Fighter V Lover

We've all heard the expression 'you need to get out of your own way'.

Here's the problem;

You've practised all through the Winter months, you've hit thousands of balls, you've disassembled, reassembled and tweaked your swing, worked on your short game, fine tuned your putting stroke. You may have even read a golf psychology book or two. Now that the season has begun you should be able to just go out there and shoot a low score, right? You have a divine right to get cut by 2 to 5 shots having put the hours in over those dreary cold months.

Maybe. Maybe not.

You know for a fact that you're a better player, your skill levels are much higher than they've been in previous years. Why is it that those low scores aren't coming yet?

In recent weeks I've come up with a few excuses.

1. 'The weather hasn't been great, the grass is too wet and the course is playing long.'
2. 'The greens are so inconsistent, some days slow, others quick.'
3. 'I'm having lots of bad luck lately on the golf course.'
4. Insert your own excuse here!

I think there's a difference between 'making' something happen and 'letting' something happen.

To me, the expression 'making it happen' suggests that something needs to be forced, odds need to be overcome and every ounce of will, determination and energy in my body will be required for the battle. Actually, just reading those words is making me tired, stressed and fearful of what's to come! If things don't go my way during a round, I'll feel like I need to increase my intensity level and try even harder. A few rounds like this and I'll get very frustrated, maybe even angry. Chasing is hard work.

On the other hand, 'letting it happen' suggests an openness, an acceptance, thoughts of 'going with the flow' rather than 'swimming against the tide' come to mind. If things don't go my way at some point during a round, I'll be more likely to accept it and move on to the next shot without carrying any baggage from the previous one! A few rounds  like this, and dare I say it, I may even enjoy myself whilst playing golf, imagine that!

Get out there and let it happen.

#lovegolf

King Cal bleeds Golf. Part 2 - Interview

Chapter 1: Bloody Nora

I arrive at Cal's ground floor flat, where he lives alone. The front door is open but I give it a gentle knock anyway. 'Come on in!', he shouts, 'straight down the hall and turn right.' I close the door behind me and walk to the living room where Cal is sitting and smiling in his armchair, ready for the interview to begin. We have a quick general catch up on news from our golf club and I explain that I'm interviewing him for my blog. Aware of the brief and with obvious enthusiasm, Cal begins to speak..

Cal (furthest on right) during World War 2
1945, Verona, Italy.

'I've always been a keen sportsman and ultra competitive, I've never been pleased with mediocrity', he says. I end up being disappointed with myself a lot! I get annoyed with myself when I play badly, but I try not to let my frustration affect others.

Before the war I was into cycling and after it, tennis. I didn't cycle competitively,  I met my wife (to be) through the cycling club. We bought a tandem and we would cycle on it together, setting the pace for the people in the club who were preparing for competitions.

I've always played to win, and nowadays when I play golf,  bridge and bowls it's for the same reason.'

He continued, 'My wife and I once made it to the semi-finals of the Cambridge mixed doubles tennis competition, she was an extremely good tennis player.'

In his late thirties, Cal took up golf. Two years later, his wife followed suit.

'She was a bloody good golfer' he says. 'She went from a 36 handicap to 15 in two years. We won many mixed events together at the golf club.'

'Once I placed a fake golf ball (soap based) on the first tee for my wife to play, unbeknownst to her of course. I didn't realise a crowd had gathered on the tee behind us. Anyway, she hit this ball and it dissolved into thin air. I was up the creek for a long time after that!'

Cal in his 'heyday'. Aged 60
and playing off 9.

Cal disappears from the room for a moment and comes back with a few photographs. 'This is me in my golfing heyday', he says. 'I was 60 years old and I'd got down to a 9 handicap.' 

As I gaze at the photo, I begin to wonder what my handicap will be if I'm fortunate enough to reach 60, let alone 93.

'I used to be able to hit it 230 yards off the tee, now I'm lucky if I hit it 150 yards. It's soul destroying', he says. As he utters these words, I look him in the eyes and I can see he's hurting. He wants to be out there competing with the long hitting whippersnappers.

I tell him that for 93 years of age, he's doing extremely well. I quietly wonder if it sounds patronising. He nods and smirks. And once again I sense that the young man inside him is frustrated by the physical limitations that come to all of us in time.

