Joey's Golf Bag

This morning, I went to practice at the Golden Bear Golf Center. The weather was warm and sunny, with a one- or two-club breeze from the south. My main keys today:

• At the top of my backswing, allowing gravity to pull my arms down to 9:00 before applying power to the swing;
• Having a brief delay at the top of the backswing before continuing down;
• Making sure to have a good athletic setup and “strong” grip;
• Having a smooth tempo free of tension;
• With driver, having a strong tilt away from the target with my spine (shoulder tilt).

After stretching, I warmed up by hitting 7-iron full and punch shots, not particularly well. I got out the 8-, 6-, and 4-irons and hit alternating shots, aiming at the blue flag about 135 yds away. My tempo was pretty shaky at first, but I managed to get it under control. After hitting a couple of good 4-irons, I got out the 3-iron, but never really managed to hit it any farther than the 4-iron.

Next up, I got out the SasQuatch driver and 3-metal, and also my Ping 7-metal, which I’ve not hit in some time. My first shot with the Ping was a very nice high fade, aimed at the yellow flag some 200 yds away. I didn’t get there, but that encouraged me to work on my long clubs. I alternated driver, 3-metal and 7-metal, with an occasional 3-iron thrown in the mix. I hit the driver pretty well today, getting about 185 to 200 yd carry into about a 1-club breeze. Most were slight fade or straight shots, maybe one or two draws. The 3-metal I didn’t hit very well today, tending to top the ball. I hit the 7-metal considerably better, tending to fade it.

The last twenty or so balls I used to go pin-hunting. I hit a couple of very nice 8-iron shots at the purple flag, a good 5-iron to the white flag, an excellent drive which nearly cleared the green with the yellow flag, and several fat wedges at the red flag. Nearly every wedge shot I hit today pulled left, that’s something I will work on this week. (I plan to pay particular attention to the wedges this week after my pathetic performance on Friday).

I spent some time on the putting green, hitting two balls at varying distances from the hole, to work on speed and line. Again, my main issue is leaving the ball short. Although that improved today, still need to get the ball 17″ past the hole, per Dave Pelz.

A good day of practice.

This morning, I went to Golden Bear Golf Center to practice. The weather was warm and sunny, with a soft breeze from the southwest.

Because of my poor wedge play yesterday, I started out in the short game area, working on short sand and lob wedges. I had pretty good touch today, but tended to be a bit left and long.

Next, I went to the range and started off hitting full 7-iron shots to get warmed up. I then got out the 5-iron and alternated those two clubs. Next up, I got out the 4-, 6- and 8-irons and worked on both full swing and low punch shots. I’m starting to develop a pretty good punch shot, but if I’m not swinging well, will tend to hit down too far and leave a big divot. In general, my iron shots were pretty good today.

Next up, I hit a number of full pitching and sand wedges, with a few lob wedges thrown in for good measure. I had some difficulty with pulling the shots, and had a few fat ones, until I got my tempo right.

Finally, I got out my 3-metal and driver, and that was a complete disaster. Either I was hitting low duck hooks, or I pushed the shots well right. Not a good shot to be found. I eventually realized the main problem was I was tired from all the balls I’d hit today. I’ll save the short game practice after full swing practice and avoid this difficulty in the future. As I was tired and the noon day sun was beating down hard, I skipped putting practice and got a milkshake at Diary Queen. 🙂

This morning, I practiced and played nine at Hank Haney Golf Ranch in Lewisville. The weather was warm and cloudy, threatening rain. I got a medium bucket and started working on my irons.

I warmed up with the 7-iron today, hitting 3/4 swings and a punch shot or two. I had pretty good rhythm early, but after I switched to alternating 9-, 7- and 5-irons, had a rough period where I hit the ball poorly. I then went back to practicing punch shots, and started to get a little tempo going.

