An up and down week

16th at Hesketh

Sunday was our invitation and I invited a girl from Hesketh, we gelled very well and were delighted to finish 2nd.

 On Tuesday the Ellesmere team play at Wilmslow in the last 16 of the Bell Cup, Wilmslow have a good record in the cup and turned out a team whose highest handicap was 12 so all our team were receiving shots. Nevertheless playing a team of very good players on their own course was a big challenge, which fortunately we were up to, just. We won 4-3 on the last green. For myself I won my match 2up, a very good first nine set me up and I managed to hold on despite a spirited comeback, only winning thanks to a birdie on the par 5 last hole.

On Wednesday saw me on the road again this time to Hesketh, a links course in Southport, were I played in the Invitation, with the girl who played with me at Ellesmere on Sunday. I started really well parring 8 out of the first 10 holes, a dropped of a little in the middle of the 2nd nine but
came back well. We finished 2nd again in the competition and I really enjoyed the day.

After two good away days I was hoping to keep my good form for our weekly medal, but alas it was not to be and I played very poorly finishing with a gross 98, net 83 and a 0.1 increase in handicap, I was starting to think that I just cant play well at home.

With those thoughts in my mind, I wasn't expecting much in the 36 hole Club Championship today, however in the morning I played nicely turning in 42, with 3 pars and 6 bogeys, a thinned pitch cost me a double on the 1oth, but a par at the 11th, got it back, but another thinned pitch at the 12th cost me another double. Three pars at 13, 14 and 15 got me back on track, but a safety chip on the 16th went wrong and taking 2 out of a bunker meant another bogey. I hit 3 good shots to the longest hole on the course, but unfortunately a 3 wood from 170 yards out ran through the green and into the stream at the back and that was another double. Finally on the last I putt my tee shot into a green side bunker and again took 2 to get out, so a 3rd successive double, 48 on the back nine meant a gross 88, net 73, very annoying as the 3 dropped shot on the closing holes cost me a handicap reduction.
 Particularly pleasing was the way I putted on fast greens with awkward positions, not  3 putting once.
Sadly this didn't last into the afternoon and I took 4 putts on the first hole! In fact I didn't start well at hole, a tee shot right behind a tree on the 2nd a a good drive that took a bad bounce on the 5th into a hazard meant I really started badly. I did improve although another 2 out of a bunker and a couple of 3 putts meant a step back for every step forward, but I did play a lot better on the back nine.   only taking 42 which with a front nine of 48 gave me a gross 90, nett 75, happily in my buffer zone.

No shot by shot breakdown this week as  I need to get to bed as  I am up very early to go on holiday for 2 weeks. I am sure I will benefit from a 2 week break with no golf, but its a shame I will miss 2 team knockout matches while I am away. I hope the team do the business in my absence.

Still playing better in matchplay than stroke play

Wilmslow clubhouse and 9th and 18th greens

After 11 competitive rounds in 11 days, I had a break at the weekend so on Monday felt well rested for the semi-final of the Hebblethwaite, our four ball better ball knockout. I had the lowest handicap of the four of us and so had to give shots to the other three.
We won the first with a bogey and then one of our opponents parred the next 3 holes, I parred one of them but was giving a shot, so we lost all three to be 2 down after 4 holes. Fortunately we rallied and won the 5th, then after halving the next 3 my partner parred the 8th with a shot to bring us all back to all square and when she also birdied the 9th we turned one up. We halved the 10th then I birdied the 11th to move 2 ahead, We shared the 12th with pars then I won the 13th with another par despite giving shots to the other three. We lost the 14th to a par but then another par, with a shot, by my partner won the 15th to put us dormie 3up. A bogey 5 for me was enough to win the 16th and the match by 4&2. We are now in the final will play the pair that have won the competition the last 2 years.

On Tuesday I went to Wilmslow to play the course in advance of our Bell Cup last 16 match next week, It was a very hot day and I had to use my umbrella to get some shade. Wilmslow is a very nice course, the main features being that it is quite long and has a lot of fairway bunkers, so thought is needed with a lot of tee shots, There are also a few tricky par 3s, where club selection is very important. Other than that the course looked straight forward with no really tricky greens, a feature that I often find the main problem when playing away courses. We saw the Wilmslow team list while we were there and only one of their team does not have  a single figure handicap, so we will be playing against very good golfers but will all be receiving shots which ought to help and make it a close match.

