The Links At Gettysburg - Where 90% of Golf is Played in the "Little Round Top" Above Your Neck
It's tournament time again! This time just North of the Mason-Dixon Line at The Links at Gettysburg. If you've never played the course, it stunning. However you do have to enjoy links style golf (as the name would indicate) to fully appreciate it.
Date: Saturday 6/14/2014
Location: The Links at Gettysburg, Gettysburg, PA
Score: 89
Excuses: Swing Change, Failure to Plan Appropriately (Never played course before), did not practice enough..
Course Conditions: Phenomenal but wet. Greens were in excellent condition, but rolled slower than normal due to the rain (thank goodness). Fairways were in excellent shape, but cart path only :(. The rough was very penal but not as penal as the fescue, and of course, the water. Sand had standing water but I didn't land in a bunker all day!
The Good: Drove the ball well, only missed 3 fairways (again!), Solid Birdie to win another skin.
The Bad: 38 Putts, including four 3-Jacks
The Ugly: +7 on Par 3's
While visually appealing, to the hardcore golfer, it also looked ridiculously hard. Water on 14 out of 18 holes, crushingly long par 4's (with water), and quite possibly the most intimidating tee shot I've ever seen (and yes, it had water and plenty of it).
In case you're wondering, #7, Par 5, 579 yards. 280 yards to carry the water on the right, 230 yards to reach the water on the bottom left edge of the fairway and the water goes along the entire left side until you reach the 200 yard marker. Then it just becomes inhospitable tall grass. Elevated tee shot but the wind was howling in my face... The good news is I hit the fairway, the bad news is that I still had almost 400 yards to go. I hit an okay 3 wood off the deck but landed in the rough 180 yards from the green, had to take a wedge just to get it out of the rough and left my approach too short. Three putts later, double bogey. There is a reason it's the hardest hole on the course!
I finished the day with an 89, three strokes off the winner. Not a terrible score for a very tough course, but it wasn't hard to find the strokes necessary for me to win.
1) #1, short Par 4 (359 yards). Having not done my homework but listening to the starter, that the fairway dropped off to a creek just past the 150 yard marker, I decided to go with a 3-wood off the tee. Unfortunately I did not practice with my 3-wood and ended up shanking it off the tee. Fortunately I didn't lose the ball and laid up with a 9 iron and then hit another 9 iron onto the green but way, way left of the pin. As I was approaching my ball, I noticed that there was at least 50 or so yards past the hole and a collection area below it. I could have used a driver. At worst, if I would have caught it pure, I could have dropped near the water and had a simple 45 yard pitch onto the green. Or I could have practiced with my 3 wood off the tee on the range. Either way. SCHR: 1
2) #3, Par 3 (183 yards). Very picturesque par 3 with a red clay wall backstop (view from the teebox pictured above). Green is very far below my feet so I pull the 7-Iron out of my bag. I hit a very pure shot, unfortunately I pulled it a little too far left, but managed to stay in bounds. Sadly I did not practice my chipping before the round and it came back to bite me as I chipped my first ball over the green and the second one far short of the pin. The biggest ignominy of it all however, is the 3 putt that followed. Including the 2 footer I missed. SCHR: At least 1
3) #12, Par 3 (180 yards). On the scorecard it said 140. On the range finder, it said 180. The eye test also told me it was way farther than my 9 iron could handle on its own. With the wind behind me a little bit, and basically nowhere to miss (water in the front and left, tall grass on the back and right) I had to be perfect. Had I actually formulated a backup plan on where to miss, I would have chosen right, and weakened my grip a little bit. Sadly, I hit a great shot, it just went too far left and did not cross the ground near the green, therefore I had to drop from the drop area, which happened to be the forward tee box. From that tee box it was 100 yards to the green. I was a little chafed at the moment (big mistake) therefore without giving it the second thought I should have, I pulled out my wedge that I generally carry 100 yards. I hit a very pure shot and it did land close to the pin but rolled just of the back. The chip was very treacherous, all downhill. I manage a decent chip but left myself an uphill 10 footer in order to save double. Sadly the putt didn't quite make it there and I earned a triple. Had I missed right and crossed land, I would have had a much easier up and down. Or had I actually remained calm and thought to myself I should land the ball at 85 or 90 yards and let it release uphill to the hole, I may have actually saved a stroke. Or, I could have hit the 6 iron straight!!! SCHR: At least 1
Had I done my homework, played within myself, and, of course, kept the ball out of the water, I believe I could have closed the three stroke gap between me and the winner. I will repeat this to anyone that will listen, and hopefully one day I'll take my own advice:
Location: The Links at Gettysburg, Gettysburg, PA
Score: 89
Excuses: Swing Change, Failure to Plan Appropriately (Never played course before), did not practice enough..
