Breaking 100 Update Part 2

[haplesshacker]

Well today went okay, especially considering Wednesdays antics.

FIR 21% 1% off target
GIR 6% on target
Putts 33, 5 1 putts, 11 2 putts, 2 3 putts
Birdie con 0% 8% off target
Par scrambles 12% 2 % above target
Penalties 2 0.5 better than target
Lost one ball.

Result from all that.

102 gross, doh.
77 net, 7 over par.
Stableford points 30

All in all a good days work for me, especially the putts. Most of my driving was with the 4 iron, which kept the ball in play more often than not.

Hit some cracking little draws with the 5, 6 and 7 iron. Wasted 3 shots with stupid duffed chips / pitches.

So close to the 100 but still not there. What's amazing is just how different the score was made up this week compared to my 101 two weeks ago when I had 44 putts.

 

[evita4]

Give thanks that you are still managing to play golf darn sarf. Up here in t'North it is absolutely unplayable and has been for weeks. Not had a round in about 3 weeks, only managed the odd range session.

 

[AliB]

Wasted 3 shots with stupid duffed chips / pitches.

Get that bit fixed and ninety will soon be in sight - esp if you keep up the putting.

AliB

 

[Midnight]

Hi,

well done mate , almost there.


Cheers

Midnight...

 

[haplesshacker]

Midnight.

Won't be long before I'll be allowed to play Wickham then!!

 

[shanker]

Wasted 3 shots with stupid duffed chips / pitches.

Well done, Hapless. Next week 97, maybe. BTW, you'll still be wasting shots with duffed chips etc. when you're looking to break 90 and 80. That's golf, mate. Even the pros do it.
Regards
Shanker

 

[brendy]

Hit the ball easy at every opportunity, even after a load of years at this game it still amazes me how many times an extra club hit well and not spanked goes where I want it with minimum deviation. Saying that, there are still days where it takes me 9 holes to remember and by then its too late!

 

[vig]

Give thanks that you are still managing to play golf darn sarf. Up here in t'North it is absolutely unplayable and has been for weeks. Not had a round in about 3 weeks, only managed the odd range session.

My course is in superb nick for this time of year. Come over for 18!
Only wind has caused problems in last few weeks.

Hapless.... just go out and play, enjoy it, don't be a slave to your score and the numbers will drop.
Do you have a set pre shot routine? practice your shot, visualise where you want it to go and just hit it. Don't have any baggage in your mind.

 

[haplesshacker]

Vig.

I keep my score as every weekend is a comp, either medal or stableford. My 'old' average score was around 117. More recently it's been 108, thus why the 100 is important to me as that was the primary goal this year without being able to spend much time on the course or the range.

I don't add up my score until the end of the 1st nine and not again until I get to the bar. I mark my SS2 scorecard on the way round, but don't calculate a thing until I enter the numbers when I get back home.

I do enjoy it, as I hopefully demonstrated on the 'experiment', despite how badly it was going. (BTW, guys that were there, that was me enjoying myself!).

Visulization is a powerful tool, and I used to use it alot when coaching windsurfing and sailing. Used it myself for carve gybing on the board. So yes I do use that more than practice swings etc, especially today on the greens, and it showed.

The only baggage in my mind is the guilt

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Its coming. It was a bit like me - unable to play to my handicap all season despite lessons and then after one fix from my old coach it all came out. I think if you get the short game fixed you will have a daft round and you won't just beat it you will destroy it.

PS - Magic wore off and I was back to my usual medal rubbish (+10). Haven't done my SS2 stats yet but i know it was 37 putts and three penalty shots. Stupid thing was I actually wasn't striking it too badly just no rythmn or tempo. Wasn't helped by being last group off and being 20 minutes behind scheduled time and the group two in front of us being sooooooo slow. Two and a bit hour for the first nine and once it started going south on the 13th I lost interest although to be fair it would have taken something special to have matched my handicap by then.

 

[HTL]

What were the penalties for mate? Looks like your a decent putter, stick with it and don't try and force it.

 

[haplesshacker]

One OB and one lost ball. My average is between 4 and 5.

