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My Quest to Break 90.


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16 hours ago, Jonny_Crash said:

I occasionally get to play some of the fancier courses here in Utah through my job.  Next week I get to play the Painted Valley course at Promontory (link).  I'm pretty excited.  It's at a pretty high elevation (~ 7,000') so the ball should carry a ways... but it's over 8,000 yards from the tips (haha).  I obviously won't be playing from there, but it's apparently quite the challenge.  

Tony Finau holds the course record of 67.  Should be fun! 

 

2016_02_23-promontory_14_jml.jpg

Beautiful course! More importantly, Painted Valley has their yardage card on the course's website for free. Print it out and make your plan in advance!! Get an idea of where your safe misses are, generally what area you'd like your tee shot to be in, your second shot, etc. That way, you can be confident in your plan going into each and have a reset in case a hole doesn't go great.  

Case in point, look at hole 1 from the whites:

  • Downhill 548 yard par 5.
  • Clearing the creek shouldn't be an issue for you (183 to clear it from the whites), but the tee shot should be aiming to the left given the slope flowing left to right and the bunkers and creek on the right.
  • Even with your distance and the downhill, this is probably a three shot to the green hole.
  • There's a nice bit of open room from about 140 in, so you should have your pick of your third shot in. Being on the left side of the fairway gives you the best angle into the green.
  • The green is 14 yards wide and 34 yards long with both sides sloping inwards and then back to front. Bunkers on either side of the green and short right. So, short left of the green is an ok miss for most pins and  gives you an uphill put. Long right is also ok, although not great.

With all of that info, you get a good idea of what you're looking for. You don't have to try to overcook a driver/3wood combo because you're likely not on in 2 anyways. And the best room for a third shot in is in that 140 to 70 yard range, so you should decide what you want as your third shot in and what combo of tee club and second shot give you that. If your GW is still 125, you can see where you want your ideal third shot to be (around the 123 marker on the yardage book), and you get to decide how you want to split up your first two shots to get the 420 yards up to that point (e.g. 240 yard 3W off the tee and 180 yard 7i per your yardages from last year).

Then on play day, it's as simple as having your ideal plan summarized on each page. For hole 1: 3w -> 7i -> GW, stay left, short left miss. 

And of course, being comfortable adapting when things don't go according to the ideal plan. 

 

Rag tag bag, but it does the job. 

Taylormade R1 driver.

Ping G400 3 wood.

Cleveland Halo Launcher 3 hybrid.

Cleveland CBX launcher irons (5-PW). 

Assorted wedges (48, 52, 58).

Odyssey White Hot Pro 2.0 putter.

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16 minutes ago, MNUte said:

Beautiful course! More importantly, Painted Valley has their yardage card on the course's website for free. Print it out and make your plan in advance!! Get an idea of where your safe misses are, generally what area you'd like your tee shot to be in, your second shot, etc. That way, you can be confident in your plan going into each and have a reset in case a hole doesn't go great.  

I was totally planning on doing this!  It'll be nice to have a good idea of what to do as I go into the round.  Nothing is quite as hard as playing a nice (hard) course for the first time.  The yardage card will make this quite a bit easier.  I'm planning on printing it all out 🙂

I'll be sure to post how it goes!  

Driver:  Ping 425LST 9*  (Aldila Rouge White 130) 

3 Wood: Sub70 Pro (13) (HZRDS Black 60)

3U: Sub70 (19.5) (True Temper Project X U) 

Irons: Sub70 699 Pro (5-Gap) (Dynamic Gold S300)

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54 and 58 (10S)  (Project X)

Putter: Some old green Nike Blade

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I played 9 this morning at Glendale.  I finished with a 46, which included 2 triples.  

Overall, I struck the ball pretty well.  The two triples were due to some just bad shots.  One the first hole, the grass was a bit frosty and I caught a wedge really thick (twice).  On the 5th, I hit a fairway bunker, duffed out of that into a tree, chunked my approach.  Just ugly. 

