Down To Business......... And Oh, So Close!!!

I finally got to play at Oakridge this week. I took three days holiday from work to get some quality time in to get to know the course but, my first impression was "Bloody Hell, it's wet and windy here!"

For my first round, which was on Wednesday, I'd booked a tee time at 08:48 and arrived to see that I was first off. There are a few winter tees around at the moment but all the greens are in use and well presented. Trollies are also allowed so full marks to the greenkeepers for getting the course in as good a position as it currently is.

The wind was already blowing well and, with the forecast set to worsen as the day went on, I knew I would be up against it to get a full 18 in. As it turned out, I managed to get 10 holes in before I called it a day and, I was pleasantly surprised at how well I actually played. I parred several of the holes and hit the ball fairly well.

It wasn't until yesterday (Thursday) where I managed to get a full round in which was a round of ups and downs. Again, I was first on the tee and got away shortly before 8 o'clock. I had decided that I wasn't going to score either of the first two rounds as  I didn't want to place any added pressure on myself during the familiaristion rounds.

I was extremely impressed with my iron play but my wood and hybrid play led to a bit of anxiety which worsened as the round progressed. As I said, my iron work was excellent and, on the par 3 14th, I came the closest I had ever come to an "ace" with the ball bang on line and finishing only a putter length from the hole.

Considering it was the first time I'd played the back nine, I actually played extremely well and, save for a couple of silly shots where I either under clubbed or took on a risky shot, I played very sensibly.

On my third day's holiday (Friday), I've actually gone back to the range for 100 balls. My iron play is now getting better by the day and the mechanics thoughts have pretty much all disappeared while I'm hitting which I am extremely relieved about. I still hit a few poor shots but nowhere near as many as I was doing a month ago.

I need to book a lesson with Trevor to try and get my woods back on course but I've now gained more confidence in myself. My course management is pretty good and, with a couple more practice rounds, I think I'll be ready to score a few and get my first handicap.