Starving Crazed Weasels, June

Smaller turnout of 11, but that is all good...will be that way sometimes.

Actually had a pretty soft starting table. I did have Kev to my left...he has become one of my toughest opponents. But next to him was Amy, playing for the second time, to her left Tess, also playing for the second time, Then Rick, playing for about the 4th time. So really, a good table to play ABC poker...fold a lot, raise my good hands, and so forth. In fact, I think only twice at that table did I get to the showdown with second best hand; once when we had an All-in and checked it down, once when I checked after the flop and she never bet.

Started nicely with pocket Queens, raised, couple callers, flop small and ragged, raised, they folded. I showed.

I wanted them to have in their minds that I always had the best hand so wanted to show a lot of strong hands. 

Played a few small hands and won them. Meanwhile, Kev kept getting rivered by his sisters. In one hand he flopped 2 pair, bet to the river and lost when Tess hit the straight on the river...but was also beat because Amy hit  Flush on the same card.

I was hitting a lot of hands but nothing memorable, so I played and won about 8 or 10 hands and had a nice stack. 

Got to the final table and now it was getting ugly. Had Josh to my left..I want him on my right. To his left was Tim, then Tess, then Amy, then Rick, then Phillip, then Ken. So I had Phillip and Ken to my right and Josh and Tim to my left. I was not happy.

I put out Tess when she had few chips and I paired, and the very next hand put out Tim when he had less than the small blind. 

I had a nice chip lead, but then came an ugly hand. I had A/10, raised.Ken called. Flop was rainbow, small cards. Ken checked, I raised, he almost folded, then said, "I don't like calling on outs, but I am going to. He called.  Turn put a second Heart on the board, he called my raise. River was another Heart. He checked, I read him as having hit his draw and checked behind. He was bummed I checked and flipped up the King/2 of Hearts. He hit runner runner to take 3K from me. That hurt.

Josh took out Phillip and was climbing the chip board.

I got little bits back from Ken a couple times.

Amy was next to fall and then Rick, who was tired, went to the river on a hand he normally would fold and Josh took him out. Uh-oh, both Ken and Josh have lots of chips and we are down to final three.

I had A/8 spades, raised. 3 handed, that is pretty good. Ken called. Flop was ragged, a couple Spades. I raised, he called. . Turn was a blank, raise/call. River gave me the flush, I raised him all in, he called with...2 pair maybe?

Down to Josh and I. I had maybe a 2 to 1 chip lead and the advantage of being in Josh's head. Picked up A/2 Diamonds first hand. Raised. He hesitated, was going to fold, then called. Flop was ragged, no help, just one Diamond. I raised. He called pretty quick. I was done with the hand. Turn was 5 Diamonds. Hmm. I raised to keep control of the hand. He snap-called. River...another Diamond. I river-ratted him. How to get the most out of him?

A quick glance at the pot told me it had more than he had left, I raised all-in, he called. He had the straight. I had the Flush. Back to back hands I put out 2 of the most dangerous players we had.

For the night, about everything went right. Not only did I pretty much only play good hands...those hands held up. Only once did I get crushed and that was a hand I felt Ken normally wouldn't (and shouldn't) have stayed on, but he had a couple back door draws on the flop and one came home so  I don't mind that at all. I played well and had good results. And a lot of fun,

Starving Crazed Weasels poker

I have not done one of these for a while. We decided more or less at the last minute to have a poker tournament Saturday. Actually, for some of us (read "me") it was last minute. Others had thought it was planned, so...well...

Going in my plan was to play pretty tight. Play top ten hands from early position, play a wider range from later. Pretty standard. I also planned a lot of raise-or-fold play. In other words, disciplined poker. 

Folded the first couple hands and then picked up pocket 7s from middle position. I will sometimes take a flyer on these hands and did on this one, planning to raise but Robin beat me to it. Cris and Tracy called, I called, Pete called. Flop was 10/something/10. Tracy raised. I almost called. This would test how I was playing.

When I am playing poorly, I will call here trying to get lucky and planning to simply tighten up if I lose the hand and win with solid poker. But getting lucky is not playing skillfully. It is deliberately playing in situations where you should not and trying to, instead of win by skillfully getting your chips in good, trying to win from behind. 

I folded. Turn was another 10. D'oh! I would have had a full house. But there was heavy betting with Robin leading out, Cris and Tracy calling. At the showdown, Robin had pocket 6s for a full house. Cris had pocket 7s (my hand was dead...) and Tracy holding the case 10. She had quads. Nice.

Folded a few hands, then came one of the key hands of the night.

 2/4 of diamonds on the button. About 5 people had limped so the circumstances were perfect to play this hand; get out cheap if I miss the flop, if I hit it I should pick up a nice chunk. But then something happened. Pete raised to 250 from the small blind.

Pete is a good player but struggles with this League because he relies a lot on 2 things: 1, people understanding what bets mean and 2) bluffing to pick up pots. 