Cal posing with two of his many trophies. I'm jealous.

'The thing about golf is, well - you're always learning, no matter what age you are or what your level of skill is. It's a true challenge.' 

I ask if he's had any golf coaching over the years.

'Oh yes', he says. 'And you know, the best lesson I ever had was with a lady golf coach called Miss Anonymous' (For privacy reasons I won't mention the lady in question by name. As soon as Cal mentioned her name I realised he must have had this particular lesson in the past 5 years. The coach he spoke of had only been in the area for that amount of time.)

'Ah yes, I know her, I've heard good things. So this was a recent lesson then Cal?, I subtly enquired in amazement.

'Yes', he replies. 'I must have been 88 or so at the time, she sorted my swing out for me and helped me enjoy the game again.'

'What an inspiration', I thought to myself, realising that Cal was still searching for the Holy Grail of golf, just like the rest of us. And why shouldn't he? Seeking that one quick 'fix' or 'tweak' to get an extra few yards from a drive or get the ball closer to and into the hole.


'Years ago, I went through a phase where I was having trouble with short chips around the green', he says. So I bought a chipping club, you know - one that looks like a putter with a bit of loft.' 

I nodded. 


It worked wonders for me, so much so that my playing partners christened the new stick 'Bloody Nora!' 


'Bloody Nora!' they would say, 'he's only gone and holed another one!'

The room fills with laughter and as it subsides I ask a question - 'If you could give one tip to someone starting out in the game today Cal, what would it be?'

He doesn't hesitate in his reply.

'It's alright saying 'keep your head still, get your stance right, grip the club properly and so on', he says, but all of this requires concentration. You lose that when you get older. It makes the game much harder. But I still try hard to concentrate and I think that's what anybody who wants to be good at golf needs to do. They need to be able to focus and concentrate on setting up the shot but at the same time not have too many thoughts floating around in there when they're playing the shot. It's a delicate balance.'

Wise words from a man who's been playing the great game for over 30 years. Both of his sons are in their 60's now, one playing off 6 and the other off 9. One can only assume what other pearls Cal could share with me if we had the time.

Perhaps I'll ask him to have a look at my swing sometime.

Speaking of swings, here's a clip of the man himself in action!

Chapter 2: The Oldest Bandit in the Club

Cal is a multi major winner at our club, but his biggest win came in 2008 at the healthy age of 89 years young.

He won the Captains Day event, with a score of 47 points, playing off 28. The course is par 69, to save you the maths he played to 15, beating his nearest rival who was half his age and 6 points behind on score.

He made the Cambridge Evening News.

'They cut me by 5 shots and I deserved it', he said. 'Everything went right for me that day. After 9 holes, my playing partners knew I had a great score going and they geed me up - 'Keep it going, keep it going Cal!', they would say.'




'I got some stick  from my playing partners at the club after that win. They got a caricature of me drawn up (pictured left). 'The Oldest Bandit in the Club!'.

I'd planned on taking no more than an hour of Cal's time, but we ended up chatting for two. We concluded the interview, shook hands and exchanged goodbyes. With a notebook full of scribbles and a head full of thoughts and images, I walked to my car.

The voice in my head said; 'When I grow up, I want to be just like him'.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks so much for reading, see you around!

Steve

(P.S I'm currently planning an interview with another local golfing great. He's 78 and plays off 9. Every time I've approached him with a swing problem he has solved it. If you enjoyed reading about Cal, I'm sure you'll enjoy reading about 'The Fixer'. But that's for another time, another place.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks Cal. All hail a King amongst Bleeders.

1 year on - We Bleed Golf

Today marks the first birthday of this blog.

27 posts and almost 5000 page views in, I would like to thank all of you who have read it, shared it, RT'd my posts on Twitter and 'Liked' the Facebook page. Thanks also to everyone who has commented and said  they enjoy reading. As long as people are interested in reading, I'll keep writing.

There's a few people I'd like to say a special thanks to. The list below shows some of the people I interact with on Twitter - fellow and lady golf addicts. If you're not currently following these people on Twitter, I suggest you check them out!

