The Day That Could Have Been

It was supposed to rain. It was suppossed to be cold. It was supposed to be windy.

Windy it was. But sunny with temperatues in the 50s meant I could steal another day of golf from mother nature.

Being late in the afternoon, I had to get someplace quickly, so I went to the closest course to my house -- Granite Links Golf Club in Quincy, which just was named the #73 public course in the country by Golf Digest. It's the type of course that clearly requires some course knowlege -- the first time I played it, I think I shot 97; since then I'm averaging in the low 80s, if not better. It also has the best "inter-course" views of any place I've ever been.

As the title suggests, the was The Day That Could Have Been. I've never been 8-over and oh-so-close to even par before; if it wasn't for some wind and a few bad putts, it really could have happend. Here's the hole-by-hole breakdown:

1 I started on the Milton 9, and the 1st is a real tester, a 483 yard par 4 where you may actually have to lay-up off the tee because of a hazard that pokes into the fairway about 280-290 yards out; the tees were also up a bit and it was playing downwind. I hit a 2-hybrid to the middle of the fairway, then a 7-iron about 195 yards to the back of the green; that should tell you all you need to know about the wind (my typical 7-iron max distance is 175 yards). 2 putts, one par. Score: E. Theoretical score: E.

2 A straightforward par 3 with a big green. My 8-iron found the bunker front-right. That leads me to a quick aside about the bunkers here -- they are absolutely perfect. They're made of crushed granite, which makes them a sparkling white, and they are one of the key reasons this course looks so beautiful in the sunshine. The crushed granite also gives them a very consistent, firm feel, and you can always trust your shot. I popped mine out to about 5 feet to make a nice sandy. Score: E. Theoretical score: E.

3 Similar to the 1st, the 3rd is a long par 4 with a hazard that forces you to be very careful off the tee; you then have to carry the hazard to get to the green, or play safe out to the left. I hit a 1-hybrid just into the rough on the L side, leaving about 200 yards. Here was essentially my only bad shot of the day; facing a sidehill lie with the ball below my feet, I tried to play a 4-iron out to the safe area on the left, but I topped it and rolled it into the hazard. I then hit a pretty good 9 iron just off the back of the green, and made a delicate up and down for a disappointing 6. Best case scenario, had I hit that 4-iron out to the left, I would have faced a tough little pitch to a narrow green, so I think a good score would have been 5. Score: +2. Theoretical score: +1.

4 A challenging uphill par 5 that has historically been a problem for me, I actually played a very standard drive to the middle of the fairway, 4 iron to about 80 yards, and gap wedge to the green. I had a lengthy 30+ footer for birdie... and smacked it 10 feet past. You can guess what happened next. I HATE 3 PUTTS!!! Score: +3. Theoretical score: +1.

5 An easier par 4, I hit drive to the (smart) left side of the fairway, leaving about 120 yards to a diagonal green from right front to back left. This is the highest elevation point of the course, and the wind was whipping pretty hard from right-to-left and a little in my face. I decided to hit a low punch 9-iron and hit it absolutely perfectly, exactly how I wanted to. But the wind was stronger than I thought, and it ended up 10 yards short. My chip ran a little long, and 2 putts led to a bogey that really should have been an easy par with a little less wind. Score: +4. Theoretical score: +1.

6 A very challenging 219 yard par 3, with wind that was now cutting across left-to-right. I hit a 3 iron to just off the green on the right, then failed to carry a ridge on my chip, leaving a lengthy 25 foot par try. 2 putt bogey again, but realistically 4 is a decent score here. Score: +5. Theoretical score: +2.

7 The green and most of the fairway are blind from the tee on 7; I've driven (or over-driven) the green twice when the wind is favorable, but there was no shot on this day. I played very safe out the larger right side of the fairway, leaving a 95 yard gap wedge to the green... stuck it to 4 feet! ...and missed the putt. Score: +5. Theoretical score: +1.

8 Another lay-up hole off the tee under normal conditions, though in retrospect with the wind I probably could have hit driver this time. Instead my 1-hybrid found a fairway bunker on the left side, about 125 yards out. I hit a solid 9-iron to about 10 yards short of the green, made a nice chip and a tap-in for par. Score: +5. Theoretical score: +1.