The rest was pretty decent. I seem to have lost my driver a bit and am blocking everything at the moment.  So, I need to spend some time sorting that back out.   [compared to a 10 HC]

image.png.bac67f4c56ee2cf8057c6edfc80bc055.png

Over the past 10 rounds compared to a to HC, stats show I am pretty good at long approaches (150-200 YDS).  I'm leaving about 1/3 of my approaches short, 1/3 are GIR and the rest are a bit sprayed.   

Putting has really come around.  I'm still losing some strokes (-4.6) as compared to a 10 HC, but the last three rounds are closer to -1.3.  So, I think some of this was an aberration. 

Overall, I'm as follows after the last 10 rounds:

image.png.20cd5e8e26a5634087ff02ffe8f2ae64.png

 

Definitely improving though!   

Edited by Jonny_Crash

Driver:  Ping 425LST 9*  (Aldila Rouge White 130) 

3 Wood: Sub70 Pro (13) (HZRDS Black 60)

3U: Sub70 (19.5) (True Temper Project X U) 

Irons: Sub70 699 Pro (5-Gap) (Dynamic Gold S300)

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54 and 58 (10S)  (Project X)

Putter: Some old green Nike Blade

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Just found this thread.  @Jonny_Crash great write ups and insight given back has been amazing.  Picked up some ideas to improve my own game.   I have a similar goal of trying to break 80 this year.   For me the key to breaking 90 was 3 things.  

Putting, I worked a lot on putting with a goal of never having anything longer then 3 feet for my second putt on puts over 10 feet.  I still 3 putt but only once or twice a round when it used to be 5+. 

Short game, especially my wedges, i worked (and still am) on my 1/2 and 3/4 swing wedges.  Getting consistency to hit an 80 yard approach with a 3/4 swing SW for example.   Before I would be long or short, rarely pin high; and I would change up the club full LB, then 3/4 SW all trying to hit the same distance.  Now I am confident that my partial swing wedges will go the distance I expect them to go and I stick to my yardage chart.   80 yards is always a 3/4 SW, 100 yards is a 3/4 PW, etc. 

Lastly, I stopped swinging at 100%.  My distances are similar to yours, but when i full swing i have a tendency to miss left (especially with long irons and driver).  I realized that if I swing 90% I don't hook it nearly as often.  I find it better to be 10-15 yards short of where potentially I could have been and on the fairway or green then in desert rough looking for my ball.   

Best of luck on journey to break 90.   Looking forward to hearing your updates. 

 

Keep swinging - JC

Driver: th.jpg.d6e2abdaeb04f007fd259c979f389de6.jpg 0811 XF (9°)

Wood(s): th.jpg.d6e2abdaeb04f007fd259c979f389de6.jpg 0341 XF (7w)

Irons:  :Hogan: PTxPro 4-PW

Wedges:   :Hogan: Equalizer II (56°, 60°)

Putter:  :ping-small: Zing Bronze

Ball:  image.png.5e3f3d4f8b31082a6504dff683a91313.png Tour X

 

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4 hours ago, Joel C said:

Just found this thread.  @Jonny_Crash great write ups and insight given back has been amazing.  Picked up some ideas to improve my own game.   I have a similar goal of trying to break 80 this year.   For me the key to breaking 90 was 3 things.  

Putting, I worked a lot on putting with a goal of never having anything longer then 3 feet for my second putt on puts over 10 feet.  I still 3 putt but only once or twice a round when it used to be 5+. 

Short game, especially my wedges, i worked (and still am) on my 1/2 and 3/4 swing wedges.  Getting consistency to hit an 80 yard approach with a 3/4 swing SW for example.   Before I would be long or short, rarely pin high; and I would change up the club full LB, then 3/4 SW all trying to hit the same distance.  Now I am confident that my partial swing wedges will go the distance I expect them to go and I stick to my yardage chart.   80 yards is always a 3/4 SW, 100 yards is a 3/4 PW, etc. 

Lastly, I stopped swinging at 100%.  My distances are similar to yours, but when i full swing i have a tendency to miss left (especially with long irons and driver).  I realized that if I swing 90% I don't hook it nearly as often.  I find it better to be 10-15 yards short of where potentially I could have been and on the fairway or green then in desert rough looking for my ball.   

