Mission Accomplished?

Long time, no post and shame on me for that.
It has been an eventful few months on the golf front.  On August 1, 2012 my handicap hit +0.2.  Two weeks later it peaked at +0.5.  I guess I can claim that I arrived at Destination Scratch :)   It felt somewhat anti-climatic in all honesty.  I thought if I ever got to scratch, that I would be absolutely striping it.  Not the case - I will say however that my game became very very consistent.  My good shots weren't all that wonderful or even regular but my bad shots were never really bad.
At no point would I say that I have been entirely happy with my putting which makes me think that there is still much room for improvement.
If I was to summarize/grade my game  at the time that I got to scratch, I would give myself:

Driving - A 
I don't hit it a long way compared to some of the guys I play with but I hit tonnes of fairways and never seem to lose a ball off a tee shot.

Fairway Woods - B
Decent with my 3 wood and 5 wood, however I will be upgrading next year to the Rocketballz line.  I demoed some this year and they were ridiculously long!

Iron Play - C
Not happy with my mid to long irons.  My alignment is not good I have discovered and I don't seem to compress it sufficiently as a result.  This will be my major improvement area for next year.

Wedge Play - B
Much improved.  A lot of it, I believe comes from focusing more on the process than the result.  I just try to make good pass at it, brushing the grass and it almost always seems to be decent or better.

Chipping and Pitching - B
Much, much improved.  I believe this has come about due to lots and lots of practice and a better understanding of how the wedge works (bounce, shaft lean etc)

Bunker Play - B
Same as above

Putting - C
I'm averaging 33/34 putts.  Quite simply not good enough.   Lots of work to do next year.


Not sure how much more I have to post on here.  
I think I need to set another goal for myself and proceed with the same focus.

At some point in time I will recap what I believe allowed me to get from 5.2 when this project started to +0.5 in August this year.

Above all else, I have learned that setting a goal and publicizing it is a great way to keep yourself honest in the pursuit of any dream!

Point Nine

A lot has happened over the last month.  Its exciting times for me golf wise.  Game has never been better.  To sum it all up

• Handicap is now at 0.9
• Won the Member-Member Gross at the Golf Club of GA a couple of weekends ago.  Chuffed to win a gross event.
• Went on a golf trip with 3 great dudes to a place called Kinloch in Richmond, VA - quite simply the most fantastic club I have had the pleasure of visiting.
• Shot 79 at Settindown in a state am qualifier.  Alas, I made a quad bogey on a par 3 (my 14th hole) to miss a playoff by 2.

However, I feel very positive about my game.  My swing has been reduced to two key thoughts - Create lag on the backswing and deliver it to the ball by clearing my left side.  That coupled with decent fundamental (grip, posture, stance etc) is producing some consistent play.  Its not awesome but its good enough.
The other key improvement area of late has been related to game plan.  At Settindown, I had one goal - go through my process on every single shot and once I do that accept the outcome.  Once in the round I failed to do this and it let to the quad.  I still take huge encouragement from how I got through that round.  Each shot is just a shot and if I go through my process on it, generally the result is decent.

One more thing - I purchased a training aid which I think is awesome.  I got a Tour Striker 5 Iron which is really helping me to compress my irons.  I cannot recommend it highly enough.

 

State Mid Am

I just got done with round 2 of the state mid am at Berkeley Hills.  By virtue of missing the 36 hole cut, I won't be playing tomorrow.   First of all, I must comment on those greens.  They are infamous here in Georgia and they lived up to their reputation.  Our greens at the Golf Club of Georgia are fast but these were lightning.
I shot 82/83 not making a single birdie all weekend.   In round 1, I putted horrendously and in round 2, I just had 3 mental lapses.  On the ninth hole today, I lost a ball in the rough not far off the fairway and had to go back to the tee.
Tee to green, I hit it real well.  My only mistakes were when I got out of my routine and tried something different or tried to be too cute.
After my terrible putting performance on day 1, I had a buddy help me after the round on the practice green.  I have a slow languid stroke in general and because of the speed of those greens I was decelerating.  So, instead I moved to a shorter more pop type stroke (shorter back and accelerate thru) and it worked much better today.
Not sure what my takeaways will be.  On a positive note, I am hitting it better than ever.  However, I am not tournament ready.  I don't have the self belief/trust in my game early on.  Later in the round, I lose my focus on occasion especially after a good hole.  I fear I am not playing enough golf.  I practice a bit but playing a round of golf seemed like a foreign concept to me these past two days.  Perhaps it should be that I need to trust my method and not try new/unnecessary things in the middle of a round.

