Still Not At The Races - Struggling

The golf season is gaining momentum but after by recent good performance at Blackmoor Golf Club, my form has been patchy to say the least. I played very poorly in the last monthly medal and really struggled from start to finish. To be truthful the head and drive left me early on in the round, something I've been working hard with New Golf Thinking to avoid. The consequence was inevitable and one bad shot led to another and there were too many careless mistakes and errors.

The Easter weekend saw the Haig Cup take place at Royal Ascot Golf Club. Competitors play two rounds over any four days of the elongated break (their choice as to which days they play). It’s a bogey format, essentially a matchplay game against the course. Net par is a halved hole, net birdie or better a win and a net bogey or worse is a loss. It’s one of the honour board events at the club and this year there was a new trophy up for grabs for the best individual round which the club recently recovered via e-bay (http://threeoffthetee.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/back-in-safe-hands_1.html)

I’m afraid my efforts left rather a lot to be desired. My opening round was -2 (two holes down to the course) which wasn’t a disaster in what is a rather unyielding and difficult format. However behind that is a story of having to really work hard to make that score and a round that spluttered and faltered, punctuated by some good holes and far too many poor shots. Can anyone see a pattern here?

Any thoughts about making a second round charge and challenging for the title or even the cup for the best round faltered in spectacular fashion. In simple terms I was atrocious. In fact I probably wasn’t even that good. My swing completely deserted me, I had no idea where the ball was going and frankly wanted to be anywhere else but struggling on over the back nine. No amount of New Golf Thinking and positivity were going to save this. I finished the round -12 on the day and an overall score of -14. I wasn’t going to win anything with that.

So what went so wrong? The simple answer is I didn’t play well. However, I don't know why that happened. I have been struggling for some form for a few weeks and a lot of it has been tempo related. However that was the one swing thought I’d kept in my mind for the second round of the Haig Cup and was making a conscious effort to make a smooth swing. Clearly that didn't work.

The short game wasn’t great and the putter was stone cold. Now regular readers will know all about my short game woes and it’s a recurring theme.  I am working hard to rectify this area and have some tuition planned to make it robust and trustworthy. The putter just had an off day. Maybe my new Ping hadn’t read my glowing review I posted on here about it. Maybe the usurped Odyssey putter was practising some black magic from the spare golf bag

I had a week off work last week and so after licking my wounds and sucking in another 0.1 handicap rise that sees my new figure up to a disappointing 12.0 (a 0.3 increase in 2015) it was back to hitting balls and playing some practice rounds and trying to find a spark to relight my game. I did a lot of work on the basics and in particular posture. It’s an issue that has been highlighted to me by a number of teaching pros and I do tend to make the common mistake of getting to hunched over. I'm working hard on standing much taller, and a little further away and giving myself as much room as I can to make a full turn and swing through the ball. When I get it right the results are much better.

A big issue is when I practice either on the range or the practice ground is I can get bogged down chasing technique and not trusting what I have. This leads to too many swing thoughts and it was something I was guilty of again. I should have put the bad Haig Cup down to a bad performance (everyone has them) but I thought too much about the how and not letting the ball flight dictate what was actually going on. In the end I got to a stage where I was hitting better but it took a lot of effort to clear the mental rubbish and stand there and hit it. Another thing to be worked on this year.

Last weekend saw the first club match of the new season, away to Caversham Heath. These are friendly matches, although some do have trophies up for grabs, including our one with Caversham Heath and while everyone wants to play well the camaraderie rather than necessity to win is what these games are really about.

I was picked to play with the Royal Ascot club captain for 2015 Roger Wing, a more than capable nine handicapper and we were matched against the Caversham Heath captain and vice captain. I say these matches are friendly games but no-one told our hosts as their vice and then their captain made a birdie to win the first two holes. I pulled one back at the third to halve the deficit and Roger worked hard to make it all square by the seventh. We lost the only par three of the front nine, the eighth hole and finished the front nine one down.

I should have won the tenth after a massive drive and good pitch but three putted horribly from fifteen feet. I did win the next to square the game. Roger was working hard on the back nine, especially the closing holes as my driving became a little erratic and I struggled on the greens. It was nip and tuck and we were two down with four to go but we managed to win the sixteenth and were gifted the seventeenth, a lovely par three over water. The match went down the last and the Caversham Heath captain had a putt on the last green to win. He missed and it was perhaps fitting that such a good game, played in great spirit should finish all square. However, the rest of the Royal Ascot team were in pulsating form and all won their matches to give the club a 5 ½ - ½ lead with the return fixture to come at Royal Ascot later in the year.

I was a little more pleased with my game, especially the driving on the opening fourteen holes or so but I did miss far too many greens from good positions on the fairway. The greens at Caversham Heath are notoriously difficult and heavily contoured (elephant graveyards as someone described them) and are always a very quick speed. However it was a much better ball striking performance and with Roger being able to carry me home we did well to get a half from a tricky situation.

I’ve been afflicted by the curse of the working classes and have been back to the grind this week. Practice has continued after work and I’m slowly improving the swing and ball striking again. There is short game and putting work to be done and I’ve been selected to play another club match away to Maidenhead Golf Club on Saturday. There greens are smaller and while not as heavily contoured are arguably some of the quickest in the area and in the warm conditions we’ve been enjoying in Berkshire they should be very fast and challenging.

There is a downside. I’ve managed to lose the weight port out of my Ping I25 six iron and it’s currently on the way back to Ping to be replaced. Not a problem and I have been hitting with my old Taylor Made Tour Preferred irons in case it doesn’t return in time for my next round  and so I have a full set of irons and know the yardages. The problem has been compounded by the seven iron weight port falling out as well and so this will have to go back and so I’m going to be short of another iron. I’m not happy although the six and seven irons are the work horses of my practice sessions and so I can see how they may have worked loose. 

I have stumbled across a set of Ping S55 irons at a silly price online and on a whim have acquired them. They are intended as a better player club, certainly not a category my recent form would put me in. With a smaller head and less forgiveness, you may wonder what the interest is. I’m working on a principal gathering momentum amongst a number on the Golf Monthly Forum and that using “harder to hit” clubs in practice and having to work hard to get decent results should make life easier when going back to the bigger and more forgiving clubs, in my case my I25’s. Even if the plan doesn’t work out, at the price I paid I can shift them on again for a similar amount of money and so it seems a low risk opportunity. Who knows, should I find a rich vein of form they may even find themselves being used on the course at some point too. I'm using them as a motivational tool to get them in the bag as a single figure golfer. 

The S55 irons - a better player club I've bought on a whim - aspirational as a reward for single figures and part of a plan to use regularly in practice to improve tempo and ball striking

It’s an interesting concept. Some on the forum have acquired bladed clubs, arguably as hard to hit as you’ll find and have been using those at the range. The initial feedback via the forum is positive and many have found that the ball striking with their normal make and model has greatly improved. To be honest my old TM Tour Preferred irons aren’t as forgiving as the I25 and I managed to hit them well this week so perhaps there is a degree of method amongst this madness and the S55's is just another step forward in this process.

