Return to Keith GC Open 2015

A little sluggish at the minute. Completed the 300 km round trip to and from Keith and played 18 holes in their Open Event today. Finished in 5th place with 86 (33 points) not a great round but good enough. Was under a bit of self imposed pressure and was well aware of that. The three missed birdie putts and three duffed chip shots were the main problems to the score. Keith is a course not played in a couple of years and one that I set as a benchmark for my golf game. Could have very easily pulled out of this round in deference to playing at Kingston SE and the familiar surroundings. Which is the total antithesis of my golf ambition. If I was not feeling the pressure I would have charged a bit more instead of putting up the shutters and playing a controlled game. Would have been great to break my handicap at this track and I did have a fair dinkum crack at it too. Putting up the shutters is a tad excessive in truth to describe how I played. It was more a case of percentage shots and no stupid 1 in 100 efforts. The unfamiliar fairways ad lie of the land did create some problems but never did I feel the game was getting away from me. Tomorrow is the home club monthly medal round. This is a no holds barred round and the game is going to be played with every essence of my focus on low scoring. This is a very important game change on my part and is happening now as the target (single digit) handicap is based on this and the future of the season. The aggression is not unrestrained, it is all centered on the golf capability that has been developed through practise this season and competition playing. 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

2014 Single digit handicap goal...

My efforts up to date, this year have been under harder review than previous seasons. The failure in 2013 due to injury was very frustrating, it did take me some time to realise the problem was less my golf game and more my physical condition. So far this season I have backed off on intense practise and changed my physical rehab program as well as adding a serious dieting program for weight loss. Definitely feeling better and the injury problems are on the improve as well. The proving ground is on course and the practise range and this week has been markedly improved. Perhaps this year I have finally got the complexity of golfing understood as it applies to an individual's capability. I have always been optimistic on improving and barreled along without getting lost in trying to understand the varied influences on a golfers game. That happy ignorance has helped in a small way as I used that time to become aware of golf from playing reading and learning all this time. I always enjoyed sitting down and reviewing all that information which has been documented in 3-4 years of doing my "Playing the Game" posts. The many "Eureka" moments of finally understanding a game facet or mastering a clubs use as a whole has been the journey so far. Thank you for your time and attention, Hit the ball, find the ball, Hit it again, Geoff

First competition round for 2013...

12/1/13 Saturday. The desire to play a competition round was soothed today by doing exactly that. Took the trip to Kingston and finished the round at -3 in the Par event. 88 off the stick with 29 putts. The first time in seven rounds I have had less than 30 putts so the practise was a benefit on the greens to begin. Was grouped with two single digit golfers and another on 13 as I am. The three of them are noted long hitters off the tee so my new found driver ability was going to be tested as well. My approach to Par rounds is very different to other competitions, it is one of having fun and going for the gold. No holding back and attacking at all times to try and get + scores on holes. It is a game that I have chosen to accept the challenge and not hold back in going for the wins. This can lead to blow out rounds of course and I am willing to lose when throwing everything at a game to get a result. Off the tee was a revelation in the improvement of this facet of my game. Dear readers I not only matched the big hitters I was longer at times. This alone was worth the day spent on the course. My accuracy faltered at times and even that was not even a concern. Fact is I have never stood up on the tee block in a competition round and on every par four and five hole swung flat out 100% every time. This was all down to the improved fitness and testament was on the final hole a par five into the wind. The tee shot was straight down the centre 230-240m and there was more in the tank and I used it well with the next shot. The putting and short game as well was improved in many aspects. This is early days in 2013 and the round today has been very satisfactory in relation to the practise and training that has been put in. Thankyou for your time and attention "Hit 'em straight all" Geoff

Second place in Kingston SE Open..

18/12/12 Tuesday A very satisfying result in the Kingston Summer Open on Saturday. The results from practise and playing preparation over the past month delivered a second place finish in Division 1 (14 Hcp or less) Nett result 83 gross and a nett 69. Did not as the saying goes, "leave any shots out on the course". Played as well as I could on the day and this is my third second place finish in my last three competition rounds.

Consistent hits on the fairways and getting greens in regulation all contributed to the ease of the round. The short game chipping and putting is more affected by carrying some residual back stiffness, not from lack of ability to play better shots. I am choosing to make a note of this affecting my game as a reminder for the future. It is time that I have to make a specific effort to not accept playing with this restriction. I will delay taking action until after January as I will be no longer doing the 5.30 am starts on weekends to deliver newspapers from the 24th of December. I want to ascertain that this early morning drive around and throwing papers is not the major cause of this restriction.

