Are you a Better Golfer than a Year Ago?

[Gator Hazard]

Despite my current driver problems (just hideous lately, anything can happen from a dribble off the tee about 30 yards, a total sideways shank, a hook, a slice, or just an ugly sounding clanger with crappy distance to the occasional good drive)  I am undoubtedly getting better.

I played dawn patrol this morning with a couple of very nice young gentlemen and we had a great round. I posted my best score on my home course yet 110, I average 116 and my goal is to break 100 before the new year. I have made drastic improvement with my irons recently. I am hitting them on average about two club lengths better than a few months ago (hitting my 7 iron about 145 to 155 and everything else is in line pretty much when I hit it right). I actually hit the green from 150 about 3 times today on par fours and near green twice. Chipping around the green is better. If I was driving it like I was several months ago I think I would be really close to breaking 100.

Talked with the head honcho at my home course who is getting used to seeing me and we are going to start working on a few things. I'm going to get better and I am going to break 100. 

[The Wrong Fairway]

I don't have a handicap and only play for fun but a year ago I had just started to shoot sub 90 regularly. Skip forward a year and I've had steady +12 scores for 6 months but have now started to hit sub 80 scores for the last 4 weeks. Think it's all down to the fact my shortgame and putting are a million times better than a year ago, oh and the big dog has been behaving itself.

Edited July 6, 2016 by The Wrong Fairway
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[Edsland]

I bought Zepp this past winter and cured a 30 year old over the top swing. Now my drives are straight to a little draw and thanks to Big Moss putting green I'm making a lot more 10 foot and under putts. I was a solid 95 now I'm a lot closer to 85 and having a lot more fun. 

[Gvel]

I'm soon to be 60, and my golf games the same as it was 40 plus years ago.  

Just got some hybrids, to replace 3-5 irons, so this may be the year.  

[b101]

I haven't been able to play many rounds for handicap, so that hasn't really changed at all, but I'm hoping to sort that this year when I rejoin a club. However, I have broken 80 for the first times over this last year, average score is about 2/3 strokes better and my putting average has gone down from 1.7 to 1.4 putts per hole. The swing is definitely more consistent and I've gained distance - at the moment, most of the shots I'm losing are down to either a rusty short game or not knowing my distances with the increased swing speed. I will get better, for sure and the aim is still a single figure handicap.

[SG11118]

Pretty constant timeline for the last 8 years or so. 

My course finally opens for year mid-end April.  Rusty from not playing all winter, so handicap creeps up into the 5-6 range by end of June.  By early to mid-July, finally shake off the rust.  Mid July to end of Sept - play decent good golf and handicap drops back to the 3-4 range.  Weather turns crappy again.  Put clubs away until April.  Repeat. 

I'd like to at least put a net up in my house to try and keep my swing engrained between Oct-April, but don't think it is going to happen. 

[Piz]

Mitoutadoubt.  I am also more intelligent and more handsome (in a fatter, fewer teeth, sort of way.)

Edited July 13, 2016 by Piz

[wadekilpatrick76]

Last year I started keeping track of my fairways hit, putts, penalty shots using The Grint's website and app, and my handicap has gone from a 31.9 down to a 21.9 and currently trending at 21.6. I have made an effort to get out to the local course by my house and spend an hour or so 2 or 3 days a week putting as that's where I was racking up the #'s, and I can honestly say that my putting has improved vastly. 

[Vinny Cap]

So far this year, I am about the same as I was last year with the exception of my 87 from Sat... season is still young!!!

I had an awesome practice facility a couple of years ago with a nice chipping area and a huge putting green for members only.  Sadly, the knocked it down to put up a few baseball fields.  Now I don't have anywhere to practice like I use to.  I have tried to offset this with putting on the short carpet and hardwood floors in my house along with short chipping into the recycle bins I put in my back yard.  Its not the same but anything is better than nothing.

I hope to keep getting better as long as I can play every weekend.  I started the season with a three week gap between rounds and that doesn't help at all.  With a lot of new info from this and other golf sites, I have changed my swing a bit and how I approach golf and they both seem to have good results so I hope to keep this going and keep getting better.

[Joeymattsson]

I see a huge improvement for from last year, although i have only been playing for a year. My ballstrikes are much more consistent and slicing ( which used to be my achilles heel ) have been reduced to only my driver and hybrid, and the % of good shots i have with those clubs has been increased as well!

Chipping and putting is still a bit iffy, i really need to work on my longputts and distance control. But overall i have seen a big improvement, which my index will tell, from 36 early this may to 23.2 right now. 

[WUTiger]

Along with my club partners, my HDCP went up about 1.5 points due in large part to redoing the tee boxes. My scores haven't changed that much.

The course eliminated the Gold tees (between long Black and the Blue tees), rearranged the Whites and added Silver (senior) tees. Despite the fact the Whites went up about 100 yards in distance, the slope was lowered from 126 to 124.

This entire year has been chopped up by some family business matters, and recently a bad tennis elbow problem in right arm. Play may be spotty the rest of the year. My practice may largely be with plastic wiffle balls to cut down on shock injury.

Next season should be better.

[MrDC]

I can finally say yes, for a while it was iffy because for some reason despite my better play I was not scoring much better, but the hard work has paid off, now I walk onto the tee box with confidence I can put the ball in play, with driver or 3W/H, last year I would hope for the best.

Edited July 18, 2016 by MrDC

[BogeyDylan]

I've seen this thread a lot and been thinking man I'm really no better than last year. Last year I would hover around 105-110 per round with my best round of 104. This year I got a late start and have been scoring over 110. It feels like I have improved a lot though and I keep telling myself that. The last round I played I shot my personal best 103. I'm hoping I can stay on this track and have the scores show the improvement I make. Anyone else feel better but the scores don't necessarily show it?

[Hiway1tele]

No, I am not any better now than last year or any other time...still have no swing, and probably wont ever have it..some people are blessed with swing ability, some arent...unfortunately, Great teachers cant teach ability...

[Patch]

I posted earlier in this thread. To update, I am now probably worse right now than this time last year. Reason being I am not playing right now.

I have missed 6-8 rounds of golf that I would have normally played. I expect to miss another 8-10 rounds before I can get back out there.  I have also missed maybe 10+/- hours of practice. I am getting some putting, and chipping practice in now, so that is a plus. 

Need to be able to play by August 23rd for our annual hot weather get together. It's doable. 

[pganapathy]

Over the last couple of months I have not been playing much golf and thus I can see deterioration whenever I have played of late.  However, things seem to be improving on the time and greenbacks front so see myself playing more golf in the future.  A couple of years back when I was golfing three times a week, I was generally playing very well so expect my game to improve.

[Asmanning95]

I have improved from a 12/13 this time last year to 10.5 at the moment. The overall goal is single figures whether that be this year or next. I have always naturally hit a fade/slice and have been working on a draw for a while, which I have finally figured out, and has seen my scoring improve massively over the last few weeks. Just need to chip better and hole more putts. So yes I have improved this year and I certainly hope i will next year.

[Slice of Life]

Surprisingly, I am playing better. Despite playing less and not practicing at all. 

 

Doesn't make sense, but I'm ok with it haha