There is something profoundly strange going on with my golf game lately, and it probably is a good illustration of life in general.
I am playing the best golf of my life right now. For almost 4 years I worked on my game, tried hard, but the game just continued to frustrate me. There were days when I couldn't drive to save my life, while on other days I would chip or putt like an idiot. All in all, I remained pretty much where I was, barring minor improvements.
Over the last 8 months I have been unable to play more than once a week since I have had a full time job. This has meant that I play less often, but look forward to the weekend game all week. It has also meant that I don't practice at all. I just show up for my weekend game and play. Bottomline - I think less about my game, have minimal expectations about the score, and enjoy it more.
And all of a sudden, I have started playing a lot better. I have played 3 of the best rounds of my life in the last 2 months and I have not put in any work on my technique at all.
I have heard lots of people say that golf is a mental sport like no other. My recent experience tells me that perhaps they are right.
Showing posts with label bogey-golfer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bogey-golfer. Show all posts
Monday, September 12, 2011
Friday, September 19, 2008
Hurray! I am a bogey golfer now!
The USGA handicapping system defines a male bogey golfer as "a player who has a Course Handicap of approximately 20 on a course of standard difficulty.". After playing golf regularly for two years, I am now a bogey golfer!
Taking the word "approximately" in the definition to mean plus/minus 2, a handicap range of 18-22 makes up the world of bogey golfers. This is an interesting world, from where a golfer can look at beginners patronizingly, and secret dreams of becoming a single digit handicapper are no longer of the pipe variety. However this is also a brutal place. Progress is a lot harder and slower. There is the potential to play a very good round, but it is not uncommon to play a really bad one, and embarass yourself! A few weeks ago, at the Poona Club Golf course, I played the front-nine 6-over followed by 23-over on the back nine!
Taking the word "approximately" in the definition to mean plus/minus 2, a handicap range of 18-22 makes up the world of bogey golfers. This is an interesting world, from where a golfer can look at beginners patronizingly, and secret dreams of becoming a single digit handicapper are no longer of the pipe variety. However this is also a brutal place. Progress is a lot harder and slower. There is the potential to play a very good round, but it is not uncommon to play a really bad one, and embarass yourself! A few weeks ago, at the Poona Club Golf course, I played the front-nine 6-over followed by 23-over on the back nine!
Hopefully the world of the single digit handicapper is a much better place, because that is where I want to go. However I have a sneaking suspicion that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Why bogey golfer?
As I start sharing my thoughts on golf through this blog, I ought to explain why I chose this name for the blog. A bogey-golfer averages close to a bogey per hole, or in other words has a handicap of about 18.
I started playing golf almost two years ago, with a few lessons from the local pro in Pune. As I have progressed from being a beginner to an intermediate golfer with a handicap of 24, the one thing that has become abundantly clear to me is that golf is simultaneously a singularly frustrating and rewarding pursuit. My first official handicap was listed as 36, and shortly thereafter I got an opportunity to play in an invitational event organized by the brand of clubs I had purchased recently. The entry bar was set at 24-handicap, and I got in by listing my handicap as 24. Needless to say, I got my butt kicked pretty good during the event, but the experience was invaluable.
Over time my handicap dropped all the way to 24, and then creeped back up to 27, where it stayed for almost 7-8 months. The dreams of becoming a single-digit handicapper in 2 years were quickly put to sleep by a healthy dose of triples, quadruples, quintuples, and three-putts. Through the trials and tribulations of working on my swing, the endless putting practice, and the Sensex like fluctuations in my scores, I realized that becoming a bogey golfer in a reasonable period of time was a more realistice expectation. I also showed myself a little pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, by resolving to buy a driver once I reached a handicap of 18. Currently I am at 24 and there is some way to go to add the driver to my bag.
During this time I have also realized that becoming a bogey-golfer is a watershed event in the life of a golfer who is starting out. Some get to it much faster than others, but it is a very significant milestone neveretheless. At 32+ you are a glorified hacker, at 24+ you have promise and potential, but at 18 you have truly arrived as a serious recreational golfer. People look at you differently when you are at 18 or under.
Hence the name of this blog. This blog is intended to be a chronicle of my struggles and rewards, as I play this great game, and work on becoming a bogey-golfer. If you choose to leave a comment or have a conversation on this subject through this blog, I would be delighted.
Happy golfing!
I started playing golf almost two years ago, with a few lessons from the local pro in Pune. As I have progressed from being a beginner to an intermediate golfer with a handicap of 24, the one thing that has become abundantly clear to me is that golf is simultaneously a singularly frustrating and rewarding pursuit. My first official handicap was listed as 36, and shortly thereafter I got an opportunity to play in an invitational event organized by the brand of clubs I had purchased recently. The entry bar was set at 24-handicap, and I got in by listing my handicap as 24. Needless to say, I got my butt kicked pretty good during the event, but the experience was invaluable.
Over time my handicap dropped all the way to 24, and then creeped back up to 27, where it stayed for almost 7-8 months. The dreams of becoming a single-digit handicapper in 2 years were quickly put to sleep by a healthy dose of triples, quadruples, quintuples, and three-putts. Through the trials and tribulations of working on my swing, the endless putting practice, and the Sensex like fluctuations in my scores, I realized that becoming a bogey golfer in a reasonable period of time was a more realistice expectation. I also showed myself a little pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, by resolving to buy a driver once I reached a handicap of 18. Currently I am at 24 and there is some way to go to add the driver to my bag.
During this time I have also realized that becoming a bogey-golfer is a watershed event in the life of a golfer who is starting out. Some get to it much faster than others, but it is a very significant milestone neveretheless. At 32+ you are a glorified hacker, at 24+ you have promise and potential, but at 18 you have truly arrived as a serious recreational golfer. People look at you differently when you are at 18 or under.
Hence the name of this blog. This blog is intended to be a chronicle of my struggles and rewards, as I play this great game, and work on becoming a bogey-golfer. If you choose to leave a comment or have a conversation on this subject through this blog, I would be delighted.
Happy golfing!
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