What a weekend

As a self confessed sports nut this weekend has to rank up there as one of the best of the year. The PGA at Wentworth, Monaco Grand Prix, French Open, Champions League Final, First Test, Championship play off final and two glorious rounds of golf. Now I may have taken up residence in the kennel (and we don't even have a dog) but it has been worth it.

I'll begin at the BMW Championship which was the complete opposite of last years enthralling chapter, but equally (if not more) noteworthy. There was no fairytale finish for a journeyman pro but it did give us a titanic tussle between the worlds top two. Seeing Westwood find water in the playoff was a cruel way to decide the contest but you cannot argue with the quality of golf that Donald has been producing this year. A lot if people raved about his round on Thursday but you don't win a golf tournament on the first day, you win it on Sunday.

New World Number One Luke Donald

Westwood charged, Donald faltered and it looked as though the encumbant number one would snatch the elusive double of matchplay and strokeplay Wentworth wins. What impressed me most about Donald's tournament wasn't how he ripped the course apart on day one but how he kept himself in contention when his long game went AWOL on Sunday. Taking it's literal definition, as opposed to it's bastardisation in American vernacular, his short game was awesome. So we have a new number one and a number two who is reaching his best form. The Open this year will be enthralling.

Other highlights from this Bank Holiday are:

• Barcelona's destruction of Man Utd at Wembley a clear demonstration that the beautiful game executed correctly is mesmorising (I wish the Man U players a speedy recovery from their motion sickness)
• England's staggering victory in the first test albeit only in front of a couple of sheep and a bass baritone named Dafydd
• Andy Murray coming back in his 4th round match from 2-0 down (here's hoping he finishes the job today)
• My only disappointment is how racing incidents deprived us of a fitting finale to the race in Monaco.

This weekend reaffirmed the mantra that self belief is a critical component to sporting success and I finally have that with my golf. A few moments of misfortune and a couple of lapses of concentration have prevented good rounds from becoming great but it is clear that I am better than my current number. Luke Donald has inspired me to further sharpen my short game, I just need some qualifying events to get that handicap down.

Fantastic fourball

What a great day. Played my first mini Golf Monthly Forum meet which I hosted at my home club Waldringfield. First off huge thanks to Dave, Craig and Les for their cracking company and quality banter. Though the fairways were scorched there were plenty of compliments for the greens which ran very true. Craig instantly was at home with his flat stick dropping putts from literally all over the place. It got silly on the 8th when he requested a gimme for a fifteen footer which was obviously rejected and then nonchalantly stroked it home anyway.

As far as my game goes the positive progress certainly continued. The request from the other lower handicappers that I "show them the way". Nerves were jangling but although I pulled it I made solid connection and finished almost pin high to the left of the green. Unfortunately, after my chip I had a sloppy three putt for 2 points.Then disaster struck on second. Duffed tee shot, toed chip into the sand, bunker shot into gorse, next bunker shot just out of the sand, next shot into the gorse, blob. Then Dave gave me a Bridgestone B330S to try. What. A. Ball. It added a few more yards definitely but was much softer around the greens. Though I only picked up a solitary point on the 3rd my ball striking was on the up. 3points for the first three holes, 36 points for the next 15 and that included some sloppy putting and one stroke of bad luck.

On the back nine it was Les' turn to go up a gear, scoring birdie, par, birdie, par from 10-13. I thought my pulled 3 iron on the 15th would be punished but I didn't realise how much. As we strode off to the left of the fairway in search of it I saw Dave pointing at something at the base of a tree stump. That can't be it surely. That would be the harshest rub of the green of all ti....Bastardo. I took my drop, duffed the next and wound up with a seven for one point. But as I see it at least I bagged a point. Dave then scored birdie, birdie, par on the closing holes to wrap up what had been a great game with highlights for all of us.

