Tag Archives: golf

The Struggle Continues

5 Dec

By now, I have played three rounds of golf, and the struggle continues. The golf mojo is hard to get back, especially when the weather plays a role. The wet and soggy grounds have not helped, causing lost distance with unnecessary forced shots to overcome the conditions.

When it rained, all the rain gears were out, and it became a handful to manage. Also, the momentum gets lost if we wait out the rain. It’s not enjoyable being out there.

The short game has improved, but only slightly. Putting was much better because I was using the Peanut Putter. I hope this struggle will not be prolonged. Perhaps another game or two before everything clicks again. I cross my fingers and hope for good weather as well.

The First Game

2 Dec

After close to a month of travels and no golf, I played my first game yesterday. So how did I fare?

Well, I have to admit the night before, I watched some tutorial videos on YouTube as a refresher to remind me what to do! And it did help, but only for a bit.

The first tee-off was such a beautiful shot. I was impressed that I could strike the ball well. Even the second and third shots were good. I thought my golfing touch was still intact. But it was downhill after that!

The shot game and the putting threw the momentum off. The shot game was off, and my putting was horrible. I could not feel the weight of my Scotty Cameron putter, causing a lot of two- and three-putts. Sigh.

After the disastrous welcome-back game, it’s back to the drawing board to regain the golf mojo and muscle memory. The Scotty putter will make way for the Peanut Putter, and I need to work on my shot game to be more accurate. Essentially, practice makes perfect is what this game is all about. I will be going all out to play as much as possible from here on.

In Denial

29 Nov

You know it’s back to reality when the alarm rings, and there’s so much to clear and unpack upon waking up. I was in denial over the weekend upon returning from Bali, even going for a movie, before I tackled the things left in the bags or scattered in the house.

Well, no more trips for the time being. I need to get back to my routine. Speaking of it, I’m not too sure about my golf game as I have gone a month without playing. We will see when I tee off on Thursday morning. Perhaps I better prepare with more golf balls in the bag.

Extended Holiday

28 Nov

It seems like the holiday is never-ending! It has been extended with a public holiday today. Unexpected but anticipated (because of the General Election results) and appreciated nonetheless.

From Ku De Ta to local delights, we tried everything!
The must-eat dish when in Bali

Bali was fun, and I was doing things, not up my alley, which was nice for a change. I got to know my high school friends better, and we did things together.

Throughout the week, we indulged, ate, drank, laughed, shopped, swam, and luxuriated in our private apartment and villa (we stayed at two different places) together. We also pampered ourselves with not one but two three-and-a-half-hour and four-hour spa sessions.

Our private villa

There was no golf, no playing tourist but merely enjoying the presence of each other and having a good bonding time to catch up. I am thankful that, at this age, I still have such friends. It was as if we were never part despite all these years.

After this trip, we understood each other better, with our friendship forged to a deeper degree. I look forward to the next trip with this bunch of besties.

Last local delight before we left
Goodbye Bali!

Off to See the King!

3 Nov

Today’s the day! We left in the wee hours of the morning. It’s been ages since I last woke up so early, and my usual 5.30 am wake-up for golf pales compared to this ungodly hour. I might as well not sleep and get ready for the airport straightaway.

It will be a long day ahead with our direct flight. I have forgotten what it’s like to be on a long-haul flight. And this journey will take 14 hours and 20 minutes, a little longer than the last time we flew to Amsterdam. Oh boy, my butt and body.

Separately, I’m a little bummed that my Move, Exercise, and Stand activities will be disrupted, thus ending my long record of 1,053 days in the Fitness app on my AppleWatch. Oh well, it is for a good reason; we are off to England, sadly not to see the Queen (God bless her soul) but the new King!

Relish the Break, Part 2

24 Oct

Sometimes we lose track of time, having forgotten today is a public holiday. It rained in the early hours of the morning and woke me up. But I was thankful I did not have an early morning golf game in this situation and went back to sleep. It’s nice to relish the break.

Tomorrow will be a busy day being a short four-day work week. And before we know it, the weekend is here! One could get used to a four-day work schedule and a three-day weekend. Wishful thinking, ha ha ha!

The Big Fat Truth

21 Oct

I will not lie when I say I am getting fat. It sounds demoralizing, but it’s the truth. Even though I am more active these days with more golf games, it does not sound like I’m burning calories to stay fit. It’s the opposite.

I suspect the after-game food and drinks are the reason for the sudden spike in my weight because my bathroom scale has been on an alarming upward trend. Perhaps I should be more disciplined with my food intake or reduce my carbohydrate intake. Then again, could it be we are eating out more these days because there are no more lockdowns?

Nevertheless, golf is supposed to be healthy, being out there sweating and working the muscles, burning the calories, and getting all the exercise. However, all these efforts will become naught if there is no discipline, especially with the after-game food and drink intake. And the terrible truth of getting fat will hang over my head. Ugh. I need to be more disciplined!

Timing is Everything

18 Oct

Sometimes time management can be a bane, especially driving. Timing is essential to navigating through rush hour traffic when our appointment or golf tee-off clashes with the rush.

If we leave five minutes early, we will be half an hour early to arrive at our destination. However, if we leave five minutes late, we will end up half an hour late!

So this morning, I was late leaving and got caught in a horrendous snarl of traffic. Sigh. But a quick tweak of the plan, and all’s well, arriving on time. Phew.

Battle of the Weeds, Part 3

14 Oct

I have not ventured out to the garden lately. There is just too much to do inside the house besides my being out for golf. Separately, the monsoon season has started, and it has been raining quite a bit, so there’s no reason to go to the garden.

Yesterday morning, I went out to the garden because it was nice and cloudy. To my horror, the place was a mess with leaves scattered everywhere caused by strong gusts of winds. Leaves aside, I see the Creeping Charlie growing everywhere too! It has sprouted in places that they’re not supposed to be.

Be gone you creepies!

So I had a field day, battling with the weeds. When we were under the MCO (Movement Control Order) last year, external helpers like gardeners and domestic cleaners were not allowed to come into the estate. But now, with no more lockdowns in place and our gardener coming regularly, I don’t understand why we still have the Creeping Charlie growing in abundance. Sigh.

It will be quite a chore to get rid of them because I cannot wait for the gardener to sort this out. I hope I will win this round of the battle.

Relish the Break

10 Oct

I think we have too many public holidays. While it’s nice to have a break now and then, having it too frequently disrupts the momentum and routine. Today is a replacement public holiday, and as such, it is a four-day work week ahead.

This month alone, there are two three-day weekends – this week and another in two weeks. I shouldn’t complain and instead should relish the four-day work weeks. We are more productive when there’s a shorter time to get work done – house chores or design work because then we are left with more time to play!