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.