First Goal of 2007 Complete - Broke 80
First Goal of 2007 Complete - Broke 80
Keep it simple stupid!
So I played 18 yesterday at Quail Brook and low and behold, counting up my score on the way to the parking lot I shot a 79.…woohooo!
I knew I was playing alright, having carded a couple birdies and a bunch of pars. But I really wasn't giving any thought to my total score at any point in the round. I didn't even bother to total up the front nine at the turn.
So how does it feel to break 80? Pretty awesome, what a milestone. The great thing is, I definitely 'left' a lot of shots out there, so there is plenty of room for improvement for sure. I had an awful shot out of some deep rough on the 17th hole, that ultimately led to a bogey. A handful of lip-out putts. A terrible recovery attempt on 14 (though ultimately made a great chip and a very long one-putt to save par) after a poor tee-shot put me under a tree. It was quite windy as well, so accuracy was tough…and well...attempts at knockdown shots on a couple par threes were not so wonderful.
So what went right? For the most part, I was driving the ball well. My driving accuracy stat may not show that, but on almost every hole I was either in the fairway or in the first cut. Again, for the most part my approach shots were decent as well. GIR % may not have been anything to write home about, but I was generally in a spot where I had a decent shot at chipping close. The Mizuno MP-33s are starting to payoff 😊
This brings me to the most important part of the day: my short game was pretty on. Most of my chips left me with a reasonable shot at a one putt. The Wedge Guy had posted a tip a while back about the short game, and I feel as if that has helped me a lot lately. The slight pause has been working great for me. Between the good chipping, pitching and solid putting (31 total putts, no 3 putts) the short game was definitely on.
So...new goal for 2007...break 80 often!