http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php en Mon, 12 May 2008 03:35:24 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=71 Mon, 05 May 2008 12:28:03 GMT Went to Hersham "Home of 3Skills" Village yesterday where I bumped into Kevin - always nice to put a face to a name.

First proper round of the summer - a "friendly" four ball with the beers at stake :) we won convincingly, my partner and I neatly alternating our good and bad holes - the bad holes (5 Sixes and a Seven) ensuring I missed out on my away course target of 90 by 1 and was well off the bogey golf I'm hoping to better this year.

However at the end we worked out that I was into double figures for 2nd putts under six inches; OK half of them were just great lag putts 15 - 20 footers to get there; the other half were easily makeable though and I kept leaving them short to record a 34 ppr - even hitting 30 would have had me in the eighties before we consider the other six inches.

The six inches between my ears that is.

Three times I went to take my medicine and pitch more or less sideways to the fairway, three times I took a lofted club and hit a branch and ended worse than when I started. Trouble is I use (reasonably well) a lofted club around the green a lot and just reached for it without thinking.

Ah well there's always another week and if my putting gets better and I engage my brain then I'm sure a decent score is just round the corner.

Apart from a couple attempts to muscle it and one pathetic attempt to steer the ball I was getting away off the tee pretty well including the shot of the day carried to the heart of the 196yd Par 3 17th - now that brings you back next week :), even if missing the birdie putt doesn't. ]]> bdbl http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=71 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=70 Mon, 05 May 2008 03:57:45 GMT His opening tee shot was an almost topped low runner with his 3W and it ran down the centre of the fairway, finishing centre left about 130m away. My 4I tee shot started well but drew left to finish just outside the 150m markers in the left hand rough. Taking 6I my attempt to draw the ball around the trees to the green was overcooked and after rattling some timber, my ball would finish about 50m from the front edge, still in the left hand tree line, but with a clear path for the little bump and run I would have to play. His second was a beaut, finding the green, about 20 feet away. I then knocked a little 7I bump and run, finding the green about 15 feet away. His put died away off line to finish inside a foot and after conceding him that, I rolled my par put in to halve the first hole. Talk about getting out of jail… His tee shot on the Par 4 2nd faded to finish about 160m away in the right hand tree line. My tee shot, taking driver, finished centre right of the fairway only some 90m from the flag. His 2nd caught some leaves and finished some 50m short of the green, my 2nd was on line all the way but, despite finding the green, was some 40 feet from the flag. He bladed his pitch attempt across the green and his 4th with putter from just off the back of the green was a beauty, finishing inside 2 feet. My birdie attempt was not struck well and I ended up 3 putting the green for another halved hole. Still happy to be all square after 2, but, not as happy as I was after halving the 1st. His tee shot on the Par 5 3rd again faded right, finding the fairway, but, blocked out by some trees. My tee shot hooked into the tree line left, but, hit something solid and finished left hand edge of the fairway. My 2nd with 3I was good, leaving myself a full 9I in, and his 2nd found timber again, finishing in the trees again. His 3rd was a beaut, finishing about 2 feet short of the front edge of the green, my 3rd, though well struck, died on its flight and finished only just inside his, and we would both get up and down for par 5’s and another halved hole. His tee shot to our par 3 4th hole found the putting surface, though nowhere close, and my tee shot pitched pin high, but missing the putting surface, finished about 20 feet from the flag. His birdie attempt was well short, my little chip found the green, finishing only some 3 feet from the hole. We would both make those putts for another halved hole. His tee shot on the Par 4 5th was a beaut, finishing centre left of the fairway, about 120m away. My tee shot flew high and right and finished right hand edge of the fairway about 130m away. My 8I 2nd finished pin high but just off the green, his 2nd found the green, about 25 feet from the pin, my chip finished about 15 feet from the flag, his birdie attempt would die off left and finish about 3 feet away. I would make my 15 footer for par, and I let him putt the 3 footer to see if his nerves might get the better of him, they didn’t. Another hole halved in pars. We moved top the short Par 4 6th hole and his tee shot again high and fading left finished about 50m from the front of the green, in the left hand tree line. My 3W tee shot started just right of the green and drew back nicely to finish only some 20 feet from the front edge of the green. His pitch 2nd missed the front edge and his chip to the green ran about 8 feet past the hole. My 7I bump and run 2nd was a little strong, running about 30 foot past the hole, but, I would then make that birdie putt to win the hole and go 1 up thru 6. My tee shot on the Par 5 7th was long and a little right, but, despite finishing in the tree line, I had a path out towards the green for my second. His tee shot was good, centre right of the fairway, only some 5m short of where my ball lay. His 2nd, a 3W attempting to cut the corner was a little too ambitious and would catch some trees and finish poorly. I then took 5I and hit a good ball to finish centre of the fairway some 30m short of the green. He recovered well, then bladed his 4th across the green. My PW 3rd was pulled slightly left of the flag, but finished well on the putting surface, leaving me with a double breaking 20 footer for birdie. His 5th was good, leaving himself only some 8 feet from the cup. This didn’t matter much though, as I would roll my double breaking birdie putt in and take the hole. Now, I was 2 up thru 7. My tee shot on the Par 3 8th hole just missed the green short and right, his tee shot finished long and left in some tea tree behind the green. Despite him being closer to the flag than I was, I knew this was a dead spot for him and it turned out just that way, he would need 2 to get on to the putting surface. My chip rolled out to about 10 feet past the hole. So when I rolled my par attempt to sit on the lip, he conceded that and the hole. Off to the 9th tee 3 up thru 8. Both of our tee shots on the Par 4 9th hole finished in the right hand tree line, me some 50m closer to the green. His 2nd was a poor one, pulled well left and missing the green by some distance. I was blocked out by some trees and had to play a low punch fade and I over hit it, though the ball did run through the green, it did so slowly, only finishing some 10m past the green. He duffed his 3rd and his 4th found the putting surface, though not particularly close. My 3rd was a good one, finishing about 8 feet from the hole. When his bogey attempt slid by the hole and my par putt sat on the lip, he conceded the hole. This meant I was 4 up at the turn. My 5I tee shot to the Par 3 10th green was dead straight and right on line its whole trip, it would die short into the breeze to finish only 2 feet short of the dance floor. His tee shot pulled left into the tree line and finished all but dead under a tree, he would need 2 more to find the green and not at all close at that. My little bump and run 7I rolled out nicely but finished some 8 feet away. He would miss his bogey attempt and again, I would leave my par putt short in the jaws. Another concession and I was 5 up with 8 to go. My tee shot on the Par 4 11th which was playing into the teeth of a now healthy breeze, was a low runner which finished centre left of the fairway. He hit a great tee shot, splitting the fairway and finishing about 30m closer to the green than where my ball lay. In trying to punch my second low into the breeze, I caught it fat, only advancing it some 50m or so. His 2nd was not pretty either, pulled well left of the green. We would both then need 2 more to get on the green and ultimately halved the hole in double bogey 6’s. We both hit good drives on the Par 4 12th hole, each of us centre right of the fairway, me just outside 150m away, he only a further 5m back. His 2nd wasn’t struck well, but did finish only 5m short left of the green. My 8I 2nd was well struck and all over the flag in flight, only to die off right on the breeze and finish 6 feet short of the green. We would both chip on to about 10 feet or so from the pin. What happened next I have never seen before, but have read and heard about often in forums such as this. My par putt was centre cup all the way and on dropping into the cup must have hit the top rim of the plastic cup insert and bounced back out. I was dumbfounded. He would hole his par putt to take the hole. Back to 4 up, now with 7 to play. Again, 2 more good tee shots from the Par 5 13th tee, and after indifferent 2nds we were both about 100m out centre left of the fairway. I pulled my 3rd badly and he blocked his right, I would find the green with my next, as would he and 2 putts each meant another halved hole in bogey 6’s. His tee shot on the Par 4 14th found trees right, but he had a path through to the green, my 3W tee shot was low and split the fairway, leaving me about 100m out. My PW 2nd would finish pin high right, only 6 feet off the green. His second, a little bump and run from about 60m away rolled nicely to find the green about 25 feet away. I chipped on and my birdie attempt missed the flag only by inches and stopped about 8 feet past the hole. His birdie attempt was too strong, finishing about 3 feet past the hole. When my par attempt died off line and sat 6 inches from the cup, he conceded that and would hole his breaking 3 footer (never concede a putt for the win) and we moved to the 15th tee with me now 3 up with 4 to play. His tee shot on the Par 4 15th was pulled left into the tree line. My tee shot hugged the right hand side of the fairway, drawing back slightly on the breeze to finish centre right of the fairway, just outside the 150m marker. His ball must have missed everything in going through the tree line as it finished out on the adjacent 16th fairway. This meant he had a shot, but he would have to shape the ball left to right into the breeze to get anywhere near the green. He was away and when I heard his ball hit trees/leaves I allowed myself a moment of “yes, this is my hole and my match”. This would prove a little premature, as I would leave my 6I 2nd well short and right, still some 20m to the front edge. He then announced that he couldn’t locate his ball. We were hunting a spot he thought it might be and when I mentioned I thought I’d hear contact, we moved our search back about 50m and we found his ball stymied under a tree. He punched out as best he could and left himself still some 30m to the green, still in the tree line. His 4th also missed the green and when I put my 3rd to 3 feet, he walked over and conceded the hole and the match. His opening tee shot was an almost topped low runner with his 3W and it ran down the centre of the fairway, finishing centre left about 130m away. My 4I tee shot started well but drew left to finish just outside the 150m markers in the left hand rough. Taking 6I my attempt to draw the ball around the trees to the green was overcooked and after rattling some timber, my ball would finish about 50m from the front edge, still in the left hand tree line, but with a clear path for the little bump and run I would have to play. His second was a beaut, finding the green, about 20 feet away. I then knocked a little 7I bump and run, finding the green about 15 feet away. His put died away off line to finish inside a foot and after conceding him that, I rolled my par put in to halve the first hole. Talk about getting out of jail…

