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Its Winter, ball is not going to fly far and shots will vary a little.
Try to work on your scoring process during these rounds and dont get too stressed about your actual scores or where shots end up, you are only playing practice rounds.
pleased to hear that you are still alive after your Covid shot
PS it was nice an sunny today in Mildura and20 degrees so we did tourist things, but checked out the courses here for next time.
My tour manager has given me the OK to playing Murray Downs on Thursday and Rich River on Sunday
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Its Winter, ball is not going to fly far and shots will vary a little.
Try to work on your scoring process during these rounds and dont get too stressed about your actual scores or where shots end up, you are only playing practice rounds.
pleased to hear that you are still alive after your Covid shot
PS it was nice an sunny today in Mildura and20 degrees so we did tourist things, but checked out the courses here for next time.
My tour manager has given me the OK to playing Murray Downs on Thursday and Rich River on Sunday
NSW will only give a border crossing pass to local residents. Or will you just claim to have been caravanning along the Murray for a month ?
People say that nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.
No championships worth mentioning in recent years.
Progress is man's ability to complicate simplicity.2 users liked this post.
So much golf xrman! Good on you
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Its Winter, ball is not going to fly far and shots will vary a little.
Try to work on your scoring process during these rounds and dont get too stressed about your actual scores or where shots end up, you are only playing practice rounds.
pleased to hear that you are still alive after your Covid shot
PS it was nice an sunny today in Mildura and20 degrees so we did tourist things, but checked out the courses here for next time.
My tour manager has given me the OK to playing Murray Downs on Thursday and Rich River on Sunday
NSW will only give a border crossing pass to local residents. Or will you just claim to have been caravanning along the Murray for a month ?
We have heard differently from 3 golfers from other parts of regional Victoria, I met today in on river boat cruise in Mildura, they jumped back and forward across border playing several different courses in NSW, sure they signed in with Pro shop but without even a questions, where you from or other questions like what is you dog or cats name etc.
I tried to book at Rich River for Sunday but told that with Melbourne restrictions easing the time slots are filling fast at all the Murray courses as more golfers head up North.I have filled in my permits on line etc with both Vic and NSW Gestapo so will see how we go on Saturday
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So jealous CB80! It is about mid -teens by early afternoon and very sloshy underfoot on the coast. They must have got more rain at the course ( 7 km away) than we did in central CBD Portland. This morning I went out this morning to attack the Sweet Pittosporum on the 12th. I ran out of battery power on the chainsaw. The spare battery is somewhere safe at home.
On the away back in I played the 13 through 18, concentrating on placing the ball strategically for the next shot. Arccos tells me I am short off the tee for a 13 handicapper (average 210m), but for my age I can get that far only on my best shots. I just have to keep the ball in play with driver. I am hitting my 9i-LW onto the green far more often now. I get close with my 7&8 i shots, 50 % are front half of the green but lateral dispersion has been a bit erratic. Chipping has been more accurate using PW and occasionally the 9i, but now with the soggy verges I have to fly everything onto the green. It just stops if the ball hits the wet verge. I hit a lot of 4W and 7W fairway shots. I have to aim right of target with the Cobra and straight at it with the TS2. No topped shots today! My lag putting has improved a lot lately. I am starting it on line better, but still a tendency to not reach the hole. Still I will take a tap in for par or bogey, rather than going past 2-3 metres.
I am working on my PSR and trying to make sure I don’t skip bits of it. It seems to be working! That and my “noodle arms ” swing thought to stop me tensing up.
Adriano has been borrowing my Cobra F8 SL Hybrids ( 22&25) and he is hitting them well. I suspect he will want to buy them from me. His whole bag practically are my cast offs. I have reverted to using my old Cobra F7 set at 23.5 degrees as my 5 iron replacement. It gives me a reliable 145m shot. I will still use my Cobra F9 SL19 as my 155m club. It is the most used club in my bag after the putter.
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We have heard differently from 3 golfers from other parts of regional Victoria, I met today in on river boat cruise in Mildura, they jumped back and forward across border playing several different courses in NSW, sure they signed in with Pro shop but without even a questions, where you from or other questions like what is you dog or cats name etc.
I tried to book at Rich River for Sunday but told that with Melbourne restrictions easing the time slots are filling fast at all the Murray courses as more golfers head up North.I have filled in my permits on line etc with both Vic and NSW Gestapo so will see how we go on Saturday
During the Victorian lockdown?
When you think about it, border closures to Victorians who reside outside the Melbourne lock down areas made little sense. Rules based on risk of virus transmission have been not adopted throughout the pandemic in my view.
