Golf Tour 2007
Monday, Dec. 3 -- This is a course I've wanted to play since our trip last year, when we played three other courses designed by Mike Stranz (Tobacco Road, True Blue, and Royal New Kent). Each of those three was amazing -- amazing topography, style, flair. Big, bold features. Stuff you don't forget. And Tot Hill Farm was right in the same league. Just wonderful. Executive summary -- had a great time, hit a lot of quality shots, though my putting still sucks.
Another nice day, sunny, mid 50s, but for the first time windy, really windy. Made a difference sometimes, but nor as much as might be expected as a lot of holes were surrounded by woods and somewhat sheltered. And we had the course to ourselves. At one point a single guy caught up to us and we let him through. Otherwise we saw not a soul. Yet it was surely the slowest round of golf I have ever played in a twosome where no waiting was involved. But that's not a complaint. Just saying that it took time to figure out how to play each hole. And that all added to the fun.
Played from the green tees, 6,214, par 72, 70.4/132. A lot of the time I played not from where the green markers were today, but where they should have been according to the card, since I wanted to play the course as designed. Today's markers probably would have trimmed 200-300 yards from the course, not an uncommon practice I think.
1. Par 4, 423 downhill. Tough hole, vicious cross/head wind. Hit drive a little right, hit another one a little left, hit a third straight but not too far, didn't find either of the first two because there were oak leaves all over, so in the interest of morale and making a generous use of the leaf rule, just played the third one. No point in starting out in a total funk. 5 wood so-so but straight, chip over and down a steep slope to 9', 2 putts.
2. Par 4, 385. Really tough hole. Good drive, fortunately, very good 6-iron from 160, just caught the slope before the green and stopped dead. Tough chip needed skills I don't have (high, soft, spinning, off a tight lie), did ok, 2 putts from 20'.
3. Par 3, 147 downhill. Pin was way way back and right and looked totally unaccessible. 6 iron just off the left/back fringe, poor chip, 3 putts from 18'. Unnecessary double. And I'm thinking, this course is just too hard for me.
4. Par 5, 478, way uphill. Good drive, though I couldn't see it land and was afraid I hadn't cleared the rocks. Good 5 iron, good 7 iron from 120 (it was way uphill), 2 putts from 30', all downhill and dicey. Par!
5. Par 5, 516, downhill. Perfect drive, 5 iron high/right/short, left me about 90 yards to the pin and a very scary shot. Sand wedge, just playing for the front fringe, chip to 12 feet, lipped out putt.
6. Par 3, 140. Uphill a little, back pin, hit really nice 7 iron, 2 putts from 18'. Lipped out this one too. Meanwhile, Gail had hit hers to about the same distance and canned her putt for a 2!
7. Par 4, 368. Nice driving hole, looks terrifying off the tee but actually plenty of room. Perfect drive. 9 iron from 125. 2 putts from 15', just missed this one too.
8. Par 5, 493. Drive across the valley and then uphill the rest of the way. Drive to the right but ok in rough. Topped 5 wood. Ok 5 wood but right. Chip to 8', though hit chip about 30 degrees off line (on purpose) to catch big slope, curve around and get pretty close. Missed putt....
9. Par 4, 359. Perfect drive. 8 iron from 110, very sharply uphill to back pin, hit perfect. Got up to the green, ball was 45' short and one level too low, though ball mark was about 25' short and half way up the last slope. Almost perfect. Then 3 putts.... So 44 for the front side (par 37), playing pretty well, but 20 putts. Tough course, tough greens (some wicked slopes, and pretty fast).
10. Par 4, 358. Perfect drive, caught the downslope over the stone walls. Sand wedge from 80 off a downhill lie, pretty feeble effort, 10 yards short. Good chip to 7', missed putt.
11. Par 3, 164, downhill. Excellent 6 iron, carried to back of green, pin was up front. 3 putts from 50'.
12. Par 4, 364. Downhill on drive, then dogleg left across pond. Got very lucky, pulled drive, found it in rough, another yard and it's down the slope to the pond and gone. Wedge from 100, ok, bit of a dicey lie, 2 putts from 45'.
13. Par 3, 141, but front pin meant really 125. Good 9 iron to 25', 2 putts.
14. Par 4, 361 uphill. Perfect drive. Perfect 6 iron from 140, took an extra club because the green had a big false front, landed right by the pin but didn't stick, rolled a few yards over. Delicate chip, hit it a little too hard and you're off the front and probably in the creek. Very pleased to get it to 11', and then rolled in the downhill slider! Longest putt made in quite a while.
15. Par 3, 139, narrow target. Perfect 8 iron, right over the pin, a couple inches off green (and about 2 yards from lateral hazard), 2 putts from 35'.
16. Par 5, 515, gently uphill. Perfect drive, perfect 5 iron, perfect sand wedge from 85 to tight pin, 2 putts from 9', just missed.
17. Par 4, 397, downhill off tee, then flat. Lots of room off the tee, then brutal at the green. Weak drive, short/right, but in fairway. 200 to green, marsh left, OB immediately on right, play for the bogey. Solid 6 iron, a little right and close to OB, tough pitch, false front then down to pin, OB right, narrow green, a little left and slope would take it away. Pitch was too weak, left on front slope. Next chip excellent, but 2 putts from 7'. Double. Can't imagine going for the green unless I was hitting a very short iron, and at 397....
18. Par 5, 450, uphill all the way and steeply at the end. Perfect drive, perfect 5 iron, left with 75 yards way up into the wind, over a couple of deep bunkers. Didn't think a sand wedge would get there, hit wedge, couldn't see it (right into the sun), immediate thought was I'd hit it too hard. Walked up, found it pin high, 10', not a ball mark in sight. Must have been over, hit the steep slope behind and rolled back. Lucky. But missed putt....
So 39 for the back side (par 35) and 83 overall. Played really well, 11 of 13 fairways, 9 greens, 9 pars. And a totally amazing golf course. I imagine a lot of people would really hate it....
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Tot Hill Farm, Asheboro, NC
