Waverly Woods: I'm Somebody's Good Luck Charm, Just Not My Own!
Back on tour! This week's contest featured me and the rest of B-Flight against Waverly Woods to see who would prevail. And not unlike Bobby Fulton (who fought the law and the law won), I fought the course and the course won.
Date: Sunday 5/18/2014
Location: Waverly Woods Golf Course, Marriottsville, MD
Score: 87
Excuses: Not enough range time, too many rounds over the course of the weekend
Course Conditions: Excellent. Greens rolled faster than any course I've played this year. Fairways were in great shape and the rough was thick and penal. The wind was blowing hard enough to effect my typical high shots...
The Good: 31 Putts, no 3-putts, 50% (5/10) in par saves
The Bad: Missing a green from "Position A" on the fairway from 140 yards on hole #3
The Ugly: Slicing two drives out of bounds, including the first tee shot...
Suffice to say I did not have my best stuff out there. I had a solid 7th place finish (four strokes out of the money) out of 19 golfers. However, I knew I could have done much better. I know I could have saved four strokes by not hitting two balls out of bounds and having to re-tee.
On the first hole I should have known better. However on the range, mere minutes before my round started, I was hitting the driver okay but slightly left or just a bit right if I didn't get all the way through the ball. The first hole is a short, downhill par 4. The fairway ended at around 275-290 yards. I decided to be greedy / aggressive and try to set myself up with a partial wedge in which I could have a good shot of walking away with a birdie. However I hit my drive and to my surprise, it slices out of bounds. I run back to my cart, pull out my 3-wood and hit the ball into the rough around the 150 yard marker. I then hit a decent 6-iron above the hole setting up a very treacherous downhill chip. Unfortuantely I did not get the chip to the hillside and was forced to putt it the rest of the way. I had to sink the putt to get a 6. I missed and therefore was awarded a 7 (I did make the unnecessary comeback putt). Hard to win when you spot the field 3 strokes.
On the next hole (#2, Par 5) I played my miss off the tee and aimed left and found the right side of the fairway. I then hit a masterful 5 iron to set up a 95 yard pitch in which I put 3 feet from the cup. Sadly I read way too much break and miss the putt right. The only solace was I hit the ball right where I aimed.
On the next hole (#3, Par 4), I hit the ball into "Position A" on a very tough driving hole. Sadly I flared my 8 iron to the rough above the hole. I attempted a flop shot but hit it a little too hard and the ball matriculated off the green. I then chipped it back on but left it way too short to one putt. Two putts later I'm in with a 6.
The next hole (#4, Par 4), I believed I aimed far enough left to place my "new" power fade in the fairway, however, I was wrong and hit another drive too far right and out of bounds. I re-teed and hit another drive thinly but in the middle of the fairway. I then crushed a good 5 iron just to the right of the green. I chipped the ball back onto the green but could not stop it near the pin and left myself a 20 foot putt. I nearly hole the putt, but took a 7 instead.
For those of you keeping count, that's 8 strokes over par in 4 holes. The remaining 14 holes I played 7 over par.
Also, in another coincidence, I was paired up with the eventual champion. This is the third time in 6 events that I had been paired up with the eventual champion and the second time I've shared the cart with the champ. It's almost like Virginia Tech and the string of playing the eventual national champions in the NCAA football opening game (USC 2004, LSU 2007, Alabama 2009). I've always said I bring out the best in my competition...
I also remembered what I said about driving for show and putting for dough. I don't take it back, but a bad putt costs you one stroke (possibly two), but a bad drive could cost you two right off the bat... Lesson, get the ball in play! Until then:
BACK TO THE RANGE, BACK TO THE PRACTICE GREEN, and BACK TO THE GYM!
Next Stop: Laurel Hill
Date: Sunday 5/18/2014
Location: Waverly Woods Golf Course, Marriottsville, MD
Score: 87
Excuses: Not enough range time, too many rounds over the course of the weekend
Course Conditions: Excellent. Greens rolled faster than any course I've played this year. Fairways were in great shape and the rough was thick and penal. The wind was blowing hard enough to effect my typical high shots...
The Good: 31 Putts, no 3-putts, 50% (5/10) in par saves
The Bad: Missing a green from "Position A" on the fairway from 140 yards on hole #3
The Ugly: Slicing two drives out of bounds, including the first tee shot...
Suffice to say I did not have my best stuff out there. I had a solid 7th place finish (four strokes out of the money) out of 19 golfers. However, I knew I could have done much better. I know I could have saved four strokes by not hitting two balls out of bounds and having to re-tee.
On the first hole I should have known better. However on the range, mere minutes before my round started, I was hitting the driver okay but slightly left or just a bit right if I didn't get all the way through the ball. The first hole is a short, downhill par 4. The fairway ended at around 275-290 yards. I decided to be greedy / aggressive and try to set myself up with a partial wedge in which I could have a good shot of walking away with a birdie. However I hit my drive and to my surprise, it slices out of bounds. I run back to my cart, pull out my 3-wood and hit the ball into the rough around the 150 yard marker. I then hit a decent 6-iron above the hole setting up a very treacherous downhill chip. Unfortuantely I did not get the chip to the hillside and was forced to putt it the rest of the way. I had to sink the putt to get a 6. I missed and therefore was awarded a 7 (I did make the unnecessary comeback putt). Hard to win when you spot the field 3 strokes.
On the next hole (#2, Par 5) I played my miss off the tee and aimed left and found the right side of the fairway. I then hit a masterful 5 iron to set up a 95 yard pitch in which I put 3 feet from the cup. Sadly I read way too much break and miss the putt right. The only solace was I hit the ball right where I aimed.
On the next hole (#3, Par 4), I hit the ball into "Position A" on a very tough driving hole. Sadly I flared my 8 iron to the rough above the hole. I attempted a flop shot but hit it a little too hard and the ball matriculated off the green. I then chipped it back on but left it way too short to one putt. Two putts later I'm in with a 6.
The next hole (#4, Par 4), I believed I aimed far enough left to place my "new" power fade in the fairway, however, I was wrong and hit another drive too far right and out of bounds. I re-teed and hit another drive thinly but in the middle of the fairway. I then crushed a good 5 iron just to the right of the green. I chipped the ball back onto the green but could not stop it near the pin and left myself a 20 foot putt. I nearly hole the putt, but took a 7 instead.
For those of you keeping count, that's 8 strokes over par in 4 holes. The remaining 14 holes I played 7 over par.
Also, in another coincidence, I was paired up with the eventual champion. This is the third time in 6 events that I had been paired up with the eventual champion and the second time I've shared the cart with the champ. It's almost like Virginia Tech and the string of playing the eventual national champions in the NCAA football opening game (USC 2004, LSU 2007, Alabama 2009). I've always said I bring out the best in my competition...
I also remembered what I said about driving for show and putting for dough. I don't take it back, but a bad putt costs you one stroke (possibly two), but a bad drive could cost you two right off the bat... Lesson, get the ball in play! Until then:
BACK TO THE RANGE, BACK TO THE PRACTICE GREEN, and BACK TO THE GYM!
Next Stop: Laurel Hill
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