I've had one session with the new purchase. They have Dynamic Gold S300 shafts so stiffer than the R flex I had in my old Taylormade Tour Preferred irons and they feel heavier than the stock CFS shaft in the I25. This means to get optimum distance and find the middle I'm having to swing with a slower and controlled tempo (part of the plan to drill this into my overall game) but when you do hit them properly they are as sweet as any club I've used. Miss the middle though and distance is certainly compromised. That of course is the jeopardy for me at the moment as I'm not good enough to use them consistently enough and will struggle on a course with them. Fine to miss a few on a range when there's always another chance but no good in the pursuit of a handicap cut. However, hitting the S55 well will drip back into my I25's and with their greater forgiveness I should stand over the ball oozing confidence and able to strike them so much better.

Below is my statistics for the season to date and so you can begin to see where the mistakes are being made. I'm hoping the work on the ball striking will be a key component and improve not only greens in regulation but into my tee shots and therefore fairways in regulation too. Better shots will hopefully get the ball closer and so I can convert more birdie chances and tidy up the putts per green number. You can see the method in my cunning plan

2015 Statistics

All in all, it hasn’t been my finest few golfing weeks and not the fast start to the season I was hoping for. Despite my hard work over the winter and initial good play at Blackmoor Golf Club, I feel I’m not quite at the races. It’s not far off in the most part, save for the horror show in the second round of the Haig Cup and more of the same inconsistent play that’s blighted my game for a while. The handicap however continues to rise taking me ever further away from single figures and that’s perhaps the most soul destroying part of the process to date. I’m working hard, playing well in patches and not able to find a key to get the job done and get some handicap cuts. It will happen. It has to happen. 

Ping Cadence Putter Review

For the last few seasons I've been using an Odyssey Protype Tour #9 putter and by and large we have had a happy and successful relationship. It’s a milled face, beautiful on the eye and a piece of precision machining. The face has a lovely buttery feel without being too soft and feels so much nicer than the traditional Odyssey inserts. So far so good but I've a dark secret. The Odyssey isn't my true love.

When I first realised that the golf bug had bitten and that the golfing mistress had me with her siren song, I bought a Ping Anser 2. I still have it at home with the solid metal face. In my opinion, there really hasn't been a putter design before or since that compares to the iconic simple shape of the Anser blade and there is no wonder every putter manufacturer has their own version of this model in their range or why it is still the design most popular with both professional and club golfers alike.

I love my Odyssey and it’s been a faithful companion and helped me to most of my golfing achievements (few and far between as they've been) and I've developed a putting style that suits. In recent months I've added an Odyssey jumbo grip to keep the hands quieter in the stroke, especially on the shorter putts and everything has been fine and dandy. It isn't you dear Odyssey. It’s me. You've done nothing wrong but I've spurned your love for another who has turned my eye. 

I've had the hankering to go back to an Anser style putter for ages. It’s a nagging, recurring desire. Every summer when the greens are at their peak, I've put the old Anser in the bag for a while and loved it. However it’s too light these days and the face doesn't seem so friendly, especially away from the tiny sweet spot and inevitably I’ll go back to the Odyssey. However for those brief few weeks when I have it in my hands it’s like all my golfing yesterdays and I feel as young and invincible on the greens as I had as a golf mad youngster.

That has now changed. Ping has introduced the Cadence range of putters and I've taken the plunge with an Anser 2. There I've said it. The Cadence range comes in two styles. There is a traditional range, symbolised with a blue TR (true roll insert) which Ping say is aimed for those with a mid-quick putting tempo. There is also a heavier range, with a black TR insert for those with a slower stroke which Ping say will also help on the shorter putts for those that struggle. 

The True Roll inserts vary in width and depth to provide unmatched ball-speed consistency and accuracy on putts of any length. Anything not struck out the middle will, according to Ping, still roll out fully and have a chance of making the full trip to the hole and dropping.

The Anser 2 Heavy (left) and Anser 2 Traditional (right)

This is what Ping say on their website:

Engineered to fit a golfer's stroke tempo and feel preference, Cadence TR models advance putter fitting by varying head weights utilising different-weight face inserts. Traditional-weight heads feature an aluminium insert (blue face and grip) to fit mid-to-faster tempos, and offer help with lag putting. Heavy versions (black face and grip) have a stainless steel insert, adding approximately 25 grams for slower tempos and can improve results on shorter putts. (Traditional and heavy grips weigh the same.)

Both face inserts feature the next generation of True Roll Technology grooves that provide forgiveness by normalising ball speeds across the face. They vary in depth and width from the centre of the face to significantly improve ball-speed consistency on putts of any length.

Both the traditional and heavy models come with a PP58 Midsize pistol grip designed to keep the wrists firm and ensure a stable stroke for improved accuracy and consistency. The traditional model has a striking blue grip to compliment the blue face insert and the heavy range has a darker grip that matches the face in that range.

The Traditional putter grip. It sits beautifully in the hand and is firm without compromising feel 

Enough of the marketing blurb. I've had the Anser 2 model in the bag for about a month now. How has it performed? Let me start with the aesthetics. It simply looks fantastic behind the ball and the grey finish and clear white alignment line along with the classic simple lines make it look fantastic behind the ball. The pistol grip sits nicely in the hand and is firm but still retains a sense of feel. Performance wise I love this heel/toe design and the Anser 2 is designed for a slightly arced stroke which is something I've always felt comfortable with. On the shorter putts, I've always been more back and through type of guy and this putter will still let you do this without trying to manipulate you into making a stroke more in to square to in again.

The Odyssey #9 always seemed to have a stronger arc. No bad thing but as I've said I always felt I’d had to change my stroke to match the putter. I found that my arms were closer than normal to my body while using this putter. My back swing with the putter definitely followed an arc inside much more than normal. It didn't feel unnatural, just different. The weighting of the head and the position of the hands made it relatively easy to reproduce.

With the Ping, I feel my arms hang more freely and as a result I seem to find it easier to stand with my eyes more over the ball as some sessions with a putting mirror has confirmed. The stroke seems more fluid although perhaps that’s more “new putter syndrome” and I'm just relaxed with the new toy and putting with a better and technically correct stroke.

Performance wise, the Anser 2 has given me everything I was looking for and reaffirmed why I was right to nurture this long lasting desire for this type of putter. Again, whether this is a placebo effect of the new shape behind the ball but I seem to be making a lot more mid to long range putts. I will be honest and say from the crucial 3-6 foot range I seem to have missed a few but I'm not sure how much that has been down to a lack of practice, bobbly winter greens, or simple pilot error.

I have plans to do a lot of work with a putting mirror and raised string line and get the stroke grooved ready for the season and those short range putts will be the first thing to be addressed. With an improving short game I am aware the putting statistics will get skewed as I make more up and down saves but ultimately it's a game of scoring and those putts still have to be made.

