School starts tomorrow; teachers report to work. This is the last official day of summer. C.J., Norm, and I played at Riverview today, so I can say I played one last round on the final day of summer before it all begins again. Sadly, C.J. broke his streak of rounds in the eighties. He had 14 before today. We all played badly, though. C.J. summed it up well when he said, "You know it's bad when we're saying, 'Nice bogey.'"
Written on 7-19-13.
And now my four most recent birdies...
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #13-Birdie #19 of 2013
C.J. chose to play the Points Game this time. I played well, and this birdie helped, of course. I used my driver, and my ball headed towards the “bailout” area on the right side of the green. It ended up rolling off the hill on the right side of the green and stopping on the cart path. I took my free drop (no closer to the hole, of course), used my new open pitching stance with my sand wedge, and popped my ball right over the hill. C.J. told me it missed the hole by three inches, but I still had thirteen feet or so to finish. The putt moved from left to right, so I aimed about three inches left, and it worked.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #18-Birdie #20 of 2013
This birdie included one of my best shots of the summer, my...
approach. My drive was well left, so far left that it went all the way across the fairway on #3, but in my defense I did try to hit #3’s fairway on purpose again. My drive ended up on a hill over there in some taller grass, so I was forced to pitch out to the #3 fairway. I used my 7-iron to keep it under a tree, and I made sure to keep it back from the trees on the hill on the right side of #3’s fairway, to lay up short enough so that my third shot would not be obstructed. It was an adequate lay-up, and I had a clear shot over the trees, so I chose my 7-iron again, but to go for the green this time; it was mostly a guess, but it was a swell guess and a smooth swing. The guy who was playing #3 complimented this shot. He saw and heard the end of it because he was on the green on #3 when I took my swing. It landed just before the hole and slightly to the right, took one hop and stopped right next to the hole on the right side. I had just a little over a foot to finish, and I cleaned up while C.J. walked over to his ball that was just off the green on the left side.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #13-Birdie #21 of 2013
Today C.J. chose match play as our game, and he killed me. No, he destroyed, humiliated, and obliterated me. After we finished playing hole #12, he had finished me off at 7 & 6. 7 & 6! He was only +2 on the front. While I struggled with three putts and bad swings, he played some of his best golf of the summer again, and this was after staying up late and watching the British Open last night.
He acted a little spaced out at times, leaving his clubs and forgetting the names of some other players on the course that he said he should have remembered, but I think it was because he was so focused on his golf; no room for anything else to focus on. He had two putts for birdie that barely missed, one on #5 and another on #6, so he could have easily been even again after nine holes (like he was earlier this past spring).
He has a string of rounds in the eighties going, so I hope he keeps it up, and I don’t like losing...at all, especially when I struggle, but I’m also happy for his outstanding play.
So, it really helped when we started a new match for the last six holes, and I earned two birdies in a row on the first two holes.
For this first one, my drive went right at the flag, or so it appeared. It was off the green on the right side, but I was just a short chip away from the hole. I stubbed the chip, though, sending my ball out low and rolling it across the green, well past the hole. The remaining putt was long, at least twenty-five feet, but I rolled it true. It hit the hole right in the middle and fell in. I was one up for the first time this round.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #14-Birdie #22 of 2013
As well as C.J. played on the front and I struggled, things reversed for us on these last six holes. I played better, finally warming up, and C.J. lost some of that incredible focus he had maintained so well on the front nine.
My drive for this hole was long, so long that it was in the dirt on the hill that is below the teeing ground on #15. I put the ball back in my stance, and I played my 9-iron. I had just run up the hill to see what my line would be, and I chose a line that was to the left of the tall poplar tree, the last one just off the fairway on that side. My ball went right on the line I had chosen, so I knew it would be good. It was just off the green, so all I had to do was roll it up close to the hole, which was on the top right side. I was a little over a foot short from making my eagle, so it was a fairly easy putt to get the birdie.
