Week commencing 19th Feb 2007

[Flowergirl]

Oh my god!!! Just when I thought I couldn't putt any worse than normal I go and play at Southern. Cripes - I hate those friggin greens!!!!!!!!!!! I am too ashamed to say how many putts I had - it would be the highest I've EVER seen posted. What really gets me is that I stood over every putt confinced that this time I'd get it in - but the positive attitude did nothing. What makes it worse is that I had the best driving and pitching round ever. Not one bad drive.

I just don't know how to get my confidence back with my putting. Do I go out and practise heaps and just shrug it off and hope that I improve next time I play?

The winner on the day had 40 points off a handicap of 2. Not bad going for a young girl - I think she was about 17.

[Grunt]

Was it just a one off blot or have you been on a bad run? I find my putting is all confidence and if I have a bad day I don't take much notice.

[Flowergirl]

My putting is by far the worst part of my game - and has been ever since I started. I rarely get under 36 putts. And that is regardless of where I play. I either overshoot by miles or pull up way short - just so inconsistant. My reads of the borrow usually isn't so bad - it's getting the speed right. I'm not too bad on shorter putts - probably a bit worse than average but not really bad.

[Grunt]

Have you thought of a putting lesson just to see if it is something simple that you may be getting wrong. I had a simple one years ago and it worked well. I think my putting is one of the strengths of my game.

[Fishman Dan]

Reenie, just remember - shorten the backswing and accelerate through the putt. 3 feet or 30 feet putts you should have the same backswing.

The rest is up to you............................ or your teacher

[Flowergirl]

Reenie, just remember - shorten the backswing and accelerate through the putt. 3 feet or 30 feet putts you should have the same backswing.

The rest is up to you............................ or your teacher

I think that is my biggest problem. So - and this is probably stupid and obvious - you are saying the same backswing but just change the speed. That makes sense - and it's what I do on my pitching and chipping.

But then others tell me same speed but just lengthen the swing.

[Fishman Dan]

But then others tell me same speed but just lengthen the swing.

Whoever's advice you are taking now - STOP!

That's as good as I can do for you

[goughy]

I've used the old longer backswing and cut my follow through off, kind of rapping the ball.

then again, I putt no better than you FG so I wouldn't listen to me.

[Moe Norman]

FG - I won't give you advice on how to fix it, but I will say this.

If speed is your issue, the most common cause of this is not getting the ball rolling off the putter. You are either skipping it a bit on the air or getting alot of backspin in the first few feet of your putts. This means you can hit 3 putts with the same power and 2 could go way past it and one could pull up way short. This is due to the inconsistency of the 'flight' of the ball.

I have improved alot by concentrating on getting the ball rolling off the putter face and making solid contact. Once I have mastered this, I will then move onto getting the ball on the right line

[BrisVegas]

That's some good advice Moe. That's something I've been working on recently. Stoney pointed it out to me that I was catching the putts on the up with topspin (which I thought was the right way to get it rolling). He got me keeping my putter head low to the ground through the ball. It works. I've since seen that advice elsewhere, so there must be some validity to it.

IMO... speed is way more important that line.

[goughy]

Once you pick your line, that's where the ball is going if you keep the putter head on line. So what I try and do is pick my line then think of it no more and concentrate on my distance.

[Moe Norman]

exactly Dion, the line doesn't matter if you're not getting it to the hole!

[AndyP]

The speed doesn't matter if you're not getting it on line.

[Moe Norman]

yes it does, cause it makes the next put alot easier.

[Flowergirl]

Thanks for the help guys. I played yesterday and although I hadn't read your advise re focus on the speed and not the direction - I had asked one of our ladies who is a good putter what she thought and she said the same thing. The first look at the putt will usually tell you the line - then just focus on the speed. I did this and didn't worry about technique and all the other crap that has been messing with my head. I just focused on hitting through the ball. I would love to say that I didn't have any three putts - I had 3 - but I also had 3 one putts and a lot of my second putts were tap ins. It was a big improvement.