Thursday's competition was strokeplay, a qualifier for the Bunty Booth, a Manchester and District competition. I started well, parring 2 of the first 4 holes but an awful drive and then finding a ditch cost me a 9 on the 5th hole. I steadied and had 3 pars in the next 7 holes to get back on track but then 3 double bogeys, mostly due to poor putting, over the last 6 holes meant I finished with 92 shots for a net 77. Fortunately due to stable adjustments I still managed to finish in my buffer zone so escaped a 0.1 increase to my handicap. It was a glorious day and some of the scoring reflected than, with 6 players scoring 70 or better, the winner having a 64, the lowest winning score there has been while I have been a member.

Earlier in the year I entered the Nike matchplay competition, a nationwide tournament where the finals are held in Portugal in the new year. The competition starts of as a regional knockout with up to 16 players in each group, with the winner of the group going through to the regional final. My group had 14 players in it and I was fortunate to get a bye in the first round. On Friday I went to play my 2nd round match against a man from Romiley golf club, the competition is open to both men and women.
My opponent plays of 8 and so I received 7 shots for the difference in handicaps plus another 2 as the men's SSS was 2 less than the ladies. My opponent started badly and I won the first 2 holes, but then he got his game together and he won 3 of the next 6 holes to be one up after 8, poor drives from him on 9 and 10, which I birdied, meant I won both holes and when I parred the 11th I was back to 2 up. I received shots on the 12,13 and 14 but he played them well, including his 2nd birdie of the round so after 14 I was only 1up. The 15th is a par 3 and I found the green while he missed it and a par put me back to 2 up, We both parred 16 to leave me dormie two, but he was on the 17th in 2 while I was50 yards short, I was getting my last shot on this hole though and I hit a lovely wedge shot to 4 feet from the hole, he missed a long birdie putt and the match was over , with me winning 3 & 1.
I enjoyed the course very much and played pretty well, being 2 shots under my handicap when the match finished. I am now in the last 4 of my group and will have a home tie in the next round where my opponent will be a guy off either 3 or 8.

As usual details of Thursday's round.

Hole 1, I found the green with a 6 iron of the tee, but left my first putt woefully short, so 3 putted for a bogey 4.

Hole 2, A decent drive and then a lovely 3 wood which found the green, 2 putts gave me a par 4.

Hole 3, A good drive and a lay up short of the ditch, but a topped 8 iron meant I had to pitch on then 2 putt for a bogey 6.

Hole 4, A little fortunate to get a good bounce from my tee shot to find the green and 2 putts for a par 3.

Hole 5, An awful tee shot high and left found the bushes and I had no shot so took a penalty drop, I still didn't have a great lie and couldn't take a proper back swing, nevertheless I got good contact and was unlucky to find the ditch that crosses the fairway, so another penalty drop, I hit a poor 5th shot then managed to find the edge of the green but then 3 putted again for a quintuple bogey 9.

Hole 6, A decent drive and 3 wood left a pitch to the green and 2 putts gave me a par 5.

Hole 7, A reasonable drive, left me a 5 iron to the green but unfortunately my shot ran through the green and over into a hazard, so another penalty drop, but a chip and a putt gave me a bogey 5.

Hole 8, Another reasonable drive, but my 3 wood was a little right and meant I had to try and get the ball under overhanging tree braches and I failed to get it on the green, a chip and 2 putts gave me a bogey 6.

Hole 9, A reasonable tee shot missed the green but a chip and 2 putts for a bogey 4.

So a front 9 of 46, 8 decent holes, let down by the 9 and also 3 putting the first.

Hole 10, A good drive and then a 3 wood just short of the green, my chip on was rather short but 2 putts for a bogey 5.

Hole 11, I hit a nice drive but had to lay up in front of the ditch, A good wedge found the green from 90 yards and 2 putts gave me a par 5.

