This is my 19th consecutive year playing in the Wilderness Golf League. We play at Campbell’s Scottish Highlands Golf Course in Salem, NH.
We started at the earliest point on the calendar we can. Some years we have been extended out due to weather conditions. This year was bright and sunny but awfully windy. Our first group started at 3:50 and it was about 44 degrees. We were the 3 rd group and when I finished it was 38 degrees.
At times while standing on the green you had to brace yourself from being pushed by the wind. I also had to switch hats from my golf hat to my winter knit hat to keep my ears warm. Decked out with a nice heavy sweater and an extra large wind breaker and walking the course I stayed fairly warm. I also used my winter golf gloves to keep my fingers from freezing.
I started off this year in the B division as I missed out the A division by .3 points. I played Bob Sasso and he fought me tooth and nail. We started on the back nine as we usually play the front nine on odd numbered days and the back nine on even days.
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I hate it when they aerate the greens at Campbell’s Scottish Highlands golf course. It will surely add at least two to three shots per round until the holes close up. The greens are so bumpy and putts heading for the hole can veer off within a blink of an eye. The worst part is not so much the aeration but the golfers who do not fix their ball marks. This really irks me as it ruins the greens and I think a lot of beginners or some experienced golfers just don’t care.Our league is in it’s final 2 weeks and our team will finish next to last this half. Oh well, there is always next year.
My league average this year with little to no practice and only playing 9 holes a week with only playing 4 rounds of 18 holes is 42 on the front and 41 on the back. That is awful, for me anyway.
Interestingly enough last year with a ton of practice and a lot of golfing I averaged 41.83 for the front and 41.33 on the back. That is weird…. I guess I am very consistent.
2005 I was 41 on the front and 39.11 on the back.
2004 I was 41.25 on the front and 40.22 on the back.
2003 I was 40.22 on the front and 40.89 on the back. Looks like I had some trouble on the back nine.
This year has been my worst year scoring in the last 4 years.
Playing once a week really can hurt your golf game. I found this year that playing only once has my short game in a tizzy. I have found that my chipping has really suffered. I have to really dig deep to concentrate on what I am doing. I have found that a lot of my fairway approach shots have been let’s say less than stellar. I noticed that I have a tendency to lift my head a little and skull a few approach shots. Lack of practicing for sure.
The course is short from the white markers where we play in our league and low irons are a must as an errant wood will surely handcuff you in the woods.
I was able to salvage a decent round that day as I birdied the par 5 18th. I had a good drive into the wind and then a real good 3 wood to within a few feet of the green then my chip shot was left about 5 feet below the hole. My match had a fantastic drive and second shot to within 3 feet and he missed the eagle putt, bummer. I ended up winning the match and getting 4 points for our team.
