Blogging Got Away From Me!

And here's why...


After finishing the bar exam I needed to find myself again and just get back to being happy.  It sounds kinda stupid, and I'll probably look back at this and laugh, but I really felt like I needed to take some time just to enjoy myself and reconnect with the people I neglected throughout law school and the bar exam.
It's been too long since I read a book for fun, played a game all the way through, or dedicated myself to training without always having something irking me in the back of my mind.  I played Dragon Age: Origins all the way through and it was glorious.  I read a bunch of books and they were all good, except for House of Leaves.  That book was horrible.  Don't understand why it got hyped up as much as it did, but I hated it.  Jiu Jitsu training is going really great too.  I'm having a lot of fun on the mat again and it's been too long since I felt happy and at peace while training.
I played a ton of golf over the last few months too.  Feels nice updating the blog's Courses Played page.  Looking forward to write about my adventures on those courses soon!  And about how the driver has been the absolute bane of my existence.

Preview: I Disagree! Respectfully, of course.

I read a really interesting article in Golf Magazine the other day. It was it was a group interview featuring Johnny Miller, Peter Kostis, and Dave Phillips. It was nice reading their perspectives on stuff like Tiger, Rory, and what regular golfers should try to emulate from the pros. Lots of good insights. Even if you don't agree with everything they say, it was an interesting read.

BUT, there was one bit in the group interview where the interviewer asks who the greatest pressure putter of all time is/was and this discussion led to the left-hand-low putting grip, or cross grip. The three interviewees immediately wrote off the technique as bogus. I thought this was really interesting considering the previous question about weekend hackers could learn from pros. This closed-minded view on cross-grip putting, in my opinion, was really wrong.

And I'm gonna elaborate more on that in my next post...

Stay tuned!

The Struggle is Real

So for the past four or five months I've had this problem. A really dumb problem that won't go away.

Last time I blogged about my swing I was talking about a persistent pull, that was about a year ago. Happy to announce that the pull is pretty much gone. I'm actually playing some of the best golf of my life right now. Well, for the three years since we started playing. I fixed the pull by changing my setup and being more conscious about keeping the club face square to the target at impact, or even slightly open if I'm going for a draw.
See, thing is, this whole time I thought I was pulling the ball because I was swinging from the outside. I was kinda right, but not really. I was so focused on swinging from the inside for so long and perplexed that it wasn't fixing the pull. In fact, it kinda made it worse at times and caused a duck hook. I watched a video on YouTube that changed my life. It's kinda silly, but the information helped me so much with my swing.

The YouTuber's name is Gabriel Writer. He's young guy from California with a beautiful swing and a really good attitude. Here's the video:


So yeah, that video really helped me get a grip on my swing. I'm talkin' improved my accuracy exponentially. I've also been working on my short game so my chipping and putting has never been better, BUUUUUUT... My game has a crucial, CRUCIAL, new flaw in it now. I am absolute garbage off the tee. My first shot on any par four or five will almost always result in a penalty stroke. It's a wonder that I'm recovering as well as I am, but if I could only get a hold of my driver, I'm confident that I could break 80 again. Did I write about that? I shot a 78 at Old Brickyard in Ferris, TX last summer. Most amazing day ever. I've gotten close lots of times after. Shooting 81s and 80s, but penalty strokes after botched drives is really wrecking my game. The problems vary between slices and hooks, but for the most part I can't stop topping the ball off the tee. I pure my irons consistently, hit my hybrid like a champ, but driver? Fah'geddaboutit. Super frustrating. Trying to fix it still, but can't seem to get a handle on it quite yet.

I'm gonna write up a round analysis next time I find a minute to sit down and type. Hopefully seeing some patterns will help me with what I need to work on. I mean, I know the problem is the topped shot off the tee, but I think it'd be nice to have it written down for me to look at in the future.

I'm Back!!!

Hey! After a loooooong break from blogging I'm excited to announce that I'm gonna be writing regularly about our swings and misses around DFW again.

