The Fall Begins at Juniata Golf Club

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2805/2185 - 4990
Par: 34/31 - 65
Rating: 63.2, Slope: 106
Score: 49/38 = 87
Date: October 4, 2009

With the calendar now reading October, it is time for fall golf, when the the temps are cooler and the leaves begin to litter the fairways and greens. I am hoping to use the fall to find the consistency that my game has lacked through most of the summer. Yesterday, I went looking to begin that consistency on familiar ground: Juniata Golf Club. With the weather sunny and warmer, and the Eagles on their NFL bye week, the course was a little more crowded than I expected. I had to wait nearly 20 minutes to get off the first tee, but the wait was definitely worth it when I hit my opening tee shot onto the front fight of the green. Although I three-putted the First Hole, I walked off feeling good about my start. That feeling only got better when my 7-wood split the fairway at the Second Hole, chipped on and two-putted for par. Another par at the Fourth Hole and I could feel my confidence building. Through six holes I was playing a little better than bogey golf. At the Seventh Hole, I hit my only bad stretch of the day. After hitting two balls out-of-bounds, then three-putting for a nine, I made a double bogey at the Eighth Hole and made a seven at the Ninth. Not the way I wanted to finish the front nine, but I knew the 49 on my scorecard could have--should have--been better.

Juniata Golf Club Scorecard

I started the back nine pretty much the way finished the front. I hit a solid tee shot at the Tenth Hole right of the green and chipped on, but a three-putt led to another double bogey five. I made a good five at the Eleventh Hole after a short tee shot, but made another double bogey five at the Par 3 Twelfth Hole. Staying positive and focused, my fortunes began to change at the Par 3 Thirteenth. I hit an iron onto the front right of the green and two-putted for a par. At the Fourteenth Hole, with the tees forward, I teed it up on the right side of the tee box and smashed a nice draw with my new TaylorMade Raylor 4-Hybrid that finished just in front of the green, where I chipped to two feet and made my fourth birdie of the season. At the Fifthteenth Hole, I drove a 7-iron right of the green, chipped on and two-putted for a bogey four. A wayward tee shot at the Sixteenth led to a double bogey six, but I found the fairway at the Seventeenth Hole and made a 15-foot par putt. My 5-iron at the closing hole to eight feet left of the pin and a two-putt par left me with a back nine 38 and an 87 for my round.

The Seventeenth Hole, an uphill Par 4

I walked off feeling very good about the way I played; keeping the ball in play off the tee, getting the ball around the green and making just enough putts to post a decent score. I hope to carry this momentum forward during future round this fall. Then I can build on this foundation in 2010.