Inspirational

Two words. Luke Donald. After opening at the Northern Trust Open with a solid 68, that positioned him at the top of the leaderboard, his entire game deserted him. He was left despondent as his second round crumbled around him. A shot shy of 80 he trudged off desconsolate with a 79 that saw him cut from the weekends action. Based on his twitter posts he then took a medieval flaggelant approach to rediscovering his touch with punishing gym sessions to burn away the frustration (and probably several hundred calories).

Stan Badz / Getty Images

At the Accenture World Matchplay a week later he was a man reborn. At the start of his final with Martin Kaymer he had yet to play the 17th or 18th holes competitively. He had broken the record for the fewest number of holes played by any player on route to the final, 73. Over those 73 holes he had amassed 27 birdies a staggering 37%. He has also become the first player in the tournament's 11 year history to win the event without playing the 18th. An extremely kind Justin Rose tweeted him a description! I find it amusing that one of the many 'twitter haters' a certain @DanTaylor89 had suggested that Mr Donald "hit the ball like a girl and that he should "grow some muscles you pussy", yet these statistics came on a course measuring just under 8,000 yards. I wonder if he's choking on his humble pie this morning?

Since I started playing golf I have been obsessed with short game and putting. It's taken me a while but I have finally got to a place where consistent execution is a reality and I can now focus on nailing my distances and improving my visualisation, club selection and touch. Luke Donald has always been an inspiration in this regard, primarily because he dominates the PPR and scrambling statistics on tour. This week he has given me a masterclass on playing to your strengths and being red hot around the greens. My admiration for him knows no bounds and it is interesting that he and my other golfing idol G-Mac are now tussling it out at the top of the world rankings.

Spring is in the air...

The new season is just one month away and things are looking up. The most important thing has been meeting new people at the club. It makes such a massive difference playing with good company and as I enter my second year I actually feel like a real member of the club. Not only is the company much appreciated but also the supportive words of advice that are offered at opportune moments. It is no coincidence that my performances on course have improved whilst playing wih the members of the swindle. Their pearls of wisdom and expert ball finding skills have enabled me to be more relaxed while executing shots and unsurprisingly the results have been much better. I'm also enjoying my golf more and taking the opportunity to observe how lower handicappers manage their game, the course and the elements. Presently, my brain is a sponge relentlessly soaking up golf knowledge. The challenge is identifying which parts are most applicable to me.

I really hope the course dries out this week so that next week's medal is on. It would be great to finish this golf season with a lower handicap and start the new one with some momentum. When the clocks go forward I'll also be able to spend more time at the club playing a few holes and honing my short game. I have made another slight alteration to the Pelz 4x3 wedge system. Rather than a quarter swing pitch, which I struggled to execute consistently, I now play a chip shot with a longer back swing, producing similar distance but with more control. More on that later this week.

The sun's out, spring is in the air and there is most definitely a spring in my step...

Dampened...but not my spirits

Great day today. Admittedly the foul weather had arguably made the course easier with nine holes on temporary greens but you can only play what is in front of you. Cold, damp, rainy and windy it wasn't easy playing today but I'm please with how I performed. Primarily my putting and chipping were very solid and I finished with 30 putts today, with a number of one putts set up by solid chips.

Unfortunately, I couldn't put the Z-Stars into play as there was little point on temporary greens. A minor blip on the 8th hole saw me hit two consecutive tee shots out of bounds and a solitary blob on the card. As there were only six of us we opted against individual play and instead played as two threeballs and played better ball stableford with two scores counting on each hole. We didn't fare too well on the front nine but had a stormer coming back racking up 47 points. Our total was 84 points one shy of the other groups 85 point total.

On a personal note I amassed 39 points and to be honest my striking from the tee was a little iffy. From the deck however, it was much better and with some solid chipping I was avoiding anything worse than a double bogey. Just a solitary triple and one NR on the scorecard and more interestingly only one par. Now I know that I can par at least five or six holes on the course and to score 39 points with only one on the card is actually a positive sign. To me it shows that I am starting to cut out the costly errors and playing more consistent golf.

