Great way to round off the year...

First off a big hand to our green keeper who has somehow managed to get the course open with only two temporary greens (8 and 17). Well what can I say. It's been a frustrating year, especially with people complimenting me on my swing despite my lack of control over it. The amount of times this year I have heard the frustrating phrase "It will come"... anyway, today was a good day.

I decided to carry today so only took a half set 3 Wood, 2I Hybrid, 4, 6, 8, PW, SW, Putter. Got off to a good start on the first five holes, probably because I had made a conscious decision to swing easy. Bogey, Bogey, Par, Bogey, Double Bogey is actually worth 14 stableford points for me as it translates to Birdie, Birdie, Birdie, Birdie, Par. As per usual I then got a little ahead of myself on the sixth and hit a woeful tee shot, long second shot, chipped through the green, two out of the bunker and a three putt for a big fat 8 on a par 3!!!!

Another 8 followed on the 7th when I tried to reach the par five green  in two and hit an ugly hook into the gorse. I was spewing at the time but that turned out to be my only penalty of the day, a real rarity for me. I gave myself a strict talking to and scored par and birdie on the next two holes. I started the back nine fairly solidly but was most happy with how I played our 'Amen Corner' picking up 8 points on holes 13-15, something which is completely unheard of for me. Two gross pars on 16 and 17 had the gloss taken off them by a poor six on the last. That said I walked off the course with a personal best of 96 and 41 Stableford points.

Only one blob today and my ball striking and short game much improved. What let me down is my putting. I had a total of 37 putts today but that included six, yes that's right six three putts. A lack of practice is my excuse as none of them warranted three stabs with the short stick. Plenty of practice with the No Three Putt Training Aid I got for Christmas definitely on the New Year menu.

Overall though my stats make for very happy reading:

54% FIR
22% GIR
37 Putts
25% Birdie Conversion
14% Par Scrambles
1 Penalties

I hope you all have a brilliant New Year's Eve and wish you all the best for 2011. I'm hoping that I'll be kicking it off in even better style than I finished 2010.

96 (71)
4(3), 6(5), 3(3), 5(4), 7(5), 8(3), 8(5), 5(4), 3(4), 5(4), 4(3), 8(5), 5(4), 6(4), 5(4), 4(4), 4(4), 6(3)

My inspiration for 2011

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,

if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Kasco Winter Fit Gloves: Equipment review

Kasco Winter Fit Gloves with Heat Tex

I don't normally buy into marketing bumpf. The packaging of this glove claims that it will keep your hands two degrees warmer than a normal winter glove. I'd love to have seen that test with some poor bloke in a lab coat chasing after golfers with a thermometer...

...ok maybe they used thermal imaging but still it begged the question that if it actually did keep your hands two degrees warmer what difference would that make?

For me the difference would have to be notable with the Kasco gloves significantly more expensive than rival products such as the Footjoy WinterSof. So I opted against buying a pair online and ventured down to my golf club. Bugger me it was cold, so cold in fact that the course was frozen and shut. I opted to hit the range and decided to ask my pro about winter gloves. He couldn't rate the Kasco's highly enough. The good thing about our club pro is he knows if he throws me a googly I won't buy off him anymore.  I nearly always give him the chance to compete against internet prices and as a result he gives me honest opinion.

So I did the only sensible thing I put a Footjoy on one hand a Kasco on the other and went outside for five minutes. Not the most scientific of tests but the Kascos did feel warmer especially following a little hand rubbing. So I bought a pair.

Now I can't fault the performance. They are not a miracle glove: keeping your hand bathed in warmth in sub zero temperatures. But they do have a good grip, provide great protection against the elements and are very thin. The problem at the moment lies with me getting use to having two gloves on, especially for short shots and putting. Without the gloves my hands would be stinging cold and numb, with them I get more feel but it is a little alien. I think that over time I'll become more comfortable wearing them but at the moment it is just another distraction. That said I'd rather be out playing than in the clubhouse nursing frostbite.

