Day 80: Balboa (Sunday at my Major)

Today is my last day in my quest to break 80 in 80 days.

I did not start off the day on what one would think is a good start. I only got about 3.5 hours of sleep. When I woke up at 6:30, I knew one thing: today I was getting a golf cart. There would be no walking for me.

I got to the course just in time which meant no warm up balls, no chipping, no bunker practice, no putting. I barely had enough time to stretch out. Needless to say, I pushed my drive on the opening hole to the right rough. I was buried in some deep, wet, heavy rough about 150 yards away from the hole. I hammered my 7-iron out of the rough and the ball went about 110 yards - I caught that junk too heavy and the ball floated out of the rough well short of the green. I chipped on and 2-putted for a bogey.

On Hole 2, I was none the better as I pulled my next drive left in to the same type of rough as the first hole. Took 2 extra clubs this time and still caught it heavy. Not only did I catch it heavy, I did not get it into the fairway, so now I am near the green in the same thick, nasty rough. I thought that if I gave a good swing on my 60-degree wedge I could pop it up and land it softly. I caught that heavy, too. I put the 60-degree away and grabbed my 57-degree sand wedge and it ran up and past the hole. I then 2-putted down hill for a double bogey. I am now 3 over after 2 holes - not a good start on my last day to break 80.

I stepped up to the 3rd hole (Par 5) and tattooed my drive down the middle of the fairway. I was sitting 233 yards out with a good look at a back pin. I hit a 3-wood straight as an arrow that rolled up and to the back of the green. I was looking at a 12-foot side hill eagle putt. Nice. I missed the putt passed the cup on the high side, but tapped in for a birdie 4.

I gave one back on the fourth hole (Par 3) that was playing about 210. I hit the distance but pulled the shot left. I had to chip up and ended up 2-putting.

There is not much more exciting to tell you that lead up to me shooting a 9-over after 9 holes - other than the fact that I was hitting my irons fairly consistently. I just wanted to hit them from the fairway instead of the rough. One item of shame - I had 3 double bogeys on the front.

When I made the turn, I told myself that it was now or never. I had to shoot a 2-under over the next 9 holes in order to break 80. My previous best was 5-over on the back 9, so I would have to shoot 7 shots better. With this in mind, I missed a 15-foot birdie putt on Hole 10 and tapped in for Par.

I birdied Hole 11 by hitting a hybrid that rolled to 80 yards on the short Par 4 (playing about 320 yards). I hit a full sand wedge to about 5 feet and rolled in the putt.

I made a second consecutive birdie (a first for me) on the next hole which is a Par 5 by sticking my 30-yard chip to about 3 feet and rolled in the putt. Now, I am 2 under with 6 to play - I am loving it, but staying cool.

I give a shot back by hitting my 8-iron fat on the next tee box which is a Par 3. I chipped on and missed the one putt having to tap in for bogey - bringing me back to 1-under.

I made a tap-in par on Hole 14 after hitting the stick from a 30-yard chip - bounce, bounce, hit flag, drop to 6 inches on the left side of the hole - I thought it was going to drop.
I also made par on Hole 15, after just missing the fairway, but getting my approach on the green and two-putted.

I now have to play the final three holes at 1 under in order to break 80.

On Hole 16, I hit the fairway - all is good. I yanked my approach, had to chip and ended up 2-putting to give another shot back. I move to even par on the back and now have to go birdie, birdie to finish - this is a tall order, but I am not out.

The 1 big problem facing me next is the tee shot at Hole 17 which is playing 218 yards with the pin in the back. I have only made par on this hole a couple of times and all have come from chipping and 1-putting. However, today I hit by hybrid on a rope. that landed on the back left edge and rolled about a foot. I had a 20-foot putt for birdie. I thought, 'it's now or never' - I had to make it. I got my line (3 balls outside the left edge) and put a good stroke on it...burning the edge...tapping in for par.

