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The Golfing Gamer swing analysis by Bobbie Lopez

Hey Gang,

So I was watching a golfing youtuber named Brendon DeVore. His youtube channel is called Be Better Golf.
BE BETTER GOLF

He was working with a PGA tour Pro instructor named Bobbie Lopez.

http://www.quickfixgolf.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/quickfixgolf

It turns out Bobbie runs an online golf school and offers a free swing analysis. So the last time I was out golfing I got my buddy M to film me.

I sent it to Bobbie. Here is the video he sent back. Go watch it I will be here when you get back.

Golfing Gamer swing analysis by Bobbie Lopez

Incidentally that is also my youtube channel for the Golfing Gamer. I have plans to do a bunch of videos in the future stay tuned. Or subscribe that would be awesome.

So it turns out according to Bobbie my swing is not bad. It was gratifying to find out that all the work I have been doing this summer has lead to a decent result.

If you watched the video then you know he gave me a drill to do and some pointers. I will be doing those drills soon.

Oh and btw M and I had a fun time at Mohawk Hills golf course last Sunday. I almost hit M with a golf ball. So who knew it was going to be exciting as well?

I sent my swing to another Pro. as well. I will have another update when I get that back as well. I first viewing he said it wasn't bad either.

Dave aka The Golfing Gamer

The Golfing Gamer swing analysis by Bobbie Lopez

Remembering Arnold Palmer with Bobby Lopez PGA

driver plane view

7 iron plane view

Magic Hills Course Vlog (feat. Scuba Steve) Part 1

Course Blog: Mohawk Hills golf course

Hey Gang,

So I was fortunate to get out and play 9 holes of golf at a course close to my house. Mohawk Hills Golf Course on the Kahnawake Reserve.

Mohawk Hills is a 9 hole par 32 course. 5 par 4 holes and 4 par 3 holes.

Hole 1 is a 112 yard par 3. I hit my first shot to the right of the sand trap. I chipped on and 3 put for 5 strokes. Not a great start. But I didn't warm up at all.

Hole 2 is 278 yard par 4. I hit a really good drive to just before a small water hazard in the middle of the fairway. I then pitched it on. My 52 degree gap wedge proved to be on fire today. I then 3 putted again. I just missed my par by a ringer put. So 5 stokes. However I am usually happy with a bogey.

Hole 3 is a 140 yard par 3. I hit off the tee with a 7 iron and hit it pin high but just on the edge of the green. I then used my hybrid 4 the putt it to the hole since I felt the grass on the right side of the ball was too thick to attempt a putt with my putter. It work and kicked the ball to about 6 feet from the hole. I then put it in for par! 3 strokes. Happy days!

On the way to tee 4 I saw this little guy.

I had to snag a pic. I wonder what his handicap is?

Hole 4 is a 283 yard par 4 dogleg to the left. I flubbed my tee shot hit it just a little beyond the ladies tee. Ugh. I then shanked it with my hybrid and put it in the trees on right. I took a strok and brought it back out to the edge. I then hit a nice easy shot to the bend. So I was at 4. It took me another 4 stokes to finish the hole. 8 stokes. Sigh.

Hole 5 is a 333 yard par 4. I hit a bad drive into the trees on the left. It turns out it bounced into the fairway of hole 6. I took a mulligan off the tee. I figured what the hell. I hit a grass cutting low ball about 150 yards I'd say. Not my best drive. I then tried to keep it simple and just advance it with a 7 iron but miss hit it into the trees. I then pitched it out to the top edge of a sand trap on the other side. I could finally see the green. I hit it with my 3 iron just to keep low and I got it close to the green I then chipped it on a two put. 7 strokes. I felt my confidence slipping. I tried to let the holes in the past stay there and moved on.

Hole 6 is a 233 yard par 4. I cleared my head. I hit a pretty good drive into those trees on the left. 

I then went up and couldn't find my ball. I dropped another and tried to again hit it into the trees on the left. I then went up and actually found my first drive. It was unplayable so I switched and took a stroke and dropped it. I pitched it on the green and made 1 putt to hole the ball. Holy crap for crap did I just par this hole I thought? I did. 4 strokes.

