I saw a programme about baby boomers on BBC this morning. I suppose I am one of them. My next project is to sell the house and buy a Harley! Baby boomers do not age graciously. As soon as their children left school, found a job and left home they go back to their second childhood! Many of them have a lot of spare cash and spare time, enjoying the great life doing things they have always wanted to do.
For me I went blogging, sailing, golfing, fishing and volunteering. Christine is close behind me, finding her true self with help from a Taiwanese friend, exploring the Tao (way of life). She is not a Buddhist or Christian. Religion is too serious a commitment for her because she has experienced too much freedom in England and now New Zealand. She has joined a group tramping all over NZ and now she learns dancing, tai-chi, tao and vegetarian cooking. She also likes gardening. Her specialties are Roses.
Yesterday I met Robert at the car park at Narrows. We tried our best to persuade Kevin Lee to join us at Te Awamutu. He was not keen. I played one under at 93 while Robert scored 94. I need to practice more on my putting if I wish to lower my handicap. All my long clubs are ok. I skulled the chip twice and 4 putted a few times! My preparations for putting are not good enough and I need new glasses to read the green better. Robert’s tee shot hooked violently three times for no reason. I advised him to try to analyze it to find out why, so that he could correct his own faults and bring down his handicap. It was 18 at his peak. I think with a little bit of work I can lower my h’cap down to 16 or even less. Putting, putting, PUTTING… Perhaps if I buy a new putter?
Well, I know all the excuses for not practising putting. I do not think that golf will be as interesting if I can one putt for birdie every time!! I told Robert yesterday: The reason that he played golf was because he knew that he could do it (birdie the hole). All that he is asking for now, was simply to repeat the same feat again. Most golfers are addicted to golf for this reason. Once upon a time he has experienced personal success. Knowing that a birdie is not impossible is a real motivating factor for most golfers to stay addicted to the game of golf. He could do it once so he should be able to do it again. Wrong! That was just a fluke when he birdied the hole last month.
To repeat the feat he needs to hit 40,000 balls at the range! Most golfers do not have the inclination or time to do this. At most he can play two rounds a week on the course and that is all. Under this limiting condition it is not easy to improve on his game. If he does not have time to visit the driving range in between rounds he can only hope to maintain his handicap. To lower it, he needs to play at least 3 rounds a week with visits to a driving range in between rounds to put right any faults or weaknesses.
With the time I have now available it is an excellent opportunity for me to improve on my handicap. Provided I would put aside time for putting practice. I can tell you this: Putting is the most boring way to past the time! I prefer to use my driver and learn to draw the ball to the left. Then there is that fairway wood that went 200M yesterday! What about that 9 wood shot which hit the first green near the pin? Most golfers do not practise putting because they have other more glaring weaknesses e.g. using the 3 iron. A 3-iron has a very low trajectory. It is therefore excellent for hitting balls out from under the trees without too much loss in distance. Golf practice is all about priority. There are 13 other clubs in the bag which always require our more urgent attention!
No comments:
Post a Comment