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Played 2 round in 2 days 
Regular readers of this blog will know that I have been struggling of late.
A range session before round 11 was not enough to get my swing back in shape, but nonetheless I decided to just try and play through the problems and enjoy myself.
Round 11:
A bit nervous on the 1st tee and ended up flubbing the first 2 shots but recovered well to card a double bogie 7. Lipped out for birdie on 2 and tapped in for par and the round was underway, unlucky on 3 with a double, and just missed par on 4.
After a good drive on 5, I managed a quadruple (don't ask). Rebounded well with a bogie and then the whole round went to hell. Snap hook off the 7th tee and a triple bogie, then fat off the 8th into a creek.
Gathered myself again with a lovely long drive on 9, only to push my approach well wide of the green. Lovely chip to 4 feet, but then I three putted. I could feel my temperature rising as I headed for the 596 yard par 5 10th, fat off the tee and then pushslice, fat, pushslice, just on the green, 4 putt for a 9.
My temperature was now at boiling point, missing the 12th green and then chipping straight into a bunker, then over the green and back for a 7 (on a par 3 no less).
Steam escaping from my ears I duff the 12th tee-shot and end up with a double, another double at 13 (3 putt) and I am ready to kill someone.
Then as if by magic, a long straight tee-shot, an approach just on the fringe, a lovely chip and a tap in par putt. This was then followed by a lovely tee shot and a curving 18ft putt into the heart of the cup for birdie (7th lifetime), another straight drive and a lip out for birdie on 16, tap in the par.
What the good golf gods giveth they taketh away, back to the push-slice into a creek on 17 and a double, then a flub on 18 for another double.
A really frustrating round for a 53/50 103. However, even though I had 39 putts I felt really good about my putting, I was just miss-reading a lot of breaks and then rolling it right down my intended line. I did however get my 7th birdie of my life so I was rather happy with that.
Round 12:
My ride to the course arrived late and no time to warm up on the 1st tee, several duffs later I am writing down a lovely 9 on card in the box that says hole 1, oh Christ, not another day like yesterday.
Hole 2 was different, nice iron shot, lovely chip and rolled in the par.
Tee off on hole 3 and no bull, I push sliced it a good 60 yards right of my target. Wow I thought, just a one off, I have never hit it that far off course. Scramble like hell and get away with a bogie.
Next tee, same shit, massive push-slice. Now those unfamiliar with the family of slices will not know that the push-slice is worst of the slices, it sets off right and then curves further right. Right into the shit. Luckily another fairway was close by and even though I flubbed my recovery iron shot, I managed to scramble another bogie.
Decide to not hit my 5w after the last 2 holes but get no joy from the 7w. Then a hybrid related disaster caused a nasty quadruple bogie.
Next hole, a par 3, aim for the slice and hit it dead straight, go figure. Lovely recovery shot and then a bomb of a putt for a par. I knew I was putting well yesterday even though they were not dropping.
Hole 7, another chapter in the huge push-slice compendium, but a miraculous punch shot, great chip and was a lip out from a par, tap in bogie.
Hole 8 was another marvelous push slice, what has happened to the swing that gave me 11/14 fairways earlier this summer? Scramble a bogie though.
Hole 9 was heading towards a very similar fate when I missed a tap in for bogie, settling for a double. Front 9 50, with 2 pars, 4 bogies, 1 double and 2 quads. 15 putts, nice!
Hole 10, reasonable drive with the 7w, no way to reach the green in 2, chip on and then send another bomb of a putt right into the heart of the cup from 16 feet.
Putting again for par on 11 leave it an inch short, arrgghhh. Bogie.
Now, at this stage, Mr 5w is benched, 7w has taken over, but then joins his Dunlop brethren in the doghouse after a snap-hook off the 12th tee. Double bogie ensues.
Ok Mr 5w, you're in, *slice* "you're not making any friends here, are you" I curse at him under my breath. Bad lie, wedge it out and just miss the green and then under-hit my chip. You know what is coming, line up the long putt (22 feet) and whammo right in the heart for a bogie.
Right about know it dawns on me that if I can hit a green I am going to have a great chance at birdie. Tough ask as I again flub at tee shot and then hit a wedge that holds up in the wind and lands short of the green. Tough lie, hit the best chip I could and took 2 putts for a double.
Actually hit the fairway on 15!!!!! Miss the GIR by a fraction and end up with a spongy lie, over-hitting the chip and just missing out on another long range par. Bogie it is.
Another fairway, but into the wind I can't hit the green, leave myself an impossible chip and roll it off the other side of the green. chip and 2 putts adds up to a double.
17th, I hate this hole, a par 5 with 2 fairway crossing creeks. Great tee shot, wayhay, where was that all day, clear creek 1 rather fortuitously hitting a tree with yet another push-slice. Easy 8i to the green, nope, i duff it, under a tree, have to chip out sideways short of the creek and then airmail the green with my wedge, grrrrr. Great chip and a tap in for a 7.
18th, flub my drive, god this is unreal, with the short game, putting and iron play I have had today a few decent drives would have put me in the 80s no sweat, hay ho, no GIRs for me today. End up missing a 3 footer for bogie as well.
Final tally 50/49 for a 99. Felt good afterwards because my tee-shots were absolutely hideous today but I battled and scrambled and chipped and putted so well. I didn't give in, obviously some holes got the better of me and by the end of the round I didn't really want to hit my 5w, 7w or 24* hybrid off the tee, such was the disadvantage.
Anyhow, a trip to the range to sort out this latest mess is a priority. I will keep up with the putting and chipping practice as it is paying off big time. 30 putts for me today, that my friends is a PB.
