GRUDGE MATCH, The Sequel--High Handicappers Play a Great Course--Chambers Bay

[Peter Pallotta]

"I tried to play a low running 6 iron into the green using the humps and bumps just short of the green to feed it in.  I thought it was good when I hit it, but ultimately it was too much peyote on the ball and it ran across the green and down into the deep bunker right of the green."

I HATE when that happens!  Screw it - I aint playing any more stinking low running 6 irons. From now on, it's bomb and gauge for me...

Good show, gents!

Peter

[Garland Bayley]

Peter,

You would be glad to know that I was playing my new blades that I put into play this season. To quote Richard Choi before the match when he learned I was playing the blades, "you're crazy"!

I hit no squirrelly shot with them. My misses were my usual over the top pull hook that I hit with cavity backs too.

I hit bad shots with my 3 hybrid, but the shots with my 4 and 5 iron blades were things of beauty.

[Peter Pallotta]

Excellent, Garland!

I know few believe us, but 3-PW I'm actually better than I've ever been, and when 3 times a round or so I swing those blades as well as I possibly can, I can now hit real honest to goodness golf shots - I mean, they are GOLF SHOTS!

Best
Peter

[Garland Bayley]

17 172 yds. par 3

When we finished #1, Brent announced to the group that the 17th had the back right sucker pin. So finally we have reached the tee looking at that sucker pin. You can see the back right shelf in the picture below. You can also see Scott Weersing on the left. He is the person responsible for that absolutely gorgeous picture of the #9 green.



You may have noticed that I have been playing David Toms with the safe shots in this match to Kalen's Phil Mickelson. I am going for the center of the green all the way with this tee shot. Unfortunately, I lapsed into my over the top pull hook, which for a while looked like I had hit the shot to set up a birdie, but finished just over the right edge of the green in the deep bunker to the right.

 

[Kalen Braley]

Garland indeed hit a woeful shot into the green....

...but mine was even worse.  Karma is indeed a bitch as she bit hard after I was trash talking Garland on the tee that he would hit one in the junk.  Well I hit an even worse one into the junk.  From there my second shot came up short and was in the bunker.  My 3rd shot went over the green and my 4th was finally on.

I two putted from there for a 6, and that was all she wrote.  Garland had gotten out of the bunker and managed to 4 putt once more...but I needed to win the hole to keep the match going.

Garland wins 2 and 1!!!

P.S.  But wait, its not over yet...I had my best hole of the day on the next hole...damn I hate it when that happens!

[Brent Carlson]

The only thing more enjoyable than witnessing this match in person is reliving it again on this thread.

Great theater gents!  

[Colin Macqueen]

Garland and Kalen,

That was wonderful drama gentlemen.
I wish I could have been there in person though your writing gives the tale a certain elan. I so enjoy these hard-fought battles, between mere mortals, where the proponents skill can, all of a sudden, desert them and in the next moment an audacious shot of pure magic turns the tables. These shots, in my experience, can be just as surprising to the executor as to the "executed". The agonising that one goes through as a triple bogey is carded. Of course this can give way to such sweet relief, tinged I am sure in your case with  a dab of "the milk of human kindness", when the opponent stumbles in with a quadruple bogey and actually allows you to win the hole.  I suspect these moments of unbridled joy are rarely endured by your scratch and low-handicap man!
Tragic as this may sound I have spent more time reading and visualising this exciting match that you have had than I spent on the recent Open. But then I think I have my priorities correct. Sounds very much like my kind of golf .... great fun on a great course delivering near-mortal blows to the opponent though the coup de grace, Kalen, is a bitter pill to swallow.

Many thanks for the entertainment,

Cheers Colin

[Bill_McBride]

IIRC, Garland leads the Grudge Match series 2-0.   What's next?   Kalen needs to dig out of this hole!

[Kalen Braley]

Colin,

Thanks for the kind words.  Even though I really wanted to win this one, as I lost Grudge match I, I still had a blast.  I have to be honest and say this one "stings" a bit more than the 1st one because I had so many chances to take control of the match and I just didn't get it done.

Bill,

I'm thinking there won't be another 2 years pass by before Grudge Match III takes place and I get myself back on track. 

[Sean Leary]

Sounds like you both need to take 2 weeks off and then quit.

[Kalen Braley]

Sounds like you both need to take 2 weeks off and then quit.

Sean,

The funny/ironic thing to it all is...I've been trash talking Garland offline about all the scores I've recently shot in the mid 80s...which is entirely true.

