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snowman · #14 (**permalink**) 06-09-2007, 08:06 PM

Just back from Round 4 and it was an up and down round. Played a course called Nation that I had never played before. Lots of elevation changes at this course and tough greens. My 5w tee shots were (for the most part) excellent today, iron play was improved but my normally strong chipping/pitching and putting were rather average, bordering on poor. Carded an 98, a net 2 over, so although I am disappointed by some of the shots I missed, I scored pretty well for a course I have never seen before.

Here is the breakdown:

#1 Dog leg par 4, two well struck 7 irons and I am on the dance-floor looking at a birdie putt. Misjudge the slope of the green horribly, leave the 1st putt well short and a disappointing 3 putt gives me a bogie.

#2 Long par 4. Tee shot went OB right, but recover well with 2 well struck 5ws and a decent wedge shot, 1 putt for a double bogie 6.

#3 Downhill par 4. Absolutely cream my 5w off the tee and with the aid of the downhill fairway I manage 240 yards. Hit a delightful 9i to about 15 feet, just miss the birdie, but take a tap in par.

#4 Long par 3, miss green to the right, chip on and 2 putt for bogie.

#5 Dogleg Par 5, another nice tee shot puts me in great shape, another 5w and I am in wedge range, overcook the wedge, sending it 20ft over the flag, but 2 putt safely for the par.

#6 long par 4. Another cranked 5w, boy I am hitting well today, just miss the green with 2nd shot, chip on was terrible, way over hit, but maintain my composure and 2 putt for bogie.

#7 Double dogleg par 5. We came round the corner to the 7th and see that there is a long hold up. During the wait I somehow slip out of the zone that I was in and proceed to top a tee shot all of 40 yards. Recover my composure nicely and sit 3 with a view of the green. This is one of those annoying things I am sure you have all experienced, I hit my approach shot way better then I anticipated with the lie that I had and my shot sails over the green, chip on and proceed to 3 putt the green for a very disappointing 8. After recovering splendidly from the bad tee shot I end up with a triple due to hitting it too well and then terrible putting.

#8 Medium length par 3. I am now officially out of the zone. A topped 7w followed by a fat 8i and I am on the green in 3. As I struggle to shake my disappointment I again misjudge the speed on the tricky green and 3 putt for a horrific 6.

#9 Par 4. Gather myself for what is rapidly turning into a crisis and hit a great 5w right down the center and then just miss with another 5w off the deck, misjudge the chip and send it way past the flag. With the back to back 3 putts still fresh in my mind I manage to stay calm and 2 putt for a bogie.

48 on the front nine. Very pleased with a lot of my play in that 9 but holes 7 and 8 really spoiled what was beginning to be a very good score for me.

#10 Par 4. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. From the scorecard it looked like a simple dogleg left, so I hit a nice straight 7i right down the center. Unfortunately, this is not a simple hole, as I get around the corner I realize the green is 20 feet above the fairway, a very small landing area and severely sloped. Toyed with the idea of hitting a 7w up there, but shook it off and decided to lay up with a SW. Still distracted, thinking of how good my 3rd will have to be and if I have made the right choice I preceded to muff the SW shot into a creek. Take a drop and hit my 8i about halfway up the hill, chip on and then 1 putt for a very annoying 7.

#11 Par 4 (ravine at 210). Hit another beauty with the 5w. Have about 65 to the hole so out comes the sand wedge......DISASTER, hit it thin right over the green and into the trees. Luckily I find the ball and hit a great recovery shot out and onto the green and then 1 putt for a bogie. Leave the hole disappointed at the missed GIR, but relieved that on +1 went on my score.

#12 par 5. 5w deserts me, OB right, recover well though and end up on th green in 5, 1 putt for bogie.

#13 dogleg par 4. Hit a lovely 7w into a great position on the fairway and go for the green with a 6i, just miss hit it and it ends up in a bunker. Thin my bunker shot over the green. Instead of taking a minute to compose myself and breathe, I procede to the ball straight away and chilli dip my chip. Again I should have taken a step back but no I procede to send my next chip way past the flag and then 2 putt for a hugely annoying and disappointing 7.

#14 Slightly over hit tee shot, but on the green none the less, 2 putts for a good par.

#15 Par 5. Another pair of excellent 5w shots put me just ahead of the 150 to the green marker. Another huge hold up and again, I am out of the zone again and not only hit my 7i fat but hit my subsequent shot fat as well. I disappointedly chip on and 2 putt for a double bogie 7 that I feel should have been par at worst from where I was sitting on the fairway.

#16 Par 3. Another long wait and an atrociously struck iron shot puts me OB, I put the next ball on and 2 putt for double bogie.

#17 Par 4 up hill. Hit another 2 great 5w shots and then proceed to thin my chip shot over to the far side of the green. You guessed it a 3 putt and I am left shaking my head again.

#18 Short par 3. Hit my 8i onto the fringe, make a mess of my chip and then 2 putt for a bogie.

Back 9 50, total for 18 - 98.

Well, I did say to myself that a sub 100 round on a new course that looked to have tricky greens would be what I'd aim for, but after playing so well for almost all the round, I am a little disappointed to be honest. I only really had 3 blow ups hole where I did nothing right (8, 10, and 16), the other mistakes came in holes that I was playing rather well (7, 11, 13, 15, 17).

+ve's
- tee shots were excellent 10/13 fairways.
- 4 GIRS ( a new personal best) and and a bunch of just missed GIRs
- vastly improved iron play, just a few fatties/flubs
- sub 100 on a tricky new course, with a more knowledge of where and where not to land I would do a lot better next time.

-ve's
- Putting was very poor, had a number of par and birdie putts that I missed, putting alone could have had me close to the 90 threshold. Embracingly enough I actually practiced my putting this week as I recognize how weak it its and came away from the putting green with a lot more confidence in my stroke.

- Chipping was poor as well, a whole host of different misses. I shall be at the chipping green this week that is for sure.

- I let the long waits between shots and bad shots effect me. I need to be able to shake off stuff like that a lot better. Had I shook off some of the adversity and putted a bit better I could have broken 90 today.

THE QUEST CONTINUES.