Walk 18 with James

After three solid rounds to kick off July, poor accuracy and distance off the tee (driver only averaged 155 yards thanks to some serious mis-hits), rhythm struggles thanks to a pokey quartet holding up play in front of me, and inconsistent ball striking (think tops and chunks) outside wedge range plagued me today at Garrisons Lake. Oh well. If there are any positive takeaways from the round, it was my partial wedge play. From pitching wedge range (105 yards) and in, I hit the green or fringe at 79%. Combined with only one three-put, I was able to salvage a 95 from the orange tees (5,672 yards, 67.3/119) ... but, oh, does the resulting 26.3 differential sting after counting four of my five previous rounds and losing a 19.8 off my card. Still a 20 index, but a 20.5 now rather than a 20.2. The biggest upside was my company for the morning — a youth and high school hockey coach who I've gotten to know pretty well over the past eight seasons through covering his teams and his kid's ...

Today's round was at my home course: Garrisons Lake Golf Club , in Smyrna, Del. I reckon I've played this track about 45 times so far in 2024, so my annual pass has pretty well paid for itself and everything from here to the end of December is bonus! Without further ado, let's dive into the course review. I'll look at a few key factors: playability, condition, pace, walkability, service, amenities, and value for money. Garrisons Lake Golf Club is a public 18-hole, par-72 course under the care of the Delaware State Parks division and managed by Troon. It's nothin' fancy, but a solid, well-maintained track that offers a suitable test for every ability level. There are currently six sets of tees, ranging from 7,060 yards at the tips to 4,190 yards from the forward tees. The course was built in the 1960s, and it shows (in a good way!) — each tee box isn't that far from the previous green, and it makes for a really enjoyable walk. (Unfortunately, there's not ...