Golf Tips & Quips: It's Hard To Score Low When You Don't Hit The Fairway

It's Hard To Score Low When You Don't Hit The Fairway

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Posted by Dexter Francois | Posted in Golf Courses, The Driver, Video Instruction | Posted on Sunday, April 18, 2010

Yesterday was the first time that I didn't play a "desert" course out here in Arizona. McCormick Ranch Golf Course(MRGC) resembles the courses back home in Florida in that this course was mostly flat, and had trees instead of cactus. The rough was grass and not rocks and tumbleweeds. The difference, of course, were the cascading mountains in the background which quickly reminded me that I was miles away from the shores of South Beach.

MRGC is an excellent course and a must play if you ever get to the Scottsdale area. The Pine Course seemed innocent enough but we quickly found out that there were many little subtleties that need be avoided.

I try to visit the course website before I play the round to kind of get a feel for what I will be in for, especially if I have never played the course before. I highly recommend that you do this because every tip that was provided by the website was absolutely dead on.

The par 4 383 yard 6th is a prime example of this. Here's the tip from the pro:

#6 PINE - Aim your drive towards the bridge on the right side of the fairway to avoid water on the left. A good tee shot will still leave the golfer with a mid to long iron second shot. Any shot that strays left will almost certainly find the water. Four is a good score here.

I remembered what I had read and I aimed my 3 wood down the right hand side towards the bridge. I hit what I thought was a great tee shot. It started left and started moving right on its intended line. It hit the fairway and then kick left and kept rolling and rolling and rolling all the time going to the left towards the water. And then it disappeared.

I hit a provisional because I thought it might be in the water. The ball must have had a magnet in it as that tee shot headed straight left and into the water. I drove up to where I thought my first shot might have landed and I found it hanging for dear life on the edge of the bank. I was able to play it but the stance made it impossible for me to get any kind of good shot off. I ended up with a double and headed off to the next tee.

I had some real troubles with my driver. I managed to only hit one fairway for the entire round. A lot of the fairways slope in one direction or the other and a tee shot slightly misplaced trickles into the rough. Most of my misses were to the right. Not huge slices but drifters. Somewhere between a slice and a dead push.

It may have to do with the fact that I have been working so much on my short game which actually got me out of a lot of trouble on the back nine. Recently, the only time I practice my driver is on the range right before a round. I'm not going to neglect my short game for the driver, because all the pros say that golfers should spend at least 75% of their time on the short game. At the same time, if I can't put it in the fairway more consistently, I will have a hard time posting lower scores.

I guess this game is always a work in progress. Have a good one and always hit your target.

Posted: 4/17/2010 •

McCormick Ranch Golf Club (Pine Course)

Tees: White (1239), Par: 72

Pine Course Front Nine
Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out
Par	4	4	4	5	3	4	5	3	4	36
	6	6	5	6	3	6	7	4	5	48
FIR:
# Putts:	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	1	2	19

Back Nine
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In
Par	4	4	5	3	4	4	4	3	5	36
	5	4	5	4	5	5	5	4	6	43
FIR:
# Putts:	2	1	2	2	2	2	1	2	2	16