The first round of the 2012 Deepwoods Golf Association Championship was contested at Copetown Woods Golf Club, and for a while, it looked like I would walk away with the early season lead. Late in the round, I was also flirting with a personal best. Then suddenly, and without warning, began a collapse worse than any I've ever experienced on a golf course. I had already done well enough to earn a respectable Deepwoods score, but as far as personal bests go, I wasn't even close.
Prior to the round, I spent some time hitting balls out of a practice bunker. Years ago, I had no problem getting out of greenside bunkers. I wouldn't necessarily get the ball near the hole, but I would almost certainly find the green. A couple of years ago, that all changed. I inadvertently started picking balls clean, sending them sailing over the putting surface, often into a hazard or out of bounds. When I tried to adjust, I would hit my shots fat, failing to get out of the bunker. My practice session at Copetown was designed to resolve this, but it only confirmed how bad my sand play was. I flip-flopped between shots hit too thin and too fat. Just one quarter of my attempts turned out well.
The round started with a low, penetrating drive to the left fairway on hole #10. This is a par-5, reachable in two from the white tees, which we were playing. As I did during my previous round at Horseshoe Resort, I employed my stock grip and took a step back with my right foot at address. This approach served me very well for a second consecutive round. Going for the green with my second shot, I duffed a 4-iron from 180 yards away. No worries, as I was left with 130 yards to the green from the right rough. Unfortunately, I hooked my pitching wedge left and deep, sending the ball out of bounds. After a drop, I hit one right and just short of the green. A mediocre chip and two putts followed for triple bogey. What a waste of a wonderful drive!
Next began a string of 13 holes unlike any other I have ever played. During this stretch, I was two over par. I recorded a birdie, 10 pars, a bogey, and a double-bogey. Eleven holes at par or better exceeds anything I have ever done previously, even over 18 holes. When I scored 81 at Deer Creek South (my lowest score ever) I had only nine holes at par or better. Granted, three of those were birdies. When I scored 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt (which matched the Deer Creek score at 10 over par), I had nine pars and no birdies. The same was true of an 83 that I once shot at Carlisle. Even the 83 that I shot at Willow Valley during the final event of the 2011 Deepwoods season included nine holes at par or better. Two of those were birdies.
So what accounted for this wonderful stretch of golf? Firstly, most of my drives were straight and deep. A spectacular 290-yard blast on hole #15 comes to mind immediately. An 85-yard approach with the lob wedge then came to rest six feet from the hole, setting up the lone birdie of the day. Hole #16 was the stage for another beautiful drive, this one also travelling 290 yards to the left centre of the fairway. Next, a 3-iron that missed the sweet spot rolled down the fairway, leaving 50 yards to the flag on this par-5. I duffed the pitch shot, then put one on the green, 14 feet from the hole. With a spectacular putt, I saved par. Hole # 1, also a par-5, was the scene of another 290-yard drive to the left centre of the fairway. With 160 yards to the pin, tucked at the back of a deep green, I hit a 7-iron right of target. Long fescue was interrupting my backswing, so my chip came up short. No worries however, as I chipped again and made a 6-foot putt for par.
Besides my driving, my short game was also on fire. I managed to get up and down from off the green on holes #11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 1, and 3. The first of these was preceded by a 195-yard 4-iron off the tee on the par-3 hole. The ball bounced just off the back of the green, flag-high. I made a nice chip, followed by a 4-foot putt. Even better chips left just three feet for par on hole #13 and two feet for the same result on hole #3. On holes #12 and #14, putts from off the green eased up to the hole nicely, leaving between one and three feet for par. Up and down on hole #18 was for bogey, after my approach shot found water and I was forced to take a penalty stroke. The putt from the fringe was lengthy and satisfying. Kudos to Copetown Woods for keeping the course in great condition. The consistent rough and greens produced a fair challenge to the short game.
