A par 18 story
A Par 18* story.
It is a cold november evening just before dark, there is a heavy drizzle in the air and a sharp wind blowing across a the practice area, which is a good few hundred yards from the warmth of the clubhouse. There is only one person still outside and braving the late autumn elements. Anna wants another go at Par 18 before dark.
There are not many good lies around the green which is bumpy and small, the holes havent been changed in a while but Anna starts in her usual routine of throwing the ball off the green over her shoulder, she knows that if she even as much as looks where she is throwing she might just give herself a break, something that rarely happens in tournament golf.
Anna has made a 19 and any number of 20s but has never played Par 18, maybe there is light enough this evening for one more try.
The first lie is sitting down in wet rough and is a good 20 yards from a tightly cut pin, a tough start and it flashes through Anna’s mind to stop there and then but her own rule of always playing to the end and writing the score on her bedroom wall chart prevails.
As so often out of an unlikely situation, a miracle happens, Anna’s ball takes a single bounce and falls in. One under after one!
Anna pars the next seven and stands on the green one under with a hole to play. It takes all her self control to not give herself an easy lie. She throws the ball a final time, turns and finds it nestling in a deep wet divot. The hole she chose is close to the edge of the green but it has to be played. She decides to take sand iron anyway, the next chance to make 17 might not come again so soon. She tries hard to commit to her routine but gets the ball a little fat, it barely makes the front of the green.
Standing over her putt, she can hardly believe the pressure, her hands are shaking and her heart is hammering. It’s a large break from right to left but her ball drops perfectly in the middle of the hole. 17 shots!
After a loud YES! and a Tiger like victory punch in a moment of joy and celebration she realises where she is, she is still the only golfer out there, there was nobody to watch, nobody to see her achievement. There was even nobody there who might have witnessed a casually preferred lie or a generously given tap-in, not that this can ever be on option in real Par 18. She is exhausted but can proudly write 17 on her list of Par 18 results.
Have you ever made a practice session as real as Anna’s?
Par 18* – You need a green, a ball and your clubs. Drop your ball just off the green and try to get up and down. Do this 9 times in total and record your result, the par is 18 and the rules of golf apply. It’s simple but probably the best short game practice session you will ever find.
