My golf is getting better...

Friday 15/3/13 Having been practising and establishing a new swing and getting comfortable with the changes myself for the past two months the results are becoming established. Importantly it is an improvement and because of the training and practise method used after the first week or so the transition was in place. The most difficult part of the experience is getting used to the changed accuracy, distance with the ball in all facets of the game. Learning and adjusting to the changes all comes from repetition in practise and undoing 4 years plus of what has been the standard is not easy. Yesterday I went out and played 9 holes with a very different set of clubs and finished with 41 off the stick. This was done for several reasons. One of which to prove that the equipment is not the most important factor it is how it is used. I could be raving on about how poor the improvements have been because I played badly in the Southern Ports Tournament. That my handicap has not dropped more than 1 stroke since making the changes could also be a complaint. Fact is there are other improvements to be made yet in my golf and I am not expecting or trying to drop 2-3 strokes in a hurry at the minute. The putting practise is coming into its position as first priority. Followed with a change in the driver to a regular flex shaft from the stiff. At the same time a 3 wood is back in my bag after finally getting it right with the new swing and at last there is a reliable option for 190m to 210m shots in my bag. It is an odd experience on my part it is still new to know exactly what has been done wrong when I do not play the correct new stroke and have a poor result. The correction is so simple and easy to do but until playing the shot correctly in the first instance becomes the way I play golf it is still enthralling to be going through this transition period. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff

A great golf course to play, Heywood, Victoria

10/2/13 Sunday. Returned form playing Heywood, Victoria last night was a great day and well worth the 2 1/2 hour drive over to play. Fronting up again to play at home this afternoon as well. The training and fitness program of the past two months is delivering the result planned. Missed getting the week before game report on line as well. The usual Kingston then Robe competitions were played on Saturday and Sunday. The first day I really let loose off the tee and pushed my limits with hitting the ball as hard as possible. The previous weeks exercise routine had been a bit more than was comfortable and was a little drained to tell the truth. The poor score did not bother me again. I have been using this round to develop a course strategy at Kingston as well as test the limits of my improvement. As usual after the Kingston round I get on the Robe track and reap the rewards of the day before practise session done in a competition round. Some may find this a little confusing to be playing in a competition round and deliberately adopt a mind set of 'this is practise'. I am not interested in protecting my handicap my goal is to get it lower and this requires a major change in my game play in tandem with the skill improvements. So far every week it has worked, a poor score on day one is countered by a good score the next day using the knowledge gained from taking the path less travelled. This weekend I stepped up another level in going to Heywood. This round included pride in playing well besides enjoying the atmosphere and catching up with mates at their home club. A gross 86 with 33 Stableford points and beating most of the field for a 5th place not a bad result. First time on the track and that made the result even better. Today I am backing up at Robe and going hard for another par or better round. Thankyou for your time and attention “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff

Handicap breaking form continues...

28/1/13 Monday. Another weekend of playing two competition rounds, Kingston on Saturday and Robe on the Sunday. This weekend was significantly different in golfing approach on the Saturday. Choosing to experiment in a competition round with using the 56 degree wedge in my approach shots from 70-100 metres out from the green. This was brought about with a combination of harder greens and the need to drop and stop the ball as well as the recent distance improvement I am getting off the tee as well as with all clubs. I had practised during the week with the 56 degree wedge, which I carry for use in sand bunkers and for shots 25 to 30 m out from the green when not suitable for the pitching wedge. Was never comfortable with this club and duffed most of the long shots. Reverted to playing it as before from 30 metres in to the green for the time being. It is going to be a matter of practise to improve results with this wedge. It is possible to not practise with it of course. My choice though is to improve with it and have an extra selection available in my clubs. Day two was a head down and serious golf day as far as is acceptable for my summer rounds. The focus was still on having fun and that perhaps showed in the two double bogies during the last four holes. A few concentration lapses from being relaxed prevented a sub 80 score finished with a gross 82 and nett 69 to break my handicap easily enough. Several birdie putts just lipped out as did 3-4 par putts. None of which mattered, close enough is good enough when gauging the improvement at this early stage of pre season preparation. On the other side of the coin is that I hit the ball 240 metres plus on eight the par four and two of the par five holes and these shots were on the fairway. As well as green in regulation on the three par three holes. Accuracy is always the goal but now the distance is beginning to become regular change in my game. Hitting approach shots to the green from 125 metres or less on ten of the eighteen holes played was a significant advantage. I will add that I played in below avareage physical condition on both days as another guide to the significant improvement in my golfing capability of late. The improvement has been excerbated by an addition to my golf practise regime. The next month will be a defining period in the effectiveness of this recommended tool. Thankyou for your time and attention “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff

