The golf game downtrend has continued. My handicap has recently gone up at an alarming rate! It’s disheartening and embarrassing. Have I been playing so bad? Reality check here to relook at my game performance.
I should not focus on putting stats only because it does not reflect the whole game. I should look at all aspects of the game and see how to play better. I recently resolved my approach shots, but unfortunately, not helping to return with better scores. Then again, I do find lately, even in Jakarta, the passion to excel at the game is not quite in me.
Separately, my weight is also on the uptrend, like my golf handicap! It’s just as disheartening and alarming. I have not been eating a lot nor binge drinking beer after my golf games. Something is causing an imbalance, thus the uptrend.
I have to do something to tackle these two issues because they are bugging me to the core. Perhaps a little more disciplined with food and well-being to manage the weight, and be more focused to improve all aspects of the game and rediscover the passion again.
It is a Monday but a public holiday today, a bonus one. Over the weekend, it was Election Day for six states in the country. Our state of Selangor was one of them, delayed from November because of Covid, although the federal election went on.
I voted for the State Elections
With the outcome of the state elections maintaining the status quo, the nation has to move on now that this is over. I feel so tired because of this.
Or could it be that the neighbor’s dogs are the culprit of my lack of sleep? Every morning before my alarm rang, without fail, they would bark the street down and spoils the sleep-in. So this bonus public holiday is pointless because the dogs were at it again. Grr.
The past few days were tiring! I did not have time to gather my thoughts on the golf trip, and before I knew it, we were back in KL yesterday.
The third day’s schedule was slightly better, waking up a wee later for an eight o’clock tee-off. I found Suvarna Golf Club not as picturesque as Royale Jakarta. But the course was challenging, as I ended up in the sand bunkers more than ever.
Suvarna, the satay was super delicious!
I was aghast each time my ball went into the sand bunkers until I developed a phobia! Shivers. It was a forgettable round of golf with far too many bunker nightmares. Oh well, we had one more day of golf.
The last round was at the links course, Sedayu Indo Golf. I’ve never played at a links course before, and it was quite an experience. How quickly the golf fortune changed with a different golf course and new challenges.
My Bebek lunch was good, course was excellent
There were no bunker issues but the wind! Despite the strong wind and the undulating terrain, the last game was most enjoyable. The course layout next to the ocean also made this experience the best compared to the other two courses.
The five days, four nights golf trip was coming to an end. After three games, I did not lose any balls to the course challenges, which was a morale booster. My putting had its ups and downs, but generally pleased. However, sand bunker shots need improvement, likewise, my approach shots.
Our tour operator treated the group to a sumptuous farewell Indonesian dinner on the last night. Soon it was time to say goodbye to new friends and the city. The horror stories of being stuck in the traffic jam were not too bad. Kudos to the tour operator for selecting Hotel Santika, which was quite central to the three courses we played at.
Messy power cables
The city impressed me, although certain older parts reminded me of Bangkok. Generally, Jakarta looked like a developed nation’s big city, if not better, and not what I envisioned. Golfing in Jakarta is now a happy memory stored away. Hubby and I enjoyed ourselves tremendously and look forward to returning soon or another golf escapade.
Yesterday after lunch at the club, we went for a day tour of the city. We visited the Jakarta Cathedral and the Istiqlal Mosque.
Beautiful architecture
Both places of worship had very different and fascinating architecture. I even felt a sense of peace upon entering the premises, which was unexpected but embraced nonetheless.
Then it was time to head back to the hotel to rest. But some of us detoured to have body massages and foot reflexology. I opted for the foot massage to ease my pain from the plantar fasciitis. My masseur was excellent, as it did help tremendously.
The final touch using a hammer to my legs!Simple yet satisfying
By nightfall, I was drained of energy and had an early night after a simple Bakso dinner. So far, I am very impressed with Jakarta. We play Suvarna Jakarta Golf Club the next day.
Last night, we had dinner at PIK2, a new development with a lot of dining choices, as well as tourist attractions. The place was just so happening! So much to see, so much to eat.
People were dancing and enjoying themselves
After a simple meal, it was time to head back to the hotel and rest for golf the next day.
It was 4.45 am when the morning call woke me up. Goodness, such an ungodly hour, but then again, the time is about right because of the time difference. Jakarta is an hour behind KL.
My personal passport at RJGCVery scenicThe only aircraft I managed to capture
Royale Jakarta Golf Club was an enjoyable course situated next to the airport. Now and then, we could hear the roar of an aircraft’s engine in the background. I was trying hard to capture an image of an airplane descending with my iPhone whenever the sound came about. Not easy when it was rather smoggy in the air. I could only manage a helicopter instead!