Closing the deal

Regardless of how you drive it, hit your irons, pitch and chip, if you don't putt well you are not going to score well!!  Apologies for stating the obvious.  As my game tee to green becomes more solid, I am realizing that me getting to scratch is going to come down to the putter.  A +2 handicap at the club told me yesterday that he averages twenty eight putts.  I'm a 2.8 handicap and I figure I average thirty four putts.  I can't afford to give up six shots a round to a scratch golfer and so I believe this needs to be my primary focus for the next while.
  To give me some focus, I am going to focus on how I putt from six feet and from ten feet.  The average PGA Tour pro last year averaged 70% from six feet and 40% from ten feet.  I did some testing on the practice green yesterday.  (I hit twenty random six footers and twenty random ten footers to get a sample - admittedly not a large sample)   I was 40% from six feet and 20% from ten feet. 
  I intend to take a putting lesson this week and practice rigourously from these two distances for the next month.  I will report back on the lesson and my progress.   If I can get to 60% from six feet and 35% from ten, I will consider it a success.  Try it!  Let me know what your figures are from these distances and report back in a month on your progress. Do it!!

The Dan Plan

There are many schools of thought on what it takes to become excellent in any field.  Is excellence something you are born with or can it be developed?  Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers (an excellent read by the way) has some very interesting observations on the subject.  By all accounts there are countless other explorations of this subject but Outliers is the best I have come across. Up to now most of what I have read on the subject is anecdotal  based on those who have already achieved excellence in a given field.  We've never before had a real time documentation of someones pursuit of excellence from beginning to end.  Before now that is - enter The Dan Plan. 
  In December, I happened upon the tale of Dan McLaughlin.  Dan is going to be putting Gladwell's theory on achieving excellence to the test.  I hope I don't do the plan a disservice by summarizing it as a plan to become a professional golfer by completing 10,000 hours of deliberate practice.  Deliberate, well thought out practice mind you and not just mindless blasting of range balls like many of us are accustomed to.
 Dan is a brave man.  In pursuit of his dream, he has put it all on the line quitting his previous job and using all of his savings to do what it takes to become a professional golfer.  Did I mention that he had never played a round of golf before starting this project?
 I had the pleasure of meeting and playing 18 holes with Dan while he was in Atlanta over the winter.  I am very impressed with how he is going about the journey.  I think there is an element of living vicarously through his voyage.  I'm guessing I'm not the only one who has endless dreams of quitting the day job to pursue my dreams. 
 I think it's a fascinating story and am very curious to see how it progresses.
 You can follow Dan's progress or offer him support at his website.

Forward Steps

Its been a good week!
Friday, I managed to win the 2 man best ball at the club with a buddy.  We shot net 64 (gross 68).  I shot 73 on my own ball.
Then yesterday, I had my first qualifier of the year - the Georgia State Mid-Am at Orchard Hills.  I guess it is a measure of my progress that I walked off the course unhappy with how I had played, yet shot 76 and qualified comfortably.  78 was the number.  A windy day,  the course was rock hard and yet the greens were slow and bumpy.  Given that our greens at the club are running about 12/13 on the stimp (that's lightning fast for the non golf literate), putting was a real challenge.  I felt the need to 'hit' everything and I don't think that's ever a good idea in this game.  I had only a single three putt but I had a number of looks at birdie but couldn't hole out.
What really saved me was that I didn't hit it into trouble all day and when I missed greens I got up and down really well.   I had zero birdies, 14 pars and 4 bogeys.  
The actual championship will take place at Berkeley Hills on May 18-20.  There will be a 36 hole cut before the Sunday round.   This gives me a really good focal point for the next month.  I don't plan on going out there just to make up the numbers :)

Ruminations on a first visit to Augusta National

Thanks to a very generous friend, I had the pleasure of visiting Augusta National yesterday for the first time for a Masters practice round. I'd dreamed of seeing/playing this place ever since I was a 14 year old watching Nick Faldo win his first Masters back in 89. Given that I am unlikely to ever play there, just walking the hallowed turf was treat enough. Here are some ruminations on a first visit.

