SEASON 2 - WEEK 20 MGS Forum Member Weekly Virtual Championship Tour (VCT)

[EasyPutter]

Date	08/18/2023
Course Name	Elma Meadows Golf Course
Gross Score	98
Course Handicap	25
Gross Strokes over/under par	28
Net Score to Par	3
Net Score	73
Net Birdies or better	4
Longest Drive	172

Overcast and chilly at 62*F with a stiff breeze blowing.  Finished with 2 pars, just need more next round.

[PMookie]

Date	08/18/2023
Course Name	Frenchman’s Bend Cc
Gross Score	84
Course Handicap	5
Gross Strokes over/under par	12
Net Score to Par	7
Net Score	79
Net Birdies or better	3
Longest Drive	355

33% of fairways and just 22% of greens. I suck pretty badly right now. 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Forest hills
Gross Score	100
Course Handicap	21
Gross Strokes over/under par	28
Net Score to Par	7
Net Score	79
Net Birdies or better	6
Longest Drive	293

Rough second nine. Got in my head too much. This game is so fickle. 

[Pingzingny]

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Kelly Greens Golf and Country Club
Gross Score	72
Course Handicap	6
Gross Strokes over/under par	0
Net Score to Par	-6
Net Score	66
Net Birdies or better	8
Longest Drive	260

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Hillside Golf Course
Gross Score	77
Course Handicap	0
Gross Strokes over/under par	5
Net Score to Par	5
Net Score	77
Net Birdies or better	2
Longest Drive	335

Today could have been soooo good. 4 putts hung on the edge and 3 more lipped out. Also had a chunked wedge that cost me a bogey.  

[Mikedb26]

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Sandridge Golf Club DUNES Course
Gross Score	76
Course Handicap	2
Gross Strokes over/under par	4
Net Score to Par	2
Net Score	74
Net Birdies or better	3
Longest Drive	0

[Javs]

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Sun City Golf Club Legacy Hills
Gross Score	69
Course Handicap	0
Gross Strokes over/under par	-3
Net Score to Par	-3
Net Score	69
Net Birdies or better	5
Longest Drive	309

Started the round with three straight birdies and then cooled off. Five drives over 309 yards and some great shots. Two mental errors caused bogeys. Two other over cooked second shots took away birdie on par 5’s. Overall in the Texas heat in the afternoon it was a good round!

[Bucky CC]

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Western Lakes GC
Gross Score	78
Course Handicap	4
Gross Strokes over/under par	6
Net Score to Par	2
Net Score	74
Net Birdies or better	5
Longest Drive	303

[MC3157]

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Plantation G & CC Bobcat course
Gross Score	92
Course Handicap	13
Gross Strokes over/under par	20
Net Score to Par	7
Net Score	79
Net Birdies or better	2
Longest Drive	242

Not a good day with my iron play!

[RoverRick]

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Sulphur Springs Country Club
Gross Score	87
Course Handicap	10
Gross Strokes over/under par	15
Net Score to Par	5
Net Score	77
Net Birdies or better	2
Longest Drive	260

Nothing to see here folks. Move along. 
 

I didn’t do much well today. No penalties, no lost balls. No double bogies. Just 15 bogies. Wait! I did do something well, I took full advantage of the $2.50 Dos XX. 

[buckpillar]

Date	08/16/2023
Course Name	Frosty Valley Golf Links
Gross Score	69
Course Handicap	5
Gross Strokes over/under par	-1
Net Score to Par	-6
Net Score	64
Net Birdies or better	7
Longest Drive	255

Nice little course, played through some rain and a short delay due to a train making its way through the course. 

Very well kept nice atmosphere.

[buckpillar]

3 hours ago, Javs said:

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Sun City Golf Club Legacy Hills
Gross Score	69
Course Handicap	0
Gross Strokes over/under par	-3
Net Score to Par	-3
Net Score	69
Net Birdies or better	5
Longest Drive	309

Started the round with three straight birdies and then cooled off. Five drives over 309 yards and some great shots. Two mental errors caused bogeys. Two other over cooked second shots took away birdie on par 5’s. Overall in the Texas heat in the afternoon it was a good round!

greens look nice, good round

[Javs]

6 minutes ago, buckpillar said:

greens look nice, good round

Thank you! The greens are good on one course as the other two have been punched. 

 

Edited August 20, 2023 by Javs

[CudaKota66]

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Oak Tree Golf Course
Gross Score	89
Course Handicap	16
Gross Strokes over/under par	17
Net Score to Par	1
Net Score	73
Net Birdies or better	8
Longest Drive	264

Beautiful day in Indiana! The golf game....not so beautiful (excluding 2 natural birdies) 

This 'new bride thing' has me not playing enough....golf, that is! 

[TylorJudd]

Date	08/20/2023
Course Name	Nk'Mip Canyon
Gross Score	79
Course Handicap	4
Gross Strokes over/under par	7
Net Score to Par	3
Net Score	75
Net Birdies or better	6
Longest Drive	368

Today the front nine was tough. Took almost 8 holes to warm up, but then things finally started to click. Had a look for eagle 3 times. Unfortunately, BC is covered in thick smoke and it wasn't the most ideal circumstances but I got to play with @LBee which is the best everytime. Winds were really gusty on the front 9, greens were crazy firm, had a PW hit the green and roll almost 70'.... still threw down a 79 and had a few great drives, and a highlight 323 from my 3 wood on #8. Hit the green in 2 on #9 from 265 out, another 3 wood went 310 on #10, a 337yd drive on #14, and a 368 on #16.

