Atlantis, Bahamas, 7/31/2012

 

                          The view of the 9th hole from the clubhouse.(click photo for full size)
    

    Simply can't remember which hole this is.

     When you are talking about 'golf' and 'Caribbean' in the same sentence, there's not a lot that could go wrong except 'hot'.  Well, it was hot, 90's, humid.  But that was no match for the scenery.  I expected to like the place, but I didn't realize how much the magic of those two words combined would make me feel once out there.
     The Ocean Club at Atlantis is beyond fantastic.  Search it out and view the layout, and compare it to my pictures.  The course is surrounded by beautiful homes.  It was remarkably quiet, as in 'not a lot of people around', as if the homes were all vacation spots sparsely used.  On the course, Dennis and I never waited, no one in front, no one pushing us behind--and we did need the time to search for balls here and there.  I used all six that came with the greens fee, Calloways. I used the rented Calloway clubs also, more than sufficient.  Of course I would love to have my own clubs there, but I would also love a few weeks with 3 or 4 rounds per to get familiar with the place.
     Golf is this kind of game:  The anticipation of playing a round finally crescendos, we were on the first tee, a Par 4 386, the afternoon heat on high, and I start off the game with a low line drive over the third baseman's head.  It traveled some 200 yards, and I knew right off the inhuman super round was out.  But I found the ball, used a nine iron to safely get the ball 150 out on the fairway.  Then an eight iron to attack the green for my third shot.  This was one of the shots of the day, as was the putt after it.  The 3rd shot eight iron was pin high.  The cup was all the way at the back of the green, and I was on the fringe, to the right of the green, about fourteen feet away.  I made a great putt which rolled onto the green, towards the cup and in!  A par to start the round, even after the lousy drive.  I love golfing in the Caribbean.
     The second hole was remarkable, as was every hole on the course.  My play here was not remarkable.

    
      I had a seven on this Par 5 475.  It was a wide and forgiving hole, and the first one of many that were lined with luxury homes.  Bless you if you can't call these mansions.  There's no point in going into detail, you can imagine the eye candy.  I did hit the ball pretty well on this hole a few times, but two bad shots makes seven.
     The 3rd is your first Par 3, 164 barely uphill and protected by bunkers.  I hit my (borrowed) eight iron here, a solid shot onto the green, carrying the bunker that guards the front.  I was about twenty feet away.  I make a horrible putt (excuse alert: the green was just watered, and was soaked), and I miss the par putt from three feet or less.  Concentration?  A frustrating four.
  Speaking of four, a Par 4 410 that ends at the Caribbean Sea.  This was one of the finer ones for me.  I was compelled to snap a photo (or two):

4th from the tee box

And then from the fairway.  Stick is 150

I hit a decent drive, straight enough.  From about 170 out, even further to the right of that stick than the photo shows, I hit a five iron that lands pin high, but right of the green.  You can barely make out what lies to the right of the green.  It is a tiny inlet, which contains the Caribbean Sea.  It was low tide, so I was able to retrieve my ball, but it cost me a stroke.  What do you think?  Should I have taken a shot from here:

That's me, picking it up.  Too many rocks, and not my clubs.  There are sticks to indicate 'out of bounds', so I did the right thing.  I end up with a six.    Dennis made a nice par on this hole, a good drive, a nice approach shot from maybe 160, capping it off with at least an 8-10 foot putt. 

     When you walk off to the left side of that green, you are on the fifth tee, a Par 4 412, and that's the photo below (phenomenal):

  This is from the fairway, where of course I hit my drive:

Hitting a drive onto the fairway does not a par guarantee.  More homes, fascinating. 

I hit some major golfing doldrums on holes 6 thru 9.  Sevens, sixes, fives...no pars.  The 6th hole is a Par 5 525, somewhat uphill with fairway bunkers.  Along the right side of the fairway are homes.  Dennis tested some windows (he never really came close, but made a bid), and I hit one of the better drives of the day.  I followed it up some flubs, and then tested the Caribbean Sea again which lies just beyond the green.  There was a older gent sitting in the yard of the home by the green.  This would be the last house on the block, and he's got ocean out his side windows.  Supreme.  He just sat there and watched though, didn't look particularly friendly, or interested in us.  From the green on 6 you can look up the coast and see the Atlantis:

Once again, no golf to report in here.  Unspectacular followed by lousy, with a real stroke here and there--in a word--my game.

Atlantis from the 7th tee

 

 

 

The seventh, Par 4 293, had plenty of water (and a member of the maintenance crew) which I managed to avoid.  No par though.  No miracles.

 







 I lied.  I found that pond just fine.

OK, my second drive was a beauty, center of the fairway.  A seven iron just missed the green which is surrounded by water if you missed badly.  But I found grass and chipped on for a six or seven.

That's Dennis, strolling out to the fairway on the 9th, a Par 4 382.

Amazing thing about my second drive on this hole, (first one was...well, you see water, don't you?) was that it reached a patch of fairway barely visible here.  If you look at the pond, you can see where it juts in (furthest point right in this photo).  Just beyond that is where my 2nd drive landed, which would have been quite a spectacular shot if that's where I had been aiming.  Dennis found the pond which is to the right of the green on this hole.  We saw a some great wildlife here, fish, birds, etc.  He
had to shoo a turtle to scoop out his ball which barely rolled in. 

This is from the 10th, where Dennis sported for a few cool drinks, power or gator aids, or something.  It was way too hot for beers.  It doesn't look out at the hole though, it looks back across the pond that separates 9 and 18.  The sky was such a crisp blue, and the course was a lush green.  This place must be paradise when it's only like 80 degrees.

