Getting the Hang of Things at Westview

I played with a couple of old golf buddies who booked the round at a familiar club: Westview, where I've played a good chunk of my golf this season. It was a quiet Sunday morning when we tackled the Middle / Lakeland combination.

I played solid, but unspectacular, golf on the Middle nine. I hit only the first and last fairways, but drove the ball to workable positions nevertheless. My irons were not always crisp, but they were good enough to advance the ball comfortably. Near the greens, I was able to make some good pitch and chip shots. I was very comfortable with the flat stick, registering a trio of 1-putts, while 2-putting the rest. I finished with seven bogeys and two double-bogeys for a score of 47 at the turn. It goes to show that you don't have to strike the ball perfectly to play bogey golf. All you need to do is avoid the wasted shots: duffs that fail to advance the ball, and wayward shots that result in penalty strokes. If you can do that while chipping and putting reasonably well, then things should be okay.

I opened the Lakeland nine with a very satisfying par on hole #1, an uphill par-4 that was playing about 410 yards. I hit my drive straight, but not very far. I caught the ball low on the clubface, producing a low trajectory that failed to reach the top of the hill. From 195 yards, I hit perhaps the best shot of the day: a blind 3-iron that started right as it crested over the hill, then drew slightly left in the direction of the flag. The ball stopped about 12 feet past the hole, setting up a conventional 2-putt for the par result.

The remainder of the round was less steady than the beginning, but a couple more pars seemed to smooth things out. I collected a penalty stroke on each of holes #3, #5, and #9. On hole #3, a par-5, my approach to the green was pulled left into the woods. On hole #5, another par-5, my second shot was fat, sending the ball into a hazard that crosses the fairway. On hole #9, a par-3, I topped my tee shot, sending the ball dribbling into a pond just right of the teeing ground. Despite these mistakes, I still managed to shoot 48 on the back nine.

Overall, a decent round I could build on.

Score: 95
Putts: 32
Fairways: 6
Greens: 2
Penalties: 3