Rating

For those who are used to wearing two gloves 86%

For me who is not: 77%

Ground of the Baskervilles

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle eat your heart out. The snow has cleared in Suffolk and has been replaced by a blanket of fog so thick that it would have kept Sherlock Holmes wrapped up at home with a hot toddy. Foiled again, blast. Here's hoping tomorrow will provide a little bit more visibility so I can get back on the course. In the meantime I'll rustle up a review of the Kasco Winter Fit gloves...

Golf at last

I'm lucky. Today I played golf. Well I say golf, there were winter tees, temporary greens, a dodgy swing and a bitterly cold wind. That said I consider myself lucky to have got out and played some. I also had the opportunity to play with two new guys at the club. Chris and Ken were about to tee off when I walked up to the first and they asked me to join them. Really friendly my club and it was great to play the front nine with those guys. Ken played recently in the One Arm Golfer World Championships and was telling me how the longest drive on that day went 324 yards. Amazing!

It was nice to get out and get the shoulders working. Took a half set and my carry bag. Hit some nice shots, some not so nice. Once again the key is just to swing and not try to hit the ball. I cannot believe that I am STILL battling that demon. Watching Ken play helped to reinforce the message, especially his short game wow!
Hoping to play again on Thursday afternoon/Friday but it will be some time before our greens are open for business. Garage putting, chipping in the garden, pitching on the heath and driving at the range it is then.

Long awaited return

Well today I'll be heading up to the club for the first time in a long time. I'll be taking my new practice aids with me and trying to get the swing working again. In the meantime I have found my gaming gifts a suitable distraction. For anyone who owns a PS3 I cannot rate F1 2010, Call of Duty:Black Ops and Red Dead Redemption highly enough. Brilliant games. I've also dug out my copy of Tiger Woods 2010 and it got me wondering about this upcoming golfing year. If Westwood breaks his Major duck this season, cements his status as World number one and continues to add to his huge collection of trophies: will we see his own computer game released?

Personally, I'm looking forward to the IJP mini games: Super Mars Bars Salesman anyone? Before you ask, yes I was bored that day!

Anyway back to the golf and I have to admit to being a little bit apprehensive. I'm hoping to play a full round on Thursday but must admit to being worried about how that turns out. Hopefully, today will allay all of those fears.

I hope you all had a great Christmas break and those of you have got golfing goodness have been able to get out on the course.

Merry Christmas!!!

Hope you have all been good this year and not been lumbered with lumps of coal! Have a great day!

And here's hoping the snow clears soon, so you can play with your new golfing toys!

Driving ambition

Bored out of my brain. Missing my golf big time. Broke up early to play in a few competitions and have some good quality practice time. Unfortunately, the snow has put pay to that idea. Even more disappointing is that it will be some time before I can use my Christmas gifts. What is keeping me going is the thought of my new driver.

Funds are tight, so unfortunately I may well have to wait till April and the start of the new season - far from ideal. That said I have more than enough length in the bag, just not enough accuracy. However, there are 3 models that have caught my eye and when decision time comes I'm hoping that my ball striking will have improved sufficiently for me to pick the club that I have fallen in love with.

I'll keep you guessing as to what that might be and start with the two sensible choices. Ping owns the upper end of bag, with both my hybrid and 3 wood being fruits of their labour. Given my handicap the K15 is the logical starting point. Massively forgiving this club is designed to optimise a straight ball flight. I have heard that this also comes with a ridiculously high (potentially vertical) launch. Mmmm. That said the engine of the club is in the shaft and potentially with a lower launching option that could be negated. Despite my ongoing trials and tribulations I still believe that there is a half decent golfer waiting to burst out and I have the feeling that when he finally does, this ultimate game improving club may well end up being traded in.

