Month: June 2012

Even though no new courses were added this was an interesting week of golf. Had a bit of a decline in my play but I think this was due to some,hopefully,final tweeking of the new golf swing. I was finally able to do a little anatomy reasearch and I think I have the golf swing down to some very specific muscles that controt the entire action. On Wednesday,I played an outing at St. Clair Country Club and really stunk out the joint. I think besides just starting the new tweeking of the swing the format contributed to some awful scoring on my part. The next day I played in the South Park Men’s Championship and shot two solid rounds of 78 and 75. I had terrible luck on the greens all day, and then just terrible putting the last nine holes, but all in all, I hit the ball really well, especially off the tee.The rounds could have easily been 4 to 6 shots better. Then yesterday went to Riverview with lots of confidence and laid a big 80 egg. It was a very bad ball striking day that was kept from being worse by some very good putting on some pretty tough greens. I hope I am right about this latest move I am working on with golf swing. It is no change from the basic principle I have been doing since around late September of last year. This year so far my index has gone down from about 5.2 to its current of 2.5. I have hit the ball better at times than I have ever hit it. Yesterday’s 80 ended an 11 round stretch in the 70’s. Earlier this year I had had a 12 round stretch in the 70’s. So I think I may be getting closer to the answer. Only time will tell. Next week I should be adding some new courses which will take me either closer or farther away from the answer.

Another busy week, with two new courses added to the list. On Wednesday we played two courses in Ohio about an hour and 20 minute drive. The first course was Pine Lakes in Hubbard, Ohio. The course played about 6500 yards from the back tees to a par of 72. The greens were running a 5.5 on the stimp and were very smooth. The fairways were perfect and the rough was grown in well. The golf course was in excellent shape and was one of the most enjoyable courses we have  played so far. It had a great variety of holes with water and trees and the course was fairly flat. There were some holes that were fairly narrow but others had a more forgiving driving area.  The hot dog at the turn was good but it may have tasted better than what it really was, because this course just put me in a really good mood. It was a beautiful sunny day and the course just added to the nature of the day. I shot 79 with Pete shooting 81. I was coming off my big 4 under par round and I think I was thinking a little too much about that round. My ball striking was not that bad, but some unfamilarity of the course contributed to a higher score. Then we went about 10 miles south, to a course called Knoll Run in Lowellville, Ohio. This was another very nice golf course but just slightly below the quality of Pine Lakes. The course played 6400 yards from the back tees to a par of 72. The greens were running a 5 on the stimp and were again in very good shape. This course was not in quite as good of shape as Pine Lakes but still was very good. This course was a little tighter and had more doglegs. Again it was beautiful with many tree lined fairways and some water that came into play. The hot dog at the turn was better here than at Pine Lakes. The hot dog had a little more snap to it and the condiments were better. Or maybe it tasted better because I had it with a big cold 16 oz can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. I shot 77 and Pete an 83. These two courses were definitely worth the trip. With the weather being perfect this was one of the best days of the 100 golf course trek. Yes, its official I will be playing 100 courses now instead of 90. All courses no more than 90 minutes from my house. The rest of the week was rounded out by playing in a 4 man scramble event at Turkana where we shot 12 under which was not anyway good enough to get in the money. Our biggest problem was that we could not hit good second shots into the par 5’s and never made an eagle. Then on Sunday I shot a 75 and Meadowink. Kind of a blah round, although Meadowink’s greens were very bumpy which was surprising considering the time of the year. I also did some research on the golf swing this week and I think I have narrowed it down on what group of muscles control the golf swing. That could have contributed to the downturn in scoring. Overall a very good week. Probably no new courses next week as there are some events to be played in, which includes the 36 hole South Park Mens Championship on Thursday. We will see how the swing holds up under the gun. Seventy three courses down and Twenty seven to go.

