Summer 2014

The days are getting shorter, the mornings cooler (first light jacket day, today) and the changing seasons means no more iced coffee in the mornings, working later hours and competing in sports other than golf for the next six months.

First, 2014 golf season in review.  I had lots of high moments, firsts and personal bests, but also had disappointments.  The high point of the season was in the third round of the Westchester Open, where I finished the tournament with a hole-out eagle and three pars to finish respectably among a field of professionals.

The low point was in the club championship where I lost in the finals after some poor play was exacerbated by an injury.  I was in the right trees on the 14th hole, with a significant root in front of me, trees to go under about 40 yards in front and a clump of grass behind my ball.  My shot struck the root and came back and hit the top of my right hand which necessitated an x-ray and still bothers me five weeks later.  I still need to figure out how to play the golf I know I can play in match play.

2014 Highlights
-First hole in one: a 6 iron on the 9th hole at Metropolis.
-New low tournament score: 70
-New low 9 hole score: 31 (-5)
-New low handicap index to date: +1.6
-Birdie streak: 4 (15-18)
-Tournament hole-outs: 1 - 6th hole from 132 for eagle
-Made the cut in the Westchester Open, finished 28th (76-76-70)
-Finished runner-up in both the golf and tennis club championships.

I also learned about a new golf stat tracking tool, Shots to Hole, where you enter each of your shots as yards to the hole when off the green and feet from the hole when on the green.  After a dozen or so rounds, you start to gain real insights into your game and how to improve it.  If I make 20% of my putts from 9-15 feet instead of my current 10%, how many strokes can I expect that to save me?  Which is the better ticket to improving my score - driving it 10 yards longer or hitting it 3 feet closer?  How does my game differ from the average player with the same handicap as me?  These kind of questions can be answered using the simple tools on the site.  The screenshot below is telling me (i) how many times per round I have a shot from the distances below (i.e. 4.2 times from 140-160), (ii) how my dispersion (distance to the hole after hitting the shot) compares to other Elite Amateurs (mostly better from 40-200, mostly worse on the green), (iii) what my game is sensitive to improvements in (the dark green - better chipping and better putting).  For a data junkie like me, I say COOL!

Now that there's only another 4 weeks in this golf season, I'm starting to look forward to my Tuesday night 4.5 tennis league, which starts next week.

Westchester Open @ Metropolis Country Club

A view of the 6th hole (Photo by WGA)

I was fortunate enough to qualify for the Westchester Open this Spring, shooting 75 at the venerable Ardsley Country Club to comfortably gain entry to the main tournament.  This year’s WGA Open was played at my home course, Metropolis Country Club, just like the 2010 MGA Ike, where a younger, thinner, me, blogged about the experience here.  My efforts in 2010 yielded a T-19 finish, with consistent rounds of 73-74-74 for a total of 221.

Metropolis in 2014 plays differently than the course did a full college lifecycle ago.  The course has undergone major changes recently – with brand new teeboxes and bunkers added, bunkers refurbished, trees removed and native grasses allowed to grow in their place as well as fundamentally changing a few holes (namely 6 and 7).  In addition, the club hired a new greenskeeper last year who has done a fantastic job at improving the condition of the course – adding difficulty without sacrificing fairness, like a chef might add flavor while maintaining the same nutritional value of the crowd’s favorite dish.

The Westchester Open brings together many of the top Professionals and Amateurs in Westchester County for a two-day, three-round stroke play tournament.  This year’s field comprised ~120 golfers, split 2/3 professional and 1/3 amateur, 2/3 qualifiers and 1/3 exempt.  The participants play one round, the field is then cut to the top 40 plus ties and the remaining players play two rounds the next day to determine the victor.

The difference between recreational and tournament golf is a bit like the difference between a mock interview for a dream job, conducted by your mom and the real one, in Times Square, with cameras and megaphones aplenty.  Hyperbole, yes, but there is no question that, in tournament golf, your set of insecurities (golf related) creeps up on you, taps your psyche on the back and asks “can I join you for dinner?  or “mind if I follow your round?” challenges whose presence need to be accepted and managed.  I’d be surprised if the top golfers in the world don’t experience something similar, but it’s the best who can take these thoughts, and stow them comfortably under the seat in front of them (I am currently writing this on an airplane).

