Are you a Better Golfer than a Year Ago?

[amishboy51]

I answered yes to #2 because I'm an optimist.

But I got a lot of stuff that needs improving, and "how" I don't know

[Slugox]

On 8/8/2017 at 5:48 PM, djake said:

Yes I am, this forum has really helped from the advice in my swing thread to the reminder to practice more with the long irons, hybrid and fairway woods.  Great place to learn and talk about golf

Amen there. My next range day (hopefully tonight) is going to be all about fairway woods and long irons. I've struggled with those recently. Not that there's any shortage of things for me to work on and improve, but that's my current focus.

[Slugox]

I had the best ball striking range session I can remember last night. The changes I've been trying to implement for the last stretch of time all seemed to click. Steady head (I felt like my head didn't move at all) and the shorter backswing (stop when the shoulders are done turning) really felt great. I added one other thing that I read on here as well, and that was pulling the left arm down and through the downswing as fast as you can (I'm sure I'm paraphrasing). The result was the highest, straightest shots I've hit in some time. Lots of centered club face contact as well. I can't wait to see if this translates to the course on Friday. This site has been unreal levels of help for me.

[saevel25]

As this year is coming to an end. I will have to say yes.

Driver: Same
Irons: Much Better
Distance Wedges: Slightly Better
Short Game: Slightly Better
Putting: Same

[pmack18]

Negative, Ghost Rider. 

[Lihu]

No, worse.

Longer off the tee, longer with irons and about the same with short game. I don't play every day any more because I'm trying to see if 2 days practice and 2 days of golf (36 holes) can make me a better player. I see potential, but the game hasn't come together yet.

[Mr. Desmond]

Better, but not scoring yet.

[tehuti]

I just started playing again after a layoff of a couple of decades. So I can’t answer that. I have only recently started hitting the ball with any consistency at all. So I plan to start monitoring my progress in 2018.

Right now I am just enjoying being on the courses again.

[Lihu]

On 10/18/2017 at 8:36 AM, Lihu said:

No, worse.

Longer off the tee, longer with irons and about the same with short game. I don't play every day any more because I'm trying to see if 2 days practice and 2 days of golf (36 holes) can make me a better player. I see potential, but the game hasn't come together yet.

 

On 10/18/2017 at 2:04 PM, Mr. Desmond said:

Better, but not scoring yet.

A lot better than I've ever been mechanics-wise and my short game seems more "developed" rather than pure feel based. No idea why my scoring is so bad right now?

So, I put my handicap back to 16, even though that's not entirely honest. 

[rehmwa]

Another year, another entry.  So for end of 2017?

Yes

Good contact a (much) higher percent of the time.  My confidence is going up a lot.

Same scoring range, but I'm htting a larger percentage in the 70's than in the 80's, and fewer blowup rounds in the 90's this year and those were under terrible weather conditions.  I think I'm getting fewer birdies, but it seems that is more than made up for in avoiding bogies and higher I used to get.

Just returned to the indoor range for the first time this winter (yes, 4-5 months of golf dome.....again) and contact and drills were much more natural than the end of last winter.

Very happy with the progress.  I have to ID some new stuff to work on this winter then.  Good stuff from my last swing thread, so it's apparently gonna be my body turn, and then long chip techniques (off of mats, I'm not sure if the 2nd item will be more harm than good though).  Outside of that, seriously considering putting lessons, I'm so uncomfortable putting.

[LeftRightLeft]

Better for sure.  My index is down 2.3 strokes from the beginning of the year to 14.6.  I only played 16 rounds (so far), and practice time was sporadic at best.  However, making practice swings in the backyard with a specific plan in mind has made a big difference.  I also have a much better idea of how to make corrections mid-round.  Putting is still not great.  If I have less than 35 putts, I'm usually in the 80s. Considering I was a 23 index three years ago, not entirely bad. 

