Lost my bottle

Well that didn't go to plan. Played nine holes this evening...well attempted to play. Was asked by our assistant pro to join his three ball. Warren's a top lad and really wants to help me transform potential into performance. Unfortunately, I hadn't warmed up or even hit a few putts and in the group was Steve, cracking low handicap and reigning club champ. Unpeturbed (well at least at first) I saw it as a great opportunity to play with better golfers. We all pulled our tee shots left and then it all went wrong.

I thought I'd found my ball up by the 9th green (our course layout sees end of 9th finish at top of 10th fairway). Srixon 2 yup that's my ball. Struck it cleanly hut a little wayward, when one of the group playing the 9th who must have hit a helluva drive says is my ball around here. What are you playing I ask. Srixon 2. Oh shhhhhhhite. I run over retrieve his ball, he finds mine about five yards away in the rough and stuck behind a tree I duff it in a bunker. Already I am looking like a prize cock and I'm not talking chicken! So I pick up etch the guys hole their putts and move onto our tiny 11th.

Now at just over 100 yards this is a great place to get my mojo back. No it isn't. I duff my first one into the pond. Warren tries to get me to relax, retrieves my ball and sets me up on the side. Duff back in the pond. Poultry in motion. So I say to him you press on and I'll drop in behind. As they depart I stick my tee shot on the green and two putt for par. But as I wait on the 12th tee the group, whose game I attempted to sabotage on 9 have caught up. This is the stuff of nightmares. I ask them to go in front but they decline and I set off down the fairway to play my second shot (did I mention I'd hit a lovely tee shot witha bit of fade?)

So now I am stuck in an embarrassment sandwich and after scoring a bogey six on 12 it all goes wrong as shots are affected by my perception that I'm holding up the group behind or being watched by the group in front. I eventually rejoined Warren and co on 16 and played some more crap golf and to be honest was glad to get in the car and drive home. To be fair the lads were top blokes and gave me some good natured and fair ribbing when I found the 1st tee with my tee shot on 18. Just going to write it off as one of those days. Just hope next time, if indeed there is a next time, I play with those guys I do myself justice