Tag Archives: Golf game

Jakarta Again! Part 3

28 May

On the third day in Karawang, we played our second game at Lotus Lakes Golf Club, and it was a late morning tee-off. The cloudy atmosphere was perfect for golf, so the umbrella did not come out. The company was enjoyable, but the game was challenging, whereby we ladies were battling with our husbands. Losers had to buy drinks.

There was much back and forth. We fought hard to narrow the gap from three down to one down, but running out of holes to win. That morning, my short game was sensational, likewise my putting. I was on fire! We had to win the last hole to call the duel a draw.

At the last hole, there was a lot of drama. You could tell the fight was very intense. My partner’s hubby sent his ball into the water on the right with his third shot. Then my partner sent her ball to the water on the left as well! Oh no.

Hubby and I were on the fairway, 60 meters from the green. It was a Par 5, and anything can happen. And it did! Hubby unexpectedly chunked his fourth shot to three feet in front. Gaining confidence from his misfortune, I sent my ball flying towards the pin and landed four feet from it! Yes, maybe we can still pull it off and win.

Soon after, the other two were on the green with their fifth shot. It was a do-or-die situation at this point. But I had a slight advantage over the rest, being the only one on the green with my fourth shot.

Hubby struck his ball but missed the cup, creating an opening for us!

My turn to putt. My line was perfect as my ball rolled towards the cup. But it stopped two inches from falling in. Nooooooooo. I tapped in for a bogey. What a bummer.

My partner two-putted for a seven, like hubby, but her spouse rammed his ball into the cup from six feet for a bogey to square the hole. And we lost.

The adrenaline was exhilarating! What a game, what a duel. I played my best game that morning. Golf can be arduous, but it can be rewarding as well, despite the circumstances sometimes.

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Jakarta Again! Part 2

27 May

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!

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Jakarta Again!

27 May

Last Thursday, hubby and I flew to Jakarta with 58 other golfers from our club for an Interclub golf game hosted by Jakarta Golf Club. It was fun returning to Jakarta again for golf, having been there only last year in August. However, the experience this time from the beginning was not so fun.

It started with a retimed flight from 1.00 pm to 1.40 pm. We did not reschedule our transport pick-up time since it was only a forty-minute delay. However, when we were on our way to KLIA2, messages in the group chat alerted us that the flight had been retimed again to a 5.00 pm departure! Oh no.

Thankfully, a friend who arrived early managed to negotiate for eight of us to take the earlier flight. Phew, all worked out well, and before we knew it, we arrived safely in Jakarta. And this was when the logistics became a nightmare.

One group was flying in at a different time on Batik Air, the same terminal, but another group on Malaysia Airlines arrived later and at a different terminal. The final group on AirAsia (the flight we were supposed to be on) arrived at the latest, but we did not have to wait for them.

The long wait we had to endure was not the end when everyone from the Batik Air and Malaysia Airlines flights came on board, save the last batch, but the bus ride to Karawang for our first two games was another long journey before arriving for a late dinner and check-in. 

Spicy, spicy dinner

There are plus sides, however. We had a police outrider to ensure we didn’t get caught in traffic, dinner at Cabe Ijio was spicy but delicious, and the hot shower made up for all the missteps. What a start to golfing in Jakarta!

Our police escort on a mean machine!

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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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The Curry Puff Hole

17 May

At my golf club at the Lakes course, there is a hole that I now call the Curry Puff Hole fondly. It is a Par 3, Hole number 5, near the drink hut. So, being a Par 3, we try all sorts of incentives to reward a good outcome.

Whenever we play together, our regular golfer friend would buy curry puffs for everyone to share if he holes out for a par. In other words, everyone gets half a curry puff. Isn’t it nice of him? 

Not too long ago, I improvised his incentive and modified the on-the-spot curry puff on top of drinks after the game during lunch whenever I play with my group of lady golfers.

Like my friend, everyone gets half a curry puff for a par by me. However, if I struck a birdie, everyone would get one curry puff each! It has been rewarding.

A delicious chunky curry puff.

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Not Quite So Fit

19 Apr

You would think that playing golf three times a week makes one fit. Well, I had an eye-opener to my stamina and health when I walked nine holes on Thursday. Dang, I was heating up and had palpitations!

It was a late tee-off, 8.35 am, and we decided to use the trolley to pull our bags instead of taking the buggy. By the sixth hole, I wanted to give up. The golf course was like a giant oven! No hat nor umbrella could help me. And the hot coffee I had in the flask became so unappealing in the hot environment.

I was sweating buckets and gasping, especially going uphill! Perhaps I should walk more instead of sitting in the buggy for future games. Hmm, something to consider to overcome this inadequate stamina and strength. I’m not quite as fit as I thought, and it’s a humbling realization.

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Short Game Setback

5 Mar

After playing two decent games with good putting (31 putts), today’s game was just the opposite. What happened?

