How long to get back to form?

[Ghostdunc27]

Once upon a time I was a good golfer. In 2008 I was a 2 handicap. I quit golf that year to focus on my career.  16 years later I decided to get back into it. After playing about a dozen rounds, and getting a handful of practice sessions in, I am very far off from where I want to be. 
 

I see flashes, and still can make some birdies and got an eagle the other day. But it’s embarrassing how many doubles or higher I get. I have no idea where my driver is going to go, and lose several balls every round. I 3 putt at an astounding rate. 
 

The one silver lining is that my wedge game seems to be coming back faster than the rest of my game. 
 

For those of you who have taken a long break, how long did it take you to get close to your former game?

 

I know I can get back to a 2, and I think I can be better than that. But I am incredibly frustrated right now. 

[Zeta]

I live in Finland so I'm usually taking a 5-6 month break every year from playing. Even if I hit balls during the winter it takes usually 1-2 months to get my game back. Buddies of mine get their game back slightly quicker 1 month or so, we all play 8-+2. This is even thought I'm able to play 9 or/and hit balls everyday - no kids, lady plays and career. I wouldn't worry at all if I were you and try to enjoy the grind.

[SnowbirdTom]

Took 10 years off after taking a job that required 65 hours a week.  Retired, came back to the game in 2001 and it took me a year to get back to being somewhat competent with the clubs.  I'm still not as consistent as I could be, sadly.

[Socrates]

9 hours ago, Ghostdunc27 said:

Once upon a time I was a good golfer. In 2008 I was a 2 handicap. I quit golf that year to focus on my career.  16 years later I decided to get back into it. After playing about a dozen rounds, and getting a handful of practice sessions in, I am very far off from where I want to be. 
 

I see flashes, and still can make some birdies and got an eagle the other day. But it’s embarrassing how many doubles or higher I get. I have no idea where my driver is going to go, and lose several balls every round. I 3 putt at an astounding rate. 
 

The one silver lining is that my wedge game seems to be coming back faster than the rest of my game. 
 

For those of you who have taken a long break, how long did it take you to get close to your former game?

 

I know I can get back to a 2, and I think I can be better than that. But I am incredibly frustrated right now. 

You are asking a lot.  Over the decades, I've seen more than a few players (really good players) take up the game again after a long layoff like yours.  Most can't get it back.  One or two do, but you might have to give up your day job to do it.  I would immediately take some lessons with a good instructor to give yourself a chance.  You are going to have to channel Allen Iverson - "Practice we're talkin' 'bout PRACTICE!"

[Ghostdunc27]

3 hours ago, Socrates said:

You are asking a lot.  Over the decades, I've seen more than a few players (really good players) take up the game again after a long layoff like yours.  Most can't get it back.  One or two do, but you might have to give up your day job to do it.  I would immediately take some lessons with a good instructor to give yourself a chance.  You are going to have to channel Allen Iverson - "Practice we're talkin' 'bout PRACTICE!"

I will get there, and better. It’s just a matter of how long it takes. I’ve always been self taught so I don’t think I will do the instructor thing. Might be open to some online video coaching though. 
 

But agree with you on the practice part. The good thing is I actually love to practice, and have a great spot close to my house that I can go to in evenings. Need to commit to 2-3 days a week of that. 

[Socrates]

4 hours ago, Ghostdunc27 said:

I will get there, and better. It’s just a matter of how long it takes. I’ve always been self taught so I don’t think I will do the instructor thing. Might be open to some online video coaching though. 
 

But agree with you on the practice part. The good thing is I actually love to practice, and have a great spot close to my house that I can go to in evenings. Need to commit to 2-3 days a week of that. 

I think you are making a huge mistake in the whole self taught thing.  Doing something when you are in your teens or early 20's was fairly simple.  Trying to figure it out when you are near 40 is on another level of difficulty.  You could waste years trying to figure it out on your own and you don't have years to waste.  Over the last 35+ years, I've seen tons of guys trying to figure it out on their own and have no clue what they are doing and should be doing.  Even a couple of lessons with a competent professional could shave months or years off your journey.

