Holes 9
Par:36
Location: Portsmouth, NH
Playing Partners: None - Playing as a Single
Playing Partners: None - Playing as a Single
For my upcoming birthday my wife surprised me with a trio of hour lessons starting with my first one today. As previously mentioned I have never had a true professional lesson. I have been nervous about it all week not knowing what to really expect. I think my biggest fear was that my instructor would try to change my swing, making me have to almost start over in learning a new swing.
The lessons were set up at one of my favorite courses, of which I was a member a few years ago and am familiar with many of the staff. I was pleasantly surprised to find a brand new club house and a huge new practice putting green upon my arrival.
Tim (My Instructor) started me out hitting 8 irons. Although I was nervous I could not seem to hit an off shot. I felt as though I was wasting Tim's time as I hit shot after shot nice and smooth. I switched over to my driver and started to show my true colors as i sprayed shots both to the left and the right. Tim was able to determine that a lot of my problems with errant shots come from being too quick at the top of my golf swing. He never once asked me to change my swing, only to slow down at the top and save my speed and power for the hitting zone. I am not sure I was as good a student as he would have liked but I feel that I made some improvements and now have something to work on at the range.
The next part of the story comes from the first green of the first hole I played after my lesson. I was joined up with three friends out trying to get some golf in before it stormed. All of us were lying on the green, I had chipped up to the green leaving myself a 12 footer. The three others were in similar positions but I was the only one who had marked my ball, in this instance I used a quarter. One of the guys had mentioned to me that this was only the second time playing the game, to which I said he was playing well and moved on.
So here I am, leaning on my putter waiting for the others to finish putting out and this new player to the game starts to eye my ball marker. I don't say anything as he walks over, and starts to look quizzically at my marker. After thoroughly checking it over he bends over and picks it up. I am laughing on the inside, but I very casually get his attention and say, "Ahh, you realize that's my ball marker?", then he looks at me funny and I say, "That quarter, I use that to mark where my ball is.". His face went white as he let the quarter fall back to the green. I am pretty sure that his friends are never going to let him live that move down.
To finish off my golf day a severe thunderstorm caught us off guard. We heard the thunder but it sounded distant. As we approached one of the tees it was as if someone flipped a switch and turned on the wind machine. We rode as fast as the governed cart would allow back to the club house, in the process getting completely soaked and narrowly being missed by lightning all around. Watching a thunderstorm from a window at the clubhouse can be exciting, seeing lightning strike within yards of you while sitting in a golf cart, not pleasant.
I look forward to future posts on my next two lessons and future rounds from Pease Golf Course.
until then...
Cheers to All!
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