Three holes into the round on Sunday and one of my playing partners commented his mind was just not on the game and it was going to be a long day for him. I appreciate that honesty in golfers that often gets blurted out, it epitomises the unique bond this sport of individuals creates. To which my reply was I can relate to that attitude having had it myself, but could not care less how it is going to affect his day because I am a selfish b@st@rd. He cracked up and laughed and the round went on in a good nature.
Particularly enjoyable for me after the last 3 weeks of playing Pennants (as mentioned in the previous post) which was a pain in the @rse. To finish with an 82 off the stick with some good fortune that balanced out the bad shots second place on the day with 40 points, the missed birdie putt on the 16th and 18th cost me a win. This score is going to take me from 14 to 13 Hcp which is very satisfying. At the minute my mind is finally starting to come to terms with playing off this handicap level and no longer bemused at seeing my name next to that figure.
Booked in for a lesson this week with the club pro, this time a finessing treatment to establish the set up routine to avoid making the slight errors which are so damaging to playing to lower handicaps. All is well with my grip, swing and equipment. The Club Pro now has to set me up with the mental attitude/focus to reach that goal of a 10 Handicap. He said he could do it and after two years of following his advice I am in position to hit the target. For those that think this is an undue amount of time in development please take on that my body is to be blunt, damaged beyond repair and I have had at least 6 months of enforced recovery time.
From the start of yesterdays round to the end I was coping with soft tissue pain that was irritated with every full swing and follow through. Forcing myself to keep the front (left) foot planted on the ground and not lifting the heel to not have pain as my back twisted and hips turned with each swing. The benefit was accurate shots to the green and good distance, a good score came from not favouring relief to the discomfort. Why I believe that getting to 10 Hcp is possible is because of rounds like yesterday. To those who would throw in that adage, “No pain, No gain” Come a little closer so can kick you in the groin and help you improve. That is bullsh!t when it comes to my experience, fine if you are talking about gym exercise and the like. For a person dealing with injury and rehabilitation I do not enjoy pain one iota and would give anything to not have to endure it.
Getting the positives out of the negatives is why I am still breathing today and not stopping trying to achieve a little more satisfaction and enjoyment in life. The day I sit back and see that 10 in my handicap box is going to be a pleasure. Soon replaced by planning to get to a single figure handicap. Thankyou for your time and attention. “Hit ‘em straight all.”
Geoff
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