Farquod
Short Game Tragedy
- Mar 8, 2005
- 1,165
- 0
OK, guys, here you go. For info, go to:
http://www.tour18golf.com/houston/index.aspx
Many of the pics I took are posted in the gallery. Here're a few of my thoughts and faves.
First of all, price. For $44 with cart and lunch buffet (well, kinda. It ain't Red Lobster ) the pricing was fine. The condition of the course was fair to good. A few of the greens had been aerated and sanded. The greens were hard but not real fast, running about a 9 on the stimp.
Prices I think go up to $95 on the weekend. FWIW, I would have expected better facilities for that price.
The weather was 92* and sunny to start, and not too humid. It clouded over later, the air got thicker, and the ball flight shortened.
I had gotten off the plane, spent more than an hour at the airport getting my bag and car, and drove right to the course to play. This could have some bearing on my impressions, FYI.
I had limited warm up, which matched the warmup facilities. The range mats were all quite worn. The putting green was indicative of the course greens, tho. They were all Bermuda, cut really low.
I went out as a single on 10, but was caught behind 2 groups of 4 who were S-L-O-W. So I looked around and was able to hook up with 3 guys on 18, and played that hole (The monster at Doral. Sorry, no pics of that one. I figured that joining up and whipping out the camera on the first hole would be a bit much) and the front nine with them, before going back and finishing the back as a single. They were a good group of guys. Jason, Sean, Kyle, thanks again!
The course was nowhere near as difficult as I imagined. Playing from the shootouts, it measured 6300 yards at a slope of 124, pretty basic, really. It's like 6800 from the tips, again, not too bad.
With regard to specific holes:
Hole 2. Bayhill. Ummmmmmmmmm, nasty carry on this hole. Betcha it's 260 straight away (check the site). I was gonna try to carry it, just for shits and giggles, but my body screamed NOOOO!!! and forced an aggressive fade, maybe about 260 total yards, based on the hole layout yardages on the site. This still left me about 330 out, again, based on the yardages on the site. Even at that, I was forced to carry water with my second shot, which I hit to about 130. Fatted the 8 iron, pitched up and 2 putted for bogie. The hole is an impressive one, but is really not a bad par if you don't get seduced by the need to carry the water with your tee shot. Two of the guys I played with got very wet. After an impressive first attempt, which probably carried close to 240 before splashdown, Kyle hit a low screamer that skipped an impressive 12 or 15 times before giving up the ghost.
Holes 5, 6, and 7, Augusta 11-13. I parred 11 and 13, and put 2 in the water on 12. The green on 12 is TEENY.
Amen corner is really not as imposing as I imagined. It would be a bitch to birdie, since it is surrounded in the front by that narrow brook, and anything short of the elevated green will roll back in. Similarly, it slopes precipitously on the fairway side for a good 10-15 yards, so anything running toward the green will keep on going into the water.
Hole 9, Sawgrass 17. The island green. I hit a 7 iron to carry 135 into the wind. Ended up on the front of the green, below the hump, and the pin was cut in the back. I was the only one dry. 3 putted for bogie, BTW. Just sweet.
Hole 12, Colonial 3. Wicked dogleg left. Since I'm working on the swing adjustment, I can't draw my driver anymore, but can hit one of 3 shots: A nice fade, straight, and a duck. The straight appeared on this hole, as I was trying to draw, but not duck. It left me with the lie you see, as I went straight through the fairway.
I hit a 3 iron close, pitched up over the sand and 2 putted for bogie. Really nice hole, with a lotta visual interest.
Hole 13, Pebble Beach 14. Very pretty hole. I include it only because I had my best drive of the day, about 275. I put my approach shot into the front bunker, which had a 9 foot face. Out and 2 putt. Another bogie.
Hole 16, Merion 11. I thought this was the coolest hole on the course, believe it or not. Blind tee shot, and so much danger around the green that you better be precise with your approach. Parred it.
