The Golf Challenge

Before I state my golf challenge I’ll give you a synopsis of how I got here in the first place, get a coffee as its long.

I have never been interested in golf until February 2008 when finding myself suffering from an exceptionally bad cold and whilst bored and recuperating at home I found myself watching a European Tour event in the East somewhere. Why I started watching a sport I’d never remotely been interested in I don’t know, but over the following weeks I watched every tournament and started getting used to the rules and the players.

Fully recuperated I went back to work with a new found enthusiasm for golf and started to talk to my work colleges about this player that shot, this course and all things golfy. Then two of my team mates, both called Matt, asked if I’d like to go to the driving range, biting their hands off at the end of the day we headed to the range.

With 5 iron in my hand, no glove, with only a modicum of knowledge or what I was supposed to be doing, I hit my first ball, wow, that feeling of hitting that very first ball I can remember as clearly now as if I was there, seeing it sailing of into the distance after making a satisfying noise of the club face, I continued to hit more balls and with every ball I hit the golf bug was grabbing hold of me.

Two days later another work college, Nick, took me to the range and from that point on there was no turning back, I was hooked. That weekend I bought my first set of clubs, not making a stupid outlay I just got a starter set of Ben Sayers clubs for £170 and from that moment on I was at the driving range 4 or 5 times a week.

Realising I now needed to get some lessons; I started with the pro at the range who taught me the basics, however I really didn’t like his general attitude as he really didn’t seem that interested in me improving but more interested in getting the 6 lessons out of the way as quickly as possible. By this time, I was reading a lot, in magazines and books and then came across John Richardsons golf challenge in one of the magazines and was inspired and started to think I could do that.

Then in May I became really ill, I got pneumonia, spent three nights in hospital and eventually had 3 months of work, during this time although I had little energy I still practiced golf when I was able. I also watched a tonne of golf as I got a satellite subscription to Setanta, as at that time they had a dedicated golf channel and I found myself hardly watching anything else, which for me was a major change in its self as I was/am a TV addict, Sky Plus was always full of things to waste my time on.

Now getting serious and wanting to progress further I booked a week’s intensive course at James Andrews School of Golf, two weeks prior to going I played my very first round of golf and scored a whopping 137 on a Par 67 on a municipal course in Sheffield, Beauchief Golf Club. After having a week at the golf school I shot a 111 on the same course, one month later I shot an 89, that was a major fluke, I have never got anywhere near that since, but that inspired me on even more to start my personal golf challenge.

Searching for another Pro, a friend Nick introduced me to one of his friends, Laurence, who wasn’t yet a Pro but was in his final year and took me for a few lessons, we got on exceptionally well, unfortunately in later in the year he moved down south to finish of his course and I was without a teacher once again.

At this time my confidence had become sky high, not just because of golf and all the Dr Bob Rotella books I was reading but also because I was on a management training course at work and reading The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People : Powerful Lessons in Personal Change : Restoring the Character Ethic.

I need to add here that over the last 9 years I had been single, spent the first 5 years of that period suffering from server depression, and gradually I started to regain my confidence. However with Golf and work going well I now felt super confident, this is when golf became a second past time, I was now out looking for the girl of my dreams. The following April 2009 I met my future wife to be, Deborah, one year after meeting we were married and went travelling round the world for 10 months, some places of interest where the World Cup, Tibet, China, South America, over all we had a fabulous time, but all good things come to an end.

Returning to the UK in January this year, I got a job and then started thinking of rekindling my golf challenge I didn’t actually get back on the golf course until June and over the next three months my practice sessions picked up form once a week to three times a week, with a round of golf every weekend. It was now I made the commitment to start my golf challenge.

On the 2^nd of October I will be doing my control round for the golf challenge, which is going to be anywhere from 95 to 115, on a Par 72 at Tapton Park Golf Club in Chesterfield, this is one of four municipal courses in my area and the one I prefer the most, so this will now become my home course for the golf challenge.

I plan to replicate the same golf challenge that John Richardson did and see if I can make par on this course within the year. My areas of weakness are from the tee up until getting the ball in the hole, basically my whole game . I’ve spoken with my new Golf Pro, Craig Pollard and he’s enthusiastic with my golf challenge, so the first hurdle is solved, don’t tell Jim McLeellen though.

I also have the support of my wife, who is going to read John Richardsons book, “Dream On” even though I have spoken with Deborah and tried to explain the amount of time and dedication I will need to give to this golf challenge I think reading the book with give Deborah a better insight.

When I have successfully completed the golf challenge, and now I am setting my goals high and lofty. I want to get a scratch handicap within the next year, so from no handicap presently, but would be 28 on recent performances, I intend to be a scratch player within two years.

I know setting goals is good, but setting too high a goal can become crippling, but if you don’t aim for that stars you’ll never get anywhere near them. Perfection can never be achieved but that doesn’t mean you can’t strive for it.

Lastly I’m 46, fortunately I do have a core fitness and last time I started getting fit it really didn’t take more than a month, although I have never been good at any sport, just average.