Other than Willowdale, I played Chemawa Golf Course in North Attleboro the most last season. It is conveniently located about halfway between Norwood and Providence, so it's a good place to play. Also, they keep the course in amazing shape. Normally you only get what you pay for, but for the price here the course is better than you expect. Not overly long with moderately wide fairways, it's a good course for people who aren't big hitters or lack accuracy. In other words, it's right up my alley.
If you show up on any golf course in America on a Saturday with only two people, you should expect to be paired up with a couple strangers. This Saturday was no exception as Josh and I were paired with a couple of law students for the first 9 holes. Normally I hate being paired with strangers, cause you never know who you're about to be playing with. As I've said in this space before, you should stick to playing with people on equal footing. Turns out one of them hadn't played in a couple of years, while the other was new to the game. After their first shots went well right and barely past the red tees I was feeling much better about the rest of the round. It's a weird feeling to know that you're not very good at something, yet somehow still one of the best in your group.
In an attempt to keep this post at less than 10,000 words, I will not tell you about all 18 holes. Instead, I'll just hit the interesting ones.
#2 Again, I'm not taking my driver out of the bag. It will be replaced just as soon as possible. Instead I went with 3 wood and got solid contact down the fairway. I ended up about a hundred yards short of the hole, but my approach shot faded at the end and left me off to the right of the green. I had visions of a par in my head, but took my eyes off the ball and topped my chip attempt. My second try got me on the green with a 10 footer for a bogey. Keeping in mind my time at Willowdale earlier this week I took the time to mark and realign my ball. Getting good contact I one-putted for the second hole in a row to save a 5.
#3 I teed the ball up too high and thus was greeted with a towering drive then went farther up than forward. I still had the best drive of the group as the rest of my foursome all landed multiple drives into the out-of-bounds woods on the right. My second shot travelled up the right side of the fairway, but stayed in bounds as I played follow the bouncing ball. It hit cart path for a couple bounces before going up onto a rock formation, against the fence, back on the formation for a couple more hops and then settled into a crack. I took some relief to the grass, but it was short lived as my third again faded right and took a couple more hops on the cart path. I needed two chips just to get over the path and back onto the green. From there I had a 30-footer and I read the break correctly but I needed a little less speed as my ball died just past the cup. I tapped in for an adventurous 7.
#5 This time the cart path was my friend. My drive went left for a change and hit the path, where it just kept going. It travelled down the cart path until the path ended, and even then I got another 10 feet of roll. The path-aided ball left me with less than 100 yards to the hole. I pulled out my pitching wedge, but again topped my chip and required another just to get to the front of the green. Rather than risking a chip which could make my ball fly over the green I tried to putt through the first cut, but didn't have enough power to make it. I made the remaining 6-footer for a 5 that was probably better than I deserved.
#9 One of my favorite holes on the course, it's essentially an island green guarded by a large pool of water, though you have a little course to work with on the left hand side. My first shot went right and came up before the water, just beyond the drop area. I took out my pitching wedge and hit what was probably the best shot of my life. I've hit balls that ended up closer to the hole, but none that were this aesthetically pleasing. It was the perfect-looking chip, landed exactly where I wanted it to and rolled to within 8 feet; exactly how I expected it to. It was almost as if I knew what I was doing. Of course, I pulled the next putt and knew it the second I hit it, but still I was happy with a 4.
#10 After our foursome turned into a twosome, I had to deal with a lot of self-made hazards on this hole. My first drive hooked into the opposite fairway. I managed to drive through a tree, avoiding no less than 5 limbs, to get back to the center of #10. My third shot was short and to the right and it ended up on top of a foot-high retaining stone wall that ran alongside of the cart path. Not really sure how to choke up or get good footing on the wall I instead half swung and watched my ball weakly come off the wall and start down the path before taking a weird hop and going off the path, into the wall, off the path again, back up into the wall before hitting a strange angle and taking a 90 degree turn to the left and onto the green to within 20 feet of the cup. Let's see Tiger Woods do that one.
