Alf. S

Keep the head up, time is a great healer, but it is age that gets you. I'm getting use to my new normal back after some health issues last year, lost yardage and just beginning to accept the fact that I can't reach the long par 4s any longer. Still holding on to my h/c of 8. If I can do it anybody can.

Date 06/22/2024 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 82 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 11 Net Score to Par 2 Net Score 73 Net Birdies or better Longest Drive One of these frustrating days, holed some good putts and missed some easy putts. 8 on the 3rd put an end to me being competitive in the medal; lost ball, heavy 4th on for 5 and 3 putt on one of the easiest holes on the course. 17th was a bit of a nightmare as well; hit a great drive about 270 yds but caught the fairway bunker tried to take it clean with 52° and advanced it only 30 yds, pitch shot comes up short, chip comes up short and 2 putts for 6. Grr. Current showing a differential of 7.9 so should be a counter and get me back down to 8.

Perfect scoring conditions today, pity no one told me. 87 net 78 so not posting. I thought I hit the ball well but a few slack shots wracked up doubles and triple. Course is unforgiving hit a bad shot and you're punished 3rd: 100yds in 52° wedge catch down slope to go thru the green, short side chip back => double 8th: push drive, chip out and miss fairway. miss green, chip 2 putts => double 9th: triple with penalty drop and now trying to play low risk 14th: triple with lost ball 16th: double, nearly chipped in for par, lipped out return putt, 180° lip out on the way back

Date 06/13/2024 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 78 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 7 Net Score to Par -2 Net Score 69 Net Birdies or better Longest Drive CR=71.2 SR=126 Par=71

I'm usually 18 but we have a 9 hole setup at the club you can play that is measured and has a WHS rating. 9 hole competitions are becoming more popular in Scotland and our club run 9 hole competitions every Wednesday in Spring and Autumn, once sunset gets passed 9pm they switch it to 18 hole comps then switch back in August. At the course the 8th and 15th holes are right at the clubhouse. During the week I will go out for a round and try to get 18 in but if the pace of play is slow I can play the short course and go from the 8th to the 9th on the 9 hole course or cut in to 15 and play the last 4 holes to play 12 or continue on and come off at 15. If I'm really playing bad I can just chuck it at the 8th. The R&A have recently started a 9 hole challenge where if you can get through regional qualifiers you get to play at The Open on the week prior to the Championship. i.e this year Royal Troon.

The last time I was at a range in the UK without Trackman or Toptracer bays it was £12 for a 100 balls but now all the local ranges have the Ball tracking capabilities installed and charge £18. It is far more interactive but at the course you can get the full Trackman Studio for £25/hour which I would far prefer using, we also have a practise area that is about 240 yds long but you have to use your own balls and collect them. This is OK when you have the range to yourself but you get some FWs that will set themselves up in your hitting zone to do some obscure practise routine, that seems to have no rhyme or reason to.

Date 06/08/2024 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 88 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 17 Net Score to Par 8 Net Score 79 Net Birdies or better Longest Drive Tough conditions yesterday, 25 mph westerly, dry course, secondary rough up, and not hitting the ball well. As ever seem to play the 1st 5 holes well (+1), chipping and putting well, then lost ball at 6 for a triple was the first step on the slippery slope. Out in +6, In in +11, the back 9 is killing me at the moment. I also need to take my punishment from bad lies and stop thinking I'm Jordan Spieth. Had quite a few shots where I should have wedged out and took a hybrid or long iron to only duff it 30yds and still in the rough. Back out tomorrow. SR=126 CR= 71.2 Par=71

After the rubbish of last week got to be happy. Course is toughening up, lots of run but 2nd cut is brutal.

Date 06/06/2024 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 79 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 8 Net Score to Par -1 Net Score 70 Net Birdies or better Longest Drive SR=126 CR=71.2 Par=71

After a 3 week lay off after a small operation got back to it this week, didn't fare too well. Monday: 88 net 79 Wednesday: 85 net 76 Thursday: Greensome matchplay tie, strategy worked a treat, picked partners drive on every hole and I hit every green. Opponents conceded at 8th 7 down. Friday: Singles matchplay. Lost on the last. Game totally crashed; 3 up with 6 to play. Lost ball on 13, double bogey 14, 3 putt bogey 15 => all square. Won 16, thinned flop shot in to gorse at 17 lost ball, caught chip heavy on 18 into the bunker and thinned it out. I reckon for the last 6 holes I was 12 over. Saturday: was thinking about just going out for a hit and not playing in the competition but turns out if was the Senior Club Championship Qualifier Bit of a mess again 3 putt on 2, lost ball on 3, steadied the game thru the turn then crashed again. I do think my fitness is causing a problem and playing 5 games in 6 days was probably too much. The back 9 is the harder 9 but at the moment I can't break 40 on it. Quieter week this week, only 2 rounds scheduled; Seniors League Match on Thursday and medal on Saturday

Date 05/29/2024 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 85 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 14 Net Score to Par 5 Net Score 76 Net Birdies or better Longest Drive Hard rain for 9 holes made it a tough slog, in the 1st cut felt like hitting through mud. But made it round.