So at this point I counted my score so far. I realized that if I took less than 18 strokes on the last three holes I would finish with less than 50 strokes for 9 holes. I suddenly had a goal.

Hole 7 is a 283 yard par 4. Sorry guys I don't remember this hole clearly enough. Nothing drastic happened to make it memorable. I managed to bogey the hole. 5 strokes.

Hole 8 is a 160 yard par 3. I hit it to the right. chipped it a little hard and ended up just on the other side of the green. Flubbed my next chip 3 feet. Not on the green yet. I then chipped it on and made a 7 foot putt for double bogey. 5 strokes.

Hole 9 is a 176 yard par 3. So at this point I am feeling pretty good. All I have to do is score less than 8 strokes and I will have scored less than 50 strokes for this round. So of course I tee off into the woods on the right. I went in and couldn't find my ball. The only one I actually lost today. So I took a stroke and dropped a ball. I then skulled my chip and landed on the high side of a green side sand trap. Not too worry I am not intimidated by sand traps. However it had rained yesterday and the sand trap had these little divots and gullies all over the place. Guess who's ball was in one of those? Oh well pull up your pants and get to work. The real trick to a sand trap stroke is if you decided to take sand with the ball. (the traditional method) Hit the sucker hard. No I mean hard. I did just that and my ball popped up and out. So where are we now. 1 in the woods, 2 for the drop, 3 into the sand trap and 4 on to the green. I lag putt to about 6 feet and then putt the ball in. 6 strokes. Woo Hoo! 

I added up and hit a 48 for a par of 32 so I was 16 over par.  Now I know I haven't really broken anything as far as goals go. I know I didn't actually break 50 strokes for 9 holes. Well I did but this is only a par 32 course. so if I am being generous I could add 4 strokes and that is what I might have gotten on 9 holes for a more regular 36 par course. 

Nontheless I was happy with my round. As well I am really happy with the course. It cost 15$! Let me repeat 15$! I am going to become a regular at Mohawk Hills golf course. I am supposed to go out with a friend next week. I am going to convince him Mohawk Hills is where we need to play.

Dave aka The Golfing Gamer

Work golf tournament!

Hey Gang,

So two Fridays ago I had my 4 ball best ball work tournament. The funny thing about this tournament is that in past years I have spent a lot of energy preparing for it. Even though it is just 4 ball best ball tournament and really doesn't mean much to help a golfer improve. This year I started playing golf to improve. Not to prepare for the tournament. I have also been talking about my golf improvement over the summer. So my only goal was to not embarrass myself. You know I have been talking about golf for the last few months and I wouldn't want to show up to the tournament and play badly.

As it turns out the tone of my day was much like my first tee off. We got their early and I was able to warm up. However I had the pressure of playing with people I talked about my golf game. So I wanted to hit well. It was a double shot gun start and we had some work friends in front of us so we asked the group on our hole if we could hit in front of them. They said yes. So I got up to hit first. I hit a really nice drive up just off the fairway. My partners hit well but we took my shot to hit from next. We also took my next shot. And then my chip on. Someone else putted out before I had my chance. So my golf day started off well.

We had a good day. Weather was beautiful. We used my shots a lot but not all of them.

Highlights for me: I teed off one short par 4 and was in the woods. So was one of the foursome. So I asked if the other two minded if I hit a mulligan before they teed off. This was late in the day so they said sure. The hole was 257 yards from the tee box. I smashed it and put the ball about 10 yards from the hole just off the green. The other two in the foursome decided they didn't need to tee off.

I also hit the green from the tee for the "closest to the hole". However I was still 5-6 yards away from the previous player marker.

I was also able to show Rob Bernard's driving technique to one of the foursome. She hadn't played much golf and was struggling with her drives. I offered and she accepted to try the technique. One her first try she hit the ball 150 yards which was awesome for her. So I was proud of that.

All in all it was a good day. We had a fun time.

I am hoping to get out for maybe one or two more 9 hole rounds before the season ends. I will keep you guys posted.

