Playing partners - Vak, Richie, Alex
Weather today - HOT!!
The theme of today's round is:
The Golf Gods Giveth, and the Golf Gods Taketh away!
After playing yesterday, I finally was feeling that my game was in good form. My tempo is pretty much down pat, my clubs are dialed into the right distances, and my concentration was where it should be.
So, I felt damn good coming into today's round. The warmup routine was normal.
Started off with some deep knee bends, leg crosses, light turns - just enough to let the body know it will be asked to perform soon.
The swings showed nothing out of the ordinary. A few wedges, mid irons, hybrid, driver, and ending with a few wedges.
The first hole, the nice par 5 seemed like easy prey. My drive was straight down the right side, in the rough. I laid up to 70 yards, and pitched and two putted for a par.
The 2nd hole played as a par 3 today - 150 yards up hill. I nailed my 6 iron and was 5 feet to the right of the pin.
The 3rd hole was a bit tougher. I pulled my drive, and then hit my hybrid up the right side into the rough. After coming up short on the 3rd shot, I wound up bogeying.
Still - even after 3 holes!!!
On the next 6 holes, I bogey'd 2, parred 3 and birdied one (the Par 3 5th).
At around the 7th hole, Alex (a novice golfer) asked if I wanted to know my score. I said there was reason pitchers with a great game going don't want to hear from his players.
AS IF I WASN'T AWARE I WAS PLAYING FUCKING WELL!!!
During the 8th and 9th hole, All I kept saying was "Shoot for Par" "Shoot for Par". "Don't get crazy"
When I walked off the 9th green with a Par, my front 9 score was a 37.
ONE OVER PAR!!!
This was the best 9 hole score I've ever posted!!!! I was ecstatic. As we walked off, Richie said the ranger asked us to "Pick it up".
Seriously??? We were perhaps one stroke behind the group in front!!!
Of course, at the turn, he was sitting in his cart watching us.
So, here was my current thought process:
- You have a shot at breaking 80 (I only did that once).
- I have a chance at shooting PAR
- Hurry up and hit, because the ranger is giving us the evil eye.
As I wrote earlier, "The Golf Gods Had Giveth", and now were about to "Taketh Away"
I lined up my drive, took my time, and BAM! Blocked drive way right into the trees.
If I haven't mentioned it before, I'll discuss the problems with "Tension" now.
Tension is a game killer. If you hit the ball right, your wrists are loose, so that your hands "turn over" as you complete your swing. It's how the clubface gets square at impact, and how the right spin is put on the ball.
If your hands and writs are tight, you "Block" the shot leaving the clubhead open - and the ball slices.
I would double bogey this hole.
The 11th hole I overcompensated, and pulled the drive into the woods on the left - double bogey.
After parring the Par 5 12th, I felt I was back on track.
HA!!!
The long Par 3 approached.
I got up to the 200 yard shot with my 4 wood. I have been hitting the woods well, so I aimed at the left corner of the bunker that protected the right side of the green - and the pin (today) - figuring I'd draw the ball in.
Best laid plans.
I cracked the ball PURE! Except it didn't draw. Even so, It appears the ball had enough on it to carry the bunker.
NOPE!!
The ball hit into the upslope of the bunker. #&$!#@
Now, I'm pretty good out of the bunkers - except when on an upslope. Somehow, I can never gauge how hard to hit it, and my clubhead digs in and the ball tends to pop up, and not OUT!!
That's exactly what happened.
After my 2nd sand shot popped out, I was on in 3 - and proceeded to 3 put.
TRIPLE BOGEY!!!
My game limped the rest of the way in. A few bogeys, one par, and a stupid double on the Par 5 17th. A simple miscalculation on my distance had my 2nd shot land in the woods.
As I finished the 18th hole with a bogey, my score ended up at 85.
Now, I'm not being greedy. 85 is a damn good score.
But, when you shot 37 on the front nine, you really had to stink up the back nine to end up 13 over par.
Now, I need to examine my game and figure out what went wrong.
This really was a tale of two rounds.
In the front nine, I can find almost nothing that I did wrong. It was an incredible feeling.
As for the back nine?
To be honest, I can't be too hard on myself - as I shot an 85 total.
My feeling is that I stopped thinking one shot/one hole at a time. I started to look at the 18 hole score.
I tensed up
I started to over think (and over compensate).
In other words, my head got in the way of a damn good score.
So, what's one to do with that?
Learn from these mistakes.
I think instead of worrying about my score, and not wanting to hear about it - I'll embrace it.
Talk about it, and even joke about it. Let ME control my mind!
What a concept!!!!
I HOPE to get out tomorrow, and play 9 with the little woman. At worst, I'll try to get out for a mid-week round next week, and then play again on Saturday.
All in all, I can't be upset with the way my game is shaping up. My new workout regimen seems to be reaping rewards. I'm able to control my shots better, not feel I need to "swing out of my shoes" to get my distances.
So, until the next round....
Keep it in the Short Hairs
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