The Course

By any other standard this course was excellent. However, we just played Cascata yesterday, which was the greatest course I’ve ever played, and there is no way Rio was going to stand up to it. I also had high expectations for the maintenance of the course because they hold the 3-Tour Challenge there in early November, so I assumed it would be tour quality condition. It wasn’t. The tee boxes were uneven and marked up. The grass needed a bit of a trim and the layout was just ho hum. Yes there were cool holes, like the par 3 over a ravine or the par 4 on the back with beautiful views of Las Vegas. But I expected more. Again, if we would have played Rio then Cascata I might feel different. It was still a great course and I’m lucky to have played it.

My Round

My round was not as solid as yesterday. I didn’t hit as many fairways or GIR. I fact my first few shots I must’ve said “polar opposite of yesterday” a hundred times. I also was trying not to swear and that streak ended on the first hole.

What happened? Hard to say. Expectations too high, maybe. Tired? Probably. But I was not driving the ball well or striking irons well. My nice controlled fade from yesterday was replaced with a slice. My nice iron play replaced by good contact but really low ball flight with a more aggressive fade. I got frustrated quickly and that didn’t help. It’s all about consistency. I need to play more and I need to practice more if I’m going to score well. My putting was OK, I’m starting to feel more confident with my putting after ready Stockton’s Unconscious Putting. I needed to get out of my head and that book laid it out perfectly. My bunker play was really good, which is a positive. I was confident and thumping the ball out even from deep bunkers or from the short side.

I need to spend more time on the range with my driver. That’s a club that has been neglected as I work on my swing. I also should get a new driver. I used Andy’s rental Diablo Octane again (first time in florida) and hit first shot with mine and the second with the DO. I got at least 25 yards more out of the DO, probably closer to 30. But I want to get properly fit when I do invest in a new driver.

Again it was an awesome day on an awesome course playing with good friends in the middle of the desert… What more could I want.