September Stats

Progress. Despite the Felixstowe debacle (the stats for which are not included) things are moving in the right direction. I'm hitting many more GIR which has had an adverse affect on my scrambling and putting stats but I'll take that as it means I am scoring better. Looking for a good showing in the Autumn Series and November medal.

Practice
Not had much chance to practice this month but that was mainly through holiday and taking the last few opportunities to play a midweek nine instead of toiling at the range or practice ground. I expect next month I will be practicing a lot more, especially with the longer clubs. I', working on getting myself a practice 6 iron I can leave in the new office and use at the range around the corner, which will help.

Distance	Time (minutes)	% of practice time
Driver	0	0%
Other Woods	0	0%
200 - 250 yards	0	0%
150 – 200 yards	20	4%
100 – 150 yards	155	34%
Short Approach	180	40%
Bunker Play	15	3%
Putting	85	19%
Total	455	100%

Rounds
Penalies are up again which is not good but all in all I'm fairly happy with my stats this month especially the improvements I am making in GIR. I'm also creating and taking more birdie opportunities which is really encouraging. I've now birdied 8 of the holes on the course and string pars together on a number of occasions. I just need to swing smooth and focus. Concentration is the key to me going really low.

Statistic	Performance	SS2 Handicap level
Fairways in Regulation	27% (29%)	23 (22)
Greens in Regulation	25% (19%)	12 (14)
Putts per Round	36.98 (34.83)	21 (17)
Birdie Conversion	14% (13%)	14 (16)
Par Scrambles	5% (10%)	28+ (25)
Sand Saves	- (0%)	- (28+)
Driving distance	254 (257)	4 (4)
Penalties per Round	2.29 (1.87)	23 (19)

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

My target last month was to improve FIR & GIR and whilst fairways remained consistent greens in regulation did improve. Just need to tackle those pesky scrambling and penalty stats.

Cleveland HiBore XLS Review

Cleveland HiBore XLS Driver
As someone who hits a fade I have to hit a really fade slice to get any left to right movement with the club. The stability fins (code for funny looking scooped out back) are designed to counter this shape and generally Hit hit this driver with a soft draw.

I'll not lie, it makes an awful thunk sound on impact, a bit like thwacking a golf ball with an aluminum baseball bat. The look at address takes a bit of getting used to and I'm not sure it would suit a purist that likes looking down on a pear shaped driver head.

Despite these aesthetic and acoustic issues it goes a country mile. I'm averaging 260 yards with it, which includes the poorer 230 yard connections and the mahoosive 290+ drives. As a high handicapper I cannot fault this club and though I wished the head cover would stay on a bit better, it will be a fixture in my bag for a while to come.

The Golf of Your Dreams: Book review

The Golf of Your Dreams, Bob Rotella 

(Audio Book, 2004)

With his lisping drawl Dr Bob narrates to you his book Golf of Your Dreams. The book is about making a plan with your coach and with yourself about how you can and will improve. Listening to the book rather than reading it does allow some of the messaging to sink in more easily and I keep meaning to stick it on when I am in the car on the way to the course, invariably I forget.

As with all Rotella books it is steeped in common sense, sound advice and no real surprises. But getting those critical, if simple messages, constantly reinforced is an important thing. Recently, regular blog visitors will have noticed that I have taken a more positive approach to my posts, refraining from lamenting my troubles and focusing more intently on my successes. The result has been significant;y improved scoring and immeasurably improved enjoyment of teh game. It is the latter of those two things that I hold most dear. I am buoyed on returning from the course, rather than being frustrated that I have to wait another seven days to right any wrongs I committed.

I'm not going to lie to you, if you are familiar with the words of wisdom of Dr Bob there isn't much new in here that you haven't already heard or read before.That is except maybe the nudge to have a playing lesson. My coaching plan is actually to take a break from lessons and to instead look to develop what skills I have using the knowledge I have gained so far. This is almost flying in the face of Dr Bobs guidance, but I feel I need a break from tutelage and a regimen of mental conditioning. As always Dr Bob will be my close companion.

However, in the New Year I intend on having a couple of playing lessons before the start of the new season, alongside a review of my swing. Starting afresh almost as an established golfer with an improved understanding of his own swing.

If you have yet to try Dr Bob I'd recommend this book along with 'Your 15th Club' and 'Putting out of Your Mind'. They may not have worked for me yet, but a friend of mine who is also a believer has seen his handicap cut from 24 down to 18 this year, as well as winning numerous competitions, including the nett Club Championship.

