Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Success! Practise continues to improve my game...
1/2/12 Wednesday. The 81 gross round on Sunday had several features which contributed to the nett 68. First off hitting eleven fairways set up clear shots at the greens to begin with on the majority of holes. A total of 53.8% Up and Downs was a statistic supported with the total of 27 putts in the round.
Now I am is back into the practise routine to keep the current standard and establish this as a consistent base to play my game from. The coaching did not end with the professional clocking off after the session time.
I have been given a series of practise session routines which include a competitive scoring aspect. Following the results of the weekend round my personal expectations are high. It has also tapped into the increasing “hunger to win” attitude with my game attitude. Whilst the winning attitude has always existed with my golfing, having a deliberate attacking game strategy has not. This has taken a marked increase in my golf ability to be able to initiate and do with confidence. The attacking game plan was part of the cause of the 11th hole blow out in Sunday’s round. That the back nine (Gross 38) included eight par scores and the 8 (4 over) on the 11th hole was something that is a positive golf experience in my game book. Having since reviewed the shot that caused the blowout. I did consider a different club choice at the time, choosing the one that gave the best chance to hit the green in regulation. After this analysis and hindsight, I would play the same club and shot in those conditions again.
The continuing practise through February is set in stone with the Driver, hybrid and long irons in one section, then the Short irons, wedges second, followed by the crucial putting the ball in the hole. Yesterday the intention was to concentrate on range work that was curtailed by an invitation to play a social 18 holes. This unexpected change of events was well worthwhile, hitting 14 Fairways (including all par 3 greens) using the 460cc driver for the majority of par 4 and 5 holes. The social nature of the round also gave me a chance to further explore the distance issue with the short irons. Deliberately underclubbing on several holes to see what the outcome was. It was encouraging to see that the accuracy and swing tempo etc was not affected by the club choice and that the ball was consistently 10m short of the target.
Whilst the playing conditions are unknown in the future I am making a specific effort to get on the range on the windy days and set up to be hitting into the natural force. This is one regional weather condition that does affect golf here on the coast and practising in it can only be beneficial. At least during summer the wind is not accompanied with rain and is a little more pleasant to practise in. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all”Geoff
Monday, January 30, 2012
Bang on target for the Tournament..
30/1/12 Monday. Four weeks of practise have passed since the beginning of the month and many changes to my game has been further evidence in the effectiveness of professional coaching received. The resultant changes in stance and simplifying the whole process of hitting the ball forward into the hole from tee to green did take some adjustment.
When playing rounds it was difficult to be consistent with my stroke play. Accepting that I had increased the distances with my shorter irons was not easy. In the past I occasionally hit the odd shot longer, never so often and with the accurate landing of the balls on target and in a tight grouping. This was all achieved with less effort due to the improved stance and posture which directed more energy in powering the ball, which previously was wasted in keeping the club on target just to hit the ball. That is my translation of one effect that the coaching had. From three session, the first week had the two which worked on tee fairway shots and around the green short game, pitching and chipping. After two weeks of practising the advice given, on Friday taking the final coaching session, Putting.
In a nutshell to describe the ease in making the changes it was all possible because now I take the same stance to play every shot. The clubs do all of the golf stuff, I am the brain which selects the balls target and power supply unit. To finish the coaching with putting could be taken as a recipe for more struggle in getting everything working in unison. Yet as the following results show this was not the case, as the next day I played in the Kingston SE competition backing up with Robe on Sunday. Saturday was a tough day weather wise it was hot and the wind was not a gentle cooling zephyr but a gusty beast that coupled with the litres of sweat gushing into my eyes made concentration a battle.
