September!

Looks like golf is starting to take a back seat to "back to school". I've played sporadically over the last few weeks, posting average scores in the high 80s, low 90s, but I just haven't been able to get back into shape since spraining my wrist, so it looks as though breaking 80 might have to wait another year, unless I get in a lucky round over the fall. I'm hoping to get out once or twice a week once things settle down and school begins in earnest.

I do, however, have a tee time with a good friend from Calgary on Friday. We are meeting halfway near Red Deer to play Wolf Creek, one of Alberta's finest courses.

Hopefully we can also clear out of our current weather funk - it's been cold and wet for the past week. Here is what our little guy on our thermometer suggested we wear the other morning


(outside temperature in the lower right - translates to about 47 F). Don't worry, it is going up to 22C on Friday, and we are usually offered good golfing temperatures well into the end of October, so there is still a good two months left (crossing fingers).

Yes, I'm still playing

After a week of conducting both a 40 voice youth choir and a 30 voice adult choir at a week long choir camp with 5 1/2 hours of rehearsing a day, I'm now back on the course again. (I will blog about that experience soon on my home blog) My wrist is still not 100%. I've been to the chiropractor, who confirmed it was a mild sprain, and explained that it is an injury that can take up to 6 months before it is completely healed. I went and purchased a tensor bandage for the wrist and some athletic tape. I played an 18 hole par-3 round on Monday shooting 68 on the par 54 (the greens were all the size of postage stamps, so only one GIR and no birdies), and then played a full 18 at Coloniale yesterday.

I had some good holes, and some horrid holes. quite a few pars and bogeys, but also a quad, and two triples. The side effect of the wrapped wrist seems to cause my irons to move hard to the left. Not so much a draw, but a hook. The driver, however, is straighter, or even draws slightly, with the bandage on! Final score was a miserable 96 though.

Painting the fence today, and then back on the course tomorrow AM. Will hopefully be able to post full-stats again soon, once I feel that I am playing without the effect of this injury.

Injury update

I played my first round this morning since injuring my wrist. It was a bit sore at times, especially out of the rough. I played with about 75% of my swing strength, and took some relief from shots that I thought might aggravate my wrist.

I had a few good shots, one birdie, but a whole lot of crappy holes, including a quad and triple. the tentative swing cause a lot of pulls and tops - which I had eliminated from my game.

Tomorrow, I'll go back to playing by the rules and keeping legit score.

Injury

I've been forced to take a few days off due to a strained wrist injury, which I managed to do somehow playing last Sunday afternoon. Whether it was trying a tough shot out of deep rough, or falling in a ravine trying to retrieve my clubs after my speed-cart ran away from me (we won't go into the details of that story), we'll never know! It was too bad too - I shot a 4-over 39 on the front nine of a course I've never played (2 doubles and 7 pars), the back nine wasn't going as well. I don't have the scorecard, but I figure I shot around 87 or so.

The wrist is much better today - but I think I will wait it out one more day before hitting the links again. After this week, I have to take another full week off the game as I am working at a summer music camp. There aren't a whole lot of golf rounds left for me before the start of the teaching and conducting year!

July 29th Round

My 33rd round of the season - pretty good for late July! Not too bad of a round, a bit of a slower pace this morning, and hot, and those darn Mosquitoes! My spray says "good for 8 hours" but should say "Good for 2 holes" I was reapplying the stuff every 30 minutes! I should take a photo of them when they are really bad, it is unbelievable at times.

Anyhow, on with the stats:

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 87 (42/45)
Net Score: 75

Stats:
Putts: 29
3 putts: 2

Birdies: 1
Pars: 6
Bogeys: 7
Doubles: 3
Others : 1 (a triple at the last)
Penalties: 2

Fairways hit: 5/14 (35%)
Greens in regulation: 4/18 (22%)

Not a bad round - Front nine marred by 3 doubles, but the one birdie helps. 18th hole was pretty disastrous. From the tee to the sand, then forward to the next sand, then long, up and 3 putts for triple. Otherwise, good consistent balls striking - long off the tee (although, not always straight, just 5 fairways hit). Back at it tomorrow AM!

