My challenge. Round after round.
Here, I’m documenting my journey from a handicap of 16.1 to a single-digit handicap – honestly, transparently and without sugar-coating anything.
Every round, every insight and every step forward will form part of this chronicle.
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PlayGolf18 Founder Challenge: 0 Tage | Start-HCP: 16,1 | Aktuelles HCP: 13,6 | Ziel: Single Handicap
Day 90 of 90
4 october 2026
⛳ 90-day PlayGolf18 Challenge – Missed the target. Still, I’ve gained a lot.
The final tournament has been played. On a golf course that has clearly suffered this summer. No improvement in my handicap – and so it’s clear:
I haven’t managed to complete my personal 90-day challenge.
The aim was to improve my handicap from 16.1 to single figures. I ended up with 13.6.
At the start of the season in May, my handicap was actually still 16.5.
And what’s remarkable about this is that I’ve played a total of 20 handicap-counting tournaments this season – and yet I’ve still managed to improve my handicap from 16.5 to 13.6.
20 tournaments also mean 20 instances of pressure to perform, expectations, and good and bad days. And plenty of opportunities to get to know your own strengths and weaknesses.
Given that I’m still struggling with the yips when chipping, this is definitely a success for me.
What have I learnt over these 90 days?
My long game has improved. Playing a good nine holes is no longer a rare occurrence. But I still lack consistency over 18 holes.
And then there’s still my biggest area for improvement: the yips when chipping. Technically, I know how the shot works. But there’s sometimes quite a big mental hurdle between knowing and actually doing it.
Added to this is the realisation that I often try to force things too much out on the course. Especially after a poor start. Yet several rounds have shown me that I can still play really good golf even after a difficult first nine holes.
Golf isn’t just played between the tee and the green. It’s also played in your head.
And that is precisely what has now given rise to a new idea for PlayGolf18.
20 tournaments have shown me how easily you remember the bad shots – and how quickly you forget the good ones.
We keep track of scores, fairways, greens in regulation, putts and mistakes. But what if, during a round, we also made a conscious effort to focus on what’s going well?
The idea: Best Shot of the Hole.
After each hole, we choose our best shot – whether it’s a tee shot, approach shot, chip, pitch, bunker shot or putt.
Don’t analyse your worst shot. Don’t dwell on the chances you missed. Instead, consciously acknowledge a successful shot and carry that feeling with you to the next hole.
18 holes. 18 happy memories.
Perhaps a small step towards greater self-confidence, less pressure to perform and a better mental game.
This is one of the ideas we’d like to use to further develop PlayGolf18: as well as analysing the game, we intend to place greater emphasis on providing mental support during the round in future.
My verdict after 90 days?
I didn’t meet my handicap target. But my golf has improved. I now have a much clearer understanding of my strengths and weaknesses, and I also know what I need to keep working on.
And I’ve learnt something that goes far beyond my own disability:
A good golf app shouldn’t just show you where you’re losing strokes. It should also help you remember the shots you played really well.
The challenge is over. Development continues. ⛳
Day 83 of 90
25 September 2026
95 → 88: Perhaps the next step doesn’t lie in the golf swing
The final round in Murau was one of those rounds that can really put your golfing skills to the test. It was my first time playing the course; the round lasted around five and a half hours – the first three holes alone took us about an hour – and with the greens being slower than I’m used to, I never really found my rhythm.
Finished with 95 strokes. The statistics reflected this: 31 per cent fairways, 28 per cent GIR, 38 putts and just 8 per cent scrambling.
Four days later, we headed to the Championship Course in Murstätten.
The result: 88 strokes and a new handicap of 13.6.
What’s remarkable about this is that, statistically speaking, this round was anything but perfect either. 50 per cent FIR, 33 per cent GIR, 36 putts – and even 0 per cent scrambling. So it wasn’t as if the game of golf had suddenly become something completely different.
What was different?
