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MPR: The Single Digit Project


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A quick follow up to my last post: here's Game Golf's analysis of my strokes gained through my first 36 holes of this season, compared to my first 36 holes of last season:

image.png

This really does give me hope for this season. Last year, if you combine approach and short game stats, I was almost 7 strokes better in July/August than I was in May. I doubt the difference will be that extreme this year, but it does show that I have a pattern of better scoring as the season progresses.

My biggest asset so far this year? I'm keeping the ball in play. I've lost two balls on my 36 holes thus far. The first was a chunked shot that landed in a puddle in the rough, and I just couldn't find it in the puddle. The ball was in play, but just disappeared. The second was a provisional I hit that I ended up not needing, and I forgot to pick up the ball. So even my two "lost" balls were not lost in the traditional sense.

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Kirke and I played another nine yesterday. He beat me soundly: he shot a 43 to my 47. It was a frustrating round for me. I hit trees with six different shots, including all threes times I pulled driver. I also had two different holes in which it took my 3 wedge shots to find the green. Partial swing wedge shots (40–70 yards) have been a particular problem: I know the correct swing length (thanks, SkyTrak!), but that doesn't matter when I fat them four inches behind the ball.

Hole 12 was (unfortunately) typical:

image.png

This is one of the easiest holes on the course, a short par 4. I hit a really good 4w off the tee leaving above a 60 yard wedge. Fatted that one. Then thinned the next one over the green into the back bunker. Decent sand shot and two putts later, I walk off with a double.

I honestly need to spend more time like Kirke: he spends hours a week in the backyard with his wedge, chipping and pitching from all lies to targets.

I swapped out putters for this round: I was really struggling with short putts using the Tour Stroke Trainer. I think the Trainer still has its place for practice, but maybe not on the course. Threw the Spider in the bag for this round, and Game Golf approved: 15 putts, gaining 1.5 strokes for the round against scratch.

Handicap crept up for the first time on this round, back to 15.3.

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:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

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Played 18 yesterday with a fellow pastor. Summer was fun while it lasted; the weather today is rain and highs around 40°.

Had another absolutely generic round for me: an 89, which is bogey golf here. Went about it in a slightly odd way: out in 47, back in in 42.

It was my first round using my new EXO Indianapolis S. Took a hole or so to get adjusted to the speed (it's a fairly soft feel), but I'm pleased so far. Nothing great: 34 putts, but I didn't miss more than a couple I should have made, and my putting score is almost exactly at a 10 handicap level.

image.png

The bigger developments happened off the tee. Not only was I getting close to 10-handicap level in strokes gained, but I had a couple of legitimately good drives: two different 240+ pokes.

image.png

This is again with virtually no rollout on shots right now; there were a couple of drives today sitting within a foot of their pitch mark. So that's encouraging.

The short game continues to leak major amounts of oil. I have a busy few days coming up, including a trip, but when I return, I'm hoping to make chipping and pitching off all kinds of lies a major focus of practice.

Handicap held steady at 15.3. As I've stated before, I'm still feeling pretty good. This was my first 18-hole round. This was yet another round in which I didn't lose a ball; it's awesome to have to replace balls because they're worn and not because they've disappeared. And I still expect my short game feels to get dialed in with my rounds.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
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:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

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I like to check in occasionally on your odyssey. I like your honesty too. This game ain't easy. I'm curious at what distance do you play your course? I ask due to soft conditions I think you play on.

My Sun Mountain bag currently includes:   TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 771CSI 5i - PW and TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png PFC Micro Tour-c 52°, 56°, 60 wedges

                                                                               :755178188_TourEdge: EXS 10.5*, TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 929-HS FW4 16.5* 

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Sorry had to quote this because this is what I love. I need to get back to practicing this part of my game. I do believe that our feeling of what is 1/2 and what is 3/4 might be wrong maybe a mirror would help...wish I had a setup in my garage

