I played Piper's Heath last month in uncharacteristically mild conditions, but the wind was up to its usual tricks on my most recent visit. It was by no means howling, but there was enough to make you think about club selection and target lines. In my previous visit I played the white tees (6088 yards), while this time I stepped back to the blue tees (6621 yards).
Despite a poor drive and horrific 4-iron to start things out, I managed to make bogey on the opening hole. I was lucky to find my ball in some fescue after the second shot and I took full advantage with a nice lob wedge to the green. My driver and iron shots were better over the next few holes, but I struggled with my short game near the greens. On hole #3, a par-5, my fourth shot from a greenside bunker was picked clean, with the ball ending up in some fescue 30 yards behind the green. I duffed a pair of pitch shots, before chipping one in from off the green just to save double-bogey. On hole #4, I duffed a pitch shot from 30 yards, leading to another double.
Fortunately, I settled down a bit on the remainder of the front nine. I made bogey on hole #5, despite finding a hazard with my tee shot and taking a penalty. I made par on hole #6, followed by a trio of bogeys. There were some mis-hits that resulted in some lost yardage, but nothing catastrophic. The short game came around a little bit, enabling me to limit any damage done. I made the turn with a decent score of 46. I hit five of seven fairways, but no greens in regulation. This turned out to be a sign of things to come.
The back nine was a little more shaky, with trouble coming in different forms. Poorly hit tee shots put me behind the 8-ball on holes #11 and #15. The former is a 205-yard par-3 that was playing longer with the pin tucked at the back of a deep green. I smothered and topped a 5-wood, leaving my ball buried in some fescue, 150 yards from the green. All I could do was hack out to the rough, leaving about 40 yards to the pin. A pitch and two putts earned double-bogey. Hole #15 is a fun par-5, but my drive attempt was fat, travelling almost nowhere. It took an extra shot to reach the green, resulting in another double.
When the driver worked well, other things faltered. I inadvertently opened up the face on my 7-iron attempting to find the green on hole #12. The ball sailed out of bounds, contributing to a triple-bogey. It didn't help that I collected my first 3-putt of the day on the same hole. Another 3-putt on hole #18 produced a double-bogey. On hole #14, it was another failed bunker shot that also resulted in a double. I didn't pick this one clean, but it sailed well past the hole and rolled right off the opposite side of the green. I had a chance to save bogey with an 8-foot putt, but didn't play enough break.
I ended up shooting 51 on the back nine. I hit three of six fairways, but once again, no greens in regulation. All in all, it was a decent effort, but certainly nowhere near my best.
Score: 97
Putts: 33
Fairways: 8
Greens: 0
Penalties: 2
August 30, 2015
August 19, 2015
Staying Away from Banty's Roost
The very first post on this blog, back in 2006, was about a round at Banty's Roost Golf & Country Club. Whether it's deserved or not, the place has always had a bad reputation. The course is frequently referred to as a cow pasture and tales of poor service in the pro shop abound. I've never been a golf snob, so I visited the facility a handful of times in the early and mid 2000s. There was nothing spectacular about the course, to be sure, but I found it more than acceptable and even have some fond memories of playing there with some good friends. For no particular reason though, my last visit there was way back in 2007.
Perhaps feeling some nostalgia, I booked a round there a couple of days ago. What a mistake! The course itself is what it always was – that wasn't really the problem. The issue, frankly, is the type of people the course seems to attract. I got paired up with a married couple and another single player, who shared a cart with me. The single was friendly enough, but he had no clue how to get around the course efficiently. On at least half a dozen occasions, he put his clubs in his bag and walked around to the driver's side of the cart, before realizing that he wasn't the one driving. Back around to the passenger side he went each time. Bizarre.
The really annoying thing about this fellow, however, was his pre-shot routine. He would address the ball and then launch into what I can only describe as an extended shimmy. The only thing missing was the music. I couldn't stand waiting for him to pull the trigger, so I would look away. After a few seconds, I would inevitably look back, only to find he was still dancing with the ball at his feet. On one occasion, he spent 30 seconds practising a hip thrust that would put John Travolta to shame. HIT THE BALL, DUDE!
The lady in the group was no better. Sporting a pair of those arm bands that are popular among some of the LPGA players, she would address the ball and start her swing. Six seconds later, she would reach the quarter point of her backswing. Yes, that's right. At that point, there would be a pause of another six seconds. Then the remainder of the swing would take place over another six seconds. 666? How appropriate. The last part of the swing was downright blistering, compared to the first two portions. And this happened with every shot! Chip shot – same thing. Three foot putt – same thing. HIT THE BALL, DUDE!
