Better News at Last

Finally! The pain in my back continues to subside and I've managed to get to the range and hit some balls. I'm actually hitting the ball better than before the injury. Coincidence? Maybe. I'm not sure if it's a culmination of an enforced rest, swinging within myself to protect the back, or making a better turn, again sub-consciously trying to prevent further damage. Whatever the reason, I was hitting the ball wonderfully well especially with my driver which has stubbornly refused to behave in 2010.

There was an interesting thread on the Golf Monthly forum about the merits of hovering the club on tee shots and whether this helped or not. I was always brought up to have the club grounded but thought I'd mess around with the idea the range. I have to say, it's a lot less bovver with a hover. I couldn't believe it. It made the whole takeaway and turn much smoother and I was getting much more consistency, better ball flight and longer distance. I'll definitely be trying it out when I finally get to step back onto a course.

I went to Royal Ascot today. There is a competition this weekend (play two rounds over any four days of the Easter break) called Haig Cup which is a bogey competition. It's a bit like stableford but in essence it is matchplay against the course. If you get a nett par you have effectively halved the hole. A nett birdie wins you the hole and a bogey is one to the course. Obviously the idea is to be up at the end of the round.

I was looking forward to playing in it but figured it was too much too soon after the injury to rush back. Instead I spent a few hours on my chipping and putting. I'm slowly getting more comfortable with my chipping and I think I just need to trust the technique and set up and let the shot flow now. It's still not perfect but things are moving forward. My putting is still weak although to be fair I haven't really dedicated any time of note to it yet this year on the practice green. I've been working on the stroke at home but it's not the same thing.

I was quite envious of those playing today as the course looked a picture and the greens looked good albeit from a distance. I'm tempted to have a wander up tomorrow and maybe go off late afternoon for a few holes. I'm playing with some guys of the forum on Tuesday who are on route to Walton Heath on Wednesday to represent Golf Monthly in a challenge match against Ping. The lucky few will get a custom fitting session for a new driver (which they get to keep) and the Ping team includes emerging tour pro Danny Willett.

Things are finally beginning to happen. It's been a trying first quarter of the season and I feel I'm playing catch up in my quest. Hopefully though with the fixture list starting to fill up I can get out regularly and start chipping away at the handicap which has crept up to 12 so is currently heading the wrong way. The longer nights are coming too so more chance to play. Time to put my foot to the floor.