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League Play from the Middle of the Pack


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Hey fellow spies. Last summer I submitted course reviews from my competitive league season down here in the Tampa area. As I am preparing again for the start of the season in March, I will plan to do the course reviews again here, as well as summarizing my prep and performance. When the league schedule is posted I will list the courses, then as each play week concludes I'll do my course review and my best sports analyst impression to report on that week's play. I'll try to include a few more pictures this season as well, we play some pretty nice courses.

The league has about 45 members, uses a full handicap stroke play format with each week's field set at 32-36 players split between two flights.. League points are earned for weekly placement, and there are options for skins and close-to-pin. There are three majors on the schedule worth double points, one of which is a two-day event, and another week set aside for a two-man team event. The season concludes a Top-20 invitational, then a Ryder Cup style event with teams selected by two team captains from first the top 20 finishers, then captains picks from the rest of the field.

Since I finished 25th last year, my goal for the season is to crack the Top-20 and earn a playing spot in the invitational and an invite to the Cup event.

What have I done to prepare so far? Lessons for one thing, though I'm not certain the teacher/student dynamic is working well because I sometimes struggle to translate his input into something I can feel in my swing. I was lucky enough to be selected for the Odyssey EXO putter test, and my putting has been improving since. Since I'm now one year away from Champions Tour eligibility, I got a set of the SuperSpeed Training system to at least try to maintain what club speed I've got left, if not improve a bit. 

I hope you all enjoy reading about the journey, and I welcome any/all input and encouragement.

Cheers for now.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 1 month later...

Update #1

The league schedule has posted! It looks like we will be on some very good, very challenging courses this year. Most of the schedule are venues we have played before, and a few are included in last season's Florida League Course Reviews topic.

Anyway, here's the lineup. Keep in mind we are playing courses all within about a 2-hour driving radius of the Tampa area.

  • Week 1 - Crescent Oaks GC; Tarpon Springs
  • Week 2 - Saddlebrook Resort, Palmer Course; Wesley Chapel
  • Week 3 - Southern Hills Plantation GC; Brooksville
  • Week 4 - World Woods GC, Rolling Oaks Course; Brooksville
  • Week 5 - East Lake Woodlands GC, North Course; Oldsmar
  • Week 6 - Heritage Harbor GC; Bradenton
  • Week 7 - TPC Tampa Bay; Lutz
  • Week 8 - Lake Jovita GC, South Course; Dade City
  • Week 9 - Innisbrook Resort, Copperhead Course; Palm Harbor
  • Week 10 - World Woods GC, Pine Barrens Course; Brooksville
  • Week 11 - Bay Hill Resort (2-Day Event); Orlando
  • Week 12 - TBD
  • Week 13 - Invitational TBD

The league schedule starts on March 30, so I've still got a month to fine tune the swing and such. Also, the schedule doesn't run every week so there will be breaks of a week or two mixed in. With each week having a limited field, there is also not a guarantee to play every week even though I'm planning to. If any of you see any courses on the list you have specific interest in or questions about, bring them up here and I'll do my best to address them in the course review.

I had a very encouraging range session last time out after a short break for illness and work schedules. It seemed like some of the lessons were finally starting to click and show consistent results. After six weeks with the SuperSpeed training system, I've seen a driver swing speed increase of about 8 mph up to an average of 104, so I expect to see some moderate distance increases from that across the board. Might have a chance to get in a practice round today to see how it all comes together.

 

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 1 month later...

Week 1 update.

We played our first league tournament of the season this weekend at Crescent Oaks Country Club in Tarpon Springs. The weather was perfectly beautiful and everyone was excited to get the season rolling.

I played an absolutely abysmal round of golf. I posted a 108 for a net 90 that included 11 (yes ELEVEN) penalty strokes. I simply could not get off the tees well all day long. Fortunately (or unfortunately if you choose) I was not the only one to struggle on the day. There were lots of bigger than usual numbers being discussed at lunch after the round. Chances are this will have me somewhere in the bottom 1/2 of the B group and the bottom 1/3 of the overall standings (the official results will post later this week.) On the bright side, I tallied only 30 putts and it wasn't a festival of completely bad shots. I had several very good shots in the round and I managed to take home one of the par 3 close to pin prizes. Still had a good time, even though it was frustrating on the course, the group is a lot of fun and we still had some laughs to go around on the day.

