Budget Beater: Breaking 90 Doesn’t Have To Break The Bank

I’ve seen it far too often, that person that rolls up to the first tee with a $500 driver, a few $250 fairway woods, a couple of $200 hybrids, that $2000 set of irons and a $500 custom putter. I step back to play the blue tee boxes and they walk back from the whites to join me. I pull my 1 iron out and hit a semi-decent shot about 240 yards down the middle of the fairway. They pull out their magical driver, take about 3 seconds to get the tee in the ground and hit a low pull left about 100 yards off the tee. They follow that with a topped 3 wood, then a slicing hybrid. A chip from that $150 wedge finally gets them on the green where that $500 putter 3 putts just like a $10 Goodwill find. I replay that hole over and over again and wonder, why did they have to spend so much money in the wrong places for this game. Even in the age of the “free online lesson” nobody should have a bag that has that much money tied up in it, unless they are putting just as much into their practice and lessons.

To put this in perspective, I will build you a bag using the clearance section at Golfsmith.com. Keep in mind that buying used is an even better way to go, but here’s what I found online today. The driver, a Callaway X N415 for $105. For the fairway woods, you can pick up the Adams Tight Lies or Tight Lies Tour models for just $40 each. Total in the woods department, $185. For the irons and hybrids, it just comes down to personal preference, but for the non-hybrid user, the Wilson Di11 irons are just $249 while the Callaway X series hybrid/iron combo set is just $100 more. Since I’m not a lover of all things hybrid, I’ll take the $250 game improvement irons and toss those in the bag. For the wedges and putter, I am looking at the Snake Eyes SL4 wedges for $25 each and the Lynx Black Cat putter for $40. That puts the total bag right around $500. To compare, I have a $70 driver, $200 irons, $60 in wedges and a $25 putter, or about $350 in my bag right now, and that’s with a very special set of blades, not my ‘cheaper’ Fluid Feels or the old Pings.

Now, keeping in mind that I’m not slamming the equipment makers for convincing golfers that they will play better than they can with certain gear in their bags, but it’s scary to think that you can outfit an entire bag for the cost of one driver. In all honesty, the struggling shooter will probably do better with the game improvement clubs anyway. With more money spent on lessons and practice, a player will get better than their equipment. When that happens, and they decide it is time to try out for the senior tour, they can spend all they want and get the performance clubs they need. Until then, blow through the cash playing and practicing instead of trying to buy a game that will break 90. In fact, don’t blow any money at all and just practice what you can at home for free. You’ll get there soon enough.

Equipment Deal: An Unbelievable Deal On Nike Woods And Hybrids

Normally I run the equipment deals on Mondays, but this one is too good not to post today. Golfsmith.com is running a special deal on their Nike drivers, fairway woods and hybrids. Although every single one of these deals is a substantial saver, the Vapor Flex 440 is the star of the show in my opinion as the $500 driver is just $149.99. Even with the $350 savings, Golfsmith is including a $25 gift card with the purchase! That means you get a grand total of 75% off this top notch driver. I’m sure supplies on this one are extremely limited, so grab one for yourself before they run out.

Golfsmith.com

Stroke Saver: How Many Putts Did You Have?

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been harping on the word “consistency” so much, it’s beginning to sounds like a broken record. I wanted to change it up a bit this week and offer up a new topic and delve into something a bit different, putting. When you have a single part of the game that accounts for almost 40% of your score, it’s hard not to focus on it very heavily. I mean, lets face it, there is nothing worse than hitting a perfect drive and a great approach only to three putt your way to a bogey, or worse yet, a four putt double bogey. Putting is such a huge part of the game and one of the most neglected areas of practice.

First, work with what you have. There is no magical piece of equipment that will make you putt better. Putters are all about feel and confidence. Once you find one that fit those needs, practice with it. I recently switched back from the putter I had shot my best golf ever with to a Wilson 8813 that I used before it. My average putts moved from 34 per round to 32 per round. Not exactly a ‘huge’ change there, but I feel a bit more confident in the 8813 at the moment so I’m staying with it. In realistic terms, you have a few different options in models, but most of them are classified in one of the four following designs: blade, improvement blade, mallet and space age. I made up that last one, but seriously, some of these things look like spaceships from the original Star Trek show. Fortunately, all four styles of these putters will roll the ball just fine, so it comes down to what can you aim and what do you feel the best with in your hands.

Once you have your putter chosen, and honestly, take your time with this one, you need to start working on your stroke. You have a few simple drills you can do inside, even if you have hardwood floors, that will help you master your putting stroke. Many people spend money on expensive aids, but you can nail about 90% of what they do with a few simple household items and a Sharpie pen. Here are my 5 favorite drills for “free” indoor putting practice.

1) The 2 Book Path Drill – Place two books on the grounds about a 1/2” wider than your putter. Starting with the putter in the middle of the books, simply pull the putter back 6 inches and then swing forward until you are about 6 inches in front of the center. You want to master this “1 foot” area as this is the contact point of the swing. What you do before this and after this in your swing doesn’t matter, as long as your 1 foot contact area is the same every time, you’ll be consistent with your putting stroke.

2) Aim At The Coins – When you finally master your stroke, the next important thing is to learn how to aim your putter so that perfect stroke hits it where you want to. For this, you’ll need a 12-18” string or ribbon, two coins and some glue (a hot glue gun works great for this tool!) Assemble the tool in the following manner – glue one end of the string to the center of the first coin, then repeat this with the opposite end on the second coin. This is going to create a line with two weights at each end. Spread these out on your floor and and work on lining up the site lines on the putter with the string just in front of the first coin. Once you feel confident in the alignment, begin making strokes, concentrating on keeping the alignment line centered on the string. Your goal is to follow the line to the second coin and stay in alignment the entire time. It’s the same as the book drill, but with a more narrow line to follow. You can even tag team this drill with the books for an even stronger practice session.

