First Golf Game of 2009

I played my first golf of the year this afternoon. It was a practice round at the local par-3. I hadn't even been to the driving range yet, so this was a cold start.

I played at Midway Par 3, which is an older course and not as well-kept as it might be. But it is inexpensive and relaxed and nearby. It was the first course I tried when I started to play this game as an adult, and it is a nice place to try out the swing at the start of the season.

I played two balls on each hole. Playing two let me try different different swings and clubs and approaches. I also kept two scores; my good ball score and my bad ball score. Neither score was great.

My best-ball score was 65. The bad score was 81. This is a par-54 course, so there's no bragging here. still, for a first time out on the season, I was pretty happy with my short-iron play. I still need to learn to judge which club for which distance better; this sort of practice round can help with that.

What was not good was my putting. I need to slow down on the greens and think about putts before I try them. I have a tendency to rush this part of my game. It's not a good approach.

It's wild to think that a week ago we were watching the start of the season's largest snow-fall. Today I walked a round of golf in shorts and a polo shirt.

This posting of scorecards on-line is a new thing, by the way. I'm not sure whether or not to continue the practice during this year's golf season. It is the transparent thing to do, but it may become painful. Also, I can't tell how any golf partners I may play with will like the idea.

We'll see.