#13 Facing another hole guarded by two pools of water, I didn't want to lose my heavily-scuffed ball that had worked so well for me the first 12 holes of the day. So, I switched to another from my bag. It turned out to be a good decision as I lost my first ball of the day when my drive hooked into the water on the right. Retrieving my original ball from my pocket I again hit a nice chip over the water from the drop area that made it look like I knew what I was doing. I had to two-putt from 20 feet as I got the speed of the greens wrong, but I was still pretty pleased to have made it over the water only losing one Top Flite.
#15 This par 4 starts with a large valley about 20 yards past the hole and it continues uphill from there. For the second time in the round I teed the ball up too high and hit a towering shot that went no where. My second drive with a fairway wood went down into the valley, but with such force that it managed to roll all the way up to the top of the hill. My third shot with a 4-iron got me to the front of the green on the fringe. Facing a steep drop if I went over the green I decided to putt from 45 feet and came up only about 10 feet short. I lipped out the second putt attempt for a 6 that felt like more of a victory than it probably should have.
#17 My first drive down the right side set me up perfectly for a second shot. I had a solid 120 yards to the hole and I was at a great angle. Unfortunately my second attempt hooked and landed me in a bunker on the right side of the green. That was where the fun began. My first hack in the sand got my ball out... only to watch it hit some hill and roll... slowly... back... into... the... bunker. That's a helpless feeling. And, as an added bonus it barely fell into the bunker and stopped, so I had the lip of the green to deal with. My second bunker shot hit that lip and my ball went farther back into the bunker than I started with. I hit my third with everything I had and watched my ball fly out and land at the back of the green, 25 feet over the hole. I was thinking about how much I hate golf when my 25-foot putt, downhill and with 4 feet of break to it, landed perfectly into the cup for a 6. Those are the moments you know the game has it's hooks into you.
Final Score: 113
Self Analysis: I feel like I've finally figured out my putting stroke. Taking the extra time to mark the ball seems like it helps, even if it's purely psychological. The thing I need to work on now is not having those little 'hiccup' strokes, where I hit a good shot, followed by a crappy one and then hit the shot that should have been my second. I feel like there is one of those a hole and that's 18 strokes a round right there. The other big issue is that I need to just avoid sand traps all together, as I really appear to have trouble in those. But, clearly I'm getting better. My New Year's resolutions were to break 50 at Willowdale and 115 at Chemawa (I thought it was 120, but looking back I wrote 115... guess I was feeling ballsy), and I nearly pulled both of those off this week.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Return to Willowdale
Willowdale Golf Course in Mansfield is actually one of my favorite places to play. It's pretty easy to get to, it's cheap and you get a good mix of only par 3's and 4's, which is nice for players who suck at golf. I came here numerous times last summer due to it's close proximity to Gillette Stadium. My New Year's resolution was to break 50 at the course, which I came close to doing last season. Greeted with a gorgeous New England Spring day, I was determined to try again.
#1 A dogleg to the left meant that I would be lucky to get on the green in two. I didn't bother with my driver, because if my range session last week was any indication, we're heading for a breakup pretty soon. Instead I used my 3 wood and actually drove past the turn and into the rough. Never expected to get that much distance, to be honest with you. I lifted my head on my attempt to reach the green and thus had to chip twice to get there. Still very content with a 20-footer for a 4, I was off on the speed of the greens and my putt came up woefully short. My second attempt didn't break nearly as much as I expected and thus was left with a tap-in two footer for a 6. At least, for anyone else it was a tap-in. I lipped it out for a very annoying 7. My quest for 50 was not starting off well.
#2 I'm still having issues with figure out what club to hit at what distance, so I essentially guessed when I went with a 5 iron for this 160 yard par 3. The distance didn't matter, however, as I topped my drive and it went weakly off to the right. My chip attempt wasn't much better as I landed near a tree below the raised green. I did, however, get a sweet chip attempt as my shot went up and over a large branch to land in the second cut at the bottom of the green. I attempted to putt from there rather than risk watching my chip fly across the green, but I didn't hit it hard enough to clear the first and second cut; thus, I was forced to putt again from 10 feet. I was off on the break and had a short putt before I could mark my 6.
