RETURN TO GOLF 2023

Hey there!  Oly here with another installment from the post I started last year.  You remember me the old guy who hadn’t played GOLF SINCE 1988.  I finally got out with my friend  and tried a nine hole round to start the season. As you may recall people had talked me into buying graphite clubs.  I tried to buy a set on or two on ebay.  To no avail.  I tried to purchase a set of PING and a set of Callaway.  I went to $600 on each  set.  (I think that is pretty expensive for USED clubs).  They went for between $800-$900+.  Needless to say at 76 I wasn’t going more.  I ended up at DICKS SPORTING STORE.  I am not a big fan of DICKS.  However they had a set of TOP FLITE senior graphite clubs on sale, (regularly priced at $349.99), but sale price was $249.99 and included the walking bag (with the legs that spread out to support the bag when you set it down  Did I mention that I had previously bought a Callaway HOT-X driver, (why I was seeking graphite Callaway graphite clubs.  Really loved it in the store.  Looked at at dozens of times before I bought it at DUNHAMS.  It wasn’t on sale at the time, but because I frequent the store often the manger gave me $50 off.

Came time to play.  I went to the driving range, They give you I think 20 balls for $5.  With my bad back I  can’t hit that many balls without sitting for about 1/2 hour between 6 or 7 balls.  So I spent quite a bit of time there Hitting th Callaway HOt X ane the graphite driver that came with the set.  Determined to use the Callaway I used it all season.  Averaging about 165s  yard a drive.  Last year was a forgettable season.  If you want to see my scores, and reactions you will have to check back to the posts last year.

So this year I decided to just use my Top Flite clubs,  (Aside for Christmas one of my sons gave me a dozen of the Titleist Pro V1.  I told him I would have to improve a lot before I played those expensive balls.  My other son (who generally shoots 2-4 shots over par),  said “Dad they are just balls”   Yeah if you don’t lose them easily).  Last year friends gave me I’m not sure how many dozen golf balls.  When I counted them out I could shoot a different ball every day for a year and not use them all.

But back to this year.  I like to give my scores as NET sounds better.  The first 9 I netted a 24.  (unfortunately my gross was 60 for a par 32.  To be fair though,; I did have a lot of wet balls and “STOLEN BALLS” .  You see there is no rule regarding Stolen Balls.  So I decided if I couldn’t find a ball it was not lost.  Someone would come along and pick it up and not return it to me; THUS it is a stolen ball.

I play from the white tees.  Senior tees are for old men.  So I was told anything in the 120’s is considered respectable for any age.

Not happy with being in 120’s, so my goal is to be below 120.

To begin the season I have set my own pars. Whatever par is to get to the green then 2 putt.  So par 3=5  par 4=6 and Par 5 is 7.  So on a par 72 course I have 4 par 3’s so that makes 30.  10 par 4’s = 60  That brings me to 90 4 par 5’s = 28 Which brings me to a score of 118.  As, (if) I improve I will lower my par.  That first nine holes according to MY pars would have been 58 instead of the 60 I shot.

Check back next week to see if I improve.  

HINT;   If you stay out of the water it will save you at least 1 stroke,(providing you don’t do it again on the same hole).