Best of luck on journey to break 90.   Looking forward to hearing your updates. 

 

Thanks much!  It's been fun and I think it's coming along.  Not swinging full on has helped a bunch.  A controlled swing usually results in better contact/distance for me as well.. which is  so counter intuitive.  haha. 

I spent a lot of time on the full swing this winter and am liking where I am.. no on to the short game! 

Driver:  Ping 425LST 9*  (Aldila Rouge White 130) 

3 Wood: Sub70 Pro (13) (HZRDS Black 60)

3U: Sub70 (19.5) (True Temper Project X U) 

Irons: Sub70 699 Pro (5-Gap) (Dynamic Gold S300)

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54 and 58 (10S)  (Project X)

Putter: Some old green Nike Blade

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Before this year, I've broken 90 three times in my 20+ years of playing.  Stuck in between 92 and 97 for the majority of the last 10+ years.  Then 2 of my last 3 rounds I've shot an 89.  Biggest reason I think is because I took my driver out of play.  Not nearly as many pop ups or wayward shots, and for the most part my 3W goes far enough not to be a huge loss distance wise.  Also I've been fortunate enough to cut back on 3 putts in those two rounds, while also playing smarter golf.  Which we all know is easier said than done.  

Driver: Cobra F6

3W: Titleist TSi3

5W: TM RocketBallz -(my favorite club)

Hybrids: Cleveland 2-4

Irons: Callaway Apex DCB 4-PW

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SMB 52 & 56

Putter: TM Rossa Monte Carlo Mallet 

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3 hours ago, ForeRightAgain said:

Before this year, I've broken 90 three times in my 20+ years of playing.  Stuck in between 92 and 97 for the majority of the last 10+ years.  Then 2 of my last 3 rounds I've shot an 89.  Biggest reason I think is because I took my driver out of play.  Not nearly as many pop ups or wayward shots, and for the most part my 3W goes far enough not to be a huge loss distance wise.  Also I've been fortunate enough to cut back on 3 putts in those two rounds, while also playing smarter golf.  Which we all know is easier said than done.  

There are definitely some days when the driver needs to stay home for me!  Today was one of those days.  I hit it 4 times, but only one I would consider "good."  The rest were a weak push/slice... it's annoying.   I did hit my first tee shot with my 3W... which happened to be my longest drive of the day at 263.  Golf is strange game... haha

Driver:  Ping 425LST 9*  (Aldila Rouge White 130) 

3 Wood: Sub70 Pro (13) (HZRDS Black 60)

3U: Sub70 (19.5) (True Temper Project X U) 

Irons: Sub70 699 Pro (5-Gap) (Dynamic Gold S300)

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54 and 58 (10S)  (Project X)

Putter: Some old green Nike Blade

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On 5/25/2022 at 11:11 PM, Jonny_Crash said:

There are definitely some days when the driver needs to stay home for me!  Today was one of those days.  I hit it 4 times, but only one I would consider "good."  The rest were a weak push/slice... it's annoying.   I did hit my first tee shot with my 3W... which happened to be my longest drive of the day at 263.  Golf is strange game... haha

Totally a crazy game.  Played yesterday at a very hard course, was luck that I shot a 110.  Hopefully i play better at my home course on Monday

Driver: Cobra F6

3W: Titleist TSi3

5W: TM RocketBallz -(my favorite club)

Hybrids: Cleveland 2-4

Irons: Callaway Apex DCB 4-PW

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SMB 52 & 56

Putter: TM Rossa Monte Carlo Mallet 

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On 5/27/2022 at 6:33 PM, ForeRightAgain said:

Totally a crazy game.  Played yesterday at a very hard course, was luck that I shot a 110.  Hopefully i play better at my home course on Monday

Narrator: He did play better at his home course, but not much better

Driver: Cobra F6

3W: Titleist TSi3

5W: TM RocketBallz -(my favorite club)

