This article is particularly difficult to write because I don’t have much inspiration lately. The weather is nice for this time of year, but there is no opportunity to play golf unless I set up my DIY driving net. My net is not going to be set up until after the holidays because I am still recovering from my Achilles Tendon and elbow injury. So, overall this is a lull time of year and finding a topic and being motivated to write about it is a challenge. Yet, as I ramble on, something did pop into my head, so here it goes.

On many levels, my golf season went very well. I scored okay, maintained my index level, and learned a few new things. I played in a senior men’s ryder cup competition for my club and made it to the finals in the club championship match play tournament. The Grateful Golfer Blog is having its best year ever; almost 200k views and over 123k visitors. I played lots of golf with friends and I was fortunate to play a round with hickory shaft clubs. Overall, it was a fantastic year and I looking forward to playing at my local track the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort.

Yet with all my successes, I am having trouble finishing 2021 on a strong note. I am not inspired to write as much or even watch any golf on the internet (I do not have cable or satellite TV). I seem to have reached my yearly lull of waning interest. This is a regular event for me and I know that I will get out of this rut after the holidays.

My current state is akin to having a great 14 holes and then struggling to finish strong. The last four holes can be a bugbear sometimes because my mind wanders. It is a funny (not haha funny) situation because I normally stay focused and aware of my game for the entire time. Yet, those last four holes are challenging. Sometimes I am physically drained and other times my mind is full of all things not golf. These two aspects of my game are important factors to successfully finishing strong.

I wish I could offer some sage advice at this point on how to avoid finishing my round like a limp noodle, but I usually do not see it coming. If that is the case, how can I prevent it from happening…..right? I do despise a weak finish, but I have matured enough as a golfer to accept that this happens. I try to fight it at the time and sometimes that works. Unfortunately, I just have to ride the wave and hope that my routines save the round. Sometimes it works and others…..

Golf is an interesting game. Even seasoned players will struggle down the stretch when all data points to the contrary. The trick, according to me, is not accept the results, own it and move on. We all want to finish strong during every round, but unfortunately that is not always the case. It is all part of our golf journey!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!