Scratch, the final frontier.

These are the voyages of the star-ship, Handicap.

Its continuing mission, to seek out new lows, and new ways to concentration

To boldly go, where her game’s not gone before.

Best wishes Mekat, look forward to the log entries.

Glad you finally made the move Meekat. Look forward to reading. Love the first post. Lol.

W00hoo Mekat great to see you finally found your home :)

Welcome to the new hang-out Mekat!

Nice one Mekat …..... looking forward to your “stardate” entries ….....

I am not sure what the star-dates will be, but I know what the Prime Directive is… play it as it lies.

The Handicap is currently on impulse power in sector 8, close to its border with sector 7, specifically in the 7.7 region. This was after a brief stay at Star-base 8 at its vector of 8.0.

Captain’s log, star-date: who cares – .less

Today we entered the Sandancor Nebula, ancestral home of an annoying species know as the Phuctuputt. While their presence can be annoying to the point of injury, it is rate than a single Phuctuputt has proven fatal; but as a group they can be devastating.

In the course of the day we did encounter a number of Phuctuputts. causing damage to navigation while travelling in the densest areas of the nebula, but the shields were able to withstand the worst of later attacks.

To paraphrase. The greens were cored and sanded yesterday, rendering putting as little more than a lottery, especially on the front nine.

Focusing on a single aspect of my swing is a good anchor for my thoughts, but with flocks of screaming cockies filling the pine trees in the front nine, chatty new golfers in my group, and gritty sand all over the greens, I found that anchor dragged for time to time

Front nine – 43 off stick (17 pts)
again, no warm up (ran late)
4 Pars (2, 4, 8, 9) – 3-putted on 8th
4 Bogeys (1, 3, 6, 7) – 3-putted on 1st and 7th
1 Double bogey (5)
Fairways (6/7)
GIR (4)
Missed greens
2nd, back fringe (1-putt Par)
3rd right fringe (2-putt Bogey)
5th left (pick-up Double Bogey)
6th short, green-side bunker (2-putt Bogey)
9th right fringe (1-putt Par)

Back nine – 40 off stick (18 points)
1 Double Bogey (15)
1 Bogey (18)
7 Pars (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17)
Fairways (4/7)
GIR (4)
Missed greens
10th right fringe (1-putt Par)
11th short, under-clubbed into wind (1-putt Par)
12th, back, overshoot (1-putt Par)
15th right, Miss-hit out of fairway bunker (pick-up Double Bogey)
18th short, green-side bunker (two putt Bogey)

Tuesday, Stableford, front markers– result: 83 off stick (35 pts)
Differential 12
2 Double Bogey
5 bogeys
11 pars
FIR – 71%
GIR – 50%
Putts – 30 (17 & 13) – not counting pick ups on 5 & 15

Handicap remains 7.7

Captain’s log – Friday
Still navigating through the Sandancor nebula.

An overheating coil in habitation control made for a warm night with disturbed sleep. This lead to a drop in performance efficiency today.

An unidentified Trade-day delegation preceded us in this area of the nebula today, and were travelling at barely impulse power. As today’s journey was shortened by circumstances, I am relieved that they will not be about during tomorrow’s planned journey.

Paraphrase: Greens still affected by core and sanding from early in the seek. Warm weather overnight made for an uncomfortable night’s sleep, and that it was a hot day today, the comp was reduced to a 9 hole comp (extrapolated to 18 for handicapping). We were behind a trade-day group who were slower than molasses running uphill.

