2021 TST Birdie Challenge

[mcanadiens]

Work has significantly derailed most of my early season golf plans, but I did manage to sneak in nine holes Sunday afternoon and shockingly managed a birdie on No. 5 at Miami Shores. A great drive and an even better wedge left me three feet from the hole on this fairly average par-4. 

Hope to make better progress on this than I did last year, but I'm getting a late start.

[Troy Ocker]

Made a very nice birdie on hole 17 today. A 335 yard par 4, uphill, dogleg left with 2-level green. Hit a very good 4-iron from tee around 220 yards to the left side of the fairway, hit a very soft AW from there directly at the pin and left it 5’ short and made the putt. 
Made a 3-putt bogey from 5 feet on hole 1, a 540 yard par 5, after hitting my best drive of the year so far, a 330 yard drive to the left side of the fairway, a 5-iron over the green right and chipped it to 5 feet from there, just to use 3 shots from there as well.

Did the same on hole 10, a 545 yard par 5, dogleg left. Pulled my drive a little right, and layed up with a 6-iron so I was left with 80 yards. Hit my 60˚ to 12’ and managed to 3-putt it from there. 
 

9 GIRs today was very positive.

[Pretzel]

Last Saturday I got to add two new birdies to the list in the latest men's club tournament, which was a nice plus since they also both won me some skins! Holes 1 and 12 were the new ones, and hole 1 was the best start I've ever had to a tournament with my approach leaving just a 8 inch or so tap in!

On Wednesday I had my best ever overall day off the tee with +5.35 strokes gained driving (compared to the MyRoundPro scratch golfer baseline), but unfortunately no new birdies. I've finally been able to nail down some improved consistency in my drives, which has made a huge difference recently and hopefully will help me finish off the last of the par 4's with number 17 soon. Beyond that I just have 3 of the par 3's remaining so far - #9, #14, and #18. 

[sjduffers]

It was a sweet 3-birdies day at the home course today. I added #11 and #12 (yes, back-to-back!) to the spreadsheet and repeated #1. 👍

#11 is a hard one to get, being a 200-ish yards par 3 over water, uphill, into the wind with an elevated green. I flushed a 3 wood that pierced through the wind and ended up with a GIR maybe 40 feet above the hole... and rolled it in perfectly.

#12 is a short 325 yards par 4 uphill against the wind, and I can't believe I didn't already have it. Anyway, it's now a done deal with a downhill 10 footer that curved in nicely.

Edited April 30, 2021 by sjduffers
Typos

[TourSpoon]

Birdies come in many different packages. Today I had 2 and they couldn't be more different. 

On the 165 par 3 #8 (which I needed for the challenge) with the pin tucked (bunker carry 154), I hit a cut 7 iron 6 feet past the hole which set up a straight downhiller. Great shot, easy putt. 

Contrast that to #15, a 375 yard par 4 in which I pull my approach left and bound down the cart path into the dirt circle of a tree 30 yards behind the elevated green with the short sided pin cut 5 paces on the top tier. I spank a little 8 into the hill, 2 hops and a smack on the stick and holed. That was a crazy shot.  You never know! 

[Shindig]

I've played only a handful of rounds so far this year, but somehow I haven't had better than double bogey on a hole six at not-my-home-course.  😕  I have to fix that.  It's really sad because one course I've played twice, it's a par-5, and both times I've played it I managed a lost ball.  That's a total failure of planning on my part. 

[TourSpoon]

31 minutes ago, Shindig said:

I've played only a handful of rounds so far this year, but somehow I haven't had better than double bogey on a hole six at not-my-home-course.  😕  I have to fix that.  It's really sad because one course I've played twice, it's a par-5, and both times I've played it I managed a lost ball.  That's a total failure of planning on my part. 

Especially if you didn't bring more than one ball!  What's up with the way you are playing that hole? Was it basically the same play both times? 

[Hardspoon]

Picked up birdies on #1 and #5 yesterday...making really good progress (on the "away" course, since I don't have a home course).

[jsgolfer]

I picked up two this weekend, in our Board of Directors Tournament.  

Birdied one of our hardest Par 4’s today, No. 10  and finally birdied our Par 5, 14th Hole yesterday.

 

[Roblar]

I birdied 12 again today. That was it - nothing new. 

Odd day.  The hail storm that blew through last week really damaged the course.  Up to tennis-ball sized hail reported, and the greens were absolutely hammered - worse than after being aerated.  Really impressed with how damaged the fairways were too.  I hope the grass will recover soon!

[Shindig]

13 hours ago, TourSpoon said:

Especially if you didn't bring more than one ball!  What's up with the way you are playing that hole? Was it basically the same play both times? 

For those in So Cal following it, this was twice at Hansen Dam and once at Balboa.

At Hansen Dam, this is a 540 or so yard par-5.  Yesterday I snap hooked, thought I was O.B., but was really in the trees.  Found it (or, rather, my friend found mine), hit it... hit a tree, saw it land, saw it stop, walked up to it, it wasn't there. 😕  

My previous round, I hit a great drive, a poor second shot with my 4-wood, not sending it very far.  Then I hit a great shot, but then nailed my fourth over the green, and didn't get up and down for the 6.

At Balboa, the sixth is a long par-4.  Last time I was there, I hit a driver, end up losing the ball.  Provisional straight and true.  Second shot off the provisional, onto the green in two.  Didn't make the putt for a 5. 😕  I think that was the only time I've ever been tee-to-green in two shots on that hole, and it was on a provisional. 

[Billy Z]

A simple 10 foot slightly uphill putt for 'eagle', and I 3 putted. Very disappointing.😮

[TourSpoon]

Today was a 3 birdie day, knocking 2 more of the list. On the par 5 1st, it was a 58* from 82 yards to 12 feet. On the 9th hole it was a 54* from 108 to 6 feet. After double bogeying the 17th, a blistering 3 wood into the wind set up a 50* from 102 (also into the wind) to 6 feet.  That only leaves holes 2, 6, and 16 for the challenge. Number 16 almost fell today with a lip out. 

[TourSpoon]

Correction, I only need 2 and 16.  I forgot I holed a bunker shot on 6 in January.  Two and 16 are tough driving holes with trouble both sides and demanding green complexes. Its only a matter of time! 

[billchao]

Made 3 birdies today on the away composite. 9 is a repeat, but 17 and 18 are new.

[jsgolfer]

Made 3 birdies today, but only 1 that I hadn’t made previously.

[Billy Z]

On 4/29/2021 at 2:43 PM, Pretzel said:

Last Saturday I got to add two new birdies to the list in the latest men's club tournament, which was a nice plus since they also both won me some skins! Holes 1 and 12 were the new ones, and hole 1 was the best start I've ever had to a tournament with my approach leaving just a 8 inch or so tap in!

On Wednesday I had my best ever overall day off the tee with +5.35 strokes gained driving (compared to the MyRoundPro scratch golfer baseline), but unfortunately no new birdies. I've finally been able to nail down some improved consistency in my drives, which has made a huge difference recently and hopefully will help me finish off the last of the par 4's with number 17 soon. Beyond that I just have 3 of the par 3's remaining so far - #9, #14, and #18. 

How fast are those greens?

[Roblar]

No birdies at all today. 😞