Joey's Golf Bag

This morning, I played nine at North Texas Golf on a hot, breezy morning. The wind was from the east, which was unusual. The wind was about 2 clubs when I arrived but decreased to almost none by the time I finished my round.

My score:

* Hit green in regulation.

My round:

• First hole. I hit an 8-iron 27 ft short of the hole and two-putted for par.
• Second hole. I hit an 8-iron 27 ft left of the hole and two-putted for par.
• Third hole. Hit a terrible PW shot short of the hole, where it landed next to a sprinkler. I chunked the chip badly just onto the green and three-putted from about 30 ft for double.
• Fourth hole. Hit a thin 9-iron into the mud next to a sprinkler head, where the ball embedded. Took relief from the sprinkler head, badly chunked the chip about 5 ft. I then hit a perfect chip 45 ft into the hole for par.
• Fifth hole. Hit a thin SW just short of the green, chipped to 7 ft and made the putt for par.
• Sixth hole. Hit a PW to 9 ft and just missed the birdie putt. Tapped in for par.
• Seventh hole. Hit an AW to 18 ft and left the birdie putt 6″ short. Tapped in for par.
• Eighth hole. Hit a PW just over the green, putted from off the green 7 ft past the hole, but made the par putt.
• Ninth hole. Hit a 7-iron to 27 ft. Left the birdie putt 2 ft short and tapped in for par.

Today was my best score ever with respect to par (+2) on nine holes and my best score on this course. It really could have been better, if I hadn’t chunked two chips and missed all five of my birdie putts. Still, I was happy with how I played today.

This morning, I played 9 at North Texas Golf. The weather was very hot and sunny, with only a slight breeze from the west. Before playing, I hit short and medium pitches, hit a small bucket of balls, chipped and putted.

My score:

* Hit green in regulation.

My round:

• First hole. Hit a 9-iron just right of the green, chipped to 9 ft and made the putt.
• Second hole. Hit a 7-iron 48 ft short of the hole and two-putted for par.
• Third hole. Hit a fat AW short of the green into a drain. Took relief, chipped to 9 ft and two-putted for bogey.
• Fourth hole. Hit a slightly fat PW right of the pin, chipped to 5 ft, missed the putt and tapped in for bogey.
• Fifth hole. Hit a fat SW short of the hole, chipped to 3 feet and hit the putt for par.
• Sixth hole. Hit an approach shot right of the green, chipped to 6 ft and made the putt for par.
• Seventh hole. Hit a pitching wedge to 18 ft, but hit the birdie putt much too hard and it lipped out 5 ft past the hole. Missed the return putt and tapped in for bogey (much cursing ensued).
• Eighth hole. Hit a pitching wedge to 24 ft. Again, ran the birdie putt well past the hole, missed the return putt and tapped in for bogey (more cursing).
• Ninth hole. Hit an 8-iron off the toe right of the green. Chipped 9 ft past the hole and missed the par putt, and tapped in for bogey.

My putting really let me down today. I could have had a good round, but threw it away with terrible 3-putts.

Yesterday morning, Jarvis and I walked 18 at Prairie Lakes Golf Course in Grand Prairie. We went off at 8:22AM and finished about 4 hours later. The weather was hot and sunny without much of a breeze. We played the White and Blue courses.

My score:

* Hit green in regulation.

Themes:

• Off the tee. I hit only 5 fairways, though I had a couple of good drives that were just off the fairway. I had to play off a push all day, and bad things happened when that push turned into a hook. I hit the driver only twice, both were hooks, one into the water on the 6th hole on the white course. The rest of the day I primarily used the Thriver.
• Approach shots. I hit 6 greens in regulation, one of which was a par-3 hole. My main issue today was hitting the ball over the greens. For whatever reason, my distances were longer that usual. I had one penalty off an approach shot, a 4-hybrid pushed right into the water on the sixth hole of the white course (I still managed to get up and down for double despite two penalties on that hole).
• Wedges. I wasn’t particularly pleased with my wedge play today, tending to hit them high and short.
• Chipping. My chipping was pretty good, I got up and down 6 times, though not always for par.
• Sand shots. No bunkers on this course, so no sand shots.
• Putting. My putting wasn’t good today. On the white course, I putted terribly, having three 3-putts (two on greens I hit in regulation). On the blue course, my putting was much better, as I had five one-putt greens and only a single 3-putt. I had a total of 34 putts.

