I strongly agree. Play with the swing you bring to the course that day.
I don't find it surprising at all. On Trackmen I can be swinging the big stick 101 one day, and 92 the next after a strong low comes through. Same thing happens outdoors. Makes it really hard to club yourself the first couple of holes. Lol. My spine really does react to the barometer. Strange but true. Dr says it's not psychosomatic or an old wives tale, but quite common.
It happens.
That's why I simply accept what golf gives me on any given day. If I play poorly, I don't get upset, and if I play well, I'm grateful and don't get overly excited. Even golf's top tier golfers have bad days.
I have a 10” scar up my lower back that says it doesn’t matter. Truthfully, weather probably does matter. When it’s cold, I swing easier and play more club. I know sometimes it takes a while to get loose, even with a good warmup on the range. Yoga and stretching daily helps a lot. I need to get back into doing that regularly as I’ve kind of slacked off for a while. I think an area that would help me the most is core strength. I know grip strength has a lot to do with clubhead speed as does increasing the length of your back swing. I would thing core strength with good flexibility would speed things up a bit too. I’m just trying to get my clubhead speed to 90. I don’t think I’m quite there yet.
Have you started playing again? You mentioned you had not played in months.
No, not yet. The last time was just about 5 months ago. The main reason I haven't played is I can no longer walk, not even 9 holes. I always walked up until last fall. Last year, for example, I went on a 15 mile hike. Not being able to walk has really bummed me out, as it's always been a form of therapy for me. In any case, my home course hasn't put out carts yet; they say the course is too wet. What about CPO? Apparently too many people ignore CPO, so no carts.
This can be such a frustrating and confusing game from day-to-day. Yesterday, I could count the shots that I was pleased with on one hand. Today, it was just the opposite, with only a few shots that I would put in the "poor" column.
I'm in the same boat as you Sean, I can't walk anymore. As you said not even 9 holes, I tried about 2 years ago and made 4 holes. my problems won't be resolved. I hope yours can, fortunately I can ride a cart at my courses everyday.
I'm grateful for carts, because without them many of us couldn't play golf.
You are right, that is not how it works. Nor is it the way it is supposed to work. Those indexes are for the average scratch golfer. The differentials don’t apply to anyone else.
My push cart has a seat attachment. Its been a lifesaver for a couple years. But even with that, lately I can't walk 18 holes. The back pain is too much. I can barely manage 9. I don't have a membership that includes unlimited golf. So I just go online and pick the hot deals that makes 18 holes with a cart about 20-25 bucks cheaper. I can do 18 holes with a cart but by the end I'm feeling it.
Which is why I play the senior tees, regardless of what tees anyone else plays. They don't pay my greens fees, and I want to have fun. In addition, courses wouldn't put in senior tees if they weren't meant to be used. For me hitting fairway woods into the majority of par 4's isn't fun. Hell, professionals have trouble hitting greens with fairway woods, so what chance do I have? I've played with women who have played the middle tees while I've played the senior tees. I have no problem with that.
You just described my game!
This is the 2nd time I have belonged to this course. Back in 2017, they only had three sets of tees, which didn't make any difference to me because back then I had the distance to play from the normal men's whites. In the intervening years, probably due to demand, they added a set of senior tees. Generally, they are on the same tee box as the ladies' tees, with theirs being at the front of the tee box while the senior tees are at the back. Even then, there are a couple of holes where there is some distance between the seniors and the ladies, so I see some seniors play from the ladies'tees. I have no issue at all with that, and am for whatever brings joy to one's game!
I can and do quite regularly walk 5-10 miles a day on pavement doing infrastructure inspections/ repairs. But put me on uneven terrain for an extended walk any more and my back just screams at me.
I never bagged hybrids until this past winter. I have become convinced that the 4H is as versatile a club as I have ever had. From big high fades off the tee to little low slappy cuts and draws out of trouble, to screaming low draws under the wind to distant targets, it is a club that just suits me and the state of my game.
18 year old will be driving again in a few days cuz that's how our system works.
