Regular readers of this column who know I play golf may recall almost four years ago when I surprisingly shot a nine-hole score of 33 and documented it here for my own edification and memory, rather than to inform the world. After all, I had hundreds of other articles for the hopeful good of the reader; I could afford one or two for my own fading memory.
So it is with that foresight that a month or two from now, this particular memory will fade, that I record the incident here, far more for me, but if you enjoy this, I will definitely not be complaining.
A week or so ago, I did something that golfers aspire to. I shot my age.
If you're not a golfer, you just have to think about it to realize why golfers consider it a feat worth aspiring to. Even par on a course is typically about 72, and most everyone I play with, guys who are mostly 65-85 years old, have never sniffed an even-par round. Obviously in that age range, your skills are fading, and while the"age target" gets easier each year, the game gets harder.
Golfers my age (73) have to play a fair amount, and have to have started from a reasonable level, to break 80, given that our old-man muscles need to rely on memory that we don't all have. I was lucky; I had played for my teams in high school and college, so I did get the opportunity to develop a halfway decent swing, but I'm a very small guy, and could only hit so far.
In college, in four years with the team I only shot as low as 75 -- once. In med school I had a 76 -- once. Both were four over par on those courses. In the community where I live, there are four courses, each a par 72, and in the eight years I'd lived here I'd had a 75 once, and a few 76s. Never had I been within less than three strokes of even par. An most of my scores started with an "8."
Those other good rounds, though, were all characterized (as was the nine-hole 33) by making a bunch of long putts. That's plot material. More plot material is that the course that I was playing, the Founders Club, was (to me) the hardest of the four, and was the last of the four on which I broke 80, two years after starting to play it.
My round that day started at 7:00am, leaving a modest warm-up time at the range. I noticed that my short irons seemed to be going straight, but a couple degrees right of where I thought I was aiming. So I tried adjusting my aim to the left a bit, and just going with it.
Hole #1 is a fairly short par 4. I'd hit a drive up the right center, leaving a wedge shot to a pin in the right rear on a green that doesn't hold well. Remembering the lesson from the range, and with bunkers right off the green to the right, I moved my aim to the left, and dropped the shot a bit left of the pin, about ten feet short. The birdie putt was makeable, but the greens weren't breaking as much as you read them, and I left it a few inches left for par.
There are three holes at Founders that are particularly difficult, all in the sense that they are a bit long to get your second shot on the green. They're all on the front -- #2, 7, and 9. Hole #2 needs a long drive with a bit of fade, but mine was left of where I wanted it, and still had about 180 yards to the green, which has a bunker in the way on the left. I hit a hybrid shot next to that trap, in a slightly thicker rough. The chip from 30 feet popped out, rolling way too fast, but it hit the flagstick square, jumped up and stopped two inches from the cup. Even par after two.
The third is a fairly short par-3, with the traps left. So it took a bit more nerve to play the shot a bit left of where I thought I should, but it had seemed to have worked, and the shot landed about seven feet left of the pin. The lesson about putts not breaking as much had evidently not "taken", though, because what looked like a one-foot breaker to the right only broke about six inches. No birdie. Even par.
There are four par-5 holes at Founders, and three of them are reachable in two including #4. It isn't easy, mind you -- there is a large hilly, heavily trapped area 120-150 yards from the green on the right, and water up and down the left, leaving a very narrow area of fairway to play to. But if you get your drive out there long enough, you can play a fairway wood or long hybrid into the green, trying to avoid a bunker positioned front right..
I got a drive out there pretty good, long enough to take a long hybrid, a shot that tends to draw hard if I swing even a bit too hard. This one I played out to the right, and it drew across, right to left but with the visual impediment, I couldn't see over the hills to see where it went. It had gone off the left side of the green, and I pitched up about 12 feet short of the pin. The putt was level, and in what would be the only putt I'd make over seven feet all day, I had the birdie. One under.
Hole #5 is a par-3, with a wide, right-sloping green but one very narrow front to back, so you really needed to dial in the distance, especially given the wide bunker covering much of the front of the green. My drive landed about 20 feet left and above the pin, for a fairly straightforward two-putt par.
