My handicap factor hasn't been below 18 for at least five years. In fact, it ballooned to as high as 26.5 during the same period. After my latest round at Mill Run Golf Club, I'm happy to say that my handicap is once again below 18. If you're an 18 handicap, you're a true bogey golfer. Getting below this threshold is an important milestone; it gives you the feeling that you could be better than a bogey golfer. It brings you one step closer to 15, then 12, and so on. The next major milestone is 9, when you can call yourself a single digit handicap, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. It's a long road to that point, so let's just enjoy the current achievement.
I last played Mill Run in September 2014 on a cold, windy day. Navigating my way through the Grind and Grist nines, I finished that day with a score of 101. This time around, the weather wasn't much better. Playing as a single helped greatly, however, as I was able to move around the course very quickly. This allowed me to stay warm throughout. By the middle of the round, the sun also came out and warmed everything up by a couple of degrees. Playing the Grind and Grist nines once again, I managed to finish with a tidy score of 89. It was the second time in a row that I broke 90, and my fifth time this year.
The Grind got off to a marvellous start, thanks to a pair of bogeys, followed by three consecutive pars. The pars played out in very similar fashion, with an approach shot just off the green, followed by an excellent chip and a single putt. What a difference it makes when you can pitch and chip the ball close!
Holes #6 through #8 on Grind were my worst of the day, producing a pair of double-bogeys and a triple. The first of these started so promisingly when I hit a pinpoint 5-wood off the tee. This was followed by a mid iron to the 100-yard stick. I chose sand wedge for the approach into the par-5 green, but should have added more club. There was a tailwind, but due to the cold temperatures, the ball was not flying anywhere near normal distance. I came up short and then had some trouble on a slick section of green, 3-putting for a double.
I made the turn with a score of 46 and headed for The Grist. With a wide open fairway on Grist #1, I can't believe I found the fairway bunker on the right side. I had some lip trouble and only managed to get the ball short and right of the green. I had to punch under a huge tree and did so perfectly. The ball bounced into a mound and looked to roll very near the pin, which was positioned at the back of the green. Unfortunately, it had enough speed to roll right off the green. Despite a good chip, the ball rolled well past the hole on the quick surface. A very good putt almost saved bogey, but a tap-in was needed for double.
After this, it was smooth sailing the rest of the way, with 2 pars and 6 bogeys on the remainder of Grist. I was in control of my drives and the long irons were piercing through the wind when I needed them to. I got out of a few bunkers, both fairway and greenside, with relative ease. Last, but certainly not least, I was making some putts. When your driver, irons and short game are all working pretty well, what more can you ask for?
On the last hole, I piped a drive deep and to the centre of the fairway from the elevated tee. I took a look around to make sure nobody was watching, then raised both arms in the air in a mini celebration. Little moments like this are the reason I love golf so much. That feeling when you strike a ball purely, regardless of the outcome for the hole, is simply incredible. As it turns out, I thinned my approach into the green from 105 yards, leaving myself on the green, but extremely far from the hole. I almost made the 2-putt, but had to settle for bogey. It was my only 3-putt of the day.
And with this outing, 17.9 is my new handicap factor. Clawing my way back hasn't been easy and I'm not done yet. I'm still 2.2 points away from my personal best, and my goal is to go even lower than that. Let's set 15 as the next goal, starting now!
Score: 89
Putts: 33
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
Penalties: 0
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