We played the East course at VH yesterday under perfect conditions and I lit it up. From the white tees the course is pretty easy, but you still have to put the ball in play or many "others" will be posted. The pace of play was so slow that we played the back-to-back par threes on the front twice and we still waited to tee off on #6. The putter was working this day and other than a double bogie on #7 caused by an unplayable lie I posted a solid 37 (par is 34 on the front).
After a slight delay in teeing off on the back (we met some friends for the second half of the round) I parred the tough par 4 tenth hole and the very difficult eleventh.
On #12 I left my tee shot in a spot that required a big slicy banana ball around a tree to have any chance at getting home in two. I hit a seven iron but pushed it instead of slicing it. I panicked as I saw my ball headed right at the tree. But, the miracle of miracles happened and somehow the ball managed to fly right through the 6 inch gap in the tree's main branches and end up on the green about 25 feet from the hole. By all rights I should have been in deep doo doo, but I caught a major break and proceded to hole the putt for a birdie!!! All I could do was shrug it off and sheepishly tell my wife that I had birdied the hole.
I also birdied #13 and nearly #14 as well. At two under after 5 holes on the back I was looking pretty good. A poor chip on the par three 15th and a left handed shot on #16 carded two bogies to get back to reality. I parred 17 and rolled in a 4 footer for birdie on 18 and posted an excellent 72 for the day.
For the most part the East course is driver-wedge course but you still have to hit the shots and I did just that yesterday. Playing from the blues on this course is another issue altogether as some of the tee shots are much more difficult. But from any tee box you choose, 2 over is 2 over.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Scratching my head, and blowing my nose
Ok, so today Joan and I took advantage of the end what seems like 3 straight weeks of rain. The weather has just sucked here lately. We woke to find thick fog and very wet grass, but by 9:30 the fog had cleared and it was apparent that it was not going to rain, so off we went.
Joan had not played in two weeks and I have been battling a cold for the past few days.
My round started with a solid triple on the first hole. I can attribute the poor start to distractions on the tee from the tournament crowd milling about behind the tee, stiffness in my back from the cold and various other excuses. I hit two trees on the way to my fine snowman and off we went to the second hole. After a bogie there, I hit two more trees on the next hole and carded my second triple in three holes. Yikes.
I parred #4 and 5 and thought that maybe I had righted the ship, but no way. After snapping my next tee shot down to the bottom of a steep hill I managed to card a solid double and just shook my head. After lipping out for birdie on #7 I limped home with back to back bogies. The number 47 looked pretty ugly on the card as we headed to the 10th tee.
I kind of wrote off the front nine to my cold, the very wet conditions and the horrendously slow pace of play.
After parring 10, 11 and 12, I bladed a wedge over the green on 13 and made a really dumb bogie, oh well my round sucked anyways so no big deal. I nailed my drive on 14 and canned a 10 footer for birdie to wipe out the stupidity on the last hole. Pars on 15 and 16 kept me at even par on the back.
I tried to drive the green on 17 and left if just short and ended up in the wet rough. I chipped to about 10 feet and when Joan had the same putt that I did I got a good read on it and drained my birdie put to get to one under on the back!
A big drive and a five wood to about 20 feet on the par five 18th left me with an eagle putt for a 33 on the back. I hit a good putt, but missed on the high side and kicked it in for a birdie.
A two-under 34 on the back after a really ugly 47 on the front meant an 81 with two triples and a double. In the end not a bad score if you don't look too deep. Go figure: clueless on the front and on fire on the back. My nails are worn down from scratching my head trying to understand this goofy game.
Joan had not played in two weeks and I have been battling a cold for the past few days.
My round started with a solid triple on the first hole. I can attribute the poor start to distractions on the tee from the tournament crowd milling about behind the tee, stiffness in my back from the cold and various other excuses. I hit two trees on the way to my fine snowman and off we went to the second hole. After a bogie there, I hit two more trees on the next hole and carded my second triple in three holes. Yikes.
I parred #4 and 5 and thought that maybe I had righted the ship, but no way. After snapping my next tee shot down to the bottom of a steep hill I managed to card a solid double and just shook my head. After lipping out for birdie on #7 I limped home with back to back bogies. The number 47 looked pretty ugly on the card as we headed to the 10th tee.
I kind of wrote off the front nine to my cold, the very wet conditions and the horrendously slow pace of play.
After parring 10, 11 and 12, I bladed a wedge over the green on 13 and made a really dumb bogie, oh well my round sucked anyways so no big deal. I nailed my drive on 14 and canned a 10 footer for birdie to wipe out the stupidity on the last hole. Pars on 15 and 16 kept me at even par on the back.
I tried to drive the green on 17 and left if just short and ended up in the wet rough. I chipped to about 10 feet and when Joan had the same putt that I did I got a good read on it and drained my birdie put to get to one under on the back!
A big drive and a five wood to about 20 feet on the par five 18th left me with an eagle putt for a 33 on the back. I hit a good putt, but missed on the high side and kicked it in for a birdie.
A two-under 34 on the back after a really ugly 47 on the front meant an 81 with two triples and a double. In the end not a bad score if you don't look too deep. Go figure: clueless on the front and on fire on the back. My nails are worn down from scratching my head trying to understand this goofy game.
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