#3 At essentially the same length as the hole before it, I decided to try my 5 iron again on the off chance that I would actually hit it straight this time. I got good loft and would have ended up very close to the green if my drive hadn't faded at the end and landed up just off the fairway to the right. Standing above the ball, which was on a hill, I missed making solid contact and had to chip a second time to get on the green. Left with a 20 footer for a 4 I again got the read of the green wrong and didn't get the break I expected. I lipped out a 5 footer and in my haste to just tap in didn't set my feet and so I missed the easy come-backer. I finally put in the putt for a 7 and began to wonder if anyone would have a driver/putter two-fer special.
#4 Going back to the only club I hit well I pulled out my 3 wood for this 290 yard par 4. Again I got good, not great, contact as my shot faded to the right at the end, landing just in front of the pond that straddles holes #4 and #5. My second attempt actually hooked perfectly around a tree that stood between me and the green as if I planned it. Coming up just short I chipped on to the green, but didn't get the roll I expected to the hole. Facing an uphill 20 footer for my 4, I again got the speed wrong and made it only halfway to the hole. My second putt was better, but I still missed by a foot and had to tap in for a 6.
#5 To start with, my 3 wood betrayed me. My drive shot to the right, over the pond I had just missed and settled neatly into the fairway on #4. Fortunately, no one was playing it at the time so I attempted to chip back into my own fairway, only to hit a branch and watch my ball die right next to the tree. I had no real option except to aim 90 degrees from the hole and just try and make it back into the fairway. Now, rather than take 5 seconds to relax I just swung at the ball and, of course, watched it go about 4 feet. I was getting more annoyed now and so it took me two more pitch attempts before I got good contact... which promptly got me over the green. Putting from just on the fringe and downhill for a 7 I actually had one of my better putts of the afternoon and came within a foot of the hole. I finished off the worst hole of my round with a snowman. My dream of breaking 50 seemed way off.
#6 Despite my bad drive on the last hole I stuck with my 3 wood, because it's still the most consistent contact I get. I hit a line drive down the right side of the fairway, watching it fly 3 feet off the ground for about 120 yards before it landed and started bouncing towards the green before it disappeared down a slight hill. At least it was still in the right fairway. As I started walking to where I thought my ball was going to be I couldn't find it, but noticed a ball on the green, about a foot from the cup. Trying to figure out who hit one hell of an errant shot, I approached the ball. As I got closer I could see the mark I had made on the ball. Holy shit... it was mine! I guess it just kept rolling after I stopped watching it and it continued all the way to green. So, here's all you need to know about what I think of myself as a golfer: when I hit a great shot, instead of being happy, I start to wonder who's ball that is, cause there is no way that that could be mine. Not taking any chances, I marked and re-spotted my ball (something I never do) for my one-footer. I drained it for only my second birdie ever.
#7 This is the short par 3 where I came my closest to a birdie last season. So, I had full confidence that I could get this close and follow my birdie with something low. Instead I caught my pitching wedge at an odd angle and watched the ball fly towards the sand trap. Luckily at this time of year it's not really sand yet (still a little too solid), and so my ball rolled up and out of the bunker. My chip attempt landed me on the green with 30 feet to the hole and a par. Unfortunately I thought there was going to be some more break than there was (which was none) and left myself 11 feet for my 4. Again, I decided to take a moment and realign the ball on the green. I nailed the following putt. Maybe there is something to this whole realigning thing the pros like to do.
