My debut at Sawmill Golf Course didn't go very well, but I returned a week later in search of retribution. Unusually warm weather for this time of year made it a very pleasant outing. While I didn't start the round particularly well, I finished on a hot streak and managed to collect a fairly good score.
I made bogey on almost every hole on the front nine, with the exceptions being a quadruple-bogey on hole 5 and a par on hole 7. More on those in a minute. Hole 1 is a long par-4 that's difficult to reach in two. I pulled my drive to the 9th fairway, forcing a punch back to the proper fairway. Pitching wedge and two putts completed the bogey.
My drive on hole 2, a par-5, was just left of the fairway, but this left an ideal angle to play my second shot. My third shot from 100 yards was directly in line with the flag, but came up a bit short and deflected into a bunker. I splashed out of the sand surprisingly well and 2-putt for another bogey.
The next two holes were similar, in that I just lacked a bit of precision. On hole 3, a par-3, my 7-iron finished just off the left collar of the green. I blasted a putt through the fringe, requiring two more putts to finish. On hole 4, a par-5, my drive was slightly right of the fairway. I was able to advance the ball, but less than I would have liked. As a result, my third shot was a long one and I came up short. A pitch and two putts finished the hole.
Hole 5 was the disastrous one. It began with a drive that split the fairway on this 390-yard par-4. I was protecting against pulling the ball with my second shot. As a result, I pushed the 7-iron slightly right of the green. Not being very familiar with the course, I forgot that there was water on that side. I took a penalty and drop, then pitched on the green, laying 4. My first putt was a lengthy downhill that slipped well past the hole. My second was an 8-foot uphill putt that I blasted past the left edge of the hole. This was followed by a short miss, before finally completing the hole with my fourth putt!
The remainder of the front nine was back to my typical golf. A great drive on hole 6 was followed by a thinned 7-iron. The ball finished just off the right collar of the green, requiring a chip and two putts to hole out. I got away with a mediocre 5-wood off the tee on hole 7, then followed up with a beautiful 9-iron, finishing 8 feet below the hole. I burned the left edge of the cup on the birdie try, but tapped in for par. Hole 8 is a long par-3 to an elevated green. I did well to find the putting surface with a smooth 5-wood, but then 3-putt. Hole 9 began with a great drive to the middle of the fairway, followed by a mid-iron that was pulled left into a bunker. To my credit, I splashed out well and then 2-putt. Bunker shots like that are never certain for me. My score at the turn was 47.
This mediocre kind of play continued through the first three holes of the back nine. Hole 10 is a ridiculously long par-4. The yardage is one thing, but it also plays uphill and into the wind. I hit a good driver, 3-wood combo and was still 50 yards short of the green. A pitch and two putts finished it off. Hole 11 is a dogleg left around a pond. I hit driver just off the right edge of the fairway, followed by 6-iron to the front of the green. Unfortunately, I 3-putt a healthy distance away from the cup. Hole 12 is a tricky par-5 requiring a couple of forced carries over a creek. My first shot along the tree line ended up lost in the leaves, or in the creek – I couldn't tell. I assumed the ball went in the creek and took a penalty and drop. I played the remainder of the hole reasonably well, but the damage was already done and I took double-bogey.
Beginning with hole 13, everything changed. I was just one over par for the final 6 holes, and that included a triple-bogey! Hole 13 is a short par-4 to an elevated green with two tiers. I drove the ball deep, leaving a 60-yard pitch to the back pin position. My pitch finished on the right fringe, but I nearly drained the birdie putt from there. I burned the left edge, settling for par. Hole 14 is a short par-3. I hit pitching wedge left of the flag and followed up with an easy 2-putt for another par.
Hole 15 is another short par-4, at 327 yards. I split the fairway with my tee shot, then hit a lovely 9-iron that finished flag high on the green. Though I was flag high, the birdie putt was a lengthy one. It had almost no break, however, which allowed me to sink it confidently. It was a great birdie. I drove the ball to the middle of the fairway once again on hole 16, a quirky par-4. The fairway drops down dramatically to the green, which I was able to find with the lob wedge. A solid 2-putt made the par look easy.
Hole 17 is a 170-yard par-3 that plays over and alongside a creek. The teeing area where the blues are located slopes backwards a bit. It gave me trouble the first time I played the course, and it did exactly the same thing again. In both cases, I hit the ball fat, sending it left and into the creek. I adjusted my body to follow the slope of the ground and this time I hit a lovely high 5-iron. The ball was flag high, but in a bunker right of the green. I splashed out well and 2-putt, but the first miscue off the tee meant this was a triple-bogey.
The final hole is a short par-4 at just 328 yards. Driver is not recommended off the tee, because of a creek that crosses the fairway in the landing zone. I laid back with a smooth 5-wood, leaving a 160 yard approach to the green. Mind you, this green is massively elevated. I hit 6-iron next and got the ball to the front of the green. However, this green has a false front. My ball rolled backwards, about 10 yards short of the green. No worries, as I used the 8-iron to chip one along the ground, ultimately hitting the flag stick and dropping for birdie!
I shot 40 on the back nine, which was good enough to break 90 overall.
Score: 87
Putts: 36
Fairways: 7
Greens: 7
Penalties: 3
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