Additional Backgroud

So as I mentioned in one of my last post, I am attempting to catch everyone up to the events that lead me to this monumental decision.

In May 2011, after a couple of hours of lessons with my swing coach, Terry Govern, we made a few swing changes for the better.  Basically flattening out my swing.  Boy changes take a long time to incorporate.  Most people think, okay I will just change but there is a lot involved in changing a swing.  First you have to have your brain tell your body to do certain things, and many times your body just doesn't want to cooperate, at least mine doesn't.  We make some corrects to the lie angle of my clubs and did a proper wedge setup.  We also did some distance checking utilizing The Tracman device.

Those lessons where taken just before my annual golf outing with my golf buddies at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth IN.  Terry was very encouraging towards my ability and my goals.  And reassured me they were within reach if I was willing to put forth the effort, fortunately I love to practice.  The lessons included overall swing, short game, and putting.  It is comforting to know I am not so far off the rails.

Now being the "friends" they are, and if yours are anything like mine, they all thought I would come out and shoot a 68 or something and had fun rubbing it in when I actually took a few steps back.  At the end of the day we all had some good laughs at my expense over cigars and scotch around the small bonfire we built.

So my education and becoming a student of the game has begun.  What to start with first?  I decided the only way to accomplish my goal was to concentrate on one or two aspects at a time.  The list of what I needed to work on is:

• overall swing
• driver and long irons
• ball striking with mid and short irons
• short game (pitching and chipping)
• putting
• non golf items (mental aspect and fitness)

For the remaining of 2011 I went hard at work on my swing and driver/long irons.  Looking back I should have started with short game, but more on that later.  I gained some distance (still need a bit more), but more importantly I gained consistency and driving accuracy.  Driving the ball isn't the most critical part of the game but it will certainly set up the hole.

I was able to start working on my ball striking with my mid and short irons towards the later part of 2011.  With hitting greens in regulation as a main focal point.  So much so I started tracking my stats and finishing the year around 30%.  Not good.

2012 started as the year I needed to increase that percentage and it became painfully obvious I needed work on my short game.  First things first.  November 2011 marked a big change in putters.  I was custom fitted for a Bettinardi BB8 putter, best decision of 2011.  This marks the first time I really had the proper tool for getting the ball in the hole and make better scores.