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After playing in the hottest town in Victoria yesterday ( Portland: how unusual !) we are heading to Harrow today. It is about 150 Km inland North of Portland. It is going to be even hotter . This must be our 2 days of summer.
Anyway Harrow has a nice scrapes course that I will play on Saturday when it cools down. I will take my travel set of Tour Edge draw biased clubs. The Iron- Hybrid style club has a lot of off set for anti slice and it will train me to be confident to aim right and blast, knowing that the ball wont go right at all. The lack of confidence to do this is what shot down my tee shots on the front nine yesterday.I tested my hypothesis on the range immediately after the game yesterday. I aimed right side of fairway, set up for the draw shape and most of the shots went back to centre. Confidence and Commitment! AT least I learned that my fade set up will give me a reliable straight shot if I loose the draw shot on any day. I loose about 10 m with the fade, but find the fairway.
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We had a good 2 day trip to a Harrow over the weekend. It is a sleepy little hollow on the Glenelg River in the western districts of Victoria. Sheep everywhere. Highlight of the trip was the Johhny Mullagh cricket museum which documents the 1886 cricket tour of the U.K. by an Aboriginal team. Cricket fans should make the effort to visit this great display, which includes a good Don Bradman collection section.
Golf: The club is a 18 hole course with sand scrapes ( established 1909). I think it is a winter only course as it was very dry and the fairways were like dry pasture. In essence I don’t think anyone has played there for a while. Being over hill from the river , there isn’t much irrigation. There must be a bore though, as they are watering the grass on the tee boxes a bit to keep it alive.
Last time I played this course is was soggy and very cold. Green fees ( oxymoron) $5What I found out was that white balls on browned off pasture are practically invisible. I lost 5 balls in 18 holes. I was almost standing on the ball a few times and almost missed it. Overall I was pretty happy with the Nike Driver giving me nice draw shape tee shots. I only clipped one tree, which was pretty good because I was aiming right side and letting them rip. Since I got home I have adjusted the loft to 11.5 to see if I can get a bit more hang time. Some of the shots were a bit low, even though I was trying to hit up on the ball. I will try a higher tee next time too to see if that is a help. I hit all the Bazooka irons quite well once I worked out to aim 10 m right of my target to allow for the draw shape. The 3 iron was a bit hooky, so I really had to concentrate on not letting the face shut too much. I used the Tour Edge HP4 (later design than the Bazookas/ looks more like a Cleveland Launcher) PW to good effect getting the chip shots onto the scrape. The SW got one use when I hit the tree branch with the Tee shot and advanced the ball to the corner pf the 90 degree bend in the fairway. On the scrapes the Arc Master putter is a weapon. I just took aim at the hole and let it go. More often than not it worked O.K. I think I will use this set for all my Vets Scrapes games this season.
I have ordered a box of orange balls for my up coming tour of inland Victoria and Eyre Peninsula. I think they will be easier to find
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It is official. I play better in the wind. I snuck out for a quick 9 holes to try out some Bridgestone Extra Soft orange balls that GCO delivered today. I tried a few new tactics, just to see if they would work out.
My tee shots all gave me ( Tee shot in play) TSIP with reasonable distance . 224 m on hole 7 was the best. 8 pars and one Bogey ( on hole 1) = best ever result. I guess I hit better when there is no consequence.
Two Steps forward
1) I hit some decent tee shots with the Orange balls and didn’t lose a ball playing solo.
2) Putting much improved todayOne Step back
1) Why can’t I play like this ( stress free) in comps????The rain arrived as I finished 9 holes so I went home.
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That’s a great 9 holes
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Sadly that form in practice did not follow into the day two of the club championships. I was making up a four at the request of my son in law, as I didn’t compete in day one last Saturday. Originally we were to be away by last week on our caravan trip.
Conditions were mild and no wind. I played with three single figure handicappers, but we all took turns in some poor shots. I suspect I did best on the crap-o- meter shot wise. It wasn’t that I played terribly, I was inconsistent. My tee shots on the first 9 went a bit too far left and I left two out right on the back 9. I got plenty of practice in punching out of trouble, if nothing else. My chipping was not on song, in that I was leaving some very long 1st putts, which in turn gave me several 3 putts. I was getting it on the green alright, but nowhere near the pin.
two pars, 3 doubles ( all 3 putts) and 13 bogeys. OTS 91, nett 79. 29 points. Mediocre!
Two Steps
1) I hit several >200 m drives ( best 220)
2) approach shots inside 120 m were goodOne Step
1) Lag putting was not the best, until maybe hole 18 were I almost sank a beauty from a long way out.I need to be mentally more aware of my PSR. I think I am selecting a small specific target , then forgetting it as I swing to hit the ball, reverting to hitting at the ball as my focus.
