As I sit here in this unprecedented and trying time, here are some topics on my mind:
The Weather
How about those two downpours that barely missed us yesterday?? Standing on the 14th tee box watching Gorecki play ping-pong over the green, we watch as sheets of rain fell into the lake about 300 yards away. But it never quite moved in our direction.
An hour later ("feels like") when we had only advanced two holes — as we watched Group A hit 8 tee shots between three people on the 16th — it looked like the apocalypse was brewing behind us. Somehow that missed us as well, and we were left with the apocalypse that was already here in front of us.
The Course
Decent, and noticeably different than the original "Commander" course. Was in great shape all around. Fairways were too wide until the 16th & 17th holes, though. I hit some terrible drives that somehow found fairway. But at least they had large contours, making the next shots interesting.
The shape and contours of the greens were the best part. Large enough to give you something to aim at, but lots of very small sections they could place pins — usually on a shelf. Unfortunately, everyone was reminded that "new" greens take well over a year to soften up. This made getting close to any pins near impossible on certain holes.
We also had some people who will never fail to read the local rules on the scorecard again. Gorecki asked (with obvious disbelief) if I actually read the local rules every round on the scorecard. Umm... of course I do.
The Value
Not worth $85 in the summer. But nice to play it once.
The Tournament
Looked tight for much of the round until we hit #15. At that point, Darren who was in the last group had a pretty sizeable lead on the field, while the rest of us ahead of him began to eject. No worries though, because Darren is The Baron, and he surely won't choke away this tournament. No matter how difficult 15, 16 and 17 played.
Nope. Darren goes double-double-single bogey to fall into a three-way tie at the top. All he needs on the 18th handicap (and by far easiest) final hole is a par to help steal points from Gorecki. Darren pushes a weak drive to the right into some mounds, but has only 100-ish yards into the green. His approach sails over the flag... over the putting surface... over Ho-Chunk Nation... and 20+ feet into the conservation area. Triple bogey. Gorecki wins again.
With only 4 events remaining, we are officially DEFCON-2 (lower numbers are worse). It's time to panic.
The Gossip
None to report. Fun time at the bar after the round, though. Group A played "fast enough" for a threesome who struggled down the stretch. Might have to drop them back a couple groups if they're a foursome. We'll see how the RSVP process goes for the Jamaican Open.
The Rapture
Payments have been made by the following people:
Chandler, Moostie, Troy, Gary, Geoff, Faz, Dave, Danny, JW
That leaves: John, Casey, Gorecki, Reid, Adam, Brendan, Buchert left to pay ($165).
Darren and Melberg are chomping at the bit to take your spots! So get those payments in!
As I watched a fellow competitor play ping pong on the 14th green while waiting, I asked the guy standing next to me if they were at DEFCON 2 or 3 yet? I think he will reply with his answer below...LOL
ReplyDeleteStrong 2
ReplyDeleteI loved the wide fairways! But I think the difficulty of the greens kept it challenging and it was a great looking course.
ReplyDeleteOther than #2 it was a fair layout that I would look forward to playing again.
ReplyDeleteI liked the course, great conditions. But it's not a 117 slope by any stretch. It's harder than the original course. The ratings folks must have slept through this one.
ReplyDeleteIts champing at the bit
ReplyDeleteNever make a gift horse drink mid-stream?
ReplyDelete