Region3
Ryder Cup Winner
Not really sure what the point is of posting this. Partly it might help somebody but mostly because I impressed myself during my last round. Apologies for the self indulgence.
Not because of any good/great shots or the score, but I think I may have finally lost my damaging attitude of 'needing' to make things happen on the course.
I took half a day off on Tuesday to play in a midweek medal. Very hot - and I don't like it hot - so even more excuses to have lost my head, but I didn't.
+2 gross after 13 holes. A 2-ball had just caught us up (4-ball) so we teed off on 14 while they walked to the tee then let them play through, meaning I had a long time to think about my 2nd shot.
I'd pushed my tee shot into the right semi rough. The lie was fine, about 130 to go, but a 12' tree bang on my line about 10' in front of me.
I think I could have gotten over, but not with enough club to reach the green. The alternative was a low running draw (draw because of a bunker front right of the green). There was another small tree just to the right of the one in front of me but another 20' further on, giving me an effective gap of about 3' to go through.
As I said above, I had a long time to think about it. I really wanted to go over but because it was a medal I'm thinking "what if it hits the top of the tree and goes in the thick rough?", so I decided on the low one.
The ball hit the right hand tree almost full on the 1" wide trunk and ricocheted off to the right into the nasty stuff. A thick bushy tree meant I'd have to crouch more than normal to get at the ball and lots of long grass around it.
The old me would have thought I've already wasted one shot putting it here, so I've got to get this out as far as I can, but for some reason - even in the heat after 3 hours - I decided discretion was the better part of valour and took a penalty drop even though it meant having a tree in the way again, albeit a bit further away.
Even then the old me would have tried to go straight at the flag over the tree because I've already wasted 2 shots, but I gave the tree a bit of a wide berth, hit the right side of the green and 2 putted.
Throughout all of that I was purposely not trying to count up my shots just so I could concentrate on getting the ball in the hole as quick as I could, so after what seemed like ages and loads of trouble playing the hole I was pleasantly surprised when I totted up and realised it was only a double.
Now I know double isn't good, but I was genuinely happy at that, even though I'd gone from 2 under hc to level in one hole, at least I was still in the competition.
There's no happy ending to the story because I managed to make double up the last to shoot 77 and avoid a cut by finishing bang on handicap, but I think all the Rotella-reading has paid off by a much improved mental game over the last couple of years.
Not because of any good/great shots or the score, but I think I may have finally lost my damaging attitude of 'needing' to make things happen on the course.
I took half a day off on Tuesday to play in a midweek medal. Very hot - and I don't like it hot - so even more excuses to have lost my head, but I didn't.
+2 gross after 13 holes. A 2-ball had just caught us up (4-ball) so we teed off on 14 while they walked to the tee then let them play through, meaning I had a long time to think about my 2nd shot.
I'd pushed my tee shot into the right semi rough. The lie was fine, about 130 to go, but a 12' tree bang on my line about 10' in front of me.
I think I could have gotten over, but not with enough club to reach the green. The alternative was a low running draw (draw because of a bunker front right of the green). There was another small tree just to the right of the one in front of me but another 20' further on, giving me an effective gap of about 3' to go through.
As I said above, I had a long time to think about it. I really wanted to go over but because it was a medal I'm thinking "what if it hits the top of the tree and goes in the thick rough?", so I decided on the low one.
The ball hit the right hand tree almost full on the 1" wide trunk and ricocheted off to the right into the nasty stuff. A thick bushy tree meant I'd have to crouch more than normal to get at the ball and lots of long grass around it.
The old me would have thought I've already wasted one shot putting it here, so I've got to get this out as far as I can, but for some reason - even in the heat after 3 hours - I decided discretion was the better part of valour and took a penalty drop even though it meant having a tree in the way again, albeit a bit further away.
Even then the old me would have tried to go straight at the flag over the tree because I've already wasted 2 shots, but I gave the tree a bit of a wide berth, hit the right side of the green and 2 putted.
Throughout all of that I was purposely not trying to count up my shots just so I could concentrate on getting the ball in the hole as quick as I could, so after what seemed like ages and loads of trouble playing the hole I was pleasantly surprised when I totted up and realised it was only a double.
Now I know double isn't good, but I was genuinely happy at that, even though I'd gone from 2 under hc to level in one hole, at least I was still in the competition.
There's no happy ending to the story because I managed to make double up the last to shoot 77 and avoid a cut by finishing bang on handicap, but I think all the Rotella-reading has paid off by a much improved mental game over the last couple of years.
