Why I Play

I've been very enthusiastic -- if not fanatical-- about the game over the last year. I'm approaching one year of continous play. I've progressed more then I would have imagined. I got out and played several courses this year, and started to build both my confidence and skills.

I wanted to reflect for a moment about why I play the game of golf. There are many reasons, but I'd guess the most important one is to focus on improving myself (i.e. becoming a better player and a better person overall). Golf is a way for me to keep connected to my friends, who have played for a very long time. Also, it's a way for me to develop acquaintances and friendships with other golfers who want to improve their game. A round of golf is a journey. You see how well you can get through the course. I'm pleased with my performance this year overall -- though I may have gone a little overboard with all of the golf stuff I've bought: clubs, bags, shirts, pants, shoes, balls, gloves, training aids, books -- I've definitely added to the golf economy!

This year I want to focus on not spending so much money on equipment. I have all that I need to be a very good player. So, it's now all about practice and play -- whenever I can make it out to the course.

I also want to remember that I have a rich life outside of golf. If I hadn't discovered other interests such as theater, music, dance, and technology, I may have missed a lot of enriching things -- which I now enjoy in addition to golf. But, at the moment, golf is a primary focus as a means to health, fitness and sport.

No Golf for One Month

I haven't been to the range in about a month. It's not because I've gotten lazy. It's just that I made a commitment to helping out on a musical as company manager. So, golf hasn't been the #1 thing on my mind. That said, I do pick up a putter about once a day just to remind myself what I miss.

I'm also hoping that this upcoming Labor Day Weekend I can get a few rounds in. If it was my choice I would play Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday straight. But, I'm going to try to play on Friday -- one day early on the Labor Day weekend -- maybe two rounds if possible.

Rough Day on the Range

I made it out to the range this morning after a week of high heat in the 90's or above. (I did not golf at all last week). I was really struggling today. I could not keep the ball straight from my 4 hybrid on up. I did take out the 5 wood for a few swings, but I was shanking the ball horribly. The problem seems to be with a stiffness or tenseness with my right upper arm. It's not releasing at all and I'm really spinning the club in my hands and pushing it left.

I guess I need to slow down and work on a slower smoother swing that releases.

Progress - 3rd Round of 18

I finished my third round of 18 this afternoon with a score of 107. I didn't feel that I played as well as my previous round a week ago, but my scorecard tells me that I dropped three strokes from last week (May 7, 2011), which had me finishing up with a score of 110.

I did poorly off the tee -- I sliced almost every tee shot, but I guess my short game was good. I remember two iron shots from the fairway, one with a 5 iron and another with a 7 that I felt very good about.

I did some practice on the driving range with my pitching wedge. This is a club that I think will come in very handy.

Progress

I rediscovered my blog, and decided to post an entry just to check-in on my progress. I've been working on learning golf for about six months now. Of course, this is all during the off season -- I really haven't played much since last November, except for once on the pitch-and-putt in March and once on April 2nd, where I scored my first legit golf score(more-or-less): 126 at Wente Vineyards Golf Course. (I have a long way to go to break 100).

Now, I'm working to fix my slice. I think I'm not far away from gaining some consistency. At least as of today, I've been seeing myself hit to 150 yards consistently with a 6 iron, which is which is about right for the average golfer.

Moving forward, I'm going to try hard to get on the course, and maybe find a person to be a golfing parter to keep myself improving.

Ouch!

My back hurts. After hitting lots of balls on Sunday night, I'm paying the price of poor form. If I swing the club past the impact point, my lower back / spine gives a sharp pang of pain. If I slow down and correct my technique I can avoid the pain.

Tomorrow, I'm going to try to hit some more balls and take a lot off, and just focus on having good form.

Home on the Range

So, I began my training regimen last night. Practice, practice, practice -- perfect practice "makes perfect".

On the one hand, I need to isolate each item that I need to improve. For example, I need to rotate my torso to the right more while still keeping my eye on the ball. However, at the same time, the movements need to be fluid and integrated, ideally "in harmony".

So I hack and hack, swing and swing, the ball shoots left, it shoots right it goes up, and goes down. But at the end, I'm gaining more experience with every swing, and each swing brings me closer to achieving accuracy and consistency.

While I have it in my mind, I'm thinking of using golf as a subject for digital video and photography. Also, I think it's fun are for utilizing electronics as well: swing counters and performance regulators, and also flying cameras.