Charlotte Area Golfweek Amateur Tour Major Tournament Review - 4/23/16 & 4/24/16 - Stonebridge Golf Club (Monroe, NC)

Scorecard and Game Golf Links Below

It's always fun when you have something to work towards.  Well, this week was the week leading up to the first major of the year for the Charlotte Area Golfweek Amateur Tour.  The two-day event would be played at Stonebridge Golf Club in Mineral Springs, NC and featured the largest C Flight field I had competed against since I joined the tour last season.  I was extremely excited to get to work and spent 6 out of 7 days during this week on the golf course at some point.  

All that preparation was supposed to have led me to my first victory, a trophy and a paid spot in the National Championship at Hilton Head in October.  Not to spoil the surprise or anything... but it didn't quite work out that way.  First... I played far too poorly to compete.  Secondly... the C Flight was kind of a runaway with the winner ultimately posting the same score that won the B Flight title... 159.  

Anyway... I put in the work and had high expectations.  I spent a good deal of time on the practice green on Saturday morning working on 10 footers, which seem to be my nemesis in most tournaments.  I felt great... and then by the time I teed off at the 16th hole (my first in the shotgun start)... my hopes were gone.  It was a mess from the start.  Despite some good holes and stretches here and there... I basically struggled through 36 holes of my version of golf.

To spare everybody (including myself) the details... I've summarized things below.

• Round 1 Scorecard
• Round 1 Game Golf Link
• Round 2 Scorecard
• Round 2 Game Golf Link

	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	11 (8)	5	4	6	6	3	8	5	5	53 (50)	6	4	5	5	5	4	10 (7)	3	5	47 (44)	100 (94)
Day 2	6	7	3	5	4	3	4	6	6	44	8 (7)	5	3	5	7	5	6	4	5	48 (47)	92 (91)

Day 1 was a little windy.  It wasn't awful... especially in comparison to NorthStone a few weeks ago... but it was still windy enough to mess with the ball (and my head).  I began my day on the 16th and finished, obviously, on the 15th.

Round 1 Highlights

- Just as with this tournament last season... I didn't have very many highlights to speak of from the first day.  I made bogey or better on 12 of the 18 holes... totaling +7 on those holes, which means the other 21 strokes over par came on the 6 other holes I played.  I made no birdies... and my 'best' hole was the 14th.  I hit a bomb of a drive just over 300 yards and left myself about 200 yards to the hole.  My 4 iron from the fairway was low and ran up to the right side of the green.  That's where the 'highlight' stops on that hole, however, as I three-putted from 36 feet for a par.  Beyond that... the rest of the round would fall in the 'lowlight' category.  

Round 1 Lowlights

- Where do I start?  Oh... I know... how about at the beginning?  On the 16th tee, I pulled my 4 iron that I was playing 'for safety' and it clipped a tree, knocking it down into the hazard.  I was able to play it from there and I hacked a 7 iron back into the fairway.  I was left with about 135 over the pond into the green, and I dumped it into the water.  I dropped at a comfortable yardage and then dumped another into the water.  I ultimately recorded a triple-bogey max on that hole, starting my day and my tournament on a sour note.

- After settling down with pars on the 17th and 18th holes... I arrived at the 1st hole feeling pretty good.  I proceeded to throw-up all over that hole.  2 balls out of bounds and another lost added up to another triple-bogey maximum score.  I hooked almost every shot I took on this hole and it put me in a really poor frame of mind for awhile and set me on tilt.  

- I made 2 consecutive double bogeys on the 4th and 5th holes after hitting really good tee shots.  I got unlucky with my tee shot on the 4th and had to punch out... then made a bigger mess of the hole.  On the 5th, I hit a great tee shot... chunked the approach... pitched to about 12 feet... and then three-putted.

- I made a 'natural' triple bogey on the 7th hole, losing 2 balls in the process.  A tee ball that went out of bounds up the right and then a topped 3 wood into the hazard up the right side before hitting the same exact shot just shy of the green.  Ugly followed by ugly.