So, what happened over my last four holes? In a nutshell, I closed out with a 7, 6, 8, and 11, or in other words, triple, triple, quadruple, and seven over par. Can you guess what started it all? Yup, my first greenside bunker of the day on hole #6. I was there in two, so I needed an up and down for par, or an up and two putts for bogey. Either would have been fine. As I did so often from the practice bunker before the round, I hit my first attempt fat, failing to get out of the sand. My second attempt was thin, but luckily I hit a mound in front and a slope on the green prevented my ball from rolling too far away. This was followed by a 3-putt, as I didn't give the downhill lag enough respect. On hole #7, a short par-3, I hooked a pitching wedge left of the green. In the fescue, with the ball below my feet, I duffed a shot into a bunker between me and the target. The first attempt out of the bunker was fat; the second was okay. I then 2-putt for another triple. I simply cannot hit sand shots, and haven't been able to for a while now.
The last two holes is when I lost some composure. A 4-iron off the tee on hole #8 didn't get airborne and found the fescue 50 yards away. I hacked out with a pitching wedge, leaving 130 yards to the green. At this point, I think I was rattled and topped an approach shot with the pitching wedge. The ball stopped on the edge of a pond. I had a go at it, poor lie and stance be damned. The result was a ball in the water and a penalty stroke. Dropping from 85 yards, I hit the green and finished with a 2-putt. On the final hole of the day, my driver finally abandoned me. My first tee shot was a complete mis-hit, travelling low and left into some fescue and trees. One of my playing partners helped me look for the ball, to no avail. After waving through a twosome that was behind us, I went back to the tee. My next tee shot drifted right of the fairway, to a fescue-covered mound. I found a ball there, but it wasn't mine. I found another one further ahead on the opposite fairway, but it also wasn't mine. My playing partners were by the green at this point, so I had no help looking for the ball. By the time I found it, another group had played their tee shots, unaware that I was still playing. It took three hacks for me to get out of the fescue. Next, I hit a ball from the fairway, only to find out later that it wasn't mine. That was a two-stroke penalty. Finally, I hit my actual ball, then tallied a couple more strokes on the green.
And that's how you go from a hero to a zero in four holes.
Score: 94
Putts: 29
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 5
May 28, 2012
May 25, 2012
Hijinks at Horseshoe Highlands
With spectacular weather on hand and just a few days to go before the opening round of the 2012 Deepwoods Golf Association championship, I booked a round on The Highlands course at Horseshoe Resort. I played the course once before, but it was many years ago and my memory of it was faint, to say the least. Despite another triple-digit score, it was a fun round. If Horseshoe Resort was closer to home, I would definitely play there a lot more often.
I went into the round with a strategy to avoid some of my recent trouble. First of all, I planned to hold the driver with my normal grip, which is admittedly a little too strong. Instead, I would shift my right foot back at address, which is the hack way to offset an outside-in swing path. Secondly, I planned to hold my irons with a weaker grip, while focusing on avoiding the opening of the club face during the backswing. Finally, I reminded myself that if a mistake was made, not to make a second one on the very next shot. This is a little trick I've used in the past with some success.
On the first hole, a 293-yard par-4, my driver strategy worked like a charm. I took a three-quarter swing and found the middle of the fairway, with 80 yards left to reach the green. My approach with the lob wedge was 10 yards short, but I made a beautiful chip to within two feet of the cup. Par was the result. On the second hole, a 525-yard par-5, the driver strategy didn't work so well. While conditions on the first hole were serene, a fierce headwind was blasting me on the second tee. It's amazing how weather can totally affect shotmaking. I closed the club face, which de-lofted the ball, sending it short and left into a small pond. After taking a drop, I plunked my next shot into a second pond further ahead. With a second penalty stroke added on the hole, I did well to finish with a triple-bogey.
For the rest of the round, my driver was working very well. I ran through the end of a dog-leg on hole #3, which left my path to the green impeded by trees. I was forced to chip sideways en route to a double-bogey. However, on hole #5, I piped a beauty 270 yards to the middle of the short grass. This swing adjustment eliminates the cut or fade from my drives, resulting in greater distance. It's too bad that I pulled my approach on hole #5 left of the green, from just 130 yards away. With an untimely 3-putt, I walked away with a double-bogey. And so went the remainder of my round. Half my drives were straight down the pipe; the other half were very slight pulls that just flirted with the thick trees bordering almost all of the holes. Some of these required sideways chip-outs, but overall, I was happy with the driver. I did not flare or slice a single drive. I was not happy with the irons, which were pulled or hooked more than I would like. Many of these were short shots from prime locations – the ones you need to put on the green at least, and preferably stick near the hole. Obviously, I still have work to do with my grip. The weaker setup shows promise at times, but disappoints at others.
