So, I wanted to post an update on what I've done so far in terms of improving my putting. This past Saturday, I attended a clinic at Money Hill Golf Club taught by Rob Noel (a well known teacher in Louisiana and one of only 6 certified AimPoint instructors). The clinic was based on a relatively new green-reading theory called AimPoint. In a nutshell, this theory was developed a little over a year ago and has since been adopted by the PGA Tour and many of its players. If you ever watch golf on t.v. you'll notice that quite often the announcers will put up a blue line on the screen to indicate where the player needs to start the ball in order to make the putt. Well, the way they come up with that blue line is all based on this AimPoint technology and has become the most accurate concept out there when it comes to reading greens. In the two hours I was there, I have to say that I learned quite a lot. It was a lot of information, but I felt like I already had a better idea of how to read putts when I left. It's going to take some time to really learn the whole concept, but after seeing some immediate results, I'm excited about what's to come. There is a Level 2 clinic that is taught by the same guy which I hope to attend by the end of the month.
Aside from the clinic, I received a couple good pieces of advice from my dad and a family friend. My dad told me to start playing my putts to fall in the front of the cup rather than banging them in the back. So far so good....and it just so happens that the AimPoint theory is based on a slower speed as well so both of those go together nicely. It's clear to me now that when it comes to putting, speed is the most important thing. Well, that and confidence. On top of the advice from my dad, a family friend suggested I read a book called "Putt to Win" by Dave Stockton (one of the best putters in the world). I ordered the book off Amazon and just got it in the other day so I haven't read very much yet, but I'm sure only good information will come out of it.
Those three steps are what I've done up to this point and have since just practice every day as much as possible. As I mentioned earlier, I'm hoping to get back to Money Hill for the Level 2 clinic and I might also squeeze in a putter fitting as well. I think by the time I play in my next tournament I will definitely be a putter. Speaking of tournaments, after looking at my options for the winter months, I've decided to start out with a couple Adam's Tour Winter Series events in Houston. They're two-day tournaments and scheduled close together to help cut down on traveling costs. The first one starts Nov. 3 so Erika and I will be heading to Texas in a couple weeks. December and January are still up in the air and will be based on how these first few in Houston go. Florida could be an option in there, but I've got time before I have to make any decisions.
That's it for now. Hope everyone is doing well. The weather down here is absolutely perfect right now so it's making my practice sessions much more enjoyable. I'm hoping this winter won't be as cold as last year, but Erika said she heard it was going to be worse. Not what I wanted to hear....
Monday, October 18, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Adam's Tour - Tour Championship (Meridian, MS) - Second Round
Score: 73
I had the round I was looking for, but just lacked the ability to get anything out of it. Once again, putting was to blame....however in spurts, it was actually the reason I had a chance to make the cut. For every one step forward, I found a way to take three steps back. In fact, there are so many holes in my feet I'm surprised I was able to walk all 18 holes.
I started out the day (on #10) with a great drive, solid second shot and a made putt from 15ft for birdie on the first hole. Good start. The 11th hole is a 205yrd par-3 where I nearly recorded my second hole-in-one ever. I hit a perfect 5-iron that landed just short of the pin and lipped out over the back edge. Unfortunately, I was unable to convert the 5 footer for birdie. On #12, I hit my second shot into the par-5 short right of the green which was really the only place to get up-and-down from. The only drawback was that I was in the bunker and had about 25yrds to the pin. An awkward distance, but I was feeling confident and decided to try and pull off the perfect shot. I came close, but needed another foot and now my ball was plugged in the lip of the bunker. Three strokes later and I was in for a bogey (6). Rather than playing the safe shot which would of been towards the middle of the green I went for kill and it cost me. Looking back on it now, it was the third hole of the day and should of went with the higher percentage play. On the par-3 13th, a front pin location meant the only way to make par of better was to be underneath the hole. Looking at a 182yrd shot slightly uphill and into the wind, I decided to hit a 6-iron and ended up long in the back of the green. Immediately, I knew what I was going to face. From 50ft, the best I could do was putt the ball 2ft off the green. Another bogey. So in the first four holes, I hadn't really missed a shot and I was +1 over. On #13, I came back with a great putt from 12ft for birdie. Back to even. My second shot into #14 hit the pin on the fly and luckily stayed on the green. It was somewhat unlucky at the same time because it might of ended up closer to the hole, but I'll take the 15 footer I was left with for birdie. I hit a good putt but just missed. Another par on the following hole and I remained at even with two to play on the first nine. I finished out with almost identical 3-putts from less than 20ft on holes #17 & #18. They were not difficult putts...I guess I just temporarily left the planet. Seriously though, the real problem was that I was trying to make them both not realizing how fast they were and that I needed to protect a little bit. So after all that work on the first nine holes, all I had to show for it was a +2 over (38).
