My game is a disaster right now...

**cougar978** · November 9, 2009

I don't know what's happened in the past week, but I went out and shot 80 Saturday on an easy course (+5 over the last three holes including hitting a ball OB on a short par 3), and then followed it up with an 84 yesterday which included a 9 (yes, nine) on the first hole and then an 8 (yes, eight) on 14. Both holes are par 4's.

If anyone's interested, here's how I attained such record scores on both holes:

1) The first hole at Deer Run is about 440 yds off the back tees, but it's all downhill and it has a pretty wide fairway. However, there are woods on both sides of the hole. Being that it's fall, and the guys that do course maintenance blow all the leaves that have fallen into the wooded areas, hitting a ball in the woods during this time of the year is just as good as jacking one OB - if you put one in the leaves, you may as well re-tee.

That being said, I set up off the first tee for a draw (which I normally play with a 3-wood), and proceeded to hit a high, arcing slice about 40 yards right of target. Knowing that ball was probably history, I put the 3-wood away, smoked a 2-iron down the right side, and hoped to get out of there with no worse than a double.

My provisional tee shot got on some hardpan and ended up coming to rest about 6 inches in front of a root, about 165 to the middle of the green. Now, this is 165 with about a 30 foot drop, so it plays about 150, with a little tailwind, I chose to hit a 9-iron. I hit it flush, ended up clipping the root on my follow-through, no big deal though. However, the ball decided to die mid-flight, and what I thought was going to end up on the middle of the green ended up on a pretty steep, and wet, upslope in front of the green.

OK, still no big deal, I can still salvage a 6 with a well-struck chip with the pitching wedge. I guess I must have gotten tight on my backswing, locked my hands, and chunked it so bad that I struck the ball again on my follow-through (one-stroke penalty). The ball ends up on the front of the green, about 40 ft from the cup, and now I'm putting for 7 thanks to the penalty stroke. I proceed to drill the ball 15 ft past the hole, miss the comeback by another 6 ft, and barely roll in the third putt for a 9.

Now, the silver lining to that comedy of errors was that I shot 42 on the front nine (only one over through the next 8 holes while birdieing both par fives).

14) I actually was only +7 through 13 and still had hopes of staying in the 70's, having made a solid up-and-down on 10, and barely missing a birdie putt on 11. 14 is a long dogleg right par 4 (about 445 off the tee) with water all along the left side, and oak trees (and piles of leaves) on the right. I decided to play it safe, hit a 2-iron to around 200, and take my chances with a long approach (the green is relatively large and flat, so as long as you're there, you can walk away with par unless you're way off with your distance).

Anyway, I lose the 2-iron a little bit right of my target, and I thought for a minute it would clear the big oak tree at the corner until I heard the all-too-familiar sound of golf ball striking wood. The ball dropped down in a spot of hardpan, about 250 yards to the pin, with some overhanging branches about 10 ft high and about 20 yards in front of me. I figured I'd give a whack at it with the 3-wood, since the shot is supposed to come out low off hardpan. Ball goes straight into branch and disappears into woods. Spent a few minutes looking for it, then went back and hit a flush 2-iron to the front of the green. Proceed to four-putt from about 60 ft due to frustration and not paying attention - 8.

I finished bogey-bogey-par-birdie for 84.

**zrlaegel** · November 9, 2009

dude..... it happens. went thru a similar stretch this summer. luckily your handicap depends on your 5 best out of 20 or alot of us would be in trouble

**cougar978** · November 9, 2009

dude..... it happens. went thru a similar stretch this summer. luckily your handicap depends on your 5 best out of 20 or alot of us would be in trouble

You're right - better now when there's nothing at stake than in tournament season.

**Vance87** · November 10, 2009

Cool, I played Deer Run once before I seperated from the Air Force in October and came back to Houston. Yeah I hit my opening drive in the right trees too, I think I hit a tree trying to get it out of them too and ended up hitting it in the left sand bunker and making an 8 or something retarded. Sorry to hear about your struggles, I'm sure they will be short lived though.

