Format: 3-round tournament
Venue: [Aberdovey]
Score: 19th
Handicap mark: Played off scratch
Themes in reply: Putting (again!)
Hi Colin,
I have been very busy this week catching up but I need to send you an email re: Aberdovey so here it is.
It’s a pretty good course but it can be a bit unfair in places. I can’t remember all my shots (and it would be boring for you) so this is an overview.
Monday. After travelling up we had a practice round and I played ok but not great. However, I did hole some ok putts.
On Tuesday, the weather was good and there was a light wind. I played quite well really only dropping 2 shots on the front 9. I hit the ball ok and holed 1 very good putt. I was going ok on the back 9 until I hit a ball out of bounds on the 16th. It was a really strange shot because the OOB is way left. This cost me a double bogey and I finished up on 77 which is 6 over par. The best in was MN with a very good 69, 2 under par.
On Wednesday, the wind was a bit stronger. I probably played better than on Tuesday but I didn’t hole a single putt so I had a 79 which could have easily been 4 shots better. By now my putting had become tentative and I had 36 putts in total.
On the Thursday, the wind was very strong making even the downwind holes difficult. I hit the ball generally well but again lost all confidence on the greens. I missed 5 putts which were under 3’ and one was about 18”. This was really frustrating and I ended up with an 83 and 38 putts for the round. There were only 6 scores in the 70s so it was pretty respectable. Also, I was probably the only person on the day not to have a double bogey. I checked the top 20 on the website and they all did. What this means I don’t know!?
Overall I was pleased with the week. I hit the ball well and played with a couple of current welsh internationals who don’t strike it any better than me. It was a bit of a learning curve but I’m already looking forward to next year! If I had holed some putts and kept the momentum going I would have certainly been 6/7 shots better. I know its always ‘if’. The winner was 10 shots better than me and I feel as if I could have been right up there.
I played a Stableford on Sat but played poorly and had 28 points. I wasn’t really up for it to be honest.
On Wednesday evening we had a team match against the Vale at home. It was a wet and windy night and I played with PR against 2 v good young guns. They started well and got 2 up but we played the back 9 very sensibly and eventually won 3 & 2. I didn’t play at all well for the first 9 but got the “timing” going and played well thereafter. The team won which means we have won 3 of our 4 matches which is good as 3 of these have been away.
Got a Stableford tomorrow so I’m going to play well!
Regards,
John
Dear Mark,
Thank you for the e-mail. It was very good of you to take the time to write when you are busy.
Aberdovey – It was a great effort to keep your form over 3 rounds, especially as you were getting frustrated with your putting. To finish just 10 shots off the lead after 54 holes is excellent. It was great to hear that you are looking forward to next year.
Tuesday – The 16th out of bounds is interesting because to end up with a double-bogey means that you must have parred the hole the second time, giving you a 75 for the round.
Wednesday – 79 after 36 putts is some going. A good putting round is 30 putts, so that’s a 73!
Thursday – This is your best round because of the fact that it was the third day; your putting fell apart; you were out of contention and the wind was blowing. To be the only player not to double-bogey on the day is a fantastic achievement and is a real tribute to your “professionalism”. Playing that well and putting that badly is a very significant clue, which I’ll come back to. I’m going to give you another 30 putts because you were playing so well which leaves you with a 75.
Overall – So that’s a “virtual” 223 instead of an actual 239 ie 16 shots better. In other words, I make you the “virtual” winner!
Wednesday – Excellent. It is a fantastic thought to have in your head that if you simply look for “timing” shot to shot, then as soon as you find it you will start to play well. (Don’t forget that what we are actually talking about with regard to “timing” is finding perfect timing rather than okay “timing”.)
Putting – Not for the first time recently, I am having to come back to putting. I am starting to wonder if you are still resisting the idea that a putt is the same as a drive. That, in fact, you still carry the suspicion that putting is a “game within a game”.
What makes me take this tack is that your “timing” seems to be so good tee to green, and you seem to be able to find “timing” after bad shots or holes (16th on Tuesday). So, according to the “rules” of the theory, once you have located “timing” then it is simply a matter of taking it from shot to shot.
Granted, the putting stroke is the one that is most prone to “timing” going missing because it is a very small and delicate swing, and the results are so easy to see because the target is so obvious.
However, the only thing that is going to get that ball anywhere near the hole on a consistent basis is “timing”. And your “timing” is fine, so there must be something that you are putting in your own way when you get on to the green. This is bound to be some conscious thought or other that simply takes up the space and energy you need to locate your “timing”.
I think it is time for a face to face. I will take you through the routine of facing up to a putt. There is no need to actually putt anything although it would be handy if we could get on to a putting surface. Please get in touch to arrange something.
Putting again . . .! – I am concerned that you regard yourself as a poor putter, and that when a few don’t drop, your perceived former failings come back, and that this is what takes up the space your conscious needs to furnish your subconscious with the visualisation it craves. This is a classic case of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Regards,
Colin
