My Golf Digest

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2008-02-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

New Site up!

2007-05-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

the blog is now offically at:

http://jamesduncangolf.com

I hope you follow me over if you found anything on this blog interesting or useful.

Its be fun to write these posts and this old one will stay up for reference etc etc

Hope to see you at the new site!

New Season new site!

2007-04-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

hello all

we're back..finally!

im now in Barcelona Spain and will be continuing the Blog at http://jamesduncangolf.com

The new site should be up sometime next week and ill have a full update on my off season progress, moving to Barcelona and playing golf in the EU, aswell as tournaments and general observations.

Hope you follow me over to the new home!

Bye for now

james

76 Black Last Round of Season

2006-11-20T19:24:00.000-08:00

Well Bethpage Black closed for the season on Sun and had my last round on Sat (sun weather was too cold)

Hit the ball terribly off the tee but my wedges and putter kept me in it for a 76.

Was a nice way to end the season and a good way to demonstrate my change of golfing attitude over this year.

I personally wasnt bothered by my ball striking. granted my iron play was pretty solid, but instead of getting worked up over it (i only hit 50% of fairways) i just got myslef onto good positions and tried to stick my wedges close.

Which i did on 2, 4, 7, 10, 13 and 17 (after just advancing a buried lie in the right bunker!).

And then tried my best to make the putts.

Which I did on 9, 10, 13, 14 and 17 (tap in for a solid bogey!)

This was my second 76 on black this year and considerign the cold and ball not flying, i felt pretty happy. Theres lots of improvements for next year, but a wrap up of this years goals (which ill post soon) has left me feeling good about the progress I made this year.

Look for a new site soon too.

Happy thanksgiving

Yes we're alive

2006-11-14T08:18:00.000-08:00

Well the seasons over and time to return to the blog.

I hit all of my goals for this year and will give a more detailed account soon!

my handicap is now 2.8 and the lowest I shot this year on Black was 76 (last round of the season was a sloppy 79..still happy tho). I played in my first USGA Event and made the cut (76-82 USGA Pub Links Qualifier).

Hopefully they'll also be a new design and dedicated URL very soon, so if youve found anything useful on this blog, please keep an eye out for future improvements

More soon.

Rain, cold! and practice rounds

2006-06-07T17:42:00.001-07:00

Its been terrible weather around here.

But did some practice rounds on Mon and Tues for my events next week and the week after.

The NY State Amateur has some big names in the qualifier, so should be a great day. just looking to get some experience again..same with the Pub Links.

Took the day off today with all the rain and 65 degree temps! Will hit the range tomorrow and try to get in some play on Fri.

Have an Ultra Tour event on Sat so will be a good warm up.

Trying to work on my short game but its hard with no facility so might try to play more twilight rounds. We'll see if i get any better ideas. Also just more playing in general should slowly help. Trying to be patient and realize its gonna take a while..slowly but surely.

But already have broken 80 twice this year so that a big improvement already.

80- Bethpage Black

2006-06-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

Took my range workout onto the course and together with my putting work (working on disance control on lag putts) fired a 80 yesterday on black.

Just some ho hum bogeys (and a 3 putt on 14..my only one) kept me from breaking 80, played the past 2 holes in the rain and parred in..so my rain play is good these days.

hit the ball well off the tee (hit 7 or 7 fairways on the front 9) and just a touch out of position on the back..got a touch greedy with some irons and hit a bunch of bunkers but got solid outs and one or 2 sandys)

just left a couple of 8 iron chips either a touch long or short, so with some practice i can get that going.

the ny state amateur quailying next week after next and the pub links after that.

its not that im hitting the ball that much better, but solid course management and a good mental attitude has really shaved some quick numbers off my games..handicap is about a 4 now and feel im playing to it.

worked on accelerating thro my shots and hit some great irons and drives yesterday..missed shots ofcourse too but had 'good misses'

game has come along way in a small amount of time.

im not thinking about ball striking on the course..im playing the game, staying positive and trying to make the best number i can and playing one shot at a time.

this is good work for me.

Range Work/ 83 Bethpage Black

2006-06-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

Played at Bethpage yesterday, hit the ball terribly and shot 83

Turns out i was de-accelerating on my full shots (the pro at the range today saw me doing it on my warm up shots)

Once i got that going the ball was flying well again

Once I start the downswing controlled ("slow hands/down movement") i just simply acclerate thro the ball and finish my swing

this just makes everything..work.

simple.

76 Rockhill

2006-05-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

Got a practice round in today at Rockhill for the Ultra Golf tour event in June and shot a nice solid 76. (7000 yards for the blues..prolly played 7200 as the markers were at the very back on each hole)

Made some short game errors but got my putting together and had a good round.

Got into trouble once or twice and thought my way out well plus keep the ball in play of the the tee.

Worked on my lag putting this weekend and really got some ideas togetehr for how to approach pace and worked on stroking the ball (not "hitting it")

I need to remember to keep my head still, dont let me left wrist break down and accelerate smoothly and full thro the ball after my back stroke (worked on this with kevin johnson in TX)

Played 3 days in a row for the first time sice last fall. it helped a lot

gonna take tomorrow off and then get ready for everything starting on wed.

gas prices are kill me tho. still cheape than the LIRR tho.

78 on Black

2006-05-20T18:33:00.001-07:00

Good solid round today and achieved a scoring goal with a good solid 78 on Bethpage Black.

Thought my way around the course well and kept in position off the tee.

Played the par 5s smart and hit knock down shots on all the par 3s to keep the ball out of the wind. swirling winds today. hard to get a sense of where it was coming from.

Good solid putting on the front 9 and ok putting on the back. 38 40 with a double on 15 due to my cut 4 iron approach not cutting. I was waaay up the hill to the left and long with a killer up and down. basically was toast no matter what. Then 3 putted 16 for bogey but a nice solid par on 17 got me on track again.

getting there

Rain and More Rain

2006-05-16T07:03:00.001-07:00

Hasnt been the most condusive spring for weather up here but trying to get rounds in on the weekends and played another Ultra Tour Event yesterday.

