Time for a new thread

[drive4show]

Any ideas? Been a bit stale on here the last few days.

[super_realist]

How about as it's nearly the end of the competitive season a thread on how people are getting on with their pre-season goals?

[Maverick]

SR sounds like a good idea that one.

What about a thread on the state of the club pro's around the country to come across a few dodgy ones of those recently

[drive4show]

Excellent idea!

This thread is now officially the 'How has your season/targets' gone this year'

I'll start......

Mine was to get firmly into Cat1 territory which I managed by getting down to 5.0, this achieved without any semblance of a short game. Winter will be spent working on chipping and pitching to eradicate the yips then try to get lower next year.

[super_realist]

Well done D4S. Good luck with the short game.
Bit of a mixed bag for me.
My overall goal was to play better than last year and worry less about scores . As a result i've won a 36 hole Open, had some good placings in club medals and good run in Club Champs, shot some good under par scores, enjoyed myself more but haven't yet got the handicap down to my preseason target. Only 0.6 to go though. Generally though a succesful year.

[barragan]

started the year at 8.0. target pre-season was to get down to cat 1 and try and end the year at 4.something.
got off to a cracking start, knocked off 3.0 in my first 11 comps / 9 weeks. managing to get in a fair bit of practice during this time and was playing very consistently.
the turning point was at an away open in dunfermline. started really well, -3 after nine, and that included 2 missed 4 footers for other birdies. tragedy struck on the back nine, i skinned 2 short pitches through the backs of greens, costing me 5 shots and finished the round +2. the following weekend i fluffed 14 chips during the course of the 36hole club champ qualifier - and the weeks that followed were spent nursing confidence in my short game back to normal.
my work situation and poor health recently have meant i've not been able to practice much at all in the last couple of months and my handicap has steadily increased, going up 0.6 in the last 15 comps with no cuts.
enjoying it though, i've had a lot of rounds where i've finished strongly to make my handicap / buffer zone.
got just 5 counting comps left this year, hoping to get a wee bit more practice in and drop back into cat 1 before the season ends.
gonna be a daddy for the first time in february [cannae wait!], so next years golf is going to be less target oriented.

[Rossa]

I was cut from 27 to 18 last year so my target was to take the next step and get deep in to the teens, so i could really try and get close to single figures next year and fulfil my ambition to get to single figures before my 30th Birthday in Summer 2013.

My other ambition was to retain the Trophy i won last year which is awarded for the best 6 net differentials out of a possible 12 monthly medals compared to your handicap at the start of the year.

My last ambition was to represent the club in some form.

Well, my handicap is now 13.9, i've won 3 of the 6 medals i've played in (the most recent of which was on Saturday ), so a one more decent score to replace an NR, should see me retain the cup i won last year. And i played 3 times for the B-Team and 4 times in the West Midlands League... so i've had a decent year all round...

I still harbour ambitions to get to 12 before the end of the year, but its likely i'll only play in the Nov and Dec Medals, so i'll have to be satisfied with 14 i think, If i can get get to 10 or 11 next year then i'll have a good stab at single figures before i'm 30

[Maverick]

D4S good going, shows how good the long game must be at the moment if the short game's not been there. Good luck sharpening her up an going lower..

To say my year is a mixed bag would be more than an understatement.

The goal at start was to try to get to +1.. Started really well, won our clubs first Masters event a 54 hole comp. Then won the father/child with little Mavette then that was me for 6months surgery and rehab.

Played a comp yesterday even though I was not going to but glad i did, shot my best ever round since joining the new place a -5, 66. So if my calculations are correct having only play 5 proper competitive rounds this year I may actually have hit my goal and have an exact handicap of +0.7 playing handicap of +1. All depends on the CSS for the day though as I didn't hang around after the round.

But my real highlight of this year has been watching my little lady develop, she started properly just before I was injured whilst playing with her and she has come onleaps and bounds and at 11 years old has a playing handicap of 11 (10.6) made the final of the ladies Club Champ and even won a 36 hole event of her own.

[Rossa]

Mav,

That's good going for both of you! Well done!

[drive4show]

Cheers s_r and Mav.