I am currently studying Raymond Prior’s approaches and his book *Golf Beneath the Surface* Golf Beneath the Surfacein depth. One idea in particular has really struck a chord with me: you cannot force good scores.
Rather than constantly checking your score whilst playing a round, the aim is to accept the current situation, make a clear decision about your next shot and execute it as freely as possible. Then the process starts all over again.
That’s exactly what I managed to do much better in Murstätten.
That’s why the 88 feels like a step forward, and not just because of the score. It also shows me that the path to better golf doesn’t necessarily have to involve yet another technical change.
The Golf might already be here.
In this challenge, I have now on several occasions played individual nine-hole rounds or longer stretches at a level well below my current handicap.
The crucial question is therefore increasingly:
How can I make the most of the golf I already have over 18 holes?
Data from PlayGolf18 helps to highlight technical and tactical weaknesses. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly clear that statistics are only part of the story.
Train better. Play smarter. And learn not to try to force every good score.
Current handicap: 13.6.
Tag 67 von 90
9. September 2026
Mittwoch in Loipersdorf:
90 Schläge | 38 Putts | 43 % FIR | 56 % GIR
Der Start? Schwierig.
Auf den ersten neun wollte wieder wenig zusammenpassen. Zu viele Fehler, zu viel Score – und wieder die Gefahr, eine Runde zu früh abzuschreiben.
Und dann die Back Nine.
Plötzlich funktioniert das Golf. 15 Bruttopunkte, dazu sogar zwei Birdies. 🐦🐦
Das Interessante: Dieses Muster kenne ich inzwischen.
Beim Erzherzog Johann war die Back Nine +3.
In Murstätten zuletzt +5.
Und jetzt wieder eine richtig starke zweite Hälfte.
Das Golf ist also offensichtlich irgendwo da. 😉
Meine aktuelle Aufgabe ist weniger, besser Golf spielen zu lernen, sondern dieses Golf früher auf den Platz zu bekommen und über 18 Löcher zusammenzuhalten.
Vielleicht ist das inzwischen das wichtigste Learning meiner Challenge:
Nicht versuchen, eine gute Runde zu erzwingen. Im Spiel bleiben und dem guten Golf die Chance geben, irgendwann aufzutauchen.
Noch 23 Tage.
Aktuell HCP 14,0.
Goal: single-digit.
Es wird langsam eng – aber langweilig wird es definitiv nicht. 😅⛳
Day 64 of 90
6 September 2026
⛳ Perhaps I’m trying too hard.
Two more rounds of my PlayGolf18 Challenge:
📍 Wednesday – Murstätten Championship Course
91 strokes.
At least a really good back nine with 41 strokes (+5).
📍 Today – Murstätten South Course
94 strokes | 16 gross | 29 net.
Training’s actually going well. I feel as though my game is on the verge of taking the next step.
And that is precisely what is becoming a problem right now.
Once I’m on the pitch, I suddenly want to force everything. I’m getting impatient; I’m desperate to hit that perfect shot and turn a good round into a very good one as quickly as possible.
And as I’m writing this, something else strikes me:
Of all things, I didn’t use my AI caddy on the last two rounds. 🤦♂️
Yet that is precisely his role: not to choose a club or devise a game plan – but to help me stay calm, focus on the next shot and stick to my routine.
So perhaps the next experiment for the challenge is already obvious:
Don’t force it. Switch on the AI Caddy. Stroke by stroke.
Let’s see if it makes any difference. 😉
HCP stands by 14,0.
And then, at the 20 September 2026 another special highlight: my first regional final at the Austrian Amateur Open.
Ironically, a higher handicap isn’t a disadvantage there at all. 😅 Still, I’d obviously be happy to improve it beforehand.
The challenge remains exciting.
Day 50 of 90
26 August 2026
⛳ The challenge continues – a handicap of 14.0 for the first time!