This was only the first week, so at least I have the rest of the season to log some better scores. The end-of-season invitational tournament placements are based our top 6 scores for the season. There's at least hope that this one won't be a counter for that, but it does leave me a lot of work to do to climb the overall standings.

Link to course review

 

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Week 1 update.
We played our first league tournament of the season this weekend at Crescent Oaks Country Club in Tarpon Springs. The weather was perfectly beautiful and everyone was excited to get the season rolling.
I played an absolutely abysmal round of golf. I posted a 108 for a net 90 that included 11 (yes ELEVEN) penalty strokes. I simply could not get off the tees well all day long. Fortunately (or unfortunately if you choose) I was not the only one to struggle on the day. There were lots of bigger than usual numbers being discussed at lunch after the round. Chances are this will have me somewhere in the bottom 1/2 of the B group and the bottom 1/3 of the overall standings (the official results will post later this week.) On the bright side, I tallied only 30 putts and it wasn't a festival of completely bad shots. I had several very good shots in the round and I managed to take home one of the par 3 close to pin prizes. Still had a good time, even though it was frustrating on the course, the group is a lot of fun and we still had some laughs to go around on the day.
This was only the first week, so at least I have the rest of the season to log some better scores. The end-of-season invitational tournament placements are based our top 6 scores for the season. There's at least hope that this one won't be a counter for that, but it does leave me a lot of work to do to climb the overall standings.
Link to course review
[/url]  

I always found the first tournament of the season to be challenging. I'm sure you'll get better quickly.


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I agree with Tony, first tournament is always tough. Just relax, play your game, and take it one shot at a time. 

Wilson Staff C300 9.0* Fujikura Pro 58 stiff

Callaway Rogue 3W Mitsubishi Diamana D+ LTD 80 stiff

Mizuno MP-18 MMC FLI-HI 2 iron UST Mamiya Recoil 95 stiff

Ping I200's 4-W Aerotech Steelfiber I110 CW stiff

Ping Glide 52* and 58* stiff

Bettinardi Studio Stock #38 Armlock

 

 

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So it looks like a portion of this thread may include progress made through training at Golftec. I have a swing assessment appointment today and am giving serious consideration to one of their game plan training programs.  Check them out at https://www.golftec.com/ . It includes motion capture and video technology to guide sequential learning. I don't feel like I'm miles away from getting back to shooting mid-to-low 80s again but the frequency of the 100+ scores has me very frustrated. We will see how it goes.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Another update for the league schedule, and more incentive to strive for the Top 20. The end of season invitational site has been added, and is at the Black Diamond Ranch  Quarry Course. We played a  mid-season event there in my first year, and the course is amazing. It will be a great place to battle it out for the season championships.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Ramping up for competition week # 2 at the Saddlebrook Resort Palmer Course https://www.saddlebrook.com/ .

I have one indoor practice session set up this week, as well as my first regular lesson at Golftec. Believe it or not, there was actually some very good initial progress made during the swing assessment session. My coach confirmed my impression that I wasn't 'miles away' from getting back to where I was/want to be. I'll admit though that I'm leery of tinkering with the swing during the competitive season, but I was definitely not going to move up the leader board with the swing I started out with.

Stay tuned!

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Okay everyone. Event number two is in the books. A better result than in week one, posting a 94 net 76. That put me in the upper third of the B group and about middle of the pack overall. Pretty familiar territory after last season. 

It was a mixed bag of emotions, good and bad shots, with an end result of lots of pars and lots bigger numbers. Only one major blow-up hole but boy was it a biggie. A pushed tee shot that didn't visibly carry the right side hazard on a par 3. Played the provisional which was one of the days two over-cooked hooks and wound up in water behind the adjacent tee box. Then dropped, mis-hit a pitch, took an unplayable and one more missed shot from there to a pick up max 9. All told though, I was pretty pleased with how I hit the ball. I really only had about 4 shots I would call bad misses, but they were all costly on the scorecard. And then there was the tap in that didn't move the ball and cost me another stroke (grrrr!)

I did take one minor risk this week, and that was choosing to play with the Bridgestone e12 Speed ball that I am a tester for. I'm not going to blame my equipment for a poor result but here's what I saw with it. A few head shaking moments looking down at an iron wondering 'how'd this club hit the ball that far?', and another few where I was pretty sure I'd just hit a pretty good wedge shot only to see the ball roll out way too far. You can read the full ball assessment in the review thread linked below.