Juy 27th Round(s)

Great day for Golf - so I played a lot of it. I was out on the course by 8 AM, and it was 5:30 PM by the time I finished, and 45 holes (2 full rounds, and then 9 more holes)

I'll only blog about the first round, because once you start playing the 30th hole, it's really hard to focus. So the rest of the day quickly went downhill.

The first round was a 3 hour round, +22 by the end of the round. Mosquitoes still very much a problem, but I'm armed with spray! No wind to speak of.

The stats:

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 81 (38/43)
Net Score: 66

Stats:
Putts: 27
3 putts: 1

Birdies: 1
Pars: 8
Bogeys: 8
Doubles: 1
Others : 0
Penalties: 1

Fairways hit: 6/14 (42%)
Greens in regulation: 6/18 (33%)

Highlights - going out in 38! I was actually sitting at -1 after 5 holes, before I went Bogey/double Bogey. No doubles on the back, just 2 pars and 7 boges. I missed a few puts on the back nine, but can't complain about 27 puts total.

Lowlights - none to speak of. Great round - career best. I can smell that 79!

The other rounds of the day weren't spectacular, but I was really starting to feel the fatigue - and the heat (ended up in the high 20s by the end of the day). So, on the nine hole round, I shot 45, and on the second 18, I shot 93 (46/47)

I'm trying to decide if I am going to play today - it is 7:10, and my tee time is 8:09. My feet are sore (I have plantar Fasciitis, which is controlled through orthotics, but no orthotic was going get through 45 holes of golf, so them dogs are barking!)

I told my wife there was only a 30% chance I'd play this morning, when realistically It is probably closer to 60% chance. Hmmm....

By the way - Index fell again, down to 11.9 and playing a 14 handicap now from the blues at Coloniale.

July 26th round

A great round today on another beautiful morning. The only problem about the conditions were that with all the rain, and then heat, and then rain - the mosquitoes were out to carry us off the course. They were unbelievable!

3 1/2 hour round, +22 by the end of the round - prevailing NW wind, not much of a problem, about a one club difference in either direction.

The stats:

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 84 (41/43)
Net Score: 69

Stats:
Putts: 26 (pretty proud of this stat)
3 putts: 1

Birdies: 2
Pars: 5
Bogeys: 8
Doubles: 3
Others : 0
Penalties: 2

Fairways hit: 6/14 (42%)
Greens in regulation: 5/18 (27%)

Highlights - putting great today - 11 one puts. Also, within half a foot of an ace on #8 eight today. Even the grounds grew cheered as it got close. Then went back to back with a birdie on #9 as well. Hitting the ball great off the tee - even found a nice comfortable draw with my driver, adding a pile of distance and reliability.

Lowlights - although I'm happy that I am now through two rounds without a triple, there were a few doubles I could have avoided today, including two penalties that are always unnecessary. My chipping was also a bit suspect today.

I really feel that 79 is close!

Playing 36 holes tomorrow, let's hope fatigue doesn't kill me.

Speaking of Mosquitoes:

July 24th Round

A beautiful early morning round with my wife over at Legends. Unfortunately had to run from the car to the tee box so no warm-up, and the front nine was evident of that. But I did have the best back nine on the Champions ever, and the best nine of the year!

3 hours 45 minute round - great pace for a Saturday AM! Sunny, cool at the start, hot by the end. Light winds, occasional gusts from the south, but nothing to affect the game.

The stats:

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 85 (46/39)
Net Score: 70

Stats:
Putts: 35
3 putts: 4 (what could have been!)

Birdies: 1
Pars: 5
Bogeys: 10
Doubles: 2
Others : 0 (a first this year!)
Penalties: 0 (that always helps)

Fairways hit: 7/14 (50%)
Greens in regulation: 8/18 (44%)

Highlights - 3 over on the back nine. Just a steady round from #10 onwards. No complaints! Best round of the year really!

Lowlights - none really - except the tee shot and second on #1, which were week, and evident of no warm up. It always seems that good G.I.R. days are also high putting days. Dropping 6 puts today would have had me sub-80.

