As most of you know, I started my golf season with a round of hickory sticks at the World Hickory Golf Day in Cambridge. The Golf Historical Society of Canada hosted and its an annual event that marks the start of my golf season. Well, fast forward it to Monday past and I teed it up on the links with my friend Jack. We did a quick nine holes (temperature was 29° C or 84°F) and it was a great start to what I hope to be an awesome season. I hit some good, poor and great shots. Let me explain.

First, the course is in great shape for this time of year. It was quite dry and lush as Jack and I loop the nine holes. I expect the course will continue to play well all summer and that is always a good thing. I enjoy playing at the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort because of its layout and challenges. The lost a few trees over the winter, but none that affect the playability of the course. Congrats to Mike and Brenda for the start of great golf season.

As I walked up to the first tee, I talked about expectations with Jack. I really had none and mentioned I was not keep score because all I wanted to do was swing the club. My first hit (with my modern clubs) of the year was pretty good. I hit the middle of the fairway with a slight fade from left to right. All I was trying to do was make good contact and for the most part, I succeeded. I felt it was a great way to start my season.

As I looped around the course, I hit some very poor shots. I probably hit about 5 ‘duff shots’ where my club face landed a few inches behind the ball. I chuckled at these misses as I felt them coming. Most of the time, I felt my club out of its normal swing plane, but could not correct it. These types of shots are typical for the start of the year. I do not fuss over them because it is the nature of getting my golf swing back into shape.

My chipping was mediocre. I hit the ball on the green most of the time, but did not have great distance control. My club selection was good, but I failed to be aggressive enough to hit the ball to the hole. Most of the time my ball limped onto the green and left me with a long putt. This is something that most amateurs contend with when the get back to golf after a long winter’s nap. The contact was good, but my execution was poor. Again, it was the first round of the year and I had no expectations.

My putting, surprisingly, was very good. I rolled the ball very well. Had 4 one putts and 5 two putts. Avoiding the dreaded three putt this early in the season is always a good thing. I felt comfortable over the ball and read the greens fairly well. Overall, my putting was the best part of my round.

Lastly, I hit a fantastic shot. It was on the short par 4 seventh hole. I tee of with a 3 hybrid and normally finish around the 100 yard marker. This time I was at 95 yards. The pin was in the middle of a small green and very accessible. As I surveyed the shot, I decided to club down to a pitching wedge and hit a 3/4 shot. As I took aim, I chose my landing point just before the green. Well, low and behold I hit my landing point. The ball popped up onto the green as expected and rolled directly towards the pin. With a noticeable clunk, I hit the pin and stopped 3 inches from the hole. I walked up and tapped in my first birdie of the year!

My first round of golf was a success. I met all of my expectations 😉 and walked off the course happy and content. As I get ramped up for the rest of the season, I will add some expectations. But for now, I am just going to enjoy my time on the links.

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