Post by Richie3Jack on Apr 1, 2013 12:37:38 GMT -5
Course: Rio Pinar CC
Stimp: 9
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Temperature: 82°
Wind: 10-15 mph
My dad and I went to play Rio Pinar which I haven’t played since 2011. For those unfamiliar with Rio Pinar, it’s a somewhat historic club in Orlando that used to hold the old Citrus Open on the PGA Tour. It’s a course that is very frozen in time from the décor of the pro shop, restaurant and grille. This is also where I used to get lessons from George Hunt before he moved to Atlanta.
Recently, Rio Pinar filed for Chapter 11 and were bought out by a person out of Southern California. It’s really too bad what the course has become. If I won the $337 million Powerball, this is probably one of the few courses in the world I would buy with a belief of if you spend the right amount of money and fix certain things, you can return the course to its former glory and actually turn a profit.
Anyway, we finally got a nice Florida day as it’s been cold and windy for Florida since mid-February. The fairways were in excellent condition. But, the greens were shot. Particularly on the front nine. I hate to say it, but the only way they can get the greens back is to re-do them and for the love of my sanity…spend the extra money to put some TifEagle on them so you can save money in the long run and keep the golfer’s happy.
#1: We had the wind blowing pretty good in our face and I smacked a driver down the left side of the fairway. I tried driver off the deck and hit it pretty decent. I was a bit lazy because I got up there with the driver and realized my lie was not as good as I thought and I hit the driver anyway. Hit a decent pitch, but it was on the bottom of a crown. Nailed my first putt too hard. Made a nice 3.5 footer coming back. (E)
#2: Another good drive into the wind. The wind was about 2-clubs, so I took a 5-iron and flushed it. But, I hit it into the left side of the bunker. Pulled the bunker shot a bit and then pulled the putt from 7-feet and made bogey (+1)
#3: Flushed a 6-iron to 7-feet and drained the birdie (E)
#4: Hit a driver well off the tee, but it just caught a tree on the right side. I was in decent shape, but the lie was so bad off some sort of hardpan that my pitching wedge didn’t react well with the turf and I ended up short. Too strong on a pitch and a good putt from 12 feet that just missed and made bogey (+1)
#5: Hit this drive well, but the wind took it and cut it right. Still in good shape, but badly toe hit a 7-iron and was well short. Again, too hard with a chip and another good putt from about 15-feet that just missed and made bogey (+2)
#6: I didn’t hit this drive great, but it went far. I was contemplating going for it, but I had a downhill lie. Also, the wind started to swirl and go into our face. I laid up, but didn’t account for the one tree over on the right and that was blocking me a bit. I had to work it around the tree with a ¾ Pitching Wedge and found the front part of the green and 2-putted from about 35 feet. (+2)
#7: Hit hybrid into the wind about pin high, left of the green. Had the right distance, but pushed the chip a bit. But, I was left with an uphill putt which I made. (+2)
#8: Hit the drive well, but pulled it a tad and hit caught some trees and knocked it down. I still had a clear shot at the green and hit a SW to 18 feet. Didn’t play enough break and made par (+2)
#9: This was a really good drive on this hole because it’s easy to leave it out to the right side and have a long distance into the hole. Here I cut the left side of the fairway perfectly and had 150 yards into the hole. Hit a 9-iron to 20 feet. I had the read in general, but didn’t play enough break and was about 3-feet away. But, I knocked the par putt in (+2)
#10: Pretty good drive down the right side. Tried to fade a hybrid, but it caught the toe and that kept it straight and it went right into the left woods. I lucked out as I had a clear shot and full swing into the green. Just a tight lie. I hit SW to 10-feet. This putt I thought I made, but it just missed and made par (+2)
#11: I bombed this drive. Unfortunately it went so far that it went thru the fairway and up against a bunker that I usually never come close to hitting. I had a funky lie and hit PW barely onto the green and 2-putted for par (+2)
#12: This was a drive that was okay because I caught it a little low on the face. I had a 6-iron into the green and chubbed it a bit and ended up short. It was a bad leave, but I hit a great pitch to about 4-feet and saved the par (+2)
#13: We had the wind back in our face and I flushed my 575MMC 3-iron to 10-feet. I had the line, but left it about 1-inch short and made par (+2)
#14: Nice drive right down the middle. I pulled the SW a bit, but found the fringe. A bit of a weird putt as it was a 15 footer, but the first 6-feet was fringe. I hit it way too hard and then made a 3-footer coming back for par (+2)
#15: Decent driver down the middle. The pin was all the way back and I hit a 7-iron well, but pulled it a tad and the wind never moved it to the right. I was near the lip of the bunker and just got it to 12-feet and sank the par save (+2)
#16: Another drive like #6 where I thought I was in the woods, but ended up in the fairway in very good shape. I hit a driver well off the deck, but it took a terrible bounce into the woods. I then hit a tremendous punch shot from 80 yards with a 6-iron that got the ball on the green. I killed my first putt. Thankfully I watched the ball roll bye and could see the line of the putt and made the comebacker from 8-feet to save par (+2)
#17: Flushed a 6-iron, but with a closed face and missed well left. Pretty good flop to 10-feet and just missed the putt to make bogey (+3)
#18: This drive I hit a little too high, but it ended up in good position in the fairway. Another flushed 6-iron with a closed face that missed well left. Pretty good pitch to 10-feet and saved the par. (+3)
THOUGHTS: All things considered I’m pretty happy with the round. It’s been difficult to get really good practice lately with daylight savings and the cold weather. My swing is really starting to come around, although I need to get some real vacation time so I can work on it more intently. I thought I hit the driver pretty well and the encouraging sign is that my bad drives are generally not all that bad. And I thought I putted pretty well considering the rough shape of the greens.
38-37=75 (+3)
8/14 fwy
9/18 GIR
31 putts
3 impeded shots
-5 GIRO Score