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Why I'll Never Be a Professional Golfer...

Fairway_CY

Well-Known Member
Mar 25, 2008
52
0
I played this Saturday. 8:10 am tee time in North Jersey.

There SHOULD have been a frost delay, but since it's a county course, there wasn't. The first 5 holes all run along side a steep faced cliff... so the sun didn't reach us until we were on the 5th hole. The bunkers, fairways and greens were ROCK hard. I hit my 2nd shot out of a fairway bunker on the first hole. The bunker was like hitting off of a cart path. It got to the green, and bounced a good 6 feet in the air and ended up 12 feet off the green.
Add to that, the fact that I was freezing... I had been the range just once so far... and I suck... and I shot a 63 on the front side.

Back nine was a little better. Things started to warm up. I missed only 2 fairways on the back and hit 4 of the 9 greens in regulation, which is a personal best for me. My putting killed me with 3 three-putts on the back nine. I ended up with a 46.

Ugly 63 - 46 = 109 - 29 = 80 Net

What kills me is that, after the first 8 holes... I was just ready to play out the string. Then I started hitting fairways, making good strokes, reaching greens... and it became fun. I started bogey - par - bogey - par - bogey.
Then I missed the fairway on a par 5... pulled Woody Austin on my 2nd and advanced it about 90 yards. Put my 3rd to about the 150 marker, then dropped my 4th onto the green, but about 40 feet away. I had an uphill putt, and my playing partner yanked the pin and I lost site of the hole. Where I THOUGHT the hole was, I putted to and missed that mark by about 2 feet. As I walked towards the ball, I realized I still had about 12 feet to the ACTUAL hole. I took 2 more putts from there for a double-bogey 7.

Next hole was a par 3, 183 over water... all carry. My 4 iron was pin high, but in a bad position to the left of the green. I had to carry it over a trap, and I had about 8 feet of green to work with. I put too much thought into it and skulled the shot back towards the water. Luckily, it caught a trap on that side of the green. I got a great shot out of there to about 3 feet or so... and I pushed the putt... another double-bogey... 5.

17th hole is a par 4. Only about 373 yards... but the tee shot carries a lake. My only thought was to keep it left of the 150 marker to avoid the water. My swing was good, but at the last second, I slowed it down a bit and that pushed the drive a bit right. Ended up in the water... missed the bank by about 5 feet. 3rd shot was in the middle of the faairway... I hit the green from there, and then took 2 putts to hole out. A triple-bogey 7 on this hole.

Final hole is a 410 yard par 4. Nothing special or difficult, really. The hole plays longer than the 410 yards though. My drive was one of those where you don't feel it. Perfectly struck... the ball took off towards the fairway bunker, which I knew was out of reach at 278 yards. I didn't see the ball come down in the fairway, and I began to wonder if I actually reached the trap. As we drove up the cart path, I realized that I had ended up about 35 yards short of the bunker, but I plugged. I had about 170 to the middle of the green... but it was uphill, so I played it at about 180. I hit my 5-iron to the front of the green, and my lag-putt was pitiful. I ended up with my 3rd three-putt in the last 5 holes and ended the round with a bogey 5.

So - of course I wanted to head back out and play again, but... had things to do that day, so it'll have to wait 'til next time. That's what kills me about golf. I almost ALWAYS finish stronger than I begin... and it makes me want to continue at that point.

If I could just put together a decent front on this course, I could finally break 90. Well... that, and the three-putts need to go away.
I attribute some of my front-side score to the conditions, but... still... 63 - 46 is an ugly line to look at.

Good luck this season guys!

CY
 

papperlapub

Swedish Golfer
Jul 31, 2006
182
1
Did you warm up? I mean it beeing 8:10 am many players skip the warm up - so you warm up on the course....

95% of the time i do my warm up routine, takes 1 hour, but its worth it, because its just not as fun if you play bad and you knwo you could do better....
 
OP
F

Fairway_CY

Well-Known Member
Mar 25, 2008
52
0
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Typically, I've got a 45 minute warm-up routine. I got there early enough, but it was brutally cold. I opted to go through my putting routine, but I didn't hit balls. The only swing practice I got was on the first tee while awaiting my turn to tee off.

But - yeah... I feel that if I had practiced a bit, I'd have played a much better round.

To be honest, though... I still think I'd have been in the mid-to-high 50's for the front. The way the course was playing, I could have worn ice skates on the first 5 holes and had the same traction. The greens were concrete hard for the first 3 holes... and on 2 of the first 5, no matter where you hit the ball in the fairway, it was so hard... it ran into the rough because of the slope.

It was nice to be out and playing, but... I have no delusions... I played poorly... and even when I was playing a nice back-nine, one hole managed to swing it to be a not-so-good score... and then a water-ball followed.

I wish I was as good as some of the posters here. I'd kill to break 90... and some of you talk about playing in the 60's on 7000+ yard courses.

CY
 

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