Oh yes, 3-putt pars. But we don't like to talk about those.
You're right re trying to get irons close, also - it's darn tough on those enormous greens. You're also bound to have long putts as well, so the flat stick must be on.
That being said, there are very few holes where one ought NOT to hit driver - you just stay left! Really, #12 was the only one I even gave it a second's thought... the idea there is to pick the best club to miss the bunkers, however that can be done. For most people that means leaving the driver in the bag.
From the tees we're talking, driver hit correctly on 9, 10 and 18 means a putt for one's second, be it on the green or short of it - putter is likely still the best play.
In any case, the course is surely no cakewalk - bad scores can also be achieved, typically by finding too many bunkers and/or having to go sideways and backwards too many times, or by finding the gorse too often. I certainly had that happen. But I also had a score close to yours, when those things didn't happen... You know my length off the tee also - shorter than you and WAY shorter than Brian, and hell, I did just what I said above on 9, 10 and 18 in the good round.
Tough holes are 2, 4, 11, 13, 17 - make bogey on all of those, birdie on a few or all of 5, 9, 10, 18 - and voila, a round close to par is yours.
Of course doing it is another matter.
So anyway, great round, Mike! I'm just trying to justify the reasons I predicted a low score for you at The Old Course.
By the same token, I'm betting you REALLY had to play to break 80 at Carnoustie... true?
TH