Re: Attn Mike D - Long Description of Saturday's Round


Mike Dalecki wrote:
> double_entendre@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> > Mike has commented a number of times that I should be a 5 handicap, not
> > 14 (which I currently am). This is kind of my response to that and why
> > I'm as high of a handicap as I
> > am.
>
> <SNIP>
>
> > So in the end I carded an ESC adjusted 89. I'm not proud of that at
> > all, though at least it was in the 80s. The holes where I think I
> > really gave up strokes that I shouldn't have are:
> >
> > - The 4th. I'm not too unhappy because I've been working on
> > hitting a draw anyway. It was just too much of a draw. It's the
> > bladed half-wedge that's annoying. The bunker shot I caught thin was
> > largely because of a sand-deficient bunker and a bad lie.
> > - The 8th. Pulled drives have cost me a lot of strokes. I'm pretty
> > sure that most of the time if I hit a pull it's because I went so far
> > over the top that I come around like it's going out of style.
> > - The 9th. OK, a lot of that was just temper. I hit a shank now and
> > then, though.
> > - The 12th I'm not too upset about. I had to go for it from that
> > distance. What's the point of hitting a 328 yard drive if you're
> > gonna lay up with a sand wedge?
> >
> > By the way for those who are interested. Oak Valley (in Beaumont,
> > about 45 minutes east of Ontario) is having Q School soon. Any suckers
> > wanna be humbled? I'll be out there.
> >
> > Bob
> > Rancho Cucamonga, CA
> >
>
> I think part of this, Bob, is deciding what you want out of golf. You
> have all the shots, you can hit both draws and fades, you can hit the
> ball a ton.

Champions Tour, baby. :)

But seriously, that's never going to happen. And you're giving me too
much credit. I'm nowhere near the point where I can hit draws and
fades on command. My normal ball flight is a fade and I'm working on
learning to hit a draw. It was a lot easier after I took my clubs to
the range and hit them off of my lie board. Everyone of them was way
too much upright, so I bent them and it was much easier to hit a draw,
though I don't have enough command yet.

I will take the "hit the ball a ton" compliment, though. :) I do get a
thrill out of a huge smoked drive. *laughing* I did one of those a
few weeks ago at Oak Valley. Number 18 is a 418 yard long par four
into the wind usually and a draw is the ideal shot. (The yardage book
offers the useful tip that a "long straight shot is ideal"...gee,
thanks). After hitting a nasty snap hook that I wasn't sure I'd find I
loaded up a provisional and hit a hugh high draw that went over 280
yards. Where was that guy on the first go? LOL

>
> Just like a few guys on my course. They just can't decide what they
> want out of their rounds.

I'm not sure what you mean by that. I know that I want to be in the
70s.

>
> The biggest change to my game from a mental point of view was in course
> manageing better. That is, at my skill level, some holes simply need to
> be played for a sure bogey rather than hoping for a miracle par that
> might turn into a triple.
>
> And some par 5s need to be played as 3-shot holes, not as ones that
> you're trying to reach in two. I'm reminded of a Bob Rotella story
> about, I believe, Fred Couples, who used to try to use his length to
> reach every par 5 in two--and get an eagle chance.

Oh sure, I buy that. I can't think of any holes on any of the courses
I regularly play where I stand on the tee box thinking "bogey."
(Torrey Pines South, on the other hand....) I'm always thinking par at
least, if not birdie. There just aren't any holes that are that tough
on any of the courses I play.

Take my description of two of those par 5s. In both cases, the greens
are in pretty open areas and there's no significant penalty for missing
within a reasonable area. I think that anytime I'm within 225 yards
with minimal protection around the green I'm going to go for it. Even
if I hit a bunker, say, I can still be on in three. Eh?

>
> Rotella advised him to stop trying that, because it often ended up not
> in an eagle, or a birdie, but a bogey or worse. Instead, he advised him
> to hit easy shots, set up a really good wedge, and try to make birdie.
> When he started doing that, his scores fell.
>
> There are certain holes where going all out makes sense, because there's
> not much trouble if you screw up. There are other holes where you
> should take trouble out of play and prevent the big number.

Very true and I try to keep that in mind. I'm constantly trying to get
better about making smart club choices. One funny thing is that I'm
straighter with my driver than I am with my 5 and 3 woods. Strange....

>
> I'd love to caddy for you, calling your shots each time, and see what
> would happen to your score. There are times and places where your
> length can really be a benefit, and times when it can't improve your
> score much, but can really hurt it.

So when are you coming out? :) Oak Valley is hosting second stage
qualifying Q School in November or there's the first stage at the
Norman course at PGA West in October. I've played the Norman once
quite a long time ago and got freaking murdered. I've played Oak
Valley before Q School before and it's a hoot. Very challenging with
tall rough and glass-like, undulating greens. I'm looking forward to
playing more rounds there this year while they get ready for the
tourney.

>
> Part of the round above, I'm sure, has to do with two things: Following
> tweedle-dee and his brothers, and seeing a decent start to a round go
> downhill.
>
> Frustration on the course must somehow be coupled to a sort of Zenlike
> calm. That is, you recognize it as the Golf Gods seeing if they can
> fool you into foolish moves, instead of continuing to play your game.
> You recognize it, acknowledge it, and then put it away.

"Zenlike calm." Oh sure, anyone who knows me is very much aware that
I'm nothing if not the very embodiment of that... *G* OK, conceded;
I've got work to do there.

>
> One thing I've found helps is to try to slow my pace down to that of
> those in front of me. Take a little longer around the tee, walk a bit
> slower, smell the flowers. Whatever it takes to slow yourself up a bit.
> I'm not advocating slow play, but if you have no alternative, fuming
> about it simply gets you out of your rhythm.

It would have been easier if we'd been walking. Then it's easier to
dawdle my way down the fairway.

>
> And don't think about your score. I never write my score down unless I
> have to--I can recount the entire round stroke-by-stroke and write it
> down afterwards. That prevents me from getting a focus on scoring. If
> you can't remember that well (I have trouble on new courses because I
> can't replay the holes in my mind), then simply covering previous hole
> scores with your hand while you write each new score might help.

I really don't look at my scores after I write them down. I know
they're there, but I really don't look at them and so I'm only aware if
I'm playing well or poorly, but couldn't tell you until after the last
hole what I actually scored on the front 9 or for the day. I usually
just write down if I hit the fairway or not, if I hit the green in reg
or not, how many putts and my score relative to par (e.g., a "0" is
par, "1" = bogey, a "1" with a circle is a birdie, etc.--much easier to
add ones and zeros than 3s, 4s, and 5s IMHO.)


> PS: I wish I could figure this back issue out for me. Playing
> yesterday, out of order on the course so we finished on two consecutive
> par 5's, I go into those last two holes only 4 over. I walked away from
> them 8 over, having recorded a triple and a bogey.

Sorry to hear about your back. I know how you feel too--I assume I
told you about my motorcycle wreck at one point or another--and it's a
nuisance at best to have a bad back. Hope you don't have to go under
the knife for it, though if that's the best answer.... Just get second
and third opinions before you do it.

>
> On both holes, the back caused me to lose posture, the ball went right,
> and I was in trouble behind trees both times. I don't know what the
> answer to that is. So a nice little 75 went right to a 79. In the last
> two holes.

Sorry to hear it went south like that. Take consolation in that
someday I'll be on your heels in those mid-70s. Look out Dave
Jakubowsky, we're on the hunt for you. :o)

Bob
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

.

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