Round 1: April 2007.
Conditions - light rain.
Well the snow has all gone, the tee boxes and greens look pretty decent for this time of year but this one was a wet one, some of the fairways were saturated, some greens had winter kill, some are lush, some are dry. This was to be interesting day for sure.
Step up to the 1st tee of the year and due to my other commitments, this ball is going to be the first golf ball I have stuck since November of last year. I was to hit first, I took a deep breath to rid myself of all the nightmare scenarios.
#1 Par 5: 500 yards - stay smooth man, just get it in play, 5 wood...THWACK! a beauty, right down the centre of the fairway, 200 yards, WOW! Is this the season my game catches fire? Another good 5 wood shot leaves me with 120 yards but my iron shot is way off, a misdirected pitch shot and duffed chip and a tricky couple of putts and I escape with a 7.
#2 Par 4 367 yards - Lying 3 just off the back of the green I hit a lovely chip that nearly dropped for a par, knock in the bogie and it's off to #3.
#3 Par 4 376 yards - Hit a huge pull with my second shot, in real trouble but hit a beautiful lob wedge over a greenside tree and onto the green, 2 putts for a bogie 5, "this is going pretty well" I tell myself as I headed to the 4th tee.
#4 Par 3 166 yards - Now par 3s are my weakness, I don't hit my
irons very far, e.g. I hit my 7i about 140. I don't tend to hit the long
irons that well so I decide on a gentle 7w. I make a very nice swing and naturally it airmails the green, "oh well" I thought, "I've avoided the pond so a chip and a putt for par". Now I already mentioned the varying green conditions? Like a fool I walk around the green to get to my ball and since everyone else missed the green I have no idea that it isn't bone dry like the last one, it's actually very soft, the result? my bump and run comes up about 18 feet short. 18 feet, downhill left to right slope, "get it close man, just don't shoot it straight off the front of the green". I gave it a knock, and it ran right down my intended line and into the cup for a par! SWEET!
#5 Par 5 501 yards - As I walked to the 5th tee box I could almost hear the adoring gallery still cheering wildly after that par save, however my daydream was suddenly snapped as I duff my tee shot to a spot all of 50 yards away. A couple of good fairway wood shots and another lovely pitch with the lob wedge and another 1 putt and I am able to escape with a 6.
#6 Par 4 320 yards - A dogleg left. Another poor tee shot followed by a very nice recovery sets me up nicely but bonehead here screws up an easy pitch shot and come away with a disappointing double bogie on a very straight forward hole.
#7 Par 3 165 yards - Damn, why are there never any 130 yard par 3s around when I need them? Decide on the 4 hybrid and hit a huge push, luckily for me there is bailout area to the right. Grab my trusty lob wedge and hit another beauty over a bunker to a tucked pin to 2 feet. Tap in par. The golf Gods must have something for me later after that one, boy I hope they don't punish me too severely.
#8 Par 4 346 - nice tee shot but get greedy an put myself in a heap of trouble, a duffed pitch and chip leave me with 1 good 12 feet for bogie. Step up, see the line, hit it and into the cup....what is wrong with me, that was too easy.
#9 Par 4 371 yards - decide to take the driver out of the bag for the first time this year. Massive push-slice, put the driver back, will need to reconvene a meeting with the driver at a driving range in the near future. Again, I manage to get myself out of danger with a safe 7i and 2 putt for a bogie.
FRONT 9 - 45!!!! Wow, maybe the quest for 80-something will be ended today?????
#10 Par 4 351 yards – tee shot sails into a fairway bunker, “no matter just grab the PW and get her back in play”, I tell myself. Well that attitude is fine but one has to look ahead at the landing area instead of just focusing on the ball in the bunker. I hit it absolutely flush and the look on in horror as upon landing it takes two hops and into a creak. An 8i would have put me over the creak and in prime position. Limp away with a 7 on this hole, kicking myself for being so short sighted.
#11 Par 4 – 378 yards - good tee shot, decide not to be aggressive with the 200 yards left to the green, easy lay up to 100 yards and hit a very nice shot onto the green. Again, though I waste what was a really well struck shot by again being rather short sighted, I now face a very tricky downhill putt where if I have been more savvy I could have hit 1 club less and had a go at par. 3 putt ensues and I start to think that the golf Gods really were just toying with me on the front 9.
#12 par 3 158 yards – Hmm decisions decisions, its too short for the 7w and I pushed the 4h way right on the last par 3, haven’t hit my 4 or 5 iron at all yet, big pond in front and around the right side of the green. Decide on the 4h and try and do all in my power to avoid a big push. Result, a big push, SPLASH. Trusty lob wedge puts me close though and very unlucky with the putt for bogie, plod to the next tee after carding a 5.
#13 par 4 352 yards – “got to get it back, played well but not spectacular on the front 9, I can get that form back, surely I can”, I say to myself at the 13th tee. The pep talk doesn’t work, however as I smother my tee shot into some rough 50 yards away. Now if you are still awake you will recall that I like to play out of trouble with a safe short iron and get it back in play as soon as possible. Last time I tried this I didn’t take into account just exactly where I was laying up to, won’t make that mistake again will I…..WRONG, hit another beauty out of the tall grass but too far and into a bunker. Won’t do that a 3rd time now will I…..WRONG, hit another well struck shot but instead of onto the apron of the green I put it right into a greenside bunker. In each case I was unaware of just how far my iron shot would go. Finally get the hole finished and after totting up the strokes I card a snowman 8.
#14 par 4 353 yards - tee shot lost in the woods, but a couple of nice iron shots and I escape with a double bogie (could have been a lot worse). It dawns on me as I head to the 15th tee that I am now going to struggle to break 100 rather than the 90.
#15 par 3 201 yards – duffed 5 wood and then a 7w over the green, tricky lie in the woods but a miraculous chip ensues I escape with a 5. This round is going down the toilet.
#16 par 5 480 yards – a decent drive and a series of good 7i’s and I’m on the green in 4, 2 putts and a bogie on the card is a welcome after what had preceded it.
#17 par 3 174 yards – this distance should be prime for my 7w but my excitement gets the better of me and another duff leaves me in a spot of trouble. A well struck iron shot gets me back in it but I make right mess of the putts and card a double bogie 5.
#18 par 5 511 yards – Yay, the tee shot is back, and good patient play with the
irons and a wedge puts me on the dance floor in 4. Cozy the first putt up to the hole and hole out for a bogie 6.
BACK 9 – 54 for a total of 99 (which becomes an 98 as we use equitable stroke control here in Canada, at this course my course handicap will not let me card more than a triple bogie). Not bad for 1st game of the season, but after a good front 9 that I feel could have been even better the back 9 was very disappointing. Still, I enjoyed myself and took away a few lessons.
+ves
Short game was excellent especially the lob wedge.
Tee shots on the front 9 put me in great position.
Managed a 45 for 9 without playing really well
-ves
Iron play was pretty streaky
Need to survey all possibilities when laying up out of trouble
Back 9 collapse
Handicap went up from 24.3 to 25.1 as a 91 dropped out of the last 20 rounds played.
I WILL BREAK 90, it’s just a matter of time…..STAY TUNED