Doing it arseways

Forgive the crude heading but it seems somehow appropriate. When I started this challenge, I began in the middle of the golfing season and when you consider what the weather has been like lately, you’ll know that the golfing season isn’t very long in Ireland. If the rain keeps up, they might have to bring back winter rules before the summer is out.
By the time I got up and running, I was into the middle of July and by the time I was really making strides with my game I was into the back end of October and into a winter of non-qualifying competitions. And if you think that wasn’t bad planning, I finally decided to get a new set of clubs last week, in the middle of the last month of my challenge.
At least the investment in new equipment has already paid a dividend. Yesterday, in the first outing with my new Titleist AP-1 irons, I managed 39 points on the O’Meara course at Carton House.
Armed with my new set, which includes 5-iron to pitching wedge, 3-wood, 2 hybrids (21 and 24 degrees) and a new 52 degree Vokey to add to my 58, I turned with 19 points after chipping in for birdie on the difficult par-four eighth. It usually plays like the hardest hole on the course even though it’s the only hole without a sand bunker. It was my first time to birdie it, which was interesting because I had been going through the birdies I’d had on each hole before the round – the positive memories must have been rubbing off.
On the 11th, the actual index one (eight is index two), I got a good drive away and smashed a 3-wood over the bunkers to the front of the green, leaving 20 feet for another bird. Having parred 10, I was starting to think about the possibility of a good score coming together so the temptation was to cosy the putt up to the hole and walk away with a safe par. Then I thought about what Rory McIlroy had said after winning the US Open and how his approach had differed from the final round of the Masters. He talked about staying aggressive to his targets at the Open as opposed to being cagey and defensive at the Masters. The thought helped me remember that a) this wasn’t the US Open and b) I wasn’t Rory McIlroy – enjoy the round and forget all the nonsense. Keeping my targets clear and going for my shots was important too because there was no point worrying about something that hadn’t happened yet. And if I did, it – a good score – may not happen at all.
I lipped out for a par on 12 but two solid pars on 13 and 14 had me level par for the back with five holes played. I was heading for 36 points easy enough but I needed to keep tipping along to make sure I scored well enough to get cut.
On 15, I caught the bunker off the drive, thinned the ball out and sensibly played two 9-irons to get to the middle of the green without losing a ball to the river in front of the green. On 16 I got a little cautious, hitting a 6-iron when I knew 7 was enough but it was better to be long over the back of the green than short and in the water.
Again my putt narrowly missed for par, my tee shot having failed to hold the green, but a good up and down on 17 meant that a par on the last would mean a sub-80 round and 40-plus points. Not that I was aware of it at the time, my focus was still on the next shot and playing to my targets. I still managed to make a meal of the hole.
I hit a five-iron from the right edge of the fairway, which was probably too much club again, and this time the price was a half-arsed shot that found a mound in front of the elevated green. Two shots later I was putting for a bogey and when my effort from 10 feet failed, I had to settle for a one-pointer and 39 points. No scratches, two birdies and a round of 81, my best all year – which speaks volumes for the value of new clubs.
I’m just running out of time to make the most of this new boon to my game – this game would be a lot easier if we had a little more sense.