Keith Open a good finish...

27/6/12 Wednesday. Have pretty much recovered from playing the two days golfing at Keith on the weekend, still a few tender spots on the body and the tens machine has been working the discomfort out. Have been out on the course practising on Tuesday playing nine holes also a range and practise green session.

The golf itself at Keith went as near as according to plan a round of golf can be imagined. The first day was a club stableford competition and I played with the goal of having fun and getting a look at the course. Had a very poor score a total of 25 points and was not bothered in the slightest with that result. The 150 kilometre drive home was enjoyable, I had the layout of the holes and the various nuances of the greens replaying in my mind as I listened to North Melbourne stitch up the Adelaide Crows.

Sunday morning I arrived in plenty of time after leaving at 8am. Loosening up on the practise fairway and putting greens at Keith before the main event of the Open Competition. The experience of the previous day paid off from the beginning. and a front nine total of 43, with a 4 putt on the par 3 ninth hole the biggest blemish. After the lunch break I came out full of beans for the back nine and continued to attack the individual holes. A few passing showers did break the rythym a little but to no great influence on my game. Two double bogies on the back nine did the damage and the final tally was a 44 for a gross 87 nett 75 with 29 putts.

Unfortunately I tired significantly after the eleventh hole and played a couple of loose drives, chips and putts on the back nine. Finishing the eighteenth hole with a chipped in birdie was a bonus, over all it was a good round of golf and the 5am starts to both days took a toll on my ability to do better. The professional who has been coaching me was in my group on the day, an unexpected bit of good fortune. That was no distraction and it was good to hear the positive recognition of some shots from him.

End result was an overall 7th place finish in A grade, with 3rd place in the A Grade handicap section. Two strokes behind the winner and I will admit to a brief flaring of anger as the presentation was announced. Knowing that I had came so close was a little frustrating, after putting in the effort and coming so close it was just a heated inner flaming of myself that the cold beer and good company soon quenched.

Monday morning was a very sluggish start to the day as soon as I woke and attempted to get out of bed, the stiffness removed any spring in my step. Two days of travelling and golfing had taken their toll and the usual Monday wander around the course for a relaxing smash and bash did not go for long and five holes was enough. Tuesday I forced myself to get out and play nine holes, soon had the comfort and rythym back in my swing. Putting was off target in the practise and a session on the practise green did a good job getting back on target with the flat stick.

This weekend will be a little less golfing than the last, skipping playing on Saturday. The next two Sundays are the second and third rounds of the John Leake Trophy (Stableford), currently sitting four points off the lead I want to be on target this weekend. Following these rounds are the Lucindale CAVPower Open, 22nd and Naracoorte Winter Tournament 27-29th of July. The winter conditions have softened all of the courses in the region with the recent rains. I am feeling confident that the increased distance and accuracy ability which has been developed this season will benefit my coming rounds. Playing at Keith has delivered a confidence boost that was much needed. Having the desire to win an “A” Grade Open Event is not enough. The mental attributes of my game needed exercising to match my playing facets also. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all” 

 Geoff

On the driving range...

21/6/12 Thursday Up in Adelaide and solid rain for the last 12 hours at least, 50-70mls here has made it wet everywhere. The good thing is that the Drummond Driving range is available so i can hit balls and not have to pick them up afterwards, The main aim was to get time on the range with the driver. Did that, still got wet, the need to get in form with this club now is imperative and a little discomfort is warranted.



Had a selection of demo irons as well to trial on the range. A couple of Wilsons, Wilson Staff Di11 Irons – Graphite/Half and Half a combo metal graphite shaft and the Cleveland CG16 the three were all fun to hit and an informative exercise for future reference. Not shopping for new irons, the AP2’s do a good enough job. Looking to the future though and I am sure a set of quality cavity backs will be a benefit to my game.

Finished the session off with the irons and in full flight with my swing once loosened up. Each of the three types had identifiable characteristics. The Di11 and CG16 were forgiving as to be expected. I could not split them as to which was the better for my game. The lighter Cleveland perhaps by a slight margin of preference from the “feel”.


The Driver was on song and ticked all of the boxes for a good practise session. Still room for a lot of improvement though and that will come in time. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all”
 Geoff

Next tournament is the Keith Open...

20/6/12 Wednesday. Planning for the Keith Open has been the main concern this week. Fortunately I had made an error thinking that it was a two round tournament played Saturday and Sunday. Instead it is two days play but only the Sunday is the 18 hole Open event. In which case I will no go and play on the Saturday in the Stableford competition and get a look at the course and be aware of the nuances.

It will be a big ask to get a win, I have always enjoyed playing at Keith. Being able to drive up and have a round the day before the Open is a definite bonus, a 300 km round trip but on country roads it is smooth travelling. Some consider the course a short 5986m Par 73 layout with four par 3s ranging from 122-190m, nine par 4s ranging from 285-393m and five par 5s ranging from 439-477m. With my current form the par 5 holes are all potential birdie opportunities for me at the minute.

