I ended the year with a handicap index of 13.3, one-half stroke better than last year’s final number and one stroke above my low for the year of 12.3 on September 1st.  This very much mirrors my scoring pattern of last year but I have been maintaining a lower scoring average through the end of the year better than in my earlier golfing years of  2005-08. I’m sure getting much below 12.0 is going to be very difficult.

I’ve always liked fall golf but my scores have not usually been all that good once the leaves begin to cover the edges of the fairways.  Things have been a bit different this year, though.  This morning I shot a ho-hum seven over par 79 at Mt. Si, my second sub-80 round in two weeks.  It was an unspectacular but very steady round.  No long drives, no long putts or chip ins.  Just eleven pars and seven bogeys.  The short game carried the day for me.  I hit just one green in regulation and two fairways over the last eleven holes but knocked enough chip shots close to  get by with just 13 putts over that stretch.  I’m looking forward to seeing where my handicap ends up with next week’s final update for the year.

As I prepared to tee off this morning I wasn’t expecting much of a round.  Winds were howling at 30-40 mph and following yesterday’s 76 I figured I’d most likely shoot a score more in line with my 13.6 handicap.  Anything under 90 would have been fine.  And that’s how the day started: eight over par through the first six holes.

Then on the 500-yard 7th hole I launched a 270 yard wind-aided drive.  I followed that with a 5 wood that stopped on the green just 18 feet from the cup.  I missed my first ever eagle putt but the tap-in birdie was followed by two pars for 43 on the front nine.

The back nine was an unusual adventure.  Following an easy par on hole 10 I hit my next tee shot into the woods and flailed through holes 11 and 12 five strokes over par.  Amazingly enough, though, I 1-putted every hole except number 16 for just 10 putts on the final nine holes and 23 for the round.  In spite of some inconsistent ball-striking I shot an 85.  That took my scoring average for the year down to 87.87.

A weak initial drive and bogey 5 on the frosty opening hole offered little hint of the round I ended up with this morning at Mt. Si.  After bogey, double bogey, bogey on the 6th, 7th and 8th holes I approached the 9th tee five over par; an ok score but nothing remarkable.  But I played the final ten holes at one under par to shoot 76, tying my personal best score (last done, Sept. 15 2010).  Three birdies and nine pars, along with just 27 putts supported generally good ball-striking.

After being humbled at Chamber’s Bay on Tuesday I was happy to be back at the familiar surroundings of Mt. Si this morning.  Things started off well on hole #1 when I just missed a chip-in birdie and settled for a tap-in par.  A poor drive led to a bogey six on hole 2.  My chip on #3 hit the flag stick and led to a two-putt bogey.  On #4 I missed a 39-foot putt and then missed the 2-footer for par.  So after four holes I was three over par.

My drive on #5 was to the right edge of the fairway with a tree limb blocking my second shot.  I hit a low, cut 4-iron to seven feet and made the putt for birdie.  On #6 it was 5 wood, 8 iron to ten feet. I made the putt for a second birdie.  On the 507 yard 7th hole I hit two 3 woods and a sand wedge to 9 feet and made that putt for a third consecutive birdie, getting me back to even par.  On #8 my tee shot was well left into a grass bunker.  My chip from there went across the green to the opposite fringe.  From there I holed out with a putter from about 20 feet for par.  On #9, 3 wood and pitching wedge left a 43 foot putt which I missed by about 18 inches settling for par.  The back nine was very ragged with four bogeys and three pars book-ended by triple bogeys on #10 and #18.

Front Nine July 28

My ball is between the water and the bunker!

I’ve been thinking that my golf scores are artificially better because I’m playing so many rounds at Mt. Si.  Familiarity with the course and the relatively easy greens allow me to score well even when I’m not really playing that well.  So I decided to try out Druids Glen golf course just about half an hour south of us.  It sports a 134 Slope Rating compared to just 115 for Mt. Si.  That suggests it’s about 9 strokes harder for a bogie golfer like me.  Lo and behold I shot a 96, exactly 10 strokes over what I’ve been averaging at Mt. Si for the last month or so.  The greens are definitely more challenging and my iron/wedge play was very poor.  I’m going to try Druids Glen again in a week or so.

I shot a nine over par 81 this morning.  Following Tuesday’s 77 these are my best consecutive rounds ever.  I should have broken 80 again after shooting 38 on the front nine.  But over the final seven holes I stumbled along with just one birdie and six bogies.  Frustratingly, I had three putts and one chip rim out without dropping and left one birdie chance less than one inch short.

And in the mid-month handicap update my index dropped to 13.3.