Jnoble89's 2023 Season Thread: Intro & Journey to Breaking 90

[GolfSpy_KFT]

43 minutes ago, Papagreen75 said:

Thanks for sharing your progress. I feel like I could have easily played that exact round last season. Just a quick comment about something that really helps me when things aren’t going well. 

Be sure to have a pre shot routine. Stick to it no matter what. When you get up to the ball and it doesn’t feel right. Step away, back off and reset. This one little thing really helps me regain focus when a round starts going off the rails. Hope it helps you too. 

This is great advice, thank you!

[Hakr4ever]

On 4/7/2023 at 6:07 PM, Jnoble89 said:

Just got home from playing the front 9, and I can honestly say that it was the worst round of golf I have ever played in my life

For whatever reason, I could not hit a successful tee shot or mid iron, and about the only thing that went semi-well were my short irons. This surprised me, especially with my irons, as I was striking them pretty well warming up on the range. I was also finding the center of the face of my driver in yesterday’s practice session, then today put an awful sky mark/scratch on the crown towards the toe of my driver AND 3 wood just cosmetic and won’t affect performance, but absolutely pains me to my core. I will probably look into getting them refinished at the end of the season if anyone has recommendations. 

Only highlight was my son playing pretty well and he hit some great shots, including his driver about 70 yards on hole 9! I tee him up at the 100 yard marker, so he got a GIR on 9, hitting his 7/8 iron pin high on his second shot! The picture and video are from hole 1.

 

Long story short, if it could go wrong today, it did. Just going to flush that one down the toilet and go back to the drawing board. 

 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

25 minutes ago, cnosil said:

For which putting skill?   Indoors or outdoors?   
 

startline drills: leverage gates to roll the ball through or roll the ball over a dime. There are distance from the ball and gate width measurements on the Visio website that show margin of error.  You can also roll the ball down a yardstick. Make sure to use different length strokes.  No hole required and can be done in about 4 feet of space.

Stroke drills: leverage gates for the putter head to help make sure you hit the center of the club face.  This is important for distance control. 

distance control:  hard to do indoors unless you have a big room or something like an exputt.  outdoors you have ladder drills.  This is probably my go to; which I need to get back to doing: https://insidegolf.ca/read/15697-this-speed-putting-drill-will-eliminate-3-putts

Here are some drills from Phil Kenyon: https://www.philkenyonputting.com/gift?gclid=CjwKCAjw586hBhBrEiwAQYEnHVzsvQIK_OzBOeV6c8DIB0l3VGrlGvRkLdmlCsMcCk6WAhepBIrWWBoCp6oQAvD_BwE   He does a masterclass series occasionally with some live webinars; not sure it is still free, but it was a good intro to putting.   If you sign up for the free videos you get on his mailing list: https://www.philkenyonputting.com/mc

 

 

 

All of my putting practice currently will be outdoors on the practice green at my club facility. Thanks for these, Chris! Distance control is definitely something I need to work on as I have a tendency to leave putts too short and then make the second putt more difficult than it should be, leading to at least a few three puts per nine holes. 

For the startline and stroke drills, this may be an unnecessary question, but can I use something as simple as tees for leverage gates? I have literally never done anything to actually "practice" putting, other than going on the practice green and rolling putts. Mainly because I just didn't make/have the time to really practice. 

[Hakr4ever]

Hang in there! You can do this! Remember, sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you! Above all, HAVE FUN!

[GolfSpy_KFT]

7 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Puttout is by far my favorite putting drill and tool!

Any specific products from them that you really like, Jamie? I see they have a few different items on their website. Looks like something that would be great for me to have in the offseason as well. 

[cnosil]

33 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

All of my putting practice currently will be outdoors on the practice green at my club facility. Thanks for these, Chris! Distance control is definitely something I need to work on as I have a tendency to leave putts too short and then make the second putt more difficult than it should be, leading to at least a few three puts per nine holes. 

