Summary
I was disappointed not to break hundred and ended on 102 again (Stableford 25), as was the case on Saturday. I scored 50 (Stableford 11) on the easier first nine and 52 (Stableford 14) on the latter.
Today's round was once again a learning school. Firstly I was reminded that I do have it in me to play at a higher level. The ease with which I parred the first hole is very encouraging. My driving with the 3-wood was mostly satisfactory, with the exception of one or two instances where I only gained about 50m after getting my swing horribly wrong. Most importantly I realise that if I'm more than 140m from a hole with danger lurking (a narrowing fairway and bushes - especially to the right of the fairway / green) I must lay up. Ending up in the bushes is a terrible result.
Hole by hole
- 'Hugh Kelly'. par 4. score = 4 for 3. (strokesaver)
I really enjoyed this hole. Everything seemed so easy. My 3-wood drive ended 110m from the hole on the left edge of the fairway. That's approx. a 190m drive from an elevated tee. I played a 9-iron onto the green, ending about 6m from the hole. My first put ends 10cm left of the hole and I two-put for a par 4.
Conclusion: Well played! - 'Hippo's Bath'. par 4. score (stroke 4) = 6 for 2. (strokesaver)
I manage swing the club head low scooping the ball up with my 3-wood. However the result is not that bad. I end up in the right-hand rough about 40m past the start of the fairway. Not great, but no disaster. The ball's lie is not great and I opt for a safe 6-iron shot, aiming to get onto the fairway rather than gain a lot of distance. I connect the ball better than expected and actually end up in the rough on the other (left) side of the fairway... I'm 90m from the hole. A full pitching wedge swing works well in distance, but my direction is crooked and I end on the 'semi-green' on the right while the flag is on the left. I play the first put way to soft, not giving it any chance. This results in me 3-putting and scoring 6.
Conclusion: I must give myself a chance on the first put. - 'Thalassa'. par 4. score = 6 for 0. (strokesaver)
At this point a four ball of very friendly retired folk waves me through. I hurry along, not wanting to keep them. Predictably I mess up the hole - a hole on which par should be a real possibility for me... My 3-wood drive was quite good and I end up 110m from the hole, that's a 180m drive from a non-elevated tee. An easy nine ends up 30m short, probably the right club selection but I should have given a full swing from the rough... I badly miss-hit the chip from a bad lie in a grass bunker. My next chip, from the grass bunker, ends on the green. The first put is not too bad, but in my haste to get ahead the second is wasted and I ring the hole.
Conclusion: Playing through I can play fast by walking quickly between shots, not by rushing my shots :-). - 'Atherstone'. par 4. score = 6 for 0. (strokesaver)
Once again I rush to get away from the old guys and pay the price! My first drive is miss-hit and travels 40m into the rough short of the fairway. The 3-hybrid from the rough doesn't work to well but takes me to within 145m from the hole. However the lie in the rough is bad, I try a 5-iron, the ball loops off to the right - 50m from the hole and far into the right-hand rough. From a hard surface I hit the pitching wedge in the teeth and the ball travels over the green and 5m into the rough. The next chip is quite good from 30m out I end approx. 2m from the hole. However, I only have one put left and I don't sink it. Ring.
Conclusion: Slow down, don't worry about the guys coming up behind you! - 'Mullins'. par 4. score (stroke 2) = 5 for 3. (strokesaver)
My 3-wood drive travels quite far (190m on downhill), although ending up in the right-hand rough. The lie in the rough was quite good, with the ball elevated by the grass. Thus I try a 3-wood, I didn't connect it well and played a very flat shot. However the line was perfect - straight at the flag and the ball rolls downhill on the fairway. I end up 40-50 from the hole... My chip is hit in the teeth and the ball rolls 1.5m of the back of the green. I opt for a 7-iron put to lift the ball over the first bit of thick grass. It works perfectly and I end 10cm left of the hole. I 1-put.
Conclusion: Hitting the fairway on this hole is clearly beneficial as the ball tends to roll nicely down the slope. Don't worry too much about making the ball travel far through the air - rather go for accuracy! - 'Happy Valley'. par 3. score = 5 for 0. (strokesaver)
Oh my! How many more times is this hole going to get the better of me. I should score three or four easily! The markers are placed to the front of the tee, 115m from the hole. I opt for a full 9 - in retrospect I should have gone for an easy 8. The first ball is out of bounds towards the drinking hole. The 2nd drive (3d shot) is also short, on the slope below the bunker. I manage a good chip over the imposing bunker and end up a metre short of the green. I opt for the 7-iron again and end up 2.5m from the hole. I miss the put and ring the hole...
