Joey's Golf Bag

This afternoon, I played 12 holes at Coyote Ridge Golf Club. The weather was sunny but cold, around 50F. There was only a little wind from the south. I warmed up pretty poorly on the range, hitting a lot of fat short wedges and short irons. Longer clubs were pretty good. I didn’t get a chance to putt before playing. The course was very firm and fast, and the greens were speedy. We played from the blues, which I don’t usually play, but since I’m playing the GGA tournament next week, need the practice playing a longer course.

My round:

• First hole. I hit my hybrid thin and straight at the tree on the right of the fairway. I’ve been in that spot many times it seems. My 6-iron from the rough was hit thin and struck a branch on the tree. The ball ended up in the middle of the fairway, but only advanced about 20 yds. My third shot with a 7-iron was hit thin as well and over the green. I putted from the fringe to about 3 ft and made the putt for bogey.
• Second hole. I hit a thriver to the right side of the fairway. My second shot with the hybrid was pushed right into the rough. My third shot was high and short into the bunker in front of the green. I got out cleanly but short of the green. I putted from the fringe to about 4 ft, but lipped out the putt and tapped in for double.
• Third hole. I pulled my hybrid tee shot from 190 yds left of the hole but pin-high in the rough. My lob wedge was struck thin and over the green into the bunker, where it embedded in the sand below the lip. I had an extremely difficult shot, which didn’t get out of the bunker. My fourth shot was hit thin and over the green and put an X on the scorecard so as to not hold up play.
• Fourth hole. My tee shot with the driver was well-struck but right of my target line. A bad bounce put the ball into the ditch. My second shot with a 7-iron was well-struck but rolled into a grass bunker on the left side of the fairway, leaving me with a 9-iron into the green. My shot was hit a bit fat (that’s an improvement over thin) and short. My chip was pretty good, to about 4 ft, but the putt lipped out and I tapped in for a disappointing bogey.
• Fifth hole. I hit a nice drive into the center of the fairway, but my second with a 6-iron was right and short into the bunker. My bunker shot was fat and short. I chipped poorly and compounded it by three-putting for triple.
• Sixth hole. My driver hit the center of the fairway, but my second shot was left of the green. I chipped nicely to about 5 ft, lipped out the putt and tapped in for bogey.
• Seventh hole. I hit a 7-iron short into the water. My third was hit onto the green but well right of the pin, where I three-putt for triple.
• Eighth hole. I hit a long drive over the two bunkers but into the rough. My second shot was pin-high right into the greenside bunker. My bunker shot was hit thin over the green into the long rough over the cart path. My fourth with a lob wedge struck the flag and ran about 9 ft past the hole. I two-putt for double.
• Ninth hole. I hit a perfect 5-wood right into the center of the fairway. My second shot with a 5-wood came up just short of the green. I chipped poorly to about 30 ft, but nailed the long uphill putt for par.
• Tenth hole. I hit a hybrid left of the fairway just in front of the creek. Since I was behind a tree, I had to hit a 7-iron to get over it. My shot hooked way left of the fairway. I was too long to go for the green, so I hit a pitching wedge layup shot. My fourth shot was into the greenside bunker. I got out cleanly but just short. I putted from the fringe and then tapped in for double.
• Eleventh hole. I hit a well-struck hybrid onto the green but about 35 ft from the hole. My birdie putt didn’t break as I expected and was left with about 6 ft, which I read perfectly for par.
• Twelfth hole. My driver was perfectly struck into the center of the fairway. My second with an 8-iron was nicely struck leaving me about 12 ft for birdie. My birdie putt didn’t break at all and I tapped in for par.

Other than the ball I hit into the water, my tee shots were pretty good, hitting five of nine fairways, and one par-3 hole in regulation. My approach shots still leave much to be desired, as I hit only one green on par-4 or par-5 holes. My sand play was just terrible. I had a few good chips and a few left well short. My putting was mediocre, other than the 30 footer I nailed on the ninth hole and the breaking 6 footer on the 11th. I only got up and down three times on 12 holes (only once for par).

I’ll spend the week working on chips, pitches and wedges. My long game (driver, thriver, 5-wood, hybrid) is pretty respectable right now, but my poor iron play into the green puts too much stress on my short game. I’ll spend what practice time I have this week on short irons, chips, pitches and wedges, along with lots of putting practice.

My goal for the next tournament is to break 100.