However, the biggest revelation that helped me score 21 points on the back nine came from a tip from my playing partner today. He suggested I was teeing the ball too low and that by teeing higher I would get a cleaner connection. Wow! What a difference. Ball striking much improved and a solid tee shot adds confidence to you when you play your approach. It got so much better that on the 16th I actually outdrove my playing partners, although I did end up in the gorse, using a 3 iron to their driver.

Things are looking up, but as I write the rain is pouring down outside and there is a danger that next week's medal may be called off. I really hope not...

89 (67)
5(3), 6(5), 3(3), 7(4), 6(5), 5(3), 6(5), -(4), 5(4), 5(4), 4(3), 6(5), 6(4), 5(4), 6(4), 5(4), 5(4), 4(3)

Necessary evil...

So last night I was compelled to return to the driving range to keep the swing ticking over and see if I can finally resolve my issues with the hybrid and 3 wood. If I was judging my session on ability to hit those troublesome longer clubs then I'd have to say I suffered an abject defeat. However, that was not the principle purpose of my visit and my irons and wedges were very solid and this makes me happy. While the driving range is a necessary evil for now I yearn to practice on the course/practice hole at the club. When I do my focus will be heavily focussed on how I perform with the shorter clubs.

 Jeremy Ellwood writes an interesting article in this month's Golf Monthly on the inherent differences between long hitters and short hitters on tour. His findings re-enforce the assertions of Pelz and Rotella that they key to success is a razor sharp short game. I think I am slightly longer than average but obviously this is inhibited by the fact that I struggle to hit anything 'bigger' than a 4 iron with any consistency. That said I am now super confident hitting 4 iron from the fairway and I am absolutely skint. Now you may wonder what these two unrelated facts have in common. Well my iron striking can now keep me out of trouble and give me a maximum of about 380-400 yards from my first two shots from any tee. That is just enough distance for my course. Also with barely a few pennies to scratch together it means I can invest a smaller amount in more lessons, work harder to improve my striking with my 3 wood and hold back on buying a driver.

The Golf Monthly article has inspired me to return to my first principles: learn the game from green to tee. Putting is much improved, chipping and pitching are next on the agenda. The allure of the 910D2 is still strong but as finances dictate I must resist, I can at least be committed to plan B. Not only does this include using the current weapons at my disposal but it also means attempting to boost my short game and putting practice time to 20 minutes per day. The clocks going forward on March 27th will certainly make that easier to achieve!

Shotmiser G500...stunning software update

Just downloaded the latest update from Shotmiser and it will revolutionise my practice and dispel any need to buy a laser rangefinder! I practice my wedges on the heath and up to my 8 iron on our practice hole. The problem up until now has been measuring how far I hit it and my average distances. Obviously this is priceless information for approach shots especially when you are using a partial swing. So I am ecstatic that Shotmiser have introduced a new Practice Utility function on their GPS. Effectively, you set your tee position, hit a load of balls, then go up to each one and click the ball icon and it will tell you your distance for each shot and calculate your average.

The biggest turn off for this product was the cost of each course download but with 100 free downloads available with each purchase I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better golf GPS.

I'll be road testing this new feature on my lunch break but can safely say if it performs half as well as I am expecting I'll be well impressed. Update to follow...

...ok I am back from the heath and can report that the new tool is excellent. Worked through relaxed approach shots with my GW, SW and LW recording average distances of 98, 87 and 76 yards  respectively. It makes figuring out your average so simple and also helped me put targets  at the right distance. Very easy to use and I only hope that in a future software update they add in dispersion. For now most impressed!

New balls please...

18 months in and finally things are starting to come together. Had an enjoyable lunch break working on my wedge approaches and chipping. The latter is alomost unrecognisable from where it was a few months ago. Good distance control, solid connection and sound control. Wedge approaches aren't quite on the same level but at least now I am making cleaner contact, with fewer duffs and better dispersion.

Having spent a significant amount of time this month practicing on the course my accuracy has improved considerably. That, coupled to a significant reduction in penalties has led me to the decision that as the winter fades away it is time to put a better ball into play.

Now I know I get a lot more check when I play a premium ball, especially on my chips. I also think that knowing the ball will check will make me more confident in playing chips around the green. Greater control should lead to more opportunities for one putts and par scrambles. There is obviously a danger that a higher spinning ball will wreak havoc with my long game, but there is only one way to find out. So this Saturday in the swindle, unless there is a monsoon making the whole experiment pointless, I'll be teeing it up with a Srixon Z-Star X. If it goes well I'll be looking to purchase a whole load more before the bargain basement stocks are depleted.