Dave

Positive feedback circle = fun golf

Hey Gang,

So last Saturday I went to Ottawa with a buddy and we met up with an old friend of ours. We then headed to Cloverdale Links golf course. We planned on doing 9 holes because neither of my buddies could handle 18. I was fine with that because just getting the chance to play golf and spend some time with two of my closest friends was the primary goal.

We got there on time but we were also able to share a practice bucket at their range.

I had already helped, we'll call him, M with driving and practice the week before. So I showed, we'll call him, B Robert Bernard's driving set up. B ended up liking it and once he got used to hit he was hitting really well off the tee later in the round.

The first hole was horrible for all of us. I got back into my game on the second. On the third we let a couple play though. It was really hot and humid so we didn't mind at all. Unknown to me M had some anxiety playing because he felt that he couldn't drive the ball as far as B and I. So he felt he was slowing us down. He wasn't really. B would hit OK off the tee but M and B were about equal when it came to mid and short game. So M decided to tee off from the ladies tee box aka the beginners tee box. It made all the difference. Before I was hitting my drives about 50 to 60 yards farther than M. Once he started hitting from the beginners tee box he was now only 20 to 30 yards behind. He felt better and it had a direct affect on his game as well. He started having a much more fun time.

At the time I wasn't sure about B. But in the end he said he had a really good time as well.

They both would like to maybe get in one more round in late September or early October.

I was really pleased that they both had fun. I shot a 56 and the two of them shot a 69 for M and a 70 for B. So none of us were scoring well. But that wasn't the goal I set for myself that day. The goal was to have fun with some close friends.

The highlight for me was hole 7. We all hit really nice drives. B beat me buy 5 yards or so. As well M was up with us. Then a threesome came up and asked to play through. We said sure. We weren't in a rush. I just found it ironic that on the one hole we all hit really well off the tee that we let a group play through. No egos here we were very slow.

We then had some food together and M and I drove back to Montreal. M and I talked about the game and golfing the whole ride back.

We had an awesome day. M told me it was the best time he has ever had playing golf. A win in my book.

So next week I have a Vegas 4 ball best ball tournament with my work social club. I am looking forward to playing and then dinner and dancing.

Who knows this year I might win one of the prizes or maybe beat the Pro. like I did last year.

Dave aka The Golfing Gamer

Practice with a friend

Hey Gang,

So no AAR. However I did go to my local driving range. Sunday with my son and a friend of mine.

My friend and I are heading to Iroquois to play 9 holes with a couple of old friends who live in Ottawa. I suggested that we go to the range because my friend hasn't golfed in 4-5 years.

I cleaned his clubs and replaced a few irons in his set. He has his Dad's old clubs and I noticed he had two 3, 5 and 7 irons. So I was able to give him a 4, 9 and sand wedge.

So He started warming up with a 7 iron. Then he changed to his driver. I then showed him the driving set up I have been using. It seemed to work well for him. He was getting his swing back when I suggested he try my old driver. You see my old driver is about 15 years younger than his Dad's old drivers. Mine is the "standard" large size driver. It is a Wilson titanium driver with a graphite shaft. His drivers are graphite heads. So my Wilson is larger but also lighter.

It turns out my friend really likes my old driver. He hit is longest drive with it. We slipped it into his bag and he will be playing with it next week.

I also got to try out my new Taylor Made 580 XD driver. I frightened my son the first time I hit the ball. The loud satisfying crack the ball made was louder than he has ever heard me hit a golf ball.

I can understand why there are so many positive reviews for this driver. I liked the feeling of hitting it. As a bonus I got the feel of my drives back again. While my friend was watching I hit three strait shots that went around 250 yards I'd say. I hit the fence of the range. But our section is on a bit of an angle so hitting the fence at the end of the range sounds better than it actually was ;)

My son is getting a bit better too. I think he will be ready soon to take him to Patten's Glen.

My friend ended up feeling much better about playing next week. I am heading to Iroquois early to get 9 holes in before my friends show up. I will then play 9 holes with them. So I will get my 18 holes in. I am really looking forward to spending the day on the golf course with my friends.

Dave aka The Golfing Gamer

More free golf clubs!

