The 70's are lurking... (post 193)

So, in the near future, my Triad II will be fighting to maintain its spot in my bag. I picked up a Mentor Sports Duet. It arrived today and I like the feel of it with two 100g weights in it. According to Chin, it should be about 20g heavier than my Triad II was with two 50g weights and one 100g weight. I'm anxiously looking forward to the Duet's tryout. I have a tendency to drag the back of the Triad II on the ground in my forward stroke so I'm hoping that the shorter Duet will eliminate that.

Got out again today. Played pretty well. I've played this course 6 times now and I'm starting to learn it better. I'm getting the lines down better off the tee, learning the speeds of the green, etc.

So, I started out today with a par on #1 (the first time I've par'd that hole). Number two was a double bogey and that was the first time I'd scored anything other than a par on that hole. Number three is a fairly difficult par 3. It played around 175-190ish depending on tee/pin locations. Today, it was playing around 175 so I pulled the 5i hybrid. Hit a little hook that ended up about 10' down in the woods. I honestly thought I could chop it out so I tried. Four strokes later, I was still in the woods so I called it a day on that hole. Looking back, I should've called it unplayable and headed back to the tee, but in the moment, I was certain I could chop it out. I didn't think it'd make the green, but figured chopping it out was my best bet.

Hole four is a devil of a par 5. You'll just have to look it up and see for yourself. Silverhorn Golf Course, Edmond, OK. It might be listed as hole #13 because from what I'm told, they reversed the 9's in the last couple of years so that this par 5 would be on the front and the "misery" would be over early in the round. Anyway, fresh off my blow up on the previous par 3, I stepped up to the tee and absolutely crushed my drive. I'm talking, the best drive I've hit on this hole so far. Remember, I said it was a devil of a par 5. So, this thing has a creek that you have to cross FOUR times between tee and green. The first two crossings are taken care of with a half decent drive. Probably a carry of 120 yards will get you to safety off the tee. The problem comes on the 2nd shot. The 150 yard stake is basically on an "island" with creek on 3 sides and junk on the other side. The landing zone is about 70 yards deep and ranged from about 110-170 from the green due to the angle. So, if you are left with, say, 280 to the green after your drive, you're facing a near 200 yard carry over water or hitting back to back short irons using the landing area by the 150 yard marker. So, I crushed my drive. I was on the right side of the fairway, about 220 out, but blocked by the trees so I had to lay up. Hit my 5i (that I just hooked on the last hole) and laid up perfectly about 75 yards out in the fairway beyond the little island. A little SW and two putts and I walked away with my first par on that hole since I've been here. That felt really good... to bounce back after such a bad hole to end up with a par on such a tough par 5.

To make a long story short, the next 14 holes were fairly solid. I was 6 over for the last 14 with 4 bogies and one double. I scored the blow up par 3 as a 6 on the card so as not to inflate my handicap too greatly and ended up with an 82 on a par 71 course. My best round in many moon.

Final tally for the day showed 10 fairways (I think that's a personal best for me), only 7 GIR, two 3 putts (both had fairly long first putts, but reasonably makeable 2nd putts), and 5 U&D pars. I made a couple of U&D's that I was really proud of. I felt like I putted better than my 33 putts showed. I am finally getting the pace down and I had a handful of tap-in 2nd putts.

Thanks for reading. I enjoy sharing my rounds with you guys when I have a good one.

Played my new Duet. Loving it!

... and today didn't go as well. I knew I wasn't gonna keep dropping strokes every round, but these upward moves in score are really painful sometimes.

Provisional There will be no dibs on the Triad. I'll go to the grave with it. I putted too well for too long to let it go. I know better. Sorry.

Got out today for a round at the course on Tinker AFB. I've played it once before and came in at 91 back then with alot of bogies, 2 doubles, and a quad. Today, however, was a different story.

I joined a threesome that consisted of an older couple with what I can only assume was their regular playing partner. All three were likely in their mid-late 70's and very nice and laid back. They welcomed me when I asked to join them and we were off to the races.

I took pars on the first two holes, an U&D on 1 and a GiR on the par3 2nd. The third wasn't all that great to me. I pushed my 3wd off the tee and didn't have a really great shot at the green. I wasn't too far off the fairway, but I had a tree to contend with and just could get it on. A chip and two putts for a "routine" bogey.

