The Final Countdown - JMB3's Grandaddy Prep

What do you think caused the issue on the par-5s? Was it trying to go for them in 2? Trouble off the tee? Short game?

Trouble off the tee. Atrocious all day. Actually played well considering, but gave myself little chance at par all day.
 
Trouble off the tee. Atrocious all day. Actually played well considering, but gave myself little chance at par all day.

Ah I see. Was it all the same club giving you trouble?
 
Ah I see. Was it all the same club giving you trouble?

Driver and 3W, unfortunately. Usually I can lean on 3W, but not today. My 4 tee shots today on par 5s were: 1 - popped up, 2 - topped, 3 - topped, and 4 - hooked into a lateral.
 
Rock solid golf inside 100 yds saved my round today. Actually pretty happy with the score in light of the conditions and my tee game. I'm going to try and work some stuff out tonight before 36 tomorrow.

20191012_151952.jpg
 
Driver and 3W, unfortunately. Usually I can lean on 3W, but not today. My 4 tee shots today on par 5s were: 1 - popped up, 2 - topped, 3 - topped, and 4 - hooked into a lateral.
Dang I feel for you James...Been there for sure. Try to start off tomorrow’s 36 with a lesser club than the 3wood like a hybrid or long iron. Find a rhythm off the tee and see how the round goes from there. Play well my friend!
 
Here are the two courses I'm scheduled to play today. But it's currently 38 degrees, so not sure if I will get in 36. Starting with the short course first. Opened with a tap in par.20191013_101849.jpg20191013_101834.jpg20191013_161822.jpg
 
Last edited:
Wow, these conditions... cold, windy, and course us water logged. Just hit a 3w on a par 3 playing 195 that came up short... solid score thus far though. +3 through 5.
 
That was one of the most fun 9s I've ever played. Every shot played two clubs longer. Hit 3W and 5H on the two par 3s and walked away +1 on those. Hit a high sweeping 6i that carried only 150 but rolled right by the hole on 9.

20191013_113143.jpg
 
Came back to Earth on back 9, but two 1 putts to end the round saved a sub-90 score. Don't think I have another 18bin me, but will play 9 on the Island course.

20191013_125619.jpg
 
Got stuck behind two foursomes on the Island course the last 5 holes. One group playing from the blacks for some inexplicable reason. Lots of sitting around in sub 40 temps. Got a little sloppy. But a great day overall.

20191013_143440.jpg
 
Just two pics from my favorite hole on the Falls course. 290 par 4 a bit down hill, but there is a big pond before the green. Need to play your tee shot less than 200, though I've seen some big bombers attempt to drive the green. I hooked 6i just a bit off the tee. I could have gone for the green but chose to play it safe and punch it into position. With 92 left, slightly pulled a SW but pin high for an easy two putt.

20191013_103937.jpg20191013_104309.jpg
 
Just two pics from my favorite hole on the Falls course. 290 par 4 a bit down hill, but there is a big pond before the green. Need to play your tee shot less than 200, though I've seen some big bombers attempt to drive the green. I hooked 6i just a bit off the tee. I could have gone for the green but chose to play it safe and punch it into position. With 92 left, slightly pulled a SW but pin high for an easy two putt.

View attachment 8911081View attachment 8911082
That is a great looking hole!!! Love that it makes you think/play smart golf to do well on it.
 
Two weeks into my prep, and here's where I stand on my goals:

- 54 holes of golf
- 3 yoga workouts
- 3 cardio workouts
- 4 core workouts
- 2 golf lessons
- 2 short game sessions

Unfortunately, I woke up Thursday with a really stiff back. I still went to my lesson, which was very helpful, but I woke up even more sore and locked-up Friday. I'm headed to the PT tomorrow to get those lower back muscles freed up. No concerns, just lost a couple days of prep. I'll be back playing this weekend.

I did really well week 1 on the diet, but I've kind of killed it on the past two weekends. Full Keto and IT this week to make up for it.
 
I had a blast today with @Iceman! With as much as I struggled today off the tee, and considering the freezing conditions, I'll take a 101 at a course I haven't played in more than a year. 15 strokes on the last two holes didn't help either...

Irons were pretty darn good. I had some great wedge shots, though a few stinkers too. My short game was sharp, but I couldn't drop a putt either. Mark flirted with the cup on every hole; whereas I misread the break on most putts.

I'll get the tee game figured out. With the back stiffness, I took a 9 day break with no swings. I have some drills from my instructor to work on keeping my driver swing on plane before and after the transition. I'll work on those before my next lesson.
 
I was able to play Browndear a few years ago. I love the layout. I’m thinking your pre-granddaddy round will be around 96 and your weight will be right around 204.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Yesterday was one of the worst ball striking days I've had in awhile. Just couldn't get anything going. Fortunately, I have 5 more lessons scheduled before the Grandaddy, so I'll be working hard to get things ironed out.
 
Yesterday was one of the worst ball striking days I've had in awhile. Just couldn't get anything going. Fortunately, I have 5 more lessons scheduled before the Grandaddy, so I'll be working hard to get things ironed out.