I was pretty happy with my play today, as I tied my personal best (last time on a par 72 course). If my putting had been better, I could have had a really good round.

This morning, I played 18 at Coyote Ridge Golf Club, going off at 9:30AM and finishing up in 4 hours and 30 minutes. The wind was strong from the south for most of the day. The weather was partly to mostly cloudy throughout the round.

My score:

* Hit green in regulation.

Themes:

• Tee shots. I started out very nicely on the first two holes, hitting both the fairway and green on both holes (making birdie on the first). Things got a little shaky on the next few holes, as I hit two balls out of bounds left, and had to take an unplayable on the seventh hole (underneath a little pine tree). On the back, I did very well, hitting the par-3 11th green with a 5-iron and hitting six fairways (total of 8).
• Approach shots. Simply terrible. I hit only three greens in regulation, of which two were on par-4 or par-5 holes. I had perfect fairway lies on eight holes and hit two greens. My faults were mostly pushes right. I had two penalties on approach shots, an unplayable lie under little pine tree and a 9-iron into the water on the 4th hole.
• Wedge shots. I didn’t do particularly good with my wedges today; can’t even remember a good one.
• Chipping. I had a few good chips, as I got up and down four times, though usually not for par.
• Sand shots. I hit into one fairway bunker, and hit it out but fat. I hit into three greenside bunkers, one a spectacular shot to 3 feet on the 3rd hole (but missed the putt, ARRRGGGG!!!!). The other two, I got out but not close to the hole.
• Putting. My first putt was a perfectly struck 15 footer for birdie, but I missed a 3 footer for par on the 3rd hole. I had two three-putts and a total of 34 putts.

I got off to a really good start, but played poorly on the front, making five penalties, which I think is the most I’ve ever made in a round. I recovered somewhat on the back (no penalties) but my short game really let me down on the final holes.

This morning, I played 18 at Coyote Ridge Golf Club. We went off at 8AM with threatening skies and thunder in the distance, but that soon cleared off and became hot, hot, hot.

My score:

* Hit green in regulation.

Themes:

• Off the tee. I’ve never been so good, and so bad, on any day. First, the good. I hit 8 fairways, using a variety of clubs, from driver, thriver, 5-wood and 5-iron. Next, the bad. I had four penalties off the tee, a 4-hybrid sliced into the water on the 3rd hole, a 7-iron into the water on the 7th hole, a driver out of bounds onto the range on the 9th, and a 4-hybrid out of bounds on the 12th. I had nearly all the faults today, hooks, slices, pushes, tops.
• Approach shots. Perhaps my worst day ever. I hit two, count ’em, two, greens in regulation, both par-4 holes. I had all the faults above, plus a fattie or two left short.
• Wedges. Hit a lot of wedges, and left a lot of them short. Not good.
• Chipping. Pretty poor chipping today, as I only got up and down three times, and only once for par.
• Sand shots. I hit into two greenside bunkers. On the first, made a nice out. On the second, barely got it out of a deep greenside bunker. I didn’t get up and down either time.
• Putting. My putting wasn’t very good, but at least I cut my three-putts to only two. I didn’t hit a single putt longer than 4 feet today, and missed both birdie putts, though just barely. I had a total of 35 putts today.

I was pretty disappointed with my play today, as I hit 8 fairways and only made par twice from the fairway. That’s really pathetic. On the other hand, we were playing from the blue tees, and I really don’t belong on the blue tees.

…by one shot. But, hey, it’s a milestone! 🙂

I walked 18 holes this morning at Sherrill Park on course 1. We teed off at 7AM on a really nice morning, not too hot, though it would get hot by the time we finished just after 11AM. There wasn’t much wind.

My score:

* Hit green in regulation.