3) Man In The Mirror – It’s back to school time, so the selection of products for this drill should be at the perfect level. What you will do is get a ‘locker mirror’ or some sort of plastic mirror that is about 8x10 in size. If you are on a budget, check your local dollar store, this does not need to be a high end item. Once you have the mirror, you will need to draw a cross on the mirror at the halfway point, so the lines cross in the middle of the mirror. You will then line the face up to the lines on the mirror – the first will align the face, the second will align to the path. You can then watch the line in the mirror and yourself to work on keeping your eyes down on the ball through impact. This will build consistency in not pulling your head and increase your focus at impact.

4) Count To Three – Just like it says, this drill will have you stroking the ball with a smooth three count, no matter how far you need to hit it. Building your pace will help you increase your distance accuracy. A shorter stroke on short putts and a longer stroke on long putts is fine, but if you swing harder or faster on one than the other, your distance control will be horrible. 1 – pull the putter away from the ball, 2 – the movement back to the ball, 3 – impact through the ball. Simple, easy and done in a perfect rhythm. The smoother your swing gets with counts, the better your distance control will become. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

5) Do A Shot To Make A Putt – Ok, so this sounds more like a party game than a drill, but the point of this one is to take a standard shot glass (not one of the taller shooter glasses, but the short stubby ones) and putt to it for a target. This is something that should really only be done on carpet, but if you don’t have neighbors down below, you can even do it on hardwood. I don’t recommend it for tile though, the ball tends to bounce a bit too much. Just like the drill sounds, you take a shot glass and place it on the ground. Start at 3 feet away and hit the glass softly 5 times. Then move back to 4 feet and repeat. Get all the way to 6 feet, you win. Go have a drink and relax, your putting training for the day is complete. If you miss though, you start all over.

With these 5 simple drills, which cost practically nothing to perform, your putting can be better than ever in just a few minutes a day. Most of them don’t even involve hitting a ball. If you would like to see a tutorial on how to make any of the items that I use in my putting drills, just let me know and I will be happy to make a YouTube video of them and post it here. Most of them were assembled with common household items and a Sharpie marker, but others required a minimal purchase like the locker mirror at the dollar store. Even if you only adopt one or two of them to practice when you can, you will probably end up shaving at least 2 or 3 putts a round off your average in no time.

Equipment Deals: Save Big On Select Clearance Big Sticks

If you’ve been looking for a deal on a big stick, but aren’t sold on plunking down $500 on a new driver, check out some of the amazing deals that Golfsmith if offering. Starting with the Nike Limited Edition Vapor Speed TW driver for $199.97, a savings of $200 and moving on to the Cobra Fly-Z+ driver for just $169.97, a savings of $230, there is something for just about everyone at a substantial savings.

Callaway’s Big Bertha V Series Driver is also half off at just under $200 and their X Series N415 driver is priced at only $104.87. The Callaway savings continue with the Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver is $199.96 or a savings of $250 off the original retail. One of the best deals this week has to be the Callaway Demo FT Optiforce 440 drivers for just $49.87. Even Ping is getting in on the sale with their G25 Driver coming in at a price too low to advertise.

There are also some exceptional deals in apparel, gadgets and even some new sets of irons on the deals page. If you feel the need to do a bit of online shopping, check out the Golfsmith clearance sale!

Golfsmith Clearance Page

• Paying For This Blog With Links

The Journey To Scratch: What Is It And Why Do I Want To Do It!

Welcome to my Journey To Scratch series. No, this isn't an itchy thing, it's all about lowering my handicap to a scratch level without spending more than $500 to do it. From purchasing used clubs and clearance bags, to losing weight and becoming healthier, my goal is to start golf season next year as a scratch golfer. I've already dropped my handicap from 13.1 to 3.2 this season, but I need to get over a few mental and physical hurdles before I can get those last few strokes taken off my scores. This "quest" idea was inspired by two excellent PGA golfers from Europe and their "Quest for The Open" series that they are undertaking once again for 2017. So, thank you Peter Finch and Rick Shiels  for the inspiration on this, I know I will drop to a zero if I work hard and get my game, and myself into shape.

Image: TheGrint.com Handicap Index Page

Let's start with the numbers: After almost 10 years away from the game, I have had particularly strong rounds at The Golf Club at Echo Falls (+1 71) and at Gearhart Golf Links (+2 74) as well as an (+8 80) at Riverbend from the black tees, to bring my handicap down to 3.2. In order to bring this down to zero, I will need to post about 5 rounds at the following scores - 70 from the blue tees at Riverbend (72 from the blacks), a 69 from the blues at Echo Falls and 72 from the blue tees at Snohomish.I'm not far off from accomplishing this, but I really need to bare down and eliminate the stupid shots that lead to a wasted stroke or two a few times a round. I also need to dial in the gear that I have to be deadly accurate from the 100 yards and in positions. Currently, I'm missing the target far too often from 100 yards and in.

Dialing in the gear: With the exception of the last round I had, my "new-to-me" Wilson M3 driver has been spectacular. I had been hitting about 80% of my fairways and been very accurate off the tee. My 1 iron has been just as deadly and consistent, but the 240-250 yard distance just isn't long enough to cash in on a great score from the back tees. Playing the shorter blues and whites would give me more opportunities to play it safe with the 1 or 3 irons off the tee. Other than that, club distances have become more and more solid in the few rounds I have played with the FG-49 irons. From inside 100 yards though, my wedges definitely need some work. My target golf isn't playing out to target very well yet. More work with the 58 degree wedge and my sand wedge should help this area quite a bit. That leads to my putting, which may just be the last expense I have on my journey. I need to find a putter that I feel comfortable looking down on that I can line up straight. My Odyssey Tri-Hot #3 is still the one that I do the best with, but the short aiming line on it just doesn't seem to do what it used to for me. The 8813 that is currently in my bag seems to roll a bit better, but is even more difficult to get started on the correct line. Either way, something will be done in the way of a putter move over the next few months.

