[Hennybogan]

Question on the above . . . Should talent and braincell deal be throughout the game?

Management
This part of my game is a strength. I pretty much try to play shots that I can play. I pick really good targets and play the percentages well. I always have a plan . . . execution is a different story. I love the strategic part of the game. I try to pick my targets from the tee that allow the most margin for error. On my course I don't hit driver on but 5 holes or so depending on conditions. You just don't get much juice for the amount of squeeze you gotta do. I play thinking pretty much "what do I have to do to make par on this hole" and let the birdies come. From 9 iron down I shoot at pins. Rest of the stuff is middle of green. I'm more like too shot at a left pin than a right pin because my natural shape wants to go left.

Some days my tee shots can be good . . . but I ALWAYS have 2 or 3 holes where hit a wildazz tee shot to somewhere you make 1,000,000 from. When I hit a bad shot I hit a BAD shot. I'm pretty good about striking it solid but it's more of a direction dealie.

MENTAL
Another stength of mine is ATTITUDE . . . I have fun on the course. I never get mad. You can't tell if I'm shootin' 100 or 75. I'm just happy to be on the golf course. I don't beat myself up after bad shots or rounds.


ROUTINE Not so good. I don't have a lot of confidence in my alignment. I have too many mechanical thoughts. I get to playing golf swing instead of playing golf. If I miss one I tend to get more mechanical. The weird thing is though . . .when I have to hit a trouble shot or work a shot I tend to hit those shots great. I have more trouble with the shots I SHOULD hit well. Maybe I get more committed. That may be something I need to explore what commitment means with regards to G.O.L.F. and golf.

OVERALL CONFIDENCE IN GAME I feel like I have enough skills that I could be a 4 to scratch but I just need to eliminate the wild shot off the tee and hit more short putts. I have the desire to get there and feel like I can . . . but I never have.

Bucket,

Talent and braincell throughout the ball. YES. "Turn off the brain. Turn on the game."

Strategy and management sound really good. It's great that you always have fun. As you progress, we may want you to fire at reasonable flags down to a six or seven iron. One thing you mentioned from last round was 6 three putts. Maybe you should try hitting it closer to the hole.

Focus on trouble shots. You have to, the shot dictates start line, height, curvature, etc. Tour players do the same thing. They hit this miracle shot out of the trees, then the next hole they miss the green with a wedge. Focus.

So the difference between the trouble shot and the one from the middle of the fairway 150 out is the definition. You can define this shot. You can picture it hit on the green, spin left a few feet, and topple into the hole. You can picture the trajectory. If you want to hit a straight shot, you can picture a tunnel of trees defining the flight. It's all mind games. Even when you are hitting a safe shot to the middle of the green, you want to be really locked in on the target.

Routine. Practice your alignment on the range. Take it for granted on the course. Nobody plays good when they are worried about it. One of the dangers in knowing alot about the swing is being able to diagnose errors and becoming focused on them. Let those thoughts go until you have made the same physical error a number of times in a row. One bad shot should go straight out the window.

Wild shots. Is it random or do you struggle with the same tee shots? Sometimes you have to do something different on a hole that does not fit your eye.

HB

Lay out your plan for improvement, as you see it.