[Mike T C]

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Links at Redstone - Patriot Coure
Gross Score	84
Course Handicap	11
Gross Strokes over/under par	12
Net Score to Par	1
Net Score	73
Net Birdies or better	1
Longest Drive	248

40 on the front and 44 on the back for a disappointing finish. However this was my first time using the Arcos sensors and it worked pretty well after a rough 1st hole start where the apple watch app didn't want to work and I had to manually enter the shots on the first hole. Unfortunately, when I was looking at the data post round I accidentally (I have no idea how I did it..) deleted the round activity! Today should be better though I hope...

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Date	08/20/2023
Course Name	Hillside Golf Course
Gross Score	75
Course Handicap	0
Gross Strokes over/under par	3
Net Score to Par	3
Net Score	75
Net Birdies or better	4
Longest Drive	321

[MsWalkrOfSky]

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Rea Park Golf Course
Gross Score	80
Course Handicap	22
Gross Strokes over/under par	8
Net Score to Par	-14
Net Score	58
Net Birdies or better	16
Longest Drive	301

This week has been an adventure, with some of the lowest lows, and the highest highs. I'm writing this partly because I think I need to put my words down on the page and get some emotions out in general, and you all get to share in it if you want. If you want to just hear about my best round ever, skip to the golf section labeled Round of My Life. I'll probably post this somewhere not in this thread as well, but figured I'd might as well include it with this insane round.

My grandpa has been sick for a long time now, and on hospice for a few months. This Thursday, he passed away in the early morning. He and I weren't super close as adults, but as a kid, he was amazing. We had a language barrier (he had a heavy Latvian accent), but I loved the hell out of him and enjoyed being around him. His wife died four years ago now; I think he was definitely ready.

Needless to say, I basically spent Thursday and Friday in a depressive state, not really having motivation to get up and do anything, losing myself into Baldur's Gate 3 and escaping life as hard as I could. I had already agreed to help someone move in to their college dorm on Saturday, so I knew I had to get up and go do something that day. I decided I'd go play a round of 9 at Mark's, and just walk, take my time, and enjoy the outdoors. I technically really needed to get back to my swingspeed training too; I’d let it lapse in light of what had happened. I wanted to stop escaping one way, and dive into golf for a bit instead. 

Golf Section

I played my first 9 abysmally. My coach had had me make 3 swing changes in the last week. All of them were for the better, but sorting them out was rough. First, he said the right words for compression to just make sense for me, and I started compressing the ball properly with my irons. He had me widen my stance for now to try to teach my body to stop swaying while turning. And finally, basically since I've met him, he's had me keep my right elbow tucked in to my side. When I first got with him, I never got my elbow back in on the downswing, while taking it way off plane in the backswing, resulting in a MASSIVE out to in swing, where the only reason I was squaring the face was that I was just coordinated enough to do almost all the heavy lifting in the downswing... most of the time. Okay, some of the time, there's a reason I went for lessons. On this lesson, he told me to go ahead and let the elbow off the side in the backswing, and try to get some height at the top of the backswing.

Needless to say, these three changes combined have drastically changed my club distances, even with stock swings that aren't as hard as I can swing at the ball. My 7 iron is my best ball striking club, as it's the one I tend to use for drills. It was my 135 to 145 club before these changes, with occasional fliers out to 160, but nothing reliable. Now, I'd say it's probably my 160 to 170 club, with one off the tee that went 200 yards (what the actual hell???)!

I spent that first 9 basically trying to figure out how to play golf again. My irons have a strong tendency to pull to the left now that I'm trying to figure out how to fix still (probably just need to wait till my lesson), but it's relatively consistent, and not such a massive pull that it's crazy off line. 

I only ever intended to play 9. But that relaxing first 9 was so nice, such a nice escape, that after eating at the clubhouse, I decided to go ahead and play another 9. That 9 went much better, and now that I actually look at the score, I think it was the best I've shot on the back 9 there. I shot a total of +27, with the first 9 being +18. 

The second 9, my driver got hot. And I mean, FIRE HOT. Hole 16 is a par 4 that you're meant to lay up heavily on; there is a narrow gap in the trees that as a righty, almost requires you to either hit a straight bullet, or a solid draw to get through. Even laying up, I often have difficulty on this hole and getting through the gap. I love to occasionally smash driver to see if I can slip it through the gap, often sailing off into the woods on the right side, or hitting the tree on the top of the hill before the green and seeing the ball again. I didn't GPS the shot at the time, because I just didn't think of it... but here's where my ball ended up on the drive:

 

 

About 270 yards, and I bounced on the right side and ended up over the green. I've managed to hit this green ONCE in all the times I've played this course. I hit a bullet straight there, and was ecstatic. But it could have just been a one time fluke right?

And this I hit this one on 18. I decided, I have to play more today. I've never done 36 holes in a day, and with the driver this hot, I wanted to play the hardest course in the area, the one I'm likely to play the most for the Match Play, Hulman Links. However, when I got there, after hopping in my car and not even taking off my golf shoes, they had an outing that was ongoing. I was super sad, as I really wanted to take a driver that was hitting longer than I've ever hit, while also going basically straight and in play the majority of the time by far, to a course that had eaten dozens of balls from me. Alas, it was not meant to be. So, after hemming and hawing on if I wanted to really push for doing this, I headed to Rea Park, which is basically what I'd consider my home course at this point. I’m not going to lie, the thought, playing 36 holes is a good reason to not do my swing speed training right? Lol. 

With the red tees at 5,219 yards, I'm a bit long for this course, but none of the other tees are rated for women, and I wanted a handicap eligible round that I could potentially go low. And boy, did I manage to do just that.

