My 2014 Golf Journey - brought to you by braddman19

[Just_Brad]

So on Friday I stuck the DW to 4 feet from 100yards twice. My playing partners noticed it, I didn't think much of it.

Looking at my card today, I realized by sticking it that close, and then sinking the ensuing putts, that I had my first two birdies of the year, in my first round of the year, on my 3rd and 7th holes of the year. (Years of playing this course and I somehow thought a tricky short par 4 was actually a par 3 LOL).

I never could have imagined such a great start to my season, and it was extra special considering I had swung the Altitudes for the first time maybe 45 minutes before teeing off.

 

[Just_Brad]

Got out for 18 after work today. It took 2 of us 3 hours, quite happy we pretty much had the course to ourselves.

A dramatically different round than the last. A course I dislike, with fast/hard greens, blotchy fairways, and so many elevation changes it is ridiculous.

Shot a 98. 28 over par. 12 over on the front. 16 over on the back. Feeling a bit ill today on the course, so had a run of very uncomfortable holes unfortunately. Honestly didn't have a single aspect of my game go well. Short game and putting definitely needs practice. I don't know any of my yardages currently, and have a brutal time chipping around greens currently.

Tried a bit more course management today. Tried being the active word. Hitting a 4W or a 4i off the tee is grand to get to a yardage you want, but if you mis-hit off the tee all sorts of problems persist.

A frustrating outing, but not discouraging at least. Another round with good company, where a more laid back game is letting me enjoy golf again, and hopefully progress bit by bit.

 

[Just_Brad]

Well, the bathroom reno I have been working on since May Long weekend, will hopefully be coming to an end. Flooring has been the main hold up. In floor heat, what ended up as 3 layers of self levelling cement, and now thinset & tile.

Some pictures of what had been taking up all of my golf time.

The Before:

The Destruction:

The Rebuild:

 

[Just_Brad]

So today my Matrix Red Tie 6Q3 in stiff came in for my driver. Bought more on a whim, a cheap experiment.

I like it, it definitely feels better than my current driver shaft (Project X 7-C3). A bit higher ball flight, definitely an easier swing to get similar results (which is what I was looking for).

I have unfortunately come to the realization that I will never be a "long" hitter. I used to average about 240-250yard with roll out. With the SC-100, and on the FlightScope, I am lucky if I carry 210, and I don't know if it is that I just have serious technique flaws right now, if my body is so out of shape that I can't improve.

From the range, I raced to the store, wanting to hit some drivers in regular shafts. I hit a Big Bertha, an X2Hot, a Bio Cell, and a SLDR S. Results were decent with the Bertha and X2Hot, but were still similar to my current 910D2.

The realization that equipment won't make me a better golfer, is a tough pill to swallow. It will make me a more consistent golfer, but won't make me better. I have to make myself better. Lessons, practice, and play are what I need to spend my golf funds on now. Strategy and execution needs to be at the forefront of my game, and put the need for distance to the back of my mind. Getting caught up in the fact that co-workers and friends hit it farther than me is affecting my game, and it needs to stop.

Anyone wanna buy some 910D2 shafts LOL, I seem to have 2 or 3 spares now!

 

[MPlefty]

Nice read Brad, sometimes we need to be remembered that its the idian, not the arrow

 

[Just_Brad]

Nice read Brad, sometimes we need to be remembered that its the idian, not the arrow

I remember when I bought the SC100 off you, how you said you spent more time watching the numbers than you wanted. I can totally relate to that now. I need to get back to a range, and shoot a target to get a number with my rangefinder, and stop concentrating solely on "how far do I hit this club".

 

[MPlefty]

I just hope you dont regret it

 

[Just_Brad]

I just hope you dont regret it

Not regretting it, its a fun tool. I need to get back to the range practice I used to do. What I have been doing, relying more on SC100 numbers isn't getting it done for me right now.

 

[Just_Brad]

Headed out to the "good" range last night. Dedicated putting, short game, and range. Higher quality of the turf, and more importantly the teeing areas are actually level.

I have been struggling (if you can call a couple bad rounds and one range session struggling). I just haven't been able to find my swing. Contact on the club face has been all over the place, and I just have not been comfortable. I can see it in my ball flight, I can see it in the distances I have been hitting, and I can hear it every time I make contact.

Part of this can be attributed to not playing very much in almost 2 seasons, part of it due to new irons (which I am not totally sold on if the lie and length are right for me yet), and part of it is due to how I was practicing. Up until last night, I have been trying to figure out my yardages with the SC100. This should be a logical thing to do, early season and new irons.... but it seemed all I was doing was staring at the numbers. I would hit a club, look at the yardage, and think "I used to hit farther than that".

Tonight, I left the SC100 in the bag, and went through a bucket just shooting at pins all over the range. I was concentrating on smooth swings, trying to make better contact. I am still all over the club face for contact, but with the Altitudes they still go straight, just with a bit less distance.