It poured, but I played well in the rain. There was an hour rain delay and again that didnt bother me.

I shot 88.

It was in driving rain and crazy winds..but that didnt really throw me off.

Ive been thinking about it and this is the solidest high score ive ever shot. I hit 10 of 13 fairways and hit a good amount of greens. Any that I missed i didnt miss my much (fringes or rough just off)

My main problems came from 2 mental errors and only one bad swing. These 3 things all resulted in Triple bogeys. Combined with one dumb double (due to cart golf, which I really hate) the rest of the round was solid pars and one birdie. I missed some key up and downs but thats simply lack of practice whic hshould slowly get better once i get some time and a facility to work on my short game around the greens

I missed some key par putts and yipped 2 short ones but got my putting key back ("staying down" which has also become one of my full swing keys: "complete my turn" and "stay down").

Mentally I lost it when I had to take an unplayable after a bad bounce of a tee shot. I took my drop and instead of playing 90 degrees back into the fairway, I tried a fancy shot which only compounded the problems and hit it into a fairway bunker. I hit a good shot out and put myself back in position to get up and down but lost focus thinking I was "out of it". I sorta yanked my wedge chip and went long then didnt really try to get up and down again. 8.

Thinking back I could have easily turned this into a bogey with some luck or at worst a double.

Then my other mental error was on a pretty tough shot that I should have realy taken my time with.

Tough par 4 where I hit into a fair way bunker. I just got in there and took a rip at it with a 5 wood and didnt have a plan for the hole. I ended up losing the ball and having to play my provisional. Again I didnt concentrate on my wedge and lost another shot after trying to go for a tucked pin.

I should have simply played a shot to the 100 yard marker out of the bunker and went for the solid bogey and with some luck a par.

The only bad swing of the day was on a par 3 where i basically hoseled a 5 iron lol. Instead of re grouping tho and trying to hit it close, I took a quick second shot from the tee..I hit well actually but shot-sided myself. I almost holed a really tough 58 degree chip (almost like my triple before) then yipped the 2 footer (got out of my putting key).

So simply mental errors.

Its good to recognize my mental erros. When I get into trouble I just seemed to panic it felt like. So my goal is to "take my medicine" and no mattrer what the final result, stick to my plan (play back onto the fairway even if it means literally going 90 degress) and keep myself in it.

Learned a lot yesterday

82 Black

2006-05-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

Well only got one day of golf in this week and my back was a touch sore thro the week from last weekends rounds.

Feeling 100% again so went out to Bethpage today and was 82.

Was hitting it ok, gusty winds were grabbing my better drives and getting me out of position off the tee. About half we sorta rushed swings. But my putting again kept me in it.

Looking forward to playing some more rounds and seeing how my mental game comes together once I get some more confidence and feel etc.

Hit Some nicve shots but got blown out of position by the gusts..like on 6, 7, 11, 18. Good swings on 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 18.

Only hit 2 fairways as a result. Just cant score on Bethpage with a stat like that.

Good solid short game feel tho. Not breaking down with my left hand and leading with it and acceleration though.

Getting there.

Early Season Schedule

2006-05-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

I think I need a day planner!

ok early entried are in and its getting hectic for June.

Saturday, June 10, 2006 - Rockhill Classic - Ultra Golf Tour

Monday June 12 - NYSGA Men's Amateur Qualifier - Long Island
Links at Shirley, LI (This is for: NYSGA Men's Amateur Championship Jul 18 - Jul 22 Country Club of Troy- Troy, NY )

Tuesday June 13 - MGA Public Links SQR (NYC) -LaTourette (This is for: MGA/MetLife Public Links JULY 6 SPOOK ROCK GC SUFFERN, NY)

Monday June 19, Tues June 20 - USGA Public Links Sectional Qualifying: 6/20/2006 - 6/21/2006 59. FARMINGDALE NY Bethpage State Park (This is for: the Public Links July 10 - 15)

Big goals but trying just get into these for the experiences. If some good happens one of these day, so be it! Bring it on I say ;)

The Good, The bad, The Ugly

2006-04-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

The Good

The Ultra Golf Tour opened this weekend and I finished tied for second in my new flight (palmer, 3-7 handicaps) and tied for 4th over all. I didnt hit the ball that well in the fairway but drove the ball well and thought my way around the course well.

The Bad

The greens were horrendous. Airatted and really long..slow and just incredibly bumpy. i was 83 and need to work on my wedges alot more, 4 or 5 bogeys from literally within 100 yards. So it can only get better. The couse was pretty long (6800 + yards) and the condition were pretty bad, lots of bad lies and pretty windy. So a lot of improvements to go but starting in.

The Ugly

Played Black on Sun and was a total disaster lol. Super windy (2-3 clubs) and really fast greens (this is good!). In my defence I took some new concepts out to the course and they worked. I was a lot, but to be honest, i hit the ball well and stroked my putts well...just NONE of them dropped.

Ok short post but will go over things in more details later in the week.

Range work (detail)

2006-04-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

Well, just a post to go over what I was working on on the range last night.

On my wedges, really getting a straight back at address and work on Kevin Johnson take away ideas I got from the Hank Haney Ranch.

Once I get the club on plane going back and not inside really qick, if i set up correctly, man the ball just flies.

Same with the 4 iron and driver.

Theres a Tom Kite DVD I have (How I play - Tom Kite) which Dave Stockton put out (theyre all great BTW..hes done 3) where Tom Kite talks about adjusting his takeaway.

He says it feels like hes going "outside" on the way back and thats the feeling Im trying to capture, along with the wrist "upward swivel".

Also working on dropping the hands on the way down and firing down the line with good extension. Great straight controlled drives.

Well see how things fair under pressure.

Also have been reading Bob Rotella's book "The Golfers Mind" which is sort of an annondated version of his "Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect". Its a great read and only imparts confident, solid thoughts after I put it down.

