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Pulled my opening tee shot left into the trees. After attempting something I shouldn’t have, my second again clattered around in the woodwork. I then belatedly took my medicine. Would find the fairway, about 130m out with my 3rd and then put my 8I 4th onto the green, about 25 feet away, leaving myself a chance at an unlikely bogey 5. Would leave that putt well short and when I missed the 6 footer I had left myself, it was a tap in triple bogey 7 and no points for the card. A disappointing start.
Tee shot faded right to finish just off the fairway, about 130m away. Unsure why I reached for 9I and not 8I, and, as a result of trying to over play the wrong club, blocked my 2nd right into the trees about 20m from the green. A little bump n run left me on the dance floor with a breaking 20 footer for par. Would 2 putt for a bogey 5 and my first 2 points for the card. Not pretty, but I was away.
Again pulled my tee shot left, finishing out on the adjacent 5th fairway, just short of the tee box. When my left foot slipped on my downswing, I fatted the ball with 3W towards the hole, finishing in the trees again, about 120m away. No heroics this time, pitched out sideways to the fairway and then put my 9I 4th on the green about 15 feet away. Would hole that putt for a par 5 and 2 more points for the card.
8I from the tee on the par 3 4th hole found the putting surface, nowhere close at all and I had left myself a double breaking uphill 45 footer for birdie. Another brain fade saw me charge that putt some 20 feet past and I needed 3 more putts to hole the ball and another missed opportunity and no more points. 4 points thru 4 holes, not exactly inspiring golf to here.
Blocked driver on the next towards right rough, finishing in the trees about 120m away, but, getting lucky, found I had an open path to the green. An easy 9I found the green, pin high about 20 feet away. 2 putts for a par 4 and 2 more points. Got away with one there.
Flushed my 3W on the short par 4 6th hole and on arriving at my ball, found it had pitched only inches from the front edge of the green and sucked back to finish about 8 feet away. A little chip finished only 2 feet away and I would make that for birdie 3 and 3 more points.
Another beaut drive on the par 5 7th and I was centre left of the fairway with a green light to have a crack at the green in 2 across the dogleg. Taking 5I and striking it well, the ball started on my intended line and looked good. Would find it, pin high left of the green, only some 5 feet off the putting surface and only 25 feet from the pin. Another good chip and I would get up and down for a second consecutive birdie and 4 points for the card.
A well struck 5I found the dance floor on the par 3 8th hole, some 20 feet away. My birdie attempt died in the heart of the cup, leaving me a tap in for a par 3 and 3 more points.
Flushed driver again on the par 4 9th, bisecting the fairway and the 150m pegs. With the breeze into us slightly, I took 6I and hit that well to find the dance floor, pin high about 30 feet away. Would make that right to left breaking putt to birdie the hole and take 4 more points.
At the turn, after an ordinary opening 4 holes, I had managed to card 20 points.
6I tee shot to the par 3 10th was good in flight but just long, leaving me with another 20m or so back to the green. My effort from there wasn’t my best, leaving it short of the green. From there it was another chip and 2 putts for a 5 and only 1 more point.
Blocked my driver from the par 4 11th tee into the trees right, punched out to the fairway, about 80m away, PW would find the surface, about 35 feet away. My attempt at the right to left breaking par putt looked good all the way before just dying across the hole, finishing only some 6 inches past the hole. Tap in bogey 5 and 2 more points.
Hit a good tee shot on the par 4 12th, again bisecting the fairway again, just about the 150m markers. My 7I downwind, missed the green pin high right, from where I would get up and down, making a 20 foot putt for my par 4 and 3 more points.
Another good tee shot on the par 5 13th, centre left of the fairway. Too far out to go for this green into the wind, I took 3I and after my right hand slipped at the top, (must get these clubs re-gripped) chunked it badly. Luckily, it went straight and finished still on the fairway, at about the 150m pegs. I winked at my playing partners, claiming to have been laying up to my favourite distance. (groans..). From there it was 6I into the breeze, just short of the green, a further chip and 2 putts from about 30 feet for bogey 6 and 2 more points.
Another fairway missed right on the par 4 14th, my recovery towards the green was ok and my pitch from about 50m found the putting surface, about 15 feet away. Would make that putt for a par 4 and 3 more points.
Badly blocked my tee shot on the long par 4 15th out onto the adjacent 14th fairway. Too far to go for the green, I flushed a 4I back over the trees, finishing centre of the fairway about 30m short of the front edge of the green. From there it was a pitch and then 2 putts from about 20 feet for bogey 5 and 2 more points.
A very poor tee shot on the short dogleg right par 4 16th almost saw me OOB, however, caught a break and hit a tree solid and rebounded back out into the centre of the fairway. Still too far out, it was a sweet 4I across the corner of the dogleg to about 50m away. Where again it was a pitch and 2 putts from about 15 feet for bogey 5 and 2 more points.
The par 3 17th was playing into the breeze and just as I began my takeaway, the breeze dropped and my ball sailed straight at the flag, though carried long and aver the back of the green. Chipped on and 2 putted from about 10 feet for bogey 4 and 2 more points.
Pulled tee shot on the Par 5 last left into the trees, dead. 2 more hacks to get out and back to the fairway, still miles away. Then flushed 4I to about 50m out. Sand Wedge pitch shot looked good in flight, but, rolled back off the embankment of this elevated green. From there it was a chip and 2 putts for no points to finish.
37 points in all with 3 scratched holes. Not bad.
Cheers & thanks for reading.