A (frozen) fistful of progress...

Yesterday. Cold, wet, dejected yet strangely feeling rather positive. Fast forward to the present and I am actually feeling even better about how yesterday went. The hybrid was confined to the bag for the entire round after a rather disastrous snap hook on the first tee. The 3 wood never made it out. But that's a good thing in a way as I was striking all my irons really sweetly. I hit 4 iron off most tees and though I struggled a little with a bit of a pull I more often than not found myself in the first cut of rough on the left hand side of the fairway. That was positive number one. Iron striking with warm(ish) hands was consistent and solid.

The second area of improvement was my grip. My new method of applying the grip meant that the club felt like an extension of my body, it was natural and apart from a wind assisted slice on the 4th my ball flight and control was strong, albeit slightly left of target on occasion. This will make my pro happy who doesn't mind if I am consistently missing slightly left of target. Something about phase two of my development and flatter swing plane. Here's hoping that will also cure my ills with the longer clubs!

Point three: temperament. Now this I have really struggled with in the past and often I have allowed a poor shot to completely derail my round. Despite the awful conditions I had got off to a flying start, 22 points from the first 10 holes. Cold hands and a weak tee shot found water on 11 and I never recovered, blob. Having hit two solid shots on 12 the curse of the cold hands struck again and an almost air shot, just nibbled the top of the ball, and a nasty thin contirbuted to putting me behind a gorse bush for 5. Managed to lob it over and just missed making a single putt. 1 point. Battled the elements for 4 points from next two holes, blobbed and then got five points from last three holes. Would have been six if it hadn't been for the lake on 17th green. Normally my round would have disintegrated.

33 putts shows that I am starting to get better with the flatstick though there is still clearly room for improvement, which in itself is a positive. I holed quite a few in that 6-10 foot range yesterday and walked off with five single putts. As my chipping gets better I should give myself more opportunities to one putt.

Which leaves me to finish on my final high which was pitching. Now in the past my game has been hampered by fats, thins, tops, and weak slices when I've been 80-100 yards from the green. My distance knowledge is getting much better and more often than not I am choosing the right club, partial swing AND executing the shot. Now I am not knocking them stiff yet but as my swing improves and directional control gets better I hope to be closer to the hole as I am nearly always pin high or thereabouts.

So despite the soaking and disappointing back nine I am extremely cheery about the direction my game is going. The significant amount of time I have spent on course is definitely helping. Much more than time spent on the range. A brilliant example of this came on our 12th hole. Off the whites you hit your tee shot from behind a bank of gorse and cannot see the fairway. I am notoriously bad at not knowing where my tee shot has gone, unless I've sclaffed it three feet!!! My apologetic playing partner said he'd lost it. It's ok I chirped back I know exactly where it is. In fact I knew where each and every one of my tee shots went yesterday and here is why. When I first started playing a few practice holes on my own I was constantly lifting my head up to search for the ball. Invariably I'd lift it early, ruin my through swing and see my ball arcing into trouble or out of bounds.  So I decided on a different tactic. Concentrate on where you want to put the ball, trust that your swing will put it there and execute your swing trying to keep your eyes transfixed on where the ball is/was for as long as possible. Naturally your follow through will bring your head up back to the point you were aiming at and more often than not your ball will be heading in that direction. I have always tried to visualise, but most importantly now I trust my swing to put the ball there. This is something I would never have done on the range. Practicing on the course is simply a far superior way to improve your technique!

Soaked

Winter League round three today and the weather was absolutely abysmal. I was determined not to let it effect me and all of my recent on course practice seemed to slot into to place. After a bit of a wayward opening shot with the hybrid I stuck to my irons only today with the longest club used being my 4 iron. It certainly worked on the front nine as I raced to 20 points. I rode my luck in places, most notably on the 6th when my thinned bunker shot rocketed into the lip looped up and left a makeable 8 foot putt for par that I subsequently drained.

