The Round that got Away

People, people, people...what a round of golf today! Another good warm-up session on the range. I played with Tyler and a couple other friends today. I shot a 39 on the front, with a 20 foot birdie putt bomb!! I was feeling really good going into the back 9. Then 10,11,12, and 13 happened....BOGEY, QUAD BOGEY, DOUBLE BOGEY, BOGEY!!!!! AAAHHHHHH... I could feel the round slipping away. Just couldn't stay away from trouble off the tee on those holes. I ended up shooting a 48 on the back. I had 33 putts today with all 2 putts on the back nine. I hit the ball really well on the back, just some unlucky bounces on these holes. I'm starting to feel like the golf game is coming around. There's definitely a 79 out there somewhere for me to shoot.

A couple of side notes today: Tyler didn't play as well as he did yesterday and it got me thinking that for my List matches we should play 2 rounds and take the total score to determine the winner. We'll see what happens when Doug and I set up or match next week.

Doug sent me an email telling me he shot an 81 yesterday! I happened to see him before I played today and he also didn't play as well, so there's another case for the 2 round format. We're supposed to get together next week and setup the "official" match. I'll see if he likes the 2 round idea.

Practice Round with Tyler

I played with Tyler today at Sunset Whitney...UNOFFICIAL match. He hadn't played for about a month, but I think he's been secretly playing since his name was added to the List. We ended up only playing 11 holes. We played the front nine, 10, and 18. Tyler had me by 6 strokes after 9 holes. I struggled all day to hit the ball solidly on the course after having my best session on the range before playing. =(
Tyler played well for not playing in awhile. He's definitely next on the List after Doug, but right now I need to concentrate on getting ready for Doug next month. Back to the range tomorrow.

Dad and the Range

My dad made it to town! After he and his girlfriend settled in we went to the range and all hit range balls for about an hour. My dad got to meet Doug and Tyler while we were there! It was funny hearing all of them talking about the blog.

Gonna try and play with Tyler today. It's not an OFFICIAL match...just a friendly practice round for now.

This Weekend

I have a very special guest coming up this weekend from San Diego... my dad!! I'm hoping we get to play a little golf while he's here. We won't be playing our official match because he's not bringing his clubs, so I'll have to beat him next time and cross his name off the List.

Hopefully with the 3 day weekend I can also get some time in on the range too.

I will be OFFICIALLY posting my Handicap next week!! WOOHOO!!!

Practicing in the Rain

I managed to get to the range today and work with Walter for a little bit. Then the rain started coming down! So I hit balls for 15 minutes in the rain and went home. I hit the ball okay. Walter was having me try a new drill, so hopefully the rain will stop tomorrow so I can continue working on it.

Doug was also working with Walter today. Which student will win in June?? (I think I might know) =)

Here We Go Again

Ha ha ha ha....... back to the 90's, and I don't mean the year. I shot a 92 with 32 putts and two SNOWMEN! Really?? The back nine kicked my butt today. I shot a 50 on the back, and that's where the snowmen live too!! The driver was not cooperating today, very erratic off the tee. Need to talk to Walter about it and also having trouble hanging back on my right side. Back to the range maybe tomorrow if it doesn't rain.

I played with Doug today and I think we got ourselves a match in June. Doug is on my list of players to beat along the way to becoming a scratch player. I asked him when he "officially" wanted to play to make sure his golf game would be ready, and he responded, "Don't worry, you'll get your butt kicked before the wedding." =) I just got my motivation!! So the plan is to play sometime in the first couple of weeks in June. Game on!!

Driving range + 9 holes

Danelle was nice enough to let me out of the house today. =) So I thought I would go to the course and practice. I'm really starting to hit the ball really solid. It's getting scary!! =O Played the front nine +6! No blow-up hole, just silly reasons for bogeys. Hopefully I'll be able to play 18 tomorrow.

