Hole # 2 - Don't be fooled by the "gentle" slope of this fairway from left to right. Last year, I hit a drive to the left centre of the fairway, only to watch the ball careen all the way into the right rough, behind a tree. Aim for the very left edge of the fairway. The left rough is a better spot than the right.
I called it, and played it, absolutely perfectly. I took aim at the left edge of the fairway, and that's exactly where my drive landed. The ball caught the slope as expected and stopped in the centre of the fairway, 130 yards away from the green. Next, I hit an 8-iron to the back of the green. Unfortunately, the pin was at the front of the green; I should have used a 9-iron on the approach. However, I made a fantastic lag putt, leaving an easy tap-in for par.
Hole # 4 - This par-5 is not reachable in two, so don't even think about trying to clear the fescue-covered wall that crosses the fairway 125 yards in front of the green. Lay up and go for the green with a short iron. The approach will be completely blind, but trust your distance and you should be fine.
I hit an atrocious drive, pulling the ball severely into the 13th fairway. Visibility was surprisingly good from there; I could see the grassy wall in its entirety. After deciding my pre-round advice didn't apply because it was predicated on approaching the grassy wall from somewhere near the fairway, I elected to try clearing the wall. I completely mis-hit the ball with the 3-wood, sending it dribbling back to the 4th fairway, some distance in front of the wall. I hadn't planned the layup, but that was the result. My third shot, with a 4-iron, was a little thin, and the ball clipped the top of the wall before stopping just above it. My fourth shot, with a 9-iron, was also thin, sending the ball skidding across the back of the green. I was shocked when I could not find the ball after that shot. I had seen the path perfectly, and a hill would have prevented the ball from going very far. The ball must have been in the long grass right where I was searching, but it remained hidden. Since the group behind mine was waiting in the fairway to hit their approaches, I dropped a ball nearby and continued. After a chip and two putts, the result was a nasty triple-bogey.
Hole # 7 - Aim to the left side of the fairway, and stay on the left side on your approach to the green. The hole is long, and the right front of the green is protected by a massive valley. An approach shot aimed to the left will be safe, whether it is short or long - short shots will stay in the fairway, while long ones will be collected by the hill behind the green.
My drives have been fading more than I would like, causing me to start the ball left of my intended target. Every once in a while, this approach backfires as the ball travels dead-straight. That's exactly what happened on this hole. I struck the ball well, but it landed left of the fairway among some shrubbery. I tried to muscle the ball back into the fairway, but it went almost nowhere. In fact, I was in a worse position because the ball came to rest directly behind a bush. I had to declare it unplayable and get a club's length of relief. After I pitched onto the fairway, I made a good approach, chip and couple of putts, but the damage had already been done - a quadruple bogey. Yech!
Hole # 9 - If there's one Mickey Mouse hole on this course, it's this one. Keep your driver, 3-wood, and even your low irons in the bag when you tee off. A mid iron is all it takes to set up your approach on this short par-4. And for God's sake, aim your tee shot to the left side of the fairway. A shot to the centre of the fairway forces you to take a blind shot over a scary gorge, and it's hard to know the correct distance. Should you find the gorge between you and the green, follow the fairway instead. It will cost an extra stroke to reach the green, but if you make a good approach, you have a chance to 1-putt for par.
I hit a 6-iron off the tee on the perfect line. It came up a little short, so I had to hit my second shot from the rough. However, I had a clear view of the flag, and went right after it with a pitching wedge. The ball landed safely on the front of the green. I followed that up with a solid lag putt and a little more than a tap-in to finish up. Par, you say? Ummm, no. All of the shots I described were preceded by a wickedly pulled 5-iron off the tee. I mean, it was a completely wild shot. Lord knows where it went. As a result, my score on this hole was double-bogey.
Hole # 12 - One of four par-3 holes on the back nine, and at 201 yards, the longest of all par-3 holes on the course. If you hit your tee shot straight, this hole will cause no problem at all. However, if your tee shot is errant, you're going to pay the price. Don't overswing on your tee shot. Line is more important than distance on this hole.
I have to take a deep breath before I describe what transpired on this hole. I said that golfers pay the price for errant tee shots on this hole, and boy was I right. Here's how it went down. Wickedly pulled 3-iron off the tee. Gone-zo! Re-teed the ball and duffed it. Made it to the long grass just in front of the ladies' tee box. Tried to muscle the ball out with a pitching wedge. Travelled about twelve feet to another grassy area. Repeated the last shot, this time successfully. Managed to get the ball to the rough at the bottom of the hill. Hit a nice blind shot with the sand wedge about 75 yards. Ball landed safely on the green. Made one of only two bad putts on the day, as this uphill putt was surprisingly fast. Needed two more putts to hole out for - I have to make up my own lingo here - triple par! Stick a fork in me, this round was done.
Hole # 16 - If you're not hitting it long and straight on the day, resign yourself to the fact that you will need three shots to reach the flag on this 476-yard par-4. Sure, it plays downhill, but the fairway tightens dramatically as you near the green. Bogey is a great score on this hole. Take it and run.
I launched a really long drive, but pulled it left to the ladies' tee box on hole #15. Next, I tried an easy 8-iron, just to put the ball back in the proper fairway. I completely mis-hit the ball, and it skidded along the ground to the edge of the hill that leads down toward the green. The ball rolled nicely down the hill, but it was too close to the left edge of the fairway and came to rest in some leaves and branches. It took two shots to get out of the leaves and branches. I followed that up with a poor approach shot, then a good one. After some solid putting, I had another triple-bogey on my scorecard. It was only when I marked my score that I realized this was a par-5, not a par-4. Duh!
Hole # 18 - The only water on the course is saved for the last hole. Golfers must carry a stream with their approach shot, as well as a pond that guards the front right of the green. Take your time with the approach shot, as a mistake here can add some unwanted penalty strokes.
I smoked a 3-wood off the tee, but it landed well left of the fairway. I had two trees framing my approach shot to the green. To be successful, I had to go between them, while carrying a creek and a pond. The approach clipped the top of the right tree, scrubbing any momentum the ball had, and causing it to land in the creek. I took a penalty stroke and dropped in front of the creek. From there, I hit a nice pitching wedge to the green and made a couple of nice putts for double-bogey.
I guess you could say the holes I worried about were the ones that killed me. Hole #2 was the only exception. The slope from the gold tees at Hockley Valley is 126, which seems too low to me. This is a course that punishes you severely for mistakes. Errant shots are usually lost, which means a penalty of stroke and distance. If you do manage to find an errant ball, you will probably be hitting out of long grass or other various shrubs. I tallied six penalty strokes on the day, which is really what pushed me over the 100 mark. 104 was my final score - a disappointment for sure, but better than my two previous visits to this course, when I scored 124 and 112 respectively.
On the positive side, my putting was great. I'm really liking the Odyssey putter I picked up a couple of weeks ago.
Score: 104
Par: 71
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
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