I was definitely standing over iron shots with more confidence after my first full lesson session at Golftec. I also hit what felt like more than my usual share of really flush shots. Another lesson this week before the next tournament, so my hope is to have a little more of my former confidence restored and a few less mechanical thoughts cloggin' my noggin as I'm preparing to swing.

End of the day I'm gaining some optimism about climbing up the standings a bit as the season progresses.

 

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Much better week this time around. We were at Southern Hills Plantation in Brooksville. A league favorite and a superb course.

Though I was still a little inconsistent with the driver, the first few lessons had me striking the ball with more confidence. I posted a 92 net 74 to finish 4th in the B group and a top-10 overall. Southern Hills has some really fast, really challenging greens but it seemed like I had the best feel for them in my group so I still fared about average on putting stats. 

We were playing in winds up to about 25mph for most of the round so club selection was a huge challenge/factor. This year I've been building a strategy card for each round, and staying on it made the wind adjustments a lot easier. One mis-judged wind direction though did leave me in a bad spot on a par three. With a couple of other minor misses that wound up being more costly than they should have that 92 was within sight of mid-80s. That's a place I was more accustomed to a few years ago, so it was a definite confidence booster for moving forward. 

This week's result put me just outside the top 20 going into our first 'major' of the season in 3 weeks. Those events are worth double points, so if I can keep the momentum going and post another good round it should have me in a good position to contend for the post-season invitational and team cup. In the mean time it will be a driver lesson this week and then working to keep things at least where they are.

Cheers Spies!

 

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Thanks for creating this thread GregB.  As a high handicapper, I often think of playing tournaments, but wonder how low should my handicap be before I am good enough to try.  Your league sounds really fun!  One of these days, I might try to find a league to join.  My first goal is to become a bogey golfer.  I am enjoying following your season.  Keep posting!

Mizuno JPX EZ driver

Taylormade SLDR HL 3 wood

Mizuno JPX EZ hybrids 3 & 4

Mizuno JPX EZ Irons 4-G

Titleist SM6 Vokey wedge 54.10

Odyssey White Hot Pro V-line putter

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Just now, Txmason123 said:

Thanks for creating this thread GregB.  As a high handicapper, I often think of playing tournaments, but wonder how low should my handicap be before I am good enough to try.  Your league sounds really fun!  One of these days, I might try to find a league to join.  My first goal is to become a bogey golfer.  I am enjoying following your season.  Keep posting!

Leagues, men's club, etc are filled with high handicappers.  Don't be intimidated by the idea of it.  Join in and grow!  You'll love it and after the first time, you will find that you're probably not the worst golfer out there ... and if you are, so what.  Have fun!

Driver: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max (10.5* set at -1 and neutral) -- Mitsubishi Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Fairway: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 3 wood (16.5*) and Heaven Wood (20*)-- Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Hybrids: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 5H (23*)--Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Irons:  :callaway-small: Apex CF19 6-9, PW, AW -- KBS Tour Graphite  TGI 70 shafts R +1/2 inch 3* upright

Wedges: Edison 53* and  57* KBS PGI 80 Graphite +1/2 inch 2* upright

Putter: L.A.B. DF 2.1 -- BGT Stability shaft

Ball:  Maxfli TourX...Golf Bag: :ping-small: Pioneer...Shoes: :footjoy-small: Hyperflex... Glove: Red Rooster Feather

 

My Photography can be seen at Smugmug

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13 hours ago, Txmason123 said:

Thanks for creating this thread GregB.  As a high handicapper, I often think of playing tournaments, but wonder how low should my handicap be before I am good enough to try.  Your league sounds really fun!  One of these days, I might try to find a league to join.  My first goal is to become a bogey golfer.  I am enjoying following your season.  Keep posting!

I'm also a high handicapper and joined a mens league this year. We have played two events so far (both 4man/2 best ball formats to get to know folks and knock of the rust). I highly recommend joining. I have already met some great guys. It is a different environment than just playing with a buddy on the weekend but it has already started helping my game! I highly recommend finding a club nearby. 

