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

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

1 hour ago, Jnoble89 said:

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 53.

 

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

 

Golf is just so humbling. Keep up the grind. You’ll get there!

[GolfSpy_KFT]

8 minutes ago, Vegan_Golfer_PNW said:

Golf is just so humbling. Keep up the grind. You’ll get there!

It’s amazing how you can go from back to back pars and a barely missed par, to a 9

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

3 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

It’s amazing how you can go from back to back pars and a barely missed par, to a 9

That happened to me last year. Would have broken 90 if hole 15 I didn’t score a ten on. All about learning and moving on. 

[sirchunksalot]

Great stuff, Jason. We all have our ups and downs on the course, especially as we're trying to improve. Keep at it and I believe you'll see better scoring. 

Also, I really love the photo!

[GolfSpy_KFT]

23 minutes ago, Vegan_Golfer_PNW said:

That happened to me last year. Would have broken 90 if hole 15 I didn’t score a ten on. All about learning and moving on. 

Yes, definitely something I can improve on shot to shot. On the blow up holes I can get too frustrated and then it carries into the next stroke. That’s the biggest mental aspect I have to work on. 

[sirchunksalot]

The mental game is, to me, the hardest part to get under control. Over the last few months it's what I've really tried to bring to the forefront of my focus and realize I've got to manage the expectations I have on the course. 

I've spent way too much time practicing where the lies are perfect and not enough time playing to expect out all to transfer over to the course. @cksurfdude gave me some great advice over in the practice thread about maybe playing a few rounds between some practice sessions and basically get out and have some fun with it and want to thank him for that.

I'm playing tomorrow and I'm working tonight on one simple thought for tomorrow, "commit". I just want to step up to the ball, plan my shot, and commit to making that shot. If it goes well, great. If not, well I'm just hoping to look at it as an opportunity to recover from it. 

 

[MacTourney]

21 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

I'm playing tomorrow and I'm working tonight on one simple thought for tomorrow, "commit". I just want to step up to the ball, plan my shot, and commit to making that shot. If it goes well, great. If not, well I'm just hoping to look at it as an opportunity to recover from it. 

Full commitment for a full 18, no matter what.   We used to have ethanol fueled discussions about what commitment actually is, what does commitment mean.  We weren't so sure that one could fully commit to a shot because the shot is in the future and no one has access to the future from the present, but we could commit to the process that's in front of us by seeing and sensing what we need to do for the future to be revealed to us.    It was one of those back to the future moments, no matter what, that still lingers.  

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

48 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

The mental game is, to me, the hardest part to get under control. Over the last few months it's what I've really tried to bring to the forefront of my focus and realize I've got to manage the expectations I have on the course. 

I've spent way too much time practicing where the lies are perfect and not enough time playing to expect out all to transfer over to the course. @cksurfdude gave me some great advice over in the practice thread about maybe playing a few rounds between some practice sessions and basically get out and have some fun with it and want to thank him for that.

I'm playing tomorrow and I'm working tonight on one simple thought for tomorrow, "commit". I just want to step up to the ball, plan my shot, and commit to making that shot. If it goes well, great. If not, well I'm just hoping to look at it as an opportunity to recover from it. 

 

Counterpoint, some of the most important shots (tee) are from ideal lies. Still worth practicing in that respect 

[sirchunksalot]

2 minutes ago, Vegan_Golfer_PNW said:

Counterpoint, some of the most important shots (tee) are from ideal lies. Still worth practicing in that respect 

True. Not to mention off the tee is one of the areas I need to get better at. 

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

Keep grinding man, awesome that the kiddos get out with you. My son came on 18 a few times at the 4 age. Didn’t play every hike but he loved the cart. All boils down to (I compare it to a gun) safety, explain it to them and lay out the ground rules and you’ll most likely be good!

[GolfSpy_KFT]

25 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

Keep grinding man, awesome that the kiddos get out with you. My son came on 18 a few times at the 4 age. Didn’t play every hike but he loved the cart. All boils down to (I compare it to a gun) safety, explain it to them and lay out the ground rules and you’ll most likely be good!

Absolutely, and he did really well! He wanted to ride on my lap so I always had hands on him in the cart, he stayed seated in the cart when I was taking full swings, and he walked out onto all the greens with me. We don’t have clubs for him yet but he just had fun being out with me. I’m always taking his older brother out, so it was nice to be able to share that with him too

33 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

True. Not to mention off the tee is one of the areas I need to get better at. 