It was strange how relaxed I felt on course and when I hit a poor shot I seemed much more capable of letting it go. I think my recent playing partners have played a big part in this change in attitude. However, by the 8th hole I was starting to struggle with my hands and gripping the club. I've never liked the cold and have always suffered with numb hands. Today I had winter mittens and a hand warmer in each one and still failed to stay warm. With wet hands and a chilling wind it would have taken a portable dyson airblade to actually keep my grip going.

What followed was a bizarre chain of shots with sweetly struck irons when I had managed to get my hands a bit warmer and slappy duffs when I hadn't. It was a scrappy affair and just 12 points amassed on the back nine left me with a disappointing, yet strangely pleasing score of 32. It was my best ever performance off the white tees and there were a huge number of positives I could take away from today.

Format today was average score between your pair. We finished with 29, which according to the assistant pro was actually around about the top scores. That was of course bar the winning pair who were miles ahead with 36.5.

Funniest incident today came on the 17th. The green was saturated and covered in standing water. The pin was located on the right of the green so obviously I stuck my approach on the left. I prepared to give it a little extra oompf to get it to the hole. Hit the standing water six feet in front of me travelling at quite a pace and err, well it simply stopped dead. I had to laugh and to be honest by that stage I was just looking forward to getting warm and dry. Hopefully, when the weather improves I'll be able to capitalise.

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

Warming up...

Ridiculously cold today and I wasn't prepared for it. Narrowly squeezed in nine holes and it was a good preparation for tomorrow's Winter League. Got off to a scrappy start and a woeful 7 but things picked up and my ball striking for the nine holes was pretty solid. No penalties and hit two of the par 3's in regulation. Still struggling a little with the hybrid but I think this may be down to ball position in my set up. Going to move it a bit forward tomorrow to see if that makes a difference. A couple of pars, a couple of blobs and 17 stableford points. It could have been better but I really struggled to putt today with cold numb hands. No one putts, too many three putts and a complete inability to judge distance.

That said I am finding ditching the practice and playing whenever I can a real liberation. It's more fun, it's more interesting and it is making me a better player. I honestly think I could have shaved six putts off today if I could feel my hands and that is massive. I'll be warming up properly tomorrow morning to avoid a first hole disaster. I'll also be taking my winter mitts and some hand warmers. Excited? Doesn't even come close!

51 (36)
7(3), 7(5), 3(3), 6(4), 6(5), 3(3), 9(5), 5(4), 5(4)

Time to man up

No excuses come Saturday it is time to man up. I'll have a full selection of clubs to choose from. I have proven to myself that I have the ability to put together a half decent round. What continuously let's me down is concentration. Keep it in play, keep it simple. I've never enjoyed golf more and I need to harness that positivity. I am better at letting the bad shots go, I've never really had an issue with savouring the good ones. It's only Wednesday, the weekend can't come quick enough. Another six hole practice on Friday and it's showtime!

Six shooter...

Nipped out on my lunch break for a swift six holes and another chance to try the Titleist D2 910 Driver. Now on the Driver front I am forced to concede that I am just not ready yet. More swing/set up work is needed before I can make an informed decision as I just keep skying the blinking thinking. On the three driveable holes I hit fairway twice and just missed it once but only hit it 214, 219 and 239 yards. Until I can launch my driver on the same trajectory as my long irons, hybrid and 3 wood there is no way of making an informed decision. As context I hit my hybrid about 220 yards on average and my 3 wood about 235 yards, though I occasionally rip one way out there!

Anyway, back to my performance today and a vast improvement on Saturday. Ball striking still not quite on the money but a great tip from our assistant pro (after my round) on keeping down through impact should help me with my ball flight in the future. Unusually I was guilty of poor putting today and three unnecessary three stabs hurt my scoring massively. Chipping is much improved: solid connection just need to improve distance control through better club choice.

The opening six holes contains stroke index 1,3,5 and 7 and can be quite an unforgiving beginning to a round. Despite that shoddy performance with the flat stick I was +8 through six scoring bogey, double, bogey, bogey, double, bogey. A total of 14 stableford points, no penalties and the solitary GIR. But I am happy as I am continuing to make progress in the right direction. If I can score like that when the long game is off, it bodes well for when it is clicking.

Final bit of news for the day is that I celebrated Valentines Day by declaring my continued love of Waldringfield Golf Club by paying my subs for 2011/12. I hope to spend even more time up there as the evenings get lighter and I have to say that practicing my playing a few holes outstrips the range by a long, long way...

