Deep Into The Back 9 of 2020

[Phreddy]

If my 2020 season was a round of golf I would be pretty pleased, but not ready to get ahead of myself and think about the score I would post.  Still grinding.

 

I've shaved a couple strokes off the handicap, mostly by steering away from the equipment mistress and spending those same dollars on lessons with a coach that teaches in a way that makes sense to me.  The real lesson revelation has been to become confident working the ball both ways.  It adds a whole new level of intrigue to the game.  You look at a hole completely differently from the tee if your goal is not simply to be in the fairway, but to set up your next shot or first putt.  My short game feels strong, but putting remains my nemesis.  I've tried different putters, grips and everything short of black magic, but it remains the least confident aspect of my game.  Focusing on speed and using that to eliminate more 3 putts has helped, but I should be better inside 5-10 feet.

 

A couple decades into my infatuation with golf and I have yet to have a hole in one.  I've had a handful hole-in-damm-close this season, but...

 

As the days get shorter, the leaves start to turn and the temps come down, how are you feeling about your season?  What box do you have left to check off to call it a good run?

 

Phred

[James the Hogan Fan]

This year has been up and down but otherwise alright. I have been on the equipment merry-go-round a bit, but have settled on the clubs for hopefully long term. 

 

My handicap has bounced around between 5.5 and 7. I had one bonkers round of 75 that pulled it down early in the season, and now it's come up to 6.8. And I think that is about right, much as I'd like to be better.

 

Goals this year, some met, some not met.

Met: 

A whole year as a single digit cap

All differentials "in the 8" to be single digit. (Next is all "in the 20")

Win a club comp (conveniently shot that 75 in a club net event)

Not met: 

79 or better from tips of home course (best is an 80)

Birdie or better every hole at home course, (7, 12, 13, 16, 18 still to conquer) modified goal is to nab one of those 5 before end of season. 

 

We have the time change coming soon and the season will most likely end before October. I'm going to try to play as much as I can before closing out with a lesson for tips and thoughts for work over winter.

 

And in springtime I'll be ready to do it all again.

[jvincent]

12 hours ago, Phreddy said:

As the days get shorter, the leaves start to turn and the temps come down, how are you feeling about your season?  What box do you have left to check off to call it a good run?

 

Pretty good season here. We started two weeks late due to covid but I've managed to play more golf than any summer previously. The weather up here has been fantastic.

 

Golf wise I've managed to get my index as low as a 4.0, my lowest ever, and have hovered around 5 for most of the season.

 

Still no ace this year, but lipped one out a couple of weeks ago. Still one month left in our official season so we're not done yet.

[zdtallan]

Pretty happy with my overall year, even with the month break from covid.  Many goals were met, some have been dangerously close but I'm still seeing year over year performance gains.

 

Met: Handicap is now at an all time low of 2.3

Won the birdie bet between a 9 man group at my club (first to birdie every hole on the course)

Won the first flight in the club championship

Won my member-member flight 

2nd in member-guest flight (still paid out in inter-flight wagers so it's a win)

Substantially better driving the ball

Battled back from a substantial bout of the shanks 

 

Unmet:  Get to scratch

Qualify for the Club Championship matchplay bracket (2-day stroke play qualifier for 15 spots plus defending CC auto bid).  I've finished one-spot out the last two years.

Way too many three-putts, need to clean up lag putting

Win the Mega-Bonus bet ( same 9 guy bet, first of us to break par from tips of home course or comparable course win's the pot of $200 per man). The caveat here is you have to alert the group, usually via text, on the 15th tee box.  Making that call has doomed me at least 10 times this year, finishing at par numerous times to miss it.

 

I also just had my first child, so I'll have to re-evaluate goals for next year but I know that I want to get in on some State-Am stuff moving forward. 

 

 

[Phreddy]

You gents are good!  I've flirted with and kissed a single digit handicap, but we are yet to be monogamous.

