Joey's Golf Bag

Seven penalties. Nine holes. This must be a record for futility.

I played this morning in the brutally hot Texas sun at the Hank Haney Golf Ranch in Lewisville. I’ve been struggling with my swing of late, and thought I had it mostly worked out yesterday. I hit the ball pretty well warming up, especially at the end where I hit the ball perfectly straight. On the course, well, it was ugly.

My score:

* Hit green in regulation.

Themes:

• Tee shots. On the first hole, hit a sand wedge just short of the green (this is the first time I’ve hit a sand wedge on this hole). On the second, chunked a six iron down in the cart path, and then took a bad bounce into the hazard on the right; took a drop (1st penalty). On the third, hooked a sand wedge long and left, almost to the hazard. On the fourth, hooked a driver just into the left rough. On the fifth, hit the green 36 ft from the hole (just about the longest putt possible on that green). On the sixth, pushed a booming drive right into the hazard (penalty #4). On the seventh, toe-hit a six iron just short of the hole. On the eighth, I attempted (again) to drive the green, but pushed it just right into a tree and the ball luckily landed in the fairway. On the ninth, shanked a 9-iron and lost the ball (penalty #6); hooked the next into the driving range net and had to take a drop (penalty #7). Quite possibly the worst driving day in history.
• Approach shots. On the second, from a drop, hit a pitching wedge into the fairway, leaving 80 yds to the pin; next shot, hit a thin, hooking sand wedge into the hazard (penalty #2). On the fourth, hit a thin 9-iron into the hazard (penalty #3). On the sixth, from a drop, hit a pitching wedge into the fairway; hit a sand wedge high over a tree but it clipped a branch and dropped into the right bunker. On the eighth, from the fairway, chunked a 9-iron into the hazard (penalty #5); hit the second long and left of the hole. Quite possibly the worst approach shots in history.
• Short wedges. Pretty good around the green. On the second, after the drop, hit a lob wedge to about 12 ft. On the third, hit a lob wedge to about 9 ft while standing on a log. On the fourth, hit a lob wedge to about 15 ft. On the seventh, hit a lob wedge to 12 ft. On the eighth, hit a lob wedge to 8 ft. On the ninth, left a lob wedge on the fringe 12 ft from the hole. I would have liked the ball closer, but at least the lob wedge around the green was respectable, only missing the green once.
• Sand shots. I had only one sand shot, on the sixth, which I hit about 8 ft past the hole. Two putted from there.
• Chipping. No chipping today; hit putts from the fringe to a foot on the first hole (tapped in for par). Putted in from the fringe on the ninth.
• Putting. With the exception of the 3rd and 5th holes (bad three putts), had a good day putting, hitting a 12 footer for par on the seventh and holeing one from the fringe on the ninth. Total of 16 putts.

Today was an enormously frustrating day. I thought I had my swing back in sync after my July fall, but obviously not.

My last practice was Wednesday at the Golden Bear Golf Center, and it was probably my worst practice in months. Ball striking was poor, my misses were hooks or pulls and the long clubs didn’t work at all. Eventually, I gave up and went home.

This morning, I was determined to figure out my difficulties and get back into rhythm. I started off hitting 9-iron shots pretty well, though slightly pulled. I worked my way down to the 5-iron, hitting the ball pretty well. However, things went south from there. All my shots were pulls or hooks again. I tried everything to get my swing back, to no avail. Finally, I concentrated on swinging inside-to-out, and suddenly, I’m striking the ball perfectly again.

Golf must be the most frustrating game ever invented… 😡

Happy that I worked out my swing problem, my next problem that needed fixing was my tendency to leave putts short. I saw a drill during the PGA Championship yesterday and decided to give it a shot this morning. The drill is simple: drop balls in a line away from the hole one step apart and hit the balls from the closest out. I did the drill several times and it definitely helped me get my distance control back. I also modified the drill by taking several steps from the hole and then dropping a ball at each step. I did this until the last ball (of four) was 36 ft from the hole. If anything, I had a bit of a tendency to hit the balls a little bit longer than optimal past the hole (Pelz says 17″; I tended to have the balls end about 24″ past the hole). The drill worked very well. I’ve always been pretty good at direction, if I can get my speed right, I’ll be a lot better on the green.