So going into the 18th hole which is a par 4, I had a score of 77. I hit a beauty off the tee box which gave me 125 yards in from the middle of the fairway. If I holed out on my second shot, I could break 80 - however, I was just aiming for the stick. The pin was back and I figured that if I put a good swing on a pitching wedge, I could go for the stick. If I could do that and make a birdie, I would shoot and 80 which would be pretty incredible for me all things considered. I took a good practice cut, but I will say that I had a few things too many going on in my head. I ended up hitting my worst shot of the day - go figure - dead right. I had to chip up and was left with a long putt for par. I ran past the cup and tapped in for a bogey 5.

I ended up shooting an 82 from the blue tees. I started the round poorly on the front side (46 - 9-over), but finished it like a champ (36 - 1-over). I have a lot of woulda, coulda, shouldas on that front side, but at the end of the day, I shot an 82 and that is not a score to be ashamed of.

My 80 days have come to a close. I came short of my goal of breaking 80 in 80 days. I am a bit disappointed that I was not able to achieve my goal. I thought it was going to be much easier than it was. It wasn't. Golf is a difficult game. All that being said, I am left a better golfer than I was when I started my journey. Today, I shot an 82. That is dramatic improvement from when I was shooting in the high-90's and low-100's. I now have a good foundation in which to build a good game on. I have full faith in my ability to break 80 by next summer. I will continue to take some cuts this off-season and I am actually going to take a group of 6 lessons to see if I can't groove in a swing that will take me closer to shooting even par. If I can shave 15 strokes in 80 days, I should be able to shave another 10 by next summer.

I would like to thank everyone who was supportive on my quest. It really meant a lot to me. I appreciate all the kindness, patience, listening to my endless stories, comments, concern, tips, pointes and everything else that anyone put up with over these past 80 days. I had a really good time - it was joyful, awful, frustrating, exciting, times of total confidence and other times with some doubt. I was not able to break 80, but my new low score on the golf course is an 82 - and I look forward to beating that!

Only the very best,
Ryan

My final round stats:
Score: 82 (+10 - Par 72) - 46-36
Birdies: 3
Pars: 5
Bogeys: 7
Double Bogeys: 3
Fairways Hit: 6 out of 15
G.I.R.: 6 out of 18
Putts: 30 total (six 1-putts, twelve 2-putts, zero 3-putts)

Day 79: Strawberry Farms

Today we are playing 36 holes beginning at 6:20 am - amazing.
I was up at 4:30am and out of the house and on the road by 5:00am.
I got to the course (Strawberry Farms) around 5:45am and it was still pitch dark out.
By around 6:05, the sky was starting to get some type of light.
I was able to hit some warm-up balls (complimentary) and roll some putts prior to starting at just about 6:20am.

The course looked fantastic and it was even better after I rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt to take a 3 on the opening hole. I ended up making 2 birdies on the front side and came in with a score of 43. I did not think that was too bad. It was a tough course, but the greens were fast and true.

I had a little more trouble on the back 9. My driving started to leak too far right and the looser I got, the more the slice was coming back. I finished the back 9 with a 46 for an overall score of 89. I did not play that well. I lost 5 balls, but made par on 2 of those lost ball holes by hitting my 3rd shot near the stick and dropping the putt - nothing like a lost ball par - it makes losing your ball less painful.

I let the other group keep score on the second round of 18. I was mentally checked out at that point. I was having trouble all day with my driver, however I hit into every bunker and it could not have been better. I played out of the sand like a champ from all distances.  By the end of the second round, I think I took about 12 bunker shots and would not even flinch after hitting into the bunker. I like hitting from the sand now - my, how far we have come. I do not have the scorecard for the 2nd round, but I believe I shot a 92 - however, my heart and mind were not completely there. I was tired and just wanted to have some fun and make some shots. It was great and I highly recommend anyone to play Strawberry Farms - it is a wonderful course - and the people there really know how to take care of their guests. I look forward to the next time I play there.

Day 78: Run Thru at the Range

I took this day to do a quick run-through of all the facets of the game.

I hit a bucket of balls and hit every club.
I hit about 20 balls out of the sand.
I took about 30 chips from all distances and lies.
I took about 30 putts from all different lengths.

Everything was feeling pretty good. I was hitting the ball pretty well.

