AMPing Up My Game

This golf season has been a struggle, especially with the driver off the tee. I have put myself in more bad positions off the tee this year that in recent memory. It has led to many frustrating rounds. Earlier this summer, I switched from my Wilson Staff Smooth Driver to a TaylorMade Aeroburner, but I had trouble finding the fairways with both.

Hoping to change my fortunes, I recently purchased a Cobra Golf AMP AMP Cell-S Driver from RockBottomGolf. I got it at a great price since RBG was having a sale in conjunction with the PGA Tour Championship. The driver is 46-in in length and has a loft of 10.5-degrees. Unlike other versions of Cobra's AMP drivers, this one has a fixed hosel, while the others had an adjustable hosel that allowed you to change the ball flight.

The reviews I read before making my purchase were very positive from most of the players who used this driver. Most were very pleased with the distance and accuracy it delivered. I am hoping this driver will help as much in the accuracy department for me as it does in distance. Unfortunately, due to last weekend's rainy weather, I was not able to take my new driver to either the range or the course, but I'm hoping to give it a workout tomorrow night at the practice range.

Playing The Fairways GC at Bensalem CC

Practice Range
Bensalem Township Country Club
200 Brown Ave.
Bensalem, PA
215/639-5556

With my golf in dire help of help, I went to the practice range at Bensalem Township Country Club last night to work on my game. I experimented with a new method of practice as I hit a small buckets of balls of the range.

Typically, there are two practice methods when you go to the range: blocked and random. Blocked practice is when you take your bucket of balls and hit virtually the same shot, with the same club, at the same target, over and over and over. Although this method is extremely useful if you are changing a certain part of swing, it is, unfortunately, how most people practice at the range.

The practice range became the front nine at The Fairways

In random practice, you attempt to simulate what you doing on the golf course by not hitting the same club or same shot twice in a row. I used this method last night by playing the front nine at The Fairways Golf Club on the practice range at Bensalem. For example, the First Hole at The Fairways is 341-yard par 4. So I hit driver, which I duck hooked to the left. I estimated that would have left me about 160 yards to the green, so I hit 6-iron for my next shot. And I aimed at a flag that was to the right of my hitting bay. That shot would have come up short, so I chipped with my 53-degree wedge to one the nets in front of the hitting mats. I did this for each of The Fairways nine holes. I hit all the shots on each hole until I feel I would have been on the green.

Twilight descended on the range

I started my practice by some stretching and swinging my 8-iron with a weighted Swing Sock on it. I then hit six sand wedges and six 9-irons to warm up. I then went into random practice, playing the nine holes. After I finished palying the nine, I hit 13 drivers, alternating between my TaylorMade Aero Burner and an old Maxfli Blue Max Driver. I hit them both a bit better than I have been hitting my driver on the course. I finished up hitting seven shots off the tee and mat with my TaylorMade JetSpeed 3-hybrid.

Maxfli Blue Max Driver

Overall, I hit the ball a little better than I have been hitting it on the course. I hit a few good shots and a few bad shots. I was lacking distance and power in more than a few of my iron shots. I will take a positive feeling away from this practice session. I think using random practice will help me moving forward.

The Grind

The Fairways Golf Club
Warrington, Pa.
Yards: 2255/2248 - 4503
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 51/53 = 104
Date: July 11, 2015

Just when I think my game reached rock bottom last week at John F. Byrne Golf Club, I played an even worse one at The Fairways Golf Club on Saturday. I was hoping that returning to The Fairways, I course that I know so well, would give my game a boost and help to instill me with some confidence. It did, perhaps, just the opposite.

The Fairways Scorecard

It started on the first tee, where my driver struck the turf well behind the teed golf ball, and I managed to hit it about 125 yards. Hitting the turf well behind the ball, or "fat", was to become a recurring theme of the round. I had to lay up short of the pond that fronts the first green, only to dunk my third shot into the water--a quadruple bogey. Triple bogeys at the Third and Fourth holes. A double bogey at the Fifth after hitting my tee shot out-of-bounds. A double bogey at the Seventh was followed by another quadruple bogey at the Eighth after I putted my fifth shot off the front of the green. Somehow, miraculously, I managed to par the 133-yard Ninth Hole. An gut-wrenching slog to a 51 on the Front Nine.

The Seventeenth Hole, which I parred

I took renewed hope to the Tenth Hole after the par at the Ninth, but any hope for a back nine comeback was dashed with a 9, followed by an 8 and the Eleventh Hole. Somehow, someway, I continued to grind it out on the course, actually making five 4s on the last seven holes, including three pars and two bogeys. These were offset by another quadruple bogey at the Par 3 Fourteenth and a another 9 at the closing Eighteenth. It was the second round in a row at The Fairways that I shot 53 on the back nine.