For the startline and stroke drills, this may be an unnecessary question, but can I use something as simple as tees for leverage gates? I have literally never done anything to actually "practice" putting, other than going on the practice green and rolling putts. Mainly because I just didn't make/have the time to really practice. 

Yep, tees make great gates. I’d even bring a ruler to make sure you have the right distance from the ball and that the gates are the right distance apart.   Putting tees just outside the putter head help drill center contact….move the tees closer or farther based on how well you do.  
 

as for leaving putts short,  putts have dispersion patterns too.  As you move farther from the hole, you will leave putts short and you will hit them long.   10% of total putt distance is a good goal for the window.   So if you have a 30 foot putt, rolling it to within 3 feet short or long is a good putt.   Speed control is probably the most important part of putting.  This involves hitting the center of the face and having good face control.  If you can’t control speed, it becomes more difficult to read putts.  

[GolfSpy_KFT]

13 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Yep, tees make great gates. I’d even bring a ruler to make sure you have the right distance from the ball and that the gates are the right distance apart.   Putting tees just outside the putter head help drill center contact….move the tees closer or farther based on how well you do.  
 

as for leaving putts short,  putts have dispersion patterns too.  As you move farther from the hole, you will leave putts short and you will hit them long.   10% of total putt distance is a good goal for the window.   So if you have a 30 foot putt, rolling it to within 3 feet short or long is a good putt.   Speed control is probably the most important part of putting.  This involves hitting the center of the face and having good face control.  If you can’t control speed, it becomes more difficult to read putts.  

Awesome, thanks for the great insight! I will do some looking to make sure I have distances correct and that the gates are correct as well. I definitely need to get more comfortable with the 3-4 foot putts. 

I've never used the umbrella sleeve on my bag for an umbrella, maybe I'll throw a yardstick in there! 

[Lee Stanek]

4 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

Awesome, thanks for the great insight! I will do some looking to make sure I have distances correct and that the gates are correct as well. I definitely need to get more comfortable with the 3-4 foot putts. 

I've never used the umbrella sleeve on my bag for an umbrella, maybe I'll throw a yardstick in there! 

Yeah great helpful tips.  

[cnosil]

11 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

Awesome, thanks for the great insight! I will do some looking to make sure I have distances correct and that the gates are correct as well. I definitely need to get more comfortable with the 3-4 foot putts. 

I've never used the umbrella sleeve on my bag for an umbrella, maybe I'll throw a yardstick in there! 

3-4 footers should be in the 98%+ make range.  Almost all of these putts should be aimed inside the hole unless there is a big slope.   If you can get the face control within 1* of error, you will make more of them.   
 

here is a link to details on the practice distances and degree of error needed to make putts

https://visioputting.com/putting-gate-pack/?gclid=CjwKCAjw586hBhBrEiwAQYEnHQWZ9MHTHJah0ZBE2h1mbxOnFrmVpQPkpq5ED7NdqV7Gv2vQFytobhoCQrMQAvD_BwE

[GolfSpy_KFT]

29 minutes ago, cnosil said:

3-4 footers should be in the 98%+ make range.  Almost all of these putts should be aimed inside the hole unless there is a big slope.   If you can get the face control within 1* of error, you will make more of them.   
 

here is a link to details on the practice distances and degree of error needed to make putts

https://visioputting.com/putting-gate-pack/?gclid=CjwKCAjw586hBhBrEiwAQYEnHQWZ9MHTHJah0ZBE2h1mbxOnFrmVpQPkpq5ED7NdqV7Gv2vQFytobhoCQrMQAvD_BwE

Thanks for the link! I can definitely say that my confidence on 3-4 foot putts needs to improve. Already put some notes into my phone for some drills to work on the putting green this week. I think it'll be a big eye opener for me.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Going to try and "schedule" week by week my plans for practice and playing rounds for this year and see how it goes. Obviously things will come up and plans will change, but I'm thinking if I can be really organized with when to practice and play, it'll make it easier for my wife. As it stands to look right now, Monday & Wednesday will be my best shot at weekday practice sessions. My hope is to get one long practice session each week (60-90 minutes) and then use pre round warm ups as light practice. More or less trying to re-affirm the feels of the swing change I want to work on. I will be playing in a Tuesday night 9 hole scramble league, so I will also kind of approach this as playing practice since it's best ball, and then I would love to play a 9 or 18 hole round on Thursday, and an 18 hole round on either Saturday or Sunday, just depending on what the weekends look like. Once summer gets into full swing, things like swimming lessons will need to be worked around, but that is OK as the kids come first. 