Not happy with ball-striking today. Maybe my head was not in a good space for today’s round. Began by driving into a poor position in fairway bunker, getting out but into rough, then left of the green, then on for four. First putt too long (over-compensating for sand), second putt lipped out – hole over (pick-up). Just the start you need for a truncated round, where every point is actually two.
Drive off second was again in sand, just short of pin high. Sand shot finished close, and short putt dropped – even though the ball changed direction twice. Par.
While the third was a regulation par, the fourth was a misery. Drive missing left, finishing behind large shrub, blocking both view and access to the fairway ahead. Lateral chip, and third shot saw me where I would have expected to be for two. Just off the back of the green for four, on for five, and a two putt double bogey seven.
Four holes done and only five points to show for it… the game was gone.
Like the third, the fifth was a regulation par, and the sixth was just wayward. Miss-hit drive missed left, second shot left me short of the green. Lazy pitch shot was still short, then on for four, one putt bogey. If I am going to hit a pitch shot, a least I can give enough effort to let the ball land anywhere on the green…can’t I?
The seventh saw me hit my second fairway for the round (will wonders never cease?), and my second shot was the most satisfying stroke I played all day.
One big problem with my home course at the moment is that not only is there Kikuyu right up to green’s edge on many holes – which makes shots landing just ff the green something of a lottery in relation to how the ball will bounce – but also with the greens cored and sanded, any shots landing on the green will have little or no run. This was the scenario for the100m approach shot to the seventh green. The shot landed just on the front of the green, one small hop and stop near the front of the green with the pin set back. A three-putt bogey to make you scream.
The eighth was another regulation par, as was the ninth (except missing the fairway).
At the gym one works with weights… today on the course I worked with waits.

Front nine – 43 off stick (16 pts)
plenty of warm up (doesn’t seem to make any difference)
5 Pars (2, 3, 5, 8, 9)
2 Bogeys (6, 7)
2 Double bogeys (1, 4)
Fairways (3/7)
GIR (5)
Missed greens
1st, short, out of fairway bunker (pick-up Double Bogey)
2nd left green-side bunker (1-putt Par)
4th short, having to recover from trouble (2-putt Double Bogey)
6th short, having to recover from rough (1-putt Bogey)

Round extrapolated to 18 holes
32 points, differential 15
Handicap remains 7.7

The new (Winter) season opened today with a two ball 9 hole Ambrose, and presentation of Summer awards. I picked up the Summer Eclectic and both the Tuesday and Friday birdie prizes.

In the Ambrose (played from the standard marks) I teamed up with a fellow pennant team mate. I delivered the distance off the tee and fairway, and she provided good putts. Between us we parred every hole bar the 9th which we bogeyed.

Even though we had a small handicap (6.25 – calculated by adding half our handicaps together and dividing by two) I though we might have a chance at winning the comp – or at least being in the ball count… but it seems there were a few groups of three that were playing at the back of the field… and the three prizes went to three-ball groups – even though the comp was a two ball Ambrose….

Ah well, such is life.

Good-bye Summer, hello Winter season, time to begin to prepare for Club Championships (in April) and later, pennant (in May/June).

if there were a couple of groups of 3 why not split/join them into groups of 2?

awesome reading, keep it up
:)

Spartan, there were at least three groups of 3 (as they won the prizes)... I am not sure what happened as I was toward the front of the field

Bumpn, I’m glad you are enjoying the fare

even with the handicaps, 3 will always beat 2 and 4 will always beat 3.

My point exactly.

It was supposed to be a two ball Ambrose, but 3 three ball groups won the day…. kind of defeated the whole thing.

Were they supposed to play as 2 separate 2 Balls with the Low Marker floating?
Makes it hard when you’re outnumbered…

I have no idea

I am a member at the venue where the Olympic Swimming trials will be held later this month, and a friend of mine will be going to watch the trials. I told her that I may be able to go to her seat in the viewing stand, take a photo to show her what the view was like from her seat. She texted me her seat number, and on Wednesday I climbed into the stand to her seat and took photos. Climb is the correct word to describe getting there. The stand at the Aquatic centre is steep – think top deck MCG, and my friend’s seats are UP toward the back row – it was a climb… On Thursday morning both my quadriceps were killing me, and even last night they were still not good. Nurofen gel lessened the pain enough to see me attempt a round of golf today.

I was not sure if I was going to play, or if I would make it around the course – so no warm up, and we were called up earlier than expected.

The tee markers on the first gave me hope that we would be playing off the standard course. A nice straight drive, aimed a touch to the right saw me inches before the fairway bunker. I had a decent wait for the green to clear before I hit my second shot (guys can be slow, more so on a stroke round) ... I don’t need to tell you too much on what happened next. Duffed next shot lucky to bounce out off the face of the fairway bunker, third shot finished pin-high inches off the green – double bogey start.