Latourette, Ultra Golf Season Opener, Range Work

2006-04-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

Well there we tonnes of rain last weekend so me and a friend went to Latourette on Staten Island.

We had planned to go to Bethpage but the course was closed on account of the heavy rain fall last weekend.

We both had never played on SI and we basically had the place to ourselves on account of the rain.

We both shot 83. My friend is a 10 handicap so in our match I gave him 4 shots. It was a great match and he ended up cleaning my clock as my wedge play was pretty off.

Plus I was hitting some good chips but was having probs judging the speeds of the greens with all the rain.

Despite the high score, i was sorta happy with the round. It showed me what I need to work on and why I shoot higher on shorter courses. I just dont hit a lot of wedges and shots from within 120yards on Black. So that part of my game really needs some tighening up.

I drove the ball well but was out of position just due to not knowing the course, so this was a good warm up for the MGA Public Links Qualifier in June or July.

Hit the range last night and worked on wedges, 4 irons and the Driver. The new Vokey 52 is feeling better and better so with some more use Ill get much more used to it. I was gonna start playing some local Par 3s just to work on stuff.

This weekend marks the opening round of the New York Metro Ultra golf tour season..now the Americian Amateur Tour I guess.

Really looking forward. Im in the Palmer flight (which is a step up from last year due to me now having a handicap). So we play from the Blues which will be good for me and it should be a great day.

It will be great to get back into competition too. Ive only played 3 rounds so expect lots of excuses! But my goals are to try and keep focused and try and get in a lower round..not looking to break 80 but just a solid low 80, since I dont know the course and my shot game if still rusty.

Looking forward and check back in!

First Weekend Back

2006-04-16T18:18:00.001-07:00

Well hit Bethpage Black Sat and Sun this weekend

Was 82 both days.

Considering I hadnt touched a club in 5-6 weeks and had 2 new wedges, new putter (and the new driver) its not bad..not great tho.

Sat the course was set up easy and there was little wind, but I had 5 doubles just because of the bunkers. I forgot just how much sand is in the traps on black and wasnt hitting the ball enough and had to hit twice all the times. But my putting was solid and kept me in it w/ 29putts.

Sun was intensely windy and colder. Atleast 2 (or even 3) club wind and the cold was keeping the ball from flying. On 10 i smashed a drive into a really strong headwind but still ended up short after hitting 5 wood from around 190 yards out. Putting wasnt as good and sorta went cold on the back nine on some clutch par saves.

Black really gives you no chance to get back in it so any early mistakes seal your fate.

Im going to work with Kevin swing tips (dropping the hands at the start of the down swing and firing down the line) but i was hitting some solid bombs and great irons when it clicked..only a matter of time. Hit a nice 7 iron on 8 Sat..that used to be a 6 for me or even a 5 and a nice booming drive on 5 both days (8 iron in on sat no wind...then 5 but really needed 4 on sun..basically from the same spot!)

Good solid chipping tho and short wedges. My touch was good and got up and down green side quite a bit (nice sandy sun too)

My goal is to be breaking 80 consistently (or as conistently as possible..it might be too much to ask) on Black by the end of the year.

Thanks for viewing the blog. Hopefully Ill reach my goal for this year (down to a 2 or 3 handicap).

New Season Soon

2006-04-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

Well, work has finally settled down (I led the front end implementation of a major newspapers recent re-design, so dont yell at me if something doesnt work lol) and Im getting ready for the new season.

Some changes in the bag:

Ping g5 Tess Putter:

As someone who grew up playing a Tommy Armour blade putter, I didnt realize how much problems I was having adjusting to the Anser inpsired putters of late til I tried out the Ping Tess. It instantly felt great and allowed my hands to naturally swing the blade. My stroke tends to go all over the place on the line but I tend to be able to get it back to square at contract and the Tess is still nicely wieghted on the Toe and Heel.

Im gonna see how it works on the course and also look into the Yes Blade as well. I went to a 32 INCH and it lets me arms hang nicely and keeps my wrists quiet.

Vokey 52 and 58 degree wedges:

I finally updated my wedges and pulled my 60 degree and added in a Gap Wedge. In someways I always felt a Gap Wedge was a touch of hype until I started working with it on the Range. Its basically a no brainer from 100 yards. Again getting the feel for it on the course will take some time but Ill do my best to be patient and take the time to really get to know it. the 58 Degree is a small switch too. Ill have to work on it from 60 yards and in but i think these will be both great additions.

5 wood/2 Iron:

I added a five wood and a 2 iron. The 2 Iron is a 690.mb and i really notice the extra 1/4 inch. I could always hit a 2 iron pretty well so even tho Ive gotten older, ill still need it for play on Long Island, where gusty winds really require a low long iron like the 2. The 5 wood helped near the end of last season so ill taylor the bag in terms of which set up Ill need given the conditions and course layout etc.

Return to Bethpage Black.

Bethpage opens this week so Ill be starting back in on play on my home course. The greens are so flat compared to those I was playing in Texas so Ill have to make sure I work on my pace on breaking shorter putts as the season progresses.

Im looking forward to seeing what I can do there this year. I should have my handicap soon so Ill post updates of it here.

Mental Game:

Its been a great offseason in terms of perspective and mental prep. Ive taken notice to watch alot of DVDs and also noticed how the pros handle adversity. They miss a heck of a lot of shots but they never give up and they get themselves back in with astounding shotmaking and great clutch putting. Thats one thing i really have worked on this off season

The biggest change i think will be how i handle my risk and reward holes. Im hoping to handle my emotions better this season to know when its worth going for it and when and how to play conservative. It will be a challenge but my ego feels alot more in control and I feel ill be able to take playing for "good misses" rather than trying to play outside my abilites at key moments of the round. We'll all see for sure!

Ok thanks for reading and lets see how things go. My First tourney is April 29.

Putting Work

2006-03-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

Well its been hectic in other areas of life so the blog has sat neglected a bit.

But another spat of bad weather and a clutch in need of adjustment as lead to a lot of downtime.

