A perfect start...

There were no tears as my final putt at the eighteenth dropped into the hole, but as I entered my score of 77 (net 68) into the competition computer, it was clear I had a chance of winning the first medal competition of the new season. It was now just a matter of waiting for the results to be published on the Master Scoreboard website.

A winning start to the 2012 season

During a round of competitive golf in which opportunities arise to make a charge, there is generally a defining moment that wins - or loses- you the tournament. When I won the Blackburn Trophy last year, two specific incidents come to mind, one being my first ever eagle at the par 5 thirteenth during the first round, and the second was the way in which I recovered after almost throwing the tournament away at the sixteenth hole of the second round.

My overall play of the Monthly Medal 1st Round was solid, but the defining moment on this occasion came at the par 3 fourteenth. Having just saved par at generally easy par 5 thirteenth, I struck a thin 6 iron into the front bunker. To say that my confidence at present, from bunkers is low would be an understatement, and anyone offering a bogey four at this moment would have been in danger of losing their hand! I did manage to get the ball out of the hazard in one attempt, leaving myself a considerable putt however of some 30 or so feet. The ball never left the hole, and I never looked back, finishing the challenging final four holes with a solitary bogey.

A brief history of my golfing handicap

A few doubts had begun to creep in over the last couple of weeks, as to whether or not I could succeed in my 2012 goal of getting my handicap down to 6 by the end of the season, but this win has given me a real confidence boost.

Up and running...

The Adidas winter Climawarm boots have served me well over the last 5 months or so, but it's time to pack away the cold weather gear and unpack the short sleeve shirts.

The winter boots served me well

The season officially opened yesterday with a Greensomes competition, a slightly difficult format, given that it's the first day back on a full course and playing from the fairways. My partner was Mick Wallace Jr (10), playing against Adam Freeman (5) and Dave Ahern (9). Following a pretty sub-par front nine of 42, we managed to play the back nine in 36 giving us a net score of 68.5, good enough to take the money from our opponents, but not quite enough to get into the prizes.

Next week the qualifiers begin, and that's where every shot really counts. I've been really happy with the recent additions to my golf bag, a new 56 degree Titleist Vokey wedge, and a Titleist 910 D2 driver complete with stiff shaft and adjustable head.

Weapons of choice

The driver has only been used in the neutral position so far, but in an attempt to minimise the amount of natural fade that I generate, I'll be testing out the club today in the B2 position, which should hopefully straighten me up off the tee.