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Over the weekend I spent some time with my college buddy Chuck on an amazing course called Great Gorge in McAfee. It was both beautiful and deadly, from a golf standpoint. There are three course: Quarry, Rail and Lake. We played the Quarry to Rail path and from the start were surrounded by a huge rock out cropping with tight fairways. Accuracy was very important from the tee and I certainly didn’t have much of it. The evidence is in the 4 penalty strokes on my card. I haven’t had to take that many strokes in an entire round all year let alone in nine.
The back nine, the Rail course, as the name would have you believe snakes around the rail road tracks. It was much more open which meant that I could find my errant drives and since I was hitting my irons well I could get myself back on track. My putting woes continued and no matter how close I got with my short game I would blow the putt by the hole or end up woefully short.
My iron and short game were really on, it was at the far ends of the course that I was sorely lacking. I couldn’t stop slicing my drives deep into the woods or missing lag putts by ten feet to save my life. It wasn’t until the 14th hole that I really got my driver back in plane and hit some really good tee shots. My putting never turned around which was disappointing since my last few rounds putting was my strong point. Considering how bad my driving and putting was a 54/52 – 106 isn’t really that bad. The couse had a slope of 129 which is way above the average course that I play. I am going to try and play Timberpoint tomorrow morning the lower slope rating should be better for my ego.
On Saturday the 16th I shot 101 and had a 30 foot putt to break 100. The first legitimate chance to reach my first goal of the season. I was playing Timber Point and on the 18th I had a 70 yard pitch to get it close for stroke 99. I hit my PW well and pin high but was off to the right about 30 feet. I got it close but missed the putt for 100 and had to settly for 101. Putting killed me on the back 9 with 21 putts there versus my 16 on the front. The back 9 is much harder thant he front on that course but I still feel a little dejected and as usual I can look back and see every stroke that could have gotten me there.