Major Tournament Review - 4/25/2015 & 4/26/2015 - Stonebridge Golf Club (Monroe, NC)

This past weekend, we completed our first 'major' of the season (The Stonebridge Masters)... a 2 day tournament at a course I'd never been to before.  I'm not going to do a hole-by-hole breakdown because recapping 36 holes is a lot.  Instead, I'm going to post my day-by-day scorecards in the table below, followed by some highlights and lowlights from each day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In	Total
	5	4	3	4	4	3	5	4	4	36	4	4	4	4	5	3	4	3	5	36	72
Day 1	5	7	3	5	5	3	7	5	5	45	8 (7)	6	5	5	6	8 (6)	5	8 (6)	5	56 (51)	101 (96)
Day 2	5	5	3	5	5	5	5	5	4	42	4	5	6	5	9 (8)	3	4	5	3	44 (43)	86 (85)

Round 1 Game Golf Link - Stonebridge Golf Club

Round 1 Scorecard

Round 2 Game Golf Link - Stonebridge Golf Club

Round 2 Scorecard

Day 1 was played in a steady, soaking rain.  Even with rain gloves, the club slipped in my hands a few times, but it didn't really cost me much.  My worst holes were at the beginning of my round (I started on the 15th tee).  

Round 1 Highlights

  - There weren't too many 'highlights' for me on Day 1.  I had some lucky breaks here and there, but nothing really stood out except for my tee shot on the 6th hole.  I hit an 8 iron that played a perfect little fade and settled 3 feet from the cup.  This 'highlight' turned into a 'lowlight' quickly, though.  As I was standing over the putt, the rain was pouring off the bill of my cap directly onto the ball.  I blasted the ball through the break, 4 feet by.  My 3 foot birdie attempt turned into a 4 foot par attempt, which I managed to make.  

Round 1 Lowlights

  - My first hole, the 15th, is a fairly straight forward par 3.  I topped my tee shot with a 6 iron and it rolled into the left rough.  From there, I shanked my 56 degree wedge about 70 degrees to the right and into a pond.  I dropped and then shanked another into the greenside trap.  It took 2 swings to get it out of there and then I two-putted for a snowman on my opening hole.  Luckily, because of club rules, it was 'only' a triple bogey.

  - My third hole, the 17th, was set up in a not-so-fun way.  It was playing 196 to the pin with a carry of about 185 over water.  My hybrid didn't clear the water... so I dropped and hit an 8 iron over the green.  I didn't know it, but the pond ran around that side of the green too, so I had to drop from there and I hit a poor pitch and then a poor chip.  2 putts later and I'd carded ANOTHER snowman on a par 3, which was, again, dropped to a triple bogey.

  - Heading back around the turn after the front side, I got to the 10th and put my tee shot into the pond that runs along the right side of the hole.  My 4 iron after my drop did the same thing.  I then put my 4 iron into the fairway... wedged onto the green and took 2 putts for my third 8 of the day... this one netted down to a 7.  

Round 1 Recap

Through the first round, I wasn't feeling all that great.  The leader had posted an 88, so I was a full 8 shots back.  The weather was supposed to be better on the second day, but I was wiped out from dealing with the rain on the first day.  I managed to lose 7 balls that round, so when I got home on Saturday night, I spent some time with my wife and kids... and then went to bed thinking about what my goals would be for the next day.  

Round 1 Stats

• Score - 101 (Club Adjusted to 96)
• Penalty Strokes - 6
• Putts - 36
• Fairways - 4 of 14
• Greens in Regulation - 4 of 18
• Up and Downs - 1 of 6
• Sand Saves - 0 of 1

Day 2 was much better, in terms of weather and my game.  It started out overcast, cloudy and chilly, but by about our 7th hole... the sun peeked through and the rest of the day was beautiful.  Just like on Day 1, I started on the 15th tee.  

Round 2 Highlights

  - I hit a poor 5 iron with my first swing and left myself about 30 yards short.  From there, I hit a good pitch to about 2 feet and made my par.  It was nice to get out of the gates with an up and down as opposed to how I had started the day before.  I continued that on the next hole with another up and down from about 20 yards away and right of the green.  

