Statistically, you have to start somewhere.

My first TrackMan Combine is in the books and it was harder than I thought it would be.  The Combine is a test of 60 shots where the machine tells you to hit each ball to a specific distance and then grades you on your performance.  It tests distances from 60 yards to full drives.

Practicing this way better simulates actual golf than just hitting on the range because you are being put on the spot to hit a specific shot.  It’s a pretty brilliant, and fun, way to hone specific shots.

For this first run through, my score came in at 66.9 out of 100.  To me, that looks like a failing mark as anything below 70 was an F in grade school, but judging by the scores I see online I’m not sure exactly how I did.  For one thing, the first man to ever break 90 was Edoardo Molinari just last month with a 90.1 and the leaders down at the IMG golfing academy (a breeding ground for NCAA golfers) came in at 82 and 81.  Luke Donald’s 87 was the highest score for a while, so it looks as though low to mid 80s means you are an awesome ball striker.  A lot of the PGA Tour players come in around 83-85.

Like everything, you need a benchmark to begin comparisons and now I have my first Combine score so there is something to improve upon.  The full report can be found on the statistics menu tab of this site or a quick link here: http://thedanplan.com/blog/?page_id=36

I encourage everyone to go and try this.  It’s a good training tool that highlights which distances you need the most work on.  And, you can compete directly with me!

During the session I was wondering what you would have to do to actually score 100 for a shot.  Luckily, I managed to hit it on a 180 yard shot:

photo

It landed just 5.6 feet from the goal of 180 yards.  Not too shabby.  Honestly, it felt like an eagle.  My buddy Jason, who was watching, and I were stoked.  It felt good, but unfortunately I hit an awful hook on the next shot that landed 115 feet from the pin.  Total shankapotomus:

photo-2That’s how it goes..  Just like in the real game, you get too excited and it all goes down hill.  So, I pulled myself together, concentrated hard and hit the best shot I could pull off next.  It was a beauty:

photo-1Just 6.6 feet from the goal and my second score of 100.

All in all I scored everything from 0 to 100 on this first go around.  The combine will be a great addition to my training routine as it helps make range work context specific.  Practice with purpose and always have a goal in mind.  This will help fine tune all of the clubs…

I’m going to get a score greater than 80 by the summer.  That’s a fact.

Has anyone else run through a combine?  If so, what did you score?  Let’s get a competition going!

 

 

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