Hybrids: Cleveland 2-4

Irons: Callaway Apex DCB 4-PW

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SMB 52 & 56

Putter: TM Rossa Monte Carlo Mallet 

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I know I don't have any street cred on here, short version of me: I started late, around 50ish and was kicking and screaming that I really didn't want to play (I had to, wife's family thing). Guess what, I fell in love with the silly game. Changed my life, really. I am not incredibly athletic, not particularly strong and now 68 years old. Good game, bad game, still always want to play my best (I mean MY BEST), not your best, not their best. That is golf, play to your strengths. Consequently, I can still win some matches, guys who drive past me 50 yards because they don't know how to pitch, chip or putt. They do all the course management stuff by the things written on preprinted rolls of TP. If they win, I am happy for them because they make better playing companions.

Any way, I play certainly at a more appropriate tee box than I started younger, and I find so many golfers (young and old) play from the wrong tee box. There is this "mens tee box" thing, they should be handicap boxes. You good, you move back. You bad, you move up. Period. It's OK to move around on the boxes as well. Don't get pigeonholed into "a color". Ever play golf with a real good female, who can drive 280? Don't tell her to hit from the women's tee. She should be back, you should be forward!

OK, here's the thing, mentally, "we" beat ourselves up for not shooting under 90. You mindset will be frustrated. Try moving up a tee box, see if you score better. If you don't drop 10 strokes moving up one tee box, admit it, you aren't playing smart golf, you are pretending to be a better golfer but you really aren't. A shorter course will show your true short comings... keep all the statistics you want, but I find it's very evident you don't know how to chip or putt, or manage your game correctly. No watches, no computers, it is right in front of you. The PGA stats are for the best in the world, and normally half of them can't clear the cut on any given tournament. IT IS THAT TOUGH OF A GAME!

OK, this is not a rant, but a suggestion: have a whisky, have a cigar, just sit and decide what do you want out of golf. If you are 40yo and HC of a 10, you have been playing for awhile or you are an incredible athlete, they exist. I have played with some before, 30yr old, never a lesson, basically scratch golfer who learned from watch TGC! Wow.. OK, he's a player but I need to move up a tee box.

Just do not forget the privilege to be able to play golf, meaning you have the discretionary income to play, the valuable time to spend with friends and family to play, the time to meet others who love the game... it's all there. Learn how to score from the shortest tee box you can, and if you can't beat 90 there, then you need another whisky, maybe one with an "e" this time, another cigar, and another talk with the guy in charge (that's you).

I wish you the best because golf is a continuing evolution, We change mentally, we change physically, the equipment changes all the time, the courses, the weather (never let weather keep you from a game), friends come and go from being able to join us but the game, it is timeless. Watch THE OPEN this year for a lesson in timelessness. 

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@lydell54 thanks for taking the time to write this out.  I agree with most of your post.  I always have a good time when I play, I'm not one to get overly frustrated.  I just love being out there and having a good walk with friends.  Obviously, I like to play well … it's more fun to hit good shots than bad shots.   However, it's fun just the same.

I like the stats and it helps me to know what I should work on and what is okay in my game.  I know many folks that don't like to get bogged down with stats, but I love data.  

I do have some course management issues and I probably should just spend some time working on "scoring" the best I can.  So that is advice well taken. 

Driver:  Ping 425LST 9*  (Aldila Rouge White 130) 

3 Wood: Sub70 Pro (13) (HZRDS Black 60)

3U: Sub70 (19.5) (True Temper Project X U) 

Irons: Sub70 699 Pro (5-Gap) (Dynamic Gold S300)

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54 and 58 (10S)  (Project X)

Putter: Some old green Nike Blade

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Sadly, I caught the Covid bug (and had to drive from NC to Utah. but that is another story..)  Anyway, no fancy golf for me this weekend.  I may try to walk a solo 9 somewhere just to get out... but gosh I'm tired.