Three reasons, not exclusive:

1. There's plenty of fun to be had if you follow these people. (Bags and bags of it!)
2. You might even learn a thing or two. (I have!)
3. You may even make a *real-life*, golf obsessed friend or two on the way. (Check!)

Sorry if I've left anyone out, there's so many great people to list. In addition to the list below, please have a look through my 'following' list, they're all great people and true lovers of the game.

We Bleed Golf!

Matt Holbrook - @MattHolbrook86
Sean Tracey - @seant666
Sophie Walters - @FD_ShWomenstore
Kieran Clark - @OnParWithGolf
Jay - @JaysGolf
Ron Lewis - @Ron_Lewis
Matt Wabe - @mattwabe
Patrick McLaughlin - @lochlainn
Shelley Hardman - @ShelleyHardman
Jackie Smith - @jackieesmith
Anthony Roberts - @kennykeano
Lee Skidmore - @LeeSkidmorePGA
Eric Dyer - @TheGolfingGuru
Gordon Blackwood - @GordonBlackwood
Neal Hamer - @Mock0503
Hank Haney - @HankDHaney
My biggest fan, the one and only @TigerWoods ;)
And me! - @ibleedgolf1

Thanks again everyone, looking forward to plenty more laughs down the line.

Fore Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!

Call the Shot! - How we did it..

Thanks to everyone who commented on the 'Call the Shot' page. There was a great response on Twitter, Facebook and of course, the 'Call the Shot' page on this blog.

Here's a video of my buddy @russellggolfer playing the shot. From what I recall he used a 58 degree wedge, ball central, club open a tiny bit and weight favouring left side.

We'll do another one soon... thanks again everyone!

By the way, I have tried to play this shot several times since and failed miserably. : )

King Cal bleeds Golf. Part 1 - Introduction

The very instant I met Albert 'Cal' Crompton, I knew he had golf written into his DNA. 


It was 8 years ago, I'd just recently joined the golf club and showed up one day for the tri-weekly 'swindle'. I'd been invited by a chap who saw me out playing alone a few weeks prior. (For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a  'swindle' is an unofficial club gathering of players. We show up, pay a pound or so and get drawn out in groups. There are small cash prizes for the 1st and 2nd placed individual stableford scores, as well as a prize for best team score.) 


Cal used to be a regular 'swindler' and I had the pleasure of being drawn to play with him many times over the years. His membership at the club started in 1956 when it was just a 9 hole course. Cal is now 93 and still playing golf, and is truly an inspirational man, as well as a very entertaining one!

Cal, pictured here in 2008 after his big win.
More about that in Part 2!

Today, I looked Cal's number up in the club diary and gave him a call. Here's a snippet of how the conversation went, pleasantries have been edited out for convenience sake :)

'Cal, I've been writing some articles about golf and now I'm thinking of writing about people I know who are passionate about the game, are you interested in doing a little interview? You'd be the first!'

'I'd be happy to help Steve, do you want to drop by?', I was relieved to hear him respond.

'Sure, when's good Cal?, I live just down the road. I'm fairly flexible'.

'How about 10 minutes time?

'See you then!'.

And off I went.

----------------------------------------

Before I write and publish Part 2 of this blog post and document the actual interview, I'd like to tell you about some of my experiences with Cal over the past few years. An introduction of sorts.

Countless times I witnessed Cal's competitive nature. Every time he played, he was playing to win and would often get frustrated with himself over a fluffed chip or a missed putt. At first it amazed me to see a guy in his late 80's still playing with such fire in his belly. It didn't take long for the amazement to turn into inspiration and aspiration.

One day, we were playing together in the swindle when his second shot on the 13th, (a short dogleg par 4) went into the dry ditch about two thirds of the way up the hole. Just as I was about to offer to retrieve his ball for him (I'd assumed he'd be taking a drop), I noticed that he had climbed down into the ditch with a lob wedge in his hand.

'Aren't you going to drop that Cal?, I asked.

One swift flick of a wedge later, his ball was back in play and a good 20 feet closer to the hole.

When Cal was 89, some guys at the club had a little surprise party for him, which unfortunately I couldn't attend. A few days later, I met him on the course...

