I’ve found chipping accurately from short range (e.g. 1 foot off the green with the flag very close to the edge) to be a challenge. I either chip well past the flag or leave the ball in the rough.
Today I experimented with a new technique that I read about for short chips. Choke down on [...]
During a recent round, racked up a couple extra strokes because I couldn’t hit the driver straight. All other clubs were straight or drawing, but the driver was high and curving right.
So went to the range right afterwards to work on curving the ball right to left. Got a good groove going after a few [...]
Shot 57 on the back nine at Spring Valley. An improvement over my last score of 60, and the lowest that I’ve shot to date on this track. Managed 1 par and 2 bogeys.
My 4 Hybrid was on fire, hitting two (2) shots 200 yards, one on the green and one a foot short.
The score would [...]
Practiced bunker shots for the first time in months. However, my technique has improved, maybe because of the time spent practicing flop shots. The strokes seem really similar to me; just for the bunker shot, play the ball more forward(opposite left instep) and focus on hitting a spot a couple inches behind the ball. I [...]
Today I practiced hitting flop shots from the rough over a bunker and onto the green. The flag was 2 feet from the edge of the green and another foot to the bunker, so distance control was important. My usual flop shot was just past the edge of the bunker.
I found that trying to hit [...]
Played the back nine at Spring Valley Golf Course recently. Shot a disappointing 60.
The main issue again was short game, despite some encouraging practice time the week before. The greens seemed really fast, could not get my putts or chips to hold. Time on the practice green before the round didn’t seem to help; that [...]
Worked on the driver a bit today.
One thing I’ve been playing with is tee height. I tend to tee about half the ball above the top of the driver. Lower tee heights supposedly encourage a steeper swing (leading to a fade) and higher tee heights encourage a flatter swing (leading to a draw). Since I’ve [...]
Hit a couple of bad flop shots in my last round. This was disturbing because I thought I had mastered this shot.
Today I realized what had gone wrong. I was moving my lower body (and head) during the shot. This shot is like a bunker shot, you need to keep the lower body quiet during the [...]
Practiced some more chipping today. I had lost the feel/motion for this in my last round, and was anxious to get it back. Discovered a couple keys to chipping it close:
1) Keep the head motionless during the shot. In this way, chip shots are like putting. Moving your head too soon to see the outcome [...]
Today shot 49 at the nine-hole course. My last score on this course was 41. I was hoping to shoot in the 30’s this time, after having practiced my weakness (long game) and feeling good about the progress. However, my short game really deserted me today.
Hit several great tee shots and approach shots. This included a [...]
