Thursday, September 15, 2016

The 101-day break, and a ball in the tree.

15.9.2016.

This morning, Thursday 15th September, 2016, I ended my forced 101-day break from golf. I stopped on 6/6/2016 and to-day is 15/9/2016. Calculate.

The two nine-hole rounds I had with Tok Molod last week don't count because we were just hitting the ball around as a kind of feeler practice round before a proper full game. This morning was a full 18-hole competitive round with 9 by 9  betting, partnership, and "doubling up" the second nine. I ended up playing alone against the other two in the second nine, and won one ball. It was "game over" at the 17th. hole, but my opponents asked to buy 2 balls, and they won that last hole because Tok Molod birdied that par 5.

On stroke-play I played nett 74, 2-over par. Not bad considering the extended forced break because of the pain in my right back. It's practically gone now, except if I walk too far. On the buggy to-day I felt no pain, and also took three-quarter swings throughout. Maybe I should do this all the time now. It was the short game that got me, but in golf this department is usually the first thing to go, and the last to come back when this sort of break happens.

I always enjoy playing with Tok Sleman. There was no Tok Zahar to-day ( he had to attend the Dewan Keadilan: the Undang Johol case is still not fully settled, apparently. There is this "Patah tumbuh, hilang berganti" thing being invoked, although in Johol itself everybody has more or less accepted the new Undang). I had got Tok Mail Kamat to replace Tok Zahar on Tuesday, but last night he sms'd me that he can't make it. I didn't hear the sms, and only saw it this morning. At 7 a.m. I called Mazlan, but he was in KL. While waiting for Tok Sleman and Tok Molod at the club, I called Jane, and she came, but had to leave after 9 holes because of her mahjong appointment. She could have finished our game, but surprisingly to-day there was a good crowd playing, and the flight ahead of ours took forever to play. We had to wait on every hole!

At Tok Zahar's house a few weeks ago I admitted to Tok Fadil in front of Tok Sleman when the subject of golf came up, that Tok Sleman's drive is better than mine. To-day this was the case. Except at holes no. 3, no. 4, no.12 and no. 18.

Holes 4,12 and 18 are in front of water. Tok Sleman managed to get wet in all three. That's not uncommon. No. 3 was special to-day. His drive hooked to the left and ended up in a Temensu tree, about waist high, and I duly recorded it and sent it to Tok Zahar. I naturally made Tok Sleman take a 2-club length drop (I re-dropped the ball because he just placed it) and he duly recorded a nice round "10" for the par 5 hole. I said I'll write to the club and ask them to print new score-cards with wider columns, so that double-digit scores can be entered!

That was a good outing, like our regular foursome before the fasting month. Now that Tok Sleman has gone back to work at the AG's Chambers on contract, he can only play on public holidays. To-day he said he "ponteng". And he took his staff car to the club. I reminded him that the car is only for work !


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