Back to the old stomping ground of
Coed-y-Mwstwr for the second instalment of the 2014 League to Dubai group
games. I wasn’t feeling too bad about my game and was pretty happy to be back
at the Coed on a beautiful Summer day. The course looked fantastic even though
the greens had been scarified that morning. The rough was very healthy!
Dayne Bossano was my opponent for this game
and he had won his first two games by pretty healthy margins and we were both
playing off ¾’s of twelve receiving 9 shots which meant that the first hole was
a ‘no-shot’ hole. Dayne was away first and split the fairway with a nice drive.
I hit quite a nice drive slightly left that bounded into the deep rough just
left of the fairway never to be seen again resulting in no score (Blob count
#1). Dayne hit the greenside bunker and managed to get out and 2-putt for an
opening point. 1 behind, not too bad.
The 212 yard par3 was next and Dayne’s
trusty 7-wood came up just short of the green and I chose to hit my hybrid with
short being the preferred miss to being long. I scuffed it straight and just
about made it half way. Bum. Easy pitching wedge was the order for the next
shot aimed directly at the flag. Hit it slightly less easy than I wanted and
went through the green and got hung up on the bank leaving a difficult chip
with up and down required for a point. Dayne fluffed his first chip and then
stiffed his second leaving a tap-in for a point. My chip was short and the tricky
downhill putt missed. (Blob count #2)
The 3rd hole can almost be
driven with a really good whack over the deep rough across the dogleg and over
2 bunkers. I decided to leave my driver in my bag and walked to the tee with my
3iron. Dayne and I both decided to aim for the plateau on the corner of the
dogleg and Dayne’s shot just leaked right into the rough behind a tree and I
finally hit a solid tee shot and found position A 150 yards from the centre of
the green. Dayne’s ball had buried itself in the grass and left a glimmer of
hope for Dayne to advance it to the fairway which Mr Magician duly obliged and
popped it out just running through the fairway into the semi. I aimed at the
centre of the green with my 9iron and hit a nice shot that just got pushed by
the breeze to the back right corner of the green. A GREEN IN REGULATION! Dayne
just went through the green on the left but at least he was on the right side
of the tiered green. My first putt had to climb it’s way up and across a steep
tier while also needing to stay up on top. The pin was right on the edge of the
cliff and I made it to the top tier but was 5 feet away from the hole. I took 2
more putts to find the bottom of the hole but still I HAD MY FIRST POINTS! With
2 points for the bogey on our first ‘shot hole’. Dayne hit a nice chip from the
back and his putting let him down giving him a single point for his 6th
shot.
150 yards over a small lake for the
downhill par3 4th hole and it was my honour. 9 iron again as I would
rather be long than short and I left the face slightly open through impact
fading off to the right of the green which increased the carry distance to
clear the water. Just made it over and the little bugger scurried back into the
hazard. Dayne hit the green on a similar line to my shot and left himself a
long putt for his second shot which was a lot better than my penalty drop for
my second shot leaving me a difficult flop to a small target carrying almost
the entire water hazard. I played it pretty well although a little right (must
have been scared of the water) and was left with a 15 foot putt for a point.
Good putt. Just missed. (Blob count #3). Dayne managed to 3 putt for another
point and our scores where an almighty 4 vs 2! Inspired golf!
Dayne hit a great shot just right of the
fairway on the par4 5th which turns left around the ancient walled
garden and my first drive was a snap-hook left into the tree/wall/rough never
to be seen again. My second tee shot was a stonker that just ran through the
fairway at the dogleg and hid behind a tree. Dayne’s approach was on the dance
floor leaving himself 2 putts for 3 more points which he gathered up and popped
in his piggy-bank. I chipped a 5iron from 110 yards hoping to run the ball onto
the green and just fell off the left edge towards the back of the green and
still had a chance to get up and down for a point. I hit a nice chip the right
distance but ended up 6 feet from the pin to the side and just missed the putt.
Sigh (Blob count #4).
