-
Posts
-
I payed this morning with my son-in-law and one other player. Conditions: cold, wet and windy! The course had a lot of water on it, which made putting a bit hit and miss. I hit; I missed!
I started with a double bogey on hole #1, after my tee shot went short and too far left. I had to chip over the corner, but followed that up with a chunked GW that landed short of the green. I was pretty happy with a bogey on 2 and par on 3. Entering the Devil’s zone where I hit 6,6,6 last round, I broke the curse and hit 6,6,5 this round. I three putted on hole 4, and on 5. You don’t get any points for near misses, more is the pity. The next three hole segment, the weather improved and so did I. I hit 2 pars and a birdie after a few good approach shots. Score 41 on the front 9 holes.
The weather started to blow hard from the west on hole 10 and I had a horror stretch on the next three holes. I missed the tee shot to the right on 10 and had to chip out sideways from the trees and the wind pushed my approach shot pin high right. My tee shot on 11 caught the wind and was short, but the 4 putt once I was on the green was plain lack of concentration. I missed twice from about 30 cm! I must have been closing the face a bit and tried to finesse the ball. On 12 I took 4 shots to get on the green, when I tried a partial SW shot rather than a full LW shot because of the muddy lie. 6,6,6 again!
The next 3 holes I scored a par ( on the par 5) and two bogeys. I had a birdie putt on 15, but 3 putted eventually. I had hit that hole GIR, but it was a long first putt. The home stretch with the wind at our backs almost, but I tried a fade to the corner on 16, but it went straight ( into the dam) and I hit an 8 on that hole. I hit a PW 109 m ( usually 90-95) and it went through the green on 16. My come back hole was 17, where I scored par with a proficient show of “boring golf” down the middle. I call those holes late in the game that show a glimpse of skill/f talent my holes that make me want to come back and try again.
OTS 90 ( 41/49) not bad considering the conditions . My son-in-law ( off 4 ) beat me by 2 points 32/30.
1 user liked this post.
What a difference day makes! I played 18 holes with Tony this morning. There was no wind and and only a little drizzle. I got excited at the end of the game when I looked at the score on my phone. It read 79 shots! My excitement was short lived upon checking the game only to find that Arccos had missed two shots. Still 10 better than yesterday is an improvement.
I had changed a few things in my bag today. I swapped out my 56/60 wedged to the CBX2 wedges with more bounce for the softer surfaces. I took out the 29 degree 6 iron and put in a 29 degree hybrids-iron ( Tour Edge) to get a bit more carry in the softer conditions. I also delofted the 3W to 14.5 degrees for lower tee shots into the wind. In general the changes helped.
I have been watching , ” Not A scratch golfer” on You Tube of late. He is a middle aged Canadian, with a pretty crappy swing, but scores in he 70s a lot. Not always! He is like me and can swing 10 shots in a round. His philosophy is to keep the tee shot in play, and be proficient inside 90 m ( 100 yards) . That is, one approach shot and two putts per hole. In order to do that, I have been using the 3W off the tee more. For example today on the long par 5 I hit a 3W, then two 7 W o reach the green and 2 putted for par. Sure I am not likely to hit GIR from 160 m out 100% , but the chip shot on will be fairly short and maybe I can one putt occasionally. I did putt a lot better today, mainly due to having a small target in my mind and goldilocks method of judging the swing needed for lag putts.
Arccos indicated to me that in comparison to a 12 handicap player, my tee shots were about right, approach shots 2 shots better, short game the same and putting at 12 handicap level. I hit 7/14 fairways, but got most tee shot sin play. I hit 7/18 GIR, 3 up and downs and 33 putts. I stopped trying to roll the ball onto the green with the putter. I am not good at it, preferring to use my SL hybrid or 50 degree wedge.
I got 1 birdie, 9 pars, 6 bogeys and 2 doubles. I used the LW well today to get onto the green from just off. No digging in the longer grass today.
1 user liked this post.
