Post by Richie3Jack on Jul 12, 2015 19:44:21 GMT -5
Course: Rio Pinar CC
Weather: 94 degrees (100 degree Heat Index) with a 9 mph wind
Stimp: 7
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
I didn't touch a club the past 2 days as I stepped on a golf tee with my barefoot on Thursday night. I think what happened was I was cleaning my clubs while sitting down and a tee was next too my foot and when I got up to walk towards my bag the tee propped up somehow and I stepped on it. OUCH!
I stepped on a nail when I was a kid and also had my dad put a pitchfork thru my toe (don't ask) when I was 16. There really wasn't a big puncture would so I didn't need a tetenus shot, but it was painful to walk on until I started to soak it in epsom salts for 30 minutes every 4 hours.
Today it was feeling pretty good and by the end of the round it was a little sore, but nothing to cry about.
Anyway, it was a boiler out there until we hit about #14 or so and a storm north of us was cooling down the temps. The good news is the course is finally re-doing some of their awful tee boxes and the fairways were in good shape. The bad news is that a couple of the greens were struggling and they were slower than tar. Still enjoy the course and if they can ever figure out the tee boxes and some of those trouble greens, it's one of the best designs out there.
#1: Hit a driver down the middle, but not very hard. I didn't hit any balls and was still favoring the foot. I then hit a cutty 3-hybrid to lay up short of the water. It wasn't pretty, but it was effective as it was right down the middle. I hit a SW to the back edge of the green, had a little mis-read and made par ( E )
#2: This was a pretty good driver down the middle. Not a ton of pop on it, but still went 280 yards. I hit a S-Wedge to the back edge of the green again. My first putt went about 5-feet short and I couldn't make the par putt (+1)
#3: This was a good driver down the middle followed by a P-Wedge that went to the middle of the green with the pin up front. 2-putted and made par (+1)
#4: This hole has the worst tee box on the course. Thankfully they are re-doing it. They need to cut out the trees surrounding it because it blocks off the air, sunlight and water. I hit this okay and it found the front fringe. Chipped to 3-feet and saved par (+1)
#5: This hole annoys me because it's a tall order to lay-up on this tee, but if you hit driver you better hit it over those trees on the left and not hook it or aim down the middle and hit a hook. Not a draw...a hook. Because I hit a slight draw and ended up in the right woods as I went thru the fairway. Punched out and then hit a S-Wedge to 15-feet. Missed the putt and made bogey (+2)
#6: This is why I love the new driver. I hit this one substantially off the toe. There was wind behind me, but it wasn't blowing hard and I have never been this close to the hole off my drive. And I used to be a member here!
Anyway, I estimate that was a 310 yard drive that was hit well off the toe and I hit a S-Wedge solid, but pulled it. 2-putted and made par (+2)
#7: I hit this one hard. I was playing for a small cut, but pushed it a tad and over-cut it a tad and it clipped a tree and stayed in the woods. This was a tough decision. I could make the easy rescue shot or hit the more difficult rescue shot that would advance the ball further.
My take on this, is for more difficult rescue shots I want to gain at least 40 yards of distance otherwise I'll take the easy way out. I hit the shot and hit it a little higher than I thought and it clipped a pine trip just a bit, but ended up okay. In the end, I figured I gained 67 yards with my decision. It went from having to hit a 3-wood to having a shot at hitting the GIR with a 3-Hybrid. I didn't hit a very good 3-Hybrid and went in the bunker and bounced out. I chipped to 5-feet and saved the par. (+2)
#8: This is another hole with an awful tee box. They had us up at 175 yards instead of 210 yards. This is what I hate about modern course designs, they make the par-3's from the tips at over 200 yards, constantly. If you study the Tour as much as I do, they usually have 2 par-3's in the 150-180 yard range and 2 par-3's at over 180 yards. If not in the design, they'll just move up the tee boxes in some rounds.
Anyway, this tee box was terrible and I hit my 6-iron well, but I pushed it due to falling off balance. I chipped to 4-feet and saved par (+2)
#9: This was also the longest drive I've ever hit on this hole. I had a P-Wedge in and hit it to 12-feet and sunk the birdie (+1)
#10: Tried to give this one a big rip, but fell off it a bit and found the right bunker. Hit a 3-hybrid out of the bunker and then hit a L-Wedge, but found that I should have hit my S-Wedge instead. It didn't matter as I made a 25-footer for birdie ( E )
#11: This wasn't a good swing, but it was quite effective. I hit an 8-iron from 162 pin high and left the putt on the edge and made par ( E )
#12: Flushed an 8-iron to 7-feet, but couldn't convert the putt. I think the read and stroke were good, but the gnarly grass moved it left.
