Herndon Centennial - Never Underestimate the Importance of Short Game on a Short Course
Somewhere between 45 minutes to an hour after I left the parking lot at Hobbits Glen, I arrived at Herndon Centennial Golf Course. Round 4 of Memorial Day Weekend and Round 2 of the day. I knew I would not be playing golf on Memorial Day and I had just enough daylight to finish a round. And I bet you're wondering, why Herndon, why drive nearly 48 miles, 11 of which is completely out of your way in order to get home.
Well, I was pretty limited in the amount of daylight, I didn't want to spend a lot of money, and strangely enough, I wanted to walk. At that point, it was between Herndon and Falls Road. Falls Road would have put me farther away from my house and I had already played there yesterday.
For those of you not familiar with Herndon Centennial, it is another short course. From the tips it is a scant 6,197 yards. Basically a similar distance to Falls Road. Another reason I chose Herndon was that it was a course I grew up on. When I first moved to the Washington, DC area, I lived in Reston, the next town over. There were two golf courses in Reston, Hidden Creek (which is private) and Reston National (which was expensive). So just starting out on my own and trying to keep the expenses down, the $18 for 18 holes after 5:00PM was a great deal.
But after playing Hobbits Glen at 6,687 yards earlier in the day, I thought I was in for an easy time. Never underestimate the importance of short game on a short course!
Date: Sunday 5/25/2014 (Round #2)
Location: Herndon Centennial, Herndon, VA
Score: 80
Excuses: Left my short game at Hobbits Glen
Course Conditions: Not bad. Greens were in good shape and rolled very well where people would repair their ball marks. A couple of very heavy footprints where either a 350 pound golfer stood or someone stomped really hard. Fairways were in good shape. Rough was not penal at all, tee boxes could have been better manicured but overall, worth the money I paid at twilight.
The Good: Getting the ball in play, 33 total putts
The Bad: 5 missed birdie putts inside 7 feet
The Ugly: Completely missing the green from the middle of the fairway from 55 yards, twice!
Overall, not a bad round. Factoring in the course handicap, I shot one over my handicap. What I should remember is the 63% success rate of par saves, 67% of my scores at par or better, and finishing even par on all the par 5's. What I will end up remembering about this round is the 5 birdie putts I missed inside of 7 feet. The greens did not roll as well as Hobbits Glen and there were a couple of greens that were affected by very heavy footprints and unrepaired ball marks, but I should have been able to convert on at least one!! I will also recall in vivid, nightmarish detail the two bogeys I got after putting two drives in the fairway (#6 and #10) a scant 55 yards from the hole. And even though I was able to par all the par 5's, I had my chances to reach them all in two but a mis-hit from either the tee box or the second shot prevented me from doing so. Not to mention not being able to put the 30-70 yard pitches anywhere near the pin.
But, I did remember expectation management up front and I enjoyed the weather and the company as another walking golfer joined me. As we finished the round with plenty of light to spare but just enough leg strength, we didn't finish in time for the best part of Herndon Centennial, JJ's Deli. Arguably the best barbecue in the DC Area (20+ miles West of DC however). One of my favorite activities back in my Reston days when I didn't have time to play, was to get a barbecue sandwich and a bucket of balls.
But I opted for a Oaxaca omelet at Silver Diner and a strong cup of coffee so I wouldn't fall asleep at the wheel during my 40 mile drive home. A good end to a great weekend of golf. Until the next round: BACK TO THE RANGE, PRACTICE GREEN, and THE GYM!
Next Stop: Royal New Kent
Well, I was pretty limited in the amount of daylight, I didn't want to spend a lot of money, and strangely enough, I wanted to walk. At that point, it was between Herndon and Falls Road. Falls Road would have put me farther away from my house and I had already played there yesterday.
For those of you not familiar with Herndon Centennial, it is another short course. From the tips it is a scant 6,197 yards. Basically a similar distance to Falls Road. Another reason I chose Herndon was that it was a course I grew up on. When I first moved to the Washington, DC area, I lived in Reston, the next town over. There were two golf courses in Reston, Hidden Creek (which is private) and Reston National (which was expensive). So just starting out on my own and trying to keep the expenses down, the $18 for 18 holes after 5:00PM was a great deal.
But after playing Hobbits Glen at 6,687 yards earlier in the day, I thought I was in for an easy time. Never underestimate the importance of short game on a short course!
Date: Sunday 5/25/2014 (Round #2)
Location: Herndon Centennial, Herndon, VA
Score: 80
Excuses: Left my short game at Hobbits Glen
Course Conditions: Not bad. Greens were in good shape and rolled very well where people would repair their ball marks. A couple of very heavy footprints where either a 350 pound golfer stood or someone stomped really hard. Fairways were in good shape. Rough was not penal at all, tee boxes could have been better manicured but overall, worth the money I paid at twilight.
The Good: Getting the ball in play, 33 total putts
The Bad: 5 missed birdie putts inside 7 feet
The Ugly: Completely missing the green from the middle of the fairway from 55 yards, twice!
Overall, not a bad round. Factoring in the course handicap, I shot one over my handicap. What I should remember is the 63% success rate of par saves, 67% of my scores at par or better, and finishing even par on all the par 5's. What I will end up remembering about this round is the 5 birdie putts I missed inside of 7 feet. The greens did not roll as well as Hobbits Glen and there were a couple of greens that were affected by very heavy footprints and unrepaired ball marks, but I should have been able to convert on at least one!! I will also recall in vivid, nightmarish detail the two bogeys I got after putting two drives in the fairway (#6 and #10) a scant 55 yards from the hole. And even though I was able to par all the par 5's, I had my chances to reach them all in two but a mis-hit from either the tee box or the second shot prevented me from doing so. Not to mention not being able to put the 30-70 yard pitches anywhere near the pin.
But, I did remember expectation management up front and I enjoyed the weather and the company as another walking golfer joined me. As we finished the round with plenty of light to spare but just enough leg strength, we didn't finish in time for the best part of Herndon Centennial, JJ's Deli. Arguably the best barbecue in the DC Area (20+ miles West of DC however). One of my favorite activities back in my Reston days when I didn't have time to play, was to get a barbecue sandwich and a bucket of balls.
But I opted for a Oaxaca omelet at Silver Diner and a strong cup of coffee so I wouldn't fall asleep at the wheel during my 40 mile drive home. A good end to a great weekend of golf. Until the next round: BACK TO THE RANGE, PRACTICE GREEN, and THE GYM!
Next Stop: Royal New Kent
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