Shooting 56 on the Back Nine at Tashua Knolls

Tashua Knolls was beautiful. I loved seeing the fountains throughout the course, and hole 14 was particularly beautiful. The back nine winds through a really enjoyable piece of property, and even though I did not shoot the score I wanted, it was the kind of course and day that reminded me why I enjoy getting out to play. I shot a 56, twenty over par, from the white tees. That number is not yet on pace to break 90, but the round contained more good golf than the final score suggests. I hit four of seven fairways, had enough distance off the tee, and saw my short game help me out after missed greens. The areas that cost me strokes were also very clear, which makes the round useful rather than simply disappointing.

The most important part of reviewing this round is staying positive and being specific. It would be easy to look at a 56 and decide that everything needs to change. That is not what the numbers or video showed. A couple of drives were genuinely good. My short game kept several holes moving. The approach game needs better contact, and the broomstick putter needs more dependable speed control, but neither problem is mysterious. This round gave me a focused plan: improve balance with the driver, make centered ball-first contact on approach shots, maintain a simple short-game motion, and use a steady “lemonade” rhythm with the broomstick putter.

Scorecard

The official Tashua Knolls scorecard lists the back nine as par 36. I shot 56 for +20. The hole-by-hole pars below come from the official Tashua Knolls scorecard, and the scores are taken directly from my round tracker.

Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	IN
Par	4	4	3	4	5	4	5	3	4	36
My score	6	7	6	5	6	7	7	5	7	56

Those numbers tell a much more useful story than the total alone. Four fairways meant the driver gave me playable opportunities. One green in regulation meant the approach game did not convert enough of those opportunities. The short game then had to carry a heavy workload. Although I went zero for ten on official up-and-down conversions, the tracker still credited the short game with gaining about two and a half strokes. That apparent contradiction is important: the chips and pitches often did their job, but the putts required to complete the saves did not fall. Putting was where the score expanded most quickly. Twenty-three putts and four three-putts created an immediate scoring opportunity for the next round. Turning those four three-putts into ordinary two-putts would change 56 into 52 without requiring a single extra fairway or green.

Driving

Driving was inconsistent, but it was not all bad. I hit four of seven fairways, and a couple of drives were good enough to show that I already have a playable tee shot. Distance was not the central problem. The biggest issue was losing my balance, especially when I tried to make a full, aggressive swing. When my base became unstable, the finish wrapped around my body instead of continuing through to a controlled position past my shoulder. That made the start line and strike harder to predict. For someone trying to break 90, the immediate goal is not a perfect-looking driver swing or maximum distance. It is putting the ball somewhere that allows the hole to continue without a penalty, punch-out, or second tee shot.

My own thought after the round was that I need a wider stance and a finish I can control. That is a good starting point. A slightly wider base should give me more room to turn without feeling as though the swing is pulling me off the ball. I also want to experiment with aiming toward the right side of my intended starting window and committing to a complete follow-through rather than steering the club around my body. The exact target still has to account for the trouble on each hole, but the principle is sound: choose one generous target, make a balanced swing, and let the ball go instead of trying to correct it during the downswing.

Video analysis

• Balance is the clearest issue. Several swings do not finish in a position I could comfortably hold. When the body is moving after impact, the hands have to make late corrections to square the face.
• The follow-through works around the body and stops short. The club and arms appear to wrap low instead of continuing to a tall finish with the hands past the lead shoulder.
• The best drives show that enough distance is already available. The priority is making the good swing show up more often, not searching for extra effort.
• Target and commitment need to work together. Uncertainty over the ball can produce a guided swing and incomplete finish.

Practice recommendations

• Widen the stance slightly. Test a driver stance a few inches wider than the current setup, but keep the knees athletic rather than locked. Film it from face-on to make sure wider does not become excessively wide.
• Use the three-second finish drill. Hit ten drives at 70–80% speed and hold every finish for a count of three. A shot only counts if the ball is playable and the finish is stable. Aim for seven successful swings out of ten before adding speed.
• Practice a real fairway. Create left and right boundaries on the range or simulator. Score each ball as fairway, playable rough, or penalty. The first goal is eight of ten in the fairway or playable rough.
• Choose the target before stepping in. Pick a start line with room for the normal miss, aim toward the safer portion of the teeing area when appropriate, then make one committed swing with the cue “wide base, finish past the shoulder.”

This is a positive category because the baseline already exists. Four of seven fairways is not a number that demands a complete rebuild. If I improve the balance and turn one additional miss into playable rough, the driver can become one of the parts of my game that supports breaking 90. The best way to get there is controlled repetition with a measurable target, not repeatedly swinging harder and hoping the ball finds the fairway.

Approach

Approach play was the biggest ball-striking weakness of the round. I hit only one green in regulation, which forced the short game to rescue almost every hole. My main thought was simple: I need to make a divot. That does not mean digging a huge hole in the ground or chopping steeply at the ball. It means producing ball-first contact with the low point of the swing on the target side. If the club reaches the ground before the ball because I hang back, I can hit it heavy. If I sense that early contact and lift to avoid the turf, I can catch the ball thin or toward the toe. Both outcomes destroy distance control.