The tee markers on the second were the sign of things to come – a round off the front marks – again.

Ball striking was good and consistent. Fairways missed were just missed, and most greens missed were just missed – no more and an inch or three.

Another double on the tenth, and three-putts on the third and 15 hurt what might have been a good round.

Front nine – 42 off stick
5 Pars (2, 4, 5, 6, 8)
3 Bogeys (3, 7, 9) – 3-putted on 3rd
1 Double bogey (1)
Fairways (4/7)
GIR (5)
Missed greens
1st, short, miss-hit near fairway bunker (2-putt Double Bogey)
4th right fringe (1-putt Par)
7th right, green-side bunker (2-putt green-side bunker )
9th short, green-side bunker (1-putt Bogey)

Back nine – 40 off stick
1 Double Bogey (10)
2 Bogeys (15, 18)
5 Pars (11, 12, 13, 16, 17)
1 Birdie (14)
Fairways (5/7)
GIR (4)
Missed greens
10th short, out of fairway bunker (2-putt Double Bogey)
13th short, green-side bunker (1-putt Par)
16th, left fringe (1-putt Par)
17th back fringe, bladed approach pitch (1-putt Par)
18th right fringe (two putt Bogey)

Saturday, Stroke, front markers– result: 82 off stick
Differential 11
2 Double Bogey
5 bogeys
10 pars
1 Birdie
FIR – 64%
GIR – 50%
Putts – 32 (17 & 15)

Considering a sore and uncomfortable under-carriage, not too bad.

Handicap remains 7.7

Today brings an interesting story, complete with an unexpected twist in the tail.

The game was par, with the markers seemed to be as forward as they have been over the last few months

A more complete warm up did next to nothing in setting me set for a decent front nine. Only three GIR, and frustration on furry greens. Perhaps it was just relaxing into the round, perhaps growing confidence in my processes, but the back nine turned into a procession of regulation play – after the 11th on.

With the tee markers forward, and my score of square, I was expecting the rating to leave my handicap alone for another week… but instead of the expected rating of (3 under) 71, today’s rating was (even par) 74 – turning my expected differential of 11 into a differential of 8, dropping my handicap to a new low of 7.4….
I am now a 7 marker.

Front nine – 43 off stick (-1)
4 Pars (2, 4, 6, 8)
4 Bogeys (1, 3, 5, 9) – three putted 3rd
1 Double bogey (7)
Fairways (5/7)
GIR (4)
Missed greens
1st, short, under-hit drive left too much to do (2-putt Bogey)
5th long, over-clubbed into wind (pick up Bogey)
7th short, chipped out of deep trouble (pick up Double Bogey)
8th back fringe (1-putt Par)
9th right, misdirected shot from rough (2-putt Bogey)

Back nine – 39 off stick (+1)
2 Bogeys (10, 10)
7 Pars (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
Fairways (7/7)
GIR (7)
Missed greens
10th back fringe (2-putt Bogey)
11th short, under-clubbed into wind (2-putt Bogey)

Tuesday, Par, front markers (standard rating)– result: 82 off stick
Differential 8
1 Double Bogey
6 bogeys
11 pars
FIR – 86%
GIR – 56%
Putts – Too many pick ups in front nine to have legitimate record.
(unofficialy, but on my golfshot, 36 putts – 18 & 18)

Handicap unexpectedly drops to a new low of 7.4

Well done Mekat and still room for improvement, especially putting.

Are you still consciously clubbing up or has that become natural?

It is becoming natural… sometimes overdone like on the 5th today.

It seems to have had some bearing on your improvement. ie you are hitting more greens in regulation

Yes, now, if only I could drop those gettable putts…

Tough when into the wind to judge sometimes Mekat,

Are you getting the distance right on the Putts or are you online but short?

Congrats on 7, look out 6!

The greens have been recently cored and sanded, and are fluffy and not exactly true….