Driver:  Ping 425LST 9*  (Aldila Rouge White 130) 

3 Wood: Sub70 Pro (13) (HZRDS Black 60)

3U: Sub70 (19.5) (True Temper Project X U) 

Irons: Sub70 699 Pro (5-Gap) (Dynamic Gold S300)

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54 and 58 (10S)  (Project X)

Putter: Some old green Nike Blade

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Sorry to hear you may have to slow down a bit... and that is why everyone needs to appreciate when they get out make the best of they enjoyment, because that time is really very fragile. The old saying, if it's not one thing it's another.

Sometimes just playing nine allows one to relax and play a different game. Playing with three clubs, plus a putter- there is a great game to see how simple you can make your game management. You learn plenty about how you strike the ball, and where you play your next shot. We do it more in the winter or wet conditions so we don't overthink the game. Great excuse to play from a different tee box as well. It's like watching Tin Cup... let's see what club I should use, hey, I'll play the 7-iron! Plus you have 2 extra and a putter. Stay hydrated, or use this other sage advice:

🐣 25+ Best Memes About Stay Thirsty My Friends Meme | Stay Thirsty My  Friends Memes

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I got out and played a couple of 9 hole rounds this weekend.  I played solo as I am still recovering from covid (gosh that isn't fun).  I hadn't swung a club for a week or two going into these rounds and man was the swing a mess.  I was swinging way too hard and that usually results in less of a turn and more of a slide for me.  The result is a lot of tops and thins when I to manage to stay behind it-ish.  The first round was so bad I just memory holed it and pretended it never happened.  

The second 9 started the same way and was not going well through about the 7th hole.... however, the course was completely empty on a monday evening... so I reset and played 2-9 again.  It was much better and I started turning and keeping the lower body a little more still.  Hit some much better shots and was a respectable +8 through 8... of course I hit my drive and 2nd shot in the junk on 9 and took a quad.  Golf.... 

I played at Soldier Hollow and they had sanded the greens recently, so I could never figure out the speed.  They looked fast, they rolled pretty straight.... but god they were slow.  It was so hard to trust that I needed to hit as hard as I did.  Made for a lot of long 2nd putts... most of which I missed. That really hurt the score.  However, the killer was that my driver has abandoned me.  I could not hit the thing to save my life.  Need to get back to the range for some reps to figure that out.  It went from a strength to a total weakness.  

Shot of the day was ironically the first tee ball.  It was down wind and downhill, so I tried to take some trouble out of play and hit my driving iron.  Result was a striped 3i that ran out to 270 haha.  The three putt and pushed GW were indicative of the round.

 

image.png.6b6c54099a52d2010a4464d8134daf76.png

 

Golf is a journey for sure.  I'm headed to Switzerland at the end of the month, but once I get back (if I have any money) I think a tune up lesson is in order to try and get things back on track. 

 

Cheers! 

Driver:  Ping 425LST 9*  (Aldila Rouge White 130) 

3 Wood: Sub70 Pro (13) (HZRDS Black 60)

3U: Sub70 (19.5) (True Temper Project X U) 

Irons: Sub70 699 Pro (5-Gap) (Dynamic Gold S300)

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54 and 58 (10S)  (Project X)

Putter: Some old green Nike Blade

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Got a round in before work today.  Played pretty middling round. I felt like I putted terribly, lots of burned edges led to 21 putts.   I also had some just strange holes today. 

On the first hole, I duck hooked a driver, then topped 2 5i's before hitting another 5i 202 into the green (3 putted). The 5th hole I hit a tree and had to punch out from under it for my 3rd.  The 6th I short sided myself and ended up pitching on and then off the green. I felt like I was hitting pretty well, but ended up in bad spots on a couple shots. Coupled with 4 three putts I carded a 48. 

Two best shots were tee shots on 2 and 3.  I used my 3U and hit 243 and 250 respectively.  The second shot was a beautiful draw with the shape of the hole and felt amazing.  Naturally, I didn't pick that club up again the rest of the round haha.  I should have stuck with the hot club as most of my Driver and 3W tee shots were shorter than the 3U.  

