Redemption?!?

Well, I attempetd another round of golf today... "round" still being subjective because I played the exaggerated par 29 executive course at Bald Mountain again. After the beat down the course gave me yesterday I wanted to go back and prove to myself that I was a better golfer than my score indicated.

And I did just that. But nooottttt quite as much as I would've hoped. I started off with a really good warm-up; I had some great flops and great putting alignment. Check yesterday's post for my fun alignment aid using a milk carton ring and a sharpie. And today I tried to focus on a couple of things. The first was putting.

Putting is one of the most complex parts of golf in spite of the simplicity of the putting stroke. If you want to score better, putting is where you should start. I think a big problem that I've seen when I go out with friends and play is that no one really practices putting properly. They just knock balls randomly at the same hole to test for the speed of the greens and go. I like to take my time, make it a contest with myself, focus on my fundamentals and try to key on something simple that will carry over for the next four or five hours for my round.

Today I worked with this thought: http://www.golfdigest.com/instruction/2009/05/smith. It's about making sure that on longer putts that you take your time and don't rush. This is espeically important for me because when I started this year my putting was absolutely horrendous. I didn't keep my putter level, I had an awkward path and worst and most difficult for me to break has been that I deccelerate through impact. It should be the very opposite, take it back slow and accelerate through the ball for a smooth motion on the ball.

"You practice that [stuff] more than anyone," my playing partner Mike said. "All I ever hear you doing is putting in the living, reading about golf, chipping out back."

So I went out after my warm up and since I only have nine holes and getting loose is tough, I generally play two or three tee balls to relax my muscles. The first shot was, well, a hook. But it was good distance. The others were mixed results, but I made myself promise to only putt and count my first ball. I parred the 193-yard par 3 for the first time after a 20-yard flop shot that left me three feet from the cup.

The game stayed steady up until my nemesis: the fifth hole. On any regular course golfers would be salivating at a 225-yard par 4... eagles all around! But instead I like to double bogey this hole, and for no reason at all I ALWAYS hook the ball into a group of trees that sit on the right side of the fairway about 100 yards out. Leaving me still with a full pitching wedge out of trees to get to the green. It happens without fail almost every time I play. And today was no exception as I drew a very dark, very angry 6 on the card.

My emotions got the best of me and I lost focus on my putting thought after I had to putt across a green that was completely covered in leaves. I asked a few people their thoughts on whether or not moving the leaves off the line is acceptable and got most of them to say sure. "Yeah I'd do it." Or, "Sure, if you let anyone else do it, too." "I think it's probably okay, I would do it for my putts." And a couple other variations of those replies but the general concensus was it's a greenlight. But most of them were older and casual golfers not young and competitive. I don't think moving leaves is acceptable on the green since you can't do it on a bunker. I'll have to double check the USGA rules and get back to you.

Anyway, I struggled making anything less than a bogey on the final holes, and after a duffed flop on the final hole I spent the next 30 minutes practicing on the lonely ninth flopping shots three at a time. I practiced from the valley leading up to the green, the rough behind and around the green, the tightly mown fringe around the green, and yes, even one from the tee box of the first hole after a bladed shot soared 20 yards past the green. But flopping shots is tough and I'm still a beginner in my mind so I give myself credit for being dedicated and not giving up on the shot.

Back to putting, the focus of today's round. http://www.golfdigest.com/instruction/shortgame/putting/ochoa_0709 Here's a few tips from LPGA pro Lorena Ochoa, none of which I learned from this article but all that I've read before. I practice putting in my hallway with my head against the wall to make sure that I keep it steady and centered over the ball and this really helps you to feel your arms move and keeping the rest of your body still. I'm not so sure about the eyes closed thing; I know some people like to putt while looking at the hole but I just can't break away from looking at my ball like I do on every other shot. And the stable lower body is something I focus on a little differently but that seems like a good drill for anyone to try if they're struggling staying balanced and confident over putts. I like to keep the thought of making sure that I put my weight on the insides of my feet, making sure that I'm anchored and balanced.

So, today we learned a few things. Flopping shots is a tricky skill but definitely worthwhile if you can pull it off. Putting is frustrating because it seems so simple that it bugs me more when I miss that instead of an errant tee shot when a million and one things can go wrong. Emotions that keep you from focusing on your mental game are tougher than any course condition you come across. Play more with old people, I think they'll let me get away with stuff!