Weekend Report...

I tried to get a round in last Friday, but only managed nine holes. I had planned on playing at Bayou but at the last minute I noticed a discount tee time at my favorite course, The Battleground. The tee time was for 1:00 and available for 1 to 4 players. I grabbed it with the intention of getting there early and trying to start at 12:00 (I had to be home by 4:30). When I arrived I saw no less than seven school busses - there was a high school tournament in progress. On this day, I would not tee off before 1:15.

This was an interesting round for me for several reasons...

It was cool enough to wear long pants - 40 degrees. Up to this point I've always played in shorts. In the end it didn't matter, it was plenty comfortable golfing in jeans.

I purchased over 100 balls on eBay last week, mostly Nike, Maxfli, and Precept, for about twenty bucks. I rummaged through them and found a half dozen Nike Super Soft balls. This would be the first time I've played with the same ball - well, with the same type of ball. I usually go through an assortment of whatever balls I've gathered while "hunting".

The balls performed well. I seemed to be a tad longer with the irons (average drive = 233, long drive = 295); I hit two approach shots longer than I expected. I putted very well too. I made 18 putts (two three-putts, two one-putts) but I felt consistent with my first putt on each hole leaving a short second putt. I think using the same ball is key to consistent putting during a round.

Here are the stats:
Fairways hit... 3
GIRs........... 0
Birdies........ 0
Pars........... 1
Putts......... 18
Bogeys......... 5
Doubles........ 1
Triples........ 2
Bad holes...... 0
Balls lost .... 3 (3 water)

I have to be happy with a score like that at The Battleground. I'm disappointed that I was unable to play eighteen, but I played well.

Joining a Golf Association...

I gathered some information on two Golf Associations: Battleground and Bayou.

Bayou is way cheaper and I will join there. Since I book Battleground through a discount golf site, I would be throwing money away to play with their Golf Association. I would definitely join if I could play in their events for the same rates that I pay there now, but it would cost me nearly twice as much - no thanks. Bayou has exactly what I need and I'll be joining up soon.

Looking ahead for the week, I might be able to play on Thursday and hopefully make it out to the range Wednesday night if it's not raining. I see a discount tee time at The Battleground that is for 1 to 4 players, but it's at 11:08. I'd prefer to play later, so I might try booking a tee time for two and try to find a partner.

Gunnin' for 95 on round #19,
-Greg