Play It Forward

Since July 1, I've admittedly hit a bit of a slump. I've been getting more power off the tee, my putting has still been solid, but everything in between went south for the past six weeks. Sure, I've been hitting consistently in the low 90s, but I went seven straight rounds without breaking 90. After a respectable 89 on Wednesday as a visitor at Wild Quail Country Club, in Wyoming, Del. (another Ed Ault design, so it played similarly to Garrisons and Maple Dale!), I decided to play the forward tees at home yesterday for a change to try to get a little more comfortable playing offence and regain some confidence.

Going into the day a 20.4 Handicap Index, I played off 8 from the forward tees — roughly 4,200 yards, compared to the 5,600-yard configuration (off 17) I typically play. My goal was to break par, or, failing that, go as absolutely low as I could. Attack, attack, attack.

Playing from the forward tees enabled me to get more comfortable playing offence in close-range risk-reward situations, like a half sand wedge for a green in regulation on the No. 1-indexed second hole from a pin-high drive.

Since offence was the name of the game, driver was my club of choice off the tee on 10 of the 14 non-par 3s, and I averaged 183 yards with the big stick. Nearly drove the green on the 210-yard second (above) and the 232-yard 15th, and left myself partial wedges in for greens in regulation eight times. Thankfully, I was able to make 11 total greens (14 net greens) — including three of the four par 5s, but squandered two par chances with three-putts from over 30 feet.

At the end of the experiment, I came away with a 76 (gross +4, net -4), with 12 pars, five bogeys, and a single birdie on 15 thanks to a half-sandie from 30 yards dropped within five feet. And, while I didn't break par, I was pleased with the result and the experience, and I got some needed reps on some underused elements of my short game. While I'll be back at the orange tees Tuesday, "playing it forward" is definitely something I'll do again on occasion — it forces one to look at the course differently and hone partial wedge shots. That, and scoring well is just plain fun, no matter the distance.

Round Summary

Course: Garrisons Lake Golf Club, Smyrna, Del.
Tees: Gold (4,190 yards, CR 60.8, SR 105)

Gross Score: 37-39—76 (net -4)

Birdies: 1
Pars: 12
Bogeys: 5

Fairways: 5/14
Greens: 11/18
Net Greens: 14/18

Putts: 33
Strokes Gained Putting: 1.16
Total Holed Putts: 48 feet
Longest Made Putt: 10 feet
Shortest Missed Putt: 4 feet

Match vs. Course Handicap: won, 4 and 3 (2-6-0)

Differential: 16.4

Pending Handicap Index: 19.6 (down 0.8 points)

Distance Walked: 5.3 miles (~11,300 steps)
Time: 3 hours, 18 minutes
Maximum Heart Rate: 149 bpm


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