Driver Day

Having toyed with the idea of buying a Taylormade R9, and tried one, I must confess I have been lured into the Titleist camp once more. Put simply I am enamoured with a high end piece of golfing apparatus: the 910 series driver. What I learnt today more than anything is the importance of shaft selection in your clubs. Today I didn't have the best choice in the D2 910 when I took it onto the course for a 9 hole spin. My drives were ballooning and costing me a massive amount of distance. That said my accuracy was pretty good: 71% FIR. My approaches weren't bad either: 44% GIR.

Over 9 holes today I scored 45 (par 37) and but for some sloppy putting on two par 3s, when I was itching to hit the big dog, it could have been better. The slight caveat is that stretch contains the majority of the easiest holes on the course, but nonetheless +8 through 9 is very encouraging. My scoring went triple, bogey, bogey, par, double, par, bogey, par, par.

Saturday will bring a sterner test off the whites with tough pin positions, so I'm not getting carried away. What does make me excited is that my chipping and wedge play is vastly improved. So much so that a lob wedge may become the final weapon in my arsenal in the late spring / summer.

Most definitely feeling more excited about my golf, just hope I can do it when it matters in Saturday's medal!

Simplest things

Harry Vardon: golf's gripmeister general

Great day yesterday and looking forward to Driver testing tomorrow. For the first time ever I feel confident in my ability to hit every club in my bag. I also understand my swing more and have a clear plan for development with my pro. Currently, I feel as though I'm swinging at about 60% this is a deliberate ploy to improve my accuracy. As I get more control we'll be looking at upping that tempo to about 75 - 80%. He also wants to flatten my backswing plane but that's for the future.

It wasn't so much a change made to my grip but more the method of applying it that will make the biggest difference. Now my traditional Vardon grip is consistently neutral and it feels much more comfortable. Previously I was applying my grip from underneath the club gripping with my fingers and then placing my palm down. This would nearly always result in a strong grip and I would invariably fiddle with it before taking the shot leading to inconsistancy. Now I bring my left hand in from the side, placing the grip diagonally across my fingers. It seems like such a simple and minor change but it has made a world of difference.

So tomorrow I'm aiming to finish January on a high with nine solid holes of golf and possibly a decision on my Big Dog weapon of choice. My god I love this game...

Two steps forward

Blinking nora it's cold. When I rocked up to the club this morning the car thermostat said one degree, seriously what was I thinking. Anyway I hit a few chips and a few wedges in the net ahead of my lesson. Focus today, not for the first time I might add, was release. However, the real revelation came when my pro changed my grip making it slightly weaker. Felt so much more comfortable and my new way of taking my grip has made me more consistent. Bu the end of the lesson I was hitting it pretty well.

So 90 minutes to kill till my round and it was time to break out the target circles for the first time. I set up my alignment sticks to present a gate to aim through and the circles around the hole to show how close I was. My new chipping approach seems to be working pretty well and after draining a few putts I was ready for the off.

Terrible start it was too. Sliced my first right, overcooked my wedge, duffed my chip, hit a good second chip fluffed the putt and walked off with a six. Second hole sliced tee shot, hooked second shot into gorse, duffed fourth, hooked fifth into gorse...you can see where I'm going here. So thats +8 for the first two holes...mmmm.

As I trudged despondently off the 2nd I had caught up the three ball in front. Rather than playing me through they rather kindly asked me to join them and I am so glad they did. I have a huge vote of thanks to Ian, Todd and Bob as they helped me get back on track. Bogey, bogey, double bogey, bogey followed and then I duffed my tee shot on the 7th. Flushed my second and third to actually give myself a birdie opportunity. I walked off with par. Another poor tee shot on the 8th and a solid recovery hitting a low 8 iron under the trees. Par. Good tee shot, good approach on the 9th, par.

Chipping was much better, approach shots much improved and putting right on the money. The signs are promising and I'm really looking forward to next week's medal. It's time to put a decent card together.