Even though no new courses were played this week, it was a busy golf week with two 9 hole rounds played, and 4 18 holes rounds played. My play was pretty steady if not spectacular for the first rounds of the week. I shot 37, 36, 75, 73 and 74. The last 2 rounds were at South Park which I am playing more than I really want to but that’s the way it’s just been. My 74 was one of my most up and down rounds, I have had in a long time. I had one double bogey, 5 bogies, 3 birdies and an eagle. I also 3 putted for a par on another par 5 from 8 feet.  Today we went to Rolling Acre a course I have already blogged and is a course that I really like. It plays to a par of 73 and after making an opening bogey on a fairly easy par 5 yours truly went on to birdie the next 3 holes and make 4 more birdies against 2 more bogies to shoot one of my best rounds in years a four under par 69. Obviously the new muscular control of the swing is working out very well. But the big differnce is I have been able to finally apply the same controling factors to my putting and my short game. I did not need a lot of short game today since I hit 15 greens in regulation and had 29 putts. So am I on to something? I think so. Even though I have played as well as I have ever played for the last 4 to 5 weeks I am still not ready to say this is the new way to play this game. Remenber this is not a method I am doing here. You can apply what I am doing to any form of golf you like, ranging from the stack and tilt, the one or two plane swing. natural golf or the Jimmy Ballard technique. What I have been doing since about last October is I am letting a specific group of muscles control my entire golf swing. Before I get into more specifics there are 2 things that are going to have to happen. One I will have to continue to play well and will have to get into a little neuro anatomy reading to see exactly why this method is working so well. There is a part of me that still thinks this could be nothing more than swing number 306. I have played this game for 54 years and have had hot streaks before. The difference here so far, is my consistency, while still learning and trusting the method. Twelve straight rounds between 75 and 78 and now I seem to have taken it to the next level of 73 and 74. Even though this round was one of my best in a long I have been making steady progress with no major setbacks. In the coming weeks there will be some team tournaments and one individual event. It will be interesting to see how this method will hold up. Next week I should be able to get in some new courses. The other thing which I hinted at in some previous blogs, is I think I am going to go for a nice round number of 100 courses because there are a 100 within 90 minutes of my house.  Since the play is getting better I give my clubs at least a 50/50 chance of staying out of the lake at the end of the one hundreth course. Till next Sunday hit em straight. THE SEARCH CONTINUES

Another busy week with 4 rounds played, and course number 71 completed. We went to Donegal Highlands in Donegal Pa. a 65 minute drive. The course plays 6400 yards from the back tees, and the greens were slow but smooth running barely a 4.5 on the stimp. This is a golf course that has the 2 most contrasting nine’s I have ever played. The front nine is wide open plays to a par of 35 and is 3243 yards long. The back nine has trees,water, tight fairways and plays to a par of 37, but is only 3157 yards long. The course was in excellent condition with the rough grown in and fairways in great shape. Even though the course is in the mountains the course is relatively flat. The only negative were the slow greens. The holes are well designed and is a very fair but challenging golf course. The course is worth the trip. The hot dog at turn was good but nothing special. Maybe I am getting hot dogged out, but things have pretty bland in that area lately. I want that meatless chile sause. Had my first bad stretch of golf in a long time. I was cruising along at 2 over par after 13 holes then proceded to go double bogey, bogey, bogey, double bogey, bogey, and staggered home with an 81. Most of this was due to some poor ball striking and even poorer or dumber thinking. Pete also had a bad back nine and shot 85 and David came in with an 88. In the other 3 rounds I played this week I shot 81, then followed that up with my best round of the year a 71 at South Park and had a 78 today at 3 Lakes. Part of the reason for some less than steller scores this week, is that I think I have applied to what I am doing with my full swing, to my less than full swing and to my putting. In other words the anchor as I call it for my full swing, is now working for my less than full swing and my putting. I have never been able to do this before and like any new thing it is taking a little time to have confidence, and it has caused me to lose some concentration on my full swing. I wasn’t quite sure if what I was doing with my full swing, could be applied to those other aspects, because when I tried to do this previously I met with some gigantic failures. But now it looks like I able to use the same anchor on all three aspects of my game which could turn out to be a major plus, but time will tell. The round at South Park was not as good as it sounds. South Park is very wide open and driving is not a premium. You have to do things to score, get the ball on the green and putt. I hit 14 greens and made 29 putts. Made two great sandies and got some breaks and wahla one under par. Seventy one courses down and 19 or more to go.