Tell us about your golf decade 2010-2019

[SixtySomePing]

So first of all, have you played golf the entire decade, or did you take up the game somewhere along the way? How many equipment changes do you think you made? Has your game significantly improved? Do you have any decade parting standout funny stories to share? Tell us something about your golf decade 2010-2019...

[MountainGoat]

Difficult decade. I had actually quit playing the game in 2008 as a result of my personal disgust with the golf industry and a disagreement with a golf club with which I had a professional relationship. Quite frankly, that breakup ruined my life. I didn't touch a club again until 2014. I always believed that my skill level would allow me to pick up where I left off, and I was distressed to discover otherwise. I was terrible. Visits to a string of teachers did not help. If fact, I discovered that the entire teaching and equipment industry seemed to have dramatically changed over the years I'd been absent.

I decided to become a full-time golfer again, so I moved to a house adjacent to a golf course. A month later, I fell down the stairs and fractured my neck. I suffered profound and painful muscle losses in my shoulders and upper back. As of this time last year, I wasn't convinced I'd ever play again. I started swinging again in January. The injury forced me to go back to the beginning and re-learn the game with a different body. I followed the development principles I'd come to believe in and became my own best student. Eventually, I found a coach who encouraged those beliefs, and my strength started to return. As I write these words today, I'm pretty much back to where I left off when I quit the game back in 2008.

 

[TimK1]

Mine was steady. I'm better now than in 2010. Just smarter navigating around the course and I know my game and swing better. My swing hasn't changed in thirty years. I practice the same things now as I did 30 years ago. I have had the same irons for 22 years. I do like the newer drivers and woods. I just hate the shaft lengths. So I have them the length of the old school length's.

I have resisted the new equipment and all the noise of the modern day game and instruction. I'm not saying it doesn't help people. It depends on the era you learned the game. I have never had a formal lesson but I am lucky enough to be friends of two people who played the LPGA and PGA tour in the late sixties and early seventies. I still connect with them a few times a year just to go over things. They give me some advice and I take it or reject it. I work on it myself. I don't want their help like that. The more I know on my own the better off I am.

They teach a more old school approach to the swing because of the era they came from. I have stuck with it all these years.

 

There is too much noise in the golf industry and it has done more harm than good to a lot of guys and gals who could have been pretty darn good if they would have just stuck with one thing. You can see the confusion just by reading the instruction forum. Makes my head spin reading all that.

So my golf decade stayed the same as my previous two decades and it will stay the same until I'm dead or injured or get too old to play .

[TimK1]

Sorry,

I'm not sure why I highlighted your post M.G. The injuries suck. I think we might have a similar feeling as to some things related. I stay out of my clubs business, period. I have been there for years and know twenty guys. LOL

I'm very private and normally play nine holes four or five days a week on my own. I play state a local Am tournaments so I get my fill of playing with people then. I hate noise clutter and useless small talk is noise clutter to me.

[Springsteennut]

The first few years of the decade my kids were in that middle school/high school age and were involved in lots of activities so finding time for golf was tough. My son and I would play some but he played baseball so maybe we’d play 5/6 times. In 2014 I had health issues and was forced to retire. It’s a neuromuscular issue and my doctor suggested golf as an activity I could do if I used a cart. I took his advice and started to play more. It’s difficult for me to have a consistent swing through a whole round ( 18 can be really tough) but I took some lessons with a pro I know and that helped. I was probably and over 20 handicap but I almost got down to 14 early this year. Unfortunately I had an injury and a couple of eye surgeries and I’ve climbed back up to 18. I’ll probably never be a single handicap because I never really know how my body will react as I go through a round and that’s okay but if I can get back to where I was earlier in the year I’ll be pretty happy.

[Left Rough]

 

Wow, what an experience. Not sure what story is going to top that!

[SixtySomePing]

Wow MG, I'm really proud of you for overcoming so much adversity. First, your personal relationship with the game being shredded so to speak, and then when you decided to make amends with the game, you suffered a terrible injury, yet you didn't give up, bravo. I wish you the best golf years ahead, I hope they are much more enjoyable than any you have known so far.

