JoePro On the Links 3-17-10

[joepro23]

Here's my first blog post about my first round of the year (and of the decade too)...so here we go!

Played on St. Patrick's Day (last Wednesday) in the newly coined "St. Patty's Day Classic" with two buddies. We were originally supposed to play Maple Moor GC in White Plains, NY on their opening day, but the pro shop called my cell at 8:30am to tell me my tee time was no longer good because they were still closed. We had crazy rain/wind storm a couple days before and about 20 trees were down they said, so they pushed back the opening day to Saturday instead. Determined to play and already in our golf clothes, we found out a course called E. Gaynor Brennan Municipal Golf Course in Stamford, CT was open. One of the guys had played there before and it was 25 minutes away. The weather was perfect (high 60s - low 70s) so we trekked over there.

First thing I noticed was that the parking lot only had a few people in it at 10am, not a great sign. Next I learn it was $40, again not looking good. And finally, I grab a scorecard to see that it was a par 71, but the tips were only 5931 yards! I consider my home course short at 6600. Still, we couldn't turn back now so we teed it up. It was probably a good thing the course was short, since my friends are still beginners and it was the first round of the year. My first shot was a really high block right, which took forever to come down. I scramble around and make a 2-putt bogey 5. Started looking around the course and counted about 5-10 big trees down because of that storm. Here is one of them...



The course was actually in decent shape though and I was pleasantly surprised. They must have decent natural drainage because it was a lot drier than I expected. I played holes 2 and 3 terrible as I chunked an iron shot on each hole, one coming up in the water short of the 3rd, a par three. So 4 over standing on the 4th tee, my friend breaks out the whiskey and I pour some of that into my coffee to loosen up. I get my swagger back by bombing my tee shot and making birdie on the next hole. I grinded out a 41 on the front, not bad after that start. I got 2 beers at the turn and continued drinking, which is rare for me on the course. Out of +/- 40 rounds last year I drank during 2 of them (one a resort course and the other at an outing). Since it was St. Patty's Day and I'm half Irish I made an exception.

This course was pretty easy and my friends who are fairly new to the game wanted to see me tear up the back nine now that I found my game. #11 got me fired up because I "man-ed up" and ripped a tee shot over water which was about a 250 carry. On #13, I made a miraculous up and down by flopping my 60deg over a bunker to a tucked pin and making the putt on the only tough hole on the course (a 228 yd par 3). On #15, I knocked a 7-iron to 5 feet and made it for birdie, and then the real highlight of the round came when I drove the green on the 280 yd par 4 16th hole. A 2-putt birdie there got me to 2-under on the back nine. I did bogey 18 because of a lousy chip, but finished with a respectable 1-under 34 on the back and 75 overall (+4). Great day overall, everyone had a blast. It was the ultimate casual round, perfect weather, walked the course, and had a few drinks. Short course and a little pricey for a muni, but it was definitely worth it.

Memorable St. Patty's day and it's safe to say the "St. Patty's Day Classic" will become an annual event.