Although the first part of my practice today was frustrating, I was very happy with the results: better ball striking and better speed control on the green. All in all, a pretty good practice.

I went to the Golden Bear Golf Center to hit balls this morning. The weather was warm and sunny, with a 1-club breeze in my face. I had only a limited time to practice this morning, so I focussed only on the long clubs.

I warmed up with the 8- and 6-irons, alternating them and also an occasional pitching wedge just to keep my tempo in good shape. I started out hitting the ball well, had a stage where I hit a lot of balls fat, and then got back in the groove.

Next up, I got out the driver, and alternated hitting the driver and 8-irons, then changing the irons to longer clubs as I went. At first, the drives were straight but short, then they were long, but push fades, then they were long, but high hooks.

I also got out the hybrid and 3-metal. I hit mostly draws or hooks with the clubs, but at least the balls were well-struck.

My last drive was a thing of beauty. I used a neutral grip and let it rip; the ball was high and straight and was still going up when it cleared the blue flag at 175 yds; I would estimate about a 220-230 yd carry, which is very good for me.

My long clubs are starting to get back in the groove, so it’s now time to start taking lessons again. I’m starting to feel like I’m close to getting into good form, and I will probably now spend more time on the short game and less on the long.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve built a new driver and fairway metals to match my improved swing speed.

For the driver, I used a 10.5° Toski Target T6 Titanium/Composite Forged Driver Head with a Grafalloy Prolaunch 65 stiff graphite shaft, and a Golf Pride New Decade Multicompound midsize grip. The fairway metals are 15° and 18° Toski Target T6 Fairway Wood Heads, UST Proforce V2 stiff graphite shafts, and Golf Pride New Decade Multicompound midsize grips. To make hitting these clubs easier, I sized them 1″ shorter than standard, 44″ for the driver, 42.5″ for the 15°, and 41.5″ for the 18°. I swingweighted the clubs to D-0, D-1 and D-2, respectively.

Some photos:

In a few weeks, after I get my swing back in shape with the long clubs, I’ll take them out and hits some balls.

This morning, I went to the Hank Haney Golf Ranch in Lewisville to practice and play nine. The day was heavily overcast, hot and humid. I started off warming up by hitting 7- and 9-irons, and then proceeded to hit most of the clubs in the bag. I tended to hit the short irons and wedges fat, and fought that flaw all day. I hit the driver pretty well during practice, but the 3-metal and hybrid were not good. I chipped and putted for about 20 minutes and then hit the course.

My score:

* Hit green in regulation.

Themes:

• Tee shots. On the first, hit a pitching wedge over the green. On the second, hit a near perfect 7-iron into the fairway, but it bad-bounced into a bare lie near the left hazard line. On the third, hit a pulled sand wedge into the bunker on the left of the hole. On the fourth, hit a perfect, 233 yd drive into the fairway, leaving a mere 78 yds to the pin. On the fifth, hit a sand wedge fat just short of the green. On the sixth, hit a 223 yd draw just in the left rough. On the seventh, hooked a 6-iron and lost the ball. My provisional drew left of the green, but was pin-high. On the eigth, skyed a tee shot into the center of the fairway (I was attempting to drive the hole). On the ninth, pushed a 9-iron into the right bunker.
• Approach shots. On the second hole, attempted to hit a slice around a tree, but hit it fat well short of the green and chunked a pitch shot into the right bunker. On the fourth, pushed a sand wedge that hit the overhanging tree and bounced just short of the green. On the sixth, hit a pitching wedge thin that bounced 25 ft past the hole, but held the green for my only green in regulation. On the eighth, hit a seemingly perfect 5-iron directly at the flag, but it flew the green (I overclubbed).
• Wedges. Wedges hurt my game today, hitting some fat and some long.
• Chipping. Chipping was mediocre at best today; closest to the hole was about 6 ft.
• Sand shots. Every bunker had wet sand, and I’ve only practiced in wets sand once before, so I didn’t expect to do well out of the sand today. On the second hole, after a poor wedge shot, I hit the sand shot well over the green into deep rough. I then flew the green back into the same bunker, but that shot was better and ended up on the green. On the third, the ball buried deep in the wet sand and my shot didn’t leave the bunker. The second shot was on the green. On the seventh, I hit a sand wedge long into the sand. My sand shot was left only 12 ft from the pin, but I three-putted from there. On the ninth, my sand shot was left 6 ft from the hole.
• Putting. Good reads, poor speed. I left several putts inches short that would have gone in the hole if my speed had been good. I three-putted the 7th hole from 12 ft, very, very poor putting on that hole.