Hey Gang,

so a good friend of mine got a hold of some clubs recently. He decided instead of trying to sell them he gave them to me.

The jewel of the mis matched set was this bad boy:

As you can see it is a Taylor Made R580XD. I saw that it was Taylor Made so automatically it was a good golf club. I then did a little research and found many many reviews of golfers loving this club.

I can`t wait to try it out on the range. I may have to retire my big 460cc Wilson driver.

As well there was an interesting set of woods in the bag.:

 I have never heard of the brand. But they feel heavy. Similar to my hybrid club. As well there is an adjustable weight in the club. I know in principle what it does but I have no clue how these are set. As well I am not sure if I can adjust them with an allen key. I think so. But I also read that you need an actual torque wrench. I am going to email a pro I know. Maybe he can help me discover what to do. They do need a little love. I am going to clean them tonight.

Deep in the bag was a ball retriever and an umbrella. I got a bag as well. It might replace my bag because I think it will fit better on my pull cart.

I am looking forward to my next trip to the driving range.

Dave

Best game Evar! My latest After action report

Hey Gang,

I hope everyone is doing well. I am doing great just to let you know.

So I joined an old friend (Kenley Two Putts) on the golf course this morning. We went to Meadowbrook Golf Club in Cote St-Luc.

As we started my drives were not really that good. I have to try and get the feeling back I had on my first 18 hole round this season. However my first hole I managed to bogey because my Nike 4 hybrid was on fire. It became my work horse of the day. Incidentally I was also trying out those "new" clubs I got off of Kijiji. It also started to drizzle. We soldiered on.  A hole or two later the rain stopped.

I did not start out with a goal this game. I set out to play and have some fun. And I was hoping my work so far would pay off. However I did end up working on something during the round.

I have been a fan of Be Better Golf for a while now

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHgV07QZNSbB88gJIkJDUZg

Brendon gets lessons from a Pro. named Monte Scheinblum. I watched this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELnk6TUU4a4

Basically Monte explains a short game technique where you develop the feel of swinging the club like you would toss a golf ball by hand.

So I tried this today. When I took my practice swings I estimated the power it would take to toss a golf ball the distance I wanted. I then tried to have the same power and feel on my actual strike. As it turned out this worked really well for me. I was able to land a bunch of really nice up and down short chips with my 52 degree Gap Wedge. I also used the putting chip technique when I wanted to play it safe and chip and run it to the hole. I had two sand bunker shots both were well done from very wet sand.

I gave my driver a rest after the third bad drive. I then started driving with my 4 Nike hybrid. I had mixed results but at least I wasn't out of bounds and taking extra strokes because of really bad drives. I would take out the driver again later on to good effect. Of my last four holes three of them I was back to my drives being decent.

So we finished 14 and Kenley Two Putts wasn't feeling good so he stopped. He said he would meet me on the 18th hole. So I continued and played the last four holes solo. The first time I have ever done that on an 18 hole course.

I looked at my score card at that point. I had scored 55 on the front 9 and I was +9 on the back 9 and had 4 holes to go. I then had a goal. My previous best was on this golf course. I had hit a 110 that day. So as long as I could hit less than 10 over par on the last 4 holes I would beat my personal record.

So I teed up and whacked on into the Club's driving range. Not a good start. I took another shot and managed to hit a pretty good drive. I then took my second shot but 3 stroke. My trusty Nike 4 hybrid did not fail me. I got to about 50 yards from the green. I then pitched it on to the edge of the green. I was om the green in 5. I was realistically looking at a 7 right. Well the golf gods shined down on me. I holed it in one putt! My longest putt of the day. So of course nobody was there to see it. I fist pumped anyway :)

I bogeyed the next hole. I was happy with that. My game fell apart on the next hole it took my 9 strokes to hole that one.

So going into the 18th hole I needed to par or bogey to beat my personal best. I teed up and hit a nice fade into the light rough. I then took out trusty Nike 4 Hybrid. I hit it solid and put the ball in a green side sand bunker. I wasn't worried. I have been pretty good out of bunkers this year. The trick I have found to bunkers is hit it harder than you would to try and get the same distance. Anyway I hit a nice flop shot out of the bunker about 5 feet from the hole. I then putt the 5 footer for par. I hadn't actually done the math going into the 18th. I knew though a par result would be big. It was indeed. I scored a 53 on the back nine making my total 108!