Yeah, long game has been pretty good with lots of fairways and greens in reg, problem has been not getting up and down when I do miss. The closer to the green, the bigger the problem. The good side to it though has been that I've worked on course management. If I've been in trouble, I've been laying up more to fave wedge distance and then getting it close to the pin. Did that 3 times yesterday, layed up to 100 yards and got down in 2 every time to save par.

It all comes down to a confidence problem with chipping and pitching. I used to be pretty reasonable so it's just a question of working through it and putting the hours in. If I can get my short game back I think 3 or 4 is a realistic handicap for me.

[JAS]

I'll be putting this season down to transition year, started at 6.7 and the goal was Cat 1. A nice wee.4 cut in Feb to 6.3 whilst playing well suggested the target was modest. However from March through to July was a point 1 fest up to 7.6. Head was all over the place (basically I was trying too hard). A little tweak in the swing in July brought confidence again and another wee .4 cut. After another sequence of point 1s in Aug to again touched 7.6. Then came Carnoustie and the blinding round in the Tassie on the Burnside, a big 1.8 cut. 1st away open cut...tick, first time I've beaten CSS gross...tick. That got me to 5.8 so just .4 shy of my target. I've ticked back up to 6.0 but still have the confidence (with 4 medal rounds left) to believe that I can still make cat 1.
To be honest though if I finished at 6.0 for the season I'd accept that and have something to build on for next year!!

[drive4show]

JAS

you'll get down to Cat1 and stay there, I'm pretty sure of that. You're game is pretty sound all round and the Burnside round was a massive confidence boost. When you came off the course after that you were grinning like the proverbial cheshire cat. You know you can do it, just need to believe in yourself.

[JAS]

Mav that's brilliant news re Mavette. She'll probably end up threatening Cat 1 at the same time as me. A bit gutted none of mine play, must be quite rewarding passing your experience on and watch them flourish with it.

D4S, how much to you putt from off the green? I did notice at Carnoustie that you chipped a couple of times I'd have putted ( I never said anything at the time as I guessed you were just maximising the opportunity to work on your chipping).

[kwinigolfer]

My pre-season goal was to restore my game to a level where I could play some decent courses without totally embarrassing myself.

Result: Utter failure.
Courses too wet to play (for my game at any rate, strongest feature of my play is roll) during the spring, showed promise in very few outings then pulled something in my shoulder while swimming. Just started playing again when Irene and Lee visited and any game I had has disappeared. Hoping for a dry autumn and a couple of road trips, but fear I'm destined for disappointment, especially as most courses will close by the first week or so in November.

[tarka]

I went round in 134 (one hundred and thirty-four) in medal on sunday. really struggling to hit the ball. When I woke up this morning I thought it had been a bad dream but it wasn't. that been a month of absolute rubbish. Embarrassed and demoralised

[super_realist]

Tarka, I like how you wrote that like the Grandstand Videprinter when a high score comes in, confirming the numerical value was right.

If there's a plus side it's probably that it can't get any worse. I doubt that will make you feel much better though.

[drive4show]

D4S, how much to you putt from off the green? I did notice at Carnoustie that you chipped a couple of times I'd have putted ( I never said anything at the time as I guessed you were just maximising the opportunity to work on your chipping).

Spot on JAS, as we were just playing bounce games that's exactly what I was doing. Every decent chip that I hit puts a little bit more in the confidence bank. Under competition conditions it will always be the 'safest' option that I'll go for, often putting if I'm on the fringe.

[drive4show]

kwini

Have you got any autumn trips to the sunshine planned this year? Come down to MB for a couple days, we can do golf and beer in good weather

[JAS]

Thanks D4S and I suppose I know it's there. I just wasted a good few months this year getting frustrated that it didn't show through. I do believe that the main thing I have to improve now is my attitude. Most other aspects of my game and technique are pretty solid. I got a good glimpse yesterday of what I must have looked like in the middle of my slump, watched a fairly talented junior implode in a medal because he let a couple of mistakes get in his head. It helped reaffirm to me the importance of staying positive and of acceptance of bad luck etc etc.

[tarka]

Tarka, I like how you wrote that like the Grandstand Videprinter when a high score comes in, confirming the numerical value was right.

If there's a plus side it's probably that it can't get any worse. I doubt that will make you feel much better though.