I was really frustrated with my poor short game today, and especially leaving putts short. My long game came together today, though, so at least I have that. And considering I’ve rarely practiced in wet sand, didn’t do too badly there. I’m guessing I missed 4 or 5 putts short that should have been made because the read was perfect and the speed off. I could have had a pretty good score today and I messed it up on the greens.

Still, I had fun.

Last night, I hit some balls at the Golden Bear Golf Center after dinner. The weather was very hot, with a 1-2 club breeze from the south, directly in my face. As usual, I started out warming up with the 7-iron, then added the pitching wedge, 9-iron and 5-iron to the mix. I didn’t hit the ball as well tonight as last Sunday, tending hit the ball fat. I didn’t have much issue with direction, though.

Next up, I got out the driver, 3-metal and hybrid. Finally, these clubs are starting to emerge from their slumber since my shoulder injury. I did the ball pretty well with the driver, though inconsistent in direction. Even hit a few monster slices, which I haven’t done in a long time. Mostly though, the ball didn’t have much side spin, and didn’t get up as high as it usually flies, so distance was well short. Still, at least I can see improvement back to where I was.

I spent a few minutes in the bunker, hitting short sand shots on the up-slope, and doing pretty well. Out of 10 shots, only one failed to get out of the bunker, and several were close to the pin I aimed at. I used the Pelz-style shot, open to the target, ball forward, club face open 45 degrees.

Finally, I spent some time on the putting green. I was rolling the ball very well from inside 30 ft, making several long ones. Outside 30 ft, I didn’t really get the ball as close to the hole as I would prefer. Some work still to be done there.

All in all, a decent practice, though not one of my best. At least the long clubs are starting to get back into shape.

This morning, I went to Hank Haney Golf Ranch to hit some balls and possibly play nine. However, like yesterday, the temperature was nearly 90F when I arrived just after 8AM and got hotter as I practiced. There was no breeze at all.

I started off hitting 7-irons to get warmed up and soon alternated hitting 9-, 7- and 5-irons. I started off a little ragged, but soon hit the balls pretty well, although my dominate shot was a draw. Next up, I got out the driver and immediately started hooking it. I alternated 9-irons and drivers, and got a little better. I put impact tape to see where I was striking the ball, and, to no surprise, found I was hitting near the toe again. I did eventually work the strike point back to the center, but had to address the ball on the hosel to get that to happen. I also put impact tape on the hybrid, with the same results of toe strikes. Again, addressing the ball on the hosel helped move the strike point back to the center. Lastly, I put impact tape on a 5-iron, and again, toe strikes. I was able to move that back to the center immediately by addressing the ball just a bit closer to the hosel.

To experiment, I went through the irons, addressing them such that the edge of the ball was at the end of the grooves on the irons. Surprisingly, all my ball striking immediately improved. I ran through the bag, hitting all the irons and wedges very nicely, except the 4-iron. I also worked on making sure that I didn’t flip my hands closed, and that helped as well with my ball striking. I think my hands have been getting a little overactive as of late.

I was pleased, though puzzled, with my practice today. I guess I don’t really mind where I address the ball, as long as I strike it well.

I decided not to play nine today, as I was beat from the heat.

… and me, out playing golf. In the brutal Texas heat. Or rather, attempting to play golf.

I went to the North Texas Golf Center to practice and play nine this morning. The weather was well in the 80s when I arrived just after 8 AM this morning, with only enough breeze from the southeast to make the flags wiggle. I started off hitting short irons poorly, but soon had my swing grooved and had one of my best practices in weeks going. I spent most of the practice session hitting alternating PW, 9-, 8-, 7- and 6-irons, hitting mostly straight balls, with occasional slight draws or fades. No hooks or slices reared their ugly heads with the irons today.

