golfforethegood.org

Category: Golf

  • 1 Par Doesn’t Make a Round

    13th-tee-at-grange
    So I had my last golf lesson in a 6 lesson series on Friday and it was back to the video analysis …

    First up, my grip was still poor, with my right hand slipping clockwise

    And my backswing looked er, random

    And the follow through was awkward at best, with me leaning backwards

    And that’s what video analysis is for

    My take is that I’m still trying to propel the ball into the air by leaning back and hitting under it

    But what I should be doing is holding a straight postion, rotating around my breastbone and hitting down on the ball

    Easy in theory

    Finally it looks like I’ve already outgrown my clubs …

    Turns out that they’d been shortened at some point, then lengthened again, but the plugs were working loose.

    Now I could probably work with that, and I’ve got used to the Mizuno’s, but once it’s in your head, it’s in your head

    Details of my new clubs can be found here

    And so to Grange over Sands Golf Course again, on Sunday

    It was quiet, which suited me, and breezy, to add another variable

    I stuck with the “leave the woods at home” technique and we warmed up before teeing off

    Where I promptly duffed my tee shot into the drainiage ditch about 30 yards ahead.

    The amused veteran commented as he passed by “that’s wet” and I thanked him for his analysis.

    Despite this ungainly start, and losing another ball off the second, I managed to go out in 56 with a par 3 at the 8th

    Which was pleasing

    But the back 9 saw me hacking my way to the green, in the rough to the side of the fairway for a couple of holes, and taking 3 to get out of a bunker

    Note to self:

    If the ball is sat up in 2 inch long grass – even if you middle it, it will move only 10 yards forward, into some more 2 inch long grass

    So I came home in 67 for a total of 123

    I was both happy and dissapointed at the same time

    Because that’s 20 shots better than a week ago

    But still 53 over par

    And that means to me, I’m still a hacker

  • Hit me for 6

    first tee barrow golf course

    After yesterday’s transition training, I headed to Barrow Golf Club this afternoon for a round with Andrew Turner, owner of Hartley’s Restaurant in Dalton and provider of catering to the club.

    But first I was happy to receive some belated birthday gifts from my daughter Sophie and a Calloway golf cap from Helen. It’s great when you get things that you actually want! – after which I warmed up for my second ever round on a full course at the driving range.

    I’d already pre-warned Andrew that I wasn’t exactly competent yet, but he’s a laid back sort of bloke and just told me not to worry – so I didn’t.

    We tee’s off at 3.30 and I was going along ok with 6 irons off the tee …

    Particularly so, when I managed to par the 299 yard uphill hole 8 with my second shot hitting the flag

    I was two putting the greens too.

    Andrew was kind enough to help me correct a tendency to pull my shots left – the ball was too forward in my stance, and out in 65, I was looking forward to consolidating on the back 9

    But I didn’t …

    We’d had clear air behind us all the way around, but suddenly there were two pairs behind us (I guess they jumped on at 10 after work) and that time pressure didn’t help …

    So I came home in 77 for a total score of 142 – almost the same score as I posted on Monday

    So I’m consistant

    In a 70 over par sort of way

    Positives:

    •     The par on 8
    •     The stunning views over the estuary to the south west cumbrian fells, from Black Combe to Coniston Old Man
    •     I had an hour or so where I was hitting sweet 6 iron shots 150 yards or more every time
    •     2 putting most of the first dozen greens
    •     I had to deal with 3 bunker shots and got out cleanly every time
    •     I notched up more experience on a full course (the second time I’ve ever done that, and both this week)
    •     Andrew was a great playing partner

    Negatives:

    •     Hurrying too much with players behind us – it doesn’t actually make my play any quicker. We tried to wave them through, but they seemed content to drive at the greens we were putting on!
    •     I have a tendency to score worse on the back 9 than the first. I don’t know if that’s because I get tired, or my concentration wanders, but it’s something that I’ll have to address
    •     Deciding to take my “medicine” at a mid fairway diamond of jungle like rough on the back 9, instead of taking the 6 iron over it. I duffed it into the edge of the rough anyway and dropped 3 shots doing so
    •     9 lost golf balls – that’s a record for me

    But I enjoyed the whole round, immensely …

    Because I danced on the 8th

    Work now takes precedence for the next few days, so I’ll try to switch my mind off golf

    Then plan for a round this weekend

  • I am Probably the Worst Golfer in the World

    first hole grange over sands

     

    Unless you can tell me different?

