Written on 7-21-14.
I am in a tough holding pattern right now. Play golf. Write about it. Play again. Write about it again. Bummer. Ha. Just kiddin’. This is great! Summer is so fun.
Belinda just finished cutting my hair. I bought a haircut kit instead of a haircut when my hair was getting long a couple of weeks ago. I have to give credit to Bruce for this fantastic idea. For about the same price as one haircut, I can now have B cut my hair every month, or every once in a while when it gets shaggy.
My haircut style is not complicated. She followed the directions and did an amazing job for her first time. She used the trimmer and trimmed everything up about a week ago, but she barely took anything off the top, afraid that she might overdo it with the scissors. Tonight, I forced her to take more off the top, and using those same scissors from the kit, she did just that. Then she cut the part across the front, the part that sticks up to make it look straight and even. Voila! I now have a completed haircut, and it looks sharp. Way to go, Belinda!
On to golf...
I have three more birdies to write about, and I had a...
spectacular round today. Two birdies came in that round, but the first one I’ll write about came during another failed attempt to beat my score of 43 on the back on Saturday. I shot a 44, but holes #12, #15, and #17 killed any chances of shooting lower than my 43.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #14-Birdie #21 of 2014
Under normal circumstances getting a birdie on this hole again would not be a big deal, but this is a big deal because I was playing from the blues. I had three pure strokes and one lucky one. The drive was fine, on the fairway on the left side, but well back from where I would normally be if I had played from the whites. My approach was swell, a pitching wedge swing that landed my ball not only on the green, but that also rolled down into the bowl where the hole was cut. My putt was very rewarding, a 15-footer that rolled down and into the hole with a tiny break from left to right.
It was my lay-up that could have been disastrous. Because I was on the left side of the fairway, I attempted a draw that I hoped would fly over the hill and end up a pitch away from the green. That’s not what happened. Instead, my ball was pulled straight through the trees between this hole and hole #7. It must have flown to the right of some of the trees and to the left of some of the others, but it never hit one. It only smacked a couple of leaves on one of the nearer trees, but that was all. I escaped one there. The more I practice, the luckier I get?
Today, I had my best round from the blues yet this summer. I achieved my goal of beating my best score from the blues earlier this month. No wrist brace this time (I returned it to Wal-Mart in exchange for some new Nike Black Vapor golf balls), but I did write down a plan just before I played, and I nearly completed it, losing my focus on the last hole only despite staying hydrated and having a snack.
The rounds I had played over the weekend when the family was out of town I learned the hard way that dehydration can greatly affect my concentration, and I really noticed it after the rounds were over. Makes sense. We’ve had temperatures in the 90s every day, and it’s a New Mexico dry type of heat. So, today I drank and drank water, and I forced myself to do it on certain holes, and I had some cashews on hole #15 while waiting for a slow group that was ahead of me on to keep my energy up.
This was the plan I wrote down on my scorecard for today. After watching the American Century tournament yesterday, I noticed that Annika Sorenstam has such a slow and deliberate takeaway, and she looks like she barely swings her club, but the ball takes off like a rocket.
I also was looking into swing aids that could show whether a golf swing was a good one or not. I found the site for the SwingPerfect by Martin Hall. One of the reviewers was ticked off, though, because no matter how slowly he took the club back, that dang thing would vibrate. That reminded me that I need to slow things down on my takeaway. So, I wrote down “slow takeaway.”
I also noticed from all my attempts to beat my scores that I was lacking in greens in regulation. Duh. So, I set a goal to get four greens or more in regulation per nine holes. I wrote down “8 GIR.”
I know that putting is crucial; it’s one of my favorite parts of the game, and I am feeling even more confident with putting, especially short putts after working with Dana. I wrote down “2 putts every” to remind me to double-putt every green.
Finally, I had been paying way too much attention to my scores since I was trying to beat my 45 on the front and my 43 on the back. I would actually look to see what I would need to shoot for the last three holes in order to beat my score. I had forgotten one of the most important aspects of playing golf. Dr. Bob Rotella would scold me for not staying in the present. Worrying about a final score is thinking of the future.
Hank Haney via Ray Romano reminded me of that, too, when he was interviewed at Lake Tahoe for the American Century tournament. When he was being interviewed, Romano said that he would text or call Haney to tell him when he only needed to get up and down to break 80. Hank would text back and scold him, telling him to forget about the score, don’t worry about the score! So, I wrote down “score?” to remind me to forget about the score. Score? What’s a score?
That was the plan, and I almost did it. And, because I didn’t get it, I’m going to make that my next new goal. I now have something new to play for the rest of the summer.