My chipping was better than it has been recently. I tried to get less robotic and just play my chips by feel. This helped me get the ball lofted up much better. I did not scull a single chip all day. My putting was also good, two 3-putts aside. Though I didn't use it much, my sand play remained horrible. On hole #7, a par-5 measuring 500 yards, a wayward approach found a small pond. After taking a drop, I faced a 70-yard shot over an expansive bunker to a green backed by thick forest. My approach came up 10 yards short, landing in the bunker. My first sand attempt was inadvertently picked clean and sailed deep into the forest. Of course, my next sand attempt was fat and stayed in the bunker. My third attempt finally found the green, but the damage was done. I scored a woeful 11 on the hole. Hole #9 was also a disaster, owing to my use of 5-wood off the tee. Driver was too much for that hole, so the idea wasn't bad. The problem is, I have been using my fairway woods very sparingly for over a year. I pulled two tee shots into thick forest on the left side. Luckily, the second one bounced back to the centre of the fairway. Add a poor hooking approach shot, and the result was quadruple-bogey.
To finish off with a positive note, I did manage a birdie on hole #14, a par-4. This is a dog-leg left, measuring 372 yards from a slightly elevated tee. My drive cut the corner, avoiding a large tree in the left fairway and coming to rest just 130 yards from the flag. My pitching wedge approach drifted to the right fringe, 40 feet from the cup. After lining up my putt, I calmly drained it for the bird! I celebrated with a good fist pump, then looked around to see if anyone happened to be watching. I was playing the round by myself, so there were no playing partners around. Houses border the course in some areas, so I was half hoping that a homeowner in his backyard would see the putt and give me a round of applause.
Score: 104
Putts: 35
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Penalties: 6
I went into the round with a strategy to avoid some of my recent trouble. First of all, I planned to hold the driver with my normal grip, which is admittedly a little too strong. Instead, I would shift my right foot back at address, which is the hack way to offset an outside-in swing path. Secondly, I planned to hold my irons with a weaker grip, while focusing on avoiding the opening of the club face during the backswing. Finally, I reminded myself that if a mistake was made, not to make a second one on the very next shot. This is a little trick I've used in the past with some success.
On the first hole, a 293-yard par-4, my driver strategy worked like a charm. I took a three-quarter swing and found the middle of the fairway, with 80 yards left to reach the green. My approach with the lob wedge was 10 yards short, but I made a beautiful chip to within two feet of the cup. Par was the result. On the second hole, a 525-yard par-5, the driver strategy didn't work so well. While conditions on the first hole were serene, a fierce headwind was blasting me on the second tee. It's amazing how weather can totally affect shotmaking. I closed the club face, which de-lofted the ball, sending it short and left into a small pond. After taking a drop, I plunked my next shot into a second pond further ahead. With a second penalty stroke added on the hole, I did well to finish with a triple-bogey.
For the rest of the round, my driver was working very well. I ran through the end of a dog-leg on hole #3, which left my path to the green impeded by trees. I was forced to chip sideways en route to a double-bogey. However, on hole #5, I piped a beauty 270 yards to the middle of the short grass. This swing adjustment eliminates the cut or fade from my drives, resulting in greater distance. It's too bad that I pulled my approach on hole #5 left of the green, from just 130 yards away. With an untimely 3-putt, I walked away with a double-bogey. And so went the remainder of my round. Half my drives were straight down the pipe; the other half were very slight pulls that just flirted with the thick trees bordering almost all of the holes. Some of these required sideways chip-outs, but overall, I was happy with the driver. I did not flare or slice a single drive. I was not happy with the irons, which were pulled or hooked more than I would like. Many of these were short shots from prime locations – the ones you need to put on the green at least, and preferably stick near the hole. Obviously, I still have work to do with my grip. The weaker setup shows promise at times, but disappoints at others.