  - After a par-par start, I made a double on the 17th (see lowlights below).  I got both strokes back on the next hole, however!  After a solid drive put me in the right-center side of the fairway, it left me about 205 to the pin and about 215 to the center of the green.  The pin was tucked on the front-right corner of the green, just behind a pond.  I hit a perfect fade with my 18 degree hybrid that hit the front of the green, scooted about 10 feet forward and settled 9 feet from the hole.  It left me with an uphill, slightly left-to-right putt that never left the perfect line and dropped for an eagle!  

       -- Unfortunately, someone else (a Champ Flight player) made an eagle on that hole, so I didn't win a Super Skin... but I did win the B, C, D Flights Skin of $85 for that hole, which just about paid for half of the tournament, so... that was nice.

  - One of my goals for the last several years (view it here) has been to FINALLY have a round with fewer than 30 putts.  The lowest I've had since I started keeping stats in 2004 has been 31 putts, which has happened a few times.  This round... things just clicked for me.  I made several big putts for par and/or bogey, including a stretch between my first hole (#15) and my ninth hole (#5).  That stretch of 9 holes, I played in 39 strokes (+3) which, I cannot confirm, but I'm PRETTY sure is the best for a 9 hole stretch for me.  

Round 2 Lowlights

  - On the 3rd tee for me (#17), the tee was well forward from where it was the previous day.  It was a perfect 6 iron distance for me, but I hit one thin that skipped across the water and ended up about 3 feet short of skipping ALL the way across.  I hit another from the tee and put it about 30 feet from the pin, needing 2 putts from there for a double bogey to erase a par-par start.

  - On my 16th hole of the day (#12), the drive played right into the wind.  My ball got way up in the air and I barely eclipsed 200 yards for the drive.  That left me about 175 to the middle of the green.  I didn't really feel comfortable over the ball, but I still took the swing and I flared it WAY out to the right and short.  It landed in a hazard that crossed the green and, coupled with a poor pitch after my drop, led to a double bogey.

  - On my final hole (#14), I was thinking about trying to crush a drive over the hill and trying to leave myself in position to get as close to the green as possible with my second shot.  Unfortunately, I yanked my tee shot AND my provisional well left.  I was set to just take a triple-bogey max, but we managed to find my provisional in some thick weeds in the woods.  It took me 2 swings to chunk it out into the fairway.  A poor swing from there left me about 140 to the hole but I killed an 8 iron over the green.  I chipped on and sank the putt for a 9, which was adjusted to a triple bogey anyway.  

Round 2 Recap

Clearly, beginning the day, I felt like I had no shot.  I started the day 8 back, and I went in with the goal of putting myself in the Top 6 by the end of the day.  I was 4 strokes behind the guys tied for 5th, so I figured a round somewhere around 88 would give me a shot to sneak in.  What I didn't know is that the lead group faltered pretty badly on Day 2.  Looking back now, standing on my final tee, if I'd made par... I would have won outright.  A bogey would have put me in a three-way playoff.  I obviously didn't know that, and I played that final hole like an idiot... but it's a lesson for the future.  

Overall, I finished in a four-way tie for 3rd place, posting a 2 day total of 181.  The winner and runner-up tied with a 2 day total of 179 (with the runner-up shooting 100 - 79 over the 2 days).  I believe, based on what I was told, on the 1st playoff hole, it was won with a par to a bogey.  I did finish 'out of the money' this time because of my double bogey on the 12th hole (handicap #2)... so I missed the money by a single place.

I can't complain, though.  I had no illusions of placing after my poor start.

Round 2 Stats

• Score - 86 (Club Adjusted to 85)
• Penalty Strokes - 3
• Putts - 29
• Fairways - 7 of 14
• Greens in Regulation - 3 of 18
• Up and Downs - 6 of 12
• Sand Saves - 0 of 0

Tournament Stats

• Score - 187 (Club Adjusted to 181)
• Penalty Strokes - 9
• Putts - 65
• Fairways - 11 of 28
• Greens in Regulation - 7 of 36
• Up and Downs - 7 of 18
• Sand Saves - 0 of 1

We're now heading away on a 9 night vacation beginning Thursday.  My next tournament round is scheduled for May 16th, so I'll have just less than a week from the time I return to prepare myself for that one.

Until then...

Round Review - 4/22/2015 - Tega Cay Golf Club - Cove Course (Fort Mill, SC)

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.  

Game Golf Round Review

Scorecard

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.

