I arrived at Riverbend around 4:00 or so, hopeful that by that time of day the course would be somewhat cleared out and I'd have it to myself. There are few better experiences than being the last person out on a golf course, coming down the final fairway as the sun is setting. It's as close to perfection as I know.
I watched a twosome tee off, and putted on the practice green for another 20 minutes or so, and then headed out myself. The winds were strong and gusting to borderline ridiculous, and out of the due south, which meant holes 1, 4 and 8 would be directly into the teeth of the wind, holes 3, 7 and 9 would be directly downwind, and 2, 5 and 6 would have a hearty crosswind.
First hole: 312 yards, par 4
(playing directly into the wind)
When I came up with this plan to go around Riverbend in 40 whacks, I looked at the holes that gave me trouble, and tried to establish a gameplan where I could avoid trouble. My entire history on number one I've hooked a driver way out to the left, adding needless length and complexity to the hole. It's not a long par-4, but it does have a creek running across the fairway about 2/3 of the way down, and you have to be careful for that.
I decided that the prudent play would be to scoot the ball up the right side of the fairway with a 4-hybrid, leaving myself just a mid-iron into the green. I opened up my stance to promote a bit of a fade, and gave the 4h a good, smooth swing. Just as intended, the ball went right at the center of the fairway, and landed not far from the white aiming stake at the top of the hill. An auspicious start.
My second shot left 145 yards to the green, from an elevated fairway. Again, right into the heart of the wind. I didn't take that latter bit into account, and my 7-hybrid blew up into the breeze and ended 20 yards short of the green, to a front pin position. A very good chip and putt and I could save my par.
Unfortunately, when you haven't played in a while, it's the short game that really exposes your rustiness. My E-wedge chip was woefully short, and the ball stopped in the front fringe. I used my Michael-Bamberger-designed-Jigger-E-club chipper with great success, and my fourth shop rolled to within two feet of the pin. One easy putt later, and I had a bogey, and was already one over for the day, and had used up a quarter of my spare shots.
+1 after one hole
Second hole: 364 yards, par 4
(strong left-to-right wind)
This hole is always very difficult for me, as I tend to hit the ball right-to-left, and there is an out-of-bounds fence (and road) along the entire length of the left side of this hole. When I do keep it in bounds, I'm generally down in the long grass behind a stand of large trees, with no shot to the green.
I did what I could to keep the ball in the fairway. I still pulled the ball left, but it was more of a straight pull than a hook, and with the very strong wind working with me, I managed to keep the ball somewhat in play. I was on the very left edge of the fairway, but in play, and with a shot at the green.
My second shot was 155 yards, uphill, and it called for a smooth 6-hybrid. Unfortunately, I caught the shot fat, and the ball knuckled to rest about 35 yards short of the flagstick, which was at the back of the severely back-to-front sloped green.
I tried to bump-and-run an eight iron back to the flag, but caught it hot and it rolled all the way to the back fringe. Compounding that, I hit the jigger back downhill also too hard, and after my alloted four strokes, was looking at a tough 15-foot uphill put just for bogey.
I rolled the first put the best I could, but left it wanting, and two-putted for a double bogey 6.
My dreams of 40 were evaporating fast.
+3 after two holes
Third hole: 474 yards, par 5
(straight downwind)
This is a pretty long hole, and that always brings out my inner urge to kill the ball. Which never works, and usually just results in a massive hook. (This hole, too, has an out-of-bounds fence along the left side.) Looking back, I should have hit a smooth 5-wood (especially with the helping wind), but again I hit the driver and again I pulled the ball into the left rough.
My second shot was still 240 yards out from the green. A nice smooth 5-wood should put me up inside of 100 yards with a reasonable chance at par. Perhaps over-compensating for pulling my drive, I pushed the 5-wood to the right, directly into the bunker 40 yards short of the green on the right side. A hellishly long bunker shot. My prospects for 40 looked completely dead.
One stunning bunker shot later, and my ball was 10 feet left of the flag, with a putt for birdie. I pushed the putt a couple of feet past, which was unfortunate, but left myself a makable par putt.
