Posts Tagged ‘hard work’

Round Recap: The Vineyard 80 (+10)

Posted: June 25, 2013 in Golf Rounds
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Played a round at the Vineyard again today, was one of the toughest days I’ve had at the vineyard, the pin locations were all crazy tough.  They were either located on a slope, or a few paces on or from the back of the greens…really difficult locations.  You will be punished if you miss them green on the wrong sides today.

The Vineyard Golf Course 6,531 Yards Par 70

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Front 9

Hole 1: 420 Par 4

2nd time in a row on this opening hole, I’ve hit my opening tee shot down the middle over 300 yards, maybe that’s a good sign going forward when playing in tournaments and dealing with those first tee nerves, I don’t know.  Hit in the fairway, but on an uphill slope only 95yards in, pulled a wedge pin high, but short sided off the green to the right.  Had to hit a real delicate chip to get it to stop on this pin location and it rolled a good 15ft by, 2 putted for a bad opening hole bogey from less than 100 yards in the fairway….I can’t continue to do that if I expect to score low. Bogey

Round (+1)  

Hole 2: 351 Par 4

Short dogleg left with water surrounding the left side and green.  Tees were way back today and into the wind so I decided to take a hybrid instead of my normal 5iron, I hit a solid shot that started down the left side, but didn’t want to turn over back to the fairway.  It hugged the edge of the water, bounced a few times and then leaking into the hazard.  Had to drop and hit my next shot just over the pin into the back rough.  Impossible chip shot again as I left myself in the absolute worst spot.  Severe downhill chip with no green to work with and I couldn’t stop it, 15ft by again.  Hit my first putt about 4ft short, had an uphill straight putt, but I pulled it and missed the 4ft putt and made triple bogey!  Yikes, not the way I wanted to start out this round, need to do a lot of work to get this round back.  Triple Bogey

Round (+4)

Hole 3: 125 Par3

Short par 3, tees and pin were up today and only played about 85 yards, crazy short.  Hit a punch lob wedge that skipped on and stopped.  Had about 15ft left up the hill for birdie, had the perfect line, but I left it about 3inches short, tap in par. Par

Round (+4)

Hole 4: 404 Par 4

Hit a 3 wood off tee and pushed it left, but only had about 135 in with a clear shot. Hit a gap wedge, onto the center of green, pin high, but about 25ft left of flag.  2 putted for a par. Par

Round (+4)

Hole 5: 401 Par 4

Hit a 3wood off the tee, didn’t want to go left like I seem to always do on this hole, so I ended up pulling it right into a fairway bunker.  A 3 tier green, with the flag on the back tier today, had about 130 in, decided to smash a gap wedge.  Hit a good shot that landed on, but spun back and settled just off the green.  Took out my PW and had about a 15ft chip up the hill, so I could be aggressive.  Really confident in my chipping right now and I hit a perfect chip that broke left to right and fell into the cup, chip in birdie!  Needed that badly.  Birdie

Round (+3)

Hole 6: 152 Par 3

Pin was in the far right of hole, hit a PW, but pushed it way left onto the far left fringe.  Had about a 90ft chip, I played the same shot as last hole, but this time with a 9iron and it rolled down to about 5ft….made the next putt to save par. Par

Round (+3)

Hole 7: 295 Par 4

A sharp dog leg right hole, but gives you an angle to drive the green in 1.  Usually about 250-260 to carry the hazard and drive the green.  Tee box today, seemed to be back farther than last round, so I decided to hit a 3wood.  I knew if I blocked it I would be ok, at least I thought, I blocked it and I thought it would be just 20yards left of the green.  When we got up there, we found it up against the fence line and I was forced to take an unplayable lie and drop it for a penalty.   So frustrating to have to take a drop on this hole, this is a very easy birdie hole; I guess I hit that 3wood over 270 in the air, looks like I can only hit 5wood on this hole from now on.  Had to hit a big flop for my 3rd that landed by the hole, but rolled 12 by.  Putt for par was perfect, but left it just short again and made a bogey.  Frustrated because I was starting to turn this round back around after the triple bogey on the 2nd, but it’s just not to be today. Bogey

Round (+4)