A front nine of 20 points and dropping putts from all over the green I was surprised to say the least at the consistency of my game across the whole gamut of shots being played. I was also carrying the 460cc Driver in the bag with a 400cc driver in there as well. Alternating between the two depending on the shot required off the tee. The back nine was dragged down in a large part to the effect of the harsh weather conditions. Two wipes with ragged tee shots and missing three putts inside 2m that I was dropping in the cup with ease on the front nine had a total of 12 points on the card. Each of the three missed putts were for 3 pointers as well, they were not hole saving must get putts but those invaluable handicap breaking boosters.
End result off the day at Kingston was confirmation that the practise and changes were all worthwhile. With the Southern Ports Tournament four weeks away the preparations had all been comparable with the past two events preparation for me. Sunday was dependent on the weather I was not going to through myself into another battle with the elements of heat and winds inside 24 hours. Whilst it was still warm the breeze was that and not a lurking gusty gale and a cool change predicted for late afternoon conditions were fine. After the junior coaching clinic at 9.30am and restocking the bar for the golf club I decided to play.
Not one for a shot by shot description of a round and that will not change here. A front nine of 43 (with a double bogie 7) and 15 putts, the back nine was a 38 (including a 4 over 8) and 12 putts. Grand total of 81 Gross for a Nett 68 and 27 putts. Apart from the two blowout holes the rest were birdies, pars and bogies, I was in total control of my game alternating again between the two drivers depending on the hole layouts. Hitting the greens in regulation on 5 holes, 11 fairways and with the putting on target all day it was a round that delivered all of the results that the coaching and practise were done for.
One of my playing partners also had coaching from the same professional recently and his driving was stupendous at times and the accuracy and consistency that came with it was exactly what I am working towards. It was a good thing to be able to watch him drive from the tee and imprint that action in my mind for my own use later. The coming four weeks of training appeal even more after this round, I can sense the nearness of breaking 80 and importantly being good form for the 3 round tournament. Thankyou for your time and attention. “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff
When playing rounds it was difficult to be consistent with my stroke play. Accepting that I had increased the distances with my shorter irons was not easy. In the past I occasionally hit the odd shot longer, never so often and with the accurate landing of the balls on target and in a tight grouping. This was all achieved with less effort due to the improved stance and posture which directed more energy in powering the ball, which previously was wasted in keeping the club on target just to hit the ball. That is my translation of one effect that the coaching had. From three session, the first week had the two which worked on tee fairway shots and around the green short game, pitching and chipping. After two weeks of practising the advice given, on Friday taking the final coaching session, Putting.
In a nutshell to describe the ease in making the changes it was all possible because now I take the same stance to play every shot. The clubs do all of the golf stuff, I am the brain which selects the balls target and power supply unit. To finish the coaching with putting could be taken as a recipe for more struggle in getting everything working in unison. Yet as the following results show this was not the case, as the next day I played in the Kingston SE competition backing up with Robe on Sunday. Saturday was a tough day weather wise it was hot and the wind was not a gentle cooling zephyr but a gusty beast that coupled with the litres of sweat gushing into my eyes made concentration a battle.
A front nine of 20 points and dropping putts from all over the green I was surprised to say the least at the consistency of my game across the whole gamut of shots being played. I was also carrying the 460cc Driver in the bag with a 400cc driver in there as well. Alternating between the two depending on the shot required off the tee. The back nine was dragged down in a large part to the effect of the harsh weather conditions. Two wipes with ragged tee shots and missing three putts inside 2m that I was dropping in the cup with ease on the front nine had a total of 12 points on the card. Each of the three missed putts were for 3 pointers as well, they were not hole saving must get putts but those invaluable handicap breaking boosters.
End result off the day at Kingston was confirmation that the practise and changes were all worthwhile. With the Southern Ports Tournament four weeks away the preparations had all been comparable with the past two events preparation for me. Sunday was dependent on the weather I was not going to through myself into another battle with the elements of heat and winds inside 24 hours. Whilst it was still warm the breeze was that and not a lurking gusty gale and a cool change predicted for late afternoon conditions were fine. After the junior coaching clinic at 9.30am and restocking the bar for the golf club I decided to play.
