A frustrating 48 at Gairloch

(scorecard and stats here )

...Got out for 9 at the inlaws, and started so well (for me)- Bogey, par, par with two nice consecutive up and downs, and with a lip-out for par (and another up & down) on the first. In fact I managed a 'sandy' on the 2nd, only my second ever. I've added a 42 degree Cleveland Niblick to my scoring arsenal, and I'm loving it. Good for chips from tight lies with a putting stroke, standard chips, pitches and right up to full shots. It's replaced my 44 degree PW, and compliments my Eidolon wedges (48,54,60 degrees)

Trouble started on the 4th, the green keeper chatted for a bit, I set up, felt uneasy, backed off and changed my aim. Deliberately, but was too aggressive (hoping for another par) hit trees, had to take an unplayable as ball was beside tree, dropped ball and it rolled to the bottom of the hill (not sure on the rules on this, will have to check!) was further from the hole, so played it there, down in 3 for a triple.

Round went a bit more poorly after that, had a heavy chip (head up) and pitch at the next two holes, a 3 putt on the next, but came to the 8th with a good score possible. The 8th is a card wrecker lurking. The only par 5 on the course, it's the only true links hole on the course, with heavy reeds and OOB all down the left, and the fairway drops off on the right (although there are other fairways nearby, the course is ingeniously folded into a tiny parcel of land). You can then play over a deep rough filled gully (very deep, both the rough & the gully) cutting the corner, or play to the top off the bluff, where there's a very steep sided hill, with yet more deep rough before the fairway carrys on, dog legging left. Hit it too straight and too far over the fairway, and there is (you guessed it) still more deep rough. And as it's played blind, it's a lost ball more often than not. The green is big and has some wicked borrows, as do all of the greens there. The course isn't long, but it's by no means easy. The course record is apparently 1-under.

My drive just bounced off the right hand side of the fairway into the rough. I played smart out, with a 1/2 9 iron, a bit shorter than I intended. I was just at the gully, and decided to play over it with my 6 wood- usually a club I'm very comfortable with, and feel even my mishits are useable. Sadly the draw of the gully (known to members and myself as 'the hole') was too much. Too keen to hit over, I tensed and topped it in. It landed halfway down, and took 2 shots to get ball out onto the semi rough on at the foot of the hole. A 7 iron (should have played a 6) fell short of the green, then an indifferent chip and three putt for a vexing 10. Nearly redeemed myself a little with a par at the last, but my putt (on intended path and pace) just went over the 'cellophane bridge the horseshoed out, leaving a tap in for a bogey.

Although I'm disappointed with this round, a number of things went very well, and I want to record them. I was in the sand twice, got up and down from there once and very nearly twice. Was thoroughly involved in the process for these shots, and they came out as I'd envisaged. I was in a wee 'dwalm' after they'd been hit, it took a second to connect in my head that the ball I was seeing was the one I'd just hit, a sure sign of being absorbed in the process. I managed to stay in the process (not always as well as this, but still pretty well) on a much higher percentage of shots, my putting is improving and can improve still further, just by doing more of what I've been doing (and so I feel on the right track) I had a number of good chips and pitches, again arising from a process focus. I was aware when I started to go too far into the future (eg when I started to think about what I'd say on here!) and I'm starting to catch that. I experimented with thinking of the riff fro the White Stripes "7 Nation Army" any time that happened (it's very useful to block out the most irritatingly persistent "earworm" tunes) and it was useful.

So what went wrong? Not enough process. Although more in the process on shots, I was still too aware of my scores so far and my potential final score- that was what led me to try hitting over the 'hole' (need a 5 to keep my score good) and then stopped me just taking an 'unplayable' drop when the ball went into the gully. Thinking of the gully as 'The Hole' hasn't been helpful either- would have played a big part in increasing tension before and during my swing, and the head lift that all caused me to top the ball. I should have played safer in the fairway if in any doubt. I was about 180 back- 2 3/4 niblicks would have done it. Putting needs more work but has improved considerably with the work I've done, and aiming and setup with my "gamer" mallet has definitely been improved by a few sessions with the backup blade- having to work out how to set up and aim the blade, getting used to it then swapping back and re-learning the mallet. Found this out by accident as the blade was at my folks' where we'd been on holiday, with no space to take my main bag, so was using a spare bag I'd left there for my brother, now in Sydney (I'll put it back before you come back Euan!). Discovered by accident, but as a method it'll stay in the bag- might even try it with other clubs too (eg less offset irons, different loft driver etc).

