FINALLY!!!

The_LHC

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Jul 22, 2010
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Some of you may remember my rantings the other week about the course I'm playing at most weeks and whether or not I was going to join, the main issue being that, despite being a 14 handicapper I've never broken 90 at this course, in fact I haven't done at any course this year.

I have now, played Willingcott Valley yesterday, lovely day, quite a stiff breeze, as the name suggests the course makes its way across both sides of a valley but it's a much gentler set of slopes than Portmore, where I usually play. It's also a lot softer (it retains a lot of water, it was a bit boggy underfoot yesterday and it hasn't rained much this week), on the greens particularly, which are very receptive.

Anyway, I played ok, hit some nice drives, some not so nice, the putting was up and down, had three 3-putts in four holes on the front 9 (including one that started off as a putt for eagle!) but had 7 pars and 2 birdies and walked off with 84, two under handicap. Funny thing was I didn't think I played any better than average and neither myself or my partner thought we got the hang of the greens at all (but he was over-hitting everything, I was leaving eveything short), what I did do was hit some very solid irons, everything from 4 to 8 was pretty decent. Anyway it at least proved to me that I can play to 14 still.

So, much buoyed, I made the mistake of playing back at Portmore today, arguably drove better, definitely putted better (apart from the 13th, which seemed to be twice as quick as every other green, I hate that), again hit some great irons, didn't lose one ball on the back 9 (front 9? don't ask), finished with 31 points and shot... 92.

I REALLY hate that course and I definitely won't be joining, especially as it becomes virtually unplayable over winter from what some of the members were saying today. Unfortunately Willingcott isn't playable either and neither is Libbaton according to what they were telling us when we were there the other week. Which doesn't leave too many options really, RND and Saunton will be playable it's just a shame about the distance, not sure about Ilfracombe, I'd have thought it should drain out being on such a slope but it's difficult to tell really. Evidentally High Bullen does remain playable but my playing partner today said the greens were rubbish when they were there a few weeks ago, something about some disease that has got into them but they've just been taking over, so maybe something will get sorted soon, might try to get up there for a round at some point.
 
Well done on the good round, it's nice to know you can still play.

having said that, if I could join a really tough course (finance and distance-wise) I'd be in like a shot. Providing that it's just tough, and not ridiculously unfair.
 
Well done on the good round, it's nice to know you can still play.

having said that, if I could join a really tough course (finance and distance-wise) I'd be in like a shot. Providing that it's just tough, and not ridiculously unfair.

I play at quite a tough course (people reckon 4-5 shots harder) and a times it is depressing because you KNOW you can play better but cant score because of rough/water/trees.

No links courses nearby?
 
Well done on the good round, it's nice to know you can still play.

having said that, if I could join a really tough course (finance and distance-wise) I'd be in like a shot. Providing that it's just tough, and not ridiculously unfair.

I play at quite a tough course (people reckon 4-5 shots harder) and a times it is depressing because you KNOW you can play better but cant score because of rough/water/trees.

Yeah, that's the main thing, although having shot a half decent score now at least I do know it's the course and it's not just me, one of the other guys I play with is a member there and plays off 28, he says anywhere else he plays he has no trouble playing off 22, which is about the same number of shots that I lose as well, I guess it helps bump your score up if you go play somewhere else... The irony is this is the most popular pay and play course around (it started out as purely pay and play initially), so that makes everyone think it'll be easy, far from it. I can imagine a lot of beginners start out there and give up quite quickly.

No links courses nearby?

Saunton's the nearest but I'll never get in there, RND is where I used to play but it's a long old trot from home, I'll have to think about it. You'd think Ilfracombe would be a links course, given its location and there are some elements of that in places but the greens are amongst the lushest I've ever seen, so I doubt it handles a lot of water particularly well.
 
Well done on the good round, it's nice to know you can still play.

having said that, if I could join a really tough course (finance and distance-wise) I'd be in like a shot. Providing that it's just tough, and not ridiculously unfair.

There's a couple of fairways that I think are unfair, in that you can hit a perfectly good shot and still end up in trouble due to the slope on the fairway (the course is built along one side of a valley), case in point the 13th yesterday, which is arguably the hardest hole on the course, 432 yards off the yellows, narrow fairway, which slopes from right to left, with four large fairway bunkers running all down the left side and one of our group, who only hits his driver about 220 yards, hit his best drive of the day, dead straight, right down the middle and watched the ball land in the middle of the fairway, only to run across the slope and straight into the first bunker, going any further right and the fairway runs straight up the side of a very steep bank that runs all the way down the right side, so the ball just takes an even bigger kick left (if it goes between the bunkers you're off over the side and into knee high grass), sometimes it seems the only way to stay out of the bunkers is to play your ball up to the top of the slope on the right where it'll catch up in the rough but then a) you're in the rough and may not even find it and b) the ball will likely be at least a foot above your feet, so a tough shot just became even harder.

The only way to miss the bunkers is to hit past them but that's a big hit (I can manage it, just) and simply isn't an option available to a lot of players.

Also there's the condition, because it's a pay and play it gets a lot of use and sometimes, abuse, so, I think to protect it, they tend to leave the fairways quite long, in some places longer than the first cut of rough on some other courses, that annoys me, hitting a decent drive to the middle of the fairway and you can only see the top half of your ball, although sometimes that's the only reason your ball is still on the fairway (the 4th for example) because the cross slope is so steep.
 
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