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Another day, another round of what could have been. Playing off 14 at Rossdale had 36 points, 18 + 18. Left a lot out there
36 points is a very good performance IMO.
For me, < 30 is a bad day on the course ( like my annual school report card, ” could do better if he applied himself”) , 35 is a very consistent day, > 35 is a very good day at the course,>40 the Golf Gods were on my side.
The good thing is that you scored well, but felt you still had some potential left in the tank to do even better. Well done!
I had a few hours to kill while my Ute was being serviced in Mt.Gambier yesterday. Conditions looked more reminiscent of Scotland than summer in Oz; cool and misty rain.The course was in excellent condition. It has a slightly hilly nature, with many uneven lies as a result. Being a green fee player I was required to hit off the forward tees. What a pity! Not! I Scored an 80 round. Perhaps I should use her clubs in competition?
I was using my Wife’s clubs because they were in the Ute. I look at it as cross training. It has been an eye opener for me to see how well these Super Game Improvement irons perform. The Cleveland HB Launcher irons are very forgiving of poor strike. For example, I hit a shot heavy/fat and then repeated the shot perfectly. The difference was the perfect shot reached the back of the green and the fat shot ended just short of the green. If I had done that with my CB one length irons the result would have been a lot less forgiving.
I used a 14 degree mini Driver( GX7) off the tee and only missed the fairway on the 18th hole ( pushed to right rough) . The 7 Wood ( TM Burner 21 degree) is a really nice club to hit. I used a chipper for shots inside 50 m and C3i 65 wedge to escape bunkers/ short sided situations near the green. I used another putter ( third one this week) and managed to putt well, which indicates my method has improved.
End result: I am impressed with hollow bodied irons. The only thing I was not happy about with the Cleveland irons is that they are draw biased, making fades harder to manage, but I guess they would be ideal for slicers. I think my wife needs a 5 wood in her set ( for me to use??) to reach the greens on the longer par 4 holes
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I have been travelling again. This time we went to Adelaide to visit friends and check out their new houses. Good fun was had by all, plus some very hot weather.
While I was away I played a couple of games and Marion golf park on the south coast of Adelaide and Flagstaff Hill course.
I have played the 9 hole Marion course before. Cheap and cheerful is how I would describe this hilly golf course. But what a view of the coast! My mate and I got a good deal at Flagstaff Hill course. It is a bit more up market, with fairly good greens, but the fairways are drying up fast. I was playing with my wife’s clubs ( minus 7 wood / 14 mini Driver), plus my summer SW/LW, 10.5 degree Nike Driver, Arc Master putter and a 22 hybrid.Two Steps forward
1) I was hitting the Driver well with a tight draw shape.
2) I was putting well despite the greens being much faster than at my home course. LW shots with the 60/04 wedge were working quite well from the bare tight lies.One Step back
1) I was having trouble getting my carry distances worked out with the HB Launcher irons. Eventually I worked out that they are stronger on loft than my irons. Problem solved. I still struggle getting them to fade reliably, possibly too much off- set?After a week we returned to the land of the long grey cloud ( SW Victoria) and the weather pattern returned to cold and wet and windy. Today I went over the border to get my ute serviced and played 18 holes at the Blue Lake course in Mt. Gambier while I was waiting. I had my wife’s full set ( none of my clubs) and played with them quite well.
Two Steps
1) Using the 14 degree mini Driver with the Eureka swing method. It suited the narrow fairways and I only missed the 18th . It was like playing in a Scottish mist all afternoon. The 7 wood was very effective on second shots. I was playing from the forward tees, so I managed to reach a few greens on par 4’s in two shots.
2) Lag putting went well. Scored 80.One Step back
1) It took 9 holes to work out carry distances with the irons. I still like them , but they are draw biased.1 user liked this post.
The weather didn’t moderate much today for the Vets game.
I started poorly with two doubles on holes 1&2 ( both three putts) , but I recovered with two pars. I beat hole #4 today! I was doing really well on hole #7 , with a 237 m Drive and a long 4W to be pin high for two shot. I had to pitch over the bunker in longish grass and hit it a bit hard. I managed to clear the bunker and the green! Oops! Then I hit a delicate chip with the LW short of the green ( bugger) . That is frustrating to hit two shots for almost 500 m, then 3 to cover only 30M!!!
The rest of the game I was driving quite well, even the fades off the tee were working! I did pull two shots left rough on 12 and 14, but got back into play without having to chip out. I got a double on 12 when I three putted and a double on 14 when I under clubbed for my approach shot.
Two steps forward.
1) Drives went well today
2) I adapted to the crappy greens fairly well.One step back
1) I wasted several shots through poor strike ( fat), possibly trying to hit too hard with the wind, rather than clubbing up and swinging easy. SO maybe wrong club selection is the issue?1 user liked this post.