If you are in the market for a new putter then the new Ping range is definitely worth keeping an eye on. Whether it’s just me or not, but I've only seen the traditional (blue) range in set shaft lengths (usually 33-36 inches) where the heavy (black) range seem to come with the adjustable shafts that Ping have had in their releases for a while. Here is the link to the options as per the Ping website (http://www.ping.com/clubs/puttersdetail.aspx?id=18298). I'm not sure why this is but I’d like the option in the traditional range to adjust the length, especially if the stroke isn't working. Sometimes standing differently can make a difference and spark the stroke back to life. It’s always nice to tinker too.

That small gripe aside I am more than happy to have finally gone back to my one true love. Yes I feel guilty the Odyssey #9 is lying in the spare bag spurned and unwanted. However I’m not convinced my putting is built for monogamy and I’m sure there will come a time in the future where I'm whispering sweet nothings to it and wooing it again. I do think though that this is a long way down the line (but never say never). 

I'm really happy with the Anser 2. It ticks all the boxes in terms of looks and so far performance has exceeded expectation. It has all the things my original Anser 2 had all those years ago but with a modern twist. I do think the TR insert has made a difference although I had a dampener inserted into my milled Odyssey face which stopped vibrations and so I could get away with mis-hit putts just as well. I don’t think you can necessarily compare a milled face (without the additional help of a dampener) and the TR version and so if you are undecided then it’s definitely something you’d need to consider and hit a good number of putts to decide how the off centre ones work for you. The putter has a nice balance and the matt finish works well in sunlight and isn't too harsh behind the ball.

It's nice to have this putter in the bag and I hope we'll have a long and happy relationship. It's a great addition to the Ping range and as with everything they produced, a well constructed piece of equipment. I'm acutely aware how personal putting and putters are but this has suited my own game and stroke. I feel confident on the green and with the way the Anser sits behind the ball you really do feel able to make every putt. As I put more work into the putting as the season progresses I hope this facet will only get better and I can shoot some low scores.

Inconsistency - Same Old Story

Fresh from my success at Blackmoor Golf Club in the Golf Monthly Forum Race To Hillside (Southern Area qualifier) it was back to Royal Ascot Golf Club and the golfing season is starting to truly get under way. Last weekend was the Jack Jarrett Trophy, a pairs stableford event played off 3/4 handicaps with both scores counting.

My regular partner was away sunning himself in the Gulf so I was forced to seek a new partner in Mark Goodall normally off a very handy 17 handicap but down to 13 for this event. I'd only had the pleasure of his company once before but we seemed to hit it off.

It was a testing day with a gusty wind and cold temperatures. I started erratically with two double bogey's but then began to find some consistency. It was one of those frustrating days. I seemed to miss greens from prime position and putts refused to drop. My partner was suffering the same woes and although we kept grinding away, we never really got sufficient momentum to really challenge.

I managed to produce the odd moment of magic including a long bunker shot on the par five fifteenth from 67 yards to three inches for a simple birdie. It was one or two rotations from dropping for an eagle after I'd tried to hit the green in two.

I was struggling with the swing all the way round and the game just lacked a spark. There were too many loose shots, not only compared to the round at Blackmoor but also compared to recent rounds at Royal Ascot. There were just too many missed greens, too many missed fairways and I couldn't scramble well enough or make enough putts. It wasn't a disaster by a long way. I know Mark felt the same way about his game. He played nicely in patches, threw in the odd bad hole, and like me couldn't make the scrambles when required.

Jack Jarrett Trophy statistics

In the end, we finished eighth out of twenty nine teams and so it was a decent enough return with fifty eight points (neatly we both scored 29 points). We were only two points off a top three and six off the winning score so they weren't big margins. It was a pleasure to play with Mark and it's something we both want to do more of in the future.

I felt that I was struggling to get the club in front of me and feel cramped for room at times. It's an issue I've spoken about before and was working hard during the round to feel as if the club was coming from a steeper place and I was striking down on the ball. When I got it right it was good. The bad ones not so good.

I had a lesson last Wednesday night. I gave my teaching professional Rhys ap Iolo some feedback from the two rounds and in particular the issues I had in the Jack Jarrett event. He had a look and tweaked the set up a little and I found that instantly I had more room to turn and particularly clear properly. Everything was back on track.

Cometh the weekend and Saturday was a roll up game with the normal cronies. I brought a guest from the Golf Monthly Forum who is considering joining as his own course (Blue Mountain in Bracknell) is closing down and being developed by Bracknell Council for housing. A very sad and contentious case (http://www.bracknellnews.co.uk/news/bracknell/articles/2014/11/01/105017-blue-mountain-golf-club-to-close-in-six-months/) and (http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/binfields-blue-mountain-golf-course-7258096)

I played very consistently. There was a much better feel to the swing following the lesson and a much better tempo and groove to the swing. I putted nicely, despite suffering five putts that did a full 360 degree lap of the hole and refusing to drop. I scored thirty six points, bang on handicap. It was encouraging and good enough to pick up a few quid for second place. Onto the first monthly medal of 2015 in a positive frame.

It was very similar to the Jack Jarrett. A round that held some potential undone by a catalogue of poor shots. I started off reasonably but missed the green at the second. I got away with murder as I sculled the chip to ten feet and made a putt for par. The golfing gods equalled the score on the next. I hit a great drive but it rolled towards a fairway bunker and I was left with a tricky stance. I came up short but managed to salvage a net par. A three putt at the next started to set the scene of what was to come. I did the same thing on the next having found the green in regulation.

The remainder of the front nine was a mixture of good and bad but I'd managed to scramble out in a respectable one over handicap 42 gross (+7). The 10th and 11th are a short par four and a par three and represented a chance to get the lost shot back and kick on to try and make a buffer zone or better still a handicap cut.

What followed was a back nine collapse. I missed the green from the fairway and found a bunker. There was little sand in it but I played a bad shot and thinned it over the green to sow the seed of a double bogey. I missed the green at the par three, came up short with the pitch and chipped to seven feet and missed for another double. That isn't where handicap cuts are born.

I scrambled a net par at the twelfth, stroke index one. Again I found the fairway with a great drive, fading gently around the dog left into position A. I was left with 176 yards and took a four iron but carved it way right. It was a poor swing. I hit a reasonable pitch but it came up short and I had a big swinging putt from the fringe. I got it to within two feet and holed the next.

I was still only a few over handicap and a couple of good holes coming home could still rescue a buffer zone finish. I made a par at the fourteenth to keep me going but I lost the plot and finally the will with a debacle on the par five fifteenth. I found a green in regulation, but was twenty five feet away. My first putt was good  but came up short and I missed the par putt. Realising I didn't get a stroke and I was now even further from the buffer I was annoyed and tried to tap the ball in from the other side of the hole and barely moved it and so registered another double.

It was very unlike me. New Golf Thinking had strengthened my resolve and I was much more prepared for the battle. Realising now that the game was up, both for a cut (that had long gone) and the buffer zone, I melted a bit. The mind wandered and it became nothing more than a ball hitting exercise. Two more double bogey's at the sixteenth and seventeenth followed and although I got a net par at the last it was too little too late.