You and me both, Jason. Easily the weakest part of my game. I was really happy to hit a couple shots with my driver well today. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Played a morning 18 with my oldest today, was an absolutely beautiful morning for golf. Putting was not as good today as it was yesterday, but I carded no 9s or 10s today, which I did each of on 9 holes yesterday. It didn’t translate to better scoring, though, as I couldn’t convert many putts. I think I only had one, maybe two pars over 18 holes. Shot 54 on the front and 52 on the back for a 106 total. I’ll post a round recap later tonight when I have more time. For now, here’s some photos from the round. On one picture, it looks like he missed the ball but he was taking a practice swing. I had to share it because I am jealous of his side bend

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Okay, finally getting a chance to sit down and write up my entry for today's post round recap. This post round recap is brought to you by Busch Light and Leinenkugel's Juicy Peach, as those are the two beers I have on hand in the fridge . We got a late start out the door, so no time on the range to warm up pre-round. I really dislike this, but getting a 5 year old moving for an 8am tee time is not an easy task. Ultimately I don't think it had a huge impact on my performance today as my score was in a "typical" range for me.

Hole One Par 4

• Pulled my 3 wood but stayed short of a fairway bunker, and had about 200 to go to the green. As I was setting up for my second shot, the grounds crew came onto the green and moved the pin location. This threw me off a bit, but I just stepped off the ball and reset. Pulled my 4 iron into a row of pines that separate the #8 & #1 fairways, but had a clean line to punch out. Used my 7 iron to punch out which I executed exactly as I wanted to, leaving me with 80 or so yards to go. As I've mentioned before, this is my favorite distance with my 56 as I know exactly how hard to swing the club. Made a good strike and was on the green with a make-able putt to save a Bogey, but left it just short and tapped in for a 6 (+2). 

Hole Two Par 4

• Stepped up to the tee box with the thought in my head of not pulling my 3 wood. Need to learn to not use this thinking pattern as it is exactly what I did. Pulled it right and hit a tree, coming to rest on the other side of the cart path and leaving me with no choice but to punch the ball laterally into the fairway. Again executed the punch as I needed to, leaving myself with 170ish yards to the flag. Pulled a 6 iron and topped it badly, but got enough roll out to where I was looking at my 56 just under 100 yards. This time, I did not make a good strike and fatted it, leaving it just short of a creek that runs in front of the green. Now trying to get on in 5, I was able to make a good enough strike to reach the green, but was a mile away. 3 putt 8 and now at +6.

Hole Three Par Three

• Fatted the tee shot and landed in the fairway. Fatted the approach, and finally got on with my third stroke. Saving grace from this hole was my first one putt of the day to card bogey. +7

Hole Four Par 5

• First Par 5 of the day and actually hit a decent drive. Caught it low on the face so didn't get much height, but it still rolled out to 230 yards and I was happy to be just off the fairway on the right hand side. Went with my 3 wood next as I had a good lie, but over swung badly and missed off the toe, sending it into the woods on the left. Luckily I was able to find it and punch out. Now sitting 4, I still had a lot of ground to cover, so went with a 4 iron. Pulled it again but had a decent line to the green and was within range of my 56. Fatted it and left it short, so went with a 9 iron bump and run that I executed as well as I ever have and made a 1 putt Double Bogey. I was actually pleased with this result considering I had to punch out of the woods and didn't get too flustered. +9

Hole Five Par 4

• Caught my driver thin again but it went dead straight and rolled out again to that 230 range in the middle of the fairway. Had about 110 yards left and went with a PW and got a GIR, but had quite a bit of ground to cover to the pin. Lag putt was short, and I missed the second by a foot. Tapped in for a Bogey and moved to +10

Hole Six Par 3

• Pulled my 7 iron off the tee again and was above a bunker that was between me and the green. Wouldn't you know, I duffed my 56 and landed in the sand. I was pretty close to the lip of the bunker, and ended up getting too quick and didn't clear it. 2nd attempt from the sand got me out, and 2 putted for a Triple Bogey 6, +13