Not one for a shot by shot description of a round and that will not change here. A front nine of 43 (with a double bogie 7) and 15 putts, the back nine was a 38 (including a 4 over 8) and 12 putts. Grand total of 81 Gross for a Nett 68 and 27 putts. Apart from the two blowout holes the rest were birdies, pars and bogies, I was in total control of my game alternating again between the two drivers depending on the hole layouts. Hitting the greens in regulation on 5 holes, 11 fairways and with the putting on target all day it was a round that delivered all of the results that the coaching and practise were done for.
One of my playing partners also had coaching from the same professional recently and his driving was stupendous at times and the accuracy and consistency that came with it was exactly what I am working towards. It was a good thing to be able to watch him drive from the tee and imprint that action in my mind for my own use later. The coming four weeks of training appeal even more after this round, I can sense the nearness of breaking 80 and importantly being good form for the 3 round tournament. Thankyou for your time and attention. “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Proof the distance gained is here to stay...
24/1/12 Tuesday. Back on the driving range this morning with the p/w and the 5 iron from the AP2 set and the old 4 iron from the cavity back set I used last season. It had been something considered for a couple of weeks and after the round on Sunday I wanted to get out and put the idea that distance has been gained. The old 4 iron was something that had been eclipsed distance wise previously with the new AP2 5 iron. I am a believer that the your golf technique, is more effective than having the newest equipment, when it comes to playing good golf in general.
The tale that has been said before by me in my writing and many have heard various variations of it. Where a club pro has a golfer say he must get the latest driver touted to be able to fix all woes and send the ball 20 metres further to play better. The Pro gets an old persimmon wood out and cracks the ball straight and 250m down the fairway in response, then says to the golfer that no matter what new equipment you get that is still not going to have you hitting the ball like that.
Today the 5 iron was sending the ball longer that before and straight, after 20 balls I changed to the old 4 iron after another 20 balls the ball was going 5-10m further than the new 5 iron. After 7 holes this morning the weather cooled down a bit and after a quick repack of the bag I went out for 9 holes with the old irons. Scored five bogies and four pars in the trial once again the short irons were significantly longer. That was one of the reasons behind this experiment, it had been a noticeable with this set that hitting distances were very restricted with the 7-PW. Now with the corrected and much improved stance the short irons have gained in distance during a round after the driving range experience this morning.
Once again the Driver off the tee has been the standout even cracked a couple of 250m shots off the tee and a couple of 230m drives as well. Those results are confirmation that this club has also benefited significantly from the coaching. A lot of work to be put in yet though, the accuraccy is going to need a dedicated series of practise sessions to reach an acceptable standard. To have flirted and been teased by the distance possible with clubs for so long there is finally some credibility in my claim of being able to hit longer.
23/1/12 Monday. This year there has been a significant difference with the 7-PW irons gaining distance following the coaching changes and the usual exercise routines in the training program. Having long distance from these clubs is not a usual feature of my game. The 9 and PW are irons which I rarely use outside of 80m are now working at 120m. This was not a good thing for yesterday as I was belting the balls from inside 80m way past the greens and that was the cause of three wipes. Would not have been so bad except this threw my short game chipping and I ended up hitting these shots short all day. Nothing more than a confidence issue on the day and not of any import with the overall progress.
It is a common thread to read and hear when golfers get a new club or have a coaching session that they have gained significant distance with shots. With me as an average hitter of the ball when it comes to distance to make the observation is no small matter for my game. Each year since 2010 at this time I have been dedicated to my pre-Tournament training and the results never become apparent until the last couple of weeks. So scoring 29 points with 16 (2 wipes) on the front 9 and 13 (2 wipes) on the back nine was not a concern.
