See It, feel It, Trust It.

I am now changing my putting stroke.
I have been applying Stan Utley's method.
It is interesting how things in the universe collide.
Stan Utley is a student of David Cook.
Today, my playing partner wanted to recommend a book to me after we played 9 holes.
He recommends Stan Utley's "The Art of Scoring"!
I have that book.
Actually, I have three of his books.
The Art of the Swing.
The Art of Scoring.
The Art of Putting.
My favorite club now is my 5 and 6 hybrid.
I am thinking of buying a 4 hybrid.
By the way,
I got my new toy yesterday.
Bushnell Tour V2 rangefinder!

A New Game

I recently bought the book by David Cook,
Golf's Sacred Journey
Seven Days at the Links of Utopia.
What I learned was the following:
See it, feel it, trust it!
I thought of using it today but was hesitant,
until I tried on the putting green where I instantly drained a long putt.
It also worked with my chip.
So, I decided to change my pre-shot routine and incorporate it.
I pick my target,
see my ususal fade.
I make a practice swing and say: feel it.
I then say: now trust it,
step into position,
one last glance at the target and let go!
I shot a 43 and a 41 with a total of 84.
It is my best, consider that I seldom play 18 holes.
Also, consider that I played 18 holes at Desert Greens yesterday.
My handicap dropped to 19!

Broke Record

Today,
I broke my own course record at UNM North.
I shot 41!
My previous lowest score was 44.
The course for now is par 35.
They converted the first hole into a par 4.
So technically I am 6 over par.
I had a double at hole #1.
I parred the par 3's and the two short par 4's.
I had four bogeys, the three long par 4's and the solo par 5.
It was a hot afternoon after work.
I was not expecting anything, just hope to get a few pars to add to my collection.
The course was not busy.
I played by myself.
Lessons learned:
1. Putting, putting, putting!
2. Approach is very important. If I get it right, I have a chance to one putt for par in those long par 4's and the par 5.
3. Consistency. The lessons paid off. I did not increase my distance but hit the shots solidly.
Hope is in the horizon!

(my approach to hole #6)

Lggs

Lggs stands for latest great golf shot. I post that in my facebook. We all have good shots and bad shots. Why not remember the good ones? I went to the driving range yesterday. My 12 degree driver was working great! Today, I gave it a new grip.

Sub

I found a new golf partner today.
His name is Sub, my subconscious.
Today, I played nine holes with him.
I pick the target and set up.
He does the rest!
So,
two golfing goals.
First, break my course record at UNM North, 44.
Second, break 100 for 18 holes of golf.

The Unstoppable Golfer

This is a book by Bob Rotella.
I am glad I bought it.
Lesson learned: Get out of the way, let the subconscious play.
I tried putting and pitching that way today.
It worked!

More Power

in an effort to get stronger arms, my coach asked me to do this daily!

Playing Lesson

Just like the video playback, this is an eye opener. Erik and I played 19 holes at Tanoan Country Club. From Erik's point of view: Need more power and improve short game. From my point of view: Do short game like long game as far as hand position Work on alignment, need to feel more open towards target. Positive note: good or better ball striking. Remember: this is a process. I do not know where this Will take me, but definitely better than where I was two months ago.

The Downswing

This is hard.
Erik warned me before.
Today we have a break through.
Finally, I was able to get to the right impact position.
"Feel is not real"
I am really glad to go to Golftec for my lessons and practice.
The immediate video feedback makes a big difference.
One thing that I am impressed with Erik is that he does not give up.
He tries different way for my to get the information across.
Thumbs up!

Video Practice

I signed up for video practice.
I can practice 90 minutes a week.
A 30 minute practice is better than an hour on the range.
Love it!
I am eager to go out and play tomorrow.

Par 5

2-23-12 Thursday
played with Shawn and Jessie
breezy afternoon

I have been hitting slice all afternoon.
Finally at the last hole
Tee shot with my driver
in the fairway, a fade
I had the tree in front of me
used 7 iron to pitch under the branches
then beautiful 7 wood fade
it went to the right of the fairway
about 30 yards to the green
pitched to 6 feet behind the ball
one putt par!


still working on the down swing
still working on "in and out"
cannot square the hand yet

UNM North Golf Course

This is the first tee.
This is the course where I want to score in the low 40's for 9 holes!

Lesson 2

I am really impressed with my coach, Erik Utterback.
With one drill, he made me control the club better.
Now in this lesson, by asking me to do the right sequence,
I was able to avoid early release and get to the right impact position!
Patience, patience.
I believe in one year, I will be able to break 90!

Golftec

I gave in.
I went to Golftec for a video swing analysis.
Another chunk of money out of the pocket.
It is worth it.
My golf swing is actually ugly.
I am very surprise that it looks that way.
This time I am determined to complete all the lessons.
I signed up for 10 lessons.

Introduction

A new blog for a new year.
A time to go to the basics again, meaning, go see an instructor.
I read too many tips in trying to improve my golf swing.
The fact is, the more I read, the more confused I am.
It took Tiger Woods 2 years to change a swing.
For a mortal like me, I will give it 4 years.
Hopefully, by the end of 4 years, my score at UNM North will be between 40 and 45!
The first step: I signed up for a video swing analysis at Golftec this coming Thursday.
I have seen my swing in video before.
It did not look good!
I am making a commitment to stick with the program this time.
I know it will be miserable.
I am ready.
It is time for a serious change.