In the I came home in a miserable 49 shots (+14) for a grand total of 91, net 79 (+9) and a lowly fourteenth place in division two and another 0.1 on the handicap. I have to be honest and say the swing disintegrated. There was no feeling, no trust and no consistency but that wasn't the whole story. I'd worked in my last lesson on a more conventional chipping action. In fact we'd been working on it for a few lessons but I hadn't always trusted it and had reverted to the linear method. In the medal I tried to stick with the new action and frankly it wasn't fit for purpose. My arms were stiff and each chip felt like an accident waiting to happen. There were so many sculled chip and only a few that were acceptable. I am determined to find something robust and resilient and ideally more textbook with fewer moving parts than a linear chip. Perhaps it was too much too soon or just a sign of a bad golfing day.

I am trying to find a positive spin. There were some good shots but far too many bad ones and it is becoming a recurring theme. Inconsistency. I appreciate I will have bad days and yesterday was just that but when you play well the day before you surely have the right to expect the game to stand up ore firmly, especially on the coat tails of the Blackmoor game.

Monthly Medal Statistics

The statistics tell their own story but you can discount the final few holes as I'd gone into serious meltdown. Had their been a lake I can't guarantee I wouldn't have done a "McIlroy" and chucked a club into the watery grave. I doubt Mr Trump would have paid a diver to rescue it and present it to me either.

So what do we get from this tale. Well, there is still much to be positive about. Despite not swinging well in the Jack Jarrett Trophy I managed to grind out a score and on another day we could have sneaked a top three finish. When I find the groove as I did on Saturday and at Blackmoor, I am good and getting better. I still need to use New Golf Thinking to stop myself getting ahead of everything on the back nine. I seem to just let it happen going out and then by the twelfth or thirteenth start to think about scores, holes ahead and targets. All big NO NO's. It's something I still need to work on but at least I'm in contention. Yesterday was a round from the dark days especially the short game. I've consigned that to the scrap heap and this has been my cathartic, cleaning of the golfing soul.

At the moment the potential is still there and the golfing season has barely started. I start again competitively over the Easter weekend and so can just go out and play next week with no pressure. I can always work on my game, especially the chipping, should the need arise. There is definitely no need to hit the panic button and one bad round doesn't mean the swing is broken and the work I've done is a failure. Not quite the positive vibe I had from the last post but still a lot going right. Definitely more right than wrong and I'm convinced I'm still on the right path. Onwards, ever onwards towards single figures

2015 Starting handicap - 11.7 
Current handicap 11.9
0.2 increase year to date

Lightening Strikes Twice

The regular followers will know that I am actively involved on the Golf Monthly Forum and over the past couple of seasons they have run a national competition for the forum members with regional qualifiers before a grand final. This year the final is being staged, as it was last year, at Hillside Golf Club in Southport.

I was fortunate enough to win the Southern Area qualifier on count back last year. It was staged at Camberley Heath Golf Club and I put together one of my best rounds of the season to shoot net 68 (-3 on my handicap) http://threeoffthetee.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/king-of-kings.html?updated-min=2014-01-01T00:00:00Z&updated-max=2015-01-01T00:00:00Z&max-results=32

This year, the Southern Area qualifier was held at Blackmoor Golf Club in Hampshire. Established in 1913 it was originally laid out by Harry Colt. The course consists of two loops of nine holes created from heathland surrounded by heather, pine, birch and oak trees. Colt's design has stood the test of time as golf is still played over sixteen of the holes he created. Blackmoor has hosted regional qualifying for the Open Championship from 1998 to 2003 and regularly features in most top 100 guides to UK courses. It promised to be a stiff examination

The day was bright and sunny and Spring was definitely in the air as forty three golfers nervously congregated to play.

My four ball standing on the first before battle commenced

The first hole is a gentle par four playing uphill. However there's a ditch that crosses the fairway that needs to be treated with respect. I took a hybrid off the tee to lay up short and found the fairway. From there it was a simple nine iron into the green. So far so good. However the Blackmoor greens have a fearsome reputation and I three putted, downhill, from twenty feet for an opening bogey.

I started a little nervously. I was hitting the ball nicely but not quite converting early chances. The fourth hole is stroke index one. It usually plays into a prevailing left to right wind and with heather guarding both sides, an accurate drive is needed to leave a mid or long iron into a green protected on the right by water and left by a deep bunker. There is also out of bounds left to really get your attention. I hit a reasonable drive right into the semi-rough but with a good lie. With 189 yards left I hit a lovely four iron, fading nicely into the heart of the green before running up to within five feet. I managed to coax the putt in for a gross birdie and my round was really off and running.

The view from the 4th tee on the 415 yard par 4. It's a tough driving hole

My driving has never been a strong facet of my game but I was driving the ball rather well on the front nine and it was ensuring I was able to make strong progress. The seventh hole, stroke index three is another long par four measuring nearly four hundred yards. There is a bunker to the left of the fairway which needs to be avoided to leave a longish second shot into a two tiered green. I found another fairway and hit an exquisite hybrid into the green finishing no more than eight feet away. I managed to gander another gross birdie. It was beyond my wildest dreams.

I three putted the next, a par five, from thirty feet after a mediocre approach but found the heart of the green at the ninth. It's only a short hole, playing uphill as many of the par three's Colt designed do. I was faced with a slippery downhill putt that screamed caution and I got it down to two feet but only just made the par putt. However it dropped and it concluded an opening nine holes of 38 shots (+3 gross) and twenty one points.

However I was acutely aware that I'd only done half the job. New Golf Thinking has helped me stay very much in the moment. There was still work to be done and the tenth is the second hardest hole on the course. It's another long par four that dog legs left to right. Again it has heather running down both sides and with out of bounds right, it needs a good drive, ideally with a fade to leave a chance to hit the green in two. With cross bunkers forty yards short of the green and bunkers left and right the approach to an elevated green has to be well hit. Sadly I caught my six iron fat. It was the first bad swing I'd made all day but I made a net par. No damage done

The 10th hole from the tee. Another not for the faint hearted and ideally it needs a fade off the tee

I made a fine par at the next and then came to the shortest hole on the course. Played over banks of heather there are bunkers left and right to catch an errant shot. I caught my tee shot way too clean and it rocketed through the green and down a steep bank. With the putting surface running front to back I couldn't get too aggressive so opted to get the ball on the green, take the resultant bogey and move on. Not ideal but not a disaster and a pragmatic approach.

I made a bit of a mess of the following two holes. I played the par five poorly, missing the green left into sand for a nasty bogey. Fortunately it was a shot hole and a net par but with only a short iron in I had a great chance to make my par and really keep the momentum going.

The fourteenth is an innocuous par four. Miss the pond to the right at the 230 yard mark and it is a chance to make a par and maybe a birdie. I did the first bit and hit a lovely drive to leave an eight iron in. I hit it fat and again it was a poor shot. It yielded a bogey from nowhere and this time there was no shot on the hole to save the day.

