- Thread starter
- #26
We’ll start with strokes gained (vs PGA Tour average) for me and our scorecard:
Road to the Victory Cup with bsbmike5 - Post Round Break Downs & Updates
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- #27
We did a good job of having each others backs when the other had a bad hole. We stayed patient through the front 9 and we had some bad shots and bad breaks.
The birdie on 7 was a 20 footer that felt like a steal and I think got us going a little bit. Even though we gave it right back we knew it was coming.
10 and 11 we both had good looks and that’s what started the 4 in a row streak. My partner chipped in then made a good 15 footer. On 14 I hit my 2nd shot to a foot and he hit the par 5 15th in 2 and easy 2 putt to birdie.
We both felt like we got in a rhythm on the back and know we can jump right in again tomorrow. We’re excited to get going and make a move!
Appreciate you guys following along!
The birdie on 7 was a 20 footer that felt like a steal and I think got us going a little bit. Even though we gave it right back we knew it was coming.
10 and 11 we both had good looks and that’s what started the 4 in a row streak. My partner chipped in then made a good 15 footer. On 14 I hit my 2nd shot to a foot and he hit the par 5 15th in 2 and easy 2 putt to birdie.
We both felt like we got in a rhythm on the back and know we can jump right in again tomorrow. We’re excited to get going and make a move!
Appreciate you guys following along!
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- #28
Currently 2 shots off the lead heading into the final round! We go off tomorrow at 12:38 so a nice relaxing morning before heading to the course.
Thanks again for following along! Will post the link in the morning again.
Thanks again for following along! Will post the link in the morning again.
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- #29
Rain delay this morning of 2 hours so we’re off at 2:45…hopefully we’ll avoid any more rain the rest of the day but it’s been a long one!
Time to see if we can close the gap!
Time to see if we can close the gap!
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- #30
For those following along…it was a brutal day. 2 hour rain delay and fog alllll afternoon. 50 degrees windy and raw! We still have 5 holes left for the morning but we are grinding. Here’s where we stand and a photo of the day
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- #32
Tournament is over and we finished -1 for the tournament and T11 out of 111 teams. Rough finish for us this morning giving back 2 more shots in our last 5 holes. But, we were aiming for under par for the tournament and still accomplished that.
Full recaps to come soon, and thanks for the support and following along!
Full recaps to come soon, and thanks for the support and following along!
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- Thread starter
- #33
Round 1 - 5/7/2024 – RIGA 4 Ball Championship – Potowomut Golf Club
It’s time to begin the post round breakdowns for the RIGA 4 Ball Championship that took place earlier this week at Potowomut GC and Rhode Island CC. I posted earlier in this thread but for those jumping in here and want the results, my partner and I finished T-11 at -1. There were 111 teams in the field and the winners ended at -11, winning by 5 shots over the field.
Coming into round 1, I was feeling pretty good about my game. Those who had followed along with my last comp round knew that driving was a weak point for me and was one of my areas of focus, along with sharpening my short game and putting. I don’t want to spoil anything, but some of these areas improved, and some did not.
Without further ado, let’s get into the action. Our first round takes us to Potowomut Golf Club, what I would consider the easier of the 2 courses. Part of that is I’ve played this course a significant amount more than I have played RICC. We were the first tee time off the box and set the pace for the day.
Hole 1 – Par 4 – 429 Yards
Hole 1 is a downhill tee shot to a straightaway par 4. The downhill aspect helps take some of the yardage away from this hole, and typically doesn’t play as long as stated on the card. I was coming off a solid warm up session and feeling good. I hit 1st between my partner and I for every hole during the tournament and started with an absolute dud of a tee shot. A total snap hook duck into the middle of the 2nd hole. I was closed off from going for the green so laid up to the middle of the fairway 96 yards from the pin. My wedges were not very sharp during my last comp round but I started with a great one, putting a 56 degree to 8 feet and made my par the hard way. The putter felt awesome on the practice green and this was a great confidence boost right out of the gates. My partner hit his tee ball right into the rough, hit the green and also 2 putt for par.
Team: E thru 1
Me: E thru 1
Hole 2 – Par 4 – 362 Yards
Hole 2 is a straight away par 4, with water just in front of the green. This requires a shorter than driver off the tee. I hit my Mini Driver down the left hand side just into the rough, and my partner was blocked out by a large tree. I hit mine just over the back of the green with a punchy PW. I was surprised how far back it got. I remember when I picked that club thinking there was no way I could hit it over. Luckily it stayed out of the bunker and left me a straightforward downhill chip. It skirted by faster than I thought, and I had a 9-footer back up the hill. My partner missed his par putt, but I nailed mine to keep us even early. A good momentum grab for us to stay even and not give shots back early.
Team: E thru 2
Me: E thru 2
Hole 3 – Par 3 – 163 Yards
Hole 3 is a menacing downhill par 3. Even though it is only 163 yards on the card, it’s a small green severely sloped from back right to front left and is surrounded by 5 smaller bunkers. It’s truly a “hit the green” type of hole where the flag never comes into play. I ended up just in front of the green with a fairly easy uphill 30-foot putt. My partner was tucked up against the collar on the left and hit a nasty chip to about 4 feet. I cozied mine up and it was in the heart about 8 inches short. Easy par that we’ll take and let’s keep rolling!
Team: E thru 3
Me: E thru 3
Hole 4 – Par 4 – 370 Yards
Hole 4 is another straight and short par 4. No trouble in the way except for some FW bunkers that are out of my reach and my partners reach who is about a club/club-and-a-half longer than me. He ripped one right down the pipe and I flailed a high spinny one to the right. Even though I was in the rough I had a straightforward 130ish yard shot in. I did not pick a smart target and got far too aggressive with a pin tucked on the left. I yanked mine into the short side greenside bunker and had no option but to play relatively safe and leave myself a 20-footer coming back, which I missed and took a bogey. My partner hit what I thought was a perfect shot that barreled over the green from 95 yards out. He was unable to convert his up and down and we gave a shot back to the field on one of the easier holes of the day. Not what we wanted, but I kept saying we had a ton of golf left and let’s just commit to our next hole.
