How Did You Score? - 2025

Haven't played in 8 months, but got a casual round in on Thursday. Shot an 85, included 7 pars and 2 birdies, so fairly bloody happy with that. 39 on the back nine...maybe I should play more

I've been having a very poor start to the golfing year. I've 10 qualifying rounds so far this year and only one score of net par. The rest far worse. As a result I've had a few good rounds drop out and none to replace them so my index has gone from 10.2 to 12.9. Not at all what I want but feel like I'm starting to turn a bit of a corner. However at the moment I am playing nothing but interclub golf being apart of 5 teams, so not getting a chance to get scores in. Should quiet down after this month and I can try get that handicap back down.

Included in the interclub match was a singles match last weekend where I was -1 under gross for the back 9, although you can't really compare this to a standard singles. But definitely encouraging signs. Had a short practice round yesterday evening with our Barton Cup team and played with two of the lower handicap players (5.3 and 5.7) and both big hitters of the ball. Playing with them really highlighted my biggest weakness, I was able to match them for distance and the most part accuracy off the tee but my approach play is killing me compared to them. Anything from 150 to 70 yards, hitting the green I am far too inconsistent. Last weekend on the back 9, I was doing this and the result showed. Looking forward to hopefully a strong return to competitive scoring soon.

Glorious day for it today, played slightly better 95 (+25) with a slightly better split between the nines (51/44). However overall played a lot better, felt more comfortable, driver was much more reliable. Could easily have shaved a few shots off here and there but a lovely round on all fronts.

3rd counting round, 31 points on the first 2 rounds, 41 today.

28 hc playing 33, scored on every hole, only blemish was lost tee shot on 2nd but managed a par with second ball. Hard ground helping with distance but greens fast.

Need to keep good scoring up to reduce handicap, can't follow that round with a 20ish next time out.

Played my first counting round in a while at the weekend in our Medal and finally showing some of my old form. A nett level par which was decent considering the wind and at times rain but 3 double bogeys cost me any chance of winning. Each of them were a mix of weather and poor timing in lapse in concentration.

To give an idea of the impact of the wind, our 1st hole is a 480 yard par 5 playing down wind and I hit driver, PW into the green. The 18th into wind a 390 yard par 4 I hit driver, 3 wood and both decent strikes to the back of the green. Although the 1st is a bit downhill and the 18th a bit uphill but it's been a while since I experienced that type of difference.

Even with that I felt like I left a lot of shots out there. Some uncharacteristic sloppy putting on one hole and my approach play still very much hit and miss. My irons were also a bit too inconsistent, hit a number fat but one of two peaches to set myself up for birdie chances. Positives were that my driving was again pretty consistent and even into the wind which I usually really struggle with I kept it pretty straight. Just took the ego out of it, gripped down and easier swing. Significantly shorter than I would usually be playing from with my 2nd but the key was that it was in play and still giving myself a good opportunity to get onto the green with the second shots. My short game around the green is also still very good in general and got a few nice up and downs when I needed to.

We have our scratch cup this weekend so would like to give that a good go. I feel like if I can play anything close to how I know I can I should have a decent shot at it. But before that I'm playing in a pro-am with the club pro on Thursday which should be good fun. First time to play in anything like this so looking forward to seeing just how much better they are 😅

Round 2 - 69 (2 under).

First round saw us around in about 3 hours and 20 minutes so with the last group within the morning wave not out until 11.20am odd, we had a bit of a wait before we could begin round 2. That suited me because my battery can no longer manage the 36 holes without a significant charge in between, so was optimistic it wouldnt let me down during round 2 by the time we actually got back out.

We were also pretty much in the dark about what kind of scores were coming in. As the morning progressed, I could see how some of the local lads were doing via the Golf Ireland app but I had no idea how our visitors were doing or what was actually leading after the first round. In reality though, I didn't really think I was in contention starting the second round, more because of my poor score instead of any potentially good one; I decided I'd just try and do better than I did in the morning. Maybe ignorance is bliss.

Hole 1: Very similar drive to the morning round, decent hit but a slight push. More wind at that stage though, and the ball made its way past the bunker by about 10 yards into the semi rough and a nice flat lie. Hit a good sandwedge from there into 6 feet and finally made birdie #2 of the day. Back to +4.

Hole 2. Again, an almost identical drive to the morning round, but drew a better lie and wasnt quite as blocked out as I was earlier. Still had to go low however and the ball ran through the green, leaving me a very quick chip down the hill to the back right pin. Played it lovely and thought it was going to finish stone dead, but it ran out an extra foot to that missable 3 foot range and I didn't even hit the hole with the putt. Disappointing bogey, back to +5.

Hole 3: Pulled the drive a little but enough wind behind me that it cleared the few tree up the left into an ok spot. The lie was very heavy again however, and I had to hack at it with a 9 iron, which came out a bit squirty and a bit right. It finished in the fringe pin high right, maybe 25 feet away. There's quite a big shoulder on the right of the 3rd green so the putt was quick with a lot of right to left break and it ran a little past, just a touch shorter than the putt I'd missed on the previous hole. Put a good stroke on that one though and in it went. Par and still +5.

Hole 4: First big break of round 2. OB left and dangerously left I went. The ball wound up on hardpan amongst some trees and no more than 5 feet from the white line. Hit a pretty good second, a hooky chip 5 iron that I got back on the fairway and 100 yards from the hole. Sandwedge to 10 feet but a poor putt that fizzled out low. But secretly, quite content with the par after the drive.

Hole 5: A virtual repeat of the morning round. Wedge to 20 foot or so, two putts: par.

Hole 6: Another good drive down this tough par 4, although not quite as good as the morning effort. 7 iron from the semi rough and no way was it going right! Came out low and angry, running to the back of the green, from where I had 50 feet odd to navigate. Got the first one to 3.5 feet and rolled that one in for a satisfying par 4. Still +5 though.

Hole 7: Pulled my drive off 7 and got quite lucky to have a second. Only 80 yards odd but was able to flip a lob wedge over some trees and it hopped up to 3.5 feet odd, which I made. Birdie and back to +4.

Hole 8: Wind was really humming at this stage and 8 was back into the teeth of it. I hit my best drive of the day, just carrying an imposing spinney left and finishing safely in the left centre of the fairway. Hit an ok second shot but slightly pulled with a 9 iron. Walking up, I was thinking it'd be a handy enough 25 foot 2 putt from the fringe but things got complicated. I was in a brown patch that was clearly an effort to either remove or install a sprinkler head, but there was no GUR line or sign to be seen. To make things worse, my ball was in a slight depression within the area, with a ridge right directly behind it, meaning I had no chance of taking a level stroke with a putter. I chatted with my playing partners for a while but eventually decided to just get on with it. If I'd had referee on speed dial, I probably wouldve chanced a call but as it was, I tried to flick a wedge at the top of the ball. Moved it about 13 or 14 feet, leaving me with something similar for the par. First putt that I considered reasonably significant, at least for the round itself if not the overall event, and in she went. Justice done and I'm still at +4.

Hole 9: Solid 7 iron this time, to the front/ middle portion of the green. Another tough two putt ahead of me, got the first one to 3 feet and made for a good par on a real card wrecker of a hole.

Hole 10: Poor drive, probably the worst I hit the entire day, toey and high and left. Again, caught a break - I couldnt go at the flag but was able to pitch it through a gap in some trees to about 25 feet right of the hole. 2 putts and a par.

Hole 11: Mashed a drive down the left fairway this time having gone left in round one. Just a handy pitch that should have been 10 feet away at worst. Way short and 2 putted from 30 feet. Par, -1 for the day and +4 overall.

Hole 12. Terrible tee shot to the par 3, left of the bunker I found in the morning and wickedly shortsided. Hit a risky enough flop over the bunker to about 6 feet and nailed that one for a par. Putter really playing ball at this stage.

Hole 13: Similar drive to the morning round, a bit squeezy and right. Second shot came out hot but straight - ran just by the hole but wound up a good 45 feet way down a step in the green. Horribly misread the putt so even with perfect pace, I had 6 feet for par. Which I made. +4.

Hole 14. Big wind behind us at this stage, a good drive would set me up for a really good birdie chance. Hit it solid but a touch right and straight into one of the 3 big fairway bunkers. I was close to the lip but on a big upslope so actually got quite a lot of club on it and it finished about 120 yards out. From there, I hit a gap wedge which landed well short, took a huge bounce up and settled 3 feet right of the front right pin. Nailed it. Birdie. +3.

Hole 15: Back into a strong wind, I hit a straight drive that left me with a 9 iron in from 140 yards or so. I hit a very poor shot, scruffy and left and very lucky not to kick back into the ditch that runs in front of the green. For whatever reason, I was particularly nervous over that shot and it showed. Ditto the chip, which was just as bad and the putt from 10 feet stayed out. Sloppy bogey at an inopportune time. +4.

Hole 16: 3 wood again the shot but not as good as I'd hit earlier, slightly less well hit and slightly pushed. Got lucky again though, as it wasn't far enough up or to the right to be stymied by the many trees in the vicinity so was left with a reasonably straightforward sandwedge from 115 yards or so. Ball was a little above me and with the pin tight left, I tried to aim for the middle of the green but the ball came out unenthusiastically and pulled up just short of the fringe. Had about a foot of fairway, 3 foot of fringe and 15 foot of green to navigate with a nasty little slope about 2 foot behind the hole that would easily have added another couple of feet to a ball's journey if I'd been too frisky. And I was. But the flag got in the way, and in she went! I hit a good putt, but there was no question about it, I was looking at a 5 footer coming back if it'd missed. But it didn't. Birdie. Back to +3.

Hole 17: Very nervous at this point. A hole that nearly went catastrophically wrong in the am, still 200 yards to a back right flag and into the wind. Can't go long so decided to try and lash a 5 iron. The strike wasn't perfect - ball came out spinner than usual - but she flew mercifully straight and found the middle of the surface, allbeit on the lower shelf. So happy as I was with the shot, I had a tough two putt left. Akin to the 13th hole, my pace was was spot on but the line was a fair bit out, leaving me with a 4 footer with a little left to right break. Dead centre. Par. +3.

Hole 18: 15 minute wait. In fact, we'd waited on every shot since the 6th at this stage, where we'd run into the back of the last group of the morning starters. Things were exacerbated when our third man decided he'd had enough of waiting (and his golf, which had been poor after a decent first round) and departed with well-wishes on the 11th tee. As hard a hole as 18 is, with the wind behind it was reachable in 2, so a fair few lads had to wait for the green to clear before having a cut. Anyway, I'm very nervous at this point and this particular hole has ruined me more times than I care to remember so it wasn't a wait that I enjoyed one bit. Finally time to go and I hit an ok drive up the left, not as well struck as in the moring but straight and safe. I had 170 to clear a ditch that runs across the fairway and makes the third shot much easier but I decided against taking it on. Long irons are not my forte and I knew a par would, at the very least, win me something for the second round if not better. So I laid up with an 8 iron. It wasn't a great shot, smothered a little left, but I was very disappointed at just how bad the lie was, absolutely buried 5 yards off the fairway. I had 140 left to the left pin with the mound at the front of the green (which you have to get past to have any chance of making a par) out of a terrible lie with water left and a deep bunker right, both of which were in play because I couldn't fly it all the way with the lie and the wind and keep it from going long and into thick shrubbery. But there wasn't much precision to the shot, it was hack and hope it came out straight. And it did. Landed a good 40 yards short of the green and bounded towards it, slowing down just in time as it passed over the mound. It still ran through the green but only just, settling about 15 feet from the hole on the back fringe. Unfortunately, it was straight downhill with a significant left to right break. What made it awkward was I had to hit it to get it through a foot or two of fringe, but I knew the second it got on to the green it was glass staircase stuff. I never even considered holing it even though it was well within range (well, on any other day!); as soon as I got near it, I was praying for a 2 putt. Of course, despite all my awareness and prayer-ness, the first one went a good 4 foot past, just inside the putt I'd missed for birdie on the same green 5 hours earlier. In total shock, I called myself every name under the sun as I waited for my playing partner to finish out, which he did…eventually. A combination of the tricky green/pin as well as his trying to get out of my way and frustration with his own round (which hadn't gone as planned) led to repeated failed efforts to get the ball into the hole from between 1 and 4 foot. I think he made it on the 6th attempt, which is just what I needed to see 😂 Anyway, barely able to feel the putter in my hands, I aimed at the right edge, got the putter head back and through and in she went, dead centre. Par and a 69, -2, for a +3 total, 145 shots overall.

It was only when I came in that I found out about the 69 in the morning. There had also been a 71 and a 73 and a few 74s. So I had a long wait ahead of me to find out where my total would leave me. After a few hours, we reasoned the lad who shot 69 should have finished his round and one of the competition closers said he'd go check for his card so he could put me out of my misery. But he couldn't find it, it hadn't been put in the box. He checked a couple more times before checking the computer system and informing me that the morning leader had NRd. Not 100pc sure what had happened (you only hear these things third and fourth hand) but my understanding is he was +3 or +4 with a few holes to go and hit a ball off of the 14th or 15th tee, was surprised not to be able to find it and decided not to run back to the tee. Whatever happened, that was my main threat gone, and he was soon followed by the second; the lad who had shot 71 in the morning had an 80 in the afternoon. When the only 73 was followed by a 76, I knew if anyone was going to beat me, they were going to have to shoot under par, which is a tall order around Lucan, expecially in rd 2 of a 36 holer. Eventually, around 9.45pm odd, it was confirmed. 145 was good enough to win by 2 shots.

Thrilled and delighted to win a SSC. Sure the field wasn't especially strong but I beat a couple of decent names and a fair few of my fellow members who I know can play Lucan as well as any player (one lad had shot 66 gross in the July medal only a few weeks ago!). Deffo one ticked off the ol bucket list, looking forward to seeing if the confidence is a bit higher the next time Im able to play in one!

Absolutely savage. Delighted for you @Benicetomonty . Well played

far from the dizzy heights of shooting under par, I was pretty close to a good one for me on Sunday in the Castleknock medal.

Started with a solid tee shot but a misjudged approach came up a little short and I couldn’t get up and down from green side so opened with a bogey. Slight push on my second tee shot had me blocked out a little but I was able to punch my second up the fairway a good bit but pulled my approach to the par 5. I didn’t have an easy chip over the bunker but managed reasonably well but still a 2 putt bogey. On the 3rd I hit a clean strike to avoid the water but finishing on the front edge with the pin well up left me a long and tricky 2 putt for par but navigated it well. Took 3 wood on the 4th to be sensible but got under it and it ended up in trees to the right and very short. I could only knock it back into play and found myself with 180 to the green but failing to get the ball in the air I found a bunker 20 yards short of the green. Hit a worldie of a shot to 3 foot and made a very respectable bogey on the index 2, but +3 now.

Flushed driver on the short 5th but with the pin tucked away I was left with a large bunker between me and the hole with not a lot of green to work with. Decent shot but a little short and 2 putt par. The 6th has been my nemesis of late with impossible to find rough on the right. Well a flushed 3 wood was a relief to find centre of fairway in good position but the wind was such that getting to the green would be a big ask on the par 5. I slightly sliced the second 3 wood and found a semi buried lie in the right rough. With only 60 yards to the hole at the back of the green I didn’t want to hit it to hard as long would be dead. Caught it a bit to weak though and left myself a tester which was my first real bad putt of the day and I still had 10 foot for par which I duly missed. +4.

The 7th is not the easiest of par 3’s on the best of days and with a stiff breeze I was delighted to find the edge of the putting surface and walk way with a solid par. Onto the par 5 8th now and wind pushing left to right. And kind of a slice here would be lost and after seeing the 3 ball in front all go right, I set up to go down the left over the trees and hope the wind would see me back into the middle. But no, I actually hit such a good drive and it got a nice bit of draw, it cut through the wind and went out into middle of 17th which is a great place to be even if you are blind sided. 5 wood back to the right fairway for me within about 80 yards of the pin but again I was a little short with my approach however a solid 2 putt for another par. I think I played a wedge to a back pin the last time I played the 9th but I needed all of a 7 iron to finish pin high left of a front pin. I hit a great putt tracking to the hole but came up short. 2 4irons and a 6 iron saw me navigate the 10th almost perfect but again I should have done better with a very makable birdie putt from about 5 foot.

Onto the 11th and at this point the group in front were annoying myself and playing partner with their slow play. A middle aged man with 2 young lads, very early teens. As my opposition said, the man should have been hustling them along but instead seemed happy to dawdle with them, over 2 holes behind the group in front. The result of a good 5 minute wait saw me stick the wedge back into the bag when the wind left my back and pull a 9. I hit it absolutely perfectly, right at the pin but what I didn’t realise in my haste to just hit it, was the wind was now in my face and I came up about a yard short and into the water. I reloaded and got a solid 5 but I was livid with my first double of the day for no real reason. We had finished the 11th before the guys in front had made their way to the 12th fairway so I called them to let us through which in fairness the did. Thankfully we both played the hole flawlessly and walked off with a couple of solid pars.

