Sticking to the Plan...

I played Bay Forest again today. This course is very similar to The Battleground in layout, length, slope and rating, but it is five to ten dollars more to play. So, in the past I've always chosen to play The Battleground. This is my third time to play Bay Forest and the third consecutive Wednesday I've been able to take advantage to the $18 discount rate. In my opinion, The Battleground is more difficult because the fairways slope down to the water and a missed fairway is usually lost in the woods. At Bay Forest, the layout is flatter, and while there are plenty of trees, you generally won't lose your ball because the course is more park-like if that makes sense.

I went out with the play-for-bogey strategy and finished with a 90 (45/45) even after an opening snowman. I hit maybe two solid drives all day. Here are some stats:

Fairways hit... 3
GIRs........... 5
Birdies........ 0
Pars........... 6 (1 sweet sand save)
Putts......... 35
Bogeys......... 8
Doubles........ 3
Triples........ 0 (
Quad........... 1 (drove water)
Balls lost .... 2 (2 water)


I shot 10 over on the front. I was scrambling my butt off trying to make up for the snowman on number one. I hit very few solid shots, but playing conservatively let me sneak off the front nine with one quad, one double, four bogeys, and three pars.

I started off rough on the tougher back nine with bogey, double, bogey, double, then I started to hit the ball well in spite of my continued poor driving.

Number 14 is a short 503 yard par 5 with the water on both side of the fairway. I hit 4 iron off the tee down the middle. I pushed my second shot into the trees on the right. I tried a gentle punch with a 6 iron and rolled into the bunker guarding the left side of the green. The sand was hard and wet and I had an shot that went from the back left of the bunker to a front pin position. I had little green to work with and I had to carry 40 feet to get out of the sand. I laid the sixty-degree wide open, opened my stance way up and hit a perfect shot that stopped two feet short. Tap in for a par.

I then went bogey, bogey, par. I'm sitting on 18, a 415 yard par four with water guarding the front of the green. I pop my drive up into the air and it comes down left of the fairway with trees blocking my line to the pin. I could try to hit my 3W (which I hit off the deck fairly well today), or try to draw a 43 iron around the trees. I decided to try the draw but went with a 4 iron because the ball was sitting down in the rough. I made great contact and the ball curved left around the trees, bounced once in front of a bunker, and rolled up to within fifteen feet. I dropped the par putt.

This was one of those rounds where I seemed to play like crap till the last few holes. One of those rounds where you hate to quit cause you're finally hitting the ball well.

So, 10 over on the front and 8 over on the back and I squeak through with a 90. I should have shot way worse given the way I was hitting the ball. The bogey strategy seems to have worked pretty well and I'll try to stick with it. I feel I should slide solidly into the 80s (provided I can hit the ball solidly for more than the last few holes).

Not sure when I'll be playing again. I see someone already grabbed the 8:30 slot for next week. I knew those $18 Wednesday rates would get around. Now the course is pretty busy on Wednesdays.

Once again, have a Very Merry Christmas,
-Greg