Volvo Golf Champions

Having had little interest in professional golf before I took up the sport, I am now an avid follower. Either I have been missing out considerably on entertainment for the previous 30 years or I have got my timing absolutely spot on. It seems as though a tournament cannot go by without a series of headlines. Poulter certainly made his feelings known regarding the greens on the Colin Montgomerie designed course in Bahrain. I guess now Monty's no longer Ryder Cup Captain the shackles are off.

"Schoolboy error playing. Apparently the architect wanted to make a statement with the greens. He did that all right. Simply the worst greens I have ever seen and I'm not joking. They are embarrassing." Don't get splinters on that fence Poults.

The greens got to Jimenez as well today, who'll incur the ire of the Tour blazers after breaking his putter by hurling it at his bag. That said he'll probably put an extra wedge in his bag and do without a putter after his three consecutive birdies with a bellied lob wedge!

Despite the cigar chomping Spaniard's mixed fortunes he still sits atop the leaderboard as we enter the weekend. Importantly for me all of the golfers in my fantasy Race to Dubai team that were playing made the cut, with both Molinari and Jimenez at the top of the tree. That will make the weekend interesting but not as much as the prospect of amateurs joining the tour professionals in competitive play over the weekend. A tour first and a sign of the creativity in competition design of both the European tour and trailblazing sponsors Volvo. It will be interesting to see how the pros and amateurs react...

The devil's in the detail

Master Scrambler, Padraig Harrington

Reading through Golf Monthly and Today's Golfer this month I stumbled across two tiny details that will make a difference to my game. As a relative newbie and high handicapper I always look at the tips on how to improve your game, in fact I'm sad enough to tear them out and keep them for future reference. After over a year the advice is starting to get a bit repetitive but every now and then there's a little gem of advice.

As I am starting to better understand the game, and more importantly what works for me, I have made a few tweaks in my short game set up. However, this months feature with Wilson and Padraig Harrington in Golf Monthly provided me with some much needed precision. Recently I have been keeping the ball in the middle of my stance and my weight a little more to the left. Everything I have read has said you should 'favour' your left side. But what does that actually mean? 60 percent? 75 percent? No, according to Harrington it's 90 percent! Load your left side with pretty much all your weight, or even stand on one leg, and this will help avoid duffed shots and give you a crisper contact. I'm the kind of person that likes to deal in numbers, facts and specifics. Tried it with a few chips this morning - what a massive difference!

Robert Karlsson complete with finger saving tape

The next tip was actually something I was already doing. Apparently to generate more carry distance you should feel pressure from the club on your right hand "from your first knuckle to the first joint of your forefinger". I've been suffering with a little rubbing and soreness in that exact spot and was wondering whether I was actually doing something wrong. Turns out I was doing something right. Fast forward a few more pages in Today's Golfer and there's a picture of Robert Karlsson with a bit of tape protecting the exact same spot. Cue question to the missus about the location of our tape. Must give it a try.

I have never been this excited about my golf and am chomping at the bit to get up to the club on Saturday morning.

Sword of Damocles

The Greek legend, relating to the court of the tyrant Dionysus II, is a useful illustration of the pressure facing Lee Westwood. The story recounts how Damocles, ever the sycophant, was lauding his masters position of power and authority. Unimpressed, Dionysus offered to switch places with his foolish courtier. While Damocles sat preening himself in the opulent throne, Dionysus ordered that a sword be suspended above it, kept aloft by a single horse hair. It symbolically represented the constant fear and pressure of the king's perilous rule, and soon enough Damocles recognised his folly and moved aside.

It was a rather surreal moment when Tiger Woods slipped off the summit of the World rankings. The writing had been on the wall for some time but that did not lessen the revelation that the all conquering Woods was no longer number one. To coin a biblical phrase "How are the mighty fallen".

With Kaymer now supplanting him in second place the eyes of the golfing world will be transfixed on Torrey Pines where Woods will commence his 2011 riposte. The course is certainly a favourite of his with five wins in five starts dating back to his 2008 US Open triumph. The portents are good for a dramatic fightback.

Westwood's lead in the rankings is significant enough to afford him a gradual return to his scintillating 2009/10 performances. The big question is whether the stunning form of Kaymer and the weight of being the world's best will sit comfortably on his broad shoulders.

