Today being a sad anniversary for me, I thought a comp round would be good to try and get my mind away from it, but it was slow and cold, and no my mind was not with me today – So I pulled out after nine bad holes. I then went to follow the foursomes semi finals… and while following the groups my gopher broke down again.

I simply cannot afford to get it repaired for the foreseeable future, so comp golf is out indefinitely for me. Just 9 hole rounds.

Tough break there. No friendly fix it types at club? Never know your luck. Hope it works out for you.

No, no friendly fix types at my club, at least not for gophers and stuff…

Might have to start a 9 hole narrative here, fairways, GIR, putts.. and what a 9 hole handicap may be like – even though my official handicap would not be touched, in the absence of an official 9 hole comp.

Handicap foursomes final day.

The day’s comp is nine holes (not handicapped), to allow for those playing the opportunity to follow the end of the final. The committee likes people to follow and support the final… so why was today’s 9 hole comp a stroke round? It beggars the imagination.

I was on the 9th green when the gallery passed by on the way back to the clubhouse.

Ok, 9 hole stroke comp (from standard mark), on a worm, sunny but increasingly windy day. The wind was predominately from the North, but sometimes from the NNE.

1st, missed fairway left by inches, after long wait missed green left under tree, on for four, 2-putt Double Bogey.

2nd, missed green into wind (5 o’clock), on for two, 1-putt Par.

3rd: rolled hands and just missed fairway left, ball rolled just through green, 1-putt Par.

4th: FW (middle), GIR (pin high), 2-putt Par.

5th: inches off green (2 o’clock) on for two, 2-putt Bogey.

6th: FW (middle-right), just off back of green, on for three, 2-putt Bogey).

7th: FW (right), just short of green, (2-putt Bogey)

8th: into a gale, FW (middle), GIR (front), 2-putt Par.

9th: FW (middle), GIR (back), 2-putt Par.

42 off stick…. 5 FIR, 3 GIR, 16 putts
winning the comp.

While I will be playing 9 holes, and therefore not be in the daily comp, I will play for format of the day’s comp…

Next game Friday, Stroke.

With the gopher out indefinitely, and right shoulder recently gone bung, no practice for a while now… though I did try six holes today – the first golf I have tried in about a fortnight. No serious issues with the shoulder (happily), it may see me back practising 9 hole rounds soon…. All I will need then is my gopher back to play comps…

September this year has been the first calendar month without a comp round since July 2009, and the eighth in total since beginning regular golf in January 2005.

GOOD NEWS!!
With the help of a friendly person who had a look at my gopher and discovered a blown battery fuse, he replaced the fuse and my gopher is fixed… yay… but on Tuesday evening, after having a 9 hole practice on the par 60 course, I went for a swim. Thinking that a few laps of the 25m pool may be good… a few freestyle, a few breaststroke, I was feeling comfortable, so during an easy freestyle lap I rolled over and tried a few strokes of backstroke… oops. that stopped the swimming.
While it wasn’t sore then and there (just felt a but unusual), it was yesterday morning, and today some movements are a touch tender. I tried hitting a few (25) balls to see if anything was amiss.
If my shoulder plays up tonight or tomorrow morning, then a return to golf will be off until Tuesday… if it is fine, tomorrow will be stableford… it will also be taken gently.

My last comp round was stroke on 28 August, nearly six weeks ago.

Took a look at where I stand in the Lexus Golflink Cup (remember that?)... It finishes next week.

Nationally
613th overall
254th A grade overall
81st woman
20th A grade women

State
58th overall
32nd A grade overall
4th woman
1st A grade women

... and I have not played a game in nearly six weeks…

After nearly six weeks it was nice to play a round of golf again… and there was rust to get rid of.

In the first four holes there were two double bogeys, two 3-putts, a lost ball, but also a near hole in one.

