Course: Chesapeake Golf CLub
Date: September 20, 2021
Time: 7:45 AM
Conditions: 70* & a little soggy from the morning dew.
WITB:
Ping G425 LST 9* (turned to 8*) with Diamana D+ 60X
Ping G400 Stretch 3W 13* (turned to 12.5*) with Diamana D+ 70X
Taylormade SIM Max 5W 18* with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70 6.5
Wilson Staff Utility 2i* with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 100 6.5 **NEW**
Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal 5-PW with KBS CTaper 130X + 3/4*; 2* Upright
Mizuno MP T20 50, 54, 58 Wedges with DG Tour Issue S400
Odyssey Toulon Las Vegas H7 36”
I debated playing this morning, but it only took me about 10 seconds to decide yea I was definitely going to try. I dropped the kiddo off at school and headed back toward the house. If I made good time - I did - I could tee off before 8 and be done by around 9, ready for a full work day. If that’s not a great way to start a week, I don’t know what is.
I got to the course and there was a threesome just paying, so I was a little bummed but thought I’d actually hit some range balls and warm up since I had to wait anyway. Well, they were taking their sweet time in the parking lot gettin saddled up, so I took off like Earnhardt and decided to get out in front of them. I could see they were heading toward the first hole when I pulled up, so I literally grabbed a single ball, a single tee, and a glove with a hole in it from the depths of my bag and jumped on the tee box. Zero practice swings. The rest, as they say, is history….
Hole #1
First swing outta the cart and the result shows it. It was struck ok, but came out a little hot and to the right, ultimately landing in the right rough. I honestly didn’t care where it went as long as I could find it and get out in front of the group heading to the tee. My 2nd shot was semi-blocked out by the tall trees short right of the green, so I hit a decent 50* wedge just left of the green and settled on the fringe. I hit a great little pitch shot and the ball settled about 12 feet from the cup, but the par putt lipped out. Opening bogey, but I played the hole in about 74 seconds, so I feel like I should get 1/2 a stroke off for that. OK I’d given myself some breathing room, now time to settle in and play.
Score: +1 (+1)
Hole #2
First swing EVER with my new driving iron. I know I said I’d likely just go with 4iron instead of a driving iron, and I still might, but I’m a club junkie to my very core, and I got the steal of the century on a mint Wilson Staff Utility 2 iron, so I had to pull the trigger. Besides I almost always hit the 4i from the tee exclusively, so we’ll see which one wins, but for today…2i it was.
First swing was a nice high tight draw to the middle of the fairway leaving me a great yardage in and a good look. This could be a great club on this hole, but it gives me some options because the 5w and 3w could both work too. All depends on how I’m feeling and what the course is doin. (Sidenote, since someone asked: The green lines in the GPS screen grabs are NOT reflective of shot shape. They arbitrarily show up to highlight distance and direction, but not shape.)
Long on the 2nd hole over the green is dead, so I decided to play a hard gap wedge and I hit it great, right at the stick, but it came up short. I had 48 feet for birdie, and I just didn’t hit it hard enough to get it close. I still had 7 feet for par and it missed by about 4 inches, settling just next to the cup for a tap-in 3-putt bogey. Yuck. Bogey from the middle of the fairway….we do not like that!
Score: +1 (+2)
Hole #3
This is another green where long is dead. Everything behind the green slopes down and away, and it runs toward a road. I'd love to tell you I’ve never been in that road, but I’m no liar.
I hit another hard gap wedge and it settled just on the fringe. Not a GIR, but a stat Mark Broadie calls GIRP I believe (Green in Reg +) and I count those as wins because I still give myself opportunities to score. I hit a great PW bump and run here to 5 feet and buried the par putt.
Score: E (+2)
Hole #4
Ah hole 4…..how I loathe thee. I thought long and hard about hitting driver here today. It’s REALLY not about the distance. I have the length to carry it all. It’s just from the tee it is really not inviting and having hit driver only once at this point and blocking it right, I didn’t feel great about that option.
Hit a nice little knockdown 7i to the end of the fairway, leaving myself 189 to the flag. The ball was sitting up nicely and the grass was wet from the morning dew. I absolutely flushed a 6i right at the left side of the green…it stayed in the air FOREVER. I told it to sit, but fliers don’t listen and it flew over the hill on the backside of the green. I didn’t care at first. Easy up and down I thought…..then I saw it hit the cart path and shoot forward another 40 yards!!
Who doesn’t love a 244 yard 6 iron, am I right??
Well when ya only need 190 and ya get 244, it’s not nearly as cool as it sounds. I hit a decent wedge back over the hill and left myself 10 feet up the hill for par. Made it! HUGE save after a ridiculous 2nd shot.
