Win at the 2015 Heywood Autumn Open

Took the drive across the border to Heywood GC on Wednesday, two and a half hours in the car did have me consider how much it would affect my round. Fortunately I misread the start time and arrived 90 mins before tee off and that gave plenty of time to loosen up. A session in the hitting nets and the chipping and putting practise area were good value.

The round obviously with the prizes was good enough 36 points with a wipe and a few single pointers. The course has wide fairways and that is something that suits my game, the tall gums don't but that is a fair trade off. The short game was the key to the good score, did improve on GIR after Saturday's Kingston round. Even so the number of miss hit second shots was too many, although the progress in practise the past week improved a lot. Off the tee the driver was a power house, again the upgrade has proved it's value. Did have a series of tee block failures though and that came from teeing the ball too low and being a little stiff in the hips. The travel up was not that well suited to me physically. No real complaints though as a win is all the proof needed to endorse the golf being played. My mind is working on the next steps of training in May to reach the single figure goal, currently on 10.7 GA handicap. Thankyou for your time and attention Geoff

Right time, get the right equipment...

Dear readers, a long week in golf is the best description for what has past so far. Sunday was a -2 finish in the par round and I charged for the win all day.To no effect with the same problem all day, 'inconsistency'. Nothing would stay steady. A couple of missed putts here, a wayward drive there, with a below average chip or shot for the green. It was not pressure at all it was a fun day on the course it was just not reliable golfing. To follow on as the week progressed I was browsing for a second driver. The Callaway Optiforce has been excellent since 2014. The shaft change to a stiffer flex from the Project X 5.5 had been effective also. Travelling through the week I had a few hours spare and hit the pro shop to trial few drivers, Callaway Big Bertha and Cobra Fly Z alongside my Optiforce. Gobsmacked is the only description. I know my capability I do not have a fantasy of a big drive in the tank, any more than one or two hits a round above my steady 200-220m distance. The Big Bertha threw that out the window. This is nothing more than the result of having a reliable swing. Even so what and amazing result, swinging easy and boom, 10-20m more off the tee. Next day at home using the Optiforce and Big Bertha I had the same result. Then I switched shafts, the Optiforce gained a couple of extra metres and the Big Bertha was on the same length. Fact is the Big Bertha Clubhead with a stiffer shaft has a 10-20m lead over the Optiforce. This is all from my practise with the Dreamswing and establishing a consistent swing. Technology from the manufacturer supplies the equipment and that is in line with my capability. Four or even three years ago this would have been a total waste of resources to use a Big Bertha. This may be the antithesis of what equipment manufacturers want said. Here it is, if you are an 20 plus golfer and improving don't upgrade equipment. Do the golfing practise. I have purchased many golf sets and woods etc in the past but b\never the lats\est best thing. I have got a feel for many different club types. I have a reliable swing developed and established. I have bought two the top of the line equipment in the past four months because I am good enough to use it well. Winning is the proof, Penola Open A Grade Nett is the most recent major win. Caddie Challenge last 20 round @ $10 per round $200 = $347 in Vouchers. Get the game right through practise and then get the equipment and win. Thankyou for your time and attention , Geoff

Maintaining form and competition performance

First game in the rain for 2015 and quietly satisfied with how I played. Finished with 85 off the stick and a nett 74. Playing off 11.1 GA handicap I have actually dropped down to 10.8 as I had 36 stableford points. This was a stroke round in reality and with a 10 on one hole the only blemish, fact is I did not play to my handicap in the stroke round. Not complaining as this is the official system for all handicaps, it does show how a handicap can be not quite accurate in some instances. The blow out ten came on the 11th hole and I chased the correction hard and that was fun. In fact made up two shots in the next two holes them missed a putt and had a double bogie. Was not enough holes left to pull it back and at the end f the competition was only three shots behind the A grade winner. The overall Nett winner on the day was on 70. Hence a-part from being a loser on the day it was not disappointing. Won a few prizes on the day, nearest the pins and a club specific trophy for hitting all four par three holes off the tee. Today is a Par round at the home club been out for a warm up and if no rain will play. Yesterday I played with a different ball, been using Pro V's, Srixon q and z stars of late and happy with them. Couple of weeks ago won a Callaway Warbird ball and used it in a social comp last week and bit of a wow factor for me. Finally decided to buy a couple of boxes and yesterday played them in the round. The feel off the club is great a crisp hitting feel with no harshness. Distance and accuracy though yesterday was very good, did have a body tune up mid week and that does make a difference. Even so the distance with my irons was exemplary and not one offs I over clubbed the first two holes and quickly changed iron choices. Finished with 8 greens in regulation , plus 8 fairway hits and did not feel comfortable off the tee often in the rain. That is a technique matter but the ball striking was very good except for two holes I was only in the second cut off the fairway in four of the other ten holes and four of those holes were par 3's and I hit the green with those shots. Another day starts this afternoon and the result will be interesting at the end of play. Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Golf fitness equals lees strokes per round

