200 balls...

Working on the "new move" from Brendan today.  Trying to do a couple things and actually one went well. After the Wednesday 15 October 2014 lesson I was still laying the club open on the backswing. As you can see in the video below at Fort Belvoir during lunch.  If I made a casual enough swing of about 80% I could feel a delayed release.  However, my backswing was my nemisis ...wagging the club open leading to a stuck right elbow:

However, today?  I figured out how to hinge the club withot laying it off.  It's the left hands job to cock the wrist/club up into a set position with a flat left wrist.  I am using the heal pad of my left hand to push down on the end of the grip as I get outside my right thigh.  That motion will get the club up at a 90 degree angle to my forearm but still allow good arm extension and my right elbow folding properly up instead of the club being pulled inside and into a laid off position.

I found a video that matches what I felt today.  I discovered the below method of "Hinge with the left hand" by "pressing down on the butt of the club" today at the range but he explains it well.

15 October 2014 - Had another lesson with Brendan Horton today. Was supposed to be a fitting for some kick ass MP-4's but decided to wait.  I'm gonna hit more irons through the spring and see what I really want. Current leader is the Cobra Amp Cell Pro's.  Unfortunately the new 2015 Cobra blades will be renamed to FLY-Z... yeah, great name (not)!

Anyway... the lesson.  Posture over the ball looked awesome.  Problems:

1. My grips are probably too small. He wants the pad of my left thumb a SMIDGE longer to get more fo the pad on the club.  Also just right of center so the center line comes up to the left edge of my thumb. Right hand the thumb was a bit more in contact with the grip (felt bad)
2. Stepping into the ball I need to flex knee and not lean so far in
3. Shoulders get open to the line. Stay tall with shoulders and keep them square, that's where you tend to get open shoulders
4. Club face was open.  It's perspective but it's open. He got it square. I can see it better when I lean it WAY forward to 1 iron loft to see that bottom line is straight away from me, not open
5. At the start of the swing I have a slight right hip bump and hands push away move that gets me away from the ball and then I push off right side and hit the ball.  
6. Backswing drills with more shoulder tilt is REALLY GOOD
7. REAL backswing the right elbow folds quick and the face fans open. I think slower backswings allow you to feel the deeper left shoulder 
8. Downswing I need to get the right shoulder pushing the elbow in front of the right hip but keep my arm stretched across my shoulder line - MY HABIT is to drop the hands as I turn getting stuck behind the hip
9. This leads to me being WAY off the right foot.  I need to get more rotation out of that first move down and keep that right foot flat.

Brendan gave me Ben Hogan as a model for right shoulder move   

Hunter Mayhan, he said, is a decent example of modern day golfer but not his release through the ball
I'm asking him if Martin Kaymer is doing it also.

It's been a great month... My project from hell has nearly ended, I've played another tournament and shot my all time "in competition" low score  (+1) to win $315 in prizes (I'm an amatuer remember) and I'm being patient on what irons and driver to buy.

The lower body move by itself wasn't the answer. Jonas Blixt... THAT'S THE ANSWER:  He and I have the same problem so I fixed my swing with his advice... My shoulders turn too flat and I get my right elbow behind me and stuck.  The ensuing downswing I'd fold my right side before turning.  I needed to combine the below tip with my earlier blog on my knee movement to create a VERY consistent shot shape of either straight or a slight draw. My miss is now a hook if my body stops turning on the downswing

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2014-09/jonas-blixt-longer-tee-shots#slide=1

":I used to make a flatter shoulder turn and get the club laid off at the top (pointing well left of the target). Then I'd have to re-route the club coming down to hit a solid shot. Now I turn my shoulders on a steeper plane, which makes my downswing easier to repeat. 
Tip: The feeling is that my left shoulder moves down and back and my left wrist is flat at the top. Your body turn should be consistent and efficient—don't rely on hand action to square the clubface."

Remember that feel... steeper with left shoulder going back

The KEY: TEMPO! With the better turn there's a pause to get set into the right hip and then the left knee moves and sets up unwinding hips and shoulders at the same time.

LASTLY: Love that free release feeling with NO FEAR of hook or slice.  Keep the body moving and hands finishing high to hit it square with smoot power and consistent distance

3 Weeks of the WORST Project EVER - The US Gov't Owes me $....

2 Tough tournaments, a GREAT lesson, 2 hours of practice and a 4 under par round on an easy course... I figure entry fees, time and expenses that adds up to $500 the government owes me.  Plus they have royally screwed my golf schedule... I wanted to play Bulle Rock "the only 5 star course in Maryland" Saturday, not with this ragged game I have.

I have worked 55 hours a week for the last 3 weeks on a project only for them to ditch the entire design and start over.  In that time I got in ZERO practice on the lower body move that will revolutionize my golf game.  Staggering improvement in my wedge game and effortless drives where I had to work hard for the distance and accuracy I achieved before.  SO... back to the drawing board.

That's the bad news.  The good news is ai have the cash for new equipment (minus a weekend getaway for my wife)... An unexpectedly short sale of my Triumph Sprint ST... 12 year old motorcycle - I have the check for $2250 in hand.  I have ordered the title and am waiting for a lawyer to send me the lein release (that I can't find for my own negligent filing practices.



The questions is what to get?  So far I've only hit the new Titleist 714 AP2's that my cousin bought and they are SWEET!  The sole grind really released from the turf well as described.  I might be crazy but it seems like they were a half to full club longer than my current AP2's (Generation 2).  I am also curious about the CB's from Titleist, the Calaway's and I should hit Ricky Fowler's Cobra's just to see if the muscle back blade feels as good as it looks w/ a little color flair!

MD Open was tough.  As I was concerned, time spent on full swing impacted preparedness for short game.  However, the fix Brendan put in place led to excellent tee shots, very straight. Felt very confident on the tee on tight tee shots.  Iron shots were hot and cold but I never felt real confident over them for direction or distance.  In the end I decided to shoot at pins with those shaky irons and made bogeys on 5 of the 7 holes I had left to play.  Inflated my final round score.


STROKES LOST: 23

PUTTING: 2 three putts

SAND: 7 (7,11,13,18)

CHIPPING: 6 (3,4,5,8,15,17)

PITCHING: 3 (8,1,15)

TEE SHOTS (Par 4's & 5's): 5 (7,8,9,11)

PLAN OF ACTION:

• Get back involved with a coach, Brendan Horton. 
• Come up with a project plan for improvement
• Get fit (core) to increase consistency, distance and reduce fatigue
• Get new equipment
• Roll all learned into our book to help others 

Quick Note for MD Open Final 8 holes

Maintain your height in the back swing.  Maintain good tempo!

Also, found way to get wood aligned... Feet together club in left hand and club head to left of feet lean forward and see direction of arrow.

I'm BACK! Thanks to Brendan Horton out of Olney Golf Park

SOOOO!  Taking Brendan's advice literally as well as a borrowed 3 Wood I played  Cross Creek Tuesday, 8 July 2014.  Maybe jumping out of the car and going straight to the 1st tee wasn't such a smart idea but weather was coming through in 3 hours so I had to play ahead of it...

