Golf Tour 2007
Friday, Nov. 30 -- I was on my own today as Gail was taking the day off, so the goal was to find an interesting course that also had a nice clubhouse so she could find a good place to read. So I passed on one new course that still was operating out of a trailer and settle on Independence Golf Course, a Tom Fazio design just west of Richmond and home of the Virginia State Golf Association. Executive summary -- Fazio is known for his bunker work, and it seem silly to play one of his courses without taking a close look at the bunkers. I believe I visited 9 of them!
It was a nice course, though it seemed much more forgiving than the previous two days, I think because the landing areas were quite wide and the greens less severe. I made it around without losing any balls. Played the white tees, 6,259 yards, par 72, 69.9/130. Course website.
1. Longish par 4. Pulled my drive ever so slightly, in the left bunker. Hit 5 iron thin, caught lip, still got down to about the 100-yard mark, wedge to green, lucky to to 2 putt from 70'.
2. Longish par 4. Almost a repeat of #1. Pushed drive, in the right bunker. Hit 5 iron a little fat, wedge to green, lucky to 2 putt from 50'. Pulled out camera and it didn't work, realized battery was still in the charger....
3. Par 4. Pushed drive just a little, just caught right bunker. Not bad 5 iron, but short, in lower bunker in front of green. Decent sand wedge, needed another yard but at least cleared upper bunker. Good chip to 1'. So far really struggling to get bogies.
4. Par 5. Pushed drive. No bunkers on the right, just rough. Topped 5 wood, then another ugly one low and left, bunker, maybe 50 yards from green, another big bunker in between. Sand shot with a 9 iron, pretty nice, on the green, but then 3 putts from 65'. Double.
5. Shortish par 4. Good drive, fairway! 9 iron hit thin, in rough just short. Really good chip from bad lie, 5', missed putt.
6. Par 4. Pushed drive, bunker. This time a solid 5 iron to right front fringe. 3 putts from about 60'.
7. Par 3. 5 iron, a little right, caught lip of bunker and kicked down. Really good sand shot, thought it would be close, but there was a sharp slope on the green I hadn't seen, 2 putts from 30'. So I've played 7 holes, no pars, no greens in regulation, only one drive in the fairway, but lots of bunker practice. Time for a change, so I change balls, a ratty Precept instead of a ratty something else.
8. Par 5. Perfect drive, perfect 5-iron, perfect lob wedge to 11', perfect putt but it rolled just around the hole and didn't drop. But at least a par!
9. Par 3, 160. Perfect 6 iron, land just past the pin and trickled to the fringe. 2 putts from 25'. So 44 for the front side and at least a couple of good holes.
10. Shortish par 4. Pushed drive just a little, but to the safe side. Perfect wedge to 5', missed putt.
11. Par 3, 140. Perfect 7 iron, 2 putts from 17'.
12. Shortish par 4. Good drive, sand wedge a little weak, just cleared bunker, on fringe, 2 putts from 35'.
13. Par 5. Perfect drive, good 5 iron, good sand wedge to 25' but 3 putts, totally misread first one. Damn, was doing well, had 5 pars in a row.
14. Par 3, 140. pretty good 7 iron, just cleared bunker, bounced to 11'. 2 putts.
15. Par 4, 355. Perfect drive, 9 iron, 2 putts from 25'.
16. Par 4, 415. Perfect drive, really perfect, or so I thought, over the first bunker and in the fairway, except it just caught the corner of the second hidden bunker. Damn. Lousy 6 iron, high, short right. Pretty good pitch to 16', sank putt. Really good for morale!
17. Par 5. Pushed drive, high, right, just cleared bunker. Good 5 wood, good wedge, 2 putts from 20'.
18. Par 4, Good drive but pulled a hair, caught corner of bunker. 7 iron fat. Good wedge, 2 putts from 20'. So 38 on the back side and 82 overall. A good recovery and a whole lot better than I expected after 7 holes. And a beautiful sunny day, low 50s, light wind, never had anyone in sight before or after me. Just fine.
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Independence, Richmond, VA