But in doing so Ive worked on some of the putting tips indoorsa that I took away from my time at the Haney Ranch.

Ive been working on keeping my weight solid as i putt, mostly on my left foot (or what feels like it atleast).

Also Ive been working on my new set up routine.

Starting with the putting in my right hand, lining up the blade, then building a set up and stance around that.

Plus Ive added my wieght and stroke thoughts into my practice putt pre-shot routine.

This has helped a lot. The biggest challenge is taking the "indoor" putting stroke and feel back to the "outside", but as long as I can concentrate on these putting keys, it will just be a matter of adjusting my feel.

OK hoping to get a round in before the end of March, but with work and weather not co-operating, I might have to wait until middle of April as thats when my sched will open back up again.

Thanks for reading!

Range Work

2006-02-12T22:04:00.000-08:00

Well hit the range Sat before the Noreaster hit us.

Good work done. Took the advice of Kevin during my time at the Haney school to slightly adjust my address position.

Ive tried to straighten my spine angle a touch.

this entails me feeling like im sticking my butt out a touch at address.

This is another great small tweak that, again, has yielded great results.

My shaft angle is really staying consistient too.

Im also trying to groove my more inside-out move at the ball. Its really working. Ive gain alot of distance easily (8 irons up to 155 even 160 and nice penitrating draws..same with 5 irons and driver) and more control ..less leaked shots and only a few hooks. Worked on good shoulder turn and completing it fully.

At home still working on putting tips.

Re-worked set up/routine.
Keeping weight steady and more on left foot
And releasing the putter alog my "chalk line"

ok once the snow melts will report back in.

Enjoy!

PS Poor Mike Weir today at Pebble. He really didnt play THAT bad...bad bounces and some missed key putts. crazy pin positions! Keep grinding Mike..looks like a solid season so far. 2 top 5s!

Moe Norman Swing Thoughts

2006-02-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

Just found this on the web.

Great stuff for sure and all very usable.

Been a slow few weeks around here but have just been hitting the range as often as I can and working on stretching and conditioning at home.

Bought yet another putter so come the spring I'll have to see what works out on the course.

A Week at Hank Haneys Golf Ranch, Dallas Texas

2006-01-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

Well where to start.

What a fantastic week.

I spent a week at Hank Haneys golf Ranch and have a lot of great things to focus and work on that will really help my game get more solid.

I worked with Kevin Johnson there and would highly recommend him. As a instructor, he quickly focused on a few key swing positons and in doing so, really didnt try to change up a lot, which was a huge relief. It was greaty having a well trained set of eyes looking over all aspects of my game.

The big points Ive take from the week are:

2 key sing moves: workin on my take away, keeping the shaft from getting "inside" (working with a small wrist hinge drill to do this)

then: initiating the downswing by dropping the hands and shifting the left hip forward. This keeps my right heel from raising and allowing it to move towards the target.

Also concentrating on firing down the line, leading with the left hand. I have a small swing drill to do this and the ball really flies when I get it. My left hand nwas breaking down a touch before impact, with my right hand "taking over" and flicking the club head throught the impact.

I also worked on putting the ball back a touch in my stance and really trying to square up the club face at address (I have a tendancy to open it/lay it back)

The other big help was some key short game/putting work:

on chips keeping my weight on my left foot as well as my wedges. Not shifting my weight back to my right foot ( I think i was even doing this slightly on my putts) This is a huge help as I was blading/chunking alot of short chips and couldnt figure out why. It was wrecking my confidence over the ball.

On both wdges and chips: leading with te left hand and no scooping with the right.

Also getting a gap wedge (im thinking a 52 since me pw is 48) and getting a 58 instead on my 60 degree wedge (these 2 i will do quickly)

On putting: Ive set up an alignment line here at home. It allows me to see the clubface at set up and going back.

I also re worked my routine a touch. Ball more in the middle of my stance. Align the clubface w/ the right right hand at address first, then build a stance/grip around that. Also concrentating on good smooth acceleration and leading with the left hand.

Basically all of this will allow me to control my distanceson putts and chips, which has been killing my scoring from 100 yards and in.

I got some nice stat ideas to look at that will give me an idea of how im doing and monitor my shots at 2 key short game points (wedges and chips)

What a great facility. Kevin was a great instructor and gave great, focused feedback and was able to quickly communicate little faults and approaches to fixing/addressing them. He was a fantastic player too and could really dial in his shots from 100 yards and in. My game was pretty rusty but he was great at keeping postive and focusing on the task at hand for me.

Hopefully I can go back down at the end of the season to see how things are progessing and coming along.

Again a great time and hugely beneficial to me... money well spent!

Remembering Moe Norman and Golf in Canada

2006-01-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

As a 13 year old, I played 4 or 5 holes with Moe Norman.

Moe used to play at my home course every morning and Id see him go by as a few of the finishing holes went by the practice range where Id be working on my game. My Dad knew Mr Norman from his early assistant golf days when working at Don Valley Golf Course in the early 50s.

The OGA (Ontario Golf Association) revoked Moe's Amatuer status early in his playing career when they found out he was selling his prizes for cash to live on. This began a long career of what Id refer to as the "Typical Canadian Syndrome". Basically Canada has a strange way of treating their own.

My dad said that when Moe played in the Masters he withdrew after playing poorly in the first round. He said he wasnt playing to the level the tournament deserved. This is a pretty amazing statement when you think of it.

Mac Frost ran Spring Lakes (my home course for a while) and was one of the few people involved in Canadian Golf and the OGA/CPGA/RCGA (Royal Canadian Golf Association) that knew what a treasure Moe was to the game of golf in Canada. This was in the early 80s when people still regarded Moe generally as an introvert, rather than the genius ball striker that he was. Thankfully Moe finally received the recognition he deserved at the end of his life.

Since my Dad knew Moe, he encourgaged me to go up and ask Moe if i could join him one morning. Moe said ok.

While I dont remember much from those holes i do remember this: Moe played 5 balls and they were all within 5-10 yards of each other.