- The final lowlight of the day came on the 10th tee.  I was just starting to feel okay about my game.  I'd hit good tee shots on the 8th and 9th holes... made bogeys... and was looking to pick up some momentum on the 10th hole.  I decided, again, to play it 'safe' and hit a 4 iron from the tee.  My thought process was to keep it away from the water on the right... so I hooked it into the woods and lost the ball.  I then bombed my driver into the fairway and made a double bogey... otherwise known as a second-ball par.

Round 1 Recap

Anticipation.  Devastation.  Redemption.  Repetition.  Frustration.  Completion. 

That about recaps the first round.  By the end of that round, I was 14 strokes behind the leader.  I had posted a 94... and I was 7 strokes behind 4th place, which is the last 'money' spot.  I was in a similar position last year (6 strokes behind the 'money') and came back to tie for 3rd place... so I wasn't entirely without hope, but... I was tied for 19th, so it was going to take a great round and a lot of people falling backwards to make any real progress.  

Round 1 Stats

• Score - 100 (Club Adjusted to 94)
• Penalty Strokes - 8
• Putts - 34
• Fairways - 6 of 14
• Greens in Regulation - 4 of 18
• Up and Downs - 1 of 7
• Sand Saves - 1 of 1

Day 2 began with less anticipation... but I was still looking to post a good score and earn myself some points in the standings.  The group I was with all had a rough start on the first day, but we were all capable of putting together something low and moving ourselves up the leaderboard.  We began our day on the 13th tee... and unlike the day before, it didn't all go sour right away.  I finally had a few highlights to write about!  

Round 2 Highlights

- On the 18th hole, I hit a solid drive up the left side, but it caught the fairway bunker.  This meant I had no shot at going for the green, so I laid up with a 6 iron and left myself 92 yards to the hole.  I hit a really good gap wedge that hit the green and stopped 12 feet from the hole.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to convert for the birdie... but it was nice to have a legitimate shot at one for a change.  I settled for par... but I felt good about that shot.

- On the 3rd hole, I hit a 7 iron a little deep on the green.  It left me a long way from the hole, but my birdie attempt from 33 feet was tracking.  It stopped a few feet shy, but... again, it left me with a good feeling knowing I was beginning to put things together.

- After consecutive up & down conversions on the 5th and 6th holes, I hit a strong drive on the 7th that kicked into the left rough.  I was left with 211 to the flag on the par 5 and hit a 4 iron that was on a rope.  If it hadn't hit into the slope at the front of the green, it would have tracked to the hole.  Still... I was 25 feet from the hole with a shot at eagle.  My putt from there missed 2 inches to the left, but I was left with a tap in birdie.  

- My final hole (the 12th) can cause trouble.  You have to either lay back and leave a longer than wanted shot to the green, or take on the corner and risk getting blocked out.  I took on the corner and it nipped the tree and dropped down.  The ONLY window I had was a fade under and around the tree directly in front of me... and over the trees further up.  The pin was on the left side, which meant anything but a perfect shot was going to be a long putt or off the green.  I hit the exact shot I called for and put the ball to 13 feet.  I was able to convert on the birdie attempt, closing my round and the tournament with a solid birdie.

Round 2 Lowlights

- Hole #16 has been my nemesis in the 4 rounds I've played here.  It's not a difficult hole, but it's in my head.  In Round 2, it was no different.  My tee shot was thin with a 4 iron and it hit some rocks short of a hazard and kicked it way right near the pond.  Luckily the pond level was low and my ball was playable.  Ultimately, I ended up making a double bogey on one of the easier holes and played it in 8 over par for the 2 rounds.

- On the 2nd hole, I hit a great drive.  I was left with about 80 yards in and was looking to stick it close and make a birdie.  Instead, I cold shanked my gap wedge into the trees.  From there, I punched it into a greenside bunker and then added a three-putt for a triple bogey after being in prime position.

