Thank You Granville

Well my round with Doug is put on hold for now, but I ran into Granville and had the chance to play with him. That turned out to be pretty lucky for my golf game. The video above is from hole number 8 just after Granville had me make one change to my swing on 7. He wanted to get some space in my backswing and keep the club from getting behind me. WOW is all I can say.

So here's how we got to this swing change. The first 6 holes I was spraying the ball left and right, pretty much anywhere but straight. He asked me if I would try something for him on my takeaway on the 7 tee.   It's a good thing I did because I hit this nice little draw, which hit the green. and I made par. =) My first one of the day. Even though I got a birdie on the 6th hole, those shots weren't even that great. My tee shot on 8, which is the one in the video, was put in the fairway, leaving me a wedge into the green and giving me another par. I hit the smoothest 9 iron ever on #9 and flew the green almost going OB. I ended up taking a bogey. I couldn't believe I hit that 9 iron that far with that little effort. Just as we were finishing up, Bud came by and wanted to see if we were going to keep playing. Granville was done but I want to keep playing with the new swing change. Before I dropped off Granville at his car, I told him he was my new coach.

We went and played the first 3 holes. I hit my drive down the left side of the fairway. My next shot was a little fat leaving me about 120 yards to the pin. I hit a choke down 9 iron and STUCK it within 6 feet of the pin. Bud was so impressed. He said my swing has never looked better. I  told him to give Granville all the credit. I missed the putt but took another par. The putter was so close today, which is a good sign of things to come. I took another par on #2 which is pretty good cause I can't remember the last time I had a par on that hole. The 3rd hole I hit my tee shot a little short, it was probably the worst shot with the new swing change. I hit a good chip shot but it landed a little hard and ran 8 feet past the hole. I missed the putt but it was a good stroke, and I took a bogey which put me +2 for 6 holes with the new swing. I can't wait to swing the club tomorrow. Thanks again Granville.  

Putter Where are You

Well after a big rain storm on Thursday and Friday I was finally able to play 9 holes today. We got almost 2" in 24 hours. I think these pictures say it all!

 #17 green

 #15 fairway

I played with Doug today at Sunset Whitney. We played match play again and it was pretty close for the most part. I hit the ball REALLY well, especially the driver. So much so that I hit it on holes I normally hit a 3 wood on (like #6 and #8). Today it was about the putter and not in a good way. The putter pretty much cost me the match.  Doug and I were pretty much going back and fourth; he'd win one and then I'd win one. We were all square going into the 9th hole and I had a putt to tie and missed it. The putt was only about 12 feet and it was a fairly straight putt. I thought it would break at the end and it just stayed straight. I three putted the first hole, then left a putt short on 6, and followed by a near miss on 7 from 8 feet. Oh well, I'm now down another soda, but I can try to even things out tomorrow with a victory over Doug after work.   

A Year from Now

I'm officially 29 years old today! In light of this I feel like it's time to set a time frame for my blog. 

My goals before I turn 30:

1) Break 70

2) Get an eagle

3) Get index down to at least 3 or 4

4) Birdie 3 holes in row

5) Finish in the top 3 in a tournament

Tick tock...

Back to Even

Well, after a week of rain I was fiiiiinally able to play some golf. I played yesterday and today, both days I played 9 holes with Doug. Both days we played for a soda...Doug was already up 2 sodas from before, but we're square now after I won both days.

During yesterday's little match we played points for pars and birdies, and whoever had the most points after nine holes won. Well neither of us scored a point until the 5th hole. We both played bogey golf before that. I thought I wasn't playing too bad for not playing for a week. Then I pared 6 and 7, giving me a one point lead with 2 to play. We both hit our ball in the hazard on 8, so no points were scored. On the 9th tee I was up by 1. My tee shot landed on the front of the green and spun back about a foot off the green. Doug hit his ball on the green about 20 feet from the hole. I hit my second shot and its rolling towards the hole... its still rolling towards the hole... it's in the h-o-l... ohh, man just missed it. I tapped in for a par securing at least a tie if Doug made his birdie putt. Well, he missed his putt, giving me the win. Doug's soda lead was cut down to one then. After playing I went and picked up my 3 wood with the Aldila NV shaft.

Today we played match play. All day I was looking forward to hitting the 3 wood. I didn't start off hot with the 3 wood but when I needed it the most it came through later in the round.

