Course: Battlefield Golf Course
Date: November 3, 2021
Time: 8:00 AM
Conditions: 50* and windy all day
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 SIM2 Max 4W 16.5* with Mitsubishi MMT 70TX
Srixon ZX5/ZX7 Combo irons 4-PW; +3/4” 2* Up; KBS Ctaper Lite X-Stiff
Mizuno MP T20 50, 54, 58 Wedges with DG Tour Issue S400
Odyssey Toulon Las Vegas H7 36”
All data and screenshots below are done using the V1 Game app. Grab the app today and start shooting lower scores today!
Headed out for the blitz today feeling great about my game after the 74 on Monday. I hadn’t been able to make it out in a couple weeks and all the boys were thrilled to see me…and the feeling was definitely mutual. What a great group on Wednesdays….if you have a chance to find a blitz near you, I’d highly recommend it. And If the guys are mostly older than you, that’s just as well. They’re usually hilarious and you can learn a lot by watching them play the game a different way.
Hole #1
Solid drive here with a little breeze hurting, but left myself in really good position, with just a slight flyer lie on the hill behind the bunker. I didn’t adjust enough for the change in lie angle and flared it out off the toe again here. Deja Vu really….not as poorly struck as last time, but not great. I hit an ok pitch that released a little long, and it took 2 putts to get down from about 55 feet. Ho-hum par. Not great, not bad.
Score: E (E)
Hole #2
This was just a par, but man it felt like a birdie! I finally hit a good tee ball here, cutting it off the left fairway bunker and leaving myself a good look from the middle of the fairway. The wind was helping, and I took too much off of it to try and not let the wind fly it over the green…ended up coming up a little short. I hit what I thought was a good pitch up the slope to the green, but the ball ran by the hole. I had about 8 feet down the hill for par, and I trickled it in for a nice little saver.
Score: E (E)
Hole #3
Not sure what happened here…I think I teed it too low, but I hit it off the very bottom of the face, and it just squirted out low and to the right, dying in the rough in front of me about 160 yards from the box. I had 215 in out of a jumper lie in the rough, and I absolutely flushed it, but for some reason, the ball fell out of the sky about 30 yards short of where we thought it would go. Neither my partner nor I could believe it. I hit a weak chip without really committing to it, and left it on the fringe. A putt from there left me 13 feet, and I knocked that in for bogey. Bad tee shot cost me.
Score: +1 (+1)
Hole #4
At this point, I realized I had to be standing up out of my swing, because I hit this PW low and toey, flaring it out right. Not sure why….maybe a little stiff in the colder weather, maybe just a few bad swings, but not good results. Hit a below average chip shot to the right side of the green because I was scared of pitching it to an area that slopes down to the water. Lovely 3-putt here and walk off with double. Doubles are bad. Doubling par 3s is the worst, especially when there’s NO REASON for it!
Score: +2 (+3)
Hole #5
Busted this drive, but it came out spinny and into the wind, it ended up in the fairway bunker here. I took an extra club (8i) to give myself a little grace, but ended up hitting it perfectly and it flew just over the back, settling on a hill sloping down and away. I was pitching it up over a hill to a severe downslope, but thought I had a good line…I carried it about a foot too far, and the ball released hard, but hit the stick. I thought it might drop, but it popped out and rolled down the hill to about 12 feet. Just missed the par putt. Tap in bogey. Bleeding strokes right now.
Score: +1 (+4)
Hole #6
I hit such a good tee ball here, aiming just at the left edge of the green and cutting it back toward the flag. I had about 25 feet for birdie, but unfortunately the putt was breaking down and away from me, and despite me barely tapping the putt, it took off, missing the hole and running out to another 8 feet. That putt didn’t drop either. 3-putt bogey. Nice…
Score: +1 (+5)
Hole #7
Hole 7 is where I knew deep in my soul this round was going to be a struggle. The wind was DEAD into us and I hit a big high cut that just rode the wind too long and splashed up near the bunker. Luckily with the shot shape, I did cross mostly over land, so I got an ok lie, but just made a bad swing. Compounding errors. The PW came out low and hot and flew over the back of the green, never to be seen again. I hit a pitch to the front edge and got down. Double. Hemorrhaging strokes right now!
