Format: Stableford; friendly; match
Venue: [Home course]; [Clyne]; [Home course]
Score: 32pts (win); ; win
Handicap mark: 3.6
Themes in reply: More back-slapping; weak minded noodles.
Hi Colin,
As promised!
The weather was very windy – straight into the wind on the first 3. I played with ST. I’m having to look at Howdidido to remind me of my scores!!
Not sure if you want a blow by blow account these days so let me know either way.
1st – Tee shot a bit right but a good 9 iron to 10’ and just missed the birdie putt – 2 pts
2nd – Drive in lh semi rough, second a bit right, chipped up short, putted long and missed on the way back 6 nett 5 for 1 point
3rd – Drive in RH rough again. Chipped out, hit the next one left of the green and failed to get up and down so 0 points
4th – Good tee shot to about 8’ and 2 putts for a par 3 and 2 points
5th – Ok drive and good 2nd about 30 yds short of the green. Good chip to 4’ and holed the putt for a birdie 4 and 3 points.
6th – Good 3 wood and hit a wedge to about 7’ – holed for a birdie 3 with a shot giving a 3 nett 2 for 4 pts
7th – Unlucky tee shot, just over the back, chipped up but missed a curly putt from about 4’
8th – Excellent drive into the wind and almost reached with a 3 wood. Chipped up a bit long, almost holed for a birdie downwind but missed a 3’ putt on the way back for a 6 and 1 pt
9th – Drive a bit right and did well to get it to the lhs of the green, very good chip close and holed for a 4 and 16 points going out.
10th – Drive right again and my 9 iron missed the green to the right. Ok chip up the bank but missed the putt so a 5 and 1 pt
11th – Good 6 iron down the wind to 12’ and 2 putts for 2pts
12th – Good drive, good 2nd, good 8 iron to the heart of the green but 3 putts for a 6 nett 5 and 2 pts
13th – Drive into the rh rough, managed to move it forward about 30 yds short of the green. Pitched in with a 9 iron but a bit short. Left the 1st putt short and missed the next little **** for a 6 and 0 points.
14th – Very good tee shot to 6’ and 2 putts for a par 3
15th – Drive right again but hit a really good low 3 iron into the wind to 7’, 2 putts for a 4 nett 3 and 3 points.
16th – Very good drive but shortsided myself on the 2nd by going right of the green. The flag was tucked behind the bunkers and with the wind right behind no chance of getting close. Did the sensible thing and found the green and 2 putted for a 5 and 1 point. It was a particularly poor second shot as there is loads of room left of the flag. Wasted a good drive!
17th – Downwind and a good long drive, just short with the 2nd but a good place to be as its very difficult to find the green in 2 even with the wind behind. Really good chip dead so a birdie 4 and 3 pts
18th – Right into the wind, hit a good drive and was still hitting 3 wood for my second! Ended up just to the right of the green. Chipped up short and missed for a 5 and 1 point
So 32 points in total which was very good in the conditions – I would have taken 30 before going out.
As I mentioned (I think), our course was closed for the County Champs on Sunday. I didn’t enter because I didn’t fancy two 5 hour rounds at my home course! So 4 of us went up to Clyne for a knock. Towards the end of the round I really started timing the ball well.
The 16th is a long par 5 and I hit a lovely drive followed by an even better 3 wood to 6’ and holed the putt for an eagle!
I took that timing into our match on Wednesday evening. I didn’t hit a poor shot all night.
Hit a lovely 3 wood down the 1st, hit a 6 iron to 3’ on the 2nd, hit a beaut of a drive down the 3rd and when my partner hit his shot heavy I chipped up stiff from about 30 yds. Holed a really good putt for a half on the 7th and stiffed a bunker shot on the 8th.
The only blemish was a missed putt on the 16th for the win from about 2’. This meant we were 1 down with 2 to go. However, they lost their drive on the 17th, and we won the 18th with a 5. Happy days!
