Question:
I think that I also managed the course pretty well. On the first hole (par 5) I teed off with a three wood to stay short of the left bunker. Of course, I nuked it into the bunker.
LOL, that was a good one. I wish I had a nickel for every time I hit a 2 iron off the tee, ya know, "for control", just to pull hook it or launch it straight into the hazard I was trying to lie up short of.
Response:
I shot a 74 yesterday, my low round of the year by four strokes. I’ve put up a couple of 78’s already (one earlier this week). My handicap is hovering in the 6/7 range, so about half of posted scores that are counting are in the low 80’s. I think that the biggest part of what did it for me over the last couple of rounds is that I’ve really been working on my pre-shot routine. I used to just vaguely picture my shots, step up to the ball, second guess myself, and then somewhere during my takeaway decide where I really wanted to hit the ball. That’s not a good way to play consistent golf. Now, before I even pull the club out of the bag, I picture the shot that I want to play and commit to it. I pull the club, take a couple of practice swings to get some feel, pick out my long-range and intermediate targets, address the ball, make a quick glance back at the long-range target, and then pull the trigger. Also, I try not to think too much about my next shot until I actually get there – the lie may be weird, or the wind may be different, etc. There’s no point in planning a shot until I get to it. As far as stats go, my short game really came through. I technically missed 10 greens, though three of them were just in the fringe, about 10-15 feet from the hole, and I two putted all of those for par. Including those three, I got up and down six times for par. The other four times I made bogeys. One key thing for me is that I didn’t get over-aggressive and make double bogeys out of any of these. I kept telling myself that a 10 foot putt is easier than having to chip again and make a putt. I didn’t have any three putts, and made a few 5-8 foot par saving putts. I made two birdie putts from about 10 feet. I found that the pre-shot routine helped just as much around the green as it did for full shots. Most of the putts that I missed were due to mis-reads – I hit them where I wanted, I just wanted to hit it in the wrong direction. I only had one pitch and one chip that I was unhappy with. I think that I also managed the course pretty well. On the first hole (par 5) I teed off with a three wood to stay short of the left bunker. Of course, I nuked it into the bunker. (I didn’t realize how much the fairways had hardned over a couple of days. For my second shot, I almost hit a five iron, but realized that if I made good contact and pushed it a bit, I could put it into another bunker. I hit six iron, pushed it, and came up just short of the bunker. On in three, two putts, par. That saved at least a stroke. The 9th hole is extremely tight – water left, woods right. But, it’s short – about 350 yards. Normally I try and hit driver wedge, but since it’s still a relatively short hole, I finally teed off with an iron to make sure I hit the fairway. I was left with a six iron, but I was putting well enough that I knew if I got it on the green, I’d almost certainly make par. The hole was tucked away in a corner, but I aimed for the middle of the green. I put it right in the center, and two putted for par. Adam