This was the days before long tees so Moe used to sometimes tee it up on a pencil. As juniors we'd do the same thing on longer holes and call it our "Moe Norman Shot" (id usually sky the crap out of it tho ahah).

Then he'd hit the same 5 balls in around 10 feet, putt one and pick the rest up. He did this for all of the holes we played. He didnt say much but basically let me tag along. I think he said something quick like "Nice swing, nice swing" to me ..hed always talk really fast in short sentances and sometimes repeat things.

Later I swung for George Knudson (who finished 2nd in the 1969 Masters, losing in playoff to George Archer and who still holds the most wins on the PGA tour for a Canadian at 8) when trying out for Ben Kerns Junior Progran at the National (that Knuston had a hand in running and developing). Dave Morland and Brennan Little (Mike Weirs Caddy and fantastic junior golfer) were playing in the program at the time.

It was a pretty amazing experience. He has us all swing with a short wieghted club he had developed and this was during his "start/finish" stage of approaching the golf swing.

Basically he was stressing balance. He said that he really didnt care what happened during the swing as long as you started with a good balanced setup and finished with your wieight on your left foot and body pointing towards to the hole.

His thinking was that if you attained these 2 ideal postions, itd be hard to go too far off track between them. Simple and to the point. (I must has done these 2 ok since he admitted me to the program)

I guess Im pretty luck to have had a chance to interact personally with these 2 players. They are generally regarded as the finest ball strikers after Hogan in someways. It always was a hinderance in someways as a junior, because I didnt concentrate enough on my scoring and focus on the course, which is what i really needed to compete in a Top 10-20 level nationally, due to my small size and lack of distance as Junior.

But being older and coming back to the game, I feel Ive been able to get into that and take it on. So we'll see how things go this year.

But its nice to have these experiences. Canada is a strange place sometimes.

"The Magic Move"

2006-01-03T07:44:00.000-08:00

Harvey Pennick called getting into the slot on the downswing "the Magic Move".

Ben Hogan regarded it as the most important move in the golf swing. Getting everything ready for the supination of the wrists at impact.

Whatever we call it, the idea that Pennick talks about in both the "Magic Move" and "Slow Motion Drill" pages in the Little Red Book is, in someways, "the secret of Golf".

Its important for a number of reasons and Ive really being trying to work on it and get the feeling of the best way to initiate it in my own downswing.

Basically the right elbow moves in towards the body on the downswing following the hips, allowing the wrist cock from the top of the swing to stay unchanged as the arms move towards impact. This allows that angle to build up stored enegery which is released at the bottom of the arc, as the hands finally release after the ball.

Im watching some old Hogan tapes, its incredible to see it in action. In some slow motion footage of Hogan, you can actually see his wrist cock staying complete almost until impact..its incredible.

Same with Phil Mickelson. Theres a swing sequence shoot in a recent Golf Digest which you can see his wrists still cocked deep into the downswing.

Basically Hogan describes this as the "free ride" the wrists and arms take as the hips, then the shoulders are "fired".

Vijay Singh works on this constantly.

So Ive been working on this for the past few practice sessions and its been of great help.

Ill post some more on this after I get back from the Golf Ranch and see what input and ideas they have and how they releate it to the swing plane.

Harvey Pennick Slow Motion Drill

2005-12-30T10:48:00.000-08:00

Ive been working with the Harvey Pennick Slow Motion drill and am really liking it.

Its allowing me to work on some weight transfer ideas plus its great for building strength and flexiblity.

Its one of a number of things/ideas Ive gotten after recently reading Pennicks Little Red Book (a great great read btw)

Heres some more ideas based on an "extension" of these ideas I found on a good golf blog called Golfing Zen:

http://www.golfingzen-tips.blogspot.com/

Going to try and hit the range today hopefully!

Happy New Year!

Dead of Winter

2005-12-28T10:52:00.000-08:00

Well, to borrow an image (literally!) from The Sand Trap Blog, not much golf going on around here.

But Dec 24th was actually a nice day so went to the range to get ready for my trip to Hank Haneys Golf Ranck in Texas.

Hoping anyone reading had a great holiday season and best wishes to all in 2006!

Feel free to write a comment or drop a line anytime!

Cheers!

Simulator Play

2005-12-19T07:22:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.

But up here in NYC, the only news lately has been more cold and more snow.

Finally the weather seemed to lift a little this weekend so I went down to Chelsea Piers to hit some balls and play on one of the their Golf Course Simulators for a couple of hours.

It was an interesting session but it was very hard to actually play a game with the idea of scoring at all. Especially on the short game and putting aspects.

Even off the tee, any attempt to work the ball would be read by the Sim as slice or a push or a hook.

Some distances seemed very strange too. A good rythmic swing that, on the course atleast, usually results in some of my longer drives, on the Sim, was being read a very short yardage.

So you really have to go after each shot or you'll come up short. Dont know how good that is to be repeating

Same with the par 3s. Hitting a iron teed up would result in being short too.

But over all it was good to be focused on a target, thinking a few swing keys and "letting her rip" as I say.

Hit a bunch of balls to warm up and worked on my fundimentals: wider stance, good turn, weight shift started my left heel/foot then weight finishing on left side on a good, balanced finish.

Going down to Hank Haneys Golf Ranch in Jan for a five day session, so it will be interesting to see what happens, hear their feedback on what Im doing and how much I take away and end up putting into my game.

Will try and post some video if possible too.

Happy Holidays too!

Snow and thoughts for Spring practice

2005-12-05T09:42:00.000-08:00

Well its offical. Winter is here in NYC.

Well..not "offically" but we got our first snow on the weekend and the next little while seems to only point to more.

So no more golf for now.

Ive been working on my putting at home when I get a chance and trying to watch some good instructional DVDs that I bought in the fall. The Tom Kite one Dave Stockton put out is fanatastic for shots from within 50 yards and Tom also has some great approaches to ball striking and the long game as well.

