Virginia Oaks - Just When I Thought I'd Warmed Up Enough
"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!" Words from another famous Harry (Henry V). Three times this year I've been to Virginia Oaks. The strange thing is, it has never been my favorite course, but somehow, I play it more than any other. Maybe it's because of the specials, maybe it's because of the breathtaking views of RTJ, or maybe, just maybe, I'm a fan of punishment. But I was invited by my good friend Joe Flatstick and Virginia Oaks is only a scant 4 miles from Prince William where I was just playing.
Date: Saturday 5/17/2014 (Round #2)
Location: Virginia Oaks Golf Course, Gainesville, VA
Score: 86
Excuses: Not "rewarming" up the full game
Course Conditions: Not terrible. Greens rolled well, but I can never tell if the greens are rolling true due to how tricky they are. Fairways were in good shape and the rough was thick and penal. Bunkers and other hazards were in good shape and "Dyeabolically" placed.
The Good: First ever birdie on the island green (#9)
The Bad: "Tin Cupping" my first tee shot into the trees twice
The Ugly: We were following a tournament...
After shooting a solid 80 and only driving less than 10 minutes, I felt reasonably good and decided only to chip and putt before the round started. Big mistake. I approached the first tee, lined up on the left side of the tee box (I hit 90% soft fades at Prince William) and subsequently drew the ball into the trees on the left... Undeterred, I lined up another tee shot on the left side of the tee box and again, drew the ball into the trees on the left. There is a saying, the surest sign of insanity is applying the same solution to a problem and expecting different results... To stop the insanity (wow, Susan Powter reference) I simply dropped where my ball went into the tree line, proceeded to push a six iron into the woods on the right, and promptly wrote down a 7 without finishing the hole, even though I deserved worse (equitable stroke adjustment only allows a person with a 10 handicap to take a 7 on the hole when handicaps are determined). If I was playing in a tournament or for money, I would have finished the hole, but I'm not playing for money here, just trying to keep pace.
The round got slightly better over the next few holes. Including a double bogey on #2, a bogey on #3, and a solid par on #4. The way the pattern was going, I was headed to a birdie on #5 and an eagle on #6. Ordinarily that's not the way things work but there were two factors in my favor: 1) #5 is a par 3 of reasonable length, and 2) I have actually eagled #6 (short par 5) twice in my life.
Sadly I would go on to par both holes. The par on #5 was an impressive two putt from 40 feet, the par on #6 was heartbreaking as I was 180 yards from the pin on my drive. I left the 5 iron about 7 yards short of the green and on the ensuing chip I just missed the hole but left myself a short but trecherous downhill sliding putt, which of course I missed.
The biggest crusher of the day was after getting a solid bogey on #10 (long and soul crushing par 5) Joe and I proceed to wait for around 15 minutes on #11. I had mentioned there was a tournament on the golf course. Evidently it was sponsored by a car dealership and if you got a hole in one on the 11th hole, you win the car. More evidently, there must have been one competitor who did not get a chance to compete for the car, so a committee drove this person to the hole (complete with his clubs) to give him a chance. He waited 5 minutes for the group in front of us to clear. He then stretched out (no homage to Miguel Angel Jiminez), chose his weapon, took approximately 25 practice swings, stepped back from the ball, then readdressed the ball (this entire process took about 5 minutes), then proceeded to flare the ball way right of the green near the woods. Here I thought the attempt was over and he would collect his ball and be on his merry way. Sadly, he decides to finish the hole. He spends another few minutes locating his ball, then chipped on and proceeded to putt out as if it were the US Open. There went 15 minutes of my life I will never get back.
After the rousing display of golf, Joe and I proceed with the round, trading good shots, bad shots, and good stories. Always great to play with someone with a passion for the game, raises your competitive level, and is a genuinely good person to be around. Even on a course that isn't always genuinely good to play...
Overall, even though it was not a good round by my standards, it was a good day. Weather was beautiful and the company was great. This time, PB Dye (the designer not the course) didn't suck the life out of my day. After the round, I felt good about my chances at my next GolfWeek AM Tour event, which happened to be tomorrow. I knew what to do and what not to do on a difficult course. Until then (or in this case Sunday): BACK TO THE DRIVING RANGE, AND THE PUTTING GREEN. Save the gym for after the tournament.
