Turning the tables

When I bowled in the early 1990s, was among the top ten percent in average (about 190) while being one of the youngest in the league.

A couple of times I had a game in the 220s thinking it was good enough to win a handicap pot only to lose to an "old man" who averages 150 and feeling better than normal shot a 200 game.

There is a handicap league I play in disc golf. The person who runs it is a high end elite pro in his late 20s who has played high end events.

Similar to bowling leagues, this league favors high end players due to the maximum adjustments that can be made on both ends.

As I write this, the rating of the top player is 141 points better than me which means on an average course on an average day for him and I, he would beat me by 14 shots. In the league the handicaps range from +4 to -6 so the most shots I could have against him for handicap would be ten.

I realized last year the only real chance to win in the league was in my second event of the season making sure my first event was on a difficult course where shooting 6 over (league maximum) or worse would not be considered sandbagging then playing the second round on an easier course.

Last year, I lost a playoff for second place in my second event after my body stiffened after waiting for results.

The first league round this year caused havoc on my body due to three long breaks and I was defaulted to +6 even though I shot +13. Had I shot what was expected, I would have finished +7 so my handicap would have been the max anyway.

For my second league round was the first player to arrive at the course an hour before necessary and that time was used to relax, practice, and get loose. While cards were handed out, I was away from the others keeping loose as opposed to those sitting and or enjoying a product made legal in Illinois in 2020.

My first shot had a lot on it and multiple times in the round realized that in five years of playing that course had my longest drive on a hole even having birdie putts on two holes I never had one before.

My putting was not great and my only birdies of the round were on three of the five holes I can regularly get but my long accurate  drives made approach shots seem easy and par on difficult holes for me stress free.

Finally was able to make two decent putts at the end to equal my personal best on that course (52) and as scores were tabulated, kept loose in case there was a playoff.

The top pro (who the day before on a 19 hole course I try to shoot 60 shot 42) was 11 under 43 and with handicaps, I beat him by one. I still tied for first and was in a playoff with someone who stood around.

My drive on the hole ended up ten feet away while his went 35 past. His putt just missed and I made mine to win.

Since my handicap now drops to -2, I would now need to shoot a career best round to win or even cash for the rest of the year unless I get an ace.