Bouncing Back?

Fairways Golf Club
Warrington, Pa.
Yards: 2200/2248 - 4448
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 49/42 = 91
Date: June 29, 2018

Hoping to bounce back from the mental meltdown I experienced the previous week at the Fairways Golf Club, I teed it up at the course again this past week. In hoping to change my score, I made several changes to my bag for this round: I replaced my Wilson Staff Driver and Golfsmith 5-Wood for a Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver and X Hot 7-Wood, respectively, as well as subbing a 56-degree Solus sand wedge for the Wilson Staff 58-degree wedge I had been carrying. I also went back to a Titleist NXT ball from the Pro V1 I had struggled with the prior round.

Fairways Golf Club Scorecard

These changes seemed to have little impact on the front nine, as I made an 8, 3 7s and a 6 in shooting a 49--one stroke worse than the front nine the week before. I did, however, manage to make par at two of the four Par 3s on the front nine. I also discovered that my swing was getting more around my body instead to more up-and-down.

Standing on the Tenth tee, I kept one swing thought: swing more up-and-down. I also was determined to have a better mental focus than I had the previous. It resulted in a back nine 42, which is certainly better than the previous round, but still not good enough. I did make two pars and had par putts on five of the other seven holes. If my putting had been a little better, I could have easily shot in the 80s, instead of the 91 I posted.

Overall, I played better than the previous round, but I am still searching for the consistency I had earlier. I think the discovery about my swing plane could help, as will the change in equipment. But I need to get back the short game and putting that helped me open the season so well.

Moving forward, the Callaway clubs will stay in the bag and I will also replace the Golfsmith XPC Plus 3-Wood with a Callaway X Hot2 4-Wood. The Solus sand wedge will be replaced by a new Wilson Staff 56-degree FG Tour PMP 56-degree wedge. And my Odyssey #9 will be removed in favor of another Odyssey putter, an original Rossie II. These changes will be tested this coming Sunday when I tee it up at a new course in Delaware: Mulligan's Pointe in Georgetown.

Get Ready...Get Set...

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

Last night, as the last glimmers of sunlight faded across the driving range at Bensalem Township Country Club, I completed my last practice session before I tee it up for the first time this Friday in a golf outing. Although I was somewhat rushing against the onset of darkness, I did manage to hit a large bucket balls.

Practically alone on the range.

As I have through my previous two practice sessions this season, I worked on just finding my swing and experimenting with a few clubs which may or may not end up in my bag. I started as I usually do

TaylorMade Raylor

with a warm-up using my Orange Whip. From there I hit my 52-degree Wedge, Pitching Wedge, 9-iron, 7-iron, two 3-Hybrids, and ended things off hitting my Driver for the first time this season.

Overall, I feel is in decent enough shape to carry me through the outing. I don't feel I will be completely rusty and embarrass myself; I should contribute some shots to our foursome. I have also decided to keep my Wilson Staff D200 7-Wood in the bag, along with added a 22-degree TaylorMade Raylor Hybrid in place of my 4-iron.

Tomorrow night, I will inventory my golf bag, make sure my equipment is ready, check my golf shoes and lay out my golf clothes for Friday. The weather is predicted to be very warm and I can hardly wait for that first tee shot of the season!

First Swing of Spring

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

With my first round of golf less than a week away, it was time to get some serious prep underway. Under glorious sunshine, and with temps in the 70s, I got my first practice session in at the Mad Golfer Golf Club in Southampton, Pa. The Mad Golfer's practice range is where I conditioned myself last September to return to the links after my heart surgery in March 2017.

Since today was the first practice session, it was more important to focus on the muscle memory of my swing than it was to work on any specific swing mechanics. With this in mind, I hit a large bucket of 63 balls. I felt a small would not be enough and a jumbo could possibly be pushing it so early.

After warming up with several stretches and swing with my Orange Whip, I hit 10 shots a piece with my Wilson Staff PMP wedges, Ci Gap Wedge, and Ci7 Pitching Wedge and 9-iron. I finished up with eight balls struck with my Alpha Rx 6-Hybrid and five with my Golfsmith Big Gun 7-Wood. Again, my focus was not where I hit the ball, it was getting a feel for swinging the golf club with a fluid rhythm and making solid contact. I did use an alignment stick to help with my setup.