Team: +1 thru 4
Me: +1 thru 4
Hole 5 – Par 4 – 429 Yards
Arguably the hardest hole on the course, hole 5 is one of the longer par 4’s with OB left and trees and junk right. It needs an accurate tee shot and the longer the better with a slightly uphill approach. I leaked mine right again but was able to find it and get relief from some GUR. My partner laced another one right down Broadway. I ended up in front of the green and hit what I thought would be a great chip that hit the brakes hard (shoutout Mizuno for the spin!). Unable to make my par putt, my partner came through with a GIR and a casual 2 putt from 25-20 feet. I’ll take a par here any day. With some easier holes on the horizon, we just needed to stay level.
Team: +1 thru 5
Me: +2 thru 5
Hole 6 – Par 3 – 199 Yards
Hole 6 is another tough hole coming off 5. A skinny green that is shaped from front left to back right, it does not fit the eye of a drawer of the golf ball very well. And playing just over 200 yards my only goal was to hit the green. I hit a great 4 iron to about 30-35 feet. My partner was just over the back and hit an insane flop shot that lipped out. I made an easy 2 putt and again, we just needed to stay level through a brutal hole.
Team: +1 thru 6
Me: +2 thru 6
Hole 7 – Par 4 – 352 Yards
We start getting into a stretch from 7-15 where most of the holes are easier and some opportunities for birdies should be more present. You have 2 options on this hole. Either lay up with some kind of long iron or hybrid or try and thread the needle through some FW bunkers and leave yourself a chip and putt. I hit my UW well and had 105 to the pin, which is a comfy number. It was slightly down wind and I hit it right at the pin. It went about 20 feet by, but a good shot still. This hole was all about me for the team as I buried my long putt to give us our first red number of the day and back to level. It was the momentum bump we needed to say hey we’re gonna take the lid of this hole sooner than later.
Team: E thru 7
Me: +1 thru 7
Hole 8 – Par 4 – 406 Yards
Hole 8 is a blind tee shot down a sloping fairway from right to left. It really helps a draw extend further using that slope. I hit a god-awful driver that hooked thru the fairway of the hole next to us and into the rough on the far side. Must’ve been like 80-100 yards left. I had no option but to hit something in front of the green and try and get up and down. My chip came out fluffy and I had almost 60 feet for a putt. I was able to 2 putt for bogey. My partner missed the green short left from the middle of the fairway and his chip came out a little hot. I had made my bogey before he putt so he had a free run but was unable to make his 6-footer for par. We dropped the shot we just got back.
Team: +1 thru 8
Me: +2 thru 8
Hole 9 – Par 5 – 445 Yards
Holes 9 and 10 give us some good scoring opportunities on shorter par 5’s. 9 is an uphill straightaway par 5 that really has no issues in front of you. The only defense 9 had on this day was a pin tucked left that if you missed anywhere left of would give you a tough up and down. I hit a good drive (finally) and so did my partner. I had 7 iron in, and he had 8. We both missed the green right in 2 in the greenside bunker. He went first and blasted it over the other side of the green. I knew par would be tough for him now and really had to play safe. I chunked mine out to about 15 feet and lipped out the birdie. This was really like a dropped shot to the field with it being so short. But we had another 9 in front of us with some more opportunities for birdies.
Team: +1 thru 9
Me: +2 thru 9
FRONT 9: I felt like we did a decent job staying patient and although we didn’t score great, we saved ourselves from dropping even more with big pars on 2 and 5. We could’ve easily been +3 or +4 but had good pars and a putt for birdie on 7 that happened to fall. I was feeling great putting and with wedges in my hands so that part of my game had gotten sharper. Driving was still an issue, and some wild drivers were costing me shots at greens.
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- #34
Hole 10 – Par 5 – 497 Yards
Hole 10 is a dog leg left par 5 that plays downhill. It can be reached in 2 with a solid drive. I hit a weak spinner out to the right and was forced to lay up. My partner roped another drive and had the green light, but left his 2nd shot out right of the green and short sided himself. He did hit a great chip to give himself a look but was unable to convert the birdie. Meanwhile, I left myself a knockdown 8 iron in that I hit okay. Long putt for birdie that scared the hole from 40 feet, but still a par. Another missed opportunity on a par 5 for both of us.
Team: +1 thru 10
Me: +2 thru 10
Hole 11 – Par 4 – 355 Yards
Hole 11 is a short par 4 where you can hit whatever you want off the tee depending on how close you want to be coming in. I abandoned the driver after some foul shots on the front and hit a pretty good Mini Driver to give myself 111 in. I hit a decent wedge shot to about 20 feet, and my partner was about the same distance after a good tee shot and decent wedge as well. We had talked on this tee box about how we just needed to get more GIR’s and give ourselves looks. We were scrambling hard on the front and knew we could drop them if we had the opportunity. While we both missed our birdies and walked away with par, we knew were close. And not to bury the lead but some fireworks were close!
Team: +1 thru 11
Me: +2 thru 11
Hole 12 – Par 3 – 207 Yards
Another longer par 3, but much friendlier green than we had on number 6. I hit what I thought was a perfect 5 iron but came up just short of the green. My partner also hit 5 and ended up just left in the first cut. I should have chipped this shot with how good I felt with wedges but decided to putt it and had a dreadful effort still leaving myself a good 15 feet. My partner on the other hand hit a great chip that fell for his first birdie of the day! He needed a good break to get himself going and this was it! Back to even for the squad and the good vibes were there.
