Posted by Dexter Francois
| Posted in
Golf Courses,
My Rounds,
Swing Mechanics
| Posted on Thursday, January 12, 2012
Now that the pros are back and playing, it's time for me to get back on the course on a regular basis. Or as regular as my schedule will allow for. I was able to play two rounds last week and I was definitely a little rusty. Golf is a sport that requires that you play with some consistency if you want to get better. Because I had not played for about a month, the first few holes of each round were a bit of an adventure.
My buddy J.B. and I played at San Marcos Golf Club for my first round back. To be honest, my poor play on the front nine was due to the fact that I couldn't feel my hands. At the start of the round it was about 48 degrees and breezy. It wasn't until the 10th hole that I could actually feel my fingers. I shot a 47 on the front and a 40 on the back for a total of 87.
Despite not being able to feel my hands, I drove the ball really well, hitting five of seven fairways for the front. Where I had trouble, was around the greens. I consider my self to be a "feel" player and when my hands are frozen, chipping and pitching becomes very difficult. I sculled a few. Hit a few fat. It was very frustrating. Once it began to warm up, my touch returned and my short game immediately improved.
The second round was played at Camelback Golf Club(The Padre Course). This was my first time playing this course. I have visited Camelback before, but played the Indian Bend Course. The Doctor had played it the week before, and thought that I would enjoy it. While the Indian Bend Course is mostly flat, the Padre Course, has fairways with more undulation, which made for many uneven lies on approach shots.
Case in point. I came to the the short par 4, 16th and hit a great drive. I was left with only 65 yards into the green for my second. The only thing was that I had a down hill lie and there was a bunker guarding the pin which was on the front of the green. I proceeded to hit my worse shot of the round, hitting it fat, and advancing the ball about 30 yards. I turned a potential birdie hole into a double bogey. Ouch!
Despite this, I managed an 84. Not my best, but it was a step in the right direction. I plan on playing tomorrow. None of my regular golf buddies can play, so I'm going solo. Since it is peak season in Arizona, I know I won't be alone. I like getting out there and meeting new people on the course. For the most part, the golfers I'm paired with, are interesting and diverse. It will be a late morning start so I know I will be properly thawed out before starting. Hopefully this will allow me to get off to fast start. Have a great round and always hit your target.
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Hey Dexter,
Nice Blog you got going I'm pretty much in the same boat as you. I play off 12 at the moment over in the UK and I too am running a blog of my golfing journey. I'm hoping to interact with likeminded golfers as yourself and discuss tips, reviews, stories etc (anything golf). I'm pretty new to the blogging scene as I haven't really dedicated enough time to it but 2012 is a new year and I have a totally different, more positive outlook to my golf game, hopefully single figures aint too far away. It would be great to hear from you and maybe share some golf stories my blog is http://golfjourney11anddown.blogspot.com/
Thanks Lee.
Happy New Year.
My company was off the first week of the year. I was able to play every day, one advantage of being in Southwest Texas.
I already have my first birdies of the year.
I have decided to retire my 14 year old TaylorMade Burner irons, eventually.
It should be a good year.
Hey Lee. Thanks for stopping by and for the kind words. I will definitely be checking you out and we can talk about post sharing for the future. I'm going to put you on my blog list so other readers can check you out as well. Looking forward to reading more of your posts and following your progress. All the best in 2012.
Happy New Year to you as well Lefty. Golf everyday sounds like the life I want to have.
14 years with the same clubs??? At least we know that you have great control of your temper, as none of them were broken over your knee;-)
I'm looking into a new set as well. The teaching pros say that it would be to our benefit to take advantage of the new technologies that are offered to us. I just got a new bag. Now it's time to fill it up with some new clubs. And yes...it's definitely going to be a good year.
Dexter,
I don't believe that irons have changed that much in the past 14 years, except that the club makers are making each iron stronger by increasing the loft.
"Wow, I can hit my 7 iron 170 yards". Since irons are about accuracy, confidence, and knowledge of the ball's carry with a full swing, it doesn't matter if someone else's 7 iron flies 15 yards farther.
I keep up with woods and drivers because, yea, the technology has changed quite a bit in 14 years. I think my 3 wood club head is larger than my driver club head from 1998.
It will be an interesting year.
Hey Lefty, I agree with you "comfortable with your irons theory." This guy I played with one time always boasted about how he could hit his 7-iron 190 yards, yet he was never accurate with his approach shots. 190 yards out of bounds doesn't do well for ones scoring average.
Thanks for sharing but I would like to know that when will the 2013 golf season begins?
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks for stopping by Handicap Tracker. The season is well under way.
Thanks for checking us out Ladies Golf Clothes. It's my pleasure;-)