My 2019 Tournaments Follow Along

[JAGolfore]

Yeah...my understanding on those is that if you hit a line, that you'd be allowed another shot from the original position without penalty. One of our courses here has lines that obstruct the ball path into the 18th green. I actually did hit one on the approach shot that was actually a great flight and was probably going to hit the green, but center-punched the line and dropped straight down 100-yds in front of the green. I was allowed another shot from the original spot w/o a stroke and then (naturally) hit that one side-ways and missed the green... Of course we were not in a tournament. Must be a local rule then?

The local scorecard had it as must replay. They told us on the tee we were playing them as part of the course.


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[JAGolfore]

Tomorrow starts the CDGA Amateur. I am really excited for this test of golf. Could be a long week but it will be well worth it.


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[PING Apologist #9]

5 minutes ago, jacustomgolf said:

Tomorrow starts the CDGA Amateur. I am really excited for this test of golf. Could be a long week but it will be well worth it.


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All the best to you out there! have some fun and kick some tail!

[JAGolfore]

Well that was a long day.  Yesterday I played in the 100th CDGA Amateur Championship at The Glen Club in Golf, IL.  What a golf course.  It was wet (what course in the mid west isn't), but in very good shape.  I hit the ball with my wedges about as well as I could hope.  Off the tee I struggled early, but found it about 7 holes in.  In hind sight 7 holes to late.  I started my day on the 10th hole.  Routine par and we are on our way.  Next 2 holes bogey, birdie to be even through 3.  Not a bad start.  Then my tee shot on my 4th hole (13th) a par 5 got away from me on the left and was in jail.  I tried to advance the ball as far as I could and that was about 20 yards.  From there I was able to lay up to 100 yards, not bad and still could make par.  I hit what I thought was a good wedge, but it landed maybe a yard to far past the flag and the first hop ended up in the rough.  An aggressive chip and 2 putts later added up to 7.  I gathered myself and hit a good shot on the next hole to 10' and missed the birdie putt but had an easy par.  Another bogie on the next hole and I am now +3 through 6.  I continued to fight my swing, but found it on 18.  I was +4 after 9.  We make the turn to #1 (our 10th).  Good drive, ok iron and then 3 putt, bad lip out.  Par our 11th hole.  Drive on my 12th hole 450 yards was the best so far.  Had 144 in, Good wedge and another 3 putt, bad lip out again.  I am now +6 through 12.  I knew I was hitting the ball well and that the putts would start to fall.  2 pars in a row with make able birdie putts and I am feeling better.  Onto our 15th hole, a big par 5.  I hit an ok tee shot up the right.  5 iron lay up to 89 yards.  2nd best shot of the day, a 60* to 18" and a kick in birdie.   3 pars to finish the round and I am at +5 (77).   Not my best at all.  But I know I am hitting the ball well.  

 

 

The 2nd round we start on the front.  In the rain.  A good tee shot, 7 iron to 8' and a good putt and we are off with a birdie.  2 pars in a row and onto the 4th.  A drive up the right, a good wedge and a 15' birdie putt and we are now -2 on the round through 4.  Starting to come back.  A par on the 5th and onto the 6th.  Worst drive of the afternoon.  Pulled it left, but was able to get a punch 5 iron to 130 yards out.  From there I hit the best shot of my day to inside a foot and a kick in to go to -3 through 6 (+2 over all).  I finish the front with 3 pars and a smooth 33 (-3, +2 overall).  Onto the 10th, a solid drive, decent iron to 30' and finally a long putt falls, -4 through 10.  Two more pars and we are -4 through 12 (+1 over all).  

Side story, we were reporting our scores every 3 holes so it was semi live scoring.  The gentleman taking our scores looks at mine and told me at the time I had the round of the afternoon going and was right on the number for the cut. (I didn't really want to know). 

I pared the 13th and felt good.  A poor iron shot on the par 3 14th led to a bogey and a stretch of poor shots.  A bad wedge on 15 and a 3 putt on 16 took me out of the tournament.  We had a rain delay on the 17th for 90 mins.  I come back out par 17 and finish strong with a birdie on 18.  -2 (70) for the round.  +3 for the tournament (147).  2 shots out of match play.  

 

 

The afternoon round only 4 people shot lower.   I had a stretch of 19 holes spanning both rounds where I didn't make a bogey and played those 19 holes in -5.  If I play holes 13-17 on the back 9 both times better I would have qualified for match play.  It was a long day, but I really was happy how I hit the ball after the first 6 holes.  

 

 

 

My next tournament is not until July 24th.  Which is the qualifier for the Illinois State Mid-Amateur.  It will be nice to have a couple of weeks off after a busy June.  

 

 

[JAGolfore]

After almost a month off from tournament golf we are back at it on Wednesday with the Illinois State Mid-Amateur qualifier.  5 spots and ties get in.  I am playing a practice round on Sunday and will post some updates then.  

This starts the final push to my summer events as its hard to believe summer is half over. 

