staying the course!

It goes without saying that 7 strokes per round worse over the last 5 than the previous 5 would be quite disheartening. That is the state my game is currently in. Each time I think I've found a big missing piece of my swing puzzle something else sneaks up. I know I can get to where I want to be this year if I can simply nail down the fundamentals of the golf swing. My short game has been quite good and anything inside 80yds I feel I can get up and down from. The issue is my iron play from 100+. The last tournament did provide a few signs of improvement. The practice round Friday I shot 82 at PGA West Stadium which is a pretty good round. The swing came and went and came and went all weekend however leaving me with a lack of confidence on each shot. I think I just need to be patient while I focus on the fundamentals of the swing and believe there is a means to the end of this training and practice. My ultimate goal to to place in the top 5 at nationals this year as it has been since the beginning of the season so as long as I stay the course I should get there!!

Fairways and greens to all!

education through failure and perseverance

quite a bit of time has passed since my last posting and quite a lot has transpired. Mentally I went from a confident golfer, progressing through only much success. The first major of the year changed that for a time. I was about as "unhinged" as I could be with regard to my swing and overall mental state. I could not make a consistently solid shot with any of my clubs. The only reason I was even remotely under 90 the second day of the tournament(shot 96 first day) was because I was able to have a very good short game. I then went to a follow up tournament the weekend after and started out very much in sync and shot 39 on the front 9. Well, as it has been happening, the wheels fell off and wound up shooting 50 on the back 9. That was about as frustrating a round of golf as I've had in a really long time. To feel so good about my swing only to have that completely disappear was very discouraging to say the least. Without any more options left to try to fix it I went for a lesson. After 45min we found that a very old bad habit had crept its way back into my game. I was getting completely offline at the top of my swing and that was directly caused by.......same issue keeps returning......not staying connected. you would think that after months and months that would be something I just do correctly without thinking but alas it is not at that stage yet. I feel much better about my state of mind and game now that I've got a general idea of what my main swing fault is and will be going forward I can better assess mid round problems and address them in 1-3 holes instead of it taking half a round. I've made a choice not to play a tournament until the next major April 24-25. I need some time to mentally decompress and get focused on my fundamentals again instead of being "score focused". Only time will tell but I have a very good feeling about this season overall. My GF has moved in and things are going great! I'm very happy she's here!

Fairways and Greens!!

confidence through victory

A very gratifying victory two weeks ago at Temecula Creek! I shot 84 and really didn't feel like I played well at all and that is what was so gratifying about the tournament. I was able to feel for the first time that my game has reached another level. Three months ago if I were to shoot 84 in tournament play I would have been OK with that. Now I expect to be shooting below that all the time. I have been consistently able to avoid the "big" numbers and subsequently my scores are becoming lower and more consistent. the next phase of learning is to make more birdies and to be able to feel as though I can get strokes back that I give up. The first major of the year is this coming weekend at Sandpiper in Santa Barbara along the Pacific ocean(little Pebble beach). A two day total of 164 should win so averaging 82 is my goal. Progress is coming, just a bit slower than expected!

Patience and focus

Another poor showing in consecutive tournaments had me really evaluating my current effort level with regard to practice and improvement. I spent a few hours last night reviewing in my head how I approach my entire golf game. One of the glaring things that stood out was my complete lack of focus during the round, which I believe is a direct reflection of how I practice. Instead of going to the range and just hitting ball after ball with the simple focus of ball flight, I need to work on swing plane drills and alignment drills. My short game is a very strong part of my game at the moment which is why I'm not posting scores in the 90's. Starting today, fitness, flexiblity and sound fundamentals are going to take point over any type of power lesson or "new" swing thought. hopefully my focus on these things will prepare me for the seasons first major at Sandpiper golf course in Santa Barbara in three weeks!

One step back

Exhausting would be the best way to describe Sundays tournament. Final total for my round, 90! In my expedited quest to reach scratch status I inevitably have hit a point where my mind is so overloaded with information that my body simply said, FU#K it! I cant do this. LOL! I was completely between swings all day, coming underneath, then not rotating, The snowball affect took hold and it infected my putting and chipping as well as the frustration increased. I was so angry, I purchased a large bucket of balls after the round and in a steady rain proceeded to hit and hit until i found the problem. I did! Not rotating was the main culprit!!! I went yesterday at lunch and pounded a bucket and was able to correct the swing fault and hit mostly solid shots after that. I see the light at the end of this tunnel and that is what is keeping me going forward. I could have stayed with my improper swing and still shot high 70's low 80's but that's not what this is about. This is about challenging myself and seeing just how good I can be. I realize there are going to be MANY setbacks in this journey but just like Tom Hanks once said, "If it was easy everyone would do it, it's the hard, that makes it great".

Next tournament is March 7th at my home course. I think it will take 81 or less to win and i know I have some low scores on that course waiting for me! just a matter of putting on the right frame of mind these next two weeks and building a solid game plan!

never stop learning

I'm not sure what it is with my mental state that says, "hey, nice round of 77, now lets go get a lesson and fix things". I just feel that I can take my game to a much better level if I can just dedicate my time more efficiently than I have been. My practice sessions are becoming more strategic with the time allotted. I need to become more disciplined with my time and get back in the gym and eat right. If I'm not around a 3hdcp by the end of 2010 something is wrong. Next tournament is this Sunday, my goal for the tournament is to shoot 78-82. I feel that is a good score on a course I've never played and should be enough to win! stay tuned......

Sync and tempo

Hello all! It has been a few weeks of travel since my last posting. Not a whole lot has been going on since my victory at Twin Oaks on the 17th. As best I could I kept my focus on my game while on the road. practicing fundamentals in the swing, grip and stance while in hotel rooms, at facilities, and in airports. I must say the looks you get when your swinging a pretend golf club in an airport is priceless but not matter, I'm on a mission!! After returning to Southern California earlier this week and putting in a couple range sessions so far I have been able to find a few additional swing faults not previously noted. My grip was a bit on the strong side so I have weakened that just a bit. I was closing the club face at address so I have been working on keeping that more open to avoid pull hooks. Hip and shoulder turn in Sync has been the primary focus for me and I must say, after today's lunch session it has come along nicely. The putting stroke is still a work in progress but I am able to pace my putts much more consistently than before. Tonight I will be working on chipping and sand shots for a few hours and then finishing up with a medium bucket and working on alignment. I hope to keep these updates coming daily as the travel has finally subsided a bit.

thanks for following along and as always:
Fairways and Greens!!