A Sombre Post

This post is not a happy one on a number of levels. From a golfing perspective, it was Longhurst Cup weekend at Royal Ascot Golf Club. It's a stroke competition played over the three days of the bank holiday and competitors can choose which two of the three days they wish to play on. The course is looking as good as it has done since it opened, and the new equipment our green staff now have at their disposal, is already paying dividends. As an ex winner of this event, it has fond memories for me and I was hoping this was going to finally kick start my season.

Sadly, my two rounds were far from what I'd hoped for. There was some good stuff in there, especially in the first round. It ended up as a net 75 (+5) but it could have been so much better, especially with two triple bogey's on the fourteenth and fifteenth holes. I had managed a good run from the second to the fourth, playing those in one under gross and played the eleventh to the thirteenth in one over gross. However I still struggled to find any level of consistency for the whole round, a problem that has been with me now for far too long and one I seem incapable of solving.

On the face of it my opening effort wasn't an out and out disaster. However, if round one was a story of some good blighted by some bad golf, my second round was a tale of if it could go wrong it would. I opened up double bogey, double bogey and then racked up a snowman (8) on the par four fourth, pulling my approach left, catching the down slope of the green and running out of bounds. The putter was stone cold, three putting three of the first six greens. My outward score had used my handicap allowance and then some.

The back nine was a struggle, hard to keep any enthusiasm and interest. It was as poor as the front nine. The funny thing was, I still felt as though the game was close. Yes I know that sounds like optimism, perhaps self-delusion, on a grand scale but it's how it felt. Despite this though, sombre point number one was the fact that for the first time in a long time I failed to break three figures (gross 101, net 88). It's strange but I hit more greens in regulation than of late and still managed 33% of sand saves.

It wasn't anything near what I wanted although I felt my first round was close. Very close. I couldn't put my finger on what happened yesterday. Of course I wasn't happy with my score. It's embarrassing but what can you do? You just have to keep working on the right things, keep trusting yourself and try and find a way to eradicate the car crash holes.

Of course that brings me to sombre point number two. With both rounds over handicap and both resulting in 0.1 increases, my handicap has teetered over to 13.5 or 14 in old money. That's the highest handicap mark for many, many years and is a million miles away from my ultimate goal of single figures. I've banged on about my health issues in 2016. It's definitely contributed and I am still a way away from being fully fit although the longer term prognosis for the rest of the year and beyond is far more promising and so I'm helping to be back to myself in 2017 and really can't use that as the real reason. It certainly put the pursuit of single figures on hold but I am simply failing to put consistent scores together on a regular basis. It's as simple as that. I've not pursued lesson after lesson, certainly on the full swing, and feel the short game stuff is beginning to make a difference. So where does that leave me?

I look at other members, and see some making scores around the handicap buffer zone week in, week out, and look at what they do compared to me and it's purely down to keeping it in play all the time. None have stellar short games, hit it miles or drain putt after putt. They simply don't have the car crash holes I seem to produce every round. How does that happen and what am I doing wrong?

At the end of the day though does it really matter? As much as I love this game, as much as it infuriates, and as much as I hate the way I don't seem to make any progress for the effort I put in, it has all been put into sharp perspective recently. Many of you will be aware I'm a fervent member of the Golf Monthly Forum (Golf Monthly Forum). As part of this, there is an annual charity event in aid of Help for Heroes, which has been run since its conception by one of the nicest guys you could ever choose to meet. With much sadness, the forum found out recently that he had suffered a massive heart attack playing his home course, Centurion, and despite the best efforts of the medical services passed away. Many have put into words far more eloquently than I ever could, some moving tributes (Rick Garg tributes).

However it brings home in very sharp terms how fleeting this all is. Above all he was a husband and father. Other than that for many he was the nicest person you could ever share a drink or game of golf with, with a wicked sense of fun and a permanent smile and he simply brightened up a room when he entered, although that may have something to do with his own unique (and colourful) golfing dress sense. Whether you shoot a personal best or like me, have a three figure round and a handicap spiralling upwards, it really doesn't matter. The next time your ball heads out of bounds or you win a few quid off your mates at the weekend just smile and enjoy playing this great game. He'll be sadly missed but never forgotten. RIP Rick Garg.