This entire routine took me about 1.5 hours - I never once rushed anything. I am feeling good about this weekend. 36 holes tomorrow (starting at 6:20am) and 18 holes on Sunday (Day 80!). I feel like I am going to do it - I see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Day 77: Vikings Game - Day Off

Today was Thursday and the opening game for the season between the Vikings and Saints at 5:30pm. I could not hit balls after work. However, I felt fine about it because I feel that I am hitting the ball well.
I would go back tomorrow and pick up where I left off.

I look forward to watching the Viking game. Everyone and their brother has predicted the Vikings to lose. However, that is the very reason I think they can win. When everyone is zigging, that's when you zag. If the Vikings can win, that would be a huge victory - and if they lose, well, they were 'supposed' to lose from the get-go.

Day 76: Back at the Range

I am going back to the range and practicing the irons.
However, my rounds are all squared away for the weekend.
I am playing 36 holes on Saturday at Strawberry Farms (Day 79) and finishing my 80th day on Sunday at Balboa.
Will I break 80 on the 80th day? Of course I will - unless I do it on Saturday!

I am getting more consistent with my irons. Erik, the old pro, showed me that my left toe was turning out after impact - meaning that too much weight was going back onto my heals - which is something I should focus on - that is, coming thru at impact with more weight evenly distributed on my left foot. This would also promote better balance thru the swing.

Day 75: Work Those Irons, Boy

Today I was back at the range with one thing in my mind - short irons.
I need to find consistency in my mid to short irons.
I have to find out what I am doing wrong and correct it asap.
If my driver and chipping continue to help me and my putting stays consistent, then all I will need to do is improve the iron game in order to put together a great round.

I practiced the majority of time with my 8, 9, PW and SW. I also hit my 5-iron, driver and hybrid each about 4 balls worth - I hit them all pretty well, too - this made me happy.

My big focus was to keep my head steady and keep it at or a little behind the ball at all times. Not only am I doing that, but I am also keeping my head down thru the shot. I also focused on bending my knees and pooching out my butt a little bit at the set-up. Once I have my alignment all squared away, I focus on becoming still before taking the club away low and slow. If I can do all these things correctly, the chances of hitting a good shot are dramatically increased.

Day 74 - Balboa

So I am all fired up to play today after hitting the ball well at Penmar yesterday and my new pre-shot routine.

I hit all 8 fairways on the front - amazing. I ended up hitting 11 of 15 fairways in total.
You would think I would also have hit at least 11 greens in regulations, right? Wrong.
I could not hit an iron to save my life.
I only hit 3 of 18 greens in regulation - awful and really frustrating.
I was pushing everything right. Most of the time, my distance was pretty good - I just hit it to the right. My pal said that I was spinning out of every iron shot.

I will say that my chipping was pretty good. I had a lot of nice chips - anywhere from 30 yards to 12 feet out, I was putting them fairly close - a couple tap ins and a couple long enough where I did not make the putt. Those were the killers to my scorecard. I would 2-putt for a lot of bogeys.

I had a tough time again with my putter. I was not making any medium range putts that would have helped my score. I ended up taking 35 putts - not terrible, but not great - that was with three 3-putts and four 1-putts. I ended the round by 3-putting the last two holes - who does that? Disgusting. I think the last time Tiger Woods did that, he was 4 years old.

My bunker play was pretty good, too. I had two bunkers shots that rolled nicely towards the cup from medium range (about 30 to 40 feet shots) and I had one bunker shot that I hit too far behind the ball and it just popped it out of the bunker leaving me to chip on to the green. Nonetheless, I was very happy to see some adequate bunker play. I have no trepidation any longer when my ball goes into the bunker. I look forward to jumping in there, keeping my head steady and hitting out with some good rhythm (always accelerating with a long finish, but keeping good rhythm).

My focus all week is going to be on my irons - my 7 thru 60-degree - all week. I am going to break 80 by getting on in regulation.

Day 73 – Sunday - Penmar

Today I played Penmar with my pal as a tune up for the round tomorrow.

I wanted to focus on my swing tempo and the Colin Montgomerie notion of (1) thinking about the shot you want to hit, (2) taking that practice swing and then (3) hitting the ball with the same swing.

