My Club Championship
 

Today I finished our annual three day Mens Club Championship. I went in with high confiidence after fine tuning my swing on the range and checking everything out on video. I had a choice of playing gross or net and chose gross because I wanted a true test. I've beaten the guys that won first/second/third today on informal Friday Skins matches, but this was a different ballgame. Unfortunately I can't post this in the Hole-ies/Pole-ies section because I didn't place. I PM'd the following to Yoda and he encouraged me to post it. Its not easy to post about personal disappointments. I really wanted that parking spot!

Yoda,

I didn't place. Our course was in excellent shape and the rough off the fairways was a three-club-rough on every hole due to the heavy rains we've had for the last two months. Had to be right on top of the ball to see it.

Learned a ton. Even though I was disappointed in my performance, I wouldn't trade the experience.

For example, the first day I was grouped with our club champ and a former mini-tour player. While the former champ was throwing his club on double bogies, I was congratulating everyone else while carding a triple. Very hard to have high expectations for yourself, play poorly and still honestly congratulate your fellow competitors on each hole. That chin gets very heavy and its hard to hold up sometimes.

A real character builder.

The things I've been working on at the range did not hold up to competitive pressure. Hence they are wrong. The menace of overacceleration stalked me for a day and a half until I settled my backstroke into an acquired motion pattern with a full finish. Not true acquired motion because of the extra pivot action, but keeping the feel of the right forearm level at the end of the stroke really helped. Only then did I experience good compression and a straight ball without losing any distance on all clubs.

My short game held up very well. Just a simple right forearm wedge putting stroke with a right shoulder rock down plane. I made good money on skins on birdie putts and chip-ins that didn't get covered.

I took notes each day after the round on what worked and what didn't.

I love competitive golf. What a great test. Next year I'll be ready.

The Man In the Arena...And In the Mirror
 

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

-- Theodore Roosevelt
26th President of the United States
April 23, 1910

http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/trsorbonnespeech.html

Whatever you do . . . don't beat yourself up man . . . you don't do it for a living and nobody died. What you were working on at range may not be wrong. Just like having a kid. They don't come with no instructions. People can tell you all about 'em. But until you got one . . . you don't know squat. That's what a dude told me . . . "If you want to get better, you have to play in tournaments period." Don't wait until next year. Go play in another one ASAP.

Great post Bagger,
I bet the guys you played with don't know the work you do on this site......we do.
You put yourself to the test and learned that you need a bit more work-that's just being honest with yourself
and you should be proud:salut:

Life's Learning Experiences
 

Success in life is the result of Good Judgement.

Good Judgement is often the result of Experience.

Experience is the result of Bad Judgement.


We are all human. As long as you learned something, you haven't failed. Most people never learn from their experiences and are doomed to repeat them.

Say focused on where you want to go and Keep learning along the way! The LBG community is behind you. Just watch out for Mike O if he is behind you :eyes: .

Testing 1,2,3
 

Don't get me wrong, I hit many great shots. The kind that burn into your visual and sensory memory. The kind that are talked about after the round. The kind that absolutely confirm the ball was struck perfectly. Many more good than bad. Just not enough of them.

A three day tournament tests every element of your game including your character. You put everything into the fire to see what burns and what comes out pure. You won't find a hot fire on the range.

Thanks guys. I'm motivated baby! :)

Bagger....thanks for that. And know this...you and others on this forum have helped me gain a much more clear insight to propelling the pill. Thanks man.

If I may, can I ask what the percentage was between playing golf and playing golf swing? I don't mean to open a can of worms here but I've had experiences where I've done both with great success. I've also had experiences where playing golf swing did not. Hope ya don't mind.

spike

Moss between my toes
 

Spike - Great Question. I moved this thread into a forum where it makes sense to discuss this.

I'm a certified range rat. Probably spend over 90% of my time on the range and 10% on the course. It may be a higher ratio because I live two blocks from the clubhouse range. Its easier to peel off an hour a day for practice time, or maybe shoot a swing video than carve off 4 for a round.

