BreakfastBall15 2024 Season Tread/Breaking 80 Journey

[TJ Hall]

4 hours ago, BreakfastBall15 said:

Just watched a video on the super slomo and for sure something I need to do. I'll have to pick up the book too!

The book is a good and easy read…just read it a couple of weeks ago.

[BreakfastBall15]

So I was able to get out to the range last night! First session with the new shafts and I’m liking them so far. Felt much more controlled compared to the old elevates. Ended up trying to get my distances dialed in but was pretty tired after my workout earlier and chasing the kids around so after the 8 iron the wheels started to fall off (I also didn’t go till 8:30 at night). Unfortunately it was mats only but still got a decent session in. I for sure had some fat and thin shots but left them in just to get a decent baseline since I’ll still hit those shots on the course. Going to try and get out again or to a sim to get more numbers on each club but here is what I have so far and it’s about what I guesstimated

[BreakfastBall15]

Got out this morning before it go too hot and the leaders went off for the Masters. Since I’m doing a 2 person scramble tournament for work in a few weeks and it’s at a par 3 course I decided to mainly hit irons off the tee today (We were doing a scramble again anyway so I didn’t really care how I did). What surprised me was how well my putting was today. I had a few that I pushed but for the most part it was the best I have ever putted. 
The new iron shafts felt fantastic and I was much more consistent both with distance and control. Stuck a tee shot on a par 3 to 6 feet that stopped about 4 feet short and tapped in for a solo bird. On one of the few holes I took driver I flew it over the trees and it landed just in the green for about a 300 yard drive. I wish we weren’t doing a scramble because I’m pretty confident I would have shot well but it was still a fun round

[BreakfastBall15]

For those that are interested, the good good video that was filmed at my home course just dropped. They only ended up playing the first few holes in this one but it gives a good idea of the layout. Hopefully the next video covers the remaining holes 

 

[jbern]

Good luck on the journey to break 80! Sounds like an interesting time so far!

That is very cool that Good Good came to your home course! I'll definitely be checking that one out (I'm a few days behind on my golf YT subscribed videos).

Regarding drills to do without hitting a ball - One drill that helped me out a ton was a "position" drill. Basically, you have 6 positions (ish - different coaches have different position numbers) that you want to hit throughout the swing. You move at normal speed and stop at each position ensuring it is correct with a long 5ish second pause and then move at normal speed to the next position, pause, continue. The key to this drill is to record it and look back at it. You might feel your position is correct, but feel is different than real!

[BreakfastBall15]

2 hours ago, jbern said:

Good luck on the journey to break 80! Sounds like an interesting time so far!

That is very cool that Good Good came to your home course! I'll definitely be checking that one out (I'm a few days behind on my golf YT subscribed videos).

Regarding drills to do without hitting a ball - One drill that helped me out a ton was a "position" drill. Basically, you have 6 positions (ish - different coaches have different position numbers) that you want to hit throughout the swing. You move at normal speed and stop at each position ensuring it is correct with a long 5ish second pause and then move at normal speed to the next position, pause, continue. The key to this drill is to record it and look back at it. You might feel your position is correct, but feel is different than real!

Feel vs real is huge for me. When I took lessons last year that was something that my coach was really driving home and made a ton of sense after explaining and showing videos of both my swing and then some pros. I'll have to try that drill out. 

[BreakfastBall15]

Snuck out earlier during my lunch/PT time to play the par 3 course I'm doing in a scramble next week. Very short and a lot of repair work made the course even shorter which for me is a disaster. The first 3 holes started out very rocky and eventually settled down.

Hole 1: Played 95 yards with some nasty wind. Tee shot got held up in the wind and pushed into the greenside bunker. Sand was much firmer than what I'm used to and launched it over the green. Chipped on and 2 putted for double.

Hole 2: Played 100 into the same direction. Tried playing the wind and it died down right after I hit my tee shot. Landed past the green in some tree trouble. Bumped and run a PW that had too much speed and landed in the rough on the other side of the green. Hit on and first putt lipped out. 2 putt double.

Hole 3: Another hole playing 95. Bladed the tee shot and fatted the second shot that went a whopping 2 yards. Chipped on and another 2 putt double.

Hole 4: Finally a hole over 100, played 195. Hit a 5 iron slightly fat but landed just on the other side of a greenside bunker. Chipped over the bunker and went just on the edge of the green. 2 putt for bogey.

Hole 5: 88 yards over water. Made great contact on a 50% Gap wedge and ended up 30 yards past the green. Another bad wedge shot and then chipped on, 2 putt double.

Hole 6: Played 140. Sent a 9 iron deep again, tail wind picked up and I should have backed off. Chipped on. Lipped out the putt for a 2 putt bogey.

Hole 7:  Played 90 yards. Opted for a SW and did the same swing I did on 5. Finally a GIR but just about as far from the pin as I could have been. 2 putt par.

Hole 8: Playing 120 over water. Took 75% gap wedge. GIR with another lip out. 2 putt par.

Hole 9: Playing 135 over water and the windiest hole of the day. Hit PW that just missed the green and went into the bunker. Got out of the bunker and had a 20 footer to save par that burned the left edge. Tap in 2 putt bogey.

 

Learned a lot and played all the distances I normally hate. Exposed a lot weaknesses but overall an enjoyable round despite the scorecard.

 

 

[BreakfastBall15]

Managed to get out for 18 this morning. Started off fairly well. Not great but not terrible, was taking what the course gave me… until I got to the par 4 8th. It was super windy and this hole the wind was into us so you had to layup. Pulled my tee shot into some crap. Get to it, have a good window but a bad lie. Tried to get cute and ended up shanking it. Hit my next shot into the water and finish that hole with an 8. Go bogey par bogey the next 3 holes and then the mid round meltdown happened. Doubled the par 5 12th, doubled the par 4 13th, par on the par 3 14th and another double on the par 5 15th. At this point I just wanted to get off the course. Finished with a 90 but could have been much lower if I just played smarter and could get a few putts to drop