Improving one’s golf game and maintaining it at a desired level is much like bailing out a sinking boat.  Stop practicing and playing (bailing water) and the boat sinks straight to the bottom.  Since my untimely knee injury in August, my golf game settled down to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

Today, I got hold of a robot submarine to scout the condition of my wreck down in the murky deep.  I headed out to the course this afternoon to see where I stand.  I had no intention of keeping score.  I just wanted to play through some holes and hit balls from a variety of situations to see where I’m at.

Before I went out, I hit 60 or 70 balls on the range to warm up and try and find my tempo.  I did a little better than I expected.  I took several steps backward from where I was at when I got hurt, but all the things I was working on in August started to come back to me.

All in all it was a good expedition.  Here’s where everything stands:

• Driving - Not bad at all.  I hit some decent drives and a couple of hooks.  Pretty much where I was in August.
• Long Irons - Absolutely awful.  I think my 2-iron is cursed.  I absolutely can’t hit it right now.
• 3-wood - Suffering as well.  I started to hit a few decent shots at the range before the round, but I definitely wouldn’t take it out of my bag on the course yet.
• Middle Irons - Not bad.  I’m making decent contact with a high draw.  I’m fighting a bit of a toe hit, but that will work itself out.
• Short Irons - Not as precise as I’d like, but not bad.  I’m fighting a bit of a toe hit with those too.
• Short Game - I’m surprised at how well this part of my game held up.  A variety of pitches and chips showed that I’m hitting the ball well.  I could use more refinement, but it’s in a very workable place.
• Putting - I’m also amazed at how well my putting has held up.  I made some nice putts, including one at somewhere near 45 feet.  With the exception of a few mental mistakes (seriously overestimating pace), my putting is fine.
• Mental Game - It’s not bad right now.  I was calm and collected out on the course.  My confidence was weak, but that’s understandable, given the situation.
• Fitness - Two months off has basically turned me into a jellyfish.  I’m able to work out again now, so I need to make that a priority.  I can’t believe how far backward I went.
• Knee - It held up OK, but I was having some soreness.  It could be due to the injection I got on Tuesday, but that shouldn’t last more than a couple of days.  It didn’t really seem to affect my swing, but seeing how it feels tomorrow will tell the whole story.  I definitely have to keep up the strength and flexibility program I’m on.

All in all, I can’t complain too much.  Because the days are getting shorter and cooler (soon to be ‘colder’), I’m not going to be able to do much more than play and practice sporadically as the weather permits.  That means I’ll have more time to focus on fitness.  That will have to be my number one priority through the winter months, as it should anyway.  Even more so now.

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