iCareerEagles++

For those that are not geeky enough... I added another eagle to my career tally (3) with a chip in from 10m on a par 5.

It was sweet and it was the icing on the cake on my Saturday round of 81 off the stick. Which is a score that I didn't think I had any chance of getting. It had been about a month and a half since I got out onto the golf course and the day was a stinker at 38°. So a score like that in those conditions has given me back a big shot of confidence in my game.

Looking forward to the many rounds of golf over the next few weeks of the holidays :)

Don't be scared... let it go!

I didn't get out for a round this week, but I did take a trip down to the range. I struck the ball pretty well and most shots were straight or draws. But for some reason this doesn't occur when I'm out on the course. I think it's a mental thing where I'm scared of releasing the clubhead fully. I'll just have to trust my swing more and loosen up the tension in my hands.

It doesn't look like I'll get a chance to get out with the club this weekend either :(

I might have to try and squeeze in a midweek round :)

Lame Duck

We played a game of stableford yesterday. I finished with 35 points.. which equates to a one over my hc. The first 9 was a bit hit and miss with 17 points. But it got worse when I started my back 9. I hit a duck hook on the 10th and was lucky to find my ball. Another hook on the 11th and one on the 13th where I had to scratch the hole really hurt.

I think I was starting to tire and that was causing my bad swings. It was also a pretty difficult day because of the wind. I really have to try and play better in windy conditions.

But I was pretty happy with the way I finished off the last 3 holes. I knew I needed to score some points to get close to shooting my hc and managed to get par's on the final 3 holes... I think that's what they call 'grinding it out'.

What could have been ...

I had a day off for an electrician to come and do some work on a rangehood installation. And I was off to the golf course after he was done.

I had a ripper of a front 9 with a +2 (38). My tee shots were a bit hit and miss. But I was able to recover from all the bad drives with some pretty good saves.

With great anticipation I headed to the 10th to start my back 9... but 3 holes into it, my stomach started to play up. I couldn't take it anymore and had to return to the clubhouse.... quick! The runs was the last thing I wanted on a day like this. I went back out feeling quite light on my feet and played one more hole before needing to head back in again :( ... oh well, at least I par'd the hole after my detour to the clubhouse :)

I'm not dissapointed.. it's quite amusing looking back on it :)

I think I would have shot in the high 70's if I could have played on. It gives me some good things to take into this weekend when I tee it up with the club again.

Let's hope I get to stay out for the full 18 holes this time :)

Wilson - 17' Hybrid

Didn't get a chance to play a round this weekend. But I did manage to sneak down to the course to buy myself a hybrid. It's a Wilson Staff 17' hybrid. Something to replace my 3-iron, which like my 2-iron is just in my bag for show.


There was also a Cobra demo day down at the driving range, so I tried out their new driver with the carbon composite crown. That 460cc head is huge! Something I noticed about the strikes I hit was the height of my ball flight (9' & stiff shaft). I think a regular flex shaft would suit me better. But the biggest difference was the forgiveness. The Cobra was longer than my current driver by about 10/15m but at $575 I'm not sure if it's quite worth it. :)

Maybe as my Christmas prezzie :)

11 Shots better

Went out for a round with some old uni friends today. The weather was just awesome. Overcast and cool all day :)

I shot a pretty average 46 on the front 9 and it was looking like another ho hum round. But a couple of pars and one birdie (can't remember the last time I got one) to give me a back nine of 41 sure made it better. The biggest thing that helped was my misses... I didn't make worse than a bogey on the back.

Looking forward to my next round :)

Tragic...

I shot 98 ... said that I would be happy with an 85 but I was nowhere near that. 

The day started great with me nailing my tee shot straight down the fairway with a 250m drive. I had a look at the club face and there was a big ball inprint right in the center. So I centerd it and really compressed the ball well. I thought this might be my type of day.... until I found that my ball landed in a nice big pork chop size divot. From there I struggled to an outward 9 of 48. A 50 on the back 9 just completed the shocking round. 