Hole Seven Par 5

• Pulled my tee shot AGAIN (seeing a theme here?) and came to rest very close to a property line, but enough room to make a full swing with my PW to get out to the fairway. Hit an absolutely perfect shot and was left with about 170 yards to the stick. Went with a 7 iron and flushed it, but landed front edge and it spun back off slightly. I decided to bump and run, which was the right choice choice, but I didn't get enough of it and left it short. Made a good run on my lag putt, but missed by about 5 inches. tapped in for a Bogey. Really could have used a Par there, but oh well. I played that hole much worse the day before, so silver lining. +14

Hole Eight Par 4

• This time, I left my driver to the left (yay for no pull!), but landed in an area with no direct line to the green. 7 iron tapper down to the fairway, and then fatted my 56 AGAIN, leaving me short of the green. Went with a 9 iron bump and run, lag putt again had good pace but missed, and tapped in for a double bogey. +16

Hole Nine Par 4

• It was back to the pull miss on my driver here. Went with a 7 iron to punch out of the tree line, but hit a tree and ricocheted backwards, but in the fairway, leaving me with roughly 130 yards to the flag. Missed my line on the punch by inches, but oh well. Flushed my 9 iron on the approach, but didn't factor in the slight uphill slope to the green and wind in my face. Landed in the greenside bunker with not much green to work with. Got out in one attempt, but missed the putt and tapped in for a double bogey. Carded a 54 (+18) 

Hole Ten Par 4

• Pulled my driver again to the right, but hit it well and had about 110 yards to the green. Caught it pretty well with my PW but was just short, landing on the fringe and needing to get to a back pin location. Bump and run with my 9 but left myself with a lot of ground to cover. Lag putt was really good but just offline and tapped in for a bogey (+19)

Hole Eleven Par 5

• Hit my longest drive of the day here at 265, but left it a little to the left. Carried a fairway bunker that I have never carried before, and had a decent, but loooong ways to go. Feeling good about my tee shot, I went with my hybrid thinking I could cover roughly 200 yards and get to a good distance to get on the green. Was not the case as I duffed it. Went with a 7 iron next, wanting to keep it short enough that I could go into the green with a full wedge. Duffed that one, too. Now looking at about 140 yards, I went with an 8 iron which I normally strike pretty well. Wasn't meant to be this time and caught it fat. Had to take a drop and am now trying to get on in 6. Was able to get on and 2 putt for a Triple Bogey 8 (+22). 
• Really REALLY need to avoid holes like this in my rounds if I want to get under 100. Frustrating but just have to move to the next hole.

Hole Twelve Par 3

• Caught it fat and was well short of the green, to the delight of my 5 year old who teed up from the reds and out drove me. He was loving this and his pure joy was a great reminder that we were just out there to have fun. Hit a nice little wedge onto the green, but missed the putt for par and tapped in for bogey. (+23)

Hole Thirteen Par 4

• Got out of my posture on the downswing with my driver and topped it. Went straight....into a fairway bunker . For some reason I thought I could pick the ball clean off the sand since I had a great lie and was about 130 out. Went 8 iron and DID NOT pick it clean haha. Fatted my wedge next, and then did it again to land just off the green. Bump and run got me close enough to tap in for a double bogey. (+25)

Hole Fourteen Par 4

• Remembering how poorly I struck my hybrid just a few holes prior, I opted for my 4 iron on the tee this time. Caught it thin, again (theme of the day for tee shots along with pulls) and had a good 205 to the flag. Went with my hybrid this time because I didn't want to hit my 4 again, and got a decent strike but not enough to get to the green. Chunked my wedge again, got on in 4 and a two putt double bogey (+27)

Hole Fifteen Par 3

• Really wanted to score on this hole as I was off to a bit of a rough start on the back nine, and they had the pin set waaaaay deep an the tee boxes as far back as the whites can go. What is usually a 150ish par three was playing 175 today. I went with a 6 iron as I was trying to give myself as much opportunity to land on the green as possible, knowing if I went 5 iron I wouldn't be swinging freely as I can carry 180 with that club on a good strike. Caught my 6 off the toe and landed in the front greenside bunker. Had a lot of green to work with, and got out at pin high but it checked up and away from the hole. I had a good 12-15 feet left, and made a great read and sunk the putt, saving par! This was the highlight of my round today. Stayed at +27.

