Today is Women’s club day. I like playing at Rancho Park Women’s golf club. It is a public club, but very well-maintained by LA city. We are probably one of the largest women’s golf clubs in LA area with more than 150 members. I was told that they used to have a 2 year waiting list to become a member. Now they are open to everyone without waiting.

Every week, we have a tournament with a different game theme. For examlple, today was an odd hole day. That means players with lowest net scores win: all odd hole scores minus 1/2 handicap. It has little money prizes everyweek, $5 or $10 to 14 high scored ladies. It is very little, but it amazingly makes the game more serious and competitive.

Average age for women’s club is probably 65. We even have 90+ year old members. Well.. Think people who play on Tuesday morning. I am one of the youngest members, but I am 42! Age doesn’t matter. All of them are very nice and friendly. Most of them are good players. I feel so lucky to be in the club and live close by. I usually play with two other ladies in a group, one 10 years older & one 25 years older than me. Both of them are great players with 16 handicap and 18 handicap.

I was happy with my game today, still my score was 97. It was one of days feeling great with my balls in the air, but score was not that satisfying. I can’t complain because my two buddies scored 110 and 107.

I made putts at least three times after adjusting my stances as l learned from John. Had several great drivers. And this 60 yard wedge shot, a red dot soccor ball right next to the hole. Every golfer knows the feeling.

I like to go to a practice area at Rancho Park Par 3 when I don’t have a golf round or a lesson. Usually not many people and good setting: putting green, chipping area and a bunker. Mostly it is open to anyone for free.

One hour swing, 30 min chipping, one hour putting and one hour bunker. Bunker is always the hardest. I still don’t have my own way to get out. It seems a long way to practice. When I open the club, I usually fly balls. I feel I am not strong enough to use a bounce on sand. I tried many ways. Closing clubface probably works better in this sand. I am not going to give up bunker play. I can do it!

From Golf.com

Most of golf shots don’t fly as you want. People always tell me I need mind control to be a better golfer. But should I? I just want to be me at the course as well. Well… people have their own ways to control mind. That is why I like Rory. He expresses his emotion. Exploding! And let it go. He is on the top. He is not like Keopka who doesn’t smile with great shots and doesn’t show his anger with his terrible shots.

I am glad there was no water like 2015.

It was very exciting to watch the tournament this weekend: Tiger Woods and Rory Mcilroy were on the top of the leaderboard. Tory Pine is such a beautiful course to watch. Most players had up and down time, but Marc Leishman’s putting was amazing. I’ve watched he looked nervous when he was one of leaders. He seemed like that today. His shots were not that impressive today, rather shaking back 9. But today he looked very relaxed with his putter on this course. He made most of hard par saving putts. Of course, Marc is a competent player, but it seemed a magic happened today.

The broadcast was suspended due to news about Kobe Bryant’s shocking dead. I don’t know how much his news effected on players. Tiger didn’t know the news until 18th hole. He finished T-9. Not bad comparing T-20 last year. I can imagine how much mournful he was with the news. We all know they were close and a lot in common.

Wow. Now I am so curious Rory’s new SIM driver. His shots were very solid this week. Balls flied straight and far most of time. It was very joyful to see his swing and peformance this week. He started at the 3rd position and finished at T-3 today. It was getting so excited when he came back from his first three straight bogeys for the first thee holes. Rory will be back to # 1 in the world any time soon.

I can’t still believe Kobe Bryant and his daughter’s news. That is heart-breaking for everyone. I was in tears thinking about him and his family. I can’t imagine life for his family. R.I.P.

I am not a long hitter. Maybe shorter than most ladies with my handicap. My driver usually goes to 150 yards or a little less average, when I don’t miss a shot. Today I made around 180 yard drive four times. I was happy to score 93 at Rancho park, comparing 106 on Tuesday.

My practice on Wednesday was really productive. I felt confident of my shots today. Overall it was a good round.

My putting was not that good for the first 9 holes. Myong Ah and I was in a group with John, Japanese man who we’ve played before and we greeted whenever we saw him at the course. We know some people coming in a regular basis and he is one of them. He is an amazing player making all putts. I don’t usually take tips from other players during a round. I was frustrated with my putting and asked his tip.

I thought I read green wrong or my stroke doesn’t go straight because of wristle movement. He told me those were fine with me and I just needed to make my stance paralleled with my putter aiming. Ah….

He was totally right. My body usually towards to a hole, while my putter aimed a point after reading a break. It was a big change. I had 14 putts for the last 9 holes after the tip. It was one of the best rounds!

Course: Black Gold (Red, 4937 yard, 69.3/124)

This group with Jessica, Jennie and Jenny try to play once a week. Thanks to Jennie who is a member at Black Gold, we get very good rates to play here. This course is fun and well-maintaned. Also very hard. That is why we play at Red tee. That is a short course when you play on red tee, but most greens are on uphills with a lot of bunkers, so it is very challenging.

I was happy to get back to my pace this time, scoring 95. Mostly, my shots were good enough to reover from Tuesday roumd. My putting was still bad. The only way to get back to the right game is practice.

