2013 Begins On A Positive Note

A happy new year to you all. I hope you had a great holiday season and that you make a load of birdie's in 2013. I had such grand plans to play over the festive period. I was going to play every day (Christmas Day excepted naturally) and work on my game. What transpired was filthy British weather with constant rain and gusty wind. The course was reduced to nine holes as the back nine was waterlogged anyway but my plans never materialised. I did manage to get out for nine holes with one of my regular partners from Royal Ascot, Colin Osborn, on Boxing Day. I hit it reasonably well. We didn't really worry about the scoring and it was more about enjoying the lull in the rain and blowing the cobwebs off. It was solid and I hit some good shots to see out the old year.

All of which brings me to 2013. I don't drink these days and so the New Years Eve festivities don't come with the price they use to and I was up early. With better weather I hit the practise ground to work on my swing and start the work towards single figures. I haven't really had a chance to work on the changes Rhys ap Iolo made to my swing in our last lesson and so it was important to get these up and running. It was about setting up with the spine in a straight line, left shoulder down, and rotating properly with the ball position at the bottom of the arc.

I've never seen the practise ground so wet. It put a premium on solid ball striking. I found out very early on that anything caught heavy resulted in a face full of mud. Not a good look and definitely to be avoided.

I started off shakily and was catching the ball heavy. I soon got into it and the difference it makes when I hit down and compress the ball before the turf is stunning. A much higher flight and greater distance. I started working up the bag, going through the wedges and onto the eight iron. I started to swing nicely and ball after ball was flying well.

However as I moved up to the six iron, the tempo quickened and there seemed to be more moving parts. Once I went back to basics and made sure the spine was in a nice line and I could rotate around it things improved. There is still work to be done but when it is good it is very good. I think the lack of practise has contributed to the inconsistent results. I did manage to to have very good dispersal and distance with the last dozen or so balls I hit. It seemed the ideal opportunity to go to the tee and get the big dog out. My driving on Boxing Day was pretty solid. This is sometimes a weakness and again the signs are promising and the arc of the curve is a positive one.

I finished off with a few more six irons and then spent a little time working on my pitching, primarily those fiddly 40-50 yard shots which don't require a full swing. I was looking at ball position and where the club was bottoming. Rhys and I plan to work on pitching and chipping at our next lesson. I am getting an understanding of what the club needs to do but we can put some meat on the bones when we meet up. It is a facet that needs looking at and I am looking at working hard on the scoring zone from 100 yards inwards in 2013.

To finish off I adjourned to the putting green to brush up on my putting, particularly holing out from five feet. I think I need to do some work on my stroke and my set up before the start of the season. I made a good number of putts but the stroke didn't feel compact. I can see a session with my putting mirror looming to make sure I am over the ball properly and the stroke is going back and through.

So 2013 has started on a good note. I'll hit the range after work on Friday and the rumour is the back nine will be open at the weekend. If it isn't open for the roll up, I'll play nine holes and then do some short game work. If the full course is open I'll play. There is a stableford on Sunday so it'll give me a good chance to see how the changes are settling down. I'd love to hit the buffer zone or better but at this stage with changes still being made to address position and the swing, I'm happy to just play and see where it takes me.

Things are still moving forward. I'll play this weekend and work on my game next week, take stock and have the next lesson on the 11th and move on from there. Plenty of good stuff in 2012 to build upon and some aggressive targets to aim for this year. I'm still looking at my kit and considering my options. I am still thinking about a custom fit once I decide on which maker I want to go with. Day one of the new year and the glass is still very much half full. Long may it continue.