'Cal, sorry I missed your surprise party the other day, did you have a good time?'


'Yes, it was great Steve', he replied with a smile. 


'But don't worry about missing it, the big one is next year!'


Nowadays, Cal no longer plays in the swindle. By his own admission he 'gets a little tired after 10 or 11 holes.' However, he's still playing 3 times a week in a regular 4 ball.

'I often think about turning up for the swindle', he says - 'but I'm not sure I'd make it round and I don't want to hold anybody up'.

I sensed some sadness in his voice, and my immediate thought was 'this guy wants to be out there competing.'

A caricature artwork of Cal, presented to him by his two sons on his 90th birthday.
The text  reads 'The oldest bandit in the club'.

I'm going to end Part 1 now, but I do hope you'll read Part 2 (the interview with Cal), when I publish it in a few weeks. We discussed a great deal, one of the highlights being Cal's victory in our club Captain's prize in 2008, at 89 years young. It made the Cambridge Evening News.

Oh, and by the way - I videoed his swing too. You've got that and much more to look forward to!

Thanks for reading, see you around :)

Steve

We gotta get right back to where we started from...

If you've read this post, you probably already know that three years ago I made it down to an 11 handicap and then decided to change everything about my game, and I mean E V E R Y T H I N G.

I felt that a complete refit and overhaul was necessary to get me to single figures. There was something about the way I was playing back then that made me think I'd peaked as a golfer, my skill level couldn't get me any further. Some disagreed and thought I was crazy to embark upon such a seemingly sadistic journey. At times I thought they were right. For a while I went back up to 14, which was soul destroying. I generally hovered around 12 for most of the three years, scrapping out results with a new swing I couldn't trust, and moreover a new swing which put extra pressure on my (already average) short game.

After almost 3 years of lessons and hundreds of hours on the course and driving range I've arrived at my first milestone. I'm right back where I was when I decided to change everything. Back to an 11 handicap.

Perhaps from the outside, it seems nonsensical to celebrate such a milestone. Nevertheless, I'm smiling.

During the process of change I sometimes thought I had completely scuppered any chance I had of becoming a better player. I started to think that I'd added too much mechanical action whilst subtracting a substantial amount of personality from my game. Now I know this is not the case. Despite the long and winding road, I now know 100% it was worth it.

Lately I have been producing very good results even when I'm not playing particularly great. Furthermore I'm shooting in the 70's about 80% of the time whereas before it was more like 20%, if that. I've made it back to 11 without firing on all cylinders whereas in the past I needed to work hard to get to and maintain that handicap.

This time round it's going to be different. A few years ago the number 11 represented the end of the road. This time it represents the beginning.

I'll keep you posted!

The Shagger.

He was a nice guy off the course, but on it, he drove me insane. One day, I asked a psychologist friend of mine for advice on what I should do about the shagger.

'I play golf with this guy, he annoys the hell out me when we're playing!'

'Go on', says the doc.

'Well, we're neighbours. We don't have much in common but he's a good guy. We've been playing golf together for a while now and I'm not sure what to do. His on course behaviour really irritates me! I feel guilty, like maybe I should have more patience and be more accepting of others, you know?'

'Tell me about his irritating behaviour, what does he do that annoys you so much?', quizzed my new golf shrink.

'Well, there are a few things he does actually. His pre shot routine is 45 seconds to 1 minute long, which feels like an eternity. He also thinks he's much better than he really is, (which perhaps we're all guilty of from time to time) but it's not even that....', I continued.

'....during his pre shot routine, he over flexes his knees, which is technically incorrect, but not offensive. But then, club in hand, he performs an unsightly thrusting movement with his hips. It's almost like he's.....well.... 'shagging air' would be a fair description. It's very off putting to have to watch it 50 or 60 times a round!'

At first it was amusing but eventually, his Elvis impression combined with a multitude of other niggly on course antics began to grind. And hence I found myself faced with a dilemma.

The doc gave me two options:

'Cut him off, don't play golf with him anymore. Can you deal with that?'

'Be a good Samaritan, learn to accept his behaviour - don't let it get to you.'

In the end, it resolved itself naturally. The shagger moved to pastures new and I assume, joined a golf club closer to his new abode.

