So how's your game ?

Me: Jekyll and Hyde/all over the place - 6 weeks off with a back injury and can't find any consistency. Playing an average of once a week isn't helping.

Recent examples. Last week at mens night, 9 pars and a birdie shot 89 with two 10's 🙁 the good news my Callaway score was 68.

Saturday - 5 over after 5 , really struggling then 3 birdies in a row including 3 - 300 plus yard drives in a row and hit the green with mid irons into back to back par 5's ....ended up with a 79.

Yesterday, at my home course 51 on the front with another 10, then a switch flips and 39 back.

    At age 55, my hcp was a 15, that's the best it has ever been. At 63 I hurt my left knee pretty badly playing tennis, leaving me where I couldn't post on it or transfer my weight onto it, so hcp shot up to a 26. Started rehabbing the knee at the gym, and have strengthened to a point where I've regained about 75% use of it. That and lessons to work around it, have gotten back down to a 20. So at age 72 now, that's probably as good as it will get, accuracy is way up, distance is way down. Such is life.

    Sounds much like my game. I'll play a decent (for me) 42 or 43 on one nine and match it up with a 48 or 50. I find that I'm still battling habits that I developed while suffering from a bad back for several years. After 3 surgeries I also found that I lost 50-60 yards on my drive as well. I'm just starting to get back the ability to make a full swing but it seems that I rarely do it. I developed the habit of not making a full follow through because it caused pain before the surgeries. My handicap has ballooned to a 20. I never was an exceptional golfer but sometimes I'm frustrated by "how far I've fallen." I still enjoy (most of the time) being out on the course in the beautiful summer weather here in Minnesota but I used to really enjoy competition and I don't enjoy it as much any more.

    Jekyll and Hyde fairly represents my game this season. Last three rounds for me: 76, 78, 82.

    Playing tomorrow in what will be my only round this week. Low-80's is the new measuring bar for me. And, for the time being anyway, I'm fairly content with that.

    A great putting round notwithstanding, I will probably encounter a mixed bag of shots that leave a player of my abilities just shy of the "sub-80" standard tomorrow that used to define my level of play.

    For now, it is the reality I've accepted.

    Perhaps I'll relocate some focus between now and next season to become a more consistent player. For now - it's just not high on my list of priorities. I can only be as proficient as I am willing to devote the time and effort, and currently it's quite obvious that I lack the desire to be consistently good at the game.

    It does, nevertheless, provide an enjoyable, if not occasionally frustrating, distraction for me.

    65 years old. 11 handicap. Scores typically fall into the 78 to 85 range from 5800 yard tees. Don't hit many par 4s in reg. Par 3s and par 5s are usually my best holes. When the chipping and putting is on A game, I have more fun. My drives are usually 190 to 210, but I hit 90% of fairways and misses are almost always playable, even in the "narrows" of Florida. My hoing and rotating clubs is probably terrible for my consistency, but it hones my adaptability skills, 😎

    Good, more consistent...have been better off the tee, fewer big misses, the misses are now playable....not as long but that is due to playing a more reasonable length driver....finally feel like I have some control off the tee. 3w has been money as a second option off the box. Both hybrids are behaving nicely, finally gave up on graphite/light steel in the hybrids....just does not work, standard/ish weight steel and standard/ish length to the iron it replaces and boom. Irons have been good,. Been a battle between the 560MC's and the Maltby TE's like splitting hairs the difference, with the TE's being slightly softer and higher flight....both nice. I have been slowly getting my "punch" game back, ie being able to keep it low and okay out of trouble, handy on my course as it is tree lined and there is occasion when you are just off the fwy and might have a hanging limb. The last thing I'd like to add is accepting that I don't like hitting flops and going high when close to the green, it's not a shot I feel comfortable with and much prefer the bump and run, even if that means landing it short of the green, bumping it into the fringe, rough, or hill to deaden it some. I like the creativity of those type shots and pulling them off is fun. Gotta get up and down to keep the round going.

    I don't keep a hdcp, can't imagine ever doing so, but I shoot mid to high 70's on my home course, playing the men's tees, 6450/123. Have shot par or better a handful of times with best rd. being a 69.

    One thing I really like about my home course is you end on a 460ish yd par 5, if I'm +2 or better, I feel like there is an opportunity to eagle and shoot level or better for the Rd.

      ode and much prefer the bump and run, even if that means landing it short of the green, bumping it into the fringe, rough, or hill to deaden it some. I like the creativity of those type shots and pulling them off is fun. Gotta get up and down to keep the round going.

      This part of my game is HUGE on par 4s. A lot of up and down attempts since I don't hit many GIR on 4 pars.

          Very up and down for me. My driver is the main issue right now. I can tee off on hole one and hit a great one, but that will be the only good one all day. If I keep hitting it, even with only 100-130 yard tee shots (as long as no hazard from tee box to fairway), I can normally make up the distance since I hit my irons so long. I guess that's the good part, but I am probably de-lofting every club in the bag (why the driver is so bad as well).

          sdandrea1 you got it, reality is I know there will be rds where I'm off a little and GIR will suffer, gotta play the shots that will work and.give best up and down chance!

          PS how'd u quote?