My chipping was better than it has been recently. I tried to get less robotic and just play my chips by feel. This helped me get the ball lofted up much better. I did not scull a single chip all day. My putting was also good, two 3-putts aside. Though I didn't use it much, my sand play remained horrible. On hole #7, a par-5 measuring 500 yards, a wayward approach found a small pond. After taking a drop, I faced a 70-yard shot over an expansive bunker to a green backed by thick forest. My approach came up 10 yards short, landing in the bunker. My first sand attempt was inadvertently picked clean and sailed deep into the forest. Of course, my next sand attempt was fat and stayed in the bunker. My third attempt finally found the green, but the damage was done. I scored a woeful 11 on the hole. Hole #9 was also a disaster, owing to my use of 5-wood off the tee. Driver was too much for that hole, so the idea wasn't bad. The problem is, I have been using my fairway woods very sparingly for over a year. I pulled two tee shots into thick forest on the left side. Luckily, the second one bounced back to the centre of the fairway. Add a poor hooking approach shot, and the result was quadruple-bogey.
To finish off with a positive note, I did manage a birdie on hole #14, a par-4. This is a dog-leg left, measuring 372 yards from a slightly elevated tee. My drive cut the corner, avoiding a large tree in the left fairway and coming to rest just 130 yards from the flag. My pitching wedge approach drifted to the right fringe, 40 feet from the cup. After lining up my putt, I calmly drained it for the bird! I celebrated with a good fist pump, then looked around to see if anyone happened to be watching. I was playing the round by myself, so there were no playing partners around. Houses border the course in some areas, so I was half hoping that a homeowner in his backyard would see the putt and give me a round of applause.
Score: 104
Putts: 35
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Penalties: 6
May 23, 2012
Lowdown at Lowville
Continuing the experimentation that I began at my last round, I ventured out to Lowville Golf Club. Right off the bat, things went poorly. My drive on hole #1 was huge push slice, once again owing to the grip change I've been trying to iron out. I set up with a weaker than normal grip, but during the back and downswings, familiarity takes over; I inadvertently strengthen the grip, which produces an open club face at impact. At this point, I think I will go back to my normal grip, at least for the driver. After finding my ball in some long fescue, I hacked one back to the edge of the fairway. From there, I flared a 7-iron way right to the opposite fairway. Once again, the grip issue was the culprit. Luckily, I hit a beautiful sand wedge and two-putt to salvage bogey on this par-5.
I immediately adjusted my drive and piped one on hole #2 to the left edge of the fairway. That was good. Unfortunately, I didn't make the right adjustment to my iron shot. From 130 yards away, I once again flared one with the pitching wedge, ending up well right of the green. I did well to hole out with three more shots for bogey. The short game didn't work so well on the next hole, a par-3. My 6-iron from 175 yards away was well struck, barely missing the right edge of the green. That was the good part. Next, I slid the wedge right under the ball, failing to chip onto the green. With the green sloping away from me, I chipped the next attempt well past the hole, then two-putt for a disappointing double-bogey.
The push-sliced drive returned on hole #4, along with another short pitch shot, leading to double-bogey. I bogeyed hole #5 and double-bogeyed hole #6 after my 5-iron from the tee nestled directly behind a small spruce tree. One third of the way through the round, I felt like I was struggling to control my shots, but finding a way to avoid blowup holes. All in all, I was still feeling positive.
That all went out the window on hole #7, a par-5 that despite being uphill, should still be reachable in two. The entire right side of this hole is out of bounds, but there is plenty of room on the left. I made good contact with my drive, but it drifted very near the out of bounds line. I decided to hit a provisional, which drifted even further right and definitely out of bounds. My second provisional was a laser to the left side of the fairway. Of course, I did not find my first ball, so the second provisional was now in play. That means I was lying 5, 200 yards away from the green. I mis-hit my approach, mostly because the ball was above my feet, then sculled a wedge over the back of the green. With the green sloping away dramatically, I did well to hole out with three more shots, for a total of 10 on the hole. Ouch!