The TaylorMade Aero Burner remains in the bag...for now

The main thing I need to do is keep grinding away on the course and the practice range, trying to find my game, somewhere, somehow. It might get worse before it gets better, but that's what I have to do. I am also contemplating--no, change that to making an overhaul of my golfing arsenal. All that will remain from the current setup is my TaylorMade Aero Burner Driver, Solus wedges and Odyssey XG 9 putter. I will update you on the changes--and the new bag setup--later this week.

A Slow Byrne

John F. Byrne Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa.
Yards: 2273/2658 - 4931
Par: 33/34 - 67
Rating: 63.9, Slope: 116
Score: 50/52 = 102
Date: July 5, 2015

Hoping to change the declining fortunes of my golf game, I played a round at one the Philadelphia-owned courses, John F. Byrne Golf Club in the Northeast. Originally built as Holmesburg Country Club, Byrne winds through a valley with the Torresdale creek coming into play on no less than ten holes, including the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, Seventeenth and Eighteenth.

John F. Byrne Scorecard

Hoping to switch up my luck, I put an old 3-wood (TaylorMade Burner), my Callaway X-Hot 7-wood, Wilson Staff RS 4-Hybrid and Odyssey XG #9 putter into the bag. Unfortunately, other than my putting, which improved greatly from my previous rounds, nothing much changed in my game.

The tee shot at the First Hole

Although I pulled my opening tee shot left, I still had a shot at the green, but came up short on my approach and made double bogey. I redeemed myself at the Par 3 Second Hole, where I missed the green right, but chipped on and two-putted for a 4. At the Par 4 Fourth Hole, where you have hit your tee shot over the creek through an opening in the treeline, I managed to find the green in two, but missed short putt--one the few short putts I missed during the round--and made a 5. Unfortunately, that was sandwiched by a 7 and 6 on two of the easiest Par 4s on the course: the Third and Fifth Holes. I made bogeys and the Par 3 Sixth and Eight Holes and double bogeyed the easy 242-yard Par 4 Seventh Hole, before making a disastrous 8 at the Ninth Hole. It added up to a Front Nine 50.

The tight drive at the Fourth Hole

Again, my tee shots were a major cause of my poor play. I hit several tee shots off the heel of the club, putting in a poor position. My second shots were often not much better and my chipping was tentative at best. No excuses, but we had an extremely slow three-some in front of me and my playing partner, 84-year-old Bob, who more than held his own off the tee. The threesome became a five-some at the Tenth Hole, and the prospects for a quicker Back Nine looked grim.

The tee shot at the Tenth Hole

After finding the fairway with my 3-wood off the Tenth, I made a 5, At the Eleventh, the five-some mercifully allowed Bob and I to play through. I made a double bogey after coming up short on the uphill Par 3, then took two shots to chip on. At the Par 5 Twelfth Hole, I began a three-hole stretch that started to give me some hope. I hit driver off the tee and found the left side of the fairway, just in the rough. But my 7-wood went right and hit a tree. I punched out to just inside 100 yards, then wedged on and two-putted for a good bogey 6. I made my only par of the day at the very short, 89-yard Thirteenth (lucky for me) by hitting into the middle of the green and two-putting. At the long, 219-yard Par 3 Fourteenth Hole, I hit my tee shot right of the green, in the Twelfth fairway. I pitched on and two-putted for a 4 on a fairly difficult hole. It was the last decent hole I played. It took my 29 shots to play the last four holes. My legs were gone in the humid weather and I limped in with a Back Nine 52 and disappointing total of 102.

The Par 3 Eleventh Hole

As I stated earlier, my putting was much improved using the Odyssey XG #9. I missed only one short putt, which has been my achilles so far this season. Those missed short putts have turned numerous pars into bogeys, bogeys into double bogeys and even doubles into triples. But that wasn't the case at Byrne. I am however, really struggling off the tee, whether it be the driver, fairway wood, hybrid or iron, but especially with the driver. After the round, I removed some lead tape I had put on the bottom of my TaylorMade Aero Burner Driver and I hope that might help with the problem. I also think I need to use the driver less off the tee in favor of my Adams Golf 4-wood--which is now back in the bag--until I get more consistent. Perhaps a session at the practice range is in order.