But then I get out there in Grudge match II and shoot a smooth 97. Garland must be my Kryptonite!!! 

[George Pazin]

One question:

Did either of you play any differently in this match than you would in a casual round?

One wish:

I wish all architects would play a round with guys like you, or read through this thread and really think about it. So many don't really understand how a 90s shooter plays, it's all "Play the right tees!".

Nice going, guys, hope I make it to a grudge match someday.

[Kalen Braley]

George,

I can only speak for myself...but I found my mindset was no different than playing just normal stroke play.  I only took on additional risk for maybe 2 or 3 shots...and that was only because I was so far behind in the hole.

The one part of my game that deserted me unexpectedly was my putting. I missed 5 putts that were all in the 5-6 foot range.  I would normally make at least 3 if not 4 of those.  Of course the reason why i had so many of those is because I was having trouble on the 1st putt in getting it into gimmee range.

I also thought the tees we played from were appropriate.  There was only one hole where I was fretting making the carry to the fairway (on 14).

The biggest thing that was different though....was I didn't mind so much if I made a double bogey, just as long as Garland was at least one worse than me!!   

[Jeff Doerr]

Thanks Garland - very fun to watch the journey!

[Jim Johnson]

Thanks for this guys, it was fun to watch.

I'm looking forward to golfing at CB with Richard Choi in early August.

[William_G]

Thanks, very fun!

[Kalen Braley]

Wait!!!

Its not over yet, we haven't yet posted the results of 18.  It was my best hole of the round!!!   

[Garland Bayley]

You want the results of 18? I hit my second best drive of the day. Then, with my head in the clouds and no longer in the round having won the match, I proceeded to hit my next two from the fairway with my driver. Can you tell I don't have a 460cc driver? I can't even recognize it from a fairway wood. I was close enough to wedge on and two putt for a bogey six.

[Kalen Braley]

I'll post details, only cause your asking Garland. 

I hit a mediocre drive out left of the bunkers.  Then a solid 3 wood, which left me about 170 in to an elevated green.

I then hit a 4 IRON, effect for Garland, to 4 feet and made the birdie putt.  Too little too late though!! 

[Garland Bayley]

Sounds like you both need to take 2 weeks off and then quit.

As keeper of the card I have me shooting a 97 and Kalen a 98 with the birdie on 18 helping keep him under 100.
I have myself stroking the ball with putter 44 times. When I get my putting under control, I'm coming after you Leary!

[Garland Bayley]

One question:

Did either of you play any differently in this match than you would in a casual round?

One wish:

I wish all architects would play a round with guys like you, or read through this thread and really think about it. So many don't really understand how a 90s shooter plays, it's all "Play the right tees!".

Nice going, guys, hope I make it to a grudge match someday.

You may have surmised from the report that I played more conservatively than I would in a casual round. Going for birdies and eagles is fun. Trying to limit damage is not as fun.

Since the USGA has me currently as a 21.3 I believe, and Kalen played essentially at that level, we did not play handicap appropriate tees, but played further back. If you have a course like Chambers Bay and its width, playing from handicap appropriate tees does not seem to be much of an interesting idea, let alone the latest Play it Forward nonsense. The entire foursome played the whole round on 1 ball each. What we need is more great courses like Chambers Bay and not the nonsense from the dark ages.

There is a course near Portland that is par 71 6015 yards, rated 70.1/133 from what I assume is the handicap appropriate tees, because it is rated for the ladies at that length also. It is all ponds, trees, and tall ball losing thick rough. In four plays, I have not broken 100. Actually, I don't believe I have broken 105, with 107 there being my last round before Chambers Bay with less than 36 putts.

[Garland Bayley]

... which left me about 170 in to an elevated green.

I then hit a 4 IRON, effect for Garland, to 4 feet and made the birdie putt.  Too little too late though!! 

What was that? A short swing knock down bunt 4 iron?

[Garland Bayley]

IIRC, Garland leads the Grudge Match series 2-0.   What's next?   Kalen needs to dig out of this hole!

My schedule has this at the 2013 KP organized by Dan King in the SLO area.
2009, 2011, 2013, etc.

[Garland Bayley]

For those that did not see the original before The Sequel, here is a link to the thread put up by Anthony Gray who was kind enough to fly out from Tennessee to photograph the event.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40942.0.html

[David Harshbarger]

One of the great threads.  As a highcapper, who has never played matches, I am a convert!  As a fan of chaos, the demo derby quality of this slugfest is very appealing.

Well done gents!