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...

Tournament Review - 3/28/2015 - Country Club of Salisbury (Salisbury, NC)

Tournament number 4 with the Golfweek Amateur Tour in Charlotte was Saturday.  I was concerned because, since the last tournament two weeks prior, I hadn't had an opportunity to even go to the range, let alone get on a course.  Work sorta took over and kept me busy.  I returned home from Dallas late Wednesday night and had every intention of going to the course on Thursday, but the weather said otherwise... so I went into the tournament kind of blind.  

I did have an opportunity to hit a few balls on the range at the course, but with the wind whipping around... I honestly wasn't overly sure of what my ball flight was like.  It appeared to be that I was going to be playing a fairly strong fade throughout the day, so... I headed into my round with that.

Once again, for the third straight tournament, I started on the 16th hole.  Details are below.

Scorecard Link

Game Golf Link - Country Club of Salisbury - 3/28/15

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Hole #16 - Par 4 - 358 Yards

As far as opening holes in a shotgun format go... this one appeared to be fairly easy to start with.  The wind was behind us a little, so I aimed up the left side of the fairway and got the ball WAY up in the air with my driver.  It started well left and finished off the right of the fairway in the rough with the ball below my feet.  I somehow managed to hit my 9 iron approach fat, even with the ball below my feet.  I came up 25 yards short of the pin.  I had problems with pitch shots and half wedge shots all day, and this set the tone.  I had a great lie in the fairway short of the green with nothing between me and the pin.  I sh*nked my sand wedge 60 degrees to the right into the greenside trap.  No idea how I managed that, but... from there, I put the ball to about 14 feet and made that putt for an opening bogey.

Hole #17 - Par 3 - 172 Yards

Another thing I noticed was that I was hitting the ball off the heel on a lot of shots.  I'm 95% sure it's because I've moved closer to the ball, and I didn't have much practice since the last round with my 'new' stance.  I'm lucky I didn't break my club with how close to the hosel I hit the ball with my hybrid off this tee.  It dribbled up into the rough and left me 75+ yards to the hole.  My wedge from there stuck short of the green.  I attempted to putt on from there, but the false front on the green funneled the ball back off to the fringe.  I again used my putter from the fringe and got the ball to about 3 feet.  I made that for a double bogey.  Meh...

Hole #18 - Par 4 - 383 Yards

Everybody walked up to this tee with irons, but the hole was playing into the wind... so I grabbed my driver.  I managed to hit my best drive of the day.  It was a bullet through the wind that hit at the top of a hill and fed down closer to the green.  I had about 105 yards to the hole, I hit it heavy and it ended up going about 85 yards and left me a bad fried-egg lie in the bunker.  I hacked that out but it ran all the way across the green.  I putted from the fringe to about 6 feet, but I missed the bogey putt and tapped in for a double.  Not the best of starts for me... +5 over the first 3 holes.

Hole #1 - Par 4 - 348 Yards

It didn't get much better here.  Another shot that I'm lucky didn't break a club... I managed the squirt the ball at a 50 degree angle to the left with my driver.  It hit a cart path and bounced along that for a few yards and settled 64 yards away.  I had a small opening between trees that I tried to fit a punch 4 iron through, but of course I hit a tree in the center and it advanced only about 25 yards.  I then punched through the trees and left myself about 160 yards to the pin.  I hit what I thought was a good 6 iron, but it came up short.  I chipped on to 13 feet and needed 2 putts from there for a triple bogey.  I started bogey - double - double - triple.  Things weren't looking great.

Hole #2 - Par 4 - 374 Yards

I played this hole fairly well.  My drive was straight into the wind and short (219 yards), but it hit the fairway.  My 6 iron found the green, but I was 38 feet away.  My lag putt left me about 5 feet, but I managed to make that for a par.

Hole #3 - Par 5 - 520 Yards

There are only 3 Par 5 holes on the course.  2 of the 3 were playing dead into the wind.  My drive didn't crack 200 yards on this hole.  I hit what I thought was a good lay up with a 4 iron.  It left me about 180 to the hole.  My hybrid from there immediately started slicing but clipped a tree branch and knocked it down.  If it didn't hit that tree, it very likely would have gone OB on me.  My pitching wedge was well short and I then bladed a chip over the green into a bunker.  I got it out to about 7 feet and played ping-pong with the hole acting as the net.  I made a 9, which was adjusted down to an 8.  Another triple bogey.  I was now sitting at +11 after only 6 holes of play.