Getting in shape: As you can see from my videos and photos, I'm not the smallest kid on the course any more. In order for me to compete at a higher level, I will need to get into better shape. In 2006, when I was playing my best golf ever, I had lost 100 pounds (from basically where I am now) and had a much higher energy level. My goal this time is to mimic that loss, though maybe get down 30-50 pounds as quickly as possible, then move the rest in a slower fashion. I'd like to see myself be around 210 when the season starts next year. This means committing time to riding the stationary bike, more walking and healthier eating.

Practice makes perfect: The final step is going to be creating a full blow practice schedule. Now many of my posts over the last few months have highlighted how easy it is to practice at home, and this is exactly where most of my practice sessions will have to take place. Being on a budget with range balls costing $10-15 a pop at the local driving range, there just isn't the possibility of working the swing daily - nor would I want to with dance classes and school coming up for the kiddo. What I will be doing is getting 15-30 minutes of half and full swing practice in outside each day. I will also work putting for 15 minutes indoors as well. This should get my body in shape to play a solid round and hopefully sharpen up my swing and putting.

This isn’t going to be an easy journey, as there was never a point in the past that I was a zero handicapper. I was close in high school, and even closer in my late 20’s, but I never did reach that perfect number. As I shoot a few more rounds in the sub-80 category, this will seem like a much more possible feat for me, but until then, practice starts Monday! Make sure to follow the Back In The Fairway YouTube Channel, Twitter feed and Facebook page for all the latest and greatest information on my journey. In fact, if you are looking to take some strokes off your game, why don’t you join me and pick a number as a goal for the start of your next season!

Budget Beater: Does Your Local Course Offer Yearly Memberships?

 The single biggest expense that you will encounter during your golfing adventures will be greens fees. From the cheapest twilight local round to the most expensive resort course, just playing two times a month could easily cost you $1000 a year or more. Of course, if  the place you play the most often offers a membership, it might just be the way to play all year long, without spending more than the cost of a few months of playing. For example, a local nine hold layout on the outskirts of town offers a yearly pass for just $750. This includes unlimited golf on both weekdays and weekends. Currently 18 holes (two trips around the 9 hole layout) will cost you $25. That means that the payoff on this membership would be 30 rounds of golf, or getting out about once every other week.

While it may seem a bit crazy to think you would want to play 30 rounds a year, once the bug sets in and the summer months come around, you may find yourself wanting to play a few 9 hole rounds after work, or before the sun comes up on Saturday. Keeping yourself local opens up a world of options for sneaking in a few extra holes just about any time. I guess the best way I can sum up how valuable a membership like this can be is to look at my plan for returning to golf this year. I had planned on playing about $500 worth of golf and playing it over 12 months. Currently, I’ve played 10 rounds already and eclipsed my spending total by $150 already. Golf gets crazy expensive, so why not get something that you pay for once and never have to worry about again?

Now, there is more than one way to get a great deal on golf, but if you truly want to get out and play, whether it would be for the health benefits, the competition, or just because you are stubborn and want to be the best at anything you do, a course pass or membership is one of the best ways to save and plan for your yearly budget. If you live somewhere with cold winters and and wet springs, you might want to check out options for monthly passes or even see if they offer a peak season pass only. I mean for $750 a year, even getting three months of use out of a pass isn’t that bad, but if they happened to sell one for $500 that only covered the peak playing season (usually the end of May through the end of September) it could create an even bigger value.

Check with your local course and see what options they have for discounted tee times or memberships. You might be shocked how much you can save.

Stroke Saver: Bad Things Happen When You Have Too Much Information

 You find yourself standing in the fairway, dead center, staring at the front right flag stick that is tucked right behind the bunker. You check your GPS watch and see that the front of the green is 118 yards away. You grab your laser rangefinder from your bag and focus it on the flag, 121. You then pull your phone from your pocket to check that it is 120 to clear the back edge of the front bunker. The only problem is, you don’t have a club that hits the ball 118-121 yards. You only have clubs that hit the ball 115 and 125. In an age where we have so much information at our fingertips, its hard not to want to use it all, but there is really only one number of those three you should consider, unless you are a tour pro with incredible accuracy at a 89% swing. You should only focus on the number that gets you a full swing, not an overswing and not a partial swing, but a full swing.

In this case, all of those gadgets and gizmos are telling you that your 115 yard club will not get you where you need to be. This means a full swing of your 125 yard club will land you center of the green, and hopefully within 10 fee of the hole for a birdie putt. Too often we get caught up in if the flag stick is 118, 121 or 120 away from us instead of worrying about the fact that we need to hit it over the bunker to start with. We try to muscle up on that 115 club and just poke it to that 118 mark, and end up pushing the ball right or worse, coming up short into that front bunker. We ruin the perfect drive by trying to do too much with the second shot. The bad part is, if we were playing 20 years ago, we would have seen 125 to the middle of the green with the little discs in the fairway, or that sprinkler head marking, and hit a safer shot to the middle of the green instead of trying to be so exact.
In something that I will call a disturbing trend, I see golfers of well below average skill level carrying a $200 GPS, a $400 rangefinder and still using a third or fourth method to get information about their next shot, instead of just thinking about their swing. They step up to that shot, knowing that it’s 118 to the front, 121 to the stick and 120 to clear the bunker, and still try to hit that hard wedge right at it. Each time they do it, over and over again, only to get a bad result. These are the same people that go to the driving range and hit ball after ball without thinking about why they are doing it. They just want to ‘groove’ their swing and get out on the course and play better.

I have to say, that since I started pre-working rounds in my head, about 80% of my holes have played out pretty much exactly as planned. I’ve had to adjust my yardages a few times, but I’ve swapped irons 3 times this year, so I’m not expecting to have the distances down quite yet. I will say this though, rather than worrying about 118 or 121, I’m playing much better when I stare at the number for the center of the green. That 125 number stands out as a much better target for me than trying to get the exact 89% swing on that 125 club to stick it closer. In fact, the last time I found a green side bunker was when someone with that laser rangefinder told me an exact yardage. For now, let me work on that direction a bit more and the numbers a bit less. It’s dropped me 5 strokes in two rounds, maybe it can do the same for you.

