I had a chance to play a couple of courses in Ohio over the weekend. My siblings and I flew in to surprise my father for his 60th birthday, so my way of staying out of sight for the few days leading up to the party was to play some golf.
The first track I tackled was a great course in Pickerington, OH called Turnberry Golf Course. I almost didn't play because the day started out with rain. I wanted to play in the morning because the party was at night and I did not want to be rushed. Around noon I decided to get out there figuring that it would not be busy due to the weather. I was glad I decided to play.
The course was in great condition despite the steady drizzle which remained for the entire round. This course demands an accurate drive off of every tee. A lot of the fairways are narrow, some with over hanging trees just off the tee boxes which force you to play a draw or a fade to keep it out of the branches. A nice(or not so nice) touch were the mounds of fescue grass that were strategically placed on different locations of the course. It almost gave it a links style feel while retaining the features of more traditional courses. I managed to stay out of them, but a ball hit into this "rough" would most certainly be lost. The following day I played Sharon Woods Golf Course which is a part of the Hamilton County Park District in Cincinnati, OH. This course was a lot different from the courses I am used to playing in South Florida. The main difference was the severe elevation changes. Good course management is a must on this style of course. There were many times I would hit great shots only to discover that my next shot was in the fairway but on a steep uphill or downhill lie. Now I truly understand why the pros and their caddies really pay attention to every detail of a course. Laying up to the proper place on a hole makes all the differences if you want to score low.
This week I will be working on hitting shots from and uphill lie. I faced a few shots that I had no idea how to play simply because I had never been in that position before. All of the top players practice trouble shots. They put themselves in difficult spots so that when it happens during a round they are prepared because they have "been there and done that."
It's time to start practicing a variety of shots from a variety of lies. Phil Mickelson pulled off one of the greatest shots in Masters history from the woods this past April. I can almost guarantee that at some point he had practiced that or a similar type shot before.
Practice the conventional as well as the unconventional. Preparation and knowledge in all areas breeds success. Have a good one and always hit your target.
Posted by Dexter Francois
| Posted in
Golf Courses,
My Rounds
| Posted on Monday, May 10, 2010
The 2nd Annual Commity Golf Classic(Clash Of The Titans) between myself and Mario is in the books and I am happy to say that trophy is staying with me in South Florida. It was a hard fought battle that went down to the wire. I had such a good time over the weekend. Nothing but friends and golf. What could be better.
We played four rounds at different locations that neither of us had played before. Low cumulative score takes home the prize. Here's a day by day breakdown of the tournament. Round 1
The first round took place at Hillcrest Golf & Country club in Hollywood, FL. My round started of good. I smoked my first drive into the fairway and was on my way. Mario is a longer hitter than I am so I had to keep my mistakes to a minimum. I finished the first nine with a 44, one behind Mario.
Disaster struck at the par 5 10th. I drove my ball right and it landed about twenty feet away from a 35 foot high tree. Instead of playing back into the fairway I tried to go over it. Not a good play. My ball hit the top of the trees and fell straight down. Now I had to play from out of a tree. I shank the next shot into a fairway bunker on the 12th hole. I Managed to salvage a 7, but I should have played it smart and pitched out giving my self a chance at par.
I continued my poor play on the back 9 posting four 7's and 8 for 52 and a total of 96. Ouch! The 8 came on the signature hole. The par 4 18th has a tiny island green which I missed twice. Mario finished with a 90 and I was down six after the first round.
Round 2 Round 2 was held at Bonaventure Country Club in Weston Florida. Being down 6 strokes, the plan was to try to make up 2 strokes on each of the final three rounds. This would give me a chance at a tie, and if I got lucky, maybe a win. From watching the PGA tour, I know that tournaments aren't won on the first day.
This was kinda like our Pro-Am. We were joined by two other "Commity" members Marc and Monty. They play golf but don't take it as seriously like Mario and I do which actually made for a somewhat frustrating day.
Because they don't play as much, they obviously don't know the proper etiquette when it comes to golf. It's not their fault. You can't know something unless you're told. There a few times when they would talk during my drive or move as I'm about to stroke a putt. At times it really got under my skin. I feel that I could have scored better if I didn't have the distraction. I managed to win the round by one stroke, posting a 94 to Mario's 95. I only chipped into the deficit by one, but it was a step in the right direction. The highlight came on the par 3 17th. I was able to birdie the hole after a tee shot that I stuck within 3 feet. It's a good thing I had that hole because I proceeded to post another 8 on the finishing hole. I pulled an 8 iron left into the water. I couldn't believe. Mario had already put it in the water twice. I let a few strokes get away there.
