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...

(Interested in trying to apply theories, practice drills and to talk about them with other golfers? Try the Golf golf and more Golf blog. I'm happy to hear any suggestions anyone may have for ideas to try out in that forum.