For me, I have been playing since 1965 when I was 14. That's a lot of golf, a lot of enjoyment as well. I've been a lot of places and learned a lot. Seen a lot of improvements in the game, and in the equipment. When I was 30 I got epilepsy out of the blue, but that didn't stop me, just a few adjustments and meds, and I try to keep things comical so I've lived with it, still was allowed to drive. Fast forward to two years ago and I decided to until I was 68 to retire, (which would make it this year) then enjoy playing lots of golf. That previous fall however I had developed a condition in each nerve and related muscle of both my lower legs causing foot drop. Simple explanation is your foot doesn't spring back up when you walk, it just drags. So with the help of AFO braces you can walk, sort of, and it is difficult to balance yourself too, when you have it on both sides. However, I still play golf, I just don't swing until I feel like I have gotten my balance, it's fun... So back to the epilepsy, I don't have the grand mal seizures any more, I outgrew those, but I do have what's called complex partial seizures. This means I kind of drift out just occasionally for maybe 30 seconds and then it goes away. This rarely happens any more. Except before I was going to retire, and that's when I hit the back of a box truck at 50 mph after 'phasing out'. So my dream of retiring and driving to the course whenever I want to ended when I lost my license, and the double foot drop kinda makes golf challenging too. But, the good thing is, each time I play, I enjoy it more than I have ever enjoyed golf in my life. When I'm in balance, I can still drive the ball really well. If I'm standing on flat ground I can still hit a decent approach shot, and if I can stand still, I can still putt well. But those aren't the reasons why I enjoy playing golf, I finally realized just like the first time I played in 1965, and Markrip used the same word above. Golf still makes me happy. I hope it makes you happy too.

[TimK1]

Wow,

I don't realize what people actually go through. I have been very fortunate to have played for 30 years at a pretty high level. I just take it for granted. Never been injured or had any health issues. You guys are amazing to keep plugging away.

I have no excuses not to be my best.

[jc88]

Lots of bad shots and a lot of beer

[SammyShaf]

I started working at a course as a cart guy/shop assistant. From there, I went to a manager of a big box golf retailer. After that, I was married to a beautiful women(and became a step dad) to having a son of my own. I went from playing everyday to maybe every other weekend. I went from playing leftover clubs to being a brand ambasssador. I played ill fit clubs to custom clubs. I went from tinkering with clubs to being led by a launch monitor to an ideal bag.

I started as a swing and giggle player who counted beers per round to a low 80s with a round or two in the 70s. Now, family responsibilty has led me from practicing and obsessing to teaching my now 7 year old daughter the game. I met some of my closest friends in the past 10 years through golf. I hope to reach a point in the next decade where I canpour more time into playing the way I would like play.

 

[b.helts]

In November of 2011 I got my amateur status back. Won a couple local tournaments in 2012 and attempted to qualify for the Mid-Am but didn’t make it.

fast forward to 2017. I was playing very good golf. Shot 65-63 to own our club championship by 12. 63 was course record, in a tournament round no less. Played a couple more rounds and then birdied the last 4 to shoot 65 again.

I hung around drinking beer and shooting the breeze with all my golfing friends. I got hammered. Slept in my truck and woke up in pitch black with the gates of the parking lot closed.

I was drinking too much. Way too much. Whatever the last drink of that night was, was the last drink I had. October of 2017. Part of the process was to stop going to the golf course. I didn’t drink much away from the course so it was time to hang it up for a bit. I played 8 rounds in 2018 and I’m just starting to get back into it and I’m excited to start playing again

2020 is going to be a big year for b.helts. I hope it is for you too.

[caniac6]

It's been absolutely fantastic! I have survived prostate cancer, and a heart attack, and feel better than ever. Play five days a week, walk, and still play the course at 6700 yards. I feel very lucky!

[aenemated]

Been an interesting decade for me.

I pretty much stopped playing in '99 after my dad passed. At the time, I was 22 and my game was in top shape. No official handicap but I was generally scoring around par (I mean, I shot 75 literally the day after he died - still have that scorecard. See the albatross thread for some more details). I'd still hit up the range every so often and played handful of rounds here and there from then till 2014 but not even remotely playing regularly. MAYBE 3 or 4 rounds in all those years. That year though, I'd posted some old photos I found on FB; one of which was me at 15 from a high school match. A buddy hit me up and was like "I didn't know you played golf!" "Well, I used to. Kinda gave it up after dad." "Let's go play!"

