Are you a Better Golfer than a Year Ago?

[deadon500 5]

I have learned to score a par is good.    Now I don't try to get birdies and it seems I make more of them now.   Shot a 71 on a par 72 and a 34 on a par 36 in  league play.

 

Very happy this year !!!!!!!!!!

Edited May 25, 2016 by deadon500
add on

[Buckeyebowman 372]

Might have to change my vote to about the same. Finally got to play a league round (9 holes), in some honest to God warm weather with some fairways that had firmed up enough so that drives weren't hitting and jumping back two feet! Oh how these 63 year old joints love sunshine and warmth! Scored my best round so far, right on my handicap number. Now I actually feel like getting to work on my game!

[Dave325 24]

I haven't been on here for awhile, but just coming on here, I answered yes and yes on this one. One year ago, I was ready to give up the game altogether, until I came here... Since that time, I started practicing everyday, did Evolvr, a lesson day in Erie and then recently moved to a different methodology. Every single step along the way has been beneficial and helped build my swing to where I am playing better and having a lots of fun. I finally realized that golf is a fun journey.

[dennyjones 593]

I've recently retired and decided to spend more time on the practice range and golf course.   My ball striking has improved and over the last 14 rounds my GIR has doubled.   I still have to work on my short game but it's exciting to see the improvement this season.  

[9wood 62]

Last year I was shooting 86-95, this year so far I have been keeping it under 90. Last year I couldn't reach the majority of par 4's in two or the par 5's in three, this year I have been able to reach more par 4's in two and most par 5's in three. I have even came very close to reaching a few par 5's on two on several occasions. So yes, I have improved since last year thanks to better clubs and better swing and aim. 

[MacDutch 159]

On 22 mei 2016 at 10:47 PM, MacDutch said:

I am getting beter every year. Last year 9.7, now 8.5. End of season 7.5 as a target. 

And confirmation. Last year I played a three day tournament in Germany and scored 82, 86 and 91. Same tourney this year 80, 83 and 86. Happy 

[newtogolf 959]

I like the questions because there is the quick response answer and then the answers that come from some introspective thought.  I'd guess that most of us here are golf addicts who are always striving to improve or for some older or better players, maintain their handicap.  

Overall:  I am confident my golf swing and approach to the game is better than it was last year and know if I continue to work on it I will be better next year.  I also have a better understanding of my golf swing and how to determine flaws in my swing based on what I see the ball doing.  

Driver:  Great improvement, last year I could barely hit my driver.  I wasted a lot of money buying mini drivers and 3 woods designed for hitting off the tee.  When I did hit driver and it didn't go OB, I would be lucky to get 220 - 230 yards out of it.  This year I've been using driver on most holes, 41% of the time I hit the fairway, the misses are typically playable but the biggest difference is I'm averaging 250 yards on drives and have hit a few over 270 yards which has also helped improve my GIR%.

Irons:  Slight improvement, I gained distance with my irons, about 2 clubs worth, last year I hit my 7i around 140 yards, this year it's about 160 yards.  While my swing is better and I'm hitting the ball longer I'd found ways to compensate last year that made my iron play fairly consistent.   I'm fighting an occasional pull hook with my irons when I get tired or lose focus and don't make the turn with my hips.  I expect that by the end of this season I'll be more consistent with my irons, especially with approach shots.

Wedges:  Minimal improvement, 50 yards and less is the weakest part of my game.  I still blade too many chips and pitches and often don't get close enough to the flag to leave myself an easy putt.  Distance control is also a problem, especially in situations where I have to carry a bunker or hazard.  I will focus a lot of practice time on this part of my game because it's by far the weakest.  

Putting: Slight improvement - this is a difficult area to measure because it's so dependent on the quality of approach shots, pitching and chipping.  I average 2.5 putts when I hit GIR and 2.0 putts on non GIR.  What I've improved on most is lag putting and keeping my misses close to the hole.  My best putting round was 30 putts and so far I'm averaging 38 putts per round.  I hope these numbers will improve as my wedge play improves.  

