Jump to content
Subscribe to the Spin Axis Podcast! ×
  • entries
    62
  • comments
    493
  • views
    48,592

The Season's Last Round


It seemed like my off season was going to start early when we had a cold snap and snow in early November. Fortunately, 2022-2023 is an El Nino year for the Mitten and we had a very temperate December with very little snow. I managed to play four rounds in December, including New Year’s Eve. My 2023 year started early with a round at Lake Forest GC (Ann Arbor) on January 3.

The round in January was a real lifesaver. My previous attempt at golf on the last day of December had been a mess. I could do nothing right, and my ball striking was horrendous. That round was going to sit in my gut like a batch of bad clams.

When I arrived at the course on January 3, my expectations were extremely low. In fact, “low” is not exactly correct. More accurately, my expectations were that I was going to stink-out the place. I was really surprised when I hit 3 solid shots on the opening par 5 and made par with 2 putts. I continued to strike the ball very well. When I was unable to reach a green in regulation (primarily because of the very soggy turf and low temperatures), my short game kicked into high gear. I missed all my birdie putts but Made loads of par putts and shot 77.

The correct approach to golf is to quickly forget your last shot or round and concentrate on the next one. Unfortunately for me, I tend to dwell on the season’s last round, and it often colors future play. As the cold and snow descends upon the southeast corner of the Mitten state, I can now look back on my last round and feel good. Yes, 2023 is going to be a great golf season.

4 Comments


Recommended Comments

bkuehn1952

Posted

Yes, one could consider the January 3 round as the new season. Since I will likely have several months off, I look at January as an extension of 2022.

Indy-Archer

Posted

About the same here in PA. Played Carroll Valley twice the last three days of December and twice the first few days of January. One of the days was immediately following the cold blast, so getting the tees into the ground was a bit of a challenge, and watching the ball bounce off of ice was a bit humoring once, but it was a good time and played decently for me. 

  • Thumbs Up 1
pganapathy

Posted

I get the whole reason we dwell on our bad rounds, but this is a mental issue.  If you could replay the good rounds in your mind in the off-season, it would help so much more

  • Thumbs Up 1
bkuehn1952

Posted

On 2/15/2023 at 11:00 PM, pganapathy said:

I get the whole reason we dwell on our bad rounds, but this is a mental issue.  If you could replay the good rounds in your mind in the off-season, it would help so much more

Agreed. When I am trying to fall asleep, I will occasionally run through my great rounds mentally. Like counting sheep.

  • Funny 1

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • Popular Now

  • Blog Entries

  • Posts

    • I have played that course a lot. Mostly scrambles/outings. I enjoyed the read and could picture each hole and got nervous thinking about number 5. That hole is scary. 200 yard layup off the tee?
    • Even though you didn't score well, take solice in the fact you hit the longest drive of the year! 😏 I enjoy following your rounds and can imagine the scenario.   Thanks for sharing
    • Thank you very much for taking the time to reply, I appreciate it and your willingness to help. I'll be practicing these things and will be bringing a club with me to work as well so that I can work on it a bit throughout the day in the down time.
    • Wordle 1,482 4/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
    • Well, crap.  Last night didn't go well. I actually hit my irons very well. Maybe too well. Flew the over the green on a couple of occasions. So, I got to the course late, therefore no warm up. Right from the car to the teebox. All the gold or yellow tees we normally play were set way back yesterday. We basically played the tips. That seemed kind of odd, but what ever.  Hole 1: Hit a great drive. Left PW to the flag. My shot never left the flag and literally came down on the top of the flag stick. (Which turned out to be a bad thing.) I three putted to bogey. Hole 2: Par 3, played long yesterday (again, from the tips), I hit hybrid off the tee. NGIR bogey on two.  Hole 3: Crushed my drive on the par-5 third. Possibly the longest drive I've hit all year... and it drew. Unfortunately I hit it where there isn't a golf course. Three from the tee, double bogey. Hole 4: I hit a great drive to the center, hit PW to about 10 feet, 2-putted, par. Yay! Hole 5: This was a mess. My tee shot found a tree, I had to punch out, then still had no angle at the green, made a double. Hole 6: Solid drive into a fairway bunker. Advanced it well, but my 3rd was a wedge which I flew long on the par-5 sixth. Fatted a chip, bogey. Hole 7: NGIR on the par 3 from way back at the tips. Chip on, 2-putt boogie. eh? Hole 8: Ugh! ... My approach flew the green and I got "sand-trapped". I tried to get cute out of the bunker, then went bunker to bunker. Made a triple. It was just sad. Hole 9: Played fine, GIR, 2-putt.  So, needless to say it was a bit disappointing. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...