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My Life (Sub 80)
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Hey there Fix,
Ive been lurkIng and enjoying your blog so far, and felt I was in the same boat....until today!
I didn't have a handicap growing up and other than a few society rounds, was more interested in other sports in my 20's. I joined a club in 2010 with a view to taking up golf as an alternative since our baby girl arrived.
Started out with 18 handicap (typical!) when i joined and drifted to 19 briefly before moving to 12 in a few short rounds in July 2011. ( 3 80's in a row).
I don't have any fancy kit, just lots of hard work and a love for the game. To cut a long story short I shot 78 today in a singles comp to finally break 80 for the first time today. Had 4 3putts in that round too so my expectations have suddenly moved to lower scores!
To add balance to your 4 x 3 putts tell us how many up and downs you had in the round, how many sand saves and how many putts did you hole over 12 feet. You find in any round of golf the result is a fair one over 18 holes when you look at it like that. Your 78 may well have been 74 without the 3 putts but if you just chipped and 2 putted from off the green what would it have been?
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Hey there Fix, I too enjoy this thread, don't want to offer any advice as too often on here you find 20+ handicappers(me) giving 10- handicappers advice!!!
Just an observation on your round last week with your friend, you seemed to play better while enjoying yourself with an old friend, I think he was taking your mind off the golf.(Coupled with your new swing).
Having my own demons at the moment pushing to break 90 but had a 137 on Saturday......................
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stick with it.
in 2008 I got to my lowest 6.6 and was shooting sub 80 regularly. I won the club championship, class 1 so, played off scratch against other class 1 golfers. what did I do then? Change my swing. Completely. Different grip, posture, arc. It was drastic, people questioned me, why did I do it when I coming down, and getting better? I knew I'd reached a level, a plateau, I wanted to improve.
My work/life circumstances then changed and I struggled to give effect to the new changes but I managed to stay of 7/8, since then. With some regular golf I broke par twice last summer, two -2 rounds, and managed to win the father and son. And then the winter happened.
I've been playing ok recently, but I feel I've been hitting the ball as well as I ever have, and I'm confident that if keep plugging, the big change will be worth it. There's glimpses of brilliance
so FDP keep it up, it will be worth it. Really enjoy the posts.0 -
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Train it and trust it as Dr. Bob preaches. Practise on the range and trust it on the golf course.
Not that you should be listening to me as I am desperately trying to break 90 - shot an 89 last summer once but it was off the yellow tees and not the whites.
I have been working on trying to build a repeatable and reasonable swing since February. I have had 5 lessons. During these 2 or 3 tweaks/changes per lesson only were made. Two of the lessons only involved one alteration.
The last lesson I had we re-visited something that had already been covered - but I had reverted back to my old ways. My head was wrecked over the last few weeks - but am determined to stick with it and be patient. Good things will come.
During my process I have been encouraged/instructed by my pro to keep playing - it is the only way to really bed any changes in. And strangely enough the changes seem to take longer to become part of my swing on the golf course. And they seem to happen when I trust my swing rather than thinking about it.
I only started playing the game 2 years ago and I am determined not to remain a 20-something handicapper for the rest of my life. If I was not determined and committed then I would never be able to make changes - or improvements as I prefer to think of them. I would give up.
Having followed your thread from the beginning I am hoping to achieve my goal before you achieve yours. I'll resist the urge to wander around the driving range whispering "you'll never beat 80" and leave you to your own devices. Stay determined and keep up the hard work.
I think you will break 90 before I do again. Lol, but maybe.
nocal, that is great going in 2 years.0 -
stick with it.
in 2008 I got to my lowest 6.6 and was shooting sub 80 regularly. I won the club championship, class 1 so, played off scratch against other class 1 golfers. what did I do then? Change my swing. Completely. Different grip, posture, arc. It was drastic, people questioned me, why did I do it when I coming down, and getting better? I knew I'd reached a level, a plateau, I wanted to improve.