I'll be leaving work around 4:15 today to head home and pick my oldest up to hit the range. I think today we will start with some putting work, and I'll incorporate some drills I found based off of some recommendations @cnosil made. Thanks for that, Chris! After that we will head over to the range and I'm going to work through the even clubs in my bag up to driver, then play a few simulated holes if time allows. 

The weather this weekend doesn't look ideal with rain in the forecast both days, but if we can play around the rain, that will be the plan. Hoping to get a couple 9 hole rounds in possibly Tuesday & Thursday or else Friday so I can post my first score in the Forum Tour. Should be a fun week!

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

4 hours ago, cnosil said:

Yep, tees make great gates. I’d even bring a ruler to make sure you have the right distance from the ball and that the gates are the right distance apart.   Putting tees just outside the putter head help drill center contact….move the tees closer or farther based on how well you do.  
 

as for leaving putts short,  putts have dispersion patterns too.  As you move farther from the hole, you will leave putts short and you will hit them long.   10% of total putt distance is a good goal for the window.   So if you have a 30 foot putt, rolling it to within 3 feet short or long is a good putt.   Speed control is probably the most important part of putting.  This involves hitting the center of the face and having good face control.  If you can’t control speed, it becomes more difficult to read putts.  

This resonates, never thought of that 10% thanks Chris

[GolfSpy_KFT]

1 minute ago, Lacassem said:

This resonates, never thought of that 10% thanks Chris

I had never thought of that either until he mentioned it. Once I get really comfortable with the 3-4 foot putts, it will make me feel a lot better about not sticking those long lag puts to within a couple feet where I'm really confident I won't miss it 

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

1 minute ago, Jnoble89 said:

I had never thought of that either until he mentioned it. Once I get really comfortable with the 3-4 foot putts, it will make me feel a lot better about not sticking those long lag puts to within a couple feet where I'm really confident I won't miss it 

Just a plain putting mat and the putt out system really helped my putting game. Still need to read the greens but for general speed it changed my make percentage completely. I know Jamie mentioned the putt out earlier in the thread but you really can’t go wrong with it

[GolfSpy_KFT]

5 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

Just a plain putting mat and the putt out system really helped my putting game. Still need to read the greens but for general speed it changed my make percentage completely. I know Jamie mentioned the putt out earlier in the thread but you really can’t go wrong with it

I'm thinking the putt out would make a fantastic gift idea for the in-laws this year for Christmas 

[cnosil]

22 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

This resonates, never thought of that 10% thanks Chris

I can’t claim authoring it, it was discussed in a video about DECADE and putt dispersion.  

19 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

I had never thought of that either until he mentioned it. Once I get really comfortable with the 3-4 foot putts, it will make me feel a lot better about not sticking those long lag puts to within a couple feet where I'm really confident I won't miss it 

That is the idea,  3-4 footers become close to automatics and as long as you can get putts into a 6 foot circle you are into 2 putt range.    You could make a 6 foot circle around a hole with string or a bunch of tees (with enough space to putt around )and see how much space that gives you. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

46 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

Going to try and "schedule" week by week my plans for practice and playing rounds for this year and see how it goes. Obviously things will come up and plans will change, but I'm thinking if I can be really organized with when to practice and play, it'll make it easier for my wife. As it stands to look right now, Monday & Wednesday will be my best shot at weekday practice sessions. My hope is to get one long practice session each week (60-90 minutes) and then use pre round warm ups as light practice. More or less trying to re-affirm the feels of the swing change I want to work on. I will be playing in a Tuesday night 9 hole scramble league, so I will also kind of approach this as playing practice since it's best ball, and then I would love to play a 9 or 18 hole round on Thursday, and an 18 hole round on either Saturday or Sunday, just depending on what the weekends look like. Once summer gets into full swing, things like swimming lessons will need to be worked around, but that is OK as the kids come first. 

