This is nuts. I'm 3 days away from the tournament I've been talking about for the past 2 weeks and, to quote Roy McAvoy, "my swing feels like an unfolding lawn chair".
Is it all in my head? Probably so. Is there anything I can do about it? Probably not.
The only thing I've got going for me is memories of playing well in other scramble-format competitions through the years. Sure, it's all because I don't have as much pressure on me, and maybe that means I'm a choker, but at this point I don't feel the need to delve into that territory. I just want to make sure I get through Saturday without making a fool of myself.
One thing is good. I feel like I'm putting as well as I have in a while. My big problem with putting has always been speed, especially on longer putts. For some reason, the speed of our local greens seem to be to my liking right now. As anyone who has played scrambles knows, a decent putter can contribute a lot in that format. You can hit the ball like a drunk all day long, and if you can putt, you can finish the day as the hero.
My big problem right now is off the tee. I was hitting the ball well a couple of weeks ago and suddenly this week a pull hook has found it's way into my bag. And with my team, I could be called upon to be the "horse" off the tee. One of our teammates, my cousin, actually hits the ball a long way, but my Dad told me he's not been playing that well lately. I know how that feels. Our other teammate can hit the ball pretty well and with decent distance, but he's not had any confidence in anything bigger than a 5 wood for a few years now.
We can probably count on Dad to keep us in play most of the day, which should give the rest of us a chance to try to wail on it. But if we can't keep it in the fairways, we may be working pretty hard for birdies. Which is not what I want. I want to have at least a chance for birdie on every hole.
Looks like it's time to pull out the Harvey Penick books again.
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