I'd sold the MP-14's I was playing when my game was in top shape but I still had the Lynx Black Cats (full bag!) dad had bought me for my senior year season. These clubs were like ... nearly 20 years old at this point; dried out grips ... but I went out and actually played OK. Thought "Hey, I should start doing this again!" Got 'em re-gripped and started to work at the range to try and find some consistency. I'd planned a Hawaii trip prior to this and as it approached thought "I ought to play there." So I took the clubs and played Turtle Bay and had a pretty ok round ... and again, a whole hell of a lot of fun. When I got back, I got REALLY into it ... despite knowing practically nothing about golf in LA. And knowing only that one dude who played. So more range work and had a crazy idea to go to Pebble Beach. I'd finished up a big freelance project and had a lot of cash; so decided to do it for my birthday that year.

Kinda made a mess of both Pebble and Spyglass. It was an amazing trip and I had a blast ... but I simply did not play well ... and it really bummed me out.

Got back, put the clubs in the closet and didn't even think about golf - other than watching it - till last year. Got paired up with a new guy at work for lunch and in course of conversation, turned out he played. And was playing the next weekend. "You should come out! We need a 4th anyway!"

So ... dragged the clubs out, went to the range the weekend between and it wasn't TOO gnarly.

Then showed up to the course and actually didn't make a complete ass of myself for someone who had barely touched a club in almost 20 years. I mean, it wasn't "good" by any stretch but I had an absolute blast. Got invited out a couple more times and it started to become a regular thing, like every couple weeks.

Ah, but leaving out a key element here. See; in all those years between - I was playing drums in rock bands. And particularly enjoyed all the extracurricular activities that come with that - mainly girls and substances. Both those killed my marriage eventually. I'd mostly quit the drugs but was still a raging drunk.

One weekend, I was supposed to go play but for whatever dumb reason, decided to get absolutely hammered the night before. Woke up the next morning, texted my buddies to tell them I wasn't coming and went back to bed. When I woke back up and was laying around like a hungover slob, it hit me.

"Dude, you're 40 years old. This is stupid. You love golf and you're gonna blow it off to get drunk? That's not FUN anymore, that's pathetic."

That was like early October or so of last year. I decided, I was not only going to (mostly) stop drinking but also get my game back to where it was. Had to do one to do the other.

Before that happened, I was usually somewhere in the mid-high 90s. Lots of blown out drives, chunked/skulled irons, terrible putting. Just a mess. So I started putting in a LOT of range work as well as getting into better physical condition. And building up regular rounds. Booked the St Andrews trip and swore to go there a single digit. (Didn't quite - was a 10).

As of the most recent revision, I'm a 5.7. Seriously all I've cared about this whole year has been golf and I'm honestly pretty stoked about how far I've come. There aren't MANY weeks I haven't played at least one round and I've tried to do at least 2-3 range/short game sessions every week. Haven't 100% stuck to it - but pretty close.

My goal for 2020 is to knock those last strokes off and get down to officially scratch and start competing again in SCGA events ... and maybe beyond. We'll see. This was a big part of getting the Mizunos because as much as I love a full set of blades, I had to be honest with myself and admit I was giving up strokes outside of 150 yards to pure hubris. (I went MB PW-8 and MMC 7-4 with a 19° hybrid over a 3 ... though after today's round, I MIGHT swap out the 7 for MB ... we'll see)

Excelsior!

 

[Hawkeye77]

Been great when I've been 100%, and frankly this summer was some of the best I've played with an elbow issue off again, on again and probably the least I've played in a long while.

Improved the most I've ever improved, handicap down 6-7 strokes (mostly in the past 5 years), learned better short game techniques via Monte, full swing turned a corner IMO (again Monte, but that's been a real work in progress). I think my daughter and I first had a short visit with Monte on March 17, 2014 (just found a video from that first lesson) - game changer and my game has evolved a lot even when handicap not necessarily reflecting it ever since and it has evolved as Monte's teaching and ideas have evolved.