Overall, I was pleased my first practice session. Despite only playing three times late last season, my swing did not feel awkward; not in mid-season form, but better than I expected. My next practice session will concentrate on putting, along with some more work on swing. While I realize I still have plenty of work to do, I think I should ready to play on May 4th.

Making Up For A Lost Weekend

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

Due to reasons both seen and unforeseen, last weekend was a total loss for playing golf. My golf on Saturday and Sunday was limited to watching the PGA Tour, Web.com Tour and the European Tour from my recliner. Knowing that this coming Labor Day weekend will also be busy and exclude any chance of making onto the links, I decided to hit the practice range at Bensalem Township Country Club tonight to try as best I can to keep my swing in a groove.

The practice range at Bensalem

Armed with a small bucket of balls, I warmed up with my Orange Whip, then hit 10 wedges to loosen up. Then, as I did in my last practice session, I used a method called random practice where you try to simulate playing actual golf bu not hitting the same club twice in a row and hitting at different targets across the range. In hitting the 34 balls that were left after the 10 warm-up wedges, I hit A Driver, 4-Wood, Fybrid or iron off the tee, then a fairway wood, hybrid or iron off the mat. I would also practice chipping and pitching to certain targets.

A four-legged gallery watched practice in the twilight

My swing wasn't too bad tonight, and overall, I was pretty pleased with how I did. I am hoping to get back on the course shortly after Labor Day as I prepare to take my game into the fall.

Opening at Mountain View

Mountain View Golf Club
West Trenton, NJ
Yards: 3120/2997 - 6117
Par: 37/35 - 72
Rating: 69.8, Slope: 122
Score: 52/52 = 104
Date: May, 22, 2015

My first official round of the 2015 season took place today at Mountain View Golf Club, a Par 72 municipal layout just off I-95 in West Trenton, N.J. It is the second time in three years that I have opened my season with my first official round at this course. One of three courses owned and operated by the Mercer County Park Commission, Mountain View is a testing layout that is always in great condition. We booked our round through Golf Now and paid $44 with cart, but have paid as low as $31 in the past.

Mountain View starts off with back-to-back Par 5s, and has three one the opening nine. My swing was plagued today with a layer of rust, which I had a hard time shaking off. I seemed to be dropping my right shoulder on a lot of my swings, causing me to hit behind the ball. This is something I hope the rectify at the practice range and as I play more rounds on the course. My chipping and putting was also disappointing, but that is to be expected this early.

I opened with two 8s and had three "Snowmen" on my card for the round. While I did have two pars, at the 330-yard Par 6th Hole and 124-yard Par 3 16th Hole, I failed to make par on at least three other holes because I missed short putts. It got some bad that I actually started putting cross-handed on short putts during the back nine and my success improved.

Although I failed to break 100, overall, I was pretty happy with how I played. While it was cool most of the day, strong winds swept across the course severely impacting club selection and shots. For a stretch, it seemed like we were teeing off into the wind on almost every hole. I know my swing will only get better the  more I practice and play and this opening round gave me clues as to what I need to work on going forward.

It Felt Divine to Finally Play 9

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2805/2185 - 4990
Par: 34/31 - 65
Rating: 63.2, Slope: 106
Score: 45 (Front 9)
Date: May 2, 2010

I finally found the opportunity to grab my clubs and hit the links for nine holes this past Sunday. I played the front nine at the ever-improving Juniata Golf Club.  I wasn't sure what to expect out of my game since it had been three weeks since I last made it to the practice range.  I tried to keep my expectations to minimum and focus more on my swing and course managment. All-in-all, the results were a mixed, but probably a bit better than I expected.

After pulling my opening tee shot left on the downhill, Par 3 First Hole, I chipped to the front of the green and two-putted for a bogey.  At the Second Hole, I hit a 5-wood up the right side of the fairway to about 30 yards short of the green, but pulled a sand wedge left. I chipped to about six feet and made my first par of the year.

 My Scorecard

The next stretch of four holes demonsrated that I need to work on my irons.  I hit the fairway, or was jst off it to the left on each hole, but managed to pull my approach shots severely left.  This resulted in scores of 7, 6, 7 and 6.  The 6 and the Sixth Hole was especially disappointing since I crushed my tee shot down the middle and had only 97 yards left uphill to the green.  But, with the ball below my feet, I skulled my approach over the green.