His tee shot on the Par 4 2nd faded to finish about 160m away in the right hand tree line. My tee shot, taking driver, finished centre right of the fairway only some 90m from the flag. His 2nd caught some leaves and finished some 50m short of the green, my 2nd was on line all the way but, despite finding the green, was some 40 feet from the flag. He bladed his pitch attempt across the green and his 4th with putter from just off the back of the green was a beauty, finishing inside 2 feet. My birdie attempt was not struck well and I ended up 3 putting the green for another halved hole. Still happy to be all square after 2, but, not as happy as I was after halving the 1st.

His tee shot on the Par 5 3rd again faded right, finding the fairway, but, blocked out by some trees. My tee shot hooked into the tree line left, but, hit something solid and finished left hand edge of the fairway. My 2nd with 3I was good, leaving myself a full 9I in, and his 2nd found timber again, finishing in the trees again. His 3rd was a beaut, finishing about 2 feet short of the front edge of the green, my 3rd, though well struck, died on its flight and finished only just inside his, and we would both get up and down for par 5’s and another halved hole.

His tee shot to our par 3 4th hole found the putting surface, though nowhere close, and my tee shot pitched pin high, but missing the putting surface, finished about 20 feet from the flag. His birdie attempt was well short, my little chip found the green, finishing only some 3 feet from the hole. We would both make those putts for another halved hole.

His tee shot on the Par 4 5th was a beaut, finishing centre left of the fairway, about 120m away. My tee shot flew high and right and finished right hand edge of the fairway about 130m away. My 8I 2nd finished pin high but just off the green, his 2nd found the green, about 25 feet from the pin, my chip finished about 15 feet from the flag, his birdie attempt would die off left and finish about 3 feet away. I would make my 15 footer for par, and I let him putt the 3 footer to see if his nerves might get the better of him, they didn’t. Another hole halved in pars.

We moved top the short Par 4 6th hole and his tee shot again high and fading left finished about 50m from the front of the green, in the left hand tree line. My 3W tee shot started just right of the green and drew back nicely to finish only some 20 feet from the front edge of the green. His pitch 2nd missed the front edge and his chip to the green ran about 8 feet past the hole. My 7I bump and run 2nd was a little strong, running about 30 foot past the hole, but, I would then make that birdie putt to win the hole and go 1 up thru 6.

My tee shot on the Par 5 7th was long and a little right, but, despite finishing in the tree line, I had a path out towards the green for my second. His tee shot was good, centre right of the fairway, only some 5m short of where my ball lay. His 2nd, a 3W attempting to cut the corner was a little too ambitious and would catch some trees and finish poorly. I then took 5I and hit a good ball to finish centre of the fairway some 30m short of the green. He recovered well, then bladed his 4th across the green. My PW 3rd was pulled slightly left of the flag, but finished well on the putting surface, leaving me with a double breaking 20 footer for birdie. His 5th was good, leaving himself only some 8 feet from the cup. This didn’t matter much though, as I would roll my double breaking birdie putt in and take the hole. Now, I was 2 up thru 7.

My tee shot on the Par 3 8th hole just missed the green short and right, his tee shot finished long and left in some tea tree behind the green. Despite him being closer to the flag than I was, I knew this was a dead spot for him and it turned out just that way, he would need 2 to get on to the putting surface. My chip rolled out to about 10 feet past the hole. So when I rolled my par attempt to sit on the lip, he conceded that and the hole. Off to the 9th tee 3 up thru 8.

Both of our tee shots on the Par 4 9th hole finished in the right hand tree line, me some 50m closer to the green. His 2nd was a poor one, pulled well left and missing the green by some distance. I was blocked out by some trees and had to play a low punch fade and I over hit it, though the ball did run through the green, it did so slowly, only finishing some 10m past the green. He duffed his 3rd and his 4th found the putting surface, though not particularly close. My 3rd was a good one, finishing about 8 feet from the hole. When his bogey attempt slid by the hole and my par putt sat on the lip, he conceded the hole. This meant I was 4 up at the turn.