I need also to look at how to get out of trouble efficiently and with the minimum of damage. I'm reading Dave Pelz' Damage Control, and will see how that goes. I may also look at Seizo Mazer's Game Sense for this and strategic advice- I like the audio book idea, and also have Zen putting on audio book for the commute.

Instead of getting discouraged, I'm looking at how far my game has improved in the last while. My best scores may not be that much better than last year, but I'm getting them much more frequently and my worst scores are much better. My best shots are again similar, but my worst shots have improved greatly. It would be wrong to lose the faith, I'll keep inching along the plateau until my scoring improves ;-)

See you on the putting green!

No Medal this week

...as I've been on holiday, doing the tour of the Grandparents' and ending up on what was my Grandparents' croft on the Eilean a' Cheo (Isle of Skye) as Mrs Geek was doing a Gaelic course at the college there with her Mum (hereafter referred to as Granny McGeek). Neither of us goes to see our parents as often as we should, so golf practice was limited. I did manage to sneak onot the Bob Torrance School of Golf's training ground for some much needed putting practice, and practice aiming chip and pitch shots with foam balls in my parent's back garden. I've had recurrent problems with not being able to consistently 'get' what the clubface should look like when it's down square, so I've been working on that. I also picked up my spare putter from my folks', and spent a bit of time on working how to optimise my set up with that, and as it's a blade and my main putter is a 2-ball it's meant that I've had to look at my main putter again, a much needed back-to basics.

I did manage to sneak out last night and drive up to the only golf course on Skye, but this was a washout as I'd forgotten some medication and as my morning dose wore off my game disintegrated. I managed to lose 5 balls, unusual for me these days, and then developed a case of the shanks. Interestingly, I've been involved in a discussion on Twitter, as a mental game coach in training asked another coahc what proportion of poor shots were due to mental errors, and what portion due to physical errors. My feeling is that it's impossible to disentangle the two, they're both present in every poor shot, the proportions vary. My experience with my medication backs this up, as every time I've been trying to hit shots when I've forgotten a dose I develop a case of the shanks, something that is not usually a feature of my game, thankfully. I cut my losses and headed home after the 6th hole, but will return there. It's an interesting course, by the sea at the foot of the Red Cuillin mountains, but a heathland rather than links course, although the two of course play similarly. It's a functional course, not perhaps the best in design but fun to play your way around and the setting is little short of spectacular. There is plenty to marvel at, and it's easy to avoid getting caught up in mechanical thoughts between shots here.

Their website can be found here

I also manged to get out today for 9 holes at Gairloch, where my in-laws reside; my score can be found here. It only tells part of the story. I put my first drive out of bounds, but after that played solidly and only just missed a 5-foot putt for a 5. I then started to play really quite well, not in the zone but near enough to catch a brief glimpse of what it could be. I was calm and relaxed, playing swiftly but unhurriedly, and none of my putts missed by much, but unfortunately I wasn't able to block out the excitement of potentially scoring well, and with this hope came the undercurrent of fear.I don't know what came first, the decrease in quality of my shots or me slowing down, but whichever initiated it, they exacerbated each other and exasperated me (not actually that much on the course, but I feel keenly that I had an opportunity to get a good score) I got ahead of myself, and although I did bring myself back into the present, I didn't manage to banish the twin demons of hope and fear entirely. The 8th at Gairloch is one of the 2 "links" style holes and is for many a place of poor memories, poor shots and even poorer course management decisions. I was guilty of all 3, although I feel I can keep the memories at bay. I pulled my drive into the left hand rough, but avoided the gully of lost balls and the maram grass at the side of the hill, but aimed and played my six iron poorly. I was looking to get to the top of the cliff that overlooks the contiunation of the fairway as it approaches the green, but hit it right. Not a push, just a too-casual aim, and I found myself with a sloping uphill lie but with the ball beneath my feet. I then chose to try a 6 wood, rather than hitting say a half 9-iron up to where the second shot should have been played, and pull hooked the ball into some thickish rough, took a further 2 shots onto the green and then three putted. Hit my tee shot at the 9th into a bunker, had to stand outwith the bunker and reach down for a ball well below my feet on a downhill lie. Left first one in there, second came out about 2 feet, and then chipped and 2 putted.

