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How do you know your game has taken the next step?

robmypro

robmypro

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As i was playing golf today, it made me wonder if today represented the next step in the evolution of my game or not. Let me explain. Today i played 9 holes, shot 43, had a birdie, 3 pars, 1 bogey, a 4 doubles. And 3 of those were from penalties. No 3 putts, and my short game was working. I just had the feel. And this is the thing. Not one really bad hit. Even with the 3 penalties, 2 were good solid shots that just missed the fairway, and got eaten up by the nasty rough. So basically, not one bad shot. And check this out. We were playing behind a high school golf team. One tee shot lands about 30 yards short of a 350 yard par 4. They noticed. So on the last hole, a 300 yard par 4, they waited for me to tee off. My wife saw them watching. I crushed it, landing about 10 yards from the green. Up and down for birdie. They seemed to enjoy it.

It also underscored how i need to score. I need a big tee shot. And i need my short game to work. For one day in my golf career, they came together, and the game was just easier. But i needed to attack to see it. I guess that was something i hadn't really seen in my game until today.

So, does this mean my game has taken the next step? Or could this just be the stars lining up for 9 wonderful holes, to be followed by a complete collapse next time? I guess i am wondering how you can tell that your game has moved forward? I figure time will tell, but i also want to temper my enthusiasm.

But this just felt like a breakthrough. I have never played 3 holes in a row, let alone 9, without a shank or worm burner mixed in here or there. And, i backed up that PB i had last week with another one (for this 9).

What would you be thinking right now if you were me?
 
I've been in the same boat more than once. My personal best over 9 holes is a 38. I've shot in the 50's a few times since then. I believe mastering any skill works like this:

Mastery-Curve.png


So if you find yourself not playing to the same level in the near future, remember that there will be more ups and downs. If you stick with it, in the long run, you will have more ups than downs and will continue to improve.
 
Mystery Meat said:
Your a 26 cap that hit a 300 yard and a 330 yarder in the same round?
Click to expand...
OP's location is Colorado, thinner air leads to lonfer shots than in the Midwest. That's science.

Stated yardage is almost never actual yardage on the day. Unless there's GPS in there, please forgive me.

Handicap doesn't determine driving distance. No more than height, weight, or practice time does.
 
As per the original question, I feel like when you get that hint of consistency, that is the next step moment. As a wise man once said...there are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. - Bruce Lee

Essentially what I'm trying to say, is keep up the good work and you'll have more and more of these "next step" moments. After all, that's somewhat of a reason that we play the game for, right?
 
Mystery Meat said:
Your a 26 cap that hit a 300 yard and a 330 yarder in the same round?
Click to expand...

Your iron and short game must be horrible if you can drive that far and not score good, I only drive around 200 meters and score around the high 30's and low 40's.
 
If you really want to make a big step learn or establish a consistent ball flight and knowing when to go after it and when not . Once I started consistently standing on a tee or range and can hit a baby fade I knew good scores would be coming. I bet once you establish a ball flight your handicap will drop in half in less than a season.
 
-CRW- said:
I've been in the same boat more than once. My personal best over 9 holes is a 38. I've shot in the 50's a few times since then. I believe mastering any skill works like this:

Mastery-Curve.png


So if you find yourself not playing to the same level in the near future, remember that there will be more ups and downs. If you stick with it, in the long run, you will have more ups than downs and will continue to improve.
Click to expand...

That chart makes a lot of sense. It is a good way of visualizing what i am experiencing. Thanks!

Mystery Meat said:
Your a 26 cap that hit a 300 yard and a 330 yarder in the same round?
Click to expand...

Colorado, and a little breeze at my back. The bombs can be majestic lol.

moosejaa said:
Not everyone has to be a low cap to bomb a drive here and there.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I am living proof!

tpluff said:
OP's location is Colorado, thinner air leads to lonfer shots than in the Midwest. That's science.

