104, 35 putts (4 one putts, 3 three putts), 0/18 GIR (LOLOLOL), 10/14 fairways.
Strokes gained: Driving -1.5, Approach -12.1, Short game -2.4, Putting -1.9. (As a current 21, I use strokes gained comparison to a 15 cap, since that's my current goal.)
We drew for partners, I teamed with my buddy, we lost 2&1, pressed and press was AS. Beat my brother 4&3, was AS vs my dad, beat my bud 7&6, and I won 6 skins.
Brother teeing off with a gallery.
I was very pleased with the first tee shot of the trip , solid driver up the right side in wind and rain, just shy of the deepest right fairway bunker, leaving a simple wedge in.
Result of 1st tee shot.
Sadly, thin it over the green, but recover with a reasonable chip back to 20 feet, lag it up and tap in for bogey.
OK, next up, easy par 3, right? I hit a pretty good 8 iron, but it draws a bit, and the tail wind skids it into the bunker over the back left of the green. NEVER GO THERE. Don't really have a backswing, take 3 to get out and make a filthy quad. Gross.
On #3, I pipe a drive back into the wind that literally misses Ghost Tree limbs by inches. A truly fun moment!
Group with GT in background.
Walking past GT to my drive. It went a very solid 243 yards, then I hit a flushed 8 iron just over the green, chip from 40 yards with my hybrid to 5 feet and make it for the first par of the trip. This began a very enjoyable sequence where I scored well on many of the famous/signature holes.
4 was playing into the teeth of the wind, but I nuke a drive which from the gold tees reaches the humpback speed slot and ends up 264 yards from where I struck it. I then lace a low 3w 223 yards again just over the back of the green into a fluffy rough lie, but hit a pretty good SW out of it, 2-putt bogey, which I thought into a 25mph wind was a damn good 5.
On 5, have a 9i to the biggest green in the world and just clank it into the wispy mess right in front of me and just make a messy 6. Then head to 6, and pound a drive 277, leaving just a 6iron second into this par 5. Hit a gross shot that skids off the Hell bunker rail ties and ends up off in the right rough, but manage to scramble from there for another bogey.
Walking past Hell Bunker, thankful the 6iron bounced off the ties and out, not in!
On to the next signature hole, Ocean. Hit a skanky 5w tee shot leaving me about 220 up the cliff from light rough. LACE a 5w 214 yards up to the front left corner, just off the green, then lag the puttchip to a foot and tap in for another signature hole par ha.
On 8, the Biarritz, hit a 7i that looked/felt great in the air and then a huge gust just dropped it like a sniper, it landed right on the front edge then spun all the way down the hill in front of the green. Gross. Hit a decent little chip/pitch from there to 25 feet, but mediocre lag leads to first 3putt of the trip, and a double, and I'm now 9 over on the three par 3s so far.
Hit a beauty drive on 9 up the left side again back into the wind. Leave a 5iron face open on approach and fan it well right. Make a short game mess, but drain a 20 footer for bogey and a front nine of 47.
Feeling overall quite solid, step to the 10th tee and hit my first poor drive into the rough right, that goes just nowhere into the wind. I then just can't hit the ball, jankily advancing it a bit at a time, then missing a 5 footer for triple. Yeesh.
Hit a great drive up the left on Road, and feel back in business. Hit a chippy 8 iron that comes up short right. Try to lag with my putter and blast it over the green. Then putt that one back over the green into the Road bunker. JFC. 2 to get out of that and another quad.
Now 12, the Redan. Flare a hybrid off to the right, hit a pretty good chip up but get a bit unlucky, then another short game fiasco capped by another missed 4 footer for triple. Sweeeeeeet quad-quad-quad start to the back B.
Get the wheels back on the Riksha with another nice drive 257 up the left on 13 leaving a 50 yard pitch in, which I hit reasonably well but rolls just off, and I miss a 10 footer for par. I hit a mediocre drive on 14, but it leaves another 60y shot in, which I putt up the hill to the fringe, then get down in 2 for my third (and final) par of the round.
On 15, hit a decent drive up the left, then have 5w in and literally cold top it 10 yards. Neat. Hit the next one solid up short of the green, then an OK chip to 15 feet, but miss a 3 foot bogey putt. Ick. On 16, Alps, hit a pretty good drive but it really doesn't go much, and I have 5i in. Draw it up onto a plateau left of green. Get up there and it's literally mowed down gorse, so I'm walking on literal gorse and have to pitch off it, and hit a BEAUTY from 40 yards to 12 feet. Miss that, but tap in bogey.
17 I hit a big pull hook tee shot for my first lost ball of the round. Drop and mostly flub my next one. I holler across the fairway to Brownbear for a line, then lace 5w on what I think is the right line, but it's too far left and gone again. Eventually hit a sweet lag from 57 feet to 2 feet, but the 2 footer is for triple.
18 I hit another good drive into the teeth of the wind, then a 3w just over the green. Hit what was allllllllmost a great chip, but it rolled down a ridge to about 20 feet, two putts for bogey and a back nine 57, total 104. Overall, was pretty pleased given the circumstances, course, and conditions. Didn't feel like I played that bad, minus 5 and 10-12 and just finding a death spot on 2.
Move on to the Preserve, and there I shoot a 56, which is 17 over through 13. Approach strokes gained -3.9, short game -1.1, putting -4.3. As you can tell, had some bad putting. FIVE three putts and a four putt, with only one 1 putt. Did hit 5/13 greens, only really bad tee shot was on 2 that I fanned into the gorse. But yeah, missed a ton of short putts, then the 4 putt on 11 was an absurd hole location, where I hit a great 7i to 15 feet for birdie, then my par and bogey putts were both also 15 feet. Did hit a really good shot on 12 after a bad tee shot into the bunker, ball was just in the bunker, I had to stand outside of it, and the ball was literally probably 15-18 inches lower than my feet and I hit a great little 9i chip out choking down to the steel. As mentioned, we hit putters off the front tee at dusk on 13, and I hit mine to 30 feet and made par.
Couple shots from preserve, including me enjoying a tasty beverage at sunset after a 9 hour day of golf.
This easily could have been a lot better without all the missed 2-4 footers. Next time!