It is darn right demoralizing when things do not go as planned. My short game was off, while the putting was not any better. Today, I did 38 putts! Yikes. And to add salt to the wound, I had six three-putts, missing several short putts. Horrible.

I hope all these, especially the short-game errors, are temporary. On a brighter note, my tee-off has improved. A slight tweak to my setup had me averaging at least 30 meters more than before! I am most impressed with myself with this newfound ability.

Now, if only I could say the same about my short game and putting. I have another game lined up to fix all these. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will hold for the afternoon game.

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Hit and Pray, Part 2

27 Feb

Last week, I played my first golf game after a two-week break, and it was so bad I could only laugh it off. Then I thought, oh dear, that’s not good with the upcoming Greensome Tournament on Sunday. I hope I won’t let my partner down.

Thankfully, I had a strong partner, and with our combined handicap of 16 and a game plan, we should fare better than last year. I did not have to hit and pray because my partner crossed all the treacherous lakes and gained distances I never could on my own. For the Par 5s and Par 3s, we only bogeyed three holes.

However, we made some mistakes on the remaining Par 4s. There were pars, bogeys, even double bogeys. And it took one hole to erase all our efforts.

My partner launched our third shot way left from the flag on Hole 17. The ball landed on the green but could not hold. It rolled off the green, down the slope, and landed in the compact sand bunker. Uh oh, trouble. And my turn for the sand shot. Gulp.

Bravely, I stood over the ball but could only pop it into the rough on the slope, not any further. The compact sand got the better of me, and the sight of the steep slope facing me did not make the task any easier.

Thankfully, it was my partner’s turn to play the next shot, and I felt the predicament was still under control. All he had to do was chip onto the green, right? The outcome could be a double bogey or a triple at most. But this did not happen. Sigh.

Uncharacteristic of him, he did not contact the ball well on the slope, and the ball rolled back into the sand bunker. Horrors! More trouble, and my turn again at the sand shot! I cringed.

So what did I do? I shanked my shot out from the bunker and almost hit my partner! Yikes. To cut the misery and not relive the nightmare anymore, it took a chip shot and two putts to finish the hole with a horrible nine on a Par 4.

Despite the horrible outcome, we managed our emotions and clawed back the next few holes when we crossed over. We did well, and looking back, the damage on that hole was not too bad. A couple of missed par opportunities saw us finishing the game two over.

Golf is a game of could have, should have, all the time. The outcome of Hole 17 on the back nine should not be the main culprit, for there were other unforced errors throughout the game. Although both of us worked well together, we also did err in judgment. We take to heart the lessons learned and look forward to our partnership again for the next Greensome Tournament.

There was some consolation at the end, though, for our partnership won 2nd Placing for the Ball Sweep on the front nine of the Greensome Tournament. The focus paid off upon the cross-over, and we were rewarded with half a dozen balls each. Nice.

Our Ball Sweep rewards

Who knows? Maybe we will do even better for the next tournament, and I can’t wait for it to come soon again.

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Hit and Pray

23 Feb

Going away for a holiday is always fun. But, coming back to routine becomes a problem. I stopped playing golf the week before Chinese New Year, and being away in Bangkok stretched the layoff to two weeks.

Last Tuesday, I played my first game and discovered how off I was. I could not tee off and lost all my muscle memory. My long game was short, and the short game and putting were off. It was terrible.

Despite all the misfortune, I had fun because the outing quickly became a laugh fest instead. To resolve my problems, I adopted the ‘Hit and Pray’ strategy. Just hit the ball and pray for it to land somewhere safe (read fairway, not the rough, ravine, water, or sand bunker). Hahahaha.

I hope I won’t take too long to get my golf mojo back, for I have lined up several games for next week. Otherwise, the ‘Hit and Pray’ strategy will have to continue.

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Slow Recovery

30 Jan

After all that medical calamity last week, I’m facing a slow recovery to get back on my feet. But I should not wallow at home in my misery. Instead, I decided to play some golf and get some sun. A little bit of Vitamin D might do me wonders. And wonder I certainly did.

I could not tee off because my rhythm was off. After nine holes, I managed to score a pathetic seven Stableford points! Never have I been so out of synch in my game. When an illness takes so long to overcome, all the muscle memory is gone, and the body is too weak to play decent.

I wondered if I made the right decision to return to golf so soon. Oh well, with another nine holes to go, I might as well plow on. After all, I had good company this morning.

Suddenly, things clicked, and before I knew it, I went from scoring zeroes to birdie, bogey, and birdie! Wow. What just happened? The birdies were on Hole 1, a Par 4, and Hole 3, a Par 5! Woohoo. I have never had two birdies in a game before. And it sure felt nice this morning!

The tonsillitis is gone, but there’s still some throat irritation, causing tiredness. It is a slow recovery indeed. With the weather getting hotter these days–gone are the continuous rainy days–I better be mindful more than ever to stay hydrated to take care of myself regardless of activities. Staying healthy is a number one priority for me these days.

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