31 (23)
4 (3), 7 (5), 4 (3), 5(4), 7 (5), 4 (3)

Lottery...

The time has come and after much umming and ahhing I've decided to pay my subs early this year. At my club everyone who pays their subs by Valentines Day gets entered into a prize draw that takes place at the Captain's Drive In. The first three names out of the hat win their subs back. As with everyone, finances are tight but I am increasingly hopeful that things are looking promising on the work front. I should make it through the redundancy process, which is a massive relief. Though I can't rest easy until I've got that confirmation letter in my hands the odds of winning a free annual membership are low enough to make it too tempting not to try.

So from one lottery to another: my short game. Actually, that is a slightly inaccurate statement. My short game used to be a lottery. As with putting, I think chipping is a personal thing. It is more about touch than swing mechanics. As a result I have only ever had one lesson on each element to understand the basic principles and since then I have relied upon training aids, videos, magazine tips, Dave Pelz Short Game Bible, watching other players and of course plenty of trial and error. It has actually been a rather enjoyable journey. My favourite shots in golf are long putts that snake in, wedge shots hit stiff and chip and runs that flirt with the cup before plopping in. The fact that I can now execute them makes the game so much more enjoyable. When I find myself on the fringes, in a bunker or in the rough around the green I see it is a chance to hit a great recovery shot, rather then a moment for self-abasement.

Interestingly, having a better understanding of how to set up and execute shots has improved my visualisation. I now spend more time thinking about and determining how the ball will behave on the green because I have more control over where I want it to land.

I'm playing in the third round of the Winter League next Saturday and am really looking forward to it. Keep it in play and get myself near the green in regulation. No silly penalties and lots of fun. Can't wait. It's funny how much I am enjoying my golf now. I guess being confident when you are near the dancefloor plays an important part of it. What a fantastic game!

I'm sure it landed around here...

Played in the swindle this morning, road tested the D3 910 Driver, had an absolute mare on the course whilst simultaneously having a damn good laugh. Played with Royce and Paul today and they were fantastic company. We were the first group drawn out of the hat and as we set off Paul enquired as to what handicap I would be playing off. The reply? 18... nice! Feeling the pressure I hit my first iron off the toe and my drive on second out of bounds. That kind of summed up my day: trouble off the tee and a battle from there on to score.

I did not get on with the D3 at all today, though partly this was due to me hurrying the backswing at times and lifting my head way too early. Nonetheless, I persevered with it, what's the point of a road test if you don't use the club on every possible occasion. This meant that I did not take my usual approach on many holes and got myself into a ton of trouble off the tee.

Not a single GIR today and only 17% FIR tells it's own story. That said the short game was much better and even the lob wedge made a few stellar guest appearances. All in all today was an education and I think playing in the swindle will make me a better player in the future...especially off 18! I'm not overly concerned by my score today as it isn't really a true reflection of my game. Using the driver hurt me on nearly every single hole so it will definitely be the more forgiving D2 for me!!!

99 (66)
6(3), 7(5), 3(3), 7(4), 8(5), 4(3), -(5), 5(4), 5(4), 5(4), 6(3), 9(5), 7(4), 6(4), 5(4), 6(4), 5(4), 5(3)

Questions and answers...

I recently posed two very innocent questions on the Golf Monthly Forum. The first was to try and understand what is actually meant by golfers when they refer to 'feel'. The second related to what the difference was between forged and cast irons. On the back of the discussion I determined that feel was a bit of a nebulous concept (with a wide range of interpretations) and that I had no intention of swapping my game improving shovel for a butter knife.

Fast forward to today where I had a quick telephone conversation with my pro that has led to me being the world's biggest hypocrite.

I'm playing on Saturday with a group who have a regular weekend 'swindle'. They are a good bunch so it will be nice, fun relaxed golf and a perfect opportunity to take the 910 driver back out on the course. What that has done is thrown up another term I don't fully understand 'forgiveness'. Now with a driver does it mean off centre strikes travel a bit further and straighter? That's what I am assuming. After my last time out with the D2 frequent checking of the head showed repeated strikes in the centre. The ball went straight a lot of the time as well. Problem was it came down with snow on it. To address this I am going out this weekend armed with the D3 and a lower spinning shaft (yes I do recall what I said earlier about butter knives). In my defence I did have concerns that I may not get the best out of the D3 because it has less forgiveness. However I now understand that if I am smacking it out of the middle and the ball flies left or right of target that is a swing fault and wielding a D2 will not correct that. Forgiveness yes, miracle worker no!