- After a stretch of 5 holes being played in even par, I doubled the 8th hole.  On the 9th tee, I wanted to take my frustration out on my tee shot.  I swung way too hard and pull-hooked the ball out of bounds.  I recovered to make a double bogey (also known as a 'second ball par')... but I was angry.

- That carried over to the 10th tee where I just blew up any hopes of a sub-90 round.  My tee shot (to be 'safe') was with a 4 iron.  I hammered it, but because I had gone left and OB the day before, I pushed it right and it didn't carry the pond.  A drop behind the pond left me 186 to the hole.  I figured a solid 5 iron would get me there, but the rough was sticky and I didn't catch the ball cleanly, dunking it back in the water.  Ultimately, I took an 8 which would be revised to a maximum score of a triple bogey.

Round 2 Recap

Obviously, the second round was stronger for me than the first was... but it was equally frustrating at times.  I posted 2 birdies, which is always nice for a high handicapper to see on his or her card... but I also posted 2 triple bogeys and 5 double bogeys.  Those big numbers killed my scorecard and ruined any shot I had at posting a high enough finish to pick up some spots in the standings.

Even though I only hit 2 of 14 fairways, I only really missed badly on 4 of the 12 misses.  I reduced my penalty strokes by half, but it's still far too many to be taking.  If nothing else, the tournament left me with the knowledge that I really need to work on my short irons and wedges.  I put myself in really good positions a number of times throughout the 2 days only to waste those opportunities with really poor approach shots with scoring clubs in my hands.

Round 2 Stats

• Score - 92 (Club Adjusted to 91)
• Penalty Strokes - 4
• Putts - 35
• Fairways - 2 of 14
• Greens in Regulation - 5 of 18
• Up and Downs - 2 of 7
• Sand Saves - 0 of 2

Tournament Stats

• Score - 192 (Club Adjusted to 185)
• Penalty Strokes - 12
• Putts - 69
• Fairways - 8 of 28
• Greens in Regulation - 9 of 36
• Up and Downs - 3 of 14
• Sand Saves - 1 of 3

I ended up finishing in a tie for 19th out of 29 entrants.  I only earned 102 points in a double-points tournament.  This dropped me down to 17th in the points standings... 2 below the cutoff to qualify for the National Championship at the end of the year.  I was planning on skipping the next tournament... but after another poor showing, I'm now going to have to play to make up as many points as possible.  

I've got 2 weeks to prepare for that event.  I think I'll spend a majority of any of that prep time at the range working on those scoring clubs and hoping to dial them in.  So... away I go until May 7th at Charlotte National.

Until then...

Charlotte Area Golfweek Amateur Tournament - 3/26/2016 - Country Club of Salisbury (Salisbury, NC)

Scorecard Link - 3/26/2016

Game Golf Link - 3/26/2016

As golfers, we all have courses we just seem to play better at than others.  Sometimes, there's an apparent reason... other times, it doesn't really make sense.  This was one of those courses for me that I played pretty well at... but I could not figure out why.  It's a tight course that requires a lot of well thought out shots and absolutely demands that you keep the ball in play off the tee, which is not exactly a strength of mine (as you know if you've been following along at all).

Anyway... because I had posted a pair of decent scores there last season... I was really looking forward to heading back to The Country Club of Salisbury and hopefully posting something respectable to get me some points in the standings.

Details of the round are below.

Hole #15 - Par 5 - 475 Yards

I really enjoy this hole.  At 475 yards, you would think it would be reachable... but in the 3 times I've played it (including this time), I've never even had a remote shot at getting there.  My drive was struck well, but just didn't have enough to carry the bunker up the left side.  This meant I had no play but to hack a 7 iron out of the bunker (from an up-slope) and back to the fairway.  I was left with about 190, so I hit a solid 4 iron that finished just left of the hole.  My pitch finished about 12 feet short.  I was unable to convert from there for par, so I settled for a bogey from 3 feet.

