Still a few weeks away from the start of the season here in the northeast US, but wanted to start a thread for people to post their personal achievements and milestones in 2021.
Did you break par for the first time ever? Shoot a new personal best score? Made an eagle or hole in one? Play a round with no bogies (or more realistically no doubles)? Reach a handicap goal?
It’s early in the season, but I’ve already spent more time on the practice greens than I ever have before…
I’ve made quite a few birdies or better this year, around 4 per round on average, and even had 2 eagles my last round, but still a bit too inconsistent. I’ve made a few too many doubles this year so no doubles is doable, and I’d like to average less than 1 every 2 rounds. I had a round last year with 1 bogey, but don’t think I’ve had a bogey free round, so that is a great goal for this year.
Hopefully we get started soon in WNY. I have various performance metric summaries from last season, via The Grint. My milestones in 2021 will to have improved in each one.
August 8, 1984, Pennsauken Country Club. Even par on #17, Driveable par 4 294yds. Driver 20 yds short. Pitched in for Eagle & closed out the Nassau!. -2 on 18 tee a 418yd par 4 dog leg right…my match was over, $15 already in my pocket, shaking in my boots. 240yd drive pulled 40 yds left. The guy, Joe Bibbo, he was like 63 years old then…(RIP), I just took $15 from comes over and says…you ok…he says what are you doing? I’m like 5W, he says MJ, Take a breath…put it back in the bag…grab your 8iron…just do it, 155 up and over the trees… back in play, 60 left he says, 1/2 swing–bump your 7 iron to the green…put the wedge back in the bag…2 putt bogey for 69. I didnt take his $15 that day. Nothing but pride on the line, but first time I ever broke par. BTW, he never let me live that down…he said taking advice from him was a penalty but he wouldn’t tell…LOL. Wasn’t for old Joe…I probably would have tripled that hole, trying the hero shots, I learned alot on that 18th hole that day. My significant achievement was not breaking par for the first time, it was slowing down and applying a thought process. That’s why Joe was always getting in my pocket, I’d give him 5 and 5 and all he ever had to do was make bogey for par. He and I enjoyed playing alot together on weekdays when most of my game was starting to come together. Things you never forget right? Dunno what this year will bring? Goal is to get my swing speed back up to 100mph would be nice…That 274yd drive that day was with a Cleveland Classic persimmon driver. Looking forward to getting distance back up and shaking in my boots on 18 again…
Two other milestones; one golf related, one not.
For golf related,
Non-related:
Be able to see and hold our 3yr old grandson. We haven’t seen him in a year. Under normal conditions, being 2,200 miles apart is a challenge. Now, it’s just brutal.
Better times are coming! Get the shot as soon as you can. I work in healthcare, I’ve seen some stuff, I’d rather not relive. If it affects you or your family directly my honest to God 
sympathy. A couple more months, do the mask, watch where you go. Just do your best to stay safe. My wife can’t get her shot until June and she has immuno issues in lungs, so we take ZERO chances. We can do 60 more bubble days standing on our proverbial heads. Then she can hug her grandson and we have #2 on the way in August. So lots to look forward to! I know all the folks on here with grandkids or grandparents, it’s been a tough year. But I think the second half of this year will be great
Thank you. You have so much to look forward to. Best of luck, Agree, looking forward to 2nd half of year.
It was the 4th of February. I had a 0740 tee time. 0728 I am getting my clubs out of the car when I hear one of my playing partners calling out that we are on. I run to the first tee to find my partners had already hit. A bit out of breath I nail my driver and shot my best ever round of 78(8 over) 7 pars and 4 birdies (another record). Finished triple, double so could have been better. I was one off my best ever tee to green score with 28 putts. 9 one putts. My best is 9 one putts and a chip in. 4 lucky birdies. A 7i to 2ft, a 3/4 sw out of a fairway bunker to 3ft and two long putts. I still am wondering how I managed to do that.
I had never shot even par for 18 holes, and after today, I still haven’t – shot a 1 under 71 today!!! Beat my previous personal best by 3.
5 birdies, which is also a personal record.
After a 3-putt bogie on 17 to move to even par, I said to my partner “well there goes my chance of breaking par”, because 18 is one of the tougher holes. Then on 18, I broke every rule in the DECADE book. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I decided to hit a fade off the tee with driver (going against my normal draw) because the hole has more room that way. I proceed to block it WAY right, but fortunately for soggy ground, it stayed in play by about 5 yards and I had a clear shot. Pin is tucked back/right, and I tell myself to go for the center of the green. But as so often happens to me, I can’t commit to it, because subconsciously I know where the pin is. So I block my 8 iron about 10 yards right of where I’m aiming, and it comes down about 6 feet from the hole. I drilled the putt (looking at the hole, not the ball, which is something I’ve been trying) for a birdie and a one under round.
So satisfying to finish it off in style, after wilting down the stretch a few other times when I had good rounds going.
Congratulations on your score and your play. Yeah, sometimes you just have to dump the “recommendations” and play to your feel. Happy that it worked out for you. Nice to stretch things a bit, eh?
Not really, what I meant was, I did everything wrong and got lucky to make a birdie in spite of my bad decisions. I will definitely try to learn from that.