Anyway 39 points and I am definitely getting much more consistent. There was sniff of a chance to break 90 today but that evaporated on the 2nd. I have a feeling that a big cut and a sub 90 score are brewing. I am really disappointed that my nieces christening means that I can't play in the Club Championships as on this form I think I would have a real chance of the nett competition. Nevermind the kudos lies in winning it gross and I have a way to go to nab that.

Craig, Dave and Les I hope to play with you again in the near future.

86 (66)
5(3), -(5), 5(3), 5(4), 6(5), 4(3), 6(5), 5(4), 5(4), 4(3), 4(3), 6(5), 4(4), 5(3), 7(4), 5(4), 5(4), 5(3)

Brownie points required

Gents I need help. I have fallen so far out of favour with HID that a reunion between Avram Grant, Ambramovich and Chelsea seems much more likely than domestic reconciliation. To be fair I made a rod for my own back. If the two games in three days world war was provocative in the extreme then my compulsive sport viewing has turned things apocalyptic. To place it in the appropriate context we are not talking about clothes being flung from a bedroom window along with a suitcase to pack them in. No this is far worse. Underneath the pleasantries I firmly believe lurks an unwillingness to support my future golf endeavours. If this bites into reality it could seriously derail my progress.

In my defence this weekend is an unprecedented one on the sporting calendar. The Champions League Final, Monaco Grand Prix, French Open, First Test in Cardiff (although it has been fairly drab thus far) and of course the BMW Championship at Wentworth. Though we are out this evening and yesterday's sport was punctuated by a shopping excursion that included the gift of two new tops, I fear that I have not done enough.

There are many of you that will be more experienced in navigating this domestic minefield than me. Your advice would be most welcome. I think I'm turning the corner but without an understanding and supportive spouse my progress may well be scuppered before it leaves the dock.

20:20 vision

Out with 20 points, back with 20 points and things are on the up. Had it not been for a shaky three holes on the back nine it could have been so much better. I am still struggling with releasing the club through impact. All those days yearning to emulate David Gower in the nets at school have cost me massively. I used to hit some cracking cover drives in my day, now it is causing me to lose shots right. The wind was certainly not helping today either. One lost ball  on the 8th, which should be an easy 2 points and turned into a tough 1 point as I made par with my second tee shot. The first just snuck out of bounds never to be seen again.

But there is certainly a clarity forming around my game. I know where my bad shot will go. I know why my bad shot happens, so with a little more work hopefully I can fix that flaw. My chipping is solid but at times let down by poor club choice. I know when my tempo is off and how to remedy it on course. All in all for the first time I am actually building an understanding of my game. Though I'm far from consistent, at least I can allow for my short comings.

My 20 points out was enough to scoop the swindle pot on the front nine and my total of 40 points won overall. We had a four way tie on the back nine and I lost on countback (blinking blob on 15!). But today was fun as well as being a step in the right direction. Club Assistant Pro got a big hug when I came off the course, it's just a shame that I'm not able to play in the medal and club championship next weekend.

As for the dip on the back nine...The group in front were being held up and one of their number left early on the 14th hole. As a result my twoball joined the twoball in front. I lost my tempo for three holes and hit some poor shots. A lucky daisy cutter on 16th wound up on the green, I two putted and regained my composure. Shame really but a helpful reminder that tempo is everything. As for my winnings, it's being spent on coffee and cake to appease the missus when we go shopping this afternoon. I'm still in the doghouse but she does love a Costa...

FIR 25%, GIR 12%, Putts 31, Scrambles 20%

86 (67)
4(3), 6(5), 5(3), 5(4), 8(5), 3(3), 6(4), 4(4), 4(4), 4(3), 5(5), 6(4), 6(4), -(4), 5(4), 4(3)

World War Three...

Has kicked off massively at home. What is it with wimmin? I consider myself to be a decent bloke. Hand on heart I can say it is an extremely rare occurrence for me to go out to the pub of an evening. I often dash back after golf to give us the maximum amount of time in the afternoon to go out and do something as a family. We live in Ipswich as that's where she is from but because of the nature of my work I have a four and a half hour commute into London for work. This means I get very little me time during the week. I play every Saturday morning at 8am and am normally home by 11.30-12pm we have lunch go out with the littl'un, everyone's a winner. We also introduced a calendar system whereby any plans such as evenings out, extra golf etc gets put up in advance.

