Imagine, if you will, the worst punter golf you've ever seen; unco-ordinated, optimistic, talentless.
I wish I hadn't bothered playing yesterday. I was awful. Beyond awful. 52 out, 56 back. 108 is the 2nd worst score I've ever carded, and the worst for 25 cards.
And you know what? I only have myself to blame. The weather was awful, and really didn't help, but time after time, I kept ignoring my own advice and The Plan, and paid for it.
For the record (numbers in brackets are par)
Outward 9:
6 (4) / 3 (3) / 6 (4) / 4 (3) / 5 (4) / 8 (4) / 10 (4) / 6 (4) / 4 (3)
Back 9:
5 (4) / 4 (3) / 6 (4) / 4 (3) / 7 (4) / 6 (4) / 9 (4) / 9 (4) / 6 (3)
There isn't a lot to say about it, really. The first half of both 9's were ok, and the 2nd half were shocking, kick-started by hitting OB on the 6th and taking the 8, and then getting stuck in a bush off the tee on the 7th, and not taking my own advice about taking an unplayable. 4 shots then to get out of the bush.
It got to the stage where I just didn't care, and in truth, I'm as annoyed about that as I am about anything else. I let it get to me and beat me. I stopped going through my pre-shot routine, and careful alignment, etc.
I really wish it had been Stableford so I could have saved at least some of my dignity, but as it was, everything had to be putted out in all its shame
It's hard to find positives in a round of golf so bad and demoralising (and that, like I said, I thoroughly deserved), but here goes...
On the 8th, as things were going so badly, I brought out the big stick. Put it through the tree on the right, but not as bad as it should have been. Took it again off the 10th, and found the fairway. Off the 14th, and slid right, but I've been there (but a lot shorter) with my safe club. And off the 17th - pulled OB, but again, have done that with my safe 3 iron. It gave me the confidence to start using it - not every time, but that was quite useful.
Despite wanting to walk off halfway round, or do something that would get me DQ'd to save the embarassment, I knew the HC-reduced figure probably wouldn't be that bad, and was, in fact, 94, so whilst I did miss my buffer zone, and my HC went up to 27.1, I only missed it by 2 shots.
The weather was appalling, as predicted, and still is today. Nevertheless, I HAVE to get out there again today to remind myself I can still do this. As long as I can..?
Maybe I can't? Maybe I'm just sh1t in competitions. I know, I know, I shouldn't think like that.
I wasn't put in with the Sh1theads
, I was put with a 10 and a 20. The 10 told me not to be too down. He said a lot of it was the weather (I don't think it was, but there it is). He said we've all been there. That was good of him, but my shoulder demon said, "Balls you have. 108? We all have bad rounds, but 108..?"
Only a few days ago, I had that disasterous 99 for HC that depressed me so much. Now I play like this.
Oh well. It's done.
Next week is the Captain's Cup, and the week after I've been asked to play the Club Foursomes event, with a really good player and nice guy (the one I shot the 99 with).
I guess the main thing is, the only thing about looking back that helps is the 'learning from it' process - and I've done plenty of that! I guess everything else should be looking forward.
It really is a game that can bite you in the ass when you least expect it, isn't it?