Returning to the Game - all new stuff

[rehmwa]

Just found the forum.  Good stuff.

I played VERY seriously as a kid (even par on easy courses in our home town areas).  But it wasn't much fun as TOO SERIOUS - high expectations made it less than fun if things didn't go perfect.

The hobby trailed off as I went into my 20's and I maybe played a couple rounds a year only.  There was a long layoff (I'm in my mid 40's now) and a friend took me out on a simple course last November and I got the bug again - Hitting the driving range for lunch a couple times a week and playing one or two rounds on the weekends.  I'm a serious skydiver and that's normally my weekends, but now I bring my clubs and will play 9 or 18 in the mornings at the local courses before jumping in the afternoons (Yes, golf is SAVING me money on my hobbies - 2 hours of golf at $14-$30 beats 4 or 5 jumps at $23 per over a morning).  These local courses are gems and very cheap to play.

So the old (nearly 20 year old) Mizuno's (shallow cavity type) are now the spares in the closet.  It started when my sister won a Nike Sumo 5000 Sasquatch at a work tournament (drawing - she's just starting) and gave it to me.  I liked the new technology and played it a ton - could just hit the shit out of it.  It prompted me to get a decent putter (the one I had hit boths ways and had huge dings in it).  and then fairway woods - Nike VR Pro (and a new bag).  Just closed the iron set - MP53 (4-PW) - less of a player club than the old ones and I'm very happy with them.  Now I'm just short 2 clubs to fill out the bag and think a GW and AW will do the job.  The only club I've kept is an old Mizuno SW I found in a Target 15 years ago.  it's still good.  The new clubs are more forgiving without having to go all the way to player improvements.  I've never hit a hybrid ever - but I'm happy with my 4-5 irons as they are - I don't see what the fuss is.

It's fun now again and I'm hitting an uneven mix of pars more than balanced by bogies (with the occasional blowup) (usually high 80's and occasional slip to a 91/92 - on most any course here, hard or easy surprisingly) and am working through the typical woes (mainly my driver goes back and forth as my best club to my worst).  I've gone from trapping ("blocking"? my swing) back to a more traditional swing and it's all coming together nicely this time.  something to work on?  the short game sucks and consistent drives would make a world of difference - the other clubs are coming along really nice.

that's all I got

[inthehole]

i imagine the only thing tougher than learning golf later in life (like me) is re-learning golf after many years with significantly different equipment.     I bet the driver feels like a shoebox on a stick to you compared to the smaller heads of 20 yrs ago.      Keep us appraised of how your doing - I'd be interested in seeing your progress & if you can get back to where you were many years ago ...

PS - a GW & AW are the same club, just different manufacturers terminology.    I agree - I've had so many hybrids over my 2 years of playing - I've learned I just hit fairway woods and long irons better.    Hybrids are not for everybody, but far more people than not bag them today, so you might want to at least pick one up to experiment with before you write them off ...

[hacker101]

Rehmwa,

Welcome back, I guess you I must has got the same bug only mine is in the form of a 14 year old son who is dying to make the HS team.

But I am with you the relearning all over again can be better then before we have more patient now? And why I stopped playing sounds like we have the same story.

I hope that being a bit older will keep it all in check and let it be just what it is fun.

Enjoy and welcome back!

[rehmwa]

Inthehole - thanks for the comments and GREAT smile in that avatar - The new drivers feel GREAT, my old all stainless clubs do look tiny next to it, though, and over the last decade of occasional play I always borrowed friends' drivers anyway.  The new technology is just plain fun.  And I misstated the wedges - adding GW and LW I mean.  I need one between my current PW and SW, and would like one shorter.  The PW hits 120 (90 half swing), and the SW hits 100 (70 half).  So a gap and one shorter is warranted as I prefer taking a full swing always when I can.  I really should just note the lofts.  46 and 54 in the bag - looking to likely supplement 50 and 58.  It's amazing how many wedges are available now and I didn't even bother to include a 3 iron in my last purchase - times have changed.  And I do plan to hit a hybrid or two sometime - they look like they just make sense - but I think hitting anything isn't so bad if you don't get mental.  Other than that, the only equipment left in the new lineup is a rangefinder and I'm waiting on store credit before buying it.

Oh - and I played my old high school course this summer (first time in 25 years) - put out a 37 and then a 41 (3 birdies even).  But now I realize it's a VERY easy par 34 course and not a great yardstick for comparison - more like an exec course.  So I was likely over-advertising the old playing level by a LOT.  Live and learn.  So I think I'm really starting pretty close to my old tricks anyway with a bigger measure of enjoyment and fun.  And likely a few cocktails during the round.......

So back to reality - My closest course is very nice and the blues rate 70.8/132 and I'm hitting a typ 88/89 on a day when I'm hitting 'mostly' good with occasional meltdown - I suspect that's a more centerline course that the old one.  So, short story - I have a LOT to re-learn, and, frankly, to just learn better this time around.  And a lot more playing next season too.  And I already learned a few things in this forum.....

hacker101 - thanks also - I'll compare notes with you as a fellow restart any day..  I don't think the low singles are possible, nor even desired at this time - but getting down to 9 or 10 would be great - that's pretty much just means hitting straight most of the time and not duffing out too many shots - i.e., clean would be nice.  Or even just consistency with the same scores - I'd prefer bogey golf consistently today over what I'm doing now (par, par, par, meltdown, par, bogey, meltdown, etc etc etc).  It's right there, next season is shaping up great.  I've found a good swing and now just need to play and work the real improvement area - close approaches and putting and see where it goes.

thanks all

[hacker101]

Well keep in touch and toss a note here and there on how it is going I will do the same. If you are ever out in the LA area or heading this way let me know!

As my son calls guys like us,  (old guys), I guess we should stick togather!

I will be happy to just stay ahead of him at this point, what ever that ends up being but it does seem to get a bit harder all the time.

So for me just keeping in the low 90 will make me happy!

Take care have fun and when your out there having that cocktail think of all us old guys who are coming back to a awesome game!

[RAZR]

Welcome to the forum!!!

-Scott