Hole 8: 419 Par 4

Hit a driver down the left side and it ended up on a side hill lie above a fairway bunker.  Just tried to punch a gap wedge up, but hit it fat because of the lie and it ended up in an ok spot, just short of green on fairway.  Pitched it up to another side hill pin location and it stopped about 6ft away.  6ft up the hill, left to right breaker for par, that I played a little too much out to the left and I missed on the high side, bogey.  Bogey

Round (+5)

Hole 9: 503 Par 5

Very reachable par 5, finally hit a good drive, bombed a 3wood down the middle, hit in the perfect spot and got some roll, only had 183 in, a 320 yard 3wood drive!  Pin was tucked only about 5 paces on from the left and in the front of the green.  So you couldn’t miss left…..which of course I did!  Hit a 6iron that I pushed and was pin high, but short sided left.  Had to hit a big flop and wasn’t able to stop it very close, 12ft for birdie.  Missed the putt and 2 putted for par.  I’ll take pars all day, but after that drive, I had a prime opportunity for a birdie or better and I need to start taking advantage of those. Par

Round (+5)

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After the triple bogey on 2, I was only 1 over the final 7 holes.  However, still extremely disappointed with having 2 penalties and shooting a 40 (+5) on this Par 35 Front 9.  Fairways Hit (FW): 2/7 28.5% Greens in Regulation (GIR): 3/9 33% Up/Downs: 2/5 40% Sand Saves: 0/0 0% Penalties: 2

Back 9

Hole 10: 389 Par 4

Pushed a 3-wood down the left side, but it again got caught up in the fence line, couldn’t play it from there, had to take another unplayable.  Hit a 9iron and short sided myself again.  Had to land the ball in the fringe and let it feed down a slope to the hole, got too cute with it and left my chip short.  Dead now, pin was at the bottom of a down slope, no way to get it close, had to just get it on and 2putted for another triple bogey.  Disgusted, can’t remember the last time I had a triple bogey, yet alone two in the same round….felt like this round was slipping away from me now. Triple Bogey

Round (+8)

Hole 11: 457 Par 4

A very tight driving hole, that I’ve found you can go right over some trees and play it from the opposite fairway.  It’s a bigger target that even runs down a hill so you gain distance and is a great angle to the green.  Hit a driver on purpose over there today and it worked out very well, had only 140 into the green.  Hit a PW that ended about 10ft for birdie, let the putt few inches short and made par on this difficult hole. Par

Round (+8)

Hole 12: 154 Par 3

Another par 3 over water.  Hit a gap wedge just onto the fringe short of green.  Chipped a PW up to about 5ft and made my par save. Par

Round (+8)

Hole 13: 477 Par 4

Downhill long par 4.  Hit one of my best drives in a long time, high, solid and straight ended in the fairway only had 125 out, a 352 yard drive!  Pin was in front, hit a 56 degree sand wedge to about 10ft, but missed the birdie, 2 putt par. Par

Round (+8)

Hole 14: 412 Par 4

Water on the left and out of bounds on the right; hit a 4 iron down the middle to 130 out.  Another tough pin location on the down slope in the back of the green, tried to hit a PW, but pushed it out left into a trap.  Really tough bunker shot to get close; I ran it a good 15ft by.  Left my first putt short about 5ft and missed another straight in par putt because I pulled it.  A bad double bogey, from the middle of the fairway with a wedge in my hand. Double Bogey

(Round +10)

Hole 15: 551 Par 5

Hit a drive that missed left again on an uphill slope.  Hit a 7iron to lay it up, and then hit a wedge on the green, but about 25ft short of hole.  Had a great line, but left it just short again and made a par.  Par

(Round +10)

Hole 16: 453 Par 4

The most difficult hole on the course according to the handicap on the scorecard.  Took my driver out today, rather than my normal 3 wood play and hit it down the left side.  Ended up in an ok spot where I hit a 9iron to the back left pin location.  Couldn’t get much spin out of the rough, it ended up landing perfectly in the center of green, but rolled to the back just in the 2nd cut.  I chipped it out to about 3ft and made a par. Par

Round (+10)

Hole 17: 157 Par 3

Hit a 9iron pin high, but 25ft left of the flag, a quick 2 putt for a par. Par

Round (+10)