Played my way to the end of the Monthly Medal round for a third place finish. Managed to win the putting competition on the day, not too bad considering there was a four putt in there. Two chip ins, one for birdie and one for par helped out in that result. It was an interesting day of golfing in review. Once again I jumped out of the box and first four holes were pars, yet once again on the 6th and 7th. holes I had brain fades or errors which made the score balloon. In the first instance was a four putt, it came from my body starting to sieze up. The next hole the first ball was pushed wide right and then a totally rank second shot on the par five, from stiffness in my body movement. It took a mental battle to get the focus back. I was feeling the strain to the movement through to the end. The nub was a 46 on the front nine and then coming home with a 40 on the back with one lost ball in that and a double bogie on the tenth as well. The saving asset was my daily chip and putting practise sessions, the chip ins were not flukes I was playing for them. I dropped 28 putts on the day with the 4 putt and two chip shots that went in. Greens in regulation were average for me and this is now becoming an imperative to getting priority in the practise routine. Checked in for a body tune up on Thursday as the strain of the past month is beginning to affect the golfing capability. This is limiting my capability to practise. Today there is significant discomfort and after doing the short game and putting session that was enough. As much as I would like to be having a session on the range, the common sense of "Less is More" rules. I know that there is no need to hurry and push the training effort up a notch. If I do the discomfort will increase and that is a major negative. Instead the exercise routine is given the lead to replace the desired range session. That way still improving my golf capability in another area. Thankyou for your time and attention Geoff

Winner Penola Autumn Open 2015

Sticking with the training program of "less is more" is returning results. As much as I would like to increase the tempo and try to hurry the golfing progress, the smart choice is to stay with the current intensity. Success today at the Penola Autumn Open winning the A Grade Nett with 73 (84 Gross).

Errors were made that more practise will improve. Specifically the 100-150 metre greens in regulation shots. Putting, Driving, Chipping were all good enough. A few drives went wide and that was the failing, having to recover from among trees. All good in the main and looking forward to tomorrow and the home club Monthly Medal. Keeping the current rythym does not seem to be a problem. The essence of my practise at the minute is to refine the execution. In particular, chipping and putting for finishing holes in as few strokes possible.The Driver, has been performing well enough and this week the 3 Wood #5 iron and 3 Hybrid were given more range time. Not a lot only adding a slight improvement in todays' round and that was value enough. Tomorrow morning will be another light practise session as with today and the inclusion of the Wood, Hybrid and long irons wil be the close for the warm-up again Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Second round and third place...

Third place behind 40 points and 37 points with 85 gross, 35 points at Robe to finish my weekend comps. Dropped .2 for a GA Handicap of 11.1. This round was not bad with two lost balls on front nine (15 points) and coming home with a 39 gross and 20 points. Was not rattled by the day at all, played golf and attacked all day, keeping the game brain engaged in the round. Sitting here showered refreshed and digesting the possibility from today and yesterday that I play to my handicap or close to it when playing slightly below average. This is not only the musings of a satisfied golfer, there has been some analysis of recent scores back to February to check the feasibility of the claim. Firstly this is all from a golfer who is very confident at the minute and that state of gaming has taken three months of dedicated effort. The results are the measure of capability and that is supportive of my assertion. Lastly is the sense of Golf that is the combination of all of the facets in my game. I am not looking for a pseudo crutch to support my game approach. Today when down in the round after a lost ball on fourth and then seventh hole, the game brain did not falter. I knew it was from lax tee shots nothing more, I was working on an attacking game. This delivered without any change in tempo on the back nine. What has been realised once home and looking at the statistics is that I have the game to do better. Fact is I have to work on the long irons more, with the 100 m training plan appealing at the minute. The big fails were the hybrid and #3 wood I am erratic with them accuracy wise, even though I rarely use them in a round the failures are not acceptable. range work is the only fix and that will not take long. Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Breaking 80, always a good result...

