May 21, 2011

The month is busy, but I'll get in this round, and maybe one more Monday, the 23rd. But Saturday the 21st is a fine day. The sun was strong enough for high seventies at times, but it was mostly cooler. It clouded up later, as you can see in the picture (between 5th and 6th) way below, and even drizzled, but not enough to be a bother. I play Charleston South for the second time in a row, but it's hard to say I'm warming up to it.

I ended up in a twosome with George, a Staten Island native like myself, transplanted here to Monmouth County, in love with the public courses here. He is a lawyer, has a practice near Silver Lake, so we trade comments on the Staten Island links, Latourette, South Shore, and Silver Lake. He is driving, arthritis in the knee and elbow has him humbled, but willing, on his 53 year old frame. He has one great piece of advice: keep moving, never let it get stale. He was great company the whole way. He hit the ball short, but straight.

I drive the 1st well but I am right of the fairway in some heavy grass, downhill slope, probably 150 out. I hit a seven iron with the second shot, but pull it left of the green, into a bunker at the top of the hill. I get out of the bunker with one stroke, but don't reach the green. I chip on four, and two putt for a six. Poor start, but salvagable.

The 2nd is a challenging drive with the aforementioned (4/30/11 post) bunker center left, and the pond straighaway. The gold tees are way in the back of the box, making a reach of the pond impossible for me, so I swing away. My drive is high and far, but drifting right, however I stay on the fairway, a little shorter than the last trip to Charleston South. I am a short iron away from the green, but since I am far right, I need to carry the pond to reach the green. I pull out a seven iron from about 152, a shot for which I would usually use the eight. I don't want any part of the pond. The eight was the right club, because with the seven I land just past the pin, which is center/back on the green, and I roll over and off. From the high grass and under some pine branches I punch a seven, but it was an awkward shot at a downward sloping green, and I don't get on. I punch again with the seven for the fourth, on, and two putt. I'm starting out bad, but not defeated, a few encouraging shots, especially the drives.

I am cautious with the 3rd hole Par 3, 195. Last week I flubbed it off the tee. This week I hit it hard, but a slice with the 3 iron, and I yell 'fore' to the the group on the fourth tee because I'm coming right at them. I bounce one near their carts as they collect themselves, and roll onto the fourth tee box. They are pissed, but I apologize. My second shot is a great save. I float one with my pitching wedge (after I moved the ball about two feet, no closer to the pin, off the tee box). I land this wedge about ten feet higher than the pin, but safely on the green. Incidentally, the greens were full of sand, not sure what the procedure is called, as they were recently treated. Putts were hard to comeby today, but it was exciting to see the dusty splash on the lifted approach shots, like this last one. I come close with the par putt, but no cigar. 4.

The number two handicap 4th hole is like staring at a monster, 432 uphill. It is a wide hole, but you're dead if you miss the first cut. I miss the first cut. I land behind the blue tee box of the third hole, in tall grass, nice lawn grass, not the fescue. I hit a four iron, awful shot, and this one does get to the fescue. But I find it, chancing the ticks with a search, and hit a six iron, swing hard through some straw. I hit this one pretty solid, but it is pulled way left of the green, and only some kind trees save me from the fescue on the other side of the fairway, about sixty yards out. I have no look with my fourth becuase of the low branches around the saving trees, so I try to punch up a seven iron. I hit it up, left of the green, just missing George. I chip on 5 and two putt for a seven. My not so lofty goal of at least being better than the 55 I shot on the front nine on 4/30 is looking, well, lofty.

The 5th is not a hole I am afraid of, but I shoud be. I need to carry the fairway bunker, which is probably 220 straight out, but my drive slices slightly, landing me on the fairway, but way right, the long way to the green. The smart move from 215 out is to just hit an eight, but no, I can't do that. I put the eight iron down, and take out the six, this way I can reach the pond on the right. I miss the bountiful fairway and make sure I am just right enough to splash. Drats! (feel free to substitute real profanity, I did). Drop three, and four is the same shot I had on 4/30, 130 yards, pond right, big green, bunker left. Same result as last time, right in the bunker. I hit out of the bunker, on the green but way short of the pin, leaving myself a forty foot putt. I actually hit a very nice putt here, not in, but leaving an easy tap-in for a mini-highlight, seven. I am now on pace to be one over the 4/30 front at Charelston South.

Not too many people can comfortably admit that, but I soldier on. If you don't practice a lot, and if you didn't establish a base as a kid, scoring well (eighties and such) is extremely difficult. So I remind myself that it is about the experience. The picture of the pond below is a good example. The weird thing about that picture is that is sounded so much better than it looks. I had just finished the 15th and that pond is between 15 and 16. It was after 5pm by then, and the golf course was very quiet, hardly any other golfers around, and the birds were singing. The course is somehow more serene in the evening, even more so than the morning, which you think would be quiet. Maybe bird activity is different that hour, so the songs are different. But it was a mood shot, I was moved to capture it.

