February 28, 2012

Firewheel Golf of Garland, Bridges Course

Phong played another round this past Sunday at the Bridges Course at Firewheel Golf of Garland. Phong shot his best score to date, a 102 (B1, +1pt)! He lost 4 balls (D1, +1pt), and got a birdie (A3, +5pts).  This was the second course within seven days (F6, +1pt).  That's +8pts total. Great round Phong! Salman and Phong have really been battling it out this week!


Season Point Totals as of 2/28/12

  • Juno: 83 pts
  • Phong: 80 pts
  • Salman: 75 pts
  • Soks: 38 pts
  • Jeremy: 11 pts
  • Tony: 11 pts
  • (i)Patrick: 0 pts
  • (i)Jon: 0 pts
  • (i)Jason: 0 pts
  • (i)Vu: 0 pts

February 25, 2012

Soks v. Salman, @ Meadowbrook

Salman & Soks played B.B.B. today at Meadowbrook in Arlington.

Salman scored +16 off B.B.B., lost 2 balls (D2, +2pts), and this is the second course he's played within seven days (F6, +1pt). Good job Salman! +19pts!

Soks scored +9 off B.B.B., was up-and-down on two holes (G6, +4), and lost 4 balls (D1, +1pt). Great job Soks! +14pts!



Season Point Totals as of 2/25/12

  • Juno: 83 pts
  • Salman: 75 pts
  • Phong: 72 pts
  • Soks: 38 pts
  • Jeremy: 11 pts
  • Tony: 11 pts
  • (i)Patrick: 0 pts
  • (i)Jon: 0 pts
  • (i)Jason: 0 pts
  • (i)Vu: 0 pts

February 24, 2012

Tangle Ridge Golf Club, Grand Praire, TX

What a day! Phong, Salman, & I played Tangle Ridge today. It's a beautiful and challenging course. Theme for the day seemed to be hitting Juno with golf balls.
On the front nine, Phong sliced a drive and landed near the cart path with a tree to the right of his target line to the pin. I told him, "mind the tree to your right." - "Yeah, don't worry. I got it." Hits his 4 hybrid right into the tree, full speed, and it ricochets right towards my face. I narrowly dodge and the ball slams into the golf cart where my head was.
Later on one of the greens Phong picked up my ball that was in gimme range and he lobs it towards me without warning me. It hits the bill of my hat and I thought the players behind us had hit me with a ball.
On the back nine, Salman pitches from the bottom of a hill, over a bunker, hitting me in the left side of my neck while I was setting up for my putt. Definitely going to have a bruise. I was behind the flag so my neck stopped his ball from bouncing off the green. You're welcome.

Really fun day. Some achievements and we played B.B.B as well.
Phong scored +10pts from B.B.B., shot a 109 (B1, +1pt), and was up-and-down on two holes (G6, +4pts). Nicely played Phong, total of +15pts.
Salman scored +20pts from B.B.B., shot a 104 (B1, +1pt), hit 4 greens in regulation (C1, +5pts), was up-and-down on one hole (G6, +2pts), and lost 4 balls (D1, +1pt). Good job Salman, total of +29pts.

I scored +13pts from B.B.B., shot a 99 (B2, +2pts), hit 5 greens in regulation (C1, +5pts), lost 3 balls (D1, +1pt), and Tangle Ridge was the fifth course in 2012 for me (F1, +10pts).  That's a total of +31pts for me.
We all need to put some serious work to improve our putting.  That's where all most of the strokes were gained.

Also, we need to order the trophy soon. Be sure to leave a comment on this post or on the "Award" post in the forum with your suggestions on what we should name the cup, and what we should get engraved on it. This was the cup I was thinking about getting for the league. General consensus was that the biggest one is the one we want.  $100


Season Point Totals as of 2/24/12

  • Juno: 83 pts
  • Phong: 72 pts
  • Salman: 56 pts
  • Soks: 24 pts
  • Jeremy: 11 pts
  • Tony: 11 pts
  • (i)Patrick: 0 pts
  • (i)Jon: 0 pts
  • (i)Jason: 0 pts
  • (i)Vu: 0 pts

February 23, 2012

H.O.R.S.E.

Quick game of 4-Player H.O.R.S.E. at TG.  Since it was 4-player, the points are doubled.
Results
Jon:  H.O.R.S.E. ~ 0pts
Soks:  H.O.R. ~ +8pts
Phong:  +20pts
Juno:  H.O. ~ +12pts


Season Point Totals as of 2/23/12

  • Juno: 70 pts
  • Phong: 62 pts
  • Salman: 27 pts
  • Soks: 24 pts
  • Jeremy: 11 pts
  • Tony: 11 pts
  • (i)Patrick: 0 pts
  • (i)Jon: 0 pts
  • (i)Jason: 0 pts
  • (i)Vu: 0 pts

February 22, 2012

Tip: Power From a Better Shift

Elite players transfer their weight toward the front of the left foot as they start the downswing and into the left heel at impact. This allows them to deliver the clubhead squarely as they rotate around the front foot. Many amateurs slide their hips too much toward the target coming down; this inhibits their ability to rotate, leading to inconsistent strikes. By allowing your weight to move initially toward your left toes and then into the heel (left), you'll pivot around your left leg and hit with power.