Back in Business

I'm getting closer to posting my Handicap - just 3 more rounds needed! Today at Sunset Whitney I shot a 44 on the front and 44 on the back, equaling 88 for the round, with 31 putts. The putter is really getting close to being there! Everything was going good till the 6th hole. Gosh I hate that hole - the last 4 times I've played it I've taken an 8. To make it worse, it's an easy par 5 with a wide open fairway to hit. After that hole, things started unraveling quickly. I went from +3 to +6, then bogeyed the next 3 holes to finish +9 on the front. The back was okay, but the putter cooled down. I had only one 1 putt on the back 9. I need to get back on the range and keep practicing the drill Walter gave me. Hopefully I'll be able to get on the range next week with all the rain they're forecasting. I miss the So Cal weather.

Two More Make The List

Two more names have been added to The List!! Drum roll please! (silence - sorry, I don't have a drum set).....Doug and Ron! =) That brings the list to 8 now. I hope they're practicing, cause I'll be ready!

Went to the driving range after work for 2 hours. Just hitting 3/4 9 iron shots like the head pro wanted me to do. Ball striking is really improving! Can't wait to play tomorrow! =)

Wild Horse and More

Today I played Wild Horse with my boss. Turns out it was a two man best ball and we played it as a scramble. =/ So I won't be able to count it toward my Handicap. Played okay today, started a little shaky, but then calmed down. My boss played really good for not playing for 3 months. The time I'm putting in on the short game is starting to payoff!! Yessssss!

So here's the "and more" part: since I've been spending more time on the range, the head pro has gotten to see my game more. He told me that he wanted to help me with my swing. =) So after we got back from playing today I decided to go and see if he was there, which he was, and said he had time to help me out. We spent about 30-45 minutes working on my swing. He said he didn't want me playing golf for a week, and gave me a drill to work on. I was thinking in my head that there was no way I could go without playing for a week! While I was practicing the drill, my buddy Doug was next to me also getting help on his swing. The range was about to close, and Doug asked me if I wanted to play a couple of holes... I gladly accepted! =) Guess I was right. And it's a good thing I played! I had a birdie the first hole with the longest drive of my LIFE!! Right down the MIDDLE!! We played four holes and ended up shooting +1. Definitely looking forward to tomorrow and practicing the drill some more on the range.

Hopefully I'll be ready to play 18 on Friday.

The List

If you're on this LIST I'm coming for you!! =)

My Dad
Jon
Freddie
Tyler
Craig
Larry


Good luck gentlemen!!

Good practice session today

Played 9 holes today at Sunset Whitney, then practiced chipping and putting, and hit some more golf balls. Feeling good about tomorrow's round at Wild Horse in Davis.

Another round in the 90's

My golf game seems to be like a broken record. I just keep shooting in the 90's. So here's the breakdown of the round: I shot 90 with 35 putts. Lots of lag putts today. I played the back nine first today and shot 50 and 40 on the front. On the front I was +1 with 4 holes to play and a really good chance to shoot in the 80's. Then went +4 on the last 4 holes!! AAAHHHHH!!! The back nine was a mess! I don't even want to talk about it. The par 5's have been kicking my butt lately - lots of Double Bogeys and Triple Bogeys. The second shoot is killing me on the par 5's. I really feel that the putter is going to be coming around soon.

My next round will be on Wednesday with my boss, so that should be fun. Hopefully this will be the round with the 80 on the score card.

I have a new poll up on the blog, so please vote. Remember anyone can vote, even if you're not a member.

Sneaking in a round a Sunset Whitney today

Well after a crazy long work week, I'm deciding to play at Sunset Whitney today. I'm really really hoping for a round in the 80's. Need to get back to the playing instead of over analyzing.

Sunset Whitney

I'm thinking about changing this journey to breaking 90! Today I shot 91 and had 31 putts. The putter is starting to warm up. I'm trying to be a little more aggressive with the putter and it seems to be working. The shanks seem to be gone...phew! I plan to hit the range for the rest of the week and really practice my short game. I will break 90 next week!! Positive thinking.

Shout out to Freddie cause it's his birthday. Happy Birthday Freddie!!

Finally got to range yesterday, did pretty well with wedges. Then went out and played the first 3 holes. Things were going well till I started shanking again. Then they go away and I hit some really good shots. So it'll we be interesting to see how today goes. Hoping for something in the 80's.