Looking forward to continuing the timing on Sat. I’ll let you know how it goes
Thanks,
John
Dear John,
Blow by blow accounts – I think the style of narration you have developed is perfect, both for me as a reader and analyst, and as something that will eventually end up being read by others (possibly!). It is ideal because it gives a real feel of the ups and downs of the round and in putting it together you often “give away” precious details as to your psychological state. If it is not a burden to you I would be very grateful if you would keep going with the reports. I hope my replies are an adequate pay-back.
1st – This is a perfect example of what I mean. Naturally, because it is the first hole, I have talked about your play on this hole a great many times. This time you open up by telling me that the first 3 holes are into the wind on a windy day. I already know that it was so windy that you won the competition with 32 points. You play the hole with a drive and a 9-iron to 10 feet and just miss the birdie putt. That is very, very good golf on any hole; but on the first hole it is exceptional and tells me that you must be locating your “timing” quickly and easily, and that you are in something of a “hot streak”.
2nd and 3rd – A couple of poor-ish holes – scoring only 1 point – about which you say nothing. Yet this represents 3 out of the 4 points you dropped for the whole round! My guess is that the holes were playing very tough and that you were a little unlucky. It is a sign that you are being realistic about your play in the conditions and therefore not allowing small reverses to overly affect you.
4th – After these relatively poor holes you immediately put one to 8’, which means that you must be locating your “timing” very easily.
5th and 6th – Fantastic golf. Brilliant stuff.
7th and 8th – More good news! You’ve just had two fantastic holes – 5th and 6th – and describe your tee shot on the 7th as “unlucky”. You chip to 4’ and take two putts to hole. This must have been a little disappointing when you are playing so well, yet you nail a drive down the 8th. This is a sign that your emotional response to your scoring is starting to separate from the physical/mental routine you need to go through for the next shot. It is fine to be rationally disappointed: simply take responsibility for the fact that you may not have quite nailed the routine for every shot in the hole, clear up with yourself about the impact of not quite nailing the routine, and before it is your turn to play, create the mental space for the search for the next feat of perfect “timing”.
9th – Excellent.
10th – Your new “bogey” hole. It is just a suggestion but I think you need to play this hole at least once completely differently. I’m suspicious that the elevated tee, the wide open spaces below and the fore-shortening are tempting you into trying to hit booming drives, which are making you pull slightly from the top of the backswing thus causing slight pushes to the right, which is not a good side on that hole. In the past have you played it differently, with an iron off the tee, for instance, to try to make sure of a left of centre fairway position?
11th – Brilliant shot with a 6-iron.
12th – First sign of disappointing putting . . .
13th – . . . and the impact is felt on the 13th. You need to go back to that memory of the 3-putt on the 12th and think about how you could have faced up to the disappointment in such a way that you were free from it when you reached the next tee.
14th – The old “bogey” hole got you back on track after a couple of streaky holes. Funny game innit?
15th – I definitely think that you can use the fact that when your drives start to fade it is a sign that your “timing” is starting to waver. This happens because your default reaction to disappointment is to become a little quick at the top of the backswing. The very first time this happens in a round, take a deep relaxing breath, release all tension and try to bring back to memory your last strong sense of the rhythm of a beautifully “timed” shot.
16th – Excellent analysis!
17th – Back on song now. Brill.
18th – Good finish.
Overall – What is remarkable about this account of a winning score is that on the basis that on a good day anything 4’ and under should be holed, that 3-putting is a filthy abomination, and that one or two longer ones will drop, there are 7 putts that could have easily gone in!
Wednesday’s match – It is really heartening to hear you describing taking your “timing” from game to game rather than describing it as “form” (even if you did it just to keep me happy!). “Timing” is a concrete, physical phenomenon that is available for you to locate: even if it does seem terribly elusive at times. “Form” is an excuse that is used by those who are unwilling to take full responsibility for the outcome of their exertions: “weak-minded noodles” to borrow an expression from Jerome K Jerome’s “Three Men in a Boat”.
Regards,
Colin