McDowell appears to be the dark horse of this tale, slowly stalking his way up the table and having slain Tiger before Christmas and with the US Open in his trophy cabinet, will fancy his chances.

How much of a distraction the 'sword' will prove to Westwood is yet to be seen. What is exciting for golf fans, is the titanic tussle brewing at golf's top table.

A sound purchase

Today is a good day. My investment is maturing in a similar fashion to a platinum bond. You'll be surprised to hear that I am not referring to a club, a training aid or even a series of books. Over the past 18 months I have been making regular deposits into the golf lesson bank and I feel that after much heartache and on course humiliation I am starting to see the signs of a return on that outlay.

Patience has been key and over the past few months I feel mine has increased. A positive byproduct has been lowered expectations. I've just enjoyed my golf for a bit and accepted that I won't find a swing overnight.

One of the biggest challenges with starting off and committing to a ongoing series of lessons is that you never get an opportunity to settle. Every lesson brings with it one or two adjustments and after time you have a tendency to slip back into old habits that you mistakenly believed you had already remedied. It also causes problems on course as you learn to adapt to the latest series of changes.

At first I used to timetable my lessons in once every four weeks. More recently I have bucked this trend waiting until I have resolved the problems that I addressed with my pro last time out. I wanted a sound foundation on which to build and think that I am nearing that goal. My bad shot (with my irons at least) is no longer a card wrecker. I have much more control over the ball, especially from the tee with an iron in hand. I also have more confidence in my shot making, though I am not sure if this is the 'chicken' or the 'egg'.

Now I feel that I am beginning to enter the second phase of learning thsi great game: personalisation. The short game is a great place to start. I have read and tried umpteen tips for technique and ball position for chipping, pitching, bunker play, putting etc.

How I now set up to chip following the back foot disaster

I now believe I have found the methods best suited to my individual game and my chipping practice today was a real eye opener. Finally, after much experimentation, I have decided I get a much more consistent strike if I set up like this picture. I've also got to make sure I keep my head down after connection!

Moving forward I have got a lesson on Saturday, which I am really looking forward to and will probably complete this block of six in February. After that I'll be looking for a playing lesson (finances permitting) at Easter and then a little break from tutelage to just enjoy the game over the summer months. The best attribute my pro has bestowed on me is my understanding of my golf swing. I now have a much better understanding of what I have done wrong when I hit a bad shot.

There are many out there who have achieved low handicaps without lessons and I applaud those individuals. I know that I could never have accomplished such a feat. I've been really frustrated at times at my lack of progress but my iron play is now becoming the cornerstone of my game. I guess all those months of hitting mid and long irons off the tee are finally paying off! The key development being that my pre shot routine and set up for my irons is much more consistent. I think I have now got a regular approach to my chips as well, so it is just those pesky long clubs (hybrid and woods) where I remain clueless.

It's been so long since I've played a normal round of golf that i's impossible to tell whether these are accurate reflections. Only time will tell but for now I'm sold on lessons being an important component in boosting my ability to play this joyous and unforgiving sport.

Strike while my irons are hot!

I cannot remember the last time I played a standard strokeplay round on full greens. It didn't happen today either as we had our rescheduled Christmas Texas Scramble. Played using my new mental approach, where I essentially accept the fact that I am going to hit duff shots before I set off. Strange you may say but it worked a treat. Admittedly the Texas Scramble format helped but I shrugged off any poor strikes today. Even more surprising was that my hybrid was misbehaving but I was hitting my long irons really well both on the tee and fairway. A timely confidence boost.

We had 10.4 shots today and failed to capitalise on two birdie opportunities on the front nine. That said Ian drained an absolute beauty from the fringe on the second for a scrambled 6. We finished the front nine +5 but just couldn't get it going on the back nine and limped in +10 for a gross 86, net 75.6.

Still need to spend some time working on my short game. Tee is solidly booked on Saturday so my plan is to get there early, practice my short game, have a lesson and then play nine holes from 10.30. All of my best shots today came with an iron in hand and I'll be looking to build on that solid foundation.

