STUDque Plays the Southern Maryland Amateur

[STUDque]

Went to the range after work today. Spent a fair bit of time working on irons on/off the tee. 4 irons was troublesome but the rest of the bag was just a little off so there's progress on yesterday. Wedge game was much better.

As I was finishing up, it started to sprinkle. I hadn't seen rain in the forecast so I kept hitting. Then suddenly WOOOOOSSHHHH immediate downpour. I hit my last 5 balls and walked to the car. Not only was the rain strong, there was little bits of hail mixed in that was pelting my face walking to the car. Had to cover my face to make it. Legitimately looked like I took a shower with my clothes on.

Oh what we do for this game. I wanted to putt too but I guess I'll work on that tomorrow. 

[Shankster]

Just prepping like Rick.

[STUDque]

All my stuff is still soaked. I wasn't kidding when I said it was a torrential downpour. My garage has golf stuff scattered all over in an attempt to dry stuff out. Wet or dry, I've gotta pack it all up for tomorrow as I'm fortunate enough to join @jb0330 for a charity scramble. As luck would have it, I get to play the same course I'll be playing for this tournament. What better practice round than a scramble???

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Course Preview

Course: Breton Bay Golf and Country Club

Length: 6659 yards from the Blue Tees

Fairways: Bermuda

Greens: Bent Grass

 

Hole by hole strategy is therapeutic for me to plot my rounds but I hope you find it interesting as well. One thing is for sure, the course will be in immaculate shape with smooth, fast greens, lush rough, manicured bunkers, and fancy cups they only bust out for this occasion. 

In my markups, I'm considering yellow areas to avoid, blue areas of interest, and the yardages aimed at the landing spots. Without further ado....

Nothing about hole 1 should be challenging but it always is. An elevated tee increases any miss and there's trouble on both sides with hazard left and driving range right. I usually aim at the tree marked by a blue arrow with hopes it'll drift back into the fairway. Over the bunker in the rough is a safe miss. 

The approach is usually me getting out of trouble but you can attack any pin from the fairway. 

 

Most tee shots will be safe but the further left you can go, the better the angle. Hole 2 is always defined by your approach. OB left and long surrounding an elevated green makes the approach a risky proposition. The longer the drive, the safer you'll be with height on the second shot. 

 

I always figure Hole 3 would be one of those that would get turned into a par 4 if the pros played it. The Arccos tee box is wrong so the carry over the bunker is actually about 250. From there, you can approach the green with an iron if far enough right. If things are really sideways, there's a bail out in the adjacent fairway that still gives a clear shot to the green if you can elevate. Pin position could affect the approach by as many as 3 clubs. OB long is a big consideration. The green is massive front to back but narrow left to right. Big slope from back to front can leave some dicey putts if you're in the wrong section. If played smartly, definite birdie opportunity. 

 

I'm not a big fan of Hole 4. OB lines the entire right side of the fairway. My ball flight with driver just does. not. draw. but I can hit a nice one with my 3 wood to clear the corner. The approach varies from easy to difficult depending on pin location. I'm sure it'll be tucked behind the bunker at least once and in the back once. It's hard to get it all the way back there. 

 

Hole 5 brings the first par 3. There's a nice little fountain feature in the pond for asthetics. Standing on the tee, the only part of the green that can be seen is the front as that bunker is raised to gobble up shots. The right bunker is difficult to get out of but most other areas around the green are manageable with the prime bail out spot being right in front of the green. 

 

Take as much risk as your stomach can handle on Hole 6. OB lines the fairway on both sides. A well struck hybrid or 3W will settle you atop the plateau with a nice angle in. Cut the corner with driver and you're looking at a pitch shot with an awkward angle. There's a small valley between the white lines. The green has 2 distinct and flat tiers with a small transition swale in the middle. 