If things do go disastrously wrong with the D3 we'll go back to the D2 with a lower spinning shaft. But despite the dreary weather outside my sunny disposition thinks that won't be necessary. We'll see on Saturday

What came first...

Similarly to the age old conundrum relating to poultry, I honestly have no answer. As I posted yesterday I am enjoying my golf a lot at the moment. Perhaps it is because the warmer weather and lighter evenings are on their way. Maybe it is due to the fact that I am meeting more people and enjoying their company on the course. But possibly it all comes down to the simple fact that I am playing better. 

Recently I haven't had an opportunity to play a full 18 on full greens to see if I can put together a complete round. But the holes I have played have shown a marked improvement on my past exploits. What has been the catalyst for this change? It could be down to all those lessons I have had finally coming to fruition. Or the practice, experimentation, training aids and yet more practice that I have been devoting to my short game. But maybe it all boils down to the simple fact that I am really enjoying myself on the course...

Smiling...

Actually to be honest that is an understatement, I am positively beaming. Started work extra early today so I could take a guilt free extended lunch break and sneak in six holes of golf. Managed seven in the end and I am as happy as Larry. Now I'm not sure exactly who this Larry chap is, his surname seems to have been lost in the world of quirky English phrases, but whoever he is he must be well chuffed today because I am flying. My 3 wood and hybrid got me in plenty of trouble today and the wind was really tough. The damage was caused on the three par 5's where I tried to hit the ball too blinking hard. Conversely, when I played more relaxed on the three par 3's and one par 4 I scored +2 for those four holes. Two pars, two bogeys, happy days. Playing much better golf now and joining the regular Saturday morning swindle group this weekend. I'm hoping that this will help harpen my game up while meeting some other members of the club.

Big thanks to Paul and his sons Domonic and Ben who invited me to join them today. Great company and a thoroughly enjoyable stroll on the parkland. Talking to Domonic has certainly whetted my apetite to play Woodbridge, but I'll wait till I'm a little more accurate before I do that!

40 (28)
4(3), 8(5), 3(3), 5(4), 10(5), 3(3), 7(5)

Twilight

No vampires or werewolves in sight but it was still slightly eerie scampering around a deserted golf course trying to cram in as many holes as possible. The old me would have gone to the range but what I need right now is as much time on course as possible. With the lack of opportunity to play this weekend I grabbed the six holes I got today with both hands.

I didn't get off to the best of starts, though that is hardly surprising. No warm up, no stretching just ball down, hybrid out, practice swing, duff. The pitching wedge shot that followed went horribly left and I had a tricky shot through a number of trees, past a bunker to the green. I made the right shot selection but took the wrong club. Hitting a bumped 8 iron I caught it too well and the ball rolled off the other side. My next chip was spot on for weight and left a simple tap in. I may have scored 5 but the signs for my short game were encouraging, and a double bogey is still worth two stableford points.

Another wild swipe on the second and ball disappears out of play to the right, the second ball is duffed. Maybe I should have gone to the range. Two decent blows put me within 50 yards and I chose another low running shot, and though it was long again (too much club) the shot selection and execution were good. I walked off with an 8. Poor tee shot on the 3rd found a bush but another good chip gave me a chance for bogey. Missed putt, but another good chip, hmmm. Wild slice right off the tee on 4 followed by a tricky second into a strong wind. Left myself a little chip on and again I hit it well and left myself a 12 footer to save par. Missed it but walked off with a bogey and 3 points.

All this brings me to the moral of the story. My swing had been ropey thus far and my tee shot on the 5th wasn't great either, sliced off to right, hit a bunker and looped out. I had hit eleven full shots by this stage, at the range I would just have found my groove. I wouldn't however, have had the opportunity to practice the range of short game shots and putts to dig myself out of the hole. I wouldn't have been able to scramble. Anyway I digress. There I am on the 5th 204 yards off the tee with a tail wind. I had wasted a good opportunity to get further up the fairway, instead I was in the rough with a difficult lie, slightly downhill from the lip of the bunker.

