It’s been a while since I’ve done a progress update.
I’ve had some kind of muscle inflammation below and around the back of my hip, toward my backside. It all started over a month ago when, during a lesson, my pro had me make a change in my stance. Previously, I would address the ball with my left foot flared slightly toward the target, maybe 20-30 degrees. He thought (and I agree) that it was keeping me from getting as much hip turn as I needed on the back swing, and then was making the hips turn a little too far too quickly during the down swing.
When I changed that foot position, my ball striking got a little better right away. Unfortunately, very soon after doing that, I started to get that muscle soreness. Undoubtedly, the muscles in that area of my body were not ready for the stretching they would get with my foot more square during the swing.
It got to the point where I took off a couple of weeks to let it heal, and when I came back, it was still causing soreness. I’ve been working on stretching out that area, and have also reduced the number of practice balls I’m hitting. Instead of hitting 200-300 in a session, I keep it down to 100 or less. This has actually let me play and practice with the discomfort and it seems to actually be lessening as time goes on.
Beyond that, my game is starting to click right now, with the exception of putting, which has taken a step backward. Last time out, I carded a 42 that included 4 (!) three-putts. That’s off the charts for me. Putting has been the strongest part of my game for a while. I’m not too worried, though. Some time on the practice green will iron that out. Then I’ll be getting down into the 30′s. That’s a place I haven’t been in a few years.
It hit 7 greens in regulation during that round, which is a stat that has been completely turning around for me. I’m giving myself a chance to score, but the putter just isn’t doing it right now.
Earlier in the year, I was working on my takeaway, and I think I’ve gotten that to a good place. My normal club distances have returned and I’m hitting the ball very solidly.
One thing that has started to return that I’ve been without for the last two years is the ability to really make shots. My natural shot has been somewhat of a draw recently, but I’m finally able to start to produce fades on command again. I’m also hitting other types of shots, as well, high and low, for instance.
It has completely changed my game. For much of the last two years, being on the course has been about trying to keep the ball on the same hole and out of trouble. Now, it’s about position. It’s about hitting shots that make sense, and not just about advancing the ball. I’m more able to play the game like a chess match. Course management matters again.
Since the hip/leg pain started, I hadn’t played much for about a month, though I was still practicing. Now I’m back at it, and I easily dropped 4-5 strokes off my average 9-hole score, and that’s with a complete meltdown of my putting ability.
I had an eagle opportunity the other night, after getting on with a 5-iron to a narrow (front to back) green from a little over 200 yards. I had about 12 feet for eagle and missed it, but got the tap-in birdie. This is the first time in two years that playing a hole like that has been within the realm of possibility for me.
The plan for the short term is just to try and sharpen my putting to eliminate those 3-putts. Part of that comes from the fact that I’m hitting a lot more greens in regulation, and am faced with long first putts sometimes, but I’m also being faced with birdie putts that I could be making, as well. Lag putting is obviously off, but so is getting those ten-footers to drop sometimes, like I normally do.
Beyond that, it’s just about time for another lesson. I’ve already discussed the idea with my pro of doing a playing lesson, so we can really start to identify parts of my game that need the most attention, and put the effort there. That reminds me – I’ve been meaning to update the stats page, and will do that soon. I’ve been keeping track, but haven’t had a lot of rounds in the last month, with the muscle thing going on. It’s a start, though, and I’ll keep adding more as the summer progresses.
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