A lot's happened and I'm really looking forward to writing about all the amazing experiences I've had since I took a break from writing. I was blogging for BigDGolf.com for a bit and I'm so incredibly grateful for the opportunity the company provided for me. It was an incredibly positive experience and I had the honor of meeting some of the most motivated and charismatic people I've ever had the pleasure of working with.  I didn't cut ties with them officially, but unfortunately during the first half of 2014 I had to focus primarily on all the huge steps I planned on taking this year. I graduated from law school, my wife and I decided to home-school our son, and I sat for the Texas bar exam this past July, to name a few. For the most part this year has been amazing. The bar exam however, was hands down, the most physically and mentally taxing experience of my life. I'm hoping the amount of dedication I put into to studying for that beast was enough to pass. At this point I honestly couldn't say whether I have it in me to take it again, much less study for it.  I don't want any medals or awards... Just please if there's a higher power listening to my thoughts or reading these words... PLEAAAASE let me pass on the first try.

But enough about that, back to writing for my blog! I know this site doesn't get a whole lot of hits, but it's never been about the number of people I reach.  It may sound a little selfish, but I've come to accept that (for now) it's nothing more than a great place for me to exercise my writing muscles and share my thoughts on the game.  Of course entertaining people in the process is always a plus.  I'm not quite sure which direction we're going in, but I do know that I truly feel happy right now at this very moment, typing these words for this post.

I'm playing Bear Creek, East tomorrow with some of my favorite people. It rained pretty good last night so I'm looking forward to some really nice course conditions. No more Texas-summer hard-pan lies hopefully. I could really use a break from those. Here's to hoping tomorrow's round goes well.

My goals for tomorrow's round:

Hit at least two GOOD drives.

Pure as many irons as possible.

Hit at least two GOOD shots with the 3h.

No more than two three putts.

Get up-and-down at least once.

That's five goals, if I complete at least two of them I'll call it a great day of golf! I was invited to a football-watching party afterwards as well. Tomorrow's gonna be awesome. As long as Kaepernick doesn't decide to start the season with an insanely good game. Need him to throw a couple picks, and let himself get sacked a couple times...

My Life Right Now

Finished law school. Studying for the bar exam. It's a nightmare.

I've been highlighting stuff in books during #barprep. I think I'm studying. But I learned today my highlighting is completely arbitrary.

— 5Robots (@5Robots) June 11, 2014

Golf Tips from Legends

A blog post about some helpful tips shared with some legendary golf instructors!  

Posting it here so I don't lose it.  This post is pure gold.

Los Rios in Plano

Here's a link to the post about Los Rios!

This Isn't The End...

IT HAS BEGUN!

Haha, well it's time to reveal the big news in detail.  A few months ago I was approached by the head honchos of BigDGolf.com and they graciously offered me the gig as their lead writer for their website's blog.  The blog is called "The Hogan" and it's shaping together quite nicely.  For the most part I'll be doing what I've been doing here, but centered mostly around my thoughts on courses they run deals on.

I'm going to continue posting stuff here whenever there's something I want to get off my chest that isn't appropriate for The Hogan, but for the most part I'll be posting stuff over there.

This blog has been a huge part of my journey so far and I'm not letting it go, but for now, with finals, the tail end of law school, BigDGolf, jiu jitsu, and the inevitable job search, I probably won't have much time to write stuff for the Lords of the Links.

But like I've said before, I will be producing content for The Hogan on a very regular basis.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my words!

Big D Golf's "The Hogan"

Welcome To The Hogan http://t.co/xTNLQPNhjv via @sharethis

— The One Swing (@The_LOTL) November 21, 2013

Check it out!!! First intro piece posted!

Sweepstakes! Win a Year of Free Golf!

Check it out! Want free golf for a year? #FREE #GOLF FOR A YEAR IN #DFW #SWEEPSTAKES! CLICK HERE TO ENTER > https://t.co/PDUlOqAOIm

— The One Swing (@The_LOTL) November 8, 2013

I'm in Love...

