Getting ready for competition

My preparation for the golfing season is now well advanced. It began with the discovery of InPlay Bristol. I have to admit that I really appreciate the facilities the hosts provide, I find the atmosphere there tremendous and all the staff make you feel welcome and are keen to help you enjoy yourself. Being a bit of a geek for technology, the feedback you get from hitting shots in the simulators is brutal – no getting away with a fat or thin – it tells you as it is. Also, I can’t blame my 6 iron for not allowing the ball to carry more than 150 yards – I took my club along one night just to see how my shafts compared to the Titleists and Ross (one of the resident PGA Pros) proceeded to hit 3, straight as you like, 205 Yarders!!!!!

So my game is in relatively good shape. I’ve reduced my swing thoughts down from infinity to just two, a massive achievement in itself. Hitting it straighter and further. Short game coming back into its own now that the grass is growing around the greens and the hollow tyning is bedding in. Putting is sound. Let’s go play some golf.

Out with the old and in with the new

So it’s the last day of 2014, the time when people reflect and project their thoughts to the new year ahead. My resolution to clear out my cellars and loft of junk is due for renewal, again. Wish me luck with that one! My golfing thoughts are forever prominent in my mind and today is no exception.

Starting with reflection, the year just gone has been pretty much dominated by challenges at work and from the tone of chat I had with my boss before the Xmas break, I’m not expecting to see any relief in that department.  Golfwise though, things have been much better. After being at Saltford GC for what must be 23 years, I finally managed to win a major competition; The Ladies Cup. Not the most endearing of trophy names but a win all the same. It’s awarded to the Summer Singles Champion, a knockout competition played off of the white tees. £45 and kudos in the form of getting my name onto the trophy board.

Looking forward, I’m excited about the golfing times ahead. Work on my set-up is already helping me to square the club face at impact and increase my swing speed. Single figure handicap is my goal this year, how hard can it be to drop 3 shots? We’ll see, I’m sure of that.

Reflection on this season

Been a time since I posted anything so it must have been a busy year, well that’s definitely true! Nearly ready to make a New Year resolution and realise that still not done the one from last January – really do need to clear my rubbish out from the cellar at some point. So let me think, how have things gone this year in the world of the “G” word? Better, would be a fair assessment I’d say. What does that mean?

From a results perspective my handicap did it’s usual thing, came down at the beginning and drifted back up through the summer. From the society perspective though my handicap was severely chopped after I picked up the 2013 BOSS Tour Singles winner award so can’t complain. More of the Tour later. From an enjoyment factor perspective however, things have been great. New coach, Ben Lloyd at Cumberwell Park has been fantastic in helping me understand and address the problems I have with my swing. Also, this season I bought new Mizuno MP 64s and I’m hitting a 4 iron again for the first time in years.

I played for the club a few times: Shirehampton GC, Wells GC, Worlebury GC and a home match at Saltford GC so that’s something to be proud of I guess. I got through the first couple of rounds of the Volvo Matchplay, beating Tim Blood at Burnham GC along the way – a really memorable experience, easy going out but a nightmare coming in against the wind.

So back to the BOSS Tour. Stewart organised a cracking weekend in South Wales. Ashburnham GC, The Gower GC & Machynys Peninsula GC. 24 of us had a brilliant time with some laughs on and off the course, I can say I was honestly scared when out at night in Swansea, not for my own safety but for the hundreds of people that descend on the place from the surrounding hills and valleys, what an eye-opener. I wonder where we’ll go next year?

Memories of Bermuda

Spring review

So it’s now the end of May but you wouldn’t know it by the weather. It feels like one long, continuous, never-ending, cold, damp, god-forsaken mother of a winter that started when the environment savers announced a hosepipe ban about a year ago. I’ve resisted the temptation to put the heating on today out of principle. So sat indoors when I want to be out on the course is a great opportunity to update my blog.

Well my long awaited success in competitions is still awaited. A rubbish result in the Moseley Cup almost put me off entering the Stragglers Championship. Round 1 made me feel that that things were turning a corner with a 5th place going into round 2. Round 2 though went south dropping to 22nd. Played for Saltford in the Hi-Lo 4somes @shirehamptonGC came 3rd as a team and won £15 – hooray!

I’m definitely enjoying my refocus and feel my game is improving gradually. I switch between styles too regularly and now need to commit to what I genuinely believe is right. So, here goes, into June with energy and enthusiasm, the Nike Matchplay draw is out next week, then the Clinker Bowl so plenty of opportunities for enjoyment.

 

The early signs of progress

The long winter continues to discourage me spending time outside. Not only has it halted my attempts to replace my front path, it has limited my visits to the course to “essential-only”. Ironically though, the miserable weather has proved a godsend in that it has helped me focus on swing mechanics. Not that I’ve been guilty of over-analysis before of course, well most of us fall into this category don’t we? Actually this winter has really helped me to practice away from the course.

My latest retreat was recommended by my regular golfing buddy Paddy. I had no idea that Windmill Golf Academy, Bristol existed, yet alone how well equipped it is to provide great practice facilities. It’s refreshing to see young people running a business so enthusiastically. Somewhere that is affordable, has food and drink available and is geared up for the likes of me is a brilliant find. On my 2nd visit I signed up for their loyalty scheme and I’m already enjoying the discounts.

