SLO County Golf, Wine & Real EstateGolf, Wine & Real Estate News and Events Blog
Breaking 80!Saturday, June 18, 2005Since returning to the game of golf earlier this year, my goal has been to break 80 - an accomplishment I've only realized two or three other times when playing golf in the past. Today I reached that goal on a busy day at Chalk Mountain Golf Course in Atascadero! I scored a 79 by shooting only 2-over on the front and 5-over on the back, a round with only one double bogie and one 3-putted green. I hit 10 fairways and 11 greens in regulation, but failed to shoot a single birdie. I missed 2 makeable birdie putts. The most noteworthy hole today was 13, the second most difficult hole on the course. I reached this long uphill par 4 in 2 with a strong 5-wood, but left myself with an extremely long breaking putt. I aimed my putt nearly 10 feet left of the hole and left it only 2 feet from the hole for par. Most players consider a bogie on this hole a given - nicknamed "cardiac hill", it is hard to reach in 2. I also reached 9 in 2 - again with a 5-wood - and 2-putted for par, missing a makeable birdie putt. The 9th is the third handicap hole at Chalk. I bogied the hardest hole, the 6th, missing the green with a 3-wood. I hurried this shot since a female deer and her fawns were just starting to cross the fairway in front of me. Another personal accomplishment was finishing strong on 18. When I first played Chalk Mountain a couple weeks ago, I ruined what would have been my best round this year by finishing with a double bogie. Today I put my 2nd shot just 6-8 feet from the pin and 2 putted for a par. It's also worth noting that this 79 is 5 strokes better than any round I've shot so far this year.  What's most encouraging to me is that shooting a par round seems within reach. My inability to do so today wasn't a physical inability, but due entirely to mental mistakes or lapses in focus and concentration - mistakes that can be fixed. I am perfectly capable of being a scratch golfer. My success today resulted from staying composed and relaxed, and trusting my swing and putting. It wasn't a feeling of being in the "zone", it was more a result of letting go - not "trying". I put more emphasis on enjoying the experience of playing than on the results of playing - and the results came!  It's been my goal not only to break 80, but to do it without taking lessons. I don't want to get caught up in technique - thinking about what's right or wrong with my swing. I believe hitting a golf ball can be like throwing a ball - not something you need to think about or have someone show you how to do, but something your body just knows how to do. I don't think about how hard to throw or the arc to put on the ball or how far to take my arm back when throwing a ball a desired distance - I just aim and throw it. Hitting or putting a golf ball should be the same. You don't have to think about how hard to swing. You just need to get your thoughts out of the way and let your body do what comes naturally. I try only to visualize the target and the path I wish the ball to take, then trust my body to take it from there. I'm not suggesting that no instruction is necessary. I have read golf books and internet sites to learn how to grip the club, line up properly and addresss the ball. I've learned from others to take a low and slow backswing. Experience has taught me better course management, to consider external conditions like wind, and when to take risk. But that's where it ends. After that, all I do is quiet the mind, focus on the desired target, then take the club back slowly. The body does the rest. Today was the first day I succeeded in doing this on most of my shots. And when I didn't, I let it go and moved on to the next shot. And, although my improvement today also came after 8 days of not playing or practicing, I do find it necessary to practice - especially my short game. I don't spend much time on the range, but try to show up before starting a round in time to practice chipping and putting - which I did today. As they say, the touch required for your short game is the first thing you loose when taking time off and the last thing to regain. That's certainly been the case with my return to golf. So, with my goal of breaking 80 satisfied, my next goal is to shoot 75. But my biggest goal is to just enjoy and appreciate that I can get out and play. I can now treat myself to a round at Hunter Ranch Golf Course too - a course I've never played and one I've made myself wait to experience until after my goal of breaking 80 was realized. Hunter Ranch was my carrot. |
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