With my new plan jotted down just before teeing off, I made birdie on the very first hole.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #1-Birdie #22 of 2014
I knew it would feel different to have a slow takeaway on every full swing, and it did, but it helped me get the club set in a much better position at the top. It felt that way, anyway. It also matched my personality as a very patient person. This slow takeaway slows my swing and my routine down. What’s the hurry?
My drive went high and right, and my ball ended up off the fairway on the right side between the bunkers. I had a fine lie, though, in the taller grass. I chose my 4-wood to go for the green and get it as close as possible. For each hole, my goal was to get it on the green in regulation, so when I was full swinging it I was always thinking what would be the best way and the best club to get it on there in regulation. For this hole, I wanted to get it as close to green in two shots to be able to do just that. I ended up getting close enough to just putt it on. The hole was in the middle on the left side of the slope. My putt went up and over the hill, rolled down and to the left and stopped between three and four feet away, close enough to get my birdie.
I reached my goal of four greens in regulation on the front. After #1, I also got them on holes #2, #5, and #7. That really helped my score. I shot a 42 on the front, blowing away my previous score by three strokes.
On the back, I missed the greens in regulation on holes #10 and #11, but I still earned pars. On #10, I was six inches off the green on the right side. On #11, I made a putt for par from twelve feet...on that rough temporary green. Then I earned my greens in regulation on #13, #14, and #16. It was on #16 that I earned my second and most recent birdie.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #16-Birdie #23 of 2014
This by far was the best swing on this hole in a while. I nearly had my first ace again, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to write that. I chose my 8-iron, and it was definitely the correct choice. My ball headed straight for the hole, and it never let up until it rolled by it on the right side, stopping two feet away. With my newer confident putting stroke from short distances, I actually forgot to keep my eyes down, and I peeked just in time to see it go in. I shouldn’t have, but that’s how close I was to the hole; I could peek and still make it.
I blew the plan I had written on my scorecard on the last hole. My drive ended up on the downslope of the fairway, but I pitched forward to the fairway to an 8-iron approach distance. I didn’t feel tired, but I then loused up my approach with a push. After that, I shanked my pitch to get on in one over regulation. I finally got it on, but my putting failed me, and I used three putts to finish. I had missed my fourth green in regulation and used more than two putts, and all on the final hole. I could have shot an 82, but I ended up shooting an 85 adjusted to an 84. I did tie my back nine score of a 43, though, even with that despicable 8.
Tomorrow I have my second lesson with Dana on the full swing. Of course, I’ll get all the details in here when it’s done.
Until next time...
I am in a tough holding pattern right now. Play golf. Write about it. Play again. Write about it again. Bummer. Ha. Just kiddin’. This is great! Summer is so fun.
Belinda just finished cutting my hair. I bought a haircut kit instead of a haircut when my hair was getting long a couple of weeks ago. I have to give credit to Bruce for this fantastic idea. For about the same price as one haircut, I can now have B cut my hair every month, or every once in a while when it gets shaggy.
My haircut style is not complicated. She followed the directions and did an amazing job for her first time. She used the trimmer and trimmed everything up about a week ago, but she barely took anything off the top, afraid that she might overdo it with the scissors. Tonight, I forced her to take more off the top, and using those same scissors from the kit, she did just that. Then she cut the part across the front, the part that sticks up to make it look straight and even. Voila! I now have a completed haircut, and it looks sharp. Way to go, Belinda!
On to golf...
I have three more birdies to write about, and I had a...
spectacular round today. Two birdies came in that round, but the first one I’ll write about came during another failed attempt to beat my score of 43 on the back on Saturday. I shot a 44, but holes #12, #15, and #17 killed any chances of shooting lower than my 43.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #14-Birdie #21 of 2014
Under normal circumstances getting a birdie on this hole again would not be a big deal, but this is a big deal because I was playing from the blues. I had three pure strokes and one lucky one. The drive was fine, on the fairway on the left side, but well back from where I would normally be if I had played from the whites. My approach was swell, a pitching wedge swing that landed my ball not only on the green, but that also rolled down into the bowl where the hole was cut. My putt was very rewarding, a 15-footer that rolled down and into the hole with a tiny break from left to right.
It was my lay-up that could have been disastrous. Because I was on the left side of the fairway, I attempted a draw that I hoped would fly over the hill and end up a pitch away from the green. That’s not what happened. Instead, my ball was pulled straight through the trees between this hole and hole #7. It must have flown to the right of some of the trees and to the left of some of the others, but it never hit one. It only smacked a couple of leaves on one of the nearer trees, but that was all. I escaped one there. The more I practice, the luckier I get?
Today, I had my best round from the blues yet this summer. I achieved my goal of beating my best score from the blues earlier this month. No wrist brace this time (I returned it to Wal-Mart in exchange for some new Nike Black Vapor golf balls), but I did write down a plan just before I played, and I nearly completed it, losing my focus on the last hole only despite staying hydrated and having a snack.
