Yesterday, I decided just to play golf. I have practiced a fair bit this week and now it was time to put it to the test. I went to the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort for a quick nine holes with the intent of playing alone. Fortunately, I met up with Logan and we decided to play nine holes together. I was going to play the reds (2557 yards) but move back to the whites (3039 yards) to play with Logan. So we teed it up to see what would happen.
Moving back to the whites really tested my game. The extra 500 yards is really a bug bear for hickory sticks. My intent was to hit the ball well off the tee, ensure I had enough club for my second shot and to focus on hitting the green. I know this sounds like any other round, but with my hickories I really try to have a goal when practicing. I found that I was hitting more shots from 150ish yards than if I was playing from the reds. On a positive note, I did not have any doubles. I finished with a 43 (par 37) – 6 bogeys and 3 pars.
My efforts from previous practices paid off because I was able to select the correct club for the proper distance. The challenge I am having is that I pull the ball left. I am not sure if that is because I am trying to swing smoother and slower. Thus I am coming over the top a bit. I am not missing the green left by much, but I am missing the green. I will have to pay attention to this swing hitch on Monday.
The weather forecast is for rain on Tuesday. I have all the wet weather gear I need, so I am hoping I can swing the hickories as well in the wet as the dry. Likely, I will have to club up, but that will be a game day decision. Regardless, I will be prepared for whatever comes my way.
The last few posts I have talked about preparing for the 2024 Ontario Open Hickory Golf Championship. If you read closely, all my efforts can be applied to my modern game. There is nothing secret about my process because it is how, in my opinion, solid golf is played. You will notice that I figured out my club distances, practiced from the pin out and focused on course management. These are all the things I have espoused over the years.
On a side note, The Grateful Golfer reached another milestone of 200k views and 150k visitors already this Year. There is still three months to go before the end of the year so I suspect to have greater numbers by the end of December. Thank you to everyone, I am grateful for all your support.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 
I spent Monday and Tuesday practicing on our 9 hole course out back and it paid off handsomely when I joined the skins game on Wednesday. I took the win 5,2,1,0. That felt extra good because we had the best of us playing that night and to be honest because they shut me out last week. lol
Most of my chips were stopping so close the guys were just kicking it back to me. I think I only pulled my putter once on the front nine and that was for a 4 footer to win the skin on the 4th hole. I think on 7 and 8 I left myself more like 6 feet but I was chipping to tie on those and went past the hole both times. I’d left myself in the rough and our rough is tall and wet right now. It’s tough to get through and I didn’t on either of those shots. I don’t think anyone won those holes though. I got lucky there. And on 9 I almost chipped in after landing on the green and rolling back off. I mention that to tell you that I had no putting practice in 9 holes so when I cut the corner over the trees on 10 and was the only one who had an eagle putt, and only managed to tie the hole with a par, you will understand why I didn’t kick myself. lol It was a long uphill putt and I didn’t get it anywhere near close with the first attempt. lol I made sure to hit a couple practice putts after that before moving on to the next hole I can tell you. I didn’t drop that eagle putt, but I got that birdie and the skin. Yeah, I drove two par 4’s in a row. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. One green you can’t even see from the tee box and the other is 245 and uphill on a raised green. You have to clear those banks or you just stick on them and it’s not often I hit it over them. Especially without a helping breeze and when you do get one it’s just as likely you go off the back. So hitting them both, first a tall slice over trees and blind, and then a tall draw catching the rough just inches from the first cut and slowing it down enough to hold was the perfect analogy of how my game basically played Wednesday night.
Playing 3 balls during those 9 hole practice sessions I think really pays off. I was back out there tonight. Had the course to myself. Only saw one other die hard at the end and he was working on his chipping on the range.
My practice entails hitting different clubs, different shot shapes, stepping on the ball in the rough before hitting it. Things you hate to see when you’re counting strokes. Right now I’ve been practicing chipping toe down a lot from different lies to see where it works well and where it’s not the right call. And then I’m practicing it anyway. Maybe with a different wedge. Maybe not. It’s the best practice I know. Seldom the same shot twice. I’ll do that too occasionally if I executed poorly and want another chance at it. But in general, I just go to the next ball and hit an entirely different shot. Just like I have to when I’m playing for score. Only I’m getting three different shots into each green. Different angles. Playing off the greens slopes. It’s really a great way to get intimate knowledge of your course while also getting your swing dialed in.
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Wow, Kevin.
That is quite a round of golf you had. Great to hear the your practicing paid off and you won many skins. I hope your next few rounds are just as fruitful.
Cheers Jim
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