An Inglorious Climax

The Masters at Royal Ascot is a 36 hole medal event. It's invitation only and open to the winners of monthly stableford and medals and honours board events over the last twelve months. I was fortunate enough to have qualified for the event courtesy of a medal win earlier in the summer and had a pretty steady practice round in the normal Saturday morning roll up.

All was set. I'd found a bit of momentum and the horrific midweek practice session where I was more Mr Bean than Mr Average was banished. I'd found a little spark of something on Friday night and had taken it into a respectable if not earth shattering round yesterday. Even my nemesis the short game was working. I've reverted to the linear method and the comfort blanket and margin of error it gives me. It worked well yesterday with several up and downs. I was using my Aimpoint chart and their method of green reading and made a few good length putts and was missing on the high side and with good speed.

Why the in depth build up? Well all my preparation went to waste. I came off after the round feeling distinctly light headed and after a trip to London to see my family I came home last night feeling rather funny. Not ill per se but what your mother would have called "not quite right". One minute I was getting ready for bed and fine, the next I'd keeled over. Cue a trip to A&E, a drip, and a lengthy visit. Nothing untoward diagnosed and it was put down to dehydration and exhaustion. I've spent all day resting but any dreams of going low and getting towards my goal of single figures are over.

Although the Royal Ascot golf calendar doesn't stop throughout the year and we play on over the winter, the Masters signals the real end to the competitive season. There are a couple of decent events such as our 125th anniversary stableford competition but I really wanted today to be a signal of intent for my game and to be able to get a cut.

Having been seriously ill about six years ago and coming rather too close to popping off this mortal coil for comfort I'm acutely aware of my health so today has been a bit of a shock and a realisation that despite my obsessive fascination with the game of golf, and the pursuit towards my goals there are more important things in life.

It certainly wasn't the climax to my 2012 season I was hoping for. However on reflection it has been pretty good all in all. I've come down from 13 to a low of 9.8 (now crept up to 10.1) so I've dropped three shots. However the biggest plus has been a more consistent level of play. Even on my really bad days I've found a way to get it round. The one plane swing Rhys ap Iolo at the Downshire in Bracknell has been teaching me has given me a better more reliable swing. Ball striking has improved beyond recognition and I've been able to put together some good rounds. I've had a personal best in competitive play over the new Royal Ascot course of 76 +6 gross for a net 66 (-4) in the second round of the club championship. Above all though I've enjoyed my golf so much more in 2012 and isn't that what it's all about at the end of it all?

There is still a lot of work to be done. Rhys and I are going to discuss how we move my swing forward for the 2013 season. Putting, bunker play and the short game is going to be something I invest a lot of time in as the new season approaches. Until then, the winter will be given over to nuances of the one plane swing methodology. I've a number of faults ingrained with panache over the past thirty years that for the moment refuse to go away. Whether we can work with or around these is where Rhys will earn his corn and he'll need to make a decision on what can stay and what absolutely has to go.

I'm actually prepared to strip the swing back as far as it needs to go. If that means going back to basics and starting from scratch on a new swing, plane and set up then to be honest I'm happy to forsake rounds over soaking wet or frozen courses for hours of constructive and dedicated practice. I'm getting older and this represents my last real chance to push my game forward and get something not perfect but functional and reliable. I've got a very good teacher, and while I've still got the fire and desire to improve then Homer's Odyssey is not over by a long chalk.

So there we have it. Not the end to the season I had planned. I've still got a Golf Monthly charity day at Blackmoor Golf Club in Borden, Hampshire in October in aid of Help For Heroes to look forward to. These Golf Monthly days are more about the company and the fun rather than being all about playing competitively. I'd still like to play well though. The Saturday morning games with the usual band of brothers are always enjoyable and represent a chance to play without the pressure of card and pencil. It gives me a chance to put any swing changes into play and if they don't bed in the worse that will happen is a ribbing in the 19th and a few lost balls.

While I could have done without the trip to A&E, and with a hernia operation looming, 2012 hasn't been to bad to me. A win, a few top threes and one or two what could have been's when I had a chance to compete if not win. Once I've got the operation out of the way I'm sure 2013 will be full of promise. There will be new kit to test and try, new instructional aids and tuition to work with and hopefully a few new courses to visit and play well at. An inglorious end? Not really. Just a full stop on this year and the start of a new chapter.