Feels
A slightly frustrating week but mixed with remnants of last week's excitement. I am frustrated at my very mixed approach play so far but understand that part of the process is learning. I am finding it tough to make the changes stick and show themselves on the course. I am looking forward to Ryan’s analysis of short-game action and putting stroke. Finally, I am looking forward to designing some sessions on different aspects of the game, rather than my approach play.
I have added a Buy Me a Coffee link if you care to support my writing (mostly done in a coffee shop or while thinking about coffee).
Practice
2 practice sessions this week. The first one with a technical focus. It followed from my previous lesson where I was given 2 drills. One with a bottle on the outside of my trail heal and the other with a ball under on the outside of my trail foot. Both were designed to give me the feeling of moving more laterally in the downswing. I hit 30 shots into my net, blending the drill with stock shots, e.g. ball under trail foot, hit shot then no ball, hit shot, repeat.
Session 2 was done at my course. I am very keen to avoid ‘playing swing’ and must keep some skills and random practice in my sessions. The practice included;
Ball under the outside of trail foot (lateral shift) x 12
Low point drill (line on the grass) x 12
25y pitch shot (PW, 50° and 56°) x 12
Putting
20ft (alignment stick alongside the hole)
3 uphill (holed 1, 2 putted others)
3 downhill (2 putted all 3)
3 Left to Right (2 putted all 3)
3 Right to Left (holed 1, 2 putted others)
Full 2/2/2 pre-shot routine for each putt
The 2/2/2 is 2 purposeful practice putts, 2 seconds looking at my target, 2 seconds at a dimple on the ball, GO!
Lessons
This week videos have been sent for Short Game and Putting. My previous lesson is here.
Play
Another low 80’s round, 7 pars, 10 bogeys and 1 double. More substandard approach play (-3.3 vs 5hc) and reasonable driving, short game and putting (-0.6/+1.0/-0.1, respectively). My short game is getting a nice workout each round and is standing up to the challenge. Missing so many greens has given me many opportunities from 0-50y. You can see some insights in the image below, showing ‘what has helped me’ and ‘what has hurt me’. My log putting and chip shots are holding my average scoring together.
Taking a look at what is hurting me and it is clear that the work on the swing has not benefited my strokes gained (as yet). You can see that 100-150y is costing me 2 strokes. Interestingly, there is a red flag in there, ‘Shots from the rough’. I have not spent any time practising shots from in the rough, with the majority of winter practice being on a mat. Now the weather is improving, I am going to practice some recovery shots. Including shots from deep/medium/short rough, to explore will enable me to explore my tendencies and patterns.
Reflective Questions
What is helping you in your game?
What is hurting you?
Do you have any red flags that need attention?