2012: Year in Review

I woke up this morning and looked out the window to find that the rooftops nearby were lightly dusted with snow. That's a sure sign that golf season is finished here in southern Ontario, so let's take a look back at the year that was.

In many ways, the season transpired like the one that preceded it. I played a total of 30 golf rounds, compared to 31 the year before. The rounds this year took place over 30 separate outings, while last year's total took place over just 27 outings. That's because I played 36 holes on two occasions last year, plus a remarkable 54 holes on another. Those particular outings came on “all you can play” days at Westview Golf Club, which I failed to play even once this year. Whether you look at rounds played or at outings, I've played much less over the past two years than I did from 2006-2010. During that time, I averaged 47 rounds per year. The reduced playing time is perhaps the main reason my skill level has dropped significantly.

Once again, I did not play much competitive golf this season. Years past included stints on various tours, including the GTA Amateur Tour, but there was none of that this season. For the second year in a row, the only competitive golf I played was with the Deepwoods Golf Association. My second best score of the year (94) came in the Deepwoods opener at Copetown Woods, but in reality, this was one of the most disappointing rounds of the season. That's because I was on pace to challenge my personal best of 81, but collapsed in epic fashion late in the round. To put it in perspective, consider this: I was just 5 over par through 14 holes, then went 17 over on the last four holes! I had a decent score of 95 in Round Two at Peninsula Lakes, but my point total with the modified Stableford system was nothing special. I struggled over the final three rounds, registering scores of 103, 103, and 102. When all was said and done, I finished the season in the middle of the pack, well behind the leaders.

As I try to do every year, I managed to find a couple of new courses to play in 2012. In June, I visited Victoria Park East for the first time, and was happy to finish below the century mark with a score of 99. I enjoyed the course enough to return in August, when I registered my best score of the season (93). I also broke the century mark on my debut visit to Tarandowah, scoring 98 despite a terrible start. The course was fine, but in retrospect probably not worth the lengthy drive to get there.

I didn't play any other new courses, but did return to a few that I had played sparingly in the past. In March, I returned to Tangle Creek for my second ever visit after a 6-year hiatus. I had a pretty good round for that early in the season, but there were just enough mistakes that led to a score of 100 even. I returned to Tangle Creek later in the season and fared better with a score of 95. My second ever visit to Royal Ashburn, albeit just a year after my debut, also produced a score of 100. Other courses that hosted my second ever visit in 2012 were Horseshoe Resort (Highlands Course), Bond Head (South Course), and Turnberry. The result at Bond Head (115) was easily my worst of the season. Wind on the front nine absolutely ate me up, as did the much-contoured greens. I played well on the back nine, but it was too little, too late.

The course I played most in 2012 was King's Forest, with a total of three visits. The second of these was the most successful (97), while the remaining results left something to be desired (102, 104). Like a lot of my rounds, I had long stretches of good golf, but a few blowup holes destroyed my scores. Nevertheless, King's Forest was always enjoyable, as I quite like the routing, layout and overall design. The courses that I played twice this year were: Century Pines, Tangle Creek, Granite Ridge, Lowville, Victoria Park East, Hidden Lake (Old Course), and The Highlands.

In terms of performance, my game slipped even further than it did last year. My handicap factor shot up from 17.4 at the start of the season all the way to 22.2 by the end. What a huge disappointment! Golf is a struggle to improve, so you never want to give up ground that you worked so hard to attain. At one time, my handicap factor was as low as 15.7, so I've given up quite a bit of ground indeed.

My average score this year (not counting the final round at Turnberry) was 101.4 – in other words, pretty pathetic. Of 29 rounds played (again, not counting Turnberry), just 11 (or 37.9%) were below the century mark. For me, anything below 100 is adequate, while anything at or above that level just doesn't cut it. I scored 100 even on three occasions, but even if I were to consider those rounds satisfactory, I was adequate just 48.3% of the time.

Delving further into my stats, I averaged 35.3 putts per round. I hit 30.8% of fairways and 15.9% of greens in regulation. I also averaged 3.8 penalty strokes per round. The putting numbers are not at all surprising. In a typical round, I have a large number of 2-putts, accompanied by as many 3-putts as there are 1-putts. Some of the 3-putts are not terrible – for example, when I reach a green in regulation, but have 100 feet remaining to the cup and finish with a bogey. The real problem is that some of those 2-putts should be 1-putts. Typically, these come after mediocre or poor chip shots. I really have to improve my chipping so that I get up-and-down a lot more often.

The percentage of fairways hit doesn't concern me so much. Often times, I hit a good drive that is just a yard or two into the rough. Those fairways are officially missed, but with most rough that I play, those drives are just as good as a fairway hit. What concerns me more is the low percentage of greens in regulation. All season long, I made inadequate approach shots into greens. Many of these came from the fairway, or from tame rough, with an unobstructed path to the target. Distance is not even the issue. I missed so many greens from 50-150 yards away that it's not even funny. How I manage to miss a green with a wedge in my hands is beyond me. Sometimes, I hook the ball slightly. Other times, I duff the ball completely, hitting a very fat shot that dribbles a few yards ahead. Those are wasted shots!

At this stage in my golf career, I really have to address the fundamental flaws with my swing. For a while, I improved merely by managing my game better. However, this will only take you so far. You could make all the right decisions, but if your swing is fundamentally flawed, you're not going to score well. The problem with my swing is that it varies so much. If I'm swinging over the top, or with an outside-in swing path, I can pretty easily make an adjustment. Unfortunately, I usually over-do the correction. Soon after addressing an outside-in move, I will find myself coming too far from the inside. Thus, I find myself oscillating back and forth wildly. Sometimes, I find something that seems to help with a particular shot. It may be shortening my backswing, weakening my grip, hinging more at the wrists, or focusing on my weight shift. Whatever it is, it lasts for a certain amount of time, before a new problem seems to emerge. Often, the very adjustment that previously helped is now the culprit, because I've gradually taken it too far. Without practice, it's hard to be consistent.

I'm not giving up – that's never been in my makeup – but the truth is, my golf game faces a  serious challenge right now. I have to take the disappointments of this year and use them as fuel for next season. I am going to work on fundamentals over the winter and come back strong next spring. My immediate goal is to start shooting in the eighties once again and to never shoot 100 or more again...EVER!