The 6th hole is driveable but
requires a draw. I wasn’t feeling a draw today so chose to poke a 3 iron to the
corner. Dayne went with the big stick and pushed it a little to be on the
corner as well. I chose my sand wedge for the 100 yard flick to the centre of
the green and left myself pin high with about 30 feet for birdie and Dayne had
about 31 feet. 6 feet left for Dayne and my birdie attempt just missed leaving
me a simple tap in for par and doubled my points tally to a mahoosive 4! Dayne
rolled his par putt in and we were 1/3 of the way through with 4 points to me
and Dayne had 9.
7wood down the left of the fairway for
Dayne and a 3iron in the left semi for me on the difficult par4 7th
hole. I had never seen anyone hit their approach shot short into the steep bank
and bound up the hill and onto the green before........ until today as that is what
Dayne did. Golf is a funny game. I hit a really nice 9 iron to the left of the
pin which bounded through the green and perched on the steep bank at the back
leaving a difficult chip to a tight pin. Dayne putted all the way across the
green and a couple of nervy putts later had a point for his double bogey 6. My
third shot was a duffed chip which fell down the bank. 4th was a
reasonable putt leaving about 2 feet for a tap in bogey. I missed that one and
the next one for yet another blob. Grrrr. (Blob count #5).
150 yards again on the tricky par3 8th
hole and Dayne used the members route to the putting surface up the left and
down the bank. I slid under a 9iron and missed the green short and right (don’t
do that yourself when you play there!) and had to chip onto the small green
perched on the second storey roof. I managed to get up and just rolled off the back of the green leaving a simple 2-putt
for a point. I missed the 2 footer back towards the hole after just missing the
par put and Dayne made simple work of his 2-putt for par. (Blob count #6)
Another tricky dogleg par4 with danger
every where is the 9th hole. You don’t want to out of bounds left
down the entire length of the hole. You don’t want to hit it in the pond on the
corner. You don’t want to go through the fairway passed the pond, more out of
bounds and thick rough under the trees. It is almost easier to have a go at
driving the green except the green staff are very good at growing extremely
looong rough and it isn’t far from the fairway or green. Discretion rather than
valour for both of us and we flirted with the corner a little bit but found the
fairway (me with a drawing 6iron) and semi (Dayne with his trusty 7 wood).
Dayne was hoping to run his ball down the slope in front of the green and just
came up short and my easy pitching wedge came off the hosel and shot into the
tiger rough on the right of the green. We were being called through so the boys
watching were able to point out my ball in the 4 foot high grass. I’d have
rathered not be able to find it. I wasn’t within 2 club lengths for an
unplayable drop and I’d have had to have gone 250 yards to the 14th
fairway for a line of sight drop so I had two swings at the ball and picked it
up. Unplayable drop twice might have been an option, but I didn’t think of that
at the time (Blob count #7 from 9 holes!!!!! O.M.F.G.Y.H.T.B.K.M!) Dayne
collected 2 more points to get his total for the front nine to 14 points
compared to my 4. Surprisingly, I wasn’t actually that angry and just nonchalantly
carried on.
RESET.
A new 9 starts on the long 10th
hole into the breeze. Dayne hit a great drive to the fairway and I unleashed a
pearler of a drive 300 yards down the middle leaving myself 135 yards to the green.
Dayne’s approach with his 7 wood was a little right and my pitching wedge was
pin high and just rolled off the green leaving a makeable birdie putt. That
putt just missed but an easy 3 point par and I had nearly doubled my points
tally! I also got 2 points from my 10 point deficit as Dayne could only manage
a 6 from the tricky spot his 7 wood left him.
I finally had the honour again on the long
par3 11th hole and squiffed a 5iron into the greenside bunker. Dayne’s
7 wood must be wearing out because he hits it everywhere! He followed me right
and just missed the bunker leaving one of those pitches we all need Phil or
Seve for. I left myself a bit too much on the putt from my bunker shot to get
up and down but 2 points for the bogey was gratefully received. Dayne made it
over the bunker and had a difficult 2-putt for the same points and made it.
Still into the little breeze for the par4
12th hole and I hit a slightly toey drive straight up the middle
leaving 135 yards uphill and into the breeze for my second. Dayne’s 7 wood went
just through the green and I was short and in the greenside bunker. No sand
save for me on this hole either as I left myself 15 feet for par and just
missed. Dayne gifted me a points gap reduction by missing a short bogey putt
and only collecting 1 point to take his total to 18 and mine had shot to 11. 3
down, 7 to go.