This called for caution so I hit a smooth 6 iron and though it felt good I lost it in the failing light. I strode up the fairway and caught sight of it in the first cut rough on the left of the fairway. GPS said 200 yards to the centre of the green, the lie was good. Wind behind I pulled out the 4 iron and hit it beautifully. That felt great but I had no idea where it had gone. As I approached the dancefloor, the pin was toward the front and I caught sight of a little white blob at the back of the green. 216 yards, arrow straight I was more than chuffed now, I was brimming. Should've taken a 5 iron I chuckled to myself. I saw the line on the putt straight away, lined it up and sent it on its way. About ten foot from the hole the break kicked in and it curved beautifully into the cup. This hole is our SI 1 and measures over 580 yards. I'd hit a poor tee shot and made birdie. I've never birdied that hole before or drained a 60 foot putt or scored 5 points on a hole. Screw the range this is brilliant!

Yes, ok I had a stinker on the 6th, but I did hit a beautiful chip to four feet. Yes I missed the putt, but that didn't matter. I learnt more about my game in playing those six holes than I would have got from six hours at the range. When I can I'll be hitting the course over the range all the time. Obviously I am ecstatic with that birdie, but what I am most happy with is my short game. A major improvement!

33 (23)
5(3), 8(5), 5(3), 5(4), 4(5), 6(3)

Blown off course

Unfortunately, I am not referring to the strong winds decimating cards across the country, those playing links you have my sympathy. No the title is in reference to the dreaded lurgy which has not abated so once again I am unable to play in the medal. I am disappointed as I have never felt better going into a competition and was really looking forward to my first medal since November. I felt a cut was in the offing but it was not to be.

That said I have had a great time playing with my son and I imagine we'll be going out for a kickabout later. In a couple of years time I'll be properly introducing him to the great game and on days like this we'll both be out playing some fun chipping or putting games.

If I am lucky the better half will feel better this afternoon and I'll be able to get nine holes in before the darkness sets in. It would be great to get out there again, quite possibly with the demo driver in the bag.The 3rd round of the Winter League is in a fortnight and with combined stableford scores off full handicap there is a chance for me and my partner to make up some lost ground, and for me to get that elusive cut.

Flu stops play...temporarily

Unfortunately, my better half has come down with a stinking flu bug. That put pay to my entry in this morning's monthly medal as I played nurse. However, she is feeling much better now and I even managed to sneak off to the course for an hour and a half practice while the little man had his afternoon nap. More short game work using the target circles and mid irons into the howling wind.

First things first the target circles. So far not that impressed. Don't get me wrong they are a handy visual reference but for what they do they are overpriced. A full review will follow soon but they work best if you use them as a landing reference point rather than a marker around the hole.

Next the wind. I'm actually rather happy the missus was ill as the wind today was horrific. Hitting shots on the practice hole I was aiming 15 yards left of target, even hitting some shots with a little draw and they were landing 15 yards right of target. Playing in those conditions would have been extremely challenging and I can only hope that the wind is a little less brutal tomorrow.

Finally, I bought a new toy today. My pro is selling off his old demo clubs and I picked up a hardly used 60.7 old grooves Vokey wedge for £40. Absolute bargain. Now while it is in the bag for tomorrow, it is only reserved for special circumstances, with the lie being a key determining factor. This is more a long term purchase as, with the wedge rules changing, I wanted to get a lob before the old stocks ran out. With the old style selling at premium rate this was a bargain too good to miss. Will it be my lucky charm tomorrow? We'll have to wait and see...

Year of the Rabbit

Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year and this year's animal of choice is the rabbit. After the overly bold, non event that was the Year of the Tiger, I wonder what this year will bring? Last year was certainly a reality check and tomorrow will be the first examination of how much I have learnt. My lowest ever round off the whites is a whopping 106, but I now feel less intimidated playing off the back tees. I have certainly lowered my expectations and understand that I need to assess each shot on merit and be mindful of my capabilities. Ferocious cavalier shots are definitely a thing of the past, I've lost too many balls and strokes that way. Inevitably, that has historically led to poor scores and m ore importantly impact on my mindset for subsequent shots and holes.