My short game has been the strong part of my game and according to strokes gained vs a 10 HC I'm as follows over the past 10 rounds:

image.png.9516387a195c15bc29dcfd9ca803e677.png

Keys to improving seem to be keeping the ball in play off the tee (no penalties), smoothing out approach shots and working on the putting.  

Approach shots, I have consistently been leaving myself short of the green (common problem).  I've been working on smoothing and slowing down my tempo, which leads to better ball striking, but a small loss in distance.  I'm going to club up and swing easy for a while and see if that helps out.  

Putting is a funny thing for me.  I putted great for the prior 4 rounds(around -1.0 SG, but this one was a bit of a doozy. I'll keep working on short putts and making sure I'm hitting my marks.  This is the place where I'll see the most improvement in my scores, so it will be a focus moving forward. 

Edited to Add: I did roll in a 35ft double breaker on the 9th to end the round.  

Edited by Jonny_Crash

Driver:  Ping 425LST 9*  (Aldila Rouge White 130) 

3 Wood: Sub70 Pro (13) (HZRDS Black 60)

3U: Sub70 (19.5) (True Temper Project X U) 

Irons: Sub70 699 Pro (5-Gap) (Dynamic Gold S300)

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54 and 58 (10S)  (Project X)

Putter: Some old green Nike Blade

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  • 1 month later...

I've been quite on here lately (took a wonderful trip to Switzerland for two weeks and then tore my palm open on a nail, which required 18 stitches).  I've slowly been getting back out there and playing.  It's been typically inconsistent. 

I've had some good rounds (45) and some really bad rounds (55 this morning).  I sort of lost my golf swing in late June early July and its still not quite back.  As a result I'm struggling with my iron play.  It's costing me a lot of strokes when I leave one short or shank one off the hosel.  

Compared to a 10 HC, I'm losing strokes as follows: 

image.png.306aa766d6ca58bf16b9d9199dd2706e.png

A lot of "approach" issues stem from driving issues (and course management).  For example, today I hit a drive 260 into the left rough.  It landed right behind a tree, which I then proceeded to hit.  This knocked the ball straight down.  I thought I could hit a wedge into the green from there, but it popped up and hit another branch landing about 15 yards ahead.  This shows up as a bad approach (which it was), but it stemmed from my poor decision and the tee shot being blocked by a tree.  

Putting remains an issue.  I've been working on my alignment (I was a bit right aligned) and tempo, which has helped.  Still not quite there yet, but I am improving (today's disaster aside).   

All in all, I'm having a blast... but not really making strides like I'd hoped.   The reality is I still need a lesson to get some eyes on my swing. I'm sure there are some easy things that I can do to eliminate the push that has been plaguing me (for example not gripping as tight has helped).   

Such a fun game and I have a blast every time I get out there!  

 

 

Driver:  Ping 425LST 9*  (Aldila Rouge White 130) 

3 Wood: Sub70 Pro (13) (HZRDS Black 60)

3U: Sub70 (19.5) (True Temper Project X U) 

Irons: Sub70 699 Pro (5-Gap) (Dynamic Gold S300)

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54 and 58 (10S)  (Project X)

Putter: Some old green Nike Blade

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Got out and played 9 this morning.  We played the back nine at Bonneville.  I had a shaky first hole and a bad last hole, but in between I played some of the best golf I have all summer.  

I finished with a 43 (+7) and with a couple of breaks could have been so much better.  I had one driving penalty that was about 6" into the woods and had two putts that were 360 degree lip-outs.  It was really encouraging.  

The biggest thing for me has been less grip pressure and then swinging around myself a bit more.  I have a tendency to grip hard and lash at the ball.  This predictably leads to big pushes (push slices) and inconsistent low points. When this happens my ball striking is all over the place.  Today I was able to get into a groove and was hitting some great approach shots and keeping drives in play.  Strokes Gained for the round were as follows (compared to a 10 HCP):

image.png.a9fb2ff33f2926106b8d4016700c86f9.png

The improved approach play led to 4 GIR (and a couple of nGIR). I had 18 putts and it was one of my better putting rounds in a long time.  A key with putting has been checking my alignment. I noticed I have been a little open when lining up, so getting that synced up has helped. As noted, I lipped out two putts and left a couple others at tap-in distance.  So it seems to be working. 

