Well... other than a quick stop one afternoon to hit a bucket of balls and spend a few minutes on chipping/pitching practice... I haven't really touched my clubs since the last round. We're going on vacation in just over a week, and work has been keeping me moving... so, golf hasn't been at the forefront of my mind. Plus, the weather has been pretty crappy down this way, so that hasn't helped matters.
We've got a 2 day tournament coming up this weekend, and the weather isn't looking overly promising for that either... but I wanted to get out and at least swing my clubs a few times before I ran out of time.
I decided to head to my standby course, Tega Cay, and play the Cove course again. Unfortunately, it was kind of backed up and I've been dealing with a stomach thing the last day or so. This resulted in me only getting through 6 of the 9 holes I intended to play. I didn't have any time to warm up as they threw me out between groups (instead of pairing me with someone).
In front of me, I had a walking single with a caddie. Different... especially for this course. He was, ummm... thorough, I guess you could say. There was a group of 2 in front of him, but they were ALWAYS well ahead of him, yet this guy waited until they were on the greens on the par 4 holes before teeing off... and then he 'poked' it about 220 yards off the tee. It was agonizing.
Anyway... like I said, I played 6 holes before I bailed to head to the clubhouse to use the facilities.
I decided to head to my standby course, Tega Cay, and play the Cove course again. Unfortunately, it was kind of backed up and I've been dealing with a stomach thing the last day or so. This resulted in me only getting through 6 of the 9 holes I intended to play. I didn't have any time to warm up as they threw me out between groups (instead of pairing me with someone).
In front of me, I had a walking single with a caddie. Different... especially for this course. He was, ummm... thorough, I guess you could say. There was a group of 2 in front of him, but they were ALWAYS well ahead of him, yet this guy waited until they were on the greens on the par 4 holes before teeing off... and then he 'poked' it about 220 yards off the tee. It was agonizing.
Anyway... like I said, I played 6 holes before I bailed to head to the clubhouse to use the facilities.
Scorecard
The recap is below.
The recap is below.
Hole #1 - Par 3 - 186 Yards
The wind was in my face, and the tee was up slightly. Like I mentioned, I didn't have any warm up time... so I probably should have taken the 4 iron instead of the 5 iron, but... it didn't matter because I flared it way right and short of the green. I was beneath a tree and the pin was directly behind a bunker. I needed to get under the tree... over the bunker and then stop. I didn't even execute the first part, lifting it straight into the tree where it dropped down in front of me maybe 5 yards. I chipped on from there and left the 13 foot putt for bogey short. I tapped that in for a double bogey start.
That was kinda what I was expecting, so I wasn't feeling awful about it. I didn't have a specific target in mind for a score... more than anything, I just wanted to get out and swing a little bit.
That was kinda what I was expecting, so I wasn't feeling awful about it. I didn't have a specific target in mind for a score... more than anything, I just wanted to get out and swing a little bit.
Hole #2 - Par 5 - 448 Yards
I had gone to Golfsmith to demo the Ping G30 driver and, while I was there, the guy who was helping me pointed out that I needed to swing more at the inside of the ball... so, when I've been in my living room taking smooth swings, that's what I've been working on. On this tee, I tried that with my 4 iron and, again, I wiped it way right and it sliced into oblivion, out of bounds. Next swing was much better... my typical fade into the middle of the fairway. An extremely heavy and pulled 6 iron put me in the 'rough' which was just kind of a muddy/bare area down the left side. I tried to keep a 5 iron from there low, but it came up well short. A bad pitch ended up just off the front of the green and I putted on to about 9 feet. I couldn't make that and settled for a two-putt quadruple bogey.
Again... just trying to swing the clubs, but that was frustrating.
Hole #3 - Par 4 - 428 Yards
I got to swing the driver here, but it was into a fairly stiff wind. I didn't measure it, and I haven't loaded the round into Game Golf because I didn't complete it, so I'd estimate that if it went 215 yards, I was lucky. Still... it finished just off the right side of the fairway and left me about another 215 to the pin. My 2 hybrid was pushed right of the green and ended up on a pile of leaves that had been carried out of the woods with all the rain we'd had recently. I pretty much popped that ball up and moved it about 10 yards. My pitch over the bunker caught a piece of the green, but then I left a putt from 24 feet about 10 feet short and needed 3 putts for a triple bogey.
Now I was getting agitated. I can usually get into a groove after a hole or so... but I hadn't really made a good swing yet (except for the 2nd tee shot on the 2nd hole).
Hole #4 - Par 4 - 376 Yards
I hate this hole. I hate this hole. I hate this hole. The shape of the hole doesn't give me much of a shot... and I hadn't really hit my 3 wood well all season, but I decided it was time to start taking some swings with it. The first ball was hit well, but tugged a little bit. I never saw it come down and never heard it hit anything, so I hit a provisional. This one was on a rope... but it didn't turn for me (I usually either pull or hit a small draw with my 3 wood) and ended up in the rough along the right side. I found my original in the fairway and had about 170 to the pin. A fat 5 iron came up well short. My chip hit the front of the green but left me with a 20 foot putt for par which I left short. I made the 5 footer for bogey.
Not a horrible tee shot... and even though the 5 iron was heavy, it was on line. I felt slightly better... but my stomach was beginning to feel not-so-well.
Hole #5 - Par 4 - 310 Yards
Another 3 wood that I ripped, but I pulled it way left and lost it. I had the maintenance crew up off the fairway waiting on me, so I decided to just drop a ball about 115 from the hole in the fairway. It got uglier than I care to describe from there. I carded a 10... and that about sums it up. By this time... my stomach was screaming at me to get off the course, but I was hoping to be able to finish. Unfortunately, the guy in front of me was slowing me WAY down.
Hole #6 - Par 4 - 312 Yards
I waited on this hole until they reached the greenside bunker and then I took a big swing with the wind at my back. The ball was tugged JUST a little bit, but once it clears the tree on the left side, if it's down the left, you can't see the ball drop. I never saw it drop and when I got up to where the ball SHOULD have landed... I didn't see it anywhere. Once again... I just dropped a ball. This one was in the rough about 55 yards from the green. I hit a thin pitch just off the back side of the green. I putted from there to about 7 feet and missed that before tapping in for another triple bogey.
I made my way to the next tee... but the guy in front of me hadn't even teed off yet... so I pulled my cart around and made a beeline for the clubhouse.
I had already taken 42 strokes over 6 holes... so I don't even want to speculate on what my final total would have been. I'll just say that, if I'd have broken 60, it would have been a good thing.
I have 2 busy work days coming up for the rest of this week, and I'll be keeping a watchful eye on the weather. I don't typically play any worse than usual in the rain... but I don't enjoy the experience, so I'm hoping it somehow gives us a break each day. As it is, with it being a 2 day tournament worth double the points and double the winnings, it's going to be a slow go. The fact that it's very likely to be cart path only will make it even slower. I'm anticipating 6+ hours each day.
Until then...
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