My Vision54 - the Senior Open!

I have a dream, a Vision54 if you like, of what I want to achieve with golf. It's been driven by reading the books by Pia Nillson and Bob Rotella, reviewed elsewhere in this blog. https://www.thoughtsfromthetrain.com/post/review-every-shot-must-have-a-purpose

https://www.thoughtsfromthetrain.com/post/book-review-make-your-next-shot-your-best-shot-dr-bob-rotella In the spirit of dreaming big, mine is to qualify for the Senior Open by age 60! Pia and Bob talk about dreaming big, stretching your imagination, and believing you can achieve your targets and I think this would qualify. However, my Vision54 is also about the process, not just the destination. More about that later.

Where am I starting from?

Right now it's Jan 2024, I am 54 years old and have a WHS index of 4.2. That's a decent starting point and a reasonable timescale to work towards the target. There's a lot of work to do though and I am not underestimating the scale of the task. But like any big task, it is good to split it down into smaller components and be realistic about progress.

So how do you get into the Senior Open?

The majority of Senior Open competitors will be professional golfers, most of whom will have qualified by dint of their world rankings. A normal year will see between 140-150 competitors. Within that number, 50 will come from "regional qualifying" events held around the UK (and one in the USA). These would normally see around 500 golfers compete for those 50 places with entrants made up of both amateur and professional golfers. For an amateur to be eligible for a qualifying event you need to have a WHS index of scratch (defined as 0.4 or lower), so that is my first hurdle to overcome. There are a lot of golfers at that level though so it does not guarantee you will get in.

As if getting in isn't hard enough, being one of the successful 50 to get through is even harder. Looking at the 2023 Senior Open start sheet, only 8 amateur golfers made it into the starting field. Getting into a qualifier is a challenge on its own, but getting through and into the Senior Open would be a massive achievement.

To put this challenge into a different context. Getting to scratch and being eligible to play in a qualifying event is like getting fit enough to climb Everest. Successfully entering and getting through to a qualifier would be like reaching the base camp successfully. Qualifying and then playing in the Senior Open itself is like cresting the summit. I'm reminded of the photos showing queues of people waiting to get to the summit of Everest and thought that's not dissimilar to the number of amateurs trying to qualify for the Open! Competition will be fierce. Maybe it's Nirmal Purja I need in my team rather than Mike Lander! If you've not watched his documentary series "14 Peaks" on Netflix then you really should. https://www.nimsdai.com/project-possible Inspirational doesn't come close.

Despite the challenge, many are capable and competition will be fierce

It's the process that matters most though, results will follow

As mentioned above, this is as much about the climb as it is about reaching the summit. The outcome is almost secondary. The target is the motivator to get some discipline and structure into my golf practice and general day-to-day life. Writing this blog requires discipline and structure too, but it's a lot easier than practicing golf when it's cold and raining. With the golf target as the core, there's a whole health and fitness discipline (physical and mental) that is built around it. At 54, I have to be realistic about how far I can push my body. I have to be cognisant of the mental challenge too.

Pia and Bob say I've got to believe if I want to achieve. But I've got a lot of work to do too!

The initial framework

Daily stretching and exercise: I'm getting old and need to keep my body as mobile and flexible as possible. Having done a couple of TPI assessments, I know I'm doing pretty well in this regard, but I do have some arthritis in my lower back and need to keep on top of that. It doesn't give me much bother while playing golf, but it can be sore afterwards if I don't keep on top of my stretching. My daily exercise and stretching routine was originally put together with help from my old friend, and personal trainer, Gavin McCann aztecperIsonaltrainer.com It has subsequently been adapted from watching videos with people like MyTPI https://www.mytpi.com/, FitForGolf https://fitforgolf.blog/ and Jamie Greaves https://www.jggolffitness.co.uk/about-me/, as well as seeing what older golfers like Bernhard Langer do. A golfing hero of mine when I was a teenager and it's amazing what he's still achieving at 66. This is a home-based routine with minimal equipment (dumbells, resistance bands, bodyweight exercises), rather than gym-based. I do it first thing in the morning before breakfast.

There is also a commitment to daily cardio, targeting a minimum of 10,000 steps or equivalent over a normal week. If the weather is nice and I'm not golfing or practicing, then I'll either go for a walk or a cycle. I'm not a fan of road cycling but there are some good tracks around here where you can stay off the main road (mostly the same as the tracks I use when walking). If the weather is bad then I've got a spin bike in the garage along with a torture machine (Concept 2 rowing machine). I hate rowing, despite knowing how good an exercise it is. Time to get WiFi and a TV sorted in the garage!

Nutrition: I've not gone into this in too much detail so far as our family diet is reasonably good already. When I first started working with Gavin we did a thorough review of my eating habits and used a daily log on his app to track my calorie intake. It was eye-opening to see how poor some of my snack choices were. I plan to do some more work on nutrition to better understand the impact it has on concentration and stamina when playing and practicing.

Golf improvement - technical and mental

From the initial chat with Mike, my practice will be a combination of block and random sessions. Block practice will be used when working on technical issues that need time to get established. It will also be used when working on distance control and proximity training to get baseline data with different clubs. Skills training will be a combination of block and random with some of the ideas from Vision54 incorporated here. Right now though the immediate requirement is technical and I just need to hit one shot shape consistently rather than 4 different shots on demand etc.