Driver was also firing and keeping things in play really helps.  I hit 43% fairways and the misses were usually first cut (I did get lucky with one that kicked off some trees into the first cut).  My drives were: 230, 280, 253, 291, and 262.  

Overall, a very encouraging round.. now to back it up.  

 

image.jpeg.aaf65ebe6d3562ee47fe166f518fc9a2.jpeg
 
 

Driver:  Ping 425LST 9*  (Aldila Rouge White 130) 

3 Wood: Sub70 Pro (13) (HZRDS Black 60)

3U: Sub70 (19.5) (True Temper Project X U) 

Irons: Sub70 699 Pro (5-Gap) (Dynamic Gold S300)

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54 and 58 (10S)  (Project X)

Putter: Some old green Nike Blade

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  • 4 weeks later...

I've been playing a lot and working hard on my swing.  It has settled into a pretty solid groove at the moment.  I still have the occasional bad shot (shank, top, chunk...) but for the most part I'm hitting it pretty well.  In particular I've been getting the driver in play and eliminating many of the driving penalties (played some wide open courses as well).  

The good news is my HC has dropped from 20 to 16.  I've made progress on every aspect of my game.  My goal is to get down to a 10 HC and I'm currently about 9 stokes-gained off that pace.   My short game continues to be my best area and I'm playing at a 10 HC level there (0.0 SG).  Approach and putting are holding me back (-3.8 SG each).  

I have noticed some weird things using Arccos.  For example on today's round I hit a 3W off the tee and while it landed just in the first cut, my approach was blocked by a tree.  I tried to pop it under the tree and came up short.  This counts as a bad approach, but was dictated by the bad drive.  So Arccos isn't perfect, but I really like it and the data available is improving. 

There is some interesting data starting to show up after 1,373 shots and 27 rounds of golf using Arccos. Here are some of my observations:

  • I hit pretty long(ish) so I end up with a lot of shorter approach shots.  My driver is averaging 264.  This has resulted in a lot of bomb and gouge(ish).  Consequently, I rarely use my 6-9 irons (all less than 30 shots this summer).
  • I've become a huge fan of my 54 degree wedge and use that for everything inside 100 yards.  It has been used 155 times this summer and I'm hitting 56% GIR with it.  
  • Oddly my second best club for GIR is my 6i, which I hit the green with 45% of the time.  
  • The 8i is my worst for hitting the green (17%) and I really need to work on those approaches from 150-200 yards (-2.1 SG). 
  • As is typical for most golfers it seems, I leave about 47% of approaches short of the green.  (compared to 9% left, 29% GIR, 12% right and 3% long).  Some of this is blocked shots from tee balls, some is just chunky shots.  Overall, its a big area from improvement and I've started to club up and swing a bit easier (finally...)
  • Putting, while improved, has been a problem.  I particularly struggle with 6-9ft putts (-2.2 SG).  From this distance I'm only making 7% of putts.  This simply has to improve and I'm exploring some lessons/putter fittings in this area.  
  • I don't really have a club that is causing me problems.  I am around -0.2  to 0.0 on SG for most clubs.  So its a general issue, which I guess is nice haha.
  • I have pretty good gapping between my clubs.

All in all, it's been a great summer and I have played a ton of golf! I love getting better and I feel like I'm in a bit of a groove lately (I'm sure it will end ... cause... golf), but I'm enjoying it while it lasts!  Thanks for reading 🙂

image.jpeg.b4e0a696478db38258311092575b3447.jpeg

 

 

 

 

 

Driver:  Ping 425LST 9*  (Aldila Rouge White 130) 

3 Wood: Sub70 Pro (13) (HZRDS Black 60)

3U: Sub70 (19.5) (True Temper Project X U) 

Irons: Sub70 699 Pro (5-Gap) (Dynamic Gold S300)

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54 and 58 (10S)  (Project X)

Putter: Some old green Nike Blade

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I guess I should note that I rarely play more than 9 holes at a time... so the "breaking 90" is a bit of misnomer.  Since I don't play 18... I don't really every have a chance to break 90.  