I can't be too upset. Given how things looked and felt last night, I'd have quite happily taken a 47 for 9 at Gairloch the next day. I had a lot of putts that weren't far away and that's getting better. I'm (starting) to get more conscious of trying a shorter back swing but without stiffening up. I had the feeling of playing fairly effortlessly and smoothly. Although I perhaps didn't handle the feeling of a round going well particularly well, I didn't disintegrate and I hope to have many more chances to deal with that feeling- after all, if it comes more often it means that I'm getting better, playing better and scoring better. And I'm improving as a golfer. Bit by bit, in a fairly attritional fashion but there is forward movement. I'm also really pleased that I put last night's poor round aside and didn't let it affect my game. Fatigue may also have played a part - had a fun but exhausting weekend of the kids to myself, and had driven for 3 hours before playing; Hadn't drunk enough and was really hungry by the time the 8th hove into view- all things that are easy to remedy when I have my usual bag and trolley, as I'd just packed a pencil bag to save space.

So what to change? Missed a couple of putts from short distance (I'm fairly certain deceleration is the culprit) so I'm going to hit consecutive 3 footers at home, aiming to reach 25 or so. Hopefully I'll be able to get out onto the putting greens too, a couple of nights to try things like spiral impossible, never up never win and other putting drills from Instinctive Golf. I'd been keeping up my stretching but fatigue has limited me the last couple of nights so will readdress that from Tuesday at the earliest. I'm starting to really think about how to setup and aim consistently with all of my clubs, putter to driver; I've also replaced my 44(!) degree Pitching Wedge with a 42 degree Cleveland Niblick, a hybrid scoring club. This compliments my Eidolon wedges (48,54,60 degree) rather well, and I practiced chipping with it off of tight lies. Seems to be best to use a putting stroke for short chips, standard chip for longer ones; the putt/chip works rather well from tight lies. The other thing to do is to keep an eye on my routine, to do my best to keep the amount of time taken fairly constant, and fairly swift in keeping with my behaviour style.

Home tomorrow hopefully, and I'll drive my wife daft by making a small detour to the club to get my name down for next Saturday's medal...

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Saturday 8th of May: 99 (Medal, Kings Links)

Details of the round can be found here

Another blowy day, and an improvement of 5 strokes on last week. My back 9 was pretty impressive by my standards, pretty solid "bogey" golf, with a par on the last. My putter hadn't really been firing on the front 9- more on that later- and as I made the turn I realised that I'd been tight and tense on the greens, and that more than anything was affecting things. I gave myself a little shake, accepted that I hadn't worked enough on putting technique or touch & feel drills during the week, and that on the course wasn't the time or place to sort it or to remonstrate with myself (there is also mitigation, honest!), but what I could do was relax and hit putts free from tension and as smoothly as possible. This worked very well for me- got a 4 at the very tricky 10th (elevated tee, elevated green with harsh bunkering and linksy gorse nastiness in the gully between) and played much better. Only slight blemish on the back 9 was a triple at the 17th; was by the green in 3, then thinned a chip way past the flag from a tight lie (for a moment I thought it might hit the pin and drop in or at least slow a bit, but no. Was annoyed as I usually play the Hybrid chip from that sort of lie, but had hit a poor one on the 15th, turning a look at par into a double bogey 7 so went for a 9 iron chip) Then I tightened up over the putt back, and three putted. Sank an 8-10 footer on the last for a scrambled par though, which made things look brighter. Sand play was pretty good, always out in one apart from the first. Although stats show lots of missed fairways, that's not all the story; many of the misses on the back 9 were where I was in semi rough, at a reasonable distance with a fairly clear shot; I may stop recording these as missed fairways as I'd rather have that than hitting a fairway 20 yards off the tee after popping the ball up). I didn't start the round well so I'm really proud of the way I stuck in to get a reasonable score- playing to my handicap for the first time in competition, on a day where one of my playing partners (18 handicap) NR'd, and the other (12) scored 95.