Hole Sixteen Par 5

• Was feeling good heading into this tee shot, then massively over swung and topped it right into the pond. Took my drop and went with a 9 iron just to get to a spot where I could make a good approach on the green. Went 4 iron next, but again caught it thin and was short of the green a good ways. Executed my next shot really well with my PW to get on in 5, and then two putted for double bogey. (+29)

Hole Seventeen Par 4

• Pull/Hooked my driver yet again, and used a 7 iron to try to punch out and downhill towards the green. Caught some branches which knocked it down shorter than I wanted. Went to my 8 iron next but caught it a little chunky and left it short of the green. Chipped on with my 56 and narrowly missed my first putt, tapped in the second for another double bogey. (+31)

Hole Eighteen Par 4

• To this point I had been using my new PX HZRDUS RDX Smoke Blue shaft, but decided to swap it out for my Tensei Raw AV White. Probably silly to do on the last hole of the day, but oh well.
• Pulled it again but with much better launch conditions, and landed on the wrong side of the trees between the 17 and 18 fairway. Went 7 iron to get back to the right side of the trees and executed that shot exactly how I wanted to. Left me with about 90ish yards to the pin. Went 56 and once again fatted it, maybe going a grand total of 30 yards. Back with the 56, I caught it chunky but not as bad, still just short of the green. Three putts later and I was into the clubhouse with a 106 (+34).

 

Takeaways from this round....

• Biggest thing I need to figure out is why I am pull/hook missing so many shots. I am guessing it has to do with my swing sequence, but will need some feedback on this.
• The next week of weather is AWFUL up here (possible 5" of snow on Monday), so I probably won't be getting any range work or rounds in for at least the next 8 days, which stinks. It is also my oldest son's birthday on April 27th, so we are going to my in-laws cabin this coming weekend anyways to early celebrate, then taking him and his brother to a hotel resort/waterpark in Wisconsin Dells Sunday into Monday. Then the weekend after his actual birthday, my wife has a work conference nearby where my in-laws cabin is. So we will head back up there again. I'll be lucky to squeeze a couple 9 hole rounds in, weather and time permitting, but then in May things get easier for getting back to regular play/practice routines. Family always comes first.
• This was also easily the worst round I've ever had with inconsistency with my wedge. I lost at least four strokes alone with errors with that club. Thankfully, that's not typical. So I am going to chalk it up to just not a great day with it and move on.
• 36 total putts and I can definitely improve in that aspect. I had nearly as many one putts in my 9 hole round yesterday as I did in 18 today, so I need to work to continue improving my putting.

I did improve by one stroke if I just compare the back nines from yesterday and today, so I'll take that small improvement and continue to work towards getting under 100!

[Josh Ross]

I'm late to the party but this is gonna be a fun journey to follow! Cheering ya on to hit your goals!

Saw you mention you were a baseball player. That's my second favorite sport, I coach my 9-year-old nephew in baseball and he also joins me for a few rounds of golf throughout the year. He's very much a natural at both sports so it's pretty fun to experience. 

I have no doubt you'll be breaking 90 before ya know it.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

8 minutes ago, Josh Ross said:

I'm late to the party but this is gonna be a fun journey to follow! Cheering ya on to hit your goals!

Saw you mention you were a baseball player. That's my second favorite sport, I coach my 9-year-old nephew in baseball and he also joins me for a few rounds of golf throughout the year. He's very much a natural at both sports so it's pretty fun to experience. 

I have no doubt you'll be breaking 90 before ya know it.

Glad to have you following @Josh Ross! I don’t say this to boast in any way, but I have always been pretty skilled with athletics, so golf has been really humbling for me as it’s about the first sport I’ve played and not picked up quickly. Appreciate your support!

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

7 hours ago, Jnoble89 said:

Okay, finally getting a chance to sit down and write up my entry for today's post round recap. This post round recap is brought to you by Busch Light and Leinenkugel's Juicy Peach, as those are the two beers I have on hand in the fridge . We got a late start out the door, so no time on the range to warm up pre-round. I really dislike this, but getting a 5 year old moving for an 8am tee time is not an easy task. Ultimately I don't think it had a huge impact on my performance today as my score was in a "typical" range for me.