I'll be leaving work around 4:15 today to head home and pick my oldest up to hit the range. I think today we will start with some putting work, and I'll incorporate some drills I found based off of some recommendations @cnosil made. Thanks for that, Chris! After that we will head over to the range and I'm going to work through the even clubs in my bag up to driver, then play a few simulated holes if time allows. 

The weather this weekend doesn't look ideal with rain in the forecast both days, but if we can play around the rain, that will be the plan. Hoping to get a couple 9 hole rounds in possibly Tuesday & Thursday or else Friday so I can post my first score in the Forum Tour. Should be a fun week!

And just like that my plans have changed! Need to cover an education class for one of my co-workers tonight as they are unable to due to a work conflict that came up for them  I guess my practice session will have to wait until tomorrow or Wednesday. Work always finds a way of getting in the way of things, doesn't it?

[sirchunksalot]

4 hours ago, Jnoble89 said:

And just like that my plans have changed! Need to cover an education class for one of my co-workers tonight as they are unable to due to a work conflict that came up for them  I guess my practice session will have to wait until tomorrow or Wednesday. Work always finds a way of getting in the way of things, doesn't it?

Work has a pesky way of ruining our golf plans. It reminds me of the age old question "why couldn't I have been born rich instead of so good looking?"

Have I mentioned I have bad eyesight?

[GolfSpy_KFT]

2 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

Work has a pesky way of ruining our golf plans. It reminds me of the age old question "why couldn't I have been born rich instead of so good looking?"

Have I mentioned I have bad eyesight?

You and me both, Jason! Another thing we have in common besides our obviously excellent first name!

[Mr. Mushball]

On 4/9/2023 at 5:31 AM, Jnoble89 said:

Yes, planning on taking a few lessons with the pro at the club to get some help on what is going wrong with my swing with woods for sure. My biggest goal is improving off the tee, and then from there another goal I have is no three putts. I feel like if I can improve my consistency off the tee, I can drop a few strokes at least right there. One longer term goal would be better accuracy on approach shots, just being able to get closer to pins instead of the goal of just hitting the green. I know that one is a ways off at this point because I need to get my swing more consistent 

Curious to see if your theory holds out.  I'm all in on the no three putts.  My current putting average is around 40, though I know I can do better.  Something has gone very wrong in the putter that I need someone to have a look at.  However, hitting more fairways hasn't been a noticeable game changer for me yet.  I struggle with good contact on the grass in general, so rough or off to the side doesn't seem to be a big factor in my game.  Getting rid of the duffs is my biggest source of large numbers.  Would you say that you find yourself scrambling more than a few times a round, or you feel you could hit your approach shot if you were further down in the middle?

Also, have you tried any bogey golf methods to try a guided stragegy?  I've found that to be helpful and takes some of the pressure off of reaching beyond my skills too much.  I.e. if bogey means that you are allowed an extra stroke per hole to make "par", then there's no need to try and drive 200 yards down a 400 yard par 4.  You can take the longest club that you hit straight 95% of the time and have a leisurely two more strokes onto the green.  Or, if you do get on in regulation, the occasional three putt doesn't hurt as much.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

1 hour ago, Mr. Mushball said:

Curious to see if your theory holds out.  I'm all in on the no three putts.  My current putting average is around 40, though I know I can do better.  Something has gone very wrong in the putter that I need someone to have a look at.  However, hitting more fairways hasn't been a noticeable game changer for me yet.  I struggle with good contact on the grass in general, so rough or off to the side doesn't seem to be a big factor in my game.  Getting rid of the duffs is my biggest source of large numbers.  Would you say that you find yourself scrambling more than a few times a round, or you feel you could hit your approach shot if you were further down in the middle?

