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.