Problem is, many of the players in this league don't understand what raises mean. They have no idea about relating raise sizes to the blinds and/or other people in the pot, when a raise means something and when it doesn't. But that is a minor problem. Actually, it means when you have a good hand you should rake a nice pot because people are not scared away by the bets. It is not uncommon for people to call over pot-sized bets (or, for that matter, to make those bets in the first place) nor to see people fold to minimum bets with dozens of blinds in the pots after the river.

In this league, bluffing is French for "giving away your chips to anyone with even a weak pair or two high cards". With that element removed from his game it is much tougher for him. This is not a knock, simply a recognition that his style of play and this league's style of play do not mesh well.  When he learns to mix up his play he will do very well.

You can, if not outright win, at the very least finish top 2 or 3 every month simply by playing A-B-C poker. Fancy plays, check-raises, value bets...these nuances are too advanced for most of the players in the League at this point, though there has been incredible and vast improvement.

Anyway, when he raised, that SHOULD have driven out almost everyone. A big raise from late is supposed to indicate a strong hand

Instead all but one called so I was priced in. In position with a weak drawing hand, true...but I could get out after the flop easily. Besides, I know Pete will often raise like that trying to steal small pots like this one where lots of people limped.

Except there was no need for me to get out, it was a dream flop. 2/2/j rainbow. How to get the chips in the pot? Pete bet 500 , Cris and Tracy called. I wanted to keep people in so I did not re-raise and just smooth called. 

Turn was a 6 of one of the suits, I think hearts. Now with possible straight and flushes on the board, checked to me, I raised. I wanted to charge people for staying with horrific back-door draws. It is not unusual to see people needing runner-runner stick around. Pete, Cris and Tracy all called. River was a blank. I raised it to 1000 or so. Pete called with a look on his face that let me know he was irritated and knew he was beat but had a hand he could not lay down.  Cris called all-in and Tracy called. I showed the trips. Pete showed pocket Kings and Cris showed top two pair.

Now I was sitting pretty. We start with just 3000 and I already had almost 11K. 

Hit a ht streak, won 2 or 3 consecutive small pots. Had no hand for one hand and someone went out. Boo, I needed points and needed to take people out. *sigh*

Folded (!) to me about 1 to the right of the button. I had 2/7 of Hearts, lots of chips. I thought it would be funny to raise. At this point the blinds were 50/100 so I raised to 300. Pete was down to 650 and went all-in. Folded back to me.

I had been raising frequently, though every other time I raised I legitimately had good hands. I did not want people to think I was raising with junk. How to either call or fold without destroying the table image I had been working to develop?

Aha! "I was just raising to be funny that time," I said. "I am thinking about calling because I think it is funny."

Actually, I was planning calling because I knew Pete had a super-wide range of hands he would make that move with. With only 650, he wanted a heads-up pot and there were only the blinds and I to force out. I had been raising a lot so he knew my raising range was wide. That meant any pair, any Ace, any two face cards, and maybe even something like J/10. 

I know I am all but dead to any pair but against the rest of his hands I am 60-40 and something about his raise did not feel like a pair. It felt like a desperation, lower-end of his range, somewhat on tilt all-in.  So I was actually figuring it for a coin flip and I will take that kind of chance to put a dangerous player out. And at worst, he would double up and be having fun which is something I want everyone to do at these things.

He made it easy. "With the blinds, you are priced in."

He was right. His 650 , the blinds, and my initial raise meant I now needed to call 350 to win 1100, more than 3-1 and I believed I was only a 3-2 dog. I called. 

He was right where I thought he might be, at the low end of his range of all-in hands, A/9. He was still the favorite, but I had two live cards. 

And I hit the 7. 

To this point I had been red-hot, picking up hand after hand. Now I went card dead and just at the wrong time. I needed points to catch Kevin and Josh in the standings. To get points I needed to finish well and take out lots of people.

Instead I had to sit there folding as Phillip, Tracy, and Rick went out. Then Joe went out. Then Emily and Robin in the same hand. My stack was blinding down and I was getting no cards. We were down to the final 9. Eric had a huge stack, Kevin had almost as much, and I was way behind them in third.

Bad part is, I was tilting and I knew it. Every hand was taking forever. I could tell certain people were going to fold before the action ever got to them, but they would sit there and ponder their move for 3 or 4 minutes every time. And with 3 people at the table doing that, it got real boring real fast. This is not a super serious league as a general rule. We like to keep it fast-paced. Instead it was sooooooooooo slooooooooooooow. I was trying to get myself out. But I wanted to do it on a good hand.

Picked up Jacks. Raised, everyone but Josh folded. Flop was ragged, 10/6/2 rainbow. I bet the pot. He looked like he was going to fold, then called. I should have gotten suspicious as that is a pretty reliable tell but I missed it.

Turn was a King, I checked, he checked. 

River was a blank, I bet enough to put him all in, he called. He had a 6/10.

yes, Josh, the guy I think is usually a real good player called a healthy raise with 6/10. He later admitted he only did it because he had not played a hand for a while and it was his big blind.

Anyway, that hurt. 