The sixth is a short par-4 but uphill; a long drive can reach the green as long as you avoid the large trap that covers the front right of the green. I drove about 20 yards short on the left side, with a fairly easy pitch up to the pin for a tap-in birdie to go to two under. At this point I joked with my playing partner that I'd been two under after six on that course before, and it hadn't ended all that well. The next three holes were going to be a serious challenge.
The 7th his a par-4 that is of medium length -- except you can't hit driver; there is a swamp crossing the whole fairway from about 185 yards out to about 235 yards -- and if I didn't mention, this is a coastal course with a prevailing wind that is in your face starting with the sixth hole, so you're not flying that swamp with a driver at age 73.
A good drive leaves you a 7-iron at best to the very elevated green, unless the wind is dead (or with you). My fairway wood off the tee was not, however, a "good drive." It was in the fairway but a good bit to the right, leaving me a hybrid to try to reach. I hit it pretty well, but just a bit short, and it rolled back down the hill. My pitch up to the pin all the way at the back was about ten feet to the right, and once again I missed left for my first bogey of the day. One under.
No. 8 is a fairly long par-5 where the drive is paramount -- there is a huge sprawling tree whose trunk is on the right edge of the fairway 220 yards out, and the fairway slopes to the right to put the otherwise good tee shot more to the right, where the branches make it hard to hit a second shot. The green is quite elevated all around. My drive went up the middle and rolled a bit to the right center, but was out long enough to where I could play a 3-wood on my back foot and keep it under the lowest branches. I got it another 200 yards up the right side of the fairway, and dropped a lucky wedge two feet from the pin for a kick-in birdie and back to two under.
The ninth is the hardest hole on the course -- a very long par-4 slightly doglegged left, and with a pond just off the green to the right. You are forever hitting into the wind, so you're just as likely to hit a 3-wood second as anything else. I hit a good drive but still had a hybrid in, which I left 20 yards short of the green. My pitch was about ten feet away, far enough to reliably miss it for a bogey and to finish the nine one under at 35.
Having survived the last three holes with no pars but just one over, I thought there might be a decent round here, if at least I could keep the back nine at 38 I'd shoot my age. I had two bogeys to give away.
The tenth hole is a tricky par-4, not long but curiously shaped. The fairway is straight until the end, with the green located off to the left, very elevated, and guarded by a huge bunker in front as you look from the fairway, but to the left as you hit your approach if you get your drive far out there. I was hitting my drives pretty well at this point, and just had a wedge in, which I got to within 15 feet and, as I would do all day, missed the putt.
I love the 11th hole, a reachable par-5 (I've reached it twice ever) that bends a bit right, but has water on the right the last 100 yards, and a fairway that rolls toward it. A good drive is one up the right center, setting you up to fade a fairway wood toward the green without threatening the pond. I did both of those things, but the wind suppressed distance on both, leaving me 15 yards short of the green. The pitch was too short, though, and didn't quite reach the horizontal dip to run down to the pin, leaving me a two-putt par on a birdie hole.
The 12th is a practically 90-degree dogleg left; using driver would take you through the fairway and risk rolling into a long pond that runs up the right side after the bend of the dogleg. But not enough club risks a big ol' fairway bunker up the left side that leaves no productive shot to the green. My hybrid innately draws, so I hit that off the tee, right up the middle and it drew into a good position in the hilly fairway. My approach was just short of the green but the pin was up front, so I could putt and indeed two-putted for a par. Three straight pars to start the back nine, and I was still one under overall.
The par-3 13th is totally dependent on pin placement. The elevated green is closer on the right side, but on this day the pin was in the back left, 25 yards further back than a typical placement on the right. I hit 6-iron but got it up into the wind that was now with us, and it rolled off the back center and a bit down a hill. I had to hit a flop shot, which I got within 10 feet -- not my putting range this day, though, and the two-putt bogey got me back to even par with only one stroke left to give away.
Still no birdies on the back nine, and I sure could have used one. The 14th is an interesting par-5 -- very wide fairway to drive into, but even if you pound a drive, the shape of the hole prevents going for the green in two. There is a large set of bunkered hills up the left side of your second shot, forcing you to approach up the right side -- but the green is actually up the left side after a bit of a turn left, and there is a huge lake just off the green on the right. The best play is a layup just in front of the lake and a wedge in.
