Round One

First round of the PNGA Mid-Am is in the bag, whether I want it to be or not. I played some solid golf today on a very difficultly set up course, but also played a few horrible holes and that is the difference between scoring in the middle of the pack and being five from last..

1. par 5: Pushed the tee shot left into the rough on the side of a hill. Hit a 9-iron over some tall trees to get back to the fairway at 170 out. Hit a 6-iron to the elevated green and landed it 15 feet short of the pin. Lipped the putt out and tapped it in for par. EVEN

2. par 4: Hit the fairway with a 3-wood. Hit the green with a loft wedge and two putted from 20 feet for a par. EVEN

3. par 5: Hit a solid drive down the middle to 300 yards out. Used a 7-iron to layup to 130 and then pushed a PW slightly to the fringe. Made the two-putt from 25 feet out for par. EVEN.

4. par 3: Hit a 4-hybrid to the back edge, chipped on an lipped out a 5-footer, tapped in the comeback for my first bogey of the round. ONE OVER

5. Par 4: A hooked 3-hybrid ended up stymied behind trees. Punched out with a wedge and then used the same wedge to get to the front of the green where I made a 10 footer for par. ONE OVER

6. par 4: Hooked a 3-wood into the trees. Hit a low liner 7-iron from 158 yards out left of the green behind more trees. Punched an easy wedge to get on the green but it went long to the other side in the rough. Chipped on and then two-putted from 12 feet for a double bogey. THREE OVER

7. Par 3: Pull hooked a 3-hybrid into the trees to a stymied location, and had to punch out on a par three just to have a shot at the green. Hit the third ball onto the green but it rolled out and then two-putted from 20 feet for another double. FIVE OVER

8. Par 4: Pulled my drive into the rough and was blocked by a tree to the green. Hit a draw around the tree that ended up in the bunker. Had a great out from the bunker but missed a 4-footer. Made the comeback for a bogey. SIX OVER

9. Par 4: Pushed the drive into the trees and had 220 out on the second shot, but didn’t have a clear shot at the green. Punched out to 65 yard and hit the green on the third shot. Missed an 8-footer for par, made the bogey. SEVEN OVER and a 43 for the front side.

10. Par 4: Pull hooked a 3-wood into the trees and had to punch out to 120. The wind knocked my approach down into a bunker where I made a good up-and-down to save the bogey. EIGHT OVER

11. Par 3: Hit what I thought was a perfect 5-iron into the wind on this 175 yard par 3, but it took a funny bounce and ended up in a green-side bunker. I caught the bunker shot a little thin and it went just over the green and landed on a cart path, bouncing deep under tree cover. Without a look at the pin, I had to chip onto the green on the opposite end and then had a 40 footer where I had to putt over the fringe. I left that six feet short and tapped the next putt but missed the cup and ended up with another 6 footer. Missed it again and finally made the fourth putt for a seven. A little shocked I four-putted, but things happen. TWELVE OVER

12. Par 4: Actually hit a fairway with my driver. Then, hit the green from 150 yards and landed it pin high. Had a 15 footer for bird that lipped 360 degrees around the hole but ended on the edge. Tapped it in for par. TWELVE OVER

13. Par 4: Pushed my drive way left. Had to punch out to 170 yards and then left the approach just short of the green. Chipped on to a foot and sank the bogey putt. THIRTEEN OVER

14. Par 5: I pulled my driver to get over the water on this par 5 even though I usually use 3-wood because driver can go through the fairway at the dogleg.. The wind was strong in our face and I caught it well, but the drive dropped into the water. It was a red hazard, so I got to go up and drop and from the drop, I hit a 7-iron over some trees to get to a place where I had a chance at getting to the green on the next shot. The seven went a little long and ended up next to a tree trunk with 175 to the green. I hit a 5-iron and pushed it a little, then the wind took it and I thought it was going to hit a tree, but it landed left and took a hard bounce down a hill and rolled OB. I had to take distance and stroke, so dropped a ball and hit another one from 175 which I left short in the rough. Pitched it on, but the ball rolled out long so I was lying 7 and had a 50 foot putt. I got aggressive with the putt in an attempt to save a triple, but missed and had an 8-footer as a return putt. Missed that and tapped it in for a 10. Just a wreck of a hole. EIGHTEEN OVER

15. Par 4: Pulled the drive just a little, but had a view of the pin if I hit it over some trees. Hit a wedge pin high and two putted from 15 feet. EIGHTEEN OVER

16. Par 4: Beast of a hole. Hit a good drive into the wind and had 210 yard remaining. Pulled a 3-hybrid a little and it landed on a cart path and ended up under a trashcan. I had to chip it low from 20 feet off the green as there were trees above me and I hit the green but it rolled through. Chipped back on and then two putted from 6 feet. TWENTY OVER

17. Par 3: Hit the green and almost sank the bird, but tapped in for par. TWENTY OVER

18: Par 4: Pulled the drive into the rough. Hit the green from 175 yards but it came off hot and rolled just over the green into the rough. Chipped on and made a four footer for par. TWENTY OVER.

