Breaking the Barrier!

I think that I may be peaking too early for my journey to St. Andrews! I have played two rounds of golf so far in 2011 and I am playing my best golf ever. I shot an 84 at Papago Golf Course two weeks ago and an 86 at the Gold Course at the Wigwam Golf Resort last weekend. Hopefully, I have turned a corner and I can continue to shoot in the mid-80s and I just did not catch lightning in a bottle for a glimmer in time.

There are a few things that give me hope that this is not just a passing fad (I hope I do not come to regret those words in the future). First, I have played the same Titleist Pro V golf ball for 36 holes, which I am sure is a record for me. I am driving the ball straighter and longer than ever before. It is amazing how much easier it is to play when you are hitting your second shot from the fairway and do not need a driver to reach the green in regulation. Second, I was one over par through the first 7 holes at the Wigwam! (try not to do the math for the remaining 12 holes). I lost 5 shots on two holes because of two lob wedge shots that came up short and landed in the greenside bunkers. I either need to figure out how far I can hit the lob wedge and when I should use it or take it out of my bag forever. The lob wedge used to be my favorite club so I am not willing to give up on it yet.

Chad Feldheimer and I played Papago Golf Course. After my previous experience playing from the black tees, we moved up and played the blue tees. Papago is still a very good test of golf from the blue tees. It is 6,771 yards with a course rating of 72.0 and a slope rating of 125. Chad started out birdie-birdie and it looked like this might be the round that he shoots par or better and loses his "Chad Feldheimer" moniker. But he triple-bogeyed a short par-4 hitting a short iron into the greenside bunker and taking two strokes to get out of the bunker. He shot a 79, but hit the ball much better than his score indicated. I shot an 84 with two double-bogeys and 8 pars. I had a number of makeable birdie putts but did not hole any of them.

Last weekend The Gardener and I played the Gold Course at the Wigwam Golf Resort. We played from the Championship tees that are 6,830 yards with a course rating of 72.3 and a slope rating of 130. In the summer when the temperature is higher and the ground is harder and the ball flies and rolls further, we may try to play the “Monster” tees, which are 7,430 yards with course rating of 74.5 and a slope rating of 135. The Gardener had an off-day so I will not announce his score to my many followers. On the other hand, I was keeping the ball in play and hitting it pretty straight. I was one over par through 7 holes. On the par-4 eighth hole I was in jail and had to chip out into the middle of the fairway. I had 60 yards to the green and was thinking about making a bogey and moving on to the next tee. Against my better judgment, I pulled out my lob wedge and dunked the ball into the greenside bunker and made a 7 and shot a 41 on the front 9. I birdied the par-5 tenth hole and then proceeded to shoot 10 over par on the next eight holes for a 45 on the back 9 and an 86 total.