Next Round: Waverly Woods (Tournament)
Date: Saturday 5/17/2014 (Round #2)
Location: Virginia Oaks Golf Course, Gainesville, VA
Score: 86
Excuses: Not "rewarming" up the full game
Course Conditions: Not terrible. Greens rolled well, but I can never tell if the greens are rolling true due to how tricky they are. Fairways were in good shape and the rough was thick and penal. Bunkers and other hazards were in good shape and "Dyeabolically" placed.
The Good: First ever birdie on the island green (#9)
The Bad: "Tin Cupping" my first tee shot into the trees twice
The Ugly: We were following a tournament...
After shooting a solid 80 and only driving less than 10 minutes, I felt reasonably good and decided only to chip and putt before the round started. Big mistake. I approached the first tee, lined up on the left side of the tee box (I hit 90% soft fades at Prince William) and subsequently drew the ball into the trees on the left... Undeterred, I lined up another tee shot on the left side of the tee box and again, drew the ball into the trees on the left. There is a saying, the surest sign of insanity is applying the same solution to a problem and expecting different results... To stop the insanity (wow, Susan Powter reference) I simply dropped where my ball went into the tree line, proceeded to push a six iron into the woods on the right, and promptly wrote down a 7 without finishing the hole, even though I deserved worse (equitable stroke adjustment only allows a person with a 10 handicap to take a 7 on the hole when handicaps are determined). If I was playing in a tournament or for money, I would have finished the hole, but I'm not playing for money here, just trying to keep pace.
The round got slightly better over the next few holes. Including a double bogey on #2, a bogey on #3, and a solid par on #4. The way the pattern was going, I was headed to a birdie on #5 and an eagle on #6. Ordinarily that's not the way things work but there were two factors in my favor: 1) #5 is a par 3 of reasonable length, and 2) I have actually eagled #6 (short par 5) twice in my life.
Sadly I would go on to par both holes. The par on #5 was an impressive two putt from 40 feet, the par on #6 was heartbreaking as I was 180 yards from the pin on my drive. I left the 5 iron about 7 yards short of the green and on the ensuing chip I just missed the hole but left myself a short but trecherous downhill sliding putt, which of course I missed.
The biggest crusher of the day was after getting a solid bogey on #10 (long and soul crushing par 5) Joe and I proceed to wait for around 15 minutes on #11. I had mentioned there was a tournament on the golf course. Evidently it was sponsored by a car dealership and if you got a hole in one on the 11th hole, you win the car. More evidently, there must have been one competitor who did not get a chance to compete for the car, so a committee drove this person to the hole (complete with his clubs) to give him a chance. He waited 5 minutes for the group in front of us to clear. He then stretched out (no homage to Miguel Angel Jiminez), chose his weapon, took approximately 25 practice swings, stepped back from the ball, then readdressed the ball (this entire process took about 5 minutes), then proceeded to flare the ball way right of the green near the woods. Here I thought the attempt was over and he would collect his ball and be on his merry way. Sadly, he decides to finish the hole. He spends another few minutes locating his ball, then chipped on and proceeded to putt out as if it were the US Open. There went 15 minutes of my life I will never get back.
After the rousing display of golf, Joe and I proceed with the round, trading good shots, bad shots, and good stories. Always great to play with someone with a passion for the game, raises your competitive level, and is a genuinely good person to be around. Even on a course that isn't always genuinely good to play...
Overall, even though it was not a good round by my standards, it was a good day. Weather was beautiful and the company was great. This time, PB Dye (the designer not the course) didn't suck the life out of my day. After the round, I felt good about my chances at my next GolfWeek AM Tour event, which happened to be tomorrow. I knew what to do and what not to do on a difficult course. Until then (or in this case Sunday): BACK TO THE DRIVING RANGE, AND THE PUTTING GREEN. Save the gym for after the tournament.
Next Round: Waverly Woods (Tournament)
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