82%

Scotland in the East: Felixstowe Ferry GC

The Felixstowe Ferry Clubhouse and the 12th Green

Our friends north of the border would have described the wind that greeted me at Felixstowe Ferry as a mild breeze. But to me it was like a gale force wind the way it toyed with my ball and generally caused me countless problems. The course at Felixstowe is steeped in tradition and history. Built in 1880 it is the fifth oldest course in the UK and contains a couple of two hundred year old Martello towers. The fairways were in fantastic condition, most likely in my opinion because they are hit so infrequently. They are very tight especially on the brutal holes that hug the coastline.

You begin your links adventure with a downhill tee shot with a view out to sea to your right and a road, that divides the course, winding away to your left. The wind and a slight draw saw my first effort bouncing down the tarmac and my second into the long grass by the side of the road. In fact I don't think anyone in my four ball found the short grass.

Opening tee shot went left, waaaay left!

The stand out holes for me would be the 7th, with a stream that zig zags up the fairway, making you think carefully about which segment of the short grass to aim for. The 12th is an unusual hole hit uphill and over the road that clearly was not in existence when the course was first built. The netting to protect the road does not make the hum of oncoming traffic any less unnerving and the car park to the back right of the green usually affects club selection more than the bunkers to the front. My recommendation, take the extra club.

After the 13th you wind your way around the first tee, past the 18th green to the 13th tee box at the highest point of the course hitting down to a fairway that looks as thin as an emaciated stick insect. For me this offers the most spectacular view of the course and whether or not your tee shot finds it's target you can't help but silently applaud the majestic, yet brutal, beauty of it all.

You finish off with two tough uphill long par 4's the first of which is guarded by a Martello Tower that my errant approach shot smacked into. A thoroughly enjoyable, if challenging test of golf, and I will most definitely be revisiting our very own piece of God's Own Country in the future.

Experimentation...

Well my last three on course outings have taught me an awful lot. A bit of experimentation yesterday has helped me to decide on a strategy for my next competition. Till now I've sometimes played too cautiously and it has backfired. That old conundrum of risk and reward has often led me to place a healthy wager with the course at an inopportune moment. So with recent experience fresh in my mind and a little look at my statistics has helped me identify where too attack. Interestingly, it is on one of my problem holes that I first intend to take the course on. Our 4th has caused me many problems in the past. However, I have noticed that I have got my best scores when I've had a go from the tee, though interestingly with wind behind that can be with as little as a 4 iron. Conversely our par 3 6th, which is notoriously difficult to hit and stick is going to be treated with more caution. Some of the easiest holes on my course is the stretch from the 8th to the 11th. However, having a go with the longer clubs yields very little benefit, except for the most accurate and powerful strikes. So I shall take these on with no more than a five iron in hand. It has been a worthwhile planning exercise and it has certainly opened my eyes to a number of misperceptions I've had about how best to tackle my own course. Only time will tell if theory translates into performance. What I will say is this. My personal best was achieved with similar tactics to the ones I'm proposing and the holes I got wrong that day owed more to poor execution rather than poor planning.

The Eagle has...

...jumped out, but it was so, so close. Yesterday I decided to play a more attacking game. Recently I have been playing percentages and getting the rewards but if I'm going to improve I have to start taking the course on a little bit more. So as it was just a swindle round I decided to hit the longer clubs and on a couple of occasions it paid off. Playing the par 5 7th yesterday was an example of what I can achieve when my game is on.

Hit a cracking long drive, smoked a 5 iron pin high to the right fringe of the green and opted to leave the flag in rather than have it tended. I'll never know whether that was the right decision but my putt hit the flagstick, fell in the hole and jumped back out again. Safe birdie.

I wasn't in contention in the swindle but I was pleased with how I played. Poor holes caused by lapses of concentration balanced out by some good quality golf. Off actual handicap 35 points with 4 blobs and probably about five holes messed up by poor tee shots when I was trying something a little more aggressive than usual. All in all I'm happy with how today went. Onwards and upwards and maybe next time the eagle will land!

77 (58)
4(3), 6(5), 4(3), 6(4), -(5), 4(3), 4(5), 6(4), 5(4), -(4), 3(3), 6(5), 8(4), 7(4), 6(4), -(4), 4(3)

A storm is brewing...

Well it's all kicked off in world of golf. The Wild Thing has thrown his toys out the pram and his clubs in the lake at the Austria Open. The strop of all strops kicked off in relation to a two shot penalty after he had got himself back into contention. John Daly has never been a shrinking violet and this latest episode is merely another notch on a rather forlorn looking and distressed bedpost.

Just prior to the Daly induced uproar, the mischievous press manipulated the words of young Rory McIlroy to imply that he felt Tiger was finished as a golfer. In fact R-Mac was merely pointing out that El Tigre was at the peak of his powers back in 2001 and that there is little chance of anyone ever reaching that level of dominance. Despite being taken out of context, McIlroy does have a fair point and I am sad to say that I fear Master Woods' star has permanently waned.