Armchair official part two

Unbelievable. A month after Camilo Villegas was sent packing in Hawaii by a viewer phonecall, Padraig Harrington was given his marching orders by an e-mail. It is a strange set of circumstances where viewers can exercise such influence on the outcome of a competition

Rumours are rife that the R&A have been resisting a change to the rules that would allow a player who has signed for a card, whilst unaware that they had broekn a rule, to remain within the competition. This high profile case is likely to reopen that debate and as someone new to golf I find the whole thing quite shocking.

Yes he should have been penalised two shots, yes he should have been more observant, yes players are responsible for ensuring they play within the rules but it was an oversight, no advantage was gained and while the pedants may rejoice, the tournament has been deprived of one of its stars. Even more sad is that he was shining so brightly.

So here's hoping that the blazers see sense and introduce a rule that prevents these unnecessary disqualifications. Add an additional shot penalty if they must and make it applicable for only a single infraction. Just make sure that something like this doesn't sour a sweet victory in the future, especially not in a Major.

Collecting my thoughts...

Ever been to church? I use to go religiously in my youth (pardon the pun). My dad was Catholic and after my communion I served as an altar boy. Those of you who have been will be aware that in the back end of the service a wooden or metal plate would make an appearance often glinting with a range of shrapnel and the occasional crisp note. It's that image that I have recently taken to associate with a round of golf. A bit of a tangent you may think but bear with me.

For me a round is a collection of shots. Some good, some poor. Some resulting in my club being dropped and face clutched as I emit a sigh of anguish. Some seeing my fist deliver a hammer blow into the face of an invisible opponent, supported by a rather unmanly shriek of joy. It is these magic moments that keep all of us coming back for more. The problem is expectation. For an amateur golfer, especially a high handicapper, those arrow straight, pin seeking irons or deft wedge shots that roll close, or for a deafening roar drop in, are rare occurrences just like the five pound note in the collection tray.

Yes there will be some solid pound coin shots as well but they are interspersed with minuscule five pence pieces (seriously what is the point), coppers and the occasional button or bit of fluff. They'll be foreign currency too and you will have no idea how it snuck into your game or where it came from. Be it a slice when your bad shot is a hook or an unexpected dose of the shermans, it will appear out of the blue as randomly as a South African rand on Sunday.

So I've decided to embrace this reality, to savour the good shots and shrug off the bad. To lower my expectations and enjoy those nirvana moments. As luck would have it Saturday's Texas Scramble is the perfect opportunity for a road test. Hallelujah!

Tipping point

"Cool is a pursuit of youth". Eddie Izzard is bang on the money with that one. One of my favourite sketches is where Izzard talks abouot the circular nature of the pursuit of cool and how there is a fine balance between looking uber cool and looking like a dickhead. Izzard confesses to cruising that backwater in life, and I certainly have flitted between the two on the course.

It's my wedges you see. Too tense, swinging too hard, hint of desperation, guaranteed messed up shot. Fat, thin, hideous slice you name it, it's likely. So I try and relax, think only of my target, sink into my stance like an old pair of slippers, swing smooth and easy. It's looking good, the ball flight is great, distance spot on, I'm looking cool. Oh no I've relaxed to much and though there might not be a brown stain seeping through my white strides there is a large brown clump that has just flown further through the air than my ball. Bugger.

Wedge practice today and spent the whole session flitting backwards and forwards from hitting great shots and getting it hideously wrong. Finished on a high but it was just another reminder of the fine line between success and failure in the world of golf.

For those unfamiliar with the Izzard sketch I am referring to, here it is for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.

SKLZ Fly Trap: Equipment Review

SKLZ Fly Trap Chipping Net

It's not very often I post a review of a training aid this quickly. I usually like to take some time with it and see if there are any on course improvements as a result. This is the exception to that rule. As an idea it is very straightforward. Most people practice chipping into a bucket or umbrella. This takes the latter and evolves it into a more refined, precise training aid.

