So, I fully prepared for yesterday's (20th March) society day at my home course by going out the night before for a retro boogie and an in-proportionate amount of vodka & stella artois. Let's just say a 3.40am taxi ride home confirmed my pre match routine/plan was going well. First tee, smashed a driver down the middle,with a textbook wedge and a solid two putt. Good start. This was basically the same all the way around, apart from a few birdies and 2 double bogey's thrown in for good measure. (A double bogey on the 17th, a 121yd par 3!) The back nine was a slog, energy levels depleting on a hole by hole basis. I just tried to focus for the shot, tuck that chicken wing in and slam it, and then zone straight back out.
I shot a gross 8 over, my hcp being 16.0. 42pts total score. My best ever round on my home course Swindon GC. The nearest to me was 38pts, a solid round from Pete, a guy who had never played Swindon before, but whose first full 18 holes was with me around 4 years ago. "A BAPTISM OF FIRE" he described it.."BUT IN A GOOD WAY!" That's a great score from a 21hcp around Swindon, which is a tough, tight, tree lined track. No one out of 20 people got nearest the pin, (155yds!) and the longest drive was won by a guy who played with me, he shot 14pts overall & lost a SW and an umbrella on the 2nd hole! He hit a duffed chip and threw his club backwards over his head into a tree about 25ft up...the umbrella was then dispatched skywards around 10 times before that too was grabbed greedily by the trees spindly Autumn arms. His longest drive was about 6 yards off the fairway, but I didn't have the heart to tell him..."Sorry mate....but if you look back at the cut line up the fairway....."
January's Action
After a lengthy lay off from golf, the Ryder Cup to January this year, returning to the fairway’s post bad weather, with no driving range action, my game was ‘ahem’ streaky, at best. I could still smash long drives and hit suck back wedges, but they were dotted sparingly, sprinkling hooks, double bogeys & NR’s all over the card. I almost missed the ball on the tee at least 5 times due to a massive over the top, pop out downswing! My first actual comp in late January was fairly good, 32pts on winter greens, but scrappy and torturous to witness. A few friendly match-play games against my nemesis ‘Carl’ proved no better, a few matches going down the last, but always, ultimately, losing.
Do you think Taylormade's new driver is aimed at high handicappers?
February's Crack Of Light
February proved better, with a few more regular games under my large buckled belt, some semblance of consistency returned. My new swing thoughts of fookin' smash it, but finish high like Luke Donald’ yielded some good drives and fair scoring. I played in a Pro Am at Bewdley Pines, finishing 3rd as a team & me winning a nearest the pin, (almost won 2 nearest the pins, I hit a 225yd par 3 to 8ft, losing by 4”…a wounder!) I also beat Carl 5&4, although he was using a new driver, which he stole from the pro shop for £35, a square headed Callaway FTi (now in his garage with the other 25 drivers)
Finish High, Let It Fly
March Madness
March seemed optimistic; I got a ‘Mental Toughness for Golf’ book from a charity shop and have started to glean nuggets from the heavily underlined pages. If it goes tits up I could always use Gary Wolstenholme's tips in his chapter on ‘How I Tamed The Tiger’ to order pizza. I also got ‘The Real Monty’ from 2002, and was amazed how much Monty’s hair looked like Weetabix in the 80’s. Again I beat 'Carl' three times and lost once.
Two Or Three Shredded Wheat?
I had my best round of the year so far at Hagley Golf & Country Club, shooting 6 over gross. Okay it was off the matt's but it is a fairly tough old track with some hard approach shots. It did help my score with a whole bunch of par's & 3 birdies, but it was a rock solid display. Apart from a thinned 8 iron to 4 feet! I absolutely owned the wedges all day, distance control smack on, putting on fire too.
My newest swing thought is dropping hard on the inside on the downswing, (think Garcia) or tucking that chicken wing elbow in (with the driver) on tee shot’s. Seems good so far, occasionally hooky, but I have hit some really “DEEP” balls. (I heard that phrase on the golf channel, Americans…nutters) A smooth, slow deliberate takeaway with a full finish is the next stage to my 'focused one part takeaway'.
After 18 months, I finally gave up on my Darren Clark DCC Stuburts, I have never had had a more uncomfortable pair of expensive shoes. For 3 holes they were great, but then no matter what I did or padded & plastered, they would shred my left heel until it resembled a watery hole full of Frazzles. Ditto a pair of J Lindeberg's....Ebay tastic fodder for the two of them. The best pairs I have ever worn are a cheap pair of Dunlop's and a pair of Puma Leeres (now no longer waterproof) they were awesome!
Loved the look & feel but, wow! they hurt Fav Shoes so Far
Looking forward to The Masters this year, I hope a European wins it. Possibly Kaymer, or maybe even Westwood? I feel a PGA tour player will win though, probably one of the generic faceless ones. Bubba Watson, that would be okay with me.
Tom Petty FreeFallin'