My 5I tee shot to the Par 3 10th green was dead straight and right on line its whole trip, it would die short into the breeze to finish only 2 feet short of the dance floor. His tee shot pulled left into the tree line and finished all but dead under a tree, he would need 2 more to find the green and not at all close at that. My little bump and run 7I rolled out nicely but finished some 8 feet away. He would miss his bogey attempt and again, I would leave my par putt short in the jaws. Another concession and I was 5 up with 8 to go.

My tee shot on the Par 4 11th which was playing into the teeth of a now healthy breeze, was a low runner which finished centre left of the fairway. He hit a great tee shot, splitting the fairway and finishing about 30m closer to the green than where my ball lay. In trying to punch my second low into the breeze, I caught it fat, only advancing it some 50m or so. His 2nd was not pretty either, pulled well left of the green. We would both then need 2 more to get on the green and ultimately halved the hole in double bogey 6’s.

We both hit good drives on the Par 4 12th hole, each of us centre right of the fairway, me just outside 150m away, he only a further 5m back. His 2nd wasn’t struck well, but did finish only 5m short left of the green. My 8I 2nd was well struck and all over the flag in flight, only to die off right on the breeze and finish 6 feet short of the green. We would both chip on to about 10 feet or so from the pin. What happened next I have never seen before, but have read and heard about often in forums such as this. My par putt was centre cup all the way and on dropping into the cup must have hit the top rim of the plastic cup insert and bounced back out. I was dumbfounded. He would hole his par putt to take the hole. Back to 4 up, now with 7 to play.

Again, 2 more good tee shots from the Par 5 13th tee, and after indifferent 2nds we were both about 100m out centre left of the fairway. I pulled my 3rd badly and he blocked his right, I would find the green with my next, as would he and 2 putts each meant another halved hole in bogey 6’s.

His tee shot on the Par 4 14th found trees right, but he had a path through to the green, my 3W tee shot was low and split the fairway, leaving me about 100m out. My PW 2nd would finish pin high right, only 6 feet off the green. His second, a little bump and run from about 60m away rolled nicely to find the green about 25 feet away. I chipped on and my birdie attempt missed the flag only by inches and stopped about 8 feet past the hole. His birdie attempt was too strong, finishing about 3 feet past the hole. When my par attempt died off line and sat 6 inches from the cup, he conceded that and would hole his breaking 3 footer (never concede a putt for the win) and we moved to the 15th tee with me now 3 up with 4 to play.

His tee shot on the Par 4 15th was pulled left into the tree line. My tee shot hugged the right hand side of the fairway, drawing back slightly on the breeze to finish centre right of the fairway, just outside the 150m marker. His ball must have missed everything in going through the tree line as it finished out on the adjacent 16th fairway. This meant he had a shot, but he would have to shape the ball left to right into the breeze to get anywhere near the green. He was away and when I heard his ball hit trees/leaves I allowed myself a moment of “yes, this is my hole and my match”. This would prove a little premature, as I would leave my 6I 2nd well short and right, still some 20m to the front edge. He then announced that he couldn’t locate his ball. We were hunting a spot he thought it might be and when I mentioned I thought I’d hear contact, we moved our search back about 50m and we found his ball stymied under a tree. He punched out as best he could and left himself still some 30m to the green, still in the tree line. His 4th also missed the green and when I put my 3rd to 3 feet, he walked over and conceded the hole and the match. ]]> Scragger63 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=70 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=69 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:05:55 GMT We've just had our Anzac Day long weekend here and I managed to get out for 3 rounds in 3 days.

Friday was a social round with 15 of my Club mates for an away round at the Gisborne Golf Club.

The course was in excellent condition and my 30 stableford points for the day was a little disappointing seeing as it included 4 holes where I didn't score a point.

Saturday was a Club day comp round at my home club and again my 30 points included 4 wipes.

Sunday was an away pennant match at the Dorest Golf Club. Found out after the round that my opponent was off 3 and despite losing, I was happy to take him to the 16th hole.

As it happened, I was the only player to lose on the day and our team won, placing us on top in our division with 2 home games to come. We are now well placed to make the final in 4 weeks time.

Thanks for reading.
Cheers
:) ]]> Scragger63 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=69 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=68 Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:49:56 GMT Will start in roughly 40 minutes after an entire morning of rain, and about 8°C with a wicked wind.

We'll see if my winter preparations have paid off...

Well, the short game practice has paid off.

I still struggle with visualising targets outside of 80 yards.

It's a new game, and I've got a long way to go.

When I stack, I also want to forget to tilt.

I forget to focus on the inside of the ball, and "taking out the tee". ]]> LowPost42 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=68 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=67 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:01:59 GMT Howdy.

Last weekend again saw me playing twice.

Club comp round on Saturday and an Away Pennant match on Sunday..

Saturday was a stableford round and I managed to post 33 points with 39 winning the day. Again, the blow outs got me with only 4 points scored on 7 holes, the remaining 29 from 11. :o

One day we'll address that...

Sunday was an away game for my Pennant Side and we played Riverside Essendon at their course. A nice little 9 hole track, 2 sets of tees and the pins moved between front and back 9's.

I won my match 1up on the 18th hole. It was a bit of a rollercoaster type of a match with both my opponent and I having more than one opportunity to put the other out of the game towards the end.

Disappointingly I was 2 down through 6 holes after having won the opening 2 holes.

After a couple of halved holes, I won the 9th to get back into the game, turning just the one down. I won 10 after my opponent hit his tee shot OOB and 11 after I hit my 8 iron second shot from about 135m away to 3 inches for birdie to take a slight advantage to the 12th tee. From there, 2 lost holes, 3 halved and a win across the next 6 holes saw us arrive at the Par 3 18th tee with the match all square and my opponent with the honour.

His tee shot was not a particularly good one, missing the putting surface by about 3m and finishing about 20m from the pin. My tee shot was on line the entire trip, finding the putting surface, seemingly close, but on getting to the green, I was about 15 feet away with a tricky breaking putt for birdie. My opponent's chip to the green finished just inside mine and short of the hole. My birdie attempt just shaved the hole but continued down a slope finishing outside my opponent. I would make the uphill 10 footer I had left myself and he would miss his breaking 8 footer to halve the match.

The team won the match 4 & 3 and we are now well placed to make the finals.

Thanks for reading.
Cheers
:) ]]> Scragger63 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=67 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=66 Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:35:03 GMT Will be a busy day here and so will keep this short...

Two rounds this weekend just gone.

Saturday was Monthly Medal day, so it was stroke from the plates and being in the next to last group out, I had some time to hit some balls on the range before the round.

