End of season thoughts

[JonnyKrasnodar]

Not sure what's to clarify with my #5 point. It's a cliche that a positive mental attitude works wonders but with everything finally "clicking" for me I've stood on the first tee and told myself I was going to win/get cut.

 

Thinking that way stopped me from blowing up if I didn't pull a shot off or ended up in trouble off the tee. Instead I was only thinking about the shot I had to play to get back in the hole.

 

I mentioned it in the other thread about what stands out about the best round too - see the shot, pull the club, hit the shot. At no point did I think that I couldn't execute the shot or worry about "what if" it was all very simple. A liberating experience.

 

Is that mentality going to work indefinitely? Probably not. It can work to improve my course management though. If things don't work then I know what I need to work on during the week.

 

That's my thoughts anyway.

[LUMA]

This is the true beginning of my golf season. :sleep: In all seriousness, I spent a few years in Vermont. The winter experience was brutal as a born and raised Floridian. House lock for 6 months.

 

My thoughts are get going again. I have not played much at all all this summer due to finances, schedule, heat, etc. It's time to get all the rust off and get the ball rolling again.

[hybrid25]

The quality of my driving has gone from a bit erratic in the beginning of the year to excellent at the mid-season, only the end up a bit erratic again at the end of the season. It's like I forgot some basic technique, causing my swing to degrad some.

[Johnnypenso]

My goal this year was the same as last year. Break 80 more than once. I've only broken 80 once on a 6000+ yard course and that was 2 years ago with a birdie on 18. I came close early in the year, shooting an even 80 3 times. Finally broke through in late August and have broken 80 4 times this year with 77, 76, 78 and a 73 on Sunday. I've improved all aspects of my game teaching myself but I'd have to say the two biggest improvements were in chipping and putting. I realized that I very rarely need to hit anything high and soft and that most of my chips are relatively straightforward, chip and run type shots so I practiced that a lot. I've also settled on using my 56 for most every shot around the green as I can hit it softer if I have to or can run it out as well. With putting I really worked on developing a consistent address and stroke and worked on accelerating through the ball which made a huge difference. With the 73 I putted the lights out, sinking everything within 8 feet and making 3 or 4 between 8-15 feet. I broke even on the front and only hit two greens in regulation, including a birdie on a par 3.

 

I'm over the moon with my golf this year to be honest. Probably time to go and get fit for clubs for the first time. :scare2:

[Need4spd]

In AZ we don’t really have traditional seasons, but I do consider this time of year my “off-season.” I’ll keep playing but instead of 2-3 rounds a week I’ll scale back to one or maybe two now and then. I know those of you in the north are cursing me right now. Much of it has to do with mindset too as I don’t approach my rounds the same way. Anyway, I’ve come to really look forward to tournaments, which, even in Arizona are during the spring and summer. Playing on the weekends is still fun but the high isn’t quite the same.

 

I had two significant accomplishments (for lack of a better word) this year. As my season closed, which was technically following my last tournament, the Mid-Am qualifier, I got my handicap back into the + for the first time in six years. I’m now all the way down to a +1.5. Perhaps even more importantly, I got at least somewhat over the tournament jitters. I played US Am qualifying at my home course this year and found myself extremely comfortable. I didn’t qualify but I totally held my own against much younger D1 college players, and for that I was proud. When I played in Mid-Am qualifying the next month I was equally as comfortable and finished in the top third of the field. Again, I didn’t qualify but I now know with absolute certainty that I belong in those types of settings.

 

All that said, I love the fall and winter (absolutely sublime in AZ) but there’s definitely a small part of me looking forward to tourment season next year.

 

I should also add that I cycled through more clubs than in any other season of my life by far, especially putters. If I were to venture a guess I would say I putted at least 15 different putters, and that’s conservative.

[0351Duffer]

Great post by the Op.

 

This season (my second season back after a long hiatus from golf) saw me break 90 for the first time. I shot two legit rounds below 90, an 89 (48/41) and recently... an 86 (40/46) at two different courses. I got my first hole in one at age 50. I shot a whole bunch of 9 hole 44s, 42s and even a 41 the day I shot my hole in one. Oh, and I got my handicap below 20... it's currently a 19 for the first time ever.

 

So overall, a pretty great season to this point. But!.....

 

Even with all the lessons and all the practice, my swing still up and leaves me at any moment, practice or on the course, makes no difference, My confidence takes a big hit because of this. My most common demon is that hosel rocket/shank!