[JAGolfore]

Well I have had a good week so far.  Wednesday I qualified for the Illinois State Mid-Amateur at Stone Bridge CC Aug 20-21.  I shot 71 (-1) to finish T-2.  They only took 5 and ties so I was very happy to get out from this site.  The course played shorter than the 7100 on the score card, but was very fair and it had been a while since I had seen the course.  I started the round very smoothly with no bogeys and two birdies on the first 9 holes.  A water ball off the tee on 10 lead to my first bogey, but I bounced right back with a birdie on 11.  All pars till another water ball off the tee on 18 and a bogey on the last to finish at -1.  It would have been very nice to tie for 1st but it was not in the cards.  

 

 

 

I have another event this weekend.  54 holes on 2 different courses.  Saturday we start on my home course Urbana Country Club with 18 hole.  Sunday we move across town to Champaign Country Club for 36 holes.  This will be a grind as it is going to be around 90* both days.  

I also got my [mention=76062]GolfSub70[/mention] 639MB irons in.  7-PW.  I played last night with these and they are awesome.  I will get some more photos of them today and post in their thread my thoughts and the photos.  

 

 

[JAGolfore]

I had the Twin City Championship this past weekend.  It was played at Urbana Country Club (my home course) 18 holes Saturday and Champaign Country Club 36 holes Sunday.   The first round did not go as I had planned as I hit only 2 fairways all day on my home course.  I managed to get it in at 74 (+2) but was very unhappy with how I played.   Being my home course I really wanted to play well and get off to a better start.  I ended the day 2 shots back from the leaders.  

 

 

Sunday was a much better day off of the tee.  The opening 18 I again started poorly and was +2 through 3.  I fought that back to -1 through 11 and stumbled on the 13th hole coming in to shoot an even par 71.  That left me one shot off the lead and in the final group.  I quickly gained the lead with an opening birdie and a double by the leader.  From there I knew what my group was doing but I didn't know what everyone else was doing.  I built a 4 shot lead in my group after 11 holes and was feeling very good.  I played a smart safe round of golf and was 3 up on my group after 17.  Walking to 18 I was asked if I knew where I stood.  I said I knew where I was with my group, but not the field.  I am glad I was asked, turns out there was a 69 that got posted and his total was +5 for the 3 rounds.  I had a 1 shot lead going to 18.  The 18th is a medium length par 5 and I knew I could play safe and get the W.  I hit a perfect drive and had 212 to the flag.  There is OB left and long of the green so I hit a 5 iron into the front bunker and took bogey out of play.  A splash out to 18', 2 more putt and the victory was mine.  This was my biggest victory in a few years and man did it feel good.  

 

 

The [mention=76062]GolfSub70[/mention] irons were on all weekend and I am excited to finish the year on a strong note.  

 

[MattF]

Congratulations Josh!

[PMookie]

I had the Twin City Championship this past weekend.  It was played at Urbana Country Club (my home course) 18 holes Saturday and Champaign Country Club 36 holes Sunday.   The first round did not go as I had planned as I hit only 2 fairways all day on my home course.  I managed to get it in at 74 (+2) but was very unhappy with how I played.   Being my home course I really wanted to play well and get off to a better start.  I ended the day 2 shots back from the leaders.  
 

 
Sunday was a much better day off of the tee.  The opening 18 I again started poorly and was +2 through 3.  I fought that back to -1 through 11 and stumbled on the 13th hole coming in to shoot an even par 71.  That left me one shot off the lead and in the final group.  I quickly gained the lead with an opening birdie and a double by the leader.  From there I knew what my group was doing but I didn't know what everyone else was doing.  I built a 4 shot lead in my group after 11 holes and was feeling very good.  I played a smart safe round of golf and was 3 up on my group after 17.  Walking to 18 I was asked if I knew where I stood.  I said I knew where I was with my group, but not the field.  I am glad I was asked, turns out there was a 69 that got posted and his total was +5 for the 3 rounds.  I had a 1 shot lead going to 18.  The 18th is a medium length par 5 and I knew I could play safe and get the W.  I hit a perfect drive and had 212 to the flag.  There is OB left and long of the green so I hit a 5 iron into the front bunker and took bogey out of play.  A splash out to 18', 2 more putt and the victory was mine.  This was my biggest victory in a few years and man did it feel good.  
 

 
The [mention=76062]GolfSub70[/mention] irons were on all weekend and I am excited to finish the year on a strong note.  
 

Thoughts on the MBs vs the CBs you had in their spot just recently?


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[JAGolfore]

Thoughts on the MBs vs the CBs you had in their spot just recently?

 

 

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I never had the CB in the lower irons 7-PW.  I was using my older Srixons.  I can tell you the [mention=76062]GolfSub70[/mention] MB irons are softer than the Srixon 965's I have.  I am getting the same distance and workability.  I am really pleased with how easily the transition went.  I can tell you the CB's are great in the long irons.  They have the same top line and look as the MB. 

 

 

[GolfSub70]

Congratulations Josh!!!  Super happy for you.  Keep the momentum going and finish the season strong.  Hopefully we can grab a beer when you're up here for the Mid-Am. 

[JAGolfore]

Congratulations Josh!!!  Super happy for you.  Keep the momentum going and finish the season strong.  Hopefully we can grab a beer when you're up here for the Mid-Am. 

