Snuck A Cheeky One In

Had a day off on Monday (thanks to the NHS and flexi time) and with the sun in the sky I thought I deserved nothing less than a round of golf. I got up to Royal Ascot about 11.30 just in time to see a large group heading to the first tee so opted to head for the putting green. I had taken my old Ping Anser 2 putter out from the back of the wardrobe and had it cut down by an inch and so wanted to give it a test run. This was the putter I used to good effect as a junior and when I first joined the club back when we were inside the racecourse. We must have had a serious falling out at some time as it hadn't been in my bag this century.

Hitting some putts with it was like going back in time. The solid face isn't for everyone especially in the world of inserts but it has sublime balance and the touch of a surgeon. I oozed confidence with it and couldn't wait to get out there. I wanted to play by myself as I had hit the range the day before and the ball striking was coming back to something resembling a golf swing. I had given the big group about 45 minutes head start and so set out.

Things were pretty consistent (not a word we've seen much of on here) for the first few holes and I was level par with my handicap by the time I stood on the 6th tee. It could have been better but for a couple of wasted shots but so far so good. I hit a lousy slappy slice that clattered around the trees on the right. I assumed it would be out of bounds and had a quick look to reclaim the offending sphere and carry on. I was getting annoyed as it looked like the shot had cost a ball and some points as I couldn't see it. On the verge of giving up I headed towards the green to see it lying in the open about twenty yards short of the dancefloor. I hit a great pitch to about 5 feet and should have made an unlikely par.

I dropped another shot to my handicap on the 7th. I found the green easily enough but managed to three putt. Perhaps this putter would be going back into hibernation. Fifteen points going out with an ailing short game not helping was a good return and I was pretty happy. A couple of wasted shots and a three putt. Nothing to get alarmed about.

I made a rare par at the 10th (it should be an easy hole) thanks to a teasing downhill right to left six footer (the putter redeeming itself) and I made a sand save at the next to salvage another nett par having duffed a pitch into the sand. Another nett par at the 12th thanks and things were good. Granted the tee shot at the 12th had been carved way right and my recovery had found the bunker some thirty yards short and right but I played a great long bunker shot to eight feet and should have made a career par.

I was wobbling a bit in terms of ball striking. I carved my tee shot at the 13th so far right it landed at the back of the ladies tee on the next but I hit a great recovery to ten feet and only went and holed the putt. I told you the putter was good. The 14th was a disaster thanks to a hooked approach and duffed chips and on the 15th I hit a very rare shot for me, an out and out topped effort from the light rough on the left of the fairway. Another unforced error and another point gone. I hit a great drive down the 16th way past the trees on the right of the hole and only had a six iron in. I didn't hit it great but it found the front left edge. Sadly the flag was back right. The first putt was well short of pace and a three putt was inevitable.

The tee on the 17th had been moved from its normal position and was situated down by the yellow blocks and so the hole was reduced from a 218 yard monster into a more appetising 168 yarder. It didn't stop me putting my ball in the left hand bunker and short siding myself. I played a decent recovery and the putter bailed me out again and another single putt registered a par. The last was anti-climatic as I stumbled to a closing double bogey (for a single point) but I'd managed 16 points on the back nine for 31 in total. Granted it wasn't earth shattering but there were a lot of positives. Some good ball striking, 33 putts and two sand saves stand out. However the chipping was as bad as ever.

I'd caught the groups that had preceded me by the 13th and so I'd spent some time chipping on each hole to give them a chance to play without feeling pressurised by me chasing their tails. I was desperately looking for a spark of light to give me something to work with but sadly the chipping was a mixture of fat shots (the majority) and thins through the green. However I wandered out to the putting green after a well deserved sausage sarnie and a pint to try again and found that catalyst. It isn't text book and it may not stand up to too much scrutiny in the heat of a competition but I found if I deliberately held off the club face so it pointed to the target after impact I got it to fly higher, with more check and I didn't mis-hit as many.

I'm in my usual Saturday swindle this weekend even though the forecast is not good at all so I'll give it a whirl. I need something as I'm playing the Jack Jarrett Trophy (fourball better ball stableford) with Martin Davis (Bash or as I've christened him Butch Cassidy) and so I need to be able to keep my end of things up. It was certainly a productive day and I feel I've moved forward.

Sadly I'll need to put a lot of long days in to get another flexi day and so I can't see another day off coming soon but it's always nice to get a crafty game in and even better if you do okay. See my faithful readers, there are rare occasions when I can actually look as though I know what I'm doing.