That was pretty much my play; my drive was up the left side, and a 7-iron second to about 100 yards from the pin, which was on the right, dangerous since the whole green slopes right, toward the water. I wanted to be safe with the wedge, so while I had the distance, I pulled it a bit and left a scary 35-footer downhill. One of my playing partners was before me and behind me. Of course he stroked his putt too hard and it rolled to the fringe. I then naturally left mine about seven feet short with a fun little breaker for par. I'd made exactly one putt as long all day, but got the par putt to drop. Still even par with one stroke to give away to shoot my age.
No. 15 is the last really challenging hole on the course. It's a pretty long par-4 with a really, really narrow window for your drive. There is water on the right starting at about 185 yards. The whole fairway slopes toward the water. At about 200 yards, there is a trap right center of the fairway; it's not huge but a lot of otherwise good drives kick right and catch it.
The optimal drive is up the left side -- not left-center, but left, almost to the cart path -- enough to roll past the trap on the left side and leave maybe an 8-iron to a severely elevated green. I was able to get my drive up that path, and survived the hole with an 8-iron to 40 feet and a two-putt par.
Then I blew the 16th badly. It is an easy, short par-3, just a wedge or 9-iron, but with water all the way to the front and full on the left of the green. The breeze was right to left, and the pin back left, so it was just a matter of aiming center rear and letting the wind do its thing. But apparently I helped it a bit too much, and it landed on the left fringe and started rolling toward the water. Thank God it didn't actually reach the pond, but it left an awkward pitch back up to the pin. Two putts, bogey. A couple par-4s left and no room to play with; I needed to pars for 73 and my age.
Unless the wind is strong against me, I use a fairway wood off the tee on #17, as a driver hit well would reach a swamp area, and it's better to be safe and lay up short of it. I had a 9-iron in, and although I didn't hit it squarely and it had a lower trajectory than I wanted, it landed in front of the green and rolled on for a short two-putt par. Just needed to par #18 for a 73.
The closing hole at Founders is a really interesting par-4, a slight bend to the right. There's a swamp in front for the first 100 yards, so it's not a factor, but up the right side until about 180 yards is a set of large bunkers in a slightly hilly area. Your best drive is a slight fade over the left edge of the bunker area, with enough juice to be sure to clear them. The ball should then roll out down a slight descent toward the green. A drive too far left, though, encounters a pond just left of the cart path.
I had two shots left to execute. The drive was a bit left of where I wanted it, but it did fade and rolled to where, with the pin in the front, I had a full sand wedge in, and the number was right there for that shot distance. Just get it on the green, and two putts would do it. Concentrate ...
The other guys certainly knew what was going on, and were watching, but I wasn't nearly as crushed with stage fright as I might otherwise have been. I caught the shot clean, and launched it way up in the air, where it was just a matter of distance. It took forever to come down, and I was just hoping it would land on the green ... which finally it did -- 18 inches from the pin! I dropped the wedge, raised my arms reflexively in triumph and screamed.
I tapped the putt in for the only birdie I'd have the back nine, and an even par 72. It was a stroke less than my age, and three strokes lower than the best round I'd ever had before. Yet it was practically unremarkable; I made one putt of seven feet (the par on #14) and one of ten feet (the birdie on #4), and otherwise did not make a putt over three feet the whole day. I hit twelve greens in regulation, eight pars and four birdies, and only made two pars from off the green.
As I wrote to start this, this piece is really only for me to record something that was an accomplishment for myself, so I wouldn't forget the details. If you enjoyed it (somehow), all the better, and thank you, but that's just a bonus. Strangely enough, two weeks later I did it again, a 73 this time at the Players Club; I needed to birdie the 18th to shoot my age, and just missed a 15-foot eagle putt on 18 that would have been another 72.
Thanks for reading. We'll see if this is a permanent improvement 😊
Copyright 2024 by Robert Sutton. Like what you read here? There are over 1,000 posts from Bob at www.uberthoughtsUSA.com and, after four years of writing a new one daily, he still posts thoughts once in a while as "visiting columns", no longer the "prolific essayist" he was through 2018, but still around. Appearance, advertising, sponsorship and interview inquiries cheerfully welcomed at bsutton@alum.mit.edu or on Twitter at @rmosutton.
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