All that vanished when I got the SasQuatch driver out. I hit the driver extremely poor today, low duck hooks, worm burners, high slices; anything but straight. Yeech!!! 🙁 By this time, I had only a few balls left, and it started to rain a little. I waited it out and then hit the remaining balls with my sand wedge toward a flag on the far left of the range. About half I hit fat, the rest I hit well. Pretty much the theme: half good, half bad.

I then putted some, trying to get good speed, and then hit the course. Since my swing changes haven’t fully kicked in, I don’t really have a good idea what my distances are anymore, other than I’m about 20 yds longer than I used to be. So I guessed… 😐

My score:

* Hit green in regulation.

Themes:

• Tee shots: Very poor off the tee today. On the first hole, hit a 10-iron into the bunker on the right (probably should have used the PW). On the second, hit a duck hook with the driver into the water. On the third, hit a PW clear over the green into the back hazard (probably should have hit SW). On the fourth, hit a draw with the driver well left of the fairway, hit a tree but ended at a spot that left a clean lie and clear shot at the hole. On the fifth, in a heavy down-pour, hit a PW thin over the hole into the water behind it. Hit the next PW perfectly to about 15 ft. On the sixth, hit a low draw with the driver that ended up two feet left of the fairway with a good lie in the rough. On the seventh, hit a high slicing 5-iron that hit a tree and kept the ball out of the hazard. On the eighth, hit a 4-iron hook that flew the hazard on the left and ended with a clear shot at the green. On the ninth hole, playing at 160 yds, hit a 4-iron that sliced high into the hazard; hooked the second tee shot onto the cart path. There it is: nine tee shots, 4 penalties. OUCH!
• Approach shots. I had a very good day with approach shots on the par 4 holes, probably my best day ever. On the second, after a drop from the hazard, hit a 5-iron that dropped just short of the green when it hit the only branch that could be hit (I’m really, really good at that….). On the fourth, hit a high, perfect 5-iron fade, perhaps my best 5-iron shot ever, from 160 yds out of the rough to 15 ft from the flag. On the sixth, hit a perfect 8-iron fade from about 110 yds high over a tree to 7 ft. On the eighth, hit an 8-iron punch shot beneath the trees to 20 ft (ball rolled up against the fringe of the green. I was still grinning when I got home after playing the par 4 holes so well.
• Wedge shots. Yeech! Hit two PWs off the tees into hazards. On the first, didn’t get out of the bunker with the first SW, hit the second one thin over the green. Hit a decent SW pitch from there. Hit a decent SW pitch onto the green on the second, but the ball rolled just off the green. Hit a decent SW off a bare lie on the 7th that rolled onto the fringe. Hit a decent SW after relief from the cart path on the ninth.
• Chipping. Had only one chip today, on the third hole after a drop from the hazard, rolled over the green and I putted from there.
• Putting. I had birdie putts on three of the four par-4 holes, but missed them all from inside 20 ft, but made all the par putts. Had a three-putt from 15 ft in the heavy rain on the fifth hole.

Well, despite a mediocre score, I was still proud of the way I played the par-4 holes, even if I did stink up the par-3s.

This morning I went to hit some balls at the Golden Bear Golf Center, determined to work on my longer clubs. The wind was howling in from the south, directly into my position. And the wind was really howling; at times, I had to reset my stance after being blown out of it. At times, the wind may have hit 35 mph.

I warmed up with 7-iron half-swings, aimed at the white flag about 125 yds in front of me. I was coming up well short of that distance due to the howling wind. After warm-up, I got out the 4- and 6-irons and hit many balls, concentrating on getting the ball flying straight. For the most part, I succeeded, striking the ball pretty well today. Of course, distances were much shorter than normal; I could just reach the white flag with a 6-iron, hitting my normal high shot. I could get another 10 yds by concentrating on hitting the ball lower.

I then got out the 3-iron and the hybrid. I hit the 3-iron pretty well, but the ball ballooned up into the wind and made the distance no better than with the 4-iron. The hybrid was just impossible to hit straight today; the best I could manage was a low fade.

