My son breaking 100 after 6 games of 18 holes

It has been a long school  holiday for my son Jazton. He has been waking me up at 7 am to play 9 holes before I get to work during his Xmas break.

Of course the fact that most of my golfing friends are away on holidays made it reasonable for me to wake up earlier during a work week to play golf with my son.

I have also been playing with golf my wife Annie and Jaz for 2 Thursdays while the guys were away.

Anyway, my son Jaz has only been playing 9 holes the last 4 months.  He had played 18 holes on a number of occasions but found walking 18 holes a challenge.

This Sunday, he woke me up at 9 am instead of his usual 7 am for a game.

We went to Collier Park and paid for 9 holes. I was not ready to play 18 holes as I had a late Sat night.

I did tell him that if he played at below 53 for the 1st nine, I would play a 2nd nine with him.

He played 52 on the first nine and I played 46.

 He begged me to play another 9 holes. The guys at the club were helpful and put us to the Pines 9 holes.

My 2nd nine was not that great but Jaz hit 3 pars and finally ended with a 46 which was much better than my 2nd nine.

So, he broke 100 and hit 98 on his last day of the school holidays after having woken me up on numerous week days to play golf before my office works beckoned.

I am proud of him and know he will do much more in golf than I ever did.

In the evening, Annie, Jaz and Tyz my youngest son went for golf tuition at Burswood. Yes, we are a serious golfing family although Tyz is still unsure. I am sure he will see the beauty of the game and how it will keep the family occupied as a family.

To the family enjoying golf as a family.

Golf in the New Year

2010 did not start off very auspiciously. I had a terrible game at Joondalup on the 3rd day of Jan 2010. I am too embarrassed to post the score as it was well above 100.

The Pua brothers have all gone on holidays and many of the other players are also away.

In their absence, I have been getting my son Jazton and my wife Annie excited about the game.

Annie , Jazton and I played at Burswood last Thursday instead of having my usual game with the boys. It was pleasant enough to play 18 holes with my son and wife on a Thursday. Jaz hit 100 while I played to 97. This was the 1st 18 holes for the missus and her score was of course quite high. However, I know her tenacity when she wants to improve in a game. That's one of the biggest reason why I love her so much.

I am getting new clubs for the missus as she definitely does not fit the current ones which was bought for her by myself to surprise her. Of course it was all an elaborate plan to get her involved in my addiction. I think it is working. Ha ha ha ( evil laugh).

My eldest son Jazton is totally hooked and will drag me out of bed in the morning to play 9 holes irregardless of the weather. He has dreams of turning pro. I have showed him articles about how much pros earn when they do not play well. He has the potential but who knows.

I just wish I can persuade my youngest son Tyzton to get interested. That way, I get a 4 ball going and am still with the family. He has so much talent but refuses to get involved.

During the Xmas break there was lots of golfing and the biggest concern was to adjust family time with golf. I am sure Harris understands what I am talking about.

Will be playing with my son Jaz and my wife again this Thursday till all the guys come back to Perth. My son has to break 100. He played to 100 last week and shocked me with some drives that were further than mine.

Here's to my son beating me.

Golfing at the Cut 28 Dec 2009

Players were  Bambang, Frank, myself, Henry, Stevie and Harris in this photo.

Jack , from Korea is in the left of the photo.

The Cut is rated one of the top 10 courses in Australia. It was a long drive to Port Bouvard. It is an even longer drive when you miss the Mandurah exit and nearly end up at Harvey. Jack, from Korea did one better when he reached Bunbury and had to drive back.

Harris and I did make it in time even though we had travelled an extra 100 kms. It was well worth the drive.

The course was perfect and challenging. Some of the holes overlook the ocean and on a 40 degrees day, the breeze is a welcome relief.

Score card attached.

The Cut Golf Course Blue Tees 0.0 / 0 December 28, 2009

EAGLE BIRDIE PAR BOGEY 2BOGEY+

RAY	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	OUT	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	IN	TOTAL
BLUE	344	325	291	156	480	314	339	421	370	3039	394	296	381	177	390	472	130	281	516	3038	6077
HANDICAP
PAR	4	4	4	3	5	4	4	4	4	36	4	4	4	3	4	5	3	4	5	36	72
SCORE	5	4	6	2	6	6	7	6	5	47	6	8	6	3	5	6	3	4	7	48	95
ROUND SCORE	+1	+1	+3	+2	+3	+5	+8	+10	+11	+11	+13	+17	+19	+19	+20	+21	+21	+21	+23	+23	+23
NET SCORE	5	4	6	2	6	6	7	6	5	47	6	8	6	3	5	6	3	4	7	48	95
TEE CLUB	1W	1W	1W	7i	1W	1W	1W	1W	1W		1W	1W	1W	2Hy	1W	1W	7i	1W	1W
FAIRWAYS										100%										100%	100%
GIR										22%										33%	28%
PUTTS	2	2	2	1	2	2	2	2	2	17	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	18	1.9/35
SAND SHOTS	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
PENALTIES	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FRIENDS' SCORES
BAMBANG	5	6	4	3	5	5	6	4	6	44	7	5	5	3	7	8	4	5	5	49	93
NET SCORE	5	6	4	3	5	5	6	4	6	44	7	5	5	3	7	8	4	5	5	49	93
PUA	4	4	4	3	9	5	7	5	4	45	5	4	4	4	5	7	3	7	5	44	89
NET SCORE	4	4	4	3	9	5	7	5	4	45	5	4	4	4	5	7	3	7	5	44	89
HARRIS	6	6	4	4	6	4	4	5	5	44	7	4	5	5	8	7	6	4	6	52	96
NET SCORE	6	6	4	4	6	4	4	5	5	44	7	4	5	5	8	7	6	4	6	52	96

With 4 pars and a birdie, I was well pleased with my score of 95. Harris scored 95 too and we both felt we had redeemed ourselves after the bad day at the Vines.

