It was a rough winter. Scores are starting to come back.

[Fairway_CY]

Hey all.  I've been away from the forum for a bit.  I began to get frustrated by my play since October.  I struggled, a lot at times, and began to feel like I'd just completely lost my game.  A few months ago, my wife decided to start coming out to the course with me now and again.  We played a few couples events at the club and it really reminded me what I loved about the game.  The frustrations I had started to disappear and I began loving the game again.  

Anyway... my unofficial handicap (all rounds) ballooned from 9.8 on September 1st of last year all the way to a 15.6 as of May 1st of this year.  I found myself posting a lot of scores in the 94 - 96 range.  Everything that felt right about my game in August and September went away and standing over a golf ball felt foreign to me.  I still loved going out to the course and trying... but my excitement was just gone.  I was just out there... often times going through the motions.  

Shortly after my wife started playing a bit... I realized that I was missing the point.  She was happy to be out on the course just listening to music... hitting the ball... and sometimes watching nature.  I let go of my frustrations and just focused on having fun.  As our member - guest tournament approached... I played and practiced a bit more.  In early May, I left work early one afternoon and headed to the course.  No warm-up time or anything... I just stepped up to the 1st tee and played.  A little over 3 hours later... I had posted my first ever sub-80 round.  A tidy little 77 on my home track.  

I followed that with rounds of 81, 80 and 83.  I then posted a 95 in a tournament on a VERY poor weather day... then went on vacation and posted a 79.  My unoffcial index is now trending to 11.1 while my official GHIN index is trending to 11.7 at the moment.  I'm finally feeling it again.  Practice is fun... playing is fun... and overall, I'm back to having a great time on the course.  

I'll be looking to be more active here going forward too.  

Just wanted to say hi and drop a note to say what's been going on.  

CY

[iacas]

How's the practice/play balance this year?

[dennyjones]

3 hours ago, Fairway_CY said:

I'll be looking to be more active here going forward too.  

Pun...

Good to hear from you

[Buckeyebowman]

Good for you! That's kind of whole point, isn't it?

[Fairway_CY]

14 hours ago, iacas said:

How's the practice/play balance this year?

It's getting better.  I used to be 90% play... 10% practice.  One of my buddies practices like it's his religion.  When he is preparing for a tournament, it's not unusual for him to practice 3+ hours a day.  He's started to rub off on me a bit.  

I'd say that, so far, it's about 65% play... 35% practice for me.  The difference is really that, when I'm practicing... I'm focused on something specific. 

When I'm hitting chips, for example... I'm not worried about how close the ball is getting to the target when I start.  I'm more focused on keeping the club moving at a consistent speed and ensuring that the club is brushing the grass in a repeatable spot.  

It certainly helps that my practice is paying off.  To finally see a couple of scores below 80 is nice.  When I'm on the course, if I have a bad hole, I'm usually able to self-diagnose and get back to something fundamental.  It's helped me to keep a large majority of my scores in a reasonable range.

CY

[Aflighter]

2 hours ago, Fairway_CY said:

It's getting better.  I used to be 90% play... 10% practice.  One of my buddies practices like it's his religion.  When he is preparing for a tournament, it's not unusual for him to practice 3+ hours a day.  He's started to rub off on me a bit.  

I'd say that, so far, it's about 65% play... 35% practice for me.  The difference is really that, when I'm practicing... I'm focused on something specific. 

When I'm hitting chips, for example... I'm not worried about how close the ball is getting to the target when I start.  I'm more focused on keeping the club moving at a consistent speed and ensuring that the club is brushing the grass in a repeatable spot.  

It certainly helps that my practice is paying off.  To finally see a couple of scores below 80 is nice.  When I'm on the course, if I have a bad hole, I'm usually able to self-diagnose and get back to something fundamental.  It's helped me to keep a large majority of my scores in a reasonable range.

CY

Bring your A game tomorrow buddy.I think you got a shot especially since I'm not in B anymore haa.Ill be going for the career grand slam.

[Fairway_CY]

6 hours ago, Aflighter said:

Bring your A game tomorrow buddy.I think you got a shot especially since I'm not in B anymore haa.Ill be going for the career grand slam.

Wow... you haven't won this one yet??? 

I'll be ready tomorrow.  I'm feeling good.  Just gotta keep myself focused.  I'm 0 for 13 in majors at this point.  Something's gotta give!

CY