Hole One Par 4

• Pulled my 3 wood but stayed short of a fairway bunker, and had about 200 to go to the green. As I was setting up for my second shot, the grounds crew came onto the green and moved the pin location. This threw me off a bit, but I just stepped off the ball and reset. Pulled my 4 iron into a row of pines that separate the #8 & #1 fairways, but had a clean line to punch out. Used my 7 iron to punch out which I executed exactly as I wanted to, leaving me with 80 or so yards to go. As I've mentioned before, this is my favorite distance with my 56 as I know exactly how hard to swing the club. Made a good strike and was on the green with a make-able putt to save a Bogey, but left it just short and tapped in for a 6 (+2). 

Hole Two Par 4

• Stepped up to the tee box with the thought in my head of not pulling my 3 wood. Need to learn to not use this thinking pattern as it is exactly what I did. Pulled it right and hit a tree, coming to rest on the other side of the cart path and leaving me with no choice but to punch the ball laterally into the fairway. Again executed the punch as I needed to, leaving myself with 170ish yards to the flag. Pulled a 6 iron and topped it badly, but got enough roll out to where I was looking at my 56 just under 100 yards. This time, I did not make a good strike and fatted it, leaving it just short of a creek that runs in front of the green. Now trying to get on in 5, I was able to make a good enough strike to reach the green, but was a mile away. 3 putt 8 and now at +6.

Hole Three Par Three

• Fatted the tee shot and landed in the fairway. Fatted the approach, and finally got on with my third stroke. Saving grace from this hole was my first one putt of the day to card bogey. +7

Hole Four Par 5

• First Par 5 of the day and actually hit a decent drive. Caught it low on the face so didn't get much height, but it still rolled out to 230 yards and I was happy to be just off the fairway on the right hand side. Went with my 3 wood next as I had a good lie, but over swung badly and missed off the toe, sending it into the woods on the left. Luckily I was able to find it and punch out. Now sitting 4, I still had a lot of ground to cover, so went with a 4 iron. Pulled it again but had a decent line to the green and was within range of my 56. Fatted it and left it short, so went with a 9 iron bump and run that I executed as well as I ever have and made a 1 putt Double Bogey. I was actually pleased with this result considering I had to punch out of the woods and didn't get too flustered. +9

Hole Five Par 4

• Caught my driver thin again but it went dead straight and rolled out again to that 230 range in the middle of the fairway. Had about 110 yards left and went with a PW and got a GIR, but had quite a bit of ground to cover to the pin. Lag putt was short, and I missed the second by a foot. Tapped in for a Bogey and moved to +10

Hole Six Par 3

• Pulled my 7 iron off the tee again and was above a bunker that was between me and the green. Wouldn't you know, I duffed my 56 and landed in the sand. I was pretty close to the lip of the bunker, and ended up getting too quick and didn't clear it. 2nd attempt from the sand got me out, and 2 putted for a Triple Bogey 6, +13

Hole Seven Par 5

• Pulled my tee shot AGAIN (seeing a theme here?) and came to rest very close to a property line, but enough room to make a full swing with my PW to get out to the fairway. Hit an absolutely perfect shot and was left with about 170 yards to the stick. Went with a 7 iron and flushed it, but landed front edge and it spun back off slightly. I decided to bump and run, which was the right choice choice, but I didn't get enough of it and left it short. Made a good run on my lag putt, but missed by about 5 inches. tapped in for a Bogey. Really could have used a Par there, but oh well. I played that hole much worse the day before, so silver lining. +14

Hole Eight Par 4

• This time, I left my driver to the left (yay for no pull!), but landed in an area with no direct line to the green. 7 iron tapper down to the fairway, and then fatted my 56 AGAIN, leaving me short of the green. Went with a 9 iron bump and run, lag putt again had good pace but missed, and tapped in for a double bogey. +16

Hole Nine Par 4

• It was back to the pull miss on my driver here. Went with a 7 iron to punch out of the tree line, but hit a tree and ricocheted backwards, but in the fairway, leaving me with roughly 130 yards to the flag. Missed my line on the punch by inches, but oh well. Flushed my 9 iron on the approach, but didn't factor in the slight uphill slope to the green and wind in my face. Landed in the greenside bunker with not much green to work with. Got out in one attempt, but missed the putt and tapped in for a double bogey. Carded a 54 (+18) 