Wow. Seriously have not had such strong feelings for an inanimate object since I first saw an F-14 Tomcat. The guys at MyGolfSpy.com posted an article about the leaked 2014 Cobra catalog and in it I found, seriously, THE hottest piece of golf equipment I have ever seen.

Backstory:

I bought my Ping G15 driver because the driving range I practice at had a big banner by the entrance with a picture of the G15 that said "Gold Rating by Golf Digest" and "Editor's Choice." That's it. That's the reason why I picked my driver. I never got fitted for it, I never tried it in the store, I saw that banner and thought to myself that it must be good if Golf Digest was willing to print a banner that size for it. What do I know about drivers?  I had just started playing golf, I couldn't hit the Cobra S9-1 tour driver I got off Craigslist to save my life, and wanted a more forgiving driver. Luckily, it worked out beautifully. The G15 is a beast. The stock stiff shaft that it came with was really weak though, and my shots were ballooning up even on good hits in the middle of the face. Reshafted it with a tour-stiff Xcalibur shaft from Arthur Xtreme Engineering, and problem solved.

I never got into the white crown look of the R11s and their ugly bottoms just didn't appeal to me. I thought the matte black look of the Ping i20 was super sexy, but I wasn't about to replace my G15 for the i20 just because of the matte finish. So, I bought some matte black primer, some clear matte finish, and presto. Matte black G15 driver. I love the way it looks. But then I saw the Bio Cell+ Driver... Now I kinda don't love the way it looks. (end of backstory)

Seriously... The white and red... ☝This one

The white and red... Cobra. Just take my money now. I don't even care how it performs. Next year. As soon as this driver comes out I'm buying one. Going to reshaft it with the XCalibur shaft and gonna blast some balls into the trees and adjacent fairways.  Can't.  Wait.

I Miss Breaking Bad

No golf related post today.  It's Sunday.  A Sunday without Breaking Bad.  Last few years there were lots of Sundays without Breaking Bad; but at the end of that Sunday, you knew something.  You knew you were one Sunday closer to the next season.

All Hail The King

Those days are no more.  Never again will I wonder what happens next with Walt and Jesse.  Never again will I hope that someone tells Marie or Skylar off in the next episode.  Never again will I wonder if Walt Jr. stumbles (no pun intended. Seriously.) across his father's empire and joins him, showing an aptitude for chemistry the likes of which the world had never seen before. 

I love you Bryan Cranston.  Is that weird?  No it is not.

It really was the best thing I've ever watched on a screen of any size.  And I seriously hope that some day I'll find a show that I enjoy as much as I did Breaking Bad; I doubt it. And so do you.  The Bryan-Cranston's-head-shaped void left in our hearts will probably forever go unfilled.  The acting was incredible, the pacing was perfect, and don't even get me started on how amazing the writing and directing was.  To me, Breaking Bad was the most perfect form of non-interactive entertainment ever produced by man.  Unless Vince Gilligan turns out to be some kind of meta-human, which would explain a lot.

In case you're in the same predicament I am--floating in limbo wondering what to do with your life--here's my plan for the future with some other info that I'd like to share as we mourn the loss of our dearly beloved show:

• My Top 5 Favorites of All Time:

1. Breaking Bad
2. Archer
3. Game of Thrones
4. Modern Family
5. Doctor Who

•  I've been told that Sons of Anarchy and Scandal are very good.  I might check them out once I'm done grieving.
• I plan on spending the entire month of October revamping myself as a morning person.  My goal is to rise & shine at 5am every day.
• So far, not happenin'.  So this plan might eventually include November as well.
• Golf is still awesome and you can use it to wear yourself out Sunday afternoon to justify sleeping early to avoid the times that remind you of Breaking Bad.
• Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is also awesome and can be paired up with a regular strength & conditioning routine to help with the going to bed and waking up early plan.
• Video Games.
• Lastly, if distracting yourself by trying new forms of entertainment just isn't working out for you:
• They're releasing a SWEET box (read: barrel) set of the entire Breaking Bad series.
• Pre-ordered mine.

Yeah... Nevermind...