I fought right back on the front with a well played first hole and near miss for birdie. On #2, I was able to convert the birdie putt from 8ft and again on #3. In just three holes, I was right back where I started. Still well within reach of making the cut, I knew that I just needed to stick to my game plan, keep hitting good shots and find a few more birdies. On the par-4 4th hole, I hit my first poor shot of the day. My tee shot found the right rough, but I was still left with a shot to the green. Again, with the location of the pin, it was a situation where I knew I could not afford to be long. I elected to hit a punch-cut 8-iron from 170yards that came out hot and ended up exactly where I was trying not to go. The best I could do was barely keep the ball on the front of the green and a good 2-putt later I was in for bogey. Back to +1 over. The 6th hole is a quirky par-5, but after two great shots I was right in front of the green and this time I was able to get up-and-down for the birdie. Back to even. At this point, we noticed the sign on the back of the officials cart said that cut was at +3 over. I was currently at +5. Not to panic, I was playing well and had three holes left to make two birdies. On the par-3 7th, I hit a good one to about 10ft behind the hole. Maybe a good shot, but being above the hole meant all I could do was tap my putt and this time I came up 2ft short. You could say I protected on that one. Still a par. The next hole, I hit two great shots and left myself with about 5ft for birdie except again I was above the hole. Not my fault really....the pin was only on 4ft so there really wasn't any room to be short. Another cautious stroke.....another near miss. I was down to my last hole and needed a 2. It was a par-4 so that meant eagle and the only way I felt like I could do that was to get as close to the green as possible. It was a relatively short hole so 3-wood would of put me within 100 yards. I tried to get too cute with my tee shot and instead of drawing it around the corner I hit a baby fade that went through the fairway and out-of-bounds. Double-bogey (6) and a final score of +2 over (73).
So there it is. I literally missed two shots all day and came away with nothing. It's extremely frustrating because these are the rounds where I feel like a PGA Tour player would of shot 66 at worst. But, I found a way to shoot 73. Even though I made some putts today, it was still the area of my game left to blame at the end of the day. The two 3-putts I finished with on the first nine really cost me in the end. And I think that the mentality of trying to make every putt is something that I really need to work on in the future.
I'm very pleased with the progress I've made with my swing over the last month or so. All the lessons, hours of practice and thousands of balls are paying off. There's just one piece of the puzzle missing and it's a pretty big piece. PUTTING! The ability to read greens, adjust to the speed from one course to the next and find some consistency week in and week out is going to determine how far I'm able to go. Just as I approached the situation of getting help with my swing back in April, I'm going to use trying to improve my putting going forward. It may be a change in grip, change of putter or just a change philosophy....whatever it takes it what I'll do.
It's getting to be that time of year where the amount of golf tournaments becomes limited. I'm in the process of looking ahead and trying to plan out a schedule for the winter months. More importantly though is figuring out where to start on making improvements with my putting. As I do my research, I'll be sure to pass along the information.
Aside from golf, Erika is starting to get back to full health again. She actually came up to Meridian for a couple days to be with me and was able to walk around all 18 holes yesterday. It was great to have her out there with me again. It's been a long almost two weeks and I just want to thank everyone for all the emails and phone calls. We're so lucky to have such wonderful support from all our family and friends. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers and I'll be sure to keep everyone updated as we move forward.
I had the round I was looking for, but just lacked the ability to get anything out of it. Once again, putting was to blame....however in spurts, it was actually the reason I had a chance to make the cut. For every one step forward, I found a way to take three steps back. In fact, there are so many holes in my feet I'm surprised I was able to walk all 18 holes.
