The day is finally here and I will be teeing it up for the first time in 2021. I have waited, prepared, and dreamed about this day and thought it would never come. But, it is here and at noon EST, I will striping my ball down the middle of the fairway! After watching The Masters yesterday, I am psyched to walk 18 holes with my friends. And as my first round of the year, I have some expectations that will help guide me on my way.

The first hole is a dogleg right par 5 which I love playing. Although there is some water on the right, it is a wide open tee shot that will be very forgiving. It is going to be great fun and I am playing with my regular crew of Blair, Rick and Fernando.

Now, back to some expectations. Because we are in a current lockdown due to COVID, I will be extra cautious when playing. I do not want to jeopardize our ability to hit the links for I will ensure that all rules are followed!

Next, I expect to play well. I have used my DIY driving net a fair bit, so hitting he ball should be okay. My short game and putting will be rusty; however, it should not cause me too much anxiety when I do not make crisp shots. As per last year, I will be keeping stats and will let you know how I do an a future post.

I expect to have fun. I will not be so focused on everything to forget to enjoy my time out today. My regular crew helps with keeping things light and I expect they will have a few zingers for me since they have already played once this year. That is okay, because I have a few ‘one liners’ already prepared.

Finally, I expect to break 80. This expectation is nothing new because I always expect to shoot lower than 80. At the beginning of the year it is a challenge, but I think I am up for it. I just have to remember to commit to every shot and have not doubts about the shot I am making. I will let the rest naturally unfold.

Today is the start of my 2021 golf season. After 180 days (this is shorter than normal) it is time to start swinging the golf clubs on my home course of Osprey Links Golf Course. It is going to be exciting!

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