3 weeks from 1st Trip to Bandon

As one can deduce from my lack of posts on this blog, I haven't been playing much golf.  Even this past summer, I didn't play nearly as much as I normally do (chalk the lack of golf up to traveling, work, and parenting).  More recently, I jammed a finger rather severely playing basketball, and I've sprained my left pinky finger about 5 times in the last two months playing volleyball, so the simple act of gripping a golf club has become painful (to the point of being impossible for about 3 weeks).  I've been easing my way back in to golf by hitting balls on the range.  It hasn't been pretty.  I haven't played a round on a golf course in a couple of months now.  Yet, as fate would have it, I've been invited to tag along with a buddy on a trip down to Bandon in the middle of January.
This is not how I envisioned my maiden voyage to Oregon golf's holyland.  I imagined being in as close to tournament shape as I could be before forking over the big bucks to play those highly penal courses.  Instead, I will be rusty and, even worse, not in golf shape.  Being out of shape is my biggest fear.  The last time I went a long stretch without golfing then teed it up, my left knee gave out on me by the 12th hole and my hips were just about frozen by the 15th.  And that was just one round of golf. I'm signed up to play 18-36-18.  I've decided that I'm not going to carry my clubs, and I'm doing what I can to at least get some cardio in a couple times a week.  I'm guessing a giant bottle of ibuprofen will end up being my best friend.

In spite of all of my fears, I'm really excited to get down there and see what all the buzz is about.  I haven't played true links golf since I played Chambers Bay the week before the US Am (according to the good folks at Google, that happened in 2010).  In case you don't already know from my previous ramblings, I love links golf having grown up playing a shaggy old 9-hole seaside links course along a stretch of windswept white-sand beach in Hawai'i.  I was playing well heading into the round at Chambers, and my links golf instincts were good enough to shoot an 80 in pretty tough conditions (the greens were slick & firm as concrete, and the wind was gusting throughout the round).  From what I hear, breaking 90 the first time playing the courses at Bandon is an accomplishment.  That said, I feel like I have a huge advantage of growing up playing in the wind.  I'm just hoping we get some golfable weather.  After all, I grew up playing with 20 mph gusts, not the 35+ mph stuff that you commonly find down in Bandon.

Partially Torn Quadricep = Pushcart Golf

In the I'm-not-as-young-as-I-used-to-be category, I managed to injure my right quad after sprinting to half-court and back on a basketball court.  It felt a little tight right after the sprint, and then progressively got worse until I wasn't really able to get up and down the stairs of my house the next day.  I gave it a full 2 weeks of rest before attempting to golf.  I jumped in head first and booked an 18-hole round, not knowing if I could even walk 9 holes.  I had a strategy: I figured I would have half a chance of completing the round if I rented a pushcart and played the forward (white) tees.
The round got off to an auspicious start- a perfect high fade right down the middle of the fairway followed by a three-quarter 8-iron to 5 feet, and a made putt for birdie.  I hit it to 6 feet on the next hole, but missed the putt on the high side.  Then the rust started to appear.  After a perfect drive, I cold-topped a 1/2-wedge shot into a short par-4.  I hit a very thin 9-iron that somehow carried the water on the next hole, a challenging downhill par 3.  From then on I was either hitting perfect shots or nasty half-topped clankers.  I was driving the ball well, though, so I kept the ball in play.  When I managed to string together 2 or more solid shots, I made easy pars along with birdies on the two back-9 par-5s.

I knew I was only a couple over par heading into the last hole, a tough par 4 with water down the entire right side.  I've made my fair share of double-bogeys or worse on number 18.  A solid tee shot is the key to making par.  As the temperature dipped into the high 30s I hit a soaring draw that flew about 240 in the air (that's definitely maxing it out for me).  I realized walking off the tee box with my pushcart in tow that I would normally be much more fatigued by the 18th hole.  When I carry my clubs, I can all but guarantee you that I'm not going to hit my longest drive of the day on the last hole.  There I was making a routine par after hitting a wedge into 18 to shoot 76.   Maybe there's something to this whole not carrying your clubs thing....