Would You Like to Stop the Blow-Up Holes on the Golf Course - Keeping your Score Lower

Would you Like to stop those blow up holes during a 18 hole round of golf?

How often do you think you hit your 3 wood for your second shot during the course of the round?  Most of the golfers would answer about 4.  That is normally done on the par 5's.

Why is it that you use the 3 wood on par fives for your second shot.  Is it because you want to go for the gusto and get on the green in 2 and try for that infamous eagle? 

The percentages of everyday golfers that probably use the 3 wood for second shots on part 5's is about 80%.  The Tour Players are not even close to that percentage. 

So if the Tour Players are not using the 3 wood for second shots why do you think you should be.  I know, you think because the Tour Players hit the ball farther on their drives they have shorter distances into the green.  Well, they are actually playing par 5's from a lot farther back than you - usually 575 yards or so - so things average out.

I think this is an important question to ask since we're always looking for ways to help you get rid of the blow-up hole.  I think and probably know that the one thing holding the average golfer from having a good round is the occasional blow-up hole.

So, how many of you start your rounds off hitting the ball well and you have a good score up to the 7th or 8th hole then you have that blow-up hole. How did that happen?  Your playing well and then you have the infamous 8 or 9 on the par 5 and you end up having the same score you normally post after 9 holes.  Then you do it again on the back nine.  You end up instead of having the good score of 85 you end up with the 95.  Or you are working on getting that 99 to break 100 and end up with a 108.

After the round you are all sitting in the club house having a drink and you talk about if only I didn't have those blow-up holes, I would of had a good round.

Let me ask you a few questions.  How many blow up holes were caused by you hitting a 5 iron or 7 iron.  How many blow-up holes have been caused by your 3 wood?  Has your 3 wood caused more or less Blow Up Holes than your 5 or 7 iron?

I am not saying it is always caused by the 3 wood.  There are some players that would say they had more caused by 5 iron than 3 wood.  That is possible, but I would like to be there and see it to believe it.

Now what causes most blow-up holes?  Is it a bad drive into the trees automatically causing you to get an 8 on a par 5?  No, not at all.

This last weekend, I was playing a round with one of my friends and he hit a nice fade off the tee box down the right side of the fairway only to get a big hop and ran him right into the trees.  He was about 260 yards from center of the green with no shot.  He punched out leaving him 240 yards from the green lying 2.

What would you do from here. 

I think that if you would've gone on to make an 8 or 9 on the hole the bad drive would've had very little to do with the reason you made that score.  I think that pulling out the 3 wood trying to get as close to the green as possible for your 3rd shot - topping the shot because you swung to hard leaving your self still 200 yard out, hitting your 4th shot with a 3 iron only to chunk it leaving your 5th shot 150 yards out hitting your 7 iron into the green side bunker would of been more of the cause for the Blow-Up hole than your drive did.

How many of you have been there and done that!

So what we are truly looking at when we talk about Blow-Up Holes is mismanagement of the course. And, a little bit of ego.

Let's look at this hole again.  Hit your drive into the woods on the right, punch out leaving you 240 yards to the hole for your third shot.  Hit a 5 iron about 180 yards leaving you 80 yard to the pin for your 4th shot.  Hitting your wedge on to the green within 20 feet and making the putt for a par. 

You know what, that makes it look simple.  Even if you didn't make the putt - the potential for a blow-up hole was taken away - you still wind up with a bogey which still won't hurt your score to much.

Blow-up holes don't happen because of bad tee shots.  They happen because you are not playing to your strengths.  They happen because you are playing to your weaknesses and not thinking of course management. 

Players play to their strengths so they don't have to play to their weaknesses.

When was the last time you were a Player.

Until next time, plan out your 18 hole game before you start, keep your cool, and play to your strengths.....

Father's Day Fun Golf Day - Ideas for Gifts for Dad's Day

Father's day is coming up and I know I always liked to play golf with Dad.  Over the years it has always been a day where we can both play a game we enjoy and catch up on what is going on in both of our lives.  Of course you don't have to wait until Dad's day to let Dad know how much he means to you.

I haven't been able to play Golf with my Dad much anymore, because we live miles apart.  But you that are close by to Dad can still have a golf day out with Dad.   Below is a list of things you can do together in golf and some golf items you an get Dad.

1. See if your local Golf Course has a Father Son/Daughter Tournament
2. Check the local Golf Courses and see if there is a Tournament you can both enter
3. Buy a Golf Package at a local Resort and/or a weekend getaway weekend for the two of you
4. Just get a tee time at your favorite course and enjoy the day with golf and go to your favorite restaurant afterword
5. If  Dad is looking for a new Driver or Clubs now is your chance to help him out.  Find out what kind of club he wants or uses.  To make sure it is the club he wants you may want to buy him a gift certificate so he can also get it fit to his swing style.
6. Find out what his favorite balls are and buy him a dozen.
7. Buy him a new golf shirt
8. Get Dad new rain gear for those rainy days he has to play on
9. New pair of golf shoes.  They have some real nice ones that are light as a feather now
10. If you don't play golf you can buy Dad a Great Golf Getaway package at his favorite course or resort
11. Take Dad to his Favorite Restaurant
12. Don't forget no matter if you can get a gift for Dad or not, tell him how much he means to you and how much you love him.

Well, another day is ended and time to call it a night.

Until next time, Ben Hogen said, 'Golf is 20 percent talent and 80 percent management'.  
   

Tournament Practice - Taking a Break Playing a Golf Scramble Best Ball Tournament

I took a break yesterday from my regular practice to play in a scramble best ball tournament.

Every now and then you need to do something fun and enjoyable instead of steady focus on the work.

During the scramble I was paired up with a 3 gentlemen from a minor league baseball team franchise.  The neat thing is they were the General Manager, Director of Marketing and Directory of Graphics.   They played great golf and we enjoyed the communication of what goes on in their lives as professionals in the baseball field. 

During the tournament I still practiced though I didn't have to focus as much as I do when I practice and play in regular tournaments.

The warm up for the tournament I still used my same warm up drills as I would for a regular tournament.  Some things I don't change.

• Stretch
• 52 degree wedge half shots (warming up my body)
• 52 degree wedge
• full shots
• draw
• fade
• trajectory (different flight paths)
• 8 Iron
• full shots
• draw
• fade
• half swings
• 3/4 swings
• trajectory (different flight paths)
• 5 Iron
• full shots
• draw
• fade
• half swings
• 3/4 swings
• trajectory (different flight paths)
• hybrid
• full shots
• draw
• fade
• stingers
• 3 wood
• full shots
• draw
• fade
• stingers
• Driver
• draw
• fade
• 60 degree wedge
• full shot
• half shot
• flop shot
• low trajectory
• high trajectory
• fade
• draw
• Chipping around green
• pitch run
• chip
• flop
• Putting
• 25 foot range lag putting
• 6 foot range
• 3 foot range

This is my normal warm up for tournaments.  Some things I just don't like changing routine on.

One thing I have learned is that to have a good game and swing you have to learn to have the same routine for every practice and swing.  All swings should look and feel the same with no changes if possible.   

The more it becomes part of you the more it becomes intuitive.

Now for the Scramble Best Ball Tournament.  We had a wonderful time.  Everyone played fairly within their own strengths.  I enjoy these kind of tournaments for I can experiment  in different situations attempting shots that I have been practicing on and not worry if they go array.

As a group we ended up 7 under par and in third place.

Like I stated at the beginning, sometimes you just got to have fun and relax and take away from the focus and grind.

Until next time, take it easy and don't worry about the small stuff.......