The best part is the bad swings are behind you. The colder weather played a factor, but use the last lessons you have to dial in whatever part needs to be cleaned up. 4 weeks is plenty of time to come in sharp.
 
I forgot to add regular trips to the PT and chiro for preventative maintenance too! A necessity for a guy with a history of back issues.

As a guy with back issues I would suggest at least 10-15 minutes of core every day. That makes a huge difference to the way I feel. I try to find 10 minutes before I play to do some core which warms up my back and helps me feel better after the round.

Have a great time I can't wait to read about it.
 
As a guy with back issues I would suggest at least 10-15 minutes of core every day. That makes a huge difference to the way I feel. I try to find 10 minutes before I play to do some core which warms up my back and helps me feel better after the round.

Have a great time I can't wait to read about it.

This is great advice. I've been doing that for the last 5 days and got through 45 holes and a golf lesson without a problem. Each morning, I've also spent about 10 minutes just doing back stretches and movements to loosen things up too.
 
My November wellness schedule is completely booked in preparation for the GD: 2 Chiro appointments, 2 PT appointments, and 1 massage (have one tonight too :giggle:). My body should feel GREAT.

By tomorrow, same will be true for my lessons. I have my second lesson with the new coach tomorrow afternoon, and we already discussed booking my final 3 for package for November, which I will do then. Once a week lessons with drills should be a huge help.

I also had a lesson on Monday that really cleaned up my setup, especially with driver. I did not realize how closed my stance had become. He told me to take a square stance, and when he laid an alignment stick down, I realized my left foot was several inches forward of my right. I had already been fighting a closed club at the top of my backswing and poor tempo, so that perfect storm explains the low pull hooks. Just by setting up square and getting my club head square at the top of my backswing, I went to hitting exactly the opposite: high blocks (like 25* launch angle). I'm both thrilled and amazed how little setup changes can make such a huge difference. I'm not worried about releasing the club, so I'm confident I'll get the blocks squared away quickly.
 
You have a great game plan James. I hope to incorporate more core work over the next month as well.
 
Wow, MAJOR progress in today's lesson. I have seriously not struck the ball this well since pre-injury in early 2018. I am so, so happy with my new instructor right now.

The key: Starting my backswing outside my hands, getting vertical going back, which allowed the club to drop into the slot on the downswing, allowing me to come into the ball more shallow. My face and path were still slightly open, but with a slow, smooth swing, I was seeing numbers with my 9i that I haven't seen in a long time. Fingers crossed, I'll be adding a club just by improved mechanics.

As great as it felt to hit HIGH 9i shots, it felt even better to be smacking drives down the middle with a nice draw. Again, I was swinging about 10 MPH slower than normal, but the results were fantastic. It felt so good to actually feel the sweet spot on the Epic Flash for once, haha.

I am very encouraged after today. My instructor gave me a couple drills to work on at home between lessons, which I will do daily. I also booked three more lessons, with the final lesson the Monday before Thanksgiving. LFG!!
 
Wow, MAJOR progress in today's lesson. I have seriously not struck the ball this well since pre-injury in early 2018. I am so, so happy with my new instructor right now.

The key: Starting my backswing outside my hands, getting vertical going back, which allowed the club to drop into the slot on the downswing, allowing me to come into the ball more shallow. My face and path were still slightly open, but with a slow, smooth swing, I was seeing numbers with my 9i that I haven't seen in a long time. Fingers crossed, I'll be adding a club just by improved mechanics.

As great as it felt to hit HIGH 9i shots, it felt even better to be smacking drives down the middle with a nice draw. Again, I was swinging about 10 MPH slower than normal, but the results were fantastic. It felt so good to actually feel the sweet spot on the Epic Flash for once, haha.

I am very encouraged after today. My instructor gave me a couple drills to work on at home between lessons, which I will do daily. I also booked three more lessons, with the final lesson the Monday before Thanksgiving. LFG!!

Peaking at the perfect time...Good luck the rest of the way!
 
Wow, MAJOR progress in today's lesson. I have seriously not struck the ball this well since pre-injury in early 2018. I am so, so happy with my new instructor right now.

The key: Starting my backswing outside my hands, getting vertical going back, which allowed the club to drop into the slot on the downswing, allowing me to come into the ball more shallow. My face and path were still slightly open, but with a slow, smooth swing, I was seeing numbers with my 9i that I haven't seen in a long time. Fingers crossed, I'll be adding a club just by improved mechanics.

As great as it felt to hit HIGH 9i shots, it felt even better to be smacking drives down the middle with a nice draw. Again, I was swinging about 10 MPH slower than normal, but the results were fantastic. It felt so good to actually feel the sweet spot on the Epic Flash for once, haha.

I am very encouraged after today. My instructor gave me a couple drills to work on at home between lessons, which I will do daily. I also booked three more lessons, with the final lesson the Monday before Thanksgiving. LFG!!

Great read.... hope any lingering back issues are behind you and from the looks of your plan you seem to have activities to keep it in check! Hopefully, you'll have a couple nice days in the tundra to get out again prior to December! Good luck!
 
Back
Top