My Golfing Journey to a plus Handicap

My golfing Journey. ( LONG POST)

So I started this post to outline my history and progression in the game of golf.

Golf for me growing up was almost non existent, I was more interested in playing other sports.

Hockey and baseball were my main sports growing up, and I played both competitively from the approximate age of 5-20 years old. University took its toll in my sporting career at that point. I gave up baseball completely at that time, but still have managed to play hockey all year round to this day.

( What else can you do in the winter here in Canada)

I flat out did not really enjoy golf when I was a kid. There were always a few kids in the neighborhood that golfed, and 1 summer when I was the age of 14 my Dad even bought me a junior membership. He himself was a business owner and did not really have much time to golf but loved the game and really wanted me to take up golf. He never forced it or anything like that, and always let me pick what sports I wanted to play.

I was naturally talented & coordinated in my other sports and he thought I should take up the sport of golf. At the young age of 14 my golfing experience was limited to maybe 5 or 6 real rounds of golf, and a dozen trips the driving range over the years with birthday parties etc.

Needless to say he did not get his money worth out of that golf membership and for years he would give me grief about it. During my membership at the age of 14, I played maybe 12 rounds of golf and practiced half a dozen times.

Fast forward a decade now to my mid twenties. I swung the club a few times over the previous years, but still had no passion for the game. My experience with golf before the age of 26 would have been around 20 rounds of golf and another 20 practice sessions at the driving range.

2011: (Year 2 with membership, year 1: I was 14 and didn’t focus on golf)

At the age of 26 I had become really good friends with a few guys I played hockey with who were avid golfers so my interest started to grow hearing them talk about it all the time. I decided to pull the trigger on getting a golf membership that summer, and I really did not know what I was getting myself into.

I spent around $1500 for the golf membership I really did not know I was going to use. I can remember paying for the membership around a month before the course opened, the snow was still melting and It was a long month to worry about my memberships value, and if I was going to use it.

The month goes by and of course my friends drag me out for opening day. At this point I am really excited and have a new open mind for learning the game of golf . I can remember my first round that year, I shot 103, and my other friends who had golfed for most of there lives shot high 80’s . I am a very competitive guy by nature and I thought to myself I could beat these guys with a lot of practice.

Golf was new and exciting to me, I could not get enough of it, I was the guy showing up to the course every night after work and either practicing or playing as many holes as I could. I was addicted , plain and simple.

I am athletic guy naturally and could hit the ball a long ways, which is why I liked the sport so much. The strokes started dropping off by the week. With about a month left in the golf season I broke 80, I shot a 78 and was just living a dream. I managed to shoot another 79 in that last month but was typically shooting Low to Mid 80’s. I was really happy with my progression and was regularly beating people who had golfed for there entire lives, most people I had played with could not believe how little experience I had.

2012: ( year 3 with membership)

My third year with a golf membership came the following year, there was now way I could enjoy summer now without a golf membership. I was addicted to the game and ready to progress my skills even further.

The year started off slow as I couldn’t believe how much feel you lose over the winter not getting to golf all year around up here in Canada. I was determined to get better and my practice routine showed it, I was now known as being a range rat. I didn’t care, I loved the sport and it was so new and exciting for me I could spend hours practicing on the weekend , without a care in the world.

By mid season I was firing on all cylinders , It was a par 72 course and I had shot a whole bunch of mid to high 70’s . My best score at the time was a 75. One beautiful day in the middle of summer everything seemed to come together, and I dropped my career best by 4 strokes, I fired a 1 under 71. This had put me on cloud 9, I had bought everyone in my group a meal afterwards I was just loving the game.

Now a few weeks after that almost a year from the time I broke 80 for the first time, I stood on 18 green with a 15 footer for birdie, I was already 2 under par at the time, this putt was for a score breaking 70. I was really nervous now, as that is a milestone that only a select group of people will ever achieve. I leave the putt right on line and about 1 foot short. I was pissed! That season ended a few weeks later, I never did get another chance at 69(-3), however I managed to shoot a bunch of good scores around par.

2013: ( year 4 with membership)

The whole winter I thought about breaking 70, it was a goal I made for myself ……

, I managed to find a place I could hit balls indoors inside of a soccer field covered by a dome. I tried to hit a bucket of balls every week , so I could come out strong for the start of the season. The goal worked, opening day I shot a 74(2over) and had the confidence I needed to start the year off with a bang.

Throughout the year I shot par or better probably close to 15 times. Five times I shot a score of 70, but was never reaching that goal I was so destined to hit. The year finished and I realized how difficult it was to go that little extra bit lower.

I consider my first year of actual golfing to be the membership I got when I was 26, I played more in that year than I had my whole entire life previously. As I said before my first score of that year was 103, as I got enough scores I remember my handicap starting around 20. By the end of that first season I had shot 2 rounds below 80 and managed to get the handicap to around 10.