Also, have you tried any bogey golf methods to try a guided stragegy?  I've found that to be helpful and takes some of the pressure off of reaching beyond my skills too much.  I.e. if bogey means that you are allowed an extra stroke per hole to make "par", then there's no need to try and drive 200 yards down a 400 yard par 4.  You can take the longest club that you hit straight 95% of the time and have a leisurely two more strokes onto the green.  Or, if you do get on in regulation, the occasional three putt doesn't hurt as much.

My biggest problem with tee shots is that I end up OB once or twice per 9 holes, causing me to take a penalty stroke, or top it badly and end up so short that I am having to use another wood to try and get up to the green. If I was able to hit it even 200 yards down the fairway or miss in the rough right or left, I’d be thrilled with that at this point. My issue is the misses are big. Often times I’m trying to punch out of trouble. So far, my mid to short irons on approaches haven’t been an issue, hence my thought process of being able to drop some strokes simply by hitting an average tee shot.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Hoping to make it to the range after work today if I am lucky. Going to be an absolutely gorgeous day and I'll sadly be working until 5pm 

I have the day off on Friday, so after I drop my oldest son off at school I'm going to run back home and have made a 9:00am tee time. I'm going to take my little guy out with me, since he doesn't usually get to go with me and big brother. He doesn't have any real clubs yet (he's only 3), but has a little plastic putter I will probably bring along. Going to try and play 18, but it will be dependent on how he does with just riding around with dad . If we only play 9, I might try to get an afternoon 9 in with my oldest after picking him up from school. Forecast shows rain midday on Saturday, so hoping to also play a morning 9 or 18 that day as well. Just have to make sure it is OK with my wife before getting ahead of myself.

I am very anxious to get back to the range and course!

[russtopherb]

1 hour ago, Jnoble89 said:

Hoping to make it to the range after work today if I am lucky. Going to be an absolutely gorgeous day and I'll sadly be working until 5pm 

I have the day off on Friday, so after I drop my oldest son off at school I'm going to run back home and have made a 9:00am tee time. I'm going to take my little guy out with me, since he doesn't usually get to go with me and big brother. He doesn't have any real clubs yet (he's only 3), but has a little plastic putter I will probably bring along. Going to try and play 18, but it will be dependent on how he does with just riding around with dad . If we only play 9, I might try to get an afternoon 9 in with my oldest after picking him up from school. Forecast shows rain midday on Saturday, so hoping to also play a morning 9 or 18 that day as well. Just have to make sure it is OK with my wife before getting ahead of myself.

I am very anxious to get back to the range and course!

A 3 year old going 18 holes?

 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

6 minutes ago, russtopherb said:

A 3 year old going 18 holes?

 

Hey, a guy can dream!!! 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

1 hour ago, Jnoble89 said:

Hoping to make it to the range after work today if I am lucky. Going to be an absolutely gorgeous day and I'll sadly be working until 5pm 

I have the day off on Friday, so after I drop my oldest son off at school I'm going to run back home and have made a 9:00am tee time. I'm going to take my little guy out with me, since he doesn't usually get to go with me and big brother. He doesn't have any real clubs yet (he's only 3), but has a little plastic putter I will probably bring along. Going to try and play 18, but it will be dependent on how he does with just riding around with dad . If we only play 9, I might try to get an afternoon 9 in with my oldest after picking him up from school. Forecast shows rain midday on Saturday, so hoping to also play a morning 9 or 18 that day as well. Just have to make sure it is OK with my wife before getting ahead of myself.

I am very anxious to get back to the range and course!

Just be careful with kids on golf carts. I have read some horror stories and why I haven’t taken my four year oils out yet. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

10 minutes ago, Vegan_Golfer_PNW said:

Just be careful with kids on golf carts. I have read some horror stories and why I haven’t taken my four year oils out yet. 