If that wasn't enough the Solheim Cup kicked off yesterday and with rank outsiders Europe taking a first day lead of 4.5 - 3.5. You'd have hoped the headlines would be on the potential 'cupset' that was in store. Sadly though media coverage has focused on unnecessarily and painfully slow play and forum discussions have criticised the quality of play. It is a shame that the culmination of the Ladies season isn't producing the high calibre golf that they are capable of, especially when compliments of the ladies game predominantly focus on the aesthetically pleasing appearances of a number of the protagonists.

On the subject of gorgeous gals, Laura Davies' bid to become the competitions record point scorer was put on hold after she was left out of the morning foursomes and suffered defeat in the afternoons fourball at the hands of Presser/Creamer. She needs just a half to tie with Annika Sorenstam and a full point to have the record in her own right. Having played in a record 12 Cups I hope she manages it this weekend and for all you Davies fan's out there, here's a cracking shot of her in a rather fetching outfit. Here's hoping her playing partner's brought her Oakleys!

Season end

Sadly this season has come to an end for me as we now move into winter golf. For me the October medal is the end of the golf season proper and the transition to the winter season, bringing with it colder, wetter weather and darker evenings. Unfortunately, I am unable to play in next week's medal and will have to wait till November for my next opportunity for a cut and shot at a bit of metal. It has been a disappointing season that started with so much promise that I was unable to build on. There have been a number of positives, primarily the fact that I now have greater control of my swing, I just need greater control of my powers of concentration. It is for that reason I am optimistic this winter and confident that next year I will be consistently in contention. In the interim I have two goals. The first is to try and win the Autumn Series with my partner in crime. We got off to a solid start last week and with two more pairs rounds to go we'll hopefully cement a position atop the leaderboard. The second is to get a low teens handicap with the guys in the Saturday swindle. We put a quid in for front nine, back nine and full 18 and you are cut a shot for each section you win. Win all three and you are cut four shots. I've not played much with the this year due to competitions and games elsewhere. I'm currently off 24 but feel I have a couple of big wins in the tank. This willcertainly get me used to playing to a lower handicap, which will hopefully help my mentality with a card in my hand. Outside of golf I'm in a happy place right now. The new job has eased our financial worries so we can now look to add to our family. I'm also looking forward to the challenge of the new role and potentially some lunch break range practice. I guess that has made me a bit more laid back and I've certainly been playing better since I got through that application process. Here's to an enjoyable winter!

David Blaine golf

You know the feeling. You hit a belter, you see it take off you have the line marked and then it vanishes in the gloomy conditions. You think you have a line on it, you head off in that direction. You get there. No ball. You are kidding me, but I hit it here, I'm sure of it...well actually I'm not that sure but I was pretty confident it landed here...or hereabouts...oh man!

Now the random vanishing ball trick is bad enough on one hole, but four times on a nine hole round!!!! Killed me. But that's life. The big positive today was that I took on my nemesis hole and won, well kind of. Up until now I have played it cautiously, and come unstuck. The hole is a slight dogleg right with mature oak trees down the right hand side and gorse and scrubby long grass down the left. Pulled out the driver and smashed one down the right hand side drawing back into the middle of the fairway. Happy days. It almost made up fo the vanishing balls...almost.

So five holes completed and I scored bogey, par, bogey, bogey, bogey. The golf is getting better I just have to concentrate more. Focus and concentration is key for me, when I do that. Wow! So the sad news is that midweek evening rounds are a thing of the past and the range is on its way. The good news is I think I'm starting to get the hang of this game.

Laying up...

Course management is much touted as the critical component that is oft missing from the high handicappers game. Till now my approach has worked from green back to tee with the ambition of playing my approach shot from about 100 yards out and steering clear of any trouble on my way there. Recently I have started hitting a lot more GIR and it has actually been because I have been playing my approach shots from further out! 

My course isn't the longest with quite a few short par 4's. Recently rather than having a wedge in my hand I've been hitting more approaches with my short irons. This has got me thinking. Distance control with my eight and nine iron is better because the club head is so forgiving on off centre strikes. While specialist wedges come into their own around the greens, from distance they can be as tricky to hit as any forged club, especially when you generally use Super Game Improving irons (though Titleist would never call the AP1s an SGI club).

