Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Driving Range May 22, 2014
Once again, Riverside Golf Academy. After the success of last night I felt really good about grooving my new swing even more. But unlike Wednesday night, I may have hit 5 pure shots out of 30 - frustrating. What went wrong? I don't know.
Driving Range May 21, 2014
This was my first trip to the driving range (River Side Academy) since my second golf lesson on May 15th. My main focus was to keep my grip pressure the same throughout the swing and keeping my swing on plane with the one piece take away. I started with my 8 iron. I starting hitting the best 8 irons I've ever hit one right after the other. I then moved to my pitching wedge and more of the same. Next my driver and again great results and then my 6 iron. Of the 30 or so balls in the bucket, I hit at least 25 pure. I walk away feeling really good about my swing and my upcoming GC Am event on Saturday in Kentucky.
GC Am Tour Major - Kohler, WI May 17th and 18th
After my second lesson with Toby Thursday night I had hoped I would be ready for the Kohler Major. After all, after my first lesson with Toby I had my best Tour round of the year, so now I'm thinking maybe it's trophy time! Friday Margaret and left for Kohler via Chicago where we spend the day. We arrived in Kohler around 9 PM - too late to go to the practice range and try out my new one piece take away. But no worry, I'll get to the course early for my 9 AM tee time and hit the driving range. Unlike other majors I've played in where each group has a specific tee time, this major decided to have a shot gun start. That meant that 250 players showing up for the same tee time! When I got to the driving range it was three deep waiting for a spot. I decided to skip the wait and just work on my short game and putting - possibly a huge mistake.
Our group started on 12, a par four with plenty of fairway to hit. However, there was a small pond just in front of the tee box. A sand wedge would fly the pond, that's how small it was. Yep - I topped the ball with my driver and splash - right in to the pond. That was my start of the round. It struggled through out the round with my swing and finished with a 105 - last place by 4 shots.
Day two I was first off with the other two players just above me in the standings. So my goal for the day was to beat these two and assure my self of not finishing in last place. Once again I started off with a drive into water and an 8 on the first hole a par 4. I actually made up some ground and was ahead of one of my fellow players when on number 10 I shot an 11. After that I just couldn't swing the club and finished with a 110 last place by 9 shots. The only pure shot of the day was a lay up 9 iron on number 18.
My biggest problem of the two days was clamping down with my right hand just before impact. It caused a lot of pulled hooks or fat shots. Mostly pulled hooks.
Our group started on 12, a par four with plenty of fairway to hit. However, there was a small pond just in front of the tee box. A sand wedge would fly the pond, that's how small it was. Yep - I topped the ball with my driver and splash - right in to the pond. That was my start of the round. It struggled through out the round with my swing and finished with a 105 - last place by 4 shots.
Day two I was first off with the other two players just above me in the standings. So my goal for the day was to beat these two and assure my self of not finishing in last place. Once again I started off with a drive into water and an 8 on the first hole a par 4. I actually made up some ground and was ahead of one of my fellow players when on number 10 I shot an 11. After that I just couldn't swing the club and finished with a 110 last place by 9 shots. The only pure shot of the day was a lay up 9 iron on number 18.
My biggest problem of the two days was clamping down with my right hand just before impact. It caused a lot of pulled hooks or fat shots. Mostly pulled hooks.
Golf Lesson May 15, 2014
This was my second lesson with Toby. This week he wanted me to increase my shoulder turn. To do so we worked on a one piece take away keeping the same swing plane that we had developed in lesson one. It certainly seemed simple enough and the results were very good, increasing distance with no more effort. I was ready to attack the GC Am major at Kohler.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Monday night golf league May 19th
GOOD
I was striking my irons really well. My first pure strike was on the second hole with an 8 iron. Smooth swing and perfect results. That continued on the next whole with a 6 iron approach, and the next with a 7 iron approach and the next with a 5 iron approach. All using my new swing mechanics.
BETTER
I need to get better at smoothing out my woods. I had a tendency to want to "hit" them this round which causes all sorts of problems.
IMPROVE
I need to continue to work on consistent grip pressure throughout the swing eliminating the "hit right hand clamp down" just before impact. I do this because at the last second I think I need to add a little more power to get the ball to the target, but intellectually I know I don't.