Definitely, when my oldest comes out it's fully seated against the back rest, holding onto the handle before we are moving. He does a really good job with it. With the youngest he would probably be on my lap, or I might honestly consider hoofing it with him in a stroller and using a push cart. We've got a trail stroller that I could push him in and the front nine of the course isn't terribly hilly terrain.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Not a whole lot new to report today, but wanting to do a daily update just to keep up with the journaling idea of my golfing season. Saw some interesting drills and swing thoughts while bored on Instagram last night (FWIW, I take a lot of what I see on there at a grain of salt, because I don't trust how many "swing coaches" there are online). One that I really liked, though, was one from Rickie Fowler with keeping a headcover tucked under the lead arm to help stay connected in the swing. I know this isn't anything new, but it's something I've never thought to try. Since I was not able to get to the range, and probably won't until Friday (unless I get lucky tomorrow) I did some dry swings at the house, working on that drill in phases.

I wanted to try it with what my normal swing feels like, and none to my surprise, I dropped the headcover almost as soon as I got to hands parallel. I did repetitions of just the takeaway to hands parallel, then half way, then full back swing. It was such a subtle difference in feel, but I think is a drill that will be really beneficial for me. I am planning to do it daily, even if it's no more than 20-25 reps.

I was also trying to focus on keeping my trail wrist "cocked" for lack of a better term (just makes sense in my head) throughout my downswing and into the impact position. I was really trying to overexaggerate this feel as I struggle with early extension. So with this one, I was going to hands parallel, pausing, and then moving into impact position again really trying to exaggerate that side bend and cocked trail wrist feel. Then I progressed to close to the top of my backswing, probably not all the way there, and worked on feeling the hands come down and inside as I tend to get a little quick and can be over the top. 

All in all, it felt like a good session of practice (dry swings always seem to) and I am going to keep doing it. Looking forward to being able to get on the range so I can incorporate some ball striking with these drills as well!

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Getting 9 in tomorrow morning, possibly a second 9 in the afternoon and 18 Saturday morning. Stay tuned for some updates (hopefully some good notes!)

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Got a little delayed start to the round this morning as we took our oldest to the Dr. to make sure the rash was nothing to worry about. Thankfully all is good and was just a side effect of amoxicillin plus sun exposure. Should clear in a few days. 
 

I’ll post my full round recap later on, but pleased overall with how it went. Dropped 3 strokes from my last 9 hole round and realistically could have scored in the mid 40s if not for two blow up holes (my usual blunders.) carded a 53 with only 16 putts, which I’m pretty sure is an all-time low for me for putting! Got the driver working a bit before off the tee as well so pleased with that! Recap to follow!

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Alright, here's the recap of my 9 hole round today. Played off the back 9 which was fun because it is my preferred track of the 18 if I am only getting 9 holes in. Putter was on fire (by my standards) today. I was able to card three 1 putts, and the highlight had to have been a 6 footer to save par after missing the green on 14 by a couple feet. More on that later. I also found some success with the driver today. I'm going to credit that to the swing feel drills I have been doing this week with the headcover under the lead armpit to stay more attached and trying to feel more extension in my trail wrist when initiating the downswing. Early in the round I was topping drives, but I was OK with that miss. On to the round....

Hole 10 - 344 yard Par 4. Dead straight with a fairway bunker to the right that is squarely in the landing zone on good drives. 

• Horribly topped my tee shot here, only about 120 or so yards, but was just off the fairway and had to eat a slice of humble pie and tap my ball out towards the fairway as I didn't have a good look from where I was. Pulled my 4 iron next hoping to get on the green, but thinned it and ended up about 80 yards from the green. I was feeling really confident going into this next shot, as it's one of my favorite distances to hit my 56. I unfortunately rushed the swing and mishit badly and shot it to the left, very poor strike. Shooting 5 to get on the green, I then proceeded to skull my 56 over the green and downhill behind it (pretty sure I rushed into this shot after being upset on the previous stroke, need to improve that). I hit the reset button and had about 40 yards to cover to the flag, which I executed very well this time and left myself with about 4 feet to the cup. Sank the putt for my first one putt of the day to card a Triple Bogey 7. Not the start I was looking for.

Hole 11 - 501 yard Par 5. Dogleg right with another fairway bunker squarely in the landing zone unless you're a consistent masher of the golf ball, which I am not.