The rounds I had played over the weekend when the family was out of town I learned the hard way that dehydration can greatly affect my concentration, and I really noticed it after the rounds were over. Makes sense. We’ve had temperatures in the 90s every day, and it’s a New Mexico dry type of heat. So, today I drank and drank water, and I forced myself to do it on certain holes, and I had some cashews on hole #15 while waiting for a slow group that was ahead of me on to keep my energy up.
This was the plan I wrote down on my scorecard for today. After watching the American Century tournament yesterday, I noticed that Annika Sorenstam has such a slow and deliberate takeaway, and she looks like she barely swings her club, but the ball takes off like a rocket.
I also was looking into swing aids that could show whether a golf swing was a good one or not. I found the site for the SwingPerfect by Martin Hall. One of the reviewers was ticked off, though, because no matter how slowly he took the club back, that dang thing would vibrate. That reminded me that I need to slow things down on my takeaway. So, I wrote down “slow takeaway.”
I also noticed from all my attempts to beat my scores that I was lacking in greens in regulation. Duh. So, I set a goal to get four greens or more in regulation per nine holes. I wrote down “8 GIR.”
I know that putting is crucial; it’s one of my favorite parts of the game, and I am feeling even more confident with putting, especially short putts after working with Dana. I wrote down “2 putts every” to remind me to double-putt every green.
Finally, I had been paying way too much attention to my scores since I was trying to beat my 45 on the front and my 43 on the back. I would actually look to see what I would need to shoot for the last three holes in order to beat my score. I had forgotten one of the most important aspects of playing golf. Dr. Bob Rotella would scold me for not staying in the present. Worrying about a final score is thinking of the future.
Hank Haney via Ray Romano reminded me of that, too, when he was interviewed at Lake Tahoe for the American Century tournament. When he was being interviewed, Romano said that he would text or call Haney to tell him when he only needed to get up and down to break 80. Hank would text back and scold him, telling him to forget about the score, don’t worry about the score! So, I wrote down “score?” to remind me to forget about the score. Score? What’s a score?
That was the plan, and I almost did it. And, because I didn’t get it, I’m going to make that my next new goal. I now have something new to play for the rest of the summer.
With my new plan jotted down just before teeing off, I made birdie on the very first hole.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #1-Birdie #22 of 2014
I knew it would feel different to have a slow takeaway on every full swing, and it did, but it helped me get the club set in a much better position at the top. It felt that way, anyway. It also matched my personality as a very patient person. This slow takeaway slows my swing and my routine down. What’s the hurry?
My drive went high and right, and my ball ended up off the fairway on the right side between the bunkers. I had a fine lie, though, in the taller grass. I chose my 4-wood to go for the green and get it as close as possible. For each hole, my goal was to get it on the green in regulation, so when I was full swinging it I was always thinking what would be the best way and the best club to get it on there in regulation. For this hole, I wanted to get it as close to green in two shots to be able to do just that. I ended up getting close enough to just putt it on. The hole was in the middle on the left side of the slope. My putt went up and over the hill, rolled down and to the left and stopped between three and four feet away, close enough to get my birdie.
I reached my goal of four greens in regulation on the front. After #1, I also got them on holes #2, #5, and #7. That really helped my score. I shot a 42 on the front, blowing away my previous score by three strokes.
On the back, I missed the greens in regulation on holes #10 and #11, but I still earned pars. On #10, I was six inches off the green on the right side. On #11, I made a putt for par from twelve feet...on that rough temporary green. Then I earned my greens in regulation on #13, #14, and #16. It was on #16 that I earned my second and most recent birdie.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #16-Birdie #23 of 2014
This by far was the best swing on this hole in a while. I nearly had my first ace again, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to write that. I chose my 8-iron, and it was definitely the correct choice. My ball headed straight for the hole, and it never let up until it rolled by it on the right side, stopping two feet away. With my newer confident putting stroke from short distances, I actually forgot to keep my eyes down, and I peeked just in time to see it go in. I shouldn’t have, but that’s how close I was to the hole; I could peek and still make it.
I blew the plan I had written on my scorecard on the last hole. My drive ended up on the downslope of the fairway, but I pitched forward to the fairway to an 8-iron approach distance. I didn’t feel tired, but I then loused up my approach with a push. After that, I shanked my pitch to get on in one over regulation. I finally got it on, but my putting failed me, and I used three putts to finish. I had missed my fourth green in regulation and used more than two putts, and all on the final hole. I could have shot an 82, but I ended up shooting an 85 adjusted to an 84. I did tie my back nine score of a 43, though, even with that despicable 8.
Tomorrow I have my second lesson with Dana on the full swing. Of course, I’ll get all the details in here when it’s done.
Until next time...
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