Perserverance

Today, I played VanCortlandt and struggled making bogey on a lot of the holes.  Chipping at the edge of the green is where I fell short.  I feel that I need to be able to chip within a foot of the hole to save par.  Overall, I'm glad I went out and need to keep at it.

Forward Progress

I went out last Memorial Day weekend and enjoyed it.  I struggled off-the-tee, but my mid-irons, especially the 5 was really clicking.  I think that the pressure or self-consciousness is what made me struggle -- not the mention the overall fatigue of waking up and catching the 4:43 train, teeing off at around 8 and playing for about 5 hours for 18 holes and then 3 hours for 9 holes.  So overall, I was probably very tired in the afternoon, which is where I remember the game ending.

I did have a couple great drives and one very nice par on a hole I like a lot and found difficult in the past.

Ouch! -- That's not me.

Today was one of the worst 30 minutes I've had on the practice tee in years.  Out of the 90 balls I hit, I think that none of them were correct!  Looking at this objectively.  It's not me.

What else could it be?  My personal life subconsciously affecting me.  My lack of focus and deliberate purpose when taking a shot.

Luckily, I grabbed a golf book this morning and threw it into my bag this morning before leaving.  The book was 50 Years of Golfing Wisdom by John Jacobs.   This is the best book in my collection, and I had bookmarked one particular section on page 213:  Follow Jack's Methodical Approach  

The main take-away is to practice like you play.  Next time, I will try to keep this in my mind.

Two Bags - Two Blogs

I have two golf blogs: one that's personal (this one), and one that's public: http://bobsgolfblog.wordpress.com/ Why 2? I decided that my scorecard is something that I used to work on my own game. The public blog is intended to omit details that have nothing to do with my reader. I'm the primary audience for this blog -- it's a personal journal (and journey too!). If you're reading this and not me, enjoy the behind-the-scenes story of how I'm learning and trying to improve my game. For the public side of the coin, see bobsgolfblog.wordpress.com I also have 2 golf bags: New York and California (parents). This is to avoid the hassle of shipping clubs coast-to-coast. I actually also have 3 "mini" bags: one for a short set at home, one for my range clubs, and one for a short set / guest set at my parents. As further proof that I'm a golf fanatic, and may have spent too much on equipment. I also have 3 range bags: one for pitch and putt, one for holding a set of wedges for practice, and another for transporting a driver back and forth from the range. More of what's in my bags to follow... (not to mention reflections on my score card).

Posting Score

I haven't played in about 4 weeks. Thus, I haven't been able to post a score, much less feel focused on my game. However, that's going to change, I'm not giving up this sport because I enjoy it a lot. I love playing golf! So know what? Well, I need to keep focused on my game and find a way to keep myself focused on my ultimate goal: constant self-improvement.

Pre-Season

The temperature is going to be up in the low 60's today. I decided *not* to take the subway to Mosholu and went to the practice tee at Chelsea Piers instead. I think this was a good decision, because the total commute back and forth from Mosholu is 3 hours, while it's about 1 hour to go back and forth from the range.

I'm using my extra 2 hours to do laundry and catch-up with my other errands. It's been since last October since I wrote something down on this blog. I've been keeping active during the off-season. I guess that my game is at its best right now. I took another season of Golf League and even played a couple times during the winter: once with Gary Harris in Fullerton, and another two times at Mosholu with Jon and Greg.

I'm guessing that Mosholu was crowded this morning -- probably good that I didn't try to walk-up without a tee-time. I may get out the Flushing Meadows later this afternoon, depending upon how much I get done today with errands.

What I've noticed most about a "perfect swing" is that it feels smooth and effortless. If I *try* to "hit" the ball with a lot of force, this usually doesn't work. I smother and slice the ball way right. But, if I hold back a little, and think more about technique and smoothness, with square contact the ball goes flying! This corresponds to the fundamental lessons of John Jacobs, author of the book "Practical Golf".

So, this season, I'm going to focus on technique. I'm sure I'll be tempted to watch my score and try to break a 100. This is a reasonable goal, but I don't want to focus too much on my score. Instead, I want to focus on how well I'm playing each hole, and whether I'm successfully executing the correct technique.

Another Rough Day at the Range

I went to golf league last night at the Piers. The good news is that I could see how far good players can hit the ball with an 8 iron and a driver. The bad news is that I wasn't able to do it (last night).

I'm going to try to stay positive. I'm playing the game because I had such a wonderful time the first time I played Flushing Meadows PNP. For my birthday, I'm treating myself to 2 new clubs I found online at Callaway Pre-owned: a Mizuno MX 25 gap and sand wedge (already shortened by an inch). This is to renew my love of the game -- even though the season is almost over. According to the reviews I have, the feel of these clubs is even better that the MP 60s. I have the MP 60s and they're great so I'm looking forward to seeing if they are actually better. I'm also getting Tom Watson's "Lessons from a Lifetime", DVDs, which I've held out on buying until now.

I've also picked up and started to re-read Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible. I have a lot of books that I bought over the last several months that I'd like to, but I think it will be inspirational to re-read it. I'm determined to cut down on my golf spending on equipment next year, and focus simply on practice and play.