Themes:

• Off the tee. I did poorly off the tee, as you can see from my first three holes. I hit only three fairways all day, though a couple of drives were just off the fairway in the light rough. I also hit one ball in the water on the 10th hole, a solidly struck 4-hybrid pushed well right into the drink. I pretty much abandoned hitting driver, as it just got me into trouble; I hit the Thriver most of the day, not really giving up any distance, but leaving myself in less trouble than the driver was giving me.
• Approach shots. I hit only four greens in regulation (one of which was a par-3 hole). However, it’s not as bad as it seems, as I was just in the fringe on several holes. I tended to hook my long irons, but my distance control wasn’t bad, as I was pin-high on most of those.
• Wedges. I had a mixed day with the wedges, hitting some thin and one or two fatties. I did hit a nice AW to 7 feet on the short par-4 4th hole.
• Chipping. A mixed day as well. I got up and down three times, not always for par, though.
• Sand shots. I was in one deep greenside bunker, and had a good 30 yards to the hole. I hit a nice sand shot with the sand wedge on wet sand to 15 feet.
• Putting. My putting started out pretty poor until I got a feel for the greens, which were pretty fast and smooth. I had four 3-putts, but also made two birdie putts (one 30 footer from the fringe on the sixth hole and a 7 footer on the 4th hole). I had a total of 34 putts.

I was happy to finally break 90, but the round could have been better if my short game had been a little more functional.

This morning, I played nine at the North Texas Golf Center on a hot, hot morning. I arrived at the range, putted a while, did the sand drill in the bunker, hit a small bucket of balls and hit the course. There was very little wind when I started. The round was slow due to a junior golf camp.

My score:

* Hit green in regulation.

My round:

• First hole. My round started inauspiciously when I hooked my 8-iron left and long next to a tree, causing me to take an unplayable. From there, I pitched over a mound long, lipping out a 9 foot putt, then tapping in for double.
• Second hole. The tees were all the way back today, and the flag was in the back right corner of the green. I hit a nearly perfect 7-iron 10 feet short of the hole, right in line with it. My putt went three feet by the hole, and I missed the short putt when the ball hit a clump of grass and bounced left. Tapped in for bogey. I was not happy.
• Third hole. Hit a pitching wedge a little thin and short. My chip was thin and short as well, leaving me 10 feet for par. Lipped out again and tapped in for bogey.
• Fourth hole. Hit a nice pitching wedge 10 feet from the hole and rolled in the birdie putt.
• Fifth hole. Hit a sand wedge too high and short, chipped poorly to 10 feet and lipped out (again!!!) the putt. Tapped in for another bogey.
• Sixth hole. Hit an approach wedge thin and right of the hole. Chipped to 7 feet but just missed the putt, and tapped in for bogey.
• Seventh hole. The pin was just behind the bunker. I debated whether to hit an AW or a PW, decided on the AW. Just as I hit, the non-existent wind was blowing hard in my face and my ball plugged deep in the bunker. I used the sand wedge to blast out, just barely clearing the railroad ties. I had a 15 footer from the fringe, which I barely missed and tapped in for another bogey. Seven holes played and not one par.
• Eighth hole. Hit another AW, this time the wind took it 36 feet past the hole. I hit the lag putt to six inches and tapped in for my first par of the day.
• Ninth hole. The tees were nearly all the way back, but the flag was on the front. I hit a nine iron just short of the green, chipped poorly to 9 feet, but nailed the putt for par.

I wasn’t happy with my game today. I hit a couple of good iron shots, but many were hit a little thin (my divot was a good 2 inches in front of the ball — very unusual for me). My chipping really let me down, as I didn’t hit one closer than 9 feet all day. My putting would have been stellar if I hadn’t lipped out three putts. I blame the 3-putt on the bumpy green. Still, a pretty good day of golf.

I played nine at North Texas Golf in Dallas on a very hot morning. There was a variable breeze from the west. The golf course was in typical summer condition, very firm, with bumpy, slow greens.

My score:

* Hit green in regulation.