Stated yardage is almost never actual yardage on the day. Unless there's GPS in there, please forgive me.

Handicap doesn't determine driving distance. No more than height, weight, or practice time does.
Click to expand...

Right on all accounts. I don't know if these drives were that far. What i do know is other people noticed, and i came very close to hitting the green on a par 4 in one. But it is Colorado!

tpluff said:
As per the original question, I feel like when you get that hint of consistency, that is the next step moment. As a wise man once said...there are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. - Bruce Lee

Essentially what I'm trying to say, is keep up the good work and you'll have more and more of these "next step" moments. After all, that's somewhat of a reason that we play the game for, right?
Click to expand...

i really like that quote. I am definitely putting in the time, and i think i am working correctly. Thanks!

Aussie Dave said:
Your iron and short game must be horrible if you can drive that far and not score good, I only drive around 200 meters and score around the high 30's and low 40's.
Click to expand...

My game is complicated. On one par 5 i was 20 yards off the green in 2, chipped over a bunker and landed 10 feet from the cup. I just missed the birdie putt. I actually thought that hole went really well, but no birdie. My whole game is a work in progress.

Mystery Meat said:
If you really want to make a big step learn or establish a consistent ball flight and knowing when to go after it and when not . Once I started consistently standing on a tee or range and can hit a baby fade I knew good scores would be coming. I bet once you establish a ball flight your handicap will drop in half in less than a season.
Click to expand...

Funny you mention that because i have been seeing that a lot more consistently. I had one lesson and the key takeaway was turn the hips more and less up and down. That one tip eliminated my slice, and now i have a draw. Other little things i notice, like not needing 5 or 10 shots at the range to warm up. It seems like most times my first or second shot are nice now. The other thing is, i only use my SW from 100 yards in. I just know it now, and have a lot of confidence hitting it. I only have 7 clubs in my bag, and that has helped a ton. And, i just believe the Eye 2's are amazing. Nice high ball flight, and they give me confidence.
 
I actually think that you've reached the next step in your game when you feel like you didn't actually play very well but put up a decent score.
 
To me it's when I know exactly where I have strokes away without scratching my head to figure out when and how.
 
In my 20+ handicap days (when I was younger) - I could hit many a 300 yard drive in the same round. A few would land in the fairway and be very impressive. Many, especially on higher end courses where accuracy is important, would end up OB or lost costing me penalty strokes and leading to the dreaded "blow up" holes. In fact, in many ways it was my length that cost me a lot of strokes back then. So not surprising at all that he can hit a few 300 yard bombs in a round......
 
When your bad rounds are what you used to hope to shoot on a good round is an indicator to me.
 
Renren89 said:
I actually think that you've reached the next step in your game when you feel like you didn't actually play very well but put up a decent score.
Click to expand...

I think your's and some of the subsequent comments are "steps" in the game, but not "the" next step as there are more than one. The step you are at is different from mine which is different from the OP's.
 
Back to the OP, it has been when I started to regularly see certain things. Scoring in the 80's became expected and regular, anything starting with a 9 is a "what the hell???" type experience. I started making birdies every round, then started having multi-birdie rounds (I miss those days).
 
robmypro said:
As i was playing golf today, it made me wonder if today represented the next step in the evolution of my game or not. Let me explain. Today i played 9 holes, shot 43, had a birdie, 3 pars, 1 bogey, a 4 doubles. And 3 of those were from penalties. No 3 putts, and my short game was working. I just had the feel. And this is the thing. Not one really bad hit. Even with the 3 penalties, 2 were good solid shots that just missed the fairway, and got eaten up by the nasty rough. So basically, not one bad shot. And check this out. We were playing behind a high school golf team. One tee shot lands about 30 yards short of a 350 yard par 4. They noticed. So on the last hole, a 300 yard par 4, they waited for me to tee off. My wife saw them watching. I crushed it, landing about 10 yards from the green. Up and down for birdie. They seemed to enjoy it.

