Tag Archives: golf course

Unfathomable Phenomenon, Part 2

28 Jul

The mind is a powerful thing. Today I decided to be more disciplined in my thoughts during the golf game. Week in, week out, I play so badly at my home club; it has created a lot of self-doubt and a loss of confidence. There’s nothing to lose this week except maybe the contributed pool money for the winners.

I manifested more positivity and made some changes to my approach. I also decided to use that big-ass golf umbrella instead of my usual minuscule one to protect myself from the sun and heat. Since I always collapse after the turn, I thought a bigger umbrella might help eliminate the discomfort. And it did help!

I tuned out the other players in my flight and focused on my approach for every shot. All these little measures and changes helped amazingly. The heat did not get to me, and the external noise from the chatter did not affect my swing or focus. Putting was good at 30 despite raking up three holes where I three-putted. A case of could-have and should-have. Oh well.

It’s funny how all these small adjustments seem to work out well. Why didn’t I think of these changes before, and had to endure so many rounds of unsatisfactory golf? So today is the first time after so many rounds that I finally managed to play under my club handicap at my home club! Wheee, a truly rewarding feeling.

To cap off the satisfaction, I was joint second runners-up in the group, and was duly rewarded from the pool money. Nice! The unfathomable phenomenon is basically a mind game, a test of mental strength, and I did well in today’s game. This is just as important as the golf swing and all. Fixed my mindset, changed my attitude, and focused on my approach. Now that I know what I should actually do, I hope to maintain the outlook and start playing better golf from now on. My next game is this Thursday.

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Same Same But Different

14 Jul

Week in, week out, the routine feels the same; yet it is different, hence the saying, same same but different. Over the weekend, it was yet another outstation golf trip, but with our golf club instead of on our own.

Last Friday, hubby and I joined our club for an Interclub golf trip to Johor. The week before, I was in Seremban with my golf buddies for a 2D/1N excursion; this time, it was a 3D/2N outing.

Our first game was at Johor Golf and Country Club, which has been undergoing massive redevelopment but is open for play. The golf course was very enjoyable; however, the clubhouse is still under renovation, so we were not able to use the facility. Nonetheless, I give it a thumbs-up and would like to play there again once the redevelopment is completed and the clubhouse is ready.

The next day, we played at Orchard Golf and Country Club. Not a very nice course, honestly. Everything that worked the day before fell flat. Putting sucked because the greens were bald! So many times, my ball skidded past the hole and didn’t roll into it; a forgettable round of golf.

The hotel we stayed at is the usual choice whenever we travel down to Johor with the club. You can tell it is an old hotel when there are no modern plug points with USB ports at the bedside for charging use. But the seasoned traveler in me brought all the necessary charging docks, plugs and cables to overcome this, having stayed here on past trips with the club.

Finally, on the last day we had our Interclub golf challenge against Palm Resort Golf and Country Club. We were slated to play the Cempaka course. The other two courses were Allamanda and Melati.

Our day did not start well. An illegally parked car blocked our bus from leaving the open space car park compound, delaying us by 20 minutes. Then, as we made our way to the club, traffic was at a standstill on the narrow road for another 20 minutes, creating further anxiety for an already delayed journey. I thought we would arrive late, but thankfully, there was some breathing space and soon the tournament started after a quick breakfast.

It was a shotgun start, and my flight started on Hole 4. All was fine and going well until we crossed over to the back nine, which was very long. All the Par 3s, my goodness! I had to pull out my driver twice and couldn’t even reach the green. So demoralizing.

Towards the last three holes, the sky turned dark and threatened with rolling thunder, and strong wind followed. Dang! I rushed through my shots. Ugh. Beaten by the weather and overall unfamiliarity of the course!

We left Palm Resort defeated in the team event, unfortunately, but took heart that our club will host them for a return match in September at our home course. The team will take revenge then and take the trophy back. Hahahaha. Moving forward, I feel I could have played better, and would like to return to this golf club. Perhaps another trip down South? Something to think about.

There were some good memories as we left Johor for home at 3.00 pm. Traffic was horrendous, doubling the travel time back, arriving at the club near midnight. What a trip, what a journey towards the end. So another one filed away for remembrance until my next golf trip!

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Redemption!

7 Jul

Soon after the demoralizing Annual Club Championship golf result, I took a break and went away to play more golf! It’s weird, but going away with some golf buddies helped. Perhaps it is the golf course of choice because I played one game on Tuesday—two days after the annual weekend—at my club’s Hills course and fared just as badly. So it is the golf course! Hahahaha, a fact that I cannot understand.

