Worthington Manor - My Day Inside the Ropes
Five months behind but better late than never!!!
As amateur golfers, we're all chasing some kind of dream. Trying to break 100, 90, 80, Par, or our personal best. But then there are those of us with bigger dreams, to play with the pros. A friend of mine asked me to be on his bag while he chased his dream of playing in the US Open.
I'm no stranger to competitive golf. I've won one tournament on the Golfweek AM Tour (GWAT), finished second in a couple more, and finished 13th overall at the GWAT National tournament back in 2014 (OMG that was 5 years ago!). But, the top prize there was a $650 store credit, the top prize here, the stuff dreams are made of.
We made the tacit assumption that the greens would be rolled and putting would be manageable. Of course the first mistake was not considering our tee time. 12:36 PM. The full field was 130 golfers, so we probably should have taken into account the amount of foot traffic on the greens in the morning and worked a little more on decreasing the proximity to the hole. Lessons Learned.
For a course that hosted multiple US Open qualifiers, I definitely expected better conditions. In addition to the still visibly punched greens, there was quite a bit of patchy rough. Some of the rough was marked as ground under repair (free drop) while similar looking patches were not. I'm figuring the USGA ran out of white spray paint...
While a lot of people I know say that everyone plays the same course in the same conditions, I compare it to a football game where the #1 passing team plays the #1 rushing team and a monsoon hits the field. Of course both teams have to play in the same conditions, but one team is better equipped to handle the conditions. If your strength is putting, you will have a terrible day. If your strength is getting the ball close to the hole on iron shots or pitches, then you will have a much easier day.
Before the hole-by-hole breakout, I would just like to thank BlueGolf.com, Google Earth, and the US Geologic Survey for the awesome satellite photos of the course and more importantly the ability to measure distances to anywhere from anywhere on the course. Allen and I both bought the course guides but they were at least 15 years old and did not have all of the updated features (trees, additional bunkers, etc.). Google Earth had done a very thorough job of mapping out the course including some very strategically placed trees... Very good considering you cannot have any distance measuring device during play.
Hole 10: Par 4 - 379 Yards
The round started off with a nice easy 3 Wood that found the right rough over the right fairway bunker. Thanks to the aforementioned online distance tools, Allen took enough club to make it over the greenside water and left himself a 20 foot putt. Two putts later, in with a par. (0)
Hole 11: Par 4 - 359 Yards
The importance of practice rounds. When Allen wanted to be aggressive here and take driver, he always pulled the tee shot and left here is very dangerous. The grass was very thick and wet and practically impossible for normal human beings to hit a ball out of. Assuming of course, you could find it. Allen did tug his hybrid a little left but only found the first cut of rough and not the nasty stuff. An easy pitching wedge later Allen found himself on the green. Two puts and par. (0)
Hole 12: Par 4 - 459 Yards
Hardest hole on the back nine, a massive hole with a wide chasm at the 150 yard marker that extends all the way to the green with a small bail out area to the right. In the practice round Allen layed up using his hybrid but still had over 250 yards to go with most of it carry. Allen then used a 3-wood and pushed it to the right into the rough. Luckily we found the ball in the rough in good enough shape to put a 6 iron on it. The pin was in the middle and the approach was tugged just a little but found the green. A long uphill double breaking putt remained. But two putts later, in for another par. (0)
Hole 13: Par 5 - 555 Yards
Short Par 5 (by long hitter standards) and all the participants were itching to unload. Allen bombs a beautiful draw off the right side of the fairway bunker, leaving him a nice and easy hybrid into the green. He pulls the hybrid a little bit but lands on the rough between the greenside bunker and the green. Unfortunately for Allen he got a little tentative on the chip and left himself a long putt for birdie. He did not convert but made the tap in for par. (0)
Hole 14: Par 4 - 361 Yards