Hole 7 begins a climb up to the clubhouse and is uphill the entire way. A high fade with the driver will pop over the tall corner trees but beware running through as a penalty area in the form of a creek runs along the tree line to the left of the fairway. The green can be reached in 2 from the fairway but a nice 100y layup can be found in the pocket within the blue circle. Most approaches require height to get closer to the hole. Long is safe however. 

 

Not only is Hole 8 long, but the air is dead in here as trees line from all edges (including behind the green not pictured). The tee is elevated but not enough to make a difference. I'll need a well struck 4 iron to get there. If I make par on this hole, I'm sprinting to the next tee. 

 

Hole 9 climbs back up to the clubhouse. Driver is ok to pull here because I can keep it clear of the pond to the right and don't have to worry about it running into the trees due to how sloped upward the fairway is. Missing left is in jail with a heavy tree line. No approach locations are able to see the green and it's really easy to come up short. Plan to club up here. 

 

Thus concludes the front 9 handshake. Stay tuned for the back 9 where mental fortitude is tested. 

[STUDque]

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Course Preview Continued - Back 9

The tee shot at Hole 10 is one of the easiest on the course.  The fairway slopes away from you beginning at the blue line so any ball that carries 200 will roll out to the end of the fairway at 233 leaving a nice 9 or PW into the green.  Like hole 3, the green is very narrow but long.  The back tier is flat but the entire front half of the green slopes towards you leaving some very difficult putts if the pin is cut in the center of the green.

 

The tee at Hole 11 overlooks a small valley leading up to the green.  The entire right half of the green is visible from the tee but the left is not.  The green is fairly flat but speed can be difficult to manage on longer putts.  Bailing into the fairway leading up to the green is not particularly ideal because you'll be able to see none of the green and maybe not even the pin due to the upward slope.  Long is a better play as long as the trees are avoided.

 

Hole 12 comes back at the clubhouse and is often into the wind.  A strong drive to the top of the plateau is ideal.  Do not miss right.  Not only is there significant, penalty-inducing fescue to the right, but the angles to the green are non-existant.  Left is the play.  Even if you miss way left to the adjacent fairway, you've got a good look into the green.  Allthough the back, right pin location may seem like the most difficult, the green is very flat back there.  If the pin is located in the front, it's difficult to hold the green with any amount of spin.  Almost all greenside shots for this hole require a risky flop.

 

Driving up to the course, Hole 13 is the first hole you'll see as it runs along the road heading in.  It's a beautiful first exposure but takes quite a while to reach.  The corner can be cut but a line of trees near the tee box brings risk of a Dikembe Mutumbo SWAT if too low or too left.  OB wide right is definitely in play if the wipey fade shows up so a narrow window must be executed.  The bunker is not in play unless I pull 3 wood.  Most drives will have a good look at the green if kept in fairway or 1st cut of rough.

 

Hole 14 will get you if you 1) haven't played here before or 2) can't see the aerial view.  Standing on the tee, you can't see the fact that the fairway is split by a pond/marsh and a "good" drive can be gobbled up by penalty area.  It's an interesting visual that it looks like one continuous fairway. In the picture, the blue box notes the fairway sloping down before it flattens out at the end.  A tee shot to the top of the plateau gives the best chance to reach in two but brings the bunker and trees in play.  236 is a difficult yardage for me because 3w is really too long and a hybrid needs to be crushed.  Any second shot that reaches the 2nd fairway leaves a reasonable approach to the green.  I never play this hole well in casual rounds but somehow birdied it twice last time I played the tournament thanks to some beautiful wedge shots after layups.

 

Hole 15 is the shortest par 3 on the course and makes you think you're going to hit a hole in 1 standing on the tee.  Every pin position can be seen and feels attackable. However, if you miss the green, all sides leave difficult chips as the heavy tree cover hurts grass growth and can lead to some wonky lies amongst the acorns.  