The round was a mix of good and not so good and I was surprised at the end of the round when I added them up and signed for an 87/12 net 75 which included 3 doubles, a triple and 32 putts with 2 3 putt greens thrown in.

So I had the odd feeling of having played badly, but then still managing to score reasonably well. No doubt in my mind that 6 or so months ago, an 87 would have brought a very large smile to my face. How things change....

Sunday was my first pennant match play match of the new season. My new handicap saw me selected in our Scratch side, having played in our Handicap side last year. I probably don't need to say so, but in the Handicap side, shots are given for handicap differences, whilst in the Scratch side, its off the bat regardless.

Anyways, I was in the team and the Captain had decided that with my length, I was to play at number 2 (of 8). My opponent asked me half way down the first fairway what my handicap was and I got no reaction when I told him. He didn't hit the ball at all well and after 4 holes I was 2 up.

Whilst we were sitting waiting on the 5th tee, I overheard him tell my club mate he was off 4 and I got the distinct impression, he had been a bit miffed when I hadn't asked him what he played off earlier. Frankly, I simply didn't want to know.

We halved the next 3 holes and when I hit a gross shank from the par 3 8th tee, I would lose that hole to a par, despite managing to salvage bogey myself.

Having won the long drive on the 9th hole the day before, I stepped up to the tee again thinking I would blow it miles down the centre, I only succeeded in overdoing it and block slicing the ball OOB, which is a long way away right. Would lose that hole as well, to turn square.

Would lose the 10th to a birdie and at one down, my opponent had started to find his game and I remember thinking perhaps I only had a couple of holes left.

We halved the 11th and 12th in pars and then a par was good enough for me to win the 13th after I managed to get it up and down from over the back of the green and his par attempt missed.

Now back to square and I'm thinking I'm not done yet.

Again we halved another 2 holes in pars and we get to the 16th tee and my 3 iron finds the centre of the fairway about 150m out. His tee shot was a beauty centre fairway also, but some 50m closer. My 8 iron was on target all the way, pitching just on the front edge, but sucking back off and finished about 10m from the pin on the fringe grass. He badly duffed his second and chipped his 3rd on but nowhere close. I put my 3rd to about 8 feet and when his par attempt sat in the jaws but didn't drop, I would roll that 8 footer in to win the hole and go 1 up.

We halved 17 in par 3's, and I stood on the 18th tee 1up, knowing the worst finish was now a halved match. Our last is a par 5 and it has generally been good to me and today would be better. I split the fairway to about 170m away. His drive was not a good one, and finished in the treeline, having to recover to the fairway, still behind my ball, his 3rd was a good one, finishing about 20m short of the green. with a bit of a head wind, I took 4 iron and hit it sweetly right on line finding the putting surface only 15 feet from the hole. At that point, I knew I was home. My birdie 4 was enough and I had won the day 2up.

Whilst I wasn't keeping tabs on my stroke score for the day, only wins/losses, I believe I would have posted something about 79 or 80, shooting 37 or 38 around the back 9.

Very happy with that and yes, my golfing smile has returned....

Thanks for reading....
Cheers...
:) ]]> Scragger63 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=66 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=65 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:18:28 GMT If ever I needed confirmation that Golf is a game played on a course only 5 inches wide (Insert distance between your own ears here... :p), last weekend was it...

Without going into any much detail, suffice to say, I had really emotionally draining evening on the Friday night before my match play semi and after arriving at the course late, hooking my opening tee shot left into the trees and being 2 down after 2 holes to a guy I would beat 4 times in 5, this was going to be the game he got me...

Didn't swing well, didn't strike the ball well, didn't score well. 4 down thru the turn was not how I had pictured this match going during the week.

Would lose the 10th to a par and then after giving myself a right talking to on the walk from the green to the 11th tee box, I then won 2 and halved 2 to be only 3 down with 4 to play. Still alive, but only just...

Our 15th is our hardest rated hole and my opponent had got the wobbles. Standing on the tee I told myself, win this hole and the match is yours for the taking.

He sprayed his drive right into the trees and I hit a booming drive straight down the middle, he had recovered to the fairway and was some 50m in front of me. My 2nd was good, but died off left in the breeze to finish about 10m from the green, but lying in some cabbage. His 3rd again went right, finishing about the same distance away as I was.

So, here the match was, I needed to get up and down to win the hole and I have no idea why or where the thought came from, but, my mind took me back to the night before and I would badly duff the chip attempt, only moving the ball about 2m towards the green. I knew the match was gone.

Sitting down with a frothy after the game, I had played 15 holes 15 over the card, not good golf and certainly not good enough to beat a fellow off 18 who was 4 under his handicap.

On the plus side, I played a completely social round on the Sunday and whilst looking in the Pro Shop's "bargain Bin" I found myself the driver I have needed.

A 2nd hand Ping ISI Titanium Driver to match my ISI irons. I asked if I could take the club out and the Pro said sure, hit it about 8-10 times during the round and all but 2 of them were good. The best of them was my drive on the last hole, a 280 yard par 4, straight up hill. Set up to hit a draw and it sailed well on line. Upon arriving at the green, my ball was sitting on the putting surface about 30 feet from the pin. From there is was a 2 putt birdie to finish my disappointing golfing weekend with a sort of mini "high" that will get me back this week.

Have 2 rounds again this coming week. Club Medal Day on Saturday and our first Pennant match of this new season.

Thanks for reading.
Cheers
:) ]]> Scragger63 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=65 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=62 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:21:07 GMT Played the round of my life on Saturday, signing for a 5 over the card 77...

This round was my first sub 80 round on a par 72 course and is a new PB by some 4 shots...

My front 9 of one under par 35 included 4 birdies and only 12 putts. The back 9 of 6 over the card 42 was a little disappointing as I feel I may have left a few out there.

The net 62 result saw my handicap drop from 14.6 to 12.0, also the lowest mark I have achieved to date.

Again it was mostly 3 iron from the tee, though I did take driver on 3 of the 4 par 5's.

Also played a social round yesterday at Craigieburn GC, with a few of my club mates, shooting an 85 for the day.

It is a quote from a movie, but it is also fair to say that I am currently in my golfing "Happy Place"...

Thanks for reading.
Cheers
:) ]]> Scragger63 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=62 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=58 Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:50:56 GMT My 4 iron tee shot found the centre of the fairway about 140m away after my opponent’s opening drive was pulled left into the tree line, about 160m away. His 2nd was a low runner that bounced and bobbled its way, toward the green, ultimately finishing in the front greenside trap. When I got to my ball, I was disappointed to find it sitting down in an old unfilled divot. My 9 iron 2nd was subsequently caught thin and flew low and hard, pitching on the green, but bounced off the back, finishing about 20m from the pin, in some cabbage. My pitch to the green was a good one I thought, leaving me with about 15 feet for par. His effort from the trap was a gem, finishing only 6 inches short. After conceding him that for his par, my par attempt looked good, but would finish about a foot past the hole.

