Frustration and Elation, Official Handicap is Getting Lower

Monday, 24 March 2008

Saturday, I played two rounds and shot 95 and 96. It was the most unusual day. I felt relaxed and "in the zone" but somehow I managed to land the ball in more hazards, traps and OB than I've managed to get into in any 3 rounds in my recollection.

Thank goodness there's always another day to make up for the frustrating and bewildering ones. Sunday did not start out promising however. I got out to the course about 2PM and it wasn't very busy so I got right out after warming up on the range for about 10 minutes. I opened with two double bogeys, but number 3 is a short par 3, so I was hoping for a little redemption. On the green off the tee, but a long ways away and then I 3 putted. By the time I finished the front 9, I had 5 double bogeys, 3 bogeys and only one par. Grrrr, I was on track to match Saturday's scores, or worse.

By the time I reached #14, I was 19 over. At that point, I decided to go to the range and regroup since I was getting very frustrated (which wasn't helping). After spending about 20 minutes at the range, leisurely hitting some balls, and chatting with a golfing acquaintance who was just out to hit his daily 10 balls; I started over on #1.

Again, nothing seemed to go right, but I managed to stay relaxed and hold my composure in spite of matching my score hole for hole through the first 7 holes to what I had shot earlier in the afternoon. I managed to single bogey #8 and #9 which left me with a 47 on the front nine, only 2 less than what I had shot earlier in the day.

To keep my spirit hopeful, I kept telling myself that I had the capability and that there was still the possibility of making up for it on the back nine. After 2 pars and one bogey through 10, 11, and 12, I really began to believe it could be done and continued on in that hopeful and much relieved mindset.

I then played 13, 14, and 15 with one bogey and two pars and I was only 2 over through the last 6 holes. Yippeee. I could do this. (I like to break the course up into groups of 3 holes, and shoot 15 or less in each triad)

The final 3 holes. Could I hold it together and continue this trend? #16 is the shortest par 5 and I had just birdied it the day before (when I shot a 95), but today I came up short of the green on my second shot and then fluffed my third shot destroying any chances of a tap in birdie. I did get on the green after my 4th stroke, but left myself a 40 foot putt for par. I took a tap-in bogey.

Greens in regulation for both seventeen and eighteen and I managed to hole the second putt on both. When I added up my scorecard, I had shot a 39 on the back nine, only 3 over par! That is my lowest 9 hole score ever. Now if I could only put two of those back to back, I would be elated.

The handicap season for Kansas started on March 1st, so there have been two revisions so far, and my handicap has dropped significantly both times. With two 89s and two 86s since the last revision, I am well on my way to meeting my goal of a 12.5 handicap by June 13, and meeting it two and a half months early!