OK, with that little rant over I can talk about some actual golf. I was terrible off the tee. I pulled or hooked a bunch of drives. When I tried to adjust, I pushed a couple drives way right. Even on the par-3 holes, I wasn't able to deliver a good tee shot. I hit only one fairway all day. Not surprisingly, I hit zero greens in regulation. It's not that my irons or second shots were bad – it's simply hard to hit greens in regulation when you've been penalized off the tee. I tallied a whopping seven penalty strokes on the day.
Having said that, my putting was amazing. The greens were like putting on shag carpet, but nevertheless, I drained putts often and from distance. It might have been my best putting all year. Consider hole #8 on the Red nine, a par-3 that was playing 202 yards. I topped a 5-wood off the tee, leaving 100 yards to the hole. From there, I hit a nice sand wedge flag high, but about 15 feet left. No problem, as I hit the centre of the cup with a breaking putt. It was my second-last hole of the day and my first par. I went on to par the last hole of the day as well.
Though I only had two pars, I also registered no worse than double-bogey on any hole. I can't say that about every round. Honestly though, I was just glad to get the round over with. After eight years without playing Banty's Roost, I think I had enough to last for at least another eight.
HIT THE BALL, DUDE!
Score: 95
Putts: 31
Fairways: 1
Greens: 0
Penalties: 7
Perhaps feeling some nostalgia, I booked a round there a couple of days ago. What a mistake! The course itself is what it always was – that wasn't really the problem. The issue, frankly, is the type of people the course seems to attract. I got paired up with a married couple and another single player, who shared a cart with me. The single was friendly enough, but he had no clue how to get around the course efficiently. On at least half a dozen occasions, he put his clubs in his bag and walked around to the driver's side of the cart, before realizing that he wasn't the one driving. Back around to the passenger side he went each time. Bizarre.
The really annoying thing about this fellow, however, was his pre-shot routine. He would address the ball and then launch into what I can only describe as an extended shimmy. The only thing missing was the music. I couldn't stand waiting for him to pull the trigger, so I would look away. After a few seconds, I would inevitably look back, only to find he was still dancing with the ball at his feet. On one occasion, he spent 30 seconds practising a hip thrust that would put John Travolta to shame. HIT THE BALL, DUDE!
The lady in the group was no better. Sporting a pair of those arm bands that are popular among some of the LPGA players, she would address the ball and start her swing. Six seconds later, she would reach the quarter point of her backswing. Yes, that's right. At that point, there would be a pause of another six seconds. Then the remainder of the swing would take place over another six seconds. 666? How appropriate. The last part of the swing was downright blistering, compared to the first two portions. And this happened with every shot! Chip shot – same thing. Three foot putt – same thing. HIT THE BALL, DUDE!
OK, with that little rant over I can talk about some actual golf. I was terrible off the tee. I pulled or hooked a bunch of drives. When I tried to adjust, I pushed a couple drives way right. Even on the par-3 holes, I wasn't able to deliver a good tee shot. I hit only one fairway all day. Not surprisingly, I hit zero greens in regulation. It's not that my irons or second shots were bad – it's simply hard to hit greens in regulation when you've been penalized off the tee. I tallied a whopping seven penalty strokes on the day.
Having said that, my putting was amazing. The greens were like putting on shag carpet, but nevertheless, I drained putts often and from distance. It might have been my best putting all year. Consider hole #8 on the Red nine, a par-3 that was playing 202 yards. I topped a 5-wood off the tee, leaving 100 yards to the hole. From there, I hit a nice sand wedge flag high, but about 15 feet left. No problem, as I hit the centre of the cup with a breaking putt. It was my second-last hole of the day and my first par. I went on to par the last hole of the day as well.
Though I only had two pars, I also registered no worse than double-bogey on any hole. I can't say that about every round. Honestly though, I was just glad to get the round over with. After eight years without playing Banty's Roost, I think I had enough to last for at least another eight.
HIT THE BALL, DUDE!
Score: 95
Putts: 31
Fairways: 1
Greens: 0
Penalties: 7
August 10, 2015
Double Delight at Dragon's Fire
A week ago, I posted about my top ten rounds of all time. Number 10 on the list was the round I played just before writing the entry – a tune-up of sorts for an upcoming round on the Deepwoods Tour. Playing at the same course where the Deepwoods event would be held, I shot a very satisfying 86. To be honest, I thought it would hard to replicate that kind of score in competition. Well, the Deepwoods event took place last Sunday and I'm delighted to report that I shot 86 again! It looks like I'll have to update that Top 10 list.