His tee shot from the 2nd wasn’t a good one, blocked right it hit wood and dropped straight down, only about 70m from the tee box and hard up against the trunk of a tree. Would block my tee shot right towards the trees as well, but higher and straighter it carried the trees and finished in the centre of the adjacent 3rd fairway, about 160m from the green. He was forced to recover sideways and his 3rd shot was not a good one either and only finished marginally in front of me, though on the correct fairway. This meant I could pitch my ball across and recover to the correct fairway, rather than trying to shape a shot over the trees towards the green. After I’d played my 2nd shot, a low running shot along the ground back to the 2nd fairway, I was lying 2 about 100m away and he was lying 3 about 140m away. From there I would win the hole with him conceding my tap in bogey after my 20 foot par attempt sat on the lip.

The 3rd hole was halved in regulation par 5’s with both of us conceding par putts of less than 2 feet.

My regulation par 3 on the 4th was enough to win the hole, when, after a poor tee shot, he missed the green with his 2nd shot and his par attempt from just off the green slid well by.

Got lucky with my tee shot on the 5th hole pitching in the shallow fairway bunker but luckily hopping forward with enough pace to roll out and finish on the fairway. He also found the fairway and we would ultimately halve this hole with regulation par 4’s.

Coming to the short par 4 6th hole, again we would both find the green in regulation, his birdie attempt from about 20 feet was never on line and after conceding him his par, I would roll my 10 foot birdie attempt in to take the hole.

A disappointing bogey 6 was enough to halve the par 5 7th. Disappointing because I was I was only 20m short of the front edge in the centre of the fairway for 2 and would badly duff my attempt at my pitch shot 3rd.

The 8th was halved in 2 putt bogey 4’s after we both missed the green pin high right. And my regulation par 4 on the 9th hole was enough for me to take a 3up lead into the back 9 after he found the trees from the tee.

6 iron from the 10th tee would find the green, only about 15 feet from the flag and this would be close enough for me to win the NTP for the day. He missed the green, but knocked his chip to about a foot away. After conceding him his par I rolled my birdie attempt 3 feet past and would miss the putt back to lose the hole.

Recovered well enough after finding the trees off the 11th tee, making bogey 5. However, it was not enough to win the hole, losing it to a par 4. Back to 1 up though 11.

A second poor tee shot in a row saw me top my 3 iron off the 12th tee only some 50m or so down the fairway. Thankfully I recovered well enough to again make bogey 5 and this was enough to win the hole after he had again found trouble in the trees from the tee.

Thankfully, my tee shot on the par 5 13th was a good one and I would go on to par the par the hole, winning it after his par attempt from 25 feet stopped well short of the hole.

We halved the 14th hole in 2 putt bogey 5’s and a 2 putt bogey 5 was enough for me to win the 15th hole and take the match 4 & 3 after he again found trouble off the tee.

Played out the last 3 holes bogey, bogey, par to finish the back 9 with 42 off the bat, giving me 81 for the round. A season PB and a place in one of the semi finals in 2 weeks time.

As always, thanks for reading.
Cheers

:) ]]> Scragger63 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=58 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=57 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 03:24:31 GMT Busy day in the office here today, so I'll keep this brief...

Managed to comfortably win my match last Saturday, 4 and 3.

Shot 3 over the card 39 for the front 9 to be 3 up at the turn. Suffered a little bit of a brain fade, losing 10 and 11, but, righted the ship to win 3 of the next 4 holes to take the match on the 15th hole.

Played out the remaining 3 holes and finished shooting a 9 over the card 81 off the stick and was my lowest score of the year so far.

Next week is the Easter break here and the semi final's will be played the week afterwards. My opponent is off 18 and one of my closer friends at the Club. Either way, it will be an enjoyable day.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers
:) ]]> Scragger63 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=57 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=56 Sun, 16 Mar 2008 10:05:38 GMT As it is nearing the end of daylight savings in Australia, it is an ideal time to log my progress over summer. The reason i thought i would do this is to remind me next summer what i have worked on. Unfortunately due to work commitments once daylight savings finishes my practice sessions become a lot less frequent. I started summer working on becoming more left side dominant as playing tennis for so long i tend to take over on the right side, which is great when i need to hook it around trees but costs me consistency. I also wanted to improve my short game as my up and down percentage was quite low. I started by trying to hit shots with my left hand on the club only with a stronger grip (3 knuckles). About two months ago i started to hit what we call toe to toe shots (half swings concentrating on toe up on the backswing to toe up on the follow through). Through December and January i made little progress score wise but felt i was pretty close. I had the occasional good round and hovered between a 7 and 8 handicap. I think i was putting to much pressure on myself as i was playing one good nine or i would be 1 over after 12 or 13 and struggle to break 80. If i look at my past 8 weeks i have learnt that you must persist and that it takes quite a lot longer than anticipated for something to change. I read somewhere that it took Tiger two years to change his swing to a point where he was happy with it again. This gave me hope, considering the amount of time Tiger spends practising compared to myself, my frustration of practising but actually getting worse began to subside. In my last 8 competition rounds i have shot 76,76,74,82,79,80,83 and last week for the first time ever parred the course with a 72. My handicap has reduced in this period from 8.0 to 5.6, my lowest ever handicap. I am now looking at making the pennant side this winter qualify and play in some state comps (play against the best players in the state) as well as my local ones.The keys for me has been my improvement in ball striking with my irons allowing me to be more confident with my club selection. I hope those regular posters from the UK and US have a successful summer like i have. As it is nearing the end of daylight savings in Australia, it is an ideal time to log my progress over summer. The reason i thought i would do this is to remind me next summer what i have worked on. Unfortunately due to work commitments once daylight savings finishes my practice sessions become a lot less frequent. I started summer working on becoming more left side dominant as playing tennis for so long i tend to take over on the right side, which is great when i need to hook it around trees but costs me consistency. I also wanted to improve my short game as my up and down percentage was quite low. I started by trying to hit shots with my left hand on the club only with a stronger grip (3 knuckles). About two months ago i started to hit what we call toe to toe shots (half swings concentrating on toe up on the backswing to toe up on the follow through). Through December and January i made little progress score wise but felt i was pretty close. I had the occasional good round and hovered between a 7 and 8 handicap. I think i was putting to much pressure on myself as i was playing one good nine or i would be 1 over after 12 or 13 and struggle to break 80. If i look at my past 8 weeks i have learnt that you must persist and that it takes quite a lot longer than anticipated for something to change. I read somewhere that it took Tiger two years to change his swing to a point where he was happy with it again. This gave me hope, considering the amount of time Tiger spends practising compared to myself, my frustration of practising but actually getting worse began to subside. In my last 8 competition rounds i have shot 76,76,74,82,79,80,83 and last week for the first time ever parred the course with a 72. My handicap has reduced in this period from 8.0 to 5.6, my lowest ever handicap. I am now looking at making the pennant side this winter qualify and play in some state comps (play against the best players in the state) as well as my local ones.The keys for me has been my improvement in ball striking with my irons allowing me to be more confident with my club selection. I hope those regular posters from the UK and US have a successful summer like i have. ]]> arch11 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=56 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=55 Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:29:28 GMT Opened with a 4 iron from the 1st tee and split the fairway to about 135m away. His opening tee shot found the right hand trees a little further away. His 2nd, in attempting to recover to the fairway, hit a tree, rebounding right, finishing in the dam behind the 10th green. My 9 iron 2nd found the putting surface, about 25 feet from the pin and on seeing this, my opponent conceded and the first hole was mine.

