Episode 33 - Fast Start: The Short Game Shift That's Already Moving My Handicap!

I played in the Club Championships, 2nd flight, in early August. This podcast chronicles some of the key moments where I caught bad breaks and some where I strayed from my mental training. More importantly I watched 2 golfers play 'Old Man Golf (OMG)' and both finish ahead of me. I'll go into some of my observations and how I've since improved to a 1.8 index taking some of these lessons.Music credit: Time Slips By - Go By Ocean_Ryan McCaffreyhttps://www.youtube.com/@Seniortoscratch-------https://www.instagram.com/senior_to_scratch/#-------https://twitter.com/seniortoscratch

Season 3 is underway — and despite a blizzard outside the window, the early results are promising. Eight rounds in two weeks, a handicap index already down to 3.5, and a pre-round short game routine that's starting to show real dividends on the scorecard. In this episode, we break down what's actually working — from a revamped chipping approach and purposeful putting drills to match play dominance and the round that got away. Plus, a look ahead at three amateur qualifier tournaments on the horizon, including the Alberta Amateur.Senior to Scratch is a podcast for serious amateur golfers chasing improvement at any age.Music credit: Time Slips By - Go By Ocean_Ryan McCaffreyhttps://www.youtube.com/@Seniortoscratch-------https://www.instagram.com/senior_to_scratch/#-------https://twitter.com/seniortoscratch

I'm going to talk about the Offseason work, the pre-season plan, and what I'll specifically do to reach my scratch target this year.Music credit: Time Slips By - Go By Ocean_Ryan McCaffreyhttps://www.youtube.com/@Seniortoscratch-------https://www.instagram.com/senior_to_scratch/#-------https://twitter.com/seniortoscratch

I'm going to go over how I use statistics to develop a game improvement plan. Also, for those who have taken lessons in succession and have recordings, go back and really understand the intent of them - this is what I'm going to do.Music credit: Time Slips By - Go By Ocean_Ryan McCaffreyhttps://www.youtube.com/@Seniortoscratch-------https://www.instagram.com/senior_to_scratch/#-------https://twitter.com/seniortoscratch

I will discuss an honest review of this year's club championships - both using detailed stats and a subjective review and how to improve moving forward. Using Scott Fawcett's Decade has helped in this analysis.Music credit: Time Slips By - Go By Ocean_Ryan McCaffreyhttps://www.youtube.com/@Seniortoscratch-------https://www.instagram.com/senior_to_scratch/#-------https://twitter.com/seniortoscratch

I'll talk about my experience in my second competitive tournament round this year, the first of 3 rounds in the Country Hills Club Championship.I experienced much confusion, got a little bloody, and battled back to remain in striking distance.Join me as I talk through how I re-grouped and didn't let an early moment disrupt my entire round and tournament.Music credit: Time Slips By - Go By Ocean_Ryan McCaffreyhttps://www.youtube.com/@Seniortoscratch-------https://www.instagram.com/senior_to_scratch/#-------https://twitter.com/seniortoscratch

I'm excited to say that my play has improved of late, coinciding with my first tournament played. I've cut my index in half in a month and would like to share the four key activities that got me there.Music credit: Time Slips By - Go By Ocean_Ryan McCaffreyhttps://www.youtube.com/@Seniortoscratch-------https://www.instagram.com/senior_to_scratch/#-------https://twitter.com/seniortoscratch

Well - I did it. Finally teed it up in a competitive tournament. I'll walk through the key strategy and mental game highlights, what I learned, and how I've done since the tournament.Unfortunately, both me and Dylan missed the cut (he was much closer than I), but I did show some very positive signs.Music credit: Time Slips By - Go By Ocean_Ryan McCaffreyhttps://www.youtube.com/@Seniortoscratch-------https://www.instagram.com/senior_to_scratch/#-------https://twitter.com/seniortoscratch

My season has started, and it's nowhere like the comfortable simulator. I am struggling to incorporate my swing changes into real action and I'm still getting used to some new clubs. To top it off, I'm preparing for my first non-club tournament ever and a little over a week. Music credit: Time Slips By - Go By Ocean_Ryan McCaffreyhttps://www.youtube.com/@Seniortoscratch-------https://www.instagram.com/senior_to_scratch/#-------https://twitter.com/seniortoscratch

I'm going to do a deep dive into the rounds of Masters Legends Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer (there's plenty of Rory content out there). We will delve into how these 65+ year olds tackled a 7500+ yard course and nearly made the cut. Then, we will see how you can use this information to improve your golf game.I used datagolf.com, Arccos web searches, Masters app, and the Decade app for the data discussed.Drop me a line and let's talk golf!Music credit: Time Slips By - Go By Ocean_Ryan McCaffreyhttps://www.youtube.com/@Seniortoscratch-------https://www.instagram.com/senior_to_scratch/#-------https://twitter.com/seniortoscratch