Thank you. This is how it really has gone
Step 1 - I have a very good friend that has played a handful of Korn Ferry events, one PGAT event and won mulitple times on the now defunct Tarheel Tour and Hooters Tour, along with 2 SC Opens. He has told me for years that I need to get off the range and just go play 9 when I practice and also has told me to try to get into groups where I am the worst player as often as possible. The last year or so is the first time I have actually made an effort to do just that. This part has been quite easy as I was usually going down to the range for a couple hours when I went anyway and now that my wife has started playing we usually play on Sunday afternoons where I may not have before. I also found a group of scratch players that I weasled my way into and play with them at least once a week.
Step 2 - I also tend to be a bit of a club ho, which wasn’t helping my game. That same friend told me for years that I needed to find what worked for me club wise and at least keep those specs intact. I literally was the guy that would go from Mizuno muscle back irons to Ping G series. Always searching for something. I also did this last year and went to a good fitting where I could understand what works for me and why, then “stay in my lane” in respect to equipment. This I thought would be nearly impossible for me to do, but I have accepted it for what it is and have really found that it is easier to predict and repeat shots when you have clubs that fit and don’t go on ebay after every bad round. The satisfaction of the lower handicap is much better than the high of new clubs.