I started out the day (on #10) with a great drive, solid second shot and a made putt from 15ft for birdie on the first hole. Good start. The 11th hole is a 205yrd par-3 where I nearly recorded my second hole-in-one ever. I hit a perfect 5-iron that landed just short of the pin and lipped out over the back edge. Unfortunately, I was unable to convert the 5 footer for birdie. On #12, I hit my second shot into the par-5 short right of the green which was really the only place to get up-and-down from. The only drawback was that I was in the bunker and had about 25yrds to the pin. An awkward distance, but I was feeling confident and decided to try and pull off the perfect shot. I came close, but needed another foot and now my ball was plugged in the lip of the bunker. Three strokes later and I was in for a bogey (6). Rather than playing the safe shot which would of been towards the middle of the green I went for kill and it cost me. Looking back on it now, it was the third hole of the day and should of went with the higher percentage play. On the par-3 13th, a front pin location meant the only way to make par of better was to be underneath the hole. Looking at a 182yrd shot slightly uphill and into the wind, I decided to hit a 6-iron and ended up long in the back of the green. Immediately, I knew what I was going to face. From 50ft, the best I could do was putt the ball 2ft off the green. Another bogey. So in the first four holes, I hadn't really missed a shot and I was +1 over. On #13, I came back with a great putt from 12ft for birdie. Back to even. My second shot into #14 hit the pin on the fly and luckily stayed on the green. It was somewhat unlucky at the same time because it might of ended up closer to the hole, but I'll take the 15 footer I was left with for birdie. I hit a good putt but just missed. Another par on the following hole and I remained at even with two to play on the first nine. I finished out with almost identical 3-putts from less than 20ft on holes #17 & #18. They were not difficult putts...I guess I just temporarily left the planet. Seriously though, the real problem was that I was trying to make them both not realizing how fast they were and that I needed to protect a little bit. So after all that work on the first nine holes, all I had to show for it was a +2 over (38).
I fought right back on the front with a well played first hole and near miss for birdie. On #2, I was able to convert the birdie putt from 8ft and again on #3. In just three holes, I was right back where I started. Still well within reach of making the cut, I knew that I just needed to stick to my game plan, keep hitting good shots and find a few more birdies. On the par-4 4th hole, I hit my first poor shot of the day. My tee shot found the right rough, but I was still left with a shot to the green. Again, with the location of the pin, it was a situation where I knew I could not afford to be long. I elected to hit a punch-cut 8-iron from 170yards that came out hot and ended up exactly where I was trying not to go. The best I could do was barely keep the ball on the front of the green and a good 2-putt later I was in for bogey. Back to +1 over. The 6th hole is a quirky par-5, but after two great shots I was right in front of the green and this time I was able to get up-and-down for the birdie. Back to even. At this point, we noticed the sign on the back of the officials cart said that cut was at +3 over. I was currently at +5. Not to panic, I was playing well and had three holes left to make two birdies. On the par-3 7th, I hit a good one to about 10ft behind the hole. Maybe a good shot, but being above the hole meant all I could do was tap my putt and this time I came up 2ft short. You could say I protected on that one. Still a par. The next hole, I hit two great shots and left myself with about 5ft for birdie except again I was above the hole. Not my fault really....the pin was only on 4ft so there really wasn't any room to be short. Another cautious stroke.....another near miss. I was down to my last hole and needed a 2. It was a par-4 so that meant eagle and the only way I felt like I could do that was to get as close to the green as possible. It was a relatively short hole so 3-wood would of put me within 100 yards. I tried to get too cute with my tee shot and instead of drawing it around the corner I hit a baby fade that went through the fairway and out-of-bounds. Double-bogey (6) and a final score of +2 over (73).
So there it is. I literally missed two shots all day and came away with nothing. It's extremely frustrating because these are the rounds where I feel like a PGA Tour player would of shot 66 at worst. But, I found a way to shoot 73. Even though I made some putts today, it was still the area of my game left to blame at the end of the day. The two 3-putts I finished with on the first nine really cost me in the end. And I think that the mentality of trying to make every putt is something that I really need to work on in the future.
I'm very pleased with the progress I've made with my swing over the last month or so. All the lessons, hours of practice and thousands of balls are paying off. There's just one piece of the puzzle missing and it's a pretty big piece. PUTTING! The ability to read greens, adjust to the speed from one course to the next and find some consistency week in and week out is going to determine how far I'm able to go. Just as I approached the situation of getting help with my swing back in April, I'm going to use trying to improve my putting going forward. It may be a change in grip, change of putter or just a change philosophy....whatever it takes it what I'll do.
It's getting to be that time of year where the amount of golf tournaments becomes limited. I'm in the process of looking ahead and trying to plan out a schedule for the winter months. More importantly though is figuring out where to start on making improvements with my putting. As I do my research, I'll be sure to pass along the information.