Budget Buster: Follow Your Local Course On Facebook

While you may think you are in the know for the deals and steals at your local links, but do you really have all the scoops? Social media is becoming more and more popular as a way for local courses to reach their surrounding communities. For example, Blue Boy West in my home town of Monroe, WA is a shortish 9 hole layout that was built on a plot of farm land in the hills. The sub $20 price point is great for a quick nine holes in the afternoon, and the $25 price point makes for a steal for a double nine round of 18 on a weekend. Of course, because I follow them on Facebook, I found an even better deal – $13 for a weekday early bird 9.

With a deal that good, I can tee off at 6 AM, shoot a quick nine and still be at work by 8:00 in the morning. Make sure you take the time to follow and like your favorite course and equipment companies on social media. The deals you miss could cost you more than you think.

Playing A Round: Gearhart Golf Links, Gearhart, OR

In honor of The Open Championship this week, I decided to throw my budget out the window and double what I normally would on a round of golf. Of course, I was also on vacation this week, travelling to Seaside, Oregon for my daughter’s dance team’s trip to the Spotlight Nationals, so budget-smudget, right? After checking out the area courses, the only one that seemed like a challenging play was the Gearhart Golf Links. Designed in 1892, the Golf Links are the oldest course in Oregon. At $75 weekdays and $85 weekends, it’s also one of the more affordable “premium” courses in the area as well. The 4 different sets of tees will fit a golfer of just about any level, but for my game, it was the 6501 yard (72.0/136) “The Stones” that were getting my tees today. There are a few more options for those with lesser length off the tees. These include the Black (6176/70.5/131), White (5741/68.5/126 men or 75.0/131 women) or Green (5157/65.6/118 men or 71.1/126 women). Any way you slice it, The Links are a battlefield lined with undulating fairways and crazy bunkers that guard some small, but challenging greens.

 

 

The view from the first tee, a par 4 that measured 330 yards from the tips, was stunning. What looked to be nothing more than a flat fairway with minimal trouble ended up producing some strange lies and had a few surprises for us in it. I ripped a driver into the wind and landed 275 yards down the fairway. A lob wedge landed me within 2 putt distance and the round was underway with a solid par. The second hole, which was across the road, demanded a lower tee shot, for which my 220 yard 1 iron fit the bill nicely. My wedge to the green was caught by the wind and pushed a bit left, which left me an up and down for an easy par. The next hole blew my mind, it was a par 4 that measured 268 yards into the wind. A solid 1 iron landed 40 yards short of the green and my wedge landed just feet from the hole on my “approach shot” for this hole. I have to admit to getting lucky on my putt on this hole, as it would have run 10 feet past if it hadn’t hit the center of the hole. Thank goodness for air brakes on this one. The birdie 3 put me 1 under after three holes.

 

 

Moving on to the 4th, a par 3 that measured 217 yards, I once again found a side wind playing havoc with the hole. My 3 iron went 220 off the tee but headed left of the green. The resulting pitch to a downhill green with zero room to work had me running a two putt back for bogey and returned me to even par. The 5th, a par 4 that measured 369 yards was simply stunning. A strong drive, into the wind only travelled 220 yards up the hill before it was snagged in the right rough. The 9 iron that followed missed the green a touch left, but left me an easy chip and put for a par. The par 4 6th played much more traditionally for me. At 348 yards, this hole was more about avoiding the trouble around it than anything else. A 285 yard drive down the center left me a solid 58 degree wedge to the green. I parked the wedge at 10 feet and 2 putted for my par. That left me even after 6.

 

 

Moving on to the 7th hole, a 339 yard par 4, a beautiful 1 iron draw found the fairway, but my 115 yard 54 degree wedge did not find the green. Fortunately, from the right edge, I was able to chip to 2 feet and tap in for my par. This brought me to the first par 5 of The Links, which measured in at 487 yards. Nothing too tricky on the 8th hole, except for the elevation change. My driver “blasted” the ball 200 yards up the hill, which was far less than it felt like it was going to go. I followed that with a setup to get to my 100 yard wedge to the green. 2 putts later, that par 5 was done and I was still at even par. Finishing out the front side, was the 373 yard par 4 9th. It was long, straight and easy, as long as you stay in the narrow fairway. Fortunately I was able to do just that and hit driver, PW and a chip and a putt for another par and an even 36 on the front side.

 

 

Length starts to become a bit more fun on the back side of the course. The front side measures just 3087 yards from The Stones, but the back lengthens out to 3414 yards. This gives is more of the champion tee feel that I was expecting, but also, created a much more challenging shot selection in the winds that were blowing across the course. The 351 yard par 4 10th begins the journey away from the club house again. My 1 iron found the fairway with ease, but the 8 iron approach carried to the back edge of the green. Again, a chip and a putt moved me along to the next hole without any major incident. The par 3 11th… WOW! This hole measures up at 262 yards from the tips. With the wind blowing at me, I pulled out a driver to try and hit the 5 yard wide target, which I came pretty close to doing. The pin was placed on a side hill, which only added to the difficulty of stopping a chip near it, and I walked away with a bogey 4. What an impressive challenge though1 Don’t worry, if you are playing the Green or White tees, it is a much more manageable 183 or 122 from those. The par 4 12th seemed like a breeze after that, though my 8 iron approach missed the green to the right, resulting in a chip and 2 putt for bogey on it as well. After 12, I had moved to two over par.

 

The 544 yard par 5 13th was finally a break from the hard holes, and I only say this because, well I managed to scrape together a par on it. The irony on 13 was that I played that hole very wild with my drive going right, my next approach shot getting topped out of the rough into the fairway and then a second effort at that shot before landing my FG49 SW about 3 feet from the flag. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a par. The 14th played much cleaner for me. The 371 yard par 4 took just two simple shots to reach, a solid 1 iron off the tee and a good pitching wedge on the approach. Two putts later, my par was on the card. Moving right along to the 15th, I almost threw a party when I nailed my FG49 SW on the screws and landed about 10 feet past the flag on the short par 3. The ball hit, and immediately spun backwards to about 3 feet from the hole. My tap in birdie was almost a hole in one, but not quite.

