caused by the person playing the shot not the club itself. The success using the #3 metal came from my improved swing technique, not the club and it having a regular flex shaft.
Instead of deciding that was the cure after spending some time hitting regular flex Drivers I followed this path. Put in some extended practise sessions hitting all my clubs, played several rounds, then grabbed a selection of regular flex drivers and did it again with my stiff flex driver as well. The result was that the problem was not the shaft flex. Problem was a combination from the lack of dedicated driver practise over several weeks and the injury distracting me from the effect that lack of practise.
Only a couple of weeks to go before the Southern Ports Tournament and the next schedule of filming for the movie “Another Crack at The Title” My game is tuned up and I have some solid form, will try to get some coaching prior but that is not crucial. The vital facet is to continue practise and not get complacent with the improvements this has created. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff
