For the first time this year, I had a round without double-bogies (but unfortunately no birdies either). That's definitely a good sign.

If my putting wasn't so bad and the greens were in better condition, I could have easily shot in the seventies. Instead, I should be happy with a 40+41=81.

I didn't take many risks and I avoided over-powering my irons, e.g. hitting an easy seven iron instead of slamming an eight, which is my usual strategy.

On one particularly easy par three, my ball just cleared the water, bounced onto the fringe, and spun back into the drink. Nice effect, lousy result.

Half of the ball was exposed above the water, and my fellow players were rooting for me to go for it, more interested in seeing me splash mud all over my clothes and face, so they could joke about it on the nineteenth hole.

Although slightly pumped up because of a streak of pars, I took the drop (what a wimp, they kept taunting me), chipped just past the pin, and then sank the one footer for a four.

Nice save.

My handicap dropped back down to 11. Just two more notches and I reach my most important goal for this year: to be a single digit handicapper again.

That's been more than thirty years. Can't wait.