What did you shoot today?

[bkuehn1952.2]

I played in our club's Match Play tournament last week. We had 40 guys divided into 5 brackets of eight players based on our course playing handicap. I was in bracket #2. Normally a Match Play tournament would have a single bracket of 32 or 64 but we did not want to play more than 3 days or more than 18 holes in a single day. Instead of 1 Champion we had 5 Bracket Champions.

I am not a huge fan of Match Play. I rarely want to beat the crap out of an opponent. Last week I decided to just play the course and not give a shit about winning or losing.

First match I self-described as Pinnochio (me) vs. Godzilla (Carl). We played different tees and our handicaps were adjusted accordingly. Carl was a "5" and I was a "6" so I got one shot. I was on the Middle tee, Carl the Back tee. This guy could hit the piss of of the ball. And he was straight most of the time. On an average hole I was 20-30 ahead of Carl when we teed off. After our tee shots he would be 40-60 yards ahead of me. He birdied the first two holes and my single handicap shot saved me on #2 so I was only down 1. The match see sawed back and forth with Carl occasionally giving me a win by 3-putting or making an error. He had 5 birdies to my -0- but I won 2 & 1.

Match #2, I played Jim, a guy a few years older than I. He played the Front tees so he had to give me 2 shots. I wanted to beat Jim as he is a bit pompous. He always has the latest PXG equipment. He still hits the ball decently much of the time so often he out drove me by 30-40 yards using the Front tee advantage. His favorite saying when he does something good is, "Yeah, baby!!!" He got up early on me and I heard "Yeah baby" a lot. I just plodded along and let him give me holes. Then I birdied back to back on the second nine and put him away 3 & 2.

The final Match was against Chris. He is a better player but since he was on the Back tees, I gave him a shot. The Match was tied going into #18. He duck hooked his drive into the shit, I was safe. He dropped and pushed his 3rd shot into the woods. Match over 1 Up.

I shot 77, 76 and 78 for the event (for fun, I played in each day). The course was set up fairly easy so in reality the scores are not that impressive. However, my "plan" to just play the course worked.

You may now address me as: The Chump … oops, The Champ.

[CeeBee]

Excellent game plan.

[MattF]

Congratulations @bkuehn1952.2

[GBOGEY]

Very Impressive BK - Well Done!!!

[GBOGEY]

Best weekend play since my reset. Yesterday 77/5.2, didn’t have my best stuff as I only hit 6 greens, but the misses were small so I was able to save par 6 times. Other than a few putts missed, which was at least partially due to aeration not being completely healed, not much to complain about except #18. I hit a weak drive into the wind, found the fairway but was a 5i from the pin. I knew that a 5i would likely be short of the green or a long two putt at best, but I also realized that a 5i meant par or bogey and DB was out of consideration. So I hit a 4H figuring I could pull it off and the wind would keep me short of the hazard. STUPID, in the drink - took my drop and from 50 yards put it to 10 feet and them made my only putt of the day.

Today 79/7.1, hit the ball better but had several mental lapses.

On the plus side, didn’t putt great either day so I definitely could have been lower. Also, was very conscientious to avoid the wicked pulls that plague me - only two over both days and one didn’t hurt me at all. Biggest plus, no DBs over either day.

Minuses- driving wasn’t great and not getting great distance off the tee.

[GBOGEY]

Hopefully for you guys my last blogging about my game as if feels that my reset is complete. Handicap has reached low 6’s again. While still higher than pre-move, very acceptable given our course difficulty. Plus, I’m struggling mentally to shoot below 77 which needs to happen to break 6. Four rounds this week:

Tuesday - 77/5.4 - strong round that could have been something really special as I was +2 through 15. A couple of weak bogeys on the last three holes stopped it from being a really special round.

Thursday - 79/6.4 - played at a buddy’s course which is a top 200 / bucket list venue. Tough start, +4 after three although at least two of the strokes were due to being unfamiliar with the course (I’d played it once before but in awful conditions). After that +3 for the last 15 holes including a DB. The DB was most unusual. It was a par 3 with the pin tucked into a sucker position at 175 yards with a good wind in my face. I decided to hit 5i, knowing that I would likely be in the front middle of the green with 40-50 feet to the flag but I thought 4H would bring in DB. First part worked perfectly, hit the green, but more like 60-70 feet to the flag. I then putted it really hard to get there and I putted it right off the green into a bunker. Bogeyed the next hole but then finished with four straight pars, including two tasty saves.

Friday - 78/6.1 - strange round as I didn’t have great stuff, only 7 GIRs, but most of my misses were small so I was able to get up and down 5 times. The most interesting situation was early when I hit my ball near a small creek. I was blocked from the green and was only going to be able to punch out, have a wedge to the green and then a probably bogey. As I was lining up my shot I look over and there’s a decent size gator, say 6 feet, about two feet away from me in the water. So I quickly took my free relief which gave me a slim shot at the green which I made and then two putted for par.

Saturday - 83/10.5 - my run of 6 straight good scores crashed to an end. Actually played okay in brutal heat, but three unplayable drives and two short game errors did me in as well as a few what should have been easy saves not saved. I guess I used it all up on Friday.

Overall, since the reset 12 rounds, avg. score of 79.9, avg. differential of 7.8. This feels like what I should be doing if I play reasonably well. Let’s hope I can keep it up.

[bkuehn1952.2]

Hopefully for you guys my last blogging about my game as if feels that my reset is complete. Handicap has reached low 6’s again. While still higher than pre-move, very acceptable given our course difficulty. Plus, I’m struggling mentally to shoot below 77 which needs to happen to break 6.

Good work with the reset. It is easy to lose one's game and hard to get it back.

[CeeBee]

You have it going on GBOGEY. you’ll get under 6 this fall.

[bkuehn1952.2]

Well guys, I did it. Born 71 and 10 months ago. Today I shot 71. 6,039 yards. Par 71. 69.2/115.

6 birdies. I fortunately was not thinking about shooting my age. I was just reveling in playing so well. When I got up and down for par on the 403 yard closing hole, I was feeling great. Then I added up the card and realized I had checked off a big item for my golf "career".

The thing that helped was playing with another single, "Juan". Juan was probably 55-60 years old, very up beat and talked as much as I did (which often is a lot). We just had a great time. I had noticed that there was a single signed up for the 2nd tee time of the day so I made it a 2-some.

[sjduffers]

Well guys, I did it. Born 71 and 10 months ago. Today I shot 71. 6,039 yards. Par 71. 69.2/115.

6 birdies. I fortunately was not thinking about shooting my age. I was just reveling in playing so well. When I got up and down for par on the 403 yard closing hole, I was feeling great. Then I added up the card and realized I had checked off a big item for my golf "career".

The thing that helped was playing with another single, "Juan". Juan was probably 55-60 years old, very up beat and talked as much as I did (which often is a lot). We just had a great time. I had noticed that there was a single signed up for the 2nd tee time of the day so I made it a 2-some.

Fantastic! I want to be like you when I grow up: I am only 65, and shooting 65 anywhere is not really realistic... That is my ONE long-term golf goal and you have done it. I knew a guy who did it on average once a month for several years, in this 80s, playing from the forward tees. I have heard about another guy that did it over 150 times in his 70s and was a club champion for some of that time. But, I just want to be like you and do it once.

Bravo, @bkuehn1952.2!!

ETA: And 6 birdies, that is awesome as well. I never managed more than 3, which I have done many times, but I always choke on the 4th attempt.