78: Everything unified
Slow backswing + eyes on ball + new putting grip. Two shots off the all-time PB.
- Course
- Delicias Country Club
- Tees
- Blue
- Rating / slope
- 73.1 / 123
- Index after
- 4.5
Two shots off the all-time best. And it felt like the most controlled round I’ve played in a while.
The slow backswing is the key that unlocks everything else. When the backswing is slow, my eyes stay on the ball through impact. When my eyes stay on the ball, the head doesn’t move. When the head doesn’t move, the face stays square and the shot goes where I aimed it. One cue, three benefits.
Grip pressure: 4/10 going back, 6–7/10 through release. Hands generate the force and carry the arms into rotation, hands leading.
Stock shot on driver, 3-wood, and hybrid: small fade. Not trying to go straight anymore. The fade is more natural, more confident, costs me nothing in distance.
Putting grip change that worked first try: Removed the left index finger from the grip, held the putter like every other club. Stood taller. Shoulders do the work, pure horizontal movement, no wrists, no pendulum. Right hand controls, left hand rides.
What the 78 confirms: The swing doesn’t need reworking. Eyes on the ball. Slow backswing makes that happen. Everything else follows.