9 holes friendly at Brighton today, short but nice hit. My missus scored this astro turf the other day, longish fake grass that is very cool. There is one bit about 60 cm by 90 that has been sitting on my loungeroom floor and I have an old 7i I’ve been brushing across it just to practice path and face control, no ball (golf is easy then). Well I reckon today I could feel the benefits of just working on the ‘imaginary’ impact position, my irons were great today, really great.

Played the back 9;

10th 3i so sweet to FW left. Had 145 in , chose a 7i as didn’t want to go long, so sweet to 10 foot, 3 putt, moist and slow lumpy greens, oh well. +1

11th, had to squeeze through trees and stupidly took driver, got excited on the reachable par 4, stupid, hit hook into tree and back under another, took 2 to get back to FW, doh. But the 8i, oh so easy, stuck it to 4ft, 2 putt,,,,,,, +3

12th short par 3 (very short, less 110) PW bit long to back fringe of green, chip ok, 2 putt +4

13th, Massive drive down guts had 30mtrs left, chip to 10ft, shaved cup, tap in. +4

14th Another massive drive but just off FW behind big tree root 20mtrs, did my best to fringe, chip on so close, putt, par +4

15th short par 3 playing 120 down hill, PW to under 3 ft, beauty if I do say so myself, tap in par + 3

16th pushed off tee to FW bunker, average out to FW, chip on, 1st putt shaved the cup, tap in bogey +4

17th Par 3, playing about 155 with left to right breeze, thought gentle fade with 6i, beautiful strike and lovely fade but bit long to rear of green, pin was more forward than I thought, don’t know the course at all, amazing very log putt stopped on lip, tap for par.

18th Par 5, stellar drive, get there, shit lie, nestled down in lumpy grass (on FW) but a reachable green? hooked Hybrid into trees, chip out, Pitch on to 5ft, close, no luck, bogey, +5

So even though not an amazing score just 2 off shots and a couple of loose putts. All my irons were sweet as, just the one shit drive and hybrid, both when I had a ‘make it’ chance and swung way too hard, lesson right there for sure.

Tomorrow Yarra Bend gets me for 18, feeling good, depends on my putter I’d say. After this post I have 3 left to my 1000 and wanted to break 80 by then, mm, maybe I’ll be quiet for a while hey?

Oh well, not to be. Too many loose shots today off the tee and with the putter. Irons were pretty bloody good again and kept me to 86 which is on HC I guess but not a great round.

My big thing is focus, played with a couple of mates I hadn’t hit with before and it was slow going at the bend. Had to play through these slow guys, there was 3/4 empty holes in front of them, too much distraction. I should be above it all but hey, I’m just not good enough at the game yet to be able to play with that sort of distraction, I’ll get there. One of the fellas was a real chatter box, even when standing over shots and putts, blah blah blah, bloody saxophone players, they never shut up!!!! Had a word to him but probably too late in the round, he was cool, just an excited youngster that is learning. After that he was fine.

Can’t play again till next week, argh, need to take care of my other life, boy family and work gets in the way! I’ll still try to break 80 before 1000, so zip the lips for now,,,,,,,

Oh well, I really was hoping for my 1000th post to be the big breaking of 80, not to be. I need to be realistic and move on. I played 4 ball at Kew again today, lucky to have a friend there who invites me as a guest, and on a Saturday I can make it as I haven’t played comp in a while. One of the guys had a sure shot GPS, readings in where I remember, here goes,,,,

11th (shotgun) Par 3, playing about 135 (GPS says 118), as first hit I took 8i, straight at pin, bit long, about 15 past, makes sense, I hit 8 135-140, 2 putt par.

12th par 5, 474, 3i up guts so sweet, 6i to gap of trees opening the green up, 1/2 PW on not real close, 1st putt so close, 2nd putt par

NB; I have been working hard on my putting every chance I get, very hard.

13th Par 4, 381, drive ok, little left, edge of FW, had 161 to front (GPS), 5i well hit slight draw to left trap (6i would’ve been safer) well out to 10ft, 1st putt very close, tap in bogey, +1

14th Par 3, 162 to front, pin at 165, pure 5i kept running to back fringe, good chip, 1 putt, Par.

