Hole 1 – Par 4 – 404 Yards
Him – Drive hooked onto left berm. I hit 3w into the fairway.
He escapes to the front of the green. Back pin. I had 135 and hit pitching wedge to about 9 feet.
He lags it to 2.5 feet. I concede his par. Burn the edge on my putt. All square.

Hole 2 – Par 5 – 613 yards – I stroke here (1st of 6)
He hit drive through the fairway that runs right to left. I hit a similar line in the right rough as well. I hit hybrid though a camel back to the fairway layup area. He does similarly. I had 135 yards again – push my wedge and am on a closely mown hump to the right of the green. He hit it to 10 feet. I putt down and leave it short. He misses, I miss. All square.

2nd hole (the bunker on the right is now gone):


Hole 3 – Par 4 – 342 yards
Slight dog-leg right short-ish par 4 that with our altitude and downhill last 100 yards makes this drivable for big hitters. He hit driver down about 40 yards short of the green. I hooked my hybrid to a berm left of the fairway. I find my ball and take an aggressive approach to get on or near the green as he’s going to make 3 or 4 almost always. I put it in the hazard long and right. He hit it to 3 feet. After failing to hack it out of some weeds I concede the hole. One down.

Hole 4 – Par 5 – 510 yards
He bombed a driver and I hit one to the left side of the fairway where I couldn’t go for it in two. Hit a good layup to about 80 yards. He came up just short and left above a bunker. I laid the sod over a lob wedge and ended up 5 yards short of the front of the green – back pin. He pitched to about 20 feet. I hit a lower 2 hop-and-(try to)stop that thankfully rolled out a little more and ended up about 3 feet left of the flag. He missed his birdie putt – I made my par. One down.

Hole 5 – Par 4 – 427 yards – I stroke here (2nd of 6)
Water left and OB right off the tee – although pretty far right. He fans driver out right into a fairway bunker. I hit a very solid 3-wood on a great line. He hit an awesome fairway bunker shot to inside 20 feet. I had 130 yards and fanned another one right. Had a straight forward pitch from short grass to a center pin; hit it to about 7 or 8 feet. He missed his birdie putt and I got up and down to win the hole. All square.

Hole 6 – Par 3 – 185 yards
Font pin and the tees were up – playing 160. Water left. Bunker pin-high right. I hit 8 iron pin high just on the green to the right about 22 or so feet. He hit it to the front of the green just inside 20 feet. I burned the edge and he never sniffed it again on a birdie putt. All square.

6th Hole (and the 5th meanders around the other side of that lake):


Hole 7 – Par 4 – 335 yards
Lake 240 yards out that goes all the way up to the green. So it’s a 4 iron off the tee and I was in a great spot 110 yards to the flag – 95 to carry the water. He skied his hybrid and had about 140 yards to the pin. He barely cleared the lake and was in the long grasses. I hit sand wedge to 5 feet. He missed the ball on his first flop attempt and skulled it over the green on his second. Conceded and I won the hole. One up.

Hole 8 – Par 4 – 463 yards – I stroke here (3rd of 6)
I hooked my drive again and was in the left rough. He pulled his into the left rough. I hacked out to a 100 yard spot. He hit his over the back of the green. My third ended up hole high 20 feet to the right. He chipped down and ended up 6 feet away. I left the putt 4 feet short – shocking as it was downhill and I didn’t think I could leave that putt short. He made his par and I made my putt to halve the hole with my stroke. One up.

Hole 9 – Par 3 – 162 yards
Middle pin playing 161 downwind. It’s all water to the front of the green but middle and back pins the water really doesn’t come into play. Choked down a little on the 8 iron and the wind was really helping – hit a great shot right at the flag – almost jarred it but with the wind and roll out my ball came to rest on the back of the green about 25 feet away. He also hit it long and wound up in a collection area over the back of the green. He chipped to about 5 feet. I left another putt short and was still away. Missed. He missed his and we halved with bogies. Bullet dodged. One up.

Hole 10 – Par 4 – 414 yards – I stroke here (4th of 6)
Tough uphill par 4 with a canyon all the way up the left. I hit 3 wood to the right side of the fairway. Terrible hit and I’d have over 200 yards and a blind shot for my second. He barely cleared the canyon and ended up in a deep fairway bunker. With him in trouble and getting a shot I laid up around the corner to 70 yards. His bunker shot just got in front of mine. We both were laying two hitting into an elevated green. I pitched my right over the *** – rolled to the back fringe – 25 feet or so from the pin. He hit his on the green – about 15 or so feet. I missed but had the tap in for bogie and he missed his par and I won the hole. Two up.