The logical choice would be the G15. I have it's brother and sister in the shape of the hybrid and 3 wood. I love the feel off the face on both those clubs Add that t the fact that almost every magazine that has reviewed it has drooled over its performance and it's a no-brainer-surely? Well it was, even before the poll I ran on the blog, which seemed to excite you all as much as a dose of man flu! I haven't been able to road test one yet but hopefully my pro will have a demo club in a stiff shaft in the New Year. The downside is the fact that I would love to be fitted at Ping HQ, which is effing miles away. That said given my ability, numbers do not lie, a stock Serrano stiff in a 10.5 will probably be the order of the day anyway.

Anyway, I digress, as mentioned until recently there was no need for my head to rule my heart as the pair of them were in total agreement. That was until I saw this.

Is it wrong for a fully grown man to be reduced to a fit of childishness, desperately calling out to Santa to make all his Christmas wishes come true. I like many blokes am an aspirational kind of guy: the cars I'd like to drive, the clothes I want to wear, the houses I'd like to buy. This has now transferred into the clubs I'd like to hit. You see owning the 910 D2 is not just because it is an absolutely stunning piece of kit. Neither is it just because underneath those beautiful aesthetics lies Titleist's most advanced and forgiving driver. No, the reason I would love to own this club (alongside those other things) is because it would mean I had finally 'arrived' as a golfer. Let's be honest if I'm still swinging like a dizzy orangutang the results will not be pretty. However, if I have got that handicap down to the high teens and am regularly breaking 90 I'd be able to make the short drive up to Cambridgeshire, stride into the Titleist national fitting centre and not worry about becoming the laughing stock of the driving range.

Sports Personality of the Year?

And so the debate rages on... Ian Poulter properly lost it on Twitter, Colin Montgomerie is now apparently a golf coach and golfer's across the UK scratch their heads as to how Graeme McDowell finished fifth. For my twopenneth I always feared a split of the golf vote, though some rather admirably voted for both Westwood and G-Mac.

Questions have been raised about whether the award is actually recognising lifetime accomplishment rather than a 12 month snapshot. The latter would almost certainly suggest a three horse race between McDowell, Cavendish and Williams. The first brit for 40 years to win the US Open, not to mention the Ryder Cup heroics. A phenomenal five stage wins on the Tour de France after a serious crash just weeks before the race got underway. A Winter Olympic gold medal for a British athlete that trains on a concrete track. All worthy winners in my eye with McDowell getting the nod from me because of my golfing allegiance.

I'm not saying that The Power and AP are not supremely talented. Nor am I saying that they haven't achieved amazing success. But to be honest they haven't achieved much this year. I'd argue that both are worthy candidates for the lifetime achievement award, so long as they promise not to weep uncontrollably. On reflection perhaps that is the reason behind Mr Beckham's hirsute appearance: an attempt to mask his underlying femininity, sarong anyone?

I am sure the blokes down the betting shop will be happy as larry with the result. A champion jockey, the lord of the darts and a nice bit of totty, they will be suitably made up. For me the jury is still out on whether darts is actually a sport: though some may argue the same about golf. Westood will probably win a major or two this year and be back in the running in 2011, for Graeme McDowell this could have been his one and only shot at the title. The bookies favourite may have romped home but I'm left calling for a stewards inquiry.

Snow joke

As the country grinds to a halt due to the latest flurry of snow I've been left reeling. For the second year in a row I have scheduled to finish work before Xmas, planned a shedload of golf and will most likely be left frustrated once again. So the range and plenty of putting on carpet it is then.

What makes it worse is that the two golf items on my wish list for Christmas will be left completely redundant. I'm keen to improve my short game and have asked for a No 3 Putt hole reducer and a couple of target circles.

My plan for 2011 is to play as much as possible and when it gets lighter try and squeeze in a few holes rather than hitting the range/practice hole. The vast majority of what practice time I have will be spent on short game, including regular testing against the Pelz Short Game & Putting tests.

I am cutting a frustrated figure at the moment but it has given me the chance to enjoy even more quality time with Tiger jnr and we had a great day today at a play barn and a local farm. Thank heavens for kids!!!

There's hope yet...