15th Par 4, 361, drive low left but ok, long way home, Hybrid to right fring, chip on great, putt good for par,

16th Par 5, 451, solid hit slightly left, tree, 6i low punch draw very well hit, had 100 in, PW so well hit but bounced through into shit at back, might need a gap wedge??? PW goes 115-120 : (
chip out into bunker, out and 2 putt double,,,,,,, + 3

17th, Par 4, good drive left but FW, totally fat shit 5i, new it inside trying too hard blah, relaxed and took it on chin, 54mtr PW to 1 ft!! Tap in par, sweet, +3

18th, Par 3 playing 152 to front (pin close) pure 7i hit front mound and popped up to 3.5mtr for NTP (sweet) putt soooooo close, par.

1st par 4 274, 4i safe and middle, thinned SW over back, chip ok but not close enough, 2 putt bogey, + 4

2nd Par 4 363, great 3i, great 5i, woops, should have been 6i (GPS said 162, looked more) on back fringe and chip pulled up on down hill??? Bugger, 2 putt bogey +5

3rd Par 4 379, great contact, oooh, little right, clip tree and down. Medicine taken, 7i low chip out, 140ish in, 8i straight but pin set back more than thought, 2 putt +6

4th Par 3 138, 8i left, oooooh, cool, perfect length and sits on green between bunkers 3mtrs home. Putt was so bloody good, sat on the edge, bitch wouldn’t fall,,,,,, Par.

5th Par 5, 513, Hammered drive, discuss options with partner and have draw in mind but go after it and hook it into trees, silly indeed, chip out, PW on, 2 putt, bogey, +7

6th Par 4, 403, Drive low and left but fine, need 160 in with draw, hit 6i but pretty straight to green right pin high, 2 putt par.

7th Par 5, 457, Great drive to right FW but fine, 4i sweet as to close, pitch on a little keen,,,,, 2 putt for par.

8th Par 4, 361, great drive little long for dogleg right, had 155 with draw in, punched 5i to right fringe, nice shot : ), great chip to 2 ft, par

9th par 4, 335, great contact 3i, just little long and rolled into trees, option to chip back or punch between long grass and tree, being tough I went for the punch, good shot but caught the grass and lost it’s legs finishing on FW 45 out. SW very good but left me 4mtrs down hill, putt just shy,,,,, shit, bogey, +8

10th par 4 362 mtrs, drive good but yes a little left again,,, had a good shot 135 out over trees but my mind was shit, couldn’t keep it under control and swung the b’jesus out of it as was worried about the tree in follow through, popped over trees but short, SW up and on but little wimpy, 2 putt to finish with a bogey

+9 for an 81 off the stick off 16.2 which I’m very happy with, actually thought I had an 82 but on counting back did better than I thought.
Because it’s a 4 ball will lose 1.2 I think, so down to 15, was 17.6 at start of year so coming down slowly.

I need to clean a few things up and get used to scoring low to be able to break 80. My putting has improved with much practice, der, no 3 putts today!!

This place is great and I thank Dart, Guru, ClearKeys and the crew for much help and advice (and Bio for the work on my swing). Last few games have been around the 10 mark and I feel by the end of the year it’s reasonable to be looking at close to single figure HC or at least smashing 80 a couple of times.

I’m sure Waffles will request a video and I’m up for that, give me a couple of weeks and I’ll do something special I promise just for you : )

Oh yeah, we won the 4 ball ($45 voucher) and I got NTP for the 18th, happy days, the sub 80 will come. Cheers and happy Easter all, Stinky

Hopefully by 2000 posts I’ll be going for PAR!!!!!!!!!! Fuck it, bring it on, it’s all in the head and the hands.

Dunes on Tuesday,,,,,,,,,,,

Just had a great few days away in Red Hill and managed a few hits. Played the Dunes on Tuesday from the black tees and had a shocker. For some reason I got it in my head that from 100 in I was crap, I hit my PW 110-120 and have little confidence in a full 56* shot so I kept hitting through the bloody green into shit. My long game was stellar, driving and irons all pretty good, just shocking short game. Ended up with 95, 23 over, just no confidence, it’s a weird game.

