Turning a disastrous start into a steady finish — short game takeaways and mental game progress.
📍 Course: Fellows Creek Golf Club | West Course
⛳️ 9-Hole League Round | May 19, 2025
How I Prepared for This Round
- Sunday practice round: Focused on tempo and contact, and had some killer confidence-boosting tee-shots
- Monday morning: Mobility and core session, but I probably went to hard on upper body resistance machines though
- Putting practice: 15 minutes daily leading up to the round
- Pre-round warm-up: Dynamic stretches, 20 minutes of lag putting and 3-6 footer practice
My Round Intention and Focus
- Short Game Routine: Testing my new chipping and pitching pre-shot routine — Look. Feel. Align. Glide.
- Tempo: Slowing down backswing, minimizing over-acceleration through impact
- Club Confidence: Building trust with hybrid and fairway woods
- Mental Game: Reducing second-guessing and trusting first reads
🔢 Key Stats
3 of 7
2
18
1 of 5
2 of 5
2
2
202 Yds
59
4:5
📝 Round Summary
This round at Fellows Creek felt like a gut check. Conditions were decent, but the course threw just enough curveballs to test both my swing and my patience. Off the tee, I hit a few fairways cleanly, but inconsistency showed up in the usual places — a couple of topped drives and some unnecessary hero attempts on the first hole that cost me a ball and 2 penalty strokes.
After the opening blow-up, I told myself I had eight more chances to learn something. That shift in mindset made the rest of the round feel like a recovery mission, not a meltdown. The good news? I recovered well when I played smart, and I stayed mentally in it, even when the scorecard wasn’t thrilled with me.
The biggest shift came in my short game. I committed to using my new chipping and pitching pre-shot routine — Look. Feel. Align. Glide. — and it genuinely helped. I stopped rushing chips and started treating each one like a real opportunity to save a stroke. While I didn’t go 5-for-5 on up-and-downs (not even close), I felt more in control of my wedges than I have in weeks. One chip on Hole 6, in particular, was exactly the kind of shot I’ve messed up before: tight lie, uphill green, awkward angle. This time, I slowed down, walked through the full routine, and clipped it clean to within a few feet. That moment alone felt like a win.
Putting was a mixed bag. The greens were a bit faster than I expected, and my early putts came up short — likely more about hesitation than speed. I made the adjustment eventually but didn’t sink anything memorable. Still, I felt calm on the greens, and even my misses stayed close. Overall, the round wasn’t my lowest score, but it was a strong reflection of my process working — pre-shot routines, smarter club choices, and a better mindset after bad swings.
The group dynamic helped, too. Everyone was focused but easygoing, and no one made a big deal about the rough start — which made it easier to move on and settle into the round. League play can add pressure, but this one felt more like a working session than a scoring sprint. That space to think, reset, and actually apply what I’ve been practicing made a difference.
Mental Game Tags: Focused, delusional, rushed (twice), second-guessing, steady finish
💥 Routine. Reset. Rip.
Coming off a sloppy chip on the previous hole, I ran through my post-hole routine — See it. Say it. Save it. Shift. (more on that soon) — and used the extra tee box wait to reset and stay patient. The result? A smooth, committed drive with a soft draw that settled in the apron of the green. No tension, no steer — just trust. It wasn’t a birdie, but it was the kind of moment that makes all the practice feel worth it.
🎯 The Kind of Lag That Keeps You in It
One of my favorite quiet wins of the round came early — a 25-foot putt that started as damage control and ended up being a highlight. The approach left me well outside my comfort zone, and I could’ve easily turned that hole into a three-putt regret.
Instead, I walked through my putting routine (See it. Feel it. Trust it. Roll it.), focused on tempo, and sent it tracking. The ball rolled smooth, held its line, and cozied up inches from the hole. No drama. No stress. Just a small, satisfying victory.
⛳️ Highlight Hole: Hole 6
Hole 6 delivered one of those deceptively simple situations that usually spirals — a pushed tee shot left me in a scruffy patch off the fairway, partially blocked by a tree. In the past, I might’ve tried something bold or rushed a decision, but this time I took the smart route: punch out, reset, and give myself a playable angle.
That left me just short of the green with an uphill chip to a sloping pin. Not a hero shot — just one of those “don’t screw it up” kind of chips. I ran through my full routine — Look. Feel. Align. Glide. — picked my landing spot, rehearsed the motion, and committed to it. The result? A clean, low chip that landed soft and rolled to within a few feet.
It wasn’t flashy, but it was the kind of execution I’ve been working toward. A simple bogey never felt so satisfying — not because of the score, but because it was earned through composure, discipline, and a process I trust. That’s the stuff I’m trying to build my game on.
🧠 Learned in the Rough
A few key takeaways from this round — the kind of lessons that tend to stick when they cost you a couple strokes first.
- Slowing down matters — especially after mistakes. Tempo and clarity saved this round.
- The chipping routine held up under pressure. Trusting it made execution easier.
- My first instinct on club choice is usually right. Second-guessing added tension.
- A solid lag putt can shift the whole tone of a hole — and the hole after it.
- No one else cares how I started. I shouldn’t either. Next shot > last score.
🔁 Tweaks for the Week
This round gave me a few clear signals on what needs reps:
- Add uphill and downhill chip shots to my next short game session
- Find a way to practice hybrid shots from the rough — off the course
- Increase short putt pressure reps (3–6 footers)
- Mental practice: One round visualization session midweek to rehearse full routines
I’ll also carry forward the chipping routine — it’s working.