Since I could not play golf this weekend, Chad Feldheimer sent me out to the practice area with some drills to practice. For chipping he had me place a golf towel on the green and try to hit the towel with my chip shot. I placed the golf towel about 15 - 20 yards from my chipping area. I was very successful chili-dipping the ball and rolling it over the towel, but I do not think that what was Chad had in mind. Actually, I made good, consistent contact with the ball but I was chipping the ball about 20 to 25 yards in the air. I probably hit 100 balls and hit the golf towel on a fly 3 times! I just missed right, left or long (rarely short). I tried the pitching wedge, sand wedge and lob wedge, but nothing worked. I think I needed a beach towel!
I was much more successful with the flat stick. Chad told me to use my chalk line and find a flat putt and work on my putting stroke. I had taken the chalk line out of my bag for some reason a while ago and could not find it so I just hit putts. I used about 8 balls (there was no one else out on the practice green because it was so darn hot). Generally, when I am having trouble with my putter there are two problems. One, I do not get the ball to the hole and, two, I push the ball right (just minor problems!). I have tried to close the putter face and use an inside-to-inside stroke and a straight-back and straight-through stroke. Neither works. After tinkering with my putting stroke this weekend, I found that if I have the putter a little open and my feet a little open I can see the line better and swing along that line. I was also making better contact on the longer putts and getting the ball to or past the hole (or actually in the hole). I am ready for a putting contest for our paychecks with Chad!
Showing posts with label Allen Iverson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Allen Iverson. Show all posts
Monday, June 28, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
We Talkin' About Practice, Man!
On Sunday, I signed up to play as a single at the Indian Bend Course at Camelback Country Club. When I arrived at the course, I was told that the course was wide open and I could play by myself, but that the fairways had not been overseeded. I hit a few balls on the driving range, chipped and putted some balls on the putting green and skulled a few balls out of the practice bunker and I was off to the first tee. I checked the score card and decided to play from the tips, which are 7,014 yards with a course rating of 72.6 and a slope rating of 122. The sign at the first tee said only single-digit handicap players should play from the back tees. I teed it up from the tips and let its rip!
Without the contrasting overseeded green fairways and wheat-colored dormant bermuda roughs, it is a little difficult to visualize the fairways, but unless you have tree-trouble at this course you can play just fine out of the rough (actually there is little or no difference between the rough and fairway). Until you get used to the color of the golf course, it is difficult to find the white golf ball in the dormant bermuda grass (even in the fairways). Since I was playing by myself and thought it would be slow, I played two balls on some shots but I tried to keep my score with my first ball, although I am not going to attest to my score for USGA Handicap Index purposes (I do not want to get suspended from the USGA before I even get my playing card!). I also took some putts that may have been slightly outside the "gimme" range. But this was just a practice round.
With a couple of exceptions I struck the ball really solidly and my putting distance control and line were good for me (although I did not make any putts over 7 feet). Many of the bunkers had very small lips and, given my new bunker phobia, I was able to putt the ball out of the bunkers. I shot an 83 with 35 putts (which does not include the putts out of the bunkers or Texas wedges). I drove the ball 250+/- yards consistently and kept the ball in play. I had eight pars and only one double bogey. I played the four par-3s in two over par with one three-putt. When I miss the green, in order to score better, I need to be able to get "up and down" to save par.
Without the contrasting overseeded green fairways and wheat-colored dormant bermuda roughs, it is a little difficult to visualize the fairways, but unless you have tree-trouble at this course you can play just fine out of the rough (actually there is little or no difference between the rough and fairway). Until you get used to the color of the golf course, it is difficult to find the white golf ball in the dormant bermuda grass (even in the fairways). Since I was playing by myself and thought it would be slow, I played two balls on some shots but I tried to keep my score with my first ball, although I am not going to attest to my score for USGA Handicap Index purposes (I do not want to get suspended from the USGA before I even get my playing card!). I also took some putts that may have been slightly outside the "gimme" range. But this was just a practice round.
With a couple of exceptions I struck the ball really solidly and my putting distance control and line were good for me (although I did not make any putts over 7 feet). Many of the bunkers had very small lips and, given my new bunker phobia, I was able to putt the ball out of the bunkers. I shot an 83 with 35 putts (which does not include the putts out of the bunkers or Texas wedges). I drove the ball 250+/- yards consistently and kept the ball in play. I had eight pars and only one double bogey. I played the four par-3s in two over par with one three-putt. When I miss the green, in order to score better, I need to be able to get "up and down" to save par.
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