Your Golf Game - The Uplifting Topic

[Foot Wedge]

First round on a non-par 3 course of the year (sad, but it's been a busy couple of months)  Applied some LSW principles (mainly tee shot strategy) for the first time and was happy with the results.  It wasn't a very long course and I played well off the tee, so being closer to the green made approach errors less punishing.  Finished 5-over for a 9 hole round  which is good for me especially on a mediocre approach day.

[Patch]

At my age, I am definitely no longer bullet proof. I have to be careful what I do to avoid little annoying pains. 

I recently hurt my shoulder. A trip to the ER, and follow up to an orthopedist confirmed just a muscle pull, that involved 4 muscles. A few days rest, and in house rehab, got me back in shape to swing a club. 

Consensus is that I need to space my rounds of golf a little farther apart. Before the shoulder issue, I had played almost 17 rounds in a short period of time. I had weakened the muscles, that the miscue was more damaging than it should have been. 

I played earlier today. First time in week or so. Mostly pain free. It felt good be back out, with old friends, playing our brand of golf. Talking smack to each other, even during our swings. "FscrewK You" makes for a good swing tempo swing thought when said out loud. No scores were kept, but I think I manage to break 90. A finishing visit at the 19th hole, with hand shakes, and hugs. We had a good time. 

[scarlethorn]

Well, I'm 70 and have been playing poorly for the past year, partly because of arthritis in both hands and partly because I just couldn't get focused. On a Tuesday I shot 98 and picked up on 7 holes for net double bogies. On Thursday I read an old golf instruction book I've had for years and read lots early on when I started to play golf. 

I did focus Friday on just one little tip i read about and sot a 39 on the front and 45 on the back and never had to pick up. Oh, and I wore those bionic gloves on both hands which helped some too. But it sure felt good to play a round of golf again.

[onthehunt526]

For those of you not participating in the "5 Minutes Daily" challenge might not know this.

I have completed 365 consecutive days of "5 minutes Daily" practice for me.

[Patch]

On 3/31/2018 at 3:08 PM, onthehunt526 said:

For those of you not participating in the "5 Minutes Daily" challenge might not know this.

I have completed 365 consecutive days of "5 minutes Daily" practice for me.

Quite an achievement. Congrats. What advances in your game were you able to see?

[MarvChamp]

3 hours ago, scarlethorn said:

Well, I'm 70 and have been playing poorly for the past year, partly because of arthritis in both hands and partly because I just couldn't get focused. On a Tuesday I shot 98 and picked up on 7 holes for net double bogies. On Thursday I read an old golf instruction book I've had for years and read lots early on when I started to play golf. 

I did focus Friday on just one little tip i read about and sot a 39 on the front and 45 on the back and never had to pick up. Oh, and I wore those bionic gloves on both hands which helped some too. But it sure felt good to play a round of golf again.

Thank you, @scarlethorn! Age 72 here and coming off some injuries involving both hands + I have RA in both hands, especially painful in the right. Went to the practice range last weekend for the first time to hold a club in 6 months. Wore gloves on both hands and did reasonably well. Ordered Bionic Reliefgrip gloves for both hands, and used them this morning. Very nice! Made me loosen my grip which helped relieve tension in my wrists/forearms. Plus, they are a little "thick" so I won't need to re-grip my clubs with midsize grips. HIT MY 7 IRON AS WELL AS 6 MONTHS AGO. All good so far as I can tell. A truly UPLIFTING morning for this old duffer!. Best wishes, -Marv PS WHAT WAS THE TIP!?

[b101]

After a number of years of working at it (and in fairness, not that many scoring rounds as I play at a course a long way away and tend to work Saturdays, when comps are on), I'm finally almost at my goal of reaching a single-figure handicap. Now down to 10.0 and just need to shave that next bit off and learn to play this way in competitions. 

Got cut 1.2 after my last round of 79 (net 67 against SSS of 73). 

12 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

For those of you not participating in the "5 Minutes Daily" challenge might not know this.

I have completed 365 consecutive days of "5 minutes Daily" practice for me.

Now onto five years!

[onthehunt526]

11 hours ago, Patch said:

Quite an achievement. Congrats. What advances in your game were you able to see?

Well, especially since getting lessons over the winter... My swing was ugly... if you look at my swing video, it's long, it's completely out of sync.. and it's just dogshit. 

The last couple of months any way... It seems with my now more compact swing and shorter backswing, it's simpler, and I'm thinking simpler. Just shooting for the center of the greens... My instructor really feels I can get to around a scratch or so... One of my close friends who was a very good golfer and I were in a car wreck a while back and he passed away... We were coming back from a tournament and that caddied for him... I was about a 5 or 6 handicap when I happened (I didn't have an official one). But I still have back issues to this day from it.

I'm on my way. My irons aren't weak and to the right, I'm actually hitting a baby draw... which is scary, because even as a teenager I hit a cut... So that's new... 

I'm not a bad putter... Just average...

42 minutes ago, b101 said:

After a number of years of working at it (and in fairness, not that many scoring rounds as I play at a course a long way away and tend to work Saturdays, when comps are on), I'm finally almost at my goal of reaching a single-figure handicap. Now down to 10.0 and just need to shave that next bit off and learn to play this way in competitions. 

Got cut 1.2 after my last round of 79 (net 67 against SSS of 73). 

Now onto five years!

Sure why not... that's what? 1796 days? only 1441 to go.

