Course: Wekiva Golf Club, Longwood, FL, USA Par: 72 Tee Box: White - 6,427 yards Course Rating: 71.5 Slope Rating: 129
Date: 26 September 2020 Tee Time: 2pm Condition: Mostly sunny Heat index: 40ºC (105ºF)
It’s been a long while since I played any golf, with the last full round of 18 holes being back in March. But at last, in recent weeks, I started picking it back up and going back to the range as well as walking the short par-33 back 9 at a local club after work. This past weekend was my first full round of 18 holes back after a 6-month hiatus.
I hadn’t hit my driver in months and that club had always given me much anxiety: mostly due to my own lack of confidence. And with the course being a par-72 at a little bit over 6,400 yards, using my driver was all but inevitable. Before the round, I just warmed up quickly with my 56-degree, 7 iron, and the driver, which actually felt pretty good.
Hole #1 - Par 4 - 384 yards
The round was off to a good start with a drive perfectly down the middle of the fairway, maybe around 250 yards from the tee. I got on the green in 2 but three-putted for a bogey 5.
Current Score: +1
Hole #2 - Par 4 - 341 yards
Second hole saw another great drive down to about 70 yards, which I then overshot the hole by 20+ yards. Luckily, I was able to save par with an up-and-down.
Current Score: +1
Hole #3 - Par 5 - 500 yards
This was when things started to go downhill. The tee shot hooked into a bush and after an embarrassing lay-up flub, I was chipping my 5th shot from front-left of the green then two-putted for a double bogey 7.
Current Score: +3
Hole #4 - Par 3 - 169 yards
This par-3 saw me pulled way left of the green with a 6 iron. A noncommittal chip trying to avoid a tree branch put myself in a bunker which followed by a pretty decent shot out to about 5 feet. I then missed the putt and walked off with a double bogey 5.
Current Score: +5
Hole #5 - Par 4 - 369 yards
Now I got the pull bug in my head and ended up pushing the drive way out of bounds into a nearby neighborhood. I eventually got on the green in 4 but proceeded to three-putt for a triple bogey 7.
I just played the last 3 holes 7 over par. But I didn’t really have any expectation anyway and didn’t really care all that much.
Current Score: +8
Hole #6 - Par 3 - 142 yards
An easy GIR with a 9 iron followed by a two-putt par.
Current Score: +8
Hole #7 - Par 4 - 367 yards
A fairway hit, another GIR, and a two-putt par.
Current Score: +8
Hole #8 - Par 4 - 410 yards
Another fairway hit. I missed my approach shot just short of the green but managed another up-and-down for par.
Current Score: +8
Hole #9 - Par 5 - 480 yards
A fairway hit, green in 3, and a two-putt par.
Current Score: +8
Hole #10 - Par 5 - 529 yards
I pulled my driver left of the fairway again but a good lay-up got me on the green in 3 and two-putted for par.
Current Score: +8
Hole #11 - Par 4 - 409 yards
This hole saw a great drive to around the 150-yard marker with the pin tucked behind a front-left bunker. A soft 8-iron shot nicely drew from right edge of the green down to about 6 feet above the hole. That approach was the shot of the day for me. I sank that putt for the first birdie of the day.
Current Score: +7
Hole #12 - Par 3 - 178 yards
Coming up on this hole, I was feeling pretty good with my game, realizing that I just played the last 6 holes at 1 under par. This quickly resulted in a thinned 5-iron hooking 30-yard left of the pin. I managed to chip over a bunker on to the green but three-putted for a double bogey 5.
Note-to-self (for the hundredth time): Stop thinking about the score, especially when you’re doing well and feeling in the zone, because you almost always ended up messing it up right after.
Current Score: +9
Hole #13 - Par 4 - 374 yards
Hit another solid drive to about 100 yards, my favorite approach distance. A well-practiced 56-degree shot put myself about 15 feet short of the hole. I missed the birdie putt and walked away with a par.
Current Score: +9
Hole #14 - Par 4 - 432 yards
I again pulled my driver into the rough and had to hit the second shot around a tree with my 4 iron. Chipped on to the green and missed an 8-foot par putt for a bogey.
Current Score: +10
Hole #15 - Par 5 - 488 yards
Attempting to avoid the chronic hooking, I pushed my tee shot to the right edge of the fairway. It was a par-5 so I was able to lay up, got on the green in 3, and two-putted for par.
Current Score: +10
Hole #16 - Par 4 - 320 yards
My tee shot yet again pushed right into the rough but luckily I had a shot at the green with about 100 yards left. Put that on the fringe and walked away with a two-putt par.
Current Score: +10
Hole #17 - Par 3 - 145 yards
This was a par-3 over water with a deep bunker front of the green. Put my 9-iron tee shot left of the green and chipped on with a two-putt for bogey 4.
Current Score: +11
Hole #18 - Par 4 - 390 yards
On this last hole, I piped it straight down the fairway with about 130 yards left. A PW shot put that on the green about 20 feet short of the hole. I then unexpectedly drained that uphill putt for a birdie to end a solid back 9 at +2.
Round Summary
In total I hit 44 out and 38 in for a ten-over 82. For the first round of 18 after a long break and almost no practice sessions, I am quite pleased with the result.
Fairways hit: 8 of 14 (57%) Greens in regulation: 10 of 18 (56%) Up-and-downs: 2 of 6 (33%) Putts: 35 Three-putts: 3
Some Takeaways
- My irons and approaches felt pretty good without any catastrophic miss-hits, except on the two par-3s which costed me 4 strokes.
- My putting did save me quite a few stokes. On those holes that I parred, there were several 4-5 feet knee-shakers as well as a couple of 6-8 feet ones.
- The driver definitely needs work to straighten out these push/pull inconsistency.
- Mentally, I need to stop worrying about the score and just relax and focus on one hole at a time.