Provisional
Nice, huh?
Read last sentence in the post

We're more like Jeff Foxworth said
Richest guy here bought a new home and we had to go over and help him take off the wheels.

    puttnfool Of course your 'using' more than half getting to the green. I've not read to many posts from scratch golfers here so, that's quite normal. Regardless, it wasn't the point. It's a lot of strokes with the easiest of clubs. As far as scoring, it bears some investment. And, a putting stroke ages better than a driver swing. LOL

      Typhoon Perhaps your formula accounts for only 14 of 18 holes? Or, I'm not getting your "formula".

          rsvman No kidding. I get that. 14 GIR's + 2 strokes per GIR still leaves 4 holes. What's the assurance all four are up/down's? Oh, wait, four chip-in's for birdie gets you four under par. Huh?! Typhoon is clearly playing a game of which I'm not familiar. LOL

            Looking for positives, missing fairways does allow for lots of scrambling practice.
            I think I've improved my hybrid and iron play from deep rough. If I could only drive further, I'd be bomber-gouger, instead I'm bunter-gouger.
            "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry alone."

            Bought another golf help book. Lots of correctional tips for flaws. The tip for topping driver shots like I've been doing was to avoid changing spine angle or standing up on back swing. My Barkley impersonation.
            It seems to work at the range for me if I can avoid relapse into old habit.

            Next outing will tell. Hopefully I'll find more fairways. Maybe even help the abysmal gir stat? We'll see. Looked back at old cards where I kept stats , my worst score , lately I hit most fairways. Putting and approach shots killed me. I've been working on improving both since then, and now hope to see driver behave better too. Come on 80s
            If this doesn't work, I'll have to buy more clubs!???
            🎱 corner pocket'

            Made it out today to play with lefty (AKA PA-PLAYA). I had a blast. Was a much different course than I'm used to. Managed a 92 with only 3 GIR. The wedge game kept me in respectable numbers, but my tee game could definitely use some work and I would need a few rounds to really figure out those greens.

            Looking forward to making in out for a round in Va Beach with rsvman in a couple of weeks.

              puttnfool

              Had a great time! Thought you managed your game very well, not many guys play all 18 holes there with the same ball they started with. 😉

              You've got a very solid short game, you've got good touch on the greens, you managed several awkward pitch shots quite well from tricky situations. Just seems like to me that you need to find a driver that you can hit with some confidence. But you managed things fairly well today without using it much at all.

              Great to get out with you!

                puttnfool Well done Jeremy! I know the course (a wee bit) and to come out of your first round there without a bloody nose? You did just fine! If you let it get under your skin, train-wrecks are all over that property and those greens make quick bogeys out of GIR's. Glad to hear you guys had fun!

                  Thanks, @professor. I just tried to hang around and not let myself get killed. I did, in fact, 3 putt at least one GIR so I was a tad miffed about that, but you're right, those greens are treacherous the first time out.

                  I went to the range tonight with my two youngest kids. Had a blast. I think the 13 y/o boy is going to take to the game just fine. He's hitting his driver about 160ish now and he's getting a little more consistent with everything in the bag.

                  I hit my practice driver (my DIY whippy driver @ 46") about 20 times and then switched to my driver. I think I'm gonna cut it down to 44.25" or so and see if that helps my consistency a little. Lefty can attest to the driver being my weak spot. If I could figure it out and get it to the point where the drives are acceptable, then I will be one step closer to some 70's rounds.

                    puttnfool

                    Don't let your frustrations keep you from figuring it out. The only way it'll remain a weakness is if you choose to continue shying away from using it. I like the idea of trimming down the shaft and seeing if that'll help. Also... a good swing thought is to try to keep that face going down the target line just a little longer after impact. It'll help promote a more square face through the hitting area.

                      Just trimmed it. It's a hair over 44" now with the grip. Was hitting it well at the range choked down a bit so this should help.

                      Shot another 90 today. Played a course I'd never played before. Just a 9 hole course so the front was one set of tees and the back was a different set on the same holes.

                      Shot a 40 on the first nine and a 50 on the second nine. Took a 10 on a par 4 with a 3 putt, lost ball, and 3 shots out of two sand bunkers. Yeah, it was that bad. Also, had a triple and a double on the 2nd nine.

                      I was scrambling pretty well, I guess. I think I had 7 U&D on the day. Only 2 GIR on the day, but 2 putted them both.

                      I hit the driver much better today than previously.

                        puttnfool what opinion did you get on your 44"driver or did you use another ? Fairways hit better ?
                        I went to University of Alabama so I can't count higher than 8.???? Helps my blowups.

                        Not many sand traps on courses and this year they stay full of water it seems . I used to hit them a lot when I lived I NC. I'm still good for a double on them when I can find one .
                        I still think you'll see 70s on your card soon
                        Best luck 2u.

                          I think I was 3/5 with the driver. Might have been 2/4 or 2/5. I can't remember. Either way, my misses were playable. The only OB I had was a 3wd that I didn't commit to and left it hanging out to the right.

                          Hitting the driver better. I didn't hit all fairways today, but they were all in play... except one. Same problem... I just didn't commit to the shot and left it right. Still much better than previous performances before the trim.

                            puttnfool I think trimming my G15 shaft to 45" did help my accuracy a LITTLE, but possibly at expense of some ? distance . Hard to quantify for me, as I replaced the broken Ping shaft with new aftermarket one, shortening it 0.75 inches from ping stock 45.75" length. Lately, I also usually grip down on the club about an inch. Much straighter now , but doesn't cure my topping issue .
                            Retired old basta#ds scramble , aka ROB, tomorrow at the Pine Creek GC, so I'll see if I can eliminate that flaw.