My Messiest Round of Golf — and Why I’m Glad I Played It

My first round in the University of Michigan Women’s Golf Club league, or a recap of the worst round of golf I’ve played — and the people who made it worth finishing.

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Today’s round was, without exaggeration, my worst round of golf of the year. A total unraveling of anything resembling consistency. I struggled with alignment, blew past pace, mishit more than I made contact, accrued every penalty I could think of, and watched the score stack up faster than I could settle my breath. But here’s the thing: it still ended up being a day I’m glad I had.

This was my first league round with the University of Michigan Women’s Golf Club. The course was pretty wet from overnight rain, and I was grouped with three very experienced members — one on the rules committee, another the VP — and somehow, despite everything going sideways, they made me feel like I belonged.

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🎯 Goals for the Round

• Stick to my pre-shot routine
• Get comfortable with the course
• Avoid embarrassing myself
• Focus on alignment
• Trust my putting stroke

(Spoiler: I hit maybe two of five. But that’s why we come back.)

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The greens were fast, deceptive, and brutally sloped. I rushed too many chips, hesitated on too many lag putts, and three-putted my way into four-putt territory more than once. But in the chaos, I found a few bright spots.

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✨ Round Highlights

Hole 2 – Perfectly Read Putt

About 8 feet out, a slight left-to-right break. I took my time, trusted my line, and matched the pace perfectly. Dead center. One of those rare putts where everything just clicks.

Hole 3 – Strategy in the Sand

Toughest hole of the day: downslope fairway, sharp dogleg, elevated green nestled between two traps. I ended up in one of those fairway bunkers and took two shots to escape. But then I played a smart lay-up, chipped using the slope, and left myself 10 feet for par. Two putts later, I walked off feeling surprisingly proud.

Hole 6 – Miracle Bogey

A 186-yard drive (aimed left to counter my push) found the fairway — barely. From there, I pitched over a front bunker and landed in the sloped rough beside the green. I played the slope, let the ball roll toward the hole, and two-putted from 10 feet for one of the best-earned bogeys of my life.

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🧠 Mental Game Notes

• Rushing costs more strokes and time than it saves.
• I felt pressure to keep pace — especially with club leaders in my group — but the ranger who came by was kind, not concerned. Ironically, he slowed us down to explain that the bunkers had new sand and we could take relief if we sank too deep.
• A few “hero shots” crept in when I didn’t feel like jogging back to the cart for a better club. I knew better — and still chose worse.
• I stuck with my pre-shot routine a few times (“watch it disappear”), and it genuinely helped. I’ll take those wins.

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🛠️ What to Practice Next

• Bunker shots with loft — I had a couple where I couldn’t clear the lip.
• Chip confidence — hesitating on the downswing cost me distance and setup.
• Lag putting on tough greens — I babied some, blasted others. Speed control matters.
• Directional consistency with full swing — especially that rightward push.

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🏌️‍♀️ Club Confidence Snapshot

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🦃 Wildlife Interlude

I wasn’t the only one watching the shots fly — this course had more spectators than expected.

• A flock of squirrels gathered near the tee box as if they bought tickets.
• A lone turkey casually crossed a fairway mid-round, completely unfazed by golfers.

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🔜 Coming Up Next

Later that night, I went to a full swing clinic — because nothing says “I’m taking this seriously” like dragging your ego straight to the range. Check it out here.

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💬 Final Thought

“Sometimes golf gives you a great day so you’ll come back and do it again. And sometimes it gives you a bad one so you come back and do better.”

This was absolutely the latter. But I am looking forward to next week. And doing a lot of work on my tee shots before then.