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I am sure that I have been colder than I was this morning, but it was probably when we were skiing in Canada.
It was bone chilling cold as we played the first few holes, but luckily the wind was slight. I hit a triple bogey on the first hole after pulling my approach shot into the trees. I followed that score ( 7) with a double bogey 6 on hole two after I hit my bunker shot too hard and 3 putted. I followed that with a descending numerical progression of 5,4,3 ( all pars) . On hole 6 it would have been a miracle to hit a 2, but after pulling my 3W tee shot under the trees and having a blind shot out and then having to chip form the pine tree needles ( hate that soft stuff), I scored a bogey 5, followed by another bogey on 7 then two pars to finish the front 9. OTS 43.On the back 9 I hit one birdie on the par 5 16th after a 165m approach shot finished 10 cm from the hole. I scored a par on the 18th too. 4 bogeys and three doubles for a OTS 45.
88/ 33 points; Good short game , average approach and tee shots. ( distance wise)
FAirways hit 10/14
GIR 5/18
Up / down 3/12
31 putts.CB80 will ask about the doubles. so here is the info;
Hole 1 I was cold and went for a long approach shot ( hero) with 7 W and pulled it left and hit a tree.
Hole 2 I over faded my approach shot with 6H and ended up in the bunker. The sand was firm and I hit it too far over the green and took 3 putts.
Hole 11 I tried a LW chip to get up and over the green lip and hit it thin.
Hole 13 my second shot to the corner I aimed left and the intended fade shape didn’t work; I had to chip out sideways.
Hole 17 I anticipated it was softer on the green than it was and the PW ran through ( club selection error) leaving a long down hill putt ( missed) and missed the up hill second putt by ” that much”.Two steps forward.
I got better after a disastrous start.
putting was good for meOne step back
Too many errors with starting line for shots ( I need to aim further left for fade shots)1 user liked this post.
I played consistently this morning. I started and finished poorly! The weather was terrible, cold and windy around 35 kph, Over night rain had made the surface soft and soggy in places.
I scored 6’s on the first four holes ( 3 doubles and one bogey) and a five on the 18th ( double bogey)when the rain really started to come down. In between I recovered and scored in a bogey golf fashion . OTS 48/45= 93 total. Short game worked quite well, long game not so much.
I hit 6/14 fairways, 4/18 GIR, 3/14 up and downs, 36 putts.
6 pars, 4 bogeys, 8 doubles.
Why so many doubles?
1) 3 putts:2
2) poor tee shot positions: 4
3) fluffed chips; 2Two steps forward
1) considering the conditions my putting was petty good
2) I chipped close a few times
One Step back
Tee shots in play was below my usual game level. WInd? trying to hit too hard? Lack of concentration?1 user liked this post.
Today I started much better, but fell in a hole on the back 9. OTS 41/50. 30 points ( 2 wipes)
TSIP= 11/18
GIR 3/18
Up/Down 2/11
36 putts. ( i missed a few by millimetres today)TWO STEPS
1) SHORT GAME
2) PUTTING WAS CLOSE , BUT NO CIGARONE STEP
TEE SHOTS WENT ASTRAY ; MISS BOTH WAYS.1 user liked this post.
Justin and I played 12 holes at Robe yesterday. It was cold and windy, but we both enjoyed the challenging course. No course records were harmed in the playing of the game. I can report that it is possible to fade the 19 degree Wilson Fywood club, despite it being draw biased.
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Having germy little grandkids around has its downside. I have been coughing ever since the Robe weekend and feeling lousy. Several Covid tests were all negative. Today I decided to enter the local competition. I dosed up on medication and played at 9 a.m.
