Playing Golf 7/4

Course: Poolesville
Score: 109 through 17 holes (Front: 53; Back: 56 through 8 holes)
Best Club: 19 degree hybrid
Worst Club: Driver
Highlights: Par on the Par 4 15th. Hitting the 220 yard Par3 3rd green in regulation. Getting to wear my new Jim Furyk-esque red button down camp style shirt.











Lowlights: Losing two straight balls on the Par 4 10th hole with dead pulls off the tee. Forgetting how to play golf for the majority of the back 9.
Summary: Went out early today to beat the heat, ended up teeing off around 7am. The first warm up swing with the driver went straight and long, which I though was a good omen. I was wrong.

At the first tee I quickly realized I was the worst player of the foursome (a squibed drive that only tricked on the fairway due to the dry status of the course was a hint). This actually is a good thing for me; it forces me to focus on making good shots so I don't embarrass myself. While I didn't do particularly well on the front nine, I was able to keep up. The majority of my mistakes (all shots off the tee with the driver, the majority of irons) were pushes to the right. I bogeyed four of the nine front holes, which is a good score for me. I three putted three times, which isn't good for me.

As I approached the 10th tee, I thought 'at least I haven't lost any balls'. I was prepared to say that out loud but stopped so I wouldn't jinx myself. Too late, as I pull the first drive out of bounds left. Okay, reload and try again. Another pull, another ball lost. That seemed to knock the wind out of my sails and I was useless for the next four holes (it is possible the increasing heat or me running out of gas walking my fat ass around the course had something to do with it). I did decide to hit hybrid on par 4 holes under 400 yards; that lead to par (which could have been a birdie if I didn't miss a 5 foot putt) and bogey on holes 14 and 15 respectively. Then back to pulling as I lose tee shots into the trees left on the par4 16th (with the hybrid) and the Par 3 17th (with a 6 iron). After pulling the tee shot on the 18th, then following it up by hitting the ground before the ball on the second tee shot, I just gave up keeping score and hit three lousy irons before getting to the green and putting my out of my misery.

After today's debacle, I've realized the following:

• I need to practice lat least once a week. If the only time I swing clubs is when I am playing or warming up, I'll never get any kind of consistency. I don't know when I would be able to hit the range, but if I want to get better, especially with my iron play, which once was the strength of my game, I have to put some work in.
• For now on, I will be using the hybrid for all par 4 holes under 400 yards. I get that club out at least 220 yards most of the time and I am much more consistent with it than I am with the driver. The extra yards the driver gives me on the short holes doesn't outweigh putting the ball in the fairway more with the hybrid. If I haven't said this before, I'll say it again; unless someone is paying you to put your name on your golf bag, you need a hybrid.
• If health or vanity reasons aren't enough, I need to lose some weight to improve my stamina walking a golf course. The fact that I wrote the previous sentence after coming back from an Independence Day barbecue where beef ribs, burgers, hot dogs and soda were consumed proves man is not a logical animal.

The next time I am scheduled to play is a company nine hole outing 7/12. Hopefully, I swing the clubs at least once between now and then.