psychojoe
Newbie
We've all been there! The anticipation and excitement of a new golf course to challenge, and thanks to the WWW. boom, the course is reviwed and checked out online, all the pointers are taken on board (and thanks to madandra)the course guide is loaded onto the caddylite the night before. The thoughts of producing an exhibition type display (which is easy in your mind)runs through your head so much that it's difficult to sleep. A trip to the seaside beckons.
The day of destiny arrives with a cold and dry day delivered by the big man upstairs (if that's your thing!) and the course strategy kicks in. An old pro once said (may have been Sarazen?) that you should try and slow your day down, which would help slow the tempo of your swing when you finally reach the formidable first tee.
I was set, tempo ready, first tee conquered with a decent drive down the left which I followed through the bright and dry sky, we were off! As we walked down the first, the lightish breeze started to stiffen just a tad. When the green was reached, after a slightly overhit second which found one of the few greenside bunkers, conditions were such that the breeze had turned to eye-watering force. Never mind I said to myself after a good bunker shot to 3 feet, hole this and the confidence is back, NIGHTMARE! The lipped putt put paid to that and the doubts started to nag.
The forecast for the day was the stuff of dreams (for October), a bit off breeze to test your staying power yet remaining dry, but going down the second the big man had a different idea. The drops of rain started to drop that bit heavier, that bit quicker and that bit more destructive. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth yielded an embarressing 2 stableford points to my cause (which by now was already over), due mainly to some poor play, but the weather was starting to exaggerate errors.
I rallied with 4 points between the ninth and tenth and just as I thought good thoughts, it happened. A holocaust causing unimaginable devistation, it was a force so strong it beggered belief. A snap hook into a local garden and it was over. Horizontal hail (no kidding!) left us defenceless. We cowered which ever way provided the best defence against nature and as we looked behind there was no one there, an abyss lay behind us. The horizon didn't give much hope and agroup decision was made to abandon for our own safety. As we made our way to the protection of the clubhouse, our fellow competitors were not in sight. Our first thought was that they must also be seeking the sanctuary of the clubhouse, but no, they were pinned down in their positions for cover.
We soon realised we were the only group in safety, but slowly trudging through the rough came another group with the same thoughts as us, survival!
The other three groups had continued to play and in hindsight, had we dug in a little longer, we would have carried on too.
The story though has a happy ending. With a prize up for grabs at the 17th for nearest the hole,6 of the bravest men made their way to the 17th tee. With the distance to beat already set, one by one we launched an assault on the green. When the dust had settled, I was victorious. A 5 iron (apologies again madandra) to 16 feet was the clear winner (sorry toad).
So the moral of the day is to never give up, never surrender.
Thanks to John and all at Golf Monthly for a great day out, the Craigielaw is a good un.
Hacker:a person who engages in an activity without talent or skill.
The day of destiny arrives with a cold and dry day delivered by the big man upstairs (if that's your thing!) and the course strategy kicks in. An old pro once said (may have been Sarazen?) that you should try and slow your day down, which would help slow the tempo of your swing when you finally reach the formidable first tee.
I was set, tempo ready, first tee conquered with a decent drive down the left which I followed through the bright and dry sky, we were off! As we walked down the first, the lightish breeze started to stiffen just a tad. When the green was reached, after a slightly overhit second which found one of the few greenside bunkers, conditions were such that the breeze had turned to eye-watering force. Never mind I said to myself after a good bunker shot to 3 feet, hole this and the confidence is back, NIGHTMARE! The lipped putt put paid to that and the doubts started to nag.
The forecast for the day was the stuff of dreams (for October), a bit off breeze to test your staying power yet remaining dry, but going down the second the big man had a different idea. The drops of rain started to drop that bit heavier, that bit quicker and that bit more destructive. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth yielded an embarressing 2 stableford points to my cause (which by now was already over), due mainly to some poor play, but the weather was starting to exaggerate errors.
I rallied with 4 points between the ninth and tenth and just as I thought good thoughts, it happened. A holocaust causing unimaginable devistation, it was a force so strong it beggered belief. A snap hook into a local garden and it was over. Horizontal hail (no kidding!) left us defenceless. We cowered which ever way provided the best defence against nature and as we looked behind there was no one there, an abyss lay behind us. The horizon didn't give much hope and agroup decision was made to abandon for our own safety. As we made our way to the protection of the clubhouse, our fellow competitors were not in sight. Our first thought was that they must also be seeking the sanctuary of the clubhouse, but no, they were pinned down in their positions for cover.
We soon realised we were the only group in safety, but slowly trudging through the rough came another group with the same thoughts as us, survival!
The other three groups had continued to play and in hindsight, had we dug in a little longer, we would have carried on too.
The story though has a happy ending. With a prize up for grabs at the 17th for nearest the hole,6 of the bravest men made their way to the 17th tee. With the distance to beat already set, one by one we launched an assault on the green. When the dust had settled, I was victorious. A 5 iron (apologies again madandra) to 16 feet was the clear winner (sorry toad).
So the moral of the day is to never give up, never surrender.
Thanks to John and all at Golf Monthly for a great day out, the Craigielaw is a good un.
Hacker:a person who engages in an activity without talent or skill.
