Would Like To Introduce Myself *Long Read*

[Maddog10]

Hello everyone. Been browsing the site for a couple weeks and finally decided to join in on the action. I'm 22 years old and have spent a large percentage of my youth on the golf course. My late grandfather got me started in the sport at a young age and it was an activity that we really enjoyed with each other. When I was in 7th grade I made the varsity golf team (which was somewhat down that year), and typically shot around 90. From that point forward I pretty much played every day (100+ holes per week, weather permitting) through my sophomore year in high school. By that time I was very close to a "scratch" golfer. I will admit that I was not an exciting player to watch, as I typically did not hit many great shots, but instead hit a lot of good shots. I didn't drive the ball far (220ish) but I rarely missed the fairway. Then I would typically hit the GIR but would be 20 feet or so from the hole. Two putts later I was making a par. Like I said, it was not an exciting round to watch and my dad's friends used to pick on me about how boring of a player I was because they knew where the ball was going before I hit it. Occasionally I would hit a good iron shot and make a birdie here or there, or I may hit a poor iron shot and not be able to get up and down for par. Typically though, it resulted in a wash and a near even par round.

During the summer between my Sophomore and Junior year in high school my grandfather passed away. He was my best friend and we had spent countless hours on the course since I was able to swing a club. For a while, all the enjoyment of golfing had left me. I wanted to continue to be a good golfer, but mentally the drive just wasn't there. I went on to play my final two seasons of high school for the golf team, mainly because I felt obligated and knew my friends wanted me to play. However, at practice I just went through the motions, and it showed with my game. My swing became inconsistent, and those two years I averaged a score closer to 78ish with multiple rounds over 80. Once my senior season ended, I put the clubs in the garage and didn't touch them for about 2 years.

If your still reading, and can follow the math, about 2 years ago (age 20) I picked up the sticks again and began to play. While it's still different from when I was a kid playing with my grandfather, the enjoyment is back and I really have a good time on the course. I was very rusty when I began playing again, typically shooting in the upper 80's, but would show flashes of the golfer I "used to be" every once in a while. Well I'm fortunate enough to live about a mile from the local course, so I renewed my membership and for the past two summers have played about 3-4 times a week. My game has made great strides back to my previous form, and the enjoyment for the game seems to grow each time I go out there. I'm still not quite back to where I was, with my average round being mid 70's, but I can feel the improvement and have managed to pull out a couple under par rounds this summer, which were the first since I was a sophomore in high school

I apologize for the long read, but I wanted to give a little background of where I come from. I have enjoyed reading your stories and posts the last couple weeks, and felt that it was time to join in on the fun. I have started entering in some lower level tournaments recently, and am looking forward to the day I can call myself a scratch golfer again. Until then, I still have plenty of work to do.

It's nice to meet you all. Hit 'em straight...

[mvmac]

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