May 15th 2018 Golf Round Review
As I mentioned in my first league round review, each week we alternate between the front nine, a par 35, and back nine, a par 37. The back nine at Pinewood Country Club is the tougher test between the two nines. It is cut more out of the woods while the front is a bit more open.
There were a lot of positives from this round. First and foremost, my putting was much improved, with only one 3 putt. My driving accuracy was not as good as the first week, but I was able to keep the ball in play off the tee until the last hole, when I snapped my streak of 17 penalty stroke free holes to start the season. Probably the best thing to come out of the round was the three pars, after not having a single one last week. Greens in regulations are so important for scoring well, and while I didn’t sink any of the birdie putts, I made good attempts at all three leaving me with tap in par putts for all three.
The wheels fell off over the last four holes, which I again contribute to lack of focus, leading to a final score of 49. I’ll get into the messy details in my review of those holes.
Just like the front nine, the back nine starts off with a par 5, the 497 yard 10th hole. Going left off the tee is the worst play, as you can easily lose your ball in the woods. Maybe I was thinking don’t go left, as I hit my driver left, fortunately not too far left but unfortunately up against a tree. My only play was to advance it ten to fifteen yards forward. Visualization is so important in golf. You want to visualize striping a great shot down the middle of the fairway, not focusing on where to not hit it. I think I was guilty of the latter as I pulled my drive left. I hit a few decent shots to be sitting 4 right off the green, from where I putted and hit a great lag putt to within six inches of the hole for a tap in bogey.
I pulled another driver left on the 11th hole. I received a lucky bounce to just be sitting in the left rough, although I was blocked out from reaching the green in two. I hit a nice 7 iron in front of the green. My chip was great and I needed two putts to get home for a bogey. I was still very pleased with a bogey-bogey start for my first time playing the back nine in several years.
The 12th hole has always been a tough hole for most golfers playing from the blue tees and I am definitely no exception. The wind was slightly into us and I wasn’t sure my 5 wood would be enough. I chose to hit 3 wood off the tee but looking back should have hit 5 wood. Being in between long clubs is not a good feeling for me but it’s always better to be short on this hole. Long is only going to get you in trouble. I wasn’t committed to 3 wood and I ended up topping it. I hit a decent second shot slightly left. It hit the bank and kicked further left. A chip on and 2 putts gave me a double bogey.
The fairways in regulation stat can be a bit misleading at times. I hit a great driver on the par 4 13th, but it ended up just off the fairway in the right rough. I had a good lie so while this wasn’t a fairway in regulation, the drive put me in a good position which I took advantage of. I had 180 yards left to the hole and hit a 4 iron. My 4 iron is my 190 yard club but out of the rough I thought it was the right club, especially considering the pin was in the back. So many beginner and high handicap golfers repeatedly do not hit enough club on approach shots. It one bounced the green and ended up 8 feet from the hole. I missed the birdie putt which had quite a bit of break left to right. Still a well played hole for my first par of the year.
The par 4 14th hole is best played by laying up off the tee. There just isn’t enough reward to risk driver into the small landing area. I hit a 6 iron off the tee in the fairway. A 9 iron for my second shot found the green from 125 yards out. Another 2 putt gave me my second par in a row. Suddenly I’m four over after five holes and am feeling pretty good about my round. That feeling would not last long as the beginning of the train wreck was near.
The par 4 15 hole is the toughest hole on the course. Not overly long but wooded on both sides with a green that is difficult to hold. I pulled another drive left but was in OK position for my second shot. I hit a 5 iron fat and was still 70 yards short of the green lying two. 70 yards is a full sand wedge for me although I’ve been hitting a half to three quarter gap wedge in these spots. I shanked my sand wedge 30 yards right of the green leaving me a very poor lie in the rough. It took me two pitches and two putts from there and I recorded my first triple bogey of the season.
Shanking has always been a small problem for me with short irons and wedges. I do not do it much, this was my first one of the year, but when it happens it can be a real round killer. I fixed a slice years ago and after that like to get the face closed early in my swing and keep it there. Sometimes I do not turn enough in my swing and get too “armsy”, which does not allow me to get my club path right enough causing my shanks with a face that is too closed.
Luckily for me the second easiest hole on the course, the 16th, was next. I hit another decent drive, technically another missed fairway, but one that put me in a good position for my second shot. I found the middle of the green and two putted for a great comeback par.
I hit a nice driver on the 17th hole which found the fairway. The ball was above my feet for my second shot. I took this into account and aimed right, but not enough, and my 6 iron went left, kicked more left off the bank and ended up a foot in the deeper rough by the thickets. It was a bad lie and I was lucky to get it out. I had a decent next shot to give me a look at bogey from about four feet. I preceded to hit my worst putt of the night, blowing it five feet past the hole, missed the comeback causing my only three putt of the night and giving me my second triple bogey in the last three holes.
I didn’t make a lot of putts this round but was not making any mistakes on the greens up until this point. It was a disappointing and demoralizing three putt.
This would have been the perfect opportunity to improve on leaving a bad hole in the past and committing to focus on the present hole. If you’ll remember this was an issue for my last week. I still have a lot of work to do in this area as I severely pulled my driver into the woods. We have a local rule in our league that gives us distance of our shot instead of being forced to re-hit off the tee. You can re-hit but you can take a drop at the point where the ball crossed the tree line. This is a good rule which helps maintain speed of play. I went from one side of the hole to the other when I hit my now third shot far too close to the woods on the right. I advanced my fourth shot to about 150 yards out and hit a very good 7 iron just off the back of the green to be lying five. We have some hole games each week and the 18th was closest chip. I chipped my 7 iron to within two inches to win a $49 gift card to the pro shop. It was a great consolation for taking a double bogey on the last hole and going triple-par-triple-double to close out my round.
I’m hoping to put the best of these first two league rounds together next week when we return to the easier front nine. I pulled several shots left again so I will work on that and also my pitching, chipping, and putting. The short game is so important in golf.