Knowing your ceiling and enjoying the game

tatertot · July 24, 2023

At what point do you accept your lot in this game and enjoy it for what it is? I don't mean stop improving ... I totally believe there is no such thing as static, you're either getting better or worse every day ... But at what point do you stop thinking about the big overhauls and just live with your game?

I'm 50 ... Have 1 good knee ... Low single digit, break par on a regular basis, but don't hit the driver very far. A buddy thinks I should chase more distance to go lower. I don't want to screw up my swing. I'm pretty happy where I'm at. I've got good hands, good feel around the greens, need to work on my putting. I'm OK hitting my driver 240, my 3 iron 200. That gets me around the courses I want play from the tees I want to play. My buddy says I should move back to the tips with a little more length ... But I'm getting older, and don't feel the urge, nor the need.

Is anybody else jn the same boat? Am I just selling myself short and not being all I can be?

Edited July 24, 2023 by tatertot

North Butte · July 24, 2023

I've had the same golf coach, who is now a dear friend, for as long as I've been playing. Three decades and counting. So I think he knows my game better than anyone, probably including myself 🤔

He told me a few years ago that if I really wanted to undertake a long-term "road to improvement" plan and stick with it he thought I could get my handicap down into the high single digits, shoot in the 70's regularly, maybe have in under-par nine holes once in a while. He did not think it was likely I'd ever getting to scratch or better level. That's just a lot of ask for someone with zero (less than zero?) athletic experience prior to take up the game in their 30's.

I've come to think he had it about right. In the end, I decided on a path that involves only occasional lessons and minimal practice because I simply don't enjoy all the stuff it takes for continual "improvement". I can keep my scores in the 80's on all but my very worst days, occasionally post back-to-back 77's or 79's or similar and basically feel like I'm playing the same game as a decent player would, just not quite as skillfully.

If I ever regressed to the point of playing worse-than-bogey golf every time out I'd probably buckle down and do whatever it took to get back to a level of basic competence. But I really don't think knocking 4-5 strokes off my scores would be a fair payoff for spending great gobs of time practicing and working on my strength and flexibility.

Lord Helmet · July 24, 2023

Im with ya. Im a bit longer throughout the bag though (humble brag) and single cap guy - but Bozo the clown is always lurking. I just mainly focus on the fundamentals. Grip, posture, alignment and then let the swing just be the swing. Some days I hit it better and threaten par (never broken, but a bunch of 73s) and then theres days when the swing is loose and Im around 79 or so.

Back when I was a triple digit shooter, I did work alot (I mean a ton) on getting a repeatable swing with good fundamentals. Got me down into the 80s. Then I started working on the 3 big clubs for me (Driver, wedge game, putter) and I strive to be solid off the T, good around the greens, and average with the putter. That got me into the 70s.

Im happy with where I am and golf is super fun. I dont get mad when my swing is a bit off that day. Beats working. Sure, can I be better? Probably, but that would require so much more time on putting greens, as that is my true weakness relative to the T game and wedge game.

Edited July 24, 2023 by Lord Helmet

RoyalMustang · July 24, 2023

2 hours ago, tatertot said:

At what point do you accept your lot in this game and enjoy it for what it is? I don't mean stop improving ... I totally believe there is no such thing as static, you're either getting better or worse every day ... But at what point do you stop thinking about the big overhauls and just live with your game?

I'm 50 ... Have 1 good knee ... Low single digit, break par on a regular basis, but don't hit the driver very far. A buddy thinks I should chase more distance to go lower. I don't want to screw up my swing. I'm pretty happy where I'm at. I've got good hands, good feel around the greens, need to work on my putting. I'm OK hitting my driver 240, my 3 iron 200. That gets me around the courses I want play from the tees I want to play. My buddy says I should move back to the tips with a little more length ... But I'm getting older, and don't feel the urge, nor the need.

Is anybody else jn the same boat? Am I just selling myself short and not being all I can be?

Diminishing returns for time spent if you are talking about golf skills. If you don't have glaring weaknesses, improvement in each area will take a lot of effort. How much is dependent on your talent level.

If you enjoy the game, are happy with your current level, and just want to play, then sure, why not just cruise?

What you didn't touch on is strength and flexibility routines to combat the inevitable physical decline. If you have a solid swing, just being more powerful and more limber may very well be the biggest bang for your buck AND unlock a better swing that simply wasn't possible before. If you have physical limitations that don't allow you to make the necessary move, then no amount of practice will help you; eliminate the bottleneck first. For example, standing in front of a mirror, can you fully engage the hips (right glute back and up) without turning your torso? Then can you turn your torso 90 degrees without engaging the hips to get to a "top of the swing" simulated stance? If not, you need to work with a good PT golf specialist and develop those movement patterns. They happen independently in a good golf swing, yet most people do them as one motion, killing distance and timing. The people who do them correctly and haven't had training in golf are usually very good athletes; tennis players, baseball (batting), ski racers, gymnasts. The rest of us need to develop the skills from someone who knows the body and knows golf movements (i.e. not most teaching pros). Isolating the movements is a step beyond just making them.

I don't know your general condition but I know plenty of single digit guys in their 50's that are hitting 270 or so. Heck, several guys at my old club in their 60's are in the 250's. They have 2 things in common: solid fundamentals and active strength and flexibility routines. The nice thing about a routine is that you can do it at home when you are otherwise relaxing; it's not as if you need to load your clubs and drive 20 minutes to the range. If you suddenly understand how to load the hips and turn the torso properly, along with the flexibility and core strength to do so, then you will see some big gains in your game and be able to self-diagnose on the course.

If you don't know what good looks like within the context of your body's movements, it's impossible to improve the way you could with a benchmark.

Edited July 24, 2023 by RoyalMustang

me05501 · July 24, 2023

I'm in the same place except I'm pushing 55. I play in the low 80's all the time with only the occasional dip into the mid-high 70's.

I hit the ball as well as I ever have. There may be another 5-10% upside available to me in ball striking but there's no guarantee I'll ever find it and it's not going to move the needle for me anyhow.

Where I know I can improve is prioritizing GIR's and becoming a better, more aggressive putter.

On the GIR front my two strategies are A) learning to ignore pins and play to the meat of every green and B) minimizing distance dispersion by playing slightly more forgiving irons than I prefer.

I am a lifelong lag putter. It is in my very bones. The most comfortable thing in the world for me is to look at a 20' putt and figure out how to get it inside 2'. When I shot a personal best 75 I missed 12 birdie putts. We were playing a team match and I was trying to lock up pars for my team. I didn't feel like I was missing them on purpose but I sure as hell wasn't trying to hole them. I loved shooting 75 but walked away thinking it could have been even better.

So what I've been practicing lately is trying to make sure every putt ends up beyond the hole. I'm trying to move my three foot circle back 1.5 feet so that the shortest putt still reaches the hole. I think this will lead to more of them dropping. At least they'll have a ding-dang chance!

Ri_Redneck · July 24, 2023

I turned 60 last year, but I haven't gotten to that point yet. Hints of it are creeping in though. I laugh more when playing and that's a sign of having fun (ie. accepting your limitations). But I refuse to just go whole hog. So I still hit the range a lot and work hard on the short game and putting. I like shooting a good score and want to more often. I am blessed with marginally good health (just slight early onset arthritis) and have incorporated a healthy plant based diet to increase my energy level and lose a bit of weight. I'm mid single digits now, but want to get to scratch bad. I honestly think mine is more mental than physical though, so that's why I persevere.

BT