Shooting 18

Shot 18 holes with two of my brother-in-laws, Paul and Neil, and my nephew, Nick, at Westminster last Friday. Finally had an absolutely gorgeous day after so much rain ... high 60s to low 70s, sunny and dry.

Needless to say, playing in this foursome was an adventure. As the day wore on, we tended to not keep score as stringently ... well, at least Paul and Nick didn't. Paul has been playing for a long time and Nick is just starting. Neil and I are scratch golfers, but Neil is definitely better than me.

I shot a 129 for the day, taking an automatic double par for a hole once I got to that score even if I hadn't finished the hole, so my score is a bit skewered at best. I readily admit to not being a good golfer, but I will say that I think the condition of the fairways definitely influence my score. We've had so much rain that it was like playing on a sponge ... a muddy one at that. I've never been covered in so much mud after golf ... it was so bad I threw away my socks when I got home. We had had a torrential day of rain the day before, so conditions weren't at their best when we teed off.

Still, we had a blast and once again I tried to learn as much as possible. Speaking of which ... what did I learn this time out?

1. I really need to slow down. I think at this point I'm trying too hard. As Paul pointed out when I saw him the next day, he could tell I over analyze every shot and the more I do that, the worse I get. Don't think, Meat ... it can only hurt the team.
   
2. I need to find a way to translate to the course what I do on the practice range. I spent the better part of an hour at the range yesterday and was hitting iron shots like I could do it in my sleep ... great loft, nice and straight. When I get on the course, many times I top the ball and/or the shot goes anywhere but where I'm aiming. Very frustrating. And once again, I seem to have lost the ability to at least make solid contact on the course. Need to find that groove.

I talked to Paul about that last point at some length the other day and he made another good point when he said I'm thinking too much about my score. Paul's a very good golfer, but he doesn't often keep score because, as he said, he gets ultra competitive and that's no fun for anyone he's playing with, including himself. While I'm grateful to be in the golf league because it's given me the chance to play every week, it may ultimately do me a bit more harm than good in the sense that I'm feeling the pressure (consciously or subconsciously) to do well and with my limited skills, I don't need any more distractions than I already have.

So, I think slowing down my swing and trying not to over think everything will help me in the end. Something has to because I know I can play this game ... I just need to find a way to bring that confidence to the fairways when it counts.