Aside from golf, Erika is starting to get back to full health again. She actually came up to Meridian for a couple days to be with me and was able to walk around all 18 holes yesterday. It was great to have her out there with me again. It's been a long almost two weeks and I just want to thank everyone for all the emails and phone calls. We're so lucky to have such wonderful support from all our family and friends. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers and I'll be sure to keep everyone updated as we move forward.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Adam's Tour - Tour Championship (Meridian, MS) - First Round
Today's Score: 76
Not exactly the start I was looking for, but I feel like I played better than what my score shows. Once again, my putting let me down and I wasn't able to get anything out of my round. I started out the way I wanted to. Four well executed holes lead to four straight pars. On the 5th hole, I missed the green slightly to the right from 150yards out and was unable to get up-and-down. First bogey of the day. The next hole is a relatively short par-5, but the tee shot doesn't allow enough room to hit driver so I hit 2-iron just to put the ball in play. Well, it was easily the worst swing I made all day because I blocked my tee shot pretty far right making the rest of the hole play much tougher than it should. I had a clear punch shot that would of put me back in play to hit the green in three, but my ball came to rest on top of a pine cone stem and the punch shot I attempted to play popped straight up and went maybe a total of 15yards. Now I'm in the fairway bunker that was right in front of me with basically the same punch shot. This time I executed the shot like I wanted to but my ball ran through the fairway just enough to reach the rough on the other side. I had 138yds left for my 4th shot but a poor lie lead to that shot coming up short right in the greenside bunker. Three more shots and I as in for a double-bogey (7). I closed out the front nine with 3 more pars and turned at +3 over (38). So basically if I could of hit the green with a 9-iron and the fairway with a 2-iron I feel like at worst I make the turn at even par. But, I didn't and now I'm +3 over.
On the back, I had my first 3-putt of the day right away on the 10th hole. It was a semi long putt, but still should of been able to convert the 4 footer for par. I almost got that stroke back on the very next hole when a chip shot hung on the lip just short. Solid par on the #12 and a great 5-iron into the par-3 13th. Unfortunately, with the firmness of the greens my ball came to rest just off the edge but close enough to make the option of putting a no-brainer. Well, little did I know that my ball would take flight just at the edge where the fringe and green meet and cause my birdie attempt to come up 10ft short. 3-putt #2 and another bogey. I found my first birdie of the day on the par-5 14th after hitting a wedge to about 5ft. But again, I gave it right back after my third 3-putt of the day on the very next hole. It was a tough 2-putt, but I left myself a simple right-edge 5 footer for par that I'd like to think I could make with my eyes closed. Not today. I was unable to get up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 16th and missed two routine uphill right-to-left 10 footers on #17 and #18 for birdie as well.
Sounds like a broken record, but I feel like I'm at least hitting solid putts. When I look up, the majority of the time I'm putting the ball on the line I want. Problem is, it's the wrong line. The greens are in absolutely perfect condition so there's no blame to be put there. It's all on me. Apart of me is holding back a little because of how fast the greens are, but I think that's only normal. When you're not used to the speed it's easy to want to protect a little bit and not get too aggressive. Ironically, all the 3-putts I had were after I ran the first putt by....but all the short putts I missed were mostly due to a lack of speed. Fun game huh!
A good round tomorrow will get me through to the weekend. I feel like I'm swinging well enough to shoot a good score, but the only way to get there is to hole a few putts. What the heck, I got nothing to lose so I might as well fight off the nerves as much as possible and somehow make the ball go in. If anyone's got a tip as to how to do that let me know. My tee time tomorrow is 12:00 off #10.
Not exactly the start I was looking for, but I feel like I played better than what my score shows. Once again, my putting let me down and I wasn't able to get anything out of my round. I started out the way I wanted to. Four well executed holes lead to four straight pars. On the 5th hole, I missed the green slightly to the right from 150yards out and was unable to get up-and-down. First bogey of the day. The next hole is a relatively short par-5, but the tee shot doesn't allow enough room to hit driver so I hit 2-iron just to put the ball in play. Well, it was easily the worst swing I made all day because I blocked my tee shot pretty far right making the rest of the hole play much tougher than it should. I had a clear punch shot that would of put me back in play to hit the green in three, but my ball came to rest on top of a pine cone stem and the punch shot I attempted to play popped straight up and went maybe a total of 15yards. Now I'm in the fairway bunker that was right in front of me with basically the same punch shot. This time I executed the shot like I wanted to but my ball ran through the fairway just enough to reach the rough on the other side. I had 138yds left for my 4th shot but a poor lie lead to that shot coming up short right in the greenside bunker. Three more shots and I as in for a double-bogey (7). I closed out the front nine with 3 more pars and turned at +3 over (38). So basically if I could of hit the green with a 9-iron and the fairway with a 2-iron I feel like at worst I make the turn at even par. But, I didn't and now I'm +3 over.