Hole 12, My drive was just short of the green, I chipped to 10 feet and holed a nice downhill putt for a par 3.

Hole 13, My drive was a little short and right, I hit a decent recovery but then fluffed a pitch, I chipped on and 2 putts for a double bogey 6.

Hole 14, My tee shot found a bunker in front of the green but I got it out and 2 putted for a bogey 4.

Hole 15, My tee shot was a little high and short but a good 3 wood left me a 9 iron to the green, unfortunately I mishit it and then having found the green with my next, 3 putted for a disappointing double bogey 7

Hole 16, A long drive but also a long way right still gave me an 80 yard pitch to the green, I hit it well but it ran off the green, I chipped to 4 feet but missed the putt so a bogey 5.

Hole 17, A reasonable drive and then a 7 iron short of the ditch, I hit a nice 3 wood which found the green but another 3 putts meant a bogey 6.

Hole 18, A topped tee shot, then a short pitch left a chip on and 2 putts for a poor double bogey 5 to finish.

Another 46 for the second nine, where again  I played 8 holes pretty well only to be spoilt by a couple of poor pitches and some more 3 putting. A total of 92 shots which less my 15 handicap gave me a net 77.

Despite the poor score I felt I mainly played well, as usual poor putting cost me, my main problem seems to be being too tentative on long putts, I do need to be more positive. Also the occasional tendency to hit my drive  high and left. I don't know why I am doing it, and I only do it once a round as a rule but it always costs me a lot of shots, a trip to the pro could well be needed to try and cure it.
I also do occasionally mishit my 52 and 56 degree wedges, although I am getting a lot more confident using them.
I have a couple of  competition free days this coming week and I really must spend time practicing my short game before the club championship next weekend.

To the hills... and beyond

Looking down from the 17th tee at Oldham

Sunday was another board comp, I played reasonable but unfortunately  I had three 9s, which is guarenteed to spoil any card. I didn't actually play that badly and 5 pars, but the nines were annoying, especially as they were all on par 5s where  I tend to get most of my pars.

On Monday the shield team headed for Oldham, for the first of two shield matches in 3 days, we were looking for just a half to make sure we won our group. Oldham is an interesting course, set on the side of a hill above the town. It is quite short really and the first 8 holes are very benign and don't prepare you for what is to follow. When you reach the 9th you are faced with a steep uphill hole, you then start traversing the hill, with most of the next 7 holes blind drives, even the par 3s. The greens are also very tricky and often quite small with borrows that you don't see, I managed to three putt 4 or 5 holes on the back nine. You then descend steeply on the 17th before returning to the clubhouse on the fairly flat 18th. Despite the 3 putts, I played very well on the first few holes and managed to keep my lead to win my match 2&1, but sadly we only managed one half in the other 6 matches and so lost by 5½ to 1½..

Wednesday saw me off for a shield match at Saddleworth, this was our final shield match in the group and as Saddleworth were the only club that can beat us in the group, we were keen to get that elusive draw that would be enough. Saddleworth is high in the hills on the edge of the Pennines with what may be the highest tee in England. Despite its height, most holes, like at Oldham traverse the hill. so the only a few holes that really ascend or descend. I started the match really badly and found myself 3 down after only 6 holes, I did fight back but then fell behind again and was dormie 2 down with 2 holes to play. Fortunately I won the last 2 holes to get a half and preserve my unbeaten record in single matches for the club. Sadly, once more, we only had one win and one other half and so lost the match by 5 games to 2. So the result of our group is still in the balance, with Saddleworth needing to win their last 2 matches and win 11 games in the process, a tough ask but not impossible. The sad thing is that if we do end up wining our section, I will miss the quarterfinals due to being away on holiday.

View from Saddleworth

On Thursday, I was on the course early to play in the medal, before heading hot foot down to Chorlton-cum-Hardy to play in the open there in the afternoon. I felt that I played really well in the medal, without getting any breaks I found a lot of bunkers, some of which cost me shots and I finished with a round of 90 for a net score of 75, at least it  was within my buffer zone.

