Well, the Tuesday golf is getting better, but I’m not “satisfied”. I shot a 45 today, which is my best round for one of these Tuesday outings in a long time, but I know I can do better.
That’s the funny thing about golf, I suppose. As your play improves you get to where you expect nothing less than your best. At least, that’s how it works for me. I know I can shoot 40-43 per 9-holes, so anything higher than that is disappointing.
Some say I’m just being too hard on myself – after all, a lot of amateurs would be happy to shoot a 45. But I don’t think they understand. When I get disappointed or upset about not playing to expectations, I don’t mean the definition of disappointed or upset that leans on the side of depression. Using the words disappointed or upset mean that I’m even more motivated and determined to get better.
Anyway, the 45 could have easily been near 40. I started trying a few things out on the course that I haven’t tried before, particularly with my pitching and chipping, and the more I play the more I learn that if you’re trying to shoot a low score then it’s a bad idea to try things out on the course. Next time I’ll leave the “trying out” for the range and practice greens.
I had a 3-putt. My first one in about 30 holes. Still, I only had 17 putts for the 9 holes to give me a decent 1.88 average. Fairway percentage wasn’t great (43%), but on only one hole was I in a poor position and lie because I missed the fairway. I’m starting to learn that Fairway percentage can be misleading, depending on the course.
The killer was the greens-in-regulation stat: 1 out of 9. It’s hard to get birdie opportunities or even just pars with that kind of play. I had two pars, two double bogeys, and the rest bogeys – yeah, 45 is bogey golf.
So what does all this tell me? From a skills practice standpoint, I need to put more emphasis on:
- Approach shot accuracy – if I can get on the green in regulation, an opportunity I have almost every hole these days, then I won’t have to rely on great chips or pitches so often.
- Chipping – the short game is key for those lower scores when you don’t hit the green. I’ve put a lot of emphasis on these in practice, but I need to work on my accuracy to try to get myself within at least 6 feet of the hole on chips and closer as I get better.
- Pitching – more of the short game, of course. I struggle with shots in the 40-100 yard range. My sand wedge is too inconsistent right now to provide a reliable club at the upper end of that range, and I have trouble gauging distance with my pitching wedge. I just need to practice it more. I’m also trying to minimize how often I have to take these shots by changing my course strategy.
- Swing consistency – 5 strokes could have been taken off my score today if my swing were more consistent (i.e. not hitting behind the ball, topping the ball, hooking, or slicing). This particular area has vastly improved, though, and is probably one of the major reasons why my scores have improved so much.
And of course putting. Putting is fine, and I think I’m pretty good at it.
Tomorrow I plan to do a work out. Not sure if I’ll get any practice time. If not, then I’ll get some heavy practice in on Thursday in preparation for Friday’s round at LPGA International.