Golf truly is a journey. Here at golfjourney365, we love the game of golf and hope that our learning can help you improve your scores in your journey. That’s why I take the time to share my adventures and journey with you.
I hope to share my journey over the course of the next year and the years to come. Golf has meant a lot to me in my life and has helped shape me into the person that I am today. My goal is to average 7 rounds each week and play a total of 365 rounds in 2020, which will include both simulator golf rounds and real rounds. Golf is a wonderful game for so many reasons. The opportunity to challenge yourself mentally, physically, emotionally while all in the outdoors with friends makes it special. I will share the following each week:
- Scores
- Stats
- Swing thoughts
- Tips from online golf instruction
- Training
- Recommend podcasts
- Books I have read that pertain to golf
- Other posts from my website
- Products I am currently using and Recommend
More about me
I am a 38 year old father of 3 with a full time job. My goal is to become a scratch golfer and reach my full potential. I love studying the golf swing and then experimenting in my golf simulator. I then test those swing changes in rounds of golf on the simulator. I like to talk and learn about the golf swing and am currently studying to be a professional certified golf instructor. I played a lot of competitive golf during high school and my early 20s, I look to return to competitive golf at some point. Here is a chart of my last 30 rounds, 15 in real golf and 15 in simulator golf.
Golf Simulator vs Reality – Last 30 Rounds
| Simulator Golf Score | Relative to Par | 15 Total Rounds | Real Golf Score | Relative to Par |
| 72 | 1 | Round #1 | 76 | 4 |
| 75 | 0 | Round #2 | 78 | 6 |
| 72 | 3 | Round #3 | 74 | 3 |
| 81 | 9 | Round #4 | 71 | 0 |
| 75 | 3 | Round #5 | 70 | -1 |
| 73 | 3 | Round #6 | 71 | 0 |
| 75 | 3 | Round #7 | 72 | 0 |
| 71 | -1 | Round #8 | 73 | 1 |
| 71 | -1 | Round #9 | 72 | 1 |
| 72 | 1 | Round #10 | 74 | 3 |
| 73 | 3 | Round #11 | 74 | 3 |
| 72 | 1 | Round #12 | 74 | 4 |
| 72 | 1 | Round #13 | 72 | 1 |
| 72 | 1 | Round #14 | 73 | 3 |
| 76 | 4 | Round #15 | 73 | 2 |
| 1102 | 31 | 1097 | 30 | |
| 73.47 | 2.07 | 73.13 | 2 |
Weekly Scores
Due to a family vacation, I was only able to play four rounds this week, but I was able to pick up right where I left off. Here are the scorecards for each of the rounds. They all happen to be simulator golf due to the current weather in this sort of the United States.
- January 1, 2020 – Whistling Straits 6627 yards – 74 (+2) – 3 Bogeys, 1 Birdie
- January 4, 2020 – Whistling Straits 6627 yards – 75 (+3) – 1 Double Bogey, 3 Bogeys, 2 Birdies
- January 5, 2020 – Le Golf National 6364 yards – 72 (+1) – 2 Bogeys, 1 Birdie
- January 5, 2020 – Magnolia National (Augusta) 6357 yards – 76 (+4) – 6 Bogeys, 2 Birdie
Total = 14 Bogeys, 6 Birdies, 1 Double Bogey
10 Over Par
4 Birdies on Par 5’s, 2 Birdies on Par 4’s and 0 Birdies on Par 3’s
Stats
I averaged 8/14 Fairways and 12/18 Greens in Regulation
50% of my Bogeys occurred on holes where I hard more than 170 yards left for me approach shot.
The other 50% resulted from a bad tee shot that made it difficult to reach the green in regulation.
My irons were spot on for the most part inside 160 yards.
Swing thoughts
I had three major swing thoughts that I utilized this week. They were the following:
- Swing Thought #1: I used the visualization techniques of Shawn Clement – I really focused on the path and the starting line that I wanted the shot to start on.
- Swing Thought #2: I used the give the right hand a task by Mike Malaksa – Before every shot I would try to think where I wanted my right hand and arm at impact. This worked with with my 3rd swing though.
- Swing Thought #3: I used the left hip clearing out of the way by Mike Malaska – This allows my hands to get through the ball and to direct the momentum down the fairway.
My goal is to maximize the teaching of the great teachers online. It will be interesting to see what swing thoughts stick in the coming weeks. I have a tendency to find new swing thoughts it seems just about every week. However, the right arm task, which I first heard about around 2 months ago has worked in real golf and simulator golf and has helped with some great ball striking. My goal is to stick with the Shawn Clement visualization and Mike Malaska right arm/hand task approach.
Short Game – Great Thought and Feel
I used a left handed chipping motion with a great amount of focus on the left hand. I found this motion when I had the opportunity to play outside on December 23rd of 2019. I was messing around before the round and really found something in my left hand.
Tips from Online Golf Instruction
Below are three great youtube videos on these three swing thoughts. The first one is more of a pre shot swing thought, but I maintain it throughout the swing.
Swing Thought #1: Visualization
Swing Thought #2 : Give the Right Arm/Hand a Task
Swing Thought #3: Left Hip Clearing/Impact Position
Training
With the recent vacation I feel off the wagon on my training for additional speed. I started SuperSpeed Training in the middle of October and have maintained about a 4-5 mph increase on my tee shots. I hit 3 wood often and have increased from an average right around 95 mph to right around 98-99mph with the occasional 100 mph. Next week I plan on starting the training back up. Here is a post on my results with SuperSpeed Golf.
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Recommend podcasts
I am intrigued by George Gankas. I listened to several more by George Gankas.
- Golf Better Podcast – George Gankas Interview
- The Drop Zone – George Gankas Interview
- NLU Podcast – George Gankas Interview
I am considering purchasing the George Gankas membership and will continue to research. I am intrigued by his approach with matchups and what it could do for my game.
Recommended Books
I utilized the Stack and Tilt swing system for about a 5 year period. It truly helped my game and improve my ball striking. I believe I still use elements of Stack and Tilt in my swing. Last week, when on vacation, I dove back into their book. Their studies around the ball flight laws and the importance of utilizing tilt has been cutting edge in the golf world. Their book is worth reading from a systems perspective. It is quite impressive the impact they have had on the PGA Tour.
Other Posts from Website
I spend this week revisiting my golf simulator build from 2017. I spent time talking about the benefits of the golf simulator and my impressions of the SkyTrak – 500 round later. I have now played 500 rounds of simulator golf in the past 30 minutes. The awesome access and the ability to play 18 holes in 30 minutes has made this a great addition to my house. This weeks posts:
- Is the SkyTrak Any Good: 500 Rounds Later
- Golf Simulator vs Reality
- Golf Simulator Experience: 500 Rounds Later
- Fundamentals of the Golf Swing: Complete Overview
Products I Am Using and Would Recommend
I love my new adidas golf shoes that I received as a Christmas gift. Check out these very comfortable, great looking shoes. I have used them this week and absolutely loved them! Check Current Price on Amazon.
What’s Next
Breaking Par = # 1 Goal
Then Breaking Par Back to Back Rounds = #2 Goal