A Disappointing Golf Game :: Reflection Memoir Essays

A Disappointing Golf Game A smooth swing backed by power propelled my Titleist 230 yards down the fairway. An explosion of emotions ran through me as I started off the most important round of golf to date. The first hole of regionals proved to be as challenging as the rest of the course would be that day. With temperatures in the lower forties, I teed off at approximately 10:40 a.m. I had a thirty-foot putt to save par. I drained it, right in the center of the cup. I thought to myself, "Now let's build off of that." The next tee shot was down the right side of the fairway and in perfect position to the pin. I was striking the ball very well, even though my swing felt like an unfolding lawn chair. I would have to keep this up for seventeen more holes. In the back of my mind, I knew that a 77 would get me to state for sure. At this same course, just two weeks prior, I shot 77 with a bogey and then a double bogey to finish my last two holes. I knew that if I could just replicate that round, I would be going to state. That 77 wasn't even a very good round for me. I made a lot of errors, mental and physical, that would have saved me a lot of strokes. A 73 won that tournament, so without those errors, I would have been right there. All I had to do was to play well. After carding a 39 on the front nine with five three-putts, I was on track to a 75. Things were looking up. Standing on the number ten tee was a very different experience than it was on the front nine. The cold, dark clouds moved overhead with a light wind blowing right to left. The wind soon raised goose bumps on all of our skin. It had become quite cold, and everyone knew that this was going to turn ugly. A decent tee shot started off the second half of my round. As I was walking to my ball in the fairway, the wind picked up dramatically and sleet was stinging the back of my neck. My hands were soaked, along with the rest of my body. My clothes were drenched, making the temperature seem much lower than it already was. I knew I would have to play through these elements well enough to post a good round.