We will definitely do that!


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[JAGolfore]

Made a schedule change, I will try for the US Mid Amateur out of the Omni Interlocken Golf Club in Broomfield, CO Aug 13.  I will be out there for work so why not try with a full field. 

[JAGolfore]

This weekend we have our annual club championship.  I have won this 3 years in a row and I hope to make it 4.  I think every year I put a little more pressure on myself to keep defending the title.  We have 3 - 4 guys that can go low on any day and that makes it fun to know you do have to play your best to win. I tee off on Saturday at 8am.  There will be live scoring and I will post the link in the thread for those that want to follow along.  

[JAGolfore]

Finally getting to update here.

 

Saturday and Sunday were our club championship at Urbana Country Club.  The weather was great except for a 2 hour delay on Sunday.  Saturdays round was very steady.  No big hick ups and no real birdie runs.  I ended up at even par 72.  That gave me a one shot lead going into Sunday.  

Sunday was a great morning as it was my daughters 7th birthday.  We had a lot of fun before I had to go play at 10.  The round could not have started smoother.  2 pars and I was feeling good.  I bridied the 3rd hole and was off and running.  2 more birdies on 5 and 8 and I was starting to build a lead.  I added another birdie on the 10th hole to have a 9 shot lead with 8 to play.  Then the rain came.  We stopped in the middle of the 12th hole for 2 hours.  Needed less to say I had a 10 shot lead after the break and could never regain the command on my game I had before the break.  I stumbled a little coming in and finished at -2 (70) to win by 9.   This made four in a row at our club for me and it was a lot of fun after the round filling the trophy with ice cream so my daughter and friends could enjoy it. 

 

 

 

[JAGolfore]

Today was my US Mid Amateur qualifier here in the Denver Area.  I want to give a shout out to [mention=68431]downlowkey[/mention] for coming out and watching the back 9.  It was great to see a fellow SPY.  

 

My round started well with a par on 1 and then a lip out birdie but easy par on 2.  I bridied 3 and I was off.  I stayed a -1 until a bogey on the 7th hole.  Just a poor par putt.  And finished the front nine at even par (36).  The back started the same as the front a nice par.  On the 11th hole I hit 2 good shots and just left my wedge in a bad spot leading to bogey.  The 12th is a 237 yard par 3.  I hit a 4 iron long and across a cart path

 

 

and that lead to another bogey.  I got things going again and made all pars till a bridie on the 15th to get back to +1.  I was in a good spot and figured I have a chance with one or 2 more.  The 16th hole was a 480 yard par 4 down hill. I hit what I thought was a good shot down the right side.  It kicked left and rolled all the way into the hazard.  A drop and a poor first putt led to a double bogey.  A par on 17 and a bogey on 18 after being to aggressive and I finished at +4 (76).  

 

 

I hit the ball very well and I could not ask for more out of my [mention=76062]GolfSub70[/mention] irons and fairway wood.  It was a very good 2 weeks for me and I am looking forward to next week in the Illinois State Mid Am.

 

 

 

 

[golfertrb]

I have really enjoyed reading about your play and I'm rooting for you! Congrats on the 4th Club Championship


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[MattF]

You keep going like this mate and you'll need to build a room for your trophy's! Congratulations!!

[JAGolfore]

Thanks guys! I enjoy doing this as it makes me reflect on the round in a different light. I think next year will only be better.


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[JAGolfore]

Tomorrow starts the Illinois Mid Amateur Championship.  I tee off the 10th hole at 7:50am cst.  You can follow along here as there will be live scoring.  http://www.cdga.org/detail.asp?id=634

 

I will update here tomorrow evening. 

[golfertrb]

Tomorrow starts the Illinois Mid Amateur Championship.  I tee off the 10th hole at 7:50am cst.  You can follow along here as there will be live scoring.  http://www.cdga.org/detail.asp?id=634
 
I will update here tomorrow evening. 

Play well and take dead aim! I'll be following along


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[JAGolfore]

I had it going early on yesterday.  I was -4 through 16 and then the rain came.  I did not finish my first round well and I ended up at Even par 72 for the first round.  The 2nd round started in the rain and I had some issues getting the speed right on my putts.  I had 3 three putts on the front nine.  I ended up with a 76 in my second round and currently I am sitting at T-25 (+4) for the event.  I tee off this morning at 8:30AM cst and you can follow along at www.cdga.org.   A good round today and it will be a very respectable finish in a very good field.  

I will do a full write up on the event tomorrow. 

[golfertrb]

I had it going early on yesterday.  I was -4 through 16 and then the rain came.  I did not finish my first round well and I ended up at Even par 72 for the first round.  The 2nd round started in the rain and I had some issues getting the speed right on my putts.  I had 3 three putts on the front nine.  I ended up with a 76 in my second round and currently I am sitting at T-25 (+4) for the event.  I tee off this morning at 8:30AM cst and you can follow along at www.cdga.org.   A good round today and it will be a very respectable finish in a very good field.  

I will do a full write up on the event tomorrow. 

