I headed out to Paris Grand Golf Club this morning and had a very enjoyable round. I teed off as a single at about 7:30 am, having spent a couple of minutes on the practice green. It was relatively cool, but I was very comfortable in shorts and a golf shirt. A threesome let me play through on hole #7, at which point the course ahead of me was wide open. There's something peaceful about playing alone. With nobody to worry about except myself, I find it easy to focus on the finer points of the game. As a result, I usually shoot better scores.
I hit a smooth drive on the opening hole, through a chute of trees from an elevated tee to the middle of the fairway. Following a purely struck 6-iron, I hit a 50-yard pitch to reach the green of this par-5 in regulation. After two putts, I had a “routine” par. You gotta love it. Golf the way it was meant to be played! I wasn't quite so perfect the rest of the round, but I was almost always in control. It's a great feeling when you're truly challenging the course. Sure, it gets the better of you sometimes, but if you're getting the ball elevated and generally in the right direction, you're golden.
I got up and down from a greenside bunker on hole #2 to save bogey. Despite that, it was actually my short game (specifically, chipping) that cost me a stroke here and there. On hole #3, a 170-yard par-3, I hit a good 6-iron off the tee. The green is a slightly elevated plateau carved into the side of a hill and my ball came up about two yards short. I had a good uphill lie and plenty of green to work with. In that position, a good player makes par nine times out of ten. My chip ran too far past the hole, leaving too much work for par. I had to settle for bogey.
On hole #4, a dogleg par-4, I hit a beautiful second shot with the 4-iron that rolled about two feet off the back of the green. Again, I had a great lie and plenty of green to work with. This time, my chip came up well short, leaving too much real estate to save par. Bogey was once more the result. On hole #6, a 150-yard par-3, my tee shot trickled off the back of the green into a bunker. Unlike hole #2, I was not able to get up and down. I got out of the bunker reasonably, but needed two putts for a bogey.
The bogey train continued for most of the front nine, but ended with holes #8 and #9, which are back to back par-5 holes, and probably the toughest on the course. Both cross a large ravine that has a huge appetite for golf balls. In previous visits to Paris Grand, I was able to carry the ravine on hole #8 off the tee. This time, the tees were set further back, so I opted to lay up. The layup is not an easy shot, because the tee is severely elevated and the fairway drops steeply away from you. I hit a 6-iron to a seemingly perfect spot in the middle of the fairway, about 20 yards before the ravine. The problem was that my next shot had to be played off the downslope. I chose 7-iron, which has a good amount of loft, knowing that it would be delofted somewhat by the stance. Sure enough, I caught the ball thin and sculled it into the ravine. What a waste of the great tee shot. Because of the excursion into the ravine and associated penalty, I finished the hole with a triple-bogey.
On hole #9, I hit a great tee shot as well, but this one was with the driver. To get over the ravine on your second shot, the drive has to be placed perfectly, and mine was. Leave it too far back and you'll have a long carry to contend with. Too far left and you'll go in the woods or be blocked out on your second shot. My drive hit the hillside right of the fairway, ending up dead centre, 220 yards from the green. Inexplicably, my attempted 5-wood caught the ball thin and ended up in the ravine. This time, there was no excuse. The stance and lie were both ideal. I just failed to connect properly. After a penalty stroke, I hit the 5-wood well, ending up flag high, just left of the green. I finished the hole with a double-bogey, and the front nine with a score of 49.
The back nine was a lot like the front. Once again, I kicked things off with a “routine” par. My driver found the fairway, I pitched onto the green, and then 2-putt. Easy breezy. Hole #11 was interesting. This par-4 is not long, but the tee shot can be tricky. From the tee, the left side is open, but it's narrow and a hazard lines the left side. There is lots of room on the right, but you have to carry a large wooded area to get there, including a massive tree. I was surprised to see that the tree had been damaged, probably over the harsh winter. The entire left side of it had cracked off and lay in a heap underneath. Sweet! That made it a lot easier to get past. I hit right along the line of the missing tree branches and found the centre of the fairway, 110 yards from the green. Unfortunately, I 3-putt for bogey after reaching the green in regulation.
I played a bonehead second shot on hole #14, a par-3 with a somewhat unfair green. If you're above the hole, it's almost impossible to keep your putt on the green. Knowing this, I hit a 7-iron to just in front of the green. The flag was in the front, so I had a short, uphill chip to set up a par. At worst, I should get a bogey. Instead, I chipped the ball well past the hole, just enough to reach a ridge, where the ball settled. A little less, and the ball would have rolled back downhill, finishing near the cup. Instead, I was forced to putt downhill with no chance of staying on the green. I finished with a double-bogey.
Hole #16 was the only one I really butchered. With a massive split fairway, it really is the easiest place to hit driver on the entire course. Conscious of not slicing the ball or getting too aggressive, I ended up smothering the ball weakly. It was on line, but failed to even reach the fairway. The real problem was that I had a terrible stance and lie. Bad luck continued, as I found myself with two more impossible stances and lies en route to the green. A nice chip from just off the green nearly dropped for triple-bogey, but I had to accept a quad.
The last two holes were among my best of the day. I hit a 9-iron on #17, a 146-yard par-3. It was a slight draw that landed 18 inches left of the hole. The ball took a bit of a side spin, leaving a 2-footer for birdie, which I drained easily. Golf the way it was meant to be played! Hole #18 is a short par-4, at 294 yards in length. I was still feeling good about driver, so I went with it. I ended up just left of the fairway, 45 yards from the flag. I hit a good pitch, leaving a realistic chance at birdie. It was a right to left breaker, about 9 feet away. I studied it well and then took my stroke. As the ball curled toward the hole, I pumped my fist in celebration, but no! The ball caught the lip on the high side and didn't drop. I was practically positive it was going in! Oh well, those moments are fun anyway.
With this score, my handicap dropped to 21.7 – lower than it was all of last season. The last time I was at that level was August 2012. Now, I'd like to see if I can get to 19.2 or better, which is where I stood at the start of the 2012 season. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but 18 is a key level for me. If I can get to that level before this season ends, it will be a positive development.
Score: 94
Putts: 34
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
Penalties: 6
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