The center of the face matters just as much as the divot. During this round I felt that I defaulted toward toe contact and allowed the club to move around my body instead of continuing through the strike. I want a more centered strike, forward pressure, and a finish that shows I moved through the ball instead of trying to help it into the air. My 7-iron is the ideal practice club for this work because it is long enough to reveal the flaw but manageable enough to make controlled repetitions. The goal is not simply to hit the 7-iron as far as possible. It is to establish a repeatable carry distance from centered contact and then bring that predictable strike to the course.

Video analysis

• The swing can move around the body rather than through the ball. That pattern makes the strike dependent on timing and can bring the toe into contact.
• Hanging back changes the low point. When pressure remains on the trail side, the club tends to reach the turf early or the body has to lift to avoid a heavy strike.
• The lack of a consistent divot matches the one-GIR result. Contact is not repeatable enough for predictable carry and direction.
• The finish again contains useful information. A balanced finish on the lead side makes hanging back much less likely.
• One green does not mean I need to attack more flags. Poor contact combined with aggressive targets makes the misses more expensive.

Practice recommendations

• Use a centered-contact gate. Mark the clubface with foot spray or impact tape and hit sets of five 7-irons. Record how many strike the central portion of the face. Beat the score before adding speed.
• Practice a forward low point. Draw a line on grass or use tape on a mat. Place the ball just ahead of the line and make half-swings that contact the ball and then the ground on the target side.
• Build from half-swings to full 7-irons. Do not move up in speed until five consecutive swings produce centered, ball-first contact and a balanced finish. A shallow mark after the ball is enough; do not force a deep divot.
• Hold the iron finish. Use the cue “center, then turf, finish forward.” Film a few face-on swings to check that the chest turns through and the trail heel releases naturally.
• Practice and play to the center. Use the verified median carry for the 7-iron, take enough club to cover the front of the green, and aim toward the largest safe area rather than the flag.

The 7-iron work should have a quantitative goal. I can hit ten shots in GSPro or on the range and count solid strikes that finish inside a reasonable left-to-right corridor. I should also record median carry rather than the longest shot. When seven or eight of ten strikes are centered and the carry window becomes tighter, I will have a real stock distance instead of a best-case number. That is the version of the 7-iron I can trust on the course. Better contact will naturally create more greens, but even a centered shot that misses the green in a safe place is progress because it gives the short game a simple job.

Short Game

The short game was one of the strongest positives in the round. With only one green in regulation, it was asked to work on almost every hole, and the tracker credited it with gaining approximately two and a half strokes. I did go zero for ten on up-and-down conversions, but that does not mean the ten chips and pitches were all poor. An up-and-down is only completed when the following putt is holed, and putting was the weakest part of this round. The short game repeatedly gave me a chance; the broomstick did not finish enough of those chances. At my current level, a successful chip or pitch does not have to finish two feet away. The first job is to get the ball onto the green with one predictable strike and leave a realistic putt. Avoiding chunks, blades, and unnecessarily difficult recovery attempts is how doubles stop growing into triples.

My full-swing thoughts also apply here in a smaller form. I do not want the club moving excessively around my body, I do not want to hang back, and I do not want the toe to become the default strike location. The shorter motion gives me a better chance to remain centered and control the bottom of the swing. A little more pressure in the lead foot, a stable chest, and a finish that continues through the ball should make the contact dependable. I can also simplify club selection by using a lower-lofted club when I have green available and saving the sand wedge for shots that actually require height.

Video analysis

• The short swing looks more controlled than the full swing. Less speed and length give the arms fewer opportunities to take over. That fits the tracker crediting this category with approximately 2.5 strokes gained.
• The same centered-contact issue remains. Toe contact or hanging back can produce weak chips, chunks, or thin shots even with a short swing.
• Stopping the body at impact invites a hand flip. The club should continue into a small finish that matches the shot.
• Course lies vary. Repeating one perfect practice-green chip does not recreate the decisions required during a round.
• The safest shot is usually the best scoring shot. Trying to manufacture height when it is not required introduces extra risk.

Practice recommendations

• Maintain rather than rebuild. Give the short game a smaller but consistent share of practice time while putting and approach receive priority. Keep the motion simple.
• Check the strike. Use face spray for ten chips and count centered contacts. Begin with a pitching wedge or 9-iron from a clean lie before adding rough and sand-wedge shots.
• Land the ball on a towel. Choose a landing area and hit one ball each with a lower-lofted club, pitching wedge, and sand wedge. Learn how carry and rollout change without changing the basic rhythm.
• Use one-ball random practice. Rotate among a fringe chip, rough chip, and short pitch. Score two points inside six feet, one point inside twelve feet, and zero outside twelve feet. Track the total.
• Choose the simplest option. Get the ball rolling as soon as practical, carry the minimum trouble, and make getting safely onto the green the first success criterion.