Sorry to report that Jon won't be going forward in his quest to play in the US OPEN. He just didn't play like he wanted to play but he's definitely looking forward to trying for other events!

Well first day back in sacramento and it raining! I really wanted to practice my short game today. I guess I a trip to golf galaxy will have to do for today. =) Still waiting to hear from Jon on his quest for the 2010 US OPEN. Hopefully it's going good!

Brookside round

Nothing like a 5 1/2 hour round of golf! I shot a 90 with 37 putts and had four 3 putts. I think I'm in a funk with the putter. Definitely will be practicing next week before I play at Sunset Whitney on Wednesday. I got to play with my buddie Jon again, and I figured since Jon is a scratch golfer I would pick his brain on the golf swing. He explained it in the simplest way I've ever heard. I got to try his theory for about 11 holes. It worked pretty good too! I had 5 straight pars with birdie putts on all of them, then BLEW UP on 18! So I'm really looking forward to getting back on the course and testing the swing out again.

Baby steps forward.....I think

Well today was a wierd round. I started with two pars and it was downhill from there. I was shanking out of nowhere, but they're gone now! Was shanking for about 6 holes on the front 9. Then amazing got a BIRDIE and no more shanks for the rest of the round. Front 9-44 Back 9-48 with 32 putts! The putting stroke was much better thanks to my anonymous tipper. Hopefully this number will continue to lower as my confidence improves. Definitely will be working on the short game when I get back to Roseville this weekend.
I was really hoping to give my dad a better fight but I guess that will have to wait until next time. Hopefully I can build off this round and post a good score tomorrow.

Don't forget to vote on the new poll for tomorrow's round.

New poll

Well I've added a new poll. I figured that since I've been having problems with my putter, I should a do a poll on it. Choose wisely!

Going backward

Well I feel bad for the people who voted yes on the poll. I shot a 97! I just couldn't get anything going! I didn't get a par till the 9th hole. Too many putts...39! Just a crappy round altogether. Freddie played really well and shot a 79. Jon ended up shooting a 78. Some good did come out of this outing...Jon said that my swing looked much better and that my setup was perfect. I was stoked that he could tell. Hopefully my golf game will return on Friday so I can give my dad a good fight!

Half way down to San Diego! More news to make this week even bigger! Another golfing great will be joining me to play on Wednesday! My buddie Freddie who will be trying to go pro after school is done. Last couple of times we've played they've been really close ,so I'm forward to our round! Also don't forget to vote on the new poll I posted!

Big week ahead!!

This is going to be a BIG week of golf!! I get to play with two of the best players I know. First I get to play with my buddy Jon on Wednesday, who is attempting to qualify for the 2010 U.S. OPEN. Then I get to play with my dad on Friday, who will be attempting to qualify for the Senior Tour next year. This week will definitely give me a good feeling for where I stand with my golf game. I'll be playing at Encinitas Ranch on Wednesday and Temecula Creek Inn on Friday. Might even play with Jon again on Saturday. So a lot of golf this week. =)

Not the start I wanted

The round is complete!! Drum role please.......... 88. I started off pretty good. Par, Double Bogey, chip in Birdie, Par. So I was +1 for the first 4 holes, right around where I wanted to be. Then the WIND really started playing a factor. I ended up shooting a 43 on the front and 45 on the back with a total of 33 putts. The putter was COLD today!! The wind was just whirling in every direction and I didn't even get any lucky bounces. I really felt like my score could have been 79-81 if not for the wind, but you gotta take what the course gives ya. I did beat the guy I was playing with, so that was one good thing that came out of the round.

Quick notes from the round

*Struck the ball well
*Need to work on 100 yds and in
*Had 4 balls in the hazard (because of the wind)
*Need to get the putter going

Journey begins today

About 2 hours away from the first tee!! The weather is going to be sunny with wind 15-20 mph. I feel that if I can stay at even par or better after the first 4 holes, it will give me a good chance to be aggressive through the rest of the round.

Thanks to all that voted in the poll.

Here's to a great round!!