Eagle Creek Update: Closer to 100!

It was another Doc & Woody "Stress Free Golf Day" at Eagle Creek today and it's with great giddy glee that I inform you that I shaved 6 strokes off my game from a week ago. One notable difference is that I started the round with a strong performance; something that's pretty hard to do when you pull into the parking lot with only five minutes to tee-time. So much for the "stress free" portion of the day with the frantic changing of the socks, shoes and hat while your eyes are darting around the back of the minivan looking for stray balls and tees that rolled out of the pockets of the golf bag and under the seats. Still, the two bogeys out of the gate were my best start ever at Eagle Creek. My driving was fairly consistent while my fairways showed continual improvement, which only leaves my (ahem) putting. Three-putting is barely acceptable for me these days. Four-putting is downright disgraceful. Judging from my concerns, you now know my weakness.

That being said, it was a banner day on the links for the Woodmeister. There were no mulligans involved and it was true scoring all the way. The fact that I am brushing the hundred mark at the Creek, is a marvelous statement to the improvements in my overall game, not to mention course management technique. The only embarrassing moment happened on the daunting 18th tee. In my setup to launch the ball over the water, I lined up a little askew of my target and, through my hesitant swing, I caught more of the ball's underside than I wanted.
I met the sky with it but, unfortunately, pushed it roughly 185 yards over the water to have it land squarely on the women's tee box. You'll notice the exact location in the picture. You'll also notice that the ball did not land PAST the ladies tee. For those that know the male golfers' edict about such a fate of one man's tee shot.... DON'T ASK! As for my recovery: a deftly handled 5 iron off the ladies' tee box went roughly 165 yards to fairway left, landing in safe first-cut territory (with nary a scuff on the box's turf, nor any evidence a man had even ventured near it). Shot 3 - guard bunker. Shot 4 - pin-high fringe. Par shot - chip close and, finally, putt IN for bogey. Here endeth the round and here beginneth the stories of the heartaches and the little victories that keep a golfer coming back again and again.

And, once again, DON'T ASK!!!!!!