Course Conditions: Phenomenal but wet. Greens were in excellent condition, but rolled slower than normal due to the rain (thank goodness). Fairways were in excellent shape, but cart path only :(. The rough was very penal but not as penal as the fescue, and of course, the water. Sand had standing water but I didn't land in a bunker all day!
The Good: Drove the ball well, only missed 3 fairways (again!), Solid Birdie to win another skin.
The Bad: 38 Putts, including four 3-Jacks
The Ugly: +7 on Par 3's
While visually appealing, to the hardcore golfer, it also looked ridiculously hard. Water on 14 out of 18 holes, crushingly long par 4's (with water), and quite possibly the most intimidating tee shot I've ever seen (and yes, it had water and plenty of it).
In case you're wondering, #7, Par 5, 579 yards. 280 yards to carry the water on the right, 230 yards to reach the water on the bottom left edge of the fairway and the water goes along the entire left side until you reach the 200 yard marker. Then it just becomes inhospitable tall grass. Elevated tee shot but the wind was howling in my face... The good news is I hit the fairway, the bad news is that I still had almost 400 yards to go. I hit an okay 3 wood off the deck but landed in the rough 180 yards from the green, had to take a wedge just to get it out of the rough and left my approach too short. Three putts later, double bogey. There is a reason it's the hardest hole on the course!
I finished the day with an 89, three strokes off the winner. Not a terrible score for a very tough course, but it wasn't hard to find the strokes necessary for me to win.
1) #1, short Par 4 (359 yards). Having not done my homework but listening to the starter, that the fairway dropped off to a creek just past the 150 yard marker, I decided to go with a 3-wood off the tee. Unfortunately I did not practice with my 3-wood and ended up shanking it off the tee. Fortunately I didn't lose the ball and laid up with a 9 iron and then hit another 9 iron onto the green but way, way left of the pin. As I was approaching my ball, I noticed that there was at least 50 or so yards past the hole and a collection area below it. I could have used a driver. At worst, if I would have caught it pure, I could have dropped near the water and had a simple 45 yard pitch onto the green. Or I could have practiced with my 3 wood off the tee on the range. Either way. SCHR: 1
2) #3, Par 3 (183 yards). Very picturesque par 3 with a red clay wall backstop (view from the teebox pictured above). Green is very far below my feet so I pull the 7-Iron out of my bag. I hit a very pure shot, unfortunately I pulled it a little too far left, but managed to stay in bounds. Sadly I did not practice my chipping before the round and it came back to bite me as I chipped my first ball over the green and the second one far short of the pin. The biggest ignominy of it all however, is the 3 putt that followed. Including the 2 footer I missed. SCHR: At least 1
3) #12, Par 3 (180 yards). On the scorecard it said 140. On the range finder, it said 180. The eye test also told me it was way farther than my 9 iron could handle on its own. With the wind behind me a little bit, and basically nowhere to miss (water in the front and left, tall grass on the back and right) I had to be perfect. Had I actually formulated a backup plan on where to miss, I would have chosen right, and weakened my grip a little bit. Sadly, I hit a great shot, it just went too far left and did not cross the ground near the green, therefore I had to drop from the drop area, which happened to be the forward tee box. From that tee box it was 100 yards to the green. I was a little chafed at the moment (big mistake) therefore without giving it the second thought I should have, I pulled out my wedge that I generally carry 100 yards. I hit a very pure shot and it did land close to the pin but rolled just of the back. The chip was very treacherous, all downhill. I manage a decent chip but left myself an uphill 10 footer in order to save double. Sadly the putt didn't quite make it there and I earned a triple. Had I missed right and crossed land, I would have had a much easier up and down. Or had I actually remained calm and thought to myself I should land the ball at 85 or 90 yards and let it release uphill to the hole, I may have actually saved a stroke. Or, I could have hit the 6 iron straight!!! SCHR: At least 1
Had I done my homework, played within myself, and, of course, kept the ball out of the water, I believe I could have closed the three stroke gap between me and the winner. I will repeat this to anyone that will listen, and hopefully one day I'll take my own advice:
“Ask yourself how many shots you would have saved if you never lost your temper, never got down on yourself, always developed a strategy before you hit, and always played within your own capabilities.”
-Jack Nicklaus
-Jack Nicklaus
As for the GolfWeek Tour update: There are six events left on the schedule including two majors. Out of the next six events, three are at courses I am very familiar with (Laurel Hill, Whiskey Creek, Westfields). In fact, Laurel Hill is less than 3 miles from my house. If I'm going to win on the tour this year, I'm putting my money on one (or two, or three) of those three :). Hopefully in the next six events I can put together complete rounds, make fewer mistakes than my opponents, get a couple of (good) lucky bounces, play within myself, and execute the shots I know I am capable of. From here on out, time to plan out my rounds instead of just showing up to play.
Until the next time: Back to the RANGE, PRACTICE GREEN, and the GYM!
Next Stop: Forest Greens
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