:taylormade-small: M2 Driver 

:taylormade-small: M2 3 Wood or  :ping-small: G410 7 Wood

:taylormade-small: 3 Hybrid or :ping-small: G Crossover 3i
:ping-small:  G410 5i-GW (White Dot, Stiff)  
:ping-small: Glide 2.0 Stealth (54, 58) and sometimes will add a :titelist-small: Vokey SM7 (62)

:ping-small: Sigma 2 Anser 
:918457628_PrecisionPro:Nexus Range Finder 

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Week 4: World Woods Rolling Oaks

Wow, what a difference a little confidence can make! 

I'm just past one month in to my lesson plan/series with Golftec. I've seen some good improvement all around at this point. During a practice round earlier in the week, I made 10 pars en-route to an 87. That gave me a lot more confidence going into this week's league tournament. 

This week was a league major, so it was worth double points in the standings. That made it a great time to put in my first penalty free round in I think it's been over 1 year. It was also my first round in a long time with nothing worse than double bogey (all 3 of those were on the back 9). I had a pretty good day of ball striking and went 40-46 - 86 for a net 69. Somewhat a factor of the openness of the course, I was able to get away with my few wild misses. The greens were a little bit of a challenge, and I had four 3-putt greens but managed to offset one of those with a chip in.

All in all, I felt really good about a B-Flight 4th place and overall top 10. Looks like I'll climb the standings a bit after this week.

Thanks for keeping the thread going!

 

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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On 4/22/2019 at 9:00 PM, Txmason123 said:

Thanks for creating this thread GregB.  As a high handicapper, I often think of playing tournaments, but wonder how low should my handicap be before I am good enough to try.  Your league sounds really fun!  One of these days, I might try to find a league to join.  My first goal is to become a bogey golfer.  I am enjoying following your season.  Keep posting!

Thanks for reading Tx!

As others have suggested, find a league or group that uses a full handicap format and go for it! It has been a lot of fun. There are a lot of great guys in our group, so even on days when I/we don't play that well, we always have a good time.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Week 5 prep has been a little more relaxed. I had another lesson session with my coach at Golftec last week, and followed that up with a 9 hole practice round on my home course. The lesson session I felt was again very productive. I had a little regression on the course though and racked up some penalty strokes on poor shots.

Going into this week, I'm still more confident than I've been in a long time with iron play, but I'll have to focus my practice time on the driver. Our venue this week is VERY narrow and mapping out the strategy card, even though it won't be that many drivers there won't be any allowance to get wild off the tee.

Plan is to do at least one indoor session at Golftec and then one at the range. The challenge will be the work schedule this week and the fact that SWMBO is out of town for work, so I'm single dad rules for the start of final exams.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 2 weeks later...

Event 5 on the season is in the books.

I suppose I should find it encouraging that I felt like I played poorly and still wound up with a top 10 finish. We were playing a very difficult course so the B flighters (including me) had higher that usual scores and the top of the standings were mostly A flight players. 

I stayed on the strategy card all day this time around. The course wasn't exceptionally long (for me) so I was able to  plan for only 2 driver tee shots. I was 50% on those, though my miss was bad enough to cost me. Unfortunately, my trusty 3 wood was not as trusty as usual and I only hit 3 fairways on the day. Despite that, and the challenging course, I only had one big number/blow-up hole which was a two penalty 8 on a par 4. Had I managed to 'just' double bogey that hole, I'd have been the B flight winner. I think that is where most of my disappointment for the day came from. Either way, I turned in another top-10 (tie for 8th) with a 95 net 75.

Looking forward, I'm feeling really good about the rest of the season. I've got 5 good point rounds recorded and I managed to move up another few spots in the overall standings to 7th. I"m feeling like I can breathe a little easier going into the second half of the season as I only need one more good result to make my best 6 scores really solid. That should keep me inside the overall top 20 and secure a spot in the end of season invitational and team cup events.

We only have one more really difficult course (Innisbrook Copperhead) on the upcoming schedule, but I've got several weeks to prepare for that. Our next event is a 2-man team event with a couple of weeks off before that one. I've got a family vacation planned in the mean time, but another lesson and practice sessions should have me ready to go for that.

Thanks for reading and encouraging me along the way!

 

 

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello again Spy-verse. Event 6 is in the books so we've reached the mid-pint of our regular season.

This week was our two-man team event with a 70% cap best ball format. (Stokes applied on the handicap holes for all players, each team's low net score on each hole making the team score) This event is not flighted so all teams were in the same pool.

