I played in a Four Ball Better Ball competition at Lancaster Golf Club this weekend alongside Stewart Edge. It was one of those rounds that reinforced an important lesson. Good golf doesn't always look spectacular. Sometimes it looks steady.
In a field of around 45 pairs, Stewart and I finished 5th with 42 points. While it wasn't quite enough to challenge the winners, it was a strong result and another encouraging step forward in my own game.
// Lancaster Golf Club · Four Ball Better Ball
42
Stableford points
5th
Out of 45 pairs
26
Total putts
Fast Out of the Blocks
One of the things that makes golf easier is getting off to a good start. The early holes set the tone for the day and allow you to settle into a rhythm.
I started well and never really felt like I was chasing the round. There were no major swings in momentum, no disasters to recover from, and no periods where I felt the scorecard was getting away from me. Instead, it was simply a case of playing solid golf and letting the round develop naturally.
As the day progressed, I felt increasingly comfortable with where my game was.
The Value of Boring Golf
Golfers often talk about their best rounds in terms of spectacular shots. The reality is that most good scoring rounds are built on the absence of bad shots.
The older I get, the more I appreciate that scoring well is usually about reducing the damage rather than producing magic.
Looking back at the statistics, that's exactly what stands out.
// What "boring" looks like on a scorecard
Those things might not sound exciting, but they are often the difference between a decent round and a good one.
The Putting Work Is Paying Off
One area that has received a lot of attention recently is putting. The results from this round were particularly encouraging.
// Putting stats · Lancaster
26
Total putts
1.63
Putts per hole
+2.2
Strokes gained vs elite amateur
114ft
Putts holed
// Steve Hamer · Lancashire Putting School
Time spent working with Steve on pace control and a repeatable stroke is clearly translating onto the course. For a long time, putting felt like an area that needed constant attention just to avoid losing shots. Now it feels like it is becoming a genuine strength. That doesn't happen overnight. It's the result of lessons, practice, and trusting the process.
The Next Level
The statistics also highlighted where the biggest opportunity still exists. My approach play remains the area with the greatest room for improvement.
// Still the work in progress
The dominant miss throughout the day was short — mirroring what TrackMan testing and lessons with Ryan have been showing.
The good news: the misses aren't wildly offline. The challenge is improving strike quality and distance control so that more of those shots finish on the green rather than just short of it.
If that area improves while maintaining the progress on the greens, lower scores will follow.
A Birdie to Finish
Every golfer knows the feeling. You can play solidly all day, but the final hole often becomes the memory you take home.
// Hole 18 · Lancaster Golf Club
Birdie ⛳
A lovely way to finish a steady round and cap off a strong team performance.
Stewart and I signed for 42 points, which secured 5th place in the competition. More importantly, it felt like another round where the work being done away from the course is beginning to show itself on it.
// Final thought
The putting is improving. The mistakes are reducing. The course management is becoming more disciplined.
There is still plenty to work on — particularly with approach play — but that's the exciting part.
For the first time in a while, it feels like the foundations are getting stronger.
And when the foundations are strong, the scores tend to take care of themselves.