Part of the New Golf Thinking mantra is not spiralling down and letting a bad shot or bad hole lead to another and one poor hole suddenly becoming a run of two or three. The fifteenth, according to the Blackmoor website, is one of the hardest par three's in Hampshire. I'm not entirely convinced I'd agree. It was playing around 185 yards to a green shaped like an upturned saucer with plenty of bunkers guarding the putting surface.

The 15th. Not sure I'd agree with Blackmoor's claim it's one of the hardest par three holes in Hampshire

I found the green with a five wood. It ran to the back of the green and I left myself with a nervy three footer for my par. It dropped. A fine time to get a par, net birdie. The sixteenth is another par four that is protected by heather left and right off the tee. The green turns a little to the right and having missed the fairway right, I was faced with a choice. I had a tree in my way. Could I go aerial and make the green or would I have to go low. I decided I was too close to miss the tree and tried to play a very long pitch and run with a four iron from around 120 yards. I wanted to play it to the left to give myself the widest landing area but I made a bit of a hash of the shot and missed the green on the short side and right. My chip and run wasn't convincing but I fluked it to six feet and made another par putt. It was a streaky par but as the old adage goes, there are no pictures on a scorecard.

The penultimate hole is another uphill par three. Again it isn't long, playing around 150 yards to a green protected by deep bunkers all around. I didn't execute and missed short and right leaving a touch pitch over a bunker from a tight heathland lie. It wasn't a time to get cute and fancy and I played a conservative shot to twelve feet. I never really threatened the par putt and it was another single point hole.

The last is Blackmoor's signature hole. Another par four just shy of four hundred yards, and a good drive still leaves an uphill shot. With out of bounds left in front of the clubhouse and a deep pit to the right of the green, the approach has to be deadly accurate. I hit my worse tee shot of the day, a quick swing leading to a low hook into the heather. I was lucky to get a good lie and I advanced it to within seventy five yards of the green on the fairway. The green has a fearsome reputation and is long and heavily contoured. With the flag at the back, the correct shot should have been a low running shot. Instead I hit a high pitch. It landed on the front third and the contours took the ball back to the front edge. It was no surprise my round ended as it has begun with a three putt.

I'd come back in 41 shots (+7 gross) and seventeen points for a grand total of 38. I had broken 80 (79 or +10 gross). To be honest I thought with so many players that would be at least a point shy. Indeed it was and there was a score of thirty eight in. However as the player concerned wasn't entered into the Race to Hillside, he was ineligible to qualify. That meant my score was good enough for second place overall and the Southern Area qualifier for a second year running. Lightening had struck twice. Granted I wasn't the winner on the day and perhaps fortunate to have qualified but in my own mind at least, I had played really well and so perhaps deserved my touch of good fortune. Either way, I'm off to the grand final at Hillside in May.

Golf Monthly Forum Race To Hillside statistics

Without doubt I was very happy with my performance. Over 60% fairways in regulation and a healthy 39% greens in regulation were the building blocks to the good score. A respectable 35 putts, despite several three putt greens on large and undulating putting surfaces was pleasing. However, and you knew there would be a however, I was very unhappy with my iron play on the back nine. I hit a number of heavy approaches, missing the green with not much club in hand. I hit a poor tee shot at the seventeenth and was way short and right. In general the iron play on the second nine lacked any sparkle.

If I was being honest, I think I became acutely aware of how my round was progressing and the fact I was likely to be in contention. I think I got ahead of myself thinking what hitting the green on particular holes would do to the scorecard. On the front nine I was playing with more freedom and just swinging and executing. On the back nine, I almost became to conservative and tried to be too careful. Off the tee I was still swinging without shackles to try and hit the fairway to set up the chances.

Despite that, it was a fantastic performance and I am more than happy, not only to be the Southern Area qualifier for the second year running, but to see how the work I have put in over the winter is beginning to play off. In recent rounds, I have started to play nicely. There have still been a few poor shots and disaster holes to take the gloss off a good round but it is still very early in the season and so there is much to be encouraged about.

I'd like to thank Blackmoor Golf Club for their impressive hospitality and for getting the course looking so good so early in the season. Without doubt in a few weeks time, when the greens are running quicker and the heather grows a little more it will be a brute of a course. Beautiful but dangerous. I'd like to thank all of the Golf Monthly Forum members who played for making it a great day and it was good to catch up with old faces and meet some for the first time. Finally a big thanks to Richard Hart, Blackmoor member, for his hard work organising the day.

I knew I'd been playing well and that the game is beginning to come but I really had no ambitions about qualifying. I wanted to play as well as I could and see what happened but the outcome surprised me. My game is coming and in reasonable shape. Bad shots aren't necessarily round busters and the good ones are now very good. There is still much work to be done on the short game (I've spoken about this before) and it's an area I'll be working on once the clocks change.

For now, I'm planning my trip to Hillside and I guess I better learn some links skills like the long bump and run, low drives and the Tiger Woods stinger. In the meantime, if you fancy seeing what's going on on the Golf Monthly Forum have a look here http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/index.php and feel free to join in the fun and games. Who knows, maybe next time I could be playing with you. If that doesn't put you off, there are always games being arranged around the UK and Ireland and Golf Monthly provide a lot of money can't buy opportunities specifically for forum members.

I'm hopeful this form will continue and I'll carry on working hard on my game. I've a feeling I am going to give my ambition of single figures in 2015 a really good run for my money and we'll see how close I can really get.

What About Me?

Despite recent posts about Woods and testing the latest Titleist gear, there has been very little mention on here about my own golf and my pursuit of the golfing nirvana of a single figure handicap in 2015. In truth there hasn't been a whole lot going on, certainly in terms of individual performances and certainly no qualifying events to affect my handicap.

However fear not. There has been plenty of other activity. I've been playing in the Winter knockout at Royal Ascot Golf Club. I've got a new partner this year, as my previous partner inconveniently decided to move house and joined a club much closer to home. To be fair, the course he's at, Blackmoor in Hampshire is a gem. A heathland course it has some testing greens and is a tricky layout. If I lived closer, then I'd be considering it. However out with the old and in with the new and my new wing man Adam O'Neil playing off a dangerous fourteen handicap has been a revelation.

In our third round game we had a difficult looking game. In the end, our opposition were sorely out of touch and we managed to run out comfortable 4&2 winners to book a quarter final berth. In the end, that match was a bridge too far and we were trounced by a very efficient pairing. Truth be told we didn't really gel on the day and didn't make enough putts at crucial times. As I'd never progressed beyond round two before this was a new experience. We've definitely sown some healthy seeds and there is much potential in our partnership.

