Last night I played a league round. I shot a -5 at Archers by Clinton Lake. I can’t lie, I was upset with my score. For the most part, I was playing well, but I couldn’t seem to get things turned on putting-wise. I was leaving my drives in the circle on most holes, but I couldn’t capitalize off my circles edge putts. I had made a few, but a couple left me with bad pads and even a bogey. I only had one upshot that put me in a bad spot, but I’m not too worried about that since my putting game should have been able to clean that up. I have been uncomfortable with my putting stroke lately and that has caused me to lose confidence inside the circle. Every once in a while I will get this feeling of comfort and know that the putt will fall in the basket, but it’s been a major struggle trying to chase that feeling. Aside from the putting woes, I was looking pretty good off the pad! I did manage to take an OB stroke with a missed release and I missed an island with a bad idea. I should have honestly went with a fairway driver on that hole like Babbit. Live and learn. Today I’m going to go put in an hour or two strictly putting, working on upshots, and forehands.
The Classic at The Farm- Tournament Reflection
Last weekend I traveled to Winfield, KS to play in The Classic at The Farm. The first round I had a lot of trouble staying in bounds and the wind on this property seemed to once again play a major role in my depleting confidence. I left a lot of putts on the right side of the chains and hitting the cage. I was able to save most of my pars or bogeys on my OB strokes, but that wasn’t enough to cut it. My touch forehand game was pretty weak as well. My game was all around pretty gross in the first round, but I was able to scrape up a few birdies on some of the more straight forward holes, but I still missed some easy ones. On the final day, I was feeling much more confident and I was mentally in a much better place. My shots were either going where I expected them to or I was getting good breaks. I had a few bad breaks, but they weren’t round ruiners by any means. My struggles on the second round we’re almost exclusively putting woes. I did make a few mistakes that landed me in the rough or even OB, but they didn’t really frustrate me too much. I missed at least 8 putts that should have been routine and my putting stroke just felt wrong. I had been practicing my stroke quite a bit as of late because my putting has been a huge reason I don’t have as much confidence as I should on the course, but this weekend I was having a lot of trouble finding my rhythm. I was keeping up with live scores and around hole 14, I saw the whole field was starting to choke. That was my chance to make a run for the win. I was feeling added pressure knowing I could most certainly snag a B-Tier win if I just stayed focused, but sadly my head just wasn’t there on hole 15. I approached hole 16 and still felt like there was a chance (which there was) and I laid my drive down perfectly in the preferred landing zone. Although I threw a nearly perfect drive, my look at the basket was a little less than ideal and I really only had a super low forehand through a small gap with a low ceiling and water right before the trees. I also had a backhand line but it was smaller and the trees were hanging above the water. I considered the risk/reward factor of both lines and went with the riskier backhand line because that stroke felt much more confident. I missed my line, hit the trees and dropped. Luckily I stuck on the ground past the water at circles edge. I knew if I wanted to win, I’d have to can that putt, make a birdie on 17, and run an eagle on 18. I was in my head and my stroke felt wrong. I didn’t take my time to realign my stance and I chained out on the right side. I knew I could birdie 17 and 18 easily so I kept my head up and did what I could. I threw my drive on 17 and went OB at about 37-40 feet shy of the basket. I was pretty upset with myself. I stepped up to the putt and told myself I have to make this if I want a podium finish. I canned it dead center and felt relieved to know I could make putts if my head is there. I walk up to 18 and I’m 1 stroke back from 3rd, 3 strokes back from 2nd and 4 strokes back from 1st. Eagle was out of the question, I just needed a birdie. Hole 18 at the farm is a 400 foot par 4 with tight OB and a little uphill. It’s a soft par 4, but a ridiculous par 3. So I throw my Mako3 on a low line off the tee, just to ensure I stay in bounds. My up shot was easy, but I left it about 30 feet short. 30 footers are my biggest weakness by a long shot so I was honestly scared approaching that putt. I knew I needed to can it if I wanted a Top 3 finish. My head was fully committed as I felt like I had nothing to lose, only something to gain. I drained it and my stroke felt great. Although I was disappointed with my finish, I learned that if I am fully committed to each shot and I stop worrying about all my other shots, good shots will come. Staying present and taking each shot one at a time is extremely important and it is a difficult lesson to learn outside of a competitive setting. If I could go back to this tournament, I would definitely love to approach my rounds with a more level head, but experiencing these rounds has definitely aided in a small amount of growth in my mental game, which is why I feel like traveling and playing tournaments is an incredible way to become a better golfer!
Aaron Hieb Disc Golf 