The last two rounds of golf have really challenged my game. With gusts up to 65 kph (40 mph) and temperatures around 10° C (50° F), I found the playing conditions very tough. Before Padraig and his crew from the northern shores of Ireland start laughing at me, I think it is fair to say that for our area, these were very tough conditions. It challenged all my play making abilities to a point where I realized that I have some work to do with respect to my mid iron play. But this is a good thing…..right?

During both rounds, I fought a two club wind on almost every shot. It seemed as if the wind was in my face for at least 12 holes each day. This meant that I was hitting quite a few 3H, 4H, 5 and 6 irons as second shots. I actually felt very comfortable hitting my hybrids, but struggled with the 5 and 6 iron. I am hitting the ball higher with my new clubs and this posed a significant challenge to my mid distance game.

I am still adjusting to my new clubs and as a result I can honestly say that I am slowly hitting more consistent shots. But, I am not at the level I expect and as such will continue to work on my ball striking ability. Playing in a strong wind, my minor hitting errors are accentuated. What would normally be a small error resulted in an “OMG” type of shot! And finding this out now is a very good thing in my books.

Another issue was the cold. On the second and coldest day, I wore four layers. That one extra layer was enough to limit my turn radius and I felt like I was struggling to complete every swing. Additionally, the tips of all my fingers were numb by the end of the round; so my touch around the green was a bit suspect at best. But, that was all in the fun.

Two great things did happen on the second day. First, Rick, Blair and I met up with our friend Serge. We had not played a round together in quite sometime and it was awesome catching with Serge. I comes to our area from time to time and as all current / ex-military officers we picked up where we left off as if no time had passed. We are all great friends and sharing a round of golf together is always a good thing!

Second, I chipped in for birdie on the 18th hole. It was the only birdie I made in two rounds. And it was a great way to finish off these two cold and windy days. It was a tough downhill chip that I hope I do not have to make very often in the future. Regardless, chipping in is always fun and surprising.

Golfing in the cold and wind challenges my golf game. I like to play in them because one never knows what weather we will experience in tournaments. In my case over the past two rounds, I will use these playing conditions as a learning experience to improve my mid-distance game.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!