Veterans at Heywood on Monday is my next game. Can I repeat my 79 score there last game? Hmmm possible and tomorrow is another day.
No I didn’t break 80 today. Conditions started off fine and mild, but deteriorated as the game progressed with a 30 kph southerly breeze building and misty rain. 87 wasn’t bad , but my 4 three putts didn’t help. The greens were very good at Heywood and the fairways pretty good too. All in all the course is looking good for late summer.
I scored 6 pars 8 bogeys and 4 doubles.
I managed to hit most of my tee shots into play, my approach shots inside 120 m were accurate enough ( 8 GIR) and 4 up and downs. Heywood has some pretty sloping greens and it caught me out a few times when I was too soft with my second putt , only to see the ball bend like an Indian leg spinner bowl. Frustrating. I hit trees twice with my hybrid sots when I tried to fade the shot, but didn’t aim left enough. My only blow out hole was a 7 on a par 5, where I mishit my drive short left, then hit a 6 Hybrid shot into the right side of the dog leg, followed by a LW shot that went under the ball ( landed short) . I should have tried a B&R shot, not an aerial shot from that lie!
Two Stops forward
1) tee shots in play 100%
2) good approach shots inside 120 m = 8 GIR . I attribute this to my one length irons form 80 -125m the swing is all the same.One step back (OK 2)
1) need to correct my aim on hybrid fade shots
2) short putts on sloping greens I need to hit harder to take some of the slope out of the equation.BTW we saw some very big Kangaroos today. Heywood course is well worth a game if you are visiting Western Victoria. $30 green fees is cheap for what you get.
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I spent the morning underneath our caravan repairing and re- installing water and waste water tanks. Fun? No!
The replacement tank I ordered from Melbourne as still not arrived 5 days later!At one p.m. I went out to hit some balls and play 9 holes using the Tour Edge half set of iron-woods I have for travelling. We leave on our caravan trip tomorrow doing a loop in Victoria, then another over in the Eyre Peninsula of S.A.
I am carrying a Nike Driver, a 5 W ( 19.5) and the then the 3,5,7,9,PW and SW Tour Edge iron -hybrids and the gravity Golf Arc Master putter. My wife ( learner golfer) will have a 7W, 6i, 8i, PW, LW ,& putter.
Today I hit the Nike Driver really well using the Eureka swing method, giving me a nice tight draw. I measured two shots at 204 and 205m ( best ever with that Driver). Hitting with variable length irons take a bit of getting used to. It isn’t onerous, but takes some thought with ball position. I only screwed up one 3 iron shot ( hit it fat) when I forgot. Otherwise even the less than ideal strikes still gave reasonable outcomes. These irons ( SGI hybrid-iron style) ought to be on the list for all learners! It makes the game easier, so why not.
I hit 3 balls as I didn’t have anyone behind me and I didn’t want to catch the group 3 holes in front. I was putting better with the Arc Master today, enough to think that maybe I should use it in competition. I don’t think my 3 putts have a lot to do with the tool I am using though. I tried chipping with the SW and PW. It takes more commitment to use the higher lofted club. Not having a full set of clubs makes you think more about what shot you need to create and how to do it. Cross training is supposed to be beneficial.
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This week I have played at Peterborough on the Otways coast, Beaufort just west of Ballarat and a few holes at Avoca on a scrapes course. It was 33 degrees at Avoca, when I left there yesterday to drive three hours back to Portland for dental treatment. Adriano ( the dentist) invited me to join him for a game after work.
I hit some pretty good shots at Peterborough with the half set, finally getting used to the draw biased clubs. I was a bit erratic off the tee at Beaufort and my putting went a bit off. The irons were performing quite well, other than a few duffed 3 iron shots. Avoca was very dry on the fairways, but the scrapes were pretty well presented. I would like to play the course in winter time.
The cross training must be working, because I played a good game at my home course. It was a balmy 24 degrees and very pleasant after the heat of the morning game. I seem to have improved my Driver efficiency with the shorter Nike.driver.The tee shot on hole #7 reached the bunkers. I hit most of the fairways. The 5W approach shots only just missed the greens on 7,10,12.15 and 1 from 170-180 m out. I was having fun just letting it rip with a guaranteed draw shape.
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I played at the Myrtleford course in NE Victoria today. My playing partner does not have a handicap as yet, so we scored today so that he can use the round to submit for handicap assessment. I used the system of giving him two shots on index 1-9 holes and one shot on oles 10-18 index. Geoff can hit is Driver quite well and putts very well. The shots in between need work. He started well and played to the 28 handicap, but had a lapse on the back nine holes.