Index update - after the two low rounds this week, index is now at 12.8, putting me at a 15 handicap on most courses.

July 23rd Round

A nice morning for golf - soggy from the rain of the previous week, but course in nice shape.

4 hour round (with 5 people no less!) Sunny +15 at the start, +20 at the finish. Light winds


The stats:

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 88 (46/42)
Net Score: 72

Stats:
Putts: 30
3 putts: 1

Birdies: 2
Pars: 6
Bogeys: 3
Doubles: 6
Others : 1 (a triple)
Penalties: 2

Fairways hit: 9/14 (64%)
Greens in regulation: 3/18 (16%)

Highlights - all in all, a good round. Hitting the par 5 #13 in 2 was nice, within 10 feet too! Two putts for bird, can't complain. Back nine was actually great for the most part, from the 9th hole until the end of the 13th, I was 1 under par!

Lowlights, finishing the last 4 holes 6 over par, not a great finish!

Tough day at the office

Played this morning but I'm too distraught to blog about it. Friday will be another day!

On the fun side - we have a new car, and it will hold a lot of golf clubs!

A 2010 Hyundai Sante Fe. - it looks like this:

July 19th Round

A cool rainy morning - perfect for golf!

3 hours and 40 minutes, walking (mandatory for the wet conditions, although, I prefer to walk anyway). Light rain at the start - change to just cloudy later on. Light NW winds, occasional moderate gusts, but a chilly +13c, got up to +17 by the end of the round.

The stats:

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 89 (43/46)
Net Score: 73

Stats:
Putts: 31
3 putts: 1

Birdies: 1
Pars: 4
Bogeys: 9
Doubles: 3
Others : 1 (a triple)
Penalties: 1

Fairways hit: 4/14 (28%)
Greens in regulation: 4/18 (22%)

Highlights - overall, a good round! Consistent ball striking, good drives, and killer from 120-150 yards. Hit a monster tee shot on the 200 par 3 8th hole to within 5 feet. Sunk a 30 foot birdie but on #10. Played with the same ball, up to my second shot on the 18th (right after I said "I haven't lost a ball today" and immediately put it in the water). Best streak - +1 over six holes from #8 to #13 (one birdie, 3 pars, two bogeys)

Lowlights - #15 - ugly triple bogey. 16,17,18 were nothing to write home about either. Left a lot of putts on the greens that should have dropped. Worst streak +8 on the last 4 holes

July 17th Round

After two weeks away from the game for a visit to Ottawa, I was back on the course yesterday night. A game with my wife and another couple over at Legends (Traditions/Champions rotation). I wasn't expecting anything great, and I lived up to my expectations. Although, there were moments of greatness, there were also moments of absolute tragedy. Just as a side note, I'm really starting to love this new Champions nine at Legends - creative hole lay-out, multiple tee boxes, big greens, and many challenges. The 9th hole is a bit of a strange one, and I just haven't figured out a good strategy on how to play it yet, but other than that - it's a fantastic nine.

5 hour round (late Saturday, can't expect better), +24C, 15 km/hr NW winds, swirling N and E at times, diminishing to 9 km/hr by the 12th hole. Sunny.

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 94 (44/50)
Net Score: 79

Stats:
Putts: 31
3 putts: 2

Birdies: 1
Pars: 6
Bogeys: 5
Doubles: 3
Others : 3 (one of each - triple, quad and quint)
Penalties: 7 (this is tough stat today)

Fairways hit: 6/14 (42%)
Greens in regulation: 5/18 (27%)

Highlights - a "good" start (aside from a triple on the 1st - but I went from the car to the tee box, so I'll call it a warm-up triple) After that though, just 5 over on holes 2-9 with two doubles! A nice high par count throughout the round, and good solid putting and chipping for the most part. Driver was also OK - really, save for 3 really bad holes, it was a good round.

Lowlights - the quint on 18 - two penalties, a fluffed chip and 3 puts. Lost a lot of balls to water today - 7 in total.