Hole #16 - Par 4 - 359 Yards

Unlike the previous hole... I really dislike this one.  I got in trouble early in my round, starting here.  My tee shot was slightly left and must have kicked hard off a bare area because when we got up to where we all thought my ball was... it was nowhere to be found.  It must have kicked out of bounds to the left.  I went back to the tee (drive of shame) and hit another ball, this time up the right side in the right rough.  I was left with about 140 yards... so I hit my 8 iron.  I pulled it badly and watched as it went out of bounds again.  At that point... I just picked up and took the triple bogey maximum on the hole to save myself from getting angrier than I already was.

Hole #17 - Par 3 - 172 Yards

My 6 iron from the tee was pulled and hooked... into a backyard... out of bounds.  My next shot was fat and right.  I hit a sand wedge on from there and then needed 2 putts from 21 feet for a second consecutive triple bogey.

Hole #18 - Par 4 - 360 Yards

I hit a big drive up the right side, but where the ball finished... I had no real play as I was blocked out by some trees.  I tried to get cute and hit a low 9 iron... but it got up too high too quickly and hit one of the tree branches, knocking it down next to the fairway bunker.  That left me about 55 yards from the hole.  I hit a decent sand wedge on the green but slightly deep.  Where the pin was cut, if I missed my putt even a few inches long, it was going to roll forever... and that's just what happened.  From about 25 feet, my putt went 26 feet... and then rolled down into the fairway, 35 yards from the hole.  It took me 2 strokes to get the ball to stay on the green... and then I made a 3 foot putt for another triple bogey.

Hole #1 - Par 4 - 348 Yards

Again, I hit a strong drive... but it was up the right side.  The ball actually finished on the 9th tee.  Between where my ball was and the green was a set of very large trees.  I basically had only 1 option, and that was to try and fly over the trees to the green.  I hit a pure pitching wedge from there, up over the trees and on to the green to about 14 feet.  It was a great feeling to execute that shot and I hoped it was going to spark my round.  Unfortunately, I three-putted from 14 feet for a bogey... but it was still better than the triple bogeys on the previous few holes!

Hole #2 - Par 4 - 354 Yards

This is a short little hole... and I wanted to make sure I didn't go out of bounds because it's fairly tight, so I hit a 4 iron from the tee.  I absolutely pured it and it put me in a good position up the left side of the hole.  I had about 145 to the flag... my 8 iron was a little left and a little deep, but I was on the green.  From 75 feet, I missed by about 7 feet to the right of the hole, but I was able to make that coming back up the slope for my first par of the round.

Hole #3 - Par 5 - 520 Yards

It got back to being ugly here.  My drive was up the right side.  I thought it was fine... but one of my playing competitors said they saw it kick to the right.  I hit a provisional, just to be safe... but that one went even further right and I KNEW that one was gone.  When we got up to where the original should have been... none of us saw a thing.  At that point, it wasn't worth making the trek back to try and make a natural triple bogey, so I picked up for the second time in the round and took a triple bogey maximum score again.

Hole #4 - Par 4 - 386 Yards

At this point, I was back to being angry.  Things got worse on this hole, however.  I tried to be safe, but I pull-hooked a 4 iron into the trees and then played hockey with the ball and my 4 iron up the left side.  By the time I finally got up to the ball and was able to put the ball into the hole... it was ANOTHER triple bogey on my scorecard.

Hole #5 - Par 4 - 358 Yards

Another short par 4... another 'safe' attempt with a 4 iron.  I pulled this one left, but I had a look at the green from where I was.  I was going to have to go high again... and I hit a solid 7 iron from where I was, but it came up just short.  I was left with a little pitch from in front of the green which I got to about 10 feet... but I could not get the par putt to fall, so I settled for a bogey.  At that junction in the round... I was just glad it wasn't another triple bogey.

Hole #6 - Par 3 - 165 Yards

The tee was moved up to about 135 yards, but the wind was strong into our faces... so I went with a 7 iron.  It was on the green, but at the back of it.  I was left with about 50 feet for my birdie attempt.  I didn't even get close and ultimately, I three-putted from 50 feet for a bogey.  Ugh.