Team: E thru 12
Me: +3 thru 12
Hole 13 – Par 4 – 323 Yards
13 is a strange hole where you ideally hit your tee shot about 200-220 off the tee to the base of a hill and then hit straight up to a very elevated green. It even has one of those giant flagsticks that is 12 or 15 feet tall so you can see it. You can hit more club off the tee if you want but red hazards exist both left and right as you climb the hill. I hit a solid 4 iron to leave myself about 140. My partner struck his well, but it clipped a tree overhanging and dropped straight down. It left him a long iron up the hill which he hit right at the flag. When we got up there, he was about 12 feet and a good look. I just missed the green right but hit my chip to a few inches for par giving him the greenlight to go fully at this birdie. After a brief discussion on the read he buried it for a back-to-back birdie and got the team back to red figures!
Team: -1 thru 13
Me: +3 thru 13
Hole 14 – Par 4 – 379 Yards
Hole 14 plays shorter than the card as it works downhill and to the left the whole way. I hit another high right fly ball into the middle of the next hole and my partner laced yet another one down the pipe. I had 138 coming from the middle of the next hole and hit a perfect knockdown 9 that hit right in front of the flag and stopped within a foot. My partner just tried to hole his, but I came through for the team with a kick in birdie for our 3rd in a row!
Team: -2 thru 14
Me: +2 thru 14
Hole 15 – Par 5 – 527 Yards
15 is a gentle right to left par 5 that has a downhill go-for-it 2nd shot if you hit a good drive. I hit almost a cold top drive that barely made the fairway. Thank God for my partner who cranked another driver. I took the scenic route, never seeing the fairway, but ended up getting up and down making a 10-footer for my par. This hole was all about my partner who hit a sick running 2 iron to about 30 feet and had an easy 2 putt for our 4th birdie in a row. 3 tricky holes left, and we were cooking!
Team: -3 thru 15
Me: +2 thru 15
Hole 16 – Par 3 – 159 Yards
I mentioned 3 tricky holes left, and we couldn’t afford to make a stupid error and give shots back. 16 is an uphill par 3 that has a severe run off on the front of the green. This pin was tucked back right. I missed pin high in the right rough and my partner hit a really solid shot to about 25 feet. I hit another chip to a foot for my par to give my partner a free run. He hit a good putt, but it didn’t fall. A very ho-hum par to keep us at 3 under.
Team: -3 thru 16
Me: +2 thru 16
Hole 17 – Par 4 – 391 Yards
Hole 17 is another downhill tee shot that helps the hole play shorter than the card. After an abysmal day with driver, I decided to hit Mini Driver again off the tee. I hit it solidly but drifted left behind the trees. I had no choice but to try and hook one up towards the green. I played it super safe and ended up in the greenside rough. I hit a good chip leaving myself 5 or 6 feet for my par (which I half tried after my partner was in and missed). My partner hit his drive down the left but had an open shot. He hit a nice short iron on and made an easy 2 putt for par. Kept our momentum with 1 to play.
Team: -3 thru 17
Me: +3 thru 17
Hole 18 – Par 4 – 387 Yards
Hole 18 is a tricky one. A channel of water sits about 140 yards out from the green. Your tee shot can really max out at about 250 yards and the more left you go the safer it is, but leaves a longer 2nd shot. I hit a really good UW down the middle/left hand side. My partner hit a bullet 2 iron that was in the 1st cut before the water. About as aggressive as you can go. I had 186 uphill and into the wind and had a 5 iron in hand. I remember all I thought was hit it hard and I hit a giant pull hook about 50 yards left of the green. My partner hit a solid iron that didn’t get hit by the wind and was just over the back. I did hit a decent pitch shot to about 20 feet, but was unable to make my par. My partner had a tricky chip that he nestled down to about 5 feet. And he came up big with a par to end the round and solidify the team at -3 for the day! What a back 9!
Team: -3 thru 18
Me: +4 thru 18
POST ROUND: We left ourselves 2 shots off the lead after day 1 and knew we didn’t play our best golf and were grinding a lot. Based off strokes gained vs PGA average I was almost -6 off the tee. It was so bad and really was killing me. Everything else was solid and putting was even +1.5. I had to be better off the tee to help the team, and frankly played pretty damn well all things considered. We were excited for day 2 being just a couple groups from the final pairing. We didn’t want to try and change our mindset by being more aggressive, we just wanted to play our games. Day 2 was ahead, and we were excited to keep going!
Hole 10 is a dog leg left par 5 that plays downhill. It can be reached in 2 with a solid drive. I hit a weak spinner out to the right and was forced to lay up. My partner roped another drive and had the green light, but left his 2nd shot out right of the green and short sided himself. He did hit a great chip to give himself a look but was unable to convert the birdie. Meanwhile, I left myself a knockdown 8 iron in that I hit okay. Long putt for birdie that scared the hole from 40 feet, but still a par. Another missed opportunity on a par 5 for both of us.
Team: +1 thru 10
Me: +2 thru 10
Hole 11 – Par 4 – 355 Yards
Hole 11 is a short par 4 where you can hit whatever you want off the tee depending on how close you want to be coming in. I abandoned the driver after some foul shots on the front and hit a pretty good Mini Driver to give myself 111 in. I hit a decent wedge shot to about 20 feet, and my partner was about the same distance after a good tee shot and decent wedge as well. We had talked on this tee box about how we just needed to get more GIR’s and give ourselves looks. We were scrambling hard on the front and knew we could drop them if we had the opportunity. While we both missed our birdies and walked away with par, we knew were close. And not to bury the lead but some fireworks were close!
Team: +1 thru 11
Me: +2 thru 11
Hole 12 – Par 3 – 207 Yards
Another longer par 3, but much friendlier green than we had on number 6. I hit what I thought was a perfect 5 iron but came up just short of the green. My partner also hit 5 and ended up just left in the first cut. I should have chipped this shot with how good I felt with wedges but decided to putt it and had a dreadful effort still leaving myself a good 15 feet. My partner on the other hand hit a great chip that fell for his first birdie of the day! He needed a good break to get himself going and this was it! Back to even for the squad and the good vibes were there.