I was striking my irons really well. My first pure strike was on the second hole with an 8 iron. Smooth swing and perfect results. That continued on the next whole with a 6 iron approach, and the next with a 7 iron approach and the next with a 5 iron approach. All using my new swing mechanics.
BETTER
I need to get better at smoothing out my woods. I had a tendency to want to "hit" them this round which causes all sorts of problems.
IMPROVE
I need to continue to work on consistent grip pressure throughout the swing eliminating the "hit right hand clamp down" just before impact. I do this because at the last second I think I need to add a little more power to get the ball to the target, but intellectually I know I don't.
About my golf schedule
I played 23 full rounds (18 holes) of golf in 2013 on 23 different golf courses and all but one of those were in Golf Channel Am Tour (GCAm) events. I do play in a Monday night 9 hole golf league on the same course. It is a very relaxed rules league unlike the GCAm Tour which is strict USGA. As of this writing I'm 65 playing in the Senior Sarazen Flight for 12 - 15.9 index players.
2014 will be much like 2013. So far this year (May 20th) I've played in six GCAm events all on different courses. I'm playing in my Monday night 9 hole golf league and this year I will play in the Myrtle Beach World Am tournament in August. That is a four day tournament that is net play.
2014 will be much like 2013. So far this year (May 20th) I've played in six GCAm events all on different courses. I'm playing in my Monday night 9 hole golf league and this year I will play in the Myrtle Beach World Am tournament in August. That is a four day tournament that is net play.
GCAm Tour - Major Kohler, WI - Blackwolf Run River and Meadows
May 17th & 18th 2014
GOOD
On a number of occasions I made the swing that I'm working on with Toby. When I was able to make that swing the results were fantastic. I got more distance that I've been getting and the ball flight had a slight draw. On those swings I would finish in balance still in my swing posture with my belt facing the target. It was a very good feeling. It reinforced that I was on the right path.
BETTER
What I could do better is treat each shot as a layup shot. When I have a layup I have a very rhythmic smooth swing and I get as much or more distance than when I'm trying to "hit" to a specific target.
IMPROVE
My best swings are when I don't clamp down with my right hand just before impact. So I need to improve keeping my grip pressure consistent throughout the swing. A suggestion in a golf book I just read was to spend two weeks swing a club without a ball and only concentrating on keeping the grip pressure the same. I should take that advice.
GOOD
On a number of occasions I made the swing that I'm working on with Toby. When I was able to make that swing the results were fantastic. I got more distance that I've been getting and the ball flight had a slight draw. On those swings I would finish in balance still in my swing posture with my belt facing the target. It was a very good feeling. It reinforced that I was on the right path.
BETTER
What I could do better is treat each shot as a layup shot. When I have a layup I have a very rhythmic smooth swing and I get as much or more distance than when I'm trying to "hit" to a specific target.
IMPROVE
My best swings are when I don't clamp down with my right hand just before impact. So I need to improve keeping my grip pressure consistent throughout the swing. A suggestion in a golf book I just read was to spend two weeks swing a club without a ball and only concentrating on keeping the grip pressure the same. I should take that advice.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Why I write this
5/20/2014
I'm writing this in hopes of improving my golf game. That may sound strange but I think if I force myself to write about what I'm doing wrong, what I'm doing right and what I need to work on, it will help me focus on the aspects of my game that need improvement. For example, this weekend I play in a GC Am Major in Kohler, Wisconsin. I shot a 105 the first day and 110 the second. I haven't had rounds that bad in years. But what was more frustrating than the scores, was that I knew exactly what I was doing wrong, yet I couldn't correct it on most of my shots.
A golf school I went to a few years ago, Vision 54, focused on the mental part of the golf game and lord knows that's my weak link. One of their recommendations is to write about each round and do so in a very specific format, which is what I plan to do here. Of course, I've started to write about my rounds off and on maybe 10 times and I never get past round three before I lose interest, or more likely just too lazy to keep it up. One of my excuses for not continuing to write was that I had to use a specific computer which wasn't always convenient. Thus this blog, which can be accessed from any computer, tablet or smartphone. It eliminates that excuse. Can't wait to see what I come up with now for a reason to stop writing.
