I headed out to Paris Grand recently for my second visit of the season. I've had some rounds this year where I drove the ball better and others where my irons were more accurate. I've also had rounds this year where my chipping and putting were better. While none of these elements were at my very best this time around, they were all actually quite good, producing a very balanced round and one of my better results of the year. It was still a score in the very familiar nineties, but nearer to the low end. I've only gone lower this year on the three occasions when I cracked into the eighties (84, 86, 86).
After some iron troubles on the opening par-5, including a wild shank from the left rough, I marked double-bogey on my scorecard. A strong pull off the tee started things poorly on the next hole, but a great punch shot and deft short game salvaged par. Hole #3 is a tricky par-3. With danger short, right and long, I inevitably pull or hook my tee shot to the left every single time. This time, my ball ended up against a tree trunk, leading to double-bogey.
The rest of the front nine was noticeably better. I hit all of the remaining fairways, along with three greens in regulation. Hole #4 would have produced par, if not for a 3-putt, my only one of the day. My par putt from about 5 feet looked really good, but lipped out. Holes #5 through #7 produced three pars in a row! On the last of these, I chipped one right near the pin, leaving a simple tap-in. Getting up and down from near the green is so crucial.
Holes #8 and #9 are a pair of par-5 beasts! On #8, I opted to blast a drive over the ravine. I hit a dead straight shot, but it came out a little low. It was a nervous moment, as you need all the carry you have in order to get over the danger. Luckily, I made it over. The problem on this hole was that my third shot found a greenside bunker. I splashed out, but the ball got hung up in the rough very near the green. Another chip went long, leading to a 2-putt and double-bogey.
On #8, I hit a great drive to the left centre of the fairway. The thing with this hole is you need your drive to be placed absolutely perfectly, in order to go over the ravine with your second shot. Just left of centre or a few yards back of the fairway ending, and trees on the left start to impede your shot. They force you to aim more to the right, where the carry over the ravine is much, much longer. I miss hit one into the ravine and had to use the drop zone. With the penalty stroke and average short game near the green, I collected another double-bogey.
The back nine also has some challenging holes, but I did well to keep things under control. I actually made par on hole #12, the hardest on the back side. The difficulty on this hole is the tee shot, which must carry a long stretch of marsh. The right side is covered in thick woods, while the left side has some very tall trees that push you to the right, where the danger is greatest. It definitely calls for a draw for right handers, but I don't really have a reliable draw with the driver in my arsenal. Instead, I took the ball high, straight over the tall trees on the left. It worked like a charm, as I finished a yard off the left edge of the fairway. Near the green, I pitched one very near the flag, leaving a 4 foot par putt that I drained.
The rest of the back nine was composed mostly of bogeys and doubles. I collected a few more penalty strokes (three on the back nine, as opposed to one on the front). These weren't terrible shots, just unlucky. Despite this, I managed the same score on the back nine, as I did on the front. Mind you, the back nine is a par 35, while the front is a par 37. One thing that helped was another par on hole #18. This is a shorter par-4 that I played in textbook fashion. Driver found the left rough, but the subsequent gap wedge found the dance floor. Two putts later, and the par was recorded.
Overall, not a bad effort. It does nothing to lower my handicap though. I can't get below 18.
Score: 92
Putts: 31
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
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