Thomas Sturges Watson was born on September 4, 1949. In the 1970s and 1980s, he won 8 Major Championships and headed the PGA Tour money list five times. He enjoyed a stint as world number one between 1978 - 1982 before being dethroned by a certain Meester Seve Ballesteros. Watson is ranked sixth in the list of all time Major winners and almost added an unexpected 9th title at Turnberry in 2009.

In a nutshell the guy is a legend and in the eyes of many, a golfing deity. So imagine my surprise when I saw this YouTube clip where Watson reveals the secret of the golf swing, but most importantly when he discovered it.



Funnily enough this is a tip that my teaching pro has encouraged me to factor into my practice regimen. I'm not a believer in that there is one size fits all approach to aid every golfer. I have grown to understand that you need to develop your own technique around sound basic fundamentals. You must own and believe in your own swing.

What I find fascinating is that Watson achieved his great accomplishments with a swing he wasn't comfortable with, a swing that he was copying from the great Jack Niklaus. The pause before the laughter on the vid when Watson states he discovered the 'secret' in 1992 sums it up for me. "1992? But that would have been...oh I get it, [laugh]"

I'm starting to get a bit down about my golf. Frustrated by the fact I know I can play but I'm so hideously inconsistent. This little gem helped remind me that even the greats of the game have had their struggles. Wintertime makes practice and play tough but I'm hoping to play a lot over the Xmas break and that will be the catalyst I need to make inroads into that pesky handicap.

Frozen cobwebs

I got to the club early on Saturday morning mainly because I had been frozen out of playing for a little while and felt out of practice. It was 3 weeks since my last game and it showed. I produced a whole manner of crap on the first two holes scoring an embarrassing 10 & 9. Two blobs, +11, oh dear. I feared at this stage that my chances of easily blowing away the cobwebs were limited.

But then out of nowhere my swing returned, I remembered how to putt and I started to pick up points. Despite the occasional blip (ok and a monumental feck up on the 11th) I scored on the following 11 holes (bar 11) amassing 22 points and a growing sense of confidence.

Unfortunately, it didn't last and my ongoing woes with the back stretch continued with the exception of a stunning 5 iron approach on 17 that was slightly tainted by a missed birdie courtesy of a bobbly temporary green.

In all honesty I can't expect miracles after a bit of a break. I am starting to get more consistent stringing together scores on a series of holes rather than having them dotted over the card. I clearly have a bit of a mental block on the start and end of the round as I consistently perform poorly in both places. Holes 13-15 firmly remain my personal Amen Corner.

When the swing is there it's actually pretty damn good and as my pro remarked I've got all the pieces of the jigsaw I just can't put them together on a regular basis. This is incredibly frustrating. What was nice was meeting two new golfers and being invited to join their Saturday morning gathering. The more I play and the more people I play with, the more I learn.

I had 7 penalties on Saturday and at least 7 horror shots that were truly awful. Sort that out and I'm cooking on gas.

114 (71)
10(3), 9(5), 4(3), 6(4), 8(5), 3(3), 6(5), 4(4), 6(4), 4(4), 8(3), 7(5), 6(4), 7(4), 8(4), 6(4), 4(4), 8(3)

Graeme McDowell, 2010 -- Just A Dream?

He's got my vote will he get yours?

'Fore'somes?

One of the beautiful things about golf is battle between you, the course and the elements. You have complete control of shaping your success or failure. Having been a team player for so long there have been occasions when my frustrations have boiled overh either myself or team mates from time to time. There was the time I compiled a composed fifty on a torrid pitch but we lost the match as everyone else lost their heads or the time I scored a hat trick only to trudge off the park on the wrong end of a 5-4 score line. On the flip side there was the time I the ball got stuck in my hockey goalkeeping pads and I spun round to inadvertently score an 'own goal' (we lost 3-2) or the times I fumbled the ball on the overlap when I would have been clean through for a try.