#13: This was a hard hit driver, but it unexpectedly drew on me and into the fairway bunker. I hit a 9-iron from the fairway bunker to 20-feet, 2-putted and made par ( E )
#14: Killed this driver. I punched a 9-iron that I hit off the toe, but had more than enough distance. Couldn't quite read the putt correctly and I 2-putted and made par ( E )
#15: I had the wind behind me and I drilled this drive. But again, it unexpectedly drew on me and it went over the left fairway bunker and into the rough with no shot. I punched out to 208 yards in the fairway.
Normally, this is a 4-iron. But, I live by the rule "if I have a forced carry, I'll take the 3-hybrid over the 4-iron." That's what I had even though I can normally hit my 3-hybrid 230 yards. I swung smoothly here and fired it at the flag. It went to the back of the green, but it was still a very good shot from that distance. I 2-putted and made par ( E )
#16: I figured I just got down hitting a great 3-hybrid and if I hit it again, I'll be in good shape. I had 226 yards and I hit this 3-Hybrid well again. The only difference is that was a little push draw. That and this was hit to 3-feet. I made the birdie putt. Ahead of us was a group of guys that play on a weekly skins game on Sunday. I was thinking it was too bad I didn't join because I doubt many would get a birdie on this hole with that pin position. (-1)
#17: The big thing here was I was aiming left and trying to not close the face. I didn't get the job done, but it wasn't too bad as I only hit a small draw and ended up in the left rough. Another shit pin position and I couldn't get the ball over the hump. 2-putted and made par (-1)
#18: This was a solid, straight drive that went about 280 yards. I hit it a little low on the face, but overall not bad. The wind was in our face and I hit 7-iron. Best iron swing of the day and had 5-feet for birdie and drained it (-2)
37-33=70 (-2)
8/14 fwy
14/18 GIR
31 putts
5 impedes
-6 GIRO Score
+18 '15/5 Score'
Overall, I'm very happy a I'm -15 under par on my last 63 holes of play. Juliette Falls was a litte more open, but tight. Havana Club was wide open and a course I should have taken advantage of and I did. Rio Pinar is more tricky because it requires quality driving and manipulating the ball flight. While my driving wasn't great, I did hit some great drives and minimized the impact of my drives that ended up in trouble. I also hit my last 10 GIR and played the last 10 holes at -4 under par.
So, the layoff didn't really hurt me. I"m starting to ingrain the swing better and did it with a slightly bum foot.
Where I lost strokes here was a bit more with the slow start due to the 'layoff' and some strategy issues (need to layup on #5 and #13). I didn't putt great, but I'd be hard pressed to continually putt great on those greens.
3JACK
Weather: 94 degrees (100 degree Heat Index) with a 9 mph wind
Stimp: 7
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
I didn't touch a club the past 2 days as I stepped on a golf tee with my barefoot on Thursday night. I think what happened was I was cleaning my clubs while sitting down and a tee was next too my foot and when I got up to walk towards my bag the tee propped up somehow and I stepped on it. OUCH!
I stepped on a nail when I was a kid and also had my dad put a pitchfork thru my toe (don't ask) when I was 16. There really wasn't a big puncture would so I didn't need a tetenus shot, but it was painful to walk on until I started to soak it in epsom salts for 30 minutes every 4 hours.
Today it was feeling pretty good and by the end of the round it was a little sore, but nothing to cry about.
Anyway, it was a boiler out there until we hit about #14 or so and a storm north of us was cooling down the temps. The good news is the course is finally re-doing some of their awful tee boxes and the fairways were in good shape. The bad news is that a couple of the greens were struggling and they were slower than tar. Still enjoy the course and if they can ever figure out the tee boxes and some of those trouble greens, it's one of the best designs out there.
#1: Hit a driver down the middle, but not very hard. I didn't hit any balls and was still favoring the foot. I then hit a cutty 3-hybrid to lay up short of the water. It wasn't pretty, but it was effective as it was right down the middle. I hit a SW to the back edge of the green, had a little mis-read and made par ( E )
#2: This was a pretty good driver down the middle. Not a ton of pop on it, but still went 280 yards. I hit a S-Wedge to the back edge of the green again. My first putt went about 5-feet short and I couldn't make the par putt (+1)
#3: This was a good driver down the middle followed by a P-Wedge that went to the middle of the green with the pin up front. 2-putted and made par (+1)
#4: This hole has the worst tee box on the course. Thankfully they are re-doing it. They need to cut out the trees surrounding it because it blocks off the air, sunlight and water. I hit this okay and it found the front fringe. Chipped to 3-feet and saved par (+1)
#5: This hole annoys me because it's a tall order to lay-up on this tee, but if you hit driver you better hit it over those trees on the left and not hook it or aim down the middle and hit a hook. Not a draw...a hook. Because I hit a slight draw and ended up in the right woods as I went thru the fairway. Punched out and then hit a S-Wedge to 15-feet. Missed the putt and made bogey (+2)
#6: This is why I love the new driver. I hit this one substantially off the toe. There was wind behind me, but it wasn't blowing hard and I have never been this close to the hole off my drive. And I used to be a member here!