Round 3 Round 3 was held a Palm-Aire Country Club in Pompano Beach, FL. We lucked out on this one because we needed to play 36 holes on Sunday in order to get in a full 72 holes. We were looking for two courses that were close to each other and found this course. There are actually five courses under the Palm-Aire name so it was perfect. We booked both tee times on Golfnow.com.
When we arrived for our morning tee time, they told us that for five dollars more we would be able to play unlimited golf, have access to unlimited range balls, and also have free access to their buffet. So because of our internet discount and the deal at the course, We were good to go for the rest of the day for only forty-two dollars.
I noticed that Mario was starting to have a hard time with the infamous heat and humidity of South Florida. I was down five strokes and I felt that if I kept it close, eventually the heat would get to him and he would start to make mistakes, especially since it was going to be a long day. I had my best round of the tournament shooting an 86 to Mario's 87 on the Palms course which got me to within four strokes going into the final round. I didn't drive the ball very well, only hitting three fairways for the entire round. I was able to scramble and get some crucial up and downs though. My putter really saved me as well. The day before the start of the tournament I practiced my putting for three and a half hours and it made all the difference.
Round 4 We had lunch at the buffet and got ready for the fourth and final round. The Master Starter suggested that we play The Oaks Course. He said they had the nicest greens out the group. Since I was putting well I was all for it.
I played the front nine pretty well, with a 44 going out. Mario shot an 43. Mario was actually up seven strokes at one point on the front nine. I just kept telling myself that the door was going to be opened soon and that's when I would take advantage.
It finally happened on the back nine and he began to tire posting four 7's on the back nine. He began to get a little frustrated and started taking chances he normally wouldn't. I just played steady.
It really became a match play situation from the 12th hole on. I'm not a scorecard watcher but I knew it was close. I made my shot decisions based on what he did. If he hit a bad shot, I played the smart shot. Any time he made a big number I played to the safe side and took my bogey. Mixing in a few pars was just a bonus. Going into the final hole I had managed to work myself to one stroke lead. All I had to do was tie him and I would take home the prize. I missed the fairway with my drive and had to pitch out of trees with my next shot. Mario hit his second shot into the water. All I had to do was put it on the green and it would be over. I did the unthinkable. I pulled another 8-iron into the water left of the green. The same shot as on the 18th of round two.
Mario ended up posting a six and I put up a seven. Even after 72 holes. This had the makings of a Golf Channel Classic. After all of that, we were tied. Unbelievable. As we were tallying up out scores over and over again to make sure we had the same scores, the starter came over. We told him about our tournament, and he said, "You have to have a winner. Go over to the Cypress Course and play nine before the sun goes down." Playoff time.
The Playoff Now it was really a match game situation. I was upset that I didn't close it out on the 18th but am also thankful to be in this position because I had been down seven at one point in the final round.
The first three holes were back and forth. and then it happened on the par 3 4th. We both hit our tee shots left into the woods. I had to pitch backwards back to the fairway. Mario had a look at the front of the green. He took his shot and it hit a tree. He hit his next shot heavy into the bunker. Then he hit a rake that was next to the bunker and it rolled back to his feet. After seeing this I was glad that I decided to play it safe because I was thinking about a Phil Mickelson type miracle shot that would have probably ended up bad.
Mario ended up shooting an eight to my five. He was completely deflated after that. I won or tied every hole after that except for the last but by then it was too late. The trophy was mine. I stuck to the game plan and it paid off. At this stage in our play, Mario is definitely the better ball striker. He hits the ball far and is good around the greens. Where I beat him though, was with putting and overall stamina. I'm used to taking 500 swings a day in the South Florida heat so I wasn't phased as much.
It was a great weekend and now I am exhausted. I think I will be taking the day off...or maybe I'll just practice my putting. I can't get enough. Have a good one and always hit your target.