Actually, I took a quick video at that point, to capture the feeling of the Scottish links experience I was having:
Over there they call it 'goff', without the L
I got in for my par, which was a good score on that hole for me.
+3 after three holes
Fourth hole: 278 yards, par 4
(directly into the wind)
This is ordinarily a manageable hole. It's very short for a par-4, with little trouble. In this round, it was playing directly into the teeth of gale-force winds, but even so, par was certainly within reach.
I decided to play a Scottish shot to go with my Scottish weather: a low punch shot that stays down and cuts through the wind. (Tiger Woods has popularized this shot in recent years, calling it a 'stinger'.)
I teed the ball up low, took an abbreviated backswing and kept my hands very low through the follow-through. The stinger actually came off, and I had a low, boring ball flight that went up the right side of the fairway, leaving me only 90 yards in to the green. (That indicates how strong the wind was: on the third hole, downwind, I hit my driver about 235 yards. The next hole, I hit the same club less than 190.)
I used another Scottish shot, the cut-down 7-iron bump-and-run, which unfortunately ended 10 feet past (and above) the hole. Generally, you want to keep your ball below the hole; it's easier to putt uphill when gravity is working to slow the ball down, rather that putting downhill when any off-line ball is picking up speed and can run way too far past the hole.
As you guess, I hit the ball off line and it picked up speed and ran way too far past the hole. Although I was on the green in two shots, I took three putts to get the ball in the hole, and spoiled any shot at 40. You just cannot three-putt a green. Ever. Highly frustrating, especially after my two fine shots to get there.
+4 after four holes
Fifth hole: 127 yards, par 3
(cross wind, right-to-left)
This short par-3 is usually just a 7-iron. It's always just a 7-iron onto the green, and then two putts.
With the strong wind (which was a little into my face), I decided to try an easy 7-hybrid. It, of course, flew too long and rolled off the back of the green. I hit a very useful E-wedge to four feet and stuck the putt. A nice and unexpected par.
If I could do the same thing for the next four holes, I'd be in at +4 (40), and I'd have achieved my goal!
+4 after five holes
Sixth hole: 345 yards, par 4
(cross wind, right-to-left)
This is the hole that always vexes me. On the holes where I absolutely cannot go left (number 2 and number 3), I always manage to somehow hit a hook that risks going out of bounds.
This is a nice right-to-left dogleg hole, that positively sets up for my nice draw. I should own this hole.
And what do I do, every time?
A straight push to the right.
And what did I do this time?
A straight push to the right.
I simply don't get it.
Anyway, I managed to have a decent lie in the right rough, with 160 yards in to the green. I usually hit my 6-hybrid 160, but something told me I needed a bit more, so I hit the 5-h.
I was right in needing more; even the 5 left me 20 yards short of the hole.
I chipped up with my 8-iron bump-and-run (I'm determined to master that shot this summer), and left myself 25 feet for par. I missed the putt, and got another bogey. Unless I could birdie two of the remaining three holes, 40 was not to be.
+5 after six holes
Seventh hole: 519 yards, par 5
(downwind)
I really hate this hole.
I shouldn't. It's sixteen hundred feet of beautiful manicured grass and native wetlands, bordered by trees and home to protected wildlife.
I shouldn't. It's sixteen hundred feet of beautiful manicured grass and native wetlands, bordered by trees and home to protected wildlife.
But oh, how I hate this hole.
This is a long double-dogleg to the right. And, like clockwork, my draw that abandoned me on the sixth hole (where it would come in useful) is back with a vengeance on the seventh, where a draw is the very last thing you want. I think this comes from my knowledge that this is a long, nasty hole, and so I try to kill the ball, and when you try to kill the ball, you rush your swing and start the downswing before the backswing is complete, which gets your hands behind and closes the face and -- say it with me -- causes you to hook the ball.
Knowing that is what happens every time I reach this tee, I took a deep breath, forced myself to take my time, and put on a nice smooth swing to promote a nice, high, power fade. Of course, I rushed, tightened up, and hit a monster hook, almost back to the fourth fairway.