 

I know it wasn't what you hoped for but as you said - very respectable finish in a very good field. I believe you are T-23 at the moment - well done.

 

 

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[JAGolfore]

Where do we start?  That was a lot of fun this week at the Illinois Mid-Amateur Championship at Stonebridge CC in Aurora, IL.  The golf course design is very well done as most of the tee shots look narrower than they actually are.  I did not have the opportunity to play a practice round this week, but thanks to google earth I had a good idea what to expect.  Most of the fairways were 35+ yards wide with another 10-15 before any real trouble unless there was water on the hole.  

 

 

My first round I started on the 10th tee.  I hit a poor wedge into this green but was able to get up and down.  That gave me a nice boost and I started the day with 4 nice pars.  We got to our first par 5 of the day and that lead to my first birdie.  -1 throught 5.  The next hole I was unable to make par from a divot in the rough and back to even.  My 7th hole (16th on the course) is a great designed hole.  335 unreachable with how wet it was.  I hit a good tee shot and even better wedge and got back to -1.  Two more pars and I finish the front side at -1.  We head to the 10th hole (1st) another par 5.  Toady its a 3 shot hole, a good tee shot and wedge lead to another birdie, -2 through 10.  The next hole a solid 3 wood and wedge and another birdie, -3 through 11. This is when the rain started.  We had a two hour delay at this point.  We come back out and I make couple of pars on 12 & 13, and we are rolling again.  We get to our 14th hole (5th on the course).  A solid par 4 with water all the way left.  The green has a huge ridge running away from you and the pin was below that ridge.  I hit a solid 4 wood to 104.  Hit that wedge to a foot and we are -4 through 14.   We can see that more rain is on the way and we are hoping for lighting at this point.  Two more pars and I am -4 through 16 and 2nd place alone at this point.  The 17th hole is a good par 3 with a tricky green.  I hit into the wrong spot and rolled into the rough.  A chip to 4' and a lip out lead to a poor bogey.  Still have a good round going.  The rain is picking up at this point.  My umbrella broke in between holes and now my goal is to just keep my grips dry.  We get to our final hole and I hit a very poor tee shot (worst of the week).  I then punch out and try to lay up to make par the hard way.  My lay up squirted right and into the rough.  Never saw it bounce but never thought we wouldn't find it.  After looking for 3 minutes (it goes fast) and its a lost ball.  From there I hit the correct lay up and then onto the green and 2 putts for an 8 and an even par round of 72.  I can't properly put into words my emotions at this point.  Because of the earlier delay we have to go right out for our 2nd round.  

 

 

I was able to gather my thought for a i and made an opening par.  The next 3 holes I hit good tee shots.  Missed one green and had two 3 putts and I am 3 over through 4.  Six holes earlier I was -4.  I was able to make a birdie on the 5th hole (I birdied this hole every round).  One more bogey and birdie and we finish the front nine at +2.  Onto the back 9.  I hit a good tee shot on 10 that ended up in a divot.  A poor shot from there and I am now +3.  I par 11 and 12.  My 2nd worst drive of the event on 13 lead to another bogey.  +4.  I was able to bounce back on 14 with a birdie but gave it  back on 17.  I made par on the 18th hole to finish the day at +4.  

I was very disappointed with my score.  I hit the ball much better than my +4 score for 36 holes.  I made the cut (top 35) by 2 shots and had a very good chance of a top 20 finish with a good 3rd round.  The top 20 are exempt to the 2020 event.  So that was my goal going into the final round.  

 

 

The final round starts very well.  A good tee shot, nice lay up and a wedge to 8'.  I just missed that putt but had a stress free opening par.  The 2nd hole much like the first.  A good tee shot and wedge to 10'.  Again just missed the putt but stress free par.  The 3rd hole I pushed my iron and made a poor bogey after a very poor chip shot.  +1 for the round.  A par on #4 and we are off to my favorite hole.  A good 4 wood off the tee and a wedge to 10' and I finally make a putt.  Back to even through 5.  The 6th hole is a 440 yard par 4.  I hit a good tee shot and a solid 8 iron to the center of the green.  2 poor putts later and I make bogey.  I hate three putting.  The 7th hole longest par 4 on the course (470 yards).  I hit another good tee shot.  I have 188 yards into the wind.  A solid 6 iron to the center of the green and I was please.  But again 3 putts later another bogey.  +2 after 7 and only missing one green.  I am hitting the ball well and just need to keep doing that.  The 8th hole is playing a lot shorter, a par 3 at 135 yards.  I hit a very good PW to 8' and finally make that putt to get back to +1.  Onto the 9th hole. I hit a good tee shot, good lay up to 71 yards and a wedge to 5'.  Two birdies in a row and an even par front nine.  I am please as I know I am hitting the ball well.  I start the back nine with 2 solid pars and we head to the par 3 12th hole.  Playing 175 yards into the wind over water.  I caught my 7 iron a hair fat and the wind ate it up into the water.  I know this is the club if I even thin it.  I re-tee and hit it to 6'.  I lip that putt out and make double +2 after 12 holes.  I can still finish well.  A solid par on 13 and we are off to the par 5 14th hole.  Its playing into the wind and I hit a great tee shot.  I have 237 yards to the flag slightly up hill to a green guarded in front by a bunker.  I hit what I felt was a perfect cut 4 wood.  I could see the wind hit it just as I thought.  The ball hit a yard above the bunker and kicked back into it just under the lip.  One more foot forward and I have an eagle putt.  I did not have a good lie in the bunker.  I tried to blast it out and the ball jumped up into the face and rolled back into my foot prints.  A 2nd shot out rolled over the green and from there I was able to get up and down.  A very poor bogey after 2 solid shots.  I know I have 3 solid chances at birdie coming in if i hit the ball well.  A good par on 15 & 16 and we head to the par 3 17th.  205 into the wind.  I hit a 4 iron.  Hit it very well and have 8' for birdie.  It just slides by on the right and we are headed to 18 at +3.  I know at this point in need an eagle to have a chance at top 20.  Turns out that even would not be enough.  The 18th hole was playing down wind.  A 537 yard par 5 with water all the way right.  I hit a perfect tee shot and have 224 yards to the flag.  I hit a cut 4 iron to the front edge and have 25' for eagle.  I hit my chip right by the right edge and have a tap in to finish my round at +2.  I was happy to finish strong, but disappointed in my total score (+6) 222. 