    As you know I’ve been having some trouble hitting the ball off the tee …

    So at my 30 minute lesson on Friday I asked the pro for some driving tuition and found out that my grip had slipped

    Badly

    So we sorted that out and I hit some woods on the driving range, with good distance and consistant slice, using anti-slice woods

    I don’t think either of us were particularly happy with my “progress”

    Today, I stood on a proper 18 hole golf course for the first time ever, at Grange over Sands …

    It’s a 5,872 yard par 70 v Crook where I’ve been er, honing my skills, which is a 4,220 yard par 63

    And I tried to play like a golfer, taking woods off the tees

    Big mistake …

    I might as well get this bit out of the way and post my score

    141

    Negatives:

    My rebuilt grip meant that my swing felt odd, almost every time … (later Mike told me that my hands were way in front of the club head)

    Most of my drives put me in trouble, anywhere from 10 – 180 yards off the tee and in the rough

    It’s depressing when you’re the worst player of three and you know that you’re not in synch when you’re partners are playing decent shots

    Positives:

    I didn’t miss a single putt from 3-4 feet

    Unless I hit a tree, my shots out of the rough were pretty good

    From the fairway, or semi-rough 30-70 yards out, I’m pretty good, unless I top the ball, which happens 1 out of 5 times

    I hit my first ever bunker shot, out onto the green. It was a flat lie and a shallow bunker

    I learned a lot, mainly that I’m trying to play shots that are beyond my limited capability

    I don’t care that I was crap, it gives me a marker to improve upon ( yep I know there’s no such thing as a 70 handicap)

    I’ve gained a little experience on a real golf course

    Where do I go from here?

    I have no playing partners tomorrow, so I plan to go to the driving range and practice 5 iron to pitching wedge only …

    Then go to Crook for a round on my own, without the woods

    I’m thinking that if I limit my backswing, I can punch a 6 iron 150 or so and cut out a lot of errors …

    And maybe that’s wahat I have to do until I get some confidence going

    Because (in the medium term) even at a 500 yard par 5, that’s 3 approach shots and a chip to the green, 2 putt and it’s bogey golf

    But having done this before, I know that it limits the height that can be generated on a shot, so it sort of feels like cheating

    However …

    I’m playing at Barrow golf club on Wednesday with a 26 handicapper who’s just spent a week in Turkey playing golf

    Every day …

    So my very short term strategy is fairways and greens to the detriment of what I see as proper golf.

    It’s frustrating, but I think I might just be a slow learner:

    The first 100 or so shots that I loosed off at a clay pidgeon, all missed …

    I went on to eventually shoot very well in competitions

    My first half dozen skiing holidays were frustrating in the extreme as I floundered around like a fish out of water …

    Now I’m happy to launch myself down most black runs, just for the thrill of it and any black run if that’s where we’re heading

    I played the same bloke at tennis, back in the day, for 7 years, before I eventually won a match …

    Now I’m hard to beat unless you’re a county player

    When I tried rock climbing at the age of 16, it terrified me, and I gave it up …

    I returned to the sport 25 years later and was soon climing in the lower extreme grades

    And maybe I should make some allowance for the fact that I’m 53 …

    Not 23

    The whole thing makes me smile though …

    And I can’t wait to try again

    Isn’t that what it’s all about?

  • Can You Call This Progress

    Can You Call This Progress

    royal-crook
    After returning from Spain, the three of us spent a number of evenings at the local 10 hole pitch n putt at Rampside – usually going round twice for £6. I can only find 3 scorecards from those outings with my scores being 110 and 103 twice, Mikes scores were 80 and 75 and Gez had scores of 104 and 83. Even from those limited numbers, it doesn’t take too much brain power to work out who the golfer is, putting me about 28 shots behind Mike, a figure that proved to be accurate when we later tried out a nearby municipal course at Crook.

    Par at Rampside should I guess be 60 for 20 holes but the variable nature of the greens would make that tricky for anyone. What was obvious to me though was that both of my playing partners were lofting the ball to the green and that I was unable to do that, so something was wrong with my technique.

    Undeterred by my incompetence, I bumped into a friend in the pub and started chatting to him about golf and my recent exploits. Turns out he’s a golfer and he invited me to play a round at the club where he’s a country member – Dunnerholme. Next day when he texted to arrange the round I had to backtrack slightly and confess that I’d never actually set foot on a real golf course – he assured me that all would be fine and we arranged to play on Monday 2nd June 2013.

    When we played, frankly, I was terrified. I took my bag of irons, minus putter and thrust myself into the unknown. I couldn’t beleive how quickly we had to move around the course, having always thought of golf as a sedate game! I duffed my way around and Pete who’s a genuine 26 handicap and not a bandit (he says) put an end to the torture after 9 holes then suggested lunch and a couple of beers. So although I wasn’t yet playing golf, I’d lost my virginity and was loooking forward to the next time.

    In early July the bloke that cuts hair suggested that we try the course at Crook near Windermere. It’s called Beckside, it’s 9 holes and you go around twice for a tenner.

    So the three of us went up to see what the crack was and played a round.

    I still didn’t really have a clue what i doing and carded 145 v par of 63. Mike hit 78 and I can’t rember what Gez did because my mind was completely scrambled. I know I was 3rd by a distance though.