Now in there - dodgy right knee that interfered in a big way with two seasons until surgery in fall of 2014, now a persistent and nasty case of tennis elbow that at times made a mess of the 2018 and 2019 seasons (solution yet to be determined but no more cortisone injections) but others deal with far more serious issues. I just resent anything physical that takes me away from an already too short season every year.

That decade also saw me go from 50-60 age wise, so improvement is possible as we get older, and I've been playing since I was around 10-11 years old.

2010 and 2011 were my daughter's junior and senior years of high school. We played every night after her practices in the spring those years. Saw her play a lot of great golf and her 3rd and 4th state meets participated in (and my dad didn't miss any of her meets either, so even better). So enjoyed those years for special reasons other than just my own improvement - and I had flirtations with really good scores during that time, but not consistently.

My most fun decade in golf by far, thanks for asking!

 

 

 

[Socrates]

Decade started with good golfing and lots of it. Derailed in 2012 with sciatica and thoughts of never playing again. Playing again in 2013, but developed some bad habits due to subconsciously protecting my back. Almost quit mid decade due to shittyy play. Decided to rebuild the game in 2016 which took 2+ years. Ended the decade by playing some of my best golf ever and ended the year (and decade) with my last round being a 71 at Shadow Ridge in Palm Desert last week. Now the trick will be defeating Father Time as 2020 will see me turn 60 and retirement in 11 months. Hopefully I will be sane and healthy enough to golf my brains out for another decade.

That was the Reader's Digest version. I had a much longer diatribe, but I spared you all the blood and guts.

[bub72ck]

2010: Moved to a new area and joined a nice local CC. Picked up a great golf group and started practicing every day.

2011: Played the best golf of my life. Won several events and got my handicap down to +2.7. (Lowest it's ever been)

2012: My son was born so I didn't play much golf. Same goes for 2012-2014. Left the club I joined in 2010 because the owner ran the place into the ground.

2015-2017: Played golf a little more than 12-14 but not a lot. Most of my golf time was work related scrambles and a few weekend rounds. Handicap stayed around 3.

2018: Moved to the area I now live with a new job. Joined a club I played weekly while in college with two of my former teammates/roommates. Started playing 2-3 days per week in some capacity. My son is 6 and goes to the course with my wife and I (she's a good player as well). Handicap down to 0.

2019: Invited to join very nice private club in October. Most excited I've been about golf since 2011. Handicap still around 0 but improving. Really looking forward to next spring!

[msg]

2010 - Started golfing again after a long time of not playing. Last golf game I played before this year was in 2003. I really did not have the resources to sustain my game at this point as I was just starting my career at work.

2011- Still golfed, but a very few games and some range sessions. At this point, breaking 100 is a blessing.

2012 - I migrated to Canada and started golfing mid summer in June. Little did I know the next things that will happen will going to be crazy. I got a great membership deal at a 9 hole course near my work and played almost everyday of summer.

2013 - First full season of golfing. Rude awakening that winter really derails your game unless you do something in the winter to retain what you learned last summer. At this point I am still trying to find my groove. I started hoeing clubs at this point. No more membership but I still played a lot of golf.

2014 - I got a little bit better. From breaking 100, breaking 90 was a norm now. Still hoeing clubs. lol

2015 - I got even better as my handicap now is in the 13 - 10. Broke 80 a few times. Scored even par! More clubs.

2016 - I started joining a league and more tournaments and was exposed to better players. I got my dream golf bag and bought a brand new Scotty Cameron, a life long dream when I was just a teenager. Was able to play in the US and watch Ryder Cup in person. I stayed with the same clubs for this season and the next. I started to take the golf leagues and tournaments seriously.

2017 - Got my first and only hole in one. I have gotten more confident with my swing and my game. We built a house and down the basement we put a golf simulator that would help me get better and get by in the next two winters. I finally came home to the Philippines and played some golf with my dad after more than a decade since our last game together.

2018 - Developed a fade as my go to shot. At this point, I got to single digit handicap range, about 8. Played less games as I got better, slowed down the club hoeing as well. I started using a range finder. I wa able to shoot under par in 9 holes in a few games and shot 1 over par in a tournament at our local city course that I join annually. Too bad it was a two round tournament. I completely botched the second round.

