An update and some introspection...

This blog isn’t going like I thought it would. Not well at all, nope. You see, I thought at this stage I’d be golfing my age. But sadly that’s just not the case. 

In fact, and I want to share some facts with you, I haven’t been much of a real golfer at all. No, not much at all.  I mean, I’ve golfed quite a bit these past few months, lord knows I have, but I haven’t golfed well, per se. 

To be truthful, I’ve committed all sorts of faux pas: I’ve purchased not one but two sets of clubs—and assorted irons. I’ve bought hundreds of balls from a questionable source—a fine looking young lady who sells them to me from the trunk of her car at a nondescript gas station not too far from where I live. I should mention that I’ve lost an awful lot of those balls...

I have yet to keep score on any of the courses I’ve played. Not a one. I have a stack of score cards in my bag, right next to a pocketful of tees. 

I haven’t yet played in long pants, though I have purchased numerous pairs of shorts, shirts and socks. I bought a pair of shoes, a few gloves and a couple fancy hats, too. Being frugal, I’ve yet to pay more than $30 for 18 holes; I just can’t bring myself to do it. And I’ve enjoyed most of the courses I’ve played. 

I’ve yelled “Fore!” at least twice and have hit at least three carts, maybe more; but I haven’t hit any fellow golfers. Not directly. Yet. I did hit and kill a bird, a beautiful white heron, and it still bothers me. That broke my heart as it was such an unfortunate shot, from the 15th at Buffalo Creek. 

I’ve really only played with one other person, my fearless partner Paul, who plays very similarly to me...up to and including a consistent ignoring of the Rules of Golf.  Thanks for that, Paul. 

Speaking of Paul, let me tell you a little about him: He’s the guy who started me on this game. I was hooked from the get-go—as I knew I would be—and he’s been my golf mentor and quasi-pusher since. He sends me golf articles and recommends new clubs. He texts me alerts on golf shows that I should tune to RIGHT AWAY! He researches and books new courses nearby. He travels up to golf near my place or invites me down to his neighborhood, where the courses are usually a bit nicer. Paul has a way of ignoring bad shots and using creative math for Par 5s that aren’t quite 5 strokes. And he’s adept at finding lost balls. Often he’ll disappear into a thicket or copse of trees and return with not just his ball, but a pocketful of strays. We both carry ball retrievers for this reason. And there are gators and snakes in that shrubbery; we’ve seen quite a few up close. That doesn’t stop him, though. 

While Paul is the only guy with whom I schedule golf outings, we have been joined by other golfers on busy days—either voluntarily or otherwise. Most have been really good golfers who hold their noses as they witness our heathenlike techniques. And it’s for that reason, mainly, that I prefer not to play with people I don’t know.

We’ve been scolded on at least two occasions for bringing beer onto courses that don’t allow it. We’ve also spent $24 on 6-packs at courses. We’ve patronized the beer cart girls, yet still have been betrayed for the above crime. At some courses we’ve been cautioned to not allow others to play through, while other Rangers have advised us to just bypass slower players. We take it all in stride.

We’ve played in brutal heat and we’ve been rained on. We’ve huddled under palm trees to let the thundershowers and lightning storms pass us. We’ve only been rained out once, and that on the back 9, so that wasn’t too bad. We’ve played crowded courses that have taken us 5 hours to get through and we’ve been the only ones on the course. Now that the snowbirds have left, we pretty much have the courses to ourselves. 

I’ve taken two sets of lessons: A course of 7 Saturday’s, focusing mainly on the driving range, and a course of 4 lessons that addressed irons use.  I got the most out of the last lessons as it built my confidence with my irons, especially chipping and fairways shots. And I’ve practiced in my yard whenever possible.

Lastly, I watch golf programs and read golf books. Not because I have to or that I think I’ll learn anything that’ll improve my game, it’s just that I enjoy it! I really do. 

Paul and I watch Endless Golf every week, a show that highlights Florida courses. Bobby Vermillion is a golfer Paul and I would love to be on the course with. He seems to enjoy the game, laughs at close-but-missed putts and often “gives” shots to his partners. I don’t know much about his background, but he’s the kind of player I hope to be. Speaking of players I admire, I just finished John Daly’s very funny book and today I’m reading Bill Murray’s Cinderella Story. 

So, with all of that playing, you’d think I’d be doing pretty well these days.  Spoiler alert: I can’t say I’ve seen much improvement in my game from when I first started. While I have seen improvement in my posture and technique, it hasn’t much translated to better playing. 

But that doesn’t keep me off the course.  As a matter of fact, I’ve been playing even more! And I still enjoy the game immensely...maybe even more so. 

