Despite my exhaustion, I gathered a second wind after returning to the hotel. Belinda was going to settle down for a nap, so I took my opportunity to go play golf in Carlsbad. I’m so glad I did, because I played one of my best nine hole rounds in a while, and it was on a course that was unfamiliar. I broke the pattern of having my score go up ten strokes when playing a course that’s new to me. I played the front nine at Lake Carlsbad Golf Course. My back was still fragile, but I was able to swing my clubs without causing more damage. The tender back helped me to swing more consistently and smoothly, not ever trying to kill it. I played the gold tees because the blues were the farthest ones back, and I didn’t know how hard those would be. Looking back, I would have been better suited for the blues, but it was still some great scoring from the gold tees. I earned three birdies total, including one on the back nine.
Lake Carlsbad Golf Course-Hole #4-Birdie #37 of 2015
I was +2 after three holes when I came to this one. This course was the first one I have ever seen where holes #3, #4, and #5, were a par three, a par four, and a par five consecutively. I thought that was a unique aspect of this course, and it helped me to remember the holes. If I had played from the blue tees, I would have had to angle my tee shot from...
50 yards farther away across the expanse of a rough area with bushes, rocks, and various rough areas, but the gold tees had me looking squarely at this straight ahead par four. I used my driver to tee off even though the distance was 324 yards. I was left with less than 100 yards for my approach, and I chose my pitching wedge to “pitch” my ball. It landed on the green, but it was past the hole by 15 feet. I saw a small white mark just short of the hole and to the right of it. It was a downhill putt, and I put a bit too much speed on it. When it met the hole, it almost popped out of it, jumping up a bit to peek out one last time before giving up and staying in.
11-4-15
Lake Carlsbad Golf Course-Hole #5-Birdie #38 of 2015
A twosome was playing ahead of me, so I would practice some putting after holing out to keep them ahead of me. After this hole, though, I saw another player had joined them. From the gold tees, this hole is only 484 yards. My tee shot was pulled to the left, so it’s a good thing I aimed down the right side. It ended up just off the cart path on the left side and just past a single tree over there. My stance had me standing on the cart path, so I took free relief. Those three gentlemen were still on the green, so I took the extra time to drive my cart up the path to see what my target would be for my second shot. The carts had GPS and an electronic scorecard, which were very handy features, especially on this hole. They would not, however, let you go off of the cart path, and that was confining, to say the least. Any attempt to go off roading would result in a warning and a very slow retreat in reverse back to where the path was.
I do not lay up anymore on par fives after reading Every Stroke Counts, and so I used my utility club for the next shot and attempted to go for the green. Unfortunately, it popped up instead of boring through the air towards the green. I ended up 127 yards away according to the GPS, but I was on the fairway and it was slightly downhill to the green. My scuffed-up pitching wedge got a lot of use in this round, and it was like having a true and faithful friend. I went from not relishing using this club to looking forward to pulling it out of my bag. My ball flew right at the green, just to the right of the flag, and then it landed and rolled obediently to just two feet away. With the threesome still teeing off on the next hole, I had plenty of time to follow all procedures and make sure I made my putt. The fun part of this birdie was entering it on the electronic scorecard when I got back to the cart. After I put in my score, I was applauded. I didn’t notice that with my previous birdie, but it made me laugh when I heard it.
Lake Carlsbad Golf Course-Hole #10-Birdie #39 of 2015
I was playing some of my best golf ever when I got to this hole, so I didn’t want to stop. I knew I had until 6:30 to turn in the cart, but Belinda was waiting to have dinner back at the hotel when I got done. I’m glad I stayed to get in one final birdie.
I nearly birdied the two holes before this one, too. On #8, I pulled my tee shot so far to the left that it got lost somewhere on this hole. I never found it. I drove back to tee off again because I wanted an official score for my handicap. A single player was about to tee off from the blues, so I shouted that I didn’t hit a provisional. He was very understanding; he told me to go ahead and he said this was a weird hole. I was teeing off into the sun, but it was mostly a straightforward hole, in my opinion. After another drive, a go for the green with my utility club, a pitch to 17 feet or so, and a putt later, I had earned an official bogey, basically earning a birdie after a lost tee shot.
On #9, an uphill blind short par four, I drove my ball just off the green on the right side and after some serious searching, chipped up to less than three feet for another birdie opportunity. The guy who was playing behind me attempted to drive the green, too, but he was about 30 yards short. He apologized, but I told him it was no bother. Then I missed my putt low. Darn it!
On this hole, I had to guess how much of the rough expanse similar to hole #4 I should cut off in order to make the fairway. I pulled this tee shot a tad, and when I found my ball I saw that I had not cut off enough. I ended up off the fairway out on the left side, but at least I was able to find it this time. My next shot with my utility club was seriously pulled, though. It headed toward the water that was left of the green, but it landed short of it, and it was in the dirt. A lesser traveled cart path took me over where my ball was, and I accidentally parked the cart directly between my ball and my target. With some extra concentration to make sure my ball got up in the air and over my cart, I hit down and through the dirt squirting my ball up in the air and landing it safely over the cart and just off the green, about a 50 yard pitch. I left the flagstick in since I was just off the green, saw what I wanted to do and took a swing with my putter. To my surprise, it tapped the flagstick and went in. I really enjoyed this golf course and the greens. It seemed that with every putt, I was confident it would either go in or end up really close. Writing this, I am wondering what type of grass was on those greens.