Round of My Life

I got my cart and hopped on the first tee. It's a 230 Yard Par 4. My stock driver had officially outpaced this hole, so pulled out my trusty 9 wood, hoping to pipe one down the middle and have a little 30 yard chip to the green. Instead, I pulled my 9 wood left (a common theme that day for most of my clubs), and watched it bounce into what looked like the next fairway over. I started looking for it, and it didn't seem to be where I expected at all. I drive a bit further up, and low and behold, I'm 50 yards left of the green, and pin high. Furthest 9 wood I'd ever hit. I butchered my pitch shot from the bad lie and put it over the green. Chipped back and over the green again. Chipped on with a fantastic chip, and tapped in for bogey. I kept my head in the game though and managed to par the next two holes, including getting a tough up and down on the par 3 (which I normally hit a 7 or 8 on, and I believe I hit a 9, which felt so weird, but I was pin high). 

4 there was a foursome in front of me, who politely offered to let me play through. I cranked a drive and it went left. WAY left. I drive over there and start looking for my ball. After a minute or two of not seeing it, I drive back to the fairway where the guys are waiting, and tell them to go ahead and finish the hole, so I don’t hold them up while I look. I didn’t want to feel pressured to just drop a ball and go on, the ball was definitely in play and findable. Sure enough, I found it not even a minute after I drove back over there, way further than I expected. I’d hit my drive 284! My longest drive without wind assistance I’d ever hit! I then butchered the hole for double, but was still happy I found the ball and didn’t blow the hole up entirely.

5 has a water/waste area that requires a 270 yard carry to clear, or you can land in a narrow strip of fairway. The foursome was in the fairway I just vacated, so off I went. I decided to hit driver and go for it; I then of course hit a terrible drive that goes way right. I managed to get a double from there and moved on.

The next two holes I played solid bogey golf, nothing too memorable other than driving pretty close on 6 and then duffing the first chip. I’m trying to chip from 80 yards and in if the ground is clear, which at Rea, it almost always is; I’m not great at judging which club to use and how much power just yet, but I’m getting there.

Hole 8 is an evil par 5. Only 403 yards for me, but the tiny green sits on top of a 12 foot tall mound, and these greens are pretty slick for a muni. I hit a solid drive 266 yards a bit to the right of the fairway, get decently close with my next shot, manage to stick the first chip on, and happily take my two-putt par.

On hole 9 I waited for a minute or two for the woman that appeared in front of me to finish the hole, and cranked out a 270 yard drive with a beautiful baby fade to the left side of the fairway. Got my chip on the green and walked away with my two-putt par happily.

I ended the front 9 at 43, a +7. I was pumped; this tied my best front 9 at Rea that I’d shot the last time I was out. On that round, I fell apart on the back a bit on a few holes, and shot a 53, ending the round having failed to achieve my break 90 objective with a 94.

I’d finished the front 9 in 53 minutes, another record of sorts, and rushed by the clubhouse, eager to dive into the back 9. I waited for a bit for the woman in front of me to get on the green, and hit a massive bomb of a drive, 277 baby fade again, same place as 9. I hit an amazing chip, and sank the birdie putt.

The woman in front of me was waiting at the white tees; there was a foursome in front of her that was making a bit of a hack of things, hitting extra balls, etc. They didn’t offer to let her play through when they were at the tees with her. She asked if I wanted to join her for the back 9, and I accepted, a bit reluctantly. I was in a groove, playing out of my mind, having great mental, having a fantastic time, and part of me wanted to just stick with what was working and not introduce other variables. However, I don’t often get to play with women who aren’t my partner (and by often, other than my sister and mother, I don’t think I’ve gotten to), so I decided to play with her, at least for this hole. In retrospect, this was a fantastic decision; I don’t think I would have believed my own back 9 if I didn’t have a witness!

I hit an okay drive on 11, bit right and in the rough. The lie was good though, and with 250 yards to the hole, I decided to try to keep my irons out of play and hit my 3 wood. That club is either completely awful for me, or fine, and historically, I should just never touch the damn thing. But I was feeling aggressive after the birdie on the last hole, and I was feeling confident from the changes that my swing had undergone. I hit a beautiful shot to about 20 feet short of the green. I then hit a fantastic chip to 2 feet and tapped my birdie in.

I talked to the guys in front of us about playing through, who were still on the tee at the time. I got a, “Oh God, yes, please play through” when I asked; I think it was 1 guy trying to teach golf to his 3 drunk mates, just caught up in their own shenanigans lol. They looked like they were having a great time  

12 was great drive, a good chip, and an annoying three-putt bogey. I followed it up by sticking the edge of the green on the par 3 number 13, and having another annoying three-putt bogey. I was happy though about getting the distance right with my irons on the par 3, so it was with good spirits I went to hole 13. Hole 13 is one of the few holes on the course that has OB that is in play off the tee; I’d blown this hole up the last time I played by shanking it left… the direction I’d gone multiple times with my drive that day. I hit a safe 9 wood straight down the middle, hit another shot just short of the green, and got a nice up and down for par, with a relatively decent length putt. I remember my playing partner, who was a really nice older woman, asking if it was my longest putt of the day, and I couldn’t remember for sure, but it probably was. I really wish I could remember her name; I’m horrible with names, and even repeating it multiple times in my head, forgot it by the end of the first hole we played together; just not enough brain space I guess with golf and the things I’d shoved to the very back of my mind.