Yeah, yeah.  I know, I know.  In all fairness.  Moving the ball farther back in my setup DID help the pull at the range and the last two rounds!  And if you look closely, the pin is just behind my calves so the perspective of the shot is a little skewed.  But yeah, not that much.  Guess this is the problem causing the pull, too. Pretty serious one from the looks of it.  I missed this green way out to the right.  The way I got the screen shot of my downswing was totally by luck too.  I was looking at our latest YouTube vid and just happened to pause it here.  It's as if the golf gods were like (in a sexy James-Earl-Jones-esque baritone), "Thou shalt quit making lame excuses and finally learn to attack the ball from the inside."  You can see the ball flight in the video, the ball faded back to the left a bit, but yeah I still had to chip.  Not good.  But I'm glad I caught this.

I can feel it.  This stupid screen shot of my horrible downswing on the 3rd hole at Grand Oaks is the beginning of a new era.  The era of the high draw.  I can feel it.  Can you?

The Return of the Swing

Played another round at Grand Oaks in Grand Prairie, with Thomas.  This time no mud!  T's been struggling with his swing for a bit, but found it again and asked me to go play with him so we could test it out.  It was really nice to see him playing well and having fun again.  We all know how frustrating those inevitable lows can be when you're in the process of implementing changes to improve your game.  But perseverance always pays off and it really showed.

Enjoy the video:

Yo, check it out! Your boy snagged dat top comment on Mark Crossfield's video! Lol.

New Writing Gig with BigDGolf.com!!!

Check it out!!!

@The_LOTL Good to have you on the team!
— Big D Golf (@thebigdgolf) October 10, 2013

I'm so pumped for this! Details will be revealed in the near future, but let's just say that this is gonna be extremely awesome for everyone involved.

Almost makes the pain from saying goodbye to Breaking Bad go away. Almost.

What a Dumb Movie. (Repost)

I was reading through old posts and found this one and thought I'd move it up to the front because it made me laugh. 
I actually rewatched parts of this movie just a couple of weeks ago.  My review still stands.  I was having a bad day and needed someone to make me feel better about my golf swing.

(Originally posted on Aug. 5, 2012)  I watched The Back Nine today. A movie about Jon Fitzgerald who, in his 40s, decides that he wants to be a touring golf professional. Midlife crisis much? (He even addresses this in the movie with "This isn't a midlife crisis." Yeah right Jon. Sure it isn't, Jon.) 

Everybody knows, or should know by the time they reach adulthood, that there are certain personalities you just can't get along with. After high school, college, failed relationships, jobs, hobbies, you eventually develop a pretty specific roster of personalities you like to surround yourself with. Consciously or not. This guy, Jon Fitzgerald, is a not-surround-myself-with for me. Maybe you would, in which case you might actually enjoy this film. Bet money you won't tho.  Fitzgerald is a monster narcissist. He has to be the center of attention all the time because he never was, growing up. Before you say anything, that's not the main reason why I disliked this movie.  Most (read: All) people who know me would probably (read: definitely) describe me as a bit of an attention-whore. To be completely honest, in some bits I almost envied the guy. How fun would it be to play St. Andrews with your pops and learn about the origins of the game? Seriously awesome vacation idea. But here's the part that just didn't sit well with me. His wife. Pregnant. Baby was due right around the time homeboy planned his trip to the motherland. Seriously?  That's what really bothered me about The Back Nine.  This guy put his ambitions way ahead of his wife and children. 

This movie did make me ask myself a few questions: What are my goals with golf? Why do I play? What level do I want to reach? Most importantly, what am I willing to sacrifice in order to play?
I'm willing to sacrifice some money, nothing more. Would I ditch my pregnant wife for a chance to play in Scotland with my dad? Hell no. If I worked 50-80 hour weeks would I travel on the weekends to play golf? I like being married.  Maybe Jon doesn't. Way I see it, if you're a married man, you chose to be a married man. You can't live life like a single guy with no responsibilities just because you feel like "[you] just HAVE to do this." (Fitzgerald J., The Back Nine, 2009.) If you're a father, good or bad, how your kids remember you is all about the choices you make.  To me, setting a good example for my children is not only my main priority, it goes hand-in-hand with all my other ambitions in life.  I don't think Mr. Fitzgerald and I are on the same page with that one.