Although I struggled a bit on the 1st two holes with no warm up by the 2nd shot on hole 3 I had developed a feel and hit the ball solidly.  The real turning point was the tee shot on 4.  I hit my Taylormade 4 hybrid perfectly with the better setup position and wow.   220 dead straight leaving me 150 to the hole.  8 iron was tracking  and left me 12 feet ... good stroke but made par.  Hole 5 I got it to the left side of the green for from 210 from the elevated tee.  For the next several holes tee shots felt free and went straight at my targets.l

In particular was the tee shot on 8. I hit the Titleist 910 FD and it felt great releasing through the ball.  Like an arrow it struck the center of the fairway.  The approach, with the better club alignment, was dead straight but a hair long.  The real fun was hole 9.  Again with the perfectly struck 3 wood.  From 119 my 52 degree wedge landed within a foot of the hole and checked up at 6 feet.... made the birdie.

Each hole after I hit shots online and solidly. When I didn't they were barely offline but on the green.  Hole 13 I hit a driver down wind and caught the hill for a 350 yard drive (again, wind and hill aided but I hit it solid).  Birdie.

STATS: Simple

10 fairways
15 greens
Even Par (+1 front, -1 back)

Now I just need to focus on shortgame to get up and down more consistently in prep for the MD Open st5arting 14 July 2014

GOAL: TOP 40 and make the cut.  It will require smart play, good choices and great putting. I'm confident though, I put on a Super Stroke putter grip and it feels great on the course.  When using the line on the ball my setup feels more solid and the stroke rolls the ball online each time.

Brendan Horton to the Rescue

Been a while again - had something going well and then I lost it, bad.  Was hooking the ball off the planet and I can't take that into Lakewood.  Texted Brendan and he said he'd take a look today (7/7/14)

I played yesterday and kinda figured out at least one problem, was coming over the top a bit and as he suggested my body was slowing causing my hands to take over.

At the range he looked at me hitting a few wedges and then an 8 iron and amazingly zeroed in on the problem quickly and made astute simple suggestions. I spent some time asking more questions to ensure I could retain what he explained.  The result is below...

1. Tempo. He had me hit 52 degree wedges. A club you wouldn't swing fast. I hit standard shots - you know - to your number
2. Then he handed me an 8 iron, told me to swing with same tempo.  
3. Then he observed my setup
1. I sole the club toward the back third of the sole with the grip pointed at my center and the face lays open slighty. Then I adjust hands, spine angle and other wiggles.
2. I then get comfortable including setting my spine angle to the right which further adjusts the face of the club unknowingly w/ that "sitting in"and shoulders opening
3. Then in the swing, with so much tilt to the right and shoulder angle my takeaway of the club is going back outside the ball and dragged inside
4. Swing
1. I was still dropping my elbow straight down and then sweeping the ball
2. Not bad if I do it consistently but it won't work with my current setup and takeaway

FIX:

1. Sole the club in the center with the face square and pinch with left hand
1. Longer irons will set to not get the leading edge too close to ground
2. Wedges will setup with leading edge naturally close to ground
2. Then grip and address the club with both hands with it properly soled
3. The V between my left and right hands is centered at my chest
4. The shaft points up my left arm (he stuck a orange pole in the grip and it went right up my left arm under my elbow and behind my shoulder joint)
5. Don't tilit or move spine angle
6. Widen feet to ensure shoulders stay square to feet/hips/club

SWING:  

1. From there I swung the club back with current backswing but better tempo... 
2. He said not too slow - good rythme back and down at same pace
3. Gotta be sure to let the backswing finish before starting down
4. With the adjustments the ball started more online and had some fade due to me or the wind but playable if I aim at center of green.

BALL POSITION

1. Be conscious of position of 3,4,5... 6...7,8... 9,W,52,58
2. 3W was further up and it produced a much better shot when not too far back compared to 2H

Up and down... up and down. I've taken the last 30 days to explore finding a key to my inconsistency.  With just barely over 2 weeks to the MD Open I'm experimenting with my swing to eliminate the fixes and inconsistency, probably not smart but its the most interested in golf I've ever been.

I've had flashes like playing with my cousin at Bretton Woods Country Club... 4 holes of trying a good backswing and transition/turn through the ball ... +4.  14 holes of just step up, aim and hit it with good tempo... +4 (poor putting)  I hit my drives and irons shots online with power.

One day at Cross Creek driving range I found something, the next I was unable to find the green.  I lost 4 days to a family vacation in Virginia Beach Virginia but not before I snuck in a practice.  I fooled around with a tip from Martin Kaymer where you make backswings with a tennis ball between your forearms.  Kept me connected, added width.  I stripped the ball.

25 June 2014 I return from Virginia Beach I go to MD but the range is closed.  A visit to the county owned Paint Branch driving range revealed heavily worn mats. I stuck it out though and again, being very mechanical produced horrible shots...

Today, 26 June 2014 I again go to MD University.  I luck up and find about 40 balls in various bays at the range. I collect them up and proceed to hit 140 balls.  I decided to not get mechanical and focus on two simple things

1. A square setup 
2. Athletic out toward balls of feet
3. Turning my head to see down the line to the target
4. Slow tempo
5. 3/4 backswing - basically getting my back to the target but not turning so far that I get my right elbow behind me
6. Release the club.  My hold on swing basically is a trap shot.

Wow.  All the wedges and 9 iron were MONEY!  I hit a few poorly but largely I hit them full distance with about 80% effort and they felt SOLID.  I did have problems if I didn't align the mat with the target.  However, once straight I had to be conscious of my shoulder alignnent.

I was most impressed by the 210 yd 3 iron.  Straight 3 irons were low and hot.  I needed height.  I setup aimed left of the green and slightly opened the face.  I swung through and it faded to the flag!  4 iron, same.. getting square I could it it very solid and 200yds (190 is usual 4 iron)

3/4 swing isn't really 3/4 - just feels that way. No mechanical thoughts of setting right hip or backswing.   Just slow takeaway and transition with full release of the club - no holding back!

THIS IS MY SWING UNTIL 17 JULY 2014. Now its all about shortgame ... wedge distance control, chipping, pitching and putting.

Tomorrow I will schedule my practice round on "Lakewood Country Club!"

28 May 2014

 Last night I subscribed to a new YouTube channel from Adam Huyck

I think this is what I need to increase my distance and consistency late in rounds.  Discovered my mobility and balance was inconsistent from one side of my body (left to right) than the other.  Check out his videos especially Thoracic Rotation and other rotational movements!

 

24 May 2014 - I Think I Figured out for Me "How to Fade The Ball or How to Draw The Ball"

I've struggled with fading the ball and drawing it has been impossible but today i think I found an easy way to do it with my current swing - no changes in setup.  Key is you gotta trust it and swing at that target not at the flag.

