Unconsciously competent

When you learn to drive they talk about four stages with the last being where you don't think about what you are doing, you just do it. In my nine holes today there were glimpses of that. Hit the green on our opening par 3 and narrowly missed the birdie putt. Chipped sideways on our par 5 secod when my second shot kicked into the nasty stuff and then stuck my 7 iron on the green. Hit a great approach on the 7th. Hit some very nice chips as well. They all seemed to happen when I wasn't really thinking about what I was doing. Rather like sliding up through the gears, I was picking target, setting up, looking at my target and letting the shot go. When however I thought about things a little, tension crept in and I hit some shockers. Didn't finish the 5th properly due to a lost ball but the 8 holes I completed I amassed 17 points. Not setting the world alight but steps in the right direction

It kind of reminded me of my striking days. Slam a ball across goal or give me a chance to pull the trigger and more often than not I'd score or make the keeper work. Give me time to weigh up my options... Same with cricket. Pace bowler I'd react better and score better than facing a spinner. Time it seems is my enemy, reflex is my friend.

42 (31)
3(3), 7(5), 4(3), 6(4), -(5), 5(3), 6(5), 6(4), 5(4)

Nonplussed

On Saturday I'll be playing in the July Medal, but I'm surprised to report that I'm not that excited. So far every competition this season has gripped me with a feeling of: what an opportunity but to me Saturday is just another game of golf. It will be slightly tougher as we'll be off the big boys tees and the greenkeeper will probably opt for a few nasty pin positions. Despite that to me it's just another round, no build up, no nervous anticipation, nothing. After seeing my good friend Ian amass a whopping 42 points in the 1922 Cup and come second to a phenomenally good 45 point haul it just reinforced that no matter how well you perform you cannot legislate for other people.

My only hope is that I play well enough to make handicap or buffer so I don't accrue another 0.1 and go back up to 28. Other than that I hope to keep it in play and hit a few memorable shots that I can reflect on in the bar afterwards with a wry smile. With any lucky there will be a bit of banter flying about and if one of the swindle lads can put in a good round that will make it all the sweeter.

I am hoping to play 9/12 holes tomorrow night with my mate Graham who hasn't hit the course for a while. It will be interesting to see if I can take some of the confidence I built at the range on Monday onto the course. The ball reserves are getting depleted so I pray I can at least be accurate as I'd like to make do with what I have until my birthday at the very least. Thinking of changing to the Bridgestones but that's a decision for another today. Right now I'm off to go and play a few holes of Tiger Woods 12 on PS3. If you fancy a game add me to your list, my gamertag is tigerdes...

Gordon Ramsey Golf

F****** go f****** straight you f****** stupid f****** ball. Now this type of Gordon Ramsey golf would not be good. In fact it would be conducive to getting thrown off the driving range and told to "Never f****** come back!" No, I am referring to a useful analogy my pro made at my lesson on Sunday. Golfers need to be like top chefs. When they are cooking they taste the food. By tasting it they know when they've got it right and when they've got it wrong. They also know what adjustments they need to make. At the moment with my 3 wood in hand I am the culinary equivalent of Jamie Oliver with no tongue (and sense of smell for the pedants among you).

The prescribed treatment for this malaise is to spend more time on the driving range striking the offending club. Today I was fortunate enough to get a range session in and took full advantage. Towards the end I did start to get a taste for it and the last dozen or so were really quite promising. I am aiming to make at least one visit to the range every month until at least the end of July hopefully it will be the final piece of my golfing jigsaw and can get me on the way to a sub 20 handicap.

Right I'm off to practice my putting... "You little son of a bitch ball! Why you don't you just go HOME? That's your HOME! Are you too good for your HOME? ANSWER ME! SUCK MY BLACK ASS, BALL!"

A fresh start...

Had a lesson today and was also given some great bunker advice by our assistant pro. My first lesson in two months, some subtle changes and a reinforcement of the necessity for me to swing easy. In terms of making me a better golfer, my pro once again highlighted that distance and club head speed are not a problem for me. Controlling that power is. Having spent 20 minutes on the practice hole we ventured onto the course in a buggy armed with my 3 wood and a 910 driver. It was the first time we had looked at my woods together and my pro wanted me to swing really relaxed say 60-70%. The ones I caught well went a bloody mile and though there was some pap in there the message (I think) has finally sunk home.

So a really productive day and time for me to reassess my practice regimen. For the next month I am knocking my midweek play on the head and will instead go to the range to work on my long game. This will also help build confidence and consistency in my woods at an important time. I'm hoping to add a 910 driver to my bag at the beginning of August with my birthday money and will need to book a visit to Cambridge for the not too distant future. Hitting pin high drives on our par 4 16th opened my eyes to what I have been missing on the course.

