Seriously this guy is now my favorite golfer. Check out his YouTube channel BenCraneGolf, especially this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl7B55srBhs&NR=1
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Columbia Golf League Week 8
This week Mike is in Washington D.C watching the US Open. That means this week for golf I had to take on our opponents solo. Going into this week Mike and I were still number one in the league by 1/2 a point. Not bad since we got shut out last week. This week we played Frank Miske and Mike Smith. I arrived late due to work and had to tee off while my opponents were already in the fairway.
Mike was an 18 handicap and Frank was an 8 so I was going into the match having to give 21 strokes. I ended up parring the first three holes and took the first two. They won the third hole with their strokes and we pushed on hole 4. That gave me the first points of the round. On holes 4-8 I ran off 5 consecutive bogeys. Two of the holes should have been pars but two pad putts prevented that. So on the last five holes I won 2 holes and they won 3. They took the second set of points for the round but we ended up both winning 4 holes and split the remaining point to split the total points at 2.5 a side.
Again, I played a solid round. If it weren't for the two bad putts I had I would have shot a 38. Still I managed a 40. I am just happy that when Mike gets back I won't have to tell him we got blanked again.
Mike was an 18 handicap and Frank was an 8 so I was going into the match having to give 21 strokes. I ended up parring the first three holes and took the first two. They won the third hole with their strokes and we pushed on hole 4. That gave me the first points of the round. On holes 4-8 I ran off 5 consecutive bogeys. Two of the holes should have been pars but two pad putts prevented that. So on the last five holes I won 2 holes and they won 3. They took the second set of points for the round but we ended up both winning 4 holes and split the remaining point to split the total points at 2.5 a side.
Again, I played a solid round. If it weren't for the two bad putts I had I would have shot a 38. Still I managed a 40. I am just happy that when Mike gets back I won't have to tell him we got blanked again.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Golfing Chaska Town Course
The Chaska Town Course is my favorite course in the Minneapolis metro. I had the luck of playing there last Saturday with my dad, wife, and my brother in law Dave. Dave has been out of town for years and it was really fun to be able to play a round with him finally.
Before the round the wife and I had lunch at the clubhouse. Their restaurant is called Charlies Grill. My wife swears they have the best onion rings in town. They are really pretty good, this coming from a guy who isn't a fan of onion rings in general. They are Parmesan breaded and served with a side of ranch. My favorite thing about eating here is the view. Absolutely top notch best view in town. Look at this:
Overlooking the 18th hole, nothing better than to sit and enjoy a nice meal with the wife with this as the backdrop. Life is good.
Onto the golf. Dave and I played from the Green tees. Those play to 6397 yards.
Hole 1 is a straight ahead par 4 388 yards. You need to start out straight right off the bat. Left is OB and right falls downhill into thick rough. Far right is the driving range. Finding your ball amidst the driving range balls can be a challenge. Hit at the right side of the fairway you can see. The fairway slopes right over the hill towards the green.
Hole 8 is a straight ahead par 4 at 383 yards. A fairway bunker 200 yards from the tee and the left rough are the only dangers off the tee. A couple of bunkers protect the front side of the green.
Hole 9 is a tough dogleg right par 5 that I always seem to have trouble off the tee on. You can cut your tee shot over the trees right but don't go too far. Left off the tee is an absolute no go. A bunker complex lies directly ahead of the tee at about 240 yards. Hitting it straight almost guarantees a second shot from the bunkers. Once you turn the corner the second shot is the most open on the course since the 10th fairway is connected to the hole. The green is an elevated surface well protected with bunkering in the front.
After the turn the 10th hole plays back adjacent to the ninth you just finished. The bunker complex that was ahead of the ninth tee is in play down the left of the fairway. Going right is a bad option as a grove of trees there will block your second to the green. The best play on this 394 yard par 4 is right down the center of the fairway. If you don't hit the fairway you likely will not par. Enjoy the lack of water on this hole. It is the only one on the back without.
After the tough 10th, the 11th gets even harder. The hardest hole on the side, and in my opinion the hardest on the course, the tee shot requires you to be absolutely straight. Left is trees and water. Right is OB and houses. The fairway gets extremely narrow at about 270 yards where the left side pond comes out. The best shot on this hole is a 260 yard shot down the left side of the fairway. If you get too far right, a grove of trees can get in your way. If you can hit the perfect drive you'll be 170-160 yards out from a green with water left. Par here is a really really good score.