I didn't actually strike the ball that badly... I just can't put it all together at the moment. 

Oh well.. I'll just keep persisting. As long as I stay under 100 :)

Return to the club

Finally getting a chance to play with the club group tomorrow. Looking forward to it since it's been about 1-2 months since I've played with those guys.

I'll be very happy if I shoot 85 (That kinda indicates how bad I've been playing recently).
:)

I'm close :)

Close to getting back my good golf scores again. I shot an 87 on the weekend. Not very spectacular but there were some promising developments. I hit some good long drives, decent mid irons and my putting was solid. 

There was a bit of fade in most of my shots but nothing too distance zapping. I also switched to the Callaway HX Red ball. Cheaper than the black tour version and probably more suited to my swing speed. I can hit the range more often with the money I save :)

Where I did falter was my short / wedge game. This plus a few wayward drives really hurt me with some double bogeys.

One of my buddies that played was swinging his new R7. Now I used to average about the same distance with him on our drives. But I was quite suprised to find that he was outdriving me by a good 10m / 20m. Even when I hit a solid 240m drive, he was 10m past me eventhough his ball rolled through the rough. I'm using a Callaway Hawkeye 9' (old tech) and now I'm wondering if I should upgrade my driver. It'll make me hit further... but that's no good if I'm just going to be further into the bushes :)

I was considering a hybrid to help me with those shots out of tricky lies. Maybe that's the smart purchase. It would be a good club to use on those long par 5's when I'm not too confident with my 3w. It might be a little Christmas present to myself later this year. :)

A new hope.

No not the movie but my golf game.

I haven't touched my clubs for a month or so and I'm itching to get back out for a game. I've just been too busy with working weekends and planning a holiday. Anyway, my wife and I were in Phuket last week (I should have brought my clubs) and I picked up a golf magazine from the resort library. While flicking through it by the pool and sipping mocktails (yes I lead a hard life), I picked up some tips that I thought could help my shameful ball striking.

My bad ball striking leads to a weak fade and sometimes a slice... and this robs me of so much distance. I used to have a pretty strong grip with both my hands, but I tried going to a neutral grip (left) and slightly weak (right). Combined with some tweaks to my backswing, I started to hit some powerfull draws with my irons and driver. There were some big hooks but not enough to cause worry. And those weak fades were pretty rare.

So I've got a game scheduled with some mates tomorrow at Collier and I'm looking forward to it. Let's hope I can shake my bad form and get a good round in. :) 

Where have I gone?

Well I'm back to blogging again. But the question should be "Where has my golf game gone?". It's been a long time since I've blogged. I wish that I could say my game has returned, but it's still in a pretty bad state. I shot 94 the last time out.. pretty embarassing really. 
It was back with the club, which I'm going to try and play with more often. 

I'm still having the same problems. I'm not making clean contact with my driver or swinging on the right path. Which equalls some weak cuts/slices and putting more pressure on me on my second shots. My irons aren't that hot either. Oh well.... at least my shoes are comfy.

I think part of the problem is the expectations the other guys in the club have of me. Earlier this year, I was striking the ball well and hitting it as far as some of the longer drivers in the club. Which was quite something for someone my size. I have this reputation of being a long hitter, and I think that's putting more pressure on me. Not using that as an excuse... but it just makes me feel worse when I have a bad game. 

I'll have to try and get out tomorrow to get some time on the driving range. Hope it's not too wet. :)

3 Birdies... again!

Well it was a nice and sunny June morning and I decided to abandon my wife for some golf :)
I'm lucky to have someone so understanding and supportive with this game.

I headed down to my usual course (Collier Park) hoping to find some sort of form. The day started with a bad drive that sliced into the rough. Nothing new there. But I managed to put my second shot on the green and then 1 putt for birdie. Not too much of a shabby start. My next drive was another slice / high fade, which is something that I've been hitting alot of recently. It's costing me distance and making my second shots longer than they should be. I had a feeling that my arms just didn't feel connected with my body, so I tried keeping my right elbow tucked in to keep it in sync and less complicated. And the next drive I hit with that was pure and dead straight. I went on to finish the round hitting 12 of 13 fairways.