That’s how it went. I played 15 good holes then got a triple, quad and five over. That’s the way it goes sometimes, just had to be during a tournament.. I’m excited for tomorrow, it’s another chance to do well and play some solid golf!

I only hit four fairways today and when you miss fairways at CECC you are in trouble. The trees are punishing and you can’t always make it back to the fairway even with a good punch shot. Tee shots were by far my biggest weak link leading to the most extra strokes. I did have two bad putting holes (four putt and a three putt) but all in all I chipped and putted well, just didn’t hit any greens in regulation and when that happens it’s hard to play solid golf.

It’s all a learning experience and I learned a few lessons today and if nothing else, I know where my practice needs to be focused in the coming months.

7 Responses to "Round One"

williamevanl says:

September 11, 2012 at 9:11 pm

Thanks for the write up. Well on the upside you almost have to do better tomorrow! I was following the round as it was posted and at first I was like “okay, doing alright” then I was “ewww, couple bogies, might recover” then I was like “wth is happening!?” lol

Better luck tomorrow!
dan says:

September 11, 2012 at 10:18 pm

William,

Yeah, it got pretty ugly. I was getting tired in the afternoon (got to the course at 10, tee time was 1:30) and the wind really picked up around 3. It will be interesting to see how the morning round compares tomorrow as well as how the latter groups do as I think the wind will kick in again tomorrow around the same time. All in all, I messed a few holes, but seeing as there were only three guys with higher handicaps then me I suppose I came in according to the numbers. I would love to have posted a mid-80 on the round today, but didn’t perform for 18. Tomorrow is a new day.

Dan
Richard Chen says:

September 11, 2012 at 11:11 pm

Check right wrist of the leading arm (for left hander) is “flat” (not cupped) and firm going through the tee shot. Ball should be teed low for 3-wood off the tee, as if playing off the fairway with a good lie, and hands in front of the ball at least slightly at impact to prevent an “early” hit with the hands behind the ball at impact. May consider getting a 4-wood for tee shot on very tight holes, which Johnny Miller prefers over the 3-wood, which can still curve the ball a lot sideways. It may be that modern carbon fiber shafts are not stiff enough, if the swing is not smooth.
Justin Thompson says:

September 12, 2012 at 12:02 am

Dan,

Great post! Way to stick through a tough round. You definitely earned another notch on your way to a golfing black belt. Your blog has been very inspirational. Keep up the great work and do your best to shoot an 18 tomorrow.

Cheers,

Justin
Steve says:

September 12, 2012 at 12:19 pm

Dan, just saw the round 2 results. You seemed to have it going pretty descent through the front nine. That Par 5 got you again. Better luck next time. Im sure that you were nervous going into this tourney and you will soon learn to handle the pressures of tourney golf. Best of luck on your journey! any other tournaments on the schedule for you?
Jim Walters says:

September 12, 2012 at 1:11 pm

Hi Dan,

I like the attitude you display in the write up, i.e. very relaxed and philososphical about the bad holes. They will happen, as you say, and we can learn from every shot we play, but especially the bad ones.

I am a high handicapper and I am really trying to take every shot as it is, learning from it, thinking about it then moving on. If it is a bad one, I try and smile about it (not always though!) and every bad position I see as an opportunity to practise from a position I wouldnt normally practise from!

All the best of luck for the rest of the tournament!

Jim
Gareth says:

September 12, 2012 at 3:44 pm

Hi Dan,

Love the blog and what you are doing. Wish I had the guts. I am off 6 as well. I gotta be brutally honest with you. There is almost nothing good you can take from 20+. You said you played 15 good holes… which ones? You hit 4 fairways and what was it.. 0 greens in reg. For a guy of 6 that is not a good round, and I don’t care what course you are playing. Just think you need to face the hard reality here.

I’m convinced you can play some great golf, but this wasn’t one of those days. Unless you face facts at some point you are only going to be delusional about how good you are which will prevent you from truly improving.

Look forward to reading more about your improvements in the next 6 months. Sorry if it comes across harsh, but a friend of mine didn’t become a pro until someone gave him the hard word about the reality of his game .. which did stink.

Gareth

Leave a Reply Cancel reply