    Further visits to Crook followed with scores for me of 125, 119, 107, 124, 102, and 113 from what I’ve recorded to date, there are some missing. Part of the limited improvement being down to the lessons I was now taking from Paul Stoller, the pro at Ulverston Golf Club, the first of which was on Friday 2nd August 2013. It’s £100 for 6 lessons by the way.

    First lesson we went to the driving range and Paul sorted out my grip which yeilded instant improvement.

    And my swing!

    For some reason I’d latched onto something Mike had said in Spain about keeping your arms straight, so my swing was stiff and restricted. Paul sorted that out too.

    My follow through was terrible because I didn’t naturally turn my body towards the target at the ended of the swing, and my back foot remained stubbornly planted on the ground.

    But I was beginning to get it. However video analysis of what I was actually doing was both an embarressment and a revelation

    The second lesson, a week later was pitching from the edge of the green. Hands down the shaft, knees close together, ball in middle of stance, right foot up onto toe, slow downward strike with easy follow throgh and body turning to pin – all good and it transferred well to the course. I manage to chip one in from 20ft the next day – a success somewhat ruined by the proceeding 9 shots to get there. But I was starting to feel it.

    The third lesson was chipping to the green from 30 yards – a skill that I proved to be reasonably competent at, which is not surprising, given that I’d had a lot of on course practice. Paul ironed out the deficiencies in my technique, the major one being a tendency to hurry the whole process.

    I’ve also been visiting the local driving range, or to put it another way, income diversification project for a farmer.

    It helps …

    If the markers are accurate, I’m hitting a 6 iron about 140 with good height when I connect well, I can pitch at the 70 yard wrecked car with decent loft within about 10 degrees and I’ve finally started to be able to hit woods – around 225 yards for a 1 wood on a good day. Got a slice problem though.

    And that’s my progress to date.

    My last 4 rounds at Crook have averaged out at 113 which would make me a 50 handicap golfer if such a lowly mark existed.

    But there’s hope …

    On my latest round, I took a 1 wood off the tee at 16, sliced 180 it right onto the adjacent fairway, played an 80 yard 9 iron blind over trees and landed it on the green then two putted for a par.

    My pint of San Miguel in the Wild Boar afterwards tasted all the sweeter for that.

  • A golfing beginner

    La Manga Club Driving Range

    I don’t know how people generally start playing golf. There are natural barriers to entry in terms of the equipment needed, the cost, and the fact that you can’t just walk onto a golf course and have a go. I guess a lot of people follow their parents into the game and start at a young age, whilst others start playing because friends do or they try pitch n putt which sparks the desire to attempt the real thing.

    I’m 53 years old and prior to becoming interested in playing golf a few months ago, the only experience I’ve ever had was on a local park putting green as a youth, and a couple of visits to a driving range about 15 years ago.

    But in late May 2013 the catalyst for what has become an obsession appeared.

    I play tennis, a lot.

    Doubles with the local club and singles v my mates, with whom for the past 3 years I’ve taken a trip to La Manga Club to play tennis in the sun and get some coaching.

    This years trip was somewhat different though …

    Because a week before we were due to leave for Spain, I’d broken the three smaller toes on my right foot in a Jui-Jitsu training accident

    So although I went on the trip, I didn’t bother to pack my tennis racquet, because I could barely walk.

    And on our first day, it rained, so tennis was off the agenda anyway.

    However in addition to providing excellent tennis facilities, La Manga Club is also home to 3 golf courses and an 80 bay driving range, so we wandered down to take a look at the facilities.

    Mike is a 12 handicap golfer who’d given up the game when his regular golfing partner moved to Gibralter a couple of years ago. His brother Gez had played for a couple of years when he was in his twenties but also gave up, frustrated with the game. I knew which end of a club to hold and had three broken toes.

    We bought a E30 ticket for 400 balls, hired some clubs at E2 each and headed for the driving range where after Mike showed me, and reminded Gez of the basics, we spent a pleasant afternoon hitting golf balls.

    My limited mobility meant I could only take a short backswing and couldn’t pivot on my back foot at the end of it, something that would prove to be difficult to rectify later. But I did manage to hit a fair percentage of the balls straight and a reasonable distance.

    We held on to the last 20 balls and spent another hour on the practice greens, chipping and putting.

    Two days later we repeated the afternoon and from then on, I was hooked.

  • Sweet Golf – Where Have You Been All My Life

    3rd hole at crook
    On the second 9 at Royal Crook – effectively hole 12 – I duffed the tee shot maybe 50 yards then flew a 5 iron to the right of the green. But it hung left and dropped into the pond that forms when it rains hard. Took a drop from the place I played from and hit right out of trouble, about 80 yards way right of the pin with a 10m upslope in front of me and a 10m downslope in front of that. The green was another 10m uphill with a dry stone wall at the back. Hit a great 6 iron in and landed on the green then bounced over the wall out of bounds – great recovery shot but wrong club and ambitious for somoneone of my limited experience. But it flew well and I learned so much in one shot. Yep, golf has got me but I’m beginning to “feel” it and that makes it fun 🙂