Hole 15. Holy %$&^. I had the wind at my back, and I made perfect contact with the ball on my drive with all the power I had. The hole is 281 to the center, 298 to the back. It looked like it was going a bit left to my eyes, but I didn’t see it come down. My playing partner said she was relatively sure she saw something bounce on the green, but that couldn’t be right to me, as I definitely saw it going a bit left. But sure enough, as we pulled up to the green, I see my drive perched just in the rough on the back of the green. I’d hit my longest drive ever, with wind or without wind, 301 yards. I’d broken the 300 barrier for the first time, and I was ecstatic. The green is a bit of a toughie, sloping down towards the fairway. I didn’t want to chip way past the hole, and hit a pretty bad chip with 60 that just did not roll down the hill L. I then two putt from there for par. Still quite happy with that, as the last time I drove a green that was that far away (290 yard drive, with a ton of wind), it went…. Very badly. Double bogey badly. Lol.

I was pumped going into 16, a big dogleg right par 5. I’d had a lot of success on this hole before, and was excited for it. Hit a big long drive that I didn’t cut over the leg when I guess I should have, but that’s fine, it was just in the rough and I had a clear shot at the green. I shanked the crap out of my next shot, with it spiraling left and looking like it might actually be OB. I sighed, and hit a provisional that was almost as bad, a massive fat that flew maybe twenty yards forward into the fairway. Following the rule that if you haven’t gotten to where your first ball is, the provisional is the one in play, I went ahead and hit a decent shot to just left of the green. I then went looking for the first ball, desperate to find it. Sure enough, I found it under a tree in some mulch in OB. I hit a terrible shot over the green, chipped onto the green, and two-putt for bogey, relieved that the disaster had been averted.

17 is a 180 yard par 3, downhill, with a green that has a massive back to front slope as a backstop. I had no clue what club to hit; previously, I never really knew what to hit here, as my 4 iron wasn’t consistent, and my 9 wood had the potential to be too long. With the changes, I went ahead and grabbed my 6 and hoped for the best. I hit a thinned 6 iron that actually ended on the green! I managed to get my two-putt on the difficult green from there, with the second putt being a scary one for sure!

Hole 18. It was time to finish things up. A 340 yard par 4. I stepped up to the tee, and hit a picture perfect drive, 274 yards, dead straight down the middle.

As I got in the cart, it was at this point that I became curious how I was doing on the back. I knew I’d been playing pretty well, but I try to not think too much about my score while playing. I look at my card on the cart, birdie, birdie, bogey, bogey, okay that’s even… and the rest are pars and one bogey???? WHAT??? I’M SITTING AT +1?? HOW???

And then the freakout began. I just bombed my last drive to 67 yards to the middle of the green, and was driving up sitting at +1 for 9, and I just had to get the ball in the hole in 3 strokes to have shot the best round of 9 I’ve ever shot by far. I wasn’t even thinking about the possibility of getting to even; my headspace was entirely around keeping the hole from blowing up and destroying the miracle I’d managed. I pulled out a 7 iron to try to do a nice little chip to the green; the last thing I wanted to do was shank my SW and have a really hard shot from rough or a bunker or something. I babied the 7i chip too much, and was left with a 20 yard chip. Now a little scared, I decided to just pull out my 52, which had been my best club to chip with all day. I didn’t give it enough, and was at the bottom of the green, while the pin was 25 feet uphill. My dream of getting a par died at that point in my head, but I was relieved that all I had to do was two putt and I’d have managed to not destroy the hole.

I stepped up the ball at the green, did my routine, marking, cleaning the ball, placing, reading the green… uphill, looked slightly right to left, but at that distance, I knew my aim didn’t matter that much, as my skill is just not that high with reading those kind of distances and my aim isn’t fantastic. So I stepped up, gauged the distance as best I could in my practice swings, and gave the ball a nice whack up the hill. I then stood there, dumbfounded, as the ball began to track towards the hole. Surely not. There’s no way this goes in, is there? My jaw drops as the ball finds its home for the last time in the best round of my life. I could not believe it. Thinking back on that moment now, I still can’t believe it. I’d shot +1 in 9, +8 total, at a course that I broke 100 on for the first time at the start of this year. I’d just played my first 36 holes in a single day ever, and the second round was the best round of my life.

My playing partner finished up, I got her to sign my card and joked with her as she attributed my score to her presence, which frankly, I’m not going to deny the benefits it had. Playing with someone else had me slow down on some shots, take my time more, and distracted me entirely from my score until 18. I sat in my cart in front of the club house, shaking a bit, called my partner and shared/celebrated the insane news, which she assured me in text later that she definitely isn’t even a little jealous lol.

Scorecard

 

I’d planned on eating dinner with my parents, remaining grandparents, and one of my younger siblings, so I gave my dad a call. He was in the middle of something and couldn’t chat, but let me know to head on over. I dilly dallied with 18 birdies, sitting there, absorbing what I’d done. I then looked at my scorecard, freaked out a bit because my brain told me I’d shot +2, definitely not +1, and I must have made a mistake and I got a bogey on 18. My brain conveniently deleted the putt from existence during this freakout. I got as far as trying to edit the score and maybe reaching out to support to fix the score so it would be correct, before my brain kicked back in with the fact that I did in fact have a one-putt on 18, not a two-putt. And it was a 25 footer. And it was epic. Face. Palm. My ADHD brain can be evil sometimes.

I got in my van to drive home, and as I pulled out of the parking lot, I realized that I hadn’t thought of my grandpa the entire time I was on the course. I’d truly lost myself in the golf. I teared up some driving to my parents while I reflected on the good times I’d shared with him. It’s really weird how things happen sometimes; if it weren’t for my grief, I wouldn’t have probably played more than 9 holes that day. I may have gotten this score someday, but it wouldn’t have been yesterday.