Will be playing a fair bit now that we are home - weather permitting. Edmonton has be plagued by rain this July. We've gone from drought to drowning this year. We had to cancel our lessons due to rain before we left, so we are looking forward to getting those rescheduled.

July 3rd Round

Somewhat better today - at least the front nine was. Driver was working very nicely on the front. A few unlucky moments on the back nine - which was in a bit of rough shape. 5 Penalties which I was able to convert most of the time into Bogey, but not always, especially on the last two holes. Wind was a bit tough to work through.

4 1/4 hour round, +19C, Prevailing winds, 25 km/hr gusting to 35 km/hr from the usual NW. Mostly cloudy.

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 93 (43/50)
Net Score: 78

Stats:
Putts: 36
3 putts: 3

Birdies: 1
Pars: 3
Bogeys: 8
Doubles: 4
Others : 2 (both triples)
Penalties: 5

Fairways hit: 5/14 (35%)
Greens in regulation: 4/18 (22%)

Highlight - great start to the round! A nice long downhill put for birdie on #6. The biggest highlight though was watching my wife make 2 pars on the back (including a par 5 against the wind, with a long 20 foot snaking put, and the tough finishing hole). She shot a 54 on the last nine, and was 4 over on the last 4.

Lowlight - my back nine, tripling 17 and 18. Missed A LOT of make-able one putts, and had two unnecessary 3 putts.

We are both having a golf lesson on Monday, followed by a round at Coloniale. Then we're off to Ottawa for 8 days. The verdict is still out if we are going to bring our clubs with us - I guess we'll decide after our lesson and following round.

July 2nd Round

Oh - it was a bad day. I left the house and said to my wife "I'm not going to have any triples, and I'm going to keep my doubles down to a low number today!" Then I opened the round with a quad. Not even sure if it is worth putting up the stats, but as this blog is supposed to be an honest representation of my summer's golfing - here they are, and they are grim.

a four hour round, +17c, steady moderate NW winds, and partly cloudy

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 98 (yes, 51/47)
Net Score: 83

Stats:
Putts: 33
3 putts: 2

Birdies: 0
Pars: 6
Bogeys: 4
Doubles: 3
Others : 5 (FIVE!! 1 quad, 4 trips)
Penalties: 5 (FIVE!! - that would explain the big score actually)

Fairways hit: 2/14
Greens in regulation: 5/18 - where my 6 pars came from

Highlights - hitting #4 (Par 5) in two

Lowlights - 3 putting #4 for par. That, and most of the rest of the round. I was so bad off the tee - I was hitting my third shot from the tee box at least three times, and I was in the sand more times than the fairway. on #7 I had THREE separate sand shots from all sides of the green, and on #17 I hit the fairway bunker, and then hit what was a pretty good shot, only to be left in the green side bunker.

Quite a few good shots actually (aside from the tee box) and a lot of really bad luck.

You might have wondered what happened to my round on Wednesday - well I forgot that I needed to be at a lunch meeting - so I had to cancel. Tomorrow morning I'm heading out with my wife, Kathleen, and another couple for a round at Legends, hopefully I won't be quite as erratic off the tee.

June 29th Round

Another beautiful morning for golf. My scheduled playing partner called and canceled at the last minute, and so I went out early. Unfortunately, there was really no one on the course, so I had to start my round alone. I ended up shooting an unofficial 43 on the front nine after only an hour. I say unofficial because if you play alone, you tend not to pull the flag, and you take questionable gimmes, which I did. When I turned the corner, there were a few members just starting their round, so I started over again - and called the first nine holes a warm-up. The round totals below are for the the full 18 holes I shot after the warm-up nine.

Just under 3 1/2 hours today, +20c, light NW winds, and sunny.

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 87
Net Score: 72

Stats:
Putts: 34
3 putts: 2

Birdies: 0
Pars: 7
Bogeys: 7
Doubles: 4
Others : 0 :)
Penalties: 2 :(

Fairways hit: 6/14 (42%)
Greens in regulation: 5/18 (27%)

Highlights: All in all, a good round. a career 7 iron from 172 yards to hit the 9th green in reg. Driver had it's good moments today - still not quite back in shape yet. No "others" on the round (although, I did have triple on my warm-up nine - but I also had a birdie there - so they cancel each other out. I also shot my cap today - can't complain about that. Hit that 43 on the front nine again, and had a string of 4 pars in a row from 9-12.

