Are you ready?

[pokerjoke]

It seems to me that it won’t be long before the season is open us.
I appreciate some feel it never goes away,especially if your course is always open and always holding qualifiers.
My course has generally been shut or on temps,although we have had 2 qualifying comps.
My aim this year is to get a handicap close to 0 from 2.3 following my small cut a couple weeks ago.

So what have you been doing,practicing to get ready for the season.
What are your goals ,aims etc
Do you play for your club at all.

The season has so many aspects so many adventures so many different scenarios.
Care to share yours.

 

[Orikoru]

You've probably seen me waffling about this already but since you ask - I had a lesson at the start of January. I never have lessons but I finally felt I'd hit a bit of a wall last year and needed assistance to get any lower. Unfortunately it's been a bit of a struggle since I am largely unaccustomed to actually working on my game rather than just playing. I'm hoping it all clicks in time for early Spring when the proper competitions start happening.

My goal was to break 80 a lot more (last year I only managed it two or three times which was less than in 2022) and ideally get my handicap to 12.
Right now my new goal is just to get back to the level I was at since I'm currently shooting in the mid-90s... and then hope to push on and do the above.

As a side goal, I would really love to do well in one of the matchplay knock-outs, like get to a semi-final or better. And I would like to not play horrendously in the Club Champs as normally I put in one of my worst rounds of the year on day one, regular as clockwork.

 

[Imurg]

I've got to the stage where playing and enjoying playing are the only real goals.
Yeah, I'd like to get lower than my lowest index of 4.3 but what will be will be.
I don't practice in the sense of bashing balls or chipping for an hour...I'll play 9 holes instead.
Not overly interested in the club matches right now but that might change in a year or few.
Just happy to be out playing most days with little to no pressure on me.
I've got my clubs settled bar wear and tear replacements.
Looking forward to some drier, warmer weather.....

 

[PJ87]

I've got to the stage where playing and enjoying playing are the only real goals.
Yeah, I'd like to get lower than my lowest index of 4.3 but what will be will be.
I don't practice in the sense of bashing balls or chipping for an hour...I'll play 9 holes instead.
Not overly interested in the club matches right now but that might change in a year or few.
Just happy to be out playing most days with little to no pressure on me.
I've got my clubs settled bar wear and tear replacements.
Looking forward to some drier, warmer weather.....

I love this thinking, as much as I want to get as low as possible, that one / two time a week away from work and the kids playing golf with friends is just to be enjoyed.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

So what have you been doing,practicing to get ready for the season. Working on a swing change which has been producing good results (apart from a recent dose of the shanks). Simplifying things. I've also been doing a lot of work on my mental side and listen to some podcasts by Karl Morris and Adam Young/Jon Sherman which has been really positive especially when I am not swinging it as well as I'd like on any day. Still got work to do on the short game

What are your goals ,aims etc - My goal is always to try and get as low as I can. I can't control any other score so I'll simply try and play my best golf and let results and handicap changes take care of themselves

Do you play for your club at all. Normally play for the club in our "friendly" games although a couple of local matches which are fiercely competitive on the course but a lot of fun afterward irrespective of the result

 

[Pin-seeker]

I’m just ready for playing in warm weather with a few beers after work.
Something to actually look forward to.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Oh, I'm always ready for whatever the next months may bring.
Course has remained closed today. I'm hoping that I will get another game in Feb though.

I'm ready for my HI to go up in April. First four scores will see 2 of my best 8 dropping off which includes my lowest SD of 0.2
Four completely poo scores and I will go up to 5.3.
April will be damage limitation exercise.
5.2 will give me a individual strokeplay PH of 7 under the new system. That will seem fun, but won't make any significant difference to comp outcome and no difference at all to SD and HI.

This got me thinking about whether I have a "seasonal" handicap.
I looked at my 20 most recent scores in April, May and September and compared that with my most recent 20 scores in June, July and August.
Spring/Autumn HI is 5.2 and summer HI is 3.8.
July was a much wetter muddier month than usual, so could have been a bit lower than my current 4.3
Pretty much what I would expect.
My current HI is too low for April, but I will likely be a bandit in late May or June. And this could be true for many others, I imagine.

Made my debut for the seniors team (over 60s) last year. Had put it off for a few years, but I am looking forward to playing a few more courses for free. Ha ha.
Haven't played first team for a few years now, but got asked last year - declined. I decided 1977 to 2017 was long enough time-span.
I'll have yet another go in the county seniors scratch knockout. Never yet got past 2nd round and chances of doing so must be diminishing as I could be up against someone 8 years younger with an HI 3 or 4 shots lower. Out first round and I will probably not bother again. Just hoping for a home draw to start. Luck of the draw and living in hope.