11,8,7,6,5,11,6,8,6,5,7,6,10,5,6,7,4,8

went something like that, new electronic trolley battery is faulty and died on the 15th, soaked to the skin and rushed home to see Celtic getting pumped by rangers, terrible day

[barragan]

rossa, three medal wins in one year is seriously good going. out of interest, what is the average number of entries for these comps?

d4s, i'm coming to the conclusion (having suffered like yourself in the short game (- the shorter it gets the more tricky -)department that the solution is to play more bounce game rounds where there is no pressure, then take the confidence from those games into competitive rounds. my best competitive rounds recently (chipping-wise) have been when i've had 1 or 2 bounce games in between, whereas mid season i was only playing competitive stuff. i think next year i'll be reducing the number of counting rounds i play from 35ish to about 20-25max.

[drive4show]

Tarka, I like how you wrote that like the Grandstand Videprinter when a high score comes in, confirming the numerical value was right.

If there's a plus side it's probably that it can't get any worse. I doubt that will make you feel much better though.

11,8,7,6,5,11,6,8,6,5,7,6,10,5,6,7,4,8

went something like that, new electronic trolley battery is faulty and died on the 15th, soaked to the skin and rushed home to see Celtic getting pumped by rangers, terrible day

tarka

I think it was actually a 5 on the 17th?

[tarka]

Tarka, I like how you wrote that like the Grandstand Videprinter when a high score comes in, confirming the numerical value was right.

If there's a plus side it's probably that it can't get any worse. I doubt that will make you feel much better though.

11,8,7,6,5,11,6,8,6,5,7,6,10,5,6,7,4,8

went something like that, new electronic trolley battery is faulty and died on the 15th, soaked to the skin and rushed home to see Celtic getting pumped by rangers, terrible day

tarka

I think it was actually a 5 on the 17th?

it was defo a 4, shocked myself, although it was a par 3. Five Iron to the green and three putts, my best hole of the day lol

[Maverick]

Mav that's brilliant news re Mavette. She'll probably end up threatening Cat 1 at the same time as me. A bit gutted none of mine play, must be quite rewarding passing your experience on and watch them flourish with it.

Thanks Jas, not sure when she'll threaten Cat 1 as she will need a bit more length in the long run, but her short game and course management are superb so she may get there without the distance and when that comes who knows! I tr to only offer her advice if she seeks it, as Mrs mav and I have set her up with a good friend of mine and a very good teaching pro as her own little coach if you like, he give's a reduced rate for tuition but gets great joy out of her progress especially as she never stops asking questions to find out why he wants her to try something and then once she knows she goes off and practices...

[super_realist]

Tarka, I like how you wrote that like the Grandstand Videprinter when a high score comes in, confirming the numerical value was right.

If there's a plus side it's probably that it can't get any worse. I doubt that will make you feel much better though.

11,8,7,6,5,11,6,8,6,5,7,6,10,5,6,7,4,8

went something like that, new electronic trolley battery is faulty and died on the 15th, soaked to the skin and rushed home to see Celtic getting pumped by rangers, terrible day

Tarka, looking at those scores, which looks like an autistic person reciting Pi, it appears your course management could do with work. I can see how people shoot the odd 11 but not three scores above 10 in a round. Sorry to be harsh but course management is a cheap, quick and easy way to reduce your scores.

[kwinigolfer]

d4s,
Unfortunately not! But what a pleasure it is playing down there in warm weather and fast-running greens after the typically cool, wet autumn here.
I'll be envious about the golf while sinking the

[barragan]

maybe we should have a - your worst ever round - thread !

[tarka]

Tarka, I like how you wrote that like the Grandstand Videprinter when a high score comes in, confirming the numerical value was right.

If there's a plus side it's probably that it can't get any worse. I doubt that will make you feel much better though.

11,8,7,6,5,11,6,8,6,5,7,6,10,5,6,7,4,8

went something like that, new electronic trolley battery is faulty and died on the 15th, soaked to the skin and rushed home to see Celtic getting pumped by rangers, terrible day

Tarka, looking at those scores, which looks like an autistic person reciting Pi, it appears your course management could do with work. I can see how people shoot the odd 11 but not three scores above 10 in a round. Sorry to be harsh but course management is a cheap, quick and easy way to reduce your scores.

normally shoot from 88-98, its the swing thats a problem. Never hit a ball further than 150 yds, never touched the driver, shouldn't have played the round really as i couldn't hit a ball on the range hardly. had a lesson with a new bloke who is highly recommended on Thursday night who has deconstructed everything as I was really struggling, back to basics, had a horrible grip and the club was turning over during the backwing because everything was far to steep and narrow. i had a bit of a furyk think going on that i never had before so I am trying to get back to something that resembles a swing and can be repeated and the ball goes straight. Course management wasn't an option on sunday mate, all the best rounds I have ever had I have been hitting the ball straight and taking my medicine, but I was comming up with crazy stuff on sunday, every bad shot imaginable.

