Three years ago today, I took up golf. I got an official SCGA number in January 2005 and started posting my scores (including stored up cards from before I had my number). Including those stored up cards from late 2004, I posted 63 scores in 2005. In 2006, I posted 53. I’m not sure how many I have posted so far in 2007 but the total will probably be somewhat lower. Here is the damage:
As you can see from the chart, I haven’t improved much in the way of index since the dramatic change in the first year. However, what you can’t see on the chart is my development in certain aspects of the game. Consistency, for example. That first year had me putting up scores all over the board and some of them happened to be low enough to influence my index. Between January 2006 and January 2007, my index got as high as 18.5 (in May 2006). Since then, I have been playing much more steadily and lowering my index slowly but surely.
Playing smarter?
In that first year, my game was still developing and there wasn’t any one thing at any one time I could put my finger on for an area to improve. It all needed work. Now I have come far enough to know what’s wrong with my game at any given time and try to make up for it on the course in other ways. For example, if my driver isn’t working, I’ll hit 3-wood off the tee. If my approach shots are errant, I’ll lay up short of the green and try to get up and down for par with a good wedge shot, with any luck making it or walking away with nothing more than a bogey. Of course, when I’m not really trying to score (most non-tournament rounds) I’ll try to work on those problem areas while I’m playing since I don’t go to the range much. Perhaps if I treated every round like a tournament my index would have lowered more. But I know I’m improving as a golfer more than the chart shows. Then again, if I hit the range more I wouldn’t have to practice on the golf course.
Steady strengths and problem areas
One annoying problem I have is with my driver. That first year, it was probably my best club. Straight and long almost every time. Since then, it comes and goes and when it goes, it goes slicing off out of sight. I know the keys to fixing it but can’t always execute what’s in my head. Go figure.
Hitting fairway woods (or metals) off the grass also plagues me. I know I can do it so I keep trying but I probably only hit good ones 3 out of 5 attempts.
Long irons weren’t a terrible problem but I got rid of them anyway, in favor of carrying hybrids, two of which are new and I’m still working out their yardages. My longest iron is a 5-iron and is one of my most consistent clubs.
Mid- and short irons have always been pretty consistent for me.
Wedges are my bread and butter. From 100 yards and in I have a pretty good touch. 105 yards is my “money shot” with my pitching wedge, 85-90 is a good full sand wedge, and it’s nothing but sand wedge the rest of the way in. I’m comfortable with a 3/4 SW shot and my feel below that is still pretty decent. 50-70 can be touchy but I still do alright. Under 50 yards is pretty strong for me, but anywhere right around the green is the real strength of my game. I love making delicate little flop shots over bunkers but it’s a little harder to be as accurate with picking a spot to hit. I get really excited when I’m right off the green with a sweet little pitch and run shot. I’d rather have that than a long putt. I read the green, pick my spot and try to hole out. I’m pretty good at getting it at least to my “all day long” zone for putting.
Maturing
Speaking of my putting, it has come a long way and I might even say it’s the most improved aspect of my game. I never used to have an “all day long” zone and would often three-putt (or worse). The better I get at it, the more I enjoy it (duh) and that attitude is the key. I love putting. I love gripping and ripping but I always have. I used to think putting was a necessary evil and boring at best. With that attitude it’s not surprising my putting skills suffered. When I noticed how many strokes I was losing on the greens I started seeing it as my scoring opportunity which made it fun. Why take so much pleasure from a good chip if I can’t get it in the hole with my putter? Reading the book Putting out of Your Mind changed me for the better as well.
I still need to work on my longer putts and get more of a feel for them. Since I so often am working from off the green and tend to get it relatively close with my wedge I don’t get a lot of opportunities to practice those long ones.
Bunkers. Hmm. Well, fairway bunkers aren’t much of a problem. I’m pretty good at picking it clean with my choice of clubs. Greenside bunkers are trickier. If I have a decent lie in good sand, I’m pretty reliable. I still struggle with grainy, rocky and wet sand and need work on difficult lies. Buried or fried eggs, down- or uphill lies, too close to the lip on my backswing… you know how it is.
Summary of areas to improve
- Practice more on the range, score on the golf course
- Driver
- Fairway metals from the grass
- Determining yardages for my new hybrids
- Greenside bunkers
- Long putts
- Shaping shots
Yes, I threw shaping shots in there as well. I started doing that back in my first year but gave up on it in an effort to just get the basics down and be a more consistent ball striker. Time to renew that effort. It should also help with those driver and fairway metal problems!
Goals
Breaking 80 and going into single digits with my index might be a little ambitious to achieve this year. Let’s start with breaking 85 (my current low score) and lowering my index to a steady 13-14 by the end of the year. As demonstrated in the chart, that may be a taller order than it sounds. Especially with only 4 months of scores to change it.
A year later, Tiger wins one for the girl
When Tiger won last year’s PGA Championship, he and his wife Elin announced that they were expecting a child.
Last year at Medinah
That child, Sam Alexis Woods, was present and rooting in a baby golf chick kind of way as her father won the same event this year for her coming out party. Her first tournament, his 59th PGA Tour win, his 13th major win, his first major with her as his good luck charm. Oh who am I kidding? As if Tiger needs luck.
Sam Alexis appears to be human, but then so does Tiger when he’s not playing golf. Can that kind of dominance and perfect timing really be the work of humans?
On another note, was I the only one who enjoyed the “sweaty man” aspect of watching this tournament? Well, a handful or two of those men, anyway.
Next post.