Well I pretty much thought that 2 things wouldn't happen in my lifetime...a bogeyless round for me on any 18 hole course and a round at Augusta...wow...
Played with my film buds MJ and Josh. It was windy but sunny today. Wind started at a full club, ramped up to 1 1/2 by hole 7, 2 clubs of wind by hole 12 and finally 3 clubs by hole 17. My bag fell over with the wind on 16, so that's when I know it's a blowing. Greens were recently punched and sanded, but I never care about playing on punched greens. They were a wee bit slow however, but consistent.
My swing thought today was to stay a bit more connected. It worked! Let's see how long the wood key lasts.
Also, I played with a Precept yellow lady's ball from the get go. Softer compression golf balls, and I guess with my lady like swing speeds, it worked for me today :) I had 3 new ones that I was going to give to MJ, but decided to play one of them at the last second. I figured I was going to lose a few balls anyway today, being that it was windy and almost every hole at Peacock Gap has a creek or some sort of water hazard protecting every fairway. Since the course is not long, the water hazards are the course's defense. We didn't play the black tees to keep it fun for the two 24 handicappers in our group today.
Hole by Hole Recap:
Hole 1: Solid drive and played the cross wind perfectly. Fatted my 6 iron but it reached the front of the green. Nice 2 putt par start.
Hole 2: Busted a drive downwind and it found the tall thick grass right over the middle fairway bunker. The ball must have hopped over the bunker. I barely had a stance but somehow powered a punch 9 iron downwind that landed 20 yards short of the green and rolled through just to the back fringe of the green. Texas wedged it and made my par.
Hole 3: Uphill against the wind front pin just over the bunker. I hit a decent 5 iron hybrid that barely cleared the bunker, and left me a 15 footer for birdie. 1 less foot of carry and I would have been in a very deep bunker. Downhill birdie putt burned the edge. Tap in par is good on this tough ass par 3.
Hole 4: Good drive against the wind but faded into the right rough. I had a tree in front of me so I had to decide on a short high fade back to the fairway or try the long low hybrid slice. Well I split the difference and tried a 6 iron slice around the tree. I didn't pull it off, but it somehow barely cleared the tree back into the fairway. I skulled the crap out of my pitching wedge approach (think hockey slap shot) but it was a great miss as it settled 12 feet from the pin. 12 footer bird burned the edge again.
Hole 5: Downwind and I "crushed" a drive down the middle. I hit a perfect gap wedge downwind to 6 feet. I missed the birdie putt low. At this point I felt no love on the greens.
Hole 6: Front pin over the lake. It was 148 to clear the water and 153 to the pin. I decided on my 155 club and felt like the wind was going to help me. I flushed my 7 iron and turned out I just barely cleared the water by 5 yards. No wind or less than pure flushery, and the ball would have been rinsed. 18 footer for birdie did everything but go in. Putter was in the air 2 feet before the hole and the ball just burned the edge. Yep, felt like absolutely no love on the greens today...
Hole 7: Fade drive against the wind into the right rough. Pured a gap wedge 5 steps right over the pin. Downhill birdie putt was center cut. Finally made a putt!
Hole 8: Drew a drive into the thick left rough. We had to search for a few minutes before finding it. Rough was thick and I made a poor decision to try and fly the tree 100 yards in front of me instead of going way right and under it. Hit the tree and found more thick rough. This time I played it smart and went way right of the pin and green to avoid all the green side bunkers. I hit a beautiful chip to 4 feet and made the fist pumping 4 footer for the par save. Round saver!
Hole 9: Straight downwind and I hammered my 4 wood to exactly where I would have placed it on the fairway. Probably the best 4 wood off the tee in 100 rounds. Front pin over the bunkers and I played it smart right and long. First putt was good but blew by the hole by 2 1/2 feet. Marked it, waited, and then made the first knee knocker of the day for par.
Hole 10: 125 downhill with a stiff right to left crosswind. Played it 120, aimed way right, and saw the ball almost go in the hole. Tapped in the 14 inch putt for the 2nd bird of the day.
Hole 11: Very downwind and it was a great time to "crush" a drive over the left fairway bunkers on this tight hole with OB left and water all along the right side. Beautiful 9 iron to 12 feet and made the very unlikely birdie on this tough ass hole.
Hole 12: Aimed left with the drive but it never faded. Found the thick rough next to a tree. I couldn't take a full swing and did everything I could to advance it 120 yards, still on the left side rough. I had 188 to the pin and I aimed left to avoid the front green side bunker. 4 iron hybrid hack from the unusually thick rough came up just short of the green. Downhill chip to the back pin was hit too hard and I had about 18 feet from the fringe to the hole. Made the big right to left putt from the fringe to keep the no bogey streak alive. Yes!
Hole 13: Pushed my 5 hybrid a hair but was lucky enough to fly the front right green side bunker by about a foot. Great downhill lag putt for the stressless par.
Hole 14: Hit a great drive but was unlucky enough to trickle into a fairway bunker on the left side of the fairway. Hit a solid 6 iron from the bunker to just before the second set of fairway bunkers traversing and guarding this hole. Solid gap wedge and stressless 2 putt par.
Hole 15: Another good drive but found the left rough. Found more unusually thick rough. I had 152 against the wind, and I hit probably the best shot of the day, hacking a 6 iron out of the thick stuff to just left of the middle green side bunker to exactly where I wanted to "miss" it. Pin was on the right side of the green over the bunker, but I got rewarded for that sweet 6 iron hack by draining an unexpected 21 footer for the 4th birdie of the day.
Hole 16: Tees were back but pin was forward. It was 152 to a front pin with 137 to clear the water. Wind was strong left to right. I played it for 155 and aimed way left over the front left bunkers. I hit my 7 iron a bit fat, and I would have bet money that it was going to be in the lake. It somehow cleared 137 and I gave myself a 15 footer for birdie. Putt was so good but burned the edge. 2 footer coming back was no picnic, but I struck it middle back.
Hole 17: 3 clubs downwind. I hit a 6 iron off the tee 210 yards down the middle. I had 92 to clear the canal and 113 downwind to the pin. I hit my sand wedge, which is my 92 yard club these days, and it flew 18 feet past the pin. Lagged to 12 inches for the easy par.
Hole 18: I felt really confident on the tee box, even though 18 has always been a tough finishing hole for me with the river looming all along the right side of the fairway. I thinned my drive, but it was down the middle and strong downwind, so I got away with it. I had 210 to a back pin. I pured my 4 hybrid (190 club) and it probably landed just 1 yard past the left side of the right green side bunker. Phew! Ball rolled all the way back and velodromed towards the pin. All I wanted was a stressless tap in for par, but the birdie putt rolled in like a home sick gopher. Holy crap! Dropped my putter and finished 5 under with no bogeys!
Clearly an awesome day. Always super fun playing with MJ.
I didn't think it was going to happen in this life, but the no bogey round is off the bucket list...hmmm, gives me a glimmer of hope for the Augusta invite :)
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