Next day I went to Flinders and teed off at sunrise, 6.45 ish, what a beautiful spot and a great course. I had sorted out my fear of 100 in by reminding myself of all the work I’ve done on that part of my game and just played those shots full of confidence and attitude. The result was great, I nailed my game together, ended up 8 over for a 77 off the stick (11 pars, 6 bogeys, 1 double). Missed a few birdie putts by not much,,,, The par there is 69 so it’s not really breaking 80 on a par 72, but I’ll take it! Played there again this morning but just for fun, didn’t want to spoil my day yesterday so didn’t score, just hit a few around.

Can’t believe what a difference a day (and attitude) makes, weird game, but I love it.

I call that a legitimate result! Awesome dude. Forget about my 1111 idea in my thread. 1010 sound like the right number to make the big one.

I like what you said there.

What an inspiration the Masters was, really got me thinking about so many aspects of the/my game. Attitude a big one. The game is fickle and can swing all over. Watching guys like Couples hit it so well but just shave so many putts, and Phil M drop 5 shots in 3 holes, then Westwood work so hard at it but not to be. Many lessons to learn, the biggest is patience,,,,,

Also enjoyed the many different swings, you have to do it your way I guess. As Dart/Guru etc say, there are certain mechanical similarities but from Tiger to Couples to Furyk to Phil, all very different and unique results.

Interesting too that Adam Scott and Ogilvy were leaders in GIR Putting? I need to learn to love it and look forward to having a putt, I reckon if I can do that I’ll break 80 regularly.

Gotta keep at it and keep the focus. Couple of games this week should be fun, bring it on.

Keep enjoying the ride. If it were all smooth sailing, golf would not be as much fun as it is.

Yeah cheers Guru, starting to realise and enjoy just that. I’m starting to deal with my biggest handicap, myself! That is fun actually, I can keep working on my skills but only as I address the way I play do I really improve. The improvement is actually not in scores either, but in the enjoyment I get from the game. Sounds a bit wanky sorry, but hey, I’m not going to win any masters, so I better get something more from the game : )

hehe. Just to better yourself is a worthwhile goal. That way it does not matter if you are a Master contender or a Weekend Warrior, there is still a challenge to be had.

Stink,

Learn anything and break 70 is the go. Much more fun but you have to have it in mind. In mind. In mind.

Been thinking a lot about your comment Darty, and I reckon you’re right, I’m going for it. The journey will/might be long but it’s so much fun and why not aim for the top of the mountain? Even though I’ve just started playing some games in single figures, I can see it is possible.

Today I played at Yarra Bend and the greens were lightning fast, couldn’t believe it actually. Unfortunately they had also been trashed by a friendly motorbike rider on the weekend, all but one I think. So there was some sand in strange shapes on the greens. Maybe they had rolled and cut them to repair them? Not sure, but they were bloody fast. Managed to shoot 14 over, 84. I hit most FW’s, all but two actually, and my approach shots were great, lot’s or GIR or bloody close! My putting wasn’t bad, just a hard day out there resulting in too many 3 putts.

I’m going to play every game now with the intention that I’m aiming towards 70. Not that I intend to do it that day, but it’s all part of my journey towards it if that makes sense.

I’m going to play ProV 1x’s too from now on (seconds of course). A guy gave me one to try and what a great ball, holds the greens and goes a mile. I actually ran through the greens on the first 4 holes until I changed from the distance rock I had. Learning learning, in mind, in mind, in mind,,,,,,,

Worked it out, 39 putts, 5×3 putts. Really didn’t feel that bad, just very fast greens : (

12/14 Fairways, excellent. the 2 misses weren’t too bad.

Only 6 GIR, yuk

The par 3’s let me down, usually do well on those, didn’t hit any, except the one that hit and spun back down a slope 20mtrs,,,,

in mind, in mind,,,,,,,,

Good on you stink. There is no rush just the mind set.

2011 or 2012 is fine. The information here makes it possible, but if you don’t look you don’t see.

Glad you saw it.

