I have been on a really nice run recently. After being high 90s or low 100s most of year, I had a run of 3 rounds in the high 80s that dropped my handicap lower than it had ever been. Then I regressed to high 90s and a couple rounds over 100 again. Then at OGA I set my personal record, shooting an 82 including about a 4’ birdie on 18 to set my PR and win our flight for Frank and I with an 82. I followed that up with an 83 at Heron Lakes Greenback, was feeling good and then…a 102 I think at Red Tail. Played okay at Summerfield and finally on Memorial Day had a round planned for the afternoon.
In between, John and I combined to shoot a 79 at Meriwether against Dave and John where my driver was lethal and my wedges were decent, my putter was awesome. I was feeling good about my game going in.
Quail Valley 5.25.20
Spent about 35-40 minutes putting because their chipping area was closed. Was feeling good about it.
First hole is a slight dogleg right, short at 340. I just wanted to make contact with the driver, nothing special, just 220-240 somewhere in the middle. Instead it was a snaphook left. Provisional was better in that it was straight but I am not overly proud of 201…never found my first one so three off the tee to start. I then pured an 8i that went over the back. Decent chip from a tough lie to about 10’. I then drained the 1-putt for a stroke saver but still….double to start. I am not pleased but a double is not the worst thing on earth.
Second hole is a true risk/reward opportunity. Driveable at 257, water runs all the way down the right side including the green, sand guards the end of the narrow fairway and over half the green. I just want to put a 7i about 165 on the left center. I get into it and hit it 179…but with a fade and it bounces down the side of the bank, ending maybe 2 or 3 yards above the long stuff along the water. Ball below my feet, 77 to pin short sided with water right and sand long. I try my ¾ swing sand wedge, trying to hit it 75 yards. I come up just short of the green and move towards the water again. But still inbounds. Chip to about 6 or 8’ but miss the putt. Still, a bogey 5 after the less than perfect tee shot and chip is okay.
Third hole is 481 par 5, not a lot of trouble. I hit a draw with my driver, 255 yards but just left of fairway, not bad. There are people on green, busy day, I decide to lay up with a 7i. I duly push it right although it went 188 yards…I am getting some distance with the irons today! Beautiful chip to 5’ but I miss the putt. I thought I had a sure birdie. Still, I am not one to complain about a kick in par, my first of the day.
Fourth hole is a routine par 3, flag about 129 yards out. A reasonable PW gives me a look at a birdie and this time I ram it home. 2 over after 4 holes,I am liking it. A little regret for the missed birdie opportunity on 3, but feeling better than the double on 1.
Fifth hole is another par 5, 491 yards with water kind of a crescent around the right edge. I want to approach from the left side if possible. My driver is not overly long, 251 yards and off to the right. There are people on green but with sand left of green, water right, and 230ish to the flag, not a good time to go for it. I decide to play up with a 6i hoping to leave 50-75 yards in. I proceed to pure it and end up on the fringe, 222 yard 6i. A reasonable putt leaves me an easy 3’ birdie putt which I make. Back to back birdies, I am quite pleased with my play.
Hole 6 is a 129 yard par 3 to a short sided green with water between the tee box and green, sand both short and long. Need to be precise. I…am not. A massive pull on my pitching wedge leaves me a touch shot with no backswing and some massively long grass. I try to punch it and make too good of contact, skulling it across the green into the weeds far side of the green. I cannot find the ball so take a drop, chipping 4. Just after I hit it someone finds my ball but I have already hit. 2 putt for a triple 6. Painful. Still, just 4 over after 6.
Hole 7 is normally 341 but playing 380 today. Trees are short right of the green but it is not overly difficult. Couple sand traps including one just short of the green. I take driver off the tee, slight left of fairway and alongside sand trap, 241 yards and leaving about 130 to the stick. I hit a nice PW which is just a bit long, a decent chip and 2 putt bogey.
Hole 8 we have a par 4, 384 yards, and relatively light on hazards. Water off the tee but anything over about 160 clears it so it is not really an issue. A couple sand traps protect the green, one short right, one right and long. I get into my driver, 267 on left edge of fairway. I then chunk a PW into the sand short of the green, a whopping 94 yards. Not my best swing of the day. They try to get me to fluff the sand but I play it as it lies and end up coming out of the sand to about 4’ for a spectacular (for me) sandie up and down par.
Hole nine is the number 2 handicap and not hard to see why. 399 yards, the tee shot is trouble free but water starts about 130 yards from the green, swells out to cover the direct approach and the green is only 22 yards deep. I really want to favor the right side. 242 yards off the tee in right rough, I take an 8i right at the flag from about 165 out. I push it right and am on the hill long of the green and somewhat right of it as well. A beautiful chip and a 6’ par saving putt for a second consecutive up and down par.
I finish the front with a 5 over 41. I feel like I have been scuffling all day. My driver is neither long nor overly accurate, I think I have 1 fairway. My irons are missing right, my wedges are okay but not great. Fortunately the chipping and putting game, with one exception each, have been outstanding. I am quite pleased with a 41.
The back starts with a 461 yard par 5. Sand is on the left from 204 to 256 yards…right in my driver landing zone. Tight fairway but I am not overly concerned. I hit my driver with a slight fade, 254 yards to center of fairway. I then push a 5i wide right and short, a mere 184 yards. My first chip is just long to the upper fringe. I use a putter from the fringe and then get up and down for par with a 1-putt.
