76: All-time best

76. That’s the number I’ll be chasing now.

Everything clicked that day. I’m not entirely sure I can fully explain what was different. Sometimes a round just comes together and you have to be honest that some of it is the golf gods being kind. But some things I do know were working:

The swing felt quiet. No rushing. The backswing had a natural pause at the top before everything started down, and I wasn’t forcing anything through impact. Distance was there without effort.

Approach shots were the story. Those par 4 second shots that had been costing me strokes, most of them found the green or the edges. The head movement that causes the face to open on mishits was mostly absent. I was seeing the ball through impact instead of looking up early.

Putting was dialed. Distance control was unconscious, and I was trusting reads without overthinking the line.

Current handicap after this round: 2.7

That felt surreal to see on the app. Two years into actually playing the game, from a 92 on day one, down to a 2.7 index. The daily lessons before ever touching the course laid the foundation. The gym work built the stability. The rounds gave me the experience. It all added up to a number I didn’t think I’d see this soon.

The 76 is the ceiling for now. The work is making this a floor.