Hole Ten Par 4

• Pulled my driver again to the right, but hit it well and had about 110 yards to the green. Caught it pretty well with my PW but was just short, landing on the fringe and needing to get to a back pin location. Bump and run with my 9 but left myself with a lot of ground to cover. Lag putt was really good but just offline and tapped in for a bogey (+19)

Hole Eleven Par 5

• Hit my longest drive of the day here at 265, but left it a little to the left. Carried a fairway bunker that I have never carried before, and had a decent, but loooong ways to go. Feeling good about my tee shot, I went with my hybrid thinking I could cover roughly 200 yards and get to a good distance to get on the green. Was not the case as I duffed it. Went with a 7 iron next, wanting to keep it short enough that I could go into the green with a full wedge. Duffed that one, too. Now looking at about 140 yards, I went with an 8 iron which I normally strike pretty well. Wasn't meant to be this time and caught it fat. Had to take a drop and am now trying to get on in 6. Was able to get on and 2 putt for a Triple Bogey 8 (+22). 
• Really REALLY need to avoid holes like this in my rounds if I want to get under 100. Frustrating but just have to move to the next hole.

Hole Twelve Par 3

• Caught it fat and was well short of the green, to the delight of my 5 year old who teed up from the reds and out drove me. He was loving this and his pure joy was a great reminder that we were just out there to have fun. Hit a nice little wedge onto the green, but missed the putt for par and tapped in for bogey. (+23)

Hole Thirteen Par 4

• Got out of my posture on the downswing with my driver and topped it. Went straight....into a fairway bunker . For some reason I thought I could pick the ball clean off the sand since I had a great lie and was about 130 out. Went 8 iron and DID NOT pick it clean haha. Fatted my wedge next, and then did it again to land just off the green. Bump and run got me close enough to tap in for a double bogey. (+25)

Hole Fourteen Par 4

• Remembering how poorly I struck my hybrid just a few holes prior, I opted for my 4 iron on the tee this time. Caught it thin, again (theme of the day for tee shots along with pulls) and had a good 205 to the flag. Went with my hybrid this time because I didn't want to hit my 4 again, and got a decent strike but not enough to get to the green. Chunked my wedge again, got on in 4 and a two putt double bogey (+27)

Hole Fifteen Par 3

• Really wanted to score on this hole as I was off to a bit of a rough start on the back nine, and they had the pin set waaaaay deep an the tee boxes as far back as the whites can go. What is usually a 150ish par three was playing 175 today. I went with a 6 iron as I was trying to give myself as much opportunity to land on the green as possible, knowing if I went 5 iron I wouldn't be swinging freely as I can carry 180 with that club on a good strike. Caught my 6 off the toe and landed in the front greenside bunker. Had a lot of green to work with, and got out at pin high but it checked up and away from the hole. I had a good 12-15 feet left, and made a great read and sunk the putt, saving par! This was the highlight of my round today. Stayed at +27.

Hole Sixteen Par 5

• Was feeling good heading into this tee shot, then massively over swung and topped it right into the pond. Took my drop and went with a 9 iron just to get to a spot where I could make a good approach on the green. Went 4 iron next, but again caught it thin and was short of the green a good ways. Executed my next shot really well with my PW to get on in 5, and then two putted for double bogey. (+29)

Hole Seventeen Par 4

• Pull/Hooked my driver yet again, and used a 7 iron to try to punch out and downhill towards the green. Caught some branches which knocked it down shorter than I wanted. Went to my 8 iron next but caught it a little chunky and left it short of the green. Chipped on with my 56 and narrowly missed my first putt, tapped in the second for another double bogey. (+31)

Hole Eighteen Par 4

• To this point I had been using my new PX HZRDUS RDX Smoke Blue shaft, but decided to swap it out for my Tensei Raw AV White. Probably silly to do on the last hole of the day, but oh well.
• Pulled it again but with much better launch conditions, and landed on the wrong side of the trees between the 17 and 18 fairway. Went 7 iron to get back to the right side of the trees and executed that shot exactly how I wanted to. Left me with about 90ish yards to the pin. Went 56 and once again fatted it, maybe going a grand total of 30 yards. Back with the 56, I caught it chunky but not as bad, still just short of the green. Three putts later and I was into the clubhouse with a 106 (+34).

 

Takeaways from this round....

