GolfHos

Goal for the year was a 14.x index.  I started at about 19 when the active season began at the end of March.  On August 1st I'll be no higher than 14.7 and could go lower if I play well on Sunday. 

Woot!!!

I could still go back up over 15.0 by season's end if the game fell apart but I'm feeling awfully good right now.  Revised goal is 13.x and I hope to make a hard run at 12.x.

How goes it for the rest of yous?

I'm basically even for the year. Started at 5.6, drifted up to 6.0 and now at 5.7

However, next revision will probably be a couple tenths higher. I've come to the realization that I have hit a plateau. Practice time is hard to come by these days but I need to focus on 3 things:

1. More GIR's
2. 2-3 fewer putts per round on average
3. Getting up and down more consistently when missing the green.

In short, the short game.  ;D

I'm playing much worse than I was this time last year. Of course I was getting out a minimum of 2x /week last year, this year I'm lucky to get out 3x /month.  :sad3:

Fuzzy, I was stuck at 19 forever it seemed.  A good 2-3 years with no more than 2.0 fluctuation.  I practiced like a madman last summer and although I'd see signs of improvement there was nothing consistent to feel good about.  I've hit the range twice this year and the index is dropping like a stone.  It REALLY clicked during the back nine of Pebble Beach and I came home to 2.5 good rounds in a row.  All with "mental practice" only.  Funny old game.

Spacey, you're a total DINK (Mini-Cooper even) and only time for three rounds per month?  Shame on you.   [sm_pod]

It has more than anything to do with my regular group not being able to play. Dad with a season (potentially career) ending shoulder injury, older brother working 6 10-12 hour days per week, younger brother just got married. I don't like going out as a single, so if I don't have at least one playing partner, I don't go out. My game has suffered (a lot) for it.

One 18 and four 9's since May 2006.  Not much movement of the old index here.

I thought I had a regular Sunday afternoon thing set up, but differing vacation schedules have kept us from getting together very often.

Congrat.s Uisce.  Keep it up (er....., down.)
 

I haven't played nearly as much this year as I would have liked.  I dislike playing alone, and usually just skip it as well.
I don't track my index, but I can tell I am playing much better (globally) than in years past.

Thanks stroh.

Those of you who don't like playing alone.  Have you considered a crack of dawn nine?  Your jobs might not make it possible but I play alone or with my neighbor at about 6:15 once or twice a week.  At work by 8:00 usually and don't miss any time at all.  Love those nines and don't mind playing alone at all.  I probably wouldn't play 18 alone.

Playing with yourself isn't all that bad, in fact I rather like playing by myself now, it's something you get used to, the way I've been playing lately I'd rather no one watch.

I'm stuck in the rut of which Uisce speaketh of, although I have no official handicap my FiGs 18.5 is about +3 from where I should be, then again I'm coming off of a 1 year (at least) hiatus, and I still feel the rust (mostly mental), then again I'm mostly mental.

What was the question?

I started the year at 10.6 and have gotten down to a 9.4 currently.  A couple months ago I was on fire and had a bunch of good rounds in a row.  Now my putting and short game are failing me.  I haven't been able to practice once this year and can only play 3 rounds a month if I'm lucky.  So I don't see it going any lower most likely higher by years end.  

Congrats midget!  :D


My goal at the beginning of the year was 10 or lower by the end of the season.

I started April at 14.7 and am already down to 11.5 - I think I'm doing well  ;D    Especially after my recent regression with the swing  :-\

However, after having been a 9 about 3 years ago this isn't new territory - just revisited commitment.

I just broke 20 (19.9 ;D0).

Given the fact that I'm lucky enough to play at least once a week, and hoping that our season will last through October, I'm waiting to see how low the handicap can go this year.

Congrats on the improvement!

A drop of 5 is pretty significant.  Where has been the biggest change in your game?

Went from a high of 19.2 to 14.1.  Alas, July index up to 15 and it looks like that number will hold for August.  I have no excuse, I play at least 3 times a week.  Everytime I think I have had a breakthrough something inexplicable happens to my swing and it takes weeks to figure out.  I hate this game.

Tempo.  100% tempo.  I've known for years I'm better off emulating Ernie Els but for some reason Nick Price takes over on the course.  I can remember the exact shot where it all clicked.  It was the first par-3 on the back nine at Pebble - #12 I think.  It's a 200 yard hole and I Godzilla'd my first shot left and probably lost/out of play.  For some reason, my "slow it down, Jon" comment resonated this time.  I played my provisional to the middle of the green and it's been great since then.  I lose it for maybe 1-2 strokes per nine now and immediately recover. 

As far as the rest of year prior to that, I think the tools have been there and I'd haphazardly do the right thing a certain percentage of the time.  But my good differentials were distributed evenly across my full 20.  I was in danger of losing some that counted pretty soon and I would have gone back up to 16 or so.  Maybe more.  Yesterday I knew I needed a 8.6 or better over nine to avoid going up but I had no worries.  Carded a 5.5.  I have confidence in my game now (for now).   ;)

Good tempo puts me decent distance and in play.  Not always middle of the fairway, not always center of the green, but somewhere with a shot at par or birdie and bogey usually the worst result likely.  Blow-up holes, even doubles, are far less frequent than before.