Hole #4 - Par 4 - 386 Yards

I was angry at myself while standing on this tee.  I took a big swing with my driver, but again, the ball got WAY up in the air and kind of floated in the wind.  It ended up in the fairway, but it only traveled 196 yards.  I was left with about 200 yards to the hole, but I was afraid of hitting my hybrid because the last 2 times I'd swung that club, it didn't turn out very well.  Instead, I opted for a 4 iron which rode the wind beautifully and landed on the green.  I was 50+ feet away and lagged it up to inside 3 feet, so I tapped in for a par.

On a side note, I was told by one of the guys I was playing with that I needed to get fit for my driver because my shaft was too whippy for me and I was getting too much spin with my driver, which was costing me distance.  I'd never been fitted for a driver before, but it's something I may need to look into.

Hole #5 - Par 4 - 358 Yards

On this tee, I hit what felt like a solid drive, but I was far and away the shortest in the group.  It measured out at only 187 yards.  My 6 iron approach came up short of the green but I was able to chip to about 6 feet and make that for another par.

Hole #6 - Par 3 - 165 Yards

While standing on the tee, we watched the group ahead of us make an absolute mess of this hole.  Our group managed to play it in birdie - par - par - bogey.  I hit a solid 6 iron that funneled towards the hole and left me about 12 feet away.  I missed the birdie putt low and it ran away about 5 feet.  I was able to make the putt for par... my third consecutive.

Hole #7 - Par 4 - 405 Yards

This was the longest par 4 on the course but we had wind helping us.  I managed to hit a drive that didn't float, but I pulled it a little left.  It ended up about 247 yards out, but in the left rough.  My 7 iron approach was weak and well short.  I chipped from there to about 9 feet but I wasn't able to convert that for par.  Instead, I had to settle for a tap-in bogey, ending my streak of pars at three.

Hole #8 - Par 4 - 341 Yards

Another strong swing with my driver, this time into the wind, but another slight pull.  I was just off the left side of the fairway with about 120 to the pin.  There was an overhanging tree between the green and I, but I didn't think it was going to be a problem.  I thought I'd be able to stay to the right of it.  My 9 iron got up quickly and JUST clipped a tree branch.  I hit the front of the green and the ball spun well back off the green due to the false front.  I absolutely bladed my chip and it screamed off the back of the green.  I rolled it from there with the putter to about 6 feet and made that for another bogey.

Hole #9 - Par 3 - 156 Yards

This was playing much longer than the card distance, especially with the wind in our faces.  My 5 iron was a flat-out slice.  Luckily, the green was surrounded by an amphitheater style hill, so the ball hit off that and stayed in play.  I had a fairly simple pitch down the hill to the green, but again... I hit it off the hosel and it went straight right.  In fact, I almost hit 2 of my playing partners.  They jumped out of the way, though... so no damage done.  I putted from the fringe at the back of the green, but the ball ran out on me more than I thought.  I was 6 feet by the hole and I was unable to make that, so I closed out my front nine with a double bogey.

** NOTE - Despite making 2 triple bogeys and a double bogey, I managed to post a 46 (dropped to a 45) for my front nine.  I was certainly not 'happy' about my score.  I felt like it could (and should) have been 3-5 strokes lower.  That said... I also know it could have been far worse.

Hole #10 - Par 4 - 375 Yards

This began a stretch of 3 straight holes that played into a stiff wind.  My drive off this tee was off the fairway on the left side a little bit.  I had tree trouble again, but my 9 iron managed to make it through the tree and ended up just off the green in the fairway.  I tried to putt from there, but there was a bit of sticky grass that caught the ball and I barely made it on to the green.  I left myself 24 feet and needed 3 putts to close out the hole.  Another double... this time after having no trouble off the tee.

Hole #11 - Par 4 - 387 Yards

I flat-out pulled my drive here.  It ended up beneath a set of trees.  There was an opening there, but I was about 190 yards from the hole.  I would have to keep the ball low for the first 30+ yards.  I decided my hybrid was the only play.  I hit it well and it stayed low, but at the last instant, it clipped some of the pine needles hanging down.  This took just enough off of the ball to keep it from reaching the green.  I pitched over the bunker, onto the green.  It left me 8 feet and I was able to make that for my par.

