Tag Archives: putting

Short Game Setback

5 Mar

After playing two decent games with good putting (31 putts), today’s game was just the opposite. What happened?

It is darn right demoralizing when things do not go as planned. My short game was off, while the putting was not any better. Today, I did 38 putts! Yikes. And to add salt to the wound, I had six three-putts, missing several short putts. Horrible.

I hope all these, especially the short-game errors, are temporary. On a brighter note, my tee-off has improved. A slight tweak to my setup had me averaging at least 30 meters more than before! I am most impressed with myself with this newfound ability.

Now, if only I could say the same about my short game and putting. I have another game lined up to fix all these. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will hold for the afternoon game.

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Hit and Pray

23 Feb

Going away for a holiday is always fun. But, coming back to routine becomes a problem. I stopped playing golf the week before Chinese New Year, and being away in Bangkok stretched the layoff to two weeks.

Last Tuesday, I played my first game and discovered how off I was. I could not tee off and lost all my muscle memory. My long game was short, and the short game and putting were off. It was terrible.

Despite all the misfortune, I had fun because the outing quickly became a laugh fest instead. To resolve my problems, I adopted the ‘Hit and Pray’ strategy. Just hit the ball and pray for it to land somewhere safe (read fairway, not the rough, ravine, water, or sand bunker). Hahahaha.

I hope I won’t take too long to get my golf mojo back, for I have lined up several games for next week. Otherwise, the ‘Hit and Pray’ strategy will have to continue.

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Iron Challenge 2024

23 Jan

What can I say about the Iron Challenge tournament this year? Well, it was a matter of could have or should have for the strokeplay tournament. The practice rounds did help with handling the long irons. All the other clubs were also good at ball striking, crossing most of the ponds and lakes safely. And I only lost one ball because of a mis-hit. Sadly, putting was the culprit and downright disappointing. I did not expect my putting to be so off the mark.

The TaylorMade Spider Mini did not rise to the occasion! Boo hoo hoo. I had five holes that I agonizingly three-putted and had only two miserable one-putts. But despite the 39 putts that I recorded, I did enjoy myself.

The weather was lovely, my flightmates were fun, and we all faced the challenges together in stride. On two occasions at the Par 3, my poor buggy mate returned with a snowman. But she wasn’t the only one. We all had snowmen on our scorecards! My fair share of snowmen was because of the putting! Oh well, this is part and parcel of the challenge.

Although the outcome was not the best, there is some consolation for me. I took the honors for the NTL (nearest-to-line) novelty, besting the 71 players in the field with a measurement of two feet and two inches to the line. Sometimes, little rewards like this make one forget all the adversity during the tournament. Will I participate again next year? For sure, a definite yes!

And for the record, I’ve decided to keep my long irons in the bag, as I feel comfortable handling them. But the Mini is out, and in its place is the Scotty. Putting is so important. I hope with Scotty now, my putting will yield some better results for my future games.

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Practice Makes Perfect, Part 2

19 Jan

The final preparation for the upcoming Iron Challenge tournament went well yesterday. I decided to stick with the 4-iron for all tee-offs (except the Par 3s) and second shots instead of using the 3-iron.

After I changed the grip, the iron felt more comfortable. Generally, ball striking with all the other irons was good, so I’m pleased. Distances are optimized once I slow down the upswing before striking the ball.

The putting still needs work because the greens on the Hills course are very different from the Lakes, and I’m not used to it. However, there’s no more window to practice, so I hope my judgment and putting ability will prevail. The Spider Mini is in the bag for the game.

I enjoy the Iron Challenge tournament because it tests my ability to use all the irons in the bag. Sometimes, when I depend too much on the woods and hybrid clubs, I forget how to handle especially the long irons. Participating in this tournament reels me back.

I’m looking forward to enjoying the outing and hope to return with a positive performance for the stroke-play game on Sunday. Wish me luck!

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Practice Makes Perfect

12 Jan

The second golf game of the year yesterday was a practice round with just my iron clubs. The Iron Challenge tournament is nine days away, and I have to prepare for it. Last year, I missed out on participating because of the timing. I was recovering from surgery.

Thankfully, there are no major medical issues this year, only the tail-end of the lingering cough. I should recover by then. Anyway, using the 4-iron takes some getting used to again. This club is only in the bag once a year for this tournament.

This time, I am also trying out the 3-iron, something I hardly use! I guess practice makes perfect, for I should put in another game or two to get used to them. Besides these two irons in the bag, I’m generally pleased with how I handle the other irons. The ball striking is good, and the short game is coming along, but the putting needs further fine-tuning.

All in all, I have to remember practice makes perfect. I look forward to the next few games to sort out my issues before the tournament.

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First Game of the Year

9 Jan

After a two-week break from golf to recover from the nasty cough, I played my first game of the year this morning. The cough is at the tail-end, and I might as well go ahead and play to get some exercise. So, how did I fare?

It was more of an outing to catch up with friends and get some sun, but the sun was not even out! The morning was gloomy, peppered with light rain now and then. And when the sun did peak out, it was darn hot! Sigh.

A two-week break causes a lot of muscle memory loss. I could not swing my clubs well because my rhythm was way off. The tee-off was erratic, the long game was short, and the short game was off the mark. And the putting, I won’t elaborate further. Oh well, I expected this outcome. I take heart that although the rhythm was out, I did not lose a single ball, a small positive consolation.

Maybe once I’m back to playing more regularly, my golf mojo will return to normal. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for this to happen sooner rather than later. I play my next game on Thursday, and we will find out the performance then.

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Goodbye 2023

29 Dec

We have two days left of 2023 before we bid the year goodbye. It has been another eventful year for me. As we count down to the New Year, I reflect upon the past 12 months, and here are some highlights of the good times and not-so-good moments.