Glenelg Vets day at Portland. Windy ( 40-50 kph) and wet, as is usual. The freshly cored and sanded greens were diabolical.
Playing off 13 for the first time today. I hit an 88 off the stick ( 6 pars, 8 bogeys, 4 doubles) Mostly I three putted the doubles, but I did hit a few iron shots fat and made incorrect club choices. Scored 34 points.
Tomorrow we have another Vets game in Portland. The weather will be the same as today ; crappy rain and windy 40 k.p.h.+
Adriano and I went out for a practice hit this morning. I had heard that the greens had been cored and sanded. The rumour was that they had trouble with the machine tearing the cores, then it rained during sanding and then when it dried out the sand blew a way. All in all the greens are not in great condition.
I hit an 86 round; 5 pars, 11 bogeys and two doubles. Once I worked out the greens ( slow speed / not much slope effect) I stopped 3 putting. I am still not happy with my tee shots. I pulled a couple into the left rough and pushed another right. My iron shots were going right at first , but that slowly corrected as the game progressed.
For the first time I can recall my GA handicap 14.7 and Arccos handicap rating are the same.
Two steps forward.
1) Short game worked pretty well
2) Approach shots were reasonable inside 150mOne step back
1) Control on fades off the tee is erratic. I was turning them over and they went too far left.1 user liked this post.
I visited friends in western Victoria during the week. I chose to ride my Triumph Tiger and stashed 6 clubs in one of those pencil case bags on the back of the bike. I played the Edenhope and Nhill courses.
The layouts I would describe as easier than my local courses, with wide fairways, fewer and shorter trees between fairways, flat sandy soil and traps with actual sand in them. I took a Driver, 22 hybrid, 7iron, PW, SW and putter.
Two steps forward
1) I hit a lot of fairways with my 44.5 ” Nike driver
2) I hit quite a few greens with the old Cobra F7 22 degree hybrid from 150-160 m out. I missed all the bunkers too.One step back
1) I kept reading too much slope on my putts and missed a lot. 37 putts for one round was my worst performance for a while. The Nhill greens were a bit slow and furry. I liked the Edenhope greens though. They were cut shorter and slicker.1 user liked this post.
I combined my love of motorcycling and golf this week. I rode up to Edenhope and played 9 holes and next day played 18 at Nhill.
Edenhope has very nice greens and reasonable fairways. Nhill was the opposite. Bot courses were flat terrain, tree lined with a regular avenue pattern of moderate height. Nhill had fairly wide fairways. I didn’t manage to hit into any traps , so I can’t comment on their quality of sand. They looked good. So did the water hazards at Nhill, which looked very Blue Lake / Azure colour.
It was hot on the day I was playing Nhill, so I learned to walk in the shade of the avenue of trees for relief. I hit one drive with a big push and ended up getting into the adjacent fairway. The trees were only about 25-30 m high, so I hit a PW shot at 45 degrees back onto the correct, fairway and then a 7 iron onto the green on the par 5 hole. That sort of thing is impossible at my home course where the trees are too high and several thick between fairways.
It was fun playing with just a Driver, 22 hybrid, 7i, PW, SW and Putter. Lots of partial shots were called for. I regained my respect for the 22 F7 Cobra Hybrid! I kept reading more break in the putts than existed, hitting 37 putts for the game. I manage a birdie on one par hole.
Both courses are worth visiting.
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It could be the last good day for golf this week weather wise. Our course is closed for maintenance, so I travelled to Heywood for a practice game. I took my wife’s clubs and really enjoyed playing with them. I was too lazy to travel the 15 km to pick mine up at the golf club.
The weather was fine in the mid 20’s with only a light breeze. The course had dried out after the 30 mm of rain we had on Saturday. The fairways were nice and fluffy, a bit light the River Murray courses I have played. The ball sat up begging to be hit.
I played 2 ball best ball on the front 9 and two ball worse ball on the back 9. I was using the 44.5 inch Nike Vapor Driver and I missed only two fairways. It is shorter off the tee than my Driver, but accurate. I compared the 7 wood to the 22 hybrid and found little difference in shot distance. I still love the Cleveland HB Launcher irons. They are so easy to hit well. I used the Arc Master putter to good effect today, only three putting on the last hole. I am going to claim fatigue was the cause , but I was sucked in and failed to read the slope accurately.
I want to be player B , the one who hits the perfect 2nd. shot, not the crappy shot first.