Got a few Golf Monthly Forum members coming down to play my track on Monday and it's been on the calendar for about six weeks. However, she assumed that because I was playing Monday I wouldn't play on Saturday. Well you know what they say about why you should never 'ass-u-me' anything. So when she asks me what we're doing on Saturday and I say I thought we'd take the littl'un out in the afternoon she goes mental.

Now if I'd played a lot of golf recently I'd understand, however it's been the exact opposite. We've just come back from a family holiday to Italy (which was my birthday present to her) so I didn't play the weekend we went and only played nine holes on the Sunday morning when we got back (at the same time she was out on her long run). I can't play next weekend as we are away and I've taken Thursday off work to go to the Suffolk show with her and the littl'un.

Will she take any of this into consideration? Will she 'eck. The steam is billowing from my ears as I type. Aaaarggh!!!! Well I'm playing tomorrow morning, I'm playing Monday morning and if she wants to ruin the rest of the long weekend by cutting her nose off to spite her face than so be it. I just hope that she eventually sees reason! Right off to chill out as the last thing I need is to hack my way round the course tomorrow. No a nice PB would be lovely. Fiver says that when I rush back from the course tomorrow they will still be in their pyjamas!

A case of the unmentionables...

I didn't want to recognise that it happened at first, perhaps it was a momentary blip. Unfortunately it wasn't. It was an evening practice session ruined by an inexplicable case of the shermans. I'm putting it down to being an off night and that usual service will resume on Friday. That said it did momentarily knock the wind out of my sails as I couldn't figure out why it was happening. Once my mind became focussed on the fact the problem was there I had no choice but to abandon approach practice and play in the sand pit.

Bunkers are still crazy hard for me but at least with my new regimen of drawing lines in the sand I can see the issue is where my club strikes the sand. I guess plenty of regular practice is the trick but it's finding the time that's the problem.

It all boils down to my commute. Trekking to London three times per week severely limits opportunities to play and practice. I spend over 4.5 hrs travelling when I hit the big smoke. That's 13.5 hrs a week. Imagine how much better I'd be if I could spend half that time on the course. More importantly imagine how much more supportive of my golf needs my missus would be if I spent the other half of that time being a doting hubby and father.

Mmmm this hints at issues caused by the other unmentionable word: recession. Seeing as there are no jobs in my neck of the woods (well none that pay enough/that I'm qualified to do) I need to work for myself. Not the best time for a new business start up but Operation New Career (codename: Happy Days) is underway. Having watched The Apprentice I think maybe I should have applied. The majority of the men this year are seriously weak and a £250k start up investment would be pretty tasty!

Aint nobody...

Aint nobody, does it better... OK, OK I have slightly modified the lyrics but stick with me. Simon 'Chaka' Khan. Probably my favourite golf story of 2010. Loses his card in November 2009 and has to go back through Q School. Earns his card but needs to rely on a sponsors invite to play in the BMW Championship. He finds out he has a place in the competition on the Monday and despite making the cut is well adrift on Saturday. He feels at home at Wentworth and it seems fitting that it was the venue of his greatest triumph.

Khan's own words after the tournament are a perfect summary. "When I birdied the 10th I just reminded myself that this is what you always dreamed of doing. This place inspires me. This tournament is the reason I started playing golf."

His final round 66 was sublime, made even more impressive as a host of recognised golf faces were chewed up by the elements and revamped course. It is a tragedy that Khan's victory was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Els' adjustments. I can only hope that 'Chaka' repeats the feat on the Tour this year. He strikes me a being a thoroughly humble and down to earth star, a worthy winner and a fantastic role model.

In the interim savour this magical clip from the European Tour. No prizes for guessing which tour star 'shoots' the clay pigeon!

