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The Eagle Has Landed


bkuehn1952

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Early in 2016 I asked some of my online friends when was the last time they made eagle. I had discovered, to my chagrin, that while I thought it had been a year or two, it actually had been nearly 5 years.  Many of my online buddies confessed to similar droughts.  At the time I joked that we all had better start taking dead aim.

Shortly thereafter, a golf buddy remarked that I was one of the better wedge players he knew.  He said I always seemed to be right in line with the target and usually around the hole.  High praise from a very good golfer but also an indication that perhaps he doesn’t know enough good wedge players.  My scoring record and handicap index (8.2) clearly tell me that my wedge play, along with the rest of my game, are fairly average.  I thanked him for his compliment and just filed it away.

Yesterday I holed a 60-yard wedge shot for eagle on a par 4; it was the third time this year I had performed the feat from 60-120 yards.  I also holed out a 155 yard 7-iron.  To put this in context, over the past 20 years I have averaged less than 1 eagle a year.  This year I have had four (so far!), none involving a putter.

I suspect this is likely a temporary phenomenon and next year I will return to my standard pattern of -0- eagles.  Still, it has been fun.  Also, there is always the faint hope that I actually have discovered something in my wedge game that suddenly resulted in the surge in eagle production.  Or perhaps, after my friend’s compliment, the power of positive thinking pushed me over the top?  Time will tell.

Now if I only could get my putter to join in the fun!

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You might be better wedge player than you think. An 8.2 handicap is not average. That's much better than average. 

I have a customer that is a pretty good golfer (lives on a golf course) and he's only made a few eagles in his entire playing career..

I've never had one, but after one (1) year I'm not exactly panicking either... The closest I came was in July I had a chipping opportunity from just off the green, but I was nervous and I hit it too hard.. I then missed the subsequent birdie putt too. Haven't even sniffed an eagle since. But I'm still learning.

 

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I've only had a "fake" eagle and a "baby" eagle.

The fake eagle came at Torrey Pines North (the 16th hole), decent drive, not long but straight, followed by hitting it in from about 120 yards. But it wasn't an eagle as my 1st tee shot was pulled OB.  Pretty decent par save though.

My baby eagle was on a 240 yard par four.  240 yards... that's long for a par three, but it's very short for a par four.  I hit the green on the fly with my driver, surprisingly it made a ball mark and stopped in about 15 feet from the ball mark.  I putted in from about 6 feet.  I wish my only eagle was on a longer hole, but it is a par 4 per the score card, so it is an eagle.

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My first was incredibly ho hum after a year of almosts (nearly holing out shots on par 4s and wonderful 220+ yard approaches on par 5s).  It is probably the easiest par 5 (11th hole) on my home course as long as you don't go right and are reasonably skilled at hitting consistent distances with your irons (there is a creek across the end of the fairway).  It does help that you hit off of an extremely elevated tee so the hole plays much shorter than it actually is.  I guess I had kind of built up the mystique of an eagle so when I pulled my drive left onto #12s fairway.  Overall it's not a bad place to be as long as you are left enough to not have to worry about the tree line.  It left me with 180 or so left so a little fade of a 6 iron puts me to about 3 feet (great result, on a shot that felt slightly off), then what was essentially a tap in for eagle.  It all came so easily, where as most of my previous attempts seemed so much harder in my mind.  Other than the results of the shots, I don't feel as if I hit a truly good shot on the hole.  The drive and the approach were misses....amazing misses (especially the approach), but misses nonetheless.

Edited by baller7345
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My first and only eagle was on a 450 yard par 5.   I accidentally cut the corner of the dog leg, leaving me a 200 yard second shot, so I hit a 5 wood to the green and made a 20 foot downhill putt with at least 2 feet of break.   Two great shots followed by a 1 in 100 putt.   My playing partners helped me line up the putt because we have a rule that first birdie or better buys the beer at the end of the round.  

What a thrill.   It was on the 9th hole, so I went straight into the bar and announced that I had eagled the 9th hole.   Everyone in the bar was very gracious about seeing this guy run in and announce his eagle in a very excited manner.  

 

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1 hour ago, Marty2019 said:

What a thrill.   It was on the 9th hole, so I went straight into the bar and announced that I had eagled the 9th hole.   Everyone in the bar was very gracious about seeing this guy run in and announce his eagle in a very excited manner.  

Great story!  Thanks.

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Only four this year? Better keep up that practice regiment. I think you are better with a low club in you hand than you think. What a great run!  No Eagle chances for me yet. Maybe one day. 

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