A few hands later I had j/9 on the button. About 4 people limped, I limped, big blind checked. Flop was Q/J/4, all Hearts. My 9 was a heart. I had middle pair, enough chips left to be dangerous, and a mediocre flush draw. I went all in. 

And promptly got called by Kevin, Eric, and Josh. Uh-oh, I was dead. No way was middle pair any good against three callers, especially with Eric being one of them. He is a very conservative player. Josh will take a flyer trying to get me out and Kevin will call with a wide range of hands when he has a lot of chips, but Eric? No, one of them for sure, probably two of them already had me beat.

Turn was a blank. River was a blank. I reluctantly showed my measly pair of jacks...and it was the winning hand. What? Well, one had A/K, one had a King high flush draw, the other had I think a straight draw? Anyway, it never hit any of them and Jacks were the best hand. 

Ironically, I now had over 13K, more than at any other point in the game. 

Josh was crippled and soon taken out. Down to Amy, Kevin, Eric and I. I really needed to outlast Kevin as I was pretty sure I now had enough points to overtake Josh as I was only 100 points behind him when the night started and with 17 people, that meant I was scoring well. 

Poor Amy was pretty out-classed. It was her first time ever playing the game and she was hitting a lot of hands that she might not have been in had she known the game better. I was excited for her to have done so well, but now that it was just some of the tougher players left, she was intimidated and ended up going out when her pocket Aces got beaten by Erics' two pair.

And then something funny happened. I got a J/10, raised, flopped a straight. Kevin and Eric stayed with me right to the river and I tripled up. I was now sitting on over 25K.

And then Kevin went all-in on a gut-shot straight draw when I had trips. I took him out.

Eric is a solid, A-B-C player. He also is super easy to read if you pay attention. Example:earlier, Rick had limped in. Eric looked at his chips. Blinds were 50/100. He had no 100s, so he just tossed a 500 out there which we allowed as a raise. Rick reluctantly showed me his hand, K/J Hearts as he folded. 

"Should have called, you have a better hand than he does." Sure enough, flop came Jack high and Eric now made change and bet 200.

"Told you," I said to Rick. "You had him right there." After the river betting I told Rick, "He was afraid of the Jack. He had some pair lower than that and wanted to bet but was afraid of that."

Sure enough, later Eric told me he had tens on that hand.

It was a good hand to raise, but not to raise to 500 with blinds at 50/100. He made that raise not because he had a good hand but because he had a hand he wanted to play and did not want to make change. After the flop, he wanted to make a continuation bet but when he made change he might as well have flipped his cards up. 

Now that it was he and I, I went to town. Three times I did not even bother to look at my cards, just watched him. If he hesitated I knew he had a weak hand and bet. Once, ironically, I did not look at my cards and limped in. He checked. Flop came A/K/something. I bet, he folded. Looked at my cards...A/K. Awesome. Not that it mattered, I was playing him not the cards.

But the patter was set. Any time I had a pair I bet. He folded. Any time he checked, I bet. If he bet....well, he didn't. Soon I had the chip lead. Soon I had the game. 

I played really well at first. I made good reads, made the correct play, maximized my winnings and minimized my losses. When I went on tilt, I still played well. I only played hands that had a chance of winning...other than the one semi-bluff that inexplicably won.

Once I got down to three people I knew I had a real good shot at winning. I picked my spots, built my stack, and ended up winning for the first time this year after a 3rd, an 11th, a 2nd, and I think a 4th. 

Oh, and for the record? Because Kevin had been in first place, I got 20 for taking him out instead of 10...and in the current standings I am ahead by 10 points. Awesome.

Starving Crazed Weasels March

Had not been playing very well. I play so rarely any more that I started playing like a maniac. Stay in until the river hoping for that miracle card, that sort of stuff. So this month I decided to play well just to see if I could. Nice turnout.

Had Tracy to my right, then Phillip, then someone, then Emily, then Shelli, to my left Rick and then Chad. Fun table.

About 2 hands in picked up pocket 10s. Raised. 2 callers. Flop saw an Ace, a raise and call ahead of me. Lately, I would have played it hoping to turn a set. This time I folded.

A few hands later picked up pocket Jacks. Raised, couple callers. Flop was A/K/10. Heavy action, again I folded instead of justifying the loose call with hope for a set or straight. I was playing well.

Picked up Big Slick, raised, couple callers. Flopped an Ace and a couple diamonds. Pushed it, took down nice pot.

A/J, raise, hit the Jack, took down smaller pot.

Took down a couple pots here and there, lost very little. Got up a small amount, picked up the Cowboys, raised it.

Flop was ragged, Queen high. I raised it and Emily came over the top. Now, I taught her how to play and I know how she plays. There are really only two times she does that; one, if she has something like A/Q and wants to chase out stuff like pocket jacks or draws, and when she is on a pure bluff...which she has only done once. Anyway, there was no way I was getting away from this. I also thought she might have Aces.

Whoops. She had pockets. Not Aces though...worse. Pocket Queens. Which means she had a set. I was drawing mighty thin, about 5% (21-1). Turn was a blank. I was going to be out early for the third month in a row.