[NuclearMike]

A year ago I was 6 mo. post-retirement and 4 months after getting a diagnosis of severe coronary and peripheral artery disease. I stand 5' 6" tall and weighed 206# at the time. I was told that walking was the best therapy for the leg pain caused by the blocked arteries.  Starting in January 2017 I began to play again (after umbilical hernia surgery in December 2016) and went daily to my local course and walked from the parking lot to the practice area,  where I would be found, twice daily, working on my short game.  My index in January was 22.1.  Today, after three angioplasties including placement of 17 stents in multiple heart, groin, and leg arteries I weigh 148# and my index as of 11/1/17 is 10.1.  Now, I don't hit the ball very far anymore, averaging about 215 off the tee, but since I average 11/14 fairways a round and play the proper tees I can put up more good than bad rounds.

If I'm still around a year from now I'll be playing better then than I am now.  

[Pablo68]

I would say I'm more knowledgeable therefore yes, I'm a better golfer now.

I'm sold on concentrating on setting up correctly will cure quite a bit of one's woes. Weight distribution, alignment, ball position, etc....finding a feel for being setup correctly will help me much better than any swing key.

[Marty2019]

No, I am not a better golfer than a year ago.  I hit my driver better, my irons are the same, and my short game is worse.  I don't take scoring as seriously as I used to.  I play a lot of rounds without even keeping score.  My effort level is not there, especially on reading putts. 

My typical game is: drive the ball in the fairway, miss the green with my approach, chip on and 2-putt for bogey.  Occasionally hit the green with my approach,  2-putt for par or occasionally 1-putt for birdie.  Final score is always about the same- mid 80s.  

I do have a path forward, though.  I always have a path forward.  Hit more greens in regulation, and work on my chipping and putting. 

About once every month or two I think I have a big breakthrough to better ball striking with my irons.  But, almost always, the overall improvement is not as great as I thought. 

What I have been working on for the last couple of months is getting my swing on the right plane and not coming over the top as much.  I'm making pretty good progress there.  Also staying more connected. 

I have a shocking number of range sessions where I can't make solid contact at all, interspersed with range sessions where I can do no wrong.  My last range session 2 days ago, I never hit the ball better in my life.  I think I know why, but judging from past history, maybe and maybe not. 

Edited November 19, 2017 by Marty2019

[gill]

Yes, marginally.  My iron play and short game are largely unchanged but I've finally figured out how to hit a driver this year (my stance was entirely wrong), which has helped shave off a few shots.  I still lack patience with my putting and don't put in enough effort to read greens or to practice my putting stroke, which is what I'd like to concentrate on in 2018.

[dbuck]

I voted yes on both in spite of the fact that my scores have not moved that much.

I have been working on a problem with my iron shots for almost a year, and feel that I am making progress. My consistency is improving, and my distances are starting to come around.(accepting the fact that I am a 60 year old bogey golfer) I have videoed my swing, and it is looking better. I am hitting shots that I didn't hit a year ago. I have made some changes that are starting to become more natural, so got worse for awhile to get better.  I recently had a round where I made 3 birdies. I still shot 85, so still problems with bad holes, but I have never made 3 birdies in one round before. I have made par or better on every hole on the course more than once, so I feel the potential is there to get to around a consistent 80.

I am optimistic that if I continue on my current path and stay active during the winter, next summer might be one of my best.

[HotFudgeMondae]

I would say that for the most part, my game has improved. I am still playing Bogey golf because I usually have 1 stupid shot per hole (top or chunk a ball, crush a putt). I’m hitting more Greens in Reg since getting fitted for my new Irons last summer. My driving has taken a step back, but I think I can usually get away with it because I’m a longer hitter. I’m looking at getting a new driver or 3 wood to take off the tee this Christmas.

this year I really hope to improve y consistency and cut down, even just half of my “stupid shots”

 

[JuanTheGolfer]

I am absolutely a better golfer!   I measure my improvement by comparing the 4th quarter of each year to the 4th quarter of the previous year.  My scoring average is lower, and the number of GIR is higher.

2017 Q4  my average score for 18 holes was 79.09   2016 Q4 I averaged 80.43 

2017 Q4  I hit 61.6% of the GIR     2016 Q4  I hit 52.9% of the GIR

Still a lot of work to do on my full swing so I can increase my GIR to 70% plus and lower my scoring average to below 77.