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Always nice to get at least into the thirties in a Stableford. Was this in a competition, Bubba?

Got a round booked in for tomorrow morning. Playing on the easier course so hopefully break that sub 95...

Best of luck, Denny.

A disappointing 98. There were three holes that ruined it for me. After hole 8 I was on 41 but made a right hash of hole 9 and ended up with 49 for the outward 9. Got back on track and by hole 15 I was on 78 only needing to complete the last three holes in 16 or less to achieve sub 95. That all went to pot on the 16th with the dreaded pot hole bunker just in front of the green (the green is still a 18 inches above your head when you're in this bunker). Took me two shots to get out and even then I had to play it semi to the side. Bad chip followed by over cooking the putt meant a horrendous 9. Parred the 17th par 3 which meant I needed a four on the last which I've never done before. Ended up with an 8...

Hard luck, Denny. With sixes or fives on those three holes, it could have been 89, so maybe that could be your next target, and the sub-95 will take care of itself.

I'm off for 18 now - hope it's not too windy.

I definitely feel I can do a sub 90 if my round all comes together at once. My putting was terrible today as well - greens were lightning quick but was over compensating and come up short on quite a few holes. Lost count of the many 'tap ins' I had.

Anyway, good luck with your round and I expect a full report later!

OK, here it is.

A bit of weird round today, but with a strong finish again. It was quite windy - nothing out of the ordinary for us, but it made the course several shots harder than when I last played. All of the holes playing uphill played much longer today, and playing downhill hills downwind isn't much compensation.

I started at the 2nd, as there was a fourball just getting ready to go off the first, and I reckoned the rest of the course would be clear. That part of the plan worked out well, as there was nobody in my way for the rest of the round, and I played the 1st after the 18th.

Began with a birdie 2! That was my first one on the 2nd hole this year, and I always start a new eclectic each year. Then a bogey, so back to level par, and then a very poor stretch, dropping nine shots in the next six holes, with only one par at the easy 8th. The next five holes are tricky - good par at the 10th, should have parred the 11th, which is 430 yards, but was downwind, so easily reachable with a drive and a 6-iron, but got a bogey, then dropped five shots in the next three holes, putting me at +16. Parred the 15th, birdied the 16th, very similar to last time, by putting my second from 50 yards to three feet, saved par with a good chip at the 17th, and then holed a seven footer for another birdie 2 at the last, again a boost to my eclectic card. that left the first, which is that killer par 3, where I hit a good tee shot with my hybrid, just shot of the green, chipped up to six feet and sank it. So it was an 80, 14 over, which although quite a bit over my handicap, was a lot better for the last few holes.

Nice work, stripey. And a good summary!

stripey, looks like you need a practice round before your round proper, would break course records given your finishes!

Thankfully our hardest hole is the opening hole at my club. A long par 4, usually into the wind. You do well to make it in 2. If you walk off with a bogey it doesn't feel so bad as that is what you would expect on that hole. Means you don't panic about a bad start. Should it be an easy par 4, then you would be more concerned at a bogey 5.

Denny, without knowing your game, I reckon you could easily duck under 95 shots by removing any club longer than a 6i out of your bag. Might sound crazy, but there won't be a par 4 you can't reach with 3 7i, a par 3 with two PW or even a par 5 with 3 or 4 6i.

You would be more accurate and duck under 95 comfortably. Might not be as much fun, but would bet it would work.

Unless you are a driving god with the short game of a trout (never seen a trout hit a decent putt)

What part of your game leaks all your shots?

The more golf you play the more you'll enjoy fast greens (as long as they are true)

Just try to 2 putt every green. First putt is just about pace, get it close, don't worry about coming up short from long range, just get it inside that dustbin lid. A putt 4 feet past is worse than a putt 1 foot short from range. People get too worked up about short putt. Short putts never go in, nor do putts that go past the hole. With the dustbin lid theory, you also get the odd bonus ball that falls in.

Also learn to putt with just the shoulders moving, take your wrists and arms out of the putt. The big muscles (shoulders) are your memory muscles, they are the best judge of pace. Get that sorted and 3 putts go out of the window, and you'll cut loads off your score. Get your grip relaxed, too many people putt thinking they are strangling a chicken's neck, that tightens all your muscles and stops the flow. I find in competitions, on the first few putts when I'm nervous, I start gripping much tighter, becomes a mental battle to try and relax.