Away from that, I've been showing now healthy shoots of progress myself. I've been playing some nice golf in our usual weekend roll ups. I've managed to take some money from the Saturday crowd. Practice has been going well too and I've been focused more on tempo than anything too technical and it is paying dividends. It hasn't all been milk and honey and I'm still making errors on the course. In terms of the short game, I've reverted to the linear method (http://threeoffthetee.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/chipping-linear-method.html) and to be honest, I'm finding it consistent and reliable especially off the tricky, muddy wet ground around the greens. Winter golf.. Don't you love it.  It isn't how I'd like to chip and have always considered myself an orthodox player but I am struggling with conventional methods and seem to fill the head with too many thoughts. The linear way lets me make a bigger move and to be honest I can control it a lot easier. With my par scrambling figure for the season to date around 31% compared to 16% for the whole of 2014 and you can see my issue. Stick with something a little way out, not widely taught but clearly working or try and knuckle down and chip in a more conventional manner. The idea for my 2015 season is KISS (keep it simple stupid).

At the range I'm working much harder on the fundamentals, especially my address position. I was getting the shoulders too far forward over my shoes and not giving myself room to turn properly. Stand taller and I can make a fuller turn. So basic but so easy to slip into bad habits and so hard to spot if you aren't working on the basics all of the time. I'm happy with the work I'm doing in practice. There's much to do especially in the bunker, around the green and putting but with the facilities at the course sometimes being shut for frost, time has been short. We are officially in Spring now and so it won't be long before I can invest an hour a night after work. Nearly there.

I managed to get my ugly mug in the latest issue of Golf Monthly magazine. Sorry for those of a nervous disposition but it isn't a flattering shot! It was a piece following up the day I spent at The Grove in Watford working on New Golf Thinking (http://threeoffthetee.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/the-secret-is-out.html). It really has been a worthwhile exercise and is a great tool for helping clear my mind before a shot. It can also help stop the "downward spiral" where one bad shot leads to another and then another. In all there are seven techniques to utilise and it's available on Kindle or in paperback via Amazon. The piece in the magazine was a follow up to see if any of the test panel were still using the system and how had they found it. The author John O'Keeffe took to Twitter too (https://twitter.com/NewGolfThinking/status/571675619429355520). I have found it excellent. It has really cleared my mind on the course, given me clarity and the ability to cope with bad shots.

The new season is nearly upon us, certainly here in the UK. I've got a stableford event on Sunday, a day out at Blackmoor on the 11th with the Golf Monthly Forum, the Jack Jarrett Trophy (a pairs stableford event, combined scores, and I'm having to use another partner as Adam is away), and then the first medal of the year at Royal Ascot. Plenty to be getting my teeth into. That will show how much the Winter work has helped and I'm hoping for a fast start of the current 11.8 handicap and down to that elusive single figure mark.

I'm convinced I can do it and recent form has shown that it's in there. I've played well under pressure and made some good scores but have still thrown one or two bad holes in these rounds so that needs to be eradicated. It's a problem that blighted my game last year and is something New Golf Thinking will hopefully help stop. I need to. So many potential cuts or handicap buffer zones were tossed aside last season with bad shots at the wrong time. Not in 2015.

It might have seemed that it's been quiet but rest assured I'm working hard behind the scenes. Constructive practice, not just bashing balls and working hard on the building blocks of the swing. I've worked hard on path and keeping the club in front of me and not getting trapped and having seen it on video after a recent lesson, it is coming. There are still several idiosyncrasies that I don't think will ever go entirely but I've built a swing around those. I can trust it and it seems to be more robust and repeatable. Let the new season play out and see where it takes me!

Golf Monthly/Titleist Demo Day

I was fortunate to be selected by Golf Monthly magazine, via a competition on their forum (http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/) to go to Silvermere Golf Centre in Cobham, Surrey on Thursday (19th) to test the latest Titleist range. This included the latest drivers, irons, Vokey wedges, and the latest Scotty Cameron putters as well as the brand new ProV1 and ProV1x golf ball. Not a bad prize for a free to enter competition.

Titleist are very excited by their product range for the new season and are planning around 350 demonstrations around the UK to allow as many golfers as possible to try them and see for themselves how well the perform. Let me say right here, if you get the opportunity, this is one test day you really should go along to. All the dates and venues are in the link:
(http://media.titleist.com/images/titleist/files/UK/Trial%20Titleist%20Schedules%202015.pdf) 

I have always has a perception (wrongly as it turned out) that Titleist products were only for the better player and that only those around the single figure bracket would maximise the potential of these clubs. That may have been true a few years back but the latest range has something for everyone and it really does have a broad appeal across the handicap range.

Golf Monthly have already produced a behind the scenes report on the day, and they can do it far more justice than I can so I'll let you peruse it here (http://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/galleries/events-galleries/behind-the-scenes-trial-titleist-day-66599)

We were split into two groups and I started the day learning all about the ProV1 and ProV1x ball, the history of the brand a little. From there, we had a brief one to one discussion with a fitter to ascertain the best ball for out own game. The difference between the Titleist philosophy and those of other brands is that Titleist work from green to tee, rather than basing a fitting on swing speed or compression. In simplistic terms, it starts with wedge play and how much spin a player generates, goes back to mid-iron shots and looks at accuracy and preferred ball flight, and then back to the tee and driver spin and distance requirements. For more information, have a look at the online selection tool on the website at (www.titleist.co.uk/ballfitting)

From there we took some courtesy balls in our preferred model out to the putting green to try the new Scotty Cameron putter range. I was interested in the counter balanced range as these seem to be everywhere at the moment and I wanted to see how a top end version compared to those from other manufacturers I'd already looked at. (http://www.titleist.co.uk/dual-balance/) The Newport 2 was everything I hoped. A classic shape and a buttery smooth feel off the face. I found it easy to swing and the extra weight didn't impact the strike or the stroke in any way. To be honest, the entire range, including the Go Lo mallet range, similar to my current Odyssey Protype #9, were equally as good.

The only downside is the price. They are expensive but you are paying for top quality putters, and naturally that comes at a cost. Are they worth it? Now there's a question. I would say if your fundamentals are poor then it won't make any difference if you use one of these or a bargain bucket flat stick. However if you are a competent putter looking to upgrade, while they won't eradicate the dreaded three putt, there will be a range to suit your own putting style. They have a very good feel off the face and are wonderfully balanced. When you consider how many times you have a putter in your hand per round, then perhaps the cost doesn't seem so extravagant. It's such a personal part of the game it isn't for me to say but I would urge you to at least consider these and definitely give these a go (ideally on grass and not an indoor putting mat).

Following the ball and putter testing, it was over to the range to try the clubs. Now as many regular followers will know, I was custom fitted for my clubs, originally at Pachesham Golf Centre in Leatherhead, Surrey. At that time I got a full set of Ping G25's including woods and irons but I never really felt happy aesthetically with the irons, especially when chipping, and found looking down on a meaty top line off putting. In the end I changed to a set of I25 irons, fitted at Downshire Golf Centre by the golf professional I have lessons with (Rhys ap Iolo). To be honest, I've been quite happy with my bag set up and my swing is now a lot more consistent although I was interested to test my Ping against the Titleist offering.