My game wasn’t bad, considering I had not played the course before. I was using the half set of SGI hybrid-irons, which are draw biased. I hit my tee shots well enough to keep them in play, but a few I left out right where it was hard to get the Tour Edge Bazookas to fade with any accuracy when needed. Next game I will aim less right off the tee and leave the ball more on the centre left, which will suit the draw bias better. I did hit the three iron-hybrid a lot better today, even getting a couple of GIR with it.
I scored 3 pars, 11 bogeys, 3 doubles and one triple bogey for a 93 OTS. I missed a couple of easy putts by not taking enough time to aim them .
Two steps forward
1) The Nike driver is performing well on draw shape tee shots.
2) approach shots were good from 140-160 mOne Step back
I was trying to plan from green back to the tee, but today I seemed to leave my self awkward distances between SW and PW distance . I needed a GW, but didn’t have one! I need to perfect my partial PW shots. That, plus playing to the left side of the fairway to suit draw shaped iron shots would have helped reduce bogey rate. Next time? Perhaps I need to stop trying to over ride the draw bias and accept that I need to aim left of the green and ch, rather than try to fade a shot onto the green.1 user liked this post.
Today we played at Bright , near Mt. Hotham ski area in NE Victoria.
The course was in great condition. It looked pretty, as did the scenic view of the mountains.My tee shots got better as the game progressed. I pushed one into the right rough early on, into bushy tree while it was rolling. Because the course is so manicured it went through the tree and I had an easy left hand putter chip back out into the fairway. he benefits of having a long shafted double sided putter ( Arc Master) and resort styles rough ( read short) . Then I managed to hook my 5 iron shot, but again I had a shot. Darn those SGI hybrid-irons are so easy to get to go left if you are not careful.
My luck didn’t hold on the putting surface, where I lipped out 4 putts that almost went in the hole. The upside was that I hit a few GIR with good 9i and PW shots, some of them partial swings (unlike last game). The best one was shot #3 onto the 9th green over a water hazard, which brought cheers from the members lounge verandah. I was about 2 m from the pin and it lipped out.
I scored a birdie on a par 4 ( another good 9i shot for GIR), a couple of pars and a string of bogeys. The 2 double bogies early on put paid to any chance of making <40. I hit 43 OTS.Two Steps
1) I took time to enjoy the game and surroundings today and didn’t pay much attention to the score. I was trying to teach Geoff the procedures of competition golf, the do’s and don’ts. He is doing quite well with his natural talents at the tee shot and putting.
Low spot control and lack of extension are hampering his fairway and approach shots. He hit a lot of shots thin today. He only needs 1.5 games more to get his handicap now.
2) I did better at planning back from the green. The occasions I had a partial shot with PW and 9i I managed to hit the green this time, rather than being short/ or long. I am hoping this skill will transfer to my game wen I am using a full set of clubs.One step back?
Well, I guess putting speed control on the 2-3 m putts. I hit the rim of the hole on 4 shots today,none of them went in. That and the occasional hook shot with the very off set irons. I need to concentrate on not letting the face close too much, which is not my usual miss.1 user liked this post.
I played at Corowa on the River Murray this morning.
Geoff and I hit off at 7:30 a.m. starting on hole 10 then proceeding through to hole 27. The weather has been a bit wet for the last few days, making the course a bit on the soaked side. Bunkers were firm, mud like , with little lakes in some. Still the course was fun to play. Luckily they gave us a map to find our way around the course. The sun did come out in the mid section of our round, but it wasn’t cold even when it became overcast.How did I play? Seeing that it was a new course to me, and I am using my SGI iron-wood 1/2 set with variable length shafts, the answer was not too bad. I scored 92 OTS.
Two steps forward.
1) I found the fairway often with the Nike 44.5 ” shafted A flex Driver
2) I hit some good approach shots onto the green once I compensated for the draw shape.One step back
Easy . Putting speed was a bit off. The dew/ rain on the greens lead to me hitting the lag putts too far on the first 9, leaving me with awkward return putts. I left 4 putts teetering on the lip of the hole in total. 6 double bogies in total ( 4 due to these near misses) Other than that I hit 10 Bogeys and 2 birdies.1 user liked this post.
We played at the “Back 9” course in Echuca this morning.
It is an economy course, with sparse fairways and greens that a slow and bouncy. I was trying my fairway finder straight shot and found that I was getting a bit more fade. Once I aimed left enough, I started to get the ball in play more often. These hybrid-irons I am using are not as good on rough lies as I am used to wit my Cobra hybrids with the baffler rails.
