Scrags, your kind words mean a lot - thanks very much

It's a silly game, really, isn't it?

Teed off at 6:50am, as usual, course to myself, though today the gate was locked, which was odd. I had wondered whether the course was closed because of the comedy torrential rain, but hurdled the gate, teed up on the first, and thought to myself, "What the hell am I doing?"

Ah well. Bogey on the first, bogey on the 2nd. That's not bad, that's good for me. My target is 1 over par on every hole - I know I can do it. I just haven't done every hole in the same round yet

7 at the 3rd. Rats. And from there on, rubbish. Top. Top. Topped again. The weather was getting me down, I wasn't concentrating, and it was all going to hell in a handcart. Another 7 on the 7th (SI 1) but followed by a bogey on 8th, which is a tough hole. My heart lifted briefly, before I took 3 shots out of the sodden sand on the 9th.

51 gross. Rubbish.

It's a nine hole course, short, as I said, but I think hard - or at least harder than Par 66, SSS 61 implies. For the back (same) nine, I grabbed myself by the metaphorical lapels and shook myself. My head was moving all over the place in my swing, and I was trying to hit the cover off the ball. I told myself to slow down, and keep my head down.

Right off the tenth tee, the ball striking came back, and you know that feeling where everything starts going your way - even the bad shots? Holed out from 15 feet to get par on the 10th, par on the 11th, rubbish 3 putt on the par 4 12th but still feeling ok. Next three hole go bogey, bogey, bogey, and I'm delighted to step on to the 16th tee for 27 gross. It's a hard hole requiring (for me) a long lay up with a 5 iron, then a strong 3 iron the remaining 170 to the pin. The 5 iron from the tee couldn't have been sweeter, and the 3 iron flew straight as a die. On the green for 2, delighted Putt to 1 foot, was going to give myself it, though, "Nah - on a hole I've played as well as this, I should play every shot," and missed it! Gah! 3 putt! But Bogey's still ni the game plan, and is still a great score on that hole. I'm not going to start beating myself up about 'What might have been'.

Still, I had to remind myself about the 15 footer on the 10th - I guess it all levels itself out.

9 shots for the par four 17th and the par 3 18th together to beat my best ever 9 hole figure; but the 17th is a tough hole, gotta get the ball in play, crack another 3 iron straight down the fairway 170. By now am no longer aware of rain dripping of my face. Am getting soaked in my polo shirt because it's too hot for my coat anyway.

2nd shot, long 4 iron, top it like a monkey. Realise I'm getting carried away, and not concentrating. 5 iron to front of green, great strike. 3 putt from fringe, but it's a hard green, 6 is ok.

Par on the par 3 18th for my personal best 9 hole score. 1 bounce into the greenside bunker, the same one I took 3 shots out of earlier. Trusty 64^ wedge comes out, ball 8 feet past pin. 2 putt, but that's ok. Bogey, gross 42, joint equal personal best 9 hole score, joint equal personal best 18 hole of 93 - COME ON!!!!! (and the round I was equal with was on Friday - is this a good sign? Am I playing better in general?)

I know I can break 90 soon, I know I can, I just need to keep chipping away at it.

If I think about it, I get kind of demoralised by the CONGU system. My 93 represents 27 over par, and if I reduce the Double Bogey + to Double Bogeys, it would be +24. But it's not worked off Par, as far as I understand it, is it? It's off SSS, meaning if my handicap was taken from that card, it would have been +29, which is kind of gutting. I'm aiming for an initial Handicap of 25 - that's what I shot on that 1st ever round - Gross 93, but reduced to 86 without the Double Bogey+. But now, I'm scoring each hole more consistently, but my SSS figures just don't look good.

Oh well. Nuts to it. I felt pretty good when I walked off, and I guess that's the important thing.

I love this game!