Photos by The Muni Golfer

Friday at The Fairways

Fairways Golf Club
Warrington, Pa.
Yards: 2255/2248 - 4503
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 47/39 = 86
Date: June 19, 2015

I teed it up for the first time this season at The Fairways Golf Club, a short, but well-maintained track in Warrington, Pa. The Fairways reminds me a lot of Juniata Golf Course, where I learned to play the game. Both are Par 65, with a combination of Par 3s and 4s. While Juniata sits in urban setting that sometimes encroaches upon the course, The Fairways has more of a suburban country club feel as it winds through a housing development. Both courses have small greens, but The Fairways' greens are protected by many more bunkers. Given the struggles to find consistency  this season, I thought The Fairways would be an ideal place to try and gain some confidence.

The Fairways Scorecard

Teeing off on a warm day, with the humidity rising a bit, I started out just fine. Even though my approach on the First Hole found a greenside bunker, I nearly made a good sand save. A tee shot off the heel of my driver at the Second Hole went left and nestled under a large evergreen tree. This led to a dreaded "snowman" 8. I played decently, if inconsistently through the rest of the front nine and finished with a 47. My putter continued to plaque me and I missed several short putts, included a downhill two-footer for par at the Fifth Hole.

The Tenth Hole, which I parred

On the back nine, my game started to heat up like the weather. I made a putt at the Tenth Hole for my first par of the day. At the Eleventh, I made a 12-footer for a nice bogey 5. I found the green at the Par 3 Twelfth, but three-putted; again missing a short par putt. The Thirteenth Hole gave me my only real problem on the back; a poor double bogey after hitting a great drive with my 4-wood and having only a gap wedge to the green. I made a par and bogey at the back-to-back Par 3 Fourteenth and Fifteenth Hole. At the 323-yard,Par 4 Sixteenth Hole, I hit my driver up the right side, hitting the car path and gaining several extra yards. My ball was in the rough, just off the path, a little over 100 yards to the green. I hit my gap wedge, which hit on the front of the green and rolled up to 10-inches from the hole for a tap-in birdie! At the Seventeenth Hole, I pulled my driver into the Sixteenth fairway, but made a respectable bogey, and at the closing Eighteenth, I crushed a drive, then hit an 8-iron to the back of the green, but three-putted for a 5. It totaled up to a back nine 39 and round of 86.

The Sixteenth Hole, which I birdied

While my putting, especially short putts, continue to be a problem, I hit the ball off the tee much better today. As I noted in my last post, I shortened the length of my TaylorMade Aero Burner Driver to 45.25-in. in an attempt to find more fairways. Today was the first time I used the shorter driver in a round and I used it on six holes. Although I only hit actual fairways (First and Fifth), I only hit one really bad drive (Second). The other three where just off the fairway and very playable--even the drive at Seventeen which I hooked into the adjacent fairway. And the drives were pretty long as well. So far, given the results, I would say shortening the driver shaft was a positive move.

Going Shorter to Hit It Longer

As I previously wrote, I bought a TaylorMade Aero Burner Driver about three weeks ago to replace the Wilson Staff Smooth Driver that had been in my bag. I like the new driver, but I've had a tough time getting consistency with it. When I manage to square the clubface and hit it on the sweet spot, it is probably the longest driver I have ever hit. However, during the two rounds I've played with it, along with the two sessions at the practice range, I have been unable to consistently find the fairway or hit my comfortable draw. I have had more fades, slices, pull hooks and shots off the heel than I would like.

TaylorMade Aero Burner Driver

One of the reasons I believe for this inconsistency is the length of the driver. My Wilson Staff Smooth was 45.5-in in length, while the TaylorMade Aero Burner is 45.75-in. While quarter-inch might not seem like much, I believe it has been huge in getting the correct timing on my swing. Considering that the average length of a driver on the PGA Tour is 44.5-in., I contemplated shortening the length of the Aero Burner.

Wilson Staff Smooth Driver

After much research to determine that cutting down the driver shaft from the butt end would not seriously alter the shaft's flex or overall distance, I decided to shorten it by a half-inch to 45.25-in. This is a little shorter than the Wilson Staff Smooth, which I have hit so well for several years, but I feel that the slightly shorter shaft, combined with the hot face of the Aero Burner, will still give me the overall length I'm seeking, as well as help me put the ball in the fairway more consistently with my familiar draw. So last night, I removed the driver's grip and sawed the half-inch off the butt end, then re-gripped it using a Winn Dri-Tac grip; the same model of grip which had previously been on the driver. I also added some lead tape on the club's sole, towards the heel, in order to approximate its previous swing weight and also to promote a draw. The newly re-configured Aero Burner will be in the bag tomorrow for a round at The Fairways Golf Club, so I will quickly get an idea how well it works.