I ended up at T-22 in a very solid field.  There were past USGA champions in the field, if you look at some of the names this was truly a very good field.  It would have been very nice to finish top 20, but it gives me something to work for next year.  

 

 

 

My stats are very telling.  I need to learn how to putt. 

FIR - 73.8% (I will say the fairways were very generous). But if you missed you had trouble making par

GIR - 72.2% (when you hit this many greens you will have lots of birdie chances.  Man did I ever)

Ave putts per round - 31.3 (this is about 3 putts too many per round).

PPGIR - 1.79  Almost 2 putts per GIR.  This must change if i want to compete.  Just shows how important putting is.  

Total Birdies - 12 (4 per round) that is not a bad average

Total Pars - 27 (exactly half the holes)

Total Bogeys - 13 (5 from 3 putts)

Total worse than Bogey - 2 ( 1 double, 1 triple)

My take away is you have to eliminate your big mistake and putt better.  It is simple to say if you do not 3 putt that's 5 strokes, but it is more than that.  It is making more putts in the 8' - 15' range.  I missed a lot of putt's there.  

This was my final big event for 2019.  It is hard to believe that the season is over.  I do have a fun event with my wife on Sunday that we look forward to each year.  I have some time to reflect on the 2019 season and I will come back next week and write up my thoughts on how the season went.  I already have plans to get back into the gym after labor day and try to come back in 2020 lighter, stronger and faster as I plan to use my super speed sticks all winter long.   

I want to thank MGS and the members here that have taken the time to follow along and read this all year long.  I look forward to doing it again next year.  Thank you. 

 

 

[bmaru99]

15 minutes ago, jacustomgolf said:

Where do we start?  That was a lot of fun this week at the Illinois Mid-Amateur Championship at Stonebridge CC in Aurora, IL.  The golf course design is very well done as most of the tee shots look narrower than they actually are.  I did not have the opportunity to play a practice round this week, but thanks to google earth I had a good idea what to expect.  Most of the fairways were 35+ yards wide with another 10-15 before any real trouble unless there was water on the hole.  

 

 

My first round I started on the 10th tee.  I hit a poor wedge into this green but was able to get up and down.  That gave me a nice boost and I started the day with 4 nice pars.  We got to our first par 5 of the day and that lead to my first birdie.  -1 throught 5.  The next hole I was unable to make par from a divot in the rough and back to even.  My 7th hole (16th on the course) is a great designed hole.  335 unreachable with how wet it was.  I hit a good tee shot and even better wedge and got back to -1.  Two more pars and I finish the front side at -1.  We head to the 10th hole (1st) another par 5.  Toady its a 3 shot hole, a good tee shot and wedge lead to another birdie, -2 through 10.  The next hole a solid 3 wood and wedge and another birdie, -3 through 11. This is when the rain started.  We had a two hour delay at this point.  We come back out and I make couple of pars on 12 & 13, and we are rolling again.  We get to our 14th hole (5th on the course).  A solid par 4 with water all the way left.  The green has a huge ridge running away from you and the pin was below that ridge.  I hit a solid 4 wood to 104.  Hit that wedge to a foot and we are -4 through 14.   We can see that more rain is on the way and we are hoping for lighting at this point.  Two more pars and I am -4 through 16 and 2nd place alone at this point.  The 17th hole is a good par 3 with a tricky green.  I hit into the wrong spot and rolled into the rough.  A chip to 4' and a lip out lead to a poor bogey.  Still have a good round going.  The rain is picking up at this point.  My umbrella broke in between holes and now my goal is to just keep my grips dry.  We get to our final hole and I hit a very poor tee shot (worst of the week).  I then punch out and try to lay up to make par the hard way.  My lay up squirted right and into the rough.  Never saw it bounce but never thought we wouldn't find it.  After looking for 3 minutes (it goes fast) and its a lost ball.  From there I hit the correct lay up and then onto the green and 2 putts for an 8 and an even par round of 72.  I can't properly put into words my emotions at this point.  Because of the earlier delay we have to go right out for our 2nd round.  

