I'm SO glad to be able to get out. As the round wore on, the preshot routine wore off...
The epitome of point #4 was this: Standing on #3 tee box, there is a creek and small valley (20 yards below the tee). It's a wonderful thing to play with a players mind ('don't top it into the creek!'). At any rate, I tee up with 4 hybrid (trying out a
Mizuno CLK FLI-Hi). I go through the preshot routine, then proceed to FOCUS ON WIDENING MY TAKEAWAY. Top the ball into the creek. Ok, no problem. Reload, same club, same tee. SAME SWING - again, focused on widening my takeaway. Result? Another topped ball, this time it clears the creek and rolls into the lat hazard...
The funny thing is, after the first swing, my playing partner says to a casual observer (I find out afterwards) "That's what happens when you think mechanics - and he does that all the time".
My main problem last year was hitting a slice. I played the entire 9 holes slice free. One fade (about 7 yards, trying to hit straight), two pushes, and two complete toe rockets. I'm looking forward to practice tomorrow (going to the range in the city - the deer have been eating my grass seed in my back 40!) to work on widening my takeaway. Geez. Once my ballstriking comes around, I'm looking forward to playing some good golf.