Score: E (+2)
Hole #5
Not much to say here. I normally hit PW on this hole, and it’s a crapshoot, but today the hard GW was workin, so I pulled the 50* wedge again, and flushed this right at the stick. Again, it came up a little short, but I was playing for short rather than long. I had 42 feet up the hill for birdie to the back pin, and I lagged it to about 1 foot for a tap in par. Now we’re talkin!
Score: E (+2)
Hole #6
I have played this hole at like +100 lately and I don’t know what the deal is. No matter what, I’ve been pulling the tee shot and trying to take too much off the corner. I hit the 2i today and toed it just a little, so it started left of my line and moved a little left into the hazard. I took my drop, and the line I was on did not leave me a good look to go at the green. As much as I would have loved to try a hero shot, I opted instead for a punch-out 7i to the right fairway.
I had 233 to the stick with a great lie in the fairway, hitting my 4th to a tough par 5. I grabbed 5w and absolutely smoked it at the right edge of the green. I told it to get in the bunker because it came out hot too, but it hit the fringe on top of the bunker and kicked forward landing behind the green. Ball was FLYIN today out of the wet grass apparently….shout out to Bryson D. by the way for testing the effects of water on the golf ball. I’ll be accepting applications for a part-time golf ball spritzer in the near future, so keep an eye out.
I hit a good chip that left me on the top tier of the green, pin high but about 18 feet right of the stick. I didn’t give it enough, and left it about a foot and a half short, tapping in for double. Bleh.
Score: +2 (+4)
Hole #7
I love this hole. As I’ve mentioned, it’s the one by my house and I love to stand on this tee and just pound driver at the green. Today as I stood on the box, there was a breeze behind me and thought about clubbing down to my 3w…probably should have. The tees were in a weird location today so I literally couldn’t see any portion of the green, and I aimed at the bunker, knowing I could make par if I was in it, and birdie if I missed it. Well instead I pummeled a driver that flew the bunker (thanks, wind!), and kicked right off the hill rolling just right of the cart path.
I did not have a great look at the green with trees overhanging and a hill in front of me with a bunker on the other side of it. I punched it up onto the hill and hit a 58* wedge for my 3rd to 25 feet. Not great. I hit an almost perfect putt that stopped just next to the hole and I tapped in for bogey. May try 3w here next time and see if I can hit it at the bunker and stay short of it. Hard not to try and drive the green though….ego is a killer!
Score: +1 (+5)
Hole #8
It’s not groundhog day, it just feels like it. I hit a gap wedge here right at the flag that came up short, followed by a nice little bump and run to 5 feet. I almost just bellied the wedge and tried to tap it in, but decided to actually go through my process and make the putt. Someday I’ll need to do that when it counts, so I’ll take all the reps I can now. Buried the 5 footer in the middle for a par. SOLID par 3 play today!
Score: E (+5)
Hole #9
Perfect 2i to the middle of the fairway here, leaving me 183 to the flag. The sun had burned off a lot of the moisture and this green runs uphill, so I grabbed 6i. I just didn’t think 7i would get there, but today it might have, because this tugged 6i ended up 199 yards away, long and left of the green. I flopped a 58* onto the green, but the slope was too much for me. 2 putts to get down and a finishing bogey.
Score: +1 (+6)
Total Score: 40 (+6)
Overall, I feel like I hit it well today. I hit one poor shot on #6 per usual, but the rest weren’t awful. The 6iron on #4 really sucked because I could not have hit the ball better, and the conditions just made the ball fly forever. Luckily I made a great save there to keep myself in it.
THREE KEYS ANALYSIS
PENALTIES: 1 - better than I have been. I’d been averaging about 3 or 4 per round, granted this was only for 9 holes. The sooner I can put zeros in that column consistently the better!
2-CHIPS: 1 - I didn’t have much choice here. No good way to get the ball out from under the overhanging tree limbs on 7. Not mad about this. Drive was just blocked a little too far, but the chip wasn’t really the problem.
3-PUTTS: 1 - ZERO reason for the 3-putt on #2. I am usually a really decent lag putter, but this was my first one of the day and it just was too soft. Cost me a round in the 30s though, so these little mistakes add up!
Current Handicap: 9.5
All in all, not my best round, but certainly not my worst. I played 9 holes in about an hour and 10 minutes, and changed clothes and was working by 9:30. The fact I have such easy access to a course to close to home is really making a difference in my game. Chesapeake being a tighter course with a lot of OB also seems to be making a difference, though I admit I don’t love all the OB!
Hoping to tee it up in the blitz again Wednesday morning, so check back for that recap if interested. I won’t make any promises, but I’m fairly certain I won’t start bogey, double, triple, bogey this week…if you’re reading this, thanks! It really is fun to do and I hope it’s enjoyable for you too!
‘Til next time…hit em straight, and far if ya can.
PS - It’s RYDER CUP WEEK! LET’S GO!!!!!