- Aug 6, 2008
- 860
- 7
My 12 year old daughter shot 49-50 today to break 100 for the first time. Our home course is 5,150 +- from the front tees. Lots of elevation changes. Firm greens that are medium fast. Though she's been having some putting nightmares she got around today in 38 putts. She was a tad cranky after a big drive on the 9th could get her only a double bogey, not realizing, even with the 6, she shot 49. Seeing the 4 in the tens column pumped her up for the back. She played the first six on the back nicely. Seven over par, she was sitting at 30.
Then it was touch and go. The last three holes are really tough for the ladies, as well as the gentlemen. She's riding with her Mom, who's struggling a bit herself. From the red tees, the 16th is a 361 yard rise and fall par four always into the wind. She made 7. The 17th is a 343 yard par four that starts on a highly elevated tee. She three putted from 10 feet downhill for 6.
The last is a 438 yard par five into the wind that starts on an elevated tee and finishes sharply up hill into a two tier green. She smashes a drive, but catches the fairway bunker on the right. Knocks it out of there with a crisp, clean pick down the fairway. Afraid she'll dub a wood off our not soft 18th fairway, (she knows what she needs to break the century mark), she wisely hits 6i to the bottom of the hill short of the green. She launches a nice, high wedge at the back left pin, only to have it drift left, nestling past pin high in short rough, leaving a slightly downhill chip she hits tentatively, barely getting it past the fringe.
By now, I'm sweating it out for her big time. All the way down the fairway, I've been telling the guy we got hooked up with I can barely watch. Watching your kid take a big step on the course is very stressful. Almost trouser filling stressful. Even our mostly a stranger playing partner is nervous. He's pulling for her too, though he's about to be beaten on the back nine by a twelve year old girl. We weren't holding each other for support after we hit our own shots, but it was close.
She rolls the first putt downhill about four feet past, leaving the proverbial knee knocker, but at least it's up a slope. She lines it up for about a second and a half, stands over it, and drives it home for double bogey 7 and a sweet, sweet 50.
99. Man, was she excited. On the ride home she was all like, "Daddy if I just putt a little better, Daddy, if I don't do this, and I don't do that, or that, or this, I could easily get below 95." I told her she's not far from breaking 90.
Last year, when she decided she wanted to play and take the game fairly seriously, I said when she breaks 100 consistently, the next summer we would go to Ireland. Unless the economy decides to kick the supports out from under our lifestyle, a distinct possibility unfortunately, I'm thinking we just might be teeing it up at Ballybunion for our first round sometime next August.
It'll be hard on me, but I'll suck it up. Family comes first, I always say.
Kevin
Then it was touch and go. The last three holes are really tough for the ladies, as well as the gentlemen. She's riding with her Mom, who's struggling a bit herself. From the red tees, the 16th is a 361 yard rise and fall par four always into the wind. She made 7. The 17th is a 343 yard par four that starts on a highly elevated tee. She three putted from 10 feet downhill for 6.
The last is a 438 yard par five into the wind that starts on an elevated tee and finishes sharply up hill into a two tier green. She smashes a drive, but catches the fairway bunker on the right. Knocks it out of there with a crisp, clean pick down the fairway. Afraid she'll dub a wood off our not soft 18th fairway, (she knows what she needs to break the century mark), she wisely hits 6i to the bottom of the hill short of the green. She launches a nice, high wedge at the back left pin, only to have it drift left, nestling past pin high in short rough, leaving a slightly downhill chip she hits tentatively, barely getting it past the fringe.
By now, I'm sweating it out for her big time. All the way down the fairway, I've been telling the guy we got hooked up with I can barely watch. Watching your kid take a big step on the course is very stressful. Almost trouser filling stressful. Even our mostly a stranger playing partner is nervous. He's pulling for her too, though he's about to be beaten on the back nine by a twelve year old girl. We weren't holding each other for support after we hit our own shots, but it was close.
She rolls the first putt downhill about four feet past, leaving the proverbial knee knocker, but at least it's up a slope. She lines it up for about a second and a half, stands over it, and drives it home for double bogey 7 and a sweet, sweet 50.
99. Man, was she excited. On the ride home she was all like, "Daddy if I just putt a little better, Daddy, if I don't do this, and I don't do that, or that, or this, I could easily get below 95." I told her she's not far from breaking 90.
Last year, when she decided she wanted to play and take the game fairly seriously, I said when she breaks 100 consistently, the next summer we would go to Ireland. Unless the economy decides to kick the supports out from under our lifestyle, a distinct possibility unfortunately, I'm thinking we just might be teeing it up at Ballybunion for our first round sometime next August.
It'll be hard on me, but I'll suck it up. Family comes first, I always say.
Kevin
United States