[golfandfishing]

Crazy that for several years now I’ve said “Man, if I had a work from home job I’d be good again, no problem”. Fast forward 6 months into this and I’ve played 5 times since March, none since June. Granted that takes me to about 10 rounds on the year and that’s 8 more than any of the previous 4 or so years it’s still way short than I would have guessed. And I’m still terrible. It was too hot this summer to spend 4 or 5 hours on the course struggling. I’ll make it a point to hit more balls this fall and winter, but I’ll face the dilemma of “why pay $90 to play bad”.  I’m just not committed I guess, or maybe I’m committed to not being any good?  

[miamistomp]

 Never too hot to play golf !

[jdl]

Obviously 2020 has been one of the worst years ever due to the pandemic, civil unrest, etc. I'm just happy that I was able to have a golf season after things were shut down earlier in the spring. Not sure if my sanity would have remained intact otherwise.

 

My game remained about the same, I have to be the most maddeningly inconsistent 6-8 handicapper ever. 🤪

[MtlJeff]

2020 has been a weird year. The pandemic has been very challenging to deal with and i feel bad for everyone who has lost someone they care about 

 

On a personal level obviously the challenge of quarantines and stuff has been hard. But i also started a new job after working somewhere for 17 years, so that has been very exciting because the company i am at now i believe is going to do awesome things

 

On a golf level....my game has sucked. I've hit the ball pretty well but short game and putting has been awful. I might finish the season a 2 index. Which would be the highest in 5+ years

 

 

[blueonblack]

I wish I had more to report on the golf end of things for 2020.

I went for MRI's and started doing PT just before the 'Rona hit. Buckled down like never before with my PT routine by myself in my living room. Hard to motivate, but kept a log to keep myself totally honest and committed every single day. Road work outdoors 3+ miles a day starting in January in MN, the whole bit.

 

My mom is very ill and in her last days, I fear and somehow must accept, thus I am on the internet golf forums a lot right now when I'm not bedside just to kill time and talk golf of course.

Covid made the hospital and transitional care situation so horribly bad. I literally had to pull her out of the nursing home to care for her myself. That was August. 

 

5 range sessions throughout all of this and short game area and sand practice. It was all looking really good. Very painful to swing, but I have to deal with it. I suspect surgery is needed on my left hand/thumb/wrist/maybe elbow/maybe shoulder/maybe neck. I fear to find out, so I kinda don't.

Golf might not even be a good idea anymore, but switched to graphite, yada yada. I was really close to giving it a go back in August, but Mom's health just tanked. It's been the last two years taking care of her, and this Covid and the isolation are just the worst to add to the overall hellish cocktail. (Yep, I even took up drinking again....)

[rwc356]

2020 has been a most strange year for sure for golf in general as well as my game. It was warm enough to play 2 rounds in January (amazing for Chicago) and then no rounds until July due to the virus shutdown. I was able to hit the driving range a few weeks before the lakefront courses re-opened so my game bounced back pretty well. I started the season as a 12.4 and now as we start our Fall golf league play I sit at 12.3.

 

My goal for 2020 was to practice more and drop the HCP from 12 to 9. With the end of the season in sight I doubt my goal will be reached, but at least I'm playing.

 

Sadly one of my golfing buddies succumbed to COVID and I think of him each time I start a round.  About time to raise a drink to my buddy, Paul and look forward to 2021.

[Roody]

2020 has actually been one of my best seasons of golf, as far as personal accomplishments:

 

- Shot arguably my lowest career round of even par 72 (I've shot 72 once before, but it was on a much easier golf course)

- Had two eagles this year (beats my previous best of 1 in a season)

- Got down to a 5 handicap. Was even a 4.9 for a few days. I'm holding on at a 5.8 now, so we'll see if I make it to the end of the season

- 87 birdies this season, another personal best

 

And finally, as shown in the attached screen shot I was able to shoot birdie or better on every single hole on my home course this season. First time I've been able to do that in one single season. I just got the final birdie I needed on #11 this past Sunday. I hit the pin from 115 out, and the ball stopped about 4 feet away.