I haven't played much, so I wasn't sure what was going to show up at the latest Deepwoods Golf Associaton event. Would I struggle with my ball striking, as I did in my previous round at Paris Grand? Or would I show the same form that produced scores in the eighties a number of times this season? I headed out to the familiar grounds of Crosswinds Golf & Country Club to find out.
Hole #1 is the shortest par-4 on the course at just 272 yards from the white tees, but it's no cakewalk. There's a water hazard on the right side which can corral weak miss hits. There are thick trees on both sides of the fairway and up near the green. Playing a long ball off the tee is risky. The safer bet is to play a 150 – 170 yard shot, followed by a wedge into the green. I lined up a 7-iron and made good contact, but the ball sailed high and left into the trees. I teed up a provisional and hit the exact same shot.
I quickly found both balls, so my first was in play. Unfortunately, it was in a 3-foot deep ditch, covered in bushes and trees. My only option was to declare it unplayable. I took a penalty and dropped about 50 yards behind where the ball lay, keeping that spot directly between myself and the flag. I needed to go that far back to have a chance at getting over the trees. I hit a good 8-iron that cleared almost all of the trees. The tallest branches were some spindly ones that belonged to a dead tree. Of course, I nicked one of them, but did not see where the ball deflected. Neither did any of my fellow competitors, so I had a lost ball and another penalty. My fifth shot cleared the trees and then I pitched on and 2-putt for a disastrous quadruple-bogey.
The next few holes were crucial in determining how successful (or not) the day would be. On hole #2, a par-5, I hit a workable drive that left just 210 yards to the green. Well, there was no doubt I was going for it. I hit the 5-wood slightly behind the ball, sending it ahead just 120 yards. What a waste! Worse yet, my subsequent approach from just 90 yards came up 20 yards short. The course was dry as we've had very little rain, and the sole of the club was reacting in unpredictable ways, especially in the rough. I pitched on and at this point, a 2-putt would salvage bogey. Well, I went past the hole with my par putt and then needed three more to hole out! This wasn't the recovery I was hoping for after the first hole fiasco.
I made bogey on each of the next three holes, while playing reasonably well. I knew if I stayed patient, some pars would eventually materialize. Unfortunately, some weak chip shots on hole #6 resulted in a double-bogey. I slammed my wedge into the ground in an attempt to release the frustration, but it didn't work. On the next hole, I flubbed another 100-yard shot from the rough, comping up 20 yards short. A 3-putt ensued for another double-bogey. The hole was getting deeper, so an up and down par on hole #8 didn't exactly thrill me. I finished the front nine with a score of 51 and just 13 Deepwoods points.
I opened the back nine with a bogey and par, but the way they happened still left me upset. On hole #10, I had a very workable drive to start, but came up short twice with attempted punch shots. On hole #11, a par-5, I hit a deep drive just a couple yards into the right rough. Next, I hit a towering 5-wood from 215 yards, sailing over a hazard that crosses the fairway and finding the green. I had an eagle putt, but birdie was almost certain. Well, I blew the eagle putt way past the hole and suddenly, birdie was no longer certain. It was a disappointing par.
Quadruple-bogey on hole #12 did nothing to calm my nerves, nor did bogey on hole #13. On hole #14, the easiest hole on the course, I hit perhaps the worst drive of the day, smothering the ball and it went nowhere. It was hit so poorly, that I had 220 yards to reach the green – and the entire hole is only 344 yards. I had to go for it, so I pulled out the 3-wood, only to top the ball miserably. That one travelled a full 30 yards, which was a little more than the distance I tossed the 3-wood in disgust.
Throwing that club was the best thing I did all day. In fact, I should have done something like that much earlier in the round. Back on the sixth hole, I tried to slam a club, but that is just too discrete. To rid oneself of frustration, nothing works like a club toss. After I launched that 3-wood, I didn't hit a bad shot for the remainder of the round. From 190 yards, I hit a beautiful 4-iron to find the green on hole #14. Then I made a great 2-putt from a really tricky position.
On hole #15, a par-5, I hit an easy driver to split the fairway. From 205 yards, I hit a 50% 4-iron that was a thing of beauty. This left less than 30 yards to the flag. I bumped a low one in past the flag, then nailed a downhill breaker for birdie! On hole #16, a short par-4, I hit driver just short and right of the green. My lob wedge gave me a downhill look at birdie from about 10 feet. I read it beautifully and thought it was in, but it didn't drop. I tapped in for par. On hole #17, a 145-yard par-3, I hit a sweet 9-iron that was all over the flag. The ball released and missed the cup by a couple inches, settling 10 feet behind. This birdie attempt didn't really have a chance to drop, but I had another easy tap-in for par. Finally, I hit a drive to the end of the fairway on hole #18. It was a perfect position to attack the flag and I stuck a sand wedge to within 8 feet. This birdie putt had little or no break and I drained it calmly.
I ended up shooting 41 on the back nine and 92 overall. Most importantly, I managed 34 Deepwoods points to keep my season alive. Others in the group played well that day, so I still have a lot of work to do. However, if I play well at the next event, there's no reason I can't be in contention by season's end.
Score: 92
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 6
Penalties: 2
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