The positive conclusion from this section is that the short game does not need to become a new technical obsession. Gaining roughly two and a half strokes while facing ten recovery opportunities is evidence that it already helped. The zero-for-ten up-and-down number should improve if I tighten proximity a little and, more importantly, convert more of the putts that follow. A simple one-ball test once or twice each week will tell me whether contact and proximity are holding up. If I can get nearly every attempt onto the green and gradually increase the number finishing inside twelve feet, the short game will continue saving strokes while the putting practice turns more of those good recoveries into completed saves.

Putting

Putting was the clearest scoring opportunity. I used my broomstick putter and took 23 putts, including four three-putts. The tracking data estimated that I lost nearly seven strokes on the greens. That is a large number, but it is also encouraging because putting can change more quickly than a full-swing pattern. I do not need to start making long putts from everywhere. I need to control the first putt well enough to avoid leaving a difficult second putt, then make a committed stroke from short range.

My own putting thoughts were refreshingly simple: use an even stance and say “lemonade” to create rhythm. That is exactly the kind of cue I want with a broomstick putter. The long putter is meant to provide stability, and too many mechanical thoughts would work against that advantage. “Lemonade” gives the stroke a smooth multi-syllable cadence instead of a sudden hit. An even stance gives me a neutral base from which the putter can swing without unnecessary lower-body motion. The setup and tempo do not need to become complicated; they need to repeat under pressure.

Video analysis

• The existing footage is too distant for a reliable technical diagnosis. It cannot clearly show face angle, strike location, or the first few feet of roll, so the poor result should not automatically be blamed on one mechanical flaw.
• An even stance provides a stable starting point. With a broomstick, unnecessary movement in the legs or torso can disrupt the intended pendulum-like motion.
• “Lemonade” is a useful tempo cue. A smooth spoken rhythm can prevent a jab at the ball and keep the motion continuous through impact.
• Four three-putts point first to speed control. The long first putt and short cleanup putt must be trained as one scoring sequence.
• Short-putt tension can change an otherwise functional stroke. The instinct to guide the broomstick can interfere with the simple rhythm that makes it effective.

Practice recommendations

• Record closer broomstick footage. Capture putts from face-on and down the line, with the camera low enough to show the head, shaft, impact, and initial roll. Record both three-to-six-foot putts and 20-to-30-foot putts.
• Standardize the setup. Use the same stance width, ball position, posture, and upper-hand anchor location on every practice putt. Photograph or film the setup so it can be reproduced.
• Match distance to stroke length, not a harder hit. Say “lemonade” at the same pace for every putt while allowing the stroke to become longer for additional distance. Test this from 10, 20, 30, and 40 feet.
• Use a lag ladder. Hit one ball each from 20, 30, and 40 feet. Score one point inside three feet. Repeat from different slopes and record the number inside the circle out of ten.
• Use a three-to-six-foot circle drill. Putt around the hole from changing angles. Keep the even stance, say “lemonade,” and restart the distance after a miss. End each session with a short pressure requirement.

The best target for the next round is zero three-putts. Total putts can be misleading when I miss many greens because a chip followed by one putt counts differently from a green in regulation followed by two putts. Three-putts are much cleaner to track. Before each putt, I want one read, one start line, one rehearsal focused on speed, and then the same “lemonade” stroke. If I convert even two of the four three-putts into two-putts, the score improves immediately. If I eliminate all four, 56 becomes 52 before any improvement with the driver or irons is counted.

Conclusion

This was a difficult round in a beautiful place, and both parts deserve to be remembered. Tashua Knolls was enjoyable to play, and the round included several signs that my game is moving in the right direction. Four of seven fairways shows that I can put the ball in play. A few good drives showed that enough distance is available. The short game helped after repeated missed greens. Even the largest weaknesses produced a simple plan rather than a reason to start over.

The technical priorities are clear. With the driver, widen the stance slightly, stay balanced, and finish past the shoulder instead of wrapping around the body. With the approach game, practice centered 7-iron contact, move through the ball, and create a shallow divot after impact instead of hanging back. With the short game, keep the motion simple and continue through the strike. With the broomstick putter, use an even stance and the word “lemonade” to preserve rhythm while practicing both lag distance and short-putt conversion.

The other major lesson is mental fortitude. I felt beaten up by the middle of the round, and once disappointment takes over, every swing can start to feel like proof that the day is going badly. That is when I need to slow everything down. Sit for a moment if the pace allows it, take a breath, drink some water, and treat the next shot as a new problem rather than a continuation of the last hole. A poor stretch does not require a heroic recovery shot. It requires one conservative target and one balanced swing. The goal is not to force the score back all at once; it is to stop frustration from adding strokes that the golf swing did not have to lose.

My practice order after this round is putting first, approach contact second, driving balance third, and short-game maintenance fourth. That order reflects both the data and the fastest path to a better score. Twenty-three putts and four three-putts are the immediate opportunity. One green in regulation is the longer-term ball-striking project. Driving already has a workable foundation, and the short game already showed that it can help. There is a lot to improve, but there is also a lot to build on. Stay patient, hold the finish, make centered contact, trust the broomstick rhythm, and keep moving forward one shot at a time. Let’s break 90.