After a quick snack I was off  to Chorlton and a shotgun start , my driving was a little erratic but when I hit a decent drive, I played the holes very well and unlike the morning, when I didn't hole a putt longer than 3 feet, I holed 4 or 5 putts of over 15 feet. The competition was for teams of 3,  with the best 2 scores on each hole to count, the three of us combined very well and we finished with 84 points, wining the competition by  9 points. It was reassuring to know that I didn't struggle to play 36 holes in a day as our 36 hole Championship is coming up in 2 weeks, I fell asleep pretty quickly when I got home though.

My final game of the week, was also in an open at Leigh Golf club, playing with the same 2 girls I played with at Chorlton I really didn't start well for the first several holes and we didn't have a great score on the first 9 holes, where  the best 2 scores counted but on the 2nd nine all 3 counted and we played a lot steadier, we finished with 82 points which was less than the day before but with only one group left to finish we were in first place again. The last group pipped us, but we still finished in a creditable 2nd place.

Thursday's medal round.

Hole 1, I hit a nice 6 iron that finished pin high about 20 feet away from the hole, 2 putts gave me a par 3 to start.

Hole 2, A nice drive and then a well hit 3 wood, which finished pin high but in a green side bunker, I got out in one and 2 putted for a bogey 5.

Hole 3, Another nice drive then I laid up short of the ditch, a 120yard 8 iron, again finished pin high but in a bunker, I came out thinned and had to chip on to the green, then 2 putted for a double bogey 7.

Hole 4, a 6 iron off the tee found the greenside bunker, I failed to get out first time, then 2 putted for a double bogey 5.

Hole 5, A reasonable drive, then a 5 wood a bit wide, I chipped on and 2 putts gave me a bogey 5.

Hole 6, A wayward drive, but a good 3 wood left me about 120 from the green, I pulled my 8 iron left, then failed chip on, on for 4 and 2 putts for a bogey 6.

Hole 7, A decent drive then a 3 wood from 160yds found the front of the green, 2 putts for a par 4.

Hole 8, A good drive and decent 3 wood left an 80yd pitch, I found the green and 2 putts gave me a par 5.

Hole 9, A 9 iron found the back of the green and 2 putts gave me my 3rd par in the row, this time a 3.

So 43 shots for the front 9 bang on handicap, 4 pars but a couple of dropped shots with poor bunker shots and a poor chip, but the par, par, par finished set me up well for the back nine.

Hole 10, A good drive, then a 3 wood to the right of the green, a chip on and 2 putts for a bogey 5.

Hole 11, A reasonable drive, then a 7 iron lay up in front of the ditch got a bad bounce and left me 120yds from the green, but in the rough, I came out thin and missed the green on the right, a chip on and 2 putts for a bogey 6.

Hole 12, A bad drive, way left,  was followed by a duffed chip, I chipped on for 3 and 2 putted for a double bogey 5.

Hole 13, A short  drive then  a decent 3 wood left me a chip over a bunker, I thinned it into the bunker, I got out then 2 putted for a double bogey 6.

Hole 14. I just missed the green with my tee shot but chipped to a foot and holed for a par 3.

Hole 15, A decent drive and 3 wood left a 9 iron to the green, I hit the green but the ball rolled off the back, I chipped on but 2 putted again for a bogey 6.

Hole 16, A great 200 yard plus drive left me 80 yds to the green, I duffed the pitch, then chipped on and 2 putted for a bogey 5.

Hole 17, A decent drive into the win, then a 7 iron to lay up, I hit a good 3 wood which just failed to roll down the bank onto the green, I chipped but then hit a poor first putt and missed the 2nd so a double bogey 7.

Hole 18, My tee shot found the fringe of the green, I chipped on and 2 putted for a bogey 4.

So a disappointing 47 on the back nine, for a total of 90 which gave me  a net 75, which was at least in my buffer zone. I mostly  hit the ball well from tee to around green, but I didn't get close enough with most of my chips and didn't hole a decent putt all morning, although several just slipped by. I am now confident in getting very close to every green in regulation but I need to hit straighter approaches as I often find myself pin high but off the green and need 3 more shots to get down.