54 Holes in 27 Hours

This weekend I played three rounds in a 27 hour period. In that time I had some moments of sheer brilliance and others of utter incompetence. I also learned some important lessons about my game, the way I play and the way the changes in your game come to life.

I am finally at a point in my game where I can legitimately expect to break 100 every time out (unless it’s a new and/or difficult course). By expecting to break 100, I mean that if I play within my ability, I SHOULD cross the century mark but don’t always do so. I guess what I am saying is that I can confidently say I shoot in the high ‘90s.

Friday afternoon I played at High Bridge Hills with a guy from my company named Frank who I have played with three Friday afternoons in a row. I call him Frankie Four-Iron because he doesn’t use woods at all and drives with his four almost as I far as I hit with a driver. He’s at a very similar skill level to me (five or six strokes higher) and is just a fun guy to play with.

We started on 10 and were both playing somewhat poorly (not God-awful, but certainly not where we wanted to be) until we reached the fourth (13th of the day) hole. This is the par three where we had the closest to the pin at the Dannenfelser Invitational. He popped his up and was about 35 feet in front of the green. I actually had the right club and was on the green a good twenty feet from the pin. He took out his putter and whacked it on the green and it looked like he had lagged it perfectly – and it would have been the perfect lag if it didn’t hit the stick and fall in for birdie.

He had just finished saying how he wasn’t sure if he liked HBH and quickly had to say how much he liked it! Impressed with his birdie, I lined my putt up hoping to just get close enough to get a par. Mine went right into the hole like I was on the Tour and added my birdie next to his on the score card. I proceeded to bogey, birdie, par, triple and bogey my way out for the day and ended with a surprising 99.

That was realization number one for the weekend: it was the first time I ever played and scored BETTER than I thought I played. I have many times played and added up the scorecard only to be disappointed; certain I had played better than my stroke count indicated. I’m not 100% sure what this tells me other than even on my bad days, I guess I am playing better.

The next morning I was out on Beaver Brook at 7:24am and was sent out with a really nice group of people. I don’t think I’ve met nicer strangers on the course. It was an older couple (man and woman) and a business associate of his in from Michigan. I can’t put my finger exactly on what was different about this group, but I really enjoyed their company, so much so that I made it a point to offer my email address to play again with them in the future, and they made an effort to remind me to give it to them before I left.

I parred the first and 18th holes and played horribly for the other 16. My putting was the worst it has been in a year and a half (and I have the computer score keeping software to prove it). I had 45 putts. That’s a four and a five. I three putted 7 out of the last 9 holes.
Suddenly, too, I realized that I was getting much more distance from my irons (all my clubs, actually). Perhaps as much as one whole club. A perfect example is that my 6 iron used to be my 130 yard club – I know: “pathetic.” On a par 3 on Beaver Brook I used a 7-iron and hit it 138 yards in the air.

The guy in my cart, Lette, used to play in competition in Michigan and he said that it makes sense. Once you start to get your technique right, you start to hit the ball more true which means that the club is doing the work and you will get more distance without swinging harder. Interesting…

I shot a 105 on the day. So, if I take off just 6 of those 45 putts (and some were damn close and lip-outs), I would have broken 100 again. Oh, well, the company was good.

So, what was the learning from that round? Not sure, maybe just the social aspect. It was a really nice round. I think it was truly that relaxing enjoyable time your supposed to have on the course that sometimes I forget to get out of the game.

After that round I was to meet my buddy Dave but he called and cancelled at the last minute. So I went over to Green Knoll and got on as a single paired with a double at about 1:00 in the afternoon. The two guys I was playing with were the most “Americanized” Indian guys I’ve ever met. I know that’s totally politically incorrect, but that’s the best way to describe them.

This was truly one of the most bizarre rounds I have ever had.

The first hole, the long par 5, started with a phenomenal drive that left me within 225 of the pin. If I wasn’t obstructed by trees, I may have been able to reach in 2. I ended up with a six which on that hole is very good for me. The next hole was absolutely one of those “if-it-can-go-wrong-it-will” holes. My drive was popped up and sliced into the other fairways. My three-wood attempt at the green was hooked so violently left that it looked more like a jai-lai shot. This was a par four, so at least I had a chance to get on in three with my next shot. Yeah right! I shanked it so bad that it went almost into the parking lot. Once I found it, I DID shank it into the parking lot. I just picked up the ball and put an eight on the card.

The next hole I parred.

Stupid game.

I went along bogeying and double-bogeying the next four holes until I had another one of those “hell-holes.” I was up to five before I even hit the fairway. ‘Nuff said. I finished with a 51 on the front. I was six over fives and would have to hang in there to break 100 on the back 9.

After a six and seven on holes 10 and 11, I was now nine over fives and would have to get five or better on each hole for the last seven if I was going to break 100.

On 12, a par 3, I missed the green by a mile on the right. However my chipping was great that day and was on in two and bogeyed for a four (I was 8 over fives now – right direction).
One of the two guys I was paired with (Sinjay I think his name was) said, “I am no expert but it looks like you are cocking your wrist too early and that is why you are going right on every shot.” Hell, my game wasn’t that good today so I’d think about it. I thanked him and when we got to the next hole I blasted my drive straight and a mere 70 yards from the hole. Sure I chili-dipped my approach but got a five (still 8 over fives).

All my shots since Sinjay pointed out my wrist problem were dead straight.

The next hole, a par 3 at about 140 yards, I stuck with my seven iron – actually went by by about five yards. I parred that (6 over fives). Next hole I double bogeyed with a six and was now 7 over fives. I parred number 16 (6 over fives).

Number seventeen is supposed to be the easiest hole on Green Knoll. It’s a 380-something straight par four. I popped up my drive and was 215 yards from the center of the green. I pulled my three-wood and hoped to bounce on or at least near the front of the green. I blasted it a good five to ten yards OVER the green. That means it was about a 230-240 yard shot. I ended up double bogeying which had me at seven over fives. That meant that because of my eight score card ceiling, the worst I could do on the day was 100.

The final hole on Green Knoll is a longish par 5. My drive was on the fairway and I hit my three wood on the screws for a second shot that was just ten yards off the green. I popped on with a perfect flop shot and then one-putted for birdie. I ended up with a 96 – 25 over par! I carded a 45 on the back nine!

What did I learn on this round? Well, a couple of things. One: I better re-learn my distances. And, two: Never give up on a round.

That’s golf for you, though, isn’t it? 54 holes, 2 birdies, and one of them on the last hole.

I was “this close” to going out for another 18 at 5:25 when we ended – but that would have been crazy!