Hole 1 (Par 4) – 295 yards. Perfect 5-wood off the tee to the right centre of the fairway. Easy sand wedge from 90 yards to a pin tucked near the extreme right side of the green. My birdie putt from 10 feet was tracking right to the centre of the hole and stopped on the lip. Par result.
Hole 2 (Par 3) – 170 yards. Playing more like 150 yards, I hooked an 8-iron near the #3 teeing ground. The ball was unplayable in the fescue, so I took a penalty. I bumped a shot near the front pin position, leaving about 12 feet for bogey. Great putt broke to the centre of the hole and stopped on the lip again. Double-bogey.
Hole 3 (Par 4) – 360 yards. 5-wood off the tee was just off the right side of the fairway, but I had an open path to the pin and a good lie. Hooked an 8-iron into the trees left of the green. Penalty stroke and a drop ensued. From there, I pulled my pitch shot a bit, setting up two putts and another double.
Hole 4 (Par 4) – 379 yards. Nice drive to the left side of the fairway, leaving 70 yards to the flag. Lob wedge inexplicably slid right under the ball, despite the tight lie. Now I faced a 35 yard shot with the same club. Carried it past the hole to make sure I cleared a front bunker, then 2-putt for bogey.
Hole 5 (Par 4) – 400 yards. Narrowest hole on the course, I pulled one slightly into some long but wispy fescue. Pitched back to the fairway, leaving 100 yards to the flag. Sand wedge was good, but didn't quite reach the hole. Made a nice lag and easy tap-in for bogey.
Hole 6 (Par 4) – 352 yards. Great 5-wood off the tee to the left half of the fairway. 140 yards away and the best possible angle into the green. Pushed it a hair right of the flag, hitting the bank above a bunker and rolling backwards into it. Mediocre sand shot just got out. Putt from the fringe had more break than I thought, leaving a longer bogey putt than I would have liked. Burned the edge and took a double-bogey.
Hole 7 (Par 5) – 463 yards. The hole was playing shorter than listed and I started with a perfect drive right down the pipe. My second shot was a 150-yard 8-iron into the heart of the green. I challenged the hole on the eagle putt, setting up an easy tap-in for birdie.
Hole 8 (Par 5) – 514 yards. This hole was also playing shorter than advertised. My drive was pretty good, but very close to the left edge of the fairway. I was only 210 yards away from the green, but blocked out by some trees. I hit 7-iron and ended up just 30 yards from the green. After a weak chip shot, I 3-putt for bogey. Wasted opportunity.
Hole 9 (Par 3) – 149 yards. All carry over water. No wind at play, so I hit 8-iron to below the hole. The birdie putt was fairly lengthy with quite a bit of left to right break. Burned the edge, leaving a tricky 4-footer from above the hole that I judged perfectly for par.
Hole 10 (Par 4) – 415 yards. Weak slicing drive reached some fescue near a pond on the right side. Took a big hack with the lob wedge and was surprised how clean it came out. From the left edge of the fairway, I hit sand wedge to the front of the green. My second putt was curling to the hole, but wiggled in the opposite direction at the last second. Double-bogey.
Hole 11 (Par 4) – 378 yards. My drive was almost too good on this hole. It's a slight dogleg right and I finished in the left rough, 100 yards from the pin. The ground was bumpy behind my ball and I duffed one a few yards ahead. Second try with the sand wedge got to the green and I 2-putt for bogey.
Hole 12 (Par 3) – 146 yards. Played to miss short and right with the pitching wedge, but hooked it left of the green. I always, always hook this shot for some reason. Luckily, the ball came to rest in an open spot of wispy fescue. I pitched on and almost saved par, but needed a tap-in for bogey.
Hole 13 (Par 5) – 567 yards. A true 3-shotter. I pulled my drive left, managing to bounce over a bunker, but was now blocked out by some trees. I punched a 5-iron about 50 yards to the right fairway. From 210 yards, I had a good angle to the green and opted for 3-iron. That's my 200-yard club, so I wasn't expecting to reach the green. It was a good shot. Nice pitch gave me a chance to save par, but I burned an edge and took bogey instead.
Hole 14 (Par 3) – 186 yards. Mis-hit a 7-iron, coming up 20 yards short of the green. Horrible chip to the front pin location didn't even reach the green. Putting through five feet of fringe, I blasted the ball past the hole, requiring two more putts to finish with a double-bogey. Should have been no worse than bogey.