The 12th hole is a 170 yard par 3 that offers difficulty all around the green. Left is a pond and right is bunkered badness. The only safe miss is short right.
Put your driver away on the 13th. This is 358 yards of trouble. Aim at the bunker ahead of the tee. It is 240 yards away. From there it is around 110 yards to an elevated green with water right. Another hole on this side where par is a great score. I managed to hit my tee shot into the aiming bunker and miraculously hit my second onto the green. I am by no means a good bunker player so that was a really nice shot for me. I also 2 putted for my first par on this hole.
Hole 14 is a 166 yard par 3 that you absolutely can not go right on. Water is in play on the right. Left is a safe spot to miss.
Hole 15 is a par 5 at 482 yards. Getting on the green in two is nearly impossible on this double dogleg. Off the tee right is disaster here. The best tee shot is to the center left of the fairway. The fairway runs out at 307 yards on the left side. From there, a creek crosses the hole. On your second shot aim at the furthest large tree on the right of the fairway. Your third shot will need to carry a pond to the green. I really like this hole for the need to hit a variety of shots on a true three shot par 5.
Hole 16 is a short par 4 at 300 yards but is well guarded by cross and green side bunkers. The best play is either right over the first bunkers off the tee or to the left of them. That bunker is 180 yards to carry.
Hole 17 is a long par 4 at 450 yards. A tee shot down the middle is always the best play and that holds true here. Water lines the right side off the tee but ends under 200 yards out where the bunker visible from the tee is. There is water/marsh left up towards the green.
The 18th is one of the great finishing holes I have played. This par 5 is only 521 yards but requires play around the water of Dowd lake on the left the entire way around the hole. Rusk Creek has a very similar finishing hole but the one at Chaska is a little more open off the tee. The best play here is to hit left of the farthest bunker visible from the tee. If you can hit to there you have the option of going for the green in 2 with around a 200 yards shot. You must carry the ball the entire way, either that or bail right to safety. Playing the hole as a three shot approach allows you to hit mid iron on your second to the distance you want for your third shot. Make a great putt and listen for the applause from those watching from the clubhouse patio!
Before the round the wife and I had lunch at the clubhouse. Their restaurant is called Charlies Grill. My wife swears they have the best onion rings in town. They are really pretty good, this coming from a guy who isn't a fan of onion rings in general. They are Parmesan breaded and served with a side of ranch. My favorite thing about eating here is the view. Absolutely top notch best view in town. Look at this:
Onto the golf. Dave and I played from the Green tees. Those play to 6397 yards.
Hole 1 is a straight ahead par 4 388 yards. You need to start out straight right off the bat. Left is OB and right falls downhill into thick rough. Far right is the driving range. Finding your ball amidst the driving range balls can be a challenge. Hit at the right side of the fairway you can see. The fairway slopes right over the hill towards the green.
Hole 2 is actually the number one handicap, I am guessing due to the length of second shot. The hole plays 426 yards. The best tee shot is to hit to the right of the cross bunkers. The bunkers are around 260-270 yards out so carrying them is not a smart try. Hitting to the right gives you a mid to short iron to an uphill green. The short and right of the green drops off dramatically and any shots hit there will be a tough play.
Hole 3 is a bit of a quirky hole. A short par 4 at only 269 yards. A large tree is in the fairway 185 yards out. The best options are to either hit to the left of the tree and go for the green or lay up 170 yards out and hit a wedge over the tree to the green. You can also play out to the right of the tree as the fairway does run out there. The green is a blind shot from most of the fairway. Don't hit short as a bunker will find your ball there.
Hole 4 is a short par 3 that requires precise distance. It is easy to hit long on this hole at only 124 yards. A deep valley in front of the green offers danger short and usually thick rough offers trouble deep. Left drops off into the trees. Hitting the green is important here as there really is not a lot of safety on any side.
Hole 5 is a decision hole. A 331 yard par 4, hit to the right fairway 200 yards for a 150 yard approach shot over the water or hit to the left fairway. The left fairway requires a carry over a creek before the fairway starts but offers a safer second shot to the green.
Hole 6 is a beautiful par 3. It plays to 154 yards and offers a wide but narrow front-to-back target. The green has some undulations so hitting close to the pin is a big plus.
Hole 7 is the first par 5 on the side at 500 yards. The tee shot is open and sets up for a second shot that will likely be a lay up. Favoring the left side of the hole is the best play as trees on the right can prevent a shot at the green. About 100 yards from the green, a deep gully with a creek cuts across the hole. Layup short of this creek on your second shot for the safest play.