FADE:

1. Grip the club as you would normally to hit the ball straight
2. Pick a target LEFT of where you want the ball to go. (i.e. left edge of the green beside the flag)
3. Aim at that left target as if you were going to hit it straight at that target
4. Step into the shot fully aligned at that left target and ready to hit
5. Then, loosen your grip enough to use your fingers to twist the club in your grip to turn the club and point the face at the flag (opening the club face)
6. You might need to move a BIT closer to the ball
7. Swing - focusing on the same swing you'd make to hit it straight at that left target

DRAW: 

1. Grip the club as you would normally to hit the ball straight
2. Pick a target RIGHT of where you want the ball to go. (i.e. right edge of the green beside the flag)
3. Aim at that right target as if you were going to hit it straight at that target
4. Step into the shot fully aligned at that right target and ready to hit
5. Then, loosen your grip enough to use your fingers to twist the club in your grip to turn the club and point the face at the flag (opening the club face)
6. You might need to move a BIT closer to the ball
7. Swing - focusing on the same swing you'd make to hit it straight at that right target

24 May 2014 - Think I Figured it Out, no more high blocks or low hooks

Consistency is based on fundamentals... 

I have a lack of consistency in that I occassionally hit a high block and then over compensate and hit a low pull hook.  Funny thing is the solution was something my coach tried to teach me long ago that's part of a good setup routine.  Went to the range today and worked on this.

Problem: Once you grip the club and get it connected to your upper torso at the back of your biceps you are ready to step into the ball.  For me I was sitting the club down for just a second as I was stepping in. Then before really being set I was waggling while adjusting my feet and it lead to inconsistent posture for high/low hands, spine tilt, alignment and how tall I was at the start of the swing.  My wife, funny enough, suggested "you need to find a way to get ready to hit so your are setup the same every time, not high or low hands but just right"

Solution: Today I recalled what my coach was teaching me during several of our many lessons... Brendan Horton said Once you place the club behind the ball leave it there until your feet are set. Then you can pick it up and waggle if you need to."

Setting the club down, while staying very tall - with slight flex in the knees but not hunching or bending too much at the waist.  A properly fitted club will help you find that posture.

• The club is grounded with the sole flat on the ground but JUST BARELY touching the ground.  
• Then while leaving the club in place, especially the height-position of my hands, as I step in square to the ball.  
• When setting my feet I feel the weight on both feet is 50/50 w/ a slight 'bounce' of the knees
• I also ensure I have spine tilt. 

Four smooth steps, less fidgeting before the shot. That series of steps sets me up for a square strike.  Now I just need to make this a permanent habit!

21 May 2014 - Qualifying for MD Open and MD Amateur at Joint Base Andrews AFB Golf Course

I pulled it off today with less than stellar play... I qualified for the Maryland Open (July 14-16 at Lakewood CC) and MD Amateur (June 5-8 at Baltimore CC)

Unlike the other 3 MD Open's I have qualified for in years past I'm disappointed. First time I qualified in 2007 at Rattlewood I shot +5 and was excited.  Same situation in 2010 qualifier at Andrews AFB and 2011 at the University of Maryland with +4, I was excited.  This time?  Correct! Disappointed. This +4 should have been EVEN or much better.  Mental mistakes on holes 2, 6, 7, 10, 17 cost me bogey's that should have been avoided. Poor decisions on 1 and 18 cost me birdie opportunities.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

GOOD: With all the UGLY listed below I shot +4. Putting didn't save me, hitting shots when needed did.

1. I was nervous but stroked the opening Tee Shot at my target
2. Still on my 2nd hole I hit a flare into the trees on the right side.  However, I hit a clutch 7 iron 3/4 punch to 8 feet from the flag under trees from the right side. <sadly under read the break>
3. Great speed on the greens aside from my 15th hole three putt (hole 6).  16 of 18 holes where I had a leave it was short.
4. I chipped pretty well in several clutch moments to keep streaks going. Twice I nearly chipped in for birdie
5. I figured out why I hit several hook drives and corrected on course (hands were too low)
6. I played quickly, no penalty strokes, no sand traps and no lost balls
7. I managed emotions well and didn't let anything get me down
8. Interacted with playing partners, looked for balls, talked to my wife (she caddied for me) and didn't get distracted
9. How about that putt 
1. on 17 to save par.  Perfect roll just didn't turn into the hole but it peeked
2. on 8 for birdie to get to +3... just needed one extra roll to drop
3. on 3 for birdie
4. on 2 for par
5. on 1 from the fringe for par!
10. That 195 yard 5 iron showed me I have alot of stored distance.  Not a hard swing and I flew the 185 yard flag to the back of the green - should have been tight or even in the hole.

BAD: Green Reading and Speed For Birdie Putts

1. I had 7 birdie opportunities inside 15 feet and converted ONE!  
1. Two of those were from ~6 feet
2. Two of the 12 footers were due to poor approaches on Par 5's
3. Several burned edges
4. The key was the 5 footer on my 18th hole... needed it to get to +3 and guarantee qualifying and I under read the break

UGLY: Mental Game

1. 1st hole of the competition with the ball below my feet I took dead aim instead of 15 feet left of the hole.  Ended up 15 feet RIGHT of the hole.  Easily could have been a birdie putt I ened up with a chip and putt and what?  Bogey'ed the 1st.  
2. How about the 11th hole (my second) where I flaired my drive to the right
3. The hook drive on hole 17 (hole 8 for me).  Then I hit the provisional under a bush... good thing I didn't need that.
4. The 4 hybrid where I tried to fade the ball to the green from 218 when I clearly decided NO FADES.  I made the right choice to not try and clear the trees but the fade was more of a block toward the trees.  It cleared but ticked a limb (lucky) and still finished near the green
5. The chip from in front of green on 18 (my 9th green) wasn't to the right to use the slope leaving me 12 feet (i.e. be on the high side and the ball wil roll toward the hole not the low side or the break will roll the ball AWAY from the hole)
6. Wow - that low pull 2H on 2 got lucky and filtered to the end of the  tree line with a clear shot to the green from dirt lie
7. Worse - trying to hit a 58 degree wedge from the dirt and you  delofted the face flying the green from 93 yards.  Under a pine tree for a poor 6 iron bump into the hill
8. On 6 I got so wrapped up in the line I barely hit the ball leaving 6 feet for par
9. 7 I felt the wind come up and should have reset to a different shot.  Instead I slacked on the downswing and hung back, pulling to the left of the green and making bogey

20 May 2014 - Last Range Session Before Tomorrow's Tournament

I planned to hit balls today to build confidence going into the tournament.  Hoped I would forget the 4 or 5 SHANKS I hit at yesterdays practice.

NOPE!

Hit all my clubs well except my 7 iron. Managed to hit too many balls, practice poorly and undermine my confidence.

Will let you know how it goes tomorrow!

19 May 2014 Two Days Before Tournament Day

The MD Open/MD Amateur (both events) is 21 May 2014 at Joint Base Andrews AFB Golf Course.

• Quality Ball Striking - CHECK
• Driving Ball Long and Straight - CHECK
• Putting Confidently for Speed and Line - CHECK
• Short Game for missed greens - SHAKY

Went over to Olney Golf Park, short game area.  Gotta get my chipping around the green closer to the hole. Olney has a VERY large putting green and a green that you can hit pitches to from up to 70 yards.  I spent 60 minutes dedicated to various distances around the pitching green.