Anyway, I estimate that was a 310 yard drive that was hit well off the toe and I hit a S-Wedge solid, but pulled it. 2-putted and made par (+2)
#7: I hit this one hard. I was playing for a small cut, but pushed it a tad and over-cut it a tad and it clipped a tree and stayed in the woods. This was a tough decision. I could make the easy rescue shot or hit the more difficult rescue shot that would advance the ball further.
My take on this, is for more difficult rescue shots I want to gain at least 40 yards of distance otherwise I'll take the easy way out. I hit the shot and hit it a little higher than I thought and it clipped a pine trip just a bit, but ended up okay. In the end, I figured I gained 67 yards with my decision. It went from having to hit a 3-wood to having a shot at hitting the GIR with a 3-Hybrid. I didn't hit a very good 3-Hybrid and went in the bunker and bounced out. I chipped to 5-feet and saved the par. (+2)
#8: This is another hole with an awful tee box. They had us up at 175 yards instead of 210 yards. This is what I hate about modern course designs, they make the par-3's from the tips at over 200 yards, constantly. If you study the Tour as much as I do, they usually have 2 par-3's in the 150-180 yard range and 2 par-3's at over 180 yards. If not in the design, they'll just move up the tee boxes in some rounds.
Anyway, this tee box was terrible and I hit my 6-iron well, but I pushed it due to falling off balance. I chipped to 4-feet and saved par (+2)
#9: This was also the longest drive I've ever hit on this hole. I had a P-Wedge in and hit it to 12-feet and sunk the birdie (+1)
#10: Tried to give this one a big rip, but fell off it a bit and found the right bunker. Hit a 3-hybrid out of the bunker and then hit a L-Wedge, but found that I should have hit my S-Wedge instead. It didn't matter as I made a 25-footer for birdie ( E )
#11: This wasn't a good swing, but it was quite effective. I hit an 8-iron from 162 pin high and left the putt on the edge and made par ( E )
#12: Flushed an 8-iron to 7-feet, but couldn't convert the putt. I think the read and stroke were good, but the gnarly grass moved it left.
#13: This was a hard hit driver, but it unexpectedly drew on me and into the fairway bunker. I hit a 9-iron from the fairway bunker to 20-feet, 2-putted and made par ( E )
#14: Killed this driver. I punched a 9-iron that I hit off the toe, but had more than enough distance. Couldn't quite read the putt correctly and I 2-putted and made par ( E )
#15: I had the wind behind me and I drilled this drive. But again, it unexpectedly drew on me and it went over the left fairway bunker and into the rough with no shot. I punched out to 208 yards in the fairway.
Normally, this is a 4-iron. But, I live by the rule "if I have a forced carry, I'll take the 3-hybrid over the 4-iron." That's what I had even though I can normally hit my 3-hybrid 230 yards. I swung smoothly here and fired it at the flag. It went to the back of the green, but it was still a very good shot from that distance. I 2-putted and made par ( E )
#16: I figured I just got down hitting a great 3-hybrid and if I hit it again, I'll be in good shape. I had 226 yards and I hit this 3-Hybrid well again. The only difference is that was a little push draw. That and this was hit to 3-feet. I made the birdie putt. Ahead of us was a group of guys that play on a weekly skins game on Sunday. I was thinking it was too bad I didn't join because I doubt many would get a birdie on this hole with that pin position. (-1)
#17: The big thing here was I was aiming left and trying to not close the face. I didn't get the job done, but it wasn't too bad as I only hit a small draw and ended up in the left rough. Another shit pin position and I couldn't get the ball over the hump. 2-putted and made par (-1)
#18: This was a solid, straight drive that went about 280 yards. I hit it a little low on the face, but overall not bad. The wind was in our face and I hit 7-iron. Best iron swing of the day and had 5-feet for birdie and drained it (-2)
37-33=70 (-2)
8/14 fwy
14/18 GIR
31 putts
5 impedes
-6 GIRO Score
+18 '15/5 Score'
Overall, I'm very happy a I'm -15 under par on my last 63 holes of play. Juliette Falls was a litte more open, but tight. Havana Club was wide open and a course I should have taken advantage of and I did. Rio Pinar is more tricky because it requires quality driving and manipulating the ball flight. While my driving wasn't great, I did hit some great drives and minimized the impact of my drives that ended up in trouble. I also hit my last 10 GIR and played the last 10 holes at -4 under par.
So, the layoff didn't really hurt me. I"m starting to ingrain the swing better and did it with a slightly bum foot.
Where I lost strokes here was a bit more with the slow start due to the 'layoff' and some strategy issues (need to layup on #5 and #13). I didn't putt great, but I'd be hard pressed to continually putt great on those greens.
3JACK