Now that may seem high to good golfers but when you have been working hard to improve and you actually see results. That is something to celebrate. My last round at Bellevue was a 116. Hitting a 108 Meadowbrook was not only much better but also a personal best. I was pretty happy with my playing today.

On a side note we had a hawk hang out with us close to the green on 4th hole. As well I got really lucky on one hole when I miss hit and my ball was going to sail over the green. Instead my ball hit the pin and landed 15ft. from the hole.  

I had a great day of golf with an old friend.

Old is new again when it`s FREE

I am going to pick up a set of free golf clubs.

I promised myself I wouldn`t buy a new set of clubs until I broke 100. However I will be getting these clubs for free. I am mostly interested in the irons. They look like they are in good condition and I think they are a bit newer than my own irons. As well I think the face of these irons are slightly bigger than mine.

Do you see how at the toe of the club it bends down toward the heel? Well on my clubs that angle is very steep and basically meets at the heel. On these clubs there is a bit more "meat" at the bottom. Therefore they should be in theory a little more forgiving when miss hit. As I am prone to do being a high handicapper.

I am looking forward to picking them up and trying them out. I will update when I find out how they play.

Dave

2nd full 18 holes After action report

Ok gang,

Well I am feeling good. I hope you guys are feeling good too.

I was thinking of going to Patton's Glen for a little 9 hole par 3 practice today. When my wife suggested why don't I just go play 18 holes. I contacted a golfer I met the on my last 18 hole round. He said he would join me. I now have a local playing partner. WooHoo!

My goal this round was to see if my new chipping technique and putting practice would do well on a full 18 hole course.

My score was really bad on my first 9 (a whopping 62) :( and it was typical for me on the back 9 (slightly more respectable for me 56). I was having problems with my driver. I did not get a chance to warm up. I kept duffing it or topping it. As well I chose too much club a couple of times and had to take a penalty stroke and drop because of being in the woods or losing a ball in said woods. I did get a few good woodsy bounces so the Tree Elves giveth and taketh away.

However my playing partner said he saw that my chipping and putting were much improved. The time before I would hit it too hard over the green and than not enough on my way back adding quite a few strokes. As well that time I was not very good when it came to a putter in my hands.

Today on the other hand I was able to chip on more often than not. The only time I remember going past the green was on a pitch not a chip. I was also quite good around the 4-5 foot put distance. I nailed those today. I suffered with my lag putting. Many times I couldn't get to within 5 feet with only one putt. As well my 4-hybrid was on fire. I should have hit it off the tee when I noticed my driving was a F'd up.

The chipping technique I used btw is a technique where you choke down on the club and use a putting stroke to strike the ball. It is simple and there is not much mechanically that can go wrong. Now you can use a 60 degree lofted club to chip like this and your chips will make little high arcs. If you take a 7 iron and use the same power the arc will be lower and the ball will run longer. Different situations call for different clubs. I found another use for the chipping swing though.

Twice I found myself with some tree branches above and in the way of a traditional lofted pitch to get to the green. When you hit branches and leaves the luckiest thing that happens is you lose power. The worst is the ball deflects and goes somewhere else than directly forward usually deeper in the woods. So what to do? Well I held aloft my magic sword and said "By the power of Greyskull!...." sorry old 80's cartoon flashback. I took my 3 iron out of my bag. The loft you see on the 3 iron is 12-17 degrees. It is often times a difficult and unforgiving iron to hit well. But with my new chipping swing I says to myself "what the hell? I might as well try it." I just need to swing harder than I would with a normal chip. I stepped up and whacked my ball. What happened was exactly what I wanted. Yeah I was surprised too. The ball stayed low and rolled along the ground about 80 yards. I did it twice on the course!

My final score was still not where I want it to be but I was very happy with my progress of my chipping and putting. Little steps. I think if I can get my long game and short game to groove at the same time well that will be an interesting day of golf for me.

