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I’ve joined Windermere Golf Club 🙂

Which might seem odd, given that my local golf club is 5 minutes away, and Windermere is a 30 minute drive.

Here’s why …

A few months ago on the way back to Ulverston, after playing Beckside, we decided to call in at Windermere, just to see what sort of reception we got.

Given that we were dressed for a municipal course …

Simon the pro was very welcoming

And we discussed their excellent introductory offer of golf for £1 a day

Finally, today we played the course

We, being myself and my golfing/tennis/drinking buddy Gez

Or as Simon inadvertantly referred to him in an initial email – Gaz

Now I have nothing against people called Garry, but Gaz to me has a certain ring to it, that I’m sure some time ago would have had golf club members looking down their nose.

For the record, “Gaz” is Dr. Gerald Foster – a geomorphologist, currently working for the Environment Agency in Lincoln.

I digress, but the point is not lost on us, as to how accommodating golf clubs have become in recent years.

So to the round

If I could sum up the course, given my very limited experience, I’d say, narrow corridors off the tee, leading to open fairways, with natural hazards for trouble all around and tricky greens to finish.

It demands straight hitting above all and either decent carry or sensible lay up

I hacked my way up the first

And after watching Gez hit a decent Iron off the tee at the second, managed to slice 2 balls right, and hook one left before departing the tee in embarrassment, watched by three compent lady golfers.

But after that it got much better and I managed to drive most holes, pretty well without getting in trouble.

My 6 iron shots have deserted me though which is annoying, after getting in great position with a drive.

I carded 127 – yes, I’m still rubbish

But it’s only my 8th ever round and it’s 18 better than I usually score on a course I’ve never played before.

Afterwards we went for a pint in the club house and enquired about food, only to find out that they had stopped serving some time ago.

However 15 minutes later, we were invited to help ourselves to the buffet being enjoyed by the members, post competition

And it was truly delicious

Everyone was very friendly and we chatted to a lot of members before we left

I like the place

With one caveat …

The 17th is a great hole that finishes just in front of the clubhouse, like an 18th hole should ?

So I’ve been at the driving range …

A  lot

Practicing with my driver and trying to develop repeatable accuracy, with some success

On the 15th my golfing buddies were unavailable, so I persuaded an old climbing mate to join me for a round at Beckside Golf Club

Frank had only ever played pitch n putt before so it was a novelty to me to be playing with someone with less experience.

He coped fairly well, going round in 144 – one better than my first attempt there.

It was the ideal place for me to test the driver out on course and I was pleased with the results.

I still duffed a few, but notable for me was driving over water to the edge of the green on the 200 yard par 3 7th, and being on the edge of the green in 2 on the 235 yard par 4 17th

I carded 109 which is 4 better than my current average at Beckside. So yes, still 46 over par for the course, but very enjoyable.

The on the 18th September, I decided to take the driver with me again, for another round at Barrow Golf Club with Andrew Turner.

It started well …

I got off the tee in acceptable fashion at the first two holes and double bogeyed them. So I was thinking to myself, if I keep this up I’ll go round in 106 which be a) 15 better than my previous low score on an 18 hole course and b) about 30 better than my previous round at Barrow

Hole 3 started with a decent drive just short of the marker, and then it all unravelled.

It was very windy and there were occasional very heavy showers, but that wasn’t really the problem.

I was, and my head was completely scrambled

Driving of the tee I twice hit the ball 10 yards left, on the same tee

And when I was playing my 6 iron, as I took the club back, I had absolutely not idea whether I was going to hook the ball left, squirt it 90 degrees right, or top if 6 yards in front of me.

I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me at that point, because nothing that I did was working.

Except for the occasional 30 – 70 yard pitch shot, that I’d land on the green.

I salvage my sanity in a minor way by finishing with a 6 at the 439 yard par 4 18th but that was scant consolation for the sheer horror of playing that badly, and I finished on 165 – my worst round ever!

Undaunted by the mental scarring, last Sunday I plyed at Grange over Snads again

Mostly it went well …

I went out in 63 and back in 58 for 121

Although still not a decent enough score for me to consider calling myself a golfer, I enjoyed the round because in the main, the ball went where I was trying to hit it.

My membership of Windermere Golf Club has now been sorted out, so today I’m going up there for my first round.