Today, I’m going out to play Hulman Links today with my remaining grandpa, the man who got me in to golf originally. I actually am leaving in like 20 minutes (writing this took a while). He’s in good health, but up there in age. I’m going to enjoy the time I have remaining with him, knowing that it can’t be forever.

Grandpa Modris, I love you, I miss you, and saying goodbye is hard. As I sit here typing this, crying, I know that every time I think of this golf achievement, I’ll think of you, and I’ll miss you every time. Rest in peace. Say hi to Grandma Sara for me.    

 

 

[Bohnson]

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Country Club of The North
Gross Score	71
Course Handicap	-2
Gross Strokes over/under par	-1
Net Score to Par	1
Net Score	73
Net Birdies or better	4
Longest Drive	319

[GolfSpy SAM]

2 hours ago, MsWalkrOfSky said:

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Rea Park Golf Course
Gross Score	80
Course Handicap	22
Gross Strokes over/under par	8
Net Score to Par	-14
Net Score	58
Net Birdies or better	16
Longest Drive	301

This week has been an adventure, with some of the lowest lows, and the highest highs. I'm writing this partly because I think I need to put my words down on the page and get some emotions out in general, and you all get to share in it if you want. If you want to just hear about my best round ever, skip to the golf section labeled Round of My Life. I'll probably post this somewhere not in this thread as well, but figured I'd might as well include it with this insane round.

My grandpa has been sick for a long time now, and on hospice for a few months. This Thursday, he passed away in the early morning. He and I weren't super close as adults, but as a kid, he was amazing. We had a language barrier (he had a heavy Latvian accent), but I loved the hell out of him and enjoyed being around him. His wife died four years ago now; I think he was definitely ready.

Needless to say, I basically spent Thursday and Friday in a depressive state, not really having motivation to get up and do anything, losing myself into Baldur's Gate 3 and escaping life as hard as I could. I had already agreed to help someone move in to their college dorm on Saturday, so I knew I had to get up and go do something that day. I decided I'd go play a round of 9 at Mark's, and just walk, take my time, and enjoy the outdoors. I technically really needed to get back to my swingspeed training too; I’d let it lapse in light of what had happened. I wanted to stop escaping one way, and dive into golf for a bit instead. 

Golf Section

I played my first 9 abysmally. My coach had had me make 3 swing changes in the last week. All of them were for the better, but sorting them out was rough. First, he said the right words for compression to just make sense for me, and I started compressing the ball properly with my irons. He had me widen my stance for now to try to teach my body to stop swaying while turning. And finally, basically since I've met him, he's had me keep my right elbow tucked in to my side. When I first got with him, I never got my elbow back in on the downswing, while taking it way off plane in the backswing, resulting in a MASSIVE out to in swing, where the only reason I was squaring the face was that I was just coordinated enough to do almost all the heavy lifting in the downswing... most of the time. Okay, some of the time, there's a reason I went for lessons. On this lesson, he told me to go ahead and let the elbow off the side in the backswing, and try to get some height at the top of the backswing.

Needless to say, these three changes combined have drastically changed my club distances, even with stock swings that aren't as hard as I can swing at the ball. My 7 iron is my best ball striking club, as it's the one I tend to use for drills. It was my 135 to 145 club before these changes, with occasional fliers out to 160, but nothing reliable. Now, I'd say it's probably my 160 to 170 club, with one off the tee that went 200 yards (what the actual hell???)!

I spent that first 9 basically trying to figure out how to play golf again. My irons have a strong tendency to pull to the left now that I'm trying to figure out how to fix still (probably just need to wait till my lesson), but it's relatively consistent, and not such a massive pull that it's crazy off line. 

I only ever intended to play 9. But that relaxing first 9 was so nice, such a nice escape, that after eating at the clubhouse, I decided to go ahead and play another 9. That 9 went much better, and now that I actually look at the score, I think it was the best I've shot on the back 9 there. I shot a total of +27, with the first 9 being +18. 

The second 9, my driver got hot. And I mean, FIRE HOT. Hole 16 is a par 4 that you're meant to lay up heavily on; there is a narrow gap in the trees that as a righty, almost requires you to either hit a straight bullet, or a solid draw to get through. Even laying up, I often have difficulty on this hole and getting through the gap. I love to occasionally smash driver to see if I can slip it through the gap, often sailing off into the woods on the right side, or hitting the tree on the top of the hill before the green and seeing the ball again. I didn't GPS the shot at the time, because I just didn't think of it... but here's where my ball ended up on the drive:

 

 

 

About 270 yards, and I bounced on the right side and ended up over the green. I've managed to hit this green ONCE in all the times I've played this course. I hit a bullet straight there, and was ecstatic. But it could have just been a one time fluke right?

 

And this I hit this one on 18. I decided, I have to play more today. I've never done 36 holes in a day, and with the driver this hot, I wanted to play the hardest course in the area, the one I'm likely to play the most for the Match Play, Hulman Links. However, when I got there, after hopping in my car and not even taking off my golf shoes, they had an outing that was ongoing. I was super sad, as I really wanted to take a driver that was hitting longer than I've ever hit, while also going basically straight and in play the majority of the time by far, to a course that had eaten dozens of balls from me. Alas, it was not meant to be. So, after hemming and hawing on if I wanted to really push for doing this, I headed to Rea Park, which is basically what I'd consider my home course at this point. I’m not going to lie, the thought, playing 36 holes is a good reason to not do my swing speed training right? Lol. 

With the red tees at 5,219 yards, I'm a bit long for this course, but none of the other tees are rated for women, and I wanted a handicap eligible round that I could potentially go low. And boy, did I manage to do just that.