Back in the swing...

Well it seems as though I am picking up where I left off. Things are better but short game a little rusty. Too many three putts and poor chips today for my liking. That said I did sink a 20 foot putt to make birdie on our SI1 5th hole. That was most definitely the highlight of my day. Just the nine holes today and 18 points which is showing some good consistency. I've not played 18 holes for a while but the last three times I've played the front nine I've scored 17, 19, and 18 points.

I'm pleased with how things are going and I hope to really sharpen my short game over the next six weeks. At the same time I'm hoping that my ball striking will continue to improve putting me in a string position for July's medal. Playing in the swindle next Saturday and then with a couple of Golf Monthly forumers on Bank Holiday Monday. Really looking forward to that game.

Off now to soak up the end of the Formula One, Poulter v Donald in the Matchplay and the delegation dogfight. The only sad thing is that my beloved Hammers are already down.

50(36)
4(3), 7(5), 5(3), 7(4), 4(5), 5(3), 8(5), 5(4), 5(4)

Bonjourno!

On the road up to the Grotte de Castullo in Sirmione

Just back from a week long break on Lake Garda so apologies for the lack of updates (though I did time a couple to appear while I was away). Had a fantastic time and would highly recommend a trip to this beautiful region in Italy. We stayed in Malcesine which is a cracking town but when we go next time (and there will be a next time) we'll be heading to Sirmione. In a word: mesmerising.

Surprised to report that I didn't miss golf as much as I thought I would. That mainly owed to fantastic fun I had with my family as we enjoyed our first trip abroad together. Due to my MS treatment I have not been able to travel overseas for the last couple of years and it made a welcome break.

I'll be hitting the club tomorrow though and that will be the litmus test as to whether the bvreak was a timely one or has wreaked more havoc with my progress. Fingers crossed I can get at least nine holes in but with the weather how it is I think I'll struggle to get a tee time. One big disappointment has been the lack of rain during my absence. I have a feeling the fairways might be like tarmac tomorrow...

Prioritisation

Golf: driving men crazy since 17th Century

In my opinion the toughest challenge for new golfers is prioritising their development. Quite simply we need to work on and improve everything but we don't have the time to do it. So we either try to strengthen particular areas or work on everything simultaneously. From my experience neither approach was particularly successful. The former will lead to one area improving, while another critical facet declines. The latter invariably leads to minimal net gains as your time is spread too thinly across too many areas. Some say that putting is the game within the game. I disagree. It's one of many.

Woods, hybrids, irons may all use full swings but the longer the club, the harder it is to control. I'd even go so far as to separate out the irons into short, middle and long. Allowing for tweaks in the setup the key difference is that any swing flaws are exaggerated as the shaft gets longer. Then there is the distance control required for pitches, touch and creativity for chips and the art of bunker play. Add to that the world of putting and it is no wonder that so many new golfers are bewildered on the course. But it doesn't stop there. Things are compounded by the variations in quality of lie, dealing with wind, keeping shots low under trees, managing the course to give you the best angle of attack, knowing when to take your medicine and when to go for it.

I will openly admit that I made two poor decisions when I took up golf and I believe those mistakes are the primary reasons for my ongoing struggles. Firstly, I wasted 7 months on the driving range and pitch and putt. A futile pointless exercise and if any of you are new tothe game and fear getting on the course: don't. Get out and play, which leads me to my second mistake, not playing enough. I am addressing that now but the range/practice ground is a comfort blanket. Errors are quickly forgotten and good shots overly rewarded. A good vehicle for engraining a swing but now I take my measure of ppeogress on my score. At the end of the day it's the best barometer.

Where now for Tiger?

Today the Player's Championship will crown a new champion but the main talking point surrounding the 'fifth' Major is Thursday's withdrawal of Tiger Woods. My opinions of Woods are split as I struggle to divorce his skill from his persona. He has failed to live up to his responsibilities as a role model but has delivered such sheer brilliance on course, that these misgivings are almost forgivable. His staunchest supportershave always argued that he would regain his best form. However, the re-emergence of the knee and achilles injuries that have plagued him since Augusta, suggest that their optimism may need review.

