Almost got it

Brian

Do you think that you are now (more or less) at your best? Given the scores you are capable of I'll be interested in comparing your answer with the responses from people whose scores still have a way to drop.

It's a bit of a moving target, I guess the issue is whether I am at my personal best or my potential best. At the moment I am near my personal best, but not what I consider my potential best.

I have to say this site has helped me a lot in the last year, it has made me consider and think through what I need to do in my own game by looking at other members problems and making an effort to understand other viewpoints. I have been in some battles here sometimes but always come away with something I can attribute as a positive outcome.

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Best Regards
Brian

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Funny o'l game!

Have played only the 8 competition rounds this calendar year, excluding my 4 match play rounds and the scores read like this...

90, 90, 94, 94, 85, 93, NCR & 89 => Average 90.7 (not counting the NCR)

The round where I NCR'd was a stroke round and my ball was picked up by a student on the practice fairway adjacent to the 18th fairway after I duck hooked my 2nd to the Par 5 over there. From memory, at that point a par 5 would have seen me card another 90. I was in a bad place in my headspace that week and was in no mood to go back and hit another...

And last week, I 3 putted the last (and 2 others) in posting that 89.

The 85 is the stand out and that was not at my home course, but at a course that I was very familiar with.

My PB since I again picked up the clubs last August after a 5 year break is 82 and that was in November last year, but wasn't a competition round. It was just a Sunday round with a couple of mates I hadn't seen for quite a while.

The theme for me is now becoming apparent, I play good consistent golf for 12-14 holes and have 4-6 holes where I seemingly "lose the plot" a bit...

This weekend I'm going away with my family for Easter holidays and we will get some golf in. So, no competition golf for me now until the following week.

Have a great Easter all...

Cheers

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Every time a golfer makes a birdie, he must subsequently make two triple bogeys to restore the fundamental equilibrium of the universe....

After two consecutive 89s against a PB of 87, at last a new PB - without striking the ball particularly well and only by one shot but at 86 a PB nonetheless. I seem to be settling down in the 80s now, thanks again to all for the help and encouragement.

Stiil leaving shots out there (31 putts and a "3 off the tee") but the next move down will be either mental or course management or a mixture of both. Ignoring what you might call ordinary high cap standard shots there must have been 2 or 3 occasions where I threw away shots when ego overcame commonsense and I went for it instead of laying up and accepting a bogey (or a par if single putting) resulting in a double or triple.

I'm sure that a little more thought as I go round could see me in the low 80's without really improving my game technically at all.

My target now and for the next few months is to get into the habit of engaging brain before picking up club.

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I firmly believe that we should try to experience all that life affords, except, perhaps, bestiality and of course Morris Dancing.

Grrrrrrrrrrrreat stuff Robin, well done . If you want to sharpen up your mental game I recommend this book, maybe you can get hold of a copy from your library? The Mind Factor by Darren Clarke

nice going robin
for me its going to be course management!
played in a 3ball at weekend with 2 members one of which was marking a card for my handicap.
i played the front 9 really well (44) and was playing the back nine okay starting with 5,5,5,4,5 then i had a 8 and a 9 in the last 4 holes
the 9 really did my head in i hit a great drive and instead of laying up i went for it and faded a 5 iron into the woods i go for the blind green with my pw and blade it straight through to the brook behind cut along story short duffed my pitch back over the brook and then 2 putt for 9
next time im laying up and expecting to take 5 max

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cheers slats
"Golf can best be defined as an endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle"

Robin, Slats,

That book I mentioned by Darren Clarke is also put together by a leading sports mentor. It tackles more than straightforward "Getting in the Zone" type matters, it also has very enlightening ways of dealing with course management, relaxation and practice sessions.

Thanks mate. Its getting there.

Oh I'm sorry, I know it shouldn't but that just made me laugh.

Twice last time out, same longish par 5 hole (we play the 9 twice). Moderate to OK 3-wood, only 210yds at best but on the short stuff, superb 7I (couldn't hit anything longer all day, so relaxed and hit what I could) leaving 160ish yd to the pin through the two green side bunkers. Now for me 160yd is just about the range of my best 7I - as per the previous shot - and should clear the front bunkers easily.

Need I go on?

Oh Ok. There would appear to be a world of difference between just biffing a relaxed 7I up the fairway and hitting the same shot to set up a birdie chance - "tensed" both into the bunker, one 7 and an an 8 (don't ask), two wedges and two sixes at worst on a good day.

Now since I did it twice you can see what I mean about "engage brain over ego".

btw how is new club?

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I firmly believe that we should try to experience all that life affords, except, perhaps, bestiality and of course Morris Dancing.

Brian

Thanks - I was going to post that I was more interested the course management bits etc than the "zone".

hi robin
glad you liked it

hi robin
glad you liked it
new club is great!
course is awesome suits my game down to the ground
looks like my opening h/cap will be 16
not bad in less than 3 years

Sounds a bit better than your old Pay & Play . 16. Nice going.

I've always wondered this about handicaps and I guess, having just got one, you might know.

How do they deal with the blow up holes? In your case it looks as if its been decided that the outward 44 is par for the course [sorry ] giving 88 and a 16 cap - i.e. the 8 and the 9 in your last 4 holes have been cut back.

I suppose one idea would be to take each blow up down to the lowest non (stapleford) scoring number but I'd be interested in knowing for sure.

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I firmly believe that we should try to experience all that life affords, except, perhaps, bestiality and of course Morris Dancing.

hi robin
dont quote me on this
but i think the 8 and 9 are scored as 6's
a mate told me that your handicap is a mark of your potential rather than your average score above par.
the 8 and 9 werent on the hardest si holes on the course
i scored nett par's on those!

Yep thats what they do (in UHS/CONGU anyways)

thanks greeboman
my mate has joined another club and posted 101,102 and 106 and was gutted to be told he would be playing off 22!
he's only been playing 7 months