On the back, I had my first 3-putt of the day right away on the 10th hole. It was a semi long putt, but still should of been able to convert the 4 footer for par. I almost got that stroke back on the very next hole when a chip shot hung on the lip just short. Solid par on the #12 and a great 5-iron into the par-3 13th. Unfortunately, with the firmness of the greens my ball came to rest just off the edge but close enough to make the option of putting a no-brainer. Well, little did I know that my ball would take flight just at the edge where the fringe and green meet and cause my birdie attempt to come up 10ft short. 3-putt #2 and another bogey. I found my first birdie of the day on the par-5 14th after hitting a wedge to about 5ft. But again, I gave it right back after my third 3-putt of the day on the very next hole. It was a tough 2-putt, but I left myself a simple right-edge 5 footer for par that I'd like to think I could make with my eyes closed. Not today. I was unable to get up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 16th and missed two routine uphill right-to-left 10 footers on #17 and #18 for birdie as well.
Sounds like a broken record, but I feel like I'm at least hitting solid putts. When I look up, the majority of the time I'm putting the ball on the line I want. Problem is, it's the wrong line. The greens are in absolutely perfect condition so there's no blame to be put there. It's all on me. Apart of me is holding back a little because of how fast the greens are, but I think that's only normal. When you're not used to the speed it's easy to want to protect a little bit and not get too aggressive. Ironically, all the 3-putts I had were after I ran the first putt by....but all the short putts I missed were mostly due to a lack of speed. Fun game huh!
A good round tomorrow will get me through to the weekend. I feel like I'm swinging well enough to shoot a good score, but the only way to get there is to hole a few putts. What the heck, I got nothing to lose so I might as well fight off the nerves as much as possible and somehow make the ball go in. If anyone's got a tip as to how to do that let me know. My tee time tomorrow is 12:00 off #10.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Adam's Tour - Tour Championship (Meridian, MS) - Preview
I'm in Meridian, MS this week for the Adam's Tour Championship which is the final event of the regular season. The course we're playing this week is Northwood Country Club located just north of town. I drove up yesterday afternoon and was able to get in a full practice round. Today, there was a pro-am in the morning so for most of the day I worked on my short game and then played nine holes late this afternoon. After two days, here is my preview on the course.
My initial thought is this is a course I could play everyday year round. It's in excellent condition, well designed and just enough hills and elevation to keep things interesting. The scorecard says this course totals just over 6,300 yards from the back tees, but it seems to play longer. Many holes shape right-to-left or vice versa so it's advantageous to be able to work the ball off the tee. This course requires you to be able to hit just about every shot which is one of the main reasons I think I like it so much. It's one of those places where you get to use every club in your bag and allows you to be creative when playing shots.
If there is ever a course where the person with the best short game will win it's this one. Northwood just re-did all their greens so they're all extremely hard and fast. Add in the fact that they're small and undulating and you can see why putting and chipping will be key to shooting a good score. My game plan is to play smart off the tee...not get too greedy by hitting driver everywhere....and keep the ball below the hole no matter what when approaching the green. I feel good about my game right now so I've actually got some real confidence going into this tournament. Most of that is due to how I played last week during the Viking Classic qualifier so hopefully I can build off that and have even better success this week.
My tee time tomorrow is 8:00 off #1.
My initial thought is this is a course I could play everyday year round. It's in excellent condition, well designed and just enough hills and elevation to keep things interesting. The scorecard says this course totals just over 6,300 yards from the back tees, but it seems to play longer. Many holes shape right-to-left or vice versa so it's advantageous to be able to work the ball off the tee. This course requires you to be able to hit just about every shot which is one of the main reasons I think I like it so much. It's one of those places where you get to use every club in your bag and allows you to be creative when playing shots.
If there is ever a course where the person with the best short game will win it's this one. Northwood just re-did all their greens so they're all extremely hard and fast. Add in the fact that they're small and undulating and you can see why putting and chipping will be key to shooting a good score. My game plan is to play smart off the tee...not get too greedy by hitting driver everywhere....and keep the ball below the hole no matter what when approaching the green. I feel good about my game right now so I've actually got some real confidence going into this tournament. Most of that is due to how I played last week during the Viking Classic qualifier so hopefully I can build off that and have even better success this week.
My tee time tomorrow is 8:00 off #1.
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