And who knows, maybe on a golf course somewhere near you, he's at it right now.

Making sweet love to oxygen.

3 reasons. Part 2: Birds Eye View

Occasionally I fondly recall playing at Felixstowe Links on a blustery day a few years back. As I strolled down the 15th fairway I saw a falcon hovering about 20 foot above the wispy marram, fixated on his prey. I watched it as it watched, and swooped, snatching a field mouse and soaring off into the misty distance. The first thing that went through my head was; 'How the hell can that bird see a brown mouse in brown grass from twenty feet when I can't see a white ball from 4 - 6 feet?' It was an amazing sight. I can't remember what I scored that day, but I will never forget the falcon. 

I've yet to play an ugly golf course. Don't get me wrong, I've played some poor or average quality courses, but none that I'd class as downright ugly. Something natural always catches my eye and makes me feel good to be out there. Sometimes I think that in order to play good golf you need to connect with the landscape. Whether its looking for the wind in the trees, adjusting your set up for a side hill lie or reading a green for a 20 foot putt, you need to 'tune in' to your surroundings.

I'm not a Buddhist but I once read a book called 'Snowboarding the Himalayas'. In it, a monk tries to explain the principles of Buddhism to a young thrill seeker through the medium of snowboarding. The monk encourages the snowboarder to see the board and the snow underneath as an extension of himself. He claims that by creating this 'oneness' with the board, the snowboarder will perform better. He'll be more likely to get 'in the zone', so to speak.

Can you, the golfer create a feeling of connectedness with your environment and your clubs? The clubs become an extension of you, and you and the landscape work in unison, not against each other? Dare I say it; 'Be the ball!' : )

Probably before, but certainly ever since the day I saw the falcon, I'm more inclined to enjoy the view for a few minutes at some point during a round. I don't find it distracting, it actually helps me to relax and get more connected to my game and the course.

It can take the edge off a bad day and maybe even make a good day better!

See you around,

Steve

And remember, if all else fails, be the ball.....

http://youtu.be/LGKkmpbhv9k

3 reasons. Part 1: Band in the rain

I play golf for three reasons. I can rank them in order of importance.

The people.
The scenery.
The challenge.

A few years back on a dreadfully dreary, chilly and wet winters morn, I told my girlfriend I was heading out to play in the Thursday swindle at my club.

'In this weather?!', she replied. 'You'll be the only one there, you're a lunatic!'

At that time, I lived about 15 miles from the course. As I drove there through the less than favourable murkiness, I considered that she may in fact be right. Perhaps I was a lunatic?

I thought about turning back.

In spite of doubt and powered by a combination of stubbornness and desire, I kept going.

When I arrived at the course, there were 20 or so other lunatics there waiting to play, waiting for the rain to clear.

It was such a great feeling. A feeling of affirmation, a feeling of belonging. Connecting with other human brings is a very powerful thing and will always be my No.1 reason for playing golf.

More about my other reasons soon!

See you around ;)

Anger

From a blogging perspective, anger has a lot of potential. Many books have been written on it, hence one could write many blogs on it. Due to the fact that I'm lazy and I'd rather not bore you all to death with another incoherent rant of biblical proportions I've chosen to focus on one particular aspect of it.

Ergo, a question:

Is anger of benefit to you on the golf course? 

Case 1:

Let's take John (not his real name). He'd been having a terrible time with his driver for weeks, so one day he decided to leave it at home and vowed that the longest club he'd hit at the course the next today would be a 4 iron. He'd been hitting the 4 iron reasonably well so it seemed like a sensible decision. He plays golf with his buddies the next day and has an absolute nightmare. He's slicing and shanking every other shot and his 4,5 and 6 iron are as unreliable as his driver was. One the 14th tee, he shanks a 4 iron into the trees and in a moment of sheer rage, uses all his might to hurl the club up, up and away in the air and towards a pine tree. 

And in the pine tree it stays. 

About 20 feet up. 

I wonder if his sudden outburst of anger benefited him thereafter?
Did he manage to retrieve his 4 iron?
What was the effect of his behaviour on his playing partners?