I've put some other pics up in the gallery, but these are the highlights. Overall a fair round of 86 (45-41) with one double (on 1, I lost a ball and had to drop) and I took a triple 6 on #6. 7 pars.
http://www.tour18golf.com/houston/index.aspx
Many of the pics I took are posted in the gallery. Here're a few of my thoughts and faves.
First of all, price. For $44 with cart and lunch buffet (well, kinda. It ain't Red Lobster ) the pricing was fine. The condition of the course was fair to good. A few of the greens had been aerated and sanded. The greens were hard but not real fast, running about a 9 on the stimp.
Prices I think go up to $95 on the weekend. FWIW, I would have expected better facilities for that price.
The weather was 92* and sunny to start, and not too humid. It clouded over later, the air got thicker, and the ball flight shortened.
I had gotten off the plane, spent more than an hour at the airport getting my bag and car, and drove right to the course to play. This could have some bearing on my impressions, FYI.
I had limited warm up, which matched the warmup facilities. The range mats were all quite worn. The putting green was indicative of the course greens, tho. They were all Bermuda, cut really low.
I went out as a single on 10, but was caught behind 2 groups of 4 who were S-L-O-W. So I looked around and was able to hook up with 3 guys on 18, and played that hole (The monster at Doral. Sorry, no pics of that one. I figured that joining up and whipping out the camera on the first hole would be a bit much) and the front nine with them, before going back and finishing the back as a single. They were a good group of guys. Jason, Sean, Kyle, thanks again!
The course was nowhere near as difficult as I imagined. Playing from the shootouts, it measured 6300 yards at a slope of 124, pretty basic, really. It's like 6800 from the tips, again, not too bad.
With regard to specific holes:
Hole 2. Bayhill. Ummmmmmmmmm, nasty carry on this hole. Betcha it's 260 straight away (check the site). I was gonna try to carry it, just for shits and giggles, but my body screamed NOOOO!!! and forced an aggressive fade, maybe about 260 total yards, based on the hole layout yardages on the site. This still left me about 330 out, again, based on the yardages on the site. Even at that, I was forced to carry water with my second shot, which I hit to about 130. Fatted the 8 iron, pitched up and 2 putted for bogie. The hole is an impressive one, but is really not a bad par if you don't get seduced by the need to carry the water with your tee shot. Two of the guys I played with got very wet. After an impressive first attempt, which probably carried close to 240 before splashdown, Kyle hit a low screamer that skipped an impressive 12 or 15 times before giving up the ghost.
Holes 5, 6, and 7, Augusta 11-13. I parred 11 and 13, and put 2 in the water on 12. The green on 12 is TEENY.
Amen corner is really not as imposing as I imagined. It would be a bitch to birdie, since it is surrounded in the front by that narrow brook, and anything short of the elevated green will roll back in. Similarly, it slopes precipitously on the fairway side for a good 10-15 yards, so anything running toward the green will keep on going into the water.
Hole 9, Sawgrass 17. The island green. I hit a 7 iron to carry 135 into the wind. Ended up on the front of the green, below the hump, and the pin was cut in the back. I was the only one dry. 3 putted for bogie, BTW. Just sweet.
Hole 12, Colonial 3. Wicked dogleg left. Since I'm working on the swing adjustment, I can't draw my driver anymore, but can hit one of 3 shots: A nice fade, straight, and a duck. The straight appeared on this hole, as I was trying to draw, but not duck. It left me with the lie you see, as I went straight through the fairway.
I hit a 3 iron close, pitched up over the sand and 2 putted for bogie. Really nice hole, with a lotta visual interest.
Hole 13, Pebble Beach 14. Very pretty hole. I include it only because I had my best drive of the day, about 275. I put my approach shot into the front bunker, which had a 9 foot face. Out and 2 putt. Another bogie.
Hole 16, Merion 11. I thought this was the coolest hole on the course, believe it or not. Blind tee shot, and so much danger around the green that you better be precise with your approach. Parred it.
I've put some other pics up in the gallery, but these are the highlights. Overall a fair round of 86 (45-41) with one double (on 1, I lost a ball and had to drop) and I took a triple 6 on #6. 7 pars.