Pretty good driving stats but my irons were a bit hit and miss. My score for the round was 84 off the stick, 2 below my handicap. It's a good score, but I'm a touch disappointed to not do better after finishing the front 9 at just +4.

Good news is that I'm starting to hit the big dog well again. I've been contemplating purchasing a Nike Sasquatch driver to get a bit more forgiveness. But if I keep hitting the driver like today, I might as well save the money and perhaps spend it on lessons.

I've also started to try the new Taylor Made TP Black balls. They don't look as funky as my usual HX Tour balls with the hexagonal dimples, but they do have a decent bite when hitting to greens and seem to perform well in terms of distance. The one great thing with this ball is that it stays really white. The HX Tour and ProV1's start to fade and look dull after a few holes, but the TM's looked pretty darn good after a whole round with them. I'll have to post up some pics of the ball for proof. :)

3 Birdies!

If I said that I had 3 birdies in my last game, you would probably think that I shot a pretty good score. Well all that I managed was an 86. I played at my dad's club, it's longer and more challenging than the standard public courses I play (which is a nice change). We had a 4 ball, and the game was skins at $1 a hole. I was feeling pretty confident and thought I had a good chance against the others.

The front 9 was pretty tragic to say the least. I picked up my only skin on the 9th with a 6-iron 3rd shot into a par 5 to be an inch from the hole. That was the only highlight, for some reason I just can't string together good shots on each hole. i was out in a dismal 46.

The back 9 was much better. I picked up another 2 birdies. One was a chip in from the fringe and the other was a shot from a fairway bunker to a few inches from the pin. I was in with a much better 40.

My tee shots were ok without being too damaging, but the irons just didn't come together that day.

My day ended with 10 skins (you also get one for sand saves and chip-ins), which was good enough for 2nd. I'm still uncomfortable with my swing. I hope to sort it out at the range tomorrow. I'm not playing a round this weekend, but I do have a day off on Monday... and this is where I'm heading.. Kennedy Bay. It's one of my favourite courses. I like the links style courses, and one that gives you different options off the tee.

Here's hoping Monday isn't washed out. :)

RareBirdie visits

Had a visit from an old golfing buddy in from Melbourne, and we made the most of the good weather by squeezing in two rounds over two weekends. He's been struggling with his game recently and I saw first hand what he means. All I can say is.. keep on plugging away mate, it'll get better. Want me to look after your Mizuno's when you switch back to your TM's? :P

As for my game... I think it's coming around again. The last two rounds yielded scores of 87 & 86 (par 73). My ball striking wasn't that crash hot. A playing partners young son (9 ish) got closer to the pin than me on a long par 3 :)
It really felt like I didn't have too much control over my swing, but I'm happy with the way I grinded out those rounds.

Not having the time to play a round last weekend, I headed to the range just to keep some sort of feel. I hit my last 5 balls really pure and long (got to remember to load up the right side).

Something else that I'll have to think about this year is if I should buy a new driver or not. My wife is encouraging me to treat myself and get a new driver. I currently hit a 9' Callaway Hawkeye. Not sure how big it is but I'm guessing around 350 - 375 cc. it's quite puny compared to most drivers people are wielding these days... I feel quite inadequate sometimes. :)
Wondering if going bigger with more technology will help my game or just send me deeper into the woods.

Just a few pars please

After reading Rare Birdies posting on his form slump, I'm more at peace with my current golf game. I'm looking at my current poor form as a temporary slump instead of something more permanent. So there is hope.

Once again I failed to break 90 today. I think it's been about 3 or 4 rounds since I've shot in the 80's. But I did manage to get a birdie. I used to average about 1 per round but it also has been about 4 rounds since my last birdie.

