Lessons Learned

Lesson1 was in mid Feb: set-up good and OK to first horizontal (if anything club face slightly closed)  no change at this stage but swaying and moving off ball in backswing post first horizontal. Also left arm breaks down (understatement) at the top - believes this comes from when I first played golf in the early 90s when Long John won The Open - ah so I'll follow that swing, barsteward!

Lesson2 = I did what I frequently do on the course and did not get clean contact for about 10 in a row, including a few 'Off The Pipe' - Pro asked, "Mark, what are you doing there", Me "No idea just trying to hit the ball" quite often my only swing thought on course is just that - hit is as bloody hard as I can :(

He said hit some more and moved around to side on....."you are trying to hit with your hands"

Acknowledge that and lay the blame fair and square at a period of poorly invested time in squash in  my youth, perhaps I was playing that wrong too!

So he got me hitting 50 yd pitches no hands, took a few but by the end of it they were consistent solid contact :)

Couple of range sessions since and as follows: Right so worked on the sway - reduced it significantly, feels like more of turn and pivot over right hip now. Left arm breaking down is more difficult as it affects timing and tempo (cause it feels like I am shortening my backswing) when I try to change, but think I am getting there!

Last 2 days I have found that spine tilt slightly right and head behind with also slight tilt to right minimises this issue and doesn't let or even allow me to overswing to the extent I was previously -I am sure I still am but it's a step in the direction.

So hour or so at the range today - disconcertingly all with big draw when trying to hit straight LOL. I think now that we have fixed some major flaws this is a result of my takeaway and swing being very deep and flat at the top - anyway much happier with where my ball striking is now compared to where I was 6 weeks ago.

Matchplay against the course tomorrow morning so I will see how I go - although a lot needs to be said for my preparation, why have I opened a bottle of red not 10 minutes ago?.......


Post again soon
Take Care

What's in the bag

Hi Guys

Ok so currently the weapons of grass destruction are as follows:

TM Burner 10.5 R stock shaft and grip 2008 model (2 weeks ago bought a TM Burner tour 9.5 stiff on a whim on eBay but not in the bag)
Mizuno MP 3 wood 15 deg mitsibushi rayon fubuki R shaft
Mizuno MP 5 wood 18 deg mitsibushi rayon fubuki R shaft
Adams Idea A2 3 hybrid 20 deg Aldila 85g S shaft
Adams GT 500 irons 4-PW TT steel
Bridgestone J33 52/8 NS Pro 1050 S
Bridgestone J33 56/12 NS Pro 1050 S
Odyssey White Ice 330 Mallet 34'

Ball@: swapping between two at the moment! Played 12 months with TM LDP Black but although they fly well and are great on the greens have for the past 2 weeks migrated to the TM Burner. Never been fitted so I don't know my club head speed but I don't expect it to be 100+ - so I am looking at the bridgestones B330-RX, maybe....

Before anyone pre-empts the irons, in November 2010 I bought a used set of BH Apex FTX (beautiful looking clubs, nice top line, compact and sit just sooo well) in the hope that if I had a players club it would groove my swing - clearly I am not that receptive to feedback as I persisted with them for most of last season and have now reverted back to the "shovels".

So that's what's currently in da bag, I would like to get your thoughts, comments and feedback!
Cheers
M

I am 18 because.....

*Disclaimer* the majority of the following is a summary of where I was at before I started getting committed :) 


I don't have a repeating swing (stating the obvious). Inconsistency plagues me like, well, the plague. I can hit a drive down the middle on one hole and I can smother it horribly or top it on others! I can hit crisp flighted irons to tight pins, I can hit them 50 yds too when I hit about 6 inches behind the ball! I can putt and I can't putt. I have had 24 putts in a round I have had over 36 in others! I've holed 50 footers and missed 2 footers. And please. Don't. Even. Ask. About. Pitching. Over. Bunkers. LOL. I've shot 5 under my handicap going out and 8 over coming back, and vice versa. I have won weekend comps and finished last in them! I can walk off with 40 points or 20 something, I've hit shots that make me feel like I own the course and I have hit ones that were so bad I just want to rewind time and play it again! 