Except the river was a King.

Suddenly I was chip lead. Caught a hot streak.

Started trying to put people out. And twice people hit runner-runner to stay in. No big deal.

Rest of the night was just a succession of raise with good cards, fold bad ones until Phillip came calling.

He completed from the small blind and I checked. Heads up, I had an A/4. Flop was a blank. He raised, I called. He will often raise trying to drive people out with weak hands and if they call, just try to check it down. Sure enough, he checked the turn and river so I bet enough to put him all in.

He correctly said I was bluffing, but he was low and did not want to go out with such a weak hand. He showed what he was folding...2/3. He had a pair of 2s and would have beat me. We both read each other correctly but I went with my gut and he didn't.

Lo and behold, we got down to kevin and I. He was more aggressive than I have ever seen him and, since Em and I had to leave and because I love to see flops, I basically called every hand and he took me to the cleaners. He badly outplayed me and deserved the win. But I was happy, I played well except for the one hand against Emily. Other than that, I either got in good every time or read the person correctly.

Beacon Rock, Dec 6, 2008

Golfnow had a great price, the sun was out, the Goose wanted to study, I wanted to golf...so off I went.

Hole one has a slight right bend, trees along the right, open to the left.  I slapped it about 250 yards, ended up curving around the trees and along the right-center of the fairway. A nice chip, 2 putt, PAR. Nice start.

Hole 2 has a bend left at about the 125 from green mark, a 285 yard hole. About a 240 yard drive left me about 60 yards off the green after I faded right. I hit the front of the fringe and 3 putted for bogey. 

Hole 3 is a 150 yard straight par 3. Well, except the trees that overhang both sides. So keep it low and go straight or, like me, ramp up an 8 iron, get under it, and end up about 10 yards short. My chip left some work to be done, 2-putt, bogey.

Hole 4 is a Par 5, 391 yards so not especially long. I lost sight of my first shot, was pretty sure it was along the right side, maybe just into the sparse trees. Never found it. Technically, I should have re-teed. Instead, I backed off to about the 200 yard marker and dropped in the rough. Not officially correct, definitely Drew correct. 7 wood was a few yards short of the green. Chip was weak, 2 putt. I counted the drop for a 6, bogey.

Hole 5 There is water, but no way to tell how far away. Well, there is one way...shorten your swing and put your drive into it. Re-tee, crushed it. It is a 467 yard hole and I was about 135 off the green, well over the water. An 8-iron got me close, 1 putt PAR even after the penalty!

Hole 6Par 4, 316 yards, water down the right side, trees close on the left. I was right of the water. About 100 yards, took a gap wedge, landed short, chipped on, 2 putt, bogey.

Hole 7, par 4, 345, trees left, trees, water and houses right. Sliced a bit, but still had a clean look at the elevated green. Did not want to be short, added a club, skulled it, over green to the back fringe. Chip was wimpy (notice a trend?), 2 putt, bogey.

Hole 8, 134 yard par 3. My pitching wedge is my 135 yard club. Yet I left it short. My chip barely got on the green, 2 putt, bogey. 

Hole 9 starts tight but opens up, a 333 yard par 4. However, if you go right on the tee shot, a large oak overhangs the right side of the green. I crushed the drive about 250 yards, shanked my chip over the tree, then barely chipped onto the green, 2 putt. 

43 for the front, I was pretty happy with that. I thought I was playing poorly; my drive was all over the place, my chipping was short, short, short, short...but averaging 2 putts per hole covers a lot of errors.

The back plays slightly different as they change I think 3 tee boxes. Hole 10, though, is just playing hole 1 again.

This time I sliced and ended up where I was worried about hitting a tree on my back swing, even though about 20 practice swings showed I had lots of room. I actually whiffed on the ball I was worrying so much about hitting the tree. I did not count the stroke since I did not hit the ball, don't know the "official" rules and was playing Weasel golf. Then I shanked the shot right of the green. A short chip left me a make able putt which I left short. Bogey.

Hole 11 Par 4 I was worried about my driver, you don't want to go too far, so I pulled out my beloved 7 wood. And promptly chunked it about 130 yards and right, leaving myself a 160 yard shot. For some inexplicable reason, I whipped out my 8 iron instead of my 5 or 6. In a shock to, well, nobody, that left me short. Tired of landing short, I chipped over the green for variety. Back onto the green, 2 putt, a 6. My first big number. 

Hole 12, the 150 yard par 3. I aired it out, thought it was great, but ended up about 6 yards short. Nice chip for a change, about a 5' putt for PAR.

Hole 13 This time they changed the tee box, making in a 338 yard hole and the hardest on the course. I clipped it, pulling a ground ball left about 80 yards. I declared a Mulligan. I re teed. Well into the trees. Ironically, could not find the 80 yard grounder, but the tree one I found. Sand Wedge back onto the fairway...except short, so in the rough. Chip to fringe, putt from fringe, then 1 putt. Bogey.