Trouble continued on hole #8, a short par-3 that is more dangerous than it appears. Anything behind the green will find a severe drop-off and fescue. I hit my tee shot flag-high, but left of the green. With a bunker between me and the flag, I flopped a shot with a 64 degree wedge. Even with the 64 degrees, the ball managed to release and roll off the other side of the green. I don't understand. Next, I sculled a chip back across the entire green. My third chip stopped safely on the green and I two-putted for a triple-bogey. It's incredible how circumstances can conspire to inflate a score. I thought my tee shot was decent, along with my first chip. Even my third chip and putts were okay. Nevertheless, a triple it was.
I made par on hole #9 to make the turn with a score of 53. That's not good, but a decent score could still be salvaged for the round. Early on the back nine, it looked like I was getting on track, as I tallied three bogeys and one double over the first four holes. I was making mistakes, but I was making some good shots as well. Then, on hole #14, the wheels came off again. This is a downhill par-4 with a lateral hazard along the entire right side. The push-slice with the driver put me in the hazard off the tee. After a drop, my approach with a gap wedge found the hazard again. The ball actually landed near a bunker right of the green, but the slope pushed the ball right into the fescue within the hazard. Despite a thorough search, I could not find the ball and was forced to take another drop. To make matters worse, I went on to 3-putt, finishing with a quadruple-bogey.
Frustration carried over to hole #15, a 175-yard par-3 that I played poorly. I hooked my tee shot into a hazard left, then duffed an approach after a drop. Even with a lengthy putt, I registered a triple-bogey. I settled down a bit over the final few holes, but the damage was done. Notably, I hit a 320-yard drive on hole #17. This is a big downhill, so if you manage to find the fairway, you can get a lot of roll. Unfortunately, I missed the green from 95 yards away! On hole #18, I topped my first tee shot, no doubt because of the intimidating carry that is required. After re-teeing, I hit a perfect drive with a slight draw, which is perfectly suited to this hole. Shots like that make me think I'm onto something with the swing path and grip adjustments, but I'm just so inconsistent. What I really should do is practice these things on the range, not on the golf course!
Score: 106
Putts: 33
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Penalties: 8
I immediately adjusted my drive and piped one on hole #2 to the left edge of the fairway. That was good. Unfortunately, I didn't make the right adjustment to my iron shot. From 130 yards away, I once again flared one with the pitching wedge, ending up well right of the green. I did well to hole out with three more shots for bogey. The short game didn't work so well on the next hole, a par-3. My 6-iron from 175 yards away was well struck, barely missing the right edge of the green. That was the good part. Next, I slid the wedge right under the ball, failing to chip onto the green. With the green sloping away from me, I chipped the next attempt well past the hole, then two-putt for a disappointing double-bogey.
The push-sliced drive returned on hole #4, along with another short pitch shot, leading to double-bogey. I bogeyed hole #5 and double-bogeyed hole #6 after my 5-iron from the tee nestled directly behind a small spruce tree. One third of the way through the round, I felt like I was struggling to control my shots, but finding a way to avoid blowup holes. All in all, I was still feeling positive.
That all went out the window on hole #7, a par-5 that despite being uphill, should still be reachable in two. The entire right side of this hole is out of bounds, but there is plenty of room on the left. I made good contact with my drive, but it drifted very near the out of bounds line. I decided to hit a provisional, which drifted even further right and definitely out of bounds. My second provisional was a laser to the left side of the fairway. Of course, I did not find my first ball, so the second provisional was now in play. That means I was lying 5, 200 yards away from the green. I mis-hit my approach, mostly because the ball was above my feet, then sculled a wedge over the back of the green. With the green sloping away dramatically, I did well to hole out with three more shots, for a total of 10 on the hole. Ouch!