But despite those mishaps and mistakes I have always enjoyed the fraternity of team sport, which is why I am both nervous and excited about this weekend. I've played with Ian before in a Texas Scramble but entering the Winter League together is a totally different concept. He is playing some pretty good golf at the moment and has had great finishes in recent competitions and I desperately want to make sure I don't let him down. Obviously, an added dimension is that the winter freeze has prevented me from playing and practicing much, and the course is likely to be difficult to play.

I'll be heading to the course early to make sure I'm properly warmed up and following the advice of the guys on the Golf Monthly Forum here. Ian's great at putting me at ease and having seen the snowfall across the rest of the country I'm just grateful that I'll be able to play this weekend. Here's hoping we can get off to a good start and I don't repeatedly shout 'fore!' while using Ian's ball!!!

Stunned in so many ways...

What a crazy 24 hours. The snow has cleared only to be replaced by freezing fog, the ashes is hotting up and the world of golf has seemingly gone crazy. First things first I am mighty frustrated by the weather. I've not hit a ball in anger for far too long and I'm desperate to get back out on the course. I am entered in the Winter League with my playing partner Ian and it looks as though the course will be open for business on Saturday, albeit with sub zero temperatures. I'm hoping to get down the range on Thursday night to loosen up the limbs and rebuild my relationship with my sticks. I have also took some time to revisit my set up. I have a sneaking suspicion that a significant amount of my problem stems from inconsistency in my set-up, most notably my grip. Useful article in Today's Golfer this month on set up and I've been checking each element of my pre shot routine.

Thank goodness there has been some cracking sport on to stop me from going stir crazy. Kevin Pietersen has had a fair amount of stick recently but he really turned on the style in the Second Test. After a monumental 227 in England's mammoth 620/5 dec he then took the prize wicket of Michael Clarke for 80 with the last ball of play on day four. It leaves the Aussies 167 behind with just six second innings wickets remaining. I was a mere nipper the last time we beat the convicts on their own patch and am absolutely loving our new found superiority. Here's hoping the boys can finish the job off tomorrow.

Lee Westwood has been a pretty jovial chap on Twitter that was until the PGA Tour announced Ricky Fowler as Rookie of the Year. The ensuing rant was pretty much bang on the money and has drawn support from across the tweeting golf community.

"Sorry 140 letters is not going to be enough for this rant! Just seen Ricky Fowler has been given rookie of the year! Yes he's had a good year but rory mcilroy 3rd in 2 majors and an absolute demolition of the field at quail hollow! Oh yes and on the winning Ryder cup team! Please! Is this yet another case of protectionism by the pga tour or are they so desperate to win something! Wouldn't have something to do with Rory not joining the tour next year? Maybe the PGA tour just employs the same voting process as FIFA! Come on , fairs fair!"

This all occurred after the unbelievable sight of Tiger Woods crumbling in the Chevron Challenge event. Leading by four shots going into the final day I thought he was a shoe in. But it seems as though the aura of invincibility has well and truly disappeared. Under immense pressure from the scorching hot Graeme McDowell, Tiger was seemingly caught off guard by G-Mac's scintillating start.

Hats off to you Mr McDowell, I have a feeling you will have another shiny trophy for your cabinet when the Sports Personality of the Year Award is announced later this month.

Tiger bares his teeth

An empty course and a lone figure is seen honing his relationship with his new Nike Method 03 putter. Following a brief flirtation with the 01 model at St Andrews that came to an acrimonious end on day 4; the early signs are that this flat stick may spend a little more time in his bag.

We all know what a difficult year the former untouchable World number 1 has had, but judging by his form at the Chevron Challenge the signs are ominous for the golfing community. It appears that Tiger is back.

Ian Poulter has already noted that Tiger Woods has racked up an astonishing -12 on the par 5's at Sherwood CC and when he is at his destructive best, Woods birdies the longer holes for breakfast. The one bit of solace at Chevron for supporters of the European Tour has been Graeme McDowell's steadfast refusal to allow TW to get away and he remains within four shots of the leader. On this evidence and the rather stunning 'swimming pool par' on 13 G-Mac is going to be a Major contender this year.

