Gordon Mott

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One Bright Moment

Posted: 11:48 AM ET, June 29, 2009

I had one of "those" days on the golf course yesterday. I was in a tournament, technically not in contention to win anything in the second round, although with a great round I might have put myself up with the overnight leaders in the net stroke category. After starting quadruple bogey, triple bogey, my day had taken a turn for the worse and I never really recovered. I made a go of it for a few holes, but it just wasn’t to be. I won’t even tell you what I scored; it was my worst round in more than two years.

As any golfer knows, it is one of the most mystifying and humbling sports on the planet. I began my season in April thinking that a few swing changes I’d been working on were coming together and I was going to play better than I ever have. I have. For two or three or four holes in a row, and then, inexplicably, it all falls apart for two or three or four holes, and then the swing magically reappears again. Frustrating to say to the least.

The good news is that usually this season the swing has re-surfaced during the round. Yesterday, it never did. I finally gave up, hitting a few good shots, a few bad ones, but not having the focus or concentration to play well.

What did I do instead? I lit up a cigar. I had a wonderful La Flor Dominicana Coronado Lancero in my bag, and it seemed like the only way to salvage a few minutes of enjoyment and pleasure from the day. I lit up on the 14th tee, and by the time I reached the clubhouse, I had a smile on my face and some perspective that a bad round shouldn’t ruin a beautiful day.

I’m sure next time I head to the 1st tee, I’ll have the same expectation that the day’s round is going to go well. And, with any luck, and maybe another cigar, I won’t remember much about this past weekend’s round.

(2 comments on this post) Submit your comments >

Reader Comments

User Name: Alex Benes, California Posted: 09:29 PM ET, June 29, 2009

dude, maybe light the cigar before you start the round?

User Name: Adam Lyon, Worcester, MA Posted: 06:49 AM ET, June 30, 2009

Gordon, I too had one of the worst rounds of golf I've ever played this past weekend. I was playing so bad, and I was so discouraged, that I actually quit after shanking my tee shot into the woods on the 18th hole. I paid my playing partners what I owed them, and left for the car with the idea that I was finished playing for awhile. Your article put things back in perspective for me, and I've already made my tee time once again for this weekend. Thanks for all you do, -Adam Lyon

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