I started of hitting the ball well - hit the fairway with a nice swing with my first shot. I was left with a SW in and overshot the green, chipped to about 7 feet, missed the putt and tapped in for bogey.
Same thing happened on Hole #2 and Hole #3.

I can not continue to make bogeys from the fairway.

Hole #4 - hit a 6-iron to the middle of the fairway, hit the green with my PW and two-putted for par.
Hole #5 (hardest hole on the course - Par 3, 185 yards) - hit a beautiful 5-iron shot to about 185 yards which left me about 15 feet from the cup. I rolled in the putt for a birdie. I believe this is the only time I have ever birdied this hole.
Hole #6 - Hit my drive well in the fairway. Was left with a 9-iron to the green. Two-putted for par.
Hole #7 - Hit driver to right rough - deep, thick, clover rough. Was left with 195 to the pin. Hit a 3-iron on the screws and left it on the left side of the green. Chipped to the green, missed an 8-footer and tapped in for a bogey.
Hole #8 - 145 yard par-3 - flew a 9-iron passed the pin and ended up two-putting for par.
Hole #9 - Tried to draw my driver and ended up pushing the ball right. Had about 160 yards in from the rough and hit a 7-iron that came up a bit short and fluffy. Chipped on and 1-putted for par.

So all in all, I was 3 over for the round - 1 birdie, 4 pars and 4 bogeys - not too shabby. I really like the Colin Montgomerie mental approach in the pre-shot routine. I will use that in my round tomorrow. Moreover, I was most impressed with the birdie on the beast of a par-3 Hole #5 - really incredible to get down in 2 on that hole.

Day 72 – Anniversary Weekend – Rest again

Today I flew back from Chicago and arrived into Los Angeles around 3:15pm.

My gal and I were going to spend the night in the Santa Monica Delphina Hotel and go out to a nice dinner at Rustic Canyon to celebrate our 2nd Anniversary. We are both very social people, however I always look forward to spending some ‘alone time’ with her – away from the phones, people, parties and commotion. I look forward to spending this night with her. She’s a great partner-in-crime and has been very supportive throughout my 72-day journey. I can only imagine how sick she is of hearing me go on and on about this, that or the other change that I made to my swing that day. There is probably not a single person out there who would like to see this 80-day exercise come to its successful completion more than her, but you would never know it - very, very supportive.

I will say that this is the first time in 72 days that I have not had a club in my hand for 3 consecutive days. What a strange feeling! My calloused hands are starting to lose their hard edge. I will not deny that I am itching to swing the club. From the onset of this exercise, I wondered whether or not I would get burnt out spending 80 straight days focusing on my golf game. I can safely say that I am not burnt out in the least.

Ben Hogan used to say that he looked forward to waking up every morning to go and hit golf balls. I can say the same for myself. I never tire from swinging a golf club. I could hit balls until my hands bleed. It is a goal of mine to have enough time and money to swing a club every day for the rest of my life. It is a game I hold near and dear to my heart and one that I want to continually and constantly improve on. The game has all ready taught me a lot of which I do not know how to ever repay. I firmly believe that golf teaches us most of the important things in life – of which I have neither the room nor time to expand on herein. However, here are some of the most important qualities golf has taught me thus far: respect for others, having patience, dealing with adversity, critical thinking, problem solving, approaching something without ego, dealing with the need for change, a drive to improve, perseverance and a wanting and willingness to succeed. It is a humbling game that, at its lowest point, makes you want to fold up shop and quit and at its highest point, creates an undying love, passion and respect for one of life’s most fickle and uncompromising endeavors.

Day 71 – Chicago – Rest again

Today, I was up early for a meeting whereby the meeting actually started at what would be 6:30am Pacific time.

My pal and co-worker then drove into the city and checked into our hotel at the W on West Adams. It was a nice hotel and had a great bed and when I plopped down on it, I ended up getting up about 2 hours later feeling refreshed.

We met up with our college pals before dinner and had a long evening of catching up over cocktails. It was a fun evening and by the time my pal and I got back to our hotel, we both collapsed into our respective beds – long day.

Day 70 – Travel to Chicago – Rest

Today I flew to Chicago for work.