Following a minor setback at the 9-hole tournament at Klockerhof, it was back to 18 holes – this time at the Wednesday Cup at GC Murhof.
The result:
🏌️ 88 strokes
⛳ 37 putts
🎯 71% FIR
🟢 39 % GIR
🔄 18 % Scrambling
Things went really well off the tee in particular this time. 71 per cent of fairways hit – it seems the driver and I have made up again after that failed ‘midsize’ experiment. 😅
Of course, it wasn’t without its drama: an 8 on the 7th hole and a 7 on the 17th show quite clearly where I’m still losing strokes.
Nevertheless, this round is enough for the next small step:
Start: HCP 16,1
Current: HCP 14.0 📉
Goal: Single Digits
We’ve managed to achieve a handicap of 2.1.
And the interesting thing is that he’s now consistently producing good spells of play. The key now is to eliminate the major mistakes from his round and maintain his standard over 18 holes.
The challenge continues. ⛳
Day 45 of 90
21 August 2026
⛳ A minor setback – but I’ve learnt something from it.
Next stop on my challenge: the Austrian Amateur Open at GC Klockerhof.
9 holes, 28 strokes, 18 Stableford points – and yet my handicap went up from 14.1 to 14.4. 📈
It’s a bit of a surprise at first.
So I finally took a closer look at the score differential – and now have a much better understanding of how 9-hole rounds are factored into the handicap calculation.
My personal takeaway from this:
9-hole tournaments aren’t necessarily the best choice given my current handicap. 😉 To play a round at ‘single-digit level’ with a handicap of 14.1, I’d need to achieve a score differential of less than 10.0 – in other words, a round that’s roughly equivalent to a handicap of under 10.
But that’s exactly what makes it a challenge.
Don’t just rack up scores – strive to understand your own game better and better.
Day 42 of 90
18 August 2026
⛳ Three rounds. Three completely different stories.
The PlayGolf18 Challenge continues—and golf is still golf. 😉
📍 GC Murhof – 96 strokes, 38 putts
Not many highlights on the course. But it was a really cool round—and sometimes that’s exactly what makes for a good day of golf.
📍 GC Erzherzog Johann – 86 strokes
The day got off to anything but a great start, though: I woke up with a sudden back spasm and could barely turn my head to the left or right.
Step by step.
As I kept moving, my game actually got better and better as the round went on—and suddenly my golf was clicking, too: I played the back nine in just +3. My handicap briefly improved to 13,6. 📉
📍 GC Murstätten – 93 strokes
My back wasn't quite behind me yet, but the round still started with a front nine in +5 Really good. Unfortunately, I couldn't maintain that level on the back nine—so my handicap went back up to 14,1.
What remains?
It's clear that I'm already playing at a level suitable for a lower handicap. But I still can't consistently maintain that level over 18 holes.
Day 30 of 90
6 August 2026
⛳ The challenge continues—but not every round results in a new handicap.
I've just finished a 9-hole round in the Murauen.
No handicap update. No big leap forward.
And maybe that's exactly what a 90-day challenge is all about: improvement isn't a linear process.
So now it's time to:
Training. Training. Training. 🏌️
After all, there are three tournaments on the schedule through Sunday.
Three new opportunities to put my training into practice—and find out if I'm getting a little closer to my goal.
Current: HCP 14,1
Started: HCP 16,1
Goal: single-digit
Let's see where I'll be on Sunday night. 😉
#PlayGolf18 #RoadToSingleDigits #GolfChallenge #GolfTraining #Handicap #Golf #GolfLife
Day 27 of 90
3 August 2026
⛳ The challenge continues.
Yesterday saw the next round take place on the Murstätten South Course – in 34 °C heat and with a playing time of over five hours.
I also tried something out, which turned out to be a mistake.
It was the first time I’d played my driver with a midsize grip. gespielt.
The result? Three drives out of bounce.
Sometimes you have to try things out to realise that they simply don’t work.
