Best Shot of the Week - Page 176

5th hole, Par 5.  Hit a ugly drive which nearly went OB... Had a side hill lie in the rough... Didn't want to be a hero or anything, so I hit a nice 5i with a low traj to get under a tree, and it took off with a nice line and a baby fade which went back into the fairway (center cut) about 175yds down range.  

As we are driving the cart up to my ball - the greens keeper is moving the flag from the back of the green (blue flag) to the center (yellow flag) as we were the first group off... So they were moving pin placements.  With the new pin placement, I'm 113yds out, and grab a PW.  Choke down a tid bit - and just smoothed it right on line.  Nearly flew into the hole and left myself with an 8" bird.  Nice way to recover and finish the hole.

tee shot on the 210 yard par 3 8th hole at bethpage black.  stuck a baby fade 4 iron to ~10 feet. (then proceeded to lip out the birdie putt)

Played my first 9 hole round yesterday, almost a month after injuring my ribs.  Surprisingly, my iron play was normal, but I don't swing them hard anyway.  My drives however were a different story.  I didn't want to strain anything, so my drive was a bit more compact than usual and resulted in me severely cutting across the ball.  I usually hit a draw with everything, but wow, monster pulls with the driver.  Four balls ended up in the lake over 2 holes and two lost on 2 other holes.  On the last hole I decided to go after it with a full swing.  Not only did it not hurt, but I had my best drive on hole 9 ever.  318 yards straight down the pipe left me a nice 45 yard pitch to the pin.  Usually I am playing my second shot out of the left rough on that hole, like it has some sort of psychological hold over me.....or a ball magnet.    It sure was nice to finish the round out on such a high note for me after so much trouble earlier and sweet, sweet redemption to finally out-drive the two guys I was with, after their constant ribbing & snickers all round, ha ha.  These were a couple of my regular playing partners, and I am normally the long hitter of the bunch, so they had some fun too, at my expense of course!

Played a par 5 yesterday where you have to lay up before water then lay up again to eventually go for the green. Hit my second shot to the right into some trees. Was able to just punch it out for my 3rd shot. Had about 150 yards to go and I hit an 8 iron over a huge tree and made the 15 footer for par 

This week I played on the Rawls championship course for the first time.

My best shot was a drive which landed in the first cut rough, but only 125 yds to the pin! I for sure thought I could get it there with my 8, but then I topped it and it rolled only close enough for a chip. 
I still regret that shot, because if I made it it would be my first GIR and possibly my first par. 
I know I'm getting better though, 1 month ago I would never have been able to make the shots I made today on this course.

I almost got an Albatross.....

The story:

Getting back into the game after a hiatus,  but playing it down and following the rules....   I am having a good round for me,  but still struggling around the greens.    I get to a par 4,  easily the shortest on the course.  Card says 311 from the tips,  and it's up-hill  (blind)   I hit,  my buddy hits,  his buddy hits.   My buddy went towards some big pines on the right at the top of the hill,   I hit right up the gut,  great drive,  low trajectory,  and his buddy short and right.

We find his buddies because it was short and we saw it.   We find my buddies 15 yards short,  and off to the right because we followed the path.... then it's   "What ball is that"    Sure enough,  I was just under 2" from the hole,  pin-high.   MAYBE a ball-width between where my ball sat and the cup.....

I grabbed my eagle,  and proceeded to the next hole  (where I sprayed the ball a little because I was trying to swing out of my shoes on #18! )

I shot an 81....   8th round or so of the year,  following a 3 year break from the game.....   I'll take it!

EDIT:

For what it's worth,  I don't think it was a true 311 yards....  I just don't think I have quite that much in me  (especially after the rain delay we had)   It was #17  at  "The Fairways at Arrowhead"  in North Canton Ohio.

This was probably one of my friend's worst shots ever, but a great result.

16th hole Par 3 126 yards with the flag in the centre of the green. My friend goes up to the tee with a 9I and tops it badly. The ball managed to stay low in the air and landed just short of the green. It then bounced onto the green and slowly rolled into the hole for an ace.

You can imagine how surprised I was with this.

Shot of the year alert. Let me set the scene. 300 yd par 4. Back right pin location. No wind. Hit a high fade over a tree and managed to stick the shot within 2 feet. I do have to thank the shower the course received about 30 minutes earlier. Without that, the shot may have hit and sailed into the nearby parking lot. I actually managed to make the eagle putt as well. Not the most conventional eagle, but I'll take it.

Two very similar shots last week.  One was a par 4 where I was about 155 out, the other was a par 3 playing around 155.  I hit solid 8-irons with a nice little face to about three feet on both of them.  Love the easy birdie putts.

I have to equally good shots to share from my round today:

1) 10th hole par 3 156 yards over water to an island greed, similar to the 17th at Sawgrass. After watching my entire group miss the green completely, I hit a 5I to about 14 feet. Unfortunately, I 3-putted the impossible-to-read green for bogey.

2) 16th hole par 4 343 yards with a ~90 degree dogleg right, with a river on the right side. Hit a small tee shot about ~150 yards, and then a nice 3H over a hill to about 70~ yards. I topped a SW, but re-hit it again at about ~60 yards away, and managed to put it to 10 inches from the hole for a bogey.