Case 2: 

Jim is a tidy golfer, he plays off a 9 handicap and is usually pretty steady. Jim believes that a little bit of controlled aggression is good for him. He's a Taurus and very proud of the fact. Sometimes he feels a requirement to pay homage to the 'bull' within. Oh, and he secretly thinks that other people find his brief outbursts cool. Occasionally when Jim is playing, he hits a bad shot, gets a bad bounce or misses a 1 footer. Years of experience have led him to conclude that the best way to get such an episode out of his system is to  'self scold'. So he mumbles / shouts (depending on the situation and any extenuating circumstances) calling himself a 'stupid f**king ****' and walks to the next tee, relieved that he's avoided letting that one mishap affect his whole round by getting it out of his system. 

Oh the relief that he feels, it's so liberating. 

Does Jim's behaviour say anything about him as a person?
Again, what was the effect of his self directed ourburst on his playing partners?
Could you imagine Luke Donald or one of the top tour Pro's missing a one foot putt, only for his caddy to call him a 'stupid f**king ****?'

Case 3:

Jack has had his fair share of ups and downs on the golf course. He was once like John and Jim. Lately he's decided to eliminate anger completely from his golf game. Not only that, he's also decided to stop getting over excited when things go his way. His motto is 'whether I get a horrible bounce or an eagle, my reaction to the situation will not affect my next shot.' He's trying to maintain balance and composure throughout the game. It's a straight line of emotion rather than an up, down zig zaggy one.

I don't have any questions about Jack, I like playing with him though.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I can't really comment on John, Jim or Jack any further but I'll give you something from my own experience. I used to be a hothead on the golf course but I've improved a lot. I'm no angel, there's still work to do.

A few months ago I played a round of golf with a guy I didn't know. He was having a terrible round. He completely lost it, started throwing clubs and swearing at the top of his voice. I'm not going to lie, I felt a little unsettled and intimidated even though he was angry with himself and not me.

The one enduring question I had in my mind after the round that day was: 'I was very uncomfortable when that guy lost his head on the course. Is that how I used to make other people feel when I used to lose my temper?'


Ergo, a question:

Is anger of benefit to you on the golf course? 

See you around my friends! :)

Cheating b@stards

Back in August of this year, I had an interesting experience on the golf course. If you're someone I occasionally share banter with on Twitter you'll probably remember this conversation. Please note there's some bad language in this blog post, I warn you in advance! You may have noticed this from the title, perhaps the warning came a bit late!

A friend and myself had entered into the Eastern division matchplay knockout of a competition organised by a well known golf social network. The end prize was a trip to Portugal to play in the finals. We gelled very well together and made it to the semi finals with a home draw. We were feeling confident, and had every right to, based on past results and the fact that we were both playing well at the time.

On the day of the match we met our opponents on the putting green. I must say regrettably my first subconscious reaction was not a positive one. I say 'regrettably' because I don't like to judge people so quickly but something just didn't feel right. Let's call it golfers intuition if such a thing exists! :)

We teed off, and by hole 4 we were 2 up even after a shaky start. I felt good because I could feel that 'in the zone' feeling coming on. You may know what I mean, you've won a couple of holes without playing great but you know it's only a matter of minutes before you get it together. The mood between my partner and I was relaxed, our rivals were quite wayward with their shots and they were quite aggressive in their language to one another. I sensed we'd have enough technically and mentally to beat them.

I hit the green of the par 5 4th hole in 4 shots and left myself with a 20 footer for par. My buddy was on the fringe in 4 and he had a shot on the hole whereas I didn't. Basically he needed an up and down or I needed to sink my putt to give us some chance.

What happened next shocked and saddened me and my buddy.

One of the guys on the other team fluffed his chip (3rd shot) from the fringe and left himself about 20 feet from the hole. It really was a bad chip. It didn't even go in the general direction of the hole. Almost a shanked chip I'd say with hindsight. I watched as he walked onto the green to his ball, stepped about 2 to 3 feet closer to the hole, bent down and placed his marker on the green. He then stepped back and picked up the ball. He'd cheated right in front of our eyes! I couldn't believe it.

Immediately, I piped up - 'I saw what you did there, you placed your marker about 3 feet closer to the hole!'

My buddy jumped in - 'Yeah, and I saw it too!'

