"Pride comes before the fall" is how the saying goes. In this case, as an aging golfer, one knows more falls are coming, but the question is how many, how far and how deep is the pride and subsequent fall(s).
In my case, I had taken great care in tracking my rounds since 2001, when I started playing more rounds at golf courses other than my beloved home track of Saticoy Country Club, where I grew up. I had a track record during that window (and probably even a few years before but didn't have the evidential proof to back it up) of having my score average rest in the "70s" for every calendar year. Additionally, at no time during that window did I post an individual score of 90 or higher (we're talking handicap allowable rounds with reasonable gimmie putts, a mulligan here or there, surely not pro style by admission, but still legit by amateur standards), and those records remained intact through 2023.
Coming into 2024, I had been on a bit of a golf decline and knew that there was one key stretch of golf that would likely make or break my streak. That came on my annual golf trip with my buddies, which this year saw us take a trip to Wisconsin, playing 5 public golf courses in the Top 100 in the US, several of which have hosted majors, and all of which are hard, even on benign weather days.
I will post more updates about this trip but I think I delayed the start of this post for 9 months as its a written admission of the end of both of those streaks, with the key blow being being absolutely trounced by a heavy wind day at the Irish Course at Whistling Straits. I had played there before once and not fared well either, but suffice it to say, of all the hard Pete Dye golf courses, and there are many, this one might be the one I struggle with the most. It's got plenty of good holes, but it just seems like all trouble is set up to capitalize on my most frequent misses, and with the 3 clubs of wind like we had, it was with no great shock, but with sadness (in a golfing sense only, I want to keep perspective here) that both of my streaks essentially ended on that golf course in September 2024.
The picture here is of the golf course, but is of my good friend, Taylor, who stuck his shot here really close to the pin, which was a moment of excitement in a round otherwise characterized by four golfers being pulverized by Pete Dye. Also, Happy First Father's day to Taylor!!
In my case, I had taken great care in tracking my rounds since 2001, when I started playing more rounds at golf courses other than my beloved home track of Saticoy Country Club, where I grew up. I had a track record during that window (and probably even a few years before but didn't have the evidential proof to back it up) of having my score average rest in the "70s" for every calendar year. Additionally, at no time during that window did I post an individual score of 90 or higher (we're talking handicap allowable rounds with reasonable gimmie putts, a mulligan here or there, surely not pro style by admission, but still legit by amateur standards), and those records remained intact through 2023.
Coming into 2024, I had been on a bit of a golf decline and knew that there was one key stretch of golf that would likely make or break my streak. That came on my annual golf trip with my buddies, which this year saw us take a trip to Wisconsin, playing 5 public golf courses in the Top 100 in the US, several of which have hosted majors, and all of which are hard, even on benign weather days.
I will post more updates about this trip but I think I delayed the start of this post for 9 months as its a written admission of the end of both of those streaks, with the key blow being being absolutely trounced by a heavy wind day at the Irish Course at Whistling Straits. I had played there before once and not fared well either, but suffice it to say, of all the hard Pete Dye golf courses, and there are many, this one might be the one I struggle with the most. It's got plenty of good holes, but it just seems like all trouble is set up to capitalize on my most frequent misses, and with the 3 clubs of wind like we had, it was with no great shock, but with sadness (in a golfing sense only, I want to keep perspective here) that both of my streaks essentially ended on that golf course in September 2024.
The picture here is of the golf course, but is of my good friend, Taylor, who stuck his shot here really close to the pin, which was a moment of excitement in a round otherwise characterized by four golfers being pulverized by Pete Dye. Also, Happy First Father's day to Taylor!!
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