In a post written last year, I described Indian Wells Golf Club as my new nemesis. After my latest round there, I may have to rescind the comment.
Employing the wrist cock that seemed to help my driving at Hockley Valley, I opened with a nice, straight drive on hole #1. I pushed my second shot way right into the fescue, but recovered nicely for a bogey on this par-5. I went on to hit six of seven fairways on the front nine holes. That included a 260-yard laser to the 150-yard stick on hole #2. Hitting the fairway on this hole is a must if one is to reach the green in regulation. The entire left side is out-of-bounds, while the rough on the right side makes it difficult to carry a large pond that bisects the fairway. I hit the green with an 8-iron and went on to make par.
A fairway and green in regulation was also the result on hole #3, which features two forced carries over ponds. I used driver and pitching wedge to accomplish the feat. My first putt was a bit short and as a result, I finished with a 3-putt bogey. I didn't let that happen on hole #5, another par-4. This time, I used driver and sand wedge to set up a birdie chance. The putt broke just behind the hole, so I settled for a tap-in par.
The only fairway I missed on the front half of the course was on hole #6, an uphill par-5. I pulled that one a couple of yards into the fescue on the left side. I soon recovered, hitting the fairway on the next two opportunities. The last of these was on hole #9, which can be very intimidating from the tee. A narrow and elevated fairway is lined by thick woods on both sides. I hit a 255-yard drive to the centre of the carpet, followed by a gap wedge to the green. Par was the final result.
Besides being happy with my driver, I was also very pleased with my irons. In addition to hitting six fairways, I hit six greens in regulation on the front nine. This helped me earn five pars. If anything let me down, it was my putting. I would have had two more pars, if not for a 3-putt and 4-putt that resulted in a bogey and double-bogey respectively. Even with these miscues, I made the turn with a healthy score of 42.
I started the back nine playing well, but strung together a bunch of bogeys, rather than pars. I was no longer hitting the fairways with regularity, though a couple of those misses came with the 3-iron. I wasn't striking the ball badly, but everything was a little less precise. I also seemed to make one bad shot on each hole. On hole #11, for example, a pitch from 65 yards landed ten yards short of the green. On hole #13, a par-3, I missed a short putt for par. On hole #14, I mis-hit my second shot from a side-hill lie on the sloped fairway. Despite all this, I was in great shape with four holes to play. Indeed, I was on track to break 90.
A pulled tee shot and penalty stroke contributed to a double-bogey on hole #15, a challenging par-5. Still, if I played bogey golf through the final three holes, I would break 90. Unfortunately, that was not possible after hole #16. At 325 yards, this is a short par-4, but don't let that fool you. Players tee off from the top of a ridge to a narrow fairway below. Thick woods line both sides of the fairway, while rough vegetation covers the slope directly in front. The hole is a dog-leg, so players must control their length, as well as direction. A long ball can easily run out of fairway and into the woods. To top it all off, a creek meanders along the left side of the fairway. If you manage to navigate all this with your tee shot, you face an approach to a severely elevated green. The challenge however, is really in the tee shot. I topped my first into the weed-covered slope. After a penalty stroke, my third was a hook to the edge of the woods. With no backswing available, I plunked my fourth into the creek. I played my fifth from a muddy creek bed, sending the ball skidding into the woods across the fairway. With little backswing and a terrible lie, I barely managed to get the ball loose with my sixth. From a side-hill lie, I hit my seventh to the slope fronting the green. My eighth was a short pitch to the putting surface. My ninth was a 13-foot putt, my best of the day, which found the bottom of the cup. Talk about irony!
After the disaster hole, I finished with a double-bogey and bogey to record a final tally of 93. Of course, a better performance on hole #16 would have given me a chance to break 90, but once I made a couple of bad tee shots, there really was no recovery. I did all I could do from the positions I was in. There were enough miscues elsewhere that could have been avoided, helping to shave a few strokes off my score. Most of those were putts. I calculate that I gave away five strokes in putts alone. Avoid those mistakes and I finish with a score of 88, even with the blowup hole. That's typical of this game. As soon as you get your driving and irons to a level you're happy with, the flat stick abandons you.
Score: 93
Putts: 39
Fairways: 8
Greens: 7
Penalties: 3
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