Another Crack at Heathlands

My last round convinced me it had been too long since my previous visit to Osprey Valley, so I decided to play all three courses there in an epic golf outing. First up was another crack at the classic Heathlands. This time, I played the current day routing, which begins on the original hole #11.

The start on the par-5 was good, with three controlled shots navigating the fairway and reaching the edge of the green. I was a long way from the hole and 3-putt for bogey, despite a couple of pretty good efforts. I also made bogey on hole #2, a 168-yard par-3. To do so required a fabulous up and down from the opposite side of the green to where the hole was cut.

The next two holes produced a pair of triple-bogeys. On #3, a par-4, my second shot landed in a greenside bunker. The dreaded clean pick soared past the entire green, while the comebacker was a bit short, setting up another 3-putt. On #4, a par-5, my second shot hit the lone tree on the hole, leading to a lost ball in the fescue. By the way, when I say fescue at Heathlands, I'm talking about knee to waist high stuff. It's no joke!

The remainder of the front nine included a pair of bogeys and three doubles. I hit a horrific 7-iron into the fescue on hole #6, a 173-yard par-3. I butchered the hole last time as well. On hole #7, my problem was a drive that landed in the fescue. On #8, it was a drive that sliced into the forest. I pumped a beautiful drive down the fairway on hole #9, but visited the fescue after trying to reach this par-5 in two.

I was shooting 53 at the turn, which is what I shot the last time around. To break 100, I would have to finish a lot stronger. Holes #10 through #15 produced three bogeys and three doubles. Sometimes, I found the fescue with my drives. When I actually found the fairway, it was my approach shots that dove into the long grass. When I avoided the fescue altogether, it seemed I would 3-putt.

Finally, I caught a break on hole #16, a 131-yard par-3 over water. I hit the green last time I played the hole, but 3-putt from above the hole for bogey. This time, my pitching wedge carried the ball five feet past the hole. The ball spun back and left, finishing about 8 feet below the hole. Alleluia! It was a straight putt, so I stepped up and drained it for birdie!

I ended up shooting 45 on the back nine and 98 overall. Not great, but at least I kept it under 100.

Score: 98
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 6