I don't think it's any particular part of my game that's hurting me. I can hit quite a few good shots, it's just that I can't string a couple together on each hole.

There is some good news though. My putting is much better. Those shaky 1-2 meter putts were dropping and I feel much more confident standing over putts.

Looking the part

I had another shocker last weekend. I drove the ball quite well but was terrible around the greens. I've really lost alot of touch. I'm having a real hard time getting up and down from the edge of the green.

I looked like this


But played like this

Golf Healing.

I played on the weekend, not knowing what to expect out of my back. I was feeling a bit of pain on the front 9, but as the day went on the pain disappeared.

As for the golf... it was painful to watch :)

I had more short game dramas. I bogeyed the first hole after leaving myself a 1m+ putt for birdie. It can be terrifying standing over a 1m putt and not knowing where the ball might go. To anyone out there experiencing the yips.. my condolences to you. It can be a soul sucking experience.
My putting did improve during the day, but only through sheer force of willpower. Trying to relax and releasing the putter really helped.

A good point was my driving. I've managed to get back some distance and had most drives cranking around the 230m - 240m mark. Hitting around 71% of fairways is also good... but only making 33% of greens... not so good.

Hopefully my short and iron game starts to improve again. The way I was driving the ball... I really should have scored better than 89.

You want me to play more golf?

So I went to the physio yesterday and he had a poke around my back. He felt my sore spot and he said "Wow.. that's pretty tight there. I want you to come back tomorrow for another session." So it's either pretty bad or he just wants more of my money :)

So there I was feeling like I would be off the golf course for a month and getting a bit down about it. I asked if I should stay away from this blasted game and I was quite surprised by his answer.
"Actually Zan, it'll probably do you some good to be swinging a club."
Apparently keeping that muscle in my back active will promote it to un-tighten and stop the spasms. YAY!

Anyway, he did a pretty good job and gave me an exercise to carry out during the day. I demonstrated this to my wife and she had the biggest belly laugh at me. It does look kinda silly.. but I'm not going to argue with a professional. I don't do this in public though.

So I'll probably head out on Sunday for a round. Might take it easy and not take full swings. It'll be good practice to try and get more clubhead speed with more wrist action.

z.

Yippers!

I've always thought of the putting Yips as something that couldn't possibly happen to me. Putting just seems like the easiest thing in golf. Putter back... putter forward, no need to think about swing planes, swing paths, releasing clubheads etc. But I think I had the putting heeby jeebies yesterday. I had a good number of makable birdie putts, but I ended up getting bogey 3 times and making just one birdie. I guess after 2 weeks away from a full round and just practicing on my iron / driving at the range my short game is bound to suffer.

The rest of my game was just average. The round felt worse than my score of 85... which could have easily been around 80 if I didn't miss so many putts from inside 1m.

Something else that was a worry was a sore back/shoulder blade. I think I hurt this a week ago working on my car, and it was affecting my full swing. Kinda like a pinched nerve type of feel. It seems to be getting worse and I'm having trouble sleeping because of it. Think I'll make an appointment with a physiotherapist to get some relief.

It's also good to see Badds score a win on the PGA, and quite uplifting to see someone so open about his faith in the public eye. Pity about that tartan jacket he had to wear. The winners cheque should come in handy for a new one. :)

Keep your eye on the ball!

Photo 2.jpg
Originally uploaded by ZanMan77.

Mac Book Pro + Photobooth .... I want one.