My partner and I both typically play in the B group, so we were getting about 10 strokes each. We didn't get much going on the front 9 as we both struggled with putting and carded a net 38. We were better on the greens on the back 9, as well as hitting a few more fairways/greens and played to a net 33 for team 71. Unfortunately, that only earned us a bottom 1/3 finish (winners carded a net 60). That was enough to earn us a few league points but wasn't as high a finish as I'd hoped for. 

That's really all the bad news.

My gross score was 45-40 for 85. I remarked to my partner as I looked at my scores that I felt like I was hitting the ball lousy, but I still wasn't making big numbers on the score card. Some of that was the open-ness of the course, and a couple of lucky breaks on my wild misses - I played two provisionals for possible OB but both original balls were still in play. I got things rolling, literally and figuratively, on the back 9 and played the final 6 holes at 1 over with a birdie on the 400 yard par 4 18th. 

It was actually a good feeling to be in a place again where I didn't feel like I was hitting good shots but wasn't seeing big numbers for it. The real frustration in this round was struggling for too long on the greens. Putting has been a strength in my game recently and I had 3 3-jacks on the front 9. Like missing 1st putts by 10 feet 3-putts. The fact I was able to adjust and make some putts on the back 9, and having only 2 double bogeys is encouraging. This was also my 2nd penalty free round. All that said, I think it was more the format than poor play that kept us in the bottom of the event standings. End of the day I'm pretty encouraged.

Where does that leave me going into the 2nd half? Last season I finished 27th overall out of 45 players. With 6 rounds now in the books I'm sitting in 8th / 50 overall. Moving forward, since best 6 scores (or points) determine the invitational field and team cup eligibility I'm looking pretty good. I've got the 1 point round from the season opener and this weeks 8.5 as my low rounds. Finishing in the middle of the pack weekly usually earns about 15 points so I should be able to knock those low point rounds out. We have 2 "majors" remaining that are worth double points so I need to plan to play at least both of those, have an average finish, and I'll be looking pretty solid for the end of season events. 

In general, I feel like I can go into the remaining events feeling a little more relaxed, and less like I need to shoot a low score. I see that as good, because we've got a couple of really tough courses coming up in TPC Tampa Bay, and Copperhead at Innisbrook where the PGA plays their spring event.

 

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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That last event post was pretty long. Here's what I'm thinking analysis and preparation wise.

I was a little leery of taking lessons during league season, but the training at Golftec has netted better results. The use of the video training bay for practice has really helped me with visualizing swing elements on the course. I am going to start tapering off from the lesson-a-week schedule but will continue to try for at least one video practice each week.

I need to include a regular range session, and especially some short game practice outside to keep the putting/chipping sharp. That was my weak area in the most recent round. Considering the upcoming courses on the schedule short game performance is going to matter.

One big factor I haven't mentioned much is using a strategy card for each event. Playing unfamiliar courses can feel uncertain and uncomfortable. All I've done is use satellite map software (rhymes with doogle maps) and the score card to do some measuring and analyze the course ahead of time. It takes usually about an hour, but at the end I have a definite strategy for each tee shot, and a game plan for each hole. Removing that uncertainty and usually knowing I'm shouldn't find trouble if I execute my tee shot has helped reduce the 'first tee nerves' that can linger if No. 1 doesn't go well, and lets me make tee swings with a little more confidence.

This week's plan. Outdoor practice (weather permitting) for short game and putting, and one lesson/practice to fine tune the earlier work. 

TPC Tampa Bay, watch out!

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 2 weeks later...

Event 7 is now done.

We played the TPC Tampa Bay which is a very tough course. I went into this week with a little more confidence than previous events. I had a decent practice round the day prior, and my last league round was pretty strong. Alas, that didn't translate to a low score here. 

I struggled getting off the tees all day. At a course like TPC, that is, and was, a recipe for disaster. I simply hit too many bad shots, and didn't get enough reward out of the good shots I did hit. The end result was a 100 (first one of those in a while) and a finish in the bottom 1/3 of a 40 player field. 

Standings wise though, I'm still looking in pretty good shape, as long as I can keep my level of play at least where it is. With 7 scores in the books, this result at least kicked a lower point total out of my Top 6. That has me sitting in 10th with regard to eligibility for the end of season events set aside for the top 20. Our next event, in two weeks, is a league 'major' worth double points. A decent finish there will be a big boost to solidifying a spot.