Hole 15 (Par 4) – 268 yards. A short par-4 that I've reached from the tee before. This time, I eased up on the driver a bit and hit a baby cut to the left side of the green, flag-high. Oh baby! Unfortunately, I had a downhill putt with lots of break. I made a terrific attempt and almost made it. Tap-in gave me a birdie!
Hole 16 (Par 5) – 523 yards. Controlled drive to the left side of the fairway started things out. Next, a 5-wood that I sort of sliced, stopping 25 yards short of the green. A fabulous pitch to a back pin location left an uphill 6-footer that I drained for my second birdie in a row!
Hole 17 (Par 3) – 122 yards. Another carry over water, much like hole #9. This one was much shorter, but the pin was tucked way right in the most dangerous position. Water wraps around 3 sides of the green there. Ignoring the pin position, I hit a solid gap wedge to the centre of the green. I had perfect weight on the long lag, but saw break where there was none. Got robbed on my par putt, which was a great read, and settled for a 3-putt bogey.
Hole 18 (Par 5) – Beautiful drive down the centre of the fairway. I had 170 yards to the flag, which was at the front of the green. A 6-iron was hit well, but leaked to the right side, where there is a large pond. The ball barely got over, stopping on the bank near the water's edge. A decent pitch carried past the hole, but I used 2 putts to take par.
With 40 putts in total, it seems like I putted terribly. In fact, this was one of my better putting performances. I was knocking the ball close from distance with regularity. It's just that none of them dropped for me. I must have had 6 balls stop on the edge of the lip. If not for that, this could have been even more special.
Score: 86
Putts: 40
Fairways: 10
Greens: 7
Penalties: 2
Hole 1 (Par 4) – 295 yards. Perfect 5-wood off the tee to the right centre of the fairway. Easy sand wedge from 90 yards to a pin tucked near the extreme right side of the green. My birdie putt from 10 feet was tracking right to the centre of the hole and stopped on the lip. Par result.
Hole 2 (Par 3) – 170 yards. Playing more like 150 yards, I hooked an 8-iron near the #3 teeing ground. The ball was unplayable in the fescue, so I took a penalty. I bumped a shot near the front pin position, leaving about 12 feet for bogey. Great putt broke to the centre of the hole and stopped on the lip again. Double-bogey.
Hole 3 (Par 4) – 360 yards. 5-wood off the tee was just off the right side of the fairway, but I had an open path to the pin and a good lie. Hooked an 8-iron into the trees left of the green. Penalty stroke and a drop ensued. From there, I pulled my pitch shot a bit, setting up two putts and another double.
Hole 4 (Par 4) – 379 yards. Nice drive to the left side of the fairway, leaving 70 yards to the flag. Lob wedge inexplicably slid right under the ball, despite the tight lie. Now I faced a 35 yard shot with the same club. Carried it past the hole to make sure I cleared a front bunker, then 2-putt for bogey.
Hole 5 (Par 4) – 400 yards. Narrowest hole on the course, I pulled one slightly into some long but wispy fescue. Pitched back to the fairway, leaving 100 yards to the flag. Sand wedge was good, but didn't quite reach the hole. Made a nice lag and easy tap-in for bogey.
Hole 6 (Par 4) – 352 yards. Great 5-wood off the tee to the left half of the fairway. 140 yards away and the best possible angle into the green. Pushed it a hair right of the flag, hitting the bank above a bunker and rolling backwards into it. Mediocre sand shot just got out. Putt from the fringe had more break than I thought, leaving a longer bogey putt than I would have liked. Burned the edge and took a double-bogey.
Hole 7 (Par 5) – 463 yards. The hole was playing shorter than listed and I started with a perfect drive right down the pipe. My second shot was a 150-yard 8-iron into the heart of the green. I challenged the hole on the eagle putt, setting up an easy tap-in for birdie.
Hole 8 (Par 5) – 514 yards. This hole was also playing shorter than advertised. My drive was pretty good, but very close to the left edge of the fairway. I was only 210 yards away from the green, but blocked out by some trees. I hit 7-iron and ended up just 30 yards from the green. After a weak chip shot, I 3-putt for bogey. Wasted opportunity.
Hole 9 (Par 3) – 149 yards. All carry over water. No wind at play, so I hit 8-iron to below the hole. The birdie putt was fairly lengthy with quite a bit of left to right break. Burned the edge, leaving a tricky 4-footer from above the hole that I judged perfectly for par.
