Green Tee Readings

Today I played the first (half) round of golf for the year, it was also the first time I’ve played on a new course since my Freshmen year of high school. That happens when you take almost a decade off from playing. My dad, my stepbrother Miles and I played at Pottawatomie course in St. Charles, a 9-hole municipal course. At $16 per nine for non-residents, the rates are reasonable, and the course is in better shape than one might assume, given the 200 players the guy at the pro shop told us tee off on the average day. For his first time ever playing, Miles shot a quite respectable 73, a score that ought to go down significantly if he works at his short game. Chipping across the green a few times feels an order of magnitude more embarrassing than the Underwear-in-School dreams (with a special offer of a free side of anger if you order now. Operators are waiting to take your call).

My round below the fold…

Hole 1
489 yard
Par 5

I hit a solid drive with my 5 wood. Annoyingly, it didn’t fade quite enough and it moseyed through the fairway, ending scant inches before the bunker. I fluffed the next shot, then hit a respectable 5 iron into the greenside bunker and landed in someone’s footprint. A pox on that person’s house. Pox! 5 more shots passed before I collected my ball from the bottom of the cup. Three putting sucks.

Hole 2
331 yard
Par 4

A topped drive off the cart path, a smoked hybrid 3 wood to the green, one lag putt and one putt in make a happy par.

Hole 3
345 yard
Par 4

This is one of the coolest holes on the course. The green isn’t visible and you can see the end of the fairway about 200-210 yards straight ahead of you. Some trees line the left edge of the fairway, and astute readers of the course map will notice that the hole doglegs sharply left to an island green. My plan of 5 iron, 8 iron and 2 putts was ruined by ineptidude. Fearing the left edge of the water, I pushed the shot with the 8 iron right and the ball took a relaxing mud bath. Unplayable lie, one horrible chip, one bad chip and 2 putts finished me with 7.

Hole 4
154 yard
Par 3

The scorecard lies on this hole. Luckily some sign-age in the ground gave us better information, leading me to hit an easy 8 iron to the green and two more putts makes 3. Go me.

Hole 5
378 Yard
Par 4

The second time I pull out the driver on the day, the second bad tee shot, this time almost ending up directly behind a tree. Some quality time playing tennis-ball golf and hitting off of infield dirt helped me hit a slicing pseudo-knock down shot to get me a) back in the fairway and b) close enough to the pin that I could hit an easy pitching wedge to the green and putt twice to save a bogey.

Hole 6
368 Yard
Par 4

I ought to have enjoyed this hole more, but another drive pushed right and into the trees (now with your stance and follow-through obstructed by tree roots!) and some ineffectual wedge work led me to card my second double bogey. Boo me. Hooray beer. (Ed. note: no beer was consumed during this round, nor were any animals harmed, not even geese)

Hole 7
197 Yard
Par 3

I hit a good, if rather short, 5 iron into the left-hand bunker. Thanks to the people ahead of me remembering to rake the bunker, I had a clean lie. Too bad putting ineptitude resulted in a 5

Hole 8
325 Yard
Par 4

For those playing the home game, this is the fourth and final time I pulled out the Big (right turn) Stick. It didn’t go well. My options after the drive were to: play smart (punch straight out to the fairway), play pretty dumb (hit out slightly ahead with some slice spin and hope I don’t hit the big tree in front of me, and play like I was brain dead). I decided to play pretty dumb. “Hey Miles,” I called, “watch out, I’m going to be stupid here.” Happily, and more truthfully, luckily, it worked out. Wedge + Putt X2 = bogey.

Hole 9
420 Yard
Par 4

My favorite hole. The best tee shot will be about 240 yards along the left side of the fairway, almost to the edge of another 90 degree dogleg. That would leave about 170 yards to an elevated green. A shorter drive, like the ~220 yard one I hit (hybrid 3 wood, not driver, thanks), leaves a completely blind second shot, with a lot of tall trees in the way. Also some rich people have houses nearby. I hit a pure 8 iron to about 50 yards away, followed by a 60% sand wedge. Two putts saw me in the bottom of the cup. Dude! Tactics work! Neat.

I’m pretty pleased with my 48 the first time out for the year, especially on a new course. My expectations were for a 50 to 55. Take that, expectations!

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