After having a very good round yesterday 79 Gross/Nett 66 (41 points), the form of the past months is still maintained on the course. I am really crap at false modesty and downplaying my capability. So what if I play well or bad, saying so does not affect the scores to come one iota. What does is the practise and awareness of my golfing game. Yesterday I played steady all day and that came from the past weeks of settling into a routine that takes out the mental distractions especially from the performance mix. Total Golf for me is the physical actions of practise, fitness and mental conditioning. Being capable of playing well does involve the confidence to play well to be running parallel with the efforts. As a typical club golfer my words have no officially recognised base and there is no desire on my part for them to be. They are my words in these posts though, the irrefutable proof is in the resulting scores and victories. I am a follower of The Dan Plan and enjoy his journey and tales. I have never held back when it came to commenting on his journal in particular his lack of competition golf experience. This is no criticism of the goal or ambition of Dan. The Australian Club golf system is far removed from the US. I do believe that is in some part why we have so many quality professional in comparison to the US on a per capita basis. I give my own social round scores nothing more than training day status. Playing square to the card or a couple over in a social round is nothing special. Winning a club competition and having 2-5 more strokes is far more valuable. Even though when playing you do not know the other scores it is a competition being played to win. Presentation of the chocolates at the end show that you were better than the rest of the field in the competition on the day. Today is a new competition at a different club and yesterdays score has no impact on the card at the end of today. What I want though is to play as well again and the opportunity to win is the motivation not the desire to have a good score. Thankyou for your time and attention , Geoff

Season 2015 all about "Total Golf"

Welcome dear readers, I recommend settling into your seat and perhaps taking the stimulant of your choice as the following may be a boring read. Golf is a game of regularity and consistency for that is what champions do to play and win. Each year I begin a new thread here relegating the previous year to the knowledge bank of experience. In 2014 I won Gold and Silver at the Masters Games, in 2015 at another course I won Gold and Silver. In Southern Ports A Grade 2014 finished 4th in A Grade Nett after 3 rounds. In 2015 I finished 3rd in A Grade Nett, 1.3 strokes behind the tied first and second Nett winners. In 2014 I won the Club Handicap Championship in October and promptly had 3 monthly out of golf as injuries recovered. In 2013 My body and game was shot by August and I struggled to the end of the season easily disposed of in the Matchplay rounds of the Club Handicap Championship. Every season I have had a review and used the postings to analyse the ups, downs and head on collisions to destruction that have scattered through my golfing game. Unlike the figures of statistics this diary of sorts has supplied the details of golf games including, physical, emotional and social events. I am an amateur golfer who enjoys the game in all its aspects. This is why the details are so valuable to my improvement. Today was the beginning of the next physical phase of my golf game preparation. Added to the gym bench is an incline walking machine in the shed. Whilst my game development is delivering results and that proof is not lightly said as the preceding results show. Have no doubt about it. I set myself from last season, to match or do better than the 2014 results in Southern Ports and Masters Games. Fitness has been a major focus as a cause for several failures. As important as being able to drive, chip or putt a ball is the ability to last the full distance of a round and more. The two events I set myself for at the start of the season are 36 hole and 54 hole competitions. I use the Friday 9 hole chicken run competitions to set myself for 18 hole competitions. Two 9 holes rounds that I now charge hard at every round. This has been difficult to assimilate into my golf psyche. My game is still based upon the easiest shot, best percentage of success model. Everything is based around having the shot to be the one to put the ball into the hole as soon as possible.I try to break my handicap in every 9 hole Chicken Run and this is a club competition where every time you win the chicken two shots are dropped off the playing handicap for the next Chicken Run. Last year I had got down to 3 before the annual reset to the official handicap in January. The challenge in 2015 is to set my fitness to a very high level and not create an injury as I did in 2014. My brain is benefiting from this disciplined activity, that is another value added indirectly to my 'Total Golf' approach. Thankyou for your time and attention Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

2015 Masters Games golfing success...

"Winners are Grinners" bling from the Clare Sth Australia Masters Games on the weekend. Gold won on Sunday for best Nett in 45-54 yr section and Silver for best Nett over two days of the stroke round Tournament.

Every bit of effort put into practice this season is showing its value in golf competitions. There is absolute comfort when throwing everything at getting the best score possible in a round. Matched with the confidence and capability in getting the best out of my golfing game. The odd facet is the analytically focused attitude in playing competitions, which is not affected by the social conviviality that I thoroughly enjoy and does not affect my game. Saturday in the masters round with a couple of blow out holes, I was still only three behind second and five shots behind the leader in the nett. On Sunday with double bogies on the first two holes it was no problem in making up the shots. Even so I was not aware that I was going so well. Aware of my score, yet it was barely registering in the all out attack of my game. Yes, I can play better, not at the minute though. The progress is coming as desired in the future and the weekly results are the proof that supports the goal. How much is possible is not confirmed all can do is continue and see what is delivered. Practice is an exercise that us golfers do to improve. For me only competition results are the only defining core that shows progress or failure. Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff