Three Off The Tee

Winter Warmers

2012-02-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

As the snow is beginning to arrive again and it is still freezing cold I thought I'd share a few of my favourite video clips to lighten the mood. I know a few of you are going stir crazy not being able to play or practise. These have done the rounds before but I still think they are classics. They feature the American golfer Ben Crane. He always comes across as quite focused and intense on the course but it would appear in fact he's a sandwich short of a picnic and just a little bit mad.

I hope you liked them and that we can all get back out and swinging and playing again soon. If you're lucky enough not be affected by the weather and snow and have games booked this weekend, happy golfing!

Happy Homer - Progression At Last

2012-02-08T11:28:00.000-08:00

Well after the frustrations of my lesson on Saturday I hit the range last night for the first real practise session since, determined to put the drills in place and get the club moving correctly. It didn't help that the temperature was already -1 when I got there but no pain, no gain and when its working like a dream in the Summer I can look back at the sacrifices I made enduring the cold and smile.

I say I was determined to work on the drills and to be honest I went there with good intentions. I hit a dozen or so looseners and went straight into a drill Rhys had shown me at the weekend and which I'd found useful which was to take my address position with a ball fractionally inside the line and about three to four inches ahead of the club face. The idea was to get into the right take away position first, pause and then try and hit the ball.

From a ball striking perspective I had absolutely no issues but each and every one of them were straight pulls left of the target. Not a hook or a pull but arrow straight some ten or fifteen yards away from where I was intending. On the plus side I was really feeling the correct takeaway and club position and felt my right elbow was tucked in and my right shoulder nice and level. The club was set well and behind me and the hands hadn't extended much above shoulder height. If only it had been that easy on Saturday.

I decided as it was cold (sorry Rhys!) to work on hitting some full swings without the pause. All I was looking for was to make the correct turn. I think the yoof of today class it as an OMG moment. Granted it was only a seven iron and so not the hardest club in the world to hit but wow, what a revelation. I don't know if my head was full of chocolate frogs on Saturday and the messages and images Rhys was trying to get over were lost in translation, or as I alluded to in my last post, I'm just a numpty and couldn't get it, but the shots were top notch.

Somehow from the more rounded and offset back swing position I was coming down and compressing the ball perfectly and it was flying higher than I am use to seeing my wedges go. Arrow straight or with a soft draw, the sweet spot was dotted with imprints from another perfectly hit ball. There were a few where the old habit of the club face travelling down the line after impact took over, but for the most part we were hitting down and the club seemed to know where it wanted to go, correctly back inside after impact, without me thinking about it.

Even though I'd hit 80 balls, it had taken close on ninety minutes as I diligently stopped after every couple of balls and just kept rehearsing the back swing. I had to stop as well and put the winter mitts on every now and then to try and keep the feeling in my hands. It didn't help that Blue Mountain ripped me off to the tune of £1.50. I put my money in their hot drinks machine, picked my option and watched as it whirled and spluttered and came up as saying "complete" with the cup still bone dry and not a drop of warming liquid to be seen. Conveniently there was no-one available to come over from the main clubhouse and I was to go over after my session.

That grumble aside I was euphoric and nearly got another 25 balls to give the driver a bash but decided it's quality and not quantity and that getting home and warm was a sensible option. With Royal Ascot still closed and more snow, heavy frosts and freezing temperatures on the cards I am guessing the ranges will be full of frustrated golfers this weekend. It's where I'm planning to be to try and build on the first building block towards a repeatable one plane swing. Hopefully I'll be able to capture it on camera at some point and for those of you wondering what the Dickens it all means, it should be come a whole lot clearer.

My only niggling concern is the fact I thought I was on the right track last time, prior to the lesson on Saturday, and clearly wasn't. I'm going through the One Plane pupil profile I've been given and looking at the drills and I have a clearer picture of where the right elbow and shoulder need to be. As long as that image stays fresh at the front of my mind we're be laughing. Right time to dig out the thermals in time for my next range session. BRRRRRRR

Slow Learner Or Harder Than Expected

2012-02-05T12:09:00.000-08:00

Way back in 2011, well actually the week before Christmas (but doesn't it feel a long time ago?) I had my first lesson with Rhys ap Iolo at the Downshire Golf Centre and we embarked on changing the swing I had into a one plane swing. The logic was sound. Make it a simpler motion and once embedded it will make it easier to repeat. That leads to lower scores, my handicap gets cut, I win a few competitions and Rhys gets muchos kudos for being a brilliant teacher. All great stuff and after my first lesson I was already hitting it better.

Christmas came and went and I enjoyed a few rounds of golf. I was hitting it pretty solidly and the work on the range was still good but bit by bit it seemed to wane until the last round I played where it was truly abject in the Saturday roll up. I was suddenly hitting no more than ok on the range and the swing didn't feel as it had done. Fortunately it was my second lesson yesterday and I hoped that the work I had been putting in would have served me well.

In the end it took three shots for Rhys to conclude that we still have a long way to go. My swing had become more upright and I wasn't getting the club anywhere near far enough behind me and that it was crossing over the line at the top. I had known this was a problem from filming my swing but hoped it would be easy to remedy.

Sadly not and as the lesson progressed we tried a couple of different techniques. Eventually Rhys worked out that if I took the club back, stopped and then made the downswing it would give me time to connect everything together. Should be easy right? Well you know me and even when I got back and stopped in a perfect (or passable) one plane takeaway I still managed to make it hard and the next move was to initially move up and not start the downswing. Twenty plus years of swinging back too far and it's like a tic and almost a sub-conscious move of the arms wanting to go further on. In the end he wired me into a weird harness that really restricted my ability and I was only able to make half swings so we could focus on coming down and getting the club moving round in the follow through and not flat and down the ball line. Again a generic problem ingrained in poor coaching and years of practise.

We found that if I placed a ball a few inches inside the line and in front of where I set up at address and then focused on making a proper one plane turn back, stopping, and then trying to hit the ball inside the line it got the club coming down steeper, I could compress more and finally begin to turn back inside on the follow through.

I have to say I think I tried his patience. I was really trying and although I understood where we were going and trying to do I was having one of those days where brain and body weren't wired in together and one failed to react to the other and I sensed a touch of frustration on both sides. In fact it got so bad, there was talk at looking at the two plane swing which involves a change of grip as well if things don't click into place. I am really comfortable with the one plane even if I can't replicate how it should work all the time and the grip is as comfy as a pair of old slippers. You know how hard it can be to break new shoes in sometimes and multiply that by ten and you've an idea of how tough I think a new grip and swing will be. It is certainly a wake up call to get this swing on track.

I stopped off at the range on the way home for a quick bucket of balls before the snow arrived. I decided to ensure every swing was as Rhys instructed and so made the back swing, paused and then hit the shot. I spent a lot of time on the "ball inside the line" drill and made some good contact with most of them although the ball flight was left of the target. I wasn't too fussed as I was looking for the feeling of the right shoulder being more on top at impact and hitting down and then turning back inside.

The snow duly came and so there wasn't a chance to work on it further today. I am pretty frustrated as I thought I'd made real progress after the first lesson but clearly some habits are hard to break. Still in the spirit of the new glass half full Homer for 2012 we'll learn from this step back and come back more determined to get it right. I've found a good drill or two on the Plane Truth pupil website and so I can really work on those at home and put the effort in on the range too.

I always thought of myself as a quick learner when it came to all things golf. Maybe old age is creeping up and the brain and body are starting to get old and confused. I wonder if Rhys can teach using those flash cards kids use to learn to read. Failing that I wonder if I can make a swing and keep my dunces cap on my head. Maybe, just maybe this one plane malarkey is actually a tougher nut to crack than I thought and the initial results led me into a false sense of security. Coming from a more upright and flawed starting position with regards to my swing it was always going to be hard to trust any swing going more behind my body. Until we can get the initial movement back into a decent back swing sorted then we can't really look at the downswing and correct the shallowness of that.

Problems, problems. Still if there's one thing I relish in golf it's a challenge so I say bring it on. I've another lesson booked in for February 16th and so it is a race against time to get this sorted. I've a clear picture in my head of where the club should be and Rhys is going to update my pupil file so that will help as an aide de memoir and we can go from there. Lets have it.

Snow Chance

2012-02-05T10:22:00.000-08:00

I had a lesson with Rhys ap Iolo yesterday at the Downshire Golf Centre. I'd hope to be able to get out and work on the drills he showed me but the weather intervened. No golf at all today but I wandered up to Royal Ascot Golf Club with the good lady wife and had a bit of a meander around. Not a soul around. Very nice

The putting green. Not much chance of making a putt on there - The 9th is behind it

A view back to the tee from behind the par three 6th hole

The iconic grandstand on the racecourse from the first tee

The clubhouse at Royal Ascot looking back from the 10th fairway

A view back to the 16th tee from the 150 yards marker - one of the toughest driving holes on the course

The pond by the 18th green

The practise ground - my second home - looking rather forlorn. No chance of hitting any balls today

The putting green again looking towards the 1st green

Hopefully the thaw will kick in soon and I can find somewhere to put club on ball. Its all rather frustrating as we had a very good lesson yesterday and I'm desperate to make good what I was shown. I'm wondering if the course will be open by next weekend. Time will tell.

Postponed - What A Result

2012-02-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

I was due to have the next lesson with my teaching professional Rhys ap Iolo at the Downshire Golf Complex near Wokingham this evening. I have to be honest and say I wasn't looking forward to it because the temperature at lunchtime was already hovering near freezing and I knew that by 6.15pm if would be below that. When the call came from Rhys to say the lesson was cancelled and re-scheduled to Saturday afternoon I did my best to hide the disappointment in my voice and reluctantly agreed.

It has been silly cold here in Berkshire. I'd already decided not to play in the monthly stableford at Royal Ascot on Saturday as I'm confident that even if they aren't on temporary greens, trying to fire shots into the frozen putting surfaces is going to make scoring a lottery. As it turns out I can look forward to a lesson instead with a lie in watching the golf from the desert.

It's too cold to practise - who wants to hit mini icebergs anyway?

I have to be honest and say I've not been to the range all week despite my best intentions. I just couldn't see the justification in hitting balls for the sake of it in such conditions. The balls aren't going to react properly and its easy to get injured or start making lazy swings and practising bad habits. Why is it you only hit the ball thin when it's freezing cold and spend the next ten minutes waiting for the shooting pains in your hands and arms to subside? It never happens when the ambient temperature is a pleasant 20 degrees celsius.

I'm hoping the rest will do me good and I can come back after the disappointing round last Saturday with renewed enthusiasm after my lesson. Hopefully the snow they are forecasting for the back end of the weekend won't come to much and the milder weather will return next week so I can get back out there and work on the what Rhys shows me.

Definitely a lucky escape tonight. No complaints from me.

A Makeover And A Look Ahead

2012-01-30T11:55:00.000-08:00

As the more astute will notice my blog has been freshened up for the new year. Hopefully it'll be easier to read and is more pleasing on the eye. As well as continuing to chart Homer's odyssey back towards single figures, I'll also be looking at some of the new gear on offer as and when I get to try it, reviewing a number of courses as I play them and offering a periodical look at those that have had an influence on my game over the years.

I'm glad many of you are visiting regularly and for the most part have been positive in your feedback. If you'd like to say anything, good or bad, about my adventures or would like to see something else included or covered please feel free to get in touch. You can either leave a comment at the bottom of any post or drop me a line via my twitter account for those of you technically enabled at @mbedboro

So where is 2012 going to take me? Initially I plan to build on the progress I've made with Rhys ap Iolo at Downshire Golf Complex and the transition from a mish-mash of swing styles into a solid one plane motion. There is already a lesson in the diary for late February to tackle the thorny issue of my short game and if we can get a swing that repeats, minimising the moving parts, and re-discover the ability to get up and down more often, then the scores will start to drop and we should see some handicap progress. We are dangerously close to hitting the 14 mark again whilst I am never afraid of taking a step back to then take several forward I have always felt that 14 represents a bit of a mental admission of failure. Still it'll be what it'll be. The last time I touched 14 I duly went out the next week and won a club monthly stableford so perhaps it isn't all bad.

I've a few games planned including a couple of Golf Monthly Forum meetings at Woburn 36 holes on the Dukes and Marquess courses http://www.woburn.co.uk/golf/ and a day at Crowborough Beacon near Eastbourne http://www.cbgc.co.uk/ which looks a fantastic course. There is also a Help for Heroes Charity day in October at Blackmoor Golf Club http://www.blackmoorgolf.co.uk/ near Bordon in Hampshire which will be a fantastic day in aid of a superb cause. I'm hoping to interest my club in holding a Powerplay Golf event http://www.powerplay-golf.com/ as it would make a superb social event and would be ready made for a fund raiser for this years captain charity which coincidentally is also Help for Heroes. Other than that I hope to get a few games at courses Royal Ascot has reciprocal agreements with, hope to be picked for a few club matches, and will entering the Volvo knockout with my regular partner Mike Stannard. I'm also on the reserve list for the Trilby Tour http://www.williamhunttrilbytour.com/ and so will hopefully get a spot somewhere in the South Eastern qualifiers. If my "Hackers Guide to Royal Ascot" has whetted your appetite to come along and test your game then let me know. I'm happy to play with anyone and always up for a game.

Above all the aim is to have fun and enjoy my golf. I love the practice and have never been afraid to invest time and energy into working on my game and hopefully now I've got a great teacher working with me I can convert what we do on the range into good scores when it counts on the course. However the over-riding aim is to get out and play, play, play. If it goes poorly then as long as I can say I hit a few good shots and the company was good is there anything to really worry about?

I'm hoping you'll help make this blog a two way street and really get involved in 2012. I plan to offer a dozen golf balls (Pro V, Srixon Z Stars, or Bridgestone 330 RXS) as a prize in a spot competition soon so keep logging on for more details. In the meantime please feel free to get in touch either on here by leaving a comment or via my twitter account and I hope you all enjoy a great 2012 golfing year.

Counting Down The Minutes

2012-01-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

6.15pm on Thursday February 2nd 2012 cannot come quick enough. That's the time of my next lesson with Rhys ap Iolo my teaching professional at Downshire Golf Complex. He is a man with a big, big task on his hands especially if yesterdays game in the roll up is anything to go by. Abject, demoralising, incompetent, and embarrassing are some of the more positive adjectives I could use. A sum total of twenty five points with four of them coming courtesy of a last hole birdie.

Where is it all going wrong? Well all I know yesterday that the tempo was way too fast and for some reason I was lifting out of the shots. I thought that was a fault banished to the vaults of my personal golfing room 101 but clearly not. It leads to a myriad of bad shots including topping it, check, pushes and slices right, check and the odd fat effort. Check.

If that was bad enough the ones I did manage to make a good contact on were all slinging right to left hooks. Not bad if you can trust yourself to do it every time but when you're chucking in a galaxy of other no-no's then you stand over the shot mumbling some ancient Inca poem and praying that for once it will go close to the vicinity of a green or fairway. Add in a double hit out of a bunker and the day's misery was complete.

Dear God - please let me find the golf course with the next shot

It had all started so well. I made par at the long 228 yard par three first courtesy of a slinging, running hooked tee shot to the front edge and two putts and salvaged two points for a nett par at the next. On the third the drive went way right and I hit a pretty rotten approach which somehow found the green. I three putted but it was still a net par. And then the rot set in. Big time. I missed the green from 103 yard on the fourth with just a wedge in my hand to chuck a shot away. On the fifth I blasted my six iron approach twenty yards right of target into thick rough. The recovery flew the green and lets just say I didn't trouble the scorer. I thinned my tee shot on the par three sixth straight into a water hazard. Nil points for the second hole running.

Even when I played with a modicum of sense and laid up on the seventh after finding the left rough off the tee, I missed the green with just a sand wedge, chucked in a shanked chip and managed to get up and down to rescue a point. Another blow out on the shortest hole on the course courtesy of a bunker shot over the green. The final nine was brought to an earth shattering conclusion with a double hit out of the greenside bunker. A massive ten points and I was close to walking in and calling it a day.

That would have been defeatist and if there is one about Homer's odyssey in 2012 it's that I'm going to grind out every measly par or point on offer. No quitting and even if it's the game from hell (and yesterday was getting that way) then we're fight until the end.

Every shot is worth something - no quitting in 2012 - grind it out and you'll reap the rewards

I made a nett par on the 10th to lighten the mood a little although the second shot was a fat short of the green from a good drive. However the hooked tee shot on the par three eleventh found its target for a much needed par. I gave that straight back at the next when a topped drive put me on the back foot straight away. A chip and a putt at the thirteenth for par was the last hurrah for the round and although I made a nett par at the penultimate hole I stood on the last tee just wanting to get back into the 19th for a drink.

I hit a decent enough drive, low and hooking but it found the fairway. I hit a similar shot with my five wood for my second and that too found the fairway some 105 yards from the flag. Bearing in mind I'd already missed two greens right from similar distances, (and as you will know if you've read my guide to the eighteenth, there is a lake that cuts in on the right of the green) and so I was determined not to repeat previous errors. In the end it was the swing of the day and deposited the ball six feet from the cup. I rolled in the birdie putt. The previous seventeen holes didn't seem quite such an ordeal.

Faced with the prospect of an afternoon trawling around DIY stores and the shops wit the good lady wife I snuck off too the range in the afternoon. There was some better stuff but i think the issue is a case of getting the club too trapped again and having to use the hands to recover. It certainly felt as the hands were flipping all over the place. We'll see what Rhys makes of it all on Thursday.

In the end, it was only a social game and so the handicap didn't suffer although I left the club a few quid lighter. It's just frustrating that the solid ball striking I've enjoyed before Christmas has disappeared and that when I do recapture it at the range I can't then take it onto the course. I'm sure there is a link there somewhere but we'll take it a step at a time. Get Rhys to find the fix on Thursday and build upon the firmer foundation. It isn't the time to be peaking yet and so we'll file these bad rounds in the "experience" column and move on. Right now though I'm counting down the minutes until 6.15pm on Thursday.

A Hackers Guide To Royal Ascot - Hole 18 (Hungry Hill)

2012-01-23T13:53:00.000-08:00

At last, we've reached the final hole. Hopefully you've kept the ball in play and the scorecard is looking good. Beware, as this par 5 has the capability of leaving a dent in an otherwise decent score and there is danger at either end of the hole.

The club website describes the task in hand as:

"Decision time on Hungry Hill. A sweeping par 5 that doglegs right up the hill to a green that is located directly in front of the clubhouse. The scratch player may consider flying the first ditch at 265 yards with his drive. This will leave a 230 yard uphill shot to the green that is located just over a small lake. The sensible play is an opening shot short of the ditch, ensuring you do not block yourself behind the oaks on the left. Keep the second up the left side of the fairway to give a view of green and less water to carry with your third. A par will send you away happy to the 19th hole".

The final drive of the day. The ideal line is on the small bushy tree in the distance

The golfer is faced with an intimidating tee shot. There is a hazard directly in front of the tee box in the form of an environmental area although this shouldn't come into play. However there is an out of bounds that runs down the right side of the hole from the environmental area to the ditch that crosses the fairway. This ditch can come into play, especially when the hole plays down wind and the fairway is running and so care is advised, especially in the summer. The out of bounds should be sufficiently wide but it will catch anything badly sliced or blocked. Care needs to be taken to avoid going too far left as there is an imposing oak on the left side of the fairway by the ditch which will impede progress and require the second shot to be played underneath or shaped around it.

The second shot needs to be aimed towards the left edge of the fairway. This takes the lake that encroaches the right side of the green out of play. Do not stray too far left as the rough is heavy and penal and makes controlling the approach much harder. A decent second shot should leave an approach of between eighty and one hundred and twenty yards or so. There are a line of bunkers down the left side which can catch the second shot, particularly in the summer and there is a bunker lurking behind the green for a shot that is hit too hard. If you have to take on the lake make sure you have enough club.

The view back down the fairway from behind the green

This hole is tricky as the wind direction can be variable. It is predominantly into the wind although in the summer months it can turn around and play with the breeze. The green itself is large and accommodating and relatively flat. The ball will tend to gravitate towards the water and so you need to look at the line carefully and take this into account. A par is not to be sniffed at. The big hitters can take the ditch on off the tee and gamble with their second to set up a potential eagle or birdie chance but for most, play it as a three shotter and use your short game and putter to make a birdie. It is a good finishing hole, playing slightly longer than its yardage as it wanders up a gentle slope back towards the sanctuary of the clubhouse.

Avoid the bunkers left - it's a scary shot with the pond lurking just beyond the green

It is another hole that has caused me many problems, usually straight right out of bounds off the tee or a snap hook into the long rough on the left of the fairway. However I've been known to be in prime position off the tee and then hit a horror shot left or right into deep, deep rough. The right hand side has a plantation of young trees and the rough is ankle deep at best and deeper in places so this is the last place you want to go. Left isn't much better but there is a chance to find the ball and recover. Even when I've hit two decent shots, the lake is always there and plants the seed of doubt in your mind. I've been known to find a watery grave when a well executed shot would have yielded a rewarding par. The bunkers left of the green are also a dangerous place to be as the lake is only just over the other side and the green and fringe slopes back towards the aqua. It takes a steady nerve to splash out with confidence.

On the flip side, hit two good shots to leave a simple approach and there is a real chance to close out with a birdie. The green isn't too tricky and although it slopes a little from back to front it there is nothing that should intimidate. If you haven't got the pace by now you never will. Hit your approach safely on the green, make your par and you can walk off a happy golfer. Hopefully the scorecard will still be intact.

I hope you've enjoyed the tour of the course and that it has whetted your appetite to come along and play. You can be assured of a friendly welcome and a good test of golf at anytime of the year. It is a course where the par 3's will make or break your score and although it does offer birdie chances, there is danger lurking on every hole and each one needs to treated with respect and played on its merits. Come along and enjoy the challenge and tell them Homer sent you.

A Good Old Fashioned Whooping

2012-01-22T13:37:00.000-08:00

It was the second round of the Winter knockout yesterday and my partner Mike Stannard and I were taking on Alan Cutler and Peter Spriggs in a keenly awaited match. We'd arranged to play last week but with the course on temporary greens, the consensus was that it would a much fairer result to delay and play on the proper course. We'd gone out and played on the frozen course as a four anyway and halved the game and it had merely whetted the appetite further for this encounter.

The course was damp in places and there was a gusty wind blowing as we stood on the first tee under a leaden sky although we'd been promised no rain by that lovely young girl that does the weather on BBC news. None of us hit great tee shots on the first but Alan set what was going to be the tone throughout by pitching to five feet and holing for an unlikely par and a one up lead.

My partner was using brand new custom fitted Titleist clubs that had never seen the golf course before and he hit a peach of a christening drive down the second. However he and I both proceeded to make heavy weather of the hole and I was standing over a twenty foot putt downhill and a breaking both ways for a half. To be honest it was perfect in every sense and dropped dead centre. It should have been a catalyst for us to kick on but in truth both Mike and I were playing poorly. We gave the third away and a double bogey six was good enough for the win. We repeated the mistake at the fifth and were suddenly three down.

Even when we looked like getting a hole back Peter or Alan were finding ways to make a half and were gelling perfectly as a team. We were trying but nothing was clicking and one good hole was followed by a bad one. Indeed at times both Mike and I were struggling to put two consecutive shots together. I tossed the seventh away with gay abandon with a three putt from fifteen feet. Even when I executed perfectly as I did on the ninth with a good drive and a rifled 5 wood, set out over the right hand bunker to allow for the fierce wind, there wasn't to be any reward. I was out by a foot or so and the shot caught the left hand bunker but rather than find the bottom of the trap this ball lodged towards the back lip. I was faced with a stance with one foot in and one foot out of the bunker. I didn't contribute further after my first attempt to escape.

With a huge deficit to make up we needed a fast start on the back nine and it never came. Mike went right off the tenth tee and I missed the green with my approach. We got one back at the next when for once both Alan and Peter found trouble together and I made the most of the shot I got at the twelfth to hole out from three feet for another half. However the gap was insurmountable and with Peter making a par of his own and Alan a nett par with his shot it was "Goodnight Irene" and we were humbled 5&4 on the fourteenth green.

The opposition played good golf but to be honest both Mike and I were poor by our own standards and we certainly didn't replicate the form we'd shown in the friendly encounter last week. On the plus side, Mike was hitting his new clubs pretty solidly and it was his normally reliable short game and putting that were out of kilter. In my case it was a case of not knowing what was coming next. One good shot, one destructive one. It wasn't good enough and to be honest apart from two or three holes I let Mike down a fair bit.

The chance of glory has gone, in that event at least. We'll have a go in the pairs better ball stableford in February and I think we'll go into the Volvo knockout again this year. We've issues to resolve from last year and need closure following our defeat at the first extra hole to an outrageous forty yard putt from off the putting surface that cannoned into the flag dead centre and dropped. If it hadn't it was going off the green. The one and only time the opposition had led all day. Like I say, we've got unfinished business in that event.

What can you do but hold your hands up and say we got a good old fashioned beating. The golf wasn't good enough and from my own perspective I need Rhys ap Iolo to give the swing another look. I know what I 'm trying to achieve and when I get it right, oh boy is it good, but its doing it for eighteen holes that's the big issue right now. Still it's winter golf, the course is playing its longest, the wind was difficult (not using it as an excuse) and the swing was found wanting. As long as I get my game on track for the opening salvo at Woburn on March 29th then I'll be happy.

A Hackers Guide To Royal Ascot - Hole 17 (Furlong)

2012-01-16T10:26:00.000-08:00

The second in the trilogy of tough closing holes is the last of the par 3's and it's another brute measuring 218 yards off the white tees. It's another with a dangerous out of bounds lurking along the left hand edge and with penal rough waiting for anything sliced or pushed too far to the right.

The club website describes the hole as follows
"Another tough par 3 of some 220 yards. Bunkers guard both sides of the green and the putting surface is generously contoured. Play a low chasing shot at the right side of green as the slope will assist to feed it on to the green."

The ideal line is on the right hand greenside bunker as the ball does move right to left on landing. Anything hit too straight or towards the left side will run away and find the left hand greenside bunker. Although it is stroke index 13 and over two hundred yards in length it tends to play predominantly down wind and this does make it more accessible to club golfers. If you are going to miss the green, then short is by far the better option and gives a pitch down the length of the long but narrow putting surface. If you miss it too far right, you are faced with a devilish chip over the bunker and onto a down slope which makes getting the ball adjacent to any flag position a tricky proposition, especially coming from the thick rough on that side. Miss it too far left and it will find the out of bounds. If it is still in play the second will need to flirt with the edge of the left hand bunker.

A view from halfway down the hole - you can see how the ball will gather from the right

The green itself slopes from right to left and there is a perceptible but deceiving slope from back to front. It is a good shot to find the putting surface with the tee shot but no guarantee that a par is in the bag. This green is one that has a lot of subtle borrows that fool many players and sometimes the best policy on those tricky short ones is to keep it inside the hole, hit it firmly and pray it drops.

Coming up straight and short is by far the best option - it leaves a relatively easy chip

This is a hole that tends to drain well and so the ball will run, even in the winter. It does mean though that stopping it in the summer can be tricky and the golfer is faced with a choice of carrying it all the way with a fairway wood, hybrid or long iron and looking for some check on the first bounce or playing it short and trying to gauge the roll and the line. For the talented player, a fade off the left hand trap, landing softly and gathering in would be the perfect shot.

This has the potential to be a real card wrecker coming as close to the end as it does. I've managed to rack up some impressively big numbers, either hooking it left out of bounds or coming to grief in the sand particularly the deep right hand trap. A par is always a good result here and a four for many won't be the end of the world with a par 5 following. A birdie is a rare beast here and usually worth much silver. As with all the par 3's at Royal Ascot, it is a hole that asks a lot of questions and is a real test. Make sure you don't ruin the card so late in the day and take the par if you can and move off with undue haste.

BRRRRRRR and GRRRRRRR

2012-01-15T14:49:00.000-08:00

It has been just like Winter this weekend. Gone was the milder weather we'd enjoyed over Christmas and in came freezing temperatures and frost. The latter was a real pain as it meant temporary greens at Royal Ascot yesterday. I was due to play yesterday in the pairs Winter knockout second round but the opposition, my partner and I were all in agreement that trying to play a match on temporary greens was a lottery and any win would be hollow. It was a shame as it was a beautifully sunny day.

That said we decided to play a round together anyway. Alan Cutler is a dangerous golfer off 15. Diminutive in stature he is a gritty fighter who can tonk the ball a good way. He's ably supported by Peter Spriggs who can be another handful off his 12 handicap. In the end, we shared the spoils with Alan and Peter coming back from dormie two down to halve the game on the 18th. No psychological advantage gained or lost and it was great fun and a real appetiser for the main event next week. The deadline for the game to be played falls next weekend and so we're be out whatever the weather. I think you can safely predict torrential rain and gales for 8.30am next Saturday.

I hit it reasonably well in places given the conditions. I guess the highlight would be making an eagle at the par 5 15th, even though the hole was shortened. The approach was a bit of a low running hook but it ended up six feet away and so I'll take substance over style all day long. I followed it with a cracking drive down the tough 16th (see my latest Hackers Guide to see how tight the drive is) and then nailed a 5 iron from 171 yards. It fizzed off the club and was as pure as I can hit it. It reminded me why the hard work I've been putting in on the new one plane swing is worth the effort.

I always feel short changed playing on temporary greens but the company was superb. It was a friendly game and we all hit some good and bad shots. Next week will be more serious but I'm sure we'll enjoy it as much and at least win or lose we can walk way knowing the result hadn't been influenced by the frozen ground and temporary greens making putting a lottery.

