Going For Par

Tuesday was 9-hole day again, and this time even though I was practicing I decided to keep score and some stats to better mark my progress. I haven’t been keeping score much lately as I work through my swing changes, but I think in order to better assess my game it’s more beneficial to keep some kind of score.

For this update I’ll try things a little different and go hole-by-hole following a format I’ve seen on other blogs:

Hole 1 – Par 4, 355 yards

Good drive down the middle of the fairway. Aimed slightly left of fairway because I have a slight fade with my driver right now (I know why, and that’s part of what I’m trying to correct). Drive measured about 290, leaving me about 60 yards to the pin. Decided to use a 1/2 Lob Wedge (58′) swing, but it was more like a 90% swing as the ball flew to the back of the green. Used 9-iron to chip, but was left with a 15 foot putt as I didn’t take into account a ridge in the middle of the green and the overall chip distance – should have used an 8-iron. Downhill putt from 15 feet rolled past the cup about 4 feet. Made the uphill 4 foot putt, slight left to right. Bogey 5

Hole 2 – Par 4, 414 yards

Again played for the fade, but ended up slicing to the right rough because of a poor takeaway on the swing. Played a 3/4 swing 9-iron from about 150 yards to the pin from the rough, landing about a foot short of the green in the fairway/fringe. The 3/4 swing wasn’t necessarily intentional – I was just focusing on my swing mechanics. Outside of the poor distance, the shot was on target and had good ball flight. After the chipping experience on the first hole, learned my lesson and better gauged the green and distance to the pin for the chip on this hole. Used a 9-iron to chip up to about 2 feet left of the pin. Didn’t see the severe right-to-left break around the pin. Made the 2 foot putt. Par 4

Hole 3 – Par 4, 336 yards

Again played the fade on the drive, landing on the fairway about 50 yards away from the pin. Used 58′ Lob Wedge with a 1/2 swing to pitch it up to the elevated green about a foot to the right of the pin. Made the putt. Birdie 3

Hole 4- Par 3, 155 yards

This par 3 is over water with a forward sloping green. Pin location back left of the green, which was around 9-iron distance, but decided to use the PW since solid contact would put me around the middle of the green. Sure enough, solid contact, landing in the middle of the green. Lag putt to 6 inches, tap in. Par 3

Hole 5 – Par 4, 328 yards

Again played the fade, landing middle of the fairway with the driver. Left about 55 yards to the pin, which is located middle right with a bunker in the middle. Used 58′ LW at 1/2 swing. Made solid contact, resulting in massive backspin. Landed on the green about 3 feet from the pin, but backspin kicked in and combined with the green slope the ball rolled off the green, off the severe fringe slope, and into the rough. Still had a good lie though and used 58′ LW to pitch it up to be 2 feet from the pin. Made the putt. Par 4

Hole 6 – Par 5, 525 yards

Severe dogleg left around a tree line and water, almost like a half circle. Decided to attempt a draw with the Driver. Had success, but not enough hook. Hit the ball over the fairway and into the right rough, but near the apex of the half circle, leaving me about 245 yards from the center of the green. Had a very good lie in the rough, but a tough slope. Decided to gamble and go for the green with the 3-wood. Mishit it and landed left of the green and short in the rough about 40 yards from the pin. Used 58′ LW to pitch it up, but used too much swing and hit it to the back of the green on the fringe. Used 9-iron to chip it to within 3 feet. Made the putt. Par 5

Hole 7 – Par 3, 175 yards

Used 8-iron since the pin was in the front of the green. Severely pushed the ball to the right of the green in the rough. Had a tough, deep lie. Used 58′ LW, but didn’t hit it cleanly. Watched the ball land in the bunker next to the green. Sand shot barely made it on the green leaving about a 6 foot putt. Made the uphill, fairly straightforward putt for an up-and-down. Bogey 4

Hole 8 – Par 5, 476 yards

Again played the Driver fade, landing right in the middle of the fairway at the turn of this dogleg right leaving a perfect approach view to the green from about 220 yards away. Used 5-wood, but did not play the fade that came out of the swing (all my woods and longer irons have a fade right now, but that’s not the case for shorter irons). Ball landed just to the right of the green and about 2 feet to the left of a bunker. Had a good lie and used 8-iron to chip across the green to 6 inches of the hole. Tapped in putt. Birdie 4

Hole 9 – Par 4, 393 yards

Went into this hole knowing I was even par. Probably shouldn’t have thought about it. Played the fade for the Driver but ended up hitting it straight to the left side of the fairway, which is actually the perfect place to be for a clear shot to the green, leaving about 135 yards to the pin. Decided to use 3/4 swing PW for approach shot but instead of playing it safe to get on the green, played aggressively to try to get close enough for a solid birdie putt. Mechanics broke down on the swing a bit and I pushed it and hit it a little fat into the right bunker in front of the green (ball landed about 18 feet from the hole). Sand shot was pretty poor, again barely making it onto the green, leaving a 12 foot putt. Ball rolled past the hole about 3 feet, but I made the 3 footer. Bogey 5

Next Steps

Not bad. +1 for 9 holes, and I’m not even playing that well yet. Chipping in particular really saved me, minus that first hole.

My sand game needs some serious work. I’m having a lot of trouble getting out of the sand with my new wedges. In general my swing was pretty decent, but as you can tell most of the round was a driver-partial wedge style of play since we were playing from shorter tees. When I did have to use my full irons I tended to have bad results – just means I need to keep working on the swing changes. As I work on the changes and get better at the short irons I’ll need to work my way up to longer irons and woods to help get rid of the fade. My main problem there is that I’m holding off the club face instead of letting it come through, but that’s what I’ll be working on.

I have a lesson this Saturday, so maybe I’ll ask for help with the short game and sand shots while I continue to work on the swing.

Filed under: 9-Hole Round Update, Progress