 

 

10 and 11, nice holes both, but not for me.  In fact, after we had our cool drinks, we took our time looking for our drives which were right of the green in some trees.  There were many interesting plants in this area, an area shaded with lots of tall trees.  This few minutes in the shade was a great respite from the hot sun. 

 

The 12th, a Par 3 197 had to be the shining moment of the day for me.

 

It's about 165 to carry that pond from the gold tees.  I seem to remember this shot being more like 185 or so, but the card says 197 from the gold.  I absolutely remember using a 4 iron, so it had to be about 180.  You can barely make out the green between those bunkers in this photo, but it was actually 20 or 30 yards past those bunkers.  I hit a nice shot, a real four iron, loft, straight.  The pin was deep and left, and I was about fifteen or twenty feet away.  I two putt for a par.

 

Though there wasn't any lack of material, I didn't take as many photos the rest of the way.  Except this shot of Dennis on the short Par 4 17th, 298:

 

I played a fine 17th, using my smart golf skills.  I hit a six iron off the tee, unfazed by the Caribbean Sea to my left (I can just say 'Caribbean Sea' all day, if you hadn't noticed).  From there it was 9 or a wedge, I can't remember, and a vanilla 2 putt.  But a par is still an accomplishment in my world.  And my world was blessed this July 31, 2012.  If you play golf at all, and go to the Atlantis Bahamas, do yourself a favor and play a round here.  I will be back if I can help it.  (I'm thinking of buying one of those homes off the course, a lotta lotta thinking...)

 

 

 



 

April 19, 2012


The weather looked right so I took a day off. I got to the pro-shop at 8:27 and by 8:29 I had paid and was handed a slip for an 8:40 tee. We thought we would be four, but we were two, Pat and I. Three different groups, foursomes all, let us play through, and we were done in 2 hours and 55 minutes. A round under three hours is a delight, never mind I'm wishing I took a little longer. I rushed through my usual four or five shots.

Not on the front nine though. I was feeling good from the start, and it went ok.

On the 1st hole I drove the ball right, in the first cut rough, but decent. I followed it with a five iron, well hit toward the center, but it drifted right staying on the far right side of the fairway. That left me with a hundred and ten on the Par 5, with a bunker in my line to the pin. I hit a smooth pitching wedge, a little long, but on the large green. I then had thirty feet for birdie. I hit a decent putt, never really had a chance to go in, but close enough for an easy par.

On the 2nd hole my drive went right again, pretty well hit but a low liner that is saved from the deep rough by the branches of a lone tree on the far right side of the hole. I am about 225 out still. The tree branches hang down just enough to make it difficut to swing, so I try to hit one safely out. I actually hit a nice shot here, a line drive that landed in the center of the fairway, about 50 yards out. I chip on, not great, but good for a two putt bogey.

The 3rd is a dangerous hole when the fescue has grown in, but not so intimidating this time of year. No matter, I am nowhere near the stuff. I hit one pin straight, but left of the fairway, landing in the first cut rough, about 155 out. I nail an eight iron that goes long by a few, the pin being right in the front of the green. I thought I hit the first putt way two slow, but it creeped up close, for an easy par.

The 4th is a par 5 with a pond to look at off the tee box. I launch one directly over a fairway bunker on the left side, and it rolls up stopping just before another bunker. I am about two hundred and five out, over a pond, or playing it safe with a nine and staying fairway nowhere near the pond. Pat found the pond twice on this hole, going for the green. From about one hundred out now I flub a pitching wedge. Hitting four I drop it on about nine feet away, and two putt for a bogey.

The par 3 5th tries to scare you with that same pond. I scares me because I hit my five iron right and short of the hole. From the tee it is about 185 yards and you are in the pond if you yank it left. So I push it right, and though my second shot looked pretty good, it rolls off the back side of the green and onto the fringe. My par putt from the fringe has about four feet of fringe and then eight to ten more of green. I make a decent putt, and then tap in bogey.

The 6th starts out well enough. One of the better drives lands me in the center of the fairway, about 110 out. The wedge is skulled though, a darting line drive that skips past the left side of the green, and stops in a bunker. I skull the bunker shot also, skying it over the green, and landing twenty five yards away. Four is halfway decent, a chip shot that lands on the green, but a good twenty feet from the cup. Disgusted with my bunker shot and the skull before, I add on a three putt to complete the misery, 7.

6th, Charleston North

Looking back from the fairway

 



The drive on the 7th leaves me center fairway, 130 out. I carry the bunker that is directly in my line, but leave a twenty-five foot downhill putt. I'm too cautious and I leave a good five feet, miss that and tap in bogey. Two three putts in a row.

Another group waves us up onto the par 3 8th and I perform accordingly. I hit a nice nine iron, and land on the green, but with a thirty foot putt for birdie. I miss that, but get it good and close, four plus feet, and sink the par.

8th, Par 3 139



On the 9th I drive down the middle again, and leave about 160 to the hole. I'm in between clubs here, and the day is starting to warm, so it feels like an eight. I go with the seven instead, and hit it well, but too well, bouncing past a mound that guards the green. I have to chip it now about twenty yards, and have almost no room as the stick is right in front of me. But I make a nice chip shot that bounces on rough twice before it dribbles onto the green, leaving me a five or six foot putt for par. I miss that, and tap in bogey.

Charleston Springs, North

12th green, 4/1/12

It is my best nine ever at Charleston North, a 44. I pared three holes, and putt for par several more times. Most important, I avoided the sevens and eights. On the back nine, the wheels came off, and besides a handful of shots, it was typical punishment I inflict on myself. I ended the back with a 53, for a grand total of 97. That's not an unusual score for me, put a painful route to it, considering the pace I set on the front.