So here is the Vision 54 format:
First, write what was Good about the round
Second, write about what could have been Better
Third, write about what I need to do to Improve
Following this format gives some structure and continuity to each round's analysis and it puts a positive spin on each category. Since I just finished the two day Kohler major and both rounds were similar, I'll combine the two rounds for my first assessment.
But before I start I have to note that I recently starting taking lessons from Golftec at the Castleton Golfsmith store. I have had a number of lessons over the years by different instructors and attended a few golf schools. I even had a few lessons from Golftec a few years ago. Plus I've tried different techniques on my own like Stack and Tilt, Square-to-Square and Hit Down Dammit! What brought me back to Golftec was a conversation I had with a lady at the GC Am Senior (50+) National's last year while waiting for my tee time. Her husband was also playing in the Nationals in the Senior Palmer flight. That flight is for those with single digit handicaps. So I ask her if he played in college and she said no he just started five years ago at age 50. Wow, five years and he's already a single digit handicap player! The obvious question was how did he get so good so quick. She said when he decided to take up golf he started with lessons from Golftec in their home town (can't remember where that was) and he took one lesson a week for two years. So now I'm back at Golftec. I signed up for 10 lessons (not cheap) and my instructor was Erika Wicoff a former LPGA player. She played in 3 US Opens and had a few top 10's. With all Golftec lessons you get strapped in to a harness that measures about 7 angles. When you can get all seven in the green your swinging like a pro. Erika was really focused on these angles, which I'm sure is Golftec's technique for their instructors. On a good lesson I might get 3 out of the 7. I felt I was making some progress but wasn't overly excited about where I was headed. At our 4th lesson she informed me that she was leaving for a newly formed golf academy at a local course. A good move for her. With 6 lessons left I had to switch instructors. My new instructor, Toby Baldwin. I knew nothing about him. I showed up for my first lesson with Toby, got hooked up in my harness and he just ask me to warm up hitting balls into the net. While I'm hitting balls he starts asking me a whole series of questions while he is watching me swing. He ask more questions than any instructor I've ever had and I like that. He is getting to know me, how I play, what I think are my strengths and weaknesses, etc. AND, he has none of the 7 angles showing the monitor. We talked about me playing in the Golf Channel Am Tour and that my next tournament was in two days (not the Kohler event). After a few minutes of watching me hit and asking questions, he said I think what we ought to do is first get your swing on plane. He showed me how my back swing was below plane (which by the way was where Erika had me) and that I needed to get my hands higher at the top of my back swing. He put together a simple drill where I put a ball 3 feet directly behind the ball I'm going to hit. Make sure I bring the club back over that ball then raise my hands high and then let the down swing just happen. He also said we need to work on my shoulder turn but that would be later. First things first, get on plane. He has a kind of relaxing manor that is good for me because it seems to make it easier for me to make a relaxed swing. So I walked away feeling really good about Toby (who has been there 8 years so hopefully not leaving anytime soon) and about what I needed to work on. I was able to make a few trips to the driving range working on this assignment before the next tournament. At the tournament I shot a 91, my best this year. Where I lost strokes was on my chipping and pitching and I had 36 putts, BUT, my ball striking was the best it had been in quite some time. I couldn't wait for my next lesson.
Lesson two: One day before I left for the two day Kohler Major. Toby added one new element to my practice. The one piece take away which by default increases my shoulder turn. I had this lesson on Thursday night. I left for Kohler Friday morning and after a stop in Chicago got in to Kohler after 9 PM. My tee time the next morning was 9 AM and it was a shot gun start. When I got to the course the driving range was full with players three deep waiting. I decided to working on putting instead. So I started the tournament without having practiced my new one piece take away. And that leads the the following analysis:
I'm writing this in hopes of improving my golf game. That may sound strange but I think if I force myself to write about what I'm doing wrong, what I'm doing right and what I need to work on, it will help me focus on the aspects of my game that need improvement. For example, this weekend I play in a GC Am Major in Kohler, Wisconsin. I shot a 105 the first day and 110 the second. I haven't had rounds that bad in years. But what was more frustrating than the scores, was that I knew exactly what I was doing wrong, yet I couldn't correct it on most of my shots.