Round of My Life

I got my cart and hopped on the first tee. It's a 230 Yard Par 4. My stock driver had officially outpaced this hole, so pulled out my trusty 9 wood, hoping to pipe one down the middle and have a little 30 yard chip to the green. Instead, I pulled my 9 wood left (a common theme that day for most of my clubs), and watched it bounce into what looked like the next fairway over. I started looking for it, and it didn't seem to be where I expected at all. I drive a bit further up, and low and behold, I'm 50 yards left of the green, and pin high. Furthest 9 wood I'd ever hit. I butchered my pitch shot from the bad lie and put it over the green. Chipped back and over the green again. Chipped on with a fantastic chip, and tapped in for bogey. I kept my head in the game though and managed to par the next two holes, including getting a tough up and down on the par 3 (which I normally hit a 7 or 8 on, and I believe I hit a 9, which felt so weird, but I was pin high). 

4 there was a foursome in front of me, who politely offered to let me play through. I cranked a drive and it went left. WAY left. I drive over there and start looking for my ball. After a minute or two of not seeing it, I drive back to the fairway where the guys are waiting, and tell them to go ahead and finish the hole, so I don’t hold them up while I look. I didn’t want to feel pressured to just drop a ball and go on, the ball was definitely in play and findable. Sure enough, I found it not even a minute after I drove back over there, way further than I expected. I’d hit my drive 284! My longest drive without wind assistance I’d ever hit! I then butchered the hole for double, but was still happy I found the ball and didn’t blow the hole up entirely.

5 has a water/waste area that requires a 270 yard carry to clear, or you can land in a narrow strip of fairway. The foursome was in the fairway I just vacated, so off I went. I decided to hit driver and go for it; I then of course hit a terrible drive that goes way right. I managed to get a double from there and moved on.

The next two holes I played solid bogey golf, nothing too memorable other than driving pretty close on 6 and then duffing the first chip. I’m trying to chip from 80 yards and in if the ground is clear, which at Rea, it almost always is; I’m not great at judging which club to use and how much power just yet, but I’m getting there.

Hole 8 is an evil par 5. Only 403 yards for me, but the tiny green sits on top of a 12 foot tall mound, and these greens are pretty slick for a muni. I hit a solid drive 266 yards a bit to the right of the fairway, get decently close with my next shot, manage to stick the first chip on, and happily take my two-putt par.

On hole 9 I waited for a minute or two for the woman that appeared in front of me to finish the hole, and cranked out a 270 yard drive with a beautiful baby fade to the left side of the fairway. Got my chip on the green and walked away with my two-putt par happily.

I ended the front 9 at 43, a +7. I was pumped; this tied my best front 9 at Rea that I’d shot the last time I was out. On that round, I fell apart on the back a bit on a few holes, and shot a 53, ending the round having failed to achieve my break 90 objective with a 94.

I’d finished the front 9 in 53 minutes, another record of sorts, and rushed by the clubhouse, eager to dive into the back 9. I waited for a bit for the woman in front of me to get on the green, and hit a massive bomb of a drive, 277 baby fade again, same place as 9. I hit an amazing chip, and sank the birdie putt.

The woman in front of me was waiting at the white tees; there was a foursome in front of her that was making a bit of a hack of things, hitting extra balls, etc. They didn’t offer to let her play through when they were at the tees with her. She asked if I wanted to join her for the back 9, and I accepted, a bit reluctantly. I was in a groove, playing out of my mind, having great mental, having a fantastic time, and part of me wanted to just stick with what was working and not introduce other variables. However, I don’t often get to play with women who aren’t my partner (and by often, other than my sister and mother, I don’t think I’ve gotten to), so I decided to play with her, at least for this hole. In retrospect, this was a fantastic decision; I don’t think I would have believed my own back 9 if I didn’t have a witness!

I hit an okay drive on 11, bit right and in the rough. The lie was good though, and with 250 yards to the hole, I decided to try to keep my irons out of play and hit my 3 wood. That club is either completely awful for me, or fine, and historically, I should just never touch the damn thing. But I was feeling aggressive after the birdie on the last hole, and I was feeling confident from the changes that my swing had undergone. I hit a beautiful shot to about 20 feet short of the green. I then hit a fantastic chip to 2 feet and tapped my birdie in.

I talked to the guys in front of us about playing through, who were still on the tee at the time. I got a, “Oh God, yes, please play through” when I asked; I think it was 1 guy trying to teach golf to his 3 drunk mates, just caught up in their own shenanigans lol. They looked like they were having a great time  

12 was great drive, a good chip, and an annoying three-putt bogey. I followed it up by sticking the edge of the green on the par 3 number 13, and having another annoying three-putt bogey. I was happy though about getting the distance right with my irons on the par 3, so it was with good spirits I went to hole 13. Hole 13 is one of the few holes on the course that has OB that is in play off the tee; I’d blown this hole up the last time I played by shanking it left… the direction I’d gone multiple times with my drive that day. I hit a safe 9 wood straight down the middle, hit another shot just short of the green, and got a nice up and down for par, with a relatively decent length putt. I remember my playing partner, who was a really nice older woman, asking if it was my longest putt of the day, and I couldn’t remember for sure, but it probably was. I really wish I could remember her name; I’m horrible with names, and even repeating it multiple times in my head, forgot it by the end of the first hole we played together; just not enough brain space I guess with golf and the things I’d shoved to the very back of my mind.

