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Shooting Your Age


As I approached the age of 70, my thoughts turned toward shooting my age. It sort of becomes a race against time and the erosion of one’s golf skills. At age 70, I managed a 1-under par 71. Close but no cigar. Early this year I was standing on the 17th tee when it dawned on me that I was 1-under on a par 72 layout. “Hey, I can shoot my age!!!” Two bogies later I had a 73 and another failed attempt at shooting my age.

Today did not seem like the moment I might achieve one of my goals. I had not been playing particularly well of late. Our weather has been great for growing grass, wet and cool. Which also means soft fairways that play longer and healthy rough.

I signed up online yesterday evening with an unknown single for the 2nd tee time of the day. I arrived at the course early and putted & chipped while I waited for the other single to arrive. Fortunately, the other half of my twosome was walking also. The twosome in front of us were in a cart and played quickly. Juan was a decent player, and we had a great time talking about golf during our 2 hours and 45 minutes together.

Great pace of play? Check! Perfect golf partner? Check! Wonderful weather? Check!

Things started going my way immediately. I birdied the 1st hole and eventually made the turn at +1. I butchered #10 with a double bogey but then reeled off 3 straight birdies. On the 403-yard closing hole I got up and down for par and knew I had shot a pretty darn good score for me. It was only after we started to walk to the parking lot that it popped into my head that I might have been close to shooting my age. A quick look at the score card confirmed what I had just thought, 36-35-71 (Par 71 / 6,039 yards / 69.2/115). Woo hoo!

Shoot my age? Check!

Has achieving this goal transformed me into a great golfer? Nope. I will likely go out tomorrow and shoot my IQ (88). But I can say I have shot my age and no longer need to worry about always coming up a shot or two short of the goal.

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12 Comments


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  • Administrator
iacas

Posted

Congrats! I don't get to give out the "Shot your Age" award nearly as often as I'd like, but you earned it!

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Club Rat

Posted

Congrats B Kuehn 🙂 Shooting my age is still my goal along with a clean card.

My past two seasons have been hampered with injuries which limited my rounds, and the recovery has been tedious. I just turned 72 and have hopes of achieving that goal soon. 

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Sammydreep

Posted

Congrats,👍

I’ve been close a few times this year!

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gg194

Posted

An ace and shooting my age are my main goals along with being able to play. Unfortunately my scores are going up faster than my age so seems to be less likely but will keep trying. 

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ChetlovesMer

Posted

This is such a great story. Good for you. 

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Christoby

Posted

At the age of 63 I got no chance at shooting such a score but congratulations on your success,just because we are old doesnt mean a lower standard of golf,I can hit my drives as far as I could when I was 30,admittedly I'm a skinny wiry guy so due to hereditary I have kept my shape...

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DaveP043

Posted

I've finally reached an age equal to the lowest score I ever shot. 

:banana:

 :beer:

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boogielicious

Posted

Can’t wait to hit 79 years old!

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DaveP043

Posted

18 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Can’t wait to hit 79 years old!

I actually shot a score from the senior tees earlier this year just 5 strokes over my age!  But YOU just have to get back to playing. 

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Ty_Webb

Posted

I wonder who has the record for most times shooting your age - I would think there can't be anyone younger than Bernhard Langer who has done it more than he has, but there might be some 85 year olds around who've done it quite a bit along the way. 

For those of us not yet advanced enough in age for it to be even feasible, I think it could be fun to track how far through a round you've made it by the time you hit your current age's shot. So if you're 55 say, then how far through the round have you got in 55 shots. Somewhere around 13-14 holes would be about par. I think my best so far is probably the 13th hole, which I think isn't too bad for my age (less than 55 :))

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ChetlovesMer

Posted

2 hours ago, Ty_Webb said:

I wonder who has the record for most times shooting your age - I would think there can't be anyone younger than Bernhard Langer who has done it more than he has, but there might be some 85 year olds around who've done it quite a bit along the way. 

For those of us not yet advanced enough in age for it to be even feasible, I think it could be fun to track how far through a round you've made it by the time you hit your current age's shot. So if you're 55 say, then how far through the round have you got in 55 shots. Somewhere around 13-14 holes would be about par. I think my best so far is probably the 13th hole, which I think isn't too bad for my age (less than 55 :))

This isn't something that I track. But I just took a look at the last round I played. I made it through 12 holes. At which time I had exactly my age. 

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DaveP043

Posted

2 hours ago, Ty_Webb said:

I wonder who has the record for most times shooting your age - I would think there can't be anyone younger than Bernhard Langer who has done it more than he has, but there might be some 85 year olds around who've done it quite a bit along the way. 

For those of us not yet advanced enough in age for it to be even feasible, I think it could be fun to track how far through a round you've made it by the time you hit your current age's shot. So if you're 55 say, then how far through the round have you got in 55 shots. Somewhere around 13-14 holes would be about par. I think my best so far is probably the 13th hole, which I think isn't too bad for my age (less than 55 :))

Interesting thought.  Today I shot 77, I passed 69 when I got to 17 green.  A few weeks ago I shot 74 from the senior tees, made it through 17 complete before getting to my age.

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