emueller's Blog
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emueller posted April 26 (10:07PM)
9 holes at a time My new goal is to simply play more golf! It’s occasionally a little difficult to get out and play 18 holes, but playing 9 isn’t much of an issue after work (what’s an hour-and-a-half?).
So I’m getting out there and playing 9 holes at least twice a week… and it doesn’t throw off the family life or school!
(But I’m still looking to try to get in 18 at least every other week)
For the time spent, I think this is having a better effect on my game now than just going out and hitting range balls.0 comments -
emueller posted March 30 (04:16PM)
Personal best, and a great 17th! Today, I shot my best round EVER… a 71 with two birdies and a bogey. I had solid contact with all my irons, and my putts all had chances to go in as my distance was about a foot past on all misses.
But the best thing about this round? The 17th.
This weekend has been the “Wings Over Meridian” Air Show at NAS Meridian, and incoming traffic has been diverted to an alternate gate, with the road to it running right alongside the fence that parallels the 17th. The 17th at Ponta Creek is a 515 yard Par 5 with a big tree in the middle of the fairway that is right at the 300 yard mark.
As I finished the 16th and was walking to the 17th, I saw the line of cars waiting to go to the airshow, and my first thought was “I’ve been playing solid all day, and I’ll mess this drive up with people watching.” So I made a point to take a couple practice swings to get loose and carefully checked my line and alignment. Then just let the drive go…
I was amazed! When it “mattered”, I hit a clean 300 yard drive just to the right of the tree. One person in a car waiting on the road clapped.
As I got to the ball, another person in a minivan yelled “Nice Drive!” to me. So now, I’m feeling like I have to follow this up with another good shot. With 220 yards to go and a strong head wind (and a nice bunker covering the right front of the green), I’m thinking I need to play to a safe yardage and trust my wedge to get me close… so rather than try to be a hero, I hit an easy, low 7-iron to get me just at 80 yards. Something I would NEVER usually do, but it seemed the right thing to do with the conditions… and people watching.
So, I play an easy knockdown sand wedge from this point and get it to about 12 feet (wind knocked down my knockdown). The guy in the minivan says, “Nice shot… was that a 9 iron?”. “A sand wedge”, I reply, feeling pretty good that someone thought I was hitting more club… kind of that feeling I get when I hear the pros using a 6-iron to go 200+ yards.
So, my conservative play has got me set up pretty well for a birdie. I line it up, get set, and roll it for the hole. It’s looking good all the way, until it moves just a little right and lips the right edge. A sympathetic “Awwww” comes from the man in the minivan, followed by “Nice par! You need to enter a tournament!”.
I pull my ball from the hole, give my best tour-like pro wave to my “gallery”, call to them to have a good afternoon at the air show, and move on the the 18th… feeling pretty good about my experience.
(Oh, and I lipped a downhill 30-foot putt for birdie on the 18th, tapping in for par)0 comments -
emueller posted March 27 (11:34PM)
Playing more I saw a blog post a few days ago stating “The more I play, the better I get!”. I know it doesn’t seem like it sometimes, but I’m starting to feel that way now.
I think it has to do with my practice!
I’ve made a real effort to work on my short game in two areas—chipping and putting… and I’m starting to feel fairly confident that I can chip most of the time within 10 feet, and make most of the putts within 6 feet.
I spent a practice session just working at putting speed. No care at all whether I’d hole the putt, just whether I got it about 18” past the target from a variety of distances from 15 to 30 feet.
I hit the course for an evening 9 holes feeling like I was going to have success on the greens, and took only 12 putts. A HUGE deal for me!!
My practice might not have been glamorous, but it worked!0 comments -
emueller posted March 05 (07:16PM)
Almost Golf I had been looking for a good practice golf ball that I could hit around in the small lot next to my house, and gave the AlmostGolf practice ball a try.
What a fun little ball!
I was playing with my sand wedge, and hitting shots about a third of the distance that I would normally see, and a very natural ball flight. Feels a little “light”, but way better than those little plastic or foam balls.
My neighbor saw me out there, so we started trading shots across the street, trying to hit close to each other. A great way to get the swing working nice, as the feel of the shot is right… it just flies less.
We may well come up with our own little AlmostGolf tournament around the neighborhood.
#1, Par 3: Over the hedges and car by the corner, to the mailbox to the left…
#2: Par 3: Short blind tee shot over the house into the backyard…0 comments -
emueller posted February 09 (09:17PM)
First round with the new driver COURSE: Shadow Ridge Golf Club I finally broke down and bought a square-head driver, but didn’t go all-out with a Sumo2. I went with a clone (and a 9-degree loft), but upgraded it with Winn grip and a UST Proforce 65 shaft at 45.5”.
The results? I had no issues at all hitting clean straight shots, and can even work the shots (something I couldn’t do with the Sumo). Overall, I was averaging 270+ yards (about 30 more than my average), and hit 12/14 fairways! The two I missed were by hitting a bit too long and rolling into the first cut – nothing major.
... and that aluminum bat KLANK of the Sumo2 wasn’t there, either! This one sounds pretty much like a regular 460cc titanium driver… but about $280 cheaper!
Now I’ve REALLY got to spend more time on my short irons so I can get a bit closer to the hole to get a better chance at birdie! What a great dilemma to have!