So as I continue my journey to improve, my main goal is to play by the rules, to play as much as I can and to keep loving the game.  Hey, 2 out of three ain’t bad...

And you? What are your experiences? How have you been coming along? Are you seeing improvements and do you still enjoy the game?

Glossary of Common Golf Terms

These will come in handy. 

Term (alphabetical)	Definition
Ball Speed	Speed at which the ball leaves the club's face after impact. Higher speeds impart more spin and are associated with greater carry and total distance. Professional golfers can achieve ball speeds approaching 200 MPH.
Bounce	Measurement in degrees of the angle from the front edge of a club's sole to the point that actually rests on the ground at address. The middle or rear of many soles is lower than the front edge. Bounce is most commonly applied to wedges. More bounce will keep the club from digging too deeply into turf or sand.
Camber	Describes the curvature of the sole of a golf club, both front-to-back and side-to-side. Curvier clubs tend to move more smoothly across the turf, making them more playable than less or uncambered clubs.
Carry Distance	The distance the ball travels through the air after being struck, before touching back down to earth.
Cast	Made from a harder steel than forged irons . The metal is poured into a pre shaped mold, cooled and then separated. Usually recommended for higher handicap players
Cavity Back	Clubhead with a hollowed-out back and thin middle of the face, with the weight distributed around the perimter on the back creating thicker edges and a larger sweetspot. Considered game improvement irons and designed with mid-to-high handicappers in mind, but still played by some scratch golfers and professionals. Typically cast instead of forged.
Center Of Gravity (CG,COG)	The point of the clubhead that represents the intersection of all possible balance points of the clubhead. Defined across three dimensions based on the clubhead's vertical and horizontal centers of gravity as well as a point between the clubface and back of the clubhead. Contributes to a club's trajectory and accuracy.
Coefficient Of Restitution (COR)	Describes the ability of a clubface to rebound the ball. Commonly known as the "trampoline effect" that can add distance to a drive as a result of an extra bounce off the clubface. The USGA has established an upper limit on this attribute, and clubs must conform to this standard to be allowed in sanctioned events.
Crown	Top surface of a clubhead. Generally used to describe drivers, fairway woods and some hybrids.
Discretionary Weight	Adjustable weight that gives a golfer the ability to increase or decrease the heaviness of a clubhead.
Forged	They are made of softer steel and impart greater feel and feedback for accomplished players. The process consists of hammering and shaping the clubhead, then cooling, grounding and polishing it into its final shape. Usually recommended for lower handicap players.
Forgiveness	The overall ability of a club to lessen the effects of poor contact and bad swings, based on a variety of design elements such as materials used, center of gravity and moment of inertia.
Handicap	"Handicap" refers to a numerical representation of a golfer's playing ability. The lower a golfer's handicap, the better the golfer is.
Hosel	The point where a shaft is fitted and secured into a clubhead.
Kick Point	Kickpoint, also called flex point or bend point, is the point along a shaft's length at which it exhibits the greatest amount of bend. The lower the kickpoint, the higher the ball trajectory.
Launch Angle	The angle at which the ball leaves the ground after being struck.
Launch Conditions	Describes the combination of launch angle, ball speed and spin rate.
Launch Trajectories	Launch angle plus direction. Influences how a ball will behave upon landing: rolling back towards the golfer, away from the golfer, or stopping quickly with little or no roll.
Loft	The angle, in degrees, of the clubface. Higher lofts naturally produce higher trajectories, while lower lofts produce lower-flying, longer shots.
Moment Of Inertia (MOI)	Describes the force required to set a golf club in motion. A lower MOI means less force is needed to complete a swing (rotation), while a higher MOI means the club requires more force. Directly influences a club's forgiveness by affecting how off-center contact or mishits are handled.
Perimeter Weighting	Even distribution of club weight around the outside edges of the clubface, generally allowing more forgiveness for off-center hits. Often seen in game improvement irons.
Shaft Flex	A rating of a golf club shaft's ability to bend during the golf swing. The faster the swing speed, the stiffer the flex should be.
Shot Dispersion	Describes the final position of multiple golf balls hit from the same spot. Balls covering a large area are said to have a wide dispersion, while tightly clustered golf balls have a narrow dispersion.
Smash Factor	Ball speed divided by club head speed. An optimal smash factor with a driver is said to be around 1.5.
Spin Rate	A golf ball's spin rate refers to the speed it spins on an axis while in flight, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). A high-spin ball will carry longer and roll less and can be easier to draw or fade.
Sweet Spot	The point on a clubface that consistently generates the best contact with a ball. Typically located on or near the center of the clubface.
Swing Speed	Speed at which a golfer swings a club. Specifically, how fast the clubhead is traveling at the moment it contacts the ball. Helps decide the optimal shaft flex for a golfer.