Wow that flew by fast!

This summer marks the start of my second year ever playing golf, and after I finished the last junior club championship I am eligible for I had a funny thought.

I thought back to how much I have improved in this game, and how much I loved it.

Previously, bad holes would mean double or triple bogeys with shanked and duffed shots from easy lies, but now a bad hole for me is usually at worst a bogey.  No longer do I chase the ball around the fairway, but I put shots where I want them, and when I get in a bad spot I can get out in a stroke and salvage a bogey or par on the hole.

No longer can I set my goal at bogey golf, but I have lowered it to 9 over for a round, and found that isn't impossible for me either.

It feels like just yesterday I was just a beginner in this game, and now a comfortable player.

Does anyone else feel the same as me?

They just play a lot and then realize that they are playing at another level?

I can't wait to see what my handicap will be after my second year playing golf!

I love this game!

The only goal I ever had when I first started playing was to be able to beat the people I was playing against. Some days I did. Most days I didn't (and some days I wasn't even in the neighborhood).

It was never a steady improvement where I could shoot for a score or try to break a number. One day I would shoot in the 70s and the next I wouldn't break 100. Which one almost always depended on whether I was lucky enough to get my tee shots in the fairways or not.

Looking back now I can see that I was very lucky when I first started playing that a few really good golfers invited me to play with them every day, and were willing to put up with my ridiculous play on my bad days...And we did play EVERY day and on any days off of work we played all day long.

As I've gone through my 50+ years of golfing I have treasured all of the "Hallmark Moments" that I have been fortunate enough to achieve: breaking 90, breaking 80, first eagle, first and only hole in one, etc.  My philosophy has always been, "Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it," and it looks like you are on the right track

Besides the joy of golf, I find equal pleasure in the exchanges that I have on a golf course with my playing partners whether it be my wife, my daughter, close friends, or total strangers with whom I am occasionally paired. Combining personal relations and golf for 2-4 hours on any given day is the best activity I can imagine.

I also recommend that if you are not doing so, walk while you are golfing as much as possible. I know that some golf course are not "walking friendly," so find courses that are.  I am in my 60's and walk a golf course 3 to 5 times a week. This has proven to be a real source of personal health, plus, to me, walking enhances the game of golf tenfold.

Finally, a couple of tips from an old golfer...

Mental Tip:

From Bob Rotella:  "I will refuse to allow anything that happens on the golf course today to bother me or upset me. I will accept bad breaks and mistakes and be tough in adversity. I am going to be in a good mood and a great state of mind for the entire round today. I'll enjoy playing."

Playing Tip:

If you truly want that handicap to get lower, spend most of your practice time on your short game. Testosterone makes most men try to hit their driver 300+ yards, and pitching wedges 140+, but truth be known, a proficient short game from 100 yards and closer is the fastest way to lower your scores--period.

Best wishes on your next 50+ years of golfing.

Nice post.

I am trying to master Bob Rotella's mental tip and am almost there.   My wife "helps" make sure that what happens in a course, stays in a course.

I started golf 4 years ago and focusing on short game practice made my journey to 14 handicap a bearable one.   Now, in order to lower my handicap index further, I find myself needing to spend more time in ball striking vs short game.

This game certainly helped me be more patient, and I am beginning to enjoy the journey (and not obsessed about hitting 10 more yards on drive, e.g).

I've also met a lot of people whom I would never meet otherwise, enjoyed most of their company, and hated few (drunks, rude players, etc.).   Never a dull round ....