Team: E thru 12
Me: +3 thru 12
Hole 13 – Par 4 – 323 Yards
13 is a strange hole where you ideally hit your tee shot about 200-220 off the tee to the base of a hill and then hit straight up to a very elevated green. It even has one of those giant flagsticks that is 12 or 15 feet tall so you can see it. You can hit more club off the tee if you want but red hazards exist both left and right as you climb the hill. I hit a solid 4 iron to leave myself about 140. My partner struck his well, but it clipped a tree overhanging and dropped straight down. It left him a long iron up the hill which he hit right at the flag. When we got up there, he was about 12 feet and a good look. I just missed the green right but hit my chip to a few inches for par giving him the greenlight to go fully at this birdie. After a brief discussion on the read he buried it for a back-to-back birdie and got the team back to red figures!
Team: -1 thru 13
Me: +3 thru 13
Hole 14 – Par 4 – 379 Yards
Hole 14 plays shorter than the card as it works downhill and to the left the whole way. I hit another high right fly ball into the middle of the next hole and my partner laced yet another one down the pipe. I had 138 coming from the middle of the next hole and hit a perfect knockdown 9 that hit right in front of the flag and stopped within a foot. My partner just tried to hole his, but I came through for the team with a kick in birdie for our 3rd in a row!
Team: -2 thru 14
Me: +2 thru 14
Hole 15 – Par 5 – 527 Yards
15 is a gentle right to left par 5 that has a downhill go-for-it 2nd shot if you hit a good drive. I hit almost a cold top drive that barely made the fairway. Thank God for my partner who cranked another driver. I took the scenic route, never seeing the fairway, but ended up getting up and down making a 10-footer for my par. This hole was all about my partner who hit a sick running 2 iron to about 30 feet and had an easy 2 putt for our 4th birdie in a row. 3 tricky holes left, and we were cooking!
Team: -3 thru 15
Me: +2 thru 15
Hole 16 – Par 3 – 159 Yards
I mentioned 3 tricky holes left, and we couldn’t afford to make a stupid error and give shots back. 16 is an uphill par 3 that has a severe run off on the front of the green. This pin was tucked back right. I missed pin high in the right rough and my partner hit a really solid shot to about 25 feet. I hit another chip to a foot for my par to give my partner a free run. He hit a good putt, but it didn’t fall. A very ho-hum par to keep us at 3 under.
Team: -3 thru 16
Me: +2 thru 16
Hole 17 – Par 4 – 391 Yards
Hole 17 is another downhill tee shot that helps the hole play shorter than the card. After an abysmal day with driver, I decided to hit Mini Driver again off the tee. I hit it solidly but drifted left behind the trees. I had no choice but to try and hook one up towards the green. I played it super safe and ended up in the greenside rough. I hit a good chip leaving myself 5 or 6 feet for my par (which I half tried after my partner was in and missed). My partner hit his drive down the left but had an open shot. He hit a nice short iron on and made an easy 2 putt for par. Kept our momentum with 1 to play.
Team: -3 thru 17
Me: +3 thru 17
Hole 18 – Par 4 – 387 Yards
Hole 18 is a tricky one. A channel of water sits about 140 yards out from the green. Your tee shot can really max out at about 250 yards and the more left you go the safer it is, but leaves a longer 2nd shot. I hit a really good UW down the middle/left hand side. My partner hit a bullet 2 iron that was in the 1st cut before the water. About as aggressive as you can go. I had 186 uphill and into the wind and had a 5 iron in hand. I remember all I thought was hit it hard and I hit a giant pull hook about 50 yards left of the green. My partner hit a solid iron that didn’t get hit by the wind and was just over the back. I did hit a decent pitch shot to about 20 feet, but was unable to make my par. My partner had a tricky chip that he nestled down to about 5 feet. And he came up big with a par to end the round and solidify the team at -3 for the day! What a back 9!
Team: -3 thru 18
Me: +4 thru 18
POST ROUND: We left ourselves 2 shots off the lead after day 1 and knew we didn’t play our best golf and were grinding a lot. Based off strokes gained vs PGA average I was almost -6 off the tee. It was so bad and really was killing me. Everything else was solid and putting was even +1.5. I had to be better off the tee to help the team, and frankly played pretty damn well all things considered. We were excited for day 2 being just a couple groups from the final pairing. We didn’t want to try and change our mindset by being more aggressive, we just wanted to play our games. Day 2 was ahead, and we were excited to keep going!
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- #35
Round 2 5/8/2024 – RIGA 4 Ball Championship – Rhode Island Country Club
After a strong back 9 finish on day 1, we were excited to get back to it for day 2. Weather would become a huge factor on this day though. Day 1 was sunny and a high of 74 with little to no wind most of the time. Day 2 had a high of 54 and our course was right on the water providing some thick heavy and cold air all day. There was a 2.5-hour rain delay from 9:00-11:30 which resulted in our tee time getting pushed back from 12:38 to 2:45.
Once arriving at the course, you could feel the wind heavily coming off the water. Flags were whipping the entire time, and we both knew it was going to be a grind of a day. Luckily the first 14 holes work their way away from the water and would help the wind die down a little bit.
RICC has much tighter fairway lies than Poto, and I’m glad their (really awesome) short game area was open. I felt like I could really dial in my wedge game for the day. RICC is also a Donald Ross design which brings in some more undulation than we saw the day before. And even though we are playing both courses on the shorter side, the RIGA was giving us tough pins to del with.
After the driving woes of day 1 I really tried to focus a little more of my warmup in that area. I knew that if I could give myself better looks at GIR I would score better (I was -2 on the holes where I hit the green on day 1). Onto the round!
