What a stupid, ridiculous game this is.
Skipped the stroke play event at my club today to avoid embarrassment (with how poorly I've been playing) but decided to go over in the afternoon to squeeze in a round. 50/50 chance of rain, so I took a cart. Went off by myself as most of the regulars played in the event.
1- Maybe my best drive of the year on that hole, half wedge ends up a yard short of the green, lipout birdie putt. tap in par
2- mediocre drive, hybrid just short in 2 (par 5), half-skulled the chip off the back. 2nd chip nearly goes in. tap in par
3- drive in the FW bunker, 9 iron just over the back, poor chip that barely trickles onto the green. 12 foot downhill putt drops in for par
4- 8 iron to 10 feet. Putt just slips by. Tap in par
5- Great drive, wedge to just short. Birdie putt just slips by. Tap in par
(Rain starts drizzling)
6- Good drive, 8 iron about 20 feet short. Blow the up-hill putt by, leaving a "tap it and pray" 3 foot downhill putt....it drops for par
7- PW to 7 feet. Birdie putt drops in the side door
At that point, the skies open up. I sat at the 8th tee box for like 10 minutes hoping it would pass (radar looked ok) and then some BIG thunderclaps. So I haul *** back to the club house, which was a good decision. It started absolutely downpouring with major wind and lightning. Half the club is under the outside tent as some people still had to finish their back 9 in the tournament. Had a drink and chatted with the boys for a while waiting for a break in the weather. Normally, I would obviously just go home. But at this point (having never shot even par for 9 holes) I'm at 1 under and obviously can't leave.
So we get the "all-clear" to go back out (after about 45 minutes) but now its cart-path only (which sucks for the particular hole I'm about to play) . I drive over to the range, hit about a dozen balls to loosen up and go back out to 8.
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8- square one up and hit it to position A. Drive down the hill, walk all the way accross the FW (cart path rules) and the area around my ball is SOAKED. (water half-way up my shoes). I proceed to half-chunk a hybrid leaving me about 120 yards in. Pin is tucked back left behind a bunker and I hit a PW a LITTLE thin but right at it. Get up there, pitch mark is 2 feet from the hole and the ball is hanging on the back of the green (wouldn't have stayed if it wasn't wet, but we'll take it). 10 ft Birdie putt lips out AGAIN and I tap in for par.
9- Poor drive (semi-smother hook) leaves me about 150 out but in the rough blocked out by a tree. I decide to try and punch a 7 iron up the right and hope to clear the greenside bunkers. Execute it perfectly leaving me pin high in the rough about 10 yards off the green. Good contact on the chip (really all I was looking for. Just wanted to leave myself a manageable 2 putt) and I get decent roll out leaving myself about 12 feet. Par putts turns left at the last second, leaving me a tap-in bogey (first of the day) and an even par 36.
Obviously would have LOVED to go out and try to play the back 9 (my best score ever is a 76, so I would have needed a 39 on the back to beat it) but it was just too wet out there. Obviously under-par would have been awesome (my brother was giving me all kinds of **** for leaving the par putt short on 9) but I'm thrilled to finally accomplish a goal that I've been going for for the past 2 years. Hard to believe considering how crappy I played last week and how down I've been on myself.