Hole 15. Holy %$&^. I had the wind at my back, and I made perfect contact with the ball on my drive with all the power I had. The hole is 281 to the center, 298 to the back. It looked like it was going a bit left to my eyes, but I didn’t see it come down. My playing partner said she was relatively sure she saw something bounce on the green, but that couldn’t be right to me, as I definitely saw it going a bit left. But sure enough, as we pulled up to the green, I see my drive perched just in the rough on the back of the green. I’d hit my longest drive ever, with wind or without wind, 301 yards. I’d broken the 300 barrier for the first time, and I was ecstatic. The green is a bit of a toughie, sloping down towards the fairway. I didn’t want to chip way past the hole, and hit a pretty bad chip with 60 that just did not roll down the hill L. I then two putt from there for par. Still quite happy with that, as the last time I drove a green that was that far away (290 yard drive, with a ton of wind), it went…. Very badly. Double bogey badly. Lol.

I was pumped going into 16, a big dogleg right par 5. I’d had a lot of success on this hole before, and was excited for it. Hit a big long drive that I didn’t cut over the leg when I guess I should have, but that’s fine, it was just in the rough and I had a clear shot at the green. I shanked the crap out of my next shot, with it spiraling left and looking like it might actually be OB. I sighed, and hit a provisional that was almost as bad, a massive fat that flew maybe twenty yards forward into the fairway. Following the rule that if you haven’t gotten to where your first ball is, the provisional is the one in play, I went ahead and hit a decent shot to just left of the green. I then went looking for the first ball, desperate to find it. Sure enough, I found it under a tree in some mulch in OB. I hit a terrible shot over the green, chipped onto the green, and two-putt for bogey, relieved that the disaster had been averted.

17 is a 180 yard par 3, downhill, with a green that has a massive back to front slope as a backstop. I had no clue what club to hit; previously, I never really knew what to hit here, as my 4 iron wasn’t consistent, and my 9 wood had the potential to be too long. With the changes, I went ahead and grabbed my 6 and hoped for the best. I hit a thinned 6 iron that actually ended on the green! I managed to get my two-putt on the difficult green from there, with the second putt being a scary one for sure!

Hole 18. It was time to finish things up. A 340 yard par 4. I stepped up to the tee, and hit a picture perfect drive, 274 yards, dead straight down the middle.

As I got in the cart, it was at this point that I became curious how I was doing on the back. I knew I’d been playing pretty well, but I try to not think too much about my score while playing. I look at my card on the cart, birdie, birdie, bogey, bogey, okay that’s even… and the rest are pars and one bogey???? WHAT??? I’M SITTING AT +1?? HOW???

And then the freakout began. I just bombed my last drive to 67 yards to the middle of the green, and was driving up sitting at +1 for 9, and I just had to get the ball in the hole in 3 strokes to have shot the best round of 9 I’ve ever shot by far. I wasn’t even thinking about the possibility of getting to even; my headspace was entirely around keeping the hole from blowing up and destroying the miracle I’d managed. I pulled out a 7 iron to try to do a nice little chip to the green; the last thing I wanted to do was shank my SW and have a really hard shot from rough or a bunker or something. I babied the 7i chip too much, and was left with a 20 yard chip. Now a little scared, I decided to just pull out my 52, which had been my best club to chip with all day. I didn’t give it enough, and was at the bottom of the green, while the pin was 25 feet uphill. My dream of getting a par died at that point in my head, but I was relieved that all I had to do was two putt and I’d have managed to not destroy the hole.

I stepped up the ball at the green, did my routine, marking, cleaning the ball, placing, reading the green… uphill, looked slightly right to left, but at that distance, I knew my aim didn’t matter that much, as my skill is just not that high with reading those kind of distances and my aim isn’t fantastic. So I stepped up, gauged the distance as best I could in my practice swings, and gave the ball a nice whack up the hill. I then stood there, dumbfounded, as the ball began to track towards the hole. Surely not. There’s no way this goes in, is there? My jaw drops as the ball finds its home for the last time in the best round of my life. I could not believe it. Thinking back on that moment now, I still can’t believe it. I’d shot +1 in 9, +8 total, at a course that I broke 100 on for the first time at the start of this year. I’d just played my first 36 holes in a single day ever, and the second round was the best round of my life.

My playing partner finished up, I got her to sign my card and joked with her as she attributed my score to her presence, which frankly, I’m not going to deny the benefits it had. Playing with someone else had me slow down on some shots, take my time more, and distracted me entirely from my score until 18. I sat in my cart in front of the club house, shaking a bit, called my partner and shared/celebrated the insane news, which she assured me in text later that she definitely isn’t even a little jealous lol.

Scorecard

 

I’d planned on eating dinner with my parents, remaining grandparents, and one of my younger siblings, so I gave my dad a call. He was in the middle of something and couldn’t chat, but let me know to head on over. I dilly dallied with 18 birdies, sitting there, absorbing what I’d done. I then looked at my scorecard, freaked out a bit because my brain told me I’d shot +2, definitely not +1, and I must have made a mistake and I got a bogey on 18. My brain conveniently deleted the putt from existence during this freakout. I got as far as trying to edit the score and maybe reaching out to support to fix the score so it would be correct, before my brain kicked back in with the fact that I did in fact have a one-putt on 18, not a two-putt. And it was a 25 footer. And it was epic. Face. Palm. My ADHD brain can be evil sometimes.

I got in my van to drive home, and as I pulled out of the parking lot, I realized that I hadn’t thought of my grandpa the entire time I was on the course. I’d truly lost myself in the golf. I teared up some driving to my parents while I reflected on the good times I’d shared with him. It’s really weird how things happen sometimes; if it weren’t for my grief, I wouldn’t have probably played more than 9 holes that day. I may have gotten this score someday, but it wouldn’t have been yesterday.

Today, I’m going out to play Hulman Links today with my remaining grandpa, the man who got me in to golf originally. I actually am leaving in like 20 minutes (writing this took a while). He’s in good health, but up there in age. I’m going to enjoy the time I have remaining with him, knowing that it can’t be forever.