Four over par after four holes, and not yet having hit a fairway… I expected my game to be a bit rusty after more than a month away from comps… I did not expect what came next…

Front nine – 41 off stick (20 pts)
1 Birdie (2)
5 Pars (5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
1 Bogeys (3)
2 Double Bogeys (1, 4)
Fairways (3/7)
6 GIR (2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9)
2 Three putts (1, 3)
2 One putt (2, 5)
Missed greens: 3
1st, short, out of fairway bunker (3-putt Double Bogey)
4th drove ball into water hazard (2-putt Double Bogey)
5th, ball rolled off green pin-high left. (1-putt Par)

Twenty points at the turn, after a start like I had… and not hitting a fairway until the seventh… My driver worked once in a while on the back nine with fairways hit on the 10th, 13th and 14th. Approach shots would just not hold the green. blading that shot on the 10th didn’t help, but on the 12th and 13th, well connected and landed shots just ran through.

The 13th (or should I call it the ‘turdeenth’) fairway had been cored and fertilised with chook poo. It was more skid-mark than fairway, and the smell was… how shall I put it… agricultural.

My par on the 15th was a touch unusual. I drove into the fairway bunker, put the second shot into the left green-side bunker, third shot onto the green and needed just one putt.

Back nine – 38 off stick (21 pts)
2 Birdies (14, 17)
4 Pars (11, 15, 16, 18)
3 Bogeys (10, 12, 13)
Fairways (3/7)
4 GIR (11, 14, 17, 18)
0 Three putts ()
4 One putts (14, 15, 16, 17)
Missed greens: 5
10th bladed approach through green (2-putt Bogey)
12th long, overshoot with wind (2-putt Bogey) pitched on green
13th, long into back bunker, just didn’t hold green (2-putt Bogey) pitched on green and rolled off
15th flat tyre – bunker-ta-bunker (1-putt Par)
16th left, drive drew into rough (1-putt Par)

Friday, Stableford, Short course, result: 79 off stick (41 pts)
Differential 8
3 Birdies
9 Pars
4 bogeys
2 Double Bogey
FIR – 43% here is the rust
GIR – 56%
2 Three putts
6 One putts
Putts – 32 – 18 & 14

Best stableford result since June 2010
Best gross score since March
Best differential since March
Best GIR result since May
Lowest putts in ten rounds

Handicap drops .5 to 9.7

Next round – Tuesday, stableford

Well played, you need to have a break more often, the rust came off quickly.

Thanks Shanks, it feels good to be back among the playing.

Yes, the rust did drop off quickly, faster than I thought it would. I think that may be partly from focussing on getting a fee for a couple of aspects of my set-up, namely my grip (feeling my left thumb following the right hand’s lifeline, locking my grip), and (I noticed this yesterday) my shoulder tilt at address, lowering my right elbow into impact position

I think the trick is to be serious about my processes and technique every time, rather than seeing the short tee markers and treat it without seriousness.

Hope all is well with you.

Thought it had been quiet here,,

welcome back to the game :)

Thanks Spartan,
I am coming back just in time for an interesting week at the club and course.

Firstly, they are coring the greens today and tomorrow, with the probable exception of the 9th, which will…
secondly, be closed for the foreseeable future as it is being changed with a different green, altered tee blocks, new bunkering, and changed topography. This of course will play merry hell with my stats, as a temporary 9th will be on the 8th. This will be interesting to see how it is handled, as…
thirdly, Autoscore begins during this week, probably not in time for Tuesday’s comp. It will be interesting to see if Autoscore prints different distances when the comp is off the front markers than off the standard length… and then the temporary 9th and the par adjustment… interesting times.

All the greens had indeed been cored and sanded (tarred and feathered), and during the round the groundsman was applying another coat of sand onto the greens.

Autoscore was running today… the 13th and 14th fairways had been cored, sanded, and fertilised and were out of play for the comp (we were given our handicap par scores for those holes)... the 9th WAS in play.

OK to the round… the sanding and coring on the front nine greens was rough enough to be felt through your shoes… I had four 3-putts for the front nine – all of them were GIR… putting was a raffle… yet I dropped a 10 footer for birdie on the 10th…

Front nine – 43 off stick (18 pts)
1 Birdie (8)
2 Pars (3, 9)
5 Bogeys (2, 4, 5, 6, 7)
1 Double Bogeys (1)
Fairways (3/7)
7 GIR (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9)
4 Three putts (2, 4, 5, 7)
2 One putt (1, 8)
Missed greens: 2
1st, well short, snap-hook off tee (1-putt Double Bogey)
6th short, under-played approach (2-putt Bogey).

Just two pars for the front nine, four 3-putts, missing most fairways, and still just two shots short of Friday’s score at the same point.