Continuing to explore the features of the SkyTrak to help me reach my goal. Even since I first read Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible, I've been a bit intrigued by the clock wedge system. But without a range, I've really had no way to get my numbers, and so my short game approach has been to use my SW for every partial swing shot, unless the situation explicitly called for a LW.
So the fact that the SkyTrak has a wedge matrix feature built in is great. In setup, you tell it 1) how many wedges you have, 2) what size swings you want to do, and 3) how many swings of each kind you want. The math means that your swing count will add up in a hurry. I'm doing four wedges, four size swings (1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full), and five shots for each kind of swing. That's 80 shots; it took me almost 50 minutes to complete the matrix.
Here was my first result:
image.png.77a8166f66832c6a569f1033141d4079.png
So the obvious things that jumps out is the major gap between the 1/4 and 1/2 swing distances. In my case, I think I need to reduce my own conception of the 1/2 swing, and maybe slightly also the 3/4 swing. I also still need to figure out how to hit a full swing wedge that doesn't just launch higher without carrying further. My desire is to have my full swing SW be 90, GW be 105, and PW be 120. I know that's possible for me; it's not a matter of speed but of consistent technique.
Anyway, the potential is there for this to be a workable system for me. I use a laser rangefinder on the course, which is an important component for making this usable.
I'm continuing to love the SkyTrak data. In addition to the matrix itself, it gives you the dispersion chart for each club. Here's my SW:
image.png.062ba876368ffcd9fe92e796d8eefaf6.png
With the 1/2 swing, I had one shot that was an outlier, otherwise all the partial swings had pretty tight groupings. I really think I need to look into getting some wedges that are a degree or two flat; the wedge pulls are a regular feature of my short game.
 


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2 hours ago, PlaidJacket said:

I like to check in occasionally on your odyssey. I like your honesty too. This game ain't easy. I'm curious at what distance do you play your course? I ask due to soft conditions I think you play on.

The course is very short. I'm playing from the furthest back tees, at about 6,100 yards.

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  • 2 weeks later...

A couple more mediocre rounds since my last check-in: handicap remains steady in the mid-15s. Here's the strokes lost versus a 10-handicap for the last two rounds:

image.png

Putting (continuing with the Indianapolis) has been steady but unspectacular. There's obviously room to get better, but it isn't what's holding me back.

My approach game has been less-than-great as of late. What I've found is I tend to have the best control when I'm thinking fade. Even if the ball doesn't actually fade, it reins in the big left miss. Sometimes, with the goal of just swinging freely, I don't consciously think about a fade, and this sometimes leads to the big left miss, especially off the tee. That has lead, in the last couple of rounds, to balls in the left woods or caroming off trees.

Just for kicks, here's my first eight rounds of this year versus my first eight rounds last season:

image.png

I remain encouraged that I'm better in every single category so far, and overall, about 5 strokes gained versus the same rounds last year.

Our local men's league begins tomorrow, so I'm excited about that. Playing on a team with my dad this year.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
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:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
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I have a question as well MPR. We all form a picture in our minds about things we can't see. For better or worse - right or wrong. I picture you in a rather isolated area with limited golf availability. Certainly a very short season. I read where you are in a league currently. Are there any players who might be low single digit hcp'rs? Perhaps between 0-5 or lower? The reason I'm asking is that I found early on that if you can play regularly with guys like that you will learn a lot - rather quickly. Low handicap players didn't get there in most cases by trying to "figure it out" on their own. A good player (much better than you) if willing; might mentor you along.

2 cents.

My Sun Mountain bag currently includes:   TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 771CSI 5i - PW and TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png PFC Micro Tour-c 52°, 56°, 60 wedges

                                                                               :755178188_TourEdge: EXS 10.5*, TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 929-HS FW4 16.5* 

                                                                                :edel-golf-1: Willimette w/GolfPride Contour

 

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4 hours ago, jlukes said:

So have you noticed any of your offseason work pay off?  Why do you think you aren't seeing as big of returns for all of the time you invested?  Do you feel you spread yourself too think rather than focus on one specific thing?

Great question, with a multi-part answer.

I think the fact that I'm starting my season in almost last year's mid-season form is not insignificant. Like I said in my last post, I'm about 5 strokes better right now than I was through 8 rounds last season; I'm about 2 strokes behind where I was in July/August last year. So I'm not yet ready to say that the work isn't paying off as much as I wanted it to.

As for things that have paid off, the biggest is the gapping, especially in that troublesome area for me from 90-120 yards. I've already this season had multiple shots in that range where I would have chosen the wrong club and come up short, whereas this year I know that (for instance) my SW struggles to go past 90 and my GW past 105 or so.

On the other side, the transition from indoor golf to outdoor golf is not small, and this is one of the big lessons I'm learning right now. This is especially true for the short game: I don't think SkyTrak's software does a good job properly simulating rollout on short shots. And (this is the biggest thing) actual golf courses constantly ask you to hit shots with your ball in bad places, especially if the course you play isn't pristine (ahem). Hitting off a mat is one thing; hitting a partial wedge with you ball nestled down on a little bare patch of mud resting against a sprout of grass is very different.

Right now, I'm losing lots of shots from exactly those kinds of short game failures, and I don't suspect there's any other solution to that than real outdoor practice. Kirke and I hit the course for a bit this morning, and he's awesome to play games of up-and-down with (he straight up beats me more often than I beat him at that). That kind of practice is now going to be regular for me.

I also still need off-the-tee practice, which I got none of this winter because of the ceiling height in the garage.