As there was another frost overnight I decided to be pro-active and hit the range this morning, keen to build on the progress I'd been making with my swing. As it turned out I had one of those sessions where nothing really worked. I knew what I was working on, what I was trying to achieve and how to get to the end result but couldn't find a way to make it happen on a regular basis. It was good in parts and hugely frustrating in others. In the end I think I got too bogged down on it being right and not focused enough on enabling. Back to substance over style. I know my teaching professional Rhys ap Iolo keeps banging on about it not having to be picture book, but I want it to be as sound as possible technically so come the moment of truth and I'm up there competing in 2012, I can just swing and rely on the outcome.

I've been hampered all week with a very sore back. It felt like a trapped nerve or even worse a re-occurrence of sciatica but I had a chiropractic session on Friday afternoon. They've said it was just muscular and have manipulated a few joints and given me a deep massage and touch wood we're back to normal. I can't say I felt it playing yesterday and certainly not on the range so I can't blame that for todays poor session. I've some exercises to do to keep it loose and I need to make sure I keep it warm and rub some old fashioned Deep Heat in regularly but it shouldn't stop me hitting balls this week.

I'm close to where I want to be. I know where it is going wrong and I've gone back to the Plane Truth website (Rhys teaches the Plane Truth system and pupils can get a 10 day trial of the site and then choose to subscribe for a year - well worth doing) and watched the video clips on the cause of the problem and curing the faults and have a clear mental picture of what I need to do.

The plan is to put the hard work in this week, get the swing into a nice groove and go out and enjoy the match on Saturday. My partner Mike Stannard was up in St Ives last week at the Titleist fitting centre and he's gone and got himself a new bag of custom fitted clubs. There is a very real chance they could be here this week and he's threatening to take them out into battle next weekend. Personally I'm thinking about giving our club pro a bung to say they haven't been delivered yet.

And so another weekend passes by. I feel short changed golfing wise but at least the back is better and I can put some work in again. My mantra this year will be "SUBSTANCE OVER STYLE" and it doesn't have to look pretty, just work and get the ball in the hole. We'll work on trying to get it right, and I'm going to be booking another lesson soon anyway. If I can get it on the right track before then, it'll make it easier to sort what needs fixing without going back over old grounds.

This is the year Rhys and I get my game to a new level. I was happy to set the bar at a handicap of 10 but I think he's got the aim of single figures. I'll need a brand new short game for that but we'll wait for better conditions before we tackle that can of worms and we'll look at the swing for now. Short term its about winning next week any which way and booking a quarter-final berth. The rest we'll worry about afterwards. Game on and let the hard work commence.

A Hackers Guide To Royal Ascot - Hole 16 (Woodend)

2012-01-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

We're on the run for home now but what a run. Three very difficult and demanding holes remain starting with this 425 yard par 4. It is basically a straight hole but there is danger lurking.

The club website describes the hole as:

Hang on to your hat, the start to a difficult finish. A tough, long and tight par 4 where the drive is everything. To secure your round ensure you get drive in play. If you have to play a four iron from the tee to keep it in play that should be the choice. The bunker that appears to guard the front right of the green is some 25 yards from the putting surface. Don’t be fooled into taking too short a club. Use your stroke wisely on this hole."

The problem starts off the tee. Out of bounds runs the length of the driving area and is a matter of some ten yards left so anything starting off left will be in mortal danger. Similarly, get the ball to turn over right to left and the same fate awaits.

The tee shot - you can see how close the out of bounds left is. Scary

The ideal line is at the left hand big oak on the right side of the fairway. This give a little margin for error. If you over compensate, whilst there is rough to contend with and going for the green is taken out of the equation, it does offer sanctuary from the card wrecking reload off the tee. It tends to play down wind and so a good shot will sail past the trees on the right. The tree line left stops opposite these big trees and the fairway opens up beyond that.

Arguably the best looking hole on the course. The trees make a perfect backdrop whatever the season

Assuming the drive has been safely negotiated, the second shot can range from a fairway wood or hybrid (the big tree right is some 200 yards from the centre of the green) to a mid iron if you hit a good one and get it past the timber and it runs. As the website says, there is a bunker short of the green which does fore-shorten the hole considerably and is to be avoided. Anything leaking too far right runs the risk of finding the lateral hazard to the right of the hole and the out of bounds beyond and there is also another bunker about ten yards short and left of the green.

The green is surrounded left and right by contoured mounds and so anything missing the green will find a tricky lie. The green itself is generous and relatively flat. It's stroke index three and in the opinion of many members is a harder proposition than either of the two harder ranked holes on the course.

This hole has laid claim to many a good round including some of mine. I came to the 16th in a midweek medal +6 gross (off a 14 handicap). Inevitably I hooked the first tee shot left and although I made a bogey with the second ball it cost me a double bogey and paved the way to a 6, 6, 6 finish (double, treble, single bogey). A few days later in the monthly medal I arrived at the tee +5 gross and proceeded to replicate my error and compile a similar 6, 6, 6 finish.

It's a beautiful looking hole, running down towards the green almost cut out of the trees (hence the name) and it is flanked on the left and behind with a number of different species. It never fails to impress whatever the weather or season and for a moment you can take your mind off the the potential tale of glory or woe and enjoy the scenery.

It's definitely not for the faint hearted and you need to pick a club off the tee you can trust even if that means losing distance and then using your shot to make a score. If you do pull the big stick out, choose your line wisely, stick to your plan and trust the swing. If you can make a par here, you'll definitely pick up at least one shot against the field. Treat the hole with respect but don't let it intimidate.

A Chance Spurned

2012-01-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday saw the first competitive outing of 2012 in the January monthly stableford at Royal Ascot. The course was in good condition for the time of year and given the heavy deluges it suffered last week. I'd played on Saturday in the normal roll up and hadn't played too badly in patches. The swing wasn't as fluid as it had been in recent weeks but I hadn't had a chance to practice, primarily due to the gale force winds and torrential rain. I know I'm keen but even I draw the line somewhere and there was no mileage hitting the range and bashing balls in those conditions.

The new positive and forward thinking Homer wasn't deterred and I was looking forward to the competition. I'd been drawn with John Munday, a good player off 5. I'd recently played against John in the 1st round of the Winter Knockout (4 ball better ball pairs). We'd narrowly beaten John (who wasn't very well on the day anyway) and his partner thanks in main to the consistency of my wing man rather than any earth shattering contribution from me. The third member of our ensemble was gentle giant Mike Goodwin, playing off 11. I've played with Mike a few times and he's impeccable company. All was set for a good game.

In truth, I never really got going. A net par at the first was followed by a par at the 535 yard second. I didn't really hit a solid shot on the hole and par was secured courtesy of a fifteen foot putt. I made par at the third. Again it wasn't pretty with poor contact on the drive and approach and another single putt from eight feet. It couldn't last and a huge block right off the fourth tee lay the foundations for a bogey although there wasn't really an excuse for missing the green from the position the tee shot finished in.

After that, the wheels fell off mid-round. I hit a shocking tee shot on the par three sixth hole and deservedly lost a ball. No points there. I followed that up by missing the green right on the shortest hole on the course, the 139 yard par three eighth. I could only get the bunker shot out onto the lip of the trap and although I played a good recovery from a tricky lie I couldn't hole the six footer to rescue a point.

Out in fifteen points, it was scant reward for the good start I had made. I really hadn't made a decent swing and it was the same story at the start of the back nine. I chipped and putted to rescue a par at the tenth and then hit my tee shot some twenty yards wide of the target on the par three eleventh. I rescued a net par. A thinned drive into cabbage on the next put me on the back foot and I did well to make a net par again. After that it was a tale of too many poor drives, being out of position and never giving myself a chance to recover any of the lost ground. Even a good chip and putt for par at the seventeenth didn't really help and was followed by a hooked drive and an annoying double bogey for a solitary point to finish.

The seventeen points on the back nine would point to a decent second half performance but it was a long way from that and was an exercise in recovery play on almost every hole. It was a real struggle. In the end the final tally of thirty two points was good enough for ninth place in division two. The real disappointment was that level par, thirty six points, was good enough to win the division. That should have been well within my compass. The only redeeming feature was the fact the the Competitive Scratch Score (CSS) went out from par 70 to 71 (+1) and so I managed to hit the buffer zone and so there was no handicap increase. There wasn't too much of a breeze, it wasn't particularly cold and the course wasn't saturated so I've no idea why scoring was so high.

So why did it go so wrong? I really don't know if I'm honest. I hit it respectably enough in my pre-round warm up and the ball striking on Saturday wasn't as bad as the competitive performance. The swing just felt way out of sync, too long, too quick, not in the right position on the back swing and I was definitely losing spine angle and coming out of most shots. A cacophony of disasters. I'd like to think it was down to not hitting any balls last week but I'm sure that is too simplistic an answer. I felt on Saturday I wasn't staying down on the shot and noticed it was impacting my distances with each club. When the swing had been flowing pre and post Christmas the ball striking was much purer and I was hitting it further. I'm sure its the old problem of an over swing which is moving everything out of kilter and I can't get the club in the right place at the top of the back swing. From there everything is a compensatory move and frankly I'm not talented enough to recover the club into impact on a regular basis.

On the plus side I scrambled pretty well and for once my short game was free of inhibitions and could flow. My putting was pretty solid less one missed two footer on the thirteenth but other than that I holed out well and made some good longer putts too.

The way I see it, if I can still accumulate a respectable points tally and be within touching distance of a top three finish playing as badly as that it actually bodes very well once we get the game back on track. With the old swing (pre Plane Truth and switching to a one plane set up) there would have been even more moving parts. Even when it wasn't going well I knew what I was trying to do going back and coming into impact and beyond even if I couldn't quite manage to recreate what the brain was telling the body to do.

I wasn't alone in seeing it as a missed opportunity. Poor John double bogied the seventeenth which would have given him a tie for the top spot in division one. However from my own perspective it was a golden opportunity to start the year with a top free finish and a handicap cut. I'm off to the range this week to focus on getting the club in a better position on the back swing and a feeling of it pulling left and turning on top of the ball on the way through. I've proved it is in there and the things Rhys my teaching pro is getting me to work on are correct so I have total faith in where we are going. I just need to replicate it. I need to bear in mind it is still only a month since the changes started and it was the first competitive round so maybe, just maybe, I've been lulled into a bit of a false sense of security with the way I played over the Christmas break. We can all do with the odd wake up call and reality check from time to time and maybe this was mine.

As long as I can get the ball striking back at the range this week we've not got much to worry about. It's just so frustrating when the winning score was so low that I couldn't have brought even my B or C game to the party which would have been enough. Next week is another round. I'm hungrier than ever now.

2012 - Another Year (Time To Get Serious)

2012-01-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

A belated happy new year to everyone. I hope the holiday season saw you enjoy time with friends and loved ones and the return to work hasn't been too much of a shock to the system. So here we are, another year. What does it hold in store for Homer's Odyssey towards single figures?

I've never been a great one for resolutions and I've given up setting goals, particularly in terms of golfing achievements. They've proved cumbersome and led me in too many wrong directions, loss of focus and become too demanding. The plan is still to get to single figures and with the help of Rhys ap Iolo at Downshire Golf Centre and the Plane Truth method he's teaching me it seems (well according to him anyway) achievable. However I'm not going to set any dates or targets to achieve this. Play well and the rest will take care of itself. First thing on the agenda for the new year is a short game lesson. It's just holding everything else back. Part mental and part technique, I've got myself in a muddle over what I'm trying to do, how to do it and what to be thinking about rather than "please don't hit it fat or thin this time."

After that, we'll work hard on getting the swing tighter and working better and see where it takes me. The plan is to try and maintain my record of at least one medal or stableford division win per year. If I play in any Golf Monthly events, a repeat of the national final performance and maybe going one step further and winning would be nice. Their online forum hold a number of get togethers each year and I'm down to play Woburn in March, Camberley Heath in June and Cooden Beach near Eastbourne in August. Some very good golfers get along to these and although they are supposedly fun days, the competition (and the banter) is fierce.

Other than that I hope to enter the Volvo matchplay with my regular and long standing partner Mike Stannard from Royal Ascot. I might enter the individual event too. I'm also on the reserve list for the Trilby Tour, another national event sponsored by bespoke tailor William Hunt and covered on television by Sky Sports. I'm not sure if or where I'll play but this event attracts the creme de la creme of handicap golfers and with only the top four at each venue going into a there hole sudden death playoff to decide the winner, I'm going for the experience and to measure my game and not placing any expectations on my shoulders.

It was an up and down year for Homer's Odyssey in 2011 with the handicap going the wrong way but performances picking up over the closing part of the year. The aim is for less of a rollercoaster this year and to get the handicap heading south back to low numbers. Whatever happens the main thing is to enjoy the golf, the people I meet and the courses I play. It's not life or death, well not quite. Work hard in practice, trust my teaching professional and follow the instruction. Step onto the first tee with 100% confidence and belief in my ability and go for it.

There is a lot of new and exciting equipment launches due in the early part of the year including the new Ping I range of driver, fairway woods, hybrids and irons. The pictures look sumptuous and I am keen to give the driver and irons a go. Taylormade have already announced the release of the Rocketballz, or RBZ (much easier) range to replace the Burner line and it has stirred a lot of interest from professionals, journalists and one or two lucky enough to have hit the woods. They are introducing an R11S driver too with even more adjustability. I'm a magpie to anything new and shiny and no doubt I'll be giving plenty of gear a go in the new year and if I do I'll share my thoughts, good or bad.

Here's to 2012 then. It's going to be fun so stay for the ride. If you want to follow the ups and down on a regular basis, follow me on Twitter @mbedboro

I hope your golfing year is as good as it can be and brings you all you want. I'm looking forward to working hard on my game and trying to steer the good ship Homer towards single figure handicap and picking up the odd prize along the way.

A Hackers Guide To Royal Ascot - Hole 15 (FJ Patton)

2012-01-04T11:46:00.000-08:00

Named after an eminent barrister of his day, this short par five offers the longer hitters a chance to reach in two and set up a good birdie opportunity. This is one of the few holes on the course that perhaps provides the average player a little mental relaxation. As the stroke index of 15 and a distance of 478 yards show, there isn't too much to frighten anyone.

FJ Patton was instrumental in getting golf onto the Ascot Heath and set up the first organised club in January 1887 as plain Ascot Golf Club although there was nothing plain about the club itself. The President was HRH Prince Christian of Shleswig-Holstein who was married to Queen Victoria's third daughter, Princess Helena. The Captain was the Earl of Coventry. Patton himself became the Secretary and at the end of the year wrote to the Home Office on behalf of the club committee "to ask Her Gracious Majesty may be graciously pleased to permit the Club to style itself 'Royal'." Ten days later on 29th December 1887 the reply came. " Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to accede to your request and command that the club shall be called The Royal Ascot Golf Club."

A short par 5 that gives a good opportunity for par or better

The club website describes playing the hole thus:

"A par 5 that dog legs left and is reachable by the longer hitters. Aim your drive towards the oak on the right side of fairway. Keep second shot straight to avoid penal rough to both the left and right of the fairway. A good chance to pick up a shot to par as the green is large and reasonably flat".

What it doesn't mention is the fact that there is a ditch that runs across the fairway except for a tiny sliver of grass, no more than ten yards across, at about the 250 yard mark, which puts it very much in range for the longer hitters. It needs an arrow like shot to ensure the ball runs on to the second part of the fairway and set up an iron into the green.

The large oak on the edge of the fairway is the line

The large oak that is the aiming point of the tee marks the proximity of the ditch. However for most, it isn't an issue off the tee. There is a large bunker on the left edge that can catch an errant drive and if you are going to err, then missing the fairway right is better than left.

As the hole bends, there is a large area of heavy rough, saplings, ferns and general golfing nastiness to contend with. The key is to avoid missing the fairway left off the tee and finding the rough. This brings all the rubbish firmly into play and even with a short or mid iron, if the lie is poor it's 50/50 whether you'll clear the trouble. It takes a par out of the equation. If you go too far right the big oak comes into play and can block the obvious approach. The sensible second shot is to aim at the large bunker some forty yards short of the green, making sure of course to either lay up short or if you are taking the green on, that you have enough firepower to clear it.

Both sides of the fairway has juicy rough which makes finding the green in regulation a lot harder if you don't find the short grass with the second shot. If you are taking the green on, apart from the bunker short, there is a large bunker left and long is dead. Beyond the green there is very long rough, trees and bushes and these are a matter of yards from the back fringe so there really isn't any margin for error.

A welcoming target

A good lay up will leave only a short iron into the green. It's a fairly big target with a step running through the centre of it. It isn't a huge feature but it does make reading the lines and judging the pace that little bit harder.

One of the flatter greens on the course

It is the only hole to date I've managed to eagle after finding the green in two but it has also cost me many shots over the years. It should be an easy hole and I think a lot of golfers, myself included, mentally switch off and make poor swings or lose position. It can be a two shotter but it can also be a struggle as it often plays directly into the wind. It's a well thought out risk and reward hole. If you lay back to take the ditch out of play off the tee, you go in with a longer second shot and can risk being long and in all sorts of grief. If you go for it off the tee it needs to be true but it will leave a mid iron in and make it easier to attack the flag with control.

This is really the last chance to get a shot back. The closing holes are very tough and not for the faint hearted. Enjoy the rest while you can and hopefully you'll walk off with par or better. Then the battle to the finish really begins.

That Was The Year That Was

2011-12-31T11:40:00.000-08:00

The dawning of a new year is fast approaching. I've played my last round of golf for 2011 and played rather well in patches and so can sign off in a positive mood. If I can turn back time and remember how to chip as I did in my youth then I'll be laughing next season.

So what did the year bring for me in golfing terms? Undoubtedly the highlight was playing in the Golf Monthly Centenary Competition. They hosted six national qualifiers up and down the UK and one in Ireland and the handicap division winners would head off to the Forest of Arden for the Grand Final. I entered at St Pierre, just over the Severn Bridge into Wales. This course has a history of hosting professional events in the 1980's including a Solheim Cup match and was in great shape in the early August sunshine.

Hitting my tee shot on the par 3 18th towards the impressive clubhouse

I went there in hope more than expectation and it was a good excuse for the wife and I to have a short break away. My form at the time was patchy and I went there with the sole thought of not making a fool of myself and trying to play at least a few good shots. I played steadily and somehow I managed to win the 10-13 handicap division with 34 points and book a berth in the finals. It was a real mid-season tonic as my golf to that date had been sporadic and I was losing a bit of faith

Collecting my spoils for winning the handicap division at St Pierre

If my form had been patchy in the qualifier, it had all but disappeared when I got to the Forest of Arden near Birmingham for the final in October. In fact it had been so bad I'd had a lesson the week before and had only had one round and a few range sessions to try and bed the changes in. Deliciously under prepared was the best way of describing the build up.

The Arden course was very long, playing 6,707 yards of the white tees and with six of the par fours measuring over 400 yards. I went with a game plan which was to play every one of those long par 4's as a par 5 and use my shots and hope that I could make a few pars elsewhere. It worked a treat and placing no expectations on my shoulders left me free to enjoy the game. In fact, I came second overall, losing on countback to one of my playing partners, an affable gentleman from Ireland called Bill Martin. It was so tight the countback actually went as far as the last six holes before he pipped me by 15 points to 12.

Bill Martin (left) and I enjoy the prizes at the Golf Monthly Centenary Final at the Forest of Arden

So what else did the year bring. Sadly Homer's Odyssey ran aground mid-season and the quest for single figures never got started once the fog of my short game horrors descended and became a volatile mix of mental confusion and dubious technique. It remains the one real issue but fear not as there are already plans afoot for the start of 2012 to resolve the problems.

Elsewhere I maintained my record of winning at least one monthly medal or stableford per year at Royal Ascot. I played in a number of club matches as well although I eventually lost my unbeaten record in a 5&3 defeat at Caversham Heath after a 17 game streak. It was a year of consolidation in terms of technique with a number of lessons with Paul Harrison from N1 Golf at Maidenhead Golf Centre giving me a solid platform. However I've now switched to a new teacher, Rhys ap Iolo at the Downshire Golf Centre near Wokingham as I feel he is the man to take my game on and he's simplified what I need to focus on. The results so far are very promising and once we tackle the short game we can build a better, compact and repetitive motion to take the game onto the next level.

I played in the Volvo Amateur matchplay event with Mike Stannard, my regular and long suffering partner. We were drawn at home in the first round to a pair from neighbouring Mill Ride. In an epic contest it went to the 19th where one of the opposition drained an outrageous putt from off the edge of the green. It must have been forty feet in length and would have been at least ten feet past if it hadn't smacked the flag and dropped. The frustrating thing was it was the first and only time they had been in front all day. Gutted but we'll be back for another crack next year.

I've enjoyed a number of games at new courses including Camberley Heath and a Golf Monthly Forum day at Blackmoor in Hampshire. Both courses were a picture as you'd expect in the middle of a fine summer and both tested (and beat) my game. I also took part in a Powerplay event at The Grove near Watford. This prestigious venue hosted the American Express World Golf Championship in 2006 and there is a real aura about the place.

Powerplay golf itself is a new concept being driven by ex-Walker Cup Captain Peter McEvoy and is a revised stableford format. On each green is a black and white flag and players must nominate which flag they are going for. The black Powerplay target is normally in a harder position and if you score a net birdie or better then you effectively get double value stableford points. Each player must take 3 Powerplays (shoot for the black flags) in the first eight holes. On the last you can opt to take an additional Powerplay but if you make net bogey or worse you lose three points from the score.

The course was a real challenge anyway and having never played it before, it was hard to know where the right holes to take the Powerplays were. In the end I was too inconsistent anyway but the concept is really exciting and it would make a great social event at any club. I'm going to be sounding out Royal Ascot about holding one next Summer.

I've tried a lot of new kit out as well this year. My personal favourites were the R11 irons which have now found their way into my bag although the G20 irons from Ping were very good and would suit a broad spectrum of abilities. Perhaps the biggest surprise were the Cleveland CG16 irons I tried at the Forest of Arden. I've never really looked at their range before but these were long and with a superb penetrating flight along with a great degree of forgiveness

The R11 - simply the best irons I hit in 2011 and now firmly ensconced in my golf bag

And that was the year that was. It was another real up and down year, mirrored in many ways by my handicap which started within touching distance of single figures at 11. It has climbed the wrong way all season, hitting a dismal high of 14 before dropping back to 12 and finally finishing the year on 13. It sounds like a scratched record but a lot of that can be put firmly at the door of the ailing short game.

There are far too many people to thank individually, especially everyone I've shared a round with and met at various matches and events. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read the ramblings of this deranged fool over the course of the year. I hope the humble blog brought you at least some enjoyment, amusement and if nothing else helped remind you that compared to the state of my game, perhaps you aren't doing so badly.

I hope 2012 brings you and your loved ones everything you want and that your golf brings you joy and happiness and maybe the odd handicap cut and trophy along the way. Play well and see you next year!

A Hackers Guide To Royal Ascot - Hole 14 (Havells Field)

2011-12-30T10:24:00.000-08:00

It's back to the par fours and another long hole measuring 430 yards off the white tees. However this hole tends to be fast running, especially close to the green and so does play a little shorter than the yardage book suggests.

This is how it is described on the club website:

A dog leg right, with a water hazard tight to the right of the green. The drive must be played down left side of fairway. Avoid like the plague, the oaks and deep rough on the right. Approach shots can be run onto this green and will require a medium to long iron.

Another daunting tee shot - avoid the big tree left (and its sister right of the dead trunk)

The large oak on the left is very much in play and needs to be avoided. The best line is on the fairway bunker on the apex of the dog leg although care must be taken as it is very much in range as the hole is usually down wind. There is also a large tree to the right, adjacent to the ladies tee and this can also cause problems if you hit a push or a block. At the moment the right hand side isn't too penal as the trees in there are still growing (the course is only six years old) and they are all staked and so a player can get relief. The grass has also been kept to a reasonable length and so it is possible to make progress if you do stray off the fairway.

The biggest obstacle though are the two large trees on the right edge of the fairway. Too straight, too short or too far right and these present a towering obstacle to be negotiated. The brave player may opt to hit a low one between the two trunks but most tend to circumnavigate, lay up and take a chance on a chip and a putt. It is stroke index 5 and so represents a shot hole for many.

If you have found the fairway, care needs to be taken as the environmental area runs along the right edge of the hole and at the edge of the green it is only some five yards from the putting surface and so anything leaking right can be in big trouble. There is a greenside bunker that traps some wayward shots but the best line is to keep it left and look for a favourable bounce off the mounds that surround the left side, taking care to avoid the bunker some ten yards short.

The 14th green from the right hand side

The green itself is bowl shaped and will funnel a shot in towards the centre. There is a steep shoulder on the back left edge which makes life interesting when the flag is positioned in that area. It is a long green by Royal Ascot standards at 32 yards in length.

As we've seen, the ideal shot is to the corner of the dog leg, far enough away from the two trees on the corner to give a long-mid iron in. Take one club less than the yardage tells you as it will run on this hole and so you can afford to be ten yards short and still find the heart of the green.

Although the website guide tells you to avoid the right hand side at all cost there is a little secret I can share. If you hit a true shocker and slice it towards the 13th tee box, it does take the two trees on the dog leg out of play and affords a straight, if longer shot into the green. Of course it does bring the environmental area (lateral water hazard) into play but he who dares and all that. In fact, I've been over there several times and hit a hybrid into the heart of the green and even manufactured a single putt birdie from such a wild tee shot. Similarly I've taken on the gap in the two trees and threaded long irons between them and watched the ball scuttle obediently onto the green thanks to the contours. It can be done but it isn't to be recommended.

If I'm being honest, providing you can get a reasonable tee shot away and miss the large trees short left and right as you view the hole then a nett par shouldn't be too much trouble. It is definitely a hole you can look at picking up a shot (nett birdie) and there really isn't too much to it. Don't become too complacent as we're about to enter the gruelling close and like the opening holes, there is plenty of trouble awaiting before you can sign that scorecard.

Old Year - New Spirit

2011-12-29T14:37:00.000-08:00

I've been very fortunate this year to have the entire festive period off work and I'm not due back at my desk until January 3rd which has meant plenty of time for golf, golf and more golf. Having eaten way too much on the big day itself, I took myself off to the practise ground at Royal Ascot on Boxing Day. Unsurprisingly, I had it to myself although the course itself was pretty busy.

It was one of those weird sessions again. Ball striking wise I couldn't have been happier and I was hitting a 6 iron about 150 yards into a stiffish breeze. However it was the height, shape and dispersion that were the most pleasing. No more weak fades right, and the bad shot was a pull or hook left. For the most part it was because I was hitting the outside of the ball although some were down to timing issues and just swinging too fast and too long. Old habits die hard. The point was I'm pretty certain the club wasn't getting in the position I've been striding for and certainly not quite as it should be according to the Plane Truth website (http://www.planetruthgolf.com/) I've been using with my teaching professional Rhys ap Iolo. Style over substance? Maybe. It doesn't have to be pretty to work and I'll take whatever it was I was doing as it certainly produced the desired end product.

I played on Tuesday with Colin Osborne and Anthony Ayres (aka Kerching) from the normal Saturday gang. It wasn't a great round and the consistency wasn't there. However it did yield three birdies including back to back at 13 and 14. I hit a beautifully controlled wedge from 82 yards at the 4th to within six feet for the first. On the 186 yard par 3 13th, I took my 3 hybrid. If I was being critical the shot shape was a bit of a hook, or at least a raking draw but it pitched within inches of a slam dunk ace and stopped four feet away. Again, its hard to be critical when you are getting results.

On the 14th I found the fairway off the tee but again it was more of a over done draw than a perfectly hit shot. I had 178 yards left and took a four iron, not usually a favourite club. However my new one plane swing has given me so much more confidence and I feel I can make a good swing with any club in the bag. In truth it was on the outer reaches of my range but it found the front edge of the green and my trust old Ping did the rest rolling in a nice left to right from fifteen feet. There was some good iron play throughout and the putting was rock solid but it was the tee shots that left a lot to be desired. Work in progress there I think and it meant I was never really in the right place to play attacking, nay even controlled golf

Hard to score when you can't get it in play off the tee

I played again today with Kerching. Conditions were testing with a gusty wind and the odd heavy shower to spice things up. Again if I'm being hard, I didn't feel as though I was getting the club in the right place from a technical perspective, certainly not where I've been working on putting it in practise. However if you discard the lost ball on the 5th (a lovely 6 iron but just pushed a fraction and only ten yards right of the green but into some heavy grass and never seen again) I played the other eight holes in one over gross.

There was much more rhythm to the driving, irons were crisp and wedges accurate.The only downside came when we caught a female three ball up on the 10th (they had snuck on the 10th while we were still on the 9th and still hadn't holed out time we were on the tee). The waiting around and the inevitable speeding up and rushing when we were finally let through on the 13th meant that the timing and tempo was shot and the last few holes of the back nine were ragged and didn't do justice to the way I had been playing.

It's definitely in there. Rhys has given me a solid foundation to work on and although we have a long road ahead to eradicate a lot of the basic errors that lead to so much inconsistency, the fact that the ball striking has improved beyond measure is a solid starting point. I need to persevere on trying to get the club in a better position at the back and make my turn through impact better as I've been shown but Rome wasn't built in a day and twenty plus years of bad habits can't be wiped out in one thirty minute lesson.