Today’s stableford round was played in ideal conditions; well almost. It started out cold with a dew on the greens. The sun came out and there was no wind! We are not used to calm conditions.
I had a day when my tee shots refused to stay in play. mostly they were leaking out to the right side. I added 5 shots to my score just getting back into play and one more again when my punch shot clipped a hanging branch and ricocheted into the adjacent fairway.
I scored 92 OTS and 28 points. 2 pars, 11 bogeys and 5 doubles. At least my putting was O.K.
I hit 2/18 GIR and 9/14 fairways.Two steps
1) putting was tidy if not outstanding
2) I kept grinding to score pointsOne step back.
I was trying to hit the ball too hard and not staying loose in the arms ( I checked this on the practice area after the game)
“Noodle arms” feel and the ball stayed on target.1 user liked this post.
Today’s stableford game was played in ideal conditions. The sun was shining and very little wind.
My strategy for today was to keep my tee shots in play. I used my fairway finding fade shot off the tee and managed to keep in play with Driver. I completely mangled my 3W tee shot off the 5th tee, ending up in a drain. My drop shot went wide into the trees, but I managed a decent recovery with a 7 iron bump and run to the green for a 6 score on a par 3!. Luckily I made par on all the par 5’s today. I had another disaster hole on #9. It was one of those , ” how did that happen” occasions. I hit my approach shot just to the verge of the green. It was always a three putt form there, but I didn’t hit my lag putt hard enough, then hit the second putt too hard and missed the 5 footer coming back downhill. 4 putts! Front 9 45 strokes/15 points.
I kept the ball in play on the back 9 , no hero shots and scored 40 strokes/ 20 points. Better!
Overall I hit 8 pars, 8 bogeys and two blow up holes. I hit to my GA handicap less one.BTW I hit a great draw off the 7th tee ( in play/ not under the RHS tree as were all my playing partners)
Two steps
1) driver in play 9/14 fairways hit and the ones I missed were still OK for a shot at the green.
2) chipping was accurate/ less putts as a result (31)= 7 up and downs.One step back
My tee shot with 3W I think I tried to hit it too hard/ lost rhythm.
The 4 putt situation would not have happened if I had hit a 9 iron not the PW into the green. I was way short!I won B grade yesterday!
This morning I went out for my pre-breakfast work out clearing the sweet pittosporum from the 12th hole rough. I am making windrows to burn as they dry out. On the way back to the car park I often play a couple of holes. Today I wanted to see if I could get better results with the Tour Edge Hybrid-iron 29 degree club. It is a super game improvement design with a fair bit of offset. I tend to hit it left too much. my distance control is good but lateral dispersion is poor. I set up at 135m out from the pin and hit a few shots , until I felt I had some control. Time will tell!
3 users liked this post.
I won B grade yesterday!
This morning I went out for my pre-breakfast work out clearing the sweet pittosporum from the 12th hole rough. I am making windrows to burn as they dry out. On the way back to the car park I often play a couple of holes. Today I wanted to see if I could get better results with the Tour Edge Hybrid-iron 29 degree club. It is a super game improvement design with a fair bit of offset. I tend to hit it left too much. my distance control is good but lateral dispersion is poor. I set up at 135m out from the pin and hit a few shots , until I felt I had some control. Time will tell!
You won B grade with 35 points?
People say that nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.
No championships worth mentioning in recent years.
Progress is man's ability to complicate simplicity.I won B grade yesterday!
This morning I went out for my pre-breakfast work out clearing the sweet pittosporum from the 12th hole rough. I am making windrows to burn as they dry out. On the way back to the car park I often play a couple of holes. Today I wanted to see if I could get better results with the Tour Edge Hybrid-iron 29 degree club. It is a super game improvement design with a fair bit of offset. I tend to hit it left too much. my distance control is good but lateral dispersion is poor. I set up at 135m out from the pin and hit a few shots , until I felt I had some control. Time will tell!
You won B grade with 35 points?