At the Seventh Hole, I again pulled my tee shot left and thought I had hit the ball into the waste area that runs down the left of the fairway and must be crossed onapproach to the green. But my hybrid off the tee managed to find the left rough instead and I hacked it out onto the green, where I two-putted for another par.  At the Eighth Hole, I again hit my 4-hybrid with a nice draw which landed just short and hopped up on the front portion of the green.  I then nailed a 30-foot right-to-left putt for my first birdie of the year.  At the Ninth Hole, I pulled my tee shot left into the rough, and my approach shot just left of the green and above the hole. I chipped to 10 feet below the hole, then two-putted for a par and a nine hole score of 45.

The Seventh Hole

I think the timing of my swing, as well as some mechanics, was the main reason for my pulling so many iron shots. I think this could be corrected with some more time at the range, as well as some more time on the course playing.  But that may have to be put on hold as outside circumstances dictate other priorites right now.

Juniata Golf Club, however, continues to impress. Additional cart paths and other cosmetic changes, as well as very good playing conditions has this course on par with many higher priced courses you could play outside Philadelphia.  I would dare to go so far as say that, with maybe the exception of Island Green, Juniata has to be considered among the top public courses in the City of Philadelphia.  All credit goes to the fine work of the Juniata Golf Foundation.

Photo by The Muni Golfer

Back to the Mat

Fishers Glen Driving Range
4717 Fishers Lane
Philadelphia, Pa
215/533-9466
Last night I made my second trip to the practice range as I continue to try and shake the winter's rust off my swing and my get my game ready to take to the course. I again selected a small bucket of balls and took up my customary spot on the lower level.

This time I brought my Momentus Power Hitter Driver with me. I wasn't able to use the Power Hitter much last season because of the forearm/elbows strain that hindered me through most of the season. I warmed up with some stretching, then swinging the weighted Driver. I then hit 10 lob wedges. Feeling sufficiently warmed up, I teed it up with the Power Hitter for 10 balls, before hitting 10 balls with my regular Driver, a TaylorMade Tour Burner. I then 10 3-Woods and concluded by hitting my last five balls off the mat with my 5-Wood.

Overall, I felt good about the way I hit the ball, making solid contact about 80 percent of the time. I also worked on my pre-shot routine, swing thoughts and tempo. I tried to focus more on these aspects than on the results of my shots, but overall, I think I hit the ball really well for the second practice session.

I think I might go to Juniata Golf Course and work on putting and chipping for my next practice session. I'm shooting for early April to play my first official practice round on the golf course.

Getting Back into the Swing

Fishers Glen Driving Range
4717 Fishers Lane
Philadelphia, Pa
215/533-9466

The arrival of daylight savings time last weekend has brought lasting twilight and warmer temperatures. It has also heralded the arrival of the first venture to the practice range. Tonight a grabbed my clubs when I got home from work and headed to Fishers Glen, where I took my usual spot on the lower level. Equipped with a small bucket of balls--I didn't want to overdue on my first practice time of the year--I set my task at stretching, working on a pre-shot routine, ingraining the swing thoughts I outlined in my previous post and generally, just hitting some golf balls to begin knocking the winter's rust off my game.

Golfs balls litter the range at Fishers Glen

Initially, I stretched using my Speed Stik, then hit 10 balls with my 59-degree wedge, increasing my swing with each shot. I then stretched and swung the Speed Stik again before hitting 10 balls with my Gap Wedge. Another bit of stretching and then 10 balls with my 9-Iron, before stretching and swinging the Speed Stik some more. Then it was 10 balls with my 7-Iron, followed by another brief stretch and I finished off hitting 10 fairway wood shots.

I had laid out my alignment sticks to help with my aim and I went through a pre-shot routine between each shot. this consisted and standing 3-5 yards behind the ball and taking one or two practice swings, then moving into the ball, setting the club to my target, taking my stance, waggling the club once or twice then swinging. I wasn't concerned as much about results as I was about making good contact, which I did about 75 percent of the time. Not bad for the first time hitting balls since last October.