My work/life circumstances then changed and I struggled to give effect to the new changes but I managed to stay of 7/8, since then. With some regular golf I broke par twice last summer, two -2 rounds, and managed to win the father and son. And then the winter happened.
I've been playing ok recently, but I feel I've been hitting the ball as well as I ever have, and I'm confident that if keep plugging, the big change will be worth it. There's glimpses of brilliance
so FDP keep it up, it will be worth it. Really enjoy the posts.
Great going and very brave of you, yes even if at a higher hcap for me, I came to a point where I knew I would never get to where I would like to without a major change. This is not to do with this thread, but a more long term aim.0 -
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FixdePitchmark wrote: »
A Grand Canal walk, “O Commemorate me where there is water”.
A week of solid work on my new swing, after my 96 last week, all I wanted was an improvement. With two old Carlow friends, we picked a convenient spot to play, Killeen golf club. Nice weather for golf, a bit cool, but nice. My main problem with the new swing is a large slice. First hole nailed one and hit a five iron just off the green, ended with a messy 5, but a par is good start these days. Next hole had a large slice, but sand saved for par. So on and on. I was getting in trouble off the tee, but Killeen at the start is a bit too forgiving, it gets you on the way back in.
It was a very relaxed round and the lads played well. It is a fine course with greens in good condition. My putting was not great , but I’ve been doing so much swing work, the putting is parked again. As Killeen goes on, more and more water comes into play, unnecessary on occasion. But a nice little course. If you played sensible and knew the course well, you could score here. I ended up in water 3 times. But was not too concerned, was just happy to get the ball around the course ok, for the first time after my second lesson.
As you reach the end of the round you see the nice Grand Canal and there is a thunderous roar at the moment, due to amount of rain we have had. With the birds singing it was a pleasant round. Only the slight sound of the N7 contrasting the sound of the historical canal along the 17 th.
A nice 52 deg and 2 putts at 18th to finish, another step. Ended with an 86. Ok, not great, an improvement.
But most of the time, golf is not the score, it is the company, the place, the time.
“O Commemorate me where there is water,
Canal water preferably, so stilly,
Greeny at the heart of summer.”
Patrick Kavanagh.
Fixed you shot 10 under what you shot last week and you think its not great 0 -
Fixed you shot 10 under what you shot last week and you think its not great
Yes, played well/ok.
But, I guess I am always in the space of (Sub 80). I know that changing my swing was a big deal, but there is always a risk that the 86 is half the old me and the new me.
I'll do the next 3 lessons and see what happens.
But, in a (sub 80) thread an 86 is somebody away with the poets.:eek::o 0 -
FixdePitchmark wrote: »Yes, played well/ok.
But, I guess I am always in the space of (Sub 80). I know that changing my swing was a big deal, but there is always a risk that the 86 is half the old me and the new me.
I'll do the next 3 lessons and see what happens.
But, in a (sub 80) thread an 86 is somebody away with the poets.:eek::o
This is your biggest problem. You're obsessed with the score from the moment you take your 1st drive. Play golf one shot at a time and let someone else mark your score. You can keep a note yourself if you want but you don't have to absorb it. I've often been asked after 9 holes "what did you have for the front 9 20?" and I would reply I don't know. I'd know it was in an around that cos I'd know I was playing decent but I try to block out scores. It only screws up the head into giving back the made up shots on the last 2 or 3 holes. Bob Rotella talks about our comfort zone in golf. If we're playing crap for the first 5 or 6 holes we'll throw in a few pars to get back to our level. Conversely, if we par the 1st 6 holes we'll start getting ahead of ourselves and start bogeying holes until we come back to our own level. It's never comfortable playing better than your handicap - there's a constant battle going on inside our ears.0 -
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Buy an umbrella or grow a pair of cajones. You get used of playing in the rain but if you were paying a big green fee I understand why you left you tampon in.
I don't think there is ever a need for the two words above in a Golf Forum. I don't know if i should laugh or cry.... Ah feck it laugh.