Hole 14 A 501 yard par 5. I crushed my drive, clearing the water. Then I hit my 7 wood, pin high but right. Chipped on to about 6'. Missed the birdie, got the PAR.

Hole 15 7 Wood, slightly teed. Went too far right and short. 160 yards out, pulled out my 5 iron. Splash in the lake I thought was past the hole. Drop. Aimed left, waited for wind to die, which was pretty strong by now, 5 iron aimed left...thought it was water again. Upset, pulled my 8 iron, powered it up, landed about 4' short on the fringe. Went to see if I could recover either ball. The first one was gone, but did find my second. Chip was nice, putt lipped out, so a 2 putt a 7. Another big number. Ouch.

Hole 16 The tee box was moved back, making it a 425 yard par 5. With the wind, I teed lower and crushed the drive. Unfortunately, I was playing it to slice so I powdered a tree. It bounced left into a marshy area. No problem, line of sight to the elevated green, 7 wood distance. And my 7 wood I hit so bad my divot ended up 45 degrees left of my line of sight, the shot went about 40 yards. Now 85 yards out. Gap wedge. BAM! Smack into a tree, bounced onto fairway about 45 yards away. Now, that means I SHOULD use my Sand Wedge, but I don't trust it. 8 iron, hit to the right fringe. Used putter, got close, 1 putt, saved a bogey. This hole could easily have been a big, big number, maybe even double digits but I kept my head, didn't get upset, and made something out of nothing. And had I aimed slightly right, missed those trees, I would have had a great shot at an Eagle because that drive was as hard hit as any I hit all day. See hole 18 for why that matters.

Hole 17 133 or 134 yards. The wind scared me. Teed my 8 Iron low to the ground. Moved the ball forward. Aimed about 20 yards right of the green. Skied the ball. Almost hit the 9th/18th hole tee box about 40 yards left of the green. Spectacular chip, about a 6' putt that rolled in. PAR.

Hole 18 I CRUSHED my drive. 284 yards. I walked it off. I then managed to watch my modified 8 iron roll over the green. And weakly chip. And my par putt lipped...hung...and rolled out. Bogey.

44 for the back. Not bad. 

An 87. I am ecstatic with that. A course I have never played before, Rated 67.4 with a slope of 107 (as if I know what those mean...)

Glendoverr, 10/25

Kyle and I had been wanting to golf together for a while, so off we headed to Glendoveer. 18 holes, walking. My goal for the day was to break 100, something I have never done for 18.

First hole is a short, 275 yard par 4 with an elevated green, sand short and right. I had a nice 240 yard drive, pitched on, 2 putt for par. Good start. Kyle went way right with his drive and struggled, finally taking a snowman. Ouch.

The second hole is also short, about 242 yards with sand in front and to both sides of the green. I had maybe a 200 yard drive, another pitch, 2 putts, par. Kyle also scored a par on this hole, which was cool. 

3 is a tight fairway with some fairway bunkers and to a dropped green that has blind areas in front. I went right unfortunately far, had a great approach, 2 putt, par. Kyle also scored a par.

#4 is a 154 yard par 3 that is just short and straight. We both chunked our tee shots, it took 2 to get on, 2 putts apiece, a couple of bogeys. At this point I am pumped. 1 over after 4 holes is great for me.

#5 is where it gets tough. Both sides have trees that make the fairway tight. It is only 268 yards, but you cannot stray too far. Well, Kyle pulled out his 3-wood and said, "I am going to bounce it off that tree and be in the fairway." And promptly hit the very tree he pointed at and bounced back into the fairway. So I pulled my shot left, it would have been great except there was exactly one branch I could hit...and I did which knocked 40 yards off my drive. I was still in the fairway. Pitch, putt, putt. Par, Kyle not so good.

Hole #6 is a 357 yard par 4 that is again very tight. I had a complete meltdown. Poor drive, weak second shot, I think 5 to get on and a 3 putt. Suddenly my great round had a snowman. Poor Kyle did little better, scoring a 7.

Hole #7 is 335 yards and even tighter. I sliced and was behind some trees, but had a bead on the left side of the green. I punched out onto the green, 2 putt, par.

Hole #8 is 346 yards with a soft bend left. I yanked my drive badly left into the trees, punched out, hit the green from there and 2 putted to save a bogey.

Hole #9 is a 424 yard par 5 with the green guarded both sides by sand. Again I pulled left. My second shot I played my 7 wood and blasted it, a great shot that gave me a good look at the green. Unfortunately, my chip was short so I had to chip again, then 2 putted for a bogey to close the front out with a 43, including 5 pars, 3 bogeys, and the one quadruple bogey. 

I am pretty proud of that 43 as Glendoveer is a tough course for me and by hole 7 I was starting to feel fatigue as evidenced by my driver deserting me.

Meanwhile, Kyle shot a mighty fine 48 with 3 pars (including hole 9), 3 bogeys, a double, a triple, and a quadruple bogey.