I'm up 1 after 2
I'm up 1 after 4
I'm up 1 after 6
I'm up 1 after 7

So this is where the 3 wood came through today, the 8th hole. Doug hit his tee ball in the hazard, now all I needed to do was put the ball in play. That's exactly what I did and that lead to a par to win the hole and the match. Doug did want me to let everyone know that he had the only two birdies of our match.

The soda betting is all square for now and once again the rain is coming for the next couple of days, and even the possibility of snow. I guess it;s just a waiting game again till I can get out on the course. Overall I do like how I played this week for not playing at all last week. I just need to play more and get more reps in with the new swing.

Rain Rain Go Away

It's been raining all this week. I think we got about 3 1/2" which means I never got a chance to make it to the course and practice. Next week looks a little more promising to be able to hit the range. I was able to do some drills in the house, and no, I didn't break anything. I am however in the process of getting my 3 wood reshafted with an Aldila NV. The stock Taylormade shaft was ballooning the ball on me so this should help give me a lower ball flight.

A Decision

I've come to a crossroads with my golf game. Lately I've been trying every other swing theory out there, then taking bits and pieces and trying to add them to my own. All this has done is cause havoc on my game and my mind.

So as of today. I'm here to say... I've finally chosen a swing theory. My swing will be in the hands of Sean Foley. I feel I played the most consistently with his swing and just need to work through the bad days and not look for quick results. I already started watching Sean's DVD again, writing down drills, and planning for world domination.  

18 Holes at Sunset Whitney Country Club

Well I finally had a decent round. I shot an 87 at Sunset Whitney yesterday after work; 39 on the front and a big 48 on the back. I don't know what it is about making the turn with the 70's in sight. It's like my golf swing just tightens up and doesn't work. I'm thinking way too much about it and don't let the game come to me. The next time I play I'm not going to add up my score for the whole round and see how that goes. The putt did better today with 31 putts needed. After not hitting a bunker in my last round, I hit five of them yesterday. I was able to get up and down on two of them. I really need to get my short game going if I'm going to shoot low.

Stats for the round:
Fairways - 50%
GIR -28%
Putts - 31
Scrambling - 23.1%
Sand Saves - 40%

My swing is heading into a different direction: http://www.rotaryswing.com/

Photos from Yesterday

 

4th hole at Sunset Whitney

 

8th hole at Sunset Whitney

Yesterday Viano and I caught up with Doug on the 15th hole. After the 18th we played the front 9. I played okay, but every once in awhile I'd hit this hook or a push slice. Doug and I were having a little fun betting for sodas and Taco Bell. We ended up breaking even. Neither one of us were thirsty or hungry enough to make any good shots. 

I'm hoping to play 18 holes on Sunday at Sunset Whitney and to get back on track to shooting some  decent scores. Thank you to those who voted on the poll. 

Results From Peach Tree Country Club

The first round of the season is in the books. It was a battle to survive out there! We played from the tips which measure 6859 yards, and the course was lined with trees. To make things more fun the wind was blowing 20-30 mph! Then, to top it all off, the pin locations were placed on slopes. I mean. you had to make the putt, otherwise you rolled at least 6-8 feet past the hole. Even if you were below the hole and putted there was a good chance it would roll back down to you. 

I ended up shooting a 95 with 37 putts. I actually played better than I scored. I hit the driver really well, but the wind would grab it and take it. My irons were okay but I really can't grade my putter. These had to be the most unfair pin locations I've ever played. The course had a lot of doglegs and was relatively flat. Even though none of us played all that well, we still had fun. Even though Ron said he's retiring from golf. I'm sure he'll be back next week. =) 

 

The Last Two Days

I've played 27 holes in the last two days. On Thursday I played 9 with Tyler. It had been awhile since I played with him, probably 2 or 3 months. Needless to say I didn't play very well, not one solid shot. I think I was 7 over for the round, just trying to save bogeys on every hole, though I did have 3 pars which felt like bogeys. After playing I hit the range for about 15 minutes before it closed and I really couldn't figure it out there either. I was a little bummed as I headed home.

Friday I played 18 holes with Doug and Ron at Sunset Whitney, again for a couple of sodas. I took a triple bogey on the first hole, already putting me behind both Doug and Ron, and that's how it stayed the whole day. It was one of those days where the putter was hot and the rest of the game was cold. I pretty much conceded the match after the 10th hole.

