Lately I’ve been doing a lot of chess puzzles before bed. I was really into them a year or two ago, and watching the Queen’s Gambit re-energized me to add them back into my day. One thing that chess puzzles teach you is to assess the board you’re playing and think a few moves ahead …
Author Archives: michaelgolfs
Nine in the bag
After landing in Florida, I played nine today for the first time in weeks (on three hours of sleep). There were some definite high points and some definite low points: A decent drive, a little right (but in the fairway). Approach wood just over the green. OK chip and two putts for bogey. I may …
Coronavirus
It’s been a long time since I checked in here. A big chunk of that delay is because I got Coronavirus (ugh 2020). The good news is that I think the 10+ days of isolation in Connecticut might have helped my golf game. A few weeks before I got Covid, I took a great lesson …
The World’s Weirdest Par
Yesterday I played eighteen holes with my sister. My swing was OK, but my scrambling was great, including the world’s weirdest par. We started on 10. I hit a nice drive out of the gate, finding the fairway on the right. I hit a mediocre second shot, then hit a 7-iron all of 40 yards. …
A Quick 9
On Friday, I hit around 200 balls on the range, and worked on putting until the sun set. With the swing changes I made the prior week and the data showing I was weakest from 150-200 yards, I practiced some things I rarely practice, including my 5-iron, 3 wood, and hybrid. I also hit a …
Fall Approaches
Yesterday I felt 59-degree chill for the first time since last year. Leaves are starting to fall, Autumn definitely approaches, and my golf game is still nowhere near where I want it to be. But over the last two weeks there has been progress. I switched to a baseball grip after an unsuccessful (read: painful) …
Success
After yesterday’s promising short-game session, I returned to the practice area today to see if my takeaway from yesterday (slow backswing, stop, and turn while holding the backswing) would translate to the full swing. I’m happy to report that it did. I warmed up with some chips and pitches, achieving results similar to yesterday. After …
Raising The Floor
I was listening to “Get a Grip” today, Max Homa and Shane Bacon’s podcast, and Homa had an excellent phrase for my top golf goal: Raising the floor. The ceiling of my golf game, at the moment, is pretty decent. On a good day (month?) I drive it nicely, hit smooth irons, and have lots …
Hole in 3
On Tuesday I had a disappointing range session. I didn’t hit the ball well at all. Yesterday, I flew to Florida for some appointments. Today, at Old Palm Golf Club, I had a hole in three. What’s a hole in 3, you might ask? Well, on the par 3 2nd hole, I hit my tee …
First 18 Since Covid
After weeks of practice, I finally played a full 18-hole round today for the first time in months. Before the round, I warmed up with some 10-30yard pitches with my 60-degree wedge, and some putts. When I teed off, I was a little rusty. My first drive was dead left. My next was alive, but …