Next up was the 3-metal. I concentrated on the three things Alan had me work on yesterday, namely: full backswing with a slight pause at the top, full transfer of weight from left to right on the downswing, and making a complete follow-through. Things finally began to click and I started to strike the ball pretty well, tending to hit fades. I then switched to the SasQuatch driver and, for the first time ever, I finally hit drives I can be proud of. With the exception of one ball (hook), every one of 10 shots would have been in the fairway, with good or excellent distance for me. Even though I was hitting into a 35 mph wind, I still managed to carry the ball about 180 yds. I think when the wind dies down I may be close to my goal of hitting drives 225 yds.

Alan stopped by for a minute just as I started working on hitting low punch shots with the 5-iron. I’ve been needing a low punch shot, given that the wind is frequently strong in Texas, and my dominate shot is very high in the air. He had me put the ball well back of where I had been attempting the shot, nearly back to my right foot. I had some difficulty hitting the ball cleanly, but I did manage a good low shot or two, but most were pushed. I had much better success hitting the punch shot with the 8-iron.

I finished up practice hitting short sand wedge shots into the wind. I hit the ball cleanly for the most part, but tended to pull the ball. After I ran out of balls, I decided to forego putting practice, as the wind was just too strong to make practice useful.

Yesterday, after work, I went to hit balls at the Hank Haney Golf Ranch in Lewisville. The weather was cool but sunny, with a soft breeze from the east.

I started off hitting half 7-irons to warm up. After that, I switched to hitting alternating 8-, 6- and 4-irons, and was hitting the ball well, with some draws and some fades, some straight. I then added the hybrid, which I hit only fades or slices.

Then things got ugly.

Hook, hook, hook! Nothing but hooks, other than pulls on short irons. I tried everything to get back to straight or even fades, but nothing seemed to work. I hooked everything, driver, 3-metal, long irons. Yeech!

Finally, I went back to the pitching wedge and hit a perfect, straight full pitching wedge. Alas, I was out of balls.

Mission: Swing clinic at Golden Bear today; private lesson with Alan next week.

I went to the Golden Bear Golf Center to hit some balls this morning and work on my improving full swing. The weather was partly cloudy with a breeze from the east.

I started out hitting sand wedge shots to the purple flag about 50 yds away. Not surprisingly, I’m still having a problem hitting fat with the wedges. I worked at it and finally figured out that I’m raising up a little on my backswing, which means I have to reset going back down. That I’m not doing well, so I’m hitting it fat. Once I figured that out, I started to hit some good shots, although pulled left of the flag.

Next up, I got out the 4-, 6-, and 8-irons and started hitting punch shots toward the white flagged green. At first, I hit the ball pretty well, but still had some difficulty hitting the ball fat or behind the ball. That’s always due to rushing the downswing. I worked on that extensively and also making sure to follow an inside path. I think I overdid the inside path, as I started to hook the longer clubs, although the shorter clubs were mostly on line.

After having more difficulty with hitting the ball fat, I started with the 10-iron and worked my way down through the clubs, hitting each one until I hit the club well. When I ended up with the SasQuatch 3-metal. I had good success on all the clubs except the 3-iron; I had a problem hooking the club badly or hitting it thin. I’m pleased to say that not only am I hitting the ball farther, but my distance keeps progressing even down to the 3-iron (if I could just get it straightened out instead of hooking).

My last drill was pin-hunting. Although I’d done that well the previous two days, I stunk today, not hitting any clubs very well during the drill, except the 10-iron.

Next up, I went to the short game area and began chipping. My feel wasn’t very good today, and that followed during short wedge practice. I never really got grooved in at all. I think I’m overdoing practicing since I’m on vacation this week; so I may give it a rest this weekend. The tendonitis in my right elbow is acting up.