Excellent progress in a short period of time.  Using Tiger's trajectory method I became pretty consistent hitting a spot and releasing to the hole.  Just need to figure out green speed and choose the right trajectory to release the ball close to the hole!

16 May 2014 - Couple Weeks of Good Practice

21 May 2014 the Qualifier for the Maryland Open and the Maryland Amatuer will be played at Andrews Airforce Base on the East course (where I shot my first under par round).  For the last couple weeks I have been focused on getting my ball flight more consistent.  During a couple practice rounds I found some fades and draws slipping in unexpectedly. Turns out I had slipped into a couple bad habits like slouching a bit in my posture and shutting the face a bit at address.

Also looked at my recent stats and noticed that I'm making pars on birdie holes because I'm too far from the hole on approach shots. Also leaking a few strokes within 20 yards of the green.  So I've spent the last 2 weeks working on distance control with wedges from the fairway and around the green.

At this old golf clinic with Tiger Woods and Anthony Kim, Tiger explained how he controls distance with trajectory and it made sense to me... He turns back full and swings through at a consistent pace to different lengths of follow through.  Waist high, chest high, shoulder high each goes a consistent different distance.

I applied the above to chipping and found that it works.  For consistency, unless the fringe is very flat, I usually carry the ball onto the green with the right loft for the distance I need.  The key to a crisp strike and consistent distance is not slowing down through the strike and stopping the club on the follow through at a point to create a certain carry distance.  Watch this video of tiger and notice how consistent his pace is and where he stops his hands to control the distance.

I paced off 24 paces from the hole back to my chipping point.  I then paced off 12 paces to find the middle and placed a tee.   This also worked for shorter distances... 12 yard target so I pace off 6 yards and placed a tee.  Then, using my 58 degree wedge I used the above chipping technique tiger is using to chip balls to that mid point tee and it released perfectly to the 24 foot hole or 12 foot hole.  Obviously it's flat so a downhill I would need a little less air time, up hill a little more.

I was able to focus my eyes on the mid point tee as my target and then bounce the ball next to that tee to get the distance I want.  If you change to a wedge, 9 iron or higher club your aim point moves closer to you as it will roll more.  58 degree wedge - fly 50% - roll 50%.  52 degree - fly 45% - roll 55%,  PW - fly 40% - roll 60% and so on. Calibrate at each course for their green speeds.

3 May 2014 TGAATour Tournament at Waverly Woods - Finished 3rd

There are good thing about playing rounds where you are grinding from the first hole is you learn you can do it when you don't have your best game.  Shows you when you hit a bad patch you can hold it together.

Sketchy warm-up session.  Irons were spot on but hybrids/driver were fading.  I worked it out but it doesn't leave you feeling good going to the 1st tee. The putting green was bumpy and fast. Chipping and pitching were terrible.  

However, I stayed patient and played conservative.  6 straight pars, I bounced back after the double bogey with a solid par. Throughout the day of grinding I felt like a good approach shot was about to fly off my club. Didn't lose patience and make aggressive pressed shots.

Going forward I have got to focus on shots from uneven lies and approach shot distance control inside 130 yds based on conditions.  I also need to get my driver tuned on a launch monitor, I need more distance (or I need to figure out why I'm fading the ball on normal swings)

What's the good, the bad and the ugly? 

How about bad first:

• ZERO birdies... 
• 1 approach shot inside 15 feet 
• Had a double bogey on a straight forward 190yd Par 3
• 3 putted from 30 feet on an uphill put
• Missed 7 greens

The good: I was on the grind today.  Swwing felt loose but I kept it together with smart play

• Shot a 76 on a 3 handicap which was the 2nd lowest round of the 31 players (lowest was 73)
• 237.50 in prizes
• 15 pars off of excellent putting on bouncy fast greens
• I had 6 one putts today to cover the missed greens
• No 1st tee gitters
• Drew the ball well on several holes where I needed it
• Tee shots on most holes were solid - never put myself in trouble

Ugly: 

• Only one (1) approach shot from inside 100 yds was inside 15 feet
• Approach shots were short and long leaving me with long putts on bumpy greens

Statistics:

• 8 Fairways
• 11 Greens
• 31 putts (51 feet of putts made)
• Six 1 putts, One 3 putt
• 15 Pars

One of my favorite golfers? Tommy Gainey. Hoping he has a big year.

Get to know Tommy Gainey

I'll keep this short. Incorporating turning my left knee in early with moving the club into the backswing? Bad combination with whatever I'm doing in my swing. Immediately caused the shanks. Dropped it immediately.

HOWEVER! I did figure out where my occasional unexpected draw was coming from. Setup! I have been getting into my setup with a good spine tilt. I may be shifting weight to my back foot... instead of 50/50 I'm mabye 45/55 front /back foot. If I hang back I let my hands go and there's the draw. I setup well 50/50 for a small bucket and striped all of them!

 Signed up for the www.tgaatour.com event at Waverly Woods 3 May 2014. I figure since I shot the 75 at Lake Presidential and all of the $237.50 I earned will go to the $250 membership fee I might as well get a little more tournament toughness in before the 21 May event a Andrews AFB and maybe earn some more prizes (amatuer remember)!

27 April 2014 - Good tip from Charlie Rymer

Charlie Rymer pointed out during morning drive today that Lydia Ko did a great job of getting her back to the target.  He pointed out she did this during the start of the swing by turning her left knee in early to get the hips moving in the backswing.  Instead of restricting the hips she lets them turn early.



Tried it today in the morning room and it did feel easier to get to the top of the backswing.  I feel like I'm in the same position as I do now with restricting the hips but the backswing felt more effortless.  Could also help on shorter swings for 1/2 shots.

I think I'll give it a shot on the range today

26 April 2014 - 18 at Gunpowder

Wow.  Hilly.  I needed that though, I have 24 days until the MD Open/Amatuer qualifier at Andrews AFB East course.  It's a relatively flat course so should be an easy walk but still need to keep the swing under control and tired legs will derail quality shots.

I got alot out of the walk and found that I could tackle the hills while still using my legs in the swing. However, I didn't spend much time on shot analysis before hitting.  Shots were loose today.

I also think I'm going to spend some time next round hitting drives with different settings on my Titleist driver to see what gets me the best distance benefit.

26 April 2014 - How do I get better?

Bottom line, it's all about improving and beating balls on the range with a 7 iron won't address troublespots... What troublespots?  How well do you play from uneven lies, firm fast conditions, needing a shot shape (draw, fade, high, low) or analyzing the situation and playing the right shot (conservative, agressive, laying up or going for it)

Lookng at my 75 and -1 rounds I see areas that ended with scrambling pars or bogey's.