 

 

The 16th played rather uneventful, or at least not as exciting as the par 3 that almost was a hole in one, Still, a long drive right left me a short 58 degree wedge to the green. Two putts later and the 16th was a par. 17 also played long at 347 yards. With the wind coming at me on this one, I teed up a 1 iron and drove the ball down the center of the fairway.  I hit my FG49 sand wedge to 10 feet and two putted for par. This left me only the 640 yard par 5 18th left. I hit a strong 1 iron down the middle of the fairway. I followed that with a drawing 3 iron and a solid 5 iron before I saw my ball had rolled back to the bottom of the hill below the green. A lob wedge and 2 putts later, I finished my round 2 over par. The 74 that I landed at Gearhart Golf Links was one of the best rounds I have played.

 

Gearhart was a joy to play. The links style layout was gorgeous and the course was well maintained. Even with my early morning round, bunkers were all raked, fairways were trimmed short and the greens rolled true. From rolling up to the parking lot, to the friendly face behind the pro shop counter, Gearhart will be on my list of courses to play anytime I am near it. At $75, it wasn’t the cheapest round of golf I’ve ever paid for, but it was certainly one of the best values. In fact, I wouldn’t even hesitate ponying up $100 to play this course again. It was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to go back again sometime soon.

Stroke Saver: The One Stat You Should Care About

It always seems that golfers want to know their numbers. Their club yardages, putts per hole, number of fairways hit and even their long drive distance. The strange thing about all of this is that the one stat that is the most important stat on the block is often the most overlooked, greens in regulation. GIR’s are the true measure of how well you are playing. Your fairway percentage doesn’t mean anything if you miss the green on your next shot. Saving yourself from the trees won’t matter if you only hit 5% of the greens the rest of the round. While posting a 92 with 28 putts sounds good, the fact that you took 64 shots to reach the green is not ok.

Golf is set up to be a simple game, taking 36 shots to get to the green and 36 to hole out from there. That makes an even par 72 (or maybe a few more or less depending on the course you play.) When you look at a tour player’s stats, you will see, more often than not, when they hit greens, they place higher. For the majority of players, this means working on your 150 and in game harder than you work on your drives. If you are playing a 350 yard hole, you can hit a tee shot 200 yards into the fairway and nail that green from 150 or you can hit a 250 yard shot down the middle and nail the green from 100. Either way, you have got to hit that green to score better.

For this, I recommend the 150-125-100 drill at the driving range. Begin with the marker closest to 150 yards (at my range, it’s a 151 target) and hit your approach shot at it. Then move to the 125 (mine is 131) and do it again. Finally move in to the 100 yard target (mine happens to be 94 yards) and repeat the process a few times. Try imagining your favorite approach shots at the various yardages. Imagine that big bunker on the left or that water to the right of the green. Try to shape your shot to match the safe route to the hole. That way, the next time that shot faces you on the course, you have it in your bag already.

Hitting greens is obviously the fastest way to shave strokes from your card. If you can hit the center of every green on your course in regulation, you should walk away with a score that will make you proud. Stop worrying about front or side pin placements and start worrying about nailing those greens. From there, it’s just a 2 putt and a par.

Budget Beater: Only Buy The Clubs You’ll Use

One of my favorite moments from a golf movie is the scene in Tin Cup where Kevin Costner questions Don Johnson about if he had ever shot even par with just a 7 iron. Johnson’s response of, “It never even occurred to me to try,” is so fitting for the golfing industry and the status quo that it makes me laugh every time. You see, I’ve never been a ‘conventional’ golfer. Back in the day, when my friends all wanted Ping Eye 2 irons, I wanted tour blades. When spent hundreds of dollars on private lessons each month, I spent hours on the practice green working on my short game. I went toe to toe with many great players back then and managed to hold my own almost every time. It’s this line of thought that brings me to a challenge for you. Take a look in your bag and see how many clubs you actually use during your rounds.

“You need to know how far you hit your clubs to hit greens and you need to hit greens to score better.”

I like to break down holes in 50 yard chunks. So starting at a 100 yard par 3 and moving out to a 600 yard part 5, you can take the hole apart to fit a very simple formula. If you know the clubs that you hit 200 yards, 150 yards, 125 yards and 100 yards, you can master any hole on any course. You need to know how far you hit your clubs to hit greens and you need to hit greens to score better. It’s a very simple approach to a very complicated game. Using myself as an example, I need a 5 iron to reach from 200 yards. I need a 9 iron to reach from 150, a pitching wedge from 125 and a sand wedge (54 degree) to reach from 100. Given those 4 clubs, I can work my way through any course very quickly.

“Breaking down the long holes into manageable shots will help you score better on them.”

There is nothing worse than staring down a long par 5 thinking that you can’t reach it unless you hit a perfect drive. Even at 600 yards, I know that I can drill three easy 5 irons to get home. That may be a #3 hybrid for you or even a 3 wood that you never miss with, but it’s the same concept. Breaking down the long holes into manageable shots will help you score better on them. Instead of hitting a poor drive that leaves you in trouble off the tee, playing it safe and calculating your way through the course will make it easier and lower your stroke count on every hole.

“If I’m not going to use them, why do I have all these clubs in my bag?”

