The Bottom

In addiction treatment, there's a long-standing saying that goes something like "you have to hit rock bottom before you can rise up." 

I am a golf addict.  And in terms of my quest for even par, I believe I've hit rock bottom.

Two years ago I had 5 rounds that were within 5 shots of par.  Last year I had 2 such rounds.  This year?  Zero.  My best round this year is +9.  And even worse, of my last 8 rounds, 5 have been in the 90s.

I've been so inconsistent I can't even pinpoint where the trouble is.  In one round I hit 50% of fairways and 50% of greens in regulation (including 9 out of 12 in one stretch) and still shot 94 (the problem: terrible short game).  Two weeks later I had 9 penalty shots en route to another 94. 

But there are signs that my game is coming back around.  On Tuesday this week I went to the driving range for the first time since the beginning of the season.  Practice helps!  (Who knew?)  I worked almost exclusively on staying connected through the swing by practicing with a head cover tucked in my left armpit (see example below).  I truly believe this is the perfect drill, and a novice could probably learn the proper swing by just hitting golf balls this way without any other instruction (well, except maybe learning proper grip and "keep your head down").



Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of being invited to play at Brae Burn Country Club in Newton, MA.  Brae Burn is one of the truly historic golf clubs in New England, having hosted the 1919 US Open as well as several US Amateur tournaments.  It's currently ranked as the number 18 course in Massachusetts by Golf Digest.  And it was spectacular, with uniquely contoured holes and absolutely pristine conditions.  And finally my game seemed to be back on track, at least for the first 12 holes.  My very first shot was a pull-hook, but after that I played nearly flawlessly on the front 9, carding a 3-over 38 that was marred by 3 missed putts inside of 6 feet.

I followed the front with a birdie on the short par-5 10th hole to get to 2-over, then bogey-par on 11 and 12.  Unfortunately I fell apart after that, going 9-over on the next 5 holes before recovering with a par on the 18th.  So definitely not a great round, but I really had it going for 12 holes, which is a lot better than I can say for any other round in the past month.

I plan to get back out this weekend.  Here's hoping I can put 18 holes together and start to get this mission back on track.