Teeing off Round 1 on the 10th hole (Photo by WGA)

In any event, I started the tournament on the 10th tee, playing with two head professionals from their respective clubs.  The 10th hole (my starting hole) is the hardest hole on the back nine, a 440 yard sharp dogleg right with a fence and out of bounds right, trees left, a fairway that runs into deep 4.5” rough grown specially for this tournament.  In short, it’s an extremely demanding tee shot, not made easier by its being the first shot of the tournament.  I was able to take a few deep breaths, enter my routine, and hit one of the best drives of the tournament, leaving me in a perfect position for my second shot.  From there I hit an 8 iron to the center of the green and two putted for par.

It should be noted that despite my amateur status and full time job, I enjoyed an advantage over much of the field: playing the tournament at my home course.  While others in the field have played Metropolis no times, once or maybe a few times, I’ve played it hundreds of times and have experienced many of the possibilities out there – gaining deep knowledge of the optimal plays off the tee, for approaches and around the green.  I estimate this advantage to be ~3 strokes in the first round, and maybe 1-2 for the remaining rounds as players gain knowledge and avoid some of the pitfalls in their first round.

I settled into a routine on the first nine of the first round, parring the 10th and 11th, bogeying the 12th (missed the green left and misjudged the bunker shot long) , parring the 13th and 14th, three putt bogeying the easy par-3 15th, but nearly making eagle on 16 for a birdie, parring 17 and bogeying 18 for a 37 (+2).  I was off to a solid start.  I made the turn and reached my 15th hole of the day at +2.  On 6, the hardest hole on the course, I made the big mistake of three putting from three feet, after missing my difficult birdie putt.  Simply, I missed the short right to left putt too far right, and then the left to right come-backer too far right.  Another double bogey on the 8th hole after a bad drive turned my good round into a mediocre one - 4 strokes was the difference between top 10 and tied for 38th.  On the par 3 9th hole, my last of the day, I hit an acceptable approach shot to the exact same pin as my hole-in-one earlier this year.  I blew my first putt 8 feet by and focused and sunk the difficult come backer for a 76.  I signed my card and drove back to the city without confidence I would make the cut.  Hours later, I learned I did make the cut, one the number, finishing day 1 in a tie for 38th place.

The next morning, rested up and with the emails and work piling up on my desk back at the office, I warmed up, noticing a decidedly different vibe on the range.  Players were focused and ready to move up the leaderboard.  I was paired in a twosome, with a pro, Dave, who had also shot 76 to make the cut on the number.  We both birdied the first hole, making solid up and downs from the front bunker of the par 5.  And we were off.  Things were going well until the 5th hole when I made double bogey after a poor drive, a poor chip and a three putt and another double bogey on the 6th after a bunker shot caught the false front and rolled off the green.  Dave had a tougher time on 6 as he got down in 8 from just over the green, carding a disastrous 10 on that hole.  I forged onward, and played okay golf coming in to finish with another 76.

We had under an hour to eat and practice before the afternoon round.  I started on the 10th hole again, and started with a double bogey after a missed green and three putt, a very bad start.  Despite the bad start, I continued with my routine, playing “one shot at a time” as the saying goes.  I continued to play decent, uninspired golf until I reached the 6th hole which I had double bogeyed in rounds 1 and 2, both times from the middle of the fairway.  This time, again from the middle of the fairway, I found myself at 132 to a back middle pin location and proceeded to hit my knock-down 7i into the hole for an eagle!  The shot looked perfect from its ascent and two players teeing off on the 7th hole noticed the shot and were just as excited as I was to see the ball drop into the hole.  I parred in from there to finish with a 70, my best tournament round ever.  Ultimately, I finished with 222, one behind my total in 2010's Ike Championship.

