Disappointment – For me the most disappointing result in golf is when I hit a green in regulation and then 3-putt.  Yes, a “5” on a par 4 is a bogey no matter how one achieved that result.  Still, having a GIR and then throwing it away with my putter stings a bit more.  I am going to make a fair amount of mistakes and poor shots during a round and they often lead to bogey (or worse!).  When I manage to put together a decent drive and a well struck approach shot, I really need to make par (or better).

Peer Pressure – Our tournaments are flighted and generally I am the shittiest player in the “A” flight. I have noticed that I tend to get a bit anxious at times, probably because subconsciously I feel the need to show the other “A” players that I actually belong in the “A” flight.  I don’t really care what everyone else is doing during a round and I suspect the same is true for the other “A” flighters.  Still, the anxiety is there.

Provisionals – I hit quite a few provisionals in the tournaments I play.  Few are ever needed but if I can’t see the ball or know almost exactly where it stopped, I am not reluctant to hit a provisional.  Early in my tournament experience, I had to make the walk (or drive) of shame a couple times.  Knock on wood but it has been a long time since I had to make that trip.

Sand - Ever notice how from similar lengths, a bunker shot that has to clear a lot of sand seems more difficult than one that has a shorter distance in which to clear the bunker?  I suspect I hit similar quality of shots but the ones that go shorter than desired are much worse when they remain in the bunker.  One can get a fortunate bounce if the ball gets on to the grass.

Hole Outs – I make my share of chip-ins and even holed out two shots from over 100 yards in the same round this year.  The one thing that I seem to never do is hole out sand shots.  I can only recall doing it twice in the past 20 years.  I make sand saves about 25% of the time so it is not as if I am completely incompetent from the sand.

Retirement - My wife, sister and younger brother all recently retired.  I am the last one in our family working.  That sucks!  ;)  Maybe I will fix that situation next year.  I already play over 100 times a year even though I often don’t touch my clubs for 90-100 days in winter.  It is hard to imagine I will play more often but it will be fun to try.

Golf in the Rain – We played a round recently with a steady light rain for most of the round.  It was warm enough (70’s) and not windy so being wet was not uncomfortable.  I did not wear my rain suit and just relied upon the cart roof, rain hat & umbrella.  It was fun having the course to ourselves.  My rain gloves once again proved to be indispensable.