The bay was fitted with a launch monitor and although we were using range balls, it still gave enough viable data between the two makes to show how each performed. I was interested in the irons in particular and gravitated to the smaller headed offering the 714 AP2. They have a cavity back to give a degree of forgiveness and are designed to give higher flying longer irons and a more shallow flight in the shorter ones to give a set giving good carry distance and better distance control

The AP2 iron, very stylish

I started with a DG R300 shaft and to be fair, despite hitting these solidly and enjoying the feel off the centre of the club, there wasn't any significant difference between the performance of these and my own I25's. The fitter tried a DG S300 shaft as my swing speed suggested I needed the extra firmness but I struggled a little. It's perhaps a club that would suit a solid ball striker. Although I hit it pretty well, the off centre strikes were punished perhaps a little more than my current I25's.

We changed to the AP1. This is a slightly larger headed club but it didn't look to bulky behind the ball. It's designed to be a little more forgiving and would appeal to a large number of golfers. It is a very solid looking club and the ball feels as if it flies off the face with meaning. Again we started with the DG shaft but the spin numbers in particular weren't fantastic. There wasn't anything to show an improvement on my own. However with a tweak, the fitter put in an XP95 shaft and suddenly it felt like a different club. Spin numbers changed and the ball fizzed off the face. Dispersion narrowed and I was getting an extra 5 yards over the I25 and 4mph in terms of swing speed (average).

AP1 - a bigger club but when you put the right shaft in, it performs. It really performs

I was pleasantly surprised. I thought the AP1 would be like the G25's I had and yes they are a big headed club and the top line is relatively thick, but when I looked at an 8 iron, a club I would use for chipping, it didn't look chunky. I could definitely use it around the green without any negativity about the looks.

From there it was time to try the 915 driver range. I am very happy with my G25 and I've worked hard to improve my driving and keep the ball in play more often. I hit a few with my Ping to get some base numbers. I started with the D3 range which has a compact 445cc head in 10.5 degrees of loft . This looks a very traditional and old school looking driver and oozes class. The pear headed driver is set up to produce a lower trajectory compared to the D2.

Driver set up chart

The 915 range is like a lot of modern drivers and offers a range of set up options but despite a few tweaks in the settings and several shafts, I struggled to hit this with any degree of regularity. The spin numbers were too high for optimum performance and while the good ones were very good I was punished with bad shots and the high spin exaggerated my errors.

We swapped to the D2 also 10.5 degrees. This is a larger head at 460cc and is designed to be higher launching than the D3. I felt more comfy with the bigger head, much more like my G25 but again on standard A1 fitting and with a standard shaft I was still getting too much spin. The fitter got to work and tweaked it to a B3 (closed) position and put in an Aldia Rogue Black S70 shaft in. What a difference! I was bombing it straighter and in a much tighter area. Even the bad shots would have been in the light rough and not in a different time zone. Comparing like for like, I was getting an extra 7 yards on my G25 when looking at the best strikes and 2-3 yards on those not quite out of the sweet spot. Spin numbers were reduced immensely and the ball stayed in the air longer and so went further. Simple.

D2 Driver - with the right set up and shaft it's a mighty beast

It was a fantastic event and once we had finished hitting balls, it was back to the sanctuary of the club house and a debrief. I would like to convey my thanks to both Golf Monthly and especially Titleist for the opportunity. We came away with a goodie bag including a dozen of the new ProV1 balls, a tour cap, alignment sticks and other bits and pieces. A lovely touch by Titleist and very gratefully received by everyone. As I've said, it has shattered the illusion I've had for years about the performance of this brand and their target market. The day was filmed and Golf Monthly have put up a report on their website with some comments from those testing, including some from yours truly, so you can see exactly what others thought of the clubs and how they performed. I don't think I was alone in having my point of view shifted for good (http://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/news/notice-board/golf-monthly-readers-experience-exclusive-trial-titleist-launch-66577)

So what did I learn. From a Scotty Cameron point of view, not much. I knew they were a fantastic make and the range coming out in April (in the UK) only add to the brand. They are definitely worth a look and if you can get past the price tag they are worth a go. I'm afraid though my Odyssey Protype #9 is too similar and so I won't be making the switch.

I thought the AP2 was a lovely looking iron. Small headed, with a small cavity it looks beautiful and feels great. Sadly they weren't for me. However the AP1 was a real revelation and a make I'd not considered. My error. This has a wide spread appeal and if you head towards one of the demo days in the UK Titleist are arranging (and you should) then I would start with this model and go from there. You won't be disappointed.

I didn't expect to even consider making a driver change but you can't ignore the statistics and the D2 is without doubt the best driver I've trialled (and there have been many) in a long time. I have a difficult decision to ponder on now and whether I can justify the cost to get one in my bag. It definitely is a step up from my G25 and longer and straighter. It also looks fantastic. I'm tempted to go back to another demo day somewhere locally and try it again with the same shaft and set up and see what happens but it's definitely on my radar (just don't tell the wife!)

As I said in the very beginning, (and in the Golf Monthly video) I always saw Titleist as a better player brand and one that I couldn't play successfully at my level. This quite simply isn't the case. Go and try. It's as simple as that.

Tiger, The Open - It's All Kicking Off

Wow, what an epic few days. I leave you alone and it all kicks off. We've had Tiger posting his worse professional round and then pulling out injured this week. The R&A, golf's governing body have announced a TV deal in the UK taking live coverage to Sky Sports and away from terrestrial TV viewers for the first time. Both have sent social media, the press and TV into a frenzy.

Now the dust has finally settled on both Woods and the Sky deal, let me give you my perspective. I'm nothing more than a fanatical weekend golfer and these are purely my own views. Let's start with Tiger and that second round at the Waste Management event.

I'll start by being brutally honest. Tiger is in a mess. Whatever he's been working on with the latest swing coach and however bullish he's been in interviews, it was apparent in the first round that it wasn't working. My own short game woes are well documented on here but Wood's chipping was as bad as I've seen any professional golfer execute...ever. He seemed totally messed in the head, with a thousand thoughts going on over the simplest of chips and his technique seemed shot. I've no idea why the best player of a generation with one of the best short games ever would want to make such a dramatic overhaul. Of course, many thought, myself included that he was perhaps just a little rusty. The second round dispelled that. Whatever the reason, it isn't working. It was proper car crash TV watching him rack up those numbers. To his credit, he played until the inevitable missed putt conclusion and was honest and eloquent post round but you could see the hurt and embarrassment in his eyes. I don't think he had a clue what had just happened. It took a lot of class to give those interviews. I loved his "I'm only here so I don't get fined" quip.

I tuned in on Thursday to the Sky Sports (more of them later) coverage from Torrey Pines. My first glimpse of Woods was thinning a green side chip on his opening hole. Nothing too different to the previous week. I'd already seen a clip of a shanked chip in practice and knew that a number of tour professionals were trying to give him advice. How did it get so bad? We're forever told that the top pros are forever working on the short game and even after his last back operation, I'm sure the first thing he'd have been given the green light to work on would have been the chipping and putting. He simply cannot be that rusty. It seems a major overhaul and something that would seem to be very much a work in progress at best.