Cause and effect:

1. Nerves - thin tee shot
2. Skipped putting routine - missed 2 foot par
3. Didn't analyze wind - 30+ feet from flag on 124yd hole
4. Got quick - lucky bounce into fairway
5. Right hip bump on backswing - blocked drive down right w/ bad angle to green
6. Negative thought in backswing - thin hybrid to right of green and poor angle
7. Didn't analyze distance and choose correct club/shot & no practice swings - short pitch lead to bogey on a easy Par 5
8. Pulled driver into hazard - wrong club choice for situation was too risky. 
9. Didn't pull through with left side - 60+ feet left of hole on 150yd hole.  Scrambled for par
10. Weak drive to right side of fw - 25 yds too short to go for green. Par on easy par 5.

Troublespots:

1. 1st tee nerves and execution
2. Hybrid tee and fairway shots 
3. Distance control with wedges inside 105 yd
4. Draw and fade control
5. Lag putting over 40 feet
6. Shots from uneven lies (below feet, above feet, downhill, uphill)
7. Takeaway on long iron/driver swings includes hip bump

Skill development:

1. High trajectory straight/fade/draw
2. Make more midrange putts (9 to 15 feet)
3. Plan use of backboards and spinning the ball back to the hole
4. Recognizing conditions and applying correct strategy (wind, firm, soft)
5. Course strategy (distance, club and direction choices)

SCOTTY!

24 April 2014 - Success! First round ever below par on regulation 18 hole course

Let the record show on Thursday, 24 April 2014 at 6:38pm I achieved part of my goal - shoot under par for an 18 hole round of golf.  The Courses at Andrews AFB, East Course Blue Tees.  71 on a Par 72, 71.9/126.  I played 18 holes in 2 hours and 38 minutes during twilight so I used a cart.

Noting that the course is relatively flat, no rough to speak of and not overly long with early season greens speeds... in short -easy.  However, I'm not going to diminish the accomplishgment.  I've played this "easy" course many times including two qualifiers for the MD Open and never shot even par much less under par before.

The course has odd grass in the fairways and in front of greens.  Some small tufts of grass cause odd bounces.  Even in the fairway a tough knot of grass can twist your clubhead and I had each of those occurences lead to a pushed shot or a bad bounce leading to a missed green and 2 bogey's on the back.  A couple poor swings with my hybrid nearly cost me but great wedge play got me within 12 feet and I made four (4) one (1) putts for pars to keep the round alive (All that winter putting on the basement putting green w/ the best suprise christmas gift from my wife ever... A Scotty Cameron Newport)

STATS:

• 4 Birdies (24ft, 15ft and 3 ft - 1 Chip in ~35 feet)
• 3 Bogies
• 27 Putts
• 7 fairways
• 8 Greens

BIRDIES:

• For each of the GIR's my distance to the hole was pretty good... I hit 6/9 greens on the front nine.  On the back I scrambled alot and hit only 2 greens.
• Distance to the hole for the 1st put #'s 1-5 respectively:  13, 10, 13, 24, 15 
• Distance to the h for #8 I chipped in from ~35 ft from the back fringe
• Birdie putt on hole #9 was 3 ft

19 April 2014 - 75 at Lake Presidential's www.tgaatour.com Pro-Net Tournament

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): I shot a 75 from the blue tees.  1 double, 4 bogey's, 2 birdies.  With 5 missed birdie opportunities from inside 15 feet.

Review of Lake Presidential: I understand it's supposed to be an upscale course and that cost money to maintain and I understand contracts made last year need to be upheld.  I also understand that the snow and cold have slowed grass development.  That said there was more dirt than grass in all fairways and the greens were very sandy following topdressing... both due to limited rain and warm temperatures for growth.  Makes it a challenge to putt well on bumpy sandy greens.

What's the good, the bad and the ugly?

• Ugly first - Nervous but in denial.  Between shanking the first couple swings on the range to the thin driver on the 1st tee I didn't 'feel' nervous but the end result was my swing wasn't comfortable.  It turned out to be not having that slight pause at the top of the backswing and a poor transition.  Also due to not using my normal tournament prep process due to limited range balls and a range with NO GRASS!  Had to use a tee to hit irons.
• Bad - Ok, I didn't roll in the 7 foot putt on #2 but the leave was good (maybe 2 feet). The bad is missing a 2 foot putt for par - three putting from 7 feet.  The bad is not using your putting routine on every put unless the tap in is like 6 inches.  I leaned over this 2 footer like it was a tap in and missed it because there was some break and the bumpy greens exaserbated that fact.
• Good - Those 3 strokes (double on #1 off of thin driver and bogey on #2 from 3 putt) were out of character (Ugly Nerves) and should have been par or birdies.  Once  I settled down I played even par golf from that point forward (2 bogey's and 2 birdies).  That should have been a round of 71. 

1. I had 6 birdie opportunities from inside 15 feet and made 1 of them including a 3 footer.  The other birdie was 27 foot putt on #1 handicap hole (hole 7)
2. I made 5 par saving CLUTCH putts on the back nine includes two 1 putts
3. Good course management with only one club I would have changed (Change DR for 2H on 14) and one shot where I didn't collect my distance before the shot lead to a bogey (hole 13)

Overall a very encouraging 1st tournament of the year.  This was, without the ugly nerves, a even par round and without sandy greens possibly a 70 or a 69 with some improved putting.

What to work on? PUTTING!

On hole 16 I didn't use my new lag putting stroke.  I kept my wrists firm and tapped it in perfectly center cut with about a foot of break on a 5 foot putt.  I'm wondering if the lag is too much for short putts.  I also didn't have great feel on the long putts with that technique. I still love the roll it puts on the ball but I think as an excercise it may have taught me how to take my hands out of the pytt and I can get a bit more conventional on the stroke now.

shoulda, coulda, woulda... need to decide when I am playing next. I'm thinking Waverly Woods on 3 May 2014.  I really like that course and it's a challenge with a course rating of 72.2 and a slope of 132.  More appropriately it makes you choose your shots, some are blind so there's alot of trust in executing your plan.

18 April 2014 - Two great practice sessions

Thursday and Friday before the www.tgaatour.com Lake Presidential event, two great practice sessions.  Using the techniques being developed for Brendan and my upcoming instruction product seems to be paying off.

My strategy before tournaments has always been no range practice  the day before an event so I hit balls Thursday.  Why you might ask?  Confidence.  I don't want to undermine my confidence in my swing the night before an event.  I want to go in with positive thoughts.

In this case the practice session made me more confident in my swing.  I hit a half bucket going up through the bag from 52w, 9i, 7i, 5i, 3i, both hybrids and driver.  All clubs hit solidly and most importantly excellent control including fades, draws and low/slow tempo to cheat the wind that was howling.  My lower back did get somewhat tight and I ended up with some less than stellar 2 hybrid shots but back down through my 8i I was again amazed at how well I'm striking the ball.

The Swing...

