Friday 24 July 2009

Driving Range Heaven!

It was Sunday evening. The TV had little to offer ( Why do we pay Sky so much money?) and I was feeling restless. I knew I had to do something and then it hit me. Driving Range!
So off I go, Clubs in the car and I'm off. I arrived there to find a sprinkling of golfers honing their skills and venting their frustrations on the range balls. I hadn't been for a while and was pleased to see some improvemnets to the range (World of Golf, Sidcup). I slotted my range card into the machine and to my amazement and pleasure on the screen it said 174 balls for £6.60!! Bargain if ever I saw one. Other differences were that they have installed an old London Taxi at about the 150 yards mark. It just had to be hit!! So I took out my 6iron and proceeded to aim at the cab. About 20 balls later I had hit it twice and came close a few times. Good enough I thought. At this point I noted I was one of only 3 guys left there. Everyone else had gone. Had I said something wrong or were they just intimidated by my superior skills!!
Anyway a few shots with several different clubs brought me on to the Driver. I generally struggle on the course with the Driver and tend to tee off with my 3 wood which is fairly reliable and gives me good distance but I would like to get my Driver working for those long par 5s that seem to last forever(for me anyway) After a few tentative drives which went in varying directions I started to relax a little. By now I was the only one on the range and I just decided that I would go full pelt and see how it went. Really opening up my swing I started to let rip and soon I was hitting long and straight. I started to get that feeling you get when you're in the zone and it all comes together in a fluid motion. I must have hit about 60 balls in quick succesion. One by one they flew into the distance dropping about the 250 mark.
The question I have is can I now replicate that on the course when I play next week? I don't know, maybe si maybe non but for now I can be truly satisfied with my own slice of Driving Range Heaven.

Monday 13 July 2009

I Really do play golf badly!!

When I say badly I mean I am improving but it's gonna be a long time before I turn pro!!

Having played as a teenager with no fear and a supple body I then didn't play for 15 years. On returning to the game I found it a little more difficult than I had remembered. The swing was not as loose and fluid as it had once been. The drives did not go as far as I thought they would and the touch around the greens was not as deft as I imagined it had been.

That was 2 years ago and since then I have become a little more consistent and I don't show myself up so much now when surrounded by better golfers.

I have created this blog to share my golfing experiences and thoughts with the world in the hope that somewhere out there I can encourage others to play and enjoy what I believe is the best game in the world.

I will be posting links to things I have tried and have improved my game. I will be telling you of my latest rounds and practice sessions. I will be venting my frustrations about the putts that got away or that wayward drive into the trees.

Stay tuned for what I hope will be an entertaining and useful blog for those of you who like me PLAY GOLF BADLY AND STILL LOVE IT!!