• Looked to shake off the poor start on the first hole, I teed up my driver and caught it thin, but still managed to get about 230 yards of distance. Unfortunately, it came to rest in the bunker. Played it safe on this shot and used my 56 to get out as I was pretty close to the lip and didn't want to inflict any unnecessary damage. I was left with about 210 to the middle of the green, which I can reach with my hybrid. Pulled it, which has been my miss so far this year, and ended up just shy of the cart path along the right side of the fairway between hole 16 and 11. Had again about 40 yards to the flag, and hit a great wedge to about 6-7 feet. Needing a one putt to save par, I made the right read and buried it center cup. This had my adrenaline pumping as I really needed to score well on this hole coming off the Triple. Stayed at +3.

 

Hole 12 - 125 yard Par 3. Undulating green protected by bunkers in the front right and back left. One of the more challenging greens to score on.

• I got a rangefinder for Christmas from my in-laws, so used that to shoot the stick and it was playing about 137 yards. Pulled my 8 iron and got great contact, landing middle of the green, but facing a downhill lag putt. I was super happy about the GIR as I've always struggled with this on Par 3s. Again, thinking the swing feel drills I've been doing are showing some small steps of progress in my iron striking. Left my lag putt short by a good 6-8 feet, but was able to again convert the putt for my second consecutive Par. This is VERY infrequent for me in years past, so I was super happy going into the next hole staying at +3. Honestly one of the best starts I can remember for myself.

Hole 13 - 340 yard Par 4, slight dogleg left with bunkers protecting both sides of the fairway in the landing zone. A good tee shot is super important on this hole. You can cut the corner if you're a masher and get close to the green, but that's not my play here.

• Once again caught my driver thin, but it ran out into the fairway some 170ish yards and with a good line to the flag. It was playing front edge, which helped me a lot. Because of the hole layout and pin location, I only had about 150 yards to the front edge. Went with a 7 iron and pulled it just enough to miss the green by a few feet. Grabbed my 56 for a chip on and left it short but still on the green. Missed the par putt by inches and tapped in for a Bogey, moving to +4. I was feeling great heading into the next hole, but I sadly ran into some trouble....

Hole 14 - 372 yard Par 4 known as Alligator Alley.  Dogleg left with a very narrow fairway in the landing zone, and it's about 200 to the break. If you're long, you have no clear line to the green. If you're short, you're blocked by the corner and trees on the left. Side note, my house is on 14 behind the woods on the left of the fairway 

• I usually play this hole with my 3 hybrid from the tee as I can carry the left corner and leave myself with about 150-170 yards to the green. You want to stay left as if you get too far right you really have almost no choice but to lay up on your second shot. Well, I again pulled my hybrid off the tee and straight into some tall stuff. Was able to chunk it out and had a decent enough line to get across the creek and near the green. Got in a hurry on the swing and topped it severely, going into the woods and needing to take a drop. So drop 4, shooting 5, i missed the green left and was left with a good lie but intimidating bump and run where the green slopes downhill to the cup. Left the bump short and didn't get to the green. I chose to putt even though I was off the green as I was feeling a bit rattled and didn't trust my stroke with a chip. Left it short, had to putt downhill again and rolled past the cup, tapped in for a 9. That one really hurt after coming off a good stretch, and moved me to +9 on the day. 

Hole 15 - 167 yard Par 3 over a pond, with bunkers guarding the right, back and left of the green. 