Lowlights: 4 doubles, and 2 three putts. failed to get up and down 8 times. Never really threatened a birdie try today, and wasn't very strong out of the sand. Also, two unnecessary penalties.

Tomorrow - the weather changes - cool and windy - but four good friends will hit the links at 8:42!

June 28th Round

Great week for golf ahead - and a pretty good start to the week this morning!

Here are the stats:

Just under 4 hours today, +20c, light winds mostly from NW, a bit swirly at times, and sunny.

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 88
Net Score: 73

Stats:
Putts: 32
3 putts: 2

Birdies: 0
Pars: 6
Bogeys: 10
Doubles: 1
Others : 1 (a quad :( )
Penalties: 1

Fairways hit: 6/14 (42%)
Greens in regulation: 3/18 (16%)

Highlights - Only one double and one other - the rest all pars and bogeys. Generally speaking (except for the quad) a better front nine than back, even though both were 44s. The front was a 44 with a quad - so 8/9 pretty good holes! Played reasonably well out of the sand, but would prefer not to be in it at all really.

Lowlights - well, the quad was a lowlight. So was my driver - despite the 6/14 fairways, I'm just not getting through the ball right now - so really high over-the-moon drives, with no distance - leaving me to hit 3 woods and low irons into the green (which I did well), and then I was scrambling for up and downs, which I only managed to do 5/16 times. Wow - If I converted all 16 up and down tries, I would have shot 77! That's the sort of thought process that makes me feel the goal is attainable. And for the most part - I had really good short game - just need to reduce that putt total.

You'll notice from my net score that I am now at a 15 cap. Looks like it will stay around that number for a while, a few low scores to fall off the bottom of my card, including an 82 and 84 - it will depend on how I shoot tomorrow and Wednesday - but there is a chance I could see 16 creep back in before it goes down again. That's not a bad thing - I'm getting killed on Men's night, so a bit of a higher cap might allow me to contribute to my team a bit more!

Tee times early tomorrow and Wednesday - so here' s hoping for two solid rounds before the holiday weekend - then probably two more rounds before I head to Ottawa next week, where there won't be much golf, if any.

June 24th Round

Back on the home course today - after being away for about a week and a half. Was really tired for the round - was up at 5 AM to do a little breakfast concert with my chamber choir. So, I played from the whites today - it was a pretty decent round considering!

3 hours and 10 minutes, round, +23c, light winds and sunny.

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 87
Net Score: 73

Stats:
Putts: 31
3 putts: 3

Birdies: 1
Pars: 6
Bogeys: 7
Doubles: 3
Others : 1 (a triple)
Penalties: 2

Fairways hit: 2/14 (14%)
Greens in regulation: 5/18 (27%)

Highlights: The back nine - shot a 41, would have had a 39 if it weren't for a double on the last hole. Actually, I doubled 13 as well, which is a reachable par 5- so perhaps that is the hole I should blame. I had a stretch of 5 holes where I was -1, including a par on #15, a par 5 where my current stroke average is 7.0. Hit many really good approach shots from far distances (180+) and scrambled well (as you can see by my fairway percentage today). The back nine to me proved once again that shooting a sub-80 round is still within grasp.

Lowlights: Driving was very inconsistent today, only 2 of 14 fairways. Missed a few makeable puts too, and had 3 three-putts on pretty easy greens today. A comparably slow group in front of us held us up a bit in places, not really much to complain since we did play fast, but it would have been nice to have a sub-three hour round!

The Ranch

Played at The Ranch yesterday and shot a 62 (-9).

OK - it was a Texas Scramble fund raising tourney - but we did make 2 eagles, and 6 birdies (one bogey). Tons of fun!

Back to keeping my own score today! Tee off in a hour!