I'm due to play tomorrow with my regular partner Mike Stannard but the forecast isn't looking good. I think its a case of getting out there and seeing. If it gets too bad there's no mileage in flogging ourselves for the sake of a social game and we can always call it a day after nine. I am positively bubbling with renewed enthusiasm for the game and can't wait for my next lesson (mental note to self - must get that in the diary) to build on the work done so far. I enter 2012 with a new spirit. Homer's Odyssey is back on course.

Dear Santa

2011-12-24T10:25:00.000-08:00

I played in the usual Saturday roll up this morning. Numbers were depleted with people doing last minute shopping or under strict orders from "the boss" at home. I thought I'd try a different approach today and foresaked my usual warm up hitting a few balls on the practise ground to limber up and enjoyed a nice coffee in the clubhouse instead. Well, if I'm honest the work I've been doing down the range has been going reasonably well and I thought as long as I stretch and have a few swings all will be good. WRONG!

I stood on the first tee and felt very under prepared. The opening drive sharp right hardly set the right tone and the resulting "nil points" was probably no more than I deserved. I played the second and third okay but had another horror down the fourth. To be honest the swing was well out of kilter. I had no timing, no feel and no idea.

I made rare back to back pars on the seventh and eighth which lightened the mood. I made another par at the tenth too, hitting a perfect six iron from 152 yards into a fresh breeze and deposited the ball some six foot from the flag. The putt for birdie never scared the hole and to be honest the putter was colder than the temperature on the course and I never looked like making anything all day. That was to prove the last hurrah as the last remnants of a good swing and timing disappeared in a puff of pantomime smoke. There were the odd good drive or crisp iron to warm the soul but the mind had already wandered back into the sanctuary of the 19th.

As I wandered, nay trudged my way around the last few holes I wondered if it was too late to contact the big fella with the white beard and change my order.

"Dear Santa

My name is Martin aged 45 1/2 and I've been a very good boy this year. For Christmas I would like:
A golf swing I can rely on. I'm not greedy and eye pleasing or technically correct isn't essential
A putting stroke that is smooth and gets those damned fiddly three footers in once in a while
A short game. Please help as I can't chip at all and I'm getting desperate. I'll even throw in an extra mince pie.
A copy of "Bunker shots for Dummies". Any more time on the beach and I'm sending for deckchairs and a parasol.
Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer or Melissa Reid to help me with my game, ideally somewhere warm
My teaching professional Rhys ap Iolo to be on call 24/7 and for you to give him super-human powers to help him get me to single figures. It could be too much for a mere mortal.
The trees at Royal Ascot on the edge of each fairway to grow that bit quicker to add definition. I know we're only seven years old but I'd love the place to come on a bit.
Sophie Horn to help me unwrap my presents.

I hope this won't be too difficult for the elves to arrange and that Rudolph and the others will be able to carry the gifts to me. I've left the mince pie in the normal spot and my wife has asked me to say the mistletoe is where it usually is. I'm not sure what she means but she said you'd understand!!"

If I'm honest I'm not overly fussed. The new chilled, reticent Homer can easily shrug off such a set back. I wasn't in the mood mentally, hadn't warmed up and cranked started the swing and it was only the second round on the course with the nucleus of a new swing anyway. I need to trust the work I'm doing on the range, follow the feedback and help Rhys is giving me and believe that 2012 will be a good year. I'm starting from a reasonable position with my handicap standing at 12.8 (13 in proper money) and one cut gets me straight back to 12. Rhys is going to do a lot of work on "preparing to succeed" next season and if he can exorcise the short game woes and we can really get that area to rock and roll then that is where I'll shave some more shots off.

Still that is all for next year. I hope that what remains of 2011 is good to you and your families and that you have a wonderful Christmas. If you get some golf in over the festive break I trust the new golfing toys Santa is bringing work well and that you look resplendent in your new attire. Have fun, stay safe and enjoy.

A Hackers Guide To Royal Ascot - Hole 13 (Keepers)

2011-12-23T12:32:00.000-08:00

Having walked off the hardest hole on the course, it's a short stroll to the tee box on the thirteenth and on paper at least the second easiest hole. "

Keepers" is another par 3 coming in at 186 yards and the Royal Ascot website describes the hole thus: "A short hole that is deceptively long Rely on the given distance, it is correct. As you walk to green you will see the dead ground that foreshortens this hole. The only one on the eighteen not to have a bunker."

The 13th hole - a par 3 and no bunkers. What could possibly go wrong?

As the view from the tee shows, it looks a nice easy hole. It is providing you club correctly because there is a steep bank at the front of the green and a gully before the putting surface that will eagerly gobble anything coming up short or hit too low and it will leave a testing chip often from a sloping lie.

The tall tree to the right of the green will catch anything pushed and if you are too far right may well stymie any sort of direct chip to the flag. Left of the hole is a ditch that separates the hole from the adjacent twelfth fairway and will catch anything hooked. There is also a large oak standing guard to the left of the green surrounded by lush heavy rough and so anyone hitting a draw into the hole needs to be sure they don't over-cook it.

The view back to the tee

The green is fairly big compared to many on the course but it one of the most contoured and runs steeply from front to back and from right to left as you look at it. Hitting the green is no easy task but once safely on the putting surface, there is plenty of work still to be done to secure a par. It is only stroke index 17, but even the low handicappers find it a challenge and it regularly plays well over par in monthly competitions and belies its innocence.

An elephants graveyard of a green. Very contoured and very hard to putt on successfully

The green is also surrounded by trees and the canopy means this green is often shaded and so can be much wetter than the others which has an effect on the speed of chips and putts. There isn't really a good place to miss this target. Left is lush rough. Way right is deep, deep rough and the potential for a lost ball so slicers beware. Short is short grass but with the big slope up to the front of the green to contend with.

As the picture illustrates it is a real roller-coaster and depending on the flag position, the unsuspecting visitor can be made to look very foolish through no real fault of their own. It regularly catches seasoned members out too. A birdie here is a real rarity, well for me at least. A par is really like getting a shot back on the field and a bogey four isn't the end of the world.

Like all of the par three's we've seen on our meander around the course, it has the potential to put a real dent in any scorecard. This one in particular with it's cunning design, dead ground and tricky green doesn't really need tricking up. There has been talk over the years of introducing either a pond or a bunker short of the green but in my opinion it should be left as the designer intended. Another small but beautifully formed hole.

The Plane Truth - The Moment Of Truth

2011-12-19T14:09:00.000-08:00

Fresh from a lesson and a measly 50 range balls practise it was time to put the kernel of a new swing under severe scrutiny in the first round of the Royal Ascot Winter Knockout. Fortunately it is a four ball better ball format and so I had my trusty partner Mike Stannard as my go to guy. He has been enjoying a stellar end to the season with a series of handicap cuts and top three finishes in club competitions. However he'd need to have his A+ game not only to carry the burden of my game but to see off the powerful combination of Geoff Estcourt (12 handicap) and John Munday (5 handicap). Even suffering from a heavy dose of "man flu" or a bad cold John Munday would be a tough nut to crack and Geoff is renowned for never giving up.

These guys have a reputation within the club for being dour competitors and very hard to beat. Both possess what might be politely termed agricultural looking swings but they both have an adept way of getting it round in good fashion and as a better ball team tend to combine very well. This was not going to be easy and the path to glory couldn't have started with a tougher draw.

Saturday was bitterly cold by the time we teed off at 9.00am. I managed to hit a decent first shot with the latest swing incarnation just right of the green pin high but with a bunker to go over. My partner went right and somehow we failed to find the ball. With John on the edge of the green I needed to get close and so a duff into the frozen bunker was an unorthodox approach. Still I manged to get it out to twelve feet and then canned the putt to leave John a testy little three footer for par. He made it and we were one down immediately

In truth the golf wasn't sparkling and everyone seemed to find ways of making simple errors. In our defence we were subjected to a heavy wintry squall on the 2nd and 3rd holes that necessitated full waterproofs. With several layers of clothing already to keep out the cold making a good turn and swing was proving almost impossible. We lost the 4th to par when both in good positions after the drive. Unforgivable. Playing the 5th the opposition gave us a glimmer of hope with errant tee shots and Mike hit a corker off the tee. However he failed to capitalise and mis-hit his second. Some of you may have spotted a more positive Homer, one who is trying to see the best outcome on every hole. I told him par would still win the hole. We both found the green with our approach and both made five and sure enough par was enough. We lost the 6th to go back to 2 down but I won the 8th being the only one to find the green and to be honest the new swing was doing ok. Not great but functional and I was getting it round.

I managed to make a valuable half with a good four footer, right to left at the 9th to send us to the turn just one down and all to play for. I hit my best drive of the round to date at the 10th and followed it with a solid five iron from 154 yards into a stiffening breeze to find the green. In the end par was good enough and back to all square. Mike came in again to win the next to give us the lead for the first time. It was to be short lived. Geoff came to the party at the 12th by sinking a real teaser of a putt across and down the slope. If it had missed I was waiting to convert my five footer. It never looked anywhere else and his par, net birdie was good enough.

Mike then came into his own and won the 13th and I found a way to make a solid nett par at the next to win the hole and give us a two up advantage. I told Mike that the long par five 15th would be pivotal and playing into the wind a par would be hard to beat. In the end it was enough for a half although we all made hard work of the hole. John chipped and putted for par and Mike had to do the same.

My partner had been driving superbly all day and at the tough 16th with out of bounds all the way down the left he didn't let me down and put his ball in the perfect spot. Although he missed the green with his approach and the chip wasn't great, he holed out for a five, but with a shot at the hole, the net par was enough to secure a hard fought 3&2 win.

It would be churlish of me to say anything other than Mike's back nine performance up to and including the 16th was the real difference. John and Geoff played their usual steady stuff but Mike gave them no margin for error and so any mistake they made was punished. From my own perspective I was pretty happy with the way I played. The ball striking was much improved and the bad shots weren't as wayward. The swing wasn't as I'd have liked it but I couldn't afford to get too wrapped up in technical thoughts and had to try and focus on finding a way to offer my partner a modicum of support.

In was a great game and played in a wonderful atmosphere. It's always a pleasure to play with John and Geoff and to be honest it was a very pleasing win over arguably one of the pre-tournament fancied pairings. The draw hasn't been kind to us though and potentially we face our good friends Matt Davis (aka Sundance) and his partner Colin Osborne who is another tough old fox providing they get through the Christmas Eve encounter.

As for me, its more range time this week. I've watched the video drills I've been given on the Plane Truth website and have a clear mental picture of what I'm trying to achieve which is definitely something I didn't have before last Thursday. The information Rhys ap Iolo has given me is clear and concise and makes sense. I need to get the back swing sorted first and get the club in the right position. From there everything else falls into place.

It is definitely a good feeling at the moment. We're still in the competition, have scored a famous victory and my swing held firm. There is a long way to go and 2012 will no doubt have as many ups and downs as this year. I've only got social golf to enjoy between now and the new year (although the Saturday roll up can be as feisty as any grudge match or championship event once the banter starts on the course) and so I can get the new swing working. The hard work starts again at Blue Mountain on Tuesday evening but there is a new and positive Homer emerging and that might just make him a rather dangerous customer. 2011 was the year of the Homer with my Golf Monthly success but 2012 is going to be bigger and better. Stand clear because I'm coming through.

The Plane Truth

2011-12-17T11:00:00.000-08:00

As promised, I took the plunge on Thursday and had a lesson with a new teaching professional. I'd opted for Rhys ap Iolo at the Downshire Golf Complex near Wokingham as he has been following my exploits via Twitter and had contacted me to say he thought he could simplify the approach I had been following and get rid of a number of my swing faults.

I have to admit to being quite nervous, not only laying my golfing imperfections to a new set of scrutinising eyes but because I had a winter league match with my golf partner Mike Stannard on Saturday and was worried any changes that were too dramatic would leave him to fend alone against a formidable pairing.

Rhys is an advocate of the Plane Truth System http://www.planetruthgolf.com/ which sets about exploring whether an individual has a one or two piece swing and working from there. After filming and watching me hit a few, Rhys delivered his verdict. The results were no great shock although the explanation was a real light bulb motion. In essence I was coming in way too shallow into the ball and my hands were following a down the path line through impact. This meant not only was I having to do 101 things to try and get the club square at impact (hence 101 different bad shots) but it meant the club path and follow through and club path weren't good. The hands are dominating the arms at the top of the back swing and the club points across the line

As this was only an initial thirty minute lesson the focus was primarily on the takeaway with a feeling that the club is much wider, with the left arm turning lower and tighter to the body. I have to say that I was expecting to hit a few horrors as it is much flatter that I'm use to but the ball striking was a revelation. I am giving myself more room to turn, can come down steeper without feeling my arms are trapped and the club face can travel back around my body after impact in a much more neutral position.

I've attached a link to a video Rhys took to emphasise the point. Ideally my hands need to be closer to the red line and there is still a loss of spine angle and head movement, but its a case of one step at a time. The Plane Truth system talks about every golfer having positive and negative swing faults. If you picture a see-saw the idea is to work on these until the flaws are ironed out and the swing is 100% balanced.

http://www.planetruthgolf.com/OnlineInstruction/MyLessonVideos/LessonVideoPlayer/tabid/199/lessonid/1723/Default.aspx

I have to say I really enjoyed the session and Rhys has given me a lot to think about and work on but initial signs are very promising. He seemed to see some potential and has said single figures is a realistic possibility next season although I haven't had the heart to show or mention my chipping which makes my long swing look positively Luke Donald like.

I hit the range last night to try and work on the changes I've been shown. One of the biggest plus points of seeing Rhys and using the Plane Truth system is they have a fantastic website pupils can use which has access to lots of drills and tips for each fault. Rhys flags up the issue and it links straight into a breakdown of the cause and a video showing what should be done and the drills to go away and work on.

The range was bitter and with the car saying it was only 2 degrees and a howling wind blowing I opted for a small basket of fifty balls. I was conscious of really getting the club as wide and as far away from my body as I could in the takeaway, into what is termed a laid off position with the club face pointing at the sky. From there I need to just rotate back through the ball and the club needs to exit to the left with a feeling of my right palm facing upwards. The changes compared to what I'd been doing are huge but the results were pretty good and quick to come. I know I'm probably not technically correct yet and Rhys is quite a strict task master, but only because he wants each player to get the most from their game. The ball striking just seemed so much easier and the majority of the shots if not straight would have been playable and the flight was so much higher and crisper.

It's early days still but I'm definitely looking to pencil another session in soon. Everything just seems so much clearer now and I feel really energised about my golf again. I've had so many false dawns and troughs that I need to be wary but I do think the change in teacher has made a huge difference. Sometimes it just takes a different point of view to make it slot into place.

The problem would be taking this massive change onto the course and with only 50 range balls under my belt before the 1st round of the Winter knockout, I 'm pretty sure my partner Mike was as nervous as I was. Would it be a disaster, would it work, and if it came down to a pressure cooker finish would it hold up and could I rely on it? So many questions to answer and you'll have to wait to find out exactly how it went!

A Hackers Guide To Royal Ascot - Hole 12 (Henry Cotton)

2011-12-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

We've reached the 12th hole, named after the three time Open champion who has been associated with Royal Ascot since playing in the inaugural boys championship in 1921. This Boys Amateur Championship has now grown into an major event on the golfing calendar and some of the modern greats have tasted success in it.

This hole is ranked as the hardest on the course according to the stroke index and is a 409 yard par four which doglegs at a ninety degree angle. The course planner describes the hole:

"Don’t ruin a hard fought for score at this point, play well within your limitations. Drive at part of fairway you can see. Play your second towards green and if you have to, use your short game to secure your par. The green is receptive."

The 12th - a daunting tee shot and a tough second to follow

For many, the ideal shot is straight down to the corner of the dog leg which leaves a second shot of some 200 yards or so. However the braver golfer can risk carrying the large tree adjacent to the 11th green and then trying to fly the row of smaller trees that line the right edge of the fairway. Successfully do so and you are left with nothing more than a short iron into the green. However fail to make it and bogey or worse is almost always the result.

The simple tee shot is normally the safest on the 12

The second requires excellent club selection. It usually plays down wind but there is a large bunker some thirty yards short and right for the sliced approach and a pair left and right of the green to welcome anything drifting off line. If you are too long there is a slope at the back of the green and the ball will run towards the environmental area some ten yards behind the green. As you cannot enter this protected area a penalty drop from the drop zone is the result so caution must be exercised.

This green is another that runs from front to back and has a big swing on it from right to left as you approach. There is thick rough either side of the green and it makes playing a finesse shot to land the ball close very hard. A large green by Royal Ascot standards it is imperative you get the right club. A putt from front to back or vice versa will really test your touch and nerve.

Get the right club in your hand as there is danger all around

As with so many holes on the course the drive is paramount. Even if you don't risk the carry, par is possible although coming in with a fairway wood, hybrid or long iron does make it a tough ask. The best plan for most is to find the fairway, play into a favourite distance and try to make an up and down. It usually plays close to 6 in monthly competitions and so there is no shame in making a five nett four and walking off to the next tee.

I've had more than my share of disasters. It usually involves being too greedy off the tee and having to play a recovery from behind or underneath the row of trees. If you fail to recover properly, the next is usually from juicy rough and brings the bunker short right into play. From there it is easy to come up short or hit it too well into the environmental area. However there have been rare moments of genius and the odd birdie (nett eagle!!!) thrown in from time to time. It's a good matchplay hole. Giving or receiving a shot here it is never over until its over. I've played a club match and given a shot here and still won it with a 6.

It is a well designed hole that asks a lot of questions. Are you brave enough to go the short route? Can you hit a straight one to the corner of the dog leg when you really need to? Do you have enough firepower to get home in two? Can you find a two putt when you reach the green?

So there you have it. As Clint might have said standing on the tee "do you feel lucky punk?" Take it on and succeed and you'll be richly rewarded with par or birdie. Fail to make the grade and the card may take a terminal hit. A hole that earns it spurs as the hardest on the course.

Glass Half Full - Well Sort Of

2011-12-10T12:40:00.000-08:00

Lets start with the facts. It was Christmas stableford time today and I managed a meagre 29 points and finished 35th overall. Not my finest hour. However in my defence the -5 overnight temperature and frost meant we were on temporary greens and my heart is never in it when that happens.

I've been working hard on getting the club more in front of me and to be honest I used the round as nothing more than a glorified practise session. There some very good tee shots, particularly the 5th, 10th and 15th but the irons weren't as good as I'd have liked. On the positive side of things my short game, so often not so much the weakest link as the missing one, was much better today It was just as well as temporary greens usually means a lot of fiddly chipping as the targets are so small and hard to get close to.

Despite all this, the initial signs are good. I need to get some serious range time in and make the move feel more natural. At the moment I feel as though I am coming over the top (and sometimes do) but when it is good it is very, very good.

I was partnered today with my four ball partner Mike Stannard and Tommy Goode who remains a feisty competitor even at his advanced years (well 70 is getting on a bit!). The good news for me is that Mike is in imperious form, well apart from one shank and even then he recovered brilliantly. His good shooting was good for 41 points and 2nd place. Tommy was his usual mixture of very good with the odd faux pas thrown into the mix to keep things interesting and he managed a respectable 37 points.

So where does that leave me? Well if I'm honest I'm trying to be upbeat and take the plus points from the round. I've plenty of time to get things moving in the right direction this week ready for our Winter Knockout match next Saturday. The draw hasn't been kind and we've got ex captain Geoff Escourt and his right hand man John Munday both of whom own "unique" swings but on their day are capable of getting it round well. I've got my own "unique" swing and can be dangerous too especially with Mike as my "Steady Eddie." It promises to be an epic and if I can follow the advice from Rhys and really get the club in a good position then I'll be a real foil for my partner.

I've a date with the range tomorrow morning especially as the forecast for later in the days isn't so good. I need a clear head, positive thoughts and good tempo. If they fall into line and I hit it as I did when I went to the range on Friday then we are going to be in a strong position going into 2012. If not, well I can always revert to a glass half empty type of guy, book some lessons and get some help. Hopefully Mr Half Full will win the day.

Clarity

2011-12-04T12:26:00.000-08:00

Given the forecast and the persistent drizzle when I got out of bed at 6.30 am, the prognosis for golf yesterday was not good with gusty winds and squally showers on the cards. However as I pegged my first shot of the day up at 8.00am in the company of good friends Colin Osborn and Matt Davis there wasn't a breath of wind and there were breaks in the clouds. The course was pretty wet after several days of rain but still in good nick for the time of year.

I wasn't expecting much from the round and was using it as an opportunity to get some on course practice in rather than worry about posting a good score. I was dutifully surprised to hit a majestic opening 3 wood into the 228 yard first that flew high and with a nice touch of draw and which found the putting surface with ease. A nice par to start.

I wouldn't say the remainder of the round was a shambles after that but it was a real mixture of some decent shots and the odd horror. However most frustrating was the fact that every single iron shot seemed to be heavy. Fat shots and winter golf are not a good marriage and it really took its toll on confidence and scoring.

In a fit of pique I decided to hit a bucket of balls in the afternoon to prove to myself the swing, and in particular the stuff I'd been working on, were on the right track and that it had all been some sort of one off aberration. In truth I would probably have been better off staying in the warm.

Every now and then there are real Fellini moments and I had one at the Downshire Golf Complex. One of those that follow this rollercoaster ride of a pursuit towards lower handicap and golfing glory is their top teaching pro called Rhys ap Iolo. He has said via twitter that he was concerned that what I am being shown in my lessons and then trying to execute are not necessarily compatible. It was this that in part was the catalyst for my thoughts on looking at my current teacher and how my progress seemed to have stagnated (see http://threeoffthetee.blogspot.com/2011/11/tears-before-bedtime.html)

Rhys ap Iolo - switched on a golfing light in the brain

I was coming to the end of what was a fruitless basket of balls as he wandered past having just given a kids lesson. He watched me hit a couple and took a quick video. What he said was so simple, so bang on the money and such an eye opener. Basically, the first part of the swing is fine. Not perfect but functional. Regular followers know that I have a tendency to come up in the shot on the downswing and lose spine angle and my current teaching pro Paul Harrison has tried to fight this by making my posture more upright and turn more on top of the ball.

What Rhys showed me was that basically the club was so far behind me on the way down, it needed the magical dexterity of the street magician Dynamo to get it back to the ball properly. I am not that talented. All he wants me to do is feel as though the club is travelling as far left as I can get it through impact and imagine I have a winter mitten on my right hand and to throw that behind me as I follow through.

Quite simply it gets the club far more in front of the body on the downswing. This will get me turning better through the shot and most importantly give me the room needed to deliver club on ball. Although it is going to feel as though I'd hit everything straight left and even as if I'm coming over the top (usually a big no no) with the way I swing I need to trust it and believe and it will go straighter and with a more powerful compression.

Behind all this mumbo jumbo was a simple message. Stick with the slightly lower posture I preferred (I'd found the new change difficult to embrace and stick in the memory) and change the way the clubhead travels. Nothing earth shattering. I only had a few balls left to try and get it working but it was clear from those and the way they flew better than the bucket that had proceeded them that there was method in the madness.

I was limited time-wise today but was desperate to get out and try it. Initial signs are good. The one thing that did disappoint was the fact that I videoed what I was doing and although it felt infinitely different and impact and direction were 100 times better the swing itself and particularly the clubhead direction wasn't as radically (if at all) to the left as I'd hoped. It had been a real OMG (Oh my god) moment when I started hitting 9 irons and they were longer and straighter than anything in recent memory. It seemed to work through the bag but there was a lack of consistency once we got to the 6 iron and beyond. It might have been me getting quicker in the tempo as time got short but the session had reinforced Rhys's comments and those where I'd managed to get the club in front were very, very good.

I am definitely going to work on this again tomorrow night. How can something so simple clarify the issues I've been having. It does beg the question why the position of my club on the downswing hasn't been picked up before and such a simple fix offered. Questions will be asked the next time I see my current teacher though. My thanks to Rhys though for taking the time to stand there and watch the failings of a golfing fool and hopefully after a few sessions I'll be able to get something on film to send him and get some kind of positive feedback that I'm on the right path.

The View From The (Very) Cheap Seat

2011-12-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

For the armchair golf fan it has been another full on season. For those of us who bow down to the Murdoch dollar we've had a Summer of almost weekly action on both the European and US Tours along with the majors and the Solheim Cup. The good old BBC were on hand to provide us with their usual high class Open coverage and to give us a thrilling home win in the Walker Cup.

As I sit here on my favourite chair, cup of tea in one hand and remote in the other what was it like for us the viewing public. The majors were certainly action packed and anyone successfully picking all four winners is more than likely relaxing somewhere significantly warmer and worrying about which yacht to take out of the harbour tomorrow.

Augusta to me always represents the start of the golfing season. The clocks have just changed, my course is beginning to awaken from Winter and I look forward with a clean slate to handicap cuts, monthly medal wins and lots and lots of golf. Of course somewhere along the line expectation and fulfilment become blurred and don't always meet in a happy marriage. At Augusta in April, Rory McIlroy demonstrated that expectation, especially in a major, especially for such a young man doesn't mean it's a done deal. It was car crash viewing watching him in the last round of the Masters.. You couldn't believe how a man so in control for three days and with the field at his mercy could disintegrate and become almost unable to get the ball in the hole.

A last round no-one could have imagined.

With Rory slipping back there was still a Major up for grabs. Many got themselves into contention but Charl Schwartzel was the man to deliver a finish of immense skill and courage. His 66 was the low round of the day and his two shot margin of victory was crafted by birdieing the last four holes.

Schwartzel enjoys his first major success

The next major was the US Open played at the fearsome Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland between June 16th and 19th. Again, the armchair fan in Britain could follow the action on TV and again it proved to be unmissable viewing. There were many, myself included, who had tweeted, written and commented on phone ins, chat rooms and talk shows that McIlroy would take time to recover from the scars of Augusta. He took precisely one round at Congressional and led after day one with a stunning six under par 65. No need to watch from between the fingers in front of your face for this one.

McIlroy was a tour de force throughout and by the start of the final round had an 8 shot lead over Y.E. Yang. Even though this was an even bigger lead than he took into the last round at Augusta I was still worried for the young man but his birdie at the 1st calmed my nerves and I could enjoy copious amounts of tea and biscuits throughout the evening as he strolled to a imperious eight shot victory.

No last round meltdown this time

Called me a sentimental old fool but there is nothing better for the armchair fan that the Open and the velvet tones of Peter Alliss on the BBC. He is a true icon and although there are those that suggest he is past his prime, to me he is the voice of golf and I'd love him to carry on and on. Like others such as O'Sullivan (horse racing) Walker (motor racing) Maskell (tennis) Pickering (athletics) Carpenter (boxing) and Arlott (cricket) he is the epitome of the sport they covered particularly on the BBC. Maybe there is something in this sentimentality lark though as the winner in that far flung corner of Kent was truly a People's Champion.

Darren Clarke has always had a popular place in the hearts of golf fans throughout his career. He has always seemingly liked the odd pint, smoked the odd fag and generally played golf with a smile. However when he lost his wife Heather to the demon that is cancer and then played a few weeks later in the Ryder Cup he cemented himself in the psyche of the golfing fraternity. His career has dipped in recent years but towards the end of 2010 and early in 2011 there were signs that a settled family life and a fresh enthusiasm for the game were bringing him back to form.

Even so it, very few expected to see his name on the Claret Jug come Sunday evening. It had been a compelling four days. Thomas Bjorn had returned to the course where he so nearly won in 2003 and featured prominently throughout but again came up short. The game of golf saw the emergence of another home grown talent in the shape of Tom Lewis who played alongside Tom Watson in the opening round and carded a 65 to lead with Bjorn after day one.

However it was Saturday that perhaps had everything for the viewer. The weather took a turn for the worse with heavy rain and strong winds making conditions hazardous. It certainly made some of us feel better to see the top players finding it as tough as we do in our monthly medal in such weather.

The weather in the final round was much better although the wind meant that scoring would be tough and control of the ball was a must. Clarke had moved through the field to sit on top of the leaderboard, just ahead of Dustin Johnson of America.

It was a fascinating final round. Phil Mickleson made a mockery of the conditions to charge to the turn in 30 but his bid for glory was to stall on the closing stretch. It was becoming a two horse race between Clarke and Johnson but when the American tried to go for the green in two on the par 5 14th he hit a horror shot out of bounds which cost a double bogey and gave Clarke a 4 shot lead. In the end the Ulsterman cruised to victory by three shots.

Definitely one for the people

It was certainly a popular win not only for golf fans across the world but within the game too. It was certainly a long night and Clarke was featured in the press the following day having partied all night but still looking remarkably good on it. A great winner, with Peter Alliss providing the perfect words on a perfect outcome.

The last major, the USPGA is regarded by many as the poor relation compared to the others. Certainly it doesn't seem to have the panache in the UK that the others do. Maybe its because we're not as au fait with its history I don't know. Either way, its the last chance of the season for us to find that comfy spot on the settee and settle down to some high class golf into the small hours.

