So, I started out pretty 'normal' for my current level of play. I was standing over the ball with doubt and rarely getting a great shot along the front 9 and I scored 49. Which, in itself is grat improvment from where I started back in October.
Then, I started to think, why aren't I following the advice in the book Tom recommends? I've been reading "fearless golf" and, I'm at the part where he talks about goals. So, you're on the course, you make a less than perfect shot (for me? a 53 yard duffed drive... ugh! 🤣), let it go and move forward. How? Well, you move on to the task of the next shot. So, as I made my way to 10th tee taking in a lovely toasted, buttered roll, hot dog, saying to my self, "what's your goal? I want to make par. How do I do that? Stay in the fairway. How do I stay in the fairwayway? Pick your target. What's my target?" Then I'd find a viable target and try to visualize making a shot to that spot. I have not been visualizing at all up until yesterday. I'd pick a target, pull a line back to the ball, pick a point on the ground, in front of the ball to align to and was not looking down the fairway at my target again. On the back 9 yesterday, I started going back to looking at my target during the waggle and visualizing how I wanted the ball to fly.
So, by asking myself that series of Q&A and then acting upon the final answer of what's my target, the clutter of doubt had pretty much gone for most of the back 9. I had 4 birdie attempts that 3 ended in pars and one 3 putt for Bogie and 3 par attempts that ended in bogies. The birdie attempts were pretty difficult. Some on the fringe, some on the green but, 10 yards from the hole. I pared the 10th, a par 5. It was not overly pretty. I faded the tee, driver shot 220 yards just off the fairway to a lie where the ball was probably 8 inches higher than my feet. I decided, because I was still 300 yards out and the lie was tough, I'd hit a 7 and keep the ball in play. I aimed about 10 yards right and ended up about 20 yards left in the rough but, could still see a good portion of the green about 140 yards away but, the pin was slightly obstructed by the canopy of a tree. I said, "well, I'll take a nine and try to go for that corner of the green." Did my new pre-shot routine, mentioned above, and went for it. I hit a high drawing nine iron right to the fringe in front of the green. I took an 8 iron for a chip and run for an easy tap in par!
I blew up on one hole for triple bogie and had 2 double bogies but, I stuck the green on all 3 par 3s (I 3 putted one for one of my bogies...) but, overall a vastly different game from the front 9 and an all time low score of 92! Get the book is all I'm saying!
Danny
Congrats on that personal best, @danny - that is AWESOME!! My oh my, how far you've come and how much better you are going to get.
Excellent dialogue here with @Cody McDowell - great stuff from both of you!!
Yes it was me that introduced the legend of OMP! Isn't it awesome. Watching those guys play is almost like playing a round with your buddies. You get see what its like to be a mid to low handicap player and how their shots are less than perfect and what they do to recover without having to worry about your own round. Sometimes it isn't pretty but their results are way better than mine, for the moment! (see what I did there?)
I think watching that golfmates channel helped with my getting intimidated too. Those guys screw up too and some of them are single digit handicappers!
Lately, I've been rushed for time and I usually only get to the course with enough time to get my stuff together and get to the tee box without being rushed. I know when I spend 15 minutes putting it pays dividends on the green! Hopefully things will settle down and I can find more time chipping and putting. Usually when I do have time to chip and put, I stay away from the driving range and just pitch and put. My putting has always been my strongest skill (even though I get those awful 3 putts my average is 2.1 according to the app), chipping is coming along as I'm following Tom's short game tutorials. My distance control is coming along and I'm even surprising myself with good chip shots here and there!
I would still rather play a nine hole round than go to the driving range, practicing like we play!
The game is definitely getting WAY more fun for me, even if I am sort of stuck around the 100 mark... I'm getting a lower score here and there but, ball flight has improved a great deal! This system really does work and I'm putting in loads of effort and time. Slow steady progress is leading to more stress free golf.
Danny
@danny I have read the book and I couldn’t agree more with you. Aside from shot visualization a big thing that helped me this season is not getting down on myself. The author talks about unrealistic expectations and now when I play my round I don’t really fret a bad drive to much. On approach shots I would be frustrated with myself for not throwing darts. Now I’m happy I landed near the green. The mindset change made the round more fun and I score better because I’m just more relaxed and happier. Highly recommend the book to everyone here