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