Like most Canadian winters, this one is long and cold. And all this time I listlessly trudge through the snow thinking about golf and looking forward to spring when I can get out on the links at Hartlen Point again.
Last year I played more golf than I had ever played before, and yet it was somewhat frustrating as I was not playing well. Halfway through the season, when I would have thought that my game should be "in the groove", I found myself not in a groove but a rut. A rut of bad golf! My back was bothering me and I could just not hit the ball with any consistency. I lost all confidence in all my shots. A significant number of my shots were well to the right of where I was intending to hit and I could not fix the problem. My handicap rose by 4 points. I really hurt my back in September trying different swings and stances and had to take 2 weeks off.
It was a bad golf year. A golfius annus horribilis.
Lately, I have been able to at least swing my clubs by going to John Scott's Indoor Golf Practice Range. I think it helps, but it is just not the same as being on the course or, for that matter, hitting balls on an outdoor range. It is hard to tell what might be happening to the ball after a flight of 20 feet when it hits the net. John Scott made a suggestion about my grip (putting my right hand in a stronger position) which has made a significant effect on keeping my ball straight (at least for the first 20 feet) and also seems to allow me to hit the ball more crisply. Now I am anxious to try the new grip on an outdoor range to see if it also reduces my tendency to slice. And being an optimist, I am thinking this year just might be a great golf year!
Come on spring . . . . .
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