u/Gloomy-Ad-222

I retired early after some good business fortune (a couple of tech companies that took off) and while it’s great not have all the pressures and stresses of work, all my friends are busy most of the day and it can get a bit lonely at times. I volunteer at a couple of non-profits and I play golf, a lot. Handicap has dropped from 27 to 11 and I meet all kinds of people when I play and have made new friends and we meet up and play now. The better I’ve gotten the more people want to connect and play. The last thing I’m thinking of is loneliness when I hit a great drive and figuring out where to hit a 9 iron or wedge. Plus I walk and get 15k+ steps every time I play. And let’s face it, golf is really fun.

I really appreciate golf and what it has done for my mental state.

I’ve played with a friend for 20 years and of those years, he always beat me. He’s single digit and I was just happy to break 100. Thr last time we played I scored 103 at his home course (very long, tight, and difficult course). No gimmees, no breakfast balls, no mulligans.

So I finally figured out I couldn’t YouTube my way to a repeatable swing on my own. And took lessons over the last four years, many lessons, many range sessions, many short game-only practice. Why do I love to practice so much? Not sure, but I do.

I slowly started to get better. Finally broke 90 a couple of years ago and this year every round has been under 90, with an 82 being the best score so far.

So finally played my friend. He’s still a good player but started off a little rough as he got there late and didn’t have time to take a few range swings. I got there an hour early to make sure things were ok with my swing.

I also focused on the course. Some holes were so tight that 3 wood was the call off the tee. I played consistent golf the front 9 with a few bogeys and then I got a birdie. That birdie finally woke him up and he started playing well from there with a couple of his own birdies.

I made maybe one bad swing the entire round, and I still hit the green from the rough on the next shot.

Final score: 84, my friend 85. He owed me $140, the first time I’ve ever won money off of him. (My ROI is pretty bad though considering the considerable money I’ve spent in lessons lol)And he was like “man, you have a good swing now” and he was cool and appreciative that I could compete finally.

But more than that, it’s a relief that all the work I put in is paying off.

Here’s what improved:

Driver: understanding path and rotating my body on the takeback, setting, and just turning the body. As long as I don’t over rotate and overdraw, it goes 260-280 depending on the roll out.

Irons: relaxing arms, making a V, getting extension, shortening swing a bit helped with accuracy and consistency and letting the club drop eliminated chunks.

Chipping: my gap wedge is my chipper 90% of the time. Make a V with the arms, short back and forward with good tempo. One of the strongest parts of my game now. High pitch shots with the 56 or 60 degree work maybe 60% of the time so I try to generally stay away from them.

Putting: lag putting has improved tremendously. Pick out a spot before the hole and hit that far. I use the aimpoint system with my fingers as I used to play way too much break. However I still miss way too many 4-6 foot putts so that’s an area of major improvement. I’m hoping I can become a very good putter because that’s costing me so many strokes.

Course management: knowing where I can hit, using the rangefinder to know how far that bunker is or how far the woods are, knowing where I can hit and miss and still be ok. Laying up and not going for hero shots. But also getting better with the 3 wood off the fairway to get the ball a lot closer in par 5s. Undemanding how to keep the ball low to get out of trees. So many things I’m still working on.

Golf is hard, it take a lot of time and discipline to play well, and that’s what I love about it. I worked under four different pros and each of them worked with my existing swing and I learned something from all of them. One taught me extension, one how to get lag in my swing, one about path and grip and setup. I learned from all of them and all of them were helpful in their own way.

Knicks are a hard team not to like, at least the players.

They hustle, little ego, give you every possession, and don’t showboat.

I’m hoping the Wiz can develop a team to create a new rivalry over the next few years. I think we’re legit starting next year and the Knicks are where the ceiling is.

Since we’re out of it, I’m enjoying this series as a neutral fan but gravitating towards the Knicks this year.