Hole #12 - Par 4 - 377 Yards

I was tired of the wind by the time we got to this tee.  My drive again floated in the wind and only went 188 yards.  My hybrid from the fairway was low, but got blown slightly offline and finished pin-high just off the left side of the green.  I tried to bump my chip into the hill between me and the hole, but I didn't do a very good job.  I barely trundled onto the green and left myself a 12 footer.  I missed that just a bit low and tapped in for a bogey.

Hole #13 - Par 5 - 523 Yards

We finally had a reprieve from the wind here.  Even still, I hit my drive off the heel again and it floated out to the right on me.  I had no shot at going for the green, so I laid back and hit a 4 iron.  It left me about 50 yards to the hole.  I sh*nked that one too... but it left me just off the front-right side of the green.  I chipped on to 5 feet and made that for my par.

Hole #14 - Par 3 - 154 Yards

This was the final par 3 of the day for our group.  I went first here and hit another good 6 iron on a par 3.  It started at the left edge of the green and the wind carried it back.  It finished up 14 feet from the hole.  My birdie putt did NOT break and I STILL don't see how that's possible.  But, I tapped in from 2 feet for my par and headed to our final tee of the day.

Hole #15 - Par 5 - 476 Yards

I think all of us were kind of licking our chops on this tee.  It could have been reachable with a good drive.  I thought I hit a good drive, but all of us kind of made the same sound when the ball dropped out of the sky.  It literally looked like it hit a wall and just fell straight down.  I don't know if the ball was just dead at that point (I had been using the same ball the entire round)... if my driver has something wrong with it... I just don't know.  I DO know that my drives weren't traveling at all for me.  This one went all of 200 yards.  It left me too far to give it a try, obviously, so I hit to a comfortable spot with my 4 iron, leaving me about 105 again.  My wedge from there found the green, but rolled back some, leaving me a 27 foot attempt for birdie.  I hit an extremely poor putt from there and still had 7 feet.  I managed to make that fall for a par to close out the round.

** NOTE - The final 6 holes of the round were played in +3 and I posted a 44 on the back nine and an overall score of 90 (adjusted to 89).  I dropped off the scorecard, put my clubs in my trunk and headed back to the scoring area.  I watched as scores were posted.  For awhile, I was 1 back of 2 others who posted 88's.  The final group had someone come in and post an 85, so I finished 4 strokes back and in 4th place for the second consecutive week.  Another $50 Edwin Watts Gift Card goes into my drawer.

I will not be playing again on tour for 4 weeks.  The next tournament is this coming Saturday, but it is our wedding anniversary and I made a church commitment awhile back to help out that day as well.  The weekend of April 25th and April 26th is a 2 day major.  I will be taking this week off because the kids are home from school... but I will be getting in some quality practice time between now and then.  

I will be missing 2 of the next 3 tournaments (we'll be on a cruise for the other)... so I'm hoping it doesn't have a major impact on my place in the standings.

Round Stats

• Score - 90 (Club Adjusted to 89)
• Penalty Strokes - 0
• Putts - 32
• Fairways - 6 of 14
• Greens in Regulation - 5 of 18
• Up and Downs - 3 of 6
• Sand Saves - 1 of 3

Tournament Review - 3/14/2015 - Cowan's Ford Golf Club at Lake Norman (Stanley, NC)

I spent all week looking at weather reports for Saturday.  One minute it would say no rain, the next minute, they were saying an inch per hour of rain.  In the end, I woke up Saturday morning to an absolute downpour.  I figured there was no way we'd be playing, but I checked the website anyway... and it was posted that the rain was going to clear out just prior to our 1:30 shotgun start... so I got myself ready.  I prepared rain gear... rain gloves, extra socks, extra towels, water resistant jacket, rain pants... I was set.  

As I left my house for the 50 minute drive north, it was still pouring.  A local amusement park was covered in fog and I could only see the bottom-third of roller coasters.  The further north I drove, however, the more it cleared up.  By the time I arrived to the course, about 90 minutes before our tee time, it had slowed to barely a drizzle.  I checked in, grabbed a bag of balls and headed to the range.

