For those who are not familiar with “burning the cup”, it means having your ball catch part of the lip of the cup during putting, but never dropping in the hole. This is a very frustrating scenario; one that Rick and I experienced in our last round of golf. We were playing in a senior men’s scramble with Fernando and we burned more cups than we have in the past 5 rounds combined. But is burning the cup really all that bad? Hmm…..something to consider.

Of course burning that many cups is bad. I believe that our 1 over score would have been 5 under if all the putts went in. I am not talking about close ones, I talking about the ball hitting the pin (stays in because of COVID) or the ball falling partially in the hole and veering off to the left or right. It was happening so often, we actually started to laugh at our misfortune in the last 4 holes.

Apart from the frustrating part of burning the cup, there is some good to be gleaned by our mishaps. It means that our putting and aiming stroke is solid. The misses are a result of a fraction of a degree in one direction or another; or it hit (very likely) a small blemish on its intended path. Both of these situations are out of our control and are considered the rub of the green. It really does not make missing easier to swallow, but it makes it understandable.

This is one of the rare posts when no action is really required for our putting woes were not a result of swing mechanics. During other rounds, these putts would have sunk and we would have been elated with the results. So, there is something to take away from yesterday’s round; keep doing what we are doing on the green because it is working.

As you probably understand from reading other posts, I try to find a silver lining in all situations. I believe that just about everything can be used as a learning tool and as such can help my game improve. It is frustrating along the way sometimes, but it is all part of the process to be a better golfer!

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