Hole #7 - Par 4 - 400 Yards

Again, directly into the wind.  Luckily, the tees were moved up about 40 yards.  I absolutely smashed my drive from the tee... but it only went 239 yards.  I was still left with 130 or so to the hole.  I hit a solid 9 iron that finished in the fringe to the left of the green.  I putted from there and rolled the ball nicely to about 9 feet and I was finally able to convert a decent length putt for a par!

Hole #8 - Par 4 - 341 Yards

You'd have thought that I would have figured out how to stop being 'safe' by this point... but, I was still trying to make the smart plays.  My 4 iron was left (again) and ended up in a hazard.  I dropped within 2 club-lengths and was left with about 200 yards to go.  I needed to keep the ball low and have it run... so I hit a punched 3 wood that ran low and left.  I pitched on from about 35 yards left of the green and then needed 2 putts from 20 feet for a double bogey.

Hole #9 - Par 3 - 156 Yards

I hit an okay 6 iron from the tee that got hit by the wind and finished a bit off the right side.  Since I was in the short grass to the right of the hole, I figured I'd try to putt on... but I didn't do a very good job and left the ball in the fringe.  Again, I putted from there... this time to about 3 feet and then I tapped in for a bogey to close out the front side.

** NOTE - Despite the tough holes where I tripled... it wasn't all that bad on the front side.  I ended up posting a 47 for that side.  I knew that I had struggled so much early on that the remaining 5 holes on the back side were going to have to be special to have any shot at finishing inside the top 10... but that was still the goal.

Hole #10 - Par 4 - 350 Yards

I got away from being 'safe' and decided to be aggressive... and suddenly, I started bombing the ball with my driver.  From this tee, I hit as pure a drive as I'd hit all season.  It ended up in the center of the fairway, 291 yards from where it started.  I was left with a little wedge to the green.  Unfortunately, I hit it a little short of where I wanted to, but it was on the green.  From 54 feet, I needed 2 putts and I had myself a par.

Hole #11 - Par 4 - 385 Yards

Another bomb from this tee, this one a 302 yarder, left me about 80 yards or so to the flag.  I hit a gap wedge that was just a little too strong, but finished on the green.  My birdie attempt from 45 feet was left woefully short, and then I couldn't make the 9 footer for par... so I settled for an extremely disappointing tap-in bogey.

Hole #12 - Par 4 - 372 Yards

The third straight hole running in the same direction and another great drive.  This one wasn't quite as long (266 yards), but it left me in a good position up the left side.  Of course, I managed to make a mess of it from there.  My pitching wedge out of the rough from about 115 was slightly long.  I watched, with dismay, as my ball kicked off a mound at the back of the green and into a creek behind the green.  I had to drop from there and then it took me 2 shots to get on the green.  I ended up with a momentum killing triple bogey.

Hole #13 - Par 5 - 473 Yards

I hit another good drive, but because this one was into the wind a bit, it didn't give me an all-too-realistic shot at going for the green.  Still... I had about 220 left and I figured if I hit my 3 wood solidly... I could run it up there.  Instead, I pulled it left and into the river running down that side of the hole.  After my drop, I was left with a 7 iron into the wind from about 150.  I hammered the ball and it flew over the back of the green.  I pitched to about 15 feet... but couldn't make the bogey putt and wound up with a double bogey.

Hole #14 - Par 3 - 150 Yards

My final hole of the day, and it finished like it started.  I hit a solid 7 iron off the tee, but it was deep.  I then flubbed a chip that barely got onto the green.  From 27 feet, I didn't really get close at my par, and then I tapped in from about 3 feet for a bogey to close out my round.

** NOTE - The way I played the 10th and 11th holes... I had a little bit of hope... but once I hit that pitching wedge deep on the 12th... I knew it was over.  All momentum was gone.  My back nine score of 53 meant I posted a total of an even 100.  It put me in 14th place out of 20 entrants in C Flight and earned me an additional 80 points towards the season standings.  