Not the most imposing of holes, but if you land in the wrong spot and you're in for a long day (or long putt). Allen tugs the tee shot a bit and after a small search, finds the ball in decent position in the left rough. Distance had it at roughly 70 yards. After a fair wedge, Allen finds the green. Unfortunately, thanks to not a little undulation and a lot of aeration holes, Allen suffers the dreaded three-jack and drops his first stroke of the day. (+1)
Hole 15: Par 3 - 193 Yards
More than a little chafed after dropping his first stroke of the day, Allen finds himself on the tee box of the first par three of the day. With roughly the same swing that plagued him on #12 and #14, he tugs it and finds the left rough. Allen, usually the talented tactician around the green, did not get up and down and is saddled with another bogey. (+2)
Hole 16: Par 4 - 470 Yards
To us regular amateur golfers (especially those of us with swing speeds less than 100 mph) 470 yards is pretty daunting unless there is an elevated tee box and a stiff tail wind. However, for these guys, the only challenge is choosing which side of the fairway... Another hole where playing a practice round was crucial. While Allen wanted to take a bit of a shortcut by driving it over the set of trees to the left of the fairway, what was hidden was another set of trees. Their sole purpose was to knock your ball down and cost you a stroke. Being one round wiser, Allen pummels a great drive and manages to avoid the second set of trees and get in a good spot, still in the left rough. After being good sportsmen and helping one of our opponents find his ball, Allen unleashes a mighty lash and finds himself in the greenside bunker behind the green. The unfortunate tilt of the green (back to front) made keeping the ball on the green all but impossible, even to the lowest of handicaps and Allen could not get up and down. Another bogey. (+3)
Hole 17: Par 3 - 188 Yards
The one break of the day was this par three being played at the blue tee box. Usually played at 223 yards, this soul crushing hole has a very small margin for error. Miss short, you're in a hazard; miss long left, you're in the trees; miss short left, you're in a very unforgiving bunker; miss long, you lose your ball in the tall grass; miss too far right, you're in the next tee box. In short, don't miss the green. Allen, sadly, did miss the green but only slightly right but was in a good position to convert the up and down. Sadly the hole had other ideas. Good chip but the wear around the hole (not to mention the aeration) robbed Allen of another par. (+4)
Hole 18: Par 5 - 525 Yards
Time to gird the loins and unleash the angry drive at the reachable par 5. Unfortunately for Allen, the drive had all the distance but did not go far enough left to give him a resting spot in the fairway. Undaunted, and strategically, we still decide to go for it and ended up very right of the green, but managed to avoid the huge greenside bunker. A good wedge from a tricky distance puts Allen on the green but with a lengthy putt. After scaring the hole, Allen taps in with a par. On one hand, he felt as if he dropped a stroke, but glad to be off the bogey train. (+4)
First nine thoughts: Good spirits despite the bogeys, the greens suck, shared disappointment at not taking full advantage of the gettable par fives, the greens suck, ball striking is good, the greens suck, and the caddy is still in good enough shape for another nine holes. Did I mention the greens sucked?
Hole 1: Par 4 - 414 Yards
With the front nine (or back nine, or both) out of the way, time for a new beginning. Allen responds with a good drive down the left side, followed by a good approach shot. Sadly the greens still weren't receptive enough for a putt outside of 15 feet. But in for a good par. (+4)
Hole 2: Par 4 - 395 Yards
Short hole that we originally strategized a 4 iron or 3 hybrid off the tee for and a mid-iron approach. Allen however, had other ideas. Possibly fueled by nervous energy, Allen takes the driver and crushes one down the middle and finds the fairway. Unfortunately, he also finds a divot. I did recall a rule that you did get relief from and unfilled divot, but nowhere in the handy-dandy PGA rules app could I find it. Undaunted, Allen takes out a wedge and hits probably his best wedge of the day and lands just inside 15 feet. Again, the green was unkind to Allen and robbed him of a birdie, but left him with a tap in par. (+4)
Hole 3: Par 4 - 437 Yards
According to the scorecard, it's the second hardest hole on the course. I cry BS... Five time winner of the hardest hole in Maryland is this monster. The picture from the white tees does it no justice.