• Biggest thing I need to figure out is why I am pull/hook missing so many shots. I am guessing it has to do with my swing sequence, but will need some feedback on this.
• The next week of weather is AWFUL up here (possible 5" of snow on Monday), so I probably won't be getting any range work or rounds in for at least the next 8 days, which stinks. It is also my oldest son's birthday on April 27th, so we are going to my in-laws cabin this coming weekend anyways to early celebrate, then taking him and his brother to a hotel resort/waterpark in Wisconsin Dells Sunday into Monday. Then the weekend after his actual birthday, my wife has a work conference nearby where my in-laws cabin is. So we will head back up there again. I'll be lucky to squeeze a couple 9 hole rounds in, weather and time permitting, but then in May things get easier for getting back to regular play/practice routines. Family always comes first.
• This was also easily the worst round I've ever had with inconsistency with my wedge. I lost at least four strokes alone with errors with that club. Thankfully, that's not typical. So I am going to chalk it up to just not a great day with it and move on.
• 36 total putts and I can definitely improve in that aspect. I had nearly as many one putts in my 9 hole round yesterday as I did in 18 today, so I need to work to continue improving my putting.

I did improve by one stroke if I just compare the back nines from yesterday and today, so I'll take that small improvement and continue to work towards getting under 100!

Nice to get out and play with the kiddos.

swapping out shaft on 18 IMO is smart. Could have sent some positive thoughts and vibes for the next round. Something wasn’t working and ya tried something out. Leave it in for the next rounds start and see what happens.

Good luck working  on the pull/hook for me I have always found that to happen when I have a closed stance and am setup on the left side of a tee box (which makes me feel like I need to setup closes). Did this on the first hole the other day. Dead pull

[GolfSpy_KFT]

1 hour ago, Lacassem said:

Nice to get out and play with the kiddos.

swapping out shaft on 18 IMO is smart. Could have sent some positive thoughts and vibes for the next round. Something wasn’t working and ya tried something out. Leave it in for the next rounds start and see what happens.

Good luck working  on the pull/hook for me I have always found that to happen when I have a closed stance and am setup on the left side of a tee box (which makes me feel like I need to setup closes). Did this on the first hole the other day. Dead pull

I definitely could be setting up closed. I used to have a massive banana slice, so I’d always drop my back foot back to try and help my swing path that way. Next time I am out I’ll check my feet and see if getting more neutral will help. I’m sure I am still setting up that way. Thanks for the tip, @Lacassem

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Well, the snow is absolutely flying and they are now projecting up to 6-10”. Went from summer to winter in less than 24 hours, classic Wisconsin . 
 

I’ve at least got the forum, Cobra pre chatter and PGA to stay connected to golf as I will not be outside playing for a good week for sure. 
 

[Lee Stanek]

Snowing here too lightly. Only a dusting so hope it will melt quick.  Lots of RBC on the TV.  

[sirchunksalot]

24 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

Well, the snow is absolutely flying and they are now projecting up to 6-10”. Went from summer to winter in less than 24 hours, classic Wisconsin . 
 

I’ve at least got the forum, Cobra pre chatter and PGA to stay connected to golf as I will not be outside playing for a good week for sure. 
 

It was looking so pretty there, talk annoy a severe weather swing.

At least you've got the golf season off to a good start so once the weather isn't so crazy you'll have a good base to build on. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

5 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

It was looking so pretty there, talk annoy a severe weather swing.

At least you've got the golf season off to a good start so once the weather isn't so crazy you'll have a good base to build on. 

That’s what I was thinking, too. Going to keep working on dry swing drills in the house and with being so busy the next two weeks, if we were going to get our last blast of winter, now was the time! 

[Josh Ross]

We get crazy weather here in North GA too. A lot of people think Atlanta or Savannah when thinking Georgia. Hot and sticky. But up north we're in the beautiful mountains so we get occasional snow, but around this time of year we get all four seasons in one day, haha.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

1 hour ago, Josh Ross said:

We get crazy weather here in North GA too. A lot of people think Atlanta or Savannah when thinking Georgia. Hot and sticky. But up north we're in the beautiful mountains so we get occasional snow, but around this time of year we get all four seasons in one day, haha.

I know the four season day incredibly well!

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

31 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

I know the four season day incredibly well!

