A long journey begins ...

[Vandal]

With the first step.

I'm building a little on the thread started by ThinkingPlus and her great round. I've been reading here and there, bought some dowels and picked up the Yellow Book not so long ago and am still just trying to let all this stuff settle, which, surprisingly enough it has started.

I played 18 on Friday, the first 18 I've played since October. My round was not so great, but I think I'm making progress and had some very successful holes. Putting was horrible. Driving was long. Recovery shots were great. Irons were 50/50. The longest iron I had to a green was an 8 iron, and that was a 164-yard Par 3.

The good news: No shanks. No wild hooks or slices off the tee, just a few offline and a couple fat 9-irons. I hit some incredible recovery shots that I attribute to practicing the basic motions. I got onto a Par 5 in two with a 230-yard 3 wood that went on a rope! I've never done that before. Of course, I three-putted for par, but I still walked away with a huge smile on my face. I finished with an 87, but I know I'm capable of lower. I've also been reading "Every Shot Must Have a Purpose" and really think this book is a great addition for my mental side.

I'm also in the process of scheduling a lesson with Lee Deitrick and hopefully he can help me find another piece of the puzzle. All in all, I'm really excited about this golf season and progressing with my study of TGM and wanted to thank the people here for providing this great resource.

I'm going to post this over at Manzella's place as well because Brian has really helped in some areas as well. I know the membership crosses over as well. To me, it's an example that both groups of teachers, despite their differences, are great for the game of golf and the development of a swing.