[hanginnwangin]

21 minutes ago, Socrates said:

I think you are making a huge mistake in the whole self taught thing.  Doing something when you are in your teens or early 20's was fairly simple.  Trying to figure it out when you are near 40 is on another level of difficulty.  You could waste years trying to figure it out on your own and you don't have years to waste.  Over the last 35+ years, I've seen tons of guys trying to figure it out on their own and have no clue what they are doing and should be doing.  Even a couple of lessons with a competent professional could shave months or years off your journey.

This is absolutely true. Time is value and by trying to figure it out yourself, you will likely be wasting precious time.

[caniac6]

I had shoulder surgery almost 2 years ago, and I feel like I’m just now getting back to where I was. I know it’s not a prolonged absence, but it’s a long process, and patience is required. The good rounds are a bit more frequent, but the consistency isn’t quite there.

[Ghostdunc27]

1 hour ago, Socrates said:

I think you are making a huge mistake in the whole self taught thing.  Doing something when you are in your teens or early 20's was fairly simple.  Trying to figure it out when you are near 40 is on another level of difficulty.  You could waste years trying to figure it out on your own and you don't have years to waste.  Over the last 35+ years, I've seen tons of guys trying to figure it out on their own and have no clue what they are doing and should be doing.  Even a couple of lessons with a competent professional could shave months or years off your journey.

I just really enjoy teaching myself. That is part of the value of getting back in the game for me. It’s not just about getting to x handicap, it’s the process and problem solving.
 

I’m 40 and I learned how to ski and mountain bike in the last 5 years and got myself to a pretty high level. I had no prior experience. 
 

I’m not totally closed off to a lesson or two at some point, but the few times I have attempted it in the past I did not have a good experience. Not sure if that was a poor instructor or just my stubborn personality. 

[Socrates]

21 minutes ago, Ghostdunc27 said:

I just really enjoy teaching myself. That is part of the value of getting back in the game for me. It’s not just about getting to x handicap, it’s the process and problem solving.
 

I’m 40 and I learned how to ski and mountain bike in the last 5 years and got myself to a pretty high level. I had no prior experience. 
 

I’m not totally closed off to a lesson or two at some point, but the few times I have attempted it in the past I did not have a good experience. Not sure if that was a poor instructor or just my stubborn personality. 

The Mantra here is: "Feel isn't Real."  A lot of people think they know enough to teach themselves (myself included) and the reality is that they/I don't.  So very easy to go down a rabbit hole that is wrong.  I often go back to my instructor when I'm "lost" and need another pair of eyes.  He can very easily see what is wrong and how to fix it.  A 10 minute lesson can save me weeks of searching for the key on my own.  When you are ready, post a video as there are several very qualified instructors on WRX that can help.

[Ghostdunc27]

15 minutes ago, Socrates said:

The Mantra here is: "Feel isn't Real."  A lot of people think they know enough to teach themselves (myself included) and the reality is that they/I don't.  So very easy to go down a rabbit hole that is wrong.  I often go back to my instructor when I'm "lost" and need another pair of eyes.  He can very easily see what is wrong and how to fix it.  A 10 minute lesson can save me weeks of searching for the key on my own.  When you are ready, post a video as there are several very qualified instructors on WRX that can help.

I will do that, thank you. 

[Dan Drake]

I guess my first question would be "When you were a 2 cap, do you think you were pretty maxed out, or was there still more juice to squeeze?"  

 

My thoughts are this: If you had to have a high level of maintenance to be a 2, then it might take you a long (years) time to get back to that, assuming you can devote a similar amount of maintenance time and 16 additional years of fitness upkeep in there as well.  BUT, if you felt like the 2 cap was pretty "easy" then you might get back quickly and even get lower now that you have a little more seasoning to your reasoning, if you catch my drift.  Double bogeys made because we make awful swings are going to happen, like it or not.  The hope is that we can reduce the ones that are a direct result of being an idiot down to as close to zero as our idiot-self will allow, LOLOLOL!  