I'm a single digit HC but lately its rising. In my opinion, the challenge with a lot of TGM knowledge is that its tempting to tinker.

A few months ago I commited myself to reversing the ratio and spending more practice time around the greens.

Tournament Golf
 

Bagger,

As Yoda's post highlights..... congratulations for "putting yourself our there!" You'll come to really start looking forward to tournament golf and the unique challenges it presents. You'll also find yourself being much more "comfortable" in your club events the more you play them. Then it's on to "city" events, and then "state" events. (You should join the TGA at some point - the Texas Golf Association.... if you aren't already a member. They run most of the big state-wide events). Progressively your comfort-zone will "broaden" but the ONLY way it expands is by continuing to "put yourself out there in the arena!"

It is obvious that you have the PERFECT ATTITUDE for tournament golf and are the kind of player that I (and most other serious players I know) enjoy being paired with. You were patient, even-tempered, complimentary, gracious, etc. I assure you that your playing partners probably won't remember how you played or what you shot, but they WILL remember your attitude. That is the other benefit of playing tournament golf.... you meet lots of great indivuduals who share the same love of the game.

Congrats on the effort. Stay with it! :salut:

CG

Stinker . . . here's a thought . . . how about purchasing a net for your "tinkering" mechanics practice . . . . and spending your hour at the range playing shots rather than mechanics. Use more of your range time to really practice like you play. Go through your routine change targes and clubs. Practice at a slower pace . . . the game is SLOW between shots so try not to hit and rake.

If only...
 

Bucket,

Much wisdom in this post. The reason why golfers CAN'T take it from the range to the course, because they never take it from the course to the range. At least fifty percent of your practice should be as you have described.

Good Advice
 

Makes sense pokechop, but my course is hilly canyon style. Short but very tight. :naughty: Target golf on every hole. Most shots are uphill, downhill, sidehill so my plan is to just walk 9 a few mornings a week before work and do my practice on the course. Side benefit is the workout.

I like the net idea for mechanics but my lightbulb moment this weekend was competitive heat. The intent of playing my absolute best with others doing the same for a prize. Putting each stroke to that test is what its all about and doing it on the range or even in a casual practice round is hard to duplicate. Its a combination of mindset and environment. The intensity level gets jacked up, but also have to stay relaxed and have some laughs between shots.

I've worked the imperatives and essentials for years now. Its time to let them out for some hard playing time. I'll be back to tinkering when I've made some significant scoring breakthroughs.

Go for it Bagger ,I've gone in the opposite direction since I left England and couldn't play for over a year-that was 5 years ago and had to start from nothing.
You just need a few competitions:golf:

Tapering
 

Bagger,

If it were easy, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun when you succeed. Lots of good info already. I'd like to post a bit about getting ready for the club championship or your personal major.

I don't see any problem with being a range rat if that's what you like to do. I quit playing in '99 but continued to hit balls on days I could not fish. On the rare days I did play (one year the only rounds I played were at Kingston Heath in Austrailia and a couple of great unknowns in England), I was happy if I hit it pretty well and broke 80. Now, I've got the bug again, and I'm trying to be more balanced in my approach.

If you want to play better in the club championship, more time on the course and more tournaments (that are not as important to you) will help. You do not have to change your pattern for the year, but it would help leading up to the big tourney.

The concept is called tapering. Working less on your swing and playing more golf in the period leading up to the big day. If your club isn't too crowded, you can warm up briefly and go and play 3 or 4 holes in the same time you would use for practice. Adding one extra round a week for the month before the event would help as well.

I work on my swing everyday, and I don't have any events coming up other than a grudge match this weekend. I find myself working more on my all around game because it is in my head to play better. I'm lucky that I have a place to practice and then go play a few holes every couple of days. I'm constantly testing my action and the adjustments I'm making on the range by playing a few holes.