The cheat opened his mouth, and gestured at me very aggressively - 'No I f**king didn't, f**k off'.

I honestly can't remember what I said but I'm sure I gave some of the same back to him, at which point his partner joined in the argument and started accusing me and my partner of gamesmanship! The cheek of it!

The cheat spoke again - 'Alright, you can have the f**kin' hole then'. (A confession?) 

In a fit of madness, I stood over my 20 footer and drained it into the hole! To this day I don't know how I managed to sink that putt, it was Zen like. I retrieved my ball and stormed off to the next tee, angry on the outside but wobbly on the inside!

We should have walked in and asked for a replay with a ref present or claimed the match. But we didn't, walking in didn't even cross my mind. My pride got the better of me and I decided to play on to try and beat them fair and square. I was very frustrated, truthfully quite edgy and unsettled by the whole affair and the aggression that came with it.

I'm going to end the story here. We lost on the 20th hole.

I hope I never witness this again on a golf course but if I do, I'll handle it in a different way next time.

Why would anybody want to cheat at golf? It doesn't make sense.

No guarantee.

I may have mentioned this previously so apologies if I'm repeating myself (a common habit of mine), repeating myself.

That last bit was a joke.

Anyway..

I had a great season of golf in 2009, at the time it felt like I was on a one way journey to a single figure handicap. I made it to an 11.2 handicap but ran out of competitive opportunities towards the end of season to get down any further. At the time I had what I would now call a natural swing. It wasn't textbook but it was mine. It was quite short and flat with a strong(ish) grip. As a result, on a good day I was hitting a nice controlled draw and was averaging about 275 / 285 with my driver. Chipping and putting was going well too. Usually I would be on or around the green in regulation.

For one reason or another, I decided that if I was to improve any more the following season, a complete game rebuild was required. I set about making the following changes to my game :

1. I had lessons to help me build a more 'textbook' 'on plane' swing. This involved: 

• adopting a neutral grip
• an 'L shaped swing'
• a bigger shoulder turn, 
• a backswing that started with my lower half shifting towards the target.

2. I started practicing a new pitching technique, left foot slightly open, more 'armsy' swing.

3. I changed my putter from a blade to a two-ball styled model.

4. I changed my clubs from cavity backs to muscle backs.

5. Bought a new stiff shafted Nike VR driver and ditched my regular shafted TM burner

6. I switched from AD333 balls to Pro V1's.

Having set all the above changes in motion, I was sure that I was now on a path to becoming a 'proper' golfer on the way to a 7, 8 or 9 handicap. I practiced all through the winter, not as much as I would have liked, but still more than the average golfer I'm sure. 

In the spirit of keeping this post short and (not so) sweet, let's cut to the chase. In the interim since I started making the above changes, here's a brief summary of the impact all of the above has had on my game, both positive and negative :) :

• The new rotation / swing change caused me to injure my back and I needed 3 months of physio, I guess I started using muscles I hadn't used before by introducing a bigger shoulder turn!
• My putting worsened, right now the two ball is on eBay and I've gone back to the blade!
• It's given me a general feeling of wonderment about whether I enjoy playing as much as I used to.
• I get more spin on the ball around the greens, sometimes to my detriment.
• I have a huge overswing with my driver, John Daly style!
• I hit it further but my draw is gone and I now have a fade / lethal slice at times.
• My mental approach to the game worsened, instead of staying in the moment, I became more results orientated.
• I won a few minor events and have come very close to winning club major events (lost in a playoff this year).
• No improvement in handicap, I'm pretty much at the same level although I trust my game a lot less than I used to and can be quite erratic to say the least.
• On the upside, I've shot lower scores than ever before but only in friendly games, never in a competition. (My best round is 74, prior to lessons it was 76).

Personally I feel I've had a hellish time of it since making all these changes. But I'm going to persevere, I have to. I can't go back to that old swing, can I? Sometimes I'm tempted! I'm not happy that my handicap hasn't improved in two years but hopefully one day I'll see it was all worth it. 

Maybe next year.

That's what I said last year. Can anybody offer me a guarantee? :)

See you around! (Until further notice, I'll be in the right hand copse of trees about 200 yards up).