In the practice rounds, Allen skillfully split the fairway en route to a couple of boring pars. Today however, would not be so boring. Trying to channel that energy from the second hole drive, he wound up and hit the ball with a mighty lash. Unfortunately, instead of splitting the fairway, he ends up deep in the right rough. Between Allen and the green was, 190-200 yards, a slight rise, a tree, deep fescue, and a false front. I wish I could tell you Allen pulled off a heroic shot, landed two feet from the cup and it catapulted him to greater glory. Sadly he hit it a little thick and it sailed into the deep fescue. With the new rules in place, Allen had only three minutes to find his ball, quite literally a needle in a haystack. After nearly two minutes and forty five minutes of searching (with a ranger overseeing) we managed to find the ball! Hitting it was another story as it took all of Allen's skill and strength just to get a club on the ball. Thankfully he was able to extricate it from the fescue and into some more manageable rough. Allen then chips the ball onto the green but could not get the up and down. Net result, the dreaded double... (+6)
Hole 4: Par 4 - 430 Yards
Significantly less imposing than the third hole, this hole features an elevated tee box and an elevated green. The fairway is somewhere below both. Allen finds said fairway although his mood is not as elevated as the starting point or the target. Allen tugs the approach shot slightly and ends up in the greenside rough. Cruelly, Allen hits an excellent chip that nestles less than one inch from the hole. He taps in for par knowing that chip was far better than many of his lag putts because it spent so little time on the green. (+6)
Hole 5: Par 5 - 533 Yards
Go Time! In the practice rounds this was a definite go depending (of course) on the lie. Allen smashes a great drive and nestles near a tree around 210 yards from the pin. Allen pulls out his 3-hybrid and goes into his routine. My one pure caddy moment was to grab the 3-hybrid from his clutches and remind him of the smooth 4-iron he hit from this distance last week. After some consternation Allen trusted my judgement and crushes the 4-iron just past pin-high to the left of the hole (score one for the caddy!). Sadly, there was to be no up and down for birdie as the sad story of the day was the inability of putts to hold a line on the big green Plinko boards we called greens. Net result: Par. (+6)
Hole 6: Par 3 - 198 Yards
Not a bad looking hole, with the possible exception of the water, bunkers, and savage undulation on the putting surface.
Allen hits a good but not great shot just to the right of the front pot bunker. Sadly his chip is less than successful and catches the ridge. The miraculous part wasn't the two putt, but the avoidance of the three-putt. Bogey. (+7)
Hole 7: Par 4 - 372 Yards
Caution is now officially to the wind and we are as close to "Full Monkey Tilt" as Allen gets. In the practice rounds, Allen hit a nice 4-iron to the 150 yard marker. At this moment however, he breaks out the driver, girds the loins (again), and belts one deep to the left rough. It takes a only a minute to find the drive, a respectable 70 or so yards from the green. In true bomb and gouge fashion, Allen puts a good wedge on the ball and lands about 20 feet above the hole. But again, like Gandalf said to the Balrog, "You shall not pass!" No one putt for the money, just two for the par. (+7)
Hole 8: Par 3 - 175 Yards
If you have been paying attention, Allen's kryptonite today has been par 3's. Right now he is +3 on par 3's, and this is no ordinary par 3. It plays uphill and the green has three distinct areas. If you land on the wrong area, welcome to bogeyville. Long story short, Allen pulls the shot a bit and has a 50+ foot circus putt waiting for him. Amazingly he threads the putt close but cannot close the deal for two thanks to the Plinko Board. (+8)
Hole 9: Par 5 - 556 Yards
Last hole and last chance for glory! Not a minute too soon as I somehow managed to tweak my ankle somewhere in the last few hundred yards I hiked. Allen had come to peace with his round, but somehow I hope the greenskeeper isn't at the course today (Update: the head greenskeeper was fired after the tournament). Allen gave the ball a mighty lash and the ball nestled on the fairway somewhere around the 250 yard mark. Allen then takes the 3-hybrid and crushes it right of the greenside bunker. To make a long story short, Allen makes the up and down of his dreams and gets his first and only birdie of the day! (+7)
The Quaff also finished seven over par, Evan Santa (Claus) faired better at four over but was sunk by two costly double bogeys. The winner, Ervin Chang, finished at six under and the last alternate finished at one under par. The irony, they both bogeyed #3...
Overall, even though there was some disappointment at not moving on to the next round, there was something noble and courageous about the effort. In their fleeting moments of truth, these magnificent golfers, test their courage, and measure their resolve. Finding what is heroic in a game that is a contest, not only of skill, but of will; and while it is their physical grace that we come to marvel at; it is their unconquerable spirit that captures our hearts.
Thanks for letting me be on your bag Allen, I learned a lot. Including that I have a LONG WAY TO GO, but to enjoy my time in getting there.