The other factor of course is that, if I am hitting my approaches from further out, I am hitting less club off the tee or second shot on par 5's. This is in turn helping my accuracy and putting me in better positions to nail my shot to the green. All of a sudden I am starting to think I want to be approaching this green from the left because the pin is on the right. It has really opened my eyes to the way I play my course and how flawed my course management has been until now. My new considerations for my course management are:

• leave myself 140 yards for my approach shots
• hit each approach from the opposite side of the fairway to the pin
• check as I move around the course to know pin positions (front, middle or back) for upcoming holes
• where is the trouble on the green
• where is the trouble from the tee and can I aim away from it

Simple things really but thought processes I've neglected till now. I guess now I feel I have more control over the ball I want to start plotting my way around more sensibly. Playing nine holes on Thursday so a chance to put the plan into action.

You wait an age for a bus...

Well as the old adage goes you go a while without any then three turn up at once. To be fair it is only natural that unpick up a few niggles. Like many men in the early thirties I still have the misguided perception that I have retained the flexibility of a Russian gymnast that I had in my youth.

As a result I have merely paid the briefest lip service to the concept of warming up and have, through the unusual mechanics of the golf swing, used muscles that until now have been idly twiddling their metaphorical thumbs. Thankfully these are merely niggles rather than full on snaps, tears or ruptures: an early warning sign of which I intend to take full notice.

Luckily for me rather than draining the bank balance I'm merely required to take an ear bashing from my qualified physiotherapist better half, who has already proclaimed that golf does not count as 'proper exercise'. To be fair she has a point but I am no longer sure whether it is my MS, my reluctance or my golf obsession that is preventing me from maintaining a wider keep fit regimen. Nonetheless she has prescribed a series of strengthening exercises to help prevent either niggle becoming chronic.

The first is my left groin, a taboo body area in men's locker room chat, unless in reference to some hot buxom brunette massaging it back to health. Sadly that is not the proposed solution. Instead, amongst other things, I lie on my back, knees bent and attempt to squeeze a doubled over cushion between my legs. In an 'ideal' world this would also form part of my pre round warm up. As liberal minded as my club is, I think the sight of me, lying prostrate on the first tee appearing to hump a living room accessory may well be a step too far.

The second problem area is the lower left hand side of my back. No doubt a reaction to my back swing coil. Interestingly, I am taking all three niggles as a positive sign. It means that my swing is getting fairly repeatable as I'm consistently stressing the same areas. I just need to work on strengthening up. It also perhaps explains my passionless practice yesterday. Perhaps my brain was sending me an early warning sign. Anyway must dash, I think the cushion just winked at me...

Lacking passion?

This weekend saw Europe tussle it out with GB&I for the Seve Trophy, and though emotions would be raw with the great man having passed away earlier this year, it still lacked passion to me. There was no real hype, minimal build up and you had to look hard to find out what was going on. GB&I came out on top but there was none of the ferocity that accompanied last year's Ryder Cup. 

The Rest of the World are preoccupied with gearing up to beat the US in the President's Cup in November, so a battle against them is not an option. But if, in the year that God requested a short game lesson from Senor Ballesteros, the likes of McIlroy, Kaymer and Casey can turn down the opportunity to play it speaks volumes about the image problem of the competition. While Donald has the excuse that he is vying to win the FedEx what pressing engagement prevented the others from participating?

Inadvertently highlighting the fundamental issue was young McIlroy, never far from the media spotlight this year. His poorly judged tweet asking whether it was wrong that he was enjoying the European fightback in the singles summed up the problem rather well! Of course it is Rory, they are the opposition. Thankfully Messrs Poulter and Westwood put him right but at the end of the day McIlroy's position is understandable. The fundamental problem is that under the banner of team golf they are all mates not rivals and a year ago were drowning in champagne after beating the Yanks.

I must say that the Seve Trophy wasn't the only thing missing a bit of spark. I nipped out for my lunchtime practice session today and really couldn't be bothered. It's never happened to me before but hitting wedges on the heath, just isn't good enough. Gagging to get on the course or at least the practice area, but sadly I'll have to wait till Thursday for that. Sad times.

Plan of action

Is my 'green-to-tee' plan coming together?

Well it's been an interesting couple of days and despite my inital fears my body has coped pretty well. I definitely flagged on the back nine at Felixstowe but the extra responsibility of organisation and the challenging nature of the course may have had something to with that. The fact I bounced back pretty well in the first round of the Autumn Series is promising.

Having uploaded my most recent scores onto Scoresaver 2 and looked at my recent performances, one very interesting factor came up. My approach play, short game and putting have all got better. I'm hitting more greens in regulation, have improved my scrambling stats, my birdie conversion rate and putts per round.

So my challenge over the next few months is too improve my concentration so I eradicate the unnecessary poor iron shots. I want to ingrain the positive pre-shot routine that is resulting in my improved results, so they happen more regularly. The second, and more important thing, is my consistency from the tee. When it's good it's very good so some quality time at the range to improve my ball striking with the long clubs will hopefully set me up for a cracking winter and fantastic new season. Fingers crossed I'll be chomping on a big fat celebratory cigar...