Fixing a broken swing

Well after last week's debacle I dragged myself to the driving range to try and regain a bit of form with my golf game. After spending a good 2 hrs there I think I'm back to about 65% of my potential form. The irons were average at best. Driving started off ok. I was hitting some pretty long drives with a little fade. I really wanted to get my ball flight going straight / draw again and it was quite frustrating not being able to pull it off.
There was a ray of light towards the end of my session with my last couple of drives having a very nice straight and spearing ball flight. The fix was to strengthen my left wrist grip pressure slightly, I think this helped promote a "pulling down" of the club from the top of my swing and helped keep my hands in-front of the clubhead.
I think another session at the range is what I'll aim for before heading out for a round again. :)

Glen Iris 2 : Zan 0

Well the day started with alot of hope... and it ended with none whatsoever. I'm not sure what's wrong with my golf game but it's gone missing. I didn't get a par until the 12th hole and I ended the day with only two pars. 2 lost balls ($8.50 each.. ouch!). I finished off with a total score of 100... depressing! I don't think I've hit triple figures in years. So lets see how I did with some of my aims for the day.

• Shoot mid 80's: Not even close.
• Solve driver problems: I hit a few good drives... but it's still not up to scratch
• Iron Shots: Long irons were good. I hit one good mid iron... everything else was rubbish!
• To enjoy my day out: They say a bad day out playing golf is better than no golf at all. I think this is still true.... just :)

So after a shocker of a round I'm determined to take some time off golf rounds. I'll spend some time at the range trying to find my swing again and fix up my game.

PGA Tour: I think I must have jinxed Robert Allenby.. he's no longer among the leaders. But it's good to see Adam Scott in second place. Hope he does well over the weekend.

Payback Time

The last time I played Glen Iris, I got owned by the course (See my 3 Putt Woes post). Well this weekend I'm heading back there with a good mate to give it another go. Time for payback. :)

The weather is looking good, it should be fairly cool with a slight breeze. My ideal conditions.

Some aims for tomorrows game:
• Shoot a round in the mid 80's
• Get rid of a slight cut creeping into my drives
• Hit some crisp iron shots again (especially the 3 and 4 irons)
• To enjoy my day out :)

PGA Tour: Good to see Robert Allenby doing well in the Players Championship. Apart from Stuart Appelby winning the Mercedes Championship each year we don't see many aussies doing too well in the PGA. Maybe this year is going to be different with Pampling winning last week.

Matchplay round 2

I arrived at the course with a shaky golf game, unsure about how my driving and putting would hold up. I also found that I'd be playing someone on a handicap of 26, that means I'll be giving up 11 shots over the round. I really hoped that I'd have some form to hold me up during the round.

The front 9 went fairly well for me and I built up a 3 hole advantage. It was 4 holes after the 11th and things were going well. That was until I had my mid round collapse. Over the next couple of holes my opponent managed to square up the match. I finally pulled my head out of my **** and played some good golf on the last two holes. We finished the match tied and were about to head to extra holes but I conceded the match because I knew that I wouldn't be playing next week.

Should I have conceded the match right at the start? Not sure if I should have but I would have towards the end of the round if it was going to look like a win.

Highlights: Smashing a 260m drive down the center of the hardest hole (398 m) on the course :)

Lowlights: Making a double bogey 6 on that hole :(

3 Putt Woes

I was fortunate enough to get a day off work on Thursday to fit in a round of golf at Glen Iris. Midweek golf is always nice but it was also a chance to play a round with two buddies that I haven't played with in awhile. Now I wouldn't say Glen Iris is a difficult course, but when you 3 putt your first 4 holes you know you're in for a tough day.

I don't know if it was the bad putting that affected me but I think it put more pressure on me to hit the ball close to the hole. And this had a spiraling affect on the rest of my game.

I think playing at Collier has made me worse. Maybe I'm too familiar with that place and need to experience other greens and courses.

Anyway, I hope that I've got all my bad shots out of my system because I've got round 2 of my clubs matchplay tourney tomorrow. I'm hoping to start the day with a couple of good shots to get my confidence back up again.
I quite enjoy the matchplay format. It's just you against some other guy, and is probably the only time you can lay the smackdown on an opponent in golf. :)

Forecast for tomorrow: light shower or two clearing early in the morning. A fine and mild day to follow. Moderate SW winds freshening in the afternoon -- Perfect conditions.. can't wait.