He really stresses balance and getting the weight onto the left foot as you move throught the ball. He also advocates a wide stance.

These points mirror the work I was doing on the range. They are thoughts (that when combined with my "good full turn" backswing thought) that helped me gain some nice distance, feel and ball height.

Im going to start hitting the practice facility on Staten Island once the weather breaks in the Spring. They have a full chipping and Sand Practice area. Hopefully I can hit some 20 yard wedges into it as well. But even being able to get some work in on my chipping will do wonders I feel.

Im also going to hit the par 3 course in Queens in the spring too.

All of the holes seem to be about 50 to 100 yards and this is perfect for working on my various wedges shots. I had a lot of sucess getting my wedge play together later in season, but it still needs work. Playing a few rounds there will definately help me..plus its a lighted course so I can go after work and play a few rounds in one session.

Ok more soon!

Winter hours...

2005-12-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

Well, my driving range on Randall's Island posted their winter hours last night..so ..so much for that!

They're gonna close at 8 PM and last balls are sold at 7ish so I wont be going there since I usually get home from work around 6:30 and like to relax a bit after.

So I'm looking maybe doing some simulator play down at Chelsea Piers, but its so pricey..

We'll see whats happens I guess!

Good session the other night..worked on weight tranfer, positions at address (wider stance, a bit more open etc) and had good results...worked with the new driver some more..still getting used to it but really really like it still.

Maybe a mix of hitting some balls first then an hour on the simulator would be good, just to keep in shape and see how the swing is holding up as I go through the bag etc...so expensive tho! Golf in NYC! Damn! haha

Ok more soon!

New Driver and putter grip

2005-11-28T12:07:00.000-08:00

Well I bought a 905 with a graffolly blue shaft on ebay last week

and boy is it nice. that blue shaft feels great..nice and firm..not like my other shafts..i always felt i could whip right through my Graphite Design ys6 and ys7s...big relief to feel like ive finally found a graphite shaft i can take a good hard swing at...i was ready to go back to steel!

People were saying online that it feels too stiff or like a baseball bat but i guess they dont have the swing speed you need to use it..cause it IS stiff but that sorta seems like the point.

Its stays with you without feeling "whippy"..i felt like everything just had to be "perfect" as far as my hands, shoulders weight etc to keep control of the other shafts ...boy has the game ever changed in 19 years!

It was all steel shafts "back in the day"...i even still have my first or second generation taylor made driver kicking around somewhere!

So my driver is now the 905s 8.5 with Graffolly Blue shaft. Ill try and post an equipment list at some point.

I also took a tip from ben crenshaw on a DVD dave stokcton put out (really good if youre looking for putting approaches..not just tips!). I got my right thumb pointing down the shaft on my putter grip..wow feels soo solid.

I was having problems with one hand "taking over" especialy on short putts...and getting both thumbs onto the top of the putter grip has really helped...thanks Ben! (and Harvey Pennick i guess!)

I would really suggest a solid review of your own fundimentals is anything is inconsistent in your own game...its amazing how they work so well. My right hand was only slightly over to the left but it was enought to make it inconsistent in both my take away and follow through on my putting swing.

Along with my slight adjustments on my full swing set up, its amazing how doing some easy little fixes can get stuff falling into place..or alteast giving us more control over things so that when things go bad, we can isolate problems more easily.

Ive always been a big believer in fundimentals and feel if people focused on them properly (rather than just "thinking" theyre doing them right!) theyd see such an improvement in their ball striking.

Again we all have to take these things out to the course (the hard part!), but the benefits of good solid fundimentals out-weight the work involved in incorporating other larger "swing changes" into our games. sometimes needlessly too..if our set up and main fundimentals are solid.

Also bought a new putter today so ill putt with it at home this week and report back if it keeps working (atleast on my little practice station in my room)

its nice an light and i like the way it sets up to the ball.

ok some more soon!

Good Day at the Range

2005-11-20T12:34:00.000-08:00

Well went to the range to today and kept working with the ideas from yesterday.

Really came along nicely.

Really worked on my finish getting my weight onto the ball of me left foot. This helped my weight tranfer automatically at the beginning of my down swing.

Aslo worked a bit on getting the wieght on the balls of my feel at my address.

A touch of a slower take away helped keep things in aligment and kept a nice solid rhythm.

So to trigger all these things, a wider and stightly more open stance seemed to do the trick.

Ok! lets see how next session goes!

Range Work/Quick Lesson

2005-11-19T14:52:00.001-08:00

Went to the range today and had a good workout.

Had a quick lesson to get my swing video taped had got some great input.

I had always had a bit of an open stanced and thsi season it tried to close things up a bit.

Well seems the pro thought I could get back into that slightly open position and it wouldnt hurt me..which is great cause I really felt I could get throught the ball better from that position.

Also we worked with a widened stance which really seemed to help..some Im goin to try and work with both of these ideas.

The biggest help tho was working on my follow through position.

Really trying to get my weight at my finish to be really over my my left foot and onb the ball of my foot.

A good tip was trying to test my positon was to try and barely lift my right toe olf the ground after holding my position on my follow thro

The really helped me in working my hips (but without think about it) and kept me really online.

So i think im going to work on thse along with the idea i was working with last week. That being keeing my right hand from letting off the grip.

wow lots to work on but we'll see how things go.

then short game short game short game!

Range Work

2005-11-16T20:22:00.001-08:00

Wow another good night trying a few new things.

After working with my wrist position, i noticed that my right elbow was "flying".

I worked on getting into that "holding a try" type position at the top with the right elbow and boy did things fall into place.

Will see how things go with it in the month or so!

pw, 7, 5, 3, driver

2006 tourney sched coming together!