• The place is much more intimate than TV can illustrate. The proximity of the 1st and 10th tees, the practice green and the 9th and 18th greens is really surprising. All 5 seem to be within a 70/80 yard radius.
• The TV does not illustrate the undulation of the fairways and greens. The false front on the 9th green is mind blowing. The climb from the fairway bunker on 18 to the green is extremely steep. The 8th must play much longer than 570 yards given the increase in elevation from tee to green.
• Many of the greens are much smaller than they appear on TV. 18 for example is about 60% the size I thought it would be and the drop offs all round very steep
• Although getting a ticket is hard there is absolutely no 'nickel and diming' at ANGC. The Pimento Cheese sandwich is still only $1.50 and a beer is either $3.50 or $3.00. They could probably make millions and millions more if they wanted with only modest price increases at the concession stands but choose not to do so. These guys get it!!
• Same with the merchandising tents. Everything is reasonable. Again, they could jack up the prices just a tad and further line the purses but that would just be out of keeping with their modus operandi.
• Parking is free in the official car parks and no need for a shuttle bus given the proximity. Supposedly they spend boatloads in the past few years acquiring the adjacent properties in order to be able to offer this perk.
• Rory must have hit the worst shot of his life to end up where he did on 10 last year. He progressed less than 100 yards down the fairway and was maybe 30 yards off his intended line when he hit the trees that kicked him another 40/50 yards off line. A total freak occurrence and I doubt if he ever has or ever will hit a shot that bad again.
• Watching players skip shots across the pond on 16 in the practice rounds is pretty special.  I didn't witness it but apparently Martin Kaymer made a hole in one this way!

Final thought, how am I ever going to get to play this place??

Coming around

The golf season has begun in earnest here in Georgia It was 82 degrees here today That might be a record for March 14th. The golf course is as green as I have ever seen it after an amazingly mild winter.
I'm starting to feel good about where my game is. I have been working on some very tedious drills that should help me alleviate my number one swing flaw - taking the club and my arms too much too the inside on the back swing. Its starting to have some effect - for the first time ever I feel I am close to not being across the line at the top. It feels so weird but I guess any huge change should!!
I cant say for sure that it is entirely driven by this swing change, but I shot my career low at the Golf Club of Georgia last Friday - 72 from the Tradition tees. The differential for this round was -1.2. I expect my handicap to be 3.7 or 3.8 at the next revision. I am really excited because for the first time I feel scratch is really an attainable goal and soon!!
I have my first qualifier on April 10 at Orchard Hills. In the past, I have gone to these things hoping to not embarrass myself or maybe have a good day and squeak through! Right now, I aim to medalist! Lofty goal I know but lets see what happens.

Cyclical

Well there hasn't been much to post about over the winter (if you would call it that this year). I played a bit but the swing has been stuck in something of a rut.
Handicap is stuck at 4.5 and for the last month I have been striking it like a dog for want of a better term. However, as always it seems to be cyclical and I am beginning to hit it better. The keys that have helped me turn it round this time are:
- trying to stay as wide as possible with the left arm (in effect pushing the left arm as far away from my chest as possible in the backswing.)
- keeping the right elbow close to my side on the backswing

The net effect of this is that my forearms stay very close to each other on the backswing. This gives me much more width and hence more speed. This move also seems to require less compensation on the downswing and as a result I'm striking it better. Here's hoping this is not another false dawn.

I'm left with 5 months to get to scratch. I need some sort of breakthrough if I am to realize this goal. Watch this space.

Tour Player vs Low Handicapper

A friend shared some data with me (that I believe originated from Dave Pelz), on the statistical differences between a tour player and the average low handicap golfer. Not sure what is the exact definition of a low handicapper, however I think it makes for some interesting reading.

Low-Handicap Amateurs vs Tour Pros

3% fewer 6-footers made
4% fewer 3-footers made
12% fewer 9-footers made
13% shorter drives
22% fewer fairways hit
27% fewer 10-15-footers made
28% fewer greens hit (GIR)
50% fewer up-and-downs from rough
62% fewer sand saves
74% fewer 15-20-footers made

AND THE MOST DISTINGUISHING CONTRAST OF ALL...

276% more 3-putts

Some low hanging fruit there! More time will be spent on the practice green this winter.

Some interesting stats

As I strive for a scratch handicap, I resolved to keep track of my stats this year (the idea being that I will have a clear picture of what needs improvement).
I have been using a tool provided by golfdigest.com called makemebetter.
It involves entering a few details about each round played.

To summarize my stats:
Greens in Regulation - 50%
Putts per round - 33
Scrambling (saves when chipping/pitching) - 33%
Driving Accuracy - Excellent (for some reason it doesn't give me a number)

It goes on to tell me that my short game handicap is 4 and my long game is 5. Reasonably consistent with my official handicap.

