My Quest to Break 80 in a Year (July 2016) from a 22 Handicap

[rkim291968]

@ChrisWev , you came a long way from 22 to 16 in short time, congrats!   How has your improvement trajectory been (sorry, don't have time to go through the entire thread)?   Mine has been stalled in the last 3 - 4 months in the 16 - 19 HI range after a quick drop earlier this year.   The reality is starting to set in on me as far as how much further I can improve my game.  Want to compare notes and see what I can get out of.

[ChrisWev]

Nah that's not since this July, one of the mods renamed the thread, now it no longer makes sense but I'm aiming to break 80 by the end of next summer. I started last year and got to about 18-20 ish by the end of summer then got injured and then started back again in spring (which was when I really started the challenge) didn't take long to get back to that 22.

I had a couple of good rounds to get me to 15.4 at one point but I'm back at 16.4 now, basically I adjust for every round I play and play properly. I have to do it this way for a yard stick as I don't get much chance to play comps. I've probably had a full year at it in total but been changing quite a lot "for the greater good" so to speak which has had me stalled for the last few month.

You sound very similar to me. My irons were the best part of my game but the swing was flawed so had to change (which I'm doing now, still no good), short game is good and putting is now ok (used to be horrendous), I've not been hitting driver much as had no time to practice that.

One thing I've gained my not using my driver much is my hybrid play has come on a long long way. Hit a green at the back got it to stick on the fringe the from 210 today, wouldn't have even dreamed of that previously.

With my irons in a year I've gone from slicing, to drawing, to hooking, to hitting it fat, to flipping to now hitting it thin haha!

[rkim291968]

You sound very similar to me.

That's how your thread caught my eye.   I don't know how I missed it for so long.   My journey was chronicled here - http://thesandtrap.com/t/78501/diary-of-a-bogey-golfer-with-his-1st-custom-fit-clubs.  Now, I update my status in "The Drive for 5" thread.

I will start reading your thread to compare notes.

With my irons in a year I've gone from slicing, to drawing, to hooking, to hitting it fat, to flipping to now hitting it thin haha!

That seems just about right LOL.   I went through those myself.   I had swing lessons earlier in the year and my HI dropped from low 20 to 16+.   I had to restart on the lessons once it went back up to 19.   It could be coincidence but taking lessons and improving HI seem to be related.

[RandallT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisWev

You sound very similar to me.

That's how your thread caught my eye.   I don't know how I missed it for so long.   My journey was chronicled here - http://thesandtrap.com/t/78501/diary-of-a-bogey-golfer-with-his-1st-custom-fit-clubs.  Now, I update my status in "The Drive for 5" thread.

I will start reading your thread to compare notes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisWev

With my irons in a year I've gone from slicing, to drawing, to hooking, to hitting it fat, to flipping to now hitting it thin haha!

That seems just about right LOL.   I went through those myself.   I had swing lessons earlier in the year and my HI dropped from low 20 to 16+.   I had to restart on the lessons once it went back up to 19.   It could be coincidence but taking lessons and improving HI seem to be related.

What I've learned since taking golf up "seriously" over the past few years is that I go through cycles.

1. Play for score. Who needs friggin lessons??!!

2. Reach some ceiling and backslide a bit. Then get frustrated, realizing I'm not a natural talent like I thought I would be.

3. Start lessons. Then realize my scoring suffers. Shut down scoring altogether and really focus on just the lessons. (both on range and course)

4. Reach a plateau with lessons in that I hit some piece that seems insurmountable. Drop lessons for a bit to see how I can score.

5. Start scoring again for 20 rounds or so.

6. Hit plateau again (better than previous plateau). Go back to step 3 and repeat until 6.

I think this is my 3rd set of lessons now, and I'm thinking of turning the scoring back on soon. I'm hoping to be 12-ish?  But then again, it's nearing the end of playable time here, so doubt I could get in too many rounds. Maybe I'll Evolvr through the winter, and be a 9 in the spring! We can dream.

[Mike Boatright]

One thing I see from good players vs guys who love golf like you and aspire to be great is attitude. To break 80 you need to not care and kinda of laugh at the terrible shots seriously. Intensity can result in greatness or awfulness it goes both ways. Just have fun with it it's basically a numbers game keep playing like it's a game of bowling eventually you will break 80 that's how I did it not graphs charts or swing coaches. Iv'e had a competitive round where I shot better than my best once that was fun but most of the time by yourself or with friends the mindset of I will shoot the best round of my life today usually results in 86. My good rounds by my self here at The Ridge in Auburn where I play have come from just hitting it and keeping it simple after it was over it seemed so easy..

[ChrisWev]

Randall, that all sounds very familiar !

I've not had  a lesson for a while as been pretty difficult for me to book anything in with my schedule. I know there are about three things I need to sort out at the minute anyway, no matter what. Been concentrating on posture and trying not to stand up and flatten the shoulders and try and only swing back to what I feel like would be 75% (100% for a normal person). I'm overswinging massively which I'm almost certain is causing erratic iron strike. If I can iron out those and just keep putting the time in with putting and 100 yards and in for the end of winter I'll be happy. This should be a good building block to refine things the beginning of next year.

Mike, I think my attitude is good and I put the time in but think I concentrate too much and get a bit tense, I can get locked over the ball a few times which is certainly problematic. One thing I've noticed is when I'm back at my course, on my walk back to the club house I walk past the range and just hit my 58 to hit errant balls back to the range. I just walk up, quick set up, don't think, 75% swing and aim for a flag. Pretty much every shot I hit doing this is to a standard that is higher than my handicap. It's weird, I've had a few guys walking past commenting how well I've been hitting them and they say "I wish I could do that", but I've seen them on course and they're much better players than me!

The thing is I'm good at most sports, fit and pretty strong so would have expected this to be a bit easier, with less plateau's. I was wrong, it's the hardest sport I've played by miles.

[ChrisWev]

Had another 10 holes yesterday and the greens had been aeriated so were in horrendous condition, bobbling, bouncing, going left/ right, this is a massive shame as I was playing pretty well. Was 10 over and had four three puts (didn't even put bad, just the bobbling took most of the pace off on quite a few, not my fault really but suppose you gotta play the course). Missed every 5-10 footer too. The greens must have cost me 4-5 shots I think. With better greens this probably could have been my best round If I had the light left to finish, but saying that the SSS/CSS would have easily been late 70's then, for a Par 72 course (SSS is 72 I think, CSS usually higher).