Last week, I posted the video above.  I noticed that I tend to stand REALLY far away from the ball.  I started taking some swings in my living room, starting with the 'ball' closer to me.  It felt much better... so when I got to the range that afternoon... I hit balls like that, and it made a world of difference.  My slice was now a nice little fade.  I also gained about 5 yards with each of my irons... and some shots were even more than that.  

After I was warmed up, I practiced some chipping and then headed to the putting green.  The one thing I didn't practice was my bunker shots.  I don't typically have too many issues in bunkers.  That said, I haven't really played in rain-packed bunkers, so I should have spent a FEW minutes in the practice bunker.  All-in-all, I spent about 60 minutes warming up... and then I had about a 20 minute wait until we teed off.  Just before, we were told it was lift, clean and place through the green (except bunkers, which had drained just fine).  I don't tend to take advantage of those situations, but looking at the course... it seemed like I was going to have no option but to find a 'dry' spot on the course to place my ball after each shot.

I started on the 16th hole.  My recap is below.

Scorecard Link

Game Golf Link - Cowan's Ford - 3/14/2015

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Hole #16 - Par 4 - 370 Yards

This hole is a bit of a dogleg to the right.  Seeing as how it was so wet out, I abandoned my plan to hit my hybrid off that tee, figuring I'd need a driver to get me in a decent spot.  Unfortunately, I didn't hit my driver at the range because only the range mats were available.  I topped my drive... badly.  It dribbled out to about 75 yards, but it was in a good spot and I was able to advance my hybrid about 190 yards up into the fairway.  This left me about 120 to the hole.  My 9 iron was hit well and flew to the back of the green and bounced off (if you're looking at my Game Golf recap, I didn't fix the position.  It flew directly over the pin and off the back of the green.)  As I said, I was hitting the ball slightly further than I had been.  My chip was woefully short and I needed 2 putts from 27 feet to open with a double bogey.  

Hole #17 - Par 3 - 166 Yards

I caught the ball a little thin off this tee and it moved right of my target.  I was able to putt from the fringe, however, and I got the ball within 6 feet.  There was a line on the green from the rain that pretty much showed me my exact line to the hole.  I hit the ball on that line, but at the last second, it dipped below the hole and stopped a foot away.  I tapped in for my bogey.

Hole #18 - Par 5 - 529 Yards

This was a severe dogleg right and I knew I'd put my driver through the fairway, so I laid back with my hybrid.  I split the fairway and left myself a clear shot to my layup spot.  I was trying to get to about 150 yards with my layup, and my 4 iron was hit perfectly.  It left me about 145 to the hole with the breeze at my back.  I figured my 8 iron, with the breeze, would be perfect.  Again, I hit the ball right on line... but it went long.  I ended up about 20 yards long, off the back of the green.  Again, I was able to putt from there and again, I got myself to about 6 feet with the lag.  I just made a bad putt and missed it low, so I tapped in for another bogey.  

Hole #1 - Par 5 - 475 Yards

This hole was playing into a stiff breeze of about 8 MPH... but they moved the tees up a ridiculous amount.  According to my GPS, it was about 403 yards from the tee to the middle of the green.  I hit a drive that I thought was crushed.  It was a center-of-the-face shot... but it got up high in the air and just floated there.  All 4 of our drives in the group finished within a 4 yard circle of each other.  When I got up there, the ball went nowhere.  Game Golf measured it at 183, but it also had me teeing off from a tree (and I didn't see it until after I signed the round).  It was actually about a 200 yard drive, but still... it was short.  I had over 200 to the green and I hit a hybrid on a rope.  It landed just short of the green and stuck there.  I putted from there to about 8 feet.  My birdie putt was smashed and never had a shot.  I made the 6 footer coming back down the hill for par.

Hole #2 - Par 4 - 358 Yards

This was listed as the #1 handicap hole on the card.  We had the wind at our backs so my drive had some help.  I ended up splitting the fairway and plugging at 248 yards out.  My 9 iron from there was fat and came up short, off the front of the green.  I had an opening to putt, but I completely botched that and barely got the ball onto the green.  I left myself 25 feet for a par attempt and missed that low.  My 3 footer from there dropped and I carded a bogey.

