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. :)
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Sunday, June 18, 2006
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. :)
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. :)
Saturday, June 10, 2006
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. :)
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. :)
Monday, May 29, 2006
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.
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.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
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.
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.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
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
I looked like this
But played like this
Monday, April 24, 2006
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.
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.
Friday, April 21, 2006
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
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. :)
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. :)
Sunday, April 02, 2006
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. :)
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. :)
Saturday, March 25, 2006
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.
• 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.
Friday, March 24, 2006
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.
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.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
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 :(
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 :(
Friday, March 10, 2006
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.
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.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
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.
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.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Mizuno mp-60 .. new clubs??
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. :)
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
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" :)
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" :)
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