Golfblogger

Ocassionally golf conversations wander around to the subject of “What’s the best round you ever shot?”  One can look at it from a couple of angles - raw score, USGA Handicap Differential, or timing (as in performing at the right time).

My golf game has had its ups and downs over the span of many years.  I am fully capable of shooting 100+ but fortunately that does not happen often.  From a raw score standpoint “70” (par 71) is my best and only under par score.  The course has a rating of 70.2/116 so it is not exactly a demanding track.  That happened a few years ago.  Since that time there have been some very good rounds but never under par.  However one never knows, maybe tonight will be my best round ever!

80 on a 126 slope.  I have two 80s, three 81s, and I am getting to expect mid-80s as a regular score.

My problem is that I will start doing a lot of math around hole 15/16.  The last 80 was just awful- after a 42 on the front 9, I was on a string of pars when I hit #10.  On the back I went bogey, bogey, par, birdie, par, par, par.  1 over headed into an easy par 5 #17.  I struggled off the tee and recovered to be 4 feet from a birdie, and three putted to a bogey.  Then on 18 I was also putting for birdie and made a par.  One of the 81s was a double bogey on #18. 

I have now had 38s on both sides of this course, but I can’t get two of them together.  But netting 66 or 67 is pretty good, and usually worth some money with my group.  A couple weeks back, in a field of 15 players I won the only two skins for that day.

Martin, you are experiencing the pain of crossing the threshold.  I remember having the same experience; I was able to shoot in the 30’s for nine holes but just did not have the consistency to put 18 holes together.  It was frustrating.  The good news is, any day now you will be playing well and suddenly find yourself on the 18th green with 3 putts for a 78.  You will 2-putt and record a 77.  Anyone who can record an “80” is going to shoot in the 70’s.  Then you will need to cope with your expectations of 70’s for a month or two until you do it again.  Soon shooting in the 70’s will be a relatively common event (once or twice every month - then every other round) and your target will shift to level par or, dare we say it, something in the 60’s.

I’m too old to expect to ever be a scratch golfer.  However, I am trying to shift my thinking to “Par” instead of “79”.  I am not a great proponent of golf psychologists but there really is something about setting a target that is challenging yet reachable.

All of the Golf Blogger followers expect a detailed report on your first sub-80 round.  It is going to happen and we want the details.

My best was somewhere in the low 80s on a fairly easy course. I’ve always got two or three holes per round on which I blow up completely. If I could just bogey those holes, I’d be in the low to mid 80s constantly.