2019 - I grew even more matured on the course and my course management and mindset was improved my reading and watching things about this area of the game. I finished my season at 6 handicap. Something that I never thought I could do! Came home to the Philippines again and played with dad and played very well as I knew what to expect playing in a tropical climate. This year for me is the best year so far and will be hard to top. I actually say that every year but this one, with limited games now, I think I have reached my maximum potential and I am not complaining at all.

Wow, looking back at what I wrote, little did I imagine that I would be able to do the things I did and experience the games that I played. I am very thankful for the last ten years and I got to hand it to my wife for allowing me to spend that much in golf! I am excited for the next ten years as I approach my forties by that time.

 

[jpking17]

2010- Horrible golfer and start playing in a golf league about this time...golf becomes competitive and I start researching golf swings but still don't really understand what I am doing in my golf swing.

2014- Have long since started updating my equipment and finally figuring out what works for me and what doesn't....starting to become a decent golfer...shooting in the 90's

2019-Consistently shooting in the low 80's with the occasional 70's round. I've gotten to the point where most rounds good or bad are determined by how I putt. If I make putts I shoot in the 70's and if I don't I shoot in the 80's. I finally understand my golf swing thanks to Mike Benders lessons. As expected though just when I thought I had it all figured out I go out and light up the scorecard this past Saturday...I know nothing about golf again.

[Roody]

In 2010 I think I was about a 13 handicap. Currently a 7.2Knocked a few courses off my bucket list: Pebble, Spyglass, Sawgrass, KiawahIn 2010 I was still playing my Ping G2 irons that I had since 2004. In 2014 I finally bought new Callaway Apex's. Still gaming them todayI think it was around 2013 that I changed my swing to a stack-and-tilt. Spent almost the entire 2014 season hitting my irons beautifully, and my driver and fairway woods were downright awful2015 I made the conscious decision to adopt two different swings. Stack-and-tilt for irons, more conventional swing for Driver2016 I decided I wasn't able to hit my fairway woods like I used to, so I picked up a 2-iron. Gave my 3W and 5W to my father-in-law to try. He hasn't given them back yet.It was in 2012 that I started trying to play in competitive tournaments. Nothing major, mostly club tournaments and a couple of the local golf association tournaments. Did enough of them to start to learn to control my nerves at least somewhat. The experience sure makes the $20 weekend game a lot less stressful.Wife and I joined our first fully-private club in 2018.

[RichieHunt]

I got back into the game in 2009 after an 8 year layoff. I played all of this decade. Not much in the way of breaks from the game as I moved to Florida in April 2010. I think my longest breaks from the game were maybe 3 weeks long. I had an ulcer in 2014 and spent a week in the hospital and they told me not to play golf for another couple of weeks. I moved to Boca Raton in 2016 and that proved devastating to my game. My job wasn’t very truthful about the hours I’d be working and the fact that I couldn’t take a vacation at the last week of any month. Didn’t have much in the way of public golf options or range time and I got out of there and headed back up to Central Florida.

 

I was probably hovering around scratch at the start of 2010. Got as low as +3 and now I hover around +1, but I think I’m a much improved player. I made about 4 swing changes in this time (John Erickson to MORAD to Kelvin Miyahira to George Gankas). 

 

I’ve probably changed irons about 8 times. Had Mizuno MP-62’s. Then had a bunch of blade sets over time. Really liked the old Srixon 100 blades and the Yonex blades. 

 

Drivers? I had quite a few. Started with an Adams Speedline. Tried the Adams 9015D driver and hated it. Then started to really love the Wishon 919THI. Then I went to the M1, followed by the Callaway Epic, the Callaway Rogue Sub Zero, then the Ping G400 Max and now the Ping G410. 

 

3-woods? Way too many to count. I think I may have had a Wishon 949MC 3-wood to start, now I carry a Ping G410.

 

Wedges were low bounce Cleveland 588’s. Started using Vokeys with more bounce and then got the Edels. Had a 52 and 60 combo but I’ve gone to a 52-56-60 combo due to the course I play. Currently have TaylorMade Milled Grinds High Bounce in the 52 and 56 with the Edel digger grind in the 60. 