The deterioration of his knee, and the attempts he has made to reconstruct his game to protect it, suggest to me that Woods' star is waning. There are enough mental challenges in golf without the added concern on every tee of whether your ligaments are up to the job. To play his best golf, Tiger needs to not only be fit, but also to believe that he is fit. It is this latter point, which may I fear see him limp to the end of his career.

There are some that will be non-plussed if he exits the game but I believe they are allowing their perceptions of the man cloud their recollection of his genius. There is certainly a greater fondness for him on the other side of the pond, but I think that the British public want their heroes to be engaging and entertaining on and off the course. Tiger has never displayed the charisma required to endear himself to the British public.

My own wish is for one last hurrah, followed by a gracious exit. The real pity would be if he whimpered out of the game whilst simultaneously destroying his body. Unfortunately, I fear the culmination of his golf career may be the latter...

Sod's Law

Why is it that just as you are starting to make some progress an untimely break from golf gets in the way? Maybe it's work, or an injury, poor weather or a family holiday but just as you think things are clicking you are kept off the course.

After getting my first cut I was worried about the snap hook that was hurting my cards. I went out in 54 that day but played really well on the back nine. We changed my grip and it took a while to get used to and I carded two nightmare front nines a measly 9 pts in the swindle and a shocking 60 (+24) in the medal.

I carried on working hard and perseverance paid off as I scored 17pts, then 19pts in my last two times out playing the front nine. I also feel I'm capable of doing much better. Last night three poor (and avoidable) shots ruined my card yet I still scored those 19 points. One playing the hero shot and nottsking my medicine, one unnecessarily sliced approach went I looked up to see to arrow in on the flag and one wedge shot where I over thought everything and left it short as a result.

The point is that I feel like I am on the crest of a wave but now have to take a break from golf for ten days. My only hope is that I can pick up where I left off.

Silver lining...

It seems as though the Blogger maintenance took exception to my previous description of Thursday's round and so I shall try again. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Amen to that. Saturday's debacle and the return to the drawing board is paying dividends. A bit of wind and less accurate ball striking meant I hit no GIR, yet I fared two strokes better with better short game focus. To be fair I did only narrowly miss GIR a couple of times, including being long on two occassions where I absolutely pured the approach. Hard ground, a big bounce and tail wind played a massive part in 8iron (184) 4 iron (238)travelling much further than expected.

A brilliant, even if I do say so myself, ulama down gave me a par on the 5th. But key to everything is that all the pain I have been through is starting to come together in a solid package. Three errors caused the two triples and one double but only one of those was an error in execution. It's been a tough time for me, wading for what seems like an eternity, uphill through treacle.

There are still things to improve, notably my hybrid and 3 wood striking, but for now I am content to be making progress once again.

49(36)
4(3), 6(5), 4(3), 7(4), 5(5), 4(3), 8(5), 6(4), 5(4)

Every cloud...

Hand on heart I can honestly say I have never hot a golf ball better, nor felt more comfortable as I did on the golf course last night. For some time now I have felt that there was something missing in my pre shot routine. There wasn't a consistent feeling everytime I stood over a golf ball. These minor changes have helped resolve that. You may view them as common sense, you may be startled to hear I wasn't doing these things but nevertheless I'm going to share them with you. I believe that this is the light bulb moment that will kickstart my golf improvement.

My pre shot routine begins when I have selected my club and type of shot to play. I have always strived to the process as a dress rehearsal for the shot itself. A few tweaks have helped me enhance the quality, and therefore the effectiveness, of this preparation.

1. Practice swing(s)
Firstly I have no longer got a predetermined number. Before it used to be two now it's the number I need to think 'yes that's how I want to play this shot'. The second tweak is their direction. I used to face the target line and swing perpendicular to it meaning my body faced the target and my swing was at right angles. Why I did this I have no idea, but it did not aide visualisation of the shot I was about to play. I now swing on the intended line about three paces behind my ball. I have also shortened my backswing but that's a story for another day!

