Michael Humphrey (26.6)

Sunday Shanks

I blame lessons. Each time I have one I get worse. 

Today I started well in the driving range and for the first hole. After that I couldn't hit a golf ball cleanly to save my life. Either shanks or weak, high slices. By the end of the round I was reduced to using only a 7 iron and bumbling it 120 yards down the fairway each shot (and no I didn't score any better doing that).

Got back to Southend and went to the driving range to try to work things out.  And it all seemed to work fine. 'Slight' hooks or pulls with the irons, 'power' fades with the woods.

I think it was because I was standing too upright and therefore too close to the ball. But maybe not.

Legal

I took this week off intending to play golf but my bank managed to get in the way. They re-issued my ATM card but changed the PIN without telling me. As a result I have suffered my 'Life in Mars' moment and had to visit a real bank branch to get any money.

Having missed a game of golf on Tuesday I got some funds and visited the Belfry to see if I could find a driver that will work for me.

The custom fitting centre there is very impressive with loads of computers and aids to identify exactly what club is best for you.  For me however my slice is so dominant that almost any driver would do. I have now invested in a nice, new, shiny Taylormade that meets the 2008 rules. I am unconvinced my illegal driver helped me a lot but now I am 100% legal, if broke.

 Still rubbish though.

Reflections

Having attempted to play both days last weekend I am having a rest this weekend.

I took advantage of the VGS offer of a free golf assessment at the Chigwell driving range and having chatted with the pro there I am going to give him a chance to improve my game. Others have tried and failed so maybe his slightly different approach will work. I was impressed by the approach where we sat and talked about my game, my understanding of it and what I wanted to achieve before I hit any balls. I was not impressed by the cost of range balls there though.

I also play cricket and the new season nets are starting again this month. I may have to make some hard decisions about playing golf on Saturday mornings or coaching / practising cricket.

And possibly the best news - my hip flask has arrived.  I have no excuse now for not offering my playing partners a nip when it is cold or something worth celebrating happens. 

Any suggestions as to what to put it in? 

16 out of 18 ain't bad

My third outing with the VGS (and I will now stop counting) and this time I completed the round ... only picking up on two holes. 

Despite being relatively close to me this was the first time I have played the South East Essex course and overall it was a pleasant experience.

My tee shot on the first which resulted in a lost ball didn't bode well but after that I played pretty much to my normal standard. Which ain't great.

27 stableford points means my handicap creeps up by 0.1 so still playing off 26.

Tomorrow I am due out again but the weather forecast is terrible.  If it rains I may be forced to quit again.

Quitter

Went to my second Virtual Golf Society outing on Saturday having decided on Friday evening to get out an play.  This was at Pedham Place Golf Centre and when I turned up at 7am I was the only car there.

The drive from Essex has allowed me to listen to the weather forecast which was cold, dry in the morning, not necessarily clear.  I thought I was wrapped up enough with three layers and a coat. I wasn’t too cold but nor was I warm.

After hitting 50 balls on the range, and a coffee and a bacon roll, I joined my fellow competitors at the first tee just before 9.

I was the last to tee off, didn’t hit it well, had no idea where it went and was told it went out of bounds on the left.  After slicing a 'third'shot and then under hitting a fourth  we realised we were playing on ‘winter greens’.  Each green was about the size of good dinner table.  I scored 7 to start including the penalty stroke and hadn’t hit a clean shot yet.

On to the second. A poor tee shot which went 50 yards, a topped 6 iron which only went as far as it did because of the frozen ground, an 8 iron hit fat (and well short) and then a pitching wedge which I didn’t see but ended up through the green. A couple of scuffed hits and a couple of putts later and 8 goes down on the scorecard.

The third tee. A nice 120 yard par 3. My tee shot is another fat 8 iron which goes 50 yards if I am lucky.  I am cold, frustrated, miserable and fed up. So I picked up. And walked the next 6 holes before going back to the clubhouse after the 9th.

When I got to the car and switched on the engine it warned me the temperature was minus 0.5 degrees C. Still cold then.

From what I saw the Pedham course is quite nice although there are a lot of blind or semi-blind shots given the number of doglegs and mounds bordering the fairways. There are some cracking views across the chalk downland and, apart from being frozen, the course seemed in good nick for the time of year.

Clearly I wasn’t.

At about £20 a hole it was an expensive exercise (green fees, lost ball, petrol, breakfast, range balls). I can only apologise to my fellow competitors for being such a grouch but I didn’t want to go around a course topping the ball 75 yards each shot holding everyone up and making myself more miserable.

Two VGS outings so far – one good fun with me playing okay golf but getting some good results from bad hits. One less so (for me anyway).