 

[sunshine]

Am I ready? I won't be ready until I have replaced my collection of red Nike TW polos with a haul of SUN DAY RED merch

 

[Albo]

I have one single goal this year and that’s to enjoy playing every single time I go out and play. Nothing more, nothing less.
I don’t play comps or for my club so I have no cares in that regard

 

[jamielaing]

Am I ready??? Haven't played since late October!

Need to get myself some practice in over March and April to try and kick on in May.

Last season saw my handicap go from knocking on the door of 2 up to 5 and was not a good year. New parenthood has taken affect and all my golf was in competition so my intention is to get at least a couple of hours of practice a week and hopefully some more social golf. I did get my debut in the scratch team and put in a good showing however.

Aims for the season are;
Handicap back down, as close to 2 as I can get it preferably.
A good showing in the club championship and see how far I can get this year.
A trophy would be nice.
A few more games for the team. We have a good standard in our squad. I think the highest handicap of our line up is 1 if all available.
And finally, to get through the season without buying any new miracle clubs!

 

[gopher99]

Had a wrist operation on Jan 10th to break some bones in my wrist then shave them down and repair the tendon. My first games are in March, Pearl Valley, Arabella, St Francis Links and then Humewood. I am looking forward to it, but worried that the wrist might pack up after the first round or even during the round.

 

[Orikoru]

I have one single goal this year and that’s to enjoy playing every single time I go out and play. Nothing more, nothing less.
I don’t play comps or for my club so I have no cares in that regard

I wish I could do that. But when I play crap it makes me sad! I can't help it.

 

[Albo]

I wish I could do that. But when I play crap it makes me sad! I can't help it.

Oh I hear you on that, I didn’t say it was an easy goal, nor one I’ll definitely succeed at, but it’s my intention

 

[Imurg]

I wish I could do that. But when I play crap it makes me sad! I can't help it.

When I play poorly I'm raging inside u till the boot lid drops....after that there's no point.
Life's too short.

 

[Captain_Black.]

I had a bad season in 2022, I just couldn't get it together bar maybe a few rounds, one of which was a board comp win, but still went up 2 whole shots.

2023 was much better, I was much more consistent, I managed to get 3 shots back & won another board comp.

2024 my goal is to maintain my consistency
I've finally got a set of clubs that I'm happy with.
I haven't really played much at all since Christmas because of the course conditions & weather so I'm very short on game time.
If possible I would like to drop another full shot & enjoy my golf.

 

[Bratty]

I'm worried because I had a good 2023!
Plans are distance gapping session and then a custom fit for new irons, potentially.
A bucket list trip to the US for a golfing mecca trip so really hope I play well, but I've bored everyone enough with that.
And to stay a single figure handicapper for the year.

 

[nickjdavis]

It seems to me that it won’t be long before the season is open us.
I appreciate some feel it never goes away,especially if your course is always open and always holding qualifiers.
My course has generally been shut or on temps,although we have had 2 qualifying comps.
My aim this year is to get a handicap close to 0 from 2.3 following my small cut a couple weeks ago.

So what have you been doing,practicing to get ready for the season.
What are your goals ,aims etc
Do you play for your club at all.

The season has so many aspects so many adventures so many different scenarios.
Care to share yours.

buying new clubs

 

[Billysboots]

I’ve been playing pretty much all winter and am hitting it pretty well. Been working a lot on my short game which has improved enormously so I am looking forward to this year. My HI has been steady between 8 and 9 for about a year now, but I am really hopeful that I can shave a couple off that.

But in all honesty, given the health issues I have had in the last couple of the years, my aims are simple. Enjoy my golf, with several opens and a few trips booked, enjoy good weather and company, let the HI look after itself and to be fit and healthy throughout 2024.

 

[Billysboots]

I wish I could do that. But when I play crap it makes me sad! I can't help it.

I used to be like that, if not worse. A bad round, or bad few rounds, and I’d be miserable. I was bad company on and off the course.

This may sound really odd, but my prostate cancer journey has had so many positives. Key amongst those is a total reset of what is important in life.

And you know what? Hitting bad golf shots just isn’t important. It’s really not. You have a shocking round, just be thankful that you’ve had the opportunity to play that round, mostly in great surroundings and with good mates. So many have that chance snatched from them.

I can say without any hesitation that I am a totally different golfer to the one I was three years ago. I hit a crap shot now, I’ll berate myself for a split second and then I’m laughing about it. My game is better for it.

 

[GG26]

Since mid-December I’ve suffered from Plantar Fasciitis twice and that brought on problems with a knee, which has seized up three times in six weeks (fluid on the knee which takes 7-10 days to recover each time). I am simply hoping that it recovers before the season starts.