Thanks Dart. I do see it I think. With a strong long term aim the short term golf seems very enjoyable and I can play and practice without massive expectations, except that of learning every time I play, from each shot actually.

It takes time. I feel like I’m slowly getting a pre shot routine that is consistent and my clearkey steps in without too much fuss at all. Adjustments will be made but I need an established habitual routine first to work with first I think and I’m close to one.

Great. You will avoid my biggest mistake.

Had a practice 9 today, hit a few balls. Had a great time indeed, my swing is feeling great, if I don’t think about it, well, in the wrong way.

Dart made this comment elsewhere;

“Otherwise you have to give the body time to teach the intellect so it can take the credit for the improvement.”

So pertinent to where I’m at. I feel like my swing is killing at the moment, so strong and fluid. I sort of know why, the “intellect’ hasn’t really got it even though the body has. It’s getting closer though, just need to get a bit more trust and stop trying to work out what I’m doing so right, cause when I try it disappears, very quickly, and returns as fast when I simply do what I can do.

This is getting to be a heap of fun now.

Had a fantastic day with Budz at Growling Frog today. Shot 39 points, well 41, well 13 over for 85. Some confusion about my HC, not that I care, was great fun!!

Haven’t played there for a year at least so very happy for an unfamiliar course. All came down to chips and putts, fast greens with hard to read breaks and deep too, hard to judge distances cause the pin could be set back 15mtrs but appear forward Hard but fun.

Stellar ball striking day though, some memorable shots indeed. The best was putting for eagle on the 11th. Great drive then a 200mtr rescue to the heart of the green, yeah! Very good putt to a couple of inches, tap in birdie. Shaved the hole tooooo many times on putts, couldn’t get the breaks, plenty of birdie chances oh so close, oh well, all fun.

I love this game.

Worked out some stats;

12/14 FW, good
9 GIR, not great, misses weren’t too horrible, one green in less than reg! : )
38 putts, mm, 4×3 putts

If I eliminate 3 putts I’m coming in under 10. Problem is today I under clubbed on a few holes and that left me very long putts, doesn’t help.

Great driving stats Stinkler, in my dreams I hit about 7 FWs!

Keep working the short game, its where you will shave strokes big time.

Yep you’re right Bernie, it’s in the short game. Direction for my chips was actually very good though I just couldn’t judge those very fast greens, I need a remote stop button for the ball! : )

Now I can hit the ball okay I need to get smarter at playing the game too, something that comes slowly with experience it seems. Was it Moe? “Try smarter not harder”

I’m starting to realise how important every stroke is, must be hell playing off single figures?

I am almost finished Pelz’s Short Game Bible.

It has made me think alot more about the short game. There is some great stuff in there that can help you from 100 and in.

Thanks for the tip, will search it up.

It’s interesting watching Phil Mickelson’s short game dvd. Pelz is his coach but his approach doesn’t seem to line up with what Pelz talks about in his system. But then Phil came with a pretty handy short game so Pelz wouldn’t be starting him from scratch.

In Jack3’s blog he notes that some of Pelz putting instruction has been superseded. So keep that in mind.

Played the comp at Growling Frog again today, was much harder conditions this week! Wind was gusting up to 2/3 clubs and it was bloody cold too. went out with 18 points, played ok mostly, steady bogey golf switching between bad shots and great saves. The wind really puts me off and I need to learn to deal with it better. I tend to over compensate rather than just swing easy and keep in play.

My left shoulder is also killing me, kind of like tennis elbow in the shoulder? Anyone else had this from golf?

I find that my putting suffers in the wind too. Missed some very short putts worrying about the wind when I should just hit the thing in the bloody hole.

The back 9 was frustrating. Hit the 11th, 12th, 13th greens and then 3 putted them all. Then on the 15th Par5 I played the worst golf for this year, duffed my way onto the green for 5 and had a treacherous 10mtr putt up hill over 2 breaks. Would you believe I then go and make the putt?! Silly game.

I guess the good thing is I never quit today, it was a massive battle and with the cold and the wind I was knackered indeed.

Ended up with 35 points, no wipes, which I’m pleased with in the conditions. Very nearly lost it a few times but held myself together and saved face.

Darebin cup day next, want to play well for that.