I almost never play the same golf course twice in a row, so my return to Lowville just four days after my previous visit was going to be interesting. I was anxious to see if I learned anything from the first attempt and if I could improve my score. We continue to have hot, humid weather, so I was also very concerned about staying cool and remaining hydrated.
I matched my first hole bogey from the previous round, then did much better on hole #2, recording a par instead of a double-bogey. This time, I hit a 322-yard drive that trickled two yards into the right rough. Don't get too excited about the length of the drive – this par-4 is all downhill from tee to green and the course was fairly dry. I followed up with a lob wedge into the green, 95 yards away. The birdie putt from 12 feet just missed, leaving a 6-inch tap-in for par.
I collected a couple more pars on holes #4 and #5. The first of these is a straight par-5 with OB along the entire left side. I hit a 275-yard drive to the middle of the fairway, followed by a 3-iron from 195 yards that skipped off the back of the green. The pin was at the front, so I had lots of green to work with. Unfortunately, my chip was a bit of a softie, leaving a longish birdie putt that I failed to make. Still, par was nice.
On hole #5, a 177-yard par-3, I hit a pure 6-iron flag high to the right fringe. This left an uphill birdie putt that I made a good effort on, but it was about 12 inches short. I tapped in for another easy par. On hole #6, I hit the 6-iron again, but it travelled 215 yards just into the right rough. Again, I benefited from the dry conditions, but that doesn't change the fact that the shot was struck pure. Lob wedge from 80 yards came up short and I then 3-putt from off the green for a bogey.
Hole #7 is an uphill par-5 with OB along the entire right side. I drove the ball 270 yards to the right side of the fairway. I had been in virtually the same position a few days before and mis-hit my second shot, pulling it left and well short of the green. Vowing not to do that again, I targeted the green again from 185 yards away. It plays much longer than that, because of the change in elevation, so I opted for the 3-iron. Unfortunately, I pushed it ever so slightly and it went out of bounds. After a penalty stroke and drop, I managed to get the ball just in front of the green. A chip and two putts finished it off for a double-bogey. I took a chance and it didn't pan out, but it was still the right decision.
I finished the front nine with a bogey and rather unlucky double, for a score of 45. In my last visit, I made the turn with a score of 44, so this was comparable, despite the fact that my ball striking had improved substantially.
The first three holes of the back nine produced exactly the same scores as the previous occasion: bogey, double-bogey, par. There was no penalty stroke on hole #11 this time, but a spongy lie after my tee shot led to the same result. I was happy to par hole #12 again, as this is a challenging uphill par-5. I played it more conventionally this time, hitting driver to the right fairway, followed by a couple of irons into the green and a pair of putts.
Hole #13, which is ranked the easiest on the course, burned me again. It was for a double-bogey this time, instead of a triple. I once again pulled an 8-iron off the tee, perhaps bailing out from OB on the right. This time, my ball rolled much further down the hill, leaving a 40-yard pitch to an elevated green. I carried the ball too far and it rolled off the green. The pin was far away and I finished with the inevitable 3-putt.
My final par of the day was on hole #14, a 354-yard par-4. I hit driver, gap wedge to the back fringe, before 2-putting for the par. I would have taken a 2-putt on hole #15, but 3-putt instead for a double. I hit my tee shot on this par-3 into a bunker and splashed out well past the hole. I should have made no worse than bogey from there, but it just wasn't meant to be.
I closed out the final three holes in decent fashion, including a nice bogey on hole #16. I usually mess up my drive on this uphill par-4, but this time I hit a serviceable one just left of the fairway. It was deep enough that I could go for the green with a 9-iron. As it turned out, I came up short. The hole was located below a steep ridge on the green, so I had little chance of getting up and down. I did well to take bogey. Hole #17 produced the same result, while the final hole of the day produced a double. The hardest part of this hole is the tee shot, which must carry a healthy distance over some wetlands. I nailed the centre of the fairway, but messed up the next two shots.
In the end, I had the exact same score as last time. However, this round was completely different. I drove the ball better and hit better iron shots. I also stayed out of trouble more often. Consider that I hit five more fairways and four more greens in regulation. I also had two fewer penalties. Unfortunately, my short game let me down. It actually wasn't bad, but I didn't get up and down like I did in the previous round. Consider that I tallied 10 additional putts! Whereas some putts saved me last time, I failed to make putts of any significant length this time around. My handicap factor jumped half a point to 17.4 – oh no!
Score: 91
Putts: 40
Fairways: 8
Greens: 5
Penalties: 1
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