Yeah, Das raht. I DID IT. What did I do? No, not THAT. I finally broke 80 today in Golf!!
I shot 39 on the front nine at Riverdale on August 18 playing with my son Geoff and my brother John. I was a little underwhelmed by that score. Par, after all, on that nine is 34. They took a hole that had been a par five for many years and made it a par 4. It was an easy 5. Now it's a tough four. But, I digress.
I had worked 12 days in a row since that weekend and, needless to say, had not played golf. Two weeks without golf in the summer for me is a LONG TIME. Yesterday, my first day off, I just could not bring myself to golf. The weather was fine but I needed to stay home, watch college football (Go Bucky!) and just veg.
Today, however, I decided it was time to get back on the horse. How rusty would I be? I felt that I was really hitting my peak back those two weeks ago. I was driving the ball straight and generally swinging with a good rhythm and pace and starting to trust my swing.
Today, things started out well. I did not hit any balls on the range before playing. I didn't even call for a tee time. I just drove over to Riverdale and was surprised to see several open holes on the front nine and not many cars in the lot. Cool!
I went right off on the first tee, swung my little red donut a few times with my driver and five iron and teed off. I smacked it straight down the very middle of the fairway longer than I remember hitting it in some time. I had decided to use those Power Distance Nike balls that I won for finishing third in my league this year. Good choice!
A six iron to the middle of the green and two putts later, I was marking my first par on hole #1. The second hole is a 172 yard par three. I hit a five iron a little to the right of the green but safe. My pitch was a little aggressive and I had to settle for a two-putt bogey. The third hole is that long par four that used to be a five. I hooked my drive a bit and it was in the rough (first cut) on the left side of the fairway. A five wood put me just short of the green and right in the middle. I chipped up and made the putt for a par four.
The fourth hole is an easy par four. It's only 267 yards long and the course was quite dry so driving the green was a real possibility. Unfortunately, I drove it into the sand trap on the right side of the green. No problem. I KNOW how to play out of sand. Yes, but not Riverdale sand (or lack thereof). I hit too much ball and the ball went waaaaay over the green and hit a cedar tree. Fortunately, it stayed in front of the tree. From there I chopped a five iron just short of the green. A poor pitch with my lob wedge left me 20 feet past the hole and on the fringe. Two putts from there gave me a DOUBLE on an easy par four. Disappointing but not time to contemplate suicide.
Number 5 is a 116 yard par 3. I remind myself that 4x9 = 36 and I'll just have to get lower than four as often as I can, like on this little hole. I choke down just slighly on my pitching wedge and take a full swing. Shoulda not choked down, I guess. It was short but on the green. Two putts and I have a par.
Number 6 is where I blew it last time I played there. I had hit two shots including my drive in the rough out of bounds on the right. This time, I trusted my swing and knocked my drive halfway to China down the left side of the fairway. An eight iron put me above the hole and to the left. I managed to leave my first putt about 4 feet short and made the putt across a tricky slope. Another par.
Number 7 is a long par five. I blasted my drive farther than I can ever remember hitting it on that hole. I apologized to the threesome ahead of me. They were very complimentary and took no offense. My second shot with a three wood came up just short of the green. From there, I hit a lob wedge about 5 feet above the hole but my birdie putt slid by on the right. A tap-in par.
Last time I played number 8, a 135 yard par three, I hit my eight iron into the people waiting on the ninth tee behind. I know it's an eight iron for me though so I trusted my swing and hit a wonderful shot about 6 feet above the hole. My downhill birdie putt trickled into the cup.
Wow, let's see. I'm two over par with the short par 4 ninth hole yet to play. A par will bring me in at 36!!! But there is a pond on number 9 and I hit a "duck hook" into the water. All is not lost though. I'm laying two with an eight iron to the green. I can do this. I do. I hit the eight iron dead at the hole but it went about 12 feet past. The putt was a double-breaker downhill and I left it about 3 feet short and on the left. I make the putt for a bogey and a 37. That's my best nine hole round in years and certainly my best this year.
At the tenth tee, I ask to play through the threesome ahead of me and they say there's no place to go but I can play with them so I join Andy, Mark and Mark's wife Julie. They are the last group in a family outing that has a foursome in front of us too.
On number 10, I pound my drive once again long and down the left side of the fairway. A six iron gets me about 20 feet above the hole and in two putts I start this nine with a par.
Oh, but ugly struggle erupts on number 11, an innocuous par three of about 135 yards. I push my eight iron to the right and hope that it lands on the upslope. It doesn't. Its in a brush pile and there is a really stiff cedar branch right behind my ball preventing a clean swing. I shoulda taken a drop but I hack at it with my four iron hoping to hit the bank of the elevated green and bounce on. It does that but goes way over the green. I chip the ball up about 5 feet from the hole but can't make the putt and it's a double bogey five. This is not what you want if you are going to break 80 but I'm still in control of my emotions.
