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Agreed - frustrating game but it's those little nuggets of shots you make which make you feel good that keep you coming back.

Where do you play, Hoopie?

Too true, although just as you sort out one part of your game, the wheels fall off another. On those rare days that everything works you think you have the game sorted. Next day you play like a dog.

I play at a members club west of London

It's both the frustration and the fascination of a great game.
Oddly enough, it's the same playing a musical instrument!

Did your Club Championship winner get close to or under par, Hoopie?

No, it is a par 72 course. Top group was scratch and two 1 h/c players. I was in the 4th top group off 3. There were a lot of good golfers (and me)

Winning score was 6 over. It was brutal. greens were quick, pins hiden and on cliff tops (couple were just unfair in my view - although I did ok on those, luckily), rough around the green was punishing. That in itself is a tough task, but then add in a strong wind, most were put to the sword.

SSS for the rounds was 75.

I like to hit a high ball, into the wind that is a killer. I need to learn a lower ball flight for days like that. That I guess is the difference between 3 and scratch, the ability to control ball flight better.

I only took up golf later in life, these others guys have all played golf from their childhood or are in the 20s anyway. Tough for me to compete, but I will get better and will try again next year.

Wow - that says it all.

A little disappointed with a 98 today - was looking to break 95 but today wasn't the day. Putting and approach play let me down.

Maybe next time?

3 over par 75 in latest competition. CSS was 74 on the day, so 1 over for h/c. Gets me back my h/c I lost in the last couple of competitions.

3 under par for the par 5s was pleasing, but the out of bounds drive cost me the competition win. Greens were quick but the putter was working well, only left 1 put out there but sunk a few nice ones as well.

Good work, Hoopie.

Cracking round at the weekend. Match play, giving away 4 strokes to a good player.

2 down with 4 to play.

We both birdie 15 ... stay 2 down
I win 16 with an easy par ... 1 down
Birdie 17 ... all square
Birdie 18 to win 1 UP

I was never up until hole 18. Probably a couple under for whole round. Best I have played tee to green all year. 5 birdies, a lot of solid pars, not really any great putts which you normally need to go low.

It is rounds like that why I play golf, just a shame about the multitude of useless rounds in-between!

Wow! What a time to pull out the fireworks!

By Hoopie's standards my golf today was modest, but I was well pleased with it!
My course is short, at par 66, but it's hilly and the bracken is high.

Out in five over, (37), which is one over my handicap, and started back with a bogey and a double bogey. At that point, my immediate target was to equal my age for 14 holes (my best so far on that is beating it for 13, but at least it gets easier every year!) and I needed three pars on the 12th to 14th, all of which are tricky. got the first two of those but made a hash of the 14th and had to scramble for a bogey. So now nine over, and hoping for a birdie in the last four holes for a notional 36 points.

The 15th and 16th are both short par fours which can be driven. Hit a good one on the 15th and two putted. 8 over. Poor drive on the 16th, but a 60 yard pitch to three feet. 7 over. two shots to the front of the 17th green, and a thirty footer went in. 6 over. Par 3 down the last to finish - round in 72.

Nice work, stripey.

That is a good score. A par 72 is easier to score on as you usually have four par 5s, which are always better birdie chances than par 3s or par 4s.

Always nice to finish strong, rather than falling away. It makes you want to come back for more.

Thankfully we don't have bracken where I play. A tree lined course, but balls are usually findable and the rough always allows you a hack out. Bracken and gorse is a killer.

When I play I set myself mini targets:

I hope to be 2 under for the four par 5s. (obviously you if don't have that many par 5s it is not so easy)
We have 4 par 3s, if played to level par you are on for a good round, 1 over is not too bad.
The par 4s you are going to leak shots but hopefully pick up the odd birdie.

I also look to be 1 over after 5 holes at my course.
6,7,8 bit of an amen corner so 2 over
9, 10 birdie chances
11,12,13 again time to hang on
14-18 chance to pick up needed shots.

Always worth breaking up a round into mini rounds, stops you worrying over mini set backs

As an anaylsis, using only competition rounds in the last 12 months my scoring average per hole type.

Par 3: 3.39
Par 4: 4.33
Par 5: 5.00

Doesn't take into account par 72 but CSS is usually 73 or 74 so you get more wriggle room.

Annoyed my par 5 average isn't below 5.00. Par 3 and 4 is always going to be over.

If you took my best score on each hole for those rounds I would have hit a 58. That would be nice, lol.

Thanks, Hoopie. We don't have any par fives, but three of the par fours work in a similar way as they are all reachable, so I would hope to birdie at least one of them in a decent round. Mind you, the course goes up to 1200 feet, so such thoughts are often put paid to by strong Marches winds.

We have gorse as well as bracken. They both eat golf balls.

Yes - similar. My targets are:
1-5 +2
6-9 +1
10-14 +4
15-18 Level

I played golf last weekend playing off 14 and got 32 points. Was very happy with that Lost to my dad who got 35 points though