I don't have much to say about the round. It was better than I have been playing, but nowhere near where I was when I last played in tournaments. I finished a full 13 strokes off the winner... posting a T9 out of 17 in C Flight. I know what I need to work on... and I'll be focusing on it over the new few weeks. Until I can get back to playing bogey golf, though... I won't have a shot.
Also... this was an even 6 hour round. Cart path only. There was not a single shot the entire round that we didn't wait on. The group in front of us came back no less than 3 times throughout the round. One guy in particular had to have shot 110 or worse but STILL lined up every putt (including the 2 footers) like his life depended on it. It was frustrating, to say the least.
The details are all below.
Hole #16 - Par 4 - 370 Yards
Before I got to the course, I had every intention of teeing off with a 4 iron or my hybrid on every par 4 and par 5 except for 2 holes. When I got there, I hit the range and I was hitting my driver well... so I switched my gameplan. On this hole, however, I decided to stick with my hybrid off the tee and it didn't work out so well for me. My tendency when I mishit my hybrid is to top it or pull it. I did both off the tee here. It dribbled out to the left about 80 yards. I then had tough lie in the rough with the ball WAY below my feet. My 5 iron sliced wildly to the right rough. My 8 iron was short (which you will see became a common theme throughout my day)... and then I hacked up the turf in front of the green with 3 horrible chips before settling for an opening 8 on my scorecard (which was cut down to a 7 because of a triple-bogey maximum club rule).
Hole #17 - Par 5 - 429 Yards
On the scorecard, this hole looks like a dream. 429 yards... par 5? I was licking my chops. Unfortunately, the wind was directly into our faces and I tried to cut the corner of the dogleg and paid for it, landing in the fairway bunker. I hit my 6 iron out of there very fat, leaving me about 120 away. This is a 9 iron for me... but, I came up short. A chip to 10 feet and I sank the putt for par to calm myself down a bit.
Hole #18 - Par 4 - 378 Yards
This was another hole where the wind played into us, but slightly from the right. On the tee, I aimed at the fairway bunker on the left, figuring I'd be able to fade the ball off of that... but with the wind, it didn't fade as much as I'd hoped, and my drive found a fairway bunker for the second straight hole. I needed 2 swings from there to escape as my first attempt was just ugly and I hit very far behind the ball. I had about 110 into the green, and again... I came up short, into a greenside trap. I blasted out of there to about 9 feet, but missed the putt and settled for a triple bogey.
Hole #1 - Par 4 - 315 Yards
This hole was pretty much straight downhill from tee to green. I initially pulled a 4 iron from my bag, but when I saw how wide open the hole was... I decided on using my driver. I hit the ball well and it found the fairway... and was my best drive of the season so far at 267 yards. This left me a little pitch to the green that checked up quickly on me. 2 putts from 22 feet for my par.
Hole #2 - Par 5 - 509 Yards
I got my driver up in the air a little too high, so my drive didn't get out there very far (219 yards). I tried to get my 5 iron up to about 120 yards, but hit it a little heavy and left myself about 135 to the hole. My 8 iron was pin high, but left. I chipped from there to about 7 feet and sank the par putt.
Hole #3 - Par 4 - 353 Yards
I put myself in a bad position off the tee. I hit the ball well, but I pulled it left. This put me beneath some trees. From where I was, there wasn't very much I could do with the ball. I had to keep it low, but I had to carry the water directly between the green and myself. Long would have put it into the water behind the green. I only had about 115 to the pin... so I punched an 8 iron out of an extremely wet lie. Luckily, it carried the water, but it scooted right on me, leaving me a 20 yard chip from the fairway. My chip settled a foot behind the cup and I tapped in for a third consecutive par.
Hole #4 - Par 3 - 173 Yards
That was to be my last par for the entire round, unfortunately. I hit a fat 6 iron that JUST cleared the hazard. I found my ball with a huge clump of mud on it. I was probably 20 feet below the green where I was, and I bumped my shot from there into the hill, but it still carried over the back of the green on me. I was in the fringe and I putted from there to about 3 feet and dropped that for a bogey. Not bad considering how poorly I hit my tee shot.
Hole #5 - Par 4 - 381 Yards
I reached this tee feeling pretty confident. I had been playing pretty well with the exception of a few holes. This was my 8th hole of the round and I was ready to keep it going. This hole is a slight dogleg right, and because I hadn't been fading my driver most of the day, I decided to tee off with my 3 wood. My intended fade became an outright 60 yard slice DEEP into the woods. My next shot was a snap hook to the left. Luckily, it hit a tree and dropped down. Unfortunately, it settled directly against a tree trunk, so I had to take an unplayable drop. I then punched a 4 iron into the fairway and hit a sand wedge onto the green. I was flustered and I recorded a three-putt from 23 feet for a 9 (which was again adjusted to a triple bogey 7 based on club rules). Ugly hole that shouldn't have been so ugly.
