What's your progress been like so far in 2012?

I started the year at 13.4

Went up to 13.5 before a 1.2 cut in February down to 12.3

A steady rise back up to 12.7 followed before a cut of 0.9 and an Exceptional Scoring Reduction of 0.5 down to 11.3.

Then played awful for 3-4 months and went back up to 12.0 (it's no coincidence that this coincided with the poor weather).

A couple of weeks back had another 0.4 cut to take me to my current handicap of 11.6 (although I'm expecting another 0.2 to be added from the open I played in at the weekend).

So, am I happy with my progress so far? Not as much as I'd hoped to be. A couple of weeks back I thought about why I haven't made the progress I'd hoped and compared the number rounds I played this year compared to last.

Up to the end of August 2011, I'd played 62 rounds; to the same period in 2012 I'd played 50. This is quite ironic as I expected my wife going overseas would mean I'd play more golf, but as I'm regularly over there it makes sense for it to be lower since I'm losing out on up to 3 rounds a weekend.

How about the rest of you?

I'm still bedding in a new swing and finding the new grip the hardest. Still having the odd shank, but this last couple of weeks I've played some great stuff and if my putting worked better would have done some damage.

Not played a medal since April because the last time I tried I made a complete bollox of it and went backwards yet again. I'm playing off 18 but the last few rounds have seen me play to 12, 14, 12 and 6. So getting some confidence and will play a QC before too long. I should get cut this year I hope.

Doc wrote:I'm still bedding in a new swing and finding the new grip the hardest. Still having the odd shank, but this last couple of weeks I've played some great stuff and if my putting worked better would have done some damage.

Not played a medal since April because the last time I tried I made a complete bollox of it and went backwards yet again. I'm playing off 18 but the last few rounds have seen me play to 12, 14, 12 and 6. So getting some confidence and will play a QC before too long. I should get cut this year I hope.

6?!?

Here you go, you'll be needing one of these:

last summer I had 2 consecutive rounds of 76, just 4 over par gross. Thought I'd cracked it and found reality very quickly.

I'm out tonight and can expect a bit of a mare, just no consistency at the moment, unless the last few rounds are looking like I have made progress, but we'll see tonight.

I've said on here before though, that I only play 3 QC's at this club, because I find it impossible to get cut. extra 800 yards from the blue competition tees is a joke, and makes 3 par 4's a par 5 for me, so 3 shots behind before I get on the tee.

Couple of weeks ago I played in Cambridgeshire, on a fairly tough track which was also heavily roughed. I played to 19, 16 and 13, so well chuffed as it wasn't easy

Depending on the SSSs, those are not the scores of an 18-handicapper!

You're not expected to play to handicap that often let alone break it.

Doc,
The higher CSS off the blue tees should even out the extra length. You can easily get cut with a round where you are nett over par if everyone else struggles too.

Merc

how did you play 78 rounds in 7 months last year ? Don't you have a job?

Ok my turn : i set myself 2 targets this year:

1. Reduce my handicap from 12 to 10.
2. Break 80 in a stroke play comp. (home course is par 71 SSS 72)

Firstly the handicap. Only targeted a modest reduction because i got married this year and the wedding and honeymoon came right in the middle of peak golf season. True to form my best round of the year came the day before my wedding when i played the last 10 holes in level par for a cracking round at hanbury manor - off the white tees. Not been able to recapture that form since i got back from honeymoon.

In total I've played about 30 rounds so far this year and handicap stands at 10.5 so confident of achieving this objective.

Secondly breaking 80. This was very much a psychological target. I always string together a few good holes but i lose focus somewhere, especially in competition . I achieved this with a 78 in the June medal, despite finishing with a double bogey. Want to do this again now!

raycastleunited wrote:Merc

how did you play 78 rounds in 7 months last year ? Don't you have a job?

As you questioned it, Ray, I thought I'd best check. I was well and truly wrong - it was only 55 rounds to the end of July 2011 and 44 rounds in 2012 - not sure how I got my original figures (this year's rounds in brackets):

January: 6 (4)
February: 7 (7)
March: 7 (7)
April: 9 (5)
May: 9 (4)
June: 10 (8)
July: 7 (9)
August: 7 (6)
September: 7
October: 7
November: 5
December: 4

P.S. Actually, I have an idea why I stated too many rounds - each page on the Golfshot website contains 20 rounds - I suspect I double-counted a page.

raycastleunited wrote:Ok my turn : i set myself 2 targets this year:

1. Reduce my handicap from 12 to 10.
2. Break 80 in a stroke play comp. (home course is par 71 SSS 72)

Firstly the handicap. Only targeted a modest reduction because i got married this year and the wedding and honeymoon came right in the middle of peak golf season. True to form my best round of the year came the day before my wedding when i played the last 10 holes in level par for a cracking round at hanbury manor - off the white tees. Not been able to recapture that form since i got back from honeymoon.

In total I've played about 30 rounds so far this year and handicap stands at 10.5 so confident of achieving this objective.

Secondly breaking 80. This was very much a psychological target. I always string together a few good holes but i lose focus somewhere, especially in competition . I achieved this with a 78 in the June medal, despite finishing with a double bogey. Want to do this again now!

What? Finish with a double-bogey?

One more good round sooner than later and it looks like you'll make your target, Ray. You'll refocus your target and be looking at 9 by the end of the year if you get to 10 quickly, I assume?

Seeing as you're now married that should mean you can play more golf as Mrs Ray will be feeling more secure in your relationship and won't need you to be around as much