25/1/13 Friday As I do every year this time is spent training and practising for the coming season. 2013 is markedly different with an increased fitness training program that is definitely adding more improvement to my golfing. In addition I have imported a training aid that is designed to improve golfing as well. At this stage after 3 days this is definitely having an effect. Third day with the Dream Swing training equipment. Definite improvement in ease and comfort while using the equipment. Considering the noticeable changes the Dream Swing design is perfectly created to suit any golfer who is serious about improvement. As was proven the day before with hitting the ball on the range a marked increase in club-head speed and ease of swing. At the minute this improvement is coming at a time when I had intensified training and practising in my annual season preparation. To be playing well at the minute and then notice a marked improvement in several aspects of my golfing is no mean feat. The coming weekend of golf competitions on Saturday and Sunday are going to be challenging. Having to adjust to significant game changes and still play consistent and competitive golf at the same time. This is where my attitude of "playing for fun' during this period shows it's benefit. I enjoy playing well and winning, at this time of the year though the focus is on having fun. Enjoying my game improvements in a thrill. Even when it is a challenge to play consistently while adjusting to the effects of the training is why there is no tantrums in my golf. Thankyou for your time and attention. "Hit 'em straight all" Geoff

Hit the Fairways it helps....

9/1/13 Wednesday. After the social hit yesterday stretched out on the couch some time was spent considering the the results and events in the round. For nine holes there were four pars and they all were from greens in regulation on 2 x Par 4's and 2 x Par 3's. Being a social round I was not holding back off the tee and on two par 4 holes in particular I took the short cut across the dogleg. Both times I hit the first ball into the bush. The second balls were all placed perfect, over the dogleg and 50 metres closer to the green than my competition round shot. There was a definite unease when playing the first of the unusual shot choices. Did not set myself up correctly on the tee block etc. only small faults but enough to get off target. The correction and ease of the second shot and accuracy proved the point that my mind not ability is the reason for the fault. For the record both times I hit the greens in regulation from the second ball played. From this it could be said that I managed to par 6 holes. Bogies on the remaining 3 holes in this social round and it is obvious why I was satisfied with the first hit in 2013. The matter which had me still revising this round last night was the importance of hitting the fairway, better described perhaps as accuracy off the tee in my challenge for a single figure handicap this season. Browsing the iseekgolf forum came across another a thread which asked the question of single figure handicappers on what mattered. Five replies included hitting the fairway/accuracy off the tee. This refreshed my mind on the topic. After putting so much effort into coaching, short game practise technique development I realised that all of this has worked well. Yet I rarely practise with the Driver! The big stick has had specific problems in its use by me. Originating from the ever present mva injuries it is only recently that I have been able to take a full swing. This is still such a thrill after 20 years I have to admit even crap shots feel good and I enjoy just being able to do it. Having to now learn how to hit the ball off the tee with a full unrestricted swing is a big step. It is as if I have two game styles, the #3 to putter clubs are all played as a 13 handicapper, the Driver is played as a 27 handicapper. I cannot allow this disparity to continue, it is only an overnight realisation so the first step has been made.It is going to be odd to be out on the range hitting a lot of driver shots in the following weeks. I will have to make a conscious effort to do this and clear my mind of the previous favouritism. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff

A Social round for fun...

8/1/13 Tuesday Heading out for a social 9 holes this morning. The golfing is going to be secondary to having the walk and hit. This is not a bout of madness on my part this is exactly how I am approaching January. Apart from range practise there is no intention to be out playing competition rounds. At the minute this is refreshing mentally and is allowing me to concentrate on improving my technique and mental state of playing the game.