Swinging over to South Africa and Sun City the current incumbent at the top of the World rankings has also got off to a bit of a flyer. Lee Westwood has quite simply blown the field away at the Nedbank Golf Challenge and leads the field by five shots going into Sunday's final round. A Woods win and anything less than a top two would have seen Westwood enjoy the briefest of stays as world number 1. By all accounts it looks as though that position will be quite volatile this year, which is great for golf and the sports avid following.

Having spent the bulk of my first year dipping my toes in the warm waters of following the European and PGA tours I'm now ready to take the plunge. I'll be paying much closer attention to both competitions this year and from time to time will share my thoughts with you on the blog. I'd be interested to know your thoughts, but I am envisaging a titanic tussle between the top four this year with Mr McDowell featuring as a regular in the plot line.

The big question is who will top the rankings next Christmas? I think this will be the year Westwood silences his critics and gets a major win under his belt, but with Kaymer, Woods, Big Phil and G-Mac in the mix, not to mention Poulter, Casey and the young guns McIlroy, Fowler and possibly even Matteo Mannassero it's going to be one hell of a year for the European Tour!

Snow joke

Another flurry of snow last night and although it's not as bad as other places I very much doubt our course will open again before Christmas. Real shame that as it means I miss out on three comps and I'm sure when it does reopen there will be a number of temp greens in play. All in all very frustrating. Penny putting drill it is then.

November stats

What is progress? I've been at this golfing malarkey for some time and nearing the end of my first year recounting my experiences on this blog. Personally, I can't see how I have made any progress in the past year. I'm still stuck on a 28 handicap and I'm still working on my swing. I have been reassured in numerous quarters that when it finally clicks it will click massively. I suppose it is that glimmer of optimism that is keeping me going.

The dictionary definition of progress is
n.

1. Movement, as toward a goal; advance.
2. Development or growth: students who show progress.

intr.v. pro·gress (prə-grĕs'), -gressed, -gress·ing, -gress·es.

1. To advance toward a higher or better stage; improve steadily: as medical technology progresses. 

Mmm the stats below would indicate that I am most definitely a student who is not showing progress. However, the stats for this month include my disastrous medal and since then I have had two fairly solid rounds scoring 30 stableford points in each. I have a lot more golf off the whites coming up in December, as well as my first stab at team golf in the Winter League. Hopefully I can finish 2010 on a high.

Practice

Distance	Time (minutes)	% of practice time
Driver	0	0%
Other Woods	30	4%
200 - 250 yards	45	5%
150 – 200 yards	55	7%
100 – 150 yards	220	26%
Short Approach	360	43%
Bunker Play	20	2%
Putting	110	13%
Total	840	100%

Rounds
With the exception of the birdie statistic I am pretty consistent with last month. My scrambling stats also need to be improved although I am giving myself more of a chance of saving par now than I used to. However, at the moment making par is contingent on me hitting the GIR and with my obscenely high number of penalties I can't do this enough to bring my scores down.

Statistic	Performance	SS2 Handicap level
Fairways in Regulation	26% (25%)	23 (24)
Greens in Regulation	15% (12%)	16 (19)
Putts per Round	35.33 (34.88)	19 (17)
Birdie Conversion	0% (25%)	28+ (Scratch)
Par Scrambles	2% (0%)	28+ (28+)
Sand Saves	0%	28+
Penalties per Round	5 (6.19)	28+ (28+)

The SS2 handicap level is a calculation made indicating your performance on different facets of your game.

However, these stats do not reveal what I believe is a marked improvement in my putting. So I looked at my putting and GIR stats. Comparing the past two months with the rest of the year my GIR stats have gone up from 11% to 14%. In that same timeframe my putts on GIR has dropped from 2.33 to 2.08. Hoping that all the work I've been putting into my chipping will start to have an impact on my scrambling stats soon. So progress has been limited but I did start this journey working from green to tee and things are looking much improved with the flat stick!