 

Good luck and please ask as many questions as you like, the world of golf and what we know about what influences scores, where the ROI is, etc. has changed drastically!

[Ghostdunc27]

1 hour ago, Dan Drake said:

I guess my first question would be "When you were a 2 cap, do you think you were pretty maxed out, or was there still more juice to squeeze?"  

 

My thoughts are this: If you had to have a high level of maintenance to be a 2, then it might take you a long (years) time to get back to that, assuming you can devote a similar amount of maintenance time and 16 additional years of fitness upkeep in there as well.  BUT, if you felt like the 2 cap was pretty "easy" then you might get back quickly and even get lower now that you have a little more seasoning to your reasoning, if you catch my drift.  Double bogeys made because we make awful swings are going to happen, like it or not.  The hope is that we can reduce the ones that are a direct result of being an idiot down to as close to zero as our idiot-self will allow, LOLOLOL!  

 

Good luck and please ask as many questions as you like, the world of golf and what we know about what influences scores, where the ROI is, etc. has changed drastically!

This is a great question.  I played a lot back then. I worked at Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon and would hit balls all the time, and play quite a bit too. However I wouldn’t say I did much actual practice with any intention. I was a very good ball striker, long off the tee, solid wedge player and a bad putter.  Shooting 74 at Pumpkin, and hitting 14 greens with 35 putts was a pretty common occurrence. 

My mental game is much better now, and I believe I can become as good of a ball striker and wedge player, and become an average putter. Those things combined with better course management could get me to plus territory eventually.  
 

I’m much stronger than I was back then. I used to do zero real exercise. My strength and all levels of fitness are light years ahead. Not sure how much that will make a difference as I don’t need much more power anyways, unless I want to go full bomb and gauge mode. 
 

I need to look at my swing on camera, and have others look at it. What is the software or apps people are using for that?

 

I love practicing so I’m excited to try block practicing and executing drills. But have to know what drills I need first. 

Edited Saturday at 12:12 AM by Ghostdunc27

[Soloman1]

everyone is different. i didn’t touch a club for 10 years after an injury and 10 years of having a club in my hands every day before that.

 

body, rhythm, legs, eyes all change. you’ll have to adapt to what you have now. progress is directly proportional to practice. i was back to + in 6 months. you’ll find what you need. you did it before.

 

but… i hit a lot of balls!

Edited Saturday at 05:23 AM by Soloman1

[aenemated]

I took off about the same amount of time. Had a lot of success as a junior player and in high school but wasn't QUITE good enough to play at my college. Things happened, priorities changed and while I'd play the occasional round or hit up the range every now and then and think "Ok, back to this" ... it didn't really stick till yeah; after about 17 years or so. 

 

The thing that probably held me back the most for a while was accepting ... "Dawg, you ain't 25 anymore." 90s golf was all about that whole "x factor" nonsense - big shoulder turn against restricted hip turn, super strong grip ... all the things en vogue at the time. I'm still pretty flexible at 47 but ... I can't do all that anymore. Surely was able to fake it (I remember when I was a kid; my transition trigger was when I could see the club head in my peripheral vision) but it didn't lead to particularly good results ... because I was faking it. 

 

So after the ego check; I started to adapt to a more simplified motion that fit me better. Making those changes lead to a lot of frustration quite often because I'd so often fall into old habits that really existed for most of my existence - and there'd be some REALLY dismal play. It took time. And I'm STILL working on ironing all the things out years later. 

 

That said, I think I'm a better player now than I was as a kid. But it definitely took work and a big ol ego check. 

[naval2006]

The question how long and also how much is impossible to answer until you get hands on the job. For a few people is quick and near complete whereas for most it takes longer and you’re somewhere short of the old you. The most critical feature in all this process is age. E.g. 20 to 36 is a complete different picture than 35 to 51.