As relaxed as I am this has been noted and a mental note of not letting this affect my coming season game attitude. Off the tee and on the fairway my game was strongest. Short game with chipping and putting are still the weaker links. Nothing that practise will not improve and patience a usual is a virtue. It has not only been actions which has assisted in the recent results. The playing for fun and enjoying the rounds has been a major influence in recovery from the 2012 season.
Thank you for your time and attention. “Hit ‘em straight all”
 Geoff

Steady golf improvement...

18/10/12 Thursday. Back home after a week of travelling and looking forward to having a hit today. Did get out and play four holes after arriving home yesterday that was cut short with cart hire duties for green fee players. Must admit that this will not be missed after November when I go off committee, while still volunteering for other club duties will still be a commitment on my part if it is not Junior Golf or New Membership development I will not be stepping forward. There will be a modicum of guilt at reducing my club involvement but that will pass very quickly. The members have to be made to change the operations of various aspects of the Golf Club and as far as I can see it people continuing to cover the gaps is not fixing problems. Especially when it results in me playing less golf. At the minute my game is stable, not playing to handicap but only 2-3 strokes off it. Enjoying the fitness and improved mobility has me getting out on the course as much as possible. Stil not practising a lot though at the minute it is a pleasant meander with the current game and noting the game improvements from the 2012 season. There have been several that have all strengthened my game foundation. Not huge leaps of improvement but all steady small steps that combined are a leap and that is fantastic to realise and have achieved. Ambled around on Sunday and 34 points. Apart from a couple of errors on the first and the fifth holes played the round was without any major blemishes. The score is fact, what could have happened did not. So no what if's and maybes are applicable. Thankyou for your time and attention. "Hit 'em straight all." Geoff

Want your own golf course...?

This is something that I have found out about through people I know and I am not a land agent either. All joking aside if any one does want to know more and has that dream or desire to own their own golf course and make a dollar from it get your contact details to me and I will get you in touch with John and Sue. Here is a bit of detail on the golf course and facilities. Up north on a Queensland Sunshine Coast location A 9-hole (Par 3) golf course spread over 7.7 hectares of lush bushland which also features: ■4 bedroom, 2 bath, study, living room and kitchen in a Mediterranean style dwelling ■2 outdoor function areas with licensed cafe and pro sho ■2 tennis courts, in-ground pool, storage shed, plus maintenance equipmen ■Only 15 minutes to beach It’s not often that a business and lifestyle opportunity like this becomes available…indeed, it’s only that the current owners, John and Sue, are ready to retire that they are finally looking to sell. This freehold 9 hole golf course is for developers, golf enthusiasts, business owners, people looking for semi-retirement, families and, of course those simply looking for an amazing lifestyle. The 7.7 hectare property contains a 9-hole Par 3 golf course, 2 all weather tennis courts, golf practice cage, in-ground swimming pool, large outdoor function areas, a well stocked golf shop and cafe with liquor licence. All buggies, shop stock, turf equipment and golf machinery are included. In addition to the golf course and function facilities, the property is home to a spacious Mediterranean style dwelling with: ■4 bedrooms ■2 bathrooms ■Living rooms ■Study ■Well appointed kitchen ■Large dining area ■Timber deck The natural beauty of the estate includes a freshwater creek which runs through the centre of the property beside the ponds that are flourishing with water lilies. If you are a golf enthusiast, what could be better than living on a golf course? Enjoy your days teeing-off on your very own 9-hole golf course in amongst the abundant birdlife that inhabit this stunning property. At the end of the day, relax by the pool sipping a cocktail as you watch the afternoon sunset. Life doesn’t get much better than this. Establish a Bed & Breakfast, restaurant, conference venue, hotel, retirement village, town-houses or prestige homes. Or just play golf on your own course. This already successful business has hosted corporate golf days, wedding receptions, birthdays and other special occasions. You may want to take of this profitable business or start your own. It’s up to you what you do with this property Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Consistently stupid...