All told, I finished in 28th place, just 7 strokes from a Top-10 finish.  I continue to excel at iron play (hit 77.8% of greens) but struggle on the greens (averaged 1.981 putts).  I left the driver in the bag on most holes in favor of my strong 3 wood, sacrificing about 15-30 yards of distance for enhanced accuracy on the long shots.  This is a good strategy for me.

Without an improved short game, my golf game will get no better than it is now: somewhere between a 0 and +2 handicap.  When I do the analysis, I typically find 3-5 strokes left on the course each round which, if fully addressed, would turn my weaker mid 70's rounds into even par rounds and turn my better rounds of even or a few under into rounds in the mid 60's.  The shots that slip away are typically chips and pitches (greenside to ~30 yards) which I don't put close enough and putts (too many 5-10 footers missed and not enough birdie opportunities made just outside of this range).  Improvement requires aspiration, concentration and dedication, all of which I possess.  I have it in me to be the best and win.

I am pleased that though I was disappointed with my performance in rounds 1 and 2, I was still able to contend in a professional tournament as a full-time finance professional who doesn’t play or practice enough to justify such a result.  I am also pleased that, having made the cut, I am exempt from qualifying for the 2015 Westchester Open, being held at a venue to be released in the coming months.

David Pastore, an amateur, wound up winning the tournament with stellar play, carding 69-71-67.  It's a really incredible feat of golf to go to an unfamiliar course, set up as hard as it can play, and post these scores.  My hat is off to him!  You can check out the full leaderboard here.

Also, if you made it this far, thanks for picking up what I'm putting down.

Golf and Cycling

Last weekend I played in a club tournament called the Governor's Cup with my close friend Dan (whose son Jake Dylan was born just the week before).  The Governor's Cup is a two-day, two-man, best-ball net tournament, broken into five flights of six teams based on combined handicap.  Each team plays five 9-hole matches and each flight's winning team plays in an alternate shot shootout at the end.  It's a fun, if a bit grueling event.  My partner and I did well but didn't win as there was a stellar group in our flight that went on to win the tournament.

In the second nine of the tournament, I had a personal best: my lowest 9-hole score ever, shooting 31 (-5) on the back nine.  I started by missing a 15 foot birdie putt on 10 an inch short, right in the center of the hole.  The par 5 11th I birdied by making a right to left 20 footer.  I then parred the 12th hole by making a 6 footer after a poor first putt, parred the 13th after just missing another 20 footer, an inch or two short, right in the center and parred the 14th by getting up and down from in front of the green, making a 12 footer.  Then, I made birdie putts on 15 (10 feet), 16 (10 feet), 17 (30 feet) and finally 18 (10 feet).  12 putts total.

Getting my first hole-in-one last month, while completely thrilling, felt a bit like I was "chosen" by some higher golfing power.  I've hit many shots on par 3's that could have gone in, but the one that went in, just happened to go in.  It didn't take more skill than any other shot that almost went in.

Shooting five under on a side, making birdies on the final four holes along with a two good par save putts in the middle, really feels like a golf-accomplishment (distinct from life accomplishment, like marriage, work promotion, etc.).  As a +1 handicap, I have confidence I can pretty much hit most shots - drives, approaches, pitches, chips, sand shots, trouble shots and putts.  Where it begins to get very difficult for me is stringing great shots together over the course of a round or multiple rounds.  This distinct skill is difficult to develop as you get very few chances to practice these situations - I mean how often am I going to be four under on 17 needing to make birdie for a personal best?  Hopefully somewhat frequently.

In other news, I've taken up cycling, after tooling around on CitiBikes for a few weeks.  I bought myself a hybrid bike (a KHS Vitamin A) and have been exploring the City as my schedule (and crotch) permit.  Last Friday, after working up to it over the course of a few weeks, I biked most of the perimeter of Manhattan, 29.62 miles, which took 2 hours and 13 minutes, and estimated to burn >1,700 calories.