I’m looking forward to the Mississipi spring to come so I can hit off some green grass!0 comments -
emueller posted January 25 (09:54PM)
Some time off... It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged, as it’s been awhile since I’ve been playing! Our weather’s gone cold, and all the grass is brown and dormant out here. After six years in Washington, this is a big change!
Not all bad, though. I’ve been able to spend more time chipping and pitching, and getting the putting stroke cleaner with little 4-5 foot putts in the living room.
Not necessarily the most glamorous of practice, but I bet it’ll pay off when the Captain’s Cup leagues start in the Spring!0 comments -
emueller posted December 13 (08:12PM)
Chip, chip, chip... Ah, the advantages of a long lunch break… like skipping lunch and heading to the range!
I did hit a bucket of balls, and was very happy with the results, so spent most of my time at the practice green chipping and putting, with my game today being to both chip and putt.
Four balls, chipped to four different holes, then trying to one-putt. I was hoping to get a round with a score of eight, but my best was a 10. Just couldn’t quite get all my chips close enough…
I’m hoping if I continue this game, I’ll get better at hitting the shot when I need it, rather than hitting four shots from one location (that always get better).
But I’ve got quite a way to go… and I think this is going to be a fun ride!0 comments -
emueller posted December 07 (04:04PM)
Today's Tempo I know I should be swinging with a smooth tempo… but I just seem to lose track of it somehow, and start hitting at the ball rather than swinging through it.
I think I made huge steps to fixing that today!
Today’s range work was nothing but hitting short irons, but making sure to swing smoothly… about on a three count of two on the backswing and then through.
With the smooth swing pace (which actually felt slow), and concentrating on squaring my left hand just before impact, I was hitting really smooth, and ended up hitting for slightly more distance with less perceived effort.
More importantly, it helped me get my swing plane so that I could hit down consistently on the irons and feel the ball “squeezing” between the clubface and ground for a much nicer ball flight, and really good backspin on my wedges!
Hopefully, I can do the same at the course!0 comments -
emueller posted December 04 (01:16PM)
Golf by the numbers After a good number of years off, I’m back to playing fairly seriously again… my wife might call that “obsessed”. Well, I’m REALLY enjoying myself, and I see all sorts of little things that need improvement, which means there’s possibly light at the end of the tunnel.
My Dad was a 6 handicap at his best, so I’m hoping to get down to there, too!
So, I think I’ve solved the erratic drive thing with a combination of getting my swing mechanics together, and spending a little money on a new driver. Now, where does that leave me?
Well, if I’m hitting 75-80% of my fairways, I’m pretty certain that I can get my second shot in good shape, but my GIR is down at around 45%.
Mid and Short irons need work. More appropriately, take one more club and hit easier.
I’m hardly ever three-putting, but I’m not getting too many 10-20 footers in on the first putt. With taking an average of 31 putts, I’m hitting a few one-putts, but there’s some room for improvement… under 30 putts a round would make a big difference.
Putting speed is good, but trust the line that I initially read. Where I’ve pointed that logo line is where I’m putting… and it’s cliche, but I need to err on the high side.
So, with some short iron work to get the first putt inside 20 feet (and hopefully closer), the putting should follow. Hitting higher Greens-in-Regulation doesn’t guarantee birdies and pars, but it should help, as I can two-putt for par instead of bogey.
More to follow…0 comments -
emueller posted December 02 (11:59AM)
A second round with a square driver COURSE: Ponta Creek Golf Club Played a second round at Ponta Creek, but this time the front nine with my normal driver and the back nine with a square head. About as scientific as I’m going to get.
On the front nine, I was hitting fairly well, with an average distance of about 240 yards. I hit the back nine better, with the holes teeing off with a driver averaging 260+, and with missed fairways being only slightly off.
I’m certain it’s not just the club, as I did hit a draw once, but I think that my confidence level is better with the square head, and without the anxiety, I hit better.
Once I actually break down and get one of these drivers, it’s on steadily to working on the short game… a few more shorter first putts and I should be saving some more strokes! Yes… I know I should already have been doing that, but I’m not 3-putting!0 comments -
emueller posted November 27 (07:48PM)
An interesting golf week My short game is coming along, and I’ve been hitting putts pretty well, but I either get distance or accuracy off the tee—usually not both. Davis and I went out to Ponta Creek to play a quick nine on Sunday, but the civilians were keeping things slow, so we went out to the range.
I’ve been hitting my irons better lately—thanks to some work on releasing the clubface and hitting down—so Davis and I decided to have a little fun and try out something new.
What better than to hit a Nike Sumo2 square driver!
This thing’s supposed to have a huge MOI, and be forgiving off the tee, and I’m pretty cynical about these things, but I gave it a go. Tee’d it up a KLANK!!... the thing sounds like crushing a beer can with an aluminum baseball bat.
But did the shot FLY!! Out almost to the 250 yard net in the air. Higher flight than I like, but dead on straight. Thought it might be beginner’s luck, so I hit more—and hit them straight, high, and long every time. Tried whaling on a shot, and still hit it strong and caught the net in the air.
A week later (two days ago), I tried it for a round of 18, and hit almost all the fairways, and all about 20 yards longer than usual, with some 30+.
Davis is trying to convince Cheri that I need one for Christmas—what a great son!! :)
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