For those who who view this event boring, the joke’s on you. Yes, for the casual fan, this looked like the Blueberry Hill Monthly Medal for a while but by the end of Sunday, it was one of the most exciting majors of the year. For starters, it wasn’t Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner’s fault that they were the last men standing. The strongest field in golf teed off on Thursday, including the likes of Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and 100 of the top 102 in the World Golf Ranking. This had a bit of everything from Rory Wrist to Tiger Rap. For McIlroy, his tournament was effectively over on the 3rd hole of round one when he hit a tree root and injured his wrist. In fact he arguably came within a three-inch root of ruining the most promising career in the game,

Then there was Tiger, and the bizarre showing he made hitting one crooked shot after another. He hit 22 bunkers, 11 fairway and 11 greenside in two rounds and only saved par from the sand four times. Not only was this his worst performance in a major but five club professionals beat him.
So we didn’t have what experts might call a ratings bonanza, but we did have a gutsy thrill-a-minute finish. Forget the anticlimactic playoff where Dufner missed a 5-footer for birdie on 16 and three-putted 17. Focus on the positives. Keegan Bradley is the first player in recorded history to make a triple bogey in the final nine holes of a major and go on to win the tournament. Keegan Bradley delivered an unforgettable finish.

Bradley was five shots behind with only three holes to play after his chip shot raced across the 15th green and into the water, leading to a triple bogey. It led to one of the most stunning turnarounds in a major. Bradley made back-to-back birdies, including a 35-footer that rattled into the cup on the 17th. Then came a monumental meltdown by Jason Dufner. Unflappable all afternoon, he hit his tee shot in the water on the 15th for the first of three straight bogeys that led to a three-hole playoff. Bradley birdied the 16th hole in the playoff, his first outright lead of the day and went on to win by one shot.

Bradley - held his nerve and a long putter

However Bradley will also go into the record books as the first major winner to use a long putter. To the golfing purist these should be consigned to golf room 101 and I'm sure there are those in the committee rooms at certain clubs up and down the land crying into their pink gin at the sight. It wasn't the last time this year that we'd see such a putter and the site of Phil Mickleson with one on tour a few weeks later certainly raised a few eyebrows.

For the armchair golfer that was that. As much emotion, elation, desperation, despondency, joy, brilliance, incompetence and at times farce you could ever hope to see in a year. There was just time to cram in a glorious win for the European team at the Solheim Cup and for the Walker Cup boys to hold their nerve when it mattered to bring home that trophy and the TV year was done.

No time to snooze this season

What has a mere hacker like me taken from all this?. Well for one thing we can never take this game for granted whether you are one of the best in the world like McIlroy coming to grief and then rising like a phoenix from the flames or shooting a triple down the stretch like Bradley and finding the strength and self belief to carry on. Perhaps that is the biggest difference of all. Yes, we can all get it round to some degree on our local course, but usually a collapse of McIlroy proportion or at a critical stage like Keegan will leave indelible marks on our fragile golfing persona. Tee it up next time and it is there at the very forefront of the golfing brain eating away at your confidence.

Perhaps we need the apparent "don't give a damn" laid back persona of Clarke. I can think of a few in the 19th at my club that would have played him off scratch in the partying afterwards. Either way, the dark nights are here and the azalea and rhodedendrum of Augusta seem a long way off. As for me I'll continue to hit the range, and enjoy the challenge of Winter golf looking for that piece of magic. When that fails I'll comfort myself watching the top guys make it look easy on great courses in great events. Majors and TV. Is there really anything else?

Some Days Are Better Than Others

2011-11-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

It's been an ordinary sort of day. Another day in work, dull, cold and wet outside and no enthusiasm to hit the driving range. However I rocked up at home after the commute home to find I'd had a delivery. Sitting there was a red box with Footjoy emblazoned all over it. Now I know I have a certain reputation for liking my Footjoys (only 11 pairs at the last count) but I knew I'd been good and not ordered any recently.

I opened the box and to my amazement it was a pair of the brand new Footjoy shoe the XPS-1. These haven't even gone on general sale yet and when they do will have an RRP of around £199. It turns out it was part of the prize from the Golf Monthly competition my regular partner Mike Stannard won to go over to Dublin, meet Padraig Harrington and be one of the first anywhere in the world to try the new shoes out on the golf course. The winners would then receive a complimentary pair. As I was his chosen partner to accompany him on the trip the complimentary shoe offer extended to me as well.

Brand new and all singing, all dancing. A technologically advanced golf shoe

This shoe has been designed to give the golfer far more stability in the shot and features what Footjoy are calling an extreme outsole. Basically it is slightly wider on the outer edge and is designed to stop a golfer swaying and the weight transferring to the outside of the foot. Padraig Harrington has been a huge fan and has been using them all summer on tour. The comments from all those at Carton House echoed the sentiments of the main man himself. They are super comfy straight from the box, and do as they say and provide a more solid platform to swing on.

I have to say a huge debt of thanks both Golf Monthly and Footjoy for such a generous gift. Some days are definitely better than others.

A Hackers Guide To Royal Ascot - Hole 11 (Old Waterfield)

2011-11-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

The second nine is well under way and the course begins to swing towards the world famous Royal Ascot racecourse. For many years the club was situated inside the confines of the course. Indeed not only did it play home to an 18 hole golf course and a reservoir but there was also a cricket ground in there as well.

The 11th hole is a tricky par three. Like many it isn't particularly short and comes in at 178 yards off the white tees. The course guide describes it thus: "A 178 yard par 3 that predominately plays down wind. Avoid the greenside bunkers if you can, they are the most penal on the course. The green deserves a deal of respect, and is heavily contoured."

The green itself presents a very long and narrow target. There is a very large bunker to the right which sees a lot of activity. To the left are two deep bunkers and these should be avoided as per the course guide advice. It is very hard to get the ball up quickly enough and with enough dexterity to stop it on some of the severe contouring.

The view from the tee - not a lot to aim at

Visually it is a very pretty hole, with a back drop of mature trees and behind those is the magnificent grandstand on the racecourse. It is a very impressive structure and its easy for visitors to get wrapped up with the racecourse and forget to play a proper golf shot. It's a hole that demands full attention particularly in choosing the right club. Although it plays downwind as a rule there isn't much room short of the green and so the shot has to be flown all the way. Don't be too greedy though as there is a steep bank at the back and heavy rough and a ditch waiting to pounce just right of the putting surface to catch a ball fired in too strongly.

Coming up to the green with the magnificent grandstand on the racecourse behind the tree line

If you find the green with your tee shot, a par three is still not a certainty. The green runs from back to front and has a very pronounced step in it running across the middle of it. If the flag is in the front portion and the ball is past hole high then it is a very quick putt, usually involving the step back down to the cup. It's all about getting the line and the speed spot on the avoid a tricky three footer for par. If the flag is at the back then you need to ensure there is enough gas in the tank to get the ball to the hole.

Another green full of guile

It is testament to the testing nature that of the hole that it is considered the 7th hardest on the course according to the stroke index. To be honest if you don't hit the green then making a bogey is not always a given and it is easy to make a double or worse here. Miss it right and avoid the big bunker and there is a tricky chip over the sand to negotiate. There is a walkway to the next tee so a bare lie isn't unusual and the branches of the large oak guarding the green can come into play.

Miss it left and find the bunkers and it is a true test of your sand skills. Hook it left of the bunkers and there is heavy rough waiting. Getting it out of that, over the traps and stopping it on a green running away from you is a feat of short game wizardry. Off all the places to miss short and straight presents the simplest recovery shot down the length of the green but with the step and slopes to contend with is still a big ask to get it close.

Birdies are a rare beast here and should be savoured. Par is a good score and for many there is no shame is using the shot received and making four nett three and moving on. It may not wreck a good card but it can certainly slow the momentum. As we will see, the next few holes won't provide any respite or the opportunity to make good any serious mistakes so it needs to be treated with care.

Breaking Them In Gently

2011-11-27T11:47:00.000-08:00

I took my shiny new R11's to the range this morning to get to know them and ensure each had a sweet spot that had been trained to ensure it knew where the ball is before they were released from the factory. As ever with me it is never straightforward and I am still doing some work on the drills from my last lesson on posture and impact position and so it was hard to always be 100% certain with the bad ones how much was down to trying to encompass a new swing, and how much was getting use to the new club, particularly the greater offset at address.

I had planned to play this morning but to be honest really fancied the lie in. Not a bad choice as this was the view when I pulled back the curtain.

A heavy shower was all the excuse I needed for another 20 minutes in bed

It was a heavy shower and soon passed but I'd have only just started as it came over and really didn't fancy the thought of several holes in the rain. Maybe I'm becoming a soft fair weather golfer. I like to think the work I did at the range was suitable penance though.

On top of the new clubs I'd been having "issues" with my putting and the old Ping Anser 2 was heading for a spell in the naughty cupboard especially after the way it performed yesterday. Despite a chill wind I ventured up to Royal Ascot this afternoon to spend some time trying to make those crucial 3 footers. Just to get the Ping's attention I took my Odyssey White Ice #9 too.

The Odyssey White Ice #9 - ready for a return?

I have to say the Odyssey performed exceptionally well and I felt I could take the putter back and through on the shorter ones with a lot more confidence. Naturally the Ping played ball and I was holing out with aplomb with both flat sticks. I've decided a few hours at home this week on the living room carpet will give me a taste for what feels better. I know what I think I want in the bag but can't convince myself its the right choice. If I was playing tomorrow the Odyssey would be in the bag with the Ping relegated to a spell on the substitutes bench but who knows after I've worn a groove into the living room carpet and annoyed the wife as she tries to watch Strictly I'm An X Factor Celebrity Eastender Omnibus or whatever rubbish it is.

I also took some time to look at my chipping. Fortunately Alistair White the club pro at Royal Ascot was passing and gave me a couple of quick pointers. The cold was biting and to be honest the enthusiasm was waning but he pointed out one flaw in that there was no wrist hinge at all. Apparently trying to keep the wrists quiet as I have can lead to some execution issues and all the great chippers (and some mediocre ones) all had a touch of hinge. Quelle surprise Sherlock! I think I can write the definitive How Not To book. Anyway with a degree more hinge on the way back and focusing on keeping the club head moving through the shot has given me a modicum more confidence inwhat remains a nemesis part of my game.

All in all then a hard days work. We know from the wins and placed finishes I've had in 2011 that the hard graft can pay off. It's about striking that balance now between working on what I've been shown to get it into the game and relying on my instinct and feel. I had an interesting message from a guy called Rhys Ap Iolo who is a pro from the Downshire Golf Course/Range on the Wokingham/Bracknell border. He's been following my trials and tribulations over the last few weeks via twitter (@medboro if you fancy following me on there - more the merrier. I've got 81 followers now and if I get to 100 I've pledged to give £100 to the Help for Heroes Charity - http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/). Basically he summed it up perfectly and I'll leave you with this thought for all of you not quite playing to your maximum potential or going through a bit of a dip in form.

"Change the way it flies not the way it looks! It ain't got to look pretty to work!"

Change Of Weapon - Change Of Fortune?

2011-11-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

After many weeks of trialling, even longer gazing longingly in magazines and online I've finally succumbed to a new set of irons. I've been banging the Taylormade R11 drum for a long time now as one of the best irons I've hit all year and tanks to a small windfall finally had sufficient funds to purchase the irons.

They are arguably a step back in terms of being more of a game improver type of club built around forgiveness and a progressive offset in the longer iron. However with the swing changes I'm desperately trying to get to grips with and the overall state of affairs with my game I see it as a positive step and arming myself with the tools to get the job done more often.

I have to say I was like a child at Christmas this morning impatiently waiting for the pro shop at Royal Ascot to open so I get my hands on the set on display and take them out with me in the usual Saturday morning roll up. It should also be pointed out that in these tough times and massive under-cutting by online retailers and golfing superstores it was refreshing that my club pro was able to offer the set for £499 which was at least £20 cheaper than I was able to find it online.

Not a magic wand but hopefully a tool to make it easier for me to play consistently

I have to say it was difficult to give a subjective first impression as there was a fearsome and biting wind blowing across the course today which made ball striking and scoring pretty tough. The offset was a little trickier to get use to and seemed more pronounced on the course than I remember it from the sanctuary of a driving range mat. As a result I did seem to tug a few left. That said I've been known to pull a lot my Taylormade Tour Preferred irons in their time so maybe I'm being over critical and maybe the wind had some influence.

With the conditions being as they were it's going to take time and probably a couple of getting to know you sessions at the range to find the correct ball position and get use to the change in weight. Armed with the stock KBS 90 regular flex shaft they are noticeably heavier than the Tour Preferred but not prohibitively so. In my travels to trial the club I visited American Golf at Bird Hills near Maidenhead and they gave me a number of shafts including the Dynamic Gold. This weighs in at 127 grammes for the standard R300 and felt very heavy when put on the club and I couldn't control it. They swapped to the Dynamic Gold XP which promotes a higher flight and I did like the shape these produced. Again these were heavier than the KBS 90 which come in at 95g compared to 116g in the XP but I felt much more happy about getting the club to the ball. In the end the flight of the KBS and the XP was marginal and so I opted for the stock shaft.

I feel I've done my homework and gone for a club I can use over a vanity purchase and that looks impressive but which I'll struggle to make work for me. I know these shiny new sticks won't be a magic wand and that there is still a lot of hard yards to be put in over the winter to sort posture and impact position but I feel these are the tools that will make the job easier on those all too familiar days when everything feels that little bit out. It's a done deal now so the proof of the pudding will be in the scores. If nothing else they look pretty in my bag all new and shiny.

Progress - One Painful Step At A Time

2011-11-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

The good news is the disaster that was the range session last Tuesday night has been erased from the memory bank. It simply never happened. I wandered down to Blue Mountain Golf Centre in Bracknell on Wednesday in the hope that fresh surroundings and space to work things out without my teacher working with others in adjacent bays would help. I've found a compromise set up position which I don't think is a million miles from where I should be and it managed to get the ball going forward and not straight right off the hosel. That in itself was progress.

Feeling invigorated I had another range session back at Maidenhead Golf Centre on Friday. Again the principle was to adopt the more upright position and just focus on turning and timing. Paul was there and he was actually pleased with the ones he saw me hit. I haven't turned a corner by any stretch of the imagination. It's more a case of poking my head cautiously around it to make sure there isn't a dirty great juggernaut hurtling towards me to halt my progress.

I decided to venture out yesterday in the normal roll up and give it a whirl. Nothing ventured and what was the worse that could happen apart from make an idiot of myself and lose a couple of pounds into the kitty? I have to say it was the Heinz 57 round I thought it would be. Some good shots, a couple of real show stoppers and a lot of shots that were close to being good. In truth I dabbled with the palette without painting the whole picture. My 30 point total (15 points on both nines) wasn't a disaster. There were two lost balls in that although the one at the last that I dumped into the greenside pond was just such a poor execution, the new swing changes can't be held accountable. As for the other, I made good contact on the 6th tee but started it a little further right than I should of and it caught a branch and ricocheted off. No-one saw which direction it flew in and was never seen again. Not the poorest shot I've hit there so no scars left in the memory.

Putting wasn't great yesterday and it's an area that is causing a modicum of concern. It was perhaps my greatest forte and certainly rescued scores but at the moment I've lost touch, and ore importantly confidence in holing out from that vital 3-6 foot distance. It's fine working at home with my Pathfinder aid

I'm taking the putter back and through and managing to miss the pegs with efficient ease. On the course though I'm pulling and pushing the putts and have no feel. I'm tempted to dig out my old friend the V-Easy which is another device specifically designed to take any wrist breakdown out of the putt. I just need to get that feeling of rocking it back and through. I've used it before, and a few sessions with that has transformed the putting. Now where did I leave it?

The V-Easy - a simple aid to take the wrists out of the putting stroke

Although not flushed with success, my round yesterday gave me renewed vigour and I was keen to play again this morning. However a blanket of fog meant that golf was delayed and as I had a prior engagement this afternoon I couldn't hang around for it to clear. A trip to the range it was then to try and crack this enigma code that is a straighter posture and better turn into impact.

It was a funny old session. The range was shrouded in a primeval cloud of haze and I could only see about 100 yards before the ball disappeared from view. I'm not sure if it not being able to track it all the way, a light bulb moment in my progress or just a rare fluke, but for the first thirty balls or so every shot was good, and some were absolutely flushed. As the mist cleared so the magic disappeared and mistakes began to creep in. Not the unmitigated disaster of last week but annoying things like over swinging (thought the new set up was going to cure that), not finding the new impact position, sliding (thought the new set up was going to cure that as well) and swinging too fast.

To be fair I can't put it all at the door of the changes. Tempo and swing length are old adversaries. On the plus side we know that when we get it right it really works. The strike is superb, the flight penetrating and the distance arguably a few yards longer. I certainly feel as though my finish position is more orthodox too as a result of turning better although I've yet to see the new swing on video. I have managed to capture a picture of my posture which shows how I'm trying to give myself the best possible opportunity to make more consistent swings by starting in a good position. The logic is that from a good starting point, there is less need to make adjustments and compensations throughout to get the club meeting the ball squarely and in a good impact position.

The new and improved (?) position - Good to go ahead and make a great swing

The road to success is often long and full of pitfalls. I've still not made up my mind on the choices I posed at the end of my last blog (you'll just have to read it yourself to see what they were!) and I can't put my hand on my heart and say the change in set up has brought any tangible differences yet. Still, trying to remain positive, I've pencilled in some range sessions for the week ahead and hope a small amount of balls, regular practice swings in between and positive thinking and concentration will mean the swing I found in the swirls and eddy's of the fog is the one that we're aiming for.

The tears have dried. The mojo is still there and the determination to get better and lower burns even more fiercely in the face of this huge hurdle. We know we've got the game, its about wrapping it up into something I can click and go every time I play rather than have to search for it on the range or before I step onto the tee. Get it right from address and the rest should follow. It sounds such a simple plan!

Tears Before Bedtime

2011-11-16T08:50:00.000-08:00

Many of those who know me will testify that I like a challenge and in particular will always put the hard yards in to try and make a swing change from a golf lesson fit into my normal game. I have to say, I've come to an impasse. The changes my teaching pro gave me to my address position in our lesson last Saturday simply haven't gelled. Instead I've been left with a swing that isn't working, a bad case of the shanks and after the practice session last night close to tears of sheer bloody frustration.

I understand the concept of trying to stand taller and tuck my bottom in more by feeling the pelvis is more underneath at address. However the position he got me into in the lesson is not the one I'm able to create now. I've tied myself in knots and even if I stand over the ball I'm so focused on whether it's right or not the swing itself is shot to pieces and tempo doesn't exist in my golfing vocabulary. I have never hit so many shanks, semi shanks and slices as I did last night.

Confidence has gone and I doubt very much that I'll be venturing onto a golf course again any time soon. I can't put club to ball and it would frankly be like being a golfing newbie if I played this weekend. So where does that leave me. Confused. Depressed. Angry. Frustrated. To be honest, it has got me questioning whether I'm making progress at all with my current teacher. The last lesson back in October focused on more wrist hinge and a better turn and that did work to a degree but again that change is hard to create when there are approximately 7,903 other thoughts jostling for attention standing over a shot. My handicap progress would argue that I've stagnated a little even if I did have some good wins and performances this year.

I've never been one to chop and change my teachers, and to be fair only went to this chap when my original teaching pro was going under the surgeons knife and then having some serious rehab. I had always planned to go back but Paul Harrison at N1 Golf and I worked well and things were moving on well. Ironically Grant Sayer my original teacher, based at Maidenhead Golf Club, is back under the knife to remove some of the pins from the first operation and tidy the tissue up. I wonder if I can get a discount for using a bionic coach. However it does mean he's out of action for a while yet.

Grant Sayer - his body is being rebuilt - can he do the same for my golf swing

So what next? I guess the simple answer is to take a deep breath, dry those teary eyes and put it down to a bad session and get out again and work on it. Rome being built in a day and all that nonsense. However it has got me questioning whether a) I should accept I am what I am as a golfer now, b) a change of pro even for a couple of lessons might spark something new, c) look to go back to my first pro Grant and rekindle the partnership.

I am tempted by the first option and have begun to accept that the golf swing has flaws. When it is good it is very good but it is more consistency that is an issue rather than the ball strike itself. I still feel there is more to find in terms of playing a more reliable game and having a swing with fewer moving parts. Option A is a back burner. Option B starts favourite at the moment but begs the question of who and where. I think some homework needs to be done. I know a couple of local pros who are very good and so I might need to see what their availability is like. Perhaps a stranger is better. Someone who doesn't know me and has never seen me or my swing (and few will ever have seen a golf club swung like this!). As for Option C, I like that idea a lot too. I need to speak to Grant and see how he is progressing. I've actually still got a lesson paid for way back from when he first had his operation so a nice swing MOT could be the remedy and at least let him see where I'm at.

All I do know is I am struggling. Hopefully it'll click like magic and I can come back and tell your blog followers that it was all some ghastly golfing nightmare and all is well on the good ship SS Homer. However I fear that the next range session may also be a make or break one. I'm taking a box of tissues to wipe my eyes just in case. It could be a tough night!

Hitting A Wall

2011-11-13T08:32:00.000-08:00

It was lesson time yesterday and I'd been eagerly anticipating it for weeks as my game has drifted off. I'd already spoke with my teaching professional Paul Harrison about not wanting to make this winter all about radical rebuilds and to try and work within the limitations of my current swing whilst making sure the core fundamentals were all in place. So, not much to ask then.

I have to be honest and say when I got to Maidenhead Golf Centre and was forced to take my jumper off in the warm sunlight I was pretty envious of the usual cronies playing the Saturday roll up in such beautiful conditions. Still no pain, no gain and the swing needed attention. Having watched me hit a few the main focus was on posture. We'd spoken about the need for a good spine angle in the past but in trying to get this the spine angle was now too severe, almost like a ski ramp and I was leaning too far over from the hips.

We spent a lot of the lesson trying to get me to stand taller and pull the pelvis more underneath myself. This allows better rotation which was the other main focus. Too much leg action and sliding of the hips again. We ran through a couple of drills to really feel as though I'm turning and on top of the ball at impact and I can really fire the right hip through. A lot of the work was done in slow motion and really feeling the move and it wasn't until the end that we put the new posture and the better turn together and hit some balls. The changes were radical but so was the effect. Granted I was only hitting an 8 iron and I was prepared mentally before I hit it for it to go anywhere but if flew high and straight and felt very solid.

I finished off the bucket and really worked hard at getting the feeling entrenched. The remaining balls were all pretty good and I left a very happy man. Today though wasn't a great day. I went back to the range full of confidence but the results were not good. I am feeling the turn still but cannot replicate the straight back and tucked in pelvis feeling that was such a natural position twenty four hours ago. Fortunately Paul was on hand and we spent a few moments working on the posture again. I'm driving the wife nuts posing with a club in front of mirrors looking for something that resembles the correct starting point. It has to be right as it is what is really driving the new turn and without it, the hips still slide and frankly it goes to pot.

I've got the hump as I can usually take changes from a lesson and they click into place (until I forget and old habits creep back in) but this posture is like hitting a wall. It really doesn't feel right or look right.

Waiting for that light bulb moment to flash in my golfing brain

The stupid thing was I wandered up to the practice ground at Royal Ascot yesterday afternoon and hit a few wedge shots with the new set up and everything was hunky dory and going well so I'm not sure where it all went in the space of twenty four hours. The logic in me says the posture was wrong for so long it is just taking time to get the body use to feeling different over the ball and trusting it. The pragmatist says I haven't really grabbed the concept and there is work to do. All I know is there is a lot of time to be put in every evening this week at the range to try and get something to click so I can go out and play next weekend.

So was it worth it? It's hard to say at the moment although I do feel I've taken a few steps backwards and things aren't clicking as they should. However I trust what Paul is doing and know that when we get this starting position and impact position firing properly it is going to reduce the amount of excessive movement in the swing and make it much more compact. I guess it's a waiting game and maybe I'm just being impatient. Time will tell.

More Of The Same

2011-11-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

Another competition and yet more mediocrity although to be fair yesterdays showing in the monthly stableford was a lot better than my last outing in the October medal. The course itself had stood up pretty well to some intense rain over the latter part of the week but was playing longer although it meant the greens were receptive to anything thrown in with a degree of height.

I was partnered by Dave Walker off a handicap of 14 and Geoff Scammell playin off 19. I'd not had the pleasure of their company before but it was fair to say the banter far outweighed the quality of the golf from all of us. I hit a good opening drive which didn't find the bunker right of the green but was balanced precariously on the downslope into it. It needed a good touch to ensure I didn't duff it straight into a sandy grave and I managed to get it onto the green. The putter was the culprit and I three putted which rather set the tone.

There was some good play such as a par at the third and some mistakes such as missing the green at the fifth from 102 yards and sticking it into the bunker. It was an old tale of one step forward and two back. Every time I looked to have done the hard work I'd find a way of frittering shots away. In the end the 16 point total for the front nine was about all I could have expected.

The back nine started with a real shock to the system. I hit my drive to the right edge of the fairway on the tenth and stood there with a six iron into the green. I'm not sure what happened other than pilot error as I carved a huge slice way right into the trees. I dropped another (my fourth) and put that where my fist attempt should have gone onto the green and managed to rescue a point.

However this nagging slice which had blighted my recent medal card was back. On the twelfth I found the fairway and then carved a five wood so far right it ended up on the tenth green. I duffed my first approach but then played a superb recovery from a harder lie to four feet to make an unlikely five. It was a shot lived glory as a hooked tee shot on the par three thirteenth and a poor attempt to get out of the thick grass the ball found itself in meant no points on the hole. The fifteenth was another hole where I had the chance to hit the green in regulation and spurned the opportunity to drop another point. On the sixteenth it was the putter that let me down again when I had a simple three foot putt for par following a good chip and run. I pushed it wide of the target.

In the end I managed to close with a par five on the eighteenth and had amassed fifteen points coming home to finish with a grand total of thirty one. It was enough to ensure another 0.1 back onto the handicap and was only good enough for fifteenth place in division two.

There was no golf today although I did manage to get out for a couple of hours of practice this afternoon to hit some chips and putts. Following a tip from the Golf Monthly Forum I'm trying to implement a tad more wrist cock in my chipping action which was working quite nicely at times. I'm not sure its textbook but as my chipping is still a major area of concern I'll take any short term remedy until I can find a longer term resolution. The putting stroke is still not 100% but at least I felt the head was on line. All in all it's more of the same. Some good, some bad and some downright ugly.

On the plus side I've my lesson next week and so my teaching professional Paul Harrison can have a look and give me some pointers. I think the culprits are turning too flat and coming over the top (AGAIN!!) and sliding and not turning the hips on the back swing and especially on the downswing. Old, old habits that disappear and then reappear with monotonous regularity. Will I ever learn?

A Hackers Guide To Royal Ascot - Hole 10 (Gray's Copse)

2011-10-31T14:36:00.000-07:00

I'm sure many of you were wondering if Royal Ascot was really a nine hole layout as there has been a bit of a delay in our hole by hole guide. Fear not dear blogger, normal service has been resumed. Here we are, on the 10th hole, Gray's Copse. Hopefully the scorecard isn't looking too shabby so far and we can kick on in style on the back nine.

This hole tees off directly outside the professionals shop and so it's very common to have you swing studied and scrutinised by Ali or his assistant Jamie loitering by the door. On paper it isn't a very tricky hole as the stroke index of 11 would indicate. It is a gentle dogleg from right to left and like many at Royal Ascot the drive is the key. There is a large house adjacent to the left hand side of the hole which is out of bounds and to be avoided and thick, punishing right awaits anything sliced or pushed too far. The ideal line is on the dead tree at the end of the fairway.

On the dead tree or slightly left of that is ideal

The hole only measures 371 yards and this fairway is one of those that tends to give a bit of run throughout the year. Get a good drive away and you are left with a short iron approach in. There is a temptation to try and cut a bit off the corner of the dog-leg but over cook it and the garden extends further than it seems and can trap an unsuspecting player. Beyond the fence line on the left lies very deep rough.

Even though you are left with a relatively easy second, make sure you select your club wisely. Long is dead here. The green has a very sharp slope at the back and anything running through will roll down into a ditch making a recovery shot almost impossible. This is where the double bogey or worse comes from. If you miss it left there is a bunker waiting. Miss right and there is a run off area which will collect your ball and guide it towards the fringe rough making a chip and a putt tricky.

Select your club wisely - middle of the green every time

The green itself will receive a well struck shot, even if it is from further back than intended. There is a slope at the front which will kill anything landing into it and it does run very much back to front all the way and left to right as you approach. It is another that never seems to have a dead straight line on any putt even from close range.

This hole offers a good chance of par and the chance to get the back nine off to a solid start. Indeed if you can get a good drive into the fairway, it is viewed as a birdie opportunity and even this hacker has managed a few of those in his time. Beware though. If you find the right hand rough, finding the ball will constitute a minor miracle, playing it out an even greater one. Lost ball and a reload is the usual penalty. Similarly stray too far left and the same fate can await especially as the dog-leg and the fence line can prevent you actually seeing where it lands.

We have one gentleman at the club by the name of Billy Koen who tends to make this hole a mockery. He is an ex-tour player from the Sunshine Tour down in South Africa and Zimbabwe and he strikes a might long ball. In the summer he has been known to hit the fringe of the green. That's outrageous whichever way you cut it. Here am I grateful to get there in two and he's thinking eagle. Still I guess that is why even now, with far less practice he still makes a 2 handicap look ridiculously easy at times.

So there we go. Nothing out of the ordinary to scare you and a gentle introduction to the back nine. A definite birdie chance but with a few pitfalls to catch the unwary golfer. If you can get off to a fast start here it will stand you in good stead as there are sterner challenges ahead.

Can't Find It

2011-10-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

Let me start with the bad news. The clocks have changed and we're in darkness by 4.30pm now and that will creep ever earlier. Gone for another year are those cheeky nine holes after work or a quick practice session at the club. Instead, months of early tee times and extra layers lay ahead. That last part though seems to be holding off, in Berkshire at least. It has been glorious this weekend and it was shirt sleeve order for the Saturday roll up yesterday.