My ride started on First Avenue in the 50's and continued North on First to 119th Street when I made a left (West).  I turned right (North) onto St. Nicholas and continued North on that to the Harlem River Greenway.  At the top of the Harlem River Drive, I turned left (West) on Dyckman and followed that to Riverside Drive which connects to the Hudson River Greenway (South) through a set of stairs where you have to dismount and carry for a few seconds.  From there, I continued South, past the GWB, through the 100s and 00s and lower Manhattan, reaching Battery Park and turning North to pick up the Greenway on the East Side.  Finally, I left the Greenway at 23rd Street and continued back up First Avenue where I was thrilled to finally reach home again, coming from the other direction.

Hole in One!

Today, I got a hole in one, my first one ever!  Quick internet research tells me odds of this is about 1 in 5,000 (odds of a low handicapper hole in one).

I started my round well with birdies on 1 and 2, but bogied 3 and 4 with a missed green and a three putt.  On 6, I got back on track another birdie after a great approach to inside two feet.  I parred 7 and 8 and got to the 9th tee box at -1.

At Metropolis, 9 is a straightforward par 3, playing anywhere from 135 to 160 depending on pin placement.  Three bunkers guard the green, left, short right and back left and shots that don't make the green or these obstacles are in big trouble.  The green slopes sharply back to front and is narrower in the first third of the green, and widens in the back third and is flattish, but breaks slightly left to right and more so on the right edge of the green.  The last wrinkle on the green is another uphill slope (back to front) on the back right portion of the green, providing for the toughest pin placements.

The pin was back right this morning, about 4 paces from the back right corner.  Any shots that miss the green right past the bunker hit a slope and can easily bring high numbers into play - and this pin placement brings this possibility into play.  The pin was struck at 160 exactly and there was a clear downwind, slightly from the left.

I selected the 6 iron, which is a non-standard choice because the 6 can go 190 with no wind.  Today, inclusive of the wind the shot was about 150-155, so the ideal 6 iron is a "chip," a shorter swing that produces a lower ball flight with less spin, and should be less affected by wind.  I always feel like I have more control taking an extra club and shortening the swing, so that the shot I selected.

I set up to the shot and struck it nicely and my first thought after I saw the ball's trajectory was that the shot was too far right.  This, because I wasn't sure yet if the ball would decide to fade.  My next thought was oh good it's not fading.  Then I watched the ball track towards the target, landing just at the top of the ridge and bouncing straight forward.  The ball bounced once or twice and then started rolling like a putt.  From there, it tracked straight ahead and then up the slope at the back right of the green and I lost sight of it a moment before it went in because I refocused to the back of the green to see where the ball would stop.  Then, my caddie Lyndon yelled it went in and I also noticed that I didn't see anything nestle at the back of the green.  It must have gone in!  10 second and lots of commotion later, the starter and caddiemaster shimmied over towards the green and gave the universal "it went in" sign.  Sadly, my close friend and playing partner Dan was busy ordering a breakfast sandwich and missed the shot entirely.

So that left me with a 32 on the front nine, an excellent score, especially with two bogies on the card.  That's good golf!  The good golf escaped me a bit on the back nine as I bogied three of the next four (three putt on 10, unable to get up and down on 12 (bad chip) and 13 (bad putt) before parring in for an even par 71.  I also missed a four footer for birdie on 15 and missed a very makable up and down on 16 for birdie.

Overall, a fantastic day!

My Goooolllllffffff Swwwiiiiiinnnngggggg

My golf swing changes over time for a variety of reasons.  This is what it looked like on the 12th hole of Metropolis, last weekend:

Looking Forward To...

It's Spring 2014.  My last 50 or so weeks as a 20-something.  This year I am looking forward to:

Golf: tournaments, club championships, personal bests, becoming a better putter and a better teacher, playing my best under pressure

Tennis: continuing to improve, winning points at net, increasing first serve percentage, beating my brother Rick (maybe?)

Body and Mind: cross-fit and yoga, working toward my mid-term goal of L-sit to handstand push-up = 1 rep (good luck, right!), flexibility, clarity of mind, eating and living healthfully.

As someone I knew stated brilliantly:  '2014, I have faith in you.'

2014, I have faith in you.