This takes me to the budget buster portion of this post. If I’m not going to use them, why do I have all these clubs in my bag? That’s a great question and one you probably should have asked your salesperson before you left the store with them. Of course, those are the ones you have already, not that new $!200 set of irons you were looking at last week. If you use the numbers above and pick out your 200, 150, 125 and 100 yard clubs from your current bag, how many clubs would you need to purchase for that new set? Beginner sets have worked off this principle for quite some time, remember the sets that had a driver, 3 wood, 3 iron, 5 iron, 7 iron, 9 iron and putter? Those starter sets were inexpensive, but also made it easier for golfers to learn the game since they weren’t focusing on which 5 yard gap they needed to hit that shot. They simplified the game.
Why then do manufacturers sell sets that have so many options. Well, it’s more money in their pockets when they sell you 8 clubs, even if you’re only ever going to use 3 of them. That $1200 set features a single club price of $150. If you can remove yourself from the want to have a pretty matching set of 3-LW and everything that goes with them, you can actually get a set that will help you perform better and make play a bit more fun. Chart your clubs the next round you play and see how many ‘new ones’ you would really use during your typical round. Your results may surprise you.

Playing A Round: The Golf Club At Echo Falls, Snohomish, WA

 

With the threat of showers in the forecast, I rescheduled my Maplewood round in favor of a round at The Golf Club At Echo Falls Country Club. The 5952 yard, par 70 layout winds its way through the hills of Snohomish and protects itself with tight fairways and narrow greens. The Blue Tees feature a rating of 69.5 and a slope of 126. There are also white (5484/67.1/1122 men – 71.9/131 women), gold (4883/64.2/112 men – 68.7/124 women) and red (not rated for men – 4342/65.7/114 women) tees for golfers of almost any skill level. With blind tee shots and even tougher shots into the small greens, Echo Falls is a great challenge to longer hitters and almost favors the shorter player, with the exception of a few holes.

 

 

I want to start with the fact that I teed off at 6:30 in the morning and was the only player on the course. No warm ups, no swings, no putting. Just paid  up and hit the first tee. As I walked up to the first tee, the first thing I noticed was the narrow fairways that were carved out between the trees. The 340 yard hole set up nicely for a 1 iron draw off the tee, which I caught a bit thin. That left a solid 9 Iron to the back pin. My second shot flew the green, but I was able to chip on and 2 putt for a bogey out of the gate. The 2nd hole was a slightly uphill par 4 that measured 350 yards from the back tees. I hit a solid tee shot up the hill that checked up at 190 yards. I took an 8 iron from 160 up the hill to land on the right edge of the green. A 2 putt finished out my par on the second hole. The 3rd hole lays out nicely for my game with trouble right and a narrow fairway in the landing area. The 284 yard hole is tempting to drive, but the water coming in from the right makes it difficult to pull out the big stick to go after it. Instead, I opted for a 1 iron draw, over the water, back into the fairway. A chipped wedge put me on the green for a simple 2 putt par. After 3 holes, I was one over par.

 

The par 5 4th hole plays a short 470 yards, which my 305 yard drive made short work of. A quick 8 Iron in from 165 yards missed the green just right. A chip and 2 putt scored a par. This brought me to my first par 3 of the day. The 5th was playing a solid 190 yards and there was a bit of a breeze coming into me. It was slightly out of my 6 iron range, but I pushed hard to get it there. Of course, I had to escape the embarrassment of the grounds crew telling me I hit to the wrong green before hitting about 40 yards over to the correct green and two putting for bogey. The 6th was the second par 5 on the front side. The my drive on the 526 yard hole just missed the down hill slope and settled in at the top of the hill. A nice 5 iron found the rough left and short of the green. Again, a simple pitch and 2 putt left me with another par and a two over score through 6.

 

 

The 186 yard par 3 7th was another hole that stretched approach shots to the extreme from the back tees. My 6 iron once again found the area just right of the green, but this time a chip and a 1 putt made a par on the tough hole. The 366 yard par 4 8th played straight up with a solid 1 iron off the tee and a sand wedge into the green for a 2 putt par. The front ended with a huge 430 yard par 4. My 265 yard drive found the fairway and my 8 iron landed on the right edge of the green. A simple 2 putt par left me with a 2 over par 38 on the front side.

 

 

Moving on to the back 9 and the, finally, short par 3 10th. The short 110 yard hole took only a strong sand wedge to reach. After landing 10 feet to the left of the flag, I managed to drain the putt for my first birdie of the day. The 379 yard par 4 11th was definitely a change of pace from the short par 3 that opened the back side. A long driver up the center of the fairway left me a half wedge to the green. A simple 2 putt for par and I was on my way to the 12th. Nothing could have prepared me for what was to come next… The Hill. This was no ordinary climb, but really more of something that involved day packs and a base camp. Once I finally reached the top (and caught my breath) I grabbed the driver to hit down the wide open fairway. The 501 yare hole had no chance after rifling a 345 yard drive down the center of it. A simple 8 iron in to the green left me a 2 putt birdie to bring myself back to even par.

 

 

Moving on to the 13th hole, a nice 202 yard par 3, I felt the urge to hit a 5 iron into the wind and roll it up on to the front edge. My plan worked perfectly and the shot found the right front edge. A quick two putt and I was off to the races again. Moving back to reality again, the 13th was followed up with a short 136 yard par 3 at 14. A solid pitching wedge landed just right of the green and left me an easy chip to 3 feet for a 1 putt par. That brought around another 502 yard par 5 that took a 90 degree turn about 240 yards off the tee. A solid 1 iron rifled down the center of the fairway left a 5 iron down the hill to the green. The wind caught the shot and pushed it just right of the green for a chip and a two putt finish. Again, another par. This was shaping up to be quite a great round.

 

 

As I stood in the tee box on 16, I realized that my goal of beating a 75 was within my reach. With the par 70 course, my adjusted total would be a 3 over 73 at Echo Falls. 16 set up with a slight fade at 368 yards. A 290 yard fading driver landed dead center of the fairway. The wedge that followed that landed just right of the target in the greenside bunker. A beautiful out left me a 3 foot tap in for par. Then the devastating par 4 17th came along. Measuring at 460 yards, I have no clue how this snuck through the loop and didn’t get classified as a par 5. I hit s very solid drive, avoiding the trouble right, but still faced a 180 yard approach with more water in the way than I wanted to play with. I played a short left shot to the green to stay dry and chipped on. I missed the par put by inches and settled for a bogey 5. That brought me to the signature 18th hole with their ‘island’ green. The 151 yard short might seem dangerous to some, but a simple 9 iron fell softly on to the putting surface for me and two putts later, I walked off the course with a  one over par, 71.

