Fairways Fantasy

When The Muni Golfer was a member of the Juniata Golf Association in the late 1990s and early 2000s, one thing that would be given to each golfer at the year-ending banquet was our fantasy score. It was a scorecard that contained the best score you recorded on each hole, taken from all of your tournament rounds that year. It was always fun to see what our fantasy score was for that season.

My Fairways Fantasy Scorecard

Having played the most rounds--eight--at Fairways Golf Club than any other course during the 2018 season, I decided to see what my fantasy score would compared to the course's normal par of 65. After going through the scorecards from those rounds and recording the best score for each hole, I shot a fantasy score of one-over-par 66. I made two birdies, 13 pars and three bogeys for my fantasy round.

The Tenth Hole, one of two I birdie at the Fairways this season

Of my two birdies, which were both made during the same round on October 7th, I made one at the 248-yard par 4 Tenth Hole and the other at the 334-yard par 4 Eighteenth Hole. The only holes at the Fairways where I did not make par or better this season were the 161-yard par 3 Fourth Hole, the 365-yard par 4 Eighth Hole and the 291-yard par 4 Eleventh Hole.

The Fairways Fourth Hole, one of three I failed to shoot at least par

My fantasy score of 66 was only nine strokes lower than my all-time lowest round for a course under par 70--a 75 which I shot at the Fairways back on June 1st. During that round, I made 10 pars, seven bogeys and a triple-bogey.

Blowin' in the Wind

Fairways Golf Club
Warrington, Pa.
Yards: 2200/2248 - 4448
Par: 32/33 - 65
Rating: 62.1, Slope: 104
Score: 44/46 = 90
Date: October 21, 2018

Indian summer has finally given way to more traditional autumn-like weather. Temperatures barely reached 50 degrees when I teed off with my cousin on Sunday morning at Fairways Golf Club. But steady winds gusting at 35-40 miles-per-hour across the course made it feel much colder. It also made playing a challenge as club selection became a guessing game, while trying to play with or against the strong gales.

Fairways Golf Club Scorecard

I enjoy the challenge of playing golf in adverse conditions, whether is be windy or rain. On a day like this, my strategy is to play conservatively and accept bogey as a good score. A bogey is becomes a par and a par is often becomes the equivalent of a birdie. Thus, the par 65 for the course is thought of as a par 83.

The strong winds had the pins bent like this one
at Juniata a few years ago

On the front nine, my strategy worked through the first five holes, with one par at the 109-yard par 3 Third Hole and four bogeys. On the Next four holes, I again made a par at the 168-yard Par 3 Seventh and just lipped out a par putt at the 133-yard par 3 Ninth. But the 284-yard par 4 Sixth and 365-yard Eighth holes both caused me problems. I made a 7 at the Sixth when I failed to get out of a bunker and made a triple-bogey and an 8 at the Eighth when I hit a tree with my second shot. This left me with a 44 for the opening nine holes.

Wilson Staff Di11 Iron

On the back nine, I started with a par at the short 248-yard Tenth Hole, then bogeyed the next two holes. A double bogey at the Thirteenth Hole--I fatted a chip on my third shot--was followed by three more bogeys. Bad drives and poor putting the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Holes saw me finish out my round with a quadruple bogey and a double bogey for a 46 on the back nine and a total of 90 for the 18 holes.

Except for the 7 and two 8s that I posted, I was happy with the way I played in the windy conditions. I also had two new irons in bag: Wilson Staff Di11 5- and 6-irons, which replaced the Ci&s I had been carrying. These irons are designed for more distance and they delivered when I hit them during my round.