Pulled my 3 iron from the second tee left in to the trees, my opponent found the right side of the fairway. My attempt to recover to the fairway hit another tree, deflecting further left, again finishing behind yet another tree. My opponents 2nd shot was a little strong, pitching on the green but running about 10m through. Taking wedge from about 70m away, I tried to fashion a slice up, over & around the tree I was behind, but, again my ball would hit woodwork, again deflecting left, this time finishing pin high, still some 20m from the pin. My 4th pitched on the putting surface but rolled quickly across and off the other side, finishing some 5m away. My opponents chip was delicate, finishing about 6 feet away. Knowing I had to put my ball inside him and then hope he might 2 putt to halve the hole, I knocked it 10 feet past the flag and then conceded the hole.

The Par 5 3rd hole was halved in regulation par 5’s, with each of us conceding a par putt of under 2 feet.

After our tee shots on the par 3 4th hole, my opponent had found the putting surface, about 25 feet away and I was pin high about 10m away. My chip was never on line finishing about 8 feet from the hole. My opponent’s birdie attempt was too strong, running a foot or so by the hole and after conceding him that, I missed my par attempt, again running it just past the hole.

We halved the next 3 holes, the 5th in regulation par 4’s, the 6th in birdie 3’s and the 7th in par 5’s. All this meant we arrived at the par 3 8th hole with me 1 down thru 7.

My opponent was away and blocked his tee shot right, missing the green by 10m or so. My 6iron tee shot was on the flag all the way, finding the green, about 15 feet from the pin. I would later win the nearest the pin for this hole for the day. My opponents bump and run to the green was never on line finishing about 8 feet away. I then had my putt for birdie to win the hole. It rolled on line for much of the trip, only to take a little deviation and slide about a foot past the hole. My opponent conceded me this for my par 3 and I was surprised when he rolled his par attempt past the hole. Back to square thru 8.

We would both find the fairway from the par 4 9th tee, him about 5m inside me, me about 160m away. My 6iron 2nd was appalling, pulled badly left, finishing pin high, under a gum tree with a bunker between me and the putting surface. His 2nd found the putting surface, some 35-40 feet away from the pin. I was certain that I would struggle to get it up and down from where I was. My lie under the gum tree was not good. Taking my sand wedge, I committed to my shot and just tried to splash it with enough pace to carry the pot. Hit the shot well and was shocked to find my ball had not only stopped on the green, it was only 6 feet from the pin. My opponent then left his birdie attempt well short and when his par attempt rolled a foot past the hole, I conceded him that and rolled my 6 footer in for a par 4 and the hole to be 1 up at the turn.

We halved the par 3 10th in par 3’s, mine a 2 putt from about 25 feet, his, a 1 putt from about 8 feet after missing the green and chipping close.

I won the par 4 11th with a bogey 5 after he found trouble off the tee, slicing his tee shot right into the trees. Then I lost the par 4 12th to a par 4 after finding the trees off the tee myself. We then halved the next 2 holes, the par 5 13th in bogey 6’s and the par 4 14th in regulation par 4’s.

We then came to the par 4 15th, our courses hardest rated hole, with me 1 up with 4 to play. Still with the honour, my opponent’s tee shot finished left centre of the fairway about 170m away. My tee shot pulled left, but I got fortunate, finding the centre of the adjacent 16th fairway, about 160m away, but, I would have to try to shape my 2nd around the tall gum trees dividing the 15th and 16th fairways. My opponent’s 2nd to the 15th finished short right of the putting surface, about 15m from the pin. Settled over my 5 iron, and played a deliberate fade around the tall trees and was happy with the shot off the club. On arriving at the green, my ball had pitched on the green but popped forward and rolled off the back edge and was about 10m from the pin. My opponent’s chip shot finished about 15 feet away, mine about 10. He would roll his par attempt a foot past the hole and after conceding him his 5th, I would roll my par attempt a foot past as well. Given I had a shot on this hole, it was mine and now I was 2 up with 3 to play.

We then halved the par 4 16th hole in regulation par 4’s and I stood on the 17th tee dormy, 2 up with 2 to play.

My 6 iron tee shot started left of target, still finding the putting surface, nowhere close and with the pin cut on the lower tier, on the right hand side of the green, I hadn’t done myself any favours. My opponent’s tee shot pitched on the back edge of the green, running off over the back of the green. Given he had left himself a difficult up and down, I now knew I only needed to 2 putt the green to win the match. His chip shot was excellent, finishing only some 8 inches from the cup. I conceded his par putt and settled on trying not to 3 putt. My birdie attempt was disappointing, never hit with enough pace, as a result I left myself a downhill breaking 10 footer to halve the hole and win the match. My putt was well struck, but too strong and finished 6 inches past the hole. The match was still dormy my way, but now, I was only 1 up with 1 to play.

Our 18th hole is a shortish par 5 that I usually have little trouble reaching in 2, so, despite having just 3 putted the 17th, I was still quietly confident of taking the match on this hole.

My opponent again sliced his tee shot right, into the tree line. Somewhat buoyed by seeing this, my tee shot was rifle straight, finding the left hand side of the fairway. Having found himself almost completely blocked by a tree, my opponent’s attempt to recover to the fairway was a weak one, his third was to be played from about 10m behind my drive. Again he overdid the slice and his ball finished some 100m from the green, again in the tree line, though this time, his forward progress was not hampered. Stood over my 2nd, 3 iron in hand, again knowing a good strike, putting my ball anywhere within 20m or so of the putting surface would be good enough. Though well struck, my ball flew straight right, high into the tree line, about 50m short of the green. Bugger!. My opponents 4th finished pin high 10m left. Still my opening remained, now it would depend on what I found when I got to my ball. My hopes were dashed as I found my ball in a clearing but a bushy tree in my way. I would have to take my 60° lob wedge to clear it and hopefully get somewhere besides the green. Hitting the lob wedge firmly the ball flew high and straight, missing the tree and finished on the right side of the green, about 10m from the edge of the green, and maybe 15m or so from the pin. My attempt to bump and run the ball up to the pin with my 7 iron was not my best and I had left myself some 25 feet for par. His chip to the green was a beauty, finishing only 5 feet away. Again, my first putt, thinking of the win, was not a good one and I left it 4 feet short. He rolled his 5 footer in and again, I rolled my winning putt past the hole.