Posted by Dexter Francois
| Posted in
Golf Courses,
My Rounds
| Posted on Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The countdown has begun. Less than 48 hours before the start of the 2nd annual Commity Golf Classic between Mario "SBTU" Casellas and yours truly. It's actually the first time we are going to get to play. We were rained out last year and never got the chance to decide the championship.
Mario is one of the first people that took me out for a round of golf. He moved away and I stopped playing for a year before I took it up again. He used to whoop up on me but I think things are going to be a little different this time around. I'm not claiming a premature victory or anything. I'm just saying it will be a little more competitive this time around. The main reason Mario is making the visit to South Florida is that we are proud alumni of The University Of Miami(UM) and we are playing in the UM Golf Classic, sponsored by the UM Alumni Association. The event will be held at the the Historic Biltmore Hotel of Coral Gables. Since he was staying for the entire weekend, it only made sense to take advantage and play as much golf as possible.
Getting back to the Commity Classic. Mario and I will be playing one round on Thursday. We have the tournament on Friday, which doesn't count towards the championship . One round on Saturday and then 36 holes on Sunday to finish out The Commity Classic. Four rounds. Low cumulative score is declared the 2010 champion.
The winner gets bragging rights for a year and the trophy pictured above. Mario ordered the trophy and designed the poster. There's nothing better than playing golf with good friends. I hope this will be the start of many golf outings to come. Next year maybe we will hold it somewhere else. I'm originally from Trinidad & Tobago and Mario is from Puerto Rico. Maybe the next two years will be a home and home competition. Have a good one and always hit your target.
I played at The Country Club Of Miami yesterday and for the first time finally finished a complete round. On my two previous visits I was rained out. Once on the 8th tee of the East Course and once on the 10th fairway of the West Course.
We were scheduled to play at 1:07 pm on the West Course. When we got to the tee the starter told us to wait for a minute and that he would try to do something for us. My biddies and I looked at each other and I said to Marc, "that's sounds like 27 to me."
He came back about three minutes later and told us that the greens on the West Course were being aerated. There was a tournament happening on the East Course but if we played the front nine of the West, the tournament would be done and we could come back around and play eighteen on the East Course. Our lucky day. I played well, shooting my lowest score to date. An 81. The difference was my ability to get out of trouble. As you can see from my pictures I did find some problems, but I was was able to keep the damage to a minimum.
Hitting more than 50 percent of my fairways made a huge difference. Unlike my last round when I only hit two fairways the entire round, I was able to attack the greens and not have to scramble from the woods. I putted a lot better as well, needing only 29 for the round. Another personal best for me.
The highlight of the day came on the par five 16th. We were the last group on the course and the ranger was following us collecting the flags. We offered to bring in the rest of the flags so from then on we had the course to ourselves. With no one behind us we decided to film ourselves doing our best Happy Gilmore swings. It was the first time I had ever tried it with a driver. I've done it with my wedges a few times just goofing around. I gave the ball a nice little ride. In the fairway and long. I was actually surprised that I hit it so well.
Maybe I should hit all my drives like this. But I don't think that would be an advantage. Padraig Harrington was featured on an episode of Sports Science. It turned out that he did gain 30 yards on average more distance but he said that he would be giving up accuracy for distance. When they did a video analysis of the two swings they were almost identical in regards to his swing mechanics. The Happy Gilmore Swing however makes it hard to be precise on a consistent basis. A fraction of an inch can be the difference between a good drive or one that ends up on the neighboring fairway.
Whenever you get a chance, and you are not holding up the group in back of you, give it a try and be sure to capture it on camera. It will be a memory that you can laugh and talk about for years to come. Have a good one and always hit your target.
I'm just trying to get better at the game I love. This blog is kind of a journal of my progress. I will share all the tips, drills, exercises, and experiences that I am using to improve. Hopefully they will help you too.
Golf Tips & Quips does not claim credit for any images featured unless otherwise noted. All visual content is copyright to its respectful owners. In no way are we responsible for, or have control over, the content of any external web site links. Information here may contain errors or inaccuracies; proprietors do not make warranty as to the correctness or reliability of the site's content. If you own rights to any of the images, or are depicted thereof, and do not wish to appear here, please contact us for prompt removal. Oh, and if there is a link to Amazon or to another company it is probably an affiliate link. I do stand by the products I review and promote and do so honestly.
Posts