The biggest highlight would be the two weddings in the family! My only sibling’s twins got hitched within three months of each other. It was a very happy occasion for the family.

Before the weddings, I started 2023 with a bang, getting myself hospitalized for kidney stones. I thought I pulled a back muscle from gardening, but it was more than that. I can laugh about it now!

After that scare, my diet changed to one that is low-oxalate. It took a while to adjust, but I have gotten used to it now. It is always best to stay healthy than to have a recurrence.

The year also saw me having a constant battle with putting. I suffered putting yips every so often with the many rounds of golf I played this year. The musical chair with my Peanut Putter, Scotty Cameron Squareback, and TaylorMade Spider Mini putter choices was a regular practice. Towards the end of the year, I had to retire my Peanut Putter because the grip was disintegrating. Boo hoo hoo. For now, the Mini is in the bag.

There were no family holidays this year as both girls are working, but I’m okay with this. Instead, hubby and I made several golfing trips with friends, locally and abroad. As a result of the constant golfing, my craft work suffered. I slowed down building miniatures, and the latest DIY project, number #32, is incomplete and collecting dust at my workstation. Sigh. Perhaps I can revive it at the beginning of the new year. We shall see.

2023 was not all fun and happy or frustrating. There have been scary moments that I wish not to be repeated. We experienced two spine-chilling episodes with friends after golf, but quick thinking and action saved them. However, no amount of action could save the loss of others due to other issues. Unexpected and untimely, this is the cycle of life, and we have to accept it. I avoid elaborating much on these occasions because I feel it’s best to remember these people in happier times than upon their deaths. Peace be upon their souls.

What will the new year bring for me? It would be materialistic to wish for this and that. I will be practical and say better health more than anything else. With each year passing, the body cannot take the strain regardless of what I do. This dinosaur is getting old!

Well, 2023 has been happy and sad all rolled into one, to sum it up in one sentence. Goodbye 2023, thanks for the memories, and a toast to the year, now stored away as I await the New Year with an open mind.

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Better Than Phenomenal

15 Dec

With two weeks left before 2023 ends, I’m cutting back on my golf games for two reasons. Reason number one is the wet weather conditions. It rains daily, and being out on a soggy golf course is not enjoyable. The round of golf becomes more like a field-plowing exercise, chunking the shots constantly on the soft ground instead of playing proper golf.

Reason number two is the festive season of Christmas around the corner. This year, I’m playing more Christmas carols on my Spotify and indulging in Christmas shopping. It’s a fun season, and I am enjoying it.

However, I must highlight the last golf game that resulted in better than phenomenal putting. I’d take this highlight anytime! The score was not the best because of chunk shots on the fairways. Even at the tee boxes that were soft and soggy, I could not stand firm and ended up with several mis-hits. But putting with the TaylorMade Spider Mini made up for all the mishaps.

I made 26 better-than-phenomenal putts! To break that down, it was 12 putts on the first nine and 14 on the back nine. There was even a silly three-putt, but the eight one-putt and a chip-in for a zero putt made up for the lone ugly blemish. The thing that helped tremendously was the short game. I was accurate and gave myself many opportunities to putt well.

I should hold my head high with this new putting achievement for this year and hope this phenomenal putting can continue. Maybe it’s the focus that creates confidence. I look forward to better-putting results next year!

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A Touring Pro?

5 Dec

Over the weekend, hubby and I attempted to do the unthinkable – playing four rounds of golf like a touring pro! Did we succeed? Well, almost.

The drive in one car with our friends to Sri Menanti Golf Club was pleasant, as there was hardly any traffic. The weather was cooling, and although our one flight teed off at almost 9.30 am, we did not feel any heat.

At 9.00am, the temperature was cool with the low hanging clouds at the clubhouse

The golf course was a gem of a discovery. Narrow, undulating, and unexpected, it was an enjoyable golf course. The best part – buggies were allowed on the fairways. Nice.

After the game, we had a hearty local lunch near the course before heading to Malacca for the night.

Come Sunday, the rest of the group arrived, and our second game was together with them at Ayer Keroh Country Club. Yet another round with the buggy on course, I didn’t feel the pain of walking because I didn’t walk that much! Such conditions help the body not to exert too much and be able to go on pain-free the next game.

The third game at Tiara Malacca Golf & Country Club was a taxing one despite being buggy on the course as well. The fairways were dry, the roughs were nasty, and the sun was a scorcher. Everyone felt the heat to the core.

I was constantly going into the bunkers, and it annoyed me to no end. Adding to my frustration was my erratic putting with the Spider after doing so well with it for the past few games. Sigh.

The three-day schedule pales in comparison to a touring pro’s. I hardly felt like one anyway when we had buggy on-course games. Despite this advantage, the will to go on was there, but the body and mind could not. We gave up the last game. Sigh. On a brighter note, we had good food each time and plenty of friendship bonding time.

Professional men and women golfers are remarkable athletes. While I aspire to be like them, playing several games in a stretch, if I cannot even handle three days of buggy on-course games, what more walking long golf courses for four days in a row? Hats off to them!

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Spidey Power

24 Nov

The TaylorMade Spider Mini putter has been in my bag now for several games. And surprisingly, I am handling it well.

The putter feels right, and it’s doing a good job. So far, I have been recording 31 or 33 putts. And this is with one or two three-putts incurred.

There was one game where I did only 12 putts after nine holes. It was such a confidence booster with six one-putts and the rest, two-putts. The Spider Mini was on fire! Unfortunately, at the turn of the game, the weather changed. The rain came down, and we had to abandon the game. Shucks!

Well, there are so many more games to play, and I hope the Spider power will continue to give me good putting results.

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