Knockout Matchplay

Played my first matchplay competition today with the club. Let me tell you that golf during the hottest part of a 38° degree day is not fun. I think I might have some mild sun stroke. Oh well.. it was all worth it because I managed to win my match at the last hole.

I was on a handicap of 15 (up from 12) and up against a guy on 8. He had a funky Jim Furyk type of swing, unsual.. but it worked. I managed to get 4 up after 8 holes, but then he won 3 straight. I extended my lead again to two holes before he squared up the match with 3 holes to go. By this time the heat was really affecting me, but I was able to halve the next two. Went into the last hole with a shot on my opponent and par'd the last to win.

So I managed to scrape in and survive to next weeks match. Hopefully it wont be as hot. :)

Some good points: Started to hit my drive well again. Putted quite well.

Bad points: Made a meal of some tee shots and crumbled in the heat.

big hair

big hair
Originally uploaded by ZanMan77.

It's hard keeping your head still on the backswing when it's this big!

my little alien

my little alien
Originally uploaded by ZanMan77.

Some people call my wife eccentric. However, she really just is an alien!
:)

Mizuno mp-60 .. new clubs??

Mizuno mp-60
Originally uploaded by ZanMan77.

I wish. These are a friend's new clubs. They look pretty sexy and apparently they "feel like butter".

Unfortunately he lives in Melbourne and I only get to play golf with him about once a year when he visits Perth.

My dad just got some new sticks too ... seems like everyone is doing it. But I'm happy to stick with my clubs for now. All they need are some new grips and maybe some re-grooving and they should be good as new. :)

New Shoes

New Shoes
Originally uploaded by ZanMan77.

These are the new shoes that my lovely wife got me for Valentines day.

Footjoys :)

They are so comfy compared to my old pair. My feet aren't killing me at the end of 18 holes anymore. They also look pretty cool. :)

Yes I do have some fine hairy legs there. I like to think of them as "quite masculine" :)

Do I feel like some punishment?

Just checked out the weather forecast for this Saturday.

Fine and Hot 34 degrees.

It's been a few weeks since I've played with the club so I'm itching to have a round with them. But the problem is that they tee off at 10.30 every Saturday. That means that I'll be playing through the hottest part of the day. The sun can get pretty brutal here in Perth and I'm usually feeling the effects a day afterwards. I've been struggling with my drive over the last few weeks but I think I might have sorted out the problem last weekend. Eager to try it out in a comp. :)

My other option is to just rock up early Saturday and get slotted in with some random blokes.

Sure hope the forecast changes.

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

I received a little gem of an email from my wife this morning. Normally I wouldn't publish stuff like this, but I liked the message... and the emphasis on golf. :)

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes"

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls
are the important things---God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the
pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a
friend."

Tee-ing it up

Hello world. You've been lucky enough to stumble across my blog. Some introductions first. My name is Zan and I've set this blog up to detail my golfing journey / progress. I don't really have any grand plans of trying to make the PGA tour or anything like that ... maybe just a seniors tour somewhere in the world. :)

I live in sunny Perth, Australia. Pretty good place if you're a golf lover. Plenty of sunshine (sometimes too much) in summer and still golfable (??) in winter. I mainly frequent a course south of the river called Collier Park. It's one of the better public courses in Perth with 27 holes. Sometimes I think it's too easy a course and might give me a false sense of how good I really am. So one of my aims this year is to play on more different courses.

I've been playing the game now for 6 or so years, and never got myself an official handicap until a few weeks ago. I was expecting a 14-15 handicap but I got given a 12. That's better than what I expected, and against what everyone was telling me to do. "Aim for a 20 something handicap and then just beat everyone (get some trophies) as you slowly play to what you really are". Erm... maybe not.. I don't quite think that's fair on the others and it's just doesn't sit right with me.

So now my main golf goal for the year is to maybe reduce my hc down to 10 (or even single digits). Is that possible in one year? Perhaps. Who knows... I might even get worse :)