Playing with two chaps I've not met before and I'm hoping that will have a positive influence. It has been nice over the past few weeks getting to know different people up at the club and tomorrow shpuld be another enjoyable experience. Watching low handicappers manage their way around the course is a real eye opener and seeing all golfers bounce back from poor shots has been a tremendous education.

Less than two months till the start of the new season, I'm excited...

The long and short of it

I bought my first golf clubs in November 2009. A little over a year later and I am close to completing my set. I currently have 13 clubs and have always felt that 15 would be a solid number. My thinking being that in the winter I'd need more long range options and as the greens get firmer through Spring/Summer more short game options. I have always stated I would steer well clear of two clubs till I felt confident enough to use them. I have been working long and hard on my full swing and short game and now feel ready for a driver and lob wedge.

I'm hopefully picking up an ex demo lob from my pro on Saturday and will use it as I hone my short game ahead of the start of the season. My shot selection around the green has matured enough that I feel I can be trusted with a lob. My technique is steadily improving as well so there is a reduced likelihood that when the situation genuinely calls for more loft I'll not blade it into trouble.

At the opposite end of the spectrum I am looking forward to having a little bit more length off the tee. That said my course management has evolved around an iron only strategy. That coupled to the fact my course is pretty short, means that for the most part the big dog will stay in the bag, especially during medal rounds.

If I could go back in time there are a lot of things I may have changed about my approach to golf. One thing that I'd definitely keep the same has been the rather laborious way I've grown my bag. I even prioritised a GPS over a driver! I believe my iron play is much better as a result. I also have a better idea of how to plot my way around a course. Two months to go and things are progressing nicely. First major litmus test in this weekend's medal.

January stats

Solid start to the new year: a great lesson, improved ball striking and control, a more consistent pre shot routine and I'm really pleased with how things are going. I have probably lost about six weeks of golf to the weather so have now been playing on a full course for about nine months. That time has taught me a number of important lessons. I most definitely play the percentage shot more often. I've learnt a bit about course management and club selection. I have a better idea of when to take my medicine. Most importantly though, I no longer feel as daunted by a full size golf course. My swing remains a work in progress but it is far more consistent and stable than it was six months ago. With two months to go to the new season things are looking up.

Practice
Armed with some new training aids my practice time has taken on a whole new dimension. The SKLZ flytrap has allowed me to work on my chipping technique in the garden, while the No 3 Putt has made putting practice much more challenging. Given the course closure problems at the start of the month, I am pleased with getting in just over 13 hours practice. I'm really looking to take my chipping and putting to the next level by April when the greens will be firmer and faster. That said there are drills I do for my long game that don't involve hitting balls and therefore don't end up on this list. However, as the nights get lighter my preference will be to grab nine, or even six holes of golf rather than hitting the range.

Distance	Time (minutes)	% of practice time
Driver	20	3%
Other Woods	20	3%
200 - 250 yards	40	5%
150 – 200 yards	30	4%
100 – 150 yards	95	12%
Short Approach	320	40%
Bunker Play	0	0%
Putting	275	34%
Total	800	100%

Rounds
Conversion is still a problem for me. More often than not it is still taking me two putts once I land on the green to get the ball in the hole. This obviously translates to low stats for birdie conversion and par scrambles. That said rounds of bogeys and pars will inevitably see my scores tumble, so while I'd love to see those stats tumble, keeping my putting average at the 32/33 mark and my GIR improving are my two main aims. Unsurprisingly, I am far more likely to hit GIR from the fairway and my most recent nine holes with FIR at 71% was a case in point, leading to 44% GIR.

Despite all this statistical back story my on course mantra is relatively straight forward. Get it on the short stuff, keep it on the short stuff, get it in the hole!

Statistic	Performance	SS2 Handicap level
Fairways in Regulation	46% (37%)	13 (18)
Greens in Regulation	20% (11%)	14 (17)
Putts per Round	33.53 (36)	15 (19)
Birdie Conversion	0% (8%)	28+ (25)
Par Scrambles	5% (8%)	28+ (27)
Sand Saves	0%	28+
Penalties per Round	3.18 (4.6)	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!