June 20th Round

I managed to squeeze in a round here on my examining trip. Finally got to play Dakota Dunes, just south of Saskatoon - a beautiful championship course, which is now a permanent stop on the Canadian Tour. And rightfully so! Black, Gold, Blue, White and Red tee boxes for every level of player. Links style, few trees, lots of long grass and dessert like fescue.

I played from the gold tee box, and turned down the GPS equipped power carts and walked instead. The course was quite walkable, except for some long walks between holes. The gentleman I played with allowed me to ride with him on those longer walks, which helped. We had some trouble with the marshal who accused us of playing slow (and even asked us to skip a hole at one point - when there was NO ONE behind us ... that's another story though).

Anyhow, first time on the course - nothing to be too excited about score wise - but here are the totals:

4 hour 20 minute round, +22c, light winds and sunny. Tons of mosquitoes!

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 95
Net Score: 81 (14 cap - which is probably bit low for that tee box)

Stats:
Putts: 38
3 putts: 5

Birdies: 2
Pars: 2
Bogeys: 6
Doubles: 4
Others : 3 (two trips and a quad!)
Penalties: 4

Fairways hit: 5/13 (38%)
Greens in regulation: 5/18 (27%)

Highlights: The start of the back nine - even after 10, 11, 12, 13 with two birds. Driving was pretty good today once I warmed up. Putting, although looks horrid on my stats - was actually pretty good. Greens were huge and fast! Both my birdie puts were about 20 feet+. Was paired up with three great people!

Lowlights: The marshal on the course - who followed us the whole front nine - confusing us for the slow group that we passed on #2. After he figured it out, and left us alone - we were then followed by an additional two other marshals. An over-marshaled course can be just as bad as an under-marshaled course. My five three puts were nothing to write home about either.

June 11th Round

After two days of rain, I got out on the course today. A late afternoon round with my wife at Riverside Golf Course, one of our two city owned and operated golf courses. It's been a number of years since I've played the course, and I've forgotten a) how much I love the course and b) how LONG the back nine is! From the blues, it's 6316 yards total, and 3205 on the par 35 back nine. Credit to my wife, as there is no relief from the reds. The back nine for her was a long par 38 with FIVE par 5s, and the par 3s were near 200 yards. The par 4s were long for me as well. Seldom was my second shot (even after a good drive) less than a 3 wood. Pars were hard to find, and Birdies didn't exist today at all.

Anyhow, not a great round - but here are the details!

3 hours and 50 minute round, +20c, light winds and sunny.

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 91 (+20 on this par 71)
Net Score: 77

Stats:
Putts: 32
3 putts: 1

Birdies: 0
Pars: 3
Bogeys: 11
Doubles: 3
Others : 1 (a triple)
Penalties: 0

Fairways hit: 69% (9/13)
Greens in regulation: 11% (2/18)

Highlights: Fairways! They were wide, but even still, often I was dead centre. Driving was really steady in general. Also, played with the same ball for all 18 holes. It helps that there is no water in play on this course. I also had 2/3 Sand Saves. Only 3 doubles - but they all sucked.

Lowlights: 3 putting for bogey, I hate that! My one triple was also a disaster from the tee shot onwards. I was 4/15 for up and downs. Need to start making more one puts. I also was very poor in the GIR department, however with these long par 4s, that's not too surprising.

The other highlight was playing with a round with my wife. She is still learning, but is counting all her strokes now, and when she hits the ball - she really hits that ball!

A little hiatus now as I leave for Saskatchewan, I do hope to play on the road at least once. Hopefully the weather will co-operate on my day off!

Rain Day

As predicted, no golf today.
Maybe Friday!

June 8th Round

Today's round was played at Coloniale, it was Men's League night, the round took 4.5 hours. The weather was partly cloudy, +13 degrees. Wind was around 7-10 km/h swirling from NW and later, E.