Hole #3 - Par 3 - 168 Yards

I had been playing decent up to this hole.  It is a fairly easy hole... the pin was cut up front and it was playing about 162 yards with a wind helping and from the right.  I hit a poor 6 iron that started right and hung out there.  It landed in the bunker on that side of the green.  What shouldn't have been too tough of a shot turned into a huge mess.  My first swing had me blade the ball into the lip of the trap, and it rolled back down.  My next swing, I hit it really thin and it flew about 60 yards out of there and well over the green.  I hit a flop shot from there to about 37 feet and then three-putted to post a 7.  With the triple-bogey max club rule, it was dropped to a 6.  Still... all-around ugly.

Hole #4 - Par 4 - 320 Yards

This was one of the easier holes on the course.  It was short... and wide open.  I decided to get aggressive and try to leave myself a 50-60 yarder for my approach.  I swung way too hard and pulled my driver well left.  Luckily, it was wide open over there.  I had about 110 to the hole but my swing from the rough was heavy and it came up short of the green.  My chip up was chunked and left off the green.  I was able to putt from there to 7 feet and I made that for a bogey.

Hole #5 - Par 5 - 502 Yards

This was another par 5 that played straight into the wind.  Unfortunately, they didn't help us out at all here.  In fact, they moved the tees back about 20 yards, so it was playing more like 525 yards... and that's not accounting for the wind.  My drive was hit well again, but came up short of where I was hoping to be.  It was measured at 200 yards.  I hit a fat 4 iron that I advanced just about 110 yards and left me around 220 yards to the pin.  I hit a low (very low) hybrid that ran all the way up just short of the green, and then I had my worst putting issues of the round.  I putted from off the green between 2 sprinkler heads.  I was more concerned with getting it between those than I was with the distance of the putt, so I got it onto the green, but about 23 feet short.  I made a mess of it from there.  I went about 8 feet by with my first attempt, and then I missed it low from there, finally tapping in for a double bogey.

Hole #6 - Par 4 - 353 Yards

More sand trouble on this hole, which ultimately probably cost me a shot at winning the C Flight.  I hit a solid drive on a line just over some trees on the left.  It got caught up in the rough over there, but I had an open swing to the green from there.  I hit my approach wedge a little thin and it went long.  That's typically a 100 yard club for me, but because I caught it so thin, it went deep and landed in a bunker.  My first attempt out hit the lip again.  My second attempt was thin and flew over the green into the trap on the opposite side.  I was finally able to get onto the green from there, but I left myself 24 feet and I two-putted from there for a triple-bogey.

Hole #7 - Par 3 - 141 Yards

This was playing slightly longer than the distance on the card... about 160 yards or so.  I got steep with my 6 iron here and it was fat and well short.  I played a nice little pitch from around 50 yards that got to within 6 feet and I was able to make that for a par.

Hole #8 - Par 4 - 377 Yards

I hit the purest drive of my day on this hole, but I pulled it slightly.  It settled into the rough 261 yards from the tee, and there was a stand of trees in front of me that I couldn't play over.  I decided to try and punch a 6 iron under those trees and run it up just short of the green.  I gave it too much and the ball ran up into a bunker.  From the back of the bunker, bladed into the lip and it stayed in the bunker.  I got out from there to about 15 feet short of the hole.  I was angry at that point and I didn't give the putt my full attention, missing short.  I made the 2 foot putt for double bogey.

Hole #9 - Par 4 -367 Yards

I made an extremely angry swing on the tee here and hooked the ball.  I never saw it off the tee, but everybody else did and we were able to find it beneath some trees up on the left side.  I had a tree between me and the green, but it wasn't a problem.  It was a full 8 iron from where I was, but I didn't bring that club with me when I walked across the hole from the cart.  I thought it was further back, so I had a 6 iron or a 7 iron with me.  I opened up my 7 iron a little bit and choked down... but I didn't catch the ball properly and I flipped it weakly into the fairway well short of the green.  Another fat chip from short of the green left me with a putter from the fringe that I got to about 5 feet of the hole.  I just missed that and tapped in for a double bogey.

** NOTE - I was able to post a 51 (dropped to a 50) for my front nine.  That included 3 doubles and 2 triples.  I felt like I had played better than that, but when it was all added up... there I was.  I had 6 holes to play and I was just hoping to post a score under 100.  

