Returning to Golf after a 6 month lay-off

Yes, you read that correctly. The other day I played golf for the first time since Clubgolf’s company outing which was on September 29th and to make it more interesting I had a brand new set of Titleist clubs that I was fit for and got in October. I am not going to take you shot by shot, but I am going to summarize how my day went and my internal dialogue that matched.

I started on the first hole at Manor CC and proceeded to hit a 265 yard cut into the center of the fairway. “Can I go home now?” I thought to myself. I love golf again and can’t wait to start training again after my health situation recovers. But no, golf is a series of sprints part of a greater marathon and I needed to get to the runner’s high before the day would be a success.

My second shot from the center of the fairway never got above chest height and rolled through the green. “Didn’t this happen last year? After I was in Korea and had an extended break I hit the ball terribly with my irons for about a month. Is this going to happen again?” No No Tyler, you are wiser this year and can figure it out quicker. So I proceeded to hurry up and three putt from the fringe so I could get to the next tee.

It’s a short par 4 and so I only need three wood to find the right side of the fairway for position. What I didn’t need to do was top the ball and watch it tumble through the rough on it’s way to a creek. Let’s recap for a second. First shot was great-ish, next two swings were borderline disasters. I go into the normal state of mind amateurs face. What am I doing wrong? Luckily I knew by my history, ball flight, and feelings during my swing that I must have been early extending and sliding. Within two more holes I had the swing functional and went on to hit 4 out of the last 6 greens and card my first nine holes of the year as a 42. Not bad after the bogey-double-double start.

What is the real lesson here golfers? Well there are probably a bunch, but I think the big one is based on the nature of the golf swing and how everything comes and goes in cycles. Hitting it poorly gave me a chance to test a theory and having that theory worked strengthened my confidence in my game. Let me scare you for a second. Tour Pro’s are pretty inconsistent themselves. If you are playing this game in the hopes of reaching a level of perfect consistency then I suggest you try a repetitive distance sport like playing bridge or checkers. But in golf you are going to lose you game as many times as you find it. It is in losing your game and finding it again that you are able to build confidence.

I always told my girlfriend that a relationship doesn’t begin until the first fight. I don’t think you own your swing until you lose it and get it back at least a couple different ways. Only then will your swing have a chance of holding up under pressure. I’m not advocating taking six months off if you want to be a scratch golfer, but I am saying that when you go through a slump, get help from your team (fitness pro, golf pro, or medical pro) and use it as an opportunity not a curse.

Good luck, tomorrow I’ll give you a couple ways to think about learning to play golf that will help you make the commitment easier. Enjoy the Masters.