Hole 1 – Par 4 – 379 Yards
Hole 1 is a slightly downhill par 4 turning gently from right to left. I wanted to give myself confidence back with the driver and proceeded to hit it so far right it bounced through the parking lot and back into play by about 2 yards. Not the start I wanted but we had to move on and commit to the next shot. I had a tree blocking me out from a full shot, so I hit a punch that ended up in the greenside bunker. The staff did a wonderful job getting the course playable again for us, but the bunkers were wet and almost impossible since they hadn’t been re-raked. I did what I could but was in front of the green after my shot. I almost holed my wedge for par and made bogey. My partner meanwhile continued his driving dominance and left himself a 15-footer for birdie which he almost made, but saved our par.
Team: E thru 1, -3 Total
Me: +1 thru 1
Hole 2 – Par 4 – 377 Yards
Hole 2 continues RICC gentle welcome of short par 4’s. This one is straightaway with a slightly uphill approach shot. I elected driver again and hit an off-the-bottom driver that couldn’t have gotten more than 60 feet off the ground but left me with a FW hit and 138 to the pin. The pin was tucked right and while my target was picked out left of the flag, I pushed it and ended up with an aggressive looking shot. I had just under 15 feet for birdie and just like my partner on 1, barely missed but got our team par. We were already hitting greens and giving ourselves looks better than we started yesterday.
Team: E thru 2, -3 Total
Me: +1 thru 2
Hole 3 – Par 4 – 348 Yards
Hole 3 has a funky look off the tee playing uphill the whole way and the fairway working its way to the right. This is followed by an uphill approach where 2 yards off the green on the right is red hazard and severe slope. I hit a high right leaky driver that found the right rough and a similar number to what I had on number 2. I pushed my shot slightly more than number 1 and ended up over the back right portion of the green. I hit an okay-ish chip to about 5 feet, but my partner hit a great approach to about 12 feet. He was unable to convert but another easy par for the squad.
Team: E thru 3, -3 Total
Me: +2 thru 3
Hole 4 – Par 4 – 351 Yards
Hole 4 is a very downhill tee shot with water in front of the green. When they used to host the CVS Charity Classic here, the pros would be able to rip driver onto the green. I hit Mini Driver pretty good that just found the first cut down the left and gave me 77 yards in. I thought I might totally abandon driver at this point, but you’ll see why I didn’t in a few holes. I hit a solid 60 degree right at it and had about 10 feet up the hill. My partner also had a look inside 15 feet for birdie. Neither one of us made it, and mine was about 1 roll short dead in the middle. Brutal to not grab one there, but we were striking it well.
Team: E thru 4, -3 Total
Me: +2 thru 4
Hole 5 – Par 3 – 152 Yards
This par 3 was playing about 165 today with a howling wind coming off the right. This green is propped up a little and surrounded by bunkers all around. My partner and I both hit punchy 7 irons that landed about 2 inches apart and both had a cross green 60-footer. He flew his by, and while I had good speed, I did not aim nearly high enough leaving me about a 6-footer for par. The hot putter from yesterday showed up here as I saved a crucial par for us, and we stayed level for the day.
Team: E thru 5, -3 Total
Me: +2 thru 5
Hole 6 – Par 4 – 296 Yards
One of my favorite holes on the course, number 6 is a driveable par 4 with a super tiny green. The fairway is massively wide, and you can just about as far right as you could imagine. I think at its widest this fairway is almost 100 yards wide. I hit one of the worst drives with my Mini Driver of the day and basically topped it into the water in front of the tee. It skipped a few times, and I was insanely lucky to find it still playable in the marshy area. I hacked an iron out in front of the green to give myself a pitch from about 30-40 yards. I hit a clean nipper that landed just shy of the hole and rolled out to about 10 feet. The hot putter strikes again as I buried the par for us. My partner laced a drive and had a wedge in and while we had a good look, he couldn’t convert.
Team: E thru 6, -3 Total
Me: +2 thru 6
Hole 7 – Par 4 – 452 Yards
Hole 7 is a well-designed longer par 4. There is a cross bunker that’s reachable with a longer drive. It leaves you a long approach to a 2 tiered green. I think it’s the toughest hole on the course, especially since it’s one of the tighter driving holes. I hit another god-awful Mini Driver into the trees down the left. I had no option but to whack a long iron up the fairway to leave some kind of wedge in. I hit 50 degree to about 20-25 feet, and sadly, couldn’t make the par and left with a bogey. My partner roped a drive but missed the green and his chip rolled off the other side. He did get up and down from there, but it was bogey for both of us and a dropped shot. I could live with it being such a tough hole, but still an unforced error.
Team: +1 thru 7, -2 Total
Me: +3 thru 7
Hole 8 – Par 5 – 489 Yards
Hole 8 is a shorter par 5 that has a massive bunker across the whole fairway about 290 yards from the tee. I hit a weak drive out to the right into some thicker rough. My only option was to hack it up the fairway and leave myself a 150ish iron in. I hit it well and had a mid-range birdie putt coming up. My partner hit a solid drive and went for the green in 2. He ended up in the greenside bunker but couldn’t get up and down for the birdie. Pars for both of us on only 1 of 2 par 5s.
Team: +1 thru 8, -2 Total
Me: +3 thru 8
Hole 9 – Par 4 – 430 Yards
Last hole of the front 9 is a long and straight par 4. I slowed my tempo down on this one and hit probably my 1 good drive of the round. I was in the middle of the fairway, but still had 193 to the pin. I hit a 4 iron about as good as I could but still had 50-60 feet putting to a back pin. My partner hit a low running bullet that ran through the green just over the back. He lipped his chip and saved our butts by making par, as I proceeded to three jack it from my long 1st putt.
Team: +1 thru 9, -2 Total
Me: +4 thru 9
FRONT 9: We both felt like we had more looks through 9 than we did on day 1, we really were never able to convert anything on this front 9. It was getting colder and foggier by the minute, but we were grinding. I still was struggling with the driver and was really trying to course correct however I could to get through the last 9.