 

I've documented Hole 16 in @GolfSpy MPR thread (CLICK HERE).  It is, the hardest hole on the course and possibly the hardest hole in the tricounty area.  I don't like talking about it anymore than I have to so read that write-up if you'd like to see more.  Let's just say that no good round is safe without surviving this one.  I used to carry a 2 iron for this tee shot alone but sadly bent the hosel so it's got negative loft now and can't be used.  I'm still heavily debating between a hybrid or 3wood because I'll either have a long 2nd, or risk running through the fairway into penalty.

 

GERONIMOOOOOOO.  After you cross the water to a plateau above the tee, Hole 17 drops wayyyyyy down to the green.  With firm and fast fairways, there's a real possibility of driving the green.  Unfortunately, the hill continues all the way to the entry of the green so almost all approaches will be off of a downhill lie.  I really suck at those and often times prefer to be in the rough for a little leeway.  I took a 17 on this hole the last time I played this tournament (CLICK HERE) but I attribute that more to a mental lapse than anything.

 

Hole 18 is the perfect finishing hole. 2 Great shots are rewarded, but at least 1 great shot is required to make par.  The entire hole climbs up to the clubhouse but much steeper than 7 or 9.  Off the tee, there's a perfect pocket just over the bunker that leaves an angle to all parts of the elevated green.  Too far left or right and you're blocked out by trees looking to lay up to the blue circle.  This green is the most severe on the course and really the only one that has similar characteristics to the putting green with big breaks on most putts.  Approaches beyond the green are death as the hill slopes upwards steeper than a stairway leading to the scorers and beer tent.  There will be many spectators on this hole throughout the weekend and the tournament is usually decided here.  

 

 

Thanks for reading along my course preview.  Overall, the course has a lot of hazards and, more importantly, OB in play.  It's very challenging but rewarding if played correctly.  I see it as the most suited to tournament golf in the area from the facilities to the course.  Length off the tee will be important but accuracy with the irons trump that.  Eliminating dropped shots and three putts are my prime objective....keep. the ball. in play.  The greens will be very fast but most putts will be straight with subtle breaks....speed control is the key. 

Feel free to share any strategy ideas you may have as I'm open to suggestion.  Other pieces I have in mind for this thread are a WITB and the ever-important outfit scripting  Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to see.

[MattF]

50 minutes ago, GolfSpy STUDque said:

Feel free to share any strategy ideas you may have as I'm open to suggestion.

Here's mine: Don't screw it up. 

[THEZIPR23]

Arccos is a wonderful tool and your preparation is admirable.

It appears that it is a tight course (but tough to tell on pics) one thing I do is use google earth to measure distance width wise from trouble to trouble in landing areas (via Decade advice). If nothing else it helps my confidence off tee, because I too struggle to release the big dog in a tourney. I will then write down what club I will use for every drive. Helps me reinforce the decision.

On approach shots 90% of the time I will aim for center of green. This is hard to stick to but really helps scoring. 

Pick a target, commit to it and swing aggressively. 

[Reesedw]

Stud.. my only advice is not to over think every thing.. don't start 2nd guessing yourself.. go play YOUR round and have fun..

Sent from my SM-G900V using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[downlowkey]

16 hours ago, GolfSpy STUDque said:

Hole by hole strategy is therapeutic for me to plot my rounds but I hope you find it interesting as well.

I too draw catharsis from plotting out an overall tourney game plan. I'll also play out the round (as intended) from tee-to-green, several times in my head.

My advice: choose small targets and be decisive (waffling is the greatest enemy of tournament golf)

And FWIW - #7 and #17 both look like irons off the tee to me.

[STUDque]

17 hours ago, downlowkey said:

I too draw catharsis from plotting out an overall tourney game plan. I'll also play out the round (as intended) from tee-to-green, several times in my head.

My advice: choose small targets and be decisive (waffling is the greatest enemy of tournament golf)

And FWIW - #7 and #17 both look like irons off the tee to me.