A golf school I went to a few years ago, Vision 54, focused on the mental part of the golf game and lord knows that's my weak link. One of their recommendations is to write about each round and do so in a very specific format, which is what I plan to do here. Of course, I've started to write about my rounds off and on maybe 10 times and I never get past round three before I lose interest, or more likely just too lazy to keep it up. One of my excuses for not continuing to write was that I had to use a specific computer which wasn't always convenient. Thus this blog, which can be accessed from any computer, tablet or smartphone. It eliminates that excuse. Can't wait to see what I come up with now for a reason to stop writing.
So here is the Vision 54 format:
First, write what was Good about the round
Second, write about what could have been Better
Third, write about what I need to do to Improve
Following this format gives some structure and continuity to each round's analysis and it puts a positive spin on each category. Since I just finished the two day Kohler major and both rounds were similar, I'll combine the two rounds for my first assessment.
But before I start I have to note that I recently starting taking lessons from Golftec at the Castleton Golfsmith store. I have had a number of lessons over the years by different instructors and attended a few golf schools. I even had a few lessons from Golftec a few years ago. Plus I've tried different techniques on my own like Stack and Tilt, Square-to-Square and Hit Down Dammit! What brought me back to Golftec was a conversation I had with a lady at the GC Am Senior (50+) National's last year while waiting for my tee time. Her husband was also playing in the Nationals in the Senior Palmer flight. That flight is for those with single digit handicaps. So I ask her if he played in college and she said no he just started five years ago at age 50. Wow, five years and he's already a single digit handicap player! The obvious question was how did he get so good so quick. She said when he decided to take up golf he started with lessons from Golftec in their home town (can't remember where that was) and he took one lesson a week for two years. So now I'm back at Golftec. I signed up for 10 lessons (not cheap) and my instructor was Erika Wicoff a former LPGA player. She played in 3 US Opens and had a few top 10's. With all Golftec lessons you get strapped in to a harness that measures about 7 angles. When you can get all seven in the green your swinging like a pro. Erika was really focused on these angles, which I'm sure is Golftec's technique for their instructors. On a good lesson I might get 3 out of the 7. I felt I was making some progress but wasn't overly excited about where I was headed. At our 4th lesson she informed me that she was leaving for a newly formed golf academy at a local course. A good move for her. With 6 lessons left I had to switch instructors. My new instructor, Toby Baldwin. I knew nothing about him. I showed up for my first lesson with Toby, got hooked up in my harness and he just ask me to warm up hitting balls into the net. While I'm hitting balls he starts asking me a whole series of questions while he is watching me swing. He ask more questions than any instructor I've ever had and I like that. He is getting to know me, how I play, what I think are my strengths and weaknesses, etc. AND, he has none of the 7 angles showing the monitor. We talked about me playing in the Golf Channel Am Tour and that my next tournament was in two days (not the Kohler event). After a few minutes of watching me hit and asking questions, he said I think what we ought to do is first get your swing on plane. He showed me how my back swing was below plane (which by the way was where Erika had me) and that I needed to get my hands higher at the top of my back swing. He put together a simple drill where I put a ball 3 feet directly behind the ball I'm going to hit. Make sure I bring the club back over that ball then raise my hands high and then let the down swing just happen. He also said we need to work on my shoulder turn but that would be later. First things first, get on plane. He has a kind of relaxing manor that is good for me because it seems to make it easier for me to make a relaxed swing. So I walked away feeling really good about Toby (who has been there 8 years so hopefully not leaving anytime soon) and about what I needed to work on. I was able to make a few trips to the driving range working on this assignment before the next tournament. At the tournament I shot a 91, my best this year. Where I lost strokes was on my chipping and pitching and I had 36 putts, BUT, my ball striking was the best it had been in quite some time. I couldn't wait for my next lesson.
Lesson two: One day before I left for the two day Kohler Major. Toby added one new element to my practice. The one piece take away which by default increases my shoulder turn. I had this lesson on Thursday night. I left for Kohler Friday morning and after a stop in Chicago got in to Kohler after 9 PM. My tee time the next morning was 9 AM and it was a shot gun start. When I got to the course the driving range was full with players three deep waiting. I decided to working on putting instead. So I started the tournament without having practiced my new one piece take away. And that leads the the following analysis:
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