The par5 4th started off with a drive a little in the left rough. A nice 4i hybrid up to the 100 yard marker and a GW to the front fringe put me in position for my next par. I pulled my 3wd on the 5th tee and ended up with a shot that I probably shouldn't have taken. Luckily, it bounced out of the tree on my 2nd shot and back to the fairway. I just missed the green with my 3rd and then a chip and two putts left me with a double.

I walked to #6 knowing that this hole was a set up for me. It's a short, dogleg left par 4 that simply requires 200y off the tee and in the fairway. Tailor made for my 19° Hypersteel. I stepped up, put it in the fairway, then left my GW about 30' long. Two putts and a par it was. Seven is a shortish par5 that requires about a 240 yard carry off the tee or a lay up to about 200y again. I put a 4i hybrid in the fairway, but left it on the left side and blocked by a tree. I pulled the Hypersteel and hit what was about 5' from being a perfect shot. Unfortunately, it caught a limb and dropped only about 20 yards in front of where I stood. A 4i punched up just inside 100y and a pitch to the fringe left me with a makeable putt from the fringe. Burned the edge and walked away with bogey. Two routine pars (with a 9i from the FW bunker on 9) left me with 40 for the front nine and I was feeling good.

We moved on to the 10th and the 3 ol' timers when in the clubhouse. I stepped up to the 10th tee and hit my best drive of the day... quite possibly one of the best drives I've ever hit. I carried this thing around 240 over a tree that had to be almost 100' tall. If I had to guess I'd say it was about 270 carry because my measurement on Google Earth shows total distance around 290ish. I stuff my GW to about 6' and burned the edge for another par. Two more pars on 11 and 12 had me at 4 over through 12 holes.

I hit my 4i hybrid into a decent breeze and hooked it almost out of bounds on the par 3 13th. After a tough pitch that I left on the fringe and a bad club selection for the ensuing pitch, I walked off with a double. The following hole, I topped my 3wd off the tee and ironically hit one of the five fairways I hit all day... just barely making it to the fairway some 250 yards out on a 300ish yard par 4. A smooth 6i and a wedge to the green left me with a bogey after 2 putts. Two pars the 15th and 16th put me at 7 over through 16 holes. After my 8 that I took last time on 16, I was delighted to walk away with my U&D for par there.

Whether from fatigue or just my lack of attention, I pushed my Hypersteel way right on the 17th tee. I hit the gree, but managed to 3 putt for the first time on the day from about 60'. The 18th didn't fair too well for me either. I hit the worst shot of the day from my driver, a hook into a tree about 100y out from the tee. It's a fairly long par 5 so I wasn't too worried. I was still hoping I could get home in par for an even 80. Unfortunately, my 2nd hit the tree in front of me (I pushed it a bit offline) and dropped out just below the tree. A punched 4i or Hypersteel (I can't remember which now) left me with about 215 to the green with a little left to right wind and a smidge in my face. I put the best swing I could on it and left it just off the front of the green... dead online with the flag. If the wind hadn't been there, I likely would've made it. Anyway, I hit a little bump and run with the 4i and just ran it by the hole. Two putts for a third double on the day left me with an 82.

No need to change the title of the thread just yet... but it won't be long.

rsvman Thanks. Yeah, the three doubles hurt, but not as much as that three putt on 17. Those really get my knickers in a bunch.

Here's the scorecard for the day.

For the record, I missed the following fairways by:
#1 - 2-3 yards
#3 - 5-10 yards
#4 - 10 yards (aimed to cut corner on dogleg right, but ended up on left side. Huge miss, but not too penal)
#5 - 5 yards
#9 - couple yards (fairway bunker at the outside of the dogleg... carried about 235ish into a good wind)
#12 - 10 yards (hit a solid 3wd and thought I carried a tree at the corner, but the wind must've knocked it down into the tree)
#16 - 2-3 yards
#17 - 5 yards (huge push, but the wind pushed it back toward the fairway and I must've gotten a bounce off a tree)
#18 - 10 yards (worst tee shot of the day, pull hook)

All that to say, I'm not missing my fairways by much. I just need to think about my lines a little more. I wish I had that drive on 10 on video. Quite possibly one of the best drives I've ever hit in my life. Perfectly executed according to the picture in my mind prior to the shot.