You know, I had never thought about hitting iron off 17. Given the down-slope for a 2nd shot, I just may do that to sit on even ground. I've played short off 7 before and may do it in the tournament too...depends on how I'm swinging driver. Great tips, thanks!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We finished the charity scramble yesterday after a lengthy rain delay. Just for fun, I hooked up Arccos to see how crazy the stats can look with a group. There wasn't much extra in play besides 1 kick, 1 throw, and 4 mulligans per team. We left a few shots out there as none of the mulligans paid off but what can ya do. T3 and missed a prize due to tiebreakers. 

 

Really cool to see insane stats in Arccos though . All the years I've been here, first time I've played a scramble on this course. My personal swing was off just enough that I was very inconsistent.  Only used 6 of my full swings and I had a few more that were basically the same result as what we used but were not better. Other than that, lots of solid contact, wipey fades. Need to spend some time working on staying inside the ball. 

[STUDque]

19 hours ago, THEZIPR23 said:

Arccos is a wonderful tool and your preparation is admirable.

It appears that it is a tight course (but tough to tell on pics) one thing I do is use google earth to measure distance width wise from trouble to trouble in landing areas (via Decade advice). If nothing else it helps my confidence off tee, because I too struggle to release the big dog in a tourney. I will then write down what club I will use for every drive. Helps me reinforce the decision.

On approach shots 90% of the time I will aim for center of green. This is hard to stick to but really helps scoring. 

Pick a target, commit to it and swing aggressively. 

Tight in some places, wide in others. Most shots require a specific purpose and distance. I'm going to take your advice and write down my clubs by tee shot. For now, this is my plan for round 1:

1. Driver
2. Driver
3. Driver
4. 3w
5. 5/6/7 iron depending on pin
6. Hybrid
7. Driver (for round 1)
8. 4 iron
9. Driver
10. 5 iron
11. 5/6 iron depending on pin
12. Driver
13. Driver
14. Hybrid
15. 8/9 iron depending on pin
16. Uhhhhh. Hybrid and pray 
17. 4 iron (you're on the hook @downlowkey )
18. Driver

 

18 hours ago, Reesedw said:

Stud.. my only advice is not to over think every thing.. don't start 2nd guessing yourself.. go play YOUR round and have fun..

Sent from my SM-G900V using MyGolfSpy mobile app

 

I absolutely am. This whole thread is an exercise in overthinking I'm doing it for the content

[fixyurdivot]

On 6/2/2019 at 9:08 PM, GolfSpy STUDque said:

Testing the G410 Plus has inspired me to pull the big dog every chance I get and the results have been showing.

That's awesome!  Those stats are looking really good, your distances should keep you very competitive. We'll all be following along and rooting for a win.   

[PING Apologist #9]

On ‎06‎/‎06‎/‎2019 at 7:44 PM, GolfSpy STUDque said:

All my stuff is still soaked. I wasn't kidding when I said it was a torrential downpour. My garage has golf stuff scattered all over in an attempt to dry stuff out. Wet or dry, I've gotta pack it all up for tomorrow as I'm fortunate enough to join @jb0330 for a charity scramble. As luck would have it, I get to play the same course I'll be playing for this tournament. What better practice round than a scramble???

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Course Preview

Course: Breton Bay Golf and Country Club

Length: 6659 yards from the Blue Tees

Fairways: Bermuda

Greens: Bent Grass

 

Hole by hole strategy is therapeutic for me to plot my rounds but I hope you find it interesting as well. One thing is for sure, the course will be in immaculate shape with smooth, fast greens, lush rough, manicured bunkers, and fancy cups they only bust out for this occasion. 

In my markups, I'm considering yellow areas to avoid, blue areas of interest, and the yardages aimed at the landing spots. Without further ado....

Nothing about hole 1 should be challenging but it always is. An elevated tee increases any miss and there's trouble on both sides with hazard left and driving range right. I usually aim at the tree marked by a blue arrow with hopes it'll drift back into the fairway. Over the bunker in the rough is a safe miss. 

The approach is usually me getting out of trouble but you can attack any pin from the fairway. 