1. The grip in the fingers feels comfortable now
2. Getting connected with the back of my biceps to my chest/torso
3. Stepping in tall with the club hovering or barely touching the ground (keeping connection with the torso)
4. Get square and ensure correct spine tilt away from the target (4/30/14 - check 50/50 weight balance)
5. Slow "Mike Weir" takeaway from the ball to feel the tempo of the upcoming backswing
6. Slow backswing with resistence in right leg, don't let weight to outside of right foot
7. Roll to inside of right instep to shift weight to left side
8. Turn chest to cover ball, soft arms  - don't hit from the top.  This move keeps the hips turning ahead of chest which is covering the ball
9. As shoulders/chest turn and get hands to slot the right arm extends and the left arm/hand is pulling (I have to pull through w/ the left side or the right hand will dominate and close the face - big pull hook)
10. Stay balanced as you turn to a finish

Today, putting was money also.  The stroke has been improving in the basement.  Brendan noticed that I appeared to be setting up tall to the ball and getting shorter then taller before the stroke. Also that my eyes would get outiside the ball before the stroke.  I recalled from reading Geoff Mangum's site that the proper eyeline requires you to get the back of you head flat with your neck so you eyes properly see the line.

Green Reading:

1. Same method as earlier, find the high point of the putt
2. From the low side of the break, read the green from half way and at the hole with the last foot of the path being most imporotant
3. Does it curve all the way to the hole, does it straighten out anywhere, is it uphill or downhill?
4. Make a choice for the path
5. Pick a target either past the hole or short of it depending on the slope
6. Focus your eyes on the mark and then back to the putter and align
7. Follow "The Stroke" below

The Stroke

1. The grip has the left hand on first with the thumb straight down the flat part of the grip
2. The left pointer finger lifts to allow the entire right hand on the grip, right thumb down the shaft. 
3. Snug the right hand up to the left 
4. Hold the clug loosely
5. Step up to the ball standing tall with feet close together.
6. Look down the line to the high point of the break and then straight through the point to a target near the hole
7. The target depends on if it's a downhill or uphill slower putt, we want to see a mark short or long of the hole respectively to feel the right stroke speed (don't get mechanical with backswing length)
8. With the mark clearly defined/focused in myt mind I look back at the putter head and get the line aimed at my target
9. Widen your stance, see the target and stroke

12 April 2014 - Great practice session

Today's practice was by far the best this year... I think I just turned a corner.  At this point in the year i'm hitting the ball much better than years past all based on fundamentals.  Driving the ball well, solid irons with no pain in my elbow (i've shallowed out my swing, I think the left side pulling noted below helped with this)

The big improvement today came on adding a little more spine angle at address.  I've been hitting my long irons and hybrids weak and to the right and feeling stuck.  The key to making adjustments is don't make more than 1 or 2 at most in a single practice session or you might over-think the golf swing.

Wow, what a difference that made.  It got me behind the ball more and I felt more free to release the club.  My shots started perfectly on line only drifting right due to the strong breezse out of the east.  Every club in my bag was tracking.  With my wedges I was working on distance control by narrowing my stance to control the length of the backswing and found that with a narrower stance the move through the ball felt easier and the balls were still flying as far as my wider stance.

My swing queue's: (1, 2, 4 & 8 were developed/engrained this year between January and April using the new instruction techniques my partner and I are developing for our book)

1. Grip more in fingers with VERY lite grip. 
2. Stand taller by stepping in but hovering the club above the ground behind the ball
3. Proper spine tilt to the right at setup.  I need to incorporate this into the setup routine so that it's ingrained and not an afterthought
4. Square up my rear foot a bit (my right toe had flared out a bit causing my right hip to pop out a bit on the downswing)
5. 1 or 2 "Mike Weir" style pre-swing takaways.  Do the pre-swing takeaways as slowly as your planned backswing.  The backswing should be very slow to setup tempo 
6. Little pause at the top before rolling the right foot onto the instep to start the weight shift to left side to start downswing.
7. Turn your chest while delaying the hit to create lag
8. Pull the handle through the hitting zone.  This is important... I have found that my left hand is just riding and my right hand was dominating the swing. Essentially the right hand was releasing early shutting the club face.  Now, as my chest covers the ball and keeps turning I am pulling through with the back of my left hand through the hit.  It's keeping my hands ahead and really compressing the ball.
9. Retain my posture after the hit while following through

PUTTING: I've been working to increase my visual accuity and green reading now that my stroke is rolling it on the line I want. 

1. To control speed/distance I'm not looking at the hole to determine the feel/length of putt.  I'm looking at a spot either short of or past the hole depending if it's downhill or uphill respectively.  This gives my mind a target to feel/putt to instead of the hole which could produce too firm or too soft a roll
2. When picking a line focus your eyes on the smallest spec you can focus on.  This allows your mind to have a very clear target. When you look back at your ball/putter you will feel the direction of the putt and have that in your minds eye as you make the stroke

This week will be all about getting that spine angle incorporated more naturally but being sure not to over do it.

11 April 2014 - Glenn Dale Golf Club

Got out to play with a co-woker on Thursday after work at Glenn Dale Golf Club.  I was a member at Glenn Dale for two season and enjoyed it as a club.  Short course, the greens are small, tilted heavily from back to front so you MUST keep it below the hole to minimize 3 putting.  There's some elevation changes with elevated tee boxes or fairways sloping up to greens requiring you to club up. If you play from the blue tees you'll be challenged with positioning off the tee. You'll need to hit it either to the right or left of the fairway and long enough to have a clear shot at the green.

3rd round of the year... more positive signs!  To shoot under par you have to score.

Upside?  I drove the ball well off the tee, excellent wedge play (setup three of four birdies) and solid putting lead to four birdies.  The grip is feeling very natural now and combined with the pre-shot routine and good tempo to hit solid shots.

Downside?  Two things... uneven lies lead to poor balance and thin shots and fitness.  I'm walking every round to build up stamina and frankly, my legs were dead after the walk up the hill on 16.  I started pushing the ball when I couldn't get to my front leg on the downswing.  Esentially I had 4 bad holes off of a couple mishits, the unfortunate bounce off of the cartpath that went OB and the three putts.

Promising though even with a final score of +7.  

Next up?  TGAA Tour  event at Lake Presidential.

8 April 2014 The season that might not be...

My MD Open and MD Amatuer are slightly in doubt.  The club where I signed up for a handicap hasn't paid their dues to the Maryland State Golf Association. It's just an oversight and I've been assured the "Check is in the mail" but I have to wait a few days to hear back from the MSGA that my application has been accepted.  Of course I could pay ANOTHER $30 at a different member club to transfer my handicap and get entered.  I'm on the fence/worried about it but I'm communicating with the Director of Operations so I'm hopeful that this will get worked out either way I go.

6 April 2014 - Gunpowder Golf Club

The year just took on a whole new dynamic... for one I think I just found a hidden ______. No, not a gem but a hidden value.  Sunday I decided to find close cheap golf course to play.  Just so happend that there is a new road near my house that opened up.  Not sure how they named it "Contee Road" because it is NO WHERE close to the current Contee Road BUT it connects you to Gunpowder road near the entrance of Gunpowder Golf Course.

So, at 5pm the greens fee was $15.  At 6pm the greens fee is ... wait for it... $5!  Yes, $5  Not sure if that's an early spring price or will it be there all year or moved back some but... for less than half the cost of a bucket of balls at the OVERPRICED Laurel Driving Range you can get 90 minutes of golf in on the course.