 

Iron shafts have changed from True Temper DG to KBS Tour to Wishon stepless steel to Tour Issue DG to Fujikura Pro to now KBS $ Taper. Really like the $ Taper shaft.

 

Putters went from a Yes! Victoria II to an Edel custom putter to The Edel E-2 to the Edel The Brick to the Scotty Cameron Newport to the Toulon Long Island to the Bettinardi Queen B #9, to the SeeMore milled grind to now an EVNROLL ER1.2 with a welded flow neck and chocolate kerakote finish. 

 

Bags went from staff bags (I usually take a cart) and I eventually went to a Sun Mountain. I like staff bags, but it’s tough taking them on trips with friends, especially thru airports or even getting them to fit in many rental cars.

 

Golf ball was mostly Titleist. Fooled around with some others. I liked the TaylorMade TP5x for a while, but now I user the Snell MTB-X.

 

Grips…I’m usually a wrap grip guy. Really loved the old PURE P2 wrap grips. But, they don’t make them anymore and their standard wraps just aren’t in the same league. Had some Iomics for a while. Nice, but they wear down where the left thumb is. Wasted money on some leather grips because I like to use an air compressor and couldn’t get leather grips on…was told to use a little bit of water and soap and they’ll get on. They did, but they lost their adhesiveness. Had some Enlow grips and actually really liked them, but they weren’t good with wedges. I’ve often thought about going back to them. Tried some midsize grips, but with some elbow and shoulder issues that didn’t work well. Now I have the Golf Pride Velvet +4.

 

Started my own Golf Analytics business in 2012 and worked with over 40-full time Tour players in some form of fashion. On my 8th edition of Pro Golf Synopsis. 

 

I’ve appeared in Golf Digest, GOLF Magazine, Sports Illustrated, the Golf Channel and good ole GolfWRX. Was on Matt Adams’ Fairways of Life and he asked me who I have to win at Tampa the following week. I stated that the numbers really liked Kevin Streelman. Streelman went on to win…at 200/1 odds and Adams reacted to it like it was sort of neat, but not that big of a deal. If he had put down $100 on Streelman I think that would have changed his tune.

 

Made a lot of friends and very few enemies. Kinda odd being the golf dork even by college teammates standards and being a big fan of Grant Waite in college and then getting to work with and know Grant. I’ll continue the name dropping as I remember being in college and watching Charles Howell III at the US Amateur looking like the next great player and then working with him 20+ years later and seeing him get his first Tour victory since 2008.

 

Lots of great times going to Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational and my dad getting to shake hands with Arnie. Badly want one of my guys to win there sometime. That would be one of my dreams coming true. 

 

I’m old, so funny stories don’t happen to me as much anymore. Almost got struck by lightning twice. Once at Juliette Falls. Hit the other end of the parking lot. The other was at Shingle Creek as it struck the old 10th tee as I was at the bottom of the steps of the clubhouse. My ears hurt for the rest of the day.

 

The PGA Merchandise Show is always good for some laughs and meeting up with old friends.

 

Had a phone conversation with one instructor that insisted that my research was wrong on his player constantly missing right-to-left breaking putts. At the time the player was on TV playing and in that 1 hour conversation the player missed 4 makeable right-to-left putts…and wasn’t even close to making them.

 

Playing golf with my dad almost every weekend. Laughing at when he would lose his putter. Or when people were surprised we are father and son (granted, we don’t looking anything alike). Or the time I hit my ball in the tall weeds at Sugarloaf Mountain, just off the green and I found my ball, but when I went to go back to my cart to grab a club, I couldn’t find my ball again. Then we found it and I needed a different club so I layed my club on the ground to mark where my ball was…then we couldn’t find my club. 

 

Learned a lot and had a lot of fun. My friend (name dropping again), John Dunigan, has often talked about how golf instructors do change people’s lives. I agree and have decided in life that I’m going to refuse to allow anybody or anything to get in the way of me playing golf. It has cheered me up when I’m down, it’s occupied my mind when it needs to be occupied, it’s made me achievement oriented, it’s taught me diligence and it’s created great friends.

 

As Alan Wronocki once said ‘Golf stands for Great Opportunities Lifetime Friendships’

 

 

 

 

RH

[golfguru80]

Great for me, highlight was my son starting to play and really seemed to enjoy the game. Hopefully even more fun for both of us next year

[bigred90gt]

2010 - early 2012: Playing the best golf of my life. Played on an Am Tour, went to the national finals, got my index down to low 2.x.