Hole 18: 411 Par 4

Very scenic 18th hole heading back down the hill to the clubhouse.  Normally I play a 3wood off this tee, but today the way the round was going, already at +10, I wanted to just see how far I could bomb a driver down this hill, didn’t care at that point.  Bomb it I did, over the bunkers on the right and it ended about 68yards from the green in the fairway, 343 yard drive! Hit a punch lob wedge that ended about 8ft below the cup, putting uphill.  Unfortunately I couldn’t end my round with a nice birdie as I missed the putt, but made par. Par

(Round +10)

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Another (+5) 40 on the Par 35 Back 9.  1 triple and 1 double bogey accounted for the entire +5…was even par on the other 7 holes.  Fairways Hit (FW) 3/7 42% Green in Regulation (GIR) 5/9 55% Up/Downs 2/2 100% Sand Saves 0/1 0% Penalties: 1

Final Score: 80 (+10) Fairways Hit (FW) 5/14 36% Green in Regulation (GIR) 8/18 44% Up/Downs 4/7 57%. Sand Saves 0/1 0% Penalties: 3 Putts: 33

Obviously I’m very disappointed in this round.  2 triple bogeys and a double are just not acceptable at this stage in my game.  I guess it’s going to happen from time to time, but I have to drive the ball in bounds, I can’t afford to make triples or doubles because I hit the ball into a hazard or out of bounds off the tee.  Other than those 3 holes (which accounted for +8 of the +10), I was only +2 on the other 15 holes.  My score was not so much a reflection of the difficult pin locations as much as it was just my poor ball striking, leaving myself short sided. Did not putt as well as I’d like today either with the new grip, it felt good, but was leaving a lot of putts short.  I had 3 goals going into this round, but I failed in 2 out of the 3:

1) To have zero penalties (Failed, 3 penalties today)

2) Have a 50% or better up and down percentage (Completed, 57% today, 4/7)

3) Shoot a round in the 70’s (Failed, 80).

So I still have a lot of work to do, felt like I took a small step back in my ball striking today, but I’m not going to let this round get me down or discouraged, I know that I’m heading in the right direction and that with constant practice, patience and positivity, I will reach my goals!

“If you lose today, win tomorrow.  In this never-ending spirit of challenge is the heart of a victor.” –Daisaku Ikeda

Golf Lesson: Setting Up Square & Pulling with Right Arm

Posted: June 23, 2013 in Lessons, Long Game Practice
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Went to get a lesson today, decided to keep working on my long game and try and gain more confidence in the things I’m doing.  Lesson went well, overall my teacher thinks that I’m improving and I can feel that as well.  I’m still struggling with shifting my hips forward instead of around and it’s causing me to get too steep and open.  In those positions my timing has to be perfect to make it work, so it breeds inconsistency.  Was also setting up a little open with my shoulders and hips, so we worked on that for a bit getting the feeling down of what it feels like to be set up square.  After the lesson I finished off my basket of range balls and by the end I was really started to get it.  Hit about my last 8 drivers, pretty straight and with solid distance.  Hit a few 6irons and wedges also to make sure that it translated over to those clubs also and it did.  I really needed to get my confidence back after my terrible range session on Friday when I felt like I lost it, so today was a good day for that.

I’m playing on Monday this week after work and then hopefully again on Wednesday, so at least 2 rounds this next week, I look to keep improving my ball striking and lowering my scores.  I’m at the point right now that I should not be shooting anything in the 80’s, it should be all 70’s from here on out or I will be extremely disappointed.  As long as my short game keeps improving, I don’t think this should be a problem.  My goals for tomorrows round are to keep the ball in play off the tee, have an up and down percentage of no worse than 50% and make 2 or more birdies.  If I do those things, the score will take care of itself.  Will be my 3rd round over at the Vineyard course since starting this blog….have scores of 74 (+4) and 76 (+6) on the books, 75 or lower would be ideal.

Here is a video recap of my lesson today, the audio is a little tough because of the wind and his video froze near the end, but he basically was just showing me using my left hand in the downswing more than my right.