Next up, I hit the driver. At first, I hit an ugly hook or two, but soon discovered that my tempo was way, way too fast with the club. I then started alternating 9-iron and driver, and got my driver going again, hitting mostly draws, with one high slice thrown in. Distance was pretty short, but at least the balls would have been in the fairway. A week or two back, I took of the 1-1/2 swingweights of lead tape I had been using for a few months; I’m going to put 1 swingweight back on the toe to get the club going a little straighter.

I attempted to hit a few 3-metal and hybrid shots, but gave up and went on to hit full wedges to finish up 2/3 of the basket of balls. I was pretty pleased with that practice as well, though I tended to pull the wedges slightly.

Last up, I went to the short game area and hit a lot of short wedge shots, mostly with the lob wedge. My distances were a bit long today, but direction was generally good, erring occasionally to the right. My last drill was chipping with the pitching wedge, which started poorly, but ended very well, holing three shots and hitting the pin with another. After I ran out of balls, I putted for a few minutes, and realized that I was about to pass out from the heat. I’d already downed a 20 oz PowerAde, but I went in and got another and walked to the course.

On the first hole, some maintenance was being performed on the green (which badly needs some, as it has some large bare spots), so I hoofed over to the 2nd hole and waited while 3 girls and their father played the hole, verrrrrrrrry slowly. I didn’t feel like waiting, so I went over to the 4th and prepared to play. I was a bit woozy from the heat (I soon found out the temperature had hit 98F by this time), hooked a sand wedge way left of the flag, and walked after it. After I chunked a lob wedge, I picked up the ball and went home. If I played any more, I was likely to drop dead. It must have been humid as well, because I was soaked with sweat. Damn, it was HOT!

I was happy with my practice today, but I shouldn’t have even attempted to play golf today, as the temperature was just too hot. And no breeze either, unusual for Texas.

After dinner tonight, I went to the Golden Bear Golf Center to hit some balls and practice putting. The temperature was hovering around 100F, but since the humidity was low, it was comfortable. There was a 1-club breeze in my face, which helped as well.

I started off hitting 8-iron shots to the blue flag, 130 yds distance into the wind. I hit the short irons well tonight, though tending to hook when hitting a poor one. I alternated the pitching wedge, 8-, 6- and 4-irons. I never got the 4-iron going, although I did hit it straight, just very low, barely above the flag. The 6-iron took a few shots to get going, but I did manage some good ones by the end.

I got out the driver, 3-metal and hybrid, but with the exception of a couple of drives, hit those club poorly.

Next up, I got out the wedges, all four of them, and practiced hitting at the red flag some 80 yds away. That’s a little less than a half swing with a pitching wedge, about a half swing with the sand wedge, a 3/4 swing with the lob wedge, and if I really hop on it, just short with a full swing and a low trajectory with the 64 degree wedge. I hit the wedges well tonight, although the ball strikes were not as crisp with the 64 degree wedge.

After a 20 minute session on the putting green, I headed home, pretty happy with my practice session. I think another one or two practice sessions with the long clubs I’ll be back to where I was before I fell.

I went and hit a few balls after dinner tonight at Golden Bear Golf Center. Though the temperature was above 90F, it was still a comfortable evening in which to hit golf balls. There was a soft breeze from the south, about 1 club.

After stretching, I got out the 7-iron and hit a few balls. I wasn’t striking the ball very well, so I got out the pitching wedge and hit a few, striking the ball very nicely. I alternated irons for a while, striking the ball pretty good, and then got out the driver. I had removed the lead tape I had placed on the club. I set up as usual, ball forward, closed stance, club slightly open. Tonight, I was able to hit the sweet spot pretty consistently, but I hit mostly pushes or fades, with an occasional slice thrown in. It was almost a relief to hit a slice, as my usual fault is a hook. Distance was pretty good, considering that I was hitting into a 1 club wind.

Next up, I started to hit some long irons. My main fault is still a hook, and I hit some hard hooks tonight. I never really got the longer irons to work tonight, or the hybrid or 3-metal either. I ran through the irons and wedges, hitting most of them well except for the 4- and 3-irons. With the last few balls, I bombed some drives, pretty well struck, except for one moon ball that launched like a sand wedge and stopped with a single bounce. At least it was straight… 😉