[jkelley9 70]

1 year ago (maybe 13 months ago...) I was shooting 105-110.

Today, I am shooting mid eighties. I don't keep a HCI. 

I believe I will be low eighties in a month or two. Mostly I'm losing many strokes (between 2-5 strokes per round) in 5-10 yard chip shots because I never practice them. I will, and I'll start dropping strokes immediately I'm sure. I'm so bad at them it's embarrassing. 

Edited May 31, 2016 by jkelley9

[rkim291968 234]

On 5/27/2016 at 5:44 AM, dennyjones said:

I've recently retired and decided to spend more time on the practice range and golf course.   My ball striking has improved and over the last 14 rounds my GIR has doubled.   I still have to work on my short game but it's exciting to see the improvement this season.  

Like you, I retired about 6 months ago and practiced & golfed almost every day.   All aspects of my game improved as did my HI.  My HI will dip one point more and I will have to figure out what to do next. 

[stealthhwk 84]

Happy to say yes on both. Handicap went up while I felt I was performing better. But my stats show more consistancy, and slightly lower scores on much more difficult courses than I was playing last year. The handicap is finally coming down, along with my putting average. My gir last year averaged one per round. This year its up to four. George Knudsons book and cutting my driver shaft down to 44 have helped my game tremendously.

[Bay20 0]

I actually started noticing a big difference about 3 weeks ago when I got fitted for a set of real golf clubs what a difference, don't seem to have to work as hard prior. Sure don't have to swing as hard either which has made the errant shots a lot more manageable.

[MrDC 46]

I like to think so, and the people I play with say so, but the numbers don't reflect it so my thoughts are no, I'm the same player, which blows because I've worked very hard to improve, but that's golf, some can make strides, but most will hit a wall and I'm thinking I'm one of those people.

[Younghacker123 0]

As im only 13 years old i am and should be improving quite fast. A year ago i was playing off 21. Now down to 12. Confident i can get that down even more soon.

[Natural Patrick 64]

I voted No and Yes. Last year I played at least 3 times a week. So far this year I'm only getting out once a week. That has to change in order for me to improve and I believe it will. On a side note, I'm dressing way better than last year, LOL.

[saturday 32]

Also voted No and Yes. I don't feel like I've improved since last year specially since I'm battling chip yips this year. Quite frustrating really. 

[dsal89 5]

Tons better this year than last. 

 

Prior or to this year i only had one score in the 70s and now this year I've had 3. Though it feels when my game is off that it is really off compared to last year 

[Braivo 118]

I am definitely not a better golfer than I was a year ago. I am always hopeful and lie to myself after a good round that I've "turned the corner" only to go out the next day and have the wheels fall off. 

The reality of the situation is that I will not improve until I can commit more time to practice, and that seems unlikely at this stage in my life with young children. Therefore, I have accepted my lot as a bogey golfer for the time being and have stopped pressuring myself to improve.

I simply go out and measure my round against bogey golf. Sometimes I beat it, other times I don't. 

Will I be better this time next year? Unlikely. The time required to improve isn't in my future, but I'm ok with that. 

[RandallT 830]

16 hours ago, Braivo said:

I am definitely not a better golfer than I was a year ago. I am always hopeful and lie to myself after a good round that I've "turned the corner" only to go out the next day and have the wheels fall off. 

The reality of the situation is that I will not improve until I can commit more time to practice, and that seems unlikely at this stage in my life with young children. Therefore, I have accepted my lot as a bogey golfer for the time being and have stopped pressuring myself to improve.

I simply go out and measure my round against bogey golf. Sometimes I beat it, other times I don't. 

Will I be better this time next year? Unlikely. The time required to improve isn't in my future, but I'm ok with that. 

This is exactly my sense of where I was at the start of the year. I've got time this summer, so guess what? I'm actually going to do focused practice this year! Will let you know how it goes! My swing thread is the busiest it has been ever. Optimism is high, but tangible results on the scorecard are still just barely around the next corner.