Why I considered giving up golf last week

We're now halfway through the year - 26th weekly column, thanks to those that have stuck with it each and every week, I know there are thousands of you that do. (Maybe more like tens, who knows...)

Honestly though, on Thursday evening, if you’d asked me then, I was giving up golf, not bothering with the weekly columns. That was it. The end. I had a terrible day on Thursday in my latest open event - The Silver Barrel at Ipswich (Purdis) Golf Club. 

The Day That Made Me Want to Give Up Golf

I actually didn’t get off to a bad start on the 11th tee (my first). Par 5 found the green in three with a great 8-iron third shot. An unfortunate three-putt bogey though - the greens on the course definitely weren’t as quick as the practice putting green. Hit a wedge to a foot on my second hole to get back to level, then a couple of tough holes at 13 and 14 left me with two more bogeys - but was ok with this as historically I know they are tough holes, especially into the wind and I didn’t do a lot wrong to make those bogeys. 

After making par at the next and finding the fairway with a 5-iron on the 16th - a short par 4 turning right to left - I fatted a wedge from 90 yards that didn’t get over a bunker that was a 60-yard cover. Bogey. Nearly messed up the par 5 17th after being stood in the fairway with a 6-iron in my hand, then up the 18th, incredible driver, another wedge, another fat, another bogey. 

From there it got progressively worse and a few doubles on my back 9 - albeit with a birdie on the course's hardest hole - had me way out of it. 

In the afternoon round it just kept getting worse, a 10 on the par 5 second being the highlight and also my worst score on a single hole for about three years. By the end, I couldn’t get out of there quick enough and with the Suffolk Amateur Champs first round being just two days away, I was now seriously considering not even turning up - in fact, I even told a couple of people I was with on Thursday that I wasn’t going. 

Finding Golfing Redemption (of Sorts!)

But true to form, I arrived to a sunny Bury St Edmunds Golf Club on Saturday for my 12pm tee time - 90 of the best amateur golfers from Suffolk teeing it up (well, 89 of the best and me) with the top 30 and ties making it through to the second and third rounds on Sunday - a feat which was a goal, but also realistically going to be a big ask - especially given my mental state after Thursday’s debacle. 

But then golf did golf, didn’t it. 

It was a weird round in the sense that, for the first time in a while, I hit my irons really well. My short game was good, too. I dropped my first shot on the par 5 third, was actually greenside in two after hitting - what I thought - was a great 8-iron in. But having only played this course once before I didn't realise the flag was tucked on the left-hand side of the green - with half the world to aim at right of the flag, I didn’t go hunting, wasn’t being greedy, just a lack of knowledge. So I left myself a horrid chip off a bare lie, which wasn’t bad, but it ran away all the way to the other side of the green and I ended up three-putting from there for a bogey. 

I made sure to keep my composure, especially after the next tee shot leaked right into the trees, punched it out, got up and down from 60 yards to save par. 

But then, unexpectedly, over the next four holes - which are all relatively short par 4s, I topped my 5-wood and mini driver twice each off the tee, one of the four of which I still managed to make my par after, but the other three led to drops. 

At the turn I was only four over. 

By the time I had got to the 18th tee - a par 5 to finish - I was eight over and knew I wasn’t going to make the Sunday rounds. But I still felt incredibly pleased with how I had played and proud with how I carried myself. For the first time in a long time there was the prospect of a round without any double bogeys around a course I didn’t know that well and was set up excellently. 

Golf had other ideas. 

Leaked tee shot, punched back into the fairway, 7-iron into the front bunker (the first bunker visit of the day) and three putts later, the dreaded double bogey and that was that. Love. Golf. 

Remember It's Not Just You Who Struggles on The Course

I think it's good for me to get into these types of events. I was playing with one guy - Craig - who is a +2 golfer from the same course. He had a run from 10-12 where he went birdie, birdie, eagle and that was swiftly followed by a double on a fairly straightforward par 3 13th - so in a weird kind of way, it's good to know this kind of thing happens to even better golfers. It’s not just me. 

Also - I did want to say a huge congratulations to Bury St Edmunds Golf Club for the excellent condition of their course, as you know, I get around a bit playing this silly game and the greens were some of the best I have putted on all year. I was really impressed. 

So, that’s me for last week, lesson this week where I am sure I will talk Sam through Saturday shot for shot and dissect everything. 

Just a heads up, next week I am away in Ireland - whilst that will feature heavily in the following weekly column in two weeks, I am not sure when I will get a chance to pen next week’s - but will do my best to keep my fans happy. 

Have a good one.