Traveling with 58 other golfers is very challenging, especially for the organizer. There were, at times, miscommunications or ignorance that delayed everyone being on the two buses on time. We had a 7.15 am tee-off for the first game. The late check-in the night before did not help!
I was constantly taking big and deep breaths to stay calm and take things in stride. I focused on my micro group of friends to make the most. I didn’t even drink! That’s how focused I was.
The first game in Karawang was terrible for me. I could not find the golf course on my Hole 19 app as the Palm Springs Golf & Country Club that appeared was a different one, located in Nongsa, not in Karawang. So, I played without the app and relied on the caddy instead. It worked out well, but I had so many three-putts–38 putts in total–it was rather demoralizing! Luckily, my flight mates made up for the putting yips; they were most entertaining, and we laughed more than golfed.
Later, after requesting Hole 19 for a mapping update, I discovered that the course was previously known as Sedana Golf & Country Club. No wonder I could not find the golf course! This info is now updated, thanks to me!
Last weekend, when I participated in the Monthly Medal tournament at my golf club, it was not just slow-play angst that got to us. My AppleWatch Series 5 did not survive the round! A first for me.
I subscribe to the Hole 19 app to track all my golf game statistics. So whenever I play, I use the app on my AppleWatch but turn off the GPS function, relying more on the iPhone’s GPS. And all this while, upon completing 18 holes, I’d still have 40 to 50% battery left on my AppleWatch.
However, during Sunday’s game, my battery died with three holes left to play! Very unusual. Already angst from the lengthy outing, ten minutes shy of six hours, my AppleWatch’s unexpected death added to the angst. Argh.
I wouldn’t say I was upset but more surprised. I did notice something amiss that morning but brushed it aside. Within five minutes of wearing it upon waking up, the battery level dropped five percent. And by tee-off, I had 90 percent of battery, which I thought would be enough. But little did I know, the lengthy time out on the golf course did my watch in.
I’m wondering, slow-play aside, is it time for me to change the battery of my AppleWatch? After all, the watch is almost five years old, and the battery’s health is now at 80%. I still love my AppleWatch Series 5, and extending its life and usage would be most practical over upgrading to a newer model. Hmm. We shall see.
My Fitness rings on my AppleWatch Series 5 have been off the charts with so much walking we have done. Perhaps it’s a good thing to burn all those calories consumed. My legs hurt to high heaven, but the food discovery continued. After the rest from the Chatuchak outing, we took a cab to Jodd Fairs Night Market.
Colorful food choices at the Jodd Fairs Night Market. Highly recommended to visit.Dinner was on the table liner. Spicy squid, pineapple fried rice, and ribs. The pork-neck bone soup was killer spicy with the mountain of green chili that I removed!
We seem to have discovered more places to eat during this trip. Even on our past golfing trips, food was not a priority. Jodd Fairs felt like a more organized Chatuchak. The food vendors were clustered, with all types of mouth-watering food, and the sights and smells were so tempting! It’s nice to find new things to try.
Some exotic edibles – insects, crocodile meat, snails, prawns, and squid.
The walkways between the stalls were more spacious than in Chatuchak, and we could browse slowly without blocking human traffic. However, nothing caught our eyes, for we had bought what we wanted already from Chatuchak. It was another tired-to-the-bone night when we returned to the hotel. As a result of such a schedule, I did not have the energy to write anything to upload and share.
I knocked out a little past midnight. The next day, it’s another full itinerary to visit the temples.
The golf game on Saturday, 19 August 2023, will forever be etched in my mind, for it was during this game that I holed out from the fairway for an eagle! A two on a Par 4.
Saturday’s game was the Carlsberg Classic tournament held at my club. I played well despite performing poorly on all the Par 5s again. This phobia is hard to get rid of. Slowly, perhaps to change the mindset.
Thankfully, I fixed some issues I had earlier, and it helped. I was sharp on the short game, and my Scotty putter was good. I also had good company on my flight, and the camaraderie eased our waiting for each shot.
I told my buggy mate we should all aim to finish with a par on Hole 1 because we started with three pars and a birdie on Hole 2 during the shotgun start. With that in mind, I teed up and launched my ball.
Typically, my ball would fly to the left, but that morning, it went right. And actually, it was a much better position to approach the green. I brought two clubs with me when I walked to my ball on the fairway. The distance on the Hole 19 app on my AppleWatch showed 119m. The hybrid choice came to mind since it was a white flag, so it is better to land the ball short for a one-chip, one-putt strategy.
But when I stood still at the ball again, the reading changed! Aiks. It became 125m. Maybe I better use my wood instead. One last effortless hit and a par is still within range.
I lined up my shot, took a test swing with my 5-wood, and struck the ball. It flew beautifully, landed on the green, and rolled a bit before disappearing into the hole! I saw the whole scene unfolding in slow motion. Holy moly, what just happened?
Retrieving my ball from the hole-out eagle shot.
OH WOW! I could not believe my eyes! I just holed out for an eagle. Everyone on my flight whooped and shouted, and I was ecstatic! After twenty years of playing this game, this eagle achievement is my first.
After the game, the club presented a dozen golf balls to me, and I will get an Eagle Achievement certificate too. Nice! Sometimes when the going is so bad, a little surprise pops up, like this one, and you love the game all over again. I am officially an eagle achiever, be still my beating heart!
The badge in the Fitness app showed the International Women’s Day challenge, and I wanted to attain it to add to all the other badge challenges that I have accumulated. So I went for my morning walk. And I clocked in more than the minimum required, which was 20 minutes or more.
But I did not get the badge. I was puzzled.
Why am I not awarded what I achieved? Is there something wrong with my AppleWatch? Is it not syncing? I even unpaired my watch with my iPhone XR to fix the issue. Hmm, something’s wrong.
Sigh, oh well, a missed opportunity.
This morning, the badge was still showing in the Fitness app. And a friend sent a Happy International Women’s Day wish. It is today, not yesterday! Oh, silly me. I met the challenge a day too early! Hahaha. Well, when the rain lets up, I will claim the badge today, the rightful day to celebrate International Women’s Day. Have an incredible day today, ladies!
It is yet another extension of the CMCO. We expected this because cases have been on the uptrend. Anyway, we are immune already because we are so used to the routine and requirements now. And it feels weird if we don’t abide by the rules especially, putting on the mask.
Frankly, there is no let-up as far as the pandemic and prevention SOP is concerned. During the previous CMCO phase, the single-player, single-buggy rule for golf was in effect, although couples from one household can share one buggy.
But this latest extension from 6 December until 20 December allows twin-sharing golf carts for golfers not necessarily from the same household for a round of golf. So from here forth, a flight of four golfers will have the usual two twin-sharing buggies instead of four individual ones.
I think I will feel weird sharing a golf buggy with someone else other than hubby because I have gotten so used to it already! Also, ever since we’ve been playing together, we have an ongoing Matchplay rivalry, tracked with the Hole 19 app on my AppleWatch Series 5. I will miss the Matchplay challenges if we don’t play together. Oh well, we’ll see how the golf outings turn out.
Remarks