The standard grip has now been refitted. 😉
Nevertheless, there were some positives too:
🏌️ 86 strokes
⛳ 36 putts
🎯 50% greens in regulation
📈 New handicap: 14,1
Not every round is perfect.
But every round brings new insights.
And that’s exactly what my personal PlayGolf18 Challenge is all about: trying things out, learning and getting better bit by bit.
👉 Find out more about the challenge:
https://playgolf18.com/challenge
#PlayGolf18 #RoadToSingleDigits #GolfChallenge #Golf #Handicap #GolfLife #GolfTraining
Day 20 of 90
27 July 2026
⛳ Two venues. Two completely different rounds. An important insight.
This week I played two rounds in a tournament – and had an hour’s training session with my golf pro as well.
📍 GC Fontana
95 strokes
44 putts 😳
64% of fairways hit
44% greens in regulation
Not the result I’d imagined.
A day later:
📍 Schloss Ebreichsdorf
83 strokes
33 Putts
79% of fairways hit
50% greens in regulation
And most importantly:
📉 My handicap has improved to 14,6.
The figures show me once again that golf is rarely a straight line. There are setbacks, good days and bad days. The key is to learn from them and keep working at it.
That’s exactly why I launched the PlayGolf18 Challenge – not to play every round perfectly, but to gain a better understanding of my game, step by step.
The next lessons will follow. ⛳
👉 https://playgolf18.com/challenge
#PlayGolf18 #RoadToSingleDigits #GolfChallenge #GolfTraining #Handicap #Golf
Day 15 of 90
22 July 2026
⛳ Challenge Round #3 – GC Loipersdorf
Another small step forward. 📈
🏌️ Total: 15 over par
📉 New handicap: 15,0
But the most exciting thing was how the race unfolded:
After the first 9 holes, I was only 3 over par – that’s exactly what shows the potential that’s already there. I was only 3 over par
Unfortunately, the back nine was followed by a significant slump, particularly on the first four holes. That’s exactly where I lost control of the round.
The good news is: the potential is there.
The key now is to maintain consistency over 18 holes.. That’s exactly where PlayGolf18 is designed to help me, with data, analysis and the right training focus.
The challenge continues. 💪
#PlayGolf18 #GolfChallenge #Golf #Handicap #Loipersdorf #FounderJourney
Day 7 of 90
14 July 2026
🤖 What should I practise in the run-up to the next round of the challenge?
Following the analysis of my last round, PlayGolf18 has set a clear training focus. Don’t just hit balls at random.
Instead, I’ll focus specifically on the areas that are currently costing me the most strokes.
🎯 That’s why this week’s focus is on the short game and scrambling.
We’ll see whether this is already reflected in the statistics in the next round that counts towards the handicap. ⛳
#PlayGolf18 #GolfTraining #ShortGame #Scrambling #GolfChallenge #FounderJourney
Day 4 of 90
11 July 2026
⛳ Challenge Round #2. GC Gut Freiberg
📍 90 strokes
The statistics tell a bigger story today than the score:
✅ 69% of fairways hit
✅ 44% greens in regulation
❌ 41 putts
❌ 0% scrambling
From the tee to the green, most things went well. It was around the green that I lost those shots.
That is precisely why PlayGolf18 not only analyses your score, but also shows, where the greatest potential for further improvement lies.
Now it’s time to practise our short game. 💪
#PlayGolf18 #GolfChallenge #Golf #GolfTraining #Scrambling #Putting #Handicap
Day 1 of 90
8 July 2026
- Kick-off with the first tournament at GC Murhof.
- HCP at the start: 16.1
- Result: 86 strokes, 23 gross points, 39 net points
- New HCP: 15.5
- Highlights: Birdie on the 4th
- Findings: Scrambling and the short game are the biggest weaknesses
- The new AI training plan takes exactly that into account.
- Next tournament: 11 July 2026. GC Gut Freiberg