 

 

I was able to gather my thought for a i and made an opening par.  The next 3 holes I hit good tee shots.  Missed one green and had two 3 putts and I am 3 over through 4.  Six holes earlier I was -4.  I was able to make a birdie on the 5th hole (I birdied this hole every round).  One more bogey and birdie and we finish the front nine at +2.  Onto the back 9.  I hit a good tee shot on 10 that ended up in a divot.  A poor shot from there and I am now +3.  I par 11 and 12.  My 2nd worst drive of the event on 13 lead to another bogey.  +4.  I was able to bounce back on 14 with a birdie but gave it  back on 17.  I made par on the 18th hole to finish the day at +4.  

I was very disappointed with my score.  I hit the ball much better than my +4 score for 36 holes.  I made the cut (top 35) by 2 shots and had a very good chance of a top 20 finish with a good 3rd round.  The top 20 are exempt to the 2020 event.  So that was my goal going into the final round.  

 

 

The final round starts very well.  A good tee shot, nice lay up and a wedge to 8'.  I just missed that putt but had a stress free opening par.  The 2nd hole much like the first.  A good tee shot and wedge to 10'.  Again just missed the putt but stress free par.  The 3rd hole I pushed my iron and made a poor bogey after a very poor chip shot.  +1 for the round.  A par on #4 and we are off to my favorite hole.  A good 4 wood off the tee and a wedge to 10' and I finally make a putt.  Back to even through 5.  The 6th hole is a 440 yard par 4.  I hit a good tee shot and a solid 8 iron to the center of the green.  2 poor putts later and I make bogey.  I hate three putting.  The 7th hole longest par 4 on the course (470 yards).  I hit another good tee shot.  I have 188 yards into the wind.  A solid 6 iron to the center of the green and I was please.  But again 3 putts later another bogey.  +2 after 7 and only missing one green.  I am hitting the ball well and just need to keep doing that.  The 8th hole is playing a lot shorter, a par 3 at 135 yards.  I hit a very good PW to 8' and finally make that putt to get back to +1.  Onto the 9th hole. I hit a good tee shot, good lay up to 71 yards and a wedge to 5'.  Two birdies in a row and an even par front nine.  I am please as I know I am hitting the ball well.  I start the back nine with 2 solid pars and we head to the par 3 12th hole.  Playing 175 yards into the wind over water.  I caught my 7 iron a hair fat and the wind ate it up into the water.  I know this is the club if I even thin it.  I re-tee and hit it to 6'.  I lip that putt out and make double +2 after 12 holes.  I can still finish well.  A solid par on 13 and we are off to the par 5 14th hole.  Its playing into the wind and I hit a great tee shot.  I have 237 yards to the flag slightly up hill to a green guarded in front by a bunker.  I hit what I felt was a perfect cut 4 wood.  I could see the wind hit it just as I thought.  The ball hit a yard above the bunker and kicked back into it just under the lip.  One more foot forward and I have an eagle putt.  I did not have a good lie in the bunker.  I tried to blast it out and the ball jumped up into the face and rolled back into my foot prints.  A 2nd shot out rolled over the green and from there I was able to get up and down.  A very poor bogey after 2 solid shots.  I know I have 3 solid chances at birdie coming in if i hit the ball well.  A good par on 15 & 16 and we head to the par 3 17th.  205 into the wind.  I hit a 4 iron.  Hit it very well and have 8' for birdie.  It just slides by on the right and we are headed to 18 at +3.  I know at this point in need an eagle to have a chance at top 20.  Turns out that even would not be enough.  The 18th hole was playing down wind.  A 537 yard par 5 with water all the way right.  I hit a perfect tee shot and have 224 yards to the flag.  I hit a cut 4 iron to the front edge and have 25' for eagle.  I hit my chip right by the right edge and have a tap in to finish my round at +2.  I was happy to finish strong, but disappointed in my total score (+6) 222. 

I ended up at T-22 in a very solid field.  There were past USGA champions in the field, if you look at some of the names this was truly a very good field.  It would have been very nice to finish top 20, but it gives me something to work for next year.  

 

 

 

My stats are very telling.  I need to learn how to putt. 

FIR - 73.8% (I will say the fairways were very generous). But if you missed you had trouble making par

GIR - 72.2% (when you hit this many greens you will have lots of birdie chances.  Man did I ever)

Ave putts per round - 31.3 (this is about 3 putts too many per round).

PPGIR - 1.79  Almost 2 putts per GIR.  This must change if i want to compete.  Just shows how important putting is.  

Total Birdies - 12 (4 per round) that is not a bad average

Total Pars - 27 (exactly half the holes)

Total Bogeys - 13 (5 from 3 putts)

Total worse than Bogey - 2 ( 1 double, 1 triple)

My take away is you have to eliminate your big mistake and putt better.  It is simple to say if you do not 3 putt that's 5 strokes, but it is more than that.  It is making more putts in the 8' - 15' range.  I missed a lot of putt's there.  