- Thread starter
- #36
Hole 10 – Par 3 – 193 Yards
Unfortunately, the snack shack was closed. It was past 5 and I was freakin’ starving. Anyways, we had a middle pin here and even though we had wind behind us, I played the number and hit a solid iron shot. The air was thick, and the ball was going nowhere. My partner was just short, but had a wonderful up and down for par. I tried way too hard to make my birdie putt and ran it a good 12 feet by. I missed the comebacker and had back-to-back 3 putts. I could live with the one on 9, but this one was a mistake by me. Luckily, my partner picked us up!
Team: +1 thru 10, -2 Total
Me: +5 thru 10
Hole 11 – Par 5 – 494 Yards
Hole 11 brings the only other par 5 on the course besides 8. The one dog legs pretty hard to the left as you approach the green with a creek running about 80 yards out. I hit a driver down the left into the rough forcing a layup and my partner laid up from a fairway bunker as well. This hole was straight back into the wind and at this point, we could only see about 200-250 yards in front of us. I had 121 left to the pin and hit a solid wedge to pin high 20 feet. The hot putter showed back up again as I got us back on the board with a birdie!
Team: E thru 11, -3 Total
Me: +4 thru 11
Hole 12 – Par 4 – 316 Yards
12 is another short par 4, and I kind of got screwed by the fog here. I didn’t realize how quickly there was hazard that cut in up the right-hand side, and probably would’ve stayed away from driver if I knew. I hit what I thought would be just a shot in the rough but found the marsh instead. After my drop I had a short iron in which I hit well to about 20 feet. I couldn’t make my par, but my partner took care of my hitting a solid drive and wedge and an easy 2 putt for par.
Team: E thru 12, -3 Total
Me: +5 thru 12
Hole 13 – Par 4 – 441 Yards
Hole 13 would be our last hole of the day before they called us in due to playing conditions and incoming lightning. Thank God my partner had me here cause I played this hole sooooo bad. I could barely feel my hands and hit a low running hook into a fairway bunker, which I then hit the lip and ended up in the next fairway bunker. Slapped one into the fairway and didn’t even check the distance for my 4th shot. I was just short of the green and got up and down for double. My partner came up big with a massive drive and solid second shot to give us an easy 2 putt par.
This is when they called us, and I thought they might end the tournament early, but they said we would resume at 8 AM the next day. We’re both lucky where work let us come back and finish and a lot of teams who were playing well had to WD.
Team: E thru 13, -3 Total
Me: +7 thru 13
Hole 14 – Par 4 – 377 Yards
After a good night’s sleep and a much friendlier weather morning it was time to finish our last 5. The skies were clear, but it was chilly, and some wind was still hanging around. 14 is a par 4 straight up hill that leads you to a beautiful view of the bay, and your last 4 holes which all play across the street right on the water.
I, once again, spent a good chunk of warming up trying to find some kind of tee ball to work with. I hit a solid drive that leaked right and found some red hazard. Not ideal. I dropped and hit a good shot that just went over the back of the green. My partner was in prime position, and we talked into a lower number than he wanted to play it was straight down wind. His ball pitched about 6 feet in front of the pin and proceeded to carom off the back. I hit my chip to a foot to save a bogey, but my partner was unable to get up and down and we dropped a shot to start our day.
Team: +1 thru 14, -2 Total
Me: +8 thru 14
Hole 15 – Par 4 – 373 Yards
Holes 15 and 16 share an extremely large fairway with bunkers running right up the middle of them. I hit a giant hook beyond the bunkers and into the far rough, but actually had a decent angle to the green. I ended up just off the left-hand side. I elected to putt this over chip and had it take an immediate huge hop and kick it off line. I had about 10 feet left for par but was able to save it and save par for our team! My partner had found a FW bunker and did not hit his best chip.
Team: +1 thru 15, -2 Total
Me: +8 thru 15
Hole 16 – Par 4 – 400 Yards
Like I just mentioned 16 comes right back up next to 15. I hit a pull hook over the bunkers and into the rough. My partner hit one straight into the marsh down the right, so this quickly turned to my hole. I was straight down wind for my 2nd, and I thought it was going to be a flyer. It came out the total opposite and I had an up and down from the tightly mown area in front. I hit a chip to 5 feet and was able to come through again for the team! Another huge save coming down the stretch when it was evident we were leaking oil.
Team: +1 thru 16, -2 Total
Me: +8 thru 16
Hole 17 – Par 3 – 133 Yards
If you read my breakdown from April, you know I love a well-designed short par 3 and this is one of them. It’s a multi-tiered green surrounded by bunkers. It requires an accurate shot to make a good score. I hit a nice knockdown iron into the wind to leave myself 20 feet. My partner hit a shot right at the pin, which proceeded to carry over the green and through the bunker. He did his best to get his next one on but couldn’t find the surface and ended up in bogey land. I took a conservative approach with my putt and escaped with our par.
Team: +1 thru 17, -2 Total
Me: +8 thru 17
Hole 18 – Par 4 – 392 Yards
The final hole plays uphill to a smaller green that has somewhat of a bowl shape to it. I hit another weakish drive down the right into the rough. I had the same number s day 1 (186 yards) and did the same exact thing and hit my approach almost 50 yards left. My partner hit another great driver down the middle, but his ball spun like heck and fell out of the sky short of the green. I hit a pretty good pitch to 12 feel, and he hit an okay chip just outside of that. Unfortunately, we both were unable to save par and we end the tournament on a sour note and a -1 finish.