-David Leadbetter/ Golf Digest Teaching Professional

February 20, 2012

Quick Round at Topgolf

Phong, Soks, and I played at TG today.  Finally got to try out my new irons.  Weather couldn't hold me down today.
We played a quick round of match-play before Soks had to go to work.  Phong scored +8pts, Soks scored +1pt, and I scored +4pts. 

-Juno


Season Point Totals as of 2/20/12

  • Juno: 58 pts
  • Phong: 42 pts
  • Salman: 27 pts
  • Soks: 16 pts
  • Jeremy: 11 pts
  • Tony: 11 pts
  • (i)Patrick: 0 pts
  • (i)Jon: 0 pts
  • (i)Jason: 0 pts
  • (i)Vu: 0 pts

February 16, 2012

Tip: EASY WAY TO GET OUT OF SAND

The standard advice for greenside bunkers—play the ball forward in your stance and open the clubface—is correct. But most players underestimate how much of a setup change they need to make. Don't just move the ball an inch or two forward; play it even with your front heel (left). And you need to rotate the clubface significantly open at address, so that the back of the clubhead would be resting on the sand if you put it down. Get those two fundamentals right, and the club will slide through the sand instead of dig.
—Hank Haney / Golf Digest Teaching Professional


February 12, 2012

A Good Drill for Fatties!

Just got off the phone with Vu and we were talking about ways to practice at home on carpet.  I thought I'd share a little drill I try to do every day.  It helps me get a feel for my swing plane and when to allow the club to release.
I actually got the idea for the drill from a golf manga called Dan Doh.  Don't bother reading it, it's terrible.  But the coach in that manga gave the main characters an interesting drill and I thought it was actually a pretty good way of helping me fix my problems with hitting fat or thin.

The Set Up:  Make a line in the carpet fibers or place something on the ground.  I use a straw from a Capri Sun tucked under the accent rug.
Then try to swing your club so that it reaches your carpet just in front of the line.  (Here's the page in the manga).  I use both hands, but of course how you do the drill is up to you.
The mark that your club leaves in the carpet fibers will show you if your swing plane was in-to-out or out-to-in, and it also shows you exactly when your club makes contact with the "dirt."  Starting off with half swings first really helps get a feel for the drill, and eventually you can move up to full swings.  I don't really use anything longer than a short iron for this drill because I've hit the ceiling a few times with my other clubs.  (Don't tell the wife)

My goal is always to hit the carpet about half an inch closer to the right the line and that the mark it leaves is a good length too. That would be half an inch to the left of the line for right-handed players.  Also, be sure to swing LIGHTLY.  You don't want to take a tour-sized divot out of your carpet because divot-repair sand won't work in your living room.  Hope the drill helps you!
Did you guys follow the Pebble Beach Pro-Am this weekend?!  Mickelson is Back!  Sorry your boy Woods got schooled by Lefty, Salman.  I think the picture they picked for the article on the PGA website is absolutely perfect.  Click this link to check it out.

Two of our players recently made some upgrades to their sets and bought new irons.  Check out the updated Player Profiles page.

February 7, 2012

YouTube Playlists

For those that don't know, Salman, Phong, and I, predominately use YouTube for learning how to put the stupid ball in the hole.  I think it's a very helpful resource. At the very least I've learned most of the terminology from YouTube.

Click for Salman's playlists. Salman's been very busy creating playlists on his channel. He compiled lists of videos about certain topics and it's very well organized. If you have some time, be sure to check out his YouTube channel and watch the videos that he found helpful.


Click for a Luke Donald master class playlist that I found on the Mizuno page.

February 6, 2012

T.I.G.E.R.

Exciting week of golf. Torrey Pines was a crazy tournament. And the Waste Management tournament this weekend was really fun to watch. I think Kyle Stanley(pictured) is becoming one of my favorite players. He's definitely one of the longer hitters on tour, but the guy's game is consistent from start to finish.
In other news, my dad came to visit over the weekend and it was great getting some coaching from him with my golf swing. He's been playing the game for a long time and he pretty much rebuilt my swing from the ground up on Thursday. The changes feel great and are helping me with getting the ball out there with way less effort than before.
We made a trip to TopGolf on Saturday, and played a 2v2 game of H.O.R.S.E. It was Salman and me against Soks and my dad. It was super competitive and a lot of fun. Soks and my dad ended up winning with three letters; props to Soks for scoring +4pts! Salman and I later talked about how Saturday was hands down the best Soks had ever played. Well done buddy!

And please send your condolences to Salman some time this week after what happened during the Superbowl.
Be sure to post any outings or gatherings on the forum. See you guys on the greens!


Season Point Totals as of 2/6/12

  • Juno: 54 pts
  • Phong: 34 pts
  • Salman:  27 pts
  • Soks: 15 pts
  • Jeremy:  11 pts
  • Tony:  11 pts
  • (i)Patrick:  0 pts
  • (i)Jon:  0 pts
  • (i)Jason:  0 pts
  • (i)Vu:  0 pts

February 1, 2012

Tip: Stretch Out Your Drives

Maintaining good width in your swing will help you hit longer tee shots. Simply put, a wider swing arc covers more distance so you can maximize clubhead speed. Try this drill: Grab a towel with your hands about a foot apart as shown (left) and stretch the towel tight as you simulate your backswing and downswing. Notice how your left and right sides keep their distance from each other as they pull in opposing directions. This is the feeling of width you want when you swing.
—David Leadbetter / Golf Digest Teaching Professional