My golf if nothing, is interesting, frustrating, exotic, sometimes hilarious for my regular playing partners (we have our own mini-trophy that gets "awarded" for the worst shot of the day, which is agreed at the end of the round over a drink - invariably it stays at my house...), it is Heinz beans golf - 57 varieties in any given day. Why, oh why do I enjoy it so much, it really is illogical. Painting a pretty dark picture here, so to offset that my great shots are just that - great, but they are as rare as a 2 minute rump steak... 


If golf was my job and I performed like the above I would either have been fired or be looking hard for a new line of work! As it is, you know what? I am not looking for a new 'hobby' (it's not really a hobby, it's more than that but I can't find the right word), I just want to play better golf...


In Ben Hogan's book, 'The five fundamentals of golf' he made a significant statement along the lines of 'anyone with reasonable fitness and ability should break 80!' At this stage I am not of reasonable fitness or ability, and to be quite honest that grates me! Bear in mind he made this statement long, long before persimmon woods even, let alone the composites we have these days and the advances in golf ball and iron technology!

If any of the above resonates with you or your playing partners then follow my blog and I encourage you to post comments. I will be blogging almost every day and updating links and info that helps me. So join this average golfer and share my journey and experiences of what I work at and whether it helps or not in my golfing ambition!
M

Intro and welcome

Hi Mark here. Ok this is the first post so a bit of background/scene setting/context, whatever you want to call it. Me; 41 in full time work (Mon-Fri) with 1 hour commute each way. Married, 3 children ages 6, 4 and almost 2, Life is busy and I want to invest time to improve my golf! Only golf day available is a Saturday as the wife works on Sundays. Love my family, golf and football. Bitten by the golf bug in my teens but "chose" not to take the opportunity to put time into it.

Golfing (lack of) Experience
Right. I first picked up a golf club (rented) in early teens at local pitch and putt course in the summer. I loved it immediately. I bought my first set of clubs at 18 yrs of age. Played sporadically (few times a year) till 23yrs of age when I joined a golf club (Naunton Downs, Gloucestershire). Played for about 18 months a couple of times a week, no practice or range work and had handicap of 21 and a power slice with the woods! I moved to Australia and did not play again on any regular basis till my late 30s (2008) when I joined a golf club again (Gungahlin Lakes, Canberra) - I bought clubs from a combination of eBay and a website in the US and I was off again - handed cards in got starting handicap of 28 (result!) which I got down to 19 in around 10 months playing regularly and in the evenings after work. I moved back to UK (Xmas 2009) and had to give it up again temporarily. Joined 9 hole course (Bearwood, Berkshire)  in summer of 2009 playing once a week - they accepted 19Hcp and I maintained it. We moved again in Spring 2010, and I joined current club in June 2010 - Chesfield Downs, North Herts (Great inland links style course) - similarly they accepted 19Hcp. Fluctuated from 19 to 20 and back down to 18 in that first season. So I went into 2011 with an 18 and finished with an 18 Hcp - whilst it was fun and bloody annoying at times I was just treading water! This was despite lots of research on articles, videos and whatnot. I bought a pack of 5 golf lessons with one of our Club Pros in that first year - I used 2 of them. I knew I wanted to improve but I wasn't committed to it, more sort of involved rather than committed. Its like the chicken and the pig in a bacon and eggs breakfast, the chicken is involved in it but the pig is committed, I was the chicken! So, just gone through the winter season of frost cold and rarely playing to Hcp, and mid January 2012 I thought to myself, 'you know what, Mark, lets be the pig and get committed to getting better'. I have had 2 lessons since, first on 23rd Feb and second this evening, more on that and the progress if any in the next post...

And finally, and most importantly, a huge thank you to my wife, my soulmate and partner for putting up and supporting my obsession, without which none of my golfing would be possible!

M