The Joy of Golf

Golf has much in common with poker - masses of disappointment punctuated with moments of elation.

I have never played seriously nor consistently, but I have played on and off for a long time. Last year, during my sabbatical, I took lessons (again) and the improvement was dramatic (but very short lived).

During that time I played maybe 12 rounds in as many weeks. Since then - over the past 12 months - I have played exactly once.

So, I was very rusty, but when in Spain ....

Roger arranged for me to join his team in a regular team of 4 Stableford game. Best 2 scores of 4 to count on each hole. All very friendly he assured (which it was).

I played some good holes, but more bad ones. Roger was conspicuously generous in his assessment of my play, which was nice, but my game was weak indeed.

Still, I enjoyed it enough to play again on the following Monday. Wow ! Almost from the 1st tee, it was a totally different game. Objectively, it was still high-handicap golf - I scored a gross 98 strokes and achieved 35 Stableford points playing off 26. But it was probably my best round since records began (the records have been lost, but I can only recall one other sub-100 score).

But the manner of the 98 shots made it feel like a far better round. I regularly 3 and 4-putted, which is terrible of course. But the point is it meant I was hitting really well from tee to green. Even though those missed 6-footers are as costly in actual scoring as a mis-fire on the fairway, it feels so different.

Yes it is frustrating that I did not convert my play into a real blockbuster score, but the realisation that with even moderately good greens-play I could have shot 90 more than made up for it.

We had a team of only 3 on the day but with my run-of-form and with Greg (the third member) scoring 40 points, our combined score was a solid looking 85. On Friday, 80 won easily.

Roger "El Bandido" was rehearsing his excuses for the bandit-in-law need not have worried though as another 3-handed team turned in 97 (!!). Their "young gun" carding a net 62 playing of 15 (hmm...)

Golf, as we know, thinks nothing of building you up to knock you down, but I do expect to swap some green-baize time for green-fees time. It's such an easy game !