Back down breeze for the 525 yard par5 13th
hole and parched in the middle of the fairway 246 yards from the pin was my
drive while Dayne found the right semi. 7wood to the left of the massive tree
for Dayne and an ‘almost topped’ hybrid to the base of the same tree for me. I
should have hit the 3iron. Dayne squeezed his shot under the tree to the front
of the green and I was ready to chip out with my 7 iron. I walked up to the
ball and my inner Seve convinced me that I could punch and slice the ball
around the tree to the green. I saw the shot vividly in my head and had a
crack. It cracked just off the edge of the tree and into the Tiger rough to my
left never to be seen again. No shot received on the 13th so
replacing the ball and chipping out with my 5th shot would have been
a waste of time. (Blob count #8). Dayne must have been feeling some tension now
as it took him 3 shots to get down from the edge of the green and he only
clawed one point back. Disappointing hole and back to an 8 point gap.
The par4 14th hole has often
been a card wrecker for me but I didn’t have a card to wreck to I followed
Dayne’s fairway finder with a nice drive into the left semi-rough 110 yards
from the raised green. Dayne hit the green with his approach and bounded
through into the rough leaving a tricky chip. I just missed the green to the
right and had a simple chip for an up and down par and 2 more points compared
to Dayne’s single point after a not-so-special chip and two putts.
I must have hit my drive on the par5 15th
hole right out of the bottom of the face as the ball just sort of tumbled onto
and up the centre of the fairway while Dayne hit his worst drive of the round
with a slice near the 16th green. A bit of rough hopping for Dayne
resulted in a hard-fought 7 for a single point. I hit the green in regulation
after a really nice 3 iron followed by a pretty good sand wedge which then
rolled back off the green to un-hit it still leaving me with a birdie chance
for 4 points. I had a good go at it and just missed. Par (Nett birdie) for 3
points was not to be sneezed at though, I just needed more if I was to have any
chance of getting back to Dubai this year. Still there were 3 holes to go and I
was now only 5 points behind.
The 16th is driveable on a
really good day with a decent tailwind and I chose to hit a 3iron to the
fairway and leave myself a full shot to the green. Dayne missed the fairway but
still had a decent shot at the green and rolled through with his approach but
stayed in the fringe grass. My approach was beautiful. PW straight at the pin,
pitched on the green and ran through, up the green and through the fringe into
the light rough. A tentative chip left me a very tricky downhill/sidehill putt
for par which just burned the edge leaving me a tap in for bogey and 1 point.
Same result for Dayne after his second putt also burned the edge of the hole. I
now needed 2 birdies and for Dayne to not score for me to win the game. Not
likely, but you have to keep trying!
My 7iron from 152 yards uphill and into the
slight breeze came up just short (surprise!) and Dayne leaked his shot right
and into the rough followed by a lovely chip to 5 feet. I had to chip in. It
was close but not to be and a tap in par for 2 points was all I could do. Dayne’s
bogey for 1 point left me needing an eagle to win and a birdie to tie providing
the man who had not blobbed a single hole all day, blobbed the last.
I walked to the 18th tee with my
driver and only 1 ball. There was no need to take a second ball as this drive
needed to be my best and it was! Over the tree on the corner and sitting
proudly on the fairway 135 yards from the centre of the green. I loved that drive!
Dayne also found the fairway and left himself 7wood distance from the green. He
hit a lovely shot which just went left and short while my attempt at an eagle
was on the green, but not in the hole, about 20 feet away. Dayne almost got up
and down for a par and tapped in for a 2point bogey. My birdie attempt was
close again but in the end I had to settle for a 3 point par and my second
loss. 4 on the front and 18 on the back left my 22 points floundering (8
BLOBS!!!) against Dayne’s 14 out and 11 back 25 point tally and the win.
You
can’t really expect to win after a front nine like I played today and a massive
congrats to Dayne who is now well on his way to the regional finals in Newbury
at the MacDonald Donnington Grove. Although both Paul and Wayne can still get
there with wins in their final games providing Dayne loses his last. That is
one of the best things about this competition, you just don’t know until the
league is complete!
I’ve got two home games at Pyle and Kenfig
coming up next. Hopefully I can restore some pride after only playing half of
each of my two first games.
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