Saving you time and money by experimenting and reflecting! An update on the weeks progress and activities.... and a Big Question!
Big question
Do you use any training aids and if so, how do you know they are helping you?
Technical
The midweek stableford enabled me to get back on the horse and try to improve my approach play. As you can see below, the front 9 left a sour taste in the mouth, with an OK back 9 to just fall short of my 36 points target.
Where the approach play really ruined the scorecard, was on the 6th and the 9th holes. After steady drives, I was left with 155y in on the 6th (hardest hole on the course) and proceeded to hit a thin bullet, well to the right, into a deep fairway bunker. The thought process was very passive. By passive, I mean, I just grabbed my club, aimed at the middle of the green and swung away. This isn't serving me well! More focus and purpose is required to avoid the errors. (More on that later)
On the 9th I hooked my drive but got back in to a good position, 145y away in the fairway. I took my 9 iron and hit a very poor strike, catching it heavy, leaving myself a 20 yard chip and now needing an up and down, for bogey. Chipped it 'OK' but missed the 8 footer and ended up with a double bogey.
As you can see above, the short game and driver were also poor. I left myself a number of times, with a knock out shot after my tee shot, ending any serious hopes of a par. What to do?
Practice
Applying some of the impact laws (Adam Young, and a newly purchased Jon Sherman - The four Foundations of Golf) to establish my strike location, I applied some foot spray (I used Daktarin form Superdrug, 2 cans for £6) to the face of my PW, 8 iron and 6 iron, and hit 5 shots each, after a warm up. My tendency and feedback, is that I hit it more out of the heel of the club, leading to the more of a fade bias. Here is my PW, that includes a (dare I say it) hosel rocket SHANK.... Ouch
My 6 iron strike location (5 shots);
What have I learned from this and how can I apply that learning in the round or in practice?
My next practice sessions will include some time spent on trying to move my strike location. This means I will intentionally hit shots out of the heel and then hit some out of the toe. Gathering feedback like this to allow me to structure my practice, which is something I am keen to continue doing and investing my precious time in. Once I practice on moving strike regularly, I can check in with strike and know that I have some experience to call on during rounds, to help me move strike, if I am having a 'heely' day.
Decade - strategy
I finally got round to engaging with Decade foundations and exploring the principles of course management. My starting point was to download the free yardage book for Durham City Golf Club, with the Decade markings and distances on. Here is an image of what that looks like;
I really like the layout. The element I will be focusing on this month is box at the bottom left (Which links to the C in DECADE - picking the correct targets). This gives the width of the fairway for distances at 235y, 255y and 275y. My intention is carry out an experiment on my tee club of choice, whereby I select the widest point of the fairway to match to my distance. In this case, it is wider at 235y (and less), which is my 3 woods total distance. I will do this for each of the holes on the course (par 4 and 5) and report back, using my SG 'off the tee' stats, in future weeks.
Lesson
Finally, I booked 4 lessons in with Robert Lister at Ramside Golf Club. Robert has an amazing reputation, uses data/trackman to explore the swing and impact factors and is pretty much on the door step for me. I am hoping to record at least one of the lessons, and will post to my channel, once recorded. (Subscribe below) - The investment of £140 seemed like a bargain, when I think of how much I have spent on equipment in the past. This thought led me to a question for you...
What is the biggest return on investment, for your golf game?
Thanks for reading!
To continue the conversation, ask questions or comment on my journey, follow me on twitter @scratch_journey