TL;DR: I think the practice this summer did pay off in ball striking and gapping. I need to work on chipping on pitching in game conditions.

15 minutes ago, PlaidJacket said:

I have a question as well MPR. We all form a picture in our minds about things we can't see. For better or worse - right or wrong. I picture you in a rather isolated area with limited golf availability. Certainly a very short season. I read where you are in a league currently. Are there any players who might be low single digit hcp'rs? Perhaps between 0-5 or lower? The reason I'm asking is that I found early on that if you can play regularly with guys like that you will learn a lot - rather quickly. Low handicap players didn't get there in most cases by trying to "figure it out" on their own. A good player (much better than you) if willing; might mentor you along.

2 cents.

The guy I've play most with since I really started playing this game six or so years ago is @Erik-M, who's a legit 5 handicap. And while he has helped me a great deal, his game is so different from mine that it's hard to make applications. I've been with him when he's driven greens 330 yards away; that's not a skill I'm going to be picking up from him. He's a natural athlete who plays without swing thoughts; I'm a thoroughgoing nerd who loves over analyzing every aspect of my game.

So while you're likely right, I'm enjoying what I'm doing. If I needed to get to a certain handicap, and that was the entire goal, I know I'm going about it wrong. But for me, a lot of the enjoyment comes from trying to figure it out.

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Like ole Frank Sinatra sang..... I did it my wayyyyyyy. 👍 🏌️‍♂️

My Sun Mountain bag currently includes:   TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 771CSI 5i - PW and TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png PFC Micro Tour-c 52°, 56°, 60 wedges

                                                                               :755178188_TourEdge: EXS 10.5*, TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 929-HS FW4 16.5* 

                                                                                :edel-golf-1: Willimette w/GolfPride Contour

 

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21 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Hitting off a mat is one thing; hitting a partial wedge with you ball nestled down on a little bare patch of mud resting against a sprout of grass is very different.

Are you still very wet up there, too? One of my major frustrations so far this season has been the absolutely insane amount of precipitation. I have yet to play a round this year without standing water on some part of the course. If I'm not on the fringe I can almost guarantee my lie is going to be awful because of conditions like you mentioned.

I've enjoyed following along on the GAME Golf portal. Our GG handicaps are very similar. Thanks again for sharing your progress on here. It's particularly inspiring for me because I can relate to all of the struggles you've mentioned.

 

 

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Just now, edingc said:

Are you still very wet up there, too? One of my major frustrations so far this season has been the absolutely insane amount of precipitation. I have yet to play a round this year without standing water on some part of the course. If I'm not on the fringe I can almost guarantee my lie is going to be awful because of conditions like you mentioned.

I've enjoyed following along on the GAME Golf portal. Our GG handicaps are very similar. Thanks again for sharing your progress on here. It's particularly inspiring for me because I can relate to all of the struggles you've mentioned.

Yeah, absolutely. Even in the best of conditions, our course struggles to fully dry up. It sets low, and it's not at all a sandy soil up here. I've described it to others as hitting every single approach shot out of a fairway bunker: the ground is soft, and if you catch it fat, you're likely to be punished severely.

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:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
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:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
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On 5/16/2019 at 11:15 AM, GolfSpy MPR said:

..spend more time like Kirke: he spends hours a week in the backyard with his wedge, chipping and pitching from all lies to targets

Oh yeah..! That is the BEST kind of practice!!! Kid is gonna be gooooood 👍

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Quick check in. I've played two times since my last post, but my Game Golf (mercifully) died just before the wheels totally fell off my last round. My overall handicap has continued to be steady: from 15.6 at the start of the season to 15.7 now. That said, I still think there's value in comparing my year so far through the same point last year.

image.png

It remains the case that in every category, I'm ahead of where I was through 10 rounds last season. The putting is obviously the biggest difference, and I think that's very sustainable. I'm actually happier with the improvement off the tee. Further data off the tee, beginning with the bad news: the left miss (that I thought the Rogue SZ would mitigate) is back with a vengeance:

image.png

The "off the tee" distance in GG is every tee shot, not just driver. I'm still not hitting my driver (on average) far enough; it's just at 200 yards. But it's been coming around a bit lately: here's the first shot of my last round:

image.png

The tee shot on the first hole is slightly downhill, but there wasn't anything else (strong wind, bounce off the path) that contributed to the distance. The course is finally starting to dry a bit, and getting a ball that rolls even a little is a big boost to distance. I wish the drive wouldn't have ended up under a tree, though 🙂

Here's my biggest improvement thus far:

image.png

So I'm hitting essentially twice as many GIRs as this time last year, with fractionally fewer putts per hole. That's a good combination. That GIR number is still not OK, but progress is good.

