Saturday, November 26, 2005

18 Saturday

Well I got out for the second day in a row. I played 9 Friday before darkness set in. Had a good chat with the dude working the counter at Tahoma Valley. The round I played today was with a couple buddies at Fort Lewis. It really is a good course, long, curves and bends and elevation changes abound. The course is a bit easier in the winter as they shut the "Green" course down. Its pretty dark over there, so the greens don't hold up in the winter. It was pretty soggy today.

A Few Highlights
My driver was my friend for most of the day. I hit one 300+ which was cool. My buddy Ryan said, "Smith, you hit that 320!" and I told him nah, not that far, but I think he was right. We measured it off according to the markers and it looked to be at least 310. Thats not bad for the kind of day we had. Fairways were wet and slow. I hit a few drives in the 240-260 range, maybe a little longer.

This is going to sound a bit like an info-mercial, but I got some advice from a local guy about pre-setting your impact position in set-up and I feel like a new golfer. I think I've turned a corner that is going to put me in the 80's soon. Granted, I shot a paltry 99, but it was due to lack of concentration more than anything. I left a ton of shots on the fairway because I got away from what he'd told me for a while. I am very excited to see my scores come down and I think they will.

Approach shots were much improved. I hit a couple GIR's which never happens for me. This is the first time that I feel my irons could be an asset, not a liability. Chipping and pitching is getting better too, all in a matter of a week.

I narrowly missed a birdie on a long par-5 on the back side. I hit a big draw off the tee, killed a 3-wood off the deck and put my pitch shot to within 15 feet and missed the putt, but made par. I had a couple pars out there that felt easy. I just need to replicate that a bit more and I'm on my way toward making a difference at the Newport Cup next year.

This pre-set stuff that Craig was showing me really enabled me to hit some intended shots. I wanted to draw the ball and did without hooking like a madman. I hit a couple of nice fades as well. The last two days are the first time I've been able to do that... all with subtle adjustments of my hands and set-up. What fun.

The main thing going for me is that I feel hope on the course for the first time. I actually feel confident, like I know what I have to do to strike the ball well. I don't have to over-swing, just swing consistently with that repeatable motion and great things happen more often.

Another fun little shot I hit was a low hook around a tree up to the green. And to think I did it on purpose! Wow. I can't wait to see how I improve in the next few weeks and months. Hopefully the rain holds off from time to time and I can work on this new and solid tecnique. I'm sold instantly. It hadn't been 20 minutes swinging in our living room (don't worry, we have huge vaulted ceilings) when I realized that this was going to change my golfing life. Its strange to feel confident out there... feels good. Yes, even the 99. I left a ton of shots on the course that I know I can make up with a little focus and practice.