Lakeside Lodge - Lodge Course - 10/09/19
10/Sep/2019 Filed in: Reports
After my 'good' 9 holes last week today I decided to try 18 today and submit a handicap card. I need to put three cards in during the year and having missed a large part of it because of back problems, today seemed as good a day as any to start.
Conditions were perfect, starting overcast with little wind and warming up as the day progressed. After quite a lot of rain yesterday the course was actually playing very well. The fairways were cut close with a bit of give but certainly not soft. And there was actually some soft sand in the bunkers!
I forgot to take both my Game Golf device and my Garmin GPS, so it's a 'from memory' report today. I thought I played quite consistently with very little drama, but the final score didn't reflect this. A complete hash of the 4th ruined the front nine and missed opportunities on the back nine put paid to a good score.
Conditions were perfect, starting overcast with little wind and warming up as the day progressed. After quite a lot of rain yesterday the course was actually playing very well. The fairways were cut close with a bit of give but certainly not soft. And there was actually some soft sand in the bunkers!
I forgot to take both my Game Golf device and my Garmin GPS, so it's a 'from memory' report today. I thought I played quite consistently with very little drama, but the final score didn't reflect this. A complete hash of the 4th ruined the front nine and missed opportunities on the back nine put paid to a good score.
I started with a good drive, which always helps, and played the 1st hole well, two putts robbing me of a 6 on this par 5. I also drove well on the 2nd and with a good second shot managed a 5 after a short chip on and two putts. I miss-hit the tee shot on the 3rd, needing a sideways safety shot back to the fairway. Two more shots to the green and two putts for a 6 on this par 3.
The 4th is where it all went wrong. I have an adage that seems to apply to my game, which says that when it starts to go wrong it will continue to do so. Well, that was certainly the story of the 4th. My drive went right into the rough but I got out cleanly with a 6-iron. I then tried to direct the next shot through the gap between the lake on the left and the trees to the right. I pulled the shot and sent the ball into the lake. I dropped for 4, then put the next shot on the far bank, where it settled up against a tree, needing a poke out for no distance. Now on 6, I muffed the next two shots and then and sent the next one past the hole into light rough. On to the green for 9, I then two-putted for 11 - a complete disaster.
The 5th went better. Let's face it, it couldn't have gone any worse. I drove to the green but was a long way from the hole. The uphill slope fooled me and I was well short, needing two more putts for a 4, but a relief after the 4th. The 6th was even better, although in an unorthodox sort of way. The drive was short and the second went into the left fairway bunker. I played a good shot out that got me just to the edge of the green. With the pin probably more the 30 feet away I made a firm putt than ran straight and true, dropping in the hole for a par 4!
After three shots I was only about 20 feet from the green on the 7th. The pitch was a bit long but I putted out for a 6. My drive on the long 8th was short and consequently I was still just off the green for 4. A pitch and two putts for a 7. The ball stopped just short of the lake on the 9th and after a decent second shot I put the third slightly right leaving me with trees obstructing a direct line to the green. The next iron wasn't good but the next got me on the green where I two-putted for 7.
So it was 57 out, 10 more than my score last week.
A bit of luck with my drive on the 10th saw the ball just miss some trees on the left and run through to the edge of the fairway. The next took me just short of the lateral path that crosses the fairway, the ball coming to rest where the fairway met longer grass alongside the path. I should have taken an iron but went with the hybrid, putting the ball in the lateral bunker that I had hoped to clear. I got out well with my pitching wedge only to see the ball roll into the bunker to the right of the green. I again got out but was still off the green. A chip on and two putts for 8.
I went right into rough on the 11th and then put the next shot in the rough further down the fairway. The third however was a cracker and almost made the green. My chip was long and I needed two putts to finish for a 6. I was again in rough off the 12th tee and the next wasn't clean leaving me with a hybrid shot that made the green. But I needed three putts for 6.
I can't fully recollect my shots on the 13th. After 3, I was over to the right from where I took an iron to just short of the green. A pitch and two putts for a 6 after that. A very short drive on the 14th saw me with a shot to the green after 2, but the 'feature' mound in front of the green stopped the ball. I then over-pitched needing three to get down for 7 on this long sloping green.
A reasonable drive on the long 15th was followed by a couple of mediocre hybrids. My sciatica was starting to bother me at this stage having not troubled me too much up until then. The third hybrid shot was far better and I should have then been on the green for 5, but wasn't. On for 6, I then took three putts for 9, which wasn't great. Taking the driver on the short 16th I was on the top of the right bank around the green. A chip and two putts for 4.