My golf has taken another dip and as regular followers will know a mysterious slice has crept in and weaved destruction to my medal card last week. With my unique golf swing a slice is the furthest word from my golfing vocabulary. Duck hook, push and sometimes a controlled draw are the stock shots although I can't always guarantee in which order they will appear but never a big left to right banana. Despite my best endeavours at the range Friday night it was still there and so I wasn't full of Autumnal joy for the normal Saturday roll up.

As it happened, in places I hit some decent enough shots and the putter and my pitching went into over-drive around the turn but in between times there were some abominations including a slice out of bounds both the 2nd and the 6th from the tee. In the case of the 2nd hole I made a battling par with my second ball holing out from ten feet to rescue a point but couldn't repeat the magic four holes later.

My game, and in particular the short game came alive as I approached the clubhouse and the end of the front nine. My putter suddenly caught fire and was aided and abetted by an array of wedge shots that had laid dormant in my repertoire for many a long round. I was just short of the green on the tiny 138 yard par three 8th but chipped stone dead for a tap in par. I wasn't striking the ball solidly but I managed to find a fairway at the 9th and then proceeded to miss the green way right leaving a tricky forty yard pitch from heavy rough, over a bunker to a flag cut on a right to left slope. I judged it well to within six feet and converted to save par. I hit a poor tee shot on the 10th, low, left and short and couldn't make the green in regulation. My second shot finished short and left of the putting surface but again I pitched brilliantly and one putted to save another par. I hit a better tee shot on the par three 11th but still managed to miss the green right. From a tricky bare lie I hit a chip and run perfectly to three feet for another single putt green. As if that wasn't enough, I found the fairway on the 12th (stroke index 1) and only had 187 yards into this 409 yarder but hit it heavy and tugged it into the left hand greenside bunker. I got it out well and holed out for another par and a rare sand save. Five straight single putt greens and five straight up and down rescues to save par must be some kind of personal record.

Ironically as soon as I started hitting it well the putter went cold. I found the green in regulation at the long par three 13th and proceeded to three putt. I repeated the trick at the par five 15th too for good measure after again finding the dancefloor in regulation. It did however kick back into life again with yet another up and down from wide of a green on the 16th but I then limped home with two double bogies.

The grand total of 34 points was pleasing considering the swing isn't under control in any way, shape or form and I don't feel confident of putting the same swing on two consecutive shots. However the fact that we were out in glorious sunshine and in shirt sleeves eased the frustration to a large degree.

Winter golf is coming - don't let the current barmy weather fool you otherwise

I opted to hit the range today and work on it. The agonising thing is that it doesn't feel a million miles away. There were far less shots leaked right than in the medal last week and the pitching around the greens was at times sublime and made par saves routine. I have to say it was probably a sound choice. I'm still not hitting it as I want but I do feel a little more in control of the clubhead and have an idea where it is going now. I know when I've not put a good swing on it almost before I've hit it and can tell straight from impact whether it will be a horrid slice (becoming fewer and fewer) or a bit of a hook left.

I also managed to grab five minutes with my teaching professional Paul Harrison and discuss the Winter programme. I've been mulling it over for a few weeks now and have decided that to a large degree the foibles I have that make my swing very much my own are ingrained in their now and are part of my golfing DNA. To get rid of these and get something much more textbook is going to take a mammoth deconstruction and rebuilding programme and to be honest I'm getting to a point now where I'm becoming resigned to the fact that age is creeping up on me and that time on the course is more valuable than time in a bay at a range.

The good news is he doesn't think it's a problem. As my "moves" are repeated on every shot and therefore I swing with a degree of consistency albeit resembling an octopus in a washing machine at times he is happy to work within the constraints he has with the raw materials at hand and that a handicap of 10 is within reach by next season and that with some dedicated work in particular areas such as putting and the short game that could go a shot or two lower.

It is back to competitive golf next weekend with the monthly stableford and the following week Paul and I have our first Winter lesson so we can really see where we are and where we are going. Although I can't find the swing at the moment I'm convinced it hasn't taken early hibernation and that as long as the weather behaves and we can get out an play (heck I'll even suffer with temporary greens if I must) a period of tuition, practice and consolidation, and playing the changes in on a Winter course will leave me in a fantastic position for next season. There is a Golf Monthly Forum meet at Woburn on 29th March 2012 and the plan is to be ready to hit the ground running for that. A new year, a tweaked but not rebuilt game and a legendary course to try it out on. What could be better?

Fore Right

2011-10-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

After the platitudes and the glory of last week at the Forest of Arden it was back to competitive golf at Royal Ascot and the last monthly medal of 2011. Despite not playing well in the normal Saturday roll up last weekend I was still cautiously optimistic that the form that had seen me do so well in the Golf Monthly event may still be loitering inside and would come good.

I was drawn with Keith Feesey, a nine handicapper and a bear of a man who has been at the heart and soul of the club for a long time and a leftie golfer off seven called Tony Gare whom I'd no had the pleasure of playing with before. To cut a long story very short it was abysmal. Well that's not strictly true. I was competitive for the first two and a half holes even if I wasn't hitting it great. We'd been there before and got it round without playing fantastic golf so I wasn't overly panicked. That came with a missed green and duffed chip and the 3rd, a pushed drive right at the next and a recovery that it a staked tree and shot past my head on the way to a double bogey six.

However it was the 5th hole that was the real catalyst for a meltdown of Chernobyl proportions. I hit a glorious drive a long way down. A simple mid iron would have left an easy shot in and a bogey would surely have been the worse case scenario. Instead I tried to hit a five wood over the fairway bunker close to the green and managed to only hit a huge slice right into deep bundra. I found it and chopped it out but the damage was done with another double bogey.

The problem was that every single tee shot following, indeed 90% of all my shots were fades and big slices. Anyone who knows my game will testify that I am one of the few golfers who manage to be worry free about a slice. My problem shots are the damaging snap hook left or a straight block right. Not something starting vaguely straight, although without any oomph, and curling away to the right. I've no idea where it came from and quite frankly the sooner it goes away again the better.

The front nine was an adventurous 44 shots. I even tried to go cross-country on the 7th. Having sliced another shot way right, the only shot I had was a chip out short of the ditch crossing the fairway and still leaving nearly two hundred yards in. There was another option. I could risk playing across a large swathe of bracken and rubbish and over the 8th green and try and get it part way down that hole to leave a short shot in. A mis-hit would mean a lost ball and so I played safe and took a wedge. It was too safe and although I cleared the bushes, it didn't clear the greenside bunker by the 8th green. To confound the problem it had also plugged. In the end I did well to make another double bogey.

I started the back nine well until the 13th. Another carved shot right resulted in a lost ball and that long, lonely walk back to the tee. I topped my tee shot, and the next was also short. In the end a seven and a quadruple bogey saw any forlorn hope of making the buffer zone wiped out. I rescued a par at the next having temporarily remembered how to drive and chipped and putted after coming up short. After that it all collapsed in a heap and I saved the final ignominy until last.

I hit the tee shot on the 18th with a final big slice straight out of bounds. Playing three of the tee I got the second one away. I carved the next well right into the rough and could only hack it further up the hole. I then managed to put the sixth shot into the heart of the green but putted out for a snowman (8). In the end it was 48 shots home and a total of 94, nett 81 (+11). It was only good enough for 15th place (out of 22) in division 2 and a stark reminder of how fickle this game can be.

"Go on I dare you - just you try and go right"

I put it down to a bad day at the office although the slice is giving me cause for concern and so foresaked a chance to play today to hit the range and work on the swing. I'm still trying to bed in the swing I had from my last lesson a few weeks back and making a wider turn with much more wrist hinge. When I get into a position that seems to replicate the feeling I had at the time the results are pretty good but it's a case of not doing it often enough. One shot will soar magnificently and the next is usually a block right. The bad ones feel as though I am coming up and out of the shot. I've narrowed the cause of the slice to spinning my hips too aggressively and pulling the club over the top on the way down making a left to right slice inevitable.

All in all not a great weekend and it hasn't put me in the best of moods. With the clocks about to change I'm now restricted to range sessions and a couple of weekend games to try and find something that works. It's no good doing it during the week at the range if it crumbles apart on the course. I'm loathed to book another lesson yet although resigned to an inevitability that I can't get it sorted myself. I'm also toying with the idea of letting another pro have a look at the swing too, just to cast a fresh eye over things and get a different perspective. Either way, it wasn't what I was looking for and it's back to basics for the roll up next Saturday.

The Forest of Arden - The Pictures

2011-10-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

I'm sure there are those, especially those that have played with me in the last few months, that are still having trouble believing I could win my handicap division at the Golf Monthly Centenary Final at the Forest of Arden, let alone tie for first place. Let those doubters be forever silenced as the luminaries at Golf Monthly have posted a report of their own and a gallery of pictures

http://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/tours-and-news/tournews/529303/golf-monthly-centenary-society-grand-final.html

Here is the pictorial evidence of my win in the handicap section and the glorious oh so near.

A study of concentration

This was the birdie attempt at the par 5 12th hole. It measures 537 yards with a large pond guarding the left hand side of the green. I didn't make the birdie but sunk the next for a safe par five.

Smile for the camera

I'm receiving a brand new Srixon bag for winning the 13+ handicap division prize with 34 points from Jeremy Ellwood, Assistant Editor of Golf Monthly. Mike Harris the magazine's Editor is in the background hosting the prize giving ceremony.

Glorious Failure

This is the winner of the event, Bill Martin and I posing with our beautiful trophies on the balcony of the clubhouse in front of the green on the 18th, the signature hole. Bill played off nine and pipped me on a countback that went to the last 6 holes although to be fair his 15 points to my 12 was fairly convincing. He parred the last five holes so deserved to win.

And there we have it. You've read in detail how fine margins cost me the ultimate prize http://threeoffthetee.blogspot.com/2011/10/fine-margins.html but I'd never have dreamed I'd get this far let alone coming within a putt or two of winning. All I have to do now is find the magic of that day and reproduce it more often around the hallowed turf of Royal Ascot

Fine Margins

2011-10-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

I've just arrived back from the Forest of Arden Hotel near Birmingham. This Marriott hotel played host to the Golf Monthly Centenary Finals over the famous Arden course. The course was designed by Donald Steel and is located on the grand Packington Estate. Many varieties of wildlife can be found within the boundaries of the club, and golfers have a very good chance of catching a glimpse of the friendly deer that live in the majestic countryside setting. The Forest of Arden has held numerous European Tour events, including the English Open and British Masters. The victory roster includes many of the world’s greatest golfers including Colin Montgomerie, Ian Woosnam, and Thomas Bjorn. The 6707 yard (off the white tees) par 72 course is a true test of golf, designed to make golfers play a wide range of shots. Its variety of water hazards and trees neatly outline the fairways, offering a thoroughly unforgettable golf experience.

The hotel courtyard

Twenty one competitors checked in on Wednesday night and enjoyed a few pre-match drinks with Mike Harris, Golf Monthly's Editor along with Jeremy Ellwood the Assistant Editor and equipment guru. There was the usual array of golfing tales and it gave a chance for players and their partners to mix and relax before the big event. There had been six regional qualifiers earlier in the year and regular blog followers may recall I was here courtesy of a win in my handicap division at St Pierre.

The day itself dawned cloudy and dry if a little fresh but the strong winds that had been around all week had thankfully died down. Up on the range Golf Monthly had arranged for Cleveland, a co-sponsor of the event along with Marriott Hotels, to host an equipment demo and so the finalists had a chance to try out the latest clubs, including a state of the art launch monitor prior to going out.

Some last minute short game practice

Once it was time for business it was down to the first tee for preliminary photos to be taken by the magazine snapper. From there it was onto the tee and game on. I was partnered with Mike Chapman (4 handicap) from East Dorset Golf and Country Club and Bill Martin from Ballyliffin in Ireland (9 handicap).

The first hole on the Arden course is a 372 yard par four. It is quite a tight driving hole as the fairway is lined with large bunkers both left and right and with the pressure of a final and a photographer standing there to capture the opening drive for posterity it wass certainly a moment when the palms got a little sweaty and the mouth is that bit drier.

The opening hole - Pressure, what pressure?

I managed to follow my partners down the middle and so all was looking good. Sadly it wasn't to last and my eight iron approach was too long and I was left with an awkward opening chip from the edge of a large depression. I got it out but three ugly putts meant I had failed to score. Not the ideal opening. I made a fortunate nett par on the next to get points on the board. I was striking the ball well and managed to claw back the lost shots from the first and by the time we got to the eighth hole was back level with my handicap. This hole is a par three of 155 yards but is all carry over water with no bale out area. It is a case of hitting the green or getting wet. I found terra firma but off the putting surface on the fringe but failed to get up and down to drop another shot. I was a little out of shape off the tee on the sharply dog-legged ninth and so played into position, hit the green and made another nett par to go out in a solid 17 points. This was matched by Mike who had played some glorious golf on the front nine and really showed why he was so low. Bill was just a point adrift after a bad ninth hole meant he had failed to score.

The back nine on the Arden course turns towards the deer park. There are several large groups of deer roaming freely around the estate and on the course. It has a much more heathland feel to it and the holes are surrounded by ferns and it is more tree lined.

I drove the ball well on both the 10th and the 11th but came up short both times. In each case I was a little unsure on club selection and never fully committed to the shot. Still a nett par on both did no damage to the scorecard. I made a solid par on the 12th but another three putt at the 428 yard 14th cost me a shot. The next hole is a long par 3 of 185 yards played from an elevated tee to a kidney shaped green that right to left as you view it. The flag was tucked away behind a large bunker and with only a ten foot landing area to aim at it wasn't one for attacking. We all found the green in similar positions but Bill and Mike showed their class by negotiating a slippery twenty five footer, downhill breaking right to left with ease. I on the other hand rushed the first one seven feet by and missed the return.

I managed to get a shot back on the penultimate hole which is a short par five of just 487 yards. There is a large lake that cuts into the green from the right. I hit a good drive and had it been a social game I would have been tempted to go for it in two. Given the good round I had going a pragmatic approach was called for. I laid up and hit my third to ten feet. Bill had gone for it and was a similar distance away looking at an eagle putt. He missed, and missed the birdie putt back while I made my birdie. Slowly, slowly catchee monkey.

The last hole is the signature hole on the course. It is 207 yards over water to a large green in front of the clubhouse. There is a little room to the right but the shot requires a carry of at least 180 yards. My birdie meant I had the honour.

Do or die on the 18th

I pulled my trusty five wood and aimed at the right hand bunker hoping for my usual right to left shape. Instead I hit it well but too straight and it found the sand. Mike and Bill both found the green. I have to be honest blog reader and say I thought a four and two points for a nett par would give me a competitive score and match my tally from St Pierre. Perhaps I was thinking too much about what I needed to score as opposed to what I needed to do. The sand shot was a little too clean and ended up four feet over the side of the green.

I was right to look nervous

Now my short game is in and out at best but with a good score going in the final of a pretty decent competition there was more pressure on a fragile technique than normal. All I was focusing on was keeping the clubhead moving and trying not to duff it in front of me. In the end we got away with it and the ball came to rest some six feet away from the hole. It was an ugly shot but at this stage I was all for settling for results any which way. It was a teasing left to right putt and I was desperate not to finish with an ugly double bogey. I made it. Only just mind but it found the bottom of the hole

After we checked the cards, all three of us had tied with 34 points. In Mike's case that was testament to some tremendous golf around a very tricky course and it was a pleasure to watch a proper golfer at work. Bill had finished under a full canvass and parred the last five holes.

There was a long wait ahead. We were only the second group out and so we were hanging around as the others came in and there was a decent meal to enjoy first. As others drifted in, it seemed 34 points was proving a hard number to beat but I'd have to wait for Mike Harris to formally announce the result.

There were two divisions for the handicap section split 0-12 and 13 and over. Bill from my group pipped Mike into second place having scored eighteen points on the last nine holes to Mike's seventeen. And then it was my division. After a pause of X Factor proportions my name was called. I was a National Final winner. That just left the main prize and the trophy to be decided. Clearly Bill and I had tied on 34 points but who had won. We both knew we had eighteen points apiece coming home and so countback went to the final six holes. Despite my birdie on the 17th, those two three putts cost me on 14 and 15 and Bill scooped the trophy to take back to Ireland. Congratulations to him and well played.

In the end it was a matter of a missed putt that cost me the ultimate prize but second place in the final of such a prestigious event as the Golf Monthly Centenary was beyond my wildest dreams. My form in the stableford last weekend or indeed playing the back nine of Royal Ascot on Tuesday with my mate Mike Stannard gave no indication that I would do so well.

In the end I'd be lying if I said I was happy to come second and I am still looking at the errors I made around the green at the first and the lost shots scattered elsewhere but deep down the glass isn't just half full but brimming at the rim. I am chuffed and pleased that my wife was there to share my success after having to endure listening to me complain on a regular basis about how badly I had played or hit it down the range.

It just shows that providing you keep the faith and belief in your game good things can happen. Many thanks to Mike and Golf Monthly for staging the event and to the Marriott for their hospitality on and off the course. Hopefully this will become a regular event albeit not a Centenary one and that I can make it back to the final next year. Who knows, maybe I can go that one step further.

Watch Out - There's A Humphrey About

2011-10-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

If you are of a certain age you'll remember back to the the mid 1970's when the Unigate Dairy came up with an amazing advertising campaign to promote their range of milk. It was based on an army of red and white striped straws that turned up when you weren't looking and stole your milk. An imaginative slogan "Watch out..Watch out there's a Humphrey about" became an overnight catchphrase.

The Humphrey Logo

Of course if you are too young or reading this from outside the UK it'll mean very little. However the convoluted point I'm making is I've a horrible feeling my golf swing has been Humphrey'd. It was there at the range last week and had been coming on nicely from the lesson I had. It was there for the most part in the Saturday roll up yesterday. Cometh the stableford today when I needed it the most it was conspicuous by its absence for long periods.

I was partnered by Eddie Murphy (yes, we've done the gags before) and Jeff Wade who earns a crust as a caddy at Wentworth. Jealous - Moi? It started of well enough with a solid nett par but the problems began at the second. The drive was further right than intended but caught the bough of a tree lurking from the edge of the out of bounds. Where it went after that is a mystery. I hit a provisional off the tee but put such a bad swing on it that it flew miles into the trees. Two balls lost, no points scored. Not a great hole.

I bounced back with a good drive into the teeth of a stiff breeze and hit a fine second onto the green to par the 3rd and followed with a par at the 4th. On the par five 5th I hit a rubbish drive into the right rough, hit a scabby hybrid out and stuck my approach from 174 yards into the left hand greenside bunker. However there are no pictures on the scorecard. I hit a really good bunker shot to within a foot and holed out for par. No-one will ever know about the bad ones. I managed to make par on the tricky par four 7th and again it was a case of luck and not judgement. A good tee shot was negated by a horror swing straight right (I did exactly the same thing yesterday). It somehow avoided all the timber and shot through the trees. I pitched on and holed a cheeky eleven footer putt. Out in seventeen points or one over my handicap. Truth be told on another day it could have been a measly eleven or twelve but I was riding my luck

However luck has to run out and I had gone to the well too many times. I made a nett par at the 10th without too many issues and managed to find the green with my tee shot on the 11th which is a long par 3 measuring 178 yards. Here was a chance to get that shot back. No chance. As regular followers will know if Homer has a chance to grasp bogey from the jaws of a birdie I'll manage to find a way. Cue a nasty three putt. My luck was still holding though as I managed a nett par at the 12th. The drive was so wild it ended up back down by the eleventh tee box. I should have been able to hit a simple wedge back over the trees into play. I hit it fat but somehow it managed to find a way through and finished just short of a bunker. I hit a good pitch and two putted. Who will know?

What really gets the blood pressure rising are unforced errors. It's a hard enough game anyway. I wasn't swinging the club well and had already blown a good chance on the 11th. The 13th is another par 3 and played into the wind. Again I did the hard bit and managed to hit a good shot to within fifteen feet. From nowhere the putter died on me. Another three putts.

The Americans have a term in their sports called bouncabackability. Basically its the ability to make a big play straight after messing up. Tiger Woods in his pomp was renowned for making a birdie straight after dropping a shot. The 14th is a 430 yard par 4 but plays straight downwind. I hit a better drive, good but not brilliant, which found the edge of the rough on the right. In front of me were two oak trees with an inviting gap inbetween. I pulled the five iron and hit it pure. Definitely the best swing of the round. It went arrow straight through the gap, landed short of the green and ran up the putting surface to finish a couple of feet away. The putter didn't let me down. Birdie time.

And here is the crux of my golfing problems. I play one hole well and then from nowhere the next is something out of Hammer House of Horrors. A pulled drive on the 15th left me with a conundrum. Take a hybrid, go for extra yardage and ensure I can reach the green in regulation on this par five or take a pragmatic approach, hit a six iron and try and make the putting surface with a long iron from the sanctuary of the fairway. Can you guess which approach I took? Suffice to say it was the wrong choice and I didn't trouble the scorers.

I needed a par or two coming down the stretch to post a level par 36 point total which given the conditions would have been pretty competitive. Probably not enough to win but maybe enough for a top three. In the end I did well to make nett pars on the last three holes as I didn't really play any of them well. And there you have it, a score of 34 points and a hatful of what might have beens.

To be honest I couldn't care less about the score or what it does to my handicap. The biggest concern is the loss of form. It was nothing like the way I'd been swinging it. Did I sub-consciously revert to type and my old swing and bad habits through the "pressure" of the monthly stableford. Had I simply had an attack of the golfing Humphrey's and temporarily lost it. I'm not sure but I do know it has given me a bit of a headache. It looks like I'll be hitting the range tomorrow night to try and find something for the trip to the Forest of Arden and the Golf Monthly Final on Thursday. Tempo too fast. Check. Lack of wrist hinge. Check. Poor takeaway and turn. Check. Poor putting. Check. So many issues, so little time.

I'll wait and see where I finish in the division without holding out too much hope. It was a case of scoring much better than I deserved which I guess is the antithesis of all the rounds I've bemoaned how well I hit the damn thing without putting a score together. I'll take an ugly win on Thursday but like most golfers would prefer to win well and hit it well too. We always want our cake and eat it.

If like me your game is in and out, just remember, it may not be you. Watch out there's a Humphrey about.

Not Good But Not Bad Either

2011-10-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

Blimey it was parky this morning and the first harsh bite of Autumnal air made itself felt with a vengeance. It was the normal Saturday roll up where no prisoners are taken and the banter is a fierce as the golf. It was also a pretty important round for me as it was the first time onto the golf course since my lesson last week and would be a significant barometer as to where my game is before the stableford tomorrow and more importantly the big one on Thursday when I play in the Golf Monthly Centenary Final.

It all started of rosily with a solid tee shot slightly right of the green but rectified with a good chip and putt for a par. It got better with a pearler of a drive down the 2nd but a pulled second into the fairway trap and a duffed chip into a greenside bunker threatened to take the gloss off. However the bunker shot was sublime to within a foot to salvage a nett par.

My now legendary short game demons made their usual appearance at the third to cost a shot and to be honest I made a right pickle of the 5th from a bad drive through to a poor approach and sloppy chipping. It didn't get a whole lot better at the next where a missed green and three putt didn't trouble the scorer. More trouble followed at the 7th after hitting a great drive into position A1+ and then throwing it away with several unforced errors. Another missed green at the 8th cost a shot but I hit another great drive at the 9th and followed it with a great six iron to within ten feet and only just failed to convert for birdie.

Although fourteen points going out doesn't sound great, and lets be honest it isn't earth shattering but apart from an aberration down the 7th the quality of the ball striking was very solid and the work we did at the lesson and at the range during the week was beginning to translate itself onto the course.

The back nine followed suit with the scores not reflecting some of the play and shots being tossed away with gay abandon through carelessness and in truth the odd piece of bad luck. I hit a good drive down the 10th and then pulled the 7 iron approach. I pushed the tee shot on the 11th onto the bridge that takes players to the next tee. After dropping I was faced with an almost impossible shot to take the flag on. It would have needed to clear a ditch, keep low under tree branches and still stop on the green. The percentage shot was to play to the front of the green to the other side of the tree and trust the putter to get the job done. I hit the shot exactly as I wanted but it climbed a fraction higher than anticipated and clipped a branch and dropped short. Nothing wrong with the execution.

There were some poor shots too. My tee shot at the 13th was hit thin and along the ground and my drive at the next was heading right before hitting a tree and dropping down. Short game errors cost again on the 15th but I made a rare par on the 16th. I hit my drive perfectly and followed it with a sumptuous 4 iron to six feet but couldn't make birdie. Again I trashed the card on the 17th through a sloppy three putt but bounced back to close with a comfortable par.

In the end 29 points was a disappointing total but with many more positives than negatives to take out of the round and the poor shots coming in the main from the short game things are looking good. The short game has been neglected and I'm guilty of a serious dereliction of duty in that department but with the swing changes from the lesson to implement, a job that gets inconveniently in the way of golf, and it getting darker ridiculously early now there isn't time to fit everything in.

I'm a happy Homer - it went better than expected

Bearing in mind the potential for disaster after the swing change last weekend it all worked well. The swing is more balanced and the coil on the backswing is tighter. When I turn down and through impact properly the results are very good and I look scarily like a golfer. Yes I messed a few shots up. Yes I three putted a few times and yes the chipping makes me look like a fool sometimes but I can go into the stableford tomorrow and treat it as another stepping stone towards Thursday. I still think I'm somewhat under-prepared thanks to a combination of golfers elbow restricting practice, a game in the doldrums until last Sunday's lesson and a lack of playing. However I'm hopeful of a mid-division finish even if that means a further 0.1 on my handicap.
Sometimes bad can be good. and it's not always what you put in but what you take out.

Wrist Action

2011-10-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

Reading the title new visitors and indeed seasoned readers may be forgiven for thinking they've logged onto "Carry on Golfing" or indeed a less salubrious type of website. Rest steady me hearties. The good ship Homer sails a much calmer passage. Dodgy wrist action (stop sniggering) is apparently hindering my game.
Regular followers will know that my game has been in somewhat of a lull for a while now. Granted we've had the odd glimpse of promise such as the decent ball striking at Caversham Heath, albeit in a fruitless effort to avoid defeat, but in general terms it hasn't been very good and the lesson booked for last Sunday couldn't come quick enough.

It was back to Maidenhead Golf Centre for another session with Paul Harrison who has been patiently stripping away the faults from the last twenty plus years and slowly, bit by bit replacing them with stronger more repeatable moves.

A man working tirelessly with very poor raw materials!

I've got arguably the biggest competition in very a long year next week when I go to the Forest of Arden for the Golf Monthly Centenary Finals and so I was reluctant for Paul to make too many swing changes or radically overhaul the spluttering excuse of a swing I already had.

I already knew, and I've posted it on here before for the world to see (and mock) that the fundamental issues stem from over-rotation causing the head to rise at the top of the backswing and to lose spine angle significantly on the way down. Paul took some footage which we perused and surmised that the root cause of a lot of issues stemmed from a poor cocking motion of the wrist. Basically it was hinging way too late in the swing and so the hands were always playing catch up. The only way to give myself room to get to the ball was to move up and out. Great when the swing is in perfect sync but a bitch to get right if the pieces don't move at the right time.

By cocking the wrists much earlier in the takeaway not only does it create a steeper angle and theoretically on a better plane but it should stop me over rotating as the body physically can't go any further back. The result should be a solid base, firm coil and ready to unwind into impact. Paul is a great advocate of rehearsing the move in slow motion. The slower the better for him. I have to say I could really feel the correct turns in relation to a tight right hamstring and definitely couldn't get back any further.

When we moved on to hitting the ball, the good ones delivered a much more powerful delivery and with less of high hand finish and more body rotation after impact (something else that needs a lot of work - that's for the Winter though). The biggest issue comes back to that favourite word - TEMPO. Most coaches have said my swing is too fast and even though I've worked a lot on slowing it down, it is still far to quick to be ideal. The quick ones didn't give me a chance to cock the wrists, set the position or turn properly.

The good news is that I've been back to the range and it is coming along nicely. On the downside I took a few videos and somehow I've still found a way to overswing and move my head. It comes back to not cocking the wrists correctly as the club moves back and its something that is going to take time, effort and a lot of repetition.

I did manage to film a swing from my practice just after the lesson finished. It's still not ideal. The backswing is still too long to be ideal but you can see how the turn and coil is more powerful. It is the transition and downswing that needs the work and that should keep Paul busy over the Winter months. Still, I got club on ball and hit it high and straight and so with the Finals coming up next week I'd take that for 18 holes.

So where next. Well there is the usual Saturday roll up and the monthly stableford at Royal Ascot on Sunday to take the swing onto the course and give it an airing. I'll hit the range Friday and again at the weekend if things go horribly astray Saturday or Sunday. Then it's off to Birmingham on Wednesday and the Finals itself on Thursday. After that the season is more or less over and we can start work on stopping the body moving up and out and making a better rotation down and through impact. Like a lot of things, it's going to take time to be competitive and that is one commodity I am preciously short off before next Thursday. Still it will be what it will be. I got there and so anything else is a bonus. So in summary, the latest stage of my fix is all in the wrist apparently (ooo errr!). Not sure I'm too keen to share that with the good wife or some of my fellow golfers mind as it could get me in some trouble.

Beaten By Talent

2011-10-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

I played in a club match versus Tylney Park yesterday at Royal Ascot and was partnered with Peter Hitchcock who is a regular in our Saturday swindle so on paper we should have gelled nicely. The problem came in the shape of the opposition and in particular a guy playing off a 4 handicap.