The flytrap opens up like an umbrella and has helped me use my rather small garden as a great place to practice my short game touch. There are five holes of different sizes cut into the front, each with a net behind to catch your chips. There is also a larger net to collect any wayward shots that don't find a target. Depending on size and location, each hole offers the player a range of scores for a successful chip.Hit your shot too hard and it will be catapulted back out again. This is a game for imagaination and finesse and it promotes, softer hands, improved technique and visualisation.

I practiced on this today for an hour and it was so addictive. Trying to beat your best score adds pressure but also makes it extremely fun. Protected the lawn with an old bit of carpet  and began to work on my three main priorities:

•  visualise the shot
• keep your hands soft and quiet
• keep a bit more of your weight on your left foot

I can honestly say it helped with all three. Chipping 20 balls at a time my scores are still woeful with 11 points out of a possible 100 being my best. That said at the start I rarely had control of my ball and with my last attempt I managed to slot almost half the balls (eight single pointers and a three). A cracking training aid that gets a big thumbs up from me. With my putting mat, the heath for pitching and now the fly trap honing the short game away from teh course just got a whole lot easier!


Rating 88%


To buy the Fly Trap please click here.

New toy

Popped into JJB Sports today just to have a random browse. Stumbled across a solitary SKLZ Flytrap on sale for just £25. Have always thought that would be a reasonable price for it so grabbed it without hesitation and headed to the till.

My chipping control isn't the greatest and hopefully this little toy will give me another practice option for the garden. Seems to be well constructed and opens like an umbrella to reveal five different sized targets. The smaller the hole the higher the score. Quick to set up, potentially fun to use, hopefully game improving, a full review along with my Xmas gifts to follow this month.

The ugly side of golf

Played in the Winter League greensomes today and committed the cardinal sin of pairs golf. Not just apology, no, profuse apology. I couldn't help myself. Ian was playing so well but after a cracking start I just found it difficult to get a rhythm going. Just not used to alternate shot formats.

Our playing partners for the day, Simon and Steve got off to a slow start before breaking into a scoring frenzy. Having amassed 9pts for the first 6 holes they racked up 40pts total, with 22 on the back nine. They were a real pleasure to play with. Simon tried his hardest to get me to keep my head up. I just seemed to grow more and more despondent as I believed I was massively letting Ian down. What I have learned is that it didn;t make me play any better and just compounded the issue. I have vowed to take it as a learning experience and be less apologetic. Next week's scramble is a timely opportunity to make amends.

So to the ugly side of golf. As we are sitting in the bar some rather disparaging remarks were made at Simon. Accusations of banditry are unwarranted, unnecessary and unfair. The lads played quality golf today in challenging conditions but because they won the first round with a score of 47 they were tarnished with the Zorro brush. What makes it even harsher is that we all know that the last qualifying competition was at the beginning of November. They want to be cut, are playing well enough to be cut but have had no opportunity to get cut. Greensomes format and some players green with envy, not an attractive character trait. I had my twopenneth and told Si not to worry. Lovely chap, works hard at his game and is reaping the rewards. It clicked for him recently. Here's hoping it clicks for me soon.

Shot of the day for me came on our 4th. We took Ian's tee shot but into a strong headwind I couldn't make the green. Stuck him about 80 yards out and his approach left me a 20 footer for. Read the break really well and got the weight spot on. It snaked its way to the hole and was such a great feeling when it dropped centre cup.

Escapism

So to take my mind off my current work worries I headed to the range today. It certainly did the trick and the first half of the bucket flew long straight and true. Obviously as is always the case I got too many balls, got tired and started snap hooking. Oh well for an hour I forgot about all my troubles.

I also enjoyed a round on WGT, highly addictive and extremely fun. It will certainly while away a few hours when the course is shut. I must admit that I'm almost as bad on the computer as I am in real life. That said I swear the putting system is ropey!!!!

Winter league beckons on Saturday and another chance to switch off and relax. It seems as though golf is my current salvation...

I've got some nerve...

I've noticed that my concentration and stamina start to wane on our 12th hole. I'm not as fit as I used to be and am keen to rebuild my fitness levels this year. I may not be able to play footy but that's no excuse for not keeping myself in the best possible shape. So I have embarked upon a mission to rebuild my stamina and hopefully participate in the 2012 London Marathon.