Tomorrow night is my first league match of the season. I'm partnering with my dad this season, which puts me in a different position that previous years in league: I'll be matching up with the better player on the teams we play, so that should provide some healthy pressure.

Next week, my wife and I celebrate our tenth anniversary. My parents are watching our children for a few days while she and I take a short trip, and that'll include two rounds of golf. She doesn't play (though she's a better athlete than I am), but she does enjoy being outdoors and so she'll join me for walking those rounds. I'm looking forward to playing a couple different courses (I play almost all my golf at one course) and seeing how my game travels.

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:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

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8 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Quick check in. I've played two times since my last post, but my Game Golf (mercifully) died just before the wheels totally fell off my last round. My overall handicap has continued to be steady: from 15.6 at the start of the season to 15.7 now. That said, I still think there's value in comparing my year so far through the same point last year.

image.png

It remains the case that in every category, I'm ahead of where I was through 10 rounds last season. The putting is obviously the biggest difference, and I think that's very sustainable. I'm actually happier with the improvement off the tee. Further data off the tee, beginning with the bad news: the left miss (that I thought the Rogue SZ would mitigate) is back with a vengeance:

image.png

The "off the tee" distance in GG is every tee shot, not just driver. I'm still not hitting my driver (on average) far enough; it's just at 200 yards. But it's been coming around a bit lately: here's the first shot of my last round:

image.png

The tee shot on the first hole is slightly downhill, but there wasn't anything else (strong wind, bounce off the path) that contributed to the distance. The course is finally starting to dry a bit, and getting a ball that rolls even a little is a big boost to distance. I wish the drive wouldn't have ended up under a tree, though 🙂

Here's my biggest improvement thus far:

image.png

So I'm hitting essentially twice as many GIRs as this time last year, with fractionally fewer putts per hole. That's a good combination. That GIR number is still not OK, but progress is good.

Tomorrow night is my first league match of the season. I'm partnering with my dad this season, which puts me in a different position that previous years in league: I'll be matching up with the better player on the teams we play, so that should provide some healthy pressure.

Next week, my wife and I celebrate our tenth anniversary. My parents are watching our children for a few days while she and I take a short trip, and that'll include two rounds of golf. She doesn't play (though she's a better athlete than I am), but she does enjoy being outdoors and so she'll join me for walking those rounds. I'm looking forward to playing a couple different courses (I play almost all my golf at one course) and seeing how my game travels.

Well, Happy Anniversary to you two! Have a good time out there and just play your game. Nice work so far!

In my       :ping-small: DLX Cart Bag:
Driver
:    :ping-small: G410 SFT, set to 9.5*, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange 60, stiff (MGS Official 2019 Tester)
3W:          :ping-small: G-Series SF TEC, set to 16*, Aldila Tour Blue ATX, 65g, stiff
5W:          :ping-small: G400 SFT, set to 19*, Aldila Tour Blue ATX, 65g, stiff
7W:         :ping-small: G410 SFT, set to 22*. Alta CB 65 Red, stiff

Irons:       :ping-small: GMax, Green Dot, 5-PW, Project X Graphite Blue 6.0, 80-90g , stiff
Wedges: :ping-small: Glide 2.0 Stealth, 50* SS, 54* ES & 60*/8 Forged MGS Special from the Wedge Wizard, Green Dot, Alta CB graphite, 84g, stiff
Putter:     :ping-small: Vault 2.0 B60 Copper, 33", black dot w/GP SNSR grip (PING Sigma 2 Fetch under "see-trials")
Ball:       :Snell: MTB BLACK (MGS Official 2018 Tester for the :Snell: MTB RED)
Shoes:     :footjoy-small:  Classics Tour w/Black Widow Softspikes

Disabled Marine Veteran. Semper Fi!

#No apologies, just Play Your Best
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12 minutes ago, jlukes said:

The Rogue sz is not going to mitigate a hook. In fact fact, it's so low spin its only going to make your left misses worse 

Could you explain this a bit more? My assumption is that the SZ line is fade biased. I'm also not understanding the connection between reducing spin and accentuating a left miss.

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:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
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5 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Could you explain this a bit more? My assumption is that the SZ line is fade biased. I'm also not understanding the connection between reducing spin and accentuating a left miss.

Watch this video from Ian at TXG getting fit for his new driver.  Funny thing is, his previous driver is a Rogue SZ and he was tired of missing it left

And from my G410 stage 2 

Quote

I demoed drivers like the M5, Epic Flash SZ, and TS3 and while all 3 drivers would give me slightly longer drives on well-struck shots, they penalized me more on off-center hits more.  As someone whose miss is a hook, super low spin can spell disaster on a mishit because it leads to ugly quacking duck hooks. While the G410 will never save me from a truly awful swing, I know that there is a greater margin for error.