I haven't had many "best shots" to talk about lately.  Boring golf...I guess...LOL

The closest thing I can muster from today was on a 535yd par5.  I landed in the right rough stymied behind a tall tree 40yds directly in front of me.  I had 3 options.......chip out and leave myself with 150yds to the pin, sand wedge over and leave myself 125yds to the pin.....or sling a big hook around the tree over a hazard with a 4-iron rescue club around the tree.   I had 225 to the pin and slung a 30yd hook from the rough around the tree/////out over a hazard.....and the ball hooked back to the front edge of the green.   Easy 2 putt birdie

I had a great one on my round yesterday. 

It was a 160 yd par 3, with the front part guarded by knee high native Johnson grass. My shot gets up but just doesn't carry with 7 iron and lands right in the front part of the grass, this stuff was so thick I thought I would be lucky to get it out.

I take a full swing with my PW and the ball flies up and out, hits the lip of a greenside bunker, then bounces onto the green 6 feet or so from the whole. 

Still ended up 3 putting it for double bog, but a good shot from a horrible lie. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by iacas 

I had 80 yards to a front pin on the 17th at my course from a side sloping lie (Dave will know the hole). It's a small green, but because I've been reading the Rotella stuff, my target was the bottom of the hole - not "within 3 feet" or anything like that. The ground was kinda damp, so I had to watch hitting the shot fat.

I have a 100-yard shot, and I figured it'd play 90 with the wind coming back at me, so I just opened up my PW a tiny bit more than I would normally and made my 100-yard swing.

I was really concentrating on holing the shot. I even told the guy I was playing with "I haven't holed one of these in awhile, it's about time I do it." I swung. The shot came off perfectly - perfectly. I can't imagine the ball leaving the club feeling more like I had envisioned. It soared high in the sky, dead at the flag. I said "get in!" My partner said "it's gonna go in." It stayed online, dead at the flag.

Then the wind killed it and I came up a foot short of the green.

Hahaha....I know this feeling!   Fun story....Ya gotta hate it when that happens!!

The opposite happened to me today!!   I had 141 to the pin playing slightly uphill and into a modest 5mph breeze.   I decided on a firm 9-iron and to fly it all the way to the pin and "STICK IT!"  My contact was slightly clunky........the ball flew lower than intended............it landed on the green 15feet short without much spin....and the ball released to inside 1 foot from the jar for an easy tap-in birdie   I didn't hit the shot as I intended, but it was still my shot of the day.  LOL........GOLF...what a funny game!!  hahaha

The shot that led to my first ever eagle would have to be it and that was this morning.  Par 5 #9 at Conklin Players Club, hit my drive left off the tee, thought it was in the bunker instead it was on the hill to the left of the bunker.  Around 190 yards out and the ball was probably 1 1/2 ft below me or more, I was reaching way down.  I hit about as effortless and crisp a 5 iron as I have ever hit and watched it sail to the left edge of the green about 35-40ft left of the hole.  Made the putt up an over a ridge for my first eagle.  But that 5 iron shot was just incredible.  I didn't even really feel the club hit the ball it was just hit right on the screws, as crisp a shot as I've ever felt myself hit. 

Par 4 369 yards straight. I hit a drive to about 150 yards, then sliced a 6I left of the hole and behind a hill about 30 yards away from the hole . For my 3rd shot, I had a 15 foot hill between me and the green and I was on a downhill lie. I took out my SW, opened up the face, and took a half-swing. I managed to land the ball to about 10 feet, but missed the par putt.

Par 4, pushed my drive and had a cluster of trees blocking my second shot, had about 150 up hill left. Pulled 7 iron and hit a sweeping 30 yard slice around the trees, just cleared the lip of the bunker guarding the front edge of the green and rolled to the back edge... 2 puts and I made one of only a few pars of the day.

what made it most satisfying was the fact that I was either hitting pushes or hooks the whole day, and to pull of a big slice on demand felt very good.

I finally have one that may compete with some of you better golfers here. 

174 yd downhill par 3, I suck with hitting irons so decide to use my 7 wood, and if I hit it a few yds too far be dammed with the consequences

So, I use a low tee like I use with my irons on a par 3, tee slightly to the left and nail it with the 7 wood perfectly.

Lands a few yards off the green but near the pin and I knew it was a good shot. I didn't even realize I hit my first GIR till I was walking to the hole and saw it rolled a few more yards and was on the green maybe 5 feet from the hole. 

As soon as I got close, I knew I would be making my first par(I'm a decent putter and not ashamed to say it). Took the putt for birdie but missed by a few inches. Tapped it in for a par with a decent celebration and a "good for par" commentary. 

Definitely improved my confidence at golf ,and has me craving for more.  I am now waiting for my first birdie! 


Here's a view from the teebox 

Par 4 9th hole I had never shot under par for 9 holes before and was 1 under going into 9. I hit a tee shot down the middle, skulled my 2nd over the green which you cannot do on this hole. The chip coming back is all downhill and impossible to keep on the green so my 3rd rolled off and I had about a 20 foot pitch shot coming back to save par and stay 1 under. I holed it and shot 35 on the harder side of the course. It was pretty cool