• Used my rangefinder again to shoot the pin at right around 160 yards, so decided to go with a 7 iron as I was thinking I would land it short of the cup and leave myself with some room for error. I was wrong, lol. Absolutely flushed it and ended up a good 7-10 yards high of the flag, again with a pull miss, and in the sand. Ugly lie with the ball nearly plugged, and duffed it. Had to get out of the sand on the next stroke to have a shot at a one putt bogey, which I did execute and left myself with 3-4 feet. This is not a range I like, but I was able to make a good read and found center cup. Very happy with this save, and also with the distance I got out of my 7 iron. Moved to +10

Hole 16 - 515 yard Par 5 where the wind is almost always blowing into your face. Landing zone, unless you're 280+ with the driver, is protected by not one, but two bunkers to the left of the fairway. You also have to clear the same pond from 15. Usually not a problem, but a reason I am mentioning it 

• Teed up my driver and once again caught it thin. I skimmed the pond and the ball kicked up, but not high enough up the bank to not roll back in. Frustrating start to this hole after saving a decent score by my standards on the prior hole. Re-teed and this time piped a drive dead center down the fairway 259 yards. I was PUMPED with this shot as driver to this point even carrying over from the end of last season was really a struggle. Now shooting 4, I was still a good 250 from the center of the green and knew I wasn't going to reach it with my 3 wood. Went with a 4 iron and got a great strike, but once again pulled it right. I ended up around the gold tees on the neighboring hole, but had a wide open look to the flag from 75 yards. Again, I LOVE this distance with my 56, so I was feeling good that I could get on in 5 and get away with no worse than a Double Bogey 7. Sadly, I caught it thin and ran it right into a bunker behind the green. Another plugged lie, I failed to get out on my first attempt. Now shooting 7, I skulled it and it rolled over the green. I hit a chip on and two putted to card a 10. I was feeling very defeated heading to the next tee box, knowing I sunk my chances at realistically cracking 50. Now sitting at +15

Hole 17 - 395 yard Par 4 with an elevated  tee box and one of my favorite tee shots on the course.

• I knew I needed to make something happen on this hole, so I wiped out the disaster from 16 and just focused on the feel I had from the good drive I had just hit on my re-tee. I was able to replicate it and hit a little fade just into the left rough, about 250ish yards. Very happy to put together back to back solid tee shots. It left me with about 147 yards to the stick with the pin location, and I decided to go 8 iron, again thinking it would be just short of the flag and leave me with a good look for birdie. The pull miss came back again and I once again flushed it, carrying closer to 150 and missing the green right by a couple feet. Very happy with this approach even though it didn't result in a GIR. Used my wedge to get on and it rolled to again that 6 foot range. Converted my third(!) one putt of the day to save par and was super happy to stay at +15. 

Hole 18 - 321 yard Par 4 with an uphill climb and elevated green from the tee area. Dead straight, but a tough hole due to the layout.

• I was feeling really good about my driver going into this hole, but unfortunately got a bit over aggressive and pulled it right and short. Definitely lost posture, and thinking back on it now I really tried to step on the gas. Major over swing. I had a couple choices to make for my punch, which I went with a 7 iron for, as the right side of the fairway is lined with beautiful, gigantic mature oak trees. I took the safer route knowing that I'd be better off having to cover an extra 20 yards on my next shot with a clean punch vs. the more risky and narrow gap that would have left me with under 100 yards IF I made it through clean. Executed the punch as good as I could have, just narrowly missing the tree but right on the line I wanted the ball. I was left with 110 yards to the flag, and hit my PW pin high to the left of the stick, leaving myself a chance to finish out the round Par Par. Picked a good line but didn't hit it firm enough, as it was a side sloping putt. I was afraid of blasting it past the hole. It left me with roughly 1-2 feet, which I made for a Bogey to finish the round at 52.

 

Overall, I was really pleased with this round. It was the best I have putted that I can remember, and I made some great contact with my irons. I also got my driver working a bit better which made me really happy as that is the weakest part of my game and what I feel like really prevents me from scoring opportunities. I still had two bad holes which are definitely going to keep me from even breaking 100, so I've got to find a way to eliminate those. I could see and feel some improvement just from my prior round which was also encouraging, but that is how golf goes. Might get to sneak a late afternoon 9 in with my oldest after school if we can get the OK from mom, otherwise we are playing 18 tomorrow morning with an 8am tee time.

And because no recap is complete without at least one photo, here’s one if me and my littlest guy, Brody, who accompanied me today. He did so well for just riding around in the cart with dad and walking on all the greens