9 521 yards, up probably 100+ feet of elevation, and dead into the wind. A drive left is dead as it falls off steeply just off the fairway; my drive was left. Fortunately, because it's early in the season, the fescue that normally prevents any reasonable shot hasn't grown in yet, so I actually had a play, but the ball was still above my waist -- not just above my feet, but my waist. I hit a tee-ball 5-iron to the right side of the fairway, about as good a shot as I could have. I only had about 120 left, but with the wind and the hill took 2 extra clubs and smoked an 8-iron...that just barely made the front of the green. 2 putts made for a very satisfying par. Score: +5. Theoretical score: +1.

10 The Granite 9 starts with a hole that you have to play 2-3 times before you have any idea what to do. It's a 513 yard par 5, severely downhill; it sounds easy enough, but there is a huge waste area that lies about 290 yards from the tee and goes almost all the way to the green. You can actually hit driver if you want to risk the very narrow area of fairway that continues along the left side of the hazard (I've successfully done it once and had only about 8-iron in to the green), but it's a huge risk. Playing both downhill and downwind, I elected to lay-up with a 2-hybrid... and still stopped just short of the hazard. With a slightly awkward lie, I hit a 5-iron to the safe area left of the green (where it's easier to clear the waste area), followed by a flop up to the green and 2 putts for par. Score: +5. Theoretical score: +1.

11 I usually have a hard time with my alignment on the 2nd hole on the Granite 9, but this time I smoked a perfect drive to the middle of the fairway, 315 yards (with the wind). I had an easy 60-degree wedge in but pulled it a little bit, ending up off the green left. I made a so-so chip and 2 putt for bogey that should have been an easy par. Score: +6. Theoretical score: +1.

12 The number 1 handicap hole on the Granite side, and very similar to the 3rd on the Milton side. I hit a good but not great drive just over the bunker on the left of the fairway, then a 6 iron to pin-high just off the green on the left, but a terrible chip left me 20+ feet for par... which I made. (Note, this is about the only point in the round where I can say I made up a shot that I didn't earn.) Score: +6. Theoretical score: +1.

13 A nice par 3 with a "Redan" style green fronted by a small pond on the front left. The pin was in a favorable position on the right side of the green, just before the ridge in the green that carries most shots down the back left. I hit 7-iron and came up a bit short, then what I thought was an excellent chip to about 2 feet just left of the hole. I turned around to pick up my putter, and when I turned back my ball had apparently teleported down the slope and I suddenly found myself with a 15 footer... ugh. 2 putts meant an undeserved bogey. Score: +7. Theoretical score: +1.

14 A hole that usually plays downwind, this day was playing almost straight into it. It's a tricky tee shot from the back tees, which seem to be based on a different hole altogether. I usually try to play a high tee-shot over the trees on the right side, but with the wind today I played it straight out toward the traps on the left side. I hit it perfect -- again, exactly how I wanted to... and never found the ball. I could only assume that it carried farther than I thought was possible into the wind and found the woods/hazard past the traps. I dropped, then hit a 6 iron that came up in the bunker short of the green. Another nice blast out of perfect crushed granite and I tapped in for a mystery bogey. Score: +8. Theoretical score: +1.

15 A deceptive hole that somehow always seems to force me into the woods on the left; this time I hit a great drive that on a wind-free day probably would have caught the slope a run down toward the front of the green. Instead today it stopped at the top of the hill, and I had about 70 yards in to the narrow green. I'm starting to really love my new 60-degree Vokey wedge -- flew just past the pin, then spun it back to about 6 feet. Made this one. Score: +7. Theoretical score: E.

16 An unreal par 3, 218 yards all carry over a waste area, to a green that is only about 15-20 yards deep. With the wind in your face, it would have been impossible; the course gods must have know that, and the black tees were up where the blues usually are, making it a more manageable 185 yards. I it 4 iron and still just barely cleared the hazard (on the safer left side), then nearly chipped in before tapping in for par. Score: +7. Theoretical score: E.