The Back Nine... More like The Crap Nine. I think even the title is misleading. Here's what this movie was truly about: An ego-maniac who got super lucky and found the most patient wife on earth with whom he bred the most understanding daughter to have ever walked the face of the planet.  Then, spent his entire marriage doing nothing but pursuing his own dreams. Maybe it's just me reading between the lines, but I think this guy Fitzgerald made up an intricate (to the point where he put together the funding to make a movie) excuse to cover up his true desires: spend all free time after work playing golf. After sitting through this idiotic self-portrait I think it should've been titled differently. A better title would be, "Jon Needs a Vacation from His Responsibilities So Let's Put Some Fake Ambition Behind the Truth: Golf is the Shit and I Want to Play as Much as I Can Without Getting Divorced. Part One" 

 Thank you for the suggestion, Netflix.  To those looking to watch a golf movie, do yourselves a favor and avoid this one. F- 

-Juno

Diagnosis: GIR Deficiency

If it ain't one thing, it's another.  Right?  That's why we love this game.  There's always something to tinker with and no matter how good we swing one day we always want to do better the next.  

100 Balls, 100 Divots

I went to the range today and only brought 8-iron and below.  My goal was to work on my accuracy from 160 yards and in.  Ruining perfectly good tee shots by constantly missing the green is getting a little old.  My goal at the range up to now has always been to flush it and make good contact.  This strategy helped a lot with distance and basics but I want to take my game to the next level.  I need to start sticking my approaches closer to the pins.  At least get them stopping somewhere on the dance floor.  Even if I leave myself a lengthy putt, it's better than hitting a wedge from an awkward distance.  Right now, pretty much every hole my inner monologue goes a little something like this, "No problem Juno, you can get up-and-down from here for par/bogey/double..."  

Nice form, but ball's still on the tee.

Luckily I'm not fighting the pull as much as I was last month.  Moving the ball back in my stance was a really good decision.  I'm also setting up with much less forward press at address.  Hopefully getting more comfortable with these changes will improve my accuracy and we can get back to breaking records.

Salman played a round at the Stonetree Golf Course in Killeen, TX.  He said the course was gorgeous but he had to play on super fast greens because the course hosted a tournament earlier in the day.  The layout reminded him a bit of The Resort in Fort Worth.  Still did well despite the green speeds and shot a solid 44 on the back nine.  He scored his lowest round for 2013.  Looks like someone's game is coming along nicely!

Muddy Round at Grand Oaks in Grand Prairie

Heavy rain all week = twilight prices at Grand Oaks, in Grand Prairie, and SUPER MUDDY GOLF SHOES!

Played Grand Oaks a couple weeks ago with dad, Soks, and Salman.   Fun round as usual with dad and my dudes.  Big congratulations are in order for Soks who shot his lowest round to date!

The course was very muddy that day after heavy rains throughout the week.  It didn't really pose too much of a problem with play, but they said cart path only for the carts.  Dad, Soks, and Salman rode carts and I walked it.  Really annoyed that I didn't get Salman getting stuck in the mud on camera!  That was pretty funny.  Cart path only means cart path only, buddy. 

The round was the usual affair for me.  Garbage front nine and pretty good back nine.  I didn't get to implement the work I put in to fix the pull in this round, but I'm happy to report that I did kinda fix the pull. (For now... I think?)
Last post I talked about how I assumed I was swinging out-to-in but I had a hard time fixing it with that thought because I already kinda feel like I do attack the ball from the inside'ish. Nevertheless, I tried a drill that Ted shared with me on Twitter and still managed to pull a few shots with my driver with the stick in the way.  Then I remembered the tip in my last post that said ball position can cause a pull.  I took my swing to the range again and just moved my ball back closer to center on all my clubs aaaaaaand Voilà! Problem Solved!  Moving the ball back straightened pretty much all my shots out, most significantly the driver.  Huge relief for me because big changes in mechanics are a pain, especially when you're feeling really comfortable with how you're swinging it.  