I started at 5pm and at 6:30pm I had putted out on the 9th hole WALKING.  I decided to head home but I bet I could have finished at least 6 more holes.  To me that means I could get in 9 holes for $5 most days of the week and some weekends.

ANYWAY!  Why am I more excited about the year?  Ball striking and putting.  I walked out of the car onto the course. I gave myself a few practice balls down the fairway to get the feel and headed into the round.  Fairways and greens (not quite).  The course has some odd angles on the first 4 holes but I managed to get up and down for par on each.  A nice block into the trees on the right on hole 5 earned me a double.

My excitement started building on hole six where I laid up on the construction shortened hole to 97 yards and hit a 58 degree wedge to 3 feet and drained the putt.  On seven I drove it down the right side and from an awkward downhill lie got it on the front of the green for a solid par. More fireworks on hole eight where my 6 iron into the wind from 167 never left the flag leaving me 9 feet downhill right to left.  Great read and perfect roll for second birdie and back to even par.  Ninth hole is SUPER wide open and I still managed to hit it down the right side.  Still had a good angle to the pin from 105 up hill into the wind.  A well struck 52 degree wedge finished 4 feet from the hole.  A chance to get to -1 ... right read but poor speed.  I didn't hit it firmly enough and it broke below the hole...

Basically the grip change I've been practicing daily combined with a consistent setup from last years drills are starting to firm up.  If I can continue to improve my tee shots to combine with the solid wedge game I'm really excited about shooting some sub par rounds early this year (not later in the season as the pessimistic side of my brain is suggesting)

5 April 2014 Snuck in a practice session

I've hit balls 3 times this week after work when I unexpectedly gained free time from my wonderful wife.  A large bucket each time at the University of Maryland should have been a small or medium. I took my time with each ball using my normal pre-shot routine but got sloppy halfway through the bucket - probably tired.

LESSON: We love to hit balls but fewer balls hit well is better than many balls hit poorly.

Wisely, this time I got a small and continued work with the new grip. Today I focused on tempo and staying in my posture with my eyes on the ball longer to stop from popping up.  Also noticed I am swinging with just my right side, passive left arm through impact.  I focused on pulling through impact with BOTH arms and it really helped starting the ball online with solid contact.

KEY: Good tempo, puling through impact with both arms and staying in my posture through the strike by keeping my eyes on the ball.

Also spent some time on the putting green.  The new strokes continues to be solid.  I focused on visually selected a point on the green for both line and speed.

KEY: Instead of looking at the hole I picked out a spot either short for downhil or past for uphill in encourage using my eyes to set feel without being overly mechanical.    it encouraged me to roll it to that point which delivered the ball to the hole with the perfect speed.

HEALTH NOTE: I've been battling a muscle knot in my back near my shoulder blade.  Doing the same drills used in physical therapy years ago along with SALAMPAS patches... slow going and it's pretty painful.  I think my poor posture and weak core muscles contribute to this happening.

29 March 2014 - Duty Calls

Unfortanately had to cancel my tournament plans for this weekend.  I'm the on call manager this weekend and there's a test on our systems. Can't chance a call while I'm on the course.  The weather won't be the best anyway so the field will be small.  Next event?  likely the TGAA event at Lake Presidential in MD.  I'm also excited to have signed up for the MD State Open and Amateur qualifying at Andrews AFB on 21 May 2014.  I've qualified twice at this course and this year I'm more excited about my putting than in any year past.

Practice for tournaments has been interesting... I've made a grip change.  During practices for the past week I noticed the club getting up into my palm and my release of the club through the ball felt restricted.  I made a slight change to the position of the club in both hands... In my right hand I started my grip setup by placing it across the 2nd joint of both middle fingers and the right hand it made sure it was in the same joint.  Effectively this strengthened my grip and while it felt odd I could feel it was more in my fingers.

On the downswing I can feel the club setting better and as my chest covers the ball into the hitting area I can feel more whip through the ball and a crisp strike.  I am noticing more distance and a slightly lower ball flight. I just have to be more conscious of staying in my posture and not popping up out of my swing to watch the ball flight.  Practices are starting well, I'm losing that good feeling part way into practice and then getting comfortable with the grip and pulling the swing back together.

21 March 2014 - Will we get a round in tomorrow at Queenstown?

It's possible... It's possible.  Might get out with my former co-worker who is also a golf nut.  He's  my polar opposite - taller, stronger, younger and hits it a ton further.  Should be a good test of my putting that I've worked hard on.  

I used to have to give strokes but with his improvement and my time off from the game we are close enough for heads up competition.  Matter of fact he took a first win in a long time off me at the end of last season (Hogs Neck golf course) where he shot a 79 and my rusty old ass shot a 80.  He putted well and I missed too many routine shots.

Tomorrow will be about fairways and greens... maybe even using my 2 hybrid more to get position in the fairway and accepting longer shots into the green.  Depends on how the driver feels with this new setup.  Of course, putting could save me like it did him last year.  I'm excited, this will be the 2nd round of the year before next weeks http://www.tgaatour.com event at Pendleton golf course.  I won't take any bad throughts away from however I play tomorrow, just focused on getting into the tournament mindset and seeing if my putting will help me take advantage of scoring opportunities.

20 March 2014 - Inside Drills

Thursday at 7:30pm I finally finish dinner and cleanup for my son and get a few minutes of 'me' time.  Passing the my golf club in my bedroom I always pick it up and do a few reps of the latest drill I'm working on.  Today its more of the light grip pressure, stepping into my golf setup/posture and getting good arm extension.  After a quick check in the dressor mirror I simulate a slow backswing to about hip height with both arms still fully extended... back to the ball and then a full backswing to the top.  I repeat this for about 5 reps.  I do that every time I pass the club... more reps more engrained.

Good night...

17 March 2014 - More Snow? More indoor drills...

Great!  More snow.  I was hopeful but not optimistic that the weather would improve, dry up the ground a bit and maybe I could go the the 22 March event at The Federal Club... nope.  More snow means even if it melts the ground will be soggy.  Now hoping we can get a warm-up to improve playing conditions for the 29 March tournament at The Pendleton golf course.

Sooo.... more drills.  Fundamentals is where it's at so I'm working on consistent setup.  Standing really tall with good relaxed arm extension at address and then a nice slow takeaway on my backswing with good balance at the top.  I'm just doing the backswing without a downswing.  See if I can get that permanent and ready for getting on the course.

Also will figure out how to create some 'gates' to place next to the ball and putt through on the basement putting green.  The recent golf digest article on Tiger at the Masters describes this as a part of Tiger's regular routine. I do have some inconsistency of strike on the face of the putter I'd like to improve.

10-March-2014 Family time

Pick up my son from school, homework at the park and time on the swings then head to the house for home made for empanadas.  Watched a bad Jason Statham movie "Chaos".  Just before bed go to the basement and roll 4 or 5 putts from 5 feet, do some swing drills and turn in.