33 putts is bad for someone only hitting 33% of greens.

I'm thinking that in order to get to scratch, I will need to get Greens in Regulation to 66% (or 12 per round), down to 30 putts per round and scrambling to 50%. In any case, it is an interesting tool - check it out at Make me Better

November 2011

I have been terrible about updating the blog this year - shame on me. And its shown in my lack of progress. Handicap is now 4.0 although it has been down to 3.3. 2012 was my target year for hitting scratch so I guess I am stating the obvious now to say I'm not on track.
Ironically, I feel like my swing is getting much more solid, even if the results are not showing on the scorecard.
One key breakthrough I feel has been learning the role of the left hip in the downswing. I have finally learned the need to 'clear the left side'. Its still a very strange feeling for me but once I can trust it on the course, I feel I will be in shape to be a scratch player from tee to green.
However, from 100 yards and in is where its at. My success in improving my chipping, pitching and putting will determine whether I make it or not.
I am going to come up with a plan in the next few weeks for the next 6 months. I will stick to it!!
Next year is scratch or bust!!

June Gloom

Haven't said much on here lately, but there has been quite a bit of golf played. By April I was playing pretty decent - enough that I was lucky enough to win a couple of events at GC of GA. Throughout it all, my short game has been killing me and still is.
To top it all off, I'm now on a bit of a downcycle with the swing. (I've figured out that no matter how much I progress, its all cyclical - it gets to be pretty good for a while and then it gradually slips away, hits rock bottom and then starts to come back again)
This weekend was out Member Member and I played putridly. Tee to green was not too bad, but round the greens was nothing short of abysmal.

My sole goal for the rest of this year is to develop a somewhat plausible short game. Yesterday, I ordered Phil Mickelsons DVD Short Game Secrets. I'm going to see if this can help me develop some sound short game fundamentals and see what happens from there. I'll post a review once I get a chance to watch it.

In the near term, I have a member guest at TPC Sugarloaf this week. Very excited about that - hope I can contribute for my partner. Then Monday I have a qualifier at Atlanta National for the state amateur. I think it'll take 77 to have a shot on what is a very tough track.

April 2011

Well its been a long time since I had anything to say about my quest to get to scratch. In all honesty I feel less and less convinced that it is a realistically achievable goal, however I'm going to push on.
I started hitting balls again about 6 weeks ago. The elbow is better but a long way from being fully recovered. I doubt it will ever be fully right however it is manageable - I just wont be able to hit a lot of range balls. This means the quality of my practice will have to improve.
I got fitted for and purchased a new set of irons - Titleist AP2s, 2 degrees flat with Dynamic Gold S300 shafts. They are great clubs. I am struggling to adjust to how high they flight the ball but thats an adjustment I am willing to make.
Since I started back, I have played 4 rounds. I only broke 80 once, however I am starting to feel it is coming round. My hiatus seems to have helped eradicate the driving problems that plagued last year. In relation to improved practice quality - I have made one commitment to myself. I refuse to hit a single range ball without making sure my ball position is right. To do this, I will use alignment poles. I played a round lately with my teaching pro and was shocked when he said my ball position was terrible but sure enough he was right. How frustrating that I can't even get the simplest of concepts such as ball position right!!!
One other development - over the years I have had two particular swing flaws the I struggled to eliminate - the bent left elbow and the club getting behind me on the backswing. Well, I think I have finally settled on the key to eliminating this problem - I need to keep both elbows and forearms much closer together on the backswing. Essentially instead of relying on the left arm to keep the left arm straight, I can get a little help from the right arm!
Handicap is at 3.9 now and rising. Hopefully that will change a little over the next few months.

Statistics

Saw this and thought it was somewhat interesting.
There definitely seems to be an increased awareness in professional sports as to the benefits to be reaped from more detailed statistical analysis ('Money Ball' is a good read!).

The technology that would need to be available for amateurs/recreational golfers to enjoy the same stats is not going to be available anytime soon (although I can picture some buddies carrying around their own launch monitor). Nonetheless, I think there is a lot we can consume from the detailed stats now available via Shotlink on pgatour.com.
Consider the percentage of 10 footers made versus 6 footers made by the pros.

The large majority of players are making less than 50% from 10 feet but that figure increases dramatically from 6 feet. Tells me I should be spending most of my time practicing from 6 feet and in. (If the best of the best aren't making them from 10 feet then I certainly won't)