Immediate priorities:

• My first few lessons with Mike can be found in these posts:

  • https://www.thoughtsfromthetrain.com/post/lessons-update-a-change-of-instructor

  • https://www.thoughtsfromthetrain.com/post/full-swing-practice-update

  • https://www.thoughtsfromthetrain.com/post/putting-lesson-with-mike-lander

  • https://www.thoughtsfromthetrain.com/post/lesson-3-with-mike-lander-the-driver

  • https://www.thoughtsfromthetrain.com/post/lesson-4-with-mike-old-habits-die-hard

• Looking back through these notes my transition, specifically rotation and weight transfer to the leading leg is a consistent issue and still requires work. As does improving how I release the club through impact to ensure better contact. Right now I remain prone to an early release, causing high shots with less power. This suits block practice and also lends itself to exercises that can be done away from the driving range. The fact I'm still making the same mistakes highlights just how long it can take to effectively implement a change! I have routines and drills to work on but this old dog is taking a lot of time to learn new tricks!

• Swing speed. I continue to work on this too and it involves my daily exercise routine above and some specific overspead training. I'm using a combination of a light stick, a heavy stick (Orange whip-type device), and my driver. I can practice this at home in the garden (without a ball or using a plastic one) and at the range with real balls. I'm still struggling to let go of inhibitions and swing with full intent, but I'm getting there. I grew up in the "swing within yourself" school so really letting myself go at the ball is still hard. The 10th Jan image is in the garden and the second image is at the range hitting balls. The data comes from my Blast motion sensor https://blastmotion.com/products/golf/

In the garden - no ball

At the range, hitting balls

Future work plan:

• Data collected last season suggests proximity with approach shots, par 3 strategy, bunker play, putting from 10ft and distance with driver all need some work.

• Proximity: Mike has set out a proximity reference sheet for me to work with when I am practicing. Shots off the tee, approach shots 50-100, 110-160 and 170-240, scrambling from fairway/fringe, rough, bunkers then holing out percentages when putting from 3-5ft, 5-10, 10-15, 15-20 and 20-25, and finally distance control when putting from >25ft.

• When weather conditions improve and practice facilities are fully open we will work on scrambling and bunker play.

• Driver work comes under the speed training work above. Once we get speed consistent, then we will work more on strike quality. Right now practice is about swinging fast and not worrying about where the ball goes.

• Putting - I have a mat in the garage https://puttout.golf/collections/shop for when the weather is poor and can use the putting green at the Academy or Duke's too. Winter is always tricky for putting practice as the green conditions are variable - you wouldn't want to practice on the Duke's green right now.

• Course management and strategy. We plan to conduct an on-course lesson once winter restrictions are lifted and daylight lasts longer! I will no doubt also re-visit Jon Sherman's excellent "Four Foundations of Golf" book and the sections on course (and self) management. https://practical-golf.com/ https://www.thoughtsfromthetrain.com/post/review-the-four-foundations-of-golf

• Self-management when playing with a card in my hand. Keep perspective and remember to have fun. It's just a game! Kent Osbourne would tell me to keep working on my Scratch Attitude https://scratchattitude.com/ The hour I spent chatting with him last summer was one of the highlights of my golfing year.

Where will I practice and is there any additional kit that I need?

Living in St Andrews gives me access to amazing practice facilities. My local links ticket allows me to play the seven courses here and I also have membership of The Duke's Course, which also has a complimentary member range and short game area.

Buying balls at the academy can work out quite expensive throughout the season, so I imagine I'll be spending a lot of time at The Duke's. The short game area there can accommodate shots up to 200 yards, and because you use your own golf balls, there's no subjectivity about how range balls perform. The course itself consists of two 9-hole loops, allowing me to have a range-based practice session followed by 9 holes, which makes good use of time.

Unfortunately, there is no tracking technology there. Mike suggested I consider investing in a portable launch monitor to measure my carry distances. I could do that with a Trackman session at https://www.standrewsindoorgolf.co.uk/ but hitting outdoors and off grass is preferred. My likely choice is the Garmin Approach R10 https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/695391. It's small, portable, more affordable than others and has good reviews for accuracy.

Mike also wants me to send him occasional swing videos to monitor progress. I need to investigate tripods for my phone and whether I should use any different apps or just the video function on the iPhone. There is a bracket to attach a phone to the R10 for this purpose too I believe. Luddite talking!

In summer, the practice green at The Duke's is excellent, but I also have access to the brilliant short game area and practice greens at the Academy. The main issue with those is that they can get quite busy at times which can make access tricky. It would be fair to say that most golfers seem to hate practicing putting though, so you can usually get on the greens (especially the larger one towards the Eden).

Progress and perspective

As I've said before, my Vision54 is as much about the journey and process as it is about the dream. Working on everything above should improve my technical golfing ability. Working on the lessons from "Every Shot Must Have a Purpose" should help me transfer the technical improvement to the course. I hope to learn more about myself as a person as well as a golfer as I go through this, blending my love of golf with my interest in, and exploration of, Philosophy.

Progress won't be immediate and will likely test my Stoic resolve too, requiring resilience, self-awareness, and emotional control (as well as controlling my ball). That means dealing with frustration, not being ruled by temper, stopping comparing myself to others, and not letting myself spiral in frustration or jump back on the hedonic treadmill to try and buy a game! It won't be easy, but I think I've finally got the right mental tools.

The most directly measurable aspect of this will be my handicap and obviously, if I want to even play in a qualifier then I need to get to scratch first. I know I've got a couple of low rounds falling out of my top 8 soon, so my WHS index will likely go up before it comes down. But that's life, and progress is rarely a straight line. The point here is to focus on the process, and if I put in the effort, then results will come. Dream it, believe it, achieve it.

Hopefully, you will all come along for the ride.