Dornenglanz

Ask yourself why you play. For me, I play for a bunch of reasons: I like being outdoors, in beautiful spaces; I like spending peaceful time with my son; I enjoy the challenge of the game (even though I am still very much a beginner); I enjoy the feeling of hitting good shots (they do happen sometimes), and playing a good hole; I enjoy the discipline of persevering with a very challenging thing, and staying mindful, and trying to keep on top of the frustration. For all these reasons, whether I play or not is not related to my score. I broke 100 two or three times earlier in the summer, but this week I've been playing as badly as I've played since I started, but the reasons I play are still met by going and playing, so I won't quit. Sounds to me like your enjoyment is closely tied to your score and (if I may be so bold) you ego. You don't like the feeling of having gone backwards, and you're not scoring well. If those are the reasons you play (you like scoring well, and you like feeling proud / identifying as a single digit handicap golfer), then unless you're prepared to work through the reasons for your poor scoring, or reframe your experience of the game, you probably should go and do something else.

So after my successes in July, I was away with work for a while, and only managed to play a little. Played three times this week so far, and have literally played my worst golf, possibly ever. Constantly hitting the ground, or topping it, or my shots going wildly left or wildly right. Only my putting has remained adequate. Of course now I've lost confidence in my natural swing/game, and I'm trying to correct things, and/or reading books/articles, none of which I can remember, so I'm on a never-ending slippery slope! What a frustrating game! I think, back to basics. I picked up the 5sk book, on the thinking that you can't have competing models going on in your head, and your practice, and I might try to book a few healthcheck lessons, just to reboot. Real shame, as late July / early August I was actually starting to feel like I could play the game. Had several rounds under 100, and several rounds where I didn't lose the ball. Ho hum!

Last two times I've played, I've set a personal best, and then beat it! I only play 9 holes, because I can justify a couple of hours off in the afternoon, but not double that! I play with my son, and we score stableford, on the assumption we get 2 strokes handicap on every hole - so I guess that's 36. Yesterday I scored 17 for the first time ever - so nearly at handicap 🙂 What's changed is I've removed a bunch of clubs from my bag, and only hit very safe clubs: 6I, 8I, PW, SW, Putter. I'm confident with both those irons, and generally hit them fairly straight, so I'm losing fewer balls. I still sometimes play a duff shot, but it's getting less and less.

I live in Hampshire, where we're well served for golf courses - a dozen or more splendid courses within 30 mins drive. My home club is 5 mins from my house, and the driving range is open 24/7, so as long as there's daylight, I can practice. However, I work and often stay in London, where I have a flat in Peckham (SE London, zone 2). I don't run a car in London, so cycle or get public transport. I don't know anyone else who plays, so short of random searching on the internet, I'm a little low on ideas for how to practice during the week, if I'm in town. I'm guessing that people head out into Surrey, but I'm also imagining that contention for playing slots / driving bays could be pretty severe. Any advice / experiences / recommendations most welcome.

I voted yes. People change, and mellow with age and experience. Egos dwindle. Sometimes what worked for a person some years ago would be all wrong for them now. I sense a calmer, more together person, and the presence of a non-confrontational, loyal, and tremendously experienced person feels like a good plan.

No. I undertake the rule of training which consists in abstention from taking the not-given.

Managed to get out before work this morning, on my home course (9 hole, par 35). Beautiful morning, course in great condition. The good: - 2 putted every hole on average (one 3 one 1) - shot 50! The bad: - Lost about 6 balls - Didn't have time to play 6,7,8 So: actually, only the putting was good. Everything else was absolutely terrible!

I've been playing on and off for about two years. Broken 100 a couple of times, but never turned in any cards. I'm thinking of doing so. I have about a dozen lessons, so understand the fundamentals, and my apparently my swing is reasonable (video to follow). Main problem is that I often get busy or travel, so can for for months at a time without playing. I'm hoping to fix that! I'm fairly happy with my Iron play from 5/6-9, and my short game and putting isn't bad, but I don't do so well when I need to hit the ball more than 160 yards - mainly because it's not something I've worked on in lessons, at the range, or something I do in a round. Generally my strategy is defensive, and based around playing one or two middle irons, a wedge and a putter for each hole. It's not a recipe for low scores, but it does avoid high ones. However, for par 5s (there are two on my home course - a lovely, mature 9 hole), sometimes 150 off the tee isn't enough, and for one I need to go more like 170+ to reach the fairway, or I'm left with steep uphill shot out rough. My options (in the bag) are: - 4I -- probably my best bet, but not super reliable - 4H -- which I tend to slice, and just don't love hitting - 3W -- which I tend to slice, but sometimes hit beautifully - Driver -- which I rarely hit, and if I do, tend to lose a ball I'm trying to work out my strategy to improve in this area - should I: a) Work on extending my iron play, where I'm most comfortable b) Look to incorporate some hybrid play to extend my range c) Look to incorporate something longer off the tee - either work on the 3W or get a 5W d) Look to incorporate the driver into my game Thoughts?

Three firsts for me today! Played one of the local 9 hole courses. Went round in 48! First time below 50. Also, birdied the second par 3. Also... first time I've ever played and not lost a ball! Putting was terrible today - missed 3 or 4 really easy putts that I'd normally get with my eyes closed, so could even have been ~45!

Called away on business - so failed to practice yesterday, and can't see myself getting any in today or tomorrow. Unless someone can recommend some "mental" or "visualisation" drills that will keep me in the game, I'm stuck!

Day 8: Played for about an hour on a par 3 pitch/putt course. Putting was pretty good, despite poor greens, and pitching was not bad either. Mostly used PW and SW, but also experimented with more lofted wedges to see the effect of higher trajectories and more spin/bounce.

Day 7: 10 mins putting practice indoors. Started aim through two tees, slightly wider than a ball. The carpeted area is obviously not quite flat, but hard to read. However, once I worked out the slope, I did reasonably well. Next I found a metal egg cup - also slightly larger than a ball. I aimed at this from various distances on two different surfaces - one much faster than the other. Reasonable accuracy. Then I remembered a drill where you have to put over the centre of a 2p coin from no more than 12 inches, 10/10 times. I managed this, so doubled the distance. Managed 10/10, so added another 12 inches, and was getting about 6/10, mostly undone by variations in the carpet. Worthwhile, I felt.

Day 6 (not backdating, just had internet issues last night / this morning): 5 mins indoor putting practice from about 3 feet, aiming to roll over a 1 pence coin. Started very well, but actually found my accuracy was way worse than usual on average, Will try again today, I think.

Day 5: 5 mins working on drill my pro asked me to do: club upside down, half swing, bring arms down quickly and stop and feel the club whip forwards as the wrists hinge. Also did some continual swings, feeling weight change.

Day 4: Lesson with pro. He's concerned that my swing is too steep and closes the club face, so we worked on a number of drills to encourage me to allow the club to drop and come through rather than be brought down with the action of my arms. I'm going to try to work on some of these drills at home, or maybe in the garden. He says I should practice with short swings and a 6I to get the sequence of events right.