What did matter was the influence that the coaching and practise had upon the way I played. The overshooting of three greens was the crux of the poor score. The chipping fell apart as my confidence was non existent after the shock of seeing PW and 9 iron shots fly over the green. This was in tandem with adding a SW to my bag and practising with this as my go to club for chipping instead of a 60 degree Wedge all week. There is a very good reason why I am not concerned about the result considering the amount of practise and coaching of late. Checking back to my results at the same time while doing the Southern ports preparation in 2010 and 2011 the golf scores were on par with last Sunday.
Off the tee the driver was a delight to hit and use, even so there was a couple of poor shots played. The sweetness of the impact on the ball made all the recent practise worth every minute and the distance was consistent at the 220 metre mark minimum.
Thankyou for your time and attention. “Hit ‘em straight all.” Geoff
The tale that has been said before by me in my writing and many have heard various variations of it. Where a club pro has a golfer say he must get the latest driver touted to be able to fix all woes and send the ball 20 metres further to play better. The Pro gets an old persimmon wood out and cracks the ball straight and 250m down the fairway in response, then says to the golfer that no matter what new equipment you get that is still not going to have you hitting the ball like that.
Today the 5 iron was sending the ball longer that before and straight, after 20 balls I changed to the old 4 iron after another 20 balls the ball was going 5-10m further than the new 5 iron. After 7 holes this morning the weather cooled down a bit and after a quick repack of the bag I went out for 9 holes with the old irons. Scored five bogies and four pars in the trial once again the short irons were significantly longer. That was one of the reasons behind this experiment, it had been a noticeable with this set that hitting distances were very restricted with the 7-PW. Now with the corrected and much improved stance the short irons have gained in distance during a round after the driving range experience this morning.
Once again the Driver off the tee has been the standout even cracked a couple of 250m shots off the tee and a couple of 230m drives as well. Those results are confirmation that this club has also benefited significantly from the coaching. A lot of work to be put in yet though, the accuraccy is going to need a dedicated series of practise sessions to reach an acceptable standard. To have flirted and been teased by the distance possible with clubs for so long there is finally some credibility in my claim of being able to hit longer.
23/1/12 Monday. This year there has been a significant difference with the 7-PW irons gaining distance following the coaching changes and the usual exercise routines in the training program. Having long distance from these clubs is not a usual feature of my game. The 9 and PW are irons which I rarely use outside of 80m are now working at 120m. This was not a good thing for yesterday as I was belting the balls from inside 80m way past the greens and that was the cause of three wipes. Would not have been so bad except this threw my short game chipping and I ended up hitting these shots short all day. Nothing more than a confidence issue on the day and not of any import with the overall progress.
It is a common thread to read and hear when golfers get a new club or have a coaching session that they have gained significant distance with shots. With me as an average hitter of the ball when it comes to distance to make the observation is no small matter for my game. Each year since 2010 at this time I have been dedicated to my pre-Tournament training and the results never become apparent until the last couple of weeks. So scoring 29 points with 16 (2 wipes) on the front 9 and 13 (2 wipes) on the back nine was not a concern.
What did matter was the influence that the coaching and practise had upon the way I played. The overshooting of three greens was the crux of the poor score. The chipping fell apart as my confidence was non existent after the shock of seeing PW and 9 iron shots fly over the green. This was in tandem with adding a SW to my bag and practising with this as my go to club for chipping instead of a 60 degree Wedge all week. There is a very good reason why I am not concerned about the result considering the amount of practise and coaching of late. Checking back to my results at the same time while doing the Southern ports preparation in 2010 and 2011 the golf scores were on par with last Sunday.
Off the tee the driver was a delight to hit and use, even so there was a couple of poor shots played. The sweetness of the impact on the ball made all the recent practise worth every minute and the distance was consistent at the 220 metre mark minimum.
Thankyou for your time and attention. “Hit ‘em straight all.” Geoff
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Good results from practise make it all worthwhile...