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Mummbannar Masters was on this afternoon. I went out with the plan to
1) do my full PSR for all shots
2) plan where I want to hit the next shot from.I started off quite well. My drive ended up middle of the fairway 145m out, so I hit the F7 hybrid and yep it went 144 m, but right side of the green ( short sided) . I had a short chip up onto the green and one putt for par.
Hole #2 I put the Drive to the left side of the fairway, opening up the green. I hit a 4W into the wind trying for a 170 m shot, but it was short. I chipped a PW on to the green close to the hole , then one putted for a par.
Hmmn I thought, good start! Hole three was text book stuff, except for a less than well struck Driver shot, which didn’t carry all that far considering the tail wind. I did get a nice 4W ( 170m) to put me within 8i distance of the green. I hit the 8i well, but 10 m short of the expected distance ( as per CB80’s comment) , but on the front of the green anyway. I hit a great uphill lag putt, giving me a tap in par.
I had the ” wait for it” feeling going on to the 4th tee box. i aimed a 4 W at the right side of the fairway, expecting a draw shape into the wind. It worked sort of, but very short. I was effectively 170 m out hitting into the wind over the hump. I hit a low penetrating shot and found it just right of the green. I chipped on with my SW and missed the putt. This isn’t an easy green to read. Oh well a bogey is good.
Knowing that my 4W would not reach the green on the par 3 , I set up far a fade with Driver but used a strong grip and got a low flat straight shot onto the green. 2 putts for a par!
I tried the same Drive method on hole 6 with the wind, but got the start angle wrong. Luck was with me and I had a clear shot at the inside of the dog leg. I hit the green with my 9i and 2 putted for a par.
The par 5 7th started off well with a 198m Driver shot. I tried a 7W second shot and hit it fat ( darn; I should have hit my SL hybrid form that lie) . My next shot now needed to be a fade from the right side rough and under clubbed with a 7 i shot. I had an over the bunker on to the short side of the green shot. Confident with these I hit my LW 1 cm short and into the bunker, then a thin shot out of the hard sand bunker, to hit the boundary fence. I managed a nifty PW down hill chip on to the green, then 3 putted. 4 over!!!! In my defence, the bloke I was playing with is a really good golfer, and he 3 putted here too. The pin position was difficult slope wise.
I hit my tee shot into the bunker on the 8th. I got out well and 2 putted for Bogey. On the 9th I hit a draw into the wind. It rolled off the fairway left side, but I punched a 3H shot onto the back edge of the green. I had a knee trembler long down hill putt, that left me with a tap in par.
Other than the lapse in club selection on the 7th, i was happy with the result. 42 OTS. Arccos told me that my Driving was close to my handicap, but my short game shots let me down ( obvious) . Confidence inspiring 9 holes, with only one lapse in concentration.
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I was playing around with Arccos Beta site date this morning. It was very useful in defining my weak areas. It has a look at my last 10 games, compares the results with my previous 10 games and also with players at my handicap level ( 13).
No surprises here for me
1) Driving distance. my average distance of the tee using all clubs is 166m ( Driver, 5W at 17 degrees, 19 hybrid) handicap 13 players average is 207m. Arcoss is saying I am giving up 1.5 strokes a round on distance and 0.8 on accuracy. I am not that concerned about the accuracy, as often I get a tee shot in play (on first cut, with a clear shot) , but Arccos counts it as a fairway missed. In comparison to my contemporaries ( old blokes in their late 60’s) my distance is not all that bad, and on our course there is not much run even in summer. It could be my Driver ( 12 degree HB Launcher Cleveland) but I doubt it. Swing speed 85-90 mph on a good day. Carry distance 183 m.2) first putt inside 3 m I am losing 1.3 strokes per round. Same 8-15 m. Strangely I am 0.2 above in 3-8 m putts and over 15 m putts. Weird! Still I have had a rapid change in performance with putter since I changed putter 2 weeks ago. Watch this space.
other data
1) one putts per round me 2 ( average 13 HC 3.4)
2) 2 putts me 12.1 ( average 13 HC 11.5)
3) 3 putts me 3.8 ( average 13 HC 3.1)Approach shots
1) inside 100m I am slightly better than the average 13HC player, 100-150 same as the average, 150-200m same as average 13 hcap. over 200m (I wish I could hit any club over 200m)distribution inside 100 : zero long, 8% left, 10% right, 27% on the green, 56% short ( pretty typical I suspect/ short)
Chipping
1) slightly better than average 13 HC player. inside 25m; slightly worse 25-45 m ,
2) I am at 9% up an downs compared to 16 % ( inside 45m) and 13% compared to 32% ( ave13HC). Seeing as my distance to the pin is same as the average, it indicates my putting let me down.What does this all mean?