 

Most tee shots will be safe but the further left you can go, the better the angle. Hole 2 is always defined by your approach. OB left and long surrounding an elevated green makes the approach a risky proposition. The longer the drive, the safer you'll be with height on the second shot. 

 

I always figure Hole 3 would be one of those that would get turned into a par 4 if the pros played it. The Arccos tee box is wrong so the carry over the bunker is actually about 250. From there, you can approach the green with an iron if far enough right. If things are really sideways, there's a bail out in the adjacent fairway that still gives a clear shot to the green if you can elevate. Pin position could affect the approach by as many as 3 clubs. OB long is a big consideration. The green is massive front to back but narrow left to right. Big slope from back to front can leave some dicey putts if you're in the wrong section. If played smartly, definite birdie opportunity. 

 

I'm not a big fan of Hole 4. OB lines the entire right side of the fairway. My ball flight with driver just does. not. draw. but I can hit a nice one with my 3 wood to clear the corner. The approach varies from easy to difficult depending on pin location. I'm sure it'll be tucked behind the bunker at least once and in the back once. It's hard to get it all the way back there. 

 

Hole 5 brings the first par 3. There's a nice little fountain feature in the pond for asthetics. Standing on the tee, the only part of the green that can be seen is the front as that bunker is raised to gobble up shots. The right bunker is difficult to get out of but most other areas around the green are manageable with the prime bail out spot being right in front of the green. 

 

Take as much risk as your stomach can handle on Hole 6. OB lines the fairway on both sides. A well struck hybrid or 3W will settle you atop the plateau with a nice angle in. Cut the corner with driver and you're looking at a pitch shot with an awkward angle. There's a small valley between the white lines. The green has 2 distinct and flat tiers with a small transition swale in the middle. 

Hole 7 begins a climb up to the clubhouse and is uphill the entire way. A high fade with the driver will pop over the tall corner trees but beware running through as a penalty area in the form of a creek runs along the tree line to the left of the fairway. The green can be reached in 2 from the fairway but a nice 100y layup can be found in the pocket within the blue circle. Most approaches require height to get closer to the hole. Long is safe however. 

 

Not only is Hole 8 long, but the air is dead in here as trees line from all edges (including behind the green not pictured). The tee is elevated but not enough to make a difference. I'll need a well struck 4 iron to get there. If I make par on this hole, I'm sprinting to the next tee. 

 

Hole 9 climbs back up to the clubhouse. Driver is ok to pull here because I can keep it clear of the pond to the right and don't have to worry about it running into the trees due to how sloped upward the fairway is. Missing left is in jail with a heavy tree line. No approach locations are able to see the green and it's really easy to come up short. Plan to club up here. 

 

Thus concludes the front 9 handshake. Stay tuned for the back 9 where mental fortitude is tested. 

I absolutely loved this! Nice work Stud!!!!

[Rickp]

You seem to have this figured out. Stay to your plan & game, relax, have fun and kick butt.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[STUDque]

Player field is up to 98 now. Interested to see how fast it jumps as we get closer. 

 

Continued practice....

Been struggling with a wipey fade lately so I took some time on the range yesterday. You know, one of those good sessions where you take a bit of time between each shot to work on form and alignment. I got it headed straighter than before but still a bit more fade than I'd prefer.

When I got to my in laws, I still had the itch to work on it so I made some adjustments to my woods by dialing the driver down to 9* (from 10.5*) and putting the FW/hybrid into same loft but draw setting. Took those clubs and fired about a dozen shag balls into the woods across a cornfield. THAT was what I'm looking for. Stinging and explosive shots that hit my target. Hope that keeps. 

On travel next week so I probably won't get to play but there's a Top Golf close-ish that I may post up as my dinner spot for a night or two. I miss getting to practice there for good shooting-at-green practice that you don't really get at the range. 

