My 2009 Season in Review

As we count down the final hours of the first decade of the new millennium, it's time for me to look back at my 2009 golfing season. This past year, I played nearly 25 rounds, which included 5.67 practice rounds and one round that was washed out after three holes. I played on 17 different courses, including three for the first time: Mainland, Green Pond and Heritage Creek, although the Heritage was only three holes because of a huge downpour.

The Ninth Hole at Mainland

I played 447 total holes for the year. My stroke average was 95.4 per 18 holes, excluding the practice and incomplete rounds. I managed to make par or better on 64 of the 351 regulation holes for which I posted a score. That is just under 20 percent. The main reason for the low percentage I believe was because of my poor putting throughout the year. The most pars I recorded in a single round was six, which I did twice: June 19 at Mainland and Oct. 4 at Juniata. I did have four birdies this year: the Eighth Hole at Juniata on May 24, the Eighth Hole at Twining Valley on July 12, the Third Hole at Franklin D. Roosevelt on Aug. 15 and the Fourteenth Hole at Juniata on Oct. 4.

The Third Hole at Green Pond

My low round of the year was an 86 on Oct. 25 at Juniata, which also happened to be my last round of the year. I also shot an 87 (Oct. 4), and 88 (July 24) at Juniata, an 89 (Aug. 15) at FDR and a 90 (June 19) at Mainland. My high round of the year was a 104, which I shot three times: June 3 at Paxon Hollow, July 3 at Green Pond and Sept. 6 at The Rookery. Overall, I only failed to break 100 four times in the 19.5 rounds I posted. Last year, I only failed to break 100 once.

The Tenth Hole at Jeffersonville

I also managed to hit the Driving Range seven times this season, mostly in the early part of the Spring. I'm not sure how much that helped, although I do feel that is where I might have first developed my elbow soreness that hindered me through most of the season. But hopefully, I another eight weeks or so, I'll be back out on the practice tee getting ready for the 2010 season.

Photos by The Muni Golfer