The 6th inspired photos too. I hit a short drive right, heading for the high fescue and the first pine tree among many to the right of it. It looks like I will be short of that pine tree, and it will be directly in my way for the second shot. For a minute I couldn't find the ball, but then I finally check in front of the pine. A lucky break as it rolled through some high fescue, but I don't take advantage. I flub a three iron, and the ball goes about thirty yards, in the rough on the right side. Since I'm right, and the hole dog-legs left, I'm hitting my third from close to three hundred out. I hit one of the best shots of the day here, a three iron that went out toward the left side of the fairway, but then bent back to land in the center. I hit it out of some thick grass, and didn't really take a full swing, but I made solid contact and hit a turning bullet of a line drive. It didn't go that far, because I was about 130 out from my fourth. The picture above tells the story. You could see the sunken bunker guarding that green. I could try to stay left, but the pin is in the back/right of a large green. I sky a nice sounding nine iron, and for a few short seconds it was all about 'will it' or 'won't it' because I was dead on the pin, which meant I was dead on the bunker. But I made it to the green, though still 35 feet from the stick. It looked much closer from the spot where I hit it, but I swing the two putt for a six. Two good shots on this hole, in a row, and the sweetness of that nine iron shot might very well be the one reason I try this game again someday.

The 7th is easist of the bunch, a short par 4, 317. It dog-legs right, and the green is well guarded by some tall trees if you're thinking about driving it toward the green. There is a fine, wide fairway begging you to take the safe route left. I pull out the 3-wood, one I don't find easier, and hit a fine shot that flirts with the tall trees, but makes it out to the fairway, leaving me a good 120 out. I hit the pitching wedge here, well, but playing with the bunker short left of the green. It goes over, but I'm off the fringe. My third is a punched up seven iron, and I two putt for five.

Things start out looking up on the 8th with a great drive, but after that it falls apart. I line up my second shot with a five iron, but flub it. It dribbles along the right side of the fairway, still safe, but not far. Now I'm right on a dog-leg right, but I have trees blocking the short route. I pull out a six iron, hoping to just place myself in line for my fourth. I yank this one left, over a bunker and into the woods. Nothing pretty happens now. It's an eight in the end.

The 9th Par 3 158 has my number. I am never on the green, and I am not on the green again this time. I hit a seven iron and landed in the bunker to the right of the green. Almost the same shot as the last round here, only the last one carried the bunker and landed in tall grass. But the bunker doesn't beat me today. I hit a smooth shot out and on the green, and two putt to save four. I beat the last round, but still not respectable, a 53 on the front.

The 10th is an easy Par 4, 294, but I make it as hard as possible. I hit good drive, pin straight. I really tried to tap it easy, but that's this game. Swing easy, but well, and the ball goes. This one heads straight for the bunker that guards a straight shot to the green, but it comes up a little short. I chip over the green, but barely over. With a seven iron, I tap on, but not a great shot. I leave myself with a good ten feet for par, and miss it. 5.

The 11th is the second easiest according to the handicap, a 115 yard Par 3. I hit the wedge high and straight and land it on. It looks close from far, but up close, it is far. I have a good 25-30 feet for birdie and I miss it. It is a good putt though, and I make a three foot shot for my first and only par of the day.

The 12th is scary like the fourth, uphill and wide, but woods left, and the first fairway is to the right. It is 412 yards. Here I boom a nice drive. It is high and far, and just reaches just past the 175 yard marker on the right side of the fairway. From here I am looking at a six iron. I was a little closer than this last time, and a six iron took me long, over the green. I hit it nice and easy, but didn't finish the shot, and it drifts right, through a tree. I am lucky to have a nice lie from here, and I chip on the green. I was ten feet or less for par, but couldn't make it. I tap in a five. This is a highlight score for me, I have been terrible at the 12th at Charleston South. A five is good.

Things were looking up from here, and I continue with a great drive on the 13th. This is a Par 5, a dog-let right, with a pond protecting the short route. I drive to the right side of the fairway, near the pond, but still on fairway. The group ahead of us is slow now, and we are waiting for them to look around. The delay costs me, concentration wise, and I flub a five iron. It rolls up and leaves me about 185 yards out. From here I need to carry the pond with a four iron so I try to make sure I hit it well. I don't swing terribly hard, and I don't know what happened but I pull it way left, a good forty yards left of target, and have to yell 'fore' once again. This time I get more than stares, I get arms raised in a 'wtf' sort of a way. But they were off the green, gathered around their carts, and not scidaddling to the next tee like a group that knows there are people playing behind them. I wasn't at all going for them. I missed the shot, and hit it just about the right distance. I just aimed poorly. I get up to them and apologize three times, but one of them, an older guy, Asian, maybe Filipino, says something like, 'well, you've done it a few times now,' like he was really pissed. It must have been his son that was with him, because the younger, pretty built son just sort of stood there making sure this didn't escalate. I tried to plead my case, that I just hit a lousy shot, but he wasn't having it. Just as I was about to tell the guy to stuff it for being like that after I apologized multiple times, I just said, 'I should have waited, sorry.' But there's no way I should have waited there. They were off the green. They should have been expecting my shot, cautious that a miss could reach them. Well they were in my head. My shot went through a tee, and low branches made this forty-yarder impossible. I flub more than one shot here, that guy got in my head. 8.

I manage a great drive on the 14th, and a bogie five after missing a six foot par putt. But the wheels come off the next hole as I drive the ball into a pond. I go out 8,7,5,6 on the last four holes, with barely a memorable shot, to close out the back nine with a 52, one worse than the awful 4/30 round, for a 105.

I will play golf again, but I'm not sure why.