 

Addditionally, I cannot seem to put together all the parts of my game at once....ever! I had rounds where I hit every fairway solid, couldn't get on a green from chipping or pitching position to save my life. Lately short game and putting have been pretty solid, but I cannot get off the tee straight more than 2-3 times a round.

 

So my thoughts as the calendar year comes to an end are that while I agree with 95% of the OPs list, My biggest issue is finding some kind of consistency in 2019. That would make me happier than just shooting one career low round and then struggling for the the next two months to play decent golf.

 

A Hole In One and two 18 hole rounds in the 80s...? Yeah it's been a pretty good year by my standards.

[XWIUhacker3]

I learned that OTR Shafts are not for me haha. Upgraded to an AD Di 7s and I’ve never hit a driver so consistent in my life. In turn scored very well this season

[NoTalentLefty]

Time to change out my extra pair of underwear in the bag.

Check the wet wipes to assure they still are wet.

[SnapHooker_307]

When on the tee box, just swing away. I've changed my swing a lot in the last 2 summers and it has made my iron game much better. However, I could not hit my driver to save my life. Then I started just relaxing and trying to swing hard on my drives and not think about anything else. Oddly enough I started crushing my driver again.

[easyjay39402]

My big goal this season was to drop my handicap by 5 points; didn’t happen... ended up about where I started. There were a few things that were not top of mind at the beginning of the season but were pleasant surprises.

1. Played to my handicap in two tournaments with good results, better than I anticipated going into them.

2. Eliminated those all too frequent outlier rounds, the ones where you shoot way over your handicap for no obvious reason. My rounds were all in a fairly narrow band.

3. Actually worked on my short game with great results, probably the reason for #2.

 

All in all, not a bad summer ?

[hdgolf44]

My thoughts on the 2018 season was that of ups and downs.

 

Purchased a season pass this year, so had the ability to play a lot of golf for the first time in a long time. Season started off well, and was happy with my game for the first couple months. Nothing too adventurous, but was striking it solidly with the irons as usual, while avoiding the huge miss off the tee for the most part. Was able to work in my new wedges without much issue, which was surprising considering my last try at it.

 

Then the brutal summer heat kicked in and things took a turn for the worse (You know its hot when you're the first group out in the morning and it's already approaching the 30's) Definitely sweat off a few pounds, but it also took its toll. Managing the moisture was a job in itself, with multiple gloves and towels and shirts. Felt like Tiger having the need for multiples of everything due to sweat issues. Had to resort to basketball wristbands on some days to even hold on to the club. I soldiered on, but once mid-August came around, I was spent. My play and attitude was poor. I was fighting the hooks the whole summer, trying my best to work it out. All this, combined with the fact that this was the most golf I've played in 7 or 8 years, caused a bit of a burnout. Took about 3 weeks completely off, and have only played occasionally since.

 

What I missed this year is the competition. Previously, I would play 4 to 5 stroke play tournaments per year, spaced out from May to September. This allowed me to build up to these events with practice and play, giving me motivation and goals to look forward to, but still allowing for some down periods for other things (vacation, ball, etc.). With my season's pass and joining a regular weekly game each Sat/Sun, I felt like I was beholden to the game, even though some weekends I would probably rather have been elsewhere. That being said, playing a lot of golf allowed me to better take stock of my game, and begin to work on some things that other years I wouldn't have had the opportunity to do.

 

I still love the game, unconditionally, but this year also tested the limits of that devotion. Given that, I probably won't renew my pass next year, but the lessons learned will help me with planning my season next year (both practice-wise and play-wise), getting back to my tournament schedule and playing casual rounds with my family and friends.

[doctordwaynewilliams]

Score wise it has been my best season. I scored lower more consistently, which is surprising because I have probably used a dozen different sets of clubs this year. I also flirted with a swing change as well.

[hybrid25]

My thought,

"I had a lot of fun golfing this summer but it sure did go by quickly. Time just goes too fast!"

[scruffynick]

I have had an absolutely fantastic season! In June of 17 I had surgery for prostate cancer. In June 18 I was 100% cancer free. By the way, the golf has been pretty good,too!

That beats anything! I had surgery but not on your scale... Great that you've beaten it!