Suddenly my driver woke up and my approaches fell into a coma…

With handicap par being given as scores for 13 and 14, I will assume regulation 2-putts for both holes and therefore a GIR for 14…. for stats sake..

Back nine – 40 off stick (19 pts)
1 Birdie (10)
4 Pars (11, 14, 16, 17)
4 Bogeys (12, 13, 15, 18)
Fairways (6/7)
3 GIR (10, 14, 17)
0 Three putts ()
3 One putts (10, 11, 16)
Missed greens: 6
11th hit hoop on edge of green (1-putt Par)
12th could not tell where edge of green was (2-putt Bogey)
13th, assumed miss (2-putt Bogey)
15th short, out of bunker (2-putt Bogey)
16th short, under-played drive into bunker (1-putt Par)
18th, right, approach into green-side grass bunker (2-putt Bogey)

Tuesday, Stableford, Short course, result: 83 off stick (37 pts)
Differential 12
2 Birdies
6 Pars
9 bogeys
1 Double Bogey
FIR – 64%
GIR – 56%
4 Three putts
5 One putts
Putts – 35 – 20 & 15

Handicap drops .1 to 9.6

With the cold snap in Adelaide, I have caught a head-cold (throat, sinuses, ect.)... but I got up and went out to play in today’s comp… and I am glad I did… for after more than seven and a half years of club golf… I achieved my first HOLE IN ONE!

No time for a warm-up on a cold morning, first drive hit the fairway, second into green-side hollow, third on green and fourth in… Always happy to par the first.

The second tee marker was well forward as was the pin. Hitting with a breeze, I chose my pitching wedge, and the shot flew on a good line, pitched a fraction off line about a metre from the pin and gently rolled in… My first ever hole in one..

I imagine that Monday’s sanding of the greens inhibited any bounce, and I must have had some spin on the ball so it didn’t release too much…

The trick then was to keep some sort of control of my mind and emotions. I think my technique lost its edge for most of the rest of the round. Under or overplaying shots, rolling my hands too early, rushing shots – the fifth was an illustration of that. After Acing the second, the next par 3 was the fifth, my drive finished about a metre or so right of the pin… partly rushing partly misreading the sandy green… I three-putted.

Front nine – 40 off stick (21 pts)
1 Eagle (2) Hole in one
4 Pars (1, 4, 8, 9)
3 Bogeys (3, 5, 6)
1 Double Bogeys (7)
Fairways (5/7)
4 GIR (2, 5, 8, 9)
1 Three putts (5)
2 One putt (1, 4)
1 No putt (2)
Missed greens: 5
1st, approach left into green-side grass bunker (1-putt Par)
3rd, under-clubbed approach (2-putt Bogey)
4th, long, overshot approach (1-putt Par)
6th, short, green-side bunker (2-putt Bogey)
7th, well short, messy play on fairway (2-putt Double Bogey)

That front nine could have been anything. My technique, especially off the ground was shaky, and connection was not so solid. That is how the back nine started, rushing after changing to the gopher, resulting in bogeys on 10 and 11. Again hit a par 3 green in good range to the pin, and again three putted for a bogey, bogey, bogey start to the back nine… not happy.

Approach to the 13th green finished on the edge, and I was not sure if I was on or off… I decided I was off, putted on, then putted in for a one-putt par, breaking the spell. Regulation par on 14, approach to 15 just short of green, used putter… and it dropped for birdie. Missed the 16th green, then the 17th fairway off the tee, and off the ground, third shot hit a tree branch, fourth into a bunker, fifth on, two putt double bogey – scrambled for a point… the hole time was rounded out by a regulation par on 18.

I wonder if my game and score would have been better had I aced the last par 3 instead of the first….?