My round:

• First hole. Hit a 9-iron fat, leaving me 40 feet short of the pin. Chipped long with the AW, lipped out the 15 foot putt and tapped in for bogey.
• Second hole. Pured a 7-iron 35 feet over the pin (should have hit an 8-iron). Left my first putt six feet short but popped in the next for par.
• Third hole. Hit an AW so fat, the ball went maybe 30 feet. Hit a sand wedge pin-high but just off the green. Chipped within 2 feet and tapped in for bogey.
• Fourth hole. Hit an AW fat and right into a puddle. Took relief from the puddle, chipped from a downhill lie with the lob wedge to about 6 feet and hit the putt for bogey.
• Fifth hole. Hit an AW 40 feet pin-high right of the hole. Struck a very poor putt 15 feet short. Pured the putt, but it hit a bump and bounced over the hole. Tapped in for bogey.
• Sixth hole. Hit another fat AW short of the green. Chipped with the AW to 2 feet and tapped in for par.
• Seventh hole. Hit another fat AW perfectly in line with my target, but just on the green 30 feet short of the hole, leaving me with a difficult putt up to the hole on a ridge that goes across the green. Hit a putt perfectly on line but 2 feet short. Tapped that in for par.
• Eighth hole. Hit a 9-iron pin-high but left of the green in a grass bunker. Chipped about 7 feet short of the hole, but pured the breaking putt into the hole.
• Ninth hole. Hit an 8-iron left of the greenside bunker, chipped with the sand wedge 6 feet past the hole, and hit the breaking putt for par.

Today, I had no golf swing at all (one really fine tee shot, even that one with the wrong club), yet I tied my best score on this course with a combination of good chipping and good putting (14 putts including one unlucky 3-putt). In short, I put the ball in the hole even though my golf swing abandoned me. I was really proud of how I played today.

Update: Forgot to mention that I played three balls today (a Bridgestone e6+ on the first three holes, a Titleist ProV1 on the second three, and last year’s Nike One Platinum on the last three holes). There was no discernible difference in the three balls, which were chosen because they were listed as soft, high spin balls in Golf Digest’s last ball test.

This morning, Jarvis and I walked 18 holes on the Lakes Course at Indian Creek Golf Club. The weather was cool at first, though warming rapidly to around 90F by the time we finished. There was little wind on most holes. We went off around 7:15AM and finished the round in about 4 hours.

My score:

Themes:

• Tee shots. I didn’t hit the ball well of the tee, hitting only four fairways. I either pushed the ball right, or hooked it left and never felt confident over the ball. I also hit one of the par-3 holes in regulation. I had two penalties off the tee, one of which leaked left into the water on the 18th hole.
• Approach shots. I hit five greens in regulation, and in general, my approach shots were pretty good, as I was just off the green in many cases.
• Wedges. I didn’t hit a lot of wedge shots today, tending instead to hit chips using the pitching wedge.
• Chipping. I did pretty well chipping, mostly with the pitching wedge. I hit a couple of close chips to get up-and-down, and also chipped in from off the green on the par-5 14th hole to save par.
• Bunker shots. I hit only one bunker today, a deep greenside bunker. I got out, but not close to the hole.
• Putting. I continue to struggle with my putting. I missed a couple of short putts and had four 3-putts for a total of 35 putts. That’s not nearly good enough.

With the exception of driving the ball and putting, I had a pretty good day on the course. This is the best I’ve done on this course, so I was pretty happy.

This morning, Dad and I played 18 at the Cowboys Golf Club in Grapevine. The course was in very good condition, though the greens had been punched probably a week ago. We went off at 9AM with another twosome and finished in 4 hours 40 minutes. We waited on the group in front of us much of the day.

My score:

* Hit green in regulation

Themes:

• Tee shots. I didn’t hit the ball well off the tee today, hitting only five fairways and no par-3 holes in regulation. I had two penalties off the tee as well. My major fault was hooking, though one was a huge push.
• Approach shots. Not very good today, either. I hit just three greens in regulation. My main fault was pushes to the right of the green.
• Wedges. I was pretty pleased with my wedges today, as all three greens I hit in regulation were with the approach wedge.
• Sand shots. I hit into one fairway bunker and two greenside bunkers. I got out on all three, but none of the shots were close to my target.
• Chipping. Not very good, got up-and-down only twice. I mostly went long today.
• Putting. Boy, I stunk. I just couldn’t get the speed right today at all. 40 putts total, only two one-putt greens, and six 3-putts. Pathetic.

I was pretty disappointed with my play today, as I just couldn’t get my irons to go straight (big push right most of the day) and big hooks with my driver. Not to mention that my putting was terrible. Lack of practice is really messing up my play and now that summer is here, it’ll be harder to find time since practice in the afternoon after work is really not possible due to Texas heat. Alas.