The match was back to all square. We would be going extra holes……

Back to the 1st tee and again, his tee shot sliced away right, this time through the trees and almost in to the dam. He was in the clear and would have a difficult shot at the green from there. Again I took 4 iron and again rifle straight, splitting the fairway, finishing about 145m away this time. Now I was away, settled over a choked down 7 iron and hit it sweetly, on line all the way, finishing 15 feet from the pin. His 2nd cleared the trees, but plugged in the greenside bunker about 15m from the flag. His bunker shot wasn’t a good one and his ball carried to the flag and rolled some 20 feet past. His par attempt was on line but died in the heart of the cup. Happily I conceded his 5th. This time my birdie attempt was a good one, rolled on line and finished only some 3 inches short. He would concede that and the match with it.

What a day…

I now go on to the quarter finals of this event. My next opponent is a fellow off 12. Looking forward to the match.

As always, thanks for reading.

Cheers
:) ]]> Scragger63 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=55 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=54 Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:54:56 GMT Saturday increased my depression by 51cm of pure, white, frozen snow. :( So the golf season is even further away when compared to a week ago. Starting to think that my 2008 golf season will begin March 2009. :eek: Global warming!?! :confused: Not here in Canada anyway. :( Saturday increased my depression by 51cm of pure, white, frozen snow. :( So the golf season is even further away when compared to a week ago.

Starting to think that my 2008 golf season will begin March 2009. :eek:

Global warming!?! :confused: Not here in Canada anyway. :( ]]> Started2k3 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=54 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=53 Thu, 06 Mar 2008 07:57:33 GMT A bitterly cold day yesterday saw me record a new PB but only by the skin of my teeth as I collapsed towards the end of the round.

The 1st is a short Par 4 of about 320 yards but with a narrow fairway, trouble on the left and OOB all the way down the right. A sensible and safe tee shot left me between a wedge and a nine; chose "an easy 9I" but just hit it too well, one bounce and through the green. Not a good chip back and just missed the one putt, tapping in for bogey.

The Par 5 2nd saw me in a greenside bunker in three; a great sand save – at the 2nd attempt – for another bogey.

We’ll gloss over the 3rd save to say that I played my usual card wrecker in military style with only a good putt keeping the score to a double.

On the Par 3 fourth I avoided the pond to the left and trees to the right to be sitting 8 feet from the pin; left the putt 2 inches short, ah well a par is a par.

A misjudged pitch and 3 putts saw a double on the 5th – mind you off 22 I get two shots on this SI 1 hole.

Pushed the tee shot on the next Par 3, pin high but right, nice chip, one putt, thank you Sir.

The 7th is a Par 3 as well, found the sand again but this time got out, two putts making a bogey.

The up hill, into the wind, Par 5 8th saw the first the top of the day (a problem when I get too aggressive with the rescue / utility) but recovered to be on in 4, another two putts for bogey.

The 9th, another Par 3, played just like the 6th, push, chip, putt.

So with a lot left out there I tot up the damage to find I’ve gone out in 43 and 15 putts – the equivalent of playing to 16 instead of my nominal handicap of 20-22.

I can’t remember much of the back 9 (2nd time round the same 9) until the 17th except that a putt from the fringe on the 10th salvaged a par and was the first hole in a run of par, par, bogey, bogey (including a drop), bogey, par, par – 3 over for the seven with seven putts.

So I’m standing on the 17th (8th) without knowing my score but knowing that given the way I’ve played the back 9 that a PB was there for the taking.

Halleluiah, a deep breath and easy swing with the 4 wood saw me short but dead centre, managed to get another up on the right leaving a “go for it” decision. I played safe and for my 4th I have a wedge to the centre of the green and two putts for bogey.

Its there that I lost it, I didn’t stay in the present and messed up the wedge, another try and 3 putts saw me walking off with a treble.

Somehow got a bogey on the 18th including another 2-shot bunker.

Three over for the first 7 holes of the back 9 with 7 putts. Four over for the last 2 holes with 5 putts. :mad:

Still a 42 with 12 putts though, but so close to a 40.

A total 85 was a PB by one shot but with so much left out there, literally in the case of the two bunker fluffs.

Losing it with effectively just two wedges required to really drop into the low eighties was a killer but I think its getting there.

As Craig always says. Thanks for reading. ]]> bdbl http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=53 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=52 Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:13:43 GMT Today’s round would be played in almost ideal conditions, 26°C (not quite 80°F), cloudless sunny skies and not a breath of wind. No excuses for a bad score today. Monthly Medal round from the bricks and also a qualifying round for our President’s Cup knock out match play title, where the top 15 qualifiers plus last years winner go into a 4 week knock out match play event. So, today’s strategy was to keep the ball on the short grass and hopefully chip and putt well. From the first tee, the plan was adhered to almost to the letter. 4 iron from the tee rifle straight down the left side of the fairway to about 120m away. 9 iron 2nd found the putting surface, pin high about 20 feet right. My birdie attempt was on line the whole trip and died about a foot short. Tap in regulation par. My right foot slipped and I pulled my tee shot on the second into the trees left and had to recover to the fairway about 160m away with my second. I was not wearing my spikes as I’d gotten tied up in a discussion about our upcoming Pennant season and almost missed my tee time (still no excuses) and was still wearing my runners. Another foot slip on the downswing of my 3rd and the ball again sailed straight left to finish pin high, but well left of the flag. From there it was a chip and 2 putts for a 7. Nicely struck 1 iron from the third tee got me back on my plan, but finished right side of the fairway which meant trees had to be taken into account for my second shot. Set up for the deliberate fade around these trees and chunked it a little fat and it would fly low and rolled out to the left side of the fairway about 100m away, no harm done. Choked down on my wedge for my 3rd shot and it was on the pin the whole way and I was stunned when it flew the green completely and into the waiting tea trees behind. No sign of it at all in any of the trees and ultimately would have to call it lost in the creek behind the trees. Fighting the mist, took my penalty drop and flew an angry lob wedge about 20m over the green. From there, I managed to get up and down for another 7. Missed the 4th green pin high left, in some deep cabbage. Hacked the next one short of the green, then chipped on and 2 putted for a double bogey 5. At this point, I recall thinking my day was done… At 7 over the card through 4 holes, we had a bit of a wait on the 5th tee and I had some time to review and resolved it was only 2 or 3 poor shots that had cost me to date and that I should just enjoy the balance of the round and see what happened. Rifle straight 1 iron bisected the fairway and left me about 100m to the flag, wedge second found the green about 25 feet away, 2 putts for another par. Another good 1 iron from the short par 4 6th tee finished about 10m short of the green and from there I would get up and down, making a 10 foot birdie putt. Took Driver for my tee shot on 7. Struck well but faded a little right to finish just in the light rough under a tree. With no full shot, I had to poke an iron to try to recover to the fairway. The ball caught the sole low hanging branch and flew left out onto the fairway leaving me with over 200m to go. Nicely struck 4 iron across the corner got me to centre of the fairway, about 20m short of the green. From there, it was a chip and 2 putts for a bogey 6. 6 iron tee shot on the par 3 8th was on line all the way, though finding the green, it was well short of the hole. Happily, would manage to 2 putt for par. Another well struck 1 iron found the fairway about 160m away. Caught my 6 iron 2nd a little fat and it finished about 15m short in front of the green. Managed to clip the ball with the toe of the wedge in taking a couple of practice swings at the chip and knocked the ball about 6 feet forwards. Still shaking my head, I then knocked that second chip stone dead and tapped in for a bogey 5. So, at the turn, it was 8 over the card 44 off the stick (after having been 7 over thru 4) with 15 putts. 5 of 7 Fairways was pleasing, though, then to only hit 4 of 9 greens in reg brought me back to earth a bit. The bottom line was I’d managed to “stop the bleeding”, as it were and was now looking forward to the back 9. Opened the back 9 with 2 straight 2 putt bogies and when I was standing over a yet another 15 footer for par on the 12th, I put some extra pressure on myself by telling myself I was due to hole one and this was it. Well, I would roll that 15 footer about 2 feet past and, thanks to that added pressure alone, I recall feeling more disappointment than I had on any previous hole and proceeded to 3 putt from 2 feet 3 more 2 putt bogies followed and after a poor tee shot from the 16th, pulled left into the trees, I could only manage a 2 putt double bogey 6. My tee shot to the par 3 17th would find the putting surface, only some 15 feet away and 2 more putts for a par brought the smile back to my face. Thinking I was nowhere near it, I took driver from the last and cold topped it only about 50m down the fairway. A well struck 3 iron then got me to the 150m marker and my 7 iron 3rd was all over the pin in flight before dying off left and finishing pin high about 15m from the flag. From there I would manage to get up and down, holing a 10 footer for par. So, it was a positive finish to an ungainly round that saw me sign for a net 75 and qualify for the President’s Trophy event starting next week. I have drawn our Club Handicapper, who plays off 10, in the first round and am looking forward to the match. As always, thanks for reading. Cheers :) Today’s round would be played in almost ideal conditions, 26°C (not quite 80°F), cloudless sunny skies and not a breath of wind. No excuses for a bad score today.