It was fun and better than trailing behind our wives bored to death in the elusive bargain hunt that seems to enthrall women for hours.
Two steps
1) I got some fade spin on some of my tee shots
2) I adapted to bump and run chip shots well after a couple of lousy strikes with the SW on the hard thin grass. PW was my friend.One Step back.
1) I started a few tee shots too far right of centre ( found the trees). Once I placed the ball a little further forward on my stance , they started left of centre and faded back.1 user liked this post.
Phase one of our trip starts to wind down tomorrow. Geoff and I will play nine holes at Rich River in the morning, then we head home to Portland for the Easter break, via St. Arnaud to visit relatives.
We have toured SW, Central and a bit of NE of Victoria, showing our S.A. guests the sights. After Easter it will be their turn to be guides as we tour the Eyre Peninsula area of S.A. It will be interesting to see what the golf courses are like over there.
What have I learned from playing with the half set of SGI hybrid irons? Well they are better suited to softer courses with grass. They are draw biased and I never thought that I would turn down any help from a tool that helped me hit right to left. shaped shots. It is possibly too much of a good thing for me now that I have a more in to out swing path than I did when I started 4 years ago. Anyway i seem to be aiming well enough to avoid the hooks now! Am I getting good at partial swings to make up for the missing
3H,4,6,8,AW,LW? Sometimes yes and sometimes not so well.Geoff has improved a lot. His natural talent from hockey has helped . His tee shots are a nice draw and his chipping and putting has improved over the last 3 weeks. My wife’s golf clubs stayed in the car. Actually they were placed in and out of the car more times than I can recall. I can understand that she is reluctant to play with the pressures of the busy courses, as a beginner.
What I did work out is that her Cleveland SGi irons are stronger lofted that the Tour Edge SGi iron-hybrids I have been using. On part 2 of the trip I will pack her 5,7,9, AW ( plus her 7W, chipper and putter in a pencil travel case) and just take one cart bag.
The lofts of her irons are really 4,6,8 equivalents and the AW will fit nicely between the PW ( 44) and SW ( 54) in the TE set.I am excited to play the Rich River course again. Last time I played the west course and hit my longest drive ever ( 241m)
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Geoff and I teed off at 7:40 a.m. with two other players at Rich River East course. I was feeling quite bright after a cold shower and a light breakfast. We were camped on the banks of the River Murray a few kilometres out of Echuca. My caravan water heater was on the blink.
After a bit of a wobbly first hole tee shot, I composed myself and put in a solid performance hitting 40 shots for the nine holes. I think I was channeling Matt from the You Tube channel ” Golf Sidekick”, using his course management concepts. My tee shots hit the fairway after hole #1, my chipping with the PW went well giving me shorter than usual first putts and I dropped most putts inside 5′. I hit to “good miss” locations when I missed the centre of the greens, I avoided trouble ( lakes) and went long if there were bunkers short and vice versa.
Geoff benefited from having others playing with us. He observed the required etiquette and learned to play under time pressure. He did really well, despite finding the bunkers and racking up a few blowup holes.
Two Steps Forwards
1) I relaxed and let the Driver swing freely rather than try to control the shots.
2) PW chipping closer to the pins took the pressure off my putting.One step backwards
I am struggling to find much about today’s game to be unhappy with. I got put of jail a few times when my hits were not perfect, but my game plan generally worked. On one occasion I thought that I was about to end up in a sand trap ( again) my 5 iron shot draw rolled toward the front left bunker and stopped 30 cm short.So I had a SW shot over the bunker , not a PW shot between the bunkers.So in summary the Moama East course was well presented, nice greens, lots of sand traps and water to avoid. It lacked big trees lining the fairway to make it really challenging in a wind ( none today)
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Back home again at Portland GC for the Thursday comp. I warmed up a bit prior to the game getting used to my clubs.
Hole one wasn’t great with a 3 putt for a double bogey. I followed that up with 4 pars in a row. I was indecisive on the tee box on 6 and pushed the shot into the Bermuda triangle on the right side, then I followed that up with a series of poor hits on 7 for double bogey again. I rallied on the par 3 8th hole with a par and a bogey on the 9th. 44 shots.
The wind had sprung up as usual for the back 9 holes. I managed two pars on the par 5 holes. I hit my tee shot on the par 3 11th hole OOB ( score 6) Score 44.
32 points ; second in my group.
Two steps forward
1) My driver and 4 W shots were good.
2) chipping and putting were not bad. My putts missed were only just misses.One step back
1) I had trouble hitting my 19 hybrid SL today. It wasn’t pretty. Too flat and too hooky! It could have been that I tend to use it for fairway shots from poor lies.
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