I’ve just returned from the driving range following my usual pre round routine

And I couldn’t hit a bloody thing

So rather than going to Windermere with confidence, I’m now wondering what will happen

I’ll let you know …

So I had my last golf lesson in a 6 lesson series on Friday and it was back to the video analysis …

First up, my grip was still poor, with my right hand slipping clockwise

And my backswing looked er, random

And the follow through was awkward at best, with me leaning backwards

And that’s what video analysis is for

My take is that I’m still trying to propel the ball into the air by leaning back and hitting under it

But what I should be doing is holding a straight postion, rotating around my breastbone and hitting down on the ball

Easy in theory

Finally it looks like I’ve already outgrown my clubs …

Turns out that they’d been shortened at some point, then lengthened again, but the plugs were working loose.

Now I could probably work with that, and I’ve got used to the Mizuno’s, but once it’s in your head, it’s in your head

Details of my new clubs can be found here

And so to Grange over Sands Golf Course again, on Sunday

It was quiet, which suited me, and breezy, to add another variable

I stuck with the “leave the woods at home” technique and we warmed up before teeing off

Where I promptly duffed my tee shot into the drainiage ditch about 30 yards ahead.

The amused veteran commented as he passed by “that’s wet” and I thanked him for his analysis.

Despite this ungainly start, and losing another ball off the second, I managed to go out in 56 with a par 3 at the 8th

Which was pleasing

But the back 9 saw me hacking my way to the green, in the rough to the side of the fairway for a couple of holes, and taking 3 to get out of a bunker

Note to self:

If the ball is sat up in 2 inch long grass – even if you middle it, it will move only 10 yards forward, into some more 2 inch long grass

So I came home in 67 for a total of 123

I was both happy and dissapointed at the same time

Because that’s 20 shots better than a week ago

But still 53 over par

And that means to me, I’m still a hacker

After yesterday’s transition training, I headed to Barrow Golf Club this afternoon for a round with Andrew Turner, owner of Hartley’s Restaurant in Dalton and provider of catering to the club.

But first I was happy to receive some belated birthday gifts from my daughter Sophie and a Calloway golf cap from Helen. It’s great when you get things that you actually want! – after which I warmed up for my second ever round on a full course at the driving range.

I’d already pre-warned Andrew that I wasn’t exactly competent yet, but he’s a laid back sort of bloke and just told me not to worry – so I didn’t.

We tee’s off at 3.30 and I was going along ok with 6 irons off the tee …

Particularly so, when I managed to par the 299 yard uphill hole 8 with my second shot hitting the flag

I was two putting the greens too.

Andrew was kind enough to help me correct a tendency to pull my shots left – the ball was too forward in my stance, and out in 65, I was looking forward to consolidating on the back 9

But I didn’t …

We’d had clear air behind us all the way around, but suddenly there were two pairs behind us (I guess they jumped on at 10 after work) and that time pressure didn’t help …

So I came home in 77 for a total score of 142 – almost the same score as I posted on Monday

So I’m consistant

In a 70 over par sort of way

Positives:

•     The par on 8
•     The stunning views over the estuary to the south west cumbrian fells, from Black Combe to Coniston Old Man
•     I had an hour or so where I was hitting sweet 6 iron shots 150 yards or more every time
•     2 putting most of the first dozen greens
•     I had to deal with 3 bunker shots and got out cleanly every time
•     I notched up more experience on a full course (the second time I’ve ever done that, and both this week)
•     Andrew was a great playing partner

Negatives:

•     Hurrying too much with players behind us – it doesn’t actually make my play any quicker. We tried to wave them through, but they seemed content to drive at the greens we were putting on!
•     I have a tendency to score worse on the back 9 than the first. I don’t know if that’s because I get tired, or my concentration wanders, but it’s something that I’ll have to address
•     Deciding to take my “medicine” at a mid fairway diamond of jungle like rough on the back 9, instead of taking the 6 iron over it. I duffed it into the edge of the rough anyway and dropped 3 shots doing so
•     9 lost golf balls – that’s a record for me

But I enjoyed the whole round, immensely …

Because I danced on the 8th

Work now takes precedence for the next few days, so I’ll try to switch my mind off golf

Then plan for a round this weekend

Unless you can tell me different?