In other news, my SasQuatch driver arrived (Lucky 13, regular flex, 44.5″ length). Review to follow next week.

I went to practice at Golden Bear Golf Center this morning. When I arrived, a light wind was from the north and the skies were cloudy. While I practiced, the winds shifted gradually to the west or southwest and the skies cleared.

I started off warming up with 7-iron shots off the turf. I then moved to hitting alternating 3-, 6-, and 9-irons, with mixed results, having some issues with hitting the ball fat. As usual, when I hit it fat, the main reason is rushing the downswing; once I got the tempo back, I started hitting some very good shots with the 9-iron, and some good shots with the 6-iron. Unusually, I could not seem to get the 3-iron in the air. After that, I switched to hitting alternating 4-, 6- and 8-irons, and later threw the hybrid into the mix. Again, mixed results, but when I did everything right, I was hitting slight draws with good distance.

I then got the 3-metal out of the bag. I started off hitting shots off the turf and had some difficulty getting the ball airborne. I soon adjusted my stance to be a little closer to the ball, and that did the trick. I hit some good shots after that.

I next hit some full pitching wedges. I initially had trouble hitting the ball fat; again, not rushing my downswing seemed to fix it, although most of the shots were pulled a little left.

My last drill was pin-hunting. Unlike yesterday, I didn’t do very well, but again, I hit a very nice couple of 3-metal shots off tees to the green with the blue flag, about 180 yds away today. The first shot was a draw that ended left of the green, but the second hit the green pin-high slightly to the right of the flag and continued well past. I also hit a pretty good hybrid shot just short of the green and right of the flag, probably a 165 yd carry. I also hit a 9-iron toward the white flag at 115 yds and hit pin-high. That’s an improvement over the yardage I usually expect with the 9-iron.

I had a bit of golf elbow today in my right arm, so I skipped chipping and short wedge shots and went to the putting green to work on speed. After some initial frustration with my speed, I got my touch back and was able to get the speed right.

Today, I visited the Golden Bear Golf Center to work on my full swing and get in some putting and chipping. When I arrived, the wind was howling in from the south at about 2 clubs. The weather was cool and cloudy.

I warmed up with some half swings with the 7-iron, concentrating on what I worked on yesterday with Alan. My biggest problem continues to be tension, and when I’m able to release that tension, I am able to hit the ball pretty well. Unfortunately, for most of the day, I didn’t hit the ball well, mostly, but not exclusively, due to tension. My biggest problem today, besides tension, was a smooth downswing. When I rush my downswing, I tend to hit the ball fat, and the club doesn’t fully release, so misses tend to the right. The only good thing to happen is that most of my misses were to the left, and not to the right.

After warmup, I alternated 3-, 6- and 9-iron shots. I had pretty good success with the 9-iron, but more limited success with the 6- and 3-irons. I also got out the 21-degree hybrid and the 3-metal for a few shots. Surprisingly, with the exception of one shot, the hybrid yielded either straight shots or draws. I had trouble getting the tempo down on the 3-metal, but did hit one or two good ones.

When I got down to a dozen balls, I went pin-hunting, and finally, my practice started to come together. I hit excellent shots right at the pin with a couple of clubs, but strangely, hit the 8-iron poorly. The shot of the day was with the SasQuatch 3-metal, hit directly at the blue flag, 175 yds straight into the 2-club wind. I teed up a ball, aimed at the middle of the green just to the right of the flag, and let go a nice smooth swing. The ball tracked directly where I aimed, drew toward the flag and landed softly just left of the pin. The ball rolled around the flag and ended up about 4 ft below the hole.

I practiced poorly all day, but that last shot cheered me right up. Next up, I spent a few minutes hitting some balls out of the sand. I got them all out, but two were hit thin and over the green. Next, I chipped a bunch of balls using the pitching wedge from lots of different distances. My touch was not great today, but it is improving.