Much better night for me than the previous night at the range. More concentrated practice, and starting with a good 30 minute short game refresher, really seemed to bring positive results for me. I made it a point to hit every club in the bag last night, something I hadn't done in a while. Still plenty of work to do, but at least there was progress. And positive progress had been in short supply as of late.

Off to another course tonight (one that always causes me trouble), hopefully a couple minutes at the Titleist demo day.

Until Next Time, Cheers!

 

[Hawk]

Good luck out there Bman. Stick with it!

 

[Just_Brad]

Hour and a half at the range tonight. Surprised to find myself as the only person there, but I suppose the 40km/hr wind in my face sort of deters people. Good night to focus on contact, the distances were dramatically affected by the wind.

Surprised to be right on the center of the club face all night tonight. Maybe two bad contacts out of the entire bucket. Found a bit more of my swing that has been missing. Not having to worry about where in the tee box I was was nice, distributed the bucket over the hitting area, forcing myself to backoff after every swing and re-aim. Different stances, different trajectories.

Really useful session, unlike any other session I have had this year. Definite progress. Chipping and pitching, trying to get some consistency back.

A round scheduled for Friday afternoon with the guys at work. Hopefully the weather holds. It seems it is either crazy windy, or raining. Not a good scenario for trying to get out and golf more. Missed a chance at a round last night, a bit disappointed, but I suppose it was more vital to fix my toilet, than to get out to the pitch & putt.

 

[Just_Brad]

For almost 2 years now, something hasn't been right about my swing. It has felt strange, like I can't get through the ball. It got me thinking the other night, what has changed?

I used to have a very full finish to my swing. Full rotation, no hesitation after contact, and a good turn. Then it hit me. I am keeping both feet sole down through my golf swing. It will sound stupid, but somehow along the way, I stopped turning. I used to have a left foot firmly on the ground, and a right foot that was on its toe. As soon as I remembered that, and started replicating it again..... magic. My swing felt better. Balls went straight. Balls went straighter.

I am absolutely amazed it took me this long to get back to how my swing used to be.

 

[golfinFF]

Keep up the work Brad!

How have you been playing lately?

 

[Just_Brad]

Keep up the work Brad!

How have you been playing lately?

Things are definitely improving. Short game is much better, iron contact as well. Rains here have just been stupid lately unfortunately. Every day it is raining. Doesn't bode well for boosting my number of rounds.

 

[Just_Brad]

Rough weekend out here. Travelled 2 hours to camp with friends, and hopefully get in a lot of golf. Back at home they announced a state of emergency for the city I live in, and 20 other areas surrounding. Flash flooding, overland water, torrential rains, horrible winds.

Night #1 went great, got in 9 holes the next day.... and then all heck broke loose. Night #2 was spent awake all night, trying to hold our tent together. Having to go out in the wind/rain multiple times in the night to re-tie guide lines and re-set posts was not a fun experience. Yesterday we finally decided to take the tent down, and stop worrying about the stupid thing. Good thing too, because it just got worse after that.

Now. Since this is about a golf journey, lets get to the golf. Played Miami MB. A nine-hole course I have played once before, and was hoping to really do well. There is no range, but we got some putting time in beforehand. This was mistake #1, I need to get some swings in, and it had probably been a week since I was last at the range due to the weather.

4 pars. 1 bogey..... and on the remaining 4 holes I was a plus 13. Shot a 49, par 35.....

Now then, on to the positives:
- 4 of 5 holes with the driver ended up in the fairway.
- Final drive of the day somehow carried a bunker I had always been well short of.... 100 yards left, and a 2 putt par.
- Putting was decent. Speed for the most part was on, but I am still not comfortable with my stroke. Aim is just a bit off.
- Holes where I made proper contact all ended up with pars, and the one bogey.

The negatives:
- the weather - had a lot of golf planned, and that was all tossed away due to the weather
- I got a case of the "tops". Multiple holes with topped shots, leading to higher scores.

What do I need to improve:
- a lesson to help eliminate my tops.
- range time to get comfortable with my swing again.
- putting practice

I was decent around the greens, and I did well with the driver. I tried to play to yardages, and leave myself more comfortable shots into greens. I accomplished this. The score didn't necessarily reflect it, but I felt I made some real progress. I didn't have 2 bad holes in a row the entire round.

Triple, Par, +6, Par, Double, Bogey, Par, Double, Par.

17 putts.

Grade: Shows Promise, still Needs Improvement.

 

[MPlefty]

Rough weekend out here. Travelled 2 hours to camp with friends, and hopefully get in a lot of golf. Back at home they announced a state of emergency for the city I live in, and 20 other areas surrounding. Flash flooding, overland water, torrential rains, horrible winds.