After the turn the 10th hole plays back adjacent to the ninth you just finished. The bunker complex that was ahead of the ninth tee is in play down the left of the fairway. Going right is a bad option as a grove of trees there will block your second to the green. The best play on this 394 yard par 4 is right down the center of the fairway. If you don't hit the fairway you likely will not par. Enjoy the lack of water on this hole. It is the only one on the back without.
After the tough 10th, the 11th gets even harder. The hardest hole on the side, and in my opinion the hardest on the course, the tee shot requires you to be absolutely straight. Left is trees and water. Right is OB and houses. The fairway gets extremely narrow at about 270 yards where the left side pond comes out. The best shot on this hole is a 260 yard shot down the left side of the fairway. If you get too far right, a grove of trees can get in your way. If you can hit the perfect drive you'll be 170-160 yards out from a green with water left. Par here is a really really good score.
The 12th hole is a 170 yard par 3 that offers difficulty all around the green. Left is a pond and right is bunkered badness. The only safe miss is short right.
Put your driver away on the 13th. This is 358 yards of trouble. Aim at the bunker ahead of the tee. It is 240 yards away. From there it is around 110 yards to an elevated green with water right. Another hole on this side where par is a great score. I managed to hit my tee shot into the aiming bunker and miraculously hit my second onto the green. I am by no means a good bunker player so that was a really nice shot for me. I also 2 putted for my first par on this hole.
Hole 15 is a par 5 at 482 yards. Getting on the green in two is nearly impossible on this double dogleg. Off the tee right is disaster here. The best tee shot is to the center left of the fairway. The fairway runs out at 307 yards on the left side. From there, a creek crosses the hole. On your second shot aim at the furthest large tree on the right of the fairway. Your third shot will need to carry a pond to the green. I really like this hole for the need to hit a variety of shots on a true three shot par 5.
Hole 16 is a short par 4 at 300 yards but is well guarded by cross and green side bunkers. The best play is either right over the first bunkers off the tee or to the left of them. That bunker is 180 yards to carry.
Hole 17 is a long par 4 at 450 yards. A tee shot down the middle is always the best play and that holds true here. Water lines the right side off the tee but ends under 200 yards out where the bunker visible from the tee is. There is water/marsh left up towards the green.
Unfortunately when I played both Dave and I were not having a great time off the tee. I only managed to shoot a 93. One of my worst rounds of the year. Still, to play my favorite course it cant be bad.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Columbia golf league week 7
Last week Mike and I suffered our first goose egg of the season. We earned no points for the week. We took on Dan Kleinfehn and Mark Hellerman. Both Mike and I played well but we were victims to playing much higher handicapped players who both had fairly good days. Our league allows up to 2 strokes per hole given, including par 3s. It seems highly improbable that I get too many aces to compete when their side gets a par :)
Oh well, I felt like I played one of my most solid rounds of the year. I shot a 42 but that was with a double bogey on the last hole when trying to force a couple of shots. It is funny how your game falls apart when you try to do things you wouldn't normally try doing.
Oh well, I felt like I played one of my most solid rounds of the year. I shot a 42 but that was with a double bogey on the last hole when trying to force a couple of shots. It is funny how your game falls apart when you try to do things you wouldn't normally try doing.
Playing Braemar (Holes 10-27)
Bramear is a 27 hole course in Edina, Minnesota with an additional 9 hole executive course as well. Being so centrally located it is always busy. The course is generally kept in really nice shape and despite the high number of rounds that are played here it is not too hard to get tee times.
I had a chance to play here with my dad, wife, and brother-in law a week ago Sunday. We played holes 10-27. The first 18 holes of the course were the first built and are more open and I think easier. The last 9 were added later and are a little bit harder with tighter fairways and more trees to get into trouble with. Holes 1-9 are known as Castle, 10-18 is Hayes and 19-27 is Clunie. Today we played from the white tees.
Hole 10 is a straight par 4 at 381 yards. Avoiding the driving range right and the trees left is the challenge on this hole.
Hole 11 is a dogleg left at 337 yards. Playing driver requires a shot over the trees on the left otherwise a long iron down the fairway offers a short iron/wedge to the green.
Hole 12 is a short par 3 at 120 yards. It plays even shorter with the massively elevated tees, some 100 feet above the green. The hole probably plays about 20 yards shorter than the distance indicated.
Hole 13 is a 351 yard par 4. Danger comes in on the right side where water is in play. The left has trees to contend with. The safe play here is a long-iron again with a mid-iron approach.
