Best Shot of the Week - Page 177

Let's see here... 

Last week @ Riverwalk Friars course on the 3rd hole, a short dogleg left par 4 over water, I tried to cut the corner, ended up on the other side of the pond by the 4th green.  Hit a nice SW from 95, watched it land just behind and above the hole, spun back in for an eagle.

Sunday @ Torrey Pines North, 10th hole, 404 yard par 4.  Hit a poor, short faded drive, but landed almost dead center.  Back center flag, 187 to the middle of the green.  Smoked a 5 iron with a touch of draw to hold it into the left to right wind.  Landed almost dead center of the green, rolled up and lipped out as it went by.  Ended up about 3' behind the hole.  Sadly I missed the putt, but at least I won the skin (along with 5 others) 3 holes later when I hit a poor drive, played smart and laid up to 100 yards and hit my SW to 3', but made the par putt...

Played my first tournament with a few of my friends yesterday. The tournament was best-ball and our group finished at 2 under for the day. It was great and fun to play though. My shot came on the 11th hole, a par 3 143 yards. The best shot of the group was my friend who landed it on the edge of the green about 30 feet away from the hole. My entire group missed the birdie putt so it was up to me to get it, which I did. There was a small hill between me and the hole with a left to right break, so I was surprised that I made it.

Played this week for the first time in a while.  Not a lot of spectacular shots, just lots of fairways and greens.  I guess if I had to pick one, it would be a par-4 green I drove into the wind.  Straight-away and level, it's 295 on google earth from the tees to the front of the green.  That must have been quite a poke.  I lost it visually as soon as I hit it, but it felt like a really good swing, so I just went up and tried to find it.  Missed the eagle, but had an easy birdie.  It was pretty much a normal swing, so nothing spectacular, just a nice result.

On the Par 5 5th Hole (one of the more difficult holes on the course), I hit a slight pull - just left of my target from the box (which was the left side of the fairway)... I hit the ball high - and with the wind - it just sailed off my line and into the trees on the left side rough.  I get up to my second shot to find I really had nothing other than to just punch a 5 iron out back into the fairway as I was directly behind a tree.  

So I hit the little punch shot - and got it back out in the fairway... Safe enough shot... But I left myself with ~190 to the flag.  Here is what the approach shot looked like:

This hole often plays into the wind in the afternoon - and I could see/feel the wind in my face so I clubbed up and went with the 5 hybrid.  I wanted to be long - rather than short given the water hazard that I had to carry.  So I took a few controlled practice swings and just tried to vision the line my ball would fly on.  And the practice swings felt really good.  I stepped up and ripped it and the ball just flew beautifully through the air.  Very high trajectory - and landed back near the pin.  I couldn't see how close I was - but I knew it was a solid shot based on the ball flight and feel.  And given the greens were soft - I knew the ball would stay near its pitch mark.

Here is the result of the 5 hybrid....  Left myself with a fairly straight 15ft putt.  I just lipped out the putt for birdie - but was very pleased with a Par considering what I needed to do to get onto the green in regulation.

Here is a view from the green - looking back up the fairway.  The ball soared directly over the top of the Palm trees sitting next to the pond.

I actually had two 'best shots of the week' back-to-back -

Played Bella Collina CC in Clermont Fl. Designed by Nick Faldo. Really nice course that was built during the height of the housing boom in the early 2000's with plans of it being ringed by mediterranean-style villas. That part never materialized. Anyway, I parred the first five holes. We get to the 6th, which is the stereotypical 'drivable par 4' that you see on a lot of newer designs - 265 yards uphill, first 150 over water, the rest bunkers on the straight line to the green. But to the right, Faldo 'banked' the terrain towards the green so a shot hit there could kick on, which is what I proceeded to hit - a ripped driver that landed about 20 yards short & right of the green, took a kick to the left & juuuust rolled onto the green. The pin was in front so I had about a 15-footer for eagle which I ran in. My first eagle in about 4 years. :)

The next hole was an uphill 135y par 3. You could see the top of the pin but not the hole. I totally flushed a 9-iron right at the pin that lands on the green - I couldn't see where it landed but knew it reached. I said to Mike, "That could be close." He said "That could be in."

It was this close -

I made that putt to go eagle-birdie back to back. From even par to 3 under. Armed with this knowledge I bogeyed the next hole.

toughest par 5 on my home course - never birdied it.     Nice drive, nice 3w, nice 35 yd pitch to 7 ft.      Really nasty bending putt ... played about 15" of break & made it.     Feels really good to string 4 nearly perfect shots together - very rewarding ...

9th hole par 3. 207 yards from the back tees, over a crossing river. I hit my tee shot short and left of the green, about 40 yards away from the hole. My ball was lying in medium rough with a good lie, just behind a cart path. To make things worse, the greens at this course were very tough and I was below the green. I took out my sand wedge, lined up, and took the shot. The shot felt perfect and I knew it would be very close to the flag. I watched it land softly onto the green and gently roll into the hole for an unlikely birdie.

92 yard approach shot to the raised 9th green. Holed it with a 3/4 swing, gripped down sand wedge for eagle.
 

I holed a nice 20 footer on 18 - for a birdie - to shoot 79 today.  Not bad considering I had 4x 3 putts. 

It's been raining all weekend, so the best shot of the week is my 10yr old son converting the 4-7-10 split today.....LOL    Yea, we went bowling!!!

Best shot for me was today on a par 3.  Hit a terrible push shot off the tee and hit a tree.  Ball fell straight down and landed about 30 yards from the green in a bunch of pine cones/needles etc.  I couldn't loft it up due to the trees so I hit a runner with my PW.  Came off the club a little harder than I wanted but it hit the berm right where I wanted and slowed down.  Ended up hitting the flag stick and falling right into the hole.  Hard birdie but I'll take it.

I hit two  approach shots yesterday to 4 feet of the hole. Both holes were cut close to the front, just behind a bunker.

And yeah, my putter was not working...at all ! Missed both birdie puts!!!!  The belly putter is already back in the bag.

Hit my drive to the right.  Landed in this valley of rough with a sidehill lie..toe high.  Had about 130 the the flag but was hidden by a line of trees in front.  Grabbed the 9 iron and I felt really good with my setup.  Took I nice full swing and the ball felt great off the face and was going right at the green.  I didn't see it land until I got to the green..when I got there, my divot was 3" from the hole and the ball was 1 foot away from the hole..ended with a tap in birdie.

1ST hole - par 5 bladed my full gap wedge in from 95 yds - flew 35-40 yards past green to the left.      Wound up nearly out of bounds in the fringe of the woods under trees with trees lining green.     HIt nice 5 iron low liner punch shot to fringe.     Holed a 22 ft chip for the best up and down ever.    Tough way to par a hole ...  but set the tone for a nice round

178 yard Par 3 - 6 iron to 7 feet, made it for birdie!  

Put an 8 iron to about 6 feet on a 140 yard par 3 and made the birdie putt!  The putt sat on the lip of the cup for a split second before falling in, pretty cool stuff. 

I've been playing mediocre golf......'m grasping at straws to find a shot worthy of sharing.........LOL

My best shot today is a stretch..........

A fairway bunker shot from 89yds............I pull a 60d........and nip it perfectly!!  The shot was blind over the massive bunker lip.............

The pitch mark was 10' behind the cup and it zipped back to hole high.  I was left with a 5' for birdie.........I read it right/left break...target was the right lip........and lipped out on the right lip...........DAMN!!!  I can't catch a break...LOL  I should hat hit the put inside the cup..........

Sheesh.......the story of my game lately.  Nice shot, but no reward....