14/9/12 Friday. Ambled around the course yesterday morning and hit the ball well enough short game was a fail though. Interesting aside was joining up with another club golfer who has not played the past week due to a back injury as well. Both were making the same short game errors and that may be nothing more than coincidence yet still worth the attention. When my injury is in ascension generally playing the driver and long iron shots are not affected too much. The short game really does struggle for any consistency. There is no 'feel' to play the chip shot with the right strength the body starts to be out of control. Chip shots can vary from short pop ups that go 2 metres or less to a low rocket scorching across the green. It only happens perhaps two or three times a round. As happened in the matchplay of the club championships that was enough to cost me the play off win. In a competition round it is the same with two or three holes blown out around the green. The conclusion at the end of the season is that I have not got the balance of how much golf is too much, wrong again. The ability and skills of the game have improved which is a good thing for me, the failure to manage the playing quota was not. Getting this wrong is not the end of golfing or the most important aspect of my life. The pain caused and failing to win are in the right order of importance. Golf is fun and that includes all the practise, as well as playing the game, planning, thinking and socialising that is part of my golfing experience. That I am still stupid enough to overdo it again even entertains me. Thankyou for your time and attention. "Hit 'em straight all. Geoff

Blink and you miss it... Australian Golf

8/9/12 Saturday Apologies for the delayed post this week. One of the joys of rural living and moving house is the transfer of communication services. May be better off with carrier pigeons instead of telcomunications, less crap with pigeons. Australian professional tournaments get their annual media attention in the coming months. Once the main games are played that is the end of any committed media. The money is a factor, the tournaments are part of the day job for professional golfers. As is the sanctioned status of a tournament and the entry success gives to other events. The distance to be travelled would be taken into consideration with the reward structure and lastly but not least the status of a victory in an event. As is mentioned in regard to the Australian Open it was ‘once considered the fifth major’. That is dead and buried now and is trotted out these days in articles bemoaning the ‘loss’ of this. I will use another word, ‘failure’. Totally had enough of the annual trotting out of superlatives in commentary and media pieces about the’ once upon a time’ Australian Open. Fact is that it no longer has the standing of the past for what ever reasons that are regurgitated each year. Time that Golf Australia actually confronted the state of professional golf in the country and established something with some spine. Not the usual pale shadows that are nothing more than window dressing in the empty shop front of an abandoned business district. Have heard all of the words on ‘golf is different’ and what is affecting the professional game. Australian Golf has a lot of talk that is the epitome of a can’t do attitude. If the Oz golf environment cannot support a regular tour of some efficiency nationally there is definitely failure at the top. No prizes for predicting what is going to be talked about when the Australian professional feature tournaments are on in 2012, the same as every other year. The question will be asked of the leadership and nothing will be forthcoming except ‘stuff is being done’ and once the events are over that will be the last of golf in Australia in the mainstream media attention until the same time next year. Keeping to the sensible although mildly frustrating 'No Golfing" plan for the weekend. Not missing playing the game too much and enjoying the physical respite after the commitment of the past year. Next week I may start to hit a few balls in the driving net set up in the shed at the new home. With such a big back lawn the though has crossed my mind to create a putting surface in a corner patch. That is the definite proof of a golfing obsession. When not playing the game then I am thinking about it way to much. Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Championships draw released...

28/8/12 Tuesday. Managed to get a Bowen treatment this morning and that has released the restriction on my body. Was healing up slowly but getting a treatment was vital to have me in better condition for the first round of matchplay for the club championships on Sunday.

Got to the clubhouse and have seen the draw, it is the same opponents as last season for the first two, with the current club champion my opponent if I win the first round. Then it will be some one new to play off against if I win through to the final 36 hole round.

Playing matchplay is always a challenge and my short game will be getting some dedicated practise. Chipping in and dropping the first putt is a major bonus in this knock-out competition. Weather has gone to crap again with more rain today settling in to soak the course. Fortunate that the new place I am moving to has a shed and will be there tomorrow setting up my driving net inside to get some range practise in the armoury.

It is great to have finally got to this part of the season and in better condition physically than last season. Starting to have a few body parts waver as in last weekend but that hurdle has been leapt now it should be relatively plain sailing to the eventual outcome.   Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all”

 Geoff

A Winning performance...

13/8/12 Monday. Once again the two competition round golfing weekend has delivered winning results in my game. Ever since I started travelling away to play on Saturdays, when playing the next day in the home track competition no matter how I perform away my golf is either a winning or top three place result. It is an odd experience as the away courses are very different, invariably the greens are faster and fairways feature taller trees. This seems to make me hit much straighter off the tee and fairways, and the slower greens do end with me having several putts stop well short of the hole. Yet rarely miss the second putt with an aggressive straight to the hole stroke.