New Putter Grip, Driving Range Practice

Posted: June 22, 2013 in Long Game Practice, Short Game Practice
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Spent the past few days at the range working on my game, Thursday I hit the ball well, continuing my solid play as of late, but Friday was kind of a struggle.  On Thursday, worked a lot with my driver trying to figure out how to hit it more solid and found that I was getting too steep again.  Went flatter and hit about 10 drives in a row in the true center of the club face to end my night.  Hearing that sound that a flush driver makes, is just music to my ears, one of my favorite sounds on earth is the sound of a pure flush golf shot!  After the great ending to my range session on Thursday night, I decided to head back again on Friday night to keep working on it.  This is why golf is so frustrating!! I felt like I was doing the exact same thing I did the night before, but could not find a flush golf shot.  I hate feeling like you just took a few steps back after taking so many steps forward over these past few weeks, but I’m just going to forget about that range session and chalk it up to the difficulty of golf.  I felt myself getting frustrated again near the end of the practice session as I could tell I was hitting the ball below what I’m capable of.  I was just getting too mechanical again instead of just letting it flow and swinging with a target in mind.  So I’m throwing away this range session away in my mind, moving past it and keeping positive and focused on my end goal.

Been about 2 weeks since my last lesson from my instructor, was going to wait until Tuesday this week to go see him because I thought I would be playing a round this weekend, but plans fell through, so I might try and book one for tomorrow, Sunday.  Wanted to get a short game lesson in, but after last night’s range session, I think I need a tune up with the longer clubs.  Really confident in my short game right now, what I’m doing right now is working, so I’ll hold off on that until next lesson, need to figure out this long swing and get more consistent.

I did get a new putter grip installed and got my putter head re-glued as it was coming loose.  I forgot to take a picture of my original putter before I took it up, but I’ll show you a picture of how it looks now.  I put on a jumbo sized tiger shark grip probably about 6 months back, thinking it would help with my putter grip and be more comfortable.  I liked it and I putted well with it on, but I could just never really get into the feeling, it just did not fit my hands very well and was a little too big.  Been looking at midsize grips for the past few weeks and I love the feel, design and size of this white Winn midsize grip I found.  Has a very soft tacky feel, the midsize is a little bigger than standard, but not overly, just right for me.  I putted a little with it yesterday and absolutely love the way it looks and feels.  Here are some pictures of the new grip and the old grip I had for comparison (Yes I’m left handed!)

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Round Recap: The Vineyard 76 (+6)

Posted: June 17, 2013 in Golf Rounds
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Was able to go play today with a buddy right after work, but unfortunately had zero time to warm up.  I got to the course at about 2:45 and we teed off at 2:52, so we got in our cart and headed to the first tee.  The first 4 holes should prove that a good warm up and stretch before a golf round is a must.  Enjoy!

The Vineyard Golf Course 6,531 Yards Par 70

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Front 9

Hole 1: 420 Par 4

With no warm up, I was surprised when I hit my first drive right down the middle.  Had just under 100 yards in, so I hit that first drive about 320, good feeling.  Hit a wedge to about 20 ft short right of hole.  Ended up crushing my first putt about 10ft by, no putting practice to get a grasp on the speed killed me on this hole as I hit my next a few feet by also and 3 putted the first for a bogey. Bogey

Round (+1)  

Hole 2: 351 Par 4

Short dogleg left with water surrounding the left side and green.  Started a 5iron on the left side, but it hung on just in the rough and was only about 100 yards to the green over water.  My wedge distances were off in the beginning of the round as I hit a lob wedge way over into the back bunker.  Hit a solid bunker shot, but it was downhill to the flag so it ran just off the front.  Used a putter from the fringe, had the line, but left it short, tapped in for another bogey. Bogey

Round (+2)

Hole 3: 125 Par3

Short par 3, Playing about 115 today, hit another lob wedge over the green, don’t know what was going on and ball plugged in the back bunker.  No green to work with, plugged lie and water behind the green, I just had to play it out the side and not risk hitting it over into the water.  Hit it over safe in the rough and pitched up about 15ft short on my next shot, 2 putted for a bad double bogey on this short par 3. Double Bogey.