So I’m now striking the ball better than anytime in the last 12 months. Why is this and will it last are two questions that spring to mind. Historically, I play best early in the season and it goes downhill from thereon in (How-did-I-do acts as a simple reminder when it graphs my handicap) so this year has to be different! Yes, I’ve invested a lot of time in practice recently, Celtic Manor Academy, Ubersense and GSA apps, etc. but I have made it through to the semi-finals of the Winter Knockout so this is the time to make it stick and move forward.

Time for a helping hand

There came a point in time this month when I knew I needed to pause and reflect on progress to date and to decide on next best steps. So it came to pass….etc. Yes, help was the tonic I needed, if for no other reason than to maintain my sanity. Weeks upon weeks of a long winter consisting mainly of swinging clubs indoors (mini-swings of course), endless hours of watching tuition videos discovered by way of Twitter or You Tube and the relentless pursuit of perfection captured on several apps downloaded to the iPad, had all taken its’ toll.

Prompted by an offer of reduced green fees courtesy of teeofftimes.co.uk, I took a punt on a 12.5o pm option on The Montgomery @CelticManor for what looked like a bargain £12. This tied in nicely with a planned Friday off and the fact that I wouldn’t be making the Saturday roll up that week as plans were in place to celebrate our 28th anniversary at the amazing MenuGordonJones restaurant in Bath. As the date approached, I kept an eye on the weather forecast for the Newport area and continued my mini-swings indoors and “got stuck into” more instructional advice from the likes of Mark Crossfield, Martin Chuck and a few others that have become my daily fixers.

I’d been to CelticManor back in 2009, I’d never played the courses but I did take a series of lessons that I really enjoyed. I think this was probably due to the buzz I got from being in the fantastic Academy environment they have on offer. It was and still is, a wonderful place to hone your technique. The equipment on offer, Trackman, GASP,  SAMLab, etc is truly inspiring. Their latest addition of an indoor simulator takes it to the next level. So it was inevitable that as time went by, I would pick up the phone to enquire about a lesson. One thing has changed since 2009 and that is the prices. Last time I went along the deal was £100 for 6 x 1 hour lessons with a PGA Assistant, now the lessons are £35 an hour.

My last visit to CelticManor was the 2010 Ryder Cup. I saw it through from the Wednesday to the Monday, getting soaked and soaked again, walking miles and miles, boarding buses and trains and queuing patiently for everything from access to exits. It still remains a most memorable experience and one that will stay with me for a long long time.

I thought I had a good idea of my swing faults, so I was surprised when Michael, my coach for the lesson, reviewed my performance and announced that there were a number of things we needed to address that I was relatively unaware of. Nothing emphasises a point more than the images on the screen of me trying hard to do something straightforward but just making hard work of it. After weakening my grip, realigning my address parallel to the target, adjusting my posture and taking the club back on plane, I was ready put it into practice on the course.

Exploring golfing resources

Yes there is a lot of help out there and you don’t have to look far to find it…. but is it useful or does it just make the journey more complicated? Well, a bit of both in my experience. You do need to be selective or risk the danger of being drawn into some guy’s radical thinking that may work for some but not everyone.

Radical? Well yes. The enthusiasm with which some golf coaches try to convince you that if you want to see results, their method is the only method, can be influential but it will inevitably mean you need to commit yourself to a change that you are probably not that comfortable with.  So where do you start when looking for help?

There is no replacement for face to face analysis by a PGA Pro, followed by a lesson that sorts out the basics; stance, posture, grip, swing plane, weight shift, etc……. but for me this should not be your only source of support. Let’s be honest, you cannot guarantee the capability of just any PGA Pro to be able to develop you to achieve your potential, they have to prove themselves to you first. After all, it’s a business and whilst it is in the Pro’s interest for you to improve, they also need to stimulate and feed your appetite for more.

Ultimately, you have to be able to instruct and coach yourself. After all, it’s a lonely place out on the course and that’s exactly where you are when you need to find out how to get back into scoring mode. How many times have you booked a lesson and after 10 minutes you think you’ve cracked it? You spend the next 20 minutes and the best part of the £20, with a smile and the confidence you can win the next medal. The remainder of the lesson is dedicated to thinking your Pro is now your new best friend, funny how that relationship tends to wane until around the time when you’re ready to book another lesson.

So knowing your weaknesses and developing your strengths is key to building a golf swing that will bring you the satisfaction that you have performed well. Every time you can enjoy yourself on the course it is bound to make you feel good and encourage you to return.

 

Let me share my story

I’m one of those guys that has had a go at most things but never achieved the satisfaction of winning anything worth talking about. Yes, I’ve had great fun and I’ve been competitive but can’t claim to have done well enough to be really proud. I’ve made a decision to stick with one thing and to make a decent fist of it. That thing is something that I’ve not been able to master for the best part of 25 years, however, I actually do believe it is possible for me to achieve a level of performance that will bring me satisfaction.