Night #1 went great, got in 9 holes the next day.... and then all heck broke loose. Night #2 was spent awake all night, trying to hold our tent together. Having to go out in the wind/rain multiple times in the night to re-tie guide lines and re-set posts was not a fun experience. Yesterday we finally decided to take the tent down, and stop worrying about the stupid thing. Good thing too, because it just got worse after that.

Now. Since this is about a golf journey, lets get to the golf. Played Miami MB. A nine-hole course I have played once before, and was hoping to really do well. There is no range, but we got some putting time in beforehand. This was mistake #1, I need to get some swings in, and it had probably been a week since I was last at the range due to the weather.

4 pars. 1 bogey..... and on the remaining 4 holes I was a plus 13. Shot a 49, par 35.....

Now then, on to the positives:
- 4 of 5 holes with the driver ended up in the fairway.
- Final drive of the day somehow carried a bunker I had always been well short of.... 100 yards left, and a 2 putt par.
- Putting was decent. Speed for the most part was on, but I am still not comfortable with my stroke. Aim is just a bit off.
- Holes where I made proper contact all ended up with pars, and the one bogey.

The negatives:
- the weather - had a lot of golf planned, and that was all tossed away due to the weather
- I got a case of the "tops". Multiple holes with topped shots, leading to higher scores.

What do I need to improve:
- a lesson to help eliminate my tops.
- range time to get comfortable with my swing again.
- putting practice

I was decent around the greens, and I did well with the driver. I tried to play to yardages, and leave myself more comfortable shots into greens. I accomplished this. The score didn't necessarily reflect it, but I felt I made some real progress. I didn't have 2 bad holes in a row the entire round.

Triple, Par, +6, Par, Double, Bogey, Par, Double, Par.

17 putts.

Grade: Shows Promise, still Needs Improvement.

its getting there Brad, keep it up!

it might not be your case at all, but when I start to top the ball, it usually means my stance is getting a bit to wide

 

[Just_Brad]

its getting there Brad, keep it up!

it might not be your case at all, but when I start to top the ball, it usually means my stance is getting a bit to wide

Getting towards the end of the round, that popped into my head. Thanks for refreshing that memory Martin. Hopefully some range sessions/lessons can get things straightened out.

 

[Just_Brad]

A week of crazy weather finally let up, and I was able to get out for a round on Saturday.

Holiday Mountain Golf Course in La Riviere Manitoba. Unlike any course I have ever played before. Built on the side of a ski-hill, some elevation changes that I have never seen before. Deceiving tee-shots, some very tough par 4's. Probably not the hardest course (109 Slope, 67 rating, Par 36, 2845 yards, 9 hole course).

Scorching hot day, a bit of a breeze at times, and for the most part an empty course. Key up a very nice day for a round.

Not a great day scoring wise (46, 44, 90 total). I have a hard time playing a course for the first time. I don't judge yardages properly on the first go round. GPS watch was giving my numbers, but then there is doubt. Rangefinder giving me other numbers (but with the elevation changes I was doubting those too).

19 putts on the front, 16 on the back. Didn't hit driver until the 4th hole, but absolutely drilled it. Driver was on all day, straight down the middle, and longer than I had hit it in years. Hit the X2Hot hybrids off the tees a lot today, and while I am still hitting higher than I would like, I was not disappointed with the results.

Definite improvement. Playing more often, and getting more practice in is definitely helping. GIR #s definitely need improvement though.

My main issue of the day: Usually if I make par or birdie, I am extra cautious on my next tee box. This day? Birdie. Head to the next box. Front nine I had hit hybrid to 100 yards, exactly where I wanted to be. This time? I got extra aggressive. Took 4w, and proceeded to put on my worst swing of the day. Into the trees, took 2 shots to get back to the fairway, and double bogey.

The Good: Confidence on the teebox. The weather. Putter speed was good most of the day, missing plenty of birdies/pars by inches.
The Bad: Score in general. I need to put together a complete round.
The Ugly: Taking hybrid when I should have hit 7iron. Airmailing a fairway into the bush..... U-G-L-Y

 

[Just_Brad]

I got flipping through pictures on my phone this morning, and remembered I had snapped some pics on the course.

First up, a view from the 419 yard Par 5. I hit 4 hybrid to the bottom of the hill, mishit 4 hybrid to the top of the hill, and then a 7 iron from the top of the hill (where I still couldn't see the green) to short of the green, flubbed a chip, finally on... and then a 2 putt. Not a fun hole. Especially when I did the same thing 2 rounds in a row!

View from the bottom of the hill:

And a bit closer to the hill:

Follow that up with a downhill par 3, that takes you back down that hill again on the other side of the hill. Outcome? Bogeyed both rounds:

 

[Just_Brad]

Well, sometimes life gets in the way. That seems to be what is going on lately.