I know, 35 on a count back! It seems we are so unused to pleasant weather, no-one could alter their game to suit.
The wind is back with a vengeance already. I am taking my grand daughter out for a hit this afternoon. She really just wants to drive my golf cart.Fail! Yesterday I had my worst game for ages. 16 points.
I played the Vets competition challenge match between the Lower South East, Wimmera and Glenelg associations held at Harrow Golf club yesterday. Weather was cold and windy and wet, on and off. There were 59 golfers ( two females).
I was walking, so I decided to play a half set of clubs that I use when caravanning. My rationale is that playing this scrapes course would need a change of plan. I took a Cobra F7+ Driver, a 19 Wilson FY-brid ( 7 wood-ish) , a Cobra F7 4-5 hybrid, SL Milford 6 iron and SW, a Tour Edge PW, a Wilson chipper and a Wilson Putter. My plan was keep the tee shot in play, advance the ball to about 130-100 m, then try to get close to the scrape and chip it on and putt at the hole firmly.
What went wrong? I didn’t start well with my first Drive an attempted fade disappearing into the sun glare ( weather was fine at the start) No-one saw where it went and we could not find the ball, so I elected not to replay the shot. Next the fairway surface was very friable. it has not rained up there ( 150 km inland) for quite a while and the grass was thin and in effect we were playing on sand. I took deep divots without even trying and lost distance on all my shots. I tried a more shallow attack angle, but even with wider hybrid soles the clubs dug in. The chipper got the ball on the scrapes OK, but with variable depth of sand on each scrape, putting was unpredictable. The grass around the scrapes was soft and the ball didn’t run much at all. In effect , you had to get your approach shot close to the scrape and chip on which added one shot to each hole. Scrapes courses take a lot of practice to master.
The challenge result surprising. I thought Wimmera would wine easily as they play on more scrape courses than the Glenelg group. The LSE players play on all grass courses, so they bombed out as expected. Glenelg won by the finest of margins.
So were there any positives? Well I think on a more predictable surface the half set would have been effective.
I worked out that the Cobra F7+ Driver tends to draw slightly, rather than fade unless I really try to make it fade. This explains why I could not find my first shot. It would have gone through the corner left side, not where we were looking. I hit the FY- Brid quite well a few times, and I managed to alter distance with the other clubs well enough. I will try the set at my local course to see it here is a gap that I need to fill.I managed to walk the 18 holes on my dicky right hip. It warmed up after a few holes and I didn’t notice much discomfort. It was great social day.
1 user liked this post.
Better today. I played the club comp with 3 low handicappers.
I started off poorly with 4 double bogeys on the front 9 , but finished with two pars on 8&9.
On the back 9 I hit 4 more pars, but two more doubles.
I think I relaxed and swung through the ball at the end of the game and my outcomes improved.
I missed a few fairways today off the tee. I also ran the ball into 3 stumps and played some stupid shots.
91 OTS .
1 user liked this post.
I played in the Veterans inter- zone Challenge match between Lower South East and Glenelg zones yesterday in Casterton. The weather Gods smiled on us with a chilly start , but a sunny calm day. We had 90 players, which is a big field for us. Two of the fairways were closed for renovation. This resulted is lengthy bottle necks at several locations. The company was good. The LSE guys were at a disadvantage last week playing on scrapes. This week they did a lot better score wise.
Without any warm up facilities, I managed to hit the first two tee shots into the weeds. My starting line with the 3W was too far right on the first tee and over corrected on the second. So I started with two double bogeys! I found the bunkers three times in the round, but luckily they had sufficient sand in them, so I got out O.K. Putting was fine, despite the patchy greens. A local rule allowed the player to move the ball to have a patch free line. The fairways were in good condition for a country course at the end of summer. Once I warmed up, my tee shots with Driver and 3 Wood started to finish in the preferred position.
OTS 89 strokes; 6 pars, 8 bogeys, 4 doubles.