Driver practice needed and putting practice needed.
My plan is
1) Get the tee shot in the fairway
2) Keep it on the fairway with shot number two/ select the club to suit the lie & don’t try for max distance!/ no hero shots if step 1 fails.
3) get it within 100 m and try to hit the green ( add one club more)
4) get it on the green/ aim at the pin when chipping.
5) first putt to within 1 m
6) relax and roll it in the hole/ square the putter face.2 users liked this post.
Mumbannar Masters social game again this morning. It was cold, drizzly misty rain and soft on the ground. I decided to walk rather than get bogged in my buggy.
I did better with my 6 point strategy, yet golf not being a game of perfect , I managed to make a few errors still. OTS 43 again. 4 pars, 3 bogeys, and 2 double bogeys. 4 GIRs and one up and down. 19 putts . 1st putt distance 8,10,10, 11,11, 19m , I did sink one 3 m first putt.
In general my tee shots worked better, with only one hole where I had to punch out. I know I said no hero punch shots, but on the 9th I did a low draw under the trees than ended up on the front verge of the green. It is a shot I do well with my single length 19 hybrid, being that it is a hockey style shot with top spin to go left.
I started well with the Driver, getting my tee shot to the corner of the dog leg. I hit my 4 hybrid at the green , hoping to land at 140 m on the front of the green. I must have hit the down slope. as my ball ran though the green leaving me very short sided. I tried a short LW shot onto the green, but again must have slowed the swing and had the ball roll back to my feet. my next try was better, but in retrospect I would have been better to roll the ball up and over the green lip with my putter. Double bogey start again.
Holes 2 and 3 went to plan, with the exception of a poor 7W strike second shot. It was sitting up saying ” hit me” but I mishit it.
I used the 7W on the third shot and just missed the green. The 4th hole got me again. I tried the 7W off the tee and skied the shot. I needed a low flat shot to regain some distance, so I hit the 4W and almost got to the green. My LW chip went a tad long, but I was happy with at least being on the green just. I had a down hill right to left putt, but I didn’t realize how wet the grass was. my ball had a water roost following it and stopped about 50% of my estimated distance. Repeat and I just missed the hole, but another 3 putt. Hole 5&6 went to plan, except for a fat 9i shot on 6. The 7th hole was looking good, with a decent drive and good 4H second shot into the fairway. I chose to club up one club and hit at the middle of the green. I hit the ground with my 6H only to have a face full of mud! The ball made it to the front edge of the green, despite the fat/muddy ground contact. The first putt was long and slightly short of the hole. I missed the second putt and was relieved that the third went i, as the pin position is very tricky slope wise. Hole 8 went to plan, and despite my fade off the tee went right rough I managed a par on 9.Two Steps
1) I am striking my Driver better and expect about 180 m carry in the current winter conditions with a good swing.
2) The hybrid clubs are working well ( 19, 23.5, 29 lofts)One step back
1) short siding myself and then trying to use a LW on shitty wet ground isn’t a good method. I will have to get used to using the Texas wedge approach or use my 19 hybrid to knock it onto the green a putt back to the hole.After the game I spent 20 minutes on the practice fairway hitting the 7W, 4W and Driver. I used foot spray to ID strike location and a two tee gate system. I was hitting the 7W better by the end of the session, but I have to get used to 10 m loss of distance for all my clubs in the heavy air and soft ground.
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We travelled to Mooralla golf course, about 60 km north of Hamilton in western Victoria for a Vets game. Weather conditions? it was zero degrees C when I left home and it didn’t warm up for several hours. On the bright side a crisp foggy morning meant no wind and a beautiful view of the Grampians mountain range during the game. It warmed up to 12 degrees.
The course is a well maintained sand scrape 9 hole affair , with two tee boxes per hole. It had nice wide fairways and lots of big red gum tress lining the fairways. Luckily there were plenty of gaps between the huge gum trees, so an wayward tee shot was not always a disaster. No sand traps, and few grassy mounds near the greens. My daily handicap was 10, so the course is rated as an easy one. Green fees $5 which is great value.
I started off on hole #8 and played a conservative game plan to keep it on the fairway, approach near the green and short accurate chip and one putt for par. Well it worked on the first hole. Thereafter my tee shots went left and I missed a couple of fairways. I was aiming left, but the ground up there is still hard enough for some roll. I hit two double bogeys and a bogey 6 on the next three holes.