I ended up winning that final match 3 & 2. C.J. beat me by one stroke in stroke play, though, with an 84 to my 85. All in all, it was a terrific pair of rounds together. I won twice, once with the points game and once with the final match play, and he won twice, once with match play and once with his one stroke stroke play victory. I know we both had fun. I had shot an 82 in our first round, and he had shot an 87.
Written on 7-19-13.
And now my four most recent birdies...
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #13-Birdie #19 of 2013
C.J. chose to play the Points Game this time. I played well, and this birdie helped, of course. I used my driver, and my ball headed towards the “bailout” area on the right side of the green. It ended up rolling off the hill on the right side of the green and stopping on the cart path. I took my free drop (no closer to the hole, of course), used my new open pitching stance with my sand wedge, and popped my ball right over the hill. C.J. told me it missed the hole by three inches, but I still had thirteen feet or so to finish. The putt moved from left to right, so I aimed about three inches left, and it worked.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #18-Birdie #20 of 2013
This birdie included one of my best shots of the summer, my...
approach. My drive was well left, so far left that it went all the way across the fairway on #3, but in my defense I did try to hit #3’s fairway on purpose again. My drive ended up on a hill over there in some taller grass, so I was forced to pitch out to the #3 fairway. I used my 7-iron to keep it under a tree, and I made sure to keep it back from the trees on the hill on the right side of #3’s fairway, to lay up short enough so that my third shot would not be obstructed. It was an adequate lay-up, and I had a clear shot over the trees, so I chose my 7-iron again, but to go for the green this time; it was mostly a guess, but it was a swell guess and a smooth swing. The guy who was playing #3 complimented this shot. He saw and heard the end of it because he was on the green on #3 when I took my swing. It landed just before the hole and slightly to the right, took one hop and stopped right next to the hole on the right side. I had just a little over a foot to finish, and I cleaned up while C.J. walked over to his ball that was just off the green on the left side.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #13-Birdie #21 of 2013
Today C.J. chose match play as our game, and he killed me. No, he destroyed, humiliated, and obliterated me. After we finished playing hole #12, he had finished me off at 7 & 6. 7 & 6! He was only +2 on the front. While I struggled with three putts and bad swings, he played some of his best golf of the summer again, and this was after staying up late and watching the British Open last night.
He acted a little spaced out at times, leaving his clubs and forgetting the names of some other players on the course that he said he should have remembered, but I think it was because he was so focused on his golf; no room for anything else to focus on. He had two putts for birdie that barely missed, one on #5 and another on #6, so he could have easily been even again after nine holes (like he was earlier this past spring).
He has a string of rounds in the eighties going, so I hope he keeps it up, and I don’t like losing...at all, especially when I struggle, but I’m also happy for his outstanding play.
So, it really helped when we started a new match for the last six holes, and I earned two birdies in a row on the first two holes.
For this first one, my drive went right at the flag, or so it appeared. It was off the green on the right side, but I was just a short chip away from the hole. I stubbed the chip, though, sending my ball out low and rolling it across the green, well past the hole. The remaining putt was long, at least twenty-five feet, but I rolled it true. It hit the hole right in the middle and fell in. I was one up for the first time this round.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #14-Birdie #22 of 2013
As well as C.J. played on the front and I struggled, things reversed for us on these last six holes. I played better, finally warming up, and C.J. lost some of that incredible focus he had maintained so well on the front nine.
My drive for this hole was long, so long that it was in the dirt on the hill that is below the teeing ground on #15. I put the ball back in my stance, and I played my 9-iron. I had just run up the hill to see what my line would be, and I chose a line that was to the left of the tall poplar tree, the last one just off the fairway on that side. My ball went right on the line I had chosen, so I knew it would be good. It was just off the green, so all I had to do was roll it up close to the hole, which was on the top right side. I was a little over a foot short from making my eagle, so it was a fairly easy putt to get the birdie.
I ended up winning that final match 3 & 2. C.J. beat me by one stroke in stroke play, though, with an 84 to my 85. All in all, it was a terrific pair of rounds together. I won twice, once with the points game and once with the final match play, and he won twice, once with match play and once with his one stroke stroke play victory. I know we both had fun. I had shot an 82 in our first round, and he had shot an 87.
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