Category: Playing the Game

The older golfer

On By Menno ZachariasIn Playing the Game3 Comments

As indicated in a previous post I recently participated in the Manitoba Senior Championship.

During the course of the event I played with a number of different golfers as the pairings were adjusted after every round based on scoring, so I was able to observe different players both on the course and in preparation for play.

What follows are some observations that struck me about seniors who play competitive golf:

 

  1.  The love of the game and the dedication to honing ones golf skills.  The vast majority of the participants arrived at the course well in advance of their tee times and spent significant time on the driving range, chipping area and on the putting green.
  2. How the competitive embers are fanned and come to life during a tournament.
  3. How advancements in technology have added to the enjoyment of the game for older golfers.  I overheard more than a few players talk about their new driver or new set of irons, hybrids etc. and how the new clubs have made them longer and more accurate.  Comments like “I’m hitting it longer now than when I was 40”  are common among seniors, and in many cases they are also true.
  4. Golfers willingness to use ‘aids’ to compensate for parts of the body that are simply wearing out.  I observed more than a few players adjusting their lower back supports, strap on knee braces, squeeze into elbow and wrist supports.  I observed several players (myself included) bolster their resolve by  popping  Advil and other anti inflammatory and pain killing drugs, jut to be able to compete.  As well as I walked down the line at the driving range I noticed I was not the only player emanating a strong odour of A535 and other assorted topical  treatments.

It would seem the old adage ‘golfers never die they only lose their balls’ is indeed true.

 

Manitoba Senior Golf Championship

On By Menno ZachariasIn Playing the Game8 Comments

I participated in the Manitoba Senior Golf Championship held at the Glendale Golf and Country Club from July 25-27th 2016.

I placed T9 in the overall Championship, and won the 65+ Super Seniors  category.

Included are some photos taken by Golf Manitoba photographer, Mike Lagace.

For full results click here.

 

Golf Manitoba-Seniors-BP-0346-X3 Golf Manitoba-Seniors-BP-0356-X3 Golf Manitoba-Seniors-BP-0347-1903x1260 160727-Senior Mens- ML-29-X3 13710467_1151932054879535_4033671645199581278_o (1) 160727-Senior Mens- ML-28-X3

The Importance of Tracking Your Game

On By Menno ZachariasIn Playing the Game4 Comments

What do golfers do when they are not scoring well and their handicap starts to climb?   All too often they buy new equipment, a  new driver perhaps, or some wedges, or even a new set of irons.

I’m facing that dilemma right now.

I finished up last year with a handicap of 3.6.  It’s normal at the start of a new season for the handicap to rise a bit, and then stabilize once you’ve played ten or fifteen games.

I’m now between 30 and 40 games into the new season and my handicap has climbed to just below  7 with no sign of slowing its ascent.

For those of you who have read my previous posts you will know that I made some pretty dramatic changes this year, trialing  a set of single length irons.  As my cap kept going up my first thought was that it must be the irons.  I stuck with them for the first 30 rounds and then decided to switch back to my conventional length clubs.

That however did not cure the problem.  I had a few good rounds and then things reverted to normal (the normal for this season that is).

That’s when I decided to look at the stats.  When I enter my scores I use the stats option and track just some of the basics:  fairways hit, greens in regulation and putts, ah yes putts.

I’ve never been a great putter, however I’ve been a steady putter who normally has very few 3 putts.  I had been noticing that I was 3 putting more this year than in the past, and when I looked at the numbers I was taken aback.  My fairways hit and greens in regulation had not changed significantly.  However, my putts per hole changed from 1.8 to just under 2 putts per hole.  This translates into less pars and birdies (I no longer hit it long enough to get many eagles), and more bogies and doubles.

When worked out in terms of  putts per round, the increase in my putting stats corresponds very closely to the rise in my handicap.  So the culprit is not my new irons, or the new driver I’m using this year, it’s putting.

So what do you think happened to the new putter I put in play this year?  If you guessed ‘penalty box’ you are right.  I played a number of rounds with my  trusty putter from last year and a few more with older putters that had been languishing in the penalty box for several years.

The problem is I’m not able to putt well with any putter right now which means its not the putter that’s the problem , its the puttee.

Case in point, last Monday I played a match at the Selkirk Golf and Country Club and my partner and I managed to halve the front 9.  Neither of us were playing particularly well on the back nine but I managed to birdie holes 14 (538 yard par 5) and 15 (565 yard par 5) to go one up on the back.  I followed that up with a 2 putt from short range on 16, and 3 putts on 17 and 18 to lose the back nine.

So what did I do yesterday in the rain?  I went out and practiced.  With an array of putters I hit around 600 putts over a 4 and a half hour period, trying every grip and set-up known to man plus a few others.  The result, inconclusive at best.

And what am I doing today as soon as the rain lets up?