 

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Thanks. I started that one, and noticed that as well, which I found interesting. Didn't watch all the way through. It looks like his ball flight is similar to the miss I've got right now, which is more a pull than a hard hook; if I'm remembering correctly, Ian's ball wasn't turning hard left, but just going left from the start.

Of course, his goes further than mine 🙂

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

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4 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Thanks. I started that one, and noticed that as well, which I found interesting. Didn't watch all the way through. It looks like his ball flight is similar to the miss I've got right now, which is more a pull than a hard hook; if I'm remembering correctly, Ian's ball wasn't turning hard left, but just going left from the start.

Of course, his goes further than mine 🙂

Miss was a pull hook.  A hook will spin less.  A hook with a low spin driver will spin even less.  If you want a driver to help with that miss, you need a more forgiving driver that allows you to make it fade bias through hosel/weight adjustments. 

Believe me, I know this first hand.  Low spin drivers give me absolute bombs, but I have yet to find one that had enough spin retention on high toe hits to make them playable on the course.

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  • 3 weeks later...

It's been several weeks since I checked in here, and with some reason: I had nothing fun to say. I've spent most of the month just treading water, handicap-wise.

As I posted about elsewhere, I had a chance to play a couple different courses on a trip with my wife; since I play virtually all my golf at my home course, this was a treat for me. It was especially nice to get to place SentryWorld, a RTJ Jr. design that is quite beautiful. As for the golf itself, what was notable about these rounds is that I played almost exactly to the same standard as I usually do (bogey golf) even though they play longer than my home course (in SentryWorld's case, 400 yards longer).

Meanwhile, my rounds at my home course were bogey golf or worse. My handicap (which began this project at 15.7) actually rose to 15.8, which isn't exactly what I had in mind with this project. I was getting frustrated. My driving had gotten better (especially as the course has finally dried out). My approach game was OK. My short game was a disaster. My putting was ordinary.

My only reason for optimism is that, other than my short game, nothing seemed really wonky. I felt like I've continued to make progress understanding not only what a good swing is, but how that feels for me. I've really been getting comfortable with my Indianapolis S on the greens.

This morning, Kirke and I went out to play 18. Not only did I beat him (a rare occurrence these days), I shot a 77, tying my lifetime best! I don't think I'd had a sub-85 round this year, so to go sub-80 was a real joy. The best part of it for me is that it kind of validates the 77 I shot last summer; that no longer is a total outlier or a fluke. I've shown that I can do it again.

Here's the strokes gained for the 77 vs my last 10 rounds:

77strokes.png

I had only 28 putts, so I'm not shocked at the better-than-scratch putting stat. The short game remains a work in progress, though I've seen some improvement in feel and results in the last couple weeks.

Here's some stats from my last 10 rounds compared to 10 rounds from the same time last year:

10v10.png

I was averaging 233 off the tee today, which I know is still not bombing it, but considering that this time last year, I was averaging 180 with a driver? That's a huge improvement. I've nearly tripled my greens in regulation (that number needs to keep increasing).

Throwing today's round into the mix dropped my handicap to 15.2. I'm hoping I've found some sustainable changes here, so that even if I'm not shooting sub-80 all the time, I can get back into the low 80s and make a serious run at single digits.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

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5 cents...

You've experienced golf the way you envision it being a few times. Sub 80 rounds.  .... occasionally the golf gods throw you a bone with a one-off low(er) score unexpectedly. Then it's back to the same ole same old. Bogeysville. GIR, scrambling and putts are interesting. However 4 GIR is not a recipe for "achieving Single Digit". Your putts are low I'd assume due to missing greens and then chipping on the green and two putting. Not sure about that scrambling stat. It's that third shot between your approach and putting that's a deal killer. Too many missed greens.

Question - why do you miss so many greens and what do you think can help you correct that? IMO if you upped your GIR from 4 to just 9 (or more) your Single Digit Project might start becoming closer to a reality. I recall you saying your home course is short at some yardage. Why don't you move up a another tee if there is one and see what happens? As you know your driver isn't very long. Move up a tee. Hitting greens builds confidence. Missing 14 greens per rounds is a beat down. I understand that you have a very short-limited golf season and that alone puts you behind the 8-ball for lasting improvement. But why not make the best of it and play your course at even less yardage. Who cares? It just might better suit your game/skill level and up your confidence level. One more thing... now that you have a good idea of your game with all your collected data.... forget it for a while and focus on playing. Don't even bother or worry about recording and analysing data. Just go play and reflect on your round afterwards. You'll know in your own mind what went good and what didn't. 

