First round of the year
 

Earlier in the year I played in a scramble, but I don't really consider that playing a round of golf. I walked 18 holes with a buddy of mine on Thursday and it is the first round of golf I've played in about 6 months or so. It was actually the first time I've touched a club since the scramble. The only golf practice I've done is my dowel drills and some mirror work inside. On Thursday I shot a 79...not great, but considering my lack of play, I will take it. Actually, the thing that surprised me most was the way I shot it. I shot 43, 7 over, on the front 9 and followed it up with a 36, even, on the back nine. I didn't hit the ball overly solid, nor overly accurate, but my plane and flat left wrist allowed me to hit it well enough to keep the ball moving in the right direction and in play. My planeline tracing dowel work really helped my putting. I putted quite well and made 3 good birdie putts and several par saves. The power of TGM is that it lets you keep your game decent and your ball in play even when you don't play. When you know what you need to do to make things happen, and your options to do it, you have control.

I won't say that I didn't hit any bad shots, because I definantly did (including topping an iron), but most of my scoring mistakes came from poor chipping and, more importantly, extremely poor decision making. I agree with Tommy Armours book Play Your Best Golf All The Time (I think that's the title). His premise is that, no matter how good or bad you are, you can improve your game by playing smart. Take bogeys instead of trying dumb shots and ending up with a double or triple. Shoot for the middle of the green instead of going for tucked pins. Play a safe shot away from trouble even if it costs you distance. Doing smart things will take a 100 shooter into the low 90's, a 90's shooter into the 80's, and an 80's shooter into the 70's quicker than any amount of mechanical work ever will. In my opinion, most people's mechanical skill level would allow them to play at a much lower scoring level if they only changed how they approached their game.