I started out O.K. scoring a bogey on hole one. I left my tee shot out a bit wide and laid up from 180m out, for a wedge into the green. Hole 2 my tee shot with Driver went well to position. I had about 150 m out the green an decided on a fade with my 19 Hybrid, but my starting line was straight at the pin, leaving the ball pin high, but short sided with the bunker to cross. The lie was bit bare and I almost shanked the ball into the bunker. Oh dear! I made sure to get the ball out of the bunker and had a long putt back to the hole. I missed it by ” that much” for a double bogey result. Hole three was a text book down the middle birdie, followed by a par on 4 ( my nemesis hole). On the par 3 fifth I hit a hit a good 7W tee shot, finishing pin high, but just off the green. I chipped on with my 50 degree to about 2.5 m for the hole. The first putt narrowly missed, but the next putt was a sitter,. I missed it! The rot seemed to set in at this time. I hit a double bogey on the 6th and seventh holes, playing army golf. A late rally occurred on 8 & 9 with pars, giving a 45 OTS score.
I was having trouble with the cough, so I decided to retire to the warmth of my home. Now Mrs. XR is coughing! We are planning going north on the caravan in 2 weeks, so I am hoping we are well by then.
Two steps forward
1) The 200 m drive on the third was a thing of beauty. A draw right down the middle.
2) I hit two nice shots with a new ( to me ) 7 iron-hybrid Tour Edge E521 that I picked up for $25. It is 2 degrees flat and it looks as if the previous owner had lengthened the shaft 1 inch. I measured the length and placed a zip tie on the handle at 7 iron length, to guide the choke down position. I have the same club (E521 6 iron / 29 degree) and it is slightly too draw biased for my liking, though I can control it. The 2 degree flat option seems to take the draw bias out of the equation.One Step back
Hero shot attempts on 6&7 , when I didn’t hit good tee shots ( pulled them both) cost me more shots. I chip back into play in a better position would have been a better option, but I tried to make par. Typical gambler’s decision to make back my losses !1 user liked this post.
Having germy little grandkids around has its downside. I have been coughing ever since the Robe weekend and feeling lousy. Several Covid tests were all negative. Today I decided to enter the local competition. I dosed up on medication and played at 9 a.m.
I started out O.K. scoring a bogey on hole one. I left my tee shot out a bit wide and laid up from 180m out, for a wedge into the green. Hole 2 my tee shot with Driver went well to position. I had about 150 m out the green an decided on a fade with my 19 Hybrid, but my starting line was straight at the pin, leaving the ball pin high, but short sided with the bunker to cross. The lie was bit bare and I almost shanked the ball into the bunker. Oh dear! I made sure to get the ball out of the bunker and had a long putt back to the hole. I missed it by ” that much” for a double bogey result. Hole three was a text book down the middle birdie, followed by a par on 4 ( my nemesis hole). On the par 3 fifth I hit a hit a good 7W tee shot, finishing pin high, but just off the green. I chipped on with my 50 degree to about 2.5 m for the hole. The first putt narrowly missed, but the next putt was a sitter,. I missed it! The rot seemed to set in at this time. I hit a double bogey on the 6th and seventh holes, playing army golf. A late rally occurred on 8 & 9 with pars, giving a 45 OTS score.
I was having trouble with the cough, so I decided to retire to the warmth of my home. Now Mrs. XR is coughing! We are planning going north on the caravan in 2 weeks, so I am hoping we are well by then.
Two steps forward
1) The 200 m drive on the third was a thing of beauty. A draw right down the middle.
2) I hit two nice shots with a new ( to me ) 7 iron-hybrid Tour Edge E521 that I picked up for $25. It is 2 degrees flat and it looks as if the previous owner had lengthened the shaft 1 inch. I measured the length and placed a zip tie on the handle at 7 iron length, to guide the choke down position. I have the same club (E521 6 iron / 29 degree) and it is slightly too draw biased for my liking, though I can control it. The 2 degree flat option seems to take the draw bias out of the equation.One Step back
Hero shot attempts on 6&7 , when I didn’t hit good tee shots ( pulled them both) cost me more shots. I chip back into play in a better position would have been a better option, but I tried to make par. Typical gambler’s decision to make back my losses !Get better soon.
are you going to Stawell for teams event in September1 user liked this post.