Bambang had 6 pars and scored 93.

Henry had 9 pars and scored 89. Harris had 5 pars and scored 95.

It was particularly pleasing as we were playing off the blue tees.

I have now set myself a target to reach a 18 handicap in 2 mths time.

My biggest weakness is my putting and I have set myself a task of improving my putting as a priority.

Here's an article from the Golf Today website which readers may find useful. The author is Nick Dougherty, a professional.


Seven Ways to Hole More Putts

1. Start reading putts before you reach a green

My green-reading routine starts once I am within 10 yards or so of the green itself- sometimes earlier.
Very often, greens are slightly elevated from the fairway and you can get a better view from a slightly lower angle as you approach the putting surface.
You also get a better perspective of the overall lie of the land and the contours on the green.
It can be very difficult to spot subtle slopes when you are standing right on top of them.
I always make a point of getting down low to look at my putts since I believe that the closer you can get your eyes to the level of the ball on the green, the more chance you have of spotting those little breaks that can make the difference between a missed or holed putt.

2. Thumbs straight down the grip keep your hands passive

I've changed my putting grip several times
during the past year or so, but one aspect of my grip that has remained consistent throughout my career is the positioning of my thumbs on top of the shaft. I like to see them placed on top of the grip and pointing straight down the shaft of the putter.
Why? Because that sets both hands in a 'neutral' position where neither can dominate the stroke and manipulate the putter-face through impact.

3. Visualise the line and keep that image fixed in your mind

One thing that never ceases to amaze me about amateur golfers is how little attention they pay to the line of the putt. If you watch any top professional preparing to strike a putt, you'll notice that they constantly look at the line as they go through their pre-putt routine. Most amateur golfers have a brief look at the line from behind the hole, quickly aim their putter in what they think is roughly the right direction, then never glance at their intended line again. Remember, the more information you can give your brain at address, the better chance you have of actually setting the ball rolling on your intended line.

4. Finish with a high elbow for a better roll

I don't have too many technical putting thoughts, since I believe that this part of the game is pretty much instinct and feel, but I do have a couple of set-up keys to keep my stroke on track.
First, I like a nice, wide stance - my feet spread a little more than shoulder-width apart - to give me some stability as I stand over the ball.
Second, I like the ball pretty much central in my stance with my hands directly above it address. I believe that this gives me the best chance of striking the putt at the base of the stroke so that the full face of my putter makes contact with the ball for a pure roll.
Finally, I like to keep the putter face fairly low to the ground in the course of making the backstroke and then finish with my left elbow fairly high in my through-stroke. This ensures that I accelerate the putter through impact and encourages me to strike the ball with an ever so slight upward sweeping motion to impart top-spin on the ball for a positive roll.

5. Align putter shaft with forearms to hole more short putts

I don't have too many technical putting thoughts, but I do believe that it is very important to hold the putter in such a way that the forearms and the shaft of the club form a straight line. This sets the hands in a more arched position at address and gives you a piston-like action that will enable the club, hands and arms to work more as a unit for more consistency. This is particularly important on short putts, where you want the putter to travel straight back and through on a square-to-square path.

6. Why you can be more relaxed over those six footers

The statistics show that even the tour pros hole only about 20-30% of putts between six and
ten feet. So if guys who spend several hours every day on the practice green honing their
strokes have only a very slim chance of making putts of this length, there's not a great deal of hope for the average amateur. But that's good news for you. Now that the weight of
expectation is off your shoulders, you can go ahead and make a positive stroke.
Most amateurs miss putts of this makeable length because they get nervous about missing a putt that they think they should hole. Once they get anxious, they either tighten their grip on the putter and make a tense and jabby stroke, or they become too hesitant and fail to get the ball running positively towards the hole. Now that you know that you've got nothing to lose, you can eliminate the fear of failure.

7. Watch the ball roll past the hole

Finally, make sure that you pay full attention to what the ball is doing all the way to the end of its journey. If you hole the putt - great. You can watch it fall into the hole. )ob done. But it's even more important that you pay attention when you know the ball is going to miss, so that you can get a perfect read on the putt back. Most amateur golfers switch off as soon as they can see that the putt is going to miss. If you do that, you're missing out on vital information that will help you hole the next one. So follow the roll all the way to the hole and beyond...


I hope you get some inspiration from the article.


Come Sun, Harris and I will be taking on Joondalup with Bambang and Harris. The 1st game for the year. Should be interesting.