Last night at 8:15 PM, an earnest group of 9 players convened to pilot an event that would, among other things, explore the viability of a tournament ball. The rules were simple:
* A $5 buy-in was required to enter a skins game. The first skin won would take the pot.
* All players would play in a single group.
* All players must walk.
* Only a single club would be allowed – players may choose their club of preference.
* All players would use a tournament ball that flies roughly 80% the distance of a ProV1x:
http://www.amazon.com/Assorted-Color-Novelty-Golf-Ball/dp/B00K1IQSRU/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1409170592&sr=8-12&keywords=LED+golf+balls* No range finders or electronic devices of any kind will be permitted, except for to send text messages to wives to explain that yes I’ll be home as soon as we finish playing and yes we’re still playing and no we’re not having any trouble seeing and how odd it is that visibility would be bad just three miles away when it’s still quite good up on top of the hill and yes I’ll bring home ice cream and feed the dog.
* The opening hole would be a 1044 yard par 8 teeing off from the northeast corner of the property (colloquially known as “15 tee”) and playing to the southwest corner of the property (a spot which the uninitiated call “the 7th green”)
An aerial photo of the hole is shown below, with my route drawn in red. All players generally stayed within 50 yards of that route to either side.
All players chose hybrid as their single permitted club, as distance from a multitude of lies trumps the ability to pitch on a 1044 yard hole worth potentially $40. We also all generally took the same avenue for our tee shot – hitting over the 14th fairway and toward the 13th, as shown in the photo above. From there we diverged slightly. Many players followed a valley that runs through the west side of the course, visible in the photo about ¼ of the way down from the top. While the valley is relatively treeless and thus open, it can be tough to extract a ball from, especially with a hybrid. On top of that, it contains a stream. Considering that we were playing balls with electronic components, I decided to steer clear of water lest I get electrocuted and have to explain myself to the person I had sent text messages to shortly before. Instead, I took a risky route between two separate stands of trees. I found the tournament ball to be just as workable as a traditional balata, as I played a high fade between both stands and came out safely at the top of the hill above the valley and with a clear view for my third.
The next shot was hit hard toward an open area between 5 green and 1 fairway. At this point, darkness had fully set in and the glowing orbs were curling through the sky like candy meteors. Distance was very hard to judge. I hit a ball hard through a gap in the trees out toward the right side of the 7th hole corridor. On a subsequent play, I would probably not have challenged the OB just beyond the 6th green so boldly, as I came up only a few yards away from it and had a tough shot through a chute in the trees to boot. I tried to punch out, but the lack of loft on the hybrid made the shot hard to control. I came up short, but still had a clean look from 210 yards away and lying 5. Decision time – do you lay up short of the water or go for the green with a rolled back ball?
I stepped to the ball with plenty of gumption, intending to send it flying onto the putting surface. As I began my backswing, though, I felt a little bump on the ground. Was it a tree root? Too dark to tell. If I had been Tiger Woods, I would’ve stopped mid swing and studied the lie to make sure it was safe to swing hard before buckling over in pain and heading straight to my courtesy car as I called the head pro and asked if he had a lesson available next week. I am not Tiger Woods. I could not stop my swing, but I also was afraid of destroying my wrist on a root in the darkness. I swung scared and just popped the ball down the fairway some 70 yards short of the green, but also short of the water fronting.
From here, things got interesting. It’s hard to hit a 70 yard pitch with a hybrid. I did my best, and was thankful to clear the water. Chipping was not much easier. It took me two tries to get the ball to the green, and the second ran all the way through. My next shot was safely on, some 15 feet away. I hit my first putt and left a five footer remaining.
One by one, competitors’ balls trickled into the hole. After 8 players had made their putts, no one had done better than a 13. This 5 footer was worth a lot of ice cream. I studied the line to no avail, and then stepped to hit the putt. I took care not to anchor the hybrid as I gripped well down the shaft, and closed the face a bit to make up for the upright lie angle. I made my best stroke. The ball traced a smooth arc against the black green, and dropped into the hole.
There are so many questions for discussion raised here:
* What are the best cross country holes with which you’re familiar?
* What architectural elements should be considered in a one-club tournament over one or multiple holes?
* Do we underestimate the satisfaction gained by weak players who cannot easily hit a high lofted shot when they successfully negotiate a modest carry over water in a golfing life that features few good scores but many memorable swings?
* Why has the Tour never hosted an LED ball night golf tournament?
* Why has the Tour never hosted a one-club tournament?
* Whose 12 was better – Jason Thurman’s or Roy McAvoy’s?
* How do you explain to your wife that you need new glasses in three months after convincing her that you could see well enough to play golf at 10 PM at the end of August in southern Ohio?