We played par yesterday and I finished -3. Too many brain farts on the back nine Had a lovely NTP on a difficult par 3. I know a good game is just around the corner.

[Coffs_Hacker]

41 pts at coffs today. Finally a nice solid 18holes

9fir
8gir
33putt
1bird

[BrisVegas]

nice shooting Craig. Looks like you'll be off 12 tomorrow. Congrats.

[Grunt]

Played with Andrew @ Moss Vale. 24 points.
Very ordinary day to start with. 9 points on the front nine with 3 out of the first four holes wiped. Could not get a handle on the fact the greens were affected by grain. Leave one putt short, put the next 10 feet past the hole.

Had what looking back was a funny experience on the 4th hole. I was under a tree off the fairway and had a couple of pine cones near the ball. I kicked the pine cone, it came off the side of the shoe and into my ball. You got it, I sliced the kick!! I just then picked up the ball and walked it all off.

After that I decided to use the round as a practice round and i hit the new 3i off the tee a couple of times, it is nice!!! Also had trouble with distances close to the hole, more than twice I sailed over the back of the green from just under 100 out (or so I thought). Andrew & I both thought that some holes had there yardage pegs out of whack a little on some holes, we both sailed the green on one particular hole. Was a good practice round in the end and a few good things went with the bad.

Oh well maybe next time, only one game off going back to 18 again.

[Jarro]

82 off the stick around Nudgee South today (36 points)

9 fairways
10 G.I.R
36 putts

3 birdies
5 pars
6 bogeys
3 double-bogeys
1 triple-bogey

[AndyP]

10 GIR!!! That's some good going at our handicap level. It must have been the good irons you were using.

[Jarro]

Why do you think i'm whinging about the bloody greens !!!!!!

[Grunt]

Played Oatlands this morning and on the whole played a whole lot better
91 Gross
10 Fairways
4 GIR
1/9 up & Down
0/2 Sand saves
37 Putts

The game could have been worse but it could have been better to. I had 3 wipes, a birdie and a par. Putter was not on song today , i gave myself planty of up and down chances only to miss read the green and have the ball shave the cup. On the whole I am happy as i was in the hunt all day and after a bad hole I did not turn it into a run of bad holes. Maybe the lessons are really working and the scores will come back. If not I will have to settle and learn how to score off this handicap.

[AndyP]

23/02/07, Nudgee GC South, Stableford

8/13 effective T-shots.
7/18 effective approaches.
4/8 up and down successes.
30 putts.
-----------
1 birdie.
10 pars.
7 bogeys.
Score 37-39-76 stab 41pts (Par 35-35-70)

The G2 driver is going quite nicely and finding plenty of fairways, and the misses haven't been that bad. So far, I'd have to say it was a worthwhile purchase.

I hit some of the irons pretty bad, but also hit some pretty well, particularly after I figured I was standing a bit close to the ball. The NTP on the 18th was a nice strike and must have been pretty close to going in.

The putting seemed to come back today, and I drained quite a few from a good distance away. At the end of the round I seemed to miss a few closer ones though, which was wasteful.

The most disappointing part of my game at the moment is my greenside chipping. I'm just not standing over the ball with any confidence, and I rarely look like sinking a chip. It might be the new wedge combo, and I'm sure practice could fix this, but I'll just keep playing and keep complaining about it after every round.

What's pleasing is that I know I'm still leaving obvious shots out there. Fat irons, flubbed chips, etc. My handicap will now be at an all time low of 10, and who knows, maybe single figures is do-able for me without working at it.

Next round: Gailes Hackers, 25/2.

[Eag's]

Nice shooting Andy
Still have no idea how you holed so many putts though.

[Eag's]

Played Nudgee South Single Stab today
I was happy how I was striking the ball today with the Driver and longer
clubs, but the short game sucked dogs balls

86 (33 pts)
10 Greens
8 Fairways
36 putts (4 bloody 3 putts )

9 Pars
4 Bogeys
3 Doubles
1 Triple
1 Quad