Better ball

Well I was a little jaded this morning, especially as the littl'un didn't sleep too well. Nonetheless as a team competition I was determined to give it my all. The format was two ball better ball and my long suffering playing partner Ian and I were hoping for a good showing. With three quarter handicap we were both hit hard. I lost seven shots and played off 21 and Ian lost five to play off 16. The wind did pick up a bit on the back nine and we felt 40 points would put us in the mix. I started conservatively but hit a monster drive on our long par 5 fifth hole. Two solid shots put me on the green in regulation and I drained the 12 foot birdie putt for five points. That massive score helped balance out a few single pointers we picked up. I possibly need to trust in the driver a little more as I hit three more good drives today and that helped in my points contribution. We amassed a total of 39 points with my personal counting tally 23 points from nine holes. Off my actual handicap that would have equated to 26pts. I'm really pleased I put yesterday behind me and managed to get through today ok. I went missing in the middle of the round but started and finished strongly. I spoke to our star Junior player Kyle today, who is in our Hambro team and recently won the Suffolk U16 champs. His handicap has dropped five shots this year and he is now a category 1 player. The final of the Hambro competition took place at Felixstowe last week and he shared my sentiments that it is a tough test of golf. Sadly our club lost the final against Southwold but for Kyle it has been a cracking year. Well played him. So back today and while we are not at the top of the leaderboard we are definitely in the mix. Top two scores when I left the club today were 41pts. It's only the first round of four so hopefully we can push on from this good start!

Felixstowe Ferry

Well I got blown from pillar to post today and learnt a massive amount. My score today doesn't really tell the story of how I played. I hit the ball really well but struggled to control the shape in the wind. Lowest and highest point was the massive drive I hit on the 7th that unfortunately ran out of fairway and into the drink 300 yards away.

I'm going to take away a fair few positives but sadly I lost my battle with the MS. I was mentally knackered by the 12th hole in the afternoon and despite nabbing a par with a sand save my scoring was sporadic. Off actual handicap I only scored 19pts in the afternoon and a measly 11pts in the morning. A hat ful of blobs from good tee shots that vanished in the rough were the primary cause.

Thanks to the guys for an enjoyable day and well played Rob and Craig for winning in the morning and afternoon respectively. I'll definitely like to go back to play Felixstowe again. The Martello course is fantastic but a little too demanding for me right now. Links golf is tremendous but, with what was a moderate breeze by Scottish standards, too challenging for me. Hopefully it will hold me in good stead for tomorrow's comp!

Happy place

I'm in a good place right now. Things are not too manic at work as I wind down ahead of starting my new job. The littl'un is on top form and constantly puts a smile on my face. The missus is happy as larry as we are off on holiday soon. And I'm enjoying my golf for the golf. Gone are the technical worries, I've bid farewell to the angst and frustration. I don't expect I'll come close to 89 this long weekend but I'm not really that bothered about how I play. I'm just looking forward to my first links experience and the start of the Autumn series competition. I'm day off tomorrow and looking forward to playing with some cracking lads off the Golf Monthly forum. At present the weather forecast for Felixstowe is pretty good with the wind strong enough to pose a test but not so strong as to cause massive problems. The greens will probably be trickier than I'm used to but having watched a fair amount of links golf recently I'm excited about the challenge. I'll get my kit together this evening, which I always find rather therapeutic, and then relax with the family. Life is grand :)

The Big Easy & the Big Dog

Back when I started playing my teaching pro suggested going on YouTube and looking at the swing of tour players that were a similar size to me. The Big Easy's swing was hypnotic. So effortless, relaxed, smooth, almost graceful yet when club met ball the ball went miles. A lot of the work I have been doing recently has been to slow down my tempo and emulate the 'easy' nature of the Els swing.

So imagine my unbridled joy (I get excited easily) when the cover star of the latest edition is Ernie and inside he reveals what he considers to be the key fundamentals of driving. Now he may have made a shedload of cash from tournament golf and a fair wodge from course design, but if he ever loses it all in a mad night at a casino he could pay for his retirement with golf instruction. He is simplicity personified and I cannot wait to try out his suggestions.

I'll not plagiarise and recommend you get this months Golf Monthly magazine for the full article. What I will say is I took away a few key pointers regarding address, the takeaway being low and slow, pinning my left arm to my chest, using my shoulders to initiate and generate the backswing and keeping everything in sync on the through swing. Soon I will have to face the grim reality that evening trips to the course are no longer viable. However, with Ernie's guidance I aim to make dramatic improvements to my long game. Forget scrambling (that's a facetious comment btw) I want to make my pars (and birdies) the McIlroy way. Accurate drive followed by GIR. Boring 'join the dots' golf is what I'm after.