Next up is a risk reward par 4. 312 yards to center of green but water starts about 210 yards out on the right and goes all the way beyond the green. On the left about 205 yards out are 3 pot bunkers. I am not exactly lights out with my driver, having missed almost every fairway with some left and some right. I decide to lay up with a 6i. I blister it pretty good 191 down the center. A PW from about 128 yards out is a shade right but I chip it close and, for a 4th straight hole get up and down for par.
Hole 12 is a 420 yard par 4. A couple of bunkers on the left make anything landing between 190 and 260 yards out a bit dangerous. The fairway is decently wide at that point and the right side after about 200 out is clear so not really dangerous. I put a driver 246 to left center, another drive with fade action. A 160 yard 7i is pushed right under a tree. I try to cut the chip too fine and chunk it, my worst chip of the day that wasn’t for other reasons…the chip on 6 was worse but only because I had no swing path. My second chip runs a bit long, I two-putt and have a double. Grr.
Hole 13 is a slightly downhill par 3 with the pin at the front where the green is narrow. A huge sandtrap is just right of the green and another is deep and left. I take a 7i 163 to about 6’ above the cup. I am feeling good about my birdie chance but it just misses by about 2”. Still, tap in par on a hole I often would bogey or worse? I am happy.
Hole 14 is another risk reward hole. 382 yards, water cuts into the fairway at 214 yards out, and runs along the fairway. The green is left of the fairway, not a dogleg but more a straight fairway, then the green adjacent to it. With a pond fronting the entire green and sand left of the green, you don’t want to miss. On the bright side, after about 240 yards, the right is wide open with an adjoining fairway providing a landing zone. I am not going to miss left here. I am believing I can keep a driver right…and I do, 246 yards but in the fringe right. I then take a PW, 129 yards and it pulls on me, landing about 8’ above the cup. No big deal..1-putt birdie which I am proud of. Tough hole, played aggressively, paid off.
Hole 15 is a 325 yard par 4. Trees adjoin both sides of the fairway for about 165 yards then sand both sides and further out a couple more bunkers on the right. I want to miss left here. I take driver and just smash it and this one looks straight, long and left center of fairway. There is a slight hill that cuts off vision. Takes me a while to find my ball which was 288 yards out…and inexplicably in the rough right of the fairway. Only thing I can think is it hit just right of the crown of the hill and kicked off. But I am happy, I have a clean shot at the green, decent chip, miss the long putt but kick in par.
Hole 16 is an uphill par 3 with a two tier green guarded on the left by a overly large sand trap with the flag about 132. I decide to add a club and hit my 9i. I pull it left and short, 126 yards next to sand. Decent chip but still 2-putt for a bogey. I am okay with that after the tee shot.
It is at this moment I notice there is a par 5 and a par 4 left and I am sitting on a 70. If I can find a way to par both holes I will break 80 for the first time ever.
Now comes a major decision. 17 is a par 5. Water adjoins the fairway for a goodly long way. Trees on a hill cover the left and the fairway narrows in my landing zone. Laying up with iron still keeps water in play and I have been pushing them right…danger zone. Screw it, I am going driver. I have been hitting it will on the back. Clutch…I boom it 267 and dead center. I have about 160 in to an elevated green with sand left and long. Anything right will kick down into a collection area. I confidently grab my 7i…and chunk it 56 yards. Visions of bogey flash before my eyes. But then I move on, I will just take a ¾ 50 degree and put it next to the pin. I hit it well, 104 yards…but pull it just left of the green. I chip very well and hit a 6’ putt to save my up and down par. Disappointing to have to work on it that hard after that tee shot…but a par nonetheless.
Hole 18 says 416 yards, dogleg left, trees on left side, one fairway bunker on right about 211 out. By now I am way confident in my driver. 245 yards right down the middle, just next to the 150 yard marker. I am I think 160 from the flag, I like the 8i, I push it a bit right just sort of the sand and only get 146 yards out of it. I chip it to about 5’. A 5’ putt for another up and down, a par, and a 79…and I drill it.
I cannot overstate how pleased I am with this round. That first hole snaphook driver was in my head for a long time. I was not hitting fairways on the front and still managed to be just 5 over. I was a monster on the back, only missing one fairway. The driver was really a weapon for me, albeit a bit short on this particular day. Going in my average was 252, that 288 yard drive brought me up to a 250 average for the day but there were a lot of drives in the 240 yard range…which I am still quite please with but I am getting used to being if anything more in the 260 range. Curiously, all my irons other than the 9 were longer than usual…including a ridiculous 207 yard average for my 6i.
But what really saved me was the short game. I routinely gave myself reasonable looks at putts…not gimmes but 5-10’ putts and I made more than my share of those. 14 putts on the front, 13 on the back, no 3-putts…Really only 1 bad driver shot on the day (my first swing), a couple chunks and one lie that my swing cost me on the par 3. I limited damage overall, had 3 birdies and chances for a few more. When things were on the line, I swung with confidence and skill and it paid off.
I feel like I have leveled up in golf. Not that there will not be regressions where my score skyrockets…I think Red Tail a couple weeks ago reminded me of that. Over my last 10 rounds of 18 I have a high of 101 and a low of 79. My average is 88.9. Considering that the first time I broke 90 this year is 9 rounds ago, it is pretty spectacular to be averaging below 90 with a 97 and a 101 in there. I have a new career low handicap of 14.6. My chipping is far more consistent, my putting is a weapon…I am really becoming a respectable golfer.
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