Early 2012-2014: reinjured my back in early 2012, had surgery #1 in July. Shot a 75 the day before my surgery. I couldnt touch a club for 3 months post op. When I was able to start playing again, I had completely lost my swing. I lost 50+ yards off the tee, and 3-4 clubs off my irons. It took me almost a year to break 90. I almost gave up the game. Finally started coming around (scores, still no distance), then blew my back out again in 2014 and had surgery #2.

2015-2016: I was playing an obsurd amount of golf in this time frame. I was in a marriage that neither of us were happy in, and I spent more time at the golf course then I did at home. I was playing anywhere from 3-6 rounds of golf per week. In 2015 we split up, I was living on my own for the first time in 15 years, and practically lived at the course. Still never got the distance back, but managed to get my handicap back to around 10. Every round was a grind, I was constantly pissed at every bad shot, swinging harder and harder trying (unsuccessfully) to get at least some of my distance back, which made my swing even worse.

 

2017-2019: got married again in 2017 and played a lot less golf. I pretty much settled into once/week, finally realized that I would probably never get that distance back or shoot consistently low scores like i used to, and actually started enjoying the game again. In 2018, I started taking my wife to the course with me, and after a few rounds of riding while I played, she expressed an interest in playing. I bought her some clubs, and now it is very VERY rare that I play a round without her. We usually play both days every weekend. I'm back down to a 6 index. I no longer get pissed off at bad shots or that I cant hit the ball like I used to, and I've never had more fun on the course than I do now, despite being a much better golfer in the past. I go out with no expectations and just enjoy the day with my wife, the score will be what it is going to be at the end of the day.

 

I'm looking forward to many more years like this last year.

[Shakester]

In 2010 was right about the time I quit golf because I just didn't have the time. At that time, I was a 5 handicap and have gotten as low as a 3 in prior years. I also remember that I just bought a set of the Nike Forged blade irons as well. Golf became less and less of necessity for me. Family obligations and none of my friends really played, so it was quite easy for me to just stop altogether. In 2016, my brother had been playing so I started to join him for a round here and there. I probably played about 10 rounds that year. In 2017, I decided to really get back into the game. I picked up a set of Nike Vapor Combos midway through the year because I couldn't hit those blades anymore. Nike had just stop making clubs and I got a good deal on them. Then, on an outing at Harding Park, we got paired up with another twosome and we all hit it off. They were both single digit handicaps and we all shared a similar lifestyle, so at the end of the round, we exchanged numbers and became a regular 4some every weekend. They had a small group of guys they played with as well, so the group started to grow. I started to meet a few more people on the course and today, our group is at around 12, but its rare that all of us are able to play at the same time. And some of these guys are competitive, which is fine, because I am too. I ended 2017 as a 12 handicap. Not bad for someone who hasn't played regularly for 7 years. 2018 is when I noticed that I wasn't in my 30's anymore and began to compensate by using more arms. In do that, I developed a Furyk-esque swing. I stayed with it because it felt comfortable and ended 2019 as a 9 handicap. This year, I've been working hard on getting my swing back to where it was, even if meant not hitting it as long and in doing so, my game has been strangely up and down. I could shoot a 75 one week, then an 89 the following week on the same course. It's still a work in progress and I hoping to be back to at least a 5 at the end of 2020.

[Sean2]

I picked up the game in 2005, at age 50. Every year has seen a steady improvement. I have reached every goal, and surpassed a few, I set for myself when I picked up the game.

Sure, I have had drawbacks, but that is a part of the game.

[tannyhoban]

2010-2014: Oldest 2 children summer sports dominated my weekends and I played about 10 rounds a year.

2015-2017: Youngest child 2 serious surgeries a summer with rehab in between. Golf was a refuge, few and far between.

2018 : Two oldest are adults, youngest had two more surgeries in a 1 month span out of town. After July though he was a teen with a good prognosis and I managed 24 rounds. - many in Oct-Dec thanks to some decent late fall/early winter weather.

