Silicon Valley... 的个人资料Living in the Silicon Va...照片日志列表更多  |  工具 帮助 |
|
|
10月14日 Out, Out Damn Slice!It's certainly been a while since the last posting. My legitimate excuse is work obligations and my more pathetic excuse is Facebook. That said, I haven't been entirely derelict of my other duties regarding yoga, chinese painting, SFBGS tours, and golf. I guess, you can assume that they haven't been neglected in the order mentioned above.
I recently took a golf lesson and was very pleased with the outcome, currently only visible on the driving range and non-existent on the course. What really inspired me to sign up was the fact that a fellow golfer, who is way more solid than me on the golf course takes lessons on a regular basis. If she is serious enough about the sport to be signing up for lessons, I have even less reasons for not signing up.
Lessons have changed its format with more readily availability of digital equipment. First off, digital camera does an excellent job at capturing the swing and allowing a fairly thorough evaluation -- showing the good, bad, and ugly. I am still somewhat skeptical about exclusively depending on off-driving range digital equipment because there is no way of immediately seeing how the ball is reacting to the swing. I don't think the mind registers corrections until it witnesses how the ball has altered its projectile path.
That first lesson was focused on correcting a slice which unfortunately developed into a bad habit over the past year. To my delight, the slice was nicely corrected on the range, post-lesson. However, it wasn't completely gone on the course. I think this may be a function of time before the slice gets reasonably corrected. Time and practice will tell, but I realize that practice cannot be limited to the driving range, as I just witnessed the slice's regular appearance on the course. 9月18日 Time for Some LessonsEvery so often, the process and/or outcome of a golf game is humbling. A bad tee off may be hard to recover from, or a lousy chip can cause some confidence deflation that impacts the rest of the game. One thing that helps is playing with people on the same level as you, so all the errors don't snowball into just one awefully embarrassing event, leading to the swearing off of the golf altogether.
Recently, my golf game has been a little humbling as it is slowly becoming apparent to me that I can't hit straight. After discussions with a seasoned golfer, I decided to sign up for some lessons but have yet to set a time for the lessons. At any rate, below are a list of items I want to make sure my lessons cover:
1. Correct the slice
2. Hit from the slope of a hill 3. Chip efficiently 4. Increase hitting distance I just remember having a "How to Hit Out of a Sand Bunker" lesson a while back and it was great. I am hoping that #1 will be covered as soon as I find the time for lessons. 7月4日 A Birdie! A Birdie! A Birdie for Me!On the morning of July 4th, as most of America were either preparing for their annual July 4th BBQ cookout or sleeping in for the day off, I got up at the usual weekday hour and prepared myself for my second 18-hole course. I pulled out the 5 wood and 3 iron from my golf bag because I usually don't use them anyways. I filled up the water bottle, and packed a light sports jacket, two bananas, and sunblock. I showed up at the golf course 15 minutes earlier than the tee time, set up my pull cart, and readied myself for the 4-hour ordeal that awaited me ahead. Yes, I did some yogic breathing in the parking lot too...
Truth be told, I didn't have very high expectations. In fact, it is precisely for this reason that I chose Deep Cliff Golf Course, which was primarily par 3 with a few par 4s. I figured that I would be exhausted by the 9th hole and just be begging to leave the course in no time. At least, that's how I was during my first 18-hole course. At that point of exhaustion, I enter the zone of zombie mediocre golfing, where I just hit the ball without any strategic plans. What I didn't expect for today's round was the heat (in the 90s) which began to take its toll by the 9th hole. A dehydration headache began to set in and all I could think of, was shade, shade, and more shade. Forget about making par, I just need some shade.
All was not lost, because I shot a birdie on the 16th hole. I didn't realize that I had a chance at a birdie until I was closer to the green. My friends were way more excited about it than I was and the pressure was on. Let's just say that once you're under pressure on the golf course, it's nothing but a mental game. How well you hit your next stroke should not be impacted by your previous stroke. The subsequent stroke should always be viewed as a fresh start, determined by the state of mind. I think they should have a book titled "Random Walk Down the Golf Course..." to speak to this.
Anyways, my ball was close enough to the pin to make a birdie. Having had troubles with the fast greens on the course all morning, you'd think that by the 16th hole, I would have learned my lesson already. Well, Fortune smiled upon me and I shot the birdie with a gentle putt. My friends were thrilled whereas I was just glad to clear the hole and be one step closer to the finish line. 18-holes under the sun (in the 90s) was truly a marathon of endurance.
