Hoping to avoid the worst of the hot weather, I teed off in the morning at Bushwood Golf Club. The starter sent me off the back nine as a single, figuring I would move along more swiftly than on the front nine. When I arrived at the tenth tee, there was a group of four older Korean gentlemen sitting in their carts and eating sandwiches. I asked if it was okay to play through and they seemed to agree, so I teed one up with the men as spectators. Boom, I pounded a drive to the left side of the fairway. It was only 250 yards, but left a good impression with the onlookers. I thinned a 9-iron through the green, but made a great pitch and putt for par.
Next, I hit two absolutely pure shots on a short par-4. My 5-iron off the tee went 200 yards, finishing a yard into the rough through the end of the fairway. With a water hazard in front of me, I hit a laser pitching wedge that was all over the back pin position. The ball finished ten feet behind the hole, leaving a legitimate birdie chance. I gave it a good effort, but just missed, settling for par.
On the twelfth tee, I found myself behind a group of four older Korean women. Waiting to shoot can disrupt your rhythm, so I had to remain focused. This hole is short, but features a forced carry over a water hazard and forest on the right side. I picked my line and took a swing. Boom, I pounded a beautiful little cut to the left side of the fairway. It was only 240 yards, but perfectly placed. I pitched the ball 70 yards to the back of the green, when 60 would have been better. No worries, as I made a very good 2-putt for my third par in a row.
My first real mistake of the day came on hole #13, a 200-yard par-3. The green is large and tilts from back to front. The pin was right at the front of the green, so I opted for 4-iron. I hit a good shot, in line with the flag and about a yard short of the green. This left an uphill putt, which is exactly what you want. Unfortunately, my lag putt was way short. The yard of fringe I was putting through slowed my ball down more than I expected, plus the green itself was not very fast. I ended up 3-putting for bogey.
Hole #14 is a par-5 that ended up with double-bogey. My drive was deep, but way left of the fairway. This should have been no problem, as that area is pretty wide open. Unfortunately, I topped a 5-wood and now I was in trouble. I punched a 3-iron under some overhanging branches and managed to get just right of the fairway, 50 yards from the flag. A pitch and 2-putt would earn bogey, but I thinned the pitch right through the green and was now short sided. A second pitch and 2-putt finished the hole.
Hole #15 resulted in another par, despite the fact that I missed the fairway and the green. My drive sliced well to the right, but I had no obstruction and 125 yards to the flag. My gap wedge was just off the right edge of the green, flag high. I chipped to within two feet and tapped in to finish. Hole #16 also produced par and this one was well earned. This is the hardest hole on the back nine, featuring a large pond short and left of the green, plus out of bounds along the entire right side. I placed a drive beautifully near the right edge of the fairway, leaving 175 yards to the green. If you drive the ball much deeper, you risk going into the pond or OB. Hitting from the rough, I struck a pure 5-iron into the wind, finishing flag high in the fringe. That was a great shot, which set up a 2-putt for the par.
Hole #17 was memorable for the beautiful drive I hit. The tees were up on this par-4, so it was playing just 330 yards. I aimed just left of the 100-yard stick and launched a beauty 270 yards, to the middle of the narrow fairway. Unfortunately, I thinned a subsequent wedge shot 20 yards behind the green, finishing under a pine tree. I made a great punch to find the green and have a chance at par. I gave it a good try, but had to settle for bogey.
I was in good shape going into the last hole of the back nine, just 4-over par through eight holes. Hole #18 is a 176-yard par-3, but it was playing about 20 yards longer into a stiff wind. I pushed a 4-iron right of the green, about flag high. All I had to do was make a 30 yard pitch shot over a bunker and 2-putt for bogey. With a good pitch, I might even save par. Unfortunately, I decelerated my swing and plunked one into the bunker. After a mediocre out, I 2-putt for double-bogey. Still, I shot a 6-over 41 through nine holes, which ain't bad.
I won't go through the rest of the round, but suffice to say that some of the magic wore off. I made a couple of double bogeys early, as I just got myself in some bad positions. I did hit a pure 5-iron, lob wedge combination into green #4 for a pretty par. I went astray on hole #7, which I consider the hardest on the front nine. A pair of players in front of me chose that hole to wave me through and I probably rushed my shots. My drive popped up and was left, a punch shot clipped some overhanging branches, and I duffed an attempted approach shot. I topped it all off with a 3-putt, en route to a triple-bogey. After a par on hole #8, I made a double-bogey on hole #9, another par-5. Much like hole #14, I was laying 3 with my ball 50 yards from the flag. This time, my pitch shot was way short and I ended up 3-putting, exactly as I did on hole #13.
Overall, this started as a special round and ended up being average. My driving was way better than in the previous round, but inconsistent pitch shots led to my demise. My putting was fairly good, though not spectacular. Despite the decent result, my handicap factor inched up a bit to 16.7 – aargh!
Score: 90
Putts: 36
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Penalties: 0
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