Putting Confidence & Winter comp week 3

FOG was the order for the day in week 3. Luckily it wasn't too bad once I reached the course and we could tee off on our time slot. Before talking about the round I just want to mention where the "Putting confidence" in the title came from.
      Last week was the Children's Miracle Network Classic in Florida in which DJ Trahan was taking part. On the PPGS blog that week, Don managed to get some time with DJ in front of the camera to discuss how his tournament was going. At the time DJ was 6 under and was playing some really good golf which he said was in a big part down to his putting. Now anyone who follows the PPGS and DJ on tour will know that putting has been a bit of an issue this season and he was spending most of his time trying to build confidence with the flat stick. In this particular video he mentions that, when playing alongside Steve Stricker, he was watching his putting stroke, (albeit unorthodox by the industry standard) he noticed that Steve, once in position, pressed forward with his grip till his putter heel was off the ground. This, DJ said gave you more of a feeling that your putting stroke was a pendulum motion across the shoulders rather than too handsy.
          Well with my putting being anything but consistent I decided to give this new approach a go in the living room before the comp. Without using a ball, straight away I could feel what DJ said about the pendulum in the shoulders and this made the stroke very controlled, therefore my body was really still throughout. After rolling a few balls into my little putting machine I felt really confident with my new stroke and what I did find was that I didn't need to lift the heel off the ground very much at all to get that feeling which is a good thing. Now I couldn't wait to get out on the course and see if there was any improvement on the greens.
        Back to the comp. Despite a bogey on the first due to a lost ball in the hazard my whole attitude seems to have changed. I don't know whether it was from my new putting stroke or just a love of the game but I really have this optimistic, confident feel about my PPGS. So Par, Bogey, Par and on to the first par 3. I just missed the green to the left and a pitch and not much run left me with a 6 footer for par. My putts had been great up till now but they were all within 4 feet this was the first real tester. Middle of the cup and that great sound of ball meeting plastic made me smile. A bogey later due to a poor approach (not enough club in the conditions) then on to back to back birdies one of which was a 20 foot putt for 2, I was over the moon. A lost ball on 9 resulted in a double and a bunker on 10 producing the same I still felt really pleased with my round. I finished on 11 with a par and strolled off the course with a glow safe in the knowledge that Don and DJ's tutoring, with plenty of good practice, was finally bearing fruit........... Bring on week for and hope for no snow.

Results:Week 3

Another PPGS attempt (a work in progress)

Winter comp weeks 1&2

Well, the words winter and golf, together don't normally leave my mouth with much enthusiasm but as we come to the end of the season and since I have experienced nearly a full years membership at my club, things have changed. I found it (if the weather is kind) quite a fun challenge, taking into consideration

• Cold dense air, the ball doesn't travel as far
• Wet soggy fairways, the ball doesn't roll
• Winter greens having been spiked, makes putting even more tricky
• Strong gusty winds
• More clothing, restricting your swing

 With all the above, the course owners have devised a format which really suits everyone not least the actual course itself. The comp is played over 10 weeks with your best 6 stableford scores over the first 11 holes. Each week there is also an individual prize for the best score and also a 2's sweep. I feel as though I am strking the ball fairly well although I have had to switch from using my usual srixon balls to titleists as they are that bit harder and I get that extra distance. One major issue, which I am practicing to get rid of, is allowing my legs to become a little loose, therefore I seem to be chunking alot of shots as I hit down into the wet ground before the ball. This is mostly evident on my short pitches and chips. FUS, FUS, FUS as Don would say (thats forward UPswing) its all about basic PPGS fundementals. I will be spending my practice time on study this winter, studying my swing using video and studying the PPGS which I do every day.

Below are the results of weeks 1 & 2. . . . .  things can only get better with PPGS.

Week 1 results     Week 2 results

An up and down season

Well since my last blog entry my golf has been anything but an enjoyable journey. My handicap has now crept up to 12.4 this is mostly down to so many inconsistent rounds and the total lack of practice, (going from weekend to weekend without any practice but still playing in comps). On a lighter note over the last couple of weeks I have managed to see some improvement in my game and this has been down to studying the PPGS more thoroughly and also relaxing on the course and enjoying the game again.

         As well as religiously following the PPGS blog I have also made some slight improvements to this blog which will hopefully attract some interest. This was down to exploring the options the blog design has to offer but as you can see its still pretty basic but I'm working on it. Please feel free to comment on anything you see here or just about your golf experiences I would really like to hear from you. (above is a video of my pre PPGS swing) my next post will have my Winter league week 1 scorecard and my new swing for scrutinising