TL; DR: Shot my best score in a decade even though I started the round bogey-triple bogey. Ended up with 76.
Full story: Went out for 18 at the local muni this morning, a lot earlier than I usually play. It hurt me a bit, because I had a really slow start. The first hole is a par five. I hit a good drive and a good second shot and found myself about 92 yards out and in the middle of the fairway, only to hit it incredibly fat, chip up and two putt to start off with bogey.
On the second hole I hit my tee shot right into a lateral hazard. Rather than go up, take a drop and a one-stroke penalty, I re-hit from the tee, then blasted the approach just over the back of the green. Chipped to two feet and then missed the putt, carding a triple. So I was four over after two holes. Sad. In years past I would have essentially given up, and usually ended up shooting in the mid-80s of higher after that kind of start.
Instead, I started playing better, hitting better shots, and got on the par train. I lipped out a par putt on six and lipped out a birdie on nine. Both shots looked like there was no way they could miss, but I made the turn at five over.
Parred 10 and 11, bogeyed 12, parred 13.
The golf gods gave back one of the shots they owed me at 14, as I snaked in a 20-foot downhill birdie putt that broke about two feet.
Parred 15, bogeyed 16.
On the par five 17th I had a 35-yard approach almost drop and had an easy birdie.
So at that point, with one hole left on the back, I was even par. Unfortunately I started doing the math instead of just playing and realized on the tee that a par on the finishing hole would give me a 75 (35-35-70 course). I hit a good tee shot and had 141 slightly uphill and into a slight breeze, pin in front and bunkers guarding both sides. Took dead aim and then hit a fat pull that ended up in the left bunker with a lot of sand to carry, a fairly small amount of green, and sand on the other side. I had a sand wedge and a gap wedge with me. Decided on the sand wedge, which was a mistake. Hit it out of the bunker but not up onto the green and it rolled back down into the bunker again. This time a much shorter and easier shot.
As I was looking at it I saw that there was virtually no lip and that the sand was pretty hard. Made a bold move and bellied the sand wedge so it was kind of like putting out of the bunker but with a bit more forward momentum. This shot almost went in, leaving me with a tap-in bogey despite taking two shots to get out of the sand, giving me 36 on the back and an 18-hole score of 76. Not just the best score I have had on this track, but also my best score in at least ten years (i had 77 and 78 earlier this year).
Prolly should have played the second hole correctly. Would have saved me at least two strokes. But I am really proud of myself: I was four over after two holes and bogeyed 18 to be a total of two over for the last 16 holes!