 

This was my first 9 hole round that I finished under par and, in all honesty, that 17th needs to get updated folks, the best round I’ve played yet. With solid ball striking, great putting and the best driving performance I may have ever had, this round will go down in the books as one of the best of the year. The fact that I didn’t miss a single fairway and really didn’t miss a green by more than 10 yards really made for a fast paced and great scoring round.

 

As far as my thoughts on The Golf Club At Echo Falls go, I would give it a mixed rating. Starting with the layout, it’s challenging and fun, but it’s not a great setup for those that like to walk during a round. Carts are almost a requirement for most players here. Next up, the pricing. At $35 for an early bird weekday round, it was quite a good deal. At $62 for a peak weekend round, I would have a seriously hard time recommending it when you can play courses like Washington National or even Chamber’s Bay for not much more cash. That said, if you are local to the area and don’t want to drive an hour to get to a course, Echo Falls is a challenging layout that will test just about every aspect of your game. Longer hitters may be frustrated by the smaller, narrow greens. Target golfers will lose out on the longer par 4 and 5 holes. It’s a great mix for just about everyone to play. Probably the most telling sign about the course is if I would be willing to tee it up there again. My answer would have to be a resounding, yes, but… I would probably opt for paying for the cart this time around.

 

If you are interested in checking out the course layout an amenities, you can visit their website at www.echofallsgolf.com.

Stroke Saver: Don’t Get Into More Trouble Than You Need To

I always love watching those videos where the guy takes off his shoes and socks, rolls up his pants and wades out into the water to try and hit an impossible wedge back to the fairway to save a shot. They make me laugh and cry at the same time. That quest for immortality often costs us 5 or 6 strokes a round and most people don’t even realize it. To put it in more simplistic terms, if we hit a tee shot out into the woods, too many times we try to move the ball forward from there to set up the next shot instead of just punching it out. That shot ends up catching another tree and now we are facing an even harder out from the woods on our third shot. Par is basically out the window and a bogey would end up being a great score at that point. It’s the avalanche of strokes that leads to those 6’s, 7’s and 8’s that plague most amateur’s cards.

The first step in avoiding these huge numbers is to stay out of trouble. Given that golf is golf though, it’s not always the easiest thing to do. There are a few things you can do to limit your bonus strokes though, and here they are:

• Always use the drop area when you hit the ball in the water. Don’t try to hit the shot again because you know you can. If you drive it into the lake, take the distance with the penalty and move up to where it went in. This will save you a full shot catching up to where you are.
  
• If you hit into the trees, don’t be afraid to play the ball sideways or backwards to escape. Losing 5 yards on your next shot vs. staying trapped in the trees is a small price to pay for a good third shot. If you can still get to the green, you’ve taken double bogey out of play and brought par back to the table.
  
• Don’t ever, ever, ever, perform a golf shot that requires you to remove your shirt, shoes or socks. When you see the guy on TV do this, it makes a $10k to $20k difference in his placing. For you, it’s a bet that may involve a beer. Instead of trying the impossible and losing another shot to your competitors, do the smart thing and drop a ball. Lying two dry is much better than lying 4 wet.
  
• Probably the biggest tip that there is regarding trouble spots on any course is knowing the local rules. Every course has them, and most of the time they are posted. But let’s say that there is a lake on 15 and you hit it in there right from the tee box. You walk up to the point of entry and drop your ball. You failed to see that there was a drop area 50 yards from the green that is for ALL shots that entered the water hazard because you didn’t know the local rules. Many courses set these up to avoid issues and speed up play. Knowing this can save you hitting a second ball in the water and will move you closer to the hole for your third shot.
  
• Finally, and this one isn’t as much of a avoiding trouble as it is avoiding frustration, if you feel that your ball may have gone OB, make sure to announce you are hitting a provisional ball. Drop where you are and hit a second ball. This can be done in any circumstance where you would be facing a stroke and distance penalty. It will save you time and frustration if you arrive at your ball to find it out of play.

Golf is hard enough to play well without having to deal with water, bad lies and poor decision making. When you make your way on to the course again, think about the strokes you have wasted getting out of trouble and look for an easier out. Even if it costs you an extra stroke, the safe play often wins. Remember, we aren’t tour pro’s playing for a million bucks, we’re just some regular guys looking to beat our buddy (or ourselves) during a relaxing round. Playing it safe makes sense for us.

Equipment Deals: Bushnell V3 And A Buy More Save More For The 4th

 

 

Our weekly deals are screaming this week and being led off by the Golfsmith.com special on the Bushnell Tour V3 Rangefinder. Regularly $299.99, they are currently $70.00 off and priced at just $229.98. If you’ve been eyeing one of the top laser rangefinders in the game, this is your perfect chance to save a bundle on one. The “Patriot Pack” edition a Tour v3 Rangefinder, a protective blue neoprene Skinz, a battery, and a premium carry case. It’s also worth taking a look at the Tour V3 Slope version that is regularly $399.99 and is on sale for $309.98. That’s a $90 savings on the top rated Bushnell model. This sale ends soon, so grab yours while you can. There is also a $50

 

Save Up To $90 When You Shop Bushnell Rangefinders at Golfsmith.com!

 

 

Edwin Watts Golf is currently running a buy more, save more deal. When you spend $125 ore more, you get $15 off. If your purchase tops $250, you save $35. If you clear the $400 mark, you save $60. Of course the usual restrictions on non-discount clubs and apparel apply, but if you were looking to stock up on a few things, this is a great time to do it.