Average putts is 40, so I'm actually a carp (Get it!), putter. Today was just exceptional on that side if things.

Thanks for the support guys. Just thought I'd keep it going. You never know, Homer might want to copy it for his 'mag' idea.

 

[Herbie]

haplesshacker use the force..lol. I hope you dont play a round with all that % calculous going on in your head?
Try playing a round with the simplest thought process.
Heres an example.
On the tee."Right Im just gonna hit this down there in that wide gap nice and easy" then do that. 2nd shot.."Im just gonna git this up near the green somewhere". 3rd shot.."Im just gonna chip this onto that big greean there". 1st putt.."Im gonna putt this into a dustbin lid area round the flag" If it doesnt go in just putt whats left into the hole.


If you have a simple thought process during a round(maybe not that one but something equally simple)it may help you.

Or try limit yourself to 5 shots per hole and 6 on par 5s as thats only 92 to 94, I recon if you went on any par 3 or 4 thinking you have 5 strokes to do it it may help the mental side.

Im only saying this cos I dont know you but I know a lot of golfers with high h/c and many of them think too much about what they have to do or would hope to do and talk too much about golf b*****ks. Reading your post makes me think you may have a lot of golf stuff going on in your head thats no good for your particular game,Im only offering this based on high h/c players I do know you understand.

 

[haplesshacker]

Herb.

No worries mate, none taken!

All that stat stuff is irrelevant to me when out on the course. I don't think that I have to hit this fairway to get to my target % of ..... That's what the SS2 software does back at home.

Because of coaching in another sport, I understand the 'focus' side of things. Kinda like chess. This is where I am, this is where I want to be, because I will need to be at point 'c' in the end. I never think about one shot at a time on the approach to the ball, because of the above. Once over the ball it's that shot only, because I need this shot to fit in with the 'game plan'.

Complicated maybe, but you have to bear in mind that I've been doing yacht racing tactics for the last 30 years, and you cannot afford to only think about the next move, because invaribly it costs you on the next one.

 

[Herbie]

In that case I cant see any reason why you wont be cracking the ton very soon and once you do you wont look back.

I watch yacht racing often and I know what you mean, that is a real thinking mans sport let alone the skills required,I would probably sink lol.

 

[USER1999]

Hapless, you will break 100. And once you have done it, you will wonder how it took so long. Stop looking at it as a barrier, nnd it will disappear.

Oh, and putt better!

 

[haplesshacker]

Murph.

I know what you mean, but it's not a barrier, just a goal, a target. No different to sorting out problems at work.

As for the putting, come on, 33 ain't doing to bad compared to my average. Perhaps a nice shiny new Ping Anser might do the trick

BTW how's that going?

Got to admit though I was impressed the way that you and Sammmebee got up and down so regularly last week. I think that had an impact on my play this week.

No golf for me for two, maybe 3 weeks now though.

 

[USER1999]

There is no substitute for a good short game. Every one could benefit from chipping better.

if only 12" putts weren't so difficult!

 

[haplesshacker]

I just wish that the game was 'sold' to beginners on that bit of advice. When we start out it's all drivers and distance. How far, how long, 10.5 deg drivers are for whimps, get a 9 degree. I guess it's the glam side of the game.

However in reality no big hitter has a good card if they can't do the short game. But a good short game player can have a reasonable card, to a point.

It's just a shame that a lot of clubs / driving ranges fail to provide good short game practice areas, and this might be why the starters focus is on big hits.

When my nippers old enough he'll just do the 9 hole par 3 at the club, and focus on the short game. I wonder how old he'll be when he starts beating 'dad'. I was 11 when this happened with my old man and we used to play a lot of squash together.

 

[Herbie]

There is no substitute for a good short game. Every one could benefit from chipping better.

if only 12" putts weren't so difficult!

Absolutely agree. My practice for a long time on short game in the days I played well off 6 or 7 sees me in good stead today holding onto and often bettering my 9 h/c today. The driving isnt as good as it used to be these days, my accuracy with approach shots is weaker now, if I didnt have a very good short game and recovery game along with putting I would probably be off 12 or more today.

If you work at a short game and regularly practice recovery shots from rough and bunkers it helps confidence and score!