Tylney Park Badge

This guy played superbly. We managed a half thanks to Peter getting a shot and making a nett par after Mr 4 handicap had rolled in a six footer for par. However on the 2nd he was an unstoppable force. Taking the tiger line off the tee and flying over the corner of the dogleg, he had about two hundred yards left. His approach never left the flag and stopped six inches away from an albatross two. Even with a shot on the hole our par, nett birdie couldn't contend with a tap in eagle.

We battled hard. I made a par at the third after a decent drive but we made foolish errors to gift our opponents holes. Peter three putted the 4th and I made a real pigs ear of the short game after my approach to the 5th sailed over the back. Even when their number one had a rare poor hole, his partner, a senior gentleman off a 19 handicap came storming in. Having done very little to date he hit a great tee shot on the 7th and followed it with a shot to the front edge. In the end I scraped a half but it was a hole we were hoping to win. We could tell we were out of luck when Mr 4 handicap thinned his second along the ground at the 9th all the way to the green and about fifteen foot way. We turned three down.

It was four down at the next when this guy, who quite frankly was becoming a right royal pain the bum stuck his second to a foot for another birdie. Quite simply he was unplayable. The swing was elegant and simple and he was very long and accurate off the tee and rarely missed a green all day. Peter managed to nick a hole back on the 11th but by the time we both found trouble off the tee on the 14th we were dormie 4 down and the writing was on the wall. The end was swift and it was all over on the next hole.

Sadly that defeat meant that not only did I lose my unbeaten record at Caversham Heath last week, but my unbeaten home record followed this week. Still all good things have to end sooner or later. Peter in fairness played a lot steadier than I did but we simply got rail roaded. The club lost on the day 3-2 but having won at Tylney Park by the same score earlier in the year meant the match was halved overall.

I really didn't hit the ball well and so the lesson booked for today (Sunday 2nd October) can't come quickly enough. Naturally I don't make it easy and with the National Final of the Golf Monthly Centenary event at the Forest of Arden a matter of ten days away, my teaching pro Paul Harrison won't be able to perform major surgery on the swing and leave it usable for next week. It'll be interesting to see what he makes of it all. Bring it on.

Greensomes Challenge - A Partnership Intact

2011-09-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

It was the Greensome Challenge at Royal Ascot yesterday. This competition was introduced a few years ago by Geoff Escourt during his tenure as Club Captain to ensure there was a prestigious event to play for as the season drew to an end. It was a very good decision. I'm not a fan of the alternate shot format and will rarely if ever play foursomes. I know many see it as the purest form of team golf there is but I can never get into it mentally and always feel as though I've not really played a game at all. Greensomes is that bit different as both players tee off before deciding which ball to use and then alternating from there. I guess its the fact that you get to play a tee shot on every hole that makes it feel more like a proper round.

I paired up with my faithful pal Mike Stannard. It's been a tough year for him with me as a partner never knowing which golfing Homer was going to turn up. To his credit, his steady play has kept us in a number of events that my ailing game and despicable short game tried to destroy. I'm not sure if it was end of season retribution but the pre-tee revelation that he'd been out on the lash until 1.30am on Saturday didn't do much for confidence.

It started wonderfully well. Well I say "it" and I mean Mike. He holed from eight feet on the first for a par. On the second I duffed the approach into the green and he saved the day by chipping to six inches. Even I don't miss those. He did have a horror off the tee on the 3rd and lost the ball in the hazard meaning I had to get my tee shot into play. Fortunately I was up to the task.

Of course it wouldn't be a typical Homer round unless there was a tale of horror. The 4th hole is simple. It's 320 yards and we were in the fairway and in position A. It was my job to hit an easy nine iron into the green, leave a simple two putt and move on. Sadly I couldn't do the easy stuff and thinned it low and left. With the green sloping dramatically right to left it was only ever going to go further left and the only thing in the way to stop it was the out of bounds. It cost an ugly double bogey.

We actually dove-tailed quite nicely and even managed a par on the 7th hole which neither of us play particularly well individually. I hit a great drive into the ideal position and Mike hit a great approach to the back edge of the green and I rolled a good putt to within a foot. I dropped another faux pas missing a short putt for par at the eighth but managed to balanced the books with a solid approach into the heart of the 9th. We were out in 40 stroke or 5 over gross which in this exacting format wasn't too bad and bang on our handicap limit.

The back nine started well and saw two minor golfing miracles as I managed to resurrect a stellar short game from nowhere to chip close on both ten and eleven. Mike and his trusty putter did the rest and we made two pars when bogey or worse seemed the likely outcome. We frittered that away with an ugly double on the 12th having been over the back of the green in two. Another shot went at the 15th when we committed the cardinal sin in greensomes and both found trouble off the tee. We could have chosen either ball. Neither were ideal and both required nothing more than a hack back onto the fairway. In the end we did well to limit the damage to a bogey.

Coming down the stretch we knew that two pars to finish would see us under par and figured that in this format it wouldn't be too far away. Mike hit a great tee shot to the front of the 17th green but I still had a twenty foot putt, right to left and downhill. Pace was crucial and for once I didn't let the side down and deposited it next to the hole for a simple tap in. The 18th was playing brutally long into the wind. We took my drive and Mike nailed his second but we were still 134 yards from the front of the green. With the pond to the right of the green very much in play and having seen our playing partners already dump their approach in there I was certain we wouldn't be going right in any shape or form. I took a six iron as the pin was right at the back and in the end I executed well and put a great swing on it. Sadly though I'd been conservative in my alignment, aiming at the front left of the putting surface. With a touch of draw on it, the ball missed the green left and finished in the light rough. On the plus side, Mike didn't have to chip over any of the greenside bunkers and he made a good effort to get it to within 10 feet. My putt for par was good but didn't drop.

In the end we finished on level par 70. There were already three 68's in and so we were out of the running for the prizes. The results are due out soon and I'm confident of a top ten finish. In the end though it was a good game and we didn't disgrace ourselves. All in all, Mike probably had an easier day in this tougher format than he has in other events and I never really put him in too much trouble. We are still on speaking terms which I guess is a result! Well done to Geoff for introducing the event. I'm still not a convert and will still be given foursomes a wide berth but will definitely dip a toe into greensomes pool again.

Beaten But Still Positive

2011-09-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (24th September) saw me playing in a club match away at Caversham Heath near Reading. I had already played in the first leg at Royal Ascot and enjoyed a win and was looking forward to it. I'd played on Friday afternoon at Royal Ascot as a bit of practice which hadn't gone according to plan but a diligent hour on the practice ground after seemed to have found something that clicked and the ball striking was pleasantly sweet.

The 18-hole golf course at Caversham Heath was designed by David Williams and built to exacting USGA standards. It is still relatively new, being a little over ten years old but the golf course has matured well. Off the very back tees it is a long test measuring 7,151 yards. Even though we were off the white tees, it was still a very challenging 6,875 yard examination. I was paired with Pat Quaid, former Royal Ascot captain and a guy I've enjoyed many rounds of golf with. He's a wonderful Irishman big in both stature and heart. We were paired against a 15 and 19 handicapper so it was evenly matched on paper at least.

The first plays across the side of a hill and is a 370 yard par 4. We were given an immediate statement of intent when one of the opposition rolled in a twelve footer for an opening birdie to go one up. I got it back at the next with a par and the lead continued to go one way and then the other until we had the first halved hole on the 6th.

The 7th hole was to prove pivotal and to be honest I still can't understand how I lost it. The hole itself is 453 yards off the whites and a straight away par 4.

I had been driving the ball exceptionally well (for me) on the opening few holes and I really unleashed a great one here. I was left with 174 yards into a slight breeze and because it is stroke index 2 and I was giving shots away to my opponents and my partner had found trouble I was forced to go for it. It was right on the limit of my hybrid but a 5 wood would have been way too much. I hit the hybrid and absolutely pured it. It rose with a hint of right to left draw and was all over the flag. Sadly, it was literally a foot too short and landed in the top lip of the bunker guarding the green. Not only that, but it plugged on landing and presented me with little or no chance to escape. In the end I made a six and on the card it looks like I didn't play the hole well but I'd hit two stunners and come away empty handed. Sometimes it can be a very cruel game.

The rot set in and the Caversham pair took the eighth and ninth to lead two up at the turn. I made a mockery of the 10th after another good drive when I hit my approach way left of the target and failed to find the putting surface with the recovery to hand them a simple win. By the time we stood on the 13th tee we found ourselves five down. At this point I should point out that I have never lost a club match playing better ball format and had a record extending back over eighteen previous ties. This proud streak goes all the way back to the old Royal Ascot course when we were in the middle of the racecourse but I have to be honest and say it wasn't looking good.

Pat was determined to battle on and made a sumptuous birdie two at the par three 13th to reduce the arrears. The 14th is another monster par 4 in excess of four hundred yards and being stroke index 1 meant I was giving shots away here. I hit another pearler of a drive but was still just under two hundred yards away, into the wind with both opponents sitting on the fairway. He who dares. Out came the five wood and to be fair I hit it solidly enough but missed right. By the time both the Caversham guys had made a five nett four, it was all over. My record had gone and we'd been tonked 5&4.

Still I wasn't quite finished. The next is a par 5 playing 489 yards. Another stunning drive and I was 234 yards away. With nothing resting on it I decided to get the three wood out and have a pop for the green. As my game is erratic at the best of times, I rarely go for par five holes in two as experience has taught me that I usually walk off with a seven or eight rather than a three or four. Today though my ball striking was top notch and this arrowed straight into the heart of the green to around fifteen foot. I missed the eagle but had a tap in birdie.

In the end, I covered the six holes in level par. Too little too late though. However I didn't feel too bad when one of the Caversham guys worked out he'd gone round in approximately eight over par (give or take the odd given putt). Now off a 15 handicap on a course of that length that is some good shooting so I wasn't too disappointed. The club lost the fixture 4-2 overall but having held a healthy 5-1 lead from the home leg meant that Royal Ascot had come through overall 7-5.

It's rare for me to come away without a hint of disappointment especially given the result but my golf today, especially with a lack of practice with the golfers elbow I'm struggling with (funny how you don't feel it when you are playing well) and the general malaise that has crept into my game, was arguably the best I've hit it all year. Certainly it is the best driving performance which has always been a weakness. It's funny how easy the game becomes when you can get it in play off the tee. At least I feel confident in my ability for the Greensome Challenge at Royal Ascot (Sunday) and that my long suffering partner Mike Stannard may even get some assistance and not be forced to carry me and do all the work. We shall see!

Best Laid Plans And All That

2011-09-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

Following last weeks dismal effort in the Saturday roll up and my subsequent withdrawal from The Masters I was hoping to dive back onto the golfing bandwagon. Alas, the golfing gods have pounced and I've gone down with a debilitating bug. Personally, I think it's swine flu at best, more likely bubonic in nature but the good lady wife thinks it's nothing more than a passing cold. Either way I've felt crap all weekend and so there has been no golf. That meant missing out on the medal today and the roll up yesterday.

To compound matters further, I hit the range last week to try and capitalise on the progress I'd made last weekend where my swing was wider and with a better turn. I was hitting the ball pretty well and all was starting to look up and I was hoping to try the swing out in the "relaxed" atmosphere of the roll up. However hitting ball after ball off the range mat has given me an outbreak of golfers elbow in my left arm.

Golfer's elbow is a condition affecting the elbow muscles, tendons and the bony knobble (epicondyle) on the inside of the elbow where the muscles that flex the forearm attach to the upper arm. The symptoms consist of pain and soreness due to inflammation over the epicondyle, especially when quickly flexing the arm and hand, as in following through after hitting a golf ball. The cure is extremely boring to avid golfers: lay off from swinging a club until the symptoms have settled. This can be anything from one to 12 weeks depending on the severity.

Having been to my GP he has advised me to rest it for two weeks and not play any golf and particularly not to practice at the range. TWO WEEKS! Is he mad? Doesn't he know there is the Golf Monthly National Final at the Forest of Arden on the 13th October and that my game is in the doldrums. Not to mention being selected for a club match on Saturday away to Caversham Heath, the Greensomes Challenge at Royal Ascot with my long suffering partner Mike Stannard, another club match at home to Tylney Park and a lesson with my coach Paul Harrison at Maidenhead Golf Centre on October 2nd. When does he think I'm going to bed my swing changes in and more importantly take it onto the course and try it out.

I had it all planned out ahead of the Golf Monthly Final. Plenty of short game work with a great practice aid called the V-Easy which is beginning to really help my chipping. Designed by a golf pro called Bob McArthur it is a simple but effective tool to help both chipping and putting.

When using it as a putting and chipping aid, the legs of the V-Easy are placed under the arms and held in place by the upper arms while the club shaft rests on the hinge. The club shaft lies on top of the hinge close to the bottom of the grip and rests on the wrists. It can be lowered or raised for comfort. The player then lowers the club to the ground and makes the stroke with the V-Easy holding the wrists in the correct position for putting and chipping.

Simples. The plan was to get the short game back on track, continue to work on my long game and get a final swing MOT from Paul on the 2nd and work on it before heading up the motorway to the Forest of Arden. The best laid plans...... So what am I going to do? Well the cunning plan is to wean myself off the Lemsip, cough medicine, throat lozenges (told you I was bad - proper poorly and definitely not Man Flu) and replace those with ice packs and regular doses of anti-inflammatory tablets. I'll be there at Caversham Heath on Saturday deliciously under cooked and see where I go from there. Mike has his work cut out on Sunday but as it's greensomes we can take his drives and as long as I can then get him close to the green from there his decent short game should keep us in contention. After that we'll have to see.

One thing I do know is that I've been bored out of my mind without any golf. Even though I'm not well enough to swing a club and even putting in the carpet is too much of an effort (yes I've tried) I'm missing my usual fix. Still I'm also hoping that the enforced break may help and I can go to Caversham free of any expectation. It'll either be great or my partner on the day is in for a long, long round. Who knows? Right time for my next dose of medication. Nurse!

Tasty Offering From Taylormade

2011-09-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

Part of my huge disappointment about the way I swung the club yesterday was that I was due to test the new R11 irons from Taylormade in the afternoon. Given that I couldn't hit the proverbial barn door there seemed little point trying out the follow up to the hugely successful R11 woods, and in particular their adjustable driver. However with the afternoon spent at the range and the swing at least held together with band-aid I rescheduled for this morning.

The new TaylorMade R11 irons combine the distance and forgiveness found in the Burner 2.0 irons along with the feel and precision of the Tour Preferred line. Specifically, the R11 irons are engineered for the player who favours a traditional blade but appreciates the ease required to launch the ball high, straight and long. To me, this club would be perfect for any golfer from around the 9-10 handicap all the way through to someone in the high teens (17-18).

Here is how Taylormade announced the new irons http://www.taylormadegolf.eu/R11-Irons-Launch.aspx

The stock shaft is the KBS 90 which I tried in a regular flex initially. I have to say this club is simply awesome for a mid-handicapper like me, even with my current swing issues. From the very first shot it flew long and on a very pleasing trajectory. Even those not quite out of the middle were still very acceptable and it has the forgiveness of a Buddhist monk. Visually it's as striking as the R11 driver with the white decal and red weighting point. Behind the ball it sits very well with a minimal offset but it doesn't have a chunky top line

I have to say it was a joy to hit, but I wanted something to compare it with and so went for the Taylormade TP Muscle Cavity (MC). This is aimed at better players, probably from the 8-14 handicap mark. The first thing you notice is that the head on this is very much more of a blade design and much smaller than the R11. I hit it well, and the good ones were arguably longer than the R11 but there was far less forgiveness. I tried this with the same KBS 90 shaft although it is supplied with the True Temper Dynamic Gold as standard. It's quite possible the shaft choice made a difference to the overall performance but I still think deep down for my capability the bad ones would be heavily punished and there wouldn't be enough truly good ones to outweigh these and justify their use.

So it was back to the R11 and a change of shaft to see if that improved the ball flight and dispersion. I should point out the testing was done without any launch monitor and with range balls, playing with the wind helping and from right to left. The next shaft was a Dynamic Gold, regular flex. This high-flex, tour weight shaft is designed for skilled players seeking a low, penetrating ball flight for optimum control and accuracy. The first thing I noticed was that it was considerably heavier than the KBS. I struggled with it and it always felt as though I was struggling to get the hands back square at impact. I hit a lot more shots heavy, and the overall distance wasn't as good.

I was then offered a Dynamic Gold XP. The new Dynamic Gold XP delivers “Xtra Performance” through a lightweight, mid-trajectory design. This promotes higher initial launch with a controlled ball flight. Having struggled with the standard Dynamic Gold offering I was sceptical especially as it didn't feel any lighter. However this gave the KBS a real run for its money and produced a much higher ball flight, without it seeming to balloon and was pretty tight on dispersal, certainly on a par with the KBS.

Anyone in the market for a new set of irons, especially a Taylormade gear whore like me must check the R11 irons out soon. They are very, very good. However, at a hefty £599 RRP for the set (4-SW) they are a lot of money and the KBS shaft may not be to everyone's taste. I do think though that these irons produce an exceptionally strong ball flight, offer a great amount of freedom in terms of playability and will give good distances with each club. If I was going to invest, I would however look at a custom fit. The Dynamic Gold shafts I tried were provided to test facility as alternatives to the KBS but I'd have preferred to see if other steel options or even a graphite shaft would have made any difference. They are easily the most playable club I've hit in a long time and definitely tick all the right boxes for me.

Sunshine After Rain

2011-09-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

I did something today I am not very proud of. I walked in after fourteen holes in the Saturday morning roll up. My game had reached horrific new depths and I didn't have a clue where the ball was going on any full shot and whether it would be straight, hooked, sliced, fatted or topped. All were thrown into the mix with seemingly gay abandon. I haven't walked of a golf course in memory but it had got to the point by the fourteenth green where I simply wasn't enjoying being out there. As I'll never make a living out of it isn't enjoyment the reason we play this frustrating game. On the plus side, my short game, for so long a facet driving me closer and close to therapy, was on sparkling form and I chipped really well. Poxy game

The stuff of golfing nightmares

I came home in shall we say a somewhat foul mood. I had hoped to be testing the new Taylormade R11's this afternoon and comparing them to their recent TP Muscle Cut (MC) and Cavity Back (CB) models. Not much point when you are swinging like an absolute chopper. It was worse than I can ever remember it. In the end my long suffering wife suggested (in a way only a woman can) that maybe it would be better for domestic peace and tranquility if I took myself to the range and look for solutions.

In truth I sort of knew the issue. I was swinging way too far inside the line on the way back and too flat to give myself a chance to get back to the ball without either smothering it (low and left) or coming out of the shot (high and right). It's a very old problem but keeps coming back.

On the plus side the range session proved cathartic and useful. I focused on trying to adopt a much better address position and taking the club away lower and wider. A few early shanks did nothing for the simmering anger inside or my confidence in the validity of the exercise but in the end it was working much better. I've attached a video to demonstrate.

Now technically there is so much wrong especially from the top down into impact. However, take away the slight overswing which causes the head to bob up and freeze it at the top and it is pretty good. The takeaway is so much better and halfway back the club is nicely on plane. It's the downsing into impact that is a Rocky Horror Show.

A real Frank-N-Furter of a swing caught in a time warp

I lose all my spine angle and the head moves up and out although the position into impact isn't too bad and I hit it great. The excessive movement causes an unnaturally high finish and there isn't enough turn through impact. These are very old issues and go back to my swing as a player in the 80's where it was common for players to have a lot of lateral movement. Think Johnny Miller or for the Brits, Howard Clark although both of them maintained their postures far better than I did or do.

Fortunately I've a lesson booked for the start of October and so I'll work with my teaching pro on hitting against a firmer left side and more turn on top of the ball. We did a lot of work pre-season on this with fantastic results in terms of compressing the ball, straighter shots and more distance. Old habits die hard though. However on a positive note, the wider takeaway has definitely helped and I came home a positive rainbow of sunshine and happiness. I'll hit the range again tomorrow and hopefully, weather permitting try it on the course one evening for a few holes.

It's a funny old game as a TV pundit once said. You can go from the depths of despair in the morning to wanting to still be out there now honing the new move and enjoying that feeling all golfers know when you have absolutely nailed one from the epicentre of the sweetspot. Do you know what? I don't regret my decision this morning. If it had been a match or a competition I'd have been there for every single tortuous shot but why flog the proverbial dead horse and wish you were somewhere else. I hope it is very long time before I sink to those depths again but the dark clouds have parted a tad and there is a shaft of sunlight shining down on my game.

Still Not Broken The Spell

2011-09-04T04:40:00.000-07:00

I played in a club match away to Maidenhead Golf Club yesterday. I love these club matches. Although everyone is trying their hardest to win, there is a much more relaxed and friendly atmosphere than some of the bigger club events (Hillman Trophy etc) where it's all about the result. I have to say I have mixed feelings about Maidenhead, no doubt clouded by the fact that I never seem to play well there. Indeed the last time I went there for a Volvo Matchplay event with my good friend Hywel Lloyd my game went into complete meltdown, starting with a shanked second shot at the 1st and going downhill from there. I had a howler and basically topped, sliced and shanked my way around. If we'd just paid a green fee I'd have walked off after seven or eight holes it was that painful but as it was a match I was stuck there for the duration. Given that Hywel played with distinction meant we were only dormie one down playing the last and so I had to endure each and every hole. In the end we lost one down but that game holds nothing but nightmares.

Still, that was then and this was now. I was partnered with Tony Wheatley, a very accomplished 13 handicapper and I had been hitting the ball okay. Our opponents were off 13 and 21 and so we were only giving six shots away to one of them. Not as bad as it could have been.

Maidenhead Golf Club opened in 1896 and was designed by Alex Simpson and in 1908 the legendary designer J H Taylor was commissioned to advise on further improvements which saw 700 yards added to the length and 17 new bunkers constructed. It is set in 150 acres of wooded parkland, very close to Maidenhead town centre. It is a course that requires careful course management. The greens aren't very big and a lot have very narrow entrances. The putting surfaces are always very, very good and the club has a fine reputation for the standard of their greens.

I have to say I started well scoring wise but the quality of the ball striking was leaving a lot to be desired. I seemed to have developed a mysterious case of the hooks and everything was going sharp left. Surely the Maidenhead voodoo wouldn't strike again? I managed to save par at the first with a lovely chip to within a foot from well left of the green. I hooked my tee shot on the 2nd but found the green with my approach and did the same at the third. Despite being three shots under my handicap we were still only one up. That didn't last long as we promptly lost the next but Tony made par at the 5th to restore the advantage. Again we couldn't hold on to the lead and both Tony and I made a real hash of the relatively simple 195 yard par three 6th. Tony went left into the trees and I missed the green left, AGAIN!, and then proceeded to have chipping issues to give our opponents a soft victory.

However we regrouped and Tony managed to salvage a valuable half at the sweeping dog-leg 7th whilst I had issues with my tee shot going left and leaving myself a blind shot around the corner, blocked out by a tree some twenty yards in front of my ball. There was to be no Seve like recovery. However I did finally find a fairway at the 8th followed by the green to set up a par four at the long 429 yarder. Tony and I both made par at the par five 9th and suddenly we were two up and had some daylight in the match.

This was extended further at the par 3 10th. It's 151 yards and was playing into a brisk breeze. Both Tony and I cleared the cavernous bunker guarding the front of the green and were on the putting surface whilst our opponents had both missed the green. Although Bill, the twenty one handicapper managed to get it close out of the bunker and apply some pressure it was to no avail as Tony calmly knocked in a fifteen footer for a birdie.

Typically we then lost the next but I managed to chip and putt to save par at the shortish 12th hole which was good enough for the win and to take us back to three up. Although both Derek and Bill on the Maidenhead side managed play some consistent and good golf after that we always managed to find a way to sneak a half and by the time Tony made a par at the 16th they had simply run out of holes and were emerged as 3&2 victors.

On a personal note, that extends my unbeaten run in these "friendly" club matches to fourteen with 9 wins and 5 halved games. However in the overall scheme of things Royal Ascot didn't fare as well going down 4-2. However as the food was served and the wine flowed the results didn't matter as much and we had a very convivial evening. I have to say both our opponents were a joy to play with and were warm hosts on and off the course and hopefully we can re-join the battle the next time the fixture comes to Royal Ascot. Many thanks to to Tony for carrying me, as all my partners seemingly have to these days, especially during my mid-round wobble from the fourth to the eighth.

However, I was fortunate that it was a matchplay format where it's just about winning the hole and not an individual event as my golf was pretty up and down all day. Off the tee in particular I hit everything right to left in a vicious hook. I've no idea where that came from and can't put it all down to my Maidenhead jinx. It certainly wasn't there at the Grove on Wednesday when I drove the ball as well as I had in ages. It seemed to affect every club in the bag right down to the wedges. However as it is currently tipping it down with rain today (Sunday) as I write this there is no way I'm getting out onto the practice ground at Ascot to seek the solution. That can wait for a range session later in the week after work.

I can't put my hand on my heart and feel that the Maidenhead jinx has been broken although I do feel I can play there now with more confidence and certainly that Volvo fiasco can be consigned to my very own golfing room 101 and that the mental scars have healed. It's actually a very nice course and so maybe I'll have to take another trip over there soon for a social game and see if we can't break its spell once and for all.

Golf Monthly Powerplay Golf Event - Treated Like Pros

2011-09-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (August 31st) was the Golf Monthly Powerplay Golf event at the Grove near Watford. Thirty or so members of the Golf Monthly forum had been invited to this event which was an opportunity for Powerplay to publicise this exciting new concept ahead of a launch of their next professional event.

For those of you that haven't come across this format yet, it is a bit like 20/20 cricket for golf. It involves two flags per green, white and black. If you go for the white one which is normally situated in an easier position you score as per normal stableford. However if you elect to go for the tougher black pin position and make a nett birdie or better then the points are doubled. You must take three of these powerplays in the first 8 holes. When you reach the 9th (it's only a nine hole event) you can opt to take a final powerplay but should you make a net bogey or worse the you lose three points. For full details on all the rules check out the official website

http://www.powerplay-golf.com/

The Grove is quite frankly the most prestigious course I've ever played and I've been lucky enough to have played a few famous ones. I knew it was a different class when we pulled into the car par and the England football team coach was parked there with the team in residence. The golf facility itself is extraordinary and the guys from Powerplay along with Golf Monthly had pulled out all the stops to make this a day to remember. After we arrived and registered it was down to the range for a limber up. On arrival each player had a pyramid of balls waiting for them just as you see for the pros. It wasn't just that, it was the little touches too like complimentary bottles of water and free tees. The range staff even cleaned the clubs for the players. It was simply as close to being a professional as we are likely to get.

At 3.00pm the inventor of the Powerplay format, Peter McEvoy arrived to give us a pep talk. One of the top amateur golfers this country has produced he has played and captained Walker Cup sides with success. He went through the concept, where Powerplay is going both for the amateur golfer and on the professional stage and the rules and strategies involved. It was another great touch to get such a high profile ambassador along

Peter McEvoy - the inspiration behind Powerplay Golf

It didn't stop there as there were commemorative bag tags individually inscribed with players names, free course planners and yet more tees and pitch repairers waiting on the 1st tee. Golf Monthly had arranged a putting competition before the start of the main event with their resident rules guru Jezz Ellwood selecting the layout. With the green running at near professional tournament speed of 10.5 on the stimpmeter and with some devious contours, it was to provide a stark taster of what was to come.

Stepping onto the 1st tee, the course didn't disappoint. The tee box was exquisite and better than most fairways at other clubs. Mown tighter than a skinheads hair the club just sat behind the ball and invited you to spank it into the blue yonder. The opener is a gentle 340 yard right to left dog-leg. I hit an impeccable three wood in front of the assembled masses and found the green with my 8 iron approach for an opening par.

It played as good as it looked

I took my first powerplay at the 3rd hole which was 428 yards, downhill, with water guarding the front of the green. In hindsight, needing a par (net birdie) for the big points it was probably too long for me to have a serious chance. I hit a great drive and still had 193 yards left and my five wood missed right. I duffed the chip off the tightly mown fairway and walked off with a six and a solitary point. My second powerplay was at the next, a very short par 3 measuring just 117 yards over a stream. I had a shot as well. I hit the green and putted without too much effort for a net birdie and six valuable points.

My last powerplay of the mandatory three was at the par 5, 538 yard 6th hole. Again it was a shot hole and so a par would have seen more big points in the kitty. I did the hard part well and was only 121 yards from the green for my third. The black flag I was shooting for was tucked away on the back left of the green very close to the edge of the putting surface. I played for a draw and moved it from right to left as planned but slightly overcooked it and it landed on the green and fell off the shelf into a hollow. I could only chip and two putt.

On the 9th you get the option of taking another powerplay but you run the risk of losing points if you make bogey or worse. This par 5 measured 549 yards from the tees we were using. It is even longer for the pros but Tiger Woods didn't find it a problem. When the American Express event was held at the Grove, he managed to find the fairway each day, hit it on the green, and for the first three days converted for eagle. Each of the drives were a matter of yards from each other and there are plaques on the fairway to commemorate his achievement. He only managed a birdie on the final day!