The 2 consecutive years after the Handicap had basically split in half. After year 2, I was down around a 4.. And the previous year that had just passed I was down just under 2.

At that point in time, I remember being puzzled by the amount of effort it takes the reach that next level of playing to a scratch handicap. You gain a lot more understanding for the game and realize the amount of hours people have put into there game to reach the levels they are at.

2014 Season: ( Year 5 with membership, technically year 4 of actually focusing on golf)

This past winter was different for me, I did not take any time off the game of golf. The season ends around the start of November for us.

I did not let a week go by this past winter where I did not hit at least 100- balls indoors. Some weeks as many as 400.

Up until the spring of 2014 season I had never once taken a lesson , and have done all my learning through youtube and reading articles on this great website.

I knew prior to this season starting: I said to myself I was going to change everything I did no like about my swing. That’s the good thing about having an off season here in Canada, we can make the necessary changes while we are not able to play.

I had a lot of weight transfer, shifting forward and backwards, my head would move substantially however I was always gifted with a natural tempo and lag which helped with my results.

SPRING OF 2014 Season I decided I was going to get my first set of lessons from a local PRO.( top 50 instructor in Canada)

I have worked a lot on getting my swing into a better position, for more consistency.

Some of the Key changes I made were:

1- Grip, I had always played a 10 finger grip, as this came natural to me from baseball. This is changed to an interlocking grip.

2- Stance, more Spine angle lean away from the target at address so I don’t have to shift my head back in the takeaway.

3- Bumped my hips more forward at address, and bowed out my feet a little more to help keep me centered in my swing.

Most importantly I shortened my backswing!

My old natural swing vs. my new taught swing is like night and day. I am so excited about my improvements in ball striking

My dedication to the game is very strong, this past year I had purchased a house next door to the country club I play at. I now have lots of opportunities to hit balls almost every day of the week.

I understand that putting is one of the most important aspects of the game. Just a few months ago I have installed a artificial putting green in the basement of my house.

The putting surface is approximately 12 X 18, with some added Fringe turf around the outside.

It has 3 regulation cups, and 2 smaller cups for training purposes.

2014 SEASON RECAP.

So I sit here today looking back at this kind of journal I wrote over the past couple years.

Previously to this year, I had no tournament experience, I decided this season I was going to play in my first Club championship, First Provincial/State Amateur etc.

The first couple tournaments I played in were hard! I couldn’t believe the added pressure your swing under go’s when you are nervous / adrenaline is flowing etc. Tournament golf is a whole new ball game compared to casual golf. I had a lot of experience with pressure moments growing up playing other sports, so this was nothing new to me. After the first couple tournaments I found myself getting comfortable in the new setting.

My Handicap continued to get better every week. I actually managed to hit a few milestones.

Handicap hit the plus side mid way through the season.

Got my First hole in 1. 168 yard Par 3, 8 iron.

Shot a new low score of 6 Under 66.

Tournaments:

I finished 16th in the Provincial/State Am.

The Mid Am was a few weeks after that, And I was actually in 2nd last group out on the final day.. Tied for 4th at the time. Had a solid front nine and with only 9 holes left to play, I managed to find myself sitting in 2nd place only a couple shots back of the leader. I however could not convert on the back nine and fell back to 7th place. I learned a lot from being in the situation, having a crowd follow your group, and your name being held up on a sign. It was an amazing experience, and hope to take a lot from it moving forward.

I ended up finishing 18th in total Points for the year, and am very happy with my progression this year.

I wanted to make this post to show what a huge difference going to see a professional for lessons can make to your game. As the season is now coming to a close in a couple weeks, I have purchased a ton of instructional books to read in the off season. I plan on making next year my best season yet.

The game has come a long ways in the past year, and I wanted to share this story with anyone who is thinking about investing time/money into getting lessons.

"I wanted to make this post to show what a huge difference going to see a professional for lessons can make to your game."

best cover for best humble brag thread ever - bravo

great to see such fast progression

i'd bet you're in the 1% of golfers who can make this fast of a transition to a plus capper. nicely done and that pro needs some serious kudos.

Yeah I'm wanting to know where in Canada you are, and you should probably name the pro.

No reason to keep his name a secret that I can see.

i'm afraid this post does sound a bit "oh look how good i am in only 4 or 5 years, oh and look at my practice putting green!"

but good luck to ya

Geez, why rag on the guy? One way to become successful is to study successful people, whether it's golf, business, or life.

Matt,

what province do you play out of ?

[quote name='larrybud' timestamp='1413559215' post='10304927']
Geez, why rag on the guy? One way to become successful is to study successful people, whether it's golf, business, or life.
[/quote]

Seriously! Congrats on some great achievements and accomplishments.

Congrats on getting that good that fast, quite an accomplishment, especially in a play where you can't play year round. Can we get a WITB and a bit about the equipment you have gone through?

