Never underestimate the power of nervous pressure during competition.
Jake and I had fun in our father/son tournament this morning (9 holes at Jefferson District Golf Course). We were in the 11-13 age bracket. It was alternate shot, but the kids had to tee off on 1/3/5/7/9 and the parent on the even holes. This put the pressure on Jake to hit the first shot, and since Jefferson has no driving range, he would have to hit it cold. I'll give a quick re-count of our round before revealing the results.
Nervous, Jake pulled his 1st tee shot hard left into a ditch. We had to take a drop, leaving me about 180-200 yards to the green, out of the rough and over water. I thought about a wedge back into the fairway, but instead went with the choked down 5 wood. Luckily I striped it onto the center of the green and we 2 putted for a bogey.
On 2 I hit a nice 3 wood, leaving Jake a wedge. Still nervous, he hit it thin, but it ran up close to the green. I hit an ok chip and Jake sank a sweet 6 foot putt for par.
On 3, a 125 yard par 3, Jake again hit a very nervous shot skulled well right, leaving me 50 yards but direct behind some trees. Now it was my turn to hit a bad chip. I was trying to pitch to the left edge of the green but didn't commit and just skulled it 20 yards through the trees (in hind sight, I probably should have jacked a lob wedge up and over, but I was pretty close to the little trees so I went with what should have been the safer shot). Jake now had 40 yards over a bunker. He didn't hit a bad shot, but that kind of distance control comes hard and he left us in the bunker, lying 3. Pulling out a big shot, however, I holed out from the bunker to get us a very ugly bogey 4.
Hole 4 has a lake along the left, so an easy 5 wood tee shot leaves a 100 yard over water shot to the green. Jake hit his shot a little fat but it cleared the water and actually left me what should have been a very makeable chip. But I put to much spin on with my Gap Wedge and it stopped well short. Jake gave the 10 footer a decent run, but missed so another bogey 5.
Hole 5 is a par 5. Jake again yanked a tee shot left, putting me in the rough behind trees. I hit a high 9 over the trees back to the fairway and Jake hit a decent hybrid to about 20 yards in front of the green. My pitch was just 2 yards too far, hitting the down slope and rolling well past the pin. Again, Jake made a valiant attempted putt from 20 feet, but it didn't drop so a bogey 6.
Hole 6 is a 240 yard par 4 (they had us playing from tees well forward of the back ones I usually play there). I thought about using my driver, but opted for a safer 3 wood that would put us up by the green but not risk a big miss. Jake hit a very decent 20-30 yard pitch onto the green and we 2 putted for par.
On hole 7, a short par 3, Jake hit a nice pitching wedge but it caught up in the headwind and ended up on the front of the green when the pin was back. I had a long first putt that I failed to get close enough so a 3-putt bogey.
Hole 8 was the long drive contest for the parents. I pulled my driver a bit left but it was still long enough to win (262 yards). Jake then hit a nice 1/2 8-iron to the green. I finally put the initial long putt close, but in a moment of rush, Jake missed the 3 footer for par (he didn't take his time at all).
Angry from the missed putt, Jake hit a poor tee shot on the short par 4 number 9, but I still had a very reasonable 100 yards. Unfortunately, the ball was in a fluffy lie in the rough and I caught my Gap Wedge a bit high on the face, leaving it just short of the green, my only really weak shot (other than the chip on 4). Jake tried to run up an 8 iron chip, but didn't hit it hard enough, leaving a long up hill putt that I gave a decent run but didn't make, so we 2-putted for bogey.
We scored an unimpressive, nerve-induced 43. It wasn't horrible, but Jake was clearly a little off his game. When you're only hitting maybe one shot per hole and didn't get to hit on the range it can be hard to find your rhythm and that was clearly the case with Jake. And we just couldn't get up and down when we needed to.
Still, it was good enough for Second in our age group, only one shot from tying for first.
We won a $25 gift certificate to the pro shop and I got a box of balls for the long drive. We also each got a pass for a free round as part of the "goodie bag" that everyone got. Plus we got free lunch. So, on the whole a very positive result. Plus we had fun.
Didn't someone once say there is no such thing as a free lunch?
Posted by: Grandpa Jack | July 12, 2009 at 12:47 PM
Did they have an age group for you and I? If so maybe next year. Or, Grandson and grumpy Grandpa.
Way to go Jake carry the old man.
Posted by: Grandpa Tommy | July 12, 2009 at 03:45 PM
Sorry dad, it would be more accurate to say that they had an "adult/junior" tournament. I don't qualify as a junior, unfortunately. It is a shame you're not up to it or you could have been Liam's partner (and he could carry you).
Posted by: Scott | July 12, 2009 at 09:48 PM