The wife has been going through some medical stuff, or more precisely we both have. She with tests/surgery, me with tests. All in the hopes of getting closer to an answer of if having children is in our future. The most frustrating thing in this whole process, is that we could have been at this point 2 years ago had the doctor followed up on some concerns we had.

Surgery went good, recovery is ticking along, and we should have answers this time next month (or I guess our options will be better laid out for us at that point).

Well, back to golf. Golf has been few and far between for me lately. Being out of town with doctor's stuff, or having time off and having crazy storms, or just having no one to get a round in with..... all excuses. My mind just strays, thinking of everything else that needs to get done. Finally the other night, I said forget it, grabbed my gear, and headed to the range.

I needed to be there. I wanted to be there. And for once I actually ended up there. Hitting a golf ball again was refreshing. It was a great release to be out in the sun, to be hitting the ball well, and just having fun. One round is set up for tomorrow, hopefully more for Sat/Sun/Mon weather permitting.

Golf may have taken a back-seat lately, but I feel like as a couple the wife and I have grown closer. Which, in all honesty, I would trade golf for 100% of the time. Our 3 year anniversary was on the 23rd. Two days later she was in surgery. We talked a lot over the past 3 years, of things we wanted to do, places we wanted to see. Unfortunately we haven't accomplished any of them. Vegas, San Diego, Europe. Visited none of the above. That is definitely that is going to have to change.

 

[Mystery Meat]

Similar medical issues as well in our family . Golf is almost bye bye , now I go to the range 2 or 3 times a week . Just enjoy what you have and live life with family first . We have our whole lives to take golf up full time again . Wish you all the best

Edit :: like you I just don't feel comfortable on the course with everything going on with me as well .. Best to let it ride out until all clears up

 

[Just_Brad]

Another round in the books today. 10 strokes better than the last time I played it (88 instead of the 98 I posted last time around). Still 18 strokes over par. Abysmal putting. Crappy short game. Almost no GIR.

Hit driver on every tee box that wasn't a par 3. Not a ton of fairways, but solid distance, all playable (save for one OB into a housing development). Driver confidence is through the roof, but 4w/hybrid/long iron confidence sucks. 3 times I had long drive on the hole, right down the middle, and then top or chunk the approach shot. Definitely needs work.

Played with guys I used to play with a ton, a more "serious" group. Definitely not a laid back round. I miss the fun golf again.

 

[Just_Brad]

Playing tomorrow with the "serious" group again. Our old home course. The course that gave me a fake handicap.

At the end of this week (Saturday to be exact), my work's golf outing takes place. It is supposed to be a fun day, but at the same time I know it is going to be super competitive. Tomorrow's round, and the practice this week, is going to hopefully help boost my confidence for the outing.

Short game is giving me problems. Putting is terrible. Getting to the course early tomorrow for some practice time. Its like I have forgotten how to hit a chip and a pitch. That is never a good thing. Going to carry 2 putters tomorrow. Si2 and Cameron Monterrey. Don't tell the wife I am taking her putter lol.

 

[Just_Brad]

Well, its been a while since the last update.

Work outing was fun.... aside from the number of drunks I got to deal with as the lone sober one of the group.... one naked golfer + one retention pond..... and a golf group asked not to return again by the course. Could not have been more embarassed.

Today I got out for another round. A course I haven't played in close to 5 years. Perfect weather, had a good time.... but the score ended up being the usual, an 89. I am stuck in a rut with scoring, so lets take a look at what might have contributed to it today.

Score: Front 44, Back 45 (very rare that I shoot higher on the back of a course)
Fairways: Front 4 of 7, Back 5 of 7
GiR: Front 6, Back 1
Putts: Front 20, Back 13
2 lost balls, one penalty stroke taken for a drop as well.

My take: Putting was horrible today, could not judge the speed at all on the front, finally started dropping some on the back. I was +2 over 4 par 3's (138yds, 196yds, 174 yds, and 212 yds). Hit far more GiR than usual on the front, hitting 2 extra clubs on almost every approach.

Short game around the greens was brutal, with 3 flubbed chips, and rarely being within 5 feet from greenside.

Time is running out for me to decide if I want to be in the year-end matchplay tournament here. I have so few rounds in that part of me is embarassed by my game, but another part is happy with where I am at with not playing as much. I am hoping for a couple more rounds in the next 2 weeks to see if my game is up to the challenge of a tourney again.

Handicap went up (finally) after today's round, from a 9.8 to a 10. 9/29/2012 was my last significant handicap "tick", going from a 10.6 to a 9.8. Not super happy about the increase, but if it means I play at a true 10, then I am ok with it.

 

[Ole Gray]

Just be happy to be out and about buddy. Jump in the year end tournament with no expectations other than to have a good time. You'll come out a winner :thumb: