Patchy

It's a malaise that affects all high handicappers but I think I may have quite a severe case of patchy golf syndrome. The Texas Scramble format is normally very accommodating of patchy play, but to take full advantage you need to pair a mid and high handicapper together. Yesterday I played with my friend Graham who also plays off 28. We never really expected to contend for honours and we never even came close to troubling the prizes.

What I am finding difficult at the moment is maintaining concentration and focus, without getting too tense. I need a trigger to get me in the zone and a routine that I follow religiously to allow me to think only of my shot but remain free and easy. I am finding this especially difficult on social knockabouts and formats such as scrambles. I imagine it will take some time for me to be able to relax and enjoy my round but switch off from the banter, company and comraderie in the brief moments when I am playing a shot. I can do it on the putting green, but then again the swing mechanics of the putting stroke are hardly complicated. There are so many things that can go wrong on my full swing: but thinking of them or not thinking about them both have detrimental outcomes.

I suppose like a learner driver I am currently consciously competent, because when I do apply myself properly I can play some good golf. On our 2nd (par 5) yesterday we found ourselves 208 yards from the flag in light rough after 2 shots. The ball was sitting up pretty nicely but you couldn't get away with anymore than a 6 iron. My aim was to be accurate between the two greenside bunkers and hope that I may generate enough roll to make the fringe. I followed my routine, cleared my mind, thought only of my target and flushed it. I knew it was a good connection but did not expect to not only reach the green, but hit it pin high 12 feet left of target. This was not an isolated incident, there were a number of good approaches, recovery shots, chips and putts that I hit yesterday. What I haven't been able to do, is maintain that level of concentration for periods of time so I can string several good shots together and build some momentum.

Where I am consistently coming unstuck is the tee box, where far too often (especially recently) I am hitting out of bounds or into massive trouble. As always it is another inevitable step on my journey and while the good shots are the ones that fuel my desire to play, they also leave a sour aftertaste that usually presents itself the next time I slice one out of bounds. "How is it possible to play quite brilliantly one minute and so awful the next?" I have often asked myself as I disconsolately put my 4 iron back into the bag. "Because it's golf" my condescending subconscious will reply as I drill one out of the cabbage and back into play some distance up the fairway. I'm not asking for much, but a little consistency would be nice.