Normally, I go deep into the season before returning to a course for the second time. Not so this time around, as I recently played my second round of the year at Glen Eagle Golf Club. I was supposed to play at Braeben instead, but plans changed at the last minute. Once again, I played the Blue and Yellow nines, so I was able to directly compare my performance to that of a month ago. I lowered my overall score by four strokes, so I guess I'm moving in the right direction.
Blue #1 is turning into something of a nemesis for me. This par-4 begins from an elevated teeing ground, with trees left and a small pond right in the landing zone. I smother hooked my last couple tee shots here, so I wasn't going to let that happen again. I made good contact, but it was a slight push headed straight for the pond. I thought I had enough power to carry the water, but a search on the other side turned up nothing, so I must have landed in the drink. The rest of the hole is all uphill, so I needed two more shots to reach the green after taking my penalty stroke and drop. I almost saved bogey with a good putt, but settled for a tap-in double.
Two pars and a bogey followed over the next three holes. Hole #2 is a par-5 that I completed in textbook fashion – three shots to get on, followed by a 2-putt. The birdie attempt was close, but just missed. Hole #3, was a little less textbook, as my 4-iron off the tee came up three yards short of the green. After an average chip, I continued my good putting – this time curling one in from about 10 feet. Hole #4 began with a decent drive just right of the fairway. Unfortunately, I had a pretty severe side hill lie, which made it difficult to reach the green in regulation. That's okay – bogey ain't bad.
What's bad is a score of 10, which I amassed on the subsequent par-5. My drive drifted right of the fairway, but in a decent spot. I had to hit a lofted club to get over some tall trees, with a slight draw to get back to position. Perhaps I thought about it too much, as I topped the ball badly. It trickled through a bunker immediately ahead of me, coming to rest in a fescue covered island within the bunker. Looking at my ball, I decided it was foolish to try to hit it out of there. I declared the ball unplayable, took my penalty and returned to the site of my last shot. This time, I executed the shot exactly as I had envisioned, with my ball finishing up right beside the 150-yard stick. Unfortunately, my fifth shot into the green was slightly right of target, finding a deep bunker. I hit the sand shot fat, popping the ball into deep fescue covering the lip of the bunker. Once again, I was forced to declare the ball unplayable. Playing from the sand with my eighth shot, I made a nice out that finished reasonably near the hole. Too bad you don't get second chances in golf. Two putts were required to end the train wreck.
A string of double-bogeys finished the front nine and I made the turn with a score of 51. I tried not to think about it, but when you're over 50 midway through the round, you know that 100 has the chance to rear its ugly head by day's end. This became an even greater possibility after a double-bogey on Yellow #1. No worries though, as I went on to play the last eight holes of the day at just 5 over par. It was a nice run, consisting of four pars, three bogeys and one double.
Yellow #2 is a great par-3, playing about 175 yards from the blue tees. The green is wide, but shallow, sitting on a plateau behind and above a treacherous pond. The flag was tucked on the left side, bringing the water more into play. I opted for 5-iron, which is my 180-yard club. The idea was to swing one in from the right side and that's exactly what I did. It didn't start out as far right as I wanted, so I was worried I might find the water. The ball ended up past the water, just off the left side of the green and flag high. It felt good to hit that one, so I had confidence as I got up and down to earn par.
Yellow #4 deserves mention because I made par while hitting some terrible shots! This is a par-5 that starts with a dogleg left, before dropping substantially downhill. The approach to the green narrows significantly, with a forest of pine trees right and some big trees left. I tried to play a draw off the tee, but overdid it, hooking the ball left and not getting much distance. Bad shot. Next, I punched a 5-iron low to avoid some overhanging branches. It wasn't a bad shot, but I was still in the left rough, 215 yards from the green. I decided to go for it with the 5-wood. The ball came out low and to the right, headed directly for the pine forest. Terrible shot. Somehow, my ball popped out of the pines back to the right rough, 100 yards from the green. The green is deep and the flag was at the back, so I went pin hunting with the 52 degree wedge. I tried to take a little off, but it was a crisp strike. My ball failed to hold the green, trickling off the back edge. Now, I was not only short-sided, but the green was falling away from me. My playing partner had hit one to the same are and he was away first. He hit a good chip, but the ball finished 20 feet past the hole. Not much he could do about that. I proceeded to hit a miraculous chip, barely popping the ball to the fringe and watching it curl down right into the hole! Oh baby!
That lucky break gave me some confidence, which I rode the rest of the way. Last time at this course, I made par on each of the last three holes, so that also helped. While the finish wasn't as smooth this time around, I did make par on the last. It's a hole I like for some reason, and one where I've had plenty of success. In the end, it was a score of 94 – safely below the dreaded century mark.
Can't wait for the next round!
Score: 94
Putts: 33
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3
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