The worst part of game today is my bunker play. I couldn’t get out from a bunker at 13th hole. I’ve been the worst bunker player all the time. I can’t just get out. I received so many bunker lessons, watched a lot of videos and received so many tips from players all the time. When I get into bunker at least 10 things in my mind. I’ve practiced a lot on bunker, still I don’t have my way to get out. More practices may be the only way. Time to go to a practice bunker.

My biggest weakness in golf is my physical ability. I was alway the last student in Physical Education classes, when I was in school. I hated PE classes. Golf was the first sport I tried since high school. No excise and no gym. Since I started golf, It’s been fun to find out physical ability I was born with can be improved a little by little through training. I still envy a lot of players who were born with physical strengh. There is the one thing I have more than them. TIME.

My biggest strengh at this moment is time. I have more time than most golf players at my age. I used to be a full-time emplyee with two little kids. No time for golf, a lot of things for house and even for myself. I stopped working one and half years ago. I suddenly had a plenty of time for myself while kids were in school. I’ve focused on golf since then.

During school days, I try to have two to three golf rounds, one lesson, short game practices and golf tournament watch every week. That is a lot for an amateur golfer with family. Yesterday, I was at a range

”It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.” – The Little Prince

This is Golf. I often have a bad day on golf. Bad days are not that bad. There is the worst day and I think that was today. 10 stroke difference btw rounds isn’t that issue. I didn’t like my shots today. Esp. Putting was the worst. I had 25 putts on front 9, while I had 18 putts on back 9 (Back 9 was normal). Hole positions were difficult today, but it can’t be the reason.

When I practiced putting yesterday, I made 5 foot putt 137 times consequently. I felt confident of my putting stroke. But today the confidence was gone. I was scared whenever I putted. It is not only about reading breaks. I couldn’t make balls roll straight.

People say there are hundreds of reason you have a bad golf day. I figure out I can’t focus well because I only slept 2 and half hours last night finishing a project. Well.. this is not an excuse, but I probably need to understand importance of rest.

When I hear this song in my car, my son asked why I had a bad day. I told him I played so bad on golf today.

www.youtube.com/watch

“SERIOUSLY??!! That is the reason you are sad all day??!!! (Unbelievable)” my son shouted so loud. I laughed so much. I sounded so silly even to 10 year old boy.

Just laugh it off. 🤣

Long weekend! With two tweens, weekend is my day off from golf. I usually focus on putting practice during weekend, because I need to be with kids.

Golf’s Digest analyzes that average putts per round for average golfer is 34. For most people, putts are 35%~40% of scores. I’ve kept track on my putting and my average putts for round is 37.

A lot of parts of my putting still depend on luck for the day. Putting is the second weakness followed by sand play for me. Hmmm. People probably say why I don’t practice. Well… I don’t tell anyone I practice my putting at least 30 mins a day. It’s been for one year. I feel a little shameful such a hard worker has high scores on putting. Maybe my practice is not efficient. But I like my putting practice and stroke. I found my comfortable putting stroke. The more I try to learn about different putting strokes, the more I feel uncomfortable for my putting. I know how to make ball straight at practice. On green, however, I often feel nervous. I need to trust my stroke with more practice.

I used to hate practicing putting. As everyone knows, putting straight is the easiest way to lower scores as a high handicap player. Finally, I found my wayz I don’t say how to putt better, but how to make practice fun.

Going to course practice green is such a hassle. I made my own putting area home to make practice easy. I practice at least 30 mins a day at home for my 5~6 feet straight putting. I started to putt 50 balls, then I stop whenever I hit 30 balls straight without missing a hole. If I miss it, I count it from 1. I easily putt 100 balls and sometimes 200! I heard Tiger Woods practices with 100 straight balls without mistake. He count from 1 if he makes a mistake.

I always have one concept to practice putting each time. This time, I started counting when I stroke. i count in Korean. Hana, dul, set, net. When I count four, I look at the hole. It worked my game last week. I didn’t make fast stroke.

Breaking 34 on putting is another goal.

In Adu-Dhabi this week, a lof of golf fans watched the game not only to see who will win the tournament, but to see if Koepka got back to the No 1 track after knee injury. He had an amazing Thursday with 66, but an awful drop to 75 on Friday and ended up T34 on leaderboard, Abu-Dhabi HSBC. Congrats, Lee Westwood.

This blog is for myself and very personal, so I can say it was a relief as an avid fan of Rory Mcilroy. I started watching tournaments since 2011 US open Rory won. The little Rory introduced me this fun game. Since then, I’ve been a big fan of his play, swing and all tournaments. I never thought Brooks Koepka was his rival over the years. Mcilroy has been way beyond Koepka on play and reputation.

I was so surprised with Koepka’s arrogance on his comment regarding rivalry. This is excerpted from golf.com.

Rory’s reply is excerped from Golfdigest.

These are simply differences between Arrogance and Confidence. 2020 will be so interesting.