The Drive to 300 Yards: A record round and learning course management

After somewhat holding my own in the Drive, Chip and Putt competition against Alexis and Brayden Card, I had a full month of golf in June planned to take everything I’ve learned about the game over the past few months and hopefully produce some solid scores.

I mentioned last month that I had never broken 100 on a par-72, 6,000-yard course before. My game was never consistent enough to do so. However, under the tutelage of Stew Bannatyne from Modern Golf, I am finally feeling confident enough with my swing to start producing decent scores.

I flirted with 99 during my first couple of rounds this year, but finally broke through at Saugeen Golf Club in Port Elgin, Ont. And it was pressure-packed, as I had a bunch of guys who are following this series chirping me at every opportunity.

They’re all golfers who typically shoot in the 70s and 80s, so it was definitely helpful to play with better competition, as it raised my level of play.

I shot a 93 with a few pars and even a birdie thrown into the mix. One thing that I’ve never noticed before is how mentally draining the game is when you’re actually trying to play well and play bogey (or better) golf.

I shot a 44 on the front nine, but faded on the back with a couple of triple bogeys and a closing score of 49. I need to get better at thinking my way through each shot and maintaining my focus for an entire round.

Since that round, I’ve been hovering just above bogey golf every time I play. Unfortunately, each round has one really bad hole where I shoot a triple bogey (or worse).

So, it’s good I’m that close to bogey golf with one really bad hole a round, but I need to learn to limit my mistakes.

And that’s what the indoor session on course management with Bannatyne was all about. He really helped me to start thinking my way around the course and stop trying to hit a “hero shot.”

It may be fun to try to play like that, but that’s not going to make me a better player. I want to be playing bogey golf consistently by the end of the season. Also, there is no driver distance update for this month. I’m changing my approach slightly on my march to 300 yards.

Rather than hit one drive in the 270s or 280s each round, I’m trying to hit between 240 and 260 yards every time I hit my driver to get consistency before I start ramping up the distance later this summer.

Thanks for reading and watching!

Mike Arsenault is a Digital Broadcast Journalist and a host of Global News Weekend.