Two steps forward
1) Driver worked well
2) chipping was reliableOne step back
I should have hit fades off the early tees. I am better at controlling that shape. At worst they go left and don’t fade much. Poor decisions cost me 4 shots or more, if I include the time I aimed away from a bunker, not realizing that there was another one on the opposite side.1 user liked this post.
I had a quick 9 hole practice round yesterday, just beating the weather front bringing rain.
Here is a hole by hole account.
Hole #1; I hit a reasonable 3W tee shot and followed by a 7W shot aimed at the left side of the hole ( it always goes right once it hits the ground). The ball ended up just short of the bunker left side of the green. I chipped with my 60 wedge and had a short putt = par.
Hole #2; I hit a fade with Driver opening up the approach to heh green. I hit a 29 hybrid long and had to chip back on with 60 Wedge . leaving a short putt for par.
Hole #3; I faded the Driver tee shot, then mishit a 7W. I pushed the 3 H shot into the trees right side. No shot at the green, so I bumped out sideways and bumped on with the 3H. 1 putt for a bogey.
Hole #4; pushed my Driver tee shot right, hit a 7 i just short of the green. GW and 2 putts for Bogey
Hole #5; hit 3W tee shot onto the green and 2 putts= par
Hole #6 ; 3w off the tee, pulled the 9 i a bit left of the green. GW on and 2 putts for bogey.
Hole #7; Good Driver tee shot , 7 W in play, 60 degree onto green and 1 putt for Birdie.
Hole #8 ; 7 i too long and right, PW back onto the green 2 putts for bogey.
Hole #9 ; 3W off the tee ; possibly the best one ever! , then a 56 Wedge onto the green and 2 putts for Par.Not perfect golf, but 39 OTS. My best for a while. Hit 6/7 fairways, 3/9 GIR, 2/6 up and downs, 14 putts.
My question is, why can’t I seem to perform like this in competition?
1 user liked this post.
your are lucky Xrman, I haven’t played for 3 weeks due to rain and saturated courses.
I will be back in Danland next week and will be getting in lots of games over next 2 to 3 months..your are lucky Xrman, I haven’t played for 3 weeks due to rain and saturated courses.
I will be back in Danland next week and will be getting in lots of games over next 2 to 3 months..Welcome back 80 CB. I am not sure it will be known as” Danland” after November, pending the short memories of Melbourne residents , of course!
I took my mate Geoff (from Adelaide) up to Heywood this morning to play 9 holes. The greens up there are faster than at Portland.
The rain has yet to set in, as yet. There isn’t much run on the fairways and cold/ damp air has dropped carry distances about 10 m.I played bogey golf up there. Geoff is good off the tee and good on the green. He needs to link up the two zones.
1 user liked this post.
Geoff and I played at Portland (Sunday) and Pt. Fairy (Monday) .
Portland course’s defence is the tree lined fairways. Unlike Heywood where the rough under the trees is punitive, you can usually chip out when the ball goes astray at Portland, The few bunkers at Portland usually have a thin layer of sand which compacts further when wet. Pt. Fairy courses defence is the Mirram grass that lines the fairways, the severely undulating fairways and plentiful sand bunkers with moderate sand depth. Some of them are pot bunkers in shape. The other factor to defend the course is the sea breeze. Yesterday it was light.
We played match play just for fun. I gave him two mulligans per hole. Geoff scored a par on one hole and celebrated with a little Irish jig. I won the match 11-6 and we halved one hole. The scenery is very nice on the beach side of the course. If you have not played there, make the effort. it is in the top 100 Oz courses.
It wasn’t busy and we had no-one following behind us, so we had a few practice shots out of the pot bunkers. I was using my 1/2 set again and this time it worked way better than on the recent scrapes course. I used the chipper once, but I am not good at distance control with it. I was using a Cleveland Hi-Bore Driver rather than the Cobra F7+. I think the Driver is quite good considering it’s vintage.
1 user liked this post.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