As amateur golfers, we're all chasing some kind of dream. Trying to break 100, 90, 80, Par, or our personal best. But then there are those of us with bigger dreams, to play with the pros. A friend of mine asked me to be on his bag while he chased his dream of playing in the US Open.
I'm no stranger to competitive golf. I've won one tournament on the Golfweek AM Tour (GWAT), finished second in a couple more, and finished 13th overall at the GWAT National tournament back in 2014 (OMG that was 5 years ago!). But, the top prize there was a $650 store credit, the top prize here, the stuff dreams are made of.
Character Profile: Allen
Easily the best golfer I've ever played with. Met him through Mean Gene and upon realizing he was a Philadelphia Eagles fan (go Birds!), we instantly hit it off. Also a good human being.The Course: Worthington Manor Golf Course
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| Not Quite Magnolia Drive, but Nice! |
Before the qualifier at Worthington Manor Golf Course, we played a couple of practice rounds. During our first practice round on April 18th, the greens had just been punched that Monday. At the last practice round, on May 6th, the day before the event, the greens were still in rough shape.
We made the tacit assumption that the greens would be rolled and putting would be manageable. Of course the first mistake was not considering our tee time. 12:36 PM. The full field was 130 golfers, so we probably should have taken into account the amount of foot traffic on the greens in the morning and worked a little more on decreasing the proximity to the hole. Lessons Learned.
For a course that hosted multiple US Open qualifiers, I definitely expected better conditions. In addition to the still visibly punched greens, there was quite a bit of patchy rough. Some of the rough was marked as ground under repair (free drop) while similar looking patches were not. I'm figuring the USGA ran out of white spray paint...
While a lot of people I know say that everyone plays the same course in the same conditions, I compare it to a football game where the #1 passing team plays the #1 rushing team and a monsoon hits the field. Of course both teams have to play in the same conditions, but one team is better equipped to handle the conditions. If your strength is putting, you will have a terrible day. If your strength is getting the ball close to the hole on iron shots or pitches, then you will have a much easier day.
The Round
The round started much like any other round, introductions to your playing partners (Evan Santa, standout golfer at the University of Maryland, and Noah Reeder, a high school phenom from Falling Waters, West Virginia with perfectly quaffed hair), identifying what ball your playing with and what marks distinguish it from other random balls that might be found on the course, and determination of who goes first. Of course there was a refresh of the new USGA rules and they let us know there were marshalls and rules officials on the course if there were issues. The only subtle difference of course, 129 other competitors are playing for 8 spots to go on to the next round. It was a double tee so the group started on hole 10.Before the hole-by-hole breakout, I would just like to thank BlueGolf.com, Google Earth, and the US Geologic Survey for the awesome satellite photos of the course and more importantly the ability to measure distances to anywhere from anywhere on the course. Allen and I both bought the course guides but they were at least 15 years old and did not have all of the updated features (trees, additional bunkers, etc.). Google Earth had done a very thorough job of mapping out the course including some very strategically placed trees... Very good considering you cannot have any distance measuring device during play.
