Since it’s been raining every afternoon, I’ve been practicing my putting indoors. That’s not really an issue as long as I remember to grab my putter whenever I go play a round.
Well yesterday I forgot to do that, and I played a round without my putter. I was able to use my playing partner’s putter, but the feel was much different than I’m used to. So I missed a few putts I should have made, and usually because I hit the ball too hard.
I called yesterday’s round a practice round. It didn’t affect my handicap, and I didn’t play within the rules the entire time. Part of the reason is that I wanted to try out some shots I might not normally try without thinking about my score. Another reason is that I forgot my putter.
So, I finished with a practice round 9-over par 81. You can see the scorecard by clicking here. The split was 44 on the front and 37 on the back – that’s right, +1 on the back. By hole 14 I realized I was -1 on the back, and of course that’s when I got two bogeys in a row to mess that up. I’m still starting off slow and finishing hot, but I can tell it’s getting better – instead of taking me 6 holes to start playing well, it’s only taking me 3 holes.
If I had been following the rules it would probably have been around an 84, so my practice score wasn’t terribly different from reality. Not bad, really, and I’m happy with my play for the most part. I just wish I had brought my own putter.
I did well hitting the fairways with a 64% hit rate, and I did better than usual with greens in regulation with 50%. Statistically, the back 9 was much better than the front nine.
Since it was a practice round, I used my driver much more than I usually would from the white tees. I can tell that something is way off with my swing when I use the driver. To hit it straight I have to do a few things I know I shouldn’t have to do. From looking at pictures I have some guesses on the problem, but hopefully the lessons at the Tour Academy will put me in the right direction.
Speaking of the Tour Academy, I’ll be driving my way there later today with my first lesson starting around 9:00am tomorrow morning. I’m looking forward to taking a break from the daily grind. From a learning standpoint I’m going to try to absorb as much as I can, but besides that the next three days should be a fun golf vacation.