The other reason is that January is dedicated to the fitness program I am doing. For the past year I have been doing strand pulling (Chest expander equipment) to develop stamina in my upper body. This has never been a specific workout routine until now. This year in an attempt to avoid the regular end of season collapse that has been afflicting my golf for the past three years I have a plan. Doing specific exercises with the strand equipment took some time to develop. I had to do a lot o researching to cobble together a full body program. Using weight is beyond me for some reason now days. This is a gravity based exercise, unlike strand pulling and I have ended up with niggling injuries using weight in th last few years.

Legs, back, stomach, shoulders arms all exercised in unison to have a balance core strength and body. The back was a particular target as this is where most of my problems arise due to m.v.a. injuries.So far a week into doing the program the improvement is noticeable.  Hence I am looking forward to seeing what happens when I try and put a ball in the hole during a round of golf.
There has been one particular surprise revealed in this exercise program. My legs are totally out of kilter comparing their strength and flexibility. This would account for some of my imbalance and lack of consistency in golfing. It is a gradual fitness routine based upon regular set workout routines and it has became comfortable and easy already after a week to complete.
Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all”
 Geoff

2013 - going for a single digit handicap...

Tuesday 1.1.2013 Sitting here at the minute and it still seems like yesterday I returned to playing golf seriously again. In fact it was in 2009 that I picked up the clubs and started again. Four fun filled golf seasons have passed and it has been exactly that a lot of fun. As a matter of fact it has also been a very intellectually stimulating experience so far and that is something which makes it possible for me to get more from the game than just sporting, social and competitive activity.
The game has changed a lot since when I began playing during the late 1980's. Equipment is far more diverse and there is something to suit every individual golfer it seems. I still recall going to get a new set and being totally bemused by the array of club styles available. Today I have been through the gamut of cavity back styles, old and new blades, shaft varieties and then there are the various balls which come into the equation. To be playing with a full set of hybrids which suit my golfing progress and the specific needs that influence my golfing game now was not easily arrived at. The journey though was a bucket load of fun.
My final range session was using the #5 Hybrid and the accuracy, ease of hitting the ball and the results came from the combination of equipment and coaching that established a decent swing at last.

In 2012 I pushed my self to the limit of endurance. Starting with the goal of getting to a single digit handicap it became obvious that this was too big of a hurdle for my ability early in the season  to achieve. This is where the awareness of what golf involves that has been learnt from online interaction showed its worth. Coaching became the total focus of my season and working on what was taught. Whilst more attention could have been paid to playing the game to win I did well enough in the first half of the year to win two club season trophies. That satisfied my ego.
Letting me become absorbed in the process of getting a decent swing to hit the ball right down pat. It was the effort that went into improving my fitness that made this possible. Losing 8 kilograms was a big help. Not to forget that I also stopped smoking two years ago as well as gradually beginning a new exercise program specifically to assist my golf.

Something that I became aware of in my golfing adventure has been my physical shortcomings. It is very easy to make excuses for not changing how you go about doing many things. Simply because change to a routine is always an unsettling venture for people who generally are creatures of habit. Peoples reaction to natural weather events have me in stitches at times when there is a hue and cry about all of the disruption that happens. Good grief 50 years ago people seemed to be a lot more reliant when the power went off yet now there is almost a need to have a public execution to satisfy the people whose usual day has been disrupted!

Back onto the topic again the previous body training methods used specifically weights were particularly unsuited. This time I chose cable/strand pulling exercises a simple piece of equipment that can be packed and travel with me. In the last two months of 2012 I began regularly using it to do some basic conditioning. In the meantime researching the various exercise sets and which parts of the body they affect. The method is as usual to document the progress starting from today and have a record of the ineffectiveness of my program.
My goal is to develop stamina and the strength to be able to make the same swing every time without tiredness affecting execution. Targeting specific body areas again in the search to improve my damaged bits. As usual I cannot help myself in the quest to get better. Once again I am doing what I have sworn to stop doing, this time though I am not trying to break the restrictions. The point of recording the progress is to be able to see the first sign of discomfort in front of me and stop straight away instead of continuing.
Have a great 2013, thankyou for your time and attention, "Hit 'em straight all"
Geoff

Playing better than last week...