As I mentioned yesterday I'm in a new place with my golf. I feel like a weight has been lifted and the pressure I was applying to myself has vanished. It's just fun, fun and a bit more fun now. Experimentation doesn't have that desperation of trying to find a solution. I'm striving to enhance my game rather than find some mythical answer. Happy, happy days and long may it continue. And for the record Ernie, I like what you've done with Wentworth!

Knock down ginger...

Well actually the title is a tad misleading. I am pleased to report that I haven't regressed to my childhood, scampering around my neighbourhood ringing doorbells and scarpering before the unlucky victim has come downstairs on their stair lift to answer the door to an apparition. No instead I am referring to my efforts to prepare for Friday's joyous links game.

Judging by the weather forecast it is set to be a tad windy, so today I practiced my low running chips, pitches and attempted to teach myself how to play a knock down. Narrow stance, choke down on grip, smooth slow tempo, half back swing and curtail the follow through. Well that was my theory anyway. Over at the heath the elements were being supportive as the headwind was strong and cutting across left to right. After a bit of trial and error I started to get the hang of it and hit a few pretty close to my makeshift pin (use number 57 for a set of alignment sticks).

Getting it to work on command on the course is quite another matter but at least I managed to get a feel for the shot. The biggest problem is I have absolutely no idea how far I hit the ball using this method. Attempting to measure distance today would have been futile as the ground is rock hard and the ball usually takes off like it has just smacked into a concrete path.

With three days in London till the Felixstowe meet I'll not get another chance to practice, except for my putting, so today's efforts will have to suffice. Strange as it may sound, I've reached a new place with my golf. Whilst I want to play well on Friday, who wouldn't, I'm really just looking forward to another round on a new course. It is also a bit of a test for me to see how much my MS has improved. 27 holes on the Friday and then an 18 hole competition on Saturday morning is really going to push my body hard. Fingers crossed I come out the other side with a big fat smile slapped all over my Chevy Chase!

Walker Cup, wind and worry...

Tom Lewis battles the elements at the Royal Aberdeen GC

Kicked back and relaxed this morning with the littl'un and the golf on the telly. Well played the Beeb for broadcasting a fascinating contest but whilst being absorbed by the cream of the amateur game battling it out, but it also got me a tad concerned. I am breaking my links golf duck on Friday and seeing the elements batter a talented crop of young golfing talent has been an unnerving experience.

As Peter Alliss and Ken Brown witter on about chasers, knock downs, punch shots, low running pitches and undulating greens I realise I have none of the necessary shots in my armoury. My golf is pretty floaty you see. Nearly all of our greens are raised and consequently I've felt most comfortable landing a more lofted shot a couple of yards on the green as opposed to bumping it up. Once on the putting surface I rarely face a bumpy, rollercoaster ride to the hole, so reading the mammoth breaks and dealing with the extra pace will be another new challenge.

The toughest element is surely going to be playing into a head wind or left to right crosswind, I've been a broken man in the past when hit by something moderately blustery. But despite these anxieties it promises to be an intriguing battle. Links golf is attested by many to be the real deal and having watched The Open at RSG open mouthed this year I'm looking forward to taking on the challenge.

Mmmmm....enchiladas for me please

As I left work on Friday afternoon one of our youth advisory board members asked me if I was playing golf this weekend and what I planned on breaking. Without pause for thought I said "I'm feeling good at the moment so fancy breaking 90". Well blow me down with a trumpet and serve me up some enchiladas if I didn't just go and prove my prediction right.

Following a tip from Lee Westwood in last months Golf Monthly and another tip in this month's about alignment, I spent a little more time ensuring I was aligned correctly today. Nice relaxed swing and bar an brief lapse of concentration on our 6th where I scored a triple bogey I went out in blistering fashion. After five holes I had amassed 18 points after nine that score had raced to 27 with six pars, two bogeys and that frustrating triple.

I started the back nine in strong fashion as well bogey, par, bogey. My iron play was superb and my approach play out of this world (these superlatives are obviously in relation to my usual standard of play). Bar a couple of short game nightmares on the 13th and 16th I could have been looking at amassing a 50 point total. In the end I came home with 19 points for the back nine with two pesky blobs. A score of 48 to go with the 41 I shot going out and a new personal best of 89.

Elation does not come close to describing my emotions at the moment as the three bad holes were scored at +10 with +18 for the remaining fifteen. My putting was back on song and my short game is very good when I focus effectively. 38% FIR, 33% GIR, 32 putts and more improvements to come. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriba!!!!!!!!