By the way, was it really dewy when you went? We went in the morning but even then it was the dewiest course I ever played on, haha.

**walk18** · November 10, 2009

I'm sure you're used to shooting much lower, but it's golf and stuff happens. Sorry about your 84, not gonna feel bad for your 80 though.

**Doctorfro** · November 10, 2009

I had a little mini-slump this past week but I figured out my swing problems and it's all good now. I think the key to our growth in golf is figuring out our problems and seeing that our "disasters" don't last long. You'll come around. And yeah, I agree, I'm not feeling too bad for your 80.

**cougar978** · November 10, 2009

Cool, I played Deer Run once before I seperated from the Air Force in October and came back to Houston. Yeah I hit my opening drive in the right trees too, I think I hit a tree trying to get it out of them too and ended up hitting it in the left sand bunker and making an 8 or something retarded. Sorry to hear about your struggles, I'm sure they will be short lived though.

We teed off around 11am, course was pretty firm/dry.

However, I had an early tee time for the Pen Am this year, and you had to count on more carry off the tee because the dew would eat your ball up after it landed in the fairway (they mowed the greens that morning, so putting was not an issue).

mcman1 · November 13, 2009

I would suggest working on your short game. A couple years ago I started focusing on keeping a steady head after reading a Golf Diget article by Hank Haney. I then bought a product on ebay called the Steady-Head which is pretty cool and actually works. I took 3-4 strokes off my game in less than one year by working on the short game and keeping a steady head. Good luck.

**ks8829** · November 13, 2009

What you need is a birdie in your next hole after you make a boogie to shake this boogie train off.

What the pros do so well and after a boogie they make a birdie on the next hole, they have a stat for that, I fogot what they call it, comeback hole or something.

Anyway as a 2 handicap golfer you have the experience to be able to come back from a bad hole and right your ship. Once you make a birdie you shall get your confidence back and know the next time you make a boogie you will come back with a birdie.

Is this from bad course management or bad decisions that you are making boogies and shooting high scores? whats the story?

As a 2 handicap you have to maintain your swing, your putting and short game and play at least once or twice a week.

**hipcheck4u** · November 13, 2009

That's golf. I have broken 100 five times total, and had gotten to a point back in August where I thought that I wouldn't shoot over 100 but every once in a while. Long story short, 101, then 106, then 104. The 104 was yesterday, when I had a rollercoaster round: 47 on the front and 58 on the back

The good news is: I still love the game and can't wait to play the next round!

**wedstuntpuller** · November 13, 2009

cougar you know as well as I that Deer Run can be an (relatively) easy course when you hit fairways, or the hardest when you miss a few on those woodsy par 4's! Chalk it up to a couple bad shots costing you a lot more than just those 2 strokes... I have shot scores ranging from high 80's there (decent for me) to 105, just depends on the day you are having.

**Duffy** · November 14, 2009

I feel your pain! I've been in a similar pattern for about six weeks and have decided that it's time to take a break and then go back to my pro. My back is an issue with my game and when it acts up I need to give it some R&R.; I hate the R&R; part of golf cause I wake up every morning and want to go play but can't. Good luck, it'll get better, it's just golf and the way it is.

**Meddle** · November 21, 2009

Yesterday I started off by s******* two straight shots OB off the first tee (with tons of people watching from the club house of course) and took a 9, then proceeded to triple the second. So hard to recover from that. But still, it's a blow up hole, a fluke you know? It's not like my game is melting away, I just hit a couple of bad shots, nothing to freak out about, and it sounds like that's the way it was with you (you did still shoot in the 80's so I'm guessing the rest of the round was decent).

Sign In

My game is a disaster right now...

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

Create an account

Sign in

Topics Being Discussed Right Now on The Sand Trap

TST Partners

Posts

Important Information