17 Like the 9th on the Milton 9, this is an uphill par 5 that played directly into the wind. Smoked another drive to the middle of the fairway, then hit a full 2-hybrid that still left me with about 70 yards into the green. A solid 60-degree wedge barely found the front left of the green, leaving a 20 footer for birdie. Did I mention that I HATE 3 PUTTS??? Score: +8. Theoretical score: E.

18 The 9th on the Granite side is a hole I can't seem to figure out. The GPS on the cart tells you that it's only 220 yards to carry the traps in order to play straight toward the green, but I never seem to be able to carry them. I've played safe out to the right side, but that leaves a very difficult approach over a pond to a narrow green that has a granite quarry off the left and back. This time I took a different approach -- left of the traps into the woods. That seemed to make sense. Here, though, the early season conditions played into my favor; I had a clean lie, and no leaves on the trees to contend with. I hit a nice easy gap wedge punch to just in front of the green, then chipped up to about 5 feet, and made a nice little par to close the round. Score: +8. Theoretical score: E.

I know I'm taking some liberties with the theoretical score, but simply take away 2 3-putts, another easy 4-footer, 2 penalty shots, 1 mystery ball that moved 15 feet after it looked like it had stopped, 1 perfect shot destroyed by the wind, and 1 lousy wedge shot and I was right there. I really hit almost every shot exactly how I wanted to (the only exceptions were the topped 4-iron on the 3rd and the wedge on 11). I was good off the tee (57% of fairways, and even the misses were to the proper miss areas), and generally great with my short game (46% scrambling, 2-for-2 on sand saves). It's about as good as I can play.

Which just goes to show: it's going to take a little luck to shoot even par. But I knew that.

The Ocean City Swing

Welcome to the 2009 golf season!

With the weather up north not exactly ideal yet, it became almost mandatory to get somewhere where it's a bit warmer -- this year my brother planned a little trip to Ocean City, MD, which we just completed this past weekend. Here's a quick rundown:

4/4/09: First, A Detour -- The Golf Course at Glen Mills, Glen Mills, PA

We were originally scheduled to play a warm-up round of sorts in New York, but with a forecast of steady rain and high winds, we decided to get a jump start on the trip and headed south to Glen Mills, which is just outside Philadelphia. We weren't entirely sure what to expect from the course, having chosen it somewhat last minute based on it's ranking as the #2 public course in the greater Philadelphia area according to ESPN.com's travel website. In short, it was spectacular. The conditions were fantastic for this time of year. The layout was unique, challenging, with hazards that were obviously well thought-out and punished bad shots, but if you hit it where you are supposed to, you would be rewarded. It immediately vaulted to my short list of favorite courses.

Unfortunately, 2 things conspired against scoring: (1) we avoided the rain but not the wind -- balls were literally blowing off the green... from a standstill; and (2) I sucked. Badly. Can't say I did much of anything right. I hit just 5 fairways (with 3 of those coming on holes 2-4), and 4 greens. I made a 9 on the 9th hole. The final tally: 94. Ugh.

4/5/09: Welcome Cheerleaders -- Glen Riddle Golf Club (Man O' War), Berlin, MD

We arrived in Ocean City to find that there was some sort of national cheerleading competition in town that weekend, and it seems that all the 10 year olds were staying in our hotel. That meant we got a bit of an early wake-up call when one of the mother hen's knocked on our door thinking it was a cheerleader room (probably since every other room on the floor was), and then had to endure about 2 hours of a screaming/running/make-up/hair session across the hall. So that was fun.

Eventually we escaped to our first scheduled round, at The Beach Club. We knew in advance that it was the weakest of the courses we were scheduled to play... but my God, was it bad. When we arrived there were about 50 people just milling around in the parking lot, which turned out to be due to the fact that they were out of carts and the starters were so flumoxed they had no idea what to do with everyone. Then we saw the putting green, which was mowed to a length I would normally associate with the 1st cut of rough. After a few quick phone calls we were able to transfer to our scheduled course for the next day (Glen Riddle Golf Club), and we fled The Beach Club like a trio of cockroaches when the lights turn on.

Best decision of our lives.