Round (+4)

Hole 4: 404 Par 4

Hit a 3 wood off tee and pushed it left.  Still had a great angle into the green about 140 in.  Hit a solid PW that landed on green, but rolled through to rough.  Hit a good chip to about 5ft past cup, but missed the putt for another bogey. Bogey

Round (+5)

Hole 5: 401 Par 4

+5 over my first 4 holes was really starting to get me down, but it also caused me to bear down and focus.  I made a goal for myself to play the remaining 5 holes of this front 9 at even or better….this is where my great string of holes started.  Hit my drive to the left, but hit a great wedge to about 12 ft, 2 putted for a much needed par. Par

Round (+5)

Hole 6: 152 Par 3

Pin was in the far right of hole, hit a 9iron at the flag, but it landed over in the rough.  Hit a great chip to 6ft and made the putt for back to back pars to stop the bleeding. Par

Round (+5)

Hole 7: 295 Par 4

A sharp dog leg right hole, but gives you an angle to drive the green in 1.  Usually about 250-260 to carry the hazard and drive the green.  I hit a 5wood today and hit it so pure.  We couldn’t see the flag stick, but I knew it was probably aimed at the center of the green.  When we got up there I was only 15 ft for eagle!  So happened I hit it exactly on line with the flag and had I hit it a few feet further it could have been a tap in eagle.  I missed the eagle putt, but I’ll take a birdie all day. Birdie

Round (+4)

Hole 8: 419 Par 4

Hit a driver and pushed it left into the opposite fairway.  Had another great angle into the green and hit a knock down wedge that spun back to only 8 ft.  A downhill putt that just burned the edge and I tapped in for par.  Par

Round (+4)

Hole 9: 503 Par 5

Very reachable par 5, but I pushed my drive again to the left.  No chance to go for the green in two today with trees blocking me out so I just punched a 7iron under the trees to about 120 yards in.  Hit another punch down wedge to about 12ft, 2 putted for par. Par

Round (+4)

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After starting +5 over the first 4 holes, I was able to turn it around and finished with a very solid 39 (+4) on the par 35 Front 9.  Fairways Hit (FW): 2/7 28.5% Greens in Regulation (GIR): 5/9 55% Up/Downs: 1/2 50% Sand Saves: 0/2 0%

Back 9

Hole 10: 389 Par 4

Pushed a 3-wood down the left side, but luckily stayed in bounds down the left side.  Side hill lie with ball below my feet, I hit a 9iron just short and to the right of the green.  Pitched it up, but it checked up more than I had anticipated and left me a good 10ft for par.  Missed and 2 putted for bogey. Bogey

Round (+5)

Hole 11: 457 Par 4

This is a very difficult driving hole and I pushed my drive to the left.  I pushed it so far left that I was on top of a ridge looking down on the hole and I actually had a straight shot to the green.  Hit a club less than I should have and it came up just short.  Had to hit a flop shot to stop it with little green I had to work with on the front pin location.  Hit it to about 7ft and made the left to right breaking putt for a real nice par save. Par

Round (+5)

Hole 12: 154 Par 3

Another par 3 over water.  Hit it to the center of the green and was about 20 ft left of the flag.  2 putted for par. Par

Round (+5)

Hole 13: 477 Par 4

Pushed another driver left into a trap.  Hit a great blind 9iron shot just onto the back of the green.  Chipped a pitching wedge to about 5 ft and made another par putt. Par

Round (+5)

Hole 14: 412 Par 4

Water on the left and out of bounds on the right; hit a 4 iron down the middle to 132 out.  Hit a punch gap wedge right at the flag, hit and spun to about 8ft.  A quick downhill putt off a slope and the putt looked like it could have broken either way.  I looked at it from both sides and came to the conclusion that the breaks might just cancel each other out and it would just be a straight putt….trusted it and rolled it into the back of the cup, birdie! Birdie

(Round +4)

Hole 15: 551 Par 5

Hit a drive that missed left again on an uphill slope.  Tried to just it a 6iron up the fairway, but the slope just killed my follow through and it squirted up the fairway with not much distance.  Had a lot father in that I wanted at about 170.  Hit a 6iron just short right of the green.  Plenty of green to work with and ran a PW up to a tap in par.  Par

(Round +4)