I did have something click (in a good way, not my hip or anything 😜) during practice yesterday that resulted in some solid tee to green play. I'm planning on another lesson and video practice at Golftec, and some on-course practice before the next event. If yesterday's swing key sticks then I'll have even more to be confident with going in.

Cheers, and thanks for reading.

 

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 2 weeks later...

Event #8 

This week was our second league Major held at Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club in Dade City FL. 

Preparation wise, I had another Golftec lesson last week that did not feel as productive as earlier sessions, though some practice time after was hitting the ball pretty well. That did not translate onto the course in a practice round where i shot 99 on a relatively easy course. Then I had a pretty good live range session practicing putting and full swing that was very positive.

This was a frustrating round. I hit the ball much better than normal off the tees. 7/14 on fairways hit, with only 2 what I would call wild misses from the tee. Iron play was not wild, I only felt like I had about 3 bad misses with iron shots. I did collect 2 penalties, but those were among the 5 bad shots in the round. I was around the greens enough even though I only had 5 GIR. All that put together I felt like I was hitting the ball too well to score where I did, 95. Putting uncharacteristically let me down. I 3 putted my first two GIR, plus 3 more 3-putts in the round and a total of 39 putts (my average has been 30). I was making bogeys and doubles from some really good positions.

I had a quad bogey after one wild tee shot that I struggled to recover from, and a triple after a three putt on another poorly played hole. So 9 putts off average and two big number holes and I finished B-flight 6th (14th overall) 5 strokes behind the B-flight winner. Yup, FRUSTRATED. 

There is an upside. The 14th overall earned me 35 league points and pushed a 10 point round out of my top 6. So even though I felt frustrated after the round, I did hold onto my top 10 status in both the overall and top 6 standings.

We've got the Innisbrook Copperhead course up next. That's a tough track, especially for the B flighters. I'll have a bit of a length advantage on most of the B group there, so if I can tighten up a little bit on the iron play I've got reason to be optimistic.

 

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 2 weeks later...

My practice session yesterday does not have me brimming with confidence. I might go out for some more practice today and hopefully iron a thing or two out.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Alright, so here's where I stand going into this week's event.

1. I'm sitting in a fairly solid 10th in the league standings, and have been finishing consistently between the middle of the pack and top 10s over the last several events. 😀

2. My last round on the course was an 83, finding 8/14 fairways and 6/18 greens and 33 putts with only 13 putts on the back 9. That's above average for driving, below my target for greens, and the inconsistent putting I'll attribute to condition of the greens and missing too many on the back 9. I'll definitely keep the 83 though. 😀

3. The lesson series at GOLFTEC has been helpful, but I'm at a point where progress is stagnating, and I haven't quite been able to dial in the fix for the main flaw causing my inconsistency. (Face control and early release) So I'm feeling a little frustrated.

4. My practice bay session this week was less than encouraging. Lots of mis-hits with the irons. If I'm lucky I'll be able to sneak in a few swings at the lighted range tonight after work and see what I get. I'll try to focus on the good aspects of the last round on course.

In general, I'm starting to feel like I'm overthinking and trying to over-control things in the swing and just not swinging freely enough.

We are playing a very tough course tomorrow, Innisbrook's Copperhead course where the PGA Valspar Championship is played. I should have a slight length advantage on most of the B group there, but I'll need to be stronger with the irons than what I've seen lately to post a low score. I've got my strategy card ready, and the pairing sheet has me with a good group of guys (but not the strongest players). I'm going to need lots of reminders to relax, have fun, and don't think - just swing.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Well, yesterday at Copperhead went a little better than expected! 😀

We played the copperhead course at Innisbrook resort. The B flight was on the white tees so it was 6,250 / 71.1 / 133 for the yardage and ratings.

I was a little leery going into this round since my one practice session during the week was not very solid.

Here are my stats for the round: Fairways 5/14, GIR: 6/18 , putts 32. 9 pars, 5 bogeys, 4 double bogey+, 3 penalties

All together it was a pretty solid round except for maybe 4 shots. 2 of those were pushed tee shots into the water on the 16th (opening hole of the 'Snake Pit' final three holes), and one missed chip/pitch through the green from a very tight lie. Those two holes were my only big numbers on the day (quad and triple), that turned out to be costly in the end.