This was my final big event for 2019.  It is hard to believe that the season is over.  I do have a fun event with my wife on Sunday that we look forward to each year.  I have some time to reflect on the 2019 season and I will come back next week and write up my thoughts on how the season went.  I already have plans to get back into the gym after labor day and try to come back in 2020 lighter, stronger and faster as I plan to use my super speed sticks all winter long.   

I want to thank MGS and the members here that have taken the time to follow along and read this all year long.  I look forward to doing it again next year.  Thank you. 

 

 

Overall, a great tournament and show's you will learn from what you did wrong and continue to improve. The weather also was not in your favor but congratulations on finishing and still being there to compete and not back down after a couple bad holes. Good for you!

[MattF]

Good on you for having a go and making the cut to play the final round Josh.

[golfertrb]

Where do we start?  That was a lot of fun this week at the Illinois Mid-Amateur Championship at Stonebridge CC in Aurora, IL.  The golf course design is very well done as most of the tee shots look narrower than they actually are.  I did not have the opportunity to play a practice round this week, but thanks to google earth I had a good idea what to expect.  Most of the fairways were 35+ yards wide with another 10-15 before any real trouble unless there was water on the hole.  
 

 
My first round I started on the 10th tee.  I hit a poor wedge into this green but was able to get up and down.  That gave me a nice boost and I started the day with 4 nice pars.  We got to our first par 5 of the day and that lead to my first birdie.  -1 throught 5.  The next hole I was unable to make par from a divot in the rough and back to even.  My 7th hole (16th on the course) is a great designed hole.  335 unreachable with how wet it was.  I hit a good tee shot and even better wedge and got back to -1.  Two more pars and I finish the front side at -1.  We head to the 10th hole (1st) another par 5.  Toady its a 3 shot hole, a good tee shot and wedge lead to another birdie, -2 through 10.  The next hole a solid 3 wood and wedge and another birdie, -3 through 11. This is when the rain started.  We had a two hour delay at this point.  We come back out and I make couple of pars on 12 & 13, and we are rolling again.  We get to our 14th hole (5th on the course).  A solid par 4 with water all the way left.  The green has a huge ridge running away from you and the pin was below that ridge.  I hit a solid 4 wood to 104.  Hit that wedge to a foot and we are -4 through 14.   We can see that more rain is on the way and we are hoping for lighting at this point.  Two more pars and I am -4 through 16 and 2nd place alone at this point.  The 17th hole is a good par 3 with a tricky green.  I hit into the wrong spot and rolled into the rough.  A chip to 4' and a lip out lead to a poor bogey.  Still have a good round going.  The rain is picking up at this point.  My umbrella broke in between holes and now my goal is to just keep my grips dry.  We get to our final hole and I hit a very poor tee shot (worst of the week).  I then punch out and try to lay up to make par the hard way.  My lay up squirted right and into the rough.  Never saw it bounce but never thought we wouldn't find it.  After looking for 3 minutes (it goes fast) and its a lost ball.  From there I hit the correct lay up and then onto the green and 2 putts for an 8 and an even par round of 72.  I can't properly put into words my emotions at this point.  Because of the earlier delay we have to go right out for our 2nd round.  
 

 
I was able to gather my thought for a i and made an opening par.  The next 3 holes I hit good tee shots.  Missed one green and had two 3 putts and I am 3 over through 4.  Six holes earlier I was -4.  I was able to make a birdie on the 5th hole (I birdied this hole every round).  One more bogey and birdie and we finish the front nine at +2.  Onto the back 9.  I hit a good tee shot on 10 that ended up in a divot.  A poor shot from there and I am now +3.  I par 11 and 12.  My 2nd worst drive of the event on 13 lead to another bogey.  +4.  I was able to bounce back on 14 with a birdie but gave it  back on 17.  I made par on the 18th hole to finish the day at +4.  
I was very disappointed with my score.  I hit the ball much better than my +4 score for 36 holes.  I made the cut (top 35) by 2 shots and had a very good chance of a top 20 finish with a good 3rd round.  The top 20 are exempt to the 2020 event.  So that was my goal going into the final round.  
 