FINAL: -1
Me: +9 thru 18
POST ROUND: I drove the ball horrifically for the 3rd tournament round in a row. I don’t think it’s entirely the drivers fault, but it might be time to shake it up and try something different. I am going to see my teacher before my state am qualifier to tighten some things up. Luckily, I don’t need to hit the driver all that often at that course. I putted incredibly well over these 2 days and my short game was able to save a lot for me too. When I was able to hit fairways and give myself looks at GIR I played incredibly well (-2 on holes with GIR day 1, +1 on holes with GIR day 2 with two 3-putts). Time to keep working through the weak points in my game. If I can get my driving of the ball better I will be a force to be reckoned with.
Unfortunately, the snack shack was closed. It was past 5 and I was freakin’ starving. Anyways, we had a middle pin here and even though we had wind behind us, I played the number and hit a solid iron shot. The air was thick, and the ball was going nowhere. My partner was just short, but had a wonderful up and down for par. I tried way too hard to make my birdie putt and ran it a good 12 feet by. I missed the comebacker and had back-to-back 3 putts. I could live with the one on 9, but this one was a mistake by me. Luckily, my partner picked us up!
Team: +1 thru 10, -2 Total
Me: +5 thru 10
Hole 11 – Par 5 – 494 Yards
Hole 11 brings the only other par 5 on the course besides 8. The one dog legs pretty hard to the left as you approach the green with a creek running about 80 yards out. I hit a driver down the left into the rough forcing a layup and my partner laid up from a fairway bunker as well. This hole was straight back into the wind and at this point, we could only see about 200-250 yards in front of us. I had 121 left to the pin and hit a solid wedge to pin high 20 feet. The hot putter showed back up again as I got us back on the board with a birdie!
Team: E thru 11, -3 Total
Me: +4 thru 11
Hole 12 – Par 4 – 316 Yards
12 is another short par 4, and I kind of got screwed by the fog here. I didn’t realize how quickly there was hazard that cut in up the right-hand side, and probably would’ve stayed away from driver if I knew. I hit what I thought would be just a shot in the rough but found the marsh instead. After my drop I had a short iron in which I hit well to about 20 feet. I couldn’t make my par, but my partner took care of my hitting a solid drive and wedge and an easy 2 putt for par.
Team: E thru 12, -3 Total
Me: +5 thru 12
Hole 13 – Par 4 – 441 Yards
Hole 13 would be our last hole of the day before they called us in due to playing conditions and incoming lightning. Thank God my partner had me here cause I played this hole sooooo bad. I could barely feel my hands and hit a low running hook into a fairway bunker, which I then hit the lip and ended up in the next fairway bunker. Slapped one into the fairway and didn’t even check the distance for my 4th shot. I was just short of the green and got up and down for double. My partner came up big with a massive drive and solid second shot to give us an easy 2 putt par.
This is when they called us, and I thought they might end the tournament early, but they said we would resume at 8 AM the next day. We’re both lucky where work let us come back and finish and a lot of teams who were playing well had to WD.
Team: E thru 13, -3 Total
Me: +7 thru 13
Hole 14 – Par 4 – 377 Yards
After a good night’s sleep and a much friendlier weather morning it was time to finish our last 5. The skies were clear, but it was chilly, and some wind was still hanging around. 14 is a par 4 straight up hill that leads you to a beautiful view of the bay, and your last 4 holes which all play across the street right on the water.
I, once again, spent a good chunk of warming up trying to find some kind of tee ball to work with. I hit a solid drive that leaked right and found some red hazard. Not ideal. I dropped and hit a good shot that just went over the back of the green. My partner was in prime position, and we talked into a lower number than he wanted to play it was straight down wind. His ball pitched about 6 feet in front of the pin and proceeded to carom off the back. I hit my chip to a foot to save a bogey, but my partner was unable to get up and down and we dropped a shot to start our day.
Team: +1 thru 14, -2 Total
Me: +8 thru 14
Hole 15 – Par 4 – 373 Yards
Holes 15 and 16 share an extremely large fairway with bunkers running right up the middle of them. I hit a giant hook beyond the bunkers and into the far rough, but actually had a decent angle to the green. I ended up just off the left-hand side. I elected to putt this over chip and had it take an immediate huge hop and kick it off line. I had about 10 feet left for par but was able to save it and save par for our team! My partner had found a FW bunker and did not hit his best chip.
Team: +1 thru 15, -2 Total
Me: +8 thru 15
Hole 16 – Par 4 – 400 Yards
Like I just mentioned 16 comes right back up next to 15. I hit a pull hook over the bunkers and into the rough. My partner hit one straight into the marsh down the right, so this quickly turned to my hole. I was straight down wind for my 2nd, and I thought it was going to be a flyer. It came out the total opposite and I had an up and down from the tightly mown area in front. I hit a chip to 5 feet and was able to come through again for the team! Another huge save coming down the stretch when it was evident we were leaking oil.
Team: +1 thru 16, -2 Total
Me: +8 thru 16
Hole 17 – Par 3 – 133 Yards
If you read my breakdown from April, you know I love a well-designed short par 3 and this is one of them. It’s a multi-tiered green surrounded by bunkers. It requires an accurate shot to make a good score. I hit a nice knockdown iron into the wind to leave myself 20 feet. My partner hit a shot right at the pin, which proceeded to carry over the green and through the bunker. He did his best to get his next one on but couldn’t find the surface and ended up in bogey land. I took a conservative approach with my putt and escaped with our par.
Team: +1 thru 17, -2 Total
Me: +8 thru 17
Hole 18 – Par 4 – 392 Yards
The final hole plays uphill to a smaller green that has somewhat of a bowl shape to it. I hit another weakish drive down the right into the rough. I had the same number s day 1 (186 yards) and did the same exact thing and hit my approach almost 50 yards left. My partner hit another great driver down the middle, but his ball spun like heck and fell out of the sky short of the green. I hit a pretty good pitch to 12 feel, and he hit an okay chip just outside of that. Unfortunately, we both were unable to save par and we end the tournament on a sour note and a -1 finish.
