Project Scratch

After my abysmal performance at Laytonsville in the second round of the MCG Tournament Series, I hit the range and tried to find something to eliminate my driver slice issues.  My instructor gave me some good feels to work on, but that alone was not fixing the problem.

I am happy to report that I played a very solid 78 (+6) at Rattlewood yesterday.  35 putts kept it from being a spectacular round, but the fact that I hit 11 greens in regulations evidences the fact that I am striking the ball well again.  I only hit seven fairways, but the good news is that I did not hit a single slice all round.  My ball flight was dead straight, and I missed three fairways by inches. 

Together with my instructor’s observation that I need to stay behind the ball better, some combination of the following swing thoughts seems to be working right now:

• Slightly stronger grip (more neutral – my grip had slipped to a weak right hand position);
• Chin Up;
• Start backswing by turning shoulders – clubhead swings slightly inside as opposed being lifted straight up by the arms;
• Full shoulder turn, raising the club by tucking my right elbow into my right rib cage;
• Eye on the ball until impact, which keeps my head behind the ball.

I am cautiously optimistic about this approach…

After all I’ve tried, practiced, and researched, I still do not know how I am slicing the ball. 

I shot an awful 80 in my tournament this past weekend, which would have been an even more horrible 100 if I did not have some great escapes and 29 putts.  Out of 14 par 4s and 5s, I hit seven very good drives (although three of those were with less than driver), and seven absolutely horrific drives that led to three penalty strokes and four punch outs to get back into position.  The seven bad ones were all wild slices.  They started right, and went even further right.    

New theory: try closing the clubhead just a few degrees more at set up.  I still don’t believe I am coming over the top – I think the issue really is with face angle.  We shall see…

Right elbow should attach itself to right hip, and turn with it.

Rotate hips instead of sliding to keep my head behind the ball.

All of this will meet the acid test in my tournament tomorrow morning at Laytonsville.

Way too early to say that I have discovered something very huge in my swing, but I am excited. In my last lesson, Monte told me to do two things, both more feel than technical: first, move my left shoulder towards my right foot on my backswing, and second, stay behind the ball better on my swing.

Staying behind the ball is, for me, potentially, the holy grail. When my body gets out in front of my hands on my swing, it forces me to flip my hands to have any chance of catching up to the ball.  It destroys what little lag I have, and makes a lot of sense that it contributed to my recent slice issues. I think I have always had this problem in my swing, but since I have corrected some other issues in my swing, this issue may be causing my slice.

At the range today, I hit the ball so good by concentrating on staying behind the ball, I couldn’t believe it.

This Saturday, I have the second MCG Cup Tournament at Laytonsville.  I hope to redeem myself from my horrific performance at the Maryland Open Qualifier last week.

Anyway, I played Diamond Ridge on Friday, and shot an 80 (41-39).  Once again, I started off slow going 4-over in the first three holes, before turning in a respectable round.  Bottom line is that my driver is still a mess, with the predominant miss off to the right (slice). 

After the round, I went to the range, filmed my swing, and sent the following two videos to Monte (my instructor) for his review. 

I am having a tough time turning 90 degrees, and keeping from going past parallel with my driver. I also still see some left-arm separation two-three frames into the swing. Anyway, I’m sure I’m not telling you anything you don’t see here. My issue de jour with my driver is the slice. I obviously don’t mind a slight fade, but I have been slicing the ball to the right of Rush Limbaugh. In my round yesterday, I hit driver 12 times: 2 straight bombs (250+), 7 playable short fades (~225 yards), and 3 horrific slices. I am not having this problem with my irons. HELP!

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Monte replies:

Yep. I can see what you are talking about.  I tell you what.  I am going to give you one feel to work on instead of giving you a laundry list of things going on.  Feel free to email me and we can have a dialogue about it after you try it.  Your left shoulder needs to go toward your right foot and you upper body needs to stay behind the ball on the downswing better.  Your left shoulder is way too high and that is forcing your upper body to get in front of the ball to make room for you to hit it.  That all leads to a slice unless you save it with your hands.

I have been working on both of these things to some success, but I suppose Saturday will be the true test! 

I believe that the major malfunction with my nerves was that I was too juiced up, and starting moving everything in my swing too fast.  My tempo was too fast, and I was overswinging with my driver.  In retrospect, I am 100% certain that I was overswinging – causing me to lose my balance, etc.  It was painful.

In the future, knowing I am extra excited about a big tournament, I will concentrate on slowing everything down instead of just trying to kill the ball.  I am not advocating swinging slowly – I am merely advocating not overswinging and swinging with rythym and balance.