Grandpa Modris, I love you, I miss you, and saying goodbye is hard. As I sit here typing this, crying, I know that every time I think of this golf achievement, I’ll think of you, and I’ll miss you every time. Rest in peace. Say hi to Grandma Sara for me.    

 

 

Thank you so much for sharing this - not just the round (WOW!), but the background behind it.  Congrats on the round, and condolences on your loss.  Also, you need to give me your coach's info - he's got you hitting 230-yard 9-woods and 300-yard drives, I want his info

[RoverRick]

Date	08/20/2023
Course Name	Sulphur Springs Country Club
Gross Score	86
Course Handicap	10
Gross Strokes over/under par	14
Net Score to Par	4
Net Score	76
Net Birdies or better	2
Longest Drive	240

Repeat of yesterday. Good news is my handicap is going up before the club championship next weekend. Bad news, it is because I suck at golf. 
 

I will have to spend some time on the range this week if I want to have any chance. 

[Shapotomous]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

 

Congrats on the fantastic round!!  With the match play coming up i hope you got that out of your system. 

The lesson ho reads.....

Yada, yada yada.....personal best distances with woods and irons.... Yada yada yada.  and wants the name of the coach!! 

The club ho reads...

Yada yada yada.... 230 yard 9w and 301 yard drive... yada yada yada.  and wants the make/model of the driver & 9w!!   

[GolfSpy SAM]

Date	08/18/2023
Course Name	Sand Canyon Country Club (Mountain/Valley)
Gross Score	89
Course Handicap	15
Gross Strokes over/under par	17
Net Score to Par	2
Net Score	74
Net Birdies or better	7
Longest Drive	307

So first, a caveat: new irons, new wedges, first time out with both.  Ultimately thrilled with both, to be honest - turf interaction with the Caley irons was shockingly good for me.  Great result after two mat-only range sessions.  

Second: that 307 drive is because I cut the corner in the absolutely purest direction possible on the 10th hole, and left myself about 20 yards short of the green - it was...a dreamy start to the back 9.  I shot a back-9 41, which includes a double-double finish, both of which were lost-balls off the tee, which killed my quest for a sub-40 9.  

That being said, so great to be back out playing and managed to beat my playing buddy by 6 (he had me by 3 after the first 9).  And we all know that's not what matters but it also matters

[tommyb1683]

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Apple greens golf club
Gross Score	75
Course Handicap	12
Gross Strokes over/under par	5
Net Score to Par	-7
Net Score	63
Net Birdies or better	12
Longest Drive	319

So this is only the second time playing this course and both times I have shot my absolute best score ever. First time was 78 and now a 75. My friends and I also play for trophies throughout the year and I won by one stroke. I was a little upset on the back 9, made a few mental errors that resulted in double bogies. I also bought a shotscope with the H4 and tags they are pretty cool to track everything but I kept forgetting to tap the tag.

 

[Play18]

Date	08/20/2023
Course Name	Prairieview GC
Gross Score	81
Course Handicap	6
Gross Strokes over/under par	9
Net Score to Par	3
Net Score	75
Net Birdies or better	2
Longest Drive	293

The 108° Heat Index was hotter than my game today.  My golf coach fixed the top of my swing, and I fought the adjustment throughout the round.  The short game and putting were decent, but I'm returning to the lab this week to get comfortable with the improved swing before the match play competition.

[JerryB]

Date	08/20/2023
Course Name	Bliss Creek
Gross Score	87
Course Handicap	21
Gross Strokes over/under par	17
Net Score to Par	-4
Net Score	66
Net Birdies or better	8
Longest Drive	301

[TylorJudd]

Date	08/20/2023
Course Name	Penticton Golf and Country Club
Gross Score	84
Course Handicap	4
Gross Strokes over/under par	14
Net Score to Par	10
Net Score	80
Net Birdies or better	2
Longest Drive	338

Absolutely abysmal round. Wildfire smoke was worse than yesterday, so heavy and thick. Breathing was tough and I'm sure there is a link between breathing and how you perform, couldn't get much going. Couldn't track a ball, ended up losing 10 so this was an expensive one. Had a couple good looks, couple good cracks. No birdies, a few 3 putts. Just terrible altogether but got to play with @Itzpiiz so that's always a pleasure.

[MsWalkrOfSky]

6 hours ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

Also, you need to give me your coach's info

Thanks for the condolences. I'll happily toss out that my coach is George Amies, a local pro here in Terre Haute, Indiana. He originally hails from Australia, and has coached and taught golf for a long time now

4 hours ago, Shapotomous said:

make/model of the driver & 9w

The Driver is a PXG 0211 2021 10.5* - Shaft Diamana s60 Limited - Stiff Flex

The 9-wood is an Acer XP Stainless 9 Wood 27* - 65 Gold Low Torque Shaft; the brand is covered by the grip I think. It's a pretty beat up shaft lol. Love that club though, definitely one of the most consistent clubs in my bag.  

[GolfSpy TCB]

Date	08/19/2023
Course Name	Willow Fork CC
Gross Score	89
Course Handicap	6
Gross Strokes over/under par	17
Net Score to Par	11
Net Score	83
Net Birdies or better	2
Longest Drive	262

ugh

[GolfSpy TCB]

Date	08/20/2023
Course Name	Willow Fork CC
Gross Score	83
Course Handicap	6
Gross Strokes over/under par	11
Net Score to Par	5
Net Score	77
Net Birdies or better	4
Longest Drive	271

A little better than yesterday, but still struggling with my swing.