#8 I stuck with my 3 wood since it had been working for me all day. Again, I got solid contact but not enough high as my ball stayed 3 feet off the ground most of the way down the fairway before fading to the right at the end. I was left with about 25 feet to the green. In the back of my mind I knew that the 49 I was after was back in play following the last two holes. But, I topped my chip attempt and so I needed another to get on the green. I was smart enough to take a second and take a breathe before putting but this green felt like it was still very soft and it wasn't nearly as fast as I felt it should have been. As a result I still needed 10 feet to sink a 5. Taking a moment to re-check the greens and my line... I drained it.
#9 Quick math told me I was sitting on a 45 and a 4 would get me the 49 I was after. Suddenly, I knew how Kenny Perry felt on 18 on Sunday, knowing a 4 was all he needed. My drive was weak down the right side, leaving me about 100 yards to the hole. At the worst possible time I lifted my head again and my pitch was topped. A second attempt got me on the green with 15 feet to the pin. I marked my ball and must have looked at this from a dozen different angles (hey, I was the only one on this side of the course - I had the time). My putt felt good leaving my hands... I got the break perfectly... the speed felt right... and my ball died on the lip of the cup. Mother... FUCKER. I needed the 4 and got a 5. Now I really felt like Kenny Perry at the Masters.
Final Score: 50
Self-Analysis: I'm kicking myself because a good score was out there, but my putting to start the day really killed me; it probably cost me 4 strokes. I feel like I got a handle on it by the 5th hole, but by then it was too late. I still need to work on my pitching - I feel very inconsistent with it. My opening drive was good, but after that I either got no height or it would fade to one side or another. I'm miles ahead of where I was last season, but not nearly where I want to be by the end of this one.
#1 A dogleg to the left meant that I would be lucky to get on the green in two. I didn't bother with my driver, because if my range session last week was any indication, we're heading for a breakup pretty soon. Instead I used my 3 wood and actually drove past the turn and into the rough. Never expected to get that much distance, to be honest with you. I lifted my head on my attempt to reach the green and thus had to chip twice to get there. Still very content with a 20-footer for a 4, I was off on the speed of the greens and my putt came up woefully short. My second attempt didn't break nearly as much as I expected and thus was left with a tap-in two footer for a 6. At least, for anyone else it was a tap-in. I lipped it out for a very annoying 7. My quest for 50 was not starting off well.
#2 I'm still having issues with figure out what club to hit at what distance, so I essentially guessed when I went with a 5 iron for this 160 yard par 3. The distance didn't matter, however, as I topped my drive and it went weakly off to the right. My chip attempt wasn't much better as I landed near a tree below the raised green. I did, however, get a sweet chip attempt as my shot went up and over a large branch to land in the second cut at the bottom of the green. I attempted to putt from there rather than risk watching my chip fly across the green, but I didn't hit it hard enough to clear the first and second cut; thus, I was forced to putt again from 10 feet. I was off on the break and had a short putt before I could mark my 6.
#3 At essentially the same length as the hole before it, I decided to try my 5 iron again on the off chance that I would actually hit it straight this time. I got good loft and would have ended up very close to the green if my drive hadn't faded at the end and landed up just off the fairway to the right. Standing above the ball, which was on a hill, I missed making solid contact and had to chip a second time to get on the green. Left with a 20 footer for a 4 I again got the read of the green wrong and didn't get the break I expected. I lipped out a 5 footer and in my haste to just tap in didn't set my feet and so I missed the easy come-backer. I finally put in the putt for a 7 and began to wonder if anyone would have a driver/putter two-fer special.
#4 Going back to the only club I hit well I pulled out my 3 wood for this 290 yard par 4. Again I got good, not great, contact as my shot faded to the right at the end, landing just in front of the pond that straddles holes #4 and #5. My second attempt actually hooked perfectly around a tree that stood between me and the green as if I planned it. Coming up just short I chipped on to the green, but didn't get the roll I expected to the hole. Facing an uphill 20 footer for my 4, I again got the speed wrong and made it only halfway to the hole. My second putt was better, but I still missed by a foot and had to tap in for a 6.