#10 is only 265 with fairway sand right where you want to land. Before we could tee off, 2 guys asked if they could join us. We wanted to say no but couldn't. I do not play well with others. *sigh* I sliced, punched back into the fairway, chipped close, chipped to about 2 feet and 1-putted for a bogey. Kyle also bogeyed. 

#11 is a 372 yard par 4 with sand guarding both front sides of the green. Again Kyle and I both took bogeys. 

#12 is a 112 yard par 3 with water in front of the green. I hit just short of the green and it rolled back towards the pond but stayed just above the ater. Unfortunately, it was in front of a clump of grass and I had no footing. I decided to give a pretty good pop to the grass and overshot the green, which was tough because it is a pretty large green. A good chip left me about a 5' putt which I drained for a bogey. 

#13 is a 308 yard par 4 closely guarded by trees on both sides with sand in front of the green. My drive was not good...right and behind the trees. I tried to punch under the trees and over the sand...but hit the tree and bounced back into the sand. The sand for a different hole...well, I chipped out of the sand to about 5' from the cup and one-putt for par. 

#14 is a 340 yard down hill with trees both sides. I ripped my drive but far right. I still had a clear look at the green from about 136 yards out. But I shanked my 8 iron and ended up in some trees right of the green with a tiny window to the green which lay downhill with some rough ground between me and it and a sharp drop that made part of it blind. So I took a short swing with my 8 iron and landed about 2' from the cup and tapped in for par.

#15 is a457 yard slight left bend par 5. I scrabbled back from going way right to somehow reach the green in 3 and 2 putt for another par. I was on fire for me.

The next hole, #16 is only 383 yards but still a par 5.  I pulled my drive left. It was a ground ball we though went maybe fifty yards. Turned out to be about 150, crushed a 7 wood from a sidehill uphill lie to a blind fairway, 136 yards and was looking at an uphill shot with sand traps flanking both sides of the green.  8 Iron left me with a 10' downhill putt which skittered a good 6' past the hole. I managed to hit that to save par.

#17 climbs sharply, playing as 341 par 4 uphill. I hammed a 280 yard drive down the middle. Pulled out my gap wedge for the first time all day. Perfect choice, it landed pin high...but bounced way up the hill. I was maybe 15' from the cup and tried to hit a 3 foot putt. Ended up 10' below the cup it was that steep and that fast. My come back putt died on the lip and I went from a birdie attempt to a bogey. Aggh!

#18 is a 144 yard par 3 with sand in front on both sides and a warning; don't go above the flag as this one is badly slanted to the front. I promptly shanked my 8 iron about 5' above the pin and 30 yards right of the green, easily one of my 3 or 4 worst shots of the day. I had sand between me and the green and electrical wires in the way. Boo! Sand Wedge...straight into the sand. Blasted out of the sand to the far side of the oversize green. My putt coming back I aimed about 10' above the hole, laying about 25' to the side. And my putt HIT the hole! but rolled about 6' below it. I yipped that and finished with a 6. 

Still, with no big numbers on the back, I was only one shot worse, a 44. I had 3 pars, 5 bogeys, and the triple. So I shot bogey golf on the back which I am ecstatic about.

For the day I shot an 87. To be honest, there was one putt I joked around with and missed so I took 1 mulligan on the front. Other than that, completely legit score. An EIGHT-SEVEN!

I am pretty jacked about that. Kyle also played well, shooting a 45 on the back, or 2 shots better than the front to finish with a 93. For two hackers, that is outstanding. On 8 holes, or almost half, I had pars. I cannot tell you how happy I am with my round.

West Killarney

Went to West Killarney with 3 guys from work. John likes best ball and likes to win. Bill, by his own admission, is not very good. Dave and I shot about even last week. I don't care too much about winning, particularly best ball format, which I don't care too much for, so I said, "Me and Bill will make a team." This made John happy as he looked forward to an easy win.

First hole is a dog leg left. About a 180 yard drive gets you to the corner, 200 yards puts you behind a tree so you really need to be accurate. John hit a gorgeous drive, Bill faded right, Dave chunked badly, and I whipped out my 7 wood. And topped it, maybe 140 yards. Terrible...but Bill was behind a tree so we played mine. We went back and forth...took us 4 shots to get on the green and then we 2 putted. Played 3 of Bill's shots and 3 of mine. Dave and John took a 5 so we were down one. 

Hole 2 is another "target golf" thing...maybe 160 yards to get past a tree, 190 yards means you might be out of bounds. Short right is trees and canyon. Both Dave and John hit gorgeous, near perfect drives. Bill had a playable drive but to the green blind. I mis-hit my 5 iron, it never got higher than knee level and sliced...fortunately, that meant it was a perfect shot. Unfortunately, I then topped my 9 iron and it went maybe 5 yards? Brutal. Fortunately, Bill put us close to the green. We then both chipped over the green. Our chip back on was okay, we 2 putted. Again, 3 of my shots, 3 of Bill's, Dave and John again had a 5 so we were down 2 after 2. About right.