My Sun Mountain bag currently includes:   TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 771CSI 5i - PW and TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png PFC Micro Tour-c 52°, 56°, 60 wedges

                                                                               :755178188_TourEdge: EXS 10.5*, TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 929-HS FW4 16.5* 

                                                                                :edel-golf-1: Willimette w/GolfPride Contour

 

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1 hour ago, PlaidJacket said:

5 cents...

You've experienced golf the way you envision it being a few times. Sub 80 rounds.  .... occasionally the golf gods throw you a bone with a one-off low(er) score unexpectedly. Then it's back to the same ole same old. Bogeysville. GIR, scrambling and putts are interesting. However 4 GIR is not a recipe for "achieving Single Digit". Your putts are low I'd assume due to missing greens and then chipping on the green and two putting. Not sure about that scrambling stat. It's that third shot between your approach and putting that's a deal killer. Too many missed greens.

Question - why do you miss so many greens and what do you think can help you correct that? IMO if you upped your GIR from 4 to just 9 (or more) your Single Digit Project might start becoming closer to a reality. I recall you saying your home course is short at some yardage. Why don't you move up a another tee if there is one and see what happens? As you know your driver isn't very long. Move up a tee. Hitting greens builds confidence. Missing 14 greens per rounds is a beat down. I understand that you have a very short-limited golf season and that alone puts you behind the 8-ball for lasting improvement. But why not make the best of it and play your course at even less yardage. Who cares? It just might better suit your game/skill level and up your confidence level. One more thing... now that you have a good idea of your game with all your collected data.... forget it for a while and focus on playing. Don't even bother or worry about recording and analysing data. Just go play and reflect on your round afterwards. You'll know in your own mind what went good and what didn't. 

Lots of good thoughts here.

Let's start with the GIR, because I do agree that that's the key for to accomplishing my goal. A couple years ago, MGS partnered with The Grint to post some aggregate stats. Here's what GIR looks like by handicap:

grint-overall-perf-3.gif

Given my 21% GIR number, I'm a 15-cap scraping it around like a 16–20. Getting to single digits looks to be a matter of hitting 6–7 greens in regulation (instead of my current 3–4); low single figures is closer to that 50% number you suggested.

Why don't I hit many greens? As you mentioned, our course is short. Moving up a tee could help, but likely not much. On all but maybe three holes, the white tees are just a couple steps in front of the blues. And there are only 3 holes on the course in which I'm hitting anything more than a 7 iron approach (unless something went really wrong, which obviously happens).

The issue isn't distance. Rather, it's a combination of inadequate accuracy on my part and really tiny greens. I posted about this elsewhere, but the greens on our course average around 2,400 sq ft. A Tour average green is 6,000 sq ft. How does that cash out in stats?

Approach.jpg

According to Game Golf's stats, a 5-handicap hits the green from inside 100 yards 67% of the time. In my last ten rounds, I've averaged 45%. But if I go to my approach game stats from inside 100 yards, I'm within 15 yards of the hole 64% of the time. A 15 yard radius is just over a 6,000 sq ft area. In other words, if the greens were average size, I'd be hitting a lot more of them (which would certainly add putts to my stats).

100.jpg

The pattern holds for longer distances. From 101–150 yards, I hit the green 42% of the time (a strong indictment of my short game is that I hit the green nearly as often from 101–150 as I do inside 100). A 5-handicap is at 53% from this distance. Game Golf doesn't give proximity to the flag stats from 101–150; it breaks it down in 25 yard increments. 

  • On 28 shots from 100–125, 67% were within 15 yards of the hole.
  • On 19 shots from 125–150, 72% were within 15 yards of the hole.

From further than 150, the quality of my approaches drops significantly. I hit the green 10% of the time (compared to the 33% of a 5-handicap). I within 15 yards of the pin 21% of the time from 150–175 (19 shots); that drops to 8% of the time from 175–200 (12 shots).

The dispersion patterns also change. From 150–175, I begin to look like the typical mid-high handicapper: short and right of the pin:

150-175.jpg

But push that out to 175–200, and with longer irons and my hybrid in play, I start missing both ways because I mix in the occasional big draw/hook:

175-200.jpg

At this point, I'm the only one reading this post 🙂

But here are the lessons I've learned from today's deep dive into my own approach game:

  • I'm quite competent (for my goals) from 100–150 yards. That covers 8i–GW; not a big range, but it's nice to know that I have a strength.
  • 3h–7i need improvement. Obviously, strike consistency (to get more reliable distances) would be good. But perhaps the lower-hanging fruit here is to get rid of the pattern of missing 40% to the left and 30% to the right. That's way too much left-right dispersion, and I suspect it puts me in bad places for short game recoveries.
  • The most obvious scoring opportunity is to focus on my wedge game from 100 yards and in. Every stat I have tells me that's the most glaring weakness in my game. A 5-handicap is losing .88 strokes per round to a scratch golfer in his short game. In my last 10 rounds, I'm losing 6.35(!) per round. According to GG's stats, I'm losing over 2 strokes per round to a 25(!) handicap in short game shots. Even in my last round (the 77), my short game cost my over 5 strokes compared to scratch.