Hole 10 (Par 4) – 415 yards. Weak slicing drive reached some fescue near a pond on the right side. Took a big hack with the lob wedge and was surprised how clean it came out. From the left edge of the fairway, I hit sand wedge to the front of the green. My second putt was curling to the hole, but wiggled in the opposite direction at the last second. Double-bogey.
Hole 11 (Par 4) – 378 yards. My drive was almost too good on this hole. It's a slight dogleg right and I finished in the left rough, 100 yards from the pin. The ground was bumpy behind my ball and I duffed one a few yards ahead. Second try with the sand wedge got to the green and I 2-putt for bogey.
Hole 12 (Par 3) – 146 yards. Played to miss short and right with the pitching wedge, but hooked it left of the green. I always, always hook this shot for some reason. Luckily, the ball came to rest in an open spot of wispy fescue. I pitched on and almost saved par, but needed a tap-in for bogey.
Hole 13 (Par 5) – 567 yards. A true 3-shotter. I pulled my drive left, managing to bounce over a bunker, but was now blocked out by some trees. I punched a 5-iron about 50 yards to the right fairway. From 210 yards, I had a good angle to the green and opted for 3-iron. That's my 200-yard club, so I wasn't expecting to reach the green. It was a good shot. Nice pitch gave me a chance to save par, but I burned an edge and took bogey instead.
Hole 14 (Par 3) – 186 yards. Mis-hit a 7-iron, coming up 20 yards short of the green. Horrible chip to the front pin location didn't even reach the green. Putting through five feet of fringe, I blasted the ball past the hole, requiring two more putts to finish with a double-bogey. Should have been no worse than bogey.
Hole 15 (Par 4) – 268 yards. A short par-4 that I've reached from the tee before. This time, I eased up on the driver a bit and hit a baby cut to the left side of the green, flag-high. Oh baby! Unfortunately, I had a downhill putt with lots of break. I made a terrific attempt and almost made it. Tap-in gave me a birdie!
Hole 16 (Par 5) – 523 yards. Controlled drive to the left side of the fairway started things out. Next, a 5-wood that I sort of sliced, stopping 25 yards short of the green. A fabulous pitch to a back pin location left an uphill 6-footer that I drained for my second birdie in a row!
Hole 17 (Par 3) – 122 yards. Another carry over water, much like hole #9. This one was much shorter, but the pin was tucked way right in the most dangerous position. Water wraps around 3 sides of the green there. Ignoring the pin position, I hit a solid gap wedge to the centre of the green. I had perfect weight on the long lag, but saw break where there was none. Got robbed on my par putt, which was a great read, and settled for a 3-putt bogey.
Hole 18 (Par 5) – Beautiful drive down the centre of the fairway. I had 170 yards to the flag, which was at the front of the green. A 6-iron was hit well, but leaked to the right side, where there is a large pond. The ball barely got over, stopping on the bank near the water's edge. A decent pitch carried past the hole, but I used 2 putts to take par.
With 40 putts in total, it seems like I putted terribly. In fact, this was one of my better putting performances. I was knocking the ball close from distance with regularity. It's just that none of them dropped for me. I must have had 6 balls stop on the edge of the lip. If not for that, this could have been even more special.
Score: 86
Putts: 40
Fairways: 10
Greens: 7
Penalties: 2
August 07, 2015
Coincidence at Century Pines
I showed up as a single at Century Pines and got paired up with another player. As soon as he saw me, he said, “Hey, I played with you last year.” Searching my memory, I realized he was right. We played together last season at the very same course, under similar circumstances. While I didn't remember his name, I did recall he was pretty good company. He actually remembered where I had worked and some other details of the small talk we exchanged during our first meeting. Pretty remarkable!
Anyway, I started the round with a bogey on the opening par-5. I flared my drive to the opposite fairway, but played a fabulous second shot to get back in position. My approach into the green was a bit short, setting up a chip and two putts. I got more shaky over the next three holes, recording two double-bogeys and a triple. I was missing driver and iron shots in all sorts of ways. There were slices, hooks and balls caught thin. While chipping and putting weren't terrible, they weren't helping either.
The next eight holes were played in nine over par, so I settled down somewhat. That little run consisted of one par, five bogeys, and two doubles. Despite the improvement, I was doing a lot of scrambling. On hole #6, I drove the ball to the opposite fairway. Only a great 7-iron over some tall trees got me back in position. On hole #7, a par-3, I hit a poor tee shot, but was lucky to find a greenside bunker. I made a really nice out from the sand. On #8, my drive was in the trees. I punched a low bullet through a chute and found the putting surface. On #9, a par-5, I finally hit a good drive and followed up with a good layup. Then I thinned a pitching wedge into a greenside bunker and had some difficulty getting out, resulting in a double-bogey. On hole #10, I missed a makeable par putt.
