My Golf Journey Part 4 | The Day I Started to See My Own Golf. Until I Grasped the Feeling of Bogey-on | To You, the Self-Taught Golfer

Hello! The cold days continue, making it hard to feel motivated for rounds or practice, don't they? Haha.

Last time, I wrote about how I started to grasp my own habits while reflecting on my failures.
Back then, whenever I made a mistake during a round, I would panic and try to make up for it, often leading to even bigger mistakes.

If I hit an OB or landed in a bunker, I would hold my head in my hands, wondering, "Why does this keep happening?"
But my way of thinking was gradually changing during that period.

My scores were still hovering in the low 100s, but I was hitting over 120 less often than before.
A major change was that I started having more moments during a round where I could think, "It's okay to just aim for a bogey here," allowing me to play without panic.
That feeling gradually became ingrained in me.

At one point, it suddenly dawned on me.

On a par-72 course, even if you bogey every hole, you get a 90.

That was when I first realized thattrying to play the beautiful golf I saw on TV broadcasts was actually the cause of my score falling apart.
If I forced myself to aim for the pin or swung too hard, I would end up missing behind the green or in a bunker.
After experiencing that many times, the feeling that "a bogey is fine" finally sprouted.

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This mindset also applies at the driving range.
• Prioritize stability over distance with the driver
• Aim for the center of the green rather than the pin with irons
• Prioritize distance control with wedges
• Two putts for a bogey is enough

Having the mindset of "bogey-on is fine" reduced my hesitation during rounds.
I don't panic when the ball curves, I don't swing hard to try and make up for it, and I can think about how to play the next shot.
As a result, big scores decreased, and my performance became more stable.

Nice shots are, of course, a joy.
But on days when I reduced double and triple bogeys, and the whole round felt stable, I was happier than I was with any nice shot.
It was the moment I realized, "Oh, this is how you build a score," and started thinking of the 18 holes as a single flow.

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I'm still not very good, and my shots aren't stable yet.
But I have a feeling that my own golf is starting to take shape.
Don't panic, don't force it, and learn from failures while playing rounds.
Looking back, I think the experiences from that time became the foundation for who I am today.

And from that time on, my desire to improve and my motivation for golf increased rapidly.
"I want to be able to build a better score," "I want to test my ability."
Those feelings grew stronger, which naturally led to the challenge of trying to book a round as a solo player.
I felt that playing with strangers would lead to new learning, and although I was very nervous, I was also a little excited.

Next time, I would like to write about the solo round I booked with this newfound motivation.
The nervousness and realizations I felt when playing with strangers for the first time, and a new way of thinking about scores—
That experience pushed my golf one step further.