[Stan Dodd]

The Golf God Is Cruel And Sadistic But At Least He Has A Sense Of Humor.

Yesterday I strolled up to the clubhouse to see how some friends were doing in the first big competition of the year, The Burghfield Cup.  I met my friends Ian, Ian, and Martin, and had a pint or 2 or 3 (oh, and a dram as there were 2 aces in the tourney) with them as they recapped their round.  They had played well and were in the running for some prizes.  The format called for the best two scores of 3-man teams.  So it did not matter if one player had a bad round as long as the other two played well.  It came to light that Ian had a disaster on the ninth hole, taking 11 shots.  With the beer doing part of the talking for me, I gave Ian a hard time. “How can you make 11 on #9? It’s downwind and the easiest hole on the course,” I chided. We all had a good laugh at Ian’s expense.

Flash forward to today’s round.  I was off in the 2nd group.  I was playing so-so into a stiff breeze and was looking forward to the turn at the 9th for some downwind holes. After 2 fair shots I had left 90 yards to the green. An easy wedge...which I promptly dumped into the front right bunker.  After 3 whacks trying to get out towards the hole, I pitched out backwards only to have it roll right back into my own footprint.  At this time my playing partner uttered my lest favorite Scottish golf term “ Unlucky”.  Debating on whether to wrap my sand wedge around his neck or continue to  play, I gave it a mighty rip and watched it scuttle 40 yards back down the fairway. After raking the every square inch of the bunker I took the walk of shame back down the fairway to my ball I then chipped on and two putted for a, let me count...yes, a freaking 11.  I cracked up.  The Golf God bitch-slapped me.  I played on with a wry smile on my face and as I was playing 14, who was coming down the 3rd...Ian, Ian, and Martin.  I shouted across the fairway “Ian, I am sorry for my comments yesterday...I just took 11 on the 9th.”  As I played on I could hear them chuckling.

Instant Karma.

[Kris Shreiner]

Nice one Stan!

[Marty Bonnar]

On this occasion, I actually think the 'sand wedge around the neck' shot would have been the correct play.
Welcome back to the motherland, big fella!
best,
M.

[Tim Martin]

Stan- If it wasn`t today you were still destined for a big number on that hole as karma rarely gives you a pass. I think it was a good idea to declare the 11 to Ian before he found out secondhand.

[Jim Tang]

Very nice Stan!

[David_Tepper]

Stan -

If it makes you feel any better, that 3rd shot into the green on #9 (usually from 80 to 120 yards) frustrates me to no end. In my mind, I know that all the trouble is in the front of the green. The "smart" play is to take an extra club, hit it at least 20-30 feet past the flagstick, 2 putt for a par and move on.
 
But no, I cannot resist the temptation to go for the "perfect" shot and cozy a wedge or short-iron 5 or 10 feet under the hole for a chance at a birdie.

We all know how that play turns out more often than not!

DT           

[Bill_McBride]

2 and 10 are other opportunities to make big numbers at Dornoch.

[Eoin Riddell]

Bill, you are spot on, played on Saturday in the same compitition and started 4, 11, 4, 4,

[Niall C]

Stan

Don't worry big man, you've got another few months to practice on that hole 

Niall

ps. have you sorted out your putting problems ?

[Stan Dodd]

Bill,  Every hole at Dornoch has the potential for large numbers.  One of the fun things about a competition here is to listen to everyone's tale of woe in the bar.  It seems like there are big numbers everwhere, though I concur the 2 short holes at 2 and 10 have more than their share.

Niall,  Putting is not too bad.  I have gone to the Adam Scott broomstick.  No yips but distance control on the longs ones needs some work.

[Terry Thornton]

Niall,  Putting is not too bad.  I have gone to the Adam Scott broomstick.  No yips but distance control on the longs ones needs some work.

Stan, if your putting is on the way to being fixed by June I suggest you look away when I get on the green, you won't pick up any good technique there.

On a semi-related topic, you have to love a course where it may be possible to win a matchplay hole with a 10

[Steve Salmen]

Stan,

A friend of mine and I were talking about Dornoch just yesterday. I told him I thought the first right hand side greenside bunker on #9 is the most difficult on the course, more so than either bunker on #2.  The caddies call it Death Bunker.

I hope you're having a good time.

Steve

[Bill_McBride]

Bill, you are spot on, played on Saturday in the same compitition and started 4, 11, 4, 4,

Ouch!

Anyone who says they've never made a double digit score in medal play is either lying or forgetful. 

