What Am I Reading?

Update 11/11/2019: Getting Ready For 2020

Let's just call 2019 the year of confusion here. A year that started out with the best intentions ended up being so busy that nothing got done. I mean, scrolling through the goals of 2019 that I listed below, all I can see is that as of April, the plan was tossed out the window and completely changed. Let's start with the, "What didn't happen...." then continue on to the what is going to happen...

In 2019, I was able to get started in the competitive world once again, but then in April things changed dramatically. I was off to a terrible start in competitions, my move from blades to something more forgiving was a nightmare and I had pretty well lost my short game. Life wasn't good. Then, everything seemed to click as I moved back to the blades and reset my putter to an old favorite, but the competitive season ended as I entered the professional ranks in April. I didn't get the chance to finish the year as an amateur, which dashed my original plan of qualifying for the Mid-Am and playing a full competitive season.

That quickly compounded as work days stretched to 18 hours or more and blog/vlog time became non-existent. My game suffered as I toiled away at my desk from dark until mid-afternoon and then manned the pro shop from afternoon till dark. It was a rough transition and something I'm not entirely sure I want to repeat this year. That is a topic for another day though, this is more about what is happening for sure with Back In The Fairway in 2020. In 2020, you're going to see a bit of a resurgence in what BITF was originally about, as well as a few additional pieces that you will find helpful.

• Budget Beater: Back is the "Budget Beater" although this year it will be in video form. I'm going to try and find great deals and pass them along to you as quickly as I can find them.
  
• Stroke Saver: Also back is the "Stroke Saver" section. Honestly, this is what the "Practice Tips" section was supposed to be last year, but they just never happened. Instead, I'll try and get out on the course more and show you different options on saving strokes when you play. The best way I can describe this segment is that everyone misses shots, it's how well you recover from them that determines your score.
  
• Journey To 100 - The Reboot: The "Journey To 100" videos will also be back with a vengeance this season. The wonky work schedule and lack of focus on them has led me to a stale point in my loss, but I'm looking forward to finishing that 100 pound reboot and getting down below 220.
  
• Going Pro: Finally, "Going Pro" will continue to follow my efforts to earn my PGA credentials in 2020. There won't be much happening between now and April on this front, but I can try and do a few highlight videos of what the process looks like and how to get the ball rolling if you are in a situation like mine.

So, that's where we're heading in 2020. 

The Archives:

Update 01/02/2019: The New Year

Well, this escalated quickly. Seems like just yesterday I was posting about saving a ton of money getting back into golf and now, as I start 2019, I'm ready to get things rolling on a fully competitive season and I've almost become a scratch golfer. Fortunately, not much has changed in the way that I shop and play the game, I'm just able to do a bit more of it. This year, I plan on getting back to the roots of the site and helping you play better golf for less money, but also, I want to make sure that I bring you along as I try to get back into competitive playing this season.

Ultimately, that was the goal last season as well, but due to a bit of a setback early in the year, it never really panned out to be a great season for me on the course. That said, 2019 is a new year and I'm already half way to being less of me. Yes, for those that have been following along, you know that I am half way to my Journey To 100 goal, which is my weight loss effort to become healthier. We started the Ketogenic Diet in August of this year and both my wife and I have had amazing results. This will definitely continue into the new year and will be a life long change that continues to help me feel better and help my golf game become stronger.

Moving on to the budget aspect of golf, and why I hope most of you are here. I love the game of golf, but it is one of the most expensive hobbies around. First, you need about $200 in gear just to set foot on the course. Then you pay $20-50 minimum to play a round that takes anywhere from 4-6 hours of your day. It's not cheap and to get really good at it, it takes even more time and money. For 2019, I'm making an effort to reach out to companies that feel the same way about golf that I do - it shouldn't cost a fortune to play and enjoy the game. 

With that in mind, my mission over the next 12 months is to continue to help golfers around the world find more cost effective ways  to purchase equipment, practice the game and play more golf. I’m not a professional that has companies lined up around the corner to send me freebies, nor am I a teacher that has students funding my channel in exchange for free lessons or tips on how to play better. I’m a 40-something golfer that loves the game and knows the pains of having a budget that doesn’t allow for a ton of playing throughout the year.

For the last few months, I’ve struggled with the direction that the videos and blog were going in, but I still think my niche is going to find its home in this lower cost bracket of players that love the game, but can’t really afford to play as much as they want to. I’ll continue to develop this concept, trying to find a place in this online jungle, but for 2019, I would love to continue to grow the game with this new content.

• Equipment Deals: These tweets and videos will feature the best deals that I can find as often as I can create the content. Some may be extremely limited and others may just be tips and tricks to getting out and playing consistent golf. Make sure to follow @golfing4less on Twitter to keep up with these deals!

