Scratching my head

[revkev]

I played in league last night which means a competitive round of playing it down, putting it out. It's a flighted individual modified stableford format with handicap - A and B flights are made up of about 20 single digit players and I've been in the A flight of this league every year, had low handicap one year, won the gross portion of the year end stroke play tournament twice and had the best point total in the A flight last season.

 

I haven't been able to swing a club since I went from the course to the hospital last thursday although I did putt on monday after the doctor cleared me to play on tuesday. The area where I had my heart cath inserted is still a bit sore (those who have had one know where I'm talking about) but overall I felt pretty good although I couldn't launch my drives as high as normal. No problem I hit 12/14 fairways, 10 greens, 31 putts, 75 which I consider my personal par on that course - Ah but this being golf all was not as it seems by those numbers so here's the crazy part:

 

We played the back nine first. The back nine is at least 2 strokes easier than the front. On that nine I hit every fairway and really every fairway exactly where I wanted it (alright I wanted it 30 yards farther up the fairway but you get the point.) I hit 7 greens - so doing the math you know that I missed 2 fairways on the second nine (the front, the harder one), I had a penalty stroke because one of those misses was in the water and I only hit 3 greens. I had 40 on one nine and one under 35 on the other nine and of course you've guessed already that I had the 40 on the first nine with 20 putts (and no I wasn't that far away from the hole on any of my approaches and even one of my missed was in a perfect spot to get up and down, a spot where I'd get up and down 70 percent of the time). I had the 35 on the back nine with 11 putts (no chip ins). Same guy, same course, tougher conditions on that nine when the sea breeze kicked in and I go one under there with a ball in the water.

 

This game wins every time!!!!!!!!!

[HighFade]

20 putts compared to 11 tells the story, if you ask me.

[revkev]

Yes but the same guy on the same greens and this course is normally very consistent throughout - I never got the pace right on the front nine and have no clue why I did on the back or more accurately second nine - I've had bad putting rounds and good putting rounds but I don't ever recall one divided in half like this before. And it wasn't the missed greens - I had some terrible chip shots and still was running in the 15 footers for par that I wasn't making for birdie on the first nine.