Hole 14 is a short par 5 at 476 yards. The tee shot should be placed to the left side of the fairway. The fairway slopes downhill if you get it out there to add a few more yards. Your second shot needs to clear a grove of trees on the right if you want to try reach the green. The safer play is to lay-up to the left side again, just avoid the pond short of the green.
Hole 15 is the hardest hole on this nine. It is only 396 yards but you likely should not try cut the dogleg left as the trees at the corner are over 270 yards to carry. Playing just right of the bunker on the corner is the best shot.
Hole 16 is another par 4 at 413 yards. The tees are slightly elevated. One of the most open tee shots on the course, just avoid the water on the far right and your ball will likely be fine. The left is open but will bring the trees lining that side into play.
Hole 17 is a 170 yard par 3 with a undulating green. Hitting your shot to the right spot on the green is critical as 3 putts are fairly easy to come by here.
Hole 18 requires a forced carry over water on your tee shot. The hole is not particularly long (300 yards) and you can play a long iron off the tee.
Hole 19 is a double dogleg 361 yard par 4. The fairway doglegs right but the green is back to the left over a hill. This green can be especially quick and offers a fiar amount of back to front slope. Avoid the right side off the tee as trees and water are along that side.
Hole 20 is a par 3 at 164 yards. Left has danger in play with bunkers and water off to the side. It is better to be short or right here.
Hole 21 is a hole where the tee shot is critical. At 351 yards it requires about 210 yards down the fairway to clear the right dogleg for a shot at the uphill green. If you don't hit your tee shot well, getting a par is a real challenge.
Hole 22 is a par 3 which is similar to the 12 hole with a massively raised tee box though this hole plays at 185 yards. The area around the green is more open than it can appear from the tee.
Hole 23 is the first of two par 5s in a row. This is a tight hole that you can not go left off the tee on. Missing right is no good either. The best played shot is to hit to the left side of the fairway. On your second shot you must play the dogleg right. Avoid the bunkers on the right side of the dogleg to have a short shot into the green.
Hole 24 is another par 5 that requires another accurate tee shot. Tress on the right and OB left require a straight first shot. Your second shot will need to carry a creek and your third shot is into a narrow but wide green with trees surrounding.
Hole 25 offers a respite from the narrow driving of the previous two holes. This is a short 129 yard par 3. The green is an island green but is very large.
Hole 26 comes back to the narrow driving hole variety. The toughest on this nine, it is a 377 yard par 4. Driver is too much off this tee. The best play is a 3 wood down the right side of the fairway. The second shot is a beast into a elevated green tucked back into the woods. A creek is in play 100 yards short of the green. I hit a terrible tee shot that hit a tree and left me too far to reach the green. I opted to lay up and then hit my third shot tight and dropped my putt for an unlikely par.
Hole 27 is a short 468 yard par 5 that is nearly identical to hole 9 here. The key is that your tee shot has a creek in play that requires you not to hit driver. A 3 wood is also potentially too much club. The smart play is a long iron on your first 2 shots. The green has 2 tiers so hitting the right tier on your third shot is key to not having too many putts to finish the hole.
A fun round. I shot an 80. With a 40 on each side.
I had a chance to play here with my dad, wife, and brother-in law a week ago Sunday. We played holes 10-27. The first 18 holes of the course were the first built and are more open and I think easier. The last 9 were added later and are a little bit harder with tighter fairways and more trees to get into trouble with. Holes 1-9 are known as Castle, 10-18 is Hayes and 19-27 is Clunie. Today we played from the white tees.
Hole 10 is a straight par 4 at 381 yards. Avoiding the driving range right and the trees left is the challenge on this hole.
Hole 13 is a 351 yard par 4. Danger comes in on the right side where water is in play. The left has trees to contend with. The safe play here is a long-iron again with a mid-iron approach.
Hole 14 is a short par 5 at 476 yards. The tee shot should be placed to the left side of the fairway. The fairway slopes downhill if you get it out there to add a few more yards. Your second shot needs to clear a grove of trees on the right if you want to try reach the green. The safer play is to lay-up to the left side again, just avoid the pond short of the green.
Hole 15 is the hardest hole on this nine. It is only 396 yards but you likely should not try cut the dogleg left as the trees at the corner are over 270 yards to carry. Playing just right of the bunker on the corner is the best shot.