Mrs XR is crook too now. We are heading north on Wednesday for 8 weeks, then in September I am booked in for hip surgery. So no Stawell for me this year. I am taking some golf clubs with me and looking forward to trying out golf courses on the way to Darwin.
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Mrs XR is crook too now. We are heading north on Wednesday for 8 weeks, then in September I am booked in for hip surgery. So no Stawell for me this year. I am taking some golf clubs with me and looking forward to trying out golf courses on the way to Darwin.
enjoy the trip up North, should be fun
hope your surgery goes well and you make a speedy recovery.its too cold in Vic at moment since Albo and the greens stopped the global warming.
we are heading off again fist week of August, looking for somewhere warmWe have been travelling north for 2 weeks now. Currently we are in isolation in Alice Springs, with 3 out of 4 in our party Covid positive. Not me. for now .
Here is a review of our first two golf experiences:
The first course I played on the trip north at was at Naracoorte in the South East of S.A.
I had played the course once before a few years ago, but didn’t recall much about it. I played with two locals and another visitor from Eurora. For interest we formed two teams and had a few dollars on a team match play scenario. My team mate was playing off 15 and I was playing off a 14 handicap. The other two were playing off 6 and 3. I didn’t play all that well, possibly because I was not feeling 100% yet, but not knowing the course didn’t help. The greens were fairly quick, but didn’t turn all that much. The grass variety on the greens was Kikuyu . I found it hard to read the greens, but I felt for the low handicap player who sent about 10 or so putts so close to the hole, but none of them fell in. I scored in the high 90’s and 24 points. It was some consolation that the 3 handicapper only scored 25 points. We had a good social game , my team won the match and I made $10, which I spent on the first round of beers.
From Naracoorte the next course we played was at Crystal Brook, about 200 km. north of Adelaide. I had passed this small country course many times when visiting my old Mum, when she was resident in the local aged care home. It is an 18 hole winter course with sand scrapes. What a gem of a course it is too! It runs along the Crystal brook/ stream, but the design uses elevated tee positions and greens, with towering red gums that line the fairways. On a few of the approaches to the elevated scrapes, the steep slope protected the scrape area. If you came up short the ball would either run back down hill 20 m or bounce off at a tangent. The scrapes were some of the best I have played. The ball could be hit at the scrape with a sand wedge and it retained the ball on the putting surface. I sunk a few putts after I worked out it needed a firm stroke to reach the hole. After a freezing night and morning, the afternoon warmth was welcome. Geoff and I paused the game at the 9th hole and went for lunch, then returned to finish the course. We had the course to ourselves. Not bad entertainment for $10 green fee.1 user liked this post.
Next golf experience was at Coober Pedy, the opal capital of the world. Well they make the claim. It is a mining town ( junky) and is surrounded by holes, used to explore for opal strata of rocks. Many homes are wholly or partially underground to cope with the extremes of weath uper. The 18 hole course has scapes and no grass on the fairways. Think moonscape. You get a small square of Astroturf to place the ball. It was cold with a strong south wind blowing. We made 9 holes and gave up. It was an experience.
After we crossed the NT border, our next game was at Alice Springs. It was cold and still windy. The greens (? couch) were smooth and fast. 3 putting was common! Landing off the fairway meant hitting off sand. I scored around 100.
I went back yesterday and played with no wind and sunshine. My game was much better, but still missed putts. Green Fee of $60 was worth it, given the scenic setting with walls of rock nearby. They get the prize for rock faces walls on some traps. I hit a few pars, but 3 putted about 4 times. I think I will give up on my arm lock mallet!We are stuck here for another 7 days ( Covid isolation) but I am still not testing positive. I might go out to play again mid week if I am well.