Darkness covers the practice range

Except for the lights above the hitting area, the range was completely dark as I hit my last shots, but I left the range feeling good about my first practice and I can't wait until I get back to the practice range for another session.

Swing Thoughts: Keeping It Simple

A few years ago, Golf Digest magazine ran a monthly feature in which Tour Pros revealed their swing thoughts. The premise was that your swing thoughts should fit on a 4X6 card. The idea is, the fewer swing thoughts you have, the simpler you keep your swing. Any more and you would be complicating things. As I begin to focus on my preparations for the coming golf season, I have jotted down my swing thoughts on the 4X6 card below.

It's All in the Grip

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2735/2070 - 4680
Par: 34/31 - 65
Rating: 63.2, Slope: 106
Score: Practice Round
Date: May 10, 2009

Sunday afternoon found me at Juniata Golf Club for my final tune up of the spring. Buoyed by my practice at the driving range last Wednesday, I expected this to be a good round. And it started that way with par at the 1st Hole. But a topped tee shot at the 2nd Hole quickly brought doubt back into my already fragile golf psyche. I plodded through the first six holes playing with the dreaded--and ever puzzling--fade. At the 7th Hole I decided that for the rest of the round I was going to rid my mind of all swing thoughts and try to do just one thing--hit a draw. And then it happened! Like the thunderbolt out of the sky or that light bulb suddenly going off inside your head. The problem was in my grip! Yes, my grip. I have always had a strong right handed grip on the club, which produced a right-to-left ball flight or draw. But it seems I had begun rotating my right hand to a neutral grip which was causing me to cut across the ball, producing a left-to-right ball flight of fade. Suddenly, with the stronger grip, I was turning my body better, striking the ball better, and hitting my reliable old draw. What a great feeling it was! And that confident feeling began to quickly invade other aspects of my game. My chips and pitches were better. Tee shots were better. I could feel my game returning. I still played a few erratic shots and holes, but on the whole, I left the course with the best feeling I've had so far this season. I can't wait to get to the driving range this week and bolster that confidence.

Is the Practice Paying Off?

Fishers Glen Driving Range
4717 Fishers Lane
Philadelphia, Pa
215/533-9466

Without the washout of my practice round in Bethlehem on Sunday, tonight's session at Fishers Glen took on added significance. My one and only swing thought tonight was my takeaway--to make sure that I started by moving the club with my arms instead of with my hands. This seemed to slow my swing down and caused me to pause slightly at the top of my swing. It also seemed to allow me to hit the ball the best I've hit it so far this year. I was striking the ball crisply and getting good distance. It is the best I've felt confidence wise so far.

Working on my swing at Fishers Glen

My bag was reloaded with a lot of my old TaylorMade clubs, which I think may have provided me a comfort factor going into my practice session. I bought a medium bucket tonight, which is around 70 balls, for $7. After some stretching, I started out warming with my 53-degree gap wedge, then proceeded to work my way up through the bag as follows:

10 - 53-degree wedges
10 - Pitching wedges
10 - 8-irons
10 - 6-irons
10 - 4-irons
6 - Hybrids
6 - 4-woods
12 - Drivers
__________________
74 - Total balls hit

While this was the best ball-striking I've had this year, the only thing that still has me a bit puzzled is that I'm hitting the ball with a slight fade. This is really confusing to me since I have traditionally hit with a draw. I think what I need to do is start playing for the fade and see if my draw returns. If it does, I'll just adjust my game accordingly.

Following through on another swing

Photos by The Muni Golfer

Walking the Walk

Well, it is almost April and I haven't made it onto the golf course yet. I did hit a bucket of balls about two weeks ago. But more importantly, I have been walking about twice a week for the past four weeks. Tonight, even though it was cool and windy, I walked around Abraham Lincoln High School, which is 2.5 miles. When the weather hasn't permitted walking outdoors, I have been walking one-and-a-half laps around Franklin Mills Mall. This is helping me build up some leg strength, which is important for the golf swing, as well as preparing me for walking the course in the very near future. And believe it or not, I am actually considering trying to do some light yoga a couple of times a week as well! This should supplement my fitness, as well as provide me some flexibility, which is also important in the golf swing.