2. Set up
I still identify a target in the distance and a target on the floor about 6-18 inches in front of the ball. However, I now line up the clubface with my feet together (used to be apart). This is an easier way to check they are on a parallel line with clubface and ball pointing at target. I then move my feet apart ensuring the ball is positioned appropriately forward or backward in my stance.

3. Distance from ball
This I think is the bit that cost me the most shots. I effectively used to guess if I 'felt' the right distance from the ball. I would shuffle about till it seemed right but now I know this could lead to massive fluctuations in actual position. As a consequence my body would attempt to adjust on the downswing to return the clubface to the ball. Bow I hold my club parallel to the ground, bend forward at my hips, bend my knees slightly and when lowered the clubhead should be perfectly aligned with the ball. Since doing this I have realised that in the course of a round my ball position varied from being half an inch too close to being an inch too far away.

From this exercise I have learnt that with alignment sticks, the edge of a mat, divots from past shots and their frequency as aids, getting a good set up in practice is easier than on the course. How many times do you hit a few poor ones to start and then 'get into the groove'? I'm sure that a large amount of my problems and inconsistencies have stemmed from an inconsistent set up. All I need to do now is prove that theory by knocking a big chunk off my handicap. I have a bit of a wait till my next qualifying competition but for now at least the black clouds that were circling on Saturday seem to be glimmering with a rather opulent silver lining.

Ray of sunshine

Despite the glorious weather the outlook on my golf game has been somewhat overcast. However, today the clouds peeled back and the sun shone as things began to click. The key to this change of fortune is simple: a much better pre shot routine and a shorter backswing. Biggest surprise is that I'm still hitting the ball a similar distance, which is probably due to cleaner ball striking.

Don't get me wrong it's far from perfect, but definitely a huge step in the right direction. From nine holes today I hit four GIR and narrowly missed landing a fifth. After slappy tee shots on the 1st and 2nd my ball striking got so much better. I feel that I may have just turned the corner. I didn't convert my chances today but that was due to rushing the short game to focus on long game.

The one remaining issue to resolve is to get my 3 wood firing again. Still skying it but hope to resolve that in the near future. But for now things are looking up!

51(36)
5(3), 8(5), 3(3), 6(4), 8(5), 4(3), 7(5), 5(4), 5(4)

Dejected, Downhearted, Despondent...

isastrous it was and trawling the dictionary for any other adjectives beginning with D that can sum up my golfing mood...ah yes Despair. It's all gone horribly wrong. 110 in the medal, seven penalties, good shots punished with bad bounces. The word nightmare doesn't come close. Out in 60, back in 50 AND with two pars on the scorecard. It really was a car crash of a round. I did have a lot on my mind, as well as the golf there was also the fact that I was back on the Radio 1 Surgery on Sunday night. The radio stint went well, the golf didn't and time for me to back to another D, the Drawing board.

Having spoken to the assistant pro after my round there is clearly one thing letting me down, Direction. There were very few shots wasted yesterday because of a poor connection. In fact the connection was significantly better with the new grip. The problem was controlling where the ball went. The plan of action? Shorten my back swing.

So for the foreseeable future i am only permitted to play and practice with a half back swing. I also have to take more time in my practice as if I was playing a shot on the course everytime. This means deliberately spending longer lining up each shot and getting my set up and posture consistent. I'm allowed to spend the same amount of time practicing but only permitted to hit half as many balls. As it is the summer I should b ok for distance as our baked fairways are rolling like tarmac. I did hit some good shots yesterday, the putting was solid if unspectacular as was my chipping. Those 7 penalties alone equated to 13 lost shots and removing those sticks me at 97. I'm putting it down as a bad day at the office but with a holiday coming up I'm not sure if the break from golf will be a good or a bad thing.

