Exactly one month since my last visit to Settlers' Ghost, I returned to see if I could improve on my score. I shot well the first time around, but a couple of bad moments turned a good score into one that was just okay. It was much the same the second time around. There were plenty of good shots, but a couple of unfortunate moments ended up producing the same score.
I drove the ball terribly the round before this one, but I knew what I was doing wrong. My test would come on the very first hole. The tee shot looks harder than it really is, as a couple of trees on the right side give the false impression that the fairway is tight. In reality, there's lots of room to miss on the right. I didn't need it though, as I striped my drive to the middle of the fairway. The key was getting more rotation on the back swing, so that I would return to square at the point of impact.
An imprecise approach shot resulted in bogey on hole 1, but I followed up with two consecutive pars. I hit a fantastic 5-wood off the tee on hole 2, a 200-yard par-3. A lovely 9-iron approach on hole 3 also found the green. Both birdie putts missed, but I was left with mere tap-ins for par.
Holes 4 and 5 were not good, and it was the driver that messed me up again. I was so focused on rotating during the back swing, that I may have overdone it. I lost control and was unable to make clean contact. The penalty was worse on hole 4, as my ball finished in some long grass just ahead of the teeing ground. It took two hacks to get out of there, and that was with an 8-iron. I finished the hole with a triple-bogey. It really only cost me one stroke on hole 5, which ended with a double-bogey. I made an adjustment with the driver and was fine for the rest of the round.
I used 5-wood off the tee on hole 6, an uphill par-4, which put me on track for par. Hole 7, a short par-3 over water, produced another par. This was the best chance at birdie so far, but it didn't drop. Hole 8, a par-5, was the next chance to use driver and it worked out well. My third shot was from an impossible stance, with the ball at knee level. Nevertheless, I made bogey. A more subtle stance issue on hole 9, resulted in a penalty stroke. From 120 yards away with the ball slightly below my feet, I thinned a wedge shot into a pond fronting the green. Double-bogey was all I could salvage, for a score of 45 at the turn.
I started the back nine going bogey, double-bogey, bogey. The bogeys came on par-5 holes that run parallel to each other. Hole 10 plays substantially uphill, while hole 12 is the opposite. I burned a shot on the former getting back to the fairway after a drive that missed left. On the latter, my approach from 140 yards went over the green. In between these holes was a par-3. My tee shot found a bunker, which we all know give me problems. I made it out with one shot, but rolled off the other side of the green. A chip and two putts finished off the double.
Holes 13 through 15 resulted in par, par, par. The first of these is a short dogleg par-4. 5-wood, 8-iron got me safely to the green. After a lengthy lag, I tapped in for par. The next is a 180-yard par-3. The flag was at the front of the green, so I opted for 6-iron. It was the perfect choice, finishing flag high in the fringe, on the low side of the hole. After a firm uphill lag, I tapped in again. Hole 15 is a 561-yard par-5. Driver, 3-wood carried me within 60 yards of the flag. I pitched on and 2-putt for the simple par.
I finished the round going double-bogey, bogey, bogey. Hole 16 is a 152-yard par-3. My tee shot missed slightly right, bouncing off a mound and trickling into the woods. I was forced to take a penalty stroke. I wasted a shot near the green on hole 17, but then 1-putt to save the bogey. Hole 18 is a downhill par-4 with woods on both sides of the fairway. I nailed the fairway with my drive and made a good approach to just in front of the green. The flag was way at the back, however. Despite a good chip shot, I couldn't get up and down for par. My putt stopped 2 inches short of the hole.
Overall, 89 ain't bad. I'm glad to break 90 again. Let's see if I can start a new sub-90 streak.
Score: 89
Putts: 35
Fairways: 4
Greens: 7
Penalties: 2
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