I am going to hit the driving range tomorrow with Aiden. With the goal of getting him some practice and trying to figure out what went wrong with my drives.

50 putts in a row or bust!

Hey,

How are you guys?

I am doing pretty good. Instead of my normal Patton`s Glen 9 hole par 3 round I made this.

So I will start at the beginning. I found a youtube video that described an indoor golf mat that had a hole cut out. Here is the video that inspired me. Inexpensive Indoor Putting Green to beat VD (Vitamin D Deficiency)

So I decided to buy some foam mats to lay down as a base and I bought a 6`x8` artificial grass carpet.

I cut the grass carpet in half so that I can lay them out to get a longer putting surface to work on weight or roll distance for those 9`-10` putts.

I also marked and cut holes in two of the foam mat tiles. (my dog Benjamin checking out my work as dogs are excellent supervisors)

Next I placed the carpet on the floor grass side down, and placed the mat on top. I then marked and cut out the holes in the grass carpet.

So after that I flipped them over. Here is a close up of one of the ends.

Here as above is the final work placed end to end. 4`x 12`.

Here is one of  my cats Whistler enjoying a nap on my new indoor putting green.

When finished I will need to pack everything up because I don`t want my cats sparpening thier claws on my new putting green.

So as for performance. I learned I need to pin the carpet to the mats using regular old push pins. As I walked around on the carpet it would move and the holes would need to be realigned. As well walking on it can create rolls and bumps that make the golf balls break while rolling at slow speeds. The grain of the grass does this as well.

I measured out 3` from one of the holes and started practicing. I read somewhere that an effective putting drill is try to make 50 putts in a row. If you miss one you start your count over.

Well I practiced that from 3`. It took me 5-6 attempts. I missed at 10, 15, 24, 32, 31...

However I did manage to make 50 in a row before going to bed. I wasn`t up too late.

I think what I will learn from using this green is the proper weight I need and how to roll the ball well. I think I will also learn how to stike it pure with the putter so I get a balanced non-wobbley roll.

I am not sure how well the 50 putt or bust practice will work on longer distances but I am going to practice them anyway.

The goal is to become a putting sniper inside 5` and to be an effective two putter from 10`.

I will try to go to Patten`s Glen this Friday.

Be good, and if you can`t be good don`t get caught!

Dave McBride aka The Golfing Gamer

DIY Custom made teddy bear golf club head covers

Hey,

How are you guys?

I am good. I was surfing youtube today and came across a simple yet fun little project. Do it yourself custom made golf club head covers. Here is the youtube

DIY Golf Club Cover

So I decided to do a couple myself. I did my driver.

Then I did my putter.

I am pretty pleased with the results. I hope it will add a little fun to my future games.

Dave McBride aka The Golfing Gamer

Best Driver Video - Drive the Ball Without Slicing It

JASON DAY'S SHORT GAME SECRETS

Practice at Patton's Glen 9 hole par 3

Hey how are you guys?

I am doing pretty good. I was able to head out to my local 9 hole par 3 course to play tonight. I go to Patton's Glen 9 hole par 3. My very first outing this summer was there. I was alone this time and decided to play two balls. Both of my scores this time beat my first time out. So I was happy with that. I also changed the way I was teeing off. I decided to tee off not using a tee. Therefore making it seem like my starting short game shots were from the fairway on a regular sized course. I was trying to simulate real short game conditions. I think had I teed off using tees I would have scored lower. But the score was not my goal. My goal was practicing my short game.

I was certainly not as consistent off the ground instead of a tee. However I started a new chipping technique. As well I started using a different putting setup and technique. Both of those techniques come from David Leadbetter. There are a bunch of his videos online. I watched one of his series from the early 90's. Go on youtube search for "David Leadbetter The Short Game" you will find a 6 part video series.

The chipping technique involves chocking up on the club and changing the grip and swing to more of a putting swing. This technique allows for more control and for less to go wrong. Or so says David Leadbetter.