On number 12, I hit another solid drive down the left side of the fairway but the ball ends up in a particularly lush growth in the first cut and I can't make solid contact with my second shot. My third shot is a lob wedge from about 30 yards that is too aggressive. Two putts later, I've got a bogey.
Ok. Thirteen is a short par four with few hazzards. I hit a solid drive down the right side of the fairway but it again wanders into the first cut. I'm about 90 yards away and my gap wedge is pushed to the right and ends up in the sand trap. This time I take enough sand but my ball wanders over the green and nearly into the trap on the other side. A little chop shot with my sand wedge and a four foot putt give me another bogey. Somebody stop the bleeding!!
Fourteen is a dog-leg right and I know I will hit it through the fairway if I don't cut the corner. Nonetheless, I try to hit driver down the right edge. The bad news is that I hit it too far right. The good news is that I have teed it up high enough and hit it high enough to clear the trees. I am closer to the green than I can remember being in years on this hole. I'm about 90 yards from the center of the green so I hit gap wedge again. I don't get it all and leave the ball just off the front edge of the green. A good lag putt leaves me 4 feet below the hole and I make it for a par. Ah, back on track with a four.
Fifteen is a par five dogleg to the left. I hit my drive a little off center causing it to fade slightly but it's in the middle of the fairway and I can see around the corner to the green. I'm about 220 yards away so I hit a five wood and it is SWEEEET. It's going to the right but drawing back left and heading right for the green. When I get up there, I see that I am ON THE GREEN and only about 15 feet from the pin. I AM PUTTING FOR AN EAGLE!!! Now, I don't know about you, but my only eagle ever was on number 9 when I drove the green and made a 20 foot downhill putt for a two. That was about 30 years ago. Honest! So I'm trying to take deep breaths because I'm starting to really tighten up inside. "Don't leave it short", is the main message I'm telling myself. One of my playing partners has just gone back and forth over the green for the third time and I've looked at the putt from both directions. Finally, its my turn to putt. It looks like it's going to break left so I start it out about a foot right of the hole. This was not nearly enough. It ends up about 3 feet to the right and I make the putt for a birdie. Darn! Another eagle opportunity lost!
Ok. Three holes to go. A 3 a 5 and a 4. Number 16 is a 165 yard par three. I hit five iron but I hit a pulled hook. The ball clears the trap on the left and ends up on the fringe about 30 feet above and to the left of the hole. This is truly a scary putt. I aim about 8 feet above the hole and end up leaving it 4 feet above the hole. Not where I really WANT to be and I miss the putt but make the three footer back up the hill for a bogey four.
Ok, 17 is a par five dogleg left. I hit a perfect drive down the left side of the fairway and long. It looks like I may be able to get close to the green with a three wood but there are trees on the right and I really don't play well from left to right. All those years a slice plagued me and now I can't really hit one on demand. As it turns out, it didn't matter. I topped the three wood about 50 yards over to the right side of the fairway. Now I'm about 200 yards away, the trees on the right are definitely in the way and I need a par. I take my 7 wood and try to "push" it right and over the trees. I do not push it right but hook it left. It hits a fir tree and, to my immense relief, bounces out where I can see it. I back my butt into the tree and hack at the ball with a four iron hoping to roll it up on to the green. The shot comes off fairly well and I'm about 25 feet short of the pin. My first putt comes up 3 feet short AND I PULL THAT LITTLE BEE-YOTCH PAST THE HOLE!!! This is truly the most disasterous thing in the whole round. You just can't miss three foot putts!!
Oh well, how are you doing? Are you asleep yet? Only one hole to go.
Eighteen is a hole that is pretty straight and the grass does not grow well there. It's very sandy and this time of year, your ball can roll forever. My tee shot is hooked down the left side of the fairway but not in danger of going out of bounds. The old timers at Riverdale call this "Hogan's Alley" because if you hit a hook down that left side, it rolls a long way. As it turns out, I'm only 150 yards from the middle of the green (where the pin is) and I have to hit six iron off of burnt grass. I trust my swing and I hit it perfectly. The ball flies straight and high with that lovely little gentle draw on the end and lands 8 feet from the cup. I try very hard to end with a birdie but my putt ends up two inches to the right of the cup and I tap in for a final par. Not a bad way to end, but what's my score?
I walk off the green and then total my scorecard. 42! 42 and 37 makes 79!! AND I'VE DONE IT!!! I've really felt like it was going to happen soon but I never though I'd shoot my best score of the season after a two week layoff.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed my blow-by-blow account of a triumphant day in my life. Some of you have gone and encouraged me to do this so this is for you.
And with that.....
Ciao, babies!!
