Final Outing

Well, it's official: golf season in Michigan is coming to a close. The cold rainy days at the end of fall are coming in, soon followed by the colder still days where that rain will turn to snow. I made my last outing this week, and I'm glad to say that it was a great successs. I called Blackheath, my favorite course this year, and made sure they were open.

"We're open until 4:30 and the tee times are 100% available," Tom the pro shop attendee said. When I got there I was the only car in the parking lot. I was pretty shocked to see a 50 degree November afternoon go to waste, especially at this course. Just two weeks ago I went out on a foggy morning with a high of 54 that had the course backed up for hours. http://www.blackheathgolfclub.com/ Blackheath is a Scottish-style course with lots of long grass, fairway bunkers and undulating fairways. For the price, you can't beat playing 18 on this course almost anywhere in Oakland County.

I walked into the empty shop and greeted Tom. He didn't seem surprised I couldn't get anyone to brave the chilly afternoon with me. "Couldn't convince any of your buddies to join you today?"

"No, not today," I answered. "My main playing partner was deer hunting all weekend and couldn't force himself into the cold for the fourth day in a row." Which was true, my friend Brett had decided to pass today, and every day last week that I asked him to go as well. He's kind of a pansy for golf, but ask him to sit up in a tree stand for five hours in 10 degree weather and he'll jump over that. Go figure.

I stepped onto the first tee after the very frustrating realization that I had left my 60-degree wedge at home. I managed to clear my head, took aim and hooked a 3 wood 200 yards and into the rough on the left side of the fairway. My approach was 118 yards according to my GolfLogix GPS, which is just a little less than a full pitching wedge for me. I put the ball on the green about 15 feet past the hole. Starting off the day with a green in regulation was pretty awesome, as I rarely shoot for birdie through 18 holes, let alone the first one. I lined up the downhill putt, and left it just right for an easy tap-in par.

I followed up the next hole with another pitching wedge onto the green--two consecutive GIR! Who knew it was even possible?!? I again missed my putt but lagged it within two feet for an easy par.

I lost the ball out of bounds on the third hole par 3, something that I tend to do with my irons from time to time. I like when my grips have an alignment aid, something like a line or group of lines or arrows or something that let you know your thumbs have the club at its intended loft. My irons don't have such lines, so I tend to grip them too strongly, and because of this I fight a hook. So I aimed at the middle of the green and watched my shot sail off to the left into the woods, but not very far it seemed. I found it, dropped and hit onto the green with two putts for a double bogey 5. There goes the hard work I put in for my first two holes.

My only low of the round came on the fourth hole par 5. It's the first par 5 of the course and ranked as the second most difficult hole on the course, but I normally don't fare too poorly on it. From the white tees it plays 394 yards, and is very reachable in two. I played my drive, again with the 3-wood as I usually do, as a draw and landed the ball safely in the fairway. My approach shot read 165, normally a 6-iron for me, but the wind was coming pretty strong in my face so I opted for a 5-iron.

Commence self-destruct.

I hooked the 5-iron into the woods on the left side of the hole, just beyond the cart path. After searching for a good five minutes, I couldn't find the ball and dropped. Normally, I would've had an easy time lobbing my 60-degree onto the narrow green and still been putting for par. But since I had to work with my pitching wedge, I was nervous. And I duffed the shot just over the cart path onto a downhill shot in the rough. The green is long and narrow and I have even less area to work with after that duffed shot. I bladed the wedge over the green and into the rough on the other side--at least not on an awkward downhill lie though. I tried to increase the loft of the wedge to land it softer by opening the face of the club and ended up blading it again back to the fringe on the other side of the green! Frustrated I putted from the fringe to about 5 feet away, missed the first putt from the green, and finally tapped in for a painful 9. Those kill scorecards.

"You got a 9?" my girlfriend asked when I tossed the scorecard on the coffee table.

"Yes... but keep going," I replied. And she did. All the way to the final number on the messy scorecard.

84.

My best round ever. By 7 strokes. After my self-destruct on 5, I tightened up and played some excellent golf. I finished the front 9 with a 43, and played on another planet for a back-round 41. I hit the first four greens in regulation, net myself a birdie on the 519-yard par 5 eleventh hole, and made some great putts. For this generally 94-98 shooter, I was extremely pleased with my last round of the year a full 10 strokes better than normal.