Date 05/27/2024 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 88 Course Handicap 7 Gross Strokes over/under par 17 Net Score to Par 10 Net Score 81 Net Birdies or better Longest Drive Well made it back on the course today but left my game at home. Started quintuple, par, triple, with 2 lost balls, a couple of thins and a 3 putt CR= 69.7 SR =123 Par=71

In the UK the best selection available is from Adore Grips who are usually my goto. Star seem to be distributed from Sweden and not directly available in the UK. Shame!

Nothing from me for a couple of weeks. Had a minor operation and have 20 stitches in my back, so no golf for 2 - 3 weeks. If it was only 9 stitches this could have been my front 9. And this would have been the back 9

Oops just tried to order another couple of grips on-line and got a bit of a shock. Wanted to change my wedges to match the MD5 head colour of blue. I have 2 drivers, I have been using my Epic original driver which I regripped but I've switched to my Epic Draw driver yesterday which has a IOMIC std size grip. To match my other woods I wanted to get another Green grip. I went to the website added 3 grips at £7 each => £21 only to get to check out and a £34 worldwide shipping charge! So I guess I'll leave it for now. Probably take off the IOMIC and regrip with multiple layers of tape.

Removing and re-gripping was so easy, it took more time to charge the compressor than to re-grip. Insert in vice (15s) blow grip off (1s) put solvent in new grip (10s) Put on new grip (30s) Remove from vice (15s) The solvent means you can adjust the alignment while it is still wet but the grip doesn't loosen.

This was all in competition golf i.e medal or matchplay.

1. To be precise the ditch was staked on both sides indicating the ditch and only the ditch was the hazard. Both players hit balls beyond the red stakes on the far side of the hazard and wanted relief on the near side. 2. You have a point and thanks for the clarification. I did tell him to move, which he did and it is pretty bad gamesmanship if they don't.

Date 05/09/2024 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 82 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 11 Net Score to Par 2 Net Score 73 Net Birdies or better Longest Drive Put this one down to arriving back from Cyprus at 2:30am (4;30am Cyprus time) after 10 hours journey and then playing at 1pm. Shattered by the 14th. Par =71 SR = 126 CR 71.2

I'm going off on one. It really annoys me when I play with golfers who should know the rules and flagrantly try to violate them. Situation Playing with a guy of 5 and says he use to play off 2. 4th hole hits the ball into penalty area and tries to take a drop nearer the hole, because he does that when he plays with his pals. Keeps asking for my opinion on whether he should play certain shots and I decline Twice this week single figure players I have played with have carved their balls into the woods across a red staked ditch and have wanted to drop it on the fairway side of the ditch where the ball crossed the ditch. Match Play and an opponent on the same line as me tried to crouch behind me while I putted Guys who have no concept of nearest point of relief and no nearer the hole. So what situations have you had when you have pulled guys up about the rules?

We've all been there.

Nett score of 22, 50 under eat your heart out Scottie!

Date 05/11/2024 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 79 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 8 Net Score to Par -1 Net Score 70 Net Birdies or better 0 Longest Drive 0 Great conditions on the course today. +1 to the turn then pitching and chipping let me down coming back. Driving really well 13/14 hit. More comfortable with a new set up with my putter, 29 putts, beginning to get my distance back with my irons. PAr = 71 SR = 126 CR 71.2

Played yesterday and took out my 52° wedge at the 10th to play a full shot in, it felt light in my hand, looking at the grip it was a std size instead of mid. I have used one of the sample grips Star Grips sent me, the pink neon grip. Good thing I knew where to look to identify it was the wrong size. I used up all the grips including the spares, Iooks like I will get a chance to test how easy the grips come off.

Date 04/29/2024 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 84 Course Handicap 7 Gross Strokes over/under par 13 Net Score to Par 6 Net Score 77 Net Birdies or better Longest Drive WHS cut this week takes me down to 7 strokes. This is my only round this week, off to Cyprus. Started an easy game thru 1st 5, even in 20mph wind. Then slowly but surely the wheel nuts loosen, by the back nine the wheels totally fell off and penalties and 3 putts took over. Par = 71 CR = 69.7 SR = 123