Back nine – 42 off stick (17 pts)
1 Birdie (15)
3 Pars (13, 14, 18)
4 Bogeys (10, 11, 12, 16)
1 Double Bogeys (17)
Fairways (4/7)
3 GIR (12, 14, 18)
1 Three putts (12)
1 One putts (13)
1 No putt (15)
Missed greens: 6
10th, short, out of fairway bunker (2-putt Bogey)
11th, short, under-clubbed approach (2-putt Bogey)
13th, assumed miss (1-putt Par)
15th short, just off front off green (chip in Birdie)
16th right, misdirected drive (2-putt Bogey)
17th, well short, slack play on fairway (2-putt Double Bogey)

Friday, Stableford, Short course, result: 82 off stick (38 pts)
Differential 11
1 Eagle – hole in one
1 Birdie
7 Pars
7 bogeys
2 Double Bogeys
FIR – 64%
GIR – 39%
2 Three putts
3 One putts
2 No putts
Putts – 31 – 15 & 16

Handicap drops .1 to 9.5

Congrats on the HOI!!!!
After nailing one like that, I would almost feel like the rest of the round didn’t matter.
Despite a shaky patch, you still managed to come home with the goods. The cold would be more of an influencing factor than the early HOI. Congrats again and as always, an interesting read.

Well down Mekat, something else to tick off the bucket list.

Nice to see your improvement with the better weather on the way.

Good score when you had to do some scrambling and had some poor 3 putts. Things are looking good as the weather warms up and the irons and short stick improves.

Congrats on the hole in one. Awesome!

The head-cold has turned into flu, with chills, sneezing, runny sinuses, headaches, complaining joints, etc. I am feeling like crap warmed up, and more-so at night.

It is giving me time to reflect on the nature of achieving a hole in one, and what it really may mean in the longer term.

There was a woman at my club a year or so ago who had just started playing golf. I think she had just had a few lessons and had just got her handicap when she scored a hole in one. At the time I though of the injustice that a new golfer had achieved something some experienced golfers never do…

But now I have an ace, I reflect on the idea that it is the shot, not the golfer that is what is deserving of the elusive accolade. Yes, the more experienced golfer will have the skill to more consistently get the ball on the green (even get it close to the pin); but it’s like betting on horses. Those that study the form will regularly back place-getters, but a mug punter can back a long-shot.

No matter how skilled the golfer, a hole in one always has an element of luck.

Early in my golfing, someone warned me that my handicap would be badly affected in the winter compared to the summer. I have been keeping track of the difference between the Winter season (which for my stats I place between April 1 and September 30) and the Summer Season (October 1 to March 31). As I put my stats into calendar years, the Summer seasons are split into three month halves ( Jan 1 – Mar 31 and Oct 1 – Dec 31).

I bring this up because at ladies presentation day on Tuesday, after I had received a number of trophies, someone came up to me and said that I must have had a good Winter season…
Was it a good season?

Winter 2012 was my eighth Winter of golf.
It was the worst Winter for handicap, blowing out by 2.6,
beating the previous worst of 1.4 in 2006.

In relation to handicap blow-out games as a percentage of total games in the season, then 2011 was the best season with only 33.3% (or 12 of 36 games) blowing out the handicap, closely followed by 2010 (15 of 42) and this year (10 of 28) both 35.7%.
The worst being 2006 with 87.5% (or 14 of 16 games).

So while I did not have a lot of bad this Winter (which is good), the bad I did have was top quality bad, which made things worse… if that makes sense…

Congrats on the hio ,as you say some golfers go their whole life without one .As you say the more experienced golfer will find the green more often and therefore increase their chances ,great read btw and love following your posts .

Thanks delicate, it is nice to know your efforts are followed, appreciated, and enjoyed…

If today had been a stroke round, I could claim my first sub-75 round, a nett 64, a differential of 3, and a back nine of 33 off the stick (all new PBs).
If today had been a stableford round, I would have scored 46 points – just one point shy of my record set in February 2005, when I was playing off 28.
But today was a par round, and I set a new PB of +7.

It was a lovely sunny day with a bit of a breeze – and no warm up.

Focussing on grip and impact feel and set-up.

Putting still affected by recent coring and sanding, clipped both sides of the cup on 4 – on the way to a 3-putt bogey from a gettable distance… could/should have had two birdies at the turn.