Yesterday I scored 38 Stableford points, 19 on each nine played and a wipe on both nines as well. One was just poor golf the other totally bemusing. Hit a second shot saw the ball go into a tree and could not find it anywhere, lost ball penalty killed the scoring on that hole. Apart from those two blemishes the round was highlighted with greens in regulation or just missed and accurate drives off the tee. Putting was not a strength and whilst not too bad needs to be tuned up this week. The following two rounds are club championship qualifying events and I am not far off my best form at the minute. Played with the reigning club champion yesterday and while having the better score by one point his handicap of 8 is four less than my 12. Overall though it was an encouraging day for my aim to have another crack at the club title in 2012.

Coming runner up in 2011 has been a motivation for the improvement in my golfing this season. This covers several areas from equipment to physical condition. This time last season I was struggling to maintain the ability to be able to play well with my body having reached its limit of endurance. That is not the case in 2012, having dropped 6.5 kilograms in weight. Planned for practise to include a schedule that does not have me lacking in energy and capability when it came to the qualifying and championships. I play golf for fun and exercise yet the varied competition is an inspiration to play as much as I do.

Equipment wise there has been the change to a larger driver giving extra distance and not sacrificing the accuracy of the smaller club head size I have been using. The change to a mallet putter has also been an improvement which has increased my confidence when putting on the green. Finally and most recently has been the change to having a complete set of hybrids in the bag from #3 to PW. This most recent development was not expected to have such a significant influence as it has. Certainly not going to discount this and am a wholehearted convert to this style of club as best for my game.

This week will be one of practise as usual with more attention to putting improvement. No matter 

what level of golf played getting the ball in the hole is always the most important part of your round.

Thankyou for your time and attention. "Hit 'em straight all"

Geoff

Kingston SE good form shows itself...

12/8/12 Sunday. The good golf form which has been sitting back apart from occasional glimpses in rounds of late came out in full light during yesterdays round at Kingston SE. Not having to travel so far and playing in reasonable weather was an assisting factor also. Scoring 34 points and that was with a poor display of tee shots and 3x three putts. The All hybrid set again showed its benefits, GIR were above my usual standards 50% of greens hit and those missed were in the less than 5 metre zone. There were a few lapses and off the tee was the cause of most errors during the round. This was well covered in the main with the rest of my golfing. Putting also had a couple of lapses and not getting any birdies from the several attempts was frustrating.

Not altogether unsettled by the putts that did not drop. Having so many birdie attempts in itself was a major addition to my game. This was a result of the All Hybrid set and the ease of playing short clubs with accurate placement onto the greens. When I say the shorter clubs that is all from the #5 Hybrid to the Pitching Wedge. It seems at the minute that I have got the clubs in the bag which suit my game at the minute. The lightness and the large sweet spot of the clubs has reduced the errors. Especially the tendency to hit the ball fat or thin is noticeably missing. Previously it was a strain to maintain consistent ball striking due to physical constraints and the hybrids have largely negated that detrimental aspect.

Staying on the home track for Sundays stableford competition and not travelling to Millicent to play their Open. Part of the preparation for the start of Championship Qualifying which starts next weekend. Thankyou for your time and attention. "Hit 'em straight all"

Geoff

Winning with ugly golf is better than losing ...

30/7/12 Monday. After the erratic day at Naracoorte on Saturday fronted up on the home track for the Sunday 29th of July competition. It was the first qualifier of the Gallerie Trophy and a Monthly Medal round. Proving that no matter how ugly your golf is, the score is what separates the winners from the losers not how pretty your game is.Won the day with a 77 Nett and 89 off the stick. The NTP was mine on Sunday missing the  Putting on the day (27) went well enough with 29 putts and Ryans Run for the best back nine score was picked up by myself.

Not a bad return of winning results on the day after being battered hard in past weeks on neighbouring courses. My golf was ugly  as far as the structure of the round went. Playing well off the tee again and putting well enough a few poor chips did not help and the most damage to the score was from the fairway shots. Two lost balls knocked the charge towards playing to Par off the rails. One in particular was a great shot but a club too much that went straight to the green, over it and into the native bush surrounds. Dropped a club played a provisional and it landed a couple of metres from the pin. 