Hole #10 - Par 4 - 407 Yards

This hole played uphill for the tee shot, and from there, it went back downhill.  It was playing directly into the wind and the sun and I never saw the ball after it left the club face.  I was told it was down the middle, and when we got up to the top of the hill, it was in the fairway.  I was left with about 160 to the pin.  I hit a 6 iron down the hill and it LOOKED like it hit short of the green, but when we got up there, my ball was 18 feet short of the hole on the green.  My putt was pure, but despite peeking into the cup, it didn't drop.  It ran about 2 feet by and I made that for my par.  

Hole #11 - Par 3 - 189 Yards

There was quite a wait on this tee.  When we reached the tee, the group in front of us hadn't teed off yet.  About 15 minutes later, we were set to go.  It was playing about 200 yards with the pin in the back of the green and I hit a low hybrid that was RIGHT on line with the pin.  It hit the green and ran all the way to the back.  I was about 6 feet from the closest-to-the-pin marker on that hole, but I still had about 24 feet down the hill from the back of the green.  My putt settled on the lip of the hole but would NOT drop.  I tapped that in for another par.

11th Hole

Hole #12 - Par 4 - 356 Yards

The last of my sand troubles came on this hole.  I hit a solid drive up the right side of the fairway, leaving me a perfect angle to the pin on the front-left side of the green.  I had about 105 to the hole, but my approach wedge was flared right.  I thought it was deep and over the bunker at the front of the green, but I couldn't find the ball.  When I finally decided to look in the bunker, it was there.  Crap!  Of course, I had troubles.  I bladed it long out of there over the green beneath a tree.  I played a nearly-perfect flop from there that rolled down towards the pin and stopped 5 feet away.  I made that for a 'good' bogey.

Hole #13 - Par 4 - 325 Yards

This hole had a creek running down the left side and across the fairway, so playing a driver was out of the question.  I hit a hybrid a little thin and left, but it found the fairway and left me about 150 to the hole.  I had hit my 7 iron poorly earlier in the round, so I didn't have much confidence in it, but I decided to play well towards the left side of the green because there was a drop off from the right side of the green into a pond.  Of course, I hit another poor 7 iron that sliced wildly on me.  It hit the front of the green and bounced to the right and rolled off the green, over the wall and into the hazard below that wall.  I dropped and hit manageable pitch to about 12 feet.  I sank that right-to-left putt for another 'good' bogey save.

Hole #14 - Par 4 - 331 Yards

Being on the course for close to 6 hours already, I was getting tired.  I just wanted to keep it together for the last 2 holes.  For the first time all day, a hit a drive right.  It started at the right side of the fairway and just faded a little bit.  It carried the fairway bunker and left me a clear shot to the green.  My approach wedge from about 95 yards hit the front of the green and stayed there (first time all day a shot stuck and didn't advance on the green).  I had about 36 feet from there and I two-putted for a par.

Hole #15 - Par 5 - 500 Yards

Last hole... and it was the wettest hole of the day.  Looking down from the elevated tee box, it looked like you were hitting into a lake, pretty much.  I hit another towering drive that didn't go nearly as far as I felt it was going to go.  It hit the ground and plugged immediately.  I had about 250 yards to go and I had no intentions of trying anything stupid.  I hit a 4 iron that left me a perfect distance for a sand wedge from the lake, errr... fairway.  My sand wedge hit the green and backed up (another first for the day) to about 13 feet from the hole.  My putt looked good but ran by the edge and left me 3 feet, which I made to close out the round with a par.

** NOTE - I played my final 6 holes in +2 and I posted a 42 for the back nine overall.  By the time we got to the scoring area, I saw that I was posted in 3rd place.  The last group that came in had someone post a 90 for C Flight, so I finished in 4th place only 2 strokes back.  Thinking back over the round, it was all the swings from the sand that hurt me.  I was extremely happy to have placed a decent score for once and I was ecstatic to walk away with the $50 Edwin Watts Gift Card for my efforts.  There is now a 2 week break until the next tournament and I will be flying to Dallas for work next week... so I probably won't get onto the course until next Thursday or Friday for some practice.  

Round Stats

• Score - 93 (Club Adjusted to 92)
• Penalty Strokes - 1
• Putts - 34
• Fairways - 8 of 14
• Greens in Regulation - 5 of 18
• Up and Downs - 1 of 5
• Sand Saves - 0 of 4