We played the Man O' War course at Glen Riddle, which is a links-style track with impressive rolling dunes that interweave with pristine fairways. It clocks in at an impressive 7163 yards (par 72) with a rating of 74.9 and slope of 137 from the tips. (A quick confession here, though: it wasn't playing anywhere near that slope/rating as the fescue that covers the dunes hadn't grown in for the season yet, and even the rough wasn't expected to really bloom for another month). This was the round of the weekend that came closest to even par, shooting 77. Some of that was a bit fluky (I holed out from 115 yards on the par-4 12th), but my play was infinitely better than it was the day before, hitting 9 fairways, 8 greens, and making just 27 putts.

4/6/09: Rained Out

We were supposed to return to Glen Riddle for 36 holes (at Man O' War and then their soon-to-be private course, War Admiral). We ended up playing 11 before thunderstorms and torrential rains poured in. Oh well.

4/7/09: On the Coast -- Rum Pointe Seaside Golf Links, Berlin, MD, and The Links at Lighthouse Sound, Bishopville, MD

The storm was gone, but the winds were not, and both our rounds on the final day of the trip were on coastal, relatively unprotected courses, and it seemed that every long hole played directly into the wind -- not an easy day to score.

First up was Rum Pointe, which is at Pete Dye design, suppossedly without the typical Pete Dye bite. At 7001 yards, though, and especially with the wind, it played to considerably more difficult than it's 72.6 rating/122 slope. It's definitely a scenic course with gorgeous bayside views, but overall a little repetitive; in fact, the best holes were probably the ones that headed away from the shore and briefly into the woods, which was a little disappointing. Despite hitting 71% of fairways, I shot 89, which tells you all you need to know about how hard it was to hit and hold greens in the conditions we had. Either that or I'm an awful iron player.

The final round of the weekend was at The Links at Lighthouse Sound, #89 on the Top 100 You Can Play. They claim it's been called the "Pebble Beach of the East," and I have to say it mostly delivered. The stretch of holes that runs directly along the coast (4-5-6, especially) is gorgeous; both the 4th and 5th greens are on precipices with the bay directly behind them (a la number 7 at Pebble), and the black and gold tees on 6 are seemingly in the middle of the bay itself. It's also incredibly challenging (73.3/144, 7031 yards), and, according to the guy in the pro shop, "unbeatable with a west wind" (which, of course, is exactly what we had). The 7th hole, in fact, has a forced carry that was quite literally impossible into the wind ("I've never seen anyone do it," said the pro shop guy). Statistically I had a good round -- 71% of fairways again, 6 greens, 33 putts, 9 pars -- but big scores on a few holes (3 triples) doomed the round and I shot 88.

All in all, I highly recommend the Glen Riddle courses and Lighthouse Sound if you're in the Ocean City area.

And now that I'm officially warmed up, it's time to get back to the task of reaching even par.

The Swing Sequence

Yesterday I spent another very cold day on the range (yes, it was 20 degrees; yes, I realize that's crazy). Why am I telling you this? Well I brought my camera with me, and discovered that after taking video with it, I could then split the individual frames up to stills for a nice swing sequence:

I wasn't originally going to post any of this, but my brother encouraged me to. Here's his email analyzing it:

You do an amazing job of keeping your spine angle throughout, and your address angle is perfect. Even though it doesn't necessarily look like it, you have a swing that is closer to one-plane than two. Your take away is on plane the entire time (around your body), where as with a two plane swing the club immediately is above the address line (almost above your shoulders). You also have the wrist rotation in a clockwise fashion, like a one plane swinger. The only difference is (and is probably what to work on) is getting the downswing to match up. You are somewhere in between the two on the downswing. At contact, your club should have gotten back to the same address angle (45 rather than 55). It seems as though you are late getting into the appropriate slot on the way down.

He sounds like a pro, doesn't he? (He's not.)

Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts about how to get into the "appropriate slot" -- or any other thoughts on what I should be doing with my swing -- please feel free to leave suggestions in the comments section.

Until next time....

The Must Plays

I know what you're saying: "Wow! Two posts in two days, and it isn't even golf season!" I know. What can I say? I have golf on the mind.

I decided (a few days late) on my New Year's Resolutions -- specifically, what my must play courses of the year are, and also my must plays for the next 5 years. Here are the groundrules:

• "Must plays" for the year (or the next 5 years) cannot be courses that I played last year.
• "Must plays" for this year should all be fairly local so that it's realistic; must plays for the 5-year list can be a bit more extended.
• I want to be somewhat pragmatic (you'll see what I mean).