I took the option of the powerplay even though I was never going to be in contention. Again, it was a long hole for me and a good drive and second still left me with 165 yards into a stiffening evening breeze and my third came up short. I hit a good chip but couldn't make the putt. In the end my paltry 18 points was mid table. However my run of playing with competition winners continued (I seem to be a lucky omen in most medals and stablefords at Royal Ascot in recent months) and I marked the card of the winner who scored an impressive 33 points. Naturally he parred every powerplay hole he nominated for net birdie and six points a pop and was very steady on the others playing the whole of the front nine in just three over par gross (off a handicap of 12). I won't say too much more and reveal the winner's name as there will be a full write up in the next edition of Golf Monthly and I'm sure they will do the day a lot more justice than I can.

Even after we had all finished, the good times didn't stop rolling and we were treated to a burger and chips and a bottle of beer free of charge too which was an ideal way of rounding the day off. Mike Harris, Golf Monthly's editor and Peter McEvoy were on hand to present the winners with their prizes before everyone set off home.

I have to say it was without question one of the greatest days of golf ever. I really enjoyed the format, although my only point would be it helps to have played the course before so you know which holes really offer the best opportunities and which black flags should be avoided. In hindsight I'd have taken one of my powerplays on the 8th had I known how easily it played and where the flag was located. However this is just a minor quibble. It really is an ideal event for golf clubs to host. Royal Ascot hold a nine hole social event most months during the Summer and this would be perfect and I've already sent an e-mail to the club suggesting this with a link to the Powerplay website so they can get more information.

I'd like to thank Mike Harris, the Golf Monthly staff, Powerplay, and the Grove for the immense generosity and time in making this such a memorable event that I think will live long in the memory of all of those who were lucky enough to enjoy the day. A glorious concept played on a glorious course with glorious weather. It really doesn't get any better.

Longhurst Cup Second Round - More Good Than Bad

2011-09-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

The Longhurst Cup was presented to Joseph Longhurst in 1912 as a leaving gift from the club. He was originally a greenkeeper and then club professional for twenty five years, teaching some of the young members of the Royal family to play the game and was then head-hunted by the Duke of Hess to supervise the building of a new course in Frankfurt. It is one of the Ascot "majors" and I was lucky enough to win it in 2000. With an opening round of 70, I was handily placed for a good second round and another chance of glory.

It started off reasonably well apart from a sloppy three putt on the 3rd although that was rectified with a birdie at the next. I was moving along very steadily until I stood on the 7th tee. I don't understand why this hole is presenting so many problems in recent times but yet again it made a big dent in my card. I hit a huge hook off the tee onto the adjoining 3rd fairway and so had no chance of reaching the green. However it should have been easy to hit a recovery to leave a simple pitch in but somehow I manged to pull it left. It left a third shot from heavy rough with the ball above my feet and I pulled the shot left of the green into the bunker and eventually walked off with a double bogey. By the time I finished the 9th I was out in 41 (+6) which although on track with my handicap could have been so much better.

The back nine started so well with a par at the 11th and the 12th which is a rarity. It's stroke index 1 and a sharp left to right dog-leg and measures 409 yards. I found the fairway and hit a lovely 4 iron approach which held up on the stiffish breeze to finish just off the green. However a good chip and a putt salvaged my par. Things were going great and standing on the 15th tee I was a couple under my handicap and ready for a final push towards a sub-par round and possible glory.

That is where my quest ended. My tee shot on the 15th was a horror. It's one of the widest fairway on the course and there is even room to bale out left but the one place not to be is right. I hit a huge slice at least thirty yards off line into thick rough. I found it and it was lying pretty well considering but my swing was impaired by a staked tree. I took relief under the local rule but the drop found a shocker of a lie and I could barely move it forward. I eventually got onto the fairway for three and proceeded to hit my next against a tree and saw it rebound back towards me. Even once I got to the green my misery wasn't over as I three putted for a show stopping 9. Game over.

To be honest the double bogey down the 17th was academic and even though I parred the last I knew I was out of contention. In the end my nett 73 (+3) was quite pleasing. It hit the buffer zone so there was no handicap increase and it told a tale of much more consistency than of late. I think the fact that the short game was much sharper helped and my game was steady if not spectacular.

In the end, one of the real good guys in the club Dave Andrews won with a total of 136 (-4 nett). Being an Arsenal fan it may have been some consolation for their 8-2 drubbing by Manchester United. In the end my score of 143 (+3) was good enough for 12th place. I was more than happy with that (out of 72) and over the course of the two rounds there was definitely much to be pleased about and to build upon.

In The Mix

2011-08-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

Thursday night will live in the memory for a long time. I was seriously ill about five years ago and I'm not suppose to drink anymore although I do have the odd libation if I'm careful. However the planned early exit from a 50th birthday celebration at work failed to materialise and it turned into an all evening session. Such was the shock to the system that I was still somewhat under the weather yesterday morning when I teed the ball up (carefully) for the first round of the Longhurst Cup at Royal Ascot. This is a medal event, played over two rounds over the bank holiday period. Entrants can choose which two out of the three days they wish to play and I went for Saturday and Monday to fit around my playing partners.

My partners for the opening round were my regular partner Mike Stannard and Matt Davis, aka Sundance who continues to impress with his form and was fresh off a win in the midweek medal on Thursday. He shot an impressive gross 77 (nett 62) and enjoyed a handicap cut from 15 down to 13. Mike too had a strong showing and recorded a gross 76 (nett 66) of his own so I was in a tough school and despite my fragile state expected no sympathy.

Things actually started remarkably well. I found the left hand bunker off the tee on the 1st but splashed out to about seven feet and holed the putt for a par. I rolled a fifteen footer in for a birdie at the next and by the time I walked off the 4th green was level par and feeling no pain. Indeed it wasn't until we reached the 7th that I had my first real crisis and even then I thought I was doing the right thing. My tee shot was a little too far left and brought the big oak tree that protects the left side of the fairway into play. Having had issues with it in a recent medal, the plan was to take a mid iron and play past the tree short of the green and leave a simple pitch in. I managed to negotiate all of these elements but the putter forgot to join in and a dismal three putt cost a double bogey. I bounced back with a par at the short par three 8th and then had issues with the 9th hole again.

I found the fairway with a good drive but the second wasn't so clever and headed towards the right hand bunker. In truth the hangover was kicking back in and the tablets were wearing off but to be fair the shot I was faced with was tough. The ball was on a steep upslope but I couldn't get a solid stance inside the bunker and had to perch precariously with one leg in the sand and the other outside the bunker. Even stone cold sober it would have been tough but with balance still being an issue the end result was never going to be ideal. I got it out and then hit two woeful chips for a triple bogey. I was still out in 41 (+6 gross) and level with my handicap.

Two pars to open the back nine were welcome relief as my swing was beginning to suffer as I was physically and it was all becoming a bit painful. Another double bogey from nowhere at the 12th courtesy of poor short game execution and the ball spinning as I looked down on it stopped the show but a fine chip and putt for par at the 13th steadied the ship if not the head. On the 14th I sprayed it way right and it ended up on the 13th tee sitting beautifully on the prepared tee box. It enable me to hit a hybrid onto the green for a very unlikely par.

However to be honest that is where the luck ran out. Feeling dog rough the swing started to go south and I dropped a shedload of shots including back to back double bogies at 16 and 17. However I managed to give myself a stern talking to and braced myself on the 18th tee for one final tee shot. I hit it great and the second shot left me with 134 yards to a flag located at the back of the green. Playing into the wind I took one more club and hit it great but it still only found the middle of the putting surface. Two good putts and I'd made a solid par.

I came back in 42 (+7) for a total of 83 (nett 70 - level par). Given the fact that I really just hit it without any pre-meditation on the back nine and threw a fistful of shots away throughout the round but particularly the last four holes it wasn't a bad score. In these events you can't win it after the first round but you can definitely play your way out of contention. Mike did reasonably well and pipped me by a shot to sit on nett 69 (-1) and although Matt didn't have a great back nine and finished a little adrift his round on Thursday shows he's capable of going low in the second round.

By the time I tee it up on Monday I'm hoping all will be good. Whether that means I'll play with the same inhibitions I had for the front nine at least remains to be seen. However I'm in the mix and it's all about trying to put another steady score together and then seeing how it pans out. It is not in my control and I can only play as well as I can.

However let me finish on a cautionary note. If you are told not to drink to excess, follow that advice. Even in my wildest party days I've never had a hangover like it. It wasn't big and it wasn't clever and as we all know it's not good to drink and drive (especially my back nine).

What Revolution?

2011-08-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

When a certain Eldrick “Tiger” Woods turned professional in August 1996 the world of professional golf changed too. Fitter, more athletic and arguably simply better than his peers, Tiger dominated the game. On the back of his success and inevitable rise to number one in the rankings, prize money increased, sponsorship and advertising revenues shot up as everyone wanted a piece of the action and viewing figures increased as armchair golfers watched in awe.

Tiger Woods announcing he was turning professional in 1996

It was predicted that the way Woods had become a global brand would lead to a significant increase, not only in other black American golfers coming onto the PGA tour but of a worldwide explosion in golf popularity as children all over the world took up the game to emulate the new hero.

All that has now changed, certainly for the time being. Woods has imploded. His off course behaviour has been well documented and the legacy fully felt financially and emotionally. There has been a continuing battle with injury and a bitter split with long term caddy Steve Williams. Despite working with several coaches there is a swing that for now betrays him as his ignominious missed cut at the USPGA showed. It is a cause for concern for all involved in the Woods camp as he enters free fall in the world rankings. His pursuit of a record number of major victories seems certain to fall short. So, what of the predicted revolution? Did Tiger really change the game, professionally and for the amateur that much and will others follow in his footsteps?

Perhaps one man did predict the future. At the end of the 1960s, Joe Dey, the first commissioner of the PGA Tour, forecast that the number of coloured golf pros would enter a long-term decline, saying: "By the turn of the century, there may not be one black playing the Tour." Apart from Tiger Woods, Dey turned out to be more accurate than all those pundits who predicted that with Woods as a role model, numerous black stars would quickly emerge. Woods is now the only black American on the Tour (and he's as Asian as he is black). That's fewer coloured players than at any time since the PGA revoked its "Caucasian-only" policy in 1961.

There have been five other black winners on tour since Charlie Sifford gained his PGA playing rights in 1961. Pete Brown became the first in 1964, followed by Sifford himself, Lee Elder, Calvin Peete and Jim Thorpe. Apart from Woods where is the next up and coming torch bearer.

Is it just the professional ranks that have failed to see anyone follow the mercurial Woods? What about the amateur game, particularly at grass roots level? Whilst I still see youngsters at the local driving range and municipal courses, has there really been a long term change in the number of newcomers to the game. Are we not more likely to see a McIlroy factor for a change in people playing now the young man has bagged his first major and being a home grown winner to boot? From my casual observations over the last few years, there are still people getting into the game but again, the number of coloured players, indeed from any diverse ethnicities still seems shamefully low.

Do the casual golfer and armchair fan even relate to Woods anymore with the emergence of a new crop of young stars like McIlroy and Fowler? Perhaps I’m being naïve in thinking Tiger’s dominance would really lead to a great take up in the game here in Britain where despite the sterling and persistent work of the Golf Foundation and other similar organisations, it seems that for many the sport of golf holds an elitist tag and still remains inaccessible to many. With tougher economic times, I’m sure a lot of kids today are being pushed into football or even street sports like basketball where income, race and background aren’t questioned.

I’m sure a lot of casual players and indeed some of the new crop of professional were inspired by Tiger and there is no doubt that he has to have had some positive impact, globally when he was in full pomp. I suggest however that the predicted revolution may never arrive and that for all that he has achieved, and may go onto do, Woods will not be remembered as the man who changed the face of the golfing world as so many once predicted. For me he may well have been golfs Pied Piper but not many have followed his tune.

What The .........

2011-08-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

I've been playing golf on and off for the last thirty five years and there are only two things I'm sure about. It's a game that can never be tamed and you usually play the best golf when you least expect it. The latter is certainly true if my performance in the monthly stableford on Saturday is anything to go by.

I haven't been playing well at all and to be honest I still think my win at St Pierre was in part down to luck. I really have been all over the place and have no real idea where my next shot is going or how I'm going to swing the club. I played nine holes on Friday night and managed to lose four balls. My technique was shot and my confidence through the floor. Even warming up before my round wasn't any better and I was fearing the worse. To make matters worse I was partnered with two very good golfers in Dave Grove, an ex-captain off a superb 6 handicap and long time member Peter Martin who had recently enjoyed a good spell to cut his handicap down to 10.

I had no idea what to expect and my thinned tee shot some 40 yards short of the 1st green didn't bode well. A pitch and three putts later and a shot had already gone. I knew this round was going to be strange. It had that feeling. On the 2nd I hit a good tee shot and second and left 82 yards in. It wasn't quite a full 52 degree wedge but I hit it way too clean. However it bounced and spun and finished no more than six feet away. Peter managed to get even closer and converted too. I hit the putt too hard but it grabbed the left edge and dropped for a birdie to repair the damage on the first. I parred the third and was suddenly two under my handicap.

As if it reiterate the randomness of my game I hit the fairway on the 4th and then hit a stone cold shank with my sand wedge, straight right and narrowly missing the bunkers but giving one of the shots back. I made nett par on the 5th and so standing on the 6th tee I was still ahead of the game and so far the shank had been the sum of my fears. I had a hybrid in my hand and was reasonably confident. With my handicap up to 14 I get a shot so hitting the green wasn't imperative. What was important was avoiding the out of bounds left and right. The swing was rank and it went straight right. Not a shank but a slice with a bit of right to left on it for good measure. I teed up my third shot and still didn't put a great swing on it but it found the green. I thought two putts for a five would still keep the score ticking over especially as I was twelve feet away. Imagine my surprise when I holed out for a four (nett par) or a birdie with my second ball. If that was good then Peter's proper birdie courtesy of a holed bunker shot was even better.

I did give it all back on the 7th when I lost a ball and didn't score and I failed to score on the easiest hole on the course, the 8th after finding sand off the tee and somehow managing to double hit the ball with my bunker shot. From a position of strength I was now well down on my handicap although a good up and down from short of the 9th for par helped and saw me out in 16 points.

To be honest it was better than I expected but I didn't feel as though I had any idea what was going on. It was almost trance like and I wasn't thinking about any shot, had any swing thoughts in my head or had any idea of the outcome. Check the yardage, pick a club and hit it.

The back nine scrambled my brain even further. I hit a good tee shot on the 10th, probably the first shot I actually felt in control of but then managed to hit the 98 yard approach fat. It ended up short and right of the green. As regular blog readers will know, of all the facets of the game, chipping is my weakest point. It hadn't been going well in recent weeks and there was no way of knowing if it would be fat, thin or half decent. As it happened my 7 iron chip and run came off the face perfectly and was dead weight, tracking the hole all the way before dropping for a birdie and four points. That repaired all the damage with one shot. I parred the 178 yard 11th too which again put me under handicap. I hit another good tee shot at the 12th and missed the green left. With my holed chip fresh in my mind what could go wrong? Two duffed chips later we're walking off with a six (one point) courtesy of a very good 8 foot putt.

Things didn't improve on the next. I suddenly hit a wild tee shot with my hybrid at the 186 yarder into thick rough. Although I got it out it ran through the green and I couldn't get up and down so failed to trouble the scorer. At this point I'm back to being two behind my handicap and to be honest the only thought in my head was to keep the score going and try and make the buffer zone so the handicap didn't go up.

Suddenly my game jumped into life. Well sort of. The putter did anyway. Another good drive at the 14th was negated by a huge hook left of the green. Again, I hit the chip heavy and assumed it would be short but somehow it had managed to roll down and was only 10 feet away. I drained the putt for a very unlikely par. On the short par 5 15th I was on the green in regulation although a good 20 feet away and looking for a solid two putt par. Again the ball had other ideas and fell in perfect speed for a birdie.

I felt the same way GMAC

The 16th is a tough drive with out of bounds all down the left. I aimed well right and had already accepted that a five (nett par) would be a safe and sensible play. Suddenly my whole thought process had changed. I still had no idea what was going on technique wise but lay my trust in the golfing gods as it seemed they had their finger on the pulse. The drive was further right than I wanted but my second ended up some thirty yards short of the green. If I could put a decent chip on it this time the five looked safe. I hit another 7 iron chip and run to about 7 feet. Surely I couldn't. That would be too rude. I did! In it popped for another par and another three points. When I hit the green at the 228 yard 17th there was something very weird in the air. The golfing planets were aligning for me. Dodgy swing, trance like and with no confidence I was on fire. So much so that I left my first putt some 6 feet short. Suddenly I faced my first clutch putt of the round. It dropped as I almost knew it would.

The golfing planets were in perfect alignment

Standing on the 18th I'd already done the maths. I could afford to have a horror and not score and I'd still shoot level with my handicap. However, were I to get a par and another three points that really would be a competitive total. There was a wait on the tee while those playing the 15th teed off. Not what I needed as I just wanted to get on with it. In the end the drive was a little too far left and brought the big oaks on that side of the hole into play for the second but it was safe. I hit a good if not great second and now it was decision time. I had 128 yards into the wind. Usually that would be an eight iron but with the water in play on the right I wanted to be long and dry. I took the seven and hit it well. It was the best shot of the day and so had a hint of draw which took it off the green to the left. Off a bare lie I was never going to risk a chip and so took the cowards option and putted it down. I stuck it stone dead for an easy tap in.

I couldn't believe it. I'd just played the back nine in two over par gross and in there were two double bogies for good measure. Definitely my finest nine holes and even more satisfying as I had no idea it was coming and no idea how I managed it. Thirty nine points was good enough to win the division although my 23 point second half score would have won on countback had anyone had the temerity to match my score. What can I say? A handicap drop to 12.6 (13 in real money) and entry into the Masters. No not that one, but the Ascot Masters which is invite only to competition winners over the last twelve months. Happy days.

So what can we take away from the day. Well, I'll never understand golf. How can you go from zero to hero like I did Friday night to Saturday morning. How can you win, not knowing what you are doing with the swing or where it will go. At the end of it all, these questions can wait. Two wins in August. Sublime. See my faithful followers, I said the fightback had started. We're back on the road again.

A Hackers Guide To Royal Ascot - Hole 9 (Ascot Farm)

2011-08-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

The end of the front nine is in sight but we don't have time to contemplate a rest just yet. Having negotiated the previous eight holes we reach the par 4, 400 yard ninth hole. It is predominantly a straight away hole but always, always plays into the wind and in my opinion is tougher than the stroke index of 12.

This is how the club website describes the hole:
"From the tee it looks like an open hole, but don’t be fooled. The drive has to be correctly placed, keeping it left of the fairway bunker, right of the large tree on the left of the fairway and not so long as to go in the cross fairway water hazard that can not be seen from the tee. The second will be with a medium to long iron to a large green, where many subtle turns will be found on this putting surface."

As the guide says, right of the large bunker on the right is ideal. It runs downhill from the bunker towards the ditch that crosses the hole and is blind from the tee and in summer it can be in range even for a moderate hitter like myself although in my case the fairways do have to be baked hard and with no wind blowing.

The view down the left side of the hole - this where you should aim off the tee

The ideal shot is at the large tree to the left centre of the fairway and let the right to left camber take your ball down into the ideal spot. Be careful not to overcook it though as the tree will block the second shot to the green and there is a ditch to be negotiated. The second shot can be anything from a fairway wood (in Winter particularly) to a mid iron and the green is guarded by two bunkers right and one on the left. There is also out of bounds running down the right of the hole from the ditch, past the greenkeepers compound to the practice green.

The view of the green for your second shot

The green is another that slopes significantly from back to front and from right to left as you look at it. It is one of the deeper and larger putting surfaces too and so you need to be aware of the flag position when choosing your club. Depending on where the pin is placed anything coming out of the bunkers or needing to be chipped onto the putting surface needs careful planning as the slope can take even a well played stroke and run it away from the hole. Putts too need to be a good speed especially if you coming from above the hole as it will run on and on.

The large putting surface - another green with lots of borrows

In truth, the hole shouldn't pose any real problems apart from the length and playing into the prevailing wind. As always though it is never that simple and I've had more than a few mishaps. Perhaps the unluckiest came in a medal earlier in the year. I was going along well if not spectacularly and had found the fairway off the tee. I pushed my second and it hit the cart path that runs up the right edge. Normally the ball will just bounce along and eventually come to rest. Not this time. It bounced, flew high into the air and straight right scattering everyone on the practice putting green waiting to go out. Out of bounds and no choice but to hit another. It wasn't a bad shot and was only about ten yards wide of the target. It was just a freakish bounce but a real show stopper in terms of momentum.

The greenkeepers shed is another popular target. There is something about the shiny metal roof that regularly draws golf balls towards it. The sound of surlyn projectile on metal is very, very loud and echoes across the course. As the ninth runs close to the clubhouse there is nowhere to hide if you are unfortunate enough to slice one and it hits. Been there done that. Of course, the ditch can also catch the unwary. Playing out of the right hand bunker it is at least 100 yards to clear the hazard and so if you don't make perfect contact the ball will usually find the ditch. Similarly if you push or pull the drive and have to play from the rough either side, getting over isn't a given.

And there you have it. On paper not a real card wrecker and to be honest it can present a good par or nett birdie opportunity but like the other holes so far it needs treating with respect. We've made it through the first nine holes. Hopefully our score card is in good shape, we still have the original ball we started with and we're ready to move onto the start of the back nine.

Powerplay Golf - A New Challenge

2011-08-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

It has all been a bit quiet on the golfing front recently. I've not been very well and so practicing has been minimal and there was no golf over the weekend. However I do have some interesting news. Golf Monthly are holding a Powerplay Golf event at the The Grove in Hertfordshire on August 31st. It is in the top 100 courses in the UK and we are playing the event over the front nine and I've been selected to play.

Powerplay Golf is a modified stableford event where there are two flags per green, a white one and a black one. The white flag will yield normal stableford points but should you opt to go for a powerplay you shoot for the harder black pin placement. You have to take three powerplays before the ninth hole. On the last hole should you decide to take the optional extra powerplay, nett par or better will give you double points but anything worse than par will lose points (the only time you can lose points from your tally). You have to declare your powerplay intention before teeing off. Check out the link below and click on the video clip for a far better explanation

http://www.powerplay-golf.com/play/

The Golf Monthly event is going to be a team event and sadly will be a random draw. I say sadly because I'm being joined by fellow Royal Ascot members Mike Stannard, fresh from meeting Padraig Harrington in Dublin and Matt Davis (aka Sundance) who has seen his handicap tumble quicker than the FTSE 100 in recent months. I did approach Mike Harris, the editor of Golf Monthly to put us in as a Royal Ascot team (plus an honorary member for the day to make up the four) but he refused.

Powerplay Golf has had a pretty big write up and there has already been a big professional event to launch it in the UK at the Celtic Manor course back in May. Players included legend Gary Player, womens US Open champion Paula Creamer and 2010 mens US Open winner Graham McDowell. Now I'm not sure any of the Ascot boys will be as good as them but we'll give it a go. There is also a putting competition, burgers and prizes and it is a free event so the price is certainly good. Many thanks to Golf Monthly for putting this on.

I guess I need to get out and find my game again. Hopefully the fact that it is a team event means I can loiter with intent and maybe come in as and when necessary as opposed to the usual burden of trying to protect my individual score as I would in a normal medal or stableford. It certainly looks a fun format and I'll be sure to let you know how I did.

The Day The Balloon Burst

2011-08-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

Well today was definitely the day my golfing balloon went pop. After the dramatic highs of Tuesday and the mediocre rubbish of the social game yesterday today was the monthly medal. I couldn't have asked for a better pairing than Mark Timms, an ex Royal Ascot captain, decent golfer with a cutting sense of humour and Mick Mills, a man of a certain sartorial elegance, nutty as a box of frogs and on his day a very, very good golfer.

Things got off to a bad start with a duffed chip on the first leading to a double bogey five. I got through the next couple of holes without incident and then there was a nice three putt in on the 4th to drop another shot. I even managed a sand save on the next getting up and down from the left hand bunker after pulling a nine iron from 118 yards. After that, I'm afraid the round, or at least the front nine hit a brick wall with maximum force.

I snap hooked my tee shot on the 6th which is a real nemesis hole anyway. I hate par 3's! It would have been out of bounds but we didn't find it anyway. I had already hit a provisional which was flirting with the out of bounds further up the hole and played a second provisional, or potentially five off the tee which fortunately had found the target. The second ball was playable and I chipped on and two putted for an ugly triple bogey six.

My sheer delight of par 3's were further strengthened on the tiny par 3 eighth hole. I catalogued this hole in my "Hackers Guide" the other day (check it out to see what I'm talking about) but I've found a fresh way of making a mockery of playing it. Take one thinned tee shot and leave it twenty yards short of the green. Add a duff chip into a bunker. Sprinkle with a double hit out of the sand (including penalty shot). Mix with a chip on and finish with a holed putt to create the perfect triple bogey six. Deep joy.

The ninth was to prove no respite. I hit a poor drive into the rough down the right and faced a tricky shot to clear the ditch about one hundred yards away. With the ground sloping down towards the hazard laying up short from the lie I had wasn't a given and so I decided a prudent eight iron would be sufficient to carry the ditch and get the ball in play without being overly optimistic. Wrong. I pushed it right. The good news was it cleared the ditch. The bad news was it was now out of bounds. I played another which got over the hazard. I pitched on and made a back to back triple bogey.

I was out in a nice round 50 and had used all my handicap allowance and some for the next round too. If I was having my issues, then poor old Mick was having an even tougher time and limped out several shots higher than my effort. On the plus side Mark had quietly been going about his business and was scoring quite nicely. Mind you he was having plenty of time to rest between shots while Mick and I chopped our way along.

My golfing balloon being well and truly burst

Trying to be a glass half full type of guy, the back nine started much better and included a par at the toughest hole on the course, the par four twelfth and at the long 186 yard par 3 thirteenth. The par three in particular was playing much tougher than its yardage into the wind and so I was pleased with my tee shot to the front of the green. And then the back nine hit the skids in a similar way to the front nine.

I hit a poor drive down the 14th. In truth I was trying to give it the full kitchen sink and the swing was a blur of moving body parts held together in a barely recognisable guise of a golf swing. It happened to find a great lie in the rough on the right and I hit a pure recovery just short of the green. A simple chip and two putts and we can get away with a five (nett par). Wrong. Another duffed chip. I never felt comfortable over the ball and I knew it wasn't going to be a good shot. However there was no excuse for three putting from twelve feet once I'd chipped on.

I managed a rare moment of dignity with a birdie four at the par five 15th but followed that up with a self-destructing tee shot out of bounds on the next for another triple bogey. Even a solid par five at the last finding both fairway and green in regulation couldn't make any inroads into the carnage on my scorecard. In the end I came back in 43 for a grand total of 93, less my 13 handicap for a nett 80 (+10). It doesn't take a handicapping genius to know that has missed the buffer zone and that the 0.1 back on my handicap now takes me to 13.5 or 14 in round numbers.

That is the highest I've been in about three years and bares no resemblance to the progress I feel I've been making. On the plus side, Mark had a sterling back nine too and finished with a very good nett 68. Mr Mills however followed his difficult front nine with a similar performance on the second nine. How can I put this politely? It was a higher nett score than me and not the type of golf I'm use to seeing him play.

At least we managed to have a good laugh on the way round. Well you had to really or else you'd cry. I really enjoyed the company and although there were sightings of a golfer within, there are a lot of swing issues. I think I've been neglecting my long game work to try and get the short game working and that it's a timing and turning issue where I'm swaying and not staying over the ball and compressing down. That was the main focus of the work over the winter and I just think old habits are creeping in.

I'll hit the range tomorrow and start looking at it. I need to get the game working again soon. That personal best of 75 I shot seems a distant memory and I feel a tad embarrassed by hitting the 14 handicap mark again. The whole point of Homer's Odyssey was to chart a triumphant journey towards 10 or even single figures. I should be soaring with eagles and yet I'm floundering with turkeys. Much work needed. The fightback starts right here, right now.

A Hackers Guide To Royal Ascot - Hole 8 (Grey Poplar)

2011-08-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

The eight hole is the shortest on the course and is supposedly the easiest, at least going by the stroke index but short doesn't always mean sweet. Named after the majestic grey poplar tree at the back of the green it only measures 139 yards off the back tee but it's no push over.

The description on the club website sums it up quite nicely.

"Shortest hole on course, but well protected with bunkers and a small green. Correct clubbing will be required to secure par, green is very narrow. A far right pin position asks a lot of questions of the golfer."

It is getting the club selection right that is the main obstacle. If it is playing into the wind it can be a mid iron, certainly for the likes of me but when the wind is with you, it can be an eight or even a nine iron. However it is imperative you take enough club as the bunkers short and to the left are deep. The right hand bunker is also a big no-no as it leaves a horrid shot with a lot of the contours on the green sloping back to front and right to left and so it makes landing the ball perfectly to get it close to any pin placement very tricky.

The view from the tee - doesn't it look so simple?

I've managed my share of birdies on the hole but have yet to threaten the hole for an ace. However it's another one that seems to have a hex on me. Did I mention I hate par threes? I seem to have developed an annoying talent for hitting big high hooks left into the rough or even worse, hitting big cuts right into the thick rough on that side. Left isn't the end of the world as there is usually a modicum of green to play with. Right however is big trouble and is reliant on the lie. Even then you're faced with a delicate pitch over the bunker to a sloping green. I've been known to make a five with consummate ease (and worse) from the right and it's to be avoided.

The view from the front edge

Once you've made it safely aboard the putting surface, the problems aren't over. This is another green with some serious contours and dependant on the pin placement can leave a testing sidehiller for birdie. A good judgement of pace and a keen eye for the correct line are a must.