I didn't fully appreciate my birdie until I called my sister about it. A seasoned golfer herself, she was way more thrilled than I was because birdies don't come often. The luck factor plays a very huge role. The heat, heat-induced headache, exhaustion, and tired hands were well worth it. I was rewarded with a birdie, a par, and 3 bogeys. I know that does not sound like great stats, but I'm back for more! 5月3日 Loud Woods That Go CLANG!Driving ranges are great places to practice and correct golf swings. I am doing my best to go once a week, usually during the weeknights, to correct some issues I encounter on the course during the weekend. Most of the time, it's a fruitful exercise because I am hitting straighter and have a few opportunities to try out clubs I'm not too accustomed to using. Most mats on the driving range don't come with a rubber tee anymore, so I'm going to invest in one when using my woods. I currently just hit off the mat. Talking about woods, there are plenty of technologically enhanced woods out there that enable further distance for those who like to drive the ball as far as possible. From what I've seen and unfortunately heard (as a huge "Clang" on the range,) they do go quite far. The man in the driving range stall next to me made plenty of noise last night with his "new and improved" titanium wood. Let me note here that the fans of these equipments tend to be men, who probably pound their chests ferociously whenever the ball is driven so far that no one on earth knows where it lands. Now, seriously, what use is that? Is that one's definition of improving game? Any slight miscalculation leaves the ball very far and very way off target. First off, using these metalwoods on the course is a pain because you need special tees to prop it higher due to the bigger club head. Normal tees are barely stuck in the ground to support the usage of the club. My friend's tee keeps tipping over because it is not sunk into ground enough. That is probably a minor concern which can easily be solved with a purchase of special tees. Secondly, upon contact with the ball, these metal heads make such a mighty high-pitched "CLANG" that rings in my ears. How about something more quiet or aesthetic in the auditory department? Some girly chimes upon contact, maybe? Using these special woods does not need to be announced to the rest of the world, unless the embarrassment of being way off target needs to be advertised. Or perhaps this comes hand in hand with the chest pounding, I don't know. The sound is more bearable on the course where the noise expands out in the open, but is not a lot of fun in a driving range where things are much closer together and that sound bounces off everything. Finally, being too far and off target becomes problematic when playing on the course with these woods. A little search party has to be sent out to find the ball that was proudly driven sooo far, that a stroke will now be sacrificed because the ball landed in who-knows-where. That's an issue that frequent practice and good technique could cure. But that would mean repeatedly piercing the eardrums of fellow driving range frequenters with that shrill clang. I guess the lesson learned here is to change stalls at the driving range when you see these metal heads lovingly removed of the golf bags. Give those overcompensating men a sidelong glance that says, "If you could aim well, you wouldn't need these clubs to get you that far. Plus, where are you playing at anyways??" 4月7日 The Skins GameDuring the last few golf outtings with my weekly golf crew of three, we've been playing "Skins." Each hole is worth a skin and only one person can win the skin. If there's a tie on one hole or no one wins the skin, the skin is pushed to the next hole and that hole is equal to one skin plus the prior unwon skin(s). Because the group is composed of people in varying levels, we set it up so that an amateur (me) would have to score par +1 to win a skin and an advanced player par to win a skin.
My M.O. for Skins has been rather interesting for me and somewhat frustrating for my fellow golfers. What typically happens is that I won't score too well for a couple holes, during which my friends will either tie or not win any skins but still score better than me. Then, on the hole where there are about 2 to 3 skins to win, I will sneak up out of nowhere and win those skins by scoring par or bogey. Of course, I usually get the outraged "HUH? I can't believe she did this to us..." Needless to say, it's been quite entertaining for me. When I learned that the loser of Skins had to buy lunch, I became way more focused on the game and always made sure I showed up at the golf course with enough cash, just in case I ran out of luck...
In today's 9-hole excursion, I tied with the advanced golfer in terms of the # of skins won. I did my usual swooping in the 11th hour to steal 3 skins with a par and won a another skin with a bogey. To break the tie, we had a putting match to determine the winner. He won at the fourth round of putting. I basically got tired of figuring out the line between the hole and my ball while observing the curvature of the green. Overall, my score wasn't great and compared to my amateur peer, we differed by 3 strokes or even less. What really mattered in Skins was that I scored well at very specific holes. I just really chalk that up to luck. Overall, the best strategy is to win as many skins as possible and not let the skins get pushed to the next hole. Otherwise, you end up letting someone lucky like me steal all that hard work away.
I'm putting much better given that it took 4 putting matches to determine the winner. My amateur peer and I will be hitting a couple more 9-hole courses to ready ourselves for the 18-hole course (serious business here!) Also, my driver cleared 150+ yards on the good hit, but rolled most of the time due to ball topping action. Anyways, more practice on Driving Range Tuesdays is in the works and I'll have to recharge my range card with more $$. At this rate, my Netflix DVD will have never be viewed. 4月1日 For Amateurs Like Me, Golf is Like GamblingFor some people like myself who have undertaken golf for a few years already, there's always that unforgettable 9-hole par 3 course that was a wake-up call telling you how different the range was from the actual course. The driving range is intended to hone technique and achieve the elusive state of dead-on consistency in good aim. Given that I'm still stuck on 9-hole executive courses, consistency in hitting straight still eludes me consistently. I haven't been to shy of showing off that inconsistency on the 9-hole courses either because I figured most of us on the 9-hole courses are probably on the same level.
So, what does golf have anything to do with gambling? Well, given my current level, I'm playing each 9-hole course as a gamble on number of times I actually make par or bogey (because that's really worth noting for me) due to technique rather than mere chance. Luck means that everything went consistently better than expected from tee-off until putting -- which means I was consistently good from beginning to end. I currently consider moments of technical consistency more the exception than the rule. To me, another gambling-like quality of golf is the addiction that can take on a life of its own. All you need is a few good scores at one or more holes and you're already planning next week's golf trip. For me, the most treasured winnings is whether or not I made par. I just live for those moments when I make that good putt, since by the time I have gotten on the green I usually have one stroke left to make par or bogey. Golfers like me are like the rare winners at a casino's roulette table, hoping to replicate the exact same scenario that could increase the earlier measly winnings.
I didn't do too well for this week's course but the most memorable moment was the last hole where I made par. (Whew!) Although the uncertain golfer in me wants to chalk that up to luck, cinching the deal with a single putt that covered about 12 feet of distance on the green prevents me from giving luck too much credit, as I only had one stroke left to make par. Plus, I've been able to make bogey lately with my better and improved putts so my technique must be improving! I guess I can tell myself whatever I want, as long as I go back to the range and course next week. |
|
|