Hole 3 is a 95 yard par 3. Bill chunked it way short and right. I took a half swing with my 8 iron. However, I crushed it. We thought it was OB so we played Bill's. I then blasted my ball to who knows where. When we went to play his second we found my first. So we played that. I managed to get mine on the green. We played one of my putts and one of his. Dave & John also had a 4.

Next hole is a long par 4 that is tree lined on both sides. Bill hammered out a nice drive as did John. I tried my driver but was still using the new uni-height tees. Sky-ball slice. Brutal. 7 wood went nowhere, Bill had a nice hit if a bit right. We played my chip to the green and his putts. Another bogey, as did Dave & John. 

At this point I was extremely frustrated. I was trying to play relaxed, smart golf. I was underswinging, going with soft swings, and so forth. And I was chunk-chunk-chunking my shots. I took a ball I had found and baseballed it into the woods with my putter, went over and sat at the next tee bench.

The next hole is  the first par 5, about 475 yards. Bill hit a short shot, John hit a long one, Dave hit short, and as I got ready to swing, Bill said, "Drew is ready to unleash a legendary drive...of F-bombs."  I tried my driver with a normal tee. And CRUSHED it. It was about a 270 yard drive and right center of the fairway. I then blasted my 7 wood pin high. They reached the front fring in 3 and we were still farther then them after 2. Then John chipped to about 6" from the cup. I chipped to about 8', we 2 putted. We played 5 of my shots and got the par. Unfortunately, John's chip meant we were still down 2. 

The next hole is a 360 yard par 4 with trees tight to the fairway on both sides. John hammered a nice drive, Bill and Dave both sliced short and bad, and then I stepped up. I had to avoid the tree that inhibits a skied driver on the right so I aimed left. Again I absolutely crushed it. It blasted loose a small branch  and still landed dead center in the fairway 90 yards from the green. Bill chipped short and left, I chipped pin high and right. We took mine, I rolled onto the green and close, we 1 putted for a par. Unfortunately, John rolled in about a 20' putt. Again the stroke we thought we were going to get back was ripped from us.

Next hole was a 135 yard par 3. John landed on the green. Bill went OB past the green. Dave landed on the green. I always struggle on this hole, but this time I hit the deep left corner of the green. Both Bill and I got close with our putts but mine was slightly closer and I holed it for the par. So did Dave & John.  3 straight pars for both partnerships.

Hole 8 is a short par 5, about 475 yards. It makes up for the length by having trees even tighter to both sides of the fairway. Bill hit very short, Dave was off in the woods to the right and John hammered a nice drive into the center of the fairway. So again I demolished my drive, long and straight. We were laying about 160 yards off the green. Over a 300 yard drive and center of the fairway!  Unfortunately, both Bill and I went right but I was about pin high so we took mine. I chipped onto the green and their third shot was long. They chipped on and were laying 4. They 2 putted. I had about a 7' putt with a left bend for the birdie that would tie us. John actually laid his putter in front of the hole. When the antics were over I put the putt on the lip; 1 more rotation and it would have fallen. So I tapped it for my 4th consecutive par, all of which were exclusively my shots. I was playing awesome.

We were now only down 1 with 1 hole to go, a very tough dogleg left par 4. Bill went first. He sliced badly and hit a tree about 40 yards down and right. John stepped up and hit a great drive that looked like it made the corner and was a great, great shot. I pulled out a 3 iron, trying to get past the corner without driving the road as I usually do here. Instead I shanked it shorter than Bill's and further right. Horrible. John and Dave were counting up how many strokes they would pick up. So then Bill overdrove the fairway and went OB against the road. I decided to try my 7W over the trees, over the water, over hole 5 to the green. Instead I caught mud and a branch, hit a low overhanging branch with the ball, and ended up about 40 yards from the green...short of the pond...behind trees. Sadly...that was better than Bill's shot. I ripped out my sand wedge, took a stout swing, the ball flew over the trees and pond and landed on the green about 6' from the cup. It was an outstanding shot. Dave hit a tree and ended up further from the green. John sliced behind a tree. For whatever reason they took Johns even with no view of the flag. Neither of them reached the green. Then they both chipped to the far back side of the green. They were laying 3, so were we. Their next putt barely got closer than ours. If we made our putt we would win outright. We both missed by inches so we took a 5. John yipped so it came down to Dave...who hit the lip and it rolled in for the tie.

Still, Bill and I should have gotten KILLED. We played only 12 of Bills shots. We shot a 43, 7 over. So I actually played really well once we got past the 4th hole. I played the next 4 holes alone and then we matched well on 9. 

I ended up having a good time despite the rough first 4 holes. A good finish to the year.

Three Rivers Golf Course

I knew Dave's wife was at a lace convention and the Goose was studying so he and I headed off to Longview. Unfortunately, there was a slight flaw in the directions I got from Googlemaps...namely, they said to take an exit that...well...doesn't exist. So we did the tour de Longview and ended up driving the length of the town. Like 3 times. So I was a bit frustrated by the time we got there.