:D:D:D;):) 0 -
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Fixed...I'm not expert but opening your hips is IMO causing you to slice it off the tee...I normally set up a tad closed with the driver and this helps me keep her straight....would any others agree?
certainly wouldn't, impossible to tell until you see a person's actual swing.
slice can be caused by so many things, primarily an over the top or out to in swing, which in turn can be caused by weight transfer, over swings, collapsed left arm, poor shoulder or hip turn etc. Not a good idea to speculate.
Sorry, if the post sounds arrogant, really mean it in the nicest possible way 0 -
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Thanks so much all for all the nice comments and help.
Not that I will ever be luke Donald, but what the pro was saying was, if you look at Donalds hips on downswing , they open up and aim to left. At 13 seconds in the clip you can see the two back pockets of his trouser, ok I mean two arse cheeks, sorry don't want to look there but need to, God metrosexual golf.;):p:D
I went through so much stuff the other day , I need to go back and talk to him about this.
Hit 200 balls on the range (I know too many) today and happy with a slight right to left flight moving to a pull, when I don't release club it is a slice.
So still so many changes so quick , it will take time. But a bit of hard work to go. I'm taking on board what some have said and doing thinking on range and just letting it flow on the course, back out on Monday. Short game practice in am. Irons are coming together, it is drivers and 4/5 irons that I get a bit , loose. I think I tense up a bit. I'll try think of Luke Donald's , aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh no.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08rpqW2Z9Vw0 -
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certainly wouldn't, impossible to tell until you see a person's actual swing.
slice can be caused by so many things, primarily an over the top or out to in swing, which in turn can be caused by weight transfer, over swings, collapsed left arm, poor shoulder or hip turn etc. Not a good idea to speculate.
Sorry, if the post sounds arrogant, really mean it in the nicest possible way
Hi Stringy, I take your point...unless you're qualified and standing in front of the player it's not good to speculate. However, I know myself, that when my stance is open or I swing too fast I come across the ball and fade/slice it and would have thought that opening the hips on the downswing could also cause this.
Fixed, I notice that you keep referring to the swing changes you are going through. It might be an idea to practice these changes at the range, but on the course focus on where you're hitting the ball rather that on whether you are swinging it correctly. I know in my case, sometimes I have so many swing thoughts going on in my head I almost forget to think about where I'm aiming or where the wind is coming from etc.
I'd echo other posters who advocate forgetting about the score after 9 and taking it one shot at a time.0 -
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Something to consider:
If you shot 79 this morning would you're mission have been achieved given that St Annes is a par 71 or would you be thinking you'd rather break 80 on a par 72? You shot 10 over par today so you played like a 10 handicapper playing to his handicap. If you shot 10 over par in Corballis your score would be 76 and that would be breaking 80 - but would it count?
The 1st time I broke 80 was in wintertime. It was a satisfying experience but I always knew it wasn't the real course because it was significantly shorter than normal. When I did finally break 80 it was 78 in summer on a par 72 and I've done it about 4 times since with the lowest being 75.
I have a feeling you're going to break 80 at Corballis first but the quest will continue because there is a big difference between par 66 and par 72.
What do you think?
AldilaMan, for a man who gave me a good talking to for think too much about the score, your doing well there.
Only joking with ya. No, was thinking about this early on, what is the goal ? At the start I said , 79 on a par 72. I think I would need to go 78 on St Anne's to be happy - could have done that today, but no could have, had a few lucky sliced drives too.
Don't want to break 80 at Corballis, not a real test ( to break 80), 76 is great score there, but not the goal for me here. I use it as a practice round. I think I'm going to go for St Anne's, not too hard, a links, a place I like, by the sea. Portmarnock Links would be If "I grew a pair".
I will try do it by The Open Championship now, don't know what to do with 3 more lessons ?, stricking the ball well 90 % of the time. Putting not great, 3 Bad slices today. 3 bad wedges.
I need to end this thread soon, getting a bit too long and repetitive. There is not much point in a bloke going on and on about 81 and 82 and 84 and 94s. There are lads on here in the bloody sixties.:)
A few pints tonight after a week of hard work on my game. No boards for two weeks, just get on with it.0
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