Yesterday...
Was VERY aware of my last HC card against the club handicapper (which is this morning - it's 5:45 now!), so I went out, early start as ever course to myself.
I figured - for badness - I try playing the RH drill on every shot. OK. In the first 9, I actually was really impressed. My ball striking was longer and better. It feels really weird, but when you change something, that's to be expected, isn't it?
I tried it what I thought was the 'Greg video' way - that is, normal set up, then cock the right wrist, and preserve it through impact. I did top a few, and bizarrely, even on good strikes, whacked my chin on my right shoulder as it came through! Hmm - that's prob not right!
Even so, it was going cool. I only hit one wild shot - an odd hook that I really got under and pulled and lost into the trees on the eighth for an 8.
The 49 on the outward 9 was a very poor score that doesn't reflect so much actually how much I was enjoying the RH drill as poor short game.
Inward 9: I thought the topping thing might be to do with not 'bottoming out' my swing low enough, and I concentrated on really extending my left arm. That did it! Lower ball flight, straighter ball, and - although I'm still doing what feels like a 1/2 - 3/4 backswing, my ball's going the same distance for the same effort!
Now I start to get my teeth into it! from the 10th - Par, par, bogey - run into the guy against whom I had the AWFUL 99 on my 2nd card - he invites me to join him - bogey, bogey. He asks me what's changed? Why am I playing so confidently?
42 back. Great stuff. My 91 is my third best ever. I mull over this all day: Do I really want to change something about my swing the day before the modt important round I've played so far - that will, actually, determine if I'm even ALLOWED to play in the medal at the weekend.
In the end I think, What the hell? I wasn't striking the ball that well recently anyway. Let's do it.
But when I get into Bath after work to pick my missus up, I get there at 8:55, and figure I can squeeze 3 holes in, even though it's nearly dark. Just to convince myself I can do it.
1st tee: straight but short shot. I watch it; yeah, but it's not that short - it is a little, but it's not far away from where I normally try to cream it to. Catch the 2nd shot and pull it left more than I need to. It's a shot I have to play quite often, and at some stage I could do with some advice on it - more later! 3rd shot is the pitch to the bank that falls short. Chip up the bank is ok, miss the 5 footer for a 6.
Yeah, but if that happened tomorrow (today!) that's be ok.
4th tee: thin the T shot, grr. Still good for a chp and a two putt for bogey.
Scramble down through the trees to the nineth. Can't see a whole lot by now!
I know this is the last shot, the confidence booster for tomorrow. I take it off the medal tee with the PW, cream it between the two front bunkers to 4.5 feet, which I sink for a birdie. Hehe! Well chuffed.
So bring on today!
I'm gonna play with the RHD; it really did make a difference. Straighter and lower for less effort. It's not, I realised, a panacea; it can't cure poor grip, poor alignment, and outbursts of stupidity. But for everything else, it rocked!
So today, I'm playing to 'The Plan'. (Scrags, you won't like this - bear with me
)
The Plan is my approach to the idea of eating elephants, or any other big and intimidating tasks - you break it down in to smaller bits;
The Plan 1) Two separate 9 holes, each to 45 or better, in an attempt to break 90. 2) Every hole to Bogey, which allows 3 'spare' shots 3) Playing every hole for bogey at my course means standing on the 7th tee (in both separate nines) for 28, which is great. Standing on it for 30 means two sixes on the hard par 4s, and a par at the last (very do-able), or a 5 and a 6 and a 4 on the last. Either is fine. 4) Remember that if part of 'The Plan' fails, it can and will be repaired by something later on in the same 9, or maybe the next 9. 5) All other parts of 'The Plan' are included in my '10 Commandments' posted previously. So, I'm in early to maybe play 5 holes warm up (which I gather I'm not really allowed to do? But can't really get a straight answer on it from anyone).
Here goes...