The Course

City Club is my home course. It’s close, tee times are usually available and it’s generally a good course. Lots of terrain changes and some interesting holes make this short course fun to play. If you’re on, you can score well, if not, it will punish you. It’s winter here now, so the fairways are dead, but well maintained, the rough is dead, but still thick challenging and well maintained. And unlike last year, the greens are in excellent shape. They over seeded with rye grass and it took this year. They were smooth and lush. But they were soft with the rain and that caused me a few issues. Definitely will play it again this winter.

The day started out foggy and cold, but ended up sunny and warm.

My Round

I went into this round with expectations. At the beginning of this year I set a goal to break 80. I was a lofty goal, but one I thought I could do. City Club was my best last chance. I wanted to play blue tees, but the group wanted white. It would’ve only added about 100 yards total, so it doesn’t matter. I knew what I needed to do and went out to do it.

It started great on the range. I was confident and striking my irons pure. My drive down #1 was long. I had 100 yards up hill for my approach, hit it flush with a sand wedge, landed 10 year on the green. I saw it spin back but thought it was still on. I got to the green and realized it spun completely off the green. That would happen numerous times today and it’s one of those things that I can’t be upset about. I’m playing E5 golf balls usually, which have a lot of green side control. But today I was playing B330-S which have a ton of control. The fact I’m spinning the ball means I’m making better contact, that’s exciting. There were a couple holes where I could actually watch it stop and back up, pretty cool.

I had some great drives and some poor drives. I got lucky on two drives where I hooked it into the trees and the trees spit it out on the fairway. But I couldn’t putt. My usually decent short game around the greens, was not so great. I had 6 3 putts including 3 where I hit the green in regulation. That right there takes me to 80. You can’t 3 putt 6 times and have 3 double bogeys on the card and break 80.

But I was striking the ball better and that’s what matters. I managed to have a legit chance to reach my goal right up until 16, that’s fun.

I need to remember my swing keys but I also need to stop being lazy. In an effort to be smooth and have a nice tempo, I get lazy and that means I keep the face open and push or fade/slice it. Once I get to the top, I need to let it go, drop those hands and get through it. On the range, it’s not problem, I end up twisted around like a pretzel, but on the course I get tight. Tat comes from a lack of confidence and from not playing enough. That needs to change in 2012.

This is how the day ended up… pretty perfect.

Off the tee on one of my favorite holes on this course, the par 5 8th. Took the drive over the far right tree into the fairway 185 yards out with a 165 yard carry over water. Ball was above my feet, slightly downhill and of course, I hit it fat, ending up in the water barely missing the bank by a foot. Made a double by 3 putting.

Scorecard