My golf buddies and I did a mid-week 2D/1N to Seremban and Port Dickson last week. And it was a very enjoyable outing in terms of the golf, company and food. I vaguely remembered the layout of Seremban International Golf Club (SIGC), having played there before in recent years, and played a decent round. But the second game on the second day was redemption!

It’s been a long time since I last played at Port Dickson Golf and Country Club. So familiarity was not on my side, but I took it in stride. My ball striking was crisp, and my putting was exceptional again, with 29 putts.

I returned with a personal best gross score of 91, almost breaking 90!!! It is redemption indeed. I could have broken 90 if not for a three-putt. Oh well, I am happy with the results. It reaffirms I can play good golf. It is not me but the course doing weird things to the mind when the outcome is not what we hope for.

Second to my personal best score, I did not lose a single golf ball for the two games! Typically, at my home course, losing three or four balls for one game is expected, and the score is an eye-popping figure. My home course sucks, in other words! Hahahaha.

I left the outcome as is, taking a real break from golf for the next few days after that fantastic feel-good score, before my next golf adventure.

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Resetting My Problems, Part 2

30 Jun

Guess what? My terrible golf continues – not a whole lot, but enough to demoralize me. As mentioned, I participated in my club’s Annual Club Championship tournament over the weekend. It was a mixed-fortune outing, with an improved score only on the first day; the second day’s outcome unfortunately regressed the overall two-day total. Like I have repeatedly emphasized, the spirit and mind are willing, but the body and ability are not. Sigh.

There were some brilliant moments, but there were more of the opposite that I could not recover from to minimize the damage. The first day’s score had four pars to cover the disasters on several holes. Pars are not to improve the score but to do damage control so that the score does not blow up!

However, on the second day, Lady Luck was not on my side; I could only manage one par. How is this miserly one par enough to minimize the disasters that occurred? We are not even talking about birdies, which were nil, zilch, and nada. 

So many near misses. A typical bogey became a double bogey, a par became a bogey, and worse, a double-bogey hole exploded to become a double par or more! Every hole, there were little mistakes here and there that added up the strokes! The only bright outcome from the experience was my putting. It was my saving Grace from an even higher overall score! Hats off to my caddy, who was of great help in this department for both days.

On the first day, I recorded only 29 putts, very impressive putting overall, I have to say, but alas, the same cannot be said for the other departments of the game. Honestly, it is rather amazing that I improved to 28 putts for the second day; I just took more strokes to get to the green! The irony.

Now that the stress of preparing for the Annual Championship is over, I can heave a sigh of relief. I can feel the tiredness in my bones and joints. Was it worth it? No. I am in more pain than ever! And although I gripe about not being physically fit, I actually played a game this morning, albeit half-heartedly. Sucker. It’s a love-hate relationship for this game called golf.

I will have a physiotherapy session soon to reset my body, and I hope it will help so I can play better golf in my next game.

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Annual Championship 2025

17 Jun

Over the weekend, my golf club held the 2025 Annual Championship for the Ladies, Senior, and Super Senior categories. It was a mixed-feeling experience. The Ladies and Super Senior categories teed off in the morning on Saturday, while the Senior category had their round in the afternoon. The Men category will commence this coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

All was good but hot! I played fairly decently and did not blow up any holes – no double-digit scores for the strokeplay event. Putting was good with the Scotty for 31 putts.

The next day, the categories swapped tee-off times, and the Senior category played in the morning. The other two, in the afternoon. And boy, oh boy, was it hot!

Despite the heat, I played much better on the second day. After we completed the back nine holes and crossed over, the weather changed and was cooler. However, don’t be deceived by the drop in the temperature!

As we approached the 4th hole and were about to tee off, an unexpected sudden lightning flashed! It was too close for comfort. We headed to the halfway hut nearby to take shelter, along with other players from within the few holes. But soon, everyone returned to the clubhouse immediately for safety. The rain came down fast and furious, and the siren came on.

The golf course was pelted and looked flooded, and the strong wind blew the sponsor’s drink tent onto the green at Hole 9! I have never seen an incident like this before.

Everyone had to wait out at the clubhouse until the weather improved. However, after some time, the Tournament Director and the Committee decided to abandon the second day of the 2025 Annual Championship tournament due to the weather, and scores from Day One for the Ladies and Super Senior would stand as the final results. While some players were unhappy, I was okay with the decision. The weather got too hot for me. The Senior category was not affected by the weather.

Looking back, my score from Day One compared to my past years’ participation was an improvement. And while I could have played well on the second day, I’m happy with my overall performance. It is over now, and I look forward to taking a break from golf.