With my four bogeys and two birdies, I ended with a +2 nine hole score of a 38. I had a blast, but I was forced to leave (sort of) on hole #14. I teed off twice with my driver, but neither ball could be found. With my aching back and a nagging suspicion my wife was ready to go to dinner, I drove my cart back to the pro shop and left. What a great vacation round of golf, though!
Lake Carlsbad Golf Course-Hole #4-Birdie #37 of 2015
I was +2 after three holes when I came to this one. This course was the first one I have ever seen where holes #3, #4, and #5, were a par three, a par four, and a par five consecutively. I thought that was a unique aspect of this course, and it helped me to remember the holes. If I had played from the blue tees, I would have had to angle my tee shot from...
50 yards farther away across the expanse of a rough area with bushes, rocks, and various rough areas, but the gold tees had me looking squarely at this straight ahead par four. I used my driver to tee off even though the distance was 324 yards. I was left with less than 100 yards for my approach, and I chose my pitching wedge to “pitch” my ball. It landed on the green, but it was past the hole by 15 feet. I saw a small white mark just short of the hole and to the right of it. It was a downhill putt, and I put a bit too much speed on it. When it met the hole, it almost popped out of it, jumping up a bit to peek out one last time before giving up and staying in.
11-4-15
Lake Carlsbad Golf Course-Hole #5-Birdie #38 of 2015
A twosome was playing ahead of me, so I would practice some putting after holing out to keep them ahead of me. After this hole, though, I saw another player had joined them. From the gold tees, this hole is only 484 yards. My tee shot was pulled to the left, so it’s a good thing I aimed down the right side. It ended up just off the cart path on the left side and just past a single tree over there. My stance had me standing on the cart path, so I took free relief. Those three gentlemen were still on the green, so I took the extra time to drive my cart up the path to see what my target would be for my second shot. The carts had GPS and an electronic scorecard, which were very handy features, especially on this hole. They would not, however, let you go off of the cart path, and that was confining, to say the least. Any attempt to go off roading would result in a warning and a very slow retreat in reverse back to where the path was.
I do not lay up anymore on par fives after reading Every Stroke Counts, and so I used my utility club for the next shot and attempted to go for the green. Unfortunately, it popped up instead of boring through the air towards the green. I ended up 127 yards away according to the GPS, but I was on the fairway and it was slightly downhill to the green. My scuffed-up pitching wedge got a lot of use in this round, and it was like having a true and faithful friend. I went from not relishing using this club to looking forward to pulling it out of my bag. My ball flew right at the green, just to the right of the flag, and then it landed and rolled obediently to just two feet away. With the threesome still teeing off on the next hole, I had plenty of time to follow all procedures and make sure I made my putt. The fun part of this birdie was entering it on the electronic scorecard when I got back to the cart. After I put in my score, I was applauded. I didn’t notice that with my previous birdie, but it made me laugh when I heard it.
Lake Carlsbad Golf Course-Hole #10-Birdie #39 of 2015
I was playing some of my best golf ever when I got to this hole, so I didn’t want to stop. I knew I had until 6:30 to turn in the cart, but Belinda was waiting to have dinner back at the hotel when I got done. I’m glad I stayed to get in one final birdie.
I nearly birdied the two holes before this one, too. On #8, I pulled my tee shot so far to the left that it got lost somewhere on this hole. I never found it. I drove back to tee off again because I wanted an official score for my handicap. A single player was about to tee off from the blues, so I shouted that I didn’t hit a provisional. He was very understanding; he told me to go ahead and he said this was a weird hole. I was teeing off into the sun, but it was mostly a straightforward hole, in my opinion. After another drive, a go for the green with my utility club, a pitch to 17 feet or so, and a putt later, I had earned an official bogey, basically earning a birdie after a lost tee shot.
On #9, an uphill blind short par four, I drove my ball just off the green on the right side and after some serious searching, chipped up to less than three feet for another birdie opportunity. The guy who was playing behind me attempted to drive the green, too, but he was about 30 yards short. He apologized, but I told him it was no bother. Then I missed my putt low. Darn it!
On this hole, I had to guess how much of the rough expanse similar to hole #4 I should cut off in order to make the fairway. I pulled this tee shot a tad, and when I found my ball I saw that I had not cut off enough. I ended up off the fairway out on the left side, but at least I was able to find it this time. My next shot with my utility club was seriously pulled, though. It headed toward the water that was left of the green, but it landed short of it, and it was in the dirt. A lesser traveled cart path took me over where my ball was, and I accidentally parked the cart directly between my ball and my target. With some extra concentration to make sure my ball got up in the air and over my cart, I hit down and through the dirt squirting my ball up in the air and landing it safely over the cart and just off the green, about a 50 yard pitch. I left the flagstick in since I was just off the green, saw what I wanted to do and took a swing with my putter. To my surprise, it tapped the flagstick and went in. I really enjoyed this golf course and the greens. It seemed that with every putt, I was confident it would either go in or end up really close. Writing this, I am wondering what type of grass was on those greens.
With my four bogeys and two birdies, I ended with a +2 nine hole score of a 38. I had a blast, but I was forced to leave (sort of) on hole #14. I teed off twice with my driver, but neither ball could be found. With my aching back and a nagging suspicion my wife was ready to go to dinner, I drove my cart back to the pro shop and left. What a great vacation round of golf, though!
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