From there I regrouped and managed 5 bogeys in a row, coming the grips with the speed of the scrapes. Scrapes are not for the faint hearted golfer. You need aim at the hole and commit to a firm strike. Borrow, if any, is reduced by doing this and you can see it on the ball path mark for your return second or third putt. Heading towards the club house I was getting into a groove, when I hit snag with my approach shots into the scrape. One I under clubbed and had to chip twice, the other I hit a high faded 7i hoping it would be short, but it hit the scrape and super balled 20 m through. I tapped the ball back onto the scrape with my hybrid, then putted to within say 10 cm of the hole. On grass my tap in effort would have rolled in easily, but nope it stopped teetering on the brink for a another double bogey. I finished the ” back 9″ with a point per hole.A cup of hearty pumpkin soup and a hot dog at the club house was provided. I often feel a bit giddy on these two tee box per hole 9 hole courses. Where are we again? What hole is this? Which box did we use a last time? Anyway armed with experience of my tee shots running left, I faded the ball back into the fairways, hit my approach shots wide or short to avoid” Super balling “again, got my PW chips onto the scrape ( some close) and sunk a few. 18 points on the front 9! Better! OTS 89.
Two steps forward
1) This is the closest I have ever been to playing off single figures. You have to play well to score points. Chipping accurately really helped as did mastering scrapes putting method.
2) I eventually started hitting the fairway with my tee shots.One step back
1) I am still not happy with my fairway wood shots. I pushed a few attempted draw shots out right into the sticks. I think it is an aim issue ( starting line incorrect)1 user liked this post.
Decisions, decisions!
After I decided to stop using my Ping Valor putter, that I was using in a semi arm lock (side saddle stance) fashion, I saw a Arm Lock putter for sale at just over $100 ( Wilson Staff). so I thought why not give it a try. I had $80 in my pocket with the exchange.
While I was waiting for the Wilson putter to arrive ( snail mail to the sticks = weeks) I went back to using my Gravity Golf Arc Master, but this time using it side saddle stance / weigh on the right foot( trail) and grip down the 42″ shaft using arm lock method with my right hand low. To me it feels like under arm bowling down the line. It is a toe hang putter. If you have been reading my reports my putting has improved a lot using this putter. I have a slight arc in my stroke with it, but it runs pretty well on target. If I miss it isn’t a big miss anymore.
Today the Wilson putter arrived ( face balanced) so I took it out to the practice green and gave it a try. Using the same stance it was pretty good. The sound from the milled face is a metallic ” ponk” and it feels good. Lag putts and short putts, uphill and downhill, side hill all worked well. Immediately after that I used the Arc Master, which felt a little softer sound wise, but performance was similar. The AM will definitely be my scrapes putter.
So how to decide which putter to use? I was thinking that I should use the putters for 5 games each and then see which one I scored better with on average maybe? Advice anyone?
My mate Natnkyls always says you need a selection of putters and when one stops performing you put it in the naughty cupboard and bring in an alternate
Until it stops performing and then you put it in the naughty cupboard…
You get the idea
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My mate Natnkyls always says you need a selection of putters and when one stops performing you put it in the naughty cupboard and bring in an alternate
Until it stops performing and then you put it in the naughty cupboard…
You get the idea
I have the solitary confinement bag in my shed. After 3 months a lot of my clubs have become more compliant.
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Decisions, decisions!
After I decided to stop using my Ping Valor putter, that I was using in a semi arm lock (side saddle stance) fashion, I saw a Arm Lock putter for sale at just over $100 ( Wilson Staff). so I thought why not give it a try. I had $80 in my pocket with the exchange.
While I was waiting for the Wilson putter to arrive ( snail mail to the sticks = weeks) I went back to using my Gravity Golf Arc Master, but this time using it side saddle stance / weigh on the right foot( trail) and grip down the 42″ shaft using arm lock method with my right hand low. To me it feels like under arm bowling down the line. It is a toe hang putter. If you have been reading my reports my putting has improved a lot using this putter. I have a slight arc in my stroke with it, but it runs pretty well on target. If I miss it isn’t a big miss anymore.
Today the Wilson putter arrived ( face balanced) so I took it out to the practice green and gave it a try. Using the same stance it was pretty good. The sound from the milled face is a metallic ” ponk” and it feels good. Lag putts and short putts, uphill and downhill, side hill all worked well. Immediately after that I used the Arc Master, which felt a little softer sound wise, but performance was similar. The AM will definitely be my scrapes putter.
So how to decide which putter to use? I was thinking that I should use the putters for 5 games each and then see which one I scored better with on average maybe? Advice anyone?
Doesnt hurt to have 2 putters, it tends to keep the gamer honest otherwise it will be resting in car boot instead of being in the bag.
also if feel is different maybe can have one for fast summer greens and another for slow winter greens (or Sand Scrapes)
from your Arcoss data above seems like long putting (resulting in 3 putts is issue, so test putters from 5m & 10m to see which one gets ball closer -
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