&%#!!
I was far left of the trees on the left side of the fairway. I took out the 5-wood and basically replicated everything I had done on the tee. I took my time, pictured a nice high fade, set up for a nice high fade, and hit a nasty hook.
My third shot was "in jail", which is golf terminology for behind a series of trees, making your view towards the green look like you're standing behind jail bars. Because I evidently fancy myself one of the top dozen or so golfers in the world, I decided to take a page from new Masters champion Bubba Watson and hit a preposterous hook out of the trees and onto the green. Because, you know, what could go wrong?
This kind of shot really isn't possible if you
respect the laws of physics
I'm sure you'll be shocked to learn that I did not pull off the shot as masterfully as Bubba did. (Get it? Masterfully? I slay me.)
My non-hooking seven iron went straight into the water hazard. (Or, as Ty Webb would say, straight into the lumberyard.)
I dropped (penalty stroke), hit a beautiful high 60 degree wedge onto the back of the green, lagged my jigger to 4 feet, and had a nice one-putt double bogey.
Gag.
+7 after seven holes
Eighth hole: 411 yards, par 4
(directly into the wind)
Like the fourth hole, the eighth was playing directly into the teeth of the increasing wind. This is another hole with OB left, and another hole where my trusty hook shows itself. It's beyond vexing: on the sixth hole, I need a hook, and can't hit one to save my life. Then on the seventh and eighth, I can't avoid hitting one.)
Except today. I copied my setup for my stinger from the 4th hole, and hit another nice low burrowing drive up the right side of the fairway. It's one of the only times I've ever played this hole from the fairway. Of course, with the wind even stronger, I was lucky to hit the drive about 180 yards. I had 230 left, and I hit a nice smooth 5-wood. Again it landed in the fairway, 110 yards from the green. A smooth 9 iron should have put me on, but I should have hit a low 7-iron. The 9 blew up in the wind, and landed 20 yards short of the green.
A poor chip left me 20 feet short of the hole, and I two-putted for a double bogey.
This is generally a difficult hole for me, and with its length is more of a par four-and-a-half, and it's one of the holes I've resigned myself to taking bogey, even when I break 40. And it was playing stupid hard into the wind, so a bogey would have been a good score.
But the double bogey? Not so good. One bad decision (the 9-iron), and I couldn't recover.
+9 after eight holes
Except today. I copied my setup for my stinger from the 4th hole, and hit another nice low burrowing drive up the right side of the fairway. It's one of the only times I've ever played this hole from the fairway. Of course, with the wind even stronger, I was lucky to hit the drive about 180 yards. I had 230 left, and I hit a nice smooth 5-wood. Again it landed in the fairway, 110 yards from the green. A smooth 9 iron should have put me on, but I should have hit a low 7-iron. The 9 blew up in the wind, and landed 20 yards short of the green.
A poor chip left me 20 feet short of the hole, and I two-putted for a double bogey.
This is generally a difficult hole for me, and with its length is more of a par four-and-a-half, and it's one of the holes I've resigned myself to taking bogey, even when I break 40. And it was playing stupid hard into the wind, so a bogey would have been a good score.
But the double bogey? Not so good. One bad decision (the 9-iron), and I couldn't recover.
+9 after eight holes
Ninth hole: 165 yards, par 3
(directly downwind)
I like the nith hole. It sets up well for me, it's a comfortable distance (a full 6-hybrid), and a receptive green. I put a nice smooth swing on the ball to end my round, and saw it carry nice and high, tracking straight for the flagstick. It dropped short, took a hop, and started rolling. It was tracking all the way, and stopped just short. If it had had 10 more feet of roll, it would have been very close to a hole in one. It felt that good.
My birdie putt lipped out, and I had a tap-in par to end the day.
Not bad.
+9 after nine holes
Okay, so I didn't break 40. But for my first official round of the year, 45 ain't bad.
Two bad blow-up holes, and I could easly have trimmed that to +6.
I really think 40 is within my sights this summer.
Onward and upward.