It also underscored how i need to score. I need a big tee shot. And i need my short game to work. For one day in my golf career, they came together, and the game was just easier. But i needed to attack to see it. I guess that was something i hadn't really seen in my game until today.

So, does this mean my game has taken the next step? Or could this just be the stars lining up for 9 wonderful holes, to be followed by a complete collapse next time? I guess i am wondering how you can tell that your game has moved forward? I figure time will tell, but i also want to temper my enthusiasm.

But this just felt like a breakthrough. I have never played 3 holes in a row, let alone 9, without a shank or worm burner mixed in here or there. And, i backed up that PB i had last week with another one (for this 9).

What would you be thinking right now if you were me?
Click to expand...
Congrats on setting the table. Not sure this means you're ready for hungryman 5v dinner vs the regular tv dinner, but your in the right aisle.

A sign that your game is changing would be a trend. For instance, your next 5 rounds are like or better than your last. The double bogies start to become less frequent. More pars and birds. This could be the beginning but let's see what you do next few times out.
false hope and expectations can really bogg down a round if you don't see what your expecting. Keep the positives and build on the negatives from that round. If you do that your game will turn quicker
 
When I start scoring lower more consistently.
 
Have been asking myself the same question lately. Have not had a score above 90 in the last 7 or 8 rounds and all but two have been below 85. Finished well in the club champ. including an 81 with 4 birdies in the final round. Been getting up and down at a much higher rate. Noticeably better putting from 8-15 feet. Several rounds with multiple birdies including 3 in one round last weekend to go with the 4 birdie round the weekend before. Except for some too frequent blow-up hole(s) things seem to be trending up. Working hard to remain positive and view this as a break through so my confidence stays high. It is kind of the normal time of the year for me to throw up some good scores but this stretch has been unusual in that there have not been any really ugly rounds mixed in the with the good ones.

Good luck to the OP and hope the momentum carries you to the next level in your game.
 
If you take a look at your penalty shots. If you were hitting long aggressive drives that are good shots but running out of fairway, you can still be aggressive with a fairway wood or an long iron. Being in attack mode is not only for the driver. If that aggressive mentality works for you, stay aggressive but just be smarter in your club selection. Hope that makes sence.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
 
BigE said:
In my 20+ handicap days (when I was younger) - I could hit many a 300 yard drive in the same round. A few would land in the fairway and be very impressive. Many, especially on higher end courses where accuracy is important, would end up OB or lost costing me penalty strokes and leading to the dreaded "blow up" holes. In fact, in many ways it was my length that cost me a lot of strokes back then. So not surprising at all that he can hit a few 300 yard bombs in a round......
Click to expand...

This is the reason i retired my driver and 3w for teeing off. I don't seem to lose any distance with my 3h, but control is there.

Renren89 said:
I actually think that you've reached the next step in your game when you feel like you didn't actually play very well but put up a decent score.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the 92 i had included an 8, so i felt that way.
 
I started thinking I had made the next step, then scores I was previously very happy with became scores I wasn't happy with.

Little things, like not losing a ball or having a penalty stroke. Not having to endlessly search for balls on every hole. Consistently being on a green in regulation.
 
Otis32 said:
Have been asking myself the same question lately. Have not had a score above 90 in the last 7 or 8 rounds and all but two have been below 85. Finished well in the club champ. including an 81 with 4 birdies in the final round. Been getting up and down at a much higher rate. Noticeably better putting from 8-15 feet. Several rounds with multiple birdies including 3 in one round last weekend to go with the 4 birdie round the weekend before. Except for some too frequent blow-up hole(s) things seem to be trending up. Working hard to remain positive and view this as a break through so my confidence stays high. It is kind of the normal time of the year for me to throw up some good scores but this stretch has been unusual in that there have not been any really ugly rounds mixed in the with the good ones.

Good luck to the OP and hope the momentum carries you to the next level in your game.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Sounds like your game is cranking.
 
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