Score: +2 (+7)
Hole #8
Hit a good drive here, but again with wind and a little spinny, so it just didn’t fly as far as I’m used to. That was kind of a theme and a symptom of my swing just not bein grooved today. I hit a good 8i that the wind knocked down a bit and it stopped just a couple paces onto the putting surface. 2 putts later, I was headed to the 9th after a par.
Score: E (+7)
Hole #9
I hit a pretty good drive here, but again, just too much cut and too much spin. Still, had a great look at it from just outside the fairway and threw a solid wedge up in the air. Thought it was gonna be enough, but the wind hit it and it hit the green, then spun back off. A decent pitch to 10 feet left me a good look at par, but I missed it by a few inches, so another bogey. Gross.
Score: +1 (+8)
Hole #10
Finally hit a really solid drive here. No Spin bomb that just flew up the right and never moved an inch either right or left. Definitely in the go zone from the middle of the fairway. I grabbed gap wedge and hit it ok, but tugged slightly left. It kicked off the slope of the green and headed left into the rough. I popped it out of the rough, hit the hole, and ran by, ultimately settling about 15 feet from the hole. I pulled the putt left and walked off with a frustrating bogey. At this point, I’m not feeling good about the round as a whole, but the fun is just beginning!
Score: +1 (+9)
Hole #11
Tough hole here hitting 6i over water with lots of wind in play. It felt like it was a bit in and across here, and I just overswung and toed it out right of the green. And when I say right of the green, I mean up near the cart path by the time the ball hit and kept going right on the ground. I got to take a free drop because there’s a small fence along the cart path that was impeding my swing, and I hit what I thought was a really good wedge, but it just came out hot and carried too far, ultimately sitting down 18 feet from the cup. I hit a good lag putt, but just tapped in for another bogey. Getting nothing out of the round at this point, and honestly didn’t deserve anything out of the round. Was just hacking it around.
Score: +1(+10)
Hole #12
Never one to be satisfied with bogey, I decided to turn things up a notch and pull this ball about 45* left of my target onto the driving range. It went about 315 yards on a string…in the completely wrong direction. I could have snapped my driver at this point, I was so mad, but I kept it cool and together…took my drop, and hit an absolutely beautiful 4w that cut off the left side of the green and landed literally an inch from the flag. Unfortunately, where it landed it not where it ended. The ball ran through the back of the green and settled just a foot or so in the fringe. From where I hit the shot, and to this postage stamp green, it honestly it was an incredible result. The problem is the green slopes HARD down and away from where I was. I putted it from the fringe and tried to trickle it down to the hole, but there’s just no stopping it. It’s make or die, and I died. The 5 footer back for double was good, but at that point who cares, right? Blows up the card, and nets ZERO stableford points.
Score: +2 (+12)
Hole #13
I probably should have taken 9i here with a cross wind, but opted for PW, and as I’m becoming famous for….left it about 20 yards shorts when the wind kicked it down short right of the green. I hit a nice pitch that just missed the hole and settled about 20 feet away from the cup. Was staring yet another bogey in the face, but for a brief moment, my putter thawed out and I rolled the 20 footer in to save par. MAYBE we get something goin here? Nah…we don’t.
Score: E (+12)
Hole #14
We had a slight tailwind here, and I absolutely nuked this drive. Finally…par 5 and we’re hitting a mid-iron here. Maybe we DO get something goin….hit a GREAT 6i at the right edge of the green, but the wind carried it too far. I was on the surface in two, but sitting on the back of the green on the top tier of a two tiered green. I should have been more aggressive and left myself under the hole, but thought I could catch the slope nicely and trickle it close. Instead I left it just on the top of the slope, had another sharp downhiller, and took two more putts to get down. 3-Putt par…what in the world.
Score: E (+12)
Hole #15
Wind was into us here, but driver was still too much. I hit the strong 3w here and nutted it. I was hoping to get a little more cut out of it, but I hit it exactly where I was looking and left myself in a good spot. I had to pitch it over the bunker, but hit a good one that just released a little too much. Story of the day. 22 feet here for birdie, and I hit it great but left it about 6 inches too short right in the heart. Tap-in par. That’s 3 in a row…felt like golf for a few minutes!