A Pause for Practice

Practice Range
Bensalem Township Country Club
200 Brown Ave.
Bensalem, PA
215/639-5556

On Sunday, I had planned to play a round at The Fairways Golf Club. But based on my results from Friday's round at Limelikn Golf Club, I decided some practice would be better. So I packed my clubs into the SUV and headed over to the practice ranged at Bensalem Township Country Club.

The Practice Range at Bensalem

I grabbed a small bucket of balls and found an open spot on the range. After some stretching, I warmed up by hitting 10 balls with my 56-degree sand wedge. I put a yardstick down to help with my alignment as I proceed to hit 30 balls with my TaylorMade Aero Burner Driver. At first, I hit some fades; my draw still eluding me with this new driver. While I did hit some long drives with a slight draw, I continued to hit a lot more duck hooks than I would like. I believe the problem may be that the driver, which is 45.75-in., is just a bit too long for me to control properly. I don't think I am able to properly square the club face at this length, which is causing me to hit the fade or slice, and to hook it as I try to force the ball the draw.

On the Practice Green

I have begun to research cutting it down to 45-in. So far, my research indicated that cutting three-quarters of an inch off the butt end and re-gripping it will not seriously effect the the shaft's flex or the overall distance of my drives. The shorter length should allow me to better control my drives and hit more fairways. I will try to pick up a Winn Dri-Tac grip--the same grip presently on the driver--so I can cut it down later this week.

The Big Putt Practice Ball

After hitting balls with my driver, I headed over to the practice green to work on my putting. I have been missing far too many short putts, which is turning 3s, 4s and 5s into 5s, 6s and 7s on my scorecard. I spent about 20 minutes practicing short putts with The Big Putt, an over-sized ball that weighs the same as a regulation golf ball. The Big Putt is 1.95-in in diameter, whereas a golf is 1.68-in. The theory is that after putting with the larger ball, the hole will look bigger with a regular golf, instilling more confidence over short putts. Hopefully, the additional practice on the greens will pay off in my next round.

Scores and Temps are High at Limekiln

Limekiln Golf Club
Ambler, Pa
Yards: 3059 (Blue)/2864 (Red) - 5960
Par: 35/35 - 70
Rating: 67.9, Slope: 117
Score: 55/47 = 102
Date: June 12, 2015

The first heat wave of the season had settled over the Delaware Valley as I teed it up for the first time ever at Limekiln Golf Club. Founded by Philadelphia Phillies' 1905s Whiz Kids Robin Roberts and Curt Simmons, the course has 27 holes located on Limekiln Pike in Ambler, Pa. The course was in excellent shape and we got an excellent deal from GolfNow; only $25 plus cart.

I teed off with my cousin at 11:45 a.m. on the Blue Nine as temperatures climbed into the mid-90s, with very high humidity. We were joined by a husband-wife pairing of Larry and David. I had a lot of confidence in my game after the 42 on the bank nine at Neshaminy Valley last Sunday, but I struggled off the tee from the start, hitting my opening right to the right and narrowly avoiding the woods on the dogleg left. I played army golf through the front nine, hitting tee shots left and right throughout. Even when I did manage to put my ball in the fairway, I followed it up with a poor approach shot, pitch or chip. And my putting wasn't much better, missing several short putts. I ended the front nine with a bogey 6 at the Par 5 Ninth Hole after missing another short par putt. It left me with a very disappointing 55.

Limekiln Scorecard - Blue/Red

The back nine, played on the Red Nine, didn't start off any better as I hit a tree on the left side of the fairway after hitting my 4-wood off the tee. My play got a little better as I started hitting my driver better off the tee, but it seemed like I couldn't put two decent shots together and I continued to struggle on Limekiln's greens. My one good hole of the day came at the 418-yard Par 4 Fifth Hole on the White Nine. I blasted my driver 271 to the middle of the fairway, leaving me just 147 yards to the green. I then hit a 7-iron to 15-feet behind the hole and two-putted for my only par of the day. As the back nine went on, I was getting longer and more consistent with my driver off the tee, so I'm hoping that I'm starting to adjust to the TaylorMade Aero Burner. My back nine was a 47, an eight stroke improvement over the front nine, but it still left me with a 102 for my round.