Hole 10: Par 4 - 379 Yards
The round started off with a nice easy 3 Wood that found the right rough over the right fairway bunker. Thanks to the aforementioned online distance tools, Allen took enough club to make it over the greenside water and left himself a 20 foot putt. Two putts later, in with a par. (0)
Hole 11: Par 4 - 359 Yards
The importance of practice rounds. When Allen wanted to be aggressive here and take driver, he always pulled the tee shot and left here is very dangerous. The grass was very thick and wet and practically impossible for normal human beings to hit a ball out of. Assuming of course, you could find it. Allen did tug his hybrid a little left but only found the first cut of rough and not the nasty stuff. An easy pitching wedge later Allen found himself on the green. Two puts and par. (0)
Hole 12: Par 4 - 459 Yards
Hardest hole on the back nine, a massive hole with a wide chasm at the 150 yard marker that extends all the way to the green with a small bail out area to the right. In the practice round Allen layed up using his hybrid but still had over 250 yards to go with most of it carry. Allen then used a 3-wood and pushed it to the right into the rough. Luckily we found the ball in the rough in good enough shape to put a 6 iron on it. The pin was in the middle and the approach was tugged just a little but found the green. A long uphill double breaking putt remained. But two putts later, in for another par. (0)
Hole 13: Par 5 - 555 Yards
Short Par 5 (by long hitter standards) and all the participants were itching to unload. Allen bombs a beautiful draw off the right side of the fairway bunker, leaving him a nice and easy hybrid into the green. He pulls the hybrid a little bit but lands on the rough between the greenside bunker and the green. Unfortunately for Allen he got a little tentative on the chip and left himself a long putt for birdie. He did not convert but made the tap in for par. (0)
Hole 14: Par 4 - 361 Yards
Not the most imposing of holes, but if you land in the wrong spot and you're in for a long day (or long putt). Allen tugs the tee shot a bit and after a small search, finds the ball in decent position in the left rough. Distance had it at roughly 70 yards. After a fair wedge, Allen finds the green. Unfortunately, thanks to not a little undulation and a lot of aeration holes, Allen suffers the dreaded three-jack and drops his first stroke of the day. (+1)
Hole 15: Par 3 - 193 Yards
More than a little chafed after dropping his first stroke of the day, Allen finds himself on the tee box of the first par three of the day. With roughly the same swing that plagued him on #12 and #14, he tugs it and finds the left rough. Allen, usually the talented tactician around the green, did not get up and down and is saddled with another bogey. (+2)
Hole 16: Par 4 - 470 Yards
To us regular amateur golfers (especially those of us with swing speeds less than 100 mph) 470 yards is pretty daunting unless there is an elevated tee box and a stiff tail wind. However, for these guys, the only challenge is choosing which side of the fairway... Another hole where playing a practice round was crucial. While Allen wanted to take a bit of a shortcut by driving it over the set of trees to the left of the fairway, what was hidden was another set of trees. Their sole purpose was to knock your ball down and cost you a stroke. Being one round wiser, Allen pummels a great drive and manages to avoid the second set of trees and get in a good spot, still in the left rough. After being good sportsmen and helping one of our opponents find his ball, Allen unleashes a mighty lash and finds himself in the greenside bunker behind the green. The unfortunate tilt of the green (back to front) made keeping the ball on the green all but impossible, even to the lowest of handicaps and Allen could not get up and down. Another bogey. (+3)
Hole 17: Par 3 - 188 Yards
The one break of the day was this par three being played at the blue tee box. Usually played at 223 yards, this soul crushing hole has a very small margin for error. Miss short, you're in a hazard; miss long left, you're in the trees; miss short left, you're in a very unforgiving bunker; miss long, you lose your ball in the tall grass; miss too far right, you're in the next tee box. In short, don't miss the green. Allen, sadly, did miss the green but only slightly right but was in a good position to convert the up and down. Sadly the hole had other ideas. Good chip but the wear around the hole (not to mention the aeration) robbed Allen of another par. (+4)
Hole 18: Par 5 - 525 Yards
Time to gird the loins and unleash the angry drive at the reachable par 5. Unfortunately for Allen, the drive had all the distance but did not go far enough left to give him a resting spot in the fairway. Undaunted, and strategically, we still decide to go for it and ended up very right of the green, but managed to avoid the huge greenside bunker. A good wedge from a tricky distance puts Allen on the green but with a lengthy putt. After scaring the hole, Allen taps in with a par. On one hand, he felt as if he dropped a stroke, but glad to be off the bogey train. (+4)
First nine thoughts: Good spirits despite the bogeys, the greens suck, shared disappointment at not taking full advantage of the gettable par fives, the greens suck, ball striking is good, the greens suck, and the caddy is still in good enough shape for another nine holes. Did I mention the greens sucked?
Hole 1: Par 4 - 414 Yards
With the front nine (or back nine, or both) out of the way, time for a new beginning. Allen responds with a good drive down the left side, followed by a good approach shot. Sadly the greens still weren't receptive enough for a putt outside of 15 feet. But in for a good par. (+4)
Hole 2: Par 4 - 395 Yards
Short hole that we originally strategized a 4 iron or 3 hybrid off the tee for and a mid-iron approach. Allen however, had other ideas. Possibly fueled by nervous energy, Allen takes the driver and crushes one down the middle and finds the fairway. Unfortunately, he also finds a divot. I did recall a rule that you did get relief from and unfilled divot, but nowhere in the handy-dandy PGA rules app could I find it. Undaunted, Allen takes out a wedge and hits probably his best wedge of the day and lands just inside 15 feet. Again, the green was unkind to Allen and robbed him of a birdie, but left him with a tap in par. (+4)
Hole 3: Par 4 - 437 Yards
According to the scorecard, it's the second hardest hole on the course. I cry BS... Five time winner of the hardest hole in Maryland is this monster. The picture from the white tees does it no justice.