I have a meeting tomorrow with a customer and was unable to swing a club. It was a welcomed break from the battle sticks. I can’t help myself from constantly thinking about the weight transfer during the back swing and playing the ball up a little further in my stance. I feel like the proper way to transfer your weight leads to less moving parts during the swing – and allows for your head and body to remain steady throughout the swing and impact. This should create a more consistent swing leading to more consistent results.

Day 69 – Just o’ bucket redux

Before I hit balls today, I watched this video:

When I got to the range, I practiced the one foot toe tap, the two foot toe tap and the crossed arms rotate drill and came across a startling revelation. I think I have been putting too much weight on my back foot and leg during my backswing. I think this makes for a shift of the body that brings you too far behind the ball during your take away – forcing you to come forward at the ball during your down swing. This very well could be the final piece of the puzzle that I am missing.

While working on this new weight transfer (or seemingly lack thereof) I have developed a ball flight that has piqued my interest. I hit most of my balls straight right of the target line – no fade, no slice – just dead right. I think the reason for this is because I am playing the ball a little too far back in my stance – not allowing for the club face to square up at impact. The beginning of the ball flight is good which means that my swing plane is good, however the direction of the ball is dead right which has to mean that I am not squaring up the club face at impact.

I started playing the ball a little further up in my stance – not too far up in my stance – just a couple of ball lengths. Presto! I started to hit the ball straight at the target. I think this has to be it!

By no means have ‘figured it all out’ – however, I think this grip, this stance, this new hip turn and ball position is all correct. I need to hone this in and start getting results. I hit almost the entire bucket with my 8-iron and PW – which I have been told by many will do the most in helping me dial in my iron game and have me hitting more greens.

Day 68 – Just o’ bucket – Westlake Range

Tonight I just hit a bucket of balls and ran through the clubs in my bag – going from short clubs to long clubs and back to short throughout the entire bucket.

Tonight, I focused on my set-up and having loose (not tense) shoulders and arms prior to putting the club behind the ball a moment before the take-away.

I am hitting the ball more consistent, but still feel like there is something I am still doing wrong. About half of my balls are hit perfectly while the other half are all over the place. The one thing that bothers me the most is that I do not know where the ball is going to end up after I hit it. That is a true and undeniable sign of not having my swing grooved in yet.

I did not have time to chip or putt, so it was a pretty quick session tonight. It felt nice.

Day 67 - Westlake Twilight – 11 holes

I shot a 4 over thru 11 holes at Westlake Country Club after work. 

I played from the blue tees on the back 9 and got in holes #1 and #2 on the front before it got too dark. It is a very short course – allowing me to hit hybrid-wedge on many of the holes. I still am hitting the ball to the right and it is driving me nuts.

I could definitely play this shot by aiming to the left, but I don't want to. I want to aim at the target and hit it at the target.

The wind was blowing pretty hard. Something I heard from Tom Watson was that he believed many amateurs hit too much club going downwind and not enough club going into the wind. I definitely found this to be the case going into the wind. I had about 142 going dead into the wind and hit my 8-iron (150-155 yards) and came up about 5 yards short of the green. I should have hit a 7-iron which is hard to think about hitting a 7-iron into a green 142 yards out. Going down wind, this would be a PW; however going into the wind, it would be a 7-iron - that's a 4 club swing.

I wish I had more to report about these 11 holes. I hit no amazing shots, nor did anything backfire - it was pretty steady and pretty easy going.

Day 66: Range

I need to improve my greens in regulation (g.i.r.) percentage which means I need to improve the accuracy of my irons. It also means that I need to improve my fairway percentage to set me up for a good approach. So basically, it means that I need to practice hitting more balls. Now that I have a swing that I like, I feel like I just need to really focus on consistency in my swing and work on dialing in the accuracy.

Today, my gal and I went to the Range at Westchester. It was her third time to the Driving Range, but I believe the third time in as many weeks that she has had a club in her hand. She is a very patient student of the game. She hit a few great balls that I know had to feel great. It is that one special moment, invariably every time you come out, where you made the ball do what you wanted with it with the greatest of ease and graceful fluidity that keeps you coming back.