...Now if only I can find a line of text that will help me putt better.

Fixing the Pull

PULLS. PULLS. PULLS.

That pretty much sums up my last few golf outings.  I pull shots way less on the range, which is weird but I guess kinda makes sense since I'm worrying more about my form than the result.  So instead of pulling nine out of ten, I usually pull six out of ten.  But on the course we all kinda just let it all hang out and play fast & loose.  Right?

I tried implementing a few changes but nothing really stuck. I knew deep down that I was just ignoring the biggest and only reason for the pull. It took a YouTube reply from the fellas at Me & My Golf to get me to finally come to grips with it:

"[T]o hit a straight pull, the face will be square to the path and the swing path will be left (for a right handed golfer)"

Yup. Out-to-In. I was hitting a good draw consistently about three months ago and I thought the sudden appearance of the pull was from me over-drawing it(?) But I kinda always knew that my pull came from the same problem that caused the slice I rocked when I started playing golf. I was coming over the top so much back then and corrected it by trying keep my elbow completely attached to my ribs from address all the way to impact till my shots consistently turned right. I guess I got too comfortable lately and started reverting back to my old habits.

The foot twisting out still really bothers me, but its mostly just aesthetically. I want my swing to not just be effective but also to look nice. 

I found this neat little bit of information on About.com written by golf instructor Roger Gunn (emphasis added):

Diagnosing the Pull

Grip

The grip is not normally a factor with a pull.

Set-up

Make sure you are not aiming too far left, or that your shoulders are pointing too far left.

Ball Position

You might have the ball too far forward in your stance. This causes you to catch the ball when the club is swinging back to the left.

Backswing

The club is likely being pushed outside the target line on the way back. The club should track a gentle arc on the way back. The club should be over your shoulder at the top, not over your head.

Downswing

Your arms are likely pushing away from your body at the transition. Keep your arms in so that they pass close to the right pants pocket on the approach. Make sure your head doesn't move toward the target until after impact.

I highlighted the two things I feel really apply to my swing.  I've been teeing the ball up a lot farther forward in my stance because the new position was yielding me a few extra yards, but now that I think about it I started hitting the pull right around the same time I made the change.  The head thing is kinda tricky, and I feel like this type of tip is easily misunderstood by most golfers.  "Making sure your head doesn't move . . ." is NOT the same as "Keep your eyes on the ground/ball."  What I think Mr. Gunn is referring to here is lateral sway towards the target.  I try to get my hips moving laterally towards the target at the top of my backswing, but honestly I never pay attention to keeping my head from moving toward the target as well. 

Looks like I'll be putting in some time on the range this week.  Good thing I still have that bucket of balls in my trunk that I didn't finish last time I went out to Lake Ridge.  

90% Sand 10% Grass

I played Cedar Crest Golf Club in Dallas last week with some classmates.  The round was pretty tough.  Started the day seven over par... after three holes!!!  Somehow managed to miraculously scrounge together an 87.  Pretty happy with the score but was really bummed with how I was hitting the ball.  Tons of shanks, still struggling with the stupid pull, and super garbage putting on 17 holes.

The greens were crazy bad; there was so much sand on them that even landing chips from just around the greens sent sand flying.  On top of that the greens were pretty wet from the morning dew.  Totally my fault for not getting the ball closer to the hole, but still... judging distance was super difficult.  My buddy Zack carded a solid 86 with some solid play, solid putting, solid solid'ing pretty much everywhere from tee to green.  We were pretty much even till he drained a bird in my face.

Overall, Cedar Crest was pretty nice.  Good price, nice layout, difficult walk and crappy greens tho.  I don't know if I'm gonna be back there anytime soon unless someone invites me.  C+.

Here's the vid.  Enjoy!

Had 'Sell Out' by Reel Big Fish playing while editing this video so I went ahead and added it since I was listening to it anyway.

Can you believe Breaking Bad is ending in a week?!?!?!?!