The next tournament is next weekend at a course I missed playing last season, but I'm very much looking forward to.  Following that... I'm going away on vacation with my family for a week... so, between now and next weekend... I'll be working myself into vacation mode!

Until then!

Round Stats

  * Score - 103 (AGT Score of 100)
  * Course Handicap - 20
  * Net Score - 83 (AGT Net Score of 80)
  * Penalty Strokes - 8
  * Putts - 37
  * Fairways - 4 of 14
  * Greens in Regulation - 5 of 18
  * Up and Downs - 1 of 4
  * Sand Saves - 0 of 0

Round Review - 3/22/2016 - Spring Lake Country Club (York, SC)

I knew I wanted to get back out on to the course at some point this week to ensure that I had some practice leading in to the next tournament on Saturday.  I woke up and it was a little cold, but I decided instead of heading to Tega Cay where I get most of my practice in, I'd head to Spring Lake Country Club.  I was there a few days ago and, although it's not in the greatest shape, it still offers a pretty decent test and requires a bunch of different shots to make it around.

I didn't figure it would be the best round of golf I've played so far in my life... but that's exactly what it turned out to be.  Read on below for all the details.

Game Golf Round Review

Scorecard

Hole #1 - Par 5 - 423 Yards

I got rushed out a little earlier than I had planned.  An older couple had pulled up while I was sitting in my cart and told me that the gentleman in the pro shop informed them that I could either go out ahead of them, join them, or play behind them.  They asked that I go out ahead because they didn't want to hold me up.

I put a tee in the ground and proceeded to blow one way right.  I never found it and played my provisional out of the woods on the right side with a 4 iron about 60 yards shy of the hole.  I hit a sand wedge a little shorter than I would have liked and came up on the front of the green.  From 25 feet, my putt didn't really scare the hole so I tapped in from about a foot right for a double bogey to open up.

Hole #2 - Par 3 - 202 Yards

I hit a very solid, very straight 4 iron from this tee.  Still, with the breeze and the cool air, I only managed to get on to the front of the green.  This left me a long, uphill putt for birdie from 39 feet.  I lagged it up nicely to about 2 feet and tapped in for a par on a fairly difficult hole.

Hole #3 - Par 4 - 385 Yards

This hole is a test for me.  It doesn't look like much, but the dogleg to the left means that I usually try and bail out right, which leaves a longer shot up a slight hill to the green.  That's exactly what happened here.  I hit a nice, drawing shot from the tee but it ran through the fairway up the right.  I was left with about 160 yards, but up a slight hill with the ball above my feet.  I hit a 5 iron that was right on target, but came up well short.  My pitch from the rough short of the green was poor, leaving me a 30 foot attempt at par which never got close and then another 2 footer which I made for bogey.

Hole #4 - Par 4 - 349 Yards

This is a wide open hole with the only real danger being the road down the left side.  Because a storm took down the net bordering the road, they cut this down to a par 3 of about 140 yards.  I played my ball from the fairway rather than a tee, for authenticity.  My 8 iron was directly on the pin, but another shot that was short on me.  My chip from shy of the green nearly went in, but left me yet another 2 footer.  I was able to make that for a par.

Hole #5 - Par 3 - 137 Yards

With the rangefinder, I pegged the pin at about 125 yards... and it was slightly downhill.  Because my previous few shots had come up shy, I decided to be safe and play the 9 iron instead of a pitching wedge.  I hit it right at the pin, but deep.  The ball settled on the fringe at the back of the green.  I had a fairly straightforward putt from there which settled to, you guessed it, 2 feet.  I made that for a second consecutive par.