This routine forces me to "get out of my head" (a place too easy to be on the range) and simplify things so they work in the real world. I've been studying the swing for twenty something years and at various times I have felt amazing on the range and completely lost on the course. I spent last fall working on compression and FLW without playing much. I went out to play with my player before Q-school, and he laughed at my inabilty to hit any type of soft shot around the green. It does not mean I was working on the wrong thing, but I might have been overdoing it some. I had also changed my game: I kept good driving but gave up good long irons and picked up good short irons. It turned out that I was trying to create more axis tilt when I already had too much.

By the time we played in Atlanta, he said he thought I would be better than I had ever been once I got more used to my new pattern. I used to not hit any really bad shots but not a lot of close ones either (and I played everyday). With better alignments, I hit many more weavers (where you bob your head from side to side to see which side of the pin you are on), but I'm still getting some of those stuck between swings type of shots.

When you maintain your swing but don't change it, you often know how to fix the bad miss on the course. When you improve your swing, you may change the miss and not be able to fix it even if you understand it. It takes time and experience to sort it out.

I have a buddy who is an amateur tournament golfer. He loves to hit balls and try to perfect his swing but he wants results too. He stops filming video leading up to bigger events and just works on contact, shape, ball flight, routine, etc.

My advice is to let this one go. In the coming year, test your swing and the changes you are making throughout the year by putting it under pressure to make sure you are headed in the right direction. I understand dragging another one over to get the perfect feel, but once you have it, try to make little piles on the range while going through your routine. Play more events so you get used to the way your body reacts to pressure.

It takes time to develop trust in a new pattern. It takes time to get enough repetitions to make the move automatic. You have to learn the lessons, like the one you learned about adjusting your pattern on day 2, to be able to apply them faster the next time. When asked by his sons why he did not get upset at a bad shot, Caude Harmon said (paraphased), "I know what I did wrong, and I don't do that very often." It takes a lot of study to know the whys and hows and a lot of practice to get to where you don't miss very often. It sounds like you are on the right road, just not as far along as you would like to be. Welcome to the club.

HB

Bagger your club championship experience sounds much like my own.

I played in mine a few months back. It was my first big comp since i started playing golf again, after a lay off while i was at uni.

I hit the ball very well in practice but couldn't take it to the course. Had a couple of big misses to the left and right in the first few holes which destroyed my confidence and ended up resorting to 3/4 punch shots to keep it play. My course sounds much like yours, accuracy of the tee is all important, you can forget about finding it when you hit it in the rough. Just when i thought i was getting it back to respectable the long par 4 9th was the last nail in the coffin. Hit a three wood out of bounds to the right off the tee, then hit a second three wood in the left rough, my third ball followed my second with a two iron. Scrambled a twelve in the end, I certainly had a hard time keeping up beat after that. :happy3:

It's strange i used to flip it like crazy with little compression, but at least i could score!

Simple Stuff
 

Danny,

At least 60% of my field were discussing WD after the second day.

Very few were playing to their own expectations and the bulk of the issues I saw were over-acceleration resulting in throw away and I was guilty as well. Each day I was teamed with guys who customarily get through the ball very well. Strong compressors.

What I witnessed was just the opposite on the tourney days. Many WD's on the third day.

Lesson #1 - I realized late in the first round I was over-accelerating so I shortened my backswing. The instant I did that I hit a mid-trajectory laser 3 iron 223 to a back pin. Stuck it pin high to 4 feet. Into the wind. Birdie. I was shocked by the length.

Lesson #2 - I realized after the second round I was ignoring my aiming point and instantly the Driver came back.

Simple stuff - But I agree with those familiar with Tournament play, you just have to get out there and do it. Hang in there for the duration or you'll miss some good learning opportunities.

Trunk Slamming
 

Bagger,

There is nothing worse than playing with a "trunk-slammer". You know, the guy that "gives up" sometime during the round, and usually lets the rest of the group know that he plans to quit. I've learned to ignore them, but I always found it to be dis-respectful to his/her playing partners. These guys obviously haven't learned the invaluable lesson that, in golf, you NEVER KNOW what is going to happen. I bogeyed the first 3 holes on day 1 of a club championship last week and still had a realistic chance to shoot 2-under on the front (I managed to miss 3 putts inside of 4 feet on the next 6 holes to turn at 1-over).

