A few days ago, I was in the zone, the golfer zone, hitting shots that were hard for me to explain, making putts that were difficult to read much less hit with a magical stroke on aerated greens, and missing putts that if made could of pushed me to shooting my age, darn it!
My week of golf was interesting, exciting and frustrating, and probably boring to many, but this diary--Jim's COVIDiary--is about me. So there. First a short look back.
The first three months were brutal to my index. Starting with a 6.8, it was over 10 on April 1. Scores of 79 and 75 brought it down to to just over 9.0 and it stayed nearby through June 2 with 14 scores from 80 to 89. Having a high index is good for the game, not my game but the mythical $6.00 game we play three days a week.
Then came last week which started with an 80 on Monday and book-ended with another 80 on Friday. After that Monday round my WHS index was at 8.9. Sandwiched in between the two 80s was Wednesday, that magical day, that day in the zone, one that golfers can appreciate.
I shot a 2-under par 70. I was in the zone, hitting 8 of 13 par-4 and par-5 fairways, climbing onto 16 of 18 greens in regulation, getting up and down for par on the two greens I missed, three putting just once for my only bogey and having three birdies including concluding each nine with birds on the 9th and 18 holes. I had 32 putts total.
As far as shooting my age--I turned 68 on May 26--I needed to birdie the three closing holes which, as I stood on the 16th tee, seemed improbable. With three holes to play, I was one under par.
On the 16th, a 341 yard, par 4, I missed an uphill putt of 8-feet for birdie, and then left my birdie attempt on the par 3, 17th hole inches short. I played the 18th hole with an unusual confidence, striping a drive on the 425 yard, par 4 to within 150 yards of the front pin, With no hesitation, I pulled my eight iron, sending the ball on a dead straight course at the pin. It landed and stopped about 10 feet from the hole. No break; the putt went it. Two nines of 35 with closing birdies on each. Total of 70 strokes!
This round was from the Wolfpack tees, a layout of 6032 yards, a course rating of 68.8, and a slope of 123. I believe it is my best-ever round at Lonnie Poole Golf Course at NC State University.
It was a great day for me, one I'll remember for a long time. And, that WHS index? Well, since the system uses just eight of my last 20 rounds, it dipped considerably, from 8.9 to 7.1. So I must compete with fewer strokes. That's the bad news.
The good news: I'm capable of going low on occasion, AND, the next two scores to drop off are a 79 and a 75 from early April. Unless I match those scores, which is a goal, my handicap rises and I get an additional stroke or two, good for competing in the mythical $6.00 game we play.
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