This week so far has been light practise just swinging easy with the clubs and keeping the irons in tune and still getting used to the new driver. I am still enjoying having a belt with the Cleveland driver off the tee blocks pushing the limits of my capability with the club. Finishing each session with the required controlled accurate hitting that is used on competition days. There is a method in the madness of sorts. At the minute the weather has the typical gusty wind which in winter makes playing coastal courses a challenge. Being able to practise in this condition is a bonus, not always fun often hard work. Playing shots straight into, across and with the prevailing wind with all clubs is invaluable.

Travelling to Adelaide for a couple of days later this afternoon which will include a session at the driving range on Thursday. One of the best things about heading to a driving range is not having to go and pick the balls up after a session. That adds a lot of enjoyment to the practise for me alone. Back into the same routine after the landmark result on the weekend. The motivation has always been there with my golf efforts. Having a definitive result on the score card has made it all well worth the commitment. Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all” 

Geoff

Breaking 80 for the first time...

18/6/12 Monday. Yesterday on a day that the score really mattered I broke 80 for the first time in competition. The score that returned the result for a Monthly Medal win and defending the Caledonian Inn Trophy for a third consecutive win was 78 Gross for a 65 Nett with 26 putts. The practice for the past month has been directed towards putting in a good effort in defence of the title on my part. Before the days play a score of 71 nett was the maximum score I could have to possibly defend the title. After the days play a 69 nett was the maximum that would have won for me.

Considering that the first five holes were played in steady rain on a course that had been soaked for the week prior it was not a day of golfing in premium conditions. Fortunately the prevailing weather condition of the coastal winds on the home track was not at it’s howling gale strength and was manageable. Once again it was not one thing that coaxed the best golf out onto the scorecard either. The preparation over the past months has been following my usual tournament preparation program.

There are no swing, grip or stance adjustments in the game plan, that is the foundation of my golf and has been established by sticking to the coaching direction given by professionals in January this season. Regular practice that makes playing each shot the same as the last one as often as possible is all that matters. The only difference being the clubs used. There was one thing alone that did give my last two rounds the booster that resulted in this landmark score.

As readers would be well aware of my golf philosophy puts hitting the ball accurately before distance. There are some at my own club and I am sure readers as well who have been bemused by my choice of smaller drivers that limit the distance achievable off the tee. There has been no wavering on my part as the need to be accurate with the smaller drivers combines with the need to be consistent with good second shots to score well. That has never meant that I would not return to using a lager driver off the tee and I have been researching various club options to purchase for some time now.

On Friday my purchase choice arrived, several days earlier than expected, which required a hurried change of practise plans to get used to the new piece of equipment. The driver chosen is a Cleveland TL310 Driver 440cc clubhead size. After a twenty ball hit on the range on Friday it was off to the club and a social nine holes in the afternoon chicken run for a 17 point score. The new driver worked well in my hands and the improved distance was already apparent. I had realised over the last couple of months that I had to get another 10-15 metres off the tee and the smaller drivers max out at 220m in the heavier winter conditions. The Cleveland driver immediately delivered that distance even on mishits.

Hence Saturday morning after a 30 ball session on the practise fairway I decided on a trip to Kingston to play in their competition. The nearby course is a little more open to recovery with wayward shots off the tee. It has always been a favoured choice of mine when looking to fine tune my game. Greens are usually faster than the home track and the doglegs make it a course which rewards attacking stroke play, if you have the ability. Got myself around in good order finishing with an 87 gross/74 nett with 35 putts. Importantly the driver was given a thorough work out in a competition and I handled it well. What was especially noticed was the improvement in the set up for second shots on par 4 and 5 holes. The added distance off the tee immediately had a beneficial effect in my golf game.

The improved accuracy in approach shots on Sunday that came from using the shorter irons had a lot to do with the low tally of 26 putts on the day. Instead of getting greens in regulation I had several shots the at were on the fringe of the green and the third shot with the wedge or putter were up and down plays. My satisfaction at getting this score after three seasons of improving gradually is fantastic. There has been times when I was faltering mentally in my attempt to get to a ten handicap and have a crack at a single figure number. Recent scores have not given any hint when this landmark score was going to occur only that it was possible. I did it with ease not scrambling to the tally with a last gasp effort.

Next weekend is the Keith Open Tournament on the 23rd and 24th of June an course I have only played a couple of times and it is back to a new start for another week..

The moment has past and is now consigned to history as a perpetual figure of proof to what I can do in a game of golf. Which brings me to the things that almost happened on the day and that the score does not show. The game was played with no penalties and with a couple of scrambled shots to get on the fairway very few errors in conditions that were not easy to play in. There were three putts that literally stopped a roll of the ball from dropping dear readers. Yes, I have played to a six handicap in a stroke round, it was very nearly a three handicap round! Thankyou for your time and attention, “Hit ‘em straight all”

 Geoff