110 (71)
7(3), 7(5), 6(3), 7(4), 8(5), 4(3), 10(5), 5(4), 6(4), 4(4), 4(3), 9(5), 6(4), 6(4), 7(4), 4(4), 5(4), 5(3)

Seve Ballesteros: Golf Icon

I didn't really like golf in the 80's, actually to be honest I didn't really like golf until a couple of years ago. I found it boring to watch and couldn't quite understand the fascination with the sport that captivated my brother whenever it appeared on television. Despite all that, there was one golfer who I could connect with, one who I did admire, one whose cavalier approach to the game was so awe-inspiring it transcended all the issues I had with the sport. That man was Seve Ballesteros. When I watch old clips on YouTube now, I am even more amazed by his skill, flair and audacity. When I took up the game I wanted to have a short game like Seve, play delicate floaty bunker shots like him, bend the ball around impossible angles like him.

And so, like the rest of the golfing world I am in mourning for an inspirational, courageous man. Seve you are a legend, an icon and a golfing great. You will be sorely missed by millions. You blessed our lives with your wizardry, touched our hearts with your bravery and will be cherished forever in our memory. Rest In Peace.

Getting there...

Dejection on the course: a familiar feeling this month

Went out this evening and played nine holes. With the May medal looming this weekend I have been worried that my latest swing change would not bed down in time. After today I feel more hopeful that I'll be able to put in a good showing on Saturday. It wasn't spectacular by any means and I still have problems skying my hybrid and 3 wood. Throw in a few shonky putts and a rushed hole when I was given the chance to play through and I walked off with 16 points knowing full well that I'd left a good 4 or 5 out there.

The grip is starting to feel more natural and there were signs that the red dot and my modified re shot routine will yield positive results. Trying to get better at this game is tough and often frustrating but days like today offer a glimmer of hope and a vindication for all the hard work. After my round I spent 20 minutes on the putting green, something I've neglected recently. That was also time well spent and I feel I have a lot more confidence now.

The fairways are hard and fast and I think that I will take advantage of this by playing my 4 iron more regularly off the tee to help boost and maintain my confidence. Get it in play and then make decisions from there. I have no idea what has happened with my 3 wood but I just cannot find that low penetrating flight I had a few weeks ago. There is no time to resolve that issue before the weekend but next week I feel a trip to the range may be in order.

I guess the moral of the story for anyone else out there who is struggling with swing changes is stick with it. Now when I get it right I have much more control over the ball and get better results. It's been painful, at times distressing, and quite arduous. I also imagine there is more pain to come but for now I'm happy to be making small progress.

42 (31)
5(4), 5(3), 7(5), -(4), 5(4), 7(4), 5(4), 4(4), 4(3)

Father and son

Gator Golf: just not realistic enough

It was just like one of those too good to miss Supermarket deals: 11 days off for the price of 3. I did have to recount a couple of times before handing in the annual leave card but it was an inspired decision. Despite playing a lot of golf the highlight for me was much closer to home. My son is now officially golf nuts. His 'swing' is more of a hockey push at the moment but he is keen to get the real deal.

Two days ago we sat down and watched The Masters recording instead of Ice Age (for those of you without kids that's huge). He refuses to play Gator Golf with me as it's not proper golf. Instead I have had to bring my putting mat upstairs as he wants to hit the ball in a hole. Colourful plastic golf balls are out only real ones will do. He's obviously content to build his game as he has snubbed my premium Z-Stars in favour of a Wilson Distance ball. I took him over to the Heath with his plastic club and golf ball but he cried because he wanted me to take him onto Rushmere Golf Course. He now wants a golf cap like Daddy and woke my missus at 7am yesterday coming into our room, putting my cap on and proceeding to whack his ball round the bedroom. And to top it all off he no longer wants his lavender snuggly cat at bedtime insisting on dozing off cuddling his plastic driver and holding his golf ball.