"No-show W/D's" on a subsequent day of a tournament are simply trunk-slammers that decided to save some gas money. :) And that always puts the tournament committee in a bind having to re-shuffle pairings, usually at the last minute.

CG

My Range Routine
 

Very good point. Hitting balls too fast on the range becomes like Geoff Ogilvy described as like throwing rolled up paper into a trash can. Once you get the first one the rest are easy as you get into a rhythm.

For what it’s worth when I practice I try to not hit the same club more that three times in a row and when hitting my irons I try and hit a “Ben Doyle” basic motion chip with a little pivot, then an acquired motion pitch, a punch and then a full shot. To me this is to mimic what happens on the course where you rarely have two full iron shots in a row.

What the hell is wrong with people??? If I get kitchen clearance to play golf 3 days in a row, I don't care if I shoot 3 million . . . I'M PLAYIN' EVERY FREAKIN' DAY!!! Did somebody die or something? If a fool WD's because he don't "play up to his expectations" . . . he don't understand golf and he doesn't really LOVE golf. I mean come on it's the club championship . . . nobody REALLY cares. That's worse than a woman saying "I'm tired" or "I got a headache" or "I told you 4 times I don't take credit cards and take off that bunny suit!!!" Golf is going to kick your azz some . . . dorkballz need build a bridge and get over it. They just got EXPOSED by golf . . . soooooo what . . . it's a game.

I hate it when that happens.

Who's next in line for use of the suit?:eyes: :redface:

I rent it out . . . by the minute.

Well. you can be sure that I wont need it for long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:sad2: :laughing1

hall of fame post for many reasons

Bagger,

It's getting to be that time of year again. My club championship qualifier is this weekend, and I wondered if you have played any more competitive rounds? Any new insights on your experience or things you've done to prepare for this year?

On the same subject, my club championship (36 holes in one day, lowest gross score wins) is on Sunday week. I won it in 2002 and have 'hit the post' quite a few times too.

My plan is to hit balls every day between now and next sunday, spend a lot of time on the short game and set a record for the lowest ever win!

A Big DITTO

Lucky Dog
 

Its sign up time again, I'm playing in the gross division.

I haven't been doing anything special other than working some kinks out which I think I've accomplished.

The only really interesting thing I've been doing is taking a iron out and walking 9 holes each evening with one club and my dog. Its been so stink'in hot here in Texas that the only comfortable time to go out is 7:30 in the evening.

While the dog is off chasing deer, I'll hit it tee to green with one club. Its been forcing me to really pay attention to distance control along with some creativity around the green. Its amazing how may pars I can make with just a single club in my hand.

Henny has taught me some really good course management, so this year I'm going for the low risk approach. If I win or lose, I want it to come down to putting.

Knowing that we all play on different courses and at different skill levels - low risk means different things to each of us. Is this different than when you normally play (for a score and not for practice)? Will you play from the same tees in the tournament that you do in practice?

Having played zero solo tournament golf, I've found Henny's course management threads extremely helpful. This is also a great thread that I thought deserved another look; thanks again for sharing your experience!

Target Golf
 

My home course is a canyon layout with lots of forced carries, ponds, creeks, and elevation changes. Its very much a target course. There are no low-risk holes where a wayward shot is potentially "safe". I'm not sure what Tom Kite was thinking when he designed it, but its definitely a test. :laughing9 Even so, a boring round of par is very doable if you respect the layout and avoid the high risk/reward temptations. I play from the back tees because distance is not the issue. Shot placement is.

Cool - sounds like a nice course! I need to visit :golf: My home course is my home course because it's the closest place and is where I can get in the most golf between work and taking my turn with the babies! :laughing9 I have been playing from the tips everywhere I play this year in an effort to test my game as much as possible and experience a wider variety of shots. My home course is interesting, though because when you move up to the blue tees, carrying the trouble off the tee is an option worth considering on many holes. Hopefully I can carve out a little time this week to get in some practice from the tees they'll use in the tournament. So many options - gotta love this game.

Is there a link for these threads on course management?