Well let me tell you he knows what he is talking about. I managed to make a bunch of short 15-20 yard chips onto the green. In the past I was all over the place with chipping. I didn't know if I needed to swing with my wrist or not. I was all over the place and my chips were as well. Many times in the past I would putt from the green side rough because I was afraid I would skull the ball and send it across the green. I would think at least with a putt it stays on the ground.

Now although I need more practice to find out how each club reacts to the same power. I used a 7 once to chip and run it close to the hole. I used my gap wedge to do a nice little lob chip to get over a nasty sand trap onto the green. I was really happy with both those chips. I really do like this new technique.

Putting the game within a game they say. Well I think I was putting slightly better. The big difference for me was to take 2 practice swings. The 2 practice swings help me judge the power of the stroke. A number of times things worked out. I missed the lag putt but was close enough to sink afterward. As well David Leadbetter says for you to develop a 1-2 tempo. I started  using the same swing tempo. The tempo is supposed to stay the same. The speed and length of the swing produce the power. I still had a bunch of 3 putts but they were mainly from a rim shot. So I was pretty happy with the changes to my putting swing overall.

All in all I was pretty happy with my double round at Patton's Glen this evening.  

Dave

My first full 18 hole round after action report July 17th

So I played a round of golf with my step son, his dad and single player who joined us. We started out at 4:00pm and finished a little before 9:00pm.

My focus was to see how my driving has improved since trying a new technique on the range a little while ago.

I was pretty pleased with my drives today. I banana sliced it off the very first tee. However I was not discouraged. The rest of my drives for the day except 1 were mostly strait. I wasn't getting huge drives but I was much more consistent off the tee. As well for the most part my full iron swings were fairly consistent as well. With my 8 iron being the star of my bag in the back 9. I had 1 birdie chance and made par on three holes.

The bad stuff were my chipping and putting. I was afraid of skulling the ball and therefore skulled it a bunch of times. Or I did a little chip that went 5 feet. I lost my ball twice in the light rough. So I could probably knock off 2 stokes if I had actually found them.

I also hit a golf cart that was in a blind spot from where I hit. I think my ball either bounced off the roof and into the woods or they old guys chucked it into the woods. They were polite when I apologized but I didn't buy it. If they want to be petty like that well there are more important things in life then losing a golf ball.

I did not hit a single sand trap. Except for one drive that skipped out of one. My ball went in at just the right angle for a plume of sand to get sprayed to either side and then it bounced out. Lucky me.

I did realize my gold shoes are torture devices. Until I can afford a new pair I think I will play in my running shoes.

I scored a 116 on 72 par. All in all though I had a great time golfing and felt it was a good litmus test for what I need to work on next.

I am now confident with my driver. Which I have never been up to this point. I mean I used to hit that sucker and hope for the best. Now I am confident I can hit the ball 220-250 in the fairway.

It was funny I was early so I practiced putting. I was two putting from about 15 feat away. Man that practice did not translate to the course.

So next up for me?

Working on my chipping. I know I know. Drive for show putt for dough. However When it takes you 2-3 chips to get on. You need some work there. I feel that working on one thing at a time is the way to go. I really worked in fixing my slice off the tee. It felt like it paid off even though I couldn't capitalize on every good drive.  I think the chipping will cut down on the horrendous holes.

I am proud to say though I had a 9 shot holes but no 10 shot holes. That was new.

Well that is all for now.

Good gaming and good golfing folks.

Took my son to the driving range

So I had a big day of golf today. I took my son to the driving range to try out his clubs and to see if he likes hitting golf balls. As well as played my first full round of 18. (more to come in a separate post on that)

Well it turns out he had a good time at the driving range. I started him off on his irons then I had him try his 1 wood driver. When he connected on his second swing the ball went about 30 feet before hitting the ground. He was pretty impressed. So was I.

He said he had fun. We will got out to the range a couple more times I think before we try that 9 hole par 3 I mentioned in an earlier post.

For his first time at the range I didn't speak in any negatives. I think that way is truly important for him to like playing in the future. I think it is difficult on a new player if you constantly tell them what they are doing wrong. Instead I am going to try and focus on what he is doing right.

