July 27,2017 round at Traditions.

I played in the morning group on Friday with some great guys. We played the Black tees at traditions and i am getting ready to play in kerrville next week in a tournament so the black tees will be equivalent to what i will be playing in kerrville.

The course was a bit soft because of the evening watering and there was a few times the ball had some mud but overall the course was in excellent condition considering we are now in our 3rd week of 100 degree temperatures. JEsse has done an amazing job keeping the fairways and greens in good shape during this difficult time of heat.

I started off hitting a good drive which always helps the mood for a round. I was rolling the ball well also and the greens were perfect. So i was looking forward to the round. I hit a poor drive on 3 and then proceeded to pull hook my second shot in the hazard making double bogie. I was determined to continue to play well and and grind out a good score. I made birdie on the next hole had several chances on the next 3 holes and birdied 8 to get it back to even par. Then got a bit aggressive on the first put on 9 and three utter to shoot 37. Even though i was not happy to give a shot back 9 i was pleased to have played my way back to a possible good score. Starting on the back 9 i hit some good shots and had chances for birdies on the first 3 holes but didn’t convert. Just a bit off with my speed on the greens.

I a still thinking that when i take the club back i need to open it up to allow myself time to release the club through the ball. When i don’t i struggle and don’t make solid contact. So it is a swing thought still on every swing. I believe i need to take some video so i can see what it looks like and will know even though ti feels weird that it is correct.

What people don’t understand about the swing is what you are normally dining during a swing is usually not what it feels like. There fore having your swing on video when your swinging well is a must. Then you can reference it back when you get out of sink.

I played well until 13. Not one of my favorite holes but i wanted to hit a low draw on the hole and when i made my swing i took the club back shut so i knew i had to open it up to get it to go in the fairway. I accomplished that but i didn’t catch the ball well and it didn’t carry the fairway bunker. I was fortunate that i had a good lie and was able to hit a good shot or what i thought was a good shot. I made the mistake of going for the pin on the upper shelf and not for the middle of the green. It didn’t quite carry to the top and backed up and feel into the green side bunker. This bunker is deep enough that when your in it you can’t see the putting surface. So speed is essential to getting it up and out onto the green. I hit the shot wheel and put it 4-5 feet away. Unfortunately i missed the putt and made bogie. I had chances on the next 4 holes to make birdies but couldn’t convert. I finally got the feel of the opening and shutting of the club on the tee at 18. I hit a good drive and had 145 to the hole. I hit a 3/4 8 iron 5 feet right of the hole and rolled it straight in the back of the hole to shoot 73. Even though i didn’t shoot under par and save my round there were many encouraging spots during the round. It was a hard fought 73 one that i had to focus and continue to make good swing or i could have let it get away. I didn’t get discouraged after the double and continued to focus on making good swings and had a positive attitude. It worked out and gave me hope that the swing is coming around and it is more in control than what I felt before which is that when i made a double i couldn’t make birdies to come back. Now i am hitting good shots and can make a few putts so birdies are possible one shot one putt is all it takes.

The best part of the day is i meet a new playing partner that is a lefty that can really hit the ball. He was fun to watch and most importantly and great guy. We are going to work on him to join. He would be a awesome addition to our regular group. So Larry if you read this be sure to join we are waiting for you to join in and play.