Approaching the 17th hole, walking down the fairway after a perfectly straight drive, I was already writing this story in my head; it was going to be seven straight bogies to finish off my round.
Alas, I three-putted holes 17 and 18 but still finished with a respectable score of 112 — seven shots better than my benchmark score back in early April. And that’s after shooting my fourth shot from the tee box on the first hole — following a fresh-air shot and feeding the creek with a ball to the delight of the peanut gallery (clubhouse patio).
It’s still early days, but I’m getting to grips (pun intended) with the lessons Richmond Country Club head pro Mark Strong has given me, to date.
But even more exciting, was a tip I picked up from assisstant pro Talon Moore, a young university business student who can crack the ball as good as almost anyone.
Moore joined me on the last nine holes. As we approached the 18th green, where I had just hit my ball about 30 yards behind a tall, bushy tree, Moore explained that I needed to slice the ball to curve the shot around the tree; essentially I needed to hit the ball the way I was used to hitting it.
I slumped my shoulder, opened up my club and hacked it good. The shot curved around the tree and I was on my merry way.
What’s exciting (for me anyway) is learning how you can manipulate the shaft and club face to customize your shot; I thought the likes of slices, hooks and so forth were bad and were to be avoided at all costs, but Moore explained they can be used when it’s convenient.
Now, speaking of hitting into the trees, on the eighth hole I once again found myself deep in the woods. I must have taken four shots off a few tree trunks. It was like Plinko, and all I wanted to do was go Bob Barker on someone. I managed a nine, but only after I mentally collected myself for a great chip toward the pin. Strong congratulated me for it; then, he reminded me that golf is a long game, and there’s never any need to panic.
Another constant theme throughout the day was my inability to gauge what distance I had with each club. Part of this is my lack of confidence in striking the ball well. But on this day, with my new grip and better understanding of some basic techniques, I was actually connecting well on most of my shots. The trouble was club selection and, as Moore noted, my lack of course experience. So, for example, on a shot from 100 yards out I was using a nine iron and putting some mustard on it, only to shoot it far past the pin.
By the back nine, I was getting a bit more comfortable going one, two or three clubs down. I’m told this is something that will come with more practice and time on the range.
Now, another point I need to stress — and this relates to that terrible start I had — is that you need a good warm-up.
I only arrived for my tee time 15 minutes early. That gave me enough time to check my bag, fill my water bottle and take a brief moment on the practice green. So, I barely stretched and didn’t hit any balls on the driving range.
When I stepped up to the tee I was incredibly cold and the added anxiety resulted in said poor start.
So, get to the course at least a half hour early to prepare yourself adequately. That much about golf is in your control!