Trouble continued on hole #8, a short par-3 that is more dangerous than it appears. Anything behind the green will find a severe drop-off and fescue. I hit my tee shot flag-high, but left of the green. With a bunker between me and the flag, I flopped a shot with a 64 degree wedge. Even with the 64 degrees, the ball managed to release and roll off the other side of the green. I don't understand. Next, I sculled a chip back across the entire green. My third chip stopped safely on the green and I two-putted for a triple-bogey. It's incredible how circumstances can conspire to inflate a score. I thought my tee shot was decent, along with my first chip. Even my third chip and putts were okay. Nevertheless, a triple it was.
I made par on hole #9 to make the turn with a score of 53. That's not good, but a decent score could still be salvaged for the round. Early on the back nine, it looked like I was getting on track, as I tallied three bogeys and one double over the first four holes. I was making mistakes, but I was making some good shots as well. Then, on hole #14, the wheels came off again. This is a downhill par-4 with a lateral hazard along the entire right side. The push-slice with the driver put me in the hazard off the tee. After a drop, my approach with a gap wedge found the hazard again. The ball actually landed near a bunker right of the green, but the slope pushed the ball right into the fescue within the hazard. Despite a thorough search, I could not find the ball and was forced to take another drop. To make matters worse, I went on to 3-putt, finishing with a quadruple-bogey.
Frustration carried over to hole #15, a 175-yard par-3 that I played poorly. I hooked my tee shot into a hazard left, then duffed an approach after a drop. Even with a lengthy putt, I registered a triple-bogey. I settled down a bit over the final few holes, but the damage was done. Notably, I hit a 320-yard drive on hole #17. This is a big downhill, so if you manage to find the fairway, you can get a lot of roll. Unfortunately, I missed the green from 95 yards away! On hole #18, I topped my first tee shot, no doubt because of the intimidating carry that is required. After re-teeing, I hit a perfect drive with a slight draw, which is perfectly suited to this hole. Shots like that make me think I'm onto something with the swing path and grip adjustments, but I'm just so inconsistent. What I really should do is practice these things on the range, not on the golf course!
Score: 106
Putts: 33
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Penalties: 8
May 21, 2012
Experimenting at Granite Ridge
I know that I have a tendency to swing outside-in, or over the top, as some people like to describe it. When I try to start my swing from the inside, it feels somewhat unnatural, and I'm more likely to either top the ball, smother it badly, or hit a very fat shot. As a result, I've long been resigned to the fact that I have to make my outside-in path work somehow. Lately, I've challenged this line of thinking. In an attempt to figure out what causes my outside-in path, I took a closer look at my grip.
You see, I have what some people call a strong grip. In golf terms, this means that my hands are rotated a little farther clockwise than most instructors recommend. When I say clockwise, I am referring to the golfer's perspective, when looking along the shaft of the club. Imagine looking at the butt end of the club, while your hands are wrapped around it. If you were to rotate your hands clockwise a few degrees from the ideal position, this would be a strong grip. If the club face is square to the target with this setup, one must return to the exact same position on the downswing, just before impact. If the hands rotate counter-clockwise during the downswing to a more neutral position at impact, then the club face will be closed to the target. The result will be a pull or hook shot. This is what I've been noticing with my driver and irons.
I resolved to try a weaker grip at my latest round on the Cobalt course at Granite Ridge Golf Club. If you looked only at my final score, you would say that this strategy failed miserably. That wouldn't be entirely true. The fact is, this strategy worked like a charm half the time and only failed miserably the other half of the time. A few examples illustrate best.
Hole #3, a par-3 with out of bounds on the left, was playing slightly up at 142 yards. I opted for 9-iron and hit the ball as pure as one possibly can. The swing was fluid, and contact was crisp. The ball launched high in the air and was headed straight at the flag. I came close to jarring it in, but landed about two feet long and left. The ball spun back, leaving an uphill 8-footer for birdie. I didn't make the putt, settling for par. It was a great iron shot, and one I would replicate elsewhere on the course. I hit a pure 8-iron off the tee on the par-3 fifth hole, along with a sweet 4-iron from the tee on both the par-4 sixth and the par-4 eleventh. On the par-5 fourth and seventh holes, I hit a picture perfect 6-irons to advance the ball with my second shot.
