ChevDog

This morning, I sent in a request to GHIN (and my club) to deactivate and delete my account. I will no longer be posting scores for a handicap. I came to the realization this past weekend that scores and handicaps were ruining my enjoyment of the game. I never compete, nor play for money - so my handicap was useless anyway. I also deleted my Golfshot app. Going to go back to the old school method of writing my scores in pencil on a scorecard, then throwing it in the trash after the round. I hope that this will allow me to find joy in the game, as I would like to be able to continue playing. I have grown tired of being upset with myself almost every time I play. If I cannot figure out how to have fun regardless of the outcome - I'm going to start searching for a new hobby next year...

Just bumped up to 15.9 - from my best ever 15.5. Trying to get to 15.0 or better by the end of the season.

Update on my progress- #1 - Getting much better at this. I'm not quite where I want to be yet, but I have made solid progress in controlling negative emotions on the course. #2 - Currently at 18.4, trending to 18.0. I have about 5 weeks left in the handicap season, so I may be able to get into the 17's before the season closes. #3 - Not quite there yet. I broke 90 for the first time about two weeks ago, and have now had a string of scores around 90-93. I joined a private club last month, so I'm now playing a course with a much higher (+10) slope rating than when I set this goal, but I'm confident that I can get there. The only thing preventing it right now are the couple of blow up (triples and quads) that seem to creep into many of my rounds. Yesterday I shot a 93 that included two quads...

Broke 90 yesterday. Was invited to play by one of my suppliers. Shot an 87 from the whites at Camas Meadows, which was the lowest score of our foursome. I have never had the low score in a foursome before! I also bought and read LSW a few months ago. Actually read it several times now.

I finally did it!!! played at a relatively difficult course yesterday (132 slope) and shot an 87! Handicap is currently trending to 18.0. Now I just need to start doing this consistently...

After a lot of range time and a few more rounds, I think that I may have found my game again. Posted a very depressing 102 on Saturday that consisted of a horrific and ugly 54 on the front, then came back with a 46 on the back side. Spent more time on the range Sunday morning, then went out to shoot a 90, which got me fired up with a 40 on the back - my best 9 hole score ever! Handicap is now at 18.4, so I can say that I reached one of my goals for this year of becoming a bogey golfer. Now I just need to try and shoot that sub 90 round that I have been trying so hard for.

Looks like I lost more game than I thought during my 2 months off. Shot 97 both days this weekend. I had finally figured out my driver back in July/August and was hitting a lot of fairways. Whatever progress I had made is mostly gone. Missed a lot of fairways this weekend, and even resorted to teeing off with my 5 wood on a few holes just to keep the ball playable. I need to spend some time at the range this week to find my swing again.

My back is healed, and I have finally returned to the game! Shot a 90 at my local public course before joining a private club and promptly posting a 102 on a much more difficult track. Redeemed myself last night by scoring a 45 on a quick 9 after work. Have two more games scheduled for this weekend. I really want to post at least 1 round in the 80's before the handicap season ends in November!

Well, I’m going to try to get back at it tomorrow morning. Back is feeling better, and against my wife’s wishes, I have an 8:06 tee time. Hoping to at least be able to complete 18. Wish me luck!

Looks like my injury is worse than I thought, and my dream of being an 18 by year end (as well as breaking 90) is ruined. Went to the doctor for my back yesterday and was told I have Sciatica (pinched sciatic nerve). The pain now radiates through my butt and down my left leg to below the knee. Haven't had a full nights sleep since my last post. He told me that is is probably cause by a bulging or herniated disc, and that I cannot golf again until it has healed. Saw a physical therapist today and she gave me more bad news - she said that this type of injury typically takes 2-3 months to resolve 😞 Looks like I'll be lucky just to get back on the course before Thanksgiving. With the handicap season ending here on November 30th, it looks like I have achieved all that I am going to for the year. So bummed right now....

As I predicted above, my handicap trend went up slightly from 19.4 to 19.6 after this weekends rounds. Playing with a pinched nerve in my lower back that is causing some pretty severe pain radiating down my left leg. These physical issues did not help my game. Shot a 95 Saturday and 96 Sunday. Also played 9 with our wives Saturday afternoon and managed to pull off a respectable 45. I did have some good shots (280 yd 3 wood - GPS verified!), and hit 13 fairways on Sat, but the pain and lack of flexibility prevented me from putting it all together to meet my goal. I am going to take a week or two off from the game to heal, and hope to come back ready to shoot an 88!

Nice work! You are getting close! im playing my last two rounds of this cycle today and tomorrow. Current trend is 19.4, but I’m playing with a bad back, so it may go up instead of down...

Thanks! It has taken a lot of effort, time, and $ to get this far. Today was the 64th round I have played since Jan 1st - and that is not counting 9 hole rounds or the three best ball scrambles I have played in. I played 15 rounds in July alone - I wonder if my wife remembers what I look like?

Played 18 with some friends this morning. They convinced me to play the white/blue combo (70.6/133 & 6407 yds), which may still be a bit above my skill level since my good drives are averaging 234 over the last 5 rounds. Shot a 92, which is an 18.2 differential, so I think I can say I shot bogey golf today. 5 pars, 8 Bog, 3 Dbls, and 2 Triples. Hit 9 fairways, 3 GIR, and 7 NGIR. 32 putts. If I can just eliminate some penalties and triple bogeys, I'll have it! Playing a difficult private course tomorrow with my parents, then back to the home course Sunday. I am determined that I can get it done this weekend.

Absolutely better than a year ago. At this time last year my handicap was 34. Tomorrows revision will be 20.2. It has taken a tremendous effort (and $$$) to achieve this. Will I be better next year? I have every reason to believe so, but I expect the improvements to be much smaller. It is much easier to drop 14 strokes from a 34 than it will be to drop 14 from a 20!