Hitting the links

Jensen Jennings
Posted 5/12/21

With the weather finally cooperating in Goshen County, I had the chance to hit the links and play some golf for the first time since November.

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Hitting the links

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With the weather finally cooperating in Goshen County, I had the chance to hit the links and play some golf for the first time since November.

I moved to Torrington at the end of December from south Florida. During my five years living in Florida, my roommate Dante and I picked up the sport of golf. Neither of us were any good, but it was a fun thing to do and a good way to spend time outside with friends.

I knew when I left Florida, I wouldn’t be able to play as much golf once I got to Wyoming, but I didn’t realize how much I would miss
the sport.

On a typical day, I shoot somewhere in the 100s and have yet to break one hundred, but it’s a goal I’ve had for the past few years. Unfortunately, after my latest round I don’t see that happening any time soon.

Golf is a great game, but also a frustrating one. Anyone who plays golf understands how frustrating the game can get, but that one great shot per round is always enough to get you coming back for more.

On Saturday, I played for the first time in months. It was the longest I’ve gone without golfing since I picked the sport back up again in 2017. I used to play off and on with friends in high school, but we never took it seriously. Once I joined the Air Force after high school, I went about seven years without picking up a club.

I showed up around an hour early for my tee time on Saturday to hit a bucket of balls at the driving range in hopes of knocking off some of the winter rust from my game. The first few shots went about as I expected they would, terribly. 

When I was hitting balls, I kept looking around to see if anyone noticed how bad I was hitting it. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly the confidence I was hoping to gain heading into my first round in six months. Eventually, I did hit a few shots and my confidence was about as high as it could be headed to the first hole.

When I arrived at the first tee, I was a bit nervous to see who my playing partners would be. One of the biggest things I don’t like about golf is when you’re playing alone and get paired up with a group of strangers. There’s nothing more nerve wracking than standing over the ball on the first tee watching everyone else stripe one down the middle and then it’s your turn to hit.

Thankfully, I got paired up with a good group of guys who were also playing their first round since the fall. That took some of the nerves away, but I still felt them when I was standing over the ball with my least favorite club and nemesis in my hands, my driver.

I have a horrible slice whenever I hit my driver. I’ve tried so many ways to fix it and have watched endless YouTube videos, hoping for even just the slightest tip that will stick and help me fix the issue. Unfortunately, I have yet to find one. Instead, I lineup over the ball and aim slightly to the left in hopes of limiting the impact of my slice. More often than not, it doesn’t get the job done.

After watching my playing partners tee off, and all end up in the fairway, it was my turn to go. I could feel my hand shaking a bit with nerves as I bent over to put the tee in the ground and place the ball on top. I addressed the ball and took my normal aim, just a bit to the left, and collected my thoughts before letting it rip.

To my surprise, the ball landed right in the middle of the fairway. I even had a nice little fade on it and noticed the ball goes much further, thanks to the altitude unlike the eight feet in Florida. I bent over to pick up my tee and it was nice to hear “great shot” from my playing partners. There’s nothing better than hearing those words on the first tee when you’re playing with a group of strangers. It instantly calmed my nerves. 

For the rest of the round, I was able to hit some good shots and a lot of bad ones, but just being outside and playing the game I love again made for another great experience. I decided not to keep score during the round because I knew posting a big number would upset me, but I did get a few pars, which is always a good thing.

I’m excited to take advantage of the warmer weather we’ll have for the next few months and to continue my quest to break one hundred. Even if that doesn’t happen, I’ll be sure to soak up every chance I get to hit the links and enjoy a beautiful day on the golf course before we’re back in the cold dark days of winter.