And there you have it, the shortest hole on the card. It is definitely a birdie opportunity but can just as easily be a bogey or worse. Take care to get the right club and if you hit the centre of the green here everytime you'll never go far wrong or be that far away.

The Three T's

2011-08-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

After the glory of winning at St Pierre it was back to Royal Ascot today for the usual Saturday morning roll up. I haven't hit a ball since Tuesday's triumph and to be honest it showed. Timing was out, tempo was out and technique was lacking. I managed to nobble it around in an almost respectable 31 points and to be honest the putter was stone cold which may have cost a couple of points but to be honest it was about all I deserved.

I just couldn't get anything going at all. The tempo seemed very quick and the swing felt dreadful and I could feel the hips sliding and not turning especially on the drives which were pretty poor all day long bar one on the par four 14th which was the best of the day. I actually played the hole pretty well. The drive finished near the two big trees on the fairway and with the flag tucked close to the bunker front right and with little to lose I decided to try and hit a little fade in. I took a four iron from 178 yards which on reflection was always too much club. However I pulled the shot off to perfection and it shimmied left to right in the air perfectly. However it was too long and ran to the back fringe. On the plus side the short game was working better and I chipped to within four feet but the putter refused to work and I couldn't save par but made a solid five (nett par) for two points.

The timing was an issue too. Aligned to the quick tempo and the hip slide, I had a real issue trying to get the club back square and even managed a stone cold shank on the 10th from the right edge of the fairway for a lost ball and an ugly double bogey.

I'm hoping today was an aberration as it's the monthly medal tomorrow and I'm right on the cusp of going back to a 14 handicap which I'm not overly thrilled about. Hopefully today will have shaken some of the dust off the swing and it'll feel better tomorrow. I sincerely hope so as today won't live long in the memory. How fickle this game can be. Hero on Tuesday and back to a club chopper today.

St Pierre - The Story In Pictures

2011-08-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

The Golf Monthly Centenary Day was covered by their resident snapper and they have put a gallery of the days action on their website http://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/tours-and-news/galleries/34072/1/0/golf-monthly-centenary-society-qualifier-marriott-st-pierre.html

However here are some depicting Homer in action

Waiting to tee off with the 1st disappearing into the distance

My tee shot at the 18th

I have to be honest and say this was arguably the worse drive of the day and the ball disappeared down the hill to the right of that large bush at the front of the tee and I really thought it would struggle to clear the lake. Fortunately after what seemed an eternity it appeared and ran up the hill and stopped in the rough opposite the bunker to the right of the green. I managed to pitch to a foot and hole out for par. Easy hole really!

The 18th looking back to the tee - and my pitch shot

It really is a brute of a hole to finish on with a lake some 100 yards away off the tee which catches your attention and then plays up a steep hill to the green. It's the small matter of 236 yards away and it plays almost all carry as the upslope kills anything pitching short.

Shaking hands with James Edwards who won the 17+ handicap group to also qualify for the Final

A handshake from Alex from Golf Monthly and the spoils of victory

Check out the Golf Monthly website for pictures of all the other qualifying events. If you ever get an opportunity to enter one of these competitions you really should take the chance to play. They are usually held on top notch venues and entry (including a meal after) is usually much cheaper than a standard green fee would cost. Although most players would like to win, the emphasis is on having fun and it isn't cut-throat and win at all costs.

Dancing In The Valleys

2011-08-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

It's Golf Monthly's Centenary and to celebrate they've been hosting a number of competitions up and down the country and offering the top four players at each location a chance to play in a national final at the Forest of Arden in the Midlands in October.

I'd booked to play at St Pierre in Chepstow. The famous Old Course has played host to many top tournaments from the PGA Welsh Masters to the Solheim Cup and Dunlop Masters and off the white tees provides a stern 7028 yard test. The fairways are pretty tight and lined with mature, majestic trees making accuracy off the tee a premium and the smallish greens need accurate club selection to make putting on the quick, subtle surfaces as easy as possible.

I was out with a good friend called Sean Wheatley from the GM Forum and another Berkshire lad (Sandhurst) and two guys from the West Country. Jim from Minchampton Golf Club was off a dangerous 19 and the fourball was completed by a guy called Martyn from Saunton and off 13. It is always a nervous opening drive at any Golf Monthly event given my involvement with them over the years and particularly the forum and so it was a relief to hit a good one down the long 574 yard par five first. As well as being a long opener there were trees tight left and the driving range not too far away to the right but my drive split the fairway and I'd go on to make a par.

The first few holes steadily take you uphill until you reach the tee on the par three 6th which offers majestic views over the Severn Bridge and the Bristol Channel and down the Chepstow valleys. I'd made good progress to that point including a pleasing par four at the long (stroke index 2) 442 par four fourth hole having hit another great drive and finding the green with my second.

The 4th green on the Old Course

By the time I'd reached the ninth tee I was on 18 points. It's the hardest hole on the course and my first bad drive of the day really lay the foundation for a poor hole and my failure to score any points. Still, I was out level to my handicap and so all seemed good in the world.

The tenth is a sweeping right to left dog leg of 365 yards with a pond protecting the left hand side the length of the hole and with a tree strategic placed on the left edge of the rough to force you out wider and therefore making the second shot that much longer. The driver behaved and I hit a peach hugging the edge of the tree and drawing before running down hill. The second is played to a green protected left and behind by the pond and to be honest I was between clubs with 98 yards left and took a pitching wedge but never committed to the shot and hit it fat. Another dropped point.

The 10th green

The back nine was a tale of wasted shots, missed opportunities and the odd piece of bad luck but by the time I stood on the feature hole, the massive 236 yard par 3 eighteenth I'd manage to accumulate 31 points to date which I reckoned would be well short of the required number. The last features a shot from a tee high above the lake. You drive over the water to a raised green on top of the hill by the clubhouse and sanctuary. It looks lovely as you stand there but it's a real brute to play. I hit a three wood and to be honest a combination of fatigue in the humid conditions and trying to hit it too hard produced a pig of a shot. It shot off low and disappeared below the tee box. I was doubtful it would make the carry but fortunately it appeared low and right and it tried hard to scamper towards the green but could only make the rough halfway up.

The view to the tee on the 18th

I was left with an awkward uphill chip of some 54 yards over a bunker in front of the assembled Golf Monthly editorial team and the on course snapper waiting to detail the closing throes. To be honest it was a bit of a half hearted hit and hope with nothing left to play for but it came off and stopped a foot from the flag. Naturally I explained it was played for. All that was left was to make sure I made the putt which I managed to do for a three (nett birdie) and a closing three points for a grand total of 34. I was sure it would be at least two points shy.

I have to say the veteran of the group Jim played some fantastic golf. Despite the course being a brute in length, he never found any trouble and was always on or around the green in three and so chipping or putting for a par. He came back in a marvellous 19 points and level handicap 36 overall. Now that had to be in the running.

After a great three course meal it was time for the results. There were 55 golfers in total and Golf Monthly had split it across various handicap categories to ensure an even spread of players per category. It went 0-9, 10-13, 14-19 and 20 and above. When it got to my category (10-13) and second place was announced on 32 points (a good mate called Tony Reed aka Pokerjoke) it dawned on me. Homer had only gone and won the prize and then came the announcement. A couple of pictures with Jezz Ellwood (deputy editor) and a snazzy Cleveland golfing suitcase prize later I was there. I'm in the national final on the 12th and 13th of October at the Forest of Arden in Warwickshire. I've won an overnight stay at the on-site Marriott followed by breakfast, the final itself and then a meal and prize giving. It has to be my biggest win in many a full moon. I told you blog followers. I promised it was in there. Finally it came out when it mattered and I converted.

The glass half empty part of me was disappointed with the way I played the back nine and the last six holes in particular as I didn't hit it very well and to be honest was trying too hard to chase what I thought I would need to post a competitive score. The glass half full side says it was a tough course off the white tees and a place you'd never seen or played before and that for twelve holes you were hitting it great and very steady.

As the great rugby commentator Bill McClaren would say after a Wales victory, "they'll be dancing in the valleys tonight" and I did have a small libation with my wife once we got back to the B&B in Chepstow we were staying at. I'm off to Tyrrells Wood tomorrow for a game with some of the normal Saturday swindle but the forecast is pretty dire and so any hope of keeping the good form going may be scuppered by the rain and wind. To be honest I don't care and have already had a sneaky look on the internet at the Forest of Arden course. It'll be another tough challenge and there are some good golfers going along but I'm there, a finalist and so anything from here on in is a bonus. Get in!

On The Tourist Trail

2011-08-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

I was due to play in the Golf Monthly Centenary Golf Event in St Pierre in Chepstow yesterday (Tuesday August 2nd) and decided to go down a day early with the wife and have a bit of a mini break. It's only a two hour trip and once you're over the Severn Bridge you are in Chepstow and St Pierre is a short ten minute drive away. It's a Marriott resort and has two courses, the Old and the Mathern. I was playing the Old which has hosted some famous pro events including a Solheim Cup and my hero Seve has played and won on the hallowed turf.

We booked into a lovely AA four star B&B called the Parva Farmhouse situated at the far end of the village of Parva itself. The room was pretty with a four poster bed (yes I'm still a romantic at heart) and set fifty yards from the River Wye. It's a glorious location and they offer an a la carte evening menu. We took full advantage. My lovely wife had a piquant chicken and seasonal vegetables. The chili sauce was fantastic with a hint of heat and the chicken was really tender. I went for the lamb liver in marsala sauce and the veg and again it was top quality. We both went for the home made apple crumble and custard and the portion was generous and it was to die for.

We walked it off with a stroll along the river. This part of the world is beautiful and we were less than a mile from the famous Tintern Abbey.

The River Wye from the hotel

I'm not a huge fan of spending hours in a car before playing golf and so the early arrival suited me to the ground. I've got some brownie points in the bag and we've had a marvellous relaxing time. As for the golf, well you'll just have to wait and see.

Tintern Abbey

All I would say is that there are plenty of decent courses in this neck of the wood and St Pierre is well worth playing. I'm back chilled and relaxed and with a tale to tell.

Plus Points And Some Real Downers

2011-08-01T02:50:00.000-07:00

It was day two of the club championship yesterday and having survived the halfway cull I was paired with a great guy called John Clark for the second day running and was joined by the club handicap secretary and guru to all things CONGU Terry Banham.

In the warm up I was actually hitting it much better than the previous day and the timing seemed so much better. I hit a better opening drive and found the green and for the second day running opened up with a par. And then for the second day running problems started. I struck my tee shot on the 2nd well but a little right. It looked to be staying in bounds until it caught a bough of one of the trees never to be seen again. Roll up a costly snowman (8) and I'm already a stroke worse off. The 3rd hole was really an indication though that it wasn't to be my day. A great tee shot took a wicked kick left and found a fairway bunker. I escaped well but only managed to find a greenside bunker. However I had no stance inside the bunker and had to stand way above the ball outside the trap and try and bend down to play the shot. I made contact and got it out but didn't find the green. That would be the story of my round. If there was a chance of finding a bare lie or grass, it would be the bare one every time. A inch shorter and playing from semi-rough or from longer stuff and the ball would go that extra few rolls. Maybe it was my penance for making my first club championship cut

The putter wasn't behaving either which didn't help and where all the six footers were going in on Saturday, they were just staying on the lip or brushing the edge yesterday. By the time I'd made a good par on the 9th thanks to a sweet four iron into the wind from 176 yards to the heart of the green I'd improved my score compared to the first round by two shots and was only just over handicap. That buffer lasted until the 10th where a catalogue of poor shots ensured a nice double bogey.

Apart from the 10th, the back nine was pretty steady all the way round with the odd par or bogey and the quality of the shots were much better than of late and shad I been able to make a putt or two could have had a half decent return. However all that was academic once I'd played the 17th. Again, it was a great five wood into the wind although the line was too far right guarding against the out of bounds left. It found the bunker but should have posed no problem. WRONG. I took no sand with the shot and the ball sailed merrily over the green and out of bounds. I eventually got it out long and right, chipped back and made an inglorious triple bogey seven. Even a good par down the last with a five iron from 158 yards over the pond couldn't lighten the simmering frustration inside.

In the end my score of 151 (74-77 nett +11) was good enough for 37th place. Not a great result but I was pleased to have made the cut and so anything after that was a bonus. The real downside was the fact that yet again I'd hit the ball really well and got little or no return. Add the fact that both rounds were outside the handicap buffer and so my handicap went up 0.1 both days and I'm now teetering on 13.4 and perilously close to 14. Bad times.

I have to mention John and Terry. John was great fun to play with (as was Tony our partner for Saturday who sadly didn't have a great day) and like me had a mixture of good holes and the odd nightmare. Terry had a decent opening round and started off like a train yesterday. After the first five holes he was two under par gross thanks to a couple of birdies and held it together pretty well for the first nine. Sadly it got away from him a little coming home but he played some really steady golf and his final score didn't do justice to the way he'd played.

All in all it was a great weekend. Congratulations to the captain and organisers, and a big well done to the greenkeepers. The course was well presented and the greens were just about perfect. The flag placements were testing without being penal or silly and good shots were rewarded and bad ones punished. Well down to Ian Forster for winning both the scratch and handicap prizes and Dave Andrews who pushed him hard and finished second.

Overall there was much to be happy about. I laid to bed the club championship hex of not playing well or missing the cut and in the second round hit the ball very nicely even if I couldn't make a score. I'm concerned that the handicap continues to go north and that the medal next Saturday could see me hitting the 14 handicap mark. Definitely not what Homer's Odyssey was all about. Its a bitter sweet pill as I've bleated long and often about not getting any breaks and believing in what you put in you get out. Sadly it seems that isn't always the case.

Anyway to finish on a positive note I'm off to sunny Chepstow on Monday for a few days R&R with the good lady wife. Oh and did I mention the small matter of a Golf Monthly Centenary event at St Pierre on Tuesday. I've never played there but heard great things about the course and it will be great to catch up with some of the familiar faces from the Golf Monthly forum and the magazine staff as well and hopefully my decent ball striking will survive the trip down the M4 intact for Tuesday morning. The weather looks reasonable (even for Wales) and I've got some brownie points from the wife for taking her away for a few days so everything is set fair. I'll be sure to regale you with deeds of derring-do, long drives, sublime putting and good fortune. Or as regular readers will know, maybe not!

Survived The Cut

2011-07-30T14:03:00.000-07:00

It was the first round of Royal Ascot's club championship today. Traditionally this use to be a thirty six hole medal event but when we moved onto the new, longer course back in 2005 a lot of members found it a struggle to get round and so numbers in what should be the prestige event of the year dwindled. There has been a cut in place for the last few years and the event swapped to a two day format. This has worked very well, numbers are back up and it has created a lot of banter in the 19th trying to see who has and hasn't survived the cut.

I don't know why but I've a particularly poor record in this event both as a one day event and have yet to make the cut since it was introduced. I've not played a lot of golf recently either (hence the lack of posts) through family issues mainly and the golf I have been playing hasn't been good.

Even on the practice ground in warm up the signs weren't good. The optimist in me thought a nett 75 (+5) might be good enough and so unlike a normal monthly medal there was a certain leeway. It even started off so well with a good opening tee shot into the first and two putts (the birdie putt was inches away) for a secure par. And then reality kicked in. A loose double bogey at the 2nd courtesy of a three putt was followed but a horror down the 3rd with a lost ball into the environmental area off the tee, a poor approach and a duffed chip. The ship was steadied until the 7th. Having hit a good tee shot but too far left, I opted to play safe and lay up. Job done I only had a wedge in. I missed the green by miles and then shanked my chip to run up another 7. Out in 46 (+11) it looked as though my race was run.

The back nine though was a different story. For a while it looked like a proper golfer was trying to break out. Pars at 10 and 11 were followed by another double bogey at the 12th. Again the short game was to blame. When will I ever get it to click when it matters? I managed a great par at the 14th with a good drive and a 5 iron to ten feet and just missed the birdie. However I dropped another shot at the par 5 16th despite being no more than 30 yards from the flag in two. No prizes for guessing which facet let me down again. The par at the 17th rallied my spirits and I holed a good putt to finally make a chip and putt at the last. Then it was down to the scorecard and seeing the damage. Back in 41 (+5 gross) for a total of 87 (nett 74 and a +4 total). Would it be too many?

In the end I finally managed to break my club championship voodoo although I am one of the first groups out. On the plus side the back nine gives me some encouragement and having survived the cut anyway there's precious little to lose anyway. The plan is to go out, relax and not worry about the score. All I need to do now is sort this sunburn out. Ouchy!

Nothing Special

2011-07-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

After the surprise of a good performance in the medal, this weekend was all about social golf. No pressure, no stress (apart from the savage humour) and a chance to play relaxed golf. In truth I didn't strike the ball well but the driving and putting were both pretty ordinary especially yesterday when I struggled all day long. The driver behaved better today but the putter was still ice cold and the Odyssey White Ice #9 is sitting next to me as I type this almost begging me to give it another chance

I felt I hit it better today and there were birdies to savour at the 320 yard par 4 fourth hole which was nice and another on the long 430 yard par 4 fourteenth courtesy of the only putt I made all weekend of note from the back of the green. This twenty foot downhiller looked in all the way and was set up with a great four iron from the right hand semi-rough which had to be kept low to avoid the two large oaks on the right of the fairway. I even managed a rare par four on the 425 yard sixteenth but then took the gloss off the round with a bad bunker shot at the seventeenth and hitting the worse drive of the day off the last tee which went straight right and out of bounds.

The swing isn't as fluid as I'd like it and I think there are some fundamental alignment issues creeping in. This week is the build up to the club championship next weekend. It's held over two days. Everyone plays on Saturday and there is a cut at the end of play with the top 30 or so coming back on Sunday to battle for the scratch and nett prizes. I've got no chance in the scratch but would love to get to play on Sunday and to be in a position to challenge. I've got a very poor record in club championships wherever I've played and so whilst I'm going in positively, the burden of history does weigh heavy. Rashly I've said if I ever win the nett prize I'd dive into the pond by the 18th green. However watching poor old Thomas Levet do that after winning the other week and injuring himself and missing the Open as a result maybe not. Given the amount of wildlife on the pond too it may not be too healthy to jump in anyway. Let's win it first and we can sort the celebration out after.

The company this weekend in both my groupings was great. The course is looking pretty good although some of the greens aren't as good as they should be at this time of year and the pace of them is pretty slow. However, I know the club are working hard to rectify the issues they have and so you have to give them time to make the changes, although it would be nice if the members were kept up to date with progress on a regular basis.

The plan this week, work and family issues permitting, is to work on the swing on the practice ground (Bedborough Field) and see if it is the alignment causing the problems and then address the putting woes. I'll play a few holes later in the week and maybe work on the short game a bit before launching my bid for championship glory at 9.44am on Saturday

Pleasantly Pleased

2011-07-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

I managed to squeeze a mideweek medal in this week which is a bit of a rarity for me as work is usually calling. I was fortunate enough to join Martin Davis (aka Bash) and Brian Mason (aka Mace) as a roll up in pretty warm conditions.

I haven't played a lot of golf recently due to family committments and wasn't hitting it great on the practice ground so expectations were set at minimum. In fact I hadn't planned to play in the event at all and had only wandered up to the club to put some hard yards into finding out what was wrong with the swing. Still what was the worse that could happen apart from yet another 0.1 back on the handicap?

The opening drive wasn't exactly a confidence booster, going left and just missing the pond that seems to be a magnet to my ball these days. I managed to pitch on and make a nett par so no damage done. The thing with medal play is that it's a cross between walking on egg shells and russian roulette. You want to play properly, but you are also waiting for that one destructive shot to de-rail the whole round. Its a ticking timebomb.

By the time I walked off the fourth after frustrating dropped shot, I was level par for my handicap and I usually see that as an fair start over the tough opening holes. I made a good par at the long par 5 fifth and followed it with a majestic hybrid into the nemesis par 3 sixth. The pin was tucked on the far right of the green very close to the greenside bunker and very hard to attack. I'm not sure if it was blind indiiference, poor course management or what, but I just aimed straight at the green and it went arrow straight towards the target stopping about ten feet short for an easy two putt. I was under my handicap despite not hitting the ball at all well. I guess it's all about getting it round any which way you can.

Naturally enough my luck and poor striking caught up with me. I made a bad six at the par 4 7th trying to bite off too much with my second. However it was the par 3 eighth that really bit my rear end. My two partners played first and Bash hit it long and very left. Mace hit it short and into the bunker. I nonchalantly step onto the tee and said "not much to beat there" before hitting a semi-shank way right missing the green by a clear twenty yards. Note to self, keep your big mouth shut. I managed to play a good recovery from deep rough for a bogey.

The plan for the back nine was to try an play steady golf and aim for the buffer zone. I'd gone out one over my handicap but managed to claw that back at the 10th with a very solid par four. As I've written before I've perfected the art of gving shots back as soon as I reclaim them and did so at the 178 yard par 3 eleventh. I found the right hand bunker and proceeded to take no sand with the recovery and sent it way over the green. I chipped back and two putted for an ugly five. I gave another back at the next although to be fair I was a trifle unlucky to see my approach find the sand and when I got there I had to stand outside the hazard and somehow reach down to play the shot. Suffice to say it didn't go according to plan.

After that I put a decent run together, parring the next three holes. It should really have been four on the trot after a great drive down the sixteenth but an errant shot missed the green right. To be honest it went where I was aiming and so it was a basic alignment issue and not the shot. I managed a chip and putt to save par at the penultimate hole and so needed a par five at the last to break my handicap for the first time in ages.

I did the first bit right and found the fairway but it was a little too far left to be ideal and brought the big oak tree on that side into play. I needed to play around the branches to get as far down as I could to leave a shorter iron into the green and ideally take the pond to the right of the green out of play. I spoke about russian rouletter and my second shot found the bullet in the chamber. I made great contact but was aiming right to try and move it right to left in the air. Instead I hit it straight right deep, deep deep, into knee high rough. That was never going to be found and even if it had been I'd probably still be there now trying to hit it out.

I hit another and that too flirted with the long stuff but finished in the semi-rough. It left 124 yards to a back flag location into the wind. I now also had the pond to contend with and not the greatest lie. It came out wonderfully to about six feet. If I hadn't struck it well all day, this one shot made up for it all. I made the putt for battling bogey (nett par) and shot a level par 70.

In the end, that was good enough for a fourth place finish in division one which was my best result for ages. I was gutted I couldn't get a handicap cut but I was pleased with how I managed to get the ball round without ever feeling as though I was in total control. I must also mention the start of Bash's round. He rolled a 15 footer in at the first for a birdie and then at the par 4 fourth dunked his second straight in for an eagle. Two two's in the first four holes. He had a couple of bad holes on the back nine but still shot a creditable nett 69 (-1) but it looked like it could have been so much better after such an electrifying start.

All in all a very satisfying sojourn into midweek competitve play and hopefully thanks to the joys of NHS flexi time I may be able to get another round in before the clocks change. Here's to an even better round next time.

Captain's Day - Never At The Races

2011-07-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

It was Captain's Day at Royal Ascot on Saturday and the membership turned out in force to support the 2011 incumbent Malcolm Dargue. For the most part the weather behaved and it was very warm with only a few rogue showers to put a dampener on proceedings. These were pretty sporadic and short and did little to spoil the day. It was an individual event and split in to AM and PM fields and was a shotgun start for both.

I was off the 15th which isn't a bad starting hole. A short par five of 478 yards it has a generous fairway for the opening shot. It meant finishing on the 14th green which is adjacent to the 18th tee box and meant a civilised walk back down the 18th at the end rather than some route march across country.

I had been hitting the ball well of late and even in the warm up was striking it surprisingly well and so there was a cautious hint of optimism in the air. I was first up in the group and as the hooter sounded I got ready to propel my ball down the fairway straight and true. In truth I hit it very well but just pulled it a touch into the semi rough. Given the fact that it was only the second shot of the day, the lie wasn't great and there was danger straight in front for the mis-hit, my choice of the hybrid was pretty foolish. A simple mid iron over the rough and bushes would only have left 130 yards in and a simple shot. Naturally I had to take the machismo option trying to get it as far down as possible. Once I hit it heavy and the clubhead closed on impact, short and left into the clag was inevitable. That I found it at all was a miracle given the depth of grass, but given that I got it back into play was an even bigger one. I hit the green and two putted for a dropped shot on what should have been a cast iron two pointer.

Things steadied until I reached my fourth hole, the 18th. A pushed shot right and another chance to play a percentage shot which would have taken going for the green in regulation out of the equation but would have left an easy approach and a chance to get it close and one putt for par. Another chance spurned with greater consequences. I hit a horror right which hit timber and rocketed out of bounds. By the time I'd got within reach of the green I needed to get down from left of the green to rescue a solitary point. With my short game there was more chance of the News of the World scandal disappearing anytime soon. As we prepared to start the proper front nine I was already three shots over handicap. Not a good start.

Malcom Dargue and his wife Kay (2011 Royal Ascot Ladies Captain)

I rallied and parred the 1st and 2nd and should have made it a hat-trick at the 3rd but managed to three putt from twenty feet. A poor drive at the next cost a shot but when I hit my gap wedge to within a foot at the 503 yard par 5 5th a birdie seemed a certainty. Like a fool, smug with my skillful approach, I paid no care or attention to the putt and managed to miss it with surprising ease. Although the par and three points helped that extra point and the fillip it would have given me may have made a difference. I managed to hit the green on the 6th and was in the running for the nearest the pin prize. Then the wheels started to come off. I found the fairway at the next but a little to the left and had the large oak that guards that side of the hole in the way. I recently posted a hackers guide to the 7th hole and said that the sensible play in such circumstance was the lay up over or around the tree and then a pitch on.

For the third time in a handful of holes I took the kamikaze route. With a 4 iron in hand I took aim at the right hand bunker with the aim of drawing it back, landing it short and letting it release. It definitely moved right to left in the air except the draw was a hook and I found the out of bounds (a protected environmental area). I managed to make a 6 to rescue a point but it was a real show stopper. However with the wheels off, the axle was grinding on the road by the next. I missed the green at the par 3 by at least ten yards to the right. From a decent lie I hit a rubbish chip and dumped it into a bunker. I made a passing resemblance to a bunker shot and just got it out. I need to chip in for a point. That'll be another no score then. I made a nett par at the 9th and so for the proper front nine I was level with my handicap having played it in 18 points but how much better could it have been. How much better should it have been. All the damage of the early holes would have been repaired.

The equation was simple. I needed to play the remaining five holes on the back nine in one over gross to finish on 36 points or level par. I started well parring the 10th with ease following a good drive and a solid 8 iron to twelve feet. However I missed the green at the par 3 11th when I pulled my 4 iron tee shot and could only chip and two putt. Par golf home required and the hardest hole on the card, according to the stroke index at least to come. In truth I never gave myself a chance from the moment I tried to hit the tee shot too hard and carved it right. I could only chip back towards the fairway. It stuck in the rough and I could only move it some fifty yards further forward with my third. I hit a wedge onto the green and single putted for a five (nett par) but it wasn't enough. Another dropped shot followed at the 13th when I missed the green right. My last tee shot of the day was well struck but started too far right to draw back enough and I was blocked out by the trees that guard the right hand side of the 14th fairway. To prove I'd learned nothing I opted to go with the hybrid again desperate to make the green and give myself a birdie putt. The end result was two duffed shots, on the green for four, two putts and signing for a closing six and a solitary point.

In the end my 33 points was good enough for the buffer zone and so no damage to the handicap and 54th out of 141 entries was slightly flattering. Of course, my tee shot at the 6th was inevitably beaten so there wasn't even a consolation prize for nearest the pin.

It was however a thoroughly decent day and my playing partners Ken, Steve and Ray made the bad shots seem easier to swallow. Steve Downey in particular had his chances to post a challenging score but like me found novel ways of turning promising situations into nightmares and his 35 point tally was always going to be a few shy of claiming a prize. Thanks to Malcolm for his hard work in organising a great day and to his wife, the other lady members who helped with scorecards and refreshments, the catering team for a good bit of tucker afterwards and Angie and crew behind the bar for getting the drinks out so promptly when we all arrived en masse.

In the end though it was arguably a golden opportunity missed. The course management was solely to blame and although there were some wayward shots towards the end they were a result of pushing too hard. I spoke about attending a seminar on "How to focus the golf mind" but sadly illness prevented me from going. Clearly I needed their words of wisdom and hope it'll get repeated. My very good friend Mike Stannard cleaned up in the midweek medal albeit off the yellow tees but shot his lowest ever score. He said he played with more freedom and attacked more. It seems however as though I need to reign myself in. At the very least I need to know when is a green light situation to go for a shot and what represents a red light scenario where prudence pays dividends.

If I'd done that on my opening hole it would have set a different tone. There is no coincidence in the fact that getting away to a fast start in my match versus Oxford City really set the tempo and pace of the swing and despite a mid round dip I was able to play a below handicap back nine as well. Even in the recent stableford, I managed to make mistake after mistake on the front nine and yet came back under a full sail without any signs of a mental or physical mistake.

At the end of the day whilst it was an enjoyable round and the handicap wasn't affected, it would have been nice in such a big, big field to have given myself a proper run at it. In the end though I was never at the races from the start and ultimately gave myself too much to do. There has to be some middle ground between a string of poor holes and a run of par golf. If I can limit the damage and capitalise on the quality I may finally understand the meaning of the word consistency. As for now I'll have to rely on the dictionary to explain it to me. It'll come bloggers. This dog is due another day.