Golf Tour 2007
Wednesday, Dec. 12 -- I had hoped from the beginning of this trip to be able to pay a visit to Nags Head, both for the golf course and to visit the coast, though I hadn't been sure we would make it. But we headed east after playing in Raleigh yesterday, got as far as Plymouth, NC, before stopping to spend the night, and then drove the last hour or so this morning. The forecast was sunny, warm, and windy, and that is what we got, and though the wind was certainly something to be dealt with -- it was blowing perhaps 15-20 mph out of the southwest on the exposed holes, somewhat less on the inland holes -- it seemed right that it was windy. It usually is windy here, and to play the course on a calm day would be missing something.
Executive summary -- At some point luck runs out, but it's nice while it lasts.
There was no problem getting a time today, definitely the low season in the Outer Banks, and we went right out, though only after I had hit about half a dozen 9 irons, figuring a few swings in advance might help me get off to a better start than usual. The range looked quite small, certainly irons only, but it turned out they were using these special soft balls that didn't go as far. They still seemed just fine for warming up.
Played from the "tips," or Championship tees as they call them, 6,126 yards, par 71, 71.2/138. Note the course rating and slope for 6,100 yards! There was something in the yardage book about it being the longest 6,126 yards you'll ever play. I didn't find it so long, just pretty hard. Or, more precisely, you had to keep hitting it straight. But it was also a really fun and beautiful course, and a great variety of holes and shots, made even more so by the wind. On most holes it was a crosswind, just a couple of holes with the wind and a couple right into it.
1. Par 4, 292, downwind. Easy hole if you hit it straight, wider fairway 180-200 out, but I had more confidence in my driver than my 5 wood. Perfect, right up the slot. Lob wedge from 55 to 8', lipped out putt.
2. Par 5, 516, crosswind from right. Perfect drive, 5 wood, wedge, made putt from 8', birdie!
3. Par 3, 126, wind right/with. Front pin, hit wedge too well, 2 putts from 35' coming back down the hill. So far the warm-up was working!
4. Par 4, 349, dead into the wind. Diagonal hazard at 200 on the right to 230 on the left, fairly narrow fairway. Drive was dead center, worried if it would get wet, shouldn't have, still 160 to green. 5 iron, figuring I could keep it straight but not get there, hit so-so, still 20 yards short. Weak chip, 2 putts from 30'. Struggling bogey.
5. Par 5, 513, stiff crosswind from left. Water all along the left side. Pushed drive, wind carried it further right, not sure if it was ok or not. Reloaded, perfect. Looked for the first one, didn't find it, hit second ball, about to move on and there was my first one farther up, must have hit the cart path. Punched it out of the scrub, then weak 5 wood left me 90 yards but tree trouble. Punched 7 iron low and just right, 2 putts from 30'. A struggling and very lucky bogey.
6. Par 3, 147, crosswind from right. Front pin, good 8 iron, front fringe, 2 putts from 18'.
7. Par 4, 373, drive downwind, 2nd shot crosswind from left. Hit drive solid but pushed it. Reloaded just in case, perfect. Found my first one a yard short of going in the bushes, still had a clear swing. Solid 7 iron held its line in the wind better than I thought, left fringe, 2 putts from 35'.
8. Par 4, dead into the wind. Pushed drive again. Reloaded again, just in case (a lot of times you were hitting over bushes or dunes and couldn't see the ball land), pushed it too, a touch more. Found both balls, about four yards apart, the first one fine, the second one stymied by a bush. More good luck. Totally blind second shot over bushes/trees, just a pure guess as to where to aim, very solid 7 iron from 135, and Gail calls back, "It's on the green." 2 putts from 50' (second one was 5'). Another par, still just one over!
9. Par 4, 359, crosswind from left. Narrow hole, water all down the left. Pushed another drive, looked like trouble. Reloaded, hooked it in the water. Reloaded, perfect. But found first ball in the sand scrub. Clear swing, slightly uphill lie in soft sand, a bit of tree trouble but what seemed like a clear shot at the green, 160, dunes just before the green. Should have punched out. Pulled out 5 iron, absolutely perfect, on the green, 14'. Would have been an awesome birdie, but the putt didn't drop. Still, 36 for the front side (par 35), quite amazing.
10. Par 3, 160, crosswind from left. Water short and right. Hit 5 iron well, wind caught it, landed on the front right slope and just stayed dry. Terrible lie, down deep, hit pitch like I wanted, just hoping to get it on the green, it rolled to about 6". Par.
11. Par 4, 349, crosswind from the right on the drive, then downwind to green. Perfect drive. Excellent wedge from 105, 2 putts from 20', just missed. And that was when I should have called it a day....
12. Par 4, 431, crosswind from left. Perfect drive, just perfect. Lousy 5 wood from 195 flared right, was headed for cart part or dense little grass patches right by the path and then, it just disappeared. Never saw a bounce, never found it. Second 5 wood was ugly in the other direction, but made it over the pond. Nice lob wedge from 50, 2 putts from 14', triple.
13. Par 5, 513, crosswind from left. Narrow hole. Drive was a little right, couldn't tell if ok or not. Reloaded twice, both times hooked into dune. Figured I better find the first one. And it was sitting 6" on the inside of the cart path, just fine. But then really ugly 5 wood yanked left, into a scrub area. Fat lob wedge but it got out, ok 8 iron to front fringe, but then three putts from 55'. Double. And could have been worse if I hadn't found balls.
14. Par 4, 317 dead into the wind. Good drive, still 115 to green and pin was back. 8 iron, hooked a little and wind grabbed it, front left bunker. Good sand shot, 2 putts from 18'.
15. Par 3, 221, stiff crosswind from the right. Water all along the right, plus a pond short left. Good drive, but started it out over the water just a touch too much, needed to be 5 yards more left. Reloaded. Good driver again, hooking a touch, landed on front left fringe, bounced down slope but still in play. Phew -- I was starting to wonder if I would ever finish the hole, there really was no good lay-up. Good pitch to 8' but missed putt, another triple. So one over for 11 holes and 9 over for the next 4, oooh....
16. Par 4, 344, crosswind from the right. Perfect drive. Good wedge from 105, 2 putts from 30'.
17. Par 3, 160, wind from left/into. 5 iron, not good, front left bunker. Good sand shot with pitching wedge to back pin, 2 putts from 20'.
18. Par 5, 583. crosswind from the right. Water/trees all down the right side. Just crushed drive. 5 iron from 325, perfect, over the dunes. 7 iron from 145, perfect, played the wind just right, middle of the green, except the pin was down front. And I 3-putted to finish it off from 40'. But I still played the hole awfully well.
So 46 for the back side (par 35) and 83 for the round. Pretty disappointing at the time, but the course really was cool and the round was a lot of fun. A lot of quality shots. The front nine I didn't get burned by my misses, the back nine I did. So it goes.
The tour is coming to an end. Hope to get in a round tomorrow, and maybe one on Friday, but that is it for sure. It has been fun.
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Nags Head, Nags Head, NC