Hole 16: 453 Par 4

The most difficult hole on the course according to the handicap on the scorecard.  Hit a 3 wood up the right side that settled just in the rough on a little side hill lie.  Ball was below my feet, still about 165 out so I decided to hit a solid 7iron.  Hit it flush and it landed in the center of the green about 15 ft away.  My putt looked in all the way, but died left at the very end…so close to stealing a birdie on this #1 handicap hole, but I’ll take par here everytime. Par

Round (+4)

Hole 17: 157 Par 3

Pushed a 9iron pin high, but way left.  Tried to trap it and hit it low under the wind, but ended up blocking it.  Had to flop it over a bunker onto the green, hit a great shot to 6ft.  My 6ft and in putting has been really good lately and that part of my game is improving drastically….drained it for a nice par save. Par

Round (+4)

Hole 18: 411 Par 4

Very scenic 18th hole heading back down the hill to the clubhouse.  Was at even par for the back 9 and 1 under since the 5th hole.  Hit a horrible 3 wood to the left and found the out of bounds!  Had to re-tee and thankfully hit a perfect drive.  Laced a sand wedge to about 10 ft below the hole, but 2 putted for a disappointing final hole double bogey.  Had I not hit my tee shot out of bounds, I would have made a par, but the 2 stroke penalty cost me a nice +4 round. Double Bogey

(Round +6)

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A good 37 +2 on the Par 35 Back 9.  Was at even on the back until the 18th.  Would have been nice to shoot even, but I’m not complaining about +2, especially with the few amount of FW’s and Green’s hit that back 9.  Fairways Hit (FW) 1/7 14% Green in Regulation (GIR) 3/9 33% Up/Downs 4/5 80%. Sand Saves 0/0 Penalties: 1

I’m really proud of myself for not letting my horrible +5 start over the first 4 holes affect the rest of my round.  I was able to refocus and shoot -1 over the next 13 holes, until the double bogey at 18.  My iron, wedge and short game are improving nicely and my driving has gotten better, but not anywhere close to where I need it to be to shoot under par.  I’ll keep grinding my driver and woods and get this figured out soon enough, I’m improving, just got to take it to the course and prove it.  Will hopefully be playing again this week on Wednesday and possibly Saturday too, so stay tuned for more round recaps.  Might get in a lesson sometime this week as well.  Final stats for today’s round are as follows:

Final Score: 76 (+6) Fairways Hit (FW) 3/14 21% Green in Regulation (GIR) 8/18 44% Up/Downs 5/7 71%. Sand Saves 0/2 0% Putts: 30 Penalties: 1

Long and Short Game Practice

Posted: June 11, 2013 in Long Game Practice, Short Game Practice
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Monday

Headed to the driving range tonight for about 3 hours to practice my long game, really took my time in between shots to analyze the feelings and position I was getting into and to work on the things my coach has been teaching me.  Needless to say I hit the ball extremely well, one of my most consistent and best range sessions of my life.  I’m showing those positive signs that my game is heading in the right direction and really am feeling more confident than I thought I would at this point in changing my swing. So pleased with the progress I’m making especially in my driver and woods, gaining my distance back and a lot more accuracy.  My misses are not big and every drive I hit tonight at the range would have stayed inbounds.  Will be heading to the short game area tomorrow for a few hours of practice and then probably back for some long game on Wednesday night like usual.  Hoping to continue my solid play and keep moving in the right direction.  I’m not sure when I’m going to play again, I’d like to get out and play as soon as possible, might try and go play by myself on Thursday or Friday if everything goes well on Wednesdays session, but at worst hopefully I’ll get a round in this weekend.  My buddy will be done with school after this week and he has told me he would love to start going a few times a week, so hopefully that will help me get a ton of rounds in this summer.

Today

Did some short game practice today over at the range I normally frequent; practiced chipping and bunker play for about 2 and half hours.  I feel extremely confident in my chipping game right now, with all range of distances.  They give you a sleeve of balls to practice at that contains about 22 golf balls I believe.  On the chipping range, I was hitting about 5 or 6 balls to a certain flag then switch my target to a different flag.  It’s important to go at different flags if you are going to hit about 20+ balls consecutively.  I like to change after about 5 or 6 just because anymore than that and you start to get a rhythm and feel for where the shot should land and it makes it easier.  On the course however, you only get one chance, so it’s important to keep it moving around so you’re testing yourself with every shot like you would when playing.  After awhile you start to “see” the shots easier and with enough practice that is going to translate to lower scores on the course.

