The Annual Club Championship at my golf club is tomorrow! I hope I won’t get butterflies in my tummy for the first tee-off. Last year, I missed out because my niece’s wedding ceremony was on the same day. And me, being the only aunty from her dad’s side, the wedding was far more significant than an annual championship golf tournament.
Well, this year, there are no weddings or other important occasions – I will be playing the two-day event despite an increase in the tournament fee. Besides not wishing for butterflies, I hope the weather and course conditions will be good.
It rains every evening, the thunder rumbles louder than usual, and you can feel the electric charge in the air. In the mornings, it is very humid, and the heat is intense, not comfortable on a golf course. Good weather should be cloudy with some breeze; good conditions mean the fairways are not soft and the greens firm.
Whatever the situation, managing the mental and physical, besides the game and approach, is essential for a good outing. I will not analyze too much but bask in the Annual Championship vibes. Wish me luck!
After the recent Interclub trip to Jakarta, I now focus on my club’s Annual Championship, which will take place over two days on the Hills and Lakes courses. So far, I have put in two games to fine-tune my weaknesses.
And it must be something I did, for I can see the difference. I have gained back my distance upon tee-off, a timely confidence booster. And shots with the woods and irons are good, likewise, my short game.
Furthermore, putting with the Scotty has been reliable for the last few games. So, I am ready to take on the challenge, having missed the tournament last year. My only minor setback is the right heel, which will ache if I exert too much. I have to manage.
On Sunday, our final day in Jakarta, we had our Interclub game against members of Jakarta Golf Club (JGC). It was my first time playing in such an old golf club, established in 1872. Matured trees lining the side of the fairways made the course narrow and quite challenging.
The hospitable host welcomed us with a hearty buffet breakfast before teeing off. JGC is a walking course – and almost everyone walked, save for a few who needed the buggy. The mode of play for the tournament was Texas Scramble, which was very enjoyable.
Awesome prize but no Hole-in-One that morning.
The halfway huts provided all sorts of beverages for all golfers to enjoy that morning, and everyone took advantage of it! Initially, I opted for lemon juice, but as the weather got hotter, I decided a cold Bintang beer would do me wonders. Two Bintangs later, I was teeing off further with my “Bintang power” – and it did feel like my ball flew further. Hahahaha.
My partner and I had many good opportunities approaching the greens and putting, as our partnership worked well together. And we returned with a much improved second-nine score compared to the first-nine. However, our opponents fizzled out due to tiredness when we crossed over.
When everyone completed their rounds and returned to the clubhouse, a sumptuous buffet lunch spread welcomed us. But our entourage had a plane to catch by six (the earliest batch), so the program went by quickly, and we could leave the club by 3.00 pm. There was no outright winning club for the Interclub Texas Scramble tournament, only winning pairs, which was enough to make everyone happy. We had a police outrider again to ensure our two buses arrived at the airport on time.
This trip did not start well for me but ended on a good note. Each day, the games improved. I played my personal best game during the duel with the hubbies. And I thoroughly enjoyed my time with my micro group of golf buddies.
As for food, opportunities to try different things were scarce due to time constraints and transport logistics. Nonetheless, I managed with all the chili and spicy offerings, and more importantly, I did not experience any tummy ache.
Hotel breakfast was standard choices, but the chili condiments caught my eye! Soto ayam (top right) was a must for dinner.
While there were some shortcomings in managing 60 golfers, it did not put a dampener, and I can file this trip away on a good note. I await the next Interclub trip organized by my golf club again.
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.
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 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!
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.
Typically, a round of golf would take four hours plus a little more to complete. But when it’s crowded, the duration will be longer. In the past two monthly medal tournaments that I participated in, it took forever to complete!
Call it slow play, over-subscribed participation, or whatever in the April medal game – it was just too long. Six hours to be exact. Crazy. The angst and frustration were evident. I lost my momentum and returned with an unfathomable effort. Then again, when it’s six hours to finish 18 holes of golf, it’s hard to imagine playing well with all that waiting for every shot.
But I learned my lesson, and in the recent May medal tournament, I tried not to focus on the waiting period like the last time. It worked out better. Chatting with my flightmates about everything under the sun helped our slow-play angst. The game ended ten minutes shy of six hours.
We must learn to be more patient and control our thoughts when it takes longer than usual on the golf course. If we don’t manage our emotions, participating in monthly medal tournaments will be a frustrating outing instead of an enjoyable one.
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.
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.
Angieneering 
Remarks