Looks like it's time for me to start attending the @Shankster short game academy!

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
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You're a data driven guy that's for sure. I'd still recommend ditching all the data - record keeping and focus on actually playing the game. And...I get it that you work for Data Driven guys. I like the MGS data guys. Data is their catch. What makes them different. I too used to keep all kinds of records and spend time making sense of it all. Then one day I said... enough of all this. Just play. I quite chasing data points so my spreadsheets looked complete. But I said to myself..."the hell with all this data". Data didn't effect my swing/ball striking one bit. That's all physical and on me. 

Free your mind and improve your ball striking and the  Single Digit Project will take care of itself. You might not think so but... I'm on your side. 👍

My Sun Mountain bag currently includes:   TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 771CSI 5i - PW and TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png PFC Micro Tour-c 52°, 56°, 60 wedges

                                                                               :755178188_TourEdge: EXS 10.5*, TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 929-HS FW4 16.5* 

                                                                                :edel-golf-1: Willimette w/GolfPride Contour

 

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9 hours ago, PlaidJacket said:

You're a data driven guy that's for sure. I'd still recommend ditching all the data - record keeping and focus on actually playing the game. And...I get it that you work for Data Driven guys. I like the MGS data guys. Data is their catch. What makes them different. I too used to keep all kinds of records and spend time making sense of it all. Than one day I said... enough of all this. Just play. I quite chasing data points so my spreadsheets looked complete. But I said to myself..."the hell with all this data". Data didn't effect my swing/ball striking one but. That all physical and and on me. 

Free your mind and improve your ball striking and the  Single Digit Project will take care of itself. You might not think so but... I'm on your side. 👍

Plaid,

First, I totally believe you're on my side on this project. That's what's great about this forum: we can help each other get to the same goal from different perspectives.

Second, while I totally nerd out here, I've learned that I play worse if I'm obsessing about data while I'm playing. I used to use one app that I had to enter drive direction, number of putts, whether I hit the sand, etc. I've also used Game Golf either without the device or with the device paired to my phone, so that I'm looking at (and editing) data during the round.

THAT WAS A BAD IDEA.

For me, it's terribly distracting. And then if something in the app isn't working right, I get additionally annoyed.

So I don't do any of that anymore. I tap the club on the belt clip, and I've been doing it for so long (at least three years now) that it's totally embedded in my pre-shot routine. If I'm playing in a scramble or some other format where I'm not tracking shots, it actually messes me up a bit, because I will tag clubs on a non-existent belt clip.

Other than tapping clubs, I also write my scores and number of putts on the scorecard. That gives me a reference point for double-checking the GG data, normally after I get home.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

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Plaid,
First, I totally believe you're on my side on this project. That's what's great about this forum: we can help each other get to the same goal from different perspectives.
Second, while I totally nerd out here, I've learned that I play worse if I'm obsessing about data while I'm playing. I used to use one app that I had to enter drive direction, number of putts, whether I hit the sand, etc. I've also used Game Golf either without the device or with the device paired to my phone, so that I'm looking at (and editing) data during the round.
THAT WAS A BAD IDEA.
For me, it's terribly distracting. And then if something in the app isn't working right, I get additionally annoyed.
So I don't do any of that anymore. I tap the club on the belt clip, and I've been doing it for so long (at least three years now) that it's totally embedded in my pre-shot routine. If I'm playing in a scramble or some other format where I'm not tracking shots, it actually messes me up a bit, because I will tag clubs on a non-existent belt clip.
Other than tapping clubs, I also write my scores and number of putts on the scorecard. That gives me a reference point for double-checking the GG data, normally after I get home.

Capturing information on the course is very distracting. I try to capture all my data after I get home and just do some quick analysis. I know my weaknesses and what I need to work on without having to dive into the numbers. It would be nice to see some more detailed metrics but it needs to be reliable as I don’t want to mess with it on the course.

The biggest challenge is moving from the practice range to the course. I get the impression that this is a struggle area for you since you get good “score” on the skytrak but don’t execute to that level on the course. This is my problem with the short game; how do I take my practice success to the course. Starting to think I have mental issues.

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

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Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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2 hours ago, cnosil said:


Capturing information on the course is very distracting. I try to capture all my data after I get home and just do some quick analysis. I know my weaknesses and what I need to work on without having to dive into the numbers. It would be nice to see some more detailed metrics but it needs to be reliable as I don’t want to mess with it on the course.