For every great shot however, there was a stinker. My approach from 100 yards on hole #4 flared right, finding a bunker. I also flared one well right from 140 yards approaching hole #7. On hole #15, my approach from 120 yards was caught thin and sailed behind the bunker. The flared shots were clearly a result of not being used to the weaker grip. On those swings, I reverted to the strong position on the downswing, which of course left the club face well open at impact. Worse than the misses with the irons were those with the driver. Apart from a beauty that used every bit of available fairway on hole #7, my driver let me down. I was trying to apply the same grip adjustment to the driver, but it didn't work at all. The awkwardness I feel with the weaker grip is multiplied with the longer driver. I push-sliced quite a few drives later in the round, a result of reverting to the strong grip position during my downswing.
Besides the grip woes, I had a heck of a time pitching and chipping. On some blowup holes, the chipping is what really let me down. It seems every chip shot has such a unique lie. Sometimes, the rough is long and the ball propped up. It's easy to slide the club right under the ball in that situation. Other times, the rough is long, but the ball is settled right down. On other occasions, the rough is sparse. The ground may be dry and hard, or moist and soft. All of these shots are different, because the club reacts differently to the ground. I could use a lot more work on this aspect of the game.
Score: 111
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Penalties: 5
You see, I have what some people call a strong grip. In golf terms, this means that my hands are rotated a little farther clockwise than most instructors recommend. When I say clockwise, I am referring to the golfer's perspective, when looking along the shaft of the club. Imagine looking at the butt end of the club, while your hands are wrapped around it. If you were to rotate your hands clockwise a few degrees from the ideal position, this would be a strong grip. If the club face is square to the target with this setup, one must return to the exact same position on the downswing, just before impact. If the hands rotate counter-clockwise during the downswing to a more neutral position at impact, then the club face will be closed to the target. The result will be a pull or hook shot. This is what I've been noticing with my driver and irons.
I resolved to try a weaker grip at my latest round on the Cobalt course at Granite Ridge Golf Club. If you looked only at my final score, you would say that this strategy failed miserably. That wouldn't be entirely true. The fact is, this strategy worked like a charm half the time and only failed miserably the other half of the time. A few examples illustrate best.
Hole #3, a par-3 with out of bounds on the left, was playing slightly up at 142 yards. I opted for 9-iron and hit the ball as pure as one possibly can. The swing was fluid, and contact was crisp. The ball launched high in the air and was headed straight at the flag. I came close to jarring it in, but landed about two feet long and left. The ball spun back, leaving an uphill 8-footer for birdie. I didn't make the putt, settling for par. It was a great iron shot, and one I would replicate elsewhere on the course. I hit a pure 8-iron off the tee on the par-3 fifth hole, along with a sweet 4-iron from the tee on both the par-4 sixth and the par-4 eleventh. On the par-5 fourth and seventh holes, I hit a picture perfect 6-irons to advance the ball with my second shot.
For every great shot however, there was a stinker. My approach from 100 yards on hole #4 flared right, finding a bunker. I also flared one well right from 140 yards approaching hole #7. On hole #15, my approach from 120 yards was caught thin and sailed behind the bunker. The flared shots were clearly a result of not being used to the weaker grip. On those swings, I reverted to the strong position on the downswing, which of course left the club face well open at impact. Worse than the misses with the irons were those with the driver. Apart from a beauty that used every bit of available fairway on hole #7, my driver let me down. I was trying to apply the same grip adjustment to the driver, but it didn't work at all. The awkwardness I feel with the weaker grip is multiplied with the longer driver. I push-sliced quite a few drives later in the round, a result of reverting to the strong grip position during my downswing.
Besides the grip woes, I had a heck of a time pitching and chipping. On some blowup holes, the chipping is what really let me down. It seems every chip shot has such a unique lie. Sometimes, the rough is long and the ball propped up. It's easy to slide the club right under the ball in that situation. Other times, the rough is long, but the ball is settled right down. On other occasions, the rough is sparse. The ground may be dry and hard, or moist and soft. All of these shots are different, because the club reacts differently to the ground. I could use a lot more work on this aspect of the game.
Score: 111
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Penalties: 5
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