89 (71)
4(3), 5(5), 3(3), 4(4), 5(5), 6(3), 6(5), 4(4), 4(4), 5(4), 3(3), 6(5), 8(4), 4(4), 6(4), 7(4), 5(4), 4(3)

Putting things right

Well after two rounds of absolutely sublime putting things went off the boil a little. My main frustration has been distance control and it was starting to cause three putts to drift in. So last night I spent 25 minutes on the putting mat and it hit me instantly. I'd been using my hands (god knows why) rather than my shoulders. Got the V-Easy out and Robert's your father's brother problem sorted.

That's what is so incredibly frustrating about this game. You know what you should be doing and yet for some inexplicable reason you decide to do something completely different. I know I sometimes pull shots because my grip tightens and hoods the club face, but I still do it. I know I thin or duff chips when I look up too early and that I need to keep my head down through impact, I'll still peek though. Argh!

Never mind. Looking forward to getting out on the course tomorrow in the Saturday swindle. A little bit of extra pocket change will do nicely. ;)

Short but sweet: Theydon Bois GC

I'll not lie, when I read the yardages on the scorecard I thought the course was going to be a walkover. However, what the numbers do not tell you is that more often than not at Theydon you won't get to see the flag until your second shot. Bendy doesn't really come close and if I thought they loved a dogleg at Stapleford Abbots I hadn't seen anything yet. To date I have played two golf courses in Essex and both have had more corners than Silverstone.

Theydon also plays home to a host of wildlife and as it is hewn out of Epping Forest deer, rabbits and squirrels will glare at you from the woodland urging you to fluff your lines. On one occasion I could have sworn I heard a hare guffaw as I duffed a fifty yard pitch.

The final stand out feature at Theydon is the slightly eccentric topiary that is dotted around the course. At times you may wonder whether you are actually playing golf in Hampton Court Gardens. The most surreal experience comes on the 12th when you are asked to drive over scuplted hedges before repeating the trick over another hedge collection to land on the green. Thankfully there is a romantic archway to guide you through to the hole itself.

An enjoyable course to play, just a shame it wasn't a fraction longer. Being compelled to repeatedly hit long irons off the tee to negate the doglegs takes the edge off a lovely little course.

Knees up in the rain...

Well the knee has stopped feeling sore and despite the torrential downpour I decided to head out last night for nine holes. Proper warm up and stretch and not a twinge. So knee feeling good but the weather anything but. Nonetheless, I ignored the perplexed expression on the assistant pros face and headed out into the downpour.

I have to say that I'm really happy with how my ball striking is going. Contact is crisp with only occasional directional issues caused by alignment and slightly closing the clubface rather than any swing flaw. So as you'd expect there were some errant shots, that said it is a positive step in the right direction. In terms of personal demons I have definitely got the better of the 2nd hole, which used to be my nemesis. For the second time on the bounce I hit GIR so the next hole for me to crack for is our 4th which caused me problems again last night.

No pars but creating lots of chances to score and I need to spend a little more time with my wedges and putter so I can take advantage of these opportunities. My driving is showing promise: hit two with the big dog with an average of 267 yards just need to lose a slight pull. All in all very pleased that the knee was just a niggle and my game is getting better. Patience is the key and sooner rather than later those putts are going to start dropping.  

50 (36)
5(3), 6(5), 4(3), 8(4), 6(5), 4(3), 7(5), 5(4), 5(4)

Blogging can be bad for your golf

I've noticed a worrying trend. I play well in roll ups, solo games and swindle matches. My blog posts about these events make a clear distinction between this 'friendly' golf and medals / competitions. My posts about any game off the whites normally bemoans bad luck, bad putting and bad shots off the tee. Not a lot but enough to ruin a promising card. As a blogger you are less likely to be self congratulatory as there is a risk you may appear arrogant so instead you adopt the position of hopeful hacker, savouring good play but giving the same (or possibly greater) weight to flaws in your game.

Having read and listened to Dr Bob a fair bit it has suddenly dawned on me that all these posts are actually undermining my golf mentality. In Golf is Not a Game of Perfect, Bob suggests keeping a journal or notebook. You fill this with memories of good shots and positive aspirations. This helps to fuel your positive self image and impacts on your on course confidence. I'm currently doing the opposite, jotting down tales of woe on the blog and reinforcing a negative self image.

Last night I seriously considered knocking the whole thing on the head but a quick look at Google Analytics showed that unique visitors to the blog was up 21% and time spent on the site has doubled in the last couple of months. So somewhere out there are a growing number of you that find my ramblings either helpful, amusing or quite possibly reassuring. So in light of the statistics I'm going to keep going till at least Christmas and take a slightly different tack.