13th hole I flushed drive down right side and about 100 out. I played a good approach but pulled it a bit. My second bad putt followed here though, a big push right and left myself 8 foot away and cost me another 3putt bogey. The 14th is index 1 but with the wind behind me, I crushed my drive and clocked it at 328yards and only a wedge in which I executed really well. 18 foot or so to the hole and it was a good putt but lacked a little steam and broke left before it got to the hole. A brain fart followed and I missed the 2 footer. I knew I was going to and I should have stepped off it. So now I’m +8 and being off 12 for the day figured I’m out of it now. I think I let it get to me as I sliced my next tee shot probably OB. Then my provisional was not much better off to the left but thankfully it was in play as the first ball was in the dried up stream (which used to be just red stake but for some daft reason has become OB in recent years). A good approach but another double. 16th is a par 5 and again with the wind behind me, I flushed the drive but this time only a mere 316 yards 😂 left myself with a wedge or maybe 9 iron. Don’t be long or it’s dead, wedge will find green so that was choice. Right at the pin but maybe half a club short. Gave the eagle putt a real chance but again, a little short but only 8 inches for an easy birdie. +9.
the 17th hole is a beast at the best of times but into the wind it’s even beastlier. I snap hooked the drive into trees and barely 100 yards off the tee but did go through the foliage enough to give me the option to play up 16. After I played a 4 iron I realised on the walk up a 5 wood would have been a better choice, but I was 170 from back of green and with the wind into my face I pulled a 7 iron. I had trees to go over but was just about far enough back they shouldn’t be trouble. Probably hit my shot of the day, reckoned I’m gonna have a real chance of par here. Was distraught to see it had finished over the back though, not far, 15 foot from hole but down a treacherous hill. I opted to chip as opposed putt. Hit hit it about 2 foot and let the contours do their magic and I was ever so relieved to finish less than 2 foot from hole.

So back to +10 and as I teed up in 18 I faced about 204 to pin over water into a very tough breeze. Went with 5 wood. Stuck it to about 15 foot pin high right. Relieved and delighted, but again I hit my birdie putt to soft and was only able to par. So 82 bangs and net 70.

Got me tied 8th overall. Second in class. But only 5 shots off the win and I can’t help but feel it was one I let get away with 3 * 3putts which is not usual for me anymore, got genuinely unlucky on 11 which cost another 2 shots. The only real bad shots I hit were on 4 and 17 where I scored very respectable bogeys and the slice on 15.

On the plus side it was a 7.4 SD which gets me to my lowest handicap ever of 9.3 and into official single digits for the first time ever. It’s a product of WHS but I can’t help but feel it’s a fake 9. I mean if I shoot 7 more rounds like that of +10 I would be a 7.4 index 🤷‍♂️

Broke 90 for only the second time yesterday, having shot 90 twice and a 91 already.

Nice to do it at my local course in Mahon, which doesn't play long and is fairly forgiving as courses go, but still plenty of water danger, particularly on the back 9.

Anyone who's played with me on the Boards soc events knows that I'm struggling to figure out my driver swing. I find it really hard to tilt and hit up on the ball, leaving a whippy-cutty swing, which brings in a huge slice right, killing my distance.

I took a tip to start with the club about a foot behind the ball and just swing through normally, collecting the ball on the way up. Tried it out on the range during the week, and it's made a huge difference: more height, more distance, and more control.

Was paired with two random lads who were decent enough, started with two frustrating doubles after poor chips on the first three holes, but got up and down from the sand for par on the short par 3. Then followed that with an annoying double after a terrible second shot left me in trouble, while I missed a stupid tap-in and then missed another for a 4-putt 6 on the next par 3.

From there, I strung together 3 bogeys. One of them, I pulled a ball behind a gorse left on a ledge high above the green, and somehow managed to pop the ball up, just clearing the hedge, and having enough of an arc to plop down on the green, giving me 10 feet.

An OB drive on 10 put me on the back foot, but managed to get up and down for a double from the sand (nice to do that twice in a round), and then on the par 5 11th I hit a nice drive, laid up, and my pitch from around 100 yards out looked lazered for the hole, hit the pin at a great speed, and popped in and back out of the cup. Gutted not to get my first eagle but a kick in birdie put me back on track.

A nice approach into 12 from the next fairway left a par, and then went on a run of bogeys all the way from the 13th to the 17th, which included some frantic ball hunting with the light closing in, and a superb flop over a stone wall to save a bogey on the penultimate hole.

Stepped up on the 18th needing par to break 90, and just hit a 3/4 PW pitch shot to make sure I was down the middle and had two putts at it. Left the first one slightly short, but held my nerve in essentially darkness to finish on 89.

Definitely could have made it a lot easier for myself on the front 9, some stupid errors (particularly the needless 4-putt) gave back silly shots, but I was way more consistent off the tee, and though the putting wasn't great, my pitching and sand game were particularly good, and definitely saved some strokes.

Playing in a comp on another relatively short course on Saturday in East Cork, so hoping that the new driver swing will help with that as well, and I can hit another decent score.