4.24.10 Round

[Richie3Jack]

After 4 busy days of packing, driving 8 hours, unpacking and putting everything together, I finally got to play my first round at my new home course, Eastwood GC. It's a 75.3 index with a 133 slope from the tips...plays 7,200 yards. I was using the Apex PC's today and went back to my Yes! putter. One of those breezy, warm and a little sticky Florida days. Course was in solid condition.

#1 (380 yds) - Good driver down the middle. Hit a 9-iron to 8-feet and made the birdie. I like this course already (-1)

#2 - (532 yds) - Good driver, but tried to cut down the left side and you really can't do that. Hit a 5-iron to about 90 yards. Hit a SW to 15 feet and just missed the putt. My putt hit a pitch mark and that knocked it off line. Tapped in for par (-1)

#3 - (182 yds) - Good 5-iron to 8 feet. Missed the putt. (-1)

#4 - (433 yds) - Sort of a ridiculous hole as it's a 90* dogleg right and you have to bomb the tee shot or you have an angle to the green. Tried to fade a 3-iron around the trees, but it sliced instead of fading. Hit bunker blast to 10 feet and 2-putted for bogey (E)

#5 - (435 yds) - Was right into the wind. Hit a good driver, flushed a 3-hybrid to 12 feet. Putt was ultra slow despite going downhill. (E)

#6 - (557 yds) - Pull draw into the left rough. Hit a pretty good 3-wood from a tough lie. Hit a 8-iron to 35 feet and 2-putted (E)

#7 - (390 yds) - Can't remember what this hole was, but I made a par (E)

#8 - (191 yds) - Hit a 4-iron a little off the toe and just missed short. Decent chip. Putt went right at the hole, but fell short...probably against the grain big time (+1)

#9 - (421 yds) - the guy I was playing golf with told me how to play this hole, but I wish I never took his advice. I wound up down the left side with a tough lie and trying to hit a hybrid off a very uphill lie (bunch of mounds on the left side). Hit a SW to 12 feet and missed the putt....short again. (+2)

#10 - (628 yds) - This hole is ultra long. Even if your Dustin Johnson, it's a long hole because it's a 90* dog leg and you can't cut the corner. Somebody like Dustin Johnson would probably hit a 3-wood off the tee. I hit driver down the middle. Hit a good 3-wood. Then hit a nice 4-iron (yes, my approach on a par-5 was a 4-iron) to 20 feet. Tough putt, but I had a tap in for par (+2)

#11 - (447 yds) - Hit a good driver. Hit a 4-iron well to about 30 feet. 2-putted for par (+2)

#12 - (213 yds) - Hit a hybrid a little high up on the face and wound up just short of the green. Terrible chip and 2-putted fro bogey (+3)

#13 - (383 yds) - This hole is ridiculous because unless you are super long, you can't see the green on your second shot. We were playing into the wind and I pulled my drive a bit and left myself with a very tough second shot. Went into the bunker and then hit an excellent bunker shot to 3-feet and saved the par (+3)

#14 - (184 yds) - Wind in our face. I hit a 4-iron and pushed it into the bunker. Decent bunker shot to 8-feet and 2-putted...left it short again. (+4)

#15 - (395 yds) - Good driver down the middle. Caught a 7-iron a little thin and wound up just short. Used the Rule of 12 and chipped a 8-iron to a foot and made the par (+4)

#16 - (566 yds) - Good driver down the middle. Beautiful 3-wood up there. Hit a LW a little long and lipped out the birdie (+4)

#17 - (431 yds) - Good driver down the middle. Hit a 7-iron flush to 8 feet. Made the downhill birdie putt, probably because I wasn't going to leave that downhill putt short (+3)

#18 - (408 yds) - Big driver down the middle. Hit a 8-iron to 20 feet. Putt was on-line, but short again and tapped in for par (+3)

Overall a pleasing round since I haven't touched a club since Tuesday and only hit about 10 balls on the range and did this on a course I was playing blind. Need to figure out the grain on the greens better. I'm still really just on Module 2 of ABS, so I'm hitting push draws. I'm not that high on a push draw, but whatever. I like it when I draw looks from golfers when they see my Apex PC blades with chunks of lead tape on them. Course was fun, but difficult. Tough to go too low there.

38-37=75 (+3)
11/14 Fwy
12/18 GIR
33 putts
2/6 scramble







3JACK

[secondary]

Those have to be some of the longest 90 degree doglegs I have heard of in a while? Gonna have to go google earth it and see what it looks like. Glad your move went good!

