I recently headed out to The Oaks of St. George. This was my third round in three days and at three different courses. I thought my tee time was later in the afternoon and barely got to the course on time. Within the first three or four holes, the pattern for the day was already set. Basically, I would not make a putt all day, despite threatening the holes left and right. Hole #1 is tough enough with a huge tree blocking the green from any angle. When my second shot was behind some pine trees on the left side, the best I could do was get on the green in four. Unfortunately, I then 3-putt for a triple-bogey. My second putt was from 6 feet below the hole, but I burned the left edge.
I made par on hole #2 and bogey on #3, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Hole #3 is a 139-yard par-3 over water. I hit 9-iron just off the green, very near the flag. I had a delicate downhill chip and left it within three feet. There was still some break to the par putt and I missed it on the low side. Hole #4 is a par-5 with a couple massive trees once again blocking the front of the green. I split the fairway, then hit an easy 5-iron to the end of the left fairway, 95 yards from the green centre. I had to punch something low to avoid the tree branches and I punched one through the back of the green. I chipped on, but the worst part was that I 3-putt for a double-bogey. My first lag putt was fine, but I missed another 3 or 4-footer. Terrible!
Meanwhile, my fellow competitors were draining putts from all over the place. As the rest of the front nine progressed, the joke became that I simply could not buy a putt, as I was getting robbed again and again. I burned an edge on hole #5 and took double-bogey. Hole #6, a 462-yard par-5, was a mess from tee to green. I had a short putt to limit the damage to double-bogey, but nope! Triple-bogey it was. I ended the front nine with three consecutive bogeys, but the second of those also featured a par attempt that disappointingly burned the edge of the cup. I was shooting an even 50 at the turn, with 20 putts.
The first three holes of the back nine were an absolute disaster. Hole #10 starts from an elevated tee that leaves you absolutely nowhere to bail out. A creek crosses the fairway in the low spot, with woods on the left and on the right. I found the woods on the right and took my first penalty stroke of the day. To make matters worse, I ended with a 3-putt for a triple-bogey. In fact, I collected two more triples on holes #11 and #12. On the former, I found the woods once again with my tee shot and took a penalty stroke. On the latter, I took two shots to get out of a greenside bunker and then 3-putt yet again!
Despite the horrendous results, I was still having fun. The people I was playing with were good playing partners and we were having a good time. Perhaps because of this, I made a remarkable turnaround, beginning with hole #13. This is a 151-yard par-3 that I nailed off the tee with the 8-iron. I had a long lag putt and put it within 4 feet. However, I burned the edge on the par putt once again and took bogey! My partners could not believe my misfortune! I joked that I could absolutely believe it – such was my fate when it comes to golf.
On hole #14, a short par-4, I hit the fairway with the 5-wood and then found the green with an 8-iron. From a great distance, I lagged my first putt close and this time, I finally drained a short par putt. Everybody let out a roar of approval. Now on hole #15, a 390-yard par-4, I pummelled a drive 290 yards deep and straight as an arrow. From 105 yards, I thinned a wedge shot through the green. No worries, as I flopped a downhill chip shot and drained another putt for my second consecutive par.
On hole #16, a par-4, I was right of the green after two shots. I pitched on and 2-putt for bogey. On hole #17, a short par-3, I hit a gap wedge below the hole. I gave the birdie putt a good try, but just missed, settling for a tap-in par. On the last hole of the day, a par-5, I hit a drive that was deep and straight. We saw the ball bounce two or three times and assumed everything was okay. When we drove up, it became apparent that I hit the ball too deep and that it bounced into a pond up ahead. I was forced to take a penalty stroke and drop behind the hazard. My third shot, from 200 yards away, was short of the elevated green. I messed up one pitch before making a good one, and finished up with two putts for a double-bogey.
In the end, I barely avoided reaching the century mark, with a score of 99. Most telling of all, 40 of those strokes were putts. My handicap factor jumped up another few tenths as well.
Score: 99
Putts: 40
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3
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