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1st Lesson: My Journey to the 70's

The Friday night lesson was extremely helpful. My play Saturday was mixed. I definitely didn't take the Friday night lesson swing to the course Saturday morning. On the other hand I was better with the irons than the Friday round. I also seem to have developed a nasty habit of not lining up properly to my target - some of my misses right aren't the blocks I thought they were but instead are instances where I hit it perfectly straight on my line. There are some things to be positive about (driver) and I have a clearer understanding of some swing keys with the irons. So now it is just a matter of putting in some work to get muscle memory going. The journey continues.
 
t4kapp, goals are great but if I've learned anything from golf over the years it's to not get to far ahead of myself (good or bad). I always have a plan on the golf course, but each shot is a goal and I hit it and then move to the next shot and try to do with that shot what I see to make the next shot easier. Sometimes we have to get out of our own way and from some of the things you have posted here I think that is what your instructor has tried to tell you also. I don't mean to be critical just trying to help.
 
No offense taken at all. I appreciate your insights and feedback.
 
I think it is time to revise this thread.

If I'm honest, post MC announcement (not being picked) and after shooting 78 I lost the desire to really work on my game. I did not re-up with my pro for another set of lessons. I still played but it was different.

Eventually I got to the point where my swing needed a tuneup. I paid for a single lesson. That turned into a series. Coincidentally, I've been taking my son out and creating short game practice games for us, with the idea that he needs the help. It has ended up helping me.

The combo of those two things is that I think I'm on the cusp of taking the game to a new level. I'll track progress here again.


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Good to hear kapp. Always fun when you can practice with someone

Tap Tap Taparoo
 
Good news Kapp, I can see the dip in the motivation department, but it's awesome to hear you've find new motivation and even better, with your son.
 
Great driving day today, way better than average with the chips and pitches, and 31 putts...that's all good stuff. My irons play was atrocious and I left my Pelz grid at home by accident, which resulted in me leaving some shots on the course. I had 1 birdie, 7 pars, 4 bogeys and 6 doubles/other (ugh).

I am heading back to the course to play some putting and pitching games with my daughter. It is always a bonus when practice gets to be fun!
 
Putting update...

I never really learned how to grip the club properly - or if I did I long ago forgot how to do it. Over the past year or two I have tried / used SPI, left hand low, belly putters and the claw. Last month I reached the point where I decided to start from ground up and had a lesson where I asked the instructor to start with the basics. We built a grip that I think is just the traditional grip - clubs held in in the palms, palms facing each other, thumbs down the front of the shaft & right index finger wrapped over my left fingers. The results have been great - I especially like that the grip is easily repeatable and it quiets my hands.

I have also struggled with reading the greens. I have this weird thing where the putt always looks uphill from behind the ball, even when from the side I clearly see that it isn't. This has contributed to big problems with distance control. The instructor gave me this tip - walk from the ball to the hole and back to feel the slope of the green. Again, seems like a small-ish thing, but it has really worked.
 
Shooting 89 isn't normally much to write home about when you are trying to be in the 70's. However, this may have been my best 89 ever. I just didn't have it today on the range and somehow lost whatever semblance of a swing I started with. There was a particularly ugly middle section of the round where I hit like 5 balls OB. But I kept after, managed the course and my swing and really concentrated on short game. After that middle section I finally figured something out and started playing better, including finishing the last 4 holes +1. This was one of those days where we can easily lose it mentally, give up, decide to treat the round as a practice round, etc., so I'm proud of myself for seeing it through. Also, this was a tough course - slope rating of 135. Final thought for this update...the flat stick remains solid, even when my swing was putting a lot of pressure on the putter. I had 31 putts and really only hit one bad putt all day.
 
Grind it out dude. Glad you fought through it !
 
Thanks, buddy. Today's round has been a low 100s score many times before. If I can post a legit 89 with how I hit the ball today, I know the 70s are in my future.
 
I've had a few range sessions and some short game practice since the last update. Generally speaking, my driving game and putting are nicely solid. Chip and pitch aren't bad, just not good enough to give easy scoring chances. But iron play is just maddeningly inconsistent.

In other news, I'm playing Friday and heading to Bandon for four rounds next weekend. I'll certainly have a good feel for the state of my game following that much play.
 
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