[Richie3Jack]

I liked the course. The only holes I didn't care for were #4 and #13. #4 they need to cut down some of the trees on the right side so a golfer doesn't have to hit so far around them or move the back tees up a little. They need to cut all of the brush and trees down on #13 because you can't see see anything on the approach.





3JACK

[gmbtempe]

I looked at the course on Google

On 1 it really pinches down with the water at 250is, seems like a tight driving hole?

2 looks like a solid drive and go for it most rounds?

4 is a very tight hole, have no idea of wind direction but you need to hit it 260-280 to clear the dogleg, and its tight

7 the hole you did not remember looks about the easiest hole, straight 380 no trouble

8 looks like a good hole over the lake

10 is just a silly hole, its a 275 carry if you could clear the trees, could a high ball bomber like Mickelson carry it? Seems like a silly design.

12 looks deceptively tough, hitting hybrids with that lake on the left, is that in play?

14 - nice semi island green with a four iron....nice

You can see why the course is so much tougher from the back tees not only because of the length but some of the trouble is much more in play and those doglegs are crazy tough. If you have a two way miss with your driver going on looks like this is a course that will eat you up.

[Richie3Jack]

Apr 25, 2010 14:24:58 GMT -5 gmbtempe said:

I looked at the course on Google

On 1 it really pinches down with the water at 250is, seems like a tight driving hole?

Yeah, I didn't know that...hit a driver down the middle and thanked my lucky stars that I was down the middle. The wind was blowing hard in our face, so I only hit it about 250 yards.

2 looks like a solid drive and go for it most rounds?

I think so. I cut down the left side too much and had to lay up. I think if you hit it more down the middle, you can have a clear shot.

4 is a very tight hole, have no idea of wind direction but you need to hit it 260-280 to clear the dogleg, and its tight

Not really that tight, you have a good amount of room. Getting around the dogleg is tough. I'll probably have to hit hybrid into that green.

7 the hole you did not remember looks about the easiest hole, straight 380 no trouble

Yeah, I still cannot remember it.

8 looks like a good hole over the lake

Decent hole. In front of the green it really slopes downward to the pond, but doesn't look like it from the tee. I didn't hit my tee shot square and thought it was okay enough to be safe, but the playing partner yelled for it to stay up and I could see why he was doing that as we went up to the green.

10 is just a silly hole, its a 275 carry if you could clear the trees, could a high ball bomber like Mickelson carry it? Seems like a silly design.

I doubt they could carry the trees. The problem is that you really wouldn't know where to aim and you could carry them, go past the fairway and O.B. So it's going to play long for anybody. For me, it's a driver, 3-wood and probably anything from a 4-iron to an 8-iron. I don't mind that, I don't believe every par-5 should be something you can go for. OTOH, I don't believe a 'good' par-3 has to be a 4-iron or longer either. I like some variety.

12 looks deceptively tough, hitting hybrids with that lake on the left, is that in play?

No, unless you yank it pretty bad. The green is probably tougher than anything.

14 - nice semi island green with a four iron....nice

Yep, solid hole. Bad shots go in the water, mediocre shots should miss the green, but not find trouble.

You can see why the course is so much tougher from the back tees not only because of the length but some of the trouble is much more in play and those doglegs are crazy tough. If you have a two way miss with your driver going on looks like this is a course that will eat you up.

Yes, it's certainly not an easy course. However, it's flat and in Georgia it's so hilly there that you can hit a good driver down the fairway and be stuck with almost an impossible shot because of the lie. Like I posted in my latest blog post, I was playing a par-5 at Windermere and hit a big driver down the left side perfectly. But the lie may have been going 60* downhill and I had a 3-iron. I caught the 3-iron flush, but it went about 5 feet high. Lots of shots like that in Georgia, but in Florida it's really flat. Wind wise, Florida is windier, but Georgia gets plenty of wind. I think getting used to the grain on the Florida greens will be tough.

Next Saturday I'll probably play the other course I'm a member at with this membership...North Shore.




3JACK

[iteachgolf]

North Shore might have the best greens in Orlando day in and day out. Very good course with a simple hole to get the round started

[Richie3Jack]

Can't wait. Eastwoods were rough the first 4 holes, but nice but slow afterward. Still learning how to play the grain.




3JACK