It's going to be a long and gruelling journey. Though my MS symptoms have improved, the effects of Uhthoff's phenomenon are still significant. First run back and completed 5k yesterday, it hurt!

But despite the hangover effects today, I do feel a little better for doing it. Healthy in body and mind is the goal. Mmm maybe I need to look at my diet as well...

My hope is that a positive side effect of this effort will be improved on course performance, especially down the straight. My recent cards have been promising till I've reached the 12/13th. I need to close out my rounds. Winter league round 2 on Saturday. Judging by the weather the course will still be on temps. Well, that will certainly make things interesting...

Human, humility and hope for us all...

The Hyundai Tournament of Champions seems to be throwing up a whole manner of headlines. Having previously posted Bubba Watson's breathtakingly audacious driver off the deck shot yesterday, two more incidents have created even more headlines. The organisers must be thrilled that the golfing world is currently gripped and enthralled by the exploits of the competitors in Hawaii.

First up is Camilo Villegas' trial by television. The Columbian inadvertently flouted rule 23-1 by removing a bit of grass as his failed chipped rolled back down the slope towards him for the second time. The error reflects the fact that despite amazing prowess golfers are still prone to the occasional blip in shot making and it has stirred a heated discussion regarding how Villegas was punished. A rather excellent article here focuses on the debate. As always Ian Poulter wasn't pulling any punches tweeting "An armchair official tweeted in to get Camilo DQ, what is wrong with people have they got nothing better to do".

For me a disqualification seems a little harsh but under the interpretation of the rules the officials had little other option, it's just a shame that action wasn't taken before the card was handed in, or as Els suggests the rules are modified to address this in the future. As for the eagle-eyed and judicious viewer: a smug snitch or an upstanding bastion of the laws of the game? You decide.

After a slow start Graeme McDowell seems to be settling into the competition and though six shots off the lead I'm sure he'll be pleased with how he is getting on with his new equipment. However, the next story to catch my eye is from a player sitting just one shot behind McDowell in tied 8th. You've got to hand it to Jason Day who laughed off his duffed drive at the 13th. There is most definitely hope for us all as his failed effort travelled just 110 yards. To give the man his dues he then stepped up and hit driver again and made a brilliant recovery par. Perhaps Day had been put off by some Ashes related sledging from Rose who, possibly guiltily, congratulated the Aussie for bouncing back "I'm glad Jason Day laughed after that tee shot on 13 cos I definitely couldn't keep a straight face! :-) helluva par he made!!" If you missed it, see below and enjoy!

Drive for show, putt for D'OH!

Rocked up to the club this morning, all excited about the medal and a chance for a handicap cut. However, following last night's deluge the competition was cancelled as the whole course was on temporary greens. Pants. I had been totally inspired by Bubba Watson's stunning second shot on the 18th at Kapalua and was hoping to have my own magical moments on the course.

Oh well 18 holes on the temps would have to do. My main aim was to strike the ball well and keep it in play. I am pleased to report I did exactly that for the first 10 holes hitting 5 out of 7 fairways. Though the headwind on the 4th hole caused me massive issues as I racked up a monstrous 7, it came to my aid in quite stunning fashion on the 5th. It felt like I had a gal blowing behind me and I struck the ball sweetly. It looked big but nothing could prepare me for the GPS reading, 281 yards!

I scored pretty well on the first 10 holes, racking up 22 stableford points but despite my improved ball striking, my score could have been so much better if I had a short game and wasn't putting on temps, grrr! I used the Kaymer approach today, chipping off my right toe and using my putting grip, and results were much improved but the longer chips and pitches were pretty poor. I really need to recalculate all my wedge yardages and practice, practice, practice.


We skipped the miniscule 11th and I decided to experiment for the rest of the round, using my 3 wood off the tee for every hole to get some additional practice with it. It's not my normal approach and it turned out to be a bit hit and miss, but all valuable experience.