Hole #6 - Par 5 - 462 Yards

This is a fun, reachable hole.  I hit a good, solid drive that found the middle of the fairway and left me 199 yards to the flag.  My ball was sitting down a bit in a bare spot on the fairway and I didn't get a solid shot at it with my hybrid.  I ended up topping the ball and watching it run to just shy of the green.  I was now in a muddy area short of the green, but I hit a good pitch shot that finished about 9 feet short of the hole.  I had a solid birdie opportunity, which I pulled left and long... and then I made my 5th consecutive 2 footer for a third consecutive par.

Hole #7 - Par 4 - 436 Yards

Ordinarily, this hole is a beast.  Today, there was a bit of a helping breeze.  Although I didn't hit the shot where I wanted, it ended up in a good spot.  A little bit of an over-draw on the ball had it click off the overhanging tree on the left.  I thought it dropped straight down below the tree, but it actually advanced a bit and left me about 185 to the hole.  My ball was in an old divot here, so I tried to stay down on the ball and I managed to hit a good shot that found the front of the green and then rolled off to the right side.  From the fringe, I putted up to about 5 feet.  This left me a testy little par attempt, but I was able to make it for a 4th straight par.

Hole #8 - Par 4 - 384 Yards

I hammered my drive off the tee here and it ran down in the fairway just shy of the drop off that would have rolled to within 80 yards.  I had about 105 to the pin and hit my approach wedge, but I caught it high on the face and it didn't get close.  I was left with a pitch about 20 yards shy of the green.  I got that to about 6 feet but couldn't convert the par attempt from there and tapped in for a bogey instead.

Hole #9 - Par 4 - 341 Yards

I knew that this hole required an iron from the tee, and I debated between a 4 iron and a 5 iron.  Ultimately, I went with the 5 iron.  I was looking for a shot that was going to land just beyond the tree on the right and settle into the fairway shy of the hazard.  I got really unlucky as I hit the shot I wanted, but the ball nipped a branch on that tree and kicked way right and into a hazard down the right side of the fairway.  I dropped from there and then hit a really poor, really thin 7 iron that finished up in the hazard in front of the green.  I took a drop that left me about 70 yards to the hole and hit a sand wedge to about 13 feet.  I couldn't make that and tapped in for a triple bogey.

** NOTE - I had posted a front side score of 43 that included a double to open and a triple to close.  I was extremely happy with that score and was hoping to be able to keep it going on the back.

Hole #10 - Par 3 - 125 Yards

I had a bit of a wait here, so I took my time and got my yardage.  It was saying about 135, but it was slightly uphill... so I decided to go with an 8 iron.  I hit that well, but pulled it slightly left.  It stayed out of the bunker, but left me a tough downhill chip to the hole.  I hit that well and got the ball to within 7 feet.  I made that putt for par to start the back.

Hole #11 - Par 4 - 336 Yards

Again, I had to wait for the group ahead of me to clear from the fairway before I could take my shot.  When I did, I hit the ball really well, but I pulled it slightly.  The ball finished just off the fairway, 78 yards from the hole.  Since it was into the wind, I figured that a sand wedge wouldn't be enough, so I went with the gap wedge instead.  I hit a really good shot that stopped 9 feet behind the hole.  I then had my worst putting bout of the day as I three-putted from 9 feet, including a missed 2 footer, and I settled for a bogey after playing it well tee-to-green.

Hole #12 - Par 4 - 395 Yards

Another hole straight into the wind.  The group ahead of me was waving me through, so I kind of rushed my process.  I hit a high, hooking drive that looked like it was going to go OB, but I got a good kick off the tree and my ball landed in the left rough.  I had 212 to the hole from the rough and into the wind.  I just wanted to get something that might get close.  I decided on a hybrid which stayed low and then managed to run up into the mouth of the green and on.  When I got up there, I had about 29 feet for birdie.  I lagged that well and finished 3 feet away, making that for an unlikely, but welcome par.