Conclusion: Course management failed me. On this hole I should rather end up playing long than short. Thus I should opt for a longer iron with an easy swing. E.g. from 115m I should be playing an easy 8. - 'Shelly Beach'. par 5. score (stroke 6) = 7 for 1. (strokesaver)
Looking back to fairway from 7th green.
My 3-wood drive, while not played too well once again provides satisfactory results. I'm on the fairway - close to the right-hand rough. I opt for the 3-hybrid aiming for the left of the fairway in the distance and I end up in the right rough... I'm 150m from the hole which makes the combined distance of the first two shots 306m (/2 = 153m each). I play a 4-iron from the rough, which from a better lie should produce 150m - but which I now hook onto the left rough 50m from the hole. The ball lies below my feet on a hard surface and I have to play across a nasty bunker. My chip is sliced and ends up short of the green to the right. My chip and run from there is 10cm short, which makes it just short of the green, and it ends up 2m short of the hole. My put is pulled left. I two-put.
Conclusion: I think the 3-hybrid on the second shot is not a bad selection, provided the lie is OK. The 4-iron from the rough should rather have been a lay-up with a 6 or 7-iron. My chip and run would have been less risky with a 7 or 8 iron. - 'Keith Grainger'. Par 3. score = 4 for 2. (strokesaver)
Nicholas, not my caddie on this round, on the 8th tee, the green is in the distant
background, just in front of a small tea-house.
The markers are placed 140m from the hole. I decide on a easy 5-iron. It was the right selection, but I play the first shot poorly and it ends up short in the bushes. I play a provisional drive, again with a 5-iron, but well executed this time. It ends up 10m past the hole. Arriving at the green we discover that my first drive, though in the bushes, is playable. It's a tough call - do I play the ball already on the green or take a chance on the 1st ball. I opt for the latter. There's a tree in line with the flag and I aim just past the left of it, playing from a firm, twig-strewn, surface. I play a flat 5-iron and end up 2m short of the green. I opt for the 7-iron again to lift the ball over the first thick grass in front of the green. It works well and I end up 1.5m from the hole. I sink the put.
Conclusion: For markers set 140-150m from the hole on the 8th a well executed easy 5-iron is the right selection. - 'Phillipson'. Par 5. score = 7 for 0. (strokesaver)
My 3-wood drive, aimed at the left of the fairway, ends up in the right rough approx. 40m beyond the start of the fairway. It's a rather bad lie and I opt for a 6-iron. I hit a very poor shot and end up with an even worse lie in the rough. this time I opt for the saver 7-iron and play a good shot. I end up in the middle of the fairway 140m from the hole. Opting for a 5-iron I hit the ball on the head - the ball rolls well but it is a shot wasted. I play the PW from 60m out, the distance is slightly long but I pull it well right of the green. The following chip I mess up completely and there's no chance of making the hole with my remaining shot. I ring.
Conclusion: Apart from playing better executed shots there's not much else to improve on. The 2nd shot I should probably have opted for a 7-iron. Even a shorter iron. I should rather end up playing slightly shorter but onto the fairway than hoping to get distance from a bad lie in the rough. I should consider playing a 7 or 8-iron if the ball is resting on a hard surface. - 'Whale Back'. par 4. score (stroke 3) = 6 for 2. (strokesaver)
Although fading badly, my 3-wood drive is quite good. I end up 160m from the hole in the rough just off the fairway on the right. That's a 166m uphill drive... I opt for the 3-hybrid from a not-too good lie in the rough. I hook the ball badly to the left and end up 60m from the hole on an uncomfortably hard surface. They chip is sliced and 30m short of the hole to the right. My 8-iron chip and run works very well and I'm a metre from the hole. I miss the put! I two-put.
Conclusion: When I'm more than 140m from the hole with a bad lie, or approaching a protected green I should lay up! A 7-iron or shorter is the better option! Poor putting also cost me dearly. - 'Punch Bowl'. par 3. score = 4 for 2. (strokesaver)
I opt for my 3-hybrid. I force the shot and it fades badly. I'm very lucky to hit the open incline behind the bush-line. The ball actually rolls down it to within 4m of the green, but I have a very uncomfortable lie. The chip is poor but ends up on the green, 3m from the hole. I pull my put and sink the next one.
