#2 & #9 from the Verandah at Golf Club Praha (GCP) . . . tho' the weather is glorious Babi Leto (Indian Summer), I found myself a little melancholy after the round, after eating, nursing my cognac and smoking a cigar, overlooking this vista. . . the end of golf season in Prague . . .
Gearing up for the final tournaj of the GCP Tour, I had made a grim assessment . . . my performance in the A group was disappointing, to put it in the best possible light; Evidence of the Choking Dog, if I am honest with myself. Had not even come close to shooting handicap in 3 tournajs; one blow-off, in my first attempt, since I was nervous, for reasons I cannot comprehend; a 4th place finish – I felt I was unlucky, so many times it’s not really bad luck anymore, if you see what I mean; another poor finish when I twisted my left knee . . . if I had just taken an ibuprophen, I could have returned to form.
So I had low expectations and a bulldog determination going in. Long story short, shot 50-44=94, with 6 pars, 7 missed birdies, 4 3 putts, with an 11 on a par 5 and a 7 on a par 3. . . . 35 stableford points . . . .3rd place . . . Hadn’t played in 2 weeks . . . which doesn’t really bother my game tee-to-green, but my shortgame always suffers . . . didn’t make a putt all day . . . left 2 birdies on the lip . . .
After a strong start on #1 . . . hooked my drive so far left it caught a treetop instead of finding the wide-open rough, but I then hooked a 4iron onto the green, a shot so good I was willing to overlook the 3putt finish.
On #2 my drive was so center-cut it was behind the big tree in the middle of the fairway, and I guess I was thinking about that, when, as I crossed the road that bi-sects the fairway, I slipped on the steep wet slope, rolled over my ankle and chicken-winged my knee . . . the weight of my bag I carry kept me from falling gracefully . . . I musta laid there for 30 seconds . . . my partners all turned around and walked back toward me, but I managed to get up and limp thru the rest of the hole for a par, by virtue of a pitch to kick-in distance.
I took an ibuprophen right away this time, but my leg from my knee to my ankle throbbed – I still had my mobility, but it was always an uncertain proposition making my swing . . . there’s so many moving parts, there’s a lot to go wrong if I feel good, never mind when there’s pain to ignore. . . I blocked several shots right after that just from not being able to get back to my left side during the swing. Took 40 yds off my drives . . . but just by doing “arm-swings” on my irons I could get by . . . in fact a couple of downhill wedges I pureed over the green by swinging easy. Maybe that bad leg was helping me stay behind the ball? . . . 8^D . . .
K-taak had a miserable round . . . in fact, as he put it, “My Personal Worst” . . . it didn’t matter . . . he’s achieved his goals for his first year of golf . . . his handicap is down to 25, he won a tournament (maybe two, and a couple of places or shows), and . . . drumroll, please . . . he won the GCP tour’s overall first place for most stableford points . . . he averaged 37 stableford points each tournaj, and he showed up every time . . . last year he didn’t even play and this year he’s a certified, prize-winning, golf-nut . . . 8^D . . . first prize included an interesting trophy – painted, not silver or gold and a certificate for a all-expenses-paid golf trip to Tunisia . . . I looked it up . . . there’s 3 golf courses of note in Tunisia . . . who knew?
He broke another driver, tho’ . . . his 3rd this year . . . the first two down by the hosel, but this one in the middle of the shaft, during a practice swing . . .
The tournaj always includes a lunch ticket . . . today’s lunch was duck leg with red cabbage and dumplings . . . the cuisine at the club is always good, even very good . . . I have assembled the array of possibilities: hezky/petky (nice), dobry (good), welme dobry (very good), vyborne (excellent), and parada (excellent and exciting) . . . if you can figger out where to insert Super! And Perfekt! Into that array, those words are in common use also, to describe golf shots or food, or anything . . . so I am just saying that the food is welme dobry, but not vyborne (well, maybe), but for sure not parade . . . if you see what I mean . . . 8^D . . .
But my leg hurts like heck now . . . I can’t sleep . . . .
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