Next golf experience was at Coober Pedy, the opal capital of the world. Well they make the claim. It is a mining town ( junky) and is surrounded by holes, used to explore for opal strata of rocks. Many homes are wholly or partially underground to cope with the extremes of weath uper. The 18 hole course has scapes and no grass on the fairways. Think moonscape. You get a small square of Astroturf to place the ball. It was cold with a strong south wind blowing. We made 9 holes and gave up. It was an experience.
After we crossed the NT border, our next game was at Alice Springs. It was cold and still windy. The greens (? couch) were smooth and fast. 3 putting was common! Landing off the fairway meant hitting off sand. I scored around 100.
I went back yesterday and played with no wind and sunshine. My game was much better, but still missed putts. Green Fee of $60 was worth it, given the scenic setting with walls of rock nearby. They get the prize for rock faces walls on some traps. I hit a few pars, but 3 putted about 4 times. I think I will give up on my arm lock mallet!We are stuck here for another 7 days ( Covid isolation) but I am still not testing positive. I might go out to play again mid week if I am well.
at least its warm up there, it was 1 deg here this week.
just enjoy your trip and go out and play, dont worry about the Covids
I did eventually contract Covid 19 after 3 days. With the help of anti viral drugs I was not particularly sick, but I struggled with a cough for a few weeks. We moved north to Katherine and toured the gorge. It was spectacular! We played the golf course there. It was fun with some challenging holes. I have to report that I am improving using the half set of clubs, making partial swings to manufacture distances required. I have resorted to using an arc swing with the face balanced mallet, rather than the straight back and through I was trying. My lag putts were so much better.
When we got to Darwin we played Palmerston course and the Darwin course. They were both very good courses. I got into the bunkers a few times in Palmerston. How easy are bunkers when they have consistent amounts of soft sand in them! I think I played Darwin much better, hitting quite few pars.
Next we travelled across to Mt Isa. We camped at the golf course. The 18 hole course was pretty good for a desert location. hey seem to have copious water to irrigate the course. The couch grass fairways and greens were not as good as in Darwin, but pretty good.
Today we played at Longreach. It is a scrapes course and needs a lot of water to get grass coverage. The scrapes were deep and soft, so a high ball would be retained. I found a firm putt at the hole worked mostly. The down side were the flies! Sticky little buggers!
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We went back to finish our round at Longreach. It was a little warmer and the flies even more friendly! The tee areas were oiled with the same substance that they had on the sand scrapes. It smelt a little ” fishy” , possibly recycled food oil. One tee are was soaked in the stuff and my sneakers will never be the same. It got to the point that a chipper would have been a weapon for long putts. In summary: Longreach= nope. A great little tourist destination for sure, but the golf course isn’t great, but the $5 fee is reasonable.
Today we found a great course at Springsure, just south of Emerald/ about 300 km inland from Rockhampton. Even though it has been fairly dry of late here, the fairways were well grassed for a country club. The greens were very good too. They had one sand trap and one water hazard. I found the latter. It was a 9 hole course, with different tee boxes for the second 9 holes. The mountain range adjacent to the course looked spectacular. I managed a few pars and one birdie ( chipped in from 20 m) . F0r a $10 fee it was great value.
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Not much golf was played in the last weeks of the trip.
Dubbo was a great course. $50 green fee.
Murray Downs near Swan Hill was a challenge ( $50 ) with lots of water and traps ( sand was not plentiful/ even making exit a bit of a lottery). we played the 9 holes at Tooleybuc a few times. it was fun. ( $25 fee)Not much golf was played in the last weeks of the trip.
Dubbo was a great course. $50 green fee.
Murray Downs near Swan Hill was a challenge ( $50 ) with lots of water and traps ( sand was not plentiful/ even making exit a bit of a lottery). we played the 9 holes at Tooleybuc a few times. it was fun. ( $25 fee)I also liked Dubbo as well. Murray Downs is a difficult course but enjoyable.
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