2005-11-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

U.S.G.A Mid-Amateur 2006
Third week of April (Application released)

Sat April 23rd 2005 (for reference)
2005 Bay Ridge Lexus NYC Amateur Qualifying:
(Silver Lake and Clearview)

Sat April 30th 2005
2005 Bay Ridge Lexus NYC Amateur Qualifying:
(Pelham)

Sat April 29 2006
Michelob Ultra Event
Spring Lake LI

Wednesday, May 11 (2005 for reference)
2005 Long Island Golf Association Open Championship Qualifier
Bethpage State Park-Red Course

Thursday, May 25 2006
THE IKE (MGA) SQR (LI)
Cold Spring CC
Cold Spring Harbor, NY

Sat May 27 2006
ULTRA GOLF
Great Rock

Sat-Sun May 28,29 2005 (for reference)
2005 Bay Ridge Lexus NYC Amateur Championship
(Latourette)

Wednesday/Thursday, June 8-9, 2005 (for reference)
Long Island Golf Association Open
Bethpage State Park: Red Course

Sat June 10 2006
ULTRA GOLF
Rock Hill

Tuesday, June 13 2006
MGA PUBLIC LINKS SQR (NYC)
LaTourette GC
Staten Island, NY

Monday, June 20 (2005 for reference)
2006 Long Island Golf Association Amateur Championship
Qualifying Round
Woodcrest Club
Syosset, NY

Tues-Thurs, June 21-23 (2005 for reference)
2006 Long Island Golf Association Amateur Championship
Woodcrest Club
Syosset, NY

Sat-Sun June 24, 25 2006
ULTRA GOLF
NE Regional Washington DC

Thursday, July 6 2006
MGA MET AMATEUR SQR (NYC)
Richmond County CC
Staten Island, NY

Sat July 8 2006
ULTRA GOLF
LI National

Tues-Sat July 18-22, 2006
NY State Men's Amateur
CC of Troy, - Troy, NY

Sat July 22 2006
ULTRA GOLF
Pine Ridge

Wednesday July 26 2006
MGA MET OPEN SQR (LI#2)
Woodmere Club
Woodmere, NY

Monday-Tuesday, August 01-02 2005 (for reference)
Long Island Golf Association Public Links Championships
Bethpage State Park-Black Course

Wed - Sat AUGUST 3-6 2006
MGA MET AMATEUR
BALTUSROL GC
SPRINGFIELD, NJ

Fri August 11, 2005 (for reference)
U.S.G.A Mid-Amateur Championship Qualifying
North Hempstead Country Club
Port Washington, NY

Sat Aug 12 or Thurs Aug 17 2006 (not yet confirmed)
ULTRA GOLF
Bethpage Red Invitational

Tues-Thurs AUGUST 22-24 2006
MGA MET OPEN
CANOE BROOK CC
SUMMIT, NJ

Sat Sun Aug 26-27 2006
ULTRA GOLF
Local Championship Cherry Creek

September 21-22, (2005 for reference)
Long Island Golf Association Amateur Stroke Play
Laurel Links-Laurel, NY

Friday- Sunday September 22-24, 2006
NY State GA Men's Mid-Amateur
Brookfield CC, - Clarence, NY

Well its getting to be a nice full list of events at some really nice courses!

Better work on my putting and chipping! B-)

Pro Golfer Blog

2005-11-16T07:36:00.000-08:00

http://www.brianquackenbush.com

Another really interesting blog by a pro playing on one of the Mini Tours (the Tar Heel tour)

Interesting read about the ups and downs of working his way up to doing Q school and also the realities of equipment and sponsorship.

Great info for sure!

Swing Plane

2005-11-15T21:03:00.000-08:00

http://www.majorchampionships.com/

Heres a great golf blog i stumbled upon looking for some swing plane videos.

These guys have done a great job and hopefully once I get some time I can bring this blog up a bit. A nice model to follow!

Enjoy!

Michelob Ultra Golf NY Metro Dates for 2006

2005-11-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

Tentative dates for 2006
Feb 24-26 Las Vegas
April 29 Spring Lake LI
May 15 Monday Shotgun Hamlett Willow Creek
May 27 Great Rock
June 10 Rock Hill
June 24, 25, NE Regional Washington DC
July 8 LI National
July 22 Pine Ridge
Aug 5 Swan Lake
Aug 12 or 17 Bethpage Red Invitational
Aug 26, 27 Local Championship Cherry Creek
Sept Fall Classic.
Oct Sir Elford Cup/
National Championship

Will have to see how many I can play in.

I was in the hogan flight but would love to move up into a higher to face some stiffer competition. I think it would bring my game up a few notches for sure.

As a walker, its always hard to adjust to cart golf.

Even in Florida I walked all 4 rounds. I find its easier and not as slow cause I always have my clubs and never have to walk back to the cart if I selected improperly.

Plus I can get my rhythm going better when Im walking.

I guess Ill have to adjust as most of the tourments use carts it seems.

Range Work:
Hit balls last night continuing to work on my hand/wrist position at the top of my swing.

It seemed to help but i was fighting a hook on my driver..will see if it was just from being tired yesterday, as I was "recovering" from my birthday celebrations the night before!

Pre shot routine movies

2005-11-11T14:43:00.000-08:00

great stuff

Ive been working on my own pre shot routine a lot lately so it was great to stumble upon this little Titlest marketing page.

Some of the top players here outlining their own pre shot routines.

I think the best thing I took away from this was how much emphasis they each place on the target.

I mean it sounds so simple, but we all seem to get so wrapped up in our swing keys when on the tee and over the ball, we sometimes forget to think about where we want the ball to go and subsequently (and most importantly) our approach to actually playing the hole sucessfully.

Also target thoughts clears the head of any negatives and allows us to think of postive thoughts.

Personally I love visualization.

When Im swinging well, I simply see the shot I want to play happen in my mind before I approach the ball. Then its just a matter of stepping up, committing to the shot (so important!) and then hitting it. Easier said than done ofcourse!

But I think its great see these guys "break it down".

The whole idea of "lettin her rip!" is something I was working on this season.

Then if the shot doesnt work out, move on and just get the ball back into play.

Then once back on range, trying to figure out what went wrong mechanics-wise there, not out on the course.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

A great little find!

Range Work

2005-11-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

Hit balls tonight working on what I posted earlier.

but also worked on my club/wrist position at the top of my swing.