Don’t miss that part about WI at all anymore

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Didn’t get a chance to do any dry swings last night, but was doing some reading on what causes are for that pull miss I’ve been dealing with so far. It is a true dead pull with my irons, and more of a hook with my woods. The first thing I am going to try to adjust is weakening my grip just a bit. I made a grip change last year to a borderline too strong grip when I missed much more to the left, so going to try to get a bit more neutral with my top hand and see if that makes a difference. If I am just closing down the face, that shouldn’t take TOO long to adjust to. I also am thinking I’m still coming over the top too much. I have been working on improving that and am going to keep working at getting inside on the downswing. 

[Josh Ross]

10 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

Didn’t get a chance to do any dry swings last night, but was doing some reading on what causes are for that pull miss I’ve been dealing with so far. It is a true dead pull with my irons, and more of a hook with my woods. The first thing I am going to try to adjust is weakening my grip just a bit. I made a grip change last year to a borderline too strong grip when I missed much more to the left, so going to try to get a bit more neutral with my top hand and see if that makes a difference. If I am just closing down the face, that shouldn’t take TOO long to adjust to. I also am thinking I’m still coming over the top too much. I have been working on improving that and am going to keep working at getting inside on the downswing. 

I used to come over the top just a little bit and to fix it I used two alignment sticks. One would be parallel to my feet pointed at my target, the other was angled slightly to the right like where a second baseman would be playing if I'm in the batter's box. Then I would place a ball just a little out from the angled stick and would swing along that plane. I was trying to overexaggerate the feeling so that I would find a happy medium. With that drill I would hit push draws that were awesome but I really just wanted to hit straight with a baby draw. Once I took the sticks away I was able to get my desired result. I still go back to that drill if things start getting a little over the top again.

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

39 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

Didn’t get a chance to do any dry swings last night, but was doing some reading on what causes are for that pull miss I’ve been dealing with so far. It is a true dead pull with my irons, and more of a hook with my woods. The first thing I am going to try to adjust is weakening my grip just a bit. I made a grip change last year to a borderline too strong grip when I missed much more to the left, so going to try to get a bit more neutral with my top hand and see if that makes a difference. If I am just closing down the face, that shouldn’t take TOO long to adjust to. I also am thinking I’m still coming over the top too much. I have been working on improving that and am going to keep working at getting inside on the downswing. 

something a fitter once told me as well, and I sometimes try to incorporate as a external feel is this. Pick your target, then pick a target 10 yards ahead of you (blade of grass, shrub, tee box marker). Then have the thought to start the ball right of that closer target. Now, if you are coming in with an open face to path, this is just going to cause a push slice to you (so I would not recommend). But if you are closed to path (hooks) then this could be could for you to hit a draw onto target. YMMV,

[GolfSpy_KFT]

31 minutes ago, Josh Ross said:

I used to come over the top just a little bit and to fix it I used two alignment sticks. One would be parallel to my feet pointed at my target, the other was angled slightly to the right like where a second baseman would be playing if I'm in the batter's box. Then I would place a ball just a little out from the angled stick and would swing along that plane. I was trying to overexaggerate the feeling so that I would find a happy medium. With that drill I would hit push draws that were awesome but I really just wanted to hit straight with a baby draw. Once I took the sticks away I was able to get my desired result. I still go back to that drill if things start getting a little over the top again.

I am picturing this in my head and I think it’s making sense to me, and I like the sounds of it. I was just looking at alignment sticks the other day so I think I’m going to pull the trigger on some. If you wouldn’t mind and would have a chance, because I’m a massively visual learner, could you take a picture of the stick setup just so I can make sure I am seeing it correctly in my head?

[GolfSpy_KFT]

28 minutes ago, Vegan_Golfer_PNW said:

something a fitter once told me as well, and I sometimes try to incorporate as a external feel is this. Pick your target, then pick a target 10 yards ahead of you (blade of grass, shrub, tee box marker). Then have the thought to start the ball right of that closer target. Now, if you are coming in with an open face to path, this is just going to cause a push slice to you (so I would not recommend). But if you are closed to path (hooks) then this could be could for you to hit a draw onto target. YMMV,

Would I want to start the ball to the left as I am a lefty? Maybe a dumb question lol but never know if I don’t ask! 
 

 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

1 minute ago, Jnoble89 said:

Would I want to start the ball to the left as I am a lefty? Maybe a dumb question lol but never know if I don’t ask! 
 

 

yes, opposite if you are lefty