The 2nd Cut Newsletter: Edition #27
My Year in Review, Charlie’s Swing, Setting Goals for 2024, Paddy on Kid’s Golfing and More
“For this game you need, above all things, to be in a tranquil frame of mind.” - Harry Vardon
📰 Edition #27 📰
Welcome back to The 2nd Cut Newsletter!
📫 In today’s Newsletter: My Year in Review, Charlie’s Swing, Setting Goals for 2024, Paddy on Kid’s Golfing and More
🚨 Schedule Announcement 🚨
Quick note. This will be the last 2nd Cut email of 2023. We’ll pick things back up in 2024 with more golf content. I hope everyone has a great Christmas break and a Happy New Year!
My Year in Review
In the very first edition of The 2nd Cut Newsletter, I wrote about my multi-year journey from a 15 to a 3 handicap. A month later, that three quickly doubled to 6.7.
As you can see in the chart below, my handicap rose deep into the summer before I finally started seeing some progress in late July. And it wasn’t until September that I returned to where I was at the beginning of the year.
Finally, in October, near the end of the season, I eclipsed my HC of 3.3 from 2022 and finished at 2.6.
So, I guess you could say the season was a success, as getting to a sub-3 handicap was my goal. But it didn’t feel that way for most of the year. It felt like I was getting worse and might never get back to my previous best.
This is probably a fairly common occurrence with amateur golfers, especially those who don’t play year-round due to weather. I’ve experienced this many times now and it never gets easier. Each time, I wonder if this is the year I regress.
The biggest difference this year was that I had a plan and a coach. So even in June, when my handicap had doubled, I knew I was moving in the right direction with my swing. I just had to ingrain some new feels and trust the process. I continued to practice and focus on process over outcome.
Eventually, the patience and swing work with Ryan Mouque paid off. I began posting some good scores. My swing felt more natural and I was thinking less over the ball.
I posted multiple under-par rounds, came in tied for 1st in a tournament, and eventually improved upon my previous low handicap.
Remember to focus on the process. The scores will come as long as you have a plan (preferably a written one). I recommend having a coach you can check up with periodically when things feel like they’re going off the rails. Having an outside expert to evaluate my game helped me stay on track.
Here are my stats for the final 20 rounds of 2023:
🐦 Tweets of the Week 🐦
Jon hits the nail on the head. If you ever play with a scratch golfer, its apparent consistency and avoidance of big scores is the difference between average and good. Link
Not much to add here. Travis Fulton breaks down Charlie Woods's swing and how it’s changed over the last year.
If you are a golf swing nerd like me, it’s a fascinating breakdown of the intricacies of swing mechanics and swing changes.
Charlie’s swing is 🔥 Link
Josh Nichols, aka Mental Golf Coach, has a great thread breaking down the process for reaching your goals in 2024. Link
Check out our post, Goal Setting, for more on creating a goal-setting matrix.
“Goals are important because they form the backbone of a positive feedback loop—one of the most effective tools you can use to stimulate the human brain. If you set clear, specific, productive goals and you improve in a measurable way toward those goals, your motivation to continue to improve increases. The more motivated you get the harder you work—and the more goals you’re able to reach.”
-Dr. Lardon
📺 💻 T2C Media 📺 💻
This past weekend was the PNC Championship. You probably saw videos of Tiger Woods and his son, Charlie, all over social media. John Daly and his son were out there as well.
But the standout clip for me was this 3-minute Padraig Harrington interview advising how to get your kids into the game of golf. If you have kids (or grandkids), it’s well worth your time.
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My favorite tips:
Just let them play and have fun in a stress-free environment
Take 10 minutes after the round to have a soda or treat in the clubhouse (they’ll remember that forever)
“If they are good at the game, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll love the game. But if your kids love the game, it’s likely they’ll become good.”
⛳ Thanks for Reading ⛳
Just a reminder, this will be the last 2nd Cut email of 2023. We’ll pick things back up in 2024.
If you have any questions or comments about the newsletter, please comment below or email me at the2ndcut@substack.com. I love hearing from readers.
Til next time.
