Golf Tour 2007
Sunday, December 9 -- Certainly not a famous course today, but I had heard good things about Mill Creek, especially about its greens, and it was pretty close to Chapel Hill, where we were heading afterwards, so we gave it a try. A nice course, interesting holes, and I must say, really nice greens. Rolled exceptionally well, fast, good contours. My only complaint with the course would be that they don't overseed with winter rye, so everything except for the greens was a drab brown. Needed more color!
Executive summary -- Double bogies on two of the first three holes, but once again finished strong. Maybe I should warm up more?
Played from the blue tees, 6,387, par 72, 70.2/127, although my guess is the course probably played about 200-300 yards shorter than that. Partly because on one hole the tee was forward by about 70 yards, mainly because on many holes the tee was forward by 10-20 yards. I didn't fight it. Mainly because we were playing with another couple and why bother.
The other guy, John, had one of those SkyCaddy gadgets, a GPS device that gave you the distance to the green or to various hazards. Seemed to work quite well. The day before George and a laser rangefinder, it seemed to work quite well too. Though in both cases you still have to hit the ball yourself!
Another beautiful day, probably up into the low 70s and sunny. Certainly just short sleeves.
1. Par 4, 348. Good drive, good wedge, 2 putts from 25'. Fast greens!
2. Par 5, 503. Good drive, 5 iron right, into bunker, 5 iron from bunker fat, thin 9 iron to green but 3 putts from 30'. Needless double-bogey.
3. Par 4, 375. Perfect drive, weak 8 iron from 130, short, right, into pond. Pitch a little strong, 2 putts from 20'. Another double.
4. Par 3, 170 to green, front pin. Hooked 6 iron, good chip, got lucky, rolled to 1', par.
5. Par 4, 386. Perfect drive, weak 6 iron, right, short. Real nice pitch over bunker, made putt from 6'. par. Don't seem to have a swing with the irons.
6. Par 5, 503 downhill. Drive a touch right but crushed. % wood from 220, solid but hooked, just about hole high but in the tall grass. Ok pitch, 2 putts from 35', par. Three pars in a row despite some shaky shots.
7. Par 4, 361. Solid drive but right, just stayed in fairway. Perfect 8 iron from 130, made putt from 1'. Birdie!
8. Par 3, 165, a little downhill. 6 iron to front left fringe, 3 putts from 65', first putt 7' by.
9. Par 4, 396. Crushed drive. 8 iron from 140, a little thin, just short of green, but really good lie on upslope. Chip to 2', made putt. So 40 for the front side, a surprise after the start.
10. Par 4, 310 (supposed to be 374 but the tee was way up). Drive was solid, but playing away from the hazard on the left, was in rough right, not good position. Should have aimed straighter. Sand wedge from 85 caught branch, dropped short. Perfect pitch over bunker, landed on fringe, rolled over to pin, and then, when it should have stopped, just kept trickling off the green and another 10 yards down the slope. Pin was cut on a very nasty slope. Chip up too strong, now 20' above pin. Any putt past the pin was going off the green, so first putt was short, 4' short. fortunately made next one, otherwise would have been an 8 or 9. Pissed! Another double.
11. Par 4, 349. Hook drive into left rough. Excellent 7 iron from 140 uphill, 2 putts from 20'.
12. Par 5, 515 downhill. Ok drive, pulled 5 iron lay-up, but excellent 9 iron from a sloping lie in the rough, 2 putts from 18'.
13. Par 3, 145. Excellent 7 iron, 2 putts from 25'.
14. Par 4, 364. Solid drive but in left rough. Excellent 9 iron from 125 just made elevted green, 2 putts from 15'.
15. Par 4, 399 downhill. Perfect drive, just short of end of fairway, perfect 8 iron from 140, 2 putts from 25'.
16. Par 5, 471 downhill. Good drive but just in left rough, 9 iron lay-up short of pond, perfect soft wedge from 100, 2 putts from 8'. So 6 greens in a row in regulation, 6 pars, a couple just missed the birdie.
17. Par 3, 162. Solid 5 iron to left fringe, 2 putts from 45', second one from 3'.
18. Par 4, 387. Just needed a bogey for 79. Split fairway. Solid drive but in the rough in the middle, but a foot short of a bunker. 7 iron from 150, didn't quite get solid, 10 yards short, chip to 1'. So finished with 8 pars in a row, 38 for the back side, 78 for the round. Excellent! 9 fairways, 9 greens, several good chips, 13 pars and one birdie. Mighty fine.
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Mill Creek, Mebane, NC