As the coverage continued, it was apparent he was injured. He was spraying to parts of the course not on any caddy's yardage chart. Again not too different to the Waste Management event. However it was clear a few holes in that this was different and the way he kept reaching for the back after every drive showed he was struggling. He couldn't even get the tee peg off the ground and grimaced to get the ball out of the hole. I went to bed (it was late UK time) before he pulled out but wasn't surprised to see this news the following morning when I awoke.

The pain was etched all over Tiger's face on every tee shot at Torrey Pines

And then social media went into meltdown. Forum boards (Is Tiger Finished?) Twitter, Golf Channel, the press. It was everywhere and everyone had an opinion. I'm a simple man and probably far from qualified to offer my own, but it's my forum, my rules so here it is..

I absolutely get that Tiger had to make swing changes following his injury issues and surgery last year. I get that he wanted to find a different coach to get him back to full fitness and playing and competing. We all want to see Tiger in the mix in majors and big events on a Sunday afternoon. However all this talk of him wanting to bomb it more and "I've got all my power back" seems to have done nothing to fix the issues. As far as I can see, this new swing, with a dramatic loss of height, is doing nothing to relieve the impact and stresses on the back. I'm not surprised it gave up again. He seems to be struggling so hard to get the club back in front of him and anywhere near square at impact.

Is this change and pursuit of distance what he needs? Surely after all the toil on his body with the knee surgery and back operation he needs to find something that lets him play and swing as easily as possible. Looking at the driving accuracy and GIR figures from the Waste Management event, it's apparent to even an armchair fan like me that it's not working. Keep it in play and find a short game close to where it was and so what if you lose a few yards? Not everyone has to be a Bubba Bomber. At the moment nothing in his game is firing.

An injured Woods maybe but the short game is way off and he can't find a fairway

So where does Tiger go next? I'm not sure another coach is the way forward, unless he was to go back to Butch Harmon but I can't see that happening on both sides. Too much water has passed under those bridges but he's the only one I think knows, really knows Tiger and his mind and would find a way to get him swinging and protecting his body. I'm not convinced Chris Como is producing the goods. Clearly on the TV evidence we've seen and despite protestations that all is good behind closed doors in practice, it isn't transferring to the course. He needs to empty his head and simplify it. That's something that is drummed into all of us weekend hackers, that we can't play good golf with a head full of swing thoughts. We're also told to do whatever we need to do to keep it in play. The same applies to Woods. Give up this pursuit of power, get back to basics and get back to the top level of the game.

I fear that if the body gives in again or his form continues to nose dive that he'll walk away. It would be a sad climax, Seve like almost, to a glittering career and I don't think it needs to be a story coming to the final chapter. There's definitely a lot more to come on this and whenever he gets back onto a course in a tournament, I'll join everyone else in seeing exactly how the short game works under pressure and whether he can keep it in the same time zone off the tee.

We then had the news that the R&A, the governing body had sold the TV rights to the Open (it's not the British Open!!) to satellite TV broadcaster Sky. It's a five year deal starting from the 146th Open at Royal Birkdale in July 2017. The only way those that don't have a contract with a satellite provider or want to pay to view via the internet is to watch a highlights package on the BBC each evening. It was a bit of an understatement from Barbara Slater, Director of Sport at the BBC " We're obviously disappointed to retain TV live coverage of the Open Championship."

Personally I don't agree with her next statement. "We're pleased to be continuing our sixty year partnership with the R&A and feel that a comprehensive two hour highlights programme, a format which has already proven successful, in a prime time slot over four days allow us to continue to bring all the best action and key moments from the Open to a large free to air audience on TV, radio and online". Surely most that want to watch it will know the outcome (it'll even make the news) so while they may get to see the best bits and key moments, they'll know the effects these had on events.

Now I've no idea how many of you reading this (very welcome as you are) get your TV coverage of the Open, especially if you are in foreign fields. However in the UK, it has always been on the BBC and this has caused a huge issue and split opinion down the middle. I've an example here of how the Golf Monthly Forum has seen it - The Open on Sky

Has the R&A sold its soul to the devil?

From my own view point I am very happy with this news. Yes, the BBC has always had the rights but to be honest, golf gets no more than lip service from the corporation. Yes, they give wall to wall coverage but aside from the Open, and the last two days of the Masters there's virtually no other top class golf coverage. Their presentation hasn't changed in years and I'm sorry but head commentator, Peter Alliss, iconic though is, has been off the pace for a few years and the other members of their team are very poor.

There's an argument been put forward that many people can't afford Sky and so won't be able to buy it, especially for the golf. A quick surf on the internet reveals that around 8.8 million already have Sky. My guess would be that a large percentage of those already have the sport channels even if it's for the football alone and therefore as sport "fans"would be able to watch the Open anyway should they feel inclined. In these austere times, let's say for arguments sake millions more can't afford to buy a Sky package. It will be shown at golf clubs, driving ranges and many bars and clubs the length and breadth of the country. If you are really that interested to see it, you don't need to put yourself out too much to find it on somewhere. With golf participation numbers in decline, where are all these new viewers going to be coming from anyway?

Sky has already paid their dues as far as TV coverage is concerned giving the armchair viewer week in, week out coverage on the European tour as well as all the action from the USPGA and other tours. It already has three of the four majors and coverage of the Solheim and Ryder Cups. It has been innovative in the coverage,  I think the fact that Barbara Slater is happy with the highlights package shows that the BBC heart really hasn't been in it for a while and even they saw the writing on the wall.

So what about all the ad breaks? So much a bug bear of Sky coverage and yes they are annoying but as part of the Sky deal the R&A have insisted in these break kept to four minutes per hour with each break lasting no more than 60 seconds. Granted it isn't the ad free coverage on the beloved BBC but hardly it's hardly going to be wall to wall adverts and we all need a comfort break once in a while or a refreshing cup of tea to accompany our viewing.

So have the R&A sold their soul to the devil? Of course not. "We believe this is the best result for the Open and for golf" says Peter Dawson, R&A Chief Executive. I agree. This is perhaps a once in a generation opportunity for the R&A to take this large influx of money and invest in the game at grass roots level in the UK and across the world. However, and arguably more importantly, this deal gives both Sky and the R&A the opportunity to rid the golf with the stuffy, archaic image so many non-golfers still have about this game we all love. Of course. if this fails to transpire, then serious questions need to be asked of the R&A and their ability to continue to govern, and to Sky for selling out. Until then, I'm prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt.

And there you have it! What a strange few days, and perhaps more questions than answers on both counts, certainly in the case of Woods and his career, but also how the R&A and Sky will deliver coverage fit for ever changing broadcasting landscape. Of course, these are only my own points of view and I'm sure many will disagree, maybe even have polar opposite opinions. That's fine and natural and I'd love read any comments you want to post on here with your own thoughts. As for now though, I really hope Tiger gets sorted and that cometh the time Sky and the R&A deliver on their words and the money spent.