We shared a large bucket. I watched a lot of her swings and hit shots in between. Because of my left to right ball flight yesterday, I wanted to see if I could get back on track with that right to left ball flight hitting from some real grass (not a mat).

I need to focus more on my set-up. If my set-up is good (grip, club face, spine angle, feet-hip-shoulder alignment) and my take away is good, I have a good chance of hitting a nice shot. After my take away, I focus on trying to ‘swing in a barrel’ and not let my body start to shift around too much. I am always trying to keep a steady head. Once I start the downswing, I have to fight the tendency to shift my body forward with both of my knees leading the way.

I focused on these things and was pounding my 5-iron. I moved around to my pitching wedge and 8-iron (irons only from the grass) and finished my last 5 balls with my 5-iron.

I hit these balls well only because I had a good, repeatable set-up and had good swing thoughts. This is the type of clear thinking and coordination that I need to bring to the course. This is the type of clear thinking and coordination that I will bring to the course.

We finished with taking a few putts. The practice green right in the front of Westchester is so tiny it is almost comical. I feel like as many people try to fit on it as possible and all bump into each other gracefully while gently apologizing. They should turn the entire area into a nice garden and save people all of the confusion and anxiety.

Day 65: Round at Balboa

I started my round by pushing my drive right off the tee box. I hit my second from the rough that missed the green by a few feet. I chipped to about 6 feet and missed my par putt and tapped in for bogey. Basically, this is how my entire front 9 went – missed putts to save par. I did hit a big draw off the tee on Hole #2 which went close to 300 yards and left me with a sand wedge in – of which I 3-putted to make bogey – awful. There was nothing noteworthy in my score of 48 on the front – a bogey train that I couldn’t seem to shake because of my poor putting.

However, I did shoot a 40 on the back. But it wasn’t as pretty as it sounds. I started out the back by making 4 straight pars on Holes #10 thru 13 – what an easy game. I then proceeded to finish the back with 5 straight bogeys. Again, missing putts within 6 feet – even a few with bad speed (short). I don’t even want to think about it. It is now out of my head because I am a good putter and my new putter is one of my favorite clubs to have in my hands.

The redeeming quality of the round is that I did not have any blow up holes – nor did I have any flubbed shots, fat shots or pop-flies. I did have 2 doubles, but no triples and beyond. I had my game very much in control for the most part but missed about 10 makeable putts. Had I made half of those, I would have shot in the low 80’s. Heck, if I made all of them, I would have shot a round in the high 70’s.

I need to work on my irons. Even though I putted poorly today, I need that club in my hand. I need to be on in regulation and have the putter in my hand. I figure that I need to make about 12 pars per round in order to consistently break 80 – and that is not going to happen with a g.i.r. percentage consistently in the 25% range. I need to raise that up to around 75% if I want to be a 70’s shooter. There is another thing that I need to shake - I can not make a bogey after sitting in the fairway. Every fairway that I hit must finish with a par or better.

I will focus on my irons for my remaining days.

Round Stats:
Score: 48 - 40 - 88
Fairways: 8 of 15 - 53.3%
G.I.R.: 3 of 18 - 16.7%
Putts: 34 putts - 1.89/hole

0 birdies

4 pars

12 bogeys

2 double bogeys

0 penalties

Day 64: Continue to Swing the Same

I had another great day at the range today. I believe I am starting to develop the hand-eye coordination needed to hit the ball consistently. I have not shanked a ball in over a week. I am developing a swing, rhythm, tempo, stance (posture) and set-up that feels pretty good. Many of the swing thoughts that occupied my mind throughout the swing are starting to fade away. I feel more confident over the ball and have more command over making the ball do what I want with it.

However, I still have a tendency to push the ball right. Mind you, it is not an arching slice - simply a push. I am not sure if I am not closing the club face enough or what. However, I like the contact. My problem is that now, I do not know if I will hit the target line or push the ball right. This is still a problem that I face. I need to figure out how to correct this.
So knowing this it sounds like I still have some tinkering to do - here I thought I was all done, but are you ever done tinkering with your swing? Maybe someday...