We'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas from all at Golf Monthly. Thank you for sharing your 2025 with us!
Out early this morning - bloody freezing. First nine was a write-off - I went from shooting 8 over on Monday to being 8 over after four holes today. Wrapped up like the Michelin man I could hardly swing, greens were covered in frost so I couldn't putt and the sun was bright and low in the sky so I couldn't see anything either. 9 points at half way and 2 down in the match to my 12 handicap mate.
Back nine I was like a totally different golfer. It must have warmed up a little; swinging a bit more freely maybe, as I went level 2s for the first seven holes, including 4 pars when I'd made none on the first nine. Turned the match around to be 2 up with two to play. Was horrendously unlucky on our penultimate hole as my drive finished right up against a tree so I had no option but to take an unplayable drop; then I also had a putt which looked perfect for line and pace hit an icy chunk of mud which completely killed it. Lost that hole but scraped a half on the last for a 1 up victory. 16 point back nine so a moderately more respectable 25 in total.
Decent enough front 9 this morning, 17 points with one blob. Back 9 I was on fire, 23 points including 6 pars on the trot, 3 of which are the toughest on the course imo, 12, 14 and 16. Nearly made a mess of 18 but a decent chip over a bunker and nice putt saw me end with a respectable bogey.
83 gross, comfortably my best ever score. Forward tees helped, but on a cold wet morning with no run on the ball, I’m taking that
Out early this morning for the first time in a few weeks. Started well and was +1 after 5 holes (put it in a green side bunker and didn’t get up and down). Messed up the 6th so picked up to ruin the good start. Played the next three holes ok to finish the front 9 on 17 points.
Back 9 I rode the bogey train for too much of it and didn’t take advantage of good shots other than a nice 2 on our 14th with a 15 foot putt. Ended up on 33 points overall playing off 6 so wasn’t too bad in the end.
The way our Saturday rollup works when you win some £s (as I did last week…4…) today I played our rollup individual stableford off a PH of 4. Never before this low…and didn’t manage. Unfortunately/fortunately next week I’ll still be off 4. Maybe the challenge will +ve work for me.
The youth played yesterday, started with a triple* and a double to put him 5 over after two holes, then played the next 16 holes 2 over par with 5 bogeys and three birdies and a 1 under back nine which he's pleased with. I'd only mentioned to him the day before on how mindset would be an important aspect of the game for him to work on this year, he does have a tendency to feel like the course is being unfair to him when things aren't going to plan - but that fightback should do him some good.
Got a beef with the handicap system here though - he goes up 0.3 as he had a low score come off from back in the summer. I doubt he'll mind as he's playing better golf now than he was then - he's had a growth spurt and probably gained 2 inches in the period since that score was posted at Doncaster, but that 0.3 increase is clearly being caused by 2 rogue holes at the start of his round - rather than reflecting his general playing levels overall.
Out again today as wife was taking the little one to Disney on Ice.
Course was rammed, for some reason they let societies go out at 11 when they should have been 11:30, so it was slow old going - over 3.5 hours for two of us, which is unheard of at my place usually.
I played quite decent on the front nine - silly blob on the second with a rubbish three-putt, but a superb 90-yard up-and-down on the 4th for par. Silly blob on the 9th when I chunked (and even double-hit) a chip near the green. 15 points at half way, but I'd edged out my mate on the last three holes to go 4 up in our match.
Won the 10th as well for 5 up, but then on the 11th I absolutely flushed an 8 iron that surprisingly went through the back of the green, chunked another chip for double so lost that, then he won his only shot hole on the 12th. I stayed ahead though and a superb par on the 210-yard par 3 15th won me the match 4 & 3.
I ended up with 82 gross for 31 points. Not too bad in winter. My chipping makes me want to cry though. Feels like it's worse than it's ever been, I'm literally doing that yippy thing where you slow down at the ball, chunk it and then speed up again, hence the embarrassing double hit on the 9th. Already had a lesson on it so not really sure what to do next. Just keep trying to hit more greens so I don't have to chip. I did get up and down with a hybrid bump on the 15th, that always works so maybe I'll do more of that.