18/1/12 Wednesday. With an electricity outage this morning it was not possible to do anything work wise so I headed out on the golf course for a casual 9 holes. Following yesterdays extended time on the range hitting a bucket of balls with the 6 iron and driver into the wind there was some definite progress. This was not a gentle breeze but a gusting wind that took some improved concentration to play strokes into. Apart from five big lofted slices towards the end of the session with the driver the results were very satisfying. The five slices at the end of hitting 90 balls were a result of tiredness affecting the strokes and an aberration for the days practise. The 6 iron as with all my irons is still needing some work to prevent the pull/hook that crops up. During the coaching session it was recognised and in part may be caused by having sticks too short in the shaft, even so the improvement to my stance has minimised the effect of the error when it creeps into my shot play.
The short game is not acceptable at the minute. This is not a major problem as the cause is simply the result of increased strength from the exercise routines. Also using the 60 degree lob wedge again which is not my preferred choice is the cause of many chipping errors. That is still no reason to not work on getting better with this club and adding it to the bag. The benefit of having this lob wedge to use on the hard and fast greens of summer is a bonus that cannot be ignored to improve my shot options.
The Driver is the shining light of success from the current practise program. Accuracy and distance have became a feature that I can rely upon with this club again. Having moved up in club size to a 420cc driver head has lost some of the ability to work the ball which was apparent when using the 380cc and 400cc drivers. Given my game standard though I prefer the ability to hit the ball straighter with diminished ability to work the ball. Does surprise me that I utilise this characteristic of the clubhead affect on the ball, it is still an exciting experience ‘feeling’ my hands affecting the ball flight while playing shots.
With the cooler weather, today I am planning practise sessions today with the driver and 6 iron again s well as the wedges. To sit back and wallow in the current progress is not a good thing. The end result is still 6 weeks away, persisting with the established practise routine continues. In fact I am considering upping the ante if the time is available in the coming weeks. Playing a competition of 3 rounds in a week is not usual for us club golfers. There are benefits, game wise playing with existing form and not having week long or greater breaks between rounds is one. If you have a consistent game the format is very compatible to these golfers, which has been one of the major reasons for my success in the past two Southern Ports events. At the minute this is starting to become a feature of my golf again which is the point of doing the practise, it is really enjoyable to be hitting the ball to the target and knowing it is not a fluke.
Thankyou for your time and attention. “Hit ‘em straight all.”Geoff
The short game is not acceptable at the minute. This is not a major problem as the cause is simply the result of increased strength from the exercise routines. Also using the 60 degree lob wedge again which is not my preferred choice is the cause of many chipping errors. That is still no reason to not work on getting better with this club and adding it to the bag. The benefit of having this lob wedge to use on the hard and fast greens of summer is a bonus that cannot be ignored to improve my shot options.
The Driver is the shining light of success from the current practise program. Accuracy and distance have became a feature that I can rely upon with this club again. Having moved up in club size to a 420cc driver head has lost some of the ability to work the ball which was apparent when using the 380cc and 400cc drivers. Given my game standard though I prefer the ability to hit the ball straighter with diminished ability to work the ball. Does surprise me that I utilise this characteristic of the clubhead affect on the ball, it is still an exciting experience ‘feeling’ my hands affecting the ball flight while playing shots.
With the cooler weather, today I am planning practise sessions today with the driver and 6 iron again s well as the wedges. To sit back and wallow in the current progress is not a good thing. The end result is still 6 weeks away, persisting with the established practise routine continues. In fact I am considering upping the ante if the time is available in the coming weeks. Playing a competition of 3 rounds in a week is not usual for us club golfers. There are benefits, game wise playing with existing form and not having week long or greater breaks between rounds is one. If you have a consistent game the format is very compatible to these golfers, which has been one of the major reasons for my success in the past two Southern Ports events. At the minute this is starting to become a feature of my golf again which is the point of doing the practise, it is really enjoyable to be hitting the ball to the target and knowing it is not a fluke.
Thankyou for your time and attention. “Hit ‘em straight all.”Geoff
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