Here we go....

MUST PLAYS FOR 2009

1. Olde Marsh Country Club, Wells, ME. One of my favorite places in the world (Wells, site of my childhood vacations) is now home to #10 on golf.com's list of the Best New Courses You Can Play. That's incredible. If there has EVER been a "must play," then this is it.

2. Red Tail Golf Club, Devens, MA. I last played there in August 2007, so it makes the cut. Red Tail is consistently ranked one of the top public courses in the state, and this year it is hosting the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links -- no small feat. I have to say, my experience is that it is a nice but not great course; I think I need to give it another chance.

3. Cyprian Keyes Golf Club, Boylston, MA. Another course that consistently scores highly in the supposed rankings that I have not played in some time. I need a refresher.

4. Fox Hopyard Golf Club, East Haddam, CT. My brother moved to New York. This is about 1/2 way in between Boston and NYC, and my dad raves about it's sister club (Crumpin-Fox in Bernardston, MA).

5. Presidents' Golf Course, Quincy, MA. This is the pragmatic entry. It's 9 holes, not that well rated, often crowded. But I drive right by it every day and never even think about playing it. Well that's stupid. I need to at least give it a chance before I quit on it entirely.

MUST PLAYS FOR 2009-2013

1. Chambers Bay, University Place, WA. #1 on virtually every single list for best new course last year. Already named the site of the 2015 U.S. Open. Peak season rates are just $139 with $69 for replay. Enough said.

2. Sunday River Golf Club (Bethel, ME) and
3. Sugarloaf Golf Club (Carrabassett Valley, ME). Sister courses based around ski resorts, and according to my uncle 2 of the most beautiful courses anywhere (and he would probably know).

4. The Golf Club at Mansion Ridge, Monroe, NY. Highly touted by my brother and his buddy Chris. I trust them.

5. Bretwood Golf Course (North Course), Keene, NH. Only one on the list that I have played. It remains my favorite layout of any course I've ever played. It's been too long since I've been there... I'll be back.

The New Video

I know, I know, it's been a long time. I could have blogged about my round on 10/13/08 at Butter Brook Golf Club -- which featured an eagle-birdie duo on 16 & 17 -- but I never really flirted with par (3-under on those 2 holes saved the round). I also could have blogged about my round at New York Country Club the day prior to my brother's wedding, but the wedding itself got in the way. Maybe some pictures from the event will do?

Bryan (the groom) on the driving range at sunrise.

Intimidating approach to the par-5 9th hole.

Looking back out from the 9th green; you can see the

NYC skyline in the distance (though not well in the picture).

Well-groomed course with beautiful October foliage.

Left-to-right: Scott, Phil, Bryan, Chris, and Bob.

This is what happens when you live in New England -- the golf season is all too short. Just yesterday, though, I went to the range with my brother to hit balls (because next year I am reaching even par), and we did a little video swing analysis of our own. We definitely have different swings:

Scott, back view, January 2009.

Bryan, back view, January 2009.

Scott, front view, January 2009.

Bryan, front view, January 2009.

My swing has definitely changed since I last did some home videos (see "The Mission"). My posture is definitely better, less hunched over. I also think I've gotten smoother, especially on the backswing, and there's less sway. These seem like good things. It keeps me hopeful.

While I'm here making a winter-time post, I wanted to pass along 2 books I received for Christmas that I'm enjoying:

World Atlas of Golf (Rowlinson) is a combination of golf history, course design, politics, and wonderful hole-by-hole walk-throughs of the best and most famous golf courses in the world. I saw it in Barnes and Noble and was engrossed for a good 20 minutes; then actually received it on X-mas day and have continued to be fascinated.

Follow the Roar (Smiley) is the story of the author's year spent tracking Tiger in every tournament he played in 2008 -- a brief but truly amazing year. So far I'm through the first 2-1/2 tournaments, and it's a good, quick read; entertaining and inciteful.

I suspect there will be another good-sized gap between posts, as the next time I expect to play is in April/May. Unless I end up in Arizona next weekend... doubtful, though.