2019: 35 rounds, sometimes with my oldest son. We play in rain, wind whatever. If a course is open we will play. Weekends only though, usually Sunday.

Continuous improvement and life is good.

 

[SBH9458]

Started playing and have worked at it...sometimes more and sometimes less because of actual work....really learned to enjoy it. Might even break 80 someday!

[memphishorn]

in 2010 I was back to playing public golf as we were helping our divorced daughter and her 3 children who were living with us and business was not great. In the meantime my then 9 year old grandson was head deep into Pee Wee football and AAU basketball and those became a priority for ole Paw Paw.

Needless to I say played a lot less golf between 2010 and probably 2012 when my golf buddy and I rejoined my golf club and made the commitment to play at least every Saturday morning.

We were lucky to fall into a great morning group which we are still part of and I now average about 65-75 rounds a year. Handicap has held pretty steady between 6-8 depending on time of year.

One thing that evolved during this decade is starting playing competitive match play golf. I’ve never been a very good under pressure golfer over the last 40 years, but starting in 2013 I started playing in an annual match play event that I have won three times and finished 2nd and 1st in my clubs last two match play tournaments. My match play record since 2013 is 33-6. Don’t ask me to explain it but I think it’s a focus thing.

As far a equipment I started the decade playing Titleist 909 D2, TEE 3W, Mizuno MX-25 irons, Vokey’s, and an original SC Newport. Went through a few more Titleist drivers and moved onto AP1’s. The decade ending bag is in my signature below.

 

[Kgglonghorn]

Been playing most of my life and up until about 4 years ago, I always thought I was better than I was and would make excuses for bad rounds. Handicap always languished around 12...full time job, marriage, coaching my kids teams, etc...life got in the way of my "12" going lower. Yet still every time I went on a great golf trip, I expected to shoot in the 70's...never happened. In fact, I rarely broke 90 on these trips. Then in 2016, I went on a work trip to Pebble. That was when I realized that I was not a good golfer. I was SOOOO mad and disappointed at how I played. I took a hard look at my golf game and decided that I actually suck. I returned home and vowed to get good. Since then, I have been working maniacally on the game and now have a legitimate 2 handicap, but it is not without (Sometimes major) setbacks. I have now posted 1 18 hole round under par, and have shot under par for 9 holes 3 times this year. (always from the tips). I am not sure what the future holds for me and golf, but my goal is to get to a plus handicap. Doable? I don't know, but I am racing against father time so I need to run quickly.

[Socrates]

Good for you. Lots think they are good and aren't. Very few ever admit they aren't as good as they think they are. And even fewer actually do something about it and get better. Coincidently, 2016 was also a watershed year for me and a reevaluation of my game (or lack of it).

[munichop]

My last decade included me turning 50 so I mainly play the regular tees now. My hcp has stayed around +2 most of the time in my 2 men's leagues- one a senior league the other a regular one.

The biggest difference for me in my game happened in Jan 2015 when I began playing the Gamer Soft- the best ball I ever used. I shot or tied my personal best with this ball on every one of my regular courses. I shot a course record with it (62) and won a city senior championship with it. The last 18 months I have tried 16 different models to replace it. Currently I am using the dt trusoft when the greens are soft and the e12 soft otherwise. I also won another city senior event with a bridgestone rx. I got 3 HIO's in the last decade including one with the GS ( the longest one I have had- 187 yds).

My driver swing speed is now less than 100 but I break par more often than not. I am addicted to the low compression balls now. High end urethane balls feel too firm for me now. I got a return trip to Scotland last May after 20 years and had 3 fun rounds at North Berwick, Dunbar and the New Course. Links golf is so much fun...

I have averaged about 12.5 GIR and under 30 putts per round and around 4 birdies, 2 bogeys per round. Most years I have made more eagles than doubles. As long as I stay in my pool of fish I can still finish in the money. I still walk. The best part of the game for me is playing with my wife and friends, enjoying the outdoors and taking money off the "lawyers" (my regular group- has a lot of lawyers)- in fact I feel it is my civic duty to take their money on the golf course.

I watch the women a lot now since my club head speed is closer to theirs. I have to score the way they do- take what the course gives you. In all my athletic pursuits thru the years the best feeling is still a well struck golf shot.