Format: Stableford
Venue: [Home course]
Score: 29pts (4 blobs!)
Handicap mark: 3.6
Themes in reply: Course management; wind.
Hi Colin,
Thanks for the email. I played in the Stableford on Saturday and here is the result.
Very strong wind off the sea across the first 3 holes.
1st – Took a 3 iron to keep it low and hit a horrible hook that didn’t even reach the fairway! Hacked it out with a 9 iron and then hit a wedge to 6’ and holed the putt for a 4 and 2 pts!! I hadn’t been to the range beforehand so the first shot was a very rusty one.
Dear John,
Thanks for the e-mail. It was nice having a chat before reading it.
1st – A 3-iron off the tee into a strong breeze as your first shot of the day without having had a chance to warm up! That’s a big ask. Fantastic recovery, which is all the evidence needed that your “timing” is close to hand at the moment.
Course management – You’ve arrived at the competition in good “form” but too late to have a warm-up. Conditions are very windy. You arrive at the 2nd tee having rescued a par at the 1st. The tee shot off the 2nd is challenging at the best of times and has a 200 yard carry to the fairway. Having taken a 3-iron off the 1st tee (and miscued it), the tee shot off the 2nd is your first “drive” of the day. What club did you take?
This is a fascinatingly crucial shot, and it comes very early in the round. Hit the fairway and there is a good chance that you will get a five and 2 points. Anything other than hitting the fairway and there is a good chance that you will not score. But hitting the fairway is not easy. What are your thoughts?
The need to score on this hole is made more critical by the tee shot up the 3rd, which is another 200 yard carry. It is vital that you take pressure off the tee shot up the 3rd by arriving at the tee with some points in the bag.
I think that in blustery conditions it is worth setting a target of 6 points over the first four holes. I would look to go: 1st – 2pts; 2nd – 1pt; 3rd – 1pt; 4th – 2pts. Aiming for 1pt on your “shot-hole”, the 2nd, gives you a little bit of “insurance” because if you hit the fairway with your tee shot then a 5 is likely and 2pts. If you miss the fairway then a 6 is still “on target”. If you arrive at the 3rd tee with 3 points then that should ease the pressure on the tee shot and make it more likely that it will go straight!
I’m suggesting setting a target because you have little choice over how you play the 2nd and 3rd because of the carries off the tee, and so you are always facing difficult tee shots with driver or 3-wood early in your round; and a target helps to alleviate the incessantly critical glare of “par”.
In the prevailing conditions, the next three holes are definitely more “friendly” and a target of 6 points is reasonable, especially given the shot you get on the 6th. That leaves the 8th and 9th, which with the 8th being back into the wind is a target of 3pts. That adds up to 15pts, which sounds about right to me.
As it was, if you had got to the 5th tee having already scored 6pts then you would have reached the turn with 16pts, which would have been excellent.
Looked at in this way, the focus of the outward 9 holes falls heavily on the tee shots up the 2nd and 3rd, and they are both difficult whatever the conditions. Also, you will nearly always have to play driver off both tees.
The only conclusion I can draw is that if you have any time for preparation then you need to focus on those two shots; and anything that takes the pressure off, eg setting a target, is worth doing.
2nd – Lost a ball right off the tee shot and couldn’t make a 4 with the second ball so no points.
3rd – Hit my first tee shot left onto the beach and didn’t make a birdie with the second ball so no points. On the green one of my partners came up to me a presented me with the first ball which had hit the stones on the beach and come back onto the fairway. He picked it up thinking it was my second ball – why I don’t know!
4th – Good 5-iron tee shot and 2 putts for a 3 and 2 pts.
5th – Drive a bit right (again), good second just short, good chip and a putt for a birdie 4.
6th – Good 3 wood and wedge and 2 putts for a 4 nett 3 and 3 points
7th – Good knocked down 7-iron into the wind and 2 putts for a 3 and 2 points.
8th – Right into the wind, ok drive and laid up short of the fairway bunkers with a 6 iron. Pulled the 7 iron left of the green and messed up by chipping into the bunker. Ok bunker shot but missed the putt so 0 points.
9th – Good 3 wood off the tee and a wedge to the green. 2 putts for a 4 and 2 points so 14 points going out
10th – Very good drive down the LHS. About 115 yds to go but hitting a 7 iron which the wind got hold of and took it off the green to the right. Putted up and holed a good 4’ putt for a par and 2 pts.
11th – Sent a 6 iron out to the right but it didn’t come back. Good chip to 3’ and holed for 2pts
12th – Good drive and good 3 wood second shot. Hit a nice low half wedge and holed a 6’ putt for a birdie 4 nett 3 and 4 points.
13th – Drove into the LH fairway bunker, chipped out, hit a 3 iron into the greenside bunker, chipped out and holed a good putt for a 5 and 1 point.
14th – Good 8 iron to the heart of the green and 2 putts for 2 points.
15th – Poor drive short and left – to concerned about losing the drive to the right on the wind, hacked out and hit a 3 iron left of the green, poor lie so couldn’t get the ball on the green, chipped up and missed the putt for a 7 nett 6 and 0 pts.
16th – 3 wood a bit right and second shot short of the green, very good chip to 3’ but missed the putt. I read too much borrow into the putt and should have just hit it firm for the centre of the cup
17th – Very good long drive and my second was just by the side of the bunker. I chose the safe option and putted it round the bunker onto the green instead of chipping it. Missed the resulting 8’ putt for a birdie but a par and 2 pts.
18th – Straight into the wind! Good drive followed by a 3 wood to the left of the green. Chipped up but missed from 8’ for a 5 and 1 pt. I could have hit the chip a lot firmer as it was straight into the wind.
Anyway, 15 points coming back making 29 points in total including 4 blobs (2 on shot holes). The wind was stronger than last week so not a bad effort. I didn’t feel I hit the ball as well but its difficult to gauge in a wind that strong. I seem to be losing a lot of drives to the right, maybe as you say I’m a little bit quick.
We have a team match on Wednesday at the Vale so I’ll let you know how it goes. Hope all is well with you
Regards,
John
Wind – We need to be rational about the effect of wind on a ball because golfers are prone to believing folklore when it comes to wind. These are my “facts”:
- A “timed” golf shots accelerates and spins at such a rate that it does not get affected by the wind laterally. By the time it is decelerating then it is too low to be blown off course.
- “Timed” golf shots that do get affected by the wind have either been hit by a gust or the prevailing wind speed is stronger than the acceleration of the ball ie conditions are unplayable.
- Gusts are as unpredictable as bad bounces and part of the “charm” of links golf. Too gusty and the game becomes too unpredictable and not worth playing.
- Gusts are likely to happen more often and be stronger at higher altitudes. Therefore, in gusting conditions it is sensible to keep the ball low.
- The only shots that need to take the wind into consideration in terms of lateral movement are high shots, and these should be avoided.
- Therefore, in windy conditions, it is rational to aim straight and hit low.
Chipping – Only one poor one all day. I can’t wait to see your improved technique!
Putting – By my calculations you had approximately 31 putts, which is excellent in bad weather. Funny you didn’t mention it!
Overall – I agree with you that you are a park-course scratch golfer playing your golf at a championship links club. This was a very good effort and just more evidence that your whole game is good.
Regards,
Colin