It's all well and good being long but there were times today I'd be in a cracking position to get par and threw it away because of poor touch. Hoping to sneak in some short game practice tomorrow. All in all, it is another positive step in the right direction and I'm really looking forward to the winter league next week.

83 (60)
4(3), 6(5), 4(3), 7(4), 7(5), 4(3), 6(5), 6(4), 5(4), 4(4), -(3), 8(5), 6(4), -(4), 6(4), 5(4), -(4), 5(3)

New Year, New Gear

Graeme McDowell has a new look for 2011

As you will know from my blog post on New Year's Eve Graeme McDowell was my golfing hero from 2010.

I wasn't at all surprised to see that he had decided to leave Callaway for Srixon. It is a logical step where he will be a higher profile product ambassador and pocket a tidy sum at the same time. Srixon have certainly been trumpeting the arrival of their new signing via their website and social media.

As a regular golf forum reader there had been more than a few who thought G-Mac a tad barmy for switching clubs and ball after such a succesful year. I never really had those concerns and full expected him to retain the three main weapons in his armoury: driver, hybrids and that wand of a putter.

He confirmed my assumption on Twitter shortly after the switch "No change on Callaway FT Tour driver, Odyssey #7 putter and Adams hybrids. Still got the old faithfuls in the bag. Bag set up looks great."

I expected the transition to be seamless and with a steady start in Kapalua with a -2. However, his Twitter post told a different story: a tale of driving and putting woes. "Evening Tweeple (well here in Hawaii anyway). 17 greens today. Drove it awful. New irons were fantastic. Greens had me confused. 2 under".

Is this a tale of ring rust, an off day or heaven forbid the sign of early struggles with the Z-Star XV? Obviously, it's way too early to tell and one tournament (let alone a respectable opening round) does not a season make. I'm not cynical enough to believe it was PR spin to atone for the earlier transgression of hailing the Callaway stalwarts still in the bag. Others might be though...

New Year Aspiration

Yesterday, I shared my rather simple New Year resolution with you. But there is a much more challenging aspiration that lies behind it. Practice is designed to improve performance and obviously I will need some barometer of improvement. My measure for 2011 is my statistic for putts per round. My ambition is to lop off four shots.

This will see my average drop from 36.68 to 32.68. Now I know what you are thinking. PPR are not an isolated statistic and can be heavily influenced by how many greens in regulation you hit, or more importantly, only just miss.

I understand this but I started off with the aim of learning this game from green to tee and wish to plan my improvement in similar vein. This means getting better at both my long putting (pace & break judgement) and short putts (under six foot).

With bunkers my main concern is to consistently get out and on the green. Once I can do that I'll contemplate trying to get it close. However, I am looking to try and get up and down more often and hope my chipping practice will help my putting by leaving me closer.

So my resolution will see me almost double my practice time with the short stick and I hope that this plays its part in helping me realise my aspiration.

New Year Resolution

I'm not a big fan of these. They are often over ambitious, whimsical flights of fantasy that dissipate into the ether by the time you've gone back to work. The new World Number One is no exception revealing via twitter that his alcohol free pledge for 2011 had lasted merely a couple of days. Darn that alluring champagne.

Modest achievable resolutions also seem equally pointless. Surely the whole point of a 365 day mission is that it should be taxing, laborious, demanding, frustrating and thoroughly uplifting if you actually manage to complete it.

However, this year is slightly different. I have set myself something straight forward with a more challenging end goal. My putting hasn't been good since the cold snap,  but before I descend into a Sergio Garcia esque collapse of confidence, I am taking positive action.

I got some short game training aids for Christmas and am committing to spend at least 60 minutes a week practicing my putting. Started this evening with my No 3 Putt training aid and my putting mat. I have to say it's blinking hard but I can see how it should improve my short putts. Reviews of both my new training aids will appear soon. 

Positive progress

Didn't beat my PB and didn't break 100 today but am pleased with my 103. What let me down massively was my short game and putting. Hit 3 GIR today and three putted all of them. Landed around the green regulation a further eleven times and chipped poorly. Hands got a little cold and I got a little snatchy from the 13th tee and hit some poor tee shots as a result. But all in all my ball striking is definitely getting better. Belted two 3 Wood drives 262 and 245 yards today, which was immensely satisfying with the first shot enabling me to hit the green on our longest hole (585 yards) in regulation.