              State of my game, It exists….. Just call me Chip-n-Putt….

              At 69 I am still managing to post an 80 plus or minus 4 routinely on course of 6000 or less. Best news is that my game travels, actually travels better than my at home game, go figure.

              10 months into reworking my golf swing, it is still a work in progress; but I am gaining some distance and quite a bit of consistency. Best of all the new swing is Body Friendly; hip, leg and back are not a problem unless I do something stupid. I did make a change to the grips I have on my clubs, went to the Winn Master Wrap. These grips are responsible for much of my increase in distance and consistency. Not that a grip is magic, but these grips often described as a bit spongey have made me reduce tension and smooth out my rhythm/tempo. Plus is help with the arthritis in my fingers to have a good pain free grip.

              My goal for the year, starting last October was to have a consistent repeatable and predictable golf swing, one with maybe some distance of past years. Not sure I am going to make it, but I have a better game today than of yesterdays.

              Weirfan

              The Hobbit's going to be jealous. Now he'll be the only one with the rifle speed swing. 😊

                Much better than I deserve. I am enjoying my age 53 golf, although I have shot higher than 80 twice this year, that was a bad week. 😬

                ode PS how'd u quote?

                New feature! Select the text you want to quote and a quote feature "button" automagically appears. Then click on that button and a Reply window opens. Type your reply and submit!

                  Hitting it stupidly good....Simplified a lot of thoughts and got it down to a couple swing keys. I came up with a preshot putting alignment thing last year, worked on it all winter, and what's funny is this year I notice all the tour pro's doing it. This year I'm lights out. Since July 2016 my worst round is even par. Last week I had 2 rounds of 62 and a 57 on a par 70 course. Can't explain it...just nice to simplify and have it work.

                  My rounds year to date are down over more than a 1/3 from my normal spring/summer. I'm healthy and really enjoy the game when I'm out on the course, I just have lost the lust of getting out there for whatever reason(s). Even so, my handicap index has dropped and trending down from 14.5 to near 13 and I have been pleased with straight tee balls and keeping the ball in play.

                  I have a couple of tournaments coming up and on shorter courses (6000 or less) playing a shamble format I should be in the to mid-70's. The competitive 'juice' is starting to flow - I can feel it 👊

                  Pretty good right now. Driver is consistently finding shorter grass, although not as far out as I'd like. Moving to Sr. tees has been a boon to the scoring though. 77-83 is the norm on any given course, so far, and I try to play a lot of different ones in the area. Trying to eliminate 'the crutches' in the bag(hybrids) by throwing in irons I haven't tried to hit for a few years....and it's starting to work. May throw the 4i in the bag this weekend to see if I can hit it. Never could before, but, delusions of grandeur has set in.🤓 Took the possessed 3 wd. out; it had a tendency to hit itself from the heel with a wicked left to right trail; which was fine from the right side of the fw. From the left side of the fw I was having to bill the course for treetopping services! The 5 wd. is doing well with it's behavior, but not as long as it should be/could be. Putter seldom sees the number 3, and often only number 1, due in part to a nicely behaving wedge.

                  The best part is the hitting of irons again. I(seriously) was using a 25* hybrid from as close as 100 yds. due to not being able to hit even an 8i that far. Even though I got good at it, I still hated not being able to use irons as they should be used. Basically was only using a wedge, hybrids and woods. I scored, but the taste was wrong. It just got to the point that I did not know how to hit the irons at all. Shanks or slices was the result. Just decided that I am better than that. Time will tell.....ongoing process for this season.

                    Thanks to help of advice from friends here, a new playing partner, more suitable equipment , weekly outings, I believe I have met my goal for the year of improving scores from mid to upper 90s down to to bumping into upper 80s. Took up golf too late in my life and with too little time to devote to hope to become really adept, which wasn't my goal. I only planned exercise & recreation. I
                    discovered it provides more satisfaction with improved play however and that improvement is my motivation now.
                    At 72, age , injuries take their toll , but I intend to fight to continue to hold on to or improve on it , so I can enjoy this stupid game as long as I can.
                    Fairways & Greens y'all

                    Par4QC I scored, but the taste was wrong. It just got to the point that I did not know how to hit the irons at all

                    I feel your pain. I use up to a 6h on occasion but am too stubborn to admit that I can no longer hit a 4, 5 or 6 iron and I keep trying. As I stated earlier, on par 4s, I go driver, some club (FW or hybrid) to get me near the green and then chip and putt for par or bogey. I miss the days of hitting a 5 iron onto a green from 170 yards out, but they are gone.

                        sdandrea1 I could never hit a 5i. And I mean ANY 5, from any set, any shaft. Never! Could hit a 4 or 6 easily, but the 5 would always be a slice, for whatever reason. Got to the point I just left it out of the bag. Last 2-3 yrs. I've been unable to hit any iron above PW decently, so I just kind of gave it up with them and used that 25* hybrid, choked down. Got damn good at it, but just want to hit irons again. It's coming along OK, but do get scared when the score is low and afraid of a mishit. Had a few proud moments last weekend with the 9 that built a bit of confidence. Nothing like looking at a pitch out, saying 'screw it', then shooting over a 80'+ tree while standing 40' from it, while going for the green......and nailing it😉