Suppose you paid $72 at a golf course for 18 holes, but you were only able to play 8 holes due to rain. Suppose furthermore, that you were given a 9-hole rain check to be used on your next visit. After returning to the course and presenting the rain-check, how much would you expect to pay to play 18 holes?
a) $0
b) $36
c) $50
d) $72
It doesn't take a genius to understand that the correct answer is b) $36. Someone should explain this to the people running the course I played at earlier today. By some perverted sense of logic, they seem to believe the correct answer is c) $50. I won't mention the course by name, since it has already embarrassed itself plenty. I just hope they enjoy the extra fourteen dollars - they are likely the last of mine they will ever get.
Lest anyone decide to insinuate that I am cheap, as some are wont to do, let me remind you of something. Every cent I earn is for me, and me alone, to save, spend, or otherwise do with as I see fit. Do with your own money whatever you please, but mind your own business when it comes to mine.
As far as the round itself, there were a couple of distractions that led to a poor start. The greens fee shenanigans added to the fact that I was feeling rushed on the first tee. This was in spite of the fact that I was within a 5-minute drive of the course a full three hours before my tee time.
I had a golf lesson at a nearby location, which went well. After the lesson, I practiced on the range for about an hour. I left the range 45 minutes before my tee time at the other course, planning to pay for my lesson on the way out. Of course, the cashier's computer system crashed, and I spent over ten minutes waiting for it to re-boot. It never did, so I was told to go pay at the pro shop. When I arrived, there was nothing but a huge lineup and one very slow attendant. It took an additional ten minutes to settle up and get out of there.
I managed to arrive at the other course 15 minutes before my scheduled tee time, but my playing partners were eager to get going, so the end result was that I felt rushed. My first shot was a duff that splashed in a pond immediately in front of the tee box. Just like that, two strokes went down the drain. Once those strokes are gone, they're gone. Period. End of story. Even if I shot par the rest of the way, it wouldn't matter. My score would be two over par.
I hacked my way to a quadruple-bogey on hole #1, followed by two decent bogeys, before encountering more difficulty on hole #4. In a greenside bunker after two shots, I blasted my next one over the green and down a steep slope. The ball was unplayable in some deep fescue, so I was forced to take some relief at the cost of a penalty stroke. I pitched nicely onto the green and two-putted for a senseless triple-bogey.
In spite of the score on hole #4, I felt like I had settled into my normal rhythm at this point in the round. I made par on the fifth hole, which is the hardest the course has to offer. This was followed by four bogeys and two double-bogeys, which is a pretty good stretch for me.
On hole #12, I hit a series of terrible shots en route to another triple-bogey. Frustration, understandably, kicked in. Think about it. Are you pleased with yourself after you make a bad shot? I don't think so. Do you celebrate after taking four putts on a green? That would be ridiculous. Do you break out in song and dance a jig after making triple-bogey? Of course not. The reason you don't do any of these things is that you're human. Congratulations, so am I.
Thankfully, the poor play was just temporary. On the last six holes, I regained the consistency I had demonstrated on holes 5 through 11. The stretch included two pars, two bogeys, and two double-bogeys. It was good enough for a final score of 96.
That's not bad, but it's also not good. Some people might think I expect too much of myself, but I'm just not satisfied with scores in the mid or even low nineties.
To hell with mediocrity! The title of this blog is Chasing Par, not Chasing 96!
Score: 96
Par: 70
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
It was a rushed round. I understand your anxiety given all the events that lead up to the first tee and even the first tee shot. Understand that we all make mistakes and fall short. The game of golf is a humbling game. btw - $50 doesn't seem like the right answer no matter how you slice it.
ReplyDeleteLA
How I slice it? Is that a reference to my ball flight? :)
ReplyDeleteIt was a typical result for me - I'm just not satisfied with scores in the nineties any more.
If I ever start shooting in the eighties, I suppose i will reach a point where I expect to be in the seventies.
Even the pros expect to be in the sixties. That's the nature of golf.
LOL
ReplyDeleteI didn't mean to reference your ball flight - LOL
But this game is always about chasing a better score! I too am disappointed and in fact I am somewhat confused as to how to make things better and be more consistent. But I will keep trying...
LA