All of the day there was no feeling of stability in my game. This week will be spent refreshing my game brain, that seems to be the problem. Concentration lapses is what is the cause of this erratic game play. On making an error with a stroke the following shot is played correctly and the rest of the hole is played effectively and efficiently. It is not that concentrating is a problem it is the maintaining of the focus in rounds that is causing the most damage. Together with one fault that I do not seem to be able to get the better of at the minute, getting the distances of my clubs settled. 

Not choosing the correct club and hitting the ball too long or too short has been put down to playing unfamiliar courses in the past month. Yesterday on my home track though it was blatantly obvious that the club selection on the front nine was out of sync with the actual distances I hit the ball. On the back nine there was an improvement that resulted in GIR's and obviously the NTP won on the 16th hole is one testament to that. Apart from refreshing my mental golf a concerted effort is needed to get on top of the club selection for fairway shots. This will be interesting with a complete hybrid set arriving in coming weeks. I will start with a clear slate with the new sticks to establish their distances.

The next two weeks are a Par round on the 5th of August and Stableford on the 12th of the month. Then the first Qualifier for Club Championships on the 19th as well as the second round of the Gallerie Trophy. Then the 26th of August is the second and third rounds of the respective Qualifying rounds. While my golf is not at its best currently. It was still better than the rest of the club opponents in the last competition. There is going to be some serious work in store on the practise fairway and greens in the build up to the club championships.

Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Cloned golf clubs they work...

27/7/12 Friday. As a golfer one of the enjoyable facets of the game is looking at, playing with and thinking about new golf equipment. Especially the clubs available, with such a large selection of different clubhead designs available all espousing technological improvements with their release.Perhaps it is a throwback to my teenage years when I enjoyed getting a tube of glue and putting together the various bits in the model aeroplane kits because today I enjoy making up club sets. Cobbling together old iron set sitting in their box and swapping shafts and club heads into different variations. This is easy to do no workshop required at all moving between the kitchen, lounge room and the dining table I can quickly put a set of irons together or regrip them.

Which bring me to the next point once all of the old clubs lying around have been taken apart, swapped over and put back to the original configuration, what do I do next? Having sparked up my interest and got into the experience of constructing my own version of a club more material is needed. When it comes to golf, my money is best spent on playing the game the rest is just a casual hobby that is additional fun. So the best alternative is to purchase the second and third tier golf equipment manufacturers components to make my own set.

Here is where I found the nasty side of golfing, the various opinions on major brands and the lesser know equipment manufacturers quality, performance and ethics. Some opinions I read were so unashamedly biased it appeared to be only lacking one thing and that was endorsement from an advertiser. It was this that made me committed to not supporting only major equipment suppliers, I do not accept extreme almost fanatical ranting against anything as it makes me want to know why an opponent is shouting over the voice of the target.

This one I found a reasonable and balanced review http://www.golf-club-revue.com/golf-club-clones.html

Here a comparison trial was done between two golf clubs performance original and a clone,

http://www.mygolfspy.com/clone-golf-clubs-vs-name-brand/

And another discussion piece http://www.livestrong.com/article/273091-about-clone-golf-clubs/

From ValueGolf.com (a supplier of cloned equipment) is this description

“Clones are something very common in the world today – chances are you’ve seen or use some type of cloned product every day. Just a couple  examples: Computers: Just about every computer out today is a clone of the original IBM. Remember the cost of the original IBM computers? Not cheap. So an alternative soon followed: less expensive components without the ridiculous mark up combined to make a computer of similar quality at a fraction of the cost. Some of those clone companies even progressed to be their own established brand names, like Dell. Some clone golf companies have become their own established brand too, Tour Edge, Nickent for example.“Compare to” products: No doubt at the grocery store you’ve seen a product that says “Compare to….(brand name)”. Cereal for example. I know personally, because my cholesterol is a little bit high, I started eating Kashi Heart To Heart brand. Not a bad tasting cereal, but expensive at $5.00 a box. Then I discovered Wegmans “Heart Essentials”, which in my opinion actually tasted better, and was half the cost. 
Guess what I buy now? The same principle applies to golf clubs.
Yes, there are many examples of cloning today, and golf clubs are no different. "

Whilst I will always look at, trial, consider and purchase the so called First Tier golf equipment manufacturers products at the same time I will continue to purchase the lesser known golf equipment suppliers products as well. Thankyou for your time and attention. “Hit ‘em straight all”

 Geoff