Regular readers of this blog will know that I have been struggling of late.
A range session before round 11 was not enough to get my swing back in shape, but nonetheless I decided to just try and play through the problems and enjoy myself.
Round 11:
A bit nervous on the 1st tee and ended up flubbing the first 2 shots but recovered well to card a double bogie 7. Lipped out for birdie on 2 and tapped in for par and the round was underway, unlucky on 3 with a double, and just missed par on 4.
After a good drive on 5, I managed a quadruple (don't ask). Rebounded well with a bogie and then the whole round went to hell. Snap hook off the 7th tee and a triple bogie, then fat off the 8th into a creek.
Gathered myself again with a lovely long drive on 9, only to push my approach well wide of the green. Lovely chip to 4 feet, but then I three putted. I could feel my temperature rising as I headed for the 596 yard par 5 10th, fat off the tee and then pushslice, fat, pushslice, just on the green, 4 putt for a 9.
My temperature was now at boiling point, missing the 12th green and then chipping straight into a bunker, then over the green and back for a 7 (on a par 3 no less).
Steam escaping from my ears I duff the 12th tee-shot and end up with a double, another double at 13 (3 putt) and I am ready to kill someone.
Then as if by magic, a long straight tee-shot, an approach just on the fringe, a lovely chip and a tap in par putt. This was then followed by a lovely tee shot and a curving 18ft putt into the heart of the cup for birdie (7th lifetime), another straight drive and a lip out for birdie on 16, tap in the par.
What the good golf gods giveth they taketh away, back to the push-slice into a creek on 17 and a double, then a flub on 18 for another double.
A really frustrating round for a 53/50 103. However, even though I had 39 putts I felt really good about my putting, I was just miss-reading a lot of breaks and then rolling it right down my intended line. I did however get my 7th birdie of my life so I was rather happy with that.
Round 12:
My ride to the course arrived late and no time to warm up on the 1st tee, several duffs later I am writing down a lovely 9 on card in the box that says hole 1, oh Christ, not another day like yesterday.
Hole 2 was different, nice iron shot, lovely chip and rolled in the par.
Tee off on hole 3 and no bull, I push sliced it a good 60 yards right of my target. Wow I thought, just a one off, I have never hit it that far off course. Scramble like hell and get away with a bogie.
Next tee, same shit, massive push-slice. Now those unfamiliar with the family of slices will not know that the push-slice is worst of the slices, it sets off right and then curves further right. Right into the shit. Luckily another fairway was close by and even though I flubbed my recovery iron shot, I managed to scramble another bogie.
Decide to not hit my 5w after the last 2 holes but get no joy from the 7w. Then a hybrid related disaster caused a nasty quadruple bogie.
Next hole, a par 3, aim for the slice and hit it dead straight, go figure. Lovely recovery shot and then a bomb of a putt for a par. I knew I was putting well yesterday even though they were not dropping.
Hole 7, another chapter in the huge push-slice compendium, but a miraculous punch shot, great chip and was a lip out from a par, tap in bogie.
Hole 8 was another marvelous push slice, what has happened to the swing that gave me 11/14 fairways earlier this summer? Scramble a bogie though.
Hole 9 was heading towards a very similar fate when I missed a tap in for bogie, settling for a double. Front 9 50, with 2 pars, 4 bogies, 1 double and 2 quads. 15 putts, nice!
Hole 10, reasonable drive with the 7w, no way to reach the green in 2, chip on and then send another bomb of a putt right into the heart of the cup from 16 feet.
Putting again for par on 11 leave it an inch short, arrgghhh. Bogie.
Now, at this stage, Mr 5w is benched, 7w has taken over, but then joins his Dunlop brethren in the doghouse after a snap-hook off the 12th tee. Double bogie ensues.
Ok Mr 5w, you're in, *slice* "you're not making any friends here, are you" I curse at him under my breath. Bad lie, wedge it out and just miss the green and then under-hit my chip. You know what is coming, line up the long putt (22 feet) and whammo right in the heart for a bogie.
Right about know it dawns on me that if I can hit a green I am going to have a great chance at birdie. Tough ask as I again flub at tee shot and then hit a wedge that holds up in the wind and lands short of the green. Tough lie, hit the best chip I could and took 2 putts for a double.
Actually hit the fairway on 15!!!!! Miss the GIR by a fraction and end up with a spongy lie, over-hitting the chip and just missing out on another long range par. Bogie it is.
Another fairway, but into the wind I can't hit the green, leave myself an impossible chip and roll it off the other side of the green. chip and 2 putts adds up to a double.
17th, I hate this hole, a par 5 with 2 fairway crossing creeks. Great tee shot, wayhay, where was that all day, clear creek 1 rather fortuitously hitting a tree with yet another push-slice. Easy 8i to the green, nope, i duff it, under a tree, have to chip out sideways short of the creek and then airmail the green with my wedge, grrrrr. Great chip and a tap in for a 7.
18th, flub my drive, god this is unreal, with the short game, putting and iron play I have had today a few decent drives would have put me in the 80s no sweat, hay ho, no GIRs for me today. End up missing a 3 footer for bogie as well.
Final tally 50/49 for a 99. Felt good afterwards because my tee-shots were absolutely hideous today but I battled and scrambled and chipped and putted so well. I didn't give in, obviously some holes got the better of me and by the end of the round I didn't really want to hit my 5w, 7w or 24* hybrid off the tee, such was the disadvantage.
Anyhow, a trip to the range to sort out this latest mess is a priority. I will keep up with the putting and chipping practice as it is paying off big time. 30 putts for me today, that my friends is a PB.
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