8-March-2014 - 1st official practice session of the year

08 March 2014 - 1st official practice session of the  year....

Finally starting to practice in 2014 after too much snow, when is it going to end?  I found a couple hours to go over to the University of Maryland range.  I had planned to go the the Laurel Golf Center on Route 198 and get the all you can hit deal with one condition... if they had raised the price to $24 I would boycott their establishment unless they were the last range on the planet. I figured with the weather breaking and their prices have been creeping up steadily over the years that they'd push it even further... sure enough the prices was $24 for all you can hit.... RIP OFF. I've watched that price creep up from what was once $12, then $14 and later $20 it had reached the point where it would take hitting 4 large buckets to make it worth it and by then my back would seize up.

Finally at the University of Maryland, I stretched ... hamstrings, back, shoulders and some swings with two clubs. Then I started up through the bag with a 52 degree wedge and up through my 7 iron. With my putting success centered around a VERY relaxed grip to lag the putter during the stroke and keep my hands out of the release I wondered if the same feel would help my full swing.

I hit 1/3 of the bucket feeling like I was hitting everything heavy.  Quick analysis I realize at setup my arms are slack or even slightly bent but I'm probably extending them through the downswing... fat shot. Standing taller and hovering the club with extended arms had an immediate difference. Tying in the relaxed grip and slower back swing had me striping the ball with all of my clubs up through the driver. I hit the rest of the bucket with those three keys...

Based on these tests proving to be successful I'll do drills for the next few weeks each day and night for about 10 minutes getting used to/comfortable with this part of the setup and backswing

• PROBLEM:  hitting chunky shots where my arms are slightly relaxed/bent at address and coming back to the ball extended

• FIX: Taller posture and getting arms fully extended when addressing the ball. Don't rest the club, moving toward hovering instead of grounding the blade on irons.

• PROBLEM: Tension in hands and arms leads to hands control of back swing

• FIX: Very light grip pressure... like a 4 or 5 helps set the club on transition to create lag

• PROBLEM: Back swing and transition are too quick. The club isn't getting set, I'm not getting all the way into my right side before I move down to the ball.  I'm pulling shots WAY left.
• FIX: Slow the tempo of the back swing and transition down.  Ridiculously slow off the ball to feel set into right side.

• FEEL: Feel the right foot push off into the instep to start the transition and bump into left side... feel my chest turning like I'm rotating the buttons on my shirt to turn them toward the target.  This feels like I've got my hips beginning to clear and I link up my rotation of my chest after that to really cover the ball... my right elbow is getting back to my side through that phase and I'm primed to hit from the inside.  I feel free - not stuck - to hit the ball from a balanced position

2-March-2014 - First round of the year at Pendleton

2-March-2014

1^st round of the year... Pendleton Golf Course in Virginia off of 95 south at the Ladysmith. The temperature in Laurel, MD was a high of 51 degrees but Richmond would be 62. After covering someone's midnight shift and getting off at 6am I turned south on 395. The plan was to play either The Federal Club or Pendleton... Whichever would take me as both of will host a www.tgaatour.com tournament in March. The Federal Club is private and was booked solid through 4:30pm so Pendleton was meant to be. I considered hitting some balls first but I was dying to play and even considered getting in 36 holes before the rain came... The gentleman at the counter had 2 guys going out as I got there and he said I could join or play behind them.

As fate would have it the twosome went out ahead of me and I didn't see them the rest of the day – they were fast! The round was a great start to a season. I've been putting in my basement for 3 months so I was excited to see how it worked on the course. I had worked on my visual acuity, my stroke and making enough five to ten foot putts until they felt like kick-in's.

The first hole is a par 5. After a tee shot in the fairway I had less than 225 yards but poor contact with my 2-hybrid left me 60 yards short right of the green. A good swing with my 58 degree wedge put me at 12 feet from the hole and feeling good about birdie. I took a couple practice rolls to get the green speed and then lined up my 12 footer and sank it. Rolled it in center cut! As I'd hoped, even with poor contact with my irons I could save myself with a money putting stroke. On the first three holes I would roll the ball on the line I read and go birdie bogey birdie with that one bogey being a good stroke none the less. The rest of the day went that way... solid drives, inconsistent irons and great putts... I shot a 79.

I decided to forgo another 18 holes in favor of range time considering I won't get out much after the big rain and snow storm hits. Turns out I had about three hours before the rain started. In that time I didn't figure out anything on the range. I think coming off a midnight shift and little sleep was playing a big part in the poor range session.

The best part of the day came on the practice green. The green sloped four feet from top to bottom, lots of undulation and maybe 24 feet wide. I simulated long putts from end to end to put myself in five footer situations and was impressed that I was consistently inside that. The few times I had a five to ten footer I made almost all of the putts. Speed and feel were excellent. On one tough read from six feet I missed it a couple times but once I had the line I was able to drain five in a row. Really showing me I had a accurate stroke and green reading is going to be the key to my success. With my final five putts of the day as rain was really starting to come down I knocked it to under a yard from 74 feet away with three of the five.

Great way to end a practice session on a high!

A little about me...

I'm a 47 year old resident of Laurel Md.  My handicap has been in the single digits for years, even +1 once and I've been under par during the round but never posting the official score with a minus sign.  I've played in some money leagues (www.tgaatour.com) and made more money than I spent entering the events.  I've qualified and played in two Maryland State Opens although I didn't make the cut in either one.  I also competed in two US Open qualifiers; one at Towson Country Club and one at Worthington Manor but didn't make it to the sectionals.  I played professionally, officially, and earned close to $10,000 in total earnings spread over about 6 years.  Basically I wrote expenses off my taxes and played free golf.

Towson was a learning experience on a tough course and I didn't score well at all.  However, at Worthington Manor I was in the hunt at even par with 8 holes to play, even par on the card and standing over a 2 1/2 foot putt for Birdie with two par 5's left to play.  I had a discussion with my caddy on the line of the putt and then hit it too firmly for the line I picked and missed.  The resulting 4 putt rattled me and I ended up playing the last 6 holes at +3 ... I shot a 75.  Encouraging but it still doesn't get me to sectionals. It's been fun but like any golfer who plays pretty well I'd love to play professionally and make money at it.

I have taken two years off from competitive golf to raise my son (he's turning 8 in March) but this year I'm gonna get back to competing.  In 2011 I submitted application to the USGA to gain my amateur status back. When I submitted that application I lost the itch to compete and rounds over 80 were frustrating. However,   two years later, as my reinstatement date approached I felt that familiar desire to hit shots under pressure. SSSSOOOOOoooo! I paid for a handicap at a local course, started playing rounds and entered scores to get a handicap established (hadn't done that in 10 years because professionals don't need handicaps).

I have a long term plan now.  I'm going to get my scores (yes scores) below par this year.  In the tournaments I've planned I want to make the cut and be competitive under pressure on the final day.  Next year I'm going to win USGA and Maryland state amateur events and when I turn 50 I will be prepared for Senior PGA Tour Q School and maybe even the Web.com tour.

Dream Big!