But after the 10th hole I started picking Ron's brain about his  swing. He'd recently starting doing some swing changes himself and was hitting the ball really well.  He's basing it on the Jimmy Ballard philosophy. I started watching his swing more closely to see what he was doing, and decided to start trying it on the 11th hole. I went par, bogey, par, par, par, par, bogey (should have had a par on the last hole but I misread the putt). Also about the 15th hole Doug became my caddie. He was telling me I was under-clubbing, so I told him he could be my caddie for the rest of the round. I was able to get through the ball much easier with Ron's swing. It really is a pretty simple swing. Since Ron was helping me with my swing I decided to help him with his putting. I think he had 5 or 6 one-putts on the back 9. I had him move the ball back in his stance along with a straight back and straight-through swing. I told him to play more break than he thinks there is. He stopped missing his little 3-5 footers. We may have created a monster with his golf swing and improved putting... I think he could go low today.

So when I got home last night I decided to do a little research on Jimmy Ballard. I found some video of him on the Golf Channel and like what he has to say. I'm still keeping some of the Sean Foley stuff in my swing and adding some of Jimmy Ballard. I guess we'll see what happens today at Peach Tree Country Club. I'm thinking I could get 79.

13 Holes with Doug

I met Doug on the 15th hole today after work. He told me if I caught him on the back then he'd play with me on the front. I used 15-18 for warm up holes and then Doug and I battled it out on the front 9 for a soda... and I mean, we battled.

After 2, I was up 1 stroke.
After 4, I was up 2.
After 6, I was down 1.
After 8, we were all tied.

So number 9 is a 128 yard par 3 over water with a bunker protecting the left side of the green. Today the flag was on the left side. When the flag is on the left side I always aim for the center of the green. I hit my spot perfectly today. Doug hit his tee shot into the bunker. We got over to the green and Doug hit this beautiful sand shot within 5 feet of the hole. I still had about a 15-20 footer downhill with a good size break to the left for birdie, and I left it short to about 4 feet. It was Doug's turn and he stepped right up and sank it. I had a little breaker to the left and I....... shame on you for thinking I missed it. I made it, so we ended up tying. All that work and we tie. I guess I better do a better job of holding onto the lead next time. The 5th hole really caused all the problems today. I hit a bomb off the tee to the middle of the fairway. Then I chunked a 7 iron, followed by a chunked 56 degree. I finally hit the green on the next shot but I was about 20 feet from the hole. I hit my first putt, then my second putt, and finally my third putt drops in the hole. I hate three-putting more than anything. I'd rather hit three shots out of bounds than 3 putt. Other than that I thought I hit the ball pretty well today.

 I'll be hitting the range tomorrow followed playing 3 or 4 hole. I might take some video of the swing and see if I can get the club to stop going past parallel. I can't wait to play Peach Tree Country Club!

Peach Tree Country Club

I finally know where I'll be playing my first official round of the season: Peach Tree Country Club in Marysville, CA. Doug, Granville and Ron will also be joining me that day. A big thank you goes to Walter for setting this up.

Peach Tree Country Club

Practice, Practice, Play

I've been working hard over the last two days preparing for my round on the 5th. I hit the range on Monday and then played 9 holes with Bud. We played the back 9, which was a little wet compared to the front. I hit the ball really solid, so solid it got Bud's attention. He said my work on the range is starting to pay off. My only problem was even though I was hitting it solid, it wasn't going in the right direction. It's weird because on the range I hit a straight or a little draw, and out on the course I have this little cut shot instead. I'm not quite sure what's causing this to happen, but hopefully I can figure it out soon. 

Today I spent a little time on the range and played 9 holes with Viano from work. We played the front 9 and it was WINDY! There had to be a constant breeze of at least 15 mph and gust of 25. I played really well, I was kind of surprised. I went par, bogey, par, bogey, par, par, par, bogey and bogey. The putter and the sand wedge were off today. They're the reasons for the bogeys. I'll be spending a little extra time on the putting and chipping green tomorrow. My ball striking was good for the most part. I actually had fun playing in the windy conditions. I've really developed a 3/4 knock down shot; it's starting to be my go-to shot into the green. 

My plans for the rest of the week include playing 9 holes on Wednesday, the range on Thursday, and 18 holes on Friday with Doug and Ron at Sunset Whitney after work. I can't wait for my round Saturday. Don't forget to vote on my poll!