[Dan Smoot]

Bill, you are spot on, played on Saturday in the same compitition and started 4, 11, 4, 4,

Ouch!

Anyone who says they've never made a double digit score in medal play is either lying or forgetful. 

I have had the unfortunate pleasure to report such a score in a men's club event.  The reaction to actually saying the score out loud is interesting.  Silence, no eye contact and usually no smiles.  It usually takes a hole or two before the others realize it isn't contagious.

[Brent Hutto]

Anyone who says they've never made a double digit score in medal play is either lying or forgetful. 

Or they picked up after the ninth stroke, tore up their card and walked in.

Something I've never done, personally...although after the fifteenth stroke once. Actually I didn't walk in, just stuck the card in my pocket and played the last couple holes for the hell of it. Life's too short to have to count that high.

[Niall C]

Anyone who says they've never made a double digit score in medal play is either lying or forgetful. 

Or they picked up after the ninth stroke, tore up their card and walked in.

Something I've never done, personally...although after the fifteenth stroke once. Actually I didn't walk in, just stuck the card in my pocket and played the last couple holes for the hell of it. Life's too short to have to count that high.

ah yes, I still wake up at nights in a sweat at the memory of standing on the 16th tee at Glasgow Gailes still only 5 over par (I'm a 9 handicapper) and walking off with a 14. Finished bogey, bogey after that and would you believe I still managed to get cut.

Niall

[David_Tepper]

The more I play in Stableford events, the I am convinced they are the best format for competition among golfers with handicaps of more than 5 or so.

[Bill_McBride]

The more I play in Stableford events, the I am convinced they are the best format for competition among golfers with handicaps of more than 5 or so.

As long as everyone has valid handicaps, my preference is always four balls or singles, with foursomes for post lunch frolics!

But yes, Stableford is a really good option.   At the 2006 Buda Cup at Wallasey (near Hoylake), we saw the plaque commemorating Dr. Frank Stableford's invention of his system at Wallasey.  The plaque is by the second tee, a long par four dogleg right, with knee high rough down the left side with at least four marker posts to help locate balls knocked out there.   Even in 2006 you could envision the lost balls and comprehend what a great idea Dr. Frank had!

[Steve Wilson]

Dorhoch Open 2003

I had one of the rounds of my life going.  I had birdied 4, 8, and 10 and was standing at only two over par on the eleventh tee despite a double bogey on 7.  Having turned into the wind it was getting tough, but I was on Foxy with a real chance of breaking 80 if I could play the last five holes in three over.

1. Determined to hit a draw to keep the ball under the wind I somehow contrived to hit a push fade that covered perhaps a hundred and fifty yards.  

2.  Another snake killing swing with a three iron produced a toed shot that scurried into a gnarly wispy lie on one of the dunes.  Resolved to take my medicine I took a sand wedge with the aim of getting the ball back to the fairway.

3.   I went completely under it and saw the ball drop nearly out of sight.

4.   I took an unplayable.

5.  Again the sand wedge, but this time back to the fairway.  

6.  For the first time I executed the shot I had in mind--a low raking five iron that left me a seventy or so yards  out with that mounded portion of the green directly between me and the flag.  My ball was in the tightest lie imaginable and by this time I was nearly shaking from disappointment and embarrassment.  I had zero confidence in being able to make a clean strike with any wedge in my bag.

7.  So I putted. And was relieved to see it crest the mound and finish a mere forty feet from the hole.

8.  I lagged to six inches and so was able to tap in for a nine.

The fellow I was playing with said that putting from that far off the green was a gutsy (being English I think he actually said 'courageous') play.  I told him it was the direct opposite, a coward's shot.  I was too chicken to make a full swing.

After that quintuple bogey I sandwiched two easy par/near birdies around a a seven on 16 and finished with my obligatory bogey on 18.

What might have been the round of my life turned into the (heavily asterisked) best ten consecutive* holes I ever played on a championship course*, in a medal competition* into a stiff wind* before the wheels came off*and I started leaking oil*.  I remain grateful to this day that they were never able to identify the source of all pollution on Foxy that day and so haul me in front of the appropriate bureaucratic body and to explain myself.

Another time at RDGC while playing a friendly match with a man I just met, I parred 1, 3, 4, and 5 and walked to the seventh tee at six over par courtesy of two lovely triple bogeys on 2 and 6.

There's a lot education for a golfer at Dornoch and while not all of it is painful none of it is cheap.

 

[Stan Dodd]

There's a lot education for a golfer at Dornoch and while not all of it is painful none of it is cheap.

Well said Steve.

Oh Foxy, she is a fickle one.

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()