 
The final round starts very well.  A good tee shot, nice lay up and a wedge to 8'.  I just missed that putt but had a stress free opening par.  The 2nd hole much like the first.  A good tee shot and wedge to 10'.  Again just missed the putt but stress free par.  The 3rd hole I pushed my iron and made a poor bogey after a very poor chip shot.  +1 for the round.  A par on #4 and we are off to my favorite hole.  A good 4 wood off the tee and a wedge to 10' and I finally make a putt.  Back to even through 5.  The 6th hole is a 440 yard par 4.  I hit a good tee shot and a solid 8 iron to the center of the green.  2 poor putts later and I make bogey.  I hate three putting.  The 7th hole longest par 4 on the course (470 yards).  I hit another good tee shot.  I have 188 yards into the wind.  A solid 6 iron to the center of the green and I was please.  But again 3 putts later another bogey.  +2 after 7 and only missing one green.  I am hitting the ball well and just need to keep doing that.  The 8th hole is playing a lot shorter, a par 3 at 135 yards.  I hit a very good PW to 8' and finally make that putt to get back to +1.  Onto the 9th hole. I hit a good tee shot, good lay up to 71 yards and a wedge to 5'.  Two birdies in a row and an even par front nine.  I am please as I know I am hitting the ball well.  I start the back nine with 2 solid pars and we head to the par 3 12th hole.  Playing 175 yards into the wind over water.  I caught my 7 iron a hair fat and the wind ate it up into the water.  I know this is the club if I even thin it.  I re-tee and hit it to 6'.  I lip that putt out and make double +2 after 12 holes.  I can still finish well.  A solid par on 13 and we are off to the par 5 14th hole.  Its playing into the wind and I hit a great tee shot.  I have 237 yards to the flag slightly up hill to a green guarded in front by a bunker.  I hit what I felt was a perfect cut 4 wood.  I could see the wind hit it just as I thought.  The ball hit a yard above the bunker and kicked back into it just under the lip.  One more foot forward and I have an eagle putt.  I did not have a good lie in the bunker.  I tried to blast it out and the ball jumped up into the face and rolled back into my foot prints.  A 2nd shot out rolled over the green and from there I was able to get up and down.  A very poor bogey after 2 solid shots.  I know I have 3 solid chances at birdie coming in if i hit the ball well.  A good par on 15 & 16 and we head to the par 3 17th.  205 into the wind.  I hit a 4 iron.  Hit it very well and have 8' for birdie.  It just slides by on the right and we are headed to 18 at +3.  I know at this point in need an eagle to have a chance at top 20.  Turns out that even would not be enough.  The 18th hole was playing down wind.  A 537 yard par 5 with water all the way right.  I hit a perfect tee shot and have 224 yards to the flag.  I hit a cut 4 iron to the front edge and have 25' for eagle.  I hit my chip right by the right edge and have a tap in to finish my round at +2.  I was happy to finish strong, but disappointed in my total score (+6) 222. 
I ended up at T-22 in a very solid field.  There were past USGA champions in the field, if you look at some of the names this was truly a very good field.  It would have been very nice to finish top 20, but it gives me something to work for next year.  
 

 

 
My stats are very telling.  I need to learn how to putt. 
FIR - 73.8% (I will say the fairways were very generous). But if you missed you had trouble making par
GIR - 72.2% (when you hit this many greens you will have lots of birdie chances.  Man did I ever)
Ave putts per round - 31.3 (this is about 3 putts too many per round).
PPGIR - 1.79  Almost 2 putts per GIR.  This must change if i want to compete.  Just shows how important putting is.  
Total Birdies - 12 (4 per round) that is not a bad average
Total Pars - 27 (exactly half the holes)
Total Bogeys - 13 (5 from 3 putts)
Total worse than Bogey - 2 ( 1 double, 1 triple)
My take away is you have to eliminate your big mistake and putt better.  It is simple to say if you do not 3 putt that's 5 strokes, but it is more than that.  It is making more putts in the 8' - 15' range.  I missed a lot of putt's there.  
This was my final big event for 2019.  It is hard to believe that the season is over.  I do have a fun event with my wife on Sunday that we look forward to each year.  I have some time to reflect on the 2019 season and I will come back next week and write up my thoughts on how the season went.  I already have plans to get back into the gym after labor day and try to come back in 2020 lighter, stronger and faster as I plan to use my super speed sticks all winter long.   
I want to thank MGS and the members here that have taken the time to follow along and read this all year long.  I look forward to doing it again next year.  Thank you. 
 
 

That's really solid play but I feel your pain in that there is nothing more frustrating than hitting the ball well and not putting well. I also know putting in competition is another thing altogether than putting during a casual round. You will absolutely get it - you obviously can putt and putt well or you wouldn't be where you are.

Thanks for taking us on the journey with you this year. You are clearly a gifted player who works hard; good things will follow.




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[JAGolfore]

Yesterday concluded my 2019 tournaments season.  This was a fun event as I actually got to play competitive golf with my wife.   We had won the previous 2 couples championships at our club and were hopeful to get this one as well.  Neither of us played well and we were 4 over through 9 gross.  I knew we needed to finish strong.  We started on the 4th hole (shotgun start) and we had 4 par 5's coming in the last 9 so I knew we could make up ground.  She made a very nice par on the 18th hole ( long par 4 for the men).  And that helped spur us along as we finished with an eagle on the par 5 3rd.  We ended up at +1 (73) for the day and our 3rd straight couples championship.  

 

 

 

As for the rest of the year I am looking forward reflecting on the 2019 season and getting back to the gym as I have plans to come out in 2020 lighter, stronger and faster. 

 

[KCLeo12]

You had a great season congrats on all your accomplishments!! Looking forward to an even better year for you next year.


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[JAGolfore]

5 hours ago, KCLeo12 said:

You had a great season congrats on all your accomplishments!! Looking forward to an even better year for you next year.


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Thanks KC!  Hope the wrist is getting better!