As you know I’ve been having some trouble hitting the ball off the tee …

So at my 30 minute lesson on Friday I asked the pro for some driving tuition and found out that my grip had slipped

Badly

So we sorted that out and I hit some woods on the driving range, with good distance and consistant slice, using anti-slice woods

I don’t think either of us were particularly happy with my “progress”

Today, I stood on a proper 18 hole golf course for the first time ever, at Grange over Sands …

It’s a 5,872 yard par 70 v Crook where I’ve been er, honing my skills, which is a 4,220 yard par 63

And I tried to play like a golfer, taking woods off the tees

Big mistake …

I might as well get this bit out of the way and post my score

141

Negatives:

My rebuilt grip meant that my swing felt odd, almost every time … (later Mike told me that my hands were way in front of the club head)

Most of my drives put me in trouble, anywhere from 10 – 180 yards off the tee and in the rough

It’s depressing when you’re the worst player of three and you know that you’re not in synch when you’re partners are playing decent shots

Positives:

I didn’t miss a single putt from 3-4 feet

Unless I hit a tree, my shots out of the rough were pretty good

From the fairway, or semi-rough 30-70 yards out, I’m pretty good, unless I top the ball, which happens 1 out of 5 times

I hit my first ever bunker shot, out onto the green. It was a flat lie and a shallow bunker

I learned a lot, mainly that I’m trying to play shots that are beyond my limited capability

I don’t care that I was crap, it gives me a marker to improve upon ( yep I know there’s no such thing as a 70 handicap)

I’ve gained a little experience on a real golf course

Where do I go from here?

I have no playing partners tomorrow, so I plan to go to the driving range and practice 5 iron to pitching wedge only …

Then go to Crook for a round on my own, without the woods

I’m thinking that if I limit my backswing, I can punch a 6 iron 150 or so and cut out a lot of errors …

And maybe that’s wahat I have to do until I get some confidence going

Because (in the medium term) even at a 500 yard par 5, that’s 3 approach shots and a chip to the green, 2 putt and it’s bogey golf

But having done this before, I know that it limits the height that can be generated on a shot, so it sort of feels like cheating

However …

I’m playing at Barrow golf club on Wednesday with a 26 handicapper who’s just spent a week in Turkey playing golf

Every day …

So my very short term strategy is fairways and greens to the detriment of what I see as proper golf.

It’s frustrating, but I think I might just be a slow learner:

The first 100 or so shots that I loosed off at a clay pidgeon, all missed …

I went on to eventually shoot very well in competitions

My first half dozen skiing holidays were frustrating in the extreme as I floundered around like a fish out of water …

Now I’m happy to launch myself down most black runs, just for the thrill of it and any black run if that’s where we’re heading

I played the same bloke at tennis, back in the day, for 7 years, before I eventually won a match …

Now I’m hard to beat unless you’re a county player

When I tried rock climbing at the age of 16, it terrified me, and I gave it up …

I returned to the sport 25 years later and was soon climing in the lower extreme grades

And maybe I should make some allowance for the fact that I’m 53 …

Not 23

The whole thing makes me smile though …

And I can’t wait to try again

Isn’t that what it’s all about?

I don’t know how people generally start playing golf. There are natural barriers to entry in terms of the equipment needed, the cost, and the fact that you can’t just walk onto a golf course and have a go. I guess a lot of people follow their parents into the game and start at a young age, whilst others start playing because friends do or they try pitch n putt which sparks the desire to attempt the real thing.

I’m 53 years old and prior to becoming interested in playing golf a few months ago, the only experience I’ve ever had was on a local park putting green as a youth, and a couple of visits to a driving range about 15 years ago.

But in late May 2013 the catalyst for what has become an obsession appeared.

I play tennis, a lot.

Doubles with the local club and singles v my mates, with whom for the past 3 years I’ve taken a trip to La Manga Club to play tennis in the sun and get some coaching.

This years trip was somewhat different though …

Because a week before we were due to leave for Spain, I’d broken the three smaller toes on my right foot in a Jui-Jitsu training accident

So although I went on the trip, I didn’t bother to pack my tennis racquet, because I could barely walk.

And on our first day, it rained, so tennis was off the agenda anyway.

However in addition to providing excellent tennis facilities, La Manga Club is also home to 3 golf courses and an 80 bay driving range, so we wandered down to take a look at the facilities.

Mike is a 12 handicap golfer who’d given up the game when his regular golfing partner moved to Gibralter a couple of years ago. His brother Gez had played for a couple of years when he was in his twenties but also gave up, frustrated with the game. I knew which end of a club to hold and had three broken toes.

We bought a E30 ticket for 400 balls, hired some clubs at E2 each and headed for the driving range where after Mike showed me, and reminded Gez of the basics, we spent a pleasant afternoon hitting golf balls.

My limited mobility meant I could only take a short backswing and couldn’t pivot on my back foot at the end of it, something that would prove to be difficult to rectify later. But I did manage to hit a fair percentage of the balls straight and a reasonable distance.

We held on to the last 20 balls and spent another hour on the practice greens, chipping and putting.

Two days later we repeated the afternoon and from then on, I was hooked.