On the downside, I started poorly. I got to the club at an OK time, but as the other lads weren't there, I got caught up reading waiting for them and as a result we were rushed onto the tee- no stretching, no quiet time, no playing the preparatory NLP mp3, nowt! Still, drove the green off the first tee. Sadly it was a duck hook onto the 14th green...

I also hadn't done any putting preparation. I'd had an appraisal at work, an annual review, and because of illness my last to had been difficult; I was thus anxious about this one and spent a long time preparing. Although it went very well, it used up a lot of energy, so not much putting practice was had. And by the time I got home on Friday I was exhausted, so didn't really prepare.

I missed stretching on Friday and the following Monday, and only got a half set done before the round.

On the whole, though I'm pleased. Pleased with how I golfed my ball around the back 9 the back 9, at the way I changed my state, at how I hung on despite it not going well, at the par putt after the 3 putt on 17, at being able to accept my putting as it was and then focus on maximising how I used the stroke I have. No technical thoughts to speak of on the course, and I was unhurriedly swift. Kept energy on a much more even keel with fruit, sandwich and low fat cereal bar, and drank more water.

What needs to improve? Putting- short, long and lag. I am a wee bit frustrated that I'm making the same mistake repeatedly- I want to be making new mistakes! This therefore needs work. I don't want to be saying this after my next medal round (not the 15th, as I'm on holiday) so will use this as a motivator if I'm ambivalent to going out when I have the opportunity. My preparation was also poor on the day (again something I said last week) so will lay things out Friday, and get to the club earlier. Need to find a way to get into focus before the first tee, rather than muddling on into the middle of the round. Have added a Cleveland Niblick (42 degree) in place of my 44 degree PW (!- what business does a PW have being 44 degrees? it's a piece of nonsense just done to say clubs go farther...)

Because this handicap is coming down, like it or not!

Right, I'm off to stretch before bed. Toothbrushing exercise before brushing teeth...

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Toothbrushing Exercises

I read about an interesting concept: the toothbrushing exercise. This refers to things that you accept will just have to happen for things to be as you want. After all, if you don't brush your teeth they decay and fall out. I didn't manage to stretch on Monday, but after hurting my back yesterday, I figured I had to. I want to acheive a lot in golf, so with only taking the game up in my thirties I have to look after myself so stretching has to become a toothbrushing exercise. There will be others. What's yours?

First Medal Score: 104

You might think I'd be disappointed with that score, and you would be right. But not in fact that disappointed. Yes, it's at the upper end of my usual range; yes, I want to do better. But frankly I was just too happy to be out to be upset, and I'm finally getting to play with (and watch) battle hardened golfers. And I like what I see.

There was also an awful lot to be happy with. I was pretty nervous about the first drive, particularly as there was a bantering group behind us on the tee. Fortunately Laurence and Charlie noticed this and asked if I wanted to go first- the first of many things for which I'm grateful to this pair. I hit a reasonable shot- a little shorter than usual, a little right of where aimed but this wasn't due to an open club-face as it would usually be. We were playing into a strong headwind. It's not unusual to have wind on the course- after all, it's a links course in the North East of Scotland- but it was in the opposite direction to the prevailing wind. Second shot fell short, third was indifferent, then a chip and one putt for a respectable 5. A good start.

