Great Hole = Horrifying Hole

[Travtex]

True Tales of Joy and Woe... at the same time.

First day on the course after spending a practice day to figure out how to hit my long irons. My 5i went from a villain glaring balefully at me from my bag to one of my best buds. As your standard newb with less than a whole season under my belt, I've been playing from the blues and whites about 50/50... so that 185 yard iron in the bag completely changed my game.

Anyway, the eighteenth hole. 493 from the whites according to the 'net, but I'm thinking it has to be at least a touch shorter than that. Either way, I pured my tee shot dead center down the middle of the fairway. Finished up about thirty yards short of the 150 marker and I'm surprised to find myself actually looking at an under-GIR that is within my range.

Put a sweet stroke on the 5i from 180, it's pretty low with a very slight fade -- hits right in front of the green and rolls out to dead center of said green, about twenty feet past the cup. Holy crap!! I'm on in two! With a witness and everything!

And then... I MISS THE #*$(@#$ PUTT.

That's not nearly bad enough, because my brain is so haywire from thinking, "I just missed an eagle putt!! Auuuugh!" that I forget I've left myself with a short putt for what technically would be my first birdie.

So, naturally, I MISS THE #*$(@#$ PUTT.

Augh!!! Seriously, I've lost jobs and girlfriends before that I was less upset over.

[lcfd42]

LMAO!!! seriously though, I feel your pain with the putter..
The 5i has become one of my favorites as well. The 180-220 range has alwas been tough for me. But I'm improving with that distance. Putting is patience and feel. really work hard there as you will gain the most strokes. Moreso than anywhere on the course. Good luck!

[right handed phil mickelson]

True Tales of Joy and Woe... at the same time.

You're a 36 handicap hitting it 310 yards? I mean its not to say that you couldn't do that but normally a 36 handicap couldn't even be able to hit it 240.

[Travtex]

You're a 36 handicap hitting it 310 yards? I mean its not to say that you couldn't do that but normally a 36 handicap couldn't even be able to hit it 240.

Normally? No. It was close to if not my personal best. I probably carry about 230-240 on average, ending up in the 260-270 range with good ole Texas Roll... and that's when I'm not popping them up, topping them, or pushing one off into the woods. As I said, I think it's shorter than sky caddy is telling me.

Although -- I haven't been keeping an official handicap. It wouldn't surprise me if I'm getting closer to the 25-30 range with bogey a not entirely unrealistic goal for the next season or two. Either way, consistency is the problem.

[Fat Slice]

Three putting from 20 feet happens. It's a shame when it gets you a par. Congrats on getting on in 2. If you did it once, you can do it again. Practice your lag putting!

[Crey23]

LOL ...I hear ya man.....I played Shula's Senator course a few months ago. I was in downward trend in my game.....I took the day off just to play a round of golf....I was on the 3rd or 4th hole I can't remember...Par 3, 165 yards out, water to the left and center, trees to the right....I hit my 6i perfect...hit about 5 ft from the flag...bounces, hits the flag, and rolls back down to the front of the green. I was left with a 20ft putt uphill...I ended up with a +1....I nearly made a hole in one, and I ended with a +1, I nearly lost it!!!!!!

Beautiful course, if you ever down to south florida, A Must!!!!

[Lefty-Golfer]

3 putts for par will send a man on life tilt...sorry but i did have a laugh reading the post. Not in a bad way but in a OMG i soooo feel the pain in a I have been there kind of way!!

Wait till you start gambling on the rounds!! takes it to a whole different level.

[B-Con]

That's terrible. What threw your second putt? Was it a terrible slope?

I've played about two dozen games in the past three years, which is when I started playing. Never gotten a birdie. The closest I've come is a couple of narrowly missed chip-ins for birdie and a couple well-missed 30ft+ birdie putts.

[madcityscott]

I can't count the number of times I've gone from "birdie to bogey" thanks to bad putting.

I still remember my first birdie. I chipped in from about 5 feet off the green--no chance to miss the putt!

[Elvisliveson]

I still remember the last hole from my first high school match from more than 25 years ago. 3 iron from 190 yards out in the woods from deep rough on the left. Low draw to the green right past the cup finishing 18 feet from the hole. Coaches and players gathered around the 18th green were all clapping and then I proceed to 3 putt, missing a 2 1/2 footer.

[Joeyvee]

I recently played a really tough course (Koele) with my boss and another guy I work with (both single digit HDCP if not scratch) and it was a skins game and the 4th hole is a 204 par 3. There were 4 skins up for grabs on this hole and my boss and the other guy both missed the green while I dropped a friggin 3 iron to within 6 feet or so. The shot of the day and one of my personal bests EVER. They both get up and down for par and I'm looking at getting 4 skins while shooting over 20 for 4 holes. No kidding I had like 2 8s on the first 2 holes. Horrible. Yeah I missed that 1st putt by a lot and ended up making a LONGER putt for par. To push the 4 skins to the next hole where I shot like a 6 or 7. I forget but I lost it. The rest of my round was pretty crappy as well except for a STRONG turn. parred 10 and 11 with a bogey on 12 before falling apart again. I can still see that shot clear as day and it's one of the reasons I keep going to the damn range. Sometimes I love my 3 iron. For some reason I can hit it. Not the 4 or 5 or the driver or even fairway woods but the 3 loves me.

P.S. The course http://golfonlanai.com/koele/holeDescriptions.aspx
Don't believe the hype. It isn't that gorgeous of a course. I mean the 17th made me gasp. It IS breathtaking but theres 15-16 or so normal holes on this course too. It IS as tough as it sounds though. Maybe because I think all of the courses here in Hawaii are great and the first course I ever walked (hundreds of times caddying) was Winged Foot.