thistle
"Give me a box of 'Provisional' balls, they go straight."
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Handicap: 0 | Average: 0
Cumbria, UK
Last Seen: October 10, 2008
thistle's Blog (about: handicap)
Last Post 89 days, 17 hours Ago
Posted: Dec 17, 2007 | 6:52 AM PST
Tags: Round, Golf, Handicap, Course, Prizes, Committee.
It has been some time since my last edition, and there have been some advances in my game.
I played in a club comp on Saturday gone and managed to finish in 4th position.  The Handicap Committee made a reduction to my handicap of 3.5 strokes.  This is a reflection on how my game has progressed over the past mnth or so.  I played again on Sunday, the end result was a 7th place finish which showed the reduction was correct.  Our H/C committee are very astute in their approach and can be heard sharpening their knives on a Friday night in anticipation of the coming weekend.
While I constantly strive towards a lower score, there are those who will do anything to protect their handicap.  These are the fellows who usually play within their own circle of friends and play for small purses.  They know who they are, every club has them in their ranks.  They then come out and play in tournaments where there are big prizes.  I think the term is "Sand-bagging".  Deservidly, this is frowned upon by decent golfers.

I believe a TRUE golfer is one who aims to perfect his game and acheive all he can by regularly entering the weekly comps & monthly medals.

In all I am well pleased with myself and my game. 

Posted: Sep 30, 2007 | 1:40 PM PST
Tags: Golf, Round, Score, Par, Birdie, Bogey, Coffee, Handicap
Being a Sunday, our club holds an "Enter on Arrival" comp for its members. 
Todays format was 'Bogey', that is to say you record a + for a Birdie, 0 for a Par, - for a Bogey.  (handicap adjusted)
I played to front nine reasonably well and had a score of +4, then I began the homeward stretch.  Try as I might, I could not improve my score and was getting annoyed with myself (I tend to mumble a lot to myself or go really quiet) so much that my playing companions actually commented on it (sorry lads).  I played holes 10 - 15 to par and then "the worm turned".  I Bogied the 16th & 17th to drop two points.  The 18th loomed ahead, I pulled out my driver, determined not to leave my self anywhere short.  My tee shot finished about 20yds in front of the Green, I chipped on only to see my ball run 20+ft past.  I then 3 putted to finish on +2 for the round.  I shook hands with the lads and walked silently back to the car.  I was constantly looking around for a dog to kick (no such luck).   My companions recorded scores of +5 & +7.  They both played very well and steadily through out which with hindsight is amazing given my demeanour towards the end of the day.

The only ray of sunshine in my day was that I didn't have to pay for the Coffees & Bacon Rolls.