Things went wrong on the second. A drive shorter than my usual, again into the wind. I was about 190-200 out, and therefore decided to play 2 iron shots into the green, in accordance with my pre-round plan. Given the wind and playing from an sharply uphill lie I hit a three quarter 8 iron, and then went to hit a similar 9 iron. I wasn't happy over the ball...but still hit the shot; what Dr Joe Parent describes as an "anyway". As usual, the result wasn't good. I hit a dribbly little top into a bunker, short siding myself. First shot left the ball in the sand, second took way too much sand and only just popped out with a chip and a putt for a 7. I started to get a bit down on myself- we were finishing a hole just before the group ahead tee'd off, so time was not an issue.

Crucially, I didn't see this and didn't realise my focus had gone from the shot and 'feeling' the club-face onto the ball onto not embarrassing myself and not holding things up. From a positive to negative focus, with predictable result. I shanked the next tee shot, a 4H(24 deg) to a par three, into tall grass, put recovery into a deep bunker, hit w-a-y too hard off the back of the green, onto a downslope then hit without deciding between a pitch or a chip, fluffed it, hit a chip with my lob wedge rather than go back to get a more appropriate club before hitting first putt way past and four feet wide, then getting down in tow more.

If that last paragraph seems breathless and rushed, that's because it was. I wasn't stopping and taking my time to focus and think, just wanted it to be over to get finished. But even with getting an 8 with all the time these shots took we still had to wait on the next tee. I deviated from my plan as I'd decided I was going to come out of that particular bunker sideways; whilst it may be OK to deviate from a plan it should only happen after some thought something that was definitely lacking.

Fortunately, I caught myself on my way to the next tee. I realised I was scurrying, hunched over, the body language and gait of a man who wanted it to be over. That's not the way to be on the 17th tee, let alone the 4th. I stood tall, put my shoulders back and loped my customary lope with a smile on my face.

I'd love to say that magically sorted everything out, but of course it didn't. The wind was still blowing, the course was substantially longer from the Medal tees and I was regretting leaving my 6 iron out for a 9 wood. But it made all the difference to my attitude and perception, and I started hitting shots that got genuine approval from my playing partners. It was really interesting to see them. My game is improving, but often they weren't hitting shots that were much better than mine, but they were making better decisions on shot and club selection. It feels a bit like learning to drive a car - once you pass your test you start learning how to drive. I feel like I can really move forward from here, that it might not take too long before scores start improving.

I was out in 57, and came back in 47. I focused much better on shots, and hit some lovely shots into the greens. Despite taking my putter too far back and decelerating (the thing I'm working on this next week!) giving me some difficulty controlling my putts, I putted reasonably well. I did have a few misses from short range, but a shorter stroke will sort that. I largely stuck to my plan, played lots of 3/4 and full 9 irons into the greens with good success, largely held onto my focus apart from the odd shot here and there and it never even occurred to me to think of mechanics between shots. Of the things I've started working on after the Instinctive Golf day, I seem to have adopted the baseball grip without too much distress, my club was almost always square and I seem to be starting to be a bit less rigid at address. The last of these is what's giving me the most difficulty, but it's coming into line. It's important to remember I've only been working on these for a fortnight and I've not been at the range once (although I have hit a few balls in the playing fields near home), so this is really very promising.

What will I change next week? Well, I'll be trying to get to the range to try out my 9 degree driver. The 12 degree is too high for a windy links course, really. The 9 wood will come out of my bag, as it's probably too high to consider, and I'll leave the 24 degree hybrid in. I will try to get out to the 6 hole course with my 4 & 5 irons, as if I can start to hit these reliably, the lower flight they offer means that they should probably be considered for the bag, although I suspect next week will be too early for that. And I do love my 6 wood. I'll be working hard on maintaining focus, and not being quite so rushed onto the first tee. I'm going stretch every day this week, and before the round too. I'll add a bit more variety and fruit to my on course snacks, and drink water more frequently. I'm going to change my plan so that I'll be hitting more full/three-quarter 9 irons into the green. But not that much, really.

At home, it'll be putting, putting, putting, with me trying to explore making a shorter, more positive stroke. If anyone reading has any suggestions on how to accomplish this, I would really appreciate it if you'd leave a comment.

I'd like to finish by thanking my playing partners, Laurence and Charlie, once again for taking me out and offering advice and tolerance. Cheers boys, same time next week?