This really seemed to help.

Instead of breaking my wrists, i tried to keep the club in line with my swing plane or path. A real change. Almost felt like swinging flatter (but i wasnt)

Had great results with this as far as consistency and accuracy (especially with the driver)

So will keep working on this and see how things go.

Clubs:

w, 7, 5, 3 driver.

Off Season thoughts and missing the black already!

2005-11-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

Well..no more golf but I have been hitting at Randalls Island range at night when i get a chance.

Had a really good session last week.

Worked on the following:
- Good turn and rythmn.
- swing plane
- one piece take away
and controlling weight shift at take away

I think thinking of a slight, yet not "over-done" weight shift at the start of my take away did alot of good.

I also have been making sure im not tensing up at address.

Well see how much i can do once i put the car away for the winter, but I plan to go to Dallas to do a week at Hank Hanleys school in Jan. Thats should be a nice off season work out and give me stuff to work on in getting reason for season 06.

Will work with one of their staff teachers. I guess thats all I can afford! Good love "coaching" Tiger I guess!

Rencently have been reading "Zen Golf" and its enforcing some of the positive thoughts I had already noticed taking over in my game near the end of the season.

I got Butch Harmon's "Playing Lessons" book as well and its really helping on some course management and strategy thinking.

The Nassau Player Club have a great "tour" of my "home" course: The Black Course at Bethpage:

The Black Course Tour at Bethpage

This is the sign that greets me every Sat and Sun afternoon as I get ready to play.

Basically says it all!

I think a good off season will let me crack 80 there more often and start playing more regulaly off the blue tees.

83 bethpage black

2005-11-02T18:29:00.001-08:00

crazy windy day today and lots of tough course conditions due to fall winter preparations.

2, 13, 18 fairwairs arriated and topsoilded.

that being said some good shots coupled with some bad luck threw a couple of unwanted doubles (3 to be exact) that were hard to recover from given the wind and mentioned fairways (2 caused me to hit shot, 13 caused my 3 wood to the green to be a bit fat and same with 18)

bogey on 17 due to bad swing on a four iron
double on 5 due to bad swing on 3/4 8 iron into the green
bogey on 11 due to yipped putt (only one all day tho)
double on 2 due to flubbed chip
bad luck double on 6 due to wrong club selection
bad luck bogey on 13 due to wong club to chip with from bunker 20 yards out
bad rushed swing on driver on 12 left long iron into the wind ..missed my long sand shot but then sank a clutch 8 footer to save bogey.

was better off the tee (stats dont really reflect it but good rythmic swings) and putting was better (31)

took some good ideas out to the course and gave things a good run

Once the season starts up and its warmer i can see things coming around..the fairways and ball flying a bit longer will definately help.

frustrating to shoot 83 again, but trying to remember the course played hard today with the wind (20 mhp guts)

tried gary player/butch harmon 3 wood chip..save pared!
tried tom kite 6 iron chip..worked just need to get used to it

lots and lots of work to do still.

hanging up the clubs for 2005! hello range and practice putting at home

Sched for 2006

2005-11-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

Ive made up a schedule of local Amateur Tournaments and Qualifiers for 2006. Ofcourse some (or most of these) are dependant on getting my handicap down 3 strokes in order to be able to apply to play. So we'll see!

heres the plan:

MGA THE IKE CHAMPIONSHIP
MGA PUBLIC LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP
MGA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
MGA OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
U.S.G.A Mid-Amateur (quailifer)
Long Island GA Open Championship
Long Island GA Amateur Championship
Long Island GA Public Links Championship
Long Island GA Amateur Stroke Play Championship
NYSGA Men's Mid-Amateur
NYSGA Men's Amateur Championship

So thats a big list and it might not happen if I cant get my intial goal completed.

But Ive anaylized my rounds and can see where I can improve.

The biggest things im going to work on this winter are:

conditioning (strength/Stretching)
putting (trying to practice short putts in my room)
range work

on the range im working on the following thoughts:

complete a good turn on my driver for good distance and accuarcy
good solid firm acceleration on driver and Irons (good tempo)
good accleration on chips
working in good wrist hinge on wedges and acceleration

As the fall has progressed Ive been happy with the way Ive taken thse thoughts to the course...especially in my short game

My putting has become more solid too thinking about a good foolow throught and acceleration.

I might try to play one last round on the Black Course tomorrow so we'll see if I go out.

My last round was an 84 on the blackand I was hitting the ball terribly off the tee. My even tho I didnt get up and down tha tmuch to save par (cold hard greens didnt help!) my chipping was good with no flubs and good aggressive runs at the hole. My putts were all good attempts and we all past the hole burning the rim a number of times.

This was like in Florida. Good solid strokes will keep my going for my birdies and solids pars and will eventually start to drop more.

I think if I can get back into a good solid tempo off the tee I cant knock some strokes off, althought its cold now so the ball isnt flying at all.

Making a tough course almost impossible to score on!

More tommmow!

Welcome

2005-10-31T13:56:00.000-08:00

Well here it is.

Ive decided to post a blog about trying to return to competitive golf after 19 years off.

Right now my goals feel large but do-able.

In the upcoming season I hope to reduce my handicap by 4-5 strokes and see if I can quailfy for some of the top Amateur Events in the NYC/Long Island Area.

Currently I am a 6 handicap (my first since i was 17 whenI was a 4) and I play regularly at Bethpage State Park.

I played my first competitive round in July 2005 on the Michelob Ultra golf tour.

My last competition before that was the 1985 Canadian Junior Championship where I placed tied for 51 (scores of 77- 80-79- 83) at 17. I stopped playing totally that fall and played one or two rounds every few years for fun but never practiced until summer of 2004 when I began to hit balls again.

For the 2005 season I finished by participating in the Ultra Golf Tour's National Championship in Orlando Florida. I made the cut and finished tied for 8th in the Hogan Flight.

This will be a tough but fun road. Feel free to follow along and see how things go!