The scenery at Heywood was good and the wildlife plentiful ( Koalas, kookaburras, Wallabies etc)
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“I have been trying to work on a consistent approach to playing hole one. I am trying to hit my 4W off the tee, leaving about 150 m approach to the green. If I use Driver I have been going through the fairway and having an uncertain lie for shot 2. I have used the 4Hybrid ( my 150 m) club, but the last two times I have run through and left myself short sided. At least I am getting better with LW shots onto downhill sloping greens.”
answer
As the hole rates 6, it is a reasonably difficult one to begin with, so just play for a bogey to start your round with to give you confidence.
hit 4w off tee, then according to web site hitting just short is better then going over, so if 150m to go, hit 125m or 130m, giving you a gentle chip on and 2 putt for an easy 5 for 2.
you dont want to start with a double.You got it in one CB80. I usually try to land my approach short and left side of the green. The ball rolls downhill and funnels right towards the sea. What I should have used was my 5 Hybrid to stop the roll out amount. The other scenario is that the ball goes a little too far left and rolls into the shallow bunker. That is usually just a short chip out of the hard sand ( easy shot) .
I am playing for a bogey on holes one and two for building confidence reasons. I won’t say no to a par though, if and when it happens!
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Today we had a Mumbannar Masters 9 hole social game. I usually use these games as a test bed for a few hero shots, if needed, when I get a bit wayward.
My score was 46 ( one par, 6 bogeys and 2 doubles) . My tee shots were a mixed bag today ( two left, 3 centre, 2 right)
GIR 2/9 one up and down.I have been trying to work on a consistent approach to playing hole one. I am trying to hit my 4W off the tee, leaving about 150 m approach to the green. If I use Driver I have been going through the fairway and having an uncertain lie for shot 2. I have used the 4Hybrid ( my 150 m) club, but the last two times I have run through and left myself short sided. At least I am getting better with LW shots onto downhill sloping greens.
The tee shots on hole 2 and tree both ended up left of the fairway, but with different shots. I slightly pulled a fade on 2 and hooked a ripper on 3. I had to chip out on 3. I was getting consistent shot length shots wiht my 4H ( 150m) , 3H ( 160 m) and 5H ( 140m) . I got a case of the pushes on the approach shot on 3 and had another LW shot onto a downhill green. Teh tee shot on 4 was pushed left and I had a hero go at a punch shot out. It worked pretty well, except the strawberry clover grabbed the ball before it got out into the fairway. I tried for 50% 8 i approach shot but the ball clipped the underneath of a bushy tree. At least the putt chip with the 8 i was a tap in result for a bogey . Hole 4 won today.
I got over the pushes with a nice 4W tee shot on hole5. The 30 mm of rain killed th erun today , so the ball didn’t quite reach the green. Another good 8i chip for a tap in par.
I tried a 191m fade off the tee on hole 6 and it worked well getting to the corner. I put the 8 i approach on to heh green and 3 putted. My distance control was not good on the slow greens.
On 7 I tried for the big high draw shot again ( as on #3) and this time it worked. It was a 221m shot, followed by a 178m 4 W shot. I had a over the bunker shot from 40 m out. The shot was on target , but didn’t clear the bunker. A bogey is a good score I tell myself. A managed a par on the par 3 8th hole.
Last hole I hit a straight shot off the tee and just missed my 90 m PW shot slightly left of target. Bogey is a good score ( again)
Two steps
1) better control of tee shots. TSIP 6/9
2) Hybrid distance relaibleOne step back
1) Pushes crept back into my game.41 points really well done. did you GA come down.
Yes 14.6 now.
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Surely 3 birdies is THE highlight?
Yes you are right. I have never done that before.
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I put in a good round today. GA is 14.7 now.
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Today we had day #2 of the Seniors Carnival at PGC. Weather was typical Portland style, overcast and windy to start with and slowly warming up as the day progressed. Layer on; layer off. If you don’t like our weather, wait 15 minutes. It will change!
I played with my mate Tony and a local couple. She is a very good player, while he is an occasional golfer.It almost felt like match play today as Tony and I pushed each other. He got the upper hand on the front 9 and I pipped him at the post with a Birdie on the 18th. My goal in golf when I started 4 years ago was to be as good as Tony, so I guess I am there now. I still admire his putting precision. Today he rarely missed a putt. My long game kept me in contention, though I did miss a few tee shots left side today.
Using Weetbix’s TSIP measure , I hit 13/18 tee shots in play. The ones I missed punished my score card. I hit 84 OTS and scored 41 points. 3 Birdies, 5 pars, 7 bogeys, two doubles and a triple bogey. I hit 7/18 GIR and two up and downs. 32 putts ( six by 1, ten by 2, two by 3)
Two steps forward.
1) I was happy to play to below my handicap (15)
2) The birdie on the 18th was a long downhill 20 m putt sliding left to right. I saw it, felt it , relaxed and let it go. Wow! That was a ” comeback tomorrow” shot.One step back
1) trying to hit too hard into the wind on tee shots put me into the left rough twice and lost a ball (2 penalty strokes).It was a pleasure to watch Ellen play her precise brand of golf today. That and Tony’s ” can’t miss” putting was a feature of today’s game.
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