[tommc23]

Good luck buddy

[fozcycle]

You’ve already over thunk it.....(is that s word?) just relax and breathe.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[STUDque]

7 hours ago, fozcycle said:

You’ve already over thunk it.....(is that s word?) just relax and breathe.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Yes yes, I know. I'm overthinking it now so I don't have to overthink when then tourney starts. The crowd noise in my head will settle when the proverbial curtain rises. 

[Rickp]

You’ve already over thunk it.....(is that s word?) just relax and breathe.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

It’s an over 60 years old approved word.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[THEZIPR23]

5 hours ago, GolfSpy STUDque said:

Yes yes, I know. I'm overthinking it now so I don't have to overthink when then tourney starts. The crowd noise in my head will settle when the proverbial curtain rises. 

I always struggle picking the right voice in my head to listen to. 

[MaxEntropy]

8 hours ago, GolfSpy STUDque said:

Yes yes, I know. I'm overthinking it now so I don't have to overthink when then tourney starts. The crowd noise in my head will settle when the proverbial curtain rises. 

Just curious, is this process at all similar to how you prepared for a big baseball game? If so, I'd think you'll be fine. Do what you are comfortable with. 

[Rickp]

Just curious, is this process at all similar to how you prepared for a big baseball game? If so, I'd think you'll be fine. Do what you are comfortable with. 

Great point.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[STUDque]

2 hours ago, MaxEntropy said:

Just curious, is this process at all similar to how you prepared for a big baseball game? If so, I'd think you'll be fine. Do what you are comfortable with. 

That's an excellent analogy. I hadn't thought of it that way but you're absolutely right. The cycle was much shorter than this but I definitely see parallel. 

In my baseball days, I definitely poured a lot of energy into research and the mental side. I'd gather as much info as I could on the town, campus, field, fences, weather, other team, tendencies, you name it.

In addition to the research, I had an internal routine too ranging from baseball-specific prep all the way down to the length of my fingernails. 

 

To some extent, I do this for all rounds on a new/rarely played course. Unfortunately, time isn't on my side to play/practice as much as I'd hope so I'm trying to pour extra effort into the mental side to control what I can. 

[STUDque]

Field is up to 144; ever growing. Deadline to enter is Friday then we'll get our pairings, tee times, flights, and special rules on Sunday. Getting closer to crunch time!!

I used Top Golf as my dinner spot the last 2 evenings to work on my fatigued game and to continue working the wipey fade out of my swing. Both objectives complete. I felt a little stiff at first tonight but started swinging on all cylinders pretty shortly into it. Even posted the top score of the night:

I'll have to retrain myself to hit off grass next time out but this was a productive 2 days. Starting to feel really good about my swing heading into the final week before showtime. 

[Shankster]

I am going to try and show up to be a cheerleader for you. I’ll be on the 9th green at 9.

[perseveringgolfer]

1 hour ago, Shankster said:

I am going to try and show up to be a cheerleader for you. I’ll be on the 9th green at 9.

if you do, please don't wear the outfit    

[Shankster]

if you do, please don't wear the outfit    

No problem there. I’d scare everyone away with my pasty white, darn near clear legs... yikes.

[Rickp]

No problem there. I’d scare everyone away with my pasty white, darn near clear legs... yikes.

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[STUDque]

4 hours ago, Shankster said:

 

No problem there. I’d scare everyone away with my pasty white, darn near clear legs... yikes.

 

They've gotta get sun somehow! 9th green at 9, see you there. 

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

On the prep front, I got an opportunity to play the back 9 of the course I can see from my hotel window.... Only a 20 minute drive in this traffic

 

If we're talking about playing my game, this was definitely it. Lots of good shots mixed in with bad too. I hit a couple hundred shots the past few days but not a single putt and it showed. I probably won't get a chance to play next week but I'll darn sure make time for putting. Here's the Arccos recap:

 

And a nice shot looking down the home stretch. The final 3 holes head straight to The Washington Monument:

[GeekingGolf]

Good luck man love this

Sent from my SM-G960U using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[Shankster]

Ok... just remember. You asked for it.

I won’t be hard to miss.