The biggest challenge is moving from the practice range to the course. I get the impression that this is a struggle area for you since you get good “score” on the skytrak but don’t execute to that level on the course. This is my problem with the short game; how do I take my practice success to the course. Starting to think I have mental issues.

I agree 100%.  Last year when I switched to The Grint to track my hcp, I kept track of just the basics that The Grint monitors; not distances, but L or R, short or long on fairways and greens, sand saves and putts.  That's all I really cared about.  I would track that info while I kept score on each hole.  Not bad, but it was also distracting as I was thinking about the stats and not focusing on the shots.  

Then I realized that I can remember what I did on every hole when I got home.  I know the score for each hole, where I hit the ball, whether or not I got up and down and how many putts I took on each green.  I record that info when I get home.  If I wait until the next day, I can't remember anything about the round other than I got a DB or birdie on a particular hole.  The pars and bogeys are forgettable.

As for taking short game practice to the course...  I do find that the grass is different in the short game area of my course than out on the course, so it may not all be as mental as you think.  There is more stress on the course because there are consequences for a bad shot that isn't there when practicing, unless you incorporate it into your practice routine.  Practice the stress.

I do not spend much time practicing before a round; I save practice for days I don't play.  I pitch maybe 10-15 balls, 20-30yard to get a rhythm, chip maybe a dozen balls on the putting green, and putt for 10 minutes starting with one-handed 3-4 footers then lag putts.  I may hit a few balls on the range if I have more time, but never more than dozen balls with only 3-4 drivers.  I'm OK with not hitting on the range and just stretching instead.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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On 3/28/2019 at 8:35 AM, GB13 said:

I don't know why, but the course closed sign is making me laugh. Like, I don't think I need a sign to know that...

At least he can see the course sign! How often does the snow get high enough to cover it?

Driver - :ping-small: G400 LST

3W & 4H - Orlimar High Energy 2

Irons - :cobra-small:F7 OL (5I - GW)

Wedges -  Top Flight Gamer Tour 52* 56* 60*

Putter - Orlimar HE2

Balls - Vice Pro

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  • 2 weeks later...

Been a busy week here: in our small town, the 4th of July remains a big deal, which I love.

Played a few rounds since my last update. Last Saturday morning, I made a mess of nine holes, posting an 11 over. On Monday, Kirke and I played two tiny courses together on the same property in the Twin Cities. On the shortest course, I was quite nervous that I was going down to Kirke for the first time from the same tees. It's only 575 yards; the longest hole is 90 yards. Last year, when Kirke was five, I beat him by only 3 strokes.

I managed to hold him off by the same margin this year, but it took me shooting even par to do so:

IMG_20190701_220309.jpg

The other course is slightly longer and offers two sets of tees, which makes it another tough competition with Kirke. But again, the old guy came through:

IMG_20190701_220256.jpg

The only really ugly hole here was 2: pulled a 3 wood deep into the forest and re-teed. Played the second ball as a par, which ends up as a double-bogey.

I didn't bring Game Golf along for the trip, so these rounds are invisible to my handicap. I was also playing with a backup set of clubs; I wanted to bring a carry bag for these courses, and didn't feel like moving my clubs from their normal bag.

Kirke and I played again this morning, and I have a very solid round for me: an 11-over 82. Game Golf continues to like my putting; I like it as well. I'm feeling very, very comfortable with the EXO Indianapolis S. Putts inside 5', which have usually given me fits, have been going in on a regular basis.

Approach play and my tee balls have also hit the GG standard for a 10-handicap. The short game continues to be a mess, though I did chip in from about 30' for par on 18 today.

image.png

Anyone want to pitch in (sorry, bad pun) with your best short game practice ideas for someone who's course has no short game practice area?

In home practice news, the annual picnic we host at our home on the 4th for the church forced me to do some serious garage decluttering. It still ain't pretty, but I've made progress toward setting the indoor range up the way I want it for the upcoming winter.

Along with SkyTrak, I did some video work today, using the realtime camera-with-tablet connection I've written about elsewhere here. I noticed, looking at myself on the tablet, that I really crowd the ball at address. Allowing my hands to set under my shoulders feels like I'm shoving my arms way forward. But that's worth tweaking, I think: having my hands as close to my thighs is probably not helping my desire to clear that space for my hands on the downswing.

The other goals I have on video: first, on my backswing, I have a deeply ingrained tendency to have my head lurch forward and down. And I'm still fighting to deepen my hips on the downswing, turning my body through the swing.

Here's a swing from tonight, at 240fps:

As of today, Game Golf lists my handicap at 15.7. I'm not sure why; I would've thought that today's round would have dropped it. But lots of things are going the right way. I hoping to see regular scoring in the low 80s in upcoming rounds.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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