The golf… well… how does the phrase go… “the worst day golfing is better than the best day working,” right? The most consistent part of my game today was the unyielding dedication to failure of each and every aspect. Bad drives were quickly and easily forgotten because of the (lack of) quality of my approach shots (although that term was a bit of a misnomer today). Lest I be too tempted to focus on those gems, my chipping game was nearly 100% reliable… at giving me something new to steam over. Aaaaand, just when I might have been prepared to point a finger at my work around the green my putter demanded my full – frustrated – attention on it.
To be fair, the bright-side was not limited to the weather and the company (both were fantastic), I also managed to leave the course with the same three balls in my pocket I started with. While I did hit the water with one, it skipped up onto the bank before settling back, half in the water half out. So, clearly, a big win there.
I managed just three greens in regulation and, for the first time all year, not a single par. We played Boise Ranch, which is a forgiving course (witness the lack of lost balls, despite very poor striking) and that helped the cause. It’s a fun local course with a few decent carries to give one a challenge, but not so many hazards and out of bounds areas to leave you overly frustrated at the end of your round. It was, in short, exactly the course I needed to be playing today. Feeling pretty lucky to card a 95, I fled the course as fast as my push cart would carry me.
I am still a bit in awe of what my new clubs are capable of doing. On one of the (three) actual good shots I hit today, I found myself 204 yards out of a flag in the center of the green. I took out my (excuse me?!??!) 6 iron and placed my shot pin high on the left hand side of the green. It was exactly the shot I bought the new clubs for (i.e. previously impossible). My 5 iron drive on 17 was about 8-10 yards short of my playing partners well struck driver (this was good shot 3 of 3 on the day) placed dead center of the fairway. So, the potential for good play is there, I just think I need to get used to hitting these irons (most notably, hitting from a largely standing position instead of being so crouched down over the ball). 30 years of habits aren’t going to change over night.
I play in a four man scramble on Thursday and I’m looking forward to taking on more of a role than my usual “safety drive” slash pitch and putt specialist.