Used golf clubs for my kid

So My son is 8 going on 9 in September. He has asked to go golfing with me. I got into golfing when I was 10-11 I guess. Which was just tall enough to use my Dad`s clubs. My Dad is a lefty. I am a righty. So at one point we went down to the local gofl club and my Dad asked the manager if he could pick out a set of clubs for my little brother and I. He said yes. We played with those clubs for a few years until my Dad got us identicle Wilson sets. I still use most of the irons from that Wilson set. I still have the 3 wood too. I want to replace that sucker. Actually I want a full new set but I promised myself I wouldn`t buy a new set until I broke the elusive 100 stroke score for a typical 18 hole course.

So I have a small budget for golf. I am willing to get Aiden some junior clubs but a new set could cost $100! Even a used set on kijiji could run me $25-50. I was going to go that route until a coworker pointed out that sometimes people put free stuff on kijiji to give away. I checked and low and behold someone was giving away a set of used junior clubs. I made contact and picked them up last night. I showed my son when we got home and he said that it was Epic! So there is that :D

Now back when I started playing golf I played with my Dad (15-18 handicap) and my little brother 1 1/2 years my junior. My little brother (I have 3 older brothers) was a natural. At one point he went from hitting 140 to 110. That same game I went from 140 to 120. I have since been a semi-solid 110 on average. So when my Dad tought us it was more of the school of look at me do what I do and don`t lift your head. Do you how many times I was told "you lifted your head" after a crappy shot? Many many times. Anyway I am going to take my son out this week. we are going to go the the range and if he picks it up quickly then we may even head to Patton`s Glen 9 hole Par 3 for a 9 hole round. I think the place is great for me to work on my irons off the tee, chipping and putting. I also think it is the perfect place to teach an 8 year old how to play. It is quiet and not very big.

My approach to teaching my son what I know is going to be interesting. I plan on having a "Golf is fun!" approach. I gave up the game in my 20s because I wasn`t getting any better and didn`t get the proper instruction. That`s okay and I don`t blame my Dad. He was not a teacher. I guess he figured I would learn the way he did by playing. I need instruction. Nowadays I get it from youtube videos and from a book. It is my hope that I can teach my son in a way that doesn`t turn him away from golf like what happened to me.

Oh and by the way I will never tell my son "you lifted your head" after a crappy shot.

First game of the year after action report July 11

So I played on July 11th 2016. My playing partner was my step son. We went to a local 9 hole par 3 course called Patton`s Glen.

It is a nice little course. I think the longest hole is 120± yards. I think the shortest is 75yards.

I scored horribly for most of the game. I mean really bad. However there were a few highlights.

Let me explain that last year I started working on a new grip as well as I have been trying to get rid of my slice. I have also been trying to eliminate my fat shots on my short irons.

I have come accross a video on youtube that lead me to a new golf instruction site. I will get more into the site in another post.

Off the tees in general I was very consistent. It was my first time on the course so it was tough to judge distance. As well I only have a vague idea of my own capabilities and yardages for each of my clubs. All that being said my step son remarqued that my tee shots were quite strait. I got quite a bit of loft on my tee shots. Used my 8 iron for the first hole but quickly changed to mainly just my 9 iron.

For most of the approach chips I used my gap wedge. For a couple I used my lob wedge. I suffered a few times by skulling the ball. On one hole which has a water hazard. I managed to miss the hazard on my tee off but skulled it on my chip that sent it into the water. Woot! I need to find a chipping green to practice those very short lobs or chips. You know the really delicate ones.

As per usual where I suffered the most was putting. I 3 to 4 put a bunch of times when I should have 2 put max.

My score was horrible and my step son beat me by 6 stokes. He is quite competitive. So that may motivate me or put pressure when I play with him again. Which will be Sunday the 17th if all goes well.

All in all though I was happy to play a game before my annual work tournament. In the last few years my vegas style work tournament was the only golfing I have been able to do. This year though I hope will be different.

Introduction

Hello,

I am a 40 something roleplaying game hobbiest who also has a passion for golfing. I am going to use this blog and eventually a youtube channel to blog and vlog my progress in golf. And occassionally my ideas on roleplaying games.