That being said, I've got seven rounds this summer that are sub 45 for 9 holes and one 45.  I'm hoping to get a couple 18 hole rounds during the late summer/early fall.  So hopefully I can break 90 and get that box checked off!  

Driver:  Ping 425LST 9*  (Aldila Rouge White 130) 

3 Wood: Sub70 Pro (13) (HZRDS Black 60)

3U: Sub70 (19.5) (True Temper Project X U) 

Irons: Sub70 699 Pro (5-Gap) (Dynamic Gold S300)

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54 and 58 (10S)  (Project X)

Putter: Some old green Nike Blade

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On 9/22/2021 at 4:05 PM, dlow206 said:

One thing I would recommend, and not saying you are doing anything wrong, is to make sure all the setup aspects are correct, especially grip. I made a big jump in improvement just by improving my grip. When I mean improving grip, i don't necessarily mean strong vs. neutral vs. weak, but more about where exactly in the left hand the club should sit and where exactly in the right hand the grip should sit. I have had instructors say it looks fine, but recently had an instructor that physically placed my hands on the grip for me to show me exactly how it should be held. Sometimes I get sloppy with my grip and then things go downhill from there including swing plane getting messed up. 

This.  Start really taking note of where the grip is when you finish swings you think were bad.  For me it started to notice on bad swings I wasn't really getting it down into my fingers.  Not quite up into the palm either but not quite into the fingers enough.  Once I realize that and started ensuring it is right at address the rest seems to fall into place.  It doesn't make sense to me but I think even a slight grip change gives me different feels at the top and helps me get the arms out of it to some extent and makes shallowing feel more natural.

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Sorry about the Achilles. I ruptured mine (back leg) 4 years ago at about the same situation you have found yourself. It is a significant injury so it changes a lot moving forward. A lot of it will come as you get more confident with your heel is what I keep getting told because my swing speed is about 10 mph slower than it was before. Hope to hear how this lesson goes for you. I’m about to do the same thing this off-season. Good luck! 

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On 9/10/2022 at 6:17 AM, Bdm1507 said:

Sorry about the Achilles. I ruptured mine (back leg) 4 years ago at about the same situation you have found yourself. It is a significant injury so it changes a lot moving forward. A lot of it will come as you get more confident with your heel is what I keep getting told because my swing speed is about 10 mph slower than it was before. Hope to hear how this lesson goes for you. I’m about to do the same thing this off-season. Good luck! 

 

Thanks, I'm a year and a half out from it and seem to be no worse for wear.  I skied most of the winter and am back to playing soccer and trail running.  So far so good, it sure was a crappy injury though!  Definitely one to avoid if at all possible. 

Cheers! 

Driver:  Ping 425LST 9*  (Aldila Rouge White 130) 

3 Wood: Sub70 Pro (13) (HZRDS Black 60)

3U: Sub70 (19.5) (True Temper Project X U) 

Irons: Sub70 699 Pro (5-Gap) (Dynamic Gold S300)

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54 and 58 (10S)  (Project X)

Putter: Some old green Nike Blade

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  • 3 months later...

So a bit of an update.  Had a wonderful summer playing golf this year.  Didn't really do what I needed to do in order to improve significantly, but did drop my HC down about 4-5 strokes.  No complaints there.  

However, I just tore my ACL playing soccer, so I'm looking at some time off from golf this winter/spring.  Hopefully it will recover okay and I can get back to playing soon, but for now I'm on the shelf... again. 

Driver:  Ping 425LST 9*  (Aldila Rouge White 130) 

3 Wood: Sub70 Pro (13) (HZRDS Black 60)

3U: Sub70 (19.5) (True Temper Project X U) 

Irons: Sub70 699 Pro (5-Gap) (Dynamic Gold S300)

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54 and 58 (10S)  (Project X)

Putter: Some old green Nike Blade

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