Hole 22 is a par 3 which is similar to the 12 hole with a massively raised tee box though this hole plays at 185 yards. The area around the green is more open than it can appear from the tee.
Hole 27 is a short 468 yard par 5 that is nearly identical to hole 9 here. The key is that your tee shot has a creek in play that requires you not to hit driver. A 3 wood is also potentially too much club. The smart play is a long iron on your first 2 shots. The green has 2 tiers so hitting the right tier on your third shot is key to not having too many putts to finish the hole.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Golfing The Links at Northfork
Last weekend was terrific weather. It was a stretch of days that makes you remember why living in Minnesota can be so great- that is until the snow flies or the mosquitoes hatch, or the humidity soars. But none of those thoughts were in my head this last weekend. Instead I got to enjoy the weather with a couple of rounds of golf.
On Saturday morning I played the Links at Northfork in Ramsey Minnesota with Mike Vigen and Keith Bridges. The course is a links style course on most holes though a couple of holes turn into some trees. I forgot my camera so no pics this time but I will be playing here again soon.
This course hosts the Girard invitational tournament that I play in every year. It is definitely a challenging course and can be a monster if the wind is up. Today the wind was not too much of an issue though it did impact a couple of shots.
On the first hole, a par 5, I striped a tee shot down the middle over 300 yards. I only had 190 yards to the hole. My second shot hit the green but ran long and was on the back fringe. I ended up chipping too aggressivly and two putted for a par. bummer with how I started.
On the second hole I again hit a great shot and hit a good second with only an 8 foot put for birdie which I made. This was my first round that I have ever been on the negative side for my score.
It wouldn't last.
On the third hole I hot a 3 wood off the tee to play safe and avoid water on the right. My second shot was 150 yards out. I absolutely nuked an 8 iron and ended up being 40 yards to long with my ball flying into the long grass behind the hole. Two strokes later I was out of the long grass. A chip up and two putts earned me a triple bogey.
I ended up triple bogeying three holes on the front nine. Each time was a result of my ball finding the long grass. If you ever play here I would recommend taking a drop rather than trying to play from the long grasses.
All in all, I felt like I played better than my score indicated. I ended up with an ESC score of 89 on a net 92. On top of that I ended up loosing $9 in bets to both Keith and Mike on skins and a new game called "Murphy". This game allows you to call a shot not on the green as a Murphy. Once you call it you have to get up and down. If you make it then your opponents owe you money. If you don't you have to pay both of them.
Better luck next time.
On Saturday morning I played the Links at Northfork in Ramsey Minnesota with Mike Vigen and Keith Bridges. The course is a links style course on most holes though a couple of holes turn into some trees. I forgot my camera so no pics this time but I will be playing here again soon.
This course hosts the Girard invitational tournament that I play in every year. It is definitely a challenging course and can be a monster if the wind is up. Today the wind was not too much of an issue though it did impact a couple of shots.
On the first hole, a par 5, I striped a tee shot down the middle over 300 yards. I only had 190 yards to the hole. My second shot hit the green but ran long and was on the back fringe. I ended up chipping too aggressivly and two putted for a par. bummer with how I started.
On the second hole I again hit a great shot and hit a good second with only an 8 foot put for birdie which I made. This was my first round that I have ever been on the negative side for my score.
It wouldn't last.
On the third hole I hot a 3 wood off the tee to play safe and avoid water on the right. My second shot was 150 yards out. I absolutely nuked an 8 iron and ended up being 40 yards to long with my ball flying into the long grass behind the hole. Two strokes later I was out of the long grass. A chip up and two putts earned me a triple bogey.
I ended up triple bogeying three holes on the front nine. Each time was a result of my ball finding the long grass. If you ever play here I would recommend taking a drop rather than trying to play from the long grasses.
All in all, I felt like I played better than my score indicated. I ended up with an ESC score of 89 on a net 92. On top of that I ended up loosing $9 in bets to both Keith and Mike on skins and a new game called "Murphy". This game allows you to call a shot not on the green as a Murphy. Once you call it you have to get up and down. If you make it then your opponents owe you money. If you don't you have to pay both of them.
Better luck next time.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Columbia Golf League Week 6
This week we played Matt Allen and Tom D'Onofrio. My course handi dropped down to a 5 this week after the solid rounds I have been playing. Mike and I were in first place with a 3 point cushion going into this week.
We played the front nine this week. On the first hole I hit a great drive pulled my second shot across the green and had a long put to a front right pin. I ended up bogeying and we lost the hole when Matt chipped his third shot close and made par. We pushed the next three holes and ended up loosing the first point.