[Marty2019]

On 2/1/2018 at 6:00 PM, iacas said:

 

---

• Please, brag about something you've done, something you nearly did, anything. (Golf-related)
• Post if you need someone to pump you up a little bit.
• Post something positive in golf that you experienced, saw, or participated in.
• Post about when you're pumped up about something, yourself, so others can soak in your joy.

 

Okay, here's my little story.   We're playing a couple of days ago, on a very familiar course, and we come to hole #6, which is a par 5 with a sharp dog leg right, sand all down the left, water all down the left beyond the sand. so if you hit the ball too far you're at least in the sand if not in the water.  Three very tall pine trees are in the corner of the dog leg on the right.  Most people would aim to the left of the pine trees, and try to fade it a little to the right. 

There's a groundskeeper working on the back of the tee box, and he shuts off his machine and waits for us to tee off.   I step up to the tee, and I figure if I just swing a little harder, and relax my my hands a little, I'll hit a baby fade around those pine trees.  (That works about half the time.)  So I take a mighty swing, and block a MASSIVE drive which is heading straight for those very tall pine trees, and the ball goes up up up and OVER the pine trees, barely clearing them, comes down on the back of a little hill, which kicks the ball forward down the fairway towards the green.   The ball must have rolled about 80-100 yards because the fairway was dry and hard.  It was just a little mistake which turned out really well.  

Of course, I acted like that was what I was trying to do all along.  The groundskeeper says, "Wow, nice shot."    I drive my cart to the ball and it is WAY out there down the fairway in perfect position.   I have no idea how far it was, but for a little old guy like me who normally drives the ball about 230, it was a HUGE drive. 

And that was my shot of the week, if you forgive the fact that I wasn't actually aiming there. 

I topped my second shot, hit a little pitch on to the green, and birdied the hole. 

Edited April 1, 2018 by Marty2019

[Pepsivanilla93]

Long irons get a bad rap but my 4 iron is my favorite club in the bag. For whatever reason it's the perfect length, perfect weight, and looks great at address. Every time I bring it out a bald eagle flies overhead carrying an American flag. I play an e6 soft with mizuno irons, so when I hit it pure it's the most buttery feeling ever. The ball just launches on a nice low trajectory with a little bit of draw. If I was playing a U.S. Open qualifier, I'd snap every club in my bag but the 4 iron.

[RFKFREAK]

First round of the year last weekend and shot under 100 (46 on the front, 52 *gag* on the back, 98 overall)!

It took until my 6th round  last year in July to achieve a sub-100 score.  Sadly, I didn't have time to play much golf last year.  This year should be a different story!

Edited April 6, 2018 by RFKFREAK

[HJJ003]

Even though My handicap is briefly headed the wrong direction I KNOW I have the ability to shoot low scores (relatively speaking). I know it because I have done it. I have posted multiple “14” differentials in the last 18 months. That’s low for 21-23 cap. So I know I have the ability and now I have the drive to practice hard and really push myself make those scores a normal rather than an rarity. I’m excited about my Golf Game even if the scores are reflecting it consistently yet...I believe in myself and that’s half the battle!

[MarvChamp]

10 hours ago, HJJ003 said:

Even though My handicap is briefly headed the wrong direction I KNOW I have the ability to shoot low scores (relatively speaking). I know it because I have done it.

Right on! Self-belief and confidence builds. -Marv

[iacas]

I've been committed to practice and am seeing actual results this year. I've always kinda half-assed it in the past. It's gotten better, but not at the rate that I should have done.

[b101]

On 4/7/2018 at 3:49 AM, iacas said:

I've been committed to practice and am seeing actual results this year. I've always kinda half-assed it in the past. It's gotten better, but not at the rate that I should have done.

Congrats! Is this more due to the quantity of time you've spent practising this year or how you've practised? 

---

One last addition to my previous one - I've actually now gone and shot a really nice round at a really nice course: +4 at Royal St George's. Still lots to work on, but I've got a lot of trust in my game at the moment, which is making a huge difference.

[Patch]

My golf game is a bit on the downside right now. A sore shoulder has me side tracked. In a few hours I am having another MRI to see what's up. The first time around two weeks ago was inconclusive. 

It's a strange injury in as much as I can still make a full golf swing, and have complete mobility in my right arm. Problem is,  unless I am laying down, or walking, I have pain. I can't sit without pain, an I can't stand still without pain. Two weeks ago they thought it was a pinched nerve, but I was able to pass that check list, that "sort of'" rule out the nerve issue. It's still on the table however. That, or maybe a tear some where. Maybe a developing spine issue. My wife is pretty sure it a nerve issue due to bone spurs. 

It was decided to rest the arm/shoulder for a couple weeks before another MRI is done. This obviously included not swinging a golf club. 

So, for the last few days, I have been just putting, and chipping to satify my golf urge. Even got together with some friends for a putting contest. Of course the ride to and from the course was painful, but once out of the car, and moving around, the pain subsided. 

I'M just hoping today they find the issue and it's correctable. I miss being on the course for my weekly, walking games. 

[Billsy]

If you are not optimistic then why would you play this glorious game? The last 3 years my handicap has stayed the same but I equate that to more stroke play events. I qualified for a local golf association Mid Am last year and will try to qualify again. This game is about setting tough goals and reaching for the stars. I will do that until I cannot walk! 

[scarlethorn]

Good for you Billsy. I'm 70, used to tell my wife I'm practicing for the senior tour. Now I tell her that someday there could be a super senior tour so I need to be ready.