So this is an apology for what may seem like a dramatic shift in tone. Don't worry, I'm not about to become a golfing Evangelical but I will no longer tell you about the horror stories (hopefully there won't be many anyway). This will become a hive of positivity focusing purely on the positives I take away from each round. Sadly, this may make for a less interesting read and for that I apologise profusely. I hope you'll stick around and continue to enjoy reading the blog. If you do have any suggestions please click the contact me button at the top and drop me an email or click on comments button under the post to leave me a message.

There is a single figure golfer trapped in here and I desperately need to let him out before his head explodes in frustration.

My first golfing injury

When your better half is a physio and you are a keen sports player: it can well be a match made in heaven. I woke up this morning with a dull pain on the outside of my right knee. Following diagnosis I have a slight strain/stretch of my lateral collateral ligament (LCL). It looks as though that has been caused by not warming up sufficiently coupled with the strain put on my right knee as I coil up on my backswing.

I've not had any form of golf injury before and thus has served as a timely reminder that it is not just my back that takes a pounding. Often my preparation revolves around loosening and stretching my back, neck and shoulder muscles and I have been known to overlook my pins. That will certainly not happen again. I'm hopeful it is just a slight strain and doesn't stop me playing. A lay off is the last thing I need right now...

Oh Na!!!

Kevin Na's unsweet sixteen

Back in April Kevin Na came unstuck at the Texas Open. Trying to hack his ball out of the rough he racked up a whopping sixteen. Today in the medal I attempted to emulate him. Having started fairly well I hit a Sherman off the tee of the 4th. Into the long grass behind a bush and a tree, but with a tempting gap to punch the ball through. It was early and the ground was still dewy and I failed to make a good connection.

Cue swashbuckling action as I hacked away to get the ball out. Had I used some common sense I could have gone back to the tee to try again. Instead I found myself doing my very best Errol Flynn impression on the way to racking up a whopping fourteen!!! To be fair I kept going and stood over a simple par putt on the 8th which I missed. The head went and that was it. An eight on the 9th and then my pulled drive which we saw bounce twice vanished in the long grass. NR and round over.

Par and bogey followed and then I just stopped caring and the card fell apart. Do I care? Not really I'm beyond that now. Another 0.1 back, a cold putter in my bag, a stat of 22% GIR against 8% FIR and just the single par made all day. As my playing partner put it today, "Tiger. Your good shots are worthy of a low single figure handicap, your bad ones are f**king crap!" I couldn't agree with him more.

105 (67)
4(3), 6(5), 5(3), 14(4), 6(5), 4(3), 8(5), 5(4), 8(4), -(4), 3(3), 6(5), 7(4), 6(4), 6(4), 6(4), 7(4), 4(3)

New kit, old kit

So it has happened my brand spanking new kit is finally outdated. My woods and hybrid have been supplanted by the new G20 range and now Titleist have announced the new AP1 712 club. Now I'm not in the market for an upgrade but I am really intrigued to know whether the brand spanking new shiny metal bundles of joy are any better than my loved and well battered current clubs.

It does raise an interesting question about when will I actually upgrade my sticks. And the answer? Probably not for quite a while. In fact reading about the new club launches today reminded me that I have finally become comfortable with my sticks. Last time out I could pluck any club out of my bag with confidence. I wasn't thinking which club do I feel able to hit I was thinking what shot do I want to play, and selecting accordingly. That said I may well upgrade my wedges in the spring to 50, 54, 58 degree set. The new Titleist SM4 series looks nice...

A weight has lifted

In Greek mythology the Titan Atlas was punished by Zeus and instead of being sent to Tartarus he was forced to bear the weight of the Earth on his shoulders. Whilst I will not claim to have god like strength or have borne a superhuman burden, the past month has had it's fair share of distractions. Heading out to practice today I had a spring in my step, a smile on my face and proceeded to have an extremely positive session.

Chipping with lofted clubs remains my weakest link but little chip'n'runs with the 9 iron are getting increasingly accurate. My bunker play is gradually getting better though my current definition of success is getting it within a fifteen foot radius of the hole. With time I aim to significantly reduce that margin.

The biggest plus points were my putting and approach shots. With my v-easy wrestled back from my brothers clutches, it took just few momemts to remember what a great training aid it is. My stroke is now much smoother and distance control constantly improving. Hitting approaches to our practice green was the main highlight. From 21 attempts I stuck 17 on the dancefloor with the remaining four left short due to three tops and an obligatory fat. Critically, though they all arrowed in on target with a slight hint of fade. The tempo work is literally keeping me on the straight and narrow. Confidence is high, the shackles are off and I've been paired with Paul for Saturday. Paul is a top bloke who always makes me laugh on the course. It could be a recipe for medal success.