Hole #13 - Par 5 - 567 Yards

This is a very long, but fairly benign par 5.  I had the wind at my back and I hammered my best drive of the day, 282 yards up into the right side of the fairway.  I was still miles from the hole and I just wanted to get myself in a short iron or wedge range, so I hit a 4 iron that worked around the fairway bunker and left me 115 to the pin.  My pitching wedge started left but worked right and then hit the green and worked further right.  I was left with 27 feet for my birdie, which was unrealistic.  I lagged it to 3 feet again and made another par putt.

Hole #14 - Par 4 - 404 Yards

I was back into the wind on this hole.  From the tee, all I told myself was to stay away from the right side where the trouble was.  I hit a solid drive and left myself 140 yards to the flag.  With it being into the wind, I decided to club up to the 7 iron and take a smoother swing.  I hit what turned out to be an almost perfect shot.  The ball grabbed the green on the left side, spun back and funneled down towards the hole.  I was left with a nearly straight 10 footer for birdie, which I managed to drain!

Hole #15 - Par 4 - 379 Yards

I warned myself to stay left because of the OB on the right.  This time, I overcompensated and pull-hooked the ball into the rough on the 14th hole.  I had no look at the green and had to settle for a punch-out 6 iron which left me in the fairway shy of the green.  My sand wedge from there hit the green but rolled off the back edge.  I nearly sank the putt from the fringe, but settled for a tap-in bogey instead.

Hole #16 - Par 3 - 194 Yards

Another perfectly straight iron shot from the tee here, but it came up short.  I was left with a long, 54 foot putt up a steep slope.  My first putt was woefully short and right, leaving me 8 feet from the hole.  My par attempt from there missed low and I had another tap-in bogey.

Hole #17 - Par 4 - 387 Yards

From this tee, it's kind of visually intimidating.  There are 2 creeks which cross the fairway.  To clear the second, it is about a 250 yard carry.  The clear the first, it's about 175 yards.  I don't have a lot of faith in clubs between 175 and 250 yards, and I had the wind at my back, so I decided to try and clear the second creek.  I hit the drive well, and it looked like it would easily clear... but then the wind stopped.  My ball managed to clear, but just barely.  It started to roll back towards the creek, but it got held up by some longer grass.  I was left with 118 yards up the hill to a pin on the right.  I went with a 9 iron that was low and ran through the green.  This left me with an almost impossible chip.  I had to land the ball on the top tier and then it would run down the slope and could very easily go off the front of the green.  Somehow, I managed to land the ball perfectly, it took the slope at almost a stop, and then rolled towards the pin.  Luckily, it slammed into the pin or it would have run off the green.  Instead, it stopped within a foot and I tapped in for par.

Hole #18 - Par 5 - 520 Yards

The final hole is a dogleg right.  It's open enough with the drive, so I hit a decent drive into the fairway.  I was still a long way from the hole and I wanted to leave myself a full wedge or short iron.  I hit a low, leaking 4 iron that finished in the rough up the right side leaving me 115 up the slope.  My pitching wedge was the wrong club and I finished just off the front of the green in the fringe.  I hit a pretty good lag putt from there to 4 feet and, although I was nervous, I managed to sink it for a par to close out my round.

** NOTE - I had managed to shoot a 38 on the back side.  This led to an 81 total on my scorecard.  I was ridiculously happy with this score and wish that I could find a way to maintain that type of play as I head into a tournament heavy few weeks.

Recap

Outside of the bad kick on the 9th hole and the poor start with the bad drive on the 1st hole... I had nothing to complain about.  The bad kick evened out with a good kick on the 12th hole, so... in the end, it was what it was.  The back nine 38 was a new career best for 9 holes for me... and the overall 81 was also a new personal best.  As I head into the busy part of my week, I know I'm going to be itching and dreaming about getting back out there prior to Saturday... but I'll have to leave it alone and take the good thoughts with me to Salisbury this weekend.

Until then...

Round Stats

• Score - 81
• Penalty Strokes - 3
• Putts - 30
• Fairways - 7 of 13
• Greens in Regulation - 7 of 18
• Up and Downs - 6 of 8
• Sand Saves - 0 of 0