Breaking 80 at a really tough course (just skip it if you're not a golfer)
Let me start with this: If you’re not at all interested in golf, just skip this one.
I played our club course with my son this afternoon (The U of M, MSU game was on, so it was almost empty). I was playing the blue tees, which measure 6888. I’ve had a couple even 80 scores back there, but I’ve never broken 80. That changed today.
By the ay, my son Scott plays pretty well for his age: He hovers around 100 at the silver tees (5767 yards).
I had to finish strong for my 79, but here’s the entire shot-by shot description: (Like I said, if you’re not a golfer, just skip this entire entry. I’ll return to C# topics come Monday.)
Hole 1: 415 yard par 4, with 5 sandtraps in the middle of the fairway at the landing area. You have to drive toward the left or right side of the fairway. I didn’t. I hooked my drive into the bunker in the middle of the fairway. I hit a good bunker shot with my 22 degree hybrid, missing the green to the right. Chipped on and missed the putt for an opening bogey: +1
Hole 2: 410 yard par 4, water on the left. My drive just missed the fairway to the right. I put a 6 iron to the back the green, and 2 putted for par: still +1.
Hole 3: 164 yard par 3. I hit my 6 iron a bit thin and put it in the front left trap. Hit a good sandshot, and my par put lipped out: +2
And then came 4. It’s a 557 yard par 5, with trees and OB both left and right, and water in front of the green. I’ve had more big numbers on this hole than I care to remember. Today started no different. I pushed my drive into the trees in the right rough. I had a good opening, so I hit the 3 wood, but it got a little high and clipped some branches. I ended up with about 165 from the green. I pured a 6 iron over the green, to a tricky downhill lie. Hit a great flop shot 8 feet from the hole and saved par: +2.
Hole 5 (403 yard par 4): Hooked by drive into the left fairway trap. Hit an ok hybrid short of the green, tried that flop shot again (20 feet away this time), and two putted for bogey: +3.
Hole 6 (539 yard par 5): I split the fairway with my drive, hit a low 3 wood to about 75 yards, 3/4 lob wedge to 4 feet and drained the putt for birdie +2.
Hole 7 (200 yards, par 3). Followed that birdie with a heel-honker that went 110 yards. Hit a sand wedge to the front of the green, and two putted for bogey: +3.
Hole 8 (394 yards, par 4): Hit the middle of the fairway, pushed a 7 iron into the short right bunker. Took too much sand and barely got out. 3 putts later, finish with a double bogey: +5.
Hole 9 (409 yard par 4): Simply put, I’ve got way too many pellets in the large pond on the right of this hole. So, today, I hit a pull-hook into the left rough, with a buried lie. Hack it out with a 7 iron, and hit a log wedge to 10 feet. Two putts leaves me with a bogey and a 42 (+6) for the front nine.
I figured there was almost no change to break 80 this time, but we played on, and I do seem to often do well on the opening holes on the back nine.
Hole 10 (394 yard par 4): Drove it into the right rough, put a 6 iron just off the green, two putts for par: +6.
Hole 11 (379 yard par 4): Split the fairway off the tee, put a nine iron to the front fringe, which was planned because the hole location was way up today. Two putts, and another par: +6.
Hole 12 (184 yard par 3): The pin was back, and a breeze was straight into me, so I hit the 22 degree hybrid. I pured it and airmailed the green, short-siding myself again. I hit a pretty good lob wedge, and my 10 ft par putt just missed: +7.
Mindset interlude: I have to play the last 6 holes in even par to break 80. I figure I don’t have a chance. Especially since I really dislike the way the 13th hole sets up from the blue tees. The tee is off to the right of the fairway, and I feel like I need to aim right at the pond on the left of the fairway to hit it. It never fails that I’m in the right rough.
Hole 13: (par 4, 387 yards): Once again, I’m in the right rough amongst the trees, and I have to punch out. A wedge puts me on the green in three, and two putts give me another bogey: +8.
Hole 14 (475 yard par 5): This hole can play shorter. Your second shot can either go over a large pond to try and hit the green in two, or play to the right of the pond in the fairway and make it a true 3 – shot hole. I split the fairway again, but didn’t hit it far enough to go for it in two. I hit the three wood to the right and left a 60 yard lob wedge to the pin. I hit the lob wedge to 5 feet and made birdie: +7
Hole 15 (404 yard par 4): I split the fairway, and put a 9 iron to 3 feet, made the putt. There’s more to the story though. The wind was behind me and left to right. So, I aimed a bit left of the pin. The wind did not move the ball at all, so it landed left of the green on a slope and bounced straight right. Still, the birdie counted: +6
Hole 16 (205 yard par 3): Pulled my 19 degree hybrid into the front left trap, hit a mediocre sand shot that caught the swale between the first and second tiers, rolling back to the front of the green. Unfortunately, the pin was in the back. Two putts later, I’m +7 again.
Mindset interlude: I hate 17. It’s a long par four, with OB left and water right. To make matters worse, the tee aims you well right of the fairway.
Hole 17 (425 yard par 4): I hit my usual big block into the trees by the creek. But, luck was on my side: it hit a tree solid and came right back at me. I was still 240 yards from the green, but I found it. I hit a 5 iron up the fairway, put a lob wedge on the green and made a 20 footer to save par: Still +7.
Hole 18 (544 yard par 5): This is a great finishing hole. It finishes with a gentle curve to the right, hugging a creek that runs into a pond. I hit an OK drive, but was in the left rough. I followed that with a very nice (but not really long) 3 wood cut shot that put me back in the fairway about 160 yards from the green. I put a 6 iron to the back of the green right at the swale that separates the left and right tiers. I hit my first putt into the swale (I played about 15 feet of break) and it finished 3 inches short of the hole. I tapped in the par putt with my 10 year old son yelling “Noonan!” in my ears.
All in all, a fun round.
And, I promise to return to real tech tomorrow.