The wheels fell off again on holes #13 and #14. The former is a 155-yard par-3 over water. I hit a 7-iron dead straight, but missed the sweet spot of the club face, resulting in a loss of distance. After taking a penalty stroke for losing my ball in the hazard, I limped in with a triple-bogey. The latter is a 475-yard par-5 with a dogleg left. I sliced my drive clear past the opposite fairway, under some trees. I hit a great punched 4-iron that was destined to put me back in position, but the ball smacked a utility cover – the kind that protude about four feet out of the ground. Terrible luck! Worse still, I ended up behind a tree, with no follow through possible. Later on, I pushed a ball into a marsh. It was bad. I finished with a score of 9 for the hole.
And with that bit of nonsense out of the way, I finished the last four holes in fine form, including back-to-back pars on holes #15 and #16. The latter is the toughest hole on the course, even though it is rated the #2 handicap. You have to be precise with your drive to set up a shot into the green on this par-4. A creek meanders across the fairway leading up to the green and along the left side, while the right side is a large pond. If your drive is on the left half of the fairway, there are trees that block you out. I hit a good 5-wood to the centre of the fairway, followed by a nice 7-iron, pin high, left of the green. A pitch and putt made it look easy.
My final score was 99. Whew! I definitely flirted with disaster there. I'm not too concerned; it had been nearly two weeks since my last round, so I was a little rusty. I'll be ready for my next round, which is in a couple of days on the Deepwoods Tour.
Score: 99
Putts: 34
Fairways: 5
Greens: 2
Penalties: 2
Anyway, I started the round with a bogey on the opening par-5. I flared my drive to the opposite fairway, but played a fabulous second shot to get back in position. My approach into the green was a bit short, setting up a chip and two putts. I got more shaky over the next three holes, recording two double-bogeys and a triple. I was missing driver and iron shots in all sorts of ways. There were slices, hooks and balls caught thin. While chipping and putting weren't terrible, they weren't helping either.
The next eight holes were played in nine over par, so I settled down somewhat. That little run consisted of one par, five bogeys, and two doubles. Despite the improvement, I was doing a lot of scrambling. On hole #6, I drove the ball to the opposite fairway. Only a great 7-iron over some tall trees got me back in position. On hole #7, a par-3, I hit a poor tee shot, but was lucky to find a greenside bunker. I made a really nice out from the sand. On #8, my drive was in the trees. I punched a low bullet through a chute and found the putting surface. On #9, a par-5, I finally hit a good drive and followed up with a good layup. Then I thinned a pitching wedge into a greenside bunker and had some difficulty getting out, resulting in a double-bogey. On hole #10, I missed a makeable par putt.
The wheels fell off again on holes #13 and #14. The former is a 155-yard par-3 over water. I hit a 7-iron dead straight, but missed the sweet spot of the club face, resulting in a loss of distance. After taking a penalty stroke for losing my ball in the hazard, I limped in with a triple-bogey. The latter is a 475-yard par-5 with a dogleg left. I sliced my drive clear past the opposite fairway, under some trees. I hit a great punched 4-iron that was destined to put me back in position, but the ball smacked a utility cover – the kind that protude about four feet out of the ground. Terrible luck! Worse still, I ended up behind a tree, with no follow through possible. Later on, I pushed a ball into a marsh. It was bad. I finished with a score of 9 for the hole.
And with that bit of nonsense out of the way, I finished the last four holes in fine form, including back-to-back pars on holes #15 and #16. The latter is the toughest hole on the course, even though it is rated the #2 handicap. You have to be precise with your drive to set up a shot into the green on this par-4. A creek meanders across the fairway leading up to the green and along the left side, while the right side is a large pond. If your drive is on the left half of the fairway, there are trees that block you out. I hit a good 5-wood to the centre of the fairway, followed by a nice 7-iron, pin high, left of the green. A pitch and putt made it look easy.
My final score was 99. Whew! I definitely flirted with disaster there. I'm not too concerned; it had been nearly two weeks since my last round, so I was a little rusty. I'll be ready for my next round, which is in a couple of days on the Deepwoods Tour.
Score: 99
Putts: 34
Fairways: 5
Greens: 2
Penalties: 2
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