Saturday 29/12/12 The clock is ticking towards the end of the golfing year and sitting back reflecting on the past has to be done. Started out with my usual confidence and ambition to play my best and did so at times. Other rounds were terrible and the goals set were not reached when it came to making a single digit handicap.

Highlight of the season was the 78 off the stick and breaking 80 for the first time in a competition. Having to do it in the penultimate round to win a seasonal club trophy and in rain and wind was very satisfying. Played in many regional opens and was in the trick shot winning brigade often enough. A Grade or Division One success was beyond my ability in these open fields. There is always a learning experience with golfing and this year was realising that all the practise I have done so far has been good enough to give my game a base.

The past few weeks has been the best I have hit the ball ever.

"Nor is it just words the results of three second place finishes in the last three weeks competition including the Division 1 Nett at the Kingston Open last week. Yes there is some pride in the results gleaned from the effort. It still surprises me at the reaction of some golfers to winners who do not spout false modesty when having success. Water off a duck’s back to me the slights and to be honest poor sportsmanship of some losers in golf clubs. I will go as far to say that this facet of club golfing is also an influence on the failure of some clubs to progress into having growth in people joining these clubs.

Yesterday I had a very light range session 40 balls 20 with the #5 hybrid, 10 each with the #3 Metal and Driver. Nothing more than a technique practise session, hitting balls with measured effort. Concentration directed at making certain the stance, grip, swing and set up were being as well as possible and establishing consistency. Then off to the putting green to do the same with setting up for the all important finish to every hole."

A combination of equipment, using the full hybrid set has bee a major assistance. Fitness, with the weight loss and specific cable stretching exercise program that I have began adding stamina and consistency in being able to play the same shots regularly. Lastly but by no means least is the coaching program that I followed this year has got my game to the position where I do the right things to hit the ball and know what it is I am doing.
This summer I will be too busy working to play competition golf in January with any regularity. Which is going to be used to good stead.

 Continuing the less is more approach has worked very well in my recovery from the season injuries. This time it is being used to commit to practise and more practise with the cable pulling exercise program being followed rigorously to prepare for the 2013 Southern Ports Golf Tournament. My fourth crack at this. Again will be playing as many open tournaments as possible and travelling a lot wider a field so don;t be surprised to see your own clubs mentioned in these pages. Have a great 2013 all. Thankyou for your time and attention.
 Geoff

New club set have shipped...

25/7/12 Wednesday. Unexpected trip up to Adelaide today and returning home tomorrow afternoon. Quickly threw in some travelling clubs with the overnight bag and dropped in to the West Beach Driving range late in the afternoon. Feeling a little stiff and out of sorts at the minute and getting a Bowen Therapy treatment on Friday morning to tuyne up the body again.




Enjoyed hitting 60 balls and not having to pick them up like I do at home. There are times when I could happily be a range rat, still the mixture of both practise avenues inluding the home course where it is a fairway with distance markers works well enough. Have put in some good quality putting time this week. Getting confidence and importantly the right attacking attitude of holing every putt possible still needs some more practise.



Checking the email inbox I saw the shipping notification for the new set of clubs from the US have been dispatched. Looking forward to the potential game improvement that could come from a complete hybrid set. After my coach suggested replacing the 3 and 4 irons with hybrids I was not totally convinced. I carry a #2 Hybrid and not a 3 wood in my bag and it is a very effective club.



Won the 185 metre Par 3, NTP at Lucindale with it last weekend. The 3 and 4 irons are clubs that I hit quite well. Considering how different the hybrid feels and the effectiveness with distance, ease of use and accuracy why not try a complete set of hybrids in the bag. There are better hybrid sets on the market but for the sake of the exercise initially the ones I have bought will do the job required well enough. It is always exciting experiencing the discovery of what technology can do to my golf game.

Robe Golf Club Newsletter first Issue


This month we have got out the first online Newsletter to members. It is a gradual evolution and the club facebook page is gradually increasing in its use by members also.Thankyou for your time and attention. “Hit ‘em straight all”

 Geoff