[Rossa]

rossa, three medal wins in one year is seriously good going. out of interest, what is the average number of entries for these comps?

d4s, i'm coming to the conclusion (having suffered like yourself in the short game (- the shorter it gets the more tricky -)department that the solution is to play more bounce game rounds where there is no pressure, then take the confidence from those games into competitive rounds. my best competitive rounds recently (chipping-wise) have been when i've had 1 or 2 bounce games in between, whereas mid season i was only playing competitive stuff. i think next year i'll be reducing the number of counting rounds i play from 35ish to about 20-25max.

Bam,

It varies from as little as about 15 in winter, up to about 40 in the height of summer, there was only 18 on Saturday as they cut out the afternoon session as we had half of Aberdovey at the club for an annual get together as we share a centenary... It is division 3 though so 14hc and above so i guess many higher handicaps avoid them in favour of the weekly stableford...
Down to division 2 now though so it will get tougher... I did win the 3 medals by 3 (net 72 - Jan), 4 (net 65 -May) and 3 (net 68 - Sept) shots respectively so they were quite good performances

[Noshankingtonite]

Having not played competitively for several years, started season at 20 and got down to 17 with a good medal win (nett 65) and a couple of good rounds earlier in the year. Has taken me most of the season to get back into competition golf and the Open comps have helped boost my confidence a bit as you are thrown into the mix with complete strangers on unseen tracks and I reckon that helps toughen you up mentally as well as enabling you to learn from other better players around you. Working on subtle swing changes at the moment; trying to open my stance a bit on the 140 - 170 yard par-3s to get a high cut-fade (as opposed to the destructive and horrible snap hook which I detest) and with the new driver I bought recently, conversely hitting a lower draw as opposed to the high, horrid slice which was murdering my scores.

I'm reasonably happy with my game, but still keep thinking I've got one really good round just waiting to emerge before the yuletide break....

[Sand]

Not sure what to make of my season this year. Started at 5.6 this year and at a new harder course so wasnt sure what to expect really. Suppose the aim this year was to get down to cat 1 again (have been there a few times at my old club) and stay there.

Result is ive constantly yo-yo'd from 5.1 to worst 5.6 this year and at the moment am sitting 5.5 with 5 possible medals left. So my goal for this season is still on and hopefully I can do it.

Suppose im reasonably happy with my season to be fair although struggled a bit for a while basically just trying too hard.

Aim for winter is to work on my chipping which really lets me down and hopefully see about getting down to about 4 or so next year.


Well played today and apart from starting with a double at the first and a triple at the 17th played excellent. Now down to 5 again lets hope I can stay there.

[super_realist]

Which course were you at Sand and where did yo move?

[Sand]

Moved from Craibstone as it went into administration and looked to be shutting and now at Newmachar.

[super_realist]

Good set up at Newmachar Sand, never heard of Craibstone though.

[Sand]

Yeah dont think we will move from Newmachar any time soon. Really enjoying it and good course.

Craibstone is a relatively new course within the last ten years. Not bad but just not at patch on where we are.

[super_realist]

Plus you have two courses at Newmachar.

[oldshanker]

MY goal for this year - I remember distinctly - was to make sure I enjoyed my golf and also that people I played with enjoyed theirs. I certainly succeeded with the first part and hope that I did with the second part.

I was not expecting to be cut to 16, rather thought I would go the other way. But I have managed to play to my new handicap most times since then, so it was obviously the right thing.

I'm sorry, but now I will have to mention the dreaded P word....... I am now more confident with the flat stick as I had someone line me up until I got it! Hopefully I will remember this for next season.

Will not be playing a lot of golf over the winter, but will keep the swing in groove by playing indoors on Tuesday nights, augmented by the occasional day trip somewhere.

[Sponsored content]