Spending Too Much Time on the Full Swing?

Written on 5-16-21.

        B, Kody, and I drove up to Little Molas to check out possible camp sites for a future Baker Street trip, but the road was closed.  Darn it!  It is a first come-first served site there.  We did get to see Andrews Lake, though, and that was beautiful.  A bald eagle flew out over the lake to wish us farewell as we were about to drive away.  Stunning sight, so the trip was worth it right at that moment.        

        We are at the Molas Pass viewing area just above Little Molas now and having some quiet time before driving into Durango to have dinner.  The sign I spy from the driver’s seat says we are at 10,899 feet.  Wow!  The front window is like a picture frame, and it is filled with mountains that are covered with melting snow.  The evergreen trees are not all green; they have a mix of green, brown, and gray.

On to golf…

Not too enthused about golf right now.  The last few times I have played, I have scored over 50 for nine holes.  I played the back twice one night, and then I played...

the front nine right after my trip to Newcomb.  Eric was there earlier that day, and he took part in the Callaway club-fitting that they were providing.  I think he spent a lot of money, because he said he got a new driver plus new irons and fairway woods.  I don’t know if he didn’t replace any of his older clubs.  I should ask him, or I will just wait to see when I play with him next time.  Pretty exciting for him to get new clubs, though.  I am jazzed about it.  We talk about playing together in tournaments soon.

I am playing again tomorrow, so I hope it goes well.  I remember being more confident in the past, but I am still learning how to use this new swing.  Let me talk about how I am encouraged right now, however.  I am having more full swings that result in the ball going in the direction I want.  That’s good, right?  

The truth is it’s not my full swing that I am struggling with, and it’s more my short game and putting.  Very rarely, is it the full swing now, so that is what is very encouraging to me.  

Here is one example.  On hole #9 the other day, I had a drive that was higher than I expected, but it ended up near the end of the fairway.  Then I laid up to a spot just short of the 150-yard marker with my smaller utility club.  One of my playing partners, Paul, said I made a smooth swing on that one, and I agree.  It felt smooth and powerful.  After that, my 6-iron set me up for a par from just off the front of the green.  

I just needed to make a decent chip and putt, but that’s when my short game failed.  My chip ended up short and still off the green.  My putt from there went farther right than I expected, and then I missed my putt from above the hole.  My uphill, comeback putt stopped short, so I ended up with an eight.  See?  Bad short game.

Here are two more examples.  On holes #7 and #16, I got on the green in regulation.  All I needed was two more strokes to get my pars, but the one on #7 went long and the one on #16 didn’t break like I thought it would, so I triple-putted both. 

That makes me wonder if I have been focusing so much on my full swing that I have neglected my short game.  Hmmmm.  

My bunker game has been pretty good.  I got out of bunkers successfully on holes #1 and #3 (earned a par on that one), only to not take enough sand on hole #4.  Two out of three ain’t bad?  That mishit ended up becoming a six on the scorecard, and that’s been the pattern.  I am amazed at how fast my scores can blow up, and I need to stop the bleeding before it starts.  Keep pressure on the wound, Patrick!

Until next time…