A Steady Round

I had a nice round yesterday.  Everything was in reasonable form from the long game to the putting.

Hmm, now that I think about it, there were no sand shots.  They usually show up if the iron game is weak.

I'll lay out the back nine.  I think it was the best I've played on that nine.

10th is short par  4 and the tees are up.  There is a creek and trap that requires an iron off the tee.  I hit 6 iron to the end of the fairway.  That leaves about 115 to the pin.  I hit a pitching wedge to 10 feet and make the putt.  One under for the nine.

11th is a moderate length par 3, about 150 the middle of the green.  The green is small and surrounded by bunkers.  A tee shot that lands on the green anywhere is good golf.  I hit a 7 iron and it felt really good, but when I get there the ball is on the front edge and we have a back pin.  I choose to putt it, though chipping was a consideration.  I like to chip if I have a lot of green to cover.  But this is not a huge green.  I putt to about a foot and half and that gets kicked back to me as "good enough."  There was a bit of right to left break at the end that I didn't play for properly.  The putting speed was dead pin high.

12 is a moderate par 4.  It would be considered short, but you have to go up a 30 foot hill to get to the green side of the fairway.  There are trees to the right, from where you can be playing dead.  There are trees left too, but they are not too dense and from there you have a good line to the green.  I go with a 4 wood, a club of high confidence and hit right up the middle of the fairway.  Dick hits his into a tree on the right and the ball bounces back to the fairway.  Steve hits his into the same tree and his ball also bounces out and the two balls are all of 10 feet apart.  Clean living perhaps?  It's a front pin and I have about 110 in and hit a gap wedge.  I'm a little short of the pin but on the green.  I roll this one in.  We're two under for the nine.

13 is a long par 5.  The tees are back and we have about 550 yards to the green.  I hit a hook that starts right, clips some leaves off the very top of a eucalyptus tree, but makes the fairway.  Out comes a hybrid that I found in the garage and thought I'd try.  I catch it off the toe a bit, but it looks like I'm in the fairway.  I'm about 150 out or so and have done well to hit the narrow fairway.  There is a high lipped trap to my right.  Further right is the end of the driving range -- not the place to ever be.  There are woods on the left and right.  We teed off the highest point of the course and will be heading down hill for a couple of holes.

The pin is middle and this is the toughest green on the course.  Lots of slope and it's fast.  Long irons are difficult for me to hit high in the air and mine comes in low, short, and bounces to the back of the green.  This is a downhill sliding fast chip, but I hit it well and it finished about 2 feet below the hole.  I make this and I'm still two under for the nine.

The 14th is 380 yards and continues the downward slope.  There are trees on both sides of the fairway and a bunker on the right.  I'm still trying to control the driver and I push it right of the bunker into the trees.  I'm forced to chip out and have about 110 to a back pin.  Now, 110 is a very good yardage for me.  It's a full pitching wedge and the wedge and I get along very well.  I'm thinking that par is still quite atainable.  But I hit the wedge too well.  It's on line, but I'm over the pin about 8 feet from the hole.  Sadly a well struck putt doesn't drop.  We're now 1 under for the nine.

15th is a longer par 3.  We cross the creek again and play to a long green with bunkers front right, right, and back.  The pin is in the front about 155 yards.  I hit a very nice, high 6 iron and it spins back a bit, but I'm putting and there isn't a lot of break.  I lag it nicely for par.

The 16 is about 350 and we are heading west now.  There are bunkers on both side of the fairway.  The left one doesn't come unto play unless you hit a short hook.  I hit a short hook.  But I'm past the bunker and have a mild side hill lie and about 160 in.  I hit a nice 5 iron that hits short and rolls up to 5 feet.  I roll this is for the third birdie and I'm back to two under for the nine.

The 17 is somewhat parallel to the 16th.  We cross the creek in front of the tee and play to a wide fairway with bunkers on the left and two ponds right.  I like to play to the right side of the fairway and short of the second pond.  This is a 4 wood or driver.  4 wood is more likely to be on line and the hole is not too long, so I don't need the extra 30 yards or so.

I hit it well and have about 130 to a back pin.  There are traps right and left on this hole.  At pin high going left putts you down a slope and back to the creek.  Ok, they are arroyos out here and the one we have here helps to flood the course when the winter rains come and shelters the deer, turkey and other assorted forest animals in the summer.  Beyond the green is more run off and trees if you are quite long.  Most folks don't ever hit a ball over the green, so not a big deal.  I do it on occasion and have to be a bit careful.  I hit an 8 iron pin high about 6 inches off the green to a near pin.  I have about 5 feet to the pin and choose to putt. 

A couple of weeks ago I was in the same position and the putt dove left.  I play for this break this time and of course the ball ducks right.  Sheesh, but I'm close enough and no ones wants to watch me tap it in and it gets kicked back.

We cross the bridge over the arroyo and fill our water bottles for the last time.  We are heading back to the west and have about 530 with two doglegs to negotiate.  I hit an ugly low hook that sends an unwelcome vibration back to my left elbow.  But I'm long enough to have missed the two bunkers that guard the left side of the fairway.  I hit a nice hybrid over the next bunker with a bit of draw. 

The pin is tucked in the front left corner and of course, it's guarded by more bunkers.  But I'm 80 yards to the pin.  I'd rather be 90 out, which is a full sand wedge.  I try to take a bit off the wedge and hit it lower.  My line is pretty good, but I don't get the 80 yards I want.  I've got 6 feet or so up a slope and then a turn to the right.  I hit a good putt, but it's not good enough.  One more tap in and the nine and round are over.

I'm two under for the 9 and this is probably the best score I've shot on it.  I have a lot of even par nine, but under is a bit different.  We've had one bogey with the drive that was out of play.  Putting was good.  Didn't three putt and made a few of moderate length.

How was the front you ask?  Not too bad.  Very solid for the most part.  I hit hybrid on the third that kicked down into a hazard and had to pitch out for a bogey and on the 4th hole misread a putt from off the green and ended up with a three putt bogey and otherwise hit every green in regulation and parred every hole. 

Two over on the front and two under on the back for an even par 72.  I'm very satisfied with that.  I've lost two strokes due to tee shots and one with a misread.  As a recreational golfer, I can't be unhappy about that either.