 

Buy More, Save More during our 4th of July Sale! $15 off $125, $35 off $250 and $60 off $400! Plus get FREE SHIPPING on orders over $99 – restrictions apply

Budget Beater: Practice This Way To Save Par And Cash

One of the biggest frustrations on the planet is the cost of playing golf. Unfortunately, the cost of practicing can be just as bad. In fact, there are even some locations where practicing can cost more than a round of golf. This is why it is so important to get the most from your practice dollars. Understanding where to work on parts of your game is one of the biggest money saving tips around, and will keep more in your pocket for playing on the weekends.

Right now, most golfers make the mistake of hitting the range once or twice a week to work on their swing keys, timing or correcting an issue from their round the week before. Sure, it’s a helpful practice, but it’s not where they bled the majority of their strokes away last weekend. Shots taken from 100 yards in usually are the culprits in scores rising from 70 to 85. When you play through your last round in your head, how many wedges did you have to the green that missed the flag by more than 10 feet? How many missed the green and resulted in a poor chip. How many long approaches just missed the green resulting in a poor lag putt or pitch? Every one of these easy shots, whether a simple wedge to the green or a pitch over a bunker is what kills a score, not that one drive that missed a fairway or a slice that didn’t go away during the round. If you had an approach to the green, you should be able to get it close enough to save that par.

If you aren’t supposed to just go to the range mid week, what are you supposed to practice then? Let’s start with the busiest club in your bag, the putter. With 30-36 shots a round, the putter is the most active club in your bag during every round of golf. Sure, if you have a lights out putting round, that number could become as low as 27, but that still ranks it as #1 in your bag for 99.9% of any round you’ll ever play. While some tour pro’s pound balls at the range, the smarter players are on the putting green tweaking their stroke for the week. Getting on to a real green is the best way to practice, but since most of us don’t have one in our yard, a practice green can rank a close second. Learn about the pace of your swing, the distance the ball travels and how to read a break. If you get better and better at putting, you’ll start to see strokes fade from your card quickly. If you don’ have time to make it to the course to practice, you can easily bring your putter inside and practice that stroke for 15-20 minutes a day in the living room, office or anywhere you have a decent piece of carpet. Don’t work on anything longer than 6-8 feet. You just want to keep working on making your stroke consistent.

As you continue to practice putting throughout the week, make sure to work in some chipping or pitching time as well. Which one you work on the most will depend on what sort of area you have to practice in. If you are stuck inside, you can work on your tempo and club head position. If you can make it outside and have a little yard or park near you, you can work some full shots. Try for about 10 yards on a pitch and shorter on your chips. Remember, your chipping practice will only work well if you have a green to roll out on to, but the pitch and chip swings should be very similar, which means even just working on being more consistent by making 25-50 swings a day indoors will help your short game cut some strokes from your card.

The 100 yard wedge shot. It’s the tour pro’s bread and butter and most amateur’s weakest shot in their bag. If you could set your ball down at the 100 yard marker on every course and hit it to the green, how many of them would you hit? How many could you put inside 10 feet? How many could you get inside 5 feet? This is the scoring zone and this is where you need to hit the ball close to score your best. So much is made of 300 yard drives and 200 yard 5 irons that almost everyone forgets that those shots are needed once or twice a round. The rest of the time, that 300 yard drive leaves you with a strange approach shot in or brings major trouble into play when you shouldn’t need to worry about it. Working that 100 yard wedge (or 9 iron or whatever club you need to hit from there) will lower your score dramatically more than gaining 10, 20 or even 30 yards on your driver. Developing an accurate approach from that 100 yard mark is what will shave those pitches and chips off your card and leave you staring at a few more birdie putts. When you can start knocking them stiff from that 100 yard marker, you’re scores will start dropping like the putts you’re holing out.

The hardest part of practicing your 100 yard game is where to do it. I know as a younger kid, we took our wedges up to the local football field and set up a few yards behind the end zone and hit balls out on to the field. This really isn’t much of an option today since so many fields are locked or field turf, but any wide open space will work nicely. If you have a GPS or a targeting scope, you can set your distances that way and just hit balls back and forth. If you’re parks system doesn’t allow golfing, check and see if it is ok if you do it with a small hitting mat there. Often times, the parks department will let you do it if you aren’t damaging the soil. If you have no available option for spaces to hit a 100 yard shot, during that range session (or even your on-course round) make a note of the swing you use to hit that 100 yard shot and practice full swings just like it during the week. If you a paved area, grab a portable hitting mat to practice on. if you have a small yard or an indoor space, you may want to do this as well – since the grass you save will be your own.

Overall, you can’t say enough about nailing your shots from 100 yards in. If you set up your round for 100 yard approach shots and your putting is sharp, that 75 is just a few rounds away. The only way to get there is to practice those critical shots on a regular basis, but that practice doesn’t have to cost you a dime. Remember, if you take the average par 4 at 320 yards and can hit a 220 yard tee shot, a 100 yard wedge and 2 putt from anywhere on the green, you will shoot par. The same goes for a 170 yard par 3. If you miss the green with that long tee shot, a great chip solid short putt will save your par. Of course, I don’t want to leave out those 500 yard par 5’s. That same 220 yard drive, that 180 yard par 3 tee shot and a perfect 100 yard wedge has you putting for birdie instead of struggling for par. It works across the board. When you start to allocate time for your practice next week, and especially over the off season, make sure you practice the shots you use the most.

Blog Babble: Leave A Comment–Where Is Your Game Struggling?

If there is one thing I have learned while helping people with their golf games, it’s that no single person has the same problem as someone else. Whether it’s at the range, on the course or even just having a cup of coffee, everyone seems to have a different issue with their game. From hitting the ball in every direction to yippie-putting that destroys an otherwise good hole, I’ve heard them all and have some simplistic tip that can really make a difference in their games. The question now is, how can I take this to the internet and get those tips out there?

This is where I need your help. I need you to tell me what you need help with. Just leave me a comment below and I will make it a priority to include your issue in an upcoming Stroke Saver post.