I'm delighted. My dad was a keen gardener and my fingers were anything but green. Now he has gone I wish we had spent more time together. Last night when I came home from work I spent 15 minutes on the putting mat playing with Tiger jnr amidst a cacophony of childish giggles and screams of "what a good shot". I hope it is the start of things to come and the creation of many golfing memories to cherish!

Little red dot

My focus on course needs improving and so I have turned to a technique used by Louis Oostuizen at last year's Open. To improve his focus before each shot he drew a red dot on his glove and used that as a mental trigger prior to executing each shot. It certainly worked for the plucky South African as he surprised everyone to hold his nerve and secure a maiden Major victory.

I've noticed that while I hit the ball well on the practice hole, I struggle on the course. I think this is about how I approach each shot. Tension, lack of focus, bad set up, a sneaky peek before I've completed the swing, these are all things that an contribute to a poor shot for me. So I've drawn a red dot on my glove and created a mnemonic from an acronym of the word 'dot'.

Direction - this is to get me to identify my target in the distance, my target six inches in front of the ball and then align myself so the clubface and stance are directing the ball to my target.

Object - quite simply this is the ball. I am guilty of moving my focus off the ball prior to impact so this phase is to remind myself that I will look from target  to ball and then remain focussed on the ball till the swing naturally pulls me through

Tempo - I can get a little thrashy with tension on the course. I need to stay relaxed and swing at about 70 or 75%

Here's hoping it helps me in my medal on Saturday. It's not quite the Open at St Andrews but it's still a competition I want to win.

April statistics

Start of the new season and the hope and promise has been replaced by frustration and despair, well momentarily I hope. I registered my best ever score off the whites at the beginning of the month (97) and had hoped to press on and consolidate scores in the mid 90's. However, I was having problems with inexplicable snap hooks and went to see my pro on 23rd April. St George's Day turned out to be a bit of a nightmare as I have struggled to come to terms with the adjustment he made to my grip. More on that later in the post.

Practice
Putting is still being neglected but I have racked up a lot of hours this month, mainly in an effort to bed in the new grip, improve my chipping and resolve my issues from bunkers. 19 hours and 25 minutes of practice has resulted in one very positive outcome: my chipping is much more consistent and reliable. I hope over the summer months that I can take my vastly improved technique and work on my distance control. I am please that I have exceeded Padraig Harrington's advice to spend 20 minutes a day on your short game, although I packed my time into 3 or 4 more lengthy sessions a week. In my opinion this is sound advice as my ability to score is vastly improved. The problem I have at the moment is creating those chances to score.

Distance	Time (minutes)	% of practice time
Driver	0	0%
Other Woods	0	0%
200 - 250 yards	20	2%
150 – 200 yards	95	8%
100 – 150 yards	205	18%
Short Approach	635	55%
Bunker Play	85	7%
Putting	125	11%
Total	1165	100%

Rounds
As an illustration of the impact of my latest swing change I will break down my round stats into a before and after snapshot of my lesson.The statistics below are a comparison between this month and last month as usual. Fairly consistent though still lacking the ability to convert my chances. I only had one week with the X Factor chipping technique and the nine holes I played once it had a chance to settle I scored 20 points.

Statistic	Performance	SS2 Handicap level
Fairways in Regulation	28% (29%)	22 (22)
Greens in Regulation	17% (18%)	15 (15)
Putts per Round	35.31 (35.17)	19 (19)
Birdie Conversion	0% (0%)	28+ (28+)
Par Scrambles	7% (4%)	28+ (28+)
Sand Saves	0% (0%)	28+ (28+)
Penalties per Round	1.38 (1.38)	14 (14)

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

...and then I had my lesson. Since then I have hit on 5% of Fairways and 3% of Greens in regulation. I am tking more putts (36.58), not scrambling as well (3%) and racking up more penalties (2.32). It's a statistical horror show but I guess it is part of the improvement process. Following my most recent practice session I know that the ability is there but the belief and on course focus is lacking.  I'm hopefully playing tomorrow and a chance for me to put my woes behind me and gear up for the May medal. I know I've got the game to get another cut!