Finally, I spent a few minutes on the putting green. I had pretty good speed control today, but reading the breaks was off.

A mixed practice today, but I can see the path to improvement on my full swing.

I attended the full swing clinic at the Golden Bear Golf Center today. I again got lucky and was the only student at the clinic. Normally, if only a single student shows up, the clinic is limited to 1/2 hour, but Alan had me work hard for nearly an hour with both the 6-iron and 3-metal. Basically, I have two issues: a bit of a reverse pivot and not swinging hard enough with a complete turn from back swing to follow-through.

I warmed up with the 7-iron and Alan then had me switch to a 6-iron while he watched me swing. I was not hitting the ball very well during warm up. He had me focus on making complete turns and also swinging harder, while keeping out tension (tension has always been a problem for me). He had me start out with short swings with the 6-iron, sort of a punch shot. After I started to make clean contact, he had me make some longer swings, working on proper inside path and full turn from backswing to follow-through. I wasn’t making good contact on every swing, but when I did, the ball was going lower and longer than before. He also moved the ball forward in my stance.

Next up, he had me hit off the grass with the 3-metal. Again, same focus on making a full turn from backswing to follow-through, no reverse pivot, and keeping my downswing from starting too quickly. He made sure that I finished off each follow-through properly. I only made good contact with about half the shots, but the ones that were hit well were longer than usual for me, and I even hit a draw or two with good distance.

Afterward, I talked briefly with Mark Maness, who is checking out some new video software for capturing and analyzing golf swings. He says that the video will be available outside more often so that time can be saved by not having to go inside for video analysis. The new video equipment also has a higher frame and resolution to make video analysis easier.

I was very happy with my swing clinic today, and look forward to hitting some balls on the range to see if I can get all this programmed into me.

This afternoon, I ventured out into the cool, sunny weather to practice and play nine at Hank Haney Golf Ranch in Lewisville. The temperature was in the mid-60’s, and a one or two club breeze was blowing in from the north.

Since I have been practicing well the last few days, I decided I would try, once again, to conquer this challenging nine-hole course. Alas! I should know better…

I bought a small bucket of balls and hit the range. I started right back where I was yesterday, hitting the ball well. I hit most of the clubs well during practice, even my SasQuatch 3-metal and the 21-degree hybrid. My only real issue was pulling the short irons and wedges. Pulling the short irons didn’t really bother me, since on this course, all the trouble is on the right.

After hitting all the balls, I putted for a few minutes and then played.

My score:

* Hit green in regulation.

Themes:

• Tee shots. Only hit one green in regulation and only one fairway. My best tee shots were on the first, where I was just right of the green, and on the ninth, where I hit a perfect 7-iron fade to the center of the green 25 ft from the hole. Utterly unbelievable was the tee shot with a 4-iron on the eighth, where I hit a seemingly perfect shot only to hit the only branch that hangs over the fairway. I hit terrible shots on the rest of the holes, including a fat pitching wedge into the hazard on the third hole.
• Approach shots. Terrible, as well. Even my layups out of the rough sucked, hitting them from one side rough to the other side rough. On another layup out of the rough, I had a clear path to the fairway except for a single, skinny branch: I hit it.
• Wedges. Indescribably bad today, didn’t have even one worth discussing, except that I managed to get out of the sand nicely on the fifth (only to 3-putt) despite being in a deep hole left behind by another golfer who did not rake.
• Chipping. I did hit some very nice chips today, but also managed to hit one over a green as well.
• Putting. Good today. I had only one 3-putt today, on the fifth hole, where I lipped out a 4 footer to save bogey. I had single putts on 2, 4 and 6, which shows how poorly the rest of my game was today.

Today was one of those days that tests your desire to ever play the game again. I had practiced and played well the since Friday, and was gaining confidence. After the round, I hit another small bucket of balls just to see if I could get back into form, and not surprising to me, I hit the ball pretty well again.

Golf is testing my persistence.