Conclusion: I should rather aim some way left of the flag on this hole - it's a much safer option. I must give myself a chance with my first put. - 'Greenmantle'. par 4. score = 6 for 1. (strokesaver)
I play a average drive to end up 160m from the hole - from the lower tee. That's a 170m from an elevated tee - not very impressive. On the caddies advice I attack the hole with my 3-wood. That was shortly after I commented to him that I should lay up more... I pay the price ending up in the bushes to the right. Damn. I drop 15m back from the bushes and70m from the hole. I play a very good 9-iron to end up on the green. I two-put.
Conclusion: Unless there is no danger, don't attack the hole from more than 140m - LAY UP! - 'Doug Dold'. par 3. score = 5 for 1. (strokesaver)
I opt for an easy 3-wood. In my effort to slow down my swing I end up in the deep rough short of the fairway! A 2nd practice shot works fine and ends up flag-high (178m), although to the right of the green. I play my first ball from a bad lie with a 5-iron, the poor result sees me ending just short of the fairway! I play a 9-iron from 90m out, the length is perfect but I'm in the rough on the right of the green. A good chip and run ends up 2m from the hole. I sink the put.
Conclusion: A easy, yet full swing, with a 3-wood is the right option for me on this hole. From a bad lie in the rough I should not be attacking the green, but should rather lay up with a 7-iron or shorter. - 'Southern Cross'. par 5. score = 7 for 1. (strokesaver)
View from clubhouse. Practice green in front.
14th tee just beyond and below, and 14th
fairway stretches out towards the ocean.
My drive with a 3-wood is not bad. About 190m from an elevated tee. According to strokesaver that puts me about 280m from the hole. My second shot with a 3-hybrid ends up 150m from the hole in the middle of the fairway. What do I do? I attack a protected green from more than 140m out..... My 4-iron shot ends in the bushes to the right, and 35m short of the green! I drop = 4th shot. My chip from a hard surface is not great but actually reaches the green. My put is slightly hard and ends up a metre beyond the hole - at least I gave myself a chance. I sink the 2nd put.
Conclusion: Lay up on this hole! If I can get on top of my 1-wood this is a good hole to use it. - 'Graham'. par 4. score = 6 for 1. (strokesaver)
My 3-wood drive has good distance but fades a lot. Luckily it carries well over the bushes and hits an incline which throws it back onto the fairway. I'm 115m from the hole. I make the right decision to play an easy 8-iron, but end up in the bunker protecting the green on the right. I have to carry over a lot of sand but am quite satisfied to clear it, even though I end up on the right of the big green while the flag is downhill to the left. I have difficulty judging the weight of the fast downhill put and end up 5m short from 25m out. The 2nd put is very well executed but just runs past the left edge of the hole. I 3-put.
Conclusion: With an uphill hole such as this an easy 8-iron from 115m out is the right option. On another day I would have had a better result on this hole. - 'Vroom'. par 4. score (stroke 1) = 6 for 2. (strokesaver)
My 3-wood drive is scooped again, but the result is not too bad. I'm on the fairway - but as is often the case on the hole there's a downhill slope to contend with. I opt for a save 5-iron. I'm off balance falling backwards at the end of my swing. It's a rather poor shot but the result is fine. I'm on the fairway a 100m from the hole, but on a hard surface again (I'm not fond of the present dry course conditions). A not-so-well easy 9-iron shot ends up 10m short of the green. My chip is too soft, onto the green but 5-6m short. I play my put too soft but manage to sink the 1m put thereafter.
Conclusion: Using a 7-iron for the chip and run may have been an option. I must give myself a chance on the first put. - 'Connaught'. par 4. score (stroke 5) = 6 for 2. (strokesaver)
I lost my notes for this hole... From what I remember my drive was OK, but ended with a bad lie in the right-hand rough. From there I played a short iron onto the fairway and then another onto the green. I then 3-putted. - 'Settlers'. par 5. score = 6 for 2. (strokesaver)
I play a fairly good drive with my 3-wood and end up on the edge of the fairway with the rough interfering with my next shot. I play a safe 5-iron and end even further in the rough on the right. I have a fairly good lie and my 3-hybrid shot works well taking me to 90m from the green. My 9-iron shot takes me onto the green and 20m from the hole. I 2-put to end a somewhat disappointing round on a high.
Conclusion: I played the hole well.
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