[scruffynick]

Had a great season. First full one since 2009,as kids came along and took a sabbatical. Anyway, last season I thought it could still whack it like I did 10 years ago..... Urm I can't. Took me through winter to work on things and realised that I'm better with 8 clubs than a full load. I just keep out of trouble and manage the course better. Started off 8.0 and finished off 5.0, ended the last comp yesterday with a 72 for 67 net. Didn't win but boy I'm enjoying my golf. I just turn up, get my little bag and clubs out of my locker and play

[byrne092]

End of season thoughts;

It’s not too cold yet, stay motivated to practice and get in an occasional round.

I think the lessons, increased practice and number of rounds are starting to pay off. This was really only my 2nd season of wanting to get better at golf. I was always in the 90s, while this season if I wasn’t in the 80s, my game was very off.

Realizing I am a little obsessed with anything golf related and this site doesn’t help!

[Birdie Mac]

No end of the season here, but I'm using early Fall as a time to reassess my game. I feel like I regressed this year even though I put in a lot of productive practice on all parts of my game. I feel like I have all the shots I need to score well, but I'm too inconsistent. My goal is to work on my mental game, learn to relax, and play one shot at a time. Nothing mechanical.

[mantan]

It's sort of the end of the season in that both leagues I'm in wind down over the next two weeks. One was an informal league with friends, the other was a club league. It was my first time getting into more 'competitive' golf, which I learned that even in a standard club league was different than playing with buddies.

 

I've reached the age where one kid college and one in HS. Now that the high schooler is driving himself to all his activities and has a job, I've found myself with tons of free time that I never had before. So I was able to do some good work in tweaking my swing and dialing in my short game. That was the plus side. The downside was a random case of the yips that absolutely killed my putting. Including one tournament where I 4 putted from 8 feet. Ugh.

[_Red_]

Rushed my early season preparation in order to be ready to play Champion of Champions (lost in first round).

 

That attempt to be ready to go early messed up my early season. I stuck with last season's equipment too long and just tried to get by swinging badly at the start of the season instead of taking the time to fix the issues.

 

Started to get my game together heading in to summer only for the drought to hit and my course get baked. Because of the severity of the slopes, the course became almost impossible to score on. I started messing about trying to play the conditions by hitting higher, floatier shots than I naturally do and that caused some other issues.

 

Played some decent late season golf and pretty frustrated that the season is finishing now as strung together several scores of 72 or better for about the first time all season.

 

Despite feeling as though I played little good golf I still won my home Open and lost the final of the Club Championship.

 

More than swing issues, what concerns me about my golf this season is that I got irritated on the course far too easily, far too quickly. It caused me to give up on rounds where things weren't going well instead of really trying to grind out the best score I could. Usually pretty calm and not entirely sure the cause of this, but definitely something I'll be thinkking about over the winter to avoid it happening again next season.

[doctordwaynewilliams]

Going into next season I want to be consistent. No swing changes, no equipment changes. I need some continuity. Tbe jack there of has been killing my game. So, I'm looking forward to going into next season with what I have now and see how well I play without changing anything. Then I will assess after the season.

[bblack_91240]

Good year for me. I was playing with the same clubs for the last 9 or 10 years, but my whole bag got a refresh. I was playing stiff flex but now I’m playing X in everything but wedges. Index is at a 6.2 and has hovered in the 6s all year. I’ve progressed in some areas and not in others. Probably why I haven’t trended down too much.

 

My driver got worse as the year’s gone on. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that my setup with my driver is 90% of my issue. I think that’s the #1 thing for me to work on this winter that will shave some serious strokes off my game. Keeping it in play off the tee will really help me score. Ballstriking with my irons is the best it’s ever been. Bunker play has been awesome. Putting hit a pretty low point, but figured out the claw grip is for me! Started making a lot of putts. If I can stay out of trouble off the tee I’ll shoot much better scores.

 

I’ve also learned I can shoot the same scores from the championship tees as the white tees and I enjoy playing courses around 7000 yards more than 6000 yards. For me distance isn’t an issue and my really enjoy my long irons. Playing in a men’s league that played around 6300 yards got my wedge play from 100 and in really dialed in. Also taught me to keep my driver in the bag when not necessary. Playing to a position off the tee typically had way better results than smashing away and having an awkward half shot in. Not every swing has to be a full swing either. Knock downs and feel shots are key!

 

Overall a good year. Played more this year than probably the last 10 combined. Goals to get back to the 4 handicap that I was right after high school. I want to play more consistent golf too with less extreme scores. Might be tough with baby #3 on the way and building a new house, but that’s what goals are for! Lol