Bottom line, I shot a PUTRID 84 yesterday: http://msga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/msga12/event/msga1234/contest/7/contestant/11792/scorecard.htm

I started on #10.  You will notice something very disturbing.  After starting with a par, I went 10-over on the next six holes.  And right there, within a little over an hour, my dream of playing in the 2012 Maryland Open was pretty much over.  Despite going par-birdie to finish my first 9 holes, a large part of me wanted to jump straight into my car and not even play my back 9.  But I have too much respect for the game, and for the MSGA, to do that.  I forged on.  I had a pep talk with myself.  Basically, I told myself to play with what I have, and try to finish respectably.  And of course, to continue having fun.  And you know what, when I rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt on my last hole of the day in front of about 100 spectators, MSGA officials, and other players, I was actually about as pleased as I could be after shooting a rotten 84.  (Little did they know as they were applauding that I had just made that birdie for an 84…)

So how do I go from shooting a 71 at this course last week to shooting an 84 yesterday?  Well, and I know this is not a sexy excuse, but I did not handle the pressure well at all.  The club felt weird in my hands, my tempo felt herky-jerky, and I simply could not find my swing.  The pressure sabotaged me.  On the bright side, after a miserable start, I hung in there and put up three birdies on my last 10 holes. 

I need to learn to handle the pressure of tournament play better.  And I believe with this one under my belt, I will.  I just need to put myself in this uncomfortable position more and more to get used to it.  FEARLESS PREDICTION: I WILL QUALIFY NEXT YEAR.

Sorry for not posting in several days.  Bottom line is that I have been playing very well recently, and tomorrow is my official put up or shut up day: the Maryland Open Qualifier at Rolling Road Country Club.

You can follow me tomorrow by clicking on this link:   http://msga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/msga12/event/msga1234/contest/7/leaderboard.htm

My tee time is 8:20 AM, and I start on a 110-yard, downhill par 3. 

Last Thursday (May 3), I was able to play a practice round at Rolling Road Country Club.  After I shaky start (+2 after 4 holes), I turned in the second best round of my life with a 71 (+1).  I had two swing thoughts: (1) full shoulder turn going back and through (I will write more about this later); and (2) smooth tempo back and through.  The results were awesome.  I had a strecth of 13 holes with 11 pars and two birdies!  My 71 counted as a 0.6 round – i.e., scratch. 

Then yesterday, by just taking the same two swing thoughts (shoulder turn & tempo) to the course, I was able to shoot a 77 (+5) at Rocky Point. 

As for tomorrow, I am not entirely certain why I am nervous.  It is just another golf tournament.  As my buddy Ray suggested, I should just treat this like any other round of golf and try to have fun.  So that will be my goal tomorrow: have fun.  I have wanted to put myself in this position for years now, and tomorrow is my opportunity.  If I play well, I know I will qualify.  Wish me luck!

Well, I competed in the Church scramble tournament on Monday at Eisenhower, and pretty much sucked.  My team was awesome – lots of fun – but our sixth place performance (out of 24 teams) was mediocre at best.  We shot a -7, 63, which in a scramble, kind of stinks.  We also had 15 mulligans to use as a team, so you can understand my disappointment.  As for my play, very rough.  I hit some OK drives, but was still fighting a bit of a slice.  My short irons were OK, but my long irons were not good. 

Perhaps I was not making a full shoulder turn – who knows?

Anyway, at this point, my focus is squarely focused on the Maryland Open Qualifier next Tuesday, May 8th, at Rolling Road Country Club.  I was invited to play a practice round today, but had to cancel for two reasons.  First, I am swamped at work, and second, I pulled a muscle around my right abdominal area at the gym Monday afternoon.  It is not a bad muscle pull, and I have played with that exact muscle pull in the past a million times.  But a day or two of rest and ibuprofen is probably a good idea. 

My plan is to work on my swing at the range the next couple of evenings, and play Sunday at Rocky Pointe.  Hopefully that will be enough preparation for the Open Qualifier.  It would have been nice to play a practice round, but I have a history of shooting good scores at courses the first time I play them.  Last summer, I played a round at a course in Boston with my brother and my dad that I had never played before, and shot a 75 – in the rain.  My guess is 75 will be good enough next Tuesday! 

Thomas the Train and my wife’s book club conspired to make golf for me this weekend impossible. Ironically, my wife’s book club will be discussing Thomas the Train tomorrow… (I think.)

Anyway, I have some fun golf ahead, and I am really excited about what I have been working on at the range.

Monday is a fun charity tournament at Eisenhower. I am playing for the Whitey’s liquor store team – in a church tournament nonetheless… Then on Wednesday, Rolling Road Country Club is letting me play a practice round, which is nice because I have never played there before. And since the Maryland Open qualifier is there in 10 days, I would like to know what I’m facing.

Again, very excited about my swing now and I think I can shoot some low scores. We shall see soon enough!