Crisis? What Crisis?

If you have been following Homer's Odyssey, you'll know that its been a bit of a curates egg of late. There has been an outstanding performance in one of Royal Ascot's most prestigious events, the Haig Cup where I finished a gallant second. In six of the last seven years my score would have been more than adequate to have secured victory but I was blown out of the water by the eventual winner shooting his lowest ever score and recording a second round total that eclipsed my two round combined tally on its own. Add in his excellent first round and he cantered home. However since then, the short game, fragile at best, has gone into a frightening decline. I guess no-one said the pursuit of single figures was ever going to be easy.

I spent most of last week chasing that elusive chipping action that didn't result in a fatal duff two yards in front of me or the equally damaging skull through the green. Try as I might, I couldn't find anything despite using training aids like the V-Easy. Fortunately as it happened I was unable to play in the monthly medal on Saturday. I'm pretty sure it would have been carnage on the scorecard and that I wouldn't have been able to play with any freedom. There would have been intense pressure to hit every green to avoid the necessity to chip the ball. Heaven forbid that the lie around the green was bare or tricky.

I didn't play yesterday either. I didn't have the mojo and let's be honest the weather was hardly conducive. Instead I opted to hit the chipping area and stay there until my soul and spirit was crushed or I found success, whichever came sooner. It was a bit of a pain as every time I started to find a groove the heavens would open and rapid adjournment to the sanctuary of the clubhouse was required. Eventually the sun came out and I could get down to some serious work.

I'm sure what I have is far from textbook but it seems to work (for now). I asked my wife to come up after about an hour record a few to try and shed some light on what was happening. I promise these are the first two shots we filmed. Perhaps she needs to be on my bag or following me around more often.

Even shots to longer pins were better as this shot shows.

Even from side on it looks pretty connected and free flowing and a world away from the angst and heartache I'd endured all week. I think I need to get the weight even more onto the left hand side to promote a steeper, descending blow which would stop what seems to be too high a finish. I'm sure this low to high swing has led to some of the scooping action I've been suffering and probably the loss of connection in the arms.

However, I have made no bones that this really is my Achilles heel and it is the one are that is really holding me back. I'm working hard to improve and a lot of the practise this season will be focused on this. I'm going to go back to Rhys ap Iolo at the Downshire Golf Centre once I've something that repeats and I can rely on. He is going to look at visualisation, shot selection and the mental side of things. He feels, and I agree with him, that the less I can focus on the execution and more on getting the ball to land where I want rather than worrying about the nuts and bolts on how to get it there, things will become a lot easier. As he rightly points out, you don't consciously think about how you throw a ball, you just do it. This should be no different.

In the end, success came long before the loss of my willpower or the elements threw in an unwanted abandonment. I got out of it all that I wanted and it's amazing how much one good session can do for the soul and your sense of well being. Suddenly everything seems that little bit rosier in Homer's world. I'm not going to get too carried away. The long game needs some nurturing this week to keep the decent swing I've had ticking over. The more I can keep chipping away (sic) at the short game and getting what I have to repeat and fill me with a warm comforting feeling that it won't let me down, then the more confident I can be in my game. Confidence breeds on success. I've proved I can do it not only in the Haig Cup but at the Golf Monthly event at Woburn (despite being ill) where I finished 3rd in the morning event. Take the knowledge that I can actually chip out on the course and let the game flow. The scores will come and the handicap cuts will take care of themselves. The quest for silverware and that elusive single figure handicap is ongoing and on track. In fact you could argue that with the final piece of the jigsaw in place now, I'm armed and ready.