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 93
Net Score: 79

Stats:
Putts: 30
3 putts: 0

Birdies: 0
Pars: 6
Bogeys: 5
Doubles: 5
Others : 2 (both triples)
Penalties: 3

Fairways hit: 35% (5/14)
Greens in regulation: 16% (3/18)

Highlights: Had a great first 4 holes. 3 pars one bogey. Then went and tripled #5. Shot a respectable 44 on the front. Also, after a pathetic drive on #10, I crushed my 3 wood ~230+ yards just short of the green. For the most part, driving was good (except on 10!) chipping was good too. Putting was respectable today, although I missed a few short ones.

Lowlights: The back nine. 4 doubles and a triple. 49 total. The sand was wet, and inconsistent, so most of my bunker shots basically stunk. A few of my approach irons were pushed right, which is unusual for my natural draw. Gave three balls to the water gods today.

Golf might be hard to come by in the next few weeks. Rain is in the forecast for the next few days, then I'm off to Saskatchewan for ten days on business. I have a day off while traveling from Regina to Saskatoon, and I'm hoping to get a round in at Dakota Dunes. I was supposed to play with a few friends last month while I was there, but the weather was very poor.

Change of name

So, it's only my third post - but I've decided on a title change for the blog.

It is now "Chipping from the Brough".

That way, you should all now know how to pronounce my last name!

The year thus far

Here's where I'm at this year so far.

I started my golf season at a 11.2 index based on a few low rounds at the end of last fall. In the last few months, my index has risen to a 11.8, which puts me at about a 14 handicap form the blue tee box on most courses. My home course, by the way, is Coloniale Golf and County Club in Beaumont Alberta (I'll highlight the course on a future post). Coloniale's rating is 71.8/132. I'll probably play about 50 rounds on that course this spring, summer and fall. Our golf season runs from late April through late October. And if we're lucky, we'll get a few games in November.

Here are some of my round totals so far this year (unadjusted).

April 16th - Coloniale - 94
April 20th - Innisfail Golf Club - 97 (with the flu!)
May 10th - Coloniale - 89
May 11th - Coloniale - 92
May 13th - Coloniale - 88
May 14th - Northern Bear - 92 (Jack's northern course - in really rough shape!)
May 17th - Legends (Traditions/Champions) - 88
May 19th - Coloniale - 91
May 25th - Coloniale - 96
May 26th - Coloniale - 87 (Last 13 holes - +5 - first 5 holes - +10...)
June 1st - Coloniale - 103 (ugh. 5 hours and 3/4s on the course ... not fun)
June 2nd - Coloniale - 90
June 3rd - Coloniale - 94
June 5th - Legends (Traditions/Champions) - 89

Not a stellar start - and my current 14 handicap of course uses adjusted scores (nothing over double bogey on any hole), as well as two 82s I shot last fall. My modus operandi for this year has been to go along getting pars and bogeys, the occasional birdie, and then suddenly a triple, quad, or quint, which don't show on the adjusted card. My best round this year was May 26th - where I had a fantastic last 13 holes, shooting like I was a single digit handicapper. So I know I'm close. I'm swinging well, my chipping game is getting very strong (under 50 yards) my driving is reasonably consistent, and from about 130-155, I'm really quite solid.

Places I know I need to work: approaching between 50 and 130 yards and PUTTING. Two rounds ago I was putting for birdie under 2 feet on two par threes, and I promptly 3-putted for bogey.

Anyhow, we're off at 1:12 today for men's league. Where I traditionally play poorly (I blame SLOW PLAY on the course). It's also raining, which could be good or bad. No roll on the drives, but the greens should hold!

Now to think up a catchy little tag line for my blog posts ...

Keep it on the short grass?
Grip it and rip it?

My New Golf Blog

In order to alleviate and organize some of my blogging subjects, I figured as I blog enough about my golf game on Podium Speak, which should be reserved for talk about choral music, that I should just start my own little golf blog. It may not be interesting for anyone to read regularly, but I want a place where I can track my thoughts and progress as I strive to break 80 in my golf game.

I'll post my round scores here, some fun facts about my rounds, what felt good, what felt bad, and maybe link to sites that might have tips on how to improve my game.

I'll also from time to time discuss professional golf, equipment trends, and courses throughout the world. As well as posting the anecdotes and humour from the world of golf.