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| Just aim for that 15 yard wide section of the fairway for the best approach! |
Hole 4: Par 4 - 430 Yards
Significantly less imposing than the third hole, this hole features an elevated tee box and an elevated green. The fairway is somewhere below both. Allen finds said fairway although his mood is not as elevated as the starting point or the target. Allen tugs the approach shot slightly and ends up in the greenside rough. Cruelly, Allen hits an excellent chip that nestles less than one inch from the hole. He taps in for par knowing that chip was far better than many of his lag putts because it spent so little time on the green. (+6)
Hole 5: Par 5 - 533 Yards
Go Time! In the practice rounds this was a definite go depending (of course) on the lie. Allen smashes a great drive and nestles near a tree around 210 yards from the pin. Allen pulls out his 3-hybrid and goes into his routine. My one pure caddy moment was to grab the 3-hybrid from his clutches and remind him of the smooth 4-iron he hit from this distance last week. After some consternation Allen trusted my judgement and crushes the 4-iron just past pin-high to the left of the hole (score one for the caddy!). Sadly, there was to be no up and down for birdie as the sad story of the day was the inability of putts to hold a line on the big green Plinko boards we called greens. Net result: Par. (+6)
Hole 6: Par 3 - 198 Yards
Not a bad looking hole, with the possible exception of the water, bunkers, and savage undulation on the putting surface.
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| There aren't enough hazards on this hole, said no one ever... |
Hole 7: Par 4 - 372 Yards
Caution is now officially to the wind and we are as close to "Full Monkey Tilt" as Allen gets. In the practice rounds, Allen hit a nice 4-iron to the 150 yard marker. At this moment however, he breaks out the driver, girds the loins (again), and belts one deep to the left rough. It takes a only a minute to find the drive, a respectable 70 or so yards from the green. In true bomb and gouge fashion, Allen puts a good wedge on the ball and lands about 20 feet above the hole. But again, like Gandalf said to the Balrog, "You shall not pass!" No one putt for the money, just two for the par. (+7)
Hole 8: Par 3 - 175 Yards
If you have been paying attention, Allen's kryptonite today has been par 3's. Right now he is +3 on par 3's, and this is no ordinary par 3. It plays uphill and the green has three distinct areas. If you land on the wrong area, welcome to bogeyville. Long story short, Allen pulls the shot a bit and has a 50+ foot circus putt waiting for him. Amazingly he threads the putt close but cannot close the deal for two thanks to the Plinko Board. (+8)
Hole 9: Par 5 - 556 Yards
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| Hole #9, Par 5, We Haven't Reached the Back Tees Yet! |
Last hole and last chance for glory! Not a minute too soon as I somehow managed to tweak my ankle somewhere in the last few hundred yards I hiked. Allen had come to peace with his round, but somehow I hope the greenskeeper isn't at the course today (Update: the head greenskeeper was fired after the tournament). Allen gave the ball a mighty lash and the ball nestled on the fairway somewhere around the 250 yard mark. Allen then takes the 3-hybrid and crushes it right of the greenside bunker. To make a long story short, Allen makes the up and down of his dreams and gets his first and only birdie of the day! (+7)
The Quaff also finished seven over par, Evan Santa (Claus) faired better at four over but was sunk by two costly double bogeys. The winner, Ervin Chang, finished at six under and the last alternate finished at one under par. The irony, they both bogeyed #3...
Overall, even though there was some disappointment at not moving on to the next round, there was something noble and courageous about the effort. In their fleeting moments of truth, these magnificent golfers, test their courage, and measure their resolve. Finding what is heroic in a game that is a contest, not only of skill, but of will; and while it is their physical grace that we come to marvel at; it is their unconquerable spirit that captures our hearts.
Thanks for letting me be on your bag Allen, I learned a lot. Including that I have a LONG WAY TO GO, but to enjoy my time in getting there.
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