Handicap:20
Gross: 97
Net: 77
Verdict: Welcome to the Jungle, we got fun and games…
What Happened
Everytime we tee it up in KGPA, that GNR song plays in my mind because everywhere I look, especially in the front 9, it’s jungle, jungle, jungle. KGPA is in okcondition, good drainage and fairways, but the greens are horrendously slow. The first few greens we putted, it wasn’t pressed down, so you can imagine how bad a shape it was, no roll whatsoever. Compare this to Bangi, KGPA greens are in sorry condition. Be aware if you tee it up here.
I hate the second hole Par 5. It’s stupid for KGPA to put OB right of the cartpath because you have a nice adjacent fairway (hole 14) where you can possibly hit a recover shot. Note to KGPA, Nilai Springs and all these other courses that sprinkle OB stakes here and there: Let the golfers play, will you? If we can escape a bad tee shot, let it be, instead of putting OB here and there. That’s why Rahman Putra is better, because they removed the OB stakes on the par 4 16th to let the golfers play on. They grew some brains. Now, KGPA, please remove those OB stakes, your ridiculous course is already tough enough!!
I expected KGPA to be hard, and it was. We struggled, with the normal peppering of good drives, horrendous slices, great recoveries, crappy duff shots. Two incidents to note:
1) Pured a 3 wood second shot on the very tough par 5 12th. It landed near another group of golfers who had wandered into our fairway. As I was driving I saw two balls next to each other. Once i was there, the other golfer (a white guy–as in western, not pale white) had already hit his. He walked on without any acknowledgement. I couldn’t find my ball anywhere! When I ran after him and asked if he took my ball, he just went, “Mine’s a japanese ball…no take your ball!”
WHY DO WESTERN PEOPLE THINK THEY MUST TALK IN BROKEN ENGLISH FOR US TO UNDERSTAND? Seriously, do they think we are frigging idiots who cannot speak english and they need to put subtitles on us everytime we speak? I was ready to powerslam his bearded face into a pulp with my driver and shout, “China free from gwai-los! Long live chairman Mao! Please give back ball, you thief!”
The caddy apparently saw him picking up my ball and putting into his pocket. By then, I was offered a free drop from my mates, but due to my seething anger, proceeded to mess up the hole with a double bogey.
2) I like the Par 5 17th. 3 of us hit really good drives, which put us into a predicament: cross the lake and go for two or take the sissy way out and lay up. We opted to gun it with full testosterone. First guy’s 3 wood never stood a chance, his slice splashing into the water. My 3 wood was again hit very well (yes, I am a braggart, because I suck in everything else), and crossed….and landed into the bushes growing at the side of the lake….and rolled back in. AUGH! Gotta rehit! The third guy’s 3 wood suspiciously started on a very safe line and drew safely on dry land. We eyeballed him as he shrugged and said he was aiming at the water. Ya, right. Bull crap.
Why I Sucked
Well, putting struggled on the first nine, due to greens, primarily. Driving wasn’t that atrocious, but my irons was as painful as watching a monkey giving birth. I don’t remember hitting one shot that was pure with my irons. I kept pushing or pulling them, and obviously my game eventually disintegrated and went into survival mode.
Not So Sucked
Pretty proud of the ending though. The par at 16th was set up with a nine iron from a hilly lie after a terrible drive. Then the misadventures at 17th, but I hit my 4th shot 3 wood near to the green. One pitch and putt for a bogey. Final hole, I chunked my third, chipped my 4th about 5 feet past, and putted in to win the bet. So still win some money lar…
What to Work On
Irons. And drive a lot straighter. It could have been a lot worse if not for some lucky breaks here and there…including the proverbial golfer’s luck of watching your ball spinning into oblivion and hit a tree and come out. We say, “Ada monyet! (Got monkey!)” before descending into cackles of insane laughter, which shows how absolutely stupidly juvenile golf humour is.
Had another disastrous round at Bukit Kemuning. My game seems to be getting from bad to worse (what else could you best describe losing 9 balls at Bukit Kemuning). My flight mate who is a 10 handicap advise me to change to graphite shaft set, with oversize club head (beginner set lah). I am currently using steel shaft set (Mizuno) for intermediate.
I always believe whatever set we used, we can always train up to ensure we get use to it. I am not a believer that equipment will help the score….say by 10 strokes as my friend advice.
Any comment?
Agreed. I call it the Fundamental Law of Crap Golf. We will see an immediate improvement with a new set/new driver/new putter, but as we play on, the gradual improvements disappear, because our swing fundamentals always revert itself to its original crappiness, so we tune the new clubs to the level of crappiness we are accustomed to, until the time when our ‘new’ clubs start performing at the level, or even lower than the original clubs.
The only solution? Change swing lor….but how? Where got good teachers here in malaysia one??
I understand the frustration at the white guy stealing the ball but this is not a western only problem. At KGPA a while back I hit a tee off down the left hand side of one of the holes but no problem sited the ball the entire way and not OB with a clear shot to the flag. When I got there I found my ball no problem (brand new titleist – marked) but there were some other balls with in 1om from a group of chinese on the adjacent fairway. I drifted away from my ball (10-20m) to help a friend find his ball. 1st chinese guy goes to play my ball and I tell him that it is mine and to keep looking for his ball – he gives me funny look but moves on. I turn my back for a minute (continue looking for other ball) and when I look back another member of that group is picking up my ball – I tell him it is mine but rather than leave it where it is he picks it up and throws it in my vague direction. Felt like taking my 7 iron over there and putting any balls they had still on the ground into the water.
Yeah, it’s that frustrating to encounter clowns like that…golf is hard as it is without having to negotiate peace with these flers. But what can you do? Take the higher road and play on, I guess, and lose that precious RM1 wager for that hole….
‘Pured’ is a word…??? ;-p
I can’t believe you let that white guy off mate ! I would have at least gave him the bird….