Score: E (+12)
Hole #16
Hard to describe how much the wind was into us. Guy in front of me hit a hybrid from these tees and came up really short, so I opted for a 6i and I flushed it, but it went too high and got hung up as well. It landed just past the hybrid, but still 30 yards short. 30 freaking yards short on a par 3. Unreal! I hit an ok pitch, but had 15 feet and hit it too hard and left of the hole. Hit the comebacker, but back on the bogey train. Just poorly played hole.
Score: +1 (+13)
Hole #17
When I tell you I hit this ball left, that does no justice for the shape and direction of this shot. I pumped one OB right last time, so I aimed way left, but then I pulled it left, and the wind was across right to left. I ended up hitting it over near the cart part on the 8th hole. BIG MISS! Luckily I was still in play and had an ok angle into the green, just a long way home. I hit a nice 4W off the deck but it just stayed a little left of where I wanted it. I had a wedge and a putt for birdie. Unfortunately I tugged the wedge a bit and it hit the fringe and rolled down left of the green. I pitched it up to 14 feet and took 2 putts to get down. Literally made only one putt all day, and didn’t give myself hardly any birdie looks. Another bogey here…on what should be a birdie hole. But I make bogey here a lot. Tryin too hard to force it I think.
Score: +1 (+14)
Hole #18
I came to 18 and was honestly checked out. I just wanted to hit driver hard and go find it, and see if we could make par. I hit it hard, but again, a double cross….way left of my target, goin a little left. It was long, but I was up the left side of the wrong hole. Comical, honestly, but I wasn’t laughing at the moment. I hit a PW off the hill into the wind toward the green, but missed the green left. Up and down for par……OR NOT. First chip up the slope hit the fringe and rolled back toward me. Another pitch and I had 10 feet for bogey. The putt hit the cup and lipped out the back. Tap-in, walk-off double bogey. Somethin to take home and think about…..YUCK
Score: +2 (+16)
Total Score: 86 (+16)
Boy, I wasn’t sure I wanted to recap this one, tbh. When the last number you put in was 74, 86 feels like attending a funeral. It was the toughest day I’ve had on the course since early summer maybe? It was just brutal and much of it was self-inflicted. After hitting it so well on Monday, I came in with high expectations, but just didn’t swing it well, didn’t commit to a lot of shots I hit today, didn’t rebound from poor results, and tried to force too many shots. All in all, it was a round to forget!
I keep trying to remind myself that 86 was an average round for me not that long ago, but that doesn’t really help me feel better about this. It felt like the “old” me and we do not like that. When you don’t know where the ball is going, it is really hard to commit to a shot. I stand over the ball hoping it’s going to go to the right place instead of picking a target, swinging to that target, etc. Trying to just chalk it up to a bad day, but it’s just so weird…when you’ve started to shoot some low rounds, the high ones just hit different. I lost strokes in every aspect of my game, and I know in my knower that is atypical for me. It’s also scary thinking how quickly it can go away. 12 strokes different only 48 hours apart. This freaking game, man…
THREE KEYS BREAKDOWN:
Penalties: 3 penalties today, but 2 on one hole, so whatever. I’m more mad about the 2nd bad shot after dumping it on the water on #7. Compounding errors is something I’ve really been trying to avoid and have gotten much better about.
2-Chips: 3 today as well. Just nothing good to report in the 3 keys area. Wedges were bad, lies were tough, wind was no good, and the greens run so much faster here than at Chesapeake. Not an excuse, but it is VERY different than Chesapeake and I think the back and forth is hard to navigate.
Three-Putts: Because I’m an equal opportunity hacker, I decided to have 3 of each of the 3 keys today. Three 3-putts is maybe the most I’ve had since 12 Oaks and the infamous 99 back in the early summer. Just didn’t make anything all day, either short or long. I usually hit a couple bombs, and a few more par savers, but not today. Lags weren’t great, shot putts were pulled, hit a few lips. First time I’ve lost strokes with the flat stick, maybe since I’ve been tracking SG.
Current Handicap: 7.7
Luckily, this won’t affect my handicap, but need to get back moving in the right direction. I’m trying HARD to emotionally detach from my cap and my score, but that’s so much easier said than done.
Scorecard/Heat Map:
No birdies in this round, which is rare for me these days. Had a couple looks, but didn’t convert any of them. Lotta red on the card. But I’m repeating myself. 2 Fairways is laughable. 5 Greens isn’t great. 35 putts is the absolute worst.
Wipe the slate. Move on.