Recently my car has been giving me problems. The odometer is inching closer to 100k, it hasn’t responded well to the colder weather, and is driving as sluggish as I can ever remember. But if I made even one of the birdie putts I had inside of ten feet I wouldn’t care.
My dog, a beagle as likely to master quantum physics as he is to spend more than six hours a day awake, has started to disconnect a bit and retreat into an early winter hibernation. He doesn’t want to exercise, chase a ball, or get off the couch. But if I hadn’t three whacked twice from 12 feet to lose holes I don’t think I would even notice.
“There is no similarity between golf and putting; they are two different games, one played in the air, and the other on the ground.”
Ben Hogan
After a round I racked my brain to think of the last putt of consequence I made. It wasn’t October. Nothing in September jumped out at me. August…I made a downhill, left to right birdie putt in August. Normally a handle with care putt, especially with my opponent looking at a six foot slider to save bogey I decided I had the line and the pace and if that meant leaving myself an uphill four footer coming back so be it. It stayed on line and broke hard in the last 18 inches, dead center.
Since I last made a putt Randy Moss has played for three different NFL teams. The House swung Republican, the Chilean Miners were underground the last time I walked off a green satisfied.
I practice my putting at least five times a week. I practice with different grips, one handed, I’ve tried every drill the internet found fit to print. I’ve tried looking at the target, closing my eyes, counting to three. I tried to baby everything up to the hole and accept a two putt. For one afternoon I tried to get everything through the hole, if they didn’t go in it was a three foot comebacker. I’ve cycled three different putters between practice, the garage, and my bag.
Even through all of this my scores have come down slightly. I’m longer and straighter off the tee, my irons are for the most part dialed in and I’m getting the ball close with my wedges. Breaking 90 is the norm, the handicap is below 13 again, and I’ve flirted with breaking 80 on a few occasions despite colder temps and stronger winds. Every round I tally up the card, making note of all the holes where I gave one, sometimes two, strokes away on the green.
With less than two months left in the challenge I can say with unwavering confidence that I’m a much better golfer, in the Hogan sense of the word, than I was this time last year. If only I could putt
About Matt Manco
I am a freelance writer, baseball instructor, and restaurant manager embarking on the first New England Golf Challenge. The New England Golf Challenge is an experiment to find out how much the average golfer can improve in one year with diligent practice and lessons. Check in weekly for updates and articles chronicling my experiences working towards a better golf game.
Related posts:
- New England Golf Life By The Bay
- New England Golf Life – Playing Through the South Shore
- A Life Lesson for Tiger
