Culmination of persistance

Well about 3 months have past since the last posting and quite a bit has transpired. I had been working tirelessly on developing a fundamental swing from the ground up and I believe I have for the most part. Short game is pretty good, been working on basics to try to aleviate some common mistakes. Nationals is in two weeks and I feel I'm ready to take on the challange that is TPC Sawgrass and see if we can not allow the moment to consume. The shots are there, I just need to keep the mental part of my game solid and things will work themselves out. The goal for the 4 days is rounds in the 70's each of the days. I don't think that is out of the question at all. I'm as ready as I can be for those 4 days so we shall see. In other news, I'm officially a condo owner!! Move in was last weekend, the 25th of August. Things went pretty well. Unfortunately this major purchase has forced me to cut back on a few items, most notably, I will not be returning for the 2013 season of the GCAT. I will still be focusing on my golf game but keeping to local events as the costs are much less. Hopefully by end of 2013 I will have my hdcp down below 3 and that will allow me entrance into the US AMateur qualifiying and a few other tournaments that require a lower hdcp. Also, I will be embarking on a major personal project beginning in October so stay tuned for more news on that. If everything goes to plan there will be another blog created for that particular quest as well as regualr updates on this one as well. Off to the range for some practice!!!! Fairways and Greens!

Smooth and Strong

The critical opening phrase of this poem will always be the grip. Which the hands unite to form a single unit by the simple overlap of the little finger. Lowly and slowly the club head is led back. Pulled into position not by the hands, but by the body which turns away from the target shifting weight to the right side without shifting balance. Tempo is everything; perfection unobtainable as the body coils down at the top of the swing. There's a slight hesitation. A little nod to the gods. That he is fallible. That perfection is unobtainable. And now the weight begins shifting back to the left pulled by the powers inside the earth. It's alive, this swing! A living sculpture and down through contact, always down, striking the ball crisply, with character. A tuning fork goes off in your heart and your balls. Such a pure feeling is the well-struck golf shot. Now the follow through to finish. Always on line. The reverse C of the Golden Bear! The steel workers' power and brawn of Carl Sandburg's. Arnold Palmer! " Roy McAvoy Starting out this blog entry with some poetic speak from one of our favorite golf movies. It also goes well with things that I've been working on which is tempo, feel and confidence. All of these items are critical to a solid golf game. Over the past month or so I've been starting to work on shortening the back swing and releasing out instead of pulling the arms in at impact. The last coupler rounds have shown some really nice improvements with regard to ball striking and the flight of the ball. The unfortunate thing at the moment is due to things being a bit new, the rounds have been inconsistent and some of the old bad habits creep in. 36-41 are now becoming the scores I've been posting and that is a reflection of just not having enough swing time with the corrections we've been working on. A little patience is required at this moment but I feel that sometime around mid-July I should be putting together consistent rounds and the swing will be rounding into form. In addition to that, I've been working on a few changes with my short game to develop some additional shot making abilities from different lies and angles. Hopefully as all of this comes together it will time itself so everything is more of a good habit by the first week of August. All this is dependent on the amount of practice time I put in. The fitness side of things is really coming along as well. I've been working with a new trainer the last 6 weeks and we are doing some dynamic workouts with varied routines and movements designed to increase strength and mobility while also allowing for greater stamina. Only time will tell but I have a great feeling about the rest of this golf season! Fairways and Greens!

attitude within

Greetings once again everyone! We are three weeks away from my first Major of the year in Palm Springs and I must say I had a quick down turn a few weeks ago in my game and mental approach. Due to some unforseen circumstances I had to make some changes to my schedule and time management. I have been unable to practice or really even play consisent golf due to time and weather. As the weather begins to turn and daylight is able to be seen after work I will be spending more time getting back to the short game sessions.

On the fitness front, things have been moving along much better. Plenty of time has been spent to develop a stong routine and adjust as needed. I'm finding now I have much more core strength and stability and Im looking forward to making more adaptations and pushing it farther. Flexibility is still a very weak point and I will look to address that in the coming months. I'm still in the process of putting on some weight and so as to avoid over complicating things, I'm taking the necessary steps to patiently get through this first phase which should be ending by May 1st. At which time I will be moving to a spit routine. I am going to start working with a trainer to employ some HIT and Cross training in my routine as well as some Pilates to enhance my mobility and allow me to get a cleaner turn through the golf swing while maintaining good posture. I will not run out or energy this year should I be in the final group!!

Well, that is all for this installment, until next time................
Fairways and Greens

New year, a new path

As 2012 starts here in frosty Reno I am filled with a great deal of optimisim. The season for me was kicked off with a round of golf that could only be described as HUH!!?? For most of the round it was a struggle. The swing was loose and there was quite a lack of feel around the greens with the wedges. Any iron shot I hit that day was weak and had not sense of trajectory. I was quite pleased overall with my putting however and that was not a shock to me as that is where the majority of my focus has been since relocating. A finish of 82 going +6 on the last two holes had me quite perplexed! As I reflected on the round during my 3hr drive home I was taken back that I had played that poorly overall and still had a great chance to break 80 had I not played the last hole like I had never swung a golf club. All of this provided me with a very positive outlook for 2012 and the state of my golf game. The items I need to work on going forward this season are more tweaks than changes so for the first time I feel like I have a beginners grasp on this wonderful game! This week starts a new practice routine, one that maximizes my limited time while providing productive swings and thoughts each session. I have on order a putting mirrior from Eyeline to help me with my alignment and setup as well as a 6 ft putting rug for indoor practice. The range time will be spent focusing on proper turn away from the ball and keeping the arms connected during the swing. Starting the hips first is going to be key this season to be able to better control ball flight and trajectory as well as incrase distance. If I can build a repeatable swing this winter/early spring I should be in top form come nationals in September. I owe sawgrass a little something so its a payback year for this gentlemen! First major of the season is April 28-29 in Palm Springs.

Fairways and Greens!