Tomorrow's Challenge

[ezra76]

I'm actually feeling a little nervous for some reason. Going to play Fenner Hill in the AM with Twofast. I've talked about it before, only 6636 but a 134slope with big elevation changes and tough greens. I'm coming off 3 straight rounds breaking 90. Striking, chipping and putting the best I ever have. Had some issues with blocks and pulls the last few rounds, last especially but feel I've got them mostly worked out. I'm a little gun shy about the driver. I killed it at the range today like it was fairway wood but still have a few tee shots from last round stuck in my head. I guess I'll just let the hard work and muscle memory take over tomorrow and see what happens. Hoping for the best. If I can stay under 90 it would be sort of a milestoine to do so 4 times in a row. Basically I want to do it at the all the courses I play most often. So far Exeter at 6920/125 has been conquered back to back with 81-85 and Triggs at 6522/129 went down with an 83 last week. Fenner and Swansea at 6840/126 are next on the list.

[Clugnut]

Good luck. I remember a local course that I knew I had to play like crazy to break 80. I did it last year. That feeling is awesome.

[SilverUberXeno]

Ezra, take advice from someone who went from a 78 to a 90

Don't wuss your driver swing. Turn through it, and SWING! If you baby your shots, you'll be even less accurate than if you swing to your normal level. You need a swing to get that driver pointing in the right direction at impact.

Or you could hit 14 smother hooks like I did yesterday

[ezra76]

I have a feeling I'll just be using the 3W a lot as usual.

[twofast2s]

Originally Posted by ezra76

I have a feeling I'll just be using the 3W a lot as usual.

i say "man up!"

it should be fun tomorrow. right now, i'm just busting to break 80. i'm getting very close, just gotta play my game i guess.

[gwlee7]

I posted in the "crazy round" thread what happens to me when I start predicting outcomes, 37 - 46 = 83. Try, I know its hard but try, to just stay focused on the shot at hand. Try (even harder but still try) not to add scores or start thinking "well now I have to _________ to shoot ________. Just hit the shot in front of you and add everything up at the end and see if you make it. I promise you that it will be a very fun round of golf regardless of whether you reach your goal or not. It will be a lot less stressful.

[Eracer]

Confidence, man! Forget about the score. Step up and make each shot a good one.

[gwlee7]

As a case in point on the not adding stuff up. I played this morning and the guy driving the cart kept score. I just played golf and tried to hit the ball where it was supposed to go and then make the putt. I shot a 73 including one double where I hit my tee shot OB and bested my YTD low by 2.

[ezra76]

Well no record breaking round but a fairly solid effort 1 stroke under my course handicap. 44 on the front and 43 on the back. Greens were ridiculous. I carded 2 3putts and a 4 putt for 37 total. I played conservative where I needed to. I've come to realize this course is about iron striking and putting, distance is not that big an advantage. The second hole is a 520yd. par 5 and I reached with 3i-9i and a PW downhill. 13th is listed at 352 and I put a 5W off the tee to 100yds. on the dot and skipped a SW hole high, I should have made that putt. No birdies for me.

I'll let Twofast tell his side if he wants to. He got off to a good start after a drive that flirted with disasater right and a wedge to a foot from the rough.

Back to work now. I need to continue to make improvements. I'm not good enough to break 80 there yet.

[gwlee7]

Originally Posted by ezra76

If I can stay under 90 it would be sort of a milestoine to do so 4 times in a row.

You reached this goal though, correct? That is some good consistent playing. Keep on it and you'll be getting nervous about getting ready to break 80 four times in a row.

[ezra76]

Originally Posted by gwlee7

You reached this goal though, correct? That is some good consistent playing. Keep on it and you'll be getting nervous about getting ready to break 80 four times in a row.

Yes, I did. I've been trying to do that more and more. Set small, attainable goals for myself. Going into 17 I knew my back 9 score, didn't really think about the front score. I said to Twofast "I'm making a mini-goal... play these last 2 par 4's with a score of 8". 17 is an extreme dogleg left and only 315yds.. I hit a 3i dead straight and into a bunker, exactly 100yds. away. I stayed positive and thought "at least now I can get some spin on it". I did, clipped a nice full SW, hitting the ball a good 3-4 inches before taking a swipe of sand. It hit and spun just a tad. Missed the downhill 15footer but a tap in par. 18 is the monster. 455 uphill with a massive environment hazard from about 100-50yds. out from the green. I played for my worst miss with the driver. Took it up the left side and it cut back too much. I had 155 left out of the rough after it cleared the hill on the fly and bounced off the crest of a mound. Still uphill to the 2 tier green with the pin back. I hit a big high cut 7i and carried all the way into the back bunker. Hit a nice shot out of the bunker that I almost ran into the stick but it rolled slowly by and kept going to 12-14 feet away. Missed the putt by an inch and tapped in for the 5. Goal not met but setting got me to focus and not make a massacre out of the last 2. Parred the easier one and bogied the hardest on the course. It's what I was basically capable of today.

[twofast2s]

yeah it was a disaster for me.

birdied the first hole, GIR on the 2nd hole and 4 putt. after that i was pretty aggrevated. par the next hole and pretty much when down to $hit from then on. i work second shift and i couldn't go to sleep until 4am, only to wake up at 6 to get ready. so i'm blaming on my lack of sleep for this horrid 92. this 92 felt like i had shot 105. lost 5 balls, 5 penalty stroke. everything was pretty hazy, lack of focus, and the aggrevation from playing so poorly was definitely an eye opener.

i need to be mentally tough, and i think this round has shown my toughness. last time i didn't break 90 was in early april/late march. i remember one day i shot 89 was also the day i had only few hours of sleep.. so i'm blaming on that..

i think i'm still mentally tough enough that i know i don't suck this bad . mission to 70 is still on!

[ezra76]

Originally Posted by twofast2s

yeah it was a disaster for me.

birdied the first hole, GIR on the 2nd hole and 4 putt. after that i was pretty aggrevated. par the next hole and pretty much when down to $hit from then on. i work second shift and i couldn't go to sleep until 4am, only to wake up at 6 to get ready. so i'm blaming on my lack of sleep for this horrid 92. this 92 felt like i had shot 105. lost 5 balls, 5 penalty stroke. everything was pretty hazy, lack of focus, and the aggrevation from playing so poorly was definitely an eye opener.

i need to be mentally tough, and i think this round has shown my toughness. last time i didn't break 90 was in early april/late march. i remember one day i shot 89 was also the day i had only few hours of sleep.. so i'm blaming on that..

i think i'm still mentally tough enough that i know i don't suck this bad . mission to 70 is still on!

You're nuts to play with that little sleep. We'll have to hit up Swansea up soon. It's last on my list to break 90 off the tips. Then the quest for 80 will begin. That'll take till at least next year though I think, for me at least.

[VtDivot]

Originally Posted by Eracer

Confidence, man! Forget about the score. Step up and make each shot a good one.

This is the key. I am grooving it now (76, 77, 75) my last three and I don't really feel like I am playing great (except for the driver which I am hitting real solid)... just solid boring golf. My course is pretty easy tho with a rating of 69.

I don't know what I've shot until I'm done thanks to the guru which keeps my score lol. I think Eracer is on track here. Once you start thinking score you're in trouble.

[ezra76]

I'm not sure. I've actually been finishing better since knowing the score for 9 and putting the pressure on. It gets me focused. One thing I have noticed, all my high rounds come playing out of cart with my boss. I might as well add 7-8 strokes just for playing out of a cart.