Things went a little whiffy on the back nine summed up by the most bizarre thing that has ever happened to me. Hit what I though was a good tee shot on 17th and the ball just didn't go anywhere. Must have topped it I thought. Had another go with the hybrid and another dribble but at least I had crept past the 150 yard marker. Took out my 8 iron, sized up the shot, felt loose, felt confident and absolutely nailed it. Right out of the sweet spot but all I could see was what looked like a divot travelling 50 yards. Well if my divot has gone that far the ball must have gone miles. Couldn't see it on the green, must have cleared it. Bugger me that was some hit. Called over to my playing partner if he had seen it land and he was wetting himself laughing. 'What's so funny?' I thought. That is the sweetest strike you will ever see my friend. Walked over to the divot and there lying forlornly on the turf was my ball, almost split in two. Harsh, very harsh.

Left me wondering though. If it had broken in two where would I have needed to play my next shot from? Mmmmm.

All in all an enjoyable knock and I was surprised to have only taken 35 putts. There should have been far fewer, where chips weren't close enough and first putts were left way too short. With a bit of time, love and devotion spent honing my short game I could be onto a winner. Medal on Saturday off the big boys tees. That will be the real litmus test.

103 (71)
5(3), 6(5), 4(3), 7(4), 6(5), 4(3), 6(5), 5(4), 6(4), 5(4), 6(3), 6(5), 8(4), 6(4), 5(4), 7(4), 6(4), 5(3)

2010 Statistics

Well it has been an interesting year that's for sure. It was great to end it on a high and have a solid base to build from. I have two more lessons to take in early 2011 and then I think I will have a break from tuition and try to take what I have learnt onto the course. With new subs to pay and a driver to save for I can't really afford another block of six anyway.

So what have I learnt? Well quite a lot but the most improtant lesson has been to relax and enjoy playing. Practice when I practice, but play when I play, it is a game after all. My New Year's resolution is to play as much as possible, practice as much as possible and have as much fun as possible on the way.

I don't have any targets regarding competitions or handicap for 2011 but I will be spending as much time working on my short game. When you look at my practice stats you'll see it currently gets a lot of attention.

I have met a lot of people at the club, especially in the past two months and I'm really looking forward to playing with abroad spectrum of golfers and trying some new courses. So what do my stats look like for 2010?

Practice
Over four and a half days of solid practice last year with a clear emphasis on the short game. The new training aids I got for Christmas will hopefully make this practice more focussed. I do really enjoy giving myself mini challenges and chipping & putting are the parts of the game I enjoy the most.

Distance	Time (minutes)	% of practice time
Driver	45	1%
Other Woods	340	5%
200 - 250 yards	135	2%
150 – 200 yards	450	7%
100 – 150 yards	1057	15%
Short Approach	3290	49%
Bunker Play	145	2%
Putting	1277	19%
Total	6739	100%

Rounds
To provide a comparison the main figure displayed is based on performance in the last five rounds played. The score in brackets is based on the 26 rounds I played earlier in the year.

Statistic	Performance	SS2 Handicap level
Fairways in Regulation	37% (35%)	18 (19)
Greens in Regulation	11% (12%)	17 (20)
Putts per Round	36 (36.68)	19 (21)
Birdie Conversion	8% (6%)	25 (27)
Par Scrambles	8% (4%)	27 (28+)
Sand Saves	0% (2%)	28+
Penalties per Round	4.6 (3.62)	28+ (28+)

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

So the statistics do show a slight improvement, except for the penalty count!!! It clearly shows that improvements in my short game and fewer penalties will lead to a massive breakthrough in scoring. I'm starting to feel more in control of my swing now and am looking to push on over the next few months ready for the start of the new season in April.

January is a competition packed month with a medal next week, winter league the week after and the rearranged Christmas Texas Scramble the week after that. Now I've got some confidence off the yellows, it's time to use that to tackle the whites.