Round: Ponkapoag Course #2

3 Players (Me, Wi, Francis)

Pre-round practice: Driving Range, Quick putting

9 Holes

A bit of a frustrating round for me. I made a few tweaks to my swing since the last round and I ended up playing golf swing, not golf. The reason I did so well the last few rounds was b/c my swing was grooved and I just let it fly, not thinking about much. I wasn't comfortable off the tee and I didn't make any GIR, so my putting was rushed and not very focused. I still somehow impressed my round-mates with my distance and swing form. It was the first round of the year with hot and sunny weather conditions, which was a bit of a physical challenge. I'll be prepared next time!!

Notable
3 wood tee shots

Practice
No swing thoughts!

Round: Green Harbor

4 Players (Me, Erik, Tony, James)

Pre-round practice: Putting

18 Holes

BREAKTHROUGH ROUND! Decided to come back to Green Harbor this year because of their generous fairways and straight-forward layout. I figured it would be a nice setup for me to shoot another low score. Sure enough, the second hole (par 4 321 yds.), resulted in my second career birdie!! I started with a 3-metal rope down the middle with only 90 left. I then threaded a 56 degree within 3 feet; straight putt to finish. I finished the front 9 with my personal best of 41. It's much harder to match the same score on the back 9 of any course and this is something I'm working to improve. It comes down to maintaining focus, consistency and physical stamina. I ended the back 9 with a 46, which is also my best back 9 score to date. Looking back at the round, it was my bulletproof putting that allowed me to break 90 again. Most notably, it was the first round in awhile without a three putt. It's been nothing but progress these last few rounds and it kind of freaks me out how quickly the results are falling onto the scorecard. A few more balls in the fairway and we're flirting with 79! Fuuuuuck, yes.

Score: 87

Scorecard

Notables

Putting, Wedge approach shots

Practice

Ball-striking, Long irons

Round: Atlantic Country Club

3 Players (Me, Lynch, Matt)

Pre-round practice: 30 Range balls, putting

18 holes

Rare chance of mine to play a real nice course. Coming off a round of 87, I'm feeling very confident but the expectations are a little too high. The first hole, par 4, was probably the best of the day. I started with a decent drive that hooked slightly into a fairway bunker. With only 75 yards left, I pitched the ball nicely with a PW just past the pin onto the green-side rough. I followed with a nice chip and quick putt, successfully converting my first career sand-save. Through the first 5 holes I was on pace to shot a 75. But of course this would not be realistic b/c things went south very quickly. Lynch and Matt both shared their own cart while I decided to walk. This proved to be detrimental to my tempo as I began to run and chase balls all around the course. At the turn I decided to suck it up and grab a cart for myself. For the rest of the round I struggled to get the ball in the fairway but scrambled exceptionally well. I'm beginning to get creative and more decisive whenever I find trouble. All in all, not my best score, but another boost of confidence moving forward.

Score: 99

Notables

Putting, Scrambling, Sand-shots

Practice

Lag putting, Maintaining consistency on the back 9

Lynch's 3-wood

My 293 yd. drive!

Round: Ponkapoag Course #2

2 Players (Me, Sebastian)

Pre-round practice: 60 Range balls, chipping, putting

18 holes

BREAKTHROUGH ROUND! New year's resolution officially complete! I broke 90 and shot a cool 87. I'm amazed that I accomplished this so early in the season. One of the key contributing factors to my performance was the pre-round practice. It made such a difference coming out the gate. I stepped onto the first tee extremely confident and rifled it straight down the fairway. Looking back at my scorecard, I basically played bogey golf which has been a milestone for myself for quite awhile. I prevented many double-bogeys with clutch putts from the 4 ft. region. I kept my ball in play for most of the round with a few exceptions on the back nine. My all-around game is getting better and it feels really good!

Score: 87

Notables

Driving, chipping, putting

Practice

Lag putting

Hole #11,  9 iron...

...the result: Birdie chip left short :(

Round: D.W. Fields

3 Players (Me, Joe, Random guy Glen)

Pre-round practice: none

15 holes

Rushed to make the tee time. Jumped on the first tee and opened with a nice drive down the middle with only a short wedge to go. Then the struggle began...which lasted all day. I over-shot almost every green on the approach, and by a large margin. It seems I'm going through the next phase in my game; call it "puberty" if you will. Although the round was an ugly performance, it represented another break-through. My ball-striking is improving and I'm almost at the point of optimal distance with my clubs. I'm hitting a lot of balls flush and I feel a lot more power added to the shots which could be attributed to the amount of time spent at the gym these past 3 months. I'm a lot more aggressive with my swing which is resulting in more distance. I just need to make note of this development and prepare for better shot judgement. I need to hit more GIR because I'm super confident with my putter, but it does me no good if I'm already facing double bogey on the first putt.

Notables

Ball-striking, putting

Practice

Finish and hold follow-through. I have the tendency of stopping my swing just after impact, which results in shots to the right.

PRE-ROUND PRACTICE IS A MUST!! Otherwise don't expect to play well.

Groove my swing so I don't have to think about it during the round.
Good quote to remember, "Play golf, not golf swing."

Hole #1

How to beat first-tee jitters

Article found in Golf Digest, June '11. Written by Sean Foley

"Whenever one of my players I work with goes into a deep depression about his game, I remind him it's just that—a game. It's not like he has some horrible illness, or an earthquake has just destroyed his home. Golf is supposed to be fun, right? Try to remember that the next time you're terrified standing over your ball on the first tee. Truthfully, no one cares what you do, so don't pay any attention to all those eyes you think are burning holes in the back of your skull. If anything, the golfers watching are hoping you screw up, so they won't feel all alone when they top it off the tee. Seriously, no one but you cares if you hit a bad shot. Take a deep breath, blow it out, smile and then just swing away."