Only wishful thinking, Hoopie! You're right that I should warm up a bit before going out, but the most significant factor in those good finishes is that three of the last four holes are easy fours, with good birdie chances, and the last is a pretty straightforward par 3.

Like yours, our first hole is really tough - 175 yard par 3 to a green on top of a big hill, with OOB to the right, trees and rough left, and perdition over the green. Statistically it's our SI 1, but because of the silly way that SI is calculated (for matchplay rather than for strokeplay - and I do have a solution for that) it's SI 5. That's OK for me as I get a shot, and it's possible to play for a safe four, although rather dull to do so, i.e. a 7 iron to the foot of the hill and a SW on to the green.

Re putting, I reckon once you've done all the reading of pace and line, the key thing is to concentrate on getting a really clean strike on the ball.

Thanks, Hoopie. I'll try out the more relaxed grip next weekend. When I'm on the putting green I do a drill where I place a club two feet behind the hole and line up four balls at varying distances. I give myself 2 points for a successful putt, 1 point for a miss that passes the hole but doesn't hit the club beyond and nil points for coming up short. So that's why I always try to attempt to at least reach the hole but I'll try the 'dustbin lid' approach next time.

Funnily enough, off the tee has been the stronger part of my game the last few weeks with 75% FIRs the last time I played. Although, I don't tend to drive far as if I really went for it the ball could end up anyway so I use a nice steady swing.

My short game used to be my stronger side but it has let me down recently, in particular last weekend.

Slow and steady and smooth wins the day with the driver!
If my short game's off, I just go round with a sand wedge, putter and four balls, and make up some sort of competition between the balls. Then I find interesting places to approach each green from, playing shots with each ball until holing them out. It's a lot of fun, and gives you plenty of short game practice as well as a good walk, but takes only a couple of hours. You need a clear course, or to be able to dot around the holes. I'm lucky in that the course is usually quiet in late afternoons and evenings.

75% FIR allows you to go low, you just need the short game to convert it.

I always think of my game in 4 parts, just as you mend one part the wheels falls off another.

Long game: woods and long irons (long irons especially been working hard on)
Mid-long game: 5-7i (always good clubs to check how your swing is working)
Mid-short game: 8-PW (starting to get into the scoring zone, hit these well and happy days)
short game: SW-Putter (100 yards and in, pros are awesome in this range, got to cut out 4 from 100 yards)

Short game is a massively correlated to how much you play. If you are not playing weekly or fortnightly, then you'll always struggle with touch round the green.

A good way to get touch, is to take skill out of it. If just off the green learn an easy chip and run with a PW, almost a putting stroke, keep left arm straight and a straight line extension of the club. Then just swing with the shoulders, do not break the wrists. Say you find that easy to hit 5 yards, just repeat that shot over and over. If you then need 10 yards do exactly the same with a 9i, or 15 yards do the same with an 8i. Every time the same swing and the same power, just letting the club do the work. Ideally the ball will travel 1/3 in the air and roll out 2/3. But that depends on speed of greens and slope. I see too many people trying clever chips, thins / fats / ball checks / doesn't check. They never get near. Only if you are playing a lot can you do that.

Awesome way to improve the short game. You can not do that enough.

I played a round with a scratch player the other day and he did 2 chips round the green out of long think rough that just wasn't in my locker. He holed one and left the other as a tap in. Both only a few feet off the green, but he played them so well. That shot just wasn't in my locker.

I was straight onto u-tube and have now learnt the shot. I clearly won't play it as well, but have been practicing it loads. Almost looking forward to missing a green and giving it a go. I use very little wrist action on close chips, but for this shot, out of think rough, it is more like a bunker shot with wrist break and have to keep the club face open.

Have had the chipping yips the last 5 years, I try to club my self to avoid chipping, its a mental thing with me now!!!

Have a friend with the putting yips. The claw grip solved that, but that won't help for chips.

It is a horrible thing to watch someone with the yips, not sure what you can do about it. Have you tried all sorts of wierd and wonderful things? Different grips, left handed etc. There is a pro that chips 1 handed, he is not on the main circuit, but chips ok that way. In pro-ams he has to explain to the ams that he is not having a laugh when he chips one handed, it is just his thing.

Nah just with the bro and dad