The last month has been absolutely miserable. Started Friday, March 23. Came down with a bad cold, or maybe the flu. Fever, chills, coughing, respiratory congestion. Threw up at least 6 times. First non-alcoholic puking in a very, very long time. Went to bed Friday night, around 7pm. Didn't wake up until Sunday morning 8am! Ended up taking the entire week off from work.
Since then I've been coughing up a lung, constantly out of breathe. Finally saw the doctor last week. Theory is I'm recovering from bronchitis and newly developed allergies is making it worse. So he gave me an ashama inhaler, some nasal spray and allergy meds. Seem to be helping. Respiratory issues have plagued me since childhood. But since my hernia surgery I'm very paranoid about coughing. With each cough I feel like my hernia is going to come back.
So for the last month I've done jack shit. Go to work, go home, vegetate, try not to cough. My Nike Fuel bad data reflects this,
Weekend of March 17th I started feeling sick. Wednesday I took off work. Then started Friday the 23 I was laid out. April's data is a little better, but I only hit my daily goal 4 times this month.
Especially disturbing is my weekend data. Last 4 weekends I've barely left the house. So when this weekend come around and a couple of friends invited me to play golf, I decided it was time to get out. Time to push my self. Might have to leave after a couple of holes if the cough is too much, but I'll never know until I try.
We had an early tee time (6:51am) so I didn't have a chance to hit any balls. Stretched a little, rolled some putts, then it was go time. No expectations. I was playing well before getting sick, but not having touched a club in a month, who knows how I'll play. This really freed me up to just play. Ended up shooting a new Harding Park low nine score, 39 on the front nine w/ 17 putts.
I've shot 40/41 a few times at Harding but never broken 40. Breaking 40 is a pyschological barrier. Two 39s = break 80.
Hole 1
Things started off well, drive straight down the middle. But I topped my second shot and failed to get up-and-down. Bogey.
Hole 2
No. 2 normally plays shorter than the 400 yards on the scorecard because they tend to move the tees up about 30-40 yards but there was a tournament today (one I normally would play in) so it was playing it's full 400 yards--and the pin was way back, so it was probably playing 420. Hit a great drive but was still about 180 yards out. Hit a big cut to get on in regulation. Two good putts for a par.
Hole 3
Was worried about the 3rd. It's an uphill hole, not sure if my lungs could handle the uphill climb. Horrible tee shot but salvaged a bogey.
Hole 4
Really good approach shot out of the 1st cut to about 15-20 feet on the #1 handicap hole. Good putt, left me with a little tap-in for par. The * is because I was lazy and didn't clean the sand off my ball for the tap-in and it only went 6 inches.
Hole 5
Go on in regulation but just couldn't get close enough for a good look at birdie. Still, 3 pars, 2 bogeys through 5 is good for my handicap.
Hole 6
Ball got barried in the rough, settled for bogey. The * is because I hit the wrong ball. My ball landed in the rough, definitely in play, findable. Friend thought he found it, and so did I, since it was a Titleist ProV1X "3", same ball I was playing. But once I got on the green I realized it was not my ball, since it had some markings.
Hole 7
Same as the 5th. Couldn't get it close enough for a good look at birdie.
Hole 8
The 8th was probably my best hole today. Long par 3 w/ wind, incredibly difficult back left pin position. Very solid tee shot but it leaked right into the bunker. I caught a break and the lie in the bunker was perfect. Pro-caliber sand shot to about 2.5 feet.
Hole 9
Got it about 10 feet but couldn't make the putt.
39 out. Finally broke 40 at Harding.
I cooled off in the back nine. Only 2 pars but what did me in was the 13th hole. Lets just say I had to use the ESC (Equitable Score Control) formula. Disaster.
Still, incredible day. Weather was amazing, good to see my golf buddies, broke 40. Cough was still there, but it was encouraging to be able to play a full round without dying.
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