Front nine – 41 off stick (+2)
5 Pars (2, 3, 5, 7, 8)
4 Bogeys (1, 4, 6, 9)
Fairways (4/7)
5 GIR (2, 3, 4, 5, 8)
2 Three putts (4, 8)
2 One putt (1, 7)
Missed greens: 4
1st, left, drew and blown under tree, pin-high (1-putt Bogey)
6th, short, faded into green-side bunker (2-putt Bogey)
7th, short, narrowly missed green-side bunker (1-putt Par)
9th, left, faded over green-side bunker into rough (2-putt Bogey)

and then it happened…

Back nine – 33 off stick (+5)
4 Birdies (10, 13, 17, 18)
5 Pars (11, 12, 14, 15, 16)
Fairways (4/7)
8 GIR (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18)
0 Three putts (12)
5 One putts (10, 13, 15, 17, 18)
Missed greens: 1
15th long, ran just long from fairway bunker (1-putt Par)

Considering that the two holes one would think I would birdie on a day like this (8 & 14) I only parred, and three putting the 4th, could have seen 7 birdies, and potentially a 70 round… one can dream.

Friday, Par, Short course, result: 74 off stick (+7) – 77 official gross
Differential 6
4 Birdies
10 Pars
4 bogeys
FIR – 57%
GIR – 72%
2 Three putts
7 One putts
Putts – 31 – 18 & 13

Handicap drops .7 to 8.8

Gee some great playing Mekat since your little break. And congratulations of course for the Hole in One!!

Here’s hoping if you do see some improvement in the summer golf it will be ever onwards and upwards to new heights for you!

Here’s hoping if you do see some improvement in the summer golf it will be ever onwards and upwards to new heights for you!

And also for us all Deege…

Still on a high after Friday’s back nine, I thought it would be an idea to bring myself back to reality with a round of the slow Sunday comp. While ready for a slow round, not even I was prepared for the group in front of us today. They generally waited for the group in front of them to get to the green, and when they themselves got onto the green (on most greens), the time they took to putt out, the green they were on must have slowed up through grass growth, it was a misery.

These guys seemed to be from a social club, they had ‘Krakus’ on the back of their tops… as the round went on, I was more and more wondering if ‘Krakus’ was an invitation… and if so where did they want me to crack them…

To add insult to the slowly opening injury, on the third, some guy from another hole came to our tee in his cart, and while I was over my ball ready to hit, he started a conversation with my playing partners in a loud voice about his driver head-cover. I know I should have pulled out of the shot and started again, but I was already ready to lose the plot, so I just called out “thank you’ to get them to shut up… suffice to say I faded my shot into trouble, for my one scrub for the round.

A sunny but increasingly windy day, no warm up. While this round was handicapped, it was also weighted, and waited, and waited…. I think on average, we waited for the greens to clear longer than it took to play the rest of the hole.

Front nine – 45 off stick (15 pts)
2 Pars (5, 8)
6 Bogeys (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9)
1 Double Bogeys (3)
Fairways (3/7)
2 GIR (6, 8)
2 Three putts (3, 6) – pick up on 3
1 One putt (5)
Missed greens: 7
1st, short, miss-hit after feeling old age approach (2-putt Bogey)
2nd, short left, rolled hands (2-putt Bogey)
3rd, penalty, sand, run off green, pick up (pick up Double Bogey)
4th, short, under-clubbed approach (2-putt Bogey)
5th, just off left, pin-high (1-putt Par)
7th, well short, recovered from under tree off tee (2-putt Bogey)
9th left, green-side bunker (2-putt Bogey)

If I can take anything away from the round it may be that as far as stableford points are concerned, I played the last 15 holes to my handicap… 15 holes – 30 points. While it took until the back nine to feel something akin to settled, it was a long way from comfortable.

Back nine – 41 off stick (18 pts)
5 Pars (10, 11, 13, 14, 17)
4 Bogeys (12, 15, 16, 18)
Fairways (5/7)
5 GIR (10, 13, 14, 15, 17)
1 Three putts (15)
1 One putts (11)
Missed greens: 4
11th, just short, under-clubbed into wind (1-putt Par)
12th, long, overshot green with wind (2-putt Bogey)
16th well long, badly over-clubbed into wind (2-putt Bogey)
18th, just off right, sprayed approach (2-putt Bogey)

Sunday, Stableford, Short course, result: 86 off stick (33 pts)
Differential 15
7 Pars
10 bogeys
1 Double Bogey
FIR – 57%
GIR – 41%
3 Three putts
2 One putts
Putts – 37 – 19 & 18 (including 3-putt for pick up on 3)

Handicap drops remains 8.8

Today just sucked…