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Monsoon Season! Part 2

17 Dec

The threat of the monsoon rain last week did not materialize drastically to affect the golf games when I hosted a visiting friend. We were most fortunate to take in another two games. In total, we played three and a half rounds, the half being the first game that lasted only nine holes due to the downpour.

While it was fun to be playing so many games in good weather, the game performance went from bad to worse. Hahahaha. Could it be we were talking so much? I do admit the tennis elbow did act up now and then. Sigh. However, it’s not like the course was hard to handle – it’s my home course, and I play there week in, week out, three times a week!

I do notice that when I talk and laugh a lot during a round of golf, I don’t play well – the focus is not there. Oh well, it was more for the company, which was great. And we were fortunate the weather held up for the bonding time.

I’m glad I could host my friend for several games, rain or shine, and she has plenty of good memories to bring back when she leaves Malaysia. I look forward to future golf games with her on her next return trip.

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Afternoon Washout!

4 Oct

My plans for a round of golf yesterday didn’t quite work out because Mother Nature had other ideas. It was an afternoon game, not my usual morning tee-off, and the outing was a complete washout.

We had three flights – only the 12.30 pm flight managed 15 holes, while my flight did 12 as we were two slots behind them. I’m unsure how many holes the third flight completed because they started on the back nine.

It was quite a sight to see all the fairways inundated with water! That’s how heavy the rain came down, as there was insufficient time for the excess water to drain. Some holes even had their tee boxes immersed in water as well. There’s no way we could have resumed.

The buggy ride back to the club was not the most pleasant as we had to deal with pelting rain from the sides and driving through big puddles of water. Despite the situation, everyone was happy with an early happy hour! Hehehe.

Drinks and titbits were on the table, and eventually, dinner. The chatter and camaraderie were most enjoyable. Sometimes, we don’t need to complete a round of golf to enjoy the company of friends.

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A New Injury!

27 Sep

Golf is a dangerous sport! I picked up a new injury last week. After years of playing with minor injuries here and there on the body, my latest injury is on my right elbow, a new spot. It hurts, ouch.

I have to say I’ve never had tennis elbow issues all these years, but on the left wrist mostly. And I would wear a wrist brace to protect my wrist. The wrist is no longer an issue, thank goodness.

I suspect I picked up the tennis elbow problem from the tournament on Monday two weeks ago. I must have taken too much of a divot. Ouch, again. What else can I do but rest?

But the rest period is not long enough for a full recovery as I’m resting for a few days only when it should be weeks. So, I have to rethink my golf outings if I want a full recovery. Boo hoo hoo.

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Being Away

27 Aug

Last week, hubby and I escaped the doldrums of our daily routine for four days of golf! You would say that the golf part is the same, so how can this be different from the usual routine? When we play at other courses outstation, it’s exciting because the anticipation and expectation are different.

We left on a Thursday for Forest City Golf Resort. The drive was pleasant without too heavy the traffic. We detoured to a nearby town for a simple lunch at a coffee shop. Contented, we headed to Forest City for the 1.00 pm tee-off.

Played Legacy on Day 1, and Classic on Day 2

The golf course was pristine and in tip-top condition. We had a competitive round and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Dinner after the game was a good choice of chunky chicken satay and grilled fish. We requested that the spicy sauce be on the side instead of over the fish. We topped off the meal with hot ginger tea instead of beer. Nice.

Satay and grilled fish on Day 1, and burger and wrap for Day 2

On the second day, the situation changed though. We had an 8.45 am tee-off, and the pace was horrible. Every other hole and every shot, we were kept waiting. My momentum was out, I was angst to the core, and it was the worst game I played in a long while. Sigh. How can this be fun? Dang. I couldn’t wait for the game to be over. Double dang.

It got worse after that. Dinner was too heavy, and I was bloated. Ugh. An early night might be the remedy for the shortcomings. Thank goodness, the next day, we are checking out and headed to Desaru.

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Vicious Cycle, Part 2

21 May

As you know, the weather has been super hot and very wet. I try all sorts to stay comfortable while playing golf. My umbrella has been working overtime! So, I bought a portable fan recently to attach to the golf buggy.

As it is, I have a palm-sized handheld USB fan, but it’s not enough. So, this new fan is a timely purchase. The 12,000 mAh fan has three speeds and works best when the buggy is parked. It helps when there’s no wind blowing.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department recently issued alert-level hot weather status in the coming months! Eeeks. I’m glad I made this purchase to get some relief on the golf course, besides staying hydrated with more water than usual. Otherwise, it’s indoor activities and no golf. Boo hoo hoo.

My portable fan for the golf buggy

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