Most of my golf scores have been in the 80s this year, so when I climb into the 90s it's a bit of a letdown. One such round took place earlier in the season at Silver Brooke, where I shot 93. I returned looking to improve on that score, but ended up shooting 96 on a very frustrating day.
Weary of my driver, I opted for the 4-iron on the first tee. It wasn't a great shot, but a subsequent 6-iron and gap wedge carried me near the green on this par-5. A chip and two putts earned bogey. The next two holes are par-3 designs, so driver wasn't in play. I made par on hole 2, which is the shorter one at 126 yards. I took a double-bogey on hole 3, which is 169 yards, thanks to a fat 6-iron shot, followed by a fat wedge shot.
The next two holes are short par-4 designs, so driver remained in the bag. On hole 4, I hit an absolutely perfect 3-iron to the left fairway, followed by sand wedge into the green. Two putts completed the par. On hole 5, I hit 6-iron to the left edge of the fairway, followed by sand wedge that I pushed right of the green. I made a good pitch, but missed a makeable par putt and settled for bogey.
Hole 6 was the first where I used driver. A low fade settled about one yard into the right rough. I was concerned about overhead branches when I swung 8-iron, but they were high enough to have no effect. Instead, I clipped some branches further ahead, as my shot was pushed right of target. A 40-yard pitch found the green safely, and then I 2-putt for bogey.
Holes 7 and 8 produced disappointing double-bogeys. Hole 7 is a par-5 lined on both sides by thick woods. I chose 3-iron off the tee for safety, but pushed it enough to trickle into the woods on the right. Worse than taking the penalty was the fact that I had to lay up twice from that position – the first time due to a slight bend in the fairway, and the second time due to a creek in front of the green. I hit a great 5-wood off the tee on hole 8, but my 8-iron approach was a hair left. It hit an embankment and rolled backwards to the edge of a pond. A great effort from a bad lie stopped in the rough, two feet short of the green. Then I duffed a chip that went nowhere.
Hole 9 produced bogey, but was disappointing because I felt I should have made par. After a great drive to the left fairway, I missed the green short and right with my gap wedge. I was close to the pin and able to putt from that position. I played too little break on my first putt, but the weight was perfect. This left a straight uphill putt of about 4 feet for par. I was not pleased when I missed it. My score at the turn was 46.
Pace of play on the course was not good. Beginning with hole 5, we were waiting for a long time on every tee. For about nine holes, it didn't bother me, as I was playing well enough. I opened the back nine with four consecutive bogeys, but my play was up and down. A good drive on hole 10 was followed by a pushed approach shot. A sculled chip was followed by a nice up and down. Two weak shots on hole 11 were followed by a good one, then a nice pitch on this par-5. A hooked 6-iron on hole 12 was followed by a solid pitch that gave me a decent par chance. A severely pushed drive on hole 13 was followed by a perfect 7-iron to just in front of a well protected green.
On holes 14 and 15, my driver went to hell, leading to blowup holes that produced a quadruple and triple-bogey. A smothered pull did the trick on hole 14, sending my ball into some bushes. After a penalty and drop, I hit a good 3-wood from a side hill lie. Unfortunately, a pitch from 30 yards then rolled off the other side of the green. My fifth shot found the green, only to be followed by a 3-putt. I reacted poorly, because I knew the round was slipping away from me. Had there been more pars before this incident, I might have reacted differently. However, I had been on the bogey train for a long stretch. When that happens, you're looking for an eventual par to tilt you in the right direction. For the opposite to happen in such dramatic fashion is extremely frustrating.
Having suffered through a blowup hole, I could no longer tolerate the pace of play. In fact, I was livid. Of course, this never helps. I pulled my drive on hole 15 into the woods, taking another penalty. The drive was so bad, I could only pitch my third shot toward the 100-yard stick. After a long wait for the green to clear, I sculled a pitching wedge short and right. My fifth shot was a pitch that I thinned over the green. A chip and a putt finished off the triple-bogey and I stormed off the green toward the next tee.
I used the wait on 16 tee to release all the remaining anger that had built up over the previous two holes. I was not going to break 90 at this point, so my goal was just to complete the round and be done with it. I went on to bogey the last three holes, once again playing that up and down style that seemed to characterize much of this round. A fantastic drive on hole 17 was followed by a topped fairway wood when I tried to drive the green of this par-5 in two shots. I smothered a 5-wood terribly on hole 18, but also made a nice up and down from 40 yards.
Bogey golf feels fine when a par or two are achieved; replace those pars with a couple of triple-bogeys and it's a different story entirely.
Score: 96
Putts: 33
Fairways: 6
Greens: 2
Penalties: 3
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