FINAL: -1
Me: +9 thru 18
POST ROUND: I drove the ball horrifically for the 3rd tournament round in a row. I don’t think it’s entirely the drivers fault, but it might be time to shake it up and try something different. I am going to see my teacher before my state am qualifier to tighten some things up. Luckily, I don’t need to hit the driver all that often at that course. I putted incredibly well over these 2 days and my short game was able to save a lot for me too. When I was able to hit fairways and give myself looks at GIR I played incredibly well (-2 on holes with GIR day 1, +1 on holes with GIR day 2 with two 3-putts). Time to keep working through the weak points in my game. If I can get my driving of the ball better I will be a force to be reckoned with.
Luckily I still have 137 days to get that damn driver sorted out!
- Thread starter
- #38
Road to the Victory Cup with bsbmike5 – Tournament Preview – RIGA State AM Qualifying Cranston Country Club 5/22/2024
Fresh off 2 tournament rounds on 5/7 and 5/8, my State AM qualifier is fast approaching next Wednesday 5/22/2024. Let’s dive into a little bit about the course, my history with the State AM, and where my game is at heading into this and where my focus areas are.
The Course – Cranston Country Club
Cranston Country Club (CCC moving forward) is somewhere I have a lot of history with. My high school was in Cranston, and we played CCC 4 days a week during the season, it served as our home for matches, and it hosted the annual High School State Finals. CCC typically always hosts one of the 3 state AM qualifiers and has always been my choice when trying to qualify.
CCC is a par 71 Geoffrey Cornish and Bill Robinson design, and in a lot of ways fits the bill for a typical Geoffrey Cornish. Large greens and many tree lined fairways, and some real funky holes where local knowledge of playing here is a definite advantage to someone playing it blind. It can stretch all the way back to 6,900 yards but we typically play it somewhere around 6,400 for the qualifier.
This course tends to fit my game well. For those following along you know my tee game has been the weakest point by far, and you only need to hit the driver 2 or 3 times during the round at CCC. You’re able to score quite well hitting hybrids and long irons off tees.
CCC is a public track that gets a lot of play, and the conditions usually reflect that. They won’t have the most pristine of conditions and the greens won’t be super fast, but it’s always in decent shape for the amount of rounds it handles. The “signature hole” is the par 3 8th which is a short island green where the green is 40 yards wide, but only about 20 yards deep. Not my favorite hole of all time, but hey, how often do you see a true island hole in the wild. It certainly ate up a lot of high schoolers back in the day, and I’ve seen scores get into the 30’s for that hole (as well as one college kid run out of balls and DQ).
My State AM History
I’ve made the State AM twice on four tries. I went 1 for 2 before starting my PGA Professional career, and then I have attempted the last 2 years since getting back into AM golf also going 1 for 2. 3 of my 4 attempts have been at CCC with me going 2 for 3 at this venue. My first time making it in 2013 I got in on the number at 79, and 2 years ago I also got in on the number but at 76. Last year when I did not make it, I believe it was 77, but I was not prepared for this qualifier at all and shot 80. I had a 3-month-old at home and had played a single 9-hole round leading into it. I’ve had a lot more time to practice and play this year and I feel pretty good about next week.
If I do qualify for the AM, the host site is Warwick Country Club. 2 of the schools we played in high school used this course as their home, so I have a good amount of experience here as well. It’s a Donald Ross (told you we have a lot of those around here) par 69 with only 1 par 5 on the back. It does have 8 par 4’s that stretch over 400 yards, with 4 of them being 435 plus. I’ll definitely need to get my driver tuned up for this course if I happen to make it, but we have 18 holes at CCC to worry about first.
My Game and Focus Areas
I’ve alluded to it in this write up, but I have been atrocious with the driver and off the tee. I am currently playing around with the set up of my Darkspeed LS and have brought my G430 LST back out for testing as well. Luckily, this course only requires a driver on 1,9, and 11 and I can play well with my UW or iron off every other tee. This should help highlight the rest of my game which has been pretty good. I’ll make a couple lunch break trips over to CCC leading up to hit some putts and familiarize myself with the speed of their greens, since my home clubs will be running about 2 feet faster.
My mental game has been a lot stronger this year than in the past and has led to me avoiding some major blowups. I was always one to take myself out of it with a bad hole or a series of bad shots that would then multiply the damage. I am super focused on committing 100% to the shot in front of me and repeating that process throughout my round. However it ends up is how it will end up. Good and bad breaks will happen, and I simply must play the next shot with full effort.
If I can figure out the driver, I am going to be playing some damn good golf for the rest of the year. I am also going to see my teacher beforehand to get his opinion on what he sees.
As always, I appreciate everyone following along on my journey and the support you guys have given me. It’s amazing to be surrounded by such an amazing community.
The rest of my competition schedule is below. I’m not going to include any club tournaments like club championships or things like that. I’ll only stay with RIGA and NEPGA events. And of course the best one of them all in September!
Current Rest of Summer Competition Schedule
May 22nd – RIGA State AM Qualifier
June 26th – NEPGA Pro-AM
July 8th-13th – RIGA State Amateur (if qualified)
August 6th-7th – RI Open
August 12th-13th – RIGA Stroke Play Championship
September 25th-27th – Victory Cup with THP and Mizuno!!!
May 22nd – RIGA State AM Qualifier
June 26th – NEPGA Pro-AM
July 8th-13th – RIGA State Amateur (if qualified)
August 6th-7th – RI Open
August 12th-13th – RIGA Stroke Play Championship
September 25th-27th – Victory Cup with THP and Mizuno!!!
- Thread starter
- #40
Hit the range today to get geared up for next week. My G430 LST came out of the garage with me, and felt really good on the range. Maybe not the top end speed I got with Darkspeed LS, but I was hitting them tight down range on multiple sets. Might have to be the play for the qualifier but we shall see.
- Thread starter
- #41
That’ll work