#5 To start with, my 3 wood betrayed me. My drive shot to the right, over the pond I had just missed and settled neatly into the fairway on #4. Fortunately, no one was playing it at the time so I attempted to chip back into my own fairway, only to hit a branch and watch my ball die right next to the tree. I had no real option except to aim 90 degrees from the hole and just try and make it back into the fairway. Now, rather than take 5 seconds to relax I just swung at the ball and, of course, watched it go about 4 feet. I was getting more annoyed now and so it took me two more pitch attempts before I got good contact... which promptly got me over the green. Putting from just on the fringe and downhill for a 7 I actually had one of my better putts of the afternoon and came within a foot of the hole. I finished off the worst hole of my round with a snowman. My dream of breaking 50 seemed way off.
#6 Despite my bad drive on the last hole I stuck with my 3 wood, because it's still the most consistent contact I get. I hit a line drive down the right side of the fairway, watching it fly 3 feet off the ground for about 120 yards before it landed and started bouncing towards the green before it disappeared down a slight hill. At least it was still in the right fairway. As I started walking to where I thought my ball was going to be I couldn't find it, but noticed a ball on the green, about a foot from the cup. Trying to figure out who hit one hell of an errant shot, I approached the ball. As I got closer I could see the mark I had made on the ball. Holy shit... it was mine! I guess it just kept rolling after I stopped watching it and it continued all the way to green. So, here's all you need to know about what I think of myself as a golfer: when I hit a great shot, instead of being happy, I start to wonder who's ball that is, cause there is no way that that could be mine. Not taking any chances, I marked and re-spotted my ball (something I never do) for my one-footer. I drained it for only my second birdie ever.
#7 This is the short par 3 where I came my closest to a birdie last season. So, I had full confidence that I could get this close and follow my birdie with something low. Instead I caught my pitching wedge at an odd angle and watched the ball fly towards the sand trap. Luckily at this time of year it's not really sand yet (still a little too solid), and so my ball rolled up and out of the bunker. My chip attempt landed me on the green with 30 feet to the hole and a par. Unfortunately I thought there was going to be some more break than there was (which was none) and left myself 11 feet for my 4. Again, I decided to take a moment and realign the ball on the green. I nailed the following putt. Maybe there is something to this whole realigning thing the pros like to do.
#8 I stuck with my 3 wood since it had been working for me all day. Again, I got solid contact but not enough high as my ball stayed 3 feet off the ground most of the way down the fairway before fading to the right at the end. I was left with about 25 feet to the green. In the back of my mind I knew that the 49 I was after was back in play following the last two holes. But, I topped my chip attempt and so I needed another to get on the green. I was smart enough to take a second and take a breathe before putting but this green felt like it was still very soft and it wasn't nearly as fast as I felt it should have been. As a result I still needed 10 feet to sink a 5. Taking a moment to re-check the greens and my line... I drained it.
#9 Quick math told me I was sitting on a 45 and a 4 would get me the 49 I was after. Suddenly, I knew how Kenny Perry felt on 18 on Sunday, knowing a 4 was all he needed. My drive was weak down the right side, leaving me about 100 yards to the hole. At the worst possible time I lifted my head again and my pitch was topped. A second attempt got me on the green with 15 feet to the pin. I marked my ball and must have looked at this from a dozen different angles (hey, I was the only one on this side of the course - I had the time). My putt felt good leaving my hands... I got the break perfectly... the speed felt right... and my ball died on the lip of the cup. Mother... FUCKER. I needed the 4 and got a 5. Now I really felt like Kenny Perry at the Masters.
Final Score: 50
Self-Analysis: I'm kicking myself because a good score was out there, but my putting to start the day really killed me; it probably cost me 4 strokes. I feel like I got a handle on it by the 5th hole, but by then it was too late. I still need to work on my pitching - I feel very inconsistent with it. My opening drive was good, but after that I either got no height or it would fade to one side or another. I'm miles ahead of where I was last season, but not nearly where I want to be by the end of this one.
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