Saturday, June 6th – Highlands Ranch Golf Club
Teed off at 6:50 a.m. with Lucas and a couple of friends. Early mornings are tough to drag yourself out of bed for, but I’d highly recommend it — we finished in just under four hours, barely saw the group in front of us, and the guys behind us didn’t catch up until 18. Best of all, we were done right around 11:00 just as the heat started cranking up. Definitely going to prioritize those early tee times going forward.
The Round
Shot a 93. A few rough patches, but overall a solid day. The highlight was a birdie on #6 — a short par 4 where I hit the pin on my second shot and it just died next to the hole for an easy tap-in. Of course, I immediately followed that up with a triple bogey on #7, which is just golf.
What Was Working
Driver felt pretty good for the most part. I was really focused on the pre-shot routine Chris and I have been working on in lessons — taking a beat to visualize the shot, then clearing my head and trusting the swing. That mental approach felt genuine throughout the round. Didn’t lose one ball which is always a bonus.
I’m hitting quite a few more greens in regulation. I think this is something I going to track a little more going forward. Definitely a good sign. Once again seeing some bright spots from taking lessons
What Needs Work
- Chipping is the glaring weakness right now. A handful of mishits in that department easily cost me five or more strokes — a clean short game and I’m shooting in the 80s. How does one of my strengths for so long become such a weakness now. Gonna try to address this at my next lesson.
- Putting was off too. Still not sure the Scotty Cameron is the right fit. Thinking about shelving it for a while and going back to my Two-Ball putter to see if that changes anything.
- Commitment to the swing — this is a recurring mental thing. I find myself holding back mid-swing, like I’m bracing for a bad shot before it even happens. I need to just swing through and let the result be the result.
- Driver pushes — a few shots leaked right, something to keep an eye on.
The Goal
I want to get into the 80s consistently. That’s the benchmark right now. The 70s are on the horizon eventually, but first things first — let’s make the 80s routine.
Good day overall. Good company, great conditions, and something to build on.
Want me to adjust the tone, length, or format at all?
