I played Rebel Creek for the second time this year, and the result was great. For one thing, I matched my season low with a score of 83. I've only gone lower than that four times in my golf history, so it was a good round for me. It could easily have been a score of 81, if not for an unfortunate shot on the very last hole. If a couple of lipped out putts had dropped, it could have even been a 79.
We teed off around midday, starting on the back nine. Hole 10 is a 493-yard, downhill-par-5. I used the downhill to pound a 308-yard drive to the middle of the fairway. My 5-iron missed the green, but I pitched on and 2-putt for par. I took a double-bogey on hole 11, a par-3, as my tee shot was short and left. When I tried to pitch on from the dry bare ground, my club head slid right under the ball, sending it into a bunker. I recovered with another par on hole 12, a par-4. Following a drive that found the fairway, I nailed the green with a 7-iron.
Hole 13 is a challenging par-4. My second shot was a 4-iron from the fairway that rolled off the right side of the green. I hit a good chip, leaving an uphill putt for par, but burned the edge for bogey. Hole 14 is another tricky par-4. There's a forced carry over water off the tee, while the green is pinched between woods and more water. I pulled my approach shot ever so slightly into the woods and had to take a penalty stroke. I made a decent chip next, but still needed two putts to hole out for double-bogey. Hole 15 resulted in bogey, after an imprecise approach with the lob wedge. I took too much off the swing and came up short.
Holes 16 through 18 produced, par, bogey, and par. To be honest, they should have all been pars. On the first of these, a short par-3, I got up and down from just left of the green. On hole 17, a par-4, I played a perfect 5-iron to lay up off the tee. This left a 145-yard shot over a marshy area to a green tucked on the right side. I hit a lovely 8-iron to the edge of the green, level with the back pin. The greens at Rebel Creek were fast, and I faced a downhill breaking putt for birdie. I judged it near perfectly, but burned the edge of the cup and rolled well past. The next putt was uphill, so I could hit it firmly. Unfortunately, the result was a 180 degree lip out. Hole 18 is a par-5 with may elevation changes. I navigated it well from start to finish for the par. My score at the turn was 43.
The front nine was something special, until the last two holes. Hole 1 is a 575-yard par-5 that's also downhill. My drive travelled 345 yards to the centre of the fairway. From there, I hit sand wedge, sand wedge to reach the green in regulation. This was followed by a 2-putt for par. Hole 2 is a long par-4 to an elevated green. My second shot was short of the green. I made a good pitch shot, but couldn't convert the putt and took bogey. Fortunately, I got another par on hole 3. The flag was at the front of the green on this 168-yard par-3. I hit a 7-iron behind the flag, then slid past the hole on my downhill birdie attempt.
I don't talk much about birdies on this blog, because they happen so rarely. However, I collected two of them over the next four holes, and it could easily have been three. On hole 4, a par-4, my drive finished in the right rough, in an area where the fairway narrows. From 105 yards, I hit a sand wedge that finished four feet left of the flag. Sweet! I then drained the putt. I messed up my drive on hole 5, which ultimately lead to bogey. On hole 6, I striped my drive to the centre of the fairway. Again, I hit a pure sand wedge from 105 yards, finishing four feet right of the cup. Chalk up another birdie. On hole 7, my second shot was a lob wedge from a fairway bunker. It finished flag high, maybe eight feet from the hole. I hit such a great putt, but it lipped out and I had to settle for par.
I was even par on the front nine, but next came the final two holes of the day. Hole 8 is a 150-yard par-3 to a green wedged between an angled creek and some big mounds. I seem to find a way to hit my tee shot into the creek every time, and this was no exception. My 8-iron went straight, but a little left of my intended target. It hit the embankment and bounced left into the penalty area. After a penalty and drop, I sculled my chip shot. I did well to 2-putt, but it was for double-bogey.
I don't lament that hole too much; I just hit a couple of imprecise shots. I do lament what happened on hole 9, an uphill par-5. My drive found the fairway, and my second shot finished a yard into the right rough, 75 yards from the green. The last time I played the hole, I birdied it by getting up and down from that exact position. This time, the course was much more dry, and the rough was more like a bare patch of dirt. I sculled a lob wedge straight across the entire green. I had all the green to work with, as the flag was at the front, but the green was falling away from me and it was very speedy. I chipped to the top of a ridge, thinking the slope would take the ball the rest of the way to the hole. Well, it did that, and then some! The ball rolled clear off the green and down a slope another 8 yards. I used the putter to get on the green from that position, then hit two official putts to take a double-bogey. Given where I was after two shots, that should have been an easy par.
Score: 83
Putts: 30
Fairways: 10
Greens: 7
Penalties: 2
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