On the 17th the drive and following shot kept right from where, in trying to avoid the lateral bunker, I went too far to the left, leaving me with a tree between me and the green. I pitched over but not quite well enough and needed another pitch on. Two putts for 7. My drives having deteriorated over the preceding holes, on the 18th I hit a good one down the centre of the fairway. The next hybrid was good as well. The pitch went just to the right of the green, followed by a chip and 2 putts for 6.
I came in with 59 on the return, which was very disappointing. I didn't feel that I had played that badly but it was the outcome of one too many shots on a number of holes, and a 9 on the 15th.
My handicap certainly won't reduce after this round and may well increase!
The 4th is where it all went wrong. I have an adage that seems to apply to my game, which says that when it starts to go wrong it will continue to do so. Well, that was certainly the story of the 4th. My drive went right into the rough but I got out cleanly with a 6-iron. I then tried to direct the next shot through the gap between the lake on the left and the trees to the right. I pulled the shot and sent the ball into the lake. I dropped for 4, then put the next shot on the far bank, where it settled up against a tree, needing a poke out for no distance. Now on 6, I muffed the next two shots and then and sent the next one past the hole into light rough. On to the green for 9, I then two-putted for 11 - a complete disaster.
The 5th went better. Let's face it, it couldn't have gone any worse. I drove to the green but was a long way from the hole. The uphill slope fooled me and I was well short, needing two more putts for a 4, but a relief after the 4th. The 6th was even better, although in an unorthodox sort of way. The drive was short and the second went into the left fairway bunker. I played a good shot out that got me just to the edge of the green. With the pin probably more the 30 feet away I made a firm putt than ran straight and true, dropping in the hole for a par 4!
After three shots I was only about 20 feet from the green on the 7th. The pitch was a bit long but I putted out for a 6. My drive on the long 8th was short and consequently I was still just off the green for 4. A pitch and two putts for a 7. The ball stopped just short of the lake on the 9th and after a decent second shot I put the third slightly right leaving me with trees obstructing a direct line to the green. The next iron wasn't good but the next got me on the green where I two-putted for 7.
So it was 57 out, 10 more than my score last week.
A bit of luck with my drive on the 10th saw the ball just miss some trees on the left and run through to the edge of the fairway. The next took me just short of the lateral path that crosses the fairway, the ball coming to rest where the fairway met longer grass alongside the path. I should have taken an iron but went with the hybrid, putting the ball in the lateral bunker that I had hoped to clear. I got out well with my pitching wedge only to see the ball roll into the bunker to the right of the green. I again got out but was still off the green. A chip on and two putts for 8.
I went right into rough on the 11th and then put the next shot in the rough further down the fairway. The third however was a cracker and almost made the green. My chip was long and I needed two putts to finish for a 6. I was again in rough off the 12th tee and the next wasn't clean leaving me with a hybrid shot that made the green. But I needed three putts for 6.
I can't fully recollect my shots on the 13th. After 3, I was over to the right from where I took an iron to just short of the green. A pitch and two putts for a 6 after that. A very short drive on the 14th saw me with a shot to the green after 2, but the 'feature' mound in front of the green stopped the ball. I then over-pitched needing three to get down for 7 on this long sloping green.
A reasonable drive on the long 15th was followed by a couple of mediocre hybrids. My sciatica was starting to bother me at this stage having not troubled me too much up until then. The third hybrid shot was far better and I should have then been on the green for 5, but wasn't. On for 6, I then took three putts for 9, which wasn't great. Taking the driver on the short 16th I was on the top of the right bank around the green. A chip and two putts for 4.
On the 17th the drive and following shot kept right from where, in trying to avoid the lateral bunker, I went too far to the left, leaving me with a tree between me and the green. I pitched over but not quite well enough and needed another pitch on. Two putts for 7. My drives having deteriorated over the preceding holes, on the 18th I hit a good one down the centre of the fairway. The next hybrid was good as well. The pitch went just to the right of the green, followed by a chip and 2 putts for 6.
I came in with 59 on the return, which was very disappointing. I didn't feel that I had played that badly but it was the outcome of one too many shots on a number of holes, and a 9 on the 15th.
My handicap certainly won't reduce after this round and may well increase!