Friday Round with Pulls and Hooks

Shot 76 on the Legends course this morning. I won't do a shot by shot recap on it, but there were some positive things happening:

• Chipping was much more solid than it has been. Most chips were getting within a foot or two of the hole. I've put a lot of effort there, so it's good to see it translate on the course.
• Worked on visualization on all shots, but especially putting - basically I focus on seeing a small point of the cup in my head as I initiate the putt. It's a mental thing, but it appears to be working very well for me because I don't think about what I'm doing mechanically, leading to much better putts and more makes.
• Despite not hitting the ball well - lots of pulls and hooks, I still managed to only be 4-over. Once I work out the swing kinks, and assuming I maintain the short game and putting that's starting to come around, scores should drop quick.

As mentioned, I had some serious pull and hook issues. That 76 scores includes 2 or 3 hazard penalties because I pulled the ball into the trees or some other stupid thing. Not sure what's going on with that. I have a week until the two day event at PGA National to work it out. I'll probably get it on video and see what I'm doing wrong.

After the round I went to work on my swing a bit to try to figure out the pull/hook problem. I figured a few things, but that might just be compensations. Ball striking in general is off. Granted, most people would kill for the dispersion I have right now, but I don't like the ball flight because any kind of side wind is going to put me in trees or water on a tight course. I have the tournament tomorrow, so I'll have to work on it Sunday most likely.

I also worked on some short game and putting. For both I worked on visualization, as  mentioned above. I feel like at this point I have the mechanics down and instead need to be stronger mentally in those situations.