And the Streak Goes On...

The Fairways Golf Club
Warrington, Pa.
Yards: 2255/2248 - 4503
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 43/38 = 81
Date: August 23, 2015

Taking last weekend off after two consecutive rounds in the 80s the previous two weeks, I was anxious to see if I could keep the momentum going on Sunday. Playing my third consecutive round at The Fairways Golf Club, I teed off at 1 p.m.; teamed by the starter with a retired couple, John and Rosemary.

The Fairways Scorecard

After splitting the fairway with my opening drive, I hit a fat 7-iron that came up just short of the pond fronting the first green. I pitched over the pond into the right rough and chipped on, then made my putt for a 5. I had parred the First Hole the previous two rounds, but I was happy with the bogey as I headed to the Second Hole. After pulling my tee shot left behind a tree, I shanked a chip across the fairway, then ditched my next shot into the bunker which led to a 7. I was not hitting my irons particularly well, but I was putting well and managing to get the ball into the hole without too much damage. I made par 4s at the short Sixth Hole and the difficult Eighth, and a it was only a four-putt at the Ninth Hole that prevented me from shooting lower than a 43. Not as good as the 40 I posted the previous round, but a good score for the way I was hitting my irons. I could feel my game improving and my confidence building.

A par at the Sixth Hole got my round started

I opened the back nine by hitting my Wilson Staff Fybrid RS straight down the middle and had just a short sand wedge into the green. I two-putted for my third par of the day. At the Eleventh Hole, I again found the middle of the dogleg right and then hit an 8-iron to right side of green, where I sank the downhill putt for birdie! An 8-iron at the Twelfth Hole found the left bunker, but I blasted out to a foot for a tap-in par. I pulled my 4-wood left off the Thirteenth tee and then came up woefully short with my 53-degree wedge. I chipped on and two-putted for a bogey. Another 8-iron off the tee at the Par 3 Fourteenth found the left rough, but I chipped on a two-putted for another bogey. Through five holes on teh back nine, I was a mere one over par. At the Par 3 Fifteenth, I again found the green, and my 15-foot birdie putt just lipped out. My only real hiccup on the back came at the 323-yard Sixteenth Hole, where I pushed my tee shot right and out-of-bounds. My second tee shot found the left side of the fairway, but I went long to the back of the green with my gap wedge and three-putted for a triple-bogey 7. That put me at 4-over through seven holes. I hit a long drive at the Seventeenth, and my approach from the right side of the fairway found the rough left of the green. I chipped on and made my seventh par of the round. I again pulled my drive left at the home hole, then found the right bunker with my 7-iron approach. I blasted out and two-putted to finish the closing nine with a 5-over-par 38 and a total of 81 for the round.

A bad tee shot at the 16th led to a triple-bogey

The back nine was some of the best golf I had played this year, and had it not been for the errant tee shot at the Sixteenth and the four-putt at the Ninth, I believe I might have shot in the 70s. I am feeling very confident with my game right now. The move back to the Wilson Staff clubs has really given me a significant boost. While I did hit my irons somewhat poorly to start the round, my iron game got better and better as the round progressed. I look forward to continuing this streak of good golf as the summer starts to fade and the fall slowly inches forward.