On the second half of the round we pushed on hole 5 and then won hole 6 when Mike hit a 3 wood onto the green and 2 putted for par. He was getting 2 strokes on that hole and netted an eagle.
On hole 6, the short 480 par 5 all of us missed the fairway off the tee. I was in the trees and needed two shots to get out enough to be able to advance the ball towards the green. Mike hit into the water off the tee. Tom hit 3 into the water and conceded his hole. Matt was down the middle but flubbed a couple of approach shots. in short, we all made a mess of the hole. Matt and I both shot 7s and Mike shot an 8. Matt received a stroke, and thus took the hole.
So here we are tied on the second half and down for the match. We needed to win the last two holes in order to get any points for the week.
I hit a weak fade on the par 3 8th that ended up off the green to the left. The pin was far right. Mike hit his tee shot right on line and hit the flag stick on the first bounce! He had about a ten foot shot that he drained for his first birdie of the year, a net ace! Neither Matt or Tom were able to save par and we took the hole.
So one hole to play and we still had to win it. I hit a 3 wood off the tee that ran through the fairway into the rough. Mike also just missed the fairway left. Tom hit a nice drive right down the middle and Matt went right into the trees. Chances we looking OK for us since Matt was likely not going to have a shot at the green. Both Mike and I were in between clubs on our second shots and both ended up short of the green on a front left pin placement. Tom also hit just short of the green on his shot.
I had a shot that had to clear the left green side bunker and had the slope on the backside of the bunker to take into account. I hit a perfect shot, just the way I wanted to, and wouldn't you know it, it rolls off the hill and right into the cup for another birdie!
Tom ended up chipping close and one putting for his par so the birdie saved the second half points for us.
We ended up splitting the total points at 2.5 for each team.
Matt and Tom were tough to play against, they each played really well when the other was struggling and that helped them stay in the round. Mike shot a 44 and I had a 42. Both Tom and Matt recorded 48s, though each of them had a high score in there rounds (9 and 10). While I felt like I played really poorly my score was not too bad. Getting those 2 birdies to end the day helped to forget some of the crappy shots.
We played the front nine this week. On the first hole I hit a great drive pulled my second shot across the green and had a long put to a front right pin. I ended up bogeying and we lost the hole when Matt chipped his third shot close and made par. We pushed the next three holes and ended up loosing the first point.
On the second half of the round we pushed on hole 5 and then won hole 6 when Mike hit a 3 wood onto the green and 2 putted for par. He was getting 2 strokes on that hole and netted an eagle.
On hole 6, the short 480 par 5 all of us missed the fairway off the tee. I was in the trees and needed two shots to get out enough to be able to advance the ball towards the green. Mike hit into the water off the tee. Tom hit 3 into the water and conceded his hole. Matt was down the middle but flubbed a couple of approach shots. in short, we all made a mess of the hole. Matt and I both shot 7s and Mike shot an 8. Matt received a stroke, and thus took the hole.
So here we are tied on the second half and down for the match. We needed to win the last two holes in order to get any points for the week.
I hit a weak fade on the par 3 8th that ended up off the green to the left. The pin was far right. Mike hit his tee shot right on line and hit the flag stick on the first bounce! He had about a ten foot shot that he drained for his first birdie of the year, a net ace! Neither Matt or Tom were able to save par and we took the hole.
So one hole to play and we still had to win it. I hit a 3 wood off the tee that ran through the fairway into the rough. Mike also just missed the fairway left. Tom hit a nice drive right down the middle and Matt went right into the trees. Chances we looking OK for us since Matt was likely not going to have a shot at the green. Both Mike and I were in between clubs on our second shots and both ended up short of the green on a front left pin placement. Tom also hit just short of the green on his shot.
I had a shot that had to clear the left green side bunker and had the slope on the backside of the bunker to take into account. I hit a perfect shot, just the way I wanted to, and wouldn't you know it, it rolls off the hill and right into the cup for another birdie!
Tom ended up chipping close and one putting for his par so the birdie saved the second half points for us.
We ended up splitting the total points at 2.5 for each team.
Matt and Tom were tough to play against, they each played really well when the other was struggling and that helped them stay in the round. Mike shot a 44 and I had a 42. Both Tom and Matt recorded 48s, though each of them had a high score in there rounds (9 and 10). While I felt like I played really poorly my score was not too bad. Getting those 2 birdies to end the day helped to forget some of the crappy shots.
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