• Practice Tips: These aren’t magical tips that will make you a better golfer as much as they are taking common tips that everyone shares and finding cheaper ways to make them happen. From heading to the living room with a putter to practicing bunker shots from a puddle, there are easy ways to get things done without breaking the bank.

• The Journey To 100: This trip continues into the new year as I am only half way to my goal. The Journey To 100 isn't about scoring in golf, but rather it's my personal journey to lose 100 pounds in an effort to become healthier and able to do more. A perfect example of this was being able to play 4 days of golf and make it through two club fittings over the holidays. This is something that my former self probably couldn't have managed. Anyways, the weekly updates will continue into the future and maybe even expand to include more diet tips and exercises that could help your game.

• The Journey To The USGA Mid-Amateur: Life goals... There isn't much more to be said to this one other than I'm really pushing this year to qualify for the USGA Mid-Amateur tournament in Colorado this September. I doubt I'll actually pull this off at this point in time, but if my budget life can do it, I'm going to give it all I can. The cost of the tournament is going to be pretty high, but as I start to get closer, if I'm supposed to go, I know the help will be there. I don't really have a schedule of posts for this one, but I'll be keeping everyone up to date via video posts and maybe even do some actual course vlogs to see how that works out. Unfortunately, I don't really have the right camera gear to pull this off well, so they may be choppy messes like the first one I posted last week.

• Everything Else: This is where I will vent, post and blog about anything that is on my mind as well. Most should be golf related, but the rest may just be about my touchy-feelies for the day or anything else like that. I'm not going to do many of these, but maybe you can gain some insights from my madness that could help your game or your life.

Keep up with a Follow, Friend, Subscribe and do all that Social Media stuff below:

Facebook - http://bit.ly/FacebookBITF

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Golfing4Less

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/backinthefairway/

YouTube Channel - http://bit.ly/WatchBITF

Update 12/2017: The new vision...

I wanted to update this a bit since you aren't reading exactly what I was publishing a few summers ago. In fact, it's not at all what I had envisioned, but more people seem to care about my round recaps and thoughts on clubs than they do about beating a golfing budget and my silly tips and tricks that can keep them out of trouble on the course. So, effective immediately, I'm changing the vision of BITF to be a bit more about me and less about you. I'm going to highlight my journey to get my game in better shape over the winter and finally make that run at getting back into tournament golf in 2018. It's been a long time, but I have a feeling that it will be a good year for me. I'm torn between joining two different men's clubs this year, both have some serious positives and negatives to them, but one of the two will be joined before posting season begins.

So, hopefully 2018 turns out to be everything that 2017 wasn't. It was a strange summer filled with house stuff, kid stuff and strangely spent time stuff, but not golf stuff. I'm going to make it a bit more of a priority in 2018 and that should lead to much better content and more of me to follow. I'll also be trying to YouTube stream live from the course a bit more. I pulled a few "Periscope TV" streams during my last round, but due to technical glitches, it doesn't appear that the audio was working well or something. Either way, I'll start posting some social media links as soon as I have everything set up.


In The Beginning: What Is Back In The Fairway

I wanted to keep this blog very simple, so I only really offer two types of posts: Budget Beaters and Stroke Savers. I set up the blog this way to keep it simple for those of you looking for some quick swing tips or maybe a quick way to shave a stroke or two off your card. This way you can simply search for Stroke Savers and see what works best for your game. The Budget Beater is more for those that really want to play more golf, but may be running into the increasingly high costs of golf as a limit to how much they can play.

Budget Beater: This is the section where you can find out how to get more game for your dollar. Golf is very expensive, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune to play a few rounds during the summer and really enjoy it. If you are a competitive player, but just don't have the $500 a month extra to play as much as you'd like, this section will also help you out by finding equipment deals, course specials and even more ways to save on all those golf related expenses.

Stroke Saver: If you are struggling to get down below 90 for the first time or even break into the 70's, my stroke savers may be just what you are looking for. With all the help that is online today, I will try and help you save a bit of time and energy by pointing out hints that help me as much today as they did 20 years ago. Whether you start narrowing your target when you putt or start setting up your round at the range a few days before you play, Stroke Savers are designed to help you get to your best score ever by trimming those extra shots off your card.

Blog Babble: This is my private section of golf news, talk and just random thoughts. There's no rule to these, except for whatever I feel like writing about. I always welcome your comments on my thoughts!

The final section that you will see from time to time on the blog is the Equipment Deals section. As an affiliate for various online retailers, I pay for this blog and the equipment I get to test with your help. For something like balls, testing them out for a round usually involves spending anywhere from $10-25 on a sleeve or a dozen balls. If you're lucky enough to land in my foursome and I happen to have gotten a dozen to test out, I will probably pass you a sleeve and ask you what you think of them also. The bottom line is, running a blog takes quite a bit of time and money to make it interesting. By purchasing your goods through one of my links, you make all this possible - and hopefully save yourself some cash in the process!

• Paying For This Blog With Links