Taking two weeks off definitely created the perfect conditions for rust to accumulate on my golf game. Surprisingly, my swing was okay but my shots after the tee box needed a great deal of work. All of this rust was a result of not swinging a club on my vacation, however I did accomplish my main goal of having fun with my playing partners at Men’s Night yesterday. I realize that I had very little touch around the green when I was practicing before our round. But alas, I did see an improvement as the round continued.

The first area of concern was my approach shots from 75 yards or closer. I expect to hit the green from that distance. At first, this was not the case as I was hitting the ball short every time. My main problem was not being aggressive enough when firing at the pin. My direction was okay, but my distance control needed lots of work. Fortunately, I improve this area of concern and hit the green in regulation on the last three holes.

Hitting the ball around the green was fairly okay. When I played the ball back in my stance with my weight on my lead foot, I made great contact. If I did not set up this shot properly, I usually hit behind the ball and left my shot attempt short. There was a great deal of rust on this part of my game and I still need to practice to gain my touch back before my Senior Men’s Scramble next Thursday at Osprey Links. Not to worry, I will be hitting the practice green over the next few days.

Lastly, my putting was okay except when I missed 2 two footers. Both misses were because I lazily tried to tap the ball in without any intent. If this was a stroke match, I would have been really annoyed at myself for such mental errors. When taking my time and setting up properly, I putted fairly well. It was not great and I still need some work, but overall my putting was acceptable.

On a side note, I tried hitting my driver off the deck again. My ball flight was very low (not more that 10 feet off the ground) and my ball bored through the air for quite distance. I now know that using my driver works best when the conditions are dry and I have the opportunity to create a great deal of roll.

Golf is an amazing sport. After two weeks of not playing I was able to hit a few good shots. As my week unfolds, I will continue to know the rust away from my short game and hopefully regain my mid-season form.

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