Oh No, Oh Yes and Oh Dear

Played in the club match on Sunday and was partnered with a guy called Ken Martin. We go back to the days when the club was in the middle of Ascot racecourse and usually play well as a pair. We were drawn against a six handicapper and a guy off thirteen.

I have to say expectations weren't high especially from my own quarter. I'd been down to Sand Martins in the morning to brush up on bunker play, chipping and to hit a few balls after the mediocre range session on Saturday morning. It couldn't have gone much worse and there was no timing, consistency and even the dreaded shanks started to put in an unwelcome re-appearance. I wandered home for some lunch and then up to Royal Ascot in a worried state.

This was compounded when I headed onto the practice ground for a few looseners. The dreaded shanks had returned with avengance. What is it about Maidenhead that contrives to bring this destructive shot to the fore. It happened when Hywel Lloyd and I had our Volvo Matchplay game there (see my post - More Depressed Than a French Footballer) and was here again. I tried hard to focus on what I had gone through with Steve Cox at Sand Martins about posture and turning and managed to get a few going forward but not exactly well struck. The thing with the shanks is that it's Russian Roulette and you never know when the next one is coming.

The Maidenhead pair went first and no surprise that the six handicapper found the green. For my part I hit the first shot pretty well given the carnage that had gone on before but it was pushed right towards the trees and came to rest close to a trunk with no shot to the green. One down.

I made a huge fifteen footer at the second which was enough for a half in a bogey at the next although I had taken two out of a bunker (AGAIN) and so had been favourite to win.  My partner came charging in for a half at the third and I made a good par at the 4th although standing there with just a wedge in my hand I was conscious of hitting a shank and had to really focus. It was all friendly stuff from there on in although I did enjoy hitting the green at the ninth in two from 200 yards with my hybrid. The swing on the front nine had held up well and I was out just a couple over my handicap thanks largely to my opening drive, a three putt on the 6th and missing the green on the 8th.

We started the second nine as we had the first by losing the hole. I had a nightmare. I was in the greenside bunker for two and somehow managed to contrive and have a double hit. I thought I'd played the shot well but the club hit the ball again on the follow through. Not done that before!!!!

I made a great four footer on the next and on the twelfth I got away with murder on the drive. It was playing into the wind and I hit a bit of a sliced shot which was heading for the line of trees protecting the fairway. Somehow it managed to get through and I had a shot to the green which I found with my trusty hybrid. To be honest I thought I'd sneaked a birdie but it veered away at the death.

Both Ken and I made a mess of the 14th. I hit a rubbish drive and put my second into the ferns and unplayable so dropped out under penalty but then hit a crap chip. We salvaged a half at both 15 and 16 but I missed the green right at the 17th and Ken went out of bounds. I managed to get a bogey four but both the Maidenhead pair matched it and so it was all over. It made my carved tee shot out of bounds at the last an irrelevance but I was bloody annoyed. Truth be told it was a tired old swing.

The club lost the match 3-2 overall but I have to say I was relieved that I'd played so well, at least in relative terms. I'm not happy with the swing and so there is much work to do revisiting posture and balance before the stableford on Saturday. Given how bad it could have been I'll take it.

Total number of lost balls in 2010 = 56