Congrats! Great story. An off-season is great! I wish I could golf year round but I also love the fact that we Canadians have a few months to work on some things as well!

What city/province are you from? Whats the name of the top-50 instructor in Canada that you went and saw? The reason I ask is because I have one of those top-50 in Canada as well and only 1 in Canada that teaches the Mike Austin swing, I was thinking of spending some of my winter changing a few things.

I realized when I wrote the story, I would probably take some grief from a few people. I actually contemplated for weeks if I would really post it. I had no intentions of Bragging myself up, I tried to write it in a way to help inspire people to train hard at their golf game.

It’s really hard to try to tell an inspiring story about yourself without it coming off the wrong way. To be honest I would have been perfectly fine telling this story if it was about someone else I knew.
If I was looking for credit or popularity I would of gave out my Name and Home club etc. However I would like to remain an anonymous character in the story.

I’m going to ask the Pro who gave me the lessons if he is Okay with me using his name in the post before I reveal it.


However I will tell you the place I got the lessons.

http://www.awarenessgolf.com/

The Pro actually just left that teaching school to start his own clinic.

As you will see from looking at the site, I am from the east coast of Canada. ( Nova Scotia)


I will do more of a follow up with the what’s in the bag. And the countless Clubs I have gone through over the past few years. I am actually finalized with what’s in my Bag now , and probably wont make to many changes in the future. ( Might get a G30 Driver)


I am a Ping guy. My entire Bag is ping.

CURRENT SETUP:
Driver: G25 / Anser - Have both the heads, Anser is alot longer, G25 is so straight for tournament play etc
Shaft: Speeder Tour Spec 8.2 X stiff beefy version from thepeoplesclubs

3 Wood Anser 14.5
Shaft Tour AD DI 8X , Tipped 1.5 inches, I’m probably going to change this shaft at some point.

Rapture Driving Iron , - KBS C- taper 130 X stiff.

Anser Irons 4 - PW Shafts: KBS C- taper 130 X stiff.

Wedges - Ping Anser 50 degree - KBS C taper 130 X stiff, (8 Iron Shaft trick)

Ping Tour Gorge 54 Degree - Project X 7.0 (8 Iron wedge Shaft trick)

Ping Tour Gorge 58 Degree Project X 7.0 (8 Iron wedge Shaft trick)

Putter: Ping Ketsch 35 inch.

I’m probably going to get the matching KBS shafts for my 54 and 58 for next year.
I used to play the project X 6.5 Flighted shafts last year in my iron set, but never got around to changing my wedge shafts this year when I switched over to KBS.

Very enjoyable to read. Shows what hard work can accomplish. Wow are we a lot alike but I am a few years behind Please keep us posted

Matt

I looked up your scores. Great playing and congrats on your rapid rise

Too bad you didn't come to the CDNA Mid Am in Barrie. I played with one of the guys from the PEI team

Don't worry about the naysayers, pretty much all of us have come on here and bragged (sometimes passively) about accomplishments

Sometimes we are proud of our golfing feats and it is fun to share those events with other like minded golf junkies

This crazy game can eat you up and spit you out, so you might as well celebrate he good times when fate goes your way

Keep it up

Hey Matt, how come your not playing the Golfzon mens night this winter?? Or are you playing out in sackville this year??

Hey Pigems.

I play in 3 Hockey leagues, so I took a couple months off a golf for the time being.

I am going to start going to golfzon on a regular basis for the remainder of the winter.
I see they have a cool cash prize tournament on the go for January.

Makes sense, we can only have so many hobbies. Are you going to play Wednesday nights or go on the weekends by yourself?? Maybe we can set up some weekend times or something, it's pretty busy on Wednesday nights. Takes like 3 hours to play a sim round instead of 1.5h.

I've yet to play in the cash tourny, but I do plan too. Well maybe not if you are, we'll just give you the prize

Hope you and your family had a great holiday season

Congrats on a great year and the fast progress. But from what you've indicated you have put in a pretty concentrated effort. Combined with your natural athletic skills, I guess it nets you the kind of result many would be hoping for. I hope your example helps provide some guidance for others. Good luck on your plans for the coming season.

Nice work! Never will discourage success stories, even if a tad long!

Nice job bro! I played hockey too. It seems a lot of hockey players take up golf pretty well. It's kinda interesting.

[quote name='Mattva77' timestamp='1421159023' post='10738511']
Hey Pigems.

I play in 3 Hockey leagues, so I took a couple months off a golf for the time being.

I am going to start going to golfzon on a regular basis for the remainder of the winter.
I see they have a cool cash prize tournament on the go for January.
[/quote]

I managed to keep pace with James last week for about 8/9 holes until I realized and fell apart lol

Nice write up! Enjoyed it! I share similar beginnings to golf in that my hockey teammates played and that's what sparked my interest. Your finishes in state ams and even opens will only continue to improve!

As for the ridiculous haters...

http://youtu.be/IBY29rBlkbc