Everyone had a caddy each, so a flight of four players had four caddies! For the record, I did 39 putts. Horrid is the only word to describe my efforts, but I enjoyed the outing and the company thoroughly. A good day to remember fondly.
The last time we traveled was in November 2022 for M2’s graduation. Immediately after that trip, I went to Bali with my high school friends for an all-girls getaway. And no more trips abroad for several months until the travel bug bites.
This morning, hubby and I flew off to Jakarta for golf, our first time here, as it has always been Bangkok, Thailand, as the preferred destination. Exciting is the word for this escapade with a group of golfing friends.
The last time I came to Jakarta, I was just a little kiddo. So yeah, it was dinosaur years ago. And I cannot recall anything about that trip. It’s okay, for I’ll have a new adventure this time.
It has been a long day, and I look forward to the coming games.
The trip to Johore for Interclub games was fun but tiring because of the ungodly wake-up hours and the return journey. Once the second game and luncheon concluded, we left for KL. The weekend traffic jam along the Plus highway contributed to a longer-than-usual trip back.
The second Interclub game on Sunday was against Ponderosa Golf & Country Club, half an hour from our hotel. A morning game this time around, the course challenges were very different from the first day’s outing. However, both days had the same strong wind external factor, creating challenging conditions to play.
The four-seater buggy
Hubby and I had an unusual four-person buggy instead of the typical two-person buggy. A first for us to be using this for a tournament! It took a while to get used to being in the four-seater with the opponents to move along the golf course.
Although hubby and I won against our opponents, my putting was terrible. I made 37 putts, with two 3-putts and TWO 4-putts! It was so demoralizing to have such horrid putting stats.
Being a Matchplay format again, our side lost by a substantial margin to our host this time, 9.5 points versus 20.5 points. But everyone was happy and enjoyed the hospitality and outing tremendously!
Sometimes it is not the outcome but the moment that matters most – the fellowship, the fun, and the experience. The memories are stored away but reminisced fondly again with time passing.
We will sign up for the next away Interclub outing without hesitation, should the next one appear on the club calendar again!
Over the weekend, hubby and I participated in our golf club’s Interclub away games. It was a short and tiring trip down South for the sixty players from our club for two interclub matches. We left in two buses in the wee hours of the morning for Palm Resort Golf & Country Club.
From the clubhouse overlooking the fairways beyond
The Saturday afternoon tee-off was at the Allamanda course. We were unfamiliar with the challenging course layout, but enjoyable nonetheless. Thank goodness I resolved my approach shot problem, and it helped. However, we lost our match to the better pair. For the record, I made 31 putts.
The hospitality shown to us was second to none. Everyone had a good time. Although we were the visiting team, we gave the home team a good fight and won 12.5 points against their 7.5 points in the Matchplay format. The match trophy is ours until the next Interclub game again to decide who will hoist the trophy.
It was a nice feeling to end with a win. Our entourage bade farewell to our host and checked into the hotel. I was so tired because the plantar fasciitis on my right foot acted up, and walking anymore after the game was killing me. I did 15,871 steps, covering 10.41km.
Last Friday, I went to the driving range, determined to fix my shank problem. And thank goodness I did it, and the problem was identified and resolved. I was fortunate because a friend was there and assisted me immediately. If I had not bumped into him at the driving range, I would still be wondering what to do and unsure where to begin.
I hit a ball to let him assess my problem; he said I was not extending my arms enough and not squaring my club face with the ball. So when I hit the ball, my arms had this coil-back effect, and the ball contacted the heel of the club instead, resulting in the ball going right.
Once I fixed these issues, the approach shots were much better. In summary, 100 balls later, the overall swing, body balance, ball contact, and ball flight were all good. Yay, I’m a happy golfer.
Lately, my golf game has been on a downtrend, and it is disheartening despite playing for so many years now. I have been facing a new struggle – the approach shots with my short irons. Something is incorrect somehow, and this causes me to strike the ball wrong. Not once or twice, but all the time. Sigh.
I keep shanking my shots! Like yesterday, I had four instances approaching the green when this happened. I couldn’t be more peeved with myself. The worse part – I cannot figure out my problem to resolve it. Is it my stance, downswing, alignment, or something else? There are so many variables, making it a new struggle.
The tee-offs, second shots with the woods or hybrids, short games, and putting are all fine except this. Perhaps a few trips to the driving range to correct this rather than trying to figure it out mentally? Otherwise, I am confusing myself and continue with my struggle. I should make an effort to fix this soon.
Angieneering 
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