Six Rounds in Three Weekends

I played two rounds each of the past three weekends. Here is a brief summary, in reverse chronological order. The format is:

Course (Score, Putts, Fairways, Greens, Penalties) Description

Lionhead Masters (100, 35, 6, 3, 8) Beginning to dislike this course - not because there's anything wrong with it - I simply havent played well here lately and it's starting to get under my skin. Triple bogey to open and here we go again. But wait! I birdied the next hole and made par on the one after that, so I was right back in it. Soon found myself in a couple bad situations and lack of composure cost me a few strokes. Played better on the back nine and was poised to salvage a round under 100, but choked on the last two holes. Eight penalties? Sheesh!

Redcrest (91, 31, 6, 4, 4) First visit of the year to Redcrest, continuing the recent trend. Could not hit fairways or greens in regulation on the front nine, but putting saved me. Pull-hooked a bunch of iron shots early and was perplexed. Score was 50 at the turn, so I had work to do. Back nine was much better, as both the driver and the irons straightened out. Putting remained hot. Final score was quite good, but it hides the fact that I didn't really feel in control.

Watson's Glen (96, 35, 7, 2, 3) Surprisingly good weather for late in the year. First visit of the year to Watson's Glen. Greens had been aerated, which made for a less than satifactory experience. Avoided blowup holes on the front nine, but made no pars either, for a score of 50 at the turn. Tallied four pars on the back nine to salvage a 96 overall. Not bad, following a similar result at Ballantrae. Still could not hit fairway woods or sand shots to save my life.

Ballantrae (95, 35, 6, 5, 3) First visit of the year to Ballantrae. Bad result on opening hole, followed by back-to-back birdies. That never happens! Solid remining front nine for a score of 45 at the turn. Back nine was more sloppy, with a flurry of double-bogies. Finished the ilast two holes with bogey and par to hang on to a 95. Not bad, considering I haven't been playing very well lately. Putting was better than at Ashburn, but new driving technique still inconsistent.

Royal Ashburn (107, 43, 3, 4, 3) First ever visit to Royal Ashburn. Must plot your way through a couple of holes, but overall a nice course. Needed four putts on hole #1 after getting there in regulation. Also 4-putt hole #8. No doubt about it, putting was horrific. Drives were hit or miss, as I was experimenting with a new technique. Sand play was also hit or miss. A couple of times, I hit a bunker shot fat, followed by an attempt that was hit thin. It was bad. No confidence right now hitting from bunkers. One of the worst scores of the year.

Lowville (95, 38, 4, 5, 2) First visit of the year to Lowville. Got paired up with three guys who were good fun. Found trouble on holes #4 through #6. Was crushing my drives, but pulled a couple of them out of bounds. Almost drove the green on the par-4 sixth on my second attempt. Best hole was #9, which I birdied. Solid back nine, but putting was not spectacular. Decent score after a few bad rounds recently.