Hole 11 – Par 3 – 148 yards
Front pin playing 136. I hit it right over the flag stick again – but deep again and ended up in the back rough a few inches from going into a bunker. He hit his to 12 feet. I chipped on and left myself about 10 feet. He cozied his down and I conceded his par. I missed my putt. One up.

Hole 12 – Par 4 401 yards
Elevated tee to a generous landing area and then dog-leg right downhill approach across a small canyon to a wide narrow green with a nice backstop/bowl hill. It’s one of my favorite holes. He smokes a drive into the garden spot. I basically chunk push my 3 wood and end up in some crap short and right. Hack out – make a mess of the hole and end up conceding as he hit the green in regulation. Are the wheels coming off? All square.

Hole 13 – Par 5 – 584 yards – I stroke here (5th of 6)
Into the wind. A great hole with a downhill tee shot – then it juts out a little right and then a canyon to hit across to a second fairway and the green. If you hit a good drive it’s a 2-shot hole. He pumped a big drive again and the momentum has clearly changed from the 10th hole. I pull my drive left and end up on the side of a mountain. Hack out and have to lay up with my third to the end of the fairway. He hits his second across the canyon and will have 120 yards or so in. I hit my 4th into the canyon. Go to the drop zone which is across the canyon (stupid local rule or people would never finish the hole). Hit it onto the green for my 6th shot. He hit onto the green. He two putts for par and it doesn’t really matter but I make the putt for double! First hole I got a stroke on that I didn’t win or halve. Sigh. One down.


Here is the 10th through 13th holes, by the way.


10th hole is bottom left. The par 3 11th is not really visible from starts behind the trees behind the 10th green and comes back toward the left of the picture. The 12th tee box is way up the hill on the left side of the photo - you can see fairway bunkers below the dark green hill in the middle of the photo. The green dog-legs down behind some trees. The the hole on the right is the par 5 13th - you can see how many options there are for that hole - 3 shots where you lay up on the either side of the canyon or if you hit a good drive you can get on in two. Fun stretch of holes and the primary reason I am a member there. Mount Sopris in the background - its quite spectacular.

11th hole:


View from the 12th tee box:


Hole 14 – Par 4 – 341 yard
Down wind. He ropes another drive and I’ve got to stop the bleeding. I hit a great 3 wood and have 85 yards. I hit it to 15 feet just left of the back flag. He hit his to like 25 feet shot of it. He hits his putt 4 feet past. I burn another edge for birdie and have a tap in for par. He misses and I get one back. All square.

14th hole:


Hole 15 – Par 3 – 173 yards – I stroke here (6th of 6)
Down wind again and we both hit shots over the back of the green. He chips first and hits it to 4 or so feet. I chip mine to 8 feet and make the putt to win the hole. One up.

Hole 16 – Par 4 – 345 yards
Downhill tee shot, wind from the left. Lake around 300 yards out and goes up to the right side of the green. I hit another terrible tee ball and have to chip out to the fairway he hit another great drive and we have wedges to a front pin with a nice mound right behind it. His comes up short to the front apron. I hit my lob wedge hard trying to fly it past the pin and spin back. It lands hole high and spins 10 feet back. He chips on and has another short putt – about 5 feet. I miss but so does he. One up with two to play.

Hole 17 – Par 5 – 487 yards
Creek down the right side; dead into the wind – probably 2-3 clubs at this point. He’s steaming and I’m feeling great as I’ve gotten off the hook due to his poor putting all day. I hit 3 wood into the middle of the fairway. Felt great to hit a good shot into the wind with the pressure mounting on a possible closing-out hole. He hits another great drive. I have 140 yards to cover a fairway bunker to a wide-open layup area. I hit 7 iron and probably should have hit 6. Barely covered the bunker and I’ll have 115 yards across the creek that cuts from right to left in front of the diagonal green to a middle pin. His layup almost goes in the creek but he’ll have 100 yards. 115 yards but the wind is blowing hard. I hit my 145 shot and it last just past hole high and right 20 feet away. He pulls his wedge and ends up long, left and on the fringe up against the rough. I’m getting nervous and I’m a terrible pressure putter – and I know I’ll likely have a putt to close out the match. He blows his putt 15 feet past the hole. I putt down to a gimmee and he has a putt to extend the match. It never scares the hole and I am a 2&1 winner.

17th hole looking back down the fairway:


So his mostly awesome ball striking couldn’t make up for his poor putting. He was really down on himself for all of the putts he missed. But it was a fun match and I’m on the next round.

2&1 winner - His poor putting and my decent play for most of the holes resulted in a win