6 iron from the tee on the par 3 10th and I tug it a little left, get a massive bounce left and finish pin high in the trash about 25m from the pin. Somehow manage to find the green about 20 feet from the pin with my bump n run 7 iron from the rough and would make that par putt for a nice up and down that brings a smile to my face and 3 more points for the card.

3 iron again from the tee at the par 4 11th and again, sweetly struck, rifle straight down the centre, drawing slightly left in flight, finishing centre left of fairway right between the 150m markers. No excuse for not knowing the yardage in from here. 8 iron flies beautifully on line, pitches a foot on the front edge of the green and sucks back off to finish about 2m from the surface. Chip to about 10 feet and make the putt for a par 4 and 3 more points.

3 iron again from the tee on the par 4 12th and this time I pull it left into the tree line. Being in the clear amongst some gum trees, I have to take enough club to get back out on to the fairway over the trees and striking the 8 iron nicely the ball flies out over the trees to finish back in the fairway about 50m from the green. Sand Iron finds the putting surface, though not very close and I 2 putt from about 30 feet for a bogey 5 and 2 more points.

You guessed it, 3 iron again from the par 5 13th tee and again struck sweetly, finishing centre left of the fairway. Again 3 iron, trying to take off some of the dogleg, but manage to pull the shot a little left of my target and the ball flies nicely but left and runs out of fairway and into the left hand light rough about 40m from the green. Catch the 7 iron bump n run a little heavy and leave it short of the green. Chip on to about 15 feet and make the par putt from there for a par 5 and 3 more points.

3 iron from the par 4 14th tee and again sweetly down the middle. This fairway has been recently dug up and resewn and is a compulsory tee up for the moment and having left myself about 80m from the front edge, I'm between my 60° lob wedge and my pitching wedge so settle on full lob wedge, and trying to remember to clip the tee I swing a little too easily and leave it 15m short. Now trying to chip the ball from a tee is something I don't enjoy doing and I clearly don't quite catch the ball well and I blade it across the green and off the back edge, from there its another chip to about 10 feet and another 1 putt green a bogey 5 and 2 more points.

3 iron again from the par 4 15th tee and again straight down the middle to about 160m away. 7 iron looks good in the air only to come up a little short and I would chip on and 1 putt for a par 4 and 3 more points.

3 iron again to the centre of the 16th fairway and this fairway, like the 14th, has been recently dug up and resewn and is compulsory tee up. This time I've left myself a full sand wedge and it comes up a little short. Chip on to about 15 feet and whilst waiting on the green for my playing partners to join me, the "fun" starts......

Firstly, I will point out that the 16th green is elevated from the playing fairway some 3 or 4 metres at its left hand edge and the pin was cut only some 6-12 inches from the point of no return beside the fall off down this 3-4 metre elevation. NASTY. Having been a nice sunny day, the greens had quickened up across the day and two of my playing partners, having found the putting surface with their 2nd shots, had rolled attempted birdie putts far enough past the hole to run off the green and down the embankment.

So with our collective frustrations with the pin placement growing, the group behind us seemed to take some umbrage at the time they were sitting on their bags behind us and one of them decided that it was time to hit up. Thankfully, someone called fore and his shot wasn't a good one, finishing some 10m short. At this point my group on the green looks back and as we watch, another member of the group behind decides its time for him to play his shot, this time no call of fore, and this time thankfully again the shot is a poor one and again finishes some 10m short.

That was about the end of my day, as in my opinion, hitting up is one of the more cardinal sins and it is fair to say I lost my cool.

After giving the group behind a mouthfull, I stepped up to my putt and mindfull of the peril if I hit it too far past the hole I hit it far too softly and finished about half way to the hole. Still not wanting to run the ball off the green I tapped it towards the hole, again leaving it short, finally tapping that next one in for an anger effected 3 putt and double bogey 6 and 1 more point. It would also turn out to be my final point for the day.

Whilst on the 17th tee waiting for the green to clear, the guys behind arrive at the green and the guy who hit up on us second pipes up about how slow we are. It's all my playing partners can do to stop me from going over and giving this guy what is rightfully coming to him, but they manage to talk me out of it and I promptly sp[ray my tee shot on the par 3 17th well right into the trees and dead. My chip had to be away from the flag towards the back of the green. Hitting it, it caught the lone overhanging branch and stopped dead, still under the same tree. From there the mist well and truly closed over and I hacked at the ball and knocked it well out, and hacked it again towards the green and missed it and rolled it towards the hole with the putter and didn't hole it and picked it up and walked towards the 18th tee, leaving my playing partners to hole out without me, to try to calm down enough so that I could play the last.

It didn't work......

I swung lustily into my 3 iron off the 18th, blocked it right into the trees. On getting to it, I was dead under a low tree, grabbed a club, can't even remember which one it was now and poked at the ball back handed such was the poor quality of my lie and got it out and into the fairway somehow. With whatever club I had in my hand, I got to my ball and hit at it again, not even bothering with my pre shot routine, just happy to smash something other than the cause of my frustrations. A couple more of these and remarkably I found myself greenside with a shot to spare for a point. Duffing that chip shot saw me left with a 40 foot putt for a point which I didn't even bother to attempt to roll, I just picked up and went and tended the flag for my playing partners.

Once the mist had cleared, I signed for 35 stableford points. I would come in a tie for 8th on a day where 40 points prevailed.
And, me with no points on the last two holes.
All in all a good ball striking day for me, also putted well. 2 3 putt greens notwithstanding. Both were mental errors on my part.

As I said at the outset, Dr Bob's book is going to get another read from cover to cover several more times between now and when I next go out. And, the 1 iron will be joining the driver and 3 metal at home, having a holiday.
What a day......
As always, thanks for reading.
Cheers