Fortunately, there were very, very few people at the course. We basically paid and walked up to the tee. It is a long par 5 where the tee shot needs to be blasted to get up the hill to a blind fairway. Since Dave was taking his new clubs for the maiden tour I had him rip first.

He promptly sliced approximately 100 yards right of the fairway into some trees well short of the top of the hill. Now, I had just purchased some new tees. I habitually tee the ball too low. I also prefer to tee off with my 7 wood with which I do not use a tee. However, recently I read a couple books that pointed out doing this was a disadvantage to myself and even some of the best ball-strikers in history teed up every change they could because it was an easier shot. Taking this to heart, I decided to tee up every drive. I also bought tees that are universal in height...when you use them, you will always tee up the same height, it is impossible to do otherwise. And it is significantly higher than I have ever teed up before.

So I promptly made Dave's drive look spectacular; I might have hit it on the hosel, my hit was that bad. It was shorter than Dave's and further right.

My second shot, I decided to play "smart golf" and just hit it back onto the fairway so I could then use my beloved Fairway wood. Unfortunately, I did not hit it quite hard enough and left myself in the rough. And it was rough. My beloved 7 wood turned in my hands and I pulled it well left. And now had to contend with tree branches behind and above me. So I botched that shot. Well, Dave ended the hole with a snowman...and I snuck into double figures! Ouch. I had not put a 10 on the scorecard in years. Not an auspicious beginning.

Hole 2 is a par 4 with a slight bend left. Dave hammered his drive. Unfortunately, he had lined up so far left to compensate for his drive that he went way left...directly into trees. I crushed my drive (for me). 248 yards, just right of the fairway. My second shot landed on the right side of the green. A nice lag putt left me a 6' which I thought was in but left about 2" from the hole. I took a 5, not bad, but I wanted that par! Meanwhile, Dave had taken an adventure and took a snowman so I actually had a 1 stroke lead...

Next up was a par 3. I shanked my 8 iron. Not a good sign as that is typically one of my 2 best clubs. I rely so heavily on my 8 iron and 7 wood that those 2 clubs need regripped...but no other club is even worn yet. When it deserts me I am in trouble.

Instead of wisely chipping with my 8 I decided to hit my sand wedge. I have been experimenting with it lately and like the flop shot. Unfortunately, I chunked it past the green. Now a chip from a sidehill lie with the ball under my feet barely reached the green. A quick 3 putt and my 6 to Dave's 4 meant he was back up 1.

The next hole I absolutely crushed my drive. Unfortunately, I had elected to play for the fade I often hit and by so aligning, was aimed about 4 - 5' left of the fairway about 200 yards out. Well...I went further than 200 yards, never faded or sliced, and landed behind a tree. A quick punch onto the fairway, an 8 iron to about 20' from the cup, and I missed the putt but about 6".

A bit later we both sliced our drives. I ended up in a fairway bunker. I used my 7 wood, picked it clean, and almost drove the green. Unfortunately, the word "almost" is the operative word. I was short, blocked by a tree. I punched out...and over the green. Another 6. The big numbers were piling up. Of course, Dave took a snowman, so I was back up 1...

We went back and forth until at one point he was up one. The hole is a sharp dog-leg right to an elevated and blind. Neither of us had any idea how far to the bend. I decided to unleash the driver and my overswing would cause a slice. This would, in theory, carry my somewhat up the hill. Unfortunately, I skied the ball. It probably went 250 yards. Of course, 242 of those yards were up in the air...it did not even get to the ladies tees. I crushed my 7 wood but aimed poorly. Had I aimed better it would have been a great shot. As it was, it was about as far from a great shot as you could get. Once more I was blocked by a tree. I could punch it right of the hole, but out of bounds loomed. Or I could go OVER the tree...so out came the sand wedge. Took a good, hard swing, got over the tree, but left myself needing to fly a sand trap. Another sand wedge...except I skulled it. It bounced off the fence marking out of bounds. An 8 iron, my backswing hit the fence. Another snowman. It was UGLY.

By the final hole we had traded the lead 3 or 4 times and were tied. I promptly pulled my drive left. I hit a provisional and this time I just dropped a ball and ripped my 7 wood like I used to. It was a great drive, slightly left side of the fairway (which is what I wanted since it was a dogleg left hole) with an easy 160 yards to an open green. Found my first ball and it was about a foot out of bounds per the local rules so I took my second shot and was laying 3. Dave promptly chunked his second shot into the pond. So now we were both laying 3. I pulled out my 5 iron. Earlier on a 160 yard par 3 I had landed on the green with a 3/4 swing with it. So this time I went full swing. Yep, pulled it left. Dave landed on the green but it skittered into the sand. I overshot the green, he got on. A weak chip, a 2 putt...to his 3 putt. We tied.

For the day I rang up the highest 9 hole score I have had in probably 6 years, a 58. Only twice all day did I hit the green in regulation and both times left putts on the lip of the cup. It was horrific.

But it was also fun. Good time. And if I were smart and went back to teeing off with my 7 Wood I would easily be back in the 40s. We will see if I get smart. Don't count on it.