Monthly Medal round from the bricks and also a qualifying round for our President’s Cup knock out match play title, where the top 15 qualifiers plus last years winner go into a 4 week knock out match play event. So, today’s strategy was to keep the ball on the short grass and hopefully chip and putt well.

From the first tee, the plan was adhered to almost to the letter. 4 iron from the tee rifle straight down the left side of the fairway to about 120m away. 9 iron 2nd found the putting surface, pin high about 20 feet right. My birdie attempt was on line the whole trip and died about a foot short. Tap in regulation par.

My right foot slipped and I pulled my tee shot on the second into the trees left and had to recover to the fairway about 160m away with my second. I was not wearing my spikes as I’d gotten tied up in a discussion about our upcoming Pennant season and almost missed my tee time (still no excuses) and was still wearing my runners. Another foot slip on the downswing of my 3rd and the ball again sailed straight left to finish pin high, but well left of the flag. From there it was a chip and 2 putts for a 7.

Nicely struck 1 iron from the third tee got me back on my plan, but finished right side of the fairway which meant trees had to be taken into account for my second shot. Set up for the deliberate fade around these trees and chunked it a little fat and it would fly low and rolled out to the left side of the fairway about 100m away, no harm done. Choked down on my wedge for my 3rd shot and it was on the pin the whole way and I was stunned when it flew the green completely and into the waiting tea trees behind. No sign of it at all in any of the trees and ultimately would have to call it lost in the creek behind the trees. Fighting the mist, took my penalty drop and flew an angry lob wedge about 20m over the green. From there, I managed to get up and down for another 7.

Missed the 4th green pin high left, in some deep cabbage. Hacked the next one short of the green, then chipped on and 2 putted for a double bogey 5.

At this point, I recall thinking my day was done…

At 7 over the card through 4 holes, we had a bit of a wait on the 5th tee and I had some time to review and resolved it was only 2 or 3 poor shots that had cost me to date and that I should just enjoy the balance of the round and see what happened.

Rifle straight 1 iron bisected the fairway and left me about 100m to the flag, wedge second found the green about 25 feet away, 2 putts for another par.

Another good 1 iron from the short par 4 6th tee finished about 10m short of the green and from there I would get up and down, making a 10 foot birdie putt.

Took Driver for my tee shot on 7. Struck well but faded a little right to finish just in the light rough under a tree. With no full shot, I had to poke an iron to try to recover to the fairway. The ball caught the sole low hanging branch and flew left out onto the fairway leaving me with over 200m to go. Nicely struck 4 iron across the corner got me to centre of the fairway, about 20m short of the green. From there, it was a chip and 2 putts for a bogey 6.

6 iron tee shot on the par 3 8th was on line all the way, though finding the green, it was well short of the hole. Happily, would manage to 2 putt for par.

Another well struck 1 iron found the fairway about 160m away. Caught my 6 iron 2nd a little fat and it finished about 15m short in front of the green. Managed to clip the ball with the toe of the wedge in taking a couple of practice swings at the chip and knocked the ball about 6 feet forwards. Still shaking my head, I then knocked that second chip stone dead and tapped in for a bogey 5.

So, at the turn, it was 8 over the card 44 off the stick (after having been 7 over thru 4) with 15 putts. 5 of 7 Fairways was pleasing, though, then to only hit 4 of 9 greens in reg brought me back to earth a bit. The bottom line was I’d managed to “stop the bleeding”, as it were and was now looking forward to the back 9.

Opened the back 9 with 2 straight 2 putt bogies and when I was standing over a yet another 15 footer for par on the 12th, I put some extra pressure on myself by telling myself I was due to hole one and this was it. Well, I would roll that 15 footer about 2 feet past and, thanks to that added pressure alone, I recall feeling more disappointment than I had on any previous hole and proceeded to 3 putt from 2 feet

3 more 2 putt bogies followed and after a poor tee shot from the 16th, pulled left into the trees, I could only manage a 2 putt double bogey 6.

My tee shot to the par 3 17th would find the putting surface, only some 15 feet away and 2 more putts for a par brought the smile back to my face.

Thinking I was nowhere near it, I took driver from the last and cold topped it only about 50m down the fairway. A well struck 3 iron then got me to the 150m marker and my 7 iron 3rd was all over the pin in flight before dying off left and finishing pin high about 15m from the flag. From there I would manage to get up and down, holing a 10 footer for par.

So, it was a positive finish to an ungainly round that saw me sign for a net 75 and qualify for the President’s Trophy event starting next week. I have drawn our Club Handicapper, who plays off 10, in the first round and am looking forward to the match.

As always, thanks for reading.
Cheers
:) ]]> Scragger63 http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/blog.php?b=52