Another oddity was having a better fairways hit percentage with the driver over the 3 wood. 4/8 with the driver, and the misses were in play with no penalties. Only 2/7 with the three wood. Hybrid was 1/3. 

I was playing relatively well at only 2 over going to the 16th (our 7th hole with a split tee start) and knew if I could keep it going I'd be in contention for the day. I had a bit of a length advantage over many of the B-flight players, and knew the course was going to take it's toll on the wild hitters. I was in play and out of trouble for most of the round and held my own on the very fast greens.

It all added up to an 87, net 68. That put me one stroke out of B-flight second place, three off the winner. My mid-round suspicions about the quad and triple turned out to be correct - that I was playing well enough to be in contention for the day, but if somebody else had a good round those two holes would hurt me.

Waiting on the official results to post, but that result should earn me enough  points to hold position in the overall standings, and move up a bit in the top 6. Again, best 6 scores count for the end of season invitational (top 20 players for higher end of season stakes) and the overall is counted for the team cup eligibility (Top 20 first then at large for 2x12 teams).

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Copperhead results are official. Tie for B-flight and overall 3rd place. Ne of 68 was only 2 strokes off low net for the day. (Dangit the 16th hole!!)

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Just now, GregB135 said:

Copperhead results are official. Tie for B-flight and overall 3rd place. Ne of 68 was only 2 strokes off low net for the day. (Dangit the 16th hole!!)

That also places me 6th in both the overall standings and the best 6 scores leaderboards! Looking good for the end of season events even though I'm missing the next event for a family commitment.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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  • 3 weeks later...

Okay GolfSpy-verse,

This weekend is the final major of the league season, our 2-day event at Bay Hill. Yes, the site of the PGA's Arnold Palmer Invitational/Memorial tournament. 

I've built my strategy card for the course, and there are some tee shots where the driver got the nod when yardage suggests something shorter. There is an awful lot of "Florida blue grass" to contend with on Bay Hill so it will definitely be a hit it straight or suffer mightily weekend. My last few rounds have been relatively solid. My most recent lesson saw good results. My early week practice round though had some shaky moments, and I'm still trying to dial in a feel thing from the lessons to build up consistency. All together I'm cautiously optimistic even on a hard track like Bay Hill.

The other good news, my improved performance through the season has me starting Saturday in the 2nd to last group (pairings in the major events are done by the standings). I've been solidly in the top 10 for several weeks. That means a decent showing over the weekend should essentially lock me into a spot for the end of season events. 

Wish me luck and stay tuned!

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!

Wow - finally broke through and got not just my first finish in the money, but my first B-flight win!

This weekend was the league's two-day event at Bay Hill. We had to deal with some severe weather, both heat and thunderstorms, especially Saturday, but both rounds were played in full.

Saturday's round was mostly solid. I had a couple of big number holes and struggled making (missing?) putts in the 4 to 6 foot range where I'm usually pretty good. My tee shots were some of the best I've played all year, especially with the driver. I finished the day with a 92 net 74. That was enough to put me in 6th overall and B-flight 2nd going into Sunday.

I started out on Sunday with relatively low pressure and low expectations. I was in a solid spot to at least maintain my position in league standings even if I had a less than stellar round. For the day, I was starting 3 strokes behind the B-flight leader who was getting 27 strokes on the day compared to my 18. So I was very much in a 'just relax and hit the ball' kind of a mindset going off the first tee. Then I started off par/par/birdie rolled in a couple of putts to save another par or two had one bad hole and next thing you know I finish the front 9 at +3 39. 😲 I wasn't getting off the tees as well as I did on Saturday, and that cost me a little more on the back 9 than it did the front, with only 3 pars on the back I limped in at 46 to make 85 net 67. Turned out that was enough to  make up all the necessary ground to win the B flight and finish 4th overall.

The points from this win will give me about a 20 point bump up in the Top 6 standings (possibly into the top 30) which essentially locks me into the field for the end of year invitational tournament. Goal number 1 for the season accomplished.

This week was also where the Team Cup captains were named (1 and 2 in the overall standings). The first 4 positions for each team were then chosen from the overall Top-10 standings where I wound up in 6th place. So I earned a selection into the Team Cup as well, accomplishing goal number 2 as well. So I'm all set for both of the end of season special events.

The invitational is two weeks away with the team cup the following a week later. Stay tuned for those results, and thanks for reading along this year.

 

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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