 View from my chipping practice area today

One area I definitely need to put more focus on is my bunker play.  I have decided that I’m going to get a lesson from my instructor solely on bunker play because now that I think about it, I never have before.  I have only watched videos on bunker play and always gone purely through feel.  I do ok out of the bunkers, but have a lot of room to improve and a lesson from a PGA professional will certainly help me tremendously in that area.  I do a good job of avoiding green side bunkers on the course, but it is a weak aspect of my game I will need to tighten up if I’m going to become scratch.

My Journey to Scratch

Posted: May 27, 2013 in Blog/Life
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I am now 28 years old and I have discovered that this is about the age when real regret for the paths you wish you would have taken or the dreams you wish you would have pursued  and did not in your early 20’s are starting to set in.  We might feel and think like we are still 18, but we are not.  The days and weeks feel much quicker now, the calendar pages feel like they are being turned more rapidly each year and nostalgia for the good old days occur more and more frequently.  When these feelings start, one must realize that you are not alone and that 99% of people will have these same feelings at some point, even the ones you think seemingly have it all.  What is it? It’s that feeling in your gut that says “I want more.”  It’s that will to improve yourself, grow and know you were meant for better.  Scared are some of that feeling, they begin to settle and get lazy, they end up doing the easy thing and in the end they’ll never know if they could have accomplished their dreams because they were too afraid of the work, dedication and time it would take.  It’s that fear of the unknown, the fear of failure or even success that hold us back from getting what we really want and accomplishing the dreams in our heart.  Fear of where that mysterious path to accomplishing dreams would take you, somewhere unfamiliar and out of your comfort zone.  I for one will not continue to be that person.  I want to go on that journey that comes with the pursuit of a personal dream.  I want to know that a plan, dedication, focused intensity, faith and hard work really do pay off and even if I fail in my goal, at least those principles will be ingrained in my psyche  and ultimately make me a better person. “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” –Henry David Thoreau

For me, my dream is to be a scratch golfer, to be able to shoot under par on any given day at any given golf course and do it consistently.  This blog is going to be dedicated to that pursuit and if you are a fan of golf in any capacity, I encourage you to join me, stick around and follow my journey.  My journey is going to involve regular long hours of practice, patience and faith.  Anybody who has played golf before knows just how frustratingly difficult the game of golf can be.  It’s a game that takes constant practice and patience, but a game that is so rewarding when played well.  I have had this dream in the back of my mind for the past year and a half when I started to play golf again more frequently, but have not shown the true dedication and hours of practice that is needed to accomplish it.  I have improved however, started at about an unofficial 9-12 handicap a year and a half ago and am now down to an official 5.9, lowest of my life.  I believe that with consistent and correct practice, I can improve quickly.

To recap my goal for this blog is to plot my journey to becoming a scratch golfer, shooting my first under par round and getting my handicap down to a 0 or better.  When I first picked up a golf club at age 14, I dreamed of the day that I could sign a scorecard with a negative under par score, just like the professionals.  I believe that with the help of this blog keeping me motivated, lots of dedicated and focused practice that I can accomplish one of my goals of shooting an under par round of golf possibly by the end of 2013, if not than at least in 2014. **Update: First Under Par Round Accomplished 6/25/14, Read About it Here: A Dream Realized**   My journey to become a scratch golfer will hopefully take me out of my comfort zone and help me grow as a person.  It will take me from early morning rounds by myself to amateur golf tour events to who knows where if I actually accomplish it in the coming years.  The journey will be long, and no doubt frustrating at times, but fulfilling to know that in the end, many years from now, when I look back, I will have pursued a dream of mine and I will not have to regret another “what if” moment.  I will be posting scores and stats, practice sessions, round recaps, lesson videos and pictures.  So I ask you even if you’re not a golfer too, to please join me and follow along as I go on this journey toward my dream.   I also hope that it can inspire you to find that dream of your own you’d like to accomplish.  Create a plan and go for it and together we can help support and push each other to live the dreams in our heart!

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