I think that all of the short game work I have done will hold me in good stead but it's time for a fresh start and a fresh approach to get that score down. Whilst, I'd like to play more golf, I know I need to groove those longer clubs first. Medal next week and I'm optimistic.

Confessions of a technoholic...

"Good morning...my name is Tiger and ... I'm a technoholic. I'm not sure what came first, probably the obsession then the blog followed. I've seen other cases on other blogs of those that have become immersed in all things technical with regards to their golf. Many descend into tales of woe, which from the surface is fairly inexplicable given the hours of dedication these guys tend to ply into their game. These guys...I guess that's another denial. I am one of those guys.

I didn't want to admit it at first. It was something other people suffered from. Not me. I'm different. I'm aiming to reach my full potential and to do that I surely have to analyse my game. The stats, the practice regimen, the focus, the analysis, the lessons, the training aids, the video clips, the magazine articles, the theories, the list... Is.... Endless.

I guess admitting I have a problem is the first step, but what do I do know. Two years, well nearly two years and I have nothing to show for it save a web archive of narrative and a 0.6 handicap cut. None of it makes sense. I hit the ball pretty long. I have the ability to hit it pretty straight. I predominantly get it airborne. I know my wedge distances. My chipping is fairly good. My putting is solid. Yet I rack up golf scores that rival Alastair Cook's innings in last winter's Ashes.

I can't let go of the analysis though, as the phrase goes it has paralysed me. I don't play golf with freedom and bravado. I don't throw caution to the wind to have fun, have a blast and whack it round the course. I become over cautious, protective of my score desperate not to let an error seep in and ruin a good card, or compound a bad one. I hit 4 iron when I should hit 3 wood. I still don't own a driver. What in the name of the illustrious Seve Ballesteros am I scared of? Feck knows. It's just a bloody game.

Maybe it's time to draw an end to this blog, forget about any form of challenge and/or aspiration and just play for feck's sake.

This is my confession. I am a technoholic. It has done me no favours. It has been a curse rather than a blessing. Don't make the same mistakes as me. Enjoy your game without pressure. Set yourself goals if you must but don't enshrine them in metaphorical tablets as a set of commandments or they may well become your golfing epitaph. Whatever the weather, whereever you are, swing free, have fun and enjoy. I'll try to do the same."

FFS...

EFT Points

Very interesting thread on the Golf Monthly Forum if you haven't already seen it. When I started playing golf I had an aspiration to learn it from green to tee. Two years later and I am still struggling to score well and started to think maybe I got my approach all wrong. A guy on the Golf Monthly Forum has a markedly different approach. Work hard on your long game, improve your accuracy and distance and the rest will follow.

Today I hit the course to play nine holes. As usual it was hit and miss with a couple of errant long shots destroying an otherwise decent card. At the 7th I ran into traffic and headed to the practice ground. Admittedly, I hit my trusty 6 iron but shot after shot arrowed in on the green. WTF! I can't win. I go to work on my swing: lovely ball striking. I go on the course: error strewn.

I hate this bloody game sometimes. Seriously considering Emotional Therapy Technique (EFT). There has to be some kind of psychological block as I cannot make head nor tail of it. Here's hoping Sunday's lesson will help, he's got an hour I'm not sure if that's enough time for a miracle.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters

Well the title star is out of action (he doesn't even feature on the front cover), The Masters is old news but it was a thoughtful Father's Day gift and I'm very pleased with it. Unlike past iterations of the game I have played, this one seems like a more realistic simulation. First up the new over the shoulder view is great. No more birdseye opportunities to pick your exact landing spot you know pick your shots as you would do on the course for real. I like the caddie option especially as the real skill comes in knowing when to take their advice and when to go for your own shot. They do also seem to get better as you progress as I've noticed some subtle differences especially with approach shots and putting recommendations.

What makes the game though is playing Augusta. It looks absolutely stunning and plays as your memories of action would suggest. Putting is monstrously difficult and it gives you an appreciation of the level of skill that the professionals display to tame certain holes. I've not delved into most of the other courses yet but if they are as breathtaking I'm in for a treat. The crowds are poorly rendered and almost detract from the sumptuous backdrop.

My one bug bear is the need to purchase some courses for the career mode. Downloadable content is great and a more subtle execution (enabling purchased courses to 'appear' in career mode) woul;d have been advisable. Executing it in this way seems more of a shameless money grabbing ploy than a response to gamers demands.

This aside it is a tremendous improvement to the franchise. The last Tiger Woods game I owned on PS3 was the 07 iteration and things have certainly moved on. Whether I'll be tempted to get Playstation Move for the complete experience I am not sure, but for now it has surplanted FIFA as my 'pet game' and that takes some doing!

My rating 82%