Happy in the Valley

Neshaminy Valley Golf Club
Jamison, Pa.
Yards: 3338/2676 - 6014
Par: 36/34 - 70
Rating: 68.7, Slope: 118
Score: 50/42 = 92
Date: June 7, 2015

My second round of 2015 was at Neshaminy Valley Golf Golf and it was a tale of two 9s. On the front 9, I couldn't find the fairway on the Par 4s and 5s and I couldn't hit a green on the Par 3s. The only two times I put the ball in the fairway, on the Par 4 Fifth Hole and the Par 5 Ninth, I reached the green in regulation and walked off with a par. I also had 3 bogeys, two double-bogeys, a triple-bogey and a quadruple-bogey at the long 219-yard Par 3 Sixth Hole. It all added up to a frustrating 50 on the first nine holes.

The Scorecard of Neshaminy Valley

Going to the back nine, I was just looking for a bit more consistency off the tee and a little better course management. So naturally, I sliced my tee shot at the Tenth Hole across the Eleventh fairway and had and uphill shot to the green. Just trying to hit the ball up near the green, I hit my 7-iron just to the right of the green, pin high. I flopped on and sunk a 20-foot, let-to-right putt for an unlikely par! I hacked the ball around on the next hole for another triple-bogey, but I felt I was suddenly hitting the ball much better. I ran off a string of consecutive 4s that included a par at downhill, slight dogleg right Twelfth Hole and my first birdie of the season at the 473-yard Par 5 Fourteenth Hole. I double-bogey at the Sixteenth was followed by bogeys on the last two holes and a back nine 42 for a total of 92. My scorecard on the back nine included six 4s, a 5, a 6 and a 7.

The 219-yard Par 3 Sixth Hole

I was really happy with how I turned around a disappointing front nine to shoot a pretty good back nine and post a very respectable score. I had some significant changes to my club set-up from my opening round of the season at Mountain View Golf Club. I replaced my Wilson Staff Smooth Driver with a TaylorMade Aero Burner, and my Callaway fairway woods are gone in favor of an oldie but goodie: an Adams Redline RPM 4-wood. I also put an old Elevon Tour 20-degree hybrid in the bag, along with an Alphia Golf Rx 4-hybrid. My 5 thru Gap Wedge are still Wilson Staff Ci7s and my two additional wedges--53- and 56-degrees--are still Solus. I also returned my Snaked Eyes MCS2 blade putter to the bag, this time with a new Super Stroke Slim 3.0 grip. I like the versatility of this set-up and hope it continues to provide me low scores.

The 473-yard Par 5 Fourteenth Hole

Neshaminy Valley, a public course, was in pretty good shape, although the greens were spotty and bumpy. At $27 to walk on a Sunday afternoon, I thought it was a good bargain. Play was a bit slow on the front nine, but moved along well on the back.

There's a New Big Dog

Practice Range
Mad Golfer Golf Club
114 Street Road
Southampton, PA
215/357-1622

Following up on last Friday's opening round of the season, I decided it was time for a new Driver. My Wilson Staff Smooth Driver, which came out at the end of 2008, has served me well over the past four-and-a-half years. But it was time for an upgrade. So before I headed to the practice range this afternoon, I went shopping for a new Driver.

Practice Range at The Mad Golfer

I have narrowed my brand choices down to Callaway and TaylorMade, so I went to Golfsmith in Willow Grove, Pa., to see what they had. I found a TaylorMade Aero Burner Driver among the pre-owned clubs. It was in excellence condition and was priced over $100 less than they were selling for brand new. I made my purchase and headed to the practice range.

TaylorMade Aero Burner Driver

I chose the practice range at The Mad Golfer in Southampton, Pa., to work with my new Driver. The facility sits behind a Dairy Queen. It has an upper and lower level full of hitting bays, as well as a grass area and a practice bunker. The practice balls, which are Srixon, were in very good condition. It cost $9.90 for a large bucket which had approximately 70 balls. I picked a spot on the far right of the lower level.

After stretching and taking a few swings with my Orange Whip Swing Trainer, I warmed up by hitting 15 sand wedges. I then uncovered the new Aero Burner and proceeded to hit 25 drives. When I made solid contact, I was hitting far down the range, either straight or with a draw. Several times I hit the netting at the back of the range on a couple of bounces. I then hit 10 balls with a Callaway X-Hot N-14 Driver, but I wasn't getting the same distance as with the Aero Burner. I hit 10 more drives with the TaylorMade club, before finishing off my practice by hitting six balls with my Pitching Wedge. With the Aero Burner, I did hit a few low line drives or quick duck hooks, but I think it will upgrade my game off the tee.

Photos by The Muni Golfer