Hole #6 - Par 5 - 550 Yards
I didn't hit the worst drive in the world, but it was in the left rough. I was trying to lay up to about 120 again, but I hit my 4 iron heavy from the rough and ended up in a decent lie short of a fairway bunker. I had probably 130 to the pin and I hit what I thought was going to be a good shot, but it hit a tree branch and dropped straight down, netting a 30 yard shot. My gap wedge from there came up just short of the green. I putted from the fringe to about 4 feet and made that for a bogey. Better than the last hole, but still disappointing.
Hole #7 - Par 4 - 355 Yards
This hole reminded me of a hole I used to play all the time in New Jersey. A sharp dogleg left around a water hazard. I laid back with a 4 iron off the tee to the fairway. My 6 iron from about 165 was heavy and short (I told you it was a theme for the day). I putted from there to about 5 feet, but I missed the par putt and settled for a bogey.
Hole #8 - Par 3 - 144 Yards
This is a downhill par 3 that was playing well short of the 144 listed on the card. Unfortunately, I hit my 9 iron off the tee VERY fat and well short. My sand wedge from the rough was tugged a little left. I chipped to 5 feet and missed ANOTHER short putt and tapped in for a double bogey 5 on what was probably the easiest hole on the entire course.
Hole #9 - Par 4 - 281 Yards
Looking at the card, this seemed like it could be driveable with a well struck tee shot. Then I got to the hole and realized it was uphill all the way. My tee shot squirted a little right on me, but I was in a good position. My sand wedge stuck on the fringe of the green. I putted from there, but I ran about 7 feet by the hole. I missed that putt for par and made the 2 footer coming back for a bogey. That let me finish the front side with a 47 which was adjusted to a 45. I was hoping to finish the remaining 6 holes playing bogey golf, which would have allowed me to post at least a semi-decent score.
Hole #10 - Par 4 - 389 Yards
I hadn't hit a proper fade with my driver all day. This hole called for a draw... so I set up with a closed stance, and I promptly faded the ball off of that target line. It ended up in an environmental area to the right. My drop left me about 180 to the hole. I hit what FELT like a perfect fade 4 iron from there. It cleared the trees, turned to the right... but hit the lip of the greenside trap and fell in. It was 2 feet from being perfect. A heavy shot out of there barely escaped the bunker. I hacked my chip shot onto the green, but 48 feet away. I two-putted from there for a triple bogey 7. Crap!
Hole #11 - Par 3 - 178 Yards
This was another downhill par 3, but not a significant drop. The wind was straight into our faces here. I hit a good 4 iron that started to fade, but the wind stopped it. It ended up on the fringe, a long way away from the hole. I putted from there to about 7 feet. I ran the par putt by the hole about 3 feet and made that for bogey. Another missed up and down opportunity.
Hole #12 - Par 4 - 317 Yards
I was frustrated when I got up to the tee... the wind was into our faces again... so I teed the ball low and took a hard swing at it, trying to drive it through the wind. I ended up topping it 52 yards into the left rough... with a group behind us watching. I pushed a hybrid to the right rough from there... hit my sand wedge short (again)... and then finally chipped on to about 18 feet. 2 putts from there for a double bogey on another simple hole.
Hole #13 - Par 5 - 506 Yards
The wind was still in our faces... and I hit what FELT like my best drive all day. It was low... it was pure... but it was short (217 yards). I had a long way to go, so I just wanted to put myself in a good spot. My 4 iron was pushed right and hit a tree and dropped straight down. It was on a bed of mud and pebbles. I punched that beneath the trees up into the fairway. I hit a low gap wedge from about 70 yards that finished up about 18 feet away. My putt from there burned the edge but settled 1 foot behind the hole... so I tapped in for a bogey.
Hole #14 - Par 4 - 348 Yards
Another drive that I thought I crushed that just didn't go anywhere. I don't know if it was the wet fairways or if I just wasn't hitting the ball as well as I thought I was, but everything seemed shorter than I thought it was going to be or should have been. This one went 224 yards, but I was in a perfect position. I had about 119 to the pin... a perfect pitching wedge distance. The wind was also helping us. My wedge, when I hit it, looked like it was going to go into the hole... but I ended up 10 yards short, off the front of the green. My chip was long, leaving me a 9 foot downhill putt. I DIDN'T leave that one short... and it resulted in a 3 putt for a double bogey. I was in perfect position in the fairway with 120 to go... and I carded a triple bogey.
Hole #15 - Par 3 - 211 Yards
Last hole. Downhill. I just wanted to hit a par 3 in regulation. But I pull-hooked my 4 iron from the tee. I got a 'members bounce' off the trees back in play. It wasn't a good lie and I just wanted to get it over the greenside trap. I did... then putted from the fringe to 1 foot and tapped in for a bogey to close my round. I posted a back nine score of 53, adjusted down to a 52.
I wasn't pleased with my score because I felt like it could have and SHOULD have been much better... but, it wasn't as bad as I had been playing so... at least there was some improvement.
Round Stats
- Score - 100 (Club Adjusted to 97)
- Penalty Strokes - 3
- Putts - 32
- Fairways - 5 of 14
- Greens in Regulation - 1 of 18
- Up and Downs - 3 of 10
- Sand Saves - 0 of 2
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