If you are unfamiliar with matchplay format, remember that in matchplay games you are allowed to practice play on the course before the match.Was meant to be playing this morning but one too many beers last night and not sleeping well meant I had to postpone until the afternoon. Just me and my 29 capper mate so we did a match with me giving him 14 shots - I've got three match play events this year that I'm entered in so thought it was worth a tune-up on the format.
Starting on the 8th - the first hole was a standard hangover car crash start, a weak slice drive followed by two duffs trying to play back over the trees so a triple bogey 8 and one down straight away. Just laughed it off though and played quite well after that. It was a really good match, up and down all the way. My mate was playing steady so I saw myself two down by the 16th, after being just short of the green in two I left the chip miles short and 3-putted which was shocking. But I recovered to win the next three holes (17th, 18th, 1st) with a bogey and two pars to go 1 up for the first time. Sadly another poor hole on the 2nd (100 yards from the pin after my drive and still made a bogey 5) let him straight back to all square even though he'd had to take a drop from the ditch, but did very well to make 5 himself to win with his shot.
A few halved holes followed but then I shockingly lost a no-shot hole to him when he parred the par 3 6th and I only managed bogey, so dormie 1 on the last. However I finished the round with a superb par, up and down from 60 yards with a great putt where he only managed double bogey, so they match finished an honourable draw.
I shot 80 gross (still 17 holes though) so pretty decent, just one triple and one double, but dropped a few very silly shots to stop it being a really good score. My driving was excellent after the first couple of holes, hit some of the best drives I've hit all year, and my putting was decent too, after I actually spent ten mins on the putting green for once before the round and worked on keeping both my elbows tucked in and hitting it more on line.
Had a great round, done in less than 3 hours and the weather was lovely, first shorts and t-shirt round of the year. And my hangover's gone now.
one of our main Board handicap stableford comps. Lovely day, at last, 100+ entries. Again, tees off the plates and playing very long. Won with 38pts. Came around 30th with 34pts…that’s fine as I was not expecting to challenge, just do my best a get a decent gross in for handicap purposes. But as it happens with a little more care and less recklessness 38pts was on.
And then 5 holes Texas Scramble comp with a team of Academy Members, which we won, but as we didn’t apply any handicaps and I was lowest by a mile…it was fun
Hard to argue.....
My next six qualifying cards are non-counters…so no matter how bad my score, my HI won’t go up. But of course the flip side of the rounds being ‘free hits’ is that I treat them too casually and mess up.
and rolled in the bird a couple of shots la'er they chilled and accep'ed I wouldn't drag the lads down.
DudeRocked up for a 4be2score today at Moor